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Second kalasam on PranavAkruthi- VimAnam : Yajur Vedam : part 9

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • April 21, 1998 


Dear Sri RanganAtha BhakthAs :

With today's postings , I have come to the halfway 
point of the 18 brick kaimkaryam ( Units of the $108 
contribution to the Temple construction kaimkaryam for 
Our Lord of Srirangam to take up His residence at Pomona ,
New York ) .
 
In today's posting , I will dwell upon the second of 
the four Veda Kalasams decorating the PraNavAkruthi Vimanam
holding Para VaasudEvA on one side and providing the shade for
Sri RanganAtha having Yoga NidrA below .The second Veda kalasam
represents Yajur Vedam , both Sukla and Krishna Yajur Vedams .

For my 18 brick kaimkaryam , I will select 9 manthrams of 
the Yajur Vedam just as I did yesterday by focusing on the
nine Saamans of Saama Vedam . It is not the easiest task to
pick just nine manthrams of any Veda SamhithA , 
but due to space &time pressures , I will stay with 
this small number of nine .

SRI RANGANAATHA IS YAJUR VEDA SVARUPI
*************************************
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1 . A PRAYER FOR PURIFICATION THROUGH VEDIC KNOWLEDGE
*****************************************************

yatthE pavithramarchishyagnE vithathamantharA I
Brahma tEna punAthu maa II   ---Y.V : Chapter XIX.41

( meaning ) : O Lord ! Purify me( the sinner and 
the impure one ) with Thy pure and sacred Vedic 
knowledge diffused by Thy pure , resplendent lustre
( Svayam JyOthi ) .

I am reminded of the ThiruviNNagar Paasuram of 
NammAzhwAr here :

Param sudar udambAi azhukku pathittha udambAi
karanthum thOnriyum ninrum kaitthavangaL seythum , viNNOr
sirangaLAl vaNangum ThiruviNNagar serntha pirAn 
Varam koLL paadhangaL allaal illai yaavarkkum vannsaraNE 
                  ----Thiruvaimozhi :6.7 

The Lord of ThiruviNNagar has an incomparable , supremely
effulgent , aprAkrutha , Suddha Sattva form . He is thus 
paramjyOthi . He is also the indweller of the sinful and 
impure body of chEthanams . He stays inside this impure body in 
a concealed manner . Even though He is hidden from view ,
He makes Himself visible as the resident of the heart cavity 
for those Yogis , who have His blessings of Vedic knowledge . 
AzhwAr asserts that for anyone aspiring for salvation 
( Moksham ) , there is no other path ( naanya : panthA ),
no other recourse except the surely-helping sacred feet 
of the Lord of ThiruviNNagar ( Sri VaikuntanAthan ) ,
which are worshipped by the nithya sUris as well as by
the Devas with lowered heads .

2. THE TRUE (RUTHAM) AND THE MIGHTY (BRUHATH) LORD 
***************************************************

Hagumsa : suchishadhsurantharikshasaddhOthA 
vedhisha dathithirdhurONasath I
nrushadhvarasadhruthasadh vyOmasadhajA gOjA
ruthajA adhrijA rutham bruhath II
                   ---Y.V : 12.14

(Meaning ) : The Lord , Sriman NaarAyaNA is the destroyer
of evil deeds ; the embodiment of purity ; the supporter of
all that is virtuous ; firm and steadfast like an anchor rock 
in holding the laws of sAsthram ; the promulgator of sathyam ;
omnipresent in every nook and corner of His creation as 
the indweller ; eminently adorable to invoke spontaneous 
eulogies form His bhakthAs ; indweller of the minds of 
those whom He adores such as His devotees and the Yogis ; 
He is forever tied with what is Truth and He is the creator
of the vital prANans , the animals ( two and four-footed )
,the creator of the VedAs , the harbinger of rain-laden clouds 
and He is the embodiment of Truth and is mighty 
in form and  sweep .

This is a tremondous conception of the Lord of Srirangam 
and His glories . He is the pUthAthmA ( the ever-pure Self);
hence , he destroys effortlessly all of our sins.He is 
the ParamAthmA and mukthAnAm paramA gathi: ( supreme goal 
of the realized souls ) .He is the Purushan ( the genrous giver)
and the SaakshI (witness ) of all of our deeds .He is 
PradhAna PurushEsvaran ( the Lord of primordial matter 
and the jeevans ). He is indeed sathyam , Jn~Anam and 
Anantham and Bhramman . This Veda Manthram salutes 
this wonderful , multi-facetted Lord .

3.A PROFOUND PRAYER TO THIS LORD OF MANY ATTRIBUTES
****************************************************

thEjOsi thEjO mayi dEhi 
veeryamasi veeryam mayi dEhi
Balamasi Balam mayi dhEhO-
jOasyOjO mayi dEhi 
manyurasi manyum mayi dEhi
sahOsi sahO mayi dEhi
         --Y.V. XIX.9 

(Meaning ) : O Lord of Sri Rangam ! Thou art
lustre ! Please bless me with lustre .
Thou art manly valour ; please grant me
that valour . Thou art the embodiment of 
strength ; please grant me strength to bear 
the visicitudes of life on this earth .
Thou art the vitality ; please bless me 
with vitality . Thou art righteous indignation
and anger ; please give me the vivekam to have 
that righteous indignation . Thou art forbearance ;
please bless me with forbearnce to forgive those ,
who committ apachArams against your laws and Your
BhaagavathAs .

4. ASCENT TO THE HIGHEST JYOTHI : THE STEPS
********************************************

PruthivyA ahamudanthariksham 
aaruhamantharikshaadh dhivamAruham I
dhivO nAkasya prushtAth 
svajyOthiragAmaham II
  --Y.V: XVII .67

( Meaning ) : Through the practise of YogA , from 
physical force ( prANAyAmam et al prescribed 
in AshtAnga Yogam)  , I rise to the higher plateau
of mental force ; from mental force , I rise next
to the even  higher plateau of spiritual force ;
from spiritual force , I rise higher to YOU , 
the bliss-giving jyOthi .

Alternatively , this manthram has been translated 
to mean that a steadfast Yogi rises from earth to
space , from space to the Sun , from the Sun to
the height of happiness, Sri Vaikuntam .

5. THE LORD IS HIGHER THAN THIS EARTH AND HEAVEN
*************************************************

parO dhivA para yEnA pruthivyA parO
dEvEbhiraurairyadhasthi I
kagumsvidh garbham prathamam dhadhra
aapO yathra dEvA :samapasyantha pUrvE II
           ---Y.V : XVII.29

(Meaning ) : God is higher (more profound and lofty)
than this earth and heaven . He is higher than 
the learned living beings ( scholars of the VedAs ).
He is beyond the divisions of Time ( KaalAtheethan ) .
It is through His persuasion , the erring souls enter
numerous births and assume different bodies. It is HIM ,
the realized ones see with their spiritual eyes .

The Lord of Srirangam , who is " SamsAra -Moksha -
sthithi-Bhandha hEthu: ( BhagavAn is at once 
the root cause for the bondage , release and 
sustenance of this universe ) is a much higher
principle than the prakruthi and chEthanams .
This sakthimathAm srEshtan is not bound by time .
He has no past , present or future . Yogis 
recognize this gathi sattaman ( the best instructor
of the path of dharmam ) and see Him with their
Jna~na dhrishtis . 

6. A PRAYER TO THE ONE WHO IS CONNECTED TO REVATHI
***************************************************

 Sri RanganAthan is said to have appared during the 
reign of the constellation of Revathi in response to
the tapas of Bhramma Devan . He is called therefore
Revathi Rangan just as Sri VenkatEsan is saluted as 
SravaNa VenkatEsan . The following Yajur Veda Manthram 
recognizes Him as the embodiment of Vedic Speech ( Revathi)
and begs Him to remain in the altar of Srirangam , 
the MahA Yaj~na kshEthram and not to move away .
The Yajur Veda manthram ( III.21 ) is as follows :

rEvathI ramadhvamasminyOnAvasmin 
ghOshtEasminnlOkEasmin kshayE I
ihaiva stha mApagAtha II 

( Meaning ) : Oh Vedic Speech ! May Thou remain 
right here at this altar , in this Yaj~nA , at this
spot  and in this house . Please remain here and 
travel not far from here ! 

7. A PRAYER FOR THE BOON OF TRUE (VEDIC)KNOWLEDGE
***************************************************

savyambhUrasi srEshtO rasmivarchOdhA asi 
varchO mEh dEhi I
sUryasyAvruthamanvAvarthE II

( Meaning ) : Oh Lord ! Thou art self-manifested ! 
Most supreme and self-effulgent ! Thou art the 
grantor of true knowledge .Bless me with that true
knowledge . I will follow Your command . 

8.ANOTHER PRAYER TO SRI RANGANAATHAN 
*************************************

agnEadhapdhAyOaseethama paahi maa dhidhyO paahi
praseethyai paahi dhurishtyai paahi dhrudhynyA 
avisham na: pithum kruNu sushadhA yOnau svAhA 
vAdagnyE samvEsapathayE svAhA sarasvathyai 
yasObhaginyai svAhA .

( Meaning ) : Oh Akshara Bhrammam ( immortal One )!
Oh Omnipresent One ! please protect me from intense
pain (of SamsAram ) , protect me from the bondages 
of sin and ignorance , protect me from falling into
the company of evil-minded people , protect me from 
partaking food that is injurious to (physical and 
spiritual) health . make Thou our annam free from 
injurious ingredients ( poision ).Grant me the boon to
live in a comfortable house praying to Thee and 
doing auspicious deeds prescribed by Your SaasthrAs .
This is Our prayer to You , the Lord and Master of
this universe . May we acquire pure knowledge through
the study of the VedAs and be blessed with sarva mangaLams .

9. OM IS MY NAME : THE LAST MANTHRAM OF YAJUR VEDAM
****************************************************

HiraNmayEna pAthrENa sathyasyApihitham mukham I
yOsAvAdhithyE Purusha: sOasAvAham I
Omkam Bhramma II

( Meaning ) : O Earthlings ! By Me--the resplendent
protector-- is covered the face of eternal cause , 
the matter . The moving spirit yonder in the Sun , 
that spirit dwelling inside the Sun is Me ( Surya-
NaarAyaNan ) . I am vast in expanse like the atmosphere,
greatest of all in merit ,and nature am I . Om is My name ! 

To that praNava SvarUpi resting under PraNavAkruthi 
VimAnam at Srirangam , we offer our salutations as
we reflect upon the selected manthrams of Yajur Vedam 
this evening . 

I will conclude this Ninth Posting on Sri RanganAthA 
with Swami Desikan's prayer housed in the mUla manthrAdhikAram
section of Srimadh Rahasya Thraya Saaram :

Taaram pUrvam tadhanu hrudhayam taccha NaarAyaNAyEthi
 aamnAyOktham padhamavayathAm sArddhamAchArya dhattham I
angIkurvan alasa-manasAm AathmarakshAbharam na:
 Kshipram dEva: Kshipathu nikhilAn kinkaraisvarya vidhnAn II

( Word by word Meaning ) : pUrvam- at first , thAram -praNavam .
tadhanu-after that , Hrudhayam- Namas sabdham . 
tath cha-after nama: sabdham , NaarAyaNAya ithi--
the word NaarAyaNAya .

aamnAyOktham Padham - the word  which is declared by the VedAs 
saartham AchAryadhattham - and given to us as upadEsam
by our AchAryAs with its meaning .

avayathAm alasa manasAm na ; aathma rakshAbharam 
ankeekurvan Deva: -- For us who reflect on the 
mUla manthram , for us , who are powerless and
akinchanaas , Our Lord has  accepted the responsibility
and burden of protecting us .

sa Deva: nkhilAn kinkara Isvaryam vignAn 
kshipram kshipathu -- May that Lord Of Ours ,
remove quickly all the obstacles that come in the way 
of our acquistion of the kaimkarya Sampath ( the wealth
of servitude to our Lord ) . 

Sri RanganAthA has the sthAna VisEsha AdhikAram of 
Moola Manthram and to that Lord , who declared in 
the last manthram of Yajur Vedam that " Om is His  name" ,
we render our salutations and pray for His blessings
to complete the constrcution of His Home here .

Sri RanganAtha ParabrahmanE Nama:
Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan