The Lord Formed My Body with Cane-Sweet Nectar
“Because of the unmatched love of the Lord, which gave rise to supreme bliss, even my bones melted. My body surged like the roaring waves of the ocean—rising high, trembling, collapsing, rolling, and crying out. Like someone overcome with madness, I wandered in a trance, intoxicated with divine ecstasy.
Seeing me in that state, people began to worry—what had happened to the Prime Minister of the great Pandya Empire? The townspeople were bewildered, and those who knew me well were astonished to hear of my condition.
Like a crazed elephant that refuses to let its mahout climb onto it, I couldn’t contain the flood of divine joy that overwhelmed me. My physical body faltered under its intensity.
To transform this condition, the Lord reshaped both my mind and my bodily organs, crafting for me a subtle, refined body full of delightful sweetness—like a body formed from sugarcane nectar—so that I could bear the divine bliss.”
With melting love, my bones dissolved, and I cried out aloud.
Like ocean waves that rise and roar,
My body surged, stumbled, fell, rolled, and screamed.
I wandered dazed like a madman,
Intoxicated like one drunk with wine.
The people of the land were bewildered,
Those who heard were amazed.
Like a mighty elephant that refuses its mahout,
I could not contain the great flood of divine bliss.
So, to help me bear that sacred joy,
The Lord shaped my body anew—
With sweet nectar like that from sugarcane.
(Thiruvasagam – Andappaguthi : Verses 150–157)
What is the State of Supreme Bliss?”
“The Lord, who is beyond all comprehension, became as easily accessible to me as a gooseberry in my palm.
I am unable to express in words the divine experience I have had—I struggle and fail to describe it!
O Lord, may You live forever!
I do not understand why You, who made me a Prime Minister, have now immersed me in such an overwhelming flood of bliss.
I am but a lowly dog—unworthy of this joy!
In this divine bliss, the ideas of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ have died away completely.
I do not know why You granted such grace to one as lowly and insignificant as me.
No matter how much of this divine bliss I drink or swallow, I remain insatiable—unable to bear my longing!”
Like a gooseberry in my palm, He became known to me.
I cannot find words to say! Hail, O Lord!
I do not know why You did this to me,
A mere dog like me—Ah! I am undone!
I do not understand why You gave grace to this lowly slave.
Even after drinking, I am not fulfilled;
Even after swallowing it, I cannot contain it! (Andappaguthi: Verses 162–167)
The Lord Shaped My Body with Love
“The indescribable nectar of supreme divine bliss—He filled it into every single hair follicle of my body.
He chose to dwell inside this lowly body of mine, which is no better than a dog’s.
From within, He made wondrous streams of sweet nectar flow, filling me completely, seeping even through the tiniest pores of my bones.
Using my heart—ever melting with love—as the base, He formed a body for me, one soaked in and overflowing with divine love.
Like a mighty elephant that delights in feasting on ripe sugarcane and fruit, He made me too dwell forever in such divine bliss.
The Lord, whose nature is unknown even to Brahma and Vishnu, mixed the heavenly nectar of His immense compassion into me,
And filled me entirely with both His grace and supreme bliss.”
Beyond all words, He filled each pore of my hair
With the nectar of bliss divine.
In this foul body, like that of a dog,
Deep within, He made His home—
Pouring streams of honeyed wonder,
Through every tiny bone-pore flowing!
With my heart that melts in love,
He shaped a form, and with it,
Made for me a body rich and full—
Like an elephant in joy, feasting
On ripened cane and sweet fruit—
So too, He made me dwell in bliss forever.
Into me, He mingled heaven’s honey of compassion,
And filled me with supreme nectar and grace!
O mystery unknown to Brahma and Vishnu—
What wondrous marvel is this You have done!
(Andappaguthi: Verses 170–182)
The Divine Path for Humanity
The bliss of experiencing God cannot be adequately explained through words. This is because such divine experience is not accessible to everyone living in a human body. Even those rare souls who have been graced with it have not explained it to us in words. Yet, Manickavachakar, while still in the human body, has provided us with a profound and vivid expression of that divine bliss in the Andappaguthi section of Thiruvasagam.
Out of compassion for humanity, the Lord chose this great human being to show the way to the divine path. He told him, “Live on Earth for a few days and then come to Chidambaram.” The Lord gave him the divine eye to behold supreme truth—and then took it away again. Just imagine how painful it would be to give sight to someone born blind, only to snatch it away again. That is the magnitude of pain Manickavachakar experienced when he was separated from the Lord. That separation, to him, was darker and more terrible than hell itself. He was tormented by the deep sorrow of being pursued relentlessly by the fleeting pleasures of worldly, bodily life.
Just as parents, for the good of their child, send them away to school even when it hurts to part, the Lord—though He had taken Manickavachakar as His own—sent him back into the world for the benefit of mankind, not for Manickavachakar’s own welfare. The cries of ordinary children may fade over time, but the tears of the divine child Manickavachakar have conquered time itself. His cries have filled all of space and become the Thiruvasagam—a timeless path to God for all of us.
Thiruvasagam that Melts the Flesh
Just as a child steeped in the love of mother and father clings to them and weeps, “I won’t go to school,”
Manickavachakar, soaked in the boundless love of the Lord who accepted him, wept and pleaded with God. He cried that he had no attachment to worldly life without divine bliss and that he could not survive in this world without it. His laments were so powerful that even hearts of stone would melt.
Out of this divine anguish were born the ten Thiruvasagam hymns known as Vāzhāppattu in Thirupperunturai. These hymns melt both body and soul and lead us toward our own spiritual liberation.
To Whom Shall I Complain?
You, O Lord, are the One who pervades this universe and beyond—within and without, hidden and manifest, stretched across all of space. Yet, I have not found anyone who truly knows You. So then, after You claimed me as Your own and left me in this earthly world, to whom can I speak of my sorrow?
Who can I tell about the life I lived in divine bliss? Even if I did tell someone, they would not understand my state. Because they do not know what divine bliss is, I would have to explain it using examples of worldly pleasures they are familiar with. But since the longing for divine joy is unknown to them, they will never truly understand my suffering.
If You—Lord of Sivapuram, who graciously took me in at Thirupperunturai—do not show Your mercy now, understand this: I can no longer survive in this world surrounded by the ocean of suffering. So, I melt with longing and plead with You—let me return to Your sacred feet.
O Lord who spreads through earth and sky,
None but You is my support—You know why.
O shining King of Sivapuram’s grace,
In Thirupperunturai, You found Your place.
If You, who claimed me once as Yours,
Now withhold grace—what hope endures?
To whom shall I cry, in grief so deep?
Without You near, I cannot keep.
In this vast world, like a roaring sea,
I cannot live—please come to me.
O Lord, have mercy—hear my plea,
Call me back, and set me free!
(Thiruvasagam: Vazhappattu – 1)
O Lord who pervades both earth and sky,
You are my one and only support—there is no other refuge for me. You know this, my Lord. I have placed all my trust in You alone.
You, the radiant and glorious King of Sivapuram,
You, who reside in the sacred place of Thirupperunturai, shining with divine splendour—how can I live in this world without Your grace?
If You, who once accepted me as Your own, now withhold Your compassion,
To whom can I turn in my suffering? To whom can I express the deep pain within me? There is no one else who can understand or comfort me.
In this vast world, surrounded by the ocean of sorrow and delusion, I cannot continue to live without You.
O Lord, please understand my anguish and show mercy—call me back to You, and bless me with Your grace.
O Lord who spreads through earth and sky,
My only refuge—none else have I.
You know this truth, O shining flame,
In Thirupperunturai, praised by name.
O radiant King of Sivapuram bright,
Whose form with Uma beams with light,
If You withhold Your grace from me,
To whom shall I cry in misery?
To whom shall I speak this aching pain,
If You, my Master, leave me again?
This world’s a sea I cannot endure,
Without You, Lord—none else is sure.
So hear my plea, O gracious One,
Call me back—let Your will be done!
With mercy deep, come now, I pray—
Without Your grace, I lose my way.
(Thiruvasagam: Vazhappattu – 10)
Amudath Then Thiruvasagam – Sweet Nectar Verses of Devotion
To accomplish any task successfully, one must possess the capability suited to it. When a person has the skill that fits the nature of a task, leadership becomes stable and strong. Manickavachakar sings in praise of Lord Shiva, glorifying His divine grace. In one of his hymns in the “Neeththal Vinnappam” (Petition of Abandonment), he expresses his personal anguish in two lines and extols the Lord in four—why this imbalance? Because he is struggling to cross the ocean of birth and reach the other shore. And it is no ordinary ocean—it is vast and deep, churning with the five impurities (malams). Like curd caught in the center of a churner, the soul (he) is tossed about, longing for the Lord not to abandon him, but to rescue him with grace.
Shiva, the Lord, once used the massive Mount Meru as His bow in battle. For such a great and mighty being, uplifting a soul like Manickavachakar should be effortless. Not only that, the Lord wears the sacred garland of konrai flowers—a symbol that proclaims His supremacy. A true leader does not abandon those who surrender to him. The konrai garland also represents the Pranava (Om) sound. “Om” is the source of the Vedas and all arts; it is the first sound and the first letter of creation. Even the act of beginning to write starts with the sacred “Pillaiyar Suzhi,” which is a symbolic representation of Om. “A + U + M = Om.” Lord Shiva, You are the one who etched the Pillaiyar Suzhi at the start of our soul’s journey—you must also help us complete it well. If “Om” means “Protector,” then isn’t it Your role to protect us through to the end?
God is said to be incomparable. Tamil scriptures praise Him as “the One without equal.” Saint Appar called Him “Uvaman ili”—one without comparison. Even the Prophet Muhammad said that nothing can be compared to God. Truly, the divine has no beginning, no end, no desires, no aversions, no boundaries. Being incomparable, He can effortlessly uplift anyone. Though He is the mighty One who bent Meru as His bow, for His devotees, He is gentle and approachable. He has a body soft as a lotus grove, and such a gracious Lord must not forsake those who have surrendered.
Manickavachakar laments that he is stuck in the swirling current of five malams (impurities), floundering with no way to reach the shore. Ego (aanavam) blinds him, locks him in a dark room, and pushes him into a lonely corner. Aanavam (ego) is a dirt that stains the soul—perhaps that’s why it is called “aanava malam.” It limits the soul’s wisdom and makes it function in a diminished state. This ego forms an eternal bond with the soul, and its primary trait is to shrink the soul’s perception and knowledge.
Though the soul inherently has wisdom and action, when mixed with ego, this wisdom is veiled. Just like a blind eye cannot see, the soul, veiled by the darkness of ego, cannot perceive its own nature or its divine Lord. This is the root condition of ego. When, by divine grace, the soul takes birth and performs karma, ego interferes again—making the soul think, “I act,” “I enjoy,” leading to pride. This is the deluded condition of the soul bound by ego. Since ego constantly clings to the soul, scriptures refer to it as the “root disease.” It is even worse than darkness, for while darkness only hides other things, ego hides itself and its effects too.
The soul, thus shrunken and confused, remains trapped and stagnant—a condition referred to as “Kevala avastha” (isolated state) in sacred texts. In this state, out of compassion, Lord Shiva grants the soul a body through the agency of maya (illusion) and karma, starting the soul’s journey in the world. To cleanse the ego, He adds two more impurities—maya and karma—just like adding clay and soap to wash a dirty cloth. Maya and karma are metaphorically called impurities too. With these, the soul gains desire, knowledge, and action—but without clarity, it misjudges truth and falsehood, good and bad, getting caught in delusion.
This state of delusion is caused by ego’s union with darkness. When joined with maya and karma, it becomes a state of complete confusion. From these, the soul must be freed and reach a state of true knowledge and immortal love. This is called the state of divine grace (arulnilai).
Only after acquiring karma does a soul take birth. As per divine law, every soul must experience the consequences of its actions, and in doing so, its impurities begin to dissolve. But if one experiences these fruits while clinging to the “I” and “mine” attitude, the ego persists, and the cycle of birth continues. The intention behind one’s actions becomes the seed for future birth. Thus, the three malams (ego, karma, maya) are widely discussed in Shaivite tradition. Manickavachakar expands this to five malams by including maameyam (manifested maya) and tirodhanam (obscuring power of grace).
Tirodhanam is the divine energy that temporarily veils spiritual truth. It helps purify the soul through life’s struggles. It is counted as an impurity only in a figurative sense. These five impurities keep the soul bound and immersed in desires, aversions, pleasure, and pain. Hence Manickavachakar laments, “I lie submerged, struggling in these five impurities.”
His experience shows the stages of overcoming the malams—their retreat, and the soul’s movement toward liberation. Though he has transcended their power, he still prays for the Lord’s grace, knowing how easily one can fall back due to old habits. Hence the saying: “Habits die hard—so break the habit, or it breaks you.”
He cries out: “O Lord Shiva! The One who blesses all souls! You must save me from ego. It has clung to me from beginningless time. Even though You have given me this body through maya to aid my journey, I am stuck in maya itself, deluded into thinking this is heaven. You gave me tools to do good, yet I continue to deepen my bad karma.”
Even when His grace veils itself as tirodhanam (concealment), Manickavachakar says, “I misuse my mind and senses to do wrong instead of forgetting evil. Thus, I am caught in the fivefold impurity—ego, karma, maya, maameyam, and tirodhanam—struggling like curd in a churner. The curd is the soul; the churner is the five senses.”
He says, “Lord, You rescued me from the bonds of a corrupt birth and a terrible karmic lineage. Birth and lineage are cycles of pain. You have rescued me not only from that but from my own faults.” Faults (kutrams) arise through the senses and internal faculties. The Lord, having rescued Manickavachakar from these faults, must now completely protect him. “Surely, the One who bent Mount Meru as a bow can take care of me?” he cries.
“You removed my lineage,
You removed my faults.
O Lord who wields the majestic bow,
Do not abandon me!
You wear the radiant konrai garland,
Your body glows like golden lotus—
O peerless One,
Lift me from the curd churned in the swirl of five malams!”
(Neeththal Vinnappam – 29)
May all beings live in bliss.
Tiruchitrambalam!
