Tirumantiram

TANTRA FIVE

(Verses1419-1572)

4 SUDDHA SAIVAM

1419: Four Paths of Saivam

The Lord created earth in wisdom infinite

And He made it abode of man

How shall I sing His Majesty!

He is mighty as Mount Meru,*

From whence He sways the three worlds;

And He is the Four Paths of Saivam* too here below.

1420 School of Suddha Saivam

Those who tread the path of Suddha Saivam

Stand aloft,

Their hearts intent on Eternal Para;

Transcending Worlds of Pure and Impure Maya,

Where Pure Intelligence consorts not with Base Ignorance,

And the lines that divide Real, Unreal and Real-Unreal

Are discerned sharp.

1421 Suddha Saivam is Saiva Siddhanta

Having learned all that learned must be,

Having practised all Yoga that have to be,

They, then, pursue the path of Jnana in gradation sure;

And so pass into the world of Formless Sound beyond;

And there, rid of all impurities,

Envision the Supreme, the Self-created;

They, forsooth, are the Saiva Siddhantins true.

1422 Suddha Siddhanta is Vedanta

Suddha Siddhanta is Vedanta;

They who have scaled the heights of Nada sphere

Have verily had the Vision Unwavering;

Comprehending Tattvas from world of elemental matter

To the Finite End of Jnana (Bhodanta)

They become Perfection in Nadanta;

They verily are the ardent seekers of Jnana.

2 FOUR PATHS OF SAIVA

1423 Path of Chariya-Kriya

They who walk the twin paths of Chariya and Kriya

They ever praise the twin Feet of Lord;

On their limbs they wear holy emblems

The twin rings in ear lobes

The twin rudraksha garland around the neck,

And adopt the twin Mudra

All, in amiable constancy.

1424 Path of Dvadasa Marga Saivam (Yoga)

In the lobes of their ear,

They wear the double ring of gold,

Around their necks

They wear the double string of rudraksha;

Their holy body thus adorned

They sit quiescent, chanting mantras

And feel their way inward

Through the twelve steps in the ladder

Of the Soul's ascension to Siva

Of such are the peerless school of Saivas.

1425 Pure Suddha Saivam (Jnana)

They who transcended the nine spiritual Centers

Verily saw God,

Whom the nine continents seek;

They saw the Continent beyond all continents

They, indeed, are the Pure Suddha Saivas.

1426 Characteristics of Jnani

The Jnani masters all sacred lore on earth,

And the attainments sixty and four

And espies the Land of Mauna

And all other land besides;

He sees the goal of all Vedas

And sees Lord and himself in union one.

3 SAN MARGA SAIVAM

1427 Jnana Path is for Suddha Saivam

The golden emblems of Siva,

And the holy smear of ashes

Apt are they the insignia

Of those in Saiva Path stand;

But the path of Jnani

Is the path that no evil ever crosses

That his emblem, the holy path of Sanmarga (Jnana)

So beloved of Suddha Saiva.

1428 Greatness of Jnani in Suddha Saivam

The blemishless Jnani is king of Wisdom's realm,

He is the Sun, whose beams pierce the massive lore of Vedanta-Siddhanta

His is salvation True

He, the immortal one

And devoted true to Suddha Saiva way.

1429 Conclusions of Suddha Saivam

Nine are the Agamas of yore

In time expanded into twenty and eight,

They then took divisions three*

Into one truth of Vedanta-Siddhanta to accord

That is Suddha Saiva, rare and precious.

1430 Doctrine of Grace in Suddha Saivam

She transcends the worlds of Matter, Pure and Impure,

And the seven states of Turiya awareness

And the categories of Real and Unreal,

She is Paraparai;

She grants the soul deliverance;

She is ever within;

She is the Lord's Divine Grace,

The Arul Sakti that is all pervasive.

1431 Sakti's Grace for Jnani in Suddha Saivam

They transcended Categories Real and Unreal

That cognize neither Chit nor Achit

They attuned themselves to Sivoham meditation,

And in Mukti, in the bliss of Sakti

They were immersed deep,

And there

All Siddhis abounded in surpassing prowess.

1432 Suddha Saiva Strategy

The Self, Para and the Sadasiva that is Lord,

The categories threePati, Pasu and pasa,

The Immaculate Ancient One,

And the Tattvas that bind Jiva

And the goal of Liberation

On All these in accord contemplate

They, of the path of Suddha Saiva.

1433 Vision of Suddha Saivam Path

They fixed their thoughts on Perfection

And lost consciousness of Self's existence

They have reached the End of Vedas;

They followed the Twelve-Way route

To divine rapture

That their vision is,

Those of Suddha Saiva Way.

1434 Way of Jnani

He stills the incessant flow of thought

That even Yoga's severity stills not,

With Jnana he effaces the Self

And in Bhava identifies with Siva;

That in brief is worthy Jnani's story.

1435 Vedanta is Siddhantin's Finite Goal

The Vedantins envision Brahman

Adepts are they in Brahmaic art;

They hold all phenomenon as illusion entire,

Those who envision Nadanta

Are yogis unwavering;

But Siddhanta that accords not with Vedanta,

Is the common Saiva's lot.

1436 God is Beyond Reach of Pasu and Pasa Knowledge

High be the clouds that soar

They never shall touch the heaven's roof;

Varied be the sights that loom

They never shall touch the eye's orbs;

Even so,

Neither Pasu nor Pasa shall reach Him,

Whom contemplation scarce comprehends.

1437 Siddhanta is to Unite With Siva

You and He are not two separate

You and He are but one united;

Thus do you stand,

Freed of all sectarian shackles;

Adore the Feet of Paraparai

And with Siva become One;

That the way Siddhanta fulfills.

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.

7 YOGA

1457: Yoga Way Leads to Realization

They course Kundalini through centers six,

To singleness of aim direct the mind,

Unto a wooden stake they sit immobile,

Impervious to tickle or to thrust,

To the wise yogins who thus set their purpose high,

Lord His Grace grants.

1458: God is Timeless Eternity

Unless you have realized Him as Timeless Eternity

You know Him not, albeit through aeons and aeons of time;

The Gods-Hari of the Ocean bed and Aya, the Creator-

In vain have sought Him through countless vista of Time

He is at the Pinnacle, beyond, beyond their reach.

1459: Yogi Realizes God Within

As from within the flower,

The hidden fragrance wakes to life,

So, out of Jiva blossoms

Siva's divine grace;

Sitting unmoved like painted picture

The yogi realizes Him within

Unto the planted pole is He,

Which the musk-cat embraces, its fragrance to shed.

1460: Seek God Within You

You say, "I have realized God"

Yet you have not seen Him that is but within you;

Nandi abides subtle as fragrance within flower;

Seek Him in singleness of your thought

Then shall your darkness of Impurities vanish

The darkness that is the seed of birth and rebirth interminable.

1461: Yoga Shows the Way

Neither mantra, nor song, nor arts four and sixty

Ever sunders birth and its accursed bonds;

Then did I take to Yoga's way,

And lo! I met the Sun, Moon and Fire on the way to Cranium

And they showed the Supreme Way!

1462: Fruits of Yoga

Do in devotion practise yoga

You shall a true tapasvin become;

You shall the True Word realize;

And of certain, one with Heavenly Beings be;

Yoga devoted is penance true.

1463: Do's and Don'ts in Yoga

Do with care practise yoga

You shall with Immortals be;

Within you shall you glimpse Him;

If you but waver,

Then shall you reach the World of Darkness

Verily, Kundalini Fire that Yoga kindles in thee

Is the Gracious Lord HimSelf.

1464: Fall and Redemption Through Yoga

The monarchs that swayed the sceptre righteous,

The devout anchorites in unnumbered thousands,

How many, how many, thy fell below;

(For having wavered in Yoga practice)

And yet, the myriad Siddhas, Devas and Supreme Beings Three,

All redeemed adore Him

Saying "You, Our Father!"

1465: Sub-divisions in Yoga

The yogi has sub-divisions three in his path;

The yoga-kriya that helps him be the yogi;

The yoga-chariya that of desires deprives him,

And yoga-in-yoga that centers thought on Sun within;

This latter I fixed my heart on.

1466: Stages of Initiation in the Yoga Path

Samaya Diksha in yoga is initiation for diverse yoga efforts;

Visesha Diksha in yoga is for achievement of eight-limbed yoga;

Nirvana Diksha in yoga aids yogi glimpse the Divine;

And when he is granted Abhisheka Ordination

Then is he ripe for Siddha State.

8 JNANA

1467: Jnana Path Most Exalted

Than Jnana,

There is none better an ethical path, here below;

None better a religious faith;

Nothing else than Jnana can confer liberation true;

They that are exalted in Jnana

Are truly exalted among men.

1468: Jnani Transcends Nada

Out of the primal Principle of Sound (Nada)

The Mind springs;

And out of the Mind-Intelligence, Egoity and Will;

They who have mastered these three,

And the Mind's cogitational activity as well,

Verily have mastered Nada

And have truly attained Jnana.

1469: Stages of Attainment Through Jnana

Thus they say:

By devotion the Jiva first sojourns Lord's world;

Then comes to dwell in Lord's proximity;

Further on receives Lord's grace,

And in the end attains Jnana

In Sivohamic I and You union

Jiva shall himself Siva become.

1470: Unitive Attainment of Jnani

Brahmam shall be his impregnable abode,

Universe, his kith and kin;

Diverse paths the world presents

All, all shall be his;

For, verily he has realized

The pure Jnana, free of doubt.

1471: Jnana is Lifeboat

The Lord is of Infinite Grace,

In His Celestial City are Love, Light and Peace eternal,

To them that seek to know His Form

And understand His Attributes

And attain His Holy Feet

To them, this is the Path

This, this the boat to cross Life's turbulent waters.

1472: Jnani Becomes Light Divine

In whose thoughts Jnana ripens and swells,

In his path the Life-Boat appears and greets him;

And thus does he reach the surging waters

Of the Crescent Moon's sphere,

And there, rid of Impurities,

He himself the Effulgent Light becomes.

1473: Jnani's Attainments are Unique

For Jnani

All four paths are;

Not so for the Yogi until he becomes Mauni;

For him is Kundalini Yoga in ardour performed,

Chariya and Kriya too are his.

1474: Attainments at Four Jnana Stages

The Jnani attains all the four stages in Jnana;

Jnana-in-Jnana is to transcend the "I" and "Mine"

Yoga-in-Jnana is to envision the Light of Nadanta;

Kriya-in-Jnana is to seek the liberation by good.

1475: Jnani Attains Unitive Wisdom in the Absolute

He who realizes Jnana in its four divisions

He verily transcends the conflict of virtue and vice;

He has reached the farthest shores of Truth;

He has glimpsed the Mighty Object;

He is the Immaculate, Siddha, Siva Mukta.

1476: Initiation Rites in Jnana

In Jnana are initiation rites four;

Samaya initiates the search for the Self;

Visesha, the search for the Divine;

Nirvana for the descent of Lord's Grace;

Abhisheka for the attainment of Divine Guru's Holy Feet.

9 SANMARGA (PATH OF KNOWLEDGE)

1477: San Marga

They glimpsed the Light of Holy Scriptures,

The revealed word of the Self-Existent Sivam.

They lost the sense of ego,

Became Siddhas of SivaYoga,

And over Death triumphed;

Only they that had thus evolved

Knew meaning inner of Sanmarga.

1478: Nandi Showed Sanmarga Path

The peerless Master Nandi

Of Saivam honoured high,

He showed us a holy path

For Souls' redemption true

It is Siva's divine path, Sanmarga's path

For all world to tread

And for ever be free.

1479: Guru Adoration is Sanmarga

To see him, to adore him, to meditate on him

To touch him, to sing of him,

To bear his holy feet on humbled head,

They that render devotion to Guru

In diverse ways thus,

They indeed walk the Sanmarga path

That to liberation leads.

1480: Sanmarga Gives the Vision True

They that have true Vision none,

Shall never Siva know;

Nor shall even Jivas be;

Nor indeed Siva become;

Never, never their birth's bondage broken be.

1481: Sanmarga Leads to Supreme Grace-Bliss

When you scorch Impurities five

And listen to the Voice of Silence

You become a pure Mukta;

And I and You in one merge;

And by the unsullied Grace Jnana grants

You shall joy of the Bliss Divine;

Verily, then by Sanmarga Path

You become He indeed .

1482: Greatness of Sanmargis

The visage of Sanmargi is Pedestal of Sakti

Where Sanmargi is there God is,

To see assemblage of Sanmargis is to vision Lord,

This I proclaim,

To whatsoever path you do incline.

1483: Sanmarga Path Purest

Alone of all paths

Sanmarga grants God-head through knowledge;

The rest of paths are for un-illumined;

Renouncing the ways of impurities

And transcending limits of Turiya

It merges I in You;

Verily, Sanmarga is Path Purest.

1484: Other Three Paths Open of Themselves

Unto that rare seeker in Sanmarga path

The rest of three paths, of themselves open;

That alone is True Path union with Siva seeks;

Seek that Path

As Guiding Word scriptures proclaim.

1485: Sanmargi's Vision

The bondage that keeps Jiva an alien to God,

The Karmas that flow from it,

The avastas that the Self experiences,

The Primordial Stuff that is Matter's nucleus,

The Consciousness that entwines it,

The million, million mutations that pervade the universe,

They who see them all and their own Selves

Verily are they the Sanmargis true.

1486: Sanmarga Leads to Svarupa State

Rending the Soul's bonds asunder

Conjoining him to the Lord

Melting the heart that knew no melting

Merging into the Primal Manifestness (Svarupa)

That is Truth Eternal

Sanmarga verily gives Jiva

The rest that knows no commotion ever.

1487: Sanmarga is Only Path to Finite Goal

That alone is Path Divine

The Sanmargis for Goal ordain;

Other Path there is none,

Than this path to the One;

They that straight reach it not,

Through Yoga's Path may yet climb.

10 SAHAMARGA (PATH OF YOGA)

1488: Sahamarga Leads to Sanmarga*3Sahamarga (Yoga) blossoms into Sanmarga,

ThThrough Siddhi it leads to Supreme Mukti;

It is the Path lower to Sanmarga,

Involving myriad birth and death

But eventually landing in Jnana Finite.

1489: Without Sahamarga They Lost All

They that follow not twelve-tiered Path of Sahamarga,

Neither will they know Guru nor God, nor Faith True;

The Goddess of Grace will frown at them;

Salvation shall never their portion be;

And they do lose both-

Their stature and kith.

1490: Fruits of Yoga Samadhi

In Yoga Samadhi is Space Infinite;

In Yoga Samadhi is Light Abiding;

In Yoga Samadhi is Sakti Omnipotent;

They that joy in Yoga Samadhi

Are verily Siddhas great.

1491: Yoga Confers Blessings of Here and Hereafter

Both yoga and bhoga, yogis may have;

Through yoga is attained Siva's Form divine;

Through bhoga all earthly blessings;

Thus may he enjoy both-he, Yogi immortal.

1492: Yoga Leads to Supreme Awareness

Through this path of Sahamarga

The Yogis pierce the Adharas

And the Nadis they purify;

Envision the Kalas sixteen,

And glimpse their heavenly radiance;

And then are they merged in Awareness Supreme

Their organs of sense, internal and external,

All atrophied.

1493: Siva is in Yogi's Thought

He harries and subdues the conflicting senses five

With the sharp sword of his determinate will;

In his thought emerges Lord

Whom the eighteen Ganas seek;

Verily, the yogi deserves our obeisance.

1494: Love Basis of Yoga

Even for the Yogi austere

Who attains the glossy hue of the rich ripe fruit

The Lord is hard of shell unto the wood-apple fruit,

But to them whose hearts ripe in love,

And taste the sweets of divine rapture,

He opens all of Himself

Unto a rich fruit mature.

11 SATPUTRA MARGA (PATH OF KRIYA)

1495: Path of Filial Piety Leads to Jnana

The Path of Filial Piety is the Way of Kriya true;

The Kriya Path leads to Yoga Path;

Transcending both,

And uniting in Sakti of Yoga State

Indeed is consummation of Sanmarga Path.

1496: What Constitutes Kriya Path

To perform Pujas, to read the scriptures holy

To praise the Lord, to chant His holy name,

To practise Tapas, to be truthful,

To bear no envy,

Thyself to cook the offering for Lord with loving care

These and other acts of reverence

Constitute Pure Path of Filial Piety.

1497: All Nature Seeks Flowers; Why Not You?

The humming bees roam unceasing from flower to flower;

The snow-white swans float amidst lotus and blue-bells,

They all, all, seek flowers fragrant;

Yet, you who have beheld all this,

Adore not the Lord with flowers for a while even.

1498: Lord is Our Defence and Refuge

His Holy Feet are our Rock of Refuge;

His commandments, our defence's battlements;

He is verily the finite Shore

For the surging tide of Jivas on earth;

He pervades thus, the seven worlds alike.

1499: Adore Lord in Diverse Ways; He Shall Be Yours

Rise high, bend low, kiss and embrace Lord;

Praise Him, sing Him and pray at His Holy Feet;

That shall your birth's fulfilment be;

In trembling love do adore Him;

He, indeed, shall be beloved unto you.

1500: Approach Lord Through Kriya Path

In reverence I stand and adore mine lord;

In humility I prostrate and praise Him;

And for ever and ever shall I worship the Divine Light of Beauty;

You too shall seek Him with flowers fragrant,

The more you adore Him

The fuller He reveals Himself unto you,

He the Lord of Beings Heavenly.

1501: Kriya Comes of Chariya

Hearken! You, worldly men

That stand in Chariya Path,

It leads to the Kriya Path,

That exalts you;

Then shall your primordial Pasas lie prostrate,

And you live in unending bliss for ever.

12 DASA MARGA (PATH OF DEVOTION)

1502: Ways of Dasamarga

Gently light the lamp,

Gather flowers fragrant,

Humbly ground the holy paste,

Softly sweep,

Sing Lord's Praise,

Count the crystal beads,

Anoint in many ways,

And perform the diverse acts of temple service.

1503: Hold Fast to Chariya Path

This the Primal Being, that the Primal Being

Thus in doubt tossed,

Away they moved farther and farther from It;

They know not this is the true Path,

And worship not;

Do pursue this appointed way,

And seek the King of Kings;

That, in truth, shall quell

All doubts within you swell.

1504: All Worship Began From Chariya

"I meditate on the Moon Nadi on the left,

I shift on to the Sun Nadi on the right"

-The worship the yogins thus

At the Feet of the One perform

And the worship the Celestial Beings

Daily to Lord offer,

All these but begin

In the Path of Chariya ultimate.

1505: Lord Appears in Love Entwined

The Celestial Beings seek Lord

Chanting His glory in names thousand;

They that adore His Holy Feet

In abiding rapture of their hearts,

And hold him as their eyes' apple

Unto them is He sweet melody,

To them He appears in divine love entwined.

1506: Be of Love and See the Lord

What avails it

That you read holy scriptures,

Perform Pujas,

Gather flowers in cluster?

As long as your heart is unto a pebble

Dropped into a dark pool

Over-spread with moss of ignorance,

You can never realize the Lord;

Lord that is in your heart's love;

Lord that is blue-throated;

He, the Pure Light.

13 SALOKAM (IN GOD'S WORLD)

1507: Successive Stages to Finite Beatitude

The four stages of attainment

Saloka, Samipa, Sarupa and Sayujya

Are in gradation reached from Chariya;

The path of Chariya leads to Saloka;

And that in turn to Samipa;

And Samipa shows the way to Sarupa;

And ultimately to Para of Infinite Space (Sayujya)

Beyond which there is state none.

1508: The Four Ordinations in Kriya Worship

In Kriya worship are sacraments four;

Samaya sacrament prepares heart to be a Tabernacle of God;

Visesha sacrament installs the Faith firm;

Nirvana helps realize the Truth of Faith;

Abhisheka confereth the state of Samadhi Supreme.

14 SAMIPAM (IN GOD'S PROXIMITY)

1509: Transformation of World-Knowledge

In Saloka Pasa Jnana (World knowledge) becomes Pasu Jnana (Spiritual knowledge)

In Samipa it becomes Arul Jnana (Grace-knowledge)

In Sarupa it is transformed into Pati Jnana (God-knowledge)

In Sayujya it is for ever dissolved.

15 SARUPAM (IN GOD'S FORM)

1510: Only Jnana-in-Yoga Leads to Sarupa State

The State of Sarupa is, no doubt, reached

Through the eight-pronged yoga way;

But unless it be Sanmarga-in-Yoga,

The Sarupa state cannot be;

The yoga way but leads to bodily Siddhis diverse;

But for the Sarupa state to realize,

None these but the pure way of Jnana-in-Yoga.

1511: Sarupa State by Nearness to God

All things, living and non-living,

As they reach the Golden Mount of Meru

Are themselves into gold transformed;

Even so,

They that reach the world of Master Divine

Attain Form the Light Divine

His, of the King of Kailas.

16 SAYUJYAM (ONE IN GOD)

1512: Stages in the Soul's Pilgrimage

In the Soul's Pilgrimage towards God

The Path of Saivam describes stages four;

It is Saivam, when the Self forges a kindred tie with Siva (in Saloka)

It is Saivam, when the Soul realizes itself and nears God (in Samipa)

It is Saivam, when it leaves Samipa (and reaches Sarupa)

It is Saivam when it enjoys the final bliss of Sivananda,

The inextricable union in Sayujya.

1513: Sayujyam

Sayujya is the state of Jagra-Atita-the Beyond-Consciousness

Sayujya is to abide for ever in Upasantha,

The peace that knows no understanding

Sayujya is to become Siva Himself,

Sayujya is to experience the infinite power of inward bliss,

Forever and ever.

17 SATHINIPADAM (DESCENT OF GRACE)

1514: Wooing of the Soul by the Lady of Grace

In the corner dark of the Chamber of Primal Stuff

There She was-the Virgin Lady of Grace;

Intent on consorting with the Blind Old Man-the Soul immortal,

She rent his veil of night,

Showered full many a favour,

Wooed with temptations diverse,

And lo! to Her bosom took him,

In wedlock holy.

1515: The Infinite Ground of Sakti's Descent

If you meditate on the primal source

Whence the evil senses sprang

You shall know it as Land of Becoming,

The ambrosia of the Realized;

They that have been given the clear vision, nectar sweet,

Are verily the Infinite Ground

Of Sakti's highest seeking.

1516: Arul Sakti Helps Attain Liberation

The Primal Sakti releases Jiva from enveloping gloom,

Rows it across the sea of myriad births,

Grants the Grace Abiding;

And lands it on the shores of Truth's Bliss

United in the Lord of Heavenly Beings,

-Themselves as yet unfree

From Impurity's obscuration.

1517: Grace Illumines

As when groping in a chamber enveloped in thick gloom,

A sudden shaft of light pierces and illumines,

Unto it into the gloom of bewildering Ignorance

Is the Presence of Lord and Lady of Grace,

Lord that is Nandi, worshipped in the blossom of heart.

MANDATARAM (SLOW PACE)

1518: Grace Leads Soul Through Successive Stages

She tempted the Soul with guiles,

Took him to Her bosom,

Shook him from stupor,

Dispelled his Karmaic hordes,

Destroyed them to the roots,

Filled him with rapture

Lifted the veil of his Ignorance

Granted many a favour

And then, then, bestowed on him Her Grace that illumines.

1519: Descent of Grace Snaps Cycle of Births

They that have sported in the waters of Virgin Grace,

No more shall wallow in the filthy waters of virgin's lust;

If they but seek to sport in the Holy Virgin's Waters of Grace,

No more births shall they in future take.

1520: Lord is Soul's Redeemer

He is the Red One (Destroyer)

The Dark One (Preserver)

The White One (Creator)

The Green One (Redeemer)

They who know Him thus, free of doubt

Of a certain shall seek Him;

Remember this;

His are the sinewy arms

That skinned the dark massive elephant

And donned it for a vesture;

Do therefore, seek Him and adore Him.

1521: Siva and Sakti are One and Same

Infinite the passage of Time's Flood

Yet they say, He and His Consort stand one;

For them that adore Him daily in devotion,

He is verily the unfailing proof

Of labour readily rewarded.

1522: Vision of Sakti and Siva in Union

Given unto me was to vision the Light

That shone from the Twain in unison;

It was verily the Light Divine of the Ancient One,

In whose matted locks festooned with flowers,

The bees dance drunk with nectar;

They that waited in patience and prayer

They indeed saw Him-their darkness dispelled.

TIVIRAM (RAPID PACE)

1523: Fruit of Grace

In the garden of the Heavenly Father

Is that Damsel of Grace;

She approaches you,

Reveals the mystery of the births beyond count,

And destroys their very seed;

And then you vision the Primal One;

That, indeed, is the fruit of Her Grace.

1524: They That Adore Sakti Shall Be Granted Things Spiritual

She is the Damsel of the montane regions;

Of shapely breasts and delicate beauty;

If you in devotion adore Her,

She cuts the bonds of birth asunder;

Grants the prowess of mighty tapas;

Scorches the soul's forgetfulness;

And leads you to liberation path.

1525: Light of Grace Illumines Path of Devotee

He is the Lord of all Space in directions eight;

Bear His holy Feet on your head,

And He shall appear to you

With His Consort of Grace

Wreathed in clusters of fragrant blooms

In Her twisted tresses;

And for them who are thus made wise

The Blue Flame of Her floating Grace

Shall, for ever, illumine the Path.

1526: Lord Draws Near When Grace Visits

Seek close,

That soft Flame of Wisdom shall grant you

The peerless gift of Grace;

When you adore Him

Do so, showering blooms at His Feet

As I do,

Then shall He draw near you

Whom nothing can ever near;

He is truly the life pervasive of worlds all.

TIVIRATARAM (MORE RAPID PACE)

1527: When Grace Descends as Guru

When Jiva attains the state of Neutrality

To deeds, good and evil,

Then does divine Grace in Guru form descend,

Removes attributes all,

Implants Jnana that is unto a heavenly cool shade;

The Jiva thus rid of egoity,

And other Impurities Three,

Shall with Siva in union merge.

1528: How to Win Lady of Grace

In the Emptiness Vast where neither night nor day is

The Lady of Long Tresses dances in rapture;

Think of Her, make no sound

And in silence woo Her;

In endearment all

She draws you unto Her bosom,

And grants you Her favours;

Verily, Verily, She is the Paraparai,

The Power Supreme.

1529: Inner Light of Grace

He is the Sun and the Moon

That dispells darkness;

He is the Light on the path,

The Peerless Flame, the Supreme Lord;

The Master that illumined the Light within me;

He entered in me and lighted up the corporeal body;

And then, aye, with me bided for ever and ever.

18 ARUSAMAYA PINAKKAM (A CRITIQUE OF FORMAL RELIGIONS)

1530: The Six Faiths Avail Not

The Six faiths severally congregate,

Yet, not one knows the God within;

Deep into the pit of illusion, their adherents drop,

And fastened hard by familial ties of bondage,

They shake and tremble, in vain impotence.

1531: Formal Faiths Know not God Within

He hides in your heart

Yet does He pervade all;

He is the Munificient One;

The Lord Supreme;

Of austere penance

He is seated on the lotus of our hearts;

The cunning Master-Thief

In stealth enters this hollow abode of human flesh

And then leaves it;

None knows His deep design.

1532: Existence of God is an Act of Faith

Say, Lord is within you and without you

Then sure my Lord is within you and without you;

To them they say,

He is neither within you or without you

Sure is He nowhere for them.

1533: God is Beyond All Formal Faiths

They founded the Six Faiths,

Yet they found Him not;

What the Six Faiths talk of is not He;

Do you yourself in faith seek Him,

And be resolved of doubts all;

And then sure shall you enter your Father's Mansion.

1534: God Can Be Reached Only by Devotion

Proclaim you this:

There is nothing except Siva

No tapas except it be for Him

The Six Faiths are nothing but a dreary waste;

Do seek Nandi of mighty penance;

You shall indeed be redeemed truly.

1535: The Six Faiths Sought not Freedom from Pasas

They of the Six Faiths sought Lord

Only for heavenly state to gain;

They sought not to be rid of bondage thorns,

And so know not to be rid of this world materiality.

1536: Path of Siva Leads to Final Liberation

The Path of Siva alone is Finite Path;

The Other paths but lead to earthly sorrows;

And sure birth in bondage returns to you;

Do you walk in the Holy Path;

And when the One appears,

The triad Impurities that your destruction encompasses

Will, of themselves, meet their own destruction.

1537: The False Paths Lead not to Param

Forsooth,

The Faiths here below are a hundred in number,

In that swollen stream are the Six Faiths too;

These Faiths take not to the goal they boast of;

They are true Faiths never,

They take you not to Path of Param.

1538: Contending Faiths Do Not Help

The contending Paths are unto the braying asses:

The Pure Siva is all-pervasive;

They seek Him not by the right Path,

And so free are not from Impurities;

They shall grow insane

Forever entangled in whirl of birth and death.

1539: To Attain Finite Goal

Those who are assailed by doubts

And those who are freed from doubts

When together commingle,

Drive the wild beasts of Karma twine to caves,

And persevere in the pursuit

Then shall Finite Goal be reached;

They that are rid of the terrors of the wild

Shall see the Path that to Para leads.

1540: God is Distant and Near

He is far away,

He is near at hand

He is rid of ailments,

He is of immortal name Nandi;

Transparent to those that have unwavering vision;

Elusive to those who are tossed in doubt;

Such know not the mysterious purpose

For which the fleshly body is fashioned.

1541: The End of Seeking

To be born and to live again and again here below,

Verily is the curse of all;

It is the seed of Karma twain;

If you but listen to Him that knows

The origin of swirl that is birth and death,

No more shall you seek

The ways of the perishing men.

1542: Lord and Nandi are One

All the holy ones hail Him as Great God, the Supreme Lord,

He that is Nada and bears the name Nandi;

You too shall make no distinction,

But in prayer lift your hands to Him as Being Supreme;

And the Primal One shall as such reveal Himself.

1543: God is Within You; and Yet Far Away

He is Hara, Holy Father, Primal Lord

As implacable Truth He entered heart;

But if hearts of devotees sought alien paths

They know Him not;

Then is He far, far away.

1544: Precious is Hara's Path

The Heavenly Lord, He knows our goal

He is tender hearted;

He is the Effulgent Sun that guides the destiny

Of Heavenly Beings of wisdom great;

Do think of Him in thought unsullied;

He is of crystal pure hue;

Precious the path of Virtue

He for us has laid.

1545: God is Beyond All Religions

This the right path, that the right path

Be not tossed in such frail human doubts;

Seek the Being that is beyond wilderness of doubts

His is the Form that transcends fleshly imperfections.

1546: True and False Faiths

That Path they took

The immortal Devas and the saintly tapasvins;

And so reached Goal True

And merged in one with Siva;

But they that followed froward faiths

Received not His grace;

They lost their way,

And forever wander.

1547: Definition of True Path

He is Light within you;

To know how to reach Him

Is True Path of Becoming;

If you know thus,

You know contradiction none;

That is Path Finite, your Goal's End;

They are but folks poor in spirit

That know not merging in Light Divine.

1548: Worldly Path is not True Path

There is a True Path for the Journey;

They that follow the swampy paths worldly

See but the mirage;

They that avoid the sorrowful path of swirling Karma

Cross evil safe;

And shall sure worship at Lord's Feet.

1549: True Path Leads Straight to Lord's Presence

Walking in the True Path

Your holiness consummates;

The host of thine Karmaic deeds scatters

And they flee away;

Leave you the tortuous path

Of the Karmaic ridden men of world

Onward you journey, straight inside;

Thou shall, for certain, stand

In the Presence of the Lord of Heavenly Beings.

19 NIRAKARAM (DISSENSION REFUTED)

1550: Who Attained Divine Tranquility

The Heavenly Beings, immortal as the mountain Himalayas,

Received the Darshanas that are Six;

"We learned them all and attained the Other World"

-Thus quote they;

But, in sooth,

The Primal Lord is in intimacy within

Of those that have Divine Tranquility attained.

1551: Worship Siva and Siva Become

They who bow their head at the Feet of Lord

Of spreading matted locks and Konrai bloom bedecked,

They shall, like unto Him, become;

But they that yearn not for Him in constant eagerness

Shall be in sorrow immersed,

Sighing eternal here below.

1552: Worship Brings Immortal Life

Despair not!

You that thus sit and bewail

And you that have lost your better nature!

Seek Lord in penance true,

The Heavens' Lord shall wipe your tears away,

And grant you Greatness;

And you shall then know births no more.

1553: Lord is Unto Gentle Rain

Who seeks Finite Truth

They His friend are;

Who does not seek Him

They but know the Worldly Men's Misery-Way,

Enveloped in darkness of bondage

In vain shall they be born again and again;

Who seeks Path True

To them, the Lord is unto richly laden clouds

That drops gentle rain of Heavenly Grace.

1554: Lord Guides the Boat of Life

The Boat of Life

By Divine Wisdom guided

Discharges quick its cargo

At the City Ancient;

Having seen that unerring prospect

These wretched men of ignoble deeds

Think not of His Holy Feet,

In devotion replete.

1555: Lord is Within You

The Only Being, the Eternal Being

Within you He dwells;

When you say so,

These ignorant men laugh low;

Poor folk! if they but seek Him in prayer within

Then shall they meet Him-the Peerless One.

1556: Who Pursued False Faiths

They wake not to Inner Light of Aum within;

And joy not in ego-effaced bliss ensuing

They wot not of approaching death,

They seek not end of recurring birth,

Lo! they pursued the unending path of contending faiths,

And stood forlorn, for ever lost in faith false.

20 INNER FAITHS

1557: Lord Pervades All Six Inner Faiths

He is the Ancient One,

He created the beings of earth and heaven,

In days of yore, in Order Divine;

The Six Faiths seek the Feet

But of the One Primal Peerless God;

And in them all He pervades

In measure appropriate.

1558: All Faiths Lead but to Lord

One, the Great City,

Six, the roads that lead to it;

Thus are Faiths Six;

They that contend, "This true; That false"

Are unto the dog that in ire barks

To its own echo at hilly side.

1559: Come, Stand Apart and Seek Lord

He is the incomparable Lord

Of the magnificient path of Saivam;

He is Nandi of Divine Lustre

That breaths the eternal life of Grace;

Beloved is He of the truly great;

The Lord of all universe, the source of all Joy;

Come, stand apart, seek, realize,

And be redeemed.

1560: "You Are He"-Is the Teaching of True Path

Siva laid the divine path ancient

That leads to the Home Eternal

Seek Him that way;

And know you are He

You shall duly find Him within yourself.

1561: The True Path is Through Kundalini

The Six Faiths that profess the means to Becoming

Are by themselves but blind alleys all;

No good comes by following them alone;

The true path of Becoming for all life to pursue

Is but the path of divine Kundalini Sakti,

The blossom-vine that through Six centers courses.

1562: Lord Ever Guides

Now have I realized the Path of Hara;

In the past I sought Him in narrow paths

And strayed;

Lo! all the while He stood before me

Like a beacon light in firmament

Guiding my voyage

Across the sea of my Soul's longing.

1563: Siva Path is Proven Path

The Path of Siva is the proven path

It led them to Hara;

It is the royal path that renowned Souls had walked;

The Path Divine

That took the devout to Cosmic Space;

That path, do seek,

Enter and persevere.

1564: Vision of Light Effulgent in Saiva Path

Still your wandering thoughts;

Chant sacred syllable "Si"

And so persevere in Path of Hara

You shall envision Primal Light Effulgent.

1565: Vision Through Saiva Path

He that belongs to the Lady of Lightning Form

He that belongs to the Vedic Fire of Brahmins

He that belongs to them that think of Him

He, the Primal Lord

He, the tender shoot of Jnana,

When you glimpse His loving signs,

Then have you walked in Path of Siva.

1566: Adoration of Siva is Bliss

They that discriminated not

Knew not Hara's Path;

Their souls in myriad machinations caught,

The Truth saw not;

They that followed Hara's Path

Of a certain reached His Feet of Grace,

And joyed the Bliss, all senses uplifted.

1567: Saiva Path was Laid by Holy Nandi

The Holy Nandi, the acclaimed Master of Saiva Faith

Has showed a Way-the Master's way of Redemption;

That, divine Path of Saiva

He did chalk out for those here below

To walk in Sanmarga's trail

And be for ever free.

1568: Attune to Infinity

This the right Faith, that the true Faith

When my Lord Nandi thus sees

Mad men in two contend

He smiles in pity;

What though the form of Faith?

What though the place of Birth?

They with mind to infinity attuned

Sure enter the City of God.

1569: Siva is Inclusive of Jiva

Siva has faces five

And with His downward looking visage for Jiva,

He has faces six in all;

The Lord by Himself All

Sports the garland of heads

That verily is the Human Aspect

Of the Godly One.

1570: Lord is Beginning and End

The Primal Lord spanned the worlds seven

He stands as the sea and the myriad life here below,

And with Parasakti pervades all

In Union that no separateness knows

Verily, God is the Beginning and End of All.

1571: The Path of Siva Leads to Bliss

The immortal Beings, Devas and Vidyadaras,

Sought after Him, but knew Him not;

But pursuing the proven path of Siva

I reached His Feet of Grace to adore

And so realized the bliss of Here and Hereafter.

1572: Macrocosm in Microcosm-A Mystery

Baffling indeed is the mystery of Life's Goal

Baffling it is, why into the six systems was it made;

A baffling mystery far,

How into the shedding sheaths of this body microcosm

Got imprinted a veritable macrocosm.

TANTRA FIVE ENDS