47. Milked milk will not reenter the udder

Verse 47

கறந்தபால் முலைப்புகா கடைந்த வெண்ணெய் மோர்புகா

உடைந்துபோன சங்கின் ஓசை உயிர்களும் உடற்புகா

விரிந்தபூ உதிர்ந்தகாயும் மீண்டுபோய் மரம்புகா

இறந்தவர் பிறப்பதில்லை இல்லை இல்லை இல்லையே

Translation:

Milked milk will not reenter the udder; churned butter will not reenter buttermilk,

The sound of the broken conch, lives will not enter the dead body,

Bloomed flower, fallen fruit, will never go back to the tree,

The dead will never be born, never, never, never at all.

Commentary:

The expression ‘those who are dead will never be born again’ seems to speak against the theory of reincarnation.  It actually refers to realized souls.  Civavākkiyar says that just like the butter churned from milk, milk that was milked, ripe fruit and flower that do not return to their previous residence, lives that are released from their bodies will never return to it.   The examples he quotes, all of them, represent a matured state that will never go back to the initial state.

Milk is collected from the udder after an effort; the butter churned out also represents collection after an effort.  A bloomed flower and a ripe fruit that fall from a tree represent a matured product that is obtained from a tree.  None of these returns to the place they came from.  Similarly, a realized soul will never have rebirth or samsara. A realized soul, a jivan mukta, is considered dead for this world but alive in another dimension, in the super conscious state. Such a soul will never return to this worldly life even while it remains physically in this world.

46. Earrings are different, gold is the same.

Verse 46

சாதியாவதேதடா சலம் திரண்ட நீரலோ

பூதவாசல் ஒன்றலோ பூதம் ஐந்தும் ஒன்றலோ

காதில்வாளி காரைகம்பி பாடகம் பொன் ஒன்றலோ

சாதிபேதம் ஓதுகின்ற தன்மை என்ன தன்மையே?

Translation:

What is caste, isn’t it water with motion?

The entrance of the elements, isn’t it one, the five elements, are they not the same?

Among the ear ornaments, kārai, kambi, pādakam, the gold is the same, isn’t it?

What kind of a quality is it- propagating caste based bigotry?

Commentary:

In this verse Civavākkiyar deplores caste-based bigotry.  He says a life form is nothing but water with movement, a short-lived wave. Further, like the wave, births keep occurring and ending.  Hence, there is nothing special in being born in one place, in one family at a time as it will come to an end and the soul will be born again in another context.  Also, all the material bodies are nothing but the byproduct of the five elements- space, air, water, fire and earth.  Hence, there cannot be any differences based on one’s body.  Thus, the entire system of prejudices based on one’s caste is baseless. Civavākkiyar explains this with an example.  While the ear ornaments have different names, their origin, the gold, is the same entity.  Hence, it is not correct to propagate caste-based bigotry.

45. The seed that birthed.

Verse 45

சித்தமற்று சிந்தையற்று சீவனற்று நின்றிடம்

சத்தியற்று சம்புவற்று சாதிபேதமற்றுநன்

முத்தியற்று மூலமற்று மூலமந்திரங்களும்

வித்தைஇத்தை ஈன்றவித்தில் விளைந்ததே சிவாயமே!

Translation:

Without wisdom, free from thoughts, without jiva, the place stood

Without Śakti, without Śambu, without any discrimination based on caste,

Without the good liberation, without origin, without prime mantra and

The Vidya emerged from the seed that birthed these. Civāyam.

Commentary:

In the previous verse Civavākkiyar questioned the liberated souls about the nature of the Ultimate Reality.  In this verse he is answering his own question.  The five original principles from which this manifested universe emerged are Paramasiva, Siva, Sakti, Sadasiva and Satvidya.  There are called pure emanations.  From these pure emanations occurred the impure emanations which include maya.  The term vittai means Vidya in Sanskrit.  It also means wonder.  The manifested universe is a wonder.  It emerged from the the seed the Supreme Universal Consciousness, Paramasiva. Vidya also emerged from this seed.  Civayam represents that Absolute.

44. What is mind, what is Siva, What is Sakti...

Verse 44

சித்தம் ஏது சிந்தை ஏது சிவன் ஏது சித்தரே

சத்திஏது சம்புஏது சாதிபேதம் அற்றதேது

முத்திஏது மூலம் ஏது மூலமந்திரங்கள் ஏது

வித்தில்லாத விதத்திலே இன்னதென்று இயம்புமே

Translation:

Siddhas! What is citta, what are thoughts, what is Śivan?

What is Śakti, what is Śambu, what is free from caste discrimination?

What is liberation, what is origin, what are prime mantras?

Please clarify as ‘this’ in a doubt-free way.

Commentary:

Civavākkiyar questions the realized souls, Siddhas, what is the Ultimate Reality.  Through his questions he lists some of the qualities of the Ultimate Reality as being the wisdom, thoughts, Siva, Sakti, liberation, origin etc.

43. Will the arena dance?

Verse 43

அம்பலத்தை அம்புகொண்டு அசங்கென்றால் அசங்குமோ

கம்பமற்ற பார்கடல் கலங்கென்றால் கலங்குமோ

இன்பமற்ற யோகியை இருளும் வந்து அணுகுமோ

செம்பொன் அம்பலத்துளே தெளிந்ததே சிவாயமே

Translation:

Will the arena shake if bid so with an arrow?

Will the motionless milky ocean become turbid if bid to be so?

Will darkness approach a yogin who is free from pleasures?

That which is clear in the supreme golden space is only Civāyam.

Commentary:

The natural state of the mind is remaining in Śivam, the universal consciousness. A clear mind free from turbulence will remain in this state.  To drive this point Civavākkiyar brings to attention other situations that are calm and unwavering like the motionless milky ocean, the arena that cannot be shaken by a simple arrow and an unvacillating yogin who lives in the light of clarity without any darkness of worldly life approaching him.