Thiruvempavai - 8

How beautifully Saint Manickavachakar is tying up a seemingly humble folk tale of women having conversations with their friend who is asleep, with a great philosophy of a soul's conversation with it's heart, asking to wake up and cooperate, in it's journey towards enlightenment. This episode, we are looking at the Eighth stanza, let's surf!

The Verse

kOzi chilambach chilambuN^ kurugeN^gum
  Ezil iyamba iyambumveN chaN^geN^gum 
kEzil paranychOdhi kEzil paraN^karuNai
  kEzil vizupporuLkaL pAdinON^ kEttilaiyO
vAziyI dhenna uRakkamO vAythiRavAy
  AziyAn anbudaimai AmARum ivvARO
Uzi mudhalvanAy n^inRa oruvanai 
  EzaipaN^ gALanaiyE pAdElOr empAvAy
  

Translates to

"The hens and sparrows began to make noise, and the Yazh(Harp) and white conches produced their distinctive sounds all around. We are singing about the Supreme Luminance, the Supreme Grace,one who has no parables, The merciful one, who has no one to be compared with. Long live! How deep is your sleep? Is this the love you told us once, that is similar to that of Lord Vishnu, who ripped his eyes to show his loving devotion to lord Siva? Now rise and sing with us, the praise of one who is the leader of Oozhi (The cleansing of the universe) and is a partner for humble, selfless souls"

The Message:

The mythological story mentioned in this verse tells of Lord Vishnu, who was known for offering 1000 freshly bloomed flowers to Lord Shiva as part of his devotion. However, on one occasion, there was one flower missing, causing Lord Vishnu to feel distressed. Without hesitation, he plucked out his eye, known as "Kan Malar" or "The Flower of the Eye," to make up for the missing flower. This story is also reflected in the tale of Kannappa Nayanar, one of the 63 Nayanmars or devotees of Shiva documented by Saint Sekkizhar in the Periya Puranam. Kannappa Nayanar, who became celebrated for his unwavering devotion to Shiva, was originally a hunter who demonstrated his deep love for the deity by ripping out his own eye when he saw that the sculpture of Shiva was bleeding through its eyes.

Lord Vishnu, also considered as Adhi Kannappar, a previous incarnation of Kannappa Nayanar in some puranas

I will write about this later, but the takeaway is as follows:

When a person becomes deeply devoted and connected to the divine, the physical body and its pains or sufferings become insignificant. While this may seem extreme or gruesome when read as a story, we can see similar examples of selfless love and devotion in the real world. For instance, consider the bravery and sacrifice of our beloved army men, who stand in the battlefield, leaving behind their families and knowing that their lives may be taken at any moment by a bullet or explosion. Despite this, they continue to serve with the same dedication and commitment as if they were simply sitting behind a computer typing ( I am referring to my humble self). This level of devotion, even in the face of danger and suffering, is a testament to the power of love and faith.

This does not necessarily imply that devotion has to be this gruesome or horrific, but when one evolves in their perspective of what they value between permanent enlightenment and a human body which is impermanent, it will become natural for a soul to only find the body less valuable.

Kannappa Nayanar - marking the other bleeding eye with his foot and ripping his second eye

See you in next post with "Stanza 9". Do you find this useful and worth your precious time? Let me know in the comments.

Stay Blessed, Stay Awake!