Siṛiya Tirumaḍal taniyan

Piḷḷai Tirunaṛaiyūr Araiyar aruḷic ceydadu 

muḷḷic ceḻumalarō tārān muḷai madhiyam * 

 koḷḷikku en uḷḷam kodiyāmē * - vaḷḷal 

 tiruvāḷan sīrkkaliyan kārkkaliyai veṭṭi * 

 maruvāḷan tandān maḍal

“Tirumaṅgaiyāḻvār—adorned with a garland of fresh porcupine flowers (Barleria prionitis); very charitable (as he has rendered numerous divine songs); very opulent; wields a mighty sword; and who eliminates the effect of Kali (ignorance)—rendered the divine Siṛiya Tirumaḍal to save my heart from the scorching heat of the rising moon (Vaiṣṇavas hate moonlight as it induces sexual urge).”

2673 * kārār varaik koṅgai kaṇṇār kaḍal uḍukkai * 

 sīrar suḍar cuṭṭi seṅgkaluḻip pērātṛṛu *      

 pērāra mārbin perumā maḻaik kūndal * 

 nīrāra vēli nila maṅgai ennum * ip       

 pārōr solappaṭṭa mūnṛanṛē * - ammūnṛum 

2674  ārāyil tānē aṛam poruḷ inbam enṛu *      

“The ‘goal of life’ of those people living on this earth called mother Bhūmi—whose breasts are the mountains (Tirumālirunjōlai and Tiruvēnkaṭam) covered by the clouds; sari is the vast ocean; the ornament ‘cuṭṭi’ (on the forehead) is the bright and majestic sun; valuable necklaces on her chest are the turbid and reddish rivers; hair is the huge dark clouds; protective fence is the Kāraṇa Ocean—are three; on analysing, we see that they are dharma, Artha, and kāma.”

(2674) ārār ivatṛṛin iḍai adanai eyduvār * 

 sīrār iru kalaiyum eyduvar * - sikkena matṛṛu     

2675 ārānum unḍenbār enbadu tān aduvum * 

 orāmai anṛē? ulagattār sollum sol *      

 orāmai āmāṛu adu uraikkēn kēḷāmē * 

 kārār puravi ēḻ pūṇḍa tani āḻi *       

 tērār niṛai kadirōn maṇḍalattaik kīṇḍu pukku * 

 ārā amudham aṅgeydi * - adil ninṛum  

2676 vāradoḻivadonṛuṇḍē? * adu niṛka 

 ērār muyal viṭṭuk kākkaip pin pōvadē? *      

“Those who attain fulfillment of kāma of the three ‘goals of life,’ have already attained the other two important ones– dharma and artha. Some persons of lesser knowledge say that there is another goal that is eternal (mokṣa), but that is out of lack of analysis (ignorance); let me explain how it lacks analysis; can you kindly listen to me? Could it be possible that one pierces through the planet of the sun—who emits innumerable (scorching) rays and is seated on a chariot of a single wheel dragged by seven horses—reaches a magnificent planet (Vaikuṇṭha), attains the Lord who is like the opulent ambrosia and remains eternally there without coming back? Let it be so; will people go after a crow (ugly and useless) ignoring a cute rabbit?”

(2676) erār iḷa mulaiyīr endanakku utṛṛadu tān * 

 kārār kuḻal eḍuttuk kaṭṭi * - kadir mulaiyai     

 2677 vārāra vīkki maṇimēkalai tirutti * 

 ārār ayil vēṛkaṇ añjanattin nīṛaṇindu *     

 sīrār seḻum pandu konḍaḍiyā ninṛēn nān * 

 nīrār kamalam pōl seṅgkaṇ māl enṛoruvan *     

 pārōrhaḷ ellām mahiḻap paṛai kaṛaṅga * 

 sīrār kuḍam iraṇḍēndi * - seḻunteruvē       

2678 ārār enac colli āḍum adu kaṇḍu * 

 ērār iḷamulaiyār ennaiyarum ellārum *      

 vārāyō enṛārkkuc cenṛēn en valvinaiyāl * 

 kārār maṇi niṛamum kaivaḷaiyum kāṇēn nān *     

ārānum sollitṛṛum koḷḷēn * - aṛivaḻindu

“(Parakāla Nāyakī talks in the mood of a gopī) O young ladies with elegant soft breasts! This is my experience: I—with my dark hair bunched up, my bright breasts covered with a corset, wearing a necklace of gems, and my lovely spear-like eyes decorated with collyrium—was playing with a bouncy ball; (then) a young man called Tirumāl with reddish eyes like a lotus flower, pleasing to all onlookers, came carrying two pots saying, ‘Is there any girl (who can survive without surrendering to my pot dance) on this big street?’ and started dancing on the pots to the beat of a special drum. Looking at the dance, girls with lovely soft breasts, and women called me to see Him; due to my past sinful acts, I too went there; (since then) I lost my blue sapphire gemstone hue (obtained when I united with Him earlier) and bangles (because of becoming thin); having lost my senses, I was rejecting any pacifying words (spoken by my relatives).”             

2679 tīrā uḍamboḍu pēduṛuvēn kaṇḍiraṅgi *      

 ērār kiḷik kiḷavi emmanai tān vandennai * 

 sīrār seḻum puḻudik kāppiṭṭu * - seṅgkuṛiñjit    

2680 tārār naṛumālai sāttaṛku * tān pinnum 

 nērādana onṛu nērndāḷ * - adanālum      

2681 tīrādu en sindai nōy tīrādu en pēduṛavu * 

vārādu māmai adu kaṇḍu matṛṛāṅgē *      

 ārānum mūdaṛiyum ammanaimār solluvār * 

 pārōr solappaḍum kaṭṭuppaḍuttirēl *      

 ārānum meyppaḍuvan enṛār * - adu kēṭṭuk 

“Having lost my senses and becoming weak, I was like a mad person; my mother, who speaks sweetly like a parrot, took pity on me, brought the dust of the lotus feet of esteemed Vaiṣṇavas and sprinkled on me for protection, and prayed to a demigod called ‘Sāsta’—wearing a fragrant garland of Cengkurinji flowers—which she had never done before, but my mental affliction and illusion were not cleared and lost body-hue was not restored; then, some elderly women, who knew traditional customs, gave some ideas; they suggested that we should try ‘traditional foretelling (kuri solludal)’ so that the identity of the person (who caused my affliction) would be revealed.”

(Cengkurinji: Gluta travancorica: Śenduruṇi; Toḍappa)

2682 kārār kuḻaṛ koṇḍaik kaṭṭuvicci kaṭṭēṛi *     

 sīrār suḷagil sila nel piḍitteṛiyā * 

 vērā vidir vidirā mey silirāk kai mōvā *      

 pēr āyiram uḍaiyān enṛāḷ * - pērttēyum 

 2683 kārār tirumēni kāṭṭināḷ * kai aduvum      

 sīrār valampuriyē enṛāḷ * - tiruttuḻāyt 

 2684 tārār naṛumālai kaṭṭuraittāḷ kaṭṭuraiyā *     

 nīrēdum añjēnmin nummahaḷai nōy seydān * 

 ārānum allan aṛindēn avanai nān *      

 kūrār vēṛkaṇṇīr! umakkaṛiyak kūrugēnō? * 

“While they were talking, a dark-haired gypsy woman (suddenly appeared there without anyone calling her) came there; she went into a trance, then threw some paddies on a small, elegant winnow, keenly studied the pattern (of the paddies strewn), perspired, whirled, exhibited goosebumps, smelt her palm, and inferred that the Lord who has one thousand names is the cause (of her affliction); then she gestured His dark rain cloud-hued body and a conch held in hand; also indicated a garland of fragrant tulasī leaves; after gesturing all these, she told the mother, ‘No need to be afraid, a demon has not caused your daughter’s affliction, I have found out who is the person; o ladies with spear-like eyes! Should I tell who is that?”

2684 ārāl ivvaiyam aḍi aḷappuṇḍadu tān? *      

 ārāl ilaṅgai poḍi poḍiyā vīḻndadu? * - matṛṛu 

ārālē kanmāri kāttadu tān? * - āḻi nīr     

2685 ārāl kaḍaintiḍappaṭṭadu? * - avan kāṇmin 

 ūrānirai mēyttu ulagellām unḍumiḻndum *     

 ārāda tanmaiyanāy āṅgoru nāḷ āyppāḍi * 

 sīrār kalai algul sīraḍic centuvar vāy *      

 vārār vana mulaiyāḷ mattārap patṛṛik koṇḍu * 

 ērār iḍai nōva ettanaiyōr pōdumāy *      

 sīrār tayir kaḍaindu veṇṇai tiraṇḍadaṇai * 

 vērār nudal maḍavāḷ vēṛōr kalattiṭṭu *      

 nārār uṛi ētṛṛi nangamaiya vaittadanai * 

 pōrār vēṛkaṇ maḍavāḷ pōndanaiyum poy uṛakkam *    

 ōrādavan pōl uṛaṅgi aṛivutṛṛu * 

 tārār taḍantōḷhaḷ uḷḷaḷavum kai nīṭṭi *      

 ārāda veṇṇey viḻuṅgi * - arugirunda 

2686 mōrār kuḍam uruṭṭi mun kiḍanda tānattē *     

 ōrādavan pōl kiḍandānaik kaṇḍavaḷum * 

 vārāt tān vaittadu kāṇāḷ * - vayiṛaḍittu iṅgu    

2687 ārār puguduvār? aiyar ivar allāl * 

 nīrām idu seydīr enṛōr neḍuṅgkayitṛṛāl *     

 ūrārhaḷ ellārum kāṇa uralōḍē * 

 tīrā veguḷiyaḷāyc cikkena vārttaḍippa *     

 ārā vayitṛṛinōḍu ātṛṛādān * 

(The gypsy woman said) “He, who measured this earth; decimated Laṅkā; protected (all of you) from torrential rains; churned the ocean; herded the herds of cows in the village; swallowed (during pralaya to protect) the planets and brought them out (during creation); and exhibited His wonderful qualities as a bhakta-jana-priyaḥ (controlled by His devotees): One day, in Gokula, mother Yaśodā—with an elegant hip draped by a sari, lovely legs, reddish lips, and beautiful breasts covered by a corset—held the churning rod tightly, and churned the curd for a long time, straining her elegant hip; then she, her forehead covered by profuse sweating, collected the butter and transferred it to another pot; mother Yaśodā, with eyes like a sharp spear ready for a fight, hung the pot from the roof above by a tightly woven rope hangar and went out; Kaṇṇan, who was feigning sleep as an innocent boy till she left, got up, put His hands, up to His garlanded shoulders, inside the pot till the bottom, gathered the butter and gobbled it up but not satiated at all; He rolled down a pot full of buttermilk, hung next to the butter pot, and lied down again, as an innocent boy, in the same place. When mother Yaśodā came back, (looking at the spilled buttermilk) and the empty butter pot, understood that the blessed boy alone had gobbled up the butter, as nobody else came there; beating her stomach (thinking would He be able to digest it all) and with great anger, saying, ‘You are the one who has done this,’ she tied Him up with a rope to a mortar, while the villagers were looking on, and Kaṇṇan standing morose with His stomach churning in fear.”

- anṛiyum

2688 nīrār neḍuṅgayattai senṛalaikka ninṛurappi *     

 orāyiram paṇa veṅgkōviyal nāgattai * 

 vārāy enakkenṛu matṛṛadan mattagattu *     

 sīrār tiruvaḍiyāl pāyndān * 

(The gypsy woman continued) “Further, He went to a huge lake where He agitated the serpent Kāliya—who was very cruel like Yama and was enjoying his life with one thousand hoods—and called him to fight with Him; He climbed on his hoods, trampled them with His lotus feet and playfully danced on them.”   

- tan sītaikku

2689 nērāvan enṛōr nisāsari tān vandāḷai *      

 kūrārnda vāḷāl koḍi mūkkum kādiraṇḍum * īrā viḍuttu avaṭku mūttōnai * - vennaragam     

2690 sērā vahaiyē silai kunittān * senduvar vāy vārār vana mulaiyāḷ vaidēvi kāraṇamā *      

 erār taḍantōḷ irāvaṇanai * - īraindu 

2691 sīrār siram aṛuttuc cetṛṛuhanda seṅgkaṇmāl *    

(The gypsy woman continued) “When Shurpanakha (Rāvaṇa’s sister), considering herself equivalent to mother Sītā, approached Him (Rāma, with lusty feelings), He cut off her vine-like nose and ears with His sharp sword and chased her away; with His bow, He meted out unbearable sufferings to her brother Khara, as if he need not go to hell to experience such sufferings, and killed him; for the sake of mother Sītā—with reddish lips and corseted lovely breasts—that Puṇḍarīkākṣa cut off the ten majestic heads of Rāvaṇa and killed him.”         

(2691)pōrār neḍuvēlōn ponpeyarōn āgattai * 

kūrārnda vaḷḷugirāl kīṇḍu * - kuḍal mālai      

2692 sīrār tirumārbin mēl kaṭṭi * seṅgkurudi 

sōrāk kiḍandānaik kuṅkumat tōḷ koṭṭi *     

 āra eḻundān ari uruvāy * 

(The gypsy woman continued) “He, as Nṛsiṁha, split the chest of Hiraṇyakaśipu—who wields a long spear always engaged in fighting—with His sharp nails, drew out his intestines and wore them as a garland on His chest, the abode of mother Lakṣmī; He lifted the demon’s body, lying in a pool of his blood, kept it on His shoulder decorated with kuṅkuma powder, and got up with a victory cry.”

- anṛiyum

2693 pēr vāmananāhiya kālattu * mūvaḍi maṇ     

 tārāy enakkenṛu vēnḍic calattināl * nīrētṛṛu ulagellām ninṛaḷandān māvaliyai *    

(The gypsy woman continued) “Further, He appeared as a dwarf brāhmaṇa, Vāmana, begged king Bali, ‘Give me three feet of land,’ and once Bali confirmed the offering by pouring water on His palm, Vāmana cheated him by growing big and measured all the planetary systems and taking from Bali.”

(2693) ārāda pōril asurarhaḷum tānumāy * kārār varai naṭṭu nāgam kayiṛāha *       

pērāmal tāṅgik kaḍaindān * - tiruttuḻāy 

 tārārnda mārvan 

(The gypsy woman continued) “During the war between the demigods and the asuras, He, adorned with a garland of tulasī leaves, brought the Mandara Mountain, used it as a churning rod, serpent Vāsuki as the rope, held the mountain, without toppling, on His back (in the form of a huge tortoise), and got the Ocean of Milk churned by the demigods and the asuras.” 

taḍa māl varai pōlum *     

2694 pōrānai poygai vāy kōṭpaṭṭu ninṛalaṛi * 

 nīrār malark kamalam koṇḍōr neḍuṅgkaiyāl *     

 nārāyaṇā! ō! maṇivaṇṇā! nāgaṇaiyāy! * 

 vārāy en āriḍarai nīkkāy * - ena veguṇḍu      

2695 tīrāda sītṛṛattāl senṛiraṇḍu kūṛāha * 

 īrā adanai iḍar kaḍindān emperumān *      

 pēr āyiram uḍaiyān pēyp peṇḍīr! num magaḷai * 

 tīrā nōy seydān ena uraittāḷ *

(The gypsy woman continued) “When a mountain-like huge elephant Gajendra’s leg was caught by a crocodile in a lake, he plucked a fresh lotus flower with his trunk and offered it crying loudly, ‘O Nārāyaṇā! O Maṇivaṇṇā! O Nāgaṇaiyāy (one sleeping on Śeṣa Nāga)!’ (On hearing it) The Lord appeared on the bank of the lake in great anger, cut off the crocodile into two, and relieved the misery of Gajendra; the gypsy woman concluded by saying, ‘O foolish women! That same Lord, who has a thousand names, is the one who caused this incurable affliction to your daughter.”

- sikkena matṛṛu    

 2696 ārānum allāmai kēṭṭeṅgaḷ ammanaiyum * 

 pōrār vēṛkaṇṇīr! avanāhil pūntuḻāy *      

 tārādoḻiyumē? tan aḍicci allaḷē? * - matṛṛu 

 ārānum allanē enṛoḻindāḷ * 

(The afflicted girl (Parakāla Nāyakī) said) “Thereafter my mother, clearly ensuring that a demon is not the cause of the affliction, addressed the other women, ‘My friends with eyes sharp like a spear! Since it is the Lord (who is the cause) I will give her tulasī leaves; she is His servant and (by His grace) nobody else is the cause of her affliction;’ thus she was relieved.”   

2697 - nān avanaik     

 kārār tirumēni kaṇḍaduvē kāraṇamā * 

 pērāp pitatṛṛāt tiritaruvan * - pinnaiyum     

2698 īrāp puhudalum ivvuḍalait taṇ vāḍai * 

 sōrā maṛukkum vahai aṛiyēn * - sūḻ kuḻalār     

2699 ārānum ēsuvar ennumadan paḻiyai * 

 vārāmal kāppadaṛku vāḷā irundoḻindēn *     

“Since worshipping His dark-hued body, I roam around blabbering; further, the cool wind penetrates the body and weakens me; I do not know how to describe my sufferings; to avoid the gossiping of the women and the subsequent scandal, I am keeping quiet.”

2699 vārāy maḍa neñjē! vandu * - maṇi vaṇṇan 

2700 sīrār tirut tuḻāy mālai namakkaruḷi *      

 tārān tarum enṛu iraṇḍattil onṛadanai * 

 ārānum onnādār kēḷāmē sonnakkāl *      

 ārāyumēlum paṇi kēṭṭu adanṛenilum * 

 pōrādoḻiyādē pōndiḍu nī enṛēṛku *      

 kārār kaḍal vaṇṇan pin pōna neñjamum * 

 vārādē ennai maṛandadu tān * - valvinaiyēn    

2701 ūrār ugappadē āyinēn * 

“My heart, to whom I said, ‘O foolish heart! Get up, go to Maṇivaṇṇan, ensure that those who dislike Him don’t hear, and ask Him, ‘Please confirm anyone – will he give His effulgent garland of tulasī leaves or not;’ on hearing this, whether He lovingly enquires or rejects saying, ‘I do not know anything about this,’ you should come back immediately without staying back,’ forgot me and stayed back there; alas! I lost my stature inviting the ridicule of the people.”       

(2701) - matṛṛenakkiṅgu 

 2702 ārāyvār illai aḻal vāy meḻugu pōl *      

 nīrāy uruhum en āvi * - neḍuṅg kaṇkaḷ 

 ūrār uṛaṅgilum tān uṛaṅgā * - uttaman tan     

2703 pērāyinavē pidatṛṛuvan * - pinnaiyum 

 kārār kaḍal pōlum kāmattar āyinār *      

 ārē pollāmai aṛivār? 

“There is nobody here to be concerned about me and enquire; my soul is melting like shellac kept near the fire; my long eyes do not (close in) sleep when others sleep; I keep on chanting the holy names of that Puruṣottama; do those who have (transcendental) love as large as the huge ocean bother about others’ jealousy?”    

 2704 ārānum ādānum allaḷ avaḷ kāṇīr *      

 vārār vanamulai vāsavadattai enṛu * 

 ārānum sollappaḍuvāḷ * - avaḷum tan      

2705   pērāyam ellām oḻiyap perunteruvē * 

 tārār taḍantōḷ taḷaik kālan pin pōnāḷ *     

 ūrār igaḻndiḍappaṭṭāḷē? * - matṛṛenakkiṅgu 

(2705) ārānum kaṛpippār nāyagarē? * 

“A lady, with her lovely breasts covered by a corset, praised and called by all as Vāsavadattai, was not a simple woman (she was very famous); she left her best friends and went on the main street behind one Vatsarāja whose large shoulders were garlanded and whose legs were chained; was she ridiculed by the people? (No). Will anyone who advises me to be patient be my benefactor? (I will not listen to them).” 

Vāsavadattai: To justify her impatience to unite with the Lord, Parakāla Nāyaki quotes the example of Vāsavadattai, who she says was wise, chaste, and praised by all. Some say that the heroine Vāsavadattai of a popular Sanskrit story named Vāsavadattā, written by the great poet Subandhu, was the one referred to here by Parakāla Nāyaki, but it is clear that this imaginary heroine had not been referred to as her story is different. This story has not been mentioned in any authentic scriptures, but Vatsarāja had been mentioned in Mahābhārata, Ādi-parva ch.200, 22 along with the names of other kings who participated in the svayaṁvara of Draupadī. One translator has written that Princess Vāsavadattai fell in love with Vatsarāja; when her father, the king, imprisoned Vatsarāja, she left the country along with Vatsarāja. In the twelfth chapter of the book Kathācaritra-sāgara, the story of Vāsavadattai is written in detail and is similar to the description of Parakāla Nāyaki, but its source is not known.                  

- nān avanaik     

2706 kārār tirumēni kāṇum aḷavum pōy * 

 * sīrār tiruvēṅgaḍamē tirukkova       

 lūrē * - matiṭkacci ūragamē pēragamē * 

 pērā maṛudiṛuttān veḷḷaṛaiyē veqkāvē *     

 pērāli taṇkāl naṛaiyūr tiruppuliyūr * 

 * ārāmam sūḻnda araṅgam * - kaṇamaṅgai     

2707 kārār maṇi niṛak kaṇṇanūr viṇṇagaram * 

 sīrār kaṇapuram sēṛai tiruvaḻundūr *      

 kārār kuḍandai kaḍigai kaḍal mallai * 

 ērār poḻil sūḻ iḍavendai nīrmalai *      

 sīrārum māliruñsōlai tirumōgūr * 

2708 pārōr pugaḻum vadari vaḍa madurai *      

 ūrāyavellām oḻiyāmē nān avanai * 

 ōrānai kombosittu ōrānai kōḷ viḍutta      

 sīrānai * - seṅgaṇ neḍiyānait tēn tuḻāyt 

 tārānai * - tāmarai pōl kaṇṇānai * eṇṇaruñsīr     

2709  pēr āyiramum pidatṛṛi * - * perunteruvē 

2710 ūrār igaḻilum ūrādoḻiyēn nān *       

vārār pūm peṇṇai maḍal 

“(In the madness of love) To worship His dark rain cloud-hued form, I visited all the divine temples without missing any, in the majestic Tiruveṅkaṭa Hills, Vaḍa Madurai (Govardhan), Tirukkōvalūr, ūragam in Kāncipuram surrounded by ramparts, Appakkuḍattān temple, Tiruvellarai where the Lord who broke the twin arjuna trees is present, Tiruvekkā, large Tiruvāli city, Tiruttaṇgal, Tirunaraiyūr, Tiruppuliyūr in Kuttanāḍu, Śrīrangam surrounded by lovely gardens, Tirukkaṇṇamangai, Tiruviṇṇagar of the blue sapphire gemstone-hued Kaṇṇan, lovely Tirukkaṇṇapuram, Tiruccērai, Tēreḻundūr, Tirukkuḍantai which removes miseries, Kaḍigai Hills (Cōḻasimhapuram), Tirukkaḍal Mallai, Tiruviḍantai surrounded by lovely gardens, Tirunīrmalai, beautiful Tirumāliruncōḻai, Tirumohūr, Badarikāśrama worshipped by the world, North Madurai etc., Chanting incessantly the one thousand holy names, the remedy for unthinkably terrible qualities, of the Lord who broke the tusk of one elephant and eliminated the misery of another elephant and was glorified; who has reddish eyes and is unreachable to me; who adorns a garland of nectarean tulasī leaves and is lotus-eyed, I will perform ‘maḍal ūrdal’ on a lovely, long feather palm frond through the main street, even if all the people ridicule me.”

(composed by Kambar)

ūrādoḻiyēn ulagaṛiya oṇṇudalīr! * 

 sīrār mulait taḍaṅgaḷ sēraḷavum * - pārellām 

 anṛōṅgi ninṛaḷandān ninṛa tirunaṛaiyūr * 

 manṛōṅga ūrvan maḍal 

Parakāla Nāyakī declares: “O ladies with effulgent forehead! I will perform ‘maḍal ūrdal’ till the Lord comes and enjoys my breasts; I will perform ‘maḍal ūrdal’, for everyone to see, on the crossroads of Tirunaraiyūr where the Lord, who once measured and secured all the worlds, is present.”

Tirumaṅgaiyāḻvār tiruvaḍihaḷē śaraṇam

ramanuja.org 

TattvaPedia 

The Madals of Tirumangai Alvar

Introduction to the Genre

Badrinarayanan Seshadri • March 27, 1996

According to sangam Tamil tradition, madal oordhal or madal ERudhal is performed by males afflicted by love by a female. Roughly translated, this would mean "riding a palmyra stem".

Love, in ancient Tamil tradition, falls into two large divisions, kaḷavu and kaRpu. In kaḷavu, the love is instantaneous. In case of kaḷavu, usually, a man and a woman fall in love at the very first sight. But, on occasions this love will be one-sided, called kaikkiḷai. In such cases, the affected person will try to convey the love through his/her friends. If the love is still not accepted, the males usually take recourse to the following action:

Using a palmyra stem, the man makes a horse shaped object and sits on it. He makes a flag and paints it with his lover's figure. He will usually wear tattered clothes and spread ash(?) all over his body. His friends will then carry him around, and along the way the lovesick man will shout insulting things at the woman and her family, in the hope that the woman, unable to take the shame caused by all this, agrees to marry him.

This was a last ditch attempt the males took recourse to. Tholkaappiyam Poruladhikaaram prohibits this for women, suggesting that this is not becoming of a women. While there is a mention of "madal ERudhal" in sangam works, there doesn't appear to be any effort on the part of the poets to elevate its status. However, by the time of Thiru Valluvar's Kural, madal ERudhal for men has already achieved an exalted status. In addition, Valluvar also says that "there is no women better than the one who didn't perform madal ERudhal even when she was afflicted by love as large as an ocean."

There is a suggestion by a few that the scales of the sharp palmyra stem could cause physical pain to the person riding this. And this is why the women were forbidden to do this. I don't agree with this theory. This was prohibited for women more in accordance with the Tamil custom that a woman is supposed to have achcham, naaNam, madam and payirppu, and to come out on the street and perform madal ERudhal would imply she had given up all those! In addition the woman in her tattered clothes will be seen by everyone on the streets! So, these were the considerations that prevented the womenfolks from following this custom.

Taking this too far, various commentators of Tholkaappiyam have argued about whether a woman is allowed to even think about performing this action (as opposed to really doing it!). In any case, let us not dwell deep on this topic for now.

"madal" became a type of "small literature" (சிற்றிலக்கியம்) along with other genre like "uLaa", "kalambakam", "thaaNdakam", "piLLaith thamizh", "thoodhu" etc. but was quite strict in the sense that it was always a man performing madal ERudhal, pining for a woman. Tirumangai Alvar was the first one who wrote a madal with a female performing madal ERudhal (or at least expressing her intention to do so). [There does exist a solitary stanza in veNpaa, dates not known, where a woman expresses similar intentions for a King.]

Grammar works (like panniru paattiyal, ilakkaNa viLakkam) written well after Tirumangai Alvar's time, made amends indicating that one can also write about a woman performing madal ERudhal provided the object of such an act is God Himself.

It is interesting to note that siRiya thirumadal also has a small but very engaging portion on "thoodhu" (messenger poems), where Parakaala Naayaki sends her heart as the messenger to the Lord, which alas! doesn't return back after seeing the Lord! The last few lines of siRiya thirumadal where Parakaala Naayaki details the insults she is about to hurl at her 'uLLam kavar kaLvan', are really humorous!

--badri

Background

In 1996, P. Dileepan posted a short note on the Bhakti List about two unique poems of Tirumangai Alvar, the Siriya Thirumadal (சிறிய திருமடல்) and Periya Thirumadal (பெரிய திருமடல்).

Sri Dileepan wrote:

"[Tirumangai] Alvar went against the Tamil tradition and portrayed a female performing 'madal oordhal' as an expression of intense and insatiable love [for the Lord]. Madal oordhal is extremely painful and thus the target of this action, a damsel, and her family, acquiesces for the fulfillment of the man's love. [Alvar as] Parakaala Nayaki risks public ridicule by venturing upon this 'madal oordhal', for it is forbidden for women."

This prompted Sri V. Sundar to ask for an explanation of the concept of "madal oordhal", and the context in which the Alvar composed these moving love poems. Sri Badri Seshadri, a connoisseur of Tamil literature, replied with this informative article.

-- Mani