Who is Hri?

[Guest guest]

Dear Learned Bhaktas,

 

Most of us are familiar with the second anuvAka of

the purusha sUktam. In this anuvAka, the last Rk

contains the line:

 

hrIS ca te lakshmIS ca patnyau | aho rAtre pArSve |

nakshatrANi rUpam | aSvinau vyAttam |

 

Hri and Lakshmi

Are your consorts, your

Two sides, Day and Night,

The stars your form,

The Healing Ashvinis your words.

 

Who exactly is Hri? 'Hri' generally means modesty;

naturally then, modesty and opulent wealth, represented

by Lakshmi, are opposites that are reconciled in the

Supreme Purusha, just as day and night are.

 

However, 'Lakshmi' is not simply wealth. Lakshmi

is the universal mother, the eternal consort of the

Purusha. 'Hri' therefore, cannot simply mean 'modesty',

if we are to accept this meaning of Lakshmi.

 

Who then is 'Hri'? One guess would be Bhumi Devi (mother earth)?

However, in all of Sanskrit literature, Bhumi is never known as

'Hri'. Can someone clarify?

 

It is unfortunate that Nanjiyar commented only on the

first anuvAka of the purusha sUkta.

 

Mani

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Mani VaradarAjan :

>

>Who then is 'Hri'? One guess would be Bhumi Devi (mother earth)?

>However, in all of Sanskrit literature, Bhumi is never known as

>'Hri'. Can someone clarify?

 

Sriman TatachAr , Sri ParthasArathy of Singapore have now

shared with us their views on the meaning of Hree ( Modesty/

BhUmi Devi ).

 

The meanings of Sanskrit words used in the Vedic parlance

are quite different than the current day usage . In today's

usage , Hree indeed means modesty and the embodiment of

Modesty , BhUmi Devi . Hree also means "ashamed ". We will

focus on the meaning Modesty as the essential trait of

Bhumi Devi , the patta mahishi of Lord Oppiliappan

of ThiruviNNagar divya desam . One has to go back to

PurANams and sthOthrams in this context , since the Vedic

meaning of Hree is beyond us to get hold off. I have however

requested Sri Venkatesh Eklayavalli to look at

the tenth MandalA of Rg Vedam to check on what SayanA says

about Hree in his Bhaashyam .

is

 

The Vedic passage declares majestically

that the Lord's pathnIs are Bhu dEvi and

Sri Devi and the day and night are His sides

( AhOrathrE PaarsvE ) . Our Bhumi Devi and

Sri Devi are with ThiruviNNagarappan on the

banks of AhOrAthra PushkaraNi at Oppilaa appan

Koil . Bhumi Devi is kneeling before Him with folded

hands praying modestly for the Lord's

karuNai for their children and Sri Devi resides

on His chest and is after the same mission .

 

Srimadh Bhaaghavtham , VarAha PurANam and

Swami Desikan's BhU sthithi connect closely

as to why Bhumi Devi is associated with

the name Hree .

 

As the Lord VaraahA lifted Bhumi Devi out of the

praLaya jalam with His gigantic form and placed

Her on His left shoulder for the whole world to see

His beautiful bride. Our Mother , who is not used

to such public celebrations out of Her own innate

modesty sat there uncomfortably on the perch of

Her Lord's shoulder and received His (BHUVARAAHAN"S )

public adoration .She did not seem to like the public

spotlight as His Queen . He went on further and

took the form of AdisEshA and carried Her on His head

according to Swami Desikan's poetic vision to

prove to the world about Her supeerior status

compared to MahA Lakshmi , whom He carries only

on His vakshasthalam .The Lord carrying her

to reveal Her superior status is alluded by

Swami Desikan in the 10th slOkam of BhU sthuthi :

 

" SeshAthmanA thu Bhavatheem SIRASAA dhadhAthi " .

 

Srimadh BhAgavatham ( Canto 5.18.33 and 35)

houses the eulogy of a shy and "embarassed "

BhUmi dEvi to thank Her Lord fr His great

act of valour in rescuing Her form under the Oceans .

 

Swami Desikan's description of the tender scene

of the Lord ( Sri VarAha mUrthy )hugging Bhumi Piratti

and placing Her on His shoulder and the DhyAna slOkam of

bhU sthuthi(SlOkam 32 ) gives us the clues for Her naamam

celebrated by the vedam as Hree .Vedam salutes ThrivikramaavathAram .

By inference then, the avathAram as VarAhA that happened

before Trivikrama is Veidc in significance .

 

Swami Desikan refers to " pOthra sparsa lasath kapOla

palakA " while describing the sparsam of the mirror like

cheek of BhUmi dEvi against the rough cheek of the Lord

in VarAhavathAram . She was overcome by Her normal

sense of modesty and she had rOmAnjali . Bhumi PirAtti's

other name is KshamA or Sarvam KshamA .That name goes

well with the name Hree.

 

One can go on , but I will stop here .

Bhumi PirAtti ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam .

V.SadagOpan