Thiruvammaanai

Thiru means Holy. Ammaanai means an indoor game played by girls. The games is played with five or seven cowries or pebbles which are tossed into the air and caught on the back of the hand. It is played usually to the accompaniment of a song sung exultingly by the player and ending with the refrain ammaanaai. The songs are usually in praise of The Lord Civan and His exploits.

The Decad

175. Let us play ammaanai
SINGING
ABOUT THOSE bliss over-flowing blossomy FEET -
feet not possible of being seen
by even the red-eyed Vishnu
though he went down as a boar
and burrowed for it -
ABOUT THOSE SUBLIME MERCY-EXUDING FEET
of the Lord of the South
teaming with coconut-groves,
of Him of Perunthurai,
of the One with beauteous eyes,
WHICH, graciously coming down on earth
as the Most Compassionate One,
SEVER the chain of our births,
ENSLAVE even people like us,
BESTOW on us mukti -
deliverance from death and birth.


176. Let us play ammaanai
SINGING OF HIM,
rare to be seen by earth-dwellers,
heaven-dwellers, dwellers underground,
or those in regions beyond these,
by none of these at all,
but to us an easily accessible Celebrity -
the Southerner, Perunthurai’s Lord.,
the exceedingly covetable, ocean-line One,
Who cast His fishing-net on the surfy sea -
WHO, making me god-mad,
came, and, entering my heart,
as unsatiating ambrosia,
graciously bestowed on me
the path-of-no return.


177. Let us play ammaanai
SINGING of the endless bliss bestowed on me
by Civan, the Lord of merit-abounding Perunthurai,
who came riding on a horse to sever by bonds,
who, while Indra, Vishnu, Brahma,
the heavenly ones, and the rest stood
by in suspense,
graciously came down on earth
in the guise of one
with ash-covered shoulders,
and enslaved even a person of my sort,
and (now abiding in me) melts my mind!


178. Let us play ammaanai SINGING OF
the honey-oozing, ambrosial-essence-like,
anklet-girt, far-reaching,
luminous, meritorious FEET -
rare to be beheld by the devas from heaven
along with Vishnu, Brahma and Indra,
even though they stayed in forests
(engaged in austerities),
with body withering away
and anthills growing over them -
WHICH came of their own accord,
and, showing signal love to this cur
like a very mother,
ENTERED MY BODY
and infused life into its very hair-roots.


179. Let us play ammaanai
SINGING OF the mighty One, the Southerner,
the Lord of Perunthurai,
the Compassionate One,
the Rider on the swift-footed bull,
Who, entering Thillai,
is established in the dance hall;
and Who, made me -
a cur of a laggard with a stony-mind -
god-mad, and, kneading that stone of a mind
into a ripe fruit,
immersed me in the flood of His mercy
and rid me of all my karma.


180. Did you hear, O my chum,
how the unique One enticed me?
The Southerner, the Lord of Thirupperunthurai
surrounded by lime-plastered ramparts,
showing me everything hitherto never shown,
showing His form as Civan,
showing His lotus feet
and showing His honeyed Mercy,
Himself took us into His service
and assumed lordship over us
to the merriment of the people of the country
and to the end that we gain the heaven above,
singing about this supreme act of Grace
let us play ammaanai.


181. Of the Indweller Who dwells inside those
Who contemplate Him unceasingly,
of the Far One, the Knight, the Southerner
Who abides in Perunthurai,
of the Veda’s Lord,
of Him with the Dame abiding in one half
of his Body, of the Bridegroom
Who enslaved even curs like us,
of Him Who is a veritable mother to us,
of Him Who Himself is the seven worlds,
of Him Who rules the same,
let us sing and play ammaanai.


182. Of the Magnificent One
Who graciously endowed a prize
for the melody-bearing song,
of Him with one part of His body bearing a woman,
of the Lord of Perunthurai,
of Eesan of the famed vast spheres
Borne by the sky,
of the God bearing an eye on the forehead,
of the golden-hued Body
Which, carrying a hod of mud
on its back for wages in bustling Madurai,
was struck by the King with his cane
and carries to this day the scar thereof,
of Him let us sing and play amaanai.[1]


183. He with the crescent moon,
the Bard of the Vedas,
the Lord of Perunthurai,
He with the thread of several strands
(across his body) -
on stately steed He rides; dusky is His throat;
red-golden His form; ashes white thereon;
first in all worlds is He.
Bliss unceasing -
the traditional boon -
to his veteran devotees He graciously gives,
That all the world may amazed be,
of Him let us sing, and play ammaanai.


184. Of the Veda’s Lord,
Greater than the devas ruling the heavens,
of Him Who stands as an ideal of magnanimity
to the Kings who rule the earth,
of Him of cool Paandinadu
which gives (to the world)
sweetness-abounding Tamil,
of Him with part of His body ruled by a woman,
of Him of Annaamalai
Who, in Perunthurai held in high regard by all,
showing His eye-delighting anklet-girt feet,
enslaved this cur,
of Him let us sing, and play ammaanai.


185. Of the Partner of Her with cup-shaped breasts,
of the Southerner, of the Lord of Perunthurai,
of Him of the nature
of unfailingly melting the hearts of those
who have sought (refuge at) His feet,
of Him with the water-logged matted locks
Who turned Paandinaadu into the Land of Bliss,
of the Farthest of the farthest,
Who yet is inside those
with minds assigned to Him
as collateral
for the blissful far-reading anklet-girt feet,
of Him let us sing and play ammaanai.


186. A collyrium-glittering-eyed one, listen!
Of Him Who -
while Brahma, Vishnu and Indra
sought Him in every birth -
enslaved even me in this very birth
by his sweet grace,
and saved me from being born again,
of Him who manifests Himself
in the real thing - the soul,
and Who has that same real thing as His abode,
of that Being Who (nevertheless) Himself becomes
the ultimate eternal abode to all things,
and the foundation to all things,
of Him, our Civan,
let us sing, and play ammaanai.


187. As we play the ammaanai
to the jingle of the bangles loaded on our arms,
to the dance of the rings adorning our ears,
to the tossing about of our black gleaming tresses,
to the exuding of honey from flowers thereon,
and to the humming of the bumble-bees
hovering over those flowers,
Let us sing
of the rosy-hued One,
of Him Who wears the white ask (on His body),
of Him with palms never known
to have been joined (in supplication to anyone),
of Him Who fills everywhere,
of the Lord of the Vedas
Who is Reality to those who are His devotees,
Who is not to those who are not,
of Him Who abides in Aiyyaaru.


188. Let us play ammaanai,
singing of the anklet-girt flowery feet of Him,
the Lord of Heaven.
WHO, graciously pleased to put to rout
The karma of me,
who was wearied of birth and death
as elephant and worm, as men and devas,
and as other creatures as well,
ABODE IN MY FLESH melting it,
AND, coming in the guise
of honey, milk and candy-equalling sweet King,
TOOK me, in His grace, into His galaxy of devotees.


189. Let us play ammaanai,
singing of the garland of mandhaara flowers
of the red-garlanded Southerner
of Perunthurai surrounded by groves,
Who, in the sacrifice performed by Thakkan,
graciously ground the Moon under His heel,
crushed the shoulders of Indra,
cut off the head of Echchan,
knocked down the teeth of the radiant Sun
who runs his course in inter-stellar space,
and delighted in putting to rout
the devas in several directions.[2]

 
190. Let us play ammaanai relating in song how
the honey-filled kondrai-garland-wearing Knight
Who, mingling in me
as flesh and life, and EXPERIENCE,
as honey, ambrosia and candy of the sweet
sugar-cane,
graciously bestows on us
the path not known by the devas even,
and becomes resplendent enlightenment-endowed
eternal gnosis to us;
and to the countless manifold creatures,
their King.


191. Wear shall I in my hair the kondrai blossom;
wearing it, Civan’s brawny shoulders
shall I embrace.
embracing it tightly, swoon shall I;
pausing, I shall sulk;
sulking, I shall yearn for those rosy lips,
Search shall I for Him, melting inwardly;
searching,
I shall think of Civan’s anklet-girt feet alone.
Droop shall I;
bloom shall I again.
The rosy feet only of that fire-bearing Dancer
let us sing and play ammaanai.


192. Let us play ammaanai singing
of Him with one half of His body
gleaming like the radiance of Her
of parrot-like soft speech,
of the wise One unseeable by Vishnu and Brahma
who set out to see Him,
of the clear Honey (of enlightenment),
of the Compassionate One
Who, coming down condescendingly
and abiding in splendour-abounding Perunthurai,
took pity on me,
and, through inconceivable sweet grace,
appeared as an effulgent One
and was moved with compassion
to make His light shine
inside my innermost being.


193. Let us sing
of Him Who is prior to the Trinity,
of Him Who is the Whole,
of Him Who
exists after the end of everything,
of the Pinggahan,
of Him established in Perunthurai loved by me,
of the Lord of Heaven,
of Him with one half of His body
occupied by the Dame,
of Him of Aanaikkaa in the South,
of Him of South Paadinaadu,
of Him my Beloved,
of Him Who is like ambrosia
to those who call Him their Father,
of that magnificent One,
and play ammaanai.


194. Let us PLACE OUR TRUST IN THE time -
Immemorial repute of the MAGNIFICENT ONE
Of qualities rare to be found in others -
The Lord of Perunthurai,
Who, graciously coming
On the victorious charger,
sets aside the foibles of His devotees
but takes into account their good qualities only,
and cherishes them and severs
the encircling link of kinship
(called I and mine) -
and play ammaanai
singing all the while
about the Form of Supreme bliss
which the Lord has taken
that we may cling to Him
SO THAT THE BANDS OUR PASSAM
MAY BE SEVERED.

[1] Who endowed a prize for the . . . song - probably refers to the occasion when Lord Civan composed a poem for Dharmi, a poor Brahmin, and helped him to obtain a prize offered by the Panandiyan King.

[2] The incidents referred to in this stanza occurred during a sacrifice which Thakkan, the father of Parvathi in one of her incarnations, conducted. He had not invited Civan, his son-in-law, to the sacrifice. This was a deliberate insult. But the devas, including Brahma and Vishnu, partly from greed for the presents usually given away at a sacrifice and partly from fear of Thakkan, attended the sacrifice ignoring the insult to Civan. Civan arrived at the sacrifice in a great rage and laid was the sacrifice and punished the devas in the manner stated in this stanza.