1250 You made me to sing
As you made me to sing
I wrote songs
As you gave your feet
I worship you
As you came and
Gave your blessed grace
I live each day
With you
You remind
With me
In this
Fleeing world
You gave
Fullness of bhakti
To live
Having this relationship with you
You also protected me
By made me to join
The company
Of your bhaktas
As one day
This earthly life will come to an end
You will provide
The eternal life with you
In order to wait
Eagerly for that day
You will
Prepare me (to receive it)
But Oh my Lord
In the remaining days
You made me
To sing your praises
Therefore you will
Give your grace each day
To sing your praises
And to celebrate you
Mathigiri, 12-12-2020, 11.30. p.m.
J.I. Packer {in Knowing God} said that the only purpose of life is to ‘Know Him and make Him known’. The outward expression of that ‘knowing God’ is to worship Him each day celebrating the relationship in Him through Bhakti. And the inward (or mystical!?!) expression is to allow Him to live in us to celebrate this bhakti. Even in this celebration, though a bhakta writes poems to sing His praises, still it is the Lord Himself made the bhakta to sing about Him. {Already shared similar thought in Song 1163} This is well stated by Archana Venkatesan:
…playful Visnu takes Nammalvar over (visayikarittu) to sing and enjoy his own form (svarupa–rupa), his virtues (guna) and his vibhutis (realms). As we have already seen, such moments of intermitten takeover are not unusual in Nammalvar (or in bhakti poetry in general)… { Periyavaccan} Pillai chooses {in his commentary} to cite a single phrase: en mun collum, he who sings in front of me from (VII.9.2). Let us see this verse in its entirety:
What can I say? Now becoming one with me sweet life,
he makes me sing sweet songs with my own words
with his own words the lord of illusion praises himself,
the one who sings before me, the first of the three forms.{Clooney, Francis X. S.J., and Archana Venkatesan (trans.), Tiruvaymoli, Penguin Classics. Forthcoming.} (p.136)
…He speaks these words, but, equally, they are spoken to him. He stands embodied to listen—we are back where we started—and then, trickster that he is, embodies himself within the devotee to speak to him.— Nammalvar: A Hundred Measures of Time. Tiruviruttam. Translated from the Tamil by Archana Venkatesan, Penguin Books India, 2014, pp. 136-37 {emphasis original}
So I have written these bhakti songs to celebrate my relationship with the Lord. At the same time I feel that it is the Lord who made me to sing His praises. And in that relationship I am happy to remain a bhakta than claiming any other identity in life. And my Bhakti Theology gave space and freedom to express and celebrate that bhakti. I wish and hope this Indian contribution of Bhakti Theology will help the followers of the Lord everywhere to celebrate their relationship with Him by Worshiping Him and Singing His praise.
Sarve bhavantu sukhinaha;
Sarve santu niraamayaaha;
Sarve bhadranii pashyantu;
Ma kascid dhukhabhag bhavet.
May all be happy;
May all be healthy;
May all see Goodness;
May no one be unhappy.
Om! Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!
1250 பாடிட வைத்தாய்
பாடிட வைத்ததால்
பாடல்கள் புனைந்தேன்
பதமலர்த் தந்ததால்
தொழுதுமேக் கொண்டேன்
நாடியே வந்து
நல்லருள் தந்ததால்
நானுமே வாழ்கிறேன்
நாளுமே உன்னுடன்
உருண்டே ஓடிடும்
உலக வாழ்வினில்
ஒவ்வொரு நாளும்
என்னுடன் இருந்தாய்
உன்னுடன் உறவு
கொண்டுமே வாழ
பக்தியை நிறைவாக
என்னுளேத் தந்தாய்
உன்னையே நாடிடும்
அடியவர் குழுவில்
என்னையும் இணைத்து
எப்போதும் காத்தாய்
என்றோ ஒருநாள்
புவிவாழ்வு முடிய
முடிவில்லா வாழ்வை
உன்னுடன் தருவாய்
அந்நாளின் வரவை
ஆர்வமாய் எதிர்பார்க்க
அதற்காக என்னையும்
ஆயத்தம் செய்வாய்
ஆயினும் அதுவரை
எஞ்சிய வாழ்வில்
ஐயநின் புகழ்பாட
என்னையும் வைத்தாய்
அதன்படிக் கொண்டாடி
அனுதினம் உனைப்பாட
அளவற்ற அருளையே
அனுதினம் அளிப்பாய்
மத்திகிரி, 12-12-2020, இரவு 11.30