The riches of Tamil poetry

On the afternoon of Sunday March 20th, the sonorous sounds of classical Tamil poetry drifted across the Auroville landscape from the Vaastu Garden at Sacred Groves. They mingled with the thud of balls being struck during the weekly Edayanachavady cricket match as players looked up in surprise. One after another, teachers, scholars, and Aurovilians came to the microphone to read and chant verses of the Tirukkural, the Silapadikaram, and other works, all under the direction of Meenakshi, Auroville’s Tamil eminent poet in residence.

The Vastu garden, designed by Jana, has a huge stone which is oriented towards the Matrimandir, the ancient Irumbai Shiva temple and the Edayanachavady temple and stone seats encircle this stone.

The session began with Varadarajan reading an ode to Meenakshi. Different readers read Bhakti hymns and poems, an extract from Silappathikaram on the beauty of River Cauvery and Yatra Srinivasan lead a group song beginning ‘ Love is Divine’.

Appropriately for the season, there was an extract upon rain from Sri Aurobindo’s translation of the Tamil Thirukkural:

The world cannot live without its waters,

Nor conduct be at all without

The rains from heavens.

Meenakshi read some famous sangam poetry (3rd B.C – 2nd AD) in Tamil followed by Jonathan’s English rendering of the famous Yaathum Urr – “All the world is our home” by the poet Kaniyan Punkundran.

All the world is our home

All men our kin.

Good and evil

are not caused by other.

Nor are suffering and relief.

We do not exult

That life is sweet.

Nor do we cry

in bitterness

that life is cruel.

Andal’s hymns were much appreciated by Sri Aurobindo. In one poem Andal invites her friends to come together to praise the Lord Krishna.

Black sparrows in droves

Fill the air with ‘keech keech’ chirps

Don’t you hear it, stupid girl?

With their fragrant tresses

The milkmaids churn the curds

With achu thali and aamai thali

Dangling and jingling –

Don’t you hear these sounds?

O The leader of our bunch!

We’re singing the glory

Of Kesava, the Narayana;

While hearing this melody

How can you be tucked in bed?

O my lustrous friend!

Unlock and open your door.

The readings were accompanied by beautiful classical music played by Gordon on his bamboo flute, knitting together these flowers of Tamil Poetry through ages. The setting sun, the cool southern breeze, the fragrance from the flowering trees and distant voices added a beautiful ambiance to the special programme.

As dusk approached, the entire group gathered in a circle around the central stone to join hands in acknowledgment of a profound experience.