37. How to untangle the bags of Karma?

Teachings to treasure, teachings that transform. 

Thirumoolar Thavamozhi

Motivation

37. How to untangle the bags of Karma?

 

Our wise elders have classified into three categories the karma that we all experience or create in our human life. Sanchita is the accumulated karma of our actions in our past lives. Prararabdha is a portion from that Sanchita karma that we are expected to experience during this human life. Agamyam is the new karmic effect of our actions during this human life, while we are experiencing the prararabdha karma.

 

Our Saint Thirumoolar sings beautifully in this song how our wise elders mastered the method to untangle the three karmic knots and remain in bliss, constantly experiencing divine wisdom.

தன்னை அறிந்திடும் தத்துவ ஞானிகள்

தன்னை – one’s true identity (the atma); அறிந்திடும் – realizing one’s true identity by wisdom; தத்துவ ஞானிகள் – our wise elders who had realized the truth.

முன்னை வினையின் முடிச்சை அவிழ்ப்பர்கள்

முன்னை வினையின் முடிச்சை – the bag of accumulated past karma, called sanchita karma; அவிழ்ப்பர்கள் -they untie those knots; That is they release themselves from those bags of karma.

பின்னை வினையைப் பிடித்துப் பிசைவர்கள்

பின்னை வினையை – the agamya karma that occur due to actions in current human life; பிடித்துப் பிசைவர்கள் – our wise elders erase those effects of action current human life so that they do not burden their souls.

Our Saint Thirumoolar explains how our wise elders not only untie the knots of the past karmic bag (sanchita karma), but also undo the future karma (agamya karma). One may wonder how it is possible.

சென்னியில் வைத்த சிவனரு ளாலே

சென்னியில் வைத்த – adorning their heads with சிவனரு ளாலே – God’s (Siva’s) blessings.

Our Saint Thirumoolar clarifies to us once we secure the blessings of God, and acquire wisdom, both the past and future karmic bags will leave us automatically. The only method for untying these two bags of karma, is self awareness (wisdom). To acquire that wisdom we should seek divine blessings.

 

தன்னை அறிந்திடும் தத்துவ ஞானிகள்

முன்னை வினையின் முடிச்சை அவிழ்ப்பர்கள்

பின்னை வினையைப் பிடித்துப் பிசைவர்கள்

சென்னியில் வைத்த சிவனரு ளாலே.  2

 

Our Saint Thirumoolar explained earlier how our wise elders controlled their body, mind, and speech by the yogic path of knowledge to relieve themselves from the binds of karma.

 

Next our Saint Thirumoolar sings lovingly how ordinary people like us can also redeem ourselves from the karmic effects.

 

ஆசை அறுமின்கள் ஆசை அறுமின்கள்

அறுமின்கள் – break and throw away (the desires) from your minds.

 

Desire is the root cause of karma. Therefore, our Saint  Thirumoolar strictly reminds us to remove desires from our minds. To emphasize that it is the only way, he mentions the word  twice in this line.

ஆசை அறுமின்கள் ஆசை அறுமின்கள்

ஈசனோ டாயினும் ஆசை அறுமின்கள்

ஈசனோ டாயினும் – Our Saint Thirumoolar goes on to mention that, even when showing love to God, we should not pray seeking a particular reward; அறுமின்கள் – we should let go our desires without delay.

 

He says some people think that to avoid desires, it is wiser (or safer) to pray to God. However, he says that the desire to pray to God would also create bonds. Our Saint Thirumoolar says that even when we pray to God, we should keep our desires under check and watch. He says, "When you pray to God, do not add your wishes in that prayer". To explain that point he sings “ஈசனோ டாயினும் ஆசை அறுமின்கள்”.

ஆசை படப்பட ஆய்வருந் துன்பங்கள்

ஆய்வரும் – will sprout from seeds.

Even when we pray with any desire, sorrows will also grow without our knowledge.

 ஆசை விடவிட ஆனந்த மாமே

Only when we give up desire one by one, we can experience joy and the joy will grow inside us.

Our Saint Thirumoolar explains so simply that our desires translate in sorrows. To escape sorrows, we should surrender to God declaring all that happens to me is “all His will”. In order to do so, our Saint also cautions us that one should not be caught by desire, and ask for this and that. His sings in the last two lines of this poem, with a nice rhyme that implies that gradually as we give us desires we will steadily become happy.

 

WhenSaint Thiruvalluvar  sang a couplet on this point,  he also with rhyme!

“யாதனின் யாதனின் நீங்கியான் நோதல்

அதனின் அதனின் இலன்”

 

ஆசை அறுமின்கள் ஆசை அறுமின்கள்

ஈசனோ டாயினும் ஆசை அறுமின்கள்

ஆசை படப்பட ஆய்வருந் துன்பங்கள்

ஆசை விடவிட ஆனந்த மாமே.  3

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

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