Chapter 6
Naimeesāranyam - (வாள் நிலா)
நைமிசாரணியம்
In Naimisaranya, the Lord manifests as the forest itself. Seeking refuge in the Lord by acknowledging one's limitations and with the goddess leading the way, they asked which place on earth is best suited for penance. Brahma fashioned a wheel from Dharba grass and rolled it. It stopped in this forest, indicating it as the ideal place for penance. Hence, it became known as Naimisaranya.
நைமிசாரணியத்தில் பகவான் காடு வடிவமாகவே இருக்கிறான். தம்முடைய தாழ்வுகளை எல்லாம் கூறிக்கொண்டு பிராட்டியை முன்னிட்டுக்கொண்டு பகவானைச் சரணடைகிறார் பூமியில் தவம் செய்வதற்கு ஏற்ற சிறந்த இடம் எதுவென்று கேட்டனர். பிரம்மா தர்ப்பத்தைச் சக்கரமாகச் செய்து உருட்டினார். அது இக்காட்டில் வந்து நின்றது. தவம் செய்வதற்கு ஏற்ற இடம் இதுவே என்று அது காண்பித்தது. அதனால் நைமிசம்-அரணியம் ஆயிற்று.
Verses: 998 to 1007
Grammar: Eḻuchīrk Kaḻinediladi Āsiriya Viruththam / எழுசீர்க் கழிநெடிலடி ஆசிரிய விருத்தம்
Pan: தக்கராகம்
Recital benefits: Will rule the world surrounded by sounding oceans under a white umbrella and become gods
- Verse 1:
998. My Father, dwelling in Naimiśāraṇyam. I was a fool, thinking life’s true joy lay in radiant smiles, small brows, broad shoulders, and the beauty of women. Never once did I see this as a fault, nor think of You as the one who could end the disease of birth. Now, ashamed of my heart and mind, I’ve come, at last, to Your feet. - Verse 2:
999. O my Father in Naimiśāraṇyam! I gave myself to women with ankleted feet and long, dark eyes, forgetting dharma, sinking into pleasures, chasing them, feeding them, and wasting my days in vain delight. O cowherd Lord with the plough in hand! O Māyā, King of the gods, the One whom Nityasuris lovingly praise—I have now come to Your holy feet. - Verse 3:
1000. O my Father in Naimiśāraṇyam. You who churned the milk ocean, stirring its white waves into foam! I gambled and stole without shame, longed for women with curling hair, and wandered after every sight I saw. Now, trembling in fear of Yama’s men and the pain they bring - I have come, at last, to Your sacred feet. - Verse 4:
1001. O my Father in Naimiśāraṇyam, O Trustworthy One! I abandoned my own wife, desired the wives of others, and called them my own. When such sinners die, Yama’s messengers seize them, torture them, and place them before a woman made of burning copper, saying, “Embrace her now, sinner!” Fearing this fate, I have come, and now cling to Your holy feet. - Verse 5:
1002. O my Father in Naimiśāraṇyam! When the poor cried, “Just a little food, please!” I, a wretched soul, turned them away, not with silence, but with cruel words. I never once thought of the bitter fruits my sins would bring. But now I tremble, fearing the torment Yama’s fierce messengers bring, their harsh words, their violent ways. Shaken by this thought, I have come and surrendered at Your sacred feet. - Verse 6:
1003. O Supreme Lord in Naimiśāraṇyam, resting upon the Ocean of Milk! With a heart full of cruelty and rage, I chased and killed innocent lives, running wild with base beasts, delighting in their violent ways. I had no sense, no conscience. By these sins, I have ruined my place even in the realm of Yama's judgment. Ashamed and afraid, I have now come, seeking refuge at Your divine feet, my only hope. - Verse 7:
1004. O my Father in Naimiśāraṇyam, who struck down the asura disguised as a fruit! You are poison to the wicked, yet You entered even the heart of a deceitful one like me and never left. O Lord of the Nityasūris! I thought, spoke, and acted against all that is just and right. When I heard of the ancient path where such souls are dragged on the road of death and torment, my heart trembled. And so, I have come now, falling at Your divine feet for refuge. - Verse 8:
1005. O my Father in Naimiśāraṇyam, O Lord of Kurungudi, with a hue deep as the vast ocean. In this age of Kali, the five senses rose against me at its command, shouting, “Crush him!” What path to life was left for them now? But I pushed aside their cruelty, and with this tongue of mine, I praised You in sweet words, woven in graceful meter, offering many flowers. I bowed down and worshipped Your feet, and now, I have come and surrendered to Your divine feet. - Verse 9:
1006. O my Father in Naimiśāraṇyam, Lord of Lakshmi who rose from the honey-filled lotus, You rest in the deep, waveless milk ocean. This fragile hut of flesh, with bones as pillars, skin as walls, and nine doors leading nowhere, was all I knew. But when it came time to part from this body, I held firm: “Your divine feet—only they are my refuge.” By the strength of that resolve and your grace, I have reached your sacred feet and surrendered. - Verse 10:
1007. When sorrow draws near and presses in, Let us remember Him, think of Him, surrender to Him. “Rise, and worship!” cry the shining gods. Even Indra comes and bows low to my Lord who dwells in Naimiśāraṇyam. Placing Him deep within the heart and with overflowing love, Kaliyan has sung this garland of verses. Those who learn and recite it with understanding shall rule this wide earth, under the white parasol, and in the end, they shall rise and join the Nityasuris in SriVaikuntam.