35.Brick, granite, copper, spelter.. Is He there?

Verse 35

செங்கலும் கருங்கலும் சிவந்தசாதி லிங்கமும்

செம்பிலும் தராவிலும் சிவனிருப்பன் என்கிறீர்

உம்பதம் நிந்துநீர் உம்மைநீர் அறிந்தபின்

அம்பலம் நிறைந்த நாதர் ஆடல்பாடல் ஆகுமே!

Translation:

In brick, granite, red paint of mercury/vermillion,

Copper and spelter, you say that Śiva will reside,

Remaining in your true nature after you know yourself,

The Lord who pervades the supreme space will dance and sing.

Commentary:

After dismissing mindless worship rituals and visits to sacred places now Civavākkiyar dismisses the notion that the Lord remains only in statues found in temples and other sacred places.  He says that the Lord truly resides in the mind space or cittākāśam.  This is the ambalam, ciṛṛambalam, where he dances and sings in bliss.  Instead of realizing this, people go after statues made of various metals and stones and try to find Him there.  Civavakkiyar laughs at this useless pursuit.

We find the echo of the same views in Ganapatidasar’s poems (verses 15, 63 and 75) Agasthiyar Jnanam- 4 (verse 5) and in Valmigar Jnanam (verse 4).  Their aim is to have the religious experience directly instead of feeling something about the experience.