Poetry at Sangam
Poetry at Sangam showcases poetry in English and translations as well as essays on poetics and news of new releases.
Verse 3
hunter’s slipper on His face—
highest offering
(eye bleeding, He smiles in benevolence)
water from mouth to Linga—
purest bathing
(He drowns in love, unadulterated)
food tasted, offered half eaten—
most cherished love
(He brims over, satiated)
his own eye for the Lord’s bleeding—
loftier
than the agamas
(He opens His eye, restores vision)
to this Lord of instant grace
let us dance, let us dance
Thiru Tholnokkam was offered in Thillai, the ancient temple of Chidambaram, where Siva resides as the all-permeating space. These fourteen songs of four lines each, speak of ‘Prabanja Suddhi,’ a plea to the Lord for the cleansing of all ills and letting go of the world. It is drawn from the ancient game of touching the opposite shoulder of the person dancing next, and compares it to touching the Lord’s feet.
The third verse of this canto speaks of the legend of Kannappa Nayanar, the hunter-saint who offered his adulation to the Lord without the baggage of ritual decorum weighing him down. His love wins him a place in the pantheon of Siva’s 63 Nayanmars, revered saints who spread the essence of Siva through song and mysticism.
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