Slaying of the wild elephant. Mantra-21

Sri gurubhyo namaha.

The twentyfirst mantra of the first part of the Thirumandiram.

வானப் பெருங்கொண்டல் மாலயன் வானவர்

ஊனப் பிறவி ஒழிக்கும் ஒருவனைக்

கானக் களிறு கதறப் பிளந்தனம்

கோனைப் புகழுமின் கூடலு மாமே. 21.

21: Comes Speeding

Sing His praise! Oh how quick He comes!

He, the Lord, who in one fell sweep the wild elephant slashed,

The Lord who ends this muddy vestures mortal coil,

Of the Heavenly Hosts, of Brahma Divine,

Of Mal, hued like the clouds rain-borne.

Com - The Lord who Siva, the Lord who ends this muddy vestures mortal coil, Of the Heavenly Hosts, of Brahma Divine, Of Mal, hued like the clouds rain-borne relieves the host of heavenly Devas like Brahma and Vishnu (whose colour is dark, like the rain laden clouds) by destroying their lowly bodies, that are corrupted by impurities. He, the Lord, who in one fell sweep the wild elephant slashed He is also the one who felled the wild elephant (i.e. the ahamkara or I’ ness is likened to the wild elephant, to illustrate the brute strength and the wild unpredictable behaviour of the ego) by slashing it. Sing His praise When one knows Him and thus sings His praises, Oh how quick He comes He comes instantly to their aid and grants them liberation from this mortal coil – the cycle of birth and death.

*The text called Suddha Sadhakam categorises the consciousness of the jivas into four groups: namely, Irul (ignorance/darkness), Therul (clarity), Pranavam (ego), and Arul (Grace). The clarified consciousness (2nd stage) before being transformed into consciousness saturated by Grace (4th stage) has to cross the hurdle represented by the ego (in the 3rd stage). And as long as the wild elephant, ahamkara (I ness) exists, the consciousness of the individual is unable to be transformed into the 4th and purest state. It is this transformation of the consciousness, achieved by the breakdown of the ego, which is indicated by the use of the words ‘slaying of the wild elephant’. There is also a legend regarding Shiva's slaying of Gajasura, the asura (demon) who assumed the form of the wild elephant, and it is also refered to through the above mantra. However, the inner meaning of the slaying of Gajasura is the same as mentioned above in connection to the ego.