They hurried the body to flames - mantrA 155

srigurubhyO namahA |
The 155th mantrA speaks of the delusion that affects us all when it comes to out idea of permanence.

மதுவூர் குழலியும் மாடும் மனையும்
இதுவூர் ஒழிய இதணம் தேறிப்
பொதுவூர் புறஞ்சுடு காடது நோக்கி
மதுவூர வாங்கியே வைத்தகன் றார்களே. I.2.13.155

Death strikes from life's enchanted cup
Honeyed delights of wife, cherished treasures of heart;
Kinsmen bore him on bier to the common burning ghat,
And the burden discharged hurried home,
Having done their part. I.2.13.155

Com - Honeyed delights of wife, cherished treasures of heart; One’s beautiful wife, her thick hair decorated with flowers saturated with the intoxicating fragrance of their pollen and one’s house and all of one’s wealth Death strikes from life's enchanted cup are all left behind here, in the world of the living, when death arrives. Kinsmen bore him on bier to the common burning ghat, (Now) seeing the body lifeless; the kinsmen bore the corpse on a bier and carried it to a place outside the village – to that ground which is common to all, the cremation ground.  And the burden discharged hurried home,Having done their part. (Having come there) The kinsmen then transferred the corpse from the bier onto the pyre and after setting fire to it, they returned home to their usual lives, (deluded still as to the real nature of life).

*The Tamil original of this mantrA displays a beautiful play of words which is difficult to bring to life in English verse, but the readers who are familiar with Tamil script can appreciate the wit and the rhyme when the sage uses the words ‘மதுவூர்’ ; ‘இதுவூர்’ ; and பொதுவூர்’ . Through pointing out the truth that one’s wealth and wife and all of one’s possessions will be left behind in the world of the living and thus would be of no use personally after one’s life on earth ends, the sage indicates the need for developing an attitude of detachment. One’s kinsmen who carry the body on the bier to the cremation grounds will wait with one only till the final act of setting fire to the pyre is done. Once their duties towards the deceased are completed, they are only too eager to hurry home to their lives in the world of the living. The sage uses the word ‘மதுவூர’ when describing the kinsmen to indicate delusion – that is, even having come so close to death and the indisputable fact of human mortality, they simply carry on with their usual life filled with false ideas and delusions. This delusion is pointed out in better detail in the following verse.

thirucchitrambalam|