When the five senses take chit's way, they reach chit - mantrA 135

srigurubhyO namahA |

The 135th mantrA of the thirumandiram takes the place of the customary abishEgam or the purificatory rite where the new initiate is bathed ceremoniously in sanctified waters that help cleanse the subtle body and prepare the initiate for the path of sAdhanA. A very important and mystical concept is introduced here regarding the nature of the manipUra chakrA.


சத்த முதல் ஐந்துந் தன்வழித் தான்சாரில்
சித்துக்குச் சித்தன்றி சேர்விடம் வேறுண்டோ
சுத்த வெளியிற் சுடா஢ற் சுடர்சேரும்
அத்தம் இதுகுறித் தாண்டுகொள் அப்பிலே. I.1.23.135

When the senses Five, sound commencing, Cit's way take,
Where shall the Cit go but to the Cit?
In space light mingles but with Light,

Note this, as doth salt in the sea vast. I.1.23.135

Com - When the senses Five, sound commencing, Cit's way take, (When) The unreal (without consciousness) tattvAs (i.e. the ashuddha tattvAs) Sound, Touch, Sight, Taste and Smell, also known as tanmAtrAs are successively dissolved into where they originated from, namely into the unreal ahamkArA (ego) Where shall the Cit go but to the Cit? Is there any other resting place for the consciousness incarnate AtmA other than consciousness itself, siva? In space light mingles but with Light, The light of the AtmA will merge one day with the light of siva, in that rarefied ether of pure space, the paramAkAshA. Note this, as doth salt in the sea vast. Hence keeping this the highest end in mind, and taking me for your guru, be cleansed by the waters of grace.

# The term ‘AndukOl appilE’ in the original, which has been translated to ‘ Note this, as doth salt in the sea vast’ is something known as a sampradAya rahasyam or a secret doctrine that is imparted only to the disciples belonging to the particular spiritual lineage. But for the initial purposes of our translation, it can be understood as referring to the act of being cleansed by pure waters (abishEgam), an important rite in initiation or dIkshA.

But a small explanation here would benefit the reader to better understand the context of the above words in this verse. The chakrA that is known as manipUrA and which is situated in the navel region, is the seat of the cause for endless births. It is the station from whence all desires originate. It is this chakrA which is also the origin for the effects such as kAmA, krOdhA etc. And it is here, stationed within this chakrA, that vishnU distracts and deludes people through the attraction for the pleasures of life.

It is from here, through the network of the small intestine, that the energy or prAna shaktI of sUryA permeates the body and ensures its well-being and vitality. And if the energy and the vibrations that are sensed here are diverted, through the agency of the guru, then they will reach the crown of the head and change into pure light. And as a result the poisonous nature of this chakrA will not extend any further than the vishuddi (throat chakrA) and will remain forever locked there, as a sensation. It is this principle that is symbolically conveyed through the story of the deadly poison, hAlAhalA, which arose out of the ocean during the churning by the dEvAs and the asurAs. The poison that the purAnAs maintain was consumed by siva to save the world and which stopped (due to the grace of dEvi) at the throat of siva and earned him the name nIlakanthA or the blue throated one.

It is only the sUkshma nAdA or the subtle and highly mystical sound that can end the downward effects of kAma. Those who have attained to perfection and spiritual maturity know through their experience that as soon as the guru swarUpA is manifest in the quiet mind (see previous mantra), the poisonous effects of this chakrA known as manipUrA begin to fade and dissolve. To know this is known as knowing the self. More about this is spoken by the sage himself in the mantrAs 944, 956, 958, 959, 2424.

As mentioned above, this is a very important and highly esoteric secret that is guarded zealously by the siddars and other practitioners as it affects the very core of jIvAs delusions and is capable of delivering him from endless bondage and the continuous cycle of birth and death that stem from this delusion or agn~yAnA. Due to certain traditions and also owing to the effect such teachings can have in the karmic life path of an unprepared individual, the finer points of what is spoken of here needs to be learnt from a competent guru personally and thus it is beyond the remit of this post to address further details.

Taken together, through proper pursuit of the path revealed by the guru and taking only the guru as one’s sole refuge, if the sAdhakA continues to purify his mind and internal instruments it is entirely possible that there will come a time when the energies that are currently being locked in the manipUrA will rise to the crown of the head and will reveal the inner light to the seeker. That light which is the chit (consciousness) swarUpA will be merged into the light that is siva swarUpA and thus the disciple would reach a state of perfection.

thirucchitrambalam |

He descended from heaven and filled me with Grace - mantrA 113

srigurubhyO namahA
May the regular reader excuse me the two week delay in getting this post out! As I mentioned in the last post, with the 112nd mantrA we came to the conclusion of the preface like pAyiram or introductory section of the thirumandiram and from this mantrA we begin the first tantrA.

Like with any other subject and like a good author, the sage set out in the first section to provide a summary of sorts of the subject material of the text and also to paint a picture that will entice the seeker into making up his or her mind that this a worthy path. With that done, the sage wastes no further time in preambles and proceeds straight into the core instructions of the shaivA school. This core wisdom of the AgamAs, he divides into nine sections titled tantrAs and gradually guides the reader to perfection. As we will be marking our entry into the first tantrA with the mantrA below, I had wanted to publish the first mantrA of this section either on the ganEsha chaturthy or following it. Obviously, I have not been able to publish it on the day! So, with the chaturthy vratAs being completed now and with the supreme mahAganapathy firmly established in my heart, I beseech Him on behalf of all of us to remove all the obstacles that stand in our way to attaining perfection. May He shower on us His wisdom and grace and fill our hearts with His radiance that we may be able to really grasp the teachings of the sage to attain to the shivOham state.

Now coming to the text - The first stage in the life of a spiritual seeker is approaching a master/ guru and being accepted by the guru as a disciple. After such acceptance, the guru then conducts the dIkshA or the initiation ceremony and renders the disciple pure and fit for the path of sAdhanA. This two fold activity of transmission of shakti and cleansing of the accumulated taint/sins in the disciple is acutely important and without it, the path becomes impossible to tread and perhaps even futile.

So here too, at the very start of the first tantrA, the sage proceeds to conduct the dIkshA of sorts by revealing the merits of a real guru who is ever established in the truth and by giving the upadEshA or divine instructions to the disciple/reader to enable them to be fit to make the journey to siva. From now onward till the very end of the text, there will be plenty of mantrAs which are possessed of multiple meanings where they are all simultaneously true. There are also plenty of mantrAs which discuss deeply subtle and highly esoteric topics and reveal the deep secret gems of the shaiva tantrAs. Let it be known that I will not be able to discuss some of those advanced topics or sampradAya rahasyAs (secrets of the lineage) on this public space as they are to be revealed to the initiates at different stages of their spiritual progress. I will however try my very best to explain the mantrAs so most of us can understand the intent of the sage. If at points, my commentary does not do a good job of explaining things properly, please feel free to email me regarding your doubts and I will try my best to explain them privately through mail to those who need to understand them better.

I also request you, the reader, to proceed now with great care and devotion; paying plenty of attention to what is actually being said as they are all great revelations. Once again, may ganapathy remove the obstacles that stand in the way of our perfection. May my guru, whose holy pAdukAs are my sole refuge guide me in this endeavour. OM.

முதல் தந்திரம்

.1.. உபதேசம்

விண்ணின்று இழிந்து வினைக்கீடாய் மெய்க்கொண்டு
தண்ணின்ற தாளைத் தலைக்காவல் முன்வைத்து
உண்ணின்று உருக்கியோர் ஒப்பிலா ஆனந்தக்
கண்ணின்று காட்டிக் களிம்பறுத் தானே. I.1.1.113.

TANTRA ONE

1 DIVINE INSTRUCTION
He Descended From Heaven and Filled Me With Grace

He come down from Heaven, clothed in body,
Karma to match, stretched forth His cool Feet of Grace, planting them firm
On my head; and lo! inside me He stood, melting my yielding heart;
And filled my eyes with peerless bliss, past all compare,
All impurity dispelled. I.1.1.113.

Com - He come down from heaven, lord siva descends from the paramAkAshA (subtle ether), clothed in body Karma to match, and manifests with a form (body) that is according to the fruit of one’s past lives (i.e. according to karma).stretched forth His cool Feet of Grace, planting them firm On my head; and He (siva) plants His holy feet, full of the sweetest grace, and cooling in nature, firmly on the crown of the head to provide sanctuary for the jIvA. And lo! Inside me He stood, melting my yielding heart; (then) abiding within the innermost cave of ones being, He melts the hearts (body) and minds of the jIvA. And filled my eyes with peerless bliss, past all compare, and standing within the eye (third eye) He reveals a state of bliss that is beyond compare. All impurity dispelled. And (thus) He tore asunder the pAsA (tie/tether/ attachment/bondage) that binds the jIvA to the endless cycle of birth and death.

# This mantra as we saw above is the first mantra of the first tantrA. The section that this opens is titled ‘ upadEshA’. This term ‘upadEshA’ can be understood as initiation or transmission of knowledge. The words that are spoken by the guru to the disciple are known as upadEshA. Through this section and the teachings contained within, the sage highlights the truth that the inner eye / spiritual eye of the disciple opens only as a result of the grace of a satguru. The first and most important stage in the life of a spiritual seeker is obtaining the grace of the guru.

The tantrAs speak volumes about the importance of a guru in the path of spiritual awakening and they declare unanimously the truth that the guru is at the core of any sAdhanA. The kaplasUtrA declares ‘ sri guru sarvakArana Shakti:’ – Ones guru is All competent power and is the root cause of everything. The words of the guru to the disciple that will enable him/her to walk the arduous path of sAdhanA and provide the disciple the faculty of discrimination is what is presented in this first section.

In this and the mantrAs to follow, the sage discusses the merits of a guru and deals with the detailed description of the shaiva siddhAntA (the shaiva philosophy) and the qualities of the jIvA, his weaknesses etc. These concepts will form the back bone of the teachings and hence it is necessary that we devote ample time to fully understand and absorb these truths. They will be of great value as we proceed further along the path to attain to shiva hood.

The words ‘ clothed in body, karma to match’ refer to the truth that it is the supreme siva who manifests in the physical plane as the guru to suit the tendencies of the individual. The tendencies of the individual are a product of his/her previous lives and the fruits of the actions performed therein. Thus, based on the karmic results/ fruits of the individuals previous lives, they are born with certain strengths and weaknesses. Thus they are eligible for different methods/paths based on their character (which again is based on karma). The sage here reveals that one’s guru is non different to siva, even though he/she may be walking this world in a physical body. That body is simply to be in the same level as the disciple so that it would be possible to transmit the Grace to the disciple.

The words ‘ planting His feet firmly on my head’ refer to the act known as dIkshA or initiation. It is through this process that the wisdom/knowledge is transmitted as energy from the master to the disciple. Here the words refer to the attainment of the Grace of siva.

The reference to ‘standing within and melting the heart and mind’ is to convey the truth that once the initiation has happened, the siva/guru energy abides within the inner core of the disciple where it slowly and gradually works on the emotional, mental and physical body of the disciple. Over time, when the disciple is following the words and teachings of his guru, the sAdhanA produces certain responses in the physical and mental spheres of the sAdhakA and melts away the avidyA (misapprehension/delusion), anger, greed etc and changes the state of being of the sAdhakA.
The word ‘kaLimbu’(translated here as impurity) in tamil refers to pAsam or the taints of attachment. This is variously called, bondage, tether, tie, bind etc. In classical texts, it is also known as malA or impurity. It is apt to note here that the malA or impurity that clings to the jIvA is classified into three kinds.

Anava malA or the taint of the ego principle.
kArmika malA or the taint of karma (action) and
mAyika malA or the taint due to mAyA (illusion).

The above three are all collectively known as pAsA and it is these that tie/tether the siva to thinking and feeling that he is jIvA (embodied). So, the combined meaning of the above mantra reveals that siva manifests in the physical plane as the guru in accordance to the fruits of the individuals karma and through his grace and compassion is able to transmit the Grace of the supreme. Moreover, guiding from within, He gently takes the individual on a path that gradually cleanses the impurities of countless births that have become lodged deeply in their psyche to elevate the individual to a state of everlasting bliss. The state of Self – which is beyond compare. This state of being, is the best antidote to the impurities that bind the jIvA to the trans migratory cycle. Eventually, being freed from the bondage of the impurities the jIvA realises his true state as sivA – which is really the very purpose of the path being shown by the guru.

thirucchitrambalam