MAyUra mAhAtmIyam

[Guest guest]

aakaashena shikhii samastaphaNinaaM netraa kalaapii nataa-

..anugraahipraNavopadeshaninadaiH kekiiti yo giiyate |

shyaamaaM shailasamudbhavaaM ghanaruchiM dR^ishhT.hvaa naTantaM mudaa

vedaantopavane vihaararasikaM taM niilakaNThaM bhaje ||

 

The ancient temple town of mAyUram (tiru-mayil-Adu-turai) stands foremost

among the hand full of cities celebrated by shaiva vaishNava and shAkta's

alike. The main temple of the town 'abhayAmbA sameta mAyUranAtha swami'

temple is a vast and well-maintained one, decorated by several gopuram-s and

maNdapam-s. The main deity, mAyUranAta swami (shivA) has been glorified by

many lucid tamil poems of nAyanmAr-s,

 

GYAnasammandar celebrates that the celestial city of MAyUram is the place

were puritans throng the sanctum of mAyUranAta swami day and night with

fragrant flowers to offer salutations,

 

'karavindRi nAn mAmalar koNdu

iravum pagalum toZuvArgaL

shiramondriya shenchadayAn vAZ

varamA mayilAduturaye'

 

 

ThirunAvukkarasar in his tevAram hymn claims that MAyUranAta with his

consort acts as a diadem and enchants esthetics taking aboard in

sahasrArachakra. GYAnasammandar celebrates that mAyuranAta swAmi manifests

in the form of 'maNi' out of maNi, mantra and auShada,

 

'taNiyAn madi chenchadayAnRan

aNiyArntavarukkaruLendrum

piNiyAyina tIrtaruL cheiyum

maNiyAn mayilAduturaye'

 

Lord bearing the cool ganges in his matted hair cures 'samsArarOga' for

those who seek him at mAyUram. His consort 'abhayAmbA' acts as the medicine

that helps him to cure the dreaded decease of birth and death for his

devotees

 

It is in this stead that devi took the form of a peacock and meditated on

shivA. Having bathed in the celestial waters of kAviri she served the lord

as a mayUra or shikaNdi, hence this place was named as mAyUram or

shikaNdIpuram.aruNagirinAtar refers this incident as,

 

'ponni nadi terkirrikaZndu mEviya iNayilliratna shikaNdIUr'

 

The lord answered devi's prayer and took the form of a mayUra to danced

before her. This dance performed at the request of gauri is termed as

gaurItANdavam. As he enchanted devI at the banks of 'riShaba tIrtam' in the

form of a mayUra and joined her lAsyam with his tANdavam, he is mAyUranAta

and the city is mAyUram.

 

nallattukudi krishNa iyer has offered a garland of thousand beautiful poems

'abhayAmbA shatakam' to devi, enshrined in this celestial city of mAyUram.

 

KulOttunga I & III, rAgEndra II & III, shadaya varmA, sundara pANdiyan have

renovated this temple complex and decorated it with several gopuram-s,

maNdapam-s and beautiful sculptures.

 

Shri rAma swAmi dIkshitar, father of muttu swami dIkshitar stayed in this

city for some time before moving to thiruvArUr. Later muttuswami dIkshitar

visited this shrine and stayed here for a while. He has composed several

krithis on mAyUra nAta and abhayAmba.

A collection of eight krithis composed by dIkshitar in praise of Shri

ahayAmbA with a dhyAnam and mangaLam (totally 10) are collectively known as

abhayAmbhAShTakam.

 

dhyAnam

dAkShAyaNi abhayAmbikE ........tODi

 

vibhakti kR.tis (aShTakam)

1. abhayAmbA jagadambA rakShatu ..kalyANi

2. AryAm abhayAmbAm bhajarE ......bhairavi

3. girijayA ajayA abhayAmbikayA ..sha.nkarAbharanam

4. abhayAmbikAyai ashvArUDhAyai ..yadukulakAmbhOji

5. abhayAmbAyA: anyaM na jAnE .....kEdAragaula

6. ambikAya: abhayAmbikAya: ......kEdAram

7. abhayAmbAyAM bhaktiM karOmi ...sahAnA

8. sadAshrayE abhayAmbikE ........cAmaram

 

mangaLa kR.ti

shrI abhayAmbA ................shrI

 

(In the next post I will address the importance of eight cases structure and

various mood's expressed in appropriate cases.)

 

Cont ...

 

 

____

[Guest guest]

namaste Aravind,

 

Thank you very much for the series on abhayaambaa.

 

--

maayuranaathan manoharii abhayaambikE tripureshvarii

maaya prapa~ncha chuzalil miganaaLaay vaaDumennai

thaayunnaiyallal kaakka sharaN vERuuvuNDo - aruL veLLam

paayum kayaRkaNkaL kaaTTi karaiyeRRa vaaraayennabhaayaambikE *

 

O Captivator of maayuranaatha's mind, abhayaambikaa, Lord of

three worlds, I am stuck in this vortex called world created by

maaya which is sucking me in and I suffer. O mother, other than

you who else is there to offer refuge!. Compassion flows from

your fish-like eyes like a flood, please bestow a glance on me

and help me O abhayaambaa.

 

Ravi

 

 

sanskritized tamil and I have not followed any standard

transliteration.

[Guest guest]

Aravind Krishna wrote:

>

> aakaashena shikhii samastaphaNinaaM netraa kalaapii nataa-

> .anugraahipraNavopadeshaninadaiH kekiiti yo giiyate |

> shyaamaaM shailasamudbhavaaM ghanaruchiM dR^ishhT.hvaa naTantaM mudaa

> vedaantopavane vihaararasikaM taM niilakaNThaM bhaje ||

>

 

With sky as the crown, thousand eyed shesha who is the leader of all

snakes as the kalaapam, HE who blesses the devotees with praNava like

the sound of kEkI (of a peacock), who dances at the sight of dark

lustred daughter of himaavaan in the garden of vedAnta and who likes to

play (liilaa), I worship that blue-throated shiva. ||53||

 

 

This verse compares shiva with a peacock, indeed a fitting quote for the

text on mAyura mAhatmIyam. Along with this even the next verse in

shivaanandalaharii is very apt for this subject.

 

 

Next verse is even more beautiful, as it compares the dance of Lord at

pradoshha samayam to the dance of a peacock at the beginning of rainy

season.

 

sandhyaa gharma dinaatyayo harikaraaghaata prabhuutaanaka\-

dhvaano vaarida garjitaM divishhadaaM dR^ishhTichchhaTaa caJNchalaa |

bhaktaanaaM paritoshha baashhpa vitatir vR^ishhTir mayuurii shivaa

yasmin ujjvala taaNDavaM vijayate taM niilakaNThaM bhaje || 54||

 

 

sandhya kaalam of pradoshha is compared with end of summer, the sound of

mridanga played by hari is compared with the thunder, onlooking eyes of

the deva-s are compared with lightning, the tears of joy from the eyes

are compared to rain, and paarvatii devii is compared to pea-hen. Thus

the comparison is made between the pradoshha dance and the dance of a

peacock at the beginning of rainy season. The blue throat of shiva is

compared with the blue throat of peacock.

 

Ravi