Margazhi ends today, and the time for the Grand Finale of our Thiruvempavai contemplation. What started with (The luminescent merciful fire which has no beginning or end) Aadhiyum Andhamum illa arutperumjothi comes to a close with praising the Lord's feet in this final stanza.
The moral: The boundless nature of God is beyond comprehension, yet our limited understanding, constrained by the limitations of the human form, shapes our perception of his infinite power.
When I started trying to study Thiruvempavai, instead of just chanting it by heart in front of a lamp, I was not 100% sure if I was capable of doing this. For Saint Manickavasagar's wisdom is experience laden and not shallow words of exaggeration. Coming to this 20th stanza makes me feel surely accomplished and blessed; I am grateful for all the forces of nature that came together in my life to make this possible, and that includes you, the reader at the heart of it. In this stanza, Manickavasagar praises the feet of the Lord, by attributing it to different characteristics. Without much ado, let's dive right in.
The Verse
போற்றி அருளுக நின் ஆதியாம் பாதமலர்
pORRi aruLukan^in AdhiyAm pAdhamalar
போற்றி அருளுக நின் அந்தமாம் செந்தளிர்கள்
pORRi aruLukan^in an^dhamAny chen^thaLirkaL
போற்றி எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் தோற்றமாம் பொற்பாதம்
pORRiyel lAvuyirkkum thORRamAm poRpAdham
போற்றி எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் போகமாம் பூங்கழல்கள்
pORRiyel lAvuyirkkum pOgamAm pUN^kazalkaL
போற்றி எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் ஈறாம் இணையடிகள்
pORRiyel lAvuyirkkum IRAm iNaiyadikaL
போற்றி மால் நான்முகனும் காணாத புண்டரீகம்
pORRimAl n^AnmuganuN^ kANAdha puNdarikam
போற்றி யாம் உய்ய ஆட்கொண்டருளும் பொன்மலர்கள்
pORRiyAm uyya At koNdaruLum ponmalarkaL
போற்றி யாம் மார்கழி நீராடேலோர் எம்பாவாய்
pORRiyAm mArkazin^Ir AdElOr empAvAyTranslates to
Praise thy flower-like feet of genesis!
Praise thy feet of dissolution!
Praise thy golden feet, which brought lives to existence!
Praise thy feet, which is the joy and pleasure of all lives!
Praise thy feet, the termination of all lives!
Praise thy magnificence, which Brahma (Knowledge) and Vishnu (Wealth) couldn't fathom!
Praise thy golden feet, which uplifts my soul!
Praise and Praise, as we bath in this auspicious month of Margazhi!
The Message
In Indian culture, it's commonplace to see people bowing down or prostrating at the feet of elders as a sign of respect and admiration. The act of falling at someone's feet may seem like a simple physical gesture, but it holds great symbolic significance. The feet, biologically speaking, are just another part of the human body. However, in this cultural context, the act of falling at someone's feet is a way to honor and acknowledge the wisdom, experience, and guidance that the elder has accumulated throughout their life. It is a way of recognizing the path that they have walked and the lessons they have learned, and expressing a desire to emulate that path with a steady mind and a kind heart.
It is also worth noting that the act of falling at someone's feet is not just limited to elders but also to spiritual leaders and figures of authority, as a sign of humility, reverence and devotion.
Like any tradition, this practice can be corrupted by those who prostrates and bows down cowardly for selfish and cunning reasons. Such actions are not only a betrayal of the tradition but also a disgrace to the very essence of humility and devotion that it represents.
Now coming to thiruvempavai 20, Saint Manickavasagar is praising the Lord's feet, assuming the role of a woman in this hymn. Does the Lord have feet? He can if he wants to, and he will if he needs to; that is one answer. And, as the Bible says, God made man in his own image, so it is likely that he has the same anatomy as us, including feet. Or is God essentially a human who has risen to a level of superpower? There are several theories, stories, and folktales in Tamil culture that suggest this is the case. But, even beyond that level, as mentioned earlier, humans need a fathomable form and figure of God to fixate our focus upon. Hence, the feet of God.
Bowing down to God's feet in the temple, prostrating completely, is not a symbol of surrendering as one might usually interpret, but a symbol of promise: 'I, as a humble soul existing here because of your mercy and the net result of my karma, understand your greatness and will live up to your role in this world and be kind'.
Note how Saint Manickavasagar, attributes lord's ever-dancing feet to different occupations of the divine power such as creation, dissolution, termination, uplifting a soul etc. Lord Nataraja, the renowned dancing pose of Lord Siva is a compressed visual essence of Tamil philosophy about God, which symbolizes the role of God in our everyday lives, what he does continuously and effortlessly for the benefit of souls that are bestowed with existence.
The energy which science represents as neither destroy-able nor create-able, is the eternal dance of the Lord that Tamil philosophy speaks. I will write a dedicated blog about it, so check this space again soon for updates.
Thanks for reading! I will see you soon with heartmelting philosophical works from my Mother-like Tamil in my upcoming posts.
Please leave your comments so I can improve my writings. What can we think for next Margazhi? Comment below.
Stay blessed, Stay warm!
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