INVOCATION TO VINAYAKA
He who has the five hands and the elephant's face,
Whose tusk is even as the crescent moon,
The son of Nandi, the Flower of Wisdom,
Him I cherish in thought, His feet adore.
PAYIRAM: PROEM
(Verses 1 to 112)
1 IN PRAISE OF GOD
1: One Is Many
The One is He, the Two His sweet Grace,
In Three He stood, in all the Four witnessed,
The Five He conquered, the Six He filled,
The Seven Worlds pervades, manifests the Eight
And so remains.
2: Defies Death
The Holy One who all life sustains,
Lord of Her, beloved of all the world,
He who spurned Yama, the Southern Qrarter's King
Of Him I sing, His glory and praise.
3: Immortals Adore
He who stands the same to all,
The Pure One, whom immortal Gods adore,
Whom, even they, that daily stand beside, know not,
Him I seek, praise, and meditate.
4: Dispells Gloom
The Truth of Spaces Vast, Seek of the Universe orb,
Our Haven of Refuge, He bade me seek and find,
Him I praised by night and day,
And praising thus, gloom{-}dispelled,
I held firm in this world of strifes.
5: Siva Is Nonpareil
Search where ye will, there's no God like Siva,
None here below to equal Him in glory;
Lotus like, He, of gleaming matted locks,
Golden in splendour, beyond the worlds, apart.
6: Omni-Competent
Without Him, there be Celestials none,
Without Him, penance is not,
Without Him, naught the Three accomplish,
Without Him, I know not the City's Gate.
7: Divine Father
Primal First is He, older than the Co-eval Three
But the Lord is He peerless, unequalled;
Call Him "Father," and Father He to thee,
Inside you He flames in the Lotus of golden hue.
8: Kinder Than Mother
Hotter is He than fire, cooler than water;
And yet none knows of His Grace abounding;
Purer than the child, kinder by far than the mother,
Nearest to Love is He, of the flowing matted locks.
9: All Worship Him
Gold-bewrought, His matted locks fall back and gleam;
Nandi, His name,
My Lord is He, ever by me worshipt;
But none there be whom He worships.
10: Omnium Gatherum
Holding the worlds apart, as the Heavens high He spreads;
Himself the scorching Fire, Sun and Moon,
Himself the Mother that sends down the rains
Himself the mountains strong and oceans cold.
11: Effort And Fruit
Near and far I look; but around the Being First,
No other God, I see, mightier than He;
Himself the effort, and Himself, too, effort's end;
Himself the rains, Himself the clouds rain-laden,
The Nandi named.
12: Beyond Comprehension
The One of the fore-head eye, in Love Supreme, unmoved,
Dead were the countless Devas,
Born were the myriads on earth;
Upward they climbed to lives beyond count,
Yet none did know the Lord was He.
13: Immeasurable
Mal who spanned the earth and Brahma the Lotus seated one,
And others of the Gods fathomed Him not;
There be none to measure Him that measured the Heav'ns
And thus He stood, all visions transcending.
14: Transcends All
Transcended He Brahma on the lotus-seat,
Transcended Mayan, the ocean-hued,
Transcended He, Isan, who transcends all,
Transcended He space infinite, witnessing all.
15: Blossoms As All
Into Brahma did He expand, into Hara did He,
And into the soul of the body He pervades
As the Effulgence Divine, the Dharmic law limitless,
The Eternal and the Everlasting.
16: Confers Wisdom On Gods
He, of the matted locks, the odorous Konrai clustering,
He, of the Divine Consort with forehead divinely gleaming,
He, whom the Immortals and Devas sought,
Wisdom to learn, Ignorance to dispel.
17: Love Profound
Howe'er well the two garlics and musk boil and mix,
Yet will musk's fragrance stand o'ertopping all,
So may all space mix and hold the God as One,
Yet, upwelling, pours forth Isan's love profound.
18: Munificent
The Supreme Lord saw Alagai King's penance devout,
Much pleased, He made the King Lord of all Riches;
Even so, approach the Lord, noble deeds performing;
For thus says the Lord, "Hold this lordship!"
19: Created Universe
He, the Wisdom Primeval, He made the City Ancient
Of the seven meadows, fragrant-spiced;
He fixed the Moon, and to penance inclining,
He abides there, making that His seat.
20: In Mount Kailas
Seek the Abode of the Holy,
Who, of yore, created Birth and Death
A high hill it is, where thunders roar and lightnings flash,
Where fragrant flowers bud and bloom,
His mighty likeness it bears.
21: Comes Speeding
Sing His praise! Oh how quick He comes!
He, the Lord, who in one fell sweep the wild elephant slashed,
The Lord who ends this muddy vesture's mortal coil,
Of the Heavenly Hosts, of Brahma Divine,
Of Mal, hued like the clouds rain-borne.
22: Seek Him, He Seeks You
This Lord of Maya-land that has its rise in the mind,
He, the Being without thought, knows yet all our thoughts;
Some be who groan,"God is not to me a friend;"
But, sure, God seeks those who seek their souls to save.
23: Infinite Grace
The Mighty Lord, the God of Fire, set amidst the seas,
Whom the comprehending souls never deny;
He, the Lord of the Heavenly Beings all,
Who, day and night, pours forth His Divine Grace.
24: Firm In Minds Firm
Sing His praise, Sing of His Holy Feet!
Pour all your treasures at Siva'a Sacred Feet!
And they who shake off the clouded eye and disturbed mind,
With them He ever stood, benignantly firm.
25: Illusions Vanish
The Birthless is He, the Divine Mad, of Compassion vast,
The Deathless is He, the Boundless One, Granter of Joys all,
To Him kneel, and, kneeling, shall find
Naught becomes Maya, the bond immemorial.
26: Attain Grace
Adore the Lord, who in unbroken continuity stood,
The Lord who protecting over all earth expanded,
Transcending all He stood; over the lotus bloom aloft,
In smiling glory He sat; Holy be His feet!
27: He Enters Into You
The Infinite of Lotus-Face, rivalling twilight ineffable,
May ours be His Grace Divine!
And they who thus Nandi daily beseech,
Into their Heart, creeping, He comes! He comes!
28: Your Guide
Beckoning He stood, He, the All-pervading;
But they who, doubt-tossed, in self-contention lost,
They stood withered at the root;
To those who freely give themselves to the Lord on High,
To them is He the certain, immutable Guide.
29: Axle-Pin
Oh! You, the Unseen, only kin to this forlorn slave,
Let me not falter to embrace Your feet!
For to the heart of Your servant, pure and true
You ever stood even as the axle-pin.
30: Yearn For Him
As the Heavens draw the rains;
Even so will my Lord draw me to Him?
Thus, doubting, many ask.
But like to the mother-cow, for my Nandi I yearn
And all the world, all the world know it too!
31: Seek Him In Love
Of the Earth is He, of the sky is He! Well He be!
Of the Heaven is He, of truest Gold is He! Well He be!
Of sweetest song's inmost rapture is He!
Him my love besought, from heart's central core.
32: Sing Of Him
The Lord of Gods, and of ours too,
The Lord who all space pervades,
And the seven Worlds, ocean-bound, transcends;
None do know His nature true,
How then may we sing His Grace Divine?
33: Adore Him
Many the Gods this hoary world adores,
Many the rituals; many the songs they sing;
But knowing not the One Truth, of Wisdom bereft
Unillumined, they can but droop at heart.
34*3Chant His Names Thousand
Like the fragrance of the musk the musk-deer constant emits,
Is the True Path which the Lord to Celestials imparts.
Sitting or moving, I chant the rich essence of His Name,
His thousand Names that are with spark divine.
35: Path Crossed
Even the Path impassable is foot-easy made,
If you the Lord praise and Him adore;
The East and West and directions all
He does transmute--and thus dances He the Lord.
36: Praise And Be Blessed
Oh, Heavenly Father, Nandi, the unsurfeiting nectar sweet,
Oh, Bounteous One, Unequalled, First of Time!
Praise Him ever; and even as you praise,
So thine reward will also be.
37: Throbs Within
Daily I kneel and chant Nandi's holy Name;
Envisioned, He stands, the Fire-Hued One,
Flaming like the moon in sky; into me He comes,
And throbs and breathes through my mortal flesh.
38: Greatness Unceasing
I will not cease to speak of Him, the Great, the Rare,
I will not cease to prate of Him, the Form Unborn,
I will not cease to talk of Nandi, the Mighty,
I will never cease, for pure and great am I then!
39: Adore And Attain Grace
He, the Divine Light, shining bright in devotee's heart,
He, of the Holy Waters, wherein He sports,
Him shall we praise, Him call, "Our Lord,"
And, thus adoring, His Grace attain.
40: In The Heart Of The Pure
Humbled and meek, seek thou the Lord's Feet,
Feet that equal the rays of purest gold serene;
Praise Him with songs of the humble heart
And unpenurious tongue;
To such He comes, the all-fashioning Lord.
41: In Depths Of Devotee's Heart
To them He comes, who, in heart's deep confines
Treasure His Name,
The Lord who consumed the deathly poison of hatred born,
Consorting with Her of the gleaming brow,
Conjoint, like the pairing deer in amity sweet.
42: Grants All
They alone attain His Feet, who seek and praise;
To them He shall grant the world the Four-Headed one made;
Full well the elect come, the world of Maya girdling,
One is He with Her of the shoulders reed-shaped.
43: Eternal Grace
To them that speak of Hara's Holy Feet and weep,
To them that daily muse at the Great One's mighty feet,
To them that, in deep devotion fixed, wait to serve,
To them comes the Eternal's all-filling Grace.
44: Shines In Love
"Glory to the Holy Feet," the Devas chant,
"Glory to the Holy Feet," the Asuras hymn,
"Glory to the Holy Feet," the humans, too, echo,
Thus I gloried Him, and in my love He shone.
45: Divine Path
Except by Fate He decrees this sea-girt world revolves not,
Except by Fate He decrees do joys and age arrive not,
Daily pray to the Light Effulgent;
The Divine Path He'll prove, the Sure Sun He'll be.
46: In Heart's Center
"You of the Twilight Hue! O! Hara! O! Siva!"
Thus, His Holy Feet devotees praise and sing;
He of the Primary Hue, the First, the Infinite
Entered my being, my heart's center held.
47: Bliss Denied
In Home is He, like Holy Men is He,
In Thought is He;
Like the kite concealed in the palm's leafy depths,
Your Bliss is for them alone who muse upon You steadfast.
48: Unflickering Lamp
The Lord of Gods, whom the pious adore,
To Him I bend my knees and His Grace invoke,
The Lord, Our Father, blessing us of earth,
The Lamp that flickers not, Him I seek.
49: Sea Of Bondage
Who, on the Lord, Shakti-Consort, meditate,
And take the way of Pasu-Pasa,
They swim across the foaming sea of Sin,
And, swimming, reach the shore of Pasu-Pasa.
50: Seeking Is All
I'll wreathe Him in garland, I'll hug Him to heart;
I'll sing Him His Name and dance with gift of flowers;
Singing and dancing seek the Lord;
This alone I know, only too well I know.
2 GREATNESS OF VEDAS
51: Vedas Proclaim Dharma
No Dharma is, barring what the Vedas say;
Its central core the Vedas proclaim;
And the Wise ones ceased contentious brawls,
Intoned the lofty strains and Freedom's battle won.
52: Truth Of Maker
Brahma spoke the Vedas, but Himself not the goal supreme;
He spoke the Vedas only the great Maker to reveal;
He spoke them for the Holy sacrifices to perform,
He spoke them, the True One to manifest.
53: Moving Mood
In the beauteous Veda, aptly named the Rig,
As the moving mood behind, He stood;
In the trembling chant of the Vedic priests He stood,
Himself the Eye of vision Central.
54: Supreme Path
The Holy Path is naught but the Path Supreme,
Who muse on the Lord, Himself the Path Supreme,
As Material-Immaterial, as Guru Divine,
They reach Siva's Pure Path-so Vedantas all declare.
55: One In Several
Of the One, the Vedas chant in divisions six,
The One who yet in parts divisible does not be,
As divided parts they swam into their ken,
Then upgathered and swelled into the patterned whole.
56: Vedic Sacrifices
Uncaught in the world's web of woman, song and dance,
Such alone seek the holy sacrifice to perform;
But the unpracticed in austerities do but reach
Desire's Abode, misery to find.
3 THE GREATNESS OF THE AGAMAS
57: Agamas From The Fifth Face Of Siva
The Lord that consorts the blue-hued One
Has the Agamas twenty-five and three;
Bowing low, the six and sixty sought
The Fifth-Faced One the Agamas' deep import to expound.
58: Agamas Innumerable
The Sivagamas the Lord by Grace revealed;
In number a billion-million-twenty-eight
In them the Celestials the Lord's greatness gloried;
Him, I too shall muse and praise.
59: Agamic Truths In 18 Languages
In eighteen various tongues they speak
The thoughts which Pandits alone know;
The Pandits' tongues numbering ten and eight
Are but what the Primal Lord declared.
60: Agamas Deep In Content
The Agamas, the Lord by Grace revealed,
Deep and baffling even to the Gods in Heaven;
Seventy billion-millions though they be;
Like writing on the waters, eluding grasp.
61: Agamas Revealed
The Infinite revealing the Infinite Vast
Came down to earth, Siva's Dharma to proclaim,
The immortals, then, Him as Nandi adored,
And He stood forth the Agamas artic'lating.
62: Agamas Transmitted
From Siva the Infinite to Shakti and Sadasiva,
To Maheswara the Joyous, to Rudra Dev and Brahmisa,
So in succession unto Himself from Himself,
The nine Agamas our Nandi begot.
63: Nine Agamas
The Agamas so received are Karanam, Kamigam,
The Veeram good, the Sindam high and Vadulam,
Vyamalam the other, and Kalottaram,
The Subram pure and Makutam to crown.
64: Import Of Agamas
Numberless the Sivagamas composed,
The Lord by His Grace revealed;
Yet they know not the wisdom He taught;
Like writing on water, the unnumbered fade.
65: Revealed Alike In Sanskrit and Tamil
Devoid alike of rain and summer's gift of dew
Even the flashing lake had lost it's vernal bloom
Then did He in Sanskrit and Tamil at once,
Reveal the rich treasure of His Compassion to our Lady Great.
66: Key To Mystery Of Life
Life takes its birth, stands preserved awhile,
And then its departure takes; caught
In that momentary wave of flux, Him we glimpse,
The Lord who in Tamil sweet and northern tongue
Life's mystery revealed.
4 THE GURU HIERARCHY
67: Eight Masters
Seekest thou the Masters who Nandi's grace received
First the Nandis Four, Sivayoga the Holy next;
Patanjali, then, who in Sabha's holy precincts worshipt,
Vyaghra and I complete the number Eight.
68: Eight Nathas
By Nandi's Grace I, His Masters elect,
By Nandi's Grace I Primal First sought;
By Nandi's Grace, what can I perform not?
Nandi guiding, I here below remained.
69: Seven Disciples
By merit of instruction imparting,
Malangan, Indiran, Soman and Brahman,
Rudran, Kalangi and Kancha-malayan,
These seven in my line successive come.
70: Four Nandis
The Four, each in his corner, as Master ruled,
The Four, each his diverse treasure held,
Each in his turn spoke, "Take all I've;"
And thus, Immortals and Masters became.
71: Lord Transcends What He Revealed
The Lord it was who spoke to the Three and to the Four,
He spoke of Death futile and of Birth according;
At once of God and the three Radiant Lights;
Yet His surpassing greatness ne'er fully revealed.
72: Nandis Attain Celestial State
"The Heavens in eight directions may rain,
Yet shall you the Holy rites and pure perform;"
So spoke He of the matted locks and coral hue,
And His Grace conferred on the steadfast Four.
5 HISTORY OF TIRUMULAR
73: In Meekness And Prayer
High on my bowed head Nandi's sacred Feet I bore,
Intoning loud His Name in my heart's deepest core,
Daily musing on Hara wearing high the crescent moon,
Thus I ventured the Agamas to compose.
74: Witnessed Divine Dance
Flashed in my mind the mystic name of Sivagama;
Straight I rose to Arul Nandi's Holy Feet;
These eyes witnessed, enthralled,
The surpassing Dance in Holy Sabh;
Thus I lived and joyed for seven crore Yuga.
75: Lost In Sakti Devotion
Hear O! Indra, what urged me thus?
She the Holy One, Lady of the Universe, rich and vast
In devotion deep and true, Her I adored
And with ardour unceasing, here I pursued.
76: Mystic Truths Flashed
Sadasiva, Tattva, the Muthamil and Veda
Them I sought not while here I stood;
I held them not in the heart; but soon my mind turned,
And indifference abandoning, realised them all.
77: Import Of Siva Dance
This it was, O Malanga, urged me here to come,
The Veda to expound and the Dance Divine's deep import;
These mysteries occult the Lord first unveiled
To Her of the azure hue and jewels bright.
78: Devotion To Sakti
Bright jewelled, the Eternal Bliss named,
She my Saviour, sundering all bonds of birth;
Siva's treasure, Mistress of Avaduthurai cool,
Her Feet I reached and in devotion fast remained.
79: Under The Sacred Bodhi Tree
Fixed in devotion fast I clung to Her Lord-elect,
Rooted firm to Siva who in Avaduthurai smiled;
In devotion fast sought repose under Siva Bodhi's shade,
In devotion fast I chanted
The lyric spell of His countless names.
80: Countless Years In Mortal Body
Remained thus prisoned in mortal coil for ages beyond count;
Remained in space where day nor darkness is;
Remained in places where Devas offered praise,
Remained immutably fix't at Nandi's holy Feet and true.
81: Agamic Truths In Tamil
What availeth thee now to be born,
If to the Lord, the meed of penance you deny?
The Lord made me, my task assigned,
In sweetest Tamil His Glory to expound.
82: Through Ninety Milliion Yugas
While Time's unbroken chain trailed its nine Yuga's length,
Wisdom's Mistress into Nandi's City passed,
And bathed His Feet in Wisdom's loving stream;
And I sat and watched, under the sacred Bodhi tree.
83: From Kailas To Earth
I sought the way countless Devas, Asuras, humans take
To scale the heights; all wisdom conquered;
Thus a Shiv Muni I grew and Siddha true,
Came down here through the cerulean blue.
84: Immortal Body
Of Books that glow and thrill the heart,
The Vedas stand in truth unsurpassed,
The Lord who, the center holding,
Bodied forth the Vedic chants;
Likewise in His Grace to me gave this body-temple to hold.
85: Bliss To Humanity
All the world may well attain the Bliss I have;
Who hold firm to the Heavenly secret the Books impart,
Who chant the hymns that thrill the flesh
And swell the heart,
They, sure, take their place in foremost rank.
86: Garland Of Mantras
The Heavenly Beings with folded hands approach
Nandi the Lord above and free of the bonds of Birth;
Deep in their hearts the Holy Hymns revolve
And, devoutly fixed, chant the immortal strains.
87: Splendour Of Tamil Agamas
In Himself He contained the glowing Fire,
In Himself the Seven Worlds, and yet all space not filling
He contained too the Tamil Sastra, in lone splendour set,
Pregnant of import, deep yet recondite.
88: Baffling Quest Of Brahma And Vishnu
Ayan and Mal, His Head and Foot toiling sought,
Baffled in their quest, again on earth they met;
"I saw not the Foot," Achuth plained,
"The Head I saw," Ayan falsely claimed.
89: Lord Blessed Tirumular
Nandi, by bull, deer and axe ever attended,
Nandi, my Lord, the Cause without Cause,
Creation's limit in His Thought conceived to me revealed,
And on my lowly head He planted His Holy Feet.
90: Basic Spiritual Categories
So impelled, streamed out of me in measures full
The Jneya, the Jnana, and the Jnathuru,
The Maya, and the Parayaya that in Mamaya arise,
The Siva and the Agochara Veeya.
91: From Siva's Seat To Earth
Thus expounding I bore His Word
Down Kailas's unchanging path,
The Word of Him, the Eternal, the Truth Effulgence,
The Limitless Great, Nandi, the Joyous One,
He of the Blissful Dance that all impurity dispels.
92: Form-Formless Sadasiva State
With Nandi's Grace I sought the Primal Cause,
With Nandi's Grace I Sadashiv became,
With Nandi's Grace Truth Divine attained,
With Nandi's Grace I so remained.
93: God Within Vedic Hymns
In the countless measures that are in Veda Rig,
He indwells with His radiant locks;
The Sun and Moon with their splendid argent rays,
In vain they melt the waxing lustre of His glowing locks.
94: Night And Day Yearn For Him
Unceasing, I prattle daily Nandi's name,
By day praise Him in thought and ;by night as well,
Daily I yearn for my Master, the Light-Hued,
The Lord of the uncreated Radiant Flame.
6 IN HUMILITY
95: Infinite Greatness!
Who can know the greatness of our Lord!
Who can measure His length and breadth!
He is the mighty nameless Flame;
Whose unknown beginnings I venture to speak.
96: Poor Qualifications
I know not the way singers sing,
I know not the way dancers dance,
I know not the way seekers seek,
I know not the way searchers search.
97: Power Of Prayer
By words spoken in Truth's luminous accents,
Rising on sweetest music's pious heights
Even Brahma who after Him created this our world,
All, all, seek His imperishable Light.
98: God's Deep Mystery
At the foot of the Sacred Hills, the Rishis and Devas sat,
Seeking Liberation's endless Bliss,
Devoutly praising, yet knowing not,
So this deep Mystery I here expound.
7 THE HOLY HYMNS THREE THOUSAND
99: Path To God
Three Thousand Holy Hymns, Mula in Tamil composed,
Did He, Nandi, reveal for all the world to know,
Wake early at dawn and pour forth the strains
Surely you'll win the splendid soft repose
Of the Bosom of the Lord.
100: General And Specialised Knowledge
In the Holy Three Thousand is the Salvation Finale
Of the diverse works, true and good;
In the Divine Three Thousand, original and wise,
All knowledge is, special and general.
8 THE SPIRITUAL HIERARCHY
101: Seven Holy Orders
Seven are the Holy Order, spiritual and true;
Mula, of the first, from the Himalayas sprung,
In the Tantras Nine and Hymns Three thousand
Propounds the Word of Agama in beauty dight.
102: Heads Of Seven Orders
Kalanga immanent-living, Agora his very next,
Maligai Deva the goodly and the holy Nadhanta,
Paramananta, who the senses conquered and Bhogadeva,
And Mula here breathing--of the Eternal are they all.
103: Hara, Hari And Aya
Limitless youth, the beginning, and end
And measuring out the Time, these four considered
Sankara stands supreme and of His devotees
To Hari and Aya infinite Grace goes.
104: Trinity--One Continuity
He, the Being First, and He, the Emerald-hued,
And He of the glowing, original Lotus-seat--
Are these three separate or one continuous whole?
Thus the world in divisions many wrangle!
105: God Is One
Beyond the Two Karmas is Isa seated,
The seed of this world, the mighty God become;
"This" and "That" is Isa--so the thoughtless contend,
The dross but know the basest sediment low.
106: Nine Aspects Of One Being
Siva the First, then the Three, and the Five following,
With whom flourished Bindu and Nada,
Nine are they all, yet one and the same--
All these but names of Sankara First.
107: Trinity Are Kin
But if we thus the soul of truth probe and bare,
Aya nor Mal to us no alien Beings are
But Indissolubly Kin to Nandi, the Three Eyed
Blessed be ye all by the Heavenly Three.
108: Trinity Are Co-Equals
Lying prostrate I adored the Milk-hued One,
While countless Devas stood around in melting prayers lost;
Then spoke the Lord to me:
"To Vishnu and Brahma are I equal;
Be it Yours to give the world
The Grace of My Feet."
109: All Gods Are But The One Siva
Devas here be none, nor humans that breathe,
Save for Siva's grace, Siva in honeyed-Konrai decked;
No other God could dwell in the silence of your soul,
Other Gods you worship, know they but mortals be.
110: Assign Not Ranks To Trinity
The ignorant know not, from the First did leap
The Light that flamed into Three and Five;
So blindly groping, lost in maze of words,
Isa, Mal and Aya, to graded ranks assign.
111: One And Many
The Supreme is one, Absolute, without lapse,
In descent thereof, Mal and Aya becoming;
Thus He, the One into many ranked;
By conscious choice a Self-deduction made.
112: Siva Is Jeeva
In one Part, He, Sadasiva my Lord;
One heavenly Part in Heaven resides;
One Kingly Part, the spirit that the body heaves;
One His Part to all motion transformed.