The Meaning of SivaliGkam 21-31
Dr K.Loganathan, 2003
[ 21. The Weapons of BEING
and the Wars in Nature 22. Physics and Metaphysics Integrated 23. Living in the
real Presence of BEING 24. Becoming a Pure Self with Icon Thinking 25. The Saivite
Cosmo-Sociology 26. The Saivite Cosmo-Psychology 27. The Yantras and the
Psychological Moods 28. Aspects of the Developmental Psychology of the Saivites
29. Metaphysical Understanding and Existential Application 30. Aspects of the
Saivite Evolutionary Psychology 31. Mantrayana as the Ultimate Science ]
One of the greatest achievements of Saivism is the recognition that the self is DUAL, sat-asat, something that is capable of both the physical and metaphysical ways of life. We can trace the roots of this deep understanding of self to the Sumerian times itself (which I will do in a separate essay) where we see man responding to sat part of himself to pursue the asat part so that his praxis in the world is well guided, follows the San Maarkkam or TiruneRi and so forth.
Only when a person is in touch with his sat-self that he becomes metaphysical, where he encounters the ICONS of BEING and LEARNS the metaphysical truths that light up his interior self filled already with the darkness of ignorance. Now these icons are varied though all are equally presentations of the same BEING and which gives rise to various cults such as Saivism, VaishNavism, Saktaism and so forth.
The icons are NOT the mental fabrications of an individual but are configurations of the mantras already there as the essential components of the metaphysical world. The metaphysical world is a mantra world and all the icons, the high and low are various configurations of these mantra forces that take possession of the mind as if my magic and channel the metaphysical thinking.
In this Tirumular stands as a unique mystic who was taken over by the icon of Cataaciva and whose metaphysical thinking, articulated in the 3000 verses of Tirumantiram and where even this Cataaciva is seen as a manifest form of the SivaliGkam, that which is the union of Natam and Bindu, the fundamental Siva Tatvas by the mantra modifications of which everything is generated.
In the following verse we have some iconographic details, which may appear as bizarre and incomprehensible for a non-Hindu mind. We have Cataaciva with 5 faces, 15 eyes, 10 arms and 25 weapons, the meanings of which are given below.
But why weapons as part of the icon of Cataaciva?
The weapons wielded by Cataaciva is indicative of the various WARS he wages in the cosmos and against the evil forces and only by defeating which the aruL or Grace of BEING can be made to pervade the world and through that the creative and productive forces. While the world as a whole may not be teleological, the individual histories are for they evolve in the direction of Moksa and in this the asat-self has to be destroyed and sat-self reinforced.
To evolve then both individually and socially man has to put himself on a war footing, align himself with Cataaciva who wages wars with the forces of resistances, impedance, stagnations and so forth. It is only a warrior who can wage wars both externally and internally and register great advances in culture. It is not an accident that the greatest intellectual achievements are also recorded when the whole nation is politically aggressive and expansionist.
At the absence of such social warriors, the whole society becomes stagnant, unadventurous, intellectually dead and repetitive. The frozen mind reinforces its death by imposing a rigid social organization such as the VarNasrama Dharma where mental and social immobility is made to appear as if the highest virtue and where a large range of sastra support is thrown in to provide divine authority for a such a stagnation.
The war-like society cannot be a VarNasrama Society but rather an Ati VarNasrama Society and it is not an accident that it is Saivism that has promoted this throughout its history.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
29 : The Iconic Details of Cataaciva
1736
«ïÍ Ó¸ÓÇ ³õãýÚ
¸ñÛÇ
«ïº¢¦É¡Î «ïÍ ¸Ã¾Äó ¾¡ÛÇ
«ïͼý «ïÍ ¬Ô¾ÓÇ ¿õÀ¢¦Âý
¦¿ïÍ ÒÌóÐ ¿¢¨ÈóÐ ¿¢ýÈ¡§É
¯¨Ã:
¯Ä¸ò¾¢ÖûÇ ±øÄ¡ °ó¾ø¸ÙìÌõ ãÄ ¸¡Ã½Á¡¸ ¾¡§É ¯Çý ±ýÀ¨¾ì ¸¡ðÎõ Ũ¸Â¢ø Å¡Á§¾Åõ ºò¾¢§Â¡º¡¾õ ¾òÒÕ¼õ «§¸¡Ãõ ®º¡Éõ ±Ûõ ³õÓ¸§Ç¡Î ¾¨Éì ¸¡ðθ¢ýÈ¡ý. «¨Éò¨¾Ôõ ±ïº¡Ð ¸ñÎ ¦¸¡ñÊÕ츢ý§Èý ±ýÚõ ¯½÷ò¾ µ÷ Ó¸ò¾¢üÌ ãýÚ ¸ñ¸Ç¡¸ 15 ¸ñ¸§Ç¡Îõ «¨Éò¨¾Ôõ ¾¡§É ¦ºö¸¢ý§Èý ±Éì ¸¡ð¼ ´ù¦Å¡Õ Ó¸ò¾¢üÌõ þÃñÎ ¸Ã¾Äòмý ¬¸ ÀòÐ ¸Ãí¸§Ç¡Îõ ¾¨Éì ¸¡ðθ¢ýÈ¡ý. §ÁÖõ Å¢¨Éò ¾£÷ôÀÅý ¾¡§É ±É ´ù¦Å¡Õ Ó¸ò¾¢üÌõ ³óÐ ¬Ô¾í¸Ç¡¸ 25 ¬Ô¾í¸§Ç¡Îõ ¾¨Éì ¸¡ðθ¢ýÈ¡ý. þùÅÊÅò¾¢ø ÀüÀÄ ¬Øñ¨Á¸¨Ç ±ÉìÌ §À¡¾¢ìÌõ ¦À¡ÕðÎ ±ý ¦¿ïÍ Å¢ðÎ ¿£í¸¡Ð ¿¢¨ÈóÐ ¿¢ü¸¢ýÈ¡ý þó¾ º¾¡º¢Å ã÷ò¾¢ !
1736
anjcu mukamuLa aimmuunRu kaNNuLa
anjcinodu anjcu
anjcu karatalan taanuLa
anjcudan anjcu aayutamuLa nambiyen
nenjcu pukuntu niRaintu ninRaanee!
Meaning:
BEING in the form of Cataaciva enters my heart and fills me up with the following iconic details to instruct me on some deep metaphysical truths. He shows Himself with the FIVE faces of vaamateevam etc to show that He is the Prime Mover of all. With THREE eyes for each face and hence with 15 eyes altogether, He discloses that He sees all unfailingly. With TWO arms for each face and hence with TEN arms altogether, He shows Himself to disclose that He is the agent of all actions. With FIVE weapons for each face and hence with altogether 25 weapons, He shows Himself to disclose that He is the remover of all evils afflicting the world!
Comments:
One of the peculiar iconic feature still present at least from Sumerian times is the polycephalic form in which Cataaciva as described here is one of them. Purusha with a thousand heads and so forth of Purusha Suktam, the Six-faced Kantan, a form of Muruka and so forth come to our mind.
It is quite easy to dismiss such presentations of BEING as fertile but bizarre fantasies of an aberrant mind, as it is done by quite a number of people including Hindus. But certainly Tirumular cannot be dismissed as such as person. Those familiar with archetypes and such other contents of dream and related experiences will realize that they COMMUNICATE a deep metaphysical truth in a language of its own. Such symbols are pre-linguistic and encrypt messages which when understood are conceptualized and verbalized.
The birth of verbal languages , the Vaikari form of languages may owe to such processes in nature.
We have already explained the meanings of the FIVE faces and which we link with the instinctual forces at work in all creatures constituting the psychodynamics that impel them into actions. All living creatures, no matter how primitive they are, ACT and in which they show they are LIVING as opposed to being non-living, the cit as opposed to acit. Thus there must be INTENTIONALITIES, very primitive and undifferentiated perhaps among the lower creatures but nevertheless intentional. The primordial sources of all such intentionalities are the FIVE faces of Cataaciva - the Vaamateevam and so forth.
Now more details are given by Tirumular in this verse. Each face has THREE eyes and hence the figure as a whole 15 eyes. But why this?
The iconic details of the EYES, stand for SEEING and the 15 eyes, three in each face shows that BEING sees all and that nothing escapes His glance. In this the THIRD EYE has a special significance. It is the Metaphysical Eye and hence that which sees even hidden and concealed showing that we simple creatures, though can hide and conceal our actions and inner thoughts from others but CANNOT with BEING. BEING sees the surface with the two normal eyes and also the DEPTHS with the Third Eye!
The arms, altogether TEN, two for each, shows that BEING is the True Agent, the Primordial Actor and in that whatever we think we are doing is in fact because of His AS-IF Play. We think we are the real agents of our actions only because BEING curtains Himself off, conceals Himself! Thus there is a transcendental IGNORANCE of the essence of BEING and all because He conceals Himself while remaining the real agent of all our actions. Once this Tirotakam, curtaining off, is removed then a person sees the truth and loses his egotism with the realization that he is NOT the real agent of his own actions. He has been caused to act but he being aware of being thus caused.
Against such meanings of the iconic details we have to see the special significance of the WEAPONS, 25 in number 5 for each face. The weapons are destructive and therefore they signify the battles BEING fights continuously in the cosmos and without which the creative advances will not materialize. In Nature and as part of its fabric there are forces of resistance or impedance and which work in the direction of increasing INERTIA and hence stagnation, absence of change and development etc and all attributed to aaNavam that which brings DEATH to all. BEING has to fight everywhere and in all directions for aaNavam is ubiquitous and unless it is battled with and destroyed the GOOD will not be present along with the creative advances.
Physics and Metaphysics Integrated
For anyone who values an integral view where both the physical and metaphysical understanding of the human mind also succeeds in generating an integrated view of them, Saivism such as that of Tirmular here will be very appealing. The phenomenal is NOT rejected as magical or mythiya but rather appropriated just as real as any. Though there is the Paramartika vyavakaarika distinction, there is no downgrading one in favor of the other where are appropriated as sat and asat, the absolute and nonabsolute and with the understanding that it is through the asat that the SAT can be reached.
Thus there is a DUALITY throughout but which is transcended only reaching the limiting grounds where every interpretive movement of mind is stilled and the self enjoys ‘anniyam inmai’, non-alienness with BEING and which is enjoyed by the Pure Self in Deep Silence. This is advaita with a difference and because of which it is called Sudhadvaita by Tamil Saivites. It is a leaping towards non-alien way of Being-with-BEING and entirely by the Grace of BEING.
Such a well integrated well co-coordinated Philosophy is what we see in the following verse of Tirumular where he is trying to grasp the whole of cosmos where they are related to BEING-as-Siva-Sakti, BEING-as-Man-Woman and which is one meaning of SivaliGkam, the union of Natam and Bindu.
Tirumular paints a picture of how the Pure Energy, the ParaSakti and Cataaciva are JOINTLY present at both macro and micro levels generating myriads of forms and which has also been noted as the Dance of Bliss of Siva Sakti, an enduring metaphor that has been very productive in metaphysical insights that have moved into ecstasies of great mystics like Appar Sambantar Manikkavasakar and so forth.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
30 : The Pure Energy and its Differentiations
1737
ºò¾¢ ¾Ã¡¾Äõ «ñ¼õ º¾¡º¢Åõ
ºò¾¢ º¢Åõ Á¢ì¸ ¾¡Àà ºí¸Áõ
ºò¾¢ ¯ÕÅõ «ÕÅï º¾¡º¢Åõ
ºò¾¢ º¢Å ¾òÐÅõ ÓôÀò ¾¡§È
¯¨Ã:
þÉ¢ à ºò¾¢Â¡¸¢Â Àáºì¾¢Ôõ º¾¡º¢ÅÛõ ±ôÀÊ ¯Ä¸¢ø þÕ츢ýÈ¡÷¸û ±É¢ø, «¨Éò¾¢üÌõ §¾¡üÈ ãÄÁ¡¸ Àáºò¾¢ þÕì¸, ¯ÕÅÁ¨Áó¾ §¾¡üÈòÐ §ÀÃñ¼Á¡¸ º¾¡º¢Åý þÕ츢ýÈ¡ý. §ÁÖõ ºò¾¢Ôõ º¢ÅÓÁ¡¸ þ¨½ó§¾ ¿¢¨ÄòÐ ¿¢üÀ¾¡¸¢Â «¨º×¨¼ò¾¡¸¢Â ¾¡Àà ºí¸Áí¸û ¯Ä¸¢ø ¯ÇÅ¡ ¿¢ü¸¢ýÈÉ. þÅüÈ¢ø ¯Õ¦ÁÎôÀ¾üÌ ãĸ¡Ã½Á¡¸ ¬¾¢ºò¾¢ þÕì¸, «¨Å ±ÎìÌõ ¯ÕÅò¾¢üÌ ãĸ¡Ã½Á¡¸ º¾¡º¢Å þÕ츢ýÈ¡ý. þùÅ¡Ú ¯Ä¸¢ý ãĸ¡Ã½í¸Ç¡¸ ºò¾¢Ôõ º¢ÅÓõ þ¨½óÐ 36 ¾òÐÅí¸Ç¡¸×õ ŢâóÐûÇÉ ¸¡ñ.
1737.
catti taraatalam aNdam cataacivam
catti civam mikka taabara caGkamam
catti uruvam aruvanj cataacivam
catti civa tattuvam muppat taaRee
Meaning:
While the Pure Energy, ParaSakti is the most primordial basis of all, the Cataaciva remains the manifest world. Within it all the mobile and immobile things are generated with both Catti and Cataaciva in various combinations. And while the Catti remains the basis of the concrete shapes of things, the Cataaciva remains the abstract basis of the different forms and structures they assume. Together they generate the fundamental elemental realities of 36 Tatvas that go into the fabrications of everything.
Comments:
Any modern physicist who reads this verse will be quite pleased and on the whole quite agreeable except for the fact Tirumular enunciates this cosmology as the various aspect of BEING and especially in the form of SivaliGkam, the union of Natam and Bindu. Here BEING-as-Natam is Cataaciva and BEING-as-Bindu is ParaSakti or simply the Sakti, the Pure Energy.
At the cosmological level the Pure Energy remains the basis by transforming which the whole manifest world, with the uncountable galactic systems, suns, moons and other planetary objects are generated. While this gigantic and bewildering cosmos in its surface or visible form is identified as Cataaciva, the Deep Structure, that out which it is generated is identified as the ParaSakti, the Pure Energy. Cataaciva divides and moulds the formless and structure-free ParaSakti into a formed and hence manifest universe.
While this is at the most global or macro level, at the micro too it remains the same. The phrase ‘taabara caGkamam” is a term used to capture all objects for any object is either mobile (the living things) or immobile (the nonliving things). It is claimed that into the fabrication of all objects go both Sakti and Sivam in various kinds combinations.
But what are their distinguishing features, if any?
Sakti is the FORM, shape or structure (uruvam) while Sivam remains the ordaining but abstract principle (aruvam) that remaining concealed at the depths dictate the different shapes things assume. We can see Cataaciva is taken as mantra bodies and Sakti as that on which the mantras work on to bring about the presence something as there.
Now when we analyze all objects, both the concrete and abstract, the visible and invisible, the intelligent and nonintelligent, the brute and the cultural, it will turn out that the atoms of all these are 36 Tatvas in the sense that any object whatsoever can be analyzed into a cluster of these 36 Tatvas.
Now Tirumular claims that these 36 Tatvas are also Sakti and Sivam in various differentiations, combinations and permutations.
One of the themes that runs the whole range of Tamil religious tradition and hence Agamism or Tantrism is that man should aspire to live in the LIVING PRESENCE of BEING and in order to achieve that liberate oneself even from the scriptures and such other forces that can trap the mind and enslave the spirit. The Siddhas are noted to say repeatedly ‘vaaycollaal eppayanumillai”, mere verbosity (and discursive thinking) does not serve any useful purpose. Even in Sumerian times we hear Sulgi declaring that the Sun God was friend from his early childhood, standing there deep within guiding him in all his actions (Sulgi Hymn B 40: ses-ku-li sul utu am: Ta. sisu kuli suur utu aam)
While the whole of Tamil Bakti poetry are literary productions of this vibrant living in the presence of the various presentational forms of BEING, the icons or vatars and hence living with Icon Thinking as the favored mode of spiritual quest, we have here the more reflective Tirumular declaring something by way of UNDERSTANDING this living presence of BEING in some Icon form or other.
He declares that Cataaciva can also present Himself as the ONE and hence beyond the dichotomy of Sakti and Siva that he declared earlier and hence all in a way. He is also a reality who CRAWLS on His own (uuRu Cataacivam) and hence will be present in the body and soul of a person if only the person allows for it.
But how does this ‘allowing’ take place?
The Saivites note a difference in the religious rituals - that between the Upaayac Sariyai, the instrumental rituals and UNmaic Sariyai, the authentic rituals
The authentic rituals seek NOTHING for self itself but only metaphysical illuminations. There is no eeRurai ceytal, lavishing praises and eulogies upon the icons as if to seduce them into granting as boons as what one wants - power, wealth, social fame, sexual gratifications and what not.
BEING crawls on His own accord in some icon form or other not in the context of such cunning strategies but only when one transcends such ego-concerns and seeks only metaphysical illuminations.
The presence of Ego in the self and which prompts the instrumental rituals are useless in attaining a form of living in the living presence of BEING and which is proper goal of religious life.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
31 : Cataaciva is
All
1738
¾òÐÅ Á¡ÅÐ «ÕÅï ºÃ¡ºÃõ
¾òÐÅ Á¡ÅÐ ¯ÕÅï ͧ¸¡¾Âõ
¾òÐÅõ ±øÄ¡õ º¸ÄÓÁ¡ö ¿¢üÌõ
¾òÐÅ Á¡Ìï º¾¡º¢Åý ¾¡§É
¯¨Ã:
¯Ä¸ò¾¢ý ±øÄ¡ Ũ¸ §¾¡üÈò¾¢üÌõ ãĸ¡Ã½ ¾òÐÅ¡ö ¿¢üÀÐ º¾¡º¢Å ¦ÀÕÁ¡§É ¡Ìõ. ¯ÕÅÓõ §¾¡üÈÓõ «üÈ ÝìÌÁí¸ÙìÌ «Åü¨Èò ¾Õõ «ÕÅõ º¾¡º¢Åõ ±ýÀ¦¾¡Î «¨ºÅÉ «¨ºÅüÈÉ ±ýÈÅ¡Úõ, ¯Â¢÷ôÀÉ «øÄ¡¾É ±ýÈÅ¡Õõ ÅÕõ ºÃ¡ºÃí¸û «¨ÉòÐõ ¯ÕÅô ¦À¡Ä¢§Å¡Î ¿¢ü¸¢ýÈ ¾òÐÅÓõ º¾¡º¢Å§É ¡Ìõ. þùÅ¡Ú ¦À¡Õð¸û ¯Õ¦ÅÎôÀ§¾ ±øÄ¡ ¯Â¢÷¸ÙìÌõ ͸ò¾¢ý §¾¡üÈÓÁ¡Ìõ. ¬¸ º¾¡º¢Å ã÷ò¾¢§Â «ÕÅô ¦À¡ÕÇ¡ö ¯ÕÅô ¦À¡ÕÇ¡ö ¬¸ «¨ÉòÐÁ¡ö ¿¢üÌõ ±ýÀ¨¾ì ¸¡ñ.
1738
tattuva maavatu aruvanj saraasaram
tattuva maavatu uruvanj sukootayam
tattuvam ellaam skalamumaay niRkum
tattuva maakunj cataacivan taanee
Meaning:
It is Cataaciva who remains the elemental realities that go into the fabrication of everything. He is the abstract or invisible reality that gives form and function for all the objects in the world both the living and non-living. It is only because there is the genesis of individual things with definite structure and function that there is comfort and happiness in the world. Thus it is Cataaciva who is the basis for both the abstract and concrete elemental realities and hence all.
32.
1739. Cataaciva is the True God
ÜÚÁ¢ý °Ú º¾¡º¢Åõ ±õÁ¢¨È
§Å§È¡÷ ¯¨Ã¦ºöÐ Á¢¨¸ô¦À¡ÕÇ¡ö ¿¢üÌõ
²Ú¨Ã ¦ºö¦¾¡Æ¢ø Å¡ÉÅ÷ ¾õ¦Á¡Î
¯¨Ã:
¬Æ ¬Æ «Êò¾Äò¾¢ø ¾¡§É °Ú¸¢ýÈ º¾¡º¢Å§É ±õÁ¢¨È ±ýÚ ÁÈÅ¡Ð ÜÚí¸û. þ¨¾ò ¾Å¢÷òÐ §Å¦È¡Õ Ũ¸Â¢ø Å¢ÇìÌõ ¯¨Ã¸ð¦¸øÄ¡õ «¼í¸¡¾ ¦À¡ÕÇ¡ö ¿¢üÀý ±ýÀ¨¾Ôõ ¸¡Ïí¸û. ¾¡õ ÀìÌÅòò¾¢ø þýÛõ þýÛõ ¯Â÷ó¾¢Î¾ü¸¡¸ ²üÈ¢ ²üÈ¢ Ò¸úóÐ ¦¾¡Øõ Å¡ÉÅ÷¸ÙìÌõ §ÅÈ¡ÉÅý ±ýÀ¾¡¸, ¿¡ý ±ùŨ¸Â¢Öõ «Å¨É ²üÈ¢ò ¦¾¡Æ¡¾ §À¡¾¢Öõ ¾¡§É ¯ÅóÐ ±ý ÁÉõ ÒÌóÐ ¿¢ü¸¢ýÈ¡ý ¸¡ñ!
1739.
kuuRumin uuRu cataacivan emmiRai
veeRoor uraiceytu mikaip poruLaay niRkum
eeRurai ceytozil vaanavar tammodu
maaRucey vaan en manam pukuntaanee!
Meaning:
Say without ever forgetting that Cataaciva who moves on His own at the deepest level is my God. He stands beyond the reach of any other utterances contrary to this. He who is praised lavishly even by the celestial beings and all in order to climb up the metaphysical ladder, as if different from them, crept into heart on His own accord even though I did not utter any word of praise!
Comments:
There is a seeming contradiction between verse 1737 and 1738 where initial distinction between Sakti, the Pure Energy and Siva, the Pure Ordaining principle are now said to be the One and the same Cataaciva. We have now both the substance and form both said to emerge from Cataaciva and from the various elemental realities, the Tatvas that He in fact becomes. But there is no real contradiction for it is also noted that it is BEING who becomes the Sakti itself, the PeN taan aana Pemman, the Great One who also becomes the Woman. While at one way of looking at the genesis of all things, there is distinction as Male and Female, Natam and Bindu, at a level beyond this a UNITY can be seen and hence also all, both substance and form, as Cataaciva Himself, just different aspects of the manifestations of BEING.
Now the verse 1739 says something very important for metaphysics. BEING cannot be fooled by praises even from celestial beings if they are directed for selfish ends, that of uplifting self in metaphysical life so that one can enjoy more and more of the sacred and divine. Such actions are INSTRUMENTAL, praxis done with deliberate intention to achieve something using PRAISE as a strategy. Tirumular shows that such praises and worship in that spirit will not succeed at all in making BEING present in the bosom of a person.
One should not praise BEING as if BEING is a monarch who can be seduced by such flattery to grant boons. No BEING does not that work that way. BEING favors the real seeker of metaphysical wisdom, one who is like Tirumular, brave and bold and whose interest is wholly the gaining of metaphysical illuminations whatever the cost.
It has been claimed that the highest spiritual experience is that of emptying all thoughts and hence all dualities, dichotomies and so forth and stand glowing in Pure Consciousness, the Cutta Caitanyam. Now among the Saivites this is understood rather differently and because of which the self is said to be there nevertheless without losing its individuality even in this limiting case of Pure Consciousness and because of which the Advaita spoken of is called Sudhadvaita.
It is understood that such an experience is that of the Pure Self, the egoless self and itself a blessing of BEING even though in this state, the consciousness of BEING as alien is no more there. This state of non-alienation is the LIMIT of spiritual development on attaining which Moksa is also attained and hence also liberation from the mechanism that throws the self into phenomenal circulation.
Now this state of Purity is said to be attained as part of Icon Thinking where the Icon is BEING-as-Light, BEING-as-Pure Radiance, the Civapprakaasam Arutperuncooti and so forth. Perhaps this is the same as the Brahman of Vedanta and Sunyata of the Buddhists. However the Saivites consider that this is also a presentation of BEING and hence an Icon but something that becomes real only at a very high stages of spiritual development and only at which point the whole phenomenal reality will be seen as dream-like etc. The experience of Icon of Supreme Radiance is that which purifies the soul and empties of all thoughts installing only a Deep Silence as its possible state of BEING.
Now Tirumular is well aware of all these and against this, it becomes strange that he mentions he enjoyed Icon Thinking especially as that constituted by Cataaciva as is the case in this verse.
Actually there is no contradiction at all for the experience of the Icon of Light, which is a limiting case, is part of Icon Thinking but a very high one. There are many stages an individual has to undergo and in which there is Metaphysical Learning of a kind where the self becomes gradually purified. The following verse where there is the experience of Cataaciva, already a very high level of Icon Thinking, is perhaps very close to but not yet the experience of Icon as Light (as Brahman) but for the experience of which the soul is being prepared by BEING Himself.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
33 : Metaphysics
and Icon Thinking
1740
þÕÇ¡÷ó¾ ¸ñ¼Óõ ²óÐ ÁØ×ï
ÍÕÇ¡÷ó¾ ¦ºïº¨¼î §º¡¾¢ô À¢¨ÈÔõ
«ÕÇ¡÷ó¾ º¢ó¨¾ ±õ ¬¾¢ô À¢Ã¡¨Éô
¦¾ÕÇ¡÷óÐ ±ý ¯û§Ç ¦¾Ç¢ó¾¢Õ󧾧É
¯¨Ã:
¾Éì¦¸É µ÷ ¯Õ×õ §ÀÕõ þøÄ¡¾ þ¨ÈÅý, ±Áì¦¸É µ÷ ¯Õר¼ÂÅÉ¡¸ «Ð×õ º¢Å¦ÀÕÁ¡É¡¸ þÕñ¼ ¸ñ¼òмÛõ ²ó¾¢Â ÁØ×¼Ûõ, ÍÕñÎ ÍÕñÎ ¿£ñÎ Å¢Ã¢ó¾ ¦ºïº¨¼Â¢ø þÇõ À¢¨È ÝÊÂÅÛÁ¡¸ ¯Õ¦ÅÎð¼ø , þ¨Å¦ÂøÄ¡õ ¾¡ý ¬ýÁ¡ì¸ÙìÌ »¡Éõ §À¡¾¢ì¸§Å ±É «ÕÇ¡÷ó¾ º¢ó¨¾§Â¡Î ¿¢ýÈ¢ÄíÌõ ±õ ¬¾¢ô À¢Ã¡¨É, «Åý þùÅÊÅ¢ø ¯½÷ò¾¢ «ÕÙ¸¢ýÈ ¬Øñ¨Á¸¨Ç ±ý «¸ò¾¢§Ä ¦¾Ç¢óÐ þÕó§¾ý ¸ñ¼¡ö!
1740
iruLaarnta kaNdamum eentu mazuvum
curuLaarnta cenjsadaic cootip piRaiyum
aruLaarnta cintai em aatip piraanaip
teruLaarntu en uLLee teLintirunteenee!
Meaning:
BEING who has no form and name of His own, however assumes an infinite number of names and forms and all as for creatures. He has taken the Icon Form of Siva where He appears with the dark throat, carrying an axe, wearing the bright Crescent Moon on His flowing and curly hair and so forth all with the kindness to instruct me on deep metaphysical truths. And I having understood all these within me, stood there with an impressive clarity of understanding.
Comments:
A great thinker like Tirmular whose deep metaphysical insights have been cherished for more 1500 years and who keeps on fascinating great minds to this day, remains interestingly enough an Icon Thinker, or to put it another way an idol worshipper. Perhaps this applies to the whole range of Indic religions and which differ only in the choice of icons but not in icon thinking as their favored approach to metaphysical life.
Tirumular explains briefly but beautifully the essence of it all in this verse.
BEING in Himself has no definite form and hence a name and which is also a presentation of BEING but at a very high level of metaphysical maturity. But long before that and by way of educating the anmas and out of infinite Love and Kindness for the creatures, presents Himself in various Icons thereby stimulating Icon Thinking and because of which there comes prevail metaphysical illuminationsof a profound kind, bewildering the soul by the profundity and depth.
Here BEING presents Himself as Siva with the blue throat, carrying an axe, wearing the Crescent Moon and we can add also a snake on His neck, carrying the Fire, the Tricuul with a beating drum and so forth.
First of all it must be realized that such icons are NOT the creations of the human mind, aberrant one at that. It is being OPEN to receiving a certain configuration BEING Himself generates out of SivaliGkam, the union of Natam and Bindu and presents as if He is that Icon and thereby stimulates the human soul that responds to it with metaphysical questions.
The key word here is “TeLintu Irunteenee”: I remained having understood the MEANING of the Icon very clearly
While for ordinary folks such Icons may be simply objects of worship but when they graduate from that and become inquisitive as to the MEANING of it all, then and only then Icon Thinking is entered into and metaphysical illuminations attained and enjoyed.
Purusha Suktam illustrates a form of thinking where the social reality is sought to be understood in terms of structural form of the Cosmos appropriated as Purusha, the BEING with thousand heads and so forth and which is a further development of similar ideas already available in SumeroTamil literature where EnLil is also as seen as the one who measures out the whole of the universe with His vast feet. Now Saivism has an interesting alternative to this in which it is NOT VarNasra Dharma that is condoned but rather Ati-VarNasra Dharma, the transcending of all differences that may be already there at birth. The following two verses delineate this understanding and which belong to a species of metaphysical thinking that can be called Natural Metaphysics.
What is sought to be understood is the presence of the almost instinctual forces in creatures and which provide the psychodynamic principles that prompt them into actions of various kinds. Now it is in this that there are differences with each individual having as his dominant psychodynamics that may be different, some higher and some lower and which brings hierarchical differences among the individuals. The instinctual forces are hierarchically organized and in which Muktotropism, the seeking of Mukti is the highest with the lower tropisms contributing towards its emergence. All individuals are POTENTIALLY capable of being raised to the level Muktotropism and hence EQUAL in that.
But how does Tirumular articulate this?
He appropriates the Cosmos itself as SivaliGkam and from which emerges the Cataaciva LiGkam with its FIVE faces, which as already explained, establish the psychodynamic pressures as a fabric of the Cosmos and which are also reflected in the finite human body and mind. For it is also understood that what is in the Cosmos is also available in the body. (aNdattil uLLatu piNdattilum uNdu)
At the peak of the Cosmos as SivaliGkam stands the face of Icaanam, that which establishes the Muktotropism, the desire for Moksa. At the base where only Bindu is available lies the face of Cattiyoocaatam, that which establishes the pressure for seeking out TRUTH. It should be recalled that Bindu, the WOMAN contains within herself all the Kalais, the arts and sciences that serve to illuminate mind.
Where LiGkam, the Natam meets the Peedam, the Bindu lies Vaamam, the face that implants sexual desires and hence the elicitation of Libidinal energy. At the LiGkam itself lies Tatpurudam, the face that channels the libido towards the hermeneutic efforts that bring about self-understanding and in which also the Ciram, throwing self into the interior desert landscape by way of purifying it. Next comes Akooram that resides within the LiGkam and with an Eye to show that Pure Love and Care emerges only when the ego-self is defeated or burnt off in the interior desert and which is the meaning of Sanniyaasam.
Only after this we have the face of Icaanam and right at the PEAK of the LiGkam and which establishes the pressure for Moksa and so forth.
These tropisms are OBJECTIVE REALITIES out there as a fabric of cosmic reality and which can also enter the mind of an individual provided he seeks after it in the proper way. To seek after Moksa is the highest and such individuals, in view of such psychodynamics, are also the highest in spiritual development, something anyone can raise himself to. This has nothing to do with birth but rather how well one moves along the way of Sanmaarkkam and how well he becomes suitable to be blessed by BEING.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
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1741
sattitaan niRkinRa aimmukam caaRRidil
uttamam vaamam uraiyattu iruntidum
tattuvam puuruvam taRpurudan ciram
attaku kooram makudattil iisaananee
Meaning:
The Sakti or Power stands with Cataaciva as His five faces. Among these the primordial Vaamateevam stands facing the North and remains in the depths silently. The Cattiyoocaatam stands next as that face that impels all anmas in the direction of TRUTH and hence darsanas of fundamental realities. Next comes the face Tatpurudam, that which pushes all into intellectual aridity, the giving up all in the interest of gaining self-understanding. Next comes Akooram, that face that installs LOVE and CARE unto all. Finally we have at the crest the Icaanam that establishes the desire for Moksa.
35
1742.
naaNu nal iisaanam naduvucci taanaakum
taanuvin tan mukam taRpuruda maakum
kaaNum akooram irutayam kuyyamaam
aaNuRa vaammaam catti naRpaatamee
Meaning:
Now when we seek to see the origin of these faces in the SivaliGkam, we can locate Icaanam, that which like a bow would catapult the anmas into Moksa, at the very top of the LiGkam. Below it and at the pillar of the LiGkam we have the Tatpurudam. And inside it like the heart and marked (externaaly) by the Eye stands the Akooram. Now at the base where are located the genitals is located Vaamateevam that blesses one with virility. At the feet of this SivaliGkam where the Pillar meets with base, is located Cattiyoocaatam.
Comments:
The SivaliGkam is the union of Natam and Bindu where while the Pillar (TaaNu) is the Natam, the base that serves as the foundation is Bindu, usually circular in shape. In these two verses Tirumular is describing how the Cataaciva LiGkam with its five faces, is in fact aspects of Pure SivaliGkam.
The Five faces, as already explained are the deep-seated psychodynamic principles, which establish the instinctual pressures within and because of which the anmas are motivated to do the many things they do. What is said of Vaamateevam, that it remains SILENT but nevertheless impelling should be taken to apply to all the five faces - they remain at the deepest layer of the psyche, impelling in various ways UNCOSNCIOUSLY so that they move, do this and this and in all that without being conscious of the impelling forces deep within
Now how are they located within the SivaliGkam?
The SivaliGkam is taken almost as a person and on which HEAD is located the Icaanam, the face that establishes the HIGHEST desire in the bosom of man i.e. that for Moksa. Since this arises subsequent to authentic self-understanding where it becomes clear that it remains bonded to worldly things, the face Tatpurudam responsible for this is located at the pillar itself, the TaaNu. Now Akooram, that instinctual desire to show LOVE and CARE for all is located at the place inside it, at the heart of TaaNu and which is also marked with an Eye. Now at the base of it where the Pillar meets the circular platform, paralleling the location of genitals, stands the Vaamateevam, that which grants the sexual libido. Now at the base of it all and where stands only Bindu, is located the face of Cattiyoocaatam, that which impels all the anmas towards Absolute Truth.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. D. RAJARAM
Institute of Cosmic Information
Whatever may be the legend or legacy attached to the significance of a Shivalingam, there are hidden facts which have to be understood when one looks at it with the critical eye of an intelligent analyst. An assessment seems to be unclear with many views attempting to explain a particular given feature.
The contour is dome shaped, the sides form a cylindrical configuration erupting as if from the centre of a platform circular in most part of it’s circumference with an elongated snout leading a shallow channel to it’s tip, where water poured over the domed cylinder would collect in the circular platform and be conveyed to the terminal part of a prolongation of the sides of the circular platform.
Shivalingam represents the model for the idolic worship of Shiva. It is a universally known fact that it is Shiva who had brought down Ganga to earth. There is great engineering feat involved in the fall of the torrential Ganga. Bhageeratha prayatnam is just folklore
Since legends convey that Shiva organised his tuft of hair into a receptacle in which Ganga the Bhageerathi, found a comfortable landing place, Shivalingam if it is to depict a completeness of Shiva should equally well have the landing site on Shiva’s head where the very powerful Ganga impinges on falling, flattened or even depressed. Hence the centre on the dome should have a fovea or shallow pitting.
Unfortunately, multitudes of Shivalingams are worshipped, adorned and charged with reverberations of combinations of cosmic sonic energy.
If a given idol does not conform to specifications and requirements, I am afraid that even the Maragatham Shivalingams that are found in five important temples are poor representations of cosmic facts.
Comment:
A Shivalingam with a central fovea on the summit of the dome is a “ functional idol”, whereas all the others, whoever have it with ‘spherical domes’ are ordinary “decorative idols”.
Preamble:
Cosmic science is far beyond the range of sophisticated gadgets of analysis. We have to understand that there are many cosmic determinants which are unknowable, simply because they have not yet been revealed. A question surfaced in our minds “how could anyone get access to such unrevealed cosmic knowledge”? Obviously as researchers we need to look deeper into cosmic details.
There are five observable factors, which could help and guide a research to probe into cosmic matters:.
(1) Learn cosmic disciplines.
(2) Understand cosmic laws and applications.
(3) Prepare appropriate protocols.
(4) Recognise the plane of “non existers” They have an ‘aura’
around them that creates a different “ refractile transparency”.
Celestials operate from this ‘plane of existence’.
(5) Visualise the cosmic energy composition while you look at the
‘physical form’ of an idol installed in sanctum in any temple.
(Whether the idols became alive to provide newer meanings to earlier understandings of Punithavathi, or Mr. Parthasarathy’s learning about seven classifications of lingams, or Smt. Saraswathi and Mr. Saathia wanting to know whether a materialised ‘model representation’ of energy be called an idol or an icon, or Mr. Bala Pillai’s views on unseen functional allocations of cosmic energy like in photosynthesis, I hope the factors enumerated above, would help and guide them in preparing their own protocols for probing into cosmic matters.)
Our basic approach in this research has been a ‘why’ & ‘how’ technique where, one raises a question and applies the ‘why’ & ‘how’ system. By eliciting an answer and each of the answer that presents is sequentially followed by a question, ‘why’ & ‘how’, one can gather enormous data. Our presentaion features the configured shape of Shivalingam. It is the product of a ‘why’ & ‘how’ system of research analysis conducted at the Institute of Cosmic Information, sanctum sanctorum, hill top shrine of Murugan, Palani, 624601. It gives us great pleasure to release the cosmic revelations. The manuscripts are organised in the pattern of question / answer system.
Thesis of
configuration of Shivalingam:
Why is the Lingam cylindrical with a hemispherical free side on its summit?
Answer:
A totality of materialisation when condensed becomes reduced in volume. To give an example, when all that is composing the earth is condensed, it will reduce to the size of the Shivalingam one sees at Mammiyoor. It is 18 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
Question No. 2.
There are so many places where Shivalingams are present. There are twelve Jyothirlingams. Why is the one at Mammiyoor taken as an example?.
Answer:
The idol at Mammiyoor alone has the flattening mentioned. Mammiyoor Shivalingam is one of the very few “functional Shivalingams”.
Question No. 3.
Does it really matter to depict the pit or flattening? Twelve Jyothirlingams spread all over the country, all ‘swayambhu lingams – are they not ideal idols?
Answer;
Why express surprise? If one analyses the origin of the ‘swayambhu lingams’, one will find that some sculptor has prepared the model. All Shivalingams are not alike. There is gross difference in the proportion of the height of cylinder and circular basal platform. Moreover an ideal Shivalingam should have it’s height equal to one and half times the diameter. The height is measured and calculated between the junction of the base of cylinder and floor and the highest point of the summit at the floor of the pit, which should be present in an ideal Shivalingam. Any Shivalingam not conforming to this formulation – sorry is not ideal.
Now, the question of swayambhu Shivalingams.
A family of Madhya Pradesh of today’s geography had a concept of this formula. They were a generation of sculptors. They kept the formula as a family secret. Their members migrated to different parts of the country in search of job opportunities. Before taking up jobs they wanted to offer prayers to Shiva. Since they knew the art of sculpturing and also had the blueprint of the specifications, they made lingams for their worship only. After their life period, many geographical modulations occurred whereby, some of these idols got trapped into deeper layers of the earth’s strata.
Depositions and denudations being a geographical phenomenon, at some times of denudation the trapped lingams were exposed. They were uniformly similar, their unique feature being they were fixed to a base. This was the indication of the place of worship of these scattered family members, then extinct. They had added an additional chord around the margin of the central platform, a little below its limiting collar. This is the identification point for the Shivalingams sculptured by members of that family.
People travelling on open grounds altered by geographical changes spotted regular and evenly shaped stones. When they dug out, they found it was fixed. Hence news spread that Shivalingam has erupted. Similar reports came from different parts of the country. Some of the members of the family had traveled to far off places like Java, Sumatra and Philippines. The descendents of these families are living today in these places, with citizenship of those countries.
So, Jyothirlingams are not just twelve. The number twelve only indicates those, which geography favoured to be exposed to the surface. Actually, the trapped number is innumerable.
The second part of the question - are these swayambhu lingams not ideal idols?
As was detailed, these sculptors had the art but did not know the concept of Shivalingam. Hence, whatever they made are not ideal idols. They simply do not conform to specifications.
Question No.4.
Why is it said that Mammiyoor Shivalingam is the only one, and in the same sentence it is said that it is one of the ideal idols? Why a paradoxical statement?
Answer;
When the configuration of lingam was revealed to earlier intelligents, the thanthra was taught by using “mudra codes” while they were in deep meditation. When the ‘mudra’ for the torrential Ganga was expressed, some misinterpreted it as a floral blessing. Obviously, soft petals delicately fall and ‘stay’; Ganga falls with a ‘thrust’ and is piercing. Only Shiva could contain Ganga’s fall within his hair tuft.
The ideal idol other than at Mammiyoor is found at Pashupathinath at Nepal. It is known after Shankaran, who had in fact ‘re-installed’ the idol.
Question No.5:
The world is globular in shape. But when the full globe of the earth is condensed why is it not taking a globular shape when represented by Shivalingam? Why the additional cylinder?
Answer:
Hemisperical free surface forming the dome of the Shivalingam is the perfect segment on the arc of a circle whose radius is obviously 1/3rd of the height.
Half of the world is dark during half the day and is illuminated during the other half. These proportions vary in different latitudes. When averages are taken, it works out to half day and half night. The hemisphere is to depict the contour of the earth as seen with illumination. The other half of the hemisphere which merges into the shaft of the cylinder is the ‘visual non appearance’ of the ‘un-illuminated’ globe. Is it clear? A Shivalingam though looks cylindrical is in reality a condensed globe.
Question No.6:
How was the globe of the earth reduced into such a complicated concept?
Answer:
When one speaks of ‘rarefaction’ and ‘contraction’, it means that the materialisations are either “loose packed” or ‘close packed”. What provides for this is the ‘space’ around materialisations. If the organisation of a “loosely packed” and “rarefied” materialisation is ‘altered’ by ‘squeezing out’ the space in between materialisations, they attain a “closely packed” situation whereby the mass being maintained the same, the volume is drastically minimised – like for example an equal weight of steel and cotton.
Question No.7:
If the “close packed” appearance is circular – rather globular in three dimension; the visible hemisphere being on the illuminated surface and the non illuminated unseen hemisphere on the opposite side, what is it that gives the height of 150%?
Answer:
During the process of “close packing”, as space is reduced, nothing ever happened to the space between matter. But it is the ‘components’ of the matter, which moved towards each other “leaving the space behind”.
Thus space from all sides were left behind. Illumination occurs in the space left out on the free side; but the opposite part, the unilluminated surface of the globe is seen as dark because illusions created ‘within’ by the space within which the materialisations rarified has merged with the rest of the space which till now supported the “rarified loose packed” from inside, is now providing the support from the outside. In the “summation of effects” nothing happened to space. “Close packing” was effected in the interspace within the materialisation. Whatever manipulations were done, ‘continuity’ of space remains unaffected.
Therefore the lower part of the cylinder, the height minus half of diameter, is the dark unilluminated region where the space within and without the “globe matter” has merged inconceivably.
What is the cosmic significance of Shivalingam?
Answer:
A materialised matter requires space within it to help in its organisation, and outside it for ‘sustenance’ and ‘maintenance’. All materialisations are effected by fluctuations in the amplitudes of sonic magnetism, the basis of cosmic energy.
Shivalingam is the concentration of this trapped cosmic energy. All energy in any form is Shivamsam. What contains Shivamsam is the ‘space’. The ‘space’ is the vast limitless cosmic dimension of Parashakthi. Since one is contained within the other: “Shivamsam within Shakthi” is Shivalingam. Hence, because Shiva contained the thrust and piercing fall of Ganga with his tuft, an ideal functional Shivalingam must have a pit on its summit.
Question No.9:
What is the cosmic significance of Bhageeratha prayathnam whereby Ganga has to fall on Shiva”s head?
Answer:
Any materialisation is the result of energy interaction
and modulation. In all these processes enormous heat is generated. Coolants are
constantly self generated. When the whole earth material condensed from
“rarified” energy much more proportions of coolants were generated, to enable
the solidified earth to loose heat and become conducive for existence and
sustenance of life on earth.
Shivalingam represents the condensation of energy within a space, i.e. Shivamsam is contained within a space. When coolants are generated, obviously they will remain in the space around the condensation. The formula thus works out to a continuous generation of coolants to keep the temperature of earth surface conducive to life.
“Continuously
cooled condensation of energy - the earth is > the Shivamsam”.
“Coolants
generated and remaining within the space is > the Shakthi”.
“Shiva is the ‘totality’ of all manifestations existing within a space > the Shakthi”.
“Shakthi contains the ‘coolants’ which when it falls on earth is > Ganga”.
We have seen that Tirumular maps out the essences cosmo-sociology whereby the sociological realties particularly the differences in personalities and a hierarchical relationship between them is seen as reflections of the five different faces of Cataaciva also understood as a showing of the deeper SivakliGkam. These faces from the bottom to top and in the order cattiyoocaatam, vaamateevam, tatpurudam, akooram and Iicaanam establish instinctual forces within (or the psychotropisms) and in which becoming a Mumuksu, one desiring Moksa is the highest and which is attributed to the Icaanam located at the head of the SivaliGkam.
Now as sequel to this Tirumular outlines what can be called cosmo-psychology, an understanding of the cognitive processes concerned with LEARNING to the TEN WEAPONS of Cataaciva and which are seen as different transformations of Para Sakti, the Pure Energy and located again at the various organs of the SivaliGkam.
These cognitive processes are HERMENEUTICAL, established and managed to bring about a TRUE UNDERSTANDING of existence, the heart of it being unfolding the TRUTH of the Presence of BEING. These cognitive processes are the weapons of Cataaciva, the weapons that DESTROY the power of Malam, the Force of Darkness or Metaphysical Blindness and which is also the source of EVIL in man.
Thus the battles of Cataaciva are only hermeneutic or cognitive but also ETHICAL - unless the EVIL within and without is destroyed the enjoyment of deep metaphysical truths are impossible. The attainment of Inner Purity (the Cuttam) is a precondition for enjoying Civanjanam.
The details are given below.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
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36.
nenjcu ciranjcikai niiL kavacaG kaNNaam
vanjcamil vintu vaLar niRam paccaiyaakunj
cenjcuRu cenjcudar ceekari minnaakunj
cenjcudar poolun thesaayutan taanee!
Meaning:
The Cataaciva LiGkam, seen as a Cosmic-Person has the organs of the chest, head, hair and eyes that also serve as the protecting shield. All these are the differentiated forms of Pure Bindu or Cutta Maayai. Its color is the ever-fresh Green. The heart is Gnostic Power that breaks out as flashes in the head and illuminates the souls thereby facilitating them the attainment of fullness, an integral wholeness. The ten different kinds of weapons of Cataaciva are the various processes that battle with and dispel the Darkness of Ignorance.
37.
eNNil itayam iRainjaana cattiyaam
viNNiR parai ciramikka cikaiyaati
vaNNak kavacam vanappudai iccaiyaam
paNNung kiriyai para neettirattilee!
Meaning
The heart of this Cataaciva LiGkam is the Gnostic Power that establishes an understanding of BEING. At the peak of it along with the hair stands the ParaSakti, which establishes the inner desert landscape that purifies the soul. But below it and as the different beautiful hues remains the Same Sakti but as the esthetical powers that capture the anmas and keep them away from falling into the hold of the Dark. And this Icca Sakti, the Sakti of desires, works standing as the eye of the eyes of all!
Comments:
Tirumular in these two related verses develops the theme of the Cosmos as Cataaciva, the Cosmos as a person and brings out how the various psychological processes are related to this. Cataaciva as a Person and as a variant of the Purusha of Purusha Suktam is said to have various ORGANS and akin to that of the human: head, hair, eyes, heart and so forth. But these various parts of the Cosmic-Person are also related to various PSYCHOLOGICAL processes particularly the cognitive or hermeneutical, those related to LEARNING and UNDERSTANDING and thus the gaining of Civanjanam , the Absolute Understanding, the LIMIT of the hermeneutical.
And all these are seen as the different shapes of Para Bindu, the ParaSakti also known the Cutta Maayai. On the main frame we have the multicolored manifestations of ParaSakti but the essential color of which is the ever fresh GREEN (also related to the Blue) that as distinct from shape at the head establishes the various beauties in the world, Vanappu, the seducing esthetical features that which are attributed to the Leelas of Krishna and the colorful peacock of Muruka. These are there not just to please and make life simply enjoyable. Though seductive but it is all for a good purpose - that of arresting the anmas from falling into the hold of the Malam, the Black Hole and thereby suffer pains, disease and finally premature death. The beauties and worldly pleasures keep the anmas happy and helps them to maintain themselves in the Right Way so that they can be cleaned and purified and which is done by ParaSakti at the head or peak or the heavens as the power that throws the anmas into the interior desert landscape, the various kinds diksas, the burnings.
It is here that She appears also as the flashes of metaphysical insights that illuminates the mind and by clearing the darkness hovering there allows the dawn of Civanjanam which is already there but covered up by the Malam, its foe. It is during the course of sannyasam, living in the interior desert landscape that these flashes of lightings take place thereby purifying the souls.
Interestingly enough it is said the ParaSakti works though Para Neettiram, the EYE within the fleshy eyes of creatures and meaning that ParaSakti manages the VISION, the SEEING itself and guides it along gently towards metaphysical. Staying one-with the normal visions of the senses, She opens up gradually the hidden competencies to SEE so that the seeing itself becomes hermeneutic, transductive, transcendent and so forth.
But why all these?
The line “eNNil itayam iRainjaana cattiyaam” contains the answer; the visions are opened up so that the hidden and concealed become elements that are witnessed directly and through that gain an existential understanding of the TRUTH of the presence of BEING and which understanding is the truly redeeming.
And interestingly enough all these processes of ParaSakti are seen as the TEN different types of WEAPONS of Cataaciva, with which He BATTLES the evil powers, the powers that are dominated by Malam, the bringer of death and decay, the Asuras.
The Yantras and the Psychological Moods
We have seen Tirumular ascribes to the FIVE Faces of Cataaciva the deep-seated instinctual forces or the psychotropisms which help us understand the stable personality characteristic and a hierarchical organization within them but where even the highest, the Icaanam and hence becoming a mumuksu is equally available to all. From this basis emerge the various cognitive processes directed towards establishing an understanding of the divine forces and hence Icon Thinking which are attributed to the TEN weapons of Cataaciva and which are also seen as transformations of Pure Energy, the Para Sakti.
Now in this verse Tirumular further analyses the WEAPONS and notes the Yantras which are elements of these weapons but which are directed towards establishing an understanding of BEING as opposed to other things, the transformation of the cognitive tools from PacukaraNam into CivakaraNam, from ordinary cognitive tools into tools for understanding the essences of BEING.
It is here the Psychological MOODS are given a metaphysical explanation in terms of the functions of the Yantras - Triangle, Square, Pentagon, Hexagon and the limit of it all, the Perfect Circle.
The moods of restlessness and agitation and that of Calmness and Quietude are ascribed to these Yantras as described below. Again they are attributed to the functions of Para Sakti by transforming which Cataaciva is said to have these forms.
It is significant that the ARukooNam, the Hexagon, also the Symbol of Muruka, is given the function of generating the mood of Calmness and Quietude.
It should also be mentioned that these Yantras are real and their existence in the Unconscious layers of individuals can now be empirically determined by the use of Access Tests especially the New Baum Test. Those interested can explore my Agamic Psychology Campus for further details.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
38
1745
ºò¾¢ ¿¡ü§¸¡½õ ºÄÓüÚ ¿¢ýÈ¢Îï
ºò¾¢ «Ú§¸¡½õ ºÂÉò¨¾ ¯üÈ¢Îï
ºò¾¢ ¿øÅð¼õ ºÄÓüÚ þÕó¾¢Îõ
ºò¾¢ ¯ÕÅ¡ï º¾¡º¢Åý ¾¡§É
¯¨Ã:
þùÅ¡Ú º¾¡º¢ÅÉ¢ý ÀïºÓ¸í¸Ç¡Ôõ ÀòÐ ¬Ô¾í¸Ç¡Ôõ ¿¢ýÚ º¢Å»¡Éò¨¾ ÅÇ÷ìÌõ Àáºò¾¢ º¾¡º¢Å ã÷ò¾¢Â¢ý Àø§ÅÚ Âó¾¢Ã ÅÊÅí¸Ç¡Ôõ Àâ½Á¢ìÌõ. þÅüÈ¢ø ӾĢø ¿¡ü§¸¡½ ÅÊÅòÐ Âó¾¢ÃÁ¡¸ò §¾¡ýÈ¢, ¬ýÁ¡ì¸¨Ç ÁÄÁ¡Íì¸Ç¢Ä¢ÕóÐ À¢Ã¢ì¸¢ýÈ Å¨¸Â¢ø ¦¾¡Æ¢üÀÎòÐõ ´ýÈ¡¸ ¿¢üÌõ. «¾ýÀ¢ý º¢Å»¡Éò¨¾ ÅÇ÷츢ýÈ «Ú§¸¡½Á¡¸ò §¾¡ýÈ¢, ¯ûÇõ ¯Àº¡ó¾ ¿¢¨Ä¨Â «¨¼óÐ «¨Á¾¢ÔÈ ¯¾×õ. À¢ÈÌ «Æ¸¢Â ÓØÁ¾¢§À¡ýÈ Åð¼Á¡¸ò§¾¡ýÈ¢ ¸Õ¨½§Â ÅÊÅ¡¸¢Â ´ýÈ¡¸ ¬ýÁ¡ ±Øó¾¢¼ ¦¾¡Æ¢üÀÎõ. þ¨Å «¨ÉòÐõ ºò¾¢ ÅÆ¢ º¾¡º¢Åý «¨¼¸¢ýÈ ÅÊÅí¸Ç¡Ìõ.
1745.
catti naaRkooNam calamuRRu ninRidunj
catti aRkooNam cayanattai uRRidunj
catti nalvaddam calamuRru iruntidum
catti uruvaanj cataacivan taanee!
Meaning:
The Para Sakti, the Pure Energy that serves as the five faces as well as the ten weapons of Cataaciva also emerges as the various fundamental Yantras (the alchemical shapes). Of these first we have the Square Form which serves to activate the processes that would serve to keep away the anmas from the various forces of darkness and evil. Then it emerges as the Hexagon that provides inner peace and quietude by providing deep metaphysical illuminations. Then we have the Circular or Globular shape that would serve the emergence of LOVE as the most important ingredient of the personality. These shapes are actually forms Cataaciva takes by transforming Para Sakti.
Comments:
With this verse Tirumular begins the next level and the deepest of natural metaphysics that would explain further the cosmo-sociology and cosmo-psychology that has been described in the above verses. The Icon Forms or Muurtties recede and in their place we have the Yantras which are actually machineries of the metaphysical world which effect various kinds of actions and through that generate various kinds of psychological moods or states of Being, the chief being a state of contentment and inner calm and which is attributed o the workings of the six-cornered Hexagon, also the Yantra of the six-faced polycephalic Muruka and the central shape in SriVidya Yantra. But this is said to be brought about by the Square shaped Yantra which normally stands for circumscribing and enclosing, that which provides safety and security and hence a kavasam, a shield that keeps the anmas away from the attack of the evil forces.
Now following the hexagon and as a limit of Yantras increasing in the number of corners we have the Perfect Circle, the most authentic shape of Bindu or Sakti itself. This shape of the Full Moon is that which blesses the anmas with Pure LOVE, the kind of state of Being that is the precondition for blessing the anmas with the redeeming Civanjanam.
The Meaning of SivaliGkam-28
Aspects of the Developmental Psychology of the Saivites
As a follow up of the mood creating functions of the Yantras and which are component parts of the Weapons of Cataaciva, we have now a theory touching on the personal development of individuals in which witnessing directly Cataaciva becomes the central goal and the highest possibility. Unlike in the West where Developmental Psychology such as that Piaget does not extend to adult phases, here we have a very extensive theory about adult development not only in Tirumantiram but also in hundreds of texts of the Tamil Siddhas. Pookar (14th cent.?) devotes about 300 verses to this theme in his massive Eezu KaaNdam
There are also many texts in Sanskrit to this theme but mostly as parts of Tantras.
The developmental theory is essentially ecological where the personality is determined by the Cakras and which are actually existence founding ecological regions called quite uniformly all over India Mulataram, Swatisdanam, MaNipuurakam, Anakatam, Vicutti and Aknja. But above all these lie the realms of the Lotus of Thousand Petals and Brahmantiram associated with it. Tirumular who deals with these notions in the Fourth Tantra (also elsewhere) seems to say that Sahasra Talam is also the realm of Asaba Mantras.
Entry into the realms of the Cakras begins with ‘iRainjaanam’, understanding of the presence of divine forces and which begins with existence founded by Mulataram, also understood as the realms founded by Bindu as the Lotus of Four Petals and with Vinayaka with Siddhies and Buddies as ordaining it. The number of petals of the Lotus, a presentation of Bindu is also noted to increase in number the limit being a thousand and right at the peak.
Here I must mention that the whole dynamics of movement into metaphysically more inclusive realms is described as making the Unconscious become Conscious and in which the Unconscious is also seen as Hierarchically constituted, different in this from that Freud Jung and so forth. The Unconscious is the hidden and concealed and as more and more of these realms are accessed, the more developed a person is. It is the destruction of the range and scope of the existing Unconscious or Metaphysical Ignorance that brings about personality development.
In this Cataaciva remains Austere, Distant, Aloof or as the deepest element in the hierarchically organized Unconscious but by that very fact MOTIVATING the upward movement of the anmas whereby a metaphysical struggle ensues and in the course of which they assume different personalities and as constituted by the various metaphysical realms accessed and the deities encountered.
More details below.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
39
1746.
Á¡ý ¿ó¾¢ ±ò¾¨É ¸¡Äõ «¨Æ츢Ûõ
¾¡ý ¿ó¾¢ «ïº¢ý ¾É¢îͼáö ¿¢üÌõ
¸¡ø ¿ó¾¢ ¯ó¾¢ ¸¼óÐ ¸ÁÄò¾¢ý
§Áø ¿ó¾¢ ´ýÀ¾¢ý §ÁÅ¢ ¿¢ýÈ¡§É !
¯¨Ã:
¦ÀÕõ ¿ó¾¢Â¡¸¢Â º¾¡º¢Å¨Ã ±ò¾¨É ¸¡Äõ ¦ÅÇ¢ôÀðÎ ¸¡ðº¢ ¾ÕÁ¡Ú «¨Æ츢Ûõ ¦¾¡Ø¾¢Ûõ, «Åý ¾¡ý ¾¡É¡¸ ¿¢üÀ¦¾¡Î ±ýÚ ³õÓ¸í¸§Ç¡Îõ ¡мÛõ ¸ÄôÒüÚõ ¿¢ü¸¡Ð ¾É¢îͼḧŠ¿¢üÀý. þÉ¢ «Å¨É ¾Ã¢º¢ì¸ §ÅñΦÁÉ¢ø, Å¡º¢§Â¡¸õ ¦ºöÐ ÀìÌÅò¾¢ø ¯ó¾¢ ¯ó¾¢ ¸£Æ¡É ¬¾¡Ãò ¾Äí¸¨Çì ¸¼óÐ ¯îº¢Â¢ý ¬Â¢ÃÅ¢¾ú ¾¡Á¨Ã¢ý ¾Äò¨¾ «¨¼ó¾¡ø, «íÌ ´ýÀÐ §ÁÄ¡É ¦¾öÅ ÅÊÅí¸Ç¡¸¢Â À¢ÃÁ¡¾¢¸Ç¡¸ §ÁÅ¢ ¿¢üÀ¨¾ì ¸¡½Ä¡õ.
39
1746
maan Nanti ettanai kaalam azaikkinum
taan Nanti anjcin taniccudaraay niRkum
kaal anati unti kadantu kamalattin
meel Nanti onpatin meevi ninRaanee!
Meaning:
Cataaciva the Great Bull, no matter how long you call and pray to disclose Himself, He wouldn’t and standing austere and aloof He will be there with the five faces as a Radiant Reality on His own. Now however if you want to witness Him directly, practicing breath control you have to ascend the various metaphysical realms and reach the peak where lie the Lotus of Thousand Petals. There He would present Himself as the Deep Structure of the nine root archetypes of Brahma and so forth.
40
1747.
´ýȢ šÚõ ¯¼Ä¢Û¼ý ¸¢¼óÐ
±ýÚõ ±õ ®ºý ¿¼ìÌõ þÂøÀÐ
¦¾ý¾¨ÄìÌ ²Èò ¾¢ÕóÐ º¢ÅÉÊ
¿¢ýÚ ¦¾¡Ø§¾ý ±ý ¦¿ïº¾¢ý ¯û§Ç!
¯¨Ã:
þùÅ¡Ú ´ýÀÐ ¦¾öÅ ÅÊÅí¸Ç¢ø ®ºý ¯Â¢§Ã¡Î §ÅÈüÚ ´ýÈ¢ÂÅ¡Úõ ¯¼Ä¢ý ¯¼ý ¡ñÎõ À¢Ã¢Â¡Ð ¸¢¼óÐ «¨Éò¨¾Ôõ ¿¼¡òÐõ þÂøÀÐ Å¡Ìõ. þùÅ¡Ú «Åý þÂí¸ «¾É¡ø ¿¡¾ Å¢óÐì¸û ºó¾¢Ã ÝâÂÉ¡¸ ±ØóÐ ¾¨Ä¢ý ¦¾ýÒÃÁ¡¸¢Â À̾¢ìÌ Óиó¾ñÊý ÅƢ¡¸ ²È¢î ¦ºøÄ, ¾¢Õó¾¢Â ¦¾ûÇȢŢý º¢ÅÉʨ §¿Ã¢ø ±ý ¦¿ïºò¾¢§Ä§Âì ¸ñÎ ¦¾¡ØÐ ¿¢ý§Èý ¸¡ñ!
40
1747
onRiya vaaRum udalinudan kidantu
enRum em iican nadakkum iyalpatu
tentalaikku eeRat tiruntu civanadi
ninRu tozuteen en nenjcatin uLLee
Meaning:
It is the essence of Cataaciva to assume the nine forms of the root archetypes and with that staying one with the soul and body, manage everything. As He functions in these forms, the Natam and Bindu in the form of Sun and Moon ascend through the spinal cord towards the southern parts of the brain. When this happens I also begin to witness the Feet of Civa in clear light within my heart itself whereby I remain worshipping thus.
Comments:
Cataaciva with His five faces is austere, aloof and distant and because of which he causes the anmas to move towards Him. His austerity itself becomes the factor that motivates the anmas to struggle hard like climbing up a steep hill and ascend to a metaphysical location where He can be witnessed. Thus comes to be there the developmental aspects of the anmas where they ascend from Mulatara Cakra to the Aknja and then to the Brahmarantiram above it where resides the Lotus of Thousand Petals. It is here that Cataaciva becomes witnessable but not as He Himself is but only in terms of His major presentational forms of nine root archetypes: Brahma, VishNu, Makeswara, Rudra, Cataaciva, Bindu, Natam, Sakti and Sivam. The True Cataaciva or ParaCiva remains the Deep Structure of these root archetypal forms.
ParaCiva is always with the soul and body but only in these presentational forms or avatars. There is no place and time when BEING is NOT with the souls and body functioning actively so that there is metaphysical illuminations because of which the Light of Clarity, the Lumen Naturale ascends the body through the spinal cord and reaches the southern part of the brain and where is located the aaNavam, the Dark Stuff that not only blinds the soul but also causes its death in various ways. When the CiRsakti, the Lumen Naturale reaches this part of the brain, the presence of aaNavam is also eliminated from the body and soul and because of which the Dancing Presence of BEING Himself becomes witnessable within, from the ways the soul gets illuminated and purified.
The Meaning of SivaliGkam-29
Metaphysical Understanding and Existential Application
As I have already mentioned the kind of Metaphysics Tirumular (and all great Tamil thinkers) develops is Natural Metaphysics where NATURAL is NOT negated but rather penetrated into and the mysteries in the depths unfolded. In this exercise UNDERSTANDING the natural is the main goal and hence the overall thrust is Hermeneutical and hence scientific in the hermeneutic sense. The most feat accomplished is of course a rational and a scientific foundation for religious life and which are brought out in the following verses.
The rational explanation for religious practices, called Sadhana, involves an UNDERSTANDING of the metaphysical realities and what kinds of praxis would in fact will sustain oneself in TRUTH and bring about further development. Tirumular postulates ‘paaddum oli” i.e. the singing of hymns and the recitation of mantras as the most effective Sadhanas for establishing oneself in the Way of Right Metaphysical journey.
The basic reason is that BEING is not a fiction, a mere superimposition, a mental construction, and the fabrication of a fertile and imaginative mind. BEING is real, as real as anything can be and which immediately induces Bakti unto BEING and in becoming humility. The man comes to know the presence of BEING and that the world is, one is in the manner one is only all because of the blessings of BEING, the ego is punctured and the self becomes egoless and humble and thus willingly submitting itself to be further guided by BEING Himself.
The egoless self, the pure self can do nothing but compose and sing Hymns in praise of BEING for in such activities the NEW insights are brought into word with a rhythm and cadence of its own and which when sung properly unfolds even deeper meanings and insights.
The same goes for mantra recitals. As the figural presentations resolve into geometrical and these further into mantra-complexes, what one can do is to capture the mantra-complexes that are disclosed and keep on reciting them to continue the metaphysical journey till it comes a natural close.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
41
1748.
¯½÷ó§¾ý ¯Ä¸¢É¢ø ´ñ¦À¡Õ Ç¡¨Éì
¦¸¡½÷ó§¾ý ÌÅÄÂí §¸¡Â¢ø ±ý ¦¿ïºõ
Ò½÷ó§¾ý ÒÉ¢¾Ûõ ¦À¡öÂÄ ¦Áö§Â
¯¨Ã:
¯Ä¸¢¨É ¦À¡ö¦ÂýÚ ´Ð측Ð, «¾¨É °ÎÚÅ¢ ¯ð¦ºýÚ ¬íÌ ¬Æò¾¢ø Íò¾ ´Ç¢ôÀ¢ÆõÀ¡ö ±ØóÐ «¨Éò¨¾Ôõ ¿¼¡òÐõ þ¨ÈÅ¨É ¿Ä§Á »¡Éò¾¢ÕðÊ¢ø ¸ñÎ Á¸¢úó§¾ý. «¾É¡ø þó¾ ¦ÀÕíÌÅħÁ þ¨ÈŨÉì ¦¸¡ñÊÕìÌõ §¸¡Â¢Ä¡¸×õ ¦¾Ç¢óÐ «ó¾ «È¢Å¢¨É ±ý ¦¿ïºò¾¢ø ¬Æ þÕò¾¢§Éý. «¾É¢ý þ¨ÈÅ¨É þýÛõ ¦¾Ç¢óÐ «Å§É¡Î ´ýÈ¢òÐ «È¢óÐ «Åý ¦ÅÚí ¸üÀ¢¾ ¦À¡öô¦À¡Õû «øÄ, ±øÄ¡ ¦Áö¸ÙìÌõ ãÄÁ¡¸ þÕìÌõ ¦Áöô¦À¡Õû ±ýÚõ ¦¾Ç¢ó§¾ý. ÝâÂì ¸¾¢÷¸¨Ç «¼Å£º¢ »¡Éõ Ò¸ðÎõ À¸ÄÅÉ¡¸ «Å¨Éì ¸ñÎ Àò¾¢Â¢ý À½¢óÐ «Åý Ò¸¨Æô À¡ÎÅÐõ ¾ì¸ Áó¾¢Ãí¸Ç¡ø «÷ôÀЧÁ ¦À¡Õó¾¢ ÅÕõ º¡¾Éí¸û ±ýÚõ ¦¾Ç¢óÐ ¿Ä§Á Å¡ú¸¢ý§Èý !
41.
1748
koNarnteen ulakinil oNpporu Laanaik
koNarnteen kuvalayaG kooyil en nenjcam
puNarnteen punitanum poyyala meyee
paNinteen pakalavan paaddum oliyee!
Meaning:
Without negating the world as false, I penetrated into its depths and saw with great delight BEING as Pure Light in my transductive perceptions. This made me understand the vast cosmos itself as a TEMPLE and which understanding I established firmly in my mind. Because of this I managed to be one-with Him realizing that He is NOT just a fiction or a mental construct but rather a REAL object. Thus submitting myself in genuine Bakti I saw the best ways to worship Him to be to sing hymns in praise of Him and recite mantras that are appropriate.
42.
1749
¬í¸¨Å ãýÈ¢Ûõ ¬ÃÆø Å£º¢¼ò
¾¡í¸¢Î ®§ÃØ ¾¡ý ¿Î šɾ¢ø
µí¸¢Â ¬¾¢Ôõ «ó¾Ó Á¡¦ÁÉ
®í¸¢¨Å ¾õÓ¼ø þóÐ× Á¡§Á
¯¨Ã:
þÉ¢ ¯¼Ä¢ø þ¼¸¨Ä À¢í¸¨Ä ÍÆ¢Ó¨É ±Ûõ ãŨ¸ ¿¡Ê¸Ç¢ø »Éò¦¾Ç¢Å¢¨Éò ¾Õõ ¸¾¢÷¸¨Ç À¸ÄÅÉ¡¸ ±ØóРţº¢ «ï»¡É þÕû §À¡ì¸¢¼, þ¾¨É ¦ºöÔõ ´ýÀÐ ã÷ò¾í¸Ç¢ý ¬¾¢ãÄÁ¡¸ º¾¡º¢Å ã÷ò¾¢ ¿Î Å¡Éò¾¢ø þÅüÈ¢ü¦¸øÄ¡õ ¬¾¢Ôõ «ó¾Óõ ¾¡§É ±É µí¸¢ ¿¢üÀ÷. «Ð¦À¡ØÐ Áì¸ÇÐ ¯¼õÀ¢ø ¿¡¾òÐô À¸ÄÅÉ¡¸ þÕôÀ¦¾¡Î Å¢óÐÅ¢ý ÓØÁ¾¢Â¡¸×õ ¾¢¸úÅ÷ ±ýÀ¾¡õ.
42.
1749
aaGkavai muunRinuL aarazal viicidat
taaGkidu iireezu taan nadu vaanatil
ooGkiya aatiyum antamu maamena
iiGkivai tammudal intuvu maamee!
Meaning:
BEING as Cataaciva assuming the nine root archetypal forms, radiates the inner world of the anmas through prevailing in the nadies or psychotropisms of Idakalai PiGkalai and Cuzi Munai. Cataaciva remains in the Deep Space as the Originating and Terminating Power and as their Lord of these illuminating archetypal forms. Here in the body in addition to assuming the form of the sun with Natam, also assumes the form of the Moon with the Bindu.
Comments:
In these verses Tirumular brings out the fundamental differences between Natural Metaphysics and the idealistic metaphysics of the Buddhists and Vedanties. The world is not negated or distrusted and forced to conform to a constructed model in which the ideological constructs become dominant and which hides the TRUTH about the world. The world is REAL with different layers of DEPTHS and where the deeper layers become accessible for direct vision only with opening up the Third Eye, the Njanak kaN, the eyes which make possible transductive perceptions. It is these, which enable Tirumular to see for Himself the presence of BEING as Cataaciva and appropriate the Cosmos as a huge TEMPLE, something that is given structure and form by BEING Himself.
He also notes that the basic forms of BEING is the Sun and the Moon and which forms He assumes by being one-with Natam and Bindu and out of which He creates the 9 root archetypal forms that illuminate the anmas in various ways and because of which they begin to enjoy more and more of Civanjanam, the Absolute Understanding that would confer them Moksa.
This understanding also leads to formulate the Sadhana, as the application of this understanding, the singing of Hymns and the recitation of Mantras as the most appropriate and efficacious.
The Meaning of SivaliGkam-30
It is little known that Saivism contains within itself a theory of Evolution that I have called Disclosive Evolution to distinguish it from the Darwinian Evolutionary Theory. The central difference is that while Darwin emphasized the interaction of the organism with environment and viewed adaptive changes to ecology as the main impulse for evolutionary changes, Saivism looks at it as resulting because of BEING disclosing Himself more and more into the body and soul of the creatures and which is touched upon in the following verse of Tirumular. The whole dynamics of the evolutionary changes is directed towards BEING becoming the body and self of the creatures, the body becoming at first the SivaliGkam and the soul Cataaciva and which makes possible for ParaCiva, the absolute BEING taking over both the body and soul of the creatures so that it becomes Siva Himself in its Being-in-the-World. Since there cannot any Way of Being higher than this, certainly this is Moksa, the final Home Coming, Being-with-BEING and which brings about Non Alienation not only with BEING but also with everything so that at this limiting condition, there is no Other, there is only NOTHINGNESS as the Other which was put by Meykandar as Cattu etir Cuunyam
This should NOT be confused with the Advaita of Sankara as so many tend to do without knowing the important difference that exists between the two notions of Advaita. Sankara’s Vedanta does NOT subscribe to Evolution at all for his Vedanta sees the natural as Vivartta, simply a construction imposed upon the basis which is Pure Brahman and does not see as something involving Parinaama, the evolution of the self through various stages of development. In Sankara the self does NOT evolve at all as it is taken same as Brahman and hence the seeming development and so forth are just simply appearances and hence false a mythiya etc.
The notion of Sudhadvaita is consistent with Disclosive Evolution and which belongs to Natural Metaphysics where the Natural is NOT dismissed as mythiya but rather taken as real but mysterious containing in the Depths the deities and which are different presentations of BEING. The anma becoming the same as BEING results by the Grace of BEING when He takes over and possesses completely the self so that it becomes qualitatively the SAME as BEING while retaining it’s substantial identity as an individual
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
º¾¡º¢Å þÄ¢í¸õ
42
1749.
¾ý§ÁÉ¢ ¾üº¢Å Ä¢í¸Á¡ö ¿¢ýÈ¢Îõ
¾ý§ÁÉ¢ ¾¡Ûï º¾¡º¢Å Á¡ö¿¢üÌõ
¾ý§ÁÉ¢ ¾üº¢Åý ¾üº¢Å¡ Éó¾Á¡ó
¾ý§ÁÉ¢ ¾¡É¡Ìó ¾üÀÃó ¾¡§É
¯¨Ã:
þ¼¸¨Ä À¢í¸¨Ä ¬¸¢Â ¿¡Ê¸û ÅÆ¢ ¦ºøÄ¡Ð ¿¡¾Óõ Å¢óÐ×õ ºó¾¢Ã ÝâÂ÷¸Ç¡¸ Å¢Çí¸¢ ¡ñÎõ þ¨½ó§¾ ¦ºÂøÀÎõ ÍÆ¢Ó¨É ¿¡Ê ÅƢ¡¸ ¾ÁÐ »¡É¡ò¾¢¨Ã ÒâóÐ º¢Å»¡Éõ Á¸¢Øõ º¢Å»¡É¢¸û ¾õ §ÁÉ¢ ;ó¾¢Ã º¢ÅÄ¢í¸õ ¾¡É¡¸ ¿¢ýÈ¢Îõ. «¾É¡ø ÀïºÓ¸ º¾¡º¢Å Ó÷ò¾¢Ôõ ¾¡§É¡ö, «ùÅ¢¨È ÅʦšΠþÃñ¼üÕ ¿¢ýÈ¢Îõ. ¬¾Ä¡ø º¾¡º¢Å ¸¡ðÎõ ¾üº¢Åý «È¢×õ ¯ñ¼¡¸, ÐöôÀ¦¾øÄ¡õ þýÀò¾¢ý ±ø¨Ä¡¸¢Â ¾÷º¢Å¡Éó¾Á¡¸ ¬¸¢Îõ. «Ð¦À¡ØÐ ¾üÀÃÉ¡¸¢Â Àú¢Åý þÈí¸¢ ÅóÐ «ó¾ º¢Å»¡É¢Â¢ý §ÁÉ¢Ôõ ¬ýÁ¡×õ ¾¡§É¡ö «Å¨É ¬ð¦¸¡ñÎ «Åý ¾¡É¡¸ ¿¢üÌõ.
42.
1749.
tanmeeni taRciva liGkamaay ninRidum
tanmeeni taanunj cataaci maay niRkum
tanmeeni taRcivan taRcivaa nanatamaan
tanmeeni taanaakun taRparan taanee!
Meaning:
Those who pursue their metaphysical journey not in Idakalai or Pingkalai but rather the Cuzi Munai Nadi where both Natam and Bindu are jointly active in the form of Sun and Moon, will come to have a body the SivaliGkam itself. And because of this the soul will become Cataaciva Himself with the five faces. And on account of the blessings of this Cataaciva, ParaCiva will disclose Himself blessing the soul with Bliss Supreme, the Civanantam itself. As this persists ParaCiva will descend and take over both the body and soul making the Civanjani BEING itself.
Comments:
The metaphysical journey is one where the ego of the self is slowly displaced and thus made egoless and hence PURE, then BEING Himself overpowers the self so that self becomes indistinguishable from BEING. This is the state Sudhadvaita of Saiva Siddhanta and which is different from the Advaita of Vedanta. The self is there as that which enjoys the Supreme Bliss of Civanantam but its ego and hence its alienation completely wiped out. Siva Himself becomes the self just like an iron ball becomes the fire itself as it gets heated up so much so that at one point it becomes indistinguishable from the fire itself though it remains an individual substance. The self does not lose its substantiality but only its egotism that keeps it alienated from BEING.
This verse describes the important stages in this development stages and hence related to the above two verses which describe the
Various stages of development in terms accessing the different Cakras and after enjoying residence there transcend to higher Cakras and so forth. As it reaches the realms of Lotus of Thousand Petals, slowly the body itself becomes the SivaliGkam itself and hence completely Pure and Sacred, not any more the Temple but the very divine essence itself. Because of this Cataaciva with His five faces becomes the soul itself showing through the face of Icaanam, ParaCiva Himself, the Absolute BEING, the TaRparan, the One who has Nothing above Him.
This is the very limit and which emerges from within causing there also to be Civanantam, the Supreme Bliss and which is the result of realizing that at long last one has come HOME, the final destination of millenniums of evolutionary journey where as Manikkavasakar declares, the soul taken all life forms and progressed. The Absolute LIMIT of all is to become fully possessed by the TaRparan, the absolute BEING and enjoy only absoluteness in everything.
The Meaning of SivaliGkam-31
Mantrayana as the Ultimate Science
In Sulgi’s Hymn B (c. 2000 BC), we find an immortal line 159. gis.su-kar-ke sa-NE dab-be hun-ga[x] (The su-kar instrument to appease the heart in anger) where we have the phrase “gis.su-kar”, which really means the sounds (gis> Sk/Ta. kiitam) that are divine (su.kar> suukaaram, Ta. karai: to call out etc). This sukaaram could have become cikaaram and ukaaram, the mantra-syllables that are widely talked about in Mantrayana such as that of Tirumular where in the Fourth Tantra there are more than 600 verses devoted to it. Beginning from the Sumerian times, this science have developed perhaps at first as parts of Magic but later as a rigorous science, the Ultimate Science in fact.
It should be noted that while science as positive sciences cannot accommodate the psychical and spiritual, the hermeneutic sciences can do as they are mainly INTERPRETIVE and in that do not introduce any reductionism. Hermeneutic Sciences accommodate themselves to reality as it is and seek to UNDERSTAND the workings of NATURE without mapping out nature itself into its own constructed models usually the physical and which is amenable for mathematical or statistical analysis.
When the notion of science is broadened to include the hermeneutical as well, as valid attempts to seek out truths and which in that process does not insist on the need to mathematicalize and cast the truths themselves into "invariable laws of Nature”, then we shall end up with Mantrayana, as does Tirumular here.
The SivaliGkam, which establishes the Cosmo-sociology, Cosmo-psychology, the Developmental Psychology that applies even to the adults and finally the Evolutionary Psychology that unearths Moksa as the Ultimate Goal of all evolutionary processes, are related now to the Praxis of BEING but which He manages with the Mantra-syllables, the root ones being akaaram, ukaaram and makaaram and which are differentiated forms of Om.
It turns out in the ultimate analysis, the SivaliGkam itself is a geometrical showing of the Primordial Logos Om itself where the Pillar is akaaram, the base is ukaaram and makaaram as that which makes them copulate and interpenetrate each other and which is easily noticeable in the sexual act of all the living creatures, and where to facilitate this the Siva Tatvas Natam and Bindu are transmuted into the Male and Female.
With this Tirumular accomplishes intellectually the most satisfying Theoretical Understanding of all Natural Metaphysics, that everything transpires as the Dance of Siva and Sakti also a notion that first appeared in Sumerian times itself.
Perhaps it is this Mantrayana that has given the rational framework for Hinduism as a whole and made it possible for it to SURVIVE almost in tact for millenniums.
Note: All these truths are hidden from view from the current understanding of Hinduism in general only because the Vedic tradition is dominant and the Agamic tradition remains submerged and unattended.
4. Cataaciva LiGkam
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aarum aRiyaar akaaram avanenRu
paarum ukaaram parantidda naayaki
taaram iraNdum tarNi muzutumaay
maaRi ezuntidum oosaiya taamee!
Meaning:
BEING presents Himself as the five-faced Cataaciva and purifying the anmas, eventually overpowers them and with that grants them Moksa. In this game except for Civanjanies, no body seems to understand that Siva becomes the mantra-syllable akaaram and ParaSakti becomes the mantra-syllable ukaaram that blesses all with illuminations and that the whole dance is effected by this Siva and Sakti as the coupled partners by assuming in alternate rhythms this akaaram and ukaaram from the primordial Logos, the Om, the Pure Sound.
44
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44
1752.
iliGkanaR piidam icaiyum ooGkaaram
iliGakanaR kaNda niRaiyum akaaram
iliGkattuL vadda niRaiyum ukaaram
iliGka makaaram niRaikinRa vintu naatamee!
Meaning:
Now if it is asked how the Logos shows itself in the world, it shows itself as the SivaliGkam that has a Pillar standing on a circular base or foundation. Here the mantra-syllable akaaram becomes the pillar while the ukaaram stands as the circle inside it and as its base. While Bintu is akaaram and Natam is ukaaram but it is the mantra-syllable makaaram that brings them together in the form of SivaliGkam.
Comments:
We have seen in the course of studies related Cataaciva LiGkam, Tirumular has ranged from cosmo-sociology, cosmo-psychology, developmental psychology and finally the evolutionary psychology. These psychological theories are descriptions of PROCESSES available in Nature and hence belong to the deeper reaches of Natural Metaphysics, and hence an UNDERSTANDING of the natural of the most satisfying kind for they are related to the very structure of the COSMOS itself. What is LOCAL is seen as something related to the cosmological and hence something UNIVERSAL. Though the understanding is couched in images and metaphors that are Saivite but the grasp is UNIVERSAL. Anyone, belonging to whatever culture or religion, can use these theoretical articulations to make sense of their own existence and therewith APPLY to existence so that it becomes AUTHENTIC, directed towards truth experiences and therefore towards genuine development.
But despite such a magnificent achievement in Natural Metaphysics, the question remains how in fact BEING manages it all, what is the relationship between BEING and these psychologies.
It is here that Mantrayana emerges as the theoretical account that links the elements of Natural Metaphysics with the PRAXIS of BEING, captured in terms of the metaphor of DANCE. BEING enacts all with differentiating the Primordial Logos OM into akaaram ukaaram and makaaram the geometrical shape of which is SivaliGkam where the pillar is akaaram, the base is ukaaram and the two being together in copulation is because of the mantra makaaram. It is also noted that the akaaram is Natam, the ukaaram is Bindu and that BEING becomes Siva and Sakti, the spiritual principles with these Siva Tatvas.
Thus the whole of the psychologies enunciated as processes already there in Nature and which are directed towards blessing the souls with Moksa are in fact aspects of the Dance of Siva Sakti!