You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - Nov 2004

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00052 Nov 2004

 
Nov 2004 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]




         (continued from Part 6 posted earlier)

******************************************************

That the accounts and narratives found in the the
"purANA" do inspire and sustain the "jignyAsu's"
faculty of Wonder, and that they form an essential
part too of his Way of Worship, is clearly evidenced
in the lives of the great saints of India, and
especially those of the SriVaishnavite tradition --
those mystics known as the 'AzhwAr-s'. 

NammAzhwAr was the foremost among the 12 AzhwArs. He
was a 'gnyAni', a 'yogi', a realized soul. For most
part of his life he spent time in solitude, penance
and spiritual meditation. But now and then, for brief
spells of time, he did come out of seclusion and
mingle with the ordinary world. It was in those brief
but lucid moments that he sang his famous mystical
outpouring of God-devotion, called in Tamil as the
"tiruvoimOzhi".

In the songs of the "tiruvoimOzhi" one easily finds
unmistakable proof that a "jignyAsu" indeed draws much
of his capacity for Wonder through constant
recollection and contemplation of the "purAnA". 

In the following verses of NammAzhwAr we find some 
truly illuminating examples of the "jignyAsu's" mode
of inquiry into God and the wonderment derived
therefrom. Engaging in ceaseless questioning... in
"pari-prashna"... NammAzhwAr's verses speak the
typical language of the "jignyAsu" indeed. The sample
of verses is a very beautiful one indeed and they are
all based on allusions to one "paurAnic" event or the
other. (English translation from the Tamil by the
well-known poet A.K.Ramanujam in his book "Hymns for
the Drowning"):    
      
(1) maayaa! vaamanaNnE!* madhuchoothaa! neeyaruLaay,*
theeyaay neeraay nilanaay* vichumpaayk kaalaay,*
thaayaay thandhaiyaay* makkaLaay maRRumaay muRRumaay,*
neeyaay neenNinRavaaRu* ivai enna niyaayangaLE!              
                           7.8.1

"Worker of miracles,
 magical dwarf,
  and killer of the demon
      named Honey,

only you can tell us:

becoming father, mother,
 and the children too
 and all others
 and all things unnamed,

the way you stand there,
 being yourself --

what's it all about?"

                    ++++++

(2) angaN malarththaN thuzaaymudi*
achchuthaNnE!aruLaay,*
thingaLum NYaayiRumaaych* chezumpal chudaraay
iruLaay,*
pongu pozimazaiyaayp* pukazaay paziyaayp pinnumnNee,
vengaN veNGkooRRamumaam* ivai enna vichiththiramE!         
                            7.8.2

"O lord unending
 wearing honey flowers
  and basil leaf
 in your hair

tell us this:

as moon
  as sun
    as the amazing numberless stars

as darkness
  and as torrents of rain

as honour
  as shame

and as death
  with his cruel eyes

how fantastic 
  can you get?"

                  ++++++++

(3) chiththirath thErvalavaa!*
thiruchchakkaraththaay!aruLaay,*
eththanaiyOrukamum* avaiyaay avaRRuL iyalum,*
oththavoN palporuLkaL* ulappillana vaayviyavaay,*
viththagaththaay nNiRRi nee* ivai enna vitamangaLE!       
                                7.8.3

"You do stunts
  with your chariots

the discus your weapon:

tell us how

  managing every one of the four ages
  becoming every little thing in them

      harmonious now
        now quite contrary

you stand there

a marvel 
 of contradictions!"

                  ++++++++

(4) mayakkaa! vaamanaNnE!* mathiyaam vaNNam
onRaruLaay,*
ayarppaayth thERRamumaay*azalaayk kuLiraayviyavaay,*
viyappaay venRikaLaay*vinaiyaayp payaNnaayp
pinnumnNee,*
thuyakkaay neenNinRavaaRu* ivai enna thuyarangaLE!         
                              7.8.6

"Dwarf,
  you confuse everyone.

But make me understand:

becoming oblivion, memory,
  heat, cold,
  all things wonderful,
   and wonder itself,

becoming every act of success,
 every act of good and evil,
  and every consequence,

becoming even the weariness
 of lives,

you stand there --
and what misery you bring!"
                   
                 +++++++++

(5)viNmeedhiruppaay! malaimEl niRpaay!*
kadalsErppaay,*
maNmeedhuzhalvaay!* ivaRRuLengum maRaindhu uRaivaay,*
eNMeedhiyanRa puRavandaththaay!* enadhaavi,*
uNmeedhaadi* urukkaattaathE oLippaayO?  6.9.5

"You dwell in heaven
  stand on the sacred mountain
  sleep on the ocean
  roll around in the earth

yet hidden everywhere
  you grow
  invisibly:

moving within
  numberless outer worlds

playing within my heart
 yet not showing your body

will you always play hide and seek?"

                  +++++++++
                 ***********
              (to be continued)

Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan




________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partner online
Go to: http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matrimony





------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar.
Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/VkWolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    SriRangaSri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 




[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list