Suba Annamalai

Foreword by Dr.Suba. Annamalai

DR. Suba. Annamalai M.O.I. Ph.D
Tamil HOD and Principal (Retd.)
Thiagarajar Arts College
Theppakulam, Madurai.

Vallalar embodied as the divine Gracious Effulgence of light. The Supreme (Supramental Being of the Supramental Light) Arutperum Jothi Andavar Himself manifested in the human form of the divinely Arutprakasar. So, the divinely Arutprakasar is in the eternally and universally ever existential status of the supreme divine. He refers to his life as the deathless life of the body.

 

As the Supreme Divine took the Avatar of Sri Krishna and gave the message of “BHAGAVATH GEETHA”, so had the same Supreme Divine took the avathar of Arutprakasar and gave us the message of “ARUTPERUM JOTHI AGAVAL”. The crown of pearl to Sri Krishna’s life is BHAGAVATH GEETHA.

 

So is the crown of pearl to Arutprakasar is “ARUTPERUM JOTHI AGAVAL”. His utterances of messages contained wholly in “THlRUARUTPA” (SONGS OF THE DIVINE) also rendered fully in the “ARUTPERUM JOTHI AGAVAL”.

 

This Divinely Treasure is formed in the poetical order. To feel the intricate meaning of the poem one has to traverse long and long time. Auditor, Sri Jawaharlal has taken enormous effort in translating this poem of Tamil in its own poetical order. It is difficult to translate a poem even in textual form in English. To translate the poem in poetical order is still more difficult. The poem to be in the shortended form of order it is utmost important to avoid more words.

 

Sri Jawaharlal’s translation has significantly adapted to this aspect.

 

In this Divine “AGAVAL” a large number of terms of spiritual terminology have taken place. Those who know spirituality superficially and those who read “ARUTPERUM JOTHI AGAVAL” superficially can find translating a very difficult task. I whole heartedly apprediate Sri Jawaharlal for having translated superbly this difficult task. For instance the words ” As the earthly substance and the heavenly substance harmoniously intercoursed within and without the Vast Grace-Light can be mentioned. SwamySaravananandha of Dindigul had employed the word “ANAGAM” meaning the “outer life” to signify the words “within (Agam) without (Anagam). He took the word “ANAGAM” to mean “AGAMARA”. Generally many people mean “AGAMARA” to refer the “outer” or “external”. Swamy specifically employed “ANAGAM”. Sri Jawaharlal translated this to be “within and without”

 

This is the typical example as of one baked single grain of rice in a potful of baked rice. It is how Sri Jawaharlal has employed simple words in the translation to mean the very obscure words. This is a simple understandable language of translation. Sri Jawaharlal has taken laborious efforts in this translation. I greet him with appreciation.

 

This translation work would help the English world to understand and feel the inward–depth of Thiru Arutprakasa Vallalar.

 

The Spiritual seekers shall read both the Tamil verses of the Agaval and also the English translation of the Agaval to reap the fruitful spirituality.

 

I appreciably greet Sri Jawaharlal for his yeoman service.

 

 

Note : The translator is the brother of Sri. T.R.THULASIRAM (Chartered Accountant) a disciple of The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, who lived in the Ashram for 40 years and who had authored the book on “ARUTPERUM JOTHI AND DEATHLESS BODY” (a comparative study of Thirumoolar, Vallalar, Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. The book was published in 1980.

 

Translated from the ARUTPERUM JOTHI AGAVAL.