DEIVATHIN KURAL # 125 (Vol # 5) Dated 09 Feb 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 125 (Vol # 5) Dated 09 Feb 2012

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavaaL of Kanchi Kaamakoti 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 second para on page No 776 of Vol 5 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that here in 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)

731. This parallel relative comparison of Easwara – as Mallikaarjuna Swami (Maruda Maram) and AmbaaL as Bramaraambika – the buzzing bee on the jasmine flower as well as the creeper Jasmine plant itself spreading itself on the tree; is beautifully brought out in the 50th Sloka of Sivaananda Lahari! The Sloka is transliterated here:- “sandhyaaramba vijrumbitam sruti – sirastaanaandaraadhishtitam saprema – bhramaraabhiraama – asakrut – sadvaasanaa shobitam I bhogindraabharaNam samasta sumana: poojyam guNaavishkrutam seve sri giri mallikaarjuna mahaalingam sivaalingitam II”. Each phrase in that poem has two meanings, one applicable to the AmbaaL / Bhramaraambika / Mallika / Jasmine flower and the second meaning as applicable to Easwara aka Mallikaarjuna Swami / Maruda Maram. Let us consider the meaning phrase by phrase!
732. The phrase ‘sandhyaaramba vijrumbitam’ – when taken as applicable to the jasmine flower will mean, ‘that which blooms in the evening time’ and as applicable to Easwara would mean, ‘one who reveals himself by his dancing in the evening’. The next phrase ‘sruti – sirastaanaandaraadhishtitam’ would mean, ‘that which is used to adorn one’s ears and head’ on the one hand; and on the other means, ‘the very essence of Easwara / Godliness that is residing in the pinnacle of Sruti – that is the Vedas’ siras, that is, the Upanishads’. The next phrase, ‘saprema – bhramaraabhiraama’ means, ‘the jasmine flowers whose beauty is embellished by the honey bees that hover around it lovingly’ and or ‘Easwara who shines by the intensity of devotion of AmbaaL Bhramaraambika’!
733. The next phrase, ‘asakrut – sadvaasanaa shobitam’ – means when referring to the jasmine flower, ‘that which is attractive by its clean scent’ and in the case of Easwara, ‘he stands out by the Bhakti of the loving devotees’. Then the phrase, ‘bhogindraabharaNam’ means, ‘that which is worn decoratively by those who are keen on sensual pleasures or that which attracts the snakes by its fragrance’, (as snakes are often found to be coiled around the Jasmine creeper plant!), and in the case of Easwara, anyhow he wears the snakes as ornaments in his hands, legs, hips, chest, neck and even fingers! Now comes the phrase, ‘samasta sumana: poojyam’ – for the jasmine it means – ‘praised as the most venerable amongst all pleasing flowers – and for Easwara the purport is that, ‘he is the most adorable amongst all Devas’. The word ‘sumana:’ has a meaning as pleasing to the mind as well as ‘the celestial beings’.
734. Then is the phrase, ‘guNaavishkrutam’ means that it is made into strings or garlands by being tied by threads. The single jasmine flower is small and not very impressive, though it is nice with its softness, fragrance and beauty. But when strung into a Mala, its beauty and allure is many times enhanced. Applied to Easwara, he is so full of salubrious qualities with which he is embellished! Easwara the Mallikaarjuna Swami of Sri Sailam is such that, he is being inseparably embraced by Sivaa (another name for Siva’s consort is Sivaa), to whom I pay my obeisances, the poet says. Both the flower Mallika aka Jasmine and the Mango fruit are the endowments of the month of Vaikasi – she AmbaaL – the jasmine creeper plant and he the very tasty Mango fruit – the Gnaana Pazham!
735. Sankara’s Dates Correctly Identified. Earlier I had told you that his Aaraadhana – the date of demise – as per PuNya Sloka Manjari, can be exactly fixed as 477 B.C. in Kali 2625, at 32 years of age. By this his birth day – the Sankara Jayanthi can be correctly identified as 509 B.C. But it is not necessary that we have to only work backwards from the date of his dropping the human coil. There is another sloka, also quoted in the Sushama (in which the sloka on his Siddhi is quoted). It is revealed that the sloka has been taken from an ancient ‘Sankara Vijayam’ book. Let me quote the Sloka, “tishye prayaatyanala – sevati –baaNa – netre yo nandane dinamaNaamavutakatbaaji I raadhe (a)diterudu nigatam – astra – lagne (a)byaahutavaan sivagurus – sa cha sankareti II”.
736. In the last line of the sloka, the poet says, ‘to the child born on such a day the father Sivaguru gave the name Sankara’. In the line prior to that he says ‘raadhe’, which means ‘in the month of Vaikaasi’. The word ‘adi terudu’, that is, ‘adite: udu’ = ‘Atiti Devatas’ star Punarvasu. Vaalmeeki the author of Ramayana also, when referring to Rama Avatara in Punarvasu, says ‘nakshatre atiti daivatye’. Astra lagnam is Dhanur lagnam. But it is claimed that there is an error here and that, ‘Anga lagnam’ is the correct calculation as, in Vaikaasi month the Dhanur lagnam comes only in the night, while our AachaaryaaL was born during the day time only at midday. At that time it must have been Kataka lagnam only. Anga lagnam is the fourth that is Kataka lagnam that comes after Mesham, Rishabham, and Mithunam.
737. If Katapayaadi is one chronogram method there is another method also. Whatever is noticeably representative of a number, that is used instead of the number itself. Like eyes are always two. So ‘netram’ or ‘nayanam’ will indicate two. The Brahmin is supposed to take care of three different fires, and so, ‘muththee’ meaning ‘triple fire’ indicates the number 3, as quoted in the very old Tamil literature too! By the same logic, 6 is indicated by ‘ritu’ as there are six seasons and 7 is indicated by ‘Rishi’ as there are seven stars in Cassiopeia aka Sapta Rishi galaxy. Similarly ‘Vedam’ or ‘Angam’ would mean 4, as there are four Vedas and an army has four ‘Anga-s’ – namely foot soldiers, those mounted on horses, elephants and chariots. So ‘anga lagnam’ means the fourth lagnam – the Kataka lagnam!
738. In the second line of the sloka, in the year Nandana, when the ‘Dina MaNi’ Surya (the Sun) was in ‘utang-mukha’ that is, in the northern solstice, the avatara took place. The first line is ‘tishye prayaati anala – sevati –baaNa – netre’, in which ‘tishye’ means in the Kali Yuga and ‘prayaati’ means, in progress. Then the next four words are indicating numbers; ‘anala = fire indicating number 3. The word ‘sevati’ means ‘nidhi’ or funds / wealth / treasure / bank. (May be the word Saving has derived from ‘sevati’.) There are nine types of funds indicating number 9. The word ‘baaNa’ means arrow or missile. There are supposed to be five types of arrows in the hands of AmbaaL as well as Manmatha the God of Love – the Cupid. So, baaNa is indicative of number 5. Now ‘netra’ we have already seen means the number 2. Now you have these four words put together, making it the year 3952. We already know that by the rule of ‘ankhaanaam vaamato gati:’, we are to read it reverse. So it becomes 2593 in Kali Yuga! Kali started in the year 3102 B.C. as we know already. So what have you got now? When we deduct 2593 from 3102, we get the year 509 B.C. That is the year of our AachaaryaaL’s birth.
739. Difference of Opinion. About our AachaaryaaL’s birth day there are some more opinions. Some research scholars amongst the westerners, called the Orientalists, who have researched the history of the eastern countries, have concluded that our AachaaryaaL was born in 788 A.D. and died 32 years later! For those Indians with English based education, whatever is the view of the white skinned man is final in all such matters. So, they trust and believe their findings and indicate Sankara’s Age as 788 to 820 A.D., in all their books. Between what I said as 509 to 477 B.C., and their calculation as 788 to 820 A.D., there is a gap of 1,300 years!
740. In our country there is another sloka in circulation, in which our AachaaryaaL’s date of birth has been indicated. The Orientalists based their research on this sloka as it suited them and pointing out various other things in support as research findings, they try to establish irrevocably that our AachaaryaaLs D.O. B. (date of birth) is A.D. 788 to 820 only!
(Be warned that this discussion on our AachaaryaaL’s date of birth is going to continue some more!)
Sambhomahadeva.