The meanings of colours - Icon Thinking of Punitavati

The meanings of colurs

There is a tremendous confusion with respect to understanding the 

meaning of icons and one of them being the colours of such icons: 

the black of Tirumaal, the red and gold of Siva, the brilliant light 

color of Muruka, the Pure White of Vaaliyon (Balarama) ,Brahma, 

Saraswati etc. One of the most ridiculous interpretations is that 

Tirumaal and KaNNan must be Tamil gods because they are black!

 

 The icons, it must be noted here, have nothing to do with skin 

colour of the people for they are celestial beings, mantra-bodies and 

hence transcendent to the racial make-up of the people in whose mind 

they emerge and through a play, make them raise metaphysical 

questions and through that enable them to gain illuminations.

 

 Punitavati deals with the colour of Siva in the following verse: 

Why His body is golden but becomes silver on wearing the sacred 

ashes? Earlier she has also noted that Tirumaal was one half of Siva 

taking the place of Uma Herself and thereby becoming Blue. But now 

she sees the Woman Herself as an equal and inalienable part of Siva 

and because of which the body as a whole is golden

What are meanings then?

 Read below as to the meanings of the color codes of the muurttams.

 

39

 கொம்பினை ஓர் பாகத்துக் கொண்ட குழகன்றன்

 அம்பவள மேனி அது முன்னஞ் -- செம்பொன்

 அணிவரையே போலும் பொடியணிந்தால் வெள்ளி

 மணிவரையே போலும் மறித்து

 (அ-ரை திரு வி.க)

 கொம்பினை - பார்வதி தேவியாரை. குழகன் தன் - சிவபிரானுடைய, அம் - அழகிய. அணி

வரை - அழகிய மேருமலை . மணி வெள்ளிவரை -அழகிய கயிலை மலை, மறித்துப் பொடி யணி

ந்தால் என்று கூட்டுக. மறித்து - மீண்டு

 உரை(உலகன்)

 நீலவண்ணத் திருமாலையும் உமை அம்மையையும் தன்னுள் சரிபாதியாகக் கொண்டிருக்கும் போது நீலசி

வனாராகத் தோன்றும் சிவன், அம்மையை மாத்திரம் தன்னின் சரிபாதியாகக் கொண்டிருக்க, 

செம்மேனியனாகத் தெரிகின்றான். மேலும் அதுபொழுது அழியாத பேரின்பங்கள் அனைத்தின் மூலமாகி

ய பொன்மேருவினைப் போன்று பொன்மேனியனாகவும் திகழ்கின்றான். அதுபொழுது ஆன்மாக்களை 

தீய்த்து சுத்தமாக்கி பொன்மேரு புகுத்த திருநீறு பூசிட, வெள்ளி மணிவரையாகிய கயிலை பி

ரானாகவும் ஆகின்றான் காண்!

39.

 

 kombinai oor paakattan koNda kuzakanRan

 ambavaLa meeni atu munnanj - cempon

 aNivaraiyee poolum podiyaNintaal veLLi

 maNivaraiyee poolum maRittu

 

 Meaning:

 

 While Siva appears as Blue when He incorporates VishNu and Uma as 

integral parts of Himself, He appears Red when he incorporates only 

Uma as an equal half of Himself. And furthermore He shines forth Gold 

like the PonmeeRu, that Hill that contains everything of Supreme 

Bliss. But when he wears the white ashes with the intention to burn 

and purify the anmas to make it possible for them to enter this Pon 

MeeRu, He becomes the Silver on the silver peaks of Kailash

 

 Comments:

 

 Punitavati has been concerned above with symbolic significance of 

the Snake and Moon and why the Moon always remains the crescent moon 

on His tuft. Now her attention shifts to the semiotics of the body 

colours the Red Gold and Silver, which are also elements of deep 

dreams. BEING assumes these forms to INSTRUCT the anmas of some deep 

metaphysical TRUTHS and Punitavati, having grasped them, is hinting 

at them here.

 

 BEING as Man-Woman Complex, the destructive-generative Power of the 

world is RED and shines forth as Gold, the two colors being 

interchangeable. The Gold color signifies something non-diminishing 

and hence that of Supreme Bliss, the Sivaanantam. It is the kind of 

happiness that all, including the devas, are after and which is 

possible only if possessed wholly by this androgynous archetype where 

the Woman and Man are equally present, where the distinction between 

masculinity and femininity is neutralized completely so that 

existence becomes transsexual, something above the polarity of Male 

and Female. What it means is that we have to transcendent our sexual 

and polar dimensions and rise above by incorporating both into our 

being. The man has to become the woman, and the woman likewise the 

man.

 

 This Gold Bodied Siva-Sakti is also full of aruL, LOVE SUPREME and 

because of which He-She cannot be INDIFFERENT to the sufferings of 

the anmas caught in Samsara, the web of historical relationships 

that come along with the assumption of a physical frame and along a 

biological identity. This condition is also a kind of condition of 

Impurity, of metaphysical blindness, of ignorance. Hence there is a 

need to PURIFY them so that they see the Golden possibilities, which 

are always there for them to appropriate and enjoy. For this purpose 

and wholly as an expression of His aruL or LOVE, Siva wears the ashes 

over His body that signifies this WILL within Him. And at that point 

BEING becomes present in world however not immediately but at the 

peak of the snow-clad Kailash, meaning He becomes available only if 

we try to climb up the metaphysical ladder and seek Him out. He pulls 

us unto Him by becoming present at the Peak and in responding to that 

pull we cannot remain where we are - we have to LEARN, get 

illuminated and becoming pure in this way climb up the Hill. This 

aspect of BEING is the meaning of the color SILVER as opposed to the 

GOLD.

 

ULLAGANAR 

( edited and re-paragraphed by his student )