Teachings and Quotes of Saint Appar

Tamil poet and Saint Appar belong to the seventh century AD and was a great Shiva devotee. This is a collection of teachings and quotes of Saint Appar

Why bath in the stream of Ganga or Kaveri?
Why go to Comorin in Kongu’s Island?
Why seek the waters of the sounding sea?
Moksha (salvation) is theirs, and theirs alone, who call
In every place upon the Lord of all.

Why chant the Vedas, hear the Shastras’lore?
Why daily teach the books of righteousness?
Why the Vedangas six say over and over?
Moksha is theirs, and theirs alone, whose heart
From thinking of its Lord shall never depart.

Why roam the jungle, wander cities through?
Why plague life with unstinting penance hard?
Why eat no flesh and gaze into the blue?
Moksha is theirs, and theirs alone, who cry
Unceasing to the Lord of wisdom high.

Why fast and starve, why suffer pains austere?
Why climb the mountains, doing penance harsh?
Why go to bathe in waters far and near?
Moksha is theirs, and theirs alone, who call
At every place upon the Lord of all

An explanation to the poem

This poem seems to be questioning the purpose and necessity of various religious practices and rituals in the pursuit of salvation (Moksha). The speaker wonders why people engage in different acts such as bathing in holy rivers like the Ganga or Kaveri, visiting sacred places like Comorin and Kongu’s Island, chanting scriptures like the Vedas, performing penance, fasting, abstaining from certain foods, and other ascetic practices.

The central message of the poem appears to be that salvation is not attained through external rituals or actions alone. Instead, true liberation comes to those whose hearts are devoted to the Lord or the divine, regardless of where they are or what actions they perform. The emphasis is on inner devotion and the constant remembrance of the divine rather than outward displays of religious fervor.

The poem suggests that salvation is not dependent on specific religious practices or physical actions, but on the purity of one's devotion and the constant connection with the divine. It challenges the notion that adhering to religious rituals or performing austerity is the only path to liberation, emphasizing the importance of inner spirituality and devotion.

Some more teachings and quotes of Saint Appar

He is very hard to find, but He lives in the thought of the good; He is the innermost secret of scripture, inscrutable, unknowable; He is honey and milk and the shining light. He is the king of the Devas, immanent in Vishnu, in Brahma, in the flame and in wind, Yea in the might sounding sea and in the mountains. He is the great One who chooses Perumpattaipuliyur for His own. If there be days when my tongue is dumb and speaks not of Him, Let no such days be counted in the record of my life.

If men speak not His names in letters five. Nor e’er the fire-formed Shiva’s praise repeat, And never walk in reverence round His shrine. And pluck no flowers for offering ere they eat, If they for healing wear no sacred ash. I will tell you whereunto such men were born, ‘Twas that foul plagues might torture them to death. Then death bring rebirths endlessly forlorn.