OmniLight Invocations 365

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet 346:

பாரிடை வேர்வையிற் பையிடை முட்டையில்

ஆருயி ரமைக்கு மருட்பெருஞ் ஜோதி

In the earth’s soil,

And from roots,

In the amniotic sacs,

And from eggs,

Emerge astonishing and beautiful forms of life

All organized by the OmniLight of Supreme Compassion!

Note: The Tamil word “வேர்” (wayre) in this couplet and in couplet 361 has been conflated with “வியர்” (veeyer) in many commentaries and grossly misunderstood to refer to sweat (the meaning of “வியர்“).

Ramalingam was certainly not talking about “astonishing and beautiful” bacteria emerging from sweat. Bacteria already live in the skin and only break down the sweat produced by the sweat glands.

The word “வேர்“ is evidently used in these couplets in its standard sense in Tamil usage, referring to roots and their astonishing and beautiful offspring of plant and tree forms of life.