Spiritual

Any deep understanding of ancient wisdom can be imbibed only within the framework of this trio – body-mind-soul. A body without a spiritual purpose or a spiritual life devoid of healthy body is a futile attempt at balanced living.

Saint Thirumoolar of Tamilnadu, India, who lived for 3000 years taking on different mortal frames from time to time at his will, while retaining the continuity of consciousness had composed 3000 mantras in verse form. It is said that he composed one verse per year as he came out of his meditative trance and those are together known as 3000 verses, mantra or ‘Thirumandiram.’

In one of those verses, he brings out the clear connect between body-mind-soul and purpose of human birth as thus:

“Udambaar  azhliyil  uyirar azhlivar, thidampada  meignanam  seravum  maattar, Udambai  valarkum  upaayam  arinden,udambai  valarthen  Uyir  valarthene.”

“Living a banal existence through the passage of time, unmindful of the highest purpose only leads to decay. Such an existence (an unmindful existence) does not pave way for the truth. Therefore, having known and found the key to right living (of bodily life) (intelligent technique), this body was nourished, thence this soul.”

In this verse the seer, has packed several important and vital information which are actually quite difficult to bring in to translation. Necessarily this verse needs explanation in order to understand the actual purpose of this verse.

He starts by cautioning about the consequences of living an unintelligent existence without understanding the actual purpose of the bodily life. The body is verily the vehicle for the soul to attain self-realisation through all the agents of sensory and perceptive organs, the intelligence, the mind, the ego, and the substratum consciousness. All these are subtle forms of a personality which are nourished by the body. A soul devoid of a body (vehicle) on its own has no purpose on this earth. Likewise, a body devoid of soul decays and is destroyed. Therefore, he emphasises that the body is of paramount importance not only because it houses the soul, but nourishes the PERSONALITY to grow, mature and realise the purpose of human birth, and reach the pinnacle of its existence.

It is implied that the light of the Truth, the ultimate self-realisation, the nectar of immortality, are all to be achieved not after death (of body), but verily to be experienced while living on this earth. This state of becoming one, and synonymous with the Supreme God and attaining the godhood, can never be achieved by those that possess a frail, weak and unintelligent body.

Having known the key to righteous upkeep of this body, the saint declares that he transcended the barrier of life and death of this bodily existence through the instrument of body itself. He elongated his life and persona by transmigrating himself through innumerable forms as the previous body became worn out.   

Readers and seekers alike must fully comprehend a truth that is often missed among the forest of the trees. This land, Bharat, has borne many sons and daughters who were birthed by a human mother, lived and walked this earth in flesh and blood, and yet transcended the limitations of body, mind, time, space, distances, and proved that the Vedic declarations such as ‘amrutasya putrah’ are true, and that man is but a replica of the Param (Supreme Being).

Sant Gnaneswar, who made a buffalo chant Vedas by his mere touch; Poet Jayadeva whose severed legs grew back due to his devotion for Shri Krishna; Aadi Shankara who effortlessly left his mortal frame and transmigrated into a king’s corpse and returned back just to attain some knowledge that would help him win his debate; Srimad Madhwacharya who disappeared in an instant flash of bright light (antardhana) amidst a discourse in the 13^th century; Aandal of Tamilnadu in the 6th century CE and Meerabai of the 16th century CE who merged with Lord Krishna in the presence of a large gathering; the famous mystic Tamil saint who lived during the 19th century CE, Chidambaram Ramalinga Swamigal, popularly known as Vallalaar who disintegrated his entire physical body into nothing and disappeared in thin air in his meditation room – are all factual events in the Bharatheeya history that prove beyond doubt, the innate Godhood and divinity of man.