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)