DEIVATHIN KURAL # 144 (Vol # 6) Dated 20 Mar 2013
DEIVATHIN KURAL # 144
(Vol # 6) Dated 20 Mar 2013
(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 last paragraph
on page No 985 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)
அம்பாளுடைய கற்புச் சிறப்பு
AmbãL's Fidelity
631. Even
when everybody else and everything else is
obliterated, merged, erased, destroyed, annihilated or simply wiped out of
existence; this Swami and AmbãL
continue their escapades, games, merriment and fun and frolics. (Here PeriyavãL is explaining the sloka No
26, word to word.) In that Maha Pralaya,
'virinchi: panchatvam vrajati' – 'विरिञ्चि: पञ्चत्वं व्रजति', meaning Brhma reaches his end. Vishnu attains to his termination – 'hari:
aapnoti viratim' – 'हरि:
आप्नोति विरतिं'. Yama who draws the deadline for everybody
else reaches his finality – 'vinãsam keenãso bhajati' – 'विनाशं कीनाशो भजति'. The
Lord of Wealth Kubera also finishes, that all his riches cannot save him from –
'dhanado yãti nidhanam' – 'धनदो याति निधनं'. At that time a whole lot of Indrãs too close
their eyes forever – 'vitandri mãhendri vitatirapi sammeelita dhrusã' – 'वितन्द्री माहेन्द्री विततिरपि
संमीलित दृशा'. Even in such times when everything else and
everybody else are getting written off, your this husband continues to play
around with you surprisingly – 'asmin maha
samhãre he sati, asou tvat pati: viharati' – 'अस्मिन महा संहारे हे सति, असौ
त्वत पति: विहरति!'
632. (KTSV Adds:
I had given elsewhere how One Brhma's life time lasts for
311,040,000,000,000 number of years of 365 days as per human calculations of 24
hours, as given in Surya Siddhãnta.
During each day [including a night] of Brhma's, there would have been
142 Maha Yugas adding to 28 Manvantaras lasting for 8,640,000,000 no of years
which makes up two Kalpas. During this
period there would have been many Indras as King of Devatas and Kalpa
Pralayas! See Swami Sivananda's book on
Bhagawat Gita published by The Divine Life Society, PO Shivananda Nagar – 249
192, Dist, Tehri Garhwal, Uttara Khand, India.)
633. The poet is calling AmbãL as 'Sati'.
Sati means someone who is highly devoted to one's husband. As the wife of Siva, Sati the daughter of
Daksha, felt it below her dignity when Daksha Prajapati conducted a Maha Yagna,
but failed to invite his own son-in-law.
Having gone over there out of love of old times, Sati felt disgusted at
her father's behaviour and attitude that she committed suicide by jumping in to
the fire of Homa Kund. That is the level
and intensity of loyalty and fidelity of Sati towards her husband. This became a social custom in India that
women used to jump into the funeral fire of the husband. Instead of this being a voluntary act on the
part of the wife, it came to be forced on women as a social norm, against which
Mahatma Gandhi took up cudgels.
634. So, Sati is the name
of AmbãL as the woman who was ready to give up her life for the prestige and
reputation of her husband's name. Like
we have special word in Sanskrit for the love of the parents for the children
as 'vãtsalyam' – 'वात्सल्यं', we have a special name for the absolute
loyalty of the wife for the husband in Tamil as 'karpu' – 'கற்பு'. Similarly this word 'Sati' though just the name of a woman,
came to indicate the extreme sacrifice a woman was ready to make to maintain
the honour of her husband! Though she
gave up her life at the pyre, she is the Brhma Shakti of eternal life of
absolute devotedness for her husband. If
she is eternity in female form, her partner has to be also of eternal
relevance, isn't it? So, the Pralaya
Agni does not affect him also – so as to maintain her continued 'Nitya-Sowmãngalyatvam',
meaning eternal honour of being a wedded wife!
The same idea is emphasised in the next sloka known more for its end
phrase – 'tava janani tãtanga mahima' – 'तव जननि ताटङ्ग महिमा'!
635. "सुधामप्यास्वाध्य प्रतिभय जरामृत्यु हरिणीं
sudhãmapyãsvãdhya
pratibhaya jarã mrutyu hariNeem
विपध्यन्ते
विश्वे विधि शतमखाध्या दिविषद: |
vipadhyante visve vidhi shatamakhãdyã divishadha: |
करालं यत्क्ष्वेलं कबलितवत: कालकलना
karãlam yatkshvelam kabalitavata: kãla kalanã
न
शंबोस्तन्मूलं तव जननि ताटङ्ग
महिमा ||"
na shambostanmoolam tava Janani tãtanga
mahimã ||
[जननि = Mother! प्रतिभय = intimidating; जरामृत्यु हरिणीं = that which can undo old age and death; विधि शतमखाध्या = Brhma and Indra and many other such Devatãs; विश्वे = all दिविषद: =divine beings; विपध्यन्ते = are annihilated (during Maha
Pralaya, even then,) करालं = very dangerous; क्ष्वेलं = that poison known as Kãlakoota
कबलितवत: the one who had swallowed it; शंबो: = Siva (only); कालकलना = subjugated to the shenanigans
of Kãla the Time as
Equalizer; न
यत् = if someone is not so
subjected, तन्मूलं = the cause of it is तव = your ताटङ्ग महिमा = power of the Tãtanga the ear studs.]
636. Anybody who has
consumed poison that too the famous 'Kãlakoota' known for its potency has to
die. Then we are used to the idea that
those who have consumed Amrita obviate death and live for ever! But what happens here is topsy-turvy! In the time of 'Sarva Samhãra' the Maha
Pralaya, all the divine beings who have partaken Amrita die and Parameswara who
has gulped the dangerous Kãlakoota poison continues to thrive and flourish as
the only one in balance to survive!
"ஈசநோடும், ஏனைய தேவரோடும்
அம்பிகையின் மாறுபாடான லீலை"
The Difference in AmbãL's Leela in Dealing with
Easwara & Other Devatãs
637. The surprising thing here is that the way
Easwara is on one side and all other Devatas are on the other, so also it is
there in AmbãL's service. When the poet says 'Mukunda BrhmendrãL' all Devatãs are included in it.
When all those Devatãs are so devotedly falling on her feet, Easwara is standing apart not
joining them. That one who has his hair
heaped up on his head (called சடையாண்டி in Tamil) has not joined the
others who are wearing jewelled crowns on their heads! Now see how she treats these two lots – those
who are falling in her feet with respect and adoration are all written-off in
Pralaya and the one who stood apart unconcerned, is watching all the play and
playing with her, during the Pralaya also!
638. To go before a dignitary like that and having their
darsan is known in Tamil as 'seviththal' – 'சேவித்தல்'. There is one
sloka describing how AmbãL is tripping over the crowns of those who are prostrating before her while
having her darsan and is running to welcome
the one who is neither having her darsan nor doing namaskãr to her. He is returning from somewhere and looking at
him from a distance AmbãL gets up from her seat and is rushing forward with mounting
love and adoration to receive him. At
that time her lady attendants are telling her to be careful lest she may trip
on any number of heads with crowns of deities on the way, who are doing
namaskãr to her! The poet starts with the caution of the attendants without describing the
context, thereby creating quite a dramatic effect!
639. The sloka No 29 starts with 'kireetam
vairincham parihara' – 'किरीटं वैरिञ्चं परिहर' meaning,
'please avoid tripping on the crown of Virinchi!' The word 'वैरिञ्चं' means Virinchi's that is Brahma's.
Amongst many names of Brahma, ÃchãryãL has used this name more. In the very first sloka of Soundarya Lahari
he has said, 'हरि-हर-विरिन्चादिभि:
अपि' and in the second, 'विरिञ्चि संचिन्वन'. Then while talking about an assemblage
of poets in the 12th sloka, he says 'विरिञ्चि प्रभृतय:' like saying 'the creators'! The definition says, 'visesheNa rinchadeeti
Virinchi:' – 'विशेषेण
रिञ्चदीति विरिञ्चि:'
meaning 'specially
creates and hence Virinchi:'. Because it
is so special, I suppose our ÃchãryãL also has given that word a special
preference.
640. "Please avoid
tripping on the crown of Virinchi, Mother!" Then they are saying "Be careful that
you avoid foundering on the strong crown of the one who destroyed
Kaitabhasura" – 'कैटभभित: कठोरे कोटीरे स्खलसि'! Madhu – Kaitabha Asuras came to destroy Brhma who was in the
lotus of the naval of Vishnu who was sleeping.
He was reluctant of disturbing his father who was deep asleep. So he prayed to AmbãL who had fully enveloped
Vishnu as Yoga Nidra. If VaishNavas have
any objection to the use of the word 'enveloped', let me correct myself by
saying that Vishnu was under the influence of Yoga Nidra. By Brahma's prayer the influence was removed
and Vishnu got up and destroyed the Madhu – Kaitabha Asuras. Referring to this anecdote, the poet has
named Vishnu as 'Kaitabha bhita'.
641. His crown was
hard and so the poet says 'katore koteere'.
The word 'Koteeram' means crown.
In Lalitha Sahasranãma too there is this 'kuruvinda maNi sreNee kanat
koteera manditã' – 'कुरुविन्द मणि श्रेणी कनत कोटीर मन्डिता', which means that she is wearing a crown inlaid with a series
of gems. So anyhow, the word 'Koteera'
means a crown. The crown on the head of
Vishnu is not hollow but is 'katore' or solid. How can a crown be solid? It has to have some hollow portion where a
part of the head can fit in, isn't it?
No, his crown is solid. In the
44th sloka of 'VishNu Pãdãdi Keshãnta Stotram', our ÃchãryãL describes how it
happens to be solid, 'kruta makuta mahadeva linga pratishte' – 'कृत मकुट महादेव लिङ्ग प्रतिष्टे',
meaning that he is wearing a Shiv-Ling as a crown! The amusing point here is that, VishNu is
wearing that out of his love for Siva, without even thinking about the fact
that the shiv-Ling which is the crown on his head, if it touches the feet of
AmbãL it can be insulting for Siva, as well as to her devotion for her husband
Siva! In her love for her husband, she
is about to trip on a Siva Ling. When
love and devotion is overwhelming there is no insult meant in any action. Did not KaNNappa having transplanted one of
his eyes in the Shiv-Ling, put his toe on the spot of the second eye, when he
was trying pluck his second eye also, so that he may know
exactly where to fix the second eye in the Shiv-Ling!? So all our actions are acceptable or
otherwise depending on our attitude and bhãva!
642. Like the description
of Mukunda-Brhma-Indra's crowns said to be doing Neerãjanam in the earlier
sloka, here too after Brhma and Vishnu's crowns, Indra's name is mentioned. Another Lady-in-waiting cautions AmbãL not to get tripped against
the crown of Indra, who is known as Jambãri as having defeated and killed an Asura known as Jamban – 'jahi jambãri makutam' – 'जहि जम्बारी मकुटम्'. So saying the ladies
waiting on AmbãL caution her and take care of her variously! The poet is appreciating their winning ways,
when he says 'tava parijana ukti: vijayate' – 'तव परिजन उक्ति: विजयते'!
First he gives their words of caution and promptings separately
dramatically making us wonder as to who is telling whom and why. Towards the end he makes the reference to the
context clear! Even then if we are
wondering as to what is the occasion for the Devas to be doing namaskãr to AmbãL,
our doubt gets cleared by noting the fact 'this act of Devas doing namaskãr is an
event that is happening all the time – saswan – 'सस्वन्'. The
immediate context is that Siva, whose one of the names is 'Bhava', had gone out
of their residence – 'Bhavanam' and he is returning and so, AmbãL gets up to go
forward and receive him! Here the word
'upayãtam' means 'returning' and AmbãL's getting up is mentioned as 'abhyuttãnam' which
may ring some bells in your memory, as it has been used in the famous sloka in
Bhagawat Gita – "yada yada hi dharmasya glãnir bhavati bhãrata
abhyuttãnam adharmasya tadãtmãnam srujãmyaham" –
"यदा
यदा हि धर्मस्य गलानिर भवति भारत |
अभ्युत्तानं अधर्मस्य तदात्मानं स्रुजाम्यहं || ". The
Sanskrit word for returning is 'upayãtam' and getting up is 'abhyuttãnam'!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva
Labels: posted by Lt Col KTSV Sarma
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