SWAMI saw beyond the humble hamlet of Nallur, where lived the Guru, Sage Chellappar. Nall-ur signified a haven of peace and goodness, and Nalluran cast an aura of sanctity over this fair Isle of Lanka by his great Equation. His testimony on the dynamic power of Grace unravels the mystery of his impact on his votaries.
The Vedas proclaim the infinite glory of Hara Hara, Siva Siva. The Agamas extol Him as the Indweller in the hearts of all beings.
He abides eternally in the inmost caverns of our hearts and unveils His glory only when by grace, we surrender our all at His Feet.
“He is also the radiant power of the worlds.
Verily He is the light of the Universe,
And by His All-pervasive luminosity,
He illumines my own perceptive powers too.”
Let us therefore join in the refrain of Hara, Hara, Siva, Siva, and meditate in tranquillity on the great Equation:
“Indweller in the hearts of lovers,
Hara, Hara! Siva, Siva! The core of the Vedas!
Golden and gem-like art Thou O comely King!
The Monarch whom all accomplished ones extol.
Oh luminous insight 'neath the seeeing eye,
All-filling and illumining like the sun ray!
Male art Thou and yet female too,
The Heavenly One whom devotees adore.
The crescent moon adorns Thy hair,
And the hunted tiger's skin Thou dost wear.
Thou did'st conjure up the sea of milk,
And pervadeth both heaven and earth.
Thou dost reveal the essence of holy texts,
The slim-waisted She on Thy left adorns.
O supreme Knowledge who at Thillai danceth,
Siva, Siva! Siva, Siva! That art Thou O Lord!
O bestower of bounteous Grace!
Who in form like mine manifested in Nallur!
--Natchintanai. 119.
In the expansive firmament is the Father and mother.
In the expansive firmament is the soul of existence.
In the expansive firmament is the elemental forces five.
In the expansive firmament do I too dwell.
Deep within me I see the microcosm and macrocosm.
My innate self I see as macrocosm and microcosm.
Yet my intrinsic Self sees not the microcosm and macrocosm.
I permeate both macrocosm and microcosm.
The peerless One who is Father, Mother and Guru,
He fosters me as in me He dwelleth.
the Primal One absolves me from past deeds.
Him I come to know and merge in Love with Him.
He's ambrosia in the hearts of hoary saints,
Bliss eternal and ever immortal.
He's the balm that heals the burns of finitude.
Freed from affliction sore, I awaken to Reality.
He's the immaculate One, with and without Form.
He's my Guru who willeth to make me His own.
Above the sway of the twenty four principles, (Tattwas)
He alone prevails as the efficient creative cause.
He's Effulgence who banished my fears.
He's the soul of Justice who shuns false hearts.
He's the Alpha of all true religious sects.
His Holy Feet on my head, life indeed is blessed!
The Primal One beyond the sixty four categories,
The magnanimous Radiance that dispels distress,
He's the mediator who showed grace to sage Agastya.
My unsullied heart is His favourite abode.
The Consort of the tender Sakti takes His abode
In the inner shrine of those who've subdued the senses.
The Essence of Letters five cannot be realised
In the passion-torn minds who perpetuate finitude.
--Natchintanai. 342-343.
Oh Lord, who bides within the hearts of thy servitors
Who call on Thee as Our Father, Dear Father!
Oh Form of Grace divine, descent! O Bliss that fills the eyes!
Take me 'neath thy sway, for now is the crucial time.
Depraved I feel without an iota of charity or penance,
Yet I feign to be a man endowed with high wisdom--
Oh Lord, who dons the crescent in Thy fiery locks,
Take me'neath thy sway, lest I faint and fall.
Can those great seers who by self have realised the Self,
Suffer the illusion of heaven, and evolutes of matter?
Oh who ridest on the bull, with locks bedecked by Konrai blooms
Here and now, for ever, do Thou take me 'neath thy sway.
Oh Wealth, whose bounty fills the hearts of the devout!
Oh matchless Gem celestial! Oh guardian and Support!
Am I not thy eternal serf? Then bespeak my Lord,
Is it meet that Thou ignore me as if I were a stranger?
Will the hearts of those who laud Thee know any fear?
Oh Peerless Lord, forlorn have I become! In this world,
Is there another God than Thou to sustain me?
Is there another refuge here--thy response I await.
Oh Effulgence that lights the hearts of thy devotees!
Oh thou of whom thy Sakti forms thy other half!
I've extolled thy glory inconceivable in the Vedic paean.
My faults forbear--Am I not thy faithful serf?
Oh Beloved! Oh Lord of all existence!
The partner of the sweet voiced Sakti, Oh Thou
Of luminous flame that eludes the perplexed Vishnu!
Grant thy Grace to me who for e'er ponders on Thee!
Oh Thou Who art the consummation of all wisdom!
Oh Thou in whom the sages dwell and know no separation!
This debased cur knows not the art of magnifying Thee.
Yet speak Thou Oh Lord, I pray, the one word fitting me.
My frailty apprehends not the sweet import of that word.
And night and day, here in this hoary world, I prattle.
Will Thou not come to me and appease my penury?
Reveal Thou Oh Lord thy gracious reply.
Oh Siva, how can I utter the ecstasy of thy bondsmen
Who in Thee art merged like salt in water?
Here on earth, if Thou willeth to commingle with me
Who can prevent Thee? Thy grace I yearn.
--Natchintanai. 50-51.
Worship thou the fragrant lotus Feet
Of the Lord who has no origin or end,
Who from His devotees can never part.
All thy sinister deeds will pass away--Sivayavé.
He who donned the snakes dances in the void
Paraparan's healing grace be mine in adoration.
He dwells within the hearts of all who seek Him
Cleave to Him, and ease thy anguish--Sivayavé.
Our Lord who is from everlasting to everlasting.
The gracious One who bestows His boundless grace
Even on wrong-doers who deceive and steal.
He lives in harmony within thy heart--Sivayavé.
The Father of us all whose locks betoken grace,
His Being is proof of abundant grace,
Who, with His retinue dances in cremation ground,
'Tis He indeed who stands before me--Sivayavé.
The Goodly Being, Maker of all the worlds,
Lord of matter playing countless games,
Teacher of gnostic arts manifold,
Not for a moment doth He part from me--Sivayavé.
He who is the Life of my life in the body
He doth know full well my misery,
Gleaming as the lotus with the deer in His hand,
In my heart is His dwelling--Sivayavé.
Like gingely and its oil, so is the Lord
Who dons the konrai blooms that honey yield,
He bides within the hearts of the loved ones,
And those who love Him, He Himself will seek--Sivayavé.
He who rides on the bull, Gracious Supporter
Of those sages who care not for the morrow,
And who practise tapas reclining on His Feet,
He doth rule o'er me, lowly me--Sivayavé.
He bides within the hearts of adepts true,
He it is who in my-self doth abide.
Saved, Oh saved are we with nothing lacking.
The whole world adores Him--Sivayavé.
All the world has come out of One,
All the world is sustained by One,
All the world will merge into One--
That One is my succour--Sivayavé.
All the world has come out of Aum
All the world is sustained by Aum
All the world will merge into Aum
That Aum is my succour too--Sivayavé.
--Natchintanai. 14-15.
Thus it is, that in the embodied state of our lives on earth, we have but one choice. It is the consecration of all the energies of body, mind and soul to the Lord. The adoration that He takes unto Himself is the service of all created forms, as forms of the Lord. Speech becomes the service of the Lord, when this power is offered to chant the Divine Name, and we become fully immersed in the Lord's praise.
The Lord who is Immanent as well as Transcendent is not apart from our inmost being. Many songs and psalms eventually merge in the redeeming word, the word proper to me, to which my tongue clings, effecting by unceasing pronouncement inwardly, a vital purification. It is the excellence of meditation, which Swami extols in these odes of great beauty--the efficacy of the Divine Name becoming a constant inward speech, until it conquers the heart--the Abode of the Indweller.
That Light that mingles with the seeing eye,
That Lord, have you seen?
That which is not male or female and yet both,
Have you not perceived that?
He who pervades earth and heaven
Have you not beheld Him?
He who is Beauty and Excellence,
Have you not experienced yet?
He comes as mother and father,
Did'st thou know Him as Siva?
He who animates in you and me,
Can you not realise Him?
That which nourishes the fruits to mature
Can you not relish It?
That which pulsates air and fire,
Can you not discern It?
That tonic that makes mortals immortal,
Have you tasted It and rejoiced?
The Lord who danceth in cremation grounds,
Can you not see without distinction?
--Natchintanai. 140.
In this soulful lyric, Swami brings out the absolute Truth of the Supremacy of God, His omniscience, His omnipresence, and that of His aeviternity. His timeless nature is that of the now without duration, and we, who can think only in terms of time and eternity or in terms of the past and future, cannot ever apprehend nor experience. We sing this song and meditate that from Him all things proceed, and in Him all are unified at last.
He is my Lord
Who evokes the cherished love of
Father, mother and teacher in one.
He came and made me His own
The passing vanities vanished\
I came into my own true being
And realised my eternal self.
Oh beauteous one, as tender as a cuckoo
Everything Thou seest is Siva's immanence
Immeasurable is his infinity.
Keep straight in the path without faltering.
Join the paean of Thou art That.
Thanathaam Thanathaam.
Oh blessed one, lithe as a parrot,
Be not rocked in the pool of greed and lust,
And come to your doom.
Let us with one accord tune our will
To do His will, and meditate on Siva.
Oh comely songster, stray not here nor there
But come unto me, my beloved
I'll unfold the non-dual vision
The glory of the One supreme Godhead,
In whom is embedded
All that thou seest and experienceth.
He is all pervasive my dear,
From Him emanates everything.
“Enkum Avanadi Enkum Avanadi
Ellaam Avanadi Ellaam Avanadi.
Let's not waste our energy in idle talk,
But offer the oblation of Love
To the luminous One with flowers.
Ah lovely one, as lively as the parrot.
Listen my dear! They are beatific saints
Who doeth His bidding.
Guard thou thy tongue
And chasten the inimical ego-self.
For we are That, my dear, We are That.
“Naam athuvedi Naam athuvedi.”
--Natchintani. 21.
Swami holds the Lamp of Grace and bids us turn our gaze from the evanescent joys of the world to the light of Sivam:
Fleeting is life.
Fleeting are the delights of youth and wealth.
Uphold the way of righteousness,
'ere the forbidding day of death dawns.
Recall to the sessions of sweet silent thought,
The name of the Lord, ever and anon,
And view with equanimity the good and the bad;
For the Anma is eternal, aye ever the same.
Thus did sage Yogar perceive the truth
And become a realised seer. In this world
Laudable is the aim to attain equable vision.
In this Natchintanai song, he muses on the snares of the world and makes an impassioned plea to give up the false and espouse the true. “Attain equable vision and live in harmony”--
“I know not the full import of the inspiring saying of the seers
that Love ineffable is Sivam. Day and night I was lured
by the desire of wealth and enjoyment. Be thou my refuge.
Thy grace I crave, oh Wise One! Thou inscrutable One!
Take me to the shelter of thy Feet. Father majestic, beloved
of my life! Oh great cosmic Dancer!”
--Natchintanai. 24.
In response to this stirring call for His refreshing grace, we hear the Guru's voice in a softened mood of tenderness, urging us to know the art of life's renewal. It is so simple that it evades analysis.
“Subdue anger and shun falsehood and cruelty. Avoid evil
habits and hold fast to Truth, whereby the seed of Saivam\
may florish in you.”
Do thy duty well and offer homage to His Feet. Resolve\
and act: whatever you do, do it with all your might. Uphold
the devotees of God and look upon women as mothers. Live
faithfully in the light of Siva and chant His name Namasivaya
with fervent piety and devotion.”
--Natchintanai. 24.
Here we note the stress on surrender as the starting point of new experience, which marks a new phase of spiritual existence. The “Feet of God”--adi, betokens the act of surrender.
“I gave myself, and lo, on giving, the gladness of my soul was
great.
Deep draughts of joy I drank, deep droughts insatiate.”
In the Way of Truth,--Unmai Villakam, St. Umapthy Sivachariar attributes the “Face of God--Mugam as signifying Sugam.” Swami invokes the symbol of the gnosis of Muruga--the Vêl, (lance) for the experience of serene felicity--Sugam:
“Constant repetition of His name, the remembrance of the
might of His Lance, and the insignia of the Holy Ash will
surely lead an aspirant to the awareness that the bloom
of Siva shall blossom in self--chant Vêl, Vêl.\
Recall to your consciousness, the holy Feet of the Guru,
and you will lack nothing, but enjoy sweet content.\
He is a true devotee who fills the fountain of his heart with
love and selfless service, and seeks the company of the just\
and faithful, who are noted for their virtuosity and integrity--
chant Vêl Vêl.
Thus shall one attain the delectable fulfilment of a life of firm
resolve and resolute action. It is the experience of serene
felicity at the Feet of God--chant Vêl Vêl.
--Natchintanai. 25.
The Vêl, the symbol of wisdom, is the eternal witness to the ascent of the Anma to its goal of tranquil bliss. It is Muruga's weapon of victory over the forces of darkness.
Fortified with the wisdom of the Vêl, Swami surveys the universe of Experience:
“The beauty of love, who can know?
Who doth know the wonder of Grace
In this big, wide and wonderful world?
It gleams in all objects of the universe.
The macrocosm displays His cosmic activity.
The whole existence vibrates to the rhythm of Letters Five.
Creation and maintenance are sustained by Letters Five.
The wonder of the Letters Five, who doth know?
Love is God; Love permeates the world.
Life moves to the harmony of Love.
Love is fulfilling; Love is effacing.
The beauty of Love, who doth know?
He who is transcendent,
He becomes immanent too.
Unveil the Primal Cause by Grace alone
And not by inquiry which eludes.
He animates all existence
He is the Self of all selves,
Unknown to celestials and twice born.
Who can know the wonder of His Grace?
--Natchintanai. 27.
The Guru gives us an exhilarating tonic to safeguard us from dejection, as a result of the pangs of change and decay that we see all around us, and guides us to accentuate the quality of our living. He invigorates our dormant self with love, so that in turn we learn to express our love to all God's beings. Love is reciprocal. We can never know the potent efficacy of His Grace unto us, without first loving our neighbours, friends and enemies, in an act of surrender at the Feet of the Beloved, who filleth the whole existence.
“Ah the wonder of His Grace that kindles in us such
wondrous Love for Him and His manifestations!”
“Who can fathom the unfathomable light of His Grace
requiting our oblation of Love at His Feet--the seat of
Grace?
Shall not our insight relish seeing everything,
everywhere, within and without, in all states of pure con-
sciousness, as the ever-present, ever knowing Sivam?”
The Love of Siva leads to Siva Yogam
The Love of Siva leads to Sivajnanam
The Love of Siva leads to Sivabhogam
The Love of Siva leads to Sivamayam.
--Natchintanai. 28.
We recall here St. Manicavasagar's Temple Lyric where he experiences the majestic splendour of Siva from the pinnacle of Love:
“Oh Supreme Splendour that rises within me!
Oh Ambrosia that wells up and blocks
The outlets of my deluding senses five!
Show thyself to me in Grace as Thou art--
Essence of Purity, Lord Siva,
Dweller in the great and holy shrine,
Thou who transcends all happy states without end,
My Love sublime, Oh Bliss ineffable.”
--Tiruvacagam. 22.1.
In plaintive strains of indomitable faith in the Grace of the Guru, Swami sings in praise of the Indwelling Siva:
“May we inherit a virtuous life
By seeking refuge against fearful ills,
At the omnipotent Feet of the God-Guru,
And realise the truth of His Plenum.
Procreator of life with Grace at Thy side!
Protector art Thou, Oh wielder of Grace!
If Thy gleaming Feet be the rendezvous of Souls,
Doth not all gain and loss accrue from Thy Will?
--Natchintanai. 29-30.
Swami's songs on the efficacy of a life of consecration makes us ponder lingeringly on the many psalms of the Nayanmar, who lived this life of selfless dedication: Sang St. Manicavasagar:
“Thou art my all--my fluent tongue and organs of thought,
My comfort Thou and trepidation; my power for good
and ill;
No other goal have I in life. Truly in adoring Thee
Lies the way to liberation. In shaking gloom,
Oh Sivaloka, wilt thou not lend Thy solace?”
--Tiruvacagam. 33. 5.
Swami realises like the bard of Vathavur, that man is for ever multiplying his desires and becoming more and more disconsolate, only to cry at last, that all is 'vanitas vanitatum.' Therefore he urges that all motives of action that overpower the body and soul should be surrendered to the Lord, not in a note of bitterness, not reluctantly, not even rebelliously, but joyfully. the profundity of his purity, detachment and renunciation is revealed in his early Odes of Natchintanai. The beauty of this vision of Grace is described vividly by Swami:
“Oh Mind! Follow me to worship at the altar of grace of the
Peerless Lord who dons the holy Ash.
He is the One who became manifest as Two and Three.
Come after me to adore the Lord as the beloved mother.”
--Natchintanai. 30.
He apprehends the nature of the God-Guru as a manifold source of Grace, and in an absolute abandonment of all attachments, he makes a grand offering of himself. “He stood before me like my mother. Henceforth I claim no prerogative over myself, except the sovereignty of His sheltering Grace.”
“Oh Mind, follow me in my quest of Grace;
It fills my eyes and gushes in my heart.
I see by Grace His manifold form,
My eyes rain love when like me He stood.
Day and night on that alone I ponder.
Swiftly do thou join me, Oh mind!
--Natchintanai. 30.
Tiruvunthiar is a popular mode of poetic expression to celebrate the triumphs of Siva's Grace, adopted by the Tamil mystic poets. Unthiar is supposed to refer to a folk game, where the players gather in a circle with a centre player tossing the ball aloft, and the ball is sent flying aloft from player to player. As the game is played, the gracious, renowned deeds of Siva celebrated in the Puranas are recounted, so as not to miss the mark. In the same way as the ball flies up on the force of a hit, so also the Lord hits at man's ignorance, and the bondage of the triple malas, and sends them flying away, thereby freeing man to enjoy the magnitude of His Grace:
He who cannot be affirmed or denied,
He is our Lord--Hit the ball and so declare,
He is in all--Toss again and let go.
The seer, seen and sight are His play.
Unseen power of Grace is He--Hit the ball and chime
That He is the Beloved of Sakti--Toss again and let go.
He who burnt the Tripura by his smile,
He came and enslaved me--Hit the ball and sing
Nothing do I lack--Toss again and let go.
My Lord of ineffable grace,
He's of Nallur--Hit the ball and join in
His refrain 'we know not'--Toss again and let go.
He was the bangle seller at Madurai,
Somasunderam by name--Hit the ball and sing
In the void is He the light--Toss again and let go.
He came as a Guru under the Kurunthe tree.
He Is as He ever Is--Toss the ball and laud
He's theGod of celestials--Toss again and let go.
He came as an uncle with a law suit,
He was known as Somasunderam--Hit the ball and sing
He is the splendour of light--Toss again and let go.
Caned while lifting sand loads for a dame,
He vouchsafed Grace unto Pânini--Toss the ball and sing,”
That He is the Absolute Reality--Toss again and let go.
He routed the sacrifice of Daksha,
Sockanathan of Madurai is He--Toss the ball and sing,
That He's the embodiment of felicity. Toss again and let go.
An emissary to Sundarar on behalf of Paravaiyar.
He bequeathed the gift of Kandan--Hit the ball and sing
That He's the sea of Grace, toss again and let go.
--Natchintanai. 293.
That which is Formless assumed the form of Guru
At Nallur to shower His Grace--Toss the ball and chime
That Siva is the Self, Toss and let go.
He cut asunder the cluster of desires
Praise the Peerless One and toss the ball and chime
That there's no birth nor death, toss and let go.
That He is or is not, none can tell,
But He did come to Nallur, so toss the ball and chime
That I am He--Toss and let go.
He o'er-powered and made me His at Nallur
And succoured me--Toss the ball and chime
He's the ocean of grace--Toss and let go.
Freed from delusion, they who bide by His will
Enjoy limitless bliss--Toss the ball and chime
That desire hath no charm--Toss and let go.
He who has no fixed abode nor name, came
Of his own accord to entice me--Toss the ball and chime
That sorrows have fled--Toss and let go.
The Supreme Being who pervades the whole world,
He came to Nallur--Toss the ball for thus
Said He, 'that we know not'--Toss and let go.
He cannot be eulogised in definite script,
He's acclaimed as Guru in this land--Toss the ball
That we lack nothing--Toss and let go.
He's the lord who can subdue my senses five.
The beloved of Nallur also is he--Toss the ball
That doubts there are none--Toss and let go.
Sublime is He and full of sweetness
Is this sage of Nallur--Toss the ball and chime
That anxiety is dispelled--Toss and let go.
He who is the essence of the mystic Aum
Hast eradicated the I-ness--Toss the ball and chime
That delusion's spell is over--Toss and let go.
Incomprehensible to the envious, He showers
The bequest of Grace, Toss the ball and chime
That He is Guru-Chellappa--Toss and let go.
--Natchintanai. 193-194.
Salutation to the fragrant Feet of Siva YogaSwami, the Gurunathan who appeared in human form in Columbuturai's pleasant groves! He sang the lyrics of sublime beauty on His Guru, Sage Chellappa Swami of Nallur, as did St. Manicavasagar on his Guru:
“They who seek to apprehend the reality of the One
Luminous Essence do not know Thee as male, female or
neuter.
Thou did'st appear to me thy devotee truly as thou'rt--
I saw Thee, yet I see Thee not! Ah what illusion!”
--Tiruvacagam. V. 42.
St. Tirumular extols the immanence of the Lord of Saivam, who manifests as the Guru and points the unique Way of Truth--Sanmarga.
“The Supreme Lord of Saivam, the sovereign Sivaparam has blazoned a unique way for the upliftment of the world.
It is the felicitous way of the Guru--GuruNeri. It is the goal to the divine Siva--SivaNeri. It is the way of Truth--
Sanmarga. This lofty way is for the whole world.”
--Tirumantram: 1478.
In the hermitage of Swami, sitting before his loving Presence, there would break on the shores of the heart, wave upon wave of irresistible yearning to know and experience the “Self within the self.” The Natchintanai psalms on the Knowledge of the Self are some of the fascinating songs, which Swami made us sing on many an occasion:
How can one Know the self and Realise Thyself? This was the quest of the devotees who sought the Guru's Grace so ardently day and night. He made all negative factors float into the clouds of unknowing, and having made the heart clean, imprinted the truth of the Anma, that its abiding place is in the pure void within.
“Not the body, not the mind art Thou;
Not the inner faculties and not even the life breath--
but Eternal art Thou.”
--Natchintanai. 381.
“'This is the Truth in all its totality.'
So said my Gurunathan.”
--Natchintanai. 155.
Such was the testimony of Swami. The Truth of the One Absolute Reality--'Muluthum Unmai'--was an experienced Truth for our Guru. Those who strove with other eyes to see could not understand Swami and failure often lead to frustration. Yet there was the indomitable faith in the heart of every devotee, that the light of Grace from the Seeing Eye of the Guru will some day illumine the sight of even the lowliest and most unworthy of the devotees with the experience of Truth:
“Who can behold the All-Seeing One
If He doth not kindle my sight.”
--St. Appar. VI, 95. 3.
“Dear One, All that we perceive are His manifestations;
Who can see Him if He doth not illumine our sight?”
--Natchintanai. 180.
“The true devotees of Siva hail Him as the light of wisdom!”
--Natchintanai. 205.
St. Manicavasagar too alludes to the work of enlightenment effected by the Guru:
“How far will I and my mind be from my Beloved,
If He with His Grace had not made me His own?”
--Tiruvacagam, 10. 15.
In the spiritual combat that every one of us wage against the unseen enemies, that hold the real Self in us captive, the relevance and significance of a Jnana-Guru has been amply demonstrated by our Gurunathan. In the Jnana-Yagjnas that he bade us perform at the Sivathondan Home, by the spiritual discourses in his ashram, and the Yatras--pilgrimages organized on various occasions, he made it possible for us to sit together, to meditate together, to sing together and work together as the servitors of Siva, under the banner of the illustrious Siva-Thondan of Lanka, owing allegiance to none else, but His Holy Feet.
“With minds tuned to meditate on Thee,
And eyes ever watchful to behold Thee,
Our heads in obeisance bow in Thy worship.
We're not subject to alien allegiance.
Morn and eve, we shall praise and adore Thee,
And meekly cherish Lanka thy abode.
--Natchintanai. 315.
By concerted action and persistent sadhana, Swami inspired his devotees with the love surpassing that of an endearing mother, to take the leap from the rugged plateau of earthly toil and attachments to the peak of Tiruvadi--Jnanam, the sublime height of Truth, whence the egoity of man dissolves in the unity of the One Eternal Effulgence.
“The Form of Siva is Refulgence: Know that as beyond
perception.
Look not down my dear, disheartened that It's beyond Thy
grasp.”
--Natchintanai. 246.
Truly it is a leap from the plane of relativity and duality to the realm of the Absolute Truth!
This was the goal which the searching glow of the camphor light in his august Presence made clear to those gathered around him. His penetrating eyes that commerced with infinity, shed a ray of serene peace on all who beheld him in silent adoration, with intense faith and piety. Those luminous eyes radiated the brilliance of the felicitious path-way of his Guru, Sage Chellappa Swami. Purity in thought, word and deed, righteous living, blessedness of love, meekness, fearlessness, desirelessness and commingling of the self with Truth--Sivanubhuti--these were held out by SWAMI as the steps to the Realisation of Siva. He bade his devotees chant ceaselessly the encantation of Sivayanama, and follow the light of Grace in the foot-steps of the Guru.
“Pursue the path of Grace and march onward.
Chant the name of Siva--Sivayanama.”
--Natchintanai. 149.
“Sing ye all that we are the legion of Siva and we lack nothing
as we swing in the aura of perfection.”
--Natchintanai. 370.
Thus would Swami impart the accents of Truth, stroking his silvery beard, facing the eastern horizon in the early hours of the dawn; and thus would he, the Siva-Guru kindle the sunrise in our hearts.
The practical discipline he enforced, and the experiential import of his teachings came to be fused with new meanings in the hours of meditation, and set a perfect pattern of a life in Siva-Thondu. A month before Swami's Samadhi, a devotee was singing the Pilgrim song--Yatrai Pattu--from Tiruvacagam before the Master. It was St. Manicavasagar's psalm of the Up-going, where he sets forth the soul's pilgrimage through the world of sense to the celestial City of Sivanagar, mystically the union with Siva.
“come ye with one accord; Behold the time hath come,
That we rally as one team and go, abiding in His will,
Even we, in Siva's City shall refuge find.”
--Tiruvacagam. 45.1 3.5.
Swami rejoined in his own inimitable way at the close of the Tiruvacagam refrain: 'Shed all your pollution and come unto me. I shall lead you to the City of Sivanagar. But when will you loosen the adamantine chains?' 'When Swami wills it,' came the prompt response of the Singer.
“Thou art the Mid-point of all things. There is no doer
but thou.”
His insistence was on Purity first and foremost, and Purity was also his last watchword, He commanded a perfection which was so difficult to emulate without in the first place casting off the veils of inherent darkness of the soul. The enlightened Guru that Swami is, can be testified from the fact that not only did he reveal the path way to God-realisation, while yet dwelling in the habitation of this human body, and leading the normal life of a full human being, without restorting to external symbols of renunciation; but he also led his devotees step by step in the 'up going,' as a benign father and mother would do to a helpless child to come into its own true inheritance.
“The Kingdom of Sivapuram was not up above the blue sky where the stars twinkle, or here or there, but within each one of you. Seek ye and find it,” would be Swami's oft-repeated injunction.
“Thy home Thou choosest
Within the hearts of Saints.”
At the sunset hour when the fugitive evening rays embraced the shades of darkness, the young aspirants seated before him would be singing in unison the Taittireya Upanishad, followed by the songs from Natchintanai, and culminating in the choral incantation of Sivapuranam, when Swami who would be seated upright, cross-legged, and in meditative silence, would impregnate our frail tremulous hearts with the surging radiance of His Grace, and make the exalted spiritual heritage of the Saiva saints, a reality.
With what joy did we then sing the songs of Swami's Tiruvunthiar, leaning against the Rock of his Feet, in fulfilment of worship unceasing:
“That He came with the insignia of the deer and battle axe,
Down to earth that all may see--Hit the ball and chime,
Lo, the gloom of sorrow hath receded--Toss again and let go.
That my dire distress may flee
He gave me a formula--Toss the ball and sing
That the snares of delusion have dissolved--Toss and let go.
My sovereign Lord did rule as King of Madurai
Known also as Ponnambalavan, Hit the ball and sing
That fruition is mine, Toss and let go.
Place and space hath no power to prison
His Presence within me, Hit the ball and sing
That unbounded Anma am I, Toss and let go.
That in the letters Five He revealed life's mystery
And in my heart did He abide--Toss the ball and chime
That Thyself in mySelf hath commingled, Toss and let go.
The crescent and Ganga on His crown,
He's the Lover of Uma, Toss the ball and sing
That from toils of birth I've attained, Toss and let go.
He showed the sway of matter as inert
|And in my heart did bide, Toss the ball and sing
That He's the Supreme God, Toss and let go.
From the gross layers to the subtle sheaths we move,
And reach the rock of Thy Feet--Hit the ball and sing
That our worship is fulfilled--Toss and let go.
He illumined us with the light of wisdom
By the potent Word--Toss the ball and laud
That He's our invisible friend--Toss again and let go.
No peril shall e'er betake those
Who realise the Self as Sivam--Hit the ball and sing
That in truth Love is Sivam--Toss again and let go.
Those who hear and sing the ten verses
Enlightened art--Toss the ball and sing
That the Home of Heaven is ours, Toss and let go.
--Natchintanai. 45-46.