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A Riot of Colour

From the Bhakti List Archives

sadagopan iyengar • Sun Jul 21 2002 - 07:32:20 PDT 


Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra
Mahadesikaya Nama:

A Riot of Colour

The world would indeed be a dull place, if everything
were to be in black and white. It is colours that add
spice to our lives- we feel elated when we see a
rainbow, a garden alight with bright blooms, a meadow
of green grass topped with sparkling dew, a bright
blue sky with the Sun shining as a yellow ball of
fire, and so on. The rising and setting Sun is indeed
beautiful to watch, for its sheer colourfulness. Can
you imagine a world bereft of cheerful colours? It
would be as dull and dreary as ditchwater, and make
our lives mere drudgery.
 It is interesting to find from our scriptures that
the Creator of all colours is Himself extremely
colourful. Let’s see some of the hues that He is said
to sport on various occasions.
To start our colourful journey with the Vedas, the
Purusha SUkta describes the Lord as being the colour
of the Sun-
“Aditya varNam tamasa: parastAt”. The reference to
Sun-colour is significant. Just as the Sun is the
antithesis of all darkness or evil, so too the
Paramatma is verily the abode of all good qualities,
and the antithesis of all that is inauspicious
(“akhila hEya pratyanIka, kalyAnaikatAna”).
 
Describing the TirumEni of the ParamaPurusha, the
ChAndOgya Upanishad has the following to say-
“Ya EshOntar AdityE hiraNmaya:Purusha:drisyatE
  HiraNmaya:smashru:hiranya kEsa:AprNakhAt sarva Eva
suvarNa:”
The Lord is seen in golden splendour amidst the Solar
System, adorned by golden hair with a golden moustache
and facial hair to match. From head to toe, he is all
glitter like the Yellow metal. 
It is perhaps this wonderful tirumEni that Sri
PeyAzhwar was able to witness at TirukkOilUr on that
stormy night, which is evident from his exclamation,
“Tiru kaNdEn, PonmEni kandEn, tigazhum arukkan aNi
niramum kandEn”.
Though Sri Nammazhwar too endows the Lord with the
colour of red gold,(“Sem ponnE tigazhum tiru
moortthiyai”, “ANi sempon mEni endAi” etc.), he
himself turns around later and takes objection to the 
Lord’s colour being compared to that of a mere metal,
and says that the purest gold cannot match the glitter
of the Lord’s tirumEni-“ sutturaittha nan pon un
tirumEni oLi ovvAdu”.

At the other end of the spectrum, Emperuman sports a
jet-black colour too, as opposed to the sparkling
golden hue indicated in the Vedas. Especially in Sri
KrishnAvatAra, He is a blackie, as almost all the
Azhwars testify-
“KaNNan enum karum deivam”
 “Karia mEni misai veLia neeru siridE idum peria kola
tadam kaNNan”
 “karu mAmugil pOl vaNNan KaNNan”
 “kAnagam ellAm tirindu un karia tirumEni vAda”
 “kAr tiraL anaya mEni KaNNane unnai” etc.
  Thus the Lord is credited with the colour of clouds
and the black sea- “kArAr kadal vaNNan pin pOna
nenjamum”(Siriya Tirumadal)
 It is significant to note that the very name Krishna
denotes one who is black. Perhaps He was christened
with this name, looking to His colour at birth. He is
indeed a Black Diamond, says Sri Nammazhwar- “KaiyAr
chakkaratthu en Karu mANickkamE”.

Sri Andal goes a step further and, in a damaging
expose, reveals that Sri Krishna’s heart is as black
as His body-
“puram pOl uLLum kariyAnai”.
That the Lord sports the colour of blue-black clouds
is evident from Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam too, the
prelude to which says, ‘MEgha shyAmam peetha kousEya
vAsam”. On this black body, the attire of yellow silk
sits well.
Not only Sri Krishna, but Sri Rama too sported the
colour of black clouds-“RAmam indIvara syAmam”.

Another colour that the Lord sports is green-a green
that is restful to the eyes,says Sri Tondaradippodi
Azhwar-
“Pacchai mA malai pOl mEni”.  Sri Nammazhwar concurs
in TiruvAsiriam, “Pacchai mEni miga pagaippa”.
Maragatam is a precious stone with a green hue, and
several Azhwars have indicated that Emperuman is of
this   colour- “VAmanan en maragata vaNNan” says Sri
Nammazhwar. 
His colour is compared to that of other gems too-like
“Mani”. Azwars are fond of calling the Lord
“MaNivaNNA”-(“ MarutthuvanAi nindra MAmaNivaNNA”, 
“VaikundA MaNivaNNanE en pollA tirukkuraLA”, etc.).

Sri Tirumangai Mannan is so perplexed by the galaxy of
colours that the Lord sports from time to time, that
he seeks elucidation from Emperuman Himself as to what
His true colours are-
“Munnai vaNNam Palin vaNNam- muzhudum nilai nindra 
 Pinnai vaNnam koNdal vaNNam- vaNNam eNNum kAl
 Ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum tirumEni
 Inna vaNnam endru kAttIr IndaLooreerE”.

 Addressing Lord ParimaLa Ranga at Tiruvindalur,
Azhwar says,
“You were the colour of milk in Kritha Yuga, You
acquired the hues of pure red gold in the TrEtha Yuga,
and in DwApara Yuga You were the colour of a Blue
Diamond: Shastras tell us that your real colour is
that of the rain-bearing clouds. I am confused by all
these changing colours- do tell me what your true
colours are!”.
Each part of the Lord’s divya mangaLa vigraham is a
different colour- His hair is jet black (“Mai vaNNa
narum kunji”), His eyes too black with reddish lines
(“KariavAgi pudai parandu miLirndu sevvariOdi neeNda
apperiavAya kaNgaL”), His lips red (“Kovvai sevvAi”,
“SenganivAi”), the Discus He sports is the colour of
the blazing Sun,  the Conch Panchajanya a milky white,
His palms and feet red like the lotus (“Minnum sudar
malaikku kaN pAdam kai kamalam” “SenthAmarai adigaL”).
Around His waist, He sports a beautiful cloth in
Yellow or Red ( “Peethaga Adai PirAnAr”, “PeethAmbara
dhara sragvI”—“arai sivanda Adayin mEl chendradAm en
sindayE”).
Taken together, with so many colours competing to
adorn His divine form, the Lord is indeed a riot of
colours, and looks like a heavenly garden in full
bloom.

Not to be outdone, PirAtti is also colourful. It is
noteworthy that Sri Piratti and the Lord are
compatible with each other not only in qualities,
divine beauty and powers, (“yat dharmai: iha dharmiNI
viharatE nAnAkrithi: nAyikA”),  but also in colour.
While the Purusha Sukta describes Emperuman to be the
colour of the Sun (“Aditya varnam tamasa: parastAt”),
the Sri Sukta says that His Consort too is of the same
colour (“Aditya varNE “). While the Lord’s is “pon
mEni”, Piratti is also credited with the colour of
beaten gold (“HiraNya varNAm”). A connoisseur would
however note that Piratti , with Her eminently 
feminine sense of colour, doesn’t take on blue or
black hues that the Lord sports in His avatArAs. It is
perhaps a reflection of our society’s predilections
for fair-complexioned females even to this date.
Tempting as it is to continue the saga of colours,
adiyen would like to conclude this piece here, for
fear of testing the readers’ patience. 
Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka
SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya
Nama:

------dasan, sadagopan. 

 

        


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