Tiruvaymozi- 3 ¾¢ÕÅ¡ö¦Á¡Æ¢ -3

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pattu udai adiyavarkku eLiyavan piRakaLukku ariya

vittakan, malar makaL virumbum nam arumpeRal adikaL

mattu uRu kadai veNNey kalavinil uravidai yaappuNdu

ettiRam uralinoodu iNaintiruntu eeGkiya eLivee

Meaning:

BEING discloses Himself as the One easy to approach only for those who have vanquished their ego andintellectual arrogance and is moved by genuine LOVE unto BEING . He remains the most difficult for the others. He also remains as the difficult but nevertheless the most loved by the Woman (Laksmi) who appears as the One with the Red Lotus as the pedestal. This same BEING, in order to instruct the ordinary human beings descends as Bala KaNNan, who in trying to steal and eat the Ghee, churned from the milk and kept in the Uri, was caught by Yasothai and fastened to the pillar. You must see , at that time, how pathetically he pleaded to be released!

Comments:

Namazvar, having been a very abstract metaphysician who has been articulating the Axiomatic Truths, the truths that pervade the whole of existence in the first two patikams, , now comes down a bit closer to the life as actually lived but still approaching it within icono-thinking, thinking in terms of mythical themes that in fact configure the dynamics of Existence.

Existence, the ordinary life one leads, has the dynamics it has only because the various kinds of Play, liilai, of BEING. Here the sexual dynamics that is central to all living creatures is given an explanation along with a recommendation of the IDEAL that one should aspire.

The Bala KaNNan is the figure of the ordinary individuals who would seek to enjoy the pleasures of life especially the sexual STEALTHILY (KaLavinil) and which themes is communicated in terms of Bala KaNNan trying to steal the ghee churn out from the milk and kept in a pot hanging from the roof, the uri. Such pleasures are churned out by the Woman from the Cutta Maayai, the Pure Milk and kept there hanging so that it is not too distant but something one can get only if one tries. The Woman, tempts the ordinary souls to STEAL it, acquire it by means that are inappropriate, not the righteous and so forth and when it FALLS for this trap, is caught and tied to the Karma of existential repetition. Such a soul, once it realizes its own folly and how foolish it has been to be tempted thus, and notes that it is only with Divine Grace that it can escape from such fallen states, PLEADS for the Grace and at which point Bakti comes prevail in the bosom.

But what IDEAL proposed?

One must become the KrishNa who is desired by Laksmi Herself, the Woman who appears over the Red Lotus. The domestic pleasures and all other worldly pleasures that come along with it, that bestowed by Laksmi through a woman she takes over, are the MOST BEAUTIFUL and excellent joys in life and are given as the Grace of BEING. One should NOT seek to enjoy the pleasures of life stealthily like Bala KaNNan, but GROW up to be an individual who DESERVES it by virtue of becoming matured KrishNa, BEING as the One who plays to defeat egoistic arrogance and install genuine Bakti.

All the happiness in the world will come naturally to a person by Divine Grace itself if one ceases to be thestealthy Bala KaNNan and grows to be the KrishNa of metaphysical illuminations and who develops genuine bakti among people.

Tiruvaymozi- 3¾¢ÕÅ¡ö¦Á¡Æ¢ -3

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eLivarum iyalvinan nilai varambu ila pala piRappaay

oLivarum muzu nalam muthala ila, keedu ila; viidu aam

teLitarum nilamaiyatu ozivu ilan muzuvatum; iRaiyoon

aLivarum arulinoodu akattanan puRattanan amaintee

Meaning:

For those who, having killed their ego and arrogance and overcome with genuine Bakti, approach Him, BEING would appear to them in appropriate forms most readily. And because of this He assumes innumerable number of births and in each such a birth He assumes an icono-form that would illuminate the mind (oLitarum) in some way or other. But despitethis involvement with the phenomenal worldHe still remains the Undiminished Fullness (muzunalam) because he subsists on His own,having neither an originating Ground beyond Himself or a Power that would destroy Him. He stands as that Power that would confer the Final Home and hence That which would bestow Civanjaanam and hence in Himself Pure and Faultless (ozivu ilan) completely. He stands as the Lord of all (iRaiyoon) full of LOVE SUPREME and only because of which He fills the world inside out with all these various archetypal forms.

Comments:

In this very interesting verse, Namazvar, with his characteristic penetration into the metaphysical mysteries, unfolds the True Essence of BEING and in which he does differ from that Tirumular. Both view BEING full of LOVE (aruL) and it is only because of this SUPREME LOVE that BEING plays the cosmic game and because of which there is the Light of Consciousness in the mind of creatures.

But how is this done?

BEING implants iconos of various kinds and stimulates thinking of all sorts and as a result of which there come to be clarities or clear forms of consciousness in the mind. Each creature is given an icono consistent with its situation needs competence and so forth. The point is to make them think, even illogically and irrationally at first so that even in a small way some kind destruction is effected upon the pre-existing ignorance. Thinking may be irrational initially but once the irrationality is realized as such, it will become rational on its own accord, helped of course by another set of iconos.

So BEING plays a GAME, a cosmic game in fact, in which He presents Himself as a countless number of avatars with each avatar installing some of consciousness in the mind. But does BEING become affected and diminished or tarnished because of this cosmic involvement? No certainly not- He stands the FULL and UNBLEMISHED as ever for there isNOTHING beyond Him or even as the Deep Structure to do all these. Thus He stands the SAME as ever and because of the countless number iconos that He also becomes, pervades the whole universe inside out.

But is there a REASON for His praxis or Game that He plays in this way?

No - there is no REASON at all, reason in the ordinary sense applicable for human actions. We act only because of a reason - want to achieve , avoid, attain something etc. This way of thinking is inapplicable for BEING is FULL of LOVE SUPREME (aruL) and therefore there comes to be spontaneity to help out (aLitarum) , a spontaneity that nullifies any kind reason for action.

But help out for what?

To shine out like BEING Himself with Civanjaanam, the full and faultless Understanding in which there is seeing only truth and nothing else. BEING stands as the source of this Civanjaanam (teLitarum nilaimai) and stands there as That which seeks to uplift all towards this state of Being and which also is the Final Home coming, the Viidu PeeRu, the Mukti.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________

Namazvar on BEING and Avatars.

One way of looking at the present day popular Hinduism is to see it as basically behavior stimulated by TWO archetypes - Rama and Ganesha and in which are pushed to the background the great Shiva VishNu and Ambal archetypes. It looks as though such iconos or murties or Peruvadivu and so forth are very potent in their influence. They seize the mind of the people and with a magical hold, make them ACT in manners that are quite often irrational. There comes to prevail a form of thinking that I have begun to call icono-thinking, something that goes well beyond the logical, metaphorical analogical and so forth and which lie at a level deeper than these. They touch the soul itself very intimately and hence seem to be capable of unleashing tremendous psychic energy, personal as well collective.

Whether we like it or not, this is the reality of the present times and we have to UNDERSTAND the phenomena to accommodate ourselves to it.

These iconos are the AVATARS, the givenness of BEING (taru, taaram) as there (Su. ab-a, Ta. av-a) From being totally above and beyond, BEING presents Himself as the avatars --Rama Sita, Hanuman, Muruka, Vinayaka, Siva, VishNu, Ambal, Kali, Durga and so forth, countless in number in fact, to make the world MOVE and become ACTIVE, something full of praxis.

Behind the dynamics of world events at any time lie these Avatars. So says Namazvar, certainly one of greatest mystic-philosophers of the world and who fortunately did not get lost in the Light of Brahman and discarded thephenomenal world as dream-like reality, irreal in essence like the Advaitins.

eLivarum iyalvinan nilai varambu ila pala piRappaay

oLivarum muzu nalam muthala ila, keedu ila; viidu aam

teLitarum nilamaiyatu ozivu ilan muzuvatum; iRaiyoon

aLivarum arulinoodu akattanan puRattanan amaintee

Meaning:

For those who, having killed their ego and arrogance and overcome with genuine Bakti, approach Him, BEING would appear to them in appropriate forms most readily. And because of this He assumes innumerable number of births and in each such a birth He assumes an icono-form that would illuminate the mind (oLitarum) in some way or other. But despitethis involvement with the phenomenal worldHe still reamins the Undiminished Fullness (muzunalam) because he subsists on His own,having neither an originating Ground beyond Himself or a Power that would destroy Him. He stands as that Power that would confer the Final Home and hence That which would bestow Civanjaanam and hence in Himself Pure and Faultless (ozivu ilan) completely. He stands as the Lord of all (iRaiyoon) full of LOVE SUPREME and only because of which He fills the world inside out with all these various archetypal forms.

Comments:

But how is this done?

BEING implants iconos of various kinds and stimulates thinking of all sorts and as a result of which there come to be clarities or clear forms of consciousness in the mind. Each creature is given an icono consistent with its situation needs competence and so forth.The point is to make them think, even illogically and irrationally at first so that even in a small way some kind destruction is effected upon the pre-existing ignorance. Thinking may be irrational initially but once the irrationality is realized as such, it will become rational on its own accord, helped of course by another set of iconos.

But is there a REASON for His praxis or Game that He plays in this way?

No - there is no REASON at all, reason in the ordinary sense applicable for human actions. We act only because of a reason - want to achieve, avoid, attain etc. This way of thinking is inapplicable for BEING is FULL of LOVE SUPREME (aruL) and therefore there comes to be spontaneity to help out (aLitarum) , spontaneity that nullifies any kind reason for action.

But help out for what?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tiruvaymozi- 3¾¢ÕÅ¡ö¦Á¡Æ¢ -3

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BEING and Ethics

amaivu udai aRaneRi muzuvatum uyarvu aRa uyarntu

amaivu udai mutal kedal odivu idai ara atu aam

amaivu udai amararum yaavaiyum yaavarum taan aam

amaivu udai naaraNan maayaiyai aRibavar yaaroo?

Meaning:

Within and as the foundation of all righteous ways of life that are agreeable to people, stands BEING-as-NaraNan disclosing that there is NOTHING beyond Him for this. He stands thus without ever ceasing to be the foundation or absenting Himself even sometimes and thus as the Absolute Ground of all the ethics, always there. And in order to promote ethics among all He stands also as the devas as well as the evils powers and others and PLAYS a GAME in the events of the world. Who can ever fathom the MAGIC of BEING-as-NaraNan, understand it and expound it to others? Nobody in fact.

Comments:

In this verse Namazvar takes up the ETHICAL issues and seeks out their foundation. What makes us feel that a certain Way of life is agreeable and ethically acceptable and other not so? Namazvar raises this question at a global or universal level, the agreeable and righteous ways life throughout the world (amai udai aRaneRi muzuvatum) and hence NOT just the VaishNava way of life. For ethics is common all humanity and there are different ways of life which are acceptable as equally ethical despite differences among them at he surface level. Namazvar seeks to disclose the very foundation of all such ways of life or the Deepest Structure and why they are all equally acceptable ways of life.

And he notes that there is BEING-as-NaraNan as the ultimate GROUND of all, disclosing also that there is NOTHING beyond Him and hence He is absolute Ground of all ethics. In other words the essence of ethical ways, no matter how different they are superficially, is the PRESENCE of BEING-as-NaraNan. He also notes that BEING is there always indestructiblly and non-absenting Himself ever. He is always present and because of which the intuitions “this is right, good, acceptable” and so forth are always there providing the DIRECTION for the ethical struggles. There is teleological aspect to ethical struggles, the TOWARDS-WHICH in ethical struggles and HE remains the LIMIT of such a movement of understanding.

Not only that.

He also stands the good as well as the evil forces and PLAYS a game, a magical game in fact and which manifest themselves as the ethical struggles in the existence of ordinary people. Without entering into the painful inner struggles pertaining to the ethics and morals of one’s actions, there is no way one can become ethically right. Moral struggles of all sorts is the way to learn what is right and what is wrong and He plays continuously games of all sort so that people are forced into moral struggles, thinking into the rights and wrongs of one’s personal and social actions.

The games are uncanny that not only no one can escape them but also cannot capture in terms theories and principles so that can rest assured that these the secrets behind it all. No it cannot be done - there cannot any theoretical understanding that would settle issue once for all as to what is ethical and what is not. BEING-as-NaraNan is supremely UNCANNY, forever a SURPLUS and hence demanding that we simply submit ourselves humbly to be led by Him.

Namazvar on the Foundation of Ethics

No matter how strongly we deny the reality of the world in the Vedantic vein, we are not free of ethical questions in every sphere of out activity be it personal, political or economic. The current terrorists activities of the Islamic extremists, the ‘preventive’ acts of Bush against Iraq that is compared with that of Hitler by some, the laws against mass conversions of Hindus to Christianity, the very attempt on the part of Christian missionaries and Muslims to convert Hindus, the inhuman treatment of Dalits by the caste Hindus, the priestly monopoly of rights of temple worship as well as the language of rituals and so forth are matters of ethical questions. The question: are these justified, and if you say so on what grounds? keep up cropping leading to endless debates.

According Namazvar in the following verse, such and many other moral anguish are UNAVOIDABLE and that only through being involved in such inner struggles that we can lift us up above such a way being and install ourselves in a pure realm where such problems do not rise at all. In other words there does not exist a set of principles like the ten commandments of Moses or rules of appropriate conduct like in Manusmriti and other Dharma Sastras or even a theoretical understating that would justify one set of principle against others.

But then is there no resting GROUND for our ethics? No foundation at all?

No he does not say that - we are ethical only because at the deepest level,BEING-as-NaraNan is always present, without ever absenting Himself. His presence as such and our intuitive recognition of that, is the source of our ethical consciousness which is not a particular set of values but rather the productive ground of such values. We are furnished with an appropriate set of values depending upon the circumstances and needs and that such values are actually countless in number.

But why BEING-as-NaraNan?

The word Nar-aNan like another word ‘naar-atar’(the singer) has the word ’nar-‘ as its roots and though directly it means the fibers and so forth, but derivatively it means music especially instrumental music.

We already see such a use in Sumerian times itself, as the following line would show:

158

tigi a-da-ab nam-nar su-du-a buru dagal-bi mu-zu (I penetrated the depth and width of the consummate musical training of the tigi and adab compositions)

Thus ‘naar-aNan” is BEING who is the ground of aesthetics, the power that refines FEELINGS through the fine arts of dance and music.

Thus ethics is a matter of feelings just like the taste for dance and music -- something that belongs to experience but which also escapes bringing into theoretical concepts. We can ethically improve ourselves only by refining of our feelings and this requires that get involved with ethical dilemmas, wage a battle against our unethical self and emerge victorious by lifting ourselves up to higher a ground that also allows us to enjoy refined taste.

Comments

Namazvar attends to problem of religious conflicts, so common in India from very ancient days, in this verse. They all ultimately boil down to a certain restricted and limited understanding of BEING and mistakenly taking that as the true and final. Some would say BEING is SIVA and hence not VishNu and some others the converse and would wage bitter battles that one is right and other is wrong or mistaken. In the present times we have the Muslims claiming BEING is Allah and hence His essence is formless Purity and is so because revealed in Al Koran. The Christians would say BEIING is CHRIST and Jesus is the only Savior.

Such definiteness where definiteness has no place at all, is the root cause of religious strives.

What is the solution?

BEING is supremely uncanny and the normal categories of understanding such as the above where there is NEGATION of other possibilities, cannot be a true understanding. Only incomplete understanding can lead to conflicts of all kinds and this too is for the purpose of widening the horizon of their understanding.

As a result of such conflicts, as it happened in the Tamil country between the Saivites and VaishNavas(and also others), it would dawn that there cannot be descriptive definiteness in the understanding of BEING. For those who seek to pin down the essence of BEING into definite categories, He discloses Himself as forever a Surplus and hence supremely elusive for such individuals. And for those who have given up such intellectual attempts and accommodate themselves to His Uncanni-ness, He would appear very readily in countless number of forms and names and with each informing of Himself. Thus such people may thrive as muurtti-worshippers and with icono or muurttam-thinking, illuminate themselves with divine knowledge.

Thus BEING plays an AS IF Game: He appears as ONE with a thousand forms and names and at the same for others the Forever Surplus, always exceeding every form and name and both being his AS IF Game.

Thus BEING baffles the mind with positivity as well as negativity and in that telling indirectly that one must transcend the categorical thinking itself to understand BEING in Himself. This means that, as is said more clearly among the Sivanjanies, one must transcend language as such and practice Deep Silence to understand BEING as He is in Himself.

If only the religiously inclined understand that the essence of BEING is to be gained only in the language of Deep Silence, the misplaced certitude in the descriptive capture of BEING in a certain religious tradition and which is root cause of religious conflicts, will not be there anymore.

In this way Namazvar offers a solution to eliminate religious conflicts right at the roots.

Namazvar on Hermeneutics and the Resolving Religious Conflicts

The atomized human understanding, limited in its horizon, will pass by simply as the harmless lack of depth but when it comes along with the arrogance that only one’s own belief system is right and all others are not only wrong but detrimental to society as a whole, then we have the seeds of bloody religious strive such as the ones we see today and perhaps as it was the case in ancient India. The narrow and circumscribed understanding that does not see its own narrowness and is subject to the magical hold of a certain visions, cannot but come into clashes with others.

Conflict is the way the irrational minds come to terms with each other and this because there is absence of communicative dialogue which is not propaganda or egoistic rhetoric.

The only way to resolve them is to educate the whole of humanity on the Infinite Complexity of BEING or His Uncanniness, He being always a surplus, ever overflowing every feeble attempt of man to capture and arrest BEING into definite descriptive categories.

This is the view of Namazvar as expressed in the following verse and which is definitely hermeneutical as it touches on human understanding of metaphysical issues.

4.BEING is Uncanny

yaarum oor nilamaiyan ena aRivu ariya em perumaan

yaarum oor nilamaiyan ena aRivu eLiya em perumaan

peerum oor aayiram piRa pala udaiya em perumaan

peerum oor urvamum uLatu illai, ilatu illai piNakee

Meaning:

Comments

Such definiteness where definiteness has no place at all, is the root cause of religious strives.

What is the solution?

Thus BEING plays an AS IF Game: He appears as ONE with a thousand forms and names and at the same for others the Forever Surplus, always exceeding every form and name and both being his AS IF Game.

If only the religiously inclined understand that the essence of BEING is to be gained only in the language of Deep Silence, the misplaced certitude in the descriptive capture of BEING in a certain religious tradition and which is the root cause of religious conflicts,will not be there anymore.

In this way Namazvar offers a solution to eliminate religious conflicts right at the roots.

Tiruvaymozi- 3 ¾¢ÕÅ¡ö¦Á¡Æ¢ -3

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5. Overcoming Religious Conflicts

piNakku aRa aRu vakaic camayamum

neRi uLLi uraitta

kaNNakku aRu nalattinan; antam il

aati am pakavan;

vaNakku udait tavaneRi vazininRu

puRaneRi kaLaikaddu

uNakkumin., pacai aRa avanudai

uNarvukoNdu uNarntee

Meaning:

While the theologians of the different religions go about expounding their religions and claiming superiority over the others and thereby generating conflicts of various kinds, BEING who has the good nature to disclose the truths pertaining to each one of them and placing them in the appropriate place in relation to each other, helps to overcome the conflicts also in this way. BEING stands as the Indestructible primordial Ground of all such religions. And thus what is required to be done is to follow the ways that would defeat the egoistic arrogance behind such behavior and seeking TRUTH and nothing else isolate the misleading and treating them as weeds of a fertile soil, BURN them to ashes in the light of deep illuminations one gains using the eyes of BEING Himself as one own eyes.

Comments:

Here again emerges the Hermeneutics of Namazvar and in which he says the same as the Sivanjanies. It is quite natural that people belonging to different religions get into conflicts with each other because of the differences in their metaphysical understanding and each, out of ignorance, claiming that his religion is superior to the others. But BEING stands in the heart of all and amidst the conflicts, makes them reflect and thereby attain and understanding of all religions and place them in relation to each other in terms similarities and differences. There is pressure within where one is forced to acknowledge the truths in other religions as well and place them in perspective in relation to one’s own. Thus emerges a GLOBAL UNDERSTADING of all religions and hence also a spirit of compromise and accommodation with the understanding that all these religions, while good in some ways but not so in others and hence simply an understanding on the WAY towards the FINAL where emerges the TRUTH that BEING, the indestructible and primordial is the GROUND of all and these religions are part of His AS IF PLAY, ways He presents Himself to uplift the anmas to the Final Ground. So such conflicts have a meaning - that of defeating the Ego, and make it humble in front of the bewildering majesty and Uncanniness of BEING, that he can create any number of religions only to disclose that all such religions are imperfect and that He can be reached only by burning off all such desires for religions as useless weeds that grow in the fertile soil and hence something that must be isolated and singed to ashes.

The TRUTH dawns only when the seeings of the ego-self are submerges in the SEEING of BEING Himself and which enable the anma to enjoy TRUTH-EXPERINCE of the most fundamental kind and which also comes with apodictic certainty, an understanding also central in Saiavism.

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