From the Internet: The Thiruvempavai is a collection of songs composed by the poet and saint, Manikkavacakar. It consists of 20 stanzas devoted to the Hindu God Shiva. It forms part of the collection called Thiruvasagam, and the 8th book of the Thirumurai, a canonical text of the Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta.Wikipedia
In the next coming days, watch this space to learn about Thiruvempavai stanzas, one by one.
I must admit, I regretfully discovered Thiruvembavai after living 28 years unaware of the philosophical wisdom preserved & passed down by my ancestors.
Tamil is not only an easy language to learn, understand, and communicate, but it is also a language of unparalleled philosophical wisdom. This may seem like a biased statement, but the truth of it is confirmed by the fact that seekers from around the globe and from various religions have been drawn to the philosophical riches of Tamil as a source of enlightenment. Tamil stands out as a language of profound philosophical depth, and it has the power to inspire and transform those who seek its wisdom.
What is Thiruvempavai
Paavai - means 'a woman' not just any woman, but the woman who means as important to a person(man/woman) as 'the retina to the eye'. Thiru means, reverence. Empavai means, my woman, thiruvempavai means = my respected woman!
Each verse of Thiruvempavai finishes with the line "Aelor Empavai" which means, "Rise, my dear woman", as in waking her up from sleep, during the month of Margazhi. The songs are set in a context of women who during the month of margazhi, rising up as early as 4 am in the morning and going to the river to take a bath, calling up their most beloved friend who is sleeping at this auspicious hour. So in each stanza, they explain the urgency of a soul to connect with the god during this godly hour and that she should rise and shine.
Another important reason why this song is recited is around the steadfast belief that if recited with pure devotion during the month of margazhi, the woman will give birth to philosophically sound and pious children who would serve mankind, treat others with equal and a devout shiv bhakt.
Definition of God
God is portrayed as light and water in this song throughout. The song starts with the line
"Aadhiyum Andhamum illa arum perum jothi": which roughly translates to "God who is the light which has no beginning or end"
The significance of water for life is denoted in a few stanzas by depicting lord siva's mercy as the water which washes away our ignorance and ego, if one has devoted their soul to his lotus feet.
In the next coming days, watch this space to learn about Thiruvempavai stanzas, one by one.
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