Our fair and beautious Isle of Lanka is acclaimed to be the pearl of the Indian Ocean. It has an eventful history. In the Age of the Ramayana Epic, Ravana was the most powerful King of Lankapuri, and his pleasure gardens where Sita was kept in captivity under the Asoka trees, and the fortresses, air chariots and weapons of the Rakshasa armies delineate his greatness as a monarch of illustrious stature. He was a renowned devotee of Siva, who was pleased with his severe penances and austerities, granted him the boons of earthly fame and worldly might.
In the height of his sovereignity, imbued with the desire to have the Lord of Kailas, his tutelary Diety installed in Lanka, he exceeded the limits of disciplined discrimination, and attempted by his invincible strength to transfix Mount Kailas, the traditonal abode of Siva from the Himalayan region to that of Lanka. He was foiled in this feat by the Lord crushing him under His Feet; and finally it was his astonding act of penance that saved him from the wrath of Siva. Ravana ripped into his left thigh, removed the nerve fibres and turned it into a lyre, and sang praise of Siva. Then it was that Siva released him, pleased with his mortification. This episode of Ravana was constantly alluded by the Saiva psalmists to signify that piety and devotion alone without purity and humility, could not redeem man or give him peace. Ravana was a great Hindu Bhakta; yet his code of life violated the Hindu Dharma and he had to pay for it dearly.
Again in the life of Ravana, his insatiable pride and lust made him carry off Sita, the chaste wife of Rama of the powerful dynasty of Raghu at Ayodhya, when they were living in the forest in exile. Rama marched with his army to Lanka and conquered the valiant Ravana and handed the Kingdom to his saintly brother, Vibeeshana. Allusions and references to the downfall of Ravana caused about by his vanity, pride and inordinate desires, and Siva's transforming grace on him abound in the Saiva religious literature and puranic lore. The downfall of Ravana was an act of oblation. The Epic of Ramayana, universal in its appeal only helped to emphasise the triumph of the forces of good over evil.
The Lanka of the Ramayanic age was predominatly inhabited by the indigenous tribes who worshipped Siva and His Sakti, with Skanda and Ganesha. “That Hinduism and Hindu temples existed at Anuradhapura, (the then capital of Ceylon) before the advent of Buddhism” has been referred to by Chapman, C.R.A.S.C.B. Transactions III, P. 478 who quotes Rajaratnacari, page 41. “The earliest inscriptions too bear testimony to the presence of the Brahmanas in celon which is evidence of the prevalence of their religious beliefs” --Paranavitana--JRAS.--CB. Vol. 31 No. 84, 1929. The legendary stories of Kandapuranam and Dakshina Kailaya Puranam also support the view that temples at Mavidapuram, Tiruketheswaram, Koneswaram, Muneeswaram and Katirgamam, Teerthas or holy bathing ghats, together with the popular mandrams for feeding and venerating the religious worship, which had continued in certain places unabated from the dim past to the modern times. As heir to this hoary tradition appeared Swami in the land of Yalpanam, the conservative citadel of Saivism, and his songs on Lanka form a moving symphony of love and devotion.
After his initiation by Sage Chellappa Swami, Swami was in the habit of undertaking yaatrai to distant shrines in Lanka. In the course of his pilgrimages in the early decade of the twentieth century, Swami had the opportunity to traverse the length and breadth of this fair Island. From Murugan's sanctum at Nallur to Punakari Amman across the lagoon, and from Kandavanakadavai in Point Pedro to his own birth place of Mavidapuram, and from Manipay Maruthady Pillayar to Pandathalaichi Amman at Madduvil, he had walked with unerring steps in the company of his Guru, Sage Chellapa Swami; and from 1910, he had taken solitary long distance pilgrimages to Tiruketheswaram, and on to Wattapallai and Koneswaram at Trincomlee, and skirting the east coast by the foot path, he had spent his recluse days at Sittankudi, Batticaloa and Tirukoil.
No Coming--No Going
Many a time, he had related incidents when he trekked the Veddha tracts of Moneragala and Bibile to reach the abode of Murugan at Kathirgamam, skirted by the Manica Ganga and the seven hills of Kathiramalai. His itinerary took him across the hilly regions of Kandy, Haputale and Bandarawella, Balangoda and Ratnapura, when nature was his soul companion. The Namunakula and Piduratalagala ranges and glades of Haputale, the Dunhinda and the Diyaluma falls would have greeted him during many summers, and the city of Colombo and its suburbs too would have registered his periodic visits to meet his friends there. Then again, Muneeswaram, Kurunegalla and Anuradapura and his old haunts of Murikandy and Kilinochi too were his favorite targets in his Paada-Yaatrai, as also the many islands across the Jaffna Peninsula.
He would often recount tales of his sojourn with people of diverse creeds and castes, and in his reminiscences, he would always stress the unitive experience of the one world and One God.
Wherever he went, and whomsoever he met, Islamic friends and moulavis, Buddhist villagers and their high priests, the Kandyan peasants and veddhas in South-East Ceylon, Christian clergy and laymen, as well as Hindus from every strata of society, appeared to him as members of one another.
He shared with them the words of the Guru, in his unquenchable thirst to make known his Guru's four great utterences known as the 'Mahavaakiam'. He experienced the truth of the One Universal Being moving in the world outside, as well as in the heart of every man he met in the highways of life, and saw the the glory of the Grace of Siva irradiating in every particle of being in this beauteous isle of Lanka.
Thus the Odes of Lanka pulsate with an aerial spontaneity and rhythm of unity with the One, all pervading spirit of God, and the truth of His immanence in the world of multiplicity, where there can be no divisive barriers or man made artificial boundaries to keep man separate from man, without facing each other in an endless dialogue. When one has fully consecrated the energies of his heart and will to the Lord, there can be no enmity, no evil, no discord, and no disunity. When the whole world is filled with His radiant Presence, our Sivathondu is but to pour our heart-melting worship at the altar of His gracious Feet. Bhagavan Sri Ramana puts it succinctly in his Thirty Verses:
“And Body's service is Ritual
the wealth of its adoration.
And the service of Speech is prayer and praise,
clinging to the Word that redeems.
And the service of Mind is Meditation
So is each excellent above the other.
And the Ritual the Lord loves,
the Adoration that he takes unto Himself,
is the service of all created forms
as, verily, forms of the Lord.
This is the best Adoration.”
Swami urges upon everyone to serve the Lord by serving one another, as all form part of Himself. We cannot know the totality of this Immense Reality that moves the world of objective phenomena and empirical experiences, as well as the heart of man. He Is: That Is: What we know is only fragmentary experiences on the objective plane, and we have to penetrate the veils of perception with the seeing Eye of his Grace, to discover the unity of the self within each one, and with the Self in the Cosmos. “The Truth of the Absolute Reality--'Muluthum Unmai,' is the essence of Godhead.”
Swami persistently reminds us to know the self: “Seek to know ThySelf by thySelf,” is Swami's great utterance--Maha-Vakiam.”
In the vision of Swami therefore, Lanka is the land of Experience of the blessed Seers. who have walked in righteousness and love. It is the land that has nurtured noble sages like KadaiSwami and Chellachi Amma. It is the land of the combined might of Rama and Ravana, virtue and vice, love and hatred, peace and discord, where the play of opposites hold sway on the surface. Swami sees underlying the external contours, the sacramental layers of revelation of Truth and Wisdom; and the Visvarupa-Universal vision of manifestation, merging into the luminous light of Oneness. In a state of ecstatic rapture, he triumphantly acclaims formless worship. “That One is without form or attributes. Let us worship for ever the Formless Transcendental Being.
Again and again in many a gem of purest ray serene, Swami's clarion call to meditate on Siva at all times and in all places is heard. “Take up the shield of Gnosis and realise the Supreme One, as the rock of wisdom.”
“In the harmony of universal Oneness, realise that You and I--myself and Thyself--are knit in indissoluble union with the infinite Reality”:
“There is nothing wonderful nor irrelevant nor even discordant”:
“In bliss of harmony, in the supreme felicity of His will lies our Peace”
--Natchintanai. 347.
Oh Father, Life of life, My Love and Support!
Matchless One, Eternal being, Source of Serenity!
Universally acclaimed lord of illustrious Lanka!
Oh Supreme Siva whose might and beauty are manifest in the
universe, and at whose Feet the wavering Ravana lies
oppressed, Thou Ruler over Lanka's plains, Be Thou our
Refuge.
Thou Primal Being, pervading all elemental forces, Guru and
Sishya, Light divine that radiates in sunny land of Lanka,
Thou art our Refuge.
Siva with all thy significant emblems of immanent diversity,
Nectar sweet who ruleth over the shares of the goodly blessed
Lanka, Be Thou our Refuge.
Soul of my soul and yet beyond the conciousness of man and
celestials, all consuming Effulgence, Infinite Truth! Thou
precious Gem of enchanting Lanka with peacocks and
cuckoos, Thy Refuge we seek.
Far beyond relationships and associations, art thou the
imperceptible Power, that art everything and nothing.
Majestic Spendour that dazzles aloft! Father who supports
the vehicle of righteous strength, Lord of invigorating Lanka,
Thou art our Refuge.
The infinite Will holds sway over all beings ; my Guru, whom
the adepts in obeisance pay homage. Jewel of Wisdom,
adorable Reality evoked by the saintly devotees, bounteous
Lanka's sovereign Ruler, Thy Refuge we resort.
The One and the Many art Thou Lord, whose abode is the
Himalayas. Thou who vanquished Dakkan and art the
consort of the alluring Sakti--Oh Lanka's divine Teacher
recovered by Yoganathan! Thy Refuge we seek.
Sternly did Thou destroy the pride of doubting ascetics.
The eternal Feminine constitutes part of Thy Form. Thy
fiery Eye did burn the deluding Cupid. Oh Lord Siva who
reigns over Lanka, Thine are we in Refuge meek.
Day and night I toil to ease my worldly wants. Will Thou
not pity my weakness so abject? What shall I do? My Guru!
To whom shall I turn? Resplendent Light of the bejewelled
Isle of Lanka, Thine in Refuge are we.”
--Natchintanai. 99-100
Blessed indeed is the bounty of such intense devotion, evoking Siva as intimately as the protecting Ruler over Lanka's fair and pleasant lands! The devotee who sings this canzone enriches his own experience of Siva (Sivanubhuti), and uplifts the hearts of those who hear these plaintive strains of sweet surrender to the Lord's Will. “Conquer thy own Ego-self and pray unto Him, and there is no one to equal you.”
This is the promise of our Gurunathan.
Eternal is the Lord of Lanka. All-powerful is His law and infinite Love is His Language. This Eternal Himself is in all. Adoration to Him, the immaculate sourse of all Wisdom, Truth and Love. Lanka's mansions of beauty are saturated with the love of the majestic infinite power of Siva. “Therefore the rememberance of the divine Name is the panacea of life's weal and woe. Chant the letters five without ceasing, untroubled by other thoughts, and live without envy in the purity of heart.”
His is the Land of beauteous Lanka.
From the thralldom of desire doth He save
Those who ponder on Him at sunrise and sunset.
He has neither beginning nor an end.
Gracious is He, who danceth in sacred Thillai.
Entwined with serpents and ganga flowing down.
They who sing His glory find relief from anguish.
He's drawn to Eelam, the land of chaste Tamil.
Grant Oh Lord bracing Eelam, Thy Grace
That I be not oppressed by Life's burdens,
But control my faculties gross and subtle,
And pour my heart's oblation of love for Thee.
Grant that I enjoy the boon of liberality always
And the ideal virtue of not hurting anyone.
That I hold fast to Truth even at the price of life,
Oh Lord of Lanka, worshipped by celetial devas.
Grant that I share with my kindred whate'er I have,
And not cause friction in the company of the vicious,
That I may pass my days in discreet prudence,
Oh Lord of Lanka, adored by the whole universe.
Beauteous Lord of Lanka, King of Thillai !
Who am I to fathom Thee, Essence of all forms?
Life of life art Thou and soul of existence,
Guru and Sishya and overlord of all art Thou.
Ever present in Iyaru, Oh Blissful Dancer
Inseparably knit with Sakti, Oh Siva
Who reduced to ashes the god of lust!
Thou'rt the God of lovely isle of Eelam too.
Incomparable source of Life,
Lord of ascetics rare.
And comely Parwathli's adorable Wealth.
Thou art God of Eelam's verdant pastures.
Thou with the insignia of Grace and consort Uma,
Who heals the woes of worshippers true,
Protect us Oh custodian of the seven worlds!
And bestow Thy Grace, Oh Lord of Lanka.
Grant us purity devoid of meanness,
And a will to praise Thy devotees true.
Oh Nataraj who exalts the fawn like Gowri!
Thou'rt the God of fragrant Lanka.
--Natchintanai. 91.
Swami floats in the perennial stream of translucent Wisdom, Love and Goodness, that flows the Blessed Abode of Bliss. In the ecstasy of joy, He bids us offer the petals of love and praise the Lord's Golden Feet incessantly, and chant the mystic Letters Five:
“It is the incomparable Lord who came to me in the majestic form of Guru and captivated my heart.”
“Infinitely glorious in His Transcendence
And yet unsurpassing in the beauty of Immanence,
Those who see Him thus in gracious forms
As their Beloved, they triumph in bliss eternal.”
--Natchintanai. 93.
In this mellifluous song, Swami speaks of Lanka as the land blessed with the immanence of Siva. It is the land where we see in all the phenomena, the beauty of Siva.
“In this, our Land of Lanka
All, All art Sivam, my dear.”
--Natchintanai. 143.
We hear his plaintive address to all young children:
“Experience Sivam as Love,
And realise that we are That
Cultivate Love in the heart, Oh Son!
Arise and awake.
Do thy duty, do it well.
Be fearless, my boy.
Lanka is our dear, dear land.”
--Natchintanai. 143.
Again, Swami chimes sweetly in praise of Nallur, the beauty spot in Lanka, where his beloved Guru showed him the road to Freedom by the avenue of self-knowledge and self-conquest:
“Know the Self by thySelf.
Being is, ever is.
He came like my mother
To beauteous Nallur, my dear.”
--Natchintanai. 143.
Down the ages, the Guru's call to the devotees of Siva in Lanka can be heard:
“No evil shall ever befall those devotees
Who know their own true self,
And discern Sivam within their inner self.”
--Natchintanai. 142--143.
Our fair Isle of Lanka is lapped on all sides by the blue waters of the ocean; hills and dales, lovely cities and green paddy fields, swift flowings rivers and luxuriant vegetation, waterfalls and golden domes add to the beauty of this land of Lanka. “Who endows this land with such charm? The Lord who is unknown even by the Devas; the God who has been extolled by the scriptures and worshipped in all ages in the towering temples of Madurai and Thillai: He who abides in my heart as Life of my Life, and who is the prime remover of all that we see around us and within us, and by whose infinite, infinite grace, we enjoy all that is good and blissful: the invisible guide who dispels all terrifying and inauspicious forces: He indeed is the Lord revealed to me in lovely Lanka, watered by many streams. His fragrant Feet are for ever my constant protection.
--Natchintanai. 97.
NALLUR--The Goodly City of Muruga!
Speed to the hermitage of Swami, to ponder and brood over the holy Feet of Murugan, who wields the cock banner! Nallur! It is the charmed city of the Guru who enacted many a moving pageant with his faithful yet stalwart disciple. It is the sanctum of the beloved Son of Siva, Skanda, the Commander of the armies of the Devas in their fight against the asuric demonic forces of evil. He is KandaSwamy, in whose temple in this hamlet of Nallur, is enshrined the Vel, the symbol of Jnanam or wisdom of the Godhead. Mavidapuram! It is famous in history as the link between India and Ceylon, a place of many miracles and healing springs; and the temple of Murugan towers above all else, as the guardian deity. Yoga Swami, as the gift of Divine Grace. There is yet another Lanka, that has been extolled by Swami in Natchintanai. It is the renowed city of Kathirgamam, the hamlet of Valli, the eternal beloved of Murugan.
Kathirgamam is the sanctum where Murugan in his formless state holds his mystic union with his devotees. He is the eternal Lover of Valli, the entrancing veddha damsel, typifying the consummation of Love in the human soul. The Anma is for ever pursued by the God-Lover, Kandavel--who is Muruga.
“Why do you search for the Lover
Who has taken his abode in your heart?
He is the Light of Kathirgamam!”
--Natchintanai. 191.
“Ponder, meditate and worship hopfully all the days of your
life, ye who dwell in the pleasant vales of Lanka, on the
sacred Feet of Murugan, who bears the cock banner, and be
free from perilous dangers and pollutions in this world.
Remember and pay your homage wholeheartedly to the sweet
Feet, full of fragrance and elixir, and get rid of your load of
human ills; find ye the balm to transmute your lives, all ye
who live in the golden isle of Lanka.
Evanescent are the pleasures that surround us, encaged as we
are in the human body that decays with time. Why wast our
precious hours in sad tidings so fleeting? Magnify the Feet
of the six-faced Arumuga with steadfast love, and realise thy
true essence, Oh Lanka-born!
Know that transient is youth and impermanent in Life. Hence
hold fast to the Feet of Velan, so ancient and yet so young;
offer Him thy earnest love, and be requited with lasting joy,
Oh ye who dwell in fair Lanka.
Oh citizens of Lanka, cling with steadfast zeal to the radiant
Feet of Murugan, surpassing the wisdom of the wisest and
beyond human perception, and gain the ends of victorious
living.
Renounce all unworthy desires and persist in praising the
holy Feet of Murugan, and then shall ceaseless showers of
grace rain upon you most opportunity ; and of this be certain,
my comrades of Lanka.”
--Natchintanai. 97.
“Ye beloved of Lanka! In the world, ye shall have triblation,
but fear not! Pledge your undying loyalty to the gracious Feet of
Veylan: and spend the wealth acquired by righteous means, in befitting ways,
and always help the helpless. Can there be anything amiss or lacking to those,
who worship Him with fervant and sincere devotion, in this ancient Land of
Lanka?
“Lanka, His Temple! He is not only my Beloved, but also the distilled sweetness of every-one in this world. This matchless One has His fixed abode in the fertile graves of Lanka. Futile had been the efforts of Brahma and Vishnu to know the majestic splendour of Siva who cherishes the Sakti at His side, and who has made Lanka, His temple.”
--Natchintanai. 103-104.
'He who would praise Siva's lustrous Feet with insatiable Love,
can never suffer on earth from pangs of sorrows. Take in and
ponder on the words of Master. His nativity is in the sweet
and spiced Lanka.”
“They who worship with flowers and invoke the Almighty
Lord's sacred Feet shall attain bliss, even though untutored in
other lore. Brood on these words of the Son of Lanka and assuage the grief.”
“Let the Name, the letters-Five of Siva be thy strength, as
also His Feet so compassionately tender. 'Tis joyful to chant
His Praise. Listen to this edict of the Son of Lanka.”
“Do not fear; Do not ask alms or beg.
Chant intimately the letters Five.
Let its rhythm kiss thy heart.”
--Natchintanai. 270.
“Oh Sons of Lanka! The Guru divine speaks further on the
righteous way of life in a detectable manner.”
He bids me one and all to cast off lethargy and depression with the unerring giuidance of the Siva Guru, and to follow His lead:
“Do all actions in conformity with His Will.”
“Then and only then shall dawn the truth of knowing one's
eternal Self.”
“The knowledge of the self is the highest wisdom. It leads to the perception of the integral communion with Sivam, when there is neither you nor I”--
“He is the Lord who dons the young cresent on His crown,
Who from Thillai bestows grace on the weak and infirm.
Before His lotus Feet, morn and eve they prostrate.
Ever bounteous is my blessed land of Lanka.”
--Natchintanai. 105.
Swami makes us recollect in tranquillity, the poignant words of the Son of Lanka, which point at the play of opposites and the multiple ties of kith and kin, getting dissolved by singing thrice a day, the constant refrain in praise of the Feet of Siva in order to attain liberation:
“Sing in exultation of the Beatific Feet of the Eternal Beloved,
without sorrowing over missed opportunities and sinister acts
of past yesterdays. Steep thyself in deep contemplation of
the words of the Son of Lanka, and attain the serene peace of
perfect harmony”
--Natchintanai. 107.
He searched for me in the coconut groved Lanka and made me
His own--He who none can ever apprehend; He it was who made
me know mySelf, in and through myself.
He is more endearing in tender love than the dear love of my
mother.
To one and all is He the Tambiran, the matchless Supreme Lord.
He came on His own accord to liberate me, even me. Never
shall I commit violence, nor will I utter falsehood, remembering
always the words of my Guru. Assured am I of the impermanance
of this body. Oh Lanka, my holy land where cloud messengers enrich her groves !
Will I ever forget Him who leaves me not for a split second?
Greater love hath no mother for this bondsman.
He indeed showed severity in crushing the ten-headed
Ravana in days gone by. Oh Lanka, fringed with palmyrah
and coconut palms, the home Land of this humble devotee !
The All-pervader, unseen and unknown by Brahman and
Vishnu cannot endure the separation from His humble
devotee, even for the twinkling of an eye: He activates the
mind of the holy seers.
Behold, my beauteous Lord of Lanka blessed with God's
plenty !
His benign Grace saved me from life's tribulations.
Incomprehensible to the Gods Brahman and Vishnu, is He who
is the essence of Wisdom. Let us revere and worship the One
who is beyond Form and attributes. Oh Lanka with lucious
groves, the sacred land of this lowly devotee !”
--Natchintanai. 105.
“Thou art the witness, our motherland dear
That no evil can ever befall us.”
The sun of splendour rose in luminousity
O're this ancient earth and captivated us
By His rays of love; subject are we of none.
Fled of the deeds of yore, superceded by bliss divine.
Moral excellence marks our motherland of Lanka.
He who is beyond desire and desirelessness,
Of His own accord came and made me His captive.
Subjects are we of none.
No more will we wallow in falsehood or slander.
Our home is Lanka with verdant rice fields.
We'll not feel restrained to withhold from giving,
But evince love to no one and all alike.
Inheritors are we of endless bliss.
To none are we subject.
The Lord of Thillai's Feet shall we reflect,
And pine we for Lanka, our motherland.
When others harm us, we shall not be moved.
Like a tortoise shall we subdue our vagrant senses.
Subjects are we of none.
“Tis joyful to worship Siva and sing sweet psalms.
We shall do well in Lanka, our motherland.
The foes of fear and wrath shall we repel.
And desist from multiplying desires manifold.
To none are we subject.
The vibrant Letters Five shall resound in our hearts,
As we chant it with fervant devotion.
Beauteous Lanka is our happy abode.
Our eternity has neither a beginning nor an end.
This mystic experience is ours by Guru's grace.
No one can wield sway over us.
The land of dales and glades with lakes and rivers
That is Lanka, our lovely motherland.
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 worship Thee
And meekly cherish the Feet of Lanka.
We'll acclaim that there's but one God for all
No evil shall we commit
To none do we owe allegiance.
Violence, avarice, and anger shall we eschew
And steadfastly reflect ever and anon
That Lanka is our stable homeland.
Attuned in yogic quiescence,
We'll remain immortal, illumined in wisdom.
We owe not allegiance to others.
We've renounced kith and kin;
We've espoused the unborn, ancient Beloved.
Blessed are we in Lanka for certain.
Conscious are we of fleeting joys,
Ne'er shall we forget the Feet of Sivaperuman.
Nor shall we live under sufferance.
Sorrows shall not assail us nor shall we
be enticed by mundane esteem.
Irrestible is the expanse of Lanka.
Lo, the God of Lanka is the supreme Lord.
He'll not forsake us, for guardian Lord is He.
Who'll guide us from the wiles of the world
He is the sovereign lord of the devas.
Adorable is our God, so full of benevolence.
He's the Lord who grants us whate'er we seek
And in His sacrificial love do we thrive.
Immanent in all is our Lord, all pervading.
His fiery locks streaming with Ganga;
Immortal is our Lord-God of Five Letters.
He permeates earth, air, and water
And ether too He pervades, scanning darkness.
Spirits of the dark revolve around His orbit,
And He dwells in stately Lanka,
The land of magnificent mansions.
--Natchintanai. 315-316.
Mother mine,
Father fine,
Guru great,
All these in one--
That is the God that entranced me!
His ambrosia is relished by mindful lovers;
He who prevades nowhere and everywhere,
He made me know who I am,
Expiated are my past deeds of yore.
The God of my forefathers is my Lord too.
Siva is His name,
And He dwelleth in palm-girt Lanka.
He rejoiceth with the learned and the untutored.
Hidden mysteries, He makes known.
His knotted locks uphold the flow of ganga.
His forehead glows with the luminous Eye.
He who is the universal God is my Lord too,
And they are gods who experience this truth in life.
Siva is His name.
And attractive Lanka enjoys His access.
He bestows grace on those who trust Him.
The embodiment of wisdom praised by the worthy.
He is the Healer of afflictions sore.
The Supreme One lauded by Vedanta and Siddhanta.
He is in unison with the chosen goal,
Adored by elephant-Ganesh and the sixfaced Murugan.
The Lord is He who dwells in the glades of Lanka.
He is the unfailing guide in this birth and next.
The Lord whose gleaming hair adorns the cresent.
All-embracing, steadfast like parental love is He,
Manifesting on earth in human form like myself,
Abhorring all delusive arrogance and vanity.
He is the God adored by fresh opened flowers.
In Lanka's beauteous lands He loves to dwell,
Our Lord who's the sweetest of the heart.
In communion with the disciplined aspirants,
He is the Lord who is eternal and changeless,
He is the rock of gnosis to the knowers;
The Elder who came on earth to sue a just cause,
The Lord who rejoices in the divine Child with Vel,
The Lord who transcends likes and dislikes,
He's the Lord who dwells is Lanka's sylvan groves.
--Natchintanai. 31.
This is the magnificat of Swami on the formless Absolute taking the form of the Lord of Yogis, the power of manisfestation, whom he experienced as the Immutable Parasivam; and whom he percieved with the gnostic sight given by His Guru, Sage Chellappa. Swami hailed Siva as the Supreme Being, Imperishable, the great Refuge of the universe, the undying Gaurdian of Dharma, the One Reality to be known, felt and experienced. He is infinite in power and yet out of His immeasurable grace, this radiant conciousness, this germinal light of the immanent principle manifest, took His meek abode in the fair Isle of Lanka's beauteous groves and glades.
It is a kaleidosopic display of the static aspect of the ultimate Reality, embracing the inherent kinetic energy containing all polarities and potentialities, the ultimate point of power; and this great Power is sung as the indwelling Soul of Lanka by Swami, who acclaims that all manisfestation revolves round the Sun of Truth. “From everlasting, to everlasting, It is what it is.”--
When one fuses the seperate elements of one's being, one realises the unity with the universal Being. When all duality ceases, the soul is in union with the transcendental Consciousness. St. Tirumalar states it in his own inimitable way:
“The shades of darkness were dispelled by His rays of Grace, When He imprinted the coral of Sivam on the crystalline Anma.”
--Tirumantram. 114.
In his songs on Lanka, Swami brings to the fore the glory of the One without a second --“To realise the formless within one's living form is to reach the basis of all forms. All finite forms of experience are inseperable from the infinite. In a rapt synthesis of pure consciousness, rising above and beyond space-time relationship, only one single moment is actual; the whole universe evolves in that one single moment.”
In this Ode on the Lord of Lanka, Swami integrates all forms and enables us to gain intuition of the endless play of the Power of Siva:
“He alone sees, who sees all beings as himself.
The unknown is within, in every atom of our being.
Who art Thou, who when known, all is known?
I am He; He am I; we are That.”
If one fully enters into the experience of 'Thou art mine and I am thine,' Reality is apprehended. It compels one to empty ones mind of images and preconceptions. With a mind so emptied, one truly feels the impact of the Guru most forcefully. Its force is accessible to one who can see and assimilate its impact.
Our Guru bids us take up the mantra of Siva as our shield, and to reflect on the One who is present everywhere. He beckons us to be untouched by worldliness like the lotus in water, and to lead a pure life and free from enmity: “Be kind to all living things and see God in all, and let your actions be performed to a spirit of reverence and affection.” We arise from the sense of slumber of unreality and seek to follow in his footprints; we give up egoism and pride to become the dust of all feet. In the poems that follow, he infuses us with an abiding love for the gnosis of God. It includes the idea of love as well as knowledge, the union of which is true wisdom:
“Adored by the Seers, Thou Truth imperishable,
Siva of golden effulgence, Thou art the Lord God.”
--Natchintanai. 31.
On the winged melody of grace, the Guru speaks of the blessed land, the abode of the satisfied saints and servitors of Siva. It is the realm of the liberated souls and into this domain of 'Mukti' which is within each one of us, the Guru opens up vistas of glorious vision. “Behold the mansion which is within you! Thou shall have the key from me. Open and enter into its everlasting heritage.” His voice rings clear and elevated.
The Guru has watered the desert sands of our barren hearts and an oasis has sprung up therein. He has showered the waters of grace, and 'neath the shelter of its soothing shade. we have come into our own true being. Eternal are we, the progenitors of Truth divine. He beckons us to join the band of the inheritors of this blessed Land, where existence absolute, consciousness supreme and perfect bliss, sat chit anandam--hold sovereign sway.
We'll arise and go, and follow him right now to the haven of our quest,--Enkal Vala Naadu--and pledge at his hallowed Feet in an upsurge of love the eternal servitude, our offering of Sivathondu in speechless silence. List too his Ode on the Blessesd nature of His Abode--The Isle of Experience revealed by His Guru-Gem.
This indeed is our blessed abode
Where love's ministrelsy prevails.
Where Siva favours to dwell,
Where tares of grief are weeded out,
Where falls the pure rains of grace,
Where abundant crops of joy do flourish
Where wayward senses cannot decieve,
Where my invincible Guru won me in pinning love,
And revealed to me this benign land so blest.
This indeed is our blessed terrain
Which has neither beginning nor end,
Which is all pervasive like the sky,
Which is encircled by the pure sea of grace,
Which full of promise expands on all eight directions.
In this noble land so full of luminous light,
And acclaimed high by sacred scriptures.
Our Lord who's life of our life revealed to me,
His radiant feet divine--Blessed land of ours.
This is indeed our blessed country,
Where the harbinger of death doth not approach,
Where the fever and fret of the mind ceases,
Where flows the translucent stream of clear void,
Where towers the peaks of high mountains
Where scintillates the sparkling sunshine fore'er,
In this bounteous land, He Captured me in love,
And saved me from the snare of delusions.
His roseate Feet He showed, in this land so blest.
This indeed is our blessed domain.
Herein the scorching worldly outlook withers,
And a sublime sense of harmony prevails.
The calm of wisdom in rapt synthesis holds sway,
Where currents of pure bliss well up on all sides.
The animating dance of energy thrills our hearts,
In this beauteous land cherished by tranquil minds,
My Father overwhelmed me, while yet a novice.
Ah sweet seat of benevolence beautific!
This indeed is our blessed realm
Where chains of birth and death are reft asunder,
Where in truth the Lord is nutured in the soul of man,
Where spreads the gracious sheild of moon-lit rays,
That reflect serenity like the calm deep blue.
My path bedimmed, I faint with fear and fall.
My aching heart distraught, tears torrential gush forth,
In weary anguish do I languish for his solace
And He lightens me of my mortal fears.
Blessed Land which doth manitest the illumed Guru.
--Natchintanai. 22-23.
This Ode gives the very essence of sublime spiritual wisdom, and the key to transcendental realisation. Eternal Bliss wells up from the springs of perennial Love, deep within the conciousness of each one of us. wami's clarion call to the Sivathondar is to realise the Self and enter into the heritage of this Blessed Land--Enkal Vala Naadu.