Shiva confers wisdom on Gods. Mantra-16

Sri gurubhyo namaha.

The sixteenth mantra of the first part of the Thirumandiram.

கோது குலாவிய கொன்றைக் குழற்சடை

மாது குலாவிய வாள்நுதல் பாகனை

யாது குலாவி அமரரும் தேவரும்

கோது குலாவிக் குணம்பயில் வாரே. 16.

16: Confers Wisdom On Gods

He, of the matted locks, the odorous Konrai clustering,

He, of the Divine Consort with forehead divinely gleaming,

He, whom the Immortals and Devas sought,

Wisdom to learn, Ignorance to dispel.

Com - He, of the matted locks Siva, with His matted locks Konrai clustering decorated with clusters of, the much veined, Konrai flower, He, of the Divine Consort with forehead divinely gleaming has for one half of His body ,that of His divine consort Uma- the Goddess, most beautiful and one whose forehead glows soft and pure. He, whom the Immortals and Devas sought The immortals and the Devas who know not this beautiful Siva (and Uma), odorous due to their being impure, as a result of their addiction to the pleasures of heaven and by being under the influence of their ego (ahamkara) .Wisdom to learn, Ignorance to dispel. How then, can they sing praises of this Siva, without knowing of His beautiful form, in order to seek the wisdom that would dispel their ignorance?

* The author is of the opinion that the Devas & c will not be able to see and sing praises of the beautiful Shiva and Uma, due to their(Devas& c) being tainted. The last line of the verse sounds a note of irony and sarcasm. The double meaning of the words used in the mantra also convey the meaning that the impure Devas will be purified (of their defects) if they keep Siva on their heads (i.e. worship purely, by realising that He is above all), much like the Konrai flower, that becomes divine (even though by nature it is highly veined, i.e. not very pure and beautiful) by virtue of being the decoration on Siva’s matted locks.