Editor’s Note: We feature English translations done by Sri Aurobindo for selections from two widely read works from Tamil literary corpus, ThiruKural and Andal’s Bhakti poetry. From ThiruKural we have chosen 15 kurals which Sri Aurobindo translated. Also featured is one of Andal’s poems which Sri Aurobindo translated and titled, ‘I Dreamed a Dream‘. These translations were done with the help of Subramania Bharati and as part of his research into the “origins of Aryan speech”.
We acknowledge the tremendous help of our colleague, R. Vidya at Sri Aurobindo Society for helping us with procuring of the original Tamil versions as well as with the typing in Tamil.
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Introduction
In connection with his research into the “origins of Aryan speech,” Sri Aurobindo made a brief study of Tamil in Pondicherry around 1910-12.
A few years later the celebrated poet Subramania Bharati, who like Sri Aurobindo was a political refugee in the French colony, introduced Sri Aurobindo to the works of the mediaeval Vaishnava saints known as alwars, helping him translate some of their poems into English, and providing him with material to enable him to write prefatory essays on the poets. Bharati also may have helped Sri Aurobindo in his translations from the Kural.
About Kural
Composed by the poet Tiruvalluvar sometime during the early centuries of the Christian era, the Kural consists of 1330 verse aphorisms on the main aspects of life—ethical, practical and sensuous—divided into three parts made up of chapters of ten verses each. Around 1919, Sri Aurobindo translated the first chapter (in a different order from the original) and five aphorisms from the second chapter.
About Andal
Andal lived during the eighth century. Sri Aurobindo’s translations of three of her poems—“To the Cuckoo”, “I Dreamed a Dream”, and “Ye Others”—were published in the Arya in May 1915. Sri Aurobindo also wrote an an essay titled ‘Andal: The Vaishnava Poetess‘ which preceded the translations.
~ Notes on the Texts, CWSA, Vol. 5, p. 626
From Kural – I
Original in Tamil:
1)அகர முதல எழுத்தெல்லாம் ஆதி
பகவன் முதற்றே உலகு
2)கற்றதனால் ஆய பயனென்கொல் வாலறிவன்
நற்றாள் தொழாஅர் எனின்
3)மலர்மிசை ஏகினான் மாணடி சேர்ந்தார்
நிலமிசை நீடுவாழ் வார்
4)வேண்டுதல்வேண் டாமை இலானடி சேர்ந்தார்க்கு
யாண்டும் இடும்பை இல
5)இருள்சேர் இருவினையும் சேரா இறைவன்
பொருள்சேர் புகழ்புரிந்தார் மாட்டு
6)பொறிவாயில் ஐந்தவித்தான் பொய்தீர்
ஒழுக்க நெறிநின்றார் நீடுவாழ் வார்
7)தனக்குவமை இல்லாதான் தாள்சேர்ந்தார்க் கல்லால்
மனக்கவலை மாற்றல் அரிது
8)அறவாழி அந்தணன் தாள்சேர்ந்தார்க் கல்லால்
பிறவாழி நீந்தல் அரிது
9)கோளில் பொறியின் குணமிலவே எண்குணத்தான்
தாளை வணங்காத் தலை
10) பிறவிப் பெருங்கடல் நீந்துவர் நீந்தார்
இறைவன் அடிசேரா தார்
Translations by Sri Aurobindo:
1) Alpha of all letters the first,
Of the worlds the original Godhead the beginning.
2) What fruit is by learning, if thou adore not
The beautiful feet of the Master of luminous wisdom?
3) When man has reached the majestic feet of him whose walk is on flowers,
Long upon earth is his living.
4) Not to the feet arriving of the one with whom none can compare,
Hard from the heart to dislodge is its sorrow.
5) Not to the feet of the Seer, to the sea of righteousness coming,
Hard to swim is this different ocean.
6) When man has come to the feet of him who has neither want nor unwanting,
Nowhere for him is affliction.
7) Night of our stumbling twixt virtue and sin not for him, is
The soul on the glorious day of God’s reality singing.
8) In the truth of his acts who has cast out the objects five from the gates of the senses,
Straight if thou stand, long shall be thy fullness of living.
9) Some are who cross the giant ocean of birth; but he shall not cross it
Who has touched not the feet of the Godhead.
10) Lo, in a sense unillumined no virtue is, vainly is lifted
The head that fell not at the feet of the eightfold in Power, the Godhead.
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From Kural – II
Original in Tamil:
1)வானின் றுலகம் வழங்கி வருதலால்
தானமிழ்தம் என்றுணரற் பாற்று
2)துப்பார்க்குத் துப்பாய துப்பாக்கித் துப்பார்க்குத்
துப்பாய தூஉ மழை
3)விண்இன்று பொய்ப்பின் விரிநீர் வியனுலகத்து
உள்நின் றுடற்றும் பசி
4)ஏரின் உழாஅர் உழவர் புயல்என்னும்
வாரி வளங்குன்றிக் கால்
5)கெடுப்பதூஉம் கெட்டார்க்குச் சார்வாய்மற் றாங்கே
எடுப்பதூஉம் எல்லாம் மழை
Translations by Sri Aurobindo:
1) If the heavens remain dry, to the gods here in Nature
How shall be given the splendour of worship?
2) If the heavens do not their work, in this wide world
Giving is finished, austerity ended.
3) The world cannot live without its waters,
Nor conduct be at all without the rains from heaven.
4) If quite the skies refuse their gift, through this wide world
Famine shall do its worst with these creatures.
5) If one drop from heaven falls not, here
Hardly shalt thou see one head of green grass peering.
– Sri Aurobindo (CWSA, 5: 597-598)
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Watch R. Vidya reading from Kural – in Tamil and English
This was part of a session at the recently concluded National Seminar on ‘Exploring the Spirit of India through Cultural and Heritage Tourism’ (March 25, 2023). This session and several other sessions were included with a specific aim to educate tourism students and professionals about the variety of rich cultural aspects of Puducherry which are often neglected when speaking about it as a tourist destination.
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Andal’s Poem: I Dreamed a Dream
Original Poem in Tamil:
நாளை வதுவை மணம் என்று நாளிட்டு,
பாளை கமுகு பரிசுடைப் பந்தற் கீழ்,
கோளரி மாதவன் கோவிந்தன் என்பான், ஓர்
காளை புகுதக் கனாக் கண்டேன் தோழி நான்!
இந்திரன் உள்ளிட்ட தேவர் குழாமெல்லாம்,
வந்திருந்து என்னை மகட் பேசி மந்திரித்து,
மந்திரக் கோடியுடுத்தி மண மாலை,
அந்தரி சூட்டக் கனாக் கண்டேன் தோழி நான்!
மத்தளம் கொட்ட வரி சங்கம் நின்றூத,
முத்துடைத் தாமம் நிரை தாழ்ந்த பந்தற் கீழ்,
மைத்துனன் நம்பி மதுசூதன் வந்து, என்னைக்
கைத்தலம் பற்றக் கனாக் கண்டேன் தோழி நான்!
வாய் நல்லார் நல்ல மறையோதி மந்திரத்தால்,
பாசிலை நாணல் படுத்தப் பரிதி வைத்து,
காய்சின மாகளி றன்னான் என் கைப்பற்றி,
தீவிலம் செய்யக் கனாக் கண்டேன் தோழி நான்!
Translation by Sri Aurobindo:
I dreamed a dream, O friend.
The wedding was fixed for the morrow. And He, the Lion, Madhava, the young Bull whom they call the master of radiances, He came into the hall of wedding decorated with luxuriant palms.
I dreamed a dream, O friend.
And the throng of the Gods was there with Indra, the Mind Divine, at their head. And in the shrine they declared me bride and clad me in a new robe of affirmation. And Inner Force is the name of the goddess who adorned me with the garland of the wedding.
I dreamed a dream, O friend.
There were beatings of the drum and blowings of the conch; and under the canopy hung heavily with strings of pearls He came, my lover and my lord, the vanquisher of the demon Madhu and grasped me by the hand.
I dreamed a dream, O friend.
Those whose voices are blest, they sang the Vedic songs. The holy grass was laid. The sun was established. And He who was puissant like a war-elephant in its rage, He seized my hand and we paced round the Flame.
– Sri Aurobindo (CWSA, 5: 580)
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~ Design: Raamkumar
~ Gratitude to R. Vidya for help with the Tamil text
