In the heart of the pure - mantra 40 of the Thirumandiram

Sri gurubhyo namaha.

The 40th mantra of the first part of the Thirumandiram.

குறைந்துஅடைந் தீசன் குரைகழல் நாடும்

நிறைந்துஅடை செம்பொனின் நேர்ஒளி ஒக்கும்

மறைஞ்சடம் செய்யாது வாழ்த்தவல் லார்க்குப்

புறஞ்சடம் செய்வான் புகுந்துநின் றானே. 40.

In The Heart Of The Pure

Humbled and meek, seek thou the Lord's Feet,

Feet that equal the rays of purest gold serene;

Praise Him with songs of the humble heart

And unpenurious tongue;

To such He comes, the all-fashioning Lord. 40.

Com – Humbled and meek, seek thou the Lord's Feet Being conscious of the shortcomings and errors of being human, the devotee should seek out Siva and surrender unto Feet that equal the rays of purest gold serene His holy feet, which are similar to the purest gold in their radiance and lustre. Praise Him with songs of the humble heart. And unpenurious tongue; To the devotee who has cast aside his bias and who is not stubborn in holding on to his false notions of the world, To such He comes, the all-fashioning Lord Siva reveals the ‘real’ nature (namely, that the body is different to the Self).

* The devoted sadhaka should firstly become aware of himself and realise and accept the errors of his ways (both in perception and action). He must then proceed to cast aside all his bias (preconceived notions including likes and dislikes) and be forever ready to grow and change (by not holding on stubbornly to the false identification of the body to be the self, etc). To such a devotee, who is of a pure disposition, Siva imparts the truth, i.e. He shows the devotee that the body and the self are not one and the same. Note the stress on humility which acts as a conduit for the devotee to let go of his or her deep and stubborn (untrue) identification of one's self with the body. Humility encourages surrender and the waxing of the heart with a love that is not based on the likes and dislikes of the individual (as there is less and less identification with the body). A love that is beyond the dual notions of growth and decay, a love that is in essence the very nature of the self.