PanchAyudham

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At 09:59 PM 1/28/02 +0530, you wrote:

>Swami,

>Adiyen has a doubt regarding Panchayudhams of Emperuman,

for which I seek your guidance.

>Of the five, The Panchachanniyam , Chakkaram and Banam have got great deal

prabavams in our Ithihasaas. I have not heard any prabavams of Gadhai and

Gatkam. Gathai has always been associated with Thiruvadi and Beema though

Namperumal, Varadharajar and other Emperuman hold it. Gatkham is held by

Srinivasan and Oppiliappan. Where can I find prabavams of these two ayudhams.

>Kindly enlighten me

>Adiyen

>Baktha angari renu

>Vasu venkataraghava Dasan

 

Dear Sri Vasu Venkataraghavan :

 

A. The one important sthOthram , where all the Five

weapons of the Lord are eulogized is "PanchAyudha

SthOthram ". Baanam is not one of the Five weapons

although the Bow is. Bow without BhANam is incomplete

except as alankAram.

 

The order of salutations are (1) Chakram/Sudarsanam

(2) Sankham/Paanchajanyam (3) Gadhai/KoumOdhakI

(4) Sword/Nandhakam (5) Bow/Saarngam .

 

Beautiful descriptions and the power of these

weapons of the lord are provided in the PanchAyudha

SthOthram. The Phala sruthi section of this SthOthram

reminds us that the recitation of this SthOthram

daily removes all sorrows , sins and fears are immediately

removed and auspiciousness ensues ( samastha DhukkhAni BhayAni

sadhya: paapAni nasyanthi sukhAni santhi). Whenever one recites

these slOkams during the middle of a tractless forest ,

fearsome war, in the middle of enemies , floods, fire

and unexpected calamities of any kind causing great fear ,

such a recitation will banish all those fears and provide

protection of every sort according to the Phala Sruthi :

 

vanE raNE sathru-jalAgni-madhyE

yadhrucchayA-aapathsu mahAbhayEshu

idham paDan sthOthram anAkulAthmA

sukhI bhavEth tath-krutha-sarvaraksha:

--SlOkma 7 of SrI PanchAyudha SthOthram.

 

B. The second important sthOthram , where we find

salutations to not only these five weapons but also

to seven more weapons is SrI DhvAdasa Naama Panjara

SthOthram .Here the 12 vyUhAnthara Moorthys are

saluted and they are linked to their particular

aayudhams:

 

1. PurasthAth Kesava: Paathu ChakrI KESAVAN & CHAKRAM )

2. PascchAn-Naarayana: SankhI NaarAyaNan and SANKHAM)

3. MadhavOrdhvam GadhAdhara: (Maadhavan and GADHAI)

4. GOvindhO Dhanvi :(GOvindhan and SAARNGAM)

5. UttharE Halabhruth VishNu:( VishNu and Axe)

6. MusalI Madhusoodhana: ( Madhusoodhanan and Pestle)

7. Thrivikrama: Kadhga-paaNi( Thrivikraman and NANDHAKAM)

8. VaamanO VajrI ( Vaamanan and VajrAyudham)

9. SrIdhara: PaDDasAyudha: ( SrIdharan and the long Sword )

10.HrishIkEsan and Mudhgari (HrishIkEsan & Hammer or Mallet)

11.PadhmanAbhO SarvAyudha: (PadmanAbhan & All the FIVE weapons)**

12.DhAmOdhara: Paasa Hastha: ( DhAmOdharan & Noose)

 

** The ShOdasAyudha SthOthram dealing with Sudarshana BhagavAn

gives the list of all sixteen weapons including the above Twelve.

 

As Sri VaishNavAs (after SamAsrayaNam ) , we wear the twelve

PuNDrams on the upper torsos to invoke the 12 Bhagavaans

(VyUhAnthara MOorthys) with their charactrestric weapons

for our protection .

 

Swamy Desikan describes precisely the weapons and the hue

of these 12 Moorthys and their positions on our upper torsos:

 

1."Chathuscchakram namasyAmi KESAVAM Kanaka Prabham":

Swamy Desikan(SD).DhvAdasa Naama Panjaram(DNP)

describes Kesavan's hue as " JaamBhUnadha Prabha:" .

The PuNDram is to be worn on the Forehead .Direction

that the Lord faces is east.

 

2."NaarAyaNam ghana shyAmam chathusSANKHAM namAmyaham "(SD).

DNP describes NaarAyaNan's hue as "Neela JeemUmutha Sannibha:"

Direction is West. PuNDra SthAnam: Stomach.Second application.

AndaaL has a whole section devoted to dialog with Sankham of

the Lord and its blessed status in Her NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi.

 

3. "Madhavam MaNibhangAbham chinthayAmi ChathurGADHAM"(S.D)

DNP salutes:"IndhIvaradaLa-shyAmo MadhavOrdhvam GadhAdhara:"

Hue: Indhra Neelam; Direction: Urdhvam or Upper .

PuNDra SthAnam: Chest .

 

4. "ChandrabhAsam Chathu: SAARNGAM Govindham aham aasrayE"(S.D)

DNP salutes:" GovindhO dakshiNO paarsvE DhanvI Chandra-prabhO

MahAn".Hue: White like the rays of the Moon . Direction:South ;

PuNDra SthAnam: Front Center neck.

 

5. " VishNum chathurhalam VandhE Padhma Kinjalka sannibham"(S.D).

DNP salutes: " UttharE Halabhruth VishNu:Padhma-kinjalka-Sannibha:".

Hue: Golden hue of the pollens of lotus; Direction: North;

PuNDra SthAnam : Right side of Stomach.

 

6. "Chathur-musalam-aBhjAbham SamsrayE Madhusoodhanam"(S.D).

DNP salutes: "AagnEyaam AravindhAbhO MusalI MadhusUdhana:".

Hue: Lotus like; Direction: South east ; PuNDra SthAnam:

Right Shoulder.

 

7. "Agni VarNam Chathu: KhaDkam BhavayAmi Thrivikramam"(S.D).

DNP salutes: " Thrivikrama: Khadka-PaaNi NirrudhyAm

Jvalana-prabha:" . Direction: South West .Hue: Color of Agni;

PuNDra SthAnam: Right side of the Neck.

 

8. " Vaamanam BhAla-SooryAbham Chathurvajram VibhAvayE"(S.D).

DNP salutes: " VaayavyAm VaamanO VajrI taruNAdhithya

dhIpthimAn "; Hue: Early morning Sun; Direction: North West;

PuNDra SthAnam: Left side of Stomach.

 

9. "SrIdharam PuNDarIkAbham chathush-paDDasam aasrayE" (S.D).

DNP salutes: " EisAnyAm PuNDarIkAbha: SrIdhara: PaDDasAyudha:".

Hue: White Lotus; Weapon : Long Sword ; Direction: North East;

PuNDra SthAnam: Left Shoulder.

 

10. "chathur-mudhgaram-abhyEmi HrishIkEsam taDithprabham"(S.D).

DNP salutes: Vidhyuth PrabhO HrishIkEsO hyavAchyAm

disi mudhgarI". Hue: Lightning; Direction: Lower (BhUmi).

PuNDra SthAnam: Left side of Neck.

 

11. "PanchAyudham PadhmanAbham praNamAmyarkarOchisham"(S.D).

DNP salutes:" hrudh PadhmE PadhmanAbhO mE SahasrArka-

sama-prabha: ". Hue: Thousand Suns; PuNDra SthAnam: Lumbar

region / Back of body).Direction : Manas/Heart.

 

12. " DhAmOdharam Chathush-pAsam IndhrakOpa nibham bhajE"(S.D).

DNP salutes: " IndhrakOpaka SankAsa: pAsa-hasthOparAjitha:,

Sa BhahyAbhyantharam dEham vyApya DhAmOdhara: STitha:".

Hue: Sooryan at AruNOdhayam; SthAnam: Inside and outside

the Body; PuNDra SthAnam: Back of the Neck.

 

Swamy Desikan states here that the Oordhva PuNDrams are

the Thiruvadi of Lord VaradarAjan of Kaanchi and he(Swami)

has recorded the hues , directions , sthAnams, PuNDra SthAnams

of the 12 Devathais (VyUhAnthara Moorthys) of the 12 PuNDrams

to be worn daily by SrI VaishNavaas in his SrI Sookthi

named " Panniru ThirunAmam".

 

KaayEna VaahcA ManasEndhriyairvaa

BudhdyAthmanA vaa prakruthE; svabhAvaath

KarOmi yadhyath sakalam Parasmai

NaarAyaNAyEthi SamarpayAmi

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaThakOpan(Sadagopan).

 

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