36 calanaaTTai janya
Aa:S R3 G3 M1 P D3 N3 S
Av: S N3 P M1 R3 S

taaLam: Adi
Composer: Aandaal
Language: Tamil

mArgazhi tingaL mati nirainda nannALAl nIrADa pOduvIr pOduminO nErizhaiyIr
shIr malgum AippADi celva chiru mIrgAL kUr vEl koDundozhilan nandagOpan kumaran
ErArnda kaNNi yasOdhai iLam singam kAr mEni shen kaN kadir madiyam pOl mukhattAn
nArAyaNanE namakkE parai taruvAn pArOr pugazha paDindElOr embAvAi

Meaning:

By Aparna from Neccheli (original article here, reproduced with permission)

Carnatic Compositions - The Essence and Embodiment
-Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi

This month being the dhanurmaasam, when the sun transits to dhanur rasi, it is known to be very sacred for worshiping in the early hours of the day. It is also the period of 30 days that Andal/Goda devi (a Vishnu devotee) wrote one poem each day in praise of lord Vishnu. They are each called “Paasuram” and they are sung from December 15th to January 13, 2023. In celebration of dhanurmaasam, we present 1st Paasuram in this edition.

mArgazhi(th) tingaL - In the month of Margasirat
madi niRainda - with full moont
nannALal - on a good day
nIrADa - to bathe
pOduvIr - people who want to got
pOduminO - let us got
nErizhaiyIr - adorned with jewelst
sIr Malgum - wealth & possessionst
AyppADi Chelva - prosperous brindavanamt
ciRumIrgAL - young girlst
kUrvEl - sharp speart
koDundozhilan - to break the ill deedst
nandagOpan kumaran - son of Nandat
ErArnda kaNNi - beautiful eyedt
yasOdai - Yasoda, mother of Krishnat
iLam singam - lion cubt
kAr mEni -dark bodyt
cengaN - red eyedt
Kadir Madiyam pOl - like the sun and moont
mugattAn - facet
nArAyaNanE - Lord Narayana himselft
namakkE - to all of ust
paRai taruvAn - giving boonst
pArOr - peoplet
Pugazha - will celebratet
padindElOr - participatet
empAvAy - oh girls

Summary:

It is an auspicious day with a full moon in the month of Margasira. Oh maidens, all decked up with jewels, let us go to have a holy bath. Dear young girls, let us enjoy the prosperous Brindavanam. The son of Nandagopala and Yasoda is like a lion cub, who breaks the evil with his sharp spear. His body is dark and with red eyes and face shining like the sun and the moon. He is lord Narayana, who alone can grant us boons. Oh girls, let us participate in the celebration and praise the lord.

This krithi is the first of the thirty songs written by Andal/Goda Devi. Many devotees sing these songs during the month of Margasira to bring peace, prosperity and the grace of the almighty. They were written as verses and later the music was set by Late Sri Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar and were melodiously rendered by late Dr. M.L. Vasanta Kumari, a noted carnatic musician. Andal is known for her untainted devotion towards Narayana and imagined him as her husband with no desire for conjugal pleasures. She courageously expresses that to her father, convinces him of her intention and ultimately joins lord Narayana at the temple. She embodies the spirit of a free mind to have chosen a different path from the norm (to be married and enjoy the familial joys) for her time, which is around the 7th/8th century. We wish everybody a very happy and safe holiday season, a new year filled with Lord Narayana and Andal’s blessings, health, wealth and happiness.

Notation:

Other information:
Lyrics contributed by Lakshman Ragde. Meaning contributed by Aparna Gunupudi via Neccheli.