Dance for Siva - mantra 50

Sri gurubhyo namaha.

This is the fiftieth mantra of the Thirumandiram and with this ends the first section of the PAyiram (proem) titled 'In Praise of God.'

சூடுவன் நெஞ்சிடை வைப்பன் பிரான்என்று

பாடுவன் பன்மலர் தூவிப் பணிந்துநின்

றாடுவன் ஆடி அமரர்ப்பி ரான்என்று

நாடுவன் நான்இன் றறிவது தானே.50.

Seeking Is All

I'll wreathe Him in garland, I'll hug Him to heart;

I'll sing Him His Name and dance with gift of flowers;

Singing and dancing seek the Lord;

This alone I know, only too well I know. 50.

Com – I'll wreathe Him in garland I will wear His holy feet on the (crown) top of my head as a garland; I'll hug Him to heart I will keep Him close to my heart by constant meditation. I'll sing Him His Name I will sing joyous songs calling Him my Lord and master. and dance with gift of flowers I will offer various flowers to Him while chanting His many names (archanai). Singing and dancing seek the Lord I will dance with the joy that I am filled with as a result of His grace and through song and dance I will celebrate Him as the Lord of Lords. This alone I know These are all the methods I know only too well I know and I practise them constantly.

* The sage compares his celebration of the grace of Siva, to the more standard methods of ritual worship as is practised by the hindu devotees (Upachara). Where the devotee approaches the image of the deity and offers such things as flowers, scent, incense, lamp, food offerings, water, clothes, jewels, etc after which they chant or sing songs of praise to the deity. Here the sage admits that he practises the methods both externally and mentally (through knowledge) and gives us a hint that most of us need to begin at the external mode of worship and slowly rise to the level of internal worship through meditation.