DEIVATHIN KURAL # 16 (Vol # 6) Dated 30 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 16 (Vol # 6) Dated 30 June 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 going ahead from page No 104 of Volume 6 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)

125. Poems of Frivolity. Not only that PiLLaiyar played games of fun with others, he has also permitted others to take liberties with him in levity and jocularity. Only Chandra the Moon God really ridiculed PiLLaiyar and became the butt of jokes himself and had to be punished (this has already been described in detail in the initial issues of Deivathin Kural (Vol # 4) of May 2010 and again comes some five e-mails later following this). In the case of all other devotees, some who felt familiar with him have gone slightly off track in their hilarity, but were smilingly tolerated by our friendly PiLLaiyar! KaaLamega Pulavar has written many poems of rhyme and witticism on PiLLaiyar. In one starting with ‘மாட்டுக்கோன் தங்கை’, he has talked about AmbaaL begetting an owl as her child as ‘kottaanaiyum pertraaL’; making us wonder as to how crude he could get and call PiLLaiyar such names! Then we realize that the meaning of the word is ‘kottu + yaanai’ = ‘kottaanai’, that stands for an elephant which has tusks! In another song he has made fun of the fact that PiLLaiyar has a rat as his Vaahanam that is, the official carrier, and that the puny rat has to pull this big elephant! Even Avvaiyar has dealt with PiLLaiyar as you would with a baby elephant and not with a grown up adult saying, “paalum telitenum....
பாலும் தெளிதேனும் பாகும் பருப்பும் இவை
நாலும் கலந்து உனக்கு நான் தருவேன்
கோலம்செய் துங்கக்கரிமுகத்துதூமணியே – நீஎனக்கு
சங்கத்தமிழ் மூன்றும் தா. In this poem Avvaiyar is saying that I will give you milk, honey, melted jaggery caramel and tasty nuts and you give me the three different disciplines of Tamil as Iyal, Isai and Nadakam that is poetry, music and drama. She seems to be hood-winking the child God GaNapathy that she will give him some eats containing four different constituent inputs and in return she is asking for only three things namely the Literature of the Sanga Period in three parts! Our knocking on our heads with our knuckles when we come before him known as ‘kuttik koLvadu’; going on our knees three times while holding and lightly pulling on our ears with our thumbs and index fingers known as ‘dobir karaNam’ (which has become a popular exercise all over the west;), sitting on our haunches and getting up three times; both the above two activities done with our hands held crosswise in front of our face; breaking the husked coconut with a bang on the rock surface on the ground, specially so fixed in front of GaNapathy’s statue in the temples causing young children to run after the pieces of the coconut scattered on the ground, with some children being successful and some getting deceived and disappointed; have all an element of fun and drama included in them!
126. Vikata Chakra Vinayaka. The moment I mentioned the ‘dobir karaNam’ which is mispronounced as ‘thoppukkaraNam’ in Tamil, I am reminded of other Kshetras where he has played some tricks and some practical jokes, some of which I have already told you. Here in Kanchipuram itself he is enshrined as the ‘Vikata Chakra Vinayaka’, where his younger brother SubrahmaNya Swami is the main deity in ‘Kumara Kottam’. What is that ‘Vikata Chakra Vinayaka’? With Maha Vishnu, his father-in-law who normally is the bearer of the ‘Chakra the Wheel’, worn as a weapon on his index finger all the time, also he has played the fool! Once it seems Maha Vishnu visited his son-in-law at Kailasa with a lot of presents on his birth day known as Vinayaka Chathurthi. This baby elephant God threw away all those presents and snatched Maha Vishnu’s Sudarshana Chakra. How can Maha Vishnu do without his favourite weapon? He tried to catch hold of Vinayaka, who promptly put it in his mouth, as though ready to swallow it. Maha Vishnu simply contrived to do something funny to make this baby elephant burst out laughing. So, he caught hold of his ears by all his four hands and did ‘dobir karaNam’ jumping up and down fast, that PiLLaiyar simply burst out laughing uncontrollably looking at the plight of his father-in-law, that the Chakra fell out of PiLLaiyar’s mouth and Maha Vishnu just grabbed it! That is how this practice of doing ‘dobir karaNam’ in front of PiLLaiyar to please him started! So, as he had done a play with Vishnu’s Chakra, PiLLaiyar came to be known as ‘Vikata Chakra Vinayaka’. (This story has already been covered in Deivathin Kural Part IV, in detail.)
127. In the Kumara Kottam where ‘Vikata Chakra Vinayaka’ is located, the main presiding deity SubrahmaNya, his younger brother is in a form known as Brhma Saasta. He asked Brhma the meaning of the PraNava Mantra for which Brhma could not give a satisfactory reply and so was put in the jail and took over the job of creation himself. At that time Bala SubrahmaNya has the Japa Mala and Kamandalam, which are normally the accoutrements of Brhma. That is how he is dressed in Kumara Kottam as Brhma Saasta. So, between the elder brother and younger brother, they both seem to have taken over two third of the jobs of the Holy Trinity, leaving only the portion meant for Siva untouched! Now we have, GajakarNaka who chases away the hovering bees by waving his ears, Lambodara makes the observer burst out laughing by the very sight of the hanging stomach, and Vikata does many tricks, mimicry, jokes and mischief to cause mirth. Thus for the one with the first name of Sumuka, the next three names are GajakarNaka, Lambodara and Vikata! For the people of the world who are all the time deeply stuck in some problem or quandary or the other, there is no other God better than PiLLaiyar to make you feel happy, as these four names indicate!
“Om Vigna Rajaya Namaha”
128. Next name is ‘Vigna Raja’, that is ‘Vigneshwara’ the King of all obstacles. It may seem status wise that Easwara is far above the King. But if you look at the root word in Sanskrit for both these two words, you will see that both mean the same, ‘to rule’. So, Easwara, Swami, Raja and Nathan are all synonyms. That is the reason why, Nataraja can be called Natesa and Nateswara; Rangaraja could be known as Ranga Natha or Rangesa and Thirunaavukku Arasar can be Vaageesa! So, Vigna Raja and Vigneshwara are one and the same!
129. This name Vignaraja shows the special powers of PiLLaiyar. What is the purpose of his coming into being? Brhma is for Creation; Vishnu for Stiti, that is, administration and maintenance; Rudra for Laya, that is, dissolution and re-absorption; Durga for Victory; Lakshmi for Wealth; Saraswathi for Knowledge; Danvantary for Relief from diseases; are all like various departments in the bureaucracy of universal governance. In that arrangement, what is the office of PiLLaiyar? That is removal of obstacles. We pray to him first before anybody else so as to obviate problems. He is the very God come into being so that we may have a trouble free ‘clean run’ or ‘smooth sailing’ that is, Vigneshwara or Vigna Raja! We should not wrongly understand that he is the King of all problems! One of the important jobs of a King is to keep the enemies under control. Thus he is the Vigna Raja, the King who keeps the Problems at arms’ length! The researchers claim that in the olden times, he used to create problems himself and so was called Vigneshwara and the name continued even after he became a ‘sowmya murthy’, that is, a pleasant personage!
130. Even Problem Creation is for a Noble Purpose. Often in places, he has created problems all right. But, we have to understand the motive. When Siva started out for Tripura Samhara, as he ventured forth without doing prayers to PiLLaiyar, he caused the axle of his chariot to break. That was to demonstrate that even the top man has to show the necessary respect for the others in the hierarchy, however low in the order they may be! The King and the Ministers also have to be Law abiding, first of all, to be able to instil discipline in others. So, the problems are not created as an end in themselves. For the individual, including the King, the Law is supreme. This matter has to be demonstrated at times even to the King, if need be by teaching him a lesson, isn’t it? So, at times Vigneshwara might create some problems, but never leading to total destruction or inertia. However much one may be able and powerful, one should have the humility. So, through that very act of problem creation, he will teach the necessary lesson to the affected person and cause them to remember their error that, “We have got into this trouble because we have ignored the protocol of paying obeisance to the particular power meant to remove obstacles”, and thus make them go back to him! Then he will give them a double boon as though, to be doubly successful in their endeavour! That is Vigna Raja for you!
131. Personal Experience. Let the examples of ages past be aside. Personally there have been at least two experiences. (One was explained in para 55 of Deivathin Kural # 5 (Vol # 4) Dated 02 May 2010, about the truck engaged by the Matam carrying marble slabs for a temple to be constructed at Rameswaram, going from Kanchipuram, having its axle broken at ‘Achirapaakkam’ or ‘Achirupaakkam’ enroute! The interesting thing was the name of the place had two meanings as, ‘that small place’ and ‘the axle place’, to remind us of how Siva’s chariot’s axle was broken as he ventured out for Tripura Samhara! The second incident is explained here.) We were visiting Vellore. There in SeNpaakkam there are powerful PiLLaiyar temples. Not just one or two, but 11 of them. Another interesting thing is that they are not sculpted figures but, self-created ‘Swayambhus’! Normally we know of ‘Ekaadasa Rudras’ and not ‘Ekaadasa Vinayakas’! The way they are located on the ground will indicate the figure of PraNavaakaara Ohm!
132. In the interregnum of sometime past the Swayambhu Vinayakas were gone underground covered by earth. May be to remind us all that he is the God of Prithvi Tatva (that is, the Earth Principle), he has played a game like this, by hiding under the earth! A minister of the Ruler of Maharashtra, named Tukkoji was passing through that area in a horse driven carriage known as ‘Saarat’ at night fall. The wheel stuck against some hard object on the ground and the axle broke. On checking up after getting down from the carriage, they could find some blood marks on the ground. As the repair work could be done only in the morning, they decided to halt there for the night! Tukkoji went to sleep in some temporary arrangement nearby, praying to Vigneshwara. In the dream, he was made aware that there were 11 statues of PiLLaiyar imbedded underground in that location. GaNapathy told him in his dream, “Do not worry. I only caused this minor inconvenience to you. It is better that you excavate this area bringing out the Ekaadasa Vigneshwara statues, construct temples and thereby attain to name and fame yourself! So instead of the initial inconvenience, Tukkoji had multi fold pleasure and satisfaction. Let me come to my experience that I had there!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 15 (Vol # 6) Dated 28 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 15 (Vol # 6) Dated 28 June 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 going ahead from page No 97 of Volume 6 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)

“Om Lambodaraaya Namaha”

116. The next name is ‘Lambodara’, meaning someone with the hanging stomach; ‘lambam’ means hanging and ‘udaram’ means stomach, which when put together would mean a man with a pot-belly. Vinaayagar Agaval says ‘pezhai vayirum’, which is similar to ‘pot bellied’. He himself is the stuff of totality, to indicate which he is with a pot belly. The whole of all the spheres of the stars and galaxies are in his stomach. So his stomach is also in the form of a sphere or egg shaped. In his hands he is holding the ‘modakam with poorNam’, an eatable in which you have sweet filler inside an edible wrapper, the whole thing steam boiled – a favourite dish of PiLLaiyar. Modakam means happiness or that which gives happiness. Vigneshwara himself is such a modakam only. Love is a sweet sensation isn’t it? It is ever referred as ‘maduram’ in Sanskrit literature. He is the imparter of such a sweet sensation of love to all by giving happiness and a sense of well being that he is a Modak himself! ‘Maa’ is a word for male elephant and ‘maa or maavu’ is the word for the batter made of rice or wheat powder. In Modakam there is maavu in which the filler is the sweet ‘poorNam’. This poorNam means completeness and also is the name for a sweet mix, made of jaggery and grated coconut nicely made in to a paste like consistency, used as filler in the cup made of maavu! As there is a cup made of rice maavu in which there is sweet poorNam; he is the Maa or male elephant within which the Brhmam of poorNam is the filler. Thus he is also in the shape of the Modak, so also his stomach in the same shape as Lambodaram. That is the symbolism of wholesomeness.

117. When we see some hale and hearty person who is round and roly-poly automatically we are pleased and feel satisfied. That too, if a child happens to be like that, very cuddly like a teddy bear doll, don’t we feel thrilled? Just relate that to meeting a bony and skinny person, who can never impart such sense of happiness. A slightly fat person will generally be found to be not very scheming and viciously cunning but, happily jovial. So, the Sumuka GaNapathy is happy himself and wishes us to be happy also. Out of pity for us all, seeing us being roasted alive by the enormous problems of life, the Sumuka Vinayaka wishes to instantly make us happy by his very wholesomeness and roly-poly appearance of pot-bellied personality of Lambodara. In that also, it is more pleasing for the children. They feel thrilled by the looks of Vinayaka with the ‘thoppai’ that Purandara Daasa in his children’s primary class poem says, ‘lambodara lakumikaraa’, the one who causes much prosperity and well being!

“Om Vikataaya Namaha”

118. Next name is ‘Vikata’, that will at once remind everyone of the weekly magazine in Tamil, full of humour, fun, levity, jokes and wittiness. The very name ‘Vikatakavi’ in Tamil is a palindrome and stands for a poet of the humorous genre. To befool others by intelligent talk is called ‘akatavikatam’. There are people who practice the connected arts including a few items of pun, mimicry, magic, ventriloquism, puppetry and buffoonery; making a profession of such activities. But, if you look into the Sanskrit dictionary, you will be surprised to see the meaning of the word ‘vikata’ is more like fear, revulsion and horror! Practically we have all come to understand that, to make fun of situations and people causing you to laugh is the job of the joker or the comic, who normally comes as the side-kick of the hero. But as per the dictionary meaning of the word is ‘prati-nayaka’ or the villain with horrible mien and cruel characteristics!

119. Some researchers say that, ‘In the times of yore, Vinayaka was a Devata of the cruel mien only. It was only later that he became pleasant and amiable. But we do not need those researches and or researchers, who will prove with authority and evidence, like for example that the God was originally the Devil and vice versa and that with passage of time they interchanged their roles! For us to come to the right path and to make our life meaningful and to control our vacillating minds, what is required is someone who would give us happiness, contentment and devotion, isn’t it? Just one look at the cheerful broad face of Vinayaka, his elephant head and thumbikkai (that is the proboscis giving us nambikkai), pot-bellied thoppai and the modakam in his hands, at once instils in us a sense of awe, admiration and devotion and not horror or fear. We do not need a research report on what is our own direct experience. So, these experts and researchers can go wherever and do whatever they want, even if they were to think of us as stupid idiots! In usage ‘to do vikatam’ has to come to mean ‘to be funny and make people laugh happily’; and we will follow that meaning only. Vigneshwara is Vikatam and is the beautifully happy and joking personage that he is, as known to us all. We are not going to accept any research finding contrary to this, that he is a horrendous or ungainly clumsy being. To accept that will be real stupidity on our part!
120. Vigneshwara is a very humorous being. When his parents are having a tiff, he will do some mischief and cause them to laugh and re-unite. He will become a crow, distract Agasthya and enable us to get the waters of Cauvery River! He will go as a young Brhmachari boy and befuddle VibhishaNa to install Sri Ranganatha on the island in the River Cauvery. Similarly he cleverly bamboozles his elder brother to place the Kailasa Lingam permanently on the sea shore at GokarNa on the west coast of India. They are all his playful practical jokes. But these jokes have a greater ulterior purpose. Though one Agasthya, VibhishaNa and RaavaNa are made fools of, the inner purpose is that the River Cauvery, Sri Ranga Natha and Kailasa Lingam, instead of becoming a property of an individual should become a common asset of the world at large. That is noble intention, executed simply as a play as only a Vikata can do!
121. In Thirukkadaiyur he has a name as a thief as ‘KaLLa VaaraNa PiLLaiyar’. He had snatched the Amirta Kalasam from the errant Devas causing it to vanish and then once they realised their mistake and repented for the same by doing pooja to PiLLaiyar, he exonerated them and returned the Kalasam to them. He has done many such things in many places that there are incidents galore to talk about, through which he has gained many funny titles and epithets! South of Thiruvaroor there is a place known as ‘Thirukkaaraayil’ one of the seven Kshetras where seven different dancing poses of Siva are deified known as Sapta Vidanga Kshetras. A trader brought ‘Jaadikkaai’ (nutmeg) a type of costly variety of herb to that city for sales. At the toll gate he wished to avoid the heavy taxation the nutmeg would have invited. So he loaded his vehicle with bags of another herb known as ‘Kadukkaai’ with much lower level of taxation, in the front and rear from where his loaded vehicle would be checked for samples. Thus he could fool the checking staff at the toll gate and reach his destination with much less taxes. But you cannot escape the divine power of Vigneshwara which is the police, judiciary and executive arms of the government rolled in to one. He caused all the consignment to become Kadukkaai. Next day when the trader opened the bags, he was taken aback to see all his bags containing only the unwanted Kadukkaai! Then good sense prevailed over him that he prayed to PiLLaiyar whose temple was nearby, that he will pay the taxes in addition to whatever fines that may be due for his lapse. PiLLaiyar was kind enough to be condescending to convert all his consignment in to Jaadikkaai once again and in the bargain the PiLLaiyar came to be known as ‘Kadukkaai PiLLaiyar’!
122. The tangentially opposite of Kadukkaai in taste and preference is Karumbu which is the Tamil name for sugar-cane. Not one but having a thousand sugar-canes in his very name is one PiLLaiyar known as, ‘Karumbaayiram PiLLaiyar’ in KumbakoNam. His temple is located north west of Kumbeswara Swami Temple. His story as to how he got such a name is what I am going to relate to you now. His earlier name was Varaaha PiLLaiyar, as during the Varaaha Avatara of Vishnu, before going to fight with HiraNyaatcha to recover Bhumadevi, Vishnu is said to have prayed to this PiLLaiyar. It so happened that one day, a trader carrying sugar canes in his bullock cart halted for the night enroute in front of the temple.
123. Vigneshwara’s abode is in an ocean of sugar-cane juice. That place is known as Aananda Bhuvanam, like Kailasam for Siva and Vaikundam for VishNu. Mahavishnu’s abode is like an island in the ocean of milk known as ‘Ksheera Saagara’ and AmbaaL is in the ‘MaNidweepa in Amirta Saagara’. Similarly around PiLLaiyar’s abode of Aananda Bhuvanam, there is the ocean of sugar-cane juice. So, it is clear that he is sweet as indicated by the Modakam in his hands as well as the ocean in which his abode is located! Similarly I told you that the ‘mada jalam’ on his forehead and cheeks is also very sweet like the sugar-cane juice, being invaded by the flies and bees all of the time. This gentleman who normally resides in an isle surrounded by sugar-cane juice, for fun sake dressed as a young Brhmachari boy and asked for a piece of sugar-cane from that trader. The trader refused despite the recommendation of the onlookers who said, “How can you be so hard hearted when you have a whole truck full of sugar-cane and that poor child is asking in all its innocence? Why don’t you be kind enough to give at least a small piece?” The trader had a funny excuse. He claimed that his sugar-cane was not very sweet but rather salty and only when the juice is heated and made in to molasses, it becomes sweet! The on-lookers walked away from the spot, with some dis-belief, while PiLLaiyar had an all knowing smile on his face!
124. You can imagine what could have happened! Next day it seems all the sugar-canes in his truck were found to be unacceptably salty by the inspecting staff at the entrance to the Sugar Factory! The trader realised that the boy who had approached him was Lord GaNesha himself! He felt very bad for having refused the PiLLaiyar who had approached him in the guise of a small boy! He prayed to PiLLaiyar for pardon and all his sugar-cane regained their sweetness and acceptability at the factory gates! When the story became famous, PiLLaiyar’s name also changed from ‘Varaaha PiLLaiyar’ to Karumbaayiram PiLLaiyar’! There are many such stories of fun in which he will teach us lessons till the end of our lives, as seen from the story of Avvaiyar. When her friends had gone ahead to Kailasa and she was too old to walk all the way, PiLLaiyar just picked her up by his thumbikkai and in play extended it all the way to the heavens and beyond to Kailasam and simply dropped her there like any load carrying elephant would drop its load at the destination! (In Tamil, PeriyavaaL said, ‘avaLai appadiye thookki doppunu pottaar’ with enactment and laughter!)
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 14 (Vol # 6) Dated 26 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 14 (Vol # 6) Dated 26 June 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 going ahead from page No 89 of Volume 6 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)

108. A few iconography experts have told me that, “The Vaataapi GaNapathy in Thiruchengaattaankudi is not in the style of Chalukya period sculptures. It is more like what is found in other Vigneshwara statues of Pallava period only. The crown, the rope known as Paasam and the hook used to control the elephant known as Ankusam; both found in the upper hands are exactly like what is in the statues of the south!” I observed that both the feet are so bent that the souls of the feet are facing each other, more like the Ganesha statue in PiLLiyar Patti, where the feet of course are a little closer. In both, the crown almost looks similar. We know that the statue in PiLLiyar Patti is very much Pallava Art, as one of the temples in which they went chiselling in to a huge rock known as ‘Kudaivarai Koil’, instead of constructing. Of course the very noticeable thing is that, the PiLLiyar has only two hands instead of four and is resting the left hand on his hips. Nobody has explained to me, the reason for this!

109. One of those experts extended the reason that, having won a great battle at Vaataapi, Paranjyoti might have been much moved by the GaNapathy there with devotion and so might have uprooted and taken him along to Kanchipuram. Then later when he settled finally in his own village, he might have got the statue repaired and re done to his liking by some local artist, which could be the reason for the absence of Chalukya sculptural style there. I have heard another opinion too. As per that, ‘Paranjyoti might have brought the statue of GaNapathy from Vaataapi, but Thiruvaroor being the Mulaadhaara Kshetra, he might have installed the Vaataapi GaNapathy at that place, as the statue of GaNapathy there seems to be made of Chalukya style only.’ I am not giving any decision or making any judgment on this, but only informing you of the many views existing. In the Shodasa Naamaas (sixteen names) of GaNesha, we are still at Kapila.
110. Kapila is red like honey, a deep dark brownish red. A cow of the hue is called ‘Kapilai’. The Rishi who gave the world the Sankhya Saastra was one Kapila Muni. To revive and fetch the sixty thousand sons of Sagara to the heavens, after they had been turned to ashes by Kapila; Bhagiratha is said to have made the super human effort of bringing down the Ganges River from the heavens to the Earth. Then there is this Kapila (Vigneshwara) who let the Cauvery flow by tripping Agasthya’s Kamandalam. Then there was this Sanga Kaala poet by name Kapila, who was much devoted to Vigneshwara, as a poet in the court of Paari VaLLal. (VaLLal is a title given to a great king or ruler who also happened to be a benefactor and philanthropist.) After the death of his benefactor Paari, the poet Kapila was like a guardian for his two daughters. He wished to get them married and then give up his life by fasting unto death, known as ‘Vadakku Iruththal’ in the Tamil and as ‘Praayopavesam’ in Sanskrit. As nobody came forward to marry them and since anyhow Kapila did not wish to continue living after the death of his beloved king, he handed over the girls to some respectable people and did Praayopavesam as revealed by the stories of that period literature. Before giving up his body, he prayed to Vinaayakaa. That poem is known as, ‘Mootha Naayanaar Thiru Irattai MaNimaalai’, included and preserved as part of the 11th Thiru Murai, said to have been written by Kapila Deva Naayanaar. (There are supposed to be 12 Thiru Murai amongst the devotional literature of Saivam.) He is considered as different from Sanga Pulavar Kapilar, by some scholars. Whatever it is, GaNapathy as Kapila has been eulogized by a poet also known by the same name Kapila. After the death of the Sanga Kaala Kapila, his wish of getting the two daughters of Paari VaLLal married was fulfilled by the efforts of Avvaiyar who was also a very ardent devotee of Vigneshwara, by his blessings only!
“Om GajakarNakaya Namaha”
111. GajakarNaka is the fourth name amongst the sixteen. It is not only that he has the face of an elephant and so is Gajamukha, but his ears have to be specially mentioned also, it seems. Now, what is so special about his ears? All other drawings or statues of Gods will have a big half circle of halo almost connecting the shoulders. Inside that arc and below the crown on the head, we will have to search for the ears. Normally the big hanging ear studs known as ‘kundalam’ will generally indicate the likely location of the ears. But Vigneshwara is an exception to this. His elephant ears are spread as big as the face itself on either side shining big. At the least there is some clarity, that all our prayers, complaints and pleadings will be heard in full. When the ears are not visible, it is slightly disappointing isn’t it? But Vigneshwara as GajakarNaka is attentively hearing our pleas as his ears are wide open unlike other deities’ ears which are flush with heads as though. Here he seems to be attentively listening to our prayers only, encouraging us. All other animals have their ears like a cup whereas only the elephant has a fan like ear that is flat. The cup like arrangement in the ear in other animals is for receiving the sounds and direct it inwards. But the elephants have a super sense of hearing that PiLLaiyar does not make an effort to hear us.
112. The elephant uses the ears like a fan and that is a beautiful sight to watch. Only the elephant can so use its ears like a fan so rhythmically and so often. Other animals like the cow and goat can some time twitch their ears but not repeatedly like an elephant. This regular beat of the elephant’s ears is a name given to a beat in music as ‘Gaja TaaLam’! This word TaaLam is also the name for the Palm tree. The palm tree leaves are also used to make the hand held fan used in summer time. The count for music kept with our fingers is also known as TaaLam. For human beings to move their ears like an elephant is a difficult thing to copy or achieve. That led to the evolution of the proverb for impossible acts, “Gaja KarNam pottaalum nadakkaadu” to mean that, “Even if you were to do a ‘Gaja KarNam’, you cannot do that”, whatever that act being referred to may be! This saying is often misunderstood to mean to do a ‘front roll’ or ‘kuttik-karaNam’, like a baby elephant often does. But that is not what is meant here. To wave the ears like an elephant is what is meant by ‘Gaja KarNam’. Like this word, there is another word ‘GokarNam’. The word KarNam normally means the act of piercing or making a hole. In the body of a cow, if you just jab with your finger or some sharp object, you will see the cow reacting with a wave like shivering with its hair standing on end spreading outwards from the point of impact like a flow of concentric circles, exactly like it happens when a stone is dropped in a pond of water! That is called ‘GokarNam’. It is certainly very rare for a man to demonstrate ‘Gaja KarNam and GokarNam’ simultaneously! Some people can do that. What is difficult for us, Vigneshwara can demonstrate that quite playfully, as revealed by the name, ‘Gaja KarNaka’!
113. In the elephant’s waving of the ears with the attractiveness, there is also a purpose. During certain times when the elephant is in a state known as ‘musth’ it has some secretion around its cheeks, which make the animal slightly inebriated or even mad! During such occasions the animals are pestered by flies and ants. So naturally they have been endowed by God with big ears that can also be used like a fan, chasing away the pestering hoards of flies and ants. The oozing of ‘musth’ on the elephant’s cheeks has been described by our AachaaryaaL in Ganesha Pancharatnam saying, ‘kapola daana vaaraNam’; ‘kapolam’ means the cheeks, ‘daanam’ is the oozing liquid. PiLLaiyar’s oozing liquid is the flow of compassion only. It is supposed to be very sweet, at least for the insects like the flies, honey bees and beetle! This has been mentioned by our AachaaryaaL in the first sloka of Siva Bhujangam, “galat-daana gantam milat brungaa shandam”. PiLLaiyar is going on waving his ears chasing away the flies and other insects, not in anger. For this child God Swami, this is also a play only. The bees and beetles also come to him to play with him only. His very darshan is drinking of nectar for them. They have to play with him. He has to fan them and so they hover around his cheeks. Don’t we surprise a child by shouting in a child’s ears and take pleasure in its horripilation, shivering with its hair standing on ends? Like that the mass of beetles come with the buzzing sounds for fun sake. Knowing it to be a play, he will also play along, repeatedly chasing them away by the movement of his ears and in the bargain feel a little cooler as the fanning of the ears and evaporation of the liquid oozing there brings down the temperatures!
114. There is one Raghava Chaitanya, who has written a poem ‘Maha GaNapathy Stotram’ in which, with mantra Saastra matters some beautiful descriptions occur with excellent verbal expression. In it there is a description of how Vigneshwara is waving his ears for chasing away the insects by a string of beautifully interconnected words – “daana aamoda – vinoda – lupta – madupa protsaaraNaavirbhavat – karNa – aandolana – kelano vijayate devo gaNagraamaNi”. The word to word meaning is given hereinafter. The phrase ‘daana aamodam’ means the sweet smell of the liquid oozing out when the elephant is in musth. This liquid has a heavy invigorating smell. That smell is very alluring and exotic (vinoda) as well as attractive for the insects, that they want to just drink it all. Those ‘lupta madupa’ are the intoxicated bees are to be chased away (protsaaraNam) – from this thought arises (aavirbhaavaat) a play (karNa aandolana kelanam) of moving the ears back and forth. The ‘swing’ is called the ‘aandolam’ or even ‘dolam’. As part of the marriage ceremonies, the couple are seated in a swing and moved to and fro while all the visiting ladies collect together and bless them by singing suitably. Similarly when in the temples the God and Goddess are symbolically married as part of the celebration, the portion in which they are seated on a swing is known as ‘Dolotsavam’!
115. When Vigneshwara is moving his ears and chasing away the bees and beetles, he seems to be fetchingly more beautifully – ‘vijayate’! He seems to be victorious, successfully chasing away the attacking hoards! Here PiLLaiyar has been called the ‘gaNagraamaNi’. GraamaNi is a leader of a collection of people or a village. Graamam is a small village and the village chief is a GraamaNi. As he is the leader or head of all GaNas, he is GaNesa, GaNapatrhy, GaNaadipa, GaNanaayaka and here GaNa GraamaNi! Though he has many followers of GaNas, he does not need anybody to be waving the fan for him as he does it himself! That is why he is known as ‘chaamara karNa’ – ‘mooshika vaahana modaka hasta, chaamara karNa….’. As GajakarNaka he does chamaram (waving of the fan) for himself as he is the KaraNam (action), KaaraNam (cause), Karta (the doer) and Karuvi (the tool) and everything else also!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 13 (Vol # 6) Dated 24 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 13 (Vol # 6) Dated 24 June 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 going ahead from page No 82 of Volume 6 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)

98. I said that Harsha had a title as Uttara Pathy Easwara. It was during Harsha’s time that Pulakesi was the King in South India, who fought against Harsha causing him to cut short his ambitions from further expansion down South. After this incident, Pulakesi could declare himself as the DakshiNa Pathy Easwara. That Pulakesi was vanquished by Paranjyoti, the commander of the Pallava forces. This same Paranjyoti became Siruthondar as a devotee of Siva and the guest who came to him claiming that he had been fasting for six months said that his name was Uttara Pathy Easwara! To him Siruthondar serves the meat dish made by killing and cutting his own, only son SeeraaLan! Then we find that this Atiti who came to him, mainly so as to make his enormous capacity for sacrifice for the sake of the guest, known to the whole world is enshrined as Uttara Pathy Easwara in Thiruchengattaankudi!

99. That place Thiruchengattaankudi is in Sozha Desam. But here in Kanchipuram itself, there are two temples called, ‘Piravaattaanam’ and ‘Iravaattaanam’, both Easwara temples. The Easwara in those two temples are known as ‘Piravaattaana Easwar’ and ‘Iravaattaana Easwar’ respectively. Harsha Vardhana’s capital was known as ‘Thaaneswar’. Give attention to the meaning of the words here. The most static block of total non-responsive, non-reactive thing is ‘SthaNu’. The Lord of such absolute piece of stillness is ‘Sthaana Easwara’ that in usage over time has become, ‘Sthaneswar’ or ‘Thaneswar’! Now, ‘piravaa’ means unborn and ‘iravaa’ means deathless! So, the God who is never born and is absolutely static as ‘SthaNu’ is, ‘PiravaattaaNam’ and the God who is never dead and also ‘SthaNu’ is, ‘IravaattaaNam’! Thus it seems that this capital of the Pallavas have appropriated the ‘SthaNu Easwara’ also from the Harsha Vardhana’s capital ‘Thaneswar’!

100. Think of how many heads this man Paranjyoti must have chopped off in battle, (though basically being a Brahmin by birth), simply severed with his sword, on the battle fields of Vaataapi! May be to atone for such acts of his only, God must have played this Leela, causing him to cut his own son’s head, one and only son that too! Arjuna despite being a Kshatriya had to be told, cajoled and encouraged to fight on the battle field. Without being told by anybody, without being motivated by personal preferences and prejudices, Paranjyoti did what was ‘Swadharma’ of his, that is, naturally his duty as a man born into the caste of Maamaathira; destroyed persons of the enemy forces! Then once he had become simply a devotee of Siva, his ‘Swadharma’ had become a matter of taking care of devotees of Siva! In that state when Siva himself had come in the form of a Bhairava Yogi, without any hesitation or attachment, he could literally make mince meat of his own one and only son and feed the Atiti! The Bhairava Yogi did not particularly ask for his son but, only some only son of a mother! Siruthondar on his own made a sacrifice of his own son! I am finding it embarrassing to even talk about it! Not only he as a father could do that, but his wife, the very mother of the boy could cook and serve him without any hesitation, in service of the visitor Atiti!

101. They served the guest Bhairava Yogi without telling him that it was their own son who had been killed and cooked! He also played his part to the hilt literally! He said, “How can I eat alone? Please call your son to sit down with me and eat to give me company.” Siruthondar only said that, “He won’t be available now”. Now the guest said, “If that is the case, I will also go away without eating here. If you wish me to eat, call him”, he literally commanded with assumed annoyance. Having no other option, the couple went outside and called for their son, “SeeraaLa come!” By the grace of Siva Perumaan who had play acted all along, their son SeeraaLan came running in perfect condition, to their utter surprise! The Bhairava Yogi disappeared and in his place Siva gave them Darshan with AmbaaL and Bala Subrahmanya as Somaaskanda. Thus the story goes on (in Periya PuraaNam – 3743), “........malai payanda taiyalodum saravaNattu tanaiyarodum taam aNaivaar”, that is to say, when initially the Bhairava Yogi had requested that the couple together should cook and serve such a food; finally gave them Darshan as a divine couple with their child!


102. The elder son Vigneswara had to atone for having killed the Gajamukha Asura by making him bleed; by doing Siva Pooja as I told you earlier; thereby causing the name of the place to become the ‘red forest place’ – Thiruchengaattaankudi and for Easwara installed at that place to be known as GaNapatheeswara! Another similarity occurs to me just now. Like Siruthondar chopped off the head of his son SeeraaLan, earlier Siva had sliced his own / AmbaaL’s son’s head that later he became Gajaanana. In my trying to give the meaning for the name ‘Kapila’, saying that it means red; turning the whole city red as Thiruchengaattaankudi, then having taken you all to and fro between Vaataapi and Kanchipuram; the story and research have all gone far, very far off! Still let me tell you that we have not gone astray and are all on the right lines only!

Different Views about the Vaataapi GaNapathy’s Vigraha/Idol.

103. Some of the researchers have a different view. That is, “In Periya PuraaNam, while describing the details of what Paranjyoti brought from Vaataapi, gems, gold coins and ornaments, horses and elephants get mentioned. There is no mention of a statue of GaNapathy at all! So, it is incorrect to say that he brought the statue of GaNapathy from Vaataapi and so objectionable.” There is a contrary opinion too amongst them also. They say that, “Here Sekkizhaar is not describing as to what all Paranjyoti collected as War Booty from Vaataapi, but only what Paranjyoti presented to his King. The Vigneswara idol was kept for his personal daily worship and so there was no occasion to mention it here. For some reason Sekkizhaar seems to have missed mentioning about the Vaataapi GaNapathy idol being brought down south by Paranjyoti” they aver. I Quote – Periya PuraaNam 3665 here – “panmaNiyum nidhik-kuvaiyum pagattinamum pariththogaiyum inna eNNila kavarnde igalarasan munkoNarndaar” – Unquote.

104. Those who claim that Paranjyoti did not bring the Vaataapi GaNapathy to south make another argument too. Many kings have been bringing statues and pillars and install them as mementoes here in southern cities and towns, after defeating the rulers of the north India. Rajendran, one of the Sozha kings has taken an army up north, up to the Ganges River and then turning east, defeated a king of the Paala Vamsa in Bengal and then constructed a city known as Gangai Konda Sozha Puram, equal to Tanjore; with a temple to match the famous Bruhad Easwara Temple there. Around that temple we can see many examples of sculptural art exotic to local traditions. There is a big Mahisha Asura Mardhini statue which is unlike what is seen in our temples. Here the Mahisha Asura is running away. AmbaaL is using her spear known as Soolam piercing his back while with another hand pulling out his tongue! There is such a statue in Gangai Konda Sozha Puram at one place. In the main temple premises, in one of the enclosures in the outer periphery, there is statue of Durga which is typically a statue of Chalukya Art. In the main temple itself, the Nava Grahas (nine planets of the solar system) are arranged within a Yantra of Lotus that is also clearly not of local origin. Elsewhere in this city there is a statue of Bhairava – Bhairavi in red stone, the one look of which will reveal that it is not local material.

105. Near Gangai Konda Sozhapuram there is place known as Triloki, where there is a statue in which Parvathy and Parameswara are seated on the Bull Nandi. It was a piece taken from Royala Seema (which is the southern area of present day Andhra Pradesh) after defeating the NuLambars. Then there is also a Vigneswara who has come to South India from Bengal. His name is Ganga GaNapathy in KumbakoNam Nageswara Swamy Koil. Amongst the statues from Bengal, there is one remarkably outstanding work of art of a Nataraja, a dancing pose of Siva. Unlike the Nataraja statues of the south, this one is a copper statue of Siva on Nandi the Bull. It is not the famous posture of Siva with his left leg held high, above his head. This is one in which both the legs are planted on the bulls back, the legs forming a diamond like shape, known as the ‘square dance’ pose. In some old statues in Tamil Nadu itself there are such statues of Nataraja with the ‘square dance’ pose like in, Kooram, Nallur and Kodumudi. This Bengal Nataraja that I spoke to you about is located in Mela Kadambur near Chidambaram.

106. Amongst Chalukyas there are two dynasties known as Melai Chalukyas and Keezhai Chalukyas. Melai could mean western or upper or northern while Keezhai could mean eastern or lower or southern. Vaataapi was the capital of the Melai Chalukyas. The Keezhai Chalukyas ruled from a place known as KalyaNi. Rajendra Sozha’s son Rajathi Raja defeated these Keezhai Chalukyas and brought some pillars and statues of Dwara Paalakas (gate keepers) as memorabilia! Near KumbakoNam there is a Darasuram (which is a corrupted form of Rajarajeswaram). Rajaraja Sozha the Second, who gave such a name as Rajarajeswaram for that place, has installed those pillars and Dwara Paalakas and inscribed that those items have been brought from KalyaNi after defeating the NuLambars. In the big temple in Thiruvaiyaru also there are pillars of the type typical of the art of NuLambars. In Tanjore Bruhad Easwara temple also there is a window of that style.

107. The people objecting to Vaataapi GaNapathy being located at Thiruchengaattankuldi insist that, “When such artefacts are brought from elsewhere, either they have themselves mentioned the fact in stone inscriptions or it is mentioned in the poems like Ula / ParaNi of that period by poets or at least referred in later day literature. In this case, there are neither such references in Periya PuraaNam nor anywhere else! But there is one point of difference here. Mostly they were Kings themselves or commanders of victorious armies. So having brought some memento from the enemy territories, they were proud of their achievements and wished to publicise the same. They were keen on their name and fame being recorded forever on stone or metal frames. Hence those edicts on stone or copper plates or literature were made! Contrary to this, Paranjyoti after his great victory over Vaataapi, after return from war, gave up soldiering, official job in the government and became Siruthondar not caring for name or fame. So it is foolish on our part to expect a description in literature or inscription on stone for someone who had become nondescript literally!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 12 (Vol # 6) Dated 22 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 12 (Vol # 6) Dated 22 June 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 going ahead from page No 76 of Volume 6 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)

89. Ministers are required to be good in education and organisational abilities as well as be humane and worldly wise. Though they are required to be well behaved morally with decency and decorum observant of the codes of conduct as per the scriptures, there was no need for them to be good and knowledgeable in Mantra Saastra at all but only in confidential counselling! Only the Raja Guru had to be knowledgeable in Mantra Saastra. Addressing his Raja Guru Vasishta, his disciple Dilipa, the King of Raghu Vamsa as quoted by Kaalidaasa the great poet says, “All the threats from Devas and human beings that could happen to me are being sorted out by your powers. I am only dealing with the enemy physically seen whereas you are disposing of even the unseen enemies. Because of your blessings, anybody coming in front of me as my opponent is made powerless and ineffective that my application of weapons is only so as to get me the name of being a victor!” This is what Dilipa is supposed to have said to Vasishta, as quoted by Kaalidaasa. Vasishta was not only the Raja Guru but also a Maharishi. In the name of research, somebody has confused his self and others as though such a statement can be made applicable to all ministers and further complicated the situation by saying that it is a devious plan of Brahmins to dominate unfairly!

90. If a Mantri is meant for secret consultations, so also is a secretary meant to keep the secrets! (KTSV adds – It is an irony that only in these modern times what is known as State Secrets are being misused by the people in power in the governments who are supposed to maintain the secrecy, exploited by business interests, exposed by the media in the name of investigative journalism and the general public still kept in the dark despite the Right to Information Acts of the world!) Secretary protects the secrets of the boss from the eyes of the public; whereas the Mantri protects the governmental secrets even from the king himself so as to save him from unnecessary worries and from being over burdened! But he will keep track of things and control of the situation, while informing the king only on need to know basis, never with the intention to do anything for personal advantages or benefits! But to be in picture is the job of the minister. So, now the minsters of the Pallava king informed him that, “This Paranjyoti is a great devotee of Siva. He keeps doing all service for the devotees of Siva. Which enemy force can ever stand in front of him?” Instead of saying that his archery or fencing was standing by him in good stead, they said that it was his Siva Bhakti that was the reason for his victory! Point to note is that being devoted to God is not only necessary for other worldly attainments of reaching the heavens or Gnaana of Self Realization, but also for this-worldly achievements of Iham, like victories in battles!
91. The moment the ministers said this, the king virtually shivered. “Oh! My God! Did I make use of a devotee of Siva like a simple soldier commanding forces on the field of battle? Please pardon my impudence Sir! I am sorry. Please forgive me!” Saying so, he did Namaskaara to Paranjyoti. From this, one can make out the high culture of the kings of those days and as to how respectable they were towards devotees of God! I am not saying anything on my own, but only reiterating what is given in Periya PuraaNam. At once, Paranjyoti stopped the king from going down on his knees and lifted him and instead did Namaskaara to the king and said, “It is incorrect for you as the King to feel like that. We as Brahmins have taken up soldiering as our job quite rightly as a family tradition. Being a devotee of Siva does not come in the way of my soldiering! I am quite happy with what I am doing. So Sir, by employing me in the Army, you have done no untoward thing at all, my dear King!”

92. Our Saastraas do not approve of anyone jumping into Sanyaasa or totally one sided Bhakti Marga either; before the person is sufficiently matured and ripe mentally, spiritually and attitudinally. Like uncooked or half boiled dishes tend to give indigestion, the immature mind will tend to make you go astray in Sanyaasa Aashrama bringing a bad name for the very order of Sainthood! That is, in our system, till you are ripe enough, you are to continue in Gruhasta or move into Vanaprastam. Buddhism which permitted anybody to become a Bikku became the butt of every joke, as time passed, because of this reason only. Pallava King Mahendra Verma has made full use of humorous situations arising out of people becoming a Bikku without developing the necessary mental poise and maturity, in his drama ‘Matta Vilasa Prahasanam’. We should carry out a self analysis as to the level of our own maturity of mind, control over senses and tendencies. Then only, we should totally devote our lives to religious activities or take up Sanyaasa. Otherwise, if we try to over reach, we may fall short and break our limbs and make a fool of ourselves as well as be a smudge on the very name of the Aashrama!

93. Paranjyoti was already quite matured. He could even fight a battle without getting too involved, with the mind fixed on God treating the action of fighting as part of the devotional procedure, as Sri Krishna says in Bhagawat Gita VIII – 7, “maam anusmara: yudhya cha”. So as to obviate guilt feelings in his King, he said, “I will continue to be the commander of your forces, the elephant based cavalry”. Despite that, the King foreclosed any such options. He said, “No! You need not continue in the Army anymore. You may occupy yourself completely in devotional activities, all the time thinking of Siva and taking care of devotees of Siva. All your service may be dedicated for such purposes.” Saying so, he gave Paranjyoti enormous material wealth for taking care of all the needs of his personal and family life as well as the needs in service to devotees of Siva. This is a new type of story. If this Gajapathi, as the commander of Elephant based Cavalry brought and presented all the gold, gems and wealth to the King, the King in turn presents him with all that wealth and more!

94. With all that he came back to Thiruchengattaankudi and there was also a total change in his life. With devotion to Siva kept inside, outwardly he was a human battery of rams, attacking, cutting, maiming and killing the opponents. Now he became a man of peace inwardly as well as outwardly, having brought Vaataapi GaNapathy and installed him in the Sivan Koil in Ganapatheeswaram, another name for Thiruchengattaankudi. He got married also only after return from the army, to a woman of suitable disposition. The days were spent in totally devotional activities and in taking care of other devotees of Siva who came as guests from elsewhere. Paranjyoti renamed himself as Siruthondar to mean that he was a small one amongst all such devotees! The name by which he became famous as a great commander of the forces of the Pallava Kingdom was forgotten. But the name as the smallest of the small, devotee of the devotees became well established. From the fact that the world accepted this name as Siruthondar, reveals that they gave more value and importance to divine devotion in service to God than worldly ventures in service to the state and king!

95. His story in Periya PuraaNam occurs as ‘Siruthonda Naayanaar PuraaNam’ only. Sundara Murthy Naayanaar in his ‘Thiru Thonda Thogai says, “sengaattang kudimeya siruthondarkku adiyen”. There is nothing special in his saying that he is subservient to Siruthondar, since he has said so about every one of the 63 Nayanmaars similarly. But there is some additional value in Gnaana Sambandar also singing in praise of Siruthondar. I had earlier quoted as to how Gnaana Sambandar had visited when Siruthondar was in Thiruchengaattankudi and how the latter had picked up Sambandar and hugged him to his chest. In his first song on Siva, he says, ‘the one with the ear studs, seated on a bull, wearing the pure white moon on his head, having smeared his self with the clear white powder of Vibhuti ashes from the cremation grounds; is the thief who has stolen my heart’! Here he has said the same thing about Siruthondar that he is smeared in the white ashes powder ‘podi poosi’ and that Siva is residing in that particular township to bless and take care of Siruthondar only! (‘podi nugarum siruthondarkku aruL seyyum poruttaagak kadinagaraai veertrirundaan ganapatheech charathaane’ – Sambandar Tevaram, the tenth line of the Padigam that starts with ‘narai konda’.) Then he has sung another ‘padigam’ (a ten lined poem), in which he has praised Siruthondar in each line with some delightful adjective or the other; ending with ‘chengaattankudi meya’ including mention of his son’s name ‘SeeraaLan’! (This Padigam starts with the words, ‘paingottu malarp punnai’, amongst the Tevaram songs by Thiru Gnaana Sambandar.)

96. A Curry Dish Made of His Son’s Meat! – The Inner Meaning! Siruthondar got married only after retirement from service. He did not retire, neither was he dismissed. He was asked to leave with honour and respect by the King himself! So till then he was interested only in Siva Bhakti and soldierly pursuits. Only after coming back to his village, he got married, begot a son named as SeeraaLan, born when Siruthondar himself was slightly older in age! It was that boy, the only darling son who was cut, cooked and served as food for the visiting Atiti, Lord Siva Himself in the guise of a Bhairava Yogi! Even to hear the story some may be squirming in their seats as it is very cruel and disgusting. But there are many related factors that beg our understanding!

97. Siruthondar won over Vaataapi. That town itself takes the name of an ogre Vaataapi. In that story the elder brother Ilvalan cooks the younger brother Vaataapi and serves the meat curry dish! There it is the brother’s meat and here it is the son’s meat! There the power to digest was given to Agasthya by GaNapathy and the same Vaataapi GaNapathy is here in Siruthondar’s city also, giving it the name as GaNapatheeswaram! Siruthondar as Paranjyoti caused a river of blood to flow in Vaataapi, while that GaNapathi has caused the blood of the ogre to flow like a river giving the name to the village of Paranjyoti to be named Thiruchengattaankudi, himself becoming red to be called as Kapila! For the Swami who came as the Bhairava Murthy there is a Sannidy in that get-up in GaNapatheeswaram, known as ‘Uttara Pathy Easwara’. That is the name given by the Bhairava Murthy as the guest of Siruthondar. In North India, the Emperor of that time Harsha Vardhana also had a name or title of ‘Uttara Pathy Easwara’! (Connections continue!)

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 11 (Vol # 6) Dated 20 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 11 (Vol # 6) Dated 20 June 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 going ahead from the page No 70 of Vol 6 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)

82. During those days, there was one well known Tamil laureate Meenakshi Sundaram PiLLai, holding court as a great authority on Tamil language matters. He was not a Brahmin, but was above all narrow parochial view points and caste considerations. After one look at Gopala Krishna Bharathiyar’s Nandanaar Charitram, he had ruled that it was incorrect on his part to have mixed imagination with the truth, however much he may be sympathetic with the plight of poor people. The story about Nandanaar occurs as the story of ‘Thiru NaaLai Povaar Naayanaar’ in Periya PuraaNam, which is a book of authority as the last of the Thiru Murai, of tremendous religious significance, belief and faith. (That phrase ‘Thiru NaaLai Povaar Naayanaar’ can be translated as ‘the Naayanaar who would go tomorrow or some other sacred day’. That is never today!) To add a ‘cock and bull’ of imaginary, unreal fiction to it was totally unwarranted in his opinion. As luck would have it, it so happened that, Gopala Krishna Bharathiyar came to that very Meenakshi Sundaram PiLLai for a poem of praise known as, ‘Sirappu Paayiram’ to be included as an introduction in the printing of his poems! Meenakshi Sundaram PiLLai did not want to insult a guest who had come searching for his address either, by discussing the merits and demerits of his work. So he told him, more so as to avoid him, “You have set this in the style of a musical drama and I know nothing of music whatsoever. Please go to some other person who has knowledge of Tamil and music along with devotion for Siva, to get a suitable introduction, as I think that I am not qualified enough to do justice to the requirement!” He told his student U.V.Swaminatha Iyer the real reason for his avoiding writing this introduction ‘Sirappu Paayiram’, from whom I came to know about this story!

83. Though Gopala Krishna Bharathiyar went away, he came back again a few days later. Every time he came, Meenakshi Sundaram PiLLai would have some excuse or the other to avoid writing the introduction like saying, “Your writing being appealing to both Tamil scholars as well as the common man will become popular on its own I am sure Sir!” or things like that! If PiLLai was thus parrying and avoiding, Bharathiyar was also equally adamant! So once he came at the stroke of twelve on a hot summer afternoon. It was clear that PiLLai was resting inside the house. Bharathiyar sat in the raised platform like open air room with a roof in the front of the house known as ‘ThiNNai’ in Tamil, meant for visitors to rest. Having nothing else to do, he started singing some of the songs from the very Nandanaar Charitram, for which he was trying to get Mr. PiLLai to write the introduction. These songs were sung so beautifully with such intensity of feelings that Mr. PiLLai who was half asleep was literally captivated and transported to the Seventh Heaven! Though he had his objection about the factual contents being contrary to the original source of Periya PuraaNam, and that the writing contained Tamil grammatical errors; now, all those objections seem to be washed away in the flow of music and the flood of pure devotion! So as to not cause any obstacle in that flow, he continued to act as though he was still sleeping. Bharathiyar came to the ‘Varugalaamo’ song.

84. Already this word was one of the bones of contention! In Tamil the word for ‘coming’ is ‘varudal’ and ‘going’ is ‘podal’. The variations could be ‘varugai’ and ‘pogai ’. Now what is this ‘varugal’ and ‘varugalaamo’? But now the depiction was that Nandanaar was looking at the spires of the Chidambaram temples from afar and pleading with the God if he could enter the environs of that sacred city at all? On the one hand he was just melting in his divine love and on the other there was so much regret and hesitation because he was born as a Pulaiya, the untouchable! Having arrested the unseen Lord God Nataraja and made him stand in front of his eyes, he is now in the process of asking him if he could also enter the portals of the temple, the spires of which are seen! That plea made by Nandanaar sometime in the past, when now heard in such desolate poignancy, virtually melted the heart of Meenakshi Sundaram PiLLai, if not Nataraja’s! All the earlier objections to the grammatical and factual errors of the case just went out of contention! “What a great devotee he is? What business did I have to deny anything to him let alone some ‘Sirappu Paayiram’! How foolish of me to have caused him to come to my house repeatedly for this simple thing like a poetical introduction for his book? It is shameful on my part that my pride does not seem to know any limits!” Thinking on these lines, he came out running and fell in the feet of Gopala Krishna Bharathiyar! The song ‘Varugalaamo’ (to mean ‘May I come in’!), caused Meenaakshi Sundaram PiLLai to come and ‘Sirappu Paayiram’ to come from him! He ended up saying, “I am sorry Sir, for causing you to come walking to my door front so many times! Whatever be my other objections to write the ‘Sirappu Paayiram’ for your Book of Poems, today I have come to realize as to how great a devotee of Siva, You are! You have the power to melt the listener’s heart. I have no right to present myself as a stumbling block in the way of such a great person. From today I am your devotee! I shall just now give you the ‘Sirappu Paayiram’ and I do hope that you will find it acceptable!”

85. But if all others praise Bharathiyar for giving a new form and shape to the original story of Nandanaar, PiLLai ignoring that aspect and setting aside all his other objections to errors in factual contents and grammer, wrote the ‘Sirappu Paayiram’ simply dwelling on devotion to Siva and the power of music to move the listener’s minds and heart, even when you are not qualified in music! PiLLai remained firm in his point of view very truthfully and faithfully, from the beginning. Now it is clear that there is much stuff in his point of view too. Nowadays people know about the Nandanaar story only from what is revealed in dramas or cinemas (or the U-Tube in the present day world). What is given there is only Gopala Krishna Bharathiyar’s version, in his words in his songs! Even if you attend religious discourses known as ‘Kaala Kshepam’ or search in Tamil Literature books in the libraries; it will be found to be Gopala Krishna Bharathiyar’s version and not the story of ‘Thiru NaaLai Povaar Naayanaar’, as given in Periya PuraaNam. I have carried out a test of my own. All sorts of young and old from various castes and communities keep visiting me, isn’t it? I keep probing about what they know about Nandanaar. From that I gather that almost everybody know only about how Nandanaar was an untouchable, who suffered in the hands of a Brahmin PaNNaiyar in various ways, as though it is not enough to be devoted to God, but to add spice to it you need the cruelties that human beings inflict on each other! You have to have a villain and preferably a Brahmin villain, the better, it seems! I just wanted to say as to how even History or some story of the PuraNas with equal authority of veracity, in the hands of researchers and people of literary ability and imagination, can make fiction seem real and imagination overtake the truth! I feel there has to be some control over what we call, ‘poetic licence’ and the need for ensuring veracity in research work! (KTSV adds:- Of course nowadays, the Multi National Corporations in various fields especially in medicine and agriculture are using all research work as vehicles of advertisement and propaganda for their own products at whatever monetary and social cost to the countries of the world!)

86. Army Veteran Becomes a Religious Worker. Let us go back to Aarumuga Naavalar and his book mentioned in para 78 previous. I was talking about as to how in his book the Nayanmaars have been serialised as Aadi Saivas, Vedic Brahmins, Maamatira Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vysyas, VeLaaLar and Pulaiyar Jaati. Though not practicing as Suddha Vaidic Brahmins, Maamaatra Brahmins were considered in a status above the Kshatriya caste as seen in that order. Paranjyoti from that caste only, having been a Soldier-Brahmin of renown, became Siruthondar in his later life. Paranjyoti in his earlier life though had training in Archery (Dhanur Veda), Fencing (sword play) and in riding and training horses and elephants, was already an ardent devotee of Siva. Keeping devotion in his mind, he exhibited his bravery and prowess in soldierly qualities! Joining Nrusimha Verma’s Army, he became the leader of Elephant based cavalry. He went up to Vaataapi and defeated the Chalukyas. There he amassed much wealth in terms of gold, gems and what not, all of which he presented to his King on return, keeping only the Vaataapi GaNapathi for himself!

87. When the King asked him as to how he could be so courageous as to lead the army and defeat the Chalukyas, which the King himself could not achieve; he just stood in all humbleness. He was never one to make much of his own self, his abilities or achievements. So he kept quiet. But other ministers were aware of his abilities. The very word ‘Mantri’ means the one who protects the information in his mind. Mantra is the information kept in the mind and protected as – ‘man + tra = mantra’. That is why when you do chanting of a mantra it is more powerful when done on the quiet without making a show of it. Similarly the Mantri protects secrets, plans, policies and intentions of the government. This protection is mutual. You protect the plans and policies to obviate misuse and mismanagement and the plan protects you in turn from slander and misunderstanding.

88. In the name of Research and Analysis, one gentleman of dubious intensions and distinctions has come to the conclusion that, ‘Brahmins created the lie that the Kshatriya King should take Brahmins in to his ministry for their Mantra Shakti as though they are some magical powers! So whether there was such power or not, they could create such an atmosphere as though, the power of the brawn was second only to the power of the brain of the Brahmin, that even the king had to be afraid of what this Brahmin could do with the power of his Mantras!’ Nothing can be further from the truth. The Mantra in the hands of the minister is the correct, prudent advice by the minister based on probity, morality, sincerity, integrity and honesty, with the help of Dharma Saastraas, Artha Saastra and humaneness. This has nothing to do with some ‘mantra’ powers at all!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 10 (Vol # 6) Dated 18 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 10 (Vol # 6) Dated 18 June 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 going ahead from the middle of page No 63 of Vol 6 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)
75. When SiruththoNdar got a son, he named him as SeeraaLan and conducted all the rituals as required of him for ten days says Sekkizhar confirming that the rituals were as observed by Brahmins when a child is born in the family. At this point it says that he did the needful functions of ‘the rightful rituals as required to be done in the first ten days after the child is born’, Quote “tangaN marabinil urimai chadangu dasa dinaththinilum pongu peru magizhchiyudan purindu kaappaNi punaindaar” Unquote! Anyone who has even the minimum knowledge of Tamil cannot misunderstand the words here! It means that he did all that is required of him as per family traditions. That makes it clear that, though Maamaathira-s were separately identified as being different to the Brahmins, they had the same rituals to be observed as being done in Brahmin families. Including the date of birth, the naming ceremony for a Brahmin child is done on the 11th day that is the same as the 10th day without including the date of birth as given in the Aapasthamba Sutra – ‘dasamyaam’. So has Sekkizhaar said ‘dasa dinaththilum’.

76. Then it is given that they did ‘neyyaadal vizha’ (Refer to Periya PuraaNam – 3677). It is not clear as to what is the meaning of this ‘neyyaadal vizha’. But still it is clear that the child had been born in ‘Koundinya Gothram. In the case of the birth of Sambanda Murthy also there is the mention of ‘neyyaadal vizha’ (Refer to Periya PuraaNam – 1933). Note that he was also one of the Brahmin boys amongst the 63 Nayanmaars, who are not all of them Brahmins! Then in SeeraaLan’s third year of age, it is mentioned that he was given the shaving of the front part of the head, known as the ‘Kudumi KalyaaNam’ – ‘vandu vaLar moovaaNdil mayir vinai mangalam seidu’ – Periya PuraaNam 3681. From these references one can clearly make out that Maamaathira-s had similar customs and traditions like Brahmins.

77. There is yet another big evidence to confirm this fact! There is a book known as ‘Sekkizhaar SwamigaL PuraaNam’ of some 600 years vintage. It is a book by one Umapathy Sivam or possibly by Umapathy Sivaacharyar of Saiva Siddhaanta movement. Anyhow the book is considered to be authentic enough by the followers of Saiva Siddhaanta Kazhagam. In that book it is given clearly as to, who belongs to which caste amongst the 63 Nayanmars. It says that the 63 Nayanmars were made up of 13 Brahmins, two from the Aadi Saiva GurukkaL, and one ‘Kurai Kazhal Maamaatra type’. Then the list goes on covering others such as Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and other castes. This ‘Kurai Kazhal’ is indicative of a pair of anklets worn which make tinkling sound when you walk. Though normally it is worn by Kshatriyas, here it is being mentioned as being worn by Maamaatra-s, who are being described after listing Vedic Brahmins, Saiva GurukkaL and before listing the real Kshatriyas. Thus it is clear that their standing in the social order is just after Brahmins and before Kshatriyas! After mentioning one such person, six Nayanmaars are listed who were kings of big states followed by five kings of smaller vassal states. Then there is the list of five traders / Vysyas, followed by 13 others who were VeLaaLars / farmers. Then the list goes on to cover other castes. Point to note is that both in Periya PuraaNam written by Sekkizhaar and the book on Sekkizhaar by Umapathy, there is mention of only one person as Maamaatra type and that happened to be the soldier Paranjyoti, who later became devotee / Naayanmaar SiruththoNdar; who is listed just after the Brahmins and GurukkaL and before even the Kshatriyas and so cannot be considered to be a VeLaaLa / farmer by any convoluting logic! Now let me quote from the ‘Sekkizhaar SwamigaL PuraaNam’ in Tamil:- “thiru maraiyor puraaNamavai padinmoonru, siva vediyar aranai vazhipatta puraaNam orirandu, kurai kazhal maamaatirar onru, aruvar mudi mannar, kuru nila mannavar aivar, vaNigar Kulathu aivar, irumai neri veLaaLar padin moovar......”. I have already given you the meaning of what is stated here in Tamil.

78. You might have heard about Aarumuga Naavalar. He was a contemporary of Ramalinga SwamigaL and well read and very knowledgeable in Tamil and Saivam. A great devotee of Siva, he would be sporting the white marks of three lines of Vibhuti on his forehead and all over his body in the fore arm, biceps, chest, shoulders with plenty of garlands of Rudraksha in his neck and head too. He is from Nalloor in YaazhppaaNam. He has lived in Tamil Nadu also quite a bit. From the primary books on Tamil to advanced research works, he has written much. In the religious line he has written quite a lot, starting from Periya PuraaNam and Thiru ViLayaadal PuraaNam in easily understandable prose, to deep scholarly analysis of intricate philosophical thoughts. He has run schools for teaching Tamil and printed & published many books himself! If the young Brhmachari students of Veda Patashaalaas went to each house with a begging bowl as part of their training in humility, for the sake of Tamil schools, he himself has gone on door to door canvassing, begging for help!

79. This man who has done much creditable service for Tamil and Bhakti has also written ‘Periya PuraaNa Vachanam’, as I told you earlier. There also, it is given as to who belongs to which caste amongst the 63 Nayanmaars. Of course, they were all equally and uniformly devotees of Siva, without any sense of differentiation whatsoever! It is us who need these details of who had come from which background to get rid of the cobwebs in our own minds! There are some differences between what is given here and the list as given by Umapathy Sivam. That is not of much importance as to what are those differences either. We are more concerned with what is given in its preamble or introduction. We do not know if that was written by Aarumuga Naavalar or somebody else who happened to print or publish it. There it is strongly emphasised that Aadi Saiva AachaaryaaLs who have taken Siva Aagama Deeksha are the highest amongst human beings and that while such is the case, to still give the first place of importance to Vedic Brahmins is wrong and sinful. That is, though there is no hostility with Brahmins as such, the book prioritizes Vedic Brahmins after Aadi Saivas. In such a book we can be certain that it would not have classified someone as Brahmin when it is doubtful if that Naayanaar is a Brahmin at all, isn’t it? In that book I have seen, first are listed four Aadi Saiva Naayanmaars including Sundara Murthy SwamigaL; then 12 Vedic Brahmins such as Thiru Gnaana Sambandar, Somaasi Maara Naayanaar, Rudra Pasupathy Naayanaar and so on; then it gives just the name of SiruththoNdar, mentioned as ‘Maamaatra Brahmin’! Then there are names such as, Seramaan PerumaaL, Nedu Maara PaaNdyan, Kochchengat Chozhan and such other kingly types of Kshatriya Naayanmaars; then listing Vysyas (like Kaaraikkaal Ammaiyar and Iyar Pagai Naayanaar), VeLaaLar (13 of them including Appar SwamigaL), Kuyavar (Thiru Neelakanta Naayanaar), Ekaaliyar (Thiru Kurippu Thonda Naayanaar) and finally ending with Pulaiyar (Thiru NaaLaippovaar, that is, Nandanaar etc)!

Nandanaar: Imagination Conquering Truth

80. Since I mentioned the name of Nandanaar, I have to give you an example of how fiction and imagination become the authority over truth and facts. Those amongst you who know the story of Nandanaar would have conclusively got it in your minds that he suffered much as a farm hand under a cruel and dominating Brahmin PaNNaiyar (rancher)! But in fact, in Periya PuraaNam which is like an authority on the stories of the 63 Nayanmaars, there is no such Brahmin character at all in the story of Nandanaar. He was not under the employ of any rancher. For people who do their appointed role of a job, would have been given some lands as royalty for cultivating and benefitting from the proceeds of such cultivation. Such well defined lands were known as ‘Thudavai’. Nandanaar had such a land which he was cultivating. The people of the untouchable caste known as ‘Paraiya or Pulaiya’ used to deal in the animal skins, intestines, nerves and such things that are used for making the leather surfaces which are stretched taut on drums and the strings in stringed instruments of music. They would also deal with ‘Gorocanaa’ the bright yellow orpiment from the bile of the cattle, taken out when the domestic cattle dies, used in paints, some Ayur Vedic medicines and for making Tilak, worn as a mark on the forehead, specially by the ladies. But this Nandanaar was ever in thoughts of Siva that keeping only the returns from the land as his income, he used to donate all other by-products of his profession, to be used for the Berikai (drums) and VeeNa like stringed instruments, to the Siva Temples. Gorocanaa was given away to the temples for making some fragrant unguents to be smeared on the Siva Linga. He used to go to a number of Siva Temples and sing and dance in extreme devotion. There is just no whiff of information as though he was treated like a slave by a cruel PaNNaiyar!

81. The creator of the cruel Brahmin PaNNaiyar is also a Brahmin only! In the last century, there was a Gopala Krishna Bharathi, a great man of very respectable attainments and devotion for Siva. He was also a good singer as well as a writer of poetry and composer of music! He remained a celibate throughout his life and died on Maha Shivaratri night. He was a friend of the poor and downtrodden. Putting his abilities together, he wrote dance dramas which were much popular. During those times evidently he came across a Brahmin PaNNaiyar, who was very inhumanly cruel with some of his workers in the farm. Those who worked under that PaNNaiyar took it all without objecting; blaming and cursing their own fate only. Seeing this Gopala Krishna Bharathi super imposed the life of Thiru NaaLai Povaar Nandanaar there and wrote a number of songs, set it to music and created a work of art based on fiction and imagination! So rightfully a land owner Nandanaar became a slave labourer under a cruel Brahmin land lord, who would never let him go to any temple! The musical drama became famous and a motivating and rallying point for the nationalistic movement and a convenient weapon to beat the Brahmins with for casteism! In the bargain, Thiru NaaLai Povaar Nandanaar’s story from Periya PuraaNam went into the back ground, unknown! Look at the irony here that a well meaning Brahmin (Gopala Krishna Bharathi) provides the proof of cruelty by a fictitious Brahmin character in a drama; that is so nicely hoisted on all Brahmins of the society!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 09 (Vol # 6) Dated 16 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 09 (Vol # 6) Dated 16 June 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 going ahead from the middle of page No 56 of Vol 6 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)
65. Mahendra Pallava had embraced the religion of Jainism which had no VarNa – Aashrama separations or divisions. Appar Swami had also done the same thing of dilly dallying with that religion for quite some time and then returned to the fold of Sanaatana Dharma. Mahendra Verma while still in Jainism had tormented and pestered Appar Swami in ‘n’ number of ways for going back to the Hindu Religion of Sanaatana Dharma! But Appar had repeatedly escaped unscathed from whatever the hazards he had to face! Having seen miracles after miracles that nothing could affect or hurt Appar in any way and having observed and noted his deep belief and convictions; Mahendra Pallava also returned back to the Vedic Religion of Sanaatana Dharma. On return, he would have been rather serious about his faiths and beliefs and would not have dared to joke about it by calling himself a product of a mix of religions! May be this going out and returning to the fold of Sanaatana Dharma, could have been the cause of his calling himself a ‘Brashta’, but not ‘SamkeerNa Jaati’! Finally the puzzle was solved. The researchers of the field of Music were the ones to finally find the answer.
66. In ‘SamkeerNa Jaati’, the Jaati was indicative of Raaga and not a caste, they said. In Bharatha Saastram itself the word ‘Raaga’ is not there, but only Jaati, like a name for a type or variety. Some hundred years before Mahendra Verma, there was one Musical genius Matangar who had coined the word ‘Raaga’ to mean a tune within the confines of a discipline of having a set pattern of Swaras in the ‘Aarohanam’ and ‘Avarohanam’ (that is in the ascent and descent). Depending on this set pattern the definition (LakshaNa) and name of the Raaga will differ. Then for some period of time both the names ‘Jaati’ and ‘Raaga’ continued to be used. This gentleman Matangar had mentioned a mixed Raaga possibly made of Aarohanam of one and Avarohanam of another Raaga and named it as a ‘SamkeerNa’ Raaga! It is clear from the Kudumia Malai carvings on stone that Mahendra Verma had studied music and specialised in such Raagaas and so had given himself such a title, there by bringing an inevitable conclusion to the irreconcilable puzzle, of his title.
67. Let me tell you as to what I know about this SamkeerNa Jaati or Mixed Raaga to the extent I am aware of. Presently, in Carnatic Music, as per the classification by one Venkata Mukhi, there are supposed to be 72 basic Raagaas identified as MeLa Karta or SampoorNa Raagaas, which have all the seven notes within the octave, from which all other Raagaas (whose numbers theoretically could run into millions) have evolved. These 72 Raagaas have been grouped in two major divisions, having the lower or higher of the two ‘madhyama’ Swaras aka notes known as ‘Suddha madhyama or prati madhyama’. The lower madhyama swara occurs in the Raaga SankaraabharaNam and the higher one occurs in the Raaga KalyaaNi. With these two Madhyama Swaras as the basis, the 72 MeLa Karta ragas have been divided in to two equal halves of 36 Raagaas each. In this Carnatic music system, as well as its forerunner method of singing known as ‘PaN Paaduthal’ as while singing the Tevaram Songs, no Raagaa can have both the Madhyama Swaras. As you may know, between the starting lower ‘sa’ and the next level ‘Sa’, there are six notes such as, ‘ri’, ‘ga’, ‘ma’, ‘pa’, ‘da’ and ‘ni’; known respectively as Rishabham, Gaandaaram, Madhyamam, Panchamam, Daivatam and Nishaadam. Each one of these notes that is, the ‘ri, ga, pa, da and ni’ could also have two varieties each. In them it is possible for a Raaga to have a different one variety of ‘ri, ga, da, and ni’ in the ascending order and then a variation of notes in the descending order! But in our South Indian Carnatic music, there are no variations in the ‘Madhyama’ note in AarohaNam and AvarohaNam! Get this point clear that, within a Raga it will be either ‘Suddha Madhyama Raaga’ or ‘Prati Madhyama Raaga’. Within one Raaga there can be no mixing of the Madhyama Swaras at all. But Mahendra Verma had created such Raagaas as having two different Madhyama Swaras alternating between AarohaNam and AvarohaNam. There are seven such Raagaas mentioned in the inscriptions on stone found at Kudumia Malai. Those Raagaas could be collectively named as ‘SamkeerrNa Jaati’, which in turn he could have taken as a title for himself!
68. His ideas had still not been followed in the South India. Only in what is known as Hindustani Sangeet, more widely prevalent in North India, there are Raagaas with varying Madhyama Swaraas between the ascending and descending order within a Raaga. As the tunes of these Raagaas are rather popular and have mass appeal, some of these Raagaas have been accepted in the Carnatic Sangeet too, I was told. I was talking about how it is wrong to super impose some of these modern ideas on the past. As inter caste marriages have become the order of the day, I was talking about how Mahendra Pallavan is thought to be the product of an inter-caste marriage, by the title he had given himself, though the reason for it lies elsewhere. It is some such twisted logic that is the reason for Mahendra Verma’s son’s army commander, who was a ‘Maamaatra Brahmin’ to be thought to be a farmer, because of some people’s penchant for locating some red-herrings of the so called, ‘Tamil – traditions’!

69. ‘Mahamaatras’ became ‘Maamaatra’ in Tamil, for those Brahmins who left their Vedic profession and shifted to other avocations and careers, mainly to soldiering and medicine, so as to differentiate them from others born and practicing as brahmins. There is sufficient evidence that such people were holding positions of high standing in the governmental jobs of that period. The very word ‘Mahamaatra’ is indicative of a high capacity; ‘maha’ means big or huge and ‘maatra’ means a measure or scale. So in what respect is he supposed to be big? He is big in, “mantre, karmaNi, bhushaayaam, vitte, maane, parichchede / maatra cha mahatee yeshaam maha maatraastu te smruta: //”
70. Here, ‘mantre’ does not mean mantra Saastras but in giving sensible advices to the king, that is to say ‘in ministering’! Thus the Mahaamaatras have a major role to play in the decisions of the cabinet of ministers. Then in ‘karmaNi’, that is, in direct action including in operation theatre and in theatres of operation of war, such a person has much to do. In ‘bhushaayaam’, that is get-up, style and ornamentation he is high class and in ‘vittam’ that is in money and materials he is very rich. What else is he tops in? In ‘maane’, that is in matters of protocol and conventional customs he is second only to royalty. Then in ‘parichchede’ that is, in dress, uniform, accoutrements and the retinue of followers; the Mahamaatras have real high class! The slokam goes on to say that they are such people whose standards are rather high in terms of counselling, protocol, dress, uniform, accoutrements, wealth, retinue and followers; are considered as Mahaamaatras – as the poem says – ‘mahamaatraastu te smruta:’. These matters, in the time-frame that we are talking about, just cannot be applicable to the farmers and land lords. So the fanciful claim by some that Mahamaatra Paranjyoti is from the ‘VeLaaLar’ community is proved to be wrong.
71. In the Sanskrit Dictionary cum Encyclopaedia known as ‘Amara Kosa’, the word Mahamaatras has been mentioned. Rajas are said to be of many varieties like Chakravarty, Saarvabouma, Mandaleshwara and Samraat. While talking about such people’s followers, one of the first mentioned is ‘Mahamaatra’ or the minister and then only ‘Pradaani’ (prime / chief) and ‘Purohits’ are mentioned.
72. Manusmruti is one of the oldest reference books on Dharma Saastra of primary importance. The word Mahamaatraas finds a place in Manusmruti itself! It is about crimes by people of high standing in the hierarchy. Such people cannot afford to be found guilty of errors of commission and omission. The king has to be doubly harsher in dealing with such people as, ‘Mahamaatraas, Chikitsakaas (meaning doctors), Sculptors and Female Artisans. More than regular criminals, errors of omission and commissions by these four have a greater impact on the whole society. When Mahamaatraas or Ministers are corrupt, the bureaucracy and departments under them and governance in general in the entire nation or state gets corrupted. When doctors are corrupt, instead of curing the illnesses there will be endemic problems of health. If the Sculptor is corrupt, the making of temples, devotion to divinity and the moral force in the society will suffer setbacks. The fourth in the list are the courtesans meant for ‘Shodasa Upachaaraas’ in the Temples as well as display and demonstrations of fine arts in the Royal Courts including for foreign dignitaries and for development of fine arts in general. If they are corrupt, they can misuse their influence causing a collapse of moral standards! So, corruption in these four categories are to be considered as ‘Kantaka’ that is, ‘thorns’ on the side by the king and so punished more severely! (Refer to Manusmruti, 259th Sloka in the 9th Adhyaayam.) The fact that Mahamaatraas are the ones being mentioned as the first of the administrative body bears out their importance.
73. Though they may have given up the very important profession of their Vedic duties, service in the medical profession or soldiering, were also done very efficiently by them to be worthy of a special name as Mahamaatraas, something like a standard scale of efficiency for the whole of society, in all walks of life. Though these Mahamaatraas may not have done much Adhyayanam (not extensively studied the Vedas), while talking about Paranjyoti, Sekkizhaar in Periya PuraaNam says that he had read the Aayurveda in depth and had extensively studied the Saastraas and literature in the Sanskrit language. (Refer to Periya PuraaNam 3662, “aayuL vedak-kalaiyum, alagil vada noork-kalaiyum”.) He was also an expert in Dhanurveda (that is, Archery) and handling of Horses and Elephants. (Refer to Periya PuraaNam, “thooya padaik-kalath thozhilum thurai nirambap payinra vartraar paayumada kunjaramumpariyum ugaikkum paNbu meya thozhil vinjai inum mediniyin melaanaar”)
74. When Thiru Gnaana Sambandar came to Thiru Chengaattaankudi, Paranjyoti had returned there as it was his birth place and had come to be known as ‘SiruththoNdar’ as a Naayanaar. Many Nayanmaars were family members as Gruhasta-s / house holders. SiruththoNdar invited that divine child to his house, lifted the child Sambandar to give him a hug and enabled him to rest his legs on his chest, which was adorned by PooNool, as described by Sekkizhaar. (Refer to Periya Puraaam 3682 – “munnool ser ponmaarbir siruththondar pugali kaavalanaar tham nannaamach chevadigaL portrisaithu nalanchirandaar”) So certainly, he could not have been a VeLaaLar farmer at all, by any stretch of imagination!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 08 (Vol # 6) Dated 14 June 2012

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 08 (Vol # 6) Dated 14 June 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 going ahead from the middle of page No 49 of Vol 6 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)
57. If it is wrong for speakers and writers of the present day Tamil Nadu to claim that the ‘Moovendars’ (– triad of Sera, Sozha and Pandya kings), had nurtured the Tamil culture as though it was something totally different to Indian National Ethos; it was further farfetched to talk like that about the Pallava Dynasty which came into being much later. Though the Sera, Sozha and Pandya kings were claiming themselves to be belonging to Surya / Chandra Vamsam or Sibi’s descendants, at least their names were typical Tamil names such as, ‘Nedunseralaadhan, Seramaan Perumaan, Karikaal VaLavan, KiLLi VaLavan, Nedumaaran and Nedunchezhiyan! Whereas the Pallava kings had names such as Skanda Sishyan, Kumara Vishnu, Simha Verma, Simha Vishnu, Mahendra, Narasimha, Parameswara, Nandivarma and such are all Sanskrit names! The inscriptions on stone about classical music In Kudumia Malai and many others of their Saasanams are all in the Sanskrit language itself. In all those Saasanams, the Pallavas have referred to themselves as ‘Parama BrhmaNyas’. They have taken care of Sanskrit Schools. If a Brahmin is called a ‘Sarma’, the Kshatriya is referred to as a ‘Verma’. Accordingly, they added the suffix ‘Verma’ to all their names, such as Nrusimha Verma and Nandi Verma! They claimed that they belonged to the Bharadwaja Gothram!
58. It was in their time that Appar, Sambandar, Thirumangai Aazhwaar and such devotees divine Tamil songs came into existence, it is true. But these great poets of devotion were all for Vedic methods only as they themselves have said in so many words, “veda nerithazhaithonga vandavargaLe”! To pull them into this unnecessary and imaginary quarrel of ‘Aryan Vs Dravidian’ is totally mischievous! I am not saying all this, so as to establish as though only the Vedic Traditions are superior or some such nonsense. There was no animosity or pulling in different directions between Tamil Language, Tamilians and devotional paths to God, through Vedic traditions anyhow. Whatever it is, my point is only that this whole nation was one in terms of traditions and ways, and that should be understood and continue to be so without any differences, is my sincere wish and prayer. Let us not have differences and cleavages within the people of this country. Let us not believe in the canard fictitiously created by the Britishers of a Race theory, so as to continue their grip and control over this nation and in the bargain have hate, and disbelief amongst us all. I am not asking you to ignore truth for the sake of unity either. People, who believe in Tamil culture and traditions, need not feel deceived that once their culture and tradition was something wonderful and that has been debased by the influx of Aryans / Vedic Culture and traditions! The culture and traditions of the whole of India was one with shades of differences brought in by variations in lingo, geography and regional climate. So there is no need for Tamilians to feel that they have been made fools of in the interregnum from some outlandish glorious past, which has been lost or that they have to shed something to regain some imaginary past glory! From Kailasa to Rameswaram it s the same Parameswara, whose children we all are. This South India having the most number of temples per square mile area, with the greatest amount of devotional literature in the whole world, as the children of one mother’s womb for eons of time, should continue to live sans quarrels, accepting the truth the way it is! While praying for everybody’s well being saying, ‘Let all the worlds be happy and let all the people wherever they are be contented’, I also wish to add that we may do away with all expressions of animosities, hates and disdain, but opt for mutual appreciation and praise. That is what I pray for to Lord Chandra Mouliswara always and every time!
59. In my above analysis, if I have criticised anybody, I take back all of those criticisms. Whatever I might have spoken against, was also for the sake of unity instead of being divided. Unity need not be achieved by telling a lie or hiding the truth. Truth is essential and so is unity essential. All that I am saying is that we need to unify with truth! When certain things are going totally off track, our point of view may not be heard unless one raises one’s voice. So, one may have to be slightly forceful. But, the basic wish and purpose is that we should all get together as the children of one God, with kindred love. Having started talking about the elder son of ‘Aran’, for us all to be united as ‘Aran KudimakkaL’, it is essential that we have that first son’s blessings. Without our knowing he is always doing this. If you ask me how, though nobody has come forward to call him the ‘Tamil God’, all over Tamil Nadu there are more number of temples for him in every road corner, or turning, or middle of the road, river bank, on the side of ponds and wells, with or without walls and roofs; more than any other State in India! Without giving a chance for thoughts of a race to arise, he is having all of us in an encompassing grip of devotion as ‘Aran KudimakkaL’. As the God of Arivu (one word encompassing the ideas of brains, intelligence and worthwhile knowledge) also, he is keeping us all in an embrace of truth and unity! He may be kind enough to show us the right path in our analysis, enabling us to avoid the pit falls and pot holes of untoward ends!
60. Was Mahendra Pallavan the Product of a Mixed Race? Let me tell you as to how, in the name of research and analysis people end up in quixotic situations! The Pallava King Mahendra Verma had many titles to his name. One of them is ‘SamkeerNa Jaati’. What the researchers did was to come to a conclusion that he belonged to a mixed race and that he was not a pure Kshatriya, as he has claimed a title to that effect, in the inscriptions in Saasanams by his own edicts! Whatever be the views and opinions these days, vide the stone inscriptions, metal plate etchings and writings of the poets of that period of time, it has been repeatedly confirmed that, our old kings strictly adhered to VarNa – Aashrama rules and regulations. When such was the time, being a king of the Pallava Dynasty which claims to belong to Bharadwaja Gothram, could not have made much about his being of a mixed race, even if that was so! Now if you call Nehru a ‘high ranking Brahmin’, imagine how annoyed he would become! (This statement was made when Nehru was alive and he had made a demonstration of not caring for caste identifications!) Similarly, some 13 centuries back, even if Mahendra Verma was from a mixed breed of races, he would not have liked being pointed out let alone claim that as a title!
61. As I said earlier, he had written the ‘Matta Vilaasa Prahasanam’, a humorous drama. At the end is the concluding ‘Bharatha Vaakyam’ which says, “For the welfare of the citizens, let the God of Fire continue to carry the ‘Aahuties’ (oblations) for the Devas. (That is to say, let Yaagas and Yagnas continue to be conducted in my Kingdom during my Rule!) Let the Brahmins continue to practice the Vedas! Let the cows be pouring out their gift of milk for the humanity!” he says. The reason for mentioning Brahmins’ and Cows’ well being in the same breath is that both their well being contributes for the welfare of the whole of humanity, not only in terms of being able to drink milk, but because the ghee from the milk is used in Yagnas for making the ‘Aahuties’, which benefits the whole of humanity! Now let me quote the words of the ‘Bharata Vaakyam’ at the end of the drama written by Mahendra Pallavan – “bhootyai prajaanaam vahatu vidhihutaam aahutim jaatavedaa: / vedaan vipraa bhajantaam Surabhi: duhitaro puridohaa bhavantu /” – for which the meaning has already been given. Such a person so particular about scriptural Vedic procedures, would never have given much importance to being of a mixed race or caste, even if he was one! Then what is the meaning of ‘SamkeerNa Jaati’? This was a stumbling block in my understanding. Then experts in the Art of Music gave me a possible explanation.
62. Mahendra Verma was a well merited expert in Music himself. In Kudumia Malai near Pudukkottai, there is a huge stone inscription bigger than anywhere else in the whole world containing his edicts! Experts from the present day world of Music have interpreted this title based on his expertise in Music. In the types of beats known in Carnatic Music as Taala-s, there is one metre known as ‘SamkeerNa Jaati. He might have been very good in that or the one to have discovered that Taal! May be his title was because of that. That gave me some relief and saved me from the agony that a King with so much of trust in rules and regulations of the Saastraas, could so flagrantly claim to be from a mixed race or Jaati!
63. But, to my continued discomfort, this relief was only short lived. Some other experts in Music, looking deeper into the matter found that, this Taal known as ‘SamkeerNa Jaati’ was part of the currently accepted ones and that it had been formally included in the accepted variations only some 500 years back. So, Mahendra Verma being of a period more than 1,300 years hence, could not have claimed a title based on this Taala at all, they proved with sufficient evidence in support! Now, my problem was back to square one!
64. Mahendra Verma was fond of humour, fun and games. He was witty and capable of laughing at himself! He has adopted titles having a dig at his own self! Accordingly indicating that by nature, he is a multi faceted personality, he has called himself a, ‘Vichitra Chittan’ to mean that he is ‘strangely and variously surprisingly minded’! On the one hand when he calls himself a ‘guNa paran’, which is something like calling oneself ‘high-class’, he also says that he is, ‘ishta – dushta – brashta charitan’. That is as good as saying that he is simultaneously a man who does things by whims and fancies (ishta), sometimes cruelly mischievous (dushta), and also gone astray from the normal (brashta)! How to understand this? The word ‘Ishta’ can be understood to mean that he does things by whims and fancies, which makes him rather attractive. Now, ‘Dushta’ can be interpreted as being, cruel with offenders and enemies. What do you make of the word ‘Brashta’? May be he is sometimes quirky? He is unique alright being a ‘vichtra chittan’ isn’t it? Since other kings make it a habit of exaggerating their own good qualities, he has made fun of himself and fallen prey to the lure of the rhyme, while parodying their habits, may be! Thus he has made a title of something of which you can never be proud of! His drama ‘Matta Vilaasa Prahasanam’ is a parody and farce of some real literary merit! May be to make fun of other kings who have a weakness for self-praise by calling themselves the ‘Dina MaNi’ or ‘Chudaa MaNi’ and ‘Chintaa MaNi’, he is patting himself that he is product of a male and female, may be! So he has called himself a ‘SamkeerNa Jaati’, I tried to tell myself. But I was not fully satisfied with my own explanation! Now what?
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva