Natchintanai – 73 Spiritual Songs! Now in Unicode!
A book of Natchintanai by Siva Yogaswami:
Seventy-three songs full of the wisdom of the Sanatana Dharma and the enlightened vision of one of the most evolved siddha yogis of modern times, Siva Yogaswami.
Since 2009, Natchintanai – 73 Spiritual Songs was available with MylaiSri text for the Tamil. It was not possible to put it online, because that Tamil font would have rendered as gibberish. But now that Tamil has been re-entered in Arial Unicode! Now that it is in unicode, it can be copied and pasted across any web platform or in your email. The publication is also available in the EPUB:
https://www.himalayanacademy.com/view/natchintanai-73-spiritual-songs
Dedication:
This song book is dedicated to Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, affectionately known as Gurudeva. He gave us these instructions regarding the heritage of songs from his guru, Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna, Sri Lanka:
“All my followers shall revere as sacred scripture the songs of Sage Yogaswami, called Natchintanai, which entirely embody the teachings of our lineage and command one and all to ‘Know thy Self by thy self.’ Aum.
They and my noble mathavasis all follow the path of service so vigorously hailed by Asan (spiritual master) Yogaswami in his many Natchintanai hymns which embody our philosophy.”
Tirukural – Chapter 106
Chapter 106: Begging
Verse 1057
At the bottom of the painting a man and his wife are traveling through the town in their bullock cart. They are smiling and taking great joy in seeing that the suffering of others is being relieved by generous people who, like themselves, give coins to the poor, clothes to the indigent and food to the hungry.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 1051
If you meet a man of means, by all means beg his help.
If he refuses, the fault is his, not yours.
Verse 1052
Even begging can prove pleasurable
when what is begged for comes with no sense of burden.
Verse 1053
Begging has its own beauty when one supplicates
before dutiful men whose hearts never say no.
Verse 1054
There are men who never deny a request, even in their dreams.
Begging from them is the same as giving.
Verse 1055
Because men do exist on Earth who never begrudge giving,
others dare to plead their needs before men’s gaze.
Verse 1056
The miseries of begging will flee at the mere sight
of those who are free from refusal’s miserable manners.
Verse 1057
A jubilant heart rejoices upon seeing
those who give without scoffing or scorning.
Verse 1058
Deprived of beggars, this vast and verdant Earth would
become uncharitable, a ball for the play of wooden puppets.
Verse 1059
What glory would generous men enjoy
if there were none to beg for and receive their gifts?
Verse 1060
One who begs and is refused should not be angry,
for his own poverty is sufficient proof of giving’s limits.
Tirukural – Chapter 105
Chapter 105: Poverty
Verse 1042
A beggar is walking along the street, hoping that some generous person will place food in his bowl. Behind him is the demon called poverty, whose sharp blades have severed the man’s smile and torn at his clothes. His penury has deprived him of every happiness.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 1041
Ask what is more miserable than being poor,
and the answer comes–only poverty pains like poverty.
Verse 1042
Poverty, the cruelest of demons, deprives a man
of every joy in this life, then takes them from the next life.
Verse 1043
Craving, another name for poverty, will obliterate at once
ancestral honor and dignity of speech.
Verse 1044
Privation produces unmindfulness, which gives birth
to improper words, even in men of proper birth.
Verse 1045
Poverty is that single sorrow which
gives rise to a multitude of miseries.
Verse 1046
Even when the poor perceive profoundly and speak skillfully,
their most meaningful words are always forgotten.
Verse 1047
He who is impoverished and estranged from virtue will be
regarded as a stranger even by his own mother.
Verse 1048
Will the wretched poverty that nearly
killed me yesterday come again today?
Verse 1049
Men may slumber even in the midst of fire,
but none can find repose in the midst of poverty.
Verse 1050
Lacking a morsel of food, a man may either
slay every desire or kill off his neighbor’s salt and rice broth.
Tirukural – Chapter 104
Chapter 104: Farming
Verse 1032
Here a strong farmer holds his plow as his cows help him till the ground. He is growing crops that feed his village. Such farmers support the entire the world so that others do not have to work so hard.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 1031
Wherever it may wander, the world follows the farmer’s plow.
Thus despite all its hardships, farming is the foremost occupation.
Verse 1032
Farmers are the linchpin of the world, for they support all
who take up other work, not having the strength to plow.
Verse 1033
Those who live by the plow live in self-sufficiency.
All others lean on them to simply subsist.
Verse 1034
Those whose fields lie shaded by abundant sheaves of grain
will see many nations overshadowed by their own.
Verse 1035
Those who eat food harvested with their own hands
will never beg and never refuse a beggar’s outstretched palm.
Verse 1036
When plowers of the fields stand idly with folded arms,
even desireless ascetics will not last long.
Verse 1037
If soil is dried so that one ounce shrinks to one-quarter ounce,
fruitful yields will not require a single handful of fertilizer.
Verse 1038
It is better to fertilize than to furrow a field. After weeding,
it is more important to watch over a field than even to water it.
Verse 1039
If the lord of the land fails to visit his fields,
they will sulk as surely as a neglected wife.
Verse 1040
Mother Earth laughs when she sees
lazy men crying, “We are so poor.”
Sivathondu at Kauai Aadheenam
When noble souls pilgrimage to the Aadheenam, they pack, along with their great love of God and guru, their lifetime toolbox of skills and knowledge. Often they want to help the Satguru's global mission, and such is the case with Madan Ganesh Velayudham who was here for ten days recently. Of course, his first priority was his sadhanas and spiritual progress. But he also has immense skills in the digital universe, and worked with the Ganapati Kulam, bringing a high-end expertise we seldom have access to. Then, before flying back to his home in Bengaluru, he set forth some plans to enhance the monastery websites, improve and promote our apps, translate Tamil texts and more. Mikka nandri, Madan. And thank you family--Sumathi, Oviaa and Guru Saasta--for letting you venture to the other side of the planet.
Tirukural – Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Advancing the Community
Verse 1021
We see a man in several scenes as he works industriously through the day. Clearly he is laboring with all of his heart to advance himself, his family and his community. He awakens to worship Lord Ganesha; then bathes, then feeds and milks the cows, then plows his fields. In the late afternoon he kneels to worship before a temple, and finally sleeps deeply, having exerted himself productively all day long.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 1021
No greater dignity exists than when a man resolutely declares,
"I will never cease in laboring to fulfill my karmas."
Verse 1022
One prolongs his clan by prolonged exertion in
both perseverance and sound understanding.
Verse 1023
When a man vows to advance his community,
God Himself will wrap His robes and lead the way.
Verse 1024
When a man's effort to raise his community high is unremitting,
his work will prosper on its own, even if he makes no plans.
Verse 1025
The world will surround and befriend him
who, without fault, lives to advance his community.
Verse 1026
It is said that true manliness consists in becoming
head and provider of the clan one was born into.
Verse 1027
As on a battlefield the burden falls upon the brave,
in the community weight is carried by the most competent.
Verse 1028
Those seeking to improve their clan await no season,
for delays and undue regard for dignity will destroy it.
Verse 1029
When a man shields his family from every suffering,
doesn't his body become a vessel filled with their afflictions?
Verse 1030
Without good men to hold it up, the family home will fall
the moment misfortune's axe comes down.
Tirukural – Chapter 102
Chapter 102: Possession of Modesty
Verse 1015
A man stands handcuffed before a judge who is deciding his fate.A friend in the foreground is waiting for the judgment, sad because he sympathizes with his friend’s sorrowful situation. A Goddess places her hand on the friend’s head, honoring his modesty and compassion.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 1011
For fair-faced maidens, modesty means bashfulness,
but the deeper modesty shies away from shameful karmas.
Verse 1012
Food, clothing and such do not differ much among people;
what distinguishes good men from others is modesty.
Verse 1013
All life clings to a body;
perfect goodness clings to all that is modest.
Verse 1014
Is not modesty a jewel adorning perfect men?
Without it, is not their strut an awful blemish to behold?
Verse 1015
The world decrees that men who are as ashamed
by others' disgrace as by their own are modesty's fondest home.
Verse 1016
The great would rather hold themselves behind
modesty's barricade than breach it to acquire the vast world.
Verse 1017
Those who prize unpretentiousness will forsake life to preserve it.
But they never forsake modesty for the sake of life.
Verse 1018
If a man does not feel ashamed of what makes others feel ashamed,
virtue itself will be ashamed of him.
Verse 1019
Failing to observe good conduct, one sets his family on fire.
Living in shamelessness, he incinerates everything good.
Verse 1020
The movements of men devoid of modesty mock life,
like wooden puppets suspended on a string.
Tirukural – Chapter 101
Chapter 101: Wealth That Benefits No One
Verse 1009
A man has chosen a lonely life so that he might acquire a great storehouse of wealth. This he has done, but now he must protect his treasure, and so he locks himself in a vault. He is alone, without close friends or family. Despite his efforts, two thieves are walking away with his belongings.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 1001
He who has amassed great wealth but does not enjoy it
is reckoned as dead, like his unused heap.
Verse 1002
Believing wealth is everything, yet giving away nothing,
the miser himself will be possessed by a miserable birth.
Verse 1003
The mere sight of men who lust after wealth,
caring nothing for renown, is a burden to the Earth.
Verse 1004
What could a man, unloved by even a single soul,
imagine he might leave to posterity?
Verse 1005
Amid millions heaped high, a man remains poor
if he neither gives away his wealth nor enjoys it himself.
Verse 1006
Vast wealth can be a wretched curse to one who
neither gladdens himself in its worth nor gives to the worthy.
Verse 1007
The wealth of a greedy man who gives nothing to the needy
is like the beauty of a maiden growing old unwed.
Verse 1008
The wealth of a man whom no heart loves
is like fruits on a poisonous tree in the heart of a village.
Verse 1009
He who casts out love and dharma and chooses self-denial
so wealth can pile high will see it seized by strangers.
Verse 1010
The short-lived poverty of a benevolent rich man
is like the temporary dryness of a bountiful rain cloud.
Gurudeva Quote of the Day Calendar
For decades it has been one of the most popular little books from Himalayan Academy. It is "an eternal calendar," meaning it is designed in such a way that it never becomes obsolete. It's good from year to year. This is a new edition, inspired by devotees in Tucson, Arizona. They wanted the calendar to be available to all members, and to have Bodhinatha quotes included. So we added Bodhinatha photos and quotes, and also Yogaswami quotes. It's a rich collection of lofty thoughts and insights, with 365 quotes in all, and 52 photos, one for each week. The dedication notes it was produced especially for Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's 80th Jayanti, October 15, 2022.
Tirukural – Chapter 100
Chapter 100: Possession of Courtesy
Verse 999
It's a lovely day and one man enjoys the sky, the mountains and a nearby temple. Nature’s beauties bring a smile to his face and a joy in his heart. Another man has blindfolded himself with discontent, and his day is anything but bright. He cannot smile, and his world is nothing but darkness.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 991
They say if a man is easily accessible to everyone,
the virtue of courtesy will be easily accessible to him.
Verse 992
Loving kindness and birth in a good family--
these two are said to confer on one a gracious manner.
Verse 993
Resemblance among humans is not that their bodies look alike.
Real similarities come from similar traits of courtesy.
Verse 994
The world commends the civility of those
who combine fruitful effort and kindly benevolence.
Verse 995
Disparaging words are painful even when uttered in jest.
Hence, knowers of human nature are courteous even to enemies.
Verse 996
The world exists because civilized men exist.
Without them, it would collapse into mere dust.
Verse 997
Though their minds are as sharp as a wood rasp,
men without human decency are as wooden as a tree.
Verse 998
It is disgraceful to be discourteous towards others,
even to unfriendly fellows who treat you unjustly.
Verse 999
To those who cannot smile in joy, this wide world
lies engulfed in darkness, even in broad daylight.
Verse 1000
Great wealth amassed by men who lack sweet courtesy
is like good milk turned sour in an unclean vessel.
From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
