The Psychoanalysis of Appar - Part 7

Sexuality and Aesthetics

A new dimension in the Psychoanalysis of Appar emerges here where a link between sexuality and aesthetics is noted. The arts of dance and music are intimately linked with sexuality, the enjoyment of which is ritual bound, not only among human beings but also in all creatures. Like modern biologists who make a careful study of animal behaviour, so did the CaGkam Tamils, as the literature would show and in which they also noted the presence of sexuality not only as the most common element among human beings despite the various differences of all kinds but also among all creatures.

Here Appar assimilating all these notes the presence of beauties both in shapes (vadivu) and colors (vaNNam) and the EYES to see them and appreciate them to the heart’s content as a precondition towards seeing at the depths of sexual unions the presence of Siva and Uma, with Siva dancing away in absolute bliss with Uma looking on and as sung even by the CaGkam Tamils.

The world is full of beauties of all kinds but normally we do not have the eyes to see them and derive pleasures of all kinds out of appreciating them. However when the ordinary sexuality is transmuted, the aesthetics that comes with it is also transmuted so that beauties hidden to the eyes before now become available for witnessing and enjoying.

Thus it would follow that the aesthetic culture also has the capacity to transmute sexual cravings into spiritual cravings.

7.

கடிமதிக் கண்ணியினானைக் காரிகையாளொடும் பாடி

வடிவொடு வண்ணம் இரண்டும்பாடி வாய் வேண்டுவன சொல்லி வாழ்வேன்

அடியிணை ஆர்க்குங் கழலான் ஐயாறு அடைகின்றபோது

இடிகுரல் அன்னதோர் ஏனம் இசைந்து வருவன கண்டேன்       கண்டேன் அவர் திருப்பாதம் கண்டறியாதன கண்டேன்

உரை:

பெரும் விளக்கத்து பாதி மதியை கண்ணியாகச் சூடி சந்திரசேகரனாக விளங்கும் இறைவனை அவனோடு யாண்டும் சரிபாதியாக விளங்கும் காரிகையாகிய உமை அம்மையோடு இணந்து பாடி அகத்தெழு ஞானக்கண்ணின் புதியப் புதிய வடிவகளையும்  வண்ணங்களையும் அவற்றின் வரு தெய்வீக  அழகுகளையும் பட்டிபாடி மகிழ்ந்து வேண்டுவன வெல்லாம் சொல்லியவா, அவற்றினை உலகத்தில் விளங்குமா உமை காண நின்றாடும் ஆர்க்குங் கழலானாக ஆடவல்லானாகும் காட்சி தரும் ஐயாறு எனும் சிவத்தலத்தை அடையும் போது, இடிகுரல் பன்றிகள் தன் துணைகளோடு அன்பின்  இசைந்து  வருவன கண்டேன். அதுபொழுது ஊனக் கண்ணால் காண்டற்கு அரிதாகிய சிவபெருமான் நாதவிந்துக்களை பெண்னென ஆணென உயிரினங்கள் எழுமாறு அசைத்தாடும் ஆனந்தத் தாண்டவத்து திருப்பாதங்களை ஞானக்கண்ணிற் கண்டேன்; அதுவரையிலும் நான் கண்டறியாதிருந்த ஆழ் உண்மைகளைக் கண்டு மகிழ்ந்தேன்.

7.

kadimatik kaNNiyinaanaik kaarikaiyaaLodum paadi

vadivodu vaNNam iraNdumpaadi vaay veenduvana colli vaazveen

adiyiNai aarkkuG kazalaan AiyaaRu adaikinrapootu

idikural annatoor eenam icaintu varuvana kaNdeen

       kaNdeen avar tiuppaatam kaNdaRiyaatna kaNdeen.

Meaning:

Siva stands as the Candrasekaran wearing the bright Crescent Moon as His headgear and with His beautiful Woman, Uma. I came along singing their joint presence and because of which my eyes were opened I began to see Shapes and Colors of outstanding beauties. Singing both of these beauties in whatever way that pleased me I was moving towards AiyaaRu where stands Siva dancing energetically (with Uma seeing it all) and with His anklets resounding with musical notes, and there I saw the boars of thunderous voice coming in love with their females. At that point I saw with my mental eyes, the Divine Feet of Siva, (where he creates the male and females of all species with agitating the Natam and Bindu). Thus I saw what are impossible to witness with the fleshy eyes alone.

Comments:

The new thing Appar says here is that sexuality is present even among the pigs, the swine herd and hence it is something universal. It is not only present among human beings but also all creatures including here the swine crowd. But the most import theme he brings out here is the link between sexuality and aesthetics. Whether human or nonhuman, sexual cravings lead to the appreciation of beauties both in shapes and colors. The desire for sexual consummation also requires beautifying oneself and hence the appreciation of aesthetics and within Music and Dance. It is also not surprising that even among the animals there are rituals of dance and music by way of stimulating sexually the partners.

However in the case of Appar here it is already spiritualized and sexuality remains transmuted into higher aesthetics where the Divine is seen and appreciated. The various visions of beauty that moves Appar so much that he prattles endlessly about them gives him a taste of the Divine, the Kalyana kuNas, as the VaishNavites would say. But unlike them he traces all to the Dance of Siva, the Dance of Bliss that He dances with Uma, a very ancient metaphor that has been sustained by Saivism because of its immense explanatory value.

ULLAGANAR

( editing and re-paragraphing by his student )