Śiva's Demon Devotee: Karaikkal Ammaiyar

5. The Poems

5 The Poems Arputat Tiruvantåti 1. Ever since I was born in this world, and learned to speak, with overwhelming love I have always remained at Your beautiful feet. O God of the gods, whose blue-suffused throat shines incandescently, when will You take away my sorrows?1 2. Even though He does not remove our afflictions; even though He does not pity us; even though He does not guide us to the path we should follow; for Him—our God in the form of flame, dancing in the fire, garlanded with bones— the love in my heart will never cease.2 3. For all seven births we will be only His servants. We will always love only Him— the One who wears the crescent moon in His thick, matted hair. We will never be slaves for anyone except Him.3 4. O God who has already taken us as Yours, we have become Your slaves. So, if we plead with You to understand our troubles, 115 116 Íiva’s Demon Devotee why don’t You listen? Is it because You have a tall red body, but a sacred throat of another color? 5. Only God creates all beings. Only God destroys this world. And if great misery befalls us, only God removes it, when we cry out “O Father!”4 6. Let those who say He lives in the sky say that. Let others who say the King of the gods lives in this world say that. With spiritual wisdom I say that the One with the radiant throat previously darkened by poison lives in my heart. 7. I have done enough tapas. My heart is a good heart. I decided to eradicate all my births. I have become a servant to the God who wears an elephant skin, has a third eye in His forehead, and is smeared with sacred ash.5 8. That day I became a slave to the One who has taken me as His. On that day I became precious. The One who supports the pure river Ga∫gå, who is like a golden mountain, who holds fire and a skull in His hands— His grace is like that.6 9. It is grace that controls the whole world. If God’s grace can eradicate births, then I am destined to see the truth only through that grace. At all times, all things are mine. 117 The Poems 10. I have always kept the Lord, the God who is sweet to me as a precious treasure in my heart. I took Him. 11. I thought of only One. I was focused on only One. I kept only One inside my heart. Look at this One! It is He who has Ga∫gå on His head, a moonbeam in His hair, a radiant flame in His beautiful hand. I have become His slave. 12. That is the way He has become my Lord. That is the way He has taken me as His slave. If we come to know Him further, we realize that is the nature of the One who wears a flower garland, who is afraid of the cold waters of Ga∫gå, and who has a single eye in His bright forehead. 13. If You are sensible, You will see the danger of the snake lying like a garland on Your chest. That big, ferocious snake that crawls on You may one day reach Umå. If that happens, it is Your sin.7 14. The mind is unique by nature. In order to elevate itself, and to receive the highest refuge, it meditates solely on the One with the long snakes that spit hot, fiery poison, the One who has taken a body as an ornament, and looks glorious.8 118 Íiva’s Demon Devotee 15. Even though the gods, meditating on Him, adorn His feet with the best flowers, they will not reach His feet. I also meditate on Him. Now what will the One with the radiant, red matted hair, who knows the Vedas, do to me, who worships Him?9 16. Now we have been elevated; we have reached God’s feet. Now we do not have any troubles. O my heart! You will see that we have now crossed over the turbulent sea of inescapable births that causes an ocean of karma.10 17. Hara stands as the first principle of the ancient universe...