MANIKKA VĀSAHAR AND HIS HYMNS

MĀṆIKKA VĀSAHAR

(Sanskrit form MĀṆIKYA VĀCHAKA)

In the days when the powerful Pāndyan Kings flourished in Madura, there was once a prime minister who early became convinced of the transitoriness of this world's life and its riches. When on a visit to Perundurai, now Āvudaiyārkoil in the Tanjore District, he suddenly and completely came under the influence of a Brahman religious teacher, who for him was the manifestation of the very God Himself. Then and there he began to sing the "Sacred Utterance" (Tiruvāsaham), and was named by his preceptor "Utterer of Jewels" (Māṇikka Vāsahar). Returning to Madura, he forsook his high office with all its rewards, to become a religious poet wandering without earthly attachments from shrine to shrine. The stories clustering around his religious experience can be read by English readers in Dr. Pope's great edition of his work. We find him practising austerities at Chidambaram, or miraculously giving the gift of speech to the dumb daughter of the Chōl̤a king, or defeating in disputation a band of Buddhists from Ceylon, but of certain historical information about him we have practically none. Even the question of the century in which he lived is a battleground of the antiquarians. Tradition places him in the fifth century, earlier than the writers of the Dēvāram;
p. 87
but the opinion of scholars seems to be converging on the view that he lived in the latter half of the ninth, or the first half of the tenth century of our era. Another of his works is the Tirukkōvaiyār, an erotic poem of four hundred stanzas. Among Tamil Śaivite writers none makes a stronger devotional appeal than Māṇikka Vāsahar. There is a common Tamil saying that nothing can melt the heart of the man who is not melted by the Tiruvāsaham.
p. 88 p. 89
Stanzas 80-92 are samples from an opening poem of one hundred stanzas, each ten of which has its own metre and is fairly complete in itself. They fairly reflect the saint's varying moods. Notice the importance he attaches to emotion; his worst self-reproach is for feeling no frenzy. As to his conception of God, see how the word 'grace' recurs in nearly every stanza. And yet that God of grace is called (in No. 84) both being and non-existence.

The Hundred Verses

80. Thrills and trembles my frame;
Hands are lifted on high;
Here at Thy fragrant feet,
Sobbing and weeping I cry;
Falsehood forsaking, I shout,
"Victory, victory, praise!
Lord of my life, these clasped hands
Worship shall bring Thee always.

81. Indra or Vishṇu or Brahm,
Their divine bliss crave not I;
I seek the love of Thy saints,
Though my house perish thereby.
To the worst hell I will go,
So but Thy grace be with me.
Best of all, how could my heart
Think of a god beside Thee?

82. Though like Thy saints I seem, ’tis but the acting of a part.
Yet wondrous swift I run to reach the heaven where Thou art.
O hill of gold and precious gems, grant in Thy grace to me
A heart to melt, lord of my life, in ceaseless love to Thee.

p. 90 p. 91

83. I have no fear of births, but quake at thought that I must die.
E’en heav’n to me were naught; for earth's whole empire what care I?
O Śiva wreathed with honeyed blossoms, "When shall come the morn
When Thou wilt grant Thy grace to me?" I cry with anguish torn.

84. The sky, earth, wind, the light, our very flesh and life art Thou,
Being art Thou, non-being too, Thou king, who see’st how
Men dance like puppets with their foolish thoughts of 'I' and 'Mine,'
While Thou the cords dost pull. What words can tell Thy praise divine?

85. At sound of cries like this, "O Bull-rider whose spreading hair
The falling stream receives! "Heaven's Lord," true devotees there were,
Whose love-thrilled heart broke forth, like stopped-up rivers rushing down.
Yet Thou didst choose no one of them, but me to be Thine own.
And yet my body will not turn from heel to head one heart
To melt in love for Thee, one eye to shed the tears that smart
In swelling floods. Ah! wretched that I am, who only moan!
My two eyes are unfeeling wood, my heart a great dead stone!

p. 92 p. 93

86. Amid the fruits of deeds I lay. Thou didst thyself reveal
With words of comfort saying "Come, I will destruction deal
To evil fruit of deeds," and thus thou mad’st me all Thy slave.
And yet I stand as if a statue made of steel, nor rave,
Nor sing, nor cry, nor wail—woe's me—nor in my spirit faint
With deep desire, so dull am I. O being ancient,
Thou art beginning, Thou art end: tell me, how can I be
So dead at heart? The end if this I do not dare to see.

---

87. Him though men seek, none fully know; in Him no evil is.
None are His kindred; knowledge perfect, effortless is His.
A cur am I, yet He hath giv’n to me in sight of men
A place on earth, and shewed me things far beyond mortal ken.
He told me what no ears can hear; from future births He sav’d.
Such magic wrought my Lord who me hath lovingly enslaved.

88. Our God of gods, whom e’en the devas’ king knows but in part,
Ruleth the three who in the fair world-gardens life impart,
And life maintain, and life destroy; our First, Reality,
Father of old, whose consort Umā is, our sovereign, He p. 94 p. 95
Came down in grace and made e’en me to be His very own.
Henceforth before no man I bow; I fear but Him alone.
Now of His servants’ servants I have joined the sacred throng,
And ever more and more I'll bathe in bliss. with dance and song.

89. The meanest cur am I; I know not how to do the right;
’Twere but what I deserve, should’st Thou my wickedness requite
With the dread fate of those who never saw Thy flowery feet;
For though mine eyes have seen, my ears have heard saints guileless, meet,
Who reached Thy fragrant presence, yet I stay, for false am I,
Fit for naught save to eat and dress, Lion of victory.

---

90. None but myself has sunk myself. Thy name be ever praised!
No blame lay I on Thee, lauds to my Master be upraised!
Yet to forgive is aye a mark of greatness. Praise to Thee!
Lord of the land celestial, Praise! O end this life for me.

p. 96 p. 97

91. The fawn-eyed maid is part of Thee! From holy writ Thou’rt hid!
Thou’rt honey, yea ambrosia, by man's mind not compassèd.
O king who bearest with my faults, some harsh words did I say.
Thy saints have entered heaven. Without, falsehood and I still stay.

92. Since I am false, and false my heart, and false my very love,
Howe’er I weep, still held by deed can I reach Thee above?
O honey, nectar, O essential sweetness, great as sweet,
Grant grace to me to find the path that leads unto Thy feet.

93. Heav’n, earth, and all that therein is, thou makest without seed.
Thou dost preserve and Thou destroy. ’Tis Thou who hast decreed
That I though treacherous, mean, should be a man who frenzied faints
Before Thy temple gates, one with the band of Thy true saints.
What men themselves have planted, e’en a poisonous mango tree,
They root not up. O Lord of mine, as such a tree keep me.

---

Our next five stanzas, taken from a hymn of fifty, are full of the pathos expressed in the title, which is a refrain recurring in every verse. Only flashes of the light of the presence of God pierce the prevailing gloom. The saint cannot free himself from sensuality,
p. 98 p. 99
even while he hates it. He wonders whether even the God who drank poison for others’ sake will leave him alone.

Wilt Thou Leave Me?

94. Mingling in grace with me, O rider of the bull, Thou mad’st me Thine.
  But wilt Thou leave me? Thou whose form in the fierce tiger's skin is clad,
Uttarakōsamaṅgai old has Thee for king. O lord of mine
  With matted hair, hold Thou me up; for I am weary grown and sad.

95. Set in the marge of flowing stream that eats its banks away, the tree
  Shakes to its fall; and thus am I, my sense bewitch’d by maids’ dark eyes.
Uttarakōsamaṅgai's king, spouse of gem-vested Pārvati,
  Who dwell'st in Ārūr holy, O protector, for my help arise.

96. In ignorance I spurned thy grace. Dost Thou, my gem, now me despise,
  And wilt thou leave me? O destroy my sum of deeds and make me thine.
Uttarakōsamaṅgai's king, ’tis surely true, the great and wise,
  When only little curs play false, to mercy ever will incline.

p. 100 p. 101

97. With none to cheer me from my fear, far have I wandered wearily,
  O Lightning-like, and wilt Thou leave me? If I truly thee compare,
Uttarakōsamaṅgai's king, I find naught else resembling Thee;
  But a true father, mother dear art Thou to me, my treasure rare.

98. Whether I praise or curse Thee, still I'm stained with sin and sorrowing.
  Yet, wilt Thou leave me? Splendour shining like the red-hued coral mount,
Master, thou drankest poison black, the humbler beings pitying,
  That I, Thy meanest one, might find no poison, but a nectar fount.

---

Our poet made songs which maidens might sing in their rhythmical games, or as they sat at the grinding-stone. In India the boatman sings as he rows, the ryot sings as he draws from the well, the sepoy sings on his march. A feature of such songs is the refrain, which is usually a mere collection of euphonic syllables, though it may have a meaning. Here are specimens of a few songs intended for women. The refrain of the first, "Ēlōrembāvāy" probably means "Receive and ponder what I say, O lady." The Grinding song, strangely enough, is used at funerals, as also is the 'Antiphony.' The song of 'The Three Castles’ Destruction' is supposed to accompany play with a ball or a kind of shuttle called 'undī.' For the legend of the Three Castles, see page 7. 'The Shoulder-Play' is for some ancient game in which women grasped each other's shoulders.
p. 102 p. 103

Song of the Maidens

99. Older are Thou than the oldest of all,
Newest of all that is new.
At Thy saints’ feet we in service will fall,
We are Thy handmaidens true.
None but Thy bondsmen shall call us their own;
Lord, we would none others wed;
We would be slaves at their bidding alone:
So be our bliss perfected.
Ēlōrembāvāy.

100. "Sure for Thy child there is refuge with Thee,"
Trembling we take up the cry.
Hear, O our Lord, while we bring Thee one plea,
Grant but one boon for our joy.
May only Thy lovers rest on our breast,
Let our hands’ labour be theirs.
Only on such our eyes night and day rest,
Then sun rise west, east, who cares?
Ēlōrembāvāy.

The Grinding Song

101. Grind we the powder gold, that He may bathe;
For He is Scripture, He is sacrifice;
He's being's truth, and being's falsehood too;
Light is He, yea, and He is darkness deep;
He is deep sorrow, and true bliss is He;
He is the half, and He again the whole;
Bondage is He, but He is true release;
He is the alpha, He the omega.

p. 104 p. 105

Śiva's Mysteries (An Antiphony)

102. "His form is smeared with ashes white; the snake His strange adornment is;
The secret scriptures utters He: what kind of god, my friend, is this?
"Why talk of ash-smear, holy speech, adornment strange? This only know,
This god, of every living thing is the true nature. Chāḷalō."

103. "My father and my master, He of all men Lord supreme, is clad
With but a hanging loin-cloth stitched; pray tell me, friend, is He not mad?
"The Vedas four with meaning fraught, the everlasting Śāstras, know
That these are but the threads whereof is wove His loin-cloth. Chāḷalō."

104. The burning-ground's His temple fine; the tiger's skin His raiment is;
Father or mother hath He none; He's all alone; my friend, see this.''
"Though He no parents hath, no kin, yet should His anger kindle, lo,
The whole wide world would straightway turn to dust and ashes. Chāḷalō."

105. "Though I am but a cur, yet when I turned to Him who hath no end,
Into a sea of bliss He made me sink o’erwhelmed; see this, my friend."
"Those holy feet that sank thee in the sea of bliss o’erwhelmèd, know,
E’en to the very gods in heav’n they're richest treasure. Chāḷalō."

p. 106 p. 107

The Three Castles’ Destruction

106. Bent was the bow, begun the fight,
The castles three were ’whelmèd quite, (Fly, undī)
Three castles blazing with one light. (Fly, undī)

107. One bolt in Śiva's hand saw we,
One single bolt for castles three, (Fly, undī)
And e’en that one scarce needed He. (Fly, undī)

108. Cleft lay the car at His foot's tread,
The axle was all shatterèd, (Fly, undī)
Three castles ruined lay and dead. (Fly, undī)

The Shoulder-Play

109. Poor slave was I, how long I poured out all my days for naught,
  To Him the all-supreme no homage rendering! Yet see,
How He, the jewel from eternal ages incorrupt,
  Has come and drawn the prison-bolt of births, and set me free.
                         Play we Tōṇōkkam

---

In the poetry of all lands lovers have appealed to birds to be their messengers to the distant loved one. This is so common in Indian poetry as to have become a recognised convention. Here the saint sends his message of love and devotion, in one case by a humming bee, in the other by the Indian cuckoo, to Śiva who dwells in Tillai, i.e. Chidambaram.
p. 108 p. 109

The Bee's Message

110. Hard-hearted thief, stiff-necked was I, but no such name He called me;
My stony heart He melted, and by mercy He enthralled me.
The swans abound in Tillai's lovely hall of gold, His dwelling.
Fly, king of bees, at His gold anklets hum, my message telling.

111. Cur though I am, my lord has set me His great glory singing;
To me, the mad, His patient grace is aye forgiveness bringing;
Scorning me not, He deigns to take the service I can do Him.
Mother and God. Go, king of bees, hum thou my message to Him.

112. Far would my heart and mind have gone from Him, but He compelled me,
The lord with tangled locks, and His fair spouse, they saved and held me.
He is the sky, the mighty sea, east, west, north, south, indwelling.
His feet with honey drop. There, king of bees, my praise be telling.

113. In this world's treasure false immersed lay I, and self-deceivèd,
Held it for treasure true, but for His own He me receivèd.
My precious life itself is He, in Tillai's hall abiding.
Go, king of bees, at His red lotus feet my words confiding.

p. 110 p. 111

The Cuckoo's Errand

114. Hear, little cuckoo in the honey’d orchard groves.
Heav’n did He spurn; to save us men, to earth He calve,
Boundless in giving, reeking naught of flesh of mine,
Entered my mind, and there my very thought became.
He, the alone, the spouse of her whose pure eye's ray
Shames the gazelle in softness, call Him hither, pray.

---

One of the little childishnesses involved in idolatry is that every morning with solemn ceremony the idol must be wakened from his sleep, bathed, and dressed. Here is a song with which he is roused from slumber. But notice how successfully our author has filled his poem with the fresh morning feeling, and the sights and sounds of the sudden break of the Indian dawn.

The Idol's Awakening

115. Hail to Thee, treasure rare,
  Source of all prosperity,
Dawn has come, at Thy feet,
  Flowers themselves, fair flowers lay we.
Praising Thee, we await
  Smiles that blossom fair and sweet
In Thy face, as we fall
  Prone adoring at Thy feet.

Śiva, Lord, dweller in
  Perunduṛai, where expand
Lotus flowers, petalled white,
  In the cool moist pasture land,
Thou whose flag is the bull,
  Thou the Lord of all my ways,
Now O Lord of us all,
  From Thy couch rise in Thy grace.

p. 112 p. 113

116. Now anigh Indra's East
  Draws the sun; dark flies apace
At the dawn; and the sun
  Of the kindness in Thy face
Riseth high’r, ever high’r,
  As like fair flowers opening,
Eyes unclose from their sleep,
  Eyes of Thee our beauteous king.

Hear how now clouds of bees
  Humming bright fill all the air.
Śiva, Lord, dweller in
  Holy Perunduṛai fair,
Thou wilt come to bestow
  Favours rich, Oh shew Thy face!
Mountain-joy, ocean-bliss,
  From Thy couch rise in Thy grace.

117. Cocks now crow to the morn,
  While the cuckoos loudly call;
Little birds sweetly sing,
  And the conch-shell sounds o’er all;
Light of stars fades away
  Into common light of day;
Dawn and sun come as one,
  Now to us, O God, display
In Thy love Thy twin feet,
  Gracious, decked with anklets rare.
Śiva, Lord, dweller in Holy Perunduṛai fair,
  Hard for all men to find,
Yet to me Thou shewedst Thy face.
  Now O Lord of us all,
From Thy couch rise in Thy grace.

p. 114 p. 115

118. On this side some men play
  Lutes and vīṇas sweet of sound;
On that side some men chant
  Ancient Ṛik, their songs resound;
In their hands some have brought
  Wreaths of many blossoms wove;
Some bow down, some men weep,
  Some men sway, o’ercome by love;
Clasping hands o’er their heads,
  Others stand with reverent air;
Śiva, Lord, dweller in
  Holy Perunduṛai fair,
Even me didst thou save;
  Sweet to me have been Thy ways.
Now, O Lord of us all,
  From Thy couch rise in Thy grace.

---

The rest of our specimens of the 'Holy Utterances' may be left to explain themselves without comment, save for a single line of title. Where two or more stanzas are given from a poem, the title here given is a translation from the Tamil.

Only with Thee and Thy Saints!

119. Our lady aye is in Thy heart,
  As Thou in hers; and if ye both
In mine do dwell, grant me a part
  Among your slaves, O ever First.
    Unending lord, in Tillai's hall who dost abide,
    Let this deep yearning of my soul be satisfied.

p. 116 p. 117

What Can I Give Thee?

120. Thou gav’st Thyself, Thou gained’st me;
  Which did the better bargain drive?
Bliss found I in infinity;
  But what didst Thou from me derive?
O Śiva,. Perunduṛai's God,
  My mind Thou tookest for Thy shrine:
My very body's Thine abode:
  What can I give Thee, Lord, of mine?

---

Passion's Pain

121. Caught am I in passion's snare from women's liquid eyes;
  Stabbed at heart, a cur. O wisdom's light, no aid I see.
Only lord, whose lady's feet are softer than the down,
  How I long to hear Thy coral lips speak cheer to me.

Longings For Death

122. Our lord supreme, both earth and heav’n indwelling,
  See how I have no other help but Thee.
Thou king of Śiva's world, bright beyond telling,
  Dweller in Perunduṛai, look on me.
Who'll hear my cry, who list to my complaining,
  If Thou Thy grace deny, who saved’st me?
I find in sea-girt earth no joy remaining.
  Now let Thy grace speak, bid me come to Thee.

p. 118 p. 119

123. In Thee she dwells whose feet than down are softer;
  See how I have no other help but Thee.
Thou king of Śiva's world, my gracious master,
  Dweller in Perunduṛai, look on me.
Fear holds me; for, in dark confusion godless,
  I did forget the grace that savèd me.
Dog and deceitful am I. Life is joyless.
  Now let Thy grace speak, bid me come to Thee.

124. In Thee she dwells whose ancient praise is faultless;
  See how I have no other help but Thee.
Thou king of S`iva's world, the bright moon wearing,
  Dweller in Perunduṛai, look on me.
Whom save Thee could I worship with my praises?
  Can any other refuge give for me?
O Rider of the bull, my life is joyless.
  Now let Thy grace speak, bid me come to Thee.

The Balancing of Deeds

125. O lord of Perunduṛai, place of peace,
  To them who call Thy name, beyond compare
True joy art Thou. Thou mad'st my woe to cease
  When good and ill deeds done were balanced fair.
    Then lest unwith’ring seeds of birth should grow,
    In Kal̤ukunḍu Thy fair self didst shew.

p. 120 p. 121

Life's Consuming

126. Myself I cannot understand, nor what is day nor night;
He who both word and thought transcends has reft my senses quite,
He who for bull has Vishṇu, and in Perunduṛai dwells,
O Light supreme, in Brāhman guise has cast on me strange spells.

127. I ask not fame, wealth, earth or heav’n. No birth, no death for me.
None will I touch who love not Śiva. Now ’tis mine to see
Abiding Perunduṛai, wear the King's foot as my crown;
Never will I leave this His shrine, nor let Him leave His own.

128. Art Thou like honey on the branch too high for me to climb?
Or art Thou nectar ocean-churned? O Hara, King sublime,
In Perunduṛai, circled with moist fields, I can set Thee
With form ash-smeared, the spotless. Can I bear my ecstasy?

129. Many in this great earth who live do penance; I alone
Bearing this frame of flesh, a barren jungle-tree have grown.
Dweller in Perunduṛai old where blooms the kondai tree,
May I the sinner cry "Wilt Thou not grant Thyself to me"?

p. 122 p. 123

Pious Fear

130. I fear not serpents lurking smooth;
I fear no liars’ feignèd truth;
But when I see fools venturing
E’en to the foot of Him our king,
Our three-eyed Lord with matted hair,
Of His great godhead unaware,
Fools thinking other gods can be,
Terror such sight inspires in me.

131. I fear no javelin's gory blade;
Nor sidelong glance of bangled maid;
But when I see men void of grace
Drinking no sweetness from the praise
Of my unchiselled Gem, whose dance
In Tillai's hail is seen, whose glance
Melts men's whole frame in ecstasy
Terror such sight inspires in me.

I Cling to Thee

132. King of the heavenly ones! All-filling Excellence!
E’en to vile me Thou Thy wonders hast shown;
Balm of true bliss, ending false earthly bliss of sense,
Thou my whole household did’st take for Thine own.
Meaning of holy writ! Wondrous Thy glory!
True wealth, our Śiva, to Thee, Lord, I cling.
Never to loose my hold, firmly I cling to Thee;
Where canst Thou go, leaving me sorrowing?

p. 124 p. 125

133. King of celestial ones, ever with bull for steed,
Evil am I, yet my riches art Thou;
Lest I should rot in my foul flesh, and die indeed,
Thou hast preserved me, and Thine am I now.
Thou art our God; Thou of grace art a boundless sea,
Saved from my flesh, now to Thee, Lord, I cling.
Never to let Thee loose, firmly I cling to Thee;
Where can’st Thou go, leaving me sorrowing?

134. Thou dids’t come into my vile fleshly body,
E’en as ’twere into some great golden shrine;
Soft’ning and melting it all, Thou hast savèd me,
Lord condescending, Thou gem all divine!
Sorrow and birth, death, all ties that deceivèd me,
Thou did’st remove, all my bonds severing;
True bliss, our kindly Light, firmly I cling to Thee;
Where canst Thou go leaving me sorrowing?

NAUGHT BUT THY LOVE

135. I ask not kin, nor name, nor place,
  Nor learnèd men's society.
Men's lore for me no value has;
  Kuttālam's lord, I come to Thee.
Wilt thou one boon on me bestow,
  A heart to melt in longing sweet,
As yearns o’er new-horn calf the cow,
  In yearning for Thy sacred feet?

p. 126 p. 127

Longing for Union

136. I had no virtue, penance, knowledge, self-control. A doll to turn
  At others’ will I danced, whirled, fell. But me He filled in every limb
With love's mad longing, and that I might climb there whence is no return,
  He shewed His beauty, made me His. Ah me, when shall I go to Him?

The Wonder of Grace

137. Fool's friend was I, none such may know
  The way of freedom; yet to me
He shew’d the path of love, that so
  Fruit of past deeds might ended be.
    Cleansing my mind so foul, He made me like a god.
    Ah who could win that which the Father hath bestowed?

138. Thinking it right, sin's path I trod;
  But, so that I such paths might leave,
And find His grace, the dancing God,
  Who far beyond our thought doth live,
    O wonder passing great!—to me His dancing shewed.
    Ah who could win that which the Father hath bestowed?

Sadhana: Spiritual Practices

                       Hindu spiritual practices generally involve seeking awareness of God and sometimes also seeking blessings from Devas. Therefore, Hinduism has developed numerous practices meant to help one think of divinity in the midst of everyday life. Hindus can engage in pūjā (worship or veneration), either at home or at a temple. At home, Hindus often create a shrine with icons dedicated to the individual's chosen form(s) of God. Temples are usually dedicated to a primary deity along with associated subordinate deities though some commemorate multiple deities. Visiting temples is not obligatory. In fact, many visit temples only during religious festivals. Hindus perform their worship through murtis (icons). The icon serves as a tangible link between the worshiper and God. The image is often considered a manifestation of God, since God is immanent. The Padma Purana states that the mūrti is not to be thought of as mere stone or wood but as a manifest form of the Divinity.

                          Hinduism has a developed system of symbolism and iconography to represent the sacred in art, architecture, literature and worship. These symbols gain their meaning from the scriptures, mythology, or cultural traditions. The syllable Om (which represents the Parabrahman) and the Swastika sign (which symbolizes auspiciousness) have grown to represent Hinduism itself, while other markings such as tilaka identify a follower of the faith. Hinduism associates many symbols, which include the lotus, chakra and veena, with particular deities.

mantra are invocations, praise and prayers that through their meaning, sound, and chanting style help a devotee focus the mind on holy thoughts or express devotion to God/the deities. Many devotees perform morning ablutions at the bank of a sacred river while chanting the Gayatri Mantra or Mahamrityunjaya mantras. The epicMahabharata extolls Japa (ritualistic chanting) as the greatest duty in the Kali Yuga (the current age). Many adopt Japa as their primary spiritual practice.

1. Om: Sacred Symbol and Sound

The sacred syllable om or aum functions at many levels. Hindus chant it as a means of meditating on the ultimate reality and connecting with the ātman (Innermost Self) and Brahman. At one level, om possesses a vibrational aspect apart from its conceptual significance. If pronounced correctly, its vibrations resonate through the body and penetrate the ātman. At another level, the three sounds that constitute the syllable—a, u, and m—have been associated with the states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, states to which all life can be reduced. Thus, by repeating the syllable the chanter passes through all three states. Other associations of the three sounds are with the three states of the cosmos—manifestation, maintenance, and dissolution—and with the three aspects of Ishvara who preside over these cosmic states:Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva. Om thus functions at a practical level as a mantra and at a cosmic level as signifying the trinity.

2. Guru: Teacher

Spiritual authority in Hinduism flows from enlightened sages called gurus. The guru is someone who has attained realization and acts as a guide for other human beings. He or she guides the individual seeker of truth and self-realization to the appropriate deity, practice, or yoga within Hinduism. The disciple’s goal is to transcend the need for a guru through direct experience of the divine and self-awareness. Having a guide is considered critical for traversing the complexities of spiritual practice and self-discovery. The guru thus constitutes an important center of spiritual activity in Hinduism. Numerous Hindu hymns express adoration for the guru.

3. Yoga: Paths to Brahman

How do we proceed if we wish to rise toward Brahman? Hindu thought takes the personality of the seeker as the starting point. It divides human personalities into types dominated by physicality, activity, emotionality, or intellectuality. The composition of our personality intuitively predisposes us to a type of yoga—that is, a path we might follow to achieve union with Brahman. Although many people associate the word yoga with a physical discipline, in its original Hindu meaning, yoga refers to any technique that unites the seeker with the ultimate reality.

Yoga is a system of physical and spiritual techniques for achieving balance and harmony within yourself, the environment, and with others.

Someone who practices yoga is called a yogi. The chief texts dedicated to Yoga are the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and, as their philosophical and historical basis, the Upanishads. Overall, three distinct approaches or margas (paths) are recognized, with marga being synonymous with yoga (paths one can follow to achieve the spiritual goal of life moksha):

• Karma Marga or Karma Yoga ("the path of action")
• Jñāna Marga or Jnana Yoga ("the path of knowledge")
• Bhakti Marga or Bhakti Yoga ("the path of devotion")
• Rāja Marga or Raja Yoga ("the royal path ")

An individual may prefer one yoga over others according to his or her inclination and understanding. For instance some followers of the dvaita-advaita school hold that bhakti ("devotion") is the ultimate practical path to achieve spiritual perfection for the majority of people, based on their belief that the earth is currently in the age of Kali Yuga (one of four stages, or epochs, that are part of the Yuga Cycle). Practice of one yoga does not exclude the others. In fact, many schools believe that the different yogas naturally imply, blend into and aid other yogas. For example, the practice of Jnana Yoga, is thought to inevitably lead to pure love (the goal of bhakti yoga), and vice versa. Someone practicing deep meditation (such as in Raja Yoga) must embody the core principles of Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga, whether directly or indirectly.

1. Bhakti Yoga

The bhakti traditions emphasize cultivation of love and devotion for God as the path to perfection. Followers of bhakti typically worship God as a divine personal being or avatar, such as Rama or Krishna. Followers of the bhakti path strive to purify their minds and activities through the chanting of God's names (japa), prayer, devotional hymns (bhajan) and treating all living creatures with compassion. Bhakti followers seek to enjoy a loving relationship with God, rather than seek to merge their consciousness with Brahman as the followers of jnana yoga and raja yoga do.

2. Karma Yoga

The followers of karma yoga seek to achieve freedom by acting without attachment to the results of their actions. According to Hinduism, action is inevitable, and has one great disadvantage—any act done with attachment to its fruits generates karmic or psychological bondage. Followers of karma yoga follow the injunction in theBhagavad Gita:

Without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty; for by working without attachment, one attains the Supreme.

Many followers of karma yoga offer the results of every action to God, thus combining karma yoga with bhakti yoga. However, it is possible for even an atheist to follow karma yoga by remaining mentally detached from the fruits of their actions. Benefits of karma yoga include purification of the heart, freedom from bondage to the ego, humility, and the growing understanding that Brahman is in all people.

Upanishad - sitting with the teacher.

3. Raja Yoga

The followers of Raja yoga seek direct experience of spiritual truth through meditation and yoga practices. Raja yoga is based on the Yoga Sutras of acharya-patanjali, which has eight 'limbs' that describe the stages a yogi must pass through to reach the goal of samadhi. The eight limbs begin with yama-niyama (right action) and asana (perfect meditative posture), and continue with control of pranayama (the body's life force). From there, the yogi practices techniques of meditation that take him through the progressive stages of pratyahara (interiorization), dharana (concentration) and dhyana (meditation). The final goal of the raja yogi—and the eighth limb of Patanjali's Sutras—is samadhi, or oneness with Brahman.

4. Jnana Yoga

Jnana yoga is the path of wisdom, or true knowledge, and appeals to people with an intellectual nature. The jnana yogi typically practices the four interrelated means to liberation:

1. viveka: discrimination between what is real (the immortal Atman, or true self), and unreal (the changing universe)
2. vairāgya, dispassion for the pleasures of this world.
3. shad-sampat, the six virtues, which bring about mental control and discipline.
4. mumukshutva, intense desire for liberation.

These practices lead to the unfoldment of wisdom (intuitive perception), rather than mere intellectual knowledge. Through discrimination and introspection, the jnana yogi eventually realizes the highest truth, that "I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness."

4. Satsanga: Fellowship

A popular form of participation in religious life is the satsanga, which literally means keeping company with sat (truth and goodness). The satsanga may consist of Hindus who gather for discussions of Hindu scripture or of a circle of devotees who have formed around a saintly figure. A sant (saint) in Hindu Dharma is someone who has realized the sat (Truth) and attained recognition from the community for doing so. Other forms of worship that occur at satsangas are chanting or singing, especially devotional songs called bhajans. On religious occasions the chanting the om sound is considered particularly holy.

Rituals and Ceremonies

The vast majority of Hindus engage in Vedic rituals on a daily basis. Most Hindus observe Vedic rituals at home. However, observation of rituals greatly vary among regions, villages, and individuals. Devout Hindus perform daily chores such as worshiping at the dawn after bathing (usually at a family shrine, and typically includes lighting a lamp and offering foodstuffs before the images of deities), recitation from religious scripts, singing devotional hymns, meditation, chanting mantras, reciting scriptures etc. A notable feature in Vedic ritual is the division between purity and pollution. Religious acts presuppose some degree of impurity or defilement for the practitioner, which must be overcome or neutralised before or during ritual procedures. Purification, usually with water, is thus a typical feature of most religious action. Other characteristics include a belief in the efficacy of sacrifice and concept of merit, gained through the performance of charity or good works, that will accumulate over time and reduce sufferings in the next world. yajña (Vedic rites of fire-oblation) are now only occasional practices although they are highly revered in theory. In Hindu wedding and burial ceremonies, however, the yajña and chanting of Vedic mantras are still the norm.

Occasions like birth, marriage, and death involve what are often elaborate sets of religious customs. In Hindu Dharma, life-cycle rituals include Annaprashan (a baby's first intake of solid food), Upanayanam ("sacred thread ceremony" undergone by upper-caste youths), Shraadh (ritual of treating people to feasts in the name of the deceased). For most people in India, the betrothal of the young couple and the exact date and time of the wedding are matters decided by the parents in consultation with astrologers. On death, cremation is considered obligatory for all except sanyasis, hijra, and children under five. Cremation is typically performed by wrapping the corpse in cloth and burning it on a pyre.

Devi Lalitambika by Yogi Ananda Saraswathi

GODDESS LALITAMBIKA: ‘Lalita’ means charming. Goddess Lalita Devi is the Divine Mother in the form of her power, Shakti. Lalita is the Goddess of Bliss, an epithet for Lord Shiva’s wife, Goddess Parvathi. ‘Lalita’ also means ‘She Who Plays,’ ‘spontaneous’ or ‘easy.’ Mother Goddess worship saw two major developments - Vedic and Tantrik. Both linked Mother Goddess to samsara, the manifest cycle of birth, death, rebirth; the material world and the realm of eternal change. Mother Goddess wasthe flow of energy, the substance that embodies the soul and gives form and identity.

As Shakti, Mother Goddess was supreme untameable universal energy. As Shree, she was the supreme domesticated goddess of fortune, She was also Maya, the supreme unfathomable delusion of existence. She was Prakriti, Mother Nature responsible for earthly existence. From Her came the worldly powers and illusions of arta and kama. Mother Goddess stood at the extreme end of the metaphysical spectrum with their male counterparts who stood more for the unmanifest reality or Pure Consciousness, the Self. Lord Shiva sought moksha, liberation from the material world while Lord Vishnu propounded the doctrine of dharma. But it was Mother Goddess that represented material reality to give life to spiritual reality.

TANTRIK LALITA: Vidya means knowledge, specifically female knowledge, or the goddess, and in this context relates to her aspect called Shri, Lalita or Tripurasundari whose magical diagram is called the Shri Yantra. She is a red flower, so her diagram is a flower too. According to Vamakeshavaratantra, “Tripura is the ultimate, primordial Shakti, the light of manifestation. She, the pile of letters of the alphabet, gave birth to the three worlds. At dissolution, She is the abode of all tattvas, still remaining Herself.”

In the tantrik tradition, symbols have a gross aspect, a subtle aspect, and a supreme aspect. In Her gross form, Mother Lalita, is the image of the goddess with her four arms etc; the subtle form is as yantra, and the supreme form is her mantra. All three are different aspects and colorful symbolisms for realizing the deep wisdom of Goddess Lalita. Realising Her is realising oneself.

The yantra of Devi Lalita is Shri Yantra. The divinity of the yantra always occupies the centre or apex. It refers to the worship of the diagram yantra of that Goddess, which is an epitome of Humankind and the Universe. The Shri Yantra has nine of these mandals, each filled with various aspects of the Devi. In Shri Yantra there are 111 aspects. The Shri Yantra is said to be a geometric form of the human body, which implies that goddess as Macrocosm is one with human being as Microcosm.

Father and Mother are represented in Shri Vidya by two limbs or aspects of Lalita known as Varahi and Kurukulla. The semen of Varahi, the father-form, gives four alchemical dhatus to the child. The ova of Kurukulla, the mother-form, gives five dhatns to the child. Consciousness enters via orgasm. The three bindus, collectively known as Kamakala, digit of sexual desire, are the root potential of sun, moon and fire. It is like sun and moon coming together in an eclipse, or the seed from which the plant human being grows.

SUBHAGODAYA: Lalita loves puja. Subhagodaya by Shivanandamuni is a treatise which details briefly the daily puja of Goddess Devi called Lalita, also known as Devi Maha Tripurasundari. The Great Beautiful Lady of the Three Cities. All creation, manifestation and dissolution is considered to be a play of Devi or the goddess. Her name is the transcendent beauty of the three cities, a description of the goddess as conqueror of the three cities of the demons, or as the triple city, Tripura, but really a metaphor for a human being. Lord Shiva, who is without attribute, is pure Consciousness, the source of light, and Shakti is the mirror in which Shiva knows himself. The Shaktis within the Shri Yantra are the Shaktis or Energies of Supreme Shiva.

BHAVANA UPANISHAD: The functions and faculties of a human being and its relationship with Lalita Chakra are given in this Upanishad. There are said to be three great Lights within a human being. These are Sun, Moon and Fire, Sun is situated in the heart, Moon in the brain, and Fire in the genitals. These three are the Three Beautiful Cities, which collectively form the triple being of Lalita, When these three Lights fully shine, then Pure Shiva, who is the Fourth, is fully manifested. By a daily act of Will, the Universe's Creation, Maintenance and Dissolution takes place.

The universe is also contained within the human body. Stars, planets, rivers, seas, Suns, Moons, even the smallest mote of dust, all these things which appear 'outside' are also found 'inside'. The real act of oblation is the offering of the entire cosmos both active and subjective into the Fire of Pure Consciousness, This is the Bhairava-Mudra, in which there is Self Remembering simultaneously with looking outwards. Realisation is said to consist of the firm knowledge that there is no difference between worshiper and worshiped, between Guru, Mantra, Yantra and Shakti.

BRAHMANADA PURANA: This purana tells the story of Goddess Lalita setting out to destroy Danda. After Daksha’s yagna and Sati’s death, Dakshayani is born as Gauri. Lord Shiva is engrossed in meditation while the Asura leader Taraka creates havoc. Only Shiva’s son could slay the asura. The Lord is not anywhere near Parvathi to conceive the warrior son. Kama, God of love was sent to intervene only to be burnt to ashes. Chitrakarma, Shiva’s host, made a figure from these ashes, which is given life when the Lord casts His eyes.

When Shiva cast his gaze upon this form, it assumed life as an extraordinarily powerful, resplendent person. The figure worshiped Mahadeva with the Shatarudriya mantra that Chitrakarma taught him. Shiva was delighted and blessed him ‘Bhanda’ meaning 'fortunate' as he acquired half of the opponent’s strength. The Daityas had previously ruled the three worlds, now flocked to join Bhanda to rebuild Shotinapur city. The gods also silently served Bhanda and prayed to Mahadeva while sixty thousand years, the wink of Shiva’s eyes, passed.

Now, Lord Vishnu, created an invisible all enchanting Maya to delude Bhanda. He and his Daitya counselors were infatuated and immersed in lust and neglected focus. The sage Narada advised the Gods to destroy the deluded Daityas by propitiating the transcendent Shakti. So they performed a great yajna to worship Parashakti on the Bhagirathi banks for ten thousand years. Shukra warns Bhanda of Daityas being slayed by Vishnu. He was advised to abandon Maya and rush to frustrate the yajna. Bhanda tried to shatter the yajna but Mother Goddess hindered him. He returned to the city to return with more vigour. Now, Shukra holds a maha-yajna offering Mahamamsa, human flesh to worship Shakti.

As this was done, Mahadevi Ambika, as massive wheel-shaped dazzling luster emerged from the flames. The essence of beauty and bliss, she resembled the hibiscus in complexion, wore robes of pomegranate-red and ornaments of all types, bearing noose, goad, sugarcane-bow and five shining arrows in her four hands. The gods chanted the praises of this Kamakshi, Kameshi, Kali, celebrating her as Mother Shri Lalita. The goddesses Durga, presiding deity of all mantras, and Shyama, presiding deity of all lores, joined Shri Lalita. Brahma commands Vishvakarma to built a wonderous city on the spot.

Lalita would not be complete without a consort and there was Maheshvara in the form of Kameshvara shining a million times more than Kama. Lalita garlanded him and was given in marriage by Vishnu. The Devas presented them with various weapons and ornaments. Thereafter, Lalita Devi led an army to conquer Bhanda. Her chariot was huge with 16 steps on which all the other siddhi Devis sat. From Lalita Devi’s noose emerged the swiftly moving deity Ativaritavikranti seated on the horse Aparajita, holding in her four hands the noose, the goad, the cane and the horse’s bridle. They were joined by the boar-faced Shakti Krodhamukhi leading an army carrying palm-leaf fans set with diamonds and dark Mantranayika on a chariot.

In the battle Lalita faced Banda. He released the Mahasurastra from which Madhu, Kaitabha, Mahisha, Dhumralochana, Chanda, Munda, Chikshura, Chamara, Raktabija, Shumbha, Nishumbha, Kalakeyas arose and smashed the army of Shaktis. Lalita became furious and burst into a loud angry laugh. From this appeared Durga. She stuck down these Danavas, bowed to Lalita. Bhanda now discharged the arnavastra, flooding the field, whereupon the goddess created a huge tortoise from the nail of her index finger who supported her armies.

Thereafter Banda discharged missiles named after Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, Bali, Shasrarjuna, Paulastya, Rajasura, Kali and Mahamoha. They were countered by the Goddess Lalita creating from her nails Varaha, Nrisimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Kodandarama, Vasudeva-Samkarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, Kalki and finally Shambhava. Ultimately, by the Narayana missile, she burnt up the entire army of Danavas, followed by the Pashupata missile which killed the generals. Finally Lalita killed Bhanda with the Mahakameshvara missile.

TEMPLE: The Thirumeeyachur Lalithambika temple is located in Thiruvarur District , west of Peralam village.The presiding deities are Lord Meghanatha and his consort Goddess Lalitambika. Mother Lalitambika’s shrine is adorned by a five-tiered Rajagopuram. Her five-feet deity is installed over Sri Chakra in the sanctum sanctorum. The deity is seated resting her folded right leg on the seat. Her left leg is in Sukhasana posture. She is said to be in Manonmani Swaroopa and hence is also known as Santanayaki. It is said that Rajendra Chola and Sembian Maadevi renovated this ancient temple.

Sthala purana of the temple speaks of Kashyapa Maharishi and his two wives - Karththuru and Vinathai. The wives had a dispute over the black spot on the tail of Uchchaisiravas , the Horse of Indra. Repenting the erstwhile dispute, they came to Thirumaiyachur and worshiped Lord Meghanadhar. They were blessed and given an egg each for splendid sons. Thus Garudan and Arunan were born respectively.

Once Arunan took the form of Mohini like a charming girl . The Sun God, Surya, harmed her. When Arunan pleaded to the Lord Shiva here, he cursed Sun god Surya to get darkened. By Siva’s curse, Surya body was badly burnt and he prays to Lord Shiva. He was advised to undergo severe penance, so Surya does Tapas in Thirumeeyachur for seven months.

Surya Bhagavan is believed to have worshiped Lord Siva as Gajaaruda seated on an elephant among thick clouds. During his tapas, Surya started screaming to regain the color of his body. Goddess Parvathi who was in close quarters with Lord Shiva in their private confines, was very much disturbed by the scream. So She was about to curse Surya. Surya was already suffering Lord Shiva’s curse. He is only looking for relief, said Shiva and pacified Parvathi as he held her cheeks. Lord Shiva blessed her to be in peace as ‘Shanta Naayagi’ . Since Shiva himself asked Lalithambigai to be calm, the angels called ‘vasini devatas’ emerged from mouth of Mother and sung the thousand holy names in praise of Goddess which came to be known as Lalitha Saharanaamam.

Hayagrivar conveyed Lalita Sahasranamam to sage Agasthiyar. He came to worship Mother and salute her. He later sung the Lalita Navaratnamala and did amla phaladi krana puja as Surya did to honour Mother. Agasthyar also composed a hymn named Rahasyanamasahasram. It is said that Yama Dharma Raja also worshipped Mother Shakti here. Later day Saivite saints Tirugnana Sambandar and Tirunavukkarasar have also sung Mother’s praise.

LALITA SAHASRANAMA: This stotra is a dialogue between Hayagriva, an avatar of Mahavishnu and the sage Agasthya. The sage is said to be initiated into this sahasranama at the Thirumeyachur Temple. There is also a version that states that Agastya was initiated at the Upanishad Brahmam Mutt at Kanchipuram. Sahasranama is said to be composed by eight vaag devathas under the command of Devi Sri Lalitha. They are Vasini, Kameshwari, Aruna, Vimala, Jayinee, Modhinee, Sarveshwari, Koulini. They describe Lalita Devi from ‘head to feet’ – kesadhi padham. Mother’s names are organised in the form of a hymn for parayana-recitations, archana and homa.

Lalita Sahasranama is held as a sacred text for the worship of the Divine Mother, Lalita. It is also used in the worship of Durga, Parvathi, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Bhagavathi. Lalita Sahasranama created a mind devoted to mankind, sincere love, unity and to be one with Atman. Thus it is said to be an integral part of life to develop the energy of faith, belief, confidence and determination. Lalita Saharanama also purifies the atmosphere.

LALITA PANCHARATNA STOTRAM or Lalita Pancha Ratnam Stotra is composed by Adi Shankaracharya. It is believed that those who chants Adi Sankaracharya’s Lalita Pancharatnam in the mornings are said to be blessed with knowledge riches, endless fame.

LALITA SAHASRANAMA DHYANAM:

Meditate on that Ambika,

Who has a body of the colour of saffron,

Who has the three graceful eyes,

Who has a jeweled crown ,

Adorned by the moon,

Who always has a captivating smile,

Who has high and firm breasts,

Who has wine filled cup made of precious stones,

And reddish flowers in her hands,

Who forever is the ocean of peace,

And who keeps her red holy feet.

On a jeweled platform.

I imagine of my goddess Bhavani,

Who has a colour of the rising sun.

Who has eyes which are waves of mercy,

Who has bow made of sweet cane,

Arrows made of soft flowers,

And pasanugusa in her hands,

And who is surrounded,

By her devotees with powers great,

As personification of the concept of “aham”

Meditate I do,

On her who sits on a lotus,

On her who has a smiling face,

On her who has long eyes like the lotus leaf,

On her who glitters like gold,

On her who wears red cloths,

On her who has a golden lotus in her hand,

On her who grants all desires,

On her who is dressed with perfection,

On her who gives protection,

On her who has soft heart to her devotees,

On her who is Sri vidya ,

On her who is forever peaceful,

On her who is worshipped by gods,

And on her who gives all wealth.

Meditate on her,

Who applies saffron on her body,

Who applies musk attracted by bees on her,

Who has a beautiful smile,

Who has with her bows, arrows and Pasangusa,

Who attracts all the souls,

Who wears red garland,

Who wears ornaments great,

And who is of the colour of the red hibiscus.

Hara Hara Mahadeva

(drafts Gods, Goddesses, Minor Deities and Sages) By Yogi Ananda Saraswathi