Search:
Bhakti List Archives

ThiruvahIndhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam : Part XVI: Additional thoughts on Kaliyan's Paasuram: 3.1.10

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • March 13, 2003 


SrI:

Dear  BhakthAs Of Lord DevanAthaa:

Today we will reflect further on selected (Three)
passages from the Phala sruthi Paasuram of 
Kaliyan on Thiruvaheendhrapuratthu EmperiumAn ,
Lord DhaivanAyakan :

(( moovarAhiya Oruvanai moovulahu uNDu umizhnthaLanthAnai ))
dEvar dhAnavar senRu senRu iRainjit-taNN ((Thiruvayeendhrapuratthu
mEvu sOthiyai )) vEl Valavan Kali kanRi viritthuraittha
paavu taNN Tamizh patthivai paadida paavangaL payilAvE

We will study these three passages in Paranthesis
and find how they echo the Vedic and Upanishadic thoughts
in this posting. 

Individual Passages of the Paasuram for Focus
**********************************************

We will concentrate on the following passages:

1. Moovar aahiya Oruvanai

2. Moovulahu uNDu umizhnthu aLanthAnai

3. (Thiruvaheendhrapuratthu) mEvu sOthiyai

Although the AzhwArs chose to offer their MangaLAsAsanams
in Tamil, they were conversant with the doctrines and 
Upadesams and aadEsams of the VedAs and VedAnthAs ( Upanishads).
They  were nithyasooris and their amsams . Hence It is not a 
surprise to find the central doctrines of Brahma Soothrams ,
Bhagavath GitA and Upanishads echoed in their Tamil Paasurams.

1. Moovar  Aahiya Oruvanai: 
****************************
The three fold Cosmic functions (viz)., Creation , 
Sustenance and  Dissolution of the Universe and 
its beings are linked to Moovar : Brahma , VishNu and SivA.
Kaliyan states that Lord DevanAthan is the primary cause of
those three fold functions and is the Parabrahman with
Brahma-VishNU-Rudra Roopam to execute them. Upanishads recognize 
that Brahman as the cause for the three fold cosmic function:

yathO vaa imAni bhUthAni Jaayanthe , yEna jaathAni jeevanthi ,
yath prayanthi abhisamvisanthi , tad vijij~nasasava ,
TAD BRAHMETHI -- TaittirIya Upanishad: III.1

(Meaning): " That verily  from which these beings are born ,
that by which when born , they live, that into which , 
when departing they enter , THAT , seek to know:
THAT IS BRAHMAN "

Brahma LakshaNam is given here in terms of the Trifold
cosmic Function by VaruNaa.

Veda VyAsa , the author of Brahma Soothrams based 
his VedAntha Soothram ( Janmaadyasya yatah) on the  above
Upanishadic pasage. Janma ( Creation/origin), Sthithi
(Sustenance ) and Laya (dissolution) have the underlying 
cause of Brahman , the MoovarAhiya Oruvan . It is the defining 
characterestric of Brahman . It is His visEshaNa lakshaNams.

That  Brahman carries out the trifold functions (through 
different Moorthys) and is the source of the Universe is
described by the ChaandhOgya Upanishad passage:

sanmUlah saumya imaah sarvaah prajaah sdaayatanaah
sapratishtithaah --ChAndhOgyam: VI.8.4

(meaning): " All these beings , my  dear , are having
"Sath"(Brahman) alone as their cause. All these beings are
living in Sath and all these brings are withdrawn into Sath".

Chathur Mukha BrahmA and  Lord Sivan  have as indweller 
(antharyAmi Brahman) VishNu NaarAyaNan . Infact Brahman
pervades the entire universe as AntharyAmi Brahman as 
one of the most important  sections of BruhadAraNyaka Upanishad
instructs us. Sage Yagnyavalya explains the concept of
antharyAmi Brahman to UddAlakaa , the son of AruNA.
Not only  does the Brahman dwell in these sentient 
beings but also controls them (antaro yamayati).

Our Lord of Thiruvaheendhrapuram is therefore
the Para  Brahman (MoovarAhiya Oruvan ) who is
the indweller and  controller of Brahmaa and SivA ,
while staying as Himself to perform Sthithi functions.  

The Atharva Veda  manthrams (Hymns 7 and 8 of Book X)
salutes this JyEshta Brahman ( the Para Brahman) and
is the supporter of all the three functions (SarvAdhAran):
"Tasmai JyEshtAya BrahmaNE nama: " ( AV X.7.34).

He is the Final reality ( Uchcishta/ut-sista Brahman) 
" for when nothing exists at the time of final great 
dissolution (MahA PraLayam) and the creation passes into
primordial matter , devoid of name and form , then 
the Supreme Self alone persists ( since He is not subject
to change , decay or  death)".       

2. Moovulahu uNDu Umizhntu aLanthAnai
***************************************
The "uNDu" aspect in the paasuram passage refers 
to SamhAram or LayA aspects of the Trifold  functions.

The "umizhnthAnai" aspect  refers to the creation of
the Universe (Jagath Kaaranathvam) by  Brahman. He is
the divine support (Skambha) of the entire creation 
consisting of the terrestrial , interspace and
the celestial regions .He alone balances the entire 
creation and holds it in equalibrium according to
the Skambha sooktams of Atharva Vedam ( AV X.7.1-44).   

The remaining function is "alanthAnai" . It refers
to the ThrivikramAvathAram , where He sustained the Universe
and its beings through the sparsam of His Thiruvadi ,
when He measured the Universe with three steps. 
There are Many  references in Vedams about the Lord 
measuring the universe with three strides.  

C. mEvu sOthiyai
*****************
The Param JyOthi of ThiruvahIndhrapuram that Kaliyan
salutes is the Same Parabrahman identified and saluted by
ChAndhOgya Upanishad and MuNDaka Upanishad and  Brahma  
Soothram taking  after those Upanishadic instructions:

" Now the light which shines above this heaven , above all,
above everything , in the highest  worlds beyond which there 
are no higher worlds; verily , that is the same as the light
which is here within the person ".

This light is the Param JyOthi , which is the light 
that lights  all lights as Param JyOthi (Tasya bhAsA
Sarvam idham vibhAthi).This is the  Supreme Divine
JyOthi (atha:parO dhivO jyOthi:). This is the Vedic 
"mEvum sOthi" saluted by Kaliyan at Thiruvaheendhrapuram.    

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,    
SrI HemAbja NaayikA SamEtha SrI Achyutha Para BrahmaNE nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

P.S: Dear  Devotees: adiyEn has the bhAgyam to write about 
the ten paasurams of Kaliyan on Thiruvaheendhrapuratthu
mEvu sothi as a part of the RathnAngi samarpaNa Kaimkaryam 
and conclude it now.

adiyEn requests all devotees of Lord Dhaiva Naayakan
to join in this kaimkaryam and  provide their valuable support.  



--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/