Tirumantiram (Mantra 1-50) Preface: In Praise of God

pāyiram

kaṭavuḷ vāḻttu

0001 oṉṟu avaṉ tāṉē, iraṇṭu avaṉ iṉ aruḷ, niṉṟaṉaṉ mūṉṟiṉ uḷ, nāṉku uṇarntāṉ, aintu veṉṟaṉaṉ, āṟu virintaṉaṉ, ēḻ umparc ceṉṟaṉaṉ, tāṉ iruntāṉ uṇarntu eṭṭē.	0001: One Is Many The One is He, the Two His sweet Grace, In Three He stood, in all the Four witnessed, The Five He conquered, the Six He filled, The Seven Worlds pervades, manifests the Eight And so remains.
0002 pōṟṟi icaittu iṉ uyir maṉṉum puṉitaṉai nāl ticaikkum nalla mātukku nātaṉai mēl ticaikkuḷ teṉ ticaikku oru vēntaṉām kūṟṟu utaittāṉai yāṉ kūṟukiṉṟēṉē.	0002: Defies Death The Holy One who all life sustains, Lord of Her, beloved of all the world, He who spurned Yama, the Southern Quarter's King Of Him I sing, His glory and praise.
0003 okka niṉṟāṉai ulappu ili tēvarkaḷ nakkaṉ eṉṟu ēttiṭu nātaṉai nāḷ toṟum pakka niṉṟār aṟiyāta paramaṉaip pukku niṉṟu uṉṉi yāṉ pōṟṟi ceyvēṉē.	0003: Immortals Adore He who stands the same to all, The Pure One, whom immortal Gods adore, Whom, even they, that daily stand beside, know not, Him I seek, praise, and meditate.
0004 akaliṭat tārmeyyai aṇṭattu vittaip pukaliṭattu eṉṟaṉaip pōtaviṭ ṭāṉaip pakaliṭat tumira vumpaṇin tētti ikaliṭat tēiruḷ nīṅkiniṉ ṟēṉē	0004: Dispells Gloom The Truth of Spaces Vast, Seek of the Universe orb, Our Haven of Refuge, He bade me seek and find, Him I praised by night and day, And praising thus, gloom{-}dispelled, I held firm in this world of strifes.
0005 civaṉoṭu okkum teyvam tēṭiṉum illai avaṉoṭu oppār iṅku yāvarum illai puvaṉam kaṭantu aṉṟu poṉ oḷi miṉṉum tavaṉac caṭaimuṭit tāmarai yāṉē.	0005: Siva Is Nonpareil Search where ye will, there's no God like Siva, None here below to equal Him in glory; Lotus like, He, of gleaming matted locks, Golden in splendour, beyond the worlds, apart.
0006 avaṉai oḻiya amararum illai avaṉ aṉṟic ceyyum arum tavam illai avaṉ aṉṟi mūvarāl āvatu oṉṟu illai avaṉ aṉṟi ūr pukumāṟu aṟiyēṉē.	0006: Omni-Competent Without Him, there be Celestials none, Without Him, penance is not, Without Him, naught the Three accomplish, Without Him, I know not the City's Gate.
0007 muṉṉai oppāy uḷḷa mūvarkku mūttavaṉ taṉṉai oppāy oṉṟum illāt talaimakaṉ taṉṉai appā eṉil appaṉum āy uḷaṉ poṉṉai oppu ākiṉṟa pōtakat tāṉē.	0007: Divine Father Primal First is He, older than the Co-eval Three But the Lord is He peerless, unequalled; Call Him "Father," and Father He to thee, Inside you He flames in the Lotus of golden hue.
0008 tīyiṉum veyyaṉ puṉaliṉum taṇṇiyaṉ āyiṉum īcaṉ aruḷ aṟivār illai cēyiṉum nallaṉ aṇiyaṉ nal aṉparkkut tāyiṉum nallaṉ tāḻcaṭai yōṉē.	0008: Kinder Than Mother Hotter is He than fire, cooler than water; And yet none knows of His Grace abounding; Purer than the child, kinder by far than the mother, Nearest to Love is He, of the flowing matted locks.
0009 poṉṉāl purintiṭṭa poṉ caṭai eṉṉap piṉṉāl piṟaṅka iruntavaṉ pēr nanti eṉṉāl toḻap paṭum em iṟai maṟṟu avaṉ taṉṉāl toḻap paṭuvār illai tāṉē.	0009: All Worship Him Gold-bewrought, His matted locks fall back and gleam; Nandi, His name, My Lord is He, ever by me worshipt; But none there be whom He worships.
0010 tāṉē irunilam tāṅkiviṇ ṇāyniṟkum tāṉē cuṭumaṅki ñāyiṟum tiṅkaḷum tāṉē maḻaipoḻi taiyalu māyniṟkum tāṉē taṭavarai taṇkaṭa lāmē.	0010: Omnium Gatherum Holding the worlds apart, as the Heavens high He spreads; Himself the scorching Fire, Sun and Moon, Himself the Mother that sends down the rains Himself the mountains strong and oceans cold.
0011 ayalum puṭaiyum em ātiyai nōkkil iyalum perum teyvam yātum oṉṟu illai muyalum muyalil muṭivum maṟṟu āṅkē peyalum maḻai mukil pēr nanti tāṉē.	0011: Effort And Fruit Near and far I look; but around the Being First, No other God, I see, mightier than He; Himself the effort, and Himself, too, effort's end; Himself the rains, Himself the clouds rain-laden, The Nandi named.
0012 kaṇ nutalāṉ oru kātaliṉ niṟkavum eṇ ilitēvar iṟantār eṉappalar maṇ uṟuvārkaḷum vāṉ uṟuvārkaḷum aṇṇal ivaṉ eṉṟu aṟiya kilārkaḷē.	0012: Beyond Comprehension The One of the fore-head eye, in Love Supreme, unmoved, Dead were the countless Devas, Born were the myriads on earth; Upward they climbed to lives beyond count, Yet none did know the Lord was He.
0013 maṇ aḷantāṉ malarōṉ mutal tēvarkaḷ eṇ aḷantu iṉṉa niṉaikkilār īcaṉai viṇ aḷantāṉ taṉṉai mēl aḷantār illai kaṇ aḷantu eṅkum kaṭantu niṉṟāṉē.	0013: Immeasurable Mal who spanned the earth and Brahma the Lotus seated one, And others of the Gods fathomed Him not; There be none to measure Him that measured the Heavans And thus He stood, all visions transcending.
0014 kaṭantu niṉṟāṉ kamalam malar āti kaṭantu niṉṟāṉ kaṭalvaṇṇaṉ em māyaṉ kaṭantu niṉṟāṉ avarkku appuṟam īcaṉ kaṭantu niṉṟāṉ eṅkum kaṇṭu niṉṟāṉē.	0014: Transcends All Transcended He Brahma on the lotus-seat, Transcended Mayan, the ocean-hued, Transcended He, Isan, who transcends all, Transcended He space infinite, witnessing all.
0015 ātiyum āy araṉāy uṭal uḷ niṉṟa vētiyum āy virintu ārttu iruntāṉ aruḷ cōtiyum āyc curuṅkātatu ōr taṉmaiyuḷ nītiyum āy nittam āki niṉṟāṉē.	0015: Blossoms As All Into Brahma did He expand, into Hara did He, And into the soul of the body He pervades As the Effulgence Divine, the Dharmic law limitless, The Eternal and the Everlasting.
0016 kōtu kulāviya koṉṟaik kuḻal caṭai mātu kulāviya vāḷnutal pākaṉai yātu kulāvi amararum tēvarum kōtu kulāvik kuṇam payilvārē.	0016: Confers Wisdom On Gods He, of the matted locks, the odorous Konrai clustering, He, of the Divine Consort with forehead divinely gleaming, He, whom the Immortals and Devas sought, Wisdom to learn, Ignorance to dispel.
0017 kāyam iraṇṭum kalantu kotikkiṉum āyam kattūri atu mikum avvaḻi tēcam kalantu oru tēvaṉ eṉṟu eṇṇiṉum īcaṉ uṟavukku etir illai tāṉē.	0017: Love Profound Howe'er well the two garlics and musk boil and mix, Yet will musk's fragrance stand o'ertopping all, So may all space mix and hold the God as One, Yet, upwelling, pours forth Isan's love profound.
0018 atipati ceytu aḷakai vēntaṉai nitipati ceyta niṟai tava nōkki atupati ātarittu ākkam atu ākkiṉ itupati koḷ eṉṟa em perumāṉē.	0018: Munificent The Supreme Lord saw Alagai King's penance devout, Much pleased, He made the King Lord of all Riches; Even so, approach the Lord, noble deeds performing; For thus says the Lord, "Hold this lordship!"
0019 itupati ēlam kamaḻ poḻil ēḻum mutupati ceytavaṉ mūtu aṟivāḷaṉ vitupati ceytavaṉ meyttavam nōkki atupati āka amarukiṉṟāṉē.	0019: Created Universe He, the Wisdom Primeval, He made the City Ancient Of the seven meadows, fragrant-spiced; He fixed the Moon, and to penance inclining, He abides there, making that His seat.
0020 muṭivum piṟappaiyum muṉṉē paṭaitta aṭikaḷ uṟaiyum aṟaṉ neṟi nāṭil iṭiyum muḻakkamum īcar uruvam kaṭimalark kuṉṟa malaiyatu tāṉē.	0020: In Mount Kailas Seek the Abode of the Holy, Who, of yore, created Birth and Death A high hill it is, where thunders roar and lightnings flash, Where fragrant flowers bud and bloom, His mighty likeness it bears.
0021 vāṉap perum koṇṭal māl ayaṉ vāṉavar ūṉap piṟavi oḻikkum oruvaṉaik kāṉak kaḷiṟu kataṟap piḷanta em kōṉaip pukaḻumiṉ kūṭalum āmē.	0021: Comes Speeding Sing His praise! Oh how quick He comes! He, the Lord, who in one fell sweep the wild elephant slashed, The Lord who ends this muddy vesture's mortal coil, Of the Heavenly Hosts, of Brahma Divine, Of Mal, hued like the clouds rain-borne.
0022 maṉattil eḻukiṉṟa māya nal nāṭaṉ niṉaittatu aṟivaṉ eṉil tāṉ niṉaikkilar eṉakku iṟai aṉpu ilaṉ eṉpar iṟaivaṉ piḻaikka niṉṟār pakkam pēṇi niṉṟāṉē.	0022: Seek Him, He Seeks You This Lord of Maya-land that has its rise in the mind, He, the Being without thought, knows yet all our thoughts; Some be who groan,"God is not to me a friend;" But, sure, God seeks those who seek their souls to save.
0023 vallavaṉ vaṉṉikku iṟai iṭai vāraṇam nil eyaṉa niṟpitta nītiyuḷ īcaṉai il eṉa vēṇṭā iṟaiyavar tam mutal allum pakalum aruḷu kiṉṟāṉē.	0023: Infinite Grace The Mighty Lord, the God of Fire, set amidst the seas, Whom the comprehending souls never deny; He, the Lord of the Heavenly Beings all, Who, day and night, pours forth His Divine Grace.
0024 pōṟṟi icaittum pukaḻntum puṉitaṉ taṉṉaṭi tēṟṟumiṉ eṉṟum civaṉ aṭikkē celvam āṟṟiyatu eṉṟu mayal uṟṟa cintaiyai māṟṟi niṉṟār vaḻi maṉṉi niṉṟāṉē.	0024: Firm In Minds Firm Sing His praise, Sing of His Holy Feet! Pour all your treasures at Siva'a Sacred Feet! And they who shake off the clouded eye and disturbed mind, With them He ever stood, benignly firm.
0025 piṟappu ili piññakaṉ pēr aruḷāḷaṉ iṟappu ili yāvarkkum iṉpam aruḷum tuṟappu ili taṉṉait toḻumiṉ toḻutāl maṟappu ili māyā viruttamum āmē.	0025: Illusions Vanish The Birthless is He, the Divine Mad, of Compassion vast, The Deathless is He, the Boundless One, Granter of Joys all, To Him kneel, and, kneeling, shall find Naught becomes Maya, the bond immemorial.
0026 toṭarntu niṉṟāṉait toḻumiṉ toḻutāl paṭarntu niṉṟāṉ pari pārakam muṟṟum kaṭantu niṉṟāṉ kamalam malar mēlē uṭantu iruntāṉ aṭip puṇṇiyam āmē.	0026: Attain Grace Adore the Lord, who in unbroken continuity stood, The Lord who protecting over all earth expanded, Transcending all He stood; over the lotus bloom aloft, In smiling glory He sat; Holy be His feet!
0027 canti eṉat takka tāmarai vāḷ mukattu antam il īcaṉ aruḷ namakkē eṉṟu nantiyai nāḷum vaṇaṅkap paṭum avar puntiyiṉ uḷḷē pukuntu niṉṟāṉē.	0027: He Enters Into You The Infinite of Lotus-Face, rivalling twilight ineffable, May ours be His Grace Divine! And they who thus Nandi daily beseech, Into their Heart, creeping, He comes! He comes!
0028 iṇaṅki niṉṟāṉ eṅkum āki niṉṟāṉum piṇaṅki niṉṟāṉ piṉ muṉṉāki niṉṟāṉum uṇaṅki niṉṟāṉ amarā pati nātaṉ vaṇaṅki niṉṟārkkē vaḻittuṇai āmē.	0028: Your Guide Beckoning He stood, He, the All-pervading; But they who, doubt-tossed, in self-contention lost, They stood withered at the root; To those who freely give themselves to the Lord on High, To them is He the certain, immutable Guide.
0029 kāṇa nillāy aṭiyēṟku uṟavu ār uḷar nāṇa nillēṉ uṉṉai nāṉ taḻuvik koḷak kōṇa nillāta kuṇattu aṭiyār maṉattu āṇiyaṉ āki amarntu niṉṟāṉē.	0029: Axle-Pin Oh! You, the Unseen, only kin to this forlorn slave, Let me not falter to embrace Your feet! For to the heart of Your servant, pure and true You ever stood even as the axle-pin.
0030 vāṉ niṉṟu aḻaikkum maḻaipōl iṟaivaṉum tāṉ niṉṟu aḻaikkumkol eṉṟu tayaṅkuvār āṉ niṉṟu aḻaikkum atupōl eṉ nantiyai nāṉ niṉṟu aḻaippatu ñāṉam karutiyē.	0030: Yearn For Him As the Heavens draw the rains; Even so will my Lord draw me to Him? Thus, doubting, many ask. But like to the mother-cow, for my Nandi I yearn And all the world, all the world know it too!
0031 maṇ akattāṉ okkum vāṉ akattāṉ okkum viṇ akattāṉ okkum vētakattāṉ okkum paṇ akattu iṉ icai pāṭal uṟṟāṉukkē kaṇ akattē niṉṟu kātalit tēṉē.	0031: Seek Him In Love Of the Earth is He, of the sky is He! Well He be! Of the Heaven is He, of truest Gold is He! Well He be! Of sweetest song's inmost rapture is He! Him my love besought, from heart's central core.
0032 tēvar pirāṉ nampirāṉ ticai pattaiyum mēvu pirāṉ viri nīr ulaku ēḻaiyum tāvum pirāṉ taṉmai tāṉ aṟivār illai pāvu pirāṉ aruḷ pāṭalum āmē.	0032: Sing Of Him The Lord of Gods, and of ours too, The Lord who all space pervades, And the seven Worlds, ocean-bound, transcends; None do know His nature true, How then may we sing His Grace Divine?
0033 pati pala āyatu paṇṭu iv ulakam viti pala ceytu oṉṟu meymmai uṇarār tuti pala tōttiram colla vallārum mati ilar neñciṉuḷ vāṭukiṉṟārē.	0033: Adore Him Many the Gods this hoary world adores, Many the rituals; many the songs they sing; But knowing not the One Truth, of Wisdom bereft Unillumined, they can but droop at heart.
0034 cāntu kamaḻum kavariyiṉ kantam pōl vēntaṉ amararkku aruḷiya meyn neṟi ārnta cuṭar aṉṉa āyiram nāmamum pōntum iruntum pukaḻukiṉṟēṉē.	0034 Chant His Names Thousand Like the fragrance of the musk the musk-deer constant emits, Is the True Path which the Lord to Celestials imparts. Sitting or moving, I chant the rich essence of His Name, His thousand Names that are with spark divine.
0035 āṟṟu kilā vaḻiyākum iṟaivaṉaip pōṟṟumiṉ pōṟṟip pukaḻmiṉ pukaḻntiṭil mēlticaikkum kiḻakkut ticai eṭṭoṭu māṟṟuvaṉ appaṭi āṭṭavum āmē.	0035: Path Crossed Even the Path impassable is foot-easy made, If you the Lord praise and Him adore; The East and West and directions all He does transmute--and thus dances He the Lord.
0036 appaṉai nantiyai ārā amutiṉai oppu ili vaḷḷalai ūḻi mutalvaṉai ep paricu āyiṉum ēttumiṉ ēttiṉāl ap paricu īcaṉ aruḷ peṟalāmē.	0036: Praise And Be Blessed Oh, Heavenly Father, Nandi, the unsurfeiting nectar sweet, Oh, Bounteous One, Unequalled, First of Time! Praise Him ever; and even as you praise, So thine reward will also be.
0037 nāṉum niṉṟu ēttuvaṉ nāḷ toṟum nantiyait tāṉum niṉṟāṉ taḻal tāṉ okkum mēṉiyaṉ vāṉil niṉṟār matipōl uṭal uḷ uvantu ūṉil niṉṟu āṅkē uyirkkiṉṟa āṟē.	0037: Throbs Within Daily I kneel and chant Nandi's holy Name; Envisioned, He stands, the Fire-Hued One, Flaming like the moon in sky; into me He comes, And throbs and breathes through my mortal flesh.
0038 pitaṟṟu oḻiyēṉ periyāṉ ariyāṉaip pitaṟṟu oḻiyēṉ piṟavā uruvāṉaip pitaṟṟu oḻiyēṉ eṅkaḷ pēr nanti taṉṉaip pitaṟṟu oḻiyēṉ perumaittavaṉ yāṉē.	0038: Greatness Unceasing I will not cease to speak of Him, the Great, the Rare, I will not cease to prate of Him, the Form Unborn, I will not cease to talk of Nandi, the Mighty, I will never cease, for pure and great am I then!
0039 vāḻtta vallār maṉattu uḷ uṟu cōtiyait tīrttaṉai aṅkē tiḷaikkiṉṟa tēvaṉai ēttiyum em perumāṉ eṉṟu iṟaiñciyum āttam ceytu īcaṉ aruḷ peṟalāmē.	0039: Adore And Attain Grace He, the Divine Light, shining bright in devotee's heart, He, of the Holy Waters, wherein He sports, Him shall we praise, Him call, "Our Lord," And, thus adoring, His Grace attain.
0040 kuṟaintu aṭaintu īcaṉ k kaḻal nāṭum niṟaintu aṭai cem poṉiṉ nēr oḷi okkum maṟaiñ caṭam ceyyātu vāḻtta vallārkkup puṟam caṭam ceyvāṉ pukuntu niṉṟāṉē.	0040: In The Heart Of The Pure Humbled and meek, seek thou the Lord's Feet, Feet that equal the rays of purest gold serene; Praise Him with songs of the humble heart And unpenurious tongue; To such He comes, the all-fashioning Lord.
0041 ciṉam ceyta nañcu uṇṭa tēvar pirāṉaip puṉam ceyta neñcu iṭai pōṟṟa vallārkkuk kaṉam ceyta vāḷ nutal pākaṉum aṅkē iṉam ceyta māṉpōl iṇaṅki niṉṟāṉē.	0041: In Depths Of Devotee's Heart To them He comes, who, in heart's deep confines Treasure His Name, The Lord who consumed the deathly poison of hatred born, Consorting with Her of the gleaming brow, Conjoint, like the pairing deer in amity sweet.
0042 pōy araṉ taṉṉaip pukaḻvār peṟuvatu nāyakaṉ nāṉ muṭi ceytatuvē nalku māyakam cūḻntu vara vallār ākilum vēy aṉa tōḷikku vēntu oṉṟumtāṉē.	0042: Grants All They alone attain His Feet, who seek and praise; To them He shall grant the world the Four-Headed one made; Full well the elect come, the world of Maya girdling, One is He with Her of the shoulders reed-shaped.
0043 araṉ aṭi colli araṟṟi aḻutu paraṉ aṭi nāṭiyē pāvippa nāḷum uraṉ aṭi ceytu aṅku otuṅka vallārkku niraṉ aṭi ceytu niṟaintu niṉṟāṉē.	0043: Eternal Grace To them that speak of Hara's Holy Feet and weep, To them that daily muse at the Great One's mighty feet, To them that, in deep devotion fixed, wait to serve, To them comes the Eternal's all-filling Grace.
0044 pōṟṟi eṉpār amarar puṉitaṉ aṭi pōṟṟi eṉpār acurar puṉitaṉ aṭi pōṟṟi eṉpār maṉitar puṉitaṉ aṭi pōṟṟi eṉ aṉpuḷ poliya vaittēṉē.	0044: Shines In Love "Glory to the Holy Feet," the Devas chant, "Glory to the Holy Feet," the Asuras hymn, "Glory to the Holy Feet," the humans, too, echo, Thus I gloried Him, and in my love He shone.
0045 vitivaḻi allatu iv vēlai ulakam vitivaḻi iṉpam viruttamum illai tutivaḻi nittalum cōtip pirāṉum pativaḻi kāṭṭum pakalavaṉ āmē.	0045: Divine Path Except by Fate He decrees this sea-girt world revolves not, Except by Fate He decrees do joys and age arrive not, Daily pray to the Light Effulgent; The Divine Path He'll prove, the Sure Sun He'll be.
0046 anti vaṇṇā araṉē civaṉē eṉṟu cintai cey vaṇṇam tiruntu aṭiyār toḻa munti vaṇṇā mutalvā paraṉē eṉṟu vantu ivvaṇṇaṉ em maṉam pukuntāṉē.	0046: In Heart's Center "You of the Twilight Hue! O! Hara! O! Siva!" Thus, His Holy Feet devotees praise and sing; He of the Primary Hue, the First, the Infinite Entered my being, my heart's center held.
0047 maṉai uḷ iruntavar mātavar oppar niṉaivu uḷ iruntavar nēcattu uḷ niṟpar paṉaiyuḷ irunta paruntu atu pōla niṉaiyātavarkku illai niṉ iṉpam tāṉē.	0047: Bliss Denied In Home is He, like Holy Men is He, In Thought is He; Like the kite concealed in the palm's leafy depths, Your Bliss is for them alone who muse upon You steadfast.
0048 aṭiyār paravum amarar pirāṉai muṭiyāl vaṇaṅki mutalvaṉai muṉṉip paṭiyār aruḷum paramparaṉ entai viṭiyā viḷakku eṉṟu mēvi niṉṟēṉē.	0048: Unflickering Lamp The Lord of Gods, whom the pious adore, To Him I bend my knees and His Grace invoke, The Lord, Our Father, blessing us of earth, The Lamp that flickers not, Him I seek.
0049 parai pacu pācattu nātaṉai uḷḷi pacu pācattu oruṅka vallārkkut tirai pacu pāvac ceḻum kaṭal nīntik karai pacu pācam kaṭantu eytalāmē.	0049: Sea Of Bondage Who, on the Lord, Shakti-Consort, meditate, And take the way of Pasu-Pasa, They swim across the foaming sea of Sin, And, swimming, reach the shore of Pasu-Pasa.
0050 cūṭuvaṉ neñcu iṭai vaippaṉ pirāṉ eṉṟu pāṭuvaṉ paṉmalar tūvip paṇintu niṉṟu āṭuvaṉ āṭi amarar pirāṉ eṉṟu nāṭuvaṉ yāṉ iṉṟu aṟivatu tāṉē.	0050: Seeking Is All I'll wreathe Him in garland, I'll hug Him to heart; I'll sing Him His Name and dance with gift of flowers; Singing and dancing seek the Lord; This alone I know, only too well I know.

 சிவாயநம

civāyanama

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Tirumantiram - The Journey Begins

Tirumantiram - The Journey Begins

I have decided to start a project on Tirumantiram. This project is specially for those who can understand Tamil but not able to read in the Tamil script. The project's aim is to enable them to read Tirumantiram in Tamil so that they too can grasp the message of Tirumular.

In order to make this happen, Tirumantiram verses from several sources will be transliterated from Tamil text into Romanised text using the ISO15919 format. The Tamil verses will be taken from Project Madurai and Tamil Virtual Academy. It will be compared and posted in a readable format.

Each Romanised Tamil verse will also contain the English translation done by Dr.B.Natarajan of the Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Although translations are included, it is advisable to seek guidance from ualified gurus as some verses are best read and explained in Tamil.

The new entries will be updated on this page so that you can access it from here. You may also access it directly from its url once it is published. So please follow up with my blog.

The work of transliterating Tirumular's 3,047 verses will not be easy as each transliteration must be checked and compared. I seek the blessings of satguru Tirumular to complete this project. 

I would like to apologize in advance for any possible spelling error that may occur. I will check the posts from time to time and make corrections whenever necessary. I assume that the project may take approximately 200 days to be completed. 

I hope this effort will be useful for the truth seekers out there. I take no credit for this as all credit goes to satguru Tirumular.

vināyakar kāppu aintu karattaṉai yāṉai mukattaṉai intiṉ iḷam piṟai pōlum eyiṟṟaṉai nanti makaṉ taṉai ñāṉak koḻuntiṉaip puntiyil vaittaṭi pōṟṟu kiṉṟēṉē.

Invocation to Vinayaka He who has the five hands and the elephant's face, Whose tusk is even as the crescent moon, The son of Nandi, the Flower of Wisdom, Him I cherish in thought, His feet adore.

Click below to access Tirumantiram in Romanised Tamil:

Tirumantiram (Mantra 1-50) Preface: In Praise of God
Tirumantiram (Mantra 51-56) Preface: Greatness of Vedas 
Tirumantiram (Mantra 57-66) Preface: Greatness of the Agamas (coming soon...)

The Pandyan Kingdom According to Marco Polo

The Pandyan kingdom went into decline after the Cholas of the Vijayalaya bloodline defeated them in the beginning of the 10th century AD. We can say that the Pandyans lived under the shadow of the Chola empire for about 300 years.

Around 1220 AD or earlier, the Pandyans start regaining their strength. They finally destroyed the Cholas and as of 1279 AD, they reigned supreme in the Tamil region. 

During the zenith of the Pandyan empire in the late 13th century AD, they were said to be the richest empire in the world. The Pandyan empire was visited by the famed traveler Marco Polo in 1293 AD.

Let's take a look at what Marco Polo has said about the Pandyan empire in his journal. I have referred to The Travels of Marco Polo, as translated by Henry Yule and The Travels of Marco Polo The Venetian by William Marsden & John Masefield. 

Whatever I have given here is very brief. You will need to read the full chapter of the journals if you want more information.

• Marco Polo starts by mentioning that the Pandyan kingdom which was also called as Maabar is 60 miles west of Sri Lanka. The kingdom was ruled by 5 brothers. The name of the king is Sonder Bandi Davar (Sundarapandi Thevar).

Based on the existing studies on Pandyan polity, we do know that there will always be 5 Pandyas ruling as the ancient kingdom was often divided into 5 provinces. The chief of Madurai will usually become the king of the empire. They are usually brothers or parallel cousins or even uncles and nephews of the same bloodline.

Together they will be called as PanchaPandya. After the Pandyas suffered defeat at the hands of the Muslim invaders, they retreated south to Tinnevely region. They continued ruling and fighting from there even during the Nayak period.

According to some sources, the last of the PanchaPandyas were based in these 5 places; Korkai, Kayathar, Tenkasi, Vallioor and Ukkirankottai. I am not very certain of the location of each PanchaPandya in 1293 AD.

Location of PanchaPandyas after the fall of the last Pandyan empire; Tenkasi, Kayathar, Ukkirankottai, Vallioor and Korkai. 

• It is the finest and noblest province in the world. They have fine pearls. The king is worth more than a city's wealth. People wore minimal clothes.

The Pandyan king and his subjects are said to wear only a loincloth covering the body from the waist down. Being a European who wore many layers of clothes, Marco Polo could have over exaggerated what he saw.

The king is also said to wear many ornaments of gold and precious stones from his neck down to his waist. He also wore gold arm bracelets. The worth of these ornaments is more than a city.

• The king says 104 prayers everyday and repeats the word Pacauta! Pacauta! Pacauta!

Perhaps what is meant by Pacauta is Pasupata? We do know that the Pandyans were ardent Saivites. In fact, the tutelary deity of the Pandyan royal family is Siva in the form of Chandrasekhara with Agastya as their kulaguru.

• The king had 500 wives and has his own Trusted Lieges who will burn themselves if the king dies.

Well, what can we expect from an extremely wealthy king? He would definitely spend on harem and also to spread his genes. The king's bodyguard will commit suicide if the king dies. This was a common practice in ancient Tamilakam. It is called senchoru kadan (blood rice debt). 

Usually goats will be slaughtered in ritual practices and the blood of the animal will be mixed with boiled rice. This will then be distributed by the king to his selected group of bodyguards. Should the king die in battle, the bodyguards will commit navakandam (Tamil version of seppuku/harakiri) and join their master in the afterlife. 

• The empire spends a lot on horse purchase. More than 2000 horses each year.

The Pandyans imported the horses from the Arabs. For some reason, they were not good in breeding horses. So they ended up spending money in importing these animals especially for the use of their cavalries. 

• Criminals were allowed to commit navakandam. Sati was common. Pandyans including their king obeyed the law.

Pandyans place a very high importance on law and justice. Criminals were given the option to sacrifice themselves by offering the death to the deity of choice. Such criminals will be paraded and there will be announcement that the criminal has offered himself to a particular deity. He will then be given 12 knives/daggers to use for the ritual suicide.

Those who lent money were allowed to draw a circle around those who borrowed and demand for assurance of repayment. It is said that the king himself went through this when a merchant who lent him money suddenly drew a circle around him and his horse!

• People pray to Ox and don't eat beef. However, there is a community that eats beef from dead cows/ox. They are known as Govis.

This is not surprising at all. The Pandyan land is the land of Jallikattu. Cows and bulls are venerated. Southern Pandyan territories like Tirunelveli is popular for the worship of the guardian deity, Madan (bull man) who is also known as Madasamy or Sudalai Madan. While some may mistake him for Siva, Madan is actually Nandi.

The Govis mentioned by Marco Polo may refer to the Paraiyars. They don't usually slaughter the cow/bull. However, if the animal dies a natural or accidental death, they may consume its flesh.

• The apply cow dung on houses. They grow only rice and no other wheat.

• The soldiers battled naked

Marco Polo did mention that the soldiers use lance and shield during battle and that they are mostly naked. Perhaps the ancient Pandyan warriors preferred to fight naked like the Spartans or they could have worn minimal clothing with almost no armor and Marco Polo probably just exaggerated it.

• The Saracens were butchers. Pandyan citizens bathe twice a day. They eat with their right hand. Everyone have their own drinking vessel and they don't touch the vessel with their mouth when they drink.

Looks like the Pandyans were very hygienic! Saracen is the term used for Arab Muslims.

• Does not allow drunkards and seafarers to become guarantors

Well it makes sense because those who are drunkards cannot be trusted with their words and seafarers will not be around at all times.

• Rain during June, July and August. People can tell a person's character by looking at the face and body. People knew how to interpret omens. People believe in Astrology.

There was little rain in the Pandyan country. The Pandyans had a good water management system. They built water tanks to store and channel water. The art of predicting a person's character by looking at the facial features of physical feature is known as Samudrika Lakshana. 

The people also believed in omens. For example, if someone starts a journey and suddenly hears a sneeze, he may pause for a moment or cancel the journey. As per Polo's journal, we also know that astrology played an important role in the lives of the people. Natal chart will be drawn when a child is born.

• Boys leave house when they are 13

Young boys are considered as adults when they reach 13. They are expected to fend for themselves. They will be given some goats or money equivalent and will be expected to earn money via trade. They are no longer the responsibility of the parents when they are 13.

• Shark charmers help the pearl divers

One of the things which caught my interest was the mention of shark charmers. I have heard about this before. They are called Kadal Katti (Sea Binders) in Tamil. They will charm the sharks so that it does not attack the divers whenever they dive into the sea to look for pearls. Apparently they use some mantras to do this. The fishermen and pearl divers of the Pandyan nation depended on the service of these charmers!

I can go on writing more about what Marco Polo has mentioned  but I will stop here for now.

Following a series of attacks from Muslim invaders, the Pandyan empire finally ended in around 1333. The Madurai Sultanate was then established. 

It lasted for about 43 years. During this time, the Pandyans shifted to Tirunelveli and ruled from there as shown in the image at the start of this article.

In my next article, I will write about a particular dark period in Pandyan history. One that shattered them beyond revival.

The SriVidya Connection of Madurai

Kadamba tree near West Gopuram of Meenakshi Temple
Picture Credit: S. James

In Hinduism, the worship of the Divine Mother Goddess is known as Saktham. Among the various schools in Saktham, one is known as SriVidya. 

In the SriVidya tradition, the supreme goddess is called Lalita TripuraSundari. She is also called Kameswari. In Kancheepuram, she is worshiped as Kamakshi.

The goddess Varaahi serves as her Chief Commander. Matangi is her Prime Minister. Together the trio of Lalita, Matangi and Varaahi represents Icha, Jnana and Kriya Sakthis.

In Madurai, the goddess Matangi is worshipped as Meenakshi. As Ngana Sakthi, she represents represents speech and wisdom. This is why she has a parrot. In Hinduism, parrot symbolizes speech. Matangi is also known as Shyamala or RajaShyamala. 

The word Shyamala refers to her dark green complexion like that of an emerald stone. Hence she is called as Marakatha Syama (marakatham = emerald). 

One of the many names of Matangi is Kadamba Vana Vaasini. This was mentioned in the famous song known as ShyamalaDandakam. It was written by Kalidasa. Kadamba Vana Vaasini means she who resides in the Kadamba forest. 

Matha marakatha shyama, Mathangi madha shalini,

Kuryath kadaksham kalyani, kadamba vana vasini,

Jaya Mathanga thanaye, Jaya Neelolpala dhyuthe,

Jaya Sangeetha rasike, Jaya Leela shuka priye

-Kalidasa's Shyamala Dandakam-

Madurai has many names. One of it is KadambaVanam because it used to be a large Kadamba forest. The entire Madurai city is the abode of the goddess Syamala. 

However, there are not many Kadamba trees left in today's Madurai. The SthalaVriksham (temple tree) of the Madurai Meenakshi temple is the Kadamba tree. It is believed that this tree was part of the original Kadamba forest before the forest was cleared to build the city over 2500 years ago. The tree is still there in the temple.

So when you go to Madurai, bow down to the beautiful Meenakshi and as you sit under her Kadamba tree, remember this article and the SriVidya connection of Madurai.

Should India Relocate Its Capital to Nagpur?

Nagpur in India

The present location of India's capital, New Delhi, has resulted in a considerable bias towards northern regions in terms of development and decision-making within the country. Moreover, its geographical proximity to Pakistan and China raises security concerns. To address these issues, a prudent approach for the Indian government could be the contemplation of relocating the capital to a more centralized and strategically advantageous location.

Nagpur: A Favourable Contender

Nagpur emerges as an ideal candidate for India's new capital city owing to several compelling factors. Formerly the geographic center of undivided India, Nagpur retains historical significance and now stands as one of the world's fastest-growing cities with an approximate population of 2.5 million. Notably, the Oxford Economic report for the 2019-35 period ranks Nagpur at an impressive #5 globally, underscoring its robust economic potential.

Strategic Advantages of Nagpur's Central Location

One of the significant advantages of Nagpur's central position is its potential to catalyze economic growth in the heart of India. Unlike New Delhi, which poses logistical challenges for southern states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Nagpur's location would be more balanced, providing almost equidistant access to all corners of the nation. This balanced accessibility would foster increased regional economic integration and development.

Enhanced Transportation Infrastructure and Connectivity

The relocation of India's capital to Nagpur could result in substantial investments in transportation infrastructure, such as roads, highways, and railways, connecting the city with other parts of the country. The consequent enhancement in regional connectivity would facilitate the seamless movement of goods, services, and people, thereby giving a considerable boost to economic activities across the central region.

Alleviating Urban Congestion and Boosting Urban Planning

New Delhi currently grapples with severe traffic congestion and overcrowding, negatively impacting transportation efficiency. Shifting the capital to Nagpur would alleviate this burden, easing traffic pressure in New Delhi while encouraging better traffic management and urban planning in both cities.

Potential for Defense Advantages

Nagpur's central location presents strategic advantages for defense purposes. Being geographically closer to various regions, the relocation would enable more efficient deployment of defense forces and quicker response times during emergencies or security threats. Additionally, the establishment of defense-related institutions, research centers, and manufacturing facilities in Nagpur would foster regional defense infrastructure development, equitably distributing defense capabilities nationwide.

Fostering Cultural Heritage and Tourism

Nagpur is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, and designating it as the capital could provide an opportunity to promote and highlight the diverse cultural tapestry of central India. Consequently, this could lead to increased tourism, showcasing Nagpur's historical sites, traditions, arts, and crafts, thereby stimulating the local economy while preserving and celebrating India's cultural heritage.

Conclusion

The potential relocation of India's capital from New Delhi to Nagpur, though not without its challenges, offers significant benefits for the nation's overall growth and development. By strategically positioning the capital city in Nagpur, India can achieve a more balanced and prosperous future, fostering equitable regional progress and enhancing its national potential.

The Benefit of Romanising Tamil Writing

Tamil language was written in several older scripts before it was written using the present day Tamil script.

Personally, I prefer the Romanised version, the ISO15919.

Some benefits of Romanising the Tamil writing:

1. The switch from Abugida to Alphabet system also means that less letters will be needed.

2. We only need a maximum of 36 letters to write in Tamil without errors and with accurate pronunciation.

Presently used traditional Tamil script. The Sanskrit syllables are represented using Grantha script. In total, a person needs to memorize not less than 216 unique letters to write in Tamil using this script.

Using Romanised Tamil, a person only needs 36 letters as shown in the green boxes to write every sound combination that exist in Tamil language! This even includes the Sanskrit sounds.

3. It will be a lot more easier to learn the writing as most of us are familiar with the existing Roman (Latin) alphabets. A person needs to only know less than 10 additional letters with diacritics.

4. Fewer letters also mean that it will now be faster to learn Tamil writing. 36 familiar looking letters is definitely faster than learning a combo of 216 unfamiliar looking letters!

5. More people will be attracted to learn not just the writing but also the language itself because it is now easier and faster.

6. This will boost the growth of Tamil language and help to spread it faster around the globe.

7. Tamil will have a global appeal and attract more non-speakers,

8. Typing Tamil using keyboards will be a lot more easier than the present script as shortcuts can be created for the additional diacritics.

9. This will also benefit the printing and publishing industries as there will be fewer letters to focus on.

10. It will also be easier to transliterate it into Braille. Even the blind can start reading in Tamil!