SPIRITUALISM (Aanmeeham)
When you ask school children, they will talk about their learning subjects and give reasons for learning them. Science deals with natural objects and their growth and history records past events. Moreover, definitions and explanations are given for other fields of study too. Likewise, those who speak about spiritualism (Aanmeeham), instead of defining it, beat about the bush explaining it as singing in group, yoga and its postures, meditation and in addition, their own explanations about the nature of God.
Just like school children, we can define spiritualism (Aanmeeham) shortly as realization of the nature of the soul. One who follows the path of love in a disciplined manner is known as a spiritual person (Aanmeeha vaadhi).
Let us discuss the nature of the soul, the life-giving energy (Jeevan). In fact, we are all endowed with souls; birds, animals and all which are endowed with life are also souls. How many multitudinous living souls around us! They testify to the wonders of the creation by God! There is no limit to His Grace and power as he is the inherent entity present in all living beings. To tell the truth, we are minute particles of the whole universe.
We are souls, and in our bodies dwells the omnipotent and omniscient God. Moreover, the God shines in our souls in the form of divine light.
How can I realize the presence of God, the enormous light (Jyothi) in me? How to know and understand the soul residing in me?
God, out of His divine grace, is present as soul (Aatman) in our body which is an exquisite blend of five elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky (Akash).
Only when we have life in the body, we are treated as moving God (Siva). Once the soul departs, the body becomes corpse which soon rots and stinks.
We must understand a fundamental truth. So long as a part of the great God (Paramatman) stays in the human body, a human being has life and feels that it has Godliness. Once the soul departs from the body, a human being becomes a corpse. We must live as God and that is the highest level to be reached for any human being.
Where is the soul present in the human body? How can we know about it? There is no creator so wonderful as God!
Think of how a human body enters the mother’s womb, develops with various parts and limbs, knows about the human nature, and eventually grows to become an instrument for fresh creation of another human body. Every human being feels joy and sorrow according to their actions in the previous births. When you think of all these wonderful activities, you will know these are not only wonderful but also remarkably miraculous.
The human body is made of bones, nerves, muscles, blood and it looks like a mud pot made by an extra-ordinarily skilful potter. Not only that. The creator himself as a minute part gets into the body in the form of soul. Eating, experiencing and enjoying whatever comes on the way, and believing in what one sees cannot be the purpose of this birth. Such a person is just an animal and not a human being at all.
Let us ask these questions. Who am I? A soul. Why did I come into the world? It is the divine activity, performed out of grace in order to end my virtuous and sinful actions .
How was I born? As a result of sexual relationship, my father and mother became responsible only for the growth of a baby. God gave life according to the accumulated actions (karma) of the soul in the previous births. The soul is made to enter the body because of the creative power of God. This is how I was born into the world with body and soul – as a living human baby.
Where does the life stay in the human body? Where does the soul live in a human being? Where is life (Jeevan)? How does it exist in the human body? If one knows the answer to these questions, he is a wise person (Jnani). If he realises this great truth, he becomes an enlightened soul (Siddhar). Finally he becomes one with God and realises that he is God himself (Thaan Adhuvathal – “tat tvam asi”).
Thus one, who realizes the God dwelling in him, becomes one with God. Thus one who becomes God nullifies the fruits of his past and the present actions. As a result, he becomes God in the midst of all other human beings, and his body, which is made of five elements, turns into illumined body of light (Jyothi).
It was none other than Vallalar Ramalinga Swamigal who attained such enthralling enlightenment in the 19th century. He spent his life in Vadalur near Chidambaram. Sixty three staunch devotees of Shiva (Nayanmars), twelve devotees with unflinching love for Vishnu(Alwars) and other numerous wise guides (Siddhars) including Agasthiar have already attained this supreme state of bliss. Moreover, India, being a blessed land of spirituality and wisdom, has already provided innumerable saints who have reached the pinnacle of the wise and blissful state meant for all human beings.
We must submit our grateful thanks to God for having granted his blessings to be born in this holy land. In fact, God showers his unconditional blessings to help each human being realize his true nature.
Man enjoys the fruits of his actions according to his thoughts and actions performed during the previous and present births. What is the goal to be reached in this birth? We must attain the wisdom about the nature and capability of human soul to attain everlasting state.
Think, realize and experience the purpose of this rare opportunity of human life.
There are five life-generating forces in our body. However, there are two forces which are the most important. One is Throat (gandam) and the other one is Head (Thalai). Ramalinga Swamigal, Vallalar, the divine light of blessings, has revealed this truth for us, out of sympathy for fellow beings to conquer death and live a blissful life in this world.
Life of man sparkles around the throat (gandam) in the form of light. Understanding the presence of life in our body, listening to the wise people and reading about the nature of life, we must realize that these are the bases of human life (jeevan). These are known as Suruthi, and Ukthi . Experiencing them transforms one into the same Godhood. Moreover, you must immerse in the same thought about the universal light. This is what we call the achievement of soul (Atman). One who reaches this state, will become the spiritual person. First of all, he must become a human and then a super-human; and in the next stage, he becomes a spiritualist.
You must understand that it is not a stage reached by seeing God in the world or by going to temple to worship God. This is not spiritualism. This is the path of devotion to God. (Bhakthi Maarkam )
Sometimes we install God in a place and do all religious rituals: washing the divine idol with various cleansing methods with water and other perfumes like sandal wood paste and sacred ash (Abhisekam) and decorating the icons with flowers and leaves (Alangaram) and making a holy fire and worshipping God. This is an action-based path ( Karma Maarkam ).
Some people practise yogic exercises (Aasanas) , breathing (Praanayama) and other strenuous physical and mental exercises including meditation (Dhyana). This will not be considered spiritualism; it is a path of yoga. Then what is wisdom ? We must realise the nature of the soul and how God dwells in us and becomes the pivot around which all our actions are performed. This is the best way to realize God. This is the path of wisdom (Jnaana Maarkam).
Let the Almighty God shower His whole-hearted supreme blessings on all those souls who read this book. Moreover, let all those souls achieve perennial life without end, the deathless state ( maranamillaa peruvaazhvu ).
Praise, with all humility, the Lord who is installed in Chidambaram (Thiru chitrambalam)
The Enormous Light of Grace ! ( ArutperunJyothi )
The Enormous Light of Grace ! ( ArutperunJyothi )
The nonpareil grace of God ! ( Thanipperunkarunai)
The Enormous Light of grace ! ( ArutperunJyothi )
Avvaiyar, the wise, saintly great-grand mother(siddhar) has aptly said in a pithy saying in her treatise Aathichoodi: “Temple worship is highly benevolent”. The wise give instructions to be followed and practised by the people of the world. The sayings of the wise people can be, however, interpreted by two levels: surface level and deeper level.
On the surface level it means that temple visits are highly beneficial to people because these visits, in due course, will transform the general public into devotees of God.
In the deeper level, the term ‘temple’ refers to human body. Thirumoolar in his great treatise Thirumanthiram (The Holy Chants) refers to this in his song:
“The holy residence of God is none other than the mind of human beings; the body with flesh, blood and bones is the great temple. One who speaks good words and chants divine names will know that his mouth is the Tower (gate) for entering the holy shrine. Those who have realised the nature of man, world and God will understand the God (sivalingam) is immanent in their souls. The five senses, which are considered as bringers of evil things, are perennial torch bearers to guide us in the right path.”
This is what Thirumoolar meant — the body is the temple and the soul is none other than God himself. Avvaiyar reiterated the same principle, that is, becoming one with God who already dwells in your soul. She said: concentrate on the soul where the God dwells. Thus, she reinforces the path of wisdom to realize God.
The first vowel, ‘A/ அ’, according to Tamil number system, is ‘eight’ and we must reach the eight in our life. That is the goal in our life.
Religious speakers(spiritual) today tell us that chanting holy names of God is the best path to reach God in Kaliyuga (at present). Vallalar already preached that Kaliyuga has already ended and only the path of wisdom preached by saints (Siddharhal) will lead us to the God.
At present there are so many religious preachers and their wise sayings are spread in religious places (mutts and ashrams). This is a religious activity enforced by the wheel of time. Make use of the preaching and become wise followers to achieve your goal.
Quite recently people have started worshipping Lord Shiva during a particular auspicious day and hour called “Pradhosham” period. This practice leads man from the first stage of path of devotion (Bhakthi, praying and worshipping an image made of granite or metals called icons) to the next stage of transforming one to the intermediate stage of worshipping — “form and formless” – a great paradox in Hindu philosophy (Rupa – Arupa.) The worship of Sivalingam is practised on Pradhosam day. This is an important intermediate stage for the people who aspire for the path of wisdom to realize God. In the final stage worship becomes supreme and one practices “formless” worship (Arupa) then only wisdom supports you to reach this stage and finally experience enlightenment through this path.
The idol of “Sivalingam” represents the nature of soul (Atman). Those who realized God have shared their experiences. In this context. “Sivam” is used in Hindu scriptures and also in Islamic scriptures. It means “light” and “benevolence” which means the wise path of light.
Saint Manickavasagar in his Thiruvasagam says: we will get liberation because Lord Shiva has already started dwelling in my thought and soul. We must interpret this line that the light of wisdom is full in my soul. It does not refer to idol worship.
Saint Thirumoolar also says that soul is embodiment of Lord Shiva. (Seevan sivalingam ) So the human soul is nothing but an illumined light.
As true followers of path of wisdom you must conquer death and make this body permanent so that the soul will stay for many more years. This is how we must attain the stage of self-realization (Athmanuboothi).
People must avoid unnecessary arguments and start thinking(contemplate). Thinking again and again, they must attain perennial life (Maranamilla peruvaazhvu) with the guidance of realized souls.
We are born with this body and must also transform ourselves whole-heartedly in our mind. Then only one becomes a great soul (Maha Atma) . They are the ones who live everlasting life without end. This is the purpose of our birth in this world.
Embodiment of happy souls! Such a perennial life is in your hands!