One Word Many Meanings

Each Classical Tamil word has many possible meanings

Because in incantation languages like Classical Tamil, each word has many possible meanings to it, with mind humbly invoking Lord Siva's Grace, we just have to look into the classical Tamil dictionary for the meaning of each word in a Tirumantiram verse that yields a coherent and wholesome meaning.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Tirumantiram 155 - Tantra 1 - Upon our death, all our possessions and known ones desert us

மதுவூர்க் குழலியும் மாடும் மனையும்
இதுவூர் ஒழிய இதணமது ஏறி
பொதுவூர்ப் புறம் சுடுகாடு அதுநோக்கி
மதுவூர் வாங்கியே வைத்து அகன்றார்களே.  155.

Pollen-spreading* haired-she-and wealth-and house-and
This-town(-in) moving-away(,) security-platform-that (having-)ascended(,)
Common-town -outskirts cremation-ground that-towards (the dead man's body was departing)
Pollen-spreading** curve-itself (having-)placed moved-away (!)

1  With,-
    a)  the pollen-spreading (flower-adorning-)haired-she (the dead man's wife),
    b)  (his) wealth, and
    c)  (his) house,
    in this town, moving away (from the dead man),
2  (the dead man's body) having ascended
    the security-platform (at the borders of the town),
4  (the known-ones) having placed
    the pollen-spreading curve (of flowers) and moved away (!)
3  (the dead man's body was departing) towards
    that common cremation ground at the outskirts of the town.

*    on account of the dead-man's wife's hair being adorned with flowers
**  on account of the curve (placed upon the dead body in honor of the dead man) being one of flowers 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Tirumantiram 154 - Tantra 1 - With the body's fall, the indwelling 96 elements flee from it

முப்பதும் முப்பதும் முப்பத்து அறுவரும்
செப்ப மதிள்உடைக் கோயில்உள் வாழ்பவர்
செப்ப மதிள்உடைக் கோயில் சிதைந்தபின்
ஒப்ப அனைவரும் ஓட்டெடுத்தார்களே.  154.

1  The thirty (30) and the thirty (30) and the thirty six (36) *
2  agreeably wall-having temple-within living-ones
3  Agreeably wall-having temple fallen-after
4  Agreeing all fleeing took-to-they.

*  Soul-tattvas               ஆன்ம தத்துவங்கள்   24
    Spiritual nerves         நாடிகள்                     10
    Spiritual states           அவத்தைகள்               5
    Spiritual impurities    மலங்கள்                     3
    Attributes                  குணங்கள்                   3
    Domains                   மண்டலங்கள்              3
    Spiritual diseases      பிணிகள்                    3
    Modifications           விகாரங்கள்                 8
    Supports                   ஆதாரங்கள்                6
    Seeds                        தாதுக்கள்                 7
    Modes                      மரபுகள்                     10
    Sheaths                    கோசங்கள்                  5
    Gates                       வாயில்கள்                   9
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    Total                       மொத்தம்                  96
    ================================

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Tirumantiram 153 - Tantra 1 - Even powerful men die, just like any one normally

நாட்டுக்கு நாயகன் நம்மூர்த் தலைமகன்
காட்டுச் சிவிகை ஒன்றேறி கடைமுறை
நாட்டார்கள் பின்செல்ல முன்னே பறைகொட்ட
நாட்டுக்கு நம்பி நடக்கின்றவாறே.  153.

Literal Translation
1  Place-to (the-)Head  Our-Town('s) Chieftain
2  Reminding cot-abiding-vehicle one-ascending last-time
3  Place-residents behind-going front-in trumpet-blowing
4  Ground (cremation/burial) - to men-among-special going-nature. 153.

Lucid Translation
1  Head (man) of the (residing) place (and) Chieftain of the town,
2  Ascending for the last time on to one cot-abiding-vehicle reminding (of death impending for all),
3  With residents (of the place where he used to reside) going behind (and) trumpets blowing in front,
4  This is the nature of the special-among-men going to (cremation/burial) ground !!!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Tirumantiram 152 - Tantra 1 - With 9 body-openings closing, relatives depart weeping

பந்தல் பிரிந்து அது  பண்டு ஆரம் கட்டற்ற
ஒன்பது வாசலும் ஒக்க அடைத்தன
துன்புறு காலம் துரிசுவர மேன்மேல்
அன்புடை யார்கள் அழுதகன் றார்களே. 152.

Literal Translation
1  Spreading-creeper-expanse (having) separated,
                that (body is an) ancient ornament.  Binding-(having)ceased,
2  nine gates equal-as-to-abide closed (themselves).
3  (At the) sorrow-to-adjoin time, sorrow-arriving one-after-the-other,
4  Love-having-ones having wept, departed.

Lucid Translation
1)  That physical body is an ancient ornament for (the subtle body of)
      the spreading-creeper-expanse which has separated from the physical body.
2)   The 9 gates of the physical body abide as being equal to closed holes
       (with no vital energies moving in or out of them)
3)   a)  At the 'sorrow-adjoining' time *,
      b)  with sorrow** arriving one after the other,
      those having love for the dead one, wept and departed.

Lucid Explanations
*   due to the outbursts of cries by the relatives

** the stream of bewailing relatives (bottling up sorrow inside them) arriving one after the other,
      to console those bereaved by the dead one
    

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Tirumantiram 151 - Tantra 1 - We die leaving behind our beloved and wealth

கைவிட்டு நாடிக் கருத்தழிந்து அச்சற
நெய்யட்டிச் சோறுண்ணும் ஐவரும் போயினார்
மையிட்டக் கண்ணாளும் மாடும் இருக்கவே
மெய்விட்டுப் போக விடை கொள்ளுமாறே.  151 

Literal Translation
1  Hold-abandoned body-dweller-(her) memory-destroyed body-severed,
2  Blood-adjoined -food-eating five-also left,
3  Collirium-laid eyed-she*-and wealth-also abiding(-left-over)-with
4  body-abandoned go-to leave taking-mode (!)

Lucid Translation
1)  The body-dweller (of the subtle body),
     a)  with the (abidance in the physical) body having been severed,
     b)  the memory of the physical body having been destroyed,
     abandoned the hold over the physical body.
2)  The five (vital energies) that eat food, adjoining the blood, also left (the physical body)
3)  The wife with collyrium-laid eyes and the wealth of the dead one were left over.
4)  The dead one took to the mode of taking leave, having abandoned the physical body.

* wife







Thursday, January 19, 2012

Tirumantiram 150 - Tantra 1 - Our relatives burn their affection for us in the fire of our funeral pyre

வாசந்தி-பேசி மணம்-புணர்ந்த அப்பதி
நேசம்-தெவிட்டி நினைபபொழிவார்(.) பின்னை
ஆசந்தி மேல்வைத்து அமைய அழுதிட்டுப்
பாசம் தீச்சுட்டுப் பலியட்டினார்களே    150 

Literal Translation
1  Spring-season-'malligai'* -dress(-of) smell-adjoined that-spot**-(of)
2  love-(having)-spat memory-lose-will-they(,the relatives.)  Head-hair
3  corpse-carrying-bamboo-pole-pair***- upon-(having)-kept sufficient-to-become (having-)cried
4  affection (corpse-scorching-)fire-(by-having)-scorched ash-(es)-aggregated-they(!)

Lucid Translation
1)  The smell of the spring-season-malligai*-flower-dress (adorning the dead body)
     adjoined that spot** where the dead body was kept.
2)  The relatives (of the dead person), having spat their love for the dead one,
     will lose their memory of the dead one.
3)  The relatives cried sufficiently, having kept the hair of their heads,
      over the corpse-carrying bamboo-pole-pair***.
4)  They aggregated the ashes (left over after burning the corpse)
      after having scorched their affection (for the dead one) in the fire that burnt the corpse.
 

Glossary of Terms
*      'malligai' is a kind of fragrant flower used to adorn corpses

**    the spot where the flower-adorned corpse is kept 
        before being taken to the burial/cremation ground

*** 2 bamboo-poles kept parallel and tied 
        with cooconut-tree-leaves in between them, for the corpse, 
        a)  to be placed upon the said leaves, and 
        b) to be carried to the cremation ground 
             by 4 relatives/others holding upon their shoulders 
             the 4 corners  of the said 2 bamboo-poles