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Re: Fifth head of Brahma

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Sadagopan • September 17, 1998 


Dear BhakthAs : Sri Rengarajan has kindly forwarded me 
his two year old  posting on ThirukkandiyUr PeruMAl and the removal
of KapAlam from the hands of Lord SivA .There are a lot of 
other related items here that you may enjoy .
V.Sadagopan 
**********************

From: "Sampath Rengarajan" 
>Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 11:45:13 -0400
>References: <199809171248.FAA20918@lists1.best.com>
>To: Vijay_Srinivasan@praxair.com, sgopan@computer.net
>Subject: Re: Fifth head of Brahma
>
***************************************
>The following was written by adiyEn
>two years ago in this list.
>
>It sheds some more efforts of Lord shivA
>(asking agni to blow it off) prior to
>seeking the advsie of Sri Parvathi.
>It was said that Sri pArvathi asked Lord Shiva
>to goto mahAlakshmi and pray for removal of
>the kapAlam.
>
>
>*******the follwing is a repeat*******************
>
>
>Lord Shiva  according  to Sri  vaishnava  position  is the "second
>derivative"  of the "Param  Purushaa" the Lord  Naraayanaa  who is
>ever  prevading  and above the laws of karma, time etc.  The story
>of Lord Shivaa certainly implies that he did contract brahma hathi
>dhosham by removing  one of the heads of Brahmaa..  I want to also
>present a little bit of mythology  as  presented in  Srivaishnava
>tradition and  literatures.  (Literary proof is available  through
>vedic  interpretaion  and "4000" for this.)
>
>Ahuthan  created  Brahmaa  when he was in yoga  nishtai  with five
>heads.  It was a specific  creation  that later on one of the head
>would be removed by Shiva in a feud  between  shivaa and  brahmaa.
>After the  creation  of brhmaa,  "rudraa"  and other  devaas  were
>created  out through  HIS FACE.  The Lord wanted to teach a lesson
>to Both Brahmaa and SHiva who were  already  covered by HIS MAAYAA
>(VISHNU MAYAA, noone is free from this including  Shivaa, and that
>is  another  reason  that puts Lord  NArrayaanaa  as the  Supreme)
>started  to  fight  for  supremacy  among  themselves  due  to the
>ignorance created by Vishnu Mayaa.  Shivaa could remove one of his
>head, but then the  kapaalam of brahmaa got struck in his palm and
>would  not go.  Lord  Shiva  "wandered"  around  the  whole  world
>looking  for  remedy.  He was told by  paarvathi  that if he takes
>"bikshai"  from SRI he will be  qualified to continue  his "tapas"
>and then as the next step, he must meditate on Lord Vishnu to seek
>relief for this dhOsham. He did so at "Thiruk  karambanoor", (also
>known as uththamar  koil due to the  reference  given by aazhwaar"
>thirumangai" on HIM in one of the paasuram as "Uththaman"), one of
>the 108 DD, and obtained "bikshai" from "SRI" there and hence this
>temple is also known as " Bikshaandavan" temple.  He later went on
>to  meditate  on LORD  VIshnu and sought HIS  blessing  at "Thiruk
>Kandiyoor".  In thiruka  kandiyoor,  you can visit this temple and
>see the proof.
>
>Aazhwaar in "Thirukkurunthaandakam" says this
>
>"piNdiyaar "maNdaiyEnthi" piRarmanai thirinthuunNNum
>uNdiyaan "saapan theerntha" Oruvanoor, ulakamEnththum,
>kaNdiyoora rangam kachchi pEr mallai yenRu
>maNdinaar kuyallaal maRRai yOrkkuuyyaalaamE (2050)
>
>Again on thirupEr  nagar  perumal  (nearby  temple also one of 108
>DD), Thirumangai sings,
>
>oonamar thalaiyon REnthi
>ulakellaam thiriyu meesan
>'eenamar saaapam neekkaay',
>enna, oN punalai yeenthaan
>thEnamar pozhilkaL soozhntha
>seRivayal then thirup pEr
>vaanavar thalaivan naamam
>vaazhththi, naan uynthavaarE
>                                (Periya thirumozhi, 9.4)
>
>The perumaal in "thiruka  kaNdiyoor" is also known as " hara saaba
>vimochanap    perumaal".   Since   shivan   is   also   known   as
>kandeechwaran,  later days this was coined as  "thiruk  kaNdiyoor"
>indicating SHivan's penance on VIshnu.  Periyapuraanam and sundara
>puraaNam cites about the skull being "struck" in SHivaa's palm.
>Hopefully  this is  enough a proof  that  this  incident  is  portrayed
>"incorrectlyly" in some of the other  literatures  which may  want
>to still prove the  superiority  of Shivaa.  It was suggested that
>Lord Shivaa and  Brahmaa  thus  learned  their  lesson, and in all
>possible  ways.  Both of them pray in their mind on Lord Vishnu as
>the  supreme  Lord.  Unfortunately  there were many of the stories
>were  twisted  and  many of the others may not  even care to track the
>continuation   and  the  core   aspect   of  these   "mythological
>incidents",  as there were  only one side of the  story presented in some
>literatures.  I am sure
>you will take my views as a  sambaashanaa  and not as a "personal"
>argument against you or any specific individual .
>
>
>SRi mahAlakshim thAyar samEtha Sri hara sabba vimochnanap perumaal
>thiruvadikalE saraNAm
>Sri BoomidEvi thAyAr samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikalE saraNAM
>
>The  Position of Sri as a mediatrix  is also evident from the fact
>that Lord  Shiva has to seek  "Sri's"  mercy and her  offering  of
>bikshai in  Bikshaandaar  koil or Uththamar  kOil prior to seeking
>the final  refuge or relief from Lord Vishnu in Thiruk  kandiyoor.
>The following is the  compelling  evidence  that Lord Shiva had no
>other go than to seek the relief from the  ultimate  couple and in
>the order that  Srivaishnavam  follows (ie Sri as  mediatrix).  It
>was observed that Lord Shiva not only wandered around the universe
>to get rid of the  "kapaalam"  that was struck in his palm and the
>brahma  hathi  thOsham, he had also asked "Agni" (who is the media
>for the Homam and the source for "purification", and also known as
>"agnirvai  sarva  thEvaa",  due to  Agni's  unique  position  as a
>substitute  for all the  Devaas)  to burn away this  kapaalam.  In
>attempting to do so it was stated that the holiest "Agni" not only
>failed to do so but also got the "Brahma hathi  thOsham" for going
>hands along with Shiva (who was having brahma hathi dOsham at that
>time) in his attempts.  Finally "Agni" was asked to do penance and
>pray the Lord at "Thiru  aathanoor"  (also  one of the 108 DD) and
>get the dOsham removed.
>
>
> Besides  Agni,  kaamadEnu  also sought  Lord's  blessings in this
>shekthram  (Thiru  aathanoor).  It is beleived that there are "two
>pillars"  known as "MaNath  thooNgaL"  in parama  patham.  It is a
>customary that who gets to go to "parama patham" hugs and embraces
>these pillars before becoming  "nitya sooris".  There are two such
>pillars  in boo  lOgam,  only in two of the  108  DD's  ie ..  Sri
>rangam and this temple in thiru aathanoor.
>
> This and other  narrations  on this temple is  observed  from the
>following note on this temple
>
>aathi rangEchwaram  vanthE paadali vana samasthitham  Brigu, agni,
>kaamathEnubyaa   thaththaapeetham  thayaanthiram  vimaanE  praNava
>ranga naayaakyaa soosu maasaritham soorya pushkarni thirE seShasyO
>pari saayinam
>
> Though  this  temple is  compared on par with  Srirangam  on some
>aspects,  the  original  dual and second only is thiruk  kudanthai
>(due to its  vimaanam).  Thirukkudanthai  is also  included in the
>club of the five holy  rangams  popularly  known as "Pancha  ranga
>shekthram".
>
>The 5 arangams popularly known as "Pancha Rangams" are
>
>1. Aathi Rangam                             - Sri Rangap pattinam
>2. Appaala Rangam                        - Thirup pEr nagar
>3. Madhya Rangam                        - Sri rangam
>4. Sathurth tharangam             - (Kumabakonam) thiruk kudanthai
>5. anthima (or pancha) rangam   - Thiru inthaloor (maayavaram)
>
>
>It is also  noted that the order of the all these  shekthrams  are
>arranged in direction of the flow of (downstream  line ) "kauveri"
>from moolam to sangamam, which merges with sea in maayavaram.
>
>Sri Boomi DEvi samEtha Sri Oppiliappan thriuvadikaLE saraNam
>
>Sampath Rengarajan
>
>