Loving Ganesha: Chapter 17 (Section 3) - Saint Auvaiyar Ma--Sadhvi Auvaiyar Ma

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The final section of chapter 17, online

at http://www.himalayanacademy.com/books/lg/lg_ch-17.html.

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12.0pt;font-family:Arial">Om Shanti

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Saint Auvaiyar's

Approach to Vinayaka

By Ratna Ma Navaratnam

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Saint Auvaiyar's ode to

Vinayaka is one of the most popular canonical hymns of adoration, noted for its

poetic diction, vivid imagery and yogic insights. It is a work of paramount

importance, as it communicates the quintessence of the worship of Ganesha. He

confers power and peace of the Supreme Para-Siva to His votaries.

In the Ahaval (p.

329 -- 331), lines 1-14 delineate the form of Vinayaka. Lines 15-72 depict the

detailed action of divine grace bestowed on His devotees. In the whole poem

Saint Auvaiyar addresses Ganesha in three places only.

"O... wish-fulfilling elephant!" is followed by "The one who

rides the mouse," and finally comes "Peerless Vinayaka, Master of Wisdom." She

describes in

great detail the way His grace worked on her and transformed her life. She

shares her enthusiastic experience of grace with the world just before she

departs from this life. The symbol of divine grace is conveyed by the image of

the feet of Ganesha. She commences her poem by extolling the feet in words that

vibrate with melody. In the middle and at the end of the poem, too, we find the

allusion to the sacred feet of grace, signifying that the poem has been based

on the foundation of grace, outflowing from the elder

son of Siva, Vittaka Vinayaka.

Thus the

hymn Vinayaka Ahaval

is a highly mystical work. It consists of seventy-two lines of poetry. The

author begins the poem with a salutation to the holy feet of Ganapati. His feet

are mystically placed at the tail end of the spinal column called muladhara,

which generates the heat necessary for

the functioning of the inner organs. His feet guard, as it were, the source of

the bodily energy from extinction and are a symbol of grace. From His feet

emanate the seven modulations of the musical notes, giving rise to the succinct

vibrations of mantras. The

primordial vibration from the

italic">muladhara,

the eternal substratum, gives rise to the cosmic dance full of dynamic motion

around and within. So potent are His lotus feet of grace. Meditating on His feet, the poetess

describes the vision of the beauteous formation of the body of Ganesha, so

symmetrical and subdued, radiating light with the golden hip-chain and white,

silken attire. He is a living presence to Mother Auvai and

not an image of stone.

13.5pt">M

13.5pt">a Auvai sees, in her yogic perception, the

impressive nature of Vinayaka's countenance. She sees

one tusk broken and kept in one of His hands, while the other tusk adorns His

comely elephant face and is the source of mitigating countless malicious

forces. Eka dantaye

vighna vinashine.

Ganesha's elephant face, adorned with the red mark on the

forehead, beams with beauteous smile at the votary who sings His praise.

The twinkle in His eye symbolizes His auspicious nature. His five hands signify

the five-fold activities of the manifested cosmos. There is ceaseless creation,

vigilant preservation followed by dissolution of all that is transient. Then

occurs the phase of involution, a subtle veiling leading to the stage of

anugraha, revelation. It is the reemergence, through grace, with sound and

light. It

permeates the outer cosmos as well as the inner realm of "Being."

In this

context, the divine mother views Ganesha's five arms. She sees in one hand the

displaced tusk ready to be used as a writing stylus, symbolizing the creative

function. The other hand, holding the modaka

sweet, indicates the ever-watchful, protective care and the assurance of the

reward of fulfillment. The goad and the noose in the

other two hands are the deterrent weapons to safeguard man from the pitfalls of

disillusionment caused by pernicious desires and egoism. The lofty trunk is the

fifth hand, which holds the water pot in an act of oblation, signifying His

perennial grace and the Pure Awareness of the One in many.

His

countenance glows in sky-blue hue. His shoulders appear strong and balanced.

The gleam of the sun, moon and fire emanates from His triple eyes, illuminating

the caverns of the heart and the crevices of the outer world. The light of

Truth radiates in His countenance as the principle of delusion recedes, leaving

its pronounced marks on the face of Ganesha. How wonderful are His expansive

ears, reminding us that, "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are

sweeter." So muses the saintly poetess who

experiences the wordless music of the primordial Aum,

wafting from His fan-like ears and awakening her to the sublime awareness of

Reality. The splendor of His crown and the insignia

of the triple strand of initiation on His chest mark the extending vistas of

light and sound mingling in the oneness of Ganesha.

Auvaiyar Ma thus is transported in bliss at the vision of the

wish-fulfilling elephant-faced form of Vinayaka. Lest the grandeur of the

supernal light dazzle her, she turns her gaze at His immanent form again. Ma

views Him enjoying the triple delicious

fruits and is amazed at the incongruity of Pillaiyar's

riding on His rat mount! It reminds her that life is a bundle of contradictions

and contrasts. The massive elephant with His immense strength and prudence is

no less important than the humble mouse.

All come

within the purview of the all-knowing God Siva and are either scourged or saved

by their own actions. His main intent is to wean the heart of man from the

darkness of ignorance to the light of wisdom and Truth. The divine mother

recollects the immense love bestowed on her by Ganesha. He pointed the way, and

fortified with the mystic mantra of the guru, she communicates the inevitable

bliss of realization when she exclaims "He, my true Self, filled my whole

being." In this poem, Mother Auvai melts in love,

like Saint Manikkavasagar, as she recalls in tranquility

her yogic vision and the experience of the inner self mingling in the greater

Self! To experience the Reality of the Supreme Self and communicate it to the

world of suffering humanity -- here where men sit and hear each other groan --

is the noblest service of all the realized seers in the fold of Hinduism.

Problems

arising from the origins of Lord Ganapati, son of Siva, His place in the Hindu

pantheon and the truth of the many legends that have grown up around Him all

pale into insignificance before the living testimony of the noble poetess

Auvaiyar in her wonderful praise of Vinayaka. Who can deny

the truth of her awareness of the Supreme Being and dismiss her translucent

experience as ephemeral outpouring of an overworked mind?

13.5pt">M

13.5pt">other Auvai is the witness, and her poem is

the living testament of Ganesha's grace and how He came into her inner being as

a guru and endowed her with insight of truth by placing His gracious feet on

her head. Faithfully has she recorded the steps of the religious practice

(sadhana) that took her from the grip of

the mundane world to the absorption in bliss divine.

Deep concentration is the secret of mastering the avenues of the deluding

senses. And the more she meditates on the oppressive limitations exercised by

the principles of time and space and the sway of the thirty-six categories

(tattvas) of manifestation, the deeper is

her withdrawal into the interior of her being, where the phantom of duality

ceases to lure her. The mystic mantra Aum permeates

her whole being. Her japa is impregnated with ceaseless remembrance of the

vibrant word.

We follow

her from behind, rapt in mute wonder, as step by step she leads us into the

mysteries of the yoga marga, so ably propounded by sages like Patanjali,

Vasishtha and Narada. The dormant shakti, once

ignited by the grace of Ganesha, floods all the six psychic centers

of consciousness within Auvai Ma and consummates the supreme awareness

of the Self. Such is the mystic import of the mother's poem on Vinayaka, which

starts like a catalog of His iconographical details

and consummates in the highest communion with Aum

Ganesha.

From

lines fifty-five to the end, the pendulum of the individual being swings in

harmony to the symphony of the universal being. Neither discord nor limitation

nor separation can be sensed in the experience of the divine mother from this

stage. Auvai Ma's descriptions of illumination are

highly mystical and elude the comprehension of those who have not yet

experienced such yogic fulfillment. Yet, her communication of the intangible

rings of sincerity and sublimity. The steps to control the inhalation and

exhalation by suitable chanting of mantras,

leading the vital force from one center of consciousness to the other centers

gradually, have all been made so vividly clear to Mother that her perception

intuits through

the yogic cord to the highest center at the crown of the head. The serpent

power, kundalini shakti, as this subtle fire is termed, once

awakened can effect wondrous transformation in the personality. The tongue is

made so potent as to experience infinite power of expression. Yet, at the same

time, the inexpressible, inaudible mantra known as ajapa is also made vividly clear to

her as the gravitational prana, or life force. Beyond Aum is the silent melody of ajapa

italic">, heard and yet unheard, in the vibration of inhaling,

retention and exhaling of the life breath every fractional second of our

existence. That is He: the ever-elusive, life-giving, immortal and immaculate

Ganesha.

13.5pt">M

13.5pt">any have been the expositions on this aspect of meditation by the

rhythmic modulation of the life breath. Mother Auvai

reveals in unmistakable terms of poesy the indefinable and subtlest of the

subtle aspects of experiential awareness of the Supreme Sat. The fire in its

dormant state has been ignited by the spark that blazoned from the inhaling

breath. We perceive the awakened kundalini in Auvai Ma arising as a coiled snake

at the touch of the flame.

It ascends up the mystic center of consciousness, experiencing the most

inexplicable powers at each of the centers. Finally,

it reaches the zenith, where bliss ineffable transmutes her whole being into

the radiance of light eternal, whence the light of the sun, moon and stars

appear but reflections of the true glory of the effulgent Self. Blessed is the

saint whose attainment is so absolute and perfect.

The Mother resumes her normal consciousness

and recalls her vision of ecstasy. What has my Ganesha done to me? She ponders

and is filled with an unquenchable devotion, as she proclaims the greatest of

her utterances in the whole of this magnificent poem:

Given me

miraculous powers

by your sweet grace, and mukti too;

revealed myself to me,

Stilled my mind in tranquil calm.

The

perplexing question of who am I, which has baffled

humanity down the ages, has been solved by Saint Auvaiyar:

By His

grace beatific, He makes me know my Self.

That art nondual, eternal, real, pure existence,

pure consciousness and everlasting bliss.

Gone

forever are the network of limitations exercised by actions of past births, and

the roots are exterminated forever and ever by the power of Ganesha. Mother Auvai

finds herself in tranquil quiescence: "speechless, mindless, immersed in the

glory of illumination within." No more

opposing factors of dualism, no more darkness in the transcendent luminosity of

Ganesha! Absorbed in divine bliss, afflictions recede. It is the way of grace,

and we follow her from afar as she ascends on wings of self-knowledge. The

immanent and all pervading intermingle in Auvaiyar Ma's cosmic vision as she swims in the

ineffable experience of the undifferentiated Supreme. She can only communicate

with us in the language of symbols. "Sweeter than

ambrosia and subtler than the subtlest of the atoms is it."

Who can

know the Real? Only those who have experienced it.

Having entered into the beatific bliss of the "liberated," it is the

nature of such experience to seek and abide in an everlasting allegiance with

all who have attained. Their insignia of renunciation and purity are

self-evident. Saint Auvaiyar's

outpourings, embodied in the purest form of poesy, tug at our heart strings, as

her worship of the image of Ganapati transcends from the physical and subtle

phases to the state of supreme awareness of Oneness. The radiant wisdom

has been her priceless boon from the one-pointed worship of Ganesha. It

overwhelms Auvaiyar with such a surging love for

humanity that she communicates the incommunicable by the assurance so positive

and veritable to take up the incantation of the mantra of Five Letters, Panchakshara.

It is the panacea for the ills of human existence.

Ganesha

will be the illuminator, the guru, who can effect this transfiguration.

Therefore, the mother bids one and all to surrender all at the gracious feet of

the Lord of Wisdom. All the Hindu seers proclaim the one supreme Truth of

realization by the act of self-surrender before the self-luminous Siva -- one

of whose rays divine is Pillaiyar, the honored son with manifold names who is testified in diverse

forms of worship. Thus the worship of Aum Ganesha by

the renowned seer Auvaiyar reveals the wondrous Truth

that the self has been illumined by the Self and abides in the Self. Then all

appearances of otherness and of dualism (dvaita) vanish. There only remains the real Self

within as well as outside the ego-self.

Divine Mother Auvai's

poem on Vinayaka gives a superexperience (anubhava) of

reality by means of the spiritual practice enjoined in the yoga pathway. The

sun is hidden from our sight by the clouds. So, too, the reality of the Self is

obscured by illusion. The ego can hide our real Self from our consciousness.

Yet, human life cannot exist without our real Self, even though apparently

hidden, just as day cannot exist without the diffused light of the sun, however

hidden by fog or mist. The dominance of the ego by thoughts raised by the mind (manas) can

conceal the real Self from our consciousness. The ego is the I-maker (ahamkara) and

is inseparable from the Self (atma). Aum is the

symbol of reality when we start from the inner being, and Namah

Sivaya is the reality when we start from man's

experience of the outer world. The Mother's incantation in her immortal poem validates her

experience of the truth of Pashu-Pati. Their common

symbol is Aum, and the form is that of Ganesha.

13.5pt">M

13.5pt">other Auvai explains in her poem that Ganesha

is the Deity of yogis. He

typifies the coupling of two mutually complementary elements yoked together

with a view to obtaining unity in being and in action, the unification of the

respective individual and universal aspects, of the jivatma and the Paramatma.

It is the drawing together of man to his inner ruler

italic">(antaryamin) enthroned in his own

Self.

The theme

of kundaliniis intimately connected with the cult of

Ganapati worship. The human body consists of the five elements, and these merge

into one another by the control of the breath, and through the reciting of the

formulae, until consciousness dissolves into the original matter.

Yoga is

the disciplined effort that draws the individuality of man, united with his

personality, to the Lord (Isha) pervading beyond and

to the all-Knower (ayamatma)

who comprehends from within. He who reaches this end is a yogi. According to Auvaiyar

Ma, consciousness in the form of a serpent

sleeps within the body and can be awakened by japa techniques to penetrate, one

after another, the six chakras, or superimposed circles of the body,

until it reaches the opening of

italic">brahmarandhra,

on top of the head, where it brings about the union of the being with Siva. The

vital power of the vibration of the litany of Omkara,

the word symbol of Ganesha, brings about the cooperation of the Divine and

effects the union with Siva at sahasrara

italic">. It is the goal of all types of yoga. The way of yoga leads

to the immortality of the liberated one, supplemented by the infusion of bhakti.

Saint Auvaiyar Ma attempted the yoga, the bhakti and the jnana pathway in

the worship of loving Ganesha in order to gain the apperception of Reality.

We

discern in the poem on Vinayaka the underlying principle of the One in the

many, and the many converging into the One. The iconography of Lord Ganesha

accentuates the resonance of the sacred syllable Aum,

culminating in the experience of the oneness of Truth. Rishi

Tirumular, who lived before Saint Auvaiyar,

had given immortal expression to the efficacy of the mantra Aum

in a gem of Tirumantiram.

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Omkara abides as the Primal Word.

Omkara manifests in the many forms.

Omkara activates all true experiences.

Omkara leads to final liberation.

By the

Grace of Ganesha, the Supreme is revealed to Auvaiyar

as self-luminous and self-evident. His grace is the alchemy that transforms the

wise language into wisdom itself, where all means of expression merge into

"That which is," Aum Tat Sat. The divine

mother Auvaiyar attained the goal of the highest

awareness of the Supreme Siva by her earnest worship of Vinayaka. In the

footsteps of this votary, let us, with one accord, sing her litany of love and

walk in the presence of Pillaiyar, the Son of Siva,

and realize His grace within our own real Self.

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font-family:Arial">Loving Ganesha by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

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font-family:Arial">Web sites: http://www.hindu.org/

& http://www.himalayanacademy.com/

email: contact (AT) hindu (DOT) org

Himalayan Academy

Kauai's Hindu Monastery

Arial">107 Kaholalele Road

Kapaa, HI 96746-9304

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