History has revealed the truth of men of eminence who are self-evidently superhuman. They are called by different disignations in different countries--Sages, Rishis, Prophets, Saints, Vibhutis, Jivan Muktars, Seers and Messengers of God, and they are the manifestations of the divine power and love emanating from the supreme Godhead, who accepts human strength and weakness, though not bound by them. It is a historical fact that the twentieth century has been blessed with a line of illustrious seers who possessed the cosmic vision and intuition. The continuity of the fundamental values of the spiritual heritage of mankind has been maintained through the ages, because of the presence of such illumined seers in our midst.
The Yogi of Lankapuri as a manifestation of the Eternal Sivam, lived in our midst for over ninety years, and reinterpreted the primeval message of the Sanatana Dharma, according to the needs of the people of the twentieth century. He is a Yogi whose quest for the Truth Supreme leads eventually to the direct spiritual experience of Truth on a high plane of consciousness. The transcendent state of consciousness attained by a Yogi is described in the Yoga Sutras as the fulfilment of life. Swami is a great Siva Yogi, whose teachings rested upon his experiences which lay beyond the domain of the intellect, and he embodied them in the Reflections of Grace known as Natchintainai.
The Supreme ideal of Yoga Sadhana is analogous to what we find in the Agamic system of non-dualistic thought in ancient and medieval India. This ideal of Oneness implies an obliteration of all traces of malevolence--Oru Pollappumillai, and all kinds of existing differences, by a positive process of mutual interpenetration. It underlies the principle of unification. The attainment of this ideal is the supreme unity of Para Siva, where Siva and Sakti are one undivided and indivisible whole. This is the perfection of absolute Truth It is also a unification of the Tattwa and the Tattwatita--i.e. the One and the Beyond.
The Yoga Sadhana outlined in Swami's song on the Killikanni, represents the dynamic upward motion in the direction of the Supreme Siva; and the supreme Sakti descending from the crown of Siva floods with bliss the soul in the course of its descent. In the undivided Absolute Consciousness, the upward and downward movements of the divine Sakti operate, and the conception of Tiruvadi in its esoteric meaning is the conception of the perfection of Truth--Muluthum Unmai-- par excellence. Swami communicates the onslaught of Divine Grace that illumines the Yogic Insight in a simple song of exquisite beauty:
Divine Grace sweeps o'er
And my soul revels in bliss.
With none resisting
Truth reigns supreme.
Is it One or is it Two;
No more do I query.
Aum Sivayanama refrain
Floods my heart with joy.
Yama the terrible God of Death
No more can sting but serve in tremor.
Be no more fearful
For there's nothing to fear.
--Natchintanai. 200.
This song sheds a lustre all its own, on the potency of Divine Grace--Tiru Arul, which is none other than the Tiruvadi-- The Holy Feet, connoting the Divine SatGuru, who is none other than the ParaSakti. The Tiruvadi symbolise the state of supreme Oneness of the self-luminous Siva and His self reflecting Sakti. It is their interpenetration and integration in the supreme unity of Parama-Sivam.
The lyric of Divine Grace conveys the heart beat of Swami's spiritual Sadhana, leading to the realisation of the Supreme unity of ParamaSivam, and immortalised in the ideal of the Supernal Truth--Muluthum Unmai, communicated to him by his Guru, Sage Chellappa Swami. The great German mystic Meister Eckhart, in his own inimitable manner has expressed a similar realisation: “The essence of the soul is united with the essence of the Nothing, and the powers of the one with the activities of the Nothing.”
The consummation of Oneness can only be effected with the SatGuru's grace, which in turn brings about mental quietude. The real sadhana according to Swami cannot begin until the mind is rendered free from doubts and fears incident on a sense of identity with the body. when the Divine Grace operates, then the mind is subdued and quietened;
Thus the experience of divine grace dawns on the soul, which is aroused from its age-old slumber. Then the sense of duality retreats from the hitherto questioning mind, before the serene Light of undifferentiated Unity. This light brings out the powers of consciousness. The universal consciousness being once awakened produces in the Yogi a perfect knowledge of him-Self and the luminous form which is the essence of pure intelligence becomes one with the universal, uncreated light of the Supreme ParaSiva already revealed. This is effected by a continuous process of self inquiry into the real nature of the Self.
“The Self Realised Yogis are like the Sun of glorious light.”
That this experience should be a permanent possession and not a momentary attainment, is the theme of many a Natchintanai Ode.
“They are Yogis who can perceive everywhere
The essence of Truth in the temple of the Universe.”
“They are the Realised Seers who see Siva as the all-pervading.
Their habitation everywhere and nowhere; their action, what
avails?”
They are freed from the bondage of space and time.
The difference between what is formless and what has form disappears for ever.
“No more can sorrows cling to me for I've seen
The co-eternal vision of the Supreme Reality.”
--Natchintanai. 90.
The Self is realised as a continuum of supreme dynamism and the integral vision unfolds the stage of the Dance of Siva. It is a vision of Eternity when the One reveals itself in every point of the infinite.
“What infinite varieties are seen as the Dance of the One,
whose gracious Feet be my unfailing Guide, Aum.”
Thus it is that Swami lays stress on the discipline of the body, the senses, the mind, the intellect, and the heart under the guidance of a Guru for the purification of the entire being of man. The elevation of the empirical consciousness to higher spiritual planes, makes him fit for perfect illumination by the light of Absolute Truth. This is the path way of the Yogi. Swami's response to his Guru's inspired utterance of Who doth Know-- is “I know that I know nothing”. His experiences as transfixed in his songs depict his consciousness rising above the domain of Space, Time and Relativity, in order to be in the closest embrace of the Infinite, Eternal, Absolute Truth. This is the path followed by the Hindu Seers. It is also the path of Yoga.
Swami beckons each one of us to be a truth seeker, and that is why we keep on shunning him for ever so long, and even when we seek his presence, we cannot remain too close to the flame for any length of time. He regarded Tattva-reflection as a valuable part of yogic self-discipline, and he taught us to make the individual phenomenal consciousness free from all kinds of bias and prejudice, all sorts of ignorant clouds of gloom, and to raise it to the pure supramental, supraspiritual plane.
Though Swami was labelled a Yogi by all, yet he never concerned himself with the exposition of the principles and practices of the Yoga Marga. He insisted on a systematic discipline of all the external and internal organs, functions, and vital forces of the body, with a view to the establishment of perfect control over, and harmony among all of them, and the spiritualisation of the entire psycho-physiological organism with the ultimate object of the realisation of Absolute Truth.
Ultimate Truth reveals itself in a plane of consciousness beyond thought and no one can comprehend it. Siva is the Maha Yogiswara, the eternal master of Yogis. The Way of Yoga leads to the attainment of fitness for the revelation of the Kingdom of heaven within each one of us. What is this fitness? Our consciousness must be freed from the sense of Ego as well as all attachments and proclivities of the mind. Moral and spiritual purity of the Truth-seeker are essential factors for Truth-realisation. This means the systematic practice of yoga.
The Upanishads indicate that the term Atma connotes the True Self of all existence. It includes the True Self of every individual as well as of the universe. Swami uses the term Atma or Anma for the True Self of an individual and the term Sivam for the supreme, the eternal, the True Self of the universe. The essential unity of the True Self of the Individual and the True Self of the Universe was revealed to the consciousness of Swami by Sage Chellappar's illumination of grace. Hence the significance of the Maha-Vaakiam--“All That Is, is Truth”, and the injunction to meditate and assimilate the true knowledge (Para Vidya) by which this Absolute Truth is realised. This Para Vidya is the Yoga Vidya enunciated by Yoga Swami in Natchintanai, which unfolds the spiritual approach to the perfection of Truth.
The inner spiritual experiences of Swami after enlightenment by his Guru have a fundamental appeal to all seekers of Truth, who follow his insight with faith for personal realisation of the same. The utterances in Natchintanai are the verbal communication of the Truth on the supra-mental and spiritual planes and hence, any attempt at non-spiritual interpretation of Swami's songs will only lead to differences of views and disputations.
The way of Yoga--Yoga Marga-- does not insist on the acquisistion of an objective knowledge of the Absolute Truth, but aims at the direct insight into Truth; and all that Swami requires of an earnest truth seeker is an indomitable faith. He can only guide an aspirant in the path of anubhuti-- experiences, but he cannot expound to him rationally the possibility of such Truth-realisation.
The Yogi who has succeeded in the way of Yoga and attained Truth-realisation, seeks to draw a truth seeker to the path by active sadhana. Truth unveils itself to the human consciousness, when it is purified and concentrated, and all the obstacles of the mind are eliminated in the way of the Self-revelation of the Truth. Hence the invocation to Ganesha (Pillayar) the primeval Son of Siva who can free man from all impediments, and the incantation of His sound-symbol of Aum assumes significance in Swami's Songs.
The true Yogis do not labour at expounding theories on the nature of the Siddhanta or the Vedanta concepts of the ultimate Reality and the soul's relationship to it. They direct man's attention to steady purification and concentration of his empirical consciousness and its progressive elevation to higher spiritual planes, until the veil which hides the Absolute Truth to his consciousness is rent asunder, and the anma is united with the Truth of Sivam.
What an arduous path from the world of finitude and relativity to the world of Supreme Truth, where there is neither ill-will nor goodwill--“Oru Pollappumillai!” Deep within man is an inherent inner urge, pining for what is not, and longing to transcend the fleeting joys of change and decay. It is this yearning that leads man to self discipline, and to abide by the teachings of his spiritual Guru--the Yogi who having himself realised the Truth can lead the Truth--seeker to the goal of Realisation.
Sitting at the Feet of Swami, our desires and delusions, reasonings and egoity were given a purificatory bath (Abishekam). He held us by the cord of love so as to make us lose temporarily even, the sense of distinction between the subject and the object, the internal and the exteral, the self and the not-self. The summation of quiescence would overshadow all who were gathered in the light of his Presence. In the seeming “Ordinariness” of the little hut, with the Guru seated in the Dhakshinamurti pose on a low wooden bed facing the South, and an ordinary antique lamp burning at the northern end, would be enacted the silent miracle of Swami. It is the transformation of the finite nature of each one of the devotees seated before him, into the infinitude of the immortal Self!
Swami seldom flaunted spectacular miracles, though innumerable instances of his silent healing touch to assuage the grief of the distressed are only too well known. These were done so quietly and impersonally that even the subject of the boon would not be fully aware of the magnitude of his Grace; even if they were faintly conscious of the act of Grace, it would soon be veiled. It was his way. He never spoke of his powers nor allowed others to speak on them, for his focus was not on conferring external boons, but on effecting the change of heart.
Once a seeker begins to enjoy even an iota of this balm of peace leading to the transformation of his inner self, then starts the epiphany! He frequents Swami's ashram only to be chased away, and by and by, his revolt and sense of wounded pride would give place to humility and intense yearning to be near him at any sacrifice. Swami would laugh and scoff at the ebb and flow of his votaries. The Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the Puranas, and Natchintanai would echo in his Ashram night and morn. The soulful Devarams and Tiruvacagam and sacred Cantos by the Saiva Saints would be sung by him and his flock, so that imperceptibly their pollutions of anger and greed, sloth and servility, fear and doubts, pride and prejudices would be cleansed in the springs of his Love. In a state of calm, pure and egoless bliss of consciousness would dawn the meaning of his utterances.
“The sight of the Guru grants such insight, Lo!
In the sunrise of the self, peace pervades.”
--Natchintanai. 327.
The gracious powers flowed through Swami, and often we could not see him as the object of consciousness, but as the essence of the Supreme Consciousness only. In this illumined state, no difference existed between our consciousness and the absolute soul of all existence and experience embodied in the Yogi before us. “Thou in me and I in Thee” relationship extolled in many a gem in Natchintanai became a living reality, especially on holy days like Sivarathiri, Navarathiri Kanda-Sasthi, Purnima, Tiruvathirai, Nallur Car festival, etc., when the Guru's Grace beamed everywhere the light of Truth.
All That Is, is Truth.
Such experiences of the Siva Yogi, when time and space ceased to exist, when duality and relativity paled into nothingness, carried the conviction of certitude within itself, through we could not advance any proof of their validity, Outside Swami's holy Ashram, we failed to sustain the serenity of the integrated experience, as the “world proved too much with us,” but everyone who was blessed in Swami's presence felf free from fears and doubts everafter. Seeds of aspiration for Truth realisation were sown by the Guru out of his boundless grace, but some fell on the wayside, some on thorny soil and some on good ground.
Direct experience has been regarded as the basis of Swami's Yoga; and progressive stages of realisation with steady regression of self projection are possible only with the guidance of the Guru. The higher the stage of experience, the deeper is the realisation of Truth. Swami attracted varied types of votaries of Truth, some of whom were on higher steps, while others were on the intermediate or first steps of the ladder, in their search after the ideal of Absolute Truth--God Is.
What a wonderful panacea for all modern tensions and frustrations is this path of Yoga lived by Swami, and tested and tried by critics and adherents alike, and found to be wholesome for a wholesome life! Herein the consciousness rises above the plane of self-knowlege--pasu jnanam-- the plane of finite egohood, and becomes tranquil and illumined. In his song on Aum Tat Sat--318, the knower, knowable and the knowledge became perfectly united, and the plurality of existence unveiled its essential spiritual unity to the consciousness of man, as a servitor of God.
In the poems on yogic illumination that follow, Swami explodes his revealing experiences. In the world of plurality, he sees their inter-dependence and inter-relatedness, and sees through all these diversities, the harmonising Unity of the Absolute Sivam which is the Truth underlying all plurality. This is the quintessence of the Testament of Truth--Muluthum Unmai. He experienced at every turn and breath, the unity of the conscious subject and the objective universe, the unity of the knower and the knowable, and conversed in the language of truth with the Infinite and Eternal Mother of all Reality, the Substratum of the relations among all conscious subjects and all objects of consciousness.
Swami's Natchintanai Songs contain the direct knowledge of this Unity of all existence. In it, the serene consciousness of the Siva Yogi becomes one with the Truth of all existence. Sage Chellappar--the Parama Yogi did not merely utter the dictum. Absolute is Truth,' but he also transfused the experience of the Truth of Oneness into Swami. This is the transcendent experience which Swami conveys in the poem of Aum Tat Sat.
Swami was not merely a Yogi who discovered the ultimate Truth in the forest sanctuaries, as did the Rishis of the Upanishad era. That he attained the perfect satisfaction of the fulfilment of life, has been testified by his manifold activities of inspiring people to live nobly and well in the world by the pursuit of their Svadharma, freed from all repugnance to the finite and transitory things of the world. A yogi having attained perfect freedom from all bondages of life, from all fundamental imperfections and sources of sorrow, and from the subjection to the law of Karma, outwardly appears to be the same individual as he was before, like any other individual being. Inwardly the Truth-experience illumines his consciousness, and it has a great impact upon his normal life.
The Absolute Sivam who manifests Itself in the diverse forms of relative plurality, and who sustains their existence and links them with one another into a cosmic order, also reveals Itself to the Yogi's consciousness. Such illumination permeates his intellect, the ego and the mind and even his senses. Siva pervades as the real Essence. After enlightenment, Swami's utterances reflect the self-expression of the Supreme Siva.
Siva wields the key to the ultimate explanation of man's spiritual and intellectual problems; Siva becomes the centre of his feelings and sentiments. Everything he perceives within and without is but the manifestation of the One Supreme Godhead. Thus the objective world of plurality and the experiencing ego become merged in the Absolute Truth. The macrocosm and microcosm are pervaded by the One. so sang Swami jubilantly.
The One-- Supreme and Absolute Siva, is the Truth of the Universe as well as of the individual self. Swami sees himself in all and all in himself:
The Siva Yogi beholds diversity and variety from the standpoint of Unity, and sees the infinite in the finite, the eternal in the temporal, and lives in the light that all are essentially non-different from himself. Hence he loves all and fears none; hates none and sings joyfully.
There is both the positive process of going and coming, in the orbit of his experience, as well as the negative process that there is no going, no coming. Swami sees the timeless Eternity manifested in the flow of time, and the infinite space pervading all parts of space, exactly as he sees in the changing world of time and space, the unveiled Beauty and the Truth of the One Sivam. Having experienced the One in Many and the Many in One, Swami's activities revolved round Siva; that is the significance of his Sivathondu.
Although in the plane of spiritual experience, no difference exists between one illumined yogi and another, yet when they move in the normal planes of practical life, their approaches seem different. These differences are due to their mode of life, outlooks and general psycho-physical embodiments. The Maha Yogi, Kadai Swami kept himself aloof from the affairs of the world and was in continuous enjoyment of the bliss of Samadhi. His initiate, Sage Chellappa Swami saw the density of the people to the Eternal Truth and their wanton attachments to worldly pursuits, and so he adopted the role of the “madman of Nallur,” to liberate those few only who sought him out persistently. He scattered his pearls of wisdom in enigmatic language.
Siva Yoga Swami, his initiate, did not shun the contact with the people, as it was his wont to awaken in their dormant consciounsess the yearning for the Infinite Truth of Sivam. He looked upon all men and all the affairs of the world from the spiritual plane, and on account of his expansive love, taught the people by his life and utteranes, that underlying all fleeting delights of this world, the light of Sivam pervadeth, giving innermost significance to our lives and harmony to the Universe:
Moved by the still sad music of humanity, the Siva Yogi gave expression to his inner experiences in intelligible and appealing sayings and poems. Their poetic imagery, sweet diction, suggestive allusions, mystic formulae and earnest exhortation, raised the quality of living among the aspirants of his day. His words, harsh or gentle chastened the listeners and carried deep conviction, because they had the force of his inner experience. The greatest charm was his power to bring about a change of heart and outlook, and a radical transformation in the tenor of the lives of those who sat at his Feet, Swami would often vindicate that Truth was the same in whatever forms of philosophy or language It might be expressed, and in whatever paths, the mind might approach It.
In Natchintanai, the enlightened guidance of the Siva Guru stands revealed. He reiterates with a tone of an everloving Father, the need for self-discipline for the attainment of perfect self-illumination and self-fulfilment. His words carry the certitude of attaining the direct experience of the Absolute Truth in the transcendent state of consciousness by every Sivathondan, whom he addresses endearingly as his Son, the inheritor of Yogic Insight.
Son! Thou art fused in all life;
Know this and live and let live.
Chant thou the auspicious Name
Not forgetting e'en for a split second.
Conquer friction caused by action;
Than That there's no other Reality.
E'en the Three will render you service
If you'll o'ercome the e'er sprouting anger.
There'll not be anyone in this wide world
Who can measure up to thee in goodness.
Let your acts be spontaneous and free
And link thyself to contemplation true.
Realise that Anma has no origination,
Neither can it suffer dissolution.
Know that devas and seers shed lustre
Indwelling in thy consciousness.
Son! Intrinsic evil there is not,
Truth alone is perfection absolute.
These are the words of Gurunathan,
worship with devotion and rejoice.
--Natchintanai. 139.
Do not live to eat and sleep,
And wander from place to place.
Keep free from the taint of sex, my son
And thou shalt know Brahmam.
Do thou perceive It directly,
Raise the life breath inwardly,
Speak not unnecessarily, my son.
There is nothing other than It.
Reflect within without effort,
And learn to live in harmony,
Not desiring earthly possessions, my son.
Do thou worship the fragrant Feet.
For ever shalt thou adore
The immaculate Lord within.
Father, mother and guru, my son
In love shalt thou revere too.
Do thou control the life breath
In its circuit from right to left
And stabilise thy strength, my son,
In detachment shalt thou live well.
Seek not distinction of birth or gain,
Neither harbour resentment within.
Step over the six seats of enjoyment, my son
And poise thyself in solitariness.
Be not lured into vain babble
That it is and is not--
Do thou realise It in joy, my son
For expansive is the bliss of grace.
The sinister deeds of yore
Shall mitigated be on earth.
Resolve to stand composed, my son
In between the good and the bad.
Eat not that from violence got;
Forget not the word of the Guru.
Then and now and always, my son
It is what it is.
Indulge not in carnal delight,
Involve not in delusion's snare.
Be as firm as a rock, my son.
Nothing shall you lack.
The incantation of the ten above,
Do thou chant day and night,
In tuneful worship meet, my son.
The pang of penury shall wane.
--Natchintanai. 329.
The two gates of breath I closed and lo,
The words of the Guru became my guide,
To cleave the bonds of birth asunder,
And in joy I beheld the gateway divine.
With bated breath, I held fast to God in thought.
In the storied house I saw the void serene.
The excellence of eternal glory was mine.
'Tis the secret of the conquest of Kaalan (Death).
From the fire in the Mulaadhara at the base,
The ghee from the crown did melt--alas!
Subdued is the primacy of the invincible ego,
And fully did I apprehend the ethics of Being.
Golden is his mien, flowing are his locks,
There is no one else like him in meekness.
Oh wielder of woes! That grief may not assail,
Come Thou as Love benign and succour me.
--Natchintanai. 236.
My lord and guru, mother and father
I begin to know, Thangam dear
By the grace of Sat-Guru.
Thaanathaam, thaanathaam
Thaanathaam, thaanathaam.
The Essence of Wisdom that utters
'Who doth know'--I see, Thangam dear.
Speak not, in love be rooted.
And you shall triumph from bonds of life.
In life here and hereafter,
He'll not part from us, Thangam dear.
No going and no coming,
Sing for ever His praises
And realise the divine propeller.
Keep aloof from encrusted misers,
And have no dialogue, Thangam dear.
Be not attached to life nor be timid,
But hold high your mind,
And cherish not the riches of this world.
To behold the perfection of Truth
Open thou thy inner eye, Thangam dear
Give up seeing outside and contact the lens inside.
Be a witness and live in excelsis.
Life and soul of existence art He
The supreme, and so rejoice Thangam dear.
Call Him aloud and call Him oft
In obeisance meek and faith infinite.
Oh, shun the company of the unworthy.
In the hearts of devotees indwells the Lord,
Do thou experience Him thus, Thangam dear.
There is neither you nor I.
Yearn for Him and cherish Him,
Join in and sing His glory.
That He's one and many is the mantra
That cleft my bonds, Thangam dear.
Utter it in silence meet,
And kindle the flame within.
Thus shalt thou embrace His grace.
Thou art not the elements five,
Senses five art thou not, Thangam dear.
Dawn and dusk do thou reflect,
That He's the support and the source.
And so surrendering, do thou revere.
Resolve not that it is one or two,
As good or bad, judge not.
Aspire for the goal of Nâdantam,
'Tis the luminous light and peerless pearl
That shelter gives to stricken souls.
Be thou still like a statue and conjure not
The image of a sinner, Thangam dear.
But attain liberation by selfless service,
Ne'er forgetting to be in tune with the infinite,
And thus shall bonds of life be consumed.
Create not envious thoughts
But live in sweet content, Thangam dear.
Don the beads of meditation,
Fear not, neither intercede.
The kiss of letters Five shall thy heart adore.
--Natchintanai. 268-270.
Rejoice within is a soulful lyric where the Siva Yogi has worked out the quest of man culminating in the summation of conquest. It is the answer to the man, who has attempted to elevate his life by seeking to discover the nature of the perceptible world, the nature of the individual self who perceives it, the purpose of life and the means of fufilling his destiny. In Sivabhoga Saram--the essence of blissful experience, Sri Gurujnana Sambandar reverberates Swami's gamut of Yogic Wisdom:
“Just as I hid myself in thine intelligence
And stood as thou,
If thou canst hide thyself in mine intelligence
And stand as I, always,
Lo, there is nothing more to learn
To end the round of births.
--67.
Having realised the grace,
Having realised the intelligence that is oneself,
Having realised the truth abiding therein,
Having subdued the self,
With the dark cognisance of self dispelled,
With conceit gone, with distinction lost,
Remaining unified,
To rest in peace is Joy supreme.”
--63.
In its manifest form, divinity is multiple, and in its ultimate essence, it cannot be said to be either one or many. It cannot be defined. It is not none; not two. Hence a non-dual principle has been delineated as existing beyond all forms of manifest divinity. This doctrine of non-duality--the Suddha Advaitham of the Saiva Hindus-- is upheld by Swami as the supreme goal of man's efforts towards realisation.
In similar strains has Tirumular expressed in his great classic of Tirumantram, the stages whereby the ego gets subdued, whence the inner eye can behold the pinnacle of yogic beatitude. We give the translation by Sri K. R. S. Iyengar:
“Wouldst thou desire, fools, what's beyond description?
Wouldst thou contain the flood that o'erflows all bounds?
Like reflection in still water, the Lord is revealed
In His manifold splendour in the becalmed minds of men.
When desire is dead, whom is one to desire?
When one has become Him, whom is one to seek
The eye that has burnt kama, whom is it to love?
Who can answer these with lucid clarity?
There's One source of attraction for the unattached;
There's One image of meditation for the enlightened;
There's One light of love for the World-renouncers:
Of what use is mere chatter? Only the Bliss of Brahman matters.”
“Thou art Truth. Chant daily, Aum Tat Sat--It is what it is.”
In this soul stirring Natchintanai, we hear Swami praising the Siva-Guru who granted him the illumination of Aum Tat Sat--It is what it is. St. Tayumanavar in Chidambara Rahasyam alludes to the glory of the inexpressible Godhead as the Supreme That Is.
The Hindu Psalmist never tire of recalling the incident of the Creator and Preserver, Brahma and Vishnu resolving to penetrate the mystery behind the Supreme Godhead and being foiled in the attempt. Brahma in the form of Garuda flew into the orbit of space in search of the highest pinnacle of Light that was Sivam. Vishnu in the form of a boar dug into the entrails of the earth, seeking for the deepest downward point of Light that was Sivam. The pillar of Light that appeared before them stretched into infinity and down into the abysmal depths, so that both the Gods who functioned in their role as Creator and Preserver could not fathom the unfathomable Immensity of Sivam, the Absolute and Eternal One, in whom Everything Is.
Swami begins his song on Aum Tat Sat with the popular allusion to the search of Brahma and Vishnu to establish the matchless glory of Siva--the Supreme Godhead “The transcendent Sivam manifested on earth as my Guru. Rejoice and adore Him--Aum Tat Sat.” The poem is divided into four stanzas which mark the four pathways on the pilgrim's road, and the modes by which the goal can be attained.
Guru Dikshai--Initiation.
“One day He looked intently at me, with a radiant face.”
“The Lord who eludes the apprehension of the twain, came in human form to the sanctified resort of Nallur.
There he remained elusive, so that none knew who he was, though he roamed in the streets with a genial countenance.
One day my Guru gazed at me intently and uttered that evil
there is not --“Oru Pollappumillai Enru.”
He revealed His Formless state and then His Form, and made me see beyond forms as well, through the eye of Grace.
Ah, I saw Him through grace. I saw. I beheld His gracious Precence.
--318.
“I perceived too the truth of the Godhead transcending the principles of manifestation. He endowed me with the vision of yogic insight, and I beheld in silence the ever-poised essence of Reality No more sorrows; no more joys. I was engulfed in the splendour of Sivam.”
--Natchintanai--Stanza. 1. 318.
St. Tirumular too has sung in the same key of illumination in Tirumantram--1788 thus: “When the light of Siva floods the soul, One becomes immersed in that effulgence.”
In Atputha Tiruvanthathy is a striking verse which attributes the three in one to the Supreme Godhead:
“The knower is Himself; the subject of knowledge too
Himself and the wisdom of knowing also is Himself.
He's the object and subject of the universe.
He indeed is the goal of Absolute Reality.
--St. Karaikal Ammayar. Atputha--
Tiruvanthathy. 20.
Sivanubhuti--Experience of Sivam.
“We have been blessed with the priceless boon of nuturing
Siva in our hearts. Sing Aum Tat Sat
Gone is the thought that there can be any other ways of realisation.
The wayward mind that flits after earthly joys shall be subdued, and the objective phenomena shall no longer attract us.
We shall perceive the sustaining truth that the Anma is eternal.
Let us pursue faithfully the path of renunciation, upholding the words of the Guru
Know Thyself shall be our quest
Our cherished treasures shall henceforth be sweet content, peace, patience and plenitude of service.
Fled far away are the mortifications of fasts and vigils.
we lack nothing whatsoever--
Truth Eternal art we--
Day in and day out, shall we chant Aum Tat Sat' IT
IS what
It Is.”
--Natchintanai. 2. 318.
We recall two cantos in Tirumantram, where St. Tirumular extols in a similar manner, the unique experience of the Anma with the bliss of Sivam.
“It is not one; It is not two; It is non-dual (advaitham).
Not involved in religious disputation nor reproach,
It follows with love the gracious Feet of Sakti.
Thus the anma enjoys the bliss of Sivam.
This is the goal of the Siddhanta Pathway.”
--Tirumantram. 1437.
“There are two positions I and He.
I discerned them both as one; took the ‘I'
And placed it at His Feet as my offering.
Everafter the distinction of I and He retracted.”
--Tirumantram. 1441.
Guru Sadhana--The way to Realisation.
“Do thou wake up before dawn and make thyself clean; pluck the newly opened buds and weave into garlands and offer unto Him in Worship.
Quell thy menacing mind by checking its outward distractions.
Pray for the grace of the Lord's peerless Feet. Desires shall be overcome.
As your understanding deepens, the truth of the Guru's injunctions will become as clear as daylight, and be validated by every seeker after truth.
Thus armed with yogic insight, one can attain liberation.
There is not an iota of doubt in this path.
In everything, everywhere and at all times, His will prevails.
Day and night raise the incantation in the core of your heart, and sing Aum Tat Sat.”
--Natchintanai.--Stanza 3-319.
Guru Upadesh--The Guru's Testimony.
“The temple of the heart of the aspirant, who for ever contemplates on Him and does His bidding, is the abiding mansion of the Lord:
Therefore let us reflect and serve Him intently on all occasions.
The good and the bad, vice and virtue are the effect of delusion.”
The Real Self in us is not subject to mortal limitations of change and decay.
This truth can be experienced by His Grace alone--
Do not eschew reason
Our life on earth is veiled by the power of Mayai--The illusion of matter and energy. Only the realised sages can experience the Truth, and not the others however learned.
Esteem not the evanescent life on earth. We are for ever immortal, in timeless eternity. Fear not.
Walk in the light of God and be true to thy inner Self.
Ponder and do as you will.
At all times, Chant Aum Tat Sat That alone is Real.”
--Natchintanai. 318-319.
All is His Will
In like manner did Sri Krishna conclude his discourse to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita: “Thus have I declared to thee the most mysterious of all knowledge; Reflect on it fully and do as thou choosest.”
Iti te jnanam âkhyâtam
guhyâd guhyataram mayâ
Vimrsyai 'tad âsesena
Yathe cchasi tathâ Kuru. XVIII. 63.
We are also reminded here of Sri Sankara's utterance that it is by divine grace that the highest wisdom is gained. “It is by knowledge caused by God's grace that release is gained.”
“tat-anugraha-hetukenaiva vijnanena moksa-siddhir bhavitum arhati.”
--Brahma Sutra--Bhasya II. III. 41.
In the two monosyllabic words TAT SAT is mysteriously condensed the quintessence of the Yogi's Real Being. TAT SAT in Swami's Vac stands for 'It is what it is,' aluding to the Reality of the Absolute Sivam. This cryptic assertion directly coming from Swami reveals the true nature of our Yoga-Guru as Siva. In whatever manner we may try to apprehend the Siva-Yogi, we can never do so in the perfecton of his real Being, rendering each of our ventures to achieve success in a way incomprehensive.
Nevertheless, our knowledge of Swami circumscribed by our individual approach is not at the same time completely false, for each one sees in him only what he can see with his own particular conditioning at a particular moment.
Swami's revelation of the Yogic illumination is contained in the lines: “He has drawn me into the aura of silent Awareness.” We are reminded here of the famous Biblical text: “Come unto Me...and I will give you rest,” which echoes the award of serene peace. St. Augustine paraphrased it according to his understanding thus: “Stand by Him, and ye shall stand fast. Rest in Him and ye shall be at rest.”
In order to enjoy inner tranquillity, Swami bids us cast our all fear in verse four of this Song, as did Lord Muruga to his votary in Tirumurugarrupadai by St. Arunagirinathar.
“Fear not--thy impelling devotion in drawing nigh unto me,
I know.”
Il. 291.
Our whole being registers an intense yearning for the revealing touch of the Siva Yogi, who is our Gurunathan. So bade Krishna to Arjuna.
“Flee unto Him with all thy being.
By His grace shalt thou obtain eternal Peace.”
--Bhagavad Gita. 18.62
In different pathways, the seekers are lead to the goal of At-One-ment: We quote from the Koran:
“But whosoever surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good, his reward is with his Lord; and there shall no fear come upon him, neither shall he grieve.”
--2.112; 10.63.
In the Old Testament occurs this passage:
“And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away the dross, and take away all thy sin.”
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee.”
Is: 1.25.
Our Gurunathan's assurance is similar to the final assurance of Lord Krishna, the great Yogiswara to his disciple Arjuna:
“Fix thy mind on me, give thy heart's love to me, consecrate all thy actions to my service, hold thine own self as nothing before me. To me then shalt thou come; truly I promise, for thou art dear to me.”
18. 65.
“Manmanâ bhava madbhakto
madyâji mâm namaskuru
mâm evai, syasi satyam te
pratijâne priyo, si me.”
In Swami's mystic canto of Aum Tat Sat is worked out the truth of the inexhaustible power of Jnana-Yoga and the submission to God's will, through the euphony of Aum Tat Sat--It is what It is, which is the resonance of the Guru Vaakiam--“Apadiye Ullathu.” It contains the earnest plea to surrender as the surest way to self-transcendence. We need not have to seek God as await His touch. It is the unreserved surrender to the Supreme who raises us to the succour of His Feet. He beckons us to stir up from the langour of worldly allurements, and follow the light, the kindly and kingly light of the Siva Guru, who shall solve the riddles of life, and lead us to the blessed abode of Truth.
The incantation of Aum Tat Sat vibrates within and without, and it behoves all Swami's votaries to chant this paean a thousand and eight times, and perform to His Tiruvadi, a Sahasranaama arjanai-- the worship with thousand and eight petals of love. In the expansive firmament of their hearts, the light of Aum Tat Sat shall reveal the promethean flame of Truth--All, All is His Will.”
Aloft on the ladder, the blooms I pluck from high,
And offer them in flawless worship, Thangam dear.
There is no before or after.
I give up the Yoga of eight and Yogic centres six,
In the symphony of Sakti, Thangam dear
I behold the subtle secrets all.
The fickle mind subdued, the life breath set flame,
Immersed in silence I become, Thangam dear
There is neither you nor I, my dear.
The goldsmith makes me a wedlock chain of gold,
I wear it without fastening, Thangam dear
The cause of it I do apprehend.
Unsupported is the stage of Nâdântam that I climb,
And unto the wielder yielding, Thangam dear
The feast of communion do I become.
Enwrapped in silken skirt of God, soul and matter,
I don the veil alluring, Thangam dear,
All, all is Truth my dear.
The favour or not of those who give and give not,
I fling aside in flawless worship, Thangam dear.
The Three hath become One my dear.
Ineffable bliss doth engulf me fully,
Yet inscrutable; so touch not, Thangam dear.
But listen and rejoice in its glory.
See without seeing the form of Siva as Effulgence.
Even if it eludes thee, Thangam dear
Look not down my dear.
Ambrosial honey is in the bough far above.
Taste it with discretion, Thangam dear.
There'll be none to equal thee.
Blessed are those who sing these verses ten,
Full of felicity on earth, Thangam dear,
Sivam art all they realise.
--Natchintanai. 245.