Thiruvasakam, a great work in advaita-bhakti

[Guest guest]

advaitin, Kamesh ratnam <kameshratnam>

wrote:

> Thiruvasakam by Ilaiyaraaja.

> This project is an unique attempt to present select

> verses from the Thiruvasakam in a musical form,

> synthesising ideas from both the Indian and Western

> classical traditions. The main objective of this

> project is to bring masterpieces from India's

> spiritual traditions, such as the Thiruvasakam, to the

> attention of the younger generation.

 

Namaste

 

I received the following personal mail from Kamesh Ratnam -ji:

about Thiruvasakam by Ilaiyaraaja:

 

"Now what has this to do with Advaita or Shankara

sampradaaya.This is not a forum to publicize or to show greatness of

tamil culture If it has got something to do with advaita, then it

should be explained to other members who do not understand tamil"

 

 

Manickavachagar,the celebrated author of Tiruvasakam, was one of

the four great leading Saints of Tamilnadu, and is counted among the

75 (63 + 12) towering giants of Spirituality. His unique bridal

mysticism, undivided loyalty and exclusive devotion to the Lord,

find immortal expression in his exquisite poems like Tiruvasakam,

which is a work of devotion-cum-wisdom par excellence known to melt

even the hardest of hearts. To this day these 75 saints are a living

tradition.

 

Ramana Maharishi quotes very often from this work, which contains

also some highest thoughts of advaita, in addition to its

superlative devotional facets. Here is one quote from the Maharishi:

 

D.: There is something concrete necessary to meditate upon. How

shall we meditate upon `I'?

 

M.: We have become rooted in forms and so we require a concrete

form for meditating upon. Only that which we contemplate will in

the end remain over. When you contemplate the other thoughts

disappear. So long as you need to contemplate there are other

thoughts, Where are you? You contemplate because you exist. For

the contemplator must contemplate. The contemplation can only

be where he is. Contemplation wards off all other thoughts. You

should merge yourself in the source. At times we merge in the

source unconsciously, as in sleep, death, swoon, etc. What is

contemplation? It is merging into the source consciously. Then the

fear of death, of swoon, etc. will disappear, because you are able to

merge into the source consciously.

 

Why fear death? Death cannot mean non-being. Why do you love

sleep, but not death? Do you not think now? Are you not existing

now? Did you not exist in your sleep? Even a child says that it slept

well and happily. It admits its existence in sleep, unconsciously

though.

 

So, consciousness is our true nature. We cannot remain unconscious.

We however say that we were unconscious in our sleep because we

refer to qualified consciousness. The world, the body, etc., are so

embedded in us that this relative consciousness is taken to be the

Self.

Does anyone say in his sleep that he is unconscious? He says so now.

This is the state of relative consciousness. Therefore he speaks of

relative consciousness and not of abstract consciousness. The

consciousness is beyond relative consciousness or unconsciousness.

 

Again reverting to Tiruvachagam, Sri Bhagavan said: All the four

foremost saints have given out their experiences in the very first

stanza.

(1) Undifferentiated worship. (2) Never-failing remembrance. (3)

Unrisen thought. (4) The ego is not, the Self is. All mean the same.

 

PraNAms to all advaitins

profvk