Saturday, June 30, 2007

Yearn for Him - Mantra 30

Sri gurubhyo namaha.




After the unintentional pause in the Thirumandiram commentary, we will begin once again. This is the thirtieth mantra of the first part of the Thirumandiram.




வான்நின்று அழைக்கும் மழைபோல் இறைவனும்


தானினறு அழைக்கும்கொல என்று தயங்குவார்


ஆன்நின்று அழைக்கு மதுபோல்என் நந்தியை


நான்நின்று அழைப்பது ஞானம் கருதியே. 30




30: Yearn For Him


As the Heavens draw the rains;


Even so will my Lord draw me to Him?


Thus, doubting, many ask.


But like to the mother-cow, for my Nandi I yearn


And all the world, all the world know it too!




Com - Thus, doubting, many ask Some hesitate to seek the Lord As the Heavens draw the rains by being of the opinion that, like the rain that gathers in the skies, and which, out of its own accord showers down upon the earth Even so will my Lord draw me to Him the Lord too comes out of His own accord to shower His grace on the beings of this world. But like to the mother-cow, for my Nandi I yearn But instead, I cry out to Siva (Nandi) like the calf would (when hungry and in need of milk) to attract the attention of its mother cow And all the world, all the world know it too and the reason for my calling Him so, is for right knowledge (wisdom/consciousness).



*The sage uses the words, ‘’like a calf that calls out to its mother cow’’ to illustrate that just as (upon being called by the hungry calf) the mother cow will call out to identify herself to the calf, Siva too will give a call (Nada- sound) to identify Himself to the seeker(the hungry calf). Through the above mantra it is clear that Siva reveals Himself to only those who seek Him – unlike the rain that sends down the showers out of its own accord (whether asked for or not).


This mantra takes on a good depth of meaning when you read it together with the post on the nature of faith and its importance. While on a deeper note the meanings contained herein with respect to the issuing forth of the Nada at the appropriate stage of sadhana, on a more obvious level we can understand that this process of sadhana/transformation calls for a good deal of dedication, effort and more importantly Bhakti. The yearning has to be constant, the separation unbearable. Much like the emotions evoked by the romantic poetry of the sufi mystics. It is interesting to note that the intensity of yearning is compared to the calf's need of its mother rather than the lovers need of his beloved. Perhaps it refers somehow to the fact that such yearning is instinctual and must be of intensity capable of affecting one like hunger would - deep and all encompassing.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

On the nature of Coal.

Sri gurubhyo namaha.

A period of quiet and disconnection to persue a bit of sadhana, turned out to be a longer and quieter period than I originally assumed. Incase you are wondering, yes, it was lovely! A pleasure to internalise thoughts and energy. A pleasure to be devoted.

Like the siddhar Thirumular who revealed one mantra (of the Thirumandiram) at the end of each years meditation and samadhi, I will try to sum up the wisdom I gleaned from my wee meditations over the period -

'' Coal, my dear, has to be burnt. No amount of washing it will ever make it clean.''

Meditation reveals the nature of things, their true nature. The process is a slow one, one that unveils more than reveals if you ask me. The deeper and more internal the mind proceeds, the more the cobwebs that are dusted down. After a certain period the 'I' connectivity to the manifest universe dulls. In its place (for there is never a void or vaccum) a different perception takes root - one that percieves the world and everything in it for what it is. By that I do not mean the realisation that all is false or illusory. Not at all. The illusion dies when the identification of the self to the percieved universe dies. My take on the universe is what is false, not the universe itself! It is as though the various layers of self identification (done often quite involuntarily) over the years have become the many layers of cobwebs and dust covering the legendary diamond. When those layers are realised for what they really are, they sort of very gently fall apart. The process is not (not for me anyway) a fight, it is gentle and more importantly it is natural.

As I said, the dusting of the cobwebs reveals (or unveils) the diamond that lay underneath. The diamond that has always been there, and will always be there. Years of being under so thick a sheath of dust and cobwebs did not dim its lusture one bit. On the contrary, it seemed to me to be shining more gloriously than I ever imagined possible. That shine and lusture crept up quite unnoticeably in to the area of the mind where the manifest and unmanifest universe is percieved. And without realising it my take on the universe became one with the universe's real nature. Even though the awareness lasted but a few minutes, the residual vibrations linger on even now. And the message has been loud and clear

'' Coal, my dear, has to be burnt. No amount of washing it will ever make it clean.''

Ever at the feet of my Guru who is the very embodiment of the union of Shiva and Shakti.