In a Zoom meeting with Sri Ramana Center, Houston, on 1st June 2024, Michael James discusses Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu Anubandham, verse 15.
The following is Michael's translation of this verse:
சத்தியினாற் றாமியங்குந் தன்மையுண ராதகில
சித்திகணாஞ் சேர்வமெனச் சேட்டிக்கும் — பித்தர்கூத்
தென்னை யெழுப்பிவிடி னெம்மட்டித் தெவ்வரெனச்
சொன்னமுட வன்கதையின் சோடு.
śattiyiṉāṯ ṟāmiyaṅgun taṉmaiyuṇa rādakhila
siddhigaṇāñ cērvameṉac cēṭṭikkum — pittarkūt
teṉṉai yeṙuppiviḍi ṉemmaṭṭit tevvareṉac
coṉṉamuḍa vaṉkathaiyiṉ jōḍu.
பதச்சேதம்: சத்தியினால் தாம் இயங்கும் தன்மை உணராது, ‘அகில சித்திகள் நாம் சேர்வம்’ என சேட்டிக்கும் பித்தர் கூத்து ‘என்னை எழுப்பிவிடின், எம்மட்டு இத் தெவ்வர்?’ என சொன்ன முடவன் கதையின் சோடு.
Padacchēdam (word-separation): śattiyiṉāl tām iyaṅgum taṉmai uṇarādu, ‘akhila siddhigaḷ nām sērvam’ eṉa cēṭṭikkum pittar kūttu ‘eṉṉai eṙuppiviḍiṉ, emmaṭṭu i-t-tevvar?’ eṉa soṉṉa muḍavaṉ kathaiyiṉ jōḍu.
அன்வயம்: தாம் சத்தியினால் இயங்கும் தன்மை உணராது, ‘அகில சித்திகள் நாம் சேர்வம்’ என சேட்டிக்கும் பித்தர் கூத்து ‘என்னை எழுப்பிவிடின், இத் தெவ்வர் எம்மட்டு?’ என சொன்ன முடவன் கதையின் சோடு.
Anvayam (words rearranged in natural prose order): tām śattiyiṉāl iyaṅgum taṉmai uṇarādu, ‘akhila siddhigaḷ nām sērvam’ eṉa cēṭṭikkum pittar kūttu ‘eṉṉai eṙuppiviḍiṉ, i-t-tevvar emmaṭṭu?’ eṉa soṉṉa muḍavaṉ kathaiyiṉ jōḍu.
English translation: Not knowing the fact that they move by śakti, the buffoonery of lunatics who strive thus, ‘We shall acquire all siddhis’, is a match for the story of the lame person who said, ‘If anyone helps me rise, what measure are these enemies?’
Explanatory paraphrase: Not knowing the fact that they move [or the manner in which they function] [only] by śakti [divine power, namely cit-śakti, the power of pure awareness], the buffoonery of lunatics [or idiots] who strive [doing various kinds of tapas with the desire] ‘We shall [hereby] acquire all siddhis [supernatural, magical or miraculous powers]’ is a match for the story of the lame person [who could not even stand or do anything else unaided, but] who [nevertheless] said, ‘If anyone helps me rise, what measure are these enemies [that is, what match will they be for my strength]?’
Padavurai (word-explanation): சத்தியினால் (sattiyiṉāl): by śakti [divine power] {instrumental (third case) form of satti, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit śakti} | தாம் (tām): they | இயங்கும் (iyaṅgum): moving, functioning, that [they] move, in which [they] move {adjectival participle} | தன்மை (taṉmai): nature, manner, fact | உணராது (uṇarādu): not knowing, not being aware of {negative adverbial participle} | அகில (akhila): all | சித்திகள் (siddhigaḷ): siddhis, accomplishments (particularly supernatural, magical or miraculous powers) {plural of siddhi, ‘accomplishment’} | நாம் (nām): we | சேர்வம் (sērvam): will acquire {a future first person plural form of sēr, ‘join’, ‘reach’, ‘gain’ or ‘acquire’} | என (eṉa): thus {literally ‘to say’, an infinitive that is often used in an adverbial sense as an alternative to the adverbial participle eṉḏṟu, ‘saying’, which generally serves the same function as ‘that’, ‘thus’, ‘as’ or inverted commas in English} | சேட்டிக்கும் (cēṭṭikkum): who strive, exert themselves {adjectival participle of cēṭṭi, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit verb cēṣṭ, ‘be active’, make effort’, ‘exert oneself’, ‘strive’ or ‘struggle’} | பித்தர் (pittar): lunatics, madmen, fools, idiots | கூத்து (kūttu): dancing, dramatic performance, pantomime, ludicrous actions, buffoonery | என்னை (eṉṉai): me {accusative (second case) form of the first person singular pronoun} | எழுப்பிவிடின் (eṙuppiviḍiṉ): if raising, if helping to rise, if [anyone] helps to rise {a conditional form of eṙuppu, ‘cause to rise’, ‘help to rise’ or ‘raise’} | எம்மட்டு (emmaṭṭu): what measure, what extent {interrogative pronoun, formed from the interrogative prefix e, ‘what’, and maṭṭu, ‘measure’, ‘amount’, ‘degree’, ‘size’ or ‘extent’} | இ (i): this, these {proximal demonstrative prefix} | தெவ்வர் (tevvar): enemy | என (eṉa): thus {as explained above} | சொன்ன (soṉṉa): who said {past adjectival participle} | முடவன் (muḍavaṉ): lame person, cripple | கதையின் (kathaiyiṉ): of the story {inflectional base and genitive (sixth case) form of kathai, a Tamil form of the Sanskrit kathā, ‘story’} | சோடு (jōḍu): pair, partner, match, equal.
Note: This verse, which is also included in Guru Vācaka Kōvai as verse B2, is an original composition by Bhagavan. He first expressed the teaching in this verse orally, and what he said was recorded by Muruganar in verses 168 and 169 of Guru Vācaka Kōvai, on seeing which Bhagavan condensed the meaning of those two verses as this one verse.
This episode can also be watched as a video here and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.
