26. THE DRAVIDIAN
POET
SPOKEN word, song and written word have an ascendingorder of stability. Spoken word and song are sustained
by the memory of people but nowadays such people are
decreasing in numbers. Even for the written word there is
danger if it is not in print. Such a work can always be
plagiarised. Further, one can incorporate one's own ideas in
it. Anyway, with printed books being available in plenty
who will bother to read unprinted books?
Though from ancient times song, verse poetry, and
prose work formed a literary hierarchy Bhagavan adopted
the universally accepted Silence. Hence his literary activity
did not follow the aforementioned order. At the instance
of Gambhiram Seshayya Vichara Sangraham and Viveka Choodamani
, two prose works, came first.
In Bhagavan's view silence was the pre- eminent
method of imparting instruction. Yet, he wrote for the
sake of those devotees who could not absorb his silent
teaching. Hence the pattern of his writings doesn't reveal
his nature but reflects the mental capacity and maturity
of those who sought his instructions. Among those who
asked him, his disciples were the foremost-they were
Ayyaswami, Palaniswami and Perumalswami. It will be
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no exaggeration to say that Bhagavan wrote because of
these disciples.
Ayyaswami, who was from Kerala, began his service
of the Maharshi in 1918. Everyone agreed that his devotion
and service-mindedness were unequalled. In 1910, there
was a great function at Sringeri math [?], the math [?] established
by AdiSankara. On that occasion books of various teachers
were exhibited and sold. Ayyaswami bought some of
Sankara's works and later requested the Maharshi to render
them into Malayalam. The Maharshi translated some parts
of Sankara Vijayam. At Palaniswami's request the Maharshi
translated Gurusthuthi and Hastamalakam into Tamil.
Gurusthuthi contains the message of Padmapada and
other disciples to Sankara who entered the body of the
King Amaruka and forgot to get out of it. The message
was a repetition of Sankara's teaching itself. Hastamalakam
contains the reply of Hastamalaka to the question of
Sankara as to who he was.
At the time he wrote these poems the Maharshi was
not acquainted with Tamil prosody but he was familiar
with the rhythm of song due to constant listening. The
Maharshi wrote them in that pattern but they conformed
to the prosody required of verses.
The next work was Aksharamanamalai. Among the
works of Bhagavan this is to be regarded as the foremost.
The title means "marital garland" Akshara means
imperishable, it also means alphabet. This song has couplets
each of which commences with a letter in the alphabetical
sequence of the Tamil language.
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In his early days of service to the Swami,
Perumalswami used to fetch food for him from a choultry.
After some time the authorities of the choultry demanded
service from him in exchange for food. As Perumalswami
was not inclined to do so he began begging for food.
Even if some devotees brought food for the Maharshi and
his disciples it was not always sufficient. So some devotees
had to go into the town begging. To begin with,
Perumalswami and others would sing songs with which
people were already familiar. As the Maharshi's disciples
they received alms aplenty. Noticing this, some others
began imitating them and they also began wearing ochre
robes. In order to be marked out as the Maharshi's disciples
Palaniswami and others wished to have a special song for
them to sing when they went begging.
Normally those going out for begging sang a song with
the refrain "SambaSadaSiva, SambaSadaSiva, SambaSadaSiva
Hara Hara" At first, the Maharshi composed a few similar
lines with the refrain "Arunachala" and stopped. Perumal
was awaiting the next lines but was disappointed. One day,
the Maharshi went for giri pradakshina alone. That day some
more lines of the song were composed.
The very name of the song reveals its import (bhava);
the bride was the Jiva (Maharshi himself ) the bridegroom
was Lord Arunachala. The Maharshi created situations
where the bride pined for the bridegroom and thus
composed the song.
Normally a pining lover's words would be piteous
but when they are accompanied by devotion the effect is
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perfect. The bride displays various feelings like self-pity,
bashfulness, maturity and hurt at being spurned; all these
make the poem exquisite with a remarkable co-mingling
of bhakti [?] and sringara. Like sugar in milk, the poem
abounds in upadesa of wisdom also. In the original Tamil
the words employed have more than one meaning,
therefore translating the poem into another language
adequately is almost impossible. Those who sing and listen
to the song at the Ashram are overwhelmed with joy. When
the bhava is sweet and the words are delicately balanced -
this is only to be expected. This song is more delicate and
melodious then the songs of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda. It
soothens the hearts of all devotees.
In the Saiva agama called Devikalottaram there is a
chapter entitled "Jnanachara vichara patalam", which
details numerous regulations relating to worship.
Kuppuswami Raju of Tanjavur noticed that some extracts
of the agamas contained slokas which supported advaita [?],
contrary to the constant criticism of advaita [?] by Saiva
siddanthis. He thereupon requested his friend Yagnarama
Dikshit to obtain some other passages supportive of
advaita [?]. This was one of the passages thus obtained.
Dikshit during one of his visits to the Maharshi spoke to
him about this matter. Bhagavan told Dikshit that earlier
one Ramalingam of Vriddachalam showed some
manuscripts of agamas to him and that one of those was
this very chapter.
Yagnarama Dikshit immediately started copying some
of them. The Maharshi also took up a chapter for copying,
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but he put it aside somewhere. Even at the time the
Maharshi composed Aksharamanamalai his knowledge of
Tamil prosody was incomplete. But later when he learnt
prosody he tried out the `Venba' metre in a few verses.
While doing so he recollected the agama chapter of
Devikalottaram. Thus without having the original with
him the Maharshi wrote the translation from memory.
The Tamil translation follows the bhava of each sloka but
it is not a literal translation.
During his stay at the Virupaksha cave (i.e. before 1916)
the Maharshi collected nine of his verses on Arunachala and
collectively named them Navamani-malai (Necklet of Nine gems).
The first verse has a beautiful bhava. At the Sabha (in
Chidambaram) Siva danced in front of Sakti whereas at
Arunachala he had Sakti within him and became
immobile. In the second verse Arunachala is remembered
as Sat-chit-ananda personified.
One day, while the Maharshi was seated at the
Virupaksha cave the phrase "By thy Grace" (Karunai yaal)
kept on recurring in his mind, and would not leave him
even if he wanted to ignore it. Then he decided to compose
a verse commencing with that phrase. Next, the concluding
phrase of that verse began to haunt him, so he wrote another
verse commencing with that phrase. Thus a series of eleven
verses followed as a flow. That is how `Arunachala padikam'
(Eleven Verses to Sri Arunachala) was born.
This hymn is suffused with the spirit of devotion. It
delineates the devotee's yearning for God's grace. Here
are the verses:
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1. Now that by thy grace Thou hast claimed me,
what will become of me unless Thou manifest Thyself to
me, and I, yearning wistfully for Thee and harassed by the
darkness of the world, and lost? Oh love, in the shape of
Arunachala, can the lotus blossom without sight of the
sun? Thou art the sun of suns; Thou causest grace to well
up in abundance and pour forth as a stream!
2. Arunachala, Thou form of grace itself! once
having claimed me, loveless though I be, how canst Thou
let me now be lost, and fail to fill me so with love that I
must pine for Thee unceasingly and melt within like wax
over the fire? Oh nectar springing up in the heart of
devotees! Haven of my refuge! Let Thy pleasure be mine,
for that way lies my joy, Lord of my life!
3. Drawing me with the cords of Thy grace,
although I had not even dimly thought of Thee, Thou
didst decide to kill me outright. How then has one so
weak as I offended Thee that Thou dost leave the task
unfinished? Why dost Thou torture me thus, keeping me
suspended between life and death? Oh Arunachala! fulfil
Thy wish, and long survive me all alone, Oh Lord!
4. What did it profit Thee to choose out, me,
from all those struggling in samsara, to rescue my helpless
self from being lost and hold me at Thy feet? Lord of the
ocean of grace! Even to think of Thee puts me to shame
(Long) mayst Thou live! I bow my head to Thee and bless
Thee!
5. Lord! Thou didst capture me by stealth and all
these days hast held me at Thy feet! Lord! Thou hast made
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me (to stand) with hanging head, (dumb) like an image
when asked what is Thy nature. Lord! deign to ease me in
my weariness, struggling like a deer that is trapped. Lord
Arunachala! what can be Thy will? (Yet) who am I to
comprehend Thee?
6. Lord of my life! I am ever at Thy feet, like a
frog (which clings) to the stem of the lotus; make me
instead a honey-bee which (from the blossom of the Heart)
sucks the sweet honey of pure consciousness; then shall I
have deliverance. If I am lost while clinging to Thy lotus
feet, it will be for Thee a standing column of ignominy,
Oh blazing pillar of light called Arunachala! Oh (wide)
expanse of grace, more subtle than ether!
7. Oh pure one! If the five elements, the living
beings and every manifest thing is nothing but Thy all -
embracing Light, how then can I (alone) be separate from
Thee? Since Thou shinest in the Heart, a single expanse
without duality, how then can I come forth distinct
therefrom? Show Thyself planting Thy lotus feet upon
the head of the ego as it emerges!
8. Thou hast withheld from me all knowledge of
gradual attainment while living in the world, and set me at
peace; such a care indeed is blissful and not painful to anyone,
for death in life is in truth glorious! Grant me, wasteful and
mad (for Thee), the sovereign remedy of clinging to Thy
Feet!
9. Oh Transcendent! I am the first of those who
have not the supreme wisdom to clasp Thy feet in freedom
from attachment. Ordain Thou that my burden be
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transferred to Thee and my free will effaced, for what
indeed can be a burden to the sustainer (of the universe)?
Lord supreme! I have had enough (of the fruits) of carrying
(the burden of ) this world upon my head, parted from
Thee, Arunachala, supreme Self! think no more to keep
me at a distance from Thy feet!
10. I have discovered a new thing! This hill, the
lodestone of lives, arrests the movements of anyone who
so much as thinks of it, draws him face to face with it, and
fixes him motionless like itself, to feed upon his soul thus
ripened. What (a wonder) is this! Oh souls! beware of It
and live! Such a destroyer of lives is this magnificent
Arunachala, which shines within the Heart!
11. How many are there who have been ruined
like me for thinking this hill to be the Supreme? Oh men
who, disgusted with this life of intense misery, seek a
means of giving up the body there is on earth a rare drug
which, without killing him, will annihilate anyone who
so much as thinks of it. Know that it is none other than
this Arunachala!
— Tr. K. Swaminathan
In 1916, at Skandasramam, Bhagavan translated into
simple Tamil Dakshinamurti Stotram and Gurusthuthi. By
then there was already another translation in long
complicated verses, but Bhagavan thought of writing one
in simple language to be easily understood by all. (In the
chapter entitled "Miracles' below will be seen several
instances where the Maharshi showed himself in the form
of Dakshinamurti, to several devotees)
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The next work was Arunachala ashtakam (Eight stanzas
to Arunachala). One day as the Maharshi was about to
start for giripradakshina, Palaniswami gave a piece of paper
and a pencil to Ayyaswami who was accompanying
Bhagavan and asked him to note down if the Maharshi
were to compose anything. On that occasion, six verses
were composed, which were noted down. That very day
or on the following day a devotee by name Narayana
Reddi, visited Bhagavan and offered to get the verses
printed. The Maharshi added two more verses to make it
an ashtakam and gave it to Narayana Reddi.
In the ashtakam the Maharshi spelt out his philosophy
and the way he came to it in detail. From this poem one
may discern the opinions held by the Maharshi during
that period. In the verses, the Maharshi indicated the
reasons for his leaving his home ,what he saw thereafter
and what he ultimately learnt. The poem is a succinct
statement of his upadesa and its nature. Here are the verses:
1. Hearken, It stands as an insentient hill. Its
action is mysterious, past human understanding. From
the age of innocence it had shone within my mind that
Arunachala was something of surpassing grandeur, but
even when I came to know through another that it was
the same as Tiruvannamalai I did not realise its meaning.
When it drew me up to it, stilling my mind, and I came
close, I saw it (stand) unmoving.
2. `Who is the seer?' When I sought within, I
watched the disappearance of the seer and what survived
him. No thought of `I saw' arose; how then could the
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thought `I did not see' arise? Who has the power to convey
this in word when even Thou (appearing as
Dakshinamurti) couldst do so in ancient days by silence
only? Only to convey by silence Thy (transcendent) state
Thou standest as a hill, shining from heaven to earth.
3. When I approach regarding Thee as having form,
Thou standest as a hill on earth. If (with the mind the
seeker) looks for Thy (essential) form as formless, he is like
one who travels the earth to see the (ever-present) ether. To
dwell without thought upon Thy (boundless) nature is to
lose one's (separate) identity like a doll of sugar when it
comes in contact with the ocean (of nectar; and) when I
come to realise who I am, what else is this identity of mine
(but Thee), Oh Thou who standest as the towering Aruna
Hill?
4. To look for God while ignoring Thee who art
Being and Consciousness is like going with a lamp to look
for darkness. Only to make Thyself known as Being and
Consciousness, Thou dwellest in different religions under
different (names and) forms. If (yet) men do not (come to)
know Thee, they are indeed blind who do not know the
sun, Oh Arunachala the great, Thou peerless gem, abide
and shine Thou as my Self, one without a second!
5. As the string in (a necklet of ) gems, it is Thou
in Thy unity who penetratest all the diversity of beings
and religions. If, like a gem when it is cut and polished,
the (impure) mind is worked against the wheel of the
(pure) mind to free it of its flaws, it will take on the light
of Thy grace (and shine) like a ruby, whose fire is unaffected
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by any outward object. When a sensitive plate has been
exposed to the sun, can it receive impressions afterwards?
Oh benign and dazzling Aruna Hill! is there anything
apart from Thee?
6. Thou art Thyself the one being, ever aware as
the Self-luminous Heart! In Thee there is a mysterious
power (sakti) which without Thee is nothing. From it
proceeds the phantom of the mind emitting its latent
subtle dark mists, which illumined by Thy light (of
consciousness) reflected on them, appear within as
thoughts whirling in the vortices of prarabdha, later
developing into the psychic worlds and projected
outwardly as the material world transformed into concrete
objects which are magnified by the out-going senses and
move about like pictures in a cinema show. Visible or
invisible, oh hill of grace, without Thee they are nothing!
7. Until there is the I-thought, there will be no
other thought. Until other thoughts arise, (asking) `To
whom?' (will call forth the reply) `To me'. He who pursues
this closely, questioning `What is the origin of the I?' and
diving inwards reaches the seat of the mind (within) the
Heart becomes (there) the sovereign Lord of the Universe.
Oh boundless ocean of grace and effulgence called
Arunachala, dancing motionless within the court of the
Heart! there is no (longer any) dream there of such dualities
as in and out, right and wrong, birth and death, pleasure
and pain, or light and darkness.
8. The waters rise up from the sea as clouds, then
fall as rain and run back to the sea in streams; nothing can
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keep them from returning to their source. Likewise the
soul rising up from Thee cannot be kept from joining
Thee again, although it turns in many eddies on its way.
A bird which rises from the earth and soars into the sky
can find no place of rest in mid-air, but must return again
to earth. So indeed must all retrace their path, and when
the soul finds the way back to its source, it will sink and
be merged in Thee, oh Arunachala, Thou ocean of bliss!
— Tr. K. Swaminathan
Scholars of Tamil extol Sri Ramana's poetic style as
one of surpassing excellence. The language employed is
the ordinary day to day one but the style has lilting beauty.
The words used have various meanings some of them
have exalted concepts hidden beneath the surface. The
words are simple but with profound and vast connotations.
The meaning of the poems can be grasped according to
the capacity of the reader. Elaborate commentaries have
been written on Bhagavan's works. Bhagavan's devotional
hymns have a beautiful cadence and convey emotions
which can overwhelm anyone. They have an attractive
brevity too.
By his poetic works also Bhagavan can be considered
as an avatar of Jnana Sambandar who suckled the breast
of the Divine Mother herself.