Kandhar Anubhuti : Verse #34 - Give me the Grace to overcome lust (singara madanthaiyar)

 

சிங்கார மடந்தையர் தீநெறி போய் 

மங்காமல் எனக்கு வரம் தருவாய் 

சங்க்ராம சிகாவல, சண்முகனே 

கங்காநதி பால, க்ருபாகரனே (34)

singara madanthaiyar thee-neri poi

mangaamal enakku varam tharuvai

sangrama sigavala shanmukhane

ganga nathi pala, krupakarane! (34)

சிங்கார - Beautiful 

மடந்தையர் - Women

தீநெறி போய் - Evil path

மங்காமல் - (Intellect) dulled

எனக்கு - For me 

வரம் - Boon

தருவாய் - Give 

சங்க்ராம - War

சிகாவல - Peacock

சண்முகனே - Six Faced One 

கங்காநதி பால - Raised by Ganga

க்ருபாகரனே - One filled with Grace

Short Meaning

O Six faced Lord who rides a peacock for wars, Please grant me the boon of not letting me fall astray by going behind beautiful women - You were raised by Mother Ganga and you are filled with Grace!

Gloss

This is a painfully common theme across Kandhar Anubhuti and among all works of Sri Arunagiri Nathar. This is a warning against lust for both men and women which is a very powerful emotion that can bond people to their material plane of existence. 

We have to remind ourselves of the way how Sri Arunagiri grew - He went astray and spent a lot of time going behind prostitutes whom he calls as beautiful and bedecked women (சிங்கார மடந்தையர்) - Since he was a victim of lust and he decided to take his life because of this, this theme repeats across his works. 

This should *not* be thought of as Arunagiri's hatred for women - Here, he is against his own lust for prostitutes and not women as a group. 

He calls this lust as a wrong path (தீநெறி) that folks take and that which will take them to their ruins. He pleads to Lord Murugan to give him the boon (வரம் தருவாய்) not to dull (மங்காமல்) his intelligence so that he doesn't fall to the strong impulse of lust. 

He then calls out to Murugan as the the six faced Lord (சண்முகனே) who rides a peacock (சிகாவல) during wars (சங்க்ராம) and one who was raised by Mother Ganges (கங்காநதி பால) and One who is filled with Grace (க்ருபாகரனே) (and hence can offer Grace). The details of the last two lines are repeated and more details can be found in Verse 33. 

 

PS:- Image from http://murugan.org/research/kalidos-1989.htm