TIRUMANTIRAM - TANTRA SIX - Verses 1690 – 1703 of 1703

TIRUMANTIRAM

English translation of the Tamil Spiritual Classic by Saint Tirumular

 

 

TANTRA SIX - Verses 1690 – 1703 of 1703

 

 

14 THE FIT DISCIPLE

 

1690 They who find the Path

 

Scriptures to guide them,

The Disciples Fit

Find the blemishless Guru;

They know their job and so find the Path;

The rest are to destruction destined.

 

 

1691 Lord! Grant me Your Grace

 

You, Supreme Lord!

Seeking You, I lost all sense of fear;

Now I wander not,

And seek not another's company;

Shatter, Lord, my Karmas

Uproot them from my very thoughts

And kick them off;

Grant me Your Grace.

Own me,

And make me Your slave forever.

 

 

1692 Grace comes to those who contain their Thoughts in God

 

Even as your frame still pulsates with life,

You envision high

Para the Seed of seeds;

And rally your thoughts to oneness

And stand thus in love and accord;

To such that do, He grants His Grace.

 

 

1693 Seek a proper Guru

 

When you seek a Guru

Seek you one, holy and pure;

And then give him your all--

Your body, life and wealth;

And in constancy learn clear,

Not a moment distracting,

You shall sure reach Siva's State.

 

 

1694 Auspicious Days for receiving Instruction

 

In the asterisms of Swati and Visakha

In the conjunction of Lagnas Vrischika and Kataka,

Of the Guru, the holy precepts you receive;

Except it be them who stand in the path of virtue

The Primal One knows none.

 

 

1695 Pure thoughts lead to Grace

 

When your discipline perfect be,

Your thoughts crystal pure be;

And there the beauteous Lord reside be;

Then shall Karmas all

Rooted deep unto undying weeds,

Disappear;

And you shall glimpse the Grace

Of the valorous Feet of Lord Holy.

 

 

1696 Attributes of Good Disciple

 

A sattvic he is;

His thoughts centered on Finite Truth;

His vision clear through conflicting faiths;

Abhorrent of recurring cycle of births;

Straight in Dharma's path he easy walks;

He, sure, is disciple good and true.

 

 

1697 Yet other qualities of Good Disciple

 

He scans that which divides the Real and the Unreal

He melts in the soul of his being

And with Siva's Grace to guide,

He receives Jnana in devotion true;

And he humbles himself before Lord

And seeks the bliss of His Sakti;

He is the fit one, the disciple good and true.

 

 

1698 The Power of Guru's Feet

 

"Oh! my Holy Master!

Do grace me with your feet on my head,"

--Thus, I prayed, this day;

And as he placed his feet

All births to vanish;

This body that was blessed thus

Received Grace of Arul Sakti

And I became a Jnani ripe,

Forever, blemish devoid.

 

 

1699 What comes of touch of Guru's Feet

 

He is the master of the difficult paths four;

He is the seeker incessant of Jnana divine;

And as he placed his feet on my head,

Higher and higher, my ardour in Jnana soared,

Higher and higher, my love for Gurupara welled up.

 

 

1700 Rules of Instruction

 

Impart divine knowledge only to those fully ripe to receive it,

Taking the disciple gently to the limits of the Infinite Vast;

You facing east or south, your disciple facing west or north

Thus instruct, the Sakti of Lord centered in mind.

 

 

1701 How the Jnana Guru Instructs

 

He humbles before Divine Guru

In postures five ordained;

He bewails his faults,

Praises Master's virtues;

Guru then shows the way of deliverance from mortal prison

And imparts Siva Jnana

He is truly the Guru that is of Sanmarga (Jnana Guru).

 

 

1702 True Disciple humbles before the Renunciate Vedantin

 

Vedanta is the way of renouncing desires;

And so, divert your life's course

And take to Siddhanta-Vedanta Way

And humble your head at the feet of Guru

That has renounced all in the Vedanta way.

Then verily are you disciple true.

 

 

1703 Good Disciple follows Guru like a shadow

 

O! disciple true!

In virtue, truth, compassion, discrimination and love

You pursue the Holy Feet of Guru true

Constant as unto a shadow;

You then gain the nectar of Finite Jnana in its crystal clarity,

And witness the many miracles it brings in train.

 

TANTRA SIX ENDS