எல்லேபாவமே– Yashodha regrets her ‘Sinful Act’ of sending Krishna to the forest to graze the Cows
In the initial days he went from house to house and enjoyed himself. He would smear turmeric all over his body and then make his way to the sea shore and smash the sandcastle of young Gopis and enjoy their tears. At other times, he would roam the streets with beautiful girls and they would be all over him. He offered his red lips to the girls like Kovai fruit but she did not want him to hold their hair and wander around.
The residents of Gokulam came together to spread the word that this new wonder kid wanders around the town doing wrongful acts.
He is handsome but at the same time difficult to understand. He roamed around teasing girls who came home complaining. She says she sent him to graze calves to avoid his mischievous acts and to avoid women who uttered negative words.
Very early in the morning she woke him up that day gave him a quick bath and then despatched him to the forest to graze the cows (பொன்னடிநோவப்புலரியே).
But later during the day, like a true loving mother, she began to regret her hasty act. She began to visualise how her son would be spending his day. And then she realised what a decision she had taken trusting the words of her neighbours.
Periyazhvar describes beautifully the loving and caring thoughts of a mother as each hour in the day passes by.
Will his legs hurt?
In the first half of the day, she starts off cribbing about the fact that his tender feet will be hurting in the hot Sun. It was with these legs that he killed Kamsa. Will those same legs not be paining now? She calls herself a sinner for having sent him thus (கஞ்சனைக்காய்ந்தகழலடிநோவக்கன்றின்பின்என்செய்ப்பிள்ளையைப்போக்கினேன்எல்லேபாவமே).
Why didn’t I give him the Umbrella and Sandals?
She says she had gone inside to get some protective gear for him but before she could be back, he had left. She He neither has an umbrella nor sandals to wear and it is terribly hot in the forest that has sharp broken rocks (குடையும்செருப்பும்கொடாதே....உடையும்கடியனஊன்றுவெம்பரற்கள்உடைகடியவெங்காளிடைக்காலடிநோவக்.....).
How will he face the wild elephants?
Yashodha regrets the wicked thing of sending him to the forest to graze calves. Suddenly she started seeing the positives in him. He enjoyed gulping butter from homes. And like a wicked mother, ‘I sent him to the forest amidst wild elephants.’ (கடிருபலதிரிகான்அதறிடைக்கன்றின்பின்இடறஎன்பிள்ளையைப்போக்கினேன்)
Will the hunters hit out at the Calves?
The herd of cows would be raising dust along the way that would be falling on his eyes. And as they progress further, they are likely to be entering the territory of hunters. She regrets having sent the heavenly God to such a place just to avoid him wandering with the Gopis (எவ்வும்சிலைஉடைவேடர்கானிடைகன்றின்பின்தெய்வத்தலைவனைப்போக்கினேன்).
What will happen to his Sweet Voice?
He is shouting at the top of the voice running behind the cows like a typical cowherd would. And she says his voice can be heard reverberating against the tall mountains (கன்மணிநின்றுஅதிர்கான்).
The forests are such a dry place that even cactus plants seem to go dry there, such is the hot weather during this period. And she considers it a deadly sin to have sent him to such a place (கள்ளியுணங்குவெங்கான்).
YASHODHA CELEBRATES KRISHNA'S RETURN
Having spent an entire decad cribbing about having sent him out to graze the calves, Yashodha is delighted to see him back and describes the scene of his coming back home. She was angry about his mischievous acts and hence packed him off early in the morning to the forest so he will not trouble the girls any more. However, like a loving mother, she started to feel the pain of separation the moment he had left. Now she calls the entire Gokulam to welcome him on his return making it seem as if he was away for many months and years!!!! He had been out away from her only part of a day but even that was unbearable for her. She says she is blessed to be the mother of such a son.
She praises his beautiful ears: One ear has an earring made of cloth…. While the Red Lilly flowers are looking loving on his other ear. And then she describes his chest. The pearls on his chest are bright and he wears a shiny look. Down to the waist, she finds him wearing a new cloth (சீலைக்குதம்பைஒருகாதுஒருகாதுசெந்நிறமேல்தோன்றிப்பூ).
On his return, graciously she confesses to waking him early and sending him out to graze. She regrets that decision and asks him for a kiss (உன்னைஇளங்கன்றுமேய்க்கச்சிறுகாலிஊட்டிஒருப்படுதேன்……………என் குட்டனே முத்தம் தா).
Hot water bath
Describing his tired face covered with dust after a long weary day, Yashodha says she has water ready for his bath, following which he can have his dinner with his father who too has not eaten (நீராட்டுஅமைத்துவைத்தேன் ஆடிஅமுதுசெய்அப்பனும்உண்டிலன்உன்னோடுஉடனேஉண்பான்).
Yashodha says she had gone inside to get him umbrella and sandal but he left before she could bring them. And now she sees his scorched feet and the reddish face having spent the day in the blazing sun. She bemoans the tired look on him after grazing the calves through the day
(குடையும்செருப்பும்குழலும்தருவிக்கக்கொள்ளாதேபோனாய்…………அடியும் வெதும்பி உன் கண்கள் சிவந்தாய் அசைந்திட்டாய்).
It was okay for the older boys to go behind the cows, but Yashodha felt that her little boy was the youngest among them and it was too early for him to undertake this activity.
Once again, she is reminded of his old activities of gobbling up butter from everywhere and says that she find it difficult to keep him quiet even for a day. She talks about him gobbling up huge quantity of rice, curry and curd in on gulp, one that Gopas offered to Indra.
Birthday Celebrations
திருநாள்திருவோனம்மின்றேழுநாள்முன்
பண்ணேர்மொழியாரைக்கூவிமுளைஅட்டிப்பல்லாண்டுகூறுவித்தேன்
கண்ணாலம்செய்யக்கறியும்காத்ததுஅரிசியும்ஆக்கிவைத்தேன்
She confides that she does not have money to give him such offerings even for one occasion. But she is bullish on celebrating his next birthday in a grand manner. She says that his birthday is coming up in a week’s time and that she is organising a big celebration. She has sown the seeds in pots to sprout in time for his birthday. She has also got the milk maids to present benedictory songs and all of them are practising day and night for this occasion. ‘Vessels will be full of rice and vegetables’, she promises.
She asks him not to go out to the graze the calves ahead of his birthday (நீநாளைத்தொட்டுக்கன்றின்பின்போகேல்கோலம்செய்துஇங்கேஇரு).