30. Divine is Omnipresent

Teachings to treasure, teachings that transform. 

Thirumoolar Thavamozhi

Motivation

30. Divine is Omnipresent

 Our Saint Thirumoolar constantly enjoyed divine bliss. He sang the poems in Thirumoolar thavamozhi that explained his blissful experiences. Normal worldly joy is different from the divine bliss that is beyond the human intellect. Our Saint sings in these poems from that state of divine bless.

 

God is present everywhere. He is also present within the human heart. Our Saint explains this below.

உள்ளத்தும் உள்ளன் புறத்துள்ளன் என்பவர்க்கு

உள்ளத்தும் உள்ளன் புறத்துள்ளன் எம்மிறை

 

When one constantly praises the God realizing that he is both within their heart as well as outside, God shows His Omnipresence to that person in all objects that the person sees in the world.

 உள்ளத்தும் இல்லை புறத்தில்லை என்பவர்க்கு

உள்ளத்தும் இல்லை புறத்தில்லை தானே.  

 

What can we tell those who say that God is not present within them nor outside? Our Saint grieves that these persons have missed the fortune of experiencing the divine bliss.

 

உள்ளத்தும் உள்ளன் புறத்துள்ளன் என்பவர்க்கு

உள்ளத்தும் உள்ளன் புறத்துள்ளன் எம்மிறை

உள்ளத்தும் இல்லை புறத்தில்லை என்பவர்க்கு

உள்ளத்தும் இல்லை புறத்தில்லை தானே.  3

 

God blesses those who say that He is present. Those who say He is not present waste their life as they miss the fortune of experiencing divine bliss. The Upanishads declare that while God is present within our hearts and in the world around, he is beyond both. Our Saint Thirumoolar also sings about this.

He says that those who declare that God is within them, meditate on Him in their hearts. Those who declare that God is outside worship Him in many forms.  Our Saint nicely acknowledges both groups and addresses them together as believers of God.

 

The Divine bliss is something that each one of us need to only experience as a feeling in our own hearts. There is not much use in trying to research or describe that divine experience in words. It is not such an object. It is a bliss that one needs to experience and immerse oneself in. The methods for living a life to experience this bliss are all coded in the religions. Our Saint goes on to explain.

There are six religious paths classified by our saints. They are Saivam, Pasupatham, Maviratham, Kalamukam, Vaamam, and Bhairavam.  These six are the religious paths that our saints have identified for experiencing divine bliss. During the time of Saint Thirumoolar also there were differences of opinion between the various religious groups as we have in our society now. Our Saint Thirumoolar sings cautioning all of us that we should not waste time discussing the merit and demerit of each religious path, but focus on the one common goal of all paths, which is experiencing divine bliss.

ஒன்றது பேரூர் வழி ஆறு  அதற்குள

என்றது போல இருமுச் சமயமும்

இருமுச் சமயமும் – two times three, six religious paths;

 

The town that we all have agreed as destination is one.  There are six paths to go there. Our religious paths are also similar to that.

 

Forgetting the destination, let us not quarrel about the path to choose, scolds our Saint in this song.

நன்றிது தீதிது என்றுரை யாளர்கள்

குன்று குரைத்தெழு நாயையொத் தார்களே.  

 

Our Saint sings that those who quarrel on the merit and demerit are like the dog that barks at the moon that rises from behind the mountain. His comparison also implies that God like the big mountain and the quarreling persons are like the unintelligent dog.

ஒன்றது பேரூர் வழி ஆறு  அதற்குள

என்றது போல இருமுச் சமயமும்

நன்றிது தீதிது என்றுரை யாளர்கள்

குன்று குரைத்தெழு நாயையொத் தார்களே.  2

 

Our Saint Thirumoolar continues to sing on the foolishness and ignorance among people who are confusing themselves by giving various names to the paths.

 

இத்தவம் அத்தவம் என்றிரு பேரிடும்

பித்தரைக் காணில் நகும் எங்கள் பேர்நந்தி

இரு பேரிடும் – giving names for each spiritual method by distinguish one from other. பித்தரை – foolish persons; காணில் – seeing; நகும் –laugh பேர்நந்தி – our beloved God, Siva.

 

Our Saint says that Siva will laugh at those who delude themselves and call by  various names the different methods.

 

எத்தவம்  ஆகிலென் எங்குப் பிறக்கிலென்

ஒத்துணர் வார்க்கு ஒல்லை  ஊர்புக லாமே.  

ஆகிலென் – what does it matter? ஒத்துணர்தல் – experiencing the bliss of oneness with God; ஒல்லை   - soon.

 

What does it matter which spiritual method, which religious path, which cast does one belong to or follow ? Divine bliss will be bestowed certainly soon on those who dwell on Him constantly.  ஊர்புகுதல் – merge with the divine.

இத்தவம் அத்தவம் என்றிரு பேரிடும்

பித்தரைக் காணில் நகும் எங்கள் பேர்நந்தி

எத்தவம்  ஆகிலென் எங்குப் பிறக்கிலென்

ஒத்துணர் வார்க்கு ஒல்லை  ஊர்புக லாமே.  12

 

Our Saint reminds nicely that the various spiritual paths and methods are all nothing but the roads leading to the same destination. Once a person has chosen a path, there is no point in thinking about other paths. What is important is to fully dedicate one’s effort in that path without losing faith. We also understand the reason why each one think highly of their own path. We do not think there is anything wrong about that as such. What is important is to not think lowly of another path. Each path has its own favorite form of the Divine and method of worship and so on. This is the specialty of the Bharathiya culture. It is not sufficient for a person following his path to simply acknowledge another path as something different. It is important that we to understand that the other path is perhaps more appropriate for that person that our path. This is the guidance our saints give to us.

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

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