New Year Greetings : What does the New Year Chithra BhAnu signify ?

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

NamO NaarAyaNAya

 

Dear BhakthAs around the world :

 

First of all , Please accept my hearty greetings for

a Happy , Healthy and Bhagavath-BhAgavatha kaimkaryam

filled New Year ! There are so many Vedic references

to the name "Chithra BhAnu" , the just born year .Let

us celebrate those deeper meanings behind the name ,

"Chithra BhAnu" in this essay.

 

Literal Meaning of Chithra BhAnu

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Literally, CHITHRA means clear, bright , varigated ,

agreeable entity that strikes the eye. For instance,

CHITHRA kootam is the lovely foot hills of mountains,

where Lord Ramachandran spent joyous days in company

of SitA pirAtti. CHITHRA Ukthi is the most agreeable

and eloquent discourse that is given by our AchAryAs.

CHITHRA Paddhathi of Sri RanganAtha PadhukA sahasram

by CHITHRA Kavi NigAmAntha Desikan is full of Sabdha

and Artha CHITHRAMs about Lord RanganAthan's Svaroopa,

Roopa , GuNa , Vibhava aascharyams (mysteries).

 

CHITHRA MEANS MULTI-HUED RADIANCE ; It is a RangOli

(Kolam with many colors).It is a wonderous entity .

 

Literally " BHAANU " means either SUN or an object of

Beauty or a ray of light . BHAANUmathi means a beautiful

lady like Vedic Ushas salutd in Ushas Sooktham ,

one of the most beautiful salutation to the Vedic Dawn.

 

Vedic Meanings of CHITHRA BHAANU

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Across Rg Vedic Samhithais , One comes across

references to " CHITHRAM , CHITHRA , CHITHRAA,

CHITHRAI: , CHITHRO " :

 

1. Chithram tadhvO MaruthO yaama---Rg Vedam: 2.34.10

 

2. CHITHRAM DEVAANAAM UDHAGAADHANIKAM --Rg Vedam: 1.115.1

 

This is part of the Yajur MaadhyAnika UpasthAna manthram

starting with " (PraNavam ) aasathyEna rajasA varthamAnO

nivEsayan -- CHITHRAM DEVAANAAM UDHAGAADANEEKAM CHAKSHUR-

MITHRASYA VARUNASAAGNE:, AAPRAADHYAAVAA PRUTHIVEE

ANTHARIKSHAM SOORYA AATHMAA JAGATHASTASTHUSHASCCHA ,

TACCHAKSHUR-DEVAHITHAM PURASTHACCHUKRUMUCCHARATH "

 

The meaning of the full text of the Maadhyhnika UpasthAna

Manthram is beautiful. For sake of brevity , we will confine

the coverage to the text in capital dealing with CHITHRAM

at this time and deal with the full maning later.

 

(Meaning): " Yonder has arisen with wonderful divine

effulgence , the eye of our light , life and energy.

He has filled the celestial regions , the earth and

the interspace with his glory . This Sun ( Soorya

MaNdala Madhyastha NaarAyaNan ) is the soul of all

that moves/chEtanam or is immovable/achEthanam ".

 

3. CHITHRAM ha yadhvAm bhOjanam--Rg Vedam :7.68.5

 

4. CHITHRA icchisOstaruNasya--Rg Vedam: 10.115.1

 

5. CHITHRA IidhrAjA raakakA--Rg Vedam: 8.21.18

 

6. CHITHRASTHE BHAANU KRATHUPAA--Rg Vedam: 10.100.12

(This is anothe rimportant Rg Veda manthram

dealing with CHITHRA BHAANU, which we will

take up another time).

 

7. CHITHRAA VAA YESHU DHEEDHITHI--Rg vedam: 5.18.4

 

8. CHITHRAINJIBHIR-VAPUSHE-- Rg Vedam : 1.64.4

 

9. CHITHRO VOASTHU YAAMASCCHITHRA--Rg Vedam: 1.172.1

 

It will be wonderful to reflect now on the deep Vedic

meanings of "Chithra Bhaanu " encoded in the above

Veda Manthrams.

 

We will satisfy ourselves with the meaning of the full text of

MaadhyAhnika UpasthAna manthram by the authors of the Yajur

Veda SandhyAvandhanam text released by Sri VisidshtAdvaitha

Research Center of Madras, The ThillaisthAnam Kaimakrya Sabhaa

and the Sri PoorvAchArya Kainkarya Sabhaa of Banagalore

(From " aasathuEna rajasa ----Manasaa punAthu ", which

includes the Soorya avalOkana manthram (PasyEma saradha-satham

to JyOkycha Soorya-dhrusE ).THIS MANTHRAM IS A CLEAR

SALUTATION TO THE CHITHRA BHAANU , THE SOORYA NAARAAYANAN ,

THE CREATOR AND THE PROTECTOR OF THIS UNIVERSE :

 

" I propitiate SavithA ( Creator of the Universe), who moves

watchfully around the world in His golden chariot with a view

to grant Moksham to mortals in accordance with their karmAs.

I realize that Supreme Lord in my heart and take refuge

in that Lord beaming forth in all splendour in the heaven

beyond the periphery of the material worlds; the Lord extending

His benevolent protection to other devaas and ordaining their

specific functions;the Lord from whom the Sun derives light;

the Lord, who is the propagator of the VedAs;the Lord whom

the great souls sustain in their hearts through meditation

and see the entire universe ; the Lord form whom the army for

protection of dEvAs came into being.The Lord for whom VaruNA

and Agni are like the two eyes.He is the inner soul living

inside all things and beings of the universe.He is pervading

the upper worlds,the earth and intervening space.That Lord ,

is the eyes of Jn~Anis and is the benefactor of dEvAs ,

He is free from all blemishes (anagan)and is moving in

front of us in His incarnate form (seeing the Sun ,

the following mantrams are recited next ):

 

SooryAvalOkana Manthrams: Prayer to CHITHRA BHAANU

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May we behold Him for Hundred years !

 

May we live a hundred years (to sing His glory)!

 

May we enjoy(His bliss) for hundred years !

 

May we lead a worthwhile life in His service

and the service of His devotees for hundred years!

 

May we enlighten ourselves by listening to His glory

for hundred years!

 

May our tongues sing His glory for hundred years !

 

May we always remain invincible (without being

defeated by unholy persons)!

 

May we comprehend the Lord in our minds' eye

for many years ! (viewing of the Sun ends here).

 

Concluding prayer

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The Lord who took His incarnations from the Milky

Ocean and who still continues to reside in the middle

of that ocean; the Lord with lotus eyes; May that all-

knowing Lord sanctify me shower His grace on me".

 

SUCH IS THE CHITHRA BHAANU , OUR LORD FOR WHOM THIS

YEAR'S NAME IS ASSOCIATED.

 

CHITHRA BHAANU AND LORD HAYAGRIVAN

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Swamy Desikan is revered as NigamAntha Desikan

or VedAnthAchAryan. In His sacred HayagrIva SthOthram

composed in front of Lord HayagrIvan at the OushadhAdri

Hills of ThiruvahIndhrapuram , the multi-hued rays

emanating from the gems adorning the nUparam (sathankai)

caught the eye of Swamy Desikan and revealed the meaning of

those CHITHRA-BHAANU .He captured that revelation in

the 21st slOkam of SrI HayagrIva SthOthram:

 

" parsiphuran nUpura CHITHRA-BHAANU-

prakAsa nirdhUtha tamOnushangAm

padha dhvayeem parichinmahEantha:

prabhOdha rajeeva vibhAtha sandhyAm

 

(Meaning): We (HayagrIva UpasakAs) incessantly

meditate on Thy pair of sacred feet adorning

Your nUpuram (Sathankai) inlaid with the most

radiant gems. The lustre arising from these

gems equals the effulgence of the multi-rayed

Sun (Chithra-BHaanu) and serves as the morning

sandhyA (dawn/Ushas) that drives away the darkness of

nescience. We pray for the banishmnet of the last

trace of our ajn~Anam through the scintillating

lustre arising from Your sacred feet . Just as

the morning Sun has the power to make the lotus

blossom , we pray for the awakening and growth

of our Bhakthi to You. We stay focused on

the DhyAnam of Your sacred feet.

 

The twin benefits arising from the incessant dhyAnam

of the sacred feet of Lord HayagrIvan and His

manthra japam are:

 

(1) Removal of the dark clouds of ajn~Anam

( nirdhUtha tama: anushangam).

 

(2) the blossoming and growth of dhivya Jn~Anam

(prabhOdha raajeeva vikasitham ) . The Jn~Anam

transforms from sankuchitham (shrunken state )

to vikasitham (fully blossomed state).

 

The tatthvam invoked here by Swamy Desikan has the deeper

mystical meanings of Veda manthrams, when applied to

mental and spiritual realms. The Vedic dawn is associated

with the uplifting rays of "THE CHITHRA BHAANU ,

AADHITHYA MANDALA MADHYASTHA SRI LAKSHMI HAYAGRIVAN"

worshipped by our dear ANDAL at the crack of the dawn

with the Her ThiruppAvai paasuram , "SiRRam SiRukaalE

vanthunnai sEvitthu). Her prayer to the CHITHRA BHAANU ,

Her Lord on our behalf (unakkE naamAtccheyvOm , maRRai

namm kaamangaL maRRElO ) is very appropriate for

the banishment of Ajn~Anam and the growth of spiritual

knowledge leading to Moksham .

 

THAT APPEARS TO THE VEDIC SIGNIFICANCE OF CHITHRA BHAANU

SAMVATHSARAM AS WE EXPERIENCE THE FIRST DAWN .

 

SUBHAMASTHU ; SARVA MANGALAANI SANTHU.

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE saraNam,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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