Dr. B. Natarajan writes on Thayumanavar and his devotional songs,
The songs of Thayumanavar bring high solace to life; to hear them is to elevate life and soul. To live them is to enjoy the highest Bliss in spiritual consciousness. They are dynamic song - thrills that spark out of the Bliss centre. Even a song a day will do to elevate human life towards Divine transcendence.
Thayumanavar, is an out and out scripture for Saints and Yogins. It covers the entire field of Yoga and Jnana. It brings high solace to house-holders purifying their mind and heart. It feeds the flames of inner communion in real Yogins.
The songs of Thayumanavar are sublime music of the Soul, the song of the inner Spirits, and sparks of Divine Essence.
The Dr writes about his self-reflections as a kid and how he came to know about the saint.
The World was my open book and Inner quest my deep study.
Who am I in the vastness of cosmic phenomenon?
The Mystery Car of Time takes me round changeful seasons;
Destiny leads the play of Life blind-folding me in self-oblivion.
"Who am l? What am I? Whence am I ?
What is beyond the entry and exit in this amphitheatre of Existence?
Who feels in the senses and thinks in the mind and dreams in my fancy?"
Such were my self-reflections during my school days. I kept aloof from home, society, and noisy crowds taking delight in inner communion. Home and school resented my dreamy mood and crazy solitude. One day I was treated harshly by my kith and kin. I ran for refuge to the temple and there hugged the feet of God. I surrendered my life into the hands of the Divine Grace.
"0 Grace, I take refuge at Thy feet. Lead me to Light from this dark vale of tears. Reveal to me the mystery of life and its mission. Keep me here to fulfil that mission and call me back to be with Thee".
I sobbed in a frenzy of spontaneous fervor. I felt a warm current traversing my heart and brain and a descent from above which continues to this day. I was reborn in the Grace and could now understand the meaning of life and the language of the soul.
I sat in a dark corner of the temple forgetting body and world when a song attracted me to the lotus tank nearby There, in the bright moon light, some monks were singing together a song that touched my soul.
"The Silent One possessed me in Silence and poured into me a speechless word that was the seed of wisdom. That word, O friend. had a magic effect on my life. It hushed up the mind and opened my heart to silent embrace of the Divine".
So on went the song which brought me peace and joy. I learnt from the monks the song and for the first time knew about its author, Sage Thayumanavar.
I secured a copy of his works and treasured it in my bosom. The Songs of Sage Thayumanavar became the guiding light of my life. I still believe that the Divine Grace gave a silent friend to my Pilgrim Soul.
The songs of Thayumanavar removed my gloom and solved my mental problems. It unravelled the riddle of existence. Each line was a message and each message a vision of Truth. Each truth was a spark of intuition and each intuition had a transforming force. The style of Thayumanavar was limpid, simple, straight, bright, profound and sweet. It flowed from the abundance of Soul's delight in rapturous union with the Beloved. Every hymn is a gem of divinity. It is an enchanting flute-voice of the soul that touches all souls.
From Dr. B. Natarajan's "Songs of Saint Thayumanavar"
