Chapter 62 - Thirukalathi or Tirukkalatti (Hymn 26)

I

In our analysis of the hymn No. 55, it was suggested that something must have happened in the political career of our poet to disturb the peace of the poet’s mind. Probably it was this which sent him on a northern tour on a pilgrimage to the various temples. The real cause is his mental and spiritual development, the occasion being provided by the political conditions. Our poet now reaches the limit of the ancient Tamil Country, Thirukalathi. The poet, who sang in the previous hymn that all that which had no relationship to the Lord had no worth or value, expresses here his conviction and his resolution that he shall not consciously praise anyone but the Lord. This hymn is addressed to the Lord directly. Most of the verses end with the words, “Unnaiyallal arintetta-mattene”; Verse No. 3 has the variation, “Unnaiyallal ukantetta-mattene” and V. 8 has ‘Iniyettamattene”; V. 7 has the ending “Unnaiyallal ariyen marroruvaraiye”; but there is another reading which makes the ending of that verse also similar to the other; V. 9 has “Unnadyallal iniyonrum unarene”. It looks as though that the original reading in all the verses should have been ‘Unnaiyallal arintettamattene’. This ending reminds us of a similar chorus of the hymn No. 21 which our poet sung whilst he was at Kanci in the course of his northern tour.

One of the names of the Lord of Thirukalathi was Gananatan And our poet mentions that name in W., 1, 3 and 10.

II

This hymn of our poet taking refuge in the Lord expresses his surrender to the Lord. The poet refers as usual to the various puranic descriptions of the Lord: the bull (1), the loving company of the Mother (1), the Lordship of the Ganas (1, 3, 10) and the Devas (2), the blue throat (2), the battle axe (3), the destruction of the Sun (3), the Brahminhood of the Lord of His Vedic scholarship (3). the ear-ring (3), the deer (4), the shawl of an elephant skin (4) the cool and long mat-lock (7), the youth of the Lord (7), the sacred ash (8), and the begging with the skull (8).

III

The name which is so very important to the Shaivites, Shiva (1), is again mentioned in this hymn. As in hymn No. 21, etc., the first foot of the fourth line in every verse expresses the significant relationship which the poet has experienced with the Lord: (Anda—1), the Lord of this very form of this Universe; (Amaive—2), the Lord as perfection or peace or the constituted form; (Utaiyay—3), the Lord as the owner of everything and as our Lord; (Arive—4), the Lord as knowledge; (Aiyd—6) the Lord as our Chief; (Ere—8), the lion or the bull; (Oliye—9), the Lord as Light. Our poet calls Him (Iraiva—2), the Sovereign; (Meyyavan—6), the truthful; (Tiruve—6), the Great Wealth; (Nimala—8), the blotless; (Kolunte—8), the beautiful sprout from the seed of everything. The wonderful phrase ‘Ara innamudu’ (10) describing our Lord as the sweet nectar with which we are never satiated, is again lovingly repeated in this hymn.

IV

There are certain descriptions of the Lord in relation to the poet’s experience: “En celuncutare” (1)—‘my rich Light’; “Kantar katalikkum....em kalattiyay” (1), ‘my Lord of Kalathi— so loved by those who see the place’; “E?i itarttunaiye” (2), ‘O, my friend or help in misery’; “E?i... .kamaiyar karunaiyinay” (2), ‘O, thou Lord of Grace full of patience or forbearance’; “Kuriye ennutaiya Guruve” (4), ‘my ideal and master’—This term Guru is significant, for it is the second time that our poet calls Him as his Guru or Master.

The poet continues to give us more of his subjective experience of the Lord. “I perform all kinds of services—even menial services—unto you (I cease to be a conscious living being) and lay down as something material, captivated by the damsels of the beautiful carp-like eyes; then, I shrieked and suffered, I, your slave, because I have not known anything good. Thus I spent many sleepless nights. Then, one day, I fell at your feet, O, Lord of Kalattil I have now become fearless; I shall not consciously praise anyone but you” (5). “I was false, this dog of a slave of yours, I had not known any way of escape and refuge; you came as the upright man and you removed all obstacles and sufferings, the truthful one, ‘my chief’” (6). “Ah! I was a cruel one. I had not known those beautiful flowers of your feet; I had then no love for you and yet you have come yourself permanently to enshrine in my heart. O, my youthful Lord of Kalathi, where bow down the Devas” (7). “O, the blotless Lord, I shall not speak of anyone but you. O, my ocean of all qualities”. (It is possible to have the reading, ‘En GunakkataV, the ocean of eight great qualities having in his mind the phrase, ‘Engicnattan’ used by Tiruvalluvar) (8). “You have become so easy of reach and you have come of your own accord to enter my mind, O, my Lord” (9).

V

The place Kalathi is described as surrounded by palaces with gates (Kataiyar malikai—3), (Kaliyar vantaraiyum Tirukka-latti—9), as the place where hum the intoxicated bees and (Kara-rum polil cul Kalathi—10) as being surrounded by cloud-clad gardens and as the place where the Bhaktas (4) and the Devas (7) contemplate on God.

VI

This hymn expresses the great joy the poet experienced when the Lord of His own accord saved our poet—a state of happiness which he is sure will ever be permanent and he, therefore, assures that those who recite these verses of beautiful Tamil poetry that they will like himself get rid of all the karmas, achieving the permanent happiness of heaven without any fault of theirs existing thereafter. Our poet calls himself Naval Aruran (10).