Within this material world and within us, a body of meat and fluids, there lies the kingdom of god, hidden from our eyes. This kingdom is shown to us by the guru. He initiates us on the path leading to this kingdom. Once the initiation is done, changes take place on its own accord without our effort.
Beyond this material manifestation that is visible to our eyes, lies a mental manifestation (manam) in his secret chamber of his heart, that is only known to him alone. This is occasionally read by mystics and trained psychics.
Beyond the mental manifestation is where the energy manifests seen as an aura; that which is sensed by few and now captured by some machines.
Beyond these manifestation is the formless, void, and the un-manifest Erai.
Ours is a journey of transcending all these layers and making our way back to the source where we came from, becoming one with it. That moment is known as the Mystic or Divine Union.
Henry Wei in his book “The Guiding Light of Lao Tzu”, Synergy Books International, referring to Lao Tzu writes of mystic union as both mysterious and entirely personal. Lao Tzu too is of the view that mystic union can take place between man and a heavenly or divine principle.
Henry quotes Plotinus in describing this unique experience of union as "the flight of the alone to the Alone."
Henry quotes Plotinus in describing this unique experience of union as "the flight of the alone to the Alone."
Henry writes further that it is "an exceedingly exhilarating experience, superior in joy and sweetness to all other human experiences. After the experience people become less subject to external events and circumstances for their scale of values have changed." They see everything from a different perspective. Their attitude towards life changes. They have better health, better understanding and clearer spiritual vision writes Henry.
To the skeptics who maintain that the mystics are victims of hallucination and self hypnosis, the mystics themselves proof them wrong, when they show the highest state of awareness during this mystical experience. They had faith in god; in his words; and in what they saw, heard and gathered. They never asked for endorsement from others for their spiritual experiences. Such was their faith on god.
Henry quotes Rabindranath Tagore on the mystic union, as a marriage of souls between man and the divine.
"The Paramatman, the supreme soul, has himself chosen this soul of ours as his bride and the marriage has been completed. The solemn mantra has been uttered. The union is already accomplished.
Ramalinga Adigal pours out his divine experience on this divine unity or the divine marriage in Peerataivu (பேறடைவு) at http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T338/tm/peerataivu
மணம்புரி கடிகை இரண்டரை எனும் ஓர்
வரையுள தாதலால் மகனே
எணம்புரிந் துழலேல் சவுளம்ஆ தியசெய்
தெழில்உறு மங்கலம் புனைந்தே
குணம் புரிந் தெமது மகன் எனும் குறிப்பைக்
கோலத்தால் காட்டுக எனவே
வணம்புரி மணிமா மன்றில் என் தந்தை
வாய் மலர்ந் தருளினர் மகிழ்ந்தே.
எம் பொருள் எனும் என் அன்புடை மகனே
இரண்டரைக் கடிகையில் உனக்கே
அம்புவி வானம் அறியமெய் அருளாம்
அனங்கனை தனை மணம் புரிவித்
தும்பரும் வியப்ப உயர் நிலை தருதும்
உண்மை ஈ தாதலால் உலகில்
வெம்புறு துயர் தீர்ந் தணிந்து கொள் என்றார்
மெய்ப் பொது நடத்திறை யவரே.
அன்புடை மகனே மெய்யருள் திருவை
அண்டர்கள் வியப்புற நினக்கே
இன்புடை உரிமை மணம்புரி விப்பாம்
இரண்டரைக் கடிகையில் விரைந்தே
துன்புடை யவைகள் முழுவதும் தவிர்ந்தே
தூய்மைசேர் நன் மணக் கோலம்
பொன்புடை விளங்கப் புனைந்துகொள் என்றார்
பொதுநடம் புரிகின்றார் தாமே.
ஈது கேள் மகனே மெய்யருள் திருவை
இரண்டரைக் கடிகையில் நினக்கே
ஊதியம் பெறவே மணம்புரி விப்பாம்
உண்மை ஈ தாதலால் இனி வீண்
போது போக் காமல் மங்கலக் கோலம்
புனைந்துளம் மகிழ்க நீ என்றார்
தீதுதீர்த் தென்னை இளந்தையில் தானே
தெருட்டிய சிற்சபை யவரே.
விரைந்துகேள் மகனே உலகெலாம் களிக்க
மெய்யருள் திருவினை நினக்கே
வரைந்து நன் மணஞ் செய் தொரு பெரு நிலையில்
வைத்து வாழ் விக்கின்றோம் அதனால்
இரைந்துளம் கவலேல் இரண்டரைக் கடிகை
எல்லையுள் எழில் மணக் கோலம்
நிரைந்துறப் புனைதி என்று வாய் மலர்ந்தார்
நிருத்தஞ் செய் ஒருத்தர் உள் உவந்தே.
களிப்பொடு மகனே அருள் ஒளித் திருவைக்
கடிகை ஓர் இரண்டரை அதனில்
ஒளிப்பிலா துலகம் முழுவதும் அறிய
உனக்கு நன் மணம் புரி விப்பாம்
அளிப்புறு மகிழ்வால் மங்கலக் கோலம்
அணி பெறப் புனைக நீ விரைந்தே
வெளிப்பட உரைத்தாம் என்றனர் மன்றில்
விளங்கு மெய்ப் பொருள் இறை யவரே.
கலங்கிடேல் மகனே அருள் ஒளித் திருவைக்
களிப்பொடு மணம்புரி விப்பாம்
விலங்கிடேல் வீணில் போது போக் காமல்
விரைந்து நன் மங்கலக் கோலம்
நலங்கொளப் புனைந்து மகிழ்க இவ் வுலகர்
நவிலும் அவ் வுலகவர் பிறரும்
இலங்க நின் மணமே ஏத்துவர் என்றார்
இயலுறு சிற்சபை யவரே.
ஐயுறேல் இது நம் ஆணை நம் மகனே
அருள் ஒளித் திருவை நின் தனக்கே
மெய்யுறு மகிழ்வால் மணம்புரி விப்பாம்
விரைந்திரண் டரைக்கடி கையிலே
கையற வனைத்தும் தவிர்ந்து நீ மிகவும்
களிப்பொடு மங்கலக் கோலம்
வையமும் வானும் புகழ்ந்திடப் புனைக
என்றனர் மன்றிறை யவரே.
தூங்கலை மகனே எழுக நீ விரைந்தே
தூய நீர் ஆடுக துணிந்தே
பாங்குற ஓங்கு மங்கலக் கோலம்
பண்பொடு புனைந்து கொள் கடிகை
ஈங்கிரண் டரையில் அருள் ஒளித் திருவை
எழில் உற மணம் புரி விப்பாம்
ஏங்கலை இது நம் ஆணை காண் என்றார்
இயன்மணி மன்றிறை யவரே.
மயங்கிடேல் மகனே அருள் ஒளித் திருவை
மணம்புரி விக்கின்றாம் இதுவே
வயங்கு நல் தருணக் காலை காண் நீ நன்
மங்கலக் கோலமே விளங்க
இயங்கொளப் புனைதி இரண்டரைக் கடிகை
எல்லையுள் என்றுவாய் மலர்ந்தார்
சயங்கொள எனக்கே தண்ணமு தளித்த
தந்தையார் சிற்சபை யவரே.
Vanmikanathan writes on Ramalinga Adigal's spiritual experience dividing it into states, Purgation, Illumination and the final Union. Ramalinga Adigal began with the worship of Lord Murugan. Vanmikanathan writes, "He is initiated by Murukan Himself into the methods of His worship."
Oh Guru Who came into my mind and bestowed the perception that through ritualistic worship of Pathi (God) and similar good rites the creative instrument of understanding called the mind will be rid of impure concepts and stand established in pure contemplation and, thereby, the state of true union with Pathi with result; that, thereupon, buddhi, the power of ratiocination, freed from (the triad of) bonds will merge in the mind, and that, forthwith, the state of absence of incoming and outgoing will be gained in the shape of unwavering real gnosis.
Traveling the path, soon Ramalinga Adigal began to yearn for union with the Lord.
He is eager for the mystic union which is the goal of bridal mysticism.... This is the result of the affinity - a spiritual rapport between Raamalinga Swaamikal and the Godhead, which has grown stronger and stronger with the years, a rapport that has grown into the relationship of bride and bridegroom.
After leaving the Purgative Way and upon entering the Illuminative Way, Vanmikanathan writes about the shift in Adigal's perspective of life and its troubles.
The emphasis has changed. It is no more on his foibles, failings and faults. The Swaamikal shifts the blame from himself to the Lord Whom he accuses of delaying the bestowal of grace.
Crossing the threshold of the Unitive Way, Vanmikanathan writes that "God with name and form will disappear and where ultimately the worshiper and the worshiped, the seeker and the sought, the soul and the Godhead, will merge into each other."
Already our Swaamikal has begun to experience the early fruits of the union with the Godhead. He describes one of them in 100 stanzas of the second decad of the Fifth Book. All the stanzas describe in growing amazement only one item of experience. Lord Civan walked on His holy rosy delicate feet all the way and, seeking the door of the house where our Swaamikal was staying, opened the door, hailed him and placed in his hands something accompanied by loving and reassuring words. While all the 100 stanzas describe the same incident, the description of the feet and the expressions of amazement and gratefulness vary from stanza to stanza. Nowhere, however, in any of the one hundred stanzas is there any clue to show us what was the object which the Lord placed in our Swaamikal’s hands. Whatever it was, the incident made such a great impact on the mind of our Swaamikal that he sang no less than one hundred stanzas to record that incident.
The above mentioned decad is Arutpirakasa Malai (அருட்பிரகாச மாலை) at http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T225/tm/arutpirakaasa_maalai
I too was puzzled just as Vanmikanathan was, trying to figure out what the Lord had delivered to Ramalinga Adigal, each night. But I came to know that he received two laddu, a sweet to us, but metaphorically it meant Gnana, from Agathiyar.
With "his entry on to the Unitive Way proper", writes Vanmikanathan, "he has lifted his foot from the mire of worldly life and has set both feet firmly and untraceable on the highway which is the Unitive Way, the royal road to union with the Godhead."
Our Swaamikal is now ready for the highest of all possible acts of grace, the crowning glory of the long years of thavam. The conferment of the Effulgence of Grace.
The Lord, out of His munificent grace, bestowed on our Swaamikal the very power by which He Himself exercised sovereignty over all the worlds. That power is the Great Effulgence of Grace.
Two important claims are made by our Swaamikal. He claims that God conferred on him the power to raise the dead. Saint Thirugnaanasambandhar, Saint Thirunaavukkarasar and Saint Sundarar, all three of them have raised the dead not merely from their graves but from their very ashes. Moreover, they raised such dead not immediately after death but after the lapse of quite a long time, and in one cue several years.
The other is, "... is that of being given by the Lord the power to exercise the five functions of creation, sustenance, destruction, concealing, and bestowing mukthi."
This state is achieved not by one's efforts but by the grace of the Lord who speaks, first verbally then silently.
Ramalinga Adigalar speaks about that mystical moment of Union in his "Aṇipponnampalak kaṭsi" (ஆணிப்பொன்னம்பலக் காட்சி at http://www.thiruarutpa.org/thirumurai/v/T344/tm/aanipponnampalak_kaatsi).
From "Makers of Indian Literature - Ramalingar" published by Sahitya Akademi, Vanmikanathan translates these "stanzas of jubilant verse, all of which end with the refrain: "The sights I saw in the Hall of Prime Gold are wonderful sights, O mother, wonderful sights are they!"
He (Ramalinga Adigal) goes on to describe in detail the sights he saw. I omit the repetitions and refrains and give, in his own words of course, the details of the sights which met his eyes. The refrains are evidence of the irrepressible joy bubbling in his heart.
He sings in this finale very beautifully, of the magnificent golden hall.There appeared a mountain of effulgence
and on that was a street.
I went along that street
and in its center there was a platform.
I climbed on to that platform
and on that platform there was a hall.
When I approached the hall,
on top of that hall I saw a seven-storeyed tower.
What shall I say of the wonders
that were on the seven storeys?
On top of the seven storeys
there was a golden pillar.
When I beheld the pillar and climbed on it,
what shall I say of the novelties I saw !
It is not within my capacity to describe
what met me as I climbed on.
At the several stages,
Sakthi-s, in thousands and thousands, came,
They came and tried to bewitch me,
but, that I may not be bewitched,
I gained a power of grace.
By that power I climbed up that pillar
and spied the jewelled crest.
On top of the crest there stood a dome, that I saw.
On top of that dome there was a temple
of one thousand and eight carat gold.
On seeing the temple,
I went unhesitatingly inside the portal
in the tower.
At the portal in the tower,
there were Sakthis-s and Saakthaa-s in crores.
Their hues were white, red, and scarlet.
There, all of them asked, “Who is this man?”,
but I went past them.
I went past them,
and there, at a sacred doorway,
were five persons.
With them showing me the way,
I went to a jeweled doorway farther up.
At that doorway, which I remember well,
there stood two, a man and a woman.
With them pointing it out to me,
I be held with love welling up in me
the private sacred entrance
(which leads to the sacred presence of Lord Civan).
At that sacred door,
stood Aanandhavalli, my Mother.
I beheld the Mother, Her grace I received,
and ambrosia I partook of.
By Her Grace which held me up,
I saw the presence of Natarajar,
O mother, I saw the presence of Natarajar!
The boon I received
on going into His presence,
God knows it,
O mother, God knows it.
In the Hall of prime gold,
the sights I saw ,
wonderful sights they are,
O mother, wonderful sights they are.
The Presence Ramalingar saw in the Hall was Natarajar, the Godhead, the Brahman. He who knew the boon, which Ramalingar received, was God in time.
If all others were static, Natarajar was mobile, forever dancing, moving everything in time and space. Ramalinga Adigal like the saints before him merged in the dance of Natarajar, and lives in all of us. All of creation shall seize to exist the day this divine dance stops.