Aksharamanamalai – Tamil and English

Aksharamanamalai is a divine outpouring of Bhakti and Jnana, ‘seen’ and composed by Ramana Maharshi, little more than a hundred years ago… A powerful hymn, the composition has been a ‘taraka mantra’ for devotees, and is sung every day by ever so many people… The composition has been translated and sung in some other Indian languages as well.

This blog writer had the privilege and blessing of translating the holy song into Hindi, some years ago. And the later, in 2014, the centenary year of Akshramanalai, he had the great honor of translating the song into English. He presented this during a seminar of Ramana Centre, Bengaluru in early April 2014. He presented this once more during the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi, which was held in end April, 2014. And then later he presented this in Ramana Kendra, Chennai as well.

And then as a fulfillment of a heartfelt prayer, he could present this in Sri Ramanasramam as well. On December 16th, 2017, this was sung in the New Hall adjoining the Mathrubhutheshwara and Ramaneshwara Mahalinga shrine at Sri Ramanasramam. The original Tamil verses and the translated English verses, were sung alternatively, individually. My better half Ambika, sang the Tamil verses, and yours truly sang the English..

Sharing a youtube of the audio recorded that day.

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Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya! Arunachala smaranam!

 

Aksharamanamalai – in English verse

Namo Ramana!

Among Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s compositions, Aksharamanamalai occupies a unique place. A Tamil work of sublime spirituality, the verses have the power of Veda Mantra. They are revealed words that Bhagavan Ramana, as a Maharshi, saw, and shared with the world of devotees of the One!

This year, 2014, happens to mark a hundred years since this work was revealed to the world. Sri Ramana composed this in 1914 AD, during the course of one circumambulation of Arunachala!

To mark this centenary, Ramana centres all over India, and perhaps the world, are having various festive events. Ramana Maharshi Centre of Learning, Bengaluru held an event in Feb 2014 where over 500 people sang Aksharamanamalai. The song itself has been translated by other devotees into several Indian languages, and they were all sung in part during this event, which also marked 500th performance of Ramananjali, a music troupe that focuses on Ramana Maharshi compositions…

This blog writer had the privilege and blessing of translating the holy song into Hindi, some years ago. And now, in this centenary year, he had the great honor of translating the song into English. He presented this during a seminar of Ramana Centre, Bengaluru in early April 2014. He presented this once more during the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi, which was held in end April, 2014.

he Ramana Kendra, New Delhi has recorded and shared videos of all the talks held during the event. One of them was this blog writer’s presentation as well… Sharing the youtube of that presentation… Aksharamanamalai, in English… Set to the same metre as the original Tamil song… In rhyme… So that it can be sung in English, just as the original Tamil treatise…

Needless to say, any merit in the translation is solely due to the power of the original, to the grace of Sri Ramana… And all shortcomings are entirely mine…

With your indulgence, presenting Aksharamanamalai in English, in song format… The RamanaKendra, New Delhi video… Starts with a few minutes of intro and talk… And then the song begins…

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Happy that today happens to be the day the wedding of Madurai Meenakshi Amman and Lord Sundareshwara is celebrated. The divine parents of Ramana Maharshi!

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya!

Muruganar Song – 2

Sharing another song of Muruganar….

This song too is from Ramana Sannidhi Murai.

The song was recorded in a CD series of Ramana Sannidhi Murai brought out by Ramananjali Group (Click here for website)

In this recording, the song has been sung by Arutkavi Sadhuram Swamigal. He was a great Muruga Bhakta, and a disciple of Vallimalai Swamigal, a sage whose being was dedicated to Muruga Bhakti, especially to the great Thiruppugazh composed by Arunagirinathar. Vallimalai Swamigal himself considered Ramana Maharshi as his Guru (Click here for link to details about Vallimalai Swamigal). Of his first meeting with Ramana Maharshi, Vallimalai Swamigal said “I joined the crowd that was waiting to have the Darshan of the saint. After a while, the sage appeared from inside the Ashram. He was standing there in his characteristic loincloth with a staff (danda) on his hand. I saw him and he looked at me intently. Suddenly, I felt that the very Palani Andavar was standing gracefully before me. I felt this was Palani Andavar’s way of answering my prayer. I felt an inexplicable wave of power passing through my entire physique. In a moment of extreme bliss, tears trickled down my face.”

His disciple was Sadhuram Swamigal, a picture of complete piety. He would visit Sri Ramanasramam often. He sang the songs of Tiruppugazh ever so soulfully. Such is the wonder of Indian tradition, that sages arise, revive, propagate, and ensure the perpetual flow of  spiritual traditions that the mainstream system ignores and  keeps away. Thiruppugazh, the great songs of Murugan, are now sung by ever so many devotees…

This post is about a song by Muruganar. The song is about Ramana Maharshi, his master. The song has four verses. I am giving below two of them, which have been sung by Sadhuram Swamigal. An English translation of the two verses is also given below the Tamil verses. The translation is by another namesake of Lord Muruga, Professor Swaminathan, the great teacher,  social worker, and compiler of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi. Professor Swaminathan was a great devotee of Ramana Maharshi. I remember that he once told me that he sees Ramana, as seen in Muruganar’s poetry.

Here’s the song…

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திருவுருத்திறம் 

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நிறையலாற் குறையொன் றில்லை

நினைபலான் மரப்பொன்  றில்லை

பிறையலாற் கண்ணீ யில்லை

பெதலாற் கடிவ தில்லை

மறையலாற் பேச லில்லை

மாணடித் தொண்டர் நெஞ்சம்

உறையுளாக் கொண்டு நம்மை

யுடையவேங் கடவ னார்க்கே.

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இசையலால் வசையொன் றில்லை

யெங்குமாய்ப் பரந்த வெட்டுத்

திசையலால் வாகு வில்லை

செயுங்குணச் செம்பொன் மேரு

மிசையலா விருக்கை யில்லை

விளங்குசிற் றம்ப லத்துள்

அசைவிலா தாட வல்ல

வடிகள்வேங் கடவ னார்க்கே.

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(திருச்சிற்றம்பலம்)

Perfection of the Form

Without a single fault, Perfection
Never forgotten because ever remembered,
Never the crown without the crescent,
Destroying nothing  but ignorance,
This is Venkata who dwells
In the hearts of his devoted servants.

Praise of his and never blame,
The quarters Light and nothing else
His shoulders, nothing but the summit
Of golden Meru is his throne,
This Venkata who twin feet dance
In stillness of the shining heart-space.

(Turichitrambalam)

Muruganar Song – 1

Its been a while since the last post… Thought I’d share something different this time.

This winter, during the Margazhi month, I heard some Ramana Music… Target being Ramana Tiruvembavai, the morning songs, written by Muruganar Swami. It would be no exaggeration to say that Muruganar is a poet par excellence. In fact, he is a sage-poet, very much in the same mould as the Nayanmars, the great Tamizh Saiva saints. And he chose to model himself along the lines of the greatest poet among them, Manikkavacagar.  He came to Ramana Maharshi in the early 1920s. Even on first sight, he was swallowed whole by Ramana. And then onwards, till his last breath, flowed an unbroken Ganga of songs in Tamizh, all conforming to the prosody and mood of ancient Saiva poetry. He, all by himself, wrote more than 30,000 songs on the theme of Sri Ramana and his teachings…

Sharing a song in this post… I heard this in the CD “Ramana Sannidhi Murai – 12”, of Ramananjali Group (click here for website)

This song is titled “Aattinaal aaroruvar”… In the CD, the song has been sung in traditional Pan style, by Dandapani Oduvar. The song is set in Tirutthaandaga Pan, corresponding to modern Harikambodi raga

In this post, sharing first the words of the song in Tamil, then the audio recording of the song… Followed by an English translation of the song – as composed by the great devotee Prof K Swaminathan (Chief Editor of Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi_

The song conveys the absolute necessity of Sadguru (Venkata)Ramana’s grace, for one to become enlightened. The song itself has four paras. In this post, and song, the first para is covered.

The song in Tamil:

திருவருட்டிறம்

திருத்தாண்டகப் பண்

ஆட்டினா லாரொருவ ராடா தாரே
யடக்கினா லாரொருவ ரடங்கா தாரே
ஊட்டினா லாரொருவ ருண்ணா தாரே
யுறக்கினா லாரொருவர் ருறங்கா தாரே
வாட்டினா லாரொருவர் வாடா தாரே
வாழ்வித்தா லாரொருவர் வாழா தாரே
காட்டினா லாரொருவர் காணா தாரே
காண்குநரார் வேங்க்டவர் காட்டாக் காலே

Now the song…. Its an old audio recording… Step up the youtube volume….

The meaning in English:

Power of Grace

Who will not dance when made to dance?
Who will not rest when made to rest?
Who will not eat when fed
Or sleep when put to sleep?
Who will not pine when made to pine?
Who will not thrive when made to thrive?
Who will not see when made to see?
But who can see when Venkata
Does not reveal (the Truth)?