8/9/2019 appalapaattu

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/appalapaattu 1/4

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

 Appala Pattu – an explanatory paraphrase 

In continuation of my previous four articles, which were explanatoryparaphrases of Upadesa Undiyar , Ulladu Narpadu, Ulladu Narpadu

 Anubandham and Ekatma Panchakam, the following is the fifth of seven extractsfrom the introductory page that I have drafted for Sri Ramanopadesa

Noonmalai :

அபளப ட ( Appala-p-pattu), the ‘ Appalam Song’, is a Tamil song that Sriamana composed for his mother one day in a!out "#"$ or "#"%, when sheas&ed him to help her ma&e some appalams (a thin crisp wafer made of gramflour and other ingredients, also &nown

as parpata, pappadam, poppadum or pappad , which can either !e fried ortoasted over a na&ed flame or in hot em!ers)' e responded !y composing thissong, in which he compares each of the ingredients, implements and actionsreuired to ma&e an appalam to the ualities and practices reuired for us toexperience true self*&nowledge'

In the pallavi  or refrain (which completes the meaning of the anupallavi  andeach of the four verses) he simply says, ‘+a&ing appalam, see eating it, fulfil-or destroy. your desire’' The appalam that he as&s us to prepare isthe appalam of true self*&nowledge, and what he as&s us to see is who wereally are' /y eating thisappalam 0 that is, !y experiencing true self*&nowledge

0 we will satisfy our hunger for infinite happiness, and thus we will destroy allour other desires, which are all 1ust distorted forms of our fundamental desirefor real happiness'

In the anupallavi  or su!*refrain he says that, instead of wandering in thismaterial world craving the fulfilment of other desires, we should satisfy ourhunger for real happiness !y preparing and eating the appalam of true self*

&nowledge in accordance with ‘the uneualled and unsurpassed one -non*dual.language’, which is thetattva or reality that the sadguru (the guru whoteaches sat , !eing or reality), who is sat-bhoda-sukha (!eing*consciousness*!liss, or the happiness of true &nowledge), said without saying'The sadguru whom Sri amana refers to here is the primal guru 2a&shinamurti,

and the ‘uneualled and unsurpassed one language’ that he ‘said withoutsaying’ is silence, which is the true language of non*duality'

In verse " he !egins to explain how we should ma&e the appalam of true self*&nowledge, saying that we should !rea& up !lac& gram, which is the pride ‘I’that grows in the field of five sheaths (the !ody, life, mind, intellect and the

8/9/2019 appalapaattu

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/appalapaattu 2/4

underlying self*ignorance), which are not self, reducing it to powder as ‘not I’ inthe hand*mill, which is the jnana-vichara (&nowledge*investigation) ‘who am I3’'

That is, our ego, which rises in this !ody as ‘I am this’ and which Sri amanatherefore descri!es as 4the pride ‘I’ that grows in the field of five sheaths5, is

compared to !lac& gram, which is the principal ingredient in anappalam, and thepractice of jnana-vichara 0 investigating what our fundamental &nowledge ‘Iam’ really is 0 is compared to the hand*mill in which we should !rea& up thisego, reducing it to powder as ‘not I’'

In verse 6 he says that we should !lend the following ingredients with the

pulverised !lac& gram: the 1uice of suare*stal&ed vine, which is sat-

sanga (clinging to !eing, or to one who &nows and a!ides as !eing) cumin,which is sama (euanimity, tranuillity or calmness) pepper, whichis dama (self*restraint) salt, which isuparati  (cessation, which meansrenunciation of worldly desires and refraining from indulgence in sensual

en1oyments and worldly actions) and asafoetida, which isgood vasana (propensity, inclination, impulsion or desire) in the heart (ormind)'

In this context உள நல வசன (ulla nal vasanai ) or the ‘inner good vasana’means the sat-vasana, the desire or inclination 1ust to !e, which alone can root

out all our karma-vasanas, our desires to !e active'

aving thus descri!ed the ingredients and their initial preparation in verses "and 6, in verses 7 and $ Sri amana descri!es the process of coo&ingthe appalam of true self*&nowledge'

In verse 7 he says that in the mortar of our heart we should unceasingly andwithout agitation (or confusion) pound the !lended ingredients with the pestleof ul-mukham (introversion or ‘facing inwards’) as ‘I -am only. I’, and then onthe !oard, which is sama (‘evenness’ or ‘levelness’ of mind, that is, samadhi ),with the rolling*pin, which is peace, we should continuously, 1oyfully andwithout calippu (weariness, pramada or self*negligence) satisfy our desire !y

preparing and eating the appalam of true self*&nowledge'

In verse $ he says that 0 in order to experience ourself as த த (tane tan), ‘self alone -is. self’ (or ‘only I -am. I’) 0 in the endless (infinite and eternal)

pan, which is mauna-mudra (the seal, stamp or mar& of silence), in theexcellent ghee (or clarified !utter) of brahman (the a!solute reality), which is

heated !y jnanagni  (the fire of true &nowledge), we should always fry(the appalam of self*&nowledge) as ‘I -am. that -brahman.’, and should there!ysatisfy our desire !y preparing and eating the tanmaya-

appalam (theappalam that is composed of tat  or ‘that’, the one a!solute realitycalled brahman)'

8/9/2019 appalapaattu

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/appalapaattu 3/4

8/9/2019 appalapaattu

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/appalapaattu 4/4

2onGt roam the world disconsolate'

eed the word, uniue and unspo&en

Taught !y the teacher true who teaches

The Truth of /eing <wareness /liss'

Try and ma&e some poppadums ''' and satisfy'

6'

Ta&e the !lac& gram, ego self,

Hrowing in the five fold !ody field

<nd grind it in the uern,

The wisdom uest of Cho am I3

educing it to finest flour'

Try and ma&e some poppudms''' and satisfy'

6'

+ix it with pirandai 1uice,

Chich is holy company,<nd mind control, the cummin seed,

The pepper seed of self restraint,

The salt of non attachment,

<nd asafoetida, the aromaG

Bf virtuous inclination'

Try and ma&e some poppadums ''' and satisfy'

7

In the heart mortal place the dough

<nd with mind pestle inward turned,

8ound it hard with stro&es of GIG, GIG,Then flatten it with the rolling pin

Bf stillness on the level sla! of /eing'

Cor& away, untiring, steady, cheerful

Try and ma&e some poppudams ''' and satisfy'

$'

8ut the poppadum in the ghee of /rahman

eld in he pan of infinite silence

<nd fry it over the fire of &nowledge'

>ow as I transmuted into That,

?at and taste the Self as Self,

<!iding as the Self alone'

Ta&e and ma&e some poppadums

'''' and satisfy'

(Tr' 8rof' E' Swaminathan)