“Ever present in all beings, Oh Immaculate One!
Entrancing Beauty in all art Thou too!
Permeating in pebble, rock and imposing trees
And flourishing e'en in grass and weed as well.
Essence of Harmony, Thou divine Songster,
No other Lord will I revere but Thee.
In worship meek will I sing thy glory.
Deign to heed my garland of praise to Thee.
--Natchintanai. 120.
The recognised tradition of the Hindu religious life must be fully understood before understanding Swami, as his experiences truly harmonise with this tradition. Natchintanai sets forth the tradition which has emerged from the religious life of the Hindus, from the Vedic period to the modern age. It is the science of Truth and the art of union with the Supreme One--the Truth imperishable and Light adorable.
He who meditates on Natchintanai will know the Great One of golden effulgence, self luminous, who dwells in the heart of all beings as the innermost Self.
Swami's written Testament called Natchintanai is a work of imperishable significance, as it gives profound insights that are valid for all times and for all religious life. It gives utterance to the aspirations of the devotees--Meyadiyar--of all sects, who seek to tread the way of Truth--Sanmarga. Swami leads us in his Profound Reflections to find out the Sivathondu demanded of us by the Supreme Sivathondan. If we learn to perform true Sivathondu, we can solve the riddle of life. “If we master the wisdom enshrined in Natchintanai and tase its nectar, we need no other knowledge to attain liberation.” This is Swami's testimony.
In his call for Sivathondu, the NatGuru requires us in the first instance to know the meaning of life before we engage in Sivathondu,which is derived from metaphysical realisation. Swami shines as an example of an illumined soul, who kept up the most intimate touch with the modern man in this atomic age. Yet he draws the profundity of wisdom from the ancient fountain of Hinduism. He weaves all the complicated strands of modern life and thought into an organic unity in Natchintanai, which is also a confirmation of the precepts of our Sanatana Vaidika Dharma--Eternal Religion.
Swami dedicated his whole life to the colossal task of the renaissance of Hindu Culture, and revival of the highest human and moral values, and enkindling of the loftiest spiritual enlightenment throughout the world. He stood for the omni-lateral progress simultaneously of both the individual and the society towards the realisation of the ideal of Sivathondu, the path of service unto man and God.
The gems of Natchintanai are the garland of reflections, where a great seer of Truth unfolds his experiences. His songs reveal the means for the realisation of the Anma and the realisation of God, and his penetration into the supremacy of Truth is astounding. In tune with infinity, he sees the effulgent Light which is within and without him. His utterances take us to the timeless age of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Saiva Agamas. His voice is prophetic. The petals that waft their fragrance from the wish fulfilling tree of Grace called Natchintanai are fadeless and perennially ambrosial. They help us in the path of Dharma and spiritual progress. Swami avows that this Tree of Life shall fulfil all desires and aspirations for the Eternal Good.
The self labours under misapprehension, owing to identification of itself with sufferings and pleasures. Man's suffering is due to the illusion of duality such as good and evil and is caused by ignorance, which does not exist in reality. Swami leads us to recover our normal state by illuminating us on the true nature of the self and the phenomenal universe. The ills of life caused by the potency of the triple bonds can be destroyed only by the true knowledge (Pathi-Jnanam), whence the Self-luminous One stands revealed.
Gurunathan directs our meditation on the great Mahavaakiam. Sivam is immutable, changeless, permanent, incomprehensible, one withouth a second, unattached, and non-cognizable. It is the Abasolute Truth--Muluthum Unmai. It is all-Bliss. The dialogue of the Guru on the Sun of Truth is a fascinating study. He communicates the ineffable experience of the soul's true relationship to God as one of Advaita, 'neither one nor two, nor neither'; he unfolds the highest realisation of the soul which doth not think of God and the soul 'as one or twain.' In this sense, it is said that the souls exist as one with the Lord--a unity in duality, 'one with and different from,' as ascribed in Sivajnana-Siddhiyar 3.6.6: Tirumantram too brings out the cogent truth of Advaita in a beautiful imagery:
“Lay the flower of anma at His Feet
The twain 'I and He' shall no longer perplex”.--1607.
This knowledge regarding the ultimate Reality as non-dual, and characterised by the absence of perceiver, perception and perceived is the highest Truth revealed by our Guru. From this pinnacle of perfect and perennial peace and joy, it is no wonder that Swami remained an enigma to most people. In the foregoing pages, we followed Swami in his several roles, as ammai appan, a teacher, a friend, a physician, a beggar, a child, a Sivathondan, and in every role he transfixed us. Yet he left no track behind, as he had realised himSelf in all beings, ever devoted to the welfare of all.
Swami's life on earth was perfectly natural, though his angle of vision was totally different from that of the ordinary folds. He was the proof of the solidarity between God and man and of the solidarity among men. In fact, Swami in himself was God's message to mankind. God spoke through him. He was the word of God. It was not that all his message was spoken out. A large part was not spoken, but was 'mounam' and eloquent. What he spoke, he uttered with authority and helped people to have the vision of Eternity through a change of heart.
Our salutation to the Sage, who is the knower of the One Supreme Siva, itself implies duality, and is possible only as we behold him from our relative plane, by imagining the Supreme Reality as a person or teacher, and then adoring It by saluting It. No salutation is possible with regard to the non-dual Reality, because the knower of the Supreme Reality is one with Siva Itself. It is the One without a second. It is Effulgent and all-pervading.
In the hours of meditation, we begin to understand gradually the full import of Swami's exhortation to realise one's self as non-dual, as it is only then that a complete cessation of suffering ensues, when one can witness the appearance and disappearance of ideas, and the states, without identifying oneself with them. Such enlightened Sivathondar have no need to beg and pray for this and that.
The Realisation of Swami is not conditioned by cause and effect, and he attributes his illumination to the grace of the SatGuru. Swami has made it very clear that the Guru's Mahavaakiam of Muluthum-Unmai, Naam Ariyom, Oru Pollappumillai, and Apadiye Ullathu are addressed to realised souls. Their meanings will continue to baffle us, as long as we are subject to the causal state in which we do not know the Truth.
In our study, we have attempted to delve into Natchintanai as a profound experience which reveals the vast dimensions of God, soul and the world. It is not possible to find in the sun whose nature is to be ever-luminous, anything contrary to light, and that is darkness. Saiva Scriptures have acclaimed that the Anma is immortal, eternal, because it is beyond cause and effect, and above all entities of relative existence such as birth, duration, growth, change, decay and death. The Anma is awakened from its bondage by the touch of the Guru; it realises its true nature, that it is birthless and non-dual.
It is only a gracious Guru like Swami who has himself realised Reality indicated by, 'Thou art not this, of the nature of cause and effect, but That Thou art', who can awaken his devotees from the slumber of unreality, and enable them to realise their true nature. He alone can ward off all doubts during their period of inquiry into Truth, and finally lead them to experience Truth. From everlasting to everlasting It is what It is. Whatever is, is nothing but Siva. The manifold universe is Siva. Natchintanai songs vibrate with the revelation of the Guru who sees the universe as Siva and never sees any appearance or disappearance. The universe as Siva always is.
Swami urges the young aspirants to focus their meditation in the early stages on a Personal God, or a Cosmic Self, as they cannot think of the non-dual self yet, from their state of dual existence in a dual universe. The non-dual self is not limited by time and change, with no coming and no going. The Guru's grace works imperceptibly and one imbibes the true knowledge of the Self and becomes free from the blemish of attachment and aversion.
Thus Swami guides us at every step to cultivate a state of detachment and equilibrium, and arrive at the tranquillity of mind by discrimination, and control of its activities. His mystic poems on Aum Tat Sat, The Temple of the Heart, and Flawless Worship declare that by the absence of mental ideation, the mind of the Seer gets established in Siva, and becomes saturated with the thought of Parasivam. He who realises the knowledge of Siva does not experience any desire which implies cogniser and cognised. His activities offered as a sacrifice to the Supreme do not bind.
“He may be engaged in any activity but in everything, he realises Him alone.” “For him the act of offering is God, the oblation is God. By God is it offered into the fire of God. God is that which is to be attained by him who realises God in his works.”
--Bhagavad Gita. VI. 24
Swami clearly enunciates in the canticles of Natchintanai that the knowledge of the Advaitic Reality, and the realisation of the essential nature of the Self lead to Mukti or the attainment of Truth. Duality cannot exist when gnosis, the highest truth (non-duality) is realised. Swami's poems on his Guru communicate the aroma of divine Grace emanating from the sunflower of Truth, and wafting its fragrance on a realised Jnani. His is the inheritance of tranquil Peace.
The sovereignty of Truth has been proclaimed by Seers in varied hues coloured by the nativity of the Gnostics. We quote from Plotinus a significant utterance which throws light on Swami's revelation of Truth, Muluthum Unmai, as a centrifugal force of Universal grandeur!
“Conceive it as a power of an ever-fresh infinity, a principle unfailing, inexhaustible, at no point giving out, brimming over with its own vitality. If you look to some definite spot, and seek to fasten on some definite thing, you will not find it. The contrary is your only way; you cannot pass on to where it is not; you will never halt at a dwindling point where it fails at last and can no longer give; you will always be able to move with it--better, to be in its entirety--and so seek no further; denying it, you have strayed away to something of another order and you fall; looking elsewhere you do not see what stands there before you.
“But supposing you do thus seek no further, how will you ever be convinced of attainment?
“In that you have entered into the All, no longer content with the part; you cease to think of yourself as under limit but, laying all such determination aside, you become an All. No doubt you were always that, but there has been an addition and by that addition you are diminished; for the addition was not from the realm of Being--you can add nothing to Being--but from non-Being. It is not by some admixture of non-Being that one becomes an entire, but by putting non-Being away. By the lessening of the alien in you, you increase. Cast it aside and there is the All within you; engaged in the alien, you will not find the All. Not that it has to come and so be present to you; it is you that have turned from it. And turn though you may, you have not severed yourself; it is there; you are not in some far region: still there before it, you have faced to its contrary.
“It is so with the lesser gods; of many standing in their presence it is often one alone that sees them; that one alone was alone in the power to see. These are the gods who 'in many guises seek our cities'; but there is That Other whom the cities seek, and all the earth and heaven--Him who is everywhere self-abiding, and from whom derives Being and the Real Beings down to Soul and Life, all bound to Him and so moving to that unity which by its very lack of extension is infinite.'
--Plotinus Enneads Vth Tractate:
Omnipresence of Authentic Existent.
In the same measure of insistence, Swami bids his Sivathondar to see Siva the Infinite in all things finite. In this phase of God-realisation may be understood the veneration given by Hindus to sainthood as unto God--'To behold the feet of the saints is to behold the form of Grace'
In his Guru-Vacagam, he defines the stages for achieving this end. First, we see the things around us, as declaring the glory of Siva. These are the visible things of nature and persons. Then we begin to ponder on the glory of Siva in the cosmos as well as in the human soul, and to contemplate the form of Siva as seen by the seers and saints in the sacred texts and Puranas, so that whatever is heard and unheard, visible and invisible, within and without, reveals to us the glory of Sivam--Sarvam Sivamayam.
Imperceptibly dawns too the realisation that the SatGuru is also a gracious revelation of Sivam.
Sarvam Sivamayam strikes the chord of Swami's Upadesh. It is the sunrise of self-knowledge in us, with the realisation that several strands are knit together in the ideal of selfless service expounded as Sivathondu by the Guru, from whom, through his inimitable grace are all things, and in whom is fulfilled the Will of Siva in us.
“He who illumined me by His Grace,
He is none other than myself, mother dear.”
“Siva's will prevails; Siva's Form pervades;
Sivam art all, mother dear.”
--Natchintanai. 53.
Thus when the heart becomes pure and love invades its citadel, then the contemplation of Siva in Sakti, and Sakti in Siva becomes continuous, and the soul of the devotee is merged in God-Consciousness, “fused but not confused,” in the words of Meister Eckhart.
There is a stage beyond this consciousness. We cannot truly apprehend Siva while we cling to visible things, and hold fast to the physical form of the Guru.
“Life of our life art Thou--
Our father and mother art Thou--
Thou art our Guru; most ancient is they Wisdom.”
--Natchintanai. 120.
Thus even the Guru who is the matrix of the seeker, and the pivot of the Universe, whose holy Feet which in other words is the symbol of divine mother, cannot be known, if we do not go beyond his visible presence and recognise in him the Eternal Word, and begin to see the inner Guru within us--'In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the word was God.' as stated in St. John's gospel 1.1., and in our scriptures as Para Brahma, Nada Brahma and Sabda Brahma.
Beginningless and timeless is the Word. The third Eye of illumination and discrimination is opened; this is the inward eye of the soul, which can see Itself as it truly is, and can rise above the individual self to see the cosmic self. It is the Vishvarupa Dharsan, the glorious vision of God in the universe. This leads to the supreme realisation of Oneness, a formless contemplation of Him who is without form or mode. The anma has attained the kingdom of Siva, and lives in the luminous wisdom of the ParaSiva, in the light of a perpetual awareness of Him, accompanied by an abiding bliss.
To most people who flocked to Swami for manna, He stressed the need to live up to a high code of moral living as the first step. He would reiterate the ethical gems from the classic master-piece of Tirukural, and the sayings of the woman saint and philosopher, Auvaiyar, inorder to tune his devotees to the righteous path of ethical excellence.
“My dear young boys, the upright and chaste conduct alone will lead you to victorious living.”
--Natchintanai. 82.
He followed this stage by the contemplative way, in which he bids the followers of Siva do Siva Dhyanam, or meditation of Siva. Ponder on His glory: Then he shows the next stage which is the way of detachment. Let your worship be free from desires.
Do not make any petitions, any favours when you supplicate.
Gratification of desires breeds greed, passion and egoism. It weakens man. So let not man be dominated by this type of craving or supplication. His worship should consist of self-dedication and renunciation of the world, and he should tune the soul to the minstrelsy of Siva, Sivathondu. Thus bereft of egoism and armed with purity, the Sivathondan, the servant of Siva, dons the armour of righteousness and is immersed wholly in internal worship.
All these aspects in the spiritual path of the aspirant are delineated in the Guru-Vaakiam. This kind of exaltation cannot well be communicated in the texture of words, but it can only be conveyed in the unmoving gaze of the third Eye of Siva. This is the significance of the form of Siva as the silent Guru, the Dhakshinamurthy manifestation extolled in the sacred scriptures. He is the Great Teacher who manifested in Swami and revealed in Natchintanai.
“Be still my dear”--Summa Iru Thangame.
“All is the poignant silence of divine Perfection”
“Ellaam Nan Mona Niraive.”
St. Tayumanavar has a lucid psalm addressed to the “Master of Wisdom's Bliss,” which we quote here to illustrate Swami's role as the grand Teacher of the mystic experience of Summa Iru Thangame--“Be still, my dear.”
“Nor Union nor Separation's there,
Beyond duality evolution ends
And involution too; no attribute
Nor birth nor death, nor lasting mark nor sin,
Nor search nor access above, below and between.
Beyond creative force and still beyond
The Vibrant Prime Essence, the elements five,
And knowing Self, incapable of waste,
Nor one nor two, beyond both mind and speech,
There ends all search, in ecstasy drunk deep
Out of the ocean of Perfection's bliss.
Thus hast thou taught, Oh silent Teacher mine,
Oh thou Siddhanta's Goal and Prime Essence,
Oh Dhakshinamurthi that dost shine aloft
On Trichi's hill, Oh Master of wisdom's Bliss.”
--St. Tayumanavar.
We close this section on the whispering hope of the dawn of a New Era. The Code of the Sanatana Dharma has been revitalised for us by our beloved Gurunathan. It is up to us to follow in his footprints for with Truth--Satyam--on our side and with the highest wisdom supporting us, we need not fear anymore.
The Guru's all-powerful deluge of Grace sweeps past us, and we arise to ponder on the scintillating vibration of his great utterance: “His Supreme Will prevails. The inspired poems and utterances of our NatGuru need to be recollected in tranquillity. We beseech him in the strains of the bard of Varthavur who sang in ecstasy of his communion with the God-Guru.
“Call me to thee in Grace!
Other than thy laudable Feet
I know of no other refuge.”
--Tiruvacagam. 28.3.
In similar strain of yearning did the author of Ramana Guru-Vachaka Kovai sing this consecration chant:
“As in the ocean salt
Dissolves and disappears,
So in the body lost I lay,
But now I long to be absorbed
In the brightness of your grace,
Eat me as food, O Lord,
Digest both Me and Mine.
Convert my being wholly
Into your true body, Light.”
List to the wondrous testimony of Gurunathan:
“The songs of Swami Yoganathan
Shall reveal the beauteous Path.
They'll fill thee with ambrosial bliss
Till infinity, and crown thee
With the truth of Aham Brahmasmi.
--Natchintanai. 172.
This is a personal testimony, a testimony of Ma's own experience of thought and life, after she had come into the orbit of the great light of Columbuturai--Saint Yoga Swami. It is not intended to be objective as it makes no claim to establish eternal truths.
The Hindu tradition is persistent in its belief that those who are touched by divine Grace, 'Tiruarul,' the Holy Feet of God, can do impossible things. Their thoughts will break through the most impervious barriers and influence people. There are many instances of saints, who by their very silence would influence and transform the lives of people who came into contact with them. Swami was one such renowned Seer who wielded the healing touch that changed people's nature.
A saint or a prophet lives a concentrated life of thought, and the influence of that life lasts for centuries, after his exit from the arena of the world, increasing in momentum as time passes. Every titbit of the life of a saint, properly authenticated, should be recorded so that one may be able to see how divinity putting on human form acts and reacts to circumstances of earthly existence. He may bless a person. Those few words may become the source of strength throughout the life of that person. They haunt him; they strengthen him. We cannot explain its significance objectively.
When all the literature has been published on this vast subject, one would still feel that Swami was overwhelmingly greater than the earthly events that constituted his life. The love of a Guru is of a peculiar kind; while earthly love, however pure and noble, still binds; these saints shower an affection which has a liberating effect on the bonds of ignorance. This is a subjective experience but when such experiences happen in the case of many, it is no longer subjective. It is a solid phenomenon.
Such a phenomenon was Swami. He did not live merely in a world of thought or action. His great heart took in the sufferings of all. His sympathy was for the lost, needy and the distressed. He worked hard and endured infinite pain as he touched the lives and sufferings of those who sat at His Feet. He was in close touch with the world of grim reality. His inate purity was so great that he could understand all minds and easily see through the problems and difficulties of persons belonging to diverse creeds and races. His was a perfectly tuned mind. Indeed he constituted a bridge between the past and the present, between the old and the new.
Swami had a novel method of appealing to one's own intuitive judgment, of thinking out one's own ideas and forming one's own independent judgments by simple songs, sayings and anecdotes, and perhaps expressing the ideas with clarity and spontaneity. Undoubtedly many devotees discovered in him such close affinities between ancient saints who bore witness to the Word of God, that they were drawn to him by his universality of vision, and the intimacy of his communion with each one, who approached him with love and faith.
However, in spite of his accessibility, Swami would elude analysis and remain a mystery, not to be measured by intellect or reason. He lived so close, ever so close with the toiling masses of the Jaffna Peninsula in the sylvan surroundings of that hallowed seat of Columbuturai, where his Guru had willed it. Yet he towered ever so high that those who moved with him failed to comprehend his greatness fully during his lifetime. It was only when he passed away in the quietest possible manner, that he left us all with an enormous feeling that he was all the time living for us and with us all, and that he had left behind unimpaired a mighty legacy of wisdom (Jnanam) and love of service--Sivathondu. Ever absorbed in the singleness of his soul's march, rare were the occasions when he made himself understood to the people in whose midst he lived, moved and had his being.
Swami held fast the gaze of searching souls as a somewhat mysterious mystic who was, as it were denying the world the bounty of his blessings. That, however, was probably his unique way of giving the world what he had to give. He was an austere ascetic who admonished the impurities in all those who sought him with their doubts, and that was exactly the blessings they required.
Oh Guru Gem! Guide of my life,
Reveal the goodly way and make me thine.
Transform my stony heart with thy grace
And tune my eternal self to realise Thee.
Heal my ills with tonics effective
And let me bask in thy radiant Presence,
Seeing Thee in all and all in Thee.
Grant Thou the boon of constant remembrance.
--Natchintanai. 73.
He urged people from all walks of life to continue to build up the citadel of Faith in God. It was only when one learnt to walk in the presence of God, and learnt to dedicate his actions unto Him, that life too became significant. He stressed always that the Sivathondar should get together and examine their own true self as in a Jnana-Laboratory, in which the alchemy of a dedicated life with its emphasis on love and sacrifice would be produced. Sivathondu was the work of God. It was a movement and a mission. the sanatana dharma needed to be translated into forms of conduct. He gave such emphasis to the fundamental values of Hindu Dharma, to the ideals of good behaviour, self-restraint, respect for elders, patience, and devotion to God. He was truly a living symbol of the highest tradition of Hindu religion.
“I am He whom I love and
He who loves is I”--
So said the great Sage of his Guru Chellappa Swami and added this tribute of love on the eve of his Maha Samadhi:
“If I served my Guru and Lord as a slave for ever and ever, I should not have given him a return of even a thousand part of a thousand of what I owe him.”
It is not enough to know Swami. It is not enough to serve Swami by this and that act of devotion, in meetings of remembrance, by retreats and worshipful acts. His light shining as the radiance of Truth pervades everywhere; He is our father and mother, and in his strengthening, protecting ray can we seek the solace of our lives. It is enough if we can Love him, with all our heart and soul. 'Then alone will he abide in me, and I in him.'
“Show me the beauty of Thyself in me,
Link me to the truth of myself in Thee.”
--Natchintanai. 86.
The Guru is our Beloved Child. He has to be nursed, nourished and cherished within the bosom of our soul. He is the light of our life, the Atma Jyothi, the luminous self. If we practise discrimination, we can awaken the babe of love and then shall Grace invade our hearts with the divine harmony of Peace.
Swami's predominant stress is on Anubhuti--Experience. It gives the true meaning of life. If Sivam is the goal, and Tiruvadi--His gracious Holy Feet the means, to Him should be directed the Sivathondu, which we must perform in the right spirit of love and understanding. Swami's Natchintanai is itself a work of love of the highest culmination, and it is also the work of Truth evoking the highest response of love.
The Guru advocates at every step that man must have singleness of aim, and trust God above all things. However the change of the inner choice from wordly interests to His service, does not lie in one's own power, and cannot be merited by one's own work; that something must precede which lies in the will of no man, as the final and true reason for liberation. This is the eternal election and the divine gift of Grace. Swami's Testament of Truth is the Satya-Vac which declares that He is the Way, the Door that leads to the Reality, the Truth, Satyasya Satyam, of that thou art. C.U.6.10.3. The knowers of Truth, the contemplatives, the Sivathondar can enter in only through the door of Grace to the Home of Mukti--Jnana Veedu.
Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy illustrates in his own inimitable manner:
“How does one attain? No act, no human means procures it. It is the 'Causeless act,' that has no cause in work of man. Only by the grace of God is it thine without a cause.
It is God himself elects.”
“And whom He chooses, him He gives at once freedom from lust, and power to know. Thus guided, with heart and sense to Him alone, the Self of all that is, One gains the highest place, the eternal Home of God.”
This is the way to regain one's supernal true self. The Guru beckons everyone to follow zealously the paths of Sariyai, Kriyai and Yoga as the means to attain Jnana. He bade his devotees to visit temples and make regular offerings of worship, to conform to the sacred, sacramental and ritual customs, to join the company of truth-seekers and the assembly of the pious, to read Holy Scriptures, to sing and relish the sweetness found in religious Devarams and psalms, to practice daily worship, meditation and reflection and thereby attain liberation.
“Wherever you seek, dipping in sacred waters
In ups and downs of a wanderer's world,
Rest will ye no where find--
And yet is rest in every place--
To serve Him--that is rest. (Peace, Santi)
Praise Him--Aum--Great Siva, propitiator!
Salutations to the Holy Feet of the Master Sivathondan”!
Swami bids everyone to carry out the work of Siva, the Hindu term for the Auspicious, Supreme One; not to abide by man's choice but His! Man should only be a tuned instrument, and Siva the mighty musician will play whatever tune He wills, The Supreme Siva is the grand servant of man. He is the bondslave--Sivathondan. Everything in this world pulsates to His will. Therefore man cannot alienate himself from other objects and subjects, for he and everything in this universe must abide and witness the pageant of sacrificial service--Sivathondu, performed by Siva. When He moves we move; when He acts, we follow to the rhythm of consecrated service to the pinnacle of Wisdom, Love and Bliss. Swami's transmission can be heard in any wavelength, for so powerful is the voltage of his transmitter. He is the magnetic Sivathondan, who urges the aspiring Sivathondar to live and work in the light of Truth, and transform the whole world into a powerhouse generating spiritual light and wisdom.
His life affirming mission entails arduous preparation. He enjoins that in the first instance, Man must know himself. “Study the scriptures and see yourself by yourself, and see yourself in others and see yourself in Siva, the Supreme One. Purity, study of the sacred scriptures, a strict disciplinary conduct, and charity are the ways by which man can experience this change of heart.”
He urges the aspirants to remember and chant incessantly the name of God--Sivayanama--till it becomes as involuntary as breathing. The incantation of His Name will effect absolute purification within and without, and give one the patience and forbearance so necessary for inward Peace. Once man is immersed in serenity or santam, no discord or sorrow can assail him, and he can break through the barriers of duality. He can thence strengthen himslef by acts of charity.
In the last phase of his earthly life, Swami would enjoin his friends to get absorbed “in practising Dana or charity at all levels, at all times and to all alike. Give food, give clothing, give instruction, give labour and toil, give your riches, give any offering that you possess and build up the pinnacle of love, and thereby you cease to be troubled by differentiation and divisions, and the play of opposites.” This is the message of the gracious Guru who knows Himself, and whose sweep of Grace permeates with the supreme power of love.
There is another striking characteristic of Swami which he shared with the Rishis of the Upanishad era. He sees the power of Siva as the divine Energy who moves the world to all kinds of activities, and like the child-Saint Tirujnanasambandar places himself on the lap of the Mother to play, nestle, cherish and rear him, inorder that he may become a peerless Sivathondan. Thus Sivathondu symbolises the magnificent offering of the Divine Grace of Siva in the form of Siva-Sakthi, who inturn activates the whole universe to action. The sun, the moon and the stars perform Sivathondu and they revolve in the orbit of His Effulgence. Man too should likewise pursue the course of Sivathondu. The remembrance of the Name, the letters five, Sivayanama, the word of Siva, the footstool of Grace, constitute the power divine which will lead man to submit himself to the sacramental work of Sivathondu and fulfil his destiny.
It was not in his marga to preach any set doctrine. He never gave any commandments. His detachment was so pronounced that even in the midst of a crowd, he would carry the peace of his seclusion unto himself. The acme of his Self-realisation became so evident when he would initiate this activity and that, but would completely dissociate himself from it and would remain a witness. Thus his Sivathondu became identified with that of his Sivathondar, while he remained immuned to the world. It would seem that nature also had lost her power to affect him in any way. “Wherever you are, there I am,” was his refrain, and this unitive Yoga without the formalities of initiation became one of his significant service to humanity.
He remained a faithful vassal like St. Sundarar, an obedient servant of the Siva-Guru, so that his followers too may become loyal bondsmen bound by the sustaining cords of devotion and obedience to their Guru. we recall here that Sri Rama contented himself to be a student than a teacher, and Sri Krishna became a charioteer for Arjuna, and Saint Appar even after the highest realisation performed Sivathondu to the very end of his days in obedience to the will of the Lord.
The author of Periya Puranam too testifies, that the enlightened fraternity of the votaries of Siva foster goodwill and harmony, and promote benevolence in this world. In his inspired Sayings, Swami makes frequent references to the beatitude of the legion of servitors of Siva:
He compares the Sivanadiyar to the lotus leaf, which cannot be polluted by the water beneath or above it. We share his rippling buoyancy when he calls us, even the lowliest of us, to join this happy band. We come into his own, for are we not the inheritors of the Gurudeva's legacy of Grace? At his Feet, we consecrate our all. Thus do we raise his soulful incantation night and day:
Oh Peerless Gurunath! Precious Teacher divine!
Grant thy Grace that my equanimity be not dimmed.
That I may for ever realise thy bliss ineffable,
Free me from fearful ills and perfect me.
Will thou not melt my stony heart that I may enjoy
Sweet felicity untainted by karmic deeds of yore.
Lead me to the goal where Thou and I art One,
And infuse me with the madness of love infinite.
Wandering far and wide, listless and restless,
Thy grace I seek to see that Thou art all.
Oft do I pant like the ensnared deer at bay,
And like the churned whey, baffled my mind becomes.
Reveal the beauty of Thyself hidden deep within me,
And so may I realise the truth that I abide in Thee.
Illumine me with the glory of the speechless Word,
And guide me to expunge all vicious ties.
My closest bonds have fled far and away,
No other links have I but thine alone.
--Natchintanai. 85.
GOD IS ONE AND WORLD OUR KIN
We see the Truth that God is One,
And behold the whole world as our kin.
We'll not swerve from the path of Dharma,
Nor shall we disown parental dictum.
Whatsoe'er comes and goes affect us not,
For no longer are we enticed by worldly gains.
We'll wear the badge of service in humility,
And shall never forget the Feet of the SatGuru.
The law of the land shall we not violate,
Nor will we waste our moments idly.
Fear and anger have we subdued,
And to none shall we bow in deference,
We'll not submit to false doctrines,
Neither will we spurn the creed of others.
We'll not pursue sense-enjoyments
But keep ourselves above unrighteous acts.
We shall master the psychic science and arts;
And restrain anger with the mind under control.
We shall till the soil and harbour not ill-will.
We'll go far and wide and spread the gospel fine.
In exaltation whall we soar from earth to heaven,
And rejoice in the infinitude of Siva.
Benevolent shall be our deeds without any taint,
And equity will be our motto for all creeds.
--Natchintanai. 255-256.
To these ennobling servitors of Siva who gloat in the grace of the SatGuru, the voice of the Guru is heard. It is like the music of the drum, the thuduku, that announces the triumphant manifestation, the Dance of Siva whose face gleams with tranquil calm.
“It is not external acts performed with tools of the body and mind that enhance your service unto Siva.
SivaThondu is a state of Being, a blissful state of Peace in activity and non-activity--a discipline of the soul.”
His Ineffable Grace
The essence of Grace in the form of the Guru is embodied in Swami's songs, in consonance with the Saiva doctrine of Grace. 'To behold the feet of saints is to behold the Form of Grace.' SivaJnana-Siddhiar hails these bondsmen of Siva as indistinquishable from Siva:
“They are God to me who mediate on Him day and night, drawing nigh and nigher unto Him. He indeed is the Light of eye-light and the innermost sense of Truth burning brightly in the broad heavens.”
St. Tayumanavar glorifies the Master Sivathondan who shepherds the flock of Sivanadiyar to the realm of Realisation:
“To class or caste he lays no claim,
Or note of character or name;
He knows not any need;
No stir of passion does he feel,
Or of possession's strong appeal,
The lure of gain and greed;
By ties of home he is not bound
By child or wife, for he has found
Rest, from all sorrow freed.
So devoted a man deserves to be
Deemed Siva HimSelf, whose gift is Mukti indeed.”
The band of Sivathondar who gaze at the gracious eyes of the Guru are rapt in tranquillity, as they hear the Consecration Chant from the Vedas, sung by one of their own, at the bidding of the Master. It is a prayer for purity and for exceeding purity to perfume life with the aroma of Divine Grace!
Aum! May the vitalising incoming (Praana), out pouring
(Apaana), all pervading (Vyaana), uplifting (Udaana), nourishing
(Samaanaa)--the five life-breaths in me be purified.
Jyotir Aham. Light am I.
Stainless and sinless may I become.
Obeisance I offer--Svaahaa.
Aum! Earth, Water Fire, Air Ether in me, may they be purified. --Jyothir Aham...
Aum! Sound, Touch, Form, Taste Smell in me, may they be purified. --Jyotir Aham...
Aum! Speech, Body, Actions in me, may they be purified.
--Jyotir Aham...
Aum! The food (physical) vital, mental, intuitional,
blissful natures in me, may they be purified.
--Jyotir Aham...
Aum! The Self in me, may It be purified.
--Jyotir Aham...
Aum! The Inner Self (Antaraatma) in me, may It be
purified. --Jyotir Aham...
Aum! The Supreme Self (Paramaatmaa) in me, may It be purified.
Light am I--Jyotir Aham
Stainless and sinless may I become--
Virajaa Vipaapmaa bhu yaa sam.
Obeisance I offer--Svaahaa:
Om Santi, Santi Santi.”
In all these multitudinous ways, our Gurunathan taught the people who gathered round him, the great ideal of Pravriti Dharma--the Dharma of activity, though in his life, he was an expression of Nivrtti Dharma--the Dharma of renunciation. Swami's magnetic presence attracted both bird, beast and man. He loved everyone alike, so much so that everyone left his presence with the faith that he himself was the special object of affection. This was because he had realised his Oneness with all beings, and immortalised the Oneness by his overflowing love qnd grace. His advent in our midst has been the greatest blessing, and the most inspiring act of God to the gracious Land of Lanka. No power on earth can assail the land or its people, with whom he cast his lot and lived as a witness of Divine Grace.
Oh come, all ye faithful!
And reflect on these living words,
That God is One and world too is One.
Joyful ye become with the earth too rejoicing.
This goal of excellence seek with discernment,
For ye are not earthy but the pleroma of wisdom.
Thy inexpressible greatness, who can extol?
Know ye that fire cannot consume you,
Neither can the love-laden zephyr oppress you,
Nor the gloom of earth, or ether afflict you.
The rippling waters pierce not their chill on you.
Ye are undying, sempiternal! Let unalloyed bliss
Fill the interstices of your heart.
Ye who've overcome the bias of caste and creed,
Be established in the dharma of verity (Justice).
And be not lured by sense perceptions false.
Ne'er will ye be exposed to any peril whatsoe'er,
But be aware of your duty and do it well.
The felicity of realisation is yours as ever,
And the world lies within the clasp of your hand.
Let there be no iota of doubt in what I say:
Reflect! The SatGuru is your sole Refuge,
While you remain a mere spectator.
The wondrous twin Feet, for ever Hail!
--Natchintanai. 94.