உன்னையான்‌ அணுகவும் தண்ணருள்‌ வகுக்க இலையோ

ஐவகை எனும்பூத மாதியை வகுத்ததனுள்‌

அசரசர பேதமான

யாவையும்‌ வகுத்துநல்‌ லறிவையும்‌ வகுத்துமறை

யாதிநூ லையும்வகுத்துச்‌

சைவமுத லாம்‌அளவில்‌ சமயமும்‌ வகுத்துமேற்‌

சமயங்‌ கடந்தமோன

சமரசம்‌ வகுத்தநீ யுன்னையான்‌ அணுகவும்

தண்ணருள்‌ வகுக்கஇலையோ

பொய்வளரும்‌ நெஞ்சினர்கள்‌ காணாத காட்சியே

பொய்யிலா மெய்யரறிவில்‌

போதபரி பூரண அகண்டிதா காரமாய்ப்‌

போக்குவர வ ற்றபொருளே

தெய்வமறை முடிவான பிரணவ சொரூபியே

சித்தாந்த முத்திமுதலே

சிரகிரி விளங்கவரு தக்ஷிணா மூர்த்தியே

சின்மயா னந்தகுருவே…..4

The One Beyond All Paths

You shaped the five great elements—
Earth and water, fire and wind,
Space that cradles all becoming.

Within them You unfolded
The moving and the unmoving,
The crawling life, the soaring wing,
The mountain rooted in silence,
The rivers restless with song.

You gave to beings thought and knowing,
The lamp of reason flickering in the mind.
You breathed forth the sacred scriptures,
The hidden rivers of revelation
Flowing through the hearts of seers.

You formed religions without number—
Paths of worship,
Paths of discipline,
Paths of love, sacrifice, silence, surrender.
Each a doorway
For wandering souls
To seek the Eternal.
Yet beyond them all

You remain—
The stillness after every doctrine,
The silence beyond every prayer,
The indivisible harmony
Where all divisions dissolve.

O Lord of silent union,
You who fashioned every path,
Will You not also grant
The cool grace
By which I may reach You?

For minds swollen with falsehood
Cannot behold You.
Those lost in the glitter of appearances
See only shadows moving upon shadows.
But to hearts made pure by truth,
You reveal Yourself
As boundless Awareness—
Whole, unbroken, infinite.

Not coming.
Not going.
Not born.
Not dying.
A fullness without edge or center,

An endless sky untouched by clouds of change.
You are the meaning
Toward which the Vedas lean in silence.
You are the sacred syllable
Before sound becomes speech.
The Pranava—
The pulse beneath creation itself.

O Dakṣiṇāmūrti,
Radiant upon the holy hill,
Teacher whose wisdom blooms in silence,
Source of liberation and final truth—
Break open this narrow heart.

Gather me beyond the quarrels of creed and name.
Lead me past the noise of thought
Into the vast stillness
Where knower, knowing, and known
Disappear like stars at dawn.
And there,
In the soundless sea of Conscious Bliss,
Let me awaken
To the Truth
That was always You.

Detailed Commentary

Creation as the Revelation of Divine Power

When human beings are in deep sleep, it is impossible to distinguish the powerful from the powerless, the learned from the ignorant, or the wealthy from the poor. In that state, all distinctions collapse into silence. Yet, when they awaken, their abilities become visible through their actions.

One’s inner capacity becomes known through expression and activity.

The same principle can be applied to the Divine. God, who is all-knowing, all-pervading, and limitless in power, reveals Himself through His creation. Just as the greatness of a painter is understood through the beauty of the painting, the magnificence of the Creator becomes evident through His Creation - The universe.

The Upaniṣads repeatedly point toward creation as an indicator of Brahman:

“यतो वा इमानि भूतानि जायन्ते ।
येन जातानि जीवन्ति ।

यत्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति ।”
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1)

“That from which all beings arise, by which they live, and into which they finally dissolve — know That to be Brahman.”

Thayumanavar, in this profound hymn, meditates upon that Supreme Being who manifests the cosmos out of the Unmanifest, establishes religions, grants intelligence, and finally transcends all divisions in the silence of Absolute Reality.

Thayumanavar’s hymn is rooted in the Upaniṣadic vision viz., “the universe is not separate from God; it is an expression of Divine Intelligence”.

Creation of the Five Elements

The hymn begins: “Aivagai enum bhūtha mādhiyai vagutthu” - “You who created and ordered the five elements.” Vedānta explains creation through the emergence of the five great elements:

1. Space (Ākāśa)
2. Air (Vāyu)
3. Fire (Agni)

4. Water (Āpas)
5. Earth (Pṛthvī)

The Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.1) describes this sequence:

“तस्माद्वा एतस्मादात्मन आकाशः सम्भूतः । आकाशाद्वायुः ।
वायोरग्निःः । अग्नेरापः । अद्भ्यः पृथिवी ।”

“From the Self arose space; from space air; from air fire; from fire water; from water earth.” Each element possesses a subtle property:

Space is especially significant because it symbolizes all-pervasiveness. Just as space exists inside and outside every object without limitation, God too pervades everything without division.

The Kaivalya Navaneetham beautifully says: “Like the space within and outside a wall.” Just as space exists inside and outside every object without limitation, Brahman pervades everything. The Bhagavad Gītā (9.4) echoes this idea: “मया ततमिदं सर्वं जगदव्यक्तमूर्तिना” “This entire universe is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form.” Thus, creation becomes a doorway to understanding Divine infinitude.

Creation of Living Beings and the Evolution of Intelligence

Thayumanavar next praises the Lord as the creator of: “Asara-sara bēdhamāna yāvaiyum” - “All moving and unmoving beings.”

Life manifests in countless forms — plants, animals, birds, aquatic creatures, and humans. Though externally different, all life is engaged in a common struggle for existence and growth. In this process, intelligence gradually unfolds. Every creature seeks food, protection, shelter, and continuity. Even the smallest creatures display remarkable instinct and adaptive intelligence.

The Bhagavad Gītā (14.4) says:

“सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः ।

तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥”

“In whatever wombs beings are born, O Arjuna, I am the seed-giving Father.”

Life continuously strives toward survival, adaptation, and growth. Intelligence unfolds gradually through experience. Human birth, however, is considered unique because human beings possess the capacity for self-reflection, moral inquiry, and spiritual aspiration. Therefore Thayumanavar says: “Nal arivaiyum vagutthu” “You bestowed higher intelligence.”

The Bhagavad Gītā (10.10) describes this divine intelligence:

“तेषां सततयुक्तानां भजतां प्रीतिपूर्वकम् ।
ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते ॥”

“To those who worship Me with devotion, I grant the wisdom by which they come to Me.” Thus, intelligence reaches fulfilment not merely in worldly success, but in spiritual realization.

The Origin of Scriptures

Unlike animals, human beings preserve and transmit knowledge consciously across generations. The Vedas are considered divine revelation (Śruti), while other scriptures arise from realized understanding and experience (Smṛti). Through them, humanity receives guidance regarding dharma, devotion, meditation, and liberation.

The Bhagavad Gītā (15.15) declares: “वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यः” - “By all the Vedas, I alone am to be known.” Therefore Thayumanavar says “nūlaiyum vagutthu” - “You established the Vedas and sacred scriptures.” The true purpose of scripture is not mere ritual or scholarship, but knowledge of the Supreme Reality. This is the core message in this sentence.

The Role of Religions

The hymn continues: “Saivam mudhalām alavil samayamum vagutthu” - “You established countless religions beginning with Saivism.” Human minds differ in temperament, maturity, emotion, and inclination. Therefore multiple spiritual paths exist.

The Bhagavad Gītā (7.21) beautifully acknowledges this diversity:

“यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति ।
तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम् ॥”

“Whichever form a devotee seeks to worship with faith, I make that faith steady.”

Religion becomes a means for purification of the mind and gradual elevation of consciousness. Just as many paths lead to the summit of a mountain, all sincere spiritual paths ultimately seek Truth.

Silence Beyond Religions

The philosophical climax of the hymn is: “Samayang kadandha mōna samarasam” - “The silent harmony beyond religions.” Words divide. Concepts divide. Philosophies divide. Silence alone unifies. The Upaniṣads repeatedly teach that Brahman transcends speech:

“यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते अप्राप्य मनसा सह”
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.9)

“Words return from It, along with the mind, unable to grasp It.”

This silence is not mere absence of speech. It is freedom from fragmentation, duality, and conceptual limitation. The silence spoken of here is the transcendence of mental agitation. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad describes the Fourth State (Turīya) as: “अमात्रश्चतुर्थःः” - “The Fourth is beyond all measurable sound.”

Deep sleep faintly resembles this condition because distinctions disappear there. But deep sleep is veiled by ignorance, whereas spiritual silence shines with awakened awareness. Thus true harmony is not achieved through uniformity of doctrine, but through transcendence of ego and duality.

Prayer for Divine Grace

Thayumanavar then cries out: “Unnai yān aṇugavum thaṇṇaruḷ vagukka ilaiyō?” - “Will You not grant me the cooling grace to approach You?”

This is profound spirituality. The saint does not ask for wealth, fame, or worldly achievements. He asks for longing for God itself. The Bhagavad Gītā (9.34 for example ) repeatedly emphasizes surrender: “मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो” - “Fix your mind on Me; become devoted to Me.” But the mind naturally runs outward toward worldly attractions. Therefore the seeker prays “Grant me the grace to desire You deeply.” This longing itself is divine grace.

The Pure Mind and the Vision of Truth

Thayumanavar says: “Poy vaḷarum nenjinargaḷ kāṇāda kāṭchiyē” - “The vision unseen by minds filled with falsehood.”

God is ever-present, but impure minds fail to perceive Him.

The Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.23) declares: “नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यः” The Self is not attained through mere intellectual discourse. Purity, sincerity, and inward refinement are necessary.

Thus Thayumanavar says: “Poyyilā meyyar arivil” - “In the awareness of the truthful…”. Truth reveals itself in the purified mind.

Brahman as Infinite Consciousness

The hymn now enters profound Advaita Vedānta: - “Bōdha paripūraṇa akaṇḍithākāramāy”- “Infinite indivisible fullness of Consciousness.” Brahman is Infinite, Undivided, Beyond space, Beyond time and Beyond object limitation.

The Chandogya Upaniṣad (3.14.1) declares: “सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म” - “All this indeed is Brahman.” The Bhagavad Gītā (15.6) similarly says: “न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः” - “That Reality is not illumined by sun, moon, or fire.” The Divine is self-luminous consciousness itself.

Beyond any transactions

Thayumanavar says: “Pōkku varavaṟṟa poruḷē” - “Reality beyond coming and going.” Movement belongs to the body and mind, not to the Self.

The Bhagavad Gītā (2.24) says: “अचलोऽयं सनातनः” -“The Self is unmoving and eternal.”

Though waves move upon the ocean, water itself remains fundamentally unchanged. Likewise Brahman remains ever still amidst the movements of
creation.

Pranava — The Supreme Om

Thayumanavar glorifies the Lord as: “Deiva marai mudivāna praṇava sorūpiyē” - “Embodiment of Pranava, the culmination of the Vedas.”

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (1) opens with the majestic declaration: “ॐ इत्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वम्” - “Om — this syllable is all this.” Om represents Creation, Sustenance, Dissolution. The Silence beyond all three Thus, the Lord is both sound and the transcendence of sound.

Dakṣiṇāmūrti — The Silent Guru

The hymn concludes: “Dakṣiṇāmūrtiyē Cinmayānanda Guruvē” Dakṣiṇāmūrti symbolizes the Guru who teaches through silence. The highest Truth cannot be fully conveyed through language. It is revealed through direct inner awakening. This is why the tradition says: “Silence is golden and is the highest teaching.”

Conclusion

This hymn of Thayumanavar is simultaneously Devotional, Philosophical, Mystical, Advaitic and Universal.

It traces the entire spiritual journey:

• From creation to consciousness

• From diversity to unity

• From religion to transcendence

• From sound to silence

• From intellect to realization

Its final message is deeply moving. The greatest prayer is not for worldly gain, but for the grace to seek God wholeheartedly. For, liberation arises when the mind becomes purified, inwardly silent and absorbed in the limitless Consciousness that shines as the essence of all existence.

God Bless

Introduction - The question

The Bhagavad Gītā is presented in the Mahābhārata as a dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. It happened in the battlefield immediately after the conches were blown from both the warring sides, declaring the formal start of the Kurukṣetra war.

The dialogue contains 18 chapters and 700 verses and encompasses an extraordinarily comprehensive teaching concerning the Self, karma, yoga, Īśvara, bhakti, jñāna, prakṛti, the guṇas, renunciation and liberation.

In the current era where “everything is wanted yesterday” and one is under severe time pressure, this raises an obvious question to a modern mind:

If a Sanskrit student has to just recite the 700 Slokas themselves, it will take a minimum of two hours; leave alone the associated verbal interactions between the two participants quoted there .

How could such an extensive teaching have been delivered right in the middle of a battlefield armies that were assembled and ready for battle?

Could two individuals really have engaged in such an extensive philosophical conversation while two armies waited for battle to begin?

An attempt is made is made through this study to address the issues raised in this and bring out a model which could provide reasonable answers to the queries of a modern student of Bhagwad Gita.

A word of caution

Before we proceed with the model, here is the “sine qua non”, an essential condition or an absolute prerequisite for understanding the context, the concepts involved and the model presented.

This means that we must recognize that the purpose of this model is not to claim that the Gītā took a particular time (say in hours or minutes), nor to assert that Kṛṣṇa communicated telepathically or that physical time was suspended. These claims are not supported by the Smṛtis. These could at best be inferences.

The question becomes much more interesting if we stop assuming that modern human cognition, modern communication speed and modern textual presentation must be identical to those of the Mahābhārata’s world.

This study tries to develop a model based upon the combined implications of the Mahābhārata, the Bhagavad Gītā, traditional descriptions of the Yugas, and the exceptional qualifications of Arjuna as given by the Smṛtis.

The central proposition

The model proposed here rests on four interacting factors:

1. Yuga-dependent human capacity - Traditional Smṛti describes a progressive deterioration of human faculties from earlier Yugas toward Kali.

2. Exceptional Dvāpara cognition - Arjuna is not an ordinary human being of Dvāpara. He is portrayed as an exceptionally capable individual.

3. Extraordinary teacher - Kṛṣṇa is not an ordinary teacher. The Gītā itself presents Him as Bhagavān and Yogeśvara.

4. Difference between textual volume and cognitive communication - The 700 verses preserve the complete teaching, but the amount of text preserved need not correspond mechanically to the amount of chronological time required for its assimilation.

These four factors together produce a remarkably coherent model. Let us examine them in detail.

Yuga Related Analysis

Yugas are not merely periods of calendar time. The traditional conception of the Yugas is much richer than four periods of different duration.

Traditional imagery of the four yugas (cosmic ages) in Hinduism is often represented through the metaphor of a bull (Vrishabha) standing on four legs, symbolizing Dharma (righteousness, truth, and moral order). With each passing age from Satya → Tretā → Dvāpara → Kali, one leg is lost as virtue declines and chaos increases.

Thus, Yugas also represent different conditions of human life and consciousness. This is found in the Yuga discussions of Smṛti, including Manusmṛti 1.81–86 and the broader Purāṇic tradition. Thus Dvāpara is already a declining age. But Kali represents a substantially further reduction.

What actually declines in each Yuga?

The Smṛti descriptions associate Kali with deterioration in:

1. Āyuḥ - Lifespan

2. Bala - Strength

3. Smṛti - Memory

4. Mati / Prajñā - Understanding and intellectual capacity

5. Dharma - Steadiness in righteous conduct

6. Capacity for sustained discipline - A natural consequence of the general deterioration described.

Srimad Bhāgavatam gives an extraordinarily concise description:

प्रायेणाल्पायुषः सभ्य

कलावस्मिन् युगे जनाः ।

मन्दाः सुमन्दमतयो

मन्दभाग्या ह्युपद्रुताः ॥

1.1.10

The phrases: “alpa-āyuṣaḥ” (short-lived) and “sumanda-matayaḥ” (of greatly diminished understanding) are especially relevant. This gives us an important conceptual foundation to our model.

Yugas - The time sense

Yugas (We will focus on Dvāpara and Kali being the eras of Gita and we, humans of this modern world) are not merely different clocks. This leads to a crucial distinction. We should not say: “Dvāpara time moved faster than Kali time.” That is not what the Yuga descriptions establish. Instead, “ The human organism and mind operating within those Yugas are traditionally understood to possess different capacities”. This distinction is fundamental.

Imagine two computers receiving the same complex data. The data is identical. But the processing capacities differ. The faster processor does not experience a different physical second. It simply accomplishes more within that second. This is precisely the analogy that helps us think about Dvāpara and Kali.

Let us therefore distinguish external time, subjective time and cognitive time. External time is related to the physical sequence of events measured by clocks. Subjective time is the duration experienced by the individual and Cognitive time is the amount of mental processing and assimilation accomplished within a given interval. These are not necessarily identical.

Our model is primarily concerned with the third. A highly capable mind may perceive → understand → connect → infer → assimilate

in a fraction of the time that an ordinary mind requires. Therefore “The amount of knowledge assimilated is not necessarily proportional to chronological duration”.

Arjuna - The exceptional Receiver

Even if we accept the general superiority of Dvāpara humanity over Kali humanity, we should not imagine Arjuna as an average Dvāpara individual. The Mahābhārata repeatedly portrays him as exceptional. His qualifications are almost tailor-made for rapid learning.

Arjuna’s extraordinary concentration

The famous Droṇan episode involving the bird’s eye is highly significant. When Dronacharya asks his students what they see while aiming at the bird, the other students perceive the larger environment. Arjuna focuses exclusively on the intended target. This is the practical demonstration of ekāgratā — one-pointedness.

This matters enormously. A distracted student needs explanation → repetition → redirection → clarification. A one-pointed student can receive instruction → immediate comprehension → application. That difference can dramatically alter teaching time.

Arjuna’s learning capacity

Arjuna’s mastery under Droṇa is not merely physical. He acquires complex knowledge concerning:

• weapons,

• techniques,

• astras,

• mantras,

• invocation,

• withdrawal,

• countermeasures.

Such mastery presupposes an extraordinary combination of memory + concentration + discrimination + practice. Thus Arjuna’s cognitive capacity is demonstrated through his accomplishments rather than merely asserted.

Arjuna’s tapas and dhṛti -

Arjuna’s later austerities are even more revealing. He undertakes prolonged discipline to obtain divine weapons. His encounter with Śiva as the Kirāta is particularly important.

Whatever one’s interpretation of the episode, the Mahābhārata’s portrayal of Arjuna is unmistakable “He can sustain intense concentration and effort toward a chosen objective for an extended period”. This demonstrates “dhṛti” - firmness and perseverance and “tapas” - capacity for disciplined austerity. These are exactly the qualities that support profound assimilation.

Arjuna is therefore an unusually prepared receiver.

We can now construct his cognitive profile:

1. High concentration

2. high memory

3. high learning ability

4. high discipline

5. high perseverance

6. spiritual receptivity

This is very different from the traditional description of the ordinary Kali-Yuga person “mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ” - slow and diminished in understanding.

Thus, when comparing ordinary Kali individual with Arjuna, we are not comparing two ordinary human beings. We are comparing a traditionally diminished cognitive environment with an exceptionally developed Dvāpara individual.

Kṛṣṇa - The Universal Teacher

The teacher is equally important. Kṛṣṇa is described as “Yogeśvara” and Bhagavān. In Sloka 4.3 Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna:

भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति

रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम् ॥

“You are My devotee and My friend; therefore this supreme secret is being taught to you.”

This gives us an extraordinary Guru–śiṣya relationship. The teacher knows the student. The teacher understands the student’s confusion. The teacher knows precisely where the student’s difficulty lies. This is not a generic lecture delivered to a crowd. It is personalized teaching.

The Gītā itself demonstrates high-bandwidth teaching. Look at the opening of the teaching. Kṛṣṇa does not begin by giving Arjuna hundreds of verses of philosophy. He immediately identifies the fundamental problem:

कुतस्त्वा कश्मलमिदं विषमे समुपस्थितम् ॥ २.२

“Whence has this delusion come upon you at this critical moment?”

Then:

अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे ॥ २.११

“You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, while speaking words of wisdom.”

And then:

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं…

and:

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् ॥ २.२०

High Bandwidth Transmission

The essential teaching begins almost immediately. One sentence can carry enormous cognitive content. Consider:

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन् - “Never is the Self born; never does it die.”

To an unprepared mind, this may require extensive explanation. To a highly prepared mind, it can activate an entire conceptual structure:

1. Self ≠ body

2. birth belongs to body

3. death belongs to body

4. Self is not subject to either

5. grief based upon bodily identification must therefore be reconsidered.

Thus “Words are not the same thing as information”. A small number of words can generate a large cognitive structure in a prepared intellect.

This gives us a new way of looking at the 700 verses. The Gītā’s 700 verses may be viewed as the complete articulation of the teaching rather than 700 independent quantities of information that necessarily required proportional chronological time to transmit.

The distinction is important. A teacher may say one sentence. The student may understand ten implications. The teacher then addresses one of those implications. The dialogue progresses.

Vyāsa preserves the resulting teaching in a complete, structured form. The text therefore contains far more conceptual richness than can be inferred simply by counting words.

The Gītā is interactive, not a lecture. This is perhaps the most important structural observation. The Gītā proceeds as:

Kṛṣṇa → teaching → Arjuna → question → Kṛṣṇa → clarification → Arjuna → deeper question → Kṛṣṇa → deeper teaching

This is not “Kṛṣṇa gives a two-hour lecture while Arjuna remains silent”. The student is constantly participating. A highly intelligent student can accelerate a dialogue because he does not need every intermediate step verbalized. This is the essence of high-bandwidth Guru–śiṣya communication.

What does “high-bandwidth” mean here? It is Not telepathy. It is rather “a small amount of external communication producing a disproportionately large amount of internal understanding”.

For example, if the teacher says “What is permanent cannot be destroyed”, a prepared student immediately understands the implications for the Self, body and death whereas a less prepared student will come out with a question “What do you mean?” To which the teacher will say “Let me explain…” and several additional explanations follow. Thus the difference lies in assimilation efficiency.

The Cognition related analysis

The traditional Kali descriptions tell us that smṛti declines and mati/prajñā declines. Therefore the Kali mind would, on the traditional model, require more reinforcement. This gives us a useful conceptual comparison:

Dvāpara

Higher cognitive preparedness

→ fewer explanations required

→ faster assimilation

→ greater retention

→ greater capacity for sustained contemplation.

Kali

Reduced cognitive preparedness

→ more explanation

→ more repetition

→ more examples

→ more reinforcement

→ greater pedagogical time.

This does not require different physical clocks. It requires only different cognitive efficiency.

This explains something important about modern Gītā study. A modern student may spend months or years studying the Gītā. Arjuna’s encounter with Kṛṣṇa may have produced decisive transformation within the battlefield episode. Why? Because the student is different. Arjuna already possessed:

• extraordinary discipline,

• immense life experience,

• knowledge of dharma,

• martial mastery,

• relationship with Kṛṣṇa,

• spiritual preparedness.

The Gītā was not his introduction to every idea contained within the text. Kṛṣṇa was bringing together and resolving his crisis. Arjuna’s final response proves successful assimilation At the end:

नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा

त्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत ।

स्थितोऽस्मि गतसन्देहः

करिष्ये वचनं तव ॥ १८.७३ ॥

Arjuna says:

“My delusion is destroyed; my understanding is restored. I stand firm, free from doubt. I shall do Your bidding.”

The transformation is therefore:

Beginning

moha — delusion

↓

Teaching

śravaṇa + clarification + discrimination

↓

End

moha-nāśa

↓

smṛti-lābha

↓

gata-saṃdeha

↓

sthiti

↓

action

This is an extraordinarily efficient cognitive transformation.

Perception Related Analysis

Now let us introduce the term “extraordinary perception”. The Mahābhārata’s world also gives us another important element. Sañjaya says:

व्यासप्रसादाच्छ्रुतवानेतद्गुह्यमहं परम् ।

योगं योगेश्वरात्कृष्णात्साक्षात्कथयतः स्वयम् ॥ १८.७५ ॥

Through Vyāsa’s grace, Sañjaya hears the supreme Yoga directly from Kṛṣṇa as He speaks. This demonstrates that the epic’s conception of perception is not restricted to ordinary physical proximity.

And Arjuna receives:

दिव्यं ददामि ते चक्षुः ॥ ११.८ ॥

“Divine eyes I give you.”

Thus the Mahābhārata operates within a cognitive universe in which extraordinary modes of perception are entirely possible.

This makes the idea of unusually efficient communication less alien to the narrative world. Could communication have occurred partly beyond ordinary speech?

The traditional Indian theory of Vāc describes:

Parā → Paśyantī → Madhyamā → Vaikharī

as progressively manifest levels of speech.

At the grossest level Vaikharī, we have articulated audible language. But at subtler levels, meaning is conceived prior to its complete phonetic expression. This provides a philosophical framework for considering:

“meaning being apprehended more directly than through sequential verbal articulation”.

If something analogous occurred in the Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna encounter, then the amount of meaning transmitted could greatly exceed the amount of audible verbalization. But the crucial point is that this is a philosophical extension of the model, not a claim that the Mahābhārata explicitly says “Kṛṣṇa taught the Gītā through Paśyantī Vāc.”

Chapter 11 provides an even more dramatic possibility. Kṛṣṇa does not verbally describe the entire Viśvarūpa. He shows it.

Arjuna experiences:

• countless forms,

• divine manifestations,

• the entire universe,

• the armies,

• their destruction,

• cosmic time,

• the relationship between beings and Kāla.

The experience itself conveys information. This establishes a crucial principle:

Some knowledge in the Bhagwad Gita is communicated through direct experience rather than sequential verbal description.

This does not mean the whole Gītā was transmitted that way. But it demonstrates that the narrative world recognizes non-ordinary, information-rich cognition.

Therefore Subjective time becomes relevant here. Suppose an individual enters an extraordinary cognitive state. The amount of conceptual experience may be enormous while the perceived duration is comparatively small. Modern dreams provide an everyday analogy: elaborate narratives can appear to unfold within surprisingly short periods. We should not use dreams as proof of what happened to Arjuna. But they demonstrate a general philosophical point:

experienced temporal duration is not necessarily proportional to the amount of mental content experienced.

In the Mahābhārata’s extraordinary cognitive universe, this possibility becomes even more conceptually relevant.

Three possible layers of the Gītā event

We can therefore envision three layers.

1. Layer 1 — External battlefield - Two armies are assembled. Kṛṣṇan and Arjuna are in the chariot. There is a finite physical interval before battle resumes.

2. Layer 2 — Guru–śiṣya communication - Kṛṣṇa teaches. Arjuna questions. Kṛṣṇa responds. Arjuna assimilates.

3. Layer 3 — Extraordinary cognition - Certain aspects of the teaching may involve exceptionally direct perception or experience, culminating dramatically in the Viśvarūpa.

The 700-verse text preserves the complete teaching across these layers.

The role of Vyāsa

Vyāsa is not merely a passive recorder in the Mahābhārata. The epic itself attributes extraordinary perception to him. Sañjaya explicitly attributes his ability to perceive the events to Vyāsa-prasāda. Vyāsa therefore occupies an important position in our model.

The Gītā we possess is the canonical literary form in which the teaching has been transmitted to humanity. The distinction is:

event → perception → narration → canonical text

rather than necessarily:

event = stenographic transcript.

This distinction solves a major part of the apparent chronological problem.

The most interesting synthesis

We can now put everything together.

Dvāpara-Yuga environment

Human capacities are traditionally greater than in Kali.

↓

Arjuna

An exceptionally concentrated, disciplined and capable individual.

↓

Kṛṣṇa

An extraordinary teacher, Bhagavān and Yogeśvara.

↓

Guru–śiṣya interaction

Highly personalized and cognitively efficient.

↓

Extraordinary modes of cognition

The Mahābhārata already permits divya-dṛṣṭi and Vyāsa-enabled perception.

↓

Direct experience

Viśvarūpa demonstrates communication beyond ordinary descriptive language.

↓

Vyāsa’s canonical presentation

The complete teaching becomes 700 ślokas. Therefore, “The chronological duration of the battlefield event cannot be inferred simply by timing a modern recitation of the 700 verses”.

The model in one diagram

Learnings from this study

The study also produces a broader philosophical observation.

If human cognitive capacity genuinely declines across Yugas, then the form of teaching appropriate to humanity should also change. This is exactly what the Yuga-dharma tradition suggests. The teaching does not become less profound. Rather, the means of access becomes progressively adapted to the declining capacity of the recipient.

The greatest example of putting in “more effort in terms of time and thoughts” was demonstrated by Sage Vyasa. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.4.17–25 explicitly gives the reasoning. Vyāsa saw that people had become: “अल्पायुषः अल्पमेधसः”-short-lived and of lesser intellectual capacity”. Recognizing the diminishing cognitive strength of humanity, he undertook a massive editorial and literary project to ensure knowledge would survive by segregating the Veda into four.

This is why Kali, despite being described as an age of enormous deficiencies, is simultaneously given an exceptionally accessible spiritual means. The Bhāgavata says:

कलेर्दोषनिधे राजन्

अस्ति ह्येको महान् गुणः ॥ १२.३.५१ ॥

Kali is an ocean of faults, yet possesses one great quality. Thus there is a profound pedagogical principle embedded in the Yuga doctrine:

As human cognitive and spiritual capacities decline, the required spiritual means become correspondingly simplified and intensified in efficacy.

What this means for the modern Kali-Yuga student is that It also explains something we intuitively experience. A modern student may need:

• detailed explanations,

• translations,

• commentaries,

• cross-references,

• repeated readings,

• lectures,

• discussions,

• contemplation,

• examples,

• comparative analysis.

This does not mean the śāstra has become more complicated. It may mean that the receiver has become less immediately capable of assimilating the same teaching.

That is entirely consistent with the traditional Kali-Yuga description.

And therefore the original battlefield problem changes character. The question:

“How could the Gītā possibly have been spoken in such a short interval?”

may actually be the wrong question. The more appropriate question is:

“What kind of teacher–student cognitive interaction would allow such a profound teaching to be assimilated within the battlefield situation described by the Mahābhārata?”

Our answer becomes:

An extraordinary teacher + an extraordinary student + Dvāpara-Yuga human capacity + highly concentrated Guru–śiṣya interaction + extraordinary modes of cognition + canonical textual compression.

This is perhaps the most important refinement. We do not need to choose between:

1. ordinary two-hour conversation

and

2. miraculous instantaneous telepathy.

There is a large conceptual space between them. The model proposes something like:

ordinary speech + extraordinary teacher + exceptional student + exceptionally efficient cognition + direct experiential communication where appropriate + literary condensation.

In other words:

Not supernatural communication necessarily — but extraordinary efficiency of communication and cognition.

The 700 verses may be thought of as containing:

1. Śabda - the verbal teaching

2. Artha - the meaning conveyed

3. Tātparya - the intended philosophical purport

4. Anubhava - the transformation or direct vision made possible by the teaching.

These are not identical quantities. A thousand words can produce little understanding. A single sentence can completely overturn someone’s understanding. Arjuna’s final declaration suggests that the latter happened.

The Arjuna at the opening verse is “viṣāda-grasta” - overwhelmed by grief and confusion.

The Arjuna at the concluding is “gata-saṃdehaḥ” - free from doubt and “sthito’smi” - firmly established and “kariṣye vacanaṃ tava” - “I shall do Your bidding.”

Summary

The true measure of the Gītā is therefore not the 700 verses but one transformed human being. That is the real measure of the teaching.

The Bhagavad Gītā was delivered in an extraordinary Guru–śiṣya encounter between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. The 700 verses represent the complete canonical exposition of that teaching, but their number need not be treated as a direct measure of the chronological duration of the original encounter. Traditional Smṛti portrays Dvāpara and Kali as Yugas in which human capacities differ substantially, with Kali marked by diminished lifespan, strength, memory and understanding. Arjuna, however, is portrayed as an exceptional Dvāpara individual possessing extraordinary concentration, learning ability, discipline, perseverance and spiritual receptivity. Kṛṣṇa, as Bhagavān and Yogeśvara, is an extraordinary teacher capable of communicating at a level appropriate to such a student.

Consequently, the rate of assimilation of profound teaching in Arjuna could have been vastly greater than that of an ordinary Kali-Yuga mind. A statement carrying enormous conceptual implications could therefore be understood without requiring every intermediate implication to be laboriously verbalized. The Mahābhārata’s acceptance of extraordinary perception through Vyāsa’s grace and divya-cakṣus further establishes a cognitive universe broader than ordinary sensory experience. The Viśvarūpa itself demonstrates that enormous content can be conveyed through direct experience rather than sequential verbal description.

The most fruitful way of understanding the battlefield episode, therefore, is not to ask how many modern recitation-minutes the 700 verses would require, but to recognize that chronological time, verbal communication, cognitive processing and assimilation are different variables. The extraordinary capacities of the teacher and student, together with the traditional cognitive differences between Dvāpara and Kali, make possible a model in which a vast philosophical teaching could be communicated and assimilated with extraordinary efficiency within the battlefield situation.

The Gītā’s apparent “time problem” may disappear once we stop measuring the event by the amount of modern verbal recitation and start examining the relationship between Yuga, human cognitive capacity, teacher capability, student preparedness, modes of communication, and assimilation.

And that produces a very interesting proposition:

The same teaching does not necessarily require the same amount of time for every mind.

A Kali-Yuga student may need:

more words → more examples → more repetition → more time → more contemplation

whereas an exceptionally prepared Dvāpara student like Arjuna may require:

fewer words → immediate recognition → rapid integration → transformation.

The 700 ślokas tell us the magnitude and completeness of the teaching. They do not, by themselves, tell us the number of minutes that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna occupied on the battlefield.

That distinction, I believe, is the key to this model.

Our journey so far

“Sarvam Brahma Mayam” - “ யாதும் ஊரே, யாவரும் கேளிர் “ is the essence of our culture.

To demonstrate this Spirit of Unity, we started this Vedantic Musical Suite on March 1, 2026 through “Sangeeta Aikyam” (सङ्गीत ऐक्यम्). We started integrating lyrics conveying the essence of what the Vedas and Upanishads taught us, through compositions in Carnatic and the Western Music genres using the oldest language in the world Tamil.

Six months later, today we have a wonderful garland of “Atma Jnana”, knowledge about “Self. That knowledge is nothing but “Thou art That”.

Let us quickly recapitulate our efforts in bringing out this “Garland of Bliss” by looking at the six floral elements:

1. Before moving into deeper inquiry, we began our journey on March 2nd, through Saguna Upasana (Worship of Form). Using the five sacred syllables (Na-Ma-Śi-Vā-Ya) as the foundation, this prayer song based on the original one written in Sanskrit by Adi Sankara, establishes the presence of the Divine as the “Self-Luminous One” .

2. We then (April 2nd) challenged ourselves with a direct question “is it enough to see the Supreme only in stone (idol). This song composed based on the Raga Maand brought out the necessity of seeking the “Primordial Source” within us rather than wandering in sensory pleasures.

3. Defining Consciousness (Unarvu) as the Supreme Reality, we then (May 1st) bridged the macrocosm and microcosm viz., what is in the universe (Andam) is in the body (Pindam). The song composed based on Raga Brindavana Saranga, attempted to highlight few attributes of the Unattributable.

4. We then (May31st) appealed to the Sun which symbolises removal of darkness. “Take me from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge” was the prayer. Locating the “Lord” inside the “Cave of the Heart” (Idhaya Kugai), this song in Raga Hamir Kalyani, is a soulful plea to transcend the cycle of Karma.

5. In the Raga Durga , we made (June 30th) a bold affirmation of Non-Duality (Advaita). Tat Tvam Asi (Thou Art That), a foundational teaching from the Chandogya Upanishad, declaring that the individual soul (Atman) is identical to the ultimate cosmic reality (Brahman). Tat Tvam Asi (Thou Art That), the foundational teaching of the Chandogya Upanishad, reveals the identity of the individual Self (Ātman) with Brahman, the ultimate Realit. Starting that You are the source, the world, and the “I”, the song also defined the Undefinable.

6. Standing as the Witness (Sakshi) beyond time and attributes, we finally declared (August 1st) in the Raga Hindolam that the “Fire of Wisdom about the Self” (Atma Jnana) burns all three types of Karma to ashes. This is the Anubhava (Experience) called Nididhyasana (Contemplation). The state of being Rooted and Staying in this experience is Liberation called Moksha.This abiding contemplation and assimilation of the truth is Nididhyāsana; being firmly established in this knowledge is Mokṣa.

Now it is time to end this first episode with a  Prayer. Here is an attempt at a prayer based on the very famous Thirupughazhl, (which I try my best to recite every day).

Here is the Prayer is based on the Raga Hamsanandhi by my sister-in-law in Carnatic Genre and Swarzulu in Fusion Genre

The Prayer

Carnatic Genre

Fusion Genre

The Lyrics

மனமொழி மெய்யெனும் உடலாலே

அறவழி வினை தவம் புரிவோமே !

உறவினில் மங்கலம் பொங்காதோ

உளதமர் உனையடி பணிந்தாலே !

ஓமெனும் மந்திர ஒலியோனின்

ஒப்பிலா ஞான அறிவோனின்

பேரொளி என்னுள் எழுந்திடவே

பெரு அருள் நீயும் தருவாயே !!

May We Walk the Path of Dharma

With mind, with word, with body true,
May we perform our sacred deeds;
May every act be steeped in Dharma,
May every deed become our tapas.

When at Thy feet our hearts surrender,
Will not auspiciousness overflow
Into the bonds of every relationship,
When the heart within bows down to Thee?

O Thou, whose very sound is Om,
O Thou, the Knower of Supreme Wisdom,
Whose radiance is beyond compare—
May that great Light arise within me;

And may Thy boundless Grace, O Lord,
Descend upon me and illumine my being!

A note about Raga Hamsanandhi

Raga Hamsanandi is one of the most instantly recognizable and emotionally piercing ragas in Carnatic music. It is a scale that doesn’t just gently introduce itself; it commands attention through a deep sense of yearning, meditative intensity, and a breezy brilliance.

Hamsanandi is a Shadava-Shadava raga, meaning it uses exactly six notes in both its ascent (arohana) and descent (avarohana).

In most Indian classical music, the Panchamam (Pa) acts as an anchor—a stabilizing, grounding force. Hamsanandi deliberately eschews the ‘Pa’ entirely. This “chasm” in the center of the raga creates an inherent instability and a feeling of an unresolved search. The absence of Pa removes a familiar point of repose, creating a distinctive sense of openness and yearning. The listener is drawn forward, as though the musical thought is continually reaching beyond itself. It is this precise structural gap that gives Hamsanandi its signature emotion: a fervent, almost desperate appeal.

Because of its unique note alignment, Hamsanandi is deeply evocative. It is often associated with Yearning and Longing. The missing ‘Pa’ leaves the listener subconsciously waiting for a resolution that never comes, making it perfect for themes of deep devotion.

A note about the Fusion Symphony

A fusion symphony based on Rāga Hamsanandi has extraordinary artistic potential. Hamsanandi possesses an ethereal, meditative, and luminous quality that lends itself remarkably well to symphonic development while retaining its Carnatic identity. The challenge is not merely to place Carnatic melodies over a Western orchestra, but to let the symphonic form grow organically from the rāga itself.

The orchestra enters gradually with sustained strings and soft brass, creating an atmosphere of vastness rather than harmonic movement.

As Hamsanandi motif appears, the Woodwinds echo and develop it while the strings weave contrapuntal textures. Harmony remains modal and the rāga’s identity is preserved.

A quiet orchestral movement with cello, English horn carrying Hamsanandi phrases over shimmering strings. This movement evokes inward contemplation, almost like a musical dhyāna.

The music gradually dissolves back into the stillness from which it emerged, suggesting the Vedantic vision that all manifestation returns to silence.

This Spirit of Unity in Music is a honest attempt to discover how an Indian contemplative melodic consciousness can breathe through a global rhythmic language.

Thank you for the support and encouragement.

Please Feel free to comment. Thanks

God Bless

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என்னிலோ பூரணனெனும் பெயர் விரிக்கிலுரை வேறுமுளதோ

ஔவிய மிருக்கநா னென்கின்ற ஆணவம்

அடைந்திட் டிருக்கலோபம்

அருளின்மை கூடக் கலந்துள் ளிருக்கமேல்

ஆசா பிசாபமுதலாம்

வெவ்விய குணம்பல இருக்கஎன் னறிவூடு

மெய்யன்நீ வீற்றிருக்க

விதியில்லை என்னிலோ பூரண னெனும்பெயர்

விரிக்கிலுரை வேறுமுளதோ

கவ்வுமல மாகின்ற நாகபா சத்தினால்

கட்டுண்ட உயிர்கள் மூர்ச்சை

கடிதகல வலியவரு ஞானசஞ் சீவியே

கதியான பூமிநடுவுட்

செவ்விதின் வளர்ந்தோங்கு திவ்யகுண மேருவே

சித்தாந்த முத்திமுதலே

சிரகிரி விளங்கவரு தக்ஷிணா மூர்த்தியே

சின்மயா னந்தகுருவே ॥ 3 ॥

The Poisoned Knot

Within this painted house of self

There sits a tyrant whispering,

“I… I… I…”

The ancient arrogance of separateness

Has built its throne in me.

Beside it crouches greed,

Never filled, never resting,

Its fingers clutching shadows

And calling them treasure.

And where compassion should have flowered,

Dryness spreads—

A barren field untouched by grace.

Desire walks these chambers like a ghost,

Cursing the heart with endless hunger.

Anger burns through hidden corridors.

Envy stains the mirrors of the mind.

Countless harsh and fevered tendencies

Rise and fall within me

Like storms upon a darkened sea.

Yet amidst this chaos

You remain seated there—

Silent, unmoving,

The One Reality within my own awareness.

If You are not here,

Then tell me—

How can they call You the Fullness?

What meaning has “Infinite”

If even this broken soul

Falls outside Your embrace?

We are bound, O Lord,

Bound fast by the serpent-rope

Of impurity and ignorance.

The venom coils around the heart,

And consciousness faints beneath its weight.

We stumble through life

Half-awake, half-dreaming,

Mistaking bondage for freedom,

Mistaking darkness for sight.

But You—

You are the life-restoring elixir,

The wisdom that revives the dying spirit.

One touch of Your knowledge

And the poison loosens.

One glance of Your grace

And the knot begins to break.

O Mountain of divine virtues,

Rising radiant at the center of existence,

Steady amidst the collapsing worlds—

You stand beyond decay,

Beyond confusion,

Beyond the fever of becoming.

Dakṣiṇāmūrti!

Silent Teacher of liberating truth!

Ocean of Conscious Bliss!

Enter fully into this trembling heart.

Drive out the armies of darkness.

Burn away the falsehood

That calls itself “me.”

And when the last chain falls,

May this soul awaken

Not as a beggar before the Infinite,

But as a wave remembering

It was always the sea.

Detailed Commentary

In the first hymn of Chinmayānanda Guru, Thayumanavar prays for devotion, detachment, and true knowledge despite his own fallen tendencies. In the second hymn, he warns against excessive identification with the body and emphasizes spiritual maturity through disciplined practice before aspiring toward the highest non-dual realization.

In this third hymn, Thayumanavar turns inward with startling honesty. He openly confesses the presence of jealousy, arrogance, greed, lovelessness, restless desire, and many other degrading tendencies within himself. Yet, in the midst of this confession, he raises a profound philosophical question: If God is truly “Pūrṇan” — the All-Full Reality that transcends all limitations of space, time, and object — can He ever be absent even from the heart of an imperfect being?

This hymn is therefore not merely a cry of repentance. It is a subtle Advaitic meditation on the nature of Divine Fullness, human impurity, bondage, grace, and liberating wisdom.

The Human Condition: Jealousy, Ego, and Greed

The hymn begins with a catalogue of inner impurities.

1. Jealousy - Jealousy is the inability to rejoice in the growth and well-being of others. Thayumanavar treats it not merely as a moral weakness, but as opposition to the very flow of creation itself. Life is meant to evolve and flourish. One who cannot bear the success of another stands opposed to that divine movement. Tamil ethical literature strongly condemns such envy. Avvaiyār says: “ஔவியம் பேசேல்” - “Speak not words born of jealousy.” Jealousy pollutes thought, speech, and action. It narrows the mind and prevents spiritual expansion.

2. Ego — “I” Centred Arrogance - Thayumanavar next speaks of: “நான் என்கின்ற ஆணவம்” - “The arrogance rooted in the notion ‘I’.” The ego in Vedānta is not merely self-reference. It is mistaken identity — identifying the Self with body, status, achievement, and personality. One says: “I am superior,” “I am important”. “I am the doer.” Such notions arise from ignorance (ajñāna). Like a wave imagining itself separate from the ocean, the individual imagines separateness from Brahman. Yet Vedānta also recognizes that purified forms of individuality — such as “I am a servant of God” or “I belong to the Guru” — can become stepping stones toward surrender and inner purification. When the ego subsides, Divine Awareness alone remains.

3. Greed - Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa declares in the Bhagavad Gītā (16.21): “Triple is the gate to hell — desire, anger, and greed.” Greed is not merely accumulation of wealth. It is the inability to let resources flow toward the welfare of others. Thayumanavar ’s explanation beautifully reflects a universal principle: “Rivers flow, Air gives life, The sun gives light, Earth yields harvest. Creation itself is sustained through giving. Thus, hoarding is spiritual stagnation. A well, whose water is never drawn eventually becomes stagnant and poisonous. Likewise, wealth and abilities that are never shared begin to corrupt the heart. In Advaita Vedānta, the highest charity is ultimately the renunciation of ego and possessiveness — the dropping of “mine-ness.”

Absence of Grace-Consciousness

The hymn next laments: “அருளின்மை” — absence of grace. Grace here does not merely mean divine favor. It means perceiving all existence as permeated by God. Just as sweetness cannot be separated from sugar, creation cannot truly be separated from its Divine Cause. To live with grace is:

to see all beings as expressions of the Divine,

to recognize all events as occurring within Divine

Order,

and to surrender the illusion of independent

doership.

But the ego resists this vision. It insists: “I act ”, “I control ”, “I accomplish.” Thus Thayumanavar confesses that this mature state of grace-awareness has not yet fully dawned within him.

Desire — The Demon That Never Rests

One of the hymn’s most striking expressions is: “ஆசா பிசாசு” — “the demon of desire.”Thayumanavar does not deny that desire initially drives growth and evolution. Even spiritual aspiration begins as desire. Yet there comes a stage in spiritual maturity where worldly craving becomes a hindrance. The saints therefore say: “Even desire for heavenly enjoyment must eventually be abandoned.”

Desire is compared to a ghost because it never rests. It keeps the mind wandering endlessly outward. At lower stages, desire motivates effort. At higher stages, it disturbs peace. The mind that has churned itself into spiritual maturity must eventually become still — like butter separating peacefully from churned curd.

The Great Philosophical Question: Can God Be Absent Anywhere?

This is the heart of the hymn. Thayumanavar says: - “So many terrible qualities remain within me. Yet if You are truly Pūrṇan — the All-Full One — how can You be absent from within me?”

This is a profound Advaitic insight. If God exists only in holy places and not in impure hearts, then He cannot truly be Infinite. The Upaniṣads declare: “Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam” - “All this is pervaded by the Lord.”

The Bhagavad Gītā (6.30) similarly says: “He who sees Me everywhere and everything in Me — I never become lost to him, nor does he become lost to Me.”Thus God pervades both saint and sinner alike. However, there is an important distinction: God is present equally everywhere; but He is not equally manifest everywhere.

Sunlight falls equally upon a mirror and a lump of clay. Yet only the polished mirror reflects the light clearly. Similarly, Divine Consciousness shines in all beings, but a mind clouded by jealousy, greed, and ego cannot reflect that Presence clearly.

The Serpent-Bond of Ignorance

The hymn next introduces the powerful imagery of: “நாகபாசம்” — serpent-bondage. This recalls the Nāgapāśa (Nāgāstrā) weapon in the Rāmāyaṇa, which bound Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa into helpless unconsciousness.

Likewise, the soul is bound by attachment, ignorance, restlessness, doubt, and false identification with the body. These impurities first appear manageable. Eventually they overpower the individual entirely. Thayumanavar calls this condition “mūrccai” — spiritual unconsciousness. The world of impermanent objects is mistaken for absolute reality.

Jñāna Sañjīvi — The Herb of Liberating Wisdom

Just as Hanumān brought the Sanjīvi herb to revive the unconscious warriors in the Rāmāyaṇa, Thayumanavar invokes Divine Knowledge as the medicine that instantly removes spiritual delusion. This “Jñāna Sañjīvi” is not ordinary intellectual information. It is direct knowledge of the Self. The Guru and God together function as this life-restoring force. When ignorance departs, bondage weakens, ego subsides and the individual awakens to the deathless Reality. Liberation is therefore not the production of something new, but the removal of ignorance covering what eternally IS.

Dakṣiṇāmūrti — The Silent Guru of Liberation

The hymn culminates in worship of Dakṣiṇāmūrti — Śiva as the primordial Guru. He is the Mountain of Divine Virtues, the Source of Liberation, the One beyond the grasp of the mind and Pure Consciousness-Bliss itself.

The phrase: “சித்தாந்த முத்தி முதேல” suggests that liberation begins where the mind ends. The finite intellect cannot fully grasp the Infinite. At the culmination of inquiry, the mind itself dissolves into Silence. That Silence is Dakṣiṇāmūrti.

Conclusion

The central teaching of this hymn is subtle and profound. Human beings may be filled with defects:

1. jealousy,

2. greed,

3. arrogance,

4. desire,

5. and spiritual ignorance.

Yet none of these can drive away the Infinite Reality, because Brahman is Pūrṇam — limitless fullness. The problem is not absence of God. The problem is obscuration caused by impurity. Thus spiritual life is not the creation of Divinity within oneself, but the removal of ignorance that hides the ever-present Truth.

Ātma Bodha declares: “Though the Self is ever all-pervading, It shines clearly only in the purified intellect, like sunlight reflected in a clean mirror.”

Ultimately, Thayumanavar ’s prayer may be summarized thus: “The Reality already IS. Remove the ignorance that prevents me from recognizing it.”

Note

For those who can read and understand Tamil, detailed explanation in Tamil, based on the lectures of Swami Omkarananda and Swami Chidbhavananda will be available at my blog

Prabhu’s Ponder - https://prabhusponder.com

God Bless

நீ முன் நிற்பது என்று காண்பேன்?

ஆக்கையெனும் இடிகரையை மெய்யென்ற பாவிநான்

அத்துவித வாஞ்சையாதல்

அரியகொம் பில்தேனை முடவனிச் சித்தபடி

ஆகும்அறி வவிழஇன்பந்

தாக்கும்வகை யேதிநாட் சரியைகிரி யாயோக

சாதனம் விடுத்ததெல்லாஞ்

சன்மார்க மல்லஇவை நிற்கஎன் மார்கங்கள்

சாராத பேரறிவதாய்

வாக்குமனம் அணுகாத பூரணப் பொருள்வந்து

வாய்க்கும் படிக்குபாயாம்

வருவித் துவட்டாத பேரின்ப மானசுக

வாரியினை வாய்மடுத்துத்

தேக்கித் திளைக்கநீ முன்னிற்ப தென்றுகாண்

சித்தாந்த முத்திமுதலே

சிரகிரி விளங்கவரு தக்ஷிணா மூர்த்தியே

சின்மயா னந்தகுருவே…2

The Crumbling Shore

I built my home upon a shrinking shore
And called the body “I.”
This house of dust,
This fleeting frame
Struck by time’s unseen lightning—
I clasped it as eternal.
What folly!

And yet within me rises
A strange and sacred thirst:
The longing for the One without a second,
The hunger for the boundless Truth
Beyond all names and forms.
But how shall such a vision
Awaken in one like me?
It seems as impossible

As a cripple yearning for honey
High upon a branch
No hand can ever reach.

My mind knows the sweetness exists,
Yet cannot climb.

So I wandered through paths—
Rituals performed at dawn,
Sacred actions polished by tradition,
Disciplines of body, breath, and thought,
Pilgrimages across the deserts of becoming.

But now I stand exhausted,
For none of these can seize
The Infinite.
They prepare the soil, perhaps,
But cannot command the rain.

There is a Knowing beyond all pathways,
A Vastness untouched by method,
A Light no scripture can imprison,
A Truth before thought is born.
Mind cannot reach It.
Speech cannot contain It.

Yet That alone is real.

O Silent Master beneath the banyan shade,
You who shine beyond word and intellect,
You whose presence dissolves the arrogance of
separateness—
Come.

Not as an idea,
Not as philosophy,
But as living Grace.
Draw near to me

As the shore welcomes the sea.

Let the Fullness beyond all measure
Overflow into this broken heart.
Let it gather within me
Like an endless ocean of bliss
Untouched by decay,
Untouched by time.

May I drink from that immortal flood

Until all thirst is gone.
May I drown in that sweetness
Where no desire survives.
What use is fleeting joy
When the soul has glimpsed
The wine of the Eternal?
O Dakṣiṇāmūrti,
Ancient Teacher of the voiceless Truth,
You who reveal through silence
What words can never teach—
Stand before me once,
And the darkness of lifetimes
Will vanish like mist before dawn.

Then this wandering self
Will no longer cling
To the crumbling shore of flesh,
But merge at last
Into the limitless sea
Of undying Bliss….2

Detailed Commentary

“O Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti of Siragiri! I am a deluded soul who treats this crumbling body like a permanent truth. For me to desire the high state of Advaita is like a cripple desiring honey on the highest branch. How can my intellect melt into Bliss? Rituals performed without inner transformation are not the true path. O Supreme Intelligence beyond mind and speech! When will You grant me the means to drink from the never-satiating Ocean of Bliss and manifest Yourself before me?” pleads Thayumanavar.

Thayumanavar’s second hymn is not merely a devotional outpour. It is the cry of a seeker standing at the threshold between bondage and awakening. The hymn carries within it the anguish of spiritual inadequacy, the exhaustion born of endless religious striving, and the yearning for immediate knowledge of the Absolute. At the same time, it unfolds some of the deepest principles of Advaita Vedānta in poetic form.

Unlike ordinary devotional poetry that seeks divine intervention in worldly life, this hymn seeks nothing less than the dissolution of existential ignorance itself. The central anguish of the hymn lies in the tension between two recognitions:

• the seeker’s continuing identification with the body,

• and his simultaneous longing for non-dual realization.

This contradiction forms the spiritual heart of the hymn.

“I Who Take the Body to Be Real”

The Bhagavad Gītā says (2.16) “ nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ” - The unreal never truly exists; the Real never ceases to be.”Thayumanavar who clearly understands and lives by this doctrine, opens the second song with a startling confession:

“O sinful me, who considers the crumbling
riverbank called the body to be real…”

The metaphor is profound. The body is compared to a riverbank that may collapse at any moment. A riverbank appears stable, yet erosion is already at work within it. Likewise, the body appears enduring while time silently destroys it from within. The body belongs to the realm of change, decay, and mortality. Yet human beings instinctively cling to it as “I.” This misidentification is what Advaita calls dehātma buddhi — the notion that the body itself is the Self.

Thayumanavar does not speak from philosophical superiority. He speaks from painful self-awareness. He recognizes that despite all scriptural learning and spiritual practice, attachment to bodily existence still persists. This existential honesty “I Who Take the Body to Be Real” gives the hymn its spiritual authenticity.

The Cripple, Seeking Honey on a High Branch

Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.4 declares: “nāyam ātmā balahīnena labhyaḥ” - “The Self is not attained by the weak.” The weakness referred to is not physical weakness but spiritual immaturity — a mind still deeply entangled in identification, desire, and egoity.

Bhagavad Gītā (6.35) states “asaṁśayaṁ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṁ calam” - Without doubt, the mind is difficult to restrain and restless.

Reflecting these Vedāntic Perspectives, Thayumanavar intensifies his anguish by saying “For me to desire Advaita is like a cripple desiring honey upon a rare branch.” Advaita is not presented here as intellectual philosophy. It is presented as the highest realization requiring inner fitness. The cripple cannot climb the tree; likewise, the seeker bound by body-consciousness cannot effortlessly ascend to non-dual realization. This reflects a central teaching of the Prasthāna Traya (Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā and Brahma Sūtra) viz. “liberation requires preparedness of mind”. Yet the beauty of Thayumanavar’s expression lies in this: even while confessing unfitness, he does not abandon longing. The longing itself becomes prayer.

Beyond All Paths

Thayumanavar then makes one of the most Advaitic declarations in the hymn “You are the Great Knowledge untouched by all my paths.” All religious systems (Dvaita, Vishishtadvaita etc) and rituals like chariya, kriya, yoga, ritual worship, discipline, and devotion — belong to the domain of spiritual practice. They are means. But Brahman is not a product created by practice. This reflects the fundamental Advaitic distinction between:

• sādhana (means),

• and sādhya - siddha vastu (the already accomplished Reality).

The Absolute is not produced through action. It is ever-attained. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12) declares: “परीक्ष्य लोकान् कर्मचितान्” - “Having examined the worlds attained through action…” The seeker realizes that all action produces only finite results. Brahman alone is beyond causation. The ultimate Reality is beyond every religious structure because it is the very ground that enables all structures to exist. Thus Thayumanavar does not reject spiritual disciplines; rather, he recognizes their limitation. They purify the mind but do not produce Brahman.

“Beyond Speech and Mind”

One of the most profound expressions in the hymn is: “O Full Reality beyond the reach of speech and mind…” This directly echoes the Upaniṣadic revelation.

Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.9) says “yato vāco nivartante aprāpya manasā saha” - “From which speech returns, along with the mind, unable to attain It.”

Speech and mind can grasp only objects. Brahman is never an object because It is the very Consciousness by which all objects are known. Kena Upaniṣad says: “That which the mind cannot think, but by which the mind thinks.”

Thus Brahman cannot be externally perceived like a worldly object. It is self-revealing Consciousness itself. This is why Thayumanavar does not ask merely for divine vision. He asks for clarity of Being.“When Shall I See You Standing Before Me?” At first glance, this line appears devotional and dualistic. But in the Advaitic context of the hymn, it acquires deeper significance. The seeker is not asking for a physical appearance of God. He is asking: “When shall this Truth become unmistakably clear within me?” This is not mystical spectacle but existential certainty. The “standing before me” refers to immediate self-revelation — the removal of doubt, confusion, and indirect understanding. In other words, Thayumanavar is seeking what Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna in Bhagavad Gītā Slokas (13.12–13) “I shall declare that which ought to be known, knowing which one attains immortality — beginningless Brahman, beyond being and non-being.” The prayer is therefore not for experience but for abiding knowledge.

The Weariness of Endless Practice

Another striking theme in the hymn is spiritual exhaustion. Thayumanavar speaks of:

• chariya,

• kriya,

• yoga,
  

and countless disciplines performed over many days.Yet he asks: “What truly leads to the loosening of ignorance and the dawning of bliss?”. This is not rejection of religion but a cry against mechanical spirituality. Advaita repeatedly warns that external practice without inner transformation becomes spiritually sterile.

Bhagavad Gītā (4.33) declares: śreyān dravyamayād yajñāj jñānayajñaḥ - “The sacrifice of knowledge is superior to material ritual.”

All practices culminate in Self-knowledge. Without that culmination, practice risks becoming repetition without awakening.

Bliss That Never Fades

The hymn culminates in the yearning for “unfading bliss.” Worldly pleasures decay because they depend on objects, conditions, and sensory contact.Bhagavad Gītā 5.22 warns: “Pleasures born of contact are wombs of sorrow.” But the bliss soughthere is not emotional ecstasy. It is the intrinsic
fullness of the Self.

Taittirīya Upaniṣad declares: “आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात्” - “Bliss indeed is Brahman.” This bliss is not attained anew. It is uncovered when ignorance dissolves. Thus Thayumanavar’s longing is ultimately the longing to abide as one’s own true nature.

Conclusion

Hymn 2 reveals Thayumanavar as both philosopher and longing seeker. The hymn moves between confession, metaphysical inquiry, prayer, exhaustion, humility, and non-dual insight. He recognizes:

• the fragility of bodily existence,

• the inadequacy of mechanical spirituality,

• the limitations of mind and speech,

• the insufficiency of ritual without transformation,
  and the necessity of direct Self-knowledge.

Yet the hymn is not dry Advaita. It is Advaita aflame with longing. The seeker knows that Brahman is ever-present, beyond all paths, beyond speech and mind — and yet he cries out for It with unbearable intimacy. That tension between non-dual truth and human yearning is what gives this hymn its enduring spiritual power.

Note

For those who can read and understand Tamil, detailed explanation in Tamil, based on the lectures of Swami Omkarananda and Swami Chidbhavananda will be available at my blog

Prabhu’s Ponder - https://prabhusponder.com

God Bless

Introduction

Set in the Raga Hindolam, this song has the Seeker, standing as the Witness (Sakshi) beyond time and attributes declares that the “Fire of Wisdom about the Self” (Atma Jnana) burns all three types of Karma to ashes. This is the Anubhava (Experience) - an essential for Nididhyasana (Contemplation). The state of being Rooted and Staying in this experience is Liberation called Moksha.

1. The first one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil (with meaning in English) and rendered in Blues Genre by Swarzulu.

2. The Second one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil and rendered by my niece in traditional Carnatic Music genre without any accompanying musical instruments.

Fusion Music

Carnatic Genre

Lyrics

பல்லவி

ஞாலம் காணும் சாட்சியே பரா பர

சின் மயனே சிதானந்த ரூபனே - இந்த

அநுபல்லவி

நிர்வி காரமே நித்ய நாதனே

இதய குகை உறை பெரு சுய ஒளிர் …..

சரணம்

ஆத்மாவே அநாதியே

அண்டம் ஆண்டிடும்

அருட்பெரு ஜோதியே

மூன்று காலமும் மூவினை யாவும்

வெந்து போகும் உனது அறிவாலே

English Translation

Pallavi

O Supreme Reality (Para-Para), the Witness (Sakshi) who beholds the entire universe!

O One who is Pure Consciousness (Chinmaya), whose form is Bliss-Awareness (Chidananda)—this...

Anupallavi

O Changeless One (Nirvikara), the Eternal Lord (Nitya Nadha)!

O Great Self-Luminous One (Suya-Oli), who dwells within the cave of the heart!

Charanam

The Self (Atman) is without beginning (Anadi);

The Great Light of Grace (Arut-perum-Jyoti),

Which rules over the entire cosmos.

Past, present, and future—and all three types of Karma—

Are burnt to ashes by knowing You !

Understanding the Lyrics

This song focuses on the Sakshi Bhaava (The Attitude of the Witness) and the transformative power of Jnana Agni (The Fire of Wisdom), the essentials for focussed and deep contemplation (nidhithyasanam - நிதித்நாஸனம்).

1. The Universe’s Witness (ஞாலம் காணும் சாட்சியே)

One of the most important concepts in Advaita is the Sakshi (The Witness). The world (ஞாலம்) is the “Seen” (Drishyam), and the Self is the “Seer” (Drashta). By calling the Supreme the “Witness,” you are stating that Reality is not involved in the world’s changes, just as a movie screen is not affected by the fire or water in the film.

2. The Nature of the Absolute (Chinmaya & Chidananda)

There are two classic Vedantic descriptors here:

• Chinmaya: Composed entirely of Pure Consciousness. There is no “matter” in the Absolute.

• Chidananda: Where Consciousness (Chit) and Bliss (Ananda) are one and the same.

3. Nirvikara (The Changeless)

“Nirvikara” refers to the state of being without Vikaras (modifications). The body goes through six changes (birth, growth, decay, etc.), but the Atman is Nirvikara—it remains the same throughout eternity.

4. The Great Light of Grace - அருட்பெரும் ஜோதி

This phrase carries a beautiful resonance with the teachings of Vallalar (Ramalinga Swamigal). In Advaita, “Light” is not physical light; it is the light of Awareness that allows us to perceive all other lights. You describe this light as “Self-Luminous” (சுய ஒளி - Suya-Oli), meaning it doesn’t need a sun or a lamp to be seen—it is the very power by which we know we exist.

5. The Fire of Wisdom (ஞான அக்னி - Jnana Agni)

The final lines are the most powerful: “Vendhu pogum unadhu arivale.” In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, “As the blazing fire reduces wood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge (Jnana-Agni) reduce all Karma to ashes.” * By realizing the “Atman is Anadi” (Beginningless), the “Three Times” (Kala) and “Three Karmas” lose their grip. If you realize you were never born, the history of your actions (Karma) simply evaporates.

Note on Raga Hindolam

Hindolam is a captivating and meditative pentatonic raga in Carnatic music (known as Malkauns in the Hindustani tradition). Its beauty lies in its elegant simplicity and the profound sense of calm it evokes.

It is derived from the 20th Melakarta, Natabhairavi, though it omits the second (Rishabham) and fifth (Panchamam) notes entirely.

The absence of the Panchamam (the perfect fifth) creates a unique sonic space. The “missing” note gives the raga an airy, ethereal quality, allowing the other notes—particularly the Madhyamam (M) and Dhaivatam (D)—to shine with greater resonance.

Hindolam is traditionally associated with Bhakti (devotion), Shanta (peace), and a touch of Karuna (compassion). Because it avoids jerky transitions, Hindolam flows smoothly. It is often described as a raga that “floats” or “swings” (fitting, as Hindolam translates to a swing).

One of the most remarkable aspects of Hindolam is its adaptability. It transitions seamlessly from the rigid structures of classical music to more contemporary sounds. It is the foundation for iconic compositions like Tyagaraja’s “Samajavaragamana” and Muthuswami Dikshitar’s “Neerajakshi Kamakshi.”

In a philosophical sense, Hindolam represents a withdrawal from the external world. The omission of the dominant Panchamam forces the mind to find stability in the other notes, mirroring the Vedantic process of looking inward to find the “Self.” It is a raga that doesn’t demand attention through volume, but commands it through its inherent stillness and aptly chosen for this song which convey the essentials for Nidhithyasanam.

Note on the Fusion Music

Because of its minor pentatonic scale, Hindolam lends itself beautifully to Fusion particularly to the 12 bar Blues Genre. Its “minor” feel allows for heavy experimentation with distorted guitars or deep synth pads without losing its classical identity. In a beautifully executed fusion piece, the 12-bar frame acts as a recurring cycle (avartanam), while the raga provides the emotional landscape.

What makes this fusion spectacular is not just the mathematical alignment of notes, but the dialogue of expressions. The fascinating thing about Hindolam is that it already contains:

• emotional austerity,

• introspection,

• yearning,

• meditative spaciousness,

• and a slightly shadowed tonal atmosphere.

These are qualities deeply compatible with Blues. That immediately explains why your composition feels organically unified.

A blues player coaxes raw, vocal pain out of a guitar string using bends and slides. A Carnatic musician coaxes bhava (emotion) out of a violin, flute, or voice using gamakas. When the two meet, a guitar bend seamlessly morphs into a Carnatic kampita gamakam (controlled oscillation).

The melancholy of the Blues—traditionally born from hardship and longing—finds a spiritual ally in Hindolam. Hindolam is meditative, deeply devotional, and slightly nocturnal. When swung over a 12-bar blues rhythm, that devotion turns into a passionate, groove-driven yearning. It ceases to be purely Indian or purely American; it becomes a universal language of the soul.

This is a honest attempt to discover how an Indian contemplative melodic consciousness can breathe through a global rhythmic language.

Trust that you liked it. Feel free to comment.

God Bless

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தண்ணருள்கொடுத்தாள்வையோ

அங்கைகொடுமலர்தூவி யங்கமதுபுளகிப்ப

அன்பினாலுருகிவிழிநீர் ஆறாகவாராத

முத்தியினதாவேச ஆசைக்கடற்குண்மூழ்கிச்

சங்கரசுயம்புவே சம்புவேயெனமொழி

தழுதழுத்திடவணங்குஞ் சன்மார்க்கநெறியிலாத்

துன்மார்க்கனேனையுந் தண்ணருள்கொடுத்தாள்வையோ

துங்கமிகுபக்குவச் சனகன்முதன்முனிவோர்க்

தொழுதருகில்வீற்றிருப்பச் சொல்லரியநெறியையொரு

சொல்லாலுணர்த்தியே சொரூபானுபூதிகாட்டிச்

செங்கமலபீடமேற் கல்லாலடிக்குள்வளர்

சித்தாந்தமுத்திமுதலே சிரகிரிவிளங்கவரு

தக்ஷிணாமூர்த்தியே சின்மயானந்தகுருவே ! 1

The Cool Grace

Beneath the ancient banyan’s silent shade,
Where wisdom blooms without the need of words,
The Eternal Teacher sits—
Still as the center of all turning worlds.

Around Him gather sages,
Young in form, ancient in knowing—
Sanaka and the seers of timeless dawn,
Their minds like lamps in windless light,
Their hearts emptied of the fever of becoming.

And there, amidst that sacred hush,
A weary soul arrives—
Not crowned with virtue,
Not radiant with discipline,
But broken by wandering,
Dust-laden from the roads of desire.

With trembling hands he scatters flowers,
Not merely petals,
But fragments of a heart
Long bruised by the world.
His body shivers in devotion,
Love rising through him
Like rain through thirsty earth.
His eyes overflow—

Not with sorrow born of loss,
But with the unbearable sweetness
Of longing for the Infinite.

He cries:
“O Śaṅkara!
O Self-born One!
O Source of all auspiciousness!”

And the names falter on his tongue,
For language cannot carry
The weight of awakened love.
Speech dissolves into tears,
Tears dissolve into silence,
And silence leans toward God.

He does not ask for kingdoms.
He does not ask for wealth,
Nor youth, nor fame, nor victories among men.
He asks only this:
“Grant me Thy cool grace.
Take hold of me.
Rule me before I am lost again.”

For he has seen

How the world glitters only to fade,
How pleasure ripens into weariness,
How desire becomes an endless sea
Where countless souls are drowned.

Yet somewhere beyond that restless ocean
He senses another tide—
The vast and deathless longing for liberation,
A hunger no earthly sweetness can appease.
Like a bird fallen from the heights of heaven,
He remembers, mid-descent,
That his true home is above.
And in that remembrance
Begins the upward flight.
The Master speaks no word.
Only a gesture—
Thumb and finger joined:
The wandering soul reunited
With the Supreme.

The lesson is simple,
Yet deeper than all scriptures:
When the little self releases
Its companionship with illusion,

It discovers it was never separate
From the Infinite Light.

Then devotion ripens into wisdom.
Wisdom ripens into freedom.
Freedom ripens into peace.
And the soul, once scorched
By the heat of countless births,
Rests at last
In the cooling grace of God….1

Detailed Commentary

This opening hymn is a total surrender of the seeker, marked by:

• emotional intensity
• spiritual exhaustion
• burning longing for liberation

The seeker stands in a state where devotion has matured into restless yearning for direct realisation. It is not casual prayer—it is existential urgency. The first half of the hymn describes intense devotional states—offering, melting, tears, and longing. From an Advaita standpoint, these are not ends in themselves but indicators of “antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi and tīvra mumukṣutvam”.

The hymn unfolds in three natural movements:

• The Seeker’s Inner Condition
• Self-recognition of limitation
• Turning to the Guru

Thayumanavar begins his prayer with an offering of flowers with the hand (அங்கை) that has become sacred not by ornaments, but by action aligned with the Divine. By using that particular word “அங்கை” for “hand”, Thayumanavar elevates the worship from being a routine external ritual to one of Inner Experience.

Thayumanavar then integrates the inner experience with the body mind complex by describing as to how Bhakti is expressed through the body mind complex. By using the sentence ““அங்கமது புளகிப்ப” (The body thrilled with ecstasy), he states that Devotion is no longer conceptual—it becomes embodied. This is not emotional excess, but refinement of sensitivity.

Once the devotion is embodied, the next natural progression is the signal that ego-boundaries are getting softened. Thayumanavar brilliantly describes that using the sentence “அன்பினால் உருகி விழிநீர் ஆறாக” (Melting in love, tears flowing like a river). These are not tears of sorrow or frustration, but tears born of divine longing.

The Turning Point is the expression of the longing for Liberation. “ஆராத முத்தியினதாவேச ஆசைக்கடற்குண்மூழ்கி (Immersed in the ocean of insatiable longing for liberation) says Thayumanavar. Here lies the heart of the hymn.This is not ordinary desire; it is intense yearning for freedom (tīvra mumukṣutva). The word “ஆராத” (insatiable) is crucial. Unlike worldly desires, this longing never exhausts—it only deepens.

Thayumanavar then proceeds with the invocation of the Divine Name “சங்கர சுயம்புவே சம்புவே” (Oh, Śaṅkara – the beneficent one, Svayambhū – self-existent, Śambhu – source of auspiciousness). He describes the calling as “தழுதழுத்திட” — faltering, trembling. This reflects devotion reaching a point where language begins to fail.

When one is in the process of such an earnest and soulful prayer, what is required is a radical self honesty. It is here that Thayumanavar, an enlightened soul, puts himself in the shoes of the common man and says “சன்மார்க்க நெறியிலாத் துன்மார்க்கேனைனயும்” - “I who am not in the right path, but in the wrong path”. This is not just a moral self-condemnation. It is the recognition of inner inconsistency and an awareness of deviation from Truth. This honesty is itself spiritual maturity.For a Seeker with such an emotional intensity, burning longing for liberation and self-recognition of limitation as described above by Thayumanavar, the final step in the process is to turning towards the Guru with an earnest prayer.

“தண்ணருள் கொடுத்து ஆள்வையோ” - “Will You bestow Your cooling grace and take me over?” prays Thayumanavar to his Guru. “தண் அருள்” (cool grace) is deeply evocative. It talks a out the grace that soothes agitation, the grace that settles the mind and the grace that restores inner balance. “ஆள்வையோ” - To be “ruled”, means, complete inner alignment with the Divine.

Thayumanavar in the end, reveals his Guru. His Guru was a “Mauni” (one who doesn’t speak). He identifies his Guru with the south-facing Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who is surrounded by divine Sages such as Sanaka (“சனகன் முதல் முனிவோர் தொழுது அருகில் வீற்றிருப்ப”). This indicates that even the highest seekers turn to the Guru and knowledge about Self is not self-generated—it is revealed. His next sentence “சொல்லரிய நெறியையொரு சொல்லால் உணர்த்தி” - Teaching the inexpressible through a single word, points to the paradox of spiritual teaching viz., Truth cannot be described; yet it is indicated. The “single word” suggests direct pointing—not intellectual elaboration.

What does the Guru reveal? “சொரூபானுபூதி காட்டி” - Revealing one’s own true nature. This is not new experience, but recognition of what always is. This is revealed by the Cinmudra, a foundational yogic hand gesture that unites individual and universal consciousness. In this gesture, the thumb represents universal consciousness or divine energy, the index finger represents the individual human consciousness or ego. By pressing the fingers together Revealed Tat Tvam Asi - Thou Art That.

Thayumanavar provides a picture of the location of the Guru. Guru is seated beneath the banyan tree on a lotus seat - “செங்கமல பீடேமற் கல்லாலடிக்குள் வளர்” says Thayumanavar. This imagery conveys stillness, rootedness and timeless teaching. The banyan tree represents knowledge that shelters all seekers.

Thayumanavar ends the invocation by addressing the Guru as “சித்தாந்த முத்தி முதேல” - The Source of liberation as revealed in the highest truth, “சிரகிரி விளங்க வரு தக்ஷிணாமூர்த்தியே” - O Dakṣiṇāmūrti shining at Siragiri and “சின்மயானந்த குருவே” - O Guru who is Pure Consciousness-Bliss.

This hymn subtly maps the spiritual journey:

• Bhakti (devotion)
• Inner refinement (melting, tears)
• Mumukṣutva (intense longing)
• Self-recognition of limitation

• Turning to Guru

• Direct knowledge (svarūpānubhūti)

Thayumanavar’s uniqueness lies in the fact that he does not present “You are Brahman” as a finished statement. Instead, he reveals what it feels like to struggle toward that recognition. This first hymn sets the tone for the entire section.It tells us:

• devotion must deepen into longing
• longing must lead to surrender
• surrender must culminate in knowledge

What begins as “I worship You” ends as “Reveal me to myself”

Note

For those who can read and understand Tamil, detailed explanation in Tamil, based on the lectures of Swami Omkarananda and Swami Chidbhavananda will be available at my blog

Prabhu’s Ponder - https://prabhusponder.com

God Bless.

Introduction

Locating the “Lord” inside the “Cave of the Heart” (Idhaya Kugai), in the fourth song in Raga Hamir Kalyani, the Seeker made a soulful plea to transcend the cycle of Karma. He appealed to the Sun, which symbolises removal of darkness. “Take me from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge” was the prayer to the Sun God. This is Manana (Inquiry. “Mumukshu”, the Seeker, by doing “Sravana” and “Manana”, is all poised to hear the “Maha Vakhyas” (Eternally true statements) of the Vedas.

This fifth song in Raaga Durga, apart from bringing out the “Atma Lakshanams”, bring out the Maha Vakhya that appears in Chandogya Upanishad viz. “Tat Tvam Asi” (Thou art That).

The song is presented as under:

1. The first one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil (with meaning in English) and rendered in Reggae Style by Swarzulu.

2. The Second one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil and rendered by my niece in traditional Carnatic Music genre without any accompanying musical instruments.

Fusion Music

Carnatic Genre

Lyrics

பல்லவி

நீ தான் அது நானும் அதுவே

நீ தான் அது உலகும் அதுவே

அநுபல்லவி

நான்கு வேத ஆத்ம தத்வம்

ஆணி வேராய் பூமி மூலம்…. நீ தான் அது

முதல் சரணம்

புண் ணிய பாபம் கடந்திட்ட நாதம்

எண் ணற் கரிதாக இருந்திட்ட இதயம்

வசீகர மாயா சேர்ந்திட்ட ரூபம்

என்னை ஆண் டிடும் ஆத்மா னந்தம்…. நீ தான் அது

இரண்டாவது சரணம்

நீக்கம் இல்லா வ்யா பகம்

என்றும் உள்ள ஆன ந்தம்

தர்மமும் அதர்மமும்

இல்லா ஏதும் ஒர் குணம்

ஜன்ம மரண மூப்பு எனும்

துக்க நோயின் நிவா ரணம் …. நீ தான் அது

English Translation

Pallavi

You are That, I am also That.

You are That, the world is also That.

Anupallavi

The Atma-Tattva (Essence of Soul) of the four Vedas;

The Taproot and the very Source of the Earth... You are That.

First Charanam

The Sound (Nada) that has transcended merit (Punya) and sin (Papa);

The Heart that remains beyond the reach of thought;

The Form joined by the enchanting power of Maya;

The Bliss of the Self (Atmananda) that rules over me... You are That.

Second Charanam

The All-pervading Reality without any separation;

The Bliss that exists eternally;

The singular Attribute that is neither

Dharma (Righteousness) nor Adharma (Unrighteousness);

The Cure for the painful diseases of

Birth, Death, and Old Age... You are That.

Understanding the Lyrics

This composition is a masterpiece of Mahavakya (Great Sayings) synthesis. While your first two songs focused on the Definition of the Supreme and the Prayer of the seeker, this one is the Declaration of Identity. It is a direct “Song of Realization.”This song is a poetic expansion of the Chandogya Upanishad’s Mahavakya: Tat Tvam Asi (”Thou Art That”).

1. The Non-Dual Identity (Tat Tvam Asi)

The Pallavi boldly states “Nee thaan adhu, naanum adhuve.” This is the core of Advaita. The distinction between:

• Ishvara (The Creator/You)

• Jiva (The Individual/I)

• Jagat (The World/Ulagum)

are removed and by saying all three are “That” (Brahman), the Eka-Tattva (Single Reality) that underlies all diversity is emphasised.

2. The Taproot (Aani-ver)

Using the metaphor of the “Taproot” (Aani-ver) in the Anupallavi is brilliant. In the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, the universe is compared to an inverted tree (Ashvattha). The “Self” is identified as the invisible root that holds up the entire visible world.

3. Transcending Dualities (Punya-Papa / Dharma-Adharma)

Advaita posits that the Absolute is Trigunatita (beyond the three qualities) and Dwandvatita (beyond dualities).

• By saying it transcends “Punniyam and Pabam,” the state of a Jivanmukta (liberated soul) who is no longer bound by the scales of moral causation is referred to.

• The line “Dharmamum Adharmamum illa” refers to the Nirguna state—where the Truth is so pure that even the concepts of “right” and “wrong” (which are worldly constructs) do not apply.

4. The Role of Maya

The phrase “Vasheekara Maya serndhitta Roopam” is a very sophisticated Vedantic point. It explains how the formless Brahman appears as a “Form” (Roopam). It is the “Enchanting Maya” that clothes the Infinite in a finite dress so we can perceive it.

5. The Great Medicine (Bhavaroga Vaidya)

The final lines address “Janma Marana Mooppu” (Birth, Death, and Decay). Vedanta calls the cycle of rebirth “Bhavaroga” (the disease of worldly existence). By realizing “You are That,” the seeker is cured of the “disease” because they realize the Self was never born and therefore can never die or grow old.

A note on Raag Durga

Raag Durga is a captivating Hindustani raga that has been beautifully adopted into the Carnatic system. It is celebrated for its pristine clarity, strength, and an inherent sense of “Shantam” (peace) mixed with “Veeram” (courage).

Durga is pentatonic, meaning it uses only five notes in both the ascent and descent. In the Carnatic framework, it is generally considered a derivative of the 28th Melakarta, Harikambhoji.

While the name “Durga” might evoke the fierce imagery of the Goddess, the raga itself is often perceived as graceful, dignified, and soothing.Unlike rāgas filled with intricate emotional tensions, Durga breathes spaciousness. Its phrases feel like cool evening winds moving through temple corridors or the quiet certainty of a mountain shrine.

Because it shares its scale with major scales used in folk and light classical music globally, it serves as a brilliant bridge for cross-genre experimentation, maintaining its classical integrity while sounding remarkably modern.

A note on Reggae & the Fusion

The Reggae Genre originated in the 1960s in Jamaica. It has lots Social liberation, Equality and Human themes in its lyrics and songs. There is something deeply fascinating when an ancient Indian rāga meets the relaxed pulse of Reggae. A fusion composition based on Rāgam Durga in the Reggae genre is not merely an experiment in sound; it becomes a dialogue between two civilizations of rhythm and feeling — one born in the meditative interiority of Indian classical music, the other arising from the earthy, soulful resilience of Caribbean musical culture.

Also in Durga when the root key i.e. the Sa is moved to start from another note of the scale it becomes, Mohanam and Hindolam, Which form Major and Minor Pentatonic in Western music, used in most modern music.

Reggae, with its characteristic:

• off-beat guitar accents,

• deep bass grooves,

• spacious rhythmic breathing,

• and hypnotic cyclic movement,

creates an ideal canvas for a pentatonic rāga like Durga. Both traditions value space more than excess.

• In Reggae, silence between beats matters.

• In Durga, the restraint created by omitted notes matters.

This shared aesthetic allows the fusion to feel natural rather than forced.

This is a powerful composition. Converting these verses from the bold, pentatonic structure of Durga into a Reggae rhythm offers a unique opportunity to emphasize the “One Reality” message through a steady, grounding groove.

Here is a poetic description of the Fusion created by Swarzulu

Durga walked barefoot from the temple halls,

Into the island dusk of bass and drums.

Her ancient notes did not resist the rhythm;

They smiled, swayed, and became wind.

The tanpura met the heartbeat of Jamaica,

And somewhere between silence and syncopation,

A new prayer was born.

This is a honest attempt to discover how an Indian contemplative melodic consciousness can breathe through a global rhythmic language.

Trust that you liked it. Feel free to comment. Thanks

God Bless

Among the luminous voices of Tamil spiritual literature, Saint Thayumanavar occupies a unique and exalted place. His life and poetry became a living canvas where the structured devotion of Saiva Siddhanta and the uncompromising non-dualism of Advaita Vedanta found perfect, peaceful coexistence.

An exquisite, more potent, more intimate, or more deep synthesis of these two, is the Chinmayananda Guru an exquisite collection of eleven foundational hymns. In these songs, Thayumanavar addresses Lord Dakshinamurthy—the primordial Adi Guru who instructs not through a cascade of words, but through the thunderous silence of the Chin-Mudra. He visualizes this divine presence as it shines resplendently upon the historic Siragiri hill in Tiruchirappalli, anchoring cosmic, formless Truth into a tangible, localized beacon of liberation.

What makes the Chinmayananda Guru so remarkable, is its unique dual movement:

The Path of Devotion (Bhakti): The verses vibrate with the tender, vulnerable longing of a soul that views itself as a servant to the Divine, weeping for grace and yearning for a glimpse of the Master.

The Path of Knowledge (Jnana): Simultaneously, the hymns soar into the highest realms of Vedantic inquiry, directly confronting the illusion of ego, dismantling the limitations of the mind, and pointing toward the ultimate non-dual realization: Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art).

The eleven songs move fluidly between prayer, surrender, inquiry, metaphysical insight, and silence. Every single hymn in this section serves as an independent spiritual practice (Sadhana), yet together they form a seamless, escalating ladder of realization. They culminate beautifully in their shared, resonant refrain, constantly anchoring the mind back to the source of all stillness.

The present work emerges from a sustained contemplation on the detailed lectures by revered Gurus Swami Chidbavananda and Swami Omkarananda. This work is indeed nothing but a summary compilation of those wonderful lectures. Blessed indeed I am to listen to these divine lectures which uncover the deep Advaitic vision embedded within Thayumanavar’s devotional outpourings.

This work has been shaped by a desire to approach the subject through the traditional lens of śāstra-pramāṇa. Wherever possible, the insights of the songs have been examined in the light of the Prasthāna Traya — the Upaniṣads, Bhagavad Gītā, and Brahma Sūtras — together with the illuminating commentaries of Bhagavatpāda Ādi Śaṅkarācārya and my Guru Swami Omkarananda which resonate deeply with the timeless current of Advaita sampradāya.

Across all eleven hymns in this section, the poet addresses his Guru—who is none other than the primordial Ādi Guru, Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti. Each hymn culminates in a recurring refrain invoking this Supreme Teacher:

சித்தாந்த முத்திமுதலே
சிரகிரி விளங்கவரு தக்ஷிணாமூர்த்தியே
சின்மயானந்தகுருவே

(Siddhānta mutti mutalē, Siragiri viḷaṅga varu Dakṣiṇāmūrtiyē, Chinmayānanda Guruvē)

This invocation encapsulates multiple layers of meaning:

• “சிரகிரி விளங்க வரு தக்ஷிணாமூர்த்தியே”
  — O Dakṣiṇāmūrti who shines resplendent at Siragiri (Tiruchirappalli), the sacred hill-temple (Rock Fort), symbolizing both physical and spiritual elevation.

• “சின்மயானந்த குருவே”
  — O Guru who is the very embodiment of Chit (Pure Consciousness) and Ānanda (Bliss).

• “சித்தாந்த முத்தி முதலே”
  — O the primal source (mudal) of liberation (mukti), as revealed in the highest teaching (siddhānta), the ultimate conclusion of spiritual inquiry.

Thus, the Guru addressed here is not merely a personal deity, but the very principle of Self-knowledge—the silent revealer of Truth.

In these eleven verses, Thayumanavar never presents Advaita as dry abstraction. Brahman is not merely a philosophical principle; it is the boundless Presence that melts the heart, destroys ignorance, and absorbs individuality into infinite peace. In his vision, true knowledge flowers naturally as humility, surrender, compassion, and inward stillness. The eleven verses are indeed the inward looking journey of a Seeker, deeply yearning to understand as to who he/she is.

The eleven verses are presented as eleven articles, one in each month. Each article will carry

1. the Song in Tamil,

2. a poetry in English (not mine but thanks to the AI tools) that will convey the essence of the a song

3. and a detailed Commentary.

We will try to understand the first hymn in the next article scheduled on July 11th.

For those who can read and understand Tamil, detailed explanation in Tamil, based on the lectures of Swami Omkarananda and Swami Chidbhavananda will be available at my blog

Prabhu’s Ponder - https://prabhusponder.com

God Bless

Six decades ago, from a lush, agrarian village nestled near the foothills of Kodaikanal and as a boy steeped in traditional Tamil culture, I was literally transported in time and space, as I stepped into Clive’s Hostel of St.Joseph’s College, near the sacred Teppakulam (temple tank) in the buzzing commercial city, Trichy.

In that historic, colonial-era fortress, named after Robert Clive of the East India Company, beneath those massive arches, a strange historical vertigo for a boy steeped in traditional Tamil culture now forced to inhabit a space built by the empire, all while pursuing a pre-university course under the strict, watchful eyes of the Jesuit Fathers. As I approached the hostel doors, clutching my freshly painted steel trunk, a new wave of panic hits: the immediate reality of communal living. In Batlagundu, I had my own friends and routine, my family’s predictable rhythm, and the quiet spaces of the village. Absolutely no exposure to speaking in English. An eerie feeling of insecurity creeps in.

When we are in trouble, we normally look up, saying OMG - don’t we? I was no exception and I looked up. Towering over the entire chaotic landscape, dominating the sky, is the Temple atop the massive Rockfort (Malaikottai). For a traditional boy, this visual anchor changed everything. After all, I have been brought up in a culture that says “Don’t live in a village which do not have a temple (கோவில் இல்லாத ஊரில் குடியிருக்க வேண்டாம்).

My anxiety underwent a subtle transformation. The buzzing city felt godless and chaotic just a moment ago, but the sight of the temple tower (Gopuram) cutting into the Trichy sky provided an instant, deep sense of spiritual security. The city may be strange, but Lord Ganesha (Uchi Pillayar) is sitting right up there, watching over this place just like the deities back home. The insecure sheepishness didn’t vanish, but it gained a quiet backbone of faith.

By my subsequent frequent visits to the temple, seeing the interesting paintings about Lord Siva as Thayumanavar and reading the Songs of Saint Thayumanavar on the walls of the temple, my mental state solidified into a quiet, defensive resolve. Consciously compartmentalizing my insecurity and fears I was able to tune my mind to the frequency that my father drilled into my mind as a kid - The frequency of a Sadhaka (a disciplined seeker); determined to conquer my books and come out with flying colours.

Sixty years later, sitting by the side of a large ocean blue swimming pool, at the back of a sprawling 6 bedroom bungalow with green lush lawn in Southampton (one of the premier summer resort areas in the Long Island, New York, where the top echelon of Manhattan’s social, political and financial circles reside/visit), here I am with no apparent worries, doing exactly what I was doing in Trichy - reaching out to Thayumanavar’s Chinmayananda Guru.

Blessed indeed I am. My Guru, Pujya Swami Sri Omkarananda’s “Atma Vidya” Course lectures clearly generated a firm determination and joy in my mind to explore further on this great composition by Thayumanavar. I set aside two to three hours every day and began to do my study through repeated listening to the discourses by Guruji and Pujya Swami Chidbhavananda.

I have this habit of jotting down my learnings and these notes are now finding their way as blogs. The idea is not to inform the world of my skill about blogging, as none of what I am going to write is mine.

I am confident that there may be many like me wandering in the dense forest of ignorance, who look towards some light for spiritual progress. For them, I wanted this. Blogs to be at the least a firefly producing a minuscule light. That is why these blogs will be In your hands.

All errors if any in my attempts, are entirely due to my ignorance and incapability to understand the divine lectures. I seek the pardon of the Gurus and submit these scribbles at their lotus feet.

श्रुति स्मृति पुराणानाम् आलयम करुणालयम्।

नमामि भगवत्पादम शंकरं लोक शंकरम्॥

Note - For those who can read and understand Tamil, detailed explanation in Tamil, based on the lectures of Swami Omkarananda and Swami Chidbhavananda will be available at my blog

Prabhu’s Ponder - https://prabhusponder.com

God Bless

Introduction

1. We began The Spirit of Unity in Music Series with the first episode, where in the Seeker before moving into deeper inquiry, began the journey through Saguna Upasana (Worship of Form), using the five sacred syllables (Na-Ma-Śi-Vā-Ya) as the foundation. That prayer song based on the original one written in Sanskrit by Adi Sankara, established the presence of the Divine as the omnipresent “Self-Luminous One” (Avadhutane).

2. We then challenged the Seeker with a direct question “is it enough to see the Supreme only in stone? (idol - Saguna Brahman); this song in Raga Maand brings out the necessity of seeking the “Primordial Source” (Nirguna Brahman) within rather than wandering in sensory pleasures. This deep rooted yearning is called “Mumukshutvam”, a fundamental requirement for a Seeker.

3. We subsequently defined Consciousness (உணர்வு) as the Supreme Reality through a song in Raga Brindavana Saranga, bridging the macrocosm and microcosm viz., what is in the universe (Andam) and what is in the body (Pindam). The song also highlight few attributes of the Unattributable. This enables the Seeker to carefully hear the Ultimate Reality. This is called Sravana (Hearing Truth).

Now, locating the “Lord” inside the “Cave of the Heart” (Idhaya Kugai), this song in Raga Hamir Kalyani, is a soulful plea to transcend the cycle of Karma. Here the Seeker appeals to the Sun, which symbolises removal of darkness. “Take me from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge” is the prayer to the Sun God. This is Manana (Inquiry). The song is presented in two ways.

1. The first one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil (with meaning in English) and rendered in EDM/Electro Trap Fusion Style by Swarzulu.

2. The Second one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil and rendered by my niece in traditional Carnatic Music genre without any accompanying musical instruments.

Fusion Music

The Song is in the Genre of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) with the sub Genre of Electro Trap. it uses synthesizers and complex beats. The Vocals are traditional but the interpretation of the Ragam is not traditional. Please listen with headphones.

Carnatic Genre

Lyrics in Tamil

பல்லவி

எனைத் தேடும் வழி ஒன்று வேண்டும் - இறைவா

வினை யாவும் அழிந்தோடி எனை நீங்க வேண்டும்…..(எனைத்)

அனுபல்லவி

வினைக் கேற்ற பலன்தன்னைத் தந்தவா - உனை

நினைத்திட்டு துதிசெய்து வழிதேடி நாடவா …..(எனைத்)

சரணம்

இருப் பென்னும் உணர் வொன்றே அல்லவா -

இதயக் குகை தன்னில் ஒளிந்திட்ட நாயகா

அழியாத ஒளி கொண்ட ஆண்டவா - நான்

ஒளி வேண்டி தினம் வேண்டும் ஆதவா - நாயகா (எனைத்)

English Translation

Pallavi

I need a way to find “Me” —O Lord!

All my Karmas must be destroyed, flee, and leave me.

Anupallavi

O One who grants the fruits according to one’s actions (Karma),

Should I come seeking the path by meditating and praising You?

Charanam

“Does ‘Existence’ (I Am) not equate to unity?”

O Lord, who is hidden within the cave of the heart!

O Lord, who possesses the Indestructible Light!

Like the Sun (Adhava), I pray daily, seeking that Light—O Master!

Understanding the Lyrics

This song beautifully illustrates the transition from Karma Yoga (action) to Jnana Yoga (knowledge).

1. The Search for the “I”

The opening line, “Enai thedum vazhi” (The path to seek myself), is the quintessential Vedantic inquiry. Instead of looking for an external God, the seeker is looking for their own true nature. As Ramana Maharshi taught: “Who am I?” is the ultimate path.

2. Karma Phala Data (The Giver of Fruits)

In the Anupallavi, we address the Lord as “Vinai ketra palan thannai thandhava.” In Vedanta, Ishvara (God) is defined as the Karma Phala Data—the impartial judge who ensures every action has an equal reaction. The seeker recognizes this law but asks for a way to transcend it (“Vinai yavum azhindu”).

3. The Cave of the Heart (Dahara Akasha)

The phrase “Idhaya kugai” (The cave of the heart) is a direct Vedic reference (from the Katha Upanishad). It suggests that the Truth isn’t “out there” in the world, but is “hidden” (olindhitta) within the innermost core of our being, waiting to be discovered through silence.

4. Sat-Chit (Existence-Consciousness)

The line “Iruppu ennum unarvu ondre allava” is philosophically profound.

• “Iruppu” means “Existence” (Sat).

• “Unarvu” means “Consciousness” (Chit).

The only thing that is truly real is the simple feeling of “being” or “existence” that underlies all our experiences.

5. The Symbolism of Light (Adhava)

Ending with “Adhava” (The Sun) connects to the Gayatri Mantra. Just as the sun dispels physical darkness, the “Indestructible Light” (Azhiyatha Oli) of the Atman dispels the darkness of ignorance (Avidya).

As per the Hindu scriptures (In the Upanishads and in the Yoga traditions), there are only three places in this world where one can visualize that Brahman, the omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient Ultimate Reality. One is the Sun, the second is deep inside the heart, and the third in the space between the eyebrows on the forehead. The scriptures also say that the only representative of these that is visible to our eyes is the Sun. Since the Sun itself can be visualized as Brahman, it is very easy to meditate/worship Brahman by meditating/worshipping the Sun.

“If the Sun is the eye of the world, the eye is the Sun of our soul. The importance comes not from the quantitative magnitude of the Sun, but the qualitative bipolarity of the illuminating Sun and the seeing eye which are interlinked for the creation of the visible world.

“Here we see how the psychological factor of ego is intrinsically connected with the cosmological function of the Sun” says Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati of Narayana Gurukula. Our limited consciousness must open to the infinite consciousness represented by the Sun.

There is one truth that is evident to anyone who knows how to think a little; it is that we are in ignorance. We may know many things like science and art. But these are not true knowledge. Knowledge about ourselves is true knowledge. Know thyself is the call of Vedanta.

The Sun symbolises removal of darkness. By removal of darkness, the Sun provides three major benefits to the mankind:

1. Sun is a Nourisher.

2. Sun is a knowledge provider.

3. Sun is a guardian of the path in any of our endeavour

That is why Vedas call Sun as ‘Bhushan”.

“Take me from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge” is the prayer. But our journey does not stop with the vision of light. The ultimate truth is beyond everything; it is beyond all dualities like darkness - light, suffering - pleasure, evil - good, etc., and only when we reach that place does our journey reach its goal.

This song penned by me was inspired by Isavasya Upanishad where the Seeker in his/her advance stage of getting liberated (understanding through direct experience of who He is) seeks the help of Sun to understand and realise the Ultimate Reality.

A note about the Raga & Fusion

Rāga Hāmīr Kalyāṇi

Hāmīr Kalyāṇi stands at a fascinating junction—dignity infused with luminosity. It carries the structural elegance of the Kalyāṇi family, yet its Hindustāni lineage introduces a certain romantic spaciousness and reflective glide. With an inherent sense of expansion (like consciousness revealing itself) and a feeling of unfolding rather than assertion without being either overly austere or excessively emotional, Hamir Kalyani resides in a refined middle path (मध्यम मार्ग). This way, the Raag is excellent for expressing “apparent multiplicity resolving into a quiet, luminous unity”. It lends itself to nididhyāsana-like contemplation—not dry abstraction, but inward flowering. In short, it is a rāga that can suggest Brahman without loudly declaring it.

EDM / Electro Trap

At first glance, EDM—especially Electro Trap—seems like an odd vehicle for Advaita. It thrives on:

• Repetition and loops

• Layered textures and drops

• Rhythmic intensity and build-release cycles

But look deeper, and there’s a surprising philosophical resonance:

• The loop mirrors saṁsāra—cyclical, hypnotic, self-reinforcing.

• The drop can act as a momentary dissolution—almost like a laya or ego-collapse.

• The synth layers resemble superimpositions (adhyāsa)—multiple textures appearing on a single sonic “space.”

• The bass grounding everything can metaphorically serve as the “adhisthāna” (substratum).

Electro Trap in particular adds:

• Sharp rhythmic fragmentation → like the restless mind (vikṣepa)

• Sudden silences and breaks → glimpses of stillness

EDM is outwardly energetic, structurally it can model key Advaitic dynamics if handled consciously. That’s exactly what Swarzulu has attempted in his composition here.

While Hamir Kalyani represents śruti-pramāṇa—timeless truth, subtle and continuous, the EDM framework represents vyavahāra—movement, multiplicity, experience.

Advaita is not against dynamism; it simply insists that,”The changeless must be recognized through the changing”.

Hāmīr Kalyāṇi gives us the truth-content.

Electro Trap gives you the experiential metaphor.

Enjoy both

God Bless.

Talking about Advaita Vedanta , I am reminded of an excellent poetry called “Master Piece” by “Sculptor (Author) Anonymous”. The Sculptor (author) wanted to remain Anonymous and clearly stated that “spirituality decreases when it is attributed to a person. I was but a (Sculptor) scribe” says the Author. Here is that Master Piece (poem) in musical form.

Lyrics

And so, I chiseled Stone by stone

For there was to be none better than this

For He had given me the skill par none

They had borne support as they must

And All the world had but come together

To make this dream come alive

The sculpture that would reveal it all

That masterpiece before we fall

The true identity that we all search

The salvation I was looking for

And as I painstakingly chipped each piece away

True hue of its, I want to bare

Art of mine I trust

Though in me, I felt rust

And as it revealed itself

The masterpiece I see! All its glory!

In shock, I recognize the masterpiece!

The masterpiece…Its nothing but me! my story!

For while in search of Our destiny We fail to see

Lost our sight; for, such is our plight

This masterpiece is the star

That carves the stone beyond par

For however tall the sculpture stands

Shows it not

But What a masterpiece

The sculptor was!

This Master Piece captures the essence of Advaita Vedanta viz., “Tat Tvam Asi” - Thou Art That

This amazing creation inspired me to use the modern technology driven tools (AI) to generate music for this lyrics and make a video. The last section of the lyrics “This masterpiece is the star that carves the stone beyond par; for however tall the sculpture stands, shows it not but What a masterpiece the sculptor was!” drove me crazy to search for an ideal sculpture to capture the essence of these lines. I was looking for an object that should represent a child (“as the child is the father of a man”) and at the same time should convey the message that the object represents that core philosophy Tat Tvam Asi (Thou Art That). I didn’t have to go beyond Ayodhya for this search. That idol of Lord Ram as a child is the perfect fit for this.

Here is the video for your listening pleasure and deep contemplation.

The Master Piece by “Sculptor Anonymous”.

God Bless !

Introduction

The Spirit of Unity in Music, continues with the Seeker carefully hearing (“sravanam”) what the Vedas and Elders have told. Defining Consciousness (உணர்வு) as the Supreme Reality, this song, in Raga Brindavana Saranga, bridges the macrocosm and microcosm viz., what is in the universe (Andam) and what is in the body (Pindam). The song attempts to highlight few attributes of the Unattributable. This enables the Seeker to carefully hear the Ultimate Reality. This is called Sravana (Hearing Truth).

True to the spirit of the composition, we have attempted three variants:

1. The first one is video song with lyrics written by me in Tamil (with meaning in English) and rendered in Tamil (Fusion Rock Genre) by Swarzulu.

2. The second one is a video song with lyrics written by me in Tamil and rendered by my niece in traditional Carnatic Music genre without any accompanying musical instruments.

3. The third one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil (translated and adapted to English tune) and rendered in English (Fusion Rock Genre) by Swarzulu.

Fusion Music by Swarzulu - Lyrics and song in Tamil

Carnatic Genre - Lyrics and song in Tamil

Fusion Music by Swarzulu - Lyrics and song in English

Please click the link “Consciousness is Supreme” below.

👉 Consciousness is Supreme

Lyrics in Tamil

பல்லவி

உணர்வு என்றும் பரமம்

நம் காயம் உள்ளும் அதுவே - தூய

அனுபல்லவி

அண்டம் பிண்டம் அனைத்தும் அதுவே

எங்கும் உறையும் வாசி - தூய

சரணம்

வேதம் நான்கும் கூறும் சத்யம்

தேகம் உறையும் ஆத்மா பரமம்

எந்தன் இதய கமல நிலையம்

தன்னில் வாழும் நித்ய இன்பம்

மூன்று காலம் அடக்கும்

மூன்று வினையும் அழிக்கும்

பஞ்ச பூத வியாபம்

மரண பய நி வாரணம்

குண குல குறி இட வரையிலா

முப்புரம் எரி பரம் பொருளான …. தூய

English Translation

Pallavi

Consciousness is the Supreme.

It is the same (Consciousness) within our body……….Pure consciousness

Anupallavi

The macrocosm and the microcosm—all is That.

The Breath (Vasi/Prana) that dwells everywhere……

Charanam

The Truth declared by the four Vedas;

The Soul (Atman) dwelling in the body is the Supreme.

In the abode of the lotus of my heart,

Lives the Eternal Bliss.

It encompasses the three periods of time (past, present, future),

It destroys the three types of Karma.

Pervading the five elements of Nature,

It is the cure for the fear of death.

Beyond the limits of attributes (Gunas), lineage, or form,

The Supreme Being who burnt the three cities.….

Understanding the Lyrics

The song traces the journey from the individual self to the Universal Reality.

1. Prajnanam Brahma (Consciousness is Brahman)

The Pallavi echoes the Mahavakya (Great Saying) of the Aitareya Upanishad. By stating “Unarvu endrum Paramam (உணர்வு என்றும் பரமம்)”, you are identifying Chit (Pure Consciousness) as the ultimate reality. The “Pure” (தூய) nature refers to Nirguna Brahman—the reality that remains untainted by the physical world.

2. Macrocosm vs. Microcosm

“Andam Pindam (அண்டம் பிண்டம்)” In the Anupallavi, is a core Vedantic concept: Yat Pinde Tat Brahmande (As is the individual body, so is the universe). The “Vasi” (Breath/Life Force) is the thread (Sutratman) that connects the individual life to the cosmic life.

3. The Heart - Lotus (Hridaya Kamala)

The Charanam refers to the Dahara Vidya (the meditation on the small space within the heart). Vedanta teaches that although Brahman is everywhere, it is most easily “realized” within the cave of the heart (“upalaptha sthaanam”) as the Witness (Sakshi).

4. Transcending the “Threes”

The word “Three” has been used in several powerful ways:

Kala (time) : The Atman is Trikala Atheetha—beyond past, present, and future.

Karma: It dissolves Sanchita (accumulated), Prarabdha (current), and Agami (future) karmas.

Pura: Burning the “three cities (puras)” is a symbolic reference to destroying the three states of ego: the waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states, or the three bodies (Gross, Subtle, Causal).

5. Abhaya (Fearlessness)

By realizing the Atman is “Pervading the five elements” (Panja Bhoota Vyapam), the seeker loses the “fear of death” (Marana Bhaya Nivaaranam). If you are the infinite space, what can happen to the body is no longer a threat to your true nature.

Note about the Raga and the Fusion

Brindavana Saranga

Brindavana Saranga is a gentle and emotionally appealing raga, it is used mainly for minor compositions and bhajans. Rangapura Vihara and Soundara Rajam Ashrayeby Muthuswami Dikshithar and Kaliyuga Varadan by Periyasami Tooran are the compositions most Carnatic music listeners would be familiar with. A composition in Rāga Brindāvana Sāranga carries a rare and captivating charm—at once serene, luminous, and deeply evocative of devotion.The rāga’s true strength lies in its bhāva. There is an inherent mādhurya (sweetness) and śānta–bhakti rasa that pervades every movement. It does not demand attention through complexity; instead, it draws the listener inward through quiet grace.What makes a Brindāvana Sāranga composition truly memorable is its ability to balance simplicity with depth. On the surface, it appears accessible and gentle; yet, beneath that simplicity lies a profound emotional resonance that lingers long after the music fades. In essence, a composition in Brindāvana Sāranga is not just heard—it is felt as a quiet unfolding of devotion, a musical expression that transforms space into sanctity and sound into subtle contemplation.

Fusion Rock

A bold and imaginative fusion where seemingly distant musical worlds are brought into a cohesive and compelling sonic narrative. The distorted guitars provide a powerful, gritty backbone—rooted in rock tradition, yet used here not merely for aggression but as a textured canvas that drives emotional intensity. Against this, the Motown-style bass is a masterstroke: warm, melodic, and rhythmically articulate, it doesn’t just support the harmony but actively converses with the groove, adding a soulful depth that elevates the entire piece.

The inclusion of the Latin cajón introduces an organic rhythmic pulse, grounding the composition in an earthy, human feel. Its subtle dynamics and percussive nuance contrast beautifully with the electronic elements, creating a rhythmic dialogue between the acoustic and the synthetic.

The gated synth pads bring a modern, atmospheric dimension—expanding the sonic space with a pulsating, almost hypnotic quality. They act as a bridge between rhythm and melody, filling the composition with a sense of movement and anticipation. Meanwhile, the bells add a touch of clarity and transcendence, cutting through the dense textures with a shimmering brightness that feels almost symbolic—like moments of insight emerging from complexity.

What truly defines this piece is its balance. Each element retains its identity, yet none overpower the others. Instead, they interlock with precision, creating a layered soundscape that feels both expansive and intimate. The composition doesn’t merely blend genres—it integrates them meaningfully, resulting in a work that is rhythmically engaging, harmonically rich, and emotionally resonant.

Overall, this is not just a fusion of sounds, but a fusion of sensibilities—where rock energy, soul warmth, Latin rhythm, and electronic ambiance converge into a unified artistic expression.

To conclude, an apt choice of Genres for conveying the message that for humanity, Pure Consciousness is Supreme - “Sarvam Brahma Mayam” . This is the essence of Advaita Vedanta.

God Bless

The Home Maker - Administration of Grace

“The Indian household is perhaps the most complex administrative unit in the world, and it is largely governed by the quiet diplomacy and fiscal discipline of its women.”

Even as more women enter the workforce, the “second shift”—the unpaid labor performed at home—remains disproportionately on their shoulders. They maintain grace under the weight of performing two full-time roles, often sacrificing their own leisure or health to keep the machinery of the home humming. It’s a feat of management that rarely gets a LinkedIn testimonial, but it’s the literal backbone of the economy. Beyond the ledger books, they manage the emotional economy too.

In a multi-generational modern home, apart from managing professional career generated stresses, a woman serves as the mediator between the traditional expectations of elders and the modern aspirations of children. Thus, we see a seamless, round-the-clock transition from Kriya-Shakti (Power of Action) to Ichha-Shakti (Power of Will/Grace) throughout the life.

The Divine Mirror

This reality of an Indian woman moving effortlessly from the tactical battlefield of domestic management to the serene presence that anchors a home is an impressive narrative.

That narrative of mine was prompted by a visit to the Bhoga Nandeeshwar Temple near Bangalore. There, the transition from the fierce, lion-mounted Mahishasura Mardhini (the Ultimate Energy in battle cry) to the soft, calm, and composed Vishnu Durga provides a profound metaphor. The image of the idol of the Goddess is what you see in this blog.

I shared this image with Composer Singer Swarzulu, who prompted me to pen down a poetry as a journey of the mundane becoming the meditative through the lens of a woman’s resilience. The result is a poetry in Tamil covering this wonderful journey. Swarzulu readily agreed, composed the music in a comp,I aged Raag Bhatiyar and rendered it melodiously.

The Reality Check

Like many in my generation, I am part of the “large group of husbands” who have been repeatedly charge-sheeted by their wives: “Despite we navigating a complex web of limited resources and high expectations, you categorize our labor as ‘duty’ rather than ‘expertise.’” Perhaps this poem is my “legal defense” against that charge—or rather, my confession of the expertise I have long mistaken for mere duty.

Despite my limitations, I decided to venture; standing away from one’s usual spot often provides such necessary new perspective. This poetry reflects that perspective.

Audio

Here is the Music in Tamil composed and rendered by Swarzulu in Raag Bhatiyar

Lyrics

Here is the lyrics (poetry) in Tamil.

பொருள்தேர் கவலையும், மனையோர் வேட்கையும்,

இருள்சேர் மனையகத்து இடரினைத்தீர் மறமிகு

மங்கையவள்; மானமர்க்களம் புகு மகிடமர்த்தினியாய்

மாற்றலர் சாய்த்து கரம் நான்குடை கருணைமிகு

மாலினியென மாண்புடனே பொலிந்தனளே!

செங்களத்து உழைப்பின் சீர்மிகு வியர்வை

மங்கலத் திலகம் வாணுதல் சிதையினும்

அரைதனில் கைவைத்து, ‘அஞ்சேல்’ எனநின்று,

கங்குல்கட கதிரவன் ஒளியென புன்னகை பூத்து,

பூவகம் குளிர்க்கும் அன்னையவள் இல்லத்து அமிழ்தமன்றோ!

English Translation (for Reference)

She is the valiant one who, within the inner sanctum of the home, dispels the darkness of anxiety and the relentless tides of familial issues. Entering the battlefield of honor as the Slayer of the Demon, she defeats the adversaries of chaos. Then, with four arms of mercy, she shines with the dignity of Malini (the sister of the Preserver).

Though the auspicious mark on her radiant brow is blurred by the noble sweat of her labor on this domestic field of war, she stands with hand on hip, a silent vow of “Fear Not.” Like the morning sun that transcends the dark night, her blossoming smile cools the very soul of the home. Is she not the divine nectar that sustains the house?

A Note from the Composer Swarzulu about the Raga

Raag Bhatiyar is a rare and profoundly evocative raga belonging to the Marwa Thaat. Known for its intricate, vakra (crooked) structure, it is a masterpiece of the “Sandhiprakash” (twilight) category, specifically performed during the final prahar of the night as dawn begins to break (3:00 AM – 6:00 AM).

Bhatiyar is often described as a “mystical” raga. It captures the transition from darkness to light, reflecting a mood of introspective yearning, serenity, and devotion. In the Hindustani tradition, it is said to “color the mind” with a sense of spiritual awakening. Legend even attributes its creation to Raja Bharthari, a king who abandoned his kingdom to seek ascetic truth—a story that mirrors the raga’s own movement from the “material” lower notes to the “spiritual” higher registers.

The Raga captures the essence of the transition of the Goddess from Mahisha Mardhini to Vishnu Durga - transition from Darkness viz. removal of the ego filled ignorance about the Self to Bliss viz., spiritual awakening about Self leading to liberation.

Now, challenging the Seeker with a direct question “is it enough to see the Supreme only in stone? (idol), this song in Raga Maand brings out the necessity of seeking the “Primordial Source” within rather than wandering in sensory pleasures. This deep rooted yearning is called “Mumukshutvam”, a fundamental requirement for a Seeker.

Here is that song (inquiry) expressed musically in two different genre:

1. The first one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil (with meaning in English) and rendered in Fusion Style by Swarzulu.“ The song is a fusion of the genre a of Gospel phrasing, jazz harmonies at the back, rock rhythm drumming and Indian classical melodies. It truly represents the universal appeal of the lyrics, which is pure spirituality transcending religions and cultures”.

2. The Second one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil and rendered by my niece in traditional Carnatic Music genre without any accompanying musical instruments.

Enjoy the music. Understand the lyrics and ponder. Subscribe to my YouTube channel too.

Fusion Music

Carnatic Genre

Raag - Maand

Raag Mand as a popular, light-classical raga rooted in Rajasthani folk music, characterized by its romantic, vibrant, and emotional”flittering” nature. It is often used for bhajans and ghazals. It is delightful to the lyricist like me as I can dovetail my thoughts smoothly to the swinging patters. To the listener and performer alike, the zigzag patterns in this raga give rise to a feeling that only can be compared with enjoying a swing on a cool evening in your garden.

Note from the Composer and the Singers.

Here is the response from the creator and performer of the fusion music , my collaborator Swarzulu who composed the music and sang this song.

“The song in Ragam Mand that you have written transcends all religion. The Tune that is coming into my head while using the notes and form of Raag Mand is flowing very much into western music, almost like a choir, but it is dragging me in the direction of Jazz or Blues Rock. But work and zoom kept me from releasing that Genie out of the bottle inside me!! Now it is out”.

Thank you Swarzulu for your wonderful composition and excellent singing. You indeed are clear of your goal as the song demands.

Many thanks to my niece, who has done a great job in fitting the lyrics into the classical carnatic genre based on a legendary song “Arumo Aaval” rendered by the legendary singer ML Vasanthakumari.

This is essentially done to provide the readers the best of both worlds.

Understanding the lyrics

We live in an era of materialism (In India, we call it Kali Yuga). Day in and day out we engage our body, mind and outward looking sense and action organs to produce action, speech and thoughts (“kaayena vaachaa manasa”). These are the only three outputs from all of us irrespective of region, color and creed..

Through these three outputs, we transact with people, world and objects; earn money, fame and do actions that give us (what we call as) happiness.

The whole world seems to be working rightly so, to get consistent and permanent “pain free pleasures”, “sorrow free happiness” all the time. Philosophers call this state that we yearn as “Moksha”, “Liberation”, “Salvation”, “Heaven” etc etc.

Individually as we progress, time catches up with us. We created calendar and time; yet time doesn’t wait for us. As we start ageing, we start wondering as to what is that we have been doing so far and where are we heading; as the body starts withering, this thinking turns into worries and finally we perish after having worried about men, materials and matter which have only “shelf life” and nothing else.

We wander about ignorantly trying to experience the world without trying to experience the “Experiencer”. We learn with the help of instruments of knowledge without inquiring as to what instruments of knowledge are required to know about ourselves, the Experiencer. In other words, We, the embodiment of absolute happiness, run behind ephemerals which are essentially nothing but sorrows & sufferings, thinking that there is happiness/pleasures in them.

In this journey called life, did we at any point of time have the time to ponder and compare our journey with our ultimate goal of pure and permanent happiness? Why is that our journey and our goal were not in sync? We, ” the souls that wander in utter dismay in the dense woods of mental ignorance”, search for practical “dos and don’ts” that will enable us to live in the present without guilt about an unchangeable past and anxiety about an unknowable future. Where do we get these ?

The answer as per Sanatan Dharma is simple, straightforward yet extremely difficult to comprehend. “Don’t search outside. Don’t search in idols. Search inside you. Examine deeply through a structured process of learning with the help of Guru . You will find the answer as “Tat tvam Asi - That thou art”.

This song in Tamil urges this inward looking search.

Lyrics in Tamil

ஆத்ம ஞான ஸ்துதி - மெய்யறிவின் இன்றியமையாமை

ராகம்: மாண்டு

பல்லவி

ஆகுமோ பேறு

ஆதிமுதலை உன்னுள் தேடாமல் - ஆகுமோ

அநுபல்லவி

சேரும் இடம் செல்லத் தெளி வொன்று இல்லாத அவர்

வெறும் புலன்பின் தேடி அலைந்து பேரறிவை அறியாமல்….ஆகுமோ

சரணம்

வானமென நிறை, நித்யமென உறை

மானிடருள் மறை பேரின்ப இறை வடிவை

ஆதி அந்தம் இலா, ஓதுதற் கரிதான

ஒன்றெனும் பரமனை கல்லிலே கண்டால் மட்டும் ஆகுமோ…..

குறிப்பு - பேறு என்ற சொல் வீடுபேறு எனும் முக்தியைக் குறிப்பது. மோக்‌ஷம் என்பர் வடமொழியில்.

Enjoy the compositions, the music and of course, contemplate on the lyrics and come out with your own answers. “The answer is in your hand” as Lord Krishna tells Arjuna at the end of his Upadesam in Bhagwad Gita.

Feel free to try out your lyrics in your mother tongue, that truly represents the above meaning in any genre that you like.

God Bless

In Shaivite philosophy, the five syllables represent more than just a name; they symbolize the five elements (Pancha Bhoota) and the five functions of the Divine:

• Na: Earth / Concealment

• Ma: Water / Worldly involvement

• Shi: Fire / Destruction of Illusion

• Va: Air / Revealing Grace

• Ya: Ether (Space) / The Soul

By chanting the Stotram, the seeker is essentially acknowledging that the entire cosmos and the self are manifestations of Shiva.

Shankaracharya paints a vivid, meditative picture of Shiva in each verse. Instead of abstract philosophy, he uses sensory descriptions.

The Seeker can use these descriptions to tune his/her mind and then use the mantra “Om Namah Shivaya” (a very powerful tool for meditation) to meditate on the Ultimate Reality, the eternal principle of existence.

Here is this powerful hymn for everyone.

1. The first one is with lyrics written by me in Tamil and rendered in Western Classical Style by Swarzulu

2. The Second one is with original lyrics in Sanskrit and rendered in Western Classical Style by Swarzulu

3. The third one is with original lyrics and rendered by the legendary musician from India, Smt. MS Subbulakshmi.

Unity - Western Classical with Tamil Lyrics

Unity - Western Classical with Sanskrit Lyrics

Unity - Original Indian Classical (Carnatic Bhajan) with Sanskrit Lyrics

The Sanskrit lyrics are already available in the Worldwide Web. All you have to is just “Google” to get it. Here is my simple contribution in Tamil.

Lyrics in Tamil

நாகம் தனைச் சூடும் முக் கண்ணனே

திரு நீறு பூசிடும் பேரீசனே

நிலையான தூய்வான அவ தூ தனே

ஒலியாம் ந வடிவான நமச் சிவாயனே!

மந்தாகினி முழுக்காடும் சந்தனக் காப்போனே,

நந்தீ சனுக்கும், கணங்களுக்கும் தலையாம் மகேசனே,

மந்தார மலர் கொண்டு பூசை பெறுவோனே

ஒலியாம் ம வடிவான நமச் சிவாயனே!

சிவாவின் கமலி முகம் தான் மலர, சூர்ய னாய்

தக்‌ஷ ஆணவம் அழித் தவனே

விடமுண்ட நீல கண்டனே, விடை கொடி யோனே

ஒலியாம் சி வடிவான நமச் சிவாயனே!

வசிஷ்ட குரு முனியும் கௌதம மகானும்

முனீ ந்திர தேவர் ஆராதிக்கும் சிகரோனே,

சூர்ய சந்திரனையும் கண்ணாகி உடையோனே,

ஒலியாம் வ வடிவான நமச் சிவாயனே!

யக்ய வடிவோனே சடைமுடி தரித் தோனே,

திரிசூலக் கரமுடனே யாண்டும் நிறைவோனே,

தெய்வீக தேவனே, அவ தூ தனே

ஒலியாம் ய வடிவான நமச்சிவாயனே!

நமசிவாய எனும் புனித மந்திரம்

சிவனாலயம் சென்று ஓதுவர்,

சிவலோகம் அடைந்திட்டே

சிவானந்தத்தில் திளைப்பாரே!!

Meaning

1. Through the syllable “Na” the form of Siva is meditated as the one with the King of Snakes as garland, with three eyes, smeared with Sacred Ashes, Who is Eternal, Who is ever Pure and Who has the Four Directions as His Clothes (signifying that He is ever Free).

2. Through the syllable “Ma” the Lord Siva is meditated as the one who is Worshipped with Waters of River Mandakini and Smeared with Sandal Paste, Who is the Lord of Nandi and of the Ghosts and Goblins and Who is deeply Worshipped with Mandara and many other Flowers.

3. Through the syllable “Śi” the Lord Siva is meditated as the one Who is Auspicious, Who is like the Sun causing the Lotus-Face of Gauri (Devi Parvati) to Blossom, Who is the Destroyer of the Sacrifice (Yagna) of Daksha, Who has a Blue Throat and has a Bull as His Emblem in His Flag ,

4. Through the syllable “Vā” the Lord Siva is meditated as the one Who is Worshipped by the Best and most Respected Sages like sage Vashistha, Pot-Born sage Agastya and sage Gautama and also by the celestials, the Devas; is meditated as the Crown of the Universe and has the Moon (Chandra), Sun (Arka) and Fire (Vaisvanara) as His Three Eyes.

5. Through the syllable “Ya” the Lord Siva is meditated as the one who is the embodiment of Yagna {all rituals and sacrifices }, Who bears the Matted Hairs, Who has the Trident in His Hand and Who is Eternal, Who is Divine, Who is the Shining One and Who has the Four Directions as His Clothes (signifying that He is ever Free).

The Hymn concludes by stating that “Whoever Recites this Panchakshara Stotram (Hymn in praise of the five syllables of Na-Ma-Shi-Va-Ya) near Shiva (Lingam), will Attain the Abode of Shiva and enjoy His Bliss”.

Chanting this stotram is believed to bring peace, prosperity, and liberation, helping to cleanse negative karma and align with the divine energy of Shiva.

To sum up

To chant it is to pray.

To understand it is to meditate.

To live it is to be free.

May I now seek your contribution in the form of lyrics in your mother tongue, that truly represents the above meaning and set to the same tune (either Western Classical or Indian Classical given above)?

(Alternatively you can try your own tune and share along with the lyrics and tune.)

That will be a great Universal endeavour to begin with .

God Bless !

As a globe trotter (as my friends call me), here are my few observations :

Beyond the high-income statistics and professional success often cited for , the Indian diaspora in the West occupies a fascinating and an interesting “third space.” Their footprints are defined by a unique blend of preservation and radical reinvention.

Let me take there Culture, Music and Food as illustrations and examine.

Culture & Music

Unlike many immigrant groups that attempt to replicate home perfectly, the Indian diaspora—especially those from twice-migrated backgrounds, created entirely new genres.

A unique phenomenon within the Indian diaspora is the “Time Capsule Effect.” Static vs. Fluid Culture: While culture in India evolves rapidly (becoming more globalized and tech-centric), diaspora communities often “freeze” the cultural norms of the decade they left.

Interestingly, some of the most rigorous practitioners of Carnatic and Hindustani classical music are now found in suburbs like Cleveland, New Jersey or London. Because these communities view culture as a primary link to their heritage, they often fund and maintain classical institutions with more fervor than perhaps their counterparts in urban India

The diaspora has mastered the art of the Hyphenated Identity (Indian-American, British-Asian, etc.). This reflects in their storytelling and aesthetics:

1. Music and literature frequently blend Hinglish, Punjabi, or Tamil with Western slang, creating a vernacular that serves as a “language” for the community.

2. From the “Dotbuster” era of the 80s to the “South Asian Futurism” of today, artists use traditional motifs (henna, sarees, temple jewelry) in avant-garde or cyberpunk contexts to reclaim their narrative from Western stereotypes.

The diaspora acts as a massive cultural feedback loop. Songs produced in garages in Brampton or London often become chart-toppers in Mumbai, reversing the traditional flow of culture. Social media Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have allowed “Brown” identity to become a global aesthetic, merging Bollywood choreography with Western pop trends.

This unique position allows the diaspora to act as “cultural brokers,” translating Indian nuances for a Western audience while simultaneously pushing India to look at its own traditions through a modern, global lens.

Food

The diaspora’s relationship with food is perhaps the most visceral expression of their identity. It’s not just about “Indian food” appearing in the West; it’s about the creation of an entirely new culinary dialect that often baffles people back in India.

Vegetarianism Survived and Thrived. This is huge. Most immigrant cuisines adapt toward meat-heavy Western norms over time. But Indian diaspora communities preserved large-scale vegetarian traditions — not as a niche, but as mainstream community practice. In places like Leicester or Edison, vegetarian Indian food isn’t “alternative.” It’s the default. That’s rare in diaspora history.

In many immigrant communities, restaurant cuisine becomes the main reference point. But Indian diaspora families maintain a clear boundary between “Outside food” and “Home food”. That dual food identity is fascinating. It’s less “immigrant survival food” and more “mobile culinary civilization.”

As a student of Vedanta, I am neither a connoisseur of Food nor a Melomaniac with passion for music. For that matter I am neither a virtuoso nor an Aficionado. I try and get not perturbed or exited by duality. I am just a curious observer in these fields.

As regards to the food and related aspects, I would recommend you to subscribe to the newsletter :

We Ate Well

High-protein vegetarian recipes and lots of whole foods inspiration from the author of The Vegetarian Reset. When you sign up, you'll get a PDF with ALL my superhit recipes from Weeknight Simple!

By Vasudha Viswanath

I found it interesting and meeting my dietary requirements well.

So, What ? (How does it matter ?)

This is a standard question that I face from my grandchildren, whenever I try to narrate those little things from the past which made our generation happy (ofcourse with a hidden message that “we were better than you despite the odds against us”).

It matters here, because I would like to share my “Vritti” (Sanskrit: वृत्ति) in the field of Music and Culture through “Sangeeta Aikyam” (Sanskrit: सङ्गीत ऐक्यम्) viz., Integrating the Lyrics written by me in Tamil with the music from the West. (Note - “Vritti” refers to the movements, fluctuations, or “whirlpools” of thought within the mind (citta), often translated as “waves” or “streams of consciousness”.)

The lyrics written by me primarily focus on the beginning less, endless, omnipresent, omniscient, blissful “existence consciousness”, that one “Absolute Reality” called by various names in various places by various people as God, Brahman, Jesus, Allah, Siva, Vishnu, etc etc.

This will be a joint venture between three - myself, my niece and “Swarzulu” an extremely talented artist and busy financial services executive who crisscrosses between New Jersey and New Delhi and yet find time to seamlessly integrate the Indian traditional Carnatic Music with the various Western genres. Swarzulu is a One Man Band, Creating, performing and producing music. Raised in a home soaked in Carnatic music and later deeply influenced by Jazz, Rock and Classical in college, Swarzulu’s productions are a fusion of various genres. “The songs have a life of their own and take their own direction”. Swarzulu would like to remain anonymous.

So, here I am in Substack, looking forward to abundant happiness, free from sorrows for all, through fusion of music, arts and culture.

After all this is what “Kaniyan Poongundranaar”, the influential Tamil philosopher and poet from the Sangam age (circa 6th century BCE or earlier -born in Mahibalanpatti, Tamil Nadu) said as

“யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர்” - Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir (To us all towns are one, all humans our kin)

What next ?

Our maiden attempt will be tomorrow, March 2nd, the day of “Masi Magam”, an auspicious Hindu festival celebrated in the Tamil month of Masi (February–March) during the full moon and Magam star. Considered a powerful day for spiritual purification, it features devotees taking ritual baths (Theerthavari) in sacred waters. It is believed to be the day, divine energies are at their peak, allowing for the purification of karma.

See you tomorrow

God Bless

முகவுரை

கடற்கரை காற்றும் கடலும் இணைந்து வழங்கும் கடல் அலைகளைக் கண்டால், உலகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள கவிஞர்களுக்குள் கவிதைகள் ஊற்றெடுக்கும் என்றால் அது மிகையாது.

காற்று மட்டும் கடலின் மேல்
கவிதைகளை எழுதிக் கொண்டிருந்தது
கடலின் கவிதைகள் அலைகளின் மேல் பயணித்து
கரைகளை சென்றடைந்தன

என்கிறான் ஒரு கவி. அது போல பாமர மக்களும் கடற்கரையில் அமர்ந்து, நீள்வானும் நீலக்கடலும் சந்திக்கும் இடத்திலிருந்து, தாம் இருக்கும் கரை கண்டால், மனதில் அமைதி நிலவும் என்பதும் உண்மையே.

கடலும், அலையும், மனமும் சொந்தங்களோ? கடலைப் பிரியா அலையும், மனதைப் பிரியா நினைவும், என்றும் இயற்கையின் விளையாட்டோ, யார் அறிவார்?

அஷ்டாவக்ர கீதையில், தான் யார் என்பதை அறிந்துணர்ந்த ராஜரிஷி ஜனகர், புதுப்பொலிவு கலந்த விந்தையடன் கடல், அலை, மனமெனும் மூன்றையும் இணைத்து மூன்று ஸ்லோகங்கள் வழியாக தனது நிலையை எடுத்துரைக்கிறார். அந்த மூன்று ஸ்லோகங்களை இப்போது காண்போம்.

ஸ்லோகங்கள்

தமிழாக்கம்

விளக்கம்

ஸ்லோகம் 2.23

இந்த ஸ்லோகத்தில், எல்லையற்ற தூய உணர்வான ஆன்மா கடலுக்கும், உலகம் போன்ற படைப்புகளை (உயிரினங்கள் உட்பட) அலைகளுக்கும் ஒப்பிடப்படுகிறது.

அந்த படைப்புகளின் அடிப்படை மன உணர்வு அல்லது இயக்க உணர்வு (சித்தம்) ஆகும், இதில் எண்ணங்கள் அலைகள் போல எழுகின்றன மற்றும் தணிகின்றன. இதனால், கனவுகள் போன்ற பல்வேறு இருப்புகளை (உலகம், தாவர ஜங்கமம் எனும் அசையும் அசையாத பொருட்களையும் உயிரினங்களையும் (ஜீவர்கள்)) உருவாகி அழிகின்றன என்கிறது இந்த ஸ்லோகம்.

நிலையற்றவைகளை நிலையான இருப்புகளாக மாற்றுவதே அந்தகரணத்தின் வேலை. அறியாமைக் காற்று அடித்திடும்போது, பெயர்-வடிவம் எனும் படைப்புகளை அலைகளாக வெளிப்படுத்துகிறது. எனது மனமே இவைகளுக்கு இருப்பினை கொடுக்கிறது. நான் எனும் ஆன்மாவாகிய கடலுக்கு இந்த அலைகளால் எந்த பாதிப்பும் இல்லை. என்னிலிருந்தே உருவானவைகள் இவைகள்; நானே இவைகளுக்கு அடிப்படை ஆதாரம் என்கிறார் சுவாமி பரமார்த்தானந்தா. தோற்றம், மறைவு அனைத்தும் என்னுள்ளே தான்.

ஆழ்ந்த உறக்கத்தில் இருப்பது போல் மனம் மௌனமாக இருக்கும் போது, எதுவும் நடக்காத போது, பெயர், வடிவம், அடையாளம், உறவுகள், உடைமைகள் பற்றிய விழிப்புணர்வு இல்லாத போது, எல்லையே இல்லை, அவற்றைக் கடந்து எல்லையற்ற பெருங்கடலாக மாறி, என் அடையாளத்தைக் கலைத்துவிட்டேன் என்னைச் சுற்றியுள்ள எல்லையற்ற வெளியில் (பரம்பொருளில்).

என்னை நானே வரையறுத்து, என்ன ஒரு தனிநபராகக் கருதும் போது எல்லைகள் எழுகின்றன; இது எனது விழிப்புநிலை உணர்வு. நனவில் இருமை, வேற்றுமை, பன்மை என்று உருவாகி, உலகத்தை என்னிலிருந்து வேறுபட்டு காண்கிறேன்.

ஸ்லோகம் 2.24

இந்த ஸ்லோகத்தில், எல்லையற்ற தூய உணர்வான ஆன்மா கடலுக்கும், ஜீவா தனது உடலை கப்பலாக பாவித்து உலகத்துடன் வர்த்தகம் செய்யும் வியாபாரிக்கும், உடலை கப்பலுக்கும் ஒப்பிடுகிறார் ஜனகர்.

கப்பலில் பயணம் செய்து, புலன்கள் மற்றும் உலக இன்பங்களுக்கு ஈடாக ஜீவர் தனது சுதந்திரத்தைப் பண்டமாற்று செய்கிறது, மேலும் செயல்பாட்டில், பாவ கர்மாவைக் குவிக்கிறது. அவர் ஒரு துரதிர்ஷ்டவசமானவர், ஏனென்றால் அவர் எப்போதும் அந்த வணிகத்திலிருந்து நஷ்டத்தை அடைகிறார்; ஏனெனில் ஆசை நிறைந்த செயல்கள் அல்லது உலக உடைமைகளால் உண்மையான லாபம் ஏதும் இல்லை.

மனக்காற்று வீச்சிலே உலகம் போன்ற படைப்புகள் அலையென தோற்றமென்று முதலில் கூறிய ஐனகர், இப்போது அந்த மனக்காற்று அடங்கி மன அமைதியான நிலையிலிருப்பதை கூறுகிறார். கடலில் கப்பல் மூழ்குவது காற்று, நீரின் சீற்றத்தால். ஆனால் இங்கு ஜனகர் கூறுவது, மனக்காற்று அடங்கியவுடன் படைப்பு எனும் கப்பல் மூழ்கியது என்கிறார். இதுவும் துரதிருஷ்டமே.

எனினும், கப்பல் கவிழ்ந்தாலும், மன அமைதி, நிலையற்ற படைப்பெனும் உலகத்தின் மறைவு என்பன அந்த கப்பலின் சொந்தக்காரனான ஜீவனுக்கு கிடைத்த பெரிய அதிருஷ்டமே என்பதை உணர்ந்த ஜனகர் பன்மையும் வேற்றுமையும் நிறைந்த உலகமெனும் கப்பல் கவிழ்ந்து, அனைத்தும் (சீவன் உட்பட) ஆன்மக்கடலுடன் ஒன்றாகின என்கிறார்.

ஸ்லோகம் 2.25

ஜனகரின் இந்த ஸ்லோகங்களைப்புரிந்து கொள்ள, அவர் ஆன்மா மற்றும் படைப்பின் தன்மையை விவரிக்கப் பயன்படுத்திய குறியீட்டை அறிந்து கொள்வது அவசியம். தனிப்பட்ட ஜீவாக்களில், எல்லையற்ற தூய இருப்புணர்வான ஆன்மா கடல்; மனமும் உடலும் படைப்பைக் குறிக்கிறது. அவற்றில் எழும் மாற்றங்கள், எண்ணங்கள், உணர்வுகள் மற்றும் பிற நிகழ்வுகள் அனைத்தும் உயிரினங்கள் மற்றும் பொருள்களின் பன்முகத்தன்மையைக் குறிக்கின்றன (ஜீவவீச்சயஹ்). அவை கடல்சார் அலைகளுடன் ஒப்பிடப்படுகின்றன. விழித்திருக்கும் நிலையில் மனமும் உடலும் சுறுசுறுப்பாக இருக்கும். ஆழ்ந்த உறக்கத்தில், சுயம் மட்டுமே பிரகாசிக்கும்போது அவை மறைந்துவிடும். எனவே, அவை நிலையற்றவை. அவர்களின் ஆதரவு ஆன்மாவே. அவைகளின் நோக்கம் ஆன்மாவை மகிழ்விப்பதாகும்.

இப்படி ஆன்மக்கடலுக்குள்ஒன்றாகிய ஜீவர்கள் அனைத்தும், அவரவர்களின் இயற்கையான இயல்புகளுடன் பிறந்து, வாழ்ந்து, மடிந்து விளையாடுகிறர்கள் என்னுள்ளே என்கிறார் ஜனகர்.

முடிவுரை

ஒரே நேரத்தில் கோடிக்கணக்கான உயிர்களாக வாழ, ஒரே நேரத்தில் கோடிக்கணக்கான உடல்களில் இருக்க முடியுமா என்று கற்பனை செய்வோம். அந்த அனுபவங்களை எப்படி வர்ணிப்பது. வார்த்தைகளால் இயலுமா? எந்த மின்னணுக் கணிணிகளால் இதை விளக்கமுடியும்.

முதல் ஸ்லோகத்தில் படைப்பின் காரணமே (ஸ்ருஷ்டி காரணம்) நான் என்ற ஜனகர், இரண்டாவது ஸ்லோகத்தில் அவைகளின் நிலைப்பிற்கு காரணமே நான் (ஸ்திதி காரணம்) என்று கூறி

அனைத்திற்கும் ஆதாரம் நானே என்கிறார் மூன்றாவது ஸ்லோகத்தில். அந்த எல்லையற்ற தூய உணர்வாக இருக்கும் ஆன்மா எப்போதும் பேரின்பத்திலேயேதான் இருக்கும். படைப்பில் உள்ள எல்லாவற்றின் சாட்சியாக, படைப்பிற்குள்ளும் வெளியும் பரவி இருக்கும் தூய உணர்வே ஆன்மா; அது தான் சத் சித் ஆனந்தம். அந்த சச்சிதானந்த நிலையை அறிந்துணர்ந்த ராஐரிஷி ஜனகரின் இவ்வுரைகள், பேரின்பத்தின் எல்லை நிலையை அழகாக படம்பிடித்து காட்டுகிறது.

வீடுபேறு நோக்கிச் செல்லும் ஆன்மீகவாதியின் ஆழ்ந்த தியானத்தில் இத்தருணம் இறுதி நிலை அருகில் இருப்பதைக் குறிக்கிறது . இந்த அனுபவ நிலையில், தன்முனைப்பும், தன்னுணர்வும் கிட்டத்தட்ட மறைந்து, பயண இலக்கின் அருகில் நிற்கும் நிலை. இந்த நிலை வரை, தன்னைக் காண்பவன் என்றும், காண்பது காட்சி என்றும் இருமை நிலைப்படுத்திய ஜனகர், அந்த இருமையே, அறியாமையால் உருவான கற்பனையாக உணரும் நிலை இது. கடவுள் ஒருவரே, கடவுளைத் தவிர வேறு எதுவும் இல்லை என்பதால், அங்கு எந்த இருமையும் இல்லை.

காண்பவன், காட்சி என்ற இருமைக்குள், காண்பது சாத்தியம் என்று பொதுவாக மக்கள் நினைக்கிறார்கள். ஆனால் வேதாந்தத்தில் காண்பவன், காட்சி என்ற இருமையிலிருந்து விடுபட்ட அறிவே தரிசனம். அந்த சுய தரிசனம் என்பது “நான் தான் தூய்மையான இருப்பு” என்ற நேரடி அனுபவத்தின் மூலம் வரும் அறிவு/உணர்வு. இந்த தருணம், வீடுபேறு நோக்கிச் செல்லும் ஆன்மீகவாதியின் அறிவு முதிர்ச்சியின் உச்ச நிலையைக் குறிக்கிறது.

எனவே, ஆன்மீகப் பயணத்தின் இறுதிக் கட்டத்தலிருந்து கூறப்படும் இம்மந்திரங்களின் சொற்களின் தாத்பர்யத்தை அதிஉயர் நிலையிலிருந்து அறிய முற்படவேண்டும். அதாவது கர்ம-உபாசன இணைந்த (சமுச்சய) நிலையைத் தாண்டி, ஆத்ம ஞான நிலையிலிருந்து கூறப்படும் சொற்களாக அறிந்து, அவைகள் கூறும் கருப்பொருளை அறிய வேண்டும். ஜனகரின் உரைகள், ஒரு கர்ம யோகியின் நிலையோ அல்லது ஒரு உபாஸகனின் பிரார்த்தனையோ அல்ல. அவைகள் அனைத்தும் அபரோக்ஷ ஞான அனுபவ வாக்கியங்கள்.

பின் குறிப்பு

இருபது அத்தியாயங்கள் உடைய அஷ்டாவக்ர கீதையிலிருந்து, முதல் இரண்டு அத்தியாயங்களைக் கண்டோம். இவைகளில் கூறப்பட்ட அத்வைத வேதாந்த தத்துவங்களின் விளக்கங்களே மற்ற அத்தியாயங்கள். இவை, அத்வைத வேதாந்தத்தின் அதி உயர் நிலை கருத்துப் பரிமாற்றங்கள், அஷ்டாவக்ர முனிவருக்கும் ராஜ ரிஷி ஜனகருக்கும் இடையே.

இந்த தொடர் இத்துடன் நிறைவு. மற்ற அத்தியாயங்களிலிருந்து, ஏதேனும் அறிய வேண்டுமானால், அடியேனுக்கு மின்அஞ்சல் வழியாக வினவ வேண்டுகிறேன். யான் அறிந்தவைகளை பதிலாக அளிக்கின்றேன்.

அஷ்டாவக்ர கீதையின் தமிழாக்கம் புத்தக வடிவில் உள்ளது. அதனைப் பெற கீழ்காணும் வலைதளப்பதிவுகளைக் காணவும். (Amazon, Notion Press)

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AP.+Soundara+Rajan&s=relevancerank&text=P.+Soundara+Rajan&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

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இருபது அத்தியாயங்கள் அடங்கிய அஷ்டாவக்ர கீதையின் இரண்டு அத்தியாயங்களை, வலைதளத்தில் இதுவரை என்னுடன் சேர்ந்து ஆராய்ந்து அறிந்ததற்கு நன்றி. மற்ற அத்தியாயங்களை அறிய தயை கூர்ந்து புத்தகப் பிரதியில் காணவும்.

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முகவுரை

முந்தைய பதிவில், “நான்” உடல் அல்ல, உடலும் எனதல்ல. ஒவ்வொரு உடலிலும் ஜீவன், பிரம்மன் என்று இரண்டு இருப்பு தெரிகிறது; ஒன்றை உணர முடிகிறது. மற்றொன்றை உணர இயலவில்லை. அனுபவத்தால் அறிந்துணரும் இறுதி உண்மை என்பது ஒன்றே, இரண்டு அல்ல என்று அத்வைத வேதாந்தம் மிகத்தெளிவாக கூறுகிறது. ஆக, உற்ற தேஹத்திலிருக்கும் உயிரும் நானல்ல என்றும் கண்டோம். அப்படியென்றால் நான் யார்? இந்த கேள்வியை ஜனகர் எவ்வாறு கையாளுகிறார் என இந்த பகுதியில் காண்போம்.

வேதாந்தம் கூறுவது

அனுபவத்தால் அறிந்துணரும் இறுதி உண்மை என்பது ஒன்றே, இரண்டு அல்ல என்று அத்வைத வேதாந்தம் மிகத்தெளிவாக கூறுகிறது. இந்த ஒருமை தத்துவத்தை நடைமுறையில் (வ்யாவஹாரிக நிலை) விளக்க, உடலில் உள்ள உணர்வை, (அதாவது ஜீவன் என்று அழைக்கப்படுவதை) “ப்ரதிபிம்ப சைத்தன்யம்” அல்லது “நிழல் உணர்வு” என்றும், பிம்பமாக இருக்கும் “தூய உணர்வை” “சுத்த சைத்தன்யம்” என்றும் கூறுகிறது. சரி, சுத்த சைதன்யத்தை பிரதிபலிப்பது எது? அது அந்தகரணம் எனும் மனம்.

இதனை “க்ஷேத்ரா, க்ஷேத்ரஞம்” என்பர் மறைகளில். அதாவது உடல், மனம், புத்தி, அஹங்காரம், சித்த வளாகம் என்பது க்ஷேத்ரா, தூய இருப்புணர்வான ஆன்மா க்ஷேத்ரஞம்.

அண்டத்திலிருப்பது (ஸமஷ்டி) பிண்டத்திலும் (வ்யஷ்டி) இருக்கிறது என்பது நமது மறைகள் சொல்லும் உண்மை. ஷேத்ரா என்பது இயற்கையின் தத்துவங்களால் (பஞ்சபூதங்களின் பரிணாமத்தால் வரையறுக்கப்பட்ட உண்மைகளின்) ஒரு தொகுப்பாகும். இது மாயையெனும் இயற்கையின் முக்குணங்களால் வரையறுக்கப்பட்டது. இந்த பரிணாமங்கள், மாற்றங்கள், குணங்களால்தான் நமது அந்தகரணமெனும் ஷேத்ராவின் மாசு. இதனை தூசு படிந்த நிலக்கண்ணாடிக்கு ஒப்பிடலாம். அதே சமயம் க்ஷேத்ரஜ்ஞம் என்பது இயற்கையின் மாற்றங்கள் மற்றும் அசுத்தங்கள் இல்லாத தூய்மையான உணர்வு.

மாசுபட்ட க்ஷேத்ரா எனும் இயற்கையால் உருவகப்படுத்தப்பட்டதால் (பிரதிபலிக்கப்பட்டதால்), ஜீவா என்பது ஒரு ஆன்மாவின் இருப்பில் ஒரு தற்காலிக பிறழ்வு. பிரதிபலிப்பின் தரம், பிரதிபலிக்கும் பொருளின் தரத்தை சாரந்தது. மாசு படிந்த கண்ணாடியிலிருந்து பிரதிபலிக்கப்பட்ட ஒளி, மாசிலா கண்ணாடியிலிருந்து பிரதிபலிக்கப்பட்ட ஒளியைவிட மங்கலாக இருக்கும்.

நம் உணர்வை (ஜீவனை) க்ஷேத்ராவின அசுத்தங்களிலிருந்து பிரிக்க முடிந்தால், ஆன்மாவின் தூய்மையான இருப்புணர்வை அறிந்துணரலாம். “மனத்துக்கண் மாசிலனாதல்” என்பது இதுவே.

மாசற்ற கொள்கை மனதில் அடைந்தக்கால்

ஈசனைக் காட்டும் உடம்பு

மனத்தில் மாசு இல்லா நிலையை அடைந்த உடம்பே ஈசனாகத் தோன்றும் என்கிறார் ஔவையார்.

அந்த நிலையை அடைந்த ஜனகர், தூய உணர்வே நான் என்கிறார். அவரது கூற்றில் அடங்கிய கருப்பொருளை ஆய்வோம்.

தூய உணர்வே நான்

“அஹம் பரம்மாஸ்மி”, நானே பிரம்மன்; அதாவது நானே அந்த பிம்பமான சுத்த சைதன்யம்; இந்த பிம்பத்தின் இருப்பு ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட இடம் என்று கூறமுடியாது. எங்கும் எதிலும் எப்பொழுதும் நீக்கமற நிறைந்து இருக்கும் பரம்பொருள் - “ஸர்வம் பரம்ம மயம்”. ஒரு குடுவைக்குள் உள்ள வெளியும், ஆகாயத்தில் பரவியிருக்கும் வெளியையும் ஜீவன், ப்ரம்மன் எனும் சைத்தன்யங்களையும் ஒப்பிடலாம். இரண்டும் ஒன்றே.

எங்கும் எதிலும் நீக்கமற நிலையாக இருக்கும் பரம்பொருள்.

தூய உணர்வு என்றால் என்ன? மனத்துக்கண் மாசிலனாகி, இருமையுள் ஒருமை காணும் உணர்வு. மனதின் அசைவுகள் மற்றும் அதன் மாற்றங்கள் இல்லாத உணர்வு அது. வேறு வார்த்தைகளில் கூறுவதானால், உணர்விலிருந்து எண்ணங்கள், உணர்ச்சிகள், உருவங்கள், மனக் கட்டமைப்புகள், நினைவுகள், ஆசைகள், இணைப்புகள், அகங்காரம் போன்றவற்றைப் பிரிக்க முடிந்தால், எஞ்சியிருப்பது தூய உணர்வு. சிலர் அதை தூய நுண்ணறிவு என்று அழைக்கிறார்கள். இதில் இருமை இல்லை. இது தான் பிரம்மன் எனும் ஔவை கூறிய உத்தமன்.

முண்டக உபநிஷதம் “பிரம்மன்” அல்லது பரம்பொருள் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் இறுதி யதார்த்தத்தை இங்கனம் வரையறுக்கிறது.

“கண்ணுக்குத் தெரியாதது, நினைத்துப் பார்க்க முடியாதது, ஆதியும், அந்தமும் இல்லாதது. எந்த வகைப்பாடும் இல்லாதது (வர்ணம்), கண்கள் மற்றும் காதுகள் இல்லாதது, கைகள் மற்றும் கால்கள் இல்லாதது, மற்றும் நித்தியமானது, எங்கும் நிறைந்தது, மிகவும் நுட்பமானது மற்றும் அழியாதது” - அனைத்து உயிரினங்களின் இருப்பு இதுதான் என ஞானியரும், பெருமுனிவர் பலரும் கூறுவர்” என அந்த உபநிடதம் கூறுகிறது.

ஆதி சங்கரர், வேதாந்த சூத்திரத்தின் விளக்கவுரையில், மாசிலா நிரந்தரமான தூய்மையுடன், முழு அறிவுடன், தன்னிச்சையான தன்மையுடன், வாக்கு, மனம் இவைகளைக் கடந்து, பொருள் என்ற வரையிலாது எங்கும் எதிலும் நீக்கமற நிறைவாக எது இருக்கிறதோ அதுவே பரம்பொருள் என்கிறார்.

நித்ய வஸ்து ஏகம் பிரம்மம்

தத் வ்யத்ரிக்தம் ஸர்வம் அநித்யம்

இந்த உலகமும் அதில் உள்ள அனைத்தும் மாறிக்கொண்டே இருக்கின்றன. ஆனால் அதை நிலைநிறுத்துவது என்றும் மாறாது. அது எப்பொழுதும் ஒன்றே. அதுதான் கடவுள் - பிரம்மன் - இறைவன் என்று அழைக்கப்படும் யதார்த்தமான ஒரே உண்மை என வேத சாஸ்த்திரங்கள் உரைக்கின்றன.

குணமிலா, அமைதி நிலையான பரப்பிரம்மன் என்றும் சத்தியம், ஞானம், அனந்தம்; அதாவது சத் சித் ஆனந்தம் (அச்சொற்கள் மருவி சச்சிதானந்தமாயிற்று தமிழில்). அதாவது,

1. யாண்டும் உள்ள, மாறா உண்மை என்பது சத்தியம். அது தூய இருப்பு. மெய்ப்பொருள்.

2. யாண்டும் உள்ள, மாறா அறிவு என்பது ஞானம். அது தூய உணர்வு. மெய்யறிவு.

3. யாண்டும் உள்ள, மாறா சுகம் என்பது ஆனந்தம். அது தூய இன்பம் . பேரின்பம்.

இந்த நிலையை முதலில் அறிந்துணராமல் உயிர் வாழ நினத்ததனால் உறவெனும் தளையுற்றேன் உறுதியாக என்று கூறுகிறார் ஜனகர்.

முடிவுரை

பகவத் கீதையில் (9.4)

“நான் எனது தோன்றாத உருவின் மூலம் இந்த அகிலம் முழுவதும் பரவியுள்ளேன். எல்லா ஜீவன்களும் என்னில் இருக்கின்றன்; ஆனால் அவர்களில் நான் இல்லை”

என்று பரம்பொருள் தத்துவத்தை விளக்குகிறான் கண்ணன். இந்த விளக்கத்தை தழுவியது ஜனகரின் “உடல் நானல்ல, உடலும் எனக்கல்ல, உற்ற தேகத்து உணர்வும் நானல்ல, தூய உணர்வே நான்” எனும் இந்த ஸ்லோகம்.

பின் குறிப்பு

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The Quest

“Living” on a tiny speck of a rock, that revolves around a ball of fire, itself adrift in an ever-expanding cosmos, humans name the brief interval between the womb and the pyre as ‘life”.

Born in a drop of water, gone in a drop of fire !

Between these two,a pilgrimage called living !

says the legendary Tamil Poet Kannadasan. What then is the destination of this pilgrimage ? Let us examine.

Long before telescopes named the stars, our seers spoke of eighty four lakh forms of life; those that swim, those that root and grow, those that crawl, those that fly, those that roam the land, and those that walk as humans. Among them all, human birth is rare indeed.

“Among beings, human birth is hard to attain” (“jantUnAm nara Janma durlabham”), declares Adi Śaṅkara, the greatest Hindu Philosopher of all times. “Rare, rare indeed is birth as a human,” echoes the divine Tamil Poetess Avvaiyār.

Why? Let us reflect.

Eating, sleeping, and pleasure belong to beasts as well. But reflection, discrimination, inquiry, these alone belong to the human. That’s why over centuries Animals haven’t evolved and remain as they were. Humans alone change, evolve, and question. This power to question reveals the sacredness of human birth.

Through these special resources that humans possess, human life’s aim evolved:

1. righteous living,

2. material well-being,

3. pleasure

4. and beyond them all, the final freedom; sorrowless, stainless, eternal bliss, called Liberation.

Great. Yet what do we see in real life ? Each person sets goals, seeks to achieve them, develops attachments to the world and worldly objects, forms relationships, and performs actions. Examining the results of these efforts—pleasure and pain—one keeps chasing “pains” thinking that they are “pleasures” that are yet to be obtained.

Driven by desire, anger, and deceit, the human descends literally into a speaking animal, endlessly pursuing sense pleasures with the mantra “Enjoy, O king, enjoy,” forgetting the divine law that pleasure hides pain and pain hides pleasure and experiential pleasures and pains are ephemeral. Even while knowing that death alone is the common destiny of all, one trembles at its thought and collapses in fear. Is this why it is said, “A living corpse weeps upon seeing a dead one”?

Bound tightly by the disease of birth–world–death, the human who searches for liberation finally departs, leaving others to weep over a mere six feet of earth. Thus, human life is nothing but the relentless chase of pain, mistaking it for pleasure, and running behind suffering believing bliss lies hidden within it.

Pleasure thus obtained through sense objects (viṣaya sukha), can never bring fulfilment. Desire knows no bounds—could one rule the entire universe and still be satisfied? Sense pleasure merely disguises dissatisfaction as joy.

Sense pleasure bears three major defects (“doshA”):

1. it breeds sorrow, (“dukha”)

2. it never satisfies,(“atripti”)

3. and it binds. (“BandhA”)

From such a striving, one may get wealth , a sense of security, a sense of immediate gratification; but never liberation.

Then one day the heart sighs: “Enough. How do I reach the end of this road?” That day varies with each individual and is according to one’s karma. For sure - everyone will reach that day. That day lots of questions keep gushing out of an individual

1. Why me?

2. Why does injustice prosper?

3. Is there no end?

4. Why do trials return again and again?

5. Does God exist? Where is He?

To all these questions, there is only one answer alone.

Know thy Self.

Yes ! The answer is right inside you. Do not abandon where you are and wander everywhere seeking what is not elsewhere. Know yourself.

The contemplation of one who thus seeks is expressed in this song (Carnatic Music genre) in Tamil.

Literal Translation in English is given below (not to scale and notations).

Rāga: Māṇḍ

Pallavi (akin to the Primary “Refrain or Theme)

Is liberation possible ?

Without seeking the Primordial Source within yourself—

Is it possible?

Anupallavi (akin to Secondary “Refrain or Theme)

For one who has no clarity

About the destination to be reached,

Who wanders chasing mere sense pleasures,

Without knowing Supreme Wisdom—

Is it possible?

Caraṇam (akin to the Verse or Bridge)

Full like the sky, abiding eternally,

The Supreme Bliss hidden within humans,

Form of the Divine beyond concealment;

Beginningless and endless, beyond speech,

If one sees that One Supreme Reality Only in stone idols—

Is it possible ?

Enjoy the melody . God Bless

—-———————————————

ஆத்ம ஞானத் தேடல்

எப்போதும் விரிவடையும் விண்மீன் மண்டலத் திரள்களில் ஒரு சிறிய விண்மீனின் ஒரு அங்கமான ஒரு கோள நெருப்பைச் சுற்றி சுழலும் ஒரு சிறிய பாறைப்பந்தின் மேற்பரப்பின் ஓரிடத்தில் , மகப்பேறு மனைக்கும் சுடுகாட்டுக்கும் இடையில் கழிக்கும் நேரத்தையே மானிடர்கள் வாழ்க்கை என்று கூறுகின்றனர்

ஒரு துளி நீரில் ஜனனம்

ஒரு துளி நெருப்பில் மரணம்

இதனிடையே வாழ்வின் பயணம்

என்றான் கவியரசன் கண்ணதாசன். இந்த வாழ்க்கைப் பயணத்தில், நமது குறிக்கோள் என்ன? ஆராய்வோம்

அண்டங்களடங்கிய இந்த பிரபஞ்சத்தில் 84 இலட்சம் விதமான உயிரினங்கள் உண்டு என்று ஐந்தாயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே, நமது புராணங்கள் கூறுகின்றன. அவற்றை நீர் சார்ந்த உயிரினங்கள், அசைவற்ற தாவரங்கள் மற்றும்  மரங்கள், ஊர்வன, பறவைகள், நிலப்பரப்பு விலங்குகள், மனிதன் போன்ற விலங்குகள் என்றும் வகைப்படுத்தியுள்ளன. இந்த உயிரினங்களனைத்திலும் தலையானது மனித இனம். இதைத்தான் ஆதிசங்கரர், விவேக சூடாமணியில்

जन्तूनां नरजन्म दुर्लभमतः

“ஜந்தூனாம் நர-ஜென்ம துர்லபம்” என்று கூறுகிறார்.

அவ்வைப் பிராட்டியாரும் இதனையே “அரிது அரிது மானிடராகப் பிறத்தல் அரிது” என்றார்.

ஏன் இப்படி கூறுகின்றனர் என்று ஆராயலாம். மனிதனுக்கும் மற்ற உயிரினங்களுக்கும் பொதுவான பல அம்சங்கள் உள்ளன: உண்ணுதல், உறக்கம், புலன் திருப்தி. இருப்பினும், மனிதர்களுக்கு ஒரு வித்தியாசம் உள்ளது. ஆறறிவு உடைய மனிதனுக்கு மட்டுமே சிந்தித்து, பகுத்தறியும் சக்தி உள்ளது. மாற வேண்டும், மேம்படுத்த வேண்டும், முன்னேற வேண்டும் என்ற ஆர்வம் உள்ளது. இத்தகைய உந்துதல் வேறு எந்த உயிரிலும் இருப்பதாகத் தெரியவில்லை. அதனால்தான் பல நூற்றாண்டுகளாக விலங்குகள் அப்படியே இருக்கின்றன. அவைகளின் வாழ்க்கை முறையிலும், உணவு முறையிலும் எந்த மாற்றமும் இல்லை. அதேசமயம், மனிதர்கள் எவ்வளவு முன்னேற்றம் அடைந்திருக்கிறார்கள் என்பதை நாம் பார்க்கலாம். மனிதன் மிகவும் சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த இனம் என்பதை இது காட்டுகிறது.

அந்த ஆறறிவினால் தான் வாழ்க்கையின் குறிக்கோள்கள் (புருஷார்த்தா என்பர் வடமொழியில்) அறம், பொருள், இன்பம், என்பதனையும், அதன்வழியாக மனிதன் வாழ்வில், துன்பங்கள் இல்லாத, தூய, நிலையான பேரின்பத்தை (வீடு பேறு, பேறு, முக்தி, மோக்‌ஷம் என்றெல்லாம் கூறப்படும்) அடைவதே தலையான குறிக்கோளாக கொள்கிறான்.

எனினும் ஒவ்வொருவனும் வாழ்வில், குறிக்கோள்களை அமைத்து, அதனை அடைய, இவ்வுலகம், உலகப்போருட்கள் மீது மருவு கொண்டு உறவுகள் என்று ஏற்படுத்தி வினைகள் புரிகிறான். அந்த முயற்சிகள், முயற்சிகளின் விளைவுகளான இன்பம் அல்லது துன்பம் இவைகளை ஆராய்ந்து, கிடைக்காத இன்பத்தை நோக்கி விரைகிறான்.

ஆசை கோபம் களவு கொண்டு பேசத் தெரிந்த மிருகமாகி, இன்பத்தில் துன்பம் துன்பத்தில் இன்பம் என்று இறைவன் வகுத்த நியதியை மறந்து, இருக்கும் வரை அனுபவி ராஜா அனுபவி என்று புலனின்பங்களை நாடி, இது தான் உலகம் என்ற தத்துவம் வேறு சொல்லிக்கொண்டு, இந்த உலகத்தில் எல்லோருக்கும் மரணம் மட்டுமே ஒரே கதி என்பதை அறிந்திருந்த போதும், மரணத்தை எண்ணிக் கலங்கி மடிகிறான்.

இதை தான் “செத்த பிணத்தை பார்த்து சாகாத பிணம் அழுகிறது” என்று கூறினரோ? படித்தாலும் அறிந்தாலும் உணர்ந்தாலும் புத்தியில் உறைக்காத பல விஷயங்களில் முதன்மையானது இதுதான். இப்படி பிறப்பு-உலகம்-இறப்பு எனும் பிறவிப்பிணியுடன் தன்னை இறுகக்கட்டி, வீடுபேறு எனும் பேரின்பத்தை தேடி அலைந்த மனிதன் ஆறடி நிலத்தில் பிறரை அழுகவிட்டுச் செல்கிறான்.

ஆக, இன்பம் தன்னை இன்பமென அறியாமல், துன்பத்தின் பின்னால்,துன்பத்தில் இன்பம் இருக்கிறதென்று ஓடிக்கொண்டிருப்பதே மனித வாழ்க்கை.

புலன்களால் துய்க்கப்படும் பொருட்களால் கிட்டும் இன்பம் (“விஷய ஸுகம்”) என்பது நிறைவினை கொடுக்காது். ஆசைக்கோர் அளவில்லை அகிலமெல்லாம் கட்டி ஆண்டாளும் அல்லவா. ஆக, நிறைவிலா துன்பத்தை இன்பமெனக் கருதவைப்பது விஷய ஸுகம். இந்த விஷய சுகத்தின் குறைகள் (தோஷங்கள்)

1. துக்க தோஷம் (விஷய சுகம், துக்கம் நிஸ்ச்ருதம் sorrows ),

2. அதிருப்திகர தோஷம் (நிறைவின்மை, dissatisfactions ),

3. பந்த தோஷம் அடிமைப்படுத்தும் தன்மை (binding, addiction),

ஆக, சிரமங்களை வளர்க்கும் சிரமங்களை மேற்கொள்கிறோம் இங்கே. இந்தப் பயணத்தினால் நமக்கு பொருள் ஆக்கமும் (யோகம்), நலனும் (ஷேமம்) கிட்டலாம். ஆனால் வீடு பேறு, பேறு, முக்தி, மோக்‌ஷம் என்றெல்லாம் கூறப்படும் நமது இறுதி இலக்காம் துன்பமேதுமிலா நிலையான இன்பம் கிட்டாது.

“எண்ணாத எண்ணமெல்லாம் எண்ணி எண்ணி ஏழை நெஞ்சம் புண்ணாக செய்தது போதும். எமது இறுதி இலக்கை அடைவது எங்கனம்” என்று இயல்பாகவே புற நோக்குடைய நமக்கு சிந்திக்கும் நேரம் வரும் என்பது உறுதி. எப்போது என்பது ஒவ்வொருவருக்கும், அவரவர் வினைப்பலன் வழி விதித்திட்டதைப் பொறுத்தது.

அந்த நேரத்தில் வரும் கேள்விகள் பல.

1. எனக்கு ஏன் இந்த சோதனை

2. தீங்கிழைத்தவன் இன்பமாக உள்ளானே ஏன்

3. இதற்கு விடிவு ஏதும் இல்லையா.

4. இதுவும் கடந்து போகும் என்றீரே: ஒன்று கடந்தபின் அடுத்தடுத்து ஏன் எனக்கு?

5. இறைவன் இருக்கின்றானா? இருந்தால் எங்கே இருக்கிறான் ?

இக்கேள்விகெளுக்கெல்லாம் ஒரே பதில் ஆத்ம ஞானம் எனும் மெய்யறிவு. “உன்னை அறிந்தால், உயர்ந்தாலும் தாழ்ந்தாலும், தலை வணங்காமல் நீ வாழலாம்”. இருக்குமிடத்தை விட்டு இல்லாத இடம் தேடி எங்கெங்கோ அலையாதே. உன்னையே நீ அறிவாய் !

அப்படி அறிய முயல்பவன் ஒருவனின் சிந்தனையே இப்பாடல்.

ராகம்:  மாண்டு

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இறையருள் பெருக ! வளமுடன் வாழ்க !

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