The Vision of the Sacred Dance-II

(Tiru-k-kuuttu-t-taricanam)

From Tirumular’s Tirumantiram

Translated from the original in Tamil by

(Continued from the last number)

The Dance of Golden Tillai

As with the seven universes as his cities,
With the five ethers of old also as his cities,
Keeping Shakti as His theatrical stage,
The Luminous Supreme took to dancing His vogue.                                           (28)

In the company of the Dame enjoying the dance,
As Teacher treading a path immersed in lofty pleasure
The Lord arriving in the South,
Danced a dance steeped in eternal bliss.                                                            (29)

With the Almighty dancing flickers the flame in palm.
The matted locks float. When He dances devoid of calm,
The crescent moon jumps. While dancing o’er the universe,
He dances to rhythm the Dance of Rhythm.                                                       (30)

Worshipped by the faithful, the Lord danced in the Assembly Hall.
That’s the Dance of the Lord spanning the universe.
It’s salvation for one to reach the World of Siva,
Verily the pinnacle of lofty wisdom.                                                                   (31)

The Sacred Feet of the Lord activate
The world three times seven, the universes seven,
The supporting schools of thought one hundred and eight.
The paths blessed by the Half of Siva are four.
The Lord executes His rhythmic dance of delight,
Dancing with His other Half, the very fountain of life for all. (32)

Corresponding to the vital centre and the outer parts of the body,
Lies the Tillai forest flanked by the Himalayas and Lanka.
That’s the patent potent origin that energises,
Hence the Omnipresent Lord of Tillai is the Supremest of Supremes.                 (33)

Between Kanya Kumari in the extreme and the Kaveri,
Besides the seven mountains resplendent with holy bathing spots,
As the cherished treasure of Vedas and Agamas are recited
The never changing Southern world is pure.                                                       (34)

He dances to rhythm, dancing to the four paths.
He makes the Vedas dance, dancing over the burning fire.
He makes knowledge dance, dancing all over the universe ­–
This Supreme God of the gods of unalloyed purity.                                            (35)

He dances amidst the gods and dances on the theatre too.
He dances with the gods of the Trinity and a galaxy of sages.
He dances to the singing of sacred hymns as also with Parasakti.
He dances in the hearts of the faithful, this King of Dance.                                  (36)

The Lord of Six Faces He is,
The Supreme Teacher of Faiths He is : So understood the faithful
On the Sacred Stage of the South,
The Luminous lord exhibits Himself fully integrated.                                            (37)     

In the court of the dancing stage,
My Lord dances. His two Luminous Feet
Emit two rays of light. To the reverberation of five melodies,                 
The Lord of his own accord bestows Grace.                                                     (38)

The dancing foot, the sound of the tinkling bells,
The songs that are sung and the varying steps,
The form assumed by our dancing Gurupara­–
Find out these within yourself, then shall your fetters fall away.                           (39)

In the Hall of Diamonds, the Gem of Dancers,
Pleased Himself dancing, witnessing which
The very life melting the heart
Flowed and permeated the limbs.                                                                      (40)

The Marvellous Dance

The Form to brood over is that of the Teacher.
The Form-cum-formless is Abstract.
The Resplendent Tiripurai is none but
The Form-cum-formless Uma.                                                                          (41)­

The Sacred Path leads to the Hall of Wisdom.
The Teacher’s Form must be treasured in thought.
To the Realised Souls, the Form-cum-formless
Is the Path of Grace, the ideal one too.                                                              (42)

Life’s sphere of activity extends upto
Twelve finger-widths up above the head.
Seek ye, the arena dear to the Lord for dancing.
That’s the Lord’s Sacred Hall of Dance.                                                           (43)

As in the sky above, the wind, the cloud and lightning,
Rainbow and thunder are conspicuous by their appearance,
But are different from it,
Rivers of Delight and Light mingle but different from each other.
The Lord conceals Himself in Light.                                                                   (44)

The five beginning with fire, the eight directions, above and below,
Stands Bliss beyond the comprehension of those who can comprehend.
Visible to those who pass over Maya and Mahamaya,
Our Lord dances His eternal dance.                                                                  (45)

­The Dancer partakes along with the bangled Danseuse.
The Dancer-partakes in undiluted bliss.
The Dancer partakes in undiluted knowledge.
The Dancer and Denseuse are after the dance.                                                  (46)

I’ve known Shakti, who has taken in Him a place,
And Our Heavenly Father, are in the midst of a dance.
They dance having in them deposited, vast and varied,
Living beings, the entire lot spread far and wide.                                                (47)

The form of the Shakti is all delight­–
The united delight is Uma’s body;
This form of Shakti arising in time
And uniting the twain is the dance.                                                                     (48)

Concentrating the gaze between the eyebrows on the forehead,
Is the illuminating mantra.
That is where the Lord sits in court,
Joined by His devotees, I’ve learnt.                                                                   (49)

The worlds and their contents, the seven states
Of Sadasivam, Sattavi and Sambhavi,
That constitute the seat of Siva,
The Supreme Luminous Lord pleases Himself dancing there.                              (50)

The Hall of Dance is a luminous flower,
Good and lovely of petals numbering
One hundred and four and two hundred and ten.
Such is the expanding land of the Lord.                                                             (51)

The world numbering seven crores and the bodies seven crores
The directions surrounded by waves clear numbering seven crores,
The Lingas scattered all over the quarters numbering seven crores­ –
These are the temples where the Lord of the Universe dances.                           (52)

The sky is the body, Muyalakan the dark cloud,
The eight directions are the lovely hands of the sage.
With the three eyes as the three lights,
The Lord dances with the mind as the stage.                                                      (53)

The immoblles and the mobiles form His theatre.
The Foot of the Supreme Lord is the theatre.
The fire and the water regions are His theatre.
The Five letters too become the Lord’s theatre.                                                 (54)

The powerful drum and the pipe mingled tunes.
‘Hail, Supreme Being!’ leapt the human beings.
The celestial horde sought after Him
And the demons sang and lo, a Pandarangam!                                                   (55)

(To be continued)

Notes

(28) Five ethers – Ethers of the earth, water, fire, air and sky.
(31) The world of siva – Tillai.
(32) The four paths are: Cariyai, Kiriyal, Yogam, Jnanam.
(33) Tillal – A name of Chidambaram covered with a tree called Tillal (Excoecaria agallocha)
(36) Gods of the Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Hara.
(37) The Six Faces are: Isanam, Tatpurusham, Aghoram, Vamadevam, Sadyojatai and Adhomukham.
(38) Two rays of light – Two lights of knowledge. Five melodies are: the subtle, the thoughtful, relating to the throat, hearing and making others hear.            ­
(39) and (48) As quoted in Dance of Siva by Ananda K. Coomaraswami.
(45) The 3rd and the 4th lines as quoted in the Dance of Siva by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy.
(53) Muyalakan: The dwarf symbolising evil.