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Avaiyar's Vinayagar AgavalEnglish rendering by Layne LittleIn the 14th century, a female ascetic, often envisioned as a wise wandering crone, took the name of Avaiyar. Her namesake of the ancient Sangam age was the prototypical Mother Goose of South India who authored the canon of moral guidelines that still form a mainstay to children's education in contemporary Tamil Nadu. The character of the Sangam Avaiyar sharply contrasts the Avaiyar of the 14th century whose occult leanings parody the benign, granny-like persona of her ancient predecessor. The 14th century Avaiyar was perhaps the third female poet to assume this name, but the distinctive character of her work, the Vinayagar Agaval, has forever immortalized this obscure figure as a poetical giant in Tamil literary history. Though the Vinayagar Agaval is recited in temples and homes at the shrines of the jovial elephant-headed god Ganesha (the mystical Janus of the Hindu pantheon), the text is at the same time ridden with the occult imagery of the Tamil Siddhas. How this incomprehensible text became a mainstay of contemporary Hinduism in Tamil Nadu is a mystery; for its obscure references to kundalini yoga and tantrism is sure to mean very little to the average devotee of the portly god. At first glance the work seems conservative enough; as it begins with the traditional contemplation of the god from foot to crown. But it promptly veers off into the domain of the mystic as she invokes Ganesha as the embodiment of Turiya. Turiya, or "the Sleepless Sleep" is a state of deep yogic trance, where the aspirant sleeps to the illusionary and transient realm of gross sense phenomena and wakes to the infinitude of the inner realm. By first invoking her patron as this adept state of consciousness, her perception and expression shifts from the outer image of the god and the external realm of perception to the inner mystery she perceives as both her own and the god's internal landscape. Though not officially recognized as such by the often hostile orthodoxy, Avaiyar's work follows the familiar pattern of other Tamil Siddha literature. Of course the most obvious distinction between the orthodox Saiva Siddhanta literature and that of the Siddha heterodoxy, is the latter's emphasis on tantric imagery and practice. Though the Tamil Siddha tradition retains a propensity for employing the same bhakti rhetoric of the orthodoxy, the pervasive presence of the goddess further betrays its divergence from the conservative Shaivite patriarchy which insists that the unruly goddess image be subordinate to that of a male god. Avaiyar's experience of Ganesha manifesting as "a mother" is a sure sign on her crossing the line of Brahminically sanctioned tradition. Her intricate weaving of devotion, world-denying asceticism, and occult symbolism enriches the Vinayagar Agaval with the versatility of the Tamil Siddha tradition. Because of the obscure nature of this symbolism, I recommend that you refer to 'Shaking the Tree', also found here in the Alchemy Virtual Library. A more thorough explanation of these verses is presently under preparation and should be online shortly. Questions are welcome, address them to Layne Little at: anjaneya@ix.netcom.comBack to articles . Back to Indian alchemy. Avaiyar's Vinayagar AgavalThe ankletson the red lotus feet of the cool baby elephant sing many songs.
The golden waist chain His weighty tusk!
His elephant face
Five hands,
His two ears,
He is the true knowledge:
Wonder
He who rides the mouse
He appeared as a mother
Thus the pristine
Assuming the Guru's guise
He joyously bestowed the grace
Wielding his tusk as a weapon,
My ears devour his teaching
He reveals the insatiable
He has sweetly graced me
Putting an end
He cuts off the delusion
This is the Ankusha (elephant-goad)
He announced the letter
The snake hangs
He helped me realize
In the Kundalini
It breaks open...
The rising flame,
Born of the single thought
He related...
He revealed
He sweetly graced me
He enabled me to perceive
He has revealed
Without a single word or thought
In my ear
He has weeded out all difficulty
He has revealed Sada Shiva
And he has revealed that...
He made me understand
He made both heart & mind
Having given to me
I am ruled
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