Bhagavan Ramana's Most Favourite Verse In Tayumanavar

Bhagavan Ramana once commented that Verse 14 in Paya Puli of Saint Poet Tayumanavar was His most favourite verse. This was included in the Tamil Parayana at Sri Ramanasramam, along with the nine verses from Akarabhuvanam- Chidambara Rahasyam.

Once there was a discusssion about Heart and Mr Nanavati asked:

How can we conceive such a heart?

Bhagavan: Why should you conceive of anything? You have only to see wherefrom the 'I' springs.

Nanavati: I suppose mere mauna in speech is no good, but we must have mauna of the mind.

Bhagavan: Of course.If we have real mauna, that state in which the mind is merged into its source and has no more separate existence, then all other kinds of mauna will come of their own accord, i.e., mauna of words, of action and of the mind or chitta.

Bhagavan also quoted in this connection the following verse from Tayumanavar. (Day by Day, 29th April 1946)

O Supreme of Supremes!
If the pure silence[suddha mauna]
arises within me,
my mind will be silence,
my actions and words, all
will be silence. (Parapara KaNNi, verse 276)

Tamil:

Chitta maunam seyal vaakku elam maunam
Suddha maunam en pal thonrin paraparame!

In Talks Bhagavan mentions that Tayumanavar mentions mauna in many places, but only defines it in one verse. The definition,given in Talks, is that: "Mauna is said to be that state which spontaneously manifests after the annihilation of the ego." (Talks No.122.)

The specific verse is not given, but in the Tamil edition of Talks,Viswanatha Swami identifies it as Paya Puli, Verse 14.

The unique source [taan], fullness [poornam]
prevailed within, in my Heart
so that the 'I' which deemed itself
an independent entity
bowed its head in shame,
Conferring matchless bliss,
consuming my whole consciousness
and granting me the state of rapture,
if nurtured in me the condition of mauna.
This being so, what more is there to be said?

Tamil:

Naan enru oru mudhal undenra naan thalai naaNa ennuL
Thaan enru oru mudhal pooranamaka thalaippatoppil
Anandam thanthu en arivai ellam uNdu avasa nalhi
Monam thanai viLathal ini yadhu mozhiguvathe?

This verse is a clear expression of the state that Tayumanavar finally reached, clearly parallels the idea contained in Sad Darsanam,Verse 30, in which Bhagavan describes how the individual 'I' subsides into its source, the Heart, leaving only the perfection of the Self. Verse 19 of Upadesa Saram also gives the simile of ego bowing its head in shame.

Source: Mountain Path, Aradhana 2005. Robert Butler and others.Tamil Verses of Paya Puli and Parapara KaNNi. Complete Works of Tayumanavar, Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam,near Tiruchirapalli.