Topic started by tigger (@ 68.78.33.162) on Sun Apr 13 12:13:57 EDT 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
Hi all,
I have learnt lots of Tamil words through tfm, but there are so many words that I still dont know the meaning of. I would love to improve my Tamil vocabulary, but resources are limited. I was wondering if we can have a thread that helps out in this regard. People post the words they dont understand and someone who knows responds with the answer. For this to succeed the old-timers have to get involved, bcos I dont know many younger guys who know much Tamil words :)
Ex.
1. samsaaram enbathu veenai..santhosham enbathu raagam.. xxx xxx illai
I used xxx because I dont even know what he was saying. was it "salanam galadhi illai"? What does that mean?
2. En mana vaanil siragai virikkum.. from Kasi. There is a line kalakalakala vena thulli kuthikkum sinnanchiru kalaiyey.. what does kalai mean?
3. Anjanam. What does it mean? (Used in various songs)
4. Uchi vaguntheduthu pichu poo vacha kili..What does this mean?
Please answer people!
Responses:
- Old responses
- From: Arun (@ 195.93.33.7)
on: Fri Apr 25 15:53:34 EDT 2003
i listen to tamil songs a lot of the time - i love them but I seldom understand the real meanings of the lyrics used in the songs. I can speak and understand conversational tamil and the tamil spoken in films, but I don'y fully understand lyrics in tamil songs - usually cos the vocabulary is more complex and the words are of more meaning. I sing along (out of tune) to many tamil songs but I hardly ever understand what is being said! English subtitles in video/dvd songs and films help a lot and enable me to appreciate the songs - but they don'y always make sense.
- From: tigger (@ 68.78.143.23)
on: Fri Apr 25 22:16:33 EDT 2003
of course! now i get the meaning of mandram vantha thendralukku... beautiful! I used to think it was nonsensical because I thought mandram was like a competition or something. but mandram in this case means a gathering.. a sabhai..
well, how about this song:
sithirai nilavu selaiyil vanthathu munney, un selaiyin soonyam naan pera vendum..
what does that second part mean?
- From: MM (@ 131.107.3.67)
on: Fri Apr 25 22:47:30 EDT 2003
tigger,
adhu selaiyin "punniyam"-a irukkumnu naan ninaikkiren. neenga adhu selaiyin "soonyam"-nu ninaikkireenga.
experts may be able to clarify!
- From: geeth (@ 195.39.134.84)
on: Sat Apr 26 02:10:49 EDT 2003
tigger,
it is 'selayin punniyam' - should be very easy to understand now.
mandram - a place of gathering. normally in big houses (bungalow type) the verandah in the front is usually a visitors place where an arattai often takes place. an unofficial, casual, relaxed mandram. now listen to the 'mandram vantha' song again and you will appreciate the meaning that why the gentle breeze which came upto the entrance of the house didn't have the heart (liking) to come a little more inside, to the bedroom.
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Sat Apr 26 20:01:53 EDT 2003
Other side---Why Punnai vanakkuyil? You have to go back to Sangam Tamil literature and Andal Pasuram. Andal asks punnai vanakkili to sing and ask Kannan to come back (kuvai kuyile is a common phrase in her pasuram). Punnai is also a sacred tree(sthala vriksham) associated with temples and is grown in groves next to temples. It has medicinal value and is a habitat for kuyil.
- From: other_side (@ 64.158.115.206)
on: Sun Apr 27 09:48:05 EDT 2003
Ahhaaa Raj
Entha pandiyannukku ezhuntha perum sandegathai theertha dharumiye unnaku 1000 poor kasugal vazhangu giraen....
Raj great explanation man
thanxs....
keep visiting this thread now and then... i will post more such doubts :)
- From: other_side (@ 64.158.115.206)
on: Sun Apr 27 09:51:26 EDT 2003
another one
what is
"Esanni moolai"
- From: tigger (@ 68.78.37.230)
on: Sun Apr 27 13:24:49 EDT 2003
thanks geeth! I guess my hearing isn't what it used to be :(
how abt these two:
1. agaram ippo sigaram aachu. agaram?
2. boopalam isaikkum poomagal oorvalam. boopalam?
- From: selva (@ 172.188.209.61)
on: Sun Apr 27 16:16:33 EDT 2003
KAdhilla oosiyinmEl kadaisi varaikum mArAdhe
PattinathAr sonnAne paatu ondru appOdhe
Edhanai kondu naam vandhom, edhanai kondu pogindrom
Odum ponnum ondrai ennum idhayam vendume
What do the first two lines mean? Have I got the words right?
- From: Lollu Party (@ 61.6.38.132)
on: Sun Apr 27 20:38:26 EDT 2003
Tigger
Boopalam is a name of a raaga associated with dawn/mornings.
Agara muthala ezhuthellaam is the beginning of Thirukkural. Hope you now know the meaning of Agaram.
- From: Raj (@ 206.97.63.112)
on: Sun Apr 27 23:26:03 EDT 2003
Selva: The first line is taken from Pattinathar, a 10th century poet(with the meaning changed). A needle without the eye for the thread is of no use. Pattinathar said it in a song long time back. Kaadihilla oosi = needle without the eye.It should be 'vaaradhu' not maaradhu and oosiyume and not oosiyumel. The other two lines also come from Pattinathar in a different form.
- From: selva (@ 195.107.47.225)
on: Mon Apr 28 10:02:40 EDT 2003
Thanks Raj,
I don't remember reading Pattinathar in school. So the only thing that came to my mind was 'Patnathaar' (town dweller), I was confused. Thanks for the clarification. I'll now look for more of Pattinathar.
- From: other_side (@ 209.166.128.18)
on: Mon Apr 28 10:40:49 EDT 2003
Doesn't Agaram mean "agraharam" or a resident place....
- From: ec (@ 141.14.139.162)
on: Mon Apr 28 11:11:27 EDT 2003
agaram is like A... the first alphabet in thamizh :-)
- From: other side (@ 209.166.128.18)
on: Mon Apr 28 11:35:13 EDT 2003
ec,
no... but agaram eppo sigaram achu.. is not making any sense...
thagaram eppo thangam achu.... its like the lowest of the metal becomes the highest .. the other side of the spectrum...
but the agaram(meaning first letter)and sigaram are not in the same spectrum at all...
so i was wondering whether it is a flat residence to a hill top.... kind of make sese there.
- From: geeth (@ 195.39.134.84)
on: Tue Apr 29 01:46:42 EDT 2003
'eesani moolayile' is still pending.
eesani moolayile
lesaana palli chaththam - haunting line from Chinna Gownder. wondering whats this eesani.
- From: Cinema Virumbi (@ 203.197.220.210)
on: Tue Apr 29 03:07:01 EDT 2003
geeth,
'eesaana moolai' means the North Eastern direction/corner.
- From: Kupps (@ 203.199.209.101)
on: Tue Apr 29 04:32:41 EDT 2003
MORE INPUTS (might be boring):
------------------------------
selva,
patinaththaar is a kaaraNapaeyar (kaaraNam= meaning; paeyar=name i.e. name due to a reason) for that ascetic seer. As you guessed it literally means "city dweller". pattinaththaar is a 10th century person known for his anti-materialistic(?), philosophical thinking and songs. Before he turned ascetic, he was a rich business man in kaaviripoompattinam.
kaviri=cauvery, the river; poom=pugum=entering; pattinam=city. the city at the bank of mouth of sea entering cauvery. kaaviripoompattinam is a.k.a poompuhar. poompuhar was an important city in those days. it was known for its spiritual, business flourishment. it remind as the capital of cholas until it submerged into the sea and forcing the cholas to move to thanjavur(tanjore) in later days). This cine song stanza takes from the pattiNaththaar song stanza "kaathatRa OOsiyum vaaradhu kaaNum kadaivazhikkae". it means even a needle without eye(i.e. a worthless item) cannot come with you in your last journey (i.e. after your death) [so why should one be so materialistic].
geeth,
as CV said eesaana moolai is north-east corner (of a house/building). As per vaasthu shaastra, eesaana is the demi-god(like indra) who guards or who is the lord of north east direction. Hence the north-east corner is named after him.
tailpiece: as per vaasthu shaastra eesaana moolai of a house i.e. a room in eesaana moolai should (generally) be bit-below than other direction room. it is generally good to have prayer room in that corner and should not have toilet.
other_side,
as ec said Agaram(a-garam) means a (not A english), the first alphabet of thamizh(for that matter all indian old languages). since saying "a" will be equivalent to just producing a short duration sound and doesn't sound as a word the word form of it needed a suffix, hence the garam. So you can have 'a'garam, 'na'garam, 'cha'garam.
Note that the suffix "garam" is generally added with short sounds like "a", "cha", "ka" etc. and NOT with "aa", "chaa", "kaa" etc.
Now coming back to the stanza "agaram ippo sigaram aachchu". it literally means "the a became the peak". i feel its written just for rhyming and doesn't carry much a meaning. who knows if we ask vairamuththu he might have an explanation(chappaikkattu = unconvincing explanation) for it.
- From: ec (@ 141.14.139.162)
on: Tue Apr 29 05:37:18 EDT 2003
Kupps, thanks for the interesting informations. Coming to agaram, it is just the start of education. ABCD kooda theriyaathu-nu solRathillaya, athu maathiri, it is a general term for the novice people. Sigaram is the peak. So a novice becomes a great person...thats the meaning. (ithaivachu naan vairamuthu fan-nulaam mudivu paNNidaatheenga :)))
- From: selva (@ 195.107.47.225)
on: Tue Apr 29 09:02:30 EDT 2003
Kupps,
Thanks. That was certainly useful. Yesterday, I tried to find out about Pattinathar, and I read the story about how he died. This, I remember reading in school. There is a website under construction in tamil literature site which has few of his poems.
- From: other_side (@ 209.166.128.18)
on: Tue Apr 29 09:28:28 EDT 2003
kupps,
beautiful explananiton for eesani moolai man... thanxs...ec probably your explainatin for that line is correct man.....
glad to see peole like raj and kupps answering things in detail...
ok i got few more questions...
1)Themanggu paatu
what is themanggu... i know that it is some kind of a village or folk style song.. any details on that..
2)The azhagiya asura song in whistle has a line
"en thalayil oola arjuna macham sollum...."
what is arjuna macham...??
did arjun have such a macham... what is the story behind it...i guess if u have that mole in ur fore head then you will be very lucky.is it right ..details needed on that too...
- From: geeth (@ 195.39.134.84)
on: Tue Apr 29 09:50:27 EDT 2003
kupps, very nice explanations. thanx.
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