3. Divine Qualities of the Lord

Teachings to treasure, teachings that transform. 

Thirumoolar Thavamozhi

Motivation

3. Divine Qualities of the Lord

 After beginning his teachings with a prayer to the lord, now our Saint Thirumoolar starts with a praise on the qualities of the divine.

தீயினும் வெய்யன் புனலினும் தண்ணியன்
ஆயினும் ஈசன் அருளறி வாரில்லை
சேயனும் அல்லன் அணியன்நல் அன்பர்க்குத்
தாயினும் நல்லன் தாழ்சடை யோனே.  8

We know that Fire is capable of burning things. Water is cool. Our Saint says, that the Lord is capable of burning all our sins and obstacles but faster than fire. However, the lord  is also cooler than water when he showers his blessings. 

தீயினும் வெய்யன் புனலினும் தண்ணியன்
ஆயினும் ஈசன் அருளறி வாரில்லை

The Lord is hotter or stronger than fire, he burns our sins; he is also cooler than water when he showers his blessings. Our saint Thirumoolar laments in the first two lines why people are not aware of this great qualities of the divine. Having stated that concern, he continues in the next two lines with devotion expounding the sacred qualities of divine.

சேயனும் அல்லன் அணியன்.

 

A child's heart is filled with love. It is not love that calculates the benefit for expressing that love. That is why he calls that only a child's love can be called "good" love. He says that the divine love for us is far greater than a child's love. This is because a child's love will be subject to change when the child grows older. However, the divine love is changeless.

நல் அன்பர்க்குத்
தாயினும் நல்லன் தாழ்சடை யோனே.

In the last line, he says that there must be devotees  who express such child like love toward the lord. How does the lord shower his love on such devotees? The lord is more loving than a mother.

A child does not know how to console itself from sorrow. A child's quality is that it does not know what is good or what its needs are. Knowing this quality of a child a mother showers her love on the child. Our Saint says that the love of the lord for a devotee is greater that love of a mother for her child.

Our saint who describes all these divine qualities of the lord, and brings the lord infront of our eyes, when he sings praises of the lord Siva with the words "the lord with the long hair braids".

 To read other translated pages in these posts, see: Thirumoolar