0998.Mata Amritanandamayi-Churning Of The Milk Ocean Poem by amma and rajappa

Prayer Song to Mother


We live like fish
Fallen on a frying pan
Hot of karmas culpable
Save us my Mother
With your ocean of grace!
Absolve these unfortunates-
From the troubles
In the cycle of entry and exit!
Lady of the universe!
Reviver of the fallen!
Quench our thirst
With the holy potion ultimate!
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Is God a Man or a Woman? The answer to this question is neither- God is That. But if you must give God a gender, God is more female than male, for he is contained in She.

Mata Amritanandamayi
-


Churning of the Milk Ocean

The tears of love
Falling on the shores
Crash landing on the dry sand
Converging on loveless hearts
Churning the collection
Readying to break the misery monotone
Patted the waters of the Arabian Sea
Plunging into the sea of suffering hearts
Oh Mother, destroyer of bad times
You ordained to blossom
Among the human mass
By entering the temple of eternal love
Through the entry gates of a small hut
Of Sugunanandan and Damayanthi
In the blessed village of Parayakavu!
-

My Mother is worshipped as Uma in the Himalayas, Kali in Bengal, Mahakali in Ujjain, Kamakhya in Assam, Kamakshi in Kanchi, Amba in Kashmir, and Chamundeshwari in Mysore.

It is believed that people who worship Mahasaraswathi during the Navarathri or the sacred Vaikasi Visakam day are bestowed with the ability to compose beautiful poems and Kavyas.


For a long time I longed to write about Mothers; I have been collecting data from everybody; even though I do not have mastery in anything particular I turned to my Mother only; I fell upon this incidence where mother Saraswati gave me this piece

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Kulothunga Chozhan was so impressed by the Ramayana that was written by Valmiki that he wanted it to be translated into Tamil so that the people of his nation could enjoy it too. He called together, two of the greatest poets of his time, Ottakoothar and Kambar and gave them this mammoth task of translating the epic. He also gave them enormous funds and materials for the same. Koothar immediately dived into the work and worked day and night, reading and re-reading, taking notes and composing on his own. Kambar on the other hand, being of a more playful nature, frolicked around the town, spending all the money. However, Kambar was an exceptional devotee of Saraswathi and he had complete faith in her. One day, Kulothunga called the poets to enquire about their progress. Koothar immediately launched into his compositions and sang out a few examples. He told the king that he was done until the part when the Vanaras prepare to build the bridge to Lanka. Everyone in the Court applauded him.

Kambar on the other hand, had no idea of what the Ramayana was. But now, with Koothar’s explanation he had got hold of the general gist of the epic and steeled himself to play along. “Chozha Chakravarthi, I have done until the point where the Vanaras are already throwing the rocks into the sea to build the bridge”, he said. Kulothungan asked him to sing a few verses and Kambar, completely blessed with the grace of Saraswathi, composed a verse impromptu and sang it out.

“Thumidham Theritthu Melokam Sella,
Amirthamena Devargal Vaaypilanthanare.”

Meaning: The water drops that splashed from the oceans reached the heavens and the Devas opened their mouths to receive it, for it tasted so much better than Amrutha.

OttaKoothar was furious that the irresponsible poet had come up with the verse on the spot. “Kamba, your verse has a flaw in it. Thumidham (meaning drop) is no longer used in contemporary Tamil. You cannot use it in your work.”

“Kootha, I can prove that the word is still in use today”, argued Kambar,

“Come with me to a village where I can show my proof.”

Taking leave of the king, Koothar went with Kambar. Now Kambar was in a fix. He knew that the word was not in existence at all. But he was also sure that it was Saraswathi herself who had sung from within him and she would show him proof. And so they reached the outskirts of Koothanur. There was a group of children playing near an old woman who was churning butter. Suddenly the woman shouted:

“ Kuzhandhaigale Thallipp poai Vilaiyaadungal
Thumidham Therikkapp Poaghiradhu”

The above means: “Children, move away and play. The drops may splash on you.”
And that was Kambar’s proof. When he turned back to look at the woman, she had disappeared. Kambar immediately understood that it was Saraswathi herself and was overcome with ecstasy. Koothar too realized the divine play and accepting his defeat before Kambar

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i believe my Mother will support me as ever in this mission of writing about Her

14.02.2010