“DaivadeShakam” mantRam six; as I understand IT; Part one.

Written by and © Udayabhanu Panickar

NeeyallO mAyayum mAyA-

viyum mAyAvinOdanum

NeeyallO mAyaye neekki-

ssAyuujyam naLkumAryanum.

നീയല്ലോ മായയും മായാ-
വിയും മായാവിനോദനും
നീയല്ലോ മായയെനീക്കി -
സ്സായൂജ്യം നല്‍കുമാര്യനും

It should be recited as:

NeeyallO mAyayum mAyAviyum mAyAvinOdanum

NeeyallO mAyaye neekkissAyuujyam naLkumAryanum.

നീയല്ലോ മായയും മായാവിയും മായാവിനോദനും
നീയല്ലോ മായയെനീക്കിസ്സായൂജ്യം നല്‍കുമാര്യനും

First let us see the meaning of “mAya” before we get into any details. This is done as this word “mAya” has been translated as illusion by many, and that is very much wrong. This word does not have any equivalent in western languages and as such not translatable. The meaning of it in the concept of “braHMavidya” should be “something which do not exist permanently, but appears as a transitional identity and disappears with the next transition”, whenever that takes place’. That means “mAya” is a form of or an extension of “braHMan”. This “mAya” keeps changing its appearance as needed. Having made the word “mAya” little clear, let us move on to the next part. Let us take each word and see what they mean.

neeyallO (നീയല്ലോ) = nee (നീ) + allayO (അല്ലയോ), and it means; “are you not?” The translation should be, “You are”, i.e., in all practical sense it should be taken as “You are”. “mAyayum” (മായയും) means “mAya and”. “mAyAviyum” (മായാവിയും) = “mAyvi” (മായാവി) + “um” (ഉം). “mAyAvi” means “the one who do the mAya” or “creates the mAya”; “um” (ഉം) means “and”.  Thus the meaning of the word is ‘the one who creates mAya’. mAyAviOdanum (മായാവിനോദനും) = “mAyA” (മായാ) + “vinOdan (വിനോദൻ) + um (ഉം). The three together becomes, “mAyAvinodanum” (മായാവിനോദനും). The meaning is, “the one who rejoices in the mAya. Thus so far, the first part of the mantRam means “You are the mAya, the mAyAvi and the one who rejoices of the mAya”.

NeeyallO (നീയല്ലോ) = nee (നീ) + allayO (അല്ലയോ). The word meaning is again “are you not” and it emphasizes that “You are” certainly that. mAyaye neekki (മായയെനീക്കി) = mAyaye (മായയെ) + neekki (നീക്കി). Neekki means, remove; mAyaye means “the mAya” or “that mAya”. mAyaye neekki (മായയെനീക്കി) means, by removing mAya. The removal of “mAya” makes Him the 'remover of mAya'. “Saayoojyam” (സ്സായൂജ്യം) = “moKSHam”, or the union of “jeevAtHman” and “paramAtHman”, which may also be called the “Supreme Union”. (Please remember that this is not going to heaven.) The word naLkumAryanum (നല്‍കുമാര്യനും); is a combination of naLkum (നല്‍കും) + Aryan (ആര്യൻ) + um (ഉം). The ‘n’ (ൻ) at the end of Aryan becomes “num” (നും) when it joins with um (ഉം). NaLkum (നല്‍കും) is “the act of giving”; “Aryan” (ആര്യൻ) means the noble one, (This is not the assumed race which is referred to as “Aryan”); “um” (ഉം) means and. Thus the meaning is “are you not the Noble One who facilitates moKSHam by granting that “Supreme Union” of “jeevAtHman” and paramAtHman.

The complete word meaning of the mantRam in a sentence is: Are you not the mAya, the mAyAvi, and the mAyAvinOdan; are you not the one who removes the mAya and also the one who gives/provides the ultimate union with the Absolute? The actual meaning is “You are the One who is the tool, cause and effect of all the changes we see and assume to be creation, sustenance, and the dissolution. You are the power that causes all these  transformation, which we call “mAya”, and the one who is that transformation itself, the One who rejoices that transformations that are being conducted. And, You certainly are the One who ultimately facilitates that union of the jeevAtHman with the paramAThman; the Absolute?

(Part one of mantRam six concludes here. Part Two will follow)