"There is Salvation in numbers": The theme of 'satsangh' in the TiruppAvai - Part 1

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

One very valuable lesson to be learnt from a study of

AndAl's famous Tamil song of "tiruppAvai" is that

spiritual effort is more likely to be fruitful when

undertaken collectively than individually.

 

The pathway to God is not necessarily a lonely one.

When we think of religious or spiritual men, our

immediate impression is of ascetics and hermits living

alone in forest or caves, doing practically nothing

all day but sit meditating upon their navels. AndAl's

'tiruppAvai' paints a contrasting picture. If there is

one clear message the simple maidens of the TiruppAvai

have for us, it is that religion need not always be a

reclusive pre-occupation.

 

Worship can be, and is indeed an essentially

democratic or communal endeavour. The pilgrim need not

fear that his progress might only come through

ploughing a lonely furrow in life. He must know that

the pursuit of God is quite easily accomplished in the

pleasant and plentiful company of like-minded souls.

Spiritual activity is intense and rigorous, no doubt,

but it can be sporting and companionable effort too.

Hence take heart, says AndAl to the spiritual

aspirant, take heart for there is not only safety in

numbers but Salvation too!

 

*********

 

Collective worship is called "satsangh". Members of an

Indian household, even in this day and times, can be

observed to assemble daily at a pre-determined hour in

the prayer-room to offer 'pujA' to a family deity.

They are said to constitute a household 'satsangh'.

 

In village communities in India, it is usual for many

such households to get together for what is often

known as the weekly 'bhajana-sammiti'. Here they sing

religious songs, dance, clap their hands and happily

recount stories from 'pUrANa' and 'itihAsa'. This is

also a 'satsangh'.

 

In the large temples of India, it is custom to

celebrate annual 'brahmOtsava' or 'mahOtsavams'. These

are grand religious affairs celebrated in the spirit

of mega-carnivals to which thousands of devotees

throng. These congregations are also large-scale

'satsanghs'.

 

The principle and practice of collective worship is a

timeless one in India. "Satsangh" is as old as the

very idea of Bhakti and the two are, in fact,

inseparable. If Bhakti is seed, 'satsangh' is soil. If

God is the destination and Bhakti is the journey, then

'satsangh' is the ticket. If Bhakti were regarded as a

holy game of life that God-seekers engage in, then

'satsangh' would be the field on which it is played.

And as in most games of the world, in this one where

the Almighty is the goal, it is team-effort that

accomplishes what is beyond individual capacity.

 

Mahatma Gandhi once echoed this very principle of

'satsangh' in truly stirring words:

 

"I want to find God, and because I want to find God, I

have to find God along with other people. I don't

believe I can find God alone. If I did, I would be

running to the Himalayas to find God in some cave

there. But since I believe that nobody can find God

alone, I have to work with people. I have to take them

with me. Alone I can't come to Him."

 

The preponderant theme of AndAl's Tiruppavai is a

joyous celebration of the 'satsangh' tradition.

Implicit in her song is the affirmation of what I call

the all-embracing 'collectivism' of the Vedantic

faith… best expressed in the words of the Mahatma --

"Nobody can find God alone, I have to work with

people. I have to take them with me. Alone I can't

come to Him."

 

In the final 30th stanza of her song, AndAl refers to

the 'tiruppAvai' as "sangha-tamizh-mAlai" (a garland

of the finest Tamil verses). The word "sangha", if we

reflect on it deep enough, is a significant pun: It

refers, on the one hand, to the marvelous classicism

of Tamil employed in the song. But on the other hand

and at a deeper, more meaningful level perhaps, it is

AndAL's own tribute to 'satsangh' -- the mode of

worship most preferred at all times by common people

all across India.

 

***********

(to be continued)

 

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

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