OmniLight Invocations 365

சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, and place of special manifestation of OmniLight, designed by Ramalingam without any formal training in architecture. It was constructed in 1871 and opened to the public in January 1872. It is not a Hindu temple and ought not to be considered one. It has no anthropomorphic idols or images.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 455

பொருளினுட் பொருளாய்ப் பொருளது பொருளா

யொருமையின் விளங்கு மொருதனிப் பொருளே!

The

One

Substance

Within

Objects,

The

One

Substance

Of

Objects,

Presenting

Itself

As

All

Objects,

In

Resplendent

Oneness,

OmniLight Incomparable Reality!

Note: The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

It is worth comparing Spinoza’s philosophy of Substance or Ultimate Reality with these Agaval couplets on the Supreme Reality of OmniLight.

Substance and Its Modes: The Gist Of Spinoza’s Philosophy of Reality

Portrait of Dutch-Jewish Philosopher Baruch de Spinoza (1632–1677) (painting by an unknown artist, ca. 1665) – Source: Wikipedia

Statue of Spinoza in The Hague

The Statue of Spinoza in Amsterdam – With inscription “The objective of the state is freedom” (translation, quote from Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, 1677) – Source: Wikipedia

“Spinoza and the Rabbis” (painting by Samuel Hirszenberg, 1907) – Source: Wikipedia; I should note here that Spinoza was expelled by Amsterdam’s Jewish community when he was only a (precocious) youth of 23 years.

OmniLight Invocations 365

Symbol of Divine Light in the சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, a place of special manifestation of OmniLight.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 454

அலகிலாச் சித்தா யதுநிலை யதுவாய்

உலகெலாம் விளங்கு மொரு தனிப் பொருளே!

Immeasurable

Consciousness

And

Intelligence,

Constituting

All

States

And

Conditions,

Pervading

And

Illuminating

The

Cosmos,

OmniLight Incomparable Reality!

Note: The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, and place of special manifestation of OmniLight, designed by Ramalingam without any formal training in architecture. It was constructed in 1871 and opened to the public in January 1872. It is not a Hindu temple and ought not to be considered one. It has no anthropomorphic idols or images.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 453

அருவினு ளருவா யருவரு வருவாய்

உருவினுள் விளங்கு மொரு பரம் பொருளே!

The

Formless

Essence

Within

The

Formless,

The

Formless,

Formlessness

Itself,

Resplendent

In

All

Forms,

OmniLight Divine Reality!

Note: The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

Symbol of Divine Light in the சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, a place of special manifestation of OmniLight.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 452

இயல்பினு ளியல்பா யியல்பே யியல்பா

உயலுற விளங்கு மொருதனிப் பொருளே!

The

Inherent

Nature

Of

Things,

And

The

Essential

Nature

Within

The

Inherent

Nature

Of

Things,

Indivisible

Illuminating

Suchness,

OmniLight Supreme Reality!

Note: The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, and place of special manifestation of OmniLight, designed by Ramalingam without any formal training in architecture. It was constructed in 1871 and opened to the public in January 1872. It is not a Hindu temple and ought not to be considered one. It has no anthropomorphic idols or images.

The Afternoon Meal (La Merienda) by Spanish painter Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) – The OmniLight is the inner (essence) and outer (form) reality of these ordinary objects.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 451

அதுவினு ளதுவா யதுவே யதுவாய்ப்

பொதுவினுள் நடிக்கும் பூரணப் பொருளே!

That

Indwelling

In

that

Denoted

By

“that”,

That

Itself

Denoted

By

“that”,

That

Which

Poses,

Presents

Itself

As

Ordinary,

Common

Reality,

That

Which

Dances

In

The

Universal

Theater

Of

Consciousness,

OmniLight Complete Reality!

Note: This couplet is a brilliant play on the Tamil word “அது” or That, alluding to the famous declaration “That Thou Art” (Sanskrit: Tat Tvam Asi) in the Chandogya Upaniṣad. In this Upaniṣadic declaration, “That” refers to ultimate reality, and the import is that the individual self is in its essence identical to the Atman or Universal Self.

The import of this Agaval couplet is that the OmniLight is the indwelling referent (inner essence) and the manifested referent (outer form) of anything picked out by the term “that”.

The Tamil word “பொது” (Podhu) denotes the ordinary, common, and public reality, but it also traditionally alludes to the “Hall of Consciousness-Space” in the great temple of Siva at Chidambaram, Tamilnadu, India.

The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

Symbol of Divine Light in the சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, a place of special manifestation of OmniLight.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 450

தானொரு தானாய்த் தானே தானாய்

ஊனுயிர் விளக்கு மொருதனிப் பொருளே!

One

Sole

Unique

Undivided

Being

In

Itself,

In

All,

As

All,

Activating,

Illuminating,

All

Bodies

And

Souls,

OmniLight Supreme Reality!

Note: The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, and place of special manifestation of OmniLight, designed by Ramalingam without any formal training in architecture. It was constructed in 1871 and opened to the public in January 1872. It is not a Hindu temple and ought not to be considered one. It has no anthropomorphic idols or images.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 449

மனாதிகள் பொருந்தா வானடு வானாய்

அனாதியுண் மையதா யமர்ந்தமெய்ப் பொருளே!

Beyond

The

Reach

Of

Mind

And

Its

Cognitive

Instruments,

The

Divine

Space

At

The

Center

Of

Cosmic

Space,

Ultimate

Truth

Without

Beginning,

Boundless OmniLight Reality!

Note: The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

Symbol of Divine Light in the சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, a place of special manifestation of OmniLight.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 448

எல்லா நிலைகளு மிசைந்தாங் காங்கே

எல்லாமாகி யிலங்கு மெய்ப் பொருளே!

Manifesting,

Permeating,

All

States,

Or

Conditions,

Constituting

All,

Resplendent OmniLight Reality!

Note: In these series of couplets, Ramalingam affirms that the OmniLight is All. It has manifested, permeated, and constituted all that exists. Yet, it transcends its own manifestations. But there is no division between the OmniLight and its manifestations, each with its special and essential properties determined by divine intelligence and will.

Therefore, to expect or demand that any of its manifestation should behave contrary to its essential properties, e.g., expect or demand that fire should behave like water, is obviously irrational. It is irrational to expect or demand that the OmniLight should abrogate its own truth of manifestation in that particular form, object, state, or condition.

Since the OmniLight is absolutely free, it is not bound by its manifestations. Whatever miracles it performs by choice is in terms of its indwelling presence in all things and its selection from probable outcomes generated by the nature of things and conditions. It is also irrational to expect or demand that the OmniLight should select a highly improbable outcome, i.e., an outcome at odds with the nature of things and conditions.

The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, and place of special manifestation of OmniLight, designed by Ramalingam without any formal training in architecture. It was constructed in 1871 and opened to the public in January 1872. It is not a Hindu temple and ought not to be considered one. It has no anthropomorphic idols or images.

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 441

களங்கநீத் துலகங் களிப்புற மெய்ந்நெறி

விளங்கவென் னுள்ளே விளங்குமெய்ப் பொருளே!

To

Eliminate

Errors,

Distortions,

Deformations,

And

Deficiencies

From

The

World,

And

To

Enable

Delight,

Or

Joy,

The

True

Path

Is

Illuminated

By

The

Indwelling,

Resplendent

OmniLight Supreme Reality!

Note: This true path is the path of Samarasa Suddha Sanmargam, the path of wisdom and harmony based on the realization of Arul or the Light of Divine Compassion. The practice of compassion for living beings, with emphasis on compassion for other human beings, is central to this true path.

The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.

OmniLight Invocations 365

Symbol of Divine Light in the சத்திய ஞான சபை (Sathiya Gnana Sabhai) or The Great Hall of Truth-Knowledge, a place of special manifestation of OmniLight

Arutperunjothi Agaval: Couplet: 440

ஒன்றினி லொன்றுள வொன்றினி லொன்றில

ஒன்றற வொன்றிய வொன்றெனு மொன்றே!

It

Is

The

Oneness

Of

The

One,

And

Other

Than

This

Oneness,

This

Complete,

Indivisible,

Oneness,

Of

The

One

Described

As

“One”,

This Divine OmniLight Reality!

Note: The Divine OmniLight Reality constitutes oneness and unity, and also duality and plurality. And yet it remains the Indivisible One. The One has manifested the Many, but it remains the One which constitutes the essential Oneness of the Many.

The Arutperunjothi Agaval is Ramalingam’s magnum opus of spiritual enlightenment poetry composed in 798 couplets in 1872. In later posts, I will offer commentaries on these couplets.