Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Re: Periya Thirumozhi- 4.6- KannA! You alone are my rakshakan!, Commentary on this paasuram : Part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • August 2, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs : In this posting , we will cover
the meaning of the second word used by Thirumangai:
" samayamAhi" in the ThirukkAvaLampAdi pasuram .

>Now coming back to the text of the 9th paasuram
>on ThirukkAvalampADik KaNNan , the portion 
>for our discussion is as follows (second item
that is underlined )below :
>
>" chandamAi SamayamAhi Samayavaim bhUthamAhi
             **********
>  anthamAi AadhiyAhi arumaRai avayum aanAi--"
>
>(1)ChandhamAi= by becoming the svAthanthrya sakthi of the Jeevans,
>(2)Samayam aahi=by becoming the kaala dhravyam with its many divisons
    ******************************************************************
>(3)samayam ei bhUtham aahi=by becoming the prapancham defined by
>                           the five elements(pancha bhUtham), which
>                           arise after Mahath , ahankAram and other
>                           achEthana tattvams
>(4)antham aai=             by becoming the Pralayam
>(5)Aadhi aahi=by becoming the many created beings as upAdhAna kAranam
>(6)aru maRai avaiyum aanAi=You became the timeless VedAs , which describe
                            all these wonderous doctrines related to You.

Today's topic
*************
"Samayam Aahi": Thirumangai here salutes the Lord
of ThirukkAVaLamPaadi , Sri KrishNan as the Lord 
of Time and its divisions .

The Kaala Tattvam and its ruling by BhagavAn
is described in the 8thanuvAkam of TaittirIya 
AaraNyakam and MaHA NaarAyaNOpanishad .The AaraNyakam
passage asks : where does Time take its residence:
 
 "kvAyagum samvathsarO miTha:?
  kvAha kkEyadEvarAthri:?
  kkva maasA ruthava: srithA:?
  ardhamaasA muhUrthA: ?
  nimEshA: thruDibhissaha ?
  kkvEmA aapO nivisanthE ?"

(Meaning ): Where does the collection of Time ,
the year reside ? On which principle is the day 
based? Similarly , what is the place of residence
of the Time division known as night ?Where are 
the pakshams (two divisons of the Month ) , the seasons ,
muhUrthams and nimishams take refufge ? 

MahA NaarAyana Upanihsad answers these questions
and declares that Sriman NaarAyaNan is the Aasrayam
(place of refuge) of the Time Principle and its divisions
and are part of His body . 

Kaalam is an insentient tattvam (achEthana Tattvam )
in VisishtAdvaitha Vedaantham . By the invocation of
the first of the six names ( ChandhamAi) , Kaliyan 
focused on the Chethanam(sentient beings) in general 
and the Jeevan in particular . Here , he concentrates on 
Kaala dravyam (Time as an inert substance).It is devoid of 
three guNAs/attributes like Sattva, Rajas and Tamas .
Time however is an essential substance and is all pervasive .
Its influence is not felt in Sri Vaikuntam(nithya VibhUthi);
there divisions like hour, day , month , year and
other divisions of time are not applicable . 

Here in the prakruthi manDalam ,Kaalam is dividable 
in to past , present and future .Kaalam is a coordinate 
of prakriti and is totally dependent on the Lord (Isvaran).
The common adage , " Kaala chakram jagacchakram "
refers to the wheel of time that rotates to form 
the changing days and nights , seasons and years
that mark the phases of one's life as a child , youth ,
old man/woman .

A VishNu PurANa SlOkam summarizes the fine points about
Kaalm this way : It is part of His(Lord's) body as achEthanam 
and yet is different from the other achEthanams like 
mUla prakruthi , which is also a constituent of the Lord's
body .

The Lordship of Isvaran over sentient and other
insentient principles like Time , mUla Prakruthi
is indicated by the MahA BhAratham passages :

kaalasya --IsathE BhagavAn Yeka:
( BhagavAn alone is the ruler of Kaalam )

kaalam cha pachathE tathra na kaalastathra vai prabhu:
sakalsya Prabhu: Raajan ! SarvasyApi tath Isvara:

( Bhagavaan creates the divisions for Time as 
second , minute , hour , day , night etal. These 
divisions are only in the prakruthi manDalam .
In Suddha satthva maya Sri vaikuntam ,the influence 
of Time is not felt.He is the Lord of the ChEthanams
and achEthanms . That is why He is saluted as Isvaran
of all )

Thirumangai salutes this Swamithvam (Lordship) of 
ThirukkAvaLampAdi KaNNan here and points in particular 
about His supermacy in directing Time , the insentient 
principle of importance in this earth .

We will take up the third NamaskaraNam of Kaliyan,
"samayam ei bhUtham aahi" in the next posting .

Thirumangai mannan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,
Oppilaippan Koil VaradachAri SadagOpan