By Periyava Translation from Tamil: V. Krishnaraj
ஸ்வாமி என்றால் என்ன? : தெய்வத்தின் குரல் (முதல் பகுதி)What is the meaning of Swamy? Deivathin Kural part One
http://www.kamakoti.org/tamil/part1kurall02.htm
(Tamil Text) What is the meaning
of Svāmy? Svam means possession
or property. Svantham (சொந்தம்)
is what we own. That is our property. In Telugu it is 'Sommu.' Temple property is called in
Kerala ‘Dēvastham.’ The Owner of the property is Svāmy. Uḍaiyār is the
Tamil word for Svāmi. The carvings on the rock walls of the temples have
Uḍaiyār meaning Gods: Tiru-c-ciṛṛampalam-uḍaiyār, Tiru-venkatam-uḍaiyār,
Tiru-nākēcchura-uḍaiyār, Kapālīṣvara-uḍaiyār… Guru and God one for
Vaiṣṇavas and they say Srī Rāmānujar is Uḍaiyavar. Svāmi is the owner of
property, I said. What property? We and the entire Universe are His
property. All that you see, feel, breath, touch, imagine, deduce…are the
property of That One (second to none).
Thāyumāṉavar quotes God, “All are mine.”
People say this is his property and this is my property. In
truth, all the properties we claim as ours are His. If he is not extant,
this universe does not exist. Neither do we. The properties we claim as
our own do not exist. We think we created
anew the house we live in and the car we drive. Scientists invent and
make new machines. All the raw materials are the creation of Svāmi. We
modified and tinker with what Svāmi already made. We created nothing
new. Creation of an element and an atom is an impossible task for the
scientists. Could a scientist manufacturing bombs and machines…make a
small leaf with a beautiful complexity? The One who makes
all, owns all. That is why He is Uḍaiyavar (Svāmi) and called such.
Don’t we do whatever we wish with our property? Likewise, if we, the
property of Uḍaiyavar let Him do whatever with us according to His wish,
we carry no burden and remain in joyousness. We, in an egoistic
fit, say ‘I, Me, Mine,’ and wander aimlessly. If you realize He owns
this, that, and everything else, we will not ramble sporting the I-ego
or I-ness. If we do not entertain personal desire and aversion as our
right and realize it, there is no weary wandering for us. Perfect
tranquillity! Svāmi, as a
word, declares that we do not own ourselves, He has, by His Will, the
right to dispose us any way He can, and we are His property. This
realization is Bakthi’s supreme aim, also called Saraṇāgathi.
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