Deivathin Kural # 94 of (Vol 2) of 12 Mar 2008.

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 94 of (Vol 2) of 12 Mar 2008.

(Note 1. We are to remind the readers that herein, 'he' as a word stands for 'she' as well. When Tamil or Sanskrit words are transliterated in English, the single vowel will indicate a short utterance and a double vowel will indicate a longer pronounciation. Words in Sanskrit script not being available, the transliteration spellings and thereby the pronounciation, especially of names may be at variance from what it should be! I offer my sincere apologies for the likely errors, as the one doing the translation. ---KTSV Sarma. Note 2. It may please be noted that the talk is dated some time in the late 1930's to early 60's.

PURANAS

(Continued from DK # 93 of (Vol 2) of 09 Mar 2008. I am at page 735 of the volume 2. Periyaval is talking about this in 1962.)

100. Now I am going to tell you another story, very well known to people of Tanjore district, in Tamil Nadu in India. This story connects up Kumbakonam and the adjoining places. At the time of armageddon or apocalypse known as per the Hindu belief as 'Maha Pralaya', Brhma placed all the seeds for the next creation with the Recording of Sounds of the Vedas, in an Earthen Pot known as Kumbam. The Kumbam was well decorated with flowers and mango leaves, placing a coconut (with it's husk peeled off, giving it a shape of a sphere ending in a cone), on top. This Kumbam was placed atop the Meru Mountain. The whole world was under the floods. The Kumbam got carried away. Parameswara thought of restarting the process of creation again and the Kumbam leaned to the side spilling it's contents. That spot was immediately out of the floods. Where the coconut fell became the water tank of Mahamaham. The Siva here is known as, 'Naarikeleswara'.('Narikelam' is coconut.) Here the Siva Lingam is facing West and so is known as 'Abhimukheswarar'. Northwest of here, where the Mango Leaves fell off, that part of the land projected out of the floods, against the current. That place is known as 'puram + payam = Purampayam' meaning, 'against the flow of water'. Similarly, the Threads of Yagnyopaveetam fell near by. At that spot there is a temple, where the Deity is known as, 'Upaveeteswara or Suthra Natha'. Gowthama Rishi did Puja there and hence is also known as 'Gowthameswarar'.

101. This Kumbam also had a nozzle, like a kettle or Gindy or Kamandalam. That is, when you pour the water in the pot, you do it through the opening on top. When you take out water, it is done through the nozzle. In Tamil, this nozzle is called the 'mookku' or 'nose', and in Sanskrit it is 'konam' of the pot. Parameswara found that the Kumbam was not tilting sidewise and the nectar of Amirtam and the seeds were not coming out on their own! So He shot an arrow. Arrow or missile in Sanskrit is Baanam. That place is Baanapuri. In Tamil, it is Banathurai and the God in the temple there is 'Baanapureeswara'. Since the Amirtam came out of the nose of the Kumbam or Kudam; that place is 'Kumbakonam' or 'Kudamookku'. In Thevaram songs, it is referred as 'Kudamookku'. That overturned portion of the mudpot is the Sivalingam in the temple in Kumbakonam, called 'Kumbeswara'.

102. The nectar of Amirtam came out in that pond of 'Mahamaha Kulam'. Here the Perumal Koil God is known as, 'Aaraa Amudan', meaning that he is Amirtam flowing like a river. Vaishnavas call that Kumbakonam as 'Kudanthai'. Thus many places with their names, the names of the Deities in the temples in those areas and their Sthala Puranas, when inter connected are found to be complimentary. All the places mentioned will be found to be within reasonable distances, to confirm the narrative. The two stories that I told you about Ambal becoming a Cow and this Kumbam in Pralaya Kaala, centered around, Thiruvazhundur and Kumbakonam, are of the type where all the places mentioned in the stories are within four to five miles of each other. Now, if I tell you of a story connecting places far apart, that may further confirm that Puranams are not fictitious.

103. Now I am going to tell you a Puranam connecting Rameswaram, Vedaranyam and Patteeswaram. These three places are not nearby each other. Rameswaram is in Ramanathapuram in the Southern end of Tamil Nadu. Vedaranyam is in Tanjore district on the sea shore, in Thiruthuraipoondi Taluqa and Patteeswaram is far inland, but in the same Tanjore district. In each of these three places, there is a Siva Temple, Ramalingam being the local name of the Deity. All three places are rather famous for the fact that, Maha Vishnu in His Avatara as Sri Ramachandra Murthy, established and installed the Sivalingam there, thus automatically endowing the name of Ramalingam! They also add to the Saiva - Vaishnava oneness.

104. The first mentioned Rameswaram is considered to be one of the Four most religiously important Kshetras in the whole of India known as 'Chaar Dhaam' including Badrinath in the North, Somnath in the West, Puri Jagannath in the East. Vedaranyam is famous, in recent times, as the place where the 'Uppu Satyagraham' was done at the behest of Mahatma Gandhi, during the freedom struggle of India, to coincide with the famous 'Dandi' march in Gujarat. Vedaranyam translates to 'a forest of Vedas' and so in Tamil is known as, 'Thiru + Marai + Kadu' = Thirumaraikkadu. Another of the 44 Kshetras having the Thevaram songs by all three of the Trio of Appar, Sundarar and Sambandar. When the old man Appar and young boy Thirugnana Sambandar, visited here together, they found that the main doors to the temple had been closed for many years for some reason and people were using only a side entrance. Appar Swamigal sang a Padigam(of ten songs) and got the doors opened for the first time in many years! Thirugnana Sambandar followed suit by getting the Main entrance closed again as before, after their visit!, by singing another Padigam of his own.

105. Patteeswaram is the place where 'Patti', one of the four daughters of Kamadenu, paid her obeisance to Lord God Siva. As in Thiruvavaduthurai and here, there are many Kshetras in India, where a Cow has been the main devotee of Siva. Near Pannrutti, there is an 'Aamaattur' also famous for a Cow being a devotee, where Appar has sung. Another story about Patteeswaram is that, Thiru Gnana Sambanda Murthy as a small baby, on a hot summer day was coming along the road, walking, singing and dancing, in praise of Lord Siva. Seeing this Lord God Himself arranged to employ His Siva Ganas to arrange for 'Muththu Pandal' all along the way, to give over head shade to the young child. Five hundred years back, this part of the country was under the rule of Maharashtrian Naik Dynasty. Their minister was one great Govinda Deekshidar. He had some special attraction for this place and Siva in the Temple here. He has done a lot for the maintenance and upkeep of the Temple here. In gratitude, people of this place have got His and His wife's statues installed in the temple here, in the Ambal's sannidy. I was going to talk to you about the connecting link of 'Rama Lingam' in these three stations!

106. There are many Siva Temples from which, as per the Purana, Agasthya Muni is said to have witnessed the marriage of Siva and Parvathy. As the story goes, when all the great Devas and Siva Devotees assembled at Kailasa Parvata at the time of Siva's Marriage, by the sheer weight of the assemblage, the mountaineous area of Kailasa is said to have started sinking and Siva requested Agasthya Muni to go to South India, to counter the weight of the assemblage at Kailasa! Agasthya proceeded to South India accordingly. He either got the divine vision to witness the events at Kailasa or Siva had arranged for a re-enactment in situ. Agasthya is said to have imprisoned the river Kaveri in his Kamandalu and it was Lord Ganesha who in the form of a crow, toppled the kamandalu and let the river flow. Agasthya is also the originator of the Tamil Language, at Podhigai Hills. There are many Temples in South India, each of which are claiming that, from that Temple, Agasthya is said to have either witnessed the 'Siva Parvathy Marriage Live or Replay'! But here I am talking about three different Kshetras, hundreds of miles apart each having a Ramalingam, in the main Temple in that location and the events are not exactly the same, but interconnected!

107. It is unlike the same story being claimed to have occurred in more than one place. But, it is the same action of a Siva Linga being installed by Sri Rama being repeated in three different places, for slightly different reasons! By killing Ravana, Rama was afflicted by three 'Doshams' which we can call Demerits or Blemishes, which he had to absolve by doing penance. For this he had to Install a Siva Lingam and pray for atonement. The first was, 'Brhma Hatti' dosham, for having killed Ravana who was a Brahmin. Ravana was the son of Maharishi Visravas.

108. Now-a-days there are people making much hue and cry, calling the Rama - Ravana war as a Arya Vs Dravida Yuddham! Nothing can be far from the truth! If you think that the whole of Ramayana is fiction; then you should discard the Ram-Ravana Yuddham too as someone's imagination only. But, if you accept Ramayanam as a happening of hoary past, then you have to accept that in Ramayana repeatedly Ravana is referred to as, Rishi Putra; that he had done Veda Adhyayana; that he was an expert in Saama Ganam; and that, he extricated himself from under the weight of the Kailasa Mountain and Siva's anger by playing on the Veena! 'If you say that we will accept only the portions acceptable to us and not agree to the other portions', that would be too facile to be logical! Anyhow set aside all this. There is the Rameswaram Temple for thousands of years, with wide stone paved and covered verandahs known as Prahaaras for circumambulation, where the Ramalingam was installed by Sri Rama for absolving Himself of the Brhma Hatti Sin, for having killed Ravana, a Brahmin! It is considered as one of the Four most religiously important Dhaams. For thousands of years so many ancestors of the whole Nationhave prayed to that Siva Lingam with the belief that it has been installed by Sri Rama, for absolving Himself of the sin of killing a Brahmin, Ravana. What is your logic now?

109. Ravana was not only a Brahmin. He was a great warrior. His might was world famous. Except for Kartha Veeriya Arjuna and Vaali, he had defeated every other opponent. By killing him, Rama had got what is known as 'Veera Hatti' Dosham. In expiation of this Dosham, Rama installed another Ramalingam in Vedaranyam.

110. Other than being a Brahmin and a warrior, Ravana had other credits adding to his name and fame too. He was a great Siva Bakta as well as an expert Veena artist. These qualities together are known as 'chaya', to mean 'shades of greatness'. While describing Ambal Meenakshi, the song uses the word 'Maragatha Chaye'. 'Chaya' has the meaning of both shade and shadow. By killing Ravana, a Siva Bakta and Artist, Rama also got what is known as 'Chaya Hatti'. To expiate this sin, Rama installed yet another Sivalingam, in Patteeswaram, also known as 'Ramalingam'.

111. As per Sastras, these three Doshas were normally due to Rama, for having killed Ravana. Rama was actually an Avatara of Vishnu. So normally, there is no question for him to be subject to human frailties and dosha. Just by chanting His Taraka Naama, all Paapams will vanish. Yes. However, He had taken birth as a human being to live the life of an ideal role model! For everything and anything He has lived as an example for all human beings. You see Him meticulously living upto a very high standard of Dharma, as a son, friend, husband, ruler and whatever role that He had to play in His life! He never deviated from the path of Dharma. To err is human. So when He was subject to any dosha, He did go through what ever 'Praayaschitta' or process of expiation He had to undergo. Yes, this is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana. The Sthala Puranas of Rameswaram, Vedaranyam and Patteswaram, make up for the Sins of Omission of Valmiki Ramayana!

112. We are not to think that, this is not mentioned in Ramayanam and so is some interpolation! If you read Ramayanam and study the character of Ramachandra Murthy, you will note that, He would have done whatever had to be done.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.