Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai: Tamil text, transliteration and translation

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Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai: Tamil text, transliteration and translation

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In continuation of my translations of other works of Bhagavan, such as Nāṉ Ār?, Upadēśa Undiyār, Upadēśa Sāraḥ, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Upadēśa Kaliveṇbā, Appaḷa Pāṭṭu, Āṉma-Viddai, Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham and Aruṇācala Tattuvam and Dīpa-Darśaṉa Tattuvam, this is my translation of ஸ்ரீ அருணாசல நவமணிமாலை (Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai), and in the coming months or years I hope to be able to revise and post here my translations of all his other original writings.

1. Verse 1: when that śakti subsides back in his motionless form, Arunachalam rises high
2. Verse 2: the meaning of the name aruṇācalam, which bestows liberation when thought of
3. Verse 3: those who steadfastly seek clarity, the sublime grace of the supreme Lord who dwells in Arunachalam, will subside in the ocean of bliss
4. Verse 4: Annamalai, so that I do not perish as earth thinking the filthy body to be I, looking at me with your cool love-filled eyes, abide in my heart
5. Verse 5: Lord who are cit-svarūpa shining gloriously as Sonagiri, bearing with all my great wrongs, as a mother does for a child, give me your look of grace so the I do not fall again in this desolation of birth and death but instead rise up on the shore
6. Verse 6: Arunachaleswara, you are kāmāri, the slayer of carnal desire, so though it is powerful, how can such desire enter a mind that takes refuge in the fortress of your feet?
7. Verse 7: Annamalai, whatever be your wish, do that, but just give me a flood of love for your pair of feet
8. Verse 8: his heart overflowing with joy, the Red Hill God gave me his state so that the miserable distress in the wickedness of the vile senses perishes
9. Verse 9: what a wonder of your grace, Arunachala, who are cinmaya, drawing me to yourself, you fixed me at your feet

Introduction

ஸ்ரீ அருணாசல நவமணிமாலை (Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai), ‘The Garland of Nine Gems to Sri Arunachala’, is a collection of nine verses that Bhagavan composed on various occasions. The circumstances under which he composed verses 1 and 8 are narrated in the notes for each of them, but as far as I am aware the circumstances under which he composed the other seven verses are not now known.

The first three verses are sung in praise of the greatness of Arunachala and his grace, the next four are prayers, and the final two are somewhat autobiographical, praising Arunachala for bestowing upon him his own state and thereby saving him from sinking in the deep ocean of worldly māyā.

வெண்பா (veṇbā)

Verse 1:

அசலனே யாயினு மச்சவை தன்னி
லசலையா மம்மையெதி ராடு — மசல
வுருவிலச் சத்தி யொடுங்கிட வோங்கு
மருணா சலமென் றறி.

acalaṉē yāyiṉu maccavai taṉṉi
lacalaiyā mammaiyedi rāḍu — macala
vuruvilac catti yoḍuṅgiḍa vōṅgu
maruṇā calameṉ ḏṟaṟi.

பதச்சேதம்: அசலனே ஆயினும், அச் சவை தன்னில் அசலை ஆம் அம்மை எதிர் ஆடும். அசல உருவில் அச் சத்தி ஒடுங்கிட, ஓங்கும் அருணாசலம் என்று அறி.

Padacchēdam (word-separation): acalaṉē āyiṉum, a-c-cavai-taṉṉil acalai ām ammai edir āḍum. acala uruvil a-c-catti oḍuṅgiḍa, ōṅgum aruṇācalam eṉḏṟu aṟi.

அன்வயம்: அசலனே ஆயினும், அச் சவை தன்னில் அசலை ஆம் அம்மை எதிர் ஆடும். அசல உருவில் அச் சத்தி ஒடுங்கிட, அருணாசலம் ஓங்கும் என்று அறி.

Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): acalaṉē āyiṉum, a-c-cavai-taṉṉil acalai ām ammai edir āḍum. acala uruvil a-c-catti oḍuṅgiḍa, aruṇācalam ōṅgum eṉḏṟu aṟi.

English translation: Though being actually he who is motionless, in that assembly hall he dances opposite Mother, who is acalā. Know that when that śakti subsides back in the motionless form, Arunachalam rises high.

Explanatory paraphrase: Though he [Lord Siva] is actually acalaṉ [he who is motionless, being the one immutable ground from which and in which everything else appears], in that assembly hall [of Chidambaram] he dances [in the form of Nataraja] opposite [the divine] Mother, who is acalā [the consort of acalaṉ]. Know that when that śakti [the divine Mother] subsides [or merges] back in the motionless form [the original, natural and fundamental form of Lord Siva], Arunachalam rises high [that is, in the motionless form of Arunachalam, which rises high above all his other forms, Lord Siva shines exalted in his natural state as pure being].

Padavurai (word-explanation): அசலனே (acalaṉē): actually motionless, actually he who is motionless {acalaṉ is the masculine form of the neuter acalam, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit acala, ‘unmoving’, ‘motionless’, ‘immoveable’, ‘steady’, ‘fixed’, ‘constant’, ‘permanent’ or ‘mountain’ (the negative and opposite of cala, ‘moving’, ‘moveable’, ‘unsteady’, ‘unfixed’, ‘inconstant’ or ‘fickle’); and the suffix ē is an intensifier that in this context implies ‘actually’, ‘definitely’ or ‘certainly’} | ஆயினும் (āyiṉum): though being, though [he] is {ā is a verb that means ‘be’, ‘become’ or ‘come into being’; āyiṉ is a conditional form of it, ‘if being’ or ‘if [it] is’; and the suffix um when added to a conditional changes its meaning from ‘if’ to ‘even if’ or ‘though’, so āyiṉum means ‘though being’ or ‘though [it] is’} >>> so ‘அசலனே ஆயினும்’ (acalaṉē āyiṉum), means ‘Though being actually he who is motionless’, thereby implying:

Though he [Lord Siva] is actually acalaṉ [he who is motionless, being the one immutable ground from which and in which everything else appears]

<<< அச்சவைதன்னில் (a-c-cavai-taṉṉil): in that assembly hall {compound of the distal demonstrative prefix a, ‘that’; savai, ‘assembly hall’ (Tamil form of the Sanskrit sabhā, ‘assembly’, ‘meeting’, ‘council’, ‘assembly hall’ or ‘court’, referring here to the cit-sabhā, the ‘court of awareness’, namely the sacred hall in Chidambaram where Siva in the form of Nataraja danced before his consort, the divine Mother, in order to still her frenzied dance); and the case-marking suffix taṉṉil, ‘in it’ [locative (seventh case) form of the generic pronoun tāṉ]} | அசலை (acalai): she who is motionless, the Goddess as the consort of the motionless Lord Siva {Tamil form of the Sanskrit acalā, the feminine form of acala, ‘unmoving’ or ‘motionless’} | ஆம் (ām): being, who is {future adjectival participle used generically in a present tense sense} | அம்மை (ammai): mother, the divine Mother {an alternative form of ammā} | எதிர் (edir): before, opposite, in front of {adverb} | ஆடும் (āḍum): he dances {third person neuter future form of āḍu, ‘dance’, ‘act’, ‘play’ or ‘move’, but in Tamil third person neuter future forms of verbs (which end with ‘um’ and are the same in both singular and plural) are often used generically in a gender-neutral and partially tense-neutral sense, referring not to the past but to either the present or the future (particularly to express present actions or states that are predictable, typical, habitual, customary or to be expected), so in this context āḍum is used as a third person masculine form of the present tense: ‘he dances’} >>> so ‘அச் சவை தன்னில் அசலை ஆம் அம்மை எதிர் ஆடும்’ (a-c-savai-taṉṉil acalai ām ammai edir āḍum), means ‘in that assembly hall he dances opposite Mother, who is acalā’, thereby implying ‘in that assembly hall [of Chidambaram] he dances [in the form of Nataraja] opposite [the divine] Mother, who is acalā [the consort of acalaṉ]’, and hence this first sentence, ‘அசலனே ஆயினும், அச் சவை தன்னில் அசலை ஆம் அம்மை எதிர் ஆடும்’ (acalaṉē āyiṉum, a-c-savai-taṉṉil acalai ām ammai edir āḍum), means ‘Though being actually he who is motionless, in that assembly hall he dances opposite Mother, who is acalā’, which implies:

Though he [Lord Siva] is actually acalaṉ [he who is motionless, being the one immutable ground from which and in which everything else appears], in that assembly hall [of Chidambaram] he dances [in the form of Nataraja] opposite [the divine] Mother, who is acalā [the consort of acalaṉ].

<<< அசலவுருவில் (acala-v-uruvil): in the motionless form, in [his] motionless form {compound of acalam, ‘unmoving’, ‘motionless’ or ‘immoveable’, and uruvil [locative (seventh case) form of uru, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit rūpa, ‘form’], ‘in form’} | அச்சத்தி (a-c-catti): that Sakti {compound of the distal demonstrative prefix a, ‘that’, and satti (Tamil form of the Sanskrit śakti, ‘power’, which is also a name of the divine Mother or Goddess, who is the personification of divine power)} | ஒடுங்கிட (oḍuṅgiḍa): when subsiding, when ceasing, when dissolving, when merging, when being absorbed, when becoming still, when [she] subsides, when [she] subsides back {infinitive used idiomatically in the sense ‘when subsiding’} >>> so ‘அசலவுருவில் அச் சத்தி ஒடுங்கிட’ (acala-v-uruvil a-c-satti oḍuṅgiḍa) means ‘when that śakti subsides back in the motionless form’, thereby implying:

when that śakti [the divine Mother] subsides [or merges] back in the motionless form [the original, natural and fundamental form of Lord Siva]

<<< ஓங்கும் (ōṅgum): rises high, is exalted {third person neuter future form of ōṅgu, ‘rise high’, ‘ascend’, ‘surge’, ‘spread’, ‘expand’, ‘grow’, ‘increase’, ‘flourish’ or ‘be exalted’, but used here generically in a present tense sense} | அருணாசலம் (aruṇācalam): Arunachala {Tamil nominative (first case) neuter form of the Sanskrit aruṇācala} | என்று (eṉḏṟu): saying {an adverbial participle implying ‘that’, ‘thus’ or ‘as’} | அறி (aṟi): know, be aware {the root of this verb, used here as an imperative} >>> so ‘ஓங்கும் அருணாசலம் என்று அறி’ (ōṅgum aruṇācalam eṉḏṟu aṟi) means ‘know that Arunachalam rises high’, and hence this second sentence, ‘அசலவுருவில் அச் சத்தி ஒடுங்கிட, ஓங்கும் அருணாசலம் என்று அறி’ (acala-v-uruvil a-c-satti oḍuṅgiḍa, ōṅgum aruṇācalam eṉḏṟu aṟi), means ‘Know that when that śakti subsides back in the motionless form, Arunachalam rises high’, which implies:

Know that when that śakti [the divine Mother] subsides [or merges] back in the motionless form [the original, natural and fundamental form of Lord Siva], Arunachalam rises high [that is, in the motionless form of Arunachalam, which rises high above all his other forms, Lord Siva shines exalted in his natural state as pure being].

Note: When Bhagavan was living in Virupaksha Cave, a dikṣitar (one of the community whose members are the hereditary trustees and priests of the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple) used to visit him whenever he came to Tiruvannamalai, and since he cherished a desire to take him to visit the Nataraja Temple, he would often talk to him about its greatness. However, though Bhagavan always listened to him with apparent interest, he never showed any sign of wanting to visit there, so eventually one day the dikṣitar told him directly that Chidambaram is even greater than Tiruvannamalai, because among the pañcabhūta-sthalas (five places sacred to Lord Siva, each one representing one of the five elements), Chidambaram is the ākāśa-liṅgam (space-liṅgam) whereas Tiruvannamalai is just the agni-liṅgam (fire-liṅgam). To emphasise his point, he argued that space is the first, most subtle and most fundamental of the five elements, because the other four elements (air, fire, water and earth) are all contained within it and must eventually merge back into it. Hearing this, Bhagavan smiled and said something to the following effect:

The five elements come into existence only when śakti rises and becomes active, thereby seemingly forsaking her natural state of eternal oneness with Lord Siva, the ever-motionless sat-cit. Since the five elements are therefore mere creations of śakti, she is more fundamental than any of them, so the place where she merges is more significant than the place where they merge. Since she was dancing in Chidambaram, Lord Siva had to dance before her to make her become motionless, but in Arunachala he remains motionless (acala) as he always actually is, so by the irresistible power of his motionless being she was attracted to him like iron to a magnet, and due to her all-consuming love for him she effortlessly subsided and merged in him forever. Therefore Arunachala shines as the foremost śiva-kṣētra [place sacred to Lord Siva], because here śakti, who has seemingly created all this manifold appearance, herself merges back into him. Hence for mature aspirants who seek to put an end to the false appearance of multiplicity, the most powerful help is to be found here in Arunachala.

This happened in about 1914 or 1915, and many years later, on 24th July 1928, while he was composing Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu, Bhagavan narrated this to Muruganar and others, explaining in more detail the unique greatness of Arunachala, and then composed this verse as a brief summary of what he had explained.

There are several stories about the dance of Nataraja, and several variants of each story, but the one that Bhagavan refers to in this verse is briefly as follows: After vanquishing and killing a demon, the divine Mother began to dance in a wild frenzy, thereby endangering the entire universe, so the dēvas and others prayed to Lord Siva to protect them. He therefore took the form of Nataraja and began to dance in front of her, and in her frenzy she challenged him to a dancing competition, so it was only when he won the competition that she was finally subdued and ceased dancing.

However, though he danced in the form of Nataraja in the cit-sabhā (court of awareness) in Chidambaram, his real nature (svarūpa) is pure being, which is eternally and immutably motionless (acala) and therefore devoid of all doing. In Tiruvannamalai, therefore, he remains acala in the form of the great mountain Aruṇācala, and when the divine Mother was drawn to Aruṇācala to do tapas (spiritual austerities), due to her intense love for him she eventually subsided completely in him, as him, thereby being restored to her natural state of eternal oneness with him.

As Sadhu Om told me, Bhagavan explained this verse and the tattva (reality, truth, import or signification) of these stories of Chidambaram and Arunachala as follows:

The divine Mother is the one divine power (śakti), which when directed outwards, away from its source and substance, namely Lord Siva, appears as māyā in the form of ego or mind, the nature of which is ceaseless activity or doing, but which when turned back within to face Lord Siva, shines as it actually is in the form of pure love, which is the infinite power of grace. Since she is in her essential nature none other than Lord Siva, who is acalaṉ (he who is motionless), she is called acalai (she who is motionless), and this signifies that in its essential nature ego is nothing other than ātma-svarūpa.

Just as the frenzied dance of śakti had to be pacified in order for her to regain her original state of motionlessness, the ceaseless rising and activity of ego needs to subside in order for us to regain our original state of just being. In other spiritual paths, the mind is given a single activity in order to subdue its other activities, so in order to cling to that single activity it needs to make strenuous effort, whereas in the path of ātma-vicāra, which is the path of complete self-surrender, no arduous activity is necessary, because simply by clinging with love to our own being, ‘I am’, we will subside and merge motionlessly back into our being, as our being, just as śakti subsided and merged in Arunachala, as Arunachala, the acala-svarūpa (motionless real form) of Lord Siva, simply because of her overwhelming love for him. Thus this verse implies that in order for us to regain our original state of just being as we actually are, no activity (dancing) of our mind is necessary, because ultimately we can be as we actually are only by completely giving up all activity, which we can do only by clinging firmly to our own being, which is Arunachala.

The dance of Nataraja signifies the shining of ahaṁ-sphuraṇa, the clarity of self-awareness that shines within the mind to the extent to which it is turned back within to face its source and substance, the pure ‘I’ (aham), so it is this dance alone that can bring the ceaselessly moving mind to a permanent standstill. The more the mind turns back within, therefore, the more it will be overcome with intense love for the real motionless form (acala-svarūpa) of Lord Arunachala Siva, who is the pure being-awareness (sat-cit) that shines eternally in the heart as ‘I am’, which is the one motionless reality that underlies and shines through the appearance of ahaṁ-sphuraṇa. Hence the purport of this very significant verse is that, as pure motionless being, in which the mind subsides when overwhelmed and consumed by intense love, which is born and nurtured in the heart by his grace, Arunachala shines exalted above all other forms or manifestations of Lord Siva.

Incidentally, Bhagavan also explained that though Arunachala is generally considered to be one of the pañcabhūta-liṅgams (liṅgams representing the five elements), this is a more superficial interpretation of the fact that it is called the agni-liṅgam (fire-liṅgam), because it is actually the fire of jñāna (pure awareness), which consumes ego and all its progeny, namely all phenomena including the five elements, and which thereby remains shining alone as the sole reality, as it always actually is.

Explanations and discussions:
2022-10-07: With regard to the story of Ardhanarisvara, in which the Goddess, Uma Devi, attained oneness (aikya) with Lord Siva, in his commentary on verse 14 of Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai Muruganar notes that, as narrated in the Puranas, the form of Siva in which she merged as one is Arunachala, as Bhagavan implies in the second half of this first verse of Navamaṇimālai

கட்டளைக்கலித்துறை (kaṭṭaḷai-k-kali-t-tuṟai)

Verse 2:

சத்திய சிற்சுக மன்றிப் பரவுயிர் சாரயிக்க
மர்த்தவத் தத்வ மசியரு ணப்பொரு ளாமசலத்
தர்த்தங் கனமது வாகுஞ்செவ் வாடக வாரொளியா
முத்தி நினைக்க வருளரு ணாசல முன்னிடவே.

sattiya ciṯsukha maṉḏṟip paravuyir sārayikka
martthavat tatva maciyaru ṇapporu ḷāmacalat
tartthaṅ ghaṉamadu vāhuñcev vāṭaka vāroḷiyā
mutti niṉaikka varuḷaru ṇācala muṉṉiḍavē.

பதச்சேதம்: சத்திய சித் சுகம் அன்றி பர உயிர் சார் அயிக்கம் அர்த்த அத் ‘தத் த்வம் அசி’ அருண பொருள் ஆம்; அசலத்து அர்த்தம் கனம் அது ஆகும்; செவ் ஆடக ஆர் ஒளி ஆம் முத்தி நினைக்க அருள் அருணாசலம் உன்னிடவே.

Padacchēdam (word-separation): sattiya-cit-sukham aṉḏṟi para-uyir-sār-ayikkam arttha a-t-‘tat tvam asi’ aruṇa poruḷ ām; acalattu arttham ghaṉam adu āhum; cev āṭaka ār oḷi ām mutti niṉaikka aruḷ aruṇācalam uṉṉiḍavē.

அன்வயம்: செவ் ஆடக ஆர் ஒளி ஆம் முத்தி நினைக்க அருள் அருணாசலம் உன்னிடவே, அருண பொருள் சத்திய சித் சுகம் அன்றி பர உயிர் சார் அயிக்கம் அர்த்த அத் ‘தத் த்வம் அசி’ ஆம்; அசலத்து அர்த்தம் கனம் அது ஆகும்.

Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): cev āṭaka ār oḷi ām mutti niṉaikka aruḷ aruṇācalam uṉṉiḍavē, aruṇa poruḷ sattiya-cit-sukham aṉḏṟi para-uyir-sār-ayikkam arttha a-t-‘tat tvam asi’ ām; acalattu arttham ghaṉam adu āhum.

English translation: When one carefully considers aruṇācalam, which is red gold pervading light, and which bestows liberation when one thinks, besides being-awareness-happiness, that ‘That you are’, the meaning of which is the intimate oneness of the Supreme and the soul, is the meaning of aruṇa; the meaning of acalam is that which is firm.

Explanatory paraphrase: When one carefully considers [the meaning of the name] aruṇācalam, which is the all-pervading light [of pure awareness], [whose bright lustre is like] red gold, and which bestows mukti [liberation] when one thinks [of it], the meaning of aruṇa [which consists of three syllables, namely a-ru-ṇa] is not only satya-cit-sukham [being-awareness-happiness] but also that [mahāvākya (great declaration)] ‘tat tvam asi’ [That you are], the meaning of which is para-v-uyir-sār-ayikkam [the intimate oneness of the Supreme and the soul, also known as jīva-brahma-aikya]; and the meaning of acalam is that which is ghana [firm, compact, dense, solid, permanent, immutable, complete, full and abundant].

Padavurai (word-explanation): சத்தியசிற்சுகம் (sattiya-ciṯ-sukham): reality-awareness-happiness, being-awareness-happiness, sat-cit-ānanda {compound of sattiyam (a Tamil form of the Sanskrit satya), ‘reality’, ‘truth’, ‘what is’ or ‘being’; cit, ‘awareness’ or ‘consciousness’; and sukham, ‘happiness’ or ‘bliss’} | அன்றி (aṉḏṟi): besides {conjunction, often used in the sense of ‘not only … but also’} | பரவுயிர் (para-v-uyir): the Supreme and the soul {compound of param (a Tamil form of the Sanskrit para), ‘supreme’ or ‘God’, and uyir, ‘soul’} | சார் (sār): come near, be close {the root of this verb, used here as an adjectival participle, meaning ‘being near’ and implying ‘close’ or ‘intimate’} | அயிக்கம் (ayikkam): oneness {Tamil form of the Sanskrit aikya} | அர்த்த (arttha): meaning {Tamil form of the Sanskrit artha} | அத்தத்வமசி (a-t-tatvam-asi): that ‘that you are’ {compound of the distal demonstrative prefix a, ‘that’, and tatvam-asi, ‘that you are’ (a poetic abbreviation of ‘tat-tuvam-asi’, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit ‘tat tvam asi’, in which tat, ‘that’, refers to brahman, the one infinite reality, tvam, ‘you’, refers to us as jīva, the soul or ego, and asi means ‘are’)} | அருணப்பொருள் (aruṇa-p-poruḷ): the meaning of aruṇa {compound of aruṇa, the first three syllables of the name aruṇācalam, and poruḷ, ‘substance’, ‘meaning’ or ‘import’} | ஆம் (ām): is {third person neuter future form of ā, ‘be’, but used here generically in a present tense sense} >>> so ‘சத்தியசிற்சுகம் அன்றி பரவுயிர் சார் அயிக்கம் அர்த்த அத்தத்வமசி அருண பொருள் ஆம்’ (sattiya-ciṯ-sukham para-v-uyir-sār-ayikkam arttha a-t-‘tatvam-asi’ aruṇa poruḷ ām) means “besides being-awareness-happiness, that ‘That you are’, the meaning of which is the intimate oneness of the Supreme and the soul, is the meaning of aruṇa”, which implies:

the meaning of aruṇa [which consists of three syllables, namely a-ru-ṇa] is not only satya-cit-sukham [being-awareness-happiness] but also that [mahāvākya (great declaration)] ‘tat tvam asi’ [That you are], the meaning of which is para-v-uyir-sār-ayikkam [the intimate oneness of the Supreme and the soul, also known as jīva-brahma-aikya]

<<< அசலத்தர்த்தம் (acalattarttham): the meaning of acalam {compound of acalattu, the inflection base of acalam (Tamil form of the Sanskrit acala, ‘unmoving’, ‘motionless’, ‘immoveable’, ‘hill’ or ‘mountain’), and arttham (Tamil form of the Sanskrit artha, ‘meaning’)} | கனமது (ghaṉam-adu): that which is firm {compound of ghaṉam, ‘firm’, ‘compact’, ‘dense’, ‘solid’, ‘permanent’, ‘immutable’, ‘complete’, ‘full’ or ‘abundant’ (Tamil form of the Sanskrit ghana), and adu, ‘that’ [nominative (first case) form of the singular distal demonstrative pronoun]} | ஆகும் (āhum): is {third person neuter future form of āhu, ‘be’, used generically in a present tense sense} >>> so ‘அசலத்தர்த்தம் கனமது ஆகும்’ (acalattarttham ghaṉam-adu āhum) means ‘the meaning of acalam is that which is firm’, which implies:

and the meaning of acalam is that which is ghana [firm, compact, dense, solid, permanent, immutable, complete, full and abundant]

<<< செவ்வாடக (cev-v-āṭaka): red gold {compound of cev, ‘red’, and āṭaka, ‘gold’ (Tamil form of the Sanskrit hāṭaka)} | ஆர் (ār): pervade {the root of this verb, used here as an adjectival participle, ‘pervading’} | ஒளி (oḷi): light | ஆம் (ām): being, which is, who is {future adjectival participle used generically in a present tense sense} >>> so ‘செவ்வாடக ஆர் ஒளி ஆம்’ (cev-v-āṭaka ār oḷi ām) is a relative clause that means ‘which is red gold pervading light’, which implies:

which is the all-pervading light [of pure awareness], [whose bright lustre is like] red gold

<<< முத்தி (mutti): liberation {Tamil form of the Sanskrit mukti} | நினைக்க (niṉaikka): when one thinks {infinitive of niṉai, ‘think’, ‘consider’, ‘ponder’ or ‘remember’, used idiomatically to mean ‘when one thinks’} | அருள் (aruḷ): bestows, graciously gives {the root of this verb, used here as an adjectival participle, ‘bestowing’ or ‘which bestows’} >>> so ‘முத்தி நினைக்க அருள்’ (mutti niṉaikka-v-aruḷ) is a relative clause that means ‘which bestows liberation when one thinks’, which implies:

and which bestows mukti [liberation] when one thinks [of it]

<<< அருணாசலம் (aruṇācalam): Arunachalam {Tamil neuter form of the Sanskrit aruṇācala, a compound of aruṇa, ‘red’, ‘reddish brown’, ‘dawn’ or ‘sun’, and acala, ‘unmoving’, ‘motionless’, ‘immoveable’, ‘hill’ or ‘mountain’} | உன்னிடவே (uṉṉiḍavē): when one carefully considers {intensified form of uṉṉiḍa, infinitive of uṉṉiḍu, ‘think’ or ‘consider’, used idiomatically to mean ‘when one considers’} >>> so ‘அருணாசலம் உன்னிடவே’ (aruṇācalam uṉṉiḍavē) means ‘when one carefully considers aruṇācalam’, which implies:

When one carefully considers [the meaning of the name] aruṇācalam

and hence ‘செவ்வாடக ஆர் ஒளி ஆம் முத்தி நினைக்க அருள் அருணாசலம் உன்னிடவே’ (cev-v-āṭaka ār oḷi ām mutti niṉaikka-v-aruḷ aruṇācalam uṉṉiḍavē) means ‘When one carefully considers aruṇācalam, which is red gold pervading light, and which bestows liberation when one thinks’, which implies:

When one carefully considers [the meaning of] aruṇācalam, which is the all-pervading light [of pure awareness], [whose bright lustre is like] red gold, and which bestows mukti [liberation] when one thinks [of it]

Note: Referring to the third and fourth feet of the third line, namely ‘வாகுஞ்செவ் வாடக’ (vāhuñcev vāṭaka), Bhagavan wrote a footnote: ‘வாகு மிரண்மய எனவும் பாடம்’ (vāhu miraṇmaya eṉavum pāḍam), in which ‘எனவும் பாடம்’ (eṉavum pāḍam) means that the text can also say, and ‘வாகு மிரண்மய’ (vāhu miraṇmaya) is an alternative version of these two feet. Therefore, since மிரண்மய (miraṇmaya) is a Tamil form of the Sanskrit mṛnmaya, ‘earthern’ (being formed from mṛd, ‘earth’, plus the suffix maya, ‘consisting of’, ‘made of’, ‘composed of’ or ‘full of’), the alternative form of the relative clause ‘செவ்வாடக ஆர் ஒளி ஆம்’ (cev-v-āṭaka ār oḷi ām), ‘which is red gold pervading light’, is ‘மிரண்மய ஆர் ஒளி ஆம்’ (miraṇmaya ār oḷi ām), ‘which is earthen pervading light’, which implies ‘which is the all-pervading light [of pure awareness], [though seeming to be] composed of earth’. Thus in this alternative version Bhagavan contrasts two seemingly paradoxical facts about Arunachala, namely that it is actually the all-pervading light of pure awareness but nevertheless appears in the form of a hill composed of physical matter.

Bhagavan taught us that the guru is guru only from the perspective of the disciple, because from the perspective of the guru ‘யதார்த்தமா யுள்ளது ஆத்மசொரூப மொன்றே’ (yathārtham-āy uḷḷadu ātma-sorūpam oṉḏṟē), ‘What actually exists is only ātma-svarūpa [the real nature of oneself, meaning ourself as we actually are]’, as he says in the seventh paragraph of Nāṉ Ār?, so for the guru there is no other for whom he could be guru. Therefore, though he said that guru is necessary so long as we are not aware of ourself as we actually are, he never formally acknowledged that he is guru or that anyone is his disciple.

However, for all who are able to understand him, he made it very clear in so many ways that he is indeed the eternal guru, and this verse is an example of one of the subtle ways in which he made this clear. That is, as Sadhu Om explained:

சற்குரு ஒருவர் தன் சீடனுக்கு ஒரு மந்திரத்தை உபதேசிக்கப் புகும் போது, அம் மந்திரத்தின் ஒவ்வொரு அக்ஷரம் அல்லது த்வனிக்கும் உட்பொருள் ஒன்றை அறிவித்து அம்மந்திரத்தை உச்சரிப்பதனால் அல்லது தியானிப்பதனால் அடையும் பலனையும் கூறியருள்வது மரபு. இது ஓர் சற்குருவிடம் மந்திரோபதேசம் பெறும் முறை. இங்ஙனம் உலக மகாகுருவாகிய பகவான் ஸ்ரீ ரமணர் தனதடியார்கள் அனைவர்க்கும் மெய்யாகவே சரியாகவே ஒரு மந்திரத்தை உபதேசித்துள்ளாரா என்று நோக்குங்கால், “ஆம், அது ‘அருணாசலம்’ என்ற பஞ்சாக்ஷர மந்திரோபதேசமே” என நாம் கண்டுகொள்ள முடியும்.

ஏனெனில், இப்பாடலின் மூலம் பகவான் அ, ரு, ண + அசலம் என்ற சப்தங்களுக்கு உட்பொருள் கூறியிருப்பதோடு இம்மந்திரத் தியானித்தால் நாம் அடையும் பலன் ‘முக்தி’ என்றும் விளக்கியருள்கின்றார். எனவே, உலகெங்கும் உள்ள எந்த ரமண பக்தரும் ‘அருணாசலம்’ என்ற மந்திரத்தையே ஸ்ரீ ரமண பகவானிடம் பெறும் மந்திரோபதேசமாகக் கொள்ளலாம் என்பதிற் றடையில்லை. ஒரு தனிப்பட்ட சீடனுக்கென்றல்லாமல், தன்னை யடுத்த அனைவர்க்கும் ஸ்ரீ ரமண பகவான் அளித்த மந்திரோபதேசம் இதுவே.

which means:

When a sadguru starts to teach a mantra to his disciple, as well as explaining an inner meaning for each of the syllables or sounds of that mantra, graciously telling the fruit that will be obtained by uttering or meditating upon that mantra is the established custom. This is the manner in which mantrōpadēśa [mantra-teaching] is obtained from a sadguru. When we consider whether Bhagavan Sri Ramana, who is the lōka-mahā-guru [grand guru of the world], truly and correctly taught any mantra in this way to all his devotees, we will be able to see, “Yes, that is certainly the pañcākṣara-mantrōpadēśa [teaching the five-syllabled mantra] ‘aruṇācalam’”.

Why? Because through this verse, in addition to telling the inner meaning for the sounds a, ru, ṇa and acalam, Bhagavan graciously clarifies that the fruit we will obtain by meditating on this mantra is mukti [liberation]. Therefore, there could be no objection to saying that any Ramana-devotee anywhere in the world can accept the mantra ‘aruṇācalam’ as being the mantrōpadēśa they have obtained from Sri Ramana Bhagavan. The mantrōpadēśa that Sri Ramana Bhagavan has given not just to one individual disciple but to all who have taken him as their refuge is just this.

However, though giving mantrōpadēśa is one of the roles that guru may or may not assume, the real role of guru extends far beyond and is much deeper than just giving mantrōpadēśa, but because Bhagavan is guru in every true sense of this term, he also openly gave us all mantrōpadēśa through the medium of this verse.

விருத்தம் (viruttam)

Verse 3:

அருணா சலத்திலுறு கருணா கரப்பரம
      னருணார விந்த பதமே
பொருணாடு சுற்றமொடு வருணாதி பற்றியுள
      மருணாட லற்று நிதமுந்
தெருணா டுளத்தினின லருணாடி நிற்குமவ
      ரிருணாச முற்று புவிமேற்
றருணா ருணக்கதிரி னருணாளு முற்றுசுக
      வருணால யத்தி லிழிவார்.

aruṇā calattiluṟu karuṇā karapparama
      ṉaruṇāra vinda padamē
poruṇāḍu suṯṟamoḍu varuṇādi paṯṟiyuḷa
      maruṇāḍa laṯṟu nitamun
teruṇā ḍuḷattiṉiṉa laruṇāḍi niṯkumava
      riruṇāśa muṯṟu bhuvimēṯ
ṟaruṇā ruṇakkadiri ṉaruṇāḷu muṯṟucuka
      varuṇāla yatti liṙivār.

பதச்சேதம்: அருணாசலத்தில் உறு கருணா ஆகர பரமன் அருண அரவிந்த பதமே, பொருள் நாடு சுற்றம் ஒடு வருண ஆதி பற்றி உளம் மருள் நாடல் அற்று, நிதமும் தெருள் நாடு உளத்தினில், நல் அருள் நாடி நிற்கும் அவர் இருள் நாசம் உற்று புவி மேல், தருண அருண கதிரின் அருள் நாளும் உற்று, சுக வருண ஆலயத்தில் இழிவார்.

Padacchēdam (word-separation): aruṇācalattil uṟu karuṇā ākara paramaṉ aruṇa aravinda padamē, poruḷ nāḍu suṯṟam oḍu varuṇa ādi paṯṟi uḷam maruḷ nāḍal aṯṟu, nitamum teruḷ nāḍu uḷattiṉil, nal aruḷ nāḍi niṯkum avar iruḷ-nāśam uṯṟu bhuvi mēl, taruṇa aruṇa kadiriṉ aruḷ nāḷum uṯṟu, sukha varuṇa ālayattil iṙivār.

அன்வயம்: பொருள் நாடு சுற்றம் ஒடு வருண ஆதி பற்றி உளம் மருள் நாடல் அற்று, நிதமும் தெருள் நாடு உளத்தினில், அருணாசலத்தில் உறு கருணா ஆகர பரமன் அருண அரவிந்த பதமே நல் அருள் நாடி நிற்கும் அவர் தருண அருண கதிரின் அருள் நாளும் உற்று, புவி மேல் இருள் நாசம் உற்று, சுக வருண ஆலயத்தில் இழிவார்.

Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): poruḷ nāḍu suṯṟam oḍu varuṇa ādi paṯṟi uḷam maruḷ nāḍal aṯṟu, nitamum teruḷ nāḍu uḷattiṉil, aruṇācalattil uṟu karuṇā ākara paramaṉ aruṇa aravinda padamē nal aruḷ nāḍi niṯkum avar bhuvi mēl iruḷ-nāśam uṯṟu, taruṇa aruṇa kadiriṉ aruḷ nāḷum uṯṟu sukha varuṇa ālayattil iṙivār.

English translation: From a heart that always seeks clarity, being bereft of desiring and mental delusion concerning wealth, country, relatives, caste and so on, those who are steadfast seeking sublime grace, the red lotus feet of the supreme Lord, the abundant giver of grace, who dwells in Arunachalam, always experiencing grace, the rays of the newly risen sun, achieving destruction of ignorance on earth, will subside in the ocean of bliss.

Explanatory paraphrase: From [out of, because of or motivated by] a heart that always seeks clarity [namely the clarity of pure awareness], being bereft of desiring and mental delusion [in the form of] clinging [or being attached] to wealth, country, relatives, caste and so on, those [mature souls] who are steadfast [in] seeking [or earnestly desiring] the sublime grace of the red lotus feet of the supreme Lord, the abundant giver [source, storehouse or abode] of grace, who dwells in Arunachalam, [thereby] always experiencing grace, [which shines brightly dispelling all darkness] like the rays of the newly risen sun, [and thus] achieving destruction of darkness [namely the darkness of self-ignorance] [while living] on earth, will subside [and drown] in the ocean of bliss.

Padavurai (word-explanation): அருணாசலத்தில் (aruṇācalattil): in Arunachalam {locative (seventh case) form of aruṇācalam} | உறு (uṟu): be, remain, dwell, reside {the root of this verb, used here as an adjectival participle, ‘dwelling’ or ‘who dwells’} | கருணாகரப்பரமன் (karuṇākara-p-paramaṉ): supreme Lord, the abundant giver of grace {compound of karuṇā, ‘grace’, ‘compassion’, ‘kindness’ or ‘tender-heartedness’, ākara, ‘scatterer’, ‘bestower’, ‘one who give abundantly’, ‘rich source’, ‘origin’ or ‘store’, and paramaṉ, ‘supreme Lord’ (Tamil masculine personal form of the Sanskrit parama, ‘supreme’, ‘highest’, ‘ultimate’, best’ or ‘most excellent’)} | அருணாரவிந்தபதமே (aruṇāravinda-padamē): red lotus feet {compound of aruṇa, ‘red’, aravinda, ‘lotus’, and padamē, an intensified form of padam, ‘foot’ (a singular noun often used in a plural sense, ‘feet’)} >>> so ‘அருணாசலத்தில் உறு கருணாகரப்பரமன் அருணாரவிந்தபதமே’ (aruṇācalattil uṟu karuṇākara-p-paramaṉ aruṇāravinda-padamē) means ‘the red lotus feet of the supreme Lord, the abundant giver of grace, who dwells in Arunachalam’ , which implies:

the red lotus feet of the supreme Lord, the abundant giver [source, storehouse or abode] of grace, who dwells in Arunachalam

<<< பொருள் (poruḷ): substance, wealth, property | நாடு (nāḍu): country | சுற்றம் (suṯṟam): relatives, friends, attendants, those who revolve around one | ஒடு (oḍu): with, and | வருண (varuṇa): caste {Tamil form of the Sanskrit varṇa} | ஆதி (ādi): beginning, starting with {Sanskrit term often used in the sense of ‘and so on’ or ‘etcetera’} | பற்றி (paṯṟi): grasping, clinging, holding, being attached to, concerning, about {adverbial participle} | உளமருள் (uḷa-maruḷ): delusion of mind [or heart], mental delusion {compound of uḷam, ‘mind’ or ‘heart’, and maruḷ, ‘delusion’ or ‘confusion’} | நாடல் (nāḍal): seeking, desiring {verbal noun} | அற்று (aṯṟu): being devoid of, being bereft of, being without {adverbial participle} >>> so ‘பொருள் நாடு சுற்றம் ஒடு வருண ஆதி பற்றி உளமருள் நாடல் அற்று’ (poruḷ nāḍu suṯṟam oḍu varuṇa ādi paṯṟi uḷa-maruḷ nāḍal aṯṟu) means ‘being bereft of desiring and mental delusion concerning wealth, country, relatives, caste and so on’, which implies:

being bereft of desiring and mental delusion [in the form of] clinging [or being attached] to wealth, country, relatives, caste and so on

<<< நிதமும் (nitamum): always {nitam is a Tamil form of the Sanskrit nitya, ‘constant’, ‘continual’, ‘perpetual’ or ‘eternal’, and the suffix um here implies completeness, wholeness, totality or entirety, thereby complementing and emphasising the meaning of nitam} | தெருள் (teruḷ): clarity, clear awareness, wisdom {the opposite of maruḷ, ‘delusion’} | நாடு (nāḍu): seek, earnestly desire {the root of this verb, used here as an adjectival participle, ‘seeking’ or ‘that seeks’} | உளத்தினில் (uḷattiṉil): from mind, from heart, out of a heart, because of a heart {ablative (fifth case) form of uḷam, ‘mind’ or ‘heart’, implying ‘motivated by a heart’} >>> so ‘நிதமும் தெருள் நாடு உளத்தினில்’ (nitamum teruḷ nāḍu uḷattiṉil) means ‘from a heart that always seeks clarity’, which implies:

from [out of, because of or motivated by] a heart that always seeks clarity [namely the clarity of pure awareness]

<<< நல் (nal): good, excellent, sublime, abundant, intense | அருள் (aruḷ): grace {though nominative (first case) in form, used here in an accusative (second case) sense} | நாடி (nāḍi): seeking, earnestly desiring {adverbial participle} | நிற்கும் (niṯkum): standing, persisting, being steadfast, who are steadfast {adjectival participle} | அவர் (avar): they, those ones {plural and/or honorific form of the masculine or feminine third person pronoun} >>> so ‘நல் அருள் நாடி நிற்கும் அவர்’ (nal aruḷ nāḍi niṯkum avar) means ‘those who are steadfast seeking sublime grace’ and implies:

those [mature souls] who are steadfast [in] seeking [or earnestly desiring] sublime grace

<<< இருணாசம் (iruṇāśam): destruction of ignorance {compound of iruḷ, ‘darkness’, ‘delusion’ or ‘ignorance’, and nāśam, ‘destruction’ or ‘annihilation’} | உற்று (uṯṟu): reaching, achieving {adverbial participle} | புவி (bhuvi): earth, this material world | மேல் (mēl): on >>> so ‘இருள் நாசம் உற்று புவி மேல்’ (iruḷ-nāśam uṯṟu bhuvi-mēl) means ‘achieving destruction of ignorance on earth’, which implies:

[thus] achieving destruction of darkness [namely the darkness of self-ignorance] [while living] on earth

<<< தருணாருணக்கதிரினருள் (taruṇāruṇa-k-kadiriṉ-aruḷ): grace, the rays of the newly risen sun {compound of taruṇam, ‘young’ or ‘newly risen’; aruṇaṉ, ‘sun’; kadiriṉ, ‘ray’ (inflectional base of kadir, ‘ray’, used here in a plural sense, ‘rays’); and aruḷ, ‘grace’} | நாளும் (nāḷum): always {nāḷ means ‘day’ or ‘time’, and the suffix um here implies completeness, wholeness, totality or entirety, so nāḷum means ‘all times’ or ‘always’} | உற்று (uṯṟu): reaching, achieving, experiencing {adverbial participle} >>> so ‘தருண அருண கதிரின் அருள் நாளும் உற்று’ (taruṇa-aruṇa-kadiriṉ-aruḷ nāḷum uṯṟu) means ‘always experiencing grace, the rays of the newly risen sun’, which implies:

[thereby] always experiencing grace, [which shines brightly dispelling all darkness like] the rays of the newly risen sun

<<< சுகவருணாலயத்தில் (sukha-varuṇālayattil): in the ocean of bliss {compound of sukham, ‘happiness’, ‘satisfaction’ or ‘bliss’, and varuṇālayattil, ‘in the ocean’ [locative (seventh case) form of varuṇālayam, ‘ocean’ (Tamil form of the Sanskrit varuṇālaya, compound of varuṇa, god of the oceans and rain, and ālaya, ‘abode’ or place’)]} | இழிவார் (iṙivār): they will subside {masculine or feminine third person plural and/or honorific future form of iṙi, ‘descend’, ‘fall down’, ‘drop down’, ‘subside’ and ‘enter’} >>> so ‘சுக வருண ஆலயத்தில் இழிவார்’ (sukha-varuṇa-ālayattil iṙivār) means ‘will subside in the ocean of bliss’, which implies:

will subside [and drown] in the ocean of bliss.

Explanations and discussions:
2022-03-10: Since ego is the darkness of self-ignorance, which is the adjunct-conflated awareness ‘I am this body’, it can be eradicated only by the perfect clarity of pure self-awareness, and such clarity can be found only by looking deep within our own heart, which is the light of pure awareness that always shines devoid of adjuncts as ‘I am’, so what we are seeking when we investigate ourself by looking deep within is this absolute clarity of awareness of ourself as we actually are, as Bhagavan indicates in this verse by singing ‘நிதமும் தெருள் நாடு உளத்தினில்’ (nitamum teruḷ nāḍu uḷattiṉil), ‘from [out of, because of or motivated by] a heart that always seeks clarity’
2019-11-19: Regarding the phrase ‘அருணாசலத்தில் உறு கருணாகர பரமன்’ (aruṇācalattil uṟu karuṇākara paramaṉ), ‘the supreme Lord, the abundant giver of grace, who dwells in Arunachalam’, there is no contradiction between saying that Siva is Arunachala and that he is in Arunachala, because we are aware of ourself both as a body and as being in that body

வேறு (vēṟu)

Verse 4:

அண்ணா மலையுனை யெண்ணா னெனவெனை
      யண்ணாந் தேங்கிட வெண்ணாதே
மண்ணா மலவுட லெண்ணா வகமென
      மண்ணா மாய்ந்திட வொண்ணாதே
தண்ணா ரளிசெறி கண்ணா டொருகிறி
      பண்ணா தென்னிரு கண்ணாளா
பெண்ணா ணலியுரு நண்ணா வொளியுரு
      வண்ணா லென்னக நண்ணாயே.

aṇṇā malaiyuṉai yeṇṇā ṉeṉaveṉai
      yaṇṇān dēṅgiḍa veṇṇādē
maṇṇā malavuḍa leṇṇā vahameṉa
      maṇṇā māyndiḍa voṇṇādē
taṇṇā raḷiseṟi kaṇṇā ḍorukiṟi
      paṇṇā deṉṉiru kaṇṇāḷā
peṇṇā ṇaliyuru naṇṇā voḷiyuru
      vaṇṇā leṉṉaha naṇṇāyē.

பதச்சேதம்: அண்ணாமலை, உனை எண்ணான் என எனை அண்ணாந்து ஏங்கிட எண்ணாதே. மண் ஆம் மல உடல் எண்ணா அகம் என மண் ஆ மாய்ந்திட ஒண்ணாதே. தண் ஆர் அளி செறி கண் நாடு ஒரு கிறி பண்ணாது, என் இரு கண் ஆளா. பெண் ஆண் அலி உரு நண்ணா ஒளி உரு அண்ணால், என் அகம் நண்ணாயே.

Padacchēdam (word-separation): aṇṇāmalai, uṉai eṇṇāṉ eṉa eṉai aṇṇāndu ēṅgiḍa eṇṇādē. maṇ ām mala uḍal eṇṇā aham eṉa maṇ ā māyndiḍa oṇṇādē. taṇ ār aḷi seṟi kaṇ nāḍu oru kiṟi paṇṇādu, eṉ iru kaṇ āḷā. peṇ āṇ ali uru naṇṇā oḷi uru aṇṇāl, eṉ aham naṇṇāyē.

அன்வயம்: அண்ணாமலை, உனை எண்ணான் என எனை அண்ணாந்து ஏங்கிட எண்ணாதே. மண் ஆம் மல உடல் அகம் என எண்ணா மண் ஆ மாய்ந்திட ஒண்ணாதே. என் இரு கண் ஆளா, ஒரு கிறி பண்ணாது, தண் ஆர் அளி செறி கண் நாடு. பெண் ஆண் அலி உரு நண்ணா ஒளி உரு அண்ணால், என் அகம் நண்ணாயே.

Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): aṇṇāmalai, uṉai eṇṇāṉ eṉa eṉai aṇṇāndu ēṅgiḍa eṇṇādē. maṇ ām mala uḍal aham eṉa eṇṇā maṇ ā māyndiḍa oṇṇādē. eṉ iru kaṇ āḷā, oru kiṟi paṇṇādu, taṇ ār aḷi seṟi kaṇ nāḍu. peṇ āṇ ali uru naṇṇā oḷi uru aṇṇāl, eṉ aham naṇṇāyē.

English translation: Annamalai, do not think me to pine away looking upwards like one who has not thought of you. It is not at all appropriate to perish as earth thinking that the filthy body, which is earth, is I. Beloved of my two eyes, not making any trick, cool love-filled eyes look. Lord, form of light unreached by forms of male, female and those who are neither, may you abide in my heart.

Explanatory paraphrase: Annamalai [Arunachala], do not think [of leaving] me to pine away looking upwards [with longing or in despair] like one who has not thought of you. It is not at all appropriate [for you to allow me] to perish as earth [or physical matter] thinking that the filthy body, which is earth, is I. Beloved of my two eyes, without playing any trick [mischief or deception] [on me], [may your] cool love-filled eyes look [at me]. Lord, form of light [the infinite light of pure being-awareness, ‘I am’] unreached by [or transcending] [the finite appearance of all differences such as the] forms of female, male and those who are neither [entirely female nor entirely male], may you abide in my heart.

Padavurai (word-explanation): அண்ணாமலை (aṇṇāmalai): Annamalai {compound of aṇṇā, ‘unapproached’ or ‘unreached’ (negative adjectival participle), and malai, ‘hill’; a Tamil name of Arunachala, alluding to the fact that when it appeared as a column of fire (the fire of jñāna or pure awareness) its uppermost and lowermost limits could not be approached or reached by either Brahma or Vishnu, thereby implying the infinite, immeasurable and all-transcending nature of Arunachala, which is jñāna-svarūpa, that whose very nature is pure awareness} | உனை (uṉai): you {accusative (second case) singular form of the second person pronoun} | எண்ணான் (eṇṇāṉ): he who has not thought, one who has not thought {masculine third person negative participial noun} | என (eṉa): as, like {literally ‘to say’, an infinitive used here in an adverbial sense as a sign of comparison} | எனை (eṉai): me {accusative (second case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | அண்ணாந்து (aṇṇāndu): looking upwards {adverbial participle} | ஏங்கிட (ēṅgiḍa): to pine away, to yearn, to weep, to wail {infinitive} | எண்ணாதே (eṇṇādē): do not think {negative imperative} >>> so this first sentence, ‘அண்ணாமலை, உனை எண்ணான் என எனை அண்ணாந்து ஏங்கிட எண்ணாதே’ (aṇṇāmalai, uṉai eṇṇāṉ eṉa eṉai aṇṇāndu ēṅgiḍa eṇṇādē), means ‘Annamalai, do not think me to pine away looking upwards like one who has not thought of you’, which implies:

Annamalai [Arunachala], do not think [of leaving] me to pine away looking upwards [with longing or in despair] like one who has not thought of you.

<<< மண் (maṇ): earth, soil, mud, dust, dirt | ஆம் (ām): being, which is {future adjectival participle used generically in a present tense sense} | மல (mala): filthy, impure {adjective formed by dropping the final m from the noun malam, ‘dirt’, ‘filth’, ‘impurity’ or ‘excreta’} | உடல் (uḍal): body | எண்ணா (eṇṇā): thinking {adverbial participle} | அகம் (aham): I {nominative (first case) form of the Sanskrit first person singular pronoun} | என (eṉa): as, that {literally ‘to say’, an infinitive that is often used in an adverbial sense as an alternative to the adverbial participle eṉḏṟu, ‘saying’, which generally serves the same function as ‘that’, ‘thus’, ‘as’ or inverted commas in English} | மண் (maṇ): earth, soil, mud, dust, dirt | ஆ (ā): be {the root of this verb, used here in the sense of an adverbial participle, ‘being’ or ‘as’} | மாய்ந்திட (māyndiḍa): to perish, to be worn away, to be terminated, to die {infinitive} | ஒண்ணாதே (oṇṇādē): it is not at all fit, it is not at all proper, it is not at all appropriate {intensified form of the neuter third person singular tenseless negative} >>> so this second sentence, ‘மண் ஆம் மல உடல் எண்ணா அகம் என மண் ஆ மாய்ந்திட ஒண்ணாதே’ (maṇ ām mala uḍal eṇṇā aham eṉa maṇ ā māyndiḍa oṇṇādē), means ‘It is not at all appropriate to perish as earth thinking that the filthy body, which is earth, is I’, which implies:

It is not at all appropriate [for you to allow me] to perish as earth [or physical matter] thinking that the filthy body, which is earth, is I.

<<< தண்ணார் (taṇ-ṇ-ār): coolness-pervaded, cool {compound of taṇ, ‘coolness’ (implying ‘pleasantness’ and by extension ‘grace’ or ‘love’), and ār, ‘become full’ or ‘pervade’ (the root of this verb used in the sense of an adjectival participle, ‘filled’ or ‘pervaded’)} | அளிசெறி (aḷi-seṟi): love-dense, love-filled {compound of aḷi, ‘love’, ‘grace’ or ‘coolness’, and seṟi, ‘be thick’, ‘be dense’, ‘be crowded’, ‘be abundant’ or ‘be full’ (the root of this verb used in the sense of an adjectival participle, ‘crowded’, ‘filled’ or ‘abundant’)} | கண் (kaṇ): eye {though singular in form, used in a plural sense, ‘eyes’} | நாடு (nāḍu): seek, examine, look, consider, desire >>> so ‘தண் ஆர் அளி செறி கண் நாடு’ (taṇ ār aḷi seṟi kaṇ nāḍu) means ‘cool love-filled eyes look’, which implies:

[may your] cool love-filled eyes look [at me]

<<< ஒரு (oru): one, a, any | கிறி (kiṟi): falsehood, lie, trick, fraud, deceit, mischief, playful mischief | பண்ணாது (paṇṇādu): not making, not producing, not doing {negative adverbial participle} >>> so ‘ஒரு கிறி பண்ணாது’ (oru kiṟi paṇṇādu) means ‘not making any trick’, which implies:

without playing any trick [mischief or deception] [on me]

<<< என் (eṉ): my {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | இரு (iru): two | கண் (kaṇ): eye {though singular in form, used in a plural sense, ‘eyes’} | ஆளா (āḷā): beloved {vocative (eighth case) form of āḷaṉ, ‘one who takes charge’, ‘beloved lord’ or ‘husband’} >>> so ‘என் இரு கண் ஆளா’ (eṉ iru kaṇ āḷā) means ‘beloved of my two eyes’, and hence this third sentence, ‘தண் ஆர் அளி செறி கண் நாடு ஒரு கிறி பண்ணாது, என் இரு கண் ஆளா’ (taṇ ār aḷi seṟi kaṇ nāḍu oru kiṟi paṇṇādu, eṉ iru kaṇ āḷā), means ‘Beloved of my two eyes, not making any trick, cool love-filled eyes look’, which implies:

Beloved of my two eyes, without playing any trick [mischief or deception] [on me], [may your] cool love-filled eyes look [at me].

<<< பெண் (peṇ): female | ஆண் (āṇ): male | அலி (ali): neither (anyone who is neither entirely female nor entirely male), non-binary-gendered | உரு (uru): form | நண்ணா (naṇṇā): not approached, not reached, unreached {negative adjectival participle} | ஒளியுரு (oḷi-y-uru): light-form, form of light {compound of oḷi, ‘light’, and uru, ‘form’} | அண்ணால் (aṇṇāl): Lord {vocative (eighth case) form of aṇṇal, ‘one who is exalted’, ‘lord’ or ‘God’} >>> so ‘பெண் ஆண் அலி உரு நண்ணா ஒளி உரு அண்ணால்’ (peṇ āṇ ali uru naṇṇā oḷi uru aṇṇāl) means ‘Lord, form of light unreached by forms of female, male and those who are neither’, which implies:

Lord, form of light [the infinite light of pure being-awareness, ‘I am’] unreached by [or transcending] [the finite appearance of all differences such as the] forms of female, male and those who are neither [entirely female nor entirely male]

<<< என் (eṉ): my {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | அகம் (aham): heart {Tamil noun meaning ‘inside’, ‘mind’, ‘heart’ or ‘home’; though nominative (first case) in form, used here in a locative (seventh case) sense, ‘in heart’} | நண்ணாயே (naṇṇāyē): may you be, may you reside, may you abide {second person singular optative} >>> so ‘என் அகம் நண்ணாயே’ (eṉ aham naṇṇāyē) means ‘may you abide in my heart’, and hence this fourth sentence, ‘பெண் ஆண் அலி உரு நண்ணா ஒளி உரு அண்ணால், என் அகம் நண்ணாயே’ (peṇ āṇ ali uru naṇṇā oḷi uru aṇṇāl, eṉ aham naṇṇāyē), means ‘Lord, form of light unreached by forms of female, male and those who are neither, may you abide in my heart’, which implies:

Lord, form of light [the infinite light of pure being-awareness, ‘I am’] unreached by [or transcending] [the finite appearance of all differences such as the] forms of female, male and those who are neither [entirely female nor entirely male], may you abide in my heart.

வேறு (vēṟu)

Verse 5:

சீரான சோணகிரி சிறக்க வாழுஞ்
      சிற்சொருப னாமிறையே சிறிய னேன்றன்
பேரான பிழையெல்லாம் பொறுத்துக் காத்துப்
      பின்னுமிவன் பாழிதனில் வீழா வண்ணங்
காரான கருணைவிழி கொடுப்பா யின்றேற்
      கடும்பவத்தி னின்றுகரை யேற மாட்டே
னேரான துண்டோதாய் சிசுவுக் காற்று
      நிகரற்ற நலனுக்கு நிகழ்த்து வாயே.

sīrāṉa śōṇagiri śiṟakka vāṙuñ
      ciṯsorupa ṉāmiṟaiyē siṟiya ṉēṉḏṟaṉ
pērāṉa piṙaiyellām poṟuttuk kāttup
      piṉṉumivaṉ pāṙidaṉil vīṙā vaṇṇaṅ
kārāṉa karuṇaiviṙi koḍuppā yiṉḏṟēṯ
      kaḍumbhavatti ṉiṉḏṟukarai yēṟa māṭṭē
ṉērāṉa duṇḍōtāy śiśuvuk kāṯṟu
      niharaṯṟa nalaṉukku nihaṙttu vāyē.

பதச்சேதம்: சீர் ஆன சோணகிரி சிறக்க வாழும் சித் சொருபன் ஆம் இறையே, சிறியனேன் தன் பேரான பிழை எல்லாம் பொறுத்து, காத்து பின்னும் இவன் பாழ் இதனில் வீழா வண்ணம் கார் ஆன கருணை விழி கொடுப்பாய். இன்றேல், கடும் பவத்தினின்று கரை ஏற மாட்டேன். நேர் ஆனது உண்டோ தாய் சிசுவுக்கு ஆற்றும் நிகர் அற்ற நலனுக்கு? நிகழ்த்துவாயே.

Padacchēdam (word-separation): sīr-āṉa śōṇagiri śiṟakka vāṙum cit-sorupaṉ ām iṟaiyē, siṟiyaṉēṉ-taṉ pērāṉa piṙai ellām poṟuttu, kāttu piṉṉum ivaṉ pāṙ-idaṉil vīṙā-vaṇṇam, kār āṉa karuṇai viṙi koḍuppāy. iṉḏṟēl, kaḍum bhavattiṉiṉḏṟu karai-y-ēṟa māṭṭēṉ. nēr-āṉadu uṇḍō tāy śiśuvukku āṯṟum nihar-aṯṟa nalaṉukku? nihaṙttuvāyē.

அன்வயம்: சீர் ஆன சோணகிரி சிறக்க வாழும் சித் சொருபன் ஆம் இறையே, சிறியனேன் தன் பேரான பிழை எல்லாம் பொறுத்து, பின்னும் இவன் பாழ் இதனில் வீழா வண்ணம் காத்து கார் ஆன கருணை விழி கொடுப்பாய். இன்றேல், கடும் பவத்தினின்று கரை ஏற மாட்டேன். தாய் சிசுவுக்கு ஆற்றும் நிகர் அற்ற நலனுக்கு நேர் ஆனது உண்டோ? நிகழ்த்துவாயே.

Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): sīr-āṉa śōṇagiri śiṟakka vāṙum cit-sorupaṉ ām iṟaiyē, siṟiyaṉēṉ-taṉ pērāṉa piṙai ellām poṟuttu, piṉṉum ivaṉ pāṙ-idaṉil vīṙā-vaṇṇam kāttu, kār āṉa karuṇai viṙi koḍuppāy. iṉḏṟēl, kaḍum bhavattiṉiṉḏṟu karai-y-ēṟa māṭṭēṉ. tāy śiśuvukku āṯṟum nihar-aṯṟa nalaṉukku nēr-āṉadu uṇḍō? nihaṙttuvāyē.

English translation: Lord who are he whose very nature is pure awareness, shining gloriously as the sublime Sonagiri, bearing with all the great wrongs of me, this lowly person, protecting in such a way that this one does not fall again in this desolation, may you give a look of grace, which is a cloud. If not, I will not be able to rise up on the shore from cruel birth. Is there that which is comparable to the unequalled good that a mother does for a child? May you say.

Explanatory paraphrase: Lord who are cit-svarūpaṉ [he whose very nature is pure awareness], shining gloriously as the sublime Sonagiri [the Red Hill, Arunachala], bearing with [overlooking or forgiving] all the great wrongs of me, this lowly person, [and] protecting [me] in such a way that this one does not fall again in this desolation [of saṁsāra or embodied existence], may you give [me] [your] look of grace, which is [always showering abundantly like a dark rain-filled] cloud. If [you do] not, I will not be able to rise ashore from the cruel [ocean of saṁsāra, the recurring cycle of] birth [and death]. Tell [me], is there anything that is comparable to the unequalled good that a mother does for [her] child? [You are my mother and I am your child, so take care of me accordingly.]

Padavurai (word-explanation): சீரான (sīr-āṉa): sublime {compound of sīr, a noun that means ‘goodness’, ‘greatness’, ‘excellence’, ‘superiority’, ‘beauty’, ‘prosperity’, ‘esteem’ or ‘fame’, and āṉa, an adjectival participle that means ‘being’ or ‘which is’ and that is often appended to a noun to form an adjective, as in this case} | சோணகிரி (śōṇagiri): Sonagiri, Red Hill {a name of Arunachala} | சிறக்க (śiṟakka): gloriously {infinitive that means ‘to excel’, ‘to be eminent’, ‘to be illustrious’, ‘to be glorious’, ‘to be splendid’, ‘to be abundant’, ‘to be indispensable’ or ‘to be dear’, but that is used here in an adverbial sense} | வாழும் (vāṙum): being, living, flourishing {adjectival participle, which in this case implies ‘shining’} | சிற்சொருபன் (ciṯsorupaṉ): he whose very nature is pure awareness {compound of cit, ‘awareness’ (in the sense of pure awareness), and sorupaṉ, ‘he whose very nature is’ (poetic abbreviation of sorūpaṉ, masculine personal form of sorūpam, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit svarūpa, ‘own form’ or ‘very nature’ in the sense of what something actually is)} | ஆம் (ām): being, who are {adjectival participle} | இறையே (iṟaiyē): Lord {vocative (eight case) form of iṟai} >>> so ‘சீரான சோணகிரி சிறக்க வாழும் சித் சொருபன் ஆம் இறையே’ (sīrāṉa śōṇagiri śiṟakka vāṙum cit-sorupaṉ ām iṟaiyē) addresses Arunachala and means ‘Lord who are he whose very nature is pure awareness, shining gloriously as the sublime Sonagiri’, which implies:

Lord who are cit-svarūpaṉ [he whose very nature is pure awareness], shining gloriously as the sublime Sonagiri [the Red Hill, Arunachala]

<<< சிறியனேன்றன் (siṟiyaṉēṉḏṟaṉ): of me, this lowly person {compound of siṟiyaṉēṉ, ‘I, this lowly person’ (first person singular composite noun formed by appending the first person singular ending ēṉ to the noun siṟiyaṉ, ‘small person’, ‘insignificant person’, ‘lowly person’ or ‘base person’), and the case-marking suffix taṉ, ‘one’s’, ‘its’, ‘my’, ‘of me’ or ‘of myself’ [inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the generic singular pronoun tāṉ, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘oneself’ or ‘myself’]} | பேரான (pēr-āṉa): big, large, great, abundant, excessive {adjective formed as a compound of pēr, a noun that means ‘bigness’, ‘largeness’, ‘greatness’, ‘abundance’ or ‘excess’, and āṉa, an adjectival participle that means ‘being’ or ‘which is’} | பிழையெல்லாம் (piṙai-y-ellām): all of the wrongs, all the wrongs {compound of piṙai, ‘fault’, ‘defect’, ‘wrong’ or ‘misdemeanour’, and ellām, a noun meaning ‘whole’, ‘entirety’ or ‘all’} | பொறுத்து (poṟuttu): bearing with, enduring, tolerating, excusing, overlooking, forgiving, pardoning {adverbial participle} >>> so ‘சிறியனேன்றன் பேரான பிழை எல்லாம் பொறுத்து’ (siṟiyaṉēṉḏṟaṉ pērāṉa piṙai-y-ellām poṟuttu) means ‘bearing with all the great wrongs of me, this lowly person’, which implies:

bearing with [overlooking or forgiving] all the great wrongs of me, this lowly person

<<< காத்து (kāttu): protecting {adverbial participle} | பின்னும் (piṉṉum): again | இவன் (ivaṉ): he, this one {proximate third person masculine pronoun, referring here to himself} | பாழிதனில் (pāṙ-idaṉil): in this desolation {compound of pāṙ, ‘desolation’, ‘ruin’, ‘emptiness’, ‘nothingness’ or ‘void’, and idaṉil, ‘in this’ [locative (seventh case) form of the proximate singular demonstrative pronoun, idu, ‘this’]} | வீழாவண்ணம் (vīṙā-vaṇṇam): in such a way as to not fall {compound of vīṙā, ‘not falling’ or ‘which does not fall’ (negative adjectival participle), and vaṇṇam, ‘way’ or ‘manner’} >>> so ‘காத்து பின்னும் இவன் பாழ் இதனில் வீழா வண்ணம்’ (kāttu piṉṉum ivaṉ pāṙ-idaṉil vīṙā-vaṇṇam) means ‘protecting in such a way that this one does not fall again in this desolation’, which implies:

protecting [me] in such a way that this one does not fall again in this desolation [of saṁsāra or embodied existence]

<<< கார் (kār): blackness, darkness, cloud, rain | ஆன (āṉa): being, which is {adjectival participle} | கருணை (karuṇai): grace, compassion, tenderness, pity {Tamil form of the Sanskrit karuṇā} | விழி (viṙi): eye, look | கொடுப்பாய் (koḍuppāy): may you give {second person singular optative} >>> so ‘கார் ஆன கருணை விழி கொடுப்பாய்’ (kār āṉa karuṇai viṙi koḍuppāy) means ‘may you give a look of grace, which is a cloud’, thereby implying ‘may you give [me] [your] look of grace, which is [always showering abundantly like a dark rain-filled] cloud’, and hence this first sentence, ‘சீரான சோணகிரி சிறக்க வாழும் சித் சொருபன் ஆம் இறையே, சிறியனேன்றன் பேரான பிழை எல்லாம் பொறுத்து, காத்து பின்னும் இவன் பாழ் இதனில் வீழா வண்ணம் கார் ஆன கருணை விழி கொடுப்பாய்’ (sīrāṉa śōṇagiri śiṟakka vāṙum cit-sorupaṉ ām iṟaiyē, siṟiyaṉēṉḏṟaṉ pērāṉa piṙai-y-ellām poṟuttu, kāttu piṉṉum ivaṉ pāṙ-idaṉil vīṙā-vaṇṇam kār āṉa karuṇai viṙi koḍuppāy), means ‘Lord who are he whose very nature is pure awareness, shining gloriously as the sublime Sonagiri, bearing with all the great wrongs of me, this lowly person, protecting in such a way that this one does not fall again in this desolation, may you give a look of grace, which is a cloud’, which implies:

Lord who are cit-svarūpaṉ [he whose very nature is pure awareness], shining gloriously as the sublime Sonagiri [the Red Hill, Aruṇācala], bearing with [overlooking or forgiving] all the great wrongs of me, this lowly person, [and] protecting [me] in such a way that this one does not fall again in this desolation [of saṁsāra or embodied existence], may you give [me] [your] look of grace, which is [always showering abundantly like a dark rain-filled] cloud.

<<< இன்றேல் (iṉḏṟēl): if not {conditional form of the negative verb il, which denies existence} | கடும் (kaḍum): severe, harsh, cruel | பவத்தினின்று (bhavattiṉiṉḏṟu): from birth {ablative (fifth case) form of bhavam, Tamil form of the Sanskrit bhava, ‘arising’, ‘coming into being’, ‘birth’ or ‘production’, referring here to saṁsāra, embodied existence, the recurring cycle of birth and death} | கரையேற (karai-y-ēṟa): to climb ashore, to be saved, to be rescued {compound of karai, ‘shore’, ‘seashore’ or ‘riverbank’, and the infinitive ēṟa, ‘to rise’, ‘to ascend’ or ‘to climb’, so it implies ‘to rise up on the shore’ and is therefore often used as a metaphor meaning to be saved from the ocean of saṁsāra} | மாட்டேன் (māṭṭēṉ): I will not be able {first person singular tenseless negative form of māṭṭu, ‘be able’} >>> so this second sentence, ‘இன்றேல், கடும் பவத்தினின்று கரையேற மாட்டேன்’ (iṉḏṟēl, kaḍum bhavattiṉiṉḏṟu karai-y-ēṟa māṭṭēṉ), means ‘If not, I will not be able to rise up on the shore from cruel birth’, which implies:

If [you do] not, I will not be able to rise ashore from the cruel [ocean of saṁsāra, the recurring cycle of] birth [and death].

<<< நேரானது (nēr-āṉadu): that which is comparable {compound of nēr, ‘resemblance’, ‘similarity’ or ‘comparison’, and āṉadu, ‘what is’ or ‘that which is’ (neuter third person singular noun formed from the adjectival participle āṉa, ‘which is’)} | உண்டோ (uṇḍō): is there {interrogative form uṇḍu, ‘there is’} | தாய் (tāy): mother | சிசுவுக்கு (śiśuvukku): to child, for child {dative (fourth case) form of śiśu, ‘baby’, ‘infant’ or ‘child’} | ஆற்றும் (āṯṟum): doing, giving, bearing, that [she] does {adjectival participle} | நிகரற்ற (nihar-aṯṟa): incomparable, unequalled, unmatched {compound of nihar, ‘comparison’, ‘likeness’, ‘equal’, ‘parallel’ or ‘match’, and aṯṟa, ‘separated’, ‘severed’, ‘removed’ or ‘without’ (adjectival participle used to denote the absence or non-existence of something)} | நலனுக்கு (nalaṉukku): to the good {dative (fourth case) form of nalaṉ, poetic form of nalam, ‘good’, ‘goodness’, ‘kindness’, ‘love’ or ‘affection’} >>> so this third sentence, ‘நேரானது உண்டோ தாய் சிசுவுக்கு ஆற்றும் நிகர் அற்ற நலனுக்கு?’ (nēr-āṉadu uṇḍō tāy śiśuvukku āṯṟum nihar aṯṟa nalaṉukku?), means ‘Is there that which is comparable to the unequalled good that a mother does for a child?’, which implies:

Is there anything that is comparable to the unequalled good that a mother does for [her] child? [You are my mother and I am your child, so take care of me accordingly.]

<<< நிகழ்த்துவாயே (nihaṙttuvāyē): may you say {second person singular optative}

வேறு (vēṟu)

Verse 6:

காமாரி யென்றுநீ யன்பரா லென்றுமே
      கதித்திடப் படுகின்றா
யாமாமெ யுனக்கிது வாமாவென் றையுறு
      மருணாச லேச்சுரனே
யாமாயி னெங்ஙனத் தீரனே சூரனே
      யாயினும் வல்லனங்கன்
காமாரி யாகுமுன் காலரண் சரண்புகு
      கருத்தினுட் புகவலனே.

kāmāri yeṉḏṟunī yaṉbarā leṉḏṟumē
      kathittiḍap paḍugiṉḏṟā
yāmāme yuṉakkidu vāmāveṉ ḏṟaiyuṟu
      maruṇāca lēśśuraṉē
yāmāyi ṉeṅṅaṉad dhīraṉē śūraṉē
      yāyiṉum vallaṉaṅgaṉ
kāmāri yāhumuṉ kālaraṇ śaraṇbuhu
      karuttiṉuṭ puhavalaṉē.

பதச்சேதம்: காமாரி என்று நீ அன்பரால் என்றுமே கதித்திடப்படுகின்றாய். ஆம், ஆம், மெய். உனக்கு இது ஆமா என்று ஐ உறும், அருணாசலேச்சுரனே. ஆம் ஆயின், எங்ஙன் அத் தீரனே சூரனே ஆயினும் வல் அனங்கன் காமாரி ஆகும் உன் கால் அரண் சரண்புகு கருத்தினுள் புக வலனே?

Padacchēdam (word-separation): kāmāri eṉḏṟu nī aṉbarāl eṉḏṟumē kathittiḍappaḍugiṉḏṟāy. ām, ām, mey. uṉakku idu āmā eṉḏṟu ai uṟum, aruṇācalēśśuraṉē. ām āyiṉ, eṅṅaṉ a-d-dhīraṉē śūraṉē āyiṉum val aṉaṅgaṉ kāmāri-y-āhum uṉ kāl araṇ śaraṇbuhu karuttiṉuḷ puha valaṉē?

அன்வயம்: அருணாசலேச்சுரனே, காமாரி என்று நீ அன்பரால் என்றுமே கதித்திடப்படுகின்றாய். ஆம், ஆம், மெய். உனக்கு இது ஆமா என்று ஐ உறும். ஆம் ஆயின், தீரனே சூரனே ஆயினும், எங்ஙன் அவ் வல் அனங்கன் காமாரி ஆகும் உன் கால் அரண் சரண்புகு கருத்தினுள் புக வலனே?

Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): aruṇācalēśśuraṉē, kāmāri eṉḏṟu nī aṉbarāl eṉḏṟumē kathittiḍappaḍugiṉḏṟāy. ām, ām, mey. uṉakku idu āmā eṉḏṟu ai uṟum. ām āyiṉ, dhīraṉē śūraṉē āyiṉum, eṅṅaṉ a-v-val aṉaṅgaṉ kāmāri-y-āhum uṉ kāl araṇ śaraṇpuhu karuttiṉuḷ puha valaṉē?

English translation: You are always described by devotees as the slayer of carnal desire. Yes, yes, true. I doubt whether this is suitable for you, Arunachaleswara. If it is suitable, how is that mighty bodiless one, though he is indeed brave and powerful, able to enter within a mind that takes refuge in the fortress of the feet of you, who are the slayer of carnal desire?

Explanatory paraphrase: Arunachaleswara [God in the form of Arunachala], you are always described by devotees as kāmāri [the slayer of kāma, carnal desire]. Yes, yes, true. [However] I doubt whether this [name] is suitable for you. If it is suitable, how is that mighty [or skilful] Anangan [‘he who is bodiless’, namely Kama, the god of carnal desire], though he is indeed brave and powerful, able to enter within a mind that takes refuge in the fortress of the feet of you, who are kāmāri [the slayer of Kama]?

Padavurai (word-explanation): காமாரி (kāmāri): enemy of carnal desire, slayer of carnal desire {compound of kāma, ‘desire’, particularly ‘carnal desire’ or ‘lust’, and ari, ‘enemy’; a name of Lord Siva, because he killed Kama, the god of carnal desire} | என்று (eṉḏṟu): saying {an adverbial participle implying ‘that’, ‘thus’ or ‘as’} | நீ (nī): you {nominative (first case) form of the second person singular pronoun} | அன்பரால் (aṉbarāl): by devotees {instrumental (third case) form of aṉbar, ‘devotees’, plural (and respectful singular) form of aṉbaṉ, ‘devotee’} | என்றுமே (eṉḏṟumē): always {intensified form of eṉḏṟum, ‘always’} | கதித்திடப்படுகின்றாய் (kathittiḍappaḍugiṉḏṟāy): you are described {second person singular present form of kathittiḍappaḍu, the passive form of kathittiḍu, ‘say’, ‘tell’, ‘declare’ or ‘describe’} >>> so this first sentence, ‘காமாரி என்று நீ அன்பரால் என்றுமே கதித்திடப்படுகின்றாய்’ (kāmāri eṉḏṟu nī aṉbarāl eṉḏṟumē kathittiḍappaḍugiṉḏṟāy), means ‘You are always described by devotees as the slayer of carnal desire’, which implies:

You are always described by devotees as kāmāri [the slayer of kāma, carnal desire].

<<< ஆம் (ām): it is {third person neuter future form of ā, ‘be’, but used here generically in a present tense sense, and in this context used as an affirmation implying the same as ‘yes’ in English} | ஆம் (ām): it is {implying ‘yes’} | மெய் (mey): reality, truth, true >>> so this second sentence, ‘ஆம், ஆம், மெய்’ (ām, ām, mey), means:

Yes, yes, true.

<<< உனக்கு (uṉakku): to you, for you {dative (fourth case) form of the second person singular pronoun} | இது (idu): this {proximal demonstrative pronoun} | ஆமா (āmā): is it suitable {interrogative form of ām, which in this case means ‘it is suitable [fit, proper or appropriate]’ rather than just ‘it is’} | என்று (eṉḏṟu): saying {an adverbial participle implying ‘that’, ‘thus’ or ‘as’, or when used after an interrogative verb, as in this case, ‘whether’} | ஐயுறும் (ai-y-uṟum): doubt occurs, doubt arises, I doubt {compound of aiyam, ‘doubt’, and uṟum, third person neuter future form of uṟu, ‘be’, ‘happen’ or ‘occur’, but used here generically in a first person singular present tense sense, so it implies ‘I doubt’} | அருணாசலேச்சுரனே (aruṇācalēśśuraṉē): Arunachaleswara {vocative (eighth case) form of aruṇācalēśśuraṉ, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit aruṇācalēśvara, a compound of aruṇācala, ‘Arunachala’, and iśvara, ‘ruler’, ‘lord’ or ‘God’, implying ‘God in the form of Arunachala’} >>> so this third sentence, ‘உனக்கு இது ஆமா என்று ஐ உறும், அருணாசலேச்சுரனே’ (uṉakku idu āmā eṉḏṟu ai uṟum, aruṇācalēśśuraṉē), means ‘I doubt whether this is suitable for you, Arunachaleswara’, which implies:

[However] I doubt whether this [name] is suitable for you, Arunachaleswara [God in the form of Arunachala].

<<< ஆம் (ām): it is, it is suitable {third person neuter future form of ā, ‘be’ or ‘be suitable’, but used here generically in a present tense sense} | ஆயின் (āyiṉ): if being {conditional form of ā, ‘be’, implying here ‘if it is’} | எங்ஙன் (eṅṅaṉ): how, in what way {interrogative adverb} | அ (a): that {distal demonstrative prefix, which, though affixed to dhīraṉē, ‘brave man indeed’, actually applies to the later term val-l-aṉaṅgaṉ, ‘mighty bodiless one’, so it should be read as a-v-val-l-aṉaṅgaṉ, ‘that mighty bodiless one’} | தீரனே (dhīraṉē): brave man indeed {intensified form of dhīraṉ, a Tamil masculine form of the Sanskrit dhīra, ‘brave’, ‘courageous’, ‘steady’, ‘firm’ or ‘calm’} | சூரனே (śūraṉē): powerful man indeed {intensified form of śūraṉ, a Tamil masculine form of the Sanskrit śūra, ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, ‘mighty’, ‘brave’, ‘valiant’ or ‘heroic’} | ஆயினும் (āyiṉum): though being {āyiṉ means ‘if being’, and āyiṉum means ‘even if being’ or ‘though being’, implying here ‘though he is’} | வல் (val): strength, power, ability {noun used here as an adjective implying ‘mighty’, ‘capable’ or ‘skilful’} | அனங்கன் (aṉaṅgaṉ): he who is bodiless {Tamil masculine form of the Sanskrit anaṅga, ‘bodiless’ (without aṅga, ‘limb’ or ‘body’), a name of Kama, because his body was burnt in the fire of Lord Siva’s jñāna (pure awareness)} | காமாரி (kāmāri): Kamari, the slayer of carnal desire | ஆகும் (āhum): being, who are {adjectival participle} | உன் (uṉ): of you, your {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the second person singular pronoun} | காலரண் (kāl-araṇ): foot-fortress, fortress of feet {compound of kāl, ‘leg’ or ‘foot’, and araṇ, ‘fortress’} | சரண்புகு (śaraṇbuhu): take refuge {compound of śaraṇ, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit śaraṇa, ‘protection’, ‘shelter’ or ‘refuge’, and puhu, ‘reach’, ‘attain’ or ‘enter’; here the root of this verb is used in the sense of an adjectival participle, ‘refuge-taking’ or ‘that takes refuge’} | கருத்தினுள் (karuttiṉuḷ): within the mind {a locative (seventh case) form of karuttu, ‘mind’} | புக (puha): to enter {infinitive of puhu, ‘reach’, ‘attain’ or ‘enter’} | வலனே (valaṉē): he who is able {intensified form of valaṉ, ‘he who is strong’ or ‘he who is able’} >>> so this fourth sentence, ‘ஆம் ஆயின், எங்ஙன் அத் தீரனே சூரனே யாயினும் வல் அனங்கன் காமாரி ஆகும் உன் கால் அரண் சரண்புகு கருத்தினுள் புக வலனே?’ (ām āyiṉ, eṅṅaṉ a-d-dhīraṉē śūraṉē āyiṉum val aṉaṅgaṉ kāmāri-y-āhum uṉ kāl-araṇ śaraṇpuhu karuttiṉuḷ puha valaṉē?), means ‘If it is suitable, how is that mighty bodiless one, though he is indeed brave and powerful, able to enter within a mind that takes refuge in the fortress of the feet of you, who are the slayer of carnal desire?’, which implies:

If it is suitable, how is that mighty [or skilful] Anangan [‘he who is bodiless’, namely Kama, the god of carnal desire], though he is indeed brave and powerful, able to enter within a mind that takes refuge in the fortress of the feet of you, who are kāmāri [the slayer of Kama]?

Explanations and discussions:
2015-08-30: Though Bhagavan never suffered from sexual desire himself, he understood clearly how this and all other desires arise, because the root of all desires is only the ego, which he had thoroughly investigated and understood completely, so he empathised with our predicament as if it were his own, and his empathy was expressed by him in this verse
2015-06-21: As Bhagavan indicates here, the only refuge where we can escape sexual desire is the fortress of the feet of Arunachala, and since his feet exist deep in our heart as our own self, we can take refuge in them only by subsiding within. As soon as we allow ourself to come out as this ego, we are opening the door of our mind to lust, so it can enter us at any moment. That is, so long as we attend to anything other than ourself, we experience ourself as a body, and the nature of animal bodies is to have sexual desire. Therefore the root of sexual desire is our ego, so we can free ourself from it only by destroying this ego by vigilant self-attentiveness

வேறு (vēṟu)

Verse 7:

அண்ணா மலையா யடியேனை
      யாண்ட வன்றே யாவியுடற்
கொண்டா யெனக்கோர் குறையுண்டோ
      குறையுங் குணமு நீயல்லா
லெண்ணே னிவற்றை யென்னுயிரே
      யெண்ண மெதுவோ வதுசெய்வாய்
கண்ணே யுன்றன் கழலிணையிற்
      காதற் பெருக்கே தருவாயே.

aṇṇā malaiyā yaḍiyēṉai
      yāṇda vaṉḏṟē yāviyuḍaṯ
koṇḍā yeṉakkōr kuṟaiyuṇḍō
      kuṟaiyuṅ guṇamu nīyallā
leṇṇē ṉivaṯṟai yeṉṉuyirē
      yeṇṇa meduvō vaduseyvāy
kaṇṇē yuṉḏṟaṉ kaṙaliṇaiyiṟ
      kādaṯ perukkē taruvāyē.

பதச்சேதம்: அண்ணாமலையாய், அடியேனை ஆண்ட அன்றே ஆவி உடல் கொண்டாய். எனக்கு ஓர் குறை உண்டோ? குறையும் குணமும் நீ அல்லால் எண்ணேன் இவற்றை. என் உயிரே, எண்ணம் எதுவோ அது செய்வாய். கண்ணே, உன்றன் கழல் இணையில் காதல் பெருக்கே தருவாயே.

Padacchēdam (word-separation): aṇṇāmalaiyāy, aḍiyēṉai āṇda aṉḏṟē āvi uḍal koṇḍāy. eṉakku ōr kuṟai uṇḍō? kuṟaiyum guṇamum nī allāl eṇṇēṉ ivaṯṟai. eṉ uyirē, eṇṇam eduvō adu seyvāy. kaṇṇē, uṉḏṟaṉ kaṙal-iṇaiyil kādal-perukkē taruvāyē.

English translation: Annamalai, that very day you took charge of me, this slave, you took possession of soul and body. Is there any deficiency for me? Both defects and qualities, except you, I do not think of these. My life, whatever be thought, do that. Eye, just give only a flood of love for your pair of feet.

Explanatory paraphrase: Annamalai [Arunachala], that very day you took charge of me, [your] slave [servant or devotee], you took possession of [my] soul and body. [Therefore] is there any kuṟai [imperfection, deficiency, need, want, dissatisfaction or grievance] for me? [Since] both kuṟai [imperfections, flaws, faults, defects, impurities or vices] and guṇam [good qualities or virtues] [cannot exist independent of you or as other than you], I do not think of them but only of you. My uyir [life or soul, implying my real nature, the soul of my soul], whatever be [your] thought [intention, aim, plan or wish], do that. [My] kaṇ [eye, implying both my beloved (the one who is dearer to me than my own eyes) and my own real awareness (which is what is always shining in my heart as ‘I am’)], just give [me] only a flood [surge, increase, overflow or abundance] of love for your pair of feet.

Padavurai (word-explanation): அண்ணாமலையாய் (aṇṇāmalaiyāy): Annamalai {vocative (eighth case) form of aṇṇāmalai, ‘unreached hill’; a Tamil name of Arunachala} | அடியேனை (aḍiyēṉai): me, [your] slave {accusative (second case) form of aḍiyēṉ, a first person singular composite noun formed from aḍi, ‘foot’, from which nouns such as aḍimai, ‘slavery’ or ‘servitude’, and aḍiyāṉ, ‘slave’, ‘servant’ or ‘devotee’, are formed} | ஆண்ட (āṇda): took charge {past adjectival participle of the verb āḷ, ‘take charge’, ‘rule’, ‘govern’, ‘control’, ‘maintain’, ‘cherish’ or ‘care for’} | அன்றே (aṉḏṟē): that very day, as soon as {intensified form of aṉḏṟu, ‘that day’ or ‘then’} | ஆவியுடல் (āvi-uḍal): soul and body {compound of āvi, ‘soul’, and uḍal, ‘body’} | கொண்டாய் (koṇḍāy): you took possession of {second person singular past tense form of koḷ, ‘seize’, ‘grasp’, ‘take’, ‘receive’, ‘accept’, ‘acquire’ or ‘take possession of’} >>> so ‘அண்ணாமலையாய், அடியேனை ஆண்ட அன்றே ஆவி உடல் கொண்டாய்’ (aṇṇāmalaiyāy, aḍiyēṉai āṇda aṉḏṟē āvi-uḍal koṇḍāy) means ‘Annamalai, that very day you took charge of me, this slave, you took possession of soul and body’, which implies:

Annamalai [Arunachala], that very day you took charge of me, [your] slave [servant or devotee], you took possession of [my] soul and body.

<<< எனக்கு (eṉakku): to me, for me {dative (fourth case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | ஓர் (ōr): one, any | குறை (kuṟai): imperfection, defect, deficiency, need, want, dissatisfaction, grievance | உண்டோ (uṇḍō): is there {interrogative form of uṇḍu, ‘there is’} >>> so ‘எனக்கு ஓர் குறை உண்டோ?’ (eṉakku ōr kuṟai uṇḍō?) means ‘Is there any deficiency for me?’, which implies:

[Therefore] is there any kuṟai [imperfection, deficiency, need, want, dissatisfaction or grievance] for me?

<<< குறையும் (kuṟai-y-um): imperfection, impurity, defect, flaw, fault, vice {though singular in form, kuṟai is used here as a collective noun, so it is plural in sense, and the suffix um appended to both this and the next word serves as a conjunction that means ‘both … and’ or simply ‘and’} | குணமும் (guṇam-um): quality, characteristic, property (in this case implying good qualities) {guṇam is a Tamil form of the Sanskrit guṇa, ‘quality’, and though singular in form, it is used here as a collective noun, so it is plural in sense, and the suffix um appended to both this and the previous word means ‘and’} | நீ (nī): you {nominative (first case) form of the second person singular pronoun} | அல்லால் (allāl): except, besides {alternative form of the adverbial participle allāmal, ‘except’, ‘besides’ or ‘without’} | எண்ணேன் (eṇṇēṉ): I do not think {first person singular tenseless negative form of eṇ, ‘think’} | இவற்றை (ivaṯṟai): these {accusative (second case) form of the proximal neuter third person plural pronoun, ivai, ‘these’ or ‘them’} >>> so ‘குறையும் குணமும் நீ அல்லால் எண்ணேன் இவற்றை’ (kuṟaiyum guṇamum nī allāl eṇṇēṉ ivaṯṟai) means ‘Both defects and qualities, except you, I do not think of these’, which implies:

[Since] both kuṟai [imperfections, flaws, faults, defects, impurities or vices] and guṇam [good qualities or virtues] [cannot exist independent of you or as other than you], I do not think of them but only of you.

<<< என் (eṉ): my {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | உயிரே (uyirē): life, soul {vocative (eighth case) form of uyir, ‘life’ or ‘soul’} | எண்ணம் (eṇṇam): thought, intention, aim, plan, wish | எதுவோ (eduvō): whatever | அது (adu): that {singular distal demonstrative pronoun} | செய்வாய் (seyvāy): do, may you do {imperative or second person optative form of sey, ‘do’} >>> so ‘என் உயிரே, எண்ணம் எதுவோ அது செய்வாய்’ (eṉ uyirē, eṇṇam eduvō adu seyvāy) means ‘My life, whatever be thought, do that’, which implies:

My uyir [life or soul, implying my real nature, the soul of my soul], whatever be [your] thought [intention, aim, plan or wish], do that.

<<< கண்ணே (kaṇṇē): eye {vocative (eighth case) form of kaṇ, ‘eye’, implying both my beloved (the one who is dearer to me than my own eyes) and my own real awareness (which is what is always shining in my heart as ‘I am’)} | உன்றன் (uṉḏṟaṉ): your {compound of uṉ, the inflectional base of the second person singular pronoun, and taṉ, the inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the generic pronoun tāṉ, used here as a case-marking suffix} | கழலிணையில் (kaṙal-iṇaiyil): on [in, towards or for] foot-pair, for [your] pair of feet {compound of kaṙal, ‘anklet’ or ‘sandal’ (used here as a metonym for ‘foot’ or ‘feet’), and iṇaiyil, ‘on pair’ [locative (seventh case) form of iṇai, ‘pair’ or ‘couple’]} | காதற்பெருக்கே (kādaṯperukkē): only love-flood, only a flood of love {compound of kādal, ‘love’, ‘affection’, ‘fondness’, ‘devotion’, ‘desire’, ‘yearning’ or ‘passionate attachment’, and perukkē, an intensified form of perukku, ‘flood’, ‘surge’, ‘increase’, ‘overflow’ or ‘abundance’, in which the intensifying suffix ē implies ‘only’} | தருவாயே (taruvāyē): just give, may you just give {intensified form of taruvāy, imperative or second person optative form of tā, ‘give’, ‘grant’ or ‘bestow’, in which the intensifying suffix ē implies ‘just’} >>> so ‘கண்ணே, உன்றன் கழல் இணையில் காதல் பெருக்கே தருவாயே’ (kaṇṇē, uṉḏṟaṉ kaṙal-iṇaiyil kādal-perukkē taruvāyē) means ‘Eye, just give only a flood of love for your pair of feet’, which implies:

[My] kaṇ [eye, implying both my beloved (the one who is dearer to me than my own eyes) and my own real awareness (which is what is always shining in my heart as ‘I am’)], just give [me] only a flood [surge, increase, overflow or abundance] of love for your pair of feet.

Explanations and discussions:
2022-11-25: True prayer is not asking God for this or that, but only surrendering our own will entirely, knowing that his will alone is what is truly good for us, but if at all we are to pray for anything specific, it should only be for ever-increasing love for him, as he teaches us in this verse
2022-04-17: Since he takes charge of us only to the extent to which we have surrendered ourself to him, and since he therefore takes complete charge of us only when our surrender to him becomes complete, his taking charge of us is often described as an event that takes place at a particular time, as he describes it in this verse
2021-07-12: The only wise way to use our freedom is to turn within to cling firmly to ‘I am’, thereby surrendering ourself completely to him, so all we can ask of him is to give us ever-increasing love to turn within and hold firmly to his feet, which are always shining in our heart as ‘I am’, as he himself sings in this verse
2020-08-24: If we are following the path of self-investigation and self-surrender that Bhagavan has taught us, our attention should always be directed within towards Arunachala, the Lord who has taken us into his fold and is ever shining in our heart as ‘I’, so there should be no room for us to be aggrieved about anything whatsoever, as he clearly implies in this verse
2019-08-14: Whatever may happen, we need to cultivate an attitude of surrender to Bhagavan’s will, because then only will we be at peace
2018-09-01: The best use we can make of our will is to choose to try patiently and persistently to turn our attention back within whenever it goes outwards, but unless we have all-consuming love to do so, which most of us now lack, much of the time we succumb to our outgoing desires and fears (viṣaya-vāsanās), so at such times we need to keep a tight rein on our will, trying as much as we can to reduce the enthusiasm and impetus with which we go outwards, and even when we allow them to go outwards we try to face the outside world with the attitude ‘Thy will be done’, ‘Not my will, but only yours’, ‘Your wish is my wish; that is happiness for me’, ‘எண்ணம் எதுவோ, அது செய்வாய். கண்ணே, உன்றன் கழல் இணையில் காதல் பெருக்கே தருவாயே’ (eṇṇam eduvō, adu seyvāy. kaṇṇē, uṉḏṟaṉ kaḻal iṇaiyil kādal perukkē taruvāyē), ‘Whatever be [your] thought [or wish], do that. [My] eye [my most beloved, my own awareness], just give [me] only a flood [overflow, fullness, abundance, surge or increasing intensity] of love for your pair of feet’
2018-09-01: Since love is the key to both self-investigation and self-surrender, and since self-investigation and self-surrender are the only means to eradicate ego, dismissing our will (and hence by implication our love or bhakti) as illusory is not merely not at all helpful to us so long as we rise and stand as ego, but is fundamentally misleading. If anything is real in this unreal world or in this unreal person we mistake to be ourself, it is the love that Bhagavan has so lovingly planted in our heart, so let us follow his example and pray that our love for him (as demonstrated by our love to follow the path he has shown us) may constantly increase so that we may eventually melt as love in him, the form of love
2015-12-16: What he describes here as ‘உன்றன் கழல் இணையில் காதல்’ (uṉḏṟaṉ kaṙal iṇaiyil kādal) or ‘love for your pair of feet’ is the love to be as we really are by being aware of nothing other than ourself alone, which is precisely what he wants to give us, so by asking Arunachala to do whatever he wishes but only to give him ever-increasing love, Bhagavan was expressing the state of complete self-surrender.
2015-06-21: Due to our strong outward-going desires, we are often not able to hold on to self-attentiveness (the feet of Arunachala), so at such times our only recourse is to pray to him to give us ever-increasing love for his feet, as Bhagavan sings in this verse

வேறு (vēṟu)

Verse 8:

புவிக்குட் பொங்கிடும் புவிச்சொற் புங்கவன்
      புரிக்குட் புண்ணியன் சுழிக்குட் சுந்தரன்
றவற்குச் சுந்தரஞ் சதிக்குற் பன்னனந்
      தலத்திற் புன்புலன் சழக்கிற் றுன்புறுந்
தவிக்குத் துஞ்சிடும் படிக்குத் தன்னுளந்
      தழைக்கத் தன்பத மெனக்குத் தந்தனன்
சிவக்கச் சின்மயஞ் செழிக்கத் தன்மயஞ்
      செகத்திற் றுன்னுசெம் பொருப்புச் செம்மலே.

bhuvikkuṭ poṅgiḍum bhuviccoṯ puṅgavaṉ
      purikkuṭ puṇṇiyaṉ cuṙikkuṭ sundaraṉ
ḏṟavaṯkuc sundarañ catikkuṯ paṉṉaṉan
      talattiṯ puṉbulaṉ caṙakkiṯ ṟuṉbuṟun
tavikkut tuñciḍum paḍikkut taṉṉuḷan
      taṙaikkat taṉpada meṉakkut tandaṉaṉ
civakkac ciṉmayañ ceṙikkat taṉmayañ
      jegattiṯ ṟuṉṉucem poruppuc cemmalē.

பதச்சேதம்: புவிக்கு உள் பொங்கிடும் புவி சொல் புங்கவன் புரிக்கு உள் புண்ணியன் சுழிக்கு உள் சுந்தரன் தவற்கு சுந்தரம் சதிக்கு உற்பன்னனம். தலத்தில் புன் புலன் சழக்கில் துன்பு உறும் தவிக்கு துஞ்சிடும்படிக்கு தன் உளம் தழைக்க தன் பதம் எனக்கு தந்தனன் சிவக்க சின்மயம் செழிக்க தன்மயம் செகத்தில் துன்னு செம் பொருப்பு செம்மலே.

Padacchēdam (word-separation): bhuvikku-uḷ poṅgiḍum bhuvi sol puṅgavaṉ purikku-uḷ puṇṇiyaṉ cuṙikku-uḷ sundaraṉ tavaṯku sundaram satikku uṯpaṉṉaṉam. talattil puṉ-pulaṉ-saṙakkil tuṉbu-uṟum tavikku tuñciḍum-paḍikku taṉ uḷam taṙaikka taṉ padam eṉakku tandaṉaṉ sivakka ciṉmayam seṙikka taṉmayam jegattil tuṉṉu sem-poruppu-semmalē.

அன்வயம்: புவிக்கு உள் புங்கவன் புரிக்கு உள் பொங்கிடும் புவி சொல் சுழிக்கு உள் புண்ணியன் சுந்தரன் தவற்கு சுந்தரம் சதிக்கு உற்பன்னனம். சின்மயம் சிவக்க தன்மயம் செழிக்க செகத்தில் துன்னு செம் பொருப்பு செம்மலே தலத்தில் புன் புலன் சழக்கில் துன்பு உறும் தவிக்கு துஞ்சிடும்படிக்கு தன் உளம் தழைக்க தன் பதம் எனக்கு தந்தனன்.

Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): bhuvikku-uḷ puṅgavaṉ purikku-uḷ poṅgiḍum bhuvi sol cuṙikku-uḷ puṇṇiyaṉ sundaraṉ tavaṯku sundaram satikku uṯpaṉṉaṉam. ciṉmayam sivakka taṉmayam seṙikka jegattil tuṉṉu sem-poruppu-semmalē talattil puṉ-pulaṉ-saṙakkil tuṉbu-uṟum tavikku tuñciḍum-paḍikku taṉ uḷam taṙaikka taṉ padam eṉakku tandaṉaṉ.

English translation: In Cuṙi, which among the towns of God in the world is called the surging place, I was born to the virtuous ascetic Sundaraṉ and to the faithful wife Sundaram. The Red Hill God, who adheres in the world so that what consists of pure awareness glows and so that what consists of that flourishes, gave to me his state, his heart overflowing with joy, so that the miserable distress in the wickedness of the vile senses in the world perishes.

Explanatory paraphrase: In Cuṙi [Tiruccuṙi, commonly spelt Tiruchuli or Tiruchuzhi], which among the towns of God in the world is called the surging place [because every year in the month of Māsi (mid-February to mid-March) the water level in the main temple tank rises up], I was born to the virtuous ascetic Sundaraṉ and to [his] faithful wife Sundaram [Aṙahammāḷ]. God in the form of the Red Hill [Aruṇācala], who adheres [graciously, intimately and steadfastly exists and shines] in the world so that cinmayam [that which consists of pure awareness] glows [so brightly that it swallows everything else in its infinitely clear light] and so that tanmayam [that which consists of tat (that, namely brahman)] flourishes [shining as one without a second], gave to me his state, his heart overflowing with joy, so that the miserable distress [of my life lived] in the wickedness of the vile senses in the world perishes.

Padavurai (word-explanation): புவிக்குள் (bhuvikkuḷ): on Earth, in the world {a locative (seventh case) form of bhuvi, ‘Earth’, formed by appending uḷ, ‘inside’, ‘within’ or ‘place’, to bhuvikku, the dative (fourth case) form of bhuvi} | பொங்கிடும் (poṅgiḍum): surging {adjectival participle} | புவி (bhuvi): place | சொல் (sol): say, tell, praise {root of this verb used in the sense of an adjectival participle, ‘which is said to be’, ‘which is praised as’ or ‘which is called’} | புங்கவன் (puṅgavaṉ): he who is eminent, God, Siva {masculine form of puṅgavam, Tamil form of the Sanskrit puṁgava, ‘bull’, ‘hero’ or ‘eminent person’} | புரிக்குள் (purikkuḷ): among towns {a locative (seventh case) form of puri, ‘town’} | புண்ணியன் (puṇṇiyaṉ): virtuous man {masculine form of puṇṇiyam, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit puṇya, ‘virtue’, ‘purity’, ‘righteous action’ or ‘merit’} | சுழிக்குள் (cuṙikkuḷ): in Cuṙi {a locative (seventh case) form of cuṙi, the sacred town called Tiruccuṙi (commonly spelt Tiruchuli or Tiruchuzhi)} | சுந்தரன் (sundaraṉ): Sundaran {the name of Bhagavan’s father, the masculine form of sundaram, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit sundara, ‘beauty’} | தவற்கு (tavaṯku): to the ascetic {dative (fourth case) form of tavaṉ, masculine form of tavam, Tamil form of the Sanskrit tapas, ‘asceticism’ or ‘austerity’} | சுந்தரம் (sundaram): Sundaram {Sanskrit for ‘beauty’, here referring to Bhagavan’s mother, Aṙahu, Tamil for ‘beauty’} | சதிக்கு (satikku): to the faithful wife {dative (fourth case) form of sati, Tamil form of the Sanskrit satī, ‘virtuous woman’ or ‘faithful wife’} | உற்பன்னனம் (uṯpaṉṉaṉam): I was born >>> so this first sentence, ‘புவிக்குள் பொங்கிடும் புவி சொல் புங்கவன் புரிக்குள் புண்ணியன் சுழிக்குள் சுந்தரன் தவற்கு சுந்தரம் சதிக்கு உற்பன்னனம்’ (bhuvikku-uḷ poṅgiḍum bhuvi sol puṅgavaṉ purikku-uḷ puṇṇiyaṉ cuṙikku-uḷ sundaraṉ tavaṯku sundaram satikku uṯpaṉṉaṉam), means ‘In Cuṙi, which among the towns of God in the world is called the surging place, I was born to the virtuous ascetic Sundaraṉ and to the faithful wife Sundaram’, which implies:

In Cuṙi [Tiruccuṙi, commonly spelt Tiruchuli or Tiruchuzhi], which among the towns of God in the world is called the surging place [because every year in the month of Māsi (mid-February to mid-March) the water level in the main temple tank rises up], I was born to the virtuous ascetic Sundaran and to [his] faithful wife Sundaram [Aṙahammāḷ].

<<< தலத்தில் (talattil): in the world {locative (seventh case) form of talam, Tamil form of the Sanskrit sthala, ‘ground’ or ‘place’, in this case implying ‘world’} | புன்புலன்சழக்கில் (puṉ-pulaṉ-saṙakkil): in the vile sense-wickedness, in the wickedness of the vile senses {compound of puṉ, an adjectival prefix derived from puṉmai, ‘meanness’, ‘vileness’, ‘baseness’, ‘filthiness’, ‘murkiness’ or ‘pettiness’; pulaṉ, ‘sense impression’ (sight, sound, taste, smell or tactile sensation) or ‘sense organ’; and saṙakkil, ‘in the wickedness’ [locative (seventh case) form of saṙakku, ‘defect’, ‘wickedness’ or ‘futility’]} | துன்புறும் (tuṉbuṟum): miserable {adjectival participle, compound of tuṉbu, ‘misery’, ‘sorrow’ or ‘pain’, and uṟum, ‘suffering’} | தவிக்கு (tavikku): distress {alternative form of tavippu, ‘distress’, ‘anxiety’, ‘thirst’, ‘yearning’, ‘affliction’ or ‘weariness’} | துஞ்சிடும்படிக்கு (tuñciḍum-paḍikku): so that [it] perishes {compound of the future adjectival participle tuñciḍum, ‘which will perish’, and the adverbial suffix paḍikku, which after a future adjectival participle implies purpose, ‘so that’} >>> so ‘தலத்தில் புன் புலன் சழக்கில் துன்பு உறும் தவிக்கு துஞ்சிடும்படிக்கு’ (talattil puṉ-pulaṉ-saṙakkil tuṉbu-uṟum tavikku tuñciḍum-paḍikku) means ‘so that the miserable distress in the wickedness of the vile senses in the world perishes’ <<< தன் (taṉ): his {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the generic singular pronoun tāṉ, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘oneself’ or ‘myself’} | உளம் (uḷam): heart | தழைக்க (taṙaikka): to overflow with joy {infinitive of taṙai, ‘flourish’, ‘thrive’, ‘be abundant’ or ‘overflow with joy’, used here in the sense of an adverbial participle, ‘overflowing with joy’} | தன் (taṉ): his {as above} | பதம் (padam): state {Tamil form of the Sanskrit pada, ‘state’, ‘rank’ or ‘position’} | எனக்கு (eṉakku): to me {dative (fourth case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | தந்தனன் (tandaṉaṉ): he gave {a masculine third person singular past tense form of tā, ‘give’, ‘grant’ or ‘bestow’} >>> so ‘தன் உளம் தழைக்க தன் பதம் எனக்கு தந்தனன்’ (taṉ uḷam taṙaikka taṉ padam eṉakku tandaṉaṉ), means ‘[he] gave to me his state, his heart overflowing with joy’ <<< சிவக்க (sivakka): to glow, so that [it] glows {infinitive of siva, literally ‘redden’ but in this case implying ‘glow’ or ‘shine’} | சின்மயம் (ciṉmayam): what consists of pure awareness {Tamil form of the Sanskrit cinmaya, compound of cit, ‘awareness’ or ‘consciousness’ (in the sense of pure awareness), and the suffix maya, ‘consisting of’, ‘made of’ or ‘composed of’} | செழிக்க (seṙikka): to flourish, so that [it] flourishes {infinitive of seṙi, ‘thrive’, ‘flourish’, ‘prosper’, ‘be fertile’, ‘be super-abundant’ or ‘be cheerful’} | தன்மயம் (taṉmayam): what consists of tat [that, namely brahman] {Tamil form of the Sanskrit tanmaya, compound of tat, ‘that’ (referring to brahman), and the suffix maya, ‘consisting of’, ‘made of’ or ‘composed of’} | செகத்தில் (jegattil): in the world {locative (seventh case) form of jegam, Tamil form of the Sanskrit jagat, ‘world’} | துன்னு (tuṉṉu): adhere, be joined, be attached, press close {root of this verb used in the sense of an adjectival participle, ‘adhering’ or ‘who adheres’} | செம்பொருப்பு (sem-poruppu): red hill {compound of sem, adjectival prefix derived from semmai, ‘redness’, ‘goodness’, ‘soundness’, ‘uprightness’, ‘directness’, ‘impartiality’, ‘excellence’, ‘greatness’, ‘cleanliness’, ‘purity’ or ‘beauty’, and poruppu, ‘hill’ or ‘mountain’} | செம்மலே (semmalē): God {intensified form of semmal, ‘excellence’, ‘greatness’, ‘superiority’, ‘great person’, ‘Siva’ or ‘God’} >>> so ‘சிவக்க சின்மயம் செழிக்க தன்மயம் செகத்தில் துன்னு செம் பொருப்பு செம்மலே’ (sivakka ciṉmayam seṙikka taṉmayam jegattil tuṉṉu sem-poruppu-semmalē), means ‘The Red Hill God, who adheres in the world so that what consists of pure awareness glows and so that what consists of that flourishes’, and hence this second sentence, ‘தலத்தில் புன் புலன் சழக்கில் துன்பு உறும் தவிக்கு துஞ்சிடும்படிக்கு தன் உளம் தழைக்க தன் பதம் எனக்கு தந்தனன் சிவக்க சின்மயம் செழிக்க தன்மயம் செகத்தில் துன்னு செம் பொருப்பு செம்மலே’ (talattil puṉ-pulaṉ-saṙakkil tuṉbu-uṟum tavikku tuñciḍum-paḍikku taṉ uḷam taṙaikka taṉ padam eṉakku tandaṉaṉ sivakka ciṉmayam seṙikka taṉmayam jegattil tuṉṉu sem-poruppu-semmalē), means ‘The Red Hill God, who adheres in the world so that what consists of pure awareness glows and so that what consists of that flourishes, gave to me his state, his heart overflowing with joy, so that the miserable distress in the wickedness of the vile senses in the world perishes’, which implies:

God in the form of the Red Hill [Aruṇācala], who adheres [graciously, intimately and steadfastly exists and shines] in the world so that cinmayam [that which consists of pure awareness] glows [so brightly that it swallows everything else in its infinitely clear light] and so that tanmayam [that which consists of tat (that, namely brahman)] flourishes [shining as one without a second], gave to me his state, his heart overflowing with joy, so that the miserable distress [of my life lived] in the wickedness of the vile senses in the world perishes.

Note: Ottakkuttar was a renowned poet and minister to three generations of Chola kings in the 12th century. In one of his verses he praised a wealthy man for some gifts he had given him, and he did so in a traditional manner, first identifying himself by naming his parents and the place where he was born, then describing the gifts and their great value, and finally praising the giver and his bountifulness. A devotee called Iswara Swami showed this verse to Bhagavan, admiring its beauty and poetic qualities, and asked Bhagavan to compose a similar verse, in response to which he composed this verse. By praising Arunachala for giving him the infinitely precious gift of his own state, he indirectly indicated that poetic talent is a divine gift and should therefore not be squandered by using it to praise worldly gifts or worldly givers, but should be used only to praise God and the gift of his divine grace.

Explanations and discussions:
2022-03-31: Since அழகு (aṙahu) and சுந்தரம் (sundaram) are the names of his mother and father, verse 2 of Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai is also a tribute to them and to the harmony of their marriage, because by comparing the state of indivisible oneness with Arunachala for which he was praying to the happy and harmonious union of his parents, he implies that though they were different in their outward forms, they were united as one in their thoughts and heart, as he also implied less directly in verses 8 and 9 of Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai. Only from such a happy and harmonious union of two such pure souls can Arunachala have taken birth in human form as Bhagavan Ramana, our sadguru and saviour, so the tribute that he pays to them in these verses is very apt

கட்டளைக்கலித்துறை (kaṭṭaḷai-k-kali-t-tuṟai)

Verse 9:

அம்மையு மப்பனு மாயெனைப் பூமியி லாக்கியளித்
தம்மகி மாயையெ னாழ்கடல் வீழ்ந்துயா னாழ்ந்திடுமுன்
னென்மன மன்னி யிழுத்துன் பதத்தி லிருத்தினையால்
சின்மய னாமரு ணாசல நின்னருட் சித்ரமென்னே.

ammaiyu mappaṉu māyeṉaip bhūmiyi lākkiyaḷit
tammahi māyaiye ṉāṙkaḍal vīṙnduyā ṉāṙndiḍumuṉ
ṉeṉmaṉa maṉṉi yiṙuttuṉ padatti liruttiṉaiyāl
ciṉmaya ṉāmaru ṇācala niṉṉaruṭ citrameṉṉē.

பதச்சேதம்: அம்மையும் அப்பனும் ஆய் எனை பூமியில் ஆக்கி அளித்து, அம் மகி மாயை என் ஆழ் கடல் வீழ்ந்து யான் ஆழ்ந்திடும் முன், என் மனம் மன்னி இழுத்து உன் பதத்தில் இருத்தினை ஆல். சின்மயன் ஆம் அருணாசல நின் அருள் சித்ரம் என்னே!

Padacchēdam (word-separation): ammai-y-um appaṉ-um āy eṉai bhūmiyil ākki aḷittu, a-m-mahi māyai eṉ āṙ kaḍal vīṙndu yāṉ āṙndiḍum muṉ, eṉ maṉam maṉṉi iṙuttu uṉ padattil iruttiṉai āl. ciṉmayaṉ ām aruṇācala niṉ aruḷ citram eṉṉē!

English translation: Bearing and tending me in the world as mother and father, before I sank falling in the deep ocean, namely that worldly māyā, being permanently in my mind, drawing to yourself, you fixed at your feet. Arunachala, who are he consisting of pure awareness, what a wonder of your grace!

Explanatory paraphrase: Bearing [or begetting] and tending me in the world as [my] mother and father, before I sank falling in the deep ocean, namely that worldly māyā [the delusion of being a mother or father], being permanently in my mind and drawing [me inwards] to yourself, you fixed [me] at your feet [or in your state]. Arunachala, who are cinmayaṉ [he who consists of pure awareness], what a wonder of your grace [this is]!

Padavurai (word-explanation): அம்மையும் (ammai-y-um): mother and {ammai means ‘mother’, and the suffix um appended to both this and the next word serves as a conjunction that means ‘both … and’ or simply ‘and’} | அப்பனும் (appaṉ-um): father and {appaṉ means ‘father’, and the suffix um appended to both this and the previous word means ‘and’} | ஆய் (āy): being, as {adverbial participle} | எனை (eṉai): me {accusative (second case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | பூமியில் (bhūmiyil): on Earth, in the world {locative (seventh case) form of bhūmi, ‘Earth’, a term that is often used to distinguish this world from heaven and the netherworld} | ஆக்கி (ākki): making, creating, begetting, giving birth to, bearing {adverbial participle} | அளித்து (aḷittu): protecting, nourishing, caring for, tending {adverbial participle} >>> so ‘அம்மையும் அப்பனும் ஆய் எனை பூமியில் ஆக்கி அளித்து’ (ammai-y-um appaṉ-um āy eṉai bhūmiyil ākki aḷittu) means ‘Bearing and tending me in the world as mother and father’ <<< அம்மகிமாயை (a-m-mahi-māyai): that worldly māyā {compound of the distal demonstrative prefix a, ‘that’; mahi, ‘Earth’ or ‘world’ (Tamil form of the Sanskrit mahī, ‘Earth’, but used here as an adjective, ‘worldly’); and māyai, Tamil form of the Sanskrit māyā} | என் (eṉ): say {root of this verb, used here in the sense of an adjectival participle, ‘called’ or ‘namely’} | ஆழ் (āṙ): deep {root of a verb meaning ‘sink’, ‘be immersed’ or ‘be deep’, used here as an adjective} | கடல் (kaḍal): sea, ocean | வீழ்ந்து (vīṙndu): falling, falling down, descending {adverbial participle} | யான் (yāṉ): I {nominative (first case) form of the first person singular pronoun, alternative to nāṉ, ‘I’} | ஆழ்ந்திடுமுன் (āṙndiḍumuṉ): before sinking {compound of āṙndiḍum, ‘sinking’ (adjectival participle), and muṉ, ‘prior to’ or ‘before’ (in some cases an adjective, but in this case an adverb, serving as a postposition when appended to an adjectival participle)} >>> so ‘அம் மகி மாயை என் ஆழ் கடல் வீழ்ந்து யான் ஆழ்ந்திடும் முன்’ (a-m-mahi-māyai eṉ āṙ kaḍal vīṙndu yāṉ āṙndiḍum muṉ) means ‘before I sank falling in the deep ocean, namely that worldly māyā’ <<< என் (eṉ): my {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | மனம் (maṉam): mind {Tamil form of the Sanskrit manas, ‘mind’} | மன்னி (maṉṉi): being permanent, being fixed, being settled, being steady, enduring, remaining, staying, abounding, approaching {adverbial participle} | இழுத்து (iṙuttu): drawing, pulling, dragging, attracting, drawing to yourself {adverbial participle} | உன் (uṉ): your {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the second person singular pronoun} | பதத்தில் (padattil): at feet, in state {locative (seventh case) form of padam, Tamil form of the Sanskrit pada, ‘foot’ or ‘state’} | இருத்தினை (iruttiṉai): you fixed permanently {second person singular past tense form of iruttu, ‘cause to sit’, ‘detain’, ‘press down’, ‘make firm’, or ‘fix permanently’} | ஆல் (āl): {poetic expletive} >>> so ‘என் மனம் மன்னி இழுத்து உன் பதத்தில் இருத்தினை ஆல்’ (eṉ maṉam maṉṉi iṙuttu uṉ padattil iruttiṉai āl) means ‘being permanently in my mind, drawing to yourself, you fixed permanently at your feet’, and hence this first sentence, ‘அம்மையும் அப்பனும் ஆய் எனை பூமியில் ஆக்கி அளித்து, அம் மகி மாயை என் ஆழ் கடல் வீழ்ந்து யான் ஆழ்ந்திடும் முன், என் மனம் மன்னி இழுத்து உன் பதத்தில் இருத்தினை ஆல்’ (ammai-y-um appaṉ-um āy eṉai bhūmiyil ākki aḷittu, a-m-mahi-māyai eṉ āṙ kaḍal vīṙndu yāṉ āṙndiḍum muṉ, eṉ maṉam maṉṉi iṙuttu uṉ padattil iruttiṉai āl), means ‘Bearing and tending me in the world as mother and father, before I sank falling in the deep ocean, namely that worldly māyā, being permanently in my mind, drawing to yourself, you fixed at your feet’, which implies:

Bearing [or begetting] and tending me in the world as [my] mother and father, before I sank falling in the deep ocean, namely that worldly māyā [the delusion of being a mother or father], being permanently in my mind and drawing [me inwards] to yourself, you fixed [me] at your feet [or in your state].

<<< சின்மயன் (ciṉmayaṉ): he who consists of pure awareness {masculine singular form of ciṉmayam, Tamil form of the Sanskrit cinmaya, compound of cit, ‘awareness’ or ‘consciousness’ (in the sense of pure awareness), and the suffix maya, ‘consisting of’, ‘made of’ or ‘composed of’} | ஆம் (ām): who is {adjectival participle} | அருணாசல (aruṇācala): Arunachala | நின் (niṉ): your {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of the second person singular pronoun} | அருள் (aruḷ): grace | சித்ரம் (citram): wonder | என்னே (eṉṉē): what! {exclamation, an intensified form of the interrogative pronoun eṉṉa, ‘what?’} >>> so this second sentence, ‘சின்மயன் ஆம் அருணாசல நின் அருள் சித்ரம் என்னே’ (ciṉmayaṉ ām aruṇācala niṉ aruḷ citram eṉṉē), means ‘Arunachala, who are he consisting of pure awareness, what a wonder of your grace!’, which implies:

Arunachala, who are cinmayaṉ [he who consists of pure awareness], what a wonder of your grace [this is]!

Explanations and discussions:
2022-04-28: When her children grow up, a birth mother will generally desire to have grandchildren, and if she has enjoyed a happily married life (insofar as any life as an embodied being can be happy), she will generally desire a similar life for her children, so most birth mothers are eager to see their children marry and have children. In the case of Bhagavan, however, his divine mother and father, Arunachala, never had any such desire for him. On the contrary, the sole intention of Arunachala was to save him not only from drowning in the deep ocean of the worldly māyā of being a mother or father, but also from the root cause of that māyā, namely ego, the false awareness ‘I am this body’, as he implies in this verse
2022-04-14: What he says in verse 3 of Akṣaramaṇamālai, namely ‘அகம் புகுந்து ஈர்த்து உன் அக குகை சிறையாய் அமர்வித்தது என் கொல் அருணாசலா’ (aham puhundu īrttu uṉ aha guhai siṟaiyāy amarvittadu eṉ kol aruṇācalā), ‘Arunachala, entering [my] mind, [thereby attracting and] pulling [my mind inwards to face yourself], [you have thereby been] keeping [me] captive in the cave of your heart. What [a wonder of your grace this is]’, is also expressed by him in this verse: ‘என் மனம் மன்னி இழுத்து உன் பதத்தில் இருத்தினை ஆல். சின்மயன் ஆம் அருணாசல நின் அருள் சித்ரம் என்னே’ (eṉ maṉam maṉṉi iṙuttu uṉ padattil iruttiṉai āl. ciṉmayaṉ ām aruṇācala niṉ aruḷ citram eṉṉē), ‘being permanently in my mind and drawing [me inwards] to yourself, you fixed [me] at your feet [or in your state]. Arunachala, who are cinmayaṉ [he who consists of pure awareness], what a wonder of your grace [this is]!’. That is, what he describes in verse 3 of Akṣaramaṇamālai as ‘உன் அக குகை சிறையாய் அமர்வித்தது’ (uṉ aha guhai siṟaiyāy amarvittadu), ‘keeping [me] captive in the cave of your heart’, is what he describes in this verse of Navamaṇimālai as ‘உன் பதத்தில் இருத்தினை’ (uṉ padattil iruttiṉai), ‘you fixed [me] at your feet [or in your state]’, because the cave of the heart is not only his abode but also his feet and his real state.
2022-03-31: Since அழகு (aṙahu) and சுந்தரம் (sundaram) are the names of his mother and father, verse 2 of Śrī Aruṇācala Akṣaramaṇamālai is also a tribute to them and to the harmony of their marriage, because by comparing the state of indivisible oneness with Arunachala for which he was praying to the happy and harmonious union of his parents, he implies that though they were different in their outward forms, they were united as one in their thoughts and heart, as he also implied less directly in verses 8 and 9 of Śrī Aruṇācala Navamaṇimālai. Only from such a happy and harmonious union of two such pure souls can Arunachala have taken birth in human form as Bhagavan Ramana, our sadguru and saviour, so the tribute that he pays to them in these verses is very apt