TIRUMANTIRAM - TANTRA SEVEN - Verses 1847 – 1867 of 2121

TIRUMANTIRAM

English translation of the Tamil Spiritual Classic by Saint Tirumular

 

 

TANTRA SEVEN - Verses 1847 – 1867 of 2121

 

 

12 GURU PUJA

 

1847 Nandi Imparts Upadesa

 

Grasping the lotus feet of Nandi that blesses me,

I shall relate the way of Upadesa, (imparting divine knowledge)

That to redemption leads;

Of Puja that is performed;

And of the Way to transcend Adharas six

And to ascend beyond.

 

 

1848 Rid Fleshly Desires and Know Him

 

With the sweet scented sandal

That in the forest recesses grows,

And with flowers rare

That heavenward blossom

You may adore Him;

But unless you know Him,

Your fleshly desires rid

You cannot reach His Feet

That are with honeyed flowers bedecked.

 

 

1849 Path of Jnana is Supreme Archana

 

When you excell in the Path of Jnana

That leads unto the Para Supreme,

The Path of Jnana is all Archana;

Great indeed is constant worship within;

To reach the Lord's Feet is to still actions all.

 

 

1850 Pray Thrice a Day

 

Morn, noon and eventide

Adore the Lord;

Adoring chant the word "Nama"--(I worship)

Chanting, invoke Him in luminaries three--the Sun, Moon, and Fire;

The famed Nandi is the Lord Supreme.

 

 

1851 To Feed Jnani is to be Supremely Blessed

 

A hundred times blessed

Is to perform puja in places holy;

A ten hundred times blessed

Is to worship His Presence;

A hundred, hundred times blessed

Is to feed those their thoughts have stilled;

Blessed, blessed far indeed is to see

That a Jnani is to contentment fed.

 

 

1852 Perform Pujas, Nadis Quelled

 

The Pujas that you perform

When Nadis, sun and moon, active beat

Are for Asuras meet;

The Pujas that you perform

When Nadis sun and moon are quelled

Are alone for Holy Nandi appropriate.

 

 

1853 Worship Nandi Beyond the Spheres of Sun and Moon

 

When beyond the Spheres of Sun and Moon you ascend

There Bindu and Nada are;

Ascending (through Adharas) thus,

Your Awareness crosses

The frontiers of Waking State;

There when you continuous worship Nandi,

That verily is worship Divine.

 

 

1854 Cross the Gates of Awareness and Tattvas

 

Course the Sakti Kundalini,

Transcend the successive gates of Awareness;

Reduce the perishable body to its elemental (tattva) constituents

And then discard them;

Then do you enter the Grace of the Holy One

And there you abide and adore

That indeed is the worship meet for Sadasiva.

 

 

1855 Practise Worship where neither Night nor Day is

 

The worship that you perform

By day and night

Is to the Lord an offering of flower twain;

The worship that you perform

Where neither day nor night is

Is to Him of the flowing matted locks

Acceptance full and replete indeed.

 

 

1856 Where Neither Day Nor Night is, there No Maya is

 

Seated in the sphere where neither day nor night is

The supreme honeyed bliss I imbibed;

Lost in thought to events outside

At the holy Feet of Lord

Where neither day nor night is,

I dispelled the Maya twain,

That with day and night compare.

 

 

13 MAHESWARA PUJA (WORSHIP OF DEVOTEES)

 

1857 Devotees are Walking Temples

 

The offering you give

To the Lord in the temple steepled high

Reaches not His devotees,

Who the walking temples noble are;

When you offer things

To the walking temples noble,

That sure reaches the Lord

In the temple steepled high.

 

 

1858 Feed Tapasvins, Feed All Worlds

 

The food, Tapasvins of blemishless thought took

Is food, all three worlds took;

The offerings they cheerfully received

Are offerings the three worlds received;

--Thus He proclaimed, Nandi the Great.

 

 

1859 Offering to Tapasvins is Oblation to Gods and Ancestors

 

The things you gave His dear devotee,

Who in Him is seated,

Are verily oblations meet for the Gods Three;

And for ancestors too,

Through generations three times seven;

This for certain shall you know.

 

 

1860 Feeding the Tapasvin is superior to feeding Brahmins and Gods

 

Though you a thousand abodes to holy Brahmins give

Though you a thousand temples for the gods build;

None, none is of merit compare

To a day's feed to a holy devotee given;

This be of certain.

 

 

1861 Even the Thought of Feeding Siva Jnanis is most Efficacious

 

Well may you feed a hundred hundred thousand Brahmins

That the holy thread wear and goodly sacrifices perform;

But holier far is the desire to feed in endearment great

A morsel albeit, to

The Lord's devotee true

Who the holy ashes wears.

 

 

1862 Siva Jnanis are Gods on Earth

 

"You, the Divine Bull ride,

My Lord, My God"

--Those who wear the holy ashes saying thus;

Verily are unto Devas on earth;

They that worship them as the Lord Himself,

--Who the Ganga on His russet matted locks wears,

Will have their Karmas end consummated.

 

 

1863 Call Nandi until He Appears

 

Of resplendent beauty is His Face

Of glowing sheen is His matted locks

He the Nandi famed;

In intense anguish I call His Name

And until He appears before me

I shall not cease to clamour, "My Nandi! My Nandi!"

 

 

1864 Worship Siva's Devotee and the World will Rejoice

 

In this world worship

Siva's devotees, who no death know;

The hanging darkness of ignorance forever disappears.

Unfailing seek the devotee pure

And your obeisance make;

Of a certain will the world rejoice.

 

 

1865 Worship without Love for Siva Jnanis Leads Nowhere

 

With endearment none for holy ones

With pride brimming to full

They Pujas perform;

Thus through ages and ages they tried and perished,

Their faces turned unto agitating churns hard,

Their hearts with egoity extreme filled.

 

 

1866 Food for Holy Men is Food for Gods

 

The food the holy men partake

Is verily food for the gods,

Siva, Vishnu and Brahma;

To partake of the leavings

Of holy men that have realized Truth

Is the way sure to Mukti;

--Thus affirms our Mula in meaning unmistakable.

 

 

1867 Give to the Holy Ones and Reach the Golden Land

 

Depressed are they not;

In holy Tapas they persevere still;

To them give

Your Karmas away to hasten;

You shall that Golden Land reach,

Where Karmas three, past, present and future, exist none.