Devi Sukta
In the Devi Sukta, we get one of the earliest and finest delineation of Sakti. The Supreme in the form of the Divine Energy sings the carol of Her Glory:
“Aum! I wander with the principle of life, with the spheres of existence, the sovereign principles, and the all-pervading Gods; I am the support of Might, of Fire, of the Law of man and Gods; and of the horse-headed Gods of agriculture.
I am the support of the shaper, of the nourisher, of the Inherited-share. I am the giver of the fruit of action to the performer of the ritual sacrifice, which nourishes the Gods with offerings.
I am the Kingdom, the giver of wealth, and the Knower (of the essence of things). I come first in all rituals. The Gods have established me in various abodes. My sphere is wide. I dwell in all things.
Whoever who eats food does so through me. Whoever who sees, breathes, does so through me. Thus am I in everything. He who hears so and experience it so, he will be freed from the bonds of birth and attain release. Those who do not understand me plunge into bondage of samsara and go down.
Oh Lover, hear thou what I tell you, who art endowed with faith. I am That. So I say unto you. I am She who am worshipped by gods and men. He who is dear to me, him will I exalt above all others. I make him a wise one, a rishi and a Brahma.
I pitch the bow to the arrow of Rudra, to kill the asuras who harm the devas. I fight the battle of those who draw unto me. In heaven and earth, I am immanent yet hidden.
The Paramatma's all pervasive sky (akasha) do I create. The efficient (yoni), productive aspect of me as power, lies hidden in the oceans and water. Thenceforth I cover the whole earth and am immanent. Even the heavens do I touch with my (body) form.
When the creation of the world commenced, I sustained on my own, and like the wind was I, which bloweth where it listeth. My greatness expands beyond earth and heaven. I shine as the resplendent Atma, soul of all. I shine like the world Soul in all my glory”--Devi Sukta.
That nothing can exist unless there is ground for its existence, some substratum from which it may rise, is expressed in the Sikshavalli of the Taittireya Upanishad. “The universal substratum is known as Para Brahman and the potentiality of manifestation--Sakti, appears in the form of opposing tendencies represented as cohesion--Vishnu, and disintegration--RudraSiva, and their balance, which is the space-time creating principle, being known as Brahma--Immense Being.“
The tension between the opposites from which movement arises in the substratum is depicted as the first appearance of Energy (Sakti). It is from manifest energy that existence springs forth. Energy appears as the substance of everything, pervading everything. It can be the power of Siva, the power of Vishnu and the power of Brahma. As the power of their combined form--ParaSivam, it becomes the Supreme Sakti--the resplendent 'Mother of millions of world clusters'.
Grace is the power which is regarded as the Universal Mother, and being inseparably inherent in Siva is also called the Consort of Siva.
List to Her silent footsteps! She comes, comes, ever comes. Let us sing Her glory at all times. So declared St. Tayumanavar in a canzone of exquiste charm which bears close association with Swami's plaintive song on Guharini:
“All-filling, Ancient, Auspicious, Independent
Destroyer of the Triple city, Three-eyed,
Beautous, Excellent, Blissful causing bliss
Narani on thousand-petalled lotus throned,
Sovereign Lady beyond the ken of thought.
Cosmic Force transcending quality
Manifest there where Vibration ceaseth :
Of Thy servants who thus chant thy names
Am I worthy even to utter their names?
As Mistress of the Vedas hailed by Him
Whose locks are wreathed with atti flower,
Mother of millions of world-clusters,
Yet Virgin by the Vedas called !
Oh Swan whose form is bliss, fertile Tevai's Queen,
Praised of Ganga in whose waters maidens sport!
Lady Uma who lovest mountain haunts and wast born
Dear to the Mountain-king as the apple of his eye !
--St. Tayumanavar--Malaivalar Kathali.
The notion of divinity which works on this basis of power is the cult of Sakti. It is through energy that the motionless substratum gets energised and the universe can be created, maintained and destroyed. She is the power of Siva. This primordial Goddess is worshipped as the “Veiled Kundalini” in Swami's song on Guharini (--20). The quiescent aspect of Siva and the dynamic activity of Sakti combine to beget countless centres of energies in the macrocosm and microcosm.
“It is in the union of Sivam and Sakti
That true wisdom is fully revealed.”
--Tirumantram. 1599.
The powerful energy cannot be distinct from the substratum from which it arises. The word Sakti meaning 'energy' is found in the Vedas, where its equivalent saci (Divine grace) represents divine energy.
“It should be known that energy assumes various forms at the
command of Him who is the maker of time, who is omniscient,
who is Pure Consciousness itself, and by whom all
this is ever enveloped.”
--Svetasvatara Upanishad VI 2.
In consonance with the tradition of the earliest prehistoric Saivism, the eternal Siva with His Spouse is hailed and invoked in the Tirumurai Hymns, Saiva Puranas and Siddhanta Classics. Divine Energy or Sakti is lauded as the source of everything. It is the origin of the phenomenal world, and also of the conscious plan of its creation. It is the principle of knowledge and perception through which its existence can be known. Sakti is also signified as Consciousness. She is Action and she is the emotive Power. In order to gain liberation from the bonds, one should worship the witness of all, the transcendent Energy, whose “shape is the Self and in whom are found neither the manifest world nor its pleasures”--Sutta Samhita. 482.
She is Brahma Vidya--the knowledge of the Immensity. As the power of manifestation, Sakti appears at the root of the three aspects of existence, as Reality (Sat), Consciousness (Chit), and Experience (Ananda). As Reality, She is the power of action (kriya) that is, of causation. She is as well the power of multiplicity. As Consciousness, She is the power of understanding and the power of the flow of knowledge. As Experience, She is the power of enjoyment and of cognition, of realisation, of transcendent knowledge and the consort of Siva.
According to a plan formed in Divine Will, Energy (Sakti) arose from the radiance or Reality, Consciousness and Experience. From Energy was born the principle of vibration, the point-limit (Nada Bindu) from which the manifest world of action, knowledge, and desire begins. It is the Law that governs divinity, a law which is not distinct from divinity itself. It is the nature of the Immensity.
Swami describes the nature of divinity as spontaneous knowledge, strength and action. Divine Energy is sometimes referred as the wrathful:
It assumes the power of Time, the power of multiplicity, and power of knowledge according to the task performed.
“That which has become all, and which is as subtle as atom
shall appear with a body.”
“He stands pure and immaculate within the heart of the devotee--He is the one in all lives.”
--Auvai-Kural. 5.9.
In the heart of man, the veiled form of this Immense Power of Sivam lies dormant, and Swami awakens it from its sweet slumber. He brings out all these phases of power in his profound poem on Guharini, the veiled and yet dynamic Siva-Sakti. “She is the immensity of the cosmos as well as the atomic power in the inmost heart of man. The Vedas declare that those who perceive this power of Immensity and rejoice in its refulgence will no more be whirled on earth.” It is the word of Swami:
“Oh Guharini! Magnetic power so peerless!
Thou who art hidden in the cave of my heart unknown,
Universal Energy lying coiled and dormant within, Arise!
Release thy cosmic power in me and in all moving objects,
By the act of Grace divine-Ambrosial sweetness Thou!
Oh vital Energy so feminine! Generating Beauty of Grace!
Reveal thy liberating power so that the veiled polarity
Inherent in manifestation is removed with thy ascent,
And I experience the perpetual bliss in mystic Oneness.
Awake, Arise, Oh Mother from thy slumber!
Bestir from thy resting place of Muladhara centre;
Move majestically to unite with the supreme Being
In lotus of the crown, the seat of light effulgent.
Is there anything rare, anything separate from me?
Therefore with the nectar of thy Grace arise and come;
Reveal the grandeur of thy increscent incandescence,
As thou mingle in ineffable bliss with the Sun of Siva.
Deign thy Grace to crown me with such consummation.
--Natchintanai. 20.
Swami, the illumined Yogiswara, invokes the release of the potent power hidden in each being, the power of Kundalini, to merge with the cosmic power of the eternal Reality through the heightened Dhyana-Sadhana of intense meditation and yogic awakening. In this poem, Swami revels in bliss as he hails the dormant, gracious Sakti to arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached!
According to the Yoga Sastras, there runs through the spinal cord a canal called the Sushumna, at the base of which is a plexus called the Muladhara (basic), and at the crown in the cerebrum, the plexus called the Sahasrara (thousand-petalled lotus). In the basic plexus is stored the cosmic energy, an infinitesimal fraction of which is distributed throughout the body by the motor and sensory nerves, and mainly by the two columns of nerves called Ida and Pingala on either side of the Sushumna canal. This canal though existing in all living beings is closed except in the Yogi. He dispenses with motor and sensory nerves, opens the canal, sends through it all mental currents, makes the body a gigantic battery of will, and rouses the vast coiled up power called the Kundalini from the basic plexus to the thousand-petalled lotus in the head. As the power travels up the canal, higher and more wonderful powers of vision and knowledge are gained till the consummation of union with Siva is attained.
The transcendental experience of the commingling of the kinetic Sakti with the static power of Siva in the Brahmarandra is incommunicable, as the peace and bliss are beyond the experience of the phenomenal world:
“Behold the consummation of Siva and Sakti
And eternal life is assured, my dear.”
--Natchintanai. 41.
It is in these moments of divine ecstasy that realised Seers like Swami feel that they are linked together with everything else they perceive in the universe. All finite forms of experience appear to them as inseparable from the infinite, and they break through the veil of form to see the relativity of both form and formless experience. The true Maha-Yogi alone can rise beyond the space-time relationship and see the past, present and future all at once. “This is to see without seeing. He alone sees who sees all beings as HimSelf.”
In the first poem on the Glory of Light and Bliss, St. Tayumanavar reveals this profound yogic insight of the Seers, in whom the Kundalini Sakti is for ever dynamic:
“Be thou under the guidance of a realised Guru,
Study the Tantric texts, and practise the control of breath;
Pursue the path of Yoga and purify thyself
In pranayama and by such mastery, release
The energy of Kundalini to reach the crown of your head,
Wherein you taste the nectar of bliss and peace.
Behold with the eye of wisdom ever awake and luminous,
The harmony of the whole, without the confusion
Of one in many and many in one, as claimed
By religions all. Will this radiant Truth penetrate
My enjoyment for ever, in this body?
Oh perfect Bliss, Effulgence serene,
Wisdom indwelling in my heart!”
We recall to the sessions of silent thought a Vijaya Dasami morn, the last day of the Navarathri season, sacred to Devi worshippers, when these songs were sung in Swami's Ashram by the devotees. The halo of serenity floated over Swami's crown and the white beard moved gently reflecting the gleam of the Dawn beyond his hermitage. It marked the dawn of the triumph of the Good over the force of evil--a day of victory for the “Mother of millions of world clusters, yet Virgin by the Vedas hailed.” The magnificat of the Mother from the Devi Mahatmyam brought that unforgettable session to a close:
“Ya Devi Sarva bhutesu chetanethia pitiathe,
namasthasyai, namasthayai, namastasyai, namo namah:”
“That power perceived as consciousness, in all beings
Praise be to her, praise, praise.
That power that is known as reason in all beings,
Praise be to her praise, praise.
That power who exists in all beings as energy
Praise be to her, praise, praise.
That power who exists in all beings as santam.
All praise to her, praise, praise.
That power that animates in all as faith,
All praise to her praise, praise.
That power that moves in all beings as loveliness.
All praise to her praise, praise.
That power who exists in all beings as Fortune,
Praise unto her, praise, praise.
That power who moves in all beings as fulfilment
Praise be to her, praise, praise.
That power who exists in all beings as Mother
Praise be to her, praise, praise.
That power who pulsates in all beings in the form of Illusion,
Praise be to her, praise, praise.”
--Devi Mahatmyam. V. 15-76.
“Swami, what is the significance of your bidding us to go to Sithi-Vinayagar temple, Murugan temple at Nallur and Thyalnayagi temple at Vannarponnai and do abisheham, sahasranaman and Ashtotra Pujas? What is the meaning and purpose of ritualistic worship?” So asked a devotee, one Friday evening, as the prasadam of the temple near by was brought by two elderly devotees and laid at Swami's Feet.
Swami was silent for a while and sang the song:
Then he became silent. Again he sang:
“The mode of worship of the wise is internal.
The intellects is the alter, pure intuition is the Sivalingam thereon.”
--Auvaiyar Jnana Kural. VIII. 3.
“Our many gods and goddesses represent but so many different aspects of the one Godhead. All those who are seated before me--I see one--but in so far as they differ in their temperaments, they are inclined to follow different forms of worship. To meet the various needs of the people, the scriptures have ordained distinct modes of worship.”
In the songs of Natchintanai, there are invocations to Kulanthai Vadivelan, Murugan, Kandaswamy, Siva, Rama, Narayana, Devi, Mother, Pillayar, and Sivalingam; they prove the fact that various forms of worship and invocations are meant for persons in different stages of spiritual evolution. But the underlying idea behind all these songs is the worship of the One Supreme God--”He who is without a second.” Sang Swami:
“Worship the One Supreme, Oh Mind!
That which pervades the universe and the soul--
'Tis the Eternal Light of Reality.”
--Natchintanai. 175.
Sang St. Auvaiyar:
“Meditate daily on the faultless One and melt in love and
at-one yourself with Him. You will realise yourself as a
spark of the divine flame.
--AuvaiKural II. Ninaipuruthal. 6.
There are the spiritual pathways of Sariyai, Kriyai, Yoga and Jnana, so vividly portrayed by our Saiva Saints, so that whatever path we follow will lead to the goal of the Supreme Siva. There is the ritualistic worship of God embodied in an image or symbol. Higher than this is the worship of God with prayer and japa, or repetition of the divine name and meditation upon it. By this means, the aspirant sings and chants upon the form of his chosen ideal within his heart. Higher still is to realise the Immanent one within the body in quiescence.“
--Auvai Kural. VIII. 7.
When a devotee practices this form of worship, he keeps up a constant flow of love towards God, and becomes absorbed in the living presence of his chosen ideal.
St. Auvaiyar, the great mystic poetess describes the modes of worship thus:
“In the six centres of the body, realise the form of Siva
and root out the sense of separateness and that is one mode of worship.”
“The highest form of worship is to contemplate on Siva with unswerving, one pointed attention and intense love.”
“Within the mind, intently contemplate on the effulgent flame. That is the tranquil mode of worship.”;
--Auvai Kural. VIII. 4.5.10.
“The individual self becomes merged in the luminous Siva.” So said our Gurunathan
In Kena Upanishad occurs a significant passage:
“There not the eye goes, nor goes the speech, nor mind
How can one teach It we know not, nor understand;
'Other than the known It is, above the unknown'--
That which no speech can express through which speech
expresses,
That which no mind can think, through which mind does
think--
That which no eye can see, through which the eye does see--
That which no ear can hear, through which the ear does hear.
That which no breath can breath,
Through which the breath does breath,
That alone know you as Brahman, not what men worship.”
Verses 3-9.
This stage of pure contemplation leads one directly and immediately to apprehend the Godhead, the Supreme Siva. This is termed Anubhuti, or spiritual experience. It is an actual realisation of the Omniscient Reality. If an aspiring seeker is instructed to meditate on the Formless, he will neither grasp the truth of it, nor be able to follow the Guru's instructions. But a novice can begin his spiritual sadhana with the worship of God with Form, with flowers, incense and other aids as fasting and study of the sacred texts.
Swami reiterated the necessity for a devotee to start his spiritual journey from where he is. By doing ritualistic worship, as St. Appar visualised in the Devaram: “I'll not forget the worship with flower, water and incence etc.” our minds will gradually become concentrated and internalized; and this will increase our devotion to the performance of japam and the chanting of mantras, and meditation. Thus shall we gradually and naturally move towards the highest ideal.
Swami would say that is one was in a hurry to reach the top of the branch, he will not only break the branch, but fall down and injure himself. So is it in spiritual life. One should follow the Path of Truth--Sanmarga, step by step, for just as there are laws governing the physical world, there are also laws governing the spiritual domain as well.
The Supreme ideal of human life is to Realise God. The visible world is insignificant compared with what is invisible. There are many planes of existence different from ours. In the lower regions of the invisible world, there exist evil spirits who may influence us in a bad way, if we allow ourselves to become impure. But we need not be afraid of them so long as we remain pure in body and mind, maintaining the spiritual vibrations that keep all evil spirits away. On the higher planes of existence are good spirits, ever ready to help sincere souls struggling to overcome evil, grow spiritually and move towards the realisation of the ultimate Reality. These are the enlightened and illumined souls.
As distinct from these unseen planes, there are spiritual realms, the heavens of the various religions; In these heavens are the various manifestations of the Supreme Godhead, in the form of divine Incarnations, or illumined Sages, Gurus, Gods and Goddesses, connoting various functions and powers. These divine manifestations may appear and be perceived by those, who have the eye to see and the mind to understand.
The Supreme Reality becomes manifest in forms familiar to the devotee. Thus a Hindu may see certain luminous forms of Muruga, Ambal, Vigneswara or the Guru, and followers of other religions may enjoy visions corresponding to their own religious forms. These spiritual visions are different manifestations of the one Godhead, which is beyond name and form, and yet manifests Itself through name and form.
The devotees pass through different stages on the way to the Supreme. The Saiva Siddhantam speaks of waking, dreaming, dreamless, “Turiyam and Turiyaditam” stations of the soul, each with its distinct disciple and degrees of awareness. In the stage of dualism, the devotee feels that God is separate from himself, and approaches Him with human feelings like that of a servant to the master, the child to the mother, a friend to a friend and a lover to his beloved.
This is followed by the next stage leading to qualified non-dualism. The devotee feels the Supreme One as the whole, and all his worshippers as infinitesimal parts of the whole. There is but one great whole to which all attributes cling. In the stage of non-dualism, the devotee realises that the One Infinite Being is manifesting itself in one form as the Cosmic Soul, and in another as the human soul. In the course of his spiritual evolution, the seeker realises that the cosmic and the individual are One in their essential nature. The whole and the part are both manifestation of the same infinite Sivam.
This was the Visvarupa Dharsan which Arjuna saw in the divine manifestation of Krishna, and Suran saw in Lord Muruga at the battlefield before the Sura-Sangaram. In that Infinite Effulgence, blessed with the divine Sight, these spiritual heirs see the Mighty One of the whole universe with all His tender and terrible aspects. The Universal Form could be overwhelming to most people; but the humanised form in the person of the Guru, every devotee yearns for, as then he can establish a loving human relationship regarding the Lord as the Guru in human form, who combines father, mother, friend, and beloved in one.
“God with form is just as true as God without form.
But hold fast to your conviction,” was Swami's injunction.
“God is formless, and yet He is with form. He is also that
which transcends both form and formlessness. He alone
knows what He is--Naamariyom-- “We do not know.”
To some worshippers, Light appeals as the symbol of the divine Reality. To others, the Grace of God symbolised in the “Holy Feet,” or Sakti in the form of mother Thyalnayake become significant, as the manifestation of the Supreme One. For the Maha-Yogi who has known his true Self, the Supreme Siva dwells in his own heart. Illumined Seers see It shining everywhere. They exclaim that God has become Everything. All that they perceive are so many forms of God--Unmai Muluthum.
An understanding of the meaning of symbols will throw a new light on the subject of Hindu Worship. The Latin Symbolus or Symbolum means a 'sign' by which one knows or infers a thing. Symbols are signs for expressing the invisible by means of the visible representations. To the Hindu, the Tiruvadi or Paduka--Feet, connote the symbol of divine grace, as the cross to the Christian means a symbol of salvation. The mystic considers the circle as a symbol of eternity.
The geometric symbols like the circles, triangles and octagon are sometimes referred to as Yantras. The anthropomorphic symbol is the human symbol. It may be statues of divine personalities like that of Buddha absorbed in meditation, Krishna with the flute or Vishnu with Mahalakshmi. It may at times be a human relationship such as that of a teacher, or father or mother. We need images because on the whole, man has a natural tendency to give and take, and also personalize his worship of the Supreme, Transcendent One. Man needs a visible ideal to follow in his spiritual practice in order to rise to the spiritual plane of direct communion.
The symbol is a means of remembering the Lord Absolute through the association of ideas. The divine must not be brought to the level of the image. The symbol is helpful as long as it is understood that it is a representation of the divine Truth. As long as we do this, such worship is not idolatry, but a step towards the realisation of the Absolute. Swami as aptly has sung in one of his songs thus:
“With Him who is beyond the thirty six Tattwas,
and who is full of unfailing grace,
Come Oh mind, for communion divine.”
--Natchintanai. 185.
The spiritual seeker moves from a lower stage to a higher one, with an ever increasing Awareness, until the soul realises its 'para mukti' at the Feet of Siva. Just as there are personal symbols, there are impersonal ones also. Fire has been such a symbol from very anicient times. The soul is conceived as a spark of the infinite Sun. The ocean is another great symbol. The soul is thought of as a river moving towards the ocean, and merging at its mouth into the vast deep of the Godhead.
Sound is itself a symbol. With the help of sound, we try to express what is beyond all sound. Any idea may be a symbol, with which we try to express something beyond thought. As we resort to external symbols, as we pray and repeat the divine Name of Siva, Sivayanama, we come to have an intuitive experience of our relationship with the eternal Soul and thee eternal Siva, and attain liberation. The Sivathondan terms it as the yogic realisation which culminates in a sense if Integral communion with God, and experience of which transcends thought, name and form.
The most magnetic of all religious symbols is the light, the light that radiates everywhere within and without--the light that never was on land or sea. Great mystics have realised the Peerless One in the form of Light. Moses saw the burning bush and recieved the word of God. The Upanishad seers saw It as Jothi Aham--the Splendour in the self.
In many a Devaram and Tiruvacagam, and the lyrics of Tayumanavar and Ramalinga Swamigal, we have allusions to light as the symbol of the formless God; and Light also indicates goals and the radiance of Wisdom, as well as the illumination of Supreme Awareness.
“Gleaming as the earth and all the spheres
Oh, Thou expanse of matchless Effulgence!'
In radiant forms of Light art Thou beheld
Oh Formless One!”
--Tiruvacagam. 22.8.9.
Thus the glory of the Auspicious Siva illumines everywhere and everything, and in the hours of meditation infuses the aspirant with a vivid sense of the divine Presence. The Saiva Siddhanta psalms resound with the glory of the resplendant light of Siva, whose luminous Eye gives all objects their power of seeing. “The Light of all light shines in the eyes of all beings.” The light that gleams in the cosmic mind penetrates its ray within the human mind as well. Beyond the human and the cosmic is the light of the Sun of Truth and all forms whether in the outer or inner world are lighted by the splendour of its luminosity.
“Aum Bhuh Bhuvah Svah;
Aum Tat Saviturvarenyam--
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo yona pracodayat.”
Gayatri Mantra.
Thus everything that the enlightened Yogi and Jnani feels, sees or thinks is illumined by the light of the Infinite. This is the highest realization. However, to apprehend this infinite existence, concousness and bliss, Hindu tradition has built up a fine system of symbols. Finally man learns to outgrow his spiritual childhood, and discards all symbols with the insight gained through Divine Grace; and in the tranquil Awareness of Peace, Perfect Peace, the soul commingles in the infinitude of Sivam. This was the assurance of all the great ascetic mystics. St. Pattinattar describes this blissfull experience in a fine song :
Also the illustrious seer Auvaiyar concludes her chapter on Modes of Worship in Jnana Kural with this memorable couplet:
“Know well, Seek well within, See Hara and Realise Him.”
In Yoga Neri, Swami rejoices in this sublime consummation of the Anma with the ParaParam:
--Natchintanai. 178.
Our Gurunathan sings on the glory of the Letters Five:
In order to Realise Siva, we must understand the theory of the Mantra Sastra, through which by repetition of mantras (Thought-forms) and japa (rhythmic mental concentration on them), we can gain powerful range and intensity which can change our entire aspect of a word or its combination has the capacity to activate the divine forms so invoked. A mantra becomes powerful not by its meaning, but through its sound vibrations and the patter of sound waves.
Seers of anicent times composed the mantras by joining symbolic syllables to certain patterns which released energy and through which the cosmic power revealed itself. Those who can raise the incantation of the Letters Five in the innermost depth of their hearts shall live in a state of yogic serenity. This was the assurance of our Yoga Guru. (291).
“He is from everlasting to everlasting--He is
The Perfection of those who have subdued their senses Five.”
--Natchintanai. 90.
In the Saiva Scriptures, it is enjoined that the Letters Five--the name of Siva--arranged either as Na Ma Si Va Ya or as Si Va Ya Na Ma --should be given to the Initiate by the Guru, whose Upadesh will unfold deeper insights.
Siva is the substance of knowledge as well as the meaning of the word. The word itself, the instrument through which we grasp the meaning is a form of energy, and is thus assimilated to the power of Siva--the active principle of his manifestation represented as His consort, Sakti.
In the spring of Natchintanai that Swami released, the devotee in the quietude of blissful love takes up the ceaseless refrain of the Siva mantra incessantly. The infused adoration of the soul is the outcome of the Guru's Grace. The pure soul is lit up by pure love, habitual contemplation and perpetual recollection by means of the chanting of the sacred letters Five--SI VA YA NA MA. Thereby it radiates the light of Sivam.
What is the secret of the pregnant letters Five? Most devout Hindus repeat the thought form (mantra) until it becomes automatic and penetrates into the core of the innermost self. “Aum Namasivaya or Aum Sivayanama” constitute the incantation of the Letters Five, also termed as the Panchakshara which fills the soul with an all consuming fire and purges it of all desires, and leads it to the loving contemplation of Siva.
--St. Sambandar. III. 22. 6.
In the sacred songs of Tirumular, the Tirumurai Saints and all the Saiva Saints down the years, the holy form of letters Five--has been the axis of Meditation, leading to the surrender of one's All, at the gracious Feet of Siva.
In order to help the aspirant to chant the Name of Siva effectively, certain disciplines are prescribed. The breath is controlled and the repetition is regular and rhythmic and can be done to the counting of the Rudraksha beads, either loudly or silently.
The Yogic practice demanding certain physical postures and processes as conducive to concentration and recollection, has been perscribed in the Yoga Sastras of the Hindu tradition, and should be undertaken under the guidance of a realised Teacher. The aspirant is taught to control the breath, to keep his eyes fixed on the tip of his nose, and keep his head erect and back straight. The physical balance helps the process of introversion by which the inward Eye is turned away from outward things, and directed upon the soul itself, and upon the Lord Siva who indwells in it.
Swami rightly points out the dangerof undue emphasis on yogic exercises to perceive the divine Reality. People may indulge in excess and lull themselves into a hypnotic trance. Unhealthy concentration on the body is not good. Avoid excess in any form was the warning uttered by him at all levels, even to attain God. Ascetic disciplines must be enforced in moderation. Swami asks the question, --”Can ye who can stand on the head and body upturned, discern God?”
Equanimity and moderation afford the key to all spiritual practices. It is true that bodily postures do affect our mental attitudes and help concentration and absorption in the Lord within and without. The body as a beautiful temple of the Lord has been reiterated by Swami, who took up the refrain from the religious saints of Saivism:
St. Tirumular has a beautiful stanza where he urges the need to foster the body as it is a Holy of Holies. He testifies that is this sacrosanct tabernacle, “he saw the Eternal Lord, Source of Primal Goodness--Uttaman--as the indweller.”
St. Auvaiyar also makes a plea in the same strain to discover the inmate of the inner sanctum in the temple of our body. St. Manicavacagar praises the Lord as the Father who took up His abode in his body:
Swami too glorifies the body as the temple of God, and the wayward mind as the humble sevaka, who adores the Indweller with offerings of love. “Those who can percieve the body as the sanctum sanctorum of Siva-Sankara, experiece the shelter of Thy Grace, Namasivaya!”
The name of Siva should become suffused with light, and the chanting too should become internal and spontaneous. Such internal worship that is done without a conscious act of will, in course of time becomes perpetual. It is known as the vibration of the 'Ajaba'--a state of vitality in silence. The soul in the quietude of blissful peace takes up the silent refrain of the “Letters five” in whose repetition is the infused adoration of a yearning soul, which is also the fruit of Grace. The perpetual chanting of the sacred Sivayanama becomes involuntary, spontaneous and blissful.
The grace of the Guru begins to flow in abundance, and the anma is lit up by light and love. Peace and bliss follow such an experience--a union of the two in One, when duality ceases and there is a genuine perceptual apprehension of That, which the eye has not seen nor the ear heard. It is to behold the Supreme Lord in His cosmic form as Arjuna saw in the Bhagavad Gita, or the Rishis of Thillai beheld in the Golden Hall at Chidambaram. This Visvarupa Dharsan is a permanent state of those who chant constantly the Lord's Name. These are the blessed saints like our beloved Gurunathan, who discover the infinite Siva in everything, to whom day and night offer the same delights.
The Saiva Saints have ascribed immense powers and dignity to the Five Letters, which embody the mantra of His Name. The reverence for the formula is not only peculiar to the worshippers of Siva, but also to that of Vishnu and Krishna and Sri Rama, to whom the incantation spells Divine Presence. The soul's devotion is centred not in any particular form but in the Word of God.
Swami would often remind us that all spiritual discipline must be practised with a sound rule of faith. He believed that the incantation of the Letters Five with fervour and piety had the power to evoke higher levels of consciousness and to apprehend the Feet of God:
It can lead one imperceptibly to the silent contemplation of Him who is without form and mode, and who cannot be seen by impure and deluded souls. Therefore let us all with one accord worhsip Him with the Name.
“Of all the yagjnas I am the Japa Yagjna.”
--Bhagavad Gita. X.2.
The goal of supreme wisdom is within the reach of everyone, if only he can disentangle himself from diverse attachments. Swami's insistence was on purity within and without. He bids us offer as a sacrifice, our work, our all at the Feet of God, and turn every act into a sacramental yagjna by a total inward absorption in the will of God. It is a call for the perfect surrender of the purified soul.
Truth cannot be realised by outward meditation--Sakala Dhyanam, nor by ascetic penances by cutting off from the stream of life, but by an active, inner contemplation--Nishkala Dhyanam. The wise architects of the inner temples saw and enjoyed the divine Presence in their hearts. In the expanse of the mind, by the banks of the river of love, they erected the temple of God, and they showered the grace of beholding the luminous presence within the inner sanctuary to the others who were tuned to witness this experience:
“Oh Father who never leaves even for a split second, the minds
of thy devotees! Oh Thou gracious Existence! Wielder
of the axe and deer, Sweet Benevolence, Hail Namasivaya.”
--Natchintanai. 79.
The Guru bids us consider our body as the temple and the heart as the Siva-lingam, where is enthroned the mystic formula of Letters Five--
“In the sanctum of our hearts, we shall find the
Lord of Grace
showering His bounty as a great Giver.
All Hail Namasivaya!”
“Fix the heart on God with love, the mind on His word with
love, the hands upon His work with love, and then will unfold
in the heart, the radiance of the knowledge of the Self, the
SivaSakti, the dynamic and luminous presence.
All Hail Namasivaya!”
--Natchintanai. 79.
The term Kadavul signifying God who is within, also connotes the way to know Him by means of turning the searchlight of wisdom within, and to see Him who is transcendent:
This is the bliss referred to as luminous radiance by St. Tayumanavar: He refers to the potent sway of the Letters Five in the hearts of the illumined seers.
Swami exhorts us to chant the Name and realise His Presence within:
“The sense of egoity wanes as God Himself takes His seat
within, amidst the nectar of overflowing love.
All Hail Namasivaya!”
--Natchintanai. 79.
The raging fire of egoism and passionate desire of a stricken soul shall recede, as one broods on the name of God with an act of surrender and enlightenment:
“Knowing, Speak His name”--R.V. 1.156.3--So declared
the Rigvedic Seer Drighatmas.
The Tantrasara says, “Japa yields the fruit of all other
Yagjnas.”
“The Blissful Sankara Siva shall pour the balmy showers
of grace more soothing than the love of a dear mother.”
All Hail Namasivaya!
--Natchintanai. 79.
To the pure of heart, no sin can cohabit; no evil can share the heart with His holy Name, Namasivaya. In the refulgence of the heart, all stains of evil shall disappear; all fears shall vanish and all aspirations shall focus on God, as the dynamic presence and as its determining centre.
In this lyrical Ode on Namasivaya, Swami exhorts one and all to invoke incessantly the name of Siva:
“Chant so that impurities, vexations and doubts are purged
and by rememberance of the divine Father, transgressions too
are destroyed. All Hail Namasivaya!”
--Natchintanai. 80.
The inebriating sweetness of God's Love can be experienced only through the Guru, who carries it in the chalice to the thirsty disciple and makes his taste it to the full.
“Wise indeed, wisest of the wise are they who feel the impact
of the Guru, and imbibe His words which assure them of the
ultimate goal of liberation. Hail beauteous Namasivaya!”
--Natchintanai. 80.
Thus do we praise the Lord who abides in the temple of our hearts. Swami not only bids us worship the Indweller, but also worship the Name, the Immanent Siva who pervades in the universe as the Life of life, the Cosmic Dancer, who is the soul force of Grace. Sang St. Tirumular thus:
“Everywhere His Form, His Sakti too
Everywhere is Chidambaran and the Dance
All-pervading Sivam dwells in each object
His grace is His sport.
In this manner did Swami too establish a towering temple in his heart, and opened its doors for others to enter by the bridge of Love, and worship there. He demonstrated that each one can likewise erect his own inner sanctuary, and offer the oblation of love to the Supreme One dwelling in this sacro-sanct consciousness. Thereby true illumination--Meiyarivu, true love--Meiyanbu, and true realisation--Meineri can be attained.
In Natchintanai, the Name of Siva vibrates within and without. We have to realise Siva by silent brooding on Him; by meditation is egoism comsumed; and virtues flower under the tender showers of His Grace. The incantation of the name of Siva is not just a mechanical repetition, but a communion of love. The Name is the manifestation of Siva, His attributes and His bounties by which we know Him.
The Letters Five--Panchakshara, is the link of the finite soul with the Infinite God. It is the Self-realisation of God ; it goes out from within the heart, and it is when the heart of man loves, and comes into an affectional relationship with the outer world, with God in his manifestation, that the Name of Siva manifests in man. A feeling of ecstatic unity with the whole uiverse of which he is a part, leads man to realise God in both his inner Anma and in the cosmos. In this ecstatic realisation of God in the all, dawns the wonder, beauty, and love of all creation, when ugly and beautiful and good and evil merge; and Siva, the Universe and the Anma too merge in a new octave of experience which is Bliss ineffable.
If a devotee sees God everywhere, he can never be resentful, nor can he be unjust or inimical. The aspirant devotes his whole energy to maintaining in his heart the presence of God, repeating His Holy Name day by day. This is the only true Religion and the essence of spirituality as communicated by Swami in his Reflections of Grace.
In the canzone of The Temple of the Heart, we witness the highest form of symbolic worship--Maanasa Puja--of a realised Yogi. The worship of the Lord who is within and is conducted by the petals of love, and the contemplation approach is made with the help of the Guru of Nallur, who acts as the Inner Guide and takes the devout seeker to the altar, where the worship of lights is performed by the adepts, or the accomplished seers--anthanar.
Swami beckons everyone to make the initial approach to the Guru, who in turn will guide him to the inner approach, to the interior courtyard of the temple of the heart, armed with the shield of the Letters Five. It is the grand thought-form, the formula which shall cure the afflictions of life, and constitutes the substratum of life.
Every Saiva Saint down the ages has sung in praise of the Lords Name. St. Tirujnana Sambandar in his last canto sang in praise of Namasivaya before commingling the flame of Truth, and he called the mantra as a Name of great potency. All the beauteous excellencies of life flow from the incantation St. Appar and Manicavacagar too revel in singing the praise of this thought-formula--the Letters Five:
St. Appar
St. Manicavacagar.
It is the simplified approach to reach His presence, bereft of I-ness.
St. Tirumular.
It accentuates one's intense longing to reach His Feet, and effects the grand commingling of Siva and the Anma.
The first person is subdued before the glory of Himself, and the Anma SEES. It is immersed in insuperable bliss divine, welling up from the hidden springs in the heart. Swami's song on The Temple of the Heart, transports us to the realm of direct experience and from afar, we gaze speechles at his wondrous InSight.
HAIL NAMASIVAYA!
KILIKANNI.
Sweet Parrot,
Eternal is Anma.
We're That.
Give up false hood, sweet parrot.
Lo, Nallur is sighted.
Sweet Parrot,
Experiencer and experience,
Objects experienced let go.
Worship in thy mind, sweet parrot
The glory of Vadivel.
Sweet Parrot,
Life's weal and woe
And world itself will end.
The lovely Feet so loftly, sweet parrot,
Thy mind shall adore.
Sweet Parrot,
The conch shells blow,
The drums resound,
Refulgence all around, sweet parrot,
Arise my dear and walk up.
Sweet Parrot,
Under the Champak tree,
The Sadhus congregate.
There in numbers great, sweet parrot,
Throng the men in multitude.
Sweet Parrot,
Pursue not the baubles,
And get distraught.
Step up in leisured ease, sweet parrot,
For wonders there are many.
Sweet Parrot,
In the steps of the chariot dome,
The majestic Chellappan reclines
In buoyant spirit, sweet parrot,
Let's go there onward !
Sweet Parrot,
Approaching forward
We shiver and stagger.
Unbalanced he appears, sweet parrot,
His face gleaming dazed.
Sweet Parrot,
A madman, so they say
And jeer and scoff at him.
Their iniquity disturbs not, sweet parrot,
The calmness of his mind.
Sweet Parrot,
Draw nigh with devotion,
And be not afraid ;
'Neath the discerning Feet, sweet parrot,
Adoringly prostrate.
Sweet Parrot,
“We know not,” he'll mutter
And greet you mockingly.
Shirk not, funk not, sweet parrot,
But bow with forthright ease.
Sweet Parrot,
With heart not desisting
Let insistent be your worship,
All vain desires in flight, sweet parrot,
Triumphant you become.
Sweet Parrot,
“Who knows,” will he utter
And chide but fear not.
His insanity the world knows, sweet parrot,
Attune in loving meekness and go up.
Sweet Parrot,
That others will despise you
Do not fear, beloved.
It's the divine mask, sweet parrot,
Sing in obeisance my dear.
Sweet Parrot,
Haste thee and join,
The inner porch we reach,
Cartloads of young coconuts, sweet parrot,
In heaps are unloaded.
Sweet Parrot,
What variety of raw rice,
Plantains and coconuts--
Such joyful offerings galore, sweet parrot,
Behold and rejoice.
Sweet Parrot,
Packets of camphor
And piles of sugar cane,
Sandalpaste and golden blooms, sweet parrot,
Adorn the high porch-ways.
Sweet Parrot,
Lo, peacocks beauteous
Revel in Kandan's sports,
Cause tremors in the spheres, sweet parrot,
And chiming peals resound.
Sweet Parrot,
Tier upon tier are seated,
The order of the priestly class.
List to their chants, sweet parrot,
The incantation so wondrous.
Sweet Parrot,
So lithesome and lovely,
Did'st thou see them close
The doors so boldly, sweet parrot,
The purificatory bath is on.
Sweet Parrot,
Minds tuned in unison,
The adorers await.
With startling speed, sweet parrot,
The Priests open wide the doors.
Sweet Parrot,
The five tiered lights commence,
And the progression of lights follow,
Waved by the high priests, sweet parrot,
Do thou worship with piety.
Sweet Parrot,
Showering flowers from their palms,
The Antanar chant the benediction
With great assurance, sweet parrot,
Do thou supplicate Shanmuga.
Sweet Parrot,
The holy ash with sandalpaste,
The blest water are distributed ;
Oh, Lotus-beauty so sanguine,
Take the oblation with devout sanctity.
Sweet Parrot,
For the midnight worship,
We wished to stay on (Devi);
It'd be a long wait, sweet parrot,
And there's not one at home.
Sweet Parrot,
Step up apace and come down,
The thronging crowds agape ;
'Tis the rainy season, sweet parrot,
Mind your steps with care.
Sweet Parrot,
Run not, slip not.
Chant the letters Five,
Falter not at the portal, sweet parrot,
We are at Home. Open the Door.
--Natchintanai. 321-324.
In this Anmopanishad, the Anmanathan directs his devotees to the temple, not built by human tools and materials, but to the temple of Grace set up in the pure consciousness, in the inner sanctuary of his heart by the Anma-Guru. We follow our Gurunathan to behold from afar, the rare spectacle of the mystic worship with lights and sounds and ritual incantations. It reveals the Divine Effulgence of Sivam illumination the darksome veils of finitude from within the deepest core of the soul. Our only passport in this sojourn is the Letters Five--Sivayanama.
The highest purpose in life as presented in this magnificent hymn is the realisation and union with Siva, the Indweller in each one of us. This form of internal worship by a sincere aspirant leads him by the kindly light of the Guru's grace, to commune with the divine presence within him. The significant perscription is the reflection on the thought-formula, the mantra of the supreme Siva--Namasivaya. It embodies the synthesis of Truth and contains the quintessence of the teachings of the Saiva Saints.
There are different forms of this mystic formula. They differ in the position and order of arrangement of the Five Letters, according to the thought-force of the devotee and his spiritual maturity. Swami's songs refer to two of the forms--NamaSivaya and Sivayanama--as generally suited to a seeker after truth.
The philosophical import of Sivayanama must be fully understood by those who chant it to evoke divine grace. The syllable Ya is in the centre, with the two syllables Si and Va on one side, and Na and Ma on the other. Ya connotes the self or the anma. Swami elucidates the first stage of the spiritual pilgrimage as the knowledge of the Self--”Know thyself.”
The eternal entity known as Anma has a powerful tendency to lean on its adjuncts and these are the sense organs, faculties of the mind, intellect and ego and other subtle layers of consciousness that constitute the body. It is by means of this psycho-physical organism, that the self projects itself and experiences the world, with its inter-play of the Tattvas, and is bound up in the network of desires, actions and egoity.
The anma, though it identifies itself with every aspect of the objective body, sensations and organs, yet it exercises its sense of discrimination and distinguishes itself from all these objective modes of consciousness. The anma's intelligence can only perceive after the darkness has been removed by the Light (Sat) whose intelligence induces perception.
Swami in the opening verse of the Hymn to the Temple of the Heart, declares the eternity of the Anma--
“Sweet Parrot,
Eternal is Anma;
We are That.”
--Natchintanai. 321.
In the fourth and fifth verses of St. Meykandar's SivaJnana Botham are outlined the modes of knowing the Self, by a process of psychological introspection and elimination. In his grand symphony of worship, Swami dwells on the continence, purity of thought and action, sincere devotion to God, and meditation that will enable the seeker to rid himself from the grip of the senses and the delusion caused by them, and to march victoriously in the pathways or the stations of wisdom leading to realisation.
Each stanza works out this progress of the Anma, as it ascends from the plane of objective consciousness to the plane of subjective or mental consciousness, and on to the consciousness of the true subject or Anma. That is not the end of the journey. God's grace, in other words, with the aid of Hara, the anma ascends from the consciousness of the self to the True Sat or God. The base of the lower rests upon the higher, but not as effect and cause. In this light do we understand Swami's expression of Sat--Siva as Life of life and, Intelligence of intelligence which express clearly the relation of God and the anma. He addresses the Sat-Guru as the treasure house of Grace, to whom we must sumit whole-heartedly Submission to God's Will, is the key to realisation.
It is God who sustains our very being and action, as He vivifies our intelligence. The power of the Lord is recognised by the wise and enlightened ones, and they try to realise and feel it by withdrawing more and more from the outer entrances and bringing themselves more and more in a rapport with Him in the interior approaches, aided by His Grace:--
It is here that the ego gets annihilated, and the sense of duality disappears in the serene light of undifferentiated unity. This light brings out the powers of consciousness which once awakened in the yogin, he realises that his actions are in reality that of the Lord. It is like the light of the star becoming indistinguishable from the light of the sun in broad daylight; the identity is lost but not itself.
Now we resume to the reflection on the Letters Five Sivayanama. Ya has been examined by us as the Anma, whose true nature has to be clearly understood in the first place he syllable Si signifies the Siva aspect, and Va signifies the aspect of Sakti, His gracious potency. The Lord has two aspects--Siva, the static bliss, and Sakti, the dynamic consciousness illuminating everything. The relation between the two aspects is duality in unity. The Sun has all the planets revolving to its orbit of attraction and keeps them under its control; Even so, the changeless, infinite bliss of Siva has the anma and the elements of their bonds confined to its all-pervasive consciousness, and keeps them controlled.
It is now clear that the individual self or the anma is eternally dependent on God's grace, and has its being in His all-pervading potency called Para-Sakti (the great sentient power). But the self is ignorant of its own nature and its eternal dependence on the Supreme Godhead, because of the “limiting influence of a pre-existing and pre-cosmic principle called anavam. Anavam means what which limits the self to minuteness. The all-pervasive nature of the anma has been limited to minuteness by the principle of self-love.” It is also called Mula malam, the root impurity or spiritual darkness. The last syllable Ma in the Letters Five signifies this darkness or impurity called anavam.
God in His infinite grace has bestowed on the anma, the psycho-physical organism and other aids, and endowed it with successive birth and death, as well as subjected it to the inexorable moral and natural laws; so that it is equipped to combat against the limitations caused by self-love. The divine impulse and guidance extended to the anma in its state of bondage is connoted by the syllable Na. This impulse works in the direction of the principle of anavam, with the object of annihilating in eventually. Therefore, it is called Tirodana Sakti or veiling power. It awakens the anma from its inactive state caused by the egoistic principle, and projects it to the world without being aware of the inner Presence of Siva. However, Tirodanam is only a phase of the divine grace signified by the syallble, Va.
Tirodana Sakti works through the positive entity known as Mayai. It is the unseen substratum, behind the seen universe, the substantial cause of the objective world. It is all-pervading, imperceptible, material energy capable of taking on varied manifest forms, both subtle and gross at the will of God. Maya's manifested forms known as mayeyam are classified into Tanu--body, Karanam--organ, Bhuvanam--sphere of existence, and Bhogam--object of the world experienced.
Thus mayai and mayeyam exercise a counteracting influence over the anma against the precosmic principle of anavam. Mayai and anavam act like light and darkness on the anma. When the anma is in the sole grip of anavam connoted by the syllable Ma, and identifies with it, it is said to be in the Kevala state. When the anma is under the influence of the categories of mayai and mayeyam and enjoys awareness, it is said to be in the embodied state of Sakalam.
The anma, in its successive births is subject to the dual force of the anavam on one side, and the divine impulse or Tirodanam on the other, and hence faces the conflicting forces of nature and matter. These responses are either good or evil and determine the future embodiments and its envions. This is explained as the theory of Karma (Vinai) or moral law. Thus the anma is enmeshed in the limitations of anavam, mayai, mayeyam, tirodanam, and vinai.
The defilement known as anavam is denoted by ma in the Letters Five. All others form the remedial group and are collectively represented by 'Na.' The anma denoted by Ya is subject to the impact of these two kinds of bonds, and suffers from the stupefying effects of the opposites, like birth and death, forgetfulness and awareness, and sleep and wakefulness. These stages are clearly depicted by saint Umpathi Sivacharya in his classic work on Divine Grace known as Tiruvarutpayan.
It will thus be seen that Na, Ma, on the one side of Ya signify the divine guidance in darkness operating on the anma, in its state of bondage. In the phenomenal universe, the impulse of Tirodanam signified by Na is recognised as an initiating conscious force and intention, and is the objective aspect of the Truth which scientists seek to unravel.
As a result of successive births and the resultant conflicting experiences, the anma evolves spiritually with the consequent weaking of the inherent self-love. At a certain stage in this process of evolution, the anma reaches a neutral stage where the pull from the bonds are neutralised, and it experiences equanimity of temper and outlook on deeds good and bad. This is known as Iruvinaioppu.
It is in this crucial stage that the veiling power of Na comes into the open and reveals the benign light of Grace--Va, which it is and eliminates all darkness and egoism The anma is extricated from desire and attachment and is guided by the Light of Grace:
“The five tiered lights commence,
And the progression of lights follow,
Waved by the High Priests, sweet parrot,
Do thou worship with piety.”
--Natchintanai. 324.
It attains super-conscious spiritual vision and is face to face with the Supreme Bliss, signified by Si--Siva, to whom these illumined, accomplished seers offer the oblation of light, and petals of love with sweet incantation.
What a wondrous progression, the miracle of worship in the temple of the Anma! At first, the bound anma merges in the light of Grace; It is the luminosity shed by the majestic Guru Chellappan--
Then it is guided by his grace to the inmost sanctuary, whence it merges in the Infinite Effulgence and is One with it.
The summit state of emancipation is called the Turiyaatitam, signifying static identity--Summa Iru--with the infinite Presence.
We recall St. Pattinathar who delineates this experience of supreme liberation in a singularly striking imagery of the bride forsaking all earlier associations inorder to commune with her Beloved in bliss:
So too did St. Appar use the language of Love to depict this highest consummation of bliss.
After communion comes the homeward journey, the descent! That is the other miracle in this magnificat. The illumined God-men, out of their compassionate grace for the fellow brethren, choose to come down to assuage their suffering and dispel their darkness, by pointing out the trackless pathway to the divine Presence! With the armour of God's grace, these realised seers descend from the state of perfect quiescence and eternal union with the Supreme Bliss, to the habitat of the body. It is from this station that they can lead their fellow Jivan-Muktar to engage in the service of Siva, and work for the liberation of as many earnest seekers after truth, in attuning to the will of God.
Such Jivan-Muktar are tuned to enjoy dynamic identity with the inner Presence, and this is known as the Turiya state. They are the spiritual preceptors or Gurus, having the divine authority to speak on behalf of God. They move in the spiritual planes denoted by Si and Va in the mystic formula. Si represents the static and blissful identity with the Supreme; and Va signifies the dynamic luminous identity with the inner Presence.
The Letters Five unfold the unified theory of existence advocated in the Saiva Siddhanta system of thought. It reveals the locus of the anma both in the state of bondage and in the state of emancipation. It is the path of realisation to be traversed by the individual self Ya, under divined guidance--Na and Va, from Ma and Si, from darkness to refulgence of Siva.
Aum Si Va Ya Na Ma!