When body roof falls, it falls forever - mantrA 146

srigurubhyO namahA |
This is the 146th mantrA of the thirumandiram, and here the sage speaks to reaffirm the position regarding the body's mortality.

காலும் இரண்டு முகட்டலகு ஒன்றுள
பாலுள் பருங்கழி முப்பத் திரண்டுள
மேலுள கூரை பிரியும் பிரிந்தால்முன்
போலுயிர் மீளப் புக அறி யாதே. I.2.4.146

 

Two pillars support this roof and one single beam,
Thirty and two the rafters extend side ways,
But as the roof above decays and breaks,
Back to its mansion the breath of life fails its way to trace. I.2.4.146

 

Com - Two pillars support this roof this body called the house stands on two legs and one single beam, and is supported by them and the central beam like spinal cord (back bone). Thirty and two the rafters extend side ways, The vertebrae or the bones laid nearby and connected like rafters to the two sides of the central beam of the spine are thirty two in number. But as the roof above decays and breaks, But someday, the muscle, which has been laid down like the roof to cover all of the above, will decay and tear apart from the house. Back to its mansion the breath of life fails its way to trace. And when the house falls apart so, the soul is unable to re-enter the body to live inside as before.

*Staying with the same metaphor of a house to illustrate the body, the sage mentions that this body stands on the two legs like how the house stands on its walls. The central beam like spinal cord supports this house like body. The rafters that extend from the central column to support the house are represented by the vertebrae that are laid nearby to house and protect the spine.

Though anatomically speaking the human body is said to have 33 vertebrae – 4 coccygeal bones + 5 that are joined to make the sacrum + 7 cervical vertebrae + 12 thoracic vertebrae + 5 lumbar vertebrae, the scriptures speak of 32 being the number of vertebrae. Like the number of teeth, like the number of gradual initiations in the krama dIkshA path. Here the sage speaks of them as being 32 in number. These bones enclose the spine; these bones and bones of the legs themselves are in turn enclosed by a covering of muscle. This is like the house being enclosed by the thatch in the roof.As described before, someday when the allotted merits that ensured the continued existence of the soul in the body are exhausted, and then this body will fall down dead. This is described as the roof falling apart, showing us the truth about the degeneration of muscle and health as old age hits this body. And when eventually the time comes for this tattered body to fall apart (i.e. death) it is impossible for the soul that populated this body until then to re-enter the fallen body again. Through this last line in the verse, the sage indicates that the soul continues to live even when the body has fallen. Though unfortunately it is unable to enter and reanimate the now lifeless body. The time spent within the body is limited and thus the body is transitory.

thirucchitrambalam |