He planted His feet on my heart - mantrA 114

srigurubhyO namahA

In the 114th mantrA, the sage elaborates further on the topic of the inner awakening of the devotee. He describes the process whereby the Grace of siva descends through the transmission/dIkshA by the guru and cuts asunder the ties that bind the sAdhakA to this world cycle. It is evident from this mantrA that it is only when the 'eye of grace' or the 'inner eye' is open that one is really able to cultivate quietude and absorption.

களிம்பறுத் தான்எங்கள் கண்ணுதல் நந்தி
களிம்பறுத் தான்அருள் கண்விழிப் பித்துக்
களிம்பணு காத கதிரொளி காட்டிப்
பளிங்கிற் பவளம் பதித்தான் பதியே. I.1.2.114.

He Planted His Feet on My Heart

All impurity He shattered--our Nandi, Forehead-eyed,
Shattered to pieces before His opening Eye of Grace,
His Eye, at whose radiant light impurity quails;
So transfixed He His Coral Feet on heart of mine,
Crystal turned. I.1.2.114.

Com - our Nandi, Forehead –eyed, All impurity He shattered – Our Lord, the three eyed siva cut asunder the ties / pAsa (the three impurities Anava malA, kArmika malA and mAyika malA) that bind the jIvA to the endless trans migratory cycle. Shattered to pieces before His opening Eye of Grace, through the transmission of His supreme Grace He cut asunder the ties that bind. His Eye, at whose radiant light impurity quails; Not only that, through His Grace He brought forth the dawn of the sun of enlightenment (sivasUrya) to ensure that no further darkness (of the impurities) could ever attach itself to the devotee. So transfixed He His Coral Feet on heart of mine, Crystal turned. And He further imprinted the pure coral like deep red colour effulgence and transformed the crystal like jIvA.

# The opening of the Eye of Grace has the following meaning – The first step for the jIvA to attain to enlightenment is to be eligible for the same. This is what is also known as adikAri bhEdA – rather than be of the view that everyone is eligible for every kind of path or knowledge, the wise understand that the eligibility criteria differ based on the path and the bhAvA (disposition) or kind of individual. In order for one to be eligible, two things are necessary. First is the individuals own desire or liking to tread that particular path or reach that certain state. Second is what is termed ‘irai arul’ or the grace of God. It is only when these two things are achieved that one has the eligibility to attain knowledge.

Here it is good to note that the desire of the individual can come gradually (over a period of time) or it can just happen very suddenly and all at once. But regardless of whether it comes gradually or suddenly, it is always the merits (punyA) and the vAsanAs from one’s past lives that is the main reason for its manifestation. The mantrAs 1614, 1636 and 1638 of this same text will make this much clearer.

Sense knowledge (eg. Sound, sight, etc) reaches the mind through the medium of the sense instruments and the mind becomes engaged with the phenomenal world. As long as the mind remains absorbed in the external reality of the phenomenal world the inner eye or the eye of grace will not awaken/open. It is also true that when the inner eye or the eye of grace does awaken, then one is no longer absorbed in the external world phenomenon. These two opposites are states/ centres in the brain/mind of the sAdhakA.

With advanced practise a kind of heaviness (akin to the swelling of the udder of the cow prior to it being milked) ascends and develops in the front brain (the frontal lobe). When this heaviness becomes quite pronounced it arrests the five cognitive instruments (aim pulan) and their knowledge/ stimuli and a deep blue light becomes visible in the region of the forehead to the sAdhakA. And when the mind of the sAdhakA becomes immersed/ merged into that blue light, the imagination/delusion and the restlessness of the mind will cease to be.

It is this state of being that is known as the opening of the third eye or the eye of grace. And it is this eye in the forehead that is the centre for the subtle (sUkshma) vision and perception of the j~nyAni or enlightened being. Using this eye, the wise are able to ‘see’ even that most subtle state that can be termed as the kAranA or the causative state for this material and phenomenal world. It is only those who have attained to this state who are termed as ‘self-realised’ or ‘enlightened’ and it is only those who have attained to this state who can be said to have ‘known’ siva.

Thus from the above mantra we can understand that the supreme siva through the medium of His grace, first removes the cause of bondage of the sAdhakA and then will imprint the red coral like light which will pave way for the opening of the third eye or the eye of grace.

thirucchitrambalam