Tirumantiram - TANTRA FIVE – Verses 1438 - 1456 of 1572

Tirumantiram

English translation of the Tamil Spiritual Classic by Saint Tirumular

 

TANTRA FIVE – Verses 1438 - 1456  of 1572

 

 

4 ULTIMATE GOAL OF KADUM SUDDHA SAIVAM

 

1438 Suddha Saivam Defined

 

They are not for outward form and attire,

They are not for pomp and ceremony,

Uprooting all bond and desire,

Abiding in the Immaculate Lord,

They bring to dire destruction

The Soul's egoity and its bondage beginningless

Thus they onward leap

With Siva's light suffused

They, of Suddha Saiva Way.

 

 

1439: Teachings of Siddhanta School

 

The five Tattvas that constitute the body,

The thirty more that together constitute them

And the one Tattva that is yet beyond Pure Maya,

All these they transcend;

The thick layers of primal bondage they dissolve

And of certain, realize the Self

That the way of Siddhantins true.

 

 

1440: Goal of Suddha Saivas is to be One With Siva

 

They tarry not in the Pure Maya Sphere of Siva Tattvas

There they but attain the status of Gods,

But that as a spring board

Their Soul reaches farther out to Siva Him-self

And merging in His union, Self-effacing,

Themselves become Immaculate Siva

They, forsooth, are Suddha Saivas.

 

 

1441: I and You Difference Effaced

 

I sought Him in terms of I and You

But He that knows not I from You

Taught me the truth, "I" indeed is "You"

And now I talk not of I and You.

 

 

1442: When This Truth Dawns Then is Union in Siva

 

When this Truth, beyond words, you perceive

The Siva Tattvas five bend below;

The light of Supreme Jnana dawns,

Illumines the Soul's path

To the Finite goal

Of Sayujya union in Lord.

 

 

5 CHARIYA

 

1443: Chariya is Breath of Suddha Saivam

 

"O! Kalangi! Kanja Malayaman! Kanduru!

My loved disciples, this you understand;

The practice of Chariya is basic to salvation,

And verily is the breath of Suddha Saiva

In this world below"-

Thus quotes-Mula,

Master of penances many.

 

 

1444: Jnana, Yoga, Kriya and Chariya Defined

 

To be one, Life within Life-that the luminous path of Jnana;

To seek the Light within Life-that the mighty path of Yoga;

To invest idol with Life-that the external way of Kriya

To adore Siva in love-that the basic worship of Chariya.

 

 

1445: Temple Worship Essential to Chariya

 

Wander you through town and villa

Seek Him through shrine and temple

Sing of Him as "Siva, Siva, my Lord"

And thus do you offer worship meek,

And the Lord will make your heart His temple.

 

 

1446: Ways of Those Who Follow Four Paths

 

They who follow path of Chariya are Bhaktas;

In Kriya the devoted souls wear holy emblems,

They who practise Iyama and the rest are Yogis;

And they who reach Siva Jnana are Jnana Siddhas true.

 

 

1447: Goals of the Four Paths

 

Jnanis merge the I in You;

Yogis attain Siddhi and Samadhi;

Those in Kriya miss not daily worship;

And in Chariya they perform pilgrimages many.

 

 

1448: Worship in the Four Paths

 

Kriya is worship of Siva in Form,

Yoga of the Formless One,

Jnana is the advanced path in ripeness of time,

The adoration of the loving heart is Chariya,

Exalted indeed it is.

 

 

1449: The Four Paths Were Revealed by Nandi

 

The Four paths of worship

And the four states of realization they give

And the six schools of Vedanta-Siddhanta

All these are truths

That Nandi from the Golden City descending revealed

For the doubting humanity to redeem.

 

 

1450: Ordination Rites for the Four Paths

 

Samaya is the ordination rite for self-surrender in Chariya

Visesha, the rite for incantation of Siva Mantra in Kriya

Nirvana helps Kalas purification in Yoga

And Abhisheka for Grace to reach in Jnana.

 

 

6 KRIYA

 

1451: God is Everywhere-Seek Him

 

The One God there is

He pervades the ten directions around,

In which direction can we say is He not?

So, do take refuge under His Holy Feet

Then shall you cross the roaring Sea of Karma,

And safe reach the Shores of Beyond.

 

 

1452: True Worship is Worship Within

 

You may adore Him with sandal, fragrance exceeding,

That grows on peaks atop in forests interior,

You may worship Him with flowers rare,

That bloom in Heaven's gardens

Unless you shed your fleshly attachments

And realize Him in the depths of your heart

You shall never never reach His Holy Feet

That is unto flowers that shed honey dew.

 

 

1453: Bhakti Begets Grace

 

The Lord is your Guide,

Seek His feet as does the yearning calf,

He shall seat you amidst His children of Wisdom;

The Devas, the Beings of Heaven, bow low before Him;

Great is His love, as of the cow to her calf;

And bounteous His Grace, beyond beyond count.

 

 

1454: Bhakti's End is Lord's Abode

 

She fashioned this world

And all universe that fills space in directions eight

Her-He consorts, sharing Himself with Her

To adore Him is the duty of humans here below;

And that which fashions a place in Lord's Abode

Is Bhakti true.

 

 

1455: The Four Paths are the Steps in the Ladder to Siva Union

 

The Bhakta to begin with practises Chariya and Kriya,

Then blessed with grace takes to Yoga pure;

And that way reaches the path of Jnana

And in the end by Guru's grace becomes one with Siva.

 

 

1456: Daily I Beseech His Grace

 

The Lord is resplendent as pure gold

His Feet are unto the lotus bloom

At them I pray: "Lord, Grant me Your Grace!"

And in love I melt and daily adore;

And the Lord that is Light within my bones

Himself does reveal unto me.