Sri. Arunachala Akshara Manamalai Verse # 50

Sri aruNaachala akshara maNamaalai ஸ அரண சல அகரமணம லல in Tamizh and Roman Transliteration with word-by-word meaning and explanatory notes.

Click on link below for verse 49 & 50 chanting in an audio file: http://tinyurl.com/dcq4o5 1. The source Tamizh text used for the first 44 verses was 'sri aruNaachala sthuthi panchakam viLakkavurai - mudhaR baagam (explanatory text OR commentary - Part I) by Sri. saadhu oom ஸ அரண சல ஸதத பஞசகம - வ ளககவலர

- மதற ப கம

---- ஸ ச த ஓம அரள யத

2. the second part of the above mentioned book was never published, hence, from verse # 45, the explanatory notes is compiled based on different sources mainly from the sayings of Shri. Bhagavaan, Shri. Muruganaar, Shri. Saadhu Om Swaamigal and some specific written material including: a) Written manuscript of notes from Sri. saadhu oom swaamigaL's answers and words to devotees b) Sri. muruganaar's i) virutthiyurai / 'வ ரதத யலர ' on Shri. AAM (expanded notes) & ii) Guru Vaachaka'k Kovai ('Compilation of Guru's Words') / 'கர வ சகக கக லவ ' a joint work with Shri. Bhagavaan c) Ramanashree Sri. B. Ananthaswami's explanatory notes (urai viLakkam / 'உலர வ ளககம ' ) called ramaNiiyam 'ரமண&யம ' – published by sri ramaNa keendra, Chennai d) Sri saadhu oom swaamigaL's i) sri aruNaachala akshara maNamaalaiyin virivu'p paamaalai ( 'ஸ அரண சல அகரமணம லலய ன வ ரவப ப ம லல ' / sri aruNaachala akshara maNamaalai's 'expanded verses' ), ii) Shri. Ramana Sahasram / 'ஸ ரமண ஸஹஸரம ' , compilation of 1000 verses on Shri. Bhagavaan and iii) explanatory notes on Shri. ramaNobadeesa nuunmaalai / 'ஸ ரமகண பகதச நனம லல ' (Garland of Shri. ramanaa's works on Teachings) 3. sri. aruNaachala akshara maNamaalai is in the form of "kuraL" கறள (or couplets), which are short two line verses. The first line has 4 wordclusters and the second has 3; wordcluster is a word or a wordcombo that is pronounced together when the verses are chanted. A wordcluster is called 'siir ' / ச/ர in Thamizh (the "ii" is pronounced like "ee" in the word "peel"). 4. The verses start with each letter (both vowels and consonants) of Tamizh language. Notes on Tamizh alphabets used by Shri. Bhagavaan to begin the AAM verses : From verse 1 through 14, Shri. Bhagavaan used Thamizh vowels with their 'short' and 'long' versions as the starting letters of each verse: a (அ), aa (ஆ), i (இ), ii (ஈ), u (உ), uu (ஊ), e (எ), ee (ஏ), ai (ஐ), o (ஒ), oo (ஓ), au (ஒள) ஃ (please note: the last aaytha ezhuttu ஃ is not generally used to begin any Thamizh word and was also not used by Shri. Bhagavaan to start any AAM verse (just for reference, it is used in the 2nd line of 3rd verse of upadesa undhiyar )) (also please note, there are 3 verses starting with the first letter 'a' / அ making the total 14) Then, from verse # 15 through 38, he used the first two consonant 'ka' and 'sa' with all their associated versions (uyir-mey ezhuththu'kkaL): ka*kaa*ki*kii**ku**kuu**ke**kee**kai*ko*koo**kau**sa**saa**si*sii**su**suu**se**see**sai**so**soo*sau க க

க க/ க க கக கக லக கக

கக

ககD ச ச

ச ச/ ச ச கச கச லச கச

The next eleven verses (#39 thru # 49) started with alphabets nja ஞ, njaa ஞ thaa / த

கச

கசD

and nji ஞH., tha / த ,

, thi / த , thii / த& , thu / த , thuu / த , the / கத, thee / கத and the current verse (#50)

with thai / லத (pronounced like ' thy' in the phrase 'thyroid ' or it could also be the 'dhy' sound ).

Verse 50: 'True Home' Last verse (#49) praised Lord Sri. aruNaachalaa as 'The Treasure' of Grace attained without seeking. This verse (#50) describes the inadequacy of just ego's effort in seeking and finding Sri. aruNaachalaa's True Home. Click on link below for verse 49 & 50 chanting in an audio file: http://tinyurl.com/dcq4o5

dhairiya moodumun meyyaga naada.yaan (t)Rattazhin dheenaru LaruNaachalaa த ரய ம

டமன

றடடழந

ம யயக

ம னர

ந ட .ய ன

ளரணசல

with word-splits:

dhairiyam oodum un mey agam naada yaan thattu azhindheen aruL aruNaachalaa. பதசகசதததடன : / pada'ch cheedatthudan :

த ரய டட

ஓட

உன

அழநம ன

ம ய அரள

அக

ந ட

அரணசல

ய ன .

word by word meaning:

அரணசல

aruNaachchalaa

(Oh) aruNaachalaa !

ஓடம

oodum

With

லதரயம

dhairiyam

courage,

ந ட

naada

(when I ) 'sought' / 'went to'

உன

un

Your

கமய

mey

True (or 'Truth')

அகம

agam

Home (or 'inside')

ய ன

yaan

I

அழ நகதன

azhindheen

lost (I got destroyed)

தடட

thattu

'(my) balance' or '(my) wants' or '(my) scarcity' or '(my) hurdle'

அரள

aruL

Grace

Oh aruNaachalaa ! As I sought Your True Home [or 'Your Truth inside myself'] with the courage of my (limited and conditioned ) individuality, I lost my balance and got confused and perplexed [or 'got overturned like a boat caught in the stormy sea'] (therefore), please bestow Your Grace on me. OR

Oh aruNaachalaa ! With the strength and courage of Your Grace, as I sought Your True Home (The Heart Cave) , the 'I' sense was completely lost. Note: the combo word thattazhidhal / தடடழ தல (thattu + azhidhal / meanings: confusion, derangement, perplexity, anarchy, defeat...

தடட + அழ தல ) has many

In addition, the word thattu / தடட itself lends multiple meanings to the verse. We shall see these as well as the beauty of the verse and its many interpretations in the vilakkavurai as elaborated by Sri. Saadhu Oom SwaamigaL .....

கப ழ பபலர

/ pozhippurai / condensed meaning (from Sri. Muruganaar's virutthiyurai ):

aruNaachalaa ! purusha'p pirayatthanam koNdu nin uNmaiyaana soruubhatthai ennaagatthee aaraayndhu aRiya'th thalaippattu, (ammuyaRchi avalamaaga ozhiya ) en aRivaa(t)RRal kettu naan alamandhazhindheen. (en aaNava'p pizhaiyai'p poRutthu, nin soruubam kaaNa) enakku aruL seyvaay. அரணசல

! பரஷப

மச ரப த (அ மயறச

ன

எனனக ம அவல

அல ந ழநம ன மச ரப

பரய க

ஆர யநத

ஒழய )

. (என

மக ணட என

ஆணவப

நன

உணத ய ன

அறய

லபபடட

அறவ றறல

பத0தயப

மகடட

மப ற த

ந ன ,

நன

க ண ) எனகக அரள மசயவ ய .

aruNaachalaa ! Supported by my limited human will power (and enthusiasm), I embarked upon this effort to analyze and understand Your True Form inside myself, however, failing miserably, I am now drained off my knowledge and ability. (Please pardon my mistakes due to egotism and arrogance) and bestow Your Grace (for gaining Your True Form). vilakkavurai (explanatory notes) / வ ளககவலர This verse also, like many other verses of this extremely profound and literary work Sri. aruNaachala akshara maNamaalai, lends itself nicely to depict several deep meanings. Taken as autobiographical, the verse recounts two important events in Sri. Bhagavaan's life, first his death-like experience, swift self inquiry into the true nature and the awakening and secondly, his instant decision to abandon home and the consequent advent into Thiruvannamalai, both requiring unusual courage from a young lad of sixteen. For the first flavour of the meaning, the word 'தடடழ தல ' / 'thattazhidhal ' could be taken to mean – 'nilai kulainthu pooguthal' / 'நல கலநத மப க ல ' or 'azhindhu pooguthal' / 'அழநத மப க ல ' 'thattu'th thadumaaRi azhidhal' / ' டட

ட

ற அழ ல '

meaning: 'loose its stability or basis' or 'devastated' or 'destroyed' or 'become weak, wobbly and destroyed'

and therefore, the phrase 'yaan thattazhindheen' / 'ய ன

டடழநம ன ' would mean

'ய ன எனன ன னத அடமய ட நஙகப மபறமறன 'yaan ennum thanitthanmai adiyoodu niingap pe(t)RReen'

'/

meaning: “'I am the body' individuality was completely destroyed” “my ego 'I' was devastated”

The phrase 'mey agam naada ' / 'கமய அகம ந ட ' could be taken to mean either 'meyyai agatthil naada ' / 'கமயலய அகதத ல ந ட ' / “as attention is pointed inside to seek The Truth” or 'meyyaana agatthai naada ' / 'கமயய ன அகதலத ந ட ' / “as the True Self is attended to and sought” note: the word 'agam' / 'அகம ' in Thamizh language could be taken to mean 'inside' as well as 'self' -(and is borrowed from 'aham' / 'அஹம ' of Sanskrit language) The verse can be read as follows to see this meaning: 'dhairiyamoodum mey.agam naada, yaan thattazhindheen ; un aruL aruNaachalaa ! ' /

'த ரயம

அரணசல

ட

ம ய அக

ந ட, ய ன

டடழநம ன

; உன அரள !

!'

M1a: “Oh aruNaachalaa ! What a wonderful Grace ! With courage, strength and focussed attention (uncommon at the moments of death, that too in a young boy), as I sought the True Self inside, the individuality or ego-self lost its ground and got uprooted completely”

'ஓ

ச

அரணசசல ரண

க , அதவ

, தவர ககய ம வச ரகக

! எனமன உனத ட

சறரகளட ந ன

உணரவ மறறல

(இறகக

, க ணபபட

என

மறபட, 'ய ன' எனன

கலநத , அகநத

அரள !

ன

நஜ

) த ரய ம

இரபதப

னத மய

றவ யல ட

உள

ந ட

அடமய ட

நல

அழயப மபறமறன ! '

“Oh arunaachalaa ! ennee unadhu aruL ! (iRakkum thaRuvaayil saadhaaraNamaaga, adhuvum siRaargaLidam, kaaNappadaadha ) dhairiyatthoodum , vairaaggiyatthoodum naan en nija iruppai uL naadi vichaarikka muRpada, 'yaan' ennum thannitthanmaiyee adiyoodu nilai kulaindhu, agandhai uNarvu mu(t)RRilum azhiyap pe(t)RReen !”

'Love of one's own life' is the most dear to the ego (= ' I am the body consciousness') while 'fear of death' is the worst fear from a common, worldly point of view. However, many saints who have held Liberation as the only goal of human life, hated the cycle of lifedeath-re-birth and so on... (samsaaraa) and seemed to have loved and/or 'be totally unconcerned about' shedding the mortal coil. We find that our SadGuru Sri. Bhagavaan even made use of this 'fear of death' to emancipate himself once and for all. As a young lad, Venkataraaman, who was close to seventeen years of age, was so mature internally that, when the fear of death struck unexpectedly in July of 1896, he did not run for help to any elders or to any doctor nearby but, instead, dived deep within himself “seeking, with full attention. the Truth of 'I'” :

“alright, death has come.., now, who is going to die?” “am I dying?” “who truly is this 'I' feeling?” “Is it the body, which is dying now and will be burnt to ashes soon?” “but 'I' do exist and am aware of that existense (self evident) eventhough the body is dead” “therefore, this body is not 'I'” “I, the spirit, exist ever, beyond and independent of the body” Such a swift, albeit intense, internal and self attention process (non-mental or non-verbal or non-intellectual) wiped out the traces of 'I am the body' ego thought, resulting in permanent Silence, plunging him to merge in and as the all-pervading Bliss of Self Knowledge. Interestingly, this meaning, as given above, not only conveys the historic event in Sri. Bhagavaan's embodied life but also addresses several aspects of self inquiry, which is Sri. Bhagavaan's cardinal teaching. Translator's note: much of what follows (as elaboration of the meaning given above and how it explains self inquiry) is paraphrased translation from Sri. Saadhu Om SwamigaL's Thamizh edition of “Sri. Ramana Vazhi – part one”.

First, the verse clearly defines the process as : 'meyyai

agatthil

naaduvadhee aanma

' / 'ம யதய அக தல ந டவம ஆன வச ர ' / “seeking Truth with full attention inside (oneself) is self inquiry” ('naattam' / 'ந டடம ' means 'seeking with full attention') vichaaram

It is important to note that this verse uses the word 'naada' / 'ந ட' ( which could mean a combination of the following: 'to pay attention to' / 'seek' / 'go after' / 'inquire' / 'to desire earnestly') in the same way many other works of Sri. Bhagavaan have used this word to a) remove any ambiguity about the process of self inquiry and b) also highlight what is NOT self inquiry. In fact, the meaning of this verse is echoed in the Upadesa Undiyaar / ' உபகதச உநத ய ர ' verse # 19: 'naan en(d)Ru ezhumidam eedhu?' ena naada uL naan thalai saaynthidum undhii paRa njyaana vichaaram idhu undhii paRa.

'ந ன எனற எழமட ந ன

ல

ஏத ?' என ந ட உள

ச யநதட

ஞ ன வச ர

--------- Upadesa Undhiyaar v. 19

இத உநத

உநத பற பற .

------- உபம ச உநதய ர ப

. 19

Meaning: On scrutinizing with focussed attention inside “where from does this 'I' arise?”, the 'I' dies ('bows its head'). This is Knowledge Inquiry (or Self Inquiry or Self Attention). Note: Verses 17, 18 & 19 of Upadesa Undiyar can be heard by clicking on the link below: http://tinyurl.com/ddpguj

Similarly, uLLadhu naaRpadhu (Forty Verses on Reality) / 'உளளத ந றபத ' verses 29 & 30 also use the same word 'naada' / 'ந ட ' (or one of its many case formations) to explain the process of Self Inquiry: naan en(d)Ru vaayaal navilaadhu uL aazh manatthaal 'naan en(d)Ru engu undhum' ? ena naadudhalee – njyaana neRi

........... ------ UN v. # 29

ந ன எனற வ ய ல நவல த

உள

ஆ0

“ந ன எனற

என

ந ட மல – ஞ னமநற

எஙக

உநத

?”

ன

ல

........... Meaning: Ceasing to say 'I' verbally, with deeply inward-diving mind, paying attention within to scrutinize “where from is this 'I' throbbing or rising ?” is the system of Knowledge (practice of Self Inquiry or Self Attention). “naan aar ?” ena manam uL naadi uLam naNNavee 'naan' aam avan thalai naaNam uRa - 'naan', 'naan' aa'th thoon(d)Rum ............ ------ UN v. # 30

“ந ன ஆர ?” என 'ந ன ' ஆ ம

னற

அவன

ன

உள ந ட உள

ல ந ண

நணணமவ

உற – 'ந ன ' , 'ந ன ' ஆ

.......

Meaning: As the inward attentive mind seeks with the query 'Who am I ?', and reaches the Heart, the 'I' shys away its (ugly, individualistic) head and there appears a throbbing 'I' - 'I' ..... Note: Both these verses of can be heard by clicking on the link below: http://tinyurl.com/d85dlo

Even in an earlier verse (# 39 ) of this poem (Sri. AAM) , Sri. Bhagavaan asks: njamaliyiR keedaam naan ; en uRudhiyaal naadi nin uRuveen ? aruNaachalaa ! ------ arunaachala akshara maNamaalai # 39

ஞ லயற

மகட

ந ன ; என உறதய ல

'ந ட ' நன உறமவன

? அரணசசல

!

Meaning: oh aruNaachalaa ! With what strength (other than the strength of Your Grace) will I – who is worse than even a dog (which, by being very attentive to its master's scent, smells its way back to him) – stay attentive to seek and reach You ? aRivil naayinum kadaiyaana naan un aruL vali allaadha veeRu endha vali koNdu unnai naadi (theedi) adaiya valleen ? oh aruNaachalaa !

அறவல எந

ந யன

வல

அரணசசல

கதடய ன

மக ணட !

உனன

ந ன உன அரளவல அலல

மவற

ந ட

?

(ம ட) அதடய

வலமலன

ஓ

The emphasis is on inward attendion and seeking [ 'uL naada' / 'உள ந ட ' ] the 'I', the thinker, when thoughts come forth, consciously avoiding running behind those thoughts. alaiyum.mana alaivu.adhanai thaan.adhanai moonam.uRa

அலய

niiril agandhai aam chaayai maa(t)RRum.muRai aayin – nilai.nazhuva'th nookkaadhu thannaiyee thaan.kuRitthu niRkai muRai. ----------------------- Guru Vaachaka'k Koovai v. 1192

. ன

நரல

அலவ .அ ன ன.அ ன ம

ன

.உற

அகநத

றற

ஆ

ச தய

.மதற ஆயன - நல .நழவ

மந கக த

னனமய

நறதக மதற .

ன .கற த

------ கர

வ சகக

மக தவ

ப . 1192

meaning: On analysis of the method by which to stop the mental (thought) movements of the ego, which is like a reflection that gets disturbed by the incessant movements of waves on water, (it will be found that ) the proper method is to NOT observe those thought movements which makes the observer slip (into thought pursuits), but, instead, to stay attentive and be absorbed in oneself (that is, the observer)”

Self Inquiry is not self analysis of one's mind or thoughts wherein, the individual contemplates on and reacts to their own virtuous, non-virtuous and worldly thoughts and charecteristics. It is not enquiry of how well or badly one's mind reacts to worldly situations. It is not “simply observing the mind or thoughts” as they arise, like some meditational practitioners prescribe. It is also not 'awareness watching awareness' because there are no two awarenesses for one to watch another. That is why Sri. Bhagavaan asks “ uLLam enum LLa poruL uLLal evan?” / “உளளம எனம உளள ப ரள உளளல எவன ” / “who can or how can one think of the Self (or Reality)?” right in the first invocatory (mangalam / “மஙகலம” ) verse of uLLadhu naaRpadhu / (Forty Verses on Reality) / 'உளளத ந றபத ' . It is a simple act of an individual who believes and behaves as if he is the body/mind combination (that are limited adjuncts) to consciously and continuously question that belief and follow through to the final question “who is me the thinker?”. When such a query is persistent, in the silence that ensues, the thinker, as a limitated 'I' outlook or thought, vanishes. In other words, the condition or limitation, namely 'the body', drops off from the 'I–am–the– body' conditioned consciousness leaving the only pure and true 'I am' consciousness. This is what Sri. Bhagavaan summarizes by the phrases 'mey agam naada ' / 'ம ய அக ந ட' and 'yaan thattazhindheen' / 'ய ன

டடழநம ன '.

Mind is nothing but a 'collection of thoughts' which are all based on the 'I am so and so' thought or the 'ego'. Hence, mind's true form is this 'I' thought or ' ego consciousness'. Thus 'mey agam ' / 'ம ய அக ' / 'True inside' is same as “mind's true form” = the 'I' thought. While Sri. Bhagavan sings 'manatthin uruvai maRavaadhu usaava...' / ' ன தன

உரதவ

றவ த

உச வ ' / 'as the mind's form is queried without being forgetful ' (in verse # 17 of

Upadesa Undhiyar), he also immediately clarifies (in the following verse # 18 of Upadesa Undiyar), to avoid any confusion, as to what exactly is 'manatthin uru' / ' ன தன உர ' or 'mind's form': 'eNNangaLee manam, yaavinum naan enum eNNamee muulam aam undhi paRa, yaan aam manam enal undhi paRa.' / 'எணணஙகமள ன ய வன ந ன என எணணம மல ஆ உநத பற , ய ன ஆ ன எனல உநத பற ' / 'mind is nothing but (a collection of) thoughts of which the 'I' thought is (the first one and is) the source'. Thus 'mey agam naada ' / 'ம ய அக ந ட ' or 'manatthin uruvai maRavaadhu usaava...' / ' ன தன உரதவ றவ த உச வ ' means 'seeking mind's true form' which is same as “going after the 'I' with full attention”, since 'I' is the true form of mind. Note: Verses 17, 18 & 19 of Upadesa Undiyar can be heard by clicking on the link below: http://tinyurl.com/ddpguj

Hence it follows that 'mey agam naada ' / 'கமய அகம ந ட ' is same as 'Who am I' inquiry which is the process to seek the 'I' with full attention to the exclusion of other thoughts. It is NOT attending to mind's movements or mind's characteristics or personality or to other thoughts. By inquiring “who is this 'I' ?”, as Sri. Bhagavaan stayed attentive, independent of the body that was dying, to the True 'I' ('mey agam naada ' / 'ம ய அக ந ட '), the individualistic and illusory 'I' 's non-existence became known. This is the experience that is recounted in the present verse. Proceeding further, let us see for whom is this process of self inquiry prescribed for ? On further study of this verse, we can infer that, since it is the devotee in Sri. Bhagavaan who is singing, this process of 'mey agam naadudhal ' / 'கமய அகம ந டதல ' is prescribed for every 'devotee' who thinks he/she is the 'individualistic jiivaathmaa' and 'is bound' and consequently 'needs to get liberated'. What is the pre-requisite for this process ? It is indicated by the word: 'dhairiyamoodu' / 'லதரயகம ட ' or 'with courage'. Courage implies ➢ conviction (in SadGuru's word that self inquiry is the (only direct) way that will bestow redemption) and the resultant 'determination' ('vairaaggiyam' / 'லவர கக யம '), ➢ perseverance (not letting the perceived hurdles and lack of progress dissuade oneself from continuing and instead, using the same hurdles to pursue the inquiry more), ➢ focus of full attention in the process (remembering to not run behind the weakening thoughts that keep coming up and seem to distract the focus) and ➢ fearlessness (when, eventually, the “conditioned 'I' is seen to loose its grip” and when the 'I' is seen non-existent) And, what is the effort needed ? The effort is to simply “ seek the source of every thought and

consequently, remain attentive to the 'I' consciousness” – 'agam naada' / ' அகம ந ட 'cease going after thoughts that arise; instead, to stay attentive to the thinker (or self)'

', that is, to

Next, we see that the verse emphasizes the importance of SadGuru's Grace: ' un aruL' / 'உன அரள ' – 'Your Grace' or 'Grace of Sri. aruNaachalaa or the SadGuru'. And finally, it concludes by stating what happens as self inquiry is practiced: 'yaan thattazhindheen' / 'ய ன அடமய ட

நஙகப மபறமறன

டடழநம ன

' / 'ய ன

எனன

ன

னத

' / 'yaan ennum thannitthanmai adiyoodu niingap pe(t)RReen'

meaning: “ the individuality, namely the 'I-am-the-body/mind-consciousness' was completely destroyed” “ the ego 'I' was uprooted”

Thus, we see that the verse not only recounts wonderfully the most important event in our SadGuru's embodied life but also succinctly exposes His fundamental teaching. As mentioned earlier, there is also another flavour of the autobiographical meaning for this verse related to Sri. Bhagavaan's advent into the sacred temple town of ThiruvaNNaamalai. Both these flavours are in the style of adaivu kuural / 'அதடவ கறல ' / 'figure of speech', a style of poetry in Thamizh language. In addition to this second flavour, we shall also see another meaning of this verse that falls under the category of 'prayer' / 'பர ர ன ' / 'piraartthanai' in line with the poem's general tone of a devotee beseeching his/her Lord to help. While the first autobiographical meaning, seen in the style of adaivu kuural / 'அதடவ கறல ' / 'figure of speech' (matter-of-fact account of what happened), talks about Sri. Bhagavan's spiritual journey (from being and knowing himself as an illusory lad called Venkataraaman to being a liberated One ( jiivan-mukthaa ) that He is), the second one, which we shall study now, refers to his journey in this ephemeral material world. To do so, let us first look into some other meanings of the word 'thattazhidhal' :

' டடழ ல

' /

'thattuppaadu illaamal poogudhal' / ' டடபப ட இலல ல மப க ல ' / 'removal of shortage' or 'kuRaiya(t)RRu irutthal' / 'கதறயறற இர ல ' / 'being contended' or 'being without any deficiency' or 'being without complaints' or 'theevaigaL niinga'p peRudhal' / 'ம தவகள நஙகப மபற ல ' / 'removal of wants' The phrase 'un mey.agam' / 'உன ம ய .அக ' in this context, is taken to mean: 'Your True Home' – Sri. aruNaachalan is Himself the Holy Hill, the Holy Hill is in ThiruvaNNaamalai. Thus, Sri. aruNaachalan's True Home is the temple town of ThiruvaNNaamalai. The verse can then be read as follows to see this meaning: 'aruNaachalaa ! aruL dhairiyamoodum un mey.agam naada, yaan thattazhindheen' /

'அரணசல ! அரள த ரயம ட உன ம ய .அக ந ட, ய ன டடழநம ன ' 'oh aruNaachalaa ! With courage coming from Grace, as I sought and reached Your True Home, I lost all my wants and possessions'

M1b: “Oh aruNaachalaa ! What a wonderful Grace ! The attraction of Your Grace – first in the form of an incessant throbbing of the sound 'aruNaachalaa' within myself from a young age and subsequently, as a knowledge that “the word 'aruNaachalaa' means 'ThiruvaNNaamalai', which is Your home” – was so powerful, that it gave the requisite strength and courage to leave the 'near and dear' behind and to seek and reach You in ThiruvaNNaamalai, all alone. Having reached 'aruNaachalaa' , rid of all 'wants' or 'desire' for any possessions, it was but natural to give up the remaining personal belongings and become fully contended just in Your True state of Bliss.”

'ஓ

அரணசசல

உளள தல என

'அரணசசல

உறவனர

எனகற

ஒரவர

மX தர த

த ரய உன

! எனமன உனத

ல நஜ

' வழ

தள தரகக

' எனற சப '

உறவனரகளய

தரவணண லதய

களயதவ த உனத

அந

ம

என

பனனர

'தரவணண ல '

அரளன சகதய ல னனந னயனக

ய .

அஙக

எலல வறதறய உன

டமட

ஒல த

தறநத

அதடயதவ

டடப டகள , கதறகள

ய , எனமன

க

எனற மச ல

" எனற அறய தவ

உடத களய பட மசய

இளத கக ல

" 'அரணசசல

கறகக

அதடந வடன ம தவகள , ம மரந

, 'அரணசசல

கட ப தனதரய வட கய

அரள !

மசனற நகக ,

மச ரப னந

தல

கரண ! '

'oh aruNaachalaa ! ennee unadhu aruL ! ilamai'k kaalam thottee en uLLatthil 'aruNaachalaa' , 'aruNaachalaa' en(d)Ra sabdhamaaga olitthu pinnar en uRavinar oruvar vazhi “ 'aruNaachalaa' en(d)Ra sol 'thiruvaNNaamalai' engiRa ksheetthiratthai kuRikkum” en(d)Ru aRiya vaittha andha aruLin sakthiyaalum dhairiyatthaalum kudumbatthinaraiyum uRavinargaLaiyum thuRandhu thannan thaniyanaaga un nija viidaagiya thiruvaNNaamalaiyai adaiya vaitthaay. angu sen(d)Ru adaindhavudan theevaigaL , thattuppaadugaL , kuRaigaL ellaava(t)RRaiyum niikki, miidhamirundha udamaigaLaiyum kaLaiya vaitthu un soruubhaanandhatthil thiLaitthirukkumpadi seydhaay , ennee unadhu karuNai !'

Once the devotee's mind is usurped by the Lord, the attraction ( iirppu / ஈரபப ) is so strong that the devotee does not have any control any more. Since the devotee's individual feeling of 'I am a devotee' is destroyed, there are no more preferences, likes, dislikes, shortages or gaps that need to be addressed or filled. It is important to note that in Sri. Bhagavaan's life event of advent, the decision to elope was instantaneous, there was no prior planning, the process used was not carefully optimized (for instance, he just referred to an old available Atlas map and did not bother to check with anyone), the train ticket that was bought initially was itself for the incorrect destination, there was much walking for miles in hunger and so on..... However, despite these hardships, neither Sri. Bhagavaan swerved from the goal of reaching ThiruvaNNaamalai nor did his Father, Lord Sri. aruNaachalaa, leave him uncared for. Requisite money came in time for the travel, food (from the temple Naadhaswaram musician) as well as information about the correct destination (from the Islamic Moulvi) also came at the right moment, hunger was removed with very little quantity of food intake, someone offered to tonsure his head to indicate total renunciation and many other events clearly proved the Providential care and concern for the devotee. Thus, we see that the devotee's life is taken over completely and led by the Lord.

Sri. aruNaachala navamaNi maalai / 'ஸ அரண சல நவமண ம லல ' Gems on Lord Sri. aruNaachalaa” verse # 7 expresses this very well:

/ “Necklet of Nine

aNNaa malaiyaay adiyeenai aaNda van(d)Ree aaviyudal koNdaay enakkoor kuRaiyuNdoo .....

அணண

லய ய அடமயன

ஆணட வனமற மக ணட ய

ஆவ .உடல

எனகமக ர

கதறயணமட

....

Meaning: Oh Lord aNNaamalai (aruNaachalaa) ! The day Your Lordship took charge of me, You also enslaved my body and life-current (soul). Can there be any more deficiencies or wants or inadequacies or shortages or complaints remaining in me ? .... Note: Verse 7 of Sri. AruNaachala NavamaNimaalai can be heard by clicking on the link below: http://tinyurl.com/cv3f5z

The same attraction of Grace and its power gets mentioned in other verses of this poem as well, for instance, in verse # 3: “agam pugundhu iirthu un aga gugai siRaiyaay amarvitthadhu” / 'அக பகநத ஈர த உன அகக கதக சதறய ய அ ரவ த ' / 'oh aruNaachalaa ! What a wonderous Grace, You entered my home (the word 'agam' can be taken either as 'mind' or, literally, as Sri. Bhagavan's home) , attracted [me] and [forcefully] imprisoned in Your Home (here 'aga'k gugai' means, literally, 'Heart cave' or can also be taken as 'ThiruvaNNaamalai', home of Lord Sri. aruNaachalaa)'

Isn't loosing oneself and all of one's possessions and not having any desire or want of one's own (' டடழ ல ' / 'thattazhidhal') and completely depending on the Lord even for the next meal same as being in prison ('சதறயல அ ர ல ' / 'siRaiyil amardhal ' ) ? and later, more explicitly, in verse # 97: 'viidu vittu iirthu uLa viidu pukku'p payya un viidu kaattinay aruL aruNaachalaa !' / 'வட வடட ஈர த உள வட பககப தபய உன வட க டடன அரள அரணசசல ! ' / 'Having attracted (me) out of (my) home and (made me) enter into the 'True Home of Heart' ( உள வட

/

uLa viidu ), You showed (me) that it is indeed Your Home, oh aruNaachalaa!'

The poet in Sri. Bhagavaan wonderfully uses in this verse (# 97) the phrase ' uLa viidu' / 'உள வட ' / 'true home' to mean either 'the True Home that exists' / 'uLLa viidu' / 'உளள வட ' / or 'the Home called Heart' / 'uLLam enum viidu' / 'உளள என வட ' and either way, the meaning is exactly same as that of the phrase 'mey agam' / 'ம ய .அக ' of the current verse. The event (of Sri. Bhagavan getting uncontrollably attracted by Lord Sri. aruNaachalaa) gets mentioned again when he praises the power of mere thinking of His name (' aruNai' or 'aruNaachalaa'), in verses #70 & #102 of this same poem as follows : verse # 70

'peyar ninaitthidave piditthu izhutthanai un perumai yaar aRivaar aruNaachalaa?'

'மபயர

நன தடமவ

பட த

இழ

ன

உன

மபரத

ய ர

அறவ ர

அரணசசல ? ' “As soon as (I) thought of Your name (or 'aruNaachalaa'), You caught (hold of me) and pulled me (towards You), who could (or will) fathom Your greatness, oh aruNaachalaa ?” verse # 102

'aruNai en(d)Ru eNNa yaan arut kaNNil patteen, un aruL valai thappumoo aruNaachalaa?' ''அரண ' எனற எணண , ய ன அரட கணணல படமடன , உன அரள வல பபம அரணசசல ? ' “Thinking of 'aruNai ' (or 'aruNaachalaa'), I fell in Your Graceful eyesight, will Your net of Grace ever miss (the target or prey ), oh aruNaachalaa ?” In addition to these verses of Sri. aruNaachala akshara maNamaalai supporting the meaning of this current verse (# 50), we find it getting elaborated by Sri. Bhagavaan himself in the first two verses of Sri. aruNaachala ashtakam (Eight verses on Sri. aruNaachalaa ). Let us see how the three parts of this verse, namely: a) 'un aruL' / 'உன அரள ' b) 'dhairiyamoodum mey.agam naada' / 'த ரயம ட c) 'yaan thattazhindheen' / 'ய ன டடழநம ன '

ம ய .அக

ந ட' and

get explained by Sri. Bhagavaan. In the first two verses of Sri. aruNaachala ashtakam (Eight verses on Sri. aruNaachalaa), Sri. Bhagavaan sings: ............... aRivu.aRu siRu.vayadhu adhu.mudhal aruNaa chalam.miga'p peridhu.ena aRivin ilanga aRigilan adhan.poruL adhu.Thiru vaNNaa malai.ena oruvaraal aRivu.uRa'p pe(t)RRu aRivinai maruL.uRutthu aruginil iirkka arugu.uRum amayam.idhu achalamaa'k kaNdeen -------------------- Sri. aruNaachala ashtakam verse # 1 (Eight verses on Sri. aruNaachalaa)

............... அறவற சறவயத அத .ம ல அரண சல அறகலன

.மகப

அ ன .மப ரள

ல .என அறவன

மபரம ன

அறவன இலஙக அத .தர

வணண

ஒரவர ல அறவ .உறப மபறற

ரள .உற த

அரக .உற

அரகனல

அ ய

.இத

ஈரகக

அசல

க

கணமடன . -------------------- ஸ அரணசசல

அஷடகம

ப டல # 1

Click on link below to listen to first two verses of Sri. aruNaachala ashtakam: http://tinyurl.com/aoxwyh Meaning:

...... அறவ

ம ரய

எலல வறதறய

க0நத ப வட

மகப

பரவ தலரநம மபரயம னற

, என

அரணசல ப தயல

எனறல ம

னறக

மக ணடரந த .

அத

அறவககபபடட பறக

என

மக ளளவ

அ ன

அறதவ ,

லவடவ க

,

தரவணண லமயய க உணத ப

யககவ த

அ னரகல இரபபத க

எனற

மப ரள அத

உளளபட

எனன

வந தடந மப த

உறவனர ந ன

ஒரவர ல

அறயவலல .

னனட தறகக

இந

அரணசல

கவரநத சலன றற

கணமடன .

......... aRivu theriyaadha kuzhandhai'p paruvatthilirundhee, aruNaachalam en(d)Raal ellaava(t)RRaiyum vida miga'p periyadhen(d)Ru en bhuddhiyil thoon(d)Ri'k koNdirundhadhu. adhu thiruvaNNaamalaiyee aagum en(d)Ru uRavinar oruvaraal aRivikka'ppattum, adhan uNmai'p poruLai uLLabadi naan aRiyavillai. piRagu en aRivai mayakkuvitthu adhu ennai'th thannidatthiRku'k kavarndhu koLLavum, adhanarugil vandhadaindhapoodhu indha aruNaachalam salanama(t)RRa malai vadivaaga iruppadhai'k kaNdeen. Meaning: ..... “That the word 'aruNaachalam' means something big, glorious and mighty” was a lingering thought throbbing in me from (my) innocent childhood days. Even when I came to know, through a relative, that 'aruNaachalam' means ThiruvaNNaamalai (a temple town), I did not understand the (true) meaning of the word. Thereafter, attracted by It, and with a bewildered intellect (bhuddhi), I approached closer to find It to be a mountain without movement.

and continues in the second verse: kaNdavan evan.ena'k karutthin uL.naada kaNdavan in(d)Rida nin(d)R.adhu kaNdeen 'kaNdanan' en(d)Rida'k karutthu.ezha villai 'kaNdilan' en(d)Rida'k karutthu.ezhu maaRen? .................... -------------------- Sri. aruNaachala ashtakam verse # 2 (Eight verses on Sri. aruNaachalaa)

கணடவன

எவமனனக

கணடவன

இனறட

'கணடனன ' எனறட

கர தன

உள.ந ட

நனறத

கணமடன

கர ம 0

'கணடலன ' எனறட ...................

வலல

கர ம ழ

மறன -------------------- ஸ அரணசசல

அஷடகம

ப டல # 2

Click on link below to listen to first two verses of Sri. aruNaachala ashtakam: http://tinyurl.com/aoxwyh Meaning:

( அசல

ன

இககர

ய ர " எனற அகநத

இலல

னத ல

அத ப

ப ர ம ன

அத க

க ணவலல

மடய

உரதவக

கணடத

,

உளமகபபட த மப ய எனற எனற

எஞச

வச ர

நனற

மச லவ றக மச லவ றக

இந

லதயப வடன

ஆன

ந மனனற டட

) " ப ர

,

ப ர

வளஙகக அகநத ன

வன

வனகய

கணமடன

.

உதககவலல . எஙகரநத

கள ப

?

(achalamaana iggiri uruvai'k kaNdadhum , indha malaiyai'p ) 'paartthavan yaar' en(d)Ru manadhai uLmugappadutthi vichaaritthavudan, paartthavanaagiya agandhai illaamal pooy enji nin(d)Ra aanmaa viLanga'k kaNdeen . adhai'p paarttheen en(d)Ru solvadhaRku naanen(d)Ra agandhai udhikkavillai. adhai'k kaaNavillai en(d)Ru solvadhaRku mattum manam engirundhu kiLamba mudiyum ?

“When the attention was turned inwards to seek and find out 'who saw (this Hill which is without movement)?' , the seer 'I' (individual ego) itself stopped and ceased. However, there wasn't any remaining mental movement to say 'I saw', how could there be a rising mind to say 'I didn't see'?............... ” [In other words, it was a thoughtless 'self-aware' state of just 'being' and 'knowing'] .

Thus, in this autobiographical narration, we see that Sri. Bhagavaan was attracted by Sri. aruNaachalaa from long ago, from his innocent childhood, by a constant internal throbbing or feeling of 'aruNaachalaa', 'aruNaachalaa', 'aruNaachalaa'. This is the Grace : 'un aruL' / 'உன அரள ' referred to in the current verse (# 50 of Sri. aruNaachala akshara maNamaalai). The same Grace then makes a relative of Sri. Bhagavaan point to him that 'aruNaachalaa' is nothing but a place called ThiruvaNNaamalai and persists further by pulling Sri. Bhagavaan closer to Him (அறவன ரள .உற த அரகனல ஈரகக / aRivinai muruL.uRutthu aruginil iirkka) out of Mudurai and travel to ThiruvaNNaamalai. Instigated by this Grace, 'dhairiyamoodum mey.agam naada' / 'த ரயம ட ம ய .அக ந ட' / 'seeking inwardly with courage to find (Your or Sri. aruNaachalaa's) True Home' is what happened next. It can be seen that this is exactly same as “கணடவன எவமனனக உள.ந ட” / “kaNdavan

கர தன

evan.ena'k karutthin uL.naada ”

/ “seeking inward to find out

' who is it that saw ? ' ”.

Finally, the result of such an enquiry: 'yaan thattazhindheen' / 'ய ன டடழநம ன ' / ' “I” was uprooted' as expressed in this verse which is the same as : “kaNdavan in(d)Rida nin(d)Ru.adhu kaNdeen” / “கணடவன இனறட கணமடன ” / “The one (ego) that saw ceased” expressed in the ashtakam verse # 2

நனறத

given above. Thus, while in Sri. aruNaachala ashtakam Sri. Bhagavaan sings the details, in the current verse of Sri. arunaachala akshara maNamaalai (# 50) he summarizes what happened when The True Home was sought. The first meaning given above (M1a) can also be seen a little differently to understand the power of Sadguru's Grace: 'dhairiyamoodu yaan mey.agam naada, thadangalgaL ellaam azhiyak kaNdeen ; un aruLee idhu aruNaachalaa ! ' /

'த ரயம

ட

ய ன ம ய அக

ந ட,

டஙகலகள

எலல

அழயக

கணமடன ; உன அரமள இத அரணசல !' M1c: “Oh aruNaachalaa! What a wonderful Grace! With courage, (strength and focussed attention) as I sought the True Self inside, all hurdles (including the primal ego 'I') got removed completely” Here the phrase “thattu azhindheen” / “

டட அழநம ன ” is taken to mean “poy'th thanmai uNarvaagiya 'naan indha dheegam' ennum agandhai eNNam utpatta thadangalgaL ellaam niinga'p pe(t)RReen”

/ “மப ய

னத

உணரவ கய

"ந ன

இந

ம க

" எனன

அகநத எணண உடபடட டஙகலக ள எலல நஙகப மபறமறன ” / “All hurdles including the primal hurdle namely, the false first person consciousness 'I am the body', got destroyed”

due only to the Grace of Sadguru ('un aruL' / 'உன அரள ').

The power of Sadguru's Grace can be seen to remove all the hurdles when a devotee seriously gets interested in, starts and sustains in practicing Self Inquiry or Self Surrender. The apparent power of illusory vaasanaas (inherent tendencies), which is the main hurdle for focussed practice, looses its grip on the devotee thereby allowing him to intensify Self Inquiry. Worldly thoughts, pleasures, concerns etc. do not interest or affect him any more. Eventually, the root cause 'I am the body' thought or the conditioned ego 'I' also gets revealed as a non-existent, reflected consciousness. The next meaning, which is not autobiographical, can however be still included in the prosodic style of adaivu kuural / 'அதடவ கறல ' / 'figure of speech'. It is one, wherein the Lady Love or consort thankfully sings to her Lord, the Beloved: M2: “oh aruNaachaaa, my beloved! With courage, I [ran away from my parental home ('piRanthagam' / 'பறந க ') and] reached Your Home [which is my True Home ('pathiyagam' / 'பதயக ')] to find my life completely fulfilled with no more wants, deficiencies or wishes, (all this is ) Your Grace!” 'அரணசல

என உயமர !'

பதய கய ) உன நஙகப

மபறற

அரளனமற !

ம ய என

த ரயம

அக வ 0மவ

ட

வந தடய , நதறவ க

ந ன

(என பறந க

எனனதடய

வடட , என

கதறகள

நனமறன ; இத

எலல

ய வ உன

'

“aruNaachalaa en uyiree ! dhairiyamoodu naan (en piRanthagam vittu , en pathiyaagiya ) un mey agam vandhadaiya , ennudaiya kuRaigaL yaavum niinga'p pe(t)RRu niRaivaagi nin(d)Reen ; idhu ellaam un aruLan(d)Roo !”

en vaazhvee

For the phrase “thattu azhindheen” / “ டட அழநம ன ”, the same meaning, as given in M1b, is taken here : 'kuRaiya(t)RRavaLaaneen' / 'கதறயறறவள மனன ', 'theevaigaL azhiyappe(t)RReen' / 'ம தவகள அழயப மபறமறன ' . Every jiivaa is indeed a consort of the Lord. However, we identify ourselves with the body and think that we are man or a woman. The worldly birth is 'piRanthagam' / 'பறந க ' ('pirantha + agam' / 'பறந + அக ') and the inner abode is the Home of Lord: 'pathiyagam' / 'பதயக ' ('pathi + agam' / 'பத + அக '). The word 'pathi' / 'பத ' in tamil means 'husband', 'the Lord', 'the Commander' and also indicates 'a Place' or 'a Residence' especially a 'Sacred Centre'. For ex. 'Umapathi' / is 'Uma + Pathi' / 'uma + pathi' / 'உ + பத ' means “husband of Uma” which is another name for Lord Siva; 'seenaapathi' / 'மசனபத ' is 'senaa + Pathi' / 'மசன + பத ' which means a 'commander of an army'; 'Lord Ganapathi' is ' gana + pathi' / 'கண + பத ' the Commander of Ganaa's or attendants of Lord Siva. While singing the glory of Sri. aruNaachalaa in Sri. aruNaachala mahaatmiyam (“The Greatness of Sri. Arunaachalaa”), Lord Nandhi, the sacred bull, praises Sri. aruNaachalaa, the place, also called ThiruvaNNaamalai, thus and declares:

“adhuvee thalam aruNaachalam thalam yaavilum adhigam adhu buumiyin idhayam aRi adhuvee sivan idhya'p padhi aam oru marumatthalam padhi aam avan adhilee vadhivaan oLi malai yaam nidham aruNaachalam enavee”.

“அதமவ அத

ல

ப`மயன

பதய வதவ ன

அரணசசல இ ய

ஒர ஒள

ர

ல

அற அதமவ ல

ல ய

சவன

பத ய ந

ய வல

அதக

இ யப

அவன

அரணசசல

அதமல எனமவ ”.

Click on link below to listen to this verse of Sri. aruNaachala mahaatmiyam (from the Tape 'Tamil Parayana' copyright: Sri. Ramanasramam): http://tinyurl.com/d9bxul Meaning: “This is the best among the sacred centers, This AruNaachalam. This is the center of Earth. Know thus. This is the secret Heart Center of Lord Shiva. He is the Lord of this place. He shines always as the AruNaachalaa Hill here.”

While the 'home' where one is born (= 'body' & consequently 'this world') is naturally very dear to the lady, when the time (or 'maturity' or 'the call') comes, she abandons all parental comforts and apparent safety (= worldly pleasure), seeks and runs after her Loved One (= realize the presence of The Loved One for a higher bliss). In fact, a lady in love cannot stay in her parents' place even for a moment, once caught in the web of love (devotion to the Lord). It is amazing how Sri. Bhagavaan uses this state of mind of a lady lover towards her Lord to convey the deeper meaning and goal of life for each of us. The jiivaa (Goddess Parvathi symbolising 'mind') despairs, due to forgetfulness (about her true blissful nature), thinking she has lost her Lord and Lover (Lord Shiva, symbolising 'Self') and pines for Him. She seeks and goes after her Lord Sri. aruNaachaleswaraa at ThiruvaNNaamalai, reunites with Him loosing her self-identity 'I' only to realize that she never lost Him in the first place and the Blissful state was and is always hers. For this to happen, all she had to do was to abandon the worldly pulls and with courage, turn towards Her Lord and appoach ThiruvaNNaamalai, the Heart Center, where He resides. This is also very well described in Ulladhu Naarpadhu verse # 22 , Sri. Bhagavan's Tamil work containing his teaching, using the same word 'pathi' / 'பத ' which also means 'to impress' 'to merge': “pathiyil pathitthidudhal anRi” - 'பதயல பத தட ல அனற ' “other than by impressing or merging (the mind or intellect) in the the Lord or the Heart Center (Self who is (in) the Heart Center)” “pathiyay madhiyaal madhitthidudhal enngan” ? / 'பததய தய ல த தட ல எஙஙன ? ' “how to comprehend (or know) the Lord (or the Self) with mind or intellect ?” Thus, 'pathiyagam' / 'பதயக ' is the True Home of jiivaa, who should, without any further delay, strive to turn its own attention towards 'pathiyagam' / 'பதயக '. Thus far, all meanings of this verse that we have studied fell under the prosodic style of adaivu kuural / 'அதடவ கறல ' / 'figure of speech' in which the author 'thankfully' narrates 'what happened' to himself, a devotee who is merged inseparably with her Lord Sri. aruNaachalaa due only to His unending and cause-less Grace.

Through these meanings, Sri. Bhagavaan clearly shows us that, with the right Attitude and Attention, Attainment is possible for a devotee in search of Truth. An Attitude of total humility and of surrender to and faith in SadGuru and His words; faith is indicated by the growing inner conviction to drop worldly pursuits and turn inward. Attention to (only) “I” thought to the exclusion of other thoughts (essence of Self-Inquiry or Self-Attention). and consequent Attainment: “clear, permanent and intuitive understanding of the unreality of ego or 'I am the body' limitation”. Going further, we shall now see how Sri. Bhagavaan conveys, through the same verse, the struggle of a mumukshu (a devotee with an intense desire for liberation) who attempts to use the mind and intellect in this effort. We shall also see the result of such an effort followed by her prayer to the SadGuru for His Grace. Thus, the following third meaning falls under the prosodic style of 'prayer' / 'பர ர ன ' / 'piraartthanai '. This is how the phrases are to be interpreted: dhairiyamoodum

– த ரயம

ட

– 'iraajasa guNa muyarchiyaal' / 'இர ஜஸ

கண

மயறசய ல ' / 'driven by (my) rajasic or aggressive, egotistic effort (of the jiivaa)' un mey – உன ' / 'Your true form'

ம ய

yaan agam naada – ய ன ' / 'when I sought inside' thattu azhindheen

–

டட

balance', 'incapacitated' aruL

– 'un uNmai soruubhatthai' / 'உன

அக

உணத

ந ட – 'naan uLLee theeda' / 'ந ன

அழநம ன – 'nilai ketteen' / 'நல

[or 'thirumbi vitteen' / 'தர ப

மச ரப த

உளமள ம ட

மகடமடன ' / 'lost my

வடமடன ' / 'returned']

– அரள – 'un soruubhaanandhattai adaindhirukkum uNmaiyai aRiya) aruL purivaay' /

'(உன மச ரப னந

த

அதடநதரகக

உணத தய

அறய )

அரள பரவ ய ' / 'Please bestow Your Grace (so that I may know that I am already Your True Blissful Form)' Devotees may note that this is the same meaning given in the Pozhippurai (summarized meaning) [which itself is translated based on Sri. Muruganaar's virutthiyurai] at the beginning of this document.

M3: “Oh aruNaachalaa! Driven by egoity (the individualistic 'I' feeling) and extroverted (rajasic) tendencies (for instance: the 'I can do' feeling), I tried seeking Your True Home (or Self), (as though It is an object to be sought,) and lo! , what an utter failure !, I lost my balance (or intellect/capacity to grasp) and got tossed and torn like a ship caught in the middle of a stormy sea; please bestow Thy

Grace (to make me see (or be in) Your True Blissful Form)”. aruNaachalaa ! iraajasa guNa muyarchiyaal un uNmai soruubhatthai (enakku maaRaaga uLLa oru poruLai - veLiyulagap poruLai - theeduvadhupool) naan uLLee theeda muRpada (kadal kondhaLippil sikkiya marakkalam pool ) nilai kulaindhu (thirumbi) vitteen. (un soruubhaanandhattai adaindhirukkum uNmaiyai aRiya) aruL purivaay.

அரணசல (எனகக

!

இர ஜஸ

கண

மயறசய ல

,

உன

உணத

மச ரப த

றக உளள ஒர மப ரள - மவளயலகப மப ரள - ம டவதமப ல

ந ன

உளமள ம ட மறபட , ( கடல மக ந ளபபல

நல

கலநத

உணத தய

சககய

(தர ப ) வடமடன . ( உன மச ரப னந

த

ரககல

)

மப ல )

அதடநதரகக

அறய ) அரள பரவ ய .

From birth, the child is taught and encouraged to look for and identify surrounding objects including its own body and other names and forms: toys, parents, relatives, people, animals and other inanimate objects. The instrument called 'mind' is constantly trained and used to go after objects other than itself. This is called ' suttaRivu' / 'சடடறவ ' / 'knowledge of that, which is pointed to and perceived '. The collection of outward seeking tendencies ('raajasa guNam' / 'இர ஜஸ கண ') which comes ingrained with the illusory jiivaa pushes it out more and more, creating attachment to worldly pleasures, which in turn results in more external seeking and thus the jiivaa is lost in a seemingly eternal and vicious circle. Eventually, such a mind, due to its collection of auspicious tendencies ('sathwa guNam' / 'ச வ கண ') which also flows with it, wishes to solve the riddle of its own creation and the concomitant misery and longs to turn inwards on the advice/instructions of a SadGuru. However, unfortunately, it deploys the same technique that was all along used for external seeking. Thus, jiivaa looks for the Self as though It is an object other than itself. Mind's 'raajasa guNa muyarchi' / 'இர ஜஸ கண மயறச ' / 'effort driven by ego's outward seeking tendency' is useful only for 'suttaRivu' / 'சடடறவ ' (knowledge of external objects) since its ability to imagine, think, cognize, perceive, analyze, understand, discriminate and feel (emote) is completely based on borrowed sentience. The self-effulgent Lord AruNaachalaa ( = iruppaRivu / 'இரபபறவ ' / knowledge of one's own existence) cannot be known by this mind as it is Him, the Self of all, who lends, to the (otherwise inert) mind, the seeming power of consciousness to perceive. Hence it is not only not useful but also needs to get wiped out completely along with its apparitions: 'ego' and 'intellect'. This is sung aptly by Sri. Muruganaar, devotee of Sri. Bhagavaan, in his verse Sri. AruNaachala Tatwam ('true import' of Lord AruNaachalaa) which pairs with Sri. Bhagavaan's verse Sri. Diipa Darsana Tatwam ('true import' of witnessing the Beacon Light on top of AruNaachalaa) as the two verses that precede Sri. Bhagavaan's re-rendered poems on the Glory of Lord AruNaachalaa ( Sri. Arunachala Mahatmiyam):

ஸ அரணசசல தவ / Sri Arunachala Tattuvam (true import of Lord aruNaachalaa or Lord aNNaamalai* or ThiruvaNNaamalai) (* aNNaa + malai in Thamizh means 'mountain that (one) cannot go near') 'ப தயகங

க ர

தய ந

வற

யந

ன

ய த

தமய ள

பல மபய

மவ ஙக

தறயவன

நலஙகலய

ரணண

ல

வனனர

லயனத

ம யமய '

buddhi ahan-kaaram pulam-beida voongum maddhi idayan-taan maRaiya-vanum maalum natta-variyaadu nalan-kulaia annaar maddhi-yoLir aNNaamalai yinadu meyyee Click on link below to listen to this verse which precedes Sri. aruNaachala mahaatmiyam (from the Tape 'Tamil Parayana' copyright: Sri. Ramanasramam): http://tinyurl.com/aa9wf8 Meaning: The Truth of Sri. Annamalai who Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, in their utter distress were not able to know, is one and the same as the Heart Centre (the Self), which shines by Itself, while the intellect and the ego are nonplussed seeking it.

This is the reason Sri. Bhagavaan sings 'thattazhindheen' / ' balance', 'incapacitated' .

டட

அழநம ன ' / 'lost my

Saint Thaayumaanavar also sings about the difference in “seeing through the eyes of knowledge” versus “seeing though the eyes of Grace” in his work 'aanandha'k kaLippu' 'ஆனந க களபப ' (Canto 54; verse # 13 of 30): அரள ல

எதவய ப ர

அறய ம

சடட .என

எனறன

அறவ மல

இரள ன

மப ரள .கணட

எனனயங

கணடலன

-அ த ப ர ம ன

லல ல - கணட

எனமனட

ம

ழ

-

சஙகர சஙகர ச மப

aruLaal evaiyum.paar en(d)Raan – atthai aRiyaadhee sutti.en aRivaalee paarttheen iruLaana poruL.kanda dhallaal – kaNda ennaiyum kaNdilan enneedi thoozi – sankara sankara sambhoo

.....

....

Meaning: "See thou through the eyes of Grace", He said; Knowing not how to do it I saw through my knowledge, differentiated; And I saw nothing but darkness then; Even I, the seer, was not seen to be; How strange is all this! O, Maid! (Chorus) (Translator's note: Saint Thaayumaanavar song quote given above taken from RamaNashree Sri. B. Ananthaswami's explanatory notes (urai viLakkam / 'உலர வ ளககம ' ) called ramaNiiyam 'ரமண&யம

' – published by sri ramaNa keendra, Chennai )

That the ego (mind) gets it's light of reflected knowledge – its delusory capacity to conjure up objects and perceive them as real and different to oneself – only from the Self (the Heart SphuraNaa: 'I' – 'I'), is sung by Scriptures over and over again and corroborated also by Sri. Bhagavaan as his direct experience in spoken words and several of his works including the verse # 22 of uLLadhu naarpadhu quoted above: Click on link below to listen to this verse of ulladhu naarphadhu (from the Tape 'Tamil Parayana' copyright: Sri. Ramanasramam): http://tinyurl.com/c4429l

“evaiyun kaaNum' – 'எதவய

க ண

' / ' the all-seeing ' –

“madhikkoLi thandhu am'madhikkuL oLirum...” / ' தகமக ள நத அ தககள ஒளர ' / 'mind is bestowed its light (of knowledge and intellect to animate & perceive objects) by the Self-Effulgence behind it' ................. “pathiyay madhiyaal madhitthidudhal enngan” ? / 'பததய தய ல த தட ல எஙஙன ? ' “how to comprehend (or know) such Self-Effulgence or the Lord of the mind with (this limited) mind or intellect ?” Thus, with this meaning, we see that the devotee is lamenting – over multiple verses from verse #44 through this verse and beyond in the following verses (# 51 and beyond) – to her Guru, in the form of a continuous dialog, about her inability to seek and attain His True Home or Form : “oh aruNaachalaa ! You wanted me to turn inward and seek the Heart everyday, assuring Your True Knowledge” / 'தர ப அகந ன தன அகககண க ண ம ரய . எனறன ....' / thirumbi aganthanai thinam agakkaN kaaN theriyum en(d)Ranai ( verse # 44 of this poem) . “Now look what happened ! even though I returned in vain earlier, once after searching inside ('தர ப

உறமறன ' / 'thirumba u(t)RReen' (verse # 45)), I sought Your True Form inside myself

again with courage ('த ரயம

ட

உன

ம ய அக

ந ட ' / 'dhairiyamoodu un mey agam

naada ' ), however, I still got incapacitated or nonplussed (' டடழநம ன

' / 'thattazhindheen') ”

The devotee who understands the limitation of search done with the mind or intellect surrenders to his Lord unconditionally and completely, begging his Lord for Grace. Therefore, the verse ends with a pleading word to Lord aruNaachalaa: 'aruL aruNaachalaa ' / 'அரள அரணசசல ' / “bestow Your Grace, oh aruNaachalaa” Thus, this last meaning of the current verse is fully in line with the tenor and tone of other verses surrounding it and portrays the helplessness of the ego in search of Self. We shall see how the pleading continues in the next verse (# 51)... ப டல # 50 ன வளககவதரயன ம ழமபயரபப இ தடன மடவதடந த ( paadal # 50'n viLakkavurai itthudan mudivadainthathu ) / translation of explanatory notes of verse # 50 concludes here

ஸ ர ணரபபண ஸத

Shri. ramaNaarpaNamasthu

aruNaachala siva aruNaachala siva அரணசல சவ அரணசல சவ

aruNaachala siva aruNaachalaa ! அரணசல சவ அரணசல

!

aruNaachala siva aruNaachala siva அரணசல சவ அரணசல சவ

aruNaachala siva aruNaachalaa ! அரணசல சவ அரணசல

!