In many verses of this chapter, Manikkavasagar praises the Lord by singing to Him as the “King of Uthirakosamangai“! In the life-center (Jiva Sthanam) that shines within the middle of our head, the primordial presence is the Youthful Mother (Valai-thaai); she herself is Uthirakosamangai! The Sovereign to that Mother is Sivam (Lord Shiva)! It is only after the Mother bestows her grace by offering divine nectar that we can finally witness the Father, Sivam! This is the absolute truth! This is a realized experience!
“Like an ant caught within a firebrand burning at both ends”
“I am agonizing like an ant trapped on a piece of wood burning at both ends; Oh Lord, please protect and save me! A mortar gets pounded on one side! A mathalam (drum) gets beaten on both sides!” This is the lament of a human being perpetually afflicted by multifaceted sorrows! Yet, there is profound wisdom even in this! Much like the ant caught in the doubly-lit firebrand, are there two fires burning within our head!? Of our head’s there is fire in the two eyes in the front! This is exactly what Manikkavasagar referred to as the “firebrand burning at both ends”! Some “geniuses” might argue, “We only have one head, so how can ‘two heads’ make sense?” I call upon Sage Agathiyar for evidence! He says, “Do not speak of it in the open, the head will become two.” Foolish gurus who do not understand this properly will scare their incoming disciples by warning, “Do not speak of this outside, or your head will burst into two!” And the utterly foolish disciple, terrified, will agree, “Yes, yes, I shouldn’t tell anyone outside,” and proclaim the very same fear!
Do you know what this actually means? “Do not speak in the open,” “Do not go outside,” “This is a secret I am telling you, if you desire wisdom, learn this”—this was a teaching meant for everyone! “Do not speak outside, the head will become two!?” Anyone who interprets this as the head literally bursting into two is a fool! People have been saying this for generations—has anyone’s head actually burst into two?! The true meaning of this is that Agathiyar meant you literally have two heads; that is what he meant by “the head becomes two”! You have to give the brain some work. It is precisely to make people think that all the Siddhas spoke in paribhashai (coded/secret language)! What we have is one head! By “two heads,” Agathiyar was referring to the two eyes, which are of paramount importance to the head.
Now let us look at what Manikkavasagar said in this context. Iruthalai kolli – a firebrand (kolli) at both heads (ends)! People say that it is the eldest son (thalaimagan) who must light the funeral pyre (kolli) for the parents! Aren’t there parents who yearn, “I do not have a male child to light my pyre (kolli)”? Kolli means fire. The most important organ of our head is the eye! “For the eight-span body, the head is most significant part of body!” And within the head, the eye is significant! The secret of true spiritual wisdom is contained right here! The truth is that there is fire in both our eyes!
Thus, caught in the middle of the fire in these two eyes, we are like the ant! Why did they specifically mention an ant without naming any other living creature? They didn’t say “a lion caught in a double-ended firebrand” or “a crane caught in a double-ended firebrand,” did they?! An ant moves by crawling and crawling; similarly, we too must perform penance, take this double-ended firebrand, and like the ant, travel inward to reach the Atma Sthanam (the seat of the soul) where both eyes converge! The light traveling inside us will evoke a sensation similar to an ant crawling! That is exactly why our Manikkavasagar used the metaphor of the “ant on a firebrand lit at both ends”! For experienced practitioners of penance, the sensation of an ant crawling will be felt even inside the head!
This sensation occurs precisely because the divine light travels within! Saint Manikkavasagar has beautifully and clearly articulated this meditative experience of profound wisdom! In the phrase “Like an ant inside the firebrand” (Iruthalaik kolliyinuḷ eṟumpoththu), he explicitly uses the word inside (UL-inside)! Not in the middle of the firebrand, but inside it! Only when the divine light enters within us, can we perceive it like a crawling ant! The light travels inward gently, much like a crawling ant; this is the experiential secret of spiritual wisdom (Gnana)!
“Polikinṟa niṉṟāḷ pukuthappeṟ
ṟākkaiyaip pōkkappeṟṟu
melikinṟa eṉṉai vidukaṇdāy”
O Lord, Your perfect, effulgent divine light shines brilliantly! In my two eyes, Your “shining feet” (Ninraal) represent Your holy lotus feet! Because You, O Supreme Lord, entered my two eyes that swell and radiate with Your divine light, You have graciously dissolved my physical body, a vessel forged by past karma! Because You entered as pure light, illuminating my entire being, my blood, bones, flesh, and marrow all melt away, transforming into light itself; my physical body withers! Thus, the great Saint Manikkavasagar passionately begs the Lord, “Do not forsake me, as I melt and wither away in Your grace!” It is in this very same state of divine grace that the great Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar transformed his fleshly form into a resplendent Body of Light (Oli Udal)!
“Poruḷē thamiyēṉ pukalidhamē”
O Supreme Reality — O Ultimate Truth — O apple of my eye — You are my sanctuary! The sacred space where I can find shelter! Observe carefully how Manikkavasagar reveals to us that our true refuge is the “Reality” (Porul)! The doorway for us to enter within our own body, the Reality — the Ultimate Truth — is the tiny aperture in the center of the pupil (Kanmani)! Only by traveling inward through the sacred pathway of the eye can we attain ultimate asylum at the holy feet of the Lord!
“Irundheṉṉai yāṇdukoḷ viṟṟukkoḷ
oṟṟivai eṉṉiṉallāl
virunthina ṉēṉai vidukaṇdāy”
O Lord, abide within my body and rule over me! It is precisely because He resides within our body and governs us that we revere Him as “Aandavan” (The Supreme Ruler). Manikkavasagar surrenders entirely, pleading with the Lord, “O One who rules me, You may sell me! You may mortgage me! But please do not forsake me, for I am merely a guest here!” Indeed, we reside in our own bodies merely as transient guests! The true Master of the house is the Lord; when He tells us to vacate, we must vacate immediately! Beyond that moment, not a single second is permitted to stay. The absolute Owner of this house—the true Owner of our physical body—is the Supreme Lord Himself! The poet-saint implores God, “You may sell this body, or mortgage it, or lease it out entirely; but You who have kept me here as a temporary guest, please do not banish me from Your grace!” This body does not belong to us! It is a mere cooperative assembly of the five elements (Pancha Bhootas). Inside, there is One who resides as pure, effulgent Light—He is the rightful Owner of this house, the sole Proprietor of our body! We have come here merely as transient guests and are residing within it.
We must acquire this “house” from Him at all costs! If we depart from this house—if the life-force leaves this physical shell—it becomes nothing but the cremation ground! Therefore, while we are still residing here, we must buy this house, no matter what price must be paid! Even if you offer the entire material world as payment, the Master of this house will never be moved by it! He can be bought only through pure, unadulterated Love! Through divine love alone can we make Him our own! Once He is ours, this house—this very body—becomes eternally ours, transformed by His grace! The Lord is a slave to love alone! First, let us firmly hold onto His holy feet! The Lord will come running, take us by our hands, elevate us, and affectionately merge us into Himself by bestowing His supreme grace!
“Meimmē yārviḻuṅgum aruḷē”
Meimmeyār refers to the true devotees (Meiyadiyar) who have realized the Ultimate Reality (Meipporul). To perform the penance of supreme wisdom (Gnana Thavam), one must know and deeply experience the ultimate truth through the sacred initiations (Deeksha) and teachings (Upadesam) granted by a realized Guru! Those who realize and perform this divine penance are called Meimmeyār. They will completely absorb and swallow Sivam (the Supreme Consciousness)! Aruḷē (O Grace Divine) means that they will fully swallow the Supreme Lord, who is the very embodiment of compassion, love, and pure spiritual light!
“Gaṅgai poṅgi varunīr maduvuḷ malaicciṟu
thōṇi vadiviṉ”
Gaṅgai poṅgi varunīr refers to the tears of intense spiritual longing that well up and surge from the eyes (divine feet)! The tears shed out of worldly sorrow and suffering are minuscule; however, when one performs the intense penance of Gnana, the tears of divine ecstasy flow continuously, flowing like the eternal waters of the holy river Ganges! Maduvuḷ means from within the pupil of the eye (Kanmani), from within that deep spiritual pool. Madu signifies a depth or hollow, while Malai represents the ridge or elevation—our eye is structured beautifully with such contours, resembling the shape of a small boat (Thōṇi).
Observe how a Siddha saint echoes this exact coded language of spiritual wisdom (Gnana Paribhashai) used by Manikkavasagar: “See how that sacred house appears just like a boat, my dear! It is the subtle, unspeakable secret where the Lord resides.” He reveals that the sacred place where God dwells within our physical body is the eye, which is shaped precisely like a boat! Is this not the absolute truth? Indeed, the prime deity presiding over the sacred temple town of Sirkazhi is Lord Shiva, revered there by the holy name “Thoniyappar” (The Lord of the Boat)—and it is right there that the supreme secret of spiritual wisdom (Gnana) resides! There when the divine child Thirugnana Sambandar wept, Goddess Parvathi Herself descended to feed him the milk of supreme wisdom! The single, sacred place spoken of by all the exalted Siddhas and realized Gnanis is the “Eye“!
“Azhumaḍi yāriḍai yārthuvaith
thāṭkoṇ ḍaruḷiyeṉṉaik
kazhumaṇi yēyiṉṉuṅ kāṭṭu”
Saint Manikkavasagar articulates this with absolute clarity in every single hymn! A true devotee is one who sheds tears for the Lord! It is for this very reason he gracefully sang, “By weeping, one can attain You”! “O Lord, You have compassionately placed me amidst such truthful devotees who weep in yearning, and You have taken me under Your divine rule!” It is only those devoted souls who weep that truly perform the penance of supreme wisdom (Gnana Thavam) and attain the Supreme Lord! Weeping incessantly, washing the pupil of my eye (Kanmani) with tears, cleansing it thoroughly, I must eradicate all my impurities—the profound stains of the three malas (ego, karma, and illusion)—O Lord, bestow Your divine grace! (weep by open eye meditation in thiruvadi)
In the path of devotion (Bhakti), the Shiva Lingam in the temple receives a holy bath (Abhishekam) with the pure waters of the Ganges! In the path of wisdom (Gnana), Lord Shiva, who resides as the eye within our body, receives an Abhishekam of our devotion-filled tears! By continuously washing Lord Shiva with our tears, cleansing away our sinful karmas, we attain supreme purity! As our sins dissolve away, the grace of the Supreme Lord residing within swells and overflows little by little! Weep! Weep profusely with longing! Wash the pupil of the eye!
“Virinthē yeriyum sudaraṉai yāysuḍu kāṭṭarasē”
Fire—Agni—Jyothi—Flame—possesses the innate nature to expand and burn! It flares up radiantly! Even a tiny spark can become a magnificent conflagration! When we perform profound penance, the atom-sized spark of fire resting within the needle-point aperture of the pupil (Kanmani) blazes into a massive fire and travels deep within! Manikkavasagar invokes the Supreme Lord—Shiva—as the “King of the Cremation Ground”! All the sacred Puranas declare that Lord Shiva dwells in the cremation ground! How is this so? Sivam—the Divine Light—resides right within our own eyes, does it not?
When one performs Gnana Thavam(meditate on thiruvadi) and the divine light magnifies, the impurities dwelling there—our three malas(maya-ego-karma) and sinful karmas—are scorched and utterly destroyed within that holy radiance. Just as lifeless bodies are reduced to ashes in a worldly cremation ground, because our karmic burdens are burnt away in the light of our eyes, our very eye becomes the sacred cremation ground! The divine light dwelling there—Sivam Himself—is the Sovereign King of that Cremation Ground! “The burnt cremation ground, the vast expanse, all is That; the unspoken subtle secret is That indeed,” declares a Siddha, referring precisely to our eye!
The cremation ground (Sudukaadu) is the eye! The burial ground (Idukaadu)—the forest where corpses are laid to rest, the ground of burial—that too is our eye! Our karma is actively operating at this very moment! To render it lifeless, perform the sacred penance of the pupil (Kanmani Thavam)! Your karmas will be buried right there! In that state, it becomes the burial ground! Everything is the Eye! The entire world is the Eye! The whole universe is the Eye!
“Thaṉiththuṇai nīniṟka yāntharuk
kiththalai yālnadantha
viṉaiththuṇai yēṉai viduthikaṇdāy”
O Supreme Lord! When You stand as my sole, absolute companion, what am I to do, having abandoned following You to live grasping onto my karmic deeds as my companion?! Every human being lives according to the path dictated by their karma. It is karma that makes them dance to its tunes! To be liberated from this bondage, one must intimately know the Lord! One must realize Him in experience! For us, caught in the rat-trap of karma, to break free, we must firmly hold onto the divine light of the pupil (Kanmani Oli) — which represents the holy feet of the Lord. The Supreme Lord resides within! How does one journey there? One must “walk with the head”! Appar Swamigal walked, crawled, and slithered, and ultimately Lord Shiva Himself gathered him into His divine fold. The revered saint Karaikal Ammaiyar journeyed to Kailash, the sacred abode of Shiva, walking on her head. Saint Manikkavasagar, Thirunavukkarasar, and Karaikal Ammaiyar all reached Kailash by walking with their heads! They walked with their heads! They did not walk upside down! Do you understand? Through the eyes, which are the most paramount (the true ‘head’) part of the physical head — through the light of the pupil, they journeyed inward via the pathway of the two eyes — meaning, the divine light traveled inward! This is the true esoteric meaning of “walking with the head”!
Every true seeker performing the penance of supreme wisdom (Gnana Thavam) must journey to Kailash by walking with their head!! Our divine pilgrimage must commence first from the cremation ground!! Starting from the eye, incinerating our karmic burdens into ashes, the divine light must pierce inward to reach the sacred life-center (Jeevasthanam), the divine city of Sivapuram! The space where the hand (Kai) merges (Layam) within is indeed Kailayam (Kailash)! Thiru-kailayam! The sacred abode where the auspicious Sivam resides! In the path of Gnana, ‘Kai’ refers to our eye! It is within the light of the pupil that one merges into the divine, and within that profound union lies Kailash! Behold how subtly this supreme wisdom has been encoded! To truly comprehend this and to make others understand, one needs authentic spiritual texts of true wisdom such as this. One desperately needs a realized Gnana Sadguru!
The sacred Puranas proclaim that Karaikal Ammaiyar, a woman, walked to Kailash on her head! Commentators and narrators often become thoroughly confused, wondering how a woman could possibly walk on her head, walking upside down! Completely bewildered, they simply nod along, assuming, “Well, perhaps she did go that way,” without grasping a single drop of the true essence! Only one who has realized this supreme secret of Gnana can truly comprehend how Karaikal Ammaiyar journeyed to Kailash with her head — meaning, she traveled inward through the divine light of the eyes, which is the crown of the head! Revealing the true explanation of Gnana and deciphering the coded spiritual language (Pari-bhashai) without any veil of secrecy, bringing all supreme wisdom plainly into the light, the author of this book, the “Spiritual Luminary, Gnana Sadguru Siva Selvaraj,” has graciously published 33 volumes of true spiritual wisdom These sacred texts are also available at the “Thanga Jyothi Gnana Sabai” operating in Kanyakumari! One can also receive the holy Gnana Upadesam (spiritual instruction) and Gnana Deekshai (initiation into supreme wisdom) there!
“Vēthameynṉūl soṉṉavaṉē”
The Supreme Lord Himself bestowed the four sacred Vedas! Descending as the Primordial Guru (Aadhi Guru)—as Lord Dakshinamurthy—He imparted the supreme wisdom (Gnana Upadesam) to the four great sages led by Sanaka! He revealed the Ultimate Reality exactly as it is, by remaining in that supreme state! O human! Seek those who have truly understood and realized this, ask them who knows this, attain clarity, and look for the genuine path of salvation?! Abandoning this, do not wander aimlessly behind every fake godman you encounter! You will only drain your vital spiritual energy!? You will perish!!
Once again, coming down as the Divine Guru at Thirupperunthurai, the Lord graciously bestowed Upadesam and Deekshai upon our beloved Saint Manikkavasagar! The Lord Himself came as the Guru at Thiruvannamalai, instructing Saint Arunagirinathar to “Be Still” (Summa Iru), thus initiating him into the very state of the Aadhi Guru, Lord Dakshinamurthy! In Thiruvottriyur, the Supreme Lord Sri Thiyagaraja Peruman appeared in person and granted the holy initiation of His Divine Feet (Thiruvadi Deekshai) to Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar!
When the path of supreme wisdom (Gnana Margam) through which countless enlightened sages (Gnanis) and blessed souls attained the Lord is so crystal clear, why, O dear ones, do you wander behind every false guru in the name of yoga, karma, and bhakti?!
By uttering the verse, “Kuruḍum kuruḍum kuruṭṭāṭṭām ādi…”, the great Siddha Thirumoolar had long ago forewarned us about the blind, fake gurus roaming around today and their equally blind disciples!!
They(fake guru) tell you to meditate with your eyes closed! How can supreme wisdom dawn upon a fool who does not even know how to meditate with opened eyelids—to remain awake and alert—to meditate with open eyes! First, open your eyelids! Only then can you open the sacred gateway of the pupil (Kanmani Vaasal)! This is the supreme secret of Gnana! Those who do not even know this fundamental truth have become ‘great’ godmen, building massive ashrams, and are deceiving the masses!
O human, who blindly trusts any random person, astrologer, sorcerer, or priest! Should you not at least try to realize that the Supreme Lord Himself came in person, descending as the very first Guru in this world, as Lord Dakshinamurthy, to impart the supreme Gnana Upadesam?! Do not even dream that you can eradicate your sins by listening to the words of random charlatans and performing ritualistic remedies (Pariharam)!? It will never happen?! The remedies you perform might at best yield some meritorious fruits (Punya), but the sins you have committed will never be wiped away by them?! Whether you journey to Kashi, or to Kailash, or to Kanyakumari, your sins will remain attached to you alone! It is the very sins you committed that, in every birth do you not realize that it (your past karma) continues to follow you?
Is it not because of the presence of your sins that you have taken this birth?! Is it not because you are a sinner that you were born again? Offering bribes—dropping bundles of cash into the temple hundi (offering box)—will not eradicate your sins even a little bit! The only path to expiate your sins is the path of Supreme Wisdom (Gnana Margam)! Just as the police today eliminate major criminals outright rather than dragging them through courts and endless lawsuits, we too must not waste time dragging our karma through trials and inquiries. Instead, we must perform Gnana Thavam (the penance of supreme wisdom) and burn the sins we have accumulated into ashes within the cremation ground of our Eye! There is absolutely no other way?! Just as we must utterly destroy wicked forces, we must destroy our own sins ourselves?! The sins committed by our father and grandfather will not transfer to us?! Each soul reaps only the fruits of its own sins!
If one could receive the Lord’s grace merely by offering immense wealth as a donation to God, would Lord Buddha have renounced his royal life? Would Saint Pattinathar have worn a simple loincloth and walked out of his opulent home? Would Saint Bhadragiriyar have renounced his royal luxuries to become a disciple of the loincloth-wearing Pattinathar, wandering and begging for alms? Did the Supreme Lord ever ask you for money? A true ascetic (Sannyasi) is one who, like Buddha, like Pattinathar, like Bhadragiriyar, completely renounces vast worldly wealth! Today’s so-called godmen arrived as beggars and have now amassed hundreds of acres for ashrams and thousands of crores in wealth and assets; is this the hallmark of true renunciation? Ponder upon this! Put your intellect to work at least a little bit! The rise of such fake godmen is solely due to the foolishness of the public! Do not follow anyone blindly like a flock of sheep! Think deeply! Act by reflecting at least a little upon what Sruthi (the holy scriptures), Yukti (reasoning), and Anubhavam (spiritual experience) dictate! Place your absolute faith in the Supreme Lord! Trust in the true Gnanis (Enlightened Sages)! They will surely save you!
“Karuṅkaṇ thiraisēr maḍanthai”
It can be truly said that there is no supreme secret of Gnana that the great Lord Manikkavasagar has not revealed in his magnum opus, the Thiruvasagam, where he etched his gem-like words! That is exactly why the saying goes, “He whose heart does not melt for the Thiruvasagam will melt for no other utterance!” If one studies the Thiruvasagam, the supreme secrets of wisdom will dawn upon them; they will perform Gnana Thavam, they will melt meditating upon the divine light of the pupil (Kanmani Oli)—melting and melting, they will dissolve, and the individual soul (Jeevan) will become the Supreme Lord (Sivan) Himself!! This is the Absolute Truth! The Reality!
Here, the phrase “Karuṅkaṇ thiraisēr maḍanthai” reveals a profound anatomical and spiritual truth—past the white of the eye is the iris (the black part), and past the iris is the pupil (Kanmani), and in between lies a veil (screen) that obscures! Masking the thin, needle-point aperture a concealment! Our eye is structured exactly in this manner and to this precise measure. This very veil is the screen of our three-fold impurities (Mummala—the stains of ego, karma, and illusion)! Only when this veil is drawn apart can we attain the holy vision of the Supreme Light (Jyothi Darshan)! The word Madanthai [from the previous verse] signifies Shakti (the Divine Feminine Energy). To part the veil, we absolutely need the grace of Shakti!
- We must perform sacred penance (Thavam)! Our sins and impurities (Avam) must be eradicated! Our beloved Saint Manikkavasagar explains each and every stage of this spiritual journey with crystal-clear precision!
It is precisely to make the people of the world realize this profound inner state that the great Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar established the Sathya Gnana Sabai (The Temple of True Wisdom) in Vadalur. He set up seven veils there, and by drawing them apart, he revealed the divine Jyothi (Supreme Light) to the masses on the sacred day of Thaipusam! Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalar constructed this as a living, physical testimony to the esoteric truths spoken by Saint Manikkavasagar, graciously paving the way for all of us to truly experience and realize the Divine!
- Gnana Sarguru Sivaselvaraj Ayya