{"id":296,"date":"2024-12-25T17:16:24","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T17:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kataragama.org\/blog\/?p=296"},"modified":"2025-01-12T17:06:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T17:06:25","slug":"on-the-method-of-oru-mo%e1%b8%b7i-in-a-sri-lankan-hindu-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kataragama.org\/blog\/parampara\/on-the-method-of-oru-mo%e1%b8%b7i-in-a-sri-lankan-hindu-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Method of Oru Mo\u1e37i in a Sri Lankan Hindu Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the Method of Oru Mo\u1e37i<\/em> in a Sri Lankan Hindu Tradition<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Summ<\/em>\u0101<\/em> irukka vaitt<\/em>\u0101<\/em>n suttirattai n<\/em>\u0101<\/em>n ariyen, <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amm<\/em>\u0101<\/em> porul ithena adaiya vilunginandi!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Made in silence simply to be, the secret I do not know; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I came to know the meaning, alas, it has swallowed me! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Pattinattar <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CONTENTS <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Introduction<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Mantra: The Word in Hindu Doctrine<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Sandh\u0101 Bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101<\/em>: Intentional Language<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Oru Mo\u1e37i<\/em>: \u2018A Single Utterance\u2019\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Yoga Swami: An\u00a0Oru Mo\u1e37i\u00a0<\/em>Tradition<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Conclusion<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Notes\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    I. Introduction <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A brief survey of both the major and minor religions of the world shows the universal importance attached to the revealed Word. The phenomenal world is seen to be in constant flux, but truths expressed in words are felt to be immortal, in spite of the very fleeting quality of the word\u2013as soon as one hears it, already it is gone. The Semitic religions, each of which has its sacred Book, share a common reverence for sacred utterances, especially when they are repeated in the language in which they were originally set forth. Among the major world religions, however, it is probably Hinduism which has had the most sustained and manifold interest in the nature of the word (Skt. n\u0101da or \u015babda). A mystic science of sound (n\u0101da <\/em>or vidy\u0101<\/em>) developed even in Vedic times, and ever since it has been not simply tolerated and regarded as the lunatic fringe of the religion, but rather has held the highest place in regard by orthodox Hindus, for \u2018sound\u2019 or rather the principle of sound, is considered to be among the most subtle manifestations of God (n\u0101da brahma<\/em>, \u2018sound as God\u2019). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This paper will explore but one of the innumerable traditions (parampar\u0101<\/em>, lit. from one to another) or lineages which have evolved over the centuries, shaping in their course the manner in which one-fifth of mankind apprehends reality. That parampar\u0101 is preserved in Tamil, the classical language of Dravidian (i.e. south) India, and is still extant today in Tamil Nadu and especially in the Tamil portion of Sri Lanka.  The literature on this parampar\u0101 is scarce, even in Tamil, and that dealing directly with the topic of this paper is non-existent, at least in European languages. I rely for this study on accounts related to me by individuals in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu over a period from 1971 to 1984, and on a modern anthology published in Tamil of the relevant songs of the great medieval poets of the Tamil country. This paper, therefore, may be regarded as a preliminary reconnaissance of a little-studied area. Accordingly, its methodology and conclusions should be regarded as tentative at best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    II. Mantra: The Word in Hindu Doctrine <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For Hindus, the highest manifestation of sound is expressed through the Vedas, whose origins are supernatural or non-human (apauru\u015b<\/em>eya<\/em>). Revelation for them means being\u00a0\u015bruti\u00a0<\/em>(\u2018heard\u2019) and means that, rather than having been once uttered and ever since preserved by men, instead they are eternal resonances which express the truth (satyam) and may even today be perceived by those whose heart (or \u2018divine ear\u2019) is sufficiently purified. Mantra originally meant those portions of the Vedas which are to be recited during sacrifice. The term consists of the root man, which means to think or imagine, and the suffix\u00a0-tra<\/em>, a nominal ending which makes the word function as an instrument or tool. In other words, a mantra is a mental tool or means for focusing the mind. That is, the importance of a mantra is believed to lie not in its structure (for satyam, or truth, may be expressed in countless ways) but rather in its function, in its ability to elicit a desired frame of mind apart from whatever ideas might happen to be the current objects of thought. In the tantric literature, mantra is analysed as a combination of the roots\u00a0man<\/em>\u00a0(to think) and\u00a0trai<\/em>\u00a0(to liberate), suggesting that a mantra is that which, when meditated upon, liberates.1 While less plausible as a genuine etymology, this interpretation does specify the ultimate purpose of a mantra as it came to be understood in later Hinduism.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The literature dealing with mantras is immense, reflecting the vital role which it is perceived to play not in just a few schools of Hinduism, but across the entire spectrum of Hindu belief and practice down through the ages. Often one can infer the sect to which a Hindu belongs just from knowing the mantra which he or she recites mentally only or audibly as well. Nowadays, most Hindus are of devotional temperament, so for them a mantra is understood to be an appellation of God and a means for fixing one\u2019s mind upon Him. In any study of mantra, it is crucial to note that it can only legitimately be obtained from a preceptor (guru) who or herself has received the mantra from a previous guru. One is not considered to be connected to a tradition (parampar\u0101<\/em>) until one has received initiation (abhi\u015bekha<\/em> or dik\u1e63a<\/em>), preceded sometimes by upade\u015ba<\/em> or preliminary instruction. Without such a connection to a living tradition, the mantra is said to be ineffectual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    III. Sandha Bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101<\/em> or Intentional Language <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Somewhat different from the concept of mantra, but still relying heavily upon the same theoretical foundation, is the concept of sandh\u0101 bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101<\/em> or \u2018intentional language\u2019. Maurice Winternitz, writing in 1933, was perhaps the first scholar to understand this obscure term as \u2018intentional language\u2019, which he defined as \u201cenigmatical speech in which a secret meaning is intended.\u201d2 Notable scholars who have addressed the issue since then include Mircea Eliade, Anagarika Govinda and Agehananda Bharati; Bharati\u2019s opus magnus The Tantric Tradition<\/em> contains the most thorough treatment of the subject to date. 3 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Early scholars read the term as sandhy\u0101 bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101<\/em>, or \u2018twilight language\u2019, and even in recent times Anagarika Govinda suggests such a reading, which \u201cindicates that its words bear a double meaning, in accordance with whether they are understood in their ordinary or in their mystic sense.\u201d4 But Eliade 5 has demonstrated convincingly, and Bharati and others concur with him, that Vidhu\u015bekar Shastri was correct in 1928 when he identified the term as based on a \u015bortened form of the word sandh\u0101ya<\/em>, which may be translated as \u2018aiming at\u2019, \u2018having in view\u2019 or \u2018intending\u2019. 6 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Apart from the meaning of the term itself, there are a number of views about the purpose of such enigmatic language. Significantly, the term is associated with tantrism, as most Indian pandits assume that it is employed to disguise such teachings as may be resented by the orthodox public.7 Other scholars are of the view that its purpose was to prevent the non-initiate from dabbling in or misusing the described practices. 8 Bharati further suggests that sandh\u0101 bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101<\/em> may have been used facetiously, to flaunt the tantrics\u2019 heresy. 9 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Regarding the purpose of sandh\u0101 bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101<\/em>, the last word has been given by Eliade. His chapter on \u2018intentional language\u2019 deserves to be quoted at length: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tantric texts are often composed in an \u2018intentional language\u2019, a secret, dark, ambiguous language in which a state of consciousness is expressed by an erotic term and the vocabulary of mythology or cosmology is charged with hatha yogic or sexual meanings. 10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sandh\u0101 bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101 serves not only to conceal tantric practices from the uninitiated, Eliade wrote, but more importantly \u201cit seeks to project the yogi into the \u201cparadoxical situation\u201d indispensable to his training\u201d.11 I believe that Eliade here has put his finger on the heart of the matter, for, like mantra, sandh\u0101 bh\u0101\u1e63\u0101 is not just a way to communicate but rather is part and parcel of the tantric practitioner\u2019s s\u0101dhana or discipline. Our internal and external dialogues describe and sustain our perceptual and conceptual environment. The ambiguity of intentional language is purposeful, for it substitutes our usual system of concrete references with a semantic polyvalence of words. The result is a destruction of ordinary language, which in turn breaks down our usual semantic universe. The tantric aspirant learns first to step foot in another plane and finally to move freely between planes without attachment. When he has arrived at that state, then he is a siddha, one who is accomplished or perfected. In a sense, he witnesses the creation and destruction of whole universes. These universes, which he recognizes as projections of his own mind, are no longer \u2018hard\u2019 realities to him; they are soft and mutable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    IV. Oru Mo\u1e37i<\/em>: \u2018A Single Utterance\u2019 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The concept of oru mo\u1e37i<\/em>, literally \u2018one saying\u2019 or \u2018single utterance\u2019, is not new in Tamil literature, for it appears several times in the devotional songs of the Shaiva Nayanars, who date from the early Christian era. In each instance, it is used in the technical sense of an utterance handed down from one\u2019s preceptor which, when its deepest secret is penetrated, purifies the soul of ignorance and acts as the gateway to final emancipation. The following verse by Th\u0101yum\u0101navar both largely defines oru mo\u1e37i <\/em>and expresses high regard for its efficacy: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oru mo\u1e37iye pala mo\u1e37ikkum iaan kodukkum, antha <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oru mo\u1e37iye malam olikkum olikkum, ena mo\u1e37intha <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Gurumo\u1e37iye, malaiyilakku, marrai mo\u1e37i ellam <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Kodinri vaddadal kolvathokkum kanday. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One Word, a wondrous Word, there is Which in itself contains all other words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    By it is cleansed the soul of all its stains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is the Word the guru gave, one Word, unmoving goal, fixed as a mountaintop is firm, towards which moves the soul. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All other words beside it are as vain, devoid of aim, as are the pawns at random moved, moved in an aimless game. 10  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    -Th\u0101yum\u0101navar, 186 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One might infer from this verse that the term oru mo\u1e37i<\/em> is equivalent to mantra. But there are important differences. For the elements of a mantra may or may not bear a syntactic relationship to each other, but those of oru mo\u1e37i <\/em>must. And unlike a mantra, whose elements are usually meaningless syllables, an oru mo\u1e37i <\/em>also displays a semantic structure. That is, meaning(s) may be inferred both of the utterance taken as a whole and of its separate components or words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    V. Yoga Swami: An Oru Mo\u1e37i <\/em>Tradition <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Perhaps the best documented use of oru mo\u1e37i <\/em>in modern times is found in the life of Yoga Swami of Colombuthurai, a suburb of Jaffna in the far northern peninsula of Sri Lanka. Born in 1872, he passed away only in 1964 at the age of nearly ninety two. Significantly, he received the rudiments of an \u2018English education in a Christian missionary school and had a good knowledge of the English language. As a young man, he worked for several years with the Public Works Department before meeting his guru, Chellapp\u0101 Swami<\/a>, and soon giving up everything to follow him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chellapp\u0101 Swami was usually to be found near the great Shiva temple of Nallur, the old capital of former Tamil kingdoms. His favorite haunt was the large building used to store the massive \u2018car\u2019 on which the deity was taken in procession annually. Dressed in rags and begging for his food, Chellapp\u0101 Swami would sit on the steps of the building and do nothing. He was regarded by most people as mad, for he would throw stones at anyone who would try to approach him and abuse them in obscene language. His own guru, Kadai Swami (lit. \u2018lord of the bazaar\u2019, so called because he constantly roamed the market place) was of an even wilder demeanor and behavior, and was known to physically assault people at times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\u0baf\u0bcb\u0b95\u0bb0\u0bbf\u0ba9\u0bcd<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Chellapp\u0101 Swami could be heard muttering to himself, sometimes for weeks or months, the same thing (oru mo\u1e37i<\/em>). Four such utterances are known to us, for they came to be part of Yogaswami\u2019s discipline or s\u0101dhana. They have come to be known as mah\u0101v\u0101kyas<\/em> (Skt. \u2018great sayings\u2019), a prestigious term which however draws attention away from the functional quality of an oru mo\u1e37i<\/em>, for they are statements pregnant with several levels of interpretation which function much in the manner of mantras. Chellapp\u0101 Swami\u2019s four Great Sayings are as follows: 13 <\/p>\n\n\n\n