Pomp and glory lead but to the grave - mantrA 149

srigurubhyO namahA |

In the 149th mantrA, the sage observes that neither riches nor the position held by one while alive is of any use when the soul has separated from the body.

மன்றத்தே நம்பி மாடம் எடுத்தது
மன்றத்தே நம்பி சிவிகைபெற் றேறினான்
மன்றத்தே நம்பி முக்கோடி வழங்கினான்
சென்றத்தா என்னத் திரிந்திலன் தானே. I.2.7.149

In pride of pomp a stately mansion he built,
In rage of wealth into the palanquin he stept,
In vain excess gave away largesse in crores,
But ne'er his soul sought the Lord's green retreat. I.2.7.149

Com - In pride of pomp a stately mansion he built, (The princely man) took great pleasure from the palatial abode he built himself In rage of wealth into the palanquin he stept, and he enjoyed (due to his abundant wealth) the look on the face of the onlookers as he went about town being carried on a beautifully wrought palanquin. In vain excess gave away largesse in crores, He made a habit of being generous with his wealth by offering new clothes and charity to the three categories of people during public occasions but ne'er his soul sought the Lord's green retreat. Even still, after his soul parted from the body at the time of death he was unable to return to the world of the living when called by his children.

*The last line of this verse which in the original is "சென்றத்தா என்னத் திரிந்திலன் தானே" actually means that he is unable to return (to the body) when his children call him ‘appa’ (father). This has however been translated into English as ‘But ne'er his soul sought the Lord's green retreat’ and I have left the line be as such and have instead given the meaning intended in the original. The overall impression that the sage intends to leave us with through this verse is that even though one might be (while alive) enjoying all the trappings of a princely life with plenty of wealth and social status, all that lasts only as long as the soul remains within the body. But when death does occur, neither money nor the love and respect of society are capable of bringing the soul back into the body. The term ‘முக்கோடி வழங்கினான்’ refers to the practise of offering new clothes and other charity to the three categories of people – to those that are on a lesser social level than oneself, to those that are one’s equals and to those who are on a higher social level than oneself. The Tamil world ‘kOdi’ refers to new clothes. This was a custom observed by the wealthy in the olden days.

thirucchitrambalam |

Death comes sudden - mantrA 148

srigurubhyO namahA |

The 148th mantrA of the thirumandiram is quite popular and is present in most collections / excerpts of the text. It is one of my personal favourites as the imagery is very effective in making one realise the transitoriness of this life and the sudden and final nature of death.

அடப்பண்ணி வைத்தார் அடிசிலை உண்டார்
மடக்கொடி யாரொடு மந்தணங் கொண்டார்
இடப்பக்க மேஇறை நொந்தது என்றார்
கிடக்கப் படுத்தார் கிடந்தொழிந் தாரே. I.2.6.148

The rich repast was laid and he dined and joyed,
With damsels sweet in amorous dalliance toyed;
"A little little pain--on the left" he moaned
And laid himself to rest to be gathered to dust. I.2.6.148

 

Com - The rich repast was laid A most sumptuous meal, prepared in a pleasing manner was laid out on the table, and he dined and joyed, and the master of the house ate the meal so beautifully prepared with great joy and relish. With damsels sweet in amorous dalliance toyed; later he spent some time enjoying the company and the voluptuous figure of his wife. "A little little pain--on the left" he moaned Making love over with, he lay beside his wife and shortly told her about a sharp pain on the left side of his body near the heart. And laid himself to rest to be gathered to dust. And having told her of his pain he laid down to rest, but never woke again. He died instantly.

*This is a very well-known verse from the thirumandiram. The imagery of this verse is simple and dramatic at the same time. The truth that death is sudden and will separate the soul from the body in an instant is made exceedingly clear here. Moreover, the description of everyday life drives home the message that it could as easily be a verse about us and that it could have been anyone of us dying so suddenly. The term ‘mandanankondAr’ in the original refers to sexual intercourse. The master of the house had been some hours ago, enjoying the finest food made lovingly by his wife and had enjoyed her embrace a short while later. And in just a few minutes after having told his wife about the pain in his chest, he was dead. It has been stated by many a wise seer that the men of today never go beyond the realm of manipUrA – i.e. shishnOddhara sAdhakAs. The word shishnA refers to the sexual organ (penis) and the word uddhara refers to the stomach. That is to say, pretty much everything we do in life is connected to satisfying either hunger or the urge for sexual gratification. That message is being highlighted by the sage through the use of the above metaphors. Caught as we are in the pursuit of these two, we are not aware of death who is always stalking us. Distracted by sense gratification we forget the reality that death is sudden and continue planning our lives, foolishly ignoring the fact that we may die the next instant.

thirucchitrambalam |