vittidir kattamam vittidadh unai uyir
Vititida aruLpuri Arunachala
Meaning
Arunachala, in my last, dying moments, when I am not conscious of my senses or surroundings, if I die without thinking of you, I will be subject to this earthly life again. Please shower your grace so that I don’t forget you during my last minutes.
Explanation
‘Vittitdil’ means if you let go of me without showering your grace. Bhagavan points it out in padhigam also in the verse ‘karuNaial aanda nee enakku kaathci thandharuLilai endral …’ Also what one thinks of in the dying moments forms the cause of his next birth. To attain moksha (brahmapadham) remembrance of Arunachala is essential. This is what Bhagavan means by ‘unai vittidadhu uyir vittida aruL puri’ (meaning, without letting go of you let the soul* leave’).
In the throes of death, to be able to think of and remember Arunachala, one needs His grace, for that the heart/mind should have been soaking in His meditation, says Bhagavan.
My note: ‘uyir’ in Tamil has no equivalent in English. It is the life force that animates all beings without which there is no breath or life so to speak. In other Indian languages, it takes the form of ‘prana’ which is the subtle breath. ‘Uyir vidudhal’ is that life force leaving the body.
This same sentiment of informing God about the possible inability to remember Him is expressed by Adi Shankara in Subhramanya Bhujangam, and by Periyazhwar ‘appOdhaikku ippOdhE solli vaitthEn’, meaning I’m telling you now for later, where later refers to the last moments.
Also Lord Krishna says to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 (Attaining the Supreme) Text5:
anta-kale ca mam eva
smaran muktva kalevaram
yah prayati sa mad-bhavam
yati nasty atra samsayah
TRANSLATION
And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
(Taken from https://asitis.com/8/5.html)
Vititida aruLpuri Arunachala
Meaning
Arunachala, in my last, dying moments, when I am not conscious of my senses or surroundings, if I die without thinking of you, I will be subject to this earthly life again. Please shower your grace so that I don’t forget you during my last minutes.
Explanation
‘Vittitdil’ means if you let go of me without showering your grace. Bhagavan points it out in padhigam also in the verse ‘karuNaial aanda nee enakku kaathci thandharuLilai endral …’ Also what one thinks of in the dying moments forms the cause of his next birth. To attain moksha (brahmapadham) remembrance of Arunachala is essential. This is what Bhagavan means by ‘unai vittidadhu uyir vittida aruL puri’ (meaning, without letting go of you let the soul* leave’).
In the throes of death, to be able to think of and remember Arunachala, one needs His grace, for that the heart/mind should have been soaking in His meditation, says Bhagavan.
My note: ‘uyir’ in Tamil has no equivalent in English. It is the life force that animates all beings without which there is no breath or life so to speak. In other Indian languages, it takes the form of ‘prana’ which is the subtle breath. ‘Uyir vidudhal’ is that life force leaving the body.
This same sentiment of informing God about the possible inability to remember Him is expressed by Adi Shankara in Subhramanya Bhujangam, and by Periyazhwar ‘appOdhaikku ippOdhE solli vaitthEn’, meaning I’m telling you now for later, where later refers to the last moments.
Also Lord Krishna says to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 (Attaining the Supreme) Text5:
anta-kale ca mam eva
smaran muktva kalevaram
yah prayati sa mad-bhavam
yati nasty atra samsayah
TRANSLATION
And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
(Taken from https://asitis.com/8/5.html)