“Summa Iruttal” or the Art of Simply Being

by V.S. Krishnan

I told my friend that I was planning to visit US. His response was quick. “If you want a happy living in US, you should possess the three ‘C’s: car; credit card; and cell phone”, he said. “Make sure that you possess at least some of these ‘essential ingredients’; otherwise, you would find your stay there very miserable,” he added.

I could not afford any of these, but still I decided to go ahead with my visit. On a fine evening, I landed at Dallas Airport without any of these ‘essentials’. What I carried was some personal belongings, a packet of ‘Nenthran chips’ for my son and family and a book of verses.

It is the book that I carry wherever I go. It is the book that keeps me engaged wherever I am, gives me joy at no extra cost, serves as a guide, as a set of prayer and as a source of immense inspiration. It is the Kandar Anubhuti, the immortal verses composed by Arunagirinathar some 600 years ago, relevant at all time and at all places.

Tiruppugazh are songs addressed to Muruga as prayers for the fulfillment of various aspirations of devotees. They hail the glory of Muruga and highlight His various infinite qualities in beautiful poems. They show the way to reach the Lotus Feet of Muruga. They show how we can free ourselves from various bonds and attachments and reach a state beyond all opposites like attachment and aversions, like and dislike, knowledge and ignorance.

The Vel Virutham underlines the importance of Muruga’s weapon, Vel. Kandar Alangaram adores Muruga in magnificent verses and describes the Lord’s power, valour and beauty. The Vel Vakuppu and Seerpadha Vakuppu uplift us from the consequence of karma. But Kandar Anubhuti is different from all these.

Kandar Anubhutispeaks of Arunagiri’s own experience of having felt the presence of Muruga and having received the advice direct from Muruga. ThroughKandar Anubhuti, Arunagirinathar shares his experience of having received the advice from Muruga. (summa iru sol ara enralume ammaporulonrum arinthilane). He says “Having heard the words of advice, summa iru, I kept wondering what eternal words of truth they are”.

Arunagirinathar says that as a result of this advice, he was elevated to the state of enlightenment. “Oh Muruga, because of your grace, I went through a new experience of speechlessness.” (Nesa Muruga ninathu anbu arulal… pesa anubhuti piranthathuve — 28).

The expression summa iru (‘simply be!’) is not to be interpreted to convey a state of idleness or inactivity. It does not mean that one has to cease all his activities and remain quiet. In the modern world, one has to shoulder many responsibilities at different levels and carry out various duties. In the midst of various activities one performs, one should set apart some time to remain quiet, without allowing the mind to wander all over. He would then experience almost the same kind of happiness that he experienced during the deep sleep (sushupti) state.

During the deep-sleep state, the mind is still and quiet but the level of consciousness is low whereas during the state of ‘summa iru’, the mind is still and quiet and the level of consciousness is also high. This is the state of ‘Turiya’ which Arunagirinathar explained in his song Suruti Mudi Monam rendered at Palani. No effort is need to attain this state. What you need to do is to remain silent, free from the influence of body or mind. No effort is needed to undertake this simple sadhana because you are only trying to be what you naturally are, free from thoughts, free from senses and free from ego.

Almost three hundred years later, another great saint appeared in this holy land to emphasize the importance of remaining quiet and still by ceasing all mental activities. He was Thayumanavar who occupied a great position in the royal court of King Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha but renounced it all just to fulfill his spiritual quest.

Thayumanavar spent most of the time in the company of a great saint, Arul Nandi Sivachariar who came in the lineage of Thirumular. As Sivachariyar remained silent most of the time, he came to be known as Mauna Guru. Thayumanavar sought the blessings of Mauna Guru and asked to be his disciple. The saint then told him that the time for his initiation had not come and he should wait for an opportune moment. However, when the guru, preparing for a long pilgrimage, was about to depart, Thayumanavar could not bear his separation. The guru then advised him that the essence of all sadhanas is to ‘remain still’ (summa iru).

Thayumanavar adhered to this advice sincerely and he experienced a state of peace and happiness. He always remembered the words of his guru: “As you remain quiet, without thoughts, you are transcended to a state where, without the difference of ‘you’ and ‘me’, the ‘I-I’ (Self) alone remains.”

Thayumanavar expressed his experience thus: It is my ardent wish to remain quiet without any word being spoken. (“Sollum porulum atru summa irupatharkke, allum pakalum enakku asai, paraparame”) In another song he said: You made me sit quiet. Can there be a greater happiness than this?” (“Soothu onrum inri ennai summa irukkavaithai, ithu onrum pothatho inbam paraparme.”)

Then, almost three hundred years later, another divine sage appeared before us to underline the importance of silence. He was Sri Ramana Maharshi, who was considered as the manifestation of divine guru Dakshinamurti. Most of the time, Maharshi observed silence.

According to Maharshi, speech is only the function of the mind, whereas silence is the source and origin of all thoughts and speeches. If speech is effective, silence which is the origin and source of all thoughts must be more powerful. “Silence speaks volumes. It is unceasing eloquence,” he said.

Words that give expression to thoughts arising from mind are always coloured by ego. Truth can never be explained in words. The truth is beyond words and beyond expression. It can only be experienced through silence. Silence has the power to silence the mind. When the mind is still, it stops generating thoughts and creates the ideal ground for communication.

When a person remains thoughtless and speechless, he understands the other by means of the universal language of silence. Emerson said that the “soul understands another soul by its own power without the need of any word”. Silence conveys a message eloquently and is understood by one who too knows the value of silence. It is the words which obstruct the silent communication.

Paul Brunton, a British national, was highly successful in his journalistic career. Yet, he could not find peace within. He went on a searching mission to find the right saint who could answer his questions. Ultimately he found himself sitting cross-legged before Sri Ramana Maharshi. In fact, he had prepared a list of questions to be raised. He never knew that this meeting could change the course of his life.

As Maharshi intensely looked at his eyes, Brunton felt total silence pervading all over and they conversed without any word, without any language or expression. Later, Brunton himself explained the meeting of the two souls thus: “One by one, the questions I prepared dropped away and I knew that a steady river of quietness flowing near me and a great peace penetrating the inner reaches of me.”

In his book A Search in Secret India, he said: “There is a materialistic serenity and a spiritual serenity. The first comes from the possession of money, property, position, or affection. The other comes from no outward possessions but from inward ones. The first can be shattered at a single blow; the other remains solid forever.”

True to his conviction, Bhagavan, who was also known as Mauna Swamigal, mostly remained in silence and communicated in silence. Aspirants came to Bhagavan with various doubts in their mind but sitting before the saint in silence, all their doubts got cleared. Sitting before Bhagavan, the questions that bothered them lost their relevance. It was evident that the state of silence has transcended them from the mundane world of materialism to the divine world of spiritualism. Remaining in silence, it seemed that the whole world became still or non-existent.

When the world itself has disappeared, there were no issues, no problems and no solutions. Remaining in silence, they got their message loud and clear that there was nothing to know other than the ‘Self’. Having received the grace of Maharshi, they returned with a sense of fulfillment. Maharshi said, “When we abide in the stillness of silence and remain in the present (now), all thoughts go away and the mind subsides in its source. With the mind ceasing to function, the image of the world also disappears. By practicing this sadhana, frequently and consistently, the awareness of the Self (aham sphurti) alone remains.”

In his immortal verses, Aksharamana Malai, Bhagavan says: “Oh, Arunachala! You wanted to convey to me the message of silence and you wanted to convey it in the language of silence. Is it to emphasize the importance of silence, that you too remained quiet, without uttering any word? (Sollathu soli nee sollara nillenru summa irunthai arunachala….36).

There were many saints like Sri Ramalinga Adigalar who said that remaining quiet and still (summa iruttal) is the simplest method by which one can achieve the highest end of realisation. We thus find that sages appeared in this land continuously to remind us to practice this simple sadhana which ensures peace of mind and happiness.

So long as I hold the key to eternal happiness, I realise that there is no point in going after ‘c’ objects which provide momentary happiness. So, whenever I get spare time, I either open the Kandar Anubhuti orAkshara Mana Malai, remain quiet and find peace and bliss within.