Chapter 4 - Tiruttinai nagar (Hymn 64)

I

Once again the world and its temptations become visible. The mind, which is a creature of habits, attempts to remember with pleasure the temptations which appeared to be pleasant. There is also a terror, born in the mind, because of the new spiritual awakening. Our poet, therefore, addresses his mind in the next hymn (64), sung at Tiruttinai nagar, now known as Tirttanakiri. Whilst this internal struggle is going on, there comes to his mind the vision of the Lord with His shining forehead besmeared with the sacred ashes, the symbol of purity that which shines as the Absolute, when everything is swallowed in it. In the fore-head shines the eye destroying all egoism and obstruction. The damsel on the left represents to our saint the great divine principle of Grace. The Lord appears to him as perfect without any defects, a beautiful personality holding up the Ganges within His matted hair, the great flame of Divinity beyond the reach of the eternal ones. This is the Sprout of Shiva (1).

II

Encouraged by this vision, our poet calls his mind to take refuge at once in this glorious Sprout (1). He begs of his mind to listen to his words and assures it that there is no cause for fear. The only way to get rid of birth is to take refuge in the Lord, the Lord who destroyed the three castles in the air—probably Arurar feels that this destruction, as already explained by Tirumular, is the destruction of the effect of th4 three malas which lead to birth and death (2). He further proceeds to advise his mind not to end his life by becoming a prey to the disease, deluded by passionate attachment to women of beautiful eyes. The Lord of Dharma, the bull, the Beginning of everything, the father of His followers, the Lord of Grace,—the form of our Mother,—who alone could save us—in Him we have to take refuge (3). “Doing sinful acts and prattling many things in this wide world with a contused mind, you tire yourself out for your livelihood and fall down unconscious crying, ‘Alas!” To escape from this calamity, using your reasoning capacity think of the greatness of the Lord who removed the obstructions of the rude elephant and wore its own skin as the symbol of His greatness. He is a precious gem, who is the Almighty (or near to us as our son) sweet like the heavenly nectar and who is the Lord of all Gods. Take refuge in Him” (4).

“You think much of this life which counts for nothing and you go on amassing wealth. Your body suffers in this effort and yet you speak that you can live for ever; alas! my mind! be convinced that this is all a delusion. Take refuge in the Lord with shoulders firm like pillars or mountains, in the great Dancer of happiness moving us all” (5). “Leave off this evanescent life of falsehood. Even the bodies of the monarchs who ruled the world and performed Dharma decayed and they suffered and died in the end. He is the great power, greater than all. He holds in His hand, the serpent (of this Universe, which expands its hood as an act of creation and contracts it as an act of destruction). He is the great father. Oh, my mind! take refuge in Him” (6). “But for His support we cannot cross the sea of life, however much we may purify our hearts, perform tapas, grow matted hair and wear bones as ornaments. These, but bespeak our egoism. Take refuge in the Sprout of Shiva praised by all, as the Great Beginning” (7). “This life will depart from this world, whilst the loving relatives, powerful allies and others, keep awake and watchful, only to weep in the end. Realize this, get rid of this turmoil of foolish life and take refuge in Him; the Lord of our Mother, our very life, the destroyer of Death, the great God” (8). “Take refuge in Him, leaving off the vain paths, before many come to speak ill of us” (9). “Slighting this life of great falsehood, we can escape” (10). Thus our poet, convinced in his mind, assures that the salvation will result to those who sing these verses.

III

Our poet is said to have sung a hymn on Cidambaram. This hymn is not available. A summary, however, of it, is given by Cekkilar. The world does not consist merely of wealth, women, relatives and egoistic tapas. It also reveals to us the Grace and the beauty of the Lord. The beautiful forms are but incarnations of the Lord, inspiring reverential love for Him. Therefore, when he saw the vision of the dance of Shiva, our poet confessed, according to Cekkilar, that his birth in this very world giving him this vision was the purest and the most blissful of births.