(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
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