Abhiraami Antaadi - Part 0 - Introduction
sridhar....@gmail.com
॥ श्रीचन्द्रमौलीश्वराय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीकारणपरचिद्रूपायै नमः ॥
ஊரர்தம் பாகத்து உமைமைந்தனே! உலகேழும் பெற்ற
சீர் அபிராமி அந்தாதி எப்போதும் என் சிந்தையுள்ளே
காரமர் மேனிக் கணபதியே! நிற்கக் கட்டுரையே.
ஆத்தாளை, எங்கள் அபிராமவல்லியை, அண்டமெல்லாம்
பூத்தாளை, மாதுளம்பூநிறத்தாளை, புவிஅடங்கக்
காத்தாளை, அங்குச பாசாங்குசமும் கரும்பும் அங்கை
சேர்த்தாளை முக்கண்ணியைத் தொழுவார்க்கு ஒரு தீங்கில்லையே.
PS: I request Shri Ravi to continue with the other lovely sarasvati antaadi of Kambar that he had posted earlier. It will be good to see the texts and meanings of the two antaadhi-s at the same time :-)
sridhar....@gmail.com
॥ श्रीचन्द्रमौलीश्वराय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीकारणपरचिद्रूपायै नमः ॥
ஊரர்தம் பாகத்து உமைமைந்தனே! உலகேழும் பெற்ற
சீர் அபிராமி அந்தாதி எப்போதும் என் சிந்தையுள்ளே
காரமர் மேனிக் கணபதியே! நிற்கக் கட்டுரையே.
The set of articles posted under the category of “Abirāmi Anthathi”, a Tamil Śākta masterpiece of Siddhar (saint) Abirāmi Bhattar, translated and presented on this website, are from the pen of Shri Arun, a very close disciple and admirer of Shri Ravi Guruji, the creator and owner of this website. Manblunder Team (Santosh, Sriram, and Krishna Vallapareddy) considers it a great privilege to post these articles for the benefit of all readers. The endeavour to publish the Abirāmi Anthathi series for the benefit of all readers was taken up strongly by Sriram, without whose persuasion we would not have moved forward.
The entire gamut of Abirāmi Anthathi falls in the cauldron of Bhakti Yoga, dedicated to the Divine Mother Śakti, which by extension also encompasses tantra, as they’re inseparable. Delving through the articles gives me the impression that the blessings of the Divine Mother are fully upon Shri Arun and I sincerely thank him for translating the verses for the benefit of all.
We hope that these articles will quench the spiritual thirst of all sincere sādhakas to obtain the grace of the Divine Mother. The extensive commentary of the poems also doubles up as a guide and takes us on a spiritual tour of the magnificent historic temples of the state of Tamil Nadu in India.
Side Note: The IAST rendering of the verses has been added for those of us who are used to this notation. The poems themselves are in Tamil and an IAST rendering is unnecessary, but I took the liberty to add them anyways, for the benefit of the readers.
Introduction:
Among various sects and religions, the worship of the divine feminine is endowed with many secrets, miracles, and devotional literature compared to all other parallel sects. Varied is the worship of Śakti or the divine feminine, followed by a vast majority in the Indian subcontinent in one way or the other. The worship of the divine mother had spread across the country with different methodologies of which, the tantra doctrines had categorized ten forms of the divine mother. Apart from the existence of a methodical worship, the Śrīvidyā dictum extols her in various rituals eventually leading to self-realization and merger with the ultimate Parabrahman.
Every sect has a scripture, a holy book, poems and hymns sung by great saints to extol the virtues of the deities. Many a time, the poems become scriptures of a particular sect when they get acknowledged by the deity and also perpetually help the sādhakas with the same grace, as bestowed prior by the divine on the saints who had written it in the past. For instance, in the Śaiva sect, the works of Sambandar, Sundarar, Appar, and Manikavasagar, to name a few Tamil saints, have attained the status of sacred scriptures as their works have been acknowledged by Lord Śiva and have therefore become a part of the Śaiva sect. Similarly, the 4,000 Divya prabandhams are sacred to the Śrī Vaiṣṇava sect and the poems are sung in front of the lord in the temples, during rituals and other ceremonies.
A poem, an extempore composed with devotion that brought down the grace personified, to walk on earth is always special and sacred to the heart of the believers of divinity. Though composed by mere mortals, once God acknowledges and accepts the poem and graces the saint pleased with their devotion and composition, the poem becomes a scripture. From then on, the scripture by itself, starts acting as a bridge between the sādhaka and the lord, thus enabling the sādhaka to go closer to the divinity. One such divine scripture in the Tamil language is known by the name Abirāmi Anthathi, composed by a devotee of Goddess Abirāmi, residing in the temple of Thirukadaiyur in the Kumbakonam district of Tamil Nadu, India.
The author of the script is widely known as Abirāmi Bhattar, where the word “Bhattar” refers to a priestly class of people, who are by profession, in charge of the worship rituals associated with a deity of a temple, specifically towards the forms of the divine feminine. Abirāmi Bhattar used to work in the temple of Thirukadaiyur and used to help the chief priest in rituals. His name given at birth was “Subrahmanya Iyer''. As he was always intoxicated with devotion to the goddess, his behaviour used to resemble that of a mad person. He recounts his states of devotion in verse number 94, stating that the path towards Abirāmi the great goddess, is well paved when the following conditions prove true - if the devotees of her cry due to the pangs of separation from her, get goosebumps intoxicated with nothing but bliss, cannot think straight and if they are in complete bliss and whatever they speak turns out into a blabber to common folks of the world, then that is the path towards the great goddess Abirāmi and it is the best one to follow!
Based on the above inference, it is very much proven that Abirāmi Bhattar was perpetually in constant bliss, as a result of worshipping his beloved goddess and was totally lost in Her contemplation at all times. However, others around him could not understand his stature and took him to be a mad person and some others took him to be a person blown with ego as he was a helper to the chief priest and would hardly respond to anyone including the chief priest. This had gradually incurred the wrath of people around him, who had been waiting for an opportune moment to pull him down and cause trouble. Little do anyone know the greater plan of the goddess and Her mysterious ways!
One day, Serfoji the ruling Maratha king of the region, happens to visit the temple on a new moon day after completing his regular rituals at the beach of Poompuhar, a few kilometers away from the temple. When the king arrived at the temple, all the workers of the temple saluted and paid their respects to the king and the chief priest honoured him as dictated by the temple rituals accorded to a king and led him to the sanctum santorum. As all these events were happening, Bhattar was lost in his contemplation of goddess Abirāmi, least bothered with the goings on and did not notice the arrival of the king and neither did the king notice Abirāmi Bhattar’s state of silence or pay any heed to his insubordination in not offering respects. After finishing the darśana of the lord and the goddess of the temple, the king suddenly took notice of Abirāmi Bhattar and enquired with others in the temple about him. As the team was already waiting for their chance to bring down Bhattar, they made good of the opportunity to complain to the king about Bhattar’s general behaviour and added their own fabricated stories to paint him in bad light.
The king, after hearing all the tales of deceit, incompetence and insubordination wanted to test and see for himself whether there was any truth in this matter. The king made his way towards Abirāmi Bhattar, who was still lost in the contemplation of the goddess and had completely aligned his consciousness with that of the goddess Herself, unaware of the surroundings and completely bereft of ego within. Little did anyone know what was happening inside him and the king was no exception. The king after approaching him tried to strike up a conversation with Bhattar by asking him a question - “What is the Tithi today?” (Tithi - calculation of lunar days in the bright and dark fortnight based on the distance between the sun and the moon). Bhattar lost in contemplation of visualizing the goddess, nonchalantly replied that the tithi is the full moon, unaware that it was actually a new moon day. The king became convinced that Bhattar was incompetent and unfit, validating the accusations of others and wanted to punish him. However, as is the will of the goddess, before heading back from the temple, the king ordained Bhattar to show him the full moon after sunset later that day or face severe punishment.
After some time when Bhattar regained his original state of mind, he was informed about what had transpired earlier in the day. Having fully surrendered to the great goddess, he meditated upon her for guidance on the next course of action. Bhattar then decided to perform a penance called “Śata sūtra pramāṇam'' which ordains that the person intending to obtain the grace of divinity, must sing 100 songs in an extempore fashion, sitting on a loft tied with 100 ropes. The loft would be hung above a huge pit of fire that can consume an entire person in no time. As each song is composed, the one performing the penance has to sing it, write the song on a palm leaf, and must drop it into the fire after which, one of the hundred ropes will be severed. Likewise, as the person finishes all 100 songs, all the 100 ropes will be cut down. If the deity that the person worships does not bestow his or her grace, the sādhaka who performing the penance will perish in the fire. One more condition to this penance, is that the palm leaves dropped into the fire should not burn but remain intact - all the hundred without any exception. If either the palm leaves burn or if the deity does not appear and grant the request of the sādhaka, the penance becomes a failure. Such a high ordeal, which puts the life of oneself as bait and can also result in a horrifying death was undertaken by Bhattar. The only reason being, he was completely sure that he did not utter the answer to the king, but it was the goddess Herself and it is the goddess who is guiding him to undertake the penance. One who has not completely surrendered to the Divine, cannot undertake this practice and this very action of accepting this penance, proves how close Bhattar was to the Divine Mother Abirāmi.
Bhattar performs the penance and starts composing the songs and goes on to describe the beauty of Abirāmi, eulogizing the numerous ways of worship and the expected results of worshipping Her. In short, he encodes and extols her rituals in a very condensed form of poetry in Tamil called “Kattalai Kalithurai”, which is nothing but a meter that is difficult to compose in and even more so in an extempore fashion. The meter demands a specific number of syllables on each line and adding to that, Bhattar introduces another complexity by composing the songs in a fashion called “Andhadhi” where the last word or the ending syllable of a stanza becomes the first word or syllable of the next stanza. Also, all these stanzas must make logical sense. As the songs were being composed and the palm leaves were getting dropped in the fire, the onlookers witnessing the event were in complete awe that the leaves were not getting burnt and also to their surprise, they were appearing greener and more fresh than before. The ropes were being cut as Bhattar kept composing the poems and when he reached the 79th verse and composed the “Vizhikke Arulundu” stanza, the great goddess Herself appears in front of him, takes out one of Her earrings called “tATaN^ka” and spins it across the sky which becomes the full moon for people to see, thereby turning the new moon day into a full moon day and everyone gathered there including the regent, could witness it the miraculous event proving Abirāmi Bhattar’s faith and unstinted devotion. The goddess then ordains and blesses him to complete the rest of the 100 stanzas. Bhattar completes the same and proves not only the living presence of the goddess but also Her grace in the age of Kali.
Bhattar leaves behind this legacy of hundred poems that bestow the grace of Goddess Abirāmi on devotees who sincerely contemplate upon Her through these poems. Thus goes the legend and the circumstances surrounding the origin of Abirāmi Anthathi. The entire work of Abirāmi anthathi has been given to the world in the backdrop of making impossible things possible (Asādhyam Sādhaya) by human effort. This story did not happen thousands of years ago in a remote corner of the world, but in the recent past of 300 years ago when Serfoji - I, a Maratha king, ruled the city of Tanjore.
The king after witnessing the grace of the Divine Mother Abirāmi, honored Bhattar appropriately and granted him the privilege of obtaining paddy from large tracts of land. The orders of the king’s grants, inscribed on a copper plate and handed to Bhattar at that time, are still present today with the lineage of Bhattar. The rituals to the Divine Mother Abirāmi, are still conducted to this day every year, in honour of the extraordinary event that took place three centuries ago. The ritual cermony is performed by priests of Bhattar’s lineage by obtaining paddy from the same land that was once given by the king to Bhattar.
The devotion, faith and deep contemplation upon the Divine Mother turned a humble “Subrahmanya Iyer”, a helper to the chief priest of the temple, into “Abirāmi Bhattar” as he became widely known thenceforth, by the grace of the Divine Mother Abirāmi.
The 100 songs of Bhattar’s composition, contain wide references to the ways associated with the worship of the goddess and the divine experiences that a sādhaka can expect. He also mentions on how to attain Her grace and merge into Her ultimately, sprinkled at many places in the poems. This work of Anthathi, acknowledged by the Divine Mother through Her miracles and grace, attains the status of a highly venerable scripture for all sincere devotees. This scripture has numerous commentaries in the Tamil language and great scholars have elaborated on its greatness on many occasions.
The following interpretations are a humble attempt as revealed to the author. The author requests the forgiveness for any mistakes in the interpretations and prays that the Divine Mother Abirāmi guides the readers and all spiritual aspirants to fulfil their desires and attain Her complete grace in all aspects. The author further dedicates the commentary to the great goddess of “Thirukadaiyur - Abirāmi” who is in the śilā rūpa (as an idol) and to the Guru maṇḍala (lineage of masters) who are none but the same Abirāmi, who walks and talks to the commentator in the form of his Guru (Master). ..............to be continued
This article is written by Shri Arun and can be contacted at arun.radhakrishnan25 @ gmail DOT com
sridhar....@gmail.com
॥ श्रीचन्द्रमौलीश्वराय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीकारणपरचिद्रूपायै नमः ॥
ஊரர்தம் பாகத்து உமைமைந்தனே! உலகேழும் பெற்ற
சீர் அபிராமி அந்தாதி எப்போதும் என் சிந்தையுள்ளே
காரமர் மேனிக் கணபதியே! நிற்கக் கட்டுரையே.
பொருள்:
தார் அமர் கொன்றையும் – மாலையில் அமைந்துள்ள கொன்றைப் பூ – கொன்றைப் பூ மாலையும் சண்பக மாலையும்
சாத்தும் – அணியும்
தில்லை ஊரர் – தில்லையில் – சிதம்பரத்தில் வாழும் நடராஜன்
தம் பாகத்து – அவர் உடலில் ஒரு பாதியாய் நிற்கும்
உமை – சிவகாமி – பார்வதி
மைந்தனே – மகனே
உலகு ஏழும் பெற்ற – ஏழுலகையும் பெற்ற
சீர் அபிராமி – சீர் பொருந்திய அபிராமி அன்னையின் அருளையும் அழகையும் எடுத்துக் கூறும்
அந்தாதி – அந்தாதி தொடையில் அமைந்த இந்த நூல்
எப்போதும் என் சிந்தையுள்ளே – எப்பொழுதும் என் சிந்தையுள்ளே உறைந்து இருக்க
கார் அமர் மேனி கணபதியே – மேகம் போல கருநிற மேனியை உடைய பேரழகு கணபதியே
நிற்கக் கட்டுரையே – அருள் புரிவாய்.
(உரை): மாலையாகப் பொருந்திய கொன்றையையும் சண்பக மாலையையும் முறையே அணிந்தருளுகின்ற தில்லயெம்பெருமானுக்கும், உமாதேவியாருக்கும் திருக்குமரனே, கரிய நிறம் பொருந்திய திருமேனியையுடைய கணபதியே, ஏழு உலகங்களையும் பெற்ற சிறப்புடைய அபிராமியம்மையைப் பற்றிய அந்தாதியென்னும் இப்பிரபந்தமானது எப்போதும் என் உள்ளத்துக்குள்ளே நிலைபெறும்படி திருவாய்மொழிந்தருளுவாயாக.
தார்-மார்பின் மாலை. கொன்றை சிவபெருமானுக்கும், சண்பகம் அம்பிகைக்கும் உரிய மாலைகள்; சாம்பேயகுஸுமப்ரியா (435) என்பது அம்பிகையின் திருநாமங்களுள் ஒன்று. உலகேழும் பெற்றது; “புவியேழையும் பூத்தவளே” (12) என்பர் பின். ஊரருக்கும் உமைக்கும் மைந்தனே என்க. உமை: இங்கே, சிவகாமசுந்தரி; “சேரும் தலைவி சிவகாமசுந்தரி” (68). அந்தாதி யென்றது இங்கே அந்தாதிப் பிரபந்தத்திற்குரிய சொற்பொருள் வளத்தை. கணபதியின் திருநிறம் வெண்மையென்றும் சிவப்பென்றும் கூறுவதும் உண்டு. அந்தாதி நிற்கக் கட்டுரை என்க. கட்டுரைத்தல் – பொருந்தும்படி திருவாய் மலர்ந்தருளுதல்; என்றது தம் உள்ளத்துள்ளே நின்று சொற்பொருள்களைத் தோற்றுவிக்க வேண்டுமென்று பிரார்த்தித்தபடி.
விளக்கம்: கொன்றை மாலையும், சண்பக மாலையும் அணிந்து நிற்கும் தில்லையம்பதி நாயகனுக்கும், அவன் ஒரு பாதியாய் நிற்கும் உமைக்கும் மைந்தனே! மேகம் போன்ற கருநிற மேனியை உடைய பேரழகு விநாயகரே! ஏழுலகையும் பெற்ற சீர் பொருந்திய அபிராமித் தாயின் அருளையும், அழகையும் எடுத்துக்கூறும் இவ்வந்தாதி எப்பொழுதும் என் சிந்தையுள்ளே உறைந்து இருக்க அருள் புரிவாயாக.
Translation: The one wearing garlands of golden shower and champa flowers, residing in the land of Thillai, is a part (left half) of the Lord Thillai (Naṭarāja), known by the name Uma and whose son you are (Gaṇapati). Abirāmi, the mother of the seven worlds, Her Anthathi (a poem) states thus - Oh, the dark-hued Gaṇapati, please protect and facilitate that Abirāmi Anthathi remains in my consciousness forever.
Before commencing any major spiritual literature, it is a requirement to start the work with a prayer to divinity. Prayer to the divinity in the form of Gaṇeśa is a custom that is being followed to date. As Gaṇeśa is the remover of obstacles, the first prayer is offered to him for the smooth completion of the poems and also to remove obstacles in realizing the grace of the great goddess Abirāmi. Although this prayer verse appears to be simply invoking the divinity in the form of Gaṇeśa, various other subtle interpretations can be made, which we will continue to see in the following section.
The author of the poem Abirāmi Bhattar, belongs to the holy land of Thirukadaiyur and his Upasana devata is Abirāmi, the consort of Amṛtakadeśvara of the temple, which also houses Gaṇeśa in the same temple with the name “Kalla Varana Pillayar”, which roughly translates to “The elephant thief”. However, instead of praying to Gaṇeśa who is in Thirukadaiyur, Bhattar (hereafter Abirāmi Bhattar will be referred to by this name) prays to Gaṇeśa of Chidambaram (aka Thillai) a town that is far away. Ideally, the Gaṇeśa of Thirukadaiyur should have been prayed to for removing the obstacles, because the patron of the poem Abirāmi, is the mother of “Kalla Varana Pillayar” of Thirukadaiyur. Instead, Bhattar prays to Lord Gaṇeśa of Thillai, which does not seem logical at the outset. However, the following interpretations may shed some light on why Bhattar prayed to Gaṇeśa of Thillai.
“Thar” is a type of garland that is worn by men and “Maalai” is a type of garland that is worn by women, according to Tamil culture. Here Bhattar refers to the lord of Thillai wearing both types of garlands on his body. The philosophy of Śiva and Śakti being inseparable is indicated here. Though Bhattar wanted to sing the poem on the goddess, by referring to Thar here, he is also referring to the masculine aspect of divinity - Śiva. The golden shower flowers always bloom in bunches and no strenuous effort is needed to string them into a garland. Likewise, referring to it in the very beginning of the prayer verse, Bhattar indicates that the poems are also going to effortlessly originate out of the grace of Abirāmi. In the Śaiva philosophy, the golden shower flowers (Kondrai) represent the Praṇava or Omkāra. Thereby starting with the term “Thar” alludes to the poet starting his work with the Praṇava. The golden color of the flowers also subtly indicates that the goddess is in the form of light. Since Śiva is adorned with this flower on his matted locks of hair, this could also mean that the realization of this form of the goddess will happen only when the consciousness is out of the body in the dvādaśānta - one’s sahasrāra or crown cakra.
Champaka - the goddess here is referred to be adorned with the garland made of champaka flowers, Lalita Sahasranāma also refers to her liking of this flower in the nāma “Campeya Kusuma Priya”, meaning the One who has the champaka flower worn in Her hair bun. This can also be deduced from the nāma “champaka aśoka pun nāga saugandhika lasath kacha”, which states that Lalita wears champaka, Aśoka, Punnāga, and Saugandhika flowers in her tightly styled hair bun, again formed of yellow or golden color, refering to the realization of god in the form of light beyond the crown cakra.
“Umai Mainthane” - The name of the goddess of Thillai, is being referred to here, though Naṭarāja is the well-known lord of the temple, as per Śaiva Āgama doctrines, the chief deity of the place will always be in the form of Śiva liṅga. In this temple, the Śiva linga goes by the name “Ādi Mūla Nāthar” and whose consort is known by the name “Umaiya Parvati, who is being referred to by the poet. Moreover, the name Uma itself is a modified version of Praṇava. The Praṇava is composed of the syllables A-U-M, whereas the name Uma is made of syllables U-M-A. Uma is also called the Devi Praṇava. Thus, the poet skilfully combines the Vedic Praṇava and tantric definition of the Devi Praṇava, by denoting the golden showers and champaka flowers. While referring to Gaṇeśa of this temple, Bhattar thus refers to Him as the son of this Uma, subtly indicating that he is none other than the offshoot of Praṇava, Aruṇa-giri-nāthar in his works called “Thiruppugazh”, describes Gaṇeśa as a fast-acting god in the poem “ainkaranai oththa manam” referring to how he got the mango, by quickly using his intellect and circumambulating Śiva and Śakti. Arunagirinaathar also refers to Gaṇeśa in the same poem to have one pointed attention and also always being in bliss as he has mastered all five senses. Even during this extempore composition of the poem, and to be in spiritual life, a sādhaka has to master his senses by applying his intellect over the mind.
On the way to the sanctum of Umaiya Pārvati, we come across the corridor that houses a Gaṇeśa idol with a human face appearing like a five-year-old boy. This form of Gaṇeśa appears blowing a conch. To blow a conch, one needs to hold maximum air within their lungs by doing a full inhalation - called pūraka in the yoga mārga and must also retain it within the lungs - called Kumbaka and finally exhale it through the fine opening of the conch, thereby increasing the holding and exhaling duration of the air in a natural fashion. This form of Gaṇeśa housed on the way to the sanctum of Uma, subtly indicates the importance of pranayama and purification of the mind to obtain the vision of the goddess. This is also one of the reasons for the placement of the idol in its current location as well as the human face in the sculpture. The blowing of the conch also indicates single-pointed attention that helps in moving closer towards the divinity. The south side of Thillai also hosts a Gaṇeśa temple named “Nara Muga Pillayar”, which is a very special and one of its kind type of temple, that can be found only in this town, as the presence of this form of Gaṇeśa, indicates that the temple and the town have been existing even before Gaṇeśa got his elephant face.
Another possible reason is that the temple of Naṭarāja, houses a Gaṇeśa named "Karpaga Vinayagar" at the west entrance. This deity is known for granting wishes of the devotees exactly as requested, without any deviation. Bhattar, desiring all 100 songs to be fulfilled with proper grammar and the perfect choice of words, had his wish granted.
Bhattar also states “Kaar Amar Meni Gaṇapati” - This means dark complexioned Gaṇapati, as Elephants are dark in color. In the Tantric forms of Gaṇapati, the form of Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati, with his consort “Hasti Piśāci” on his left thigh is highly revered. The word “ucchista” means left over, in the act of Creation after everything has been created, the leftover that remains is the para brahman Itself. This leftover para brahman in the form of Gaṇapati is known as Ucchista Gaṇapati. The consort of this Gaṇapati is also dark gray and She sits on his left thigh, thus equating to “Kar amar Meni Gaṇapati”. This form of Gaṇapati can be seen next to Uma’s sanctum in the temple.
Before entering the main sanctum of Naṭarāja from the east gate, there exists another form of Gaṇeśa by the name “Mambazha Vinayagar” or “Mango Gaṇeśa”, who is directly connected to the incident of his obtaining the fruit of wisdom from Śiva and Śakti in the puranic incidents. Those desirous of the fruits of wisdom, pray to this form of Gaṇeśa, as Bhattar too needed wisdom to compose all the poems that could bring the goddess to earth. It can therefore be inferred, that he invoked this prayer to Gaṇeśa(s) of Thillai, for the above-mentioned reasons. One more reason why Bhattar did not propitiate “Kalla Varana Pillayar” of Thirukadaiyur as scholars mention on a lighter note, is that this Gaṇeśa is more mischievous by nature and he once hid the pot of nectar from devas when they failed to propitiate Him for starting all auspicious events.
The other reason why Gaṇeśa of Chidambaram is venerated amongst the temples of Śiva, is that Chidambaram becomes Ākāśa or Ether, among the Pañca Bhūta temple classifications. For sound to originate, ether is the cause. From Ether springs up Air, from air originates fire, fire cools down to form water and water hardens to form earth, as per Śaiva philosophy. Mantras are syllables formed with modifications of sound, with the aid of the air element. For mantras to originate, the causal layer of ether has to be present. Since we have already seen that the poet has started with the Praṇava mantra subtly and his poems are marching towards more forms of Mantras, it is therefore logically, to propitiate Gaṇeśa of Thillai, being the land of Ākāśa, where all mantras originate from.
Seer Abirāmi - “Seer” means perfect and here the author refers to Abirāmi to be in the highest order of perfection - Lalita sahasranāma “Anavadyaṅgi” also denotes the same meaning. Perfection here is being emphasized, because the author requests Gaṇeśa to install the perfect form of Abirāmi inside his consciousness, which subtly denotes the meditative practices of yoga mārga, where the form of the deity without any distortion or blemish, is visualized for longer durations of time to attain single-pointed attention. Once again he says “Abirāmi anthathi”, though anthathi means a class of poems, it also means in this context, the form of Abirāmi from toe to head. Thus, Bhattar requests Gaṇeśa to arrest Abirāmi's form inside his consciousness by expressing “nirka kattu” which means to make tight knots. Arresting here expresses his desire to arrest the activities of his mind, so that he can meditate on the form of his beloved goddess Abirāmi.
Though initially appearing to be a standard verse of meditation at the very start of a major work, upon closer examination, it becomes evident that this verse is imbued with profound nuances and an array of hidden messages that the author intended, as earnest pleas to Lord Gaṇeśa.
................to be continued
This article is written by Shri Arun and can be contacted at arun.radhakrishnan25 AT gmail DOT com
Ravi Mayavaram
sridhar....@gmail.com
॥ श्रीचन्द्रमौलीश्वराय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीकारणपरचिद्रूपायै नमः ॥
உதிக்கின்ற செங்கதிர், உச்சித் திலகம், உணர்வுடையோர்
மதிக்கின்ற மாணிக்கம், மாதுளம்போது, மலர்க்கமலை
துதிக்கின்ற மின்கொடி, மென்கடிக் குங்கும தோயம்-என்ன
விதிக்கின்ற மேனி, அபிராமி என்றன் விழுத்துணையே.
பொருள்:
உதிக்கின்ற செங்கதிர் உச்சிதிலகம் – உதய சூரியனின் சிவந்த கதிரைப் போன்று உள்ளது அம்மை தன் நெற்றியின் உச்சியில் அணிந்திருக்கும் திலகம்
உணர்வுடையோர் – பக்தியிலும், அன்பிலும், அறிவிலும், ஞானத்திலும் சிறந்தவர்
மதிக்கின்ற மாணிக்கம் மாதுளம் போது – மாதுளம்பூ மொட்டு
மலர்க்கமலை – தாமரையில் வீற்றிருக்கும் மலர் மகளாம் திருமகள் (மஹாலக்ஷ்மி)
துதிக்கின்ற மின் கொடி – துதிக்கின்ற மின்னல் கொடி
மென் கடிக் குங்குமத் தோயம் – மென்மையான வாசனை வீசும் குங்குமம் கரைத்த நீர்
என்ன – போன்ற
விதிக்கின்ற மேனி – விளங்குகின்ற திருவுடலைக் கொண்ட
அபிராமி எந்தன் விழுத்துணையே – அபிராமி எனக்கு சிறந்த துணையாவாள்.
(உரை): உதிக்கின்ற செங்கதிர்-பாலசூரியன்; கண்கொள்ளும் வடிவினதாதலின் இதனை உவமை கூறினர்; ‘உத்யத் பானு ஸஹஸ்ராபா’ (6) என்பது அம்பிகைக்குரிய ஆயிரந் திருநாமங்களுள் ஒன்று. “வந்துதித்த வெயிலாயிருக்கும் விசும்பில்” (99) என்பர் பின். உச்சித் திலகம்: : “சிந்துர வண்ணப் பெண்ணே” (6), “சிந்துர வண்ணத்தினாள்” (8), “சிந்துர மேனியள்” (43) என்று பின்னும் கூறுதல் காண்க. திலகம்-மஞ்சாடி என்றும் கூறலாம்.
உணர்வு-மணி நூல் ஆய்ந்த அறிவு மெய்ஞ்ஞான மெனலும் ஆம். மாணிக்கம்: “மணியே மணியின் ஒளியே” (24); “மாணிக்கவல்லி” (மீனாட்சியம்மை பிள்ளைத்தமிழ், 1.) மாதுளம் போது: “மாதுளம் பூ நிறத்தாளை” (பயன்); “தாடிமீ குஸுமப்ரபா” (லலிதா ஸஹஸ்ரநாமம், 560). மின்கொடி: “மின்னா யிரமொரு மெய்வடி வாகி விளங்குகின்ற, அன்னாள்” (55); “மின்போலு நின்றோற்றம்” (61). விழுத்துணை-விழுப்பமாகிய துணை, எல்லாவிடத்தும் எக்காலத்தும் துணையா இருத்தலின் விழுத்துணை என்றார்.
விளக்கம்: உதய சூரியனின் செம்மையான கதிரைப் போலவும், உச்சித்திலகம் என்கிற செம்மலரைப் போலவும், போற்றப்படுகின்ற மாணிக்கத்தைப் போலவும், மாதுளை மொட்டைப் போலவும், ஒத்து விளங்கும் மென்மையான மலரில் வீற்றிருக்கின்ற திருமகளும் துதிக்கக்கூடிய வடிவையுடையவள் என் அபிராமியாகும். அவள் கொடி மின்னலைப் போன்றும், மணம் மிகு குங்குமக் குழம்பு போன்றும் சிவந்த மேனியுடையவள். இனி அவளே எனக்குச் சிறந்த துணையாவாள்.
Verse 1 - Uthikindra Chengathir - Rising Sun
உதிக்கின்ற செங்கதிர், உச்சித்திலகம், உணர்வுடையோர்மதிக்கின்ற மாணிக்கம், மாதுளம் போது, மலர்க்கமலை
துதிக்கின்ற மின்கொடி, மென்கடிக்குங்கும தோயமென்ன
விதிக்கின்ற மேனி அபிராமி என்தன் விழித்துணையே.
utikkiṉṟa cĕṅkatir, uccittilakam, uṇarvuṭaiyor
matikkiṉṟa māṇikkam, mātul̤am potu, malarkkamalai
tutikkiṉṟa miṉkŏṭi, mĕṉkaṭik kuṅkuma toyamĕṉṉa
vitikkiṉṟa meṉi apirāmi ĕṉtaṉ viḻittuṇaiye
Translation: The red rising sun is the tilaka adorned on her forehead. She is like a rare ruby stone that is appreciated by people who know Her value. She resembles the colour of a pomegranate flower. Mahālakṣmi and Sarasvatī, seated on red and white lotuses respectively, constantly worship her. She has a slender waist and a perfect body that has a complexion resembling a saffron paste. Such are the attributes of Abirāmi, who is my most coveted companion.
Abirāmi Bhattar’s composition starts from this poem, where he begins to describe the attributes of Abirāmi and Her glory. It is customary in Tamil literature that any description of the masculine form of gods should start from head to toe and descriptions of the feminine form of almighty should be from toe to head. In this verse however, it is not followed at the outset. However, if we consider the Kappu verse, the poem starts with “Thar”, a garland worn by men - denoting Lord Śiva. This is also one of the reasons for the poet describing Abirāmi who is a conjoined form of Śiva and Śakti, to start from the head.
The word “Abirāmi Andhādhi” is a combination of two words “Antham - end” and “Aathi - Beginning”, is used when the poet describes that he is going to sing Andhādhi about Abirāmi. He clearly states that he is going to sing from the beginning i.e. from her head. The head is considered as the beginning and the feet as the end, as denoted by “Aathi - beginning” in the word “Andhādhi”, and as per the meter and construct of andhādhi grammar, the poet is also grammatically correct when he starts describing the glory of para devata from the head.
Lalita Sahasranāma, the text followed by the Śrīvidyā worshippers of Para devatā, which is rendered by “Vāg devatas” of Lalita (Another name of Abirāmi), also describes the form of Lalita in head-to-toe fashion. Hence there is no greater deviation grammatically or logically and as per the Krama(methods) followed by worshippers of Abirāmi.
utikkiṉṟa cĕṅkatir - Abirāmi has the complexion of the rising rays of a red sun. The same depiction can also be found in Lalita Sahasranāma which states “Udyadbhānu-sahasrābhā उद्यद्भानु-सहस्राभा”, denoting that the para devata is in the form of light and that is superior to the form with a body. The red complexion here denotes her compassion for the entire Creation. Sun is the source of food for all beings on Earth and similarly, Abirāmi’s prowess is described as mightier than the sun, as she is holding that sun as her tilaka.
Red and Yellow colours are auspicious in the Hindu culture and starting the poem with such auspiciousness is not to be ignored either. Abirāmi is the source of the sun’s energy and due to her compassion, the sun’s rays are red during the dawn to transmit the necessary energy to sustain the life force.
uccittilakam - Tilaka on the fore head. In the Hindu culture, married women adorn themselves with a red tilaka on their forehead, which is meant to increase the longevity of their husbands. Married women are also called “Suvasini’s”. The presence of such pious women is considered auspicious during rituals to the goddess and She is pleased by the pūja performed by them - Suvāsinyarcana-prītā सुवासिन्यर्चन-प्रीता (971). Thus, Abirāmi Bhattar begins the praise of Śakti with an auspicious note as “utikkiṉṟa cĕṅkatir, uccittilakam,”.
Red is emphasized in this verse, which is also the colour equated to the mantra bīja “klīṁ”. This bīja is also known as the Kāmarāja bīja mantra symbolizing Creation. It’s not a surprise that the Kāmarāja bīja is being discussed first as Kāmadeva is one of the rishis of Abirāmi and the mantra formulated by him is known as Kādi Vidya, widely followed in the Śrīvidyā Sampradaya of worship of Abirāmi. The combination of “Ka e ī la hrīṁ” in the pañcadaśī vidya of Abirāmi starts with the syllable Ka, promulgated by Kāmadeva and this section of Pañcadaśī vidya is also called “Vāk Bhāva Kūṭa” symbolizing creation. Tantra śāstras advise practicing this “Klīṁ” bīja alone as Japa for 300,000 times followed by 1/10th of Japa - 30000, Tarpaṇa - 3000, Marjana - 300 and Bhojana - 30 respectively to gain siddhi of this mantra. Dhyāna verses for performing the sādhana of this mantra, specify that one must contemplate Abirāmi as a red light emanating from the root Mūladharā cakra up to the Brahmarandra of the crown Sahasrāra. This is also gleaned in this verse as specified by Bhattar. Hence, this verse also references the Samayamārgā of Abirāmi worship.
uṇarvuṭaiyor matikkiṉṟa māṇikkam - A Ruby stone that is appreciated by those who know its value The appraisers of gemstones alone know the value of an expensive ruby, as there are gradations in terms of clarity, colour, tensile strength, scratch resistance and cuts, etc on the stone. The analogy here, is based on the internal feeling that one has for appreciating the qualities of Śakti, specifically one’s earnest desire to know Her, the inclination towards spiritual life and the desire to attain liberation by Her grace, as the knowledge of Brahman alone, is capable of granting liberation and achieving the ultimate goal of life on this earth. Tirumūlar in his Tirumantiram says that the knowledge of self or brahman alone is true knowledge and all other knowledge one has accumulated does not help the living (Verse 2318) in attaining liberation. Thus, people with such an inclination towards Brahman alone can appreciate Her presence.
When the poet refers to her as a ruby, though once again we see a reference to the red colour, the mentioning of “uṇarvuṭaiyor” gives rise to another interpretation of the colour - the gemstone appraisers alone are aware of a rare type of ruby that is yellow and more expensive than the regular red-coloured stones. The rarity of a commodity always increases its value and thus prefixing “uṇarvuṭaiyor” also talks about such a ruby and not the regular red-coloured gemstones. If this reference is considered, then Abirāmi will also be associated with the colour yellow, which is also an auspicious colour. Starting the poems with all types of auspiciousness by Bhattar is to be appreciated and acknowledged. However, like the colour red equated to Kāmarāja bīja, the colour yellow can be equated to “Sauḥ”, which is called the Śakti bīja or Devī bīja. As per the tantra śāstras, the mere repetition of the devī bīja itself is enough to obtain the grace of Abirāmi. Like the Kāmarāja bīja, the japa, etc can be done for this bījākṣara as well and the sādhakā should contemplate on Devi as a yellow light permeating between Mūladharā to brahmarandhra, and on top of the head, one should contemplate the pādukas of Abirāmi with Diamonds on the right and Ruby on the left pāduka respectively. This contemplation will result in activating the heart chakra and will calm the wavering mind of the sādhakā.
mātul̤am potu - mātul̤am refers to the pomegranate tree and potu means flowers. Abirāmi’s complexion resembles that of a red pomegranate flower is one of the interpretations. Lalita Sahasranāma refers to her as Dāḍimī-Kusuma-prabhā, as one who shines with radiance like that of pomegranate flowers. If the word maathuLam is split as mātu + ul̤am, it would mean mātu- lady, ul̤am- heart, potu- flower, and thus it will give a new interpretation which would mean a “Lady with a heart that is soft like a flower” which is also an apt description for Abirāmi’s compassion and love of Her Creation. If one’s heart becomes as light and soft as a feather, free from stereotypical limitations and conditionings of the world, one can realize Abirāmi in the heart, which is a subtle meaning of these words.
Diamonds and rubies are very hard in texture, whereas flowers are very soft. No matter how hard and unforgiving our karmas may be, the soft-hearted Divine Mother Abirāmi’s compassionate grace can alleviate us from all troubles.
malarkkamalai - malark - flower, kamala- Lotus, kamalai- one seated on the lotus, tutikkiṉṟa - worshipped by. Here the reference is given to the worshippers of Abirāmi, as she has been propitiated by various other gods and goddesses. The first reference here is to the Divine Mothers Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī, which can be gleaned from these words, as they are seated on pink and white lotuses respectively. Tripurā rahasyaṃ mahātmya kaṇḍaṃ describes the rituals and worship done by Lakṣmī towards Tripurasundari. Lalita Sahasranāma also refers to the worship of Tripurasundari by Sarasvatī and Lakṣmī in the nama Sacāmara-ramā-vāṇī-savyadakṣiṇa-sevitā सचामर-रमा-वाणी-सव्यदक्षिण-सेविता. This also means that Abirāmi likes the worship performed with lotus flowers. Another subtle interpretation is that Abirāmi becomes happy when “Śrī Sūkta” is chanted during her worship and Tripurā rahasyaṃ mahātmya goes to the extent of saying that, if no ritual or pūja is possible by a sādhakā, mere recitation of “Śrī Sūkta” and meditating on Abirāmi, will confer all the benefits upon the sādhakā. The subtle meaning conveyed in these words, is that Abirāmi likes Her worship performed through the Samayamārgā, in which she is contemplated on the six cakras within the body. These cakras resemble the lotus flowers, and each cakra-flower has an individual attribute associated with it and a form of devata installed.
miṉkŏṭi - Lightning - Continuing from the above interpretations, Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī have contemplated Abirāmi in the form of light or lightning, via the modus operandi of Samayamārgā. Meditating of Abirāmi in the form of light in the cakras, will confer faster results as the sādhakā’s mind is steered away from the limitations of name and form. As the devatas are already in a higher evolutionary consciousness than any other sentient beings of the Creation, such meditation for them is possible in the very beginning itself. For human beings like us however, we can start with the rituals and gradually progress towards meditative stages, thus laying a strong foundation in understanding the much needed spiritual knowledge for elevation.
Lalita Sahasranāma Taḍillatā -samaruciḥ तडिल्लता-समरुचिः (107) refers to her as lightning realized in the spinal cord and realization of brahman in less than a second. Miṉkŏṭi also refers to a white light here. As Parabrahman is beyond all attributes and the merger of all colours beyond name and individual identity is white, She is thus the conglomeration of all gods and goddesses, thereby becoming miṉkŏṭi or a flash of lightning. Another interpretation is, after a flash of lightning the darkness returns. Only the light can dispel the ultimate darkness of the night. Darkness is always present and the presence of light or its absence, are due to the modifications of time. Here it also means that the ultimate absence of light (actually it is neither dark nor light, as there is no other choice of words to use for this phrase here), is where the pure knowledge of Brahman is obtained. The knowledge is revealed, just because of the flash of lightning, which is also a reason for calling Abirāmi as lightning and as She is Śiva-jñāna-pradāyinī शिव-ज्ञान-प्रदायिनी (727), She alone in a flash of lightning can provide the knowledge of Brahman. In the Tantric parlance, Dakshināmūrti Saṁhita speaks about the rituals and pūja to be performed for invoking Lalita Tripurasundari with these three bījākṣaras (Aiṁ-Klīṁ-Sauḥ) alone.
Another interpretation is that, since white is referred to as a form of lighting, it also refers to the Vākbhāva bīja “aiṁ”. The colour associated with this bīja is white and the sādhakā, like the bījas “klīṁ” and “Sauḥ”, can do the japa and meditate upon devī, in the form of white light from Mūladharā till brahmarandhra, for obtaining clarity and wisdom. The three bījas and colours that are discussed here and the act of worship by Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī, could also be a reference to the innermost triangle of Śrī Cakra, where Mahākāmeśvarī is the śakti of Brahma, Mahāvajreśvarī is the śakti of Viṣṇu and Mahābhagamalinī is the śakti of Rudra, performing the acts of Creation, Sustenance and Destruction respectively.
The commentary of Ravi Guruji on Adishankara’s Saundarya Lahari Verse 1 explains more about the concept of three bindus (Śiva, Śakti, and Miśra Bindu), which is also the cause of Creation, Sustenance, and Destruction.
Saubhāgya Cintāmaṇi, authored by Mahaṛṣi Durvāsa, expounds a similar ritualistic worship of Goddess Kāmākṣi housed in the Kanchipuram temple, in which the innermost triangle of Śrī Cakra is invoked during the pūja.
mĕṉkaṭik mĕṉ- soft, tender. kaṭi- waist, water. Abirāmi is portrayed to have a slender waist. Lalita Sahasranāma says Stanabhāra-dalanmadhya-paṭṭabandha-valitrayā स्तनभार-दलन्मध्य-पट्टबन्ध-वलित्रया (36) She who has a slender waist due to the heaviness of Her bosoms and also has three lines formed in Her stomach due to the same. This verse of Abirāmi andhādhi and the three bījas “Aiṁ klīṁ sauḥ” denote the acts of Creation, Sustenance and Destruction, like the lines formed on Her stomach.
kuṅkuma toyamĕṉṉa- kuṅkuma - Saffron powder, toyam - Paste, body, water Abirāmi’s red complexion is once again mentioned in this line. Toyam is a paste made from a mixture of limestone and turmeric, which are white and yellow respectively. When the mixture is processed, the resultant product is Kuṁkuṁ which is reddish orange. Thus, this interpretation shows that all the three bījas - “Aiṁ klīṁ sauḥ”, are present in the kuṁkuṁ powder. This toyam was adorned by pious women of yesteryears on their feet, as a mark of auspiciousness. Abirāmi has this on Her feet as Her feet alone, are sufficient to grant boons to devotees. This is also interpreted as, by Her grace the devotees can expect auspicious boons. At the same time, if toyam is considered as Her body, which is an alternate meaning of this word, Her entire form is auspicious. Lalita Sahasranāma mentions this as Sarvāruṇā सर्वारुणा (49) with similar interpretations and Śrī Rudram mentions the same quality as “asau yastāmro aruṇa uta babhruḥ sumaṅgalaḥ”. The saffron paste mixed with the flowers and water will generate a wonderful fragrance once the pūja is completed. This is another interpretation.
vitikkiṉṟa maeni - vithi - Rules, vitikkiṉṟa- of perfect order, meṉi- body. Abirāmi has a perfect body as per the śāstras, as She is the Saguṇa Brahman. As She is the ultimate power of Brahman, all Her acts have a perfect order. Abirāmi has set in motion perfect laws of nature, which govern the entire Creation and also enforce the karmic cause and effect without any intervention. There is no single straight consequence that can be explained by the human intellect in terms of karmic laws. Such is the order of Her Creation and the karmic laws, which is the reason why the term “vitikkiṉṟa” is used here. This sentence also emphasizes the need for order or discipline in the spiritual aspirants. If there is no discipline and perseverance in the lives of spiritual aspirants, proximity to the divine can take a longer duration than desired.
abirāmi ĕṉtaṉ viḻittuṇaiye- Enthan - mine, Vizhu - Highest, thunai - companion. The poet calls upon the power of Brahman, Adi Śakti – the primordial force as his sole companion and protector. Except for God, none can be a protector or a friend.
Verse 1 of Abirāmi Andhādhi, thus encompasses the teachings from Vedas, Śāstras, Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita, and the Tantra Śāstras. Thus expounding the all-pervasiveness of Brahman in all forms of Knowledge, proving Andhādhi is not just a literary work of devotion, but also contains within, the supreme teachings for sādhakās to put into practice for their spiritual elevation.
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॥ श्रीचन्द्रमौलीश्वराय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीकारणपरचिद्रूपायै नमः ॥
துணையும், தொழும் தெய்வமும் பெற்றதாயும், சுருதிகளின்
பணையும் கொழுந்தும் பதிகொண்ட வேரும்-பனிமலர்ப்பூங்
கணையும், கருப்புச் சிலையும், மென் பாசாங் குசமும், கையில்
அணையும் திரிபுர சுந்தரி-ஆவது அறிந்தனமே.
பொருள்: பனி மலர்ப் பூங் கணையும் – குளிர்ந்த மலர் அம்பும்
கருப்புச் சிலையும் – கரும்பு வில்லும்
மென் பாசாங்குசமும் – மென்மையான பாசமும், அங்குசமும்
கையில் அணையும் – கையில் கொண்டு விளங்கும்
திரிபுர சுந்தரி – மூவுலகிலும் மிகச் சிறந்த அழகியான அன்னை திரிபுர சுந்தரி
என் துணையும் தொழும் தெய்வமும் பெற்ற தாயும்
சுருதிகளின் பணையும், கொழுந்தும், பதிகொண்ட வேரும் – வேதத்தின் கிளைகளும், இலைகளும், நிலத்தில் ஊன்றி நிற்கும் வேராகவும்
ஆவது அறிந்தனமே – அவள் இருப்பது அறிந்தேனே!
(உரை): எமக்கு உயிர்த்துணையும், யாம் தொழும் தெய்வமும், எம்மைப் பெற்ற அன்னையும், வேதமென்னும் மரத்தின் கிளையும், முடிவில் உள்ள கொழுந்தும், கீழே பதிந்த வேரும், குளிர்ச்சியையுடைய மலரம்புகளையும் கரும்பு வில்லையும் மெல்லிய பாசாங்குசத்தையும் திருக் கரத்தில் ஏந்திய திரிபுரசுந்தரியே ஆகும் உண்மையை யாம் அறிந்தோம்.
துணை முதலியவற்றை, எல்லா உயிருக்கும் துணையென்பது முதலாகக் கொள்ளுதலும் பொருந்தும். தொழும் தெய்வம்-வழிபடு கடவுள். கொழுந்து: “பழமறையின் குருந்தே வருக” (மீனாக்ஷி. வருகை. 10). பணை-வேதசாகைகள். கொழுந்தென்றது வேதாந்தமாகிய உபநிடதங்களை. வேர் என்றது வேதத்துக்கு மூலமாகிய பிரணவத்தை வேதத்துக்கெல்லாம் உற்பத்தி ஸ்தானம் எனலுமாம்; “வேத ஜனனி” (லலிதா ஸஹஸ்ரநாமம், 338) என்பது அம்பிகையின் திருநாமங்களுள் ஒன்று. “அருமறைக்கு, முன்னாய் நடுவெங்கு மாய்முடி வாய முதல்வி” (55) என்பர் பின். பாசாங்குசம், பூங்கணை, கருப்புச்சிலை; 85, பயன்.
விளக்கம்: அபிராமி அன்னையை நான் அறிந்து கொண்டேன். அவளே எனக்குத் துணையாகவும், தொழுகின்ற தெய்வமாகவும், பெற்ற தாயாகவும் விளங்குகின்றாள். வேதங்களில் தொழிலாகவும், அவற்றின் கிளைகளாகவும், வேராகவும் நிலைபெற்று இருக்கின்றாள். அவள் கையிலே குளிர்ந்த மலர் அம்பும், கரும்பு வில்லும், மெல்லிய பாசமும், அங்குசமும் கொண்டு விளங்குகின்றாள். அந்தத் திரிபுர சுந்தரியே எனக்குத் துணை.
Verse 2 - Thunaiyum - The Eternal Companion
துணையும் தொழுந்தெய்வமும், பெற்ற தாயும் சுருதிகளின்
பணையும், கொழுந்தும் பதிகொண்ட வேரும் பனிமலர்ப்பூங்
கணையும், கருப்புச்சிலையுமென் பாசாங்குசமும், கையில்
அணையும் திரிபுர சுந்தரி ஆவது அறிந்தனமே.
Tuṇaiyum tŏḻuntĕyvamum, pĕṟṟa tāyum curutikal̤iṉ
Paṇaiyum, kŏḻuntum patikŏṇṭa verum paṉimalarppūṅ
Kaṇaiyum, karuppuccilaiyumĕṉ pācāṅkucamum, kaiyil
Aṇaiyum tiripura cuntari āvatu aṟintaṉame.
Translation: She is the eternal friend, companion, the mother. She is in the form of the Vedas, its branches and roots. The arrows She bears in Her arms have the dews of morning mist. She has also bears a sugarcane bow, goad and a rope. These are the weapons through which I have understood the form of Tripurasundarī.
Tuṇaiyum - A friend In the Bhagavad Gīta chapter 9 verse 18, Lord Krishna says “गतिर्भर्ता प्रभु: साक्षी निवास: शरणं सुहृत् | प्रभव: प्रलय: स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् || 18|| gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣhī nivāsaḥ śharaṇaṁ suhṛit praBhāvāḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ nidhānaṁ bījam avyayam - God is the only sustainer, master, witness, abode, shelter and friend”. When Bhattar refers to Her as “Vizhu thunai” - Supreme companion, the reference can also be traced back to the message conveyed by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.
Scriptures speak about nine ways or bhāvā of devotion to God, they are- Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pādasevanam. Arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyamāt-manivedanam of devotion to the lord, the bhāvā of friend and a parent are simple and easy to follow for the majority of us. Other acts like Śravaṇaṁ - listening to the glory, kīrtanaṁ -singing or chanting, smaraṇaṁ - constant remembering, pādasevanam- selfless service, Arcanaṁ and vandanaṁ - ritualistic puja and complete surrender, may not be possible for all. Likewise, dāsyaṁ - be at the service of God all the times, sakhyam- treat God as a friend, ātmanivedanam - surrendering everything to God, is not easy to follow for most devotees.
Among the nine ways, sakhyam is considered to be supreme, followed by ātmanivedanam, which ordains the devotee to completely surrender to the Lord, without a trace of ego left in him. There are many examples in the lives of saints who had considered the lord as their friend and practiced devotion, thereby attaining the highest states possible. For instance, the saint Cuntarar, one of the four Gurus of the Śaivā sect, considered Lord Śiva to be his friend and all his poems and life history reflect that. Lord Śiva acted as his friend and went as an emissary on behalf of Cuntarar, to the house of his lady love to get him married. This is the only recorded incident besides the purānic incident mentioned in the Devi mahātmyaṁ, in which Lord Śiva was sent as an emissary by the Divine Mother to the Asuras, to surrender the three realms that they held captive. From thence, the Divine Mother Abirāmi came to be known as Śivadūti (One who commanded Lord Śiva to be Her emissary). Such was the devotion of Cuntarar, that made it possible for the advent of Lord Śiva upon Earth, to walk the streets of Thiruvarur to set things right between Cuntarar and Paravai Nachiyar, when there was a serious marital discord between the couple. These incidents can be referred to in the Cuntarar Thevaram song “Tŏṇṭar aṭi tŏḻum coti” in which he says “Tūtaṉai ĕṉṟaṉaiyāl̤ toḻaṉai - You are my emissary, my Lord and a friend”. He recounts these incidents in another song “Cĕmpŏṉmeṉi vĕṇṇīṟaṇi”, wherein he records “Tūtaṉait taṉṉait toḻamai arul̤i - You became my emissary and graced our friendship”. King Kulottuṅka-2 later recorded this history of Lord Śiva walking the streets of Thiruvarur for Cuntarar, by ordaining it to be etched on a stone slab in the Thiruvarur temple. There is also a street marked as “Tūtu naṭanta tĕru - The street where Lord Śiva walked as an emissary”. Thus, worshipping God with the bhāvā of a friend, has the power to bring Him down in flesh and blood and walk on Earth. Bhattar, when he says Tuṇaiyum in his poems, allures to the very same bhāvā of friendship with the Divine Mother, leading to Abirāmi gracing Her presence upon the Earth, to fulfil the desire of Her cherished companion and devotee. As Abirāmi and Śiva are not two different energies, whatever Śiva has done earlier for Cuntarar also correlates to the actions of Abirāmi for Bhattar. One must realize that Śiva and Śakti are one and the same.
Thirumular in his magnum opus Thirumandiraṁ, which serves as a significant tantra doctrine in Tamil for the Śaiva Siddhanta, expounds on a similar ideology in the verse #1488 - Tantra 5.10.1, stating as -
“சன்மார்க்கந் தானே சகமார்க்க மானது
மன்மார்க்க மாமுத்தி சித்திக்குள் வைப்பதாம்
பின்மார்க்க மானது பேராப் பிறந்திறந்து
உண்மார்க்க ஞானத் துறதியு மாமே.
Caṉ mārkkam tāṉe caka mārkkam āṉatu
Maṉ mārkkam ām mutti cittikkul̤ vaippatu ām
Piṉ mārkkam āṉatu perāp piṟantu iṟantu
Uṉ mārkka ñāṉattu uṟutiyum āme.”
Translation: The only path to good (divinity) is the path of friendship. All other paths submerge the jivās into the cycle of birth and death. The path of friendship redeems the souls and confers the ultimate siddhi of mokṣa – liberation, on those who follow this path.
Tuṇaiyum also refers to Śiva, as the better half of Abirāmi. When Bhattar speaks about Abirāmi, he always allures to Śiva as well in the poems and never separates them. Thus, the word Tuṇaiyum refers to Śiva, Śakti, Sakhya mārga (path of friendship) and also indicates that He/She is a protector and companion to this mortal life of ours, till eternity. Lalitā sahasranāma Maitryadi-vāsanā-labhyā मैत्र्यदि-वासना-लभ्या (570) also states she can be attained through friendship.
Tŏḻuntĕyvamum - Tŏḻum - Act of worship, tĕyvam - deity or God. Bhattar here refers to his upāsana devata Abirāmi and his act of worshipping her in the Sakhya Bhāvā, when this word is interspersed with the previous one. The act also indicates ritualistic worship that he had followed despite the Bhāvā he professed. The other interpretation is Abirāmi had been worshipped by Lord Śiva, which can be understood by “Tuṇaiyum Tŏḻum tĕyvam - Worshipped even by her consort”. Arunagirinathar in the Tirupugazh song Virakaṟa nokkiyum refers to Śiva worshipping Pārvati as Paṭaviḻi yāṟpŏru pacupati poṟṟiya pakavati pārppati. The tantra doctrines specify Śiva as Ādi guru, who presents the vidya of Abirāmi to the world. He is the Ṛṣi of Pañcadaśī Vidyā as Dakṣiṇāmūrti in the Dakṣiṇamārga and as Ānandabhairava in Kaulamārga of Śrīvidyā worship. As Caryānandhanātha, Śiva is the primordial guru to all in the worship of Abirāmi. Even her consort is worshipping Her for Her grace and thus all the Creation should be worshipping Abirāmi, is the subtle message conveyed here. Lalitā sahasranāma Śivarādhyā शिवाराध्या (406) denotes the same meaning. Saundarya Lahari verse 1 states that Śiva can pulsate, only if he is present with Śakti.
Pĕṟṟa tāyum - Mother who had borne us. If these words are seen along with the next lines, it would mean the mother of Vedas. If we consider this with the previous lines that mention about Bhāvās in worship, Abirāmi appears as the mother in the upāsanā mārga, who is highly beneficial as She is the Divine Mother to all the beings in the entire Creation. A feeling of brotherhood amongst the denizens of the entire Creation is possible when we imbibe this quality within and the sādhakas will start seeing their reflections everywhere. Īśāvāsya upaniṣad reflects this as īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam - īśā exists everywhere in this world. This is only possible if S/He is the source and existence of the entire Creation. Hence the reference to the Divine Mother as the ultimate mother Śrī Mātā श्री माता (1), who is everywhere and the cause of everything and the origin of everyone.
Curutikal̤iṉ - Of the Vedas Paṇaiyum - Branches, kŏḻuntum - tender leaves patikŏṇṭa verum - The roots. Vedas are described as a tree in this line and Abirāmi is attributed to the origin of Vedas and its branches. Just like a tree has its tender leaves on its topmost branch, Vedanta is described as tender leaves and the source of the ultimate wisdom that the Vedas can offer. The roots as well, are described as originating from Abirāmi. If one looks at the construct of the Vedas, the interpretation of these lines will make more sense. Four words are used to describe the Vedas here, which point the sādhaka to the Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharvaṇa Vedas. When the word Curutikal̤iṉ is referred to, it means one that can only be heard, as it’s not written down. Similarly, Abirāmi is in the form of Śabda Brahman, who can only be experienced but cannot be depicted in a limited form of expression.
The Vedas are traditionally learnt in three parts, namely - Pūrvakhāṇḍa, Karmakhāṇḍa and Jñānakhāṇḍa. Pūrvakhāṇḍa involves the learning of phonetics, grammar, etymology and timing of events for conducting rituals, thus forming a foundation to learn the next part. This is like learning the language before learning a subject. This aspect is referred to as “patikŏṇṭa verum” in this verse. The Karmakhāṇḍa of Vedas, lists various mantras, hymns, etc in the Saṁhitas, rituals to be conducted in the Brahmaṇas and the contemplation of the philosophy attributed to the rituals within the Araṇyakas. These classifications are called as branches or śākhas in the Vedas. Each Veda has many śākhas or branches. Bhattar refers to this as “Paṇaiyum”. Finally, in the Jñānakhāṇḍa, the upaniṣads are referenced. The upaniṣads delve on the ultimate teaching of the nature of Brahman - the ultimate supreme godhead. There is no greater teaching than the upaniṣads, as they are the ultimate knowledge the Vedas can offer and it is for this very reason, they are referred to as Vedānta, Vedānta is referred to as “kŏḻuntum” which is evergreen and tender, symbolically denoting that the para brahman is ever present and the knowledge of brahman is attained, when one crosses all the stages of the Vedas. The highest knowledge is available to the one who climbs the tree by stepping on the branches to reach the top. Unfortunately, in our current day to day lifestyle, we tend to sit on the branches and admire the rituals and mantras, rather than making the efforts to reach the top. The subtle meaning Bhattar conveys in this line, is that the sādhaka has to go through each part of the Vedas, utilize the teachings and ultimately aim to reach the Brahman, which can be only be known from the teachings of the upaniṣads.
Abirāmi is in the form of the Vedas, its roots, branches and leaves. The message conveyed here, is to realize the Brahman everywhere through the teachings of the Vedas. We can also understand that everything including the Vedas, originate from Abirāmi, which is also conveyed in the Lalitā sahasranāma Veda-jananī वेद-जननी (338) and Veda-vedyā वेद-वेद्या (335). Vedas and the scriptures, including the Abirāmi Anthathi that is under discussion, are the only means to get to Brahman and not the destination of ultimate knowledge. Using these means, the sādhaka must attain the grace to reach the source of the entire Creation - Brahman and should not get stagnated in the journey. We will see more of this opinion from the subsequent poems of the Abirāmi Anthathi.
Paṉimalarppūṅ Kaṇaiyum - Arrows that have dew drops on them. Reference to the weapons of Abirāmi is made here. Establishing the identity of the Saguṇa Brahman is being made here. Though the weapons are meant for punishment, the reference of dew drops on them, marks the smoothness with which the weapons would operate. Since the arrows are with Abirāmi, they have dew drops on them. The same weapons with any other devata will cause the intended harm on application. Here, the harm refers to the karmic fruits experienced due to the doership mode in performing good and bad actions. Śrī Rudram refers to the arrows of Rudra, as ones that will bestow auspiciousness. The verse is as follows -
yā ta iṣuḥ śivatamā śivaṁ babhūva te dhanuḥ |
Śiva śaravyā yā tava tayā no rudra mṛḍaya .
By surrendering the actions to the Brahman, Her grace is invoked. She bestows only auspiciousness upon Her devotees and hence the reference to the dew drops. The five arrows also point to the five organs of action, five senses and the power behind cognizing these five senses. The subtle meaning conveyed here, is that the sādhaka should surrender his actions, his body and the doership woes to Abirāmi so that She will make the spiritual journey smooth.
These five arrows also represent the devata Vārāhi, who is an aṅga devata of Abirāmi. By surrendering to her, the deliverance promised in the mantra of Vārāhi can be achieved, which is nothing but stunning all the senses and organs of action, that will then be diverted to a single point of concentration, which is realizing Abirāmi internally. Lalitā sahasranāma Pañcatanmātra-sāyakā पञ्चतन्मात्र-सायका (11). Unlike within the Sahasranāma, Vārāhi is invoked prior to Śyāmala. The reason being, to calm the mind, the physical agitation must be arrested first.
karuppuccilaiyum - bow made of sugarcane. The arrows Abirāmi possesses are aimed at a target using the Sugarcane bow, which has a string made of bees. Bees are nothing but thoughts that occur in the mind and just like a bee hopping from one flower to the other, the mind dwells on different random thoughts without any focus on the things at hand. Abirāmi uses the mind as a bow and then streamlines the thought process to bend the mind of the sādhaka towards achieving the target, i.e., stopping the physical activity and diverting the body and mind towards internal worship to realize Her. The mind is equated to the sugarcane bow, because bees generally don't go and collect nectar from a sugarcane, though it has more sugar than the other flowers. The sugar in the cane is always hidden by its exterior, once the cane is crushed, the realization dawns, that there is much more nectar inside the sugarcane, than thousands of flowers put together. Likewise, once the mind is tamed, the nectar of amṛta flows down. This happens by surrendering the mind of the sādhaka to Abirāmi.
Rājaśyāmala the aṅga devata of Abirāmi is referred to as the Sugarcane bow. Her mantra speaks about attracting everything towards oneself, which subtly means that one should tame the mind and win over it, so that all the promises delivered in the mantra can be realized. Lalitā sahasranāma refers this as Manorūpekṣu-kodaṇḍā मनोरूपेक्षु-कोदण्डा (10)
mĕṉ pācāṅkucamum - soft rope and goad. The reference to the other two weapons is made here. Rope refers to the breathing pattern and the adjective “soft”, subtly tells that one can calm the mind by softening the breathing cycle. Softening here means to have a lesser breathing cycle in a minute. Prāṇāyāma practice can also be taken into account here. By practicing breathing exercises, a sādhaka can calm down the mind to finally achieve the cessation of senses and other actions for some period of time.
Aśvaruḍhā the aṅga devata of Abirāmi, is referred to by pācām or rope in this verse. Lalitā sahasranāma refers this as Rāgasvarūpa-pāśāḍhyā रागस्वरूप-पाशाढ्या (8). The rope is also used to pull the desires of sādhakas towards Her and as a sādhaka earnestly desires only Her, everything else turns immaterial and he gradually establishes himself in contemplation of Abirāmi and the rest that will follow, would completely transform his life.
Aṅkucam - Goad. The goad is a stick that is used to control an elephant. The ego is the elephant that every sādhaka must control, before it expands in size like an elephant. Being on the spiritual path itself boosts one’s ego and the person would start looking at others who are more materialistic with an attitude of discrimination. This attitude when it enters the sādhaka, is highly detrimental to their spiritual progress. Unfortunately, this is something that happens verily. This manifestation of ego occurs, only because of a lack of complete surrender to Abirāmi, not realizing that materialism in a person, as well as the spiritual attitude arising within a sādhaka, are nothing but Her own will. This ego, when fully developed within a sādhaka, in turn generates hatred and further, brings him down the spiritual ladder. Abirāmi by holding the goad, protects the devotees from falling prey to hatred and ego.
Sampatkari the aṅga devata referred to by the goad, is responsible for bestowing auspiciousness to the devotees of Lalita. Lalitā sahasranāma Krodhākāraṅkuśojvalā क्रोधाकारङ्कुशोज्वला (9) speaks more on this aspect of Sampatkarī devi and the hidden bīja mantras.
Kaiyil Aṇaiyum tiripura cuntari āvatu aṟintaṉame - The knowledge of Tripurasundarī is established by the understanding of Her nature and attributes through Her weapons. The word “Aṇaiyum” also means that the weapons at their own will, got seated on Her hand and She is not the one who picked them up. There is a story in the Tripura Rahasya mahātmyaṁ, which speaks about the penance done by various deities to get placed in the Śrīcakrā and Śrīpuraṁ. The deities were rewarded based on their penance towards Abirāmi and thus the deities starting from Vārāhi and others, based on their penance attained their places in Abirāmi’s hands.
The subtle meaning conveyed here, is that in the Śrīvidyā path, the knowledge of these four primary deities Vārāhi, Śyāmalā, Aśvaruḍhā and Sampatkari, will lead to the knowledge of Abirāmi or Lalita. Subtler meaning is that, when a sādhaka controls his ego, streamlines his breathing, tames his mind and achieves control of his senses, Lalita or Abirāmi is realized as a result.
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॥ श्रीचन्द्रमौलीश्वराय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीकारणपरचिद्रूपायै नमः ॥
அறிந்தேன், எவரும் அறியா மறையை, அறிந்துகொண்டு
செறிந்தேன், உனது திருவடிக்கே திருவே வெருவிப்
பிறிந்தேன், நின் அன்பர் பெருமைஎண் ணாத கருமநெஞ்சால்,
மறிந்தே விழுநர குக்குற வாய மனிதரையே.
பொருள்: நின் அன்பர் பெருமை எண்ணாத கரும நெஞ்சால்
– மனிதர்கள் தங்கள் முன் வினைப் (கருமப்) பயனால், அதனால் ஏற்பட்ட
வாசனைகளால் நிரம்பிய மனம் கொண்டு, உன்னிடம் அன்பு கொண்ட அடியவர் பெருமையை
எண்ணி அவர்களைப் பணிந்து உன் அருள் பெறும் வழியைப் பார்க்காமல்
நரகில் மறிந்தே விழும் – தீய செயல்கள் செய்து நரகத்தில் கூட்டம் கூட்டமாய் சென்று விழும்
நரகுக்கு உறவாய மனிதரையே – நரகத்திற்கு உறவுக் கூட்டம் போல் இருக்கும் மனிதர்களை
வெருவிப் பிறிந்தேன் – (நான்) வெறுத்து (அவர் மேல் கோபம் கொண்டு) அவர்களை விட்டு விலகி விட்டேன்.
அறிந்தேன் எவரும் அறியா மறையை – யாருக்கும் தெரியாத ஒரு ரகசியத்தை நான் அறிந்து கொண்டேன். (அது உன் திருவடியை அடைவதே மிக எளிதான வழி என்பது).
அறிந்து கொண்டு செறிந்தேன் உனது திருவடிக்கே திருவே – அன்பர்கள் (அடியவர்கள்) விரும்பும் அனைத்தும் அருளும் செல்வமே (திருவே) – அந்த ரகசியத்தை நான் அறிந்து கொண்டு உனது திருவடிக்கே சரணமாக (அடைக்கலமாக) அடைந்தேன்.
(உரை): அருட்செல்வம் உடையாய், வேறு யாரும் அறியாத இரகசியத்தை நான் அறிந்தேன்; அங்ஙனம் அறிந்தமையால் அதுகொண்டு நின் திருவடியினிடத்தே அடைந்தேன்; நின் அடியார்கள் பெருமையை எண்ணாத பாவம் மிக்க மனம் காரண மாகக் குப்புற விழும் நரக லோகத்தின் தொடர்புடைய மனிதரை அஞ்சி விலகினேன்.
நின் திருவடிக்கண் அடைக்கலம் புகுதல் எல்லா நன்மைகளையும் கூட்டுவிக்கும் என்ற உண்மையை அறிந்தோனென்பார், மறையை அறிந்தேன் என்றார். மறை-அம்பிகையின் மந்திரமும் ஆம். செறிதல்-புகலாப் புகுதல்; இடைவிடாது தியானித்தலுமாம். திரு: மகாலக்ஷ்மி(210) என்பது லலிதாம்பிகையின் திருநாமங்களுள் ஒன்று. பிறிந்தேன்: எதுகைபற்றி இடையின ரகரம் வல்லினமாயிற்று. கருமம்-இங்கே தீவினை.
விளக்கம்: அருட்செல்வத்தை அன்பர்களுக்கு வழங்கும் அபிராமியே! நின் பெருமையை உணர்த்தும் அடியார்களின் கூட்டுறவை நான் நாடியதில்லை. மனத்தாலும் அவர்களை எண்ணாத காரணத்தால் தீவினை மிக்க என் நெஞ்சானது நரகத்தில் வீழ்ந்து மனிதரையே நாடிக் கொண்டிருந்தது. இப்பொழுது நான் அறிந்து கொண்டேன். ஆதலினால் அத்தீயவழி மாக்களை விட்டுப் பிரிந்து வந்து விட்டேன். எவரும் அறியாத வேதப் பொருளை தெரிந்து கொண்டு உன் திருவடியிலேயே இரண்டறக் கலந்து விட்டேன். இனி நீயே எனக்குத் துணையாவாய்.
Verse 3 - The Secret Knowledge
அறிந்தேன் எவரும் அறியா மறையை, அறிந்துகொண்டு
செறிந்தேன் உனது திருவடிக்கே, திருவே! வெருவிப்
பிறிந்தேன் நின்அன்பர் பெருமை எண்ணாத கருமநெஞ்சால்
மறிந்தே விழும் நரகுக்குறவாய மனிதரையே.
Aṟinden ĕvarum aṟiyā maṟaiyai, aṟindugŏṇḍu
Śĕṟinden unadu tiruvaḍikke, tiruve! Vĕruvip
Piṟinden ninanbar pĕrumai ĕṇṇāda karumanĕñjāl
Maṟinde viḻum naragukkuṟavāya manidaraiye.
Translation: I obtained the secret knowledge that no one could! As a result, I have fixated myself at your lotus feet. Oh, goddess! I have separated myself from people who due to their sinful deeds are destined to hell, as they do not know the value of your worship and the worth of your devotees.
Aṟinden – I understood that ĕvarum – everyone aṟiyā – does not know maṟaiyai – the hidden/Vedas. Abirāmi Bhattar speaks about the hidden meaning of the Vedas and states that he has understood the original meaning of those teachings. The teachings as they are hidden from everyone, are hard to comprehend as the amount of contemplation and inner reflection is humongous. Needless to say, this requires a sharp intellect and a highly focused mind to study the scriptures. The Vedas are open to all and are all-encompassing in nature. Even if someone recites the Vedas perfectly and performs the prescribed rituals as mandated, there is no guarantee that one will attain the ultimate, unless there is a proper understanding of the teachings conveyed by the Vedas. Tirumūlar in his Tirumandiraṁ verse 51 proclaims as follows -
வேதத்தை விட்ட அறமில்லை வேதத்தின்
ஓதத் தகும்அறம் எல்லாம் உளதர்க்க
வாதத்தை விட்டு மதிஞர் வளமுற்ற
வேதத்தை ஓதியே வீடுபெற் றார்களே
Vedattai viṭṭa aṟamillai vedattin
Odat tagumaṟam ĕllām ul̤adarkka
Vādattai viṭṭu madiñar val̤amuṭra
Vedattai odiye vīḍubĕṟ ṟārkkal̤e
Translation: There is no greater righteousness/truth that is not preached in the Vedas. The truth that is worthy of experiencing by reciting or reading the Vedas is inside it. Instead of debating on what is inside, the wise ones have recited the Vedas (thereby contemplating upon it) and attained the ultimate.
Understanding the inner meaning of the Vedas, is to understand Brahman itself. Since Brahman is all-pervading and yet invisible to all in terms of understanding through senses or any other manifested forms of input, Abirāmi Bhattar calls this “maṟai” (concealment). Similarly in Tirumandiraṁ, when Tirumūlar says Vedattai odiye vīḍubĕṟ ṟārkkal̤e, he infers that by reciting the Vedas with a proper understanding and contemplation of the inner meaning, people attained Brahman. This can be understood from the life history of Rudra Pasupathi Nayanar who attained the grace of Lord Śiva, just by reciting the Śrī Rudram. The Puranas however, state in general terms that Nayanar attained Śiva by mere recitation of Śrī Rudram. It is very important for us to understand how he recited and simultaneously contemplated upon the inner meaning of Śrī Rudram. This needs to be understood in the light of the Tirumandiraṁ’s 52nd verse -
வேதம் உரைத்தானும் வேதியன் ஆகிலன்
வேதம் உரைத்தானும் வேதா விளங்கிட
வேதம் உரைத்தானும் வேதியர் வேள்விக்காய்
வேதம் உரைத்தானும் மெய்ப்பொருள் காட்டவே
Vedam uraittānum vediyan āgilan
Vedam uraittānum vedā vil̤aṅgiḍa
Vedam uraittānum vediyar vel̤vikkāy
Vedam uraittānum mĕyppŏrul̤ kāṭṭave
Translation – Even if the Vedas were recited by Brahma (one of the Trinity), he is not the source of it, He recited the Vedas so that the ultimate Truth can be realized by following the rituals and contemplating the meaning behind them by the sincere sādhakas. He gave the Vedas to the mankind, so that the Truth can be realized.
In another interpretation, just by reciting the Vedas or by performing rituals as prescribed, one cannot attain the ultimate. A person reciting the Vedas also does not become Brahman when Tirumūlar says வேதம் உரைத்தானும் வேதியன் ஆகிலன்- reciting Vedas does not make him Brahman, in this context வேதியன் – vediyan means Brahman and not the person who recites the Vedas in the present-day scenario. To know வேதியன் – vediyan (Brahman), is to know the ultimate Truth. This knowing is referred to by Abirāmi Bhattar as Aṟinden. As this inner meaning is hidden to most of the sādhakas due to conditioning by various beliefs and understandings of the world, the Truth remains hidden in plain sight. Hence Bhattar calls this hiding as ĕvarum aṟiyā maṟai – Not known by anyone.
As the knower of the Vedas, one understands the Truth. Bhattar, after realizing this fact, goes ahead and says he established himself in the Truth. This can be inferred by the statement aṟindugŏṇḍu Śĕṟinden. Śĕṟinden, which refers to fitting in completely or establishing oneself in the state of Truth with complete focus. Abirāmi Bhattar’s consciousness attained this state of complete absorption in the divine consciousness.
Lalitā sahasranāma Nijājñā-rūpa-nigamā निजाज्ञा-रूप-निगमा (287), Lalitha provides the original knowledge or Truth to Her devotees through the teachings of the Vedas. This nāma also subtly conveys that She is the singular primordial Truth. The nāma Veda-vedyā वेद-वेद्या (335) indicates Abirāmi can be known through the Vedas. It is interesting to note that the central part of the four Vedas is Śrī Rudram and the 8th Anuvākaṁ or the stanza of Śrī Rudraṁ, contains the Nama-śivāya mantra. If we progress further to the center of the mantra, it contains the Akshara “Śi”, which attains its quality only due to the syllable sound Īkāra in it. Abirāmi’s bījam is also Īṁ, without which even the root bījas like Śrīṁ, hrīṁ, and klīṁ, cannot manifest into existence. Similarly, the Namaśivāya mantra without the syllable “Ī”, would not become a supreme mantra. Thus without Śakti, Śiva cannot manifest, which is conveyed in the Soundarya Lahari Verse 1. Vedas therefore contain Śakti as their central aspect and as part of the Nama-śivāya mantra. She also originates the Vedas as Veda-jananī वेद-जननी (338)
unadu tiruvaḍikke – At your holy feet. Once the sādhaka understands the truth of the Vedas, he constantly remembers the feet of his deity. Here the feet denote a symbological understanding, which is nothing but the dawn of wisdom. As we have already seen that the feet of Tripura Sundari perform the act of bestowing boons to the devotees, Bhattar’s wisdom is a direct realization of Abirāmi’s boons and hence he constantly remembers Her feet. The below Tirumandiraṁ (verse 78) denotes the merger of individual consciousness with Śakti, who in turn gives the ultimate wisdom, which is the subtle meaning conveyed by worshipping Śakti's feet.
நேரிழை யாவாள் நிரதிச யானந்தப்
பேருடை யாளென் பிறப்பறுத்து ஆண்டவள்
சீருடை யாள்சிவன் ஆவடு தண்டுறை
சீருடை யாள்பதம் சேர்ந்திருந் தேனே
nēriḻai yāvāḷ niradisa yānandap
pēruḍai yāḷen piṟappaṟuttu āṇḍavaḷ
śīruḍai yāḷŚivan āvaḍu taṇḍuṟai
śīruḍai yāḷbadam śērndirun dēnē
Translation: I dwell at the feet of Śakti adorned with many ornaments. She is the One who relieved me from transmigration and captivated my being. She is the consort of Śiva residing at Āduthurai.
Thus, wherever we find the reference to worshipping the feet of Śakti in the divine literature, it denotes the beginning of the union of individual consciousness with the divine consciousness. Bhattar refers to this unity when he says unadu tiruvaḍikke – At your holy feet.
tiruve! - Prosperity, Lakṣmī, Purity, Almighty – This one word has multiple meanings when the context is open. All these interpretations equate to Abirāmi and Her worship. A sādhaka who surrenders to the lotus feet of Abirāmi, attains all prosperity including the ultimate prosperity of liberation. Since Abirāmi bestows both material and spiritual prosperity upon Her devotees, she is addressed as tiruve. In the Vedic context, the worship of Abirāmi with Śrī Sūktam can be taken as an interpretation here. In the Śrīvidya tradition, a mere recitation of Śrī Sūktam is equal to the detailed pūja of Abirāmi. Understanding and reciting Śrī Sūktam will take the sādhaka to greater heights, as he starts contemplating the inner meaning. If the following lines after tiruve are taken into consideration, Śrī Sūktam by itself will give an interpretation of what Bhattar is alluring to in this verse, in totality. When Śrī Sūktam states tāṃ padminīmīṃ śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye'lakṣmīrme naśyatāṃ tvāṃ vṛṇe – I surrender unto your feet O Padmini, destroy all that is not prosperity and bless me with your presence and grace! It unveils the exact meaning conveyed in this stanza by Bhattar, which can now be understood in the context of the Śrī Sūktam. Lalitā Sahasranāma calls Abirāmi as Mahālakṣmī महालक्ष्मी (210). As Lakṣmī, She will dispel all sins and grant all types of prosperities, which are verily everyone’s need.Vĕruvip – with hatred, Piṟinden- Isolated ninanbar pĕrumai – Value of your devotees, ĕṇṇāda karumanĕñjāl – not known due to their heart filled with karmic impressions.
Similar to the likes of the Śrī Sūktam, Bhattar also asks for the destruction of his association with people who do not bring in any prosperity, as they don’t know the value of devotion to Abirāmi, as well as the glory of Her devotees. As quoted in the Śrī Sūktam verse - alakṣmīrme naśyatāṃ tvāṃ vṛṇe, he issues a prayer to get separated from these deifying associations and acquaintances.
Maṟinde – will die viḻum- fall naragukkuṟavāya – in to the hell manidaraiye – those men. The men who do not know Abirāmi go straight to hell, as they continue committing sins through ignorance. Karumanĕñjāl also means a black heart, which denotes men who are not good at heart. As the effect of Karma is so high in their hearts, they cannot see the light of Brahman inside, so they commit sins continuously and fall into repeated cycles of birth, which is again a hell that they must endure.
This verse also emphasizes the sādhaka to have good associations or satsaṅg with noble persons. Satsaṅg is an important requirement in one’s spiritual journey as it keeps the spiritual aspirations kindled in one’s mind and deed. By separating oneself from the unwanted company, the sādhaka should get into the satsaṅg with good, knowledgeable and pious persons. Manikavāsagar in his Tiruvāsagaṁ states as follows -
நாடகத்தால் உன்னடியார் போல்நடித்து நான்நடுவே
வீடகத்தே புகுந்திடுவான் மிகப்பெரிதும் விரைகின்றேன்
nāḍagattāl unnaḍiyār pōlnaḍittu nānnaḍuvē
vīḍagattē pugundiḍuvān migapperidum viraigiṇḍrēn
G.U.Pope’s Translation:
'Midmost of Thy devoted ones, like them in mystic dance to move;
Within Thy home above to gain wish'd entrance, lo, I eager haste!
I (Manikavāsagar) would enter the sanctum of Śiva in disguise along with a group of devotees, so that just by association with Śiva’s devotees for some time, I would attain liberation.
Such is the power of association with the right people in spiritual matters, that by itself would uplift the sādhaka’s will to reach the lord and make him determined.
To summarize, Bhattar in this stanza shows how the Vedas should be recited and contemplated by reflecting on their inner meaning. He emphasizes on the benefits that can be accrued by worshipping the feet of the goddess relating to the symbolic meaning deduced from the Tirumandiraṁ. The nature of real spiritual wealth and the necessity of satsaṅg with spiritually minded people is further emphasized. He gives these directions to the sādhakas of Abirāmi so that everyone is benefitted.
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॥ श्रीचन्द्रमौलीश्वराय नमः ॥
॥ श्रीकारणपरचिद्रूपायै नमः ॥
மனிதரும், தேவரும், மாயா முனிவரும், வந்து, சென்னி
குனிதரும் சேவடிக் கோமளமே, கொன்றை வார்சடைமேல்
பனிதரும் திங்களும் பாம்பும், பகீரதியும் படைத்த
புனிதரும் நீயும் என் புந்திஎந் நாளும் பொருந்துகவே.
பொருள்: மனிதரும் தேவரும் மாயா முனிவரும் வந்து – மனிதர்களும் தேவர்களும் என்றும் வாழும் முனிவர்களும் வந்து
சென்னி குனிதரும் – தலையால் வணங்கும்
சேவடிக் கோமளமே – சிறப்பு மிகுந்த சிவந்த பாதங்களை உடைய மென்மையானவளே (கோமளவல்லியே)
கொன்றை வார்சடைமேல் பனிதரும் திங்களும் பாம்பும் பகீரதியும் படைத்த – கொன்றைப்பூ அணிந்த நீண்ட சடைமுடியில் குளிர்ச்சி தரும் நிலவும் பாம்பும் கங்கையும் அணிந்துள்ள
புனிதரும் நீயும் என் புந்தி எந்நாளும் பொருந்துகவே – புனிதராம் உன் கணவரும் நீயும் என் புத்தியில் எந்நாளும் இருந்து அருளவேண்டும்.
(உரை): பூவுலக வாசிகளாகிய மனிதர்களும் பொன்னுலக வாணராகிய தேவர்களும் மரணம் இல்லாத பெருமையையுடைய முனிவர்களும் வந்து தலை வணங்கும் செம்மையாகிய திருவடிகளும் மெல்லியல்பும் உடைய தேவியே. கொன்றைக் கண்ணியை அணிந்த நீண்ட சடாபாரத்தின் மேல் பனியை உண்டாக்குகின்ற சந்திரனையும் பாம்பையும் கங்கையையும் கொண்ட தூயவராகிய சிவபிரானும் நீயும் என் அறிவினிடத்தே எக்காலத்திலும் இணைந்து எழுந்தருள்வீர்காளாக!
மாயா முனிவர்-தவத்தாலும் சித்திகளாலும் மரணம் ஒழிந்த முனிவர்; மார்க்கண்டேயர் முதலிய இருடிகள்; தாபஸாராத்தியா (359) என்பது அம்பிகையின் திருநாமங்களில் ஒன்று. கோமளம்-மென்மை; 33.
விளக்கம்: மனிதர், தேவர், பெரும் தவமுனிவர் முதலியோர் தலை வைத்து வணங்கும் அழகிய சிவந்த பாதங்களுடைய கோமளவல்லியே! தன்னுடைய நீண்ட சடாமுடியில் கொன்றையும், குளிர்ச்சி தரும் இளம் சந்திரனையும், அரவையும், கங்கையையும் கொண்டு விளங்குகின்ற புனிதரான சிவபெருமானும் நீயும் இடையறாது என் மனத்திலே ஆட்சியருள வேண்டும்.
மனிதரும் தேவரும் மாயா முனிவரும் வந்து சென்னி
குனிதரும் சேவடிக் கோமளமே! கொன்றை வார்சடைமேல்
பனிதரும் திங்களும், பாம்பும், பகீரதியும் படைத்த
புனிதரும் நீயும் என்புந்தி எந்நாளும் பொருந்துகவே.
maṉitarum tevarum māyā muṉivarum vantu cĕṉṉi
kuṉitarum cevaṭik komal̤ame! kŏṉṟai vārcaṭaimel
paṉitarum tiṅkal̤um, pāmpum, pakīratiyum paṭaitta
puṉitarum nīyum ĕṉpunti ĕnnāl̤um pŏruntukave.
Translation: Men, Celestials, and Ageless Saints bow down and place their crowns at your beautiful lotus feet. The Lord who is adorned with golden shower flowers and bedecked on the forehead with a moon emitting cool rays, as well as a snake wrapped on His body and Bhāgīrathi - river Ganges, on his matted locks of hair, is beside you at all times. May you and the pristine Lord, be ever present in my mind at all times.
Worship of the Divine Mother has been undertaken by many at various times and places. The worship of the Divine Mother is not limited to only a specific group of beings, She is the Divine Mother and the manifested form of Brahman. The Creation has sought Her grace through various means from time immemorial. Men of all classes have worshiped Abirāmi, which can be inferred by the word maṉitarum. To quote a few references - in Devī Māhātmyaṁ, King Suratā and Vaiśyā Samādi worshipped Her to invoke Her blessings. History states that Kalidasa was a devi upāsakā who composed the famous Śyāmalā Daṇḍakam. In the recent past, we have seen eminent poets like Subramanya Bharathi aka Bharathiyar, who was an upāsakā of Devi.
Men from time immemorial have worshipped Devi to obtain boons. All Devi upāsakās obtained name, fame, and wealth, as they sought blessings from Abirāmi. This can be widely seen from the lives of these great personalities. It is important to note that men became great after worshipping Her and not necessarily that great men worshipped Her. Lords Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, the famous incarnations of Maha Viṣṇu had worshipped Devi during their times of distress, to obtain strength and overcome the troubles encountered. For instance, Lord Rāma worshipped Devi in the form of Durga before the battle with Rāvaṇa. Devī Bhāgavataṁ was recited and worshipped to ensure Lord Kṛṣṇa’s safe return, when Lord Kṛṣṇa went in search of retrieving the famed Śamantakamaṇi, for which he was falsely accused of stealing. Manu, the foremost among men, worshipped Abirāmi and it is recorded in Lalitā sahasranāma as Manu-vidyā मनु-विद्या (238). King Suratā becomes the Manu for Sāvarṇi Manvantarā and Vaiśyā Samādi attains ultimate wisdom, as a result of worshipping the Divine Mother.
tevarum - All Celestials. Abirāmi’s worship was undertaken by all celestial beings for their welfare. Lalitā Upākhyānam recounts the appearance of Lalitā in Brahmāṇḍa purāṇa and narrates the incidents of turmoil between the celestial Devas and their step-brothers Asurās. When there were times of tribulations for the celestial Devas accompanied by an incessant torment by the Asurās leading to their exile, the celestials turned to Abirāmi for intervention by invoking Her in fire rituals and offering themselves as sacrifice. She appeared out of that same fire pit that contained the bodies of the celestials and hence She is called as Cidagnikuṇḍa-saṃbhūtā चिदग्निकुण्ड-संभूता (4) in Lalitā Sahasranāma. The subtle interpretation conveyed here is that She appeared out of the Cit-consciousness of the celestials. Here celestials refer to those who have raised their consciousness to the level of a celestial being or purified their mind and intellect to such an extent, that they can witness the appearance of Abirāmi in their consciousness. The storyline given in the Purāṇas, can always be interpreted in both gross and subtle terms. As She appeared out of the sacrificial fire to help the celestials, Lalitā sahasranāma calls her Devakārya-samudyatā देवकार्य-समुद्यता (5).
Kandar anubūthi, an experience of the ultimate, by Saint Aruṇagirināthar, states as follows -
நாதா, குமரா நம என்று அரனார்
ஓதாய் என ஓதியது எப்பொருள் தான்?
வேதா முதல் விண்ணவர் சூடும் மலர்ப்
பாதா குறமின் பத சேகரனே.
nātā, kumarā nama ĕṉṟu araṉār
otāy ĕṉa otiyatu ĕppŏrul̤ tāṉ?
vetā mutal viṇṇavar cūṭum malarp
pātā kuṟamiṉ pata cekaraṉe.
Translation by Swamiji N.V Karthikeyan: (Sourced from http://www.arunagirinathar.in/p/the-esoteric-kandar-anubhuti-ebook.html )
"Prostrations, O Lord Kumāra!" — So, please tell, when Śiva the Great, implored You for Upadeśa, what secret did You impart? Brahma and the gods, on their heads, adorn Your Lotus-Feet! O Lord, You adorn your head with the huntress' Feet!
“O Lord Skanda! Brahma and other gods adorn their heads with Thy Lotus-Feet, while You adorn Your head with that huntress’ (Valli Devi) Feet! ‘Lord Kumāra, Prostrations to You! (Be gracious to) Instruct Me.’ -- So please tell, when Lord Śiva beseeched You, what was the (Secret) Teaching that You imparted to Him?”
Translation from Author: Lord Śiva, prayed to you with your Kumāra Pañcākṣarā as “kumārā namaḥ” and requested you to impart the secret teachings, please teach me as well, that which you have taught to Lord Śiva, O Skanda your lotus feet are adorned by Brahma and other celestials on their heads, though you collect the footprints of / adorn your head with the feet of Goddess Valli.
Abirāmi and Lord Skanda, in this context display their unity in terms of imparting the teachings to celestials and men alike. It is to be noted that when the consciousness of men is raised to the level of a celestial, the Lord imparts the complete teaching as the Guru and leads the sādhakā to liberation. In the context of the Kandar anubūthi, Lord Śiva, Brahma and other celestial beings adorned the feet of Lord Skanda on their heads and requested for imparting the secret teachings of the Vedas. Thus, when Bhattar refers to tevarum in Abirāmi Anthathi, he subtly conveys that the consciousness of Men, which when elevated to tevarum - as celestials, the secret teachings towards liberation will be imparted by Lord Skanda or Abirāmi, in one of their various forms. Since Lord Skanda is the Guru of Śiva, he is the Guru of all of us and thus taking the form of one’s Guru, He will teach us the knowledge of the ultimate.
māyā muṉivarum - Ageless / immortal saints / Sage Mārkaṇḍeya. As inferred by the Sthala Purāṇam of Thirukaḍaiyur Kṣetra, Lord Śiva appeared and killed Lord Yama with a kick from his left foot to save sage Mārkaṇḍeya from impending death. Because of this grace, sage Mārkaṇḍeya attained immortality and eternal youth. Therefore, the term māyā muṉivarum also refers to Mārkaṇḍeya. However, if we continue to interpret this term along with the context of men, celestials and saints in that order, it also means that once men become refined in their consciousness and reach the level of celestials and after getting imparted with the sacred teachings of the Lord on Ātma darśana, the same men become immortal and conquer death, hence the term māyā muṉivarum. Here deathlessness is achieved because men achieve the state of liberation and are freed from the cycle of birth. Since they achieve the state of no birth, they achieve deathlessness. For achieving such a state of liberation, men, celestials and sages, adore the feet of Abirāmi, as stated in vantu cĕṉṉi kuṉitarum cevaṭik komal̤ame - they come and bow down at the beautiful lotus feet of Abirāmi.
cevaṭik komal̤ame kŏṉṟai vārcaṭaimel - Lotus feet of Abirāmi are on the Matted locks of Śiva. Kandar anubūthi also states this interpretation in verse 36 as seen earlier with reference to Lord Skanda adorning the feet of Valli on His head, mentioned in the line kuṟamiṉ pata cekaraṉe. Bhattar also makes the same inference in the coming poems, especially in stanza 35 starting with the words tiṅkaṭ pakaviṉ maṇamnāṟum.
As Śiva and Skanda are Gurus of the world who have propitiated Abirāmi, Lalitā Sahasranāma notates and honours them as Śivārādhyā शिवाराध्या (406) - She is worshipped by Śiva. Śiva and Skanda being Gurus, have demonstrated to the world how to worship the Divine Mother by their own acts. Arunagirinathar in his Tirupugazh calls Skanda as Vīrācarya, as Skanda did the worship of Abirāmi in the warrior like Vīra bhava and thereby became the commander of the celestial armies. Lord Śiva on the other hand, gave the tantra sastras to the world and as the foremost Ādi guru of Abirāmi worship, performed the same act for the benefit of all sādhakās. As Gurus, they meditated on the lotus feet of Abirāmi / Valli and have shown us the right way of worship and meditation.
In the Śaiva philosophy, out of the five sabhas or theaters where the dance of Lord Natarāja is performed, Tiruvālaṅgāḍu is one of them. This place is referred to as Ratna Sabha. Situated in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, this serene temple is the house of Lord Natarāja and the dance in this place is called Ūrdhva Tāṇḍava, wherein He lifts His left leg upward and reclines it towards His matted crown. Since He lifted His leg in this fashion, the dance is also named Ūrdhva Tāṇḍava. The subtle message conveyed here is that the Lord’s dance in this pose will propel one’s consciousness upward. When one worships Śakti, She takes you to the crown of Śiva or makes you equal to Śiva, which is nothing but the knowledge of Śiva. Devotees having a darśan of the Lord and understanding the meaning of this dance, will benefit surely by propelling their spiritual knowledge.
One of the 63 nayanmars, a female saint named Karaikkal Ammayar, used to walk on her head to this place to obtain the darśan of the Lord. In her poems, she establishes that the darśan of the Lord’s dance in Tiruvālaṅgāḍu, will absolve one from all their sins. The subtler meaning of Tiruvālaṅgāḍu or banyan forest, is the Sahasrāra cakra. Just like multiple branches of a banyan tree, Sahasrāra petals are countless and the darśan of the Lord in Sahasrāra is symbolically denoted by lifting the left leg up, which is the śakti bhāga of Śiva, which is again raising one’s kuṇḍalini śakti to the crown. The meaning conveyed by the upward dance, is nothing but the dance of Śiva and Śakti in their union within the sādhakā’s Sahasrāra. Thus, the line cevaṭik komal̤ame kŏṉṟai vārcaṭaimel in its subtlety, conveys the realization of the self, which confers the realization of Śiva. When Ravi Guruji once said “Ātman Ātmanena paśyati - Ātma can be seen only by Ātma” he meant that the Self can be realized only by the Self. Thus by becoming Śiva, one realizes Śiva.
Paṉitarum tiṅkal̤um, pāmpum, pakīratiyum paṭaitta puṉitarum - Śiva the pure, is adorned with a moon generating a very calming sensation and a cool atmosphere. He is also wrapped by a snake on His body and the river ganges flows in the hairlocks on the top of His head. As Abirāmi’s śakti - kuṇḍalini śakti goes to the crown chakra, a person becomes pure like Lord Śiva. Further, as one becomes pure, the cool rays of the moon act upon him and dissolve one’s karma, as a result of which, the serenity of the mind is realized. Just as a snake is ever alert on the object in front of it, the mind being pure and free from modifications is ever alert on the awareness of self, and as the Ganges washes down the sins of mortals on the earth, this realization of Śiva or Atman, absolves the sins and prepares the sādhakā for his next leg of journey i.e., Śivajñāna or knowledge of Śiva which is also liberation. The realization of the Self alone in the Sahasrāra is not realization, as put down by Ravi Guruji. One must go to the state of Paramaśiva or Mahāśūnya to get liberated. This destination is prayed by Bhattar in the line nīyum ĕṉpunti ĕnnāl̤um pŏruntukave - which means “O Abirāmi, you along with your consort be in my consciousness forever”. This can happen only when the Paramaśiva state is realized and the knowledge of Brahman is firmly established in the sādhakā, making him the same as Śiva.
Bhattar in this verse speaks about the devotees of Abirāmi, the benefits accrued due to Her worship, and the ultimate realization of Self as Śiva.
This article is written by Shri Arun and can be contacted at arun.radhakrishnan25 AT gmail DOT com