THE ESOTERIC
KANDAR ANUBHUTI
THE SECRET TEACHING ON
GOD-EXPERIENCE
(A Treatise on Adwaitic Realization)
OF
SAINT ARUNAGIRINATHAR
| THE ESOTERIC KANDAR ANUBHUTI THE SECRET TEACHING ON GOD-EXPERIENCE (A Treatise on Adwaitic Realization) OF SAINT ARUNAGIRINATHAR | |
 | by N.V. Karthikeyan |  |
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| earlier works of the Tamil and Sanskrit languages, that he was cultured, that he had practised Tapas in his earlier births, etc., all which will be contradicted if the above verses are to be taken literally. Since the condemnation in these Tiruppugazh songs is of a general nature, we can easily take these poems as 'attributions' and not literally as referring to himself. But, all Tiruppugazh poems are not of this type only and Arunagiri cannot be said to merely take upon himself the evils, shortcomings and misdeeds of others, because there are also poems of quite a different type wherein he does not condemn himself in general terms as a low man, a fool, etc., but says something of a purely personal nature. Take the Tiruppugazh 'Manaiyaval Nagaikka' (T-392. See page xxix). Here is the moot question: Why did Arunagiri jump from the temple tower to end his life? Was it because he 'attributed' to himself the sins and wrong deeds of the masses and repented for them, and jumped? OR, repenting for his own sins and indulgence in debauchery? Again, was it because some townsmen indulged in debauchery and contracted diseases, and their wives laughed at their husbands that he jumped from the tower? OR, because Arunagiri's own wife and relations laughed and ridiculed at him for his indulgence? Certainly this song is not an 'attribution'; it was for his own wrong deeds, for which his wife and others ridiculed and laughed at him, that he jumped from the tower. It is easy to glibly say that saints take upon themselves the sins, wrong deeds and weaknesses of others and Arunagiri also did it. But what is the ground reality? When he jumped from the tower, was he a saint? Or an ordinary man? Of course, he was not a saint; not even an ordinary man, but a sinner of an unimaginable magnitude, --- though being married and with children, he succumbed to the wiles of prostitutes and indulged in them for years and years, squandered all his wealth to please them and contracted incurable diseases, being laughed at by the courtesans as well as his own wife and others, not wanted by anyone and dejected in his mind, feeling sorry for having wasted the precious human life, he jumped from the tower as a Prayaschitta or expiation of his sins. The Lord saved him and transformed him into a saint. He was not an ordinary man transformed into an ordinary saint but a horrible sinner transformed into an exceptionally gifted saint, with a mission to fulfil; so much so that none has spoken about 'truth' or 'facts' (both matters worldly and spiritual) so frankly like him. So, from then onwards, in utter gratitude, he not only sings the glory of the Lord in his Tiruppugazh songs but also gives vivid descriptions of his miserable experiences with the prostitutes, from whom the Lord saved him. If it is the wont of saints to 'attribute' to themselves the weakness of the masses (though it is true with regard to simple weaknesses), how many other saints have spoken of being regular visitors to public women and given such graphic descriptions of intimate experiences with them in countless verses, by way of 'attribution' of others' weaknesses? If none, why? Only Arunagiri has done so, because they are his personal experiences and not 'attributions'. Who else has | ||
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