The Icon Thinking of En Hudu Anna
The Bakti of En Hudu Anna
The Icon Thinking is inseparable with Bakti and we see this amazingly enough in this metaphysical poetry that I have named Sirbiyam, what the Sumerians have named 'Exaltations of Innana' .What En Hudu Anna has done so far is only a preliminary, a kind of reminiscence of the Greatness of In-Anna only to pour out now her personal grievances and seek out Her Grace to overcome them. She laments at herself, how great she was then and how pathetic and miserable she is now. In this description she also gives a picture of various kinds of practices a head priestess indulged in those days and within the temple, which had the KaruvaRai, the giparu as it is even now:
The following lines are in order of :
Sumerian
Translated meaning
Tamil rendering
66. gi-par-ku-ga hu-mu-e-si-in-ku-re
Verily I had entered my holy giparu at your behest
மைபார் கோக உம்முவே சீயின் கூரே
67. en-me-en en-he-du-an-na-me-en
I, the high priestess I, Enhuduanna!ஏண்மான் ஏண் உடு அன்னா மான்
68. ma-sa-ab i-gur-ru asila i-du
I carried the ritual basket, I intoned the acclaim
மாசெப்பு ஈ கோரு ஆசீலம் ஈ தூக்கு
The “gi-par-ku-ga’ is Tamil ( Ta ) kar-pur-kooka where the kar-pur has become perhaps the KaruvaRai, the dark chamber of the God, the sanctum sanctorum. The symbolic significance is the same as now: BEING is invisible, in the dark, concealed, hidden and visible only during those precious moments the inner light flashes and which is imitated by light of camphor and so forth lighted up as part of the ritual. And as the Head Priestess she had the rights to enter this very chamber, as is the case even to this day in the Temples in Tamil Nadu where only the chief priests can enjoy the access to the inner chambers.
Here we should also note that the word ‘en-me-en” has become “ veeNmaaN’ and from that VeeLmaaL but meaning the queen in CaGkam Tamil. Perhaps it shows that, as I have mentioned in several places, during the Sumerian times what we had was Priest-King and the two wedded together and only later separated.
The “ma-sa-ab” may actually be a water pot if we take ‘ab’ as the arche form Ta. appu, water. The word ‘asila' exists as Ta. ciilam, ciir etc with the prefix ‘a-‘ indicating perhaps excellence. Thus perhaps there was sprinkling of waters and intoning some mantras or hymns in front of the deity as it is even today.
He following lines describe how she lost all these rights for excellent life in the vicinity of Divine Presence in the temple because of personal disaster where because of some political changes in the city, she was thrown into the prison, dark unventilated and so forth and which also destroyed her good health.
69. ki-si-ga bi-in-gar ga-e nu-mu-un-de-ti-le
(But now) I am placed in the leper's ward I, even, I can no longer live with you!
கீழ் சிக்கம் பீயின் கார், ஙானே நா முந்தி தில்லே
70. u-de ba-te u mu-da-pil
They approach the light of day the light is obscured about me
ஒள்(யித்)தே பா தேய் ஒள் எம்மிட பாழ்
71. gizzu u-de ba-te u-lu-da im-mi-dul
The shadows approach the light of day it is covered with a (sand) storm
கைச்சு ஒள்(யித்)தே பா தேய் உல(வை)யிட தோலிம்மி
72. ka-lal-mu su-uh-a ba-ab-tum
My mellifluous mouth is cast into confusionகாய் அழல்மோ சோகம் பா அவ் தூஉம்
73. ni-ur-sa-sa-mu sahar-ta ba-e-de-gi.
My choicest features are turned to dust
நிக உரு சால்சால்மோ சகற்றத்த பா இடு மீ
The most important point over and above the graphic picture she paints of the prison of the times, the kiiz ciikam, the place of arrest, is the insertion of PERSONAL sufferings as part of exordium towards In-Anna.
En Hudu Anna is NOT singing an impersonal poetry, where the existential anguish never gets mentioned at all and the hymn is simply a lavish exordium, a Namavali where glorious epithets after epithets are piled up and ascribed by way of a eulogy. For En Hudu Anna, certainly In-Anna is great and the most Powerful. However she also believes that In-Anna is NOT distant and is a Power that can INTERFERE in her personal life and grace her in such a way that her problems are destroyed and she is freed f them.
This is the essence of Bakti and in the following verse of Punitavati (c. 4th-5th cent AD) we see the same sentiments:
1.
piRantu mozipayinra pinnelaaG kaatal
ciRantu nin ceevadiyee ceernteen - niRantikazum
mainjaanaRa kaNdattu vaanoor perumaanee
enjnjaanRu tiirppa tidar.
Meaning:
Though an anma roaming in the metaphysical space, I assumed a bodily form by coming to have a birth and biological nature. And since the days I mastered the language and became capable of effective communication, I have been deeply in Love with you O Lord not knowing the reasons for it all and have sought your Radiant Feet as my resort. O Lord who appears in so many colors and guises and especially as the Blue-throated Niila KaNdan and who is the Lord of all the celestial beings, tell me now when will you relieve me of the troubles that I have to endure by continuing with this biological endowments by engracing me with the Absolute Releasement.
ULLAGANAR
( Editing and re-paragraphing by his student )
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