DEIVATHIN KURAL #173 (Vol #4) Dated 08 Apr 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #173 (Vol #4) Dated 08 Apr 2011

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyaval of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of the last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each as Deivathin Kural. Today we are proceeding from the middle of page number 972 of Vol 4 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)
121. Rhyme in English is Edukai in Tamil and Praasam in Sanskrit. When the first word rhymes it is called the ‘Aaramba Praasam’. Normally it is the end word in each line that rhymes and that is known as ‘Antya Praasam’. For example in the end of Pooja in this Matam every time they say a sloka on Jagan Mata Kamakshi by Mookar in Panchasati.
“samara vijaya kotee saadhaka Aananda dhaatee
mruduguNa paripetee mukhya kaadamba vaatee
muninuta paripatee mohitaa jaandakotee
parama siva vadhootee paatu maam kaamakotee”.
Here we can easily take note of ‘Antya Praasam’ at the end of each line, which is further embellished by an additional rhyme in the middle of each line too! When the poem is already rich in merit in terms of literary nuances, nuggets of practical Anubhava and theoretical intricacies; these decorative word – play trinkets simply add to the beauty and overall allure! In this small Shatpadi Stotra of just six stanzas too there are many such word – plays.
122. The letters in Sanskrit are classified as per their pronunciation as ‘thick, middle and slim’, [or for example ‘vallinam, idainam and mellinam as they are called in Tamil], (here we are not quoting the Sanskrit words for them). When words with varying meanings are constituted with similar sounding letters while composing a poem, the poem becomes pleasurable to utter and easy to remember with the meaning getting etched in one’s memory as we keep repeating them. For example in words such as ‘avinaya, apanaya, damaya, mana:, samaya and such’ the letters ‘na, ya, ma’ enhance the beauty of the words and are pleasing just to say them. Then there are similar sounding words made of removing or adding a letter to another word such as, ‘vistaaraya – taaraya’! This particular method is known as ‘yamakam’ in Sanskrit and ‘madakku’ in Tamil.
123. While being sweet to utter, such decorative word – beautifications enable ease of utterance and memorising. In the second sloka that I told you about a few minutes back, our AachaaryaaL by using ‘Antya Praasam’ of ‘makarande, aanande, aravinde and vande’, has not only beautified the sloka but has also made it easy for us to commit it to memory!
124. ThirumagaLum Taamaraiyum. Bhagawan Vishnu’s feet are compared with the lotus flowers by our AachaaryaaL. He says, “sree pathi padaaravinde”. Pada means feet and aravinde means lotus flowers. Sri is Lakshmi and Sri Pathi is Lakshmi Narayana. It is very apt for Sri Pathi to have lotus feet because Lakshmi has a lot of connection with the lotus flowers. “padma priye padmini padma haste padmaalaye padma dalaayadaakshi” says the sloka in praise of Her! She loves the lotus flower, so she is called ‘padma priya’. Padmini is the creeper plant of the lotus. Maha lakshmi by her eternal youth is slim like the lotus plant. Women with classic physical characteristics are called the ‘Padmini Jaati’ the Lotus Race, that is, aristocratic royalty!
125. Lakshmi is said to be residing in five places namely, in the centre of the Lotus flower; the peak of elephant’s head; the top of cow’s back side known as the rump; the obverse side of the leave of the Bilva tree (known as Wood Apple with tri-foliate leaves); and a Sumangali’s fore head. (Sumangali is a married lady [whose tresses of hair are parted to the right and left and then braided, forming a centre line where customarily they apply the crimson red Sindur, also known as Kumkum,] who is faithful to her husband who is alive still, devoid of such complications as widowhood or divorce and remarriage.) Having said that, the most favourite place where Lakshmi resides is the centre of the Lotus flower, as depicted in drawings and sculptures.
126. So ‘Padmaalaye’ is an oft repeated name for her. In two of her four hands, she is holding a lotus flower. So she is also known as ‘Padma Haste’! Then her eyes are like the petals of a lotus flower and so she is also known as, ‘Padma + dalaayada + akshi = Padmadalaayadaakshi’’! Then her face is also like a lotus flower. Though in this sloka such a name is not there, in Lakshmi Ashtotra the name ‘Padma Mukhi’ is found. In it there are many names of her, related to the lotus flower. She is wearing a garland made of lotus flower and so she is also known as ‘Padma Maalaa Dharaa’. Her excellent body is spreading the fragrance of the lotus flower, leading to the name, ‘Padma Gandini’. She loves the lotus flower and so she is ‘Padma Priya’ and she is the favourite of the one who has a lotus in his naval (Naabhi) and so she is, ‘Padma Naabha Priya’. She has many such names as, ‘Padmaavathi, Kamala, Ambhuja and Pankaja’ all referring to the lotus flower. Befitting all this, her consort Sri Pathi’s feet are like the lotus flower only, ‘Sri Pathi Paadaaravinde’. Lakshmi resident of the lotus flower, in the ocean of milk, on the twined bed of Sesha Naga the snake, is gently pressing and massaging the lotus like feet of Maha Vishnu. So AachaaryaaL gives us a conjugal vision of the exalted couple Sri and her Pathi!
127. When you have the lotus flower, there has to be honey oozing out from it. From maha Vishnu’s feet which are like lotus flower what is that honey? “divya dhunee makarande”. Makarandam means honey. ‘dhunee’ is a river. ‘divya dhunee’ is a divine river. Indus or what is known as Ganges is a river which is flowing in the heavens, earth and the nether worlds with the names of Mandakini, Bhagirati and Bhogavathi, respectively. As per the PuraNas, when Maha Bali Chakravarthi was conducting a great Yaaga, Bhagawan Vishnu came as Vaamana Avatara as a young and short Brahmin boy. He begged for three feet of land which was granted by the Emperor. Immediately he took a huge form as Trivikrama with his size and stature growing even as people were watching. With one foot on the earth, next step he put on the heavens. At that time Brhma came running to pay his respects by doing ‘paada prakshaalanam’ (washing of the visitor’s feet). {Bhagawan asked Maha Bali as to where to put the third step. Maha Bali recognising the young Brahmin to be verily the Maha Vishnu presented his own head in submission for the Trivikrama to place his foot. With that Maha Bali was consigned to the nether worlds forever! That is a different story.} Here we are concerned with the fact that the water used by Brhma for doing Paada Prakshaalanam for Maha Vishnu became the River Mandakini as the Ganges River is known in the Heavens is what is called here as the ‘divya dhunee’.
128. The water used to wash Maha Vishnu’s feet, the growing and expanding lotus like feet of God, started flowing out but in the meanwhile the feet were further expanding that it seemed that the river may never flow out! So it looked as though this lotus like feet were containing the generating spring of honey, that is called – ‘divya dhunee makarande’!
129. God’s lotus like feet is spreading a natural fragrance too. We normally stink and need to offset the offensive smell by applying some scent or sprinkling some Eu de Cologne on us. God is a spring of fragrance without having to try to do so! That is the reason that epithets such as, ‘sugandhim’ and ‘gandha dwaaraam’; are used to describe him even in the Vedas! Here our AachaaryaaL is saying, “parimala paribhogha satchitaanande”.
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.