This is the 8th part of Njanappana series. Please read Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7 if you have not yet…
- Njanappana- Malayalam Lyrics
- Njanappana- English Transliteration
- Njanappana- Meaning in English
- Njanappana- Comments in English
Part 8: കലികാലമഹിമ (The Prominence of Kali Yuga) – Part 2
അതില്‍ വന്നൊരു പുല്ലായിട്ടെങ്കിലും
ഇതുകാലം ജനിച്ചുകൊണ്ടീടുവാന്‍
യോഗ്യത വരുത്തീടുവാന്‍ തക്കൊരു
ഭാഗ്യംപോരാതെ പോയല്ലോ ദൈവമേ!
ഭാരതഖണ്ടത്തിന്ഗല്‍ പിറന്നൊരു
മാനുഷര്‍ക്കും കലിക്കും നമസ്‌ക്കാരം
എന്നെല്ലാം പുകഴ്ത്തീടുന്നു മറ്റുള്ളോര്‍
എന്നതെന്തിനു നാം പറഞ്ഞീടുന്നു?
കാലമിന്നു കലിയുഗമല്ലയോ?
ഭാരതമിപ്രദേശവുമല്ലയോ?
നമ്മളെല്ലാം നരന്മാരുമല്ലയോ
ചെമ്മേ നന്നായ് നിരൂപിപ്പിനെല്ലാരും
ഹരിനാമങ്ങളില്ലാതെ പോകയോ?
നരകങ്ങളില്‍ പേടി കുറകയോ?
നാവുകൂടാതെ ജന്മമതാകയോ?
നമുക്കിനി വിനാശമില്ലായ്കയോ?
കഷ്ടം കഷ്ടം നിരൂപണം കൂടാതെ
ചുട്ടു തിന്നുന്നു ജന്മം പഴുതെ നാം!
Njanappana – Part 8 English Transliteration
Athil vannoru pullaayittenkilum
Ithukaalam janichukonteeduvaan
Yogyatha varutheetuvaan thakkoru
Bhaagyam poraathe poyallo daivame!
Bhaaratha khandathinkal pirannoru
Maanusharkkum kalikkum namaskaaram
Ennellam pukazhtheedunnu mattullor
Ennathathenthinu naam paranjeedunnu?
Kaalaminnu kaliyugamallayo
Bhaarathamipradesha vumallayo
Nammalellam naranmaarumallayo
Chemme nannai niroopippenellarum
Hari naamangalillathe pokayo
Narakangalil pedi kurakayo
Naavu koodaathe janmamathaakayo
Namukkinni vinaasamillaykayo
Kashtam kashtam! Niroopanam koodaathe
Chuttu thinnunnu janmam pazhuthe naam!
Njanappana – Part 8 Meaning in English
Even to be born as a blade of grass in that country (Bhaarat),
In this lifetime,
We were not lucky enough, oh God!
Hence, let’s salute those men Of Bhaarata,
And the Kali Yuga itself!
Others are praising us thus,
Why should we talk about that?
Don’t we know that this is Kali Yuga,
That this land is Bhaarat?
And that we are all human beings?
Can you not think about this,
Are we short of Hari’s [Bhagavan / God] names?
Are we not afraid of various hells?
Are we born without tongue [unable to speak]?
Do you believe that we are imperishable?
Alas! Alas! Don’t you contemplate,
That we are wasting our life in vain?
Njanappana Part 8 Comments
Poonthanam continues,
Athil vannoru pullaayittenkilum
Ithukaalam janichukonteeduvaan
Yogyatha varutheetuvaan thakkoru
Bhaagyam poraathe poyallo daivame
As we have already seen in the previous post, the poet described how difficult it was for people from other yugas to attain moksha / self realization. According to the poet, this is why people who were born in other yugas praise us for being born in the Kali Yuga. They consider themselves as being unlucky to have never gotten a chance to be born even as a grass in Kali Yuga.
There is an interesting story about why Poonthanam used “athil vannoru pullaayittenkilum…”, meaning, “being born even as a blade of grass…” There were two jackfruit trees in Poonthanam’s backyard. These trees always heard nama sankeerthanam (singing the praise of god) and reading of other holy books by poet for years, until the trees fell down in a storm.
Poonthanam had a dream where he had vivid vision of Vaikundam / Vaikuntha – the abode of Lord Vishnu – when he decided to write about Vaikundam and was doubtful about how he could have a realistic description as he himself has not seen Vaikundam! In that dream, he noticed special hospitality and affection from two devotees in Vaikundam. They told him that, they were fortunate enough to be the jackfruit trees in his backyard and how they attained moksha by listening to the nama sankeerthanam by Poonthanam!
As the Malayalam proverb says, “mulla poompodi ettu kidakkum kallinum undaam oru saurabhyam”, literally meaning, ‘the stone that treads on jasmine smells of jasmine’, the poet says that people born in other yugas wished if they could be born in Kali Yuga even as a blade of grass!
Poonthanam then asks, why are we wasting our time even after having gotten such a golden chance to be enlightened, in such an easy way!
We don’t have to do severe penances and austerities like those who did during Satya Yuga or perform difficult Yajnas like in Threta Yuga, or chant difficult mantras and indulge in difficult tantric practices like in Dvapara Yuga. But all we need to do in Kali Yuga to attain salvation is to sing the praises of god – Nama sankeerthanam – and live a life of truth.
The poet goes on to ask, what is the point of repeating that people in other worlds have been always praising us when all we do is wasting our time on this earth in this Kali Yuga in vain, running after transient pleasures?! Do we even deserve any such respect from people of other worlds when we cannot live up to their expectations, that we work towards attaining moksha?
Poet asks, is it so difficult to do nama sankeerthanam? Don’t we have tongues? Can we not use our tongue to chant the divine names of god instead of wasting all time in gossipping and blaming others?
Do we really think that we are eternal? How sad our life is when death comes knocking on our door and we feel helpless at that time, thinking about all the time we wasted?
And the poet says, “Kashtam Kashtam…” – Alas! Alas! Why are we wasting our time after various material pleasures, forgetting these truth! Are we not intelligent enough?
Let me conclude this post by a question Sage Narada asked Lord Vishnu where his permanent abode was, is it Vaikundam or this Earth or Golokam? And Lord Vishnu replies,
“Naham vasami Vaikunde, Na yogi hrudaye ravau, Math bhaktha: yathra gaayanthi thathra thishtaami Narada”
I do not reside in Vaikunta, the celestial abode, nor in the hearts of great tapasvis (the sages), nor permeate in the Solar system, but stand in attention wherever My devotees sing My name (nama sankeerthanam).
To be continued…