The Psychoanalysis of Appar - Part 1

The Psychoanalysis of Appar-1

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Appar 4:3 TiruvaiyaaRu

1.

மாதர்ப் பிறைக் கண்ணியானை மலையான் மகளொடும் பாடிப்

போதொடு நீர் சுமந்தேத்திப் புகுவார் அவர்பின் புகுவேன்

யாதுஞ் சுவடு படாமல் ஐயாறு அடைகின்ற போது

காதன் மடப்பிடியோடுங் களிறு வருவன கண்டேன்

கண்டேன் அவர் திருப்பாதங் கண்டறியாதன கண்டேன்.

உரை:

அழகிய இளம்பிறையை தலைமாலையாக அணிந்து சந்திரசேகரனாக தன்னை வெளிபடுத்தி அருளும் சிவபெருமான் அவனது இடப்பாதியாக இருக்கும் மலையமான் மகளாகிய பார்வதியோடு இணந்திருப்பதை ஞானக் கண்ணில் கண்டு பாடியவாறு , அர்ச்சனைக்கு வேண்டியது பூக்களும் சுத்த நீராகிய தீர்த்தமுமே என்று கொண்டு அவற்றை சுமந்தவாறு செல்லும் நல்ல அடியார் கூட்டத்தையேப் பின்தொடர்ந்து அவர்கட்கு பின்னேயே செல்வேன். இப்படி அடியார்களுள் ஒருவனாக, அகம்பாவத்து எவ்வித சேட்டையுமின்றி, நான் இருக்கின்றேன் எனக் காட்டும் சுவடுகள் யாதும் விடாது ஐயாறு எனும் சிவத்தலத்தை அடைகின்ற போது வழியில் ஓர் இளம் பெண்யானைமேல் காதல் கொண்டதாய் ஓர் களிறு வருவதைக் கண்டேன். அதுபொழுது ஊனக் கண்ணால் காண்டற்கு அரிதாகிய சிவபெருமான் நாதவிந்துக்களை பெண்னென ஆணென உயிரினங்கள் எழுமாறு அசைத்தாடும் ஆனந்தத் தாண்டவத்து திருப்பாதங்களை ஞானக்கண்ணிற் கண்டேன்; அதுவரையிலும் நான் கண்டறியாதிருந்த ஆழ் உணமைகளைக் கண்டு மகிழ்ந்தேன்.

1.

maatarp piRaik kaNniyaanai malaiyamaan makaLodum paadip

pootodu nii cumanteetti pukuvaar avarpin pukuveen

yaatunj cuvadu padaamal aiyaaRu adaikinra pootu

kaatan amdappidiyooduG kaLiRu varvana kaNdeen

lkaNdeen avar tiuppaataG kandariyaatana kaNdeen

Meaning:

BEING as Candrasekaran wearing the beautiful Crescent Moon as a head ornament stays with Parvati, the daughter of the King of Himalayas. Holding this in my mental vision and singing of them eloquently, I follow behind the adiyars who carry only fresh blossoms and pure water for worship and enter the temple. As I move along with them inconspicuously and near the Temple in AiyaaRu, I noticed on the way a male elephant coming with a young female elephant and in love with it.  At that point I saw with my mental eyes, the Divine Feet of Siva (where he creates the males and females of all species with agitating the Natam and Bindu). Thus I saw what are impossible to witness with the fleshy eyes alone.

Comments:

Appar obviously draws attention in this verse that a natural phenomenon such as the male and female elephants being in love with each other and enjoying sexual bliss can be SEEN differently. For those who posses the capacity to penetrate the surface features and gain a vision of the DEPTHS, the love and sexual union of the animals (and human beings) disclose the Dance of Bliss of Siva who by manipulating the Siva Tatvas Natam and Bindu (the Yin and Yang of Taoism) creates the male and female of all species in such a way that they are drawn to each other with the intention for enjoying the bliss of sexual union. The eyes of the ordinary people who have only the fleshy eyes that show only the PHYSICAL and without even a hint of the Third Eye that discloses the metaphysical depths, can only see that as an instance of carnal sexuality but not the Dance of BEING at the depths and where as Siva and Sakti, there is also sexual union.

At every expression of love and at every act of sexual union there is the union of Siva and Sakti at the deepest level and for those who manage such a vision of ordinary sexual unions of the creatures they become SACRED,  and ICON that help  witnessing of Siva and Sakti in sexual union of a kind.

This vision comes as a new disclosure to Appar and for which he is so immensely grateful.

But there are many preconditions for gaining such a vision and appreciate the aesthetics behind it all, a natural marvel that in fact it is. These preconditions are:

One must understand the Icon of BEING as the wearer of the Crescent Moon, that which can become the amutu, ambrosia of good mental and physical health and hence longevity. The Woman becomes here the Parvati, the Lady of Earth but located at the peak and hence someone not that easily approachable. Parvati here is the same as the Sumerian ( and Toda) Nin Hur-Sag, the Lady of the Peak. She is also the ManonmaNi of the Ajna Cakra who descends at lower Cakras as the various Female Powers, KalaivaaNi, Laksmi etc.

Thus one must gain a vision of BEING as such and SING about it so that the aesthetics, the MUSIC of it all is kept alive.

Now having gained it and to sustain it in the vision,  one must worship,  not with animal sacrifices and so forth but only fresh blossoms and pure waters. One must kill and expel the animistic thinking that shows ties with the flesh in order to sustain the vision of Siva--Parvati in love embrace.

Now another attendant feature is that one must have conquered the EGO, the tendency to push oneself to the front and establish various kinds of signposts of one’s presence. One must follow the crowd of Adiyars inconspicuous and hence totally humble. As long as the Ego is present, there will be metaphysical BLINDNESS and because of which the vision of the depths will not be available.

Now what is wrong with Western Psychoanalytic account of such events?

Against what is implied by Appar in this verse, it would follow that such Western scholars lack the EYES to see the Divine Sexual Embrace of Siva and Sakti at the depths of all natural events where we have a male and female coming together to enjoy sexual bliss. The SACRED in every act of sexual union is beyond the reach of such scholars and because of which they become something revolting, carnal and promiscuous. The fault is NOT in such events and their depiction in temple iconography and so forth but rather in the BLINDNESS of such scholars who cannot see the DIVINE presence in such events.

ULLAGANAR

( editing and re-paragraphing by his student )