01-The ElElO Song
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by arasi »
ONE
The ElElO Song
Bharathiyar loved the music of snake charmers and washermen--songs which were sung by women pounding rice. He liked listening to fishermen and workers in the field more than he did to musicians in concerts.
The ElElO Song
Bharathiyar loved the music of snake charmers and washermen--songs which were sung by women pounding rice. He liked listening to fishermen and workers in the field more than he did to musicians in concerts.
.
Bharathi, Chellamma and six of us (children of both families) were walking on the beach of Puduchery. The fishermen had come ashore, their boats filled with fish. They were singing happily. Bharathi interrupted our jovial conversation with several shabhAsh-s in response to their singing.
Bharathi, Chellamma and six of us (children of both families) were walking on the beach of Puduchery. The fishermen had come ashore, their boats filled with fish. They were singing happily. Bharathi interrupted our jovial conversation with several shabhAsh-s in response to their singing.
I asked: This is funny! There is neither rAgam nor any sense to their singing. What makes you appreciate them so much?
Chellamma: You know him! He gets all excited when that man who carries the MAriamman image and beats that uDukkai (mini hand drum) comes to our street. He starts dancing! He loses his senses. This evening, hearing the sound and beat of the waves and their nonsensical music thrills him!
Bharathi went to the fishermen with a paper and pencil and asked an old man to sing the song line by line. He corrected some of his words and came back to us.
Bharathi: You make fun of me as usual--but listen to this. That old man taught me the fundamentals about this Universe.
Chellamma: Indeed! You are the student of every paRaiyan and fisherman. Yet, you refuse to be a Sishya of the guru at the maTam!
Bharathi: I do not want to believe in superstitious, far-from-the-truth dogmas. The fishermen do their work and we are not any different in the way we are made.
Me: Let not our fun-filled outing end in an argument! Oy BharatiyAre! Why don't you explain the meaning and the beauty of the fishermen's song?
With that piece of paper in hand, Bharathi started singing the song. His singing went on for more than half an hour and we were all lost in it. I can still hear that tune now...
My brother Sami said, "You haven't given us the meaning of the song yet. It's eight o' clock already!"
None of us were aware of the time.
Bharathi: Sami, before God, before the creation of this universe, what do you think existed?
Sami: We ask a question and you ask us for an answer?
Bharathi: I'm a crazy man who is both a guru and a student. If I am to tell you everything, how may I learn the things that you know?
Me: nAlAyira divya prabandham says there was water before everything came into existence. Our perumAL was afloat on a banyan leaf.
Bharathi: Yadugiri! You say your perumAL and ours are different? When are you going to give up these silly notions?
Me: I'm still young. I do not have that much knowledge. It's late. Give us the meaning of the song.
I tugged at his shirt.
Bharathi: At the very beginning, God took on the form of a fish. Then a turtle which lived both in water and on land.
He then changed into a boar which stayed more on land and less in water. As Narasimham, He was half man, half beast. How much relevance there is in this to our lives is what this ElElO song beautifully describes. Yes, bhAgavatam, purANam, pATTuk kachEri, but how oblivious you seem to be to the joy there is in this song!
Chellamma: Tell us more.
Bharathi: Aha! You seem to like this song now!
Chellamma: How could I make all this out in their garbled words!
Bharathi: By paying attention! To continue the story, Mahavishnu was born as a dwarf and then took the form of a human, the father of all men, an inspiring model--Rama, representing justice and righteousness. Then on to Krishna,
illustrating action which was carried out in dharma. He did so in this avatAr and also through Arjuna. As BuddhA, he taught renunciation and ahimsA. Now, as Kalki, he is going to unify all religions. We may not live to see it, but our descendants will. This is the meaning of the song.
Chellamma: Why isn't there the name of SivA in all this?
Me: VishNu is the one who took on the ten incarnations. He is the beginning.
Bharathi: SivA? VishNu? They are the same. Chellamma, you say SivA and Yadugiri says VishNu, I say they are all oneI
It's getting late. Let's go home.
How many years is it since this happened? Yet, I see it as if it is happening now, like a day dream...
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