Friday, 1 February 2013

1. Invocation


                                                                           Kāppu 


அரியதோர் நமச்சிவாயம் ஆதியந்தம் ஆனதும்
                ஆறிரண்டு நூறுதேவர் அன்றுரைத்த மந்திரம்
சுரியதோர் எழுத்தைஉன்னிச் சொல்லுவேன் சிவவாக்கியம்
                தோஷதோஷ பாவமாயை தூரதூர ஓடவே
கரியதோர் முகத்தையொத்த கற்பகத்தைக் கைதொழக்
                கலைகள்நூல்கள் ஞானமும் கருத்தில் வந்துதிக்கவே
பெரியபேர்கள் சிறியபேர்கள் கற்றுணர்ந்த பேரெலாம்
                பேயனாகி ஓதிடும் பிழைபொறுக்க வேண்டுமே

Translation:
The rare namacivaya, that which is the beginning and the end,
            The mantra uttered by twelve hundred (innumerable) Devas
Contemplating on the prime (curling mantra), I will recite the Śiva aphorism
            For the blemishes, sins and māya, to run far far away to remoteness,
Worshipping the wish-granting tree that has a face like the elephant,
            For art forms, compositions and wisdom to spring in the mind
Great souls, simpletons and the learned
            Should tolerate the errors in the rendition by this ghostly person.

Commentary:
            It is customary to begin a composition with prayer to the Divine.  Civavākkiyar has followed this tradition by beginning his composition, Civavākkiyam, with a prayer to Ganapathy, the Lord with an elephant face.  Lord Ganapathy is also called Vigneshwara, the one who removes obstacles.  Civavākkiyar prays to Lord Ganapathy here to dispel any obstacles that may come in the way of this composition.
Civavākkiyar has followed the tradition of his preceptor, Tirumular, who starts his composition, the Tirumandiram, in a similar fashion, with a prayer to Lord Ganapathy. Lord Ganapathy confers wisdom and expertise in arts.  Siddha Avvaiyar mentions this in her Vināyakar Akaval.  She requests Lord Ganapathy to teach the true meaning of the five-lettered word, tirundiya aindeḻuttum telivāip porundave.

            Lord Ganapathy occupies a very significant place in the yogic parlance also.  He is the deity who, along with the two female forces siddhi and buddhi, governs the mulādhāra chakra.  The entryway for Kundalini yoga is the mulādhara cakra.  The deity who governs this site does not belong to any particular religion.  It represents a state of consciousness, characteristic of the cakra.   Siddhi and buddhi are also called iḍakalai and pinkalai, the two nādis or energy channels.  The kundalini śakti, when raised through yogic practices, ascends through the suṣumna nādi encircled by the iḍa and pingala.  Thus, worshiping Lord Ganapathy is actually worshipping the kundalini śakti and praying it to rise through the suṣumna.  
  
            There are some variations in the word curiyatōr eḻuttu.  Some versions have it as cuḻiyatōr eḻuttu or the spiral/ curling symbol/sign.  The curiyatōr eḻuttu or the single letter mentioned here is AUM or the pranava.  AUM represents the kundalini śakti at the mulādhāra. Thus, conforming to the Siddha tradition of not worshipping a specific deity, Civavākkiyar is actually worshipping the kundalini śakti or the primal force. 
In this connection it may be mentioned that the Gods and goddesses referred to by the Siddhas are not of the religious pantheon but just denotative names (like alpha, beta, gamma, delta etc) given for particular forms of consciousness manifested and exhibited in their yogic practices.

            Civavākkiyar says that the Devas chant the mantra namacivaya to get relief from their sins and delusion.  Sins are mistakes one commits personally while delusion results in non-personal mistakes.  Civavākkiyar has differentiated these two types of blemishes by saying dosha twice.  He says that this mantra would chase both these faults away.

            The term ‘pēyan’ indicates the poet’s humility.  The term ‘pei’ also refers to a ghost.  The term ‘ghost’ stands for no ownership of itself or possession of anything in the world.  Pattinattar , while enumerating the characteristics of a siddha  (verse 35), calls a Siddha as one who roams like a ghost.  Bhadragiriyar also laments like this (verse 8).  One may refer to Bhartruhari’s Vairagya śatakam (verses 90,91). 

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