Mystic treasure

Mystic Treasure, Rhythmic English rendering of the hymns of Tamil Saints and sages

No hold have I except thy Grace O God pervading Time and Space.

Gold and silver and gems are treasures dug out of earthly mines. They adorn the body; but the body dies one day. This Mystic Treasure is the immortal wealth of Wisdom-lit souls. They are melodious sermons of the Spirit, the supernal voice of Master Mystics. We have a plethora of such hymnal treasures in Tamil. Their emotional symphony moves our hearts. Such is the rich legacy of spiritual treasure bequeathed to us by God-men and God-women like Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar, Manikkavachakar, Andal, Ammaiyar, Nakkirar, Alvars, Pattinattar, Tayumanar, ­Avvaiyar and inspired Saints of modern days. We have chosen in this Mystic treasure 676 such inspiring hymns suitable for singing, meditation, prayer and lectures. My books Revelations of Meikandar, the Grand Epic of Saivism and Alvar Saints, Saint Ramalinga, voice of Tayumanar etc., will give the reader a detailed account of the Siddhanta Philosophy and the lives of Tamil Saints. So without repetition, we go ahead directly to the Mystic Treasure.

I have taken a pearl-diver's plunge into the ocean of Tamil hymns and brought out in this handy volume fine gems with rhythmic English translation. This is meant for daily study and for use in temples. During my travels abroad, I often sang these hymns and simultaneously translated them into English so that Non-Tamilians were able to follow the significance of the sage-voice. These hymns are suitable for temple worship.

Temples are centres of spiritual radiation which purifies heart and mind and prepares the soul for the descent of the Divine Grace. During my recent tour in South Africa, I was singing Thevaram hymns before a large audience and explaining them in English. Mr. G. N. Naidu, gem of Kimberly, came forward to publish these hymns in a book form. Mr. Naidu with his wife Jagadambal is a large hearted philanthropist. He was a friend of Mahatma Gandhi and his family was associated with Gandhiji's movement in South Africa. He visited India in 1925 and saw all our leaders and scholars. He appeared before many commissions to plead for the ­Indian People. He was the President of the Indian Council in South Africa. He was presented to the Prince of Wales and the royal family in London. He attended the Queen's coronation in 1953. He has built a Gandhi Library for the reading public. He has raised an ideal Temple, the Siva Subrahmaniam Temple, in which he himself conducts Puja and Prayer. I call him Gem Naidu and to him this Mystic Treasure is dedicated. Mr. and Mrs. Gem Naidu visited India recently and graced the Yoga Samaj. They took a photo in the Meditation Hall which is printed here. Let many such patrons come forward to help our Jnana Yejna. Prosper all Large Hearted Souls. Now, friends, sing the hymns with me and enjoy Divine ecstasy.

Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati

Editions ASSA, Christian Piaget