Mattu Pongal/Kanup Padi day of POngal Festival

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

If Bhogi PanDigai and SankarAnthi are for the celebration of

the ancient practise of saluting Indhran through BhOgi

PaNDikai (Indhra VizhA) and Soorya NaarAyaNa through

Pongal festival ,the final day of this three day celebrations

is known as Mattu Pongal to recognize the Maadus

(domestic cattle) ,which play a key role in an agricultural

society .

 

What is Indhran VizhA (BhOgi)? Who is Indhran?

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Before adiyEn gets into the main topic of Maattu Pongal

and the significance in the Vedic parlance , let me comment

briefly on Indhran Vizha and who that Indhran is !

 

Indhran is not the chieftain of DevAs , when we celebrate

BhOgi. He is the one defined as " idham karaNAth" .He is

the Lord , who does the most . The root Indh means to be

powerful. He is the most powerful among the Powerful.

He is not that IndhrA , the head of DevAs , who challenged

the Lord during the Govardhana Giri incident, recognized

the Lord as His Lord and performed Govindha PattAbhishEkam

to demonstrate his status as the servant of the Lord.

 

That the Supreme Lord Sriman NaarAyaNan is the Indhran is

revealed by the Veda Manthram of Rg Vedam (X.89.10):

 

IndhrO dhiva Indhra IsE pruTivyA

IndhrO apaam Indhra ith parvathAnAm

IndhrO vrughAmindhra inmEdhirANAmindhra:

KshEmE yOgE havya Indhra:

 

That the Lord has the ChEthanams and achEthanams as His

sarIram is a cardinal doctrine of VisishtAdhvaitham .

This manthram salutes this feature of the Lord and

goes beyond to say that He is the embodiment of Yogam,

Yaj~nam and KshEmam. This all pervasive and omnipotent

Lord is the one referred to in Rg Vedam , whenever

it refers to Indhran. That is the Lord , who is saluted

on BhOgi day.

 

The Four Footed and the Two-Footed: Vedic Views

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Coming to the main topic of this day's posting ,

Man and his universal kinship to the wide spread animal

kingdom as part of the world that he inhabits. His prayers

include them also as in the famous ShAnthi Paadam invoking

dhvipadhE and ChathushpadhE . In Our Vedic traditon ,

prayers for the well being of one and all including

the two-footed and the four footed (sam dhvipadhE

sam chathushpadhE ).

 

Man is recognized as a component of the fraternity of

all chEthanams including some domesticated creatures ,

which the Vedam identifies as Graamya Pasu .These are

five in number: (1) asva (horse) , (2) gO (Cow),

(3)aja(goat) , (40 avi (ewe) and (5) manushya (man)!

 

Reference in Purusha Sooktham to GrAmya pasu

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Purusha Sooktham , which appears in all the four Vedams,

describes the origin of Graamya Pasus form the Cosmic

sacrifice :

 

tasmAdh Yaj~nAth sarvahutha: sambhrutham prushadhAjyam

PasUn thAgumschakrE VaayavyAn AaraNyAn grAmyAsccha yE

--Rg Vedam: 10.90.8

 

(meaning ): From this Yaj~nam , curds and butter were

produced. From the same Yaj~nam , three categories of

animals were born: (1) VaayavyAn ( birds and flying animals

of midspace), (2) grAmyAn ( cattle and domesticated

animals) , (3) AaraNyAn ( wild animlas).

 

The Tenth Manhtram of Purusha Sooktham goes on to explain

that the same Sarvahuth Yaj~nam arose animals having two rows

of teeth: Horse, Cow and Goat :

 

TasmAdh asvA ajAyantha yE kE chObhayAdhatha:

gAvO ha jag~nirE tasmaath tasmAjjAthA ajAvaya:

 

Vedic Instructions to respect Domesticated Cattle

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Vedam points out these animals belong to the human

family and as such " deserve attention , kindness ,

care and protection ".

 

Atharva Vedam in its Pasu-vardhana Sooktham elaborates on

animal husbandry.Atharva Vedam also presses the need our

(human) care and affection for the grAmyAs :

 

yE grAmyA: pasavO visvaroopa virupA: santhO bahudhaikaroopA:

vAyushDAnagrE pra mumOkthu: dEva: prajApathi prajayA samrarANa:

ATarva Vedam: II.34.4.

 

Mattu Pongal Day is to show our recognition and affection

to the Cattle and decorate them with garlands of netti ,

apply kumkumam on thier foreheads and give good food.

Bulls get their own special treatment in jallikkattu

and other games.

 

Kanu Pidi

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On Mattu Pongal day, Kanu Pidi is a traditon that

the ladies and young girls of the house follow.

They make cooked colored rice and place them on

the steps of PushkaraNi or upper floor and in open

spaces so that the birds can feed themselves .

The women also pray for the well being of brothers .

Even ThAyAr performs Kanu Pidi although She has

no brothers to think about but as the Jagan MaathA

interested in every creation of Hers , She provides

food symbolically for " the VaayavAnAm "(Birds).

In Thirukkudanthai, Sri KomaLavalli ThAyAr

in the company of Her friends , SithA PirAtti

from Raamar Koil and Sri Vijayavalli ThAyAr from

ChakrapANi Temple place kanu Pidi on the steps of

PoRRAmarai KuLam ( the Temple Tank of Sri KomaLa valli).

As a PaDi ThANDA Pathni ( one who does not step out of

Her Husbnad's Koil Limits) , Sri KomaLa Valli stays

within the western Gopuram steps and has Her Archakar

peform the Kanu Pidi.The Other Two ThAyArs step out

and enjoy their archakars place the Kanu Pidi .

It is a beautiful sight to see all the thre ThAyArs

from the three Temples together and bless us .

 

The Vedic Views are Universal and the mattu Pongal and

Kanu Pidi fit into this overall order of things from

the Vedic stand point .

 

Vishu Thai Sukla Paksha DhvithIyai, SraVaNa Nakshathram

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan/SaThakOpan