It is all the better that
All the sufferings of those days
Are forgotten forever.
Revived had they been,
I would this very day
Fall and perish in their flames, alas!
You, my golden Father,
Alone did then provide me with
These five sense-outlets,
And therefore is it that
I am aware of all this now,
O the Bringer of Happiness!
(“Annulla vedana marannathu nannunarnnaal
Inningu thanneriyil veenu marikkumayyo
Ponnappanannu porivaathiloranjumittu
Thannittu thanneyithuminnariyunnu shambho”):
Annulla vedana marannathu nannu = It is better that all the sufferings of those days are forgotten forever.
Unarnnal = If I remember all those thoughts
Inningu thanneriyil veenu marikkumayyo = This very day, I would fall in the fire and die.
Ponnappan = My Father, who protected me and as valuable as gold.
Annu = at that stage of my foetus
Porivaathiloranjum ittu thannittu thanne = All five sense organs were provided as part of mine and therefore.
Ithum innariyunnu shambho = O Lord, I am able to understand all these facts now.
Thinking about the past would bring repentance memories. Philosophically, this is a barrier to the path of spiritual progression and conceptually, it is a form of self-immolation. Guru takes us in this verse by depicting the difficult situation the foetus had to experience during the development period of more than nine months. It is similar to the complexity of being inside a closed cave having restricted movements. Besides, the foetus had to encounter with several biological elements including the proximity of germs. It is unimaginable. In one way, it is good that such memories are not able to retrieve now. Otherwise, the situation could have been disastrous as falling in a ball of fire to death.
The second part of this verse is very important, as it clarifies on the source of our sense organs. Guru used the word ‘porivaathil’ linked to five sense organs. This word has origin in Tamil literature, meaning the medium to seek Knowledge through our inner body. It is Lord Siva, My Father ‘ponnappan’, who gracefully presented me the five sense organs during the foetus development. I am able to understand this fact today, with these sense organs.
We seek and attain knowledge only by the grace of God. The circumstance to gain such knowledge cannot be created by our own. Here, the God’s grace is deciding factor. |