Saint Tirumular's timeless words from Tirumantiram (verse 270):
"அன்பும் சிவமும்இரண் டென்பர் அறிவிலார்
அன்பே சிவமாவ தாரும் அறிகிலார்
அன்பே சிவமாவ தாரும் அறிந்தபின்
அன்பே சிவமாய் அமர்ந்திருந் தாரே."
Translation:
"Love and Siva are One
The ignorant say Love and Siva are two,
But none truly know that Love alone is Siva.
When that realization dawns,
They remain ever in Love as Siva."
In simple terms: The ignorant see separation — love as mere emotion, God as distant. But the wise realize pure, selfless love IS God (Siva). Once this truth sinks in, we abide eternally in that divine oneness. No more duality, only boundless love.
This echoes the beautiful insight: "To love is to wish for the ultimate good of someone" — a definition that captures the essence of true, transformative love. It's not possession or expectation; it's selfless goodwill toward another's highest spiritual flourishing.
Modern spiritual teacher Eknath Easwaran beautifully complements this in his teachings on universal love:
"There is no limit to our capacity to love. We can never be satisfied by loving just one person here and another there. Our need is to love completely, universally, without reservations — in other words, to become love itself."
And again: "You live to give, to alleviate the sorrow and improve the lives of those around you, and in that giving is more joy than the world knows."
Tirumular's "Anbe Sivam" and Easwaran's vision point to the same eternal truth: Real love dissolves the "other," sees the Divine in everyone, and wishes (and works for) their ultimate liberation and joy. When we live this, we don't just love God — we become that love.
In a world full of division, may we all awaken to this oneness.
அன்பே சிவமாவ தாரும் அறிகிலார்
அன்பே சிவமாவ தாரும் அறிந்தபின்
அன்பே சிவமாய் அமர்ந்திருந் தாரே."
Translation:
"Love and Siva are One
The ignorant say Love and Siva are two,
But none truly know that Love alone is Siva.
When that realization dawns,
They remain ever in Love as Siva."
In simple terms: The ignorant see separation — love as mere emotion, God as distant. But the wise realize pure, selfless love IS God (Siva). Once this truth sinks in, we abide eternally in that divine oneness. No more duality, only boundless love.
This echoes the beautiful insight: "To love is to wish for the ultimate good of someone" — a definition that captures the essence of true, transformative love. It's not possession or expectation; it's selfless goodwill toward another's highest spiritual flourishing.
Modern spiritual teacher Eknath Easwaran beautifully complements this in his teachings on universal love:
"There is no limit to our capacity to love. We can never be satisfied by loving just one person here and another there. Our need is to love completely, universally, without reservations — in other words, to become love itself."
And again: "You live to give, to alleviate the sorrow and improve the lives of those around you, and in that giving is more joy than the world knows."
Tirumular's "Anbe Sivam" and Easwaran's vision point to the same eternal truth: Real love dissolves the "other," sees the Divine in everyone, and wishes (and works for) their ultimate liberation and joy. When we live this, we don't just love God — we become that love.
In a world full of division, may we all awaken to this oneness.