SWAMI's Testament of Truth veritably is the testimony on his GURU.
“He is the Sat-Guru, who is Self-luminous.
He is beyond the plane of objective conciousness.”
--227--
“It is the Guru's grace, his infinite grace, his ineffable, perennial fount of grace, that alone can endow man with a deep insight into the soul of things.”
“He illumines everyone to see by the light of grace radiating
within each being. His rays also lighten the universe which
is constructed of the five elemental powers. Who can see if
he Luminous One wills it not?”
--Natchintanai. 180
“By the grace of my Teacher, subdued is my Ego.
By the grace of my Teacher, exhilarated is my self.
By the grace of my Teacher, intensified is my Love.
The grace of my Teacher betokens his veiling Power.”
--Natchintanai. 186.
In the cantos on Grace, Swami unravels by stages the immense potency of the veiling power of Grace.
“I see Him and yet I see Him not,
This is the annunciation of our Guru,
That wheresoever thou art, there I am--Siva, Siva.”
--209--
“By the grace of my Guru was overthrown my pride.
By the grace of my Guru, showers of grace were mine.
By the grace of my Guru, bliss infinite was mine.
By His grace myself and Guru commingled as One.”
--Natchintanai. 243.
'Detach, and in attachment, see detachment,
Espouse righteous living with awareness, my dear
Thou art myself'--Thus spoke he.
“No intrinsic evil is there,' so said he,
'And Truth is Absolute,' he added my dear.
Yet he behaved like a dumbman, dear.
'Accomplished is His Will--there's neither before nor after.'
Like thunder, he echoed these words, my dear
What more can I speak, my dear.
'That is: Who doth know?' so said he.
No parallel to him can I conceive, my dear.
Dazed and motionless I become, my dear.
'We know not,' declared the wise teacher.
A wholesome life bequeathed he, my dear
Fled are all the unrighteous acts, my dear.
In oneness did I see the universe in and out.
Yet I see not that which seeth so, my dear.
The link of causation too hath vanished, my dear.
Dweller at Nallur my dear, known by the holy name
Chellappan, so they called him, my dear.
His abode is the canopy of the chariot.
The devotees who adore him are selfless folks,
Who do not see the merging of day into night,
They claim his Feet as their sole refuge, my dear.
--Natchintanai. 165.
Oh mother mine, he came on earth in human form.
He whom Brama and Vishnu fail to percieve.
He assuaged my griefs and gave me his vision.
I was an ignoramus to whom he gave eminent status, and
assured me of the innate goodness of heaven and earth.
Sivayanama was the mantra He gave me to alleviate my distress
He bade me give up prejudices and predilections, and endowed
me with discrimination to apprehend Truth.
His great saying that we know not, became meaningful to me
by his grace, when He and I in non-dual communion experienced bliss.
Who knows was his oft-quoted declaration, and yet to the
pious lovers, he revealed the Truth of the ultimate Reality.
He and I are inseparable, though infinitely great is his transcendence--
And my glamour for this world vanished at the vigorous life he gave me by the spell of his word--
All bespeak his glory. His form I see everywhere;
His will moves everything here. If every phenomenom is his
form in the world, and everywhere we see his form, then there
can be no ill-will, no blemish anywhere. Is that not so mother
mine?
--Natchintanai. 52-53.
“Have you known my Jnana Guru? He is my beloved who
has given me the support of the Mulamantra AUM, and in
compassion he has taken his place in my heart.”
--Natchintanai. 54.
He would wander in the precincts of Nallur with a cheerful
countenance, but to no house would he frequent for his meals;
he disliked hypocrisy. Dark in complexion, austere in habits
and clad in simple attire, he was able to eradicate my vices,
What wonder!
In renunciation, he was exemplary: his heart overwhelmed with
the love of God, ever refulgent and immaculately pure, he
enslaved me at Nallur. He slumbered after midnight and he
would keep away the idle and curious folks by spurious outbursts. But he was forbearing with me, though he would often test me. He set me on the right path. It is to Be still--Summa Iru--
Always he would speak within himself, for so indrawn was he,
and yet he did grant the blessing of a good life to those who
sought him sincerely. He is enshrined in the temple of my heart.
He disliked pomp and show and would repel those who feigned
to worship him; Ah! He enticed me to follow his will.
He attracted me and yet would glower at me, when I drew
nigh unto him. He was averse to the display of any kind
of supernatural powers. Yet irresistible was his impact on me!
No apparent contact whatsoever did he vouchsafe with his
devotees, and yet he exerted such wondrous control over them.
Amazement was not in his code, and hence stupefied mortals
could not have access to him. He led his own true devotees
through bewilderment to the path of wisdom.
He is the Jnana Guru.
--Natchintanai. 53-54.
“Salutation to the Holy Feet of my SatGuru!
He enlightened me with supra-mental conciousness,
Beyond the avenues of sense experiences.
He initiated me to know my inner self.
Look inward and realise, was his benediction.
He showered greater love than that of a mother,
And I consecrated my all at his Feet.
Salutation to the beauteous Feet of Grace!
He was Life of my life, Essence of Self in self.
He granted me the beautitude of a goodly life.
He placed his Feet on my head and protected me.
Away with spurious doubts! Such grace was mine!
He illumined me with one word Aum.
I understood the world and myself.
He gave me the experience of Oneness.
He was all pervasive like the letter A
Salutation to the feet so fragrant.
Thus did he save me from a life of allurements,
He who was beyond the reach of the See-ers,
He came like me in human form.
And enticed me by love supernal,
I learnt to walk with him on the right path.
Hail omniform light of Nallur that captivated me!
Salutation to the Holy Feet of my Guru!
“Shed all your supporting ties and bonds,” so saying
My benevolent Guru vouchsafed such grace.
His Blessed Feet Hail. All Hail.
--Natchintanai. 55-57.
It is by inconspicuous and homely sayings that our Guru directed one and all to follow the path leading to the vision of the ultimate Reality. Self restraint, aspiration for the true knowledge, love and harmonious living are the commendable virtues which must be cultivated and offered unto his Feet.
Swami presents us with a rosary for meditation, which is made up of the beads of innate yearning to desire the desireless One. The moving finger rolls the beads as we reflect silently.
“In remembrance of the name Siva--the Letters Five.
In remembrance to serve the servitors of Siva
In remembrance to walk in the path of the virtuous
In remembrance to cherish the love of father, mother and kin.
In remembrance to celebrate the fifth anniversary
In rembrance to give whatever I can.
In remembrance to make flower garlands.
In remembrance to greet the incoming Sivathondan.
In remembrance to curb the wayward mind,
In remembrance to worship the Guru's Feet
In remembrance to keep off from sinful acts,
In remembrance to love one and love all.
In remembrance to be moderate in food
In remembrance to take pains to gain wisdom
In remembrance to acquire while young, the arts
In remembrance to give up the friendship of the misers.
In remembrance to foster goodwill among relations,
In remembrance to rejoice in sweet content
In remembrance to help the kith and kin,
In remembrance to live without deceit.
In remembrance to efface the ego and live in self,
In remembrance to guard against doubts
In remembrance to glorify the Guru always
In remembrance to refute the reproach of madness
We supplicate, we implore.
--Natchintanai. 58-59.
Speak oh sivam, speak the mantra
Leading to the path of blessedness--
That enmity can be vanquished,
That there is no'other,' speak oh sivam.
That the sway of time and duration is no more.
That love is sivam, speak oh sivam--
In dulcet melting poesy, speak oh sivam
That the body is the temple, speak oh sivam.
Speak oh sivam the mantra of Aham Brahmasmi
That shall lead to liberation.
That his beneficence extends to all alike.
That all art Sivam's Will, speak oh sivam.
Speak sivam that ill-will there's not.
We are bondsmen, so old and yet so new.
Oh sivam, speak of the virtue of nonviolence,
That unabashed you move about amidst all.
And enjoy the galaxy of the faithful.
Speak that we are all-embracing, oh sivam.
That we rejoice in being free, speak sivam,
That Truth is absolute, speak sivam
That He's the refuge of the weak and untutored.
May the mind be chastened by the Will Supreme.
--Natchintanai. 65.
Why sorrow oh Man? Reflect.
Be still and in love learn to live.
Take thy pledge of consecration
That he is All-in-All and
That All is His Will, His Will.
If in His light of Wisdom
You mingle your discernment,
He who dons the cresent
Shall save thee from Death
Why fear when thou knowest
The fate of Yama against Markandar?
Can fear overtake those who keep
Off the track of the elemental self?
Is there any gain in prestige or friendship?
Who cares for such measure of worth?
What matters where the sun shines?
Such assertion of consecration leads to felcity.
Thou art beyond the ken of weal and woe.
Thou art the embodiment of purity.
Invoke with the symphony of love
The adoration of the Lord morn and eve.
Do good to all and praise the Lord.
Wander not outside and rue not o'er past,
Forget not righteousness but ponder on
The sublimity of the Guru who made thee
His own, and get beyond the mind.
The timeless now shall thou realise.
--Natchintanai. 61-62.
In the sacred Nallur, the way to wisdom
He pointed out, Chellappar by name.
'There cannot be any evil,' he said,
And the truth dawned on my perception.
I saw all visable objects as fleeting,
And in that sight, faded all shades of falsehood.
He bade me cherish noble thoughts,
And shun ignoble pursuits by discernment.
Support of intellect, and sovereignty o'er earth,
The All-knower shall bestow by His Grace
He shall assuage the grief of devotees true
Who learn to worship with fragrant flowers.
So shall devotees attain and realise,
Bide by the spoken word and experience joy.
In pursuit of transient gains they wander not,
But with steadfast faith shall rejoice in Truth.
The delights of lust and wrath shall dwindle
In the illumined mind shall recede all evils.
Ponder at dawn and dusk on who doth know,
Then shall wisdom lighten your path.
Those in whose hearts abide the revealing truth,
That there's nothing before or after but Brahman,
They shall enjoy peace, forbearance and kindness,
And attain liberation--'Tis certain.
--Natchintanai. 325.
The Guru of Swami was essentially unique in his deportment and the mode of instruction. He could not be classified into any of the category of Gurus celebrated in the Saiva hagiology. Swami exalted his devotion to Sage Chellappa Swami to the highest pitch of excellence, and sang in praise of his Grace in liberating him from the thralldom of servitude to the tempting delights of the world.
Chellappa Swami, the towering Guru of Swami did not acclaim himself as a Guru, and did not permit others also to applaud him as a Guru. He often chased those who sought him in his haunts at Nallur.
In Swami's Natchintanai Odes, there are many references to his Guru's imperative commands, and his rebukes at the fervour of those who followed him in his wanderings as a mendicant.
Swami was one of the very few devotees who faithfully followed in the Master's foot prints. He submitted himself wholly at the Feet of the Guru, in spite of all the rebukes and rebuffs he received from him who was the wisest seer, and who deluded even the most learned and earnest aspirants. His eccentricities earned him the name of a madman.
“A mystery he was to one and all,
And adoration of none would he tolerate.”
--278--
Swami hailed the hallowed Feet of his Guru as his precious protection.
'There's no intrinsic evil,' was his greeting
As he turned his loving gaze on me.
His grace was my initiation,
His priceless Feet, my shield.
'Who ever doth know,' was his refrain,
Which precious formula he gave me.
Endowed with exquistie wisdom is he
Whose benevolent Feet are my shield.
'All's Truth,' was his refrain,
That he beamed at me with radiant face.
And unfailing was the spell of him,
Whose lotus Feet are my shield.
'The perceptible universe, this Cosmos
Reflects the Form of Paraman'.
So spake the Beauteous One
Whose bejewelled Feet afford me protection.
'Bethink the body as a temple of God,
And do thou so contemplate--'
Thus he addressed me in accents of love.
His flawless Feet, my protection aught.
'Birth and death revolve round
The wheel of attachment--So give up
Earthly ties,' was his admonition.
His divine Feet are my amulet.
--Natchintani. 328.
In some beautiful, most exquisite lullaby songs, Swami rocks the divine babe, the Guru who resides in the core of his heart to slumber sweetly. His plaintive strains recalling how all his imperfections and limitations have been so completely swept off by the grace of his Guru, move us to a region beyond the vale of tears. Swami avows the pledge of eternal servitude at the Feet of his redeemer Guru, the divine Child of Truth, who purged him of all falsehood and I-ness, and made him spotlessly pure inside and out. “Rock Thou my babe, so immaculate and peeless.” When sung in Neelampari raga, these songs have power to melt even stony hearts:
“My lord who bequeathes the wealth of bliss
To his loved votaries, slumber sweetly.
Thou who art the ocean of felicity to those
Who see thee in their inner core, slumber sweetly.
Thou who showeth such benign grace at Nallur
Yet shuns the homes of those who give not, slumber sweetly.
Oh unique one, essence of mercy who pours
Ineffable grace that dispels sorrows, slumber sweetly.
Thou my mother, thou my father and Guru,
Thou who showeth the path of virtue, slumber sweetly.
--Natchintanai. 127.
That I may not be born again, my jewel of Truth
Who saved me from anguish, slumber sweetly.
Oh Radiance that illumines my sight, making me
Bashful to own that you and I are one, slumber sweetly.
Oh Thou Chellappan who endowed me with grace
To be near and far for my daily food, slumber sweetly.
Who can know thee, oh priceless Guru-Gem
Of immeasurable height? slumber sweetly.
As I rock thee to sleep in the cradle of my heart,
No other God will I ever dream, my beloved.
--Natchintanai. 196-197.
Thou wealth of joy who sheds lustre in Lanka,
The Lord with the beauteous crescent, slumber sweetly.
Thou essence of Truth that eludes the Vedas
Thou with a thousand names, slumber sweetly.
Quintessence of thought and delight of my eyes,
Thou scintillating effulgence, Ninmala, slumber sweetly.
Thou my treasure inestimable, Thou my child, my ancient one,
Thou my king, my Guru, my lord, slumber sweetly.
My father who consumed the anguish of thy bondsman
With the purificatory deluge of grace, slumber sweetly.
--Natchintanai. 282-283.
So overpowering is his unimpeachable faith in the glory of His Name, that Swami invokes this Litany on Namasivaya and infuses it with the power of the Supreme Siva.
“Thou who art non-pareil,
The consort of UmaDevi,
Whose temple is thy devotee's heart.
Hail Namasivaya.
'Ye art not the body', said he
And gave me strength divine
To purge me of my fearful bonds,
Oh Primal One, Namasivaya
That Tattvas ninety six are unreal,
I realised through thy grace,
And transcended their barriers,
Oh Siva, Namasivaya.
To those who have crossed
The six centres of consciousness,
Thou did'st grant thy Lotus Feet
Thou great God, Namasivaya
In the void of silence, that I may
Attain peace thou willeth.
Thou source of Vedas and God of Devas,
Thou sovereign ruler, Namasivaya.
Thou pursued me that I may turn to thee,
Thy beauteous form I saw,
In rapt synthesis I was thine for ever,
Oh Source of Grace and Power! Namasivaya.
Those who behold the sight
Of thy dance with raised legs-
Will they perish in this world
Full of toils? Namasivaya.
Art thou not the support
Of those who seek thee
In the temple of the body?
Oh Sankara, Namasivaya.”
--Natchintanai. 297-298.
Truly all these songs tug at our heart strings. We hear the call of Swami to serve in absolute submission, not merely by a series of humble acts and selfless service, but by a perpetual state of Being, enhanced by tranquil silence, and in enjoyment of an unbroken, inward peace and perfect quiescence. He signifies his Guru as Effulgence--Justice----Beginningless--who bestowed on him His gracious Feet--343.
“I am He whom I love and
He is I whom He loves.
--179.
I knew mySelf and
ThySelf I became.”
--343.
“The transcendental Pure One came as a Guru in order to make me His own. I became His target.”
--343.
Swami's delineation of his Guru in melodious songs live for ever in our memory. He gives vivid details of Chellappa Swami's plain living and superbly noble outlook. He cooked his only rice meal for the day, and tasted it with one curry. He did not learn the arts and sciences nor the sacred books, but his wisdom transcended the wisdom of the Vedas. He did not have any external insignia of the ascetics. He did not resort to ochre robes or don holy ash.
“He won me by love and compassion, and verily 'He is
Sivam, who burnt the triple cities of Tiripura.”
--346.
He would repose at Theradi; he was buoyant and lively at one time and at another time, he would fret and fume in fiery wrath. None could decipher his ways, nor his great utterances. Some called him mad; some said he was possessed with evil spirit; and some acclaimed him a mystery man who worked miracles.
If anyone approached him with fervent love and with offerings meet, he was sure to rave at them furiously. He would feign and howl like a fox and wag like a dog and behave so madly that none would dream of calling him an eminent man--yet pre-eminent was he to Swami!
Like St. Tayumanavar declaring, Sage Chellappar too acclaimed that in the cosmic consciousness, there was no duality--“There was no first or second person.”
“His greatest token of grace was to bestow on me
This experience of Himself in Myself,
Who can gauge his height of wisdom?”
--Natchintanai. 347.
Unto His majesty, I became a slave--347.
He indeed is the wisest of the wise who made me his own--None can ever discern him. He is Honey trickling within each one of us.
His oft repeated behest was to know the Self abiding in the self, for that was the highest goal of human birth. It was the summum bonum of noble souls.
There is nothing in the world comparable to the excellence of devotion to the Guru. It enables man to follow the path of Dharma. It bestows the greatest solace to man, and points the way to make life ennobling. “Blessed are the worshipful devotees, for theirs is the refreshing Feet of the Lord.”
Greater Love hath no man except that of a Guru. His pathway will open up unexplored avenues of high import in life, and 'the Lord's name will be a never failing and ever sustaining companion.'--149. In the kingdom of Siva, there reigns love serene, and so there cannot be any kind of ill-will, enmity or discord. Truth absolute and the aroma of Goodness shall pervade. Swami experienced the boon of grace, and the faithful chanting of Siva's name was the most rewarding of his Guru's benedictions:
“ Pursue the path of grace
And chant Sivayanama.”
“When you are on the right path and know the Supreme Self within your inner self, then you will experience the state of calmness, forbearance and tranquility” :
“The greatest benefactor to your own self is yourself: Your steadfast and single minded devotion alone can be your sure guide to know the Real Self within you. Discard all ideas of separation and distinctions and desires. Sing His name and strengthen your devotion to your Guru. That is your invincible shield” :
“This is the inexpressible verdict, validated by the profundity of the Vedas and the line of Seers.
If one comtemplates with sincere devotion on the words of the Guru, then is he in sight of libertion, while still in human form” :
“It will lead you to the kindly light of Sivam, and take you by the entrancing path of exalted spirituality ;
“It will feed you with nectar divine, and crown you with the diadem of Aham Brahmasmi--'I realise God within me.' Sage Chellappar inferred that ParaBrahmam cannot be discerned by mortals. It is transcendent--'No one knows'. Who ever knows? “
Swami refers to this query 'who can know you'--in relation to his Guru, and ascribes an indefinable stature to Chellappa Swami. He avows that he can only be known by the avenue of Love, he who is beyond reach of finite comprehension.
“The luminosity of His Grace can disclose many mysterious secrets and in the commingling love, one would feel bashful to speak of yourself and myself as two distinct beings”:
'I am wherever you are,'--so said our Gurunathan: and we pondered on this saying in the hours of meditation that wherever we are, Gurunathan will always be with us. St. Manicavacagar, in the highest transport of ecstasy sang the gem of Tiruvacagam, on the all pervading glory of the universal One, who eludes all analysis, and uttered the same great Mahavaakiam of Sage Chellapa Swami to our Siva-Guru--“Who knows? Who can fathom Thy greatness? Yet art Thou the Essence in all”
Reminiscences of his Guru would invariably be recounted on the day of the car festival at Nallur; and when Gurunathan bade us sing one memorable evening, after we returned from this festival at the Nallur Murugan temple, we sang this song from The Temple Lyric from Tiruvacagam :
This day in mercy unto me, my darkness dispelled,
Thou filleth my heart as yonder morning Sun.
Thy mode of rising I comprehend not by thought.
There being naught else but Thou, atom by atom
All things great and small change and merge
Into thy Oneness, Siva, dweller in the holy Shrine.
Tho' Thou art not in this and that, yet art Thou
The essence in all--who, oh who can know Thee?
--22.7.
This was followed by the Natchintanai song on Devotion to the Guru, when all the devotees who were present joined in the chorus:
“Guru Bhaktiye Perum Peru
Kondadi Kondadi aaru.”
--149
Bliss infinite flows from devotion to the Guru
Rejoice therein for solace true.
Climb up the path of righteousness
And utter, Oh Sankara--Siva.
Rest assured that there is no evil
And repeat that Truth is all and all.
Follow the way of divine grace,
And chant the incantation of Sivayanama.
If ye know yourself by yourSelf,
Inborn peace will sparkle in you.
Realise that you are your own guide
And diminish the range of distinctions.
Beware to subdue thy triple desires,
Without reconciling them to past Karma.
--Natchintanai. 149.
We found ourselves immersed in the awareness of our Gurunathan's silent communion with the Eternal wisdom--Bliss in gracious sport! The melody of this song on GuruBhakti with its peculiar cadence of undifferentiated plenum, awakened the recollection of the canzone of St. Tayumanavar, who too posed the baffling question--
“What wonder ! Who can Thy glory scan?”
“Some faiths call Thee 'O Mother, Mother mine!'
Some cry aloud 'O Father, Father, hail!'
Some others still devoid of faith in aught,
Beyond the grave do rant and rave in vain,
Holding to this and that. Some still hail Thee,
The Ineffable Light, the Boundless Space,
The Primal Word, the Goal and yet besides,
The Peerless Monad and the Triune Time.
Thou art all these and yet beyond them all,
Eternal Wisdom--Bliss in Gracious sport!
What wonder! Oh who can thy glory scan?
Oh Soul of souls on earth and other worlds!
Oh Thou, the All-pervading Essence True!”
--10. 2.
In these imperceptible ways did our Gurunathan make explicable, the inexplicable glory of his undaunted Teacher, and ParamaGuru Sage Chellapa Swami, who taught him the Goal of Truth-Realisation.
“The Primal One enlightens the soul as a Guru.”
The Eighth sutra of the SivaJnana Botham deals with the significance of the GURU in the life of an individual, who has set himself on the path of self-realisation leading to God-realisation.
A virtuous life with a knowledge of Truth is absolutely essential to tread the path, and every seeker must espouse tapas in order to realise his inner self. Then the Lord shall grant him enlightenment through the Guru who is none other than His Grace. As long as man is under the influence of the worldly avenues of enjoyment, he will not realise his own true self. He must give up worldly attachments, and the advent of the Guru into his life will be the factor of saving grace which shall lead him to the haven of Truth, in the light of self-realisation.
Let us consider Sutra Eight of the SivaJnana Botham: “The Lord shall appear as Guru to the anma who has advanced in the paths of virtuous conduct, action and concentration (tapas), and has gone through the paths in the Way of Salvation as Sariyai, Kriyai and Yoga in previous births. He shall develop knowledge and bhakti; and God who is Love appears as Guru and imparts true knowledge (Jnanam). He will instruct him that he has wasted his opportunity in life, by living in the midst of alien savages, and recall his heritage and true nature. Then understanding its true self and purpose, shall the anma abandon its association with the ignorant forces, asat, and not being different from Him, becomes united unto His Feet--The Feet of Sat.”
The anma will join its Jnana Guru when by its virtuous life, the good and bad karma become perfectly balanced. The true role of the SatGuru is defined in this verse of SivaJnana Botham. It is established according to Saiva Siddhanta that the Lord Siva appears as Guru, and will teach the anma that He is not separate from it, and that he shines in the light of the anma. He who cannot be known by even the gods, can only be perceived by the anma who is mature enough to receive the word of God, when He appears in the form of the Divine Guru.
When the anma is in union with the five senses, it does not see itself as it truly is. It can only see through the prism of the senses. But with the aid of the Guru, the anma reflects on the material enjoyments as fleeting and subject to decay, dualism and distress, and understands the Truth of God who is Sat. He becomes the servant of God. Let man contemplate on Him who is never separate from him.
This key verse in SivaJnana Botham illustrates the true significance of a Guru. It enunciates that the moral (Sariyai), ritual (Kriyai), and Yoga practices are preparatory steps of an individual, but these cannot lead him to the knowledge of Truth. It is impossible to obtain Jnanam except by the touch of the Guru who is none other than God. By intense devotion and love, it is easy to attract God to oneself as the Guru.
“The ignorant think that God and Love are different.
None thinks that God and Love are the same.
When one knows that God and Love are identical,
He will repose in God as Love.”
--Tirumantram. 270.
“The human soul is compared to the son of a king stolen by savages at his birth, and he cannot understand his identity, until so informed and taken back by the king, his father. The soul in its pristine purity can only be recovered by the touch of the Divine Guru. The freed soul does not become co-extensive with God. It becomes imbedded in It, as the lamp loses itself completely in the zenith of the noon-day light and remains still quiet.”
--Siva Jnana Botham--
Tr. J. M. Nallasamy.--89.
It is true that even after the Sat Guru Dharsana--the touch of the divine Guru--the initiated devotee does not become free from infirmities and the effects of past deeds which are so firmly rooted in man. During this interval, the soul that has felt the impact of the Guru is enjoined to contemplate on God; and this is what Natchintanai proclaims from the first to the last as its Upadesh Perennis. This truth is enunciated in the ninth and tenth sutras of the SivaJnana Botham.
Sutra IX. “The anma perceives its true nature with the eye of knowledge and sees God as Truth Divine, and the world as evanescent as a mirage, and finds its rest in the Lord. It then contemplates ceaselessly on the Holy name of Five Letters according to the injunction of the Law.”
This is the sadhana of contemplation of Sri Panchakshara, the esoteric worship of Dhyana Neri or Siva Dhyanam. The principle is what is called 'soham bavana.' Sa means It or Brahmam, and Aham means I or me, denoting anma. Sivoham is its equivalent and it implies “Siva in me and myself or I am Siva,” and intended for practice and to be taught by the Guru to the initiate.
It is only a means to the goal of liberation.
The anma practicing 'Soham bavana' should not equate itself with God. This practice of the Jnani is only a symbolic worship or Bavana, and should be confined to its proper scope. What was before non-apparent and hidden in himself becomes apparent. In the stage of the world--Petha Nilai--Sivam is within and non-apparent, while the anma is apparent and assertive. In the liberated stage--Mukti Nilai, the anma goes down and becomes non-apperant, and Sivam becomes apparent and Supreme.
Sutra X. “As the Lord becomes one with the anma in its life on earth in the human form, so let the anma become one with Him and perceive all its actions to be His. Then will it be free from all evil ties of Pasam--objective consciousness.”
This verse deals with the way to destroy the bondage that ties down the anma. It should become one with God, as He has become one with anma. When this happens, it joins His Feet by losing its pride and ego-self, and accedes at all times that all actions are His actions, as it will act only with His grace; and then the Lord reveals His Real Self to it. If the anma attributes every work to Him, then it will not be affected by the triple-malas. God transforms His devotees into His own Form, and those who do not seek His refuge will be made to eat the fruits of their own Karma. These two functions, He performs according to the deserts of each.
'Mukti' means freed orfreedom. When the anma attains Mukti, it is freed from ignorance or pasam and attains Pathijnanam or the knowledge of the Lord. The very act of breaking away from the attachments to the world unites the anma to the Pathi--“Let go the rope of pasam on which you swing, and reach the support of God,” are the words of Swami.
The anma is freed of pasam by becoming one with God, and by considering all its actions as those of the Lord. To become one with God means attaining advaithic relation.
What is this advaithic relation? The anma becomes one with God in Mukti, as God is one with the soul in its bondage state in the world.
The relation of the anma and God in the bandha condition is that the anma exists and God is non-apparent. In Mukti, God exists and the anma is non-apparent. Yet in either state, God and the anma are existent.
In the bandha state, the anma perceives the three distinct states of knower, known and knowledge, and the differentiation is a hindrance to attain Mukti. So in the advaitha relationship of the anma becoming one with God, mukti is attained. The anma is therefore enjoined to consider its actions as those of the Lord. These injunctions are for the Jnani who attains Mukti even in this life. The anma has lost its egohood, ahankara or Anavam, and this is the source of all evil, all karma and successive births. Olluvilodukkam says that Veedu or Mukti means freedom of a Free Being. The Lord appears as SatGuru, the victor of the savages (senses) and teaches the seeker to infer the truth of Pathi, Pasu and Pasam--God, soul and Bonds.
Sutra XI. As the anma enables the eye to see and itself sees, so Siva enables the anma to know and itself knows. And this advaitha knowledge and undying love will unite it to His Feet.
How does the anma unite to the Feet of the Lord?
Siva feels what the jnani feels. The Lord knows whatever the anma knows as it cannot perceive anything, except with the aid of the Lord. When the anma unites itself to God, and feels His Grace, God fills it with supreme bliss and becomes one with it.
If the Jnani has unfailing love for Siva, he will become united to Him.
God dwells in each man inseparably and He is present in everything but is not recognised by man. It is only when the anma begins to love Him, that it can unite with the Feet of the Lord. Darkness can only be removed by love on the part of man, and grace on His part. The anma losing its mala, that is attachments and bonds, unites itself to His Feet, and becomes the servant of God and will be inseparable. The anma's intelligence is enshrouded from eternity in mala and brightens from its experience of the world and getting rid of the mala altogether, recovers its original intelligence and unites itself to the Feet of God. This is Pathi-Jnanam or Sivanubhuti, according to Saiva Siddhantam.
It is the glorious Divine Light which permeates the anma through and through, and diffuses all round it with its rays of grace, and then conceives the anma's feeling of Ananda or bliss. That very moment it becomes transformed into the Divine feeling or Anubhava itself. As the anma feels His grace more and more, its love of the Lord increases. So it is this undying love or true bhakti, that is the cause of the anma's supreme happiness, bliss and Pathi-jnanam. In this advaitha anubhava, and that is the true definition of Love--the bhakti and dasa marga combine with true jnana marga.
Sutra XII. Let the Jivatma after getting rid of the three Malas, which beget ignorance or evil, and which separates it from the Lotus Feet of the Lord, mix with the society of devotees, whose souls are filled with Love having got rid of ignorance. Let it contemplate their forms and the forms in the temples as His Form. He shines brightly in these forms, though He is present in everything.
The Lord wills that all should understand Him, and so reveals His Form to His Bhaktas who desire to know Him, and makes them know Himself and makes Himself visible. To those entangled in bondage, He is invisible.
To the seer, God is neither different from all things, nor is He one with them, nor one and different from them: He is in the general advaitha relation with them, and everything is His Form. Yet the last verse of SivaJnana Botham insists that the advaithin should worship the form which excites his love most--to forget the Lord who made him know himself and transformed him like unto Himself is inexcusable; and yet he continues to be only His bondsman. Hence his strength consists in ceaseless worship. This is the quintessence of Siva Jnanam or the Wisdom imparted by the Siva Guru.
The wise seer who sees the objects does not see them as such, but only God's Presence. God, though He is present in everything, is non-apparent as ghee in milk. But there are forms, in which we can feel His Presence more apparently like the butter in curds. The great light is non-apparent like the fire latent in wood, or ghee latent in milk. But with love and knowledge, one can rub the firewood or churn the milk and fire and butter will become apparent. Thus Swami declares that in the Bhaktas or the servitors of Siva known as Siva-Thondar, God's Presence becomes a living Presence, and hence it follows that the body is a temple of God. Verily Siva, the Supreme Lord is everywhere, especially in forms which excite our love most.
The recognised pattern of the Hindu spiritual life and more specifically the Saiva tradition, enshrined in the cultural and religious heritage of the Tamils must be fully understood, before understanding Swami, as his experiences of the illustrious sixty three Saiva Saints, that the servitors of Siva who enjoy the abiding sense of Siva's Presence live in bliss and peace in constant communion with Him.
The Presence is manifested as SatGuru and enjoyed as light and warmth, symbolising wisdom and love, as testified in Siva-Jnana Botham --Sutra XI.
The anma must gain insight. The Lord is within, but His Presence cannot be recognised by the anma; and therefore Siva must reveal Himself to it in a manner by which it can cognise Him. He effects this by His encounter in the form of SatGuru. His work in the visible form of a Guru is in consonance with His nature which is invisible, in so far as He is not recognised as Siva by the souls who are not mature enough to see Him thus except as a man among men. To the illumined souls called Vijnanakalar, He appears in His unveiled glory; to the Pralayakalar who are on the path and yet who still feel the impact of the mala, He appears as God; whereas to the Sakalar who are steeped in ignorance, He appears as a man. Thus the role of the SatGuru is a dominant feature in Saiva Siddhanta.
The end of liberation is to attain the perfect beatitude, and only Siva can effect the illumination of insight. The Guru alone can unfold the Sat by equipping the anma with the perfect insight, which the material means of cognition with which the anma equipped by Asat (maya) cannot reach. Thus it is the direct confrontation of a SatGuru, that alone can lead the anma to identify herself with Siva--the pure, perfect Insight, the luminous Eye--who abides inseparably within the anma.
“Oh luminous Insight that mingles with the seeing eye!
All-pervading and illumining like the sun ray.”
--Natchintanai. 119.
The Eleventh Sutra of SivaJnana Botham and the above couplet from Natchintanai contain in a nutshell the quintessence of Saivism --the Way and the Goal.
The Luminous Insight of the SivaGuru alone can unfold the Sat by equipping the anma with perfect sight. As this was the theme ordained by Swami to Ma for her public address in Colombo at the Sivathondan Silver Jubilee Celebrations in 1962, it is deemed appropriate for elaborating on this text, for a truly appreciative study of Swami's Testament of Truth. Aum Tut Sat!
The Glory of His Grace
“I have seen the glory of His Grace! Do Thou too see it?”
--Tiruvacagam IV.
Thus spake Swami:
“My dear, He'll show you from time to time His gracious Form.”
--Natchintanai. 273.
“The world will judge those that hunger for righteousness as extraordinary folks, or they will be classed as eccentric people. Their ways will always seem inexplicable to the people who live by bread alone. Chellappar was call a madman. He never chided anyone, nor bade him do this or that or spoke this message or that.
“He kept himself aloof, and yet he was seen in the company of the illiterate, humble folks as well as learned people. He accepted them all and their ways. There was no criticism of life, and no commendation in his code.
“Truth exists. All other phenomena are merely waves dashing and breaking on its outer shores. It remains untouched, unmoved. All religious sages attempted to speak of this ultimate Reality, but it is beyond words. It is speechless silence--Mounam.
“All words and sounds rest in silence.
All works rest in silence.
Everything rests in the perfection of silence.”
--Natchintanai. 380.
“All action spells reaction in the same measure and are of the same brand. Fasting and prayerful silence are good to purify oneself. Offer yourself wholly at His Feet. Then realise that you and He are from the same source. There is no need for anyone to go out with his forces and marshall them to defend the right. Thereby one generates only violence.
“Why not reflect that you and the force opposing you are from the same source? So you and It are the same. There will then be no hatred and no distinction, and no 'You'--the second person. It is the single One. It is monologue. No dialogical relationship between Our father in heaven and we on earth; no Thou and I, but “Sivam and I are one, and Sivam is in all.” Read Mundaka Upanishad. It explains everything so clearly. Bring it within the orbit of your experience.
“Serenity! Win for yourself santam. Let peace slumber in your heart. Let peace waken you to action. Let peace punctuate your saying and thoughts and invade your whole being. In serenity realise this 'Oneness.' None can know or experience the Reality that underlies this phenomenal world. 'Who knows? We do not know.' Manicavacagar too raised this question!--'Who doth know thee?'
“Illness, sorrows and pangs are all shadows of the mind when it sees the dual world. They are the harbingers of a divided mind, distracted by subject-object relationship, and of a soul that is a stranger to Peace-Santam-Upasantam. Behold the universe as reflecting His Immanence.
“The one great, big, grand Pendulum swings and all the little bells attached to it keep chiming to the rhythm and swinging to its lively measure. What a wondrous experience! Why dissect it further, when all that need be done is to sit in stillness and hear the chimes vibrating within your heart.
“Once this is experienced, 'One is and is not.' Chellappar, though called a madman and an eccentric man lived a normal life, not uttering any prophecy, nor working any miracles, and yet he was a realised Seer!
“He was like a lotus, untouched by the dirt or coolness or the water around; He did not assume the shape and the colour of the environment; he was uneffected by pain or joy and was not out to reform or serve or be served.
“He saw all as non-dual only, and his mind was always tuned to Be Still. We have to find the source of Calmness, the anchor on which our anma shall rest in serene unison with the Supreme Effulgence of Siva. His all-embracing Grace is the axis of the Luminous Eye.
“Chellappar never admonished anyone to do this and not to do that, or 'sell all thou hast and follow me.' There was no question and answer, no 'Have this' and 'have not that.'
“Play your game, your swadharma, honestly and sincerely and follow the dictates of your inner self, purified in the flame of Siva-Dhyanam daily. Question the minute articulations that arise within you and at each step, inquire intelligently--what is it? Where does it lead? What are its effects on your whole self? Then the next step will be made clearer unto you. That is the time and place for the teacher to take your hand and lead you on. Allow yourself to be led. Let go the rope. Why fear?
The Mundaka Upanishad was read at the sunset hour. The camphor was burning and the coconut oil lamp was lighted. At the end of the reading, Swami spoke of the Oneness of Life. “There is not two but One. Can you see the Unity? Look at this camphor flame. It is one but it lights up my bed, this chembu, the lota and that. The same light falls on each object and assumes differentiation by the objective vision, but it is the One light. 'It shines--They shrine.'
“Everything shines only after that shining light.
His shining illumines all this world.”
--Mundaka Upanishad.2.2.1
“Sivosarvam--Sivosarvam!
Santam, Upasantam
Sarvam Brahmamyam.”
Swami repeated this refrain many times; and he sang songs from Tayumnavar and Tirumantram on the focus of serene calmness in the depth charge of our hearts. It was the determining centre and the axis of his Upadesh.
“Mounam is not mere silence. It is active awareness.
That which is within is the ripple of the tide surging in the heart of Eternity in its outer spheres. They all have the same origin.” Swami sings:
“The macrocosm is found in the microcosm within me, and I pay my obeisance--Siva, Siva. Siva, Siva, Sivayave.”
“Chellappar never distinguished between great and poor people. All were equal in his sight. The scavenger and the noble men were alike. They were only different in the work they did. Essentially, in essence, in reality, they belonged to the One unchanging, non-dual Truth. None can describe this great Self.
“Did you note the way this truth was expressed in the Mundaka Upanishad you read of two birds sitting on the same tree, and eventually one was absorbed in the other. The Para Vidya and Apara Vidya are two facets of “Knowing.”
“Inquire and understand Truth in its totality.
Give up objective experience.
Be in close touch with Reality.
It will speak from within.
You be still. Be a witness.”
--Natchintanai. 269.
“Chellappar never spoke in the third person. He spoke always to himself and in the present. He never did or said anything to benefit or reform others. Everyone who was present before him learnt to take in whatever suited him. It was only after many days that the truth would become apparent. There was no third person or second person that he saw in his life, for him to speak to a third party or to address another. He dwelt in himSelf and spoke to HimSelf and that Self was the Universal Self. He never played any drama, or enacted miracles.
“He was floating in this lighted world of Oneness-Sivosarvam --and everyone called him mad. He had no followers and kept no account of his activites--no money, no possessions, no conventional behavior. He was a spark of divine radiance. He lived and moved as an ordinary humble man with eyes, ears, hands and legs like any other passerby, and thus did he pass away into Supreme Silence.
“No harm shall ever come to him who treads the path of holiness and purity. We generate both good and ill forces, as we are subject to the play of this dual existence, where we see distinction, separation and misery. If someone harms us from outside, the origin can be traced to some cause within us.
“To him who believes in this axiom or truth, no harm can ever befall him. He does not generate any force of harmfulness and hence is shielded from evil. Love all in order to realise Love. Do good in order to attain goodness. Oru Pollaappumillai Thamby. Again Swami continued his reminiscence:
“Chellappar and I were walking one day as we were won't to do. He was dark skinned, thin, with a frisky beard, and always his look was upwards. He never looked down while walking; he never looked in front of him, but always with chin raised, he gazed afar, and beyond. I took care to keep pace with him, but always watching my steps carefully and looking down, and now and then...We came across an ant hill and he went forward first, not looking down or seeing what lay before him; and yet he managed to take a stride that averted his stumbling over that ant heap. And here I was following him, and consciously seeing the ant-heap I avoided it. So for him, his own Dharma was his protection. Verily He was the Sun of Truth:
“One does not need any external protection. The knowledge of the Self leads a Seer to be luminous like the sun in a clear heaven. Chellappar was fearless, because he was established in the knowledge of Oneness with Sivam, and hence there was no need for him to be stung by those red ants!”
“All the men came from the same womb, the essence of Essence, and yet one turns out to be a criminal, another a robber, or a drunkard and another a saint. He has to go through each step, in order to reach the next step, and from there to the next and so on till he reaches the goal. Perhaps it will take longer for some than for others; the Tamasic lag behind, the Rajasic perform and revolve round their desires, and the Sattvic are those who are free; even when they work, they feel the experience of not working, and when they do no work, they seem as if they are working.
'Nothing gained, nothing lost.' We all trace our way back to our genesis from where we came; and here realise the blissful experience of perfect tranquillity. My friends, hear and digest.”
Swami sings:
“Ineffable bliss was mine.
Immaculate serenity was mine too.
Tranquil Siva's experience was mine.
And the norms of good and bad glided past me.”
--Natchintanai. 186.
This is the lustrous Jewel
That sparkles in the hearts of realised seers,
That gleams brightly, flawless Gem so unsullied,
That heals the pangs of those in penury.
None can gauge the value of this Gem so rare.
It dazzles with variegated hues on earth.
The precious Gem that embellishes Mal of azure hue.
Its brilliance radiates afar in the isle of Lanka.
This matchless GuruGem has made me his bondsman.
Those who implore with love can see this Gem,
A Gem so radiant with triple eyes adorned.
Its elegance entranced me into its service.
Neither Vishnu nor Brahma can fathom its beauty.
It shines in the crown with the crescent and ganga.
It glows in His form adorned by young serpents.
It's the Gem that scintillates in Lanka--
This divine Gem is the award of flaming love.
The gloom of bondage is pierced by this Gem.
It's the prize of those who sing His Praise.
Unique and golden is the Gem untainted by time
It radiates the charm of manifold wonders
A matchless Gem, it is so manifold wonders.
The Gem adored by the Triune Gods and Devas.
It stands revealed in the bounteous isle of Lanka.
Ah GuruGem that lure me, my own peerless Gem!
--Natchintanai. 258.
When the soul longs for reunion with the Eternal Love and Wisdom of the Lord as embodied in the God-Guru, here reffered as the lustrous Gem, then the soul is not conscious of its separateness. Distinctions melt away. The cry of the heart is, 'when shall I in mystic union join my peerless, perfect Gem?' Man enjoys bliss divine when he is under the spell of perfect love and wisdom. In the same mystic language of Love did St. Manicavacagar sing in the Ode on Fulfillment:
Whether sitting, standing, lying, walking,
In laughter or tears, in praise or worship,
Whether performing in varying accents meet,
The soul shall submerge in dissolving love,
Seeing that holy Form, beauteous like sunset.
Steeped in serene joy, when shall I becomeThine?
In Oneness mingled for e'er--say when?
In mystic union with my peerless gem.
--Tiruvacagam. 27.8.
Thus Swami's lyric on the Matchless Guru Gem sets afloat an irresistible yearning in the hearts of all devout seekers of Truth, for the unfailing guidance of the SatGuru. It unfolds the cry of the finite for the Infinite Love of the Supreme SivaGuru. The melody of St. Appar's symphony was heard in the silence of the heart:
“His Name, she heard first;
His habitat, she inquired;
Where, Oh where was his abode?
She pined in unquenchable love.
Gone were her ties for father, mother or kin.
Self-forgetful, self-effacing, she arose
To commingle at the Feet of her Beloved.”
--VI 25.7.