Miscellaneous

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Vidyasankar and Sri Krishnamachari :

 

I am responding to your individual queries on

Bhasma DhAraNam and DhAthA /VidhAthA names

of the Lord in VishNu Sahasra Naamam . My response

is not from a position of a learned scholar , but from

the point of view of a novitiate . This is not a statement

to cover false modesty . The subject is vast and many

intrepretations are possible . I am sharing my thoughts

in the spirit of trying to push the envelope fartherin our

discussions.

 

Bhasma DharaNam & Sriman NaarAyaNA worship

********************************************************

 

I agree with Sri Vidyasankar that there is no inherent

contradiction between worshipping NaarAyaNA and wearing

Vibhuthi on the forehead. His identification of the superiority

of Vaithika KarmAs among the hierarchy of KarmAs , while

assessing that J~nanA route is preferrable to KarmA route

is consistent with the Samrtha sampradhAyam .

 

Decorating( smearing ) one's forehead with sacred ashes (basmam/

vibhuthi ) is the first important act after snAnam and before

beginning Vaidhika Karmas such as Namakam , chamaka

pArAyaNam and performance of laghu or mahA nyAsam .

Rudra archana , abhishEka vidhis require one to

smear the sacred ashes on the devotee's body using the

procedures outlined for BhasmOddhulanam / Bhasma

guntanam / bhasma lEpanam . " BhasmOddhulanam

bhadramasthu bhavathu " is the prayer . Other Bhasma

vidhis are prescribed .

 

The naamams for Lord SivA invoking his identification

with ashes are Bhasma Saayin and Bhasma priyan." Bhasma

snAnam " is done during maanaseeka puja . The wearing

of sacred ashes is the reminder of Sri Rudran as

suggested by the portion of the dhyAna slokam for one of

the manthrams of Sri Rudram :

 

trilOchanam bhasma bhujanga bhooshaNam

dhyAEth pasoonAm pathim--

 

Just as Sri VaishNavAs wear ThirumaNN to

remind themselves of BhagavAn's sacred feet ,

the samartha sampradhayam requires one to

identify with the Lord's bhushaNam as Thiruneeru .

The NayanmArs can not visualize their Lord

without the Bhasmam .

 

For instance , the first song that came out

of the mouth of Thiruj~naana Sambhandhar at the tender

age of three at SeerkhAzhi in response to the

darsanam of Parvathi-ParamEsvaran was :

 

thodudya seviyan vidaiyEriOr thooveNN madhisoodikk--

kAdudaya sudalippodi poosi yennuLLam kavar kaLvan--

 

Appar slautes EkAmrEswarar of Kanchipuram as

" Kacchi mayAnatthAn " to connect to the bhasmam

to the samhAra aspect of Sri Rudran .

 

Another Siva Bhakthar visualizes his Ishta daivam

as " Sadayum piraiyum saambar poocchum

keezh udayum konda uruvam--"

 

Both ThirumaNN by Sri VaishNavAs and the Thriuneer

by SmArthAs are worn on their bodies in the context of

Nithya Vaidhika KarmAs in the context of the Saanthi Paatam

for kEnOpanishad :

 

aapyAyanthu mamAngAni--sarvam brahmOpanishadam

maaham Brahma nirAkuryAm , maa maa Brahma nirakarOth I

anirAkAraNamasthu anirAkAraNam mE asthu II

 

(meaning ) : May all my limbs and faculties -- karmEndriyAs,

speech , prANan -- become powerful to do their respective

duties (associated with Vaidhika KarmAs ) . All embody the

Brahman shining in the Upanishads . May that Brahman

never disassociate from me ! May I not be separated ever

from that Brahman ! I pray that this inseparable relation

between us be firmly established ! " .

 

All the SankarAchAryAs conclude their Srimukhams with

" NaarAyaNa Smrithi " in the spirit of BrahmAnubhavam .

Another instance of their merging NaarAyaNa worship with

their sampradhAyam as SmArthAs is in MahA NyAsam .

In Laghu NyAsam . The prayer begins with :

 

athAthmAnam SivAthmAnam Sri Rudra Roopam dhyAyeth

 

The MahAnyAsa Kramam was written by BhOdhAyanA .

After panchAnga , DasAnga NyAsam , Hamsa Gayathri ,

Digh samputa nyAsam , ShodasAnga RowdhreekaraNam

and Siva sankalpam comes PURUSHA SOOKTHAM ,

UTTARA NAARAYANAM , Kavacham , nEthram , asthram ,

ashtAnga praNAmam and concludes with Pala sruthi .

( ----yEvam ya: kuruthE nithyam sarva paapai: pramuchyathE I

sarvAn kAmAn avApnOthi Siva saayujyam aapnuyAth II ) .

 

SmArthAs thus do not find any conflict between worshipping

Srimamn NaarAyaNA and being SivA worshippers .

 

Sahasra Naamams DhAthA and VidhAthA

**********************************************

 

Sri parAsara Bhattar was a genius in intrepreting

scriptures and being a great AchArya . Hence , whatever

I say here is only to expand my own awareness of the roots

of the two naamAs .

 

DhAthA is the name both for VishNu and BrahmA .

The root is from vidh meaning , " to bring about ,

to appoint , to accomplish , to grant , to cause ,

to produce , to create , to prescribe to nourish

and to command " . Thus , the naamam dhAthA

is thus much more than Creator .

 

The key may be in the Rg Veda Manthram in the tenth

canto , which starts with " DhAthA DhAthruNAm bhuvanasya ---

 

The word VidhAthA also means creator . It is also another

name for Brahman/Sriman NaarAyaNan , the creator of BrahmA .

 

The section of Purusha Sooktham " dhAthA purasthAthyamu-

dhAjahAra I sakra: pravidhvAn pradhisaschathasra: II

tamEvam vidwAn amrutha iha bhavathi I nAnyA : panthA

ayanAya vidhyathE II"

 

Saayana Bhashyam says : " Purvasmin kAlE chathurmukha :

yamAth mana: kAraNa: bhoothamudhAjahAra , tvam vai

poorvam samabhoo: I tvamidham poorvam kurushva ithi II " .

 

(meaning ) : In the ancient time , the four -faced BrahmA declared

the DhAthA( VishNu ) as the cause of his being and as

the one superior to him in every way and as the one

who commanded him to engage in creation of the universe

with His power ---" .

 

Purusha Sooktham portion goes on to state that one who

undrstands the primacy and supermacy of Sriman NaarAyaNA

this way attains immortality . It declares that there is no other way

( nAnya: panthA ayanAya vidhyEthE ) .

 

The next naamam , " dhaathurutthama: " recognizes the truth

adumbrated in the Brahma -Rudra SamvAdham referred to by

Sri ParAsara bhattar on Yajna agra haranam ( precedence in

honoring the Gods in a Yajnam ) . Brahma attests to the agra

sthAnam (first place ) of VishNu here and that is

the basis of the naama , "dhAthurutthama : " .

 

Om Veda PurushAya Nama :

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan