Arul and Daya : Part I

[Guest guest]

At 11:30 PM 2/13/02 -0600, you wrote:

sri:

srimathe ramanujaya namaha

>

>Dear Members,

>

>What is the difference if any between The tamil word Arul and Samkrutham

word Daya. It is my understanding that Arul(light) is the solution from

Irul(darkness). Sometime back Srimad Azhagiya Singar had written about Arul.

I wish to know more about that. Add to it, how the Arul(Grace) as present in

the Tamil Vedam different from Daya?

>

>Thanks in advance,>

>Regards,Malolan Cadambi

 

Dear SrI Malolan Cadambi:

 

As always , you ask some intutive questions.

There are three parts to your question:

 

1.What is the difference between "AruL' and "Daya"

as these words are used in two languages?

 

2. Is there a connection between "IruL " and "AruL"?

 

3. How is "AruL"(grace) treated in the Dhivya prabhandhams ?

 

I am not able to connect to the article by

HH Srimath Azhagiya Singar . I will make an attempt to

answer without the benefit of that authentic

and authoritative source. Any one familiar with

that article is requested to locate it and summarize

the content .Thanks in advance.

 

(1)In taking the second question first , the "IruL "

(darkness ) of nescience , viparItha Jn~Anam is banished

by the "AruL" ( Light ) of the Param JyOthi (Bhagavan).

" Sriya: Pathi oruvanE namakku RakshaNam " yenru

aRiyAmal iruppathu "IruL" ( Not knowing that Sriman

NaarAyaNan is our sole protection is darkness).

" Avanai adaya namakku Bhakthiyum , Prapatthiyum

neRigaL yenRu kAttuhirathu Hitham . appaDi ohr upAyatthai

kai koNDAl , namakku PurushArthamAna Moksham Kidaikkum"

( To overcome this darkness and to be blessed by

this Supreme JyOthi (DhIpa prakAsan ) , Hitham shows

the disciplines are Bhakthi and Prapathti Yogams).

There are multitudes of PramANams among Veda Manthrams,

Tamil Paasurams of ALwArs and AchArya SthOthra granthams.

If IruL is equated to "Tamas", then the apt Vedic

prayer is "TamasOr --JyOthir Gamaya" .This travel

from "IruL " to "AruL" ( Darkrness of SamsAram

to the JyOthi of SrI Vaikuntam ) is described by

Swamy Desikan in AbhIthi Sthavam as " ThriguNa

langhanam".

 

(2) The word "AruL" used in Saiva SiddhAntham

has special connotations (ThiruArutppA =Thiru AruL Paa).

The general use however of the term "AruL'-- as you indicated

already-- is grace . It also means boon (special fruit of

that grace ). Avan AruLAl Avan ThALL paRRInOm ( With His

AruL, He leads us to a SadAchAryan , who makes it

possible for us to seek the Thiruvadi of the Lord

as our protection through SaraNAgathi). DayA , the Sanskrit

word is more powerful and evocative than the Tamil word

"AruL " in my opinion. DayA of the Lord is celebrated as

DayA Devi by Swamy Desikan . There are treasures of

insight on the DayA guNam of the Lord and the DayA

Tatthvam of Sriman NaarAyaNan standing as Kaliyuga

Varadhan on top of the Seven Hills. That brings us to

the subject of the One who has the incomparable, magnificent,

limitless and immeasuarable grace : Lord VaradarAjan saluted

with the revelatory ThirunAmam of "PEraruLALan ".

SrI VaradarAja Sthavam of KurEsar , SrI VaradarAja PanchAsath ,

Hasthigiri MahAthmyam and many other SrI Sookthis of

Swamy Desikan salute and attest to this "PEr AruLALa

Tatthvam " of Lord VaradarAjan .He is the "Abhaya dhAna

nithya Vrathi".

 

In AbhIthi Sthavam , Swamy States:

 

Tava kamapi GuNam vEtthi vaa kadhAchana

kudascchana kvachana tasya na syAth Bhayam

 

Oh Lord of limitless auspicious GuNAs ! whoever

who sings about Your glories with his/her mouth,

or prostrates before You or performs pradakshiNam or

reflects on one of your limitless kalyANa guNams

has no fear whatsoever from "IruL " of SamsAram

from anywhere at any time . This guNam integrating

all other guNams of the Lord and surpassing them

is His DayA GuNam.Swamy desikan will go on to extoll

that special guNam thru 100 plus slOkams of DayA

sathakam . When one sings DayA Sathakam in

ThiruvEngadamudayAn's sannidhi even once in one's

life time is a truly blessed soul and becomes the

immediate object of Sriman NaarAyaNan's DayA .

There are postings on DayA Sathakam by Sriman

MuraLi RangaswAmi and myself in Sri VenkatEsa

Home pages created by Sri Haresh Balasubramanyan

of Singapore .

 

3) Treatment of "AruL " in Dhivya prabhandham is a vast

subject . Everywhere , there is the celebration of

the AruL or Dayaa of the Lord and prayers to be

beneficiaries of that DayA and upadEsams as

how to gain that fruit of Daya for enjoying

Moksha Sukham. I will cover thes topics in

future postings .

 

In summary , AruL is the Lord's grace and

the feeling state behind that special grace

of the Lord is DayA and is personified as

DayA Devi.HH Srimath PoundarIkapuram Andavan

has elaborated on DayA Devi and Her connection

to SapthagirIsan in five casettes full of

UpadEsams.

 

Thanks for asking such a deep question ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan