Friday, March 16, 2007

Kinder than a mother. Mantra-8

Sri gurubhyo namaha.

The eighth mantra of the first part of the Thirumandiram.

தீயினும் வெய்யன் புனலினும் தண்ணியன்
ஆயினும் ஈசன் அருளறி வாரில்லை
சேயினும் நல்லன் அணியன்நல் அன்பர்க்குத்
தாயினும் நல்லன் தாழ்சடை யோனே. 8.
8: Kinder Than Mother
Hotter is He than fire, cooler than water;
And yet none knows of His Grace abounding;
Purer than the child, kinder by far than the mother,
Nearest to Love is He, of the flowing matted locks.
Com - He, of the flowing matted locks Siva, who sports thick, flowing matted locks Hotter is He than fire is hotter than even Fire to the un devout cooler than water to the devoted, He is cooler and more refreshing than even water. Purer than the child He is purer (signifies the innocence of thought, word and deed) than even the child. Nearest He is so close to everybody, as He is the very life of the living. to Love (he is) kinder by far than the mother To those who love Him, He becomes kinder even than the mother (signifies His compassion). Even still no one knows of His infinite Grace that is ever flowing towards all.

*How unfortunate we are, in not being aware of this Love? The above mantra shows that Siva is full of grace to His devotees and is punishing in nature to (with a view to correct) the un devout.Even though His very nature is possesed of compasion that is more than even that of a mother to her child, us, the people of this world spend our lives unaware of His love and compassion towards us.

6 comments:

Confused Martian said...

undevout? meaning atheist? or the immoral? why should he be furious of the atheist?

mooligai sidhan said...

Dear confused martian
You have touched at a very core point here and Iam glad! Though to explain the whole subject will be beyond the scope of this comments box, I will try.
First of all, the word 'undevout' does not signify an atheist. If you observe the hindu philosophical system, it becomes evident that there are plenty of atheistic view points. In the shad darshanas (or the six main systems of enquiry), the vaiseshikas argue that all is only 'atomic' and the supreme is the atom not god. The system of sankhya also goes into great detail in argueing the lack or non relevance of god. The yoga system too is concerned more about the nature of the self and mind than a deep enquiry into god. The atheist has no reason to fear the wrath of god - for him, God doesnt even exist!
It might not be apt to translate the 'undevout' as the immoral either - as morality is quite relative and based on many social and geographical variables, not to mention the impact of time (as in the different epochs or civilisations). I do not know what exactly the siddar thirumular had in mind when speaking of the 'undevout', but I can only speculate on that.
One thing though is that I can tell you what my personal opinion on the subject is. I feel that the 'undevout' refers to those whose lives and actions go against dharma or the universal law. I think that those who follow the path of adharma (may not be consciously)will only draw unto themselves events and situations that drag them even deeper into that adharma. The way the cause and effect principle works, guarentees the reward/result (good or bad)of all actions/works. This is karma. And those that tread the path of adharma will quite literally feel 'the heat' of their own doings. Shiva, Devi or any other god for that matter is quite beyond the duality of reward and punishment, if you ask me. They are all pure, divine, and love and compassion incarnate. Like the loving mother who does not seperate the bad/unruly child from the 'good' and well behaved one, at meal times - God, cannot be tainted by bias and reward some while punishing others. To justify this we have to understand that by definition God is pure and untainted - stainless as it were, and as He has nothing to want and is obliged to no one, His/Her actions are not based on bias or personal prejudice.
Thus the line '' He is hotter than fire to the undevout'' is to be understood as - He is the principle through which the laws of karma can be forever eternal, without a break or lapse. Whereby He ensures that those who choose to sow bad seeds reap a bad crop. This is not a punishment in the sense we know it. Rather, this too is an act of brilliant and incomparable compassion. Through successive births,the soul begins to understand the effects of the various actions and thus is able to steer itself to the unchangeable supreme self.
Another line of thought that I often have with regard to this topic is - the 'undevout' percieve life as a difficult journey. For them this world is cruel and full of pain and loss and an endless cycle of life and death. The 'devout' on the other hand, begins to percieve the world and all else as a manifestation of his/her chosen deity. This brings about a change in the end 'feeling' that they have towards life, whereby everything is seen as a gift of the compassion of God. Thus to them He becomes like a mother, always compassionate and loving; cool like a thousand moons.
Thirumular probably means those who are ignorant as regards to the nature of their self as 'undevout' and those who have percieved the truth as 'devout'. I dont imagine it has anything much to do with the external meaning of devout/devotion in his context. You have to also understand that the siddars were quite against the worship of idols with intricate mumbo jumbo - their 'devotion' is of a different kind.
Hope this goes some distance in answering your query. I will make a mental note of this question and will when the inspiration strikes write a seperate post on this subject a bit more thoroughly.
Namashivaya.

Confused Martian said...

brilliant! i was myself of the opinion that the 'undevout' probably referred to those who, while seeming to perform prayers and the like, have no inclination to immerse themselves in it. (a throwback to your earlier post on faith).

then again, the christians and (i think) the muslims view birth/life as a sin/ burden. i also remember seeing the same idea in a hinduistic setting. mujahids and martys are glorified. (not least in the present political state of the world). even the egyptians considered death to be the freeing of the soul (bird man). then, isn't it also safe to assume that their view on life is what we have just defined as being 'undevout'?

does this mean whole religions are undevout? they can't all be wrong!

mooligai sidhan said...

If there was one thing that most religions in the world agree on, it is that this life is full of pain and sin. The hindus fear the power (in a negative sense)of samsara or the birth and death cycle as much as the christian or muslim. The Buddhists too brush the entire phenomenon as just 'mind stuff'! But having said that, it would be silly of me to view all religions as being mistaken, wrong or deluded. That there are certain facets of every sect, cult or religious persuasions which induviduals might not agree on is obvious for all to see.
Another aspect is that, in the life and evolution of the various religions above discussed, many crucial elements and theosophical corner stones have undergone a lot of tweaking. I feel that in the so called sathya yuga (or the golden age)this false perception of life being a result of previous sins or any such ideas would not have prevailed. People then were happy, lived long lives and were content and self aware. But when we look at the age of Kali (the present age)the awareness of one's self and its connection to the whole and a holisitic awareness of the many realities are either confused (at best)or totally arse wise (at worst). This scenario then becomes the reason why the very perception of life is heavily permeated with notions of sin, guilt, pain and remorse. That does'nt necessarily make religion the culprit - the religion is nothing but the sum 'faith' and consciousness of the followers. Even in this age of Kali it is perfectly true that this life is a gift, a gift so rare that words fail me when I think of words or similies to describe it to you. We are not being punished here - but we have been given an extremely sacred gift, that of free will and change/transformation. There is or never will be an end to this sacred journey. And death/liberation etc are but half empty concepts that have been used by people to deal away with intelligent and repeated questioning on matters pertaining to the nature of the soul. It is like describing the effect of ganja or other mind altering substances by coining a new and vague term like 'hallucination'. They fail to answer the questions raised, and further still they silence the questioner with big and mighty words and concepts. On proper investigation and relentless seeking, I am sure you, me or anyone else can acchieve harmony and bliss - what is needed is not death (to 'free' the soul)but unconditioning (the tech savvy might prefer to the term reprogramming!). The jiva is eternally free and unchained. What use is liberation to one always unbound?

Confused Martian said...

"Villarkariyavale, anaithilum mevi iruppavale!" (not sure how to get tamil in here)
- Bharathiyar

words just fail. thanks for that :)

mooligai sidhan said...

Yes indeed.
A great master used to say that when you reach the place where words begin to fail you or when you experience something that no language can aptly convey - then you have really 'seen'!