kaitavam chemmai karumai veLumaiyumaiyaay
meypoy yiLamai mudhumaipudhumai pazhamaiyaay
cheydhathiN madhiLchoozh tiruviNNagar chErndhapiraan
peydhakaavu kaNDeer-perundhEvuDai moovulagE
(6.3.5)
He is both the crooked
and the straight
the black
the white
the truths
the lies
youth and age
the ancient and the new:
our Lord lives
in Vinnakar
strong-walled well-made city
and his grove there
is the triple world
of the gods
(Translation: A.K. Ramanujan)
munnaip pazhamporuTkum munnai pazhamporuLE
pinnaip pudhumaikkum pOrththumap peRRiyanE
(tiruvembaavai - 9)
You the ancient who had been in existence before the universe came into being! You have the quality of newness which is more modern than even that of the new entities which appeared later!
God created the universe. This statement implies that He existed even before the moment of creation of the universe. Simultaneously, He posses the quality of youth too.
Besides his three biological brothers, Rama had named three other persons as his brothers. These were Guhan, the forest chief; Sugreeva, the prince (later the King) of the Vanaraas (monkeys) and Vibhishana, Ravana’s brother. According to Valmiki Ramayana (Sanskrit) and Kamba Ramayana (Tamil), all the above were elder to Rama. His three biological brothers were born at intervals of only one day each in between. But still according to our national tradition, terming one younger or elder does not depend on one’s age, but on one’s capabilities. In this view, Rama was regarded as elder bother to all the above six brothers. Following the same practice, again, Sri Lalitha Sahasranamam has given Vridha (elderly) as one of the epithets of God.
Being all three worlds
and nothing
beig desire
being rage
being both the flower-born Lakshmi
and anti-Lakshmi
black goddess of ill-luck
being both honour and shame
our lord
lives in Vinnakar
city named Sky
which the gods worship lovingly
and in my evil heart
he lives forever
flame of flames.
(6-3-6 Translation: A.K. Ramanujan)
God is the principle of continuity between opposites and differences. God out there in the universe is also in the temple as he is in the devotee’s heart. He is at once the other, the indweller, and the icon. Like one’s mother tongue, he is everywhere, accessible. He is one’s own thoughts (1-8-7).
