We all love rains, it’s a sign of happy nature. Children enjoy getting wet in rain. But, there is someone who feels like the rain-bearing cloud is crying. Who is that someone ? Can clouds really feel anything ?
Nammalwar, whose songs are dedicated to God as part of daily chanting at temples like Sri Rangam, Tirupati, Melkote, Divya Saketham, has composed a verse that talks about crying cloud !
If it is only Nammalwar’s imagination that the cloud is shedding tears, then why did all our temples accept this song? It’s because Nammalwar associated the cloud with God! If the imagination did not involve God, there will not be any benefit leading to divine experience. Nammalwar’s imagination on cloud’s conduct involved God fully. He was missing God so deeply that he forgot the true nature of the cloud and imposed his state on the cloud.
There is more to this than imagination. Each of his pasurams are symbolic representations of the qualities of a parama yogi !
Swan (1st pasuram): Nammalwar speaks about how determined a swan is when it aims to catch a fish. One of the important qualities of a yogi is to be determined in his/her goal to realise God in complete form.
Crane (2nd pasuram): Nammalwar speaks about the bird’s un-distracted attention. This is the second quality of a yogi who does not get diverted from his goal.
Sea (3rd pasuram): Nammalwar here speaks about how one must stay stable during their journey towards a goal. The yogi here does not sway by anything that comes in or goes out (be it physical elements, innate experiences)
Air (4th pasuram): Nammalwar refers to air beautifully stating that the air is searching for God by physically examining everywhere it can reach. The yogi here works uninterruptedly with no interest in any breaks.
Cloud (or sky – 5th pasuram): Nammalwar refers to the rain bearing cloud to be in the same state as him, who is ready to shed tears in pain of being away from God. The yogi here does good to everyone even though he is in state of pain (a devotee’s pain or pleasure is only with respect to God and anything in connection with God can only yield good results)
Thus, Nammalwar’s great quality of being deeply involved in God revealed to us how every being must be seen as a component in God’s creation. It shows how every situation can beautifully be felt as God’s own way of connecting you to Him !
