Melting heart and tearful eyes - Part 2

நாடகத்தால் உன் அடியார் போல் நடித்து நான் நடுவே
வீடகத்தே புகுந்திடுவான் மிகப்பெரிதும் விரைகின்றேன்
ஆடகச்சீர் மணிக்குன்றே இடை அறா அன்பு உனக்கு என்
ஊடகத்தே நின்று உருகத் தந்தருள் எம் உடையானே

Pretending as a true devotee, I stand amidst your other devotees
in the hope that with them, I shall soon attain you and be liberated.
Oh, the mountain of gold and all wealth, I ask from you
nothing but for my heart to forever melt in your love!

(Thiruvasagam, 5.2.1)

Immaculate rhyme and prosody combined with an expression straight from the depth of the heart - I wonder what could be personally more moving than the above verse in Thiruvasagam. The saint's humility is far from human. He calls himself a pretentious actor pursuing liberation! By that he acknowledges liberation as the ultimate destiny of the soul and yet refrains from asking for it. So suffused he is with his blissful love for God that he prays only to be filled with more love! Also he knows, irrespective of his intentions, by seeking satsanga or the company of truth-seekers he is bound to be brought on to the right path. Having fully identified with the Lord, one wonders however, if he himself needed it or was just setting an example for us to follow.

Everything to him is a lie, including his own quest which he calls an act. But is he not the same saint who in a different verse (refer previous blog post) claims that he has forsaken all lies? Is he contradicting himself? Probably not. In the cosmic dream that we inhabit, the unceasing flurry of thoughts in the mind may be a lie, the various actions we perform may be a delusion; But what stays on as true and leads us through births is the longing for God in the heart. And this is the only truth that he seeks - To love God with all his heart and melt in it.

The great Tamizh scholar and speaker Ki.Va.Ja presents an interesting story (Which I heard through scholar Suki Sivam) to explain this verse. "A person plays the role of a king in a play and in the act, is given a glass of poisoned milk by the queen, which he drinks and dies. The glass in the play is filled with actual milk, that the actor drinks. The play ends and the actor returns home. His wife prepares for dinner, for which he says that he is full with the milk he drank and is not hungry. A rather simple and plausible event. An interesting analogy can be drawn from this though. The king and queen were false, the story was an act, the words spoken were lies and yet in the middle of so many lies, the experience of drinking stays on as a lasting truth. And so is the play of life. Everything we perceive as true is a mere delusion. And yet what we experience from the heart continues to lead us... one play after the other."

(The picture above is of a devotee offering morning prayers in the Ganges river, Varanasi)

Melting heart and tearful eyes - Part 1

மெய் தான் அரும்பி விதிர்விதிர்த்து உன் விரை ஆர் கழற்கு என்
கை தான் தலை வைத்து கண்ணீர் ததும்பி வெதும்பி உள்ளம்
பொய் தான் தவிர்ந்து உன்னை போற்றி சய சய போற்றி என்னும்
கை தான் நெகிழவிடேன் உடையாய் என்னைக் கண்டுகொள்ளே.

As I worship your fragrant holy feet,  my overwhelmed body quivers and
I raise my hands above my head,  with tearful eyes and a melting heart.
As I renounce all lies, and proclaim victory to your holy feet, my trembling frame
can no longer hold my hands! My lord, why don't you look at me?

(Thiruvasagam, 5.1.1)

Of all the verses that make Thiruvasagam the poignant and emotional masterpiece it is, this one stands apart. Words can seldom convey the experience of God. Through the above lines, the Saint describes the physical experience he undergoes when he sees God. His hands spontaneously raise to surrender completely. His heart overflows with love and his eyes with tears. His mortal frame immersed in god experience is trembling in joy and can hardly hold him straight. (A similar idea is presented by Kulashekhara Alwar in his Perumal Thirumozhi which I will defer to a later post).

This verse in a sense conveys the essence of Thiruvasagam and the path of God-love and complete surrender that it advocates. The poet saint Panranjothiyar who later documented the life of Saint Manikkavasagar in his Thiruvilayadal puranam pays homage to him by referring to this exact verse. He claims that while all other saints attained the holy feet by worshiping, Manikkavasagar got the same by crying - such overwhelming love and joy!

தொழுத கை தலைமேல் ஏறத்துளும்பு கண்ணீரில் மூழ்கி
அழுதடி அடைந்த அன்பர் அடியவர்க்கடிமை செய்வாம்

With hands raised above the head and body submerged in tears
The one who reached the holy feet by crying, I wish to serve the servants of that great one.

When I imagine Saint Manikkavasgar blinded by tears, I'm reminded of the following words of Paramahansa Yogananda, the greatest yogi saint of our times. He describes his experience of Samadhi or the superconscious state of God union.

"Smoldering joy, oft-puffed by meditation,
Blinding my tearful eyes,
Burst into immortal flames of bliss!"

The words of the saints may talk of an experience most of us have not had. And yet powerful they are, as they always have and will continue to inspire millions to pursue the infinite bliss that these masters lived in.

(The picture above is of the stone idol in the sanctum of Hoysaleshwara temple, Halebidu, Karnataka)

...To be continued

Forever thinking of thee

நின்றும் இருந்தும் கிடந்தும் நடந்தும் நினைப்பது உன்னை,
என்றும் வணங்குவது உன் மலர்த் தாள்.-எழுதாமறையின்
ஒன்றும் அரும்பொருளே. அருளே. உமையே. இமயத்து
அன்றும் பிறந்தவளே. அழியா, முத்தி ஆனந்தமே.

Even while I stand, sit, sleep or walk I always think of thee;
I forever worship thy lotus feet, Oh Goddess, who is the hidden meaning
of the scriptures! The one who is the form of grace, The daughter
of the mountains and the source of everlasting bliss!

(Abhirami Andhadhi, 10)

Subrahmanya dikshitar better known as Abhirami bhattar composed 100 verses in praise of goddess Abhirami in the Thirukkadaiyur temple, known as the Abhirami Andhadhi (Andhadhi is a collection of poems where every verse starts with the last word of the previous verse).  This is the story for those unfamiliar with it.

India has always been a land of saints and miracles. It is however not unfair for us from the 21st century to question the mythical fabric that forms the basis of our religion. Did Sambandhar really bring back a girl from a pot of ashes to life? Did Tukaram really fly to the heaven on an eagle? Did Abhirami bhattar really make the moon shine on a new moon day? The answers to these questions are not simple especially when the incidents in question date back to thousands of years before our times. Identifying themselves as one with the cosmic spirit, the saints I believe were able to manifest their ideas, which may have defied physical laws. After all, 'miracle' is a label we give to whatever does not seem possible in our perception of reality. However, the myths and the literature at times need to be viewed with an investigative eye too, for they may be talking of these episodes in a metaphorical sense to express a higher truth.

Being a relatively recent event in comparison to others, we do have interesting clues on the miracle performed by Abhirami Bhattar. Inscriptions exist today that stand proof to the fact that King Sherfoji ordained for a part of all harvest from five surrounding villages around Thirukkadaiyur to be given to Bhattar's family and his descendants. He also bestowed the title 'Bharati' to him that his descendants carried. Even today, his existing descendant by name Amirtha Bharathiyaar receives harvest from not five but two villages and uses them to perform special celebrations for the goddess during Navaratri. We may not have photographs to show how the Goddess saved her devotee by displaying her earrings to the entire world as the moon; But we do know with certainty that the devotee performed a certain miracle that moved the King enough to confer upon him high honors!

Coming back to the verses, we see an interesting aspect that does not take long to recognize. These tamil poems bear a strong resemblance to many verses in Adi Shankara's Sanskrit master piece 'Soundarya lahari'. The verse taken above is a striking example. The same thought of complete surrender is expressed with equal beauty in the 27th verse of Soundarya lahari.

जपो जल्पः शिल्पं सकलमपि मुद्राविरचना
गतिः प्रादक्षिण्यक्रमणं अशनाध्याहुति विधिः |
प्रणामस्संवेशः  सुखमखिलं आत्मार्पणदृशा
सपर्यापर्यायस्तव भवतु यन्मे विलसितं ||

Let my idle chat be chanting of your name, all my gestures your ritual gestures
My walking perambulation around thee, my eating a sacred fire offering to you
My sleeping prostration at your feet, every action of pleasure be an offering to the 'atma'
May whatsoever I do be counted as thy worship

Many more are such parallels between the two. While Shankara assumes a more impersonal tone and describes the goddess's beauty and grace in an objective way, Bhattar is very personal and his verses are infused with deep devotion. His myriad emotions from helplessness to resignation to gratitude add a personal touch to the poetry. It is not far fetched to assume that, being a follower of the Sri vidya tradition, Bhattar was well versed in Soundarya lahari and was inspired by Shankara while singing his own. Not many tantric texts exist in pure tamil that abide this tradition of goddess worship and hence his contribution is indeed priceless.

(The picture above is of Goddess Brihannayaki in the Dharasuram temple, flanked by her attendants. Goddess Abhirami's image is similar as she holds the same paraphernalia in her hands)

Wake up from your slumber!

தூமணி மாடத்து சுற்றும் விளக்கெரியத்
தூபம் கமழத் துயிலணைமேல் கண் வளரும்
மாமான் மகளே மணிக் கதவம் தாழ் திறவாய்
மாமீர் அவளை எழுப்பீரோ உன் மகள் தான்
ஊமையோ அன்றி செவிடோ அனந்தலோ
ஏமப் பெருந் துயில் மந்திரப் பட்டாளோ
மாமாயன் மாதவன் வைகுந்தன் என்றென்று
நாமன் பலவும் நவின்றேலோர் என்பாவாய்

In the gem studded hallway with lamps lit all around
and incense filling the air, the one sleeping on the cozy bed
Oh! the daughter of my mother's brother, Please open the door.
My dear aunt! Please wake up your daughter. 
Is she dumb? or deaf? or intoxicated?
Is she under the spell of this long lasting sleep?
The great illusionist Madhava, the one who resides in Vaikuntha
Let us rejoice in chanting these holy names of the Lord!

(Thiruppavai, 9)

The Thiruppavai hymns of Andal are household prayer even today in the month of Margazhi. Vaishnavaites regard these 30 verses as the essence of the Upanishads elaborating on the nature of the relation between the human soul and the divine. Indeed these seemingly simple verses have in them some of the loftiest philosophical ideals that define our religion. From a cursory overview these characteristic pavai hymns are exchanges between adolescent women. It may take a keen eye to understand the layers of metaphors and appreciate the sense conveyed by them.

The vaishnavaite interpretation of Thiruppavai is a very interesting one that reinforces the supreme position held by bhagavatas (devotees of the lord) that is equal to the Lord himself. The different verses in order are considered as waking call for the different alwars, acharyas and the devatas before Andal finally surrenders to the lord himself. Her lady friends or 'thozhi's referred to in the verses are considered to be the other Alwars. Her references to existing prabandham hymns of the alwars in a number of her verses is indicative of her respect and adulation.

As most other verses of the Thiruppavai, here too, the scene described is of a group of women standing at the doorstep of their friend's house early in the morning asking her to wake up and open the door. The setting described by Andal in the first line is one of irony. The hall is filled with the light from the lamps lit everywhere around and the fragrance from the incense sticks envelopes the space. And yet their friend is asleep on her bed? May be it is not the routine slumber of physical rest?

In popular explanations by scholars, this verse is considered an address to Thirumazhisai alwar. The alwar deeply engrossed in the divine experience, is oblivious to the external world and Andal calls for him to open himself to the external world and join everyone in celebrating the glories of the Lord by chanting his name and singing praise. Like a tortoise withdrawing itself into its shell, the senses of the Alwar no longer react to external stimuli as they are absorbed in God. He hence appears deaf and dumb. His blissful ecstatic state of inactivity appears as sleep. An interesting reference is made by Andal through her address as her mother's brother's daughter. The Alwar was born to bhargava of Brighu's lineage and Mahalakshmi who took birth as Brighu's daughter can be considered sage bhargava's sister - hence the relation.

The verse speaks of the glories of chanting the Lord's name. And the names that are chosen here present another interesting reference. This time to the following verse from Thirumazhisai alwar's Naanmugan thiruvandhadhi as Andal chooses to use the same names as the Alwar himself - Mayan (same as Maal in tamizh), Madhavan and Vaikunthan.

மாலவனை மாதவனை யாதானும் வல்லவா
சிந்தித்திருப்போர்க்கு வைகுண்டத்தில் இல்லையோ இடம்

The master of illusions, the lord of maya and the one of unsurpassed greatness,
those that think of him, will they not have a place in his abode vaikuntha? 


(The picture above is a file picture of the temple tower at Srivilliputtur, the birthplace of Andal. It features in the state emblem of Government of Tamilnadu. File source: Wikipedia)

The Interplay of opposites

மாதர்ப் பிறைக்கண்ணியானை மலையான் மகளொடும் பாடிப்
போதொடு நீர்சுமந்தேத்திப் புகுவாரவர் பின் புகுவேன்
யாதுஞ்சுவடு படாமல் ஐயா றடைகின்ற போது
காதல் மடப்பிடி யோடுங் களிறு வருவன கண்டேன்
கண்டேன் அவர்திருப் பாதம் கண்டறி யாதன கண்டேன்.

Singing praise of the lord who sports the beautiful crescent moon and head ornament with his consort, the daughter of the mountains,
I saw devotees carrying flower & water and entering the temple. I followed them
With no trace of bodily damage, when i reached this sacred site where five rivers meet
I saw a young female and male elephant in playful love walking towards me.
I saw his holy feet, I saw that which is not easily seen

(Thevaram, 4.3.1)

Understanding the above verse of Saint Appar from the fourth thirumurai requires knowledge of the story behind. Appar who wished to visit the Lord in Kailash undertook the pilgrimage to the Himalayas on feet. Unable to walk by feet beyond a point he crawls the mountains leading to severe bodily injuries. A voice from the sky asks him not to go any further and take a holy dip in the lake nearby (likely the Manasarovar). When he plunges in and comes out he finds himself in the temple pond of the Panchanadeeshvara temple in Thiruvaiyaru! This is his first verse of the set of hymns that he composed there.

The saint carries the ecstatic vision of God that he just had to every form and scene around. He has seen the holy vision of how Siva exists as one with Shakti in blissful union. Of how the pure consciousness  exists not by itself but only through its interplay with Maya. He starts by singing of the Lord as one with the 'pirai' or crescent moon (symbolic of Siva) and 'kanni' (a head ornament worn above the forehead symbolic of the goddess). He is astonished at the disappearance of his wounds and his mysterious transportation to this sacred temple. He goes on to describe an elephant couple that he sees. In playful love like Siva and Shakti, mind and matter, Prakriti and Purusha, yin and yang and so on.

He finally claims that he has seen the holy feet and what he has seen is a rare vision not easily obtained. By Saiva tradition, he has reached the highest ecstasy of seeing thiruppadam or 'the holy feet' and sivanandam or 'the blissful union'. He carries on the same thread and vision in the rest of the verses. He further says in the following verses:

கோழி பெடையொடுங் கூடி - A hen and a cock in union

வரிக்குயில் பேடையொ டாடி - A male and female cuckoo bird dancing

இடிகுர லன்னதொ ரேன - A male deer with its female

etc., describing the union of two animals in each of the eleven verses ending with the embrace of the bull and the cow in the last verse. The animals and their specific acts I tend to think are more than just descriptions of the sights around and have a much deeper esoteric meaning that I'm unable to decipher. Someone with greater spiritual experience or knowledge of the saiva tradition may be able to see more.

This is a popular verse very commonly rendered by the odhuvars (tamil musicians in siva temples) abiding by the ancient pann tradition in gandhara pann (pann is melodic pattern grossly equated to a raga). This pann is similar to raga navaroj of the carnatic tradition, although the 'classicized' version of this verse commonly heard is more akin to raga senchurutti. A sample rendering of the same by yours truly:

(The picture above is of the Kaveri river in Thiruvaiyaru)

Grace me as my Guru

உருவாய் அருவாய் உளதாய் இலதாய்
மருவாய் மலராய் மணியாய் ஒளியாய்
கருவாய் உயிராய்க் கதியாய் விதியாய்
குருவாய் வருவாய் அருள்வாய் குகனே

As one with form and without; As one who exists and doesn't
As the act of union, as the beauty in a flower, as a precious gem, as pure light
As the soul within, as the essence of life, as the refuge and as destiny
Come forth and grace me as my ultimate preceptor, Oh Lord residing in the hidden depths of my soul!

(Kandar anubhuti, 51)

Arunagiri's poems startle you at first with their incredibly complex and flawless rhythm and meter and then with the richness of the language coupled with the simplicity of his expression. His Thiruppugazh stands unique with its very own rhythmic structures and patterns unseen in any other composition, old or new. The one quoted above is the very last verse of Kandar anubhuti or 'grace of lord Muruga', a set of 51 verses. This is almost like an ending note that presents the purport of all the other verses. After singing of the Lord, his attributes and his infinite glory, the mystic saint requests the Lord to come forth as his 'Guru' or spiritual preceptor and grace him.

Saints and mystics are all unique in their own ways. Some ask for nothing and merely sing praise of the lord thanking him for his grace. Some ask for liberation from the cycle of rebirths while some ask for more births to continue immersing in his charm and singing his praise. Arunagiri in his compositions has a wide range of requests to Lord Muruga. In one Thiruppugazh he asks for intellect and the power to bring back the dead to life! He can be categorized as a siddha who acquired divine communion and other mystic powers through yogic discipline. More than the act of surrender, we see in his poems his enjoyment of Muruga's beauty, description of the various acts of the lord and request for fulfilling his wishes.

The word 'guru' means one who leads from ignorance to light and 'guha' refers to a cave or a hidden enclosure. Commonly referring to Lord Muruga, guha alludes to the lord who is hidden in the cave of our soul, discovered through sadhana. The 'Guru' figure in hindu mysticism is considered the ultimate bridge for attaining liberation and is often associated with Muruga. The mythological episode of Siva seeking to be a disciple of his own son Muruga is one that underlines this. Clinical psychology in the works of modern scholars such as Jung and Gary Zukav talks of spirit guides as an inner psyche that drives the intellect towards liberation. Arunagiri wishes for the lord residing deep within (குகனே) himself to rise (வருவாய்) and lead him (குருவாய்) with his grace (அருள்வாய்). Muthuswamy Dikshitar, a saint composer and the youngest of the carnatic trinity conveys the same metaphor through his signature usage of the phrase 'Guru guha' in each one of his compositions.

(The picture above is a brass image of Lord Muruga from the dvijasthambha of the Kumarakottam temple, Kanchipuram)

Good or bad is all your choice

அன்றே என்றன் ஆவியும் உடலும் எல்லாமுங்
குன்றே அனையாய் என்னைஆட் கொண்டபோதே கொண்டிலையோ
இன்றோர் இடையூ றெனக்குண்டோ எண்தோள் முக்கண் எம்மானே
நன்றே செய்வாய் பிழை செய்வாய் நானோ இதற்கு நாயகமே.

When you came as a mountain that day and made me yours
Did you not take all that was mine - the mind, body, soul and all my belongings?
How then could I have any problems, my lord with eight shoulders and three eyes?
You may do me good; You may do me bad. To all resigned, I'm yours.

(Thiruvasagam, 502)

Thiruvasagam is the pinnacle of emotive bhakti poetry arising out of an overwhelming personal experience of the divine. The verse above stands proof. By the act of completely surrendering to the lord, Manikkavasagar fails to see good and bad differently. Everything to him is an act of divine will. When everything belongs to the lord what has he to lose or gain? to rejoice or suffer?

The personal nature of Thiruvasagam narrating what the saint undergoes in poignant verses makes it stand apart. There is an apt saying in Tamizh - திருவாசகத்திற்கு உருகாதார் ஒருவாசகத்திற்கும் உருகார் (The one who does not melt for the Thiruvasagam, melts for no other verse). The temple at Thirupperunthurai or Avudaiyar koil as it is called today is where Manikkavasagar first encountered his lord. Under a tree inside the temple he sees a man with glowing radiance who bestows upon him the vision of the divine. The rest is history shrouded in a number of legends. To him, his guru that he met then was Lord Dakshinamoorthy himself and  he fondly talks of the incident innumerable times in his works. I sure hope to write on more verses from Thiruvasagam and will elaborate on what makes this book so special.

(The picture above is the life story of Manikkavasagar as depicted on the temple tower of Kapaleeshvarar temple, Chennai. Read this for the detailed story)

His praise in his own words

என்சொல்லி நிற்பனென் இன்னுயி ரின்றொன்றாய்,
என்சொல்லால் யான்சொன்ன இன்கவி யென்பித்து,
தன்சொல்லால் தான்தன்னைக் கீர்த்தித்த மாயன்,என்
முன்சொல்லும் மூவுரு வாம் முதல்வனே

Alas! What shall I say! He stands as the soul within me
and makes poetry of the words I say.
Or rather, the master of delusions, with his own words he sings praise
of himself, the chief of the three gods! 

(Thiruvaimozhi, 7.9.2)

No verse can be as apt as the verse quoted above of Saint Nammazhvar in his Thiruvaimozhi to start this blog. What else can one say? It is he who is the speaker, the audience, the 'speech', the act of speaking and the experience of  hearing; And it is by his own will that these all come together. Is he not then the master of delusions, for he successfully makes me think that there is an 'I' that speaks and a 'You' that listens?

Nammazhvar, the vaishnavaite saint born on the banks of Tamraparni river in southern Tamilnadu was a gifted child that did not cry or speak a word. Under the tamarind tree inside the Azhvarthirunagari temple he sat in padmasana and meditated for 16 years only to open his mouth to his first disciple Madhurakavi. Vaishnavaites regard him an incarnation of the Lord himself and as the chief amongst alwars. Physically seated in the same temple, he mentally traveled to a number of Vishnu shrines composing over a thousand hymns collectively referred to as the Thiruvaimozhi or 'words from the mouth of the divine'. Like the works of all other alwars, his works have deep metaphorical meaning describing the relation between the human soul and God. I regard this verse quoted above as the crowning stone of them all, for here we see for ourselves that the saint has fully identified himself with his lord.