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DhIpAvaLi and JyOthi as saluted by VedAs and Upanishads

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Sadagopan • November 4, 2002 


SrI:

Dear BhakthAs: During this DhIpAvaLi day ,
let us remember the Vedic salutations to JyOthi .
We will recall three Veda manthrams and comment on
them . They are :

1) Rg Vedam: III.39.7

JYOTHIR VRUNEETHA tamasO vijAnann aarE syAma duritAd abhIkE
imaa gira: sOmapA: sOmavruddha jushAsvEndhra purutamasya kaarO:

(meaning): The discriminating intellect pushes away the darkness 
from LIGHT . May we be kept far away and be detached from
any inauspiciousness! Oh Supreme Being ! May Thou accept our
highest salutations mingled with devotion and become pleased
with the tributes originating from Your devout worshippers.

2) Rg Vedam: III.39.8

JYOTHIR YAJN~AYA rOdasI anu shyAdh aarE syaAma dhurithasya bhUrE:
bhUri chid dhi tujathO martyasya supAraso vasavO BarhaNAvath

(Meaning): Let there be LIGHT THROUGH BOTH THE REALMS OF
BODY AND MIND for performing aarAdhanam (worshipful acts)
to You. May we be kept in a place far away from all 
inauspiciousness. May the boon giving Supreme Being (Varadhan)
grant us auspiciousness and  accept our offerings from
as benovolent supplicants. 

3) UttarArchika Saaman : 1031( Rg Vedam:9.86.10)

JYOTHIR YAJ~NSAYA PAVATHE  madhu priyam 
pitA dEvAnAm janithA vibhUvasu:
dhadhAthi ratnam svadhayOr apIchyam 
madhintamO matsara indhriyO rasa:

(meaning): " It ( the elixir, the SomA Juice) is 
the LIGHT OF THE COSMIC SACRIFICE. It  distills in to
sweet and delightful juices. It is the parent of 
Nature's bounties ad the generator of all and 
the possessor of ample wealth .This, the most exhilirating 
and the nourishing elixir supports the hidden treasures of
heaven and earth ". 

>From a  VaishNavite point of view ,One can link to 
the Ubhaya VibhUthi doctrine of the Supreme Brahman 
saluted as SrIman NaarAyaNan , the ruler of the Nithya 
and LeelA VibhUthis and as the Jagath Kaaranan.   

UPANISHAD MANTHRAMS AND JYOTHI TATTHVAM
****************************************
In addition to the meanings of the above three manthrams ,
let us cite selected passages in Upanishads , Brahma Soothram 
and other pramANams (Means of Knowledge) , which salutes 
the Brahman as ParamjyOthis or Svayam JyOthi. AzhwAr's 
paasurams also salute the JyOthis aspect of Upanishadic Brahman
in the form of a personal God with anantha kalyANa guNams. 

Upanishadic References to JyOthis as Brahman
**********************************************
ChAndhOgyam (III.13.7) beginning with "atha yad atah:
paro divo JYOTHIR dhIpyatE --" refers to this Supreme
light (Brahman) and identifies it with the light inside 
one's heart lotus (antharyAmi Brahman) . Brahma Soothram
I.1.25 is derived from this passage in Upanishad:
"jyOthisccharaNAbhidhAni "( The word JyOthi here means
Brahman and explains why it is so ).

The meaning of the ChAndhOgyam passage as freely 
translated by Dr.S.M.S. Chari goes this way:

" Now the light which shines above this heaven , 
above all, above  every thing , in the highest 
worlds beyond which there are no higher worlds ;
verily ,this is the same as the light , which is here 
within the person". This light associated with the highest 
domain (atha: parO dhivO JyOthi:) is Supreme Brahman 
standing as Supreme light (Param JyOthi). 

This Supreme Light is identified by and KatOpanishad II.11.15)
as : " TamEva bhAntam anubhAti SARVAM Tasya bhAsA Sarvam 
idham vibhAti " (" Him the shining One , every thing shines 
after , by This light all this is lighted/illumined".

Brahman is " JyOthishAm JyOthi:" or the Light of Lights
according to Mundaka and BruhadhAraNyaka Upanishad
(VI.4.16: Tamm dEvA: JyOthishAm JyOthi:). 

PAANCHARAATHRA AAGAMAM AND JYOTHI/TEJAS (AZHWARS'ANUBHAVAM)
***********************************************************
This Jyothi or Tejas is one of the Six divine attributes
which define the essential charactrestrics of the Supreme 
Lord /Bhagavaan ( JnAna , Sakthi, Bala , TEJAS (JyOthi),
Veerya and Isvarya according to PaancharAthra Aagama). 

AzhwArs in their dhivya prabandhams salute this "Tejas" 
attribute of SarvEswaran following the Upanishadic/Aagamic 
teachings that Param JyOthis is the Supreme Light , 
which denotes the very same Brahman. In this context , 
Swamy  NammAzhwAr addresses the Lord as "Param JyOthi" 
in many of His Paasurams . Thirumangai Mannan salutes 
Him as " NandhA ViLakkE". Here the clear reference by 
the AzhwArs is to that Brahman ( the Supreme Being ) ,
who is the loftiest transcendental Spiritual Light that
is the cause of the Universe , its protector and nourisher.

Additional examples from ThiruvAimozhi on JyOthi
*************************************************

sOthiyAhi yellavulahum thozhum
Adhimoorthy yenRAl aLavAhumO?
Vediyar muzhu vedatthamudhai
theethi seer-ThiruvEngadatthAnayE

--ThiruvAimozhi: 3.5

(Meaning provided by Dr.V.N.Vedanatha Desikan):
Nay , to say that the Lord of Thiruvenkatam , 
THE SUPREME EFFULGENCE , the Prime  Deity that
all the worlds (and Vaikunta , not excluded ) 
worship , who is  the essence of the VedAs , which 
describe Him as "the Enjoyable (Rasa) , to say that
the Lord has given Himself up to me , the vilest and 
the most undeserved , is itself NOT a thing to enhance 
His glory. Look there! He stands there , permanently ,
satisfied even when hosts of souls rach Him and are 
redeemed ; this simplicity and magnanimous grace it is 
that are His greatest virtues that really mark Him out".

In a moving paasuram ( ThiruvAimozhi 3.3) , Swamy NammAzhwAr
salutes this ParamjyOthi brilliantly:

ParanchOthi Nee ParamAi ninnikazhnthu pinn maRROr
ParanchOthinmayin padiOvi nihazhhinRa
ParanchOthi NinnuLLE padarulaham padaittha . Yemm
ParanchOthi! GovindhA! paNNpuraikkamAttEnE

(Meaning  according to Dr.V.N.V): Oh Superb Effulgence !
There is none to excel You. Even this tribute looks 
empty , when I recall how people are prone to praise 
things. One thing is beyond dispute. Just a fraction of 
Your divine will (Sankalpa) could create all the worlds.
You wrought the entire universe out of Yourself , Yet 
You are not equivalent to the created work. Its vices and 
maladies can not taint You. How am I to recount Your
auspicous Qualities ?  

In yet another paasuram of the same Third patthu  ,
Swamy  NammazhwAr salutes the ThirumEni of the Lord
and its incomparable TejO-roopam , which is Suddha
satthva Mayam . It never shows any changes.Same
is true for His Jn~Anam , VibhUthi and SvabhAvam.
His Thiruvadi Tejas can not be comprehended fully
and saluted adequately even by the mighty Brahma Devan. 

 MaasuNAc-chudar udampAi maqlarAthu kuviyAthu
 MaasuNA-Jn~amAi MuzhuthumAi muzhuthiyanRAi
 MaasuNA-vAnkOlatthu amararkOn vazhipattAl
 MaasuNA Unn Paadha malar chOthi mazhungAthE 

 ThiruvAimozhi 3.8

In the 10th paasuram of this third decad , 
Swamy  NammAzhwAr identifies and salutes this 
JyOthi Svaroopan as: " MaRayAya naalvEdatthuL 
ninRa MALARCCHUDARE " ( Oh Param JyOthi ! 
You Yourself have clearly described that
You are the One to be comprehended from 
all the vedAs: " Vedaisccha saravairahamEva 
Vedhya:". Thou art the SarvEswaran (Veda PrathibhAdhyan)
and anubhava bhOgyan shining as illustrious JyOthi
in all the VedAs ) .
 
There are many , many passages in AzhwAr's
Tamil Vedams that pay tribute to this JyOthirmaya
Parabrahmam , whom we salute today . Let us reflect on 
this TejOmaya Vigrahan and become blessed by Him .  

A PRAYER ON DHIPAAVALI DAY
***************************
Let us pay tribute to this Supreme Light of Lights on
this day devoted to Aj~nanam dispelling COSMIC LIGHT ,
SRIMAN NARAYANAN and seek His blessings through 
surrender at His sacred feet .

Let us put aside all the small differences that
separate us and unite together through the many ,
many things that we share as the followers of
Bhagavad RaamAnuja SiddhAntham and enjoy His dhivyAthma
Savroopam and His Dhivya mangaLa Vigraham of our
SrIman NaarAyanan on this DhIpAvaLI day and 
all days of the years of our lives ! 

Sarvam KrishNArpanam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan  
ChithrabhAnu DhIpAwaLi day , New York .
  




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