Teliyatha Marai Nilangal Teligindrome-12
From the Bhakti List Archives
• March 29, 2001
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika
Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:
Teliyatha Marai Nilangal Teligindrome-12
The seventh mantra of the MahaNarayanopanishad
describes the Parabrahman in its kAryAvastthA, and
avers that fire, water, wind, the Sun, the Moon, the
stars, the life-giving nectar, the primordial waters
and the Lord of all creatures- all these are verily
the Paramatma Himself.
"tadEva agni:tat vAyu: tat soorya: tadu chandramA:
tadEva shukram amrutam tat brahma tat aapa:sa
PrajApati:"
We can find verbatim translations of this mantra at
several places in Tiruvaimozhi, in different orders
and combinations-
"maNNum neerum eriyum nal vAyuvum,viNNUmAi viriyum
empirAnaiyE"
"tee engO vAyu engO nigazhum aakAsam engO, neeL sudar
irandum engO"
”viLangu tArakaikaL engO"
"nalam kadal amudam engO"
"chiranda kAl, tee,neer,vAn,maN piravum aaya perumAn"
"tiriyum kAtrOdu agal visumbu tiNinda maN kidanda
kadal,eriyum teeyOdu iru sudar deivamÂ….engaL sudar
mudi aNNal tOtramE"
"nilam neer eri kAl viN uyir tAm mudalA mutrumAi
nindra endAi"
"tingaLum gyAirumAi sezhum pal sudarAi"
"teeyAi kAlAi neduvAnAi seerAr sudargaL irandAi "
"teeyAi neerAi nilanAi visumbAi kAladAiÂ….nee
nindravAru" etc.
The eighth and ninth mantras list the various
subdivisions of Time (KalA) and ascribe their origins
to the Paramatma. Time is one of the three achEtana
vastus (along with Prakriti and Suddha SatvA) listed
in the GadyAs, the origins, activity and continuance
of which are at the Paramatma's pleasure ("swAdheena
trividha chEtanAchetana swaroopa stiti pravritti
bhEdam").Eternal Time, with its numerous partitions,
was born from the luminous Paramatma.
"sarvE nimesha jaggyirE vidyuta: purshAt adhi
KalA muhurtA: kAshtAscha ahOrAtrAscha sarvasa:
Ardha mAsA mAsA ritava: samvatsarascha kalpantAm"
A brief note here on the various units of Time listed
by the Upanishad-
"nimEsha" refers to the time required for the winking
of the eyes.
Eighteen nimEshAs make one "KashttA", and thirty
kAshttAs one" kalA.".
Thirty kalAs amount to a MuhoortA, and thirty such
muhoortAs make a day. The rest is easy. Fifteen days
make a "PakshA" or a fortnight, and two PakshAs, a
month or mAsA. It takes two mAsAs to make a Ritu and
three such Ritus (6 months) make one " ayanA". Two
ayanAs, the DakshiNAyanA and the UttarAyanA" make up a
year or a"SamvatsarA"
Further, 360 such human years amount to a Divine
Year, and 12000 such divine years, to a Chaturyuga
(comprised of the Krita YugA, the DwApara YugA, the
TrEtA YugA and the Kali YugA ).
71 such ChaturYugAs (of 12000 Divine Years each) make
up a ManvantarA . A Chatur Mukha BrahmA's day is
comprised of 14 such ManvantarAs or 1000 Chatur YugAs
..His night is of equal proportions and half his
lifetime is known as a" ParArdhA". Two such ParArdhAs
make up the full life-time of a BrahmA.
Even if one were to live the full 100 years as
ordained in the Vedas, doesn't our lifespan seem
infinitesimally small before all that is listed above?
Coming back to the point, Sri Azhwar does not
indulge in such mind-boggling and depressing
calculations of Time, and confines himself to its
three broad divisions,viz., the Past, the Present and
the Future. Here are his sreesooktis-
"varungAlam nigazhkAlam kazhikAlamAi ulagai orungAga
aLippAi"
"irandadum neeyE edirndadum neeyE nigazhvadO
nee".etc.
-to be continued- dasan,sadagopan.
Srimate Sri LakshmiNrsimha Divya Paduka Sevaka
SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra MahaDesikaya
Nama:
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