13-Sakti ViLakkam
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https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=204038#p204038
by arasi »
THIRTEEN
Sakti ViLakkam
(The Meaning of Sakti)
Murugesam Pillai's family had held on to old traditions. On new moon and full moon days, on Fridays and whenever eclipses occured, the family gifted grains and things to swAmis, paNDArams, ANDis and all kinds of mendicants. It was called paDi aLattal (literally, 'giving' by measures--Arasi). The alms included rice, lentils, brown sugar, coconuts and so on. Bharathi was not keen on this custom."Blind faith!", he would say. "These ANDis and paNDArams are lazy men and cheats. Don't encourage them. Give alms only to the physically impaired and to the elderly!"
Yet, Bharathi came under the spell of a sAmiAr--kuLLach chAmiAr. He came to know him because KuLLach chAmi frequented Murugesam Pillai's house. The poet who had a thirst for new ideas, found a guide in him. From then on, whether it did him any good or not, Bharathi started seeking the company of some mendicants.
After DIpAvaLi, it is a custom in our part of the country to light two earthen lamps in front of our homes every evening until the beginning of kArtigai. At Murugesam Pillai's house, they started with two lamps and added two each day until the festival came to an end--when the TiruvaNNAmalai dIpam (flame) was put out.
On a Friday evening, I went with Meena, Padmavati and my sisters to Murugesam Pillai's house which was four doors away from where Bharathi's family lived. I saw Chellamma in front of her house.She was angry with the vANichi (woman who sold oil).
The oil woman: Amma! The man at the oil press was too busy today. I will bring you the oil tomorrow.
Chellamma: It's Friday evening and there's no oil in the house to light the lamps! I was sure you would bring it. Otherwise I would have asked ANNiammA. It's getting dark now, and you know we are not supposed to borrow anything after sunset!
Bharathi was listening to this conversation.
The oil woman: Amma, what could I do? I waited and waited at the press to no avail!
Bharathi: No big deal, Chellamma. It's not her fault. Just light a couple of candles.
Chellamma: When everyone else lights oil lamps, you want me to light candles? How weird! Candles are made of fish fat and are taboo! Would Lakshmi ever want to enter such a house?
(To the servant maid) Go girl! Run to the shop and get a mAgANi measure (a tiny amount) of oil!
Bharathi: Why do we need oil lamps when the electric lamps brighten the street? Lakshmi will surely visit us. Don't send the girl out now. It might rain.
Chellamma: Do you have to interfere in all this? She won't get wet, going to the nearby shop!
Bharathi: Just put this hurricane lamp out, Chellamma!
Chellamma: maN eNNai (kerosene) is from the bowels of the earth and is not acceptable! Oil lamps are traditional and there's no smoke from them. They look pretty and they burn evenly. If you bug me like this, I don't think I'm going to light any lamps at all this evening!
Little girl, run along home! Otherwise Iyer here might get a chill if you get drenched in the rain!
Bharathi (to the girls): Why does Chellamma get angry with me when I'm just being sensible?
Yadugiri: Women believe in traditions.You suggested candles and the hurricane lamp. No wonder Chellamma got upset!
Chellamma: You tell him, Yadugiri! Shouldn't we go along with the community? ANNiammA has lighted twenty lamps today. Shouldn't we light at least two?
Bharathi: Let's pretend that this argument took place just for the sake of our whiling away our time! Now, tell me--why do you think we light the lamps?
Chellamma: Shakti, AmbAL, Lakshmi and GangA come in a procession on these special evenings. They will stay in the houses which are clean and welcoming--and where traditions are kept.
Meena: In TiruvaNNAmalai, starting from DIpAvaLi, they light lamps in front of every house until the light goes off on the hill. Even those who cannot afford to buy the oil, continue lighting them until kArtigai. My grandmother says, that's the way we welcome Parvathi and GangA into our homes.
Bharathi: There is yet another reason for it. While concentrating on traditions and SAstrAs, we tend to overlook some other reasons. In olden times, they did not have a row of electric street lamps as we do now.
In the rainy season, the sky gets very dark. If there were lit lamps in front of every house, there was light for those who had to walk in the street at night.These days, we have no need for glimmering lamps with the street lights giving us light.
My grandfather grew up in darkness. Do we also have to live like that, thinking that it's tradition? By the way, Lakshmi is not happy just with earthen lamps. Dirt, out-moded ways, devious thinking, faith without any depth and our being hypocritical are things which drive her away. She prefers love, truth and devotion. She is happy when you sing of her with conviction. She's not one bit impressed with pomp and circumstances.
Chellamma, the children are all here. Let them sing the songs they know. I will join in later. Light a couple of candles and put them outside. Lakshmi will surely come! We will put her picture upon the chair and sing to her!
Chellamma half-heartedly did what Bharathi asked her to. We all started singing. Bharathi sang vandE mAtaram (We worship our Motherland!) and then he said: I will sing a new song today. I will pause after each line, so that you all can repeat after me, as in a bhajanai.
That song is known as Sakti viLakkam. It starts with the line: Adi param poruLin Ukkam.
Listening to nine voices singing in unison, the women from the surrounding houses started coming in. ANNiammAL thought we were dancing the kummi and joined us.
ChellammaL spread the mats for all of them to sit on.
Our singing went on for two hours.
Bharathi: Chellamma! Lakshmi has truly come to our house! Let's celebrate it by giving turmeric and kungumam to all!
When the women left, Chellamma joked: You said it would rain today. After listening to your bhajanai , it was scared away, I think!
Bharathi: It will certainly rain tonight. Send the children home soon!
The minute we reached our homes, it came down in torrents.
True to Bharathi's words, Lakshmi did visit his house, but she did not take permanent residence there. She kept coming and going...
* * * * *
Sakti ViLakkam
(The Meaning of Sakti)
Murugesam Pillai's family had held on to old traditions. On new moon and full moon days, on Fridays and whenever eclipses occured, the family gifted grains and things to swAmis, paNDArams, ANDis and all kinds of mendicants. It was called paDi aLattal (literally, 'giving' by measures--Arasi). The alms included rice, lentils, brown sugar, coconuts and so on. Bharathi was not keen on this custom."Blind faith!", he would say. "These ANDis and paNDArams are lazy men and cheats. Don't encourage them. Give alms only to the physically impaired and to the elderly!"
Yet, Bharathi came under the spell of a sAmiAr--kuLLach chAmiAr. He came to know him because KuLLach chAmi frequented Murugesam Pillai's house. The poet who had a thirst for new ideas, found a guide in him. From then on, whether it did him any good or not, Bharathi started seeking the company of some mendicants.
After DIpAvaLi, it is a custom in our part of the country to light two earthen lamps in front of our homes every evening until the beginning of kArtigai. At Murugesam Pillai's house, they started with two lamps and added two each day until the festival came to an end--when the TiruvaNNAmalai dIpam (flame) was put out.
On a Friday evening, I went with Meena, Padmavati and my sisters to Murugesam Pillai's house which was four doors away from where Bharathi's family lived. I saw Chellamma in front of her house.She was angry with the vANichi (woman who sold oil).
The oil woman: Amma! The man at the oil press was too busy today. I will bring you the oil tomorrow.
Chellamma: It's Friday evening and there's no oil in the house to light the lamps! I was sure you would bring it. Otherwise I would have asked ANNiammA. It's getting dark now, and you know we are not supposed to borrow anything after sunset!
Bharathi was listening to this conversation.
The oil woman: Amma, what could I do? I waited and waited at the press to no avail!
Bharathi: No big deal, Chellamma. It's not her fault. Just light a couple of candles.
Chellamma: When everyone else lights oil lamps, you want me to light candles? How weird! Candles are made of fish fat and are taboo! Would Lakshmi ever want to enter such a house?
(To the servant maid) Go girl! Run to the shop and get a mAgANi measure (a tiny amount) of oil!
Bharathi: Why do we need oil lamps when the electric lamps brighten the street? Lakshmi will surely visit us. Don't send the girl out now. It might rain.
Chellamma: Do you have to interfere in all this? She won't get wet, going to the nearby shop!
Bharathi: Just put this hurricane lamp out, Chellamma!
Chellamma: maN eNNai (kerosene) is from the bowels of the earth and is not acceptable! Oil lamps are traditional and there's no smoke from them. They look pretty and they burn evenly. If you bug me like this, I don't think I'm going to light any lamps at all this evening!
Little girl, run along home! Otherwise Iyer here might get a chill if you get drenched in the rain!
Bharathi (to the girls): Why does Chellamma get angry with me when I'm just being sensible?
Yadugiri: Women believe in traditions.You suggested candles and the hurricane lamp. No wonder Chellamma got upset!
Chellamma: You tell him, Yadugiri! Shouldn't we go along with the community? ANNiammA has lighted twenty lamps today. Shouldn't we light at least two?
Bharathi: Let's pretend that this argument took place just for the sake of our whiling away our time! Now, tell me--why do you think we light the lamps?
Chellamma: Shakti, AmbAL, Lakshmi and GangA come in a procession on these special evenings. They will stay in the houses which are clean and welcoming--and where traditions are kept.
Meena: In TiruvaNNAmalai, starting from DIpAvaLi, they light lamps in front of every house until the light goes off on the hill. Even those who cannot afford to buy the oil, continue lighting them until kArtigai. My grandmother says, that's the way we welcome Parvathi and GangA into our homes.
Bharathi: There is yet another reason for it. While concentrating on traditions and SAstrAs, we tend to overlook some other reasons. In olden times, they did not have a row of electric street lamps as we do now.
In the rainy season, the sky gets very dark. If there were lit lamps in front of every house, there was light for those who had to walk in the street at night.These days, we have no need for glimmering lamps with the street lights giving us light.
My grandfather grew up in darkness. Do we also have to live like that, thinking that it's tradition? By the way, Lakshmi is not happy just with earthen lamps. Dirt, out-moded ways, devious thinking, faith without any depth and our being hypocritical are things which drive her away. She prefers love, truth and devotion. She is happy when you sing of her with conviction. She's not one bit impressed with pomp and circumstances.
Chellamma, the children are all here. Let them sing the songs they know. I will join in later. Light a couple of candles and put them outside. Lakshmi will surely come! We will put her picture upon the chair and sing to her!
Chellamma half-heartedly did what Bharathi asked her to. We all started singing. Bharathi sang vandE mAtaram (We worship our Motherland!) and then he said: I will sing a new song today. I will pause after each line, so that you all can repeat after me, as in a bhajanai.
That song is known as Sakti viLakkam. It starts with the line: Adi param poruLin Ukkam.
Listening to nine voices singing in unison, the women from the surrounding houses started coming in. ANNiammAL thought we were dancing the kummi and joined us.
ChellammaL spread the mats for all of them to sit on.
Our singing went on for two hours.
Bharathi: Chellamma! Lakshmi has truly come to our house! Let's celebrate it by giving turmeric and kungumam to all!
When the women left, Chellamma joked: You said it would rain today. After listening to your bhajanai , it was scared away, I think!
Bharathi: It will certainly rain tonight. Send the children home soon!
The minute we reached our homes, it came down in torrents.
True to Bharathi's words, Lakshmi did visit his house, but she did not take permanent residence there. She kept coming and going...
* * * * *
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