Friday 1 March 2013

49, 50 more on toomai.



(I am posting these two verses together as these and the last one talk about the same concept.)

Verse 49
தூமை தூமை என்றுளே துவண்டு அலையும் ஏழைகாள்
தூமையான பெண்ணிருக்க தூமைபோனது எவ்விடம்
ஆமைபோல மூழ்கிவந்து அநேக வேதம் ஓதுறீர்
தூமை திரண்டுருண்டு சொற்குருக்கள் ஆனதே

Translation:
Ye poor souls who wither uttering “defilement, defilement”!
When the pure lady is remaining, where did defilement go?
You recite countless Vedas emerging from submersion, like a tortoise,
Defilement came together and became the exalted gurus who advise.

Commentary:
Civavākkiyar makes a pun with the word tūmai.  As we saw above, this word means menstrual fluid as well as purity.  In the first line it means menstrual fluid and thus desecration. In the second line when he talks about vālai or kundalini śakti, he means purity.  In the second half of the same line he means impurity.  Civavākkiyar calls people who bathe in the water to make themselves pure, as tortoises. They hide themselves; restrain themselves, in their shells of conventional practices.  Civavākkiyar says sarcastically that the exalted guru who imparts wisdom also originates from menstrual fluid, the defilement. 

The last line may also be interpreted as “purity became the guru who advises”. 

Verse 50
சொற்குருக்கள் ஆனதும் சோதிமேனி ஆவதும்
மெய்குருக்கள் ஆனதும் வேணபூசை செய்வதும்
சற்குருக்கள் ஆனதும் சாத்திரங்கள் சொல்வதும்
செய்க்குருக்கள் ஆனதும் திரண்டுருண்ட தூமையே.

Translation:
That which became the group of letters, that which becomes effulgent body,
That which became the true preceptor, that which performs as many puja as wished,
That which became universal preceptor that which the śāstras say,
That which became the active preceptor, is the coalesced purity/defilement. 

Commentary:
The menstrual fluid represents creation.  It is not defilement or impurity.  It is from this fluid that life emerges.  Thus, the menstrual fluid represents emergence of the conscious universe. Hence, Civavākkiyar says that all the manifested, the world, the effulgence, the preceptor and the worshiper are all nothing but concentrated menstrual fluid.

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