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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kummi Paattu 6

12/2/2021

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Moondru sareeramum thaan marandhaan Avan 
Moondru avasthaigaLum than ozhithaan;
Moondru gunangaLum thaandivittan avan
Moondru padham kadandheri vitaan.
Word meaning
Moondru = three; sareeram = body; avasthai = stage; ozhithan = destroyed/wiped out; guna = three gunas;  padham = stages of liberation; thaandu = cross over, jump; kadandhu = cross, transcend

Meaning
Ramana has transcended the three bodies (namely, the gross ‘sthula’ body, the subtle ‘sukshuma’ body and the causal ‘karana’ body), three avasthai (ie, stages or states, namely waking, sleeping and dreaming),  the three gunas (namely sativa, rajas and tamas) and three states of liberation (salokya, samipa and sarupya) and is established in the Self.

After declaring the Bhagavan transcended different sets of five elements, tanmatras etc in the previous verse, VS explains how Bhagavan is beyond the  grip of different sets of triads. 

The three bodies are sthula sarira, which is gross body, suskhuma sarira, the subtle body and karana sarira, the causal body. The first is sustained by food, the second is composed of subtle energies and intellect, and the third is made of vasanas or samskaras (impressions from previous lives that cause this body to be born). With the death experience when he was a young boy, Bhagavan transcended all these limitations of bodies.  

Bhagavan was beyond the grasp of the three gunas that bind us.  In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna explains the three gunas thus:

Sattva or goodness, Rajas or activity, and Tamas or inertia; 
These three Gunas of mind bind 
The imperishable soul to the body, O Arjuna.
Of these, Sattva, being calm, 
Is illuminating and ethical.
It fetters the embodied being, 
The Jeevaatma or Purusha, by attachment
To happiness and knowledge, O Arjuna.

O Arjuna, know that Rajas 
Is characterized by intense And is born of desire and attachment.
It binds the Jeeva by attachment 
To the fruits of work.

Know, O Arjuna, that Tamas, the deluder of Jeeva, 
Is born of inertia. It binds by ignorance, laziness, and sleep
[https://www.santosha.com/philosophy/gita-chapter14.html]

And he was beyond the grasp of the three avasthais  (another meaning of avasthai is suffering) which are the three states of being, namely wakefulness, sleep and dream. In Ramana MaNam a book compiled by Ra Ganapathy, he observes that nobody ever saw Bhagavan sleep! While he was seen reclining in the sofa, no one ever saw Bhagavan close his eyes and rest. 
According to Sivapuranam and the Bhagavad Puranam there are five different  types of liberation or moksha, SV mentions only three here which are: Salokya means living on the same planet as God as when departed souls go to the land of their gods such as Vaikunta, whereas samipya is being near to God, a personal associate of God, and sarupya is having the same bodily features as God. Sayujya is deemed to be the highest where one merges with the Self.

Bhagavan is also beyond all the prescribed asramas or stages of life mentioned in the Shastras, with are: brahmacharya (student), grihasta (householder), vanaprastha (retired) and sannyasa (renunciate).

Interestingly, Bhagavan himself has confirmed that he was beyond all asramas  in reply to question by a lawyer in a court case filed by one of his former devotees.
Question: To which asrama does Bhagavan belong?
Bhagavan: Atiasrama.
Q: What is it?
B: It is beyond the four commonly known asramas.
Q: Is it sastraic?
B: Yes, it is mentioned in the sastras. (Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, talk no. 281)​

[From https://www.davidgodman.org/bhagavan-the-atiasrami/]
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kummi Pattu 5

10/2/2021

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Pancha bhoothangaLil thaanirundhaan avan
Pancha kosanagaLai thaan aruththan;
Pancha thanmaathirai thaan kudithaan avan
Pancha vindhiyathai than jeyithaan. 
(Refrain: ramana guru padham)

Word meaning
Pancha = five; boothangaL = elements; aruthaan = (he) cut; kosangaL (koshas) = sheaths; tanmatras = subtle elements, like touch; jeyithan = won over

Meaning 
Ramana, who is in the form of the five elements, is present everywhere (like the elements). But he has cut the five sheaths covering the body. He has swallowed the five subtle elements called tanmatras, and has won over the five sense organs.

Bhagavan’s death experience as a young boy in his uncle’s home in Madurai made him transcend all the human afflictions that we suffer from owning to the play of the three gunas and the five sense organs and the five elements. Which is why SV declares Bhagavan has not only won over the senses, but has swallowed the tanmatras and cut through teh five sheaths that bind us mortals. 
The five elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space. 
The human body, according to scriptures and Ayurveda, is covered by five sheaths called koshas, from the grossest to the subtest, namely, Annamaya  kosha, Pranamaya kosha, Manaomaya kosha, Vijnanamaya kosha and Anandamaya kosha.  Annamaya kosha corresponds to the gross physical body.  Anna means food, since the body s sustained by food, it is called annamaya kosha. Next is Pranamaya kosha. Prana is the subtle energy or life-force that drives all our actions without which there is no life. Manaomaya is about manas, that is the thinking mind. Next comes Vijnanamaya which is the sheath of discernment or Buddhi. Finally we come to Anandamaya which is bliss sheath.

The Pancha tanmatras are sound vibration, texture, form, flavour and smell, each corresponding to the five sensory organs of perception.

Panchednriyas are the five senses, namely, sight, sound, touch, smell and taste corres
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kummi Paattu 4

8/2/2021

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Engum niraindha parabaramai oLi

Thangumidam adhondru illamalae;
Kangul pagalara nindra vidam adhai
Kandu kaLithanan thaanagi


Word meaning
Parabaram = Supreme god; oLi = light; kangul = night; pagan = daytime/morning;

Meaning
Ramana, as the Supreme Lord, filled the universe (everywhere) as Light, without any specific place to call his own, and took residence in the cave of heart that knows no day or night, and stayed there in complete bliss. (Parabaram meaning the supreme being is used by Saint Thayumanavar in Parabara KaNNi)

Bhagavan, the Supreme Light is not localised, he doesn’t belong to one place or certain period in time. He is everywhere, in all directions, at all times, shining in our hearts.

Whenever devotees, distraught at leaving him and his presence at the Ramanasram told him they didn’t want to leave him ,or pleaded with him as to how can they leave his presence, Bhagavan always replied, “Where are you going? Can you go away from Bhagavan? Bhagavan is always with you, is in you, in fact, you are Bhagavan. 

On another occasion he said laughing, “Look, he says he is going where I am not”.  To others expressing similar sentiments on leaving him, Bhagavan said, “The guru is always timeless. To talk of the guru in time, you bring death, birth, living, all this. There is only the guru principle win is the Heart of every one of us. And, “Guru is not the physical form. So the contact will remain even after the physical form of the guru vanishes.” 

To another devotee, he said, “A living guru does not mean somebody living I a body at a historical time and in a given geographical space. This was evidenced just before Bhagavan berthed his last, saying, “They say I’m dying but I am not going away. Where could I go? I’m always here”.

The reference to a place beyond the reach of day and night finds mention in Aksharamana malai verse 91 also:

raapagalilla veru veLi veetil
Ramithiduvom vaa Arunachala


Meaning:
The space where there is only ‘I’ and nothing else, Bhagavan calls as ‘ ‘veru veLi’ (veru is empty and veLi is space/outside). Since there is no mind, the space does not have any of the accompanying (five) elements or the resulting combinations of those elements such as the world and the universe. The stage where attachments of ego and sensations such as I and mine is called ‘Veedu’ (which actually means home in regular parlance, and moksha in spiritual context). Let us be happy together in this non dual space, says Bhagavan to Arunachala.

Thayumanavar in Parabarak KaNNi also refers to the supreme lord being not limited to one particular point in space-time: 

Ethikkum thaanagi ennidhayathe oori
Thithikkum anadhath thieve parabarame


Meaning, Supreme Lord, you are in every direction, soaked in my heart you taste sweet, oh blissful lord!
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kummi Paattu 3

8/2/2021

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SoNa giri thannir sodhi vadivadhaai
Thoandridum eesan aruLale;
Aanava kaamiya maayai arutherindhu
Aanma sugathir kaLithaduvaan.

Word meaning
SoNa Giri = Golden hill, Arunachala; sodhi vadivu = light/flame form; eesan = Iswara, Lord; aruL = grace; anava, kamiya, mayai = three ‘malas’ or impurities

Meaning
Ramana Bhagavan, by the grace of the Arunachala who appeared as a pillar of light, destroys the three malas or impurities, namely, anava, kamiya and Maya, and blesses his devotees in pure bliss.

Aanava (not to be confused with its meaning in Tamil, which is ‘egoistic/ arrogance’), Kamiya and Maya are three ‘malas’ or impurities. Anava indicates a sense of lack. It is said that we are all divine beings who have forgotten our true nature.  It is divinity that descended from the limitless to the limited (which we are), and it is this lacuna that we crave to fill to feel complete again, so we can go back to the completeness or purna state. Everything we do, invest in, buy, read is to fill this gap, this sense of lack.  The word anava stems from ‘Anu’ meaning atom, the smallest particle, an insignificant entity, which makes us feel small and is also behind the superiority complex and the feeling of ‘I’m-beter-than-someone-else’. 

Karma is neither good or bad. It is the sum total of all our previous actions and thoughts that determine our future. 

Maya is the mistaken sense of identity. It is like the actor in a play mistaking the character he is playing in it for his true self. 

And Bhagavan, since he is beyond all three afflictions, will cut away our three malas, says SV.

Arunachala Hill is also known by other names such as Annamalai, SoNa giri, SoNachalam. SonNa is gold, since the Holy Hill appears golden from the west side, it is known as SoNa Giri, giri meaning hill. 

Annamalai emanates from the mythological story where Brahama and Vishnu felt each was superior to the other, and Shiva appeared as a pillar of light and said whoever finds the bottom or top of the column light will be the superior one. Both failed.  Since He was not reachable he is called ‘Anna malai’ where ‘anna’ means that which cannot be reached (not to be confused with the common meaning, elder brother), and ‘malai’ is hill. Thiru is a word of respect. Hence Thiruvannamalai.

​
Among the pancha bootha (five elements) stahalas, Arunachala represents the Fire element. There are five Shiva temples that represent the five elements,: Kanchipuram is Earth, Thiruvanaikaval is Water, Chidambaram represents the Space element, KaLahasthi is  Air, and Arunachala of course is Light manifest or Sodhi vadivam. Jyothi in Sanskrit and Hindi becomes ‘Sodhi’ as there is no ‘ja’ sound in Tamil.
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kummi Paattu 2

7/2/2021

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Virumbi vandhidum anbargaLai 
Virupaksha gugayil thaanirindhu
Karumbu pol rusi kaati kalithida
Kaatchi handhaan aruL paarvayudan

Word meaning
anbargaL = devotees, dear ones; karumbu = sugar cane; rusi = taste, tasty; kaatchi = darshan, sight.

Meaning
To the devotees who came from all corners of the world gripped with the desire to have Bhagavan’s darshan, Bhagavan, sitting in Virupaksha cave, showered his nectar like sight that’s sweet as sugarcane juice, to the satisfaction of the dear devotees so they can soak in that joy.

There are three forms of ‘diksha’ or initiation mentioned in the scriptures, namely through touch, thought and sight (we covered this in AKshara mana malai verse ‘thottarut kai’). 
Bhagavan was known for killing the mind of the devotees with just a glance (side long glance or kadaikaNN paarvai as it’s sung by saints when they fervently seek the blessings of their favourite gods, be it Devi or Siva or Vishnu, as that lone is enough for self realisation).  As narrated by an old devotee (Padma Venkataraman) recalling Muruganar’s verse, Bhagavan ‘kollamal kolluvan,sollamal solluvan’ meaning, he kills without killing, and says without saying.
It’s a sentiment reflected by Bhagavan himself in Akshara Mana Malai verse ‘soladhu sole nee sol Ara nillendru summa irundha Arunachala’. This also occurs in Dakshinamurthy sloka’ by Paranjyothi Munivar:

 Kallalin pudai amarndhuNaan marai 
Aarangam mudhal katra keLvi
VallargaL naalvarkum vaakirandha
PooraNamai maraikku appaalai
Ellamai alladhumai irundhadhanai
Irundhapadi kaati
Sollamal sonnavanai Ninaiyamal ninaindhu
Pava thodakkaivelvaam’


Meaning:
Sitting under the banyan tree (aal), 
To the four (of Brahma’s sons) who were well versed in the Vedas (marai), and its auxiliary sciences,
He who is word-dead (silence) complete (vaaku is speech/word, irandha is dead, pooranam is fullness)
Who is beyond the Vedas
Who is all and nothing,
Who showed it as it is, by being as it is,
Who  said without saying (and thus revealed the truth),
Him we will think of without thinking
And conquer our sins.
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kummi Paattu 1

6/2/2021

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Thangum sivalogam thannai vittu daya
Vaaga thiruchuzhi thannil vandhu;
Angum irukka manam sagiyamalae
Arunagiri thannai naadi vandhaan.


(Refrain: Ramana guru …)

Word meaning
Thangum = place (where He was) staying; dayavaaga = by how grace; thiruchuzhi = where Bhagavan was born; sagiyaamal = not being able to tolerate; naadi = come looking for, have desire for;

Meaning
Shiva, leaving from the place of his abode, Kailasha, took  birth in Tiruchuzhi as love manifest. Then, not being able to tolerate staying there, he came looking for Arunachala.

Here again Satyamangalam Venkatramana Iyer sees Bhagavan as Lord Shiva himself, which he did in Kaalai paattu also. 

In one of the stories of Bhagavan’s journey home, we read about how the ‘not being able to tolerate’, ie, ‘manam sagiyanalae’ (restless) feeling manifested in Bhagavan’s body as unbearable heat, which subsided only after he arrived in the Arunachaleswarar Temple and embraced the Lord in the sanctum sanatorium. Shiva took the form of Ramana and couldn't wait to come home and shower his grace on all his devotees.
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kummi Paattu

5/2/2021

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Refrain
Ramana guru padham paadungadi athhai
Thaedi nindrae ramithaadungadi - peNgaL
Koodi nindrae ramithaadungadi

Word meaning
Padham (pronounced with a short ‘pa’, but the long form, paadham also means the same) = feet; paadungadi = sing (girls); thaedi = act of searching; ramithal = enjoying, having fun.
Meaning
​Girls, come together! Let’s sing (our praises) about the holy feet of guru Ramana. Let’s search for the holy feet of guru Ramana and sing in joy.


A word about the use of ‘di’
The appendage ‘di’ for girls and ‘da’ for men and boys is a tricky one. Between close friends, the term connotes extreme intimacy but if used by strangers, it is seen as a mark of disrespect and insult.

Kummi
Kummi is an ancient Tamil folk dance performed by women in villages on festivals and special occasions, their songs punctuated by the clapping of hands rhythmically. The refrain is ‘kummi adi’, where ‘adi’ means to beat as in a drum or a percussion instrument. They stand around in a circle and sing ‘kummi’ paattu.
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kaalai Paatu 10

4/2/2021

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 Inba thunbamilla ekantha maedayil
Anburu kondorae vaarum;
Ananda monarae vaarum.

Word meaning
Inba thunbam = pleasure and pain; ekantham = aloneness, solitude; maedai = stage; ananda = bliss; monam = silent;trance-like state.

Meaning
Oh Ramana, form of love, you who live in solitude and peace on the stage where pleasure and pain do not reach, do come. You who are bliss manifest in total peace, do come.​

                                                   End of Kaalai paattu
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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kaalai Paatu  9

4/2/2021

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Saththu chithananda vadivinaich chaarndhidum
Thatthuva raayarae varum;
Thaandava murthye vaarum

Word meaning
Sat chit ananda = truth consciousness bliss; thattuvam = philosophy (in Sanskrit, it means principle, according to Sankya philosophy there are 25 tattvas, the five elements beng the basic ones); thaandavam = dance performed by Lord Shiva as Nataraja.


Meaning
​Oh Ramana, the chief of all the philosophies based on the truth, consciousness and bliss, the lord of all philosophies,, do come, the form of Shiva who dances, do come.


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Ramana Stuthi Panchakam Kaalai Paattu 8

2/2/2021

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MukkuNa ragidharae muththi naadaaLvorae
SarguNa Ramanarae vaarum;
Saantha sorubarae vaarum.

Word meaning
Mukkunam = three gunas, namely sativa, rajas and tamas; mukti = moksha, liberation; naadu = country, place of residence.​

Meaning
Oh one who is beyond the three gunas (that mere mortals are entangled in), the one who rules the country of liberation! Satguru Ramana, peace personified, do come.
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    An attempt at translating Ramana Stuthi Panchakam into English for the benefit of Bhagavan Ramana's devotees who are not familiar with Tamil.

    You can buy PDF translations of Aksharamana Malai and all the songs from Ramana Stuthi Panchakam by clicking the images below. They are prices at 99 cents, but you can pay more if you feel like it.

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