DhIpAvaLi and JyOthi as saluted by VedAs and Upanishads

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs: During this DhIpAvaLi day ,

let us remember the Vedic salutations to JyOthi .

We will recall three Veda manthrams and comment on

them . They are :

 

1) Rg Vedam: III.39.7

 

JYOTHIR VRUNEETHA tamasO vijAnann aarE syAma duritAd abhIkE

imaa gira: sOmapA: sOmavruddha jushAsvEndhra purutamasya kaarO:

 

(meaning): The discriminating intellect pushes away the darkness

from LIGHT . May we be kept far away and be detached from

any inauspiciousness! Oh Supreme Being ! May Thou accept our

highest salutations mingled with devotion and become pleased

with the tributes originating from Your devout worshippers.

 

2) Rg Vedam: III.39.8

 

JYOTHIR YAJN~AYA rOdasI anu shyAdh aarE syaAma dhurithasya bhUrE:

bhUri chid dhi tujathO martyasya supAraso vasavO BarhaNAvath

 

(Meaning): Let there be LIGHT THROUGH BOTH THE REALMS OF

BODY AND MIND for performing aarAdhanam (worshipful acts)

to You. May we be kept in a place far away from all

inauspiciousness. May the boon giving Supreme Being (Varadhan)

grant us auspiciousness and accept our offerings from

as benovolent supplicants.

 

3) UttarArchika Saaman : 1031( Rg Vedam:9.86.10)

 

JYOTHIR YAJ~NSAYA PAVATHE madhu priyam

pitA dEvAnAm janithA vibhUvasu:

dhadhAthi ratnam svadhayOr apIchyam

madhintamO matsara indhriyO rasa:

 

(meaning): " It ( the elixir, the SomA Juice) is

the LIGHT OF THE COSMIC SACRIFICE. It distills in to

sweet and delightful juices. It is the parent of

Nature's bounties ad the generator of all and

the possessor of ample wealth .This, the most exhilirating

and the nourishing elixir supports the hidden treasures of

heaven and earth ".

>From a VaishNavite point of view ,One can link to

the Ubhaya VibhUthi doctrine of the Supreme Brahman

saluted as SrIman NaarAyaNan , the ruler of the Nithya

and LeelA VibhUthis and as the Jagath Kaaranan.

 

UPANISHAD MANTHRAMS AND JYOTHI TATTHVAM

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In addition to the meanings of the above three manthrams ,

let us cite selected passages in Upanishads , Brahma Soothram

and other pramANams (Means of Knowledge) , which salutes

the Brahman as ParamjyOthis or Svayam JyOthi. AzhwAr's

paasurams also salute the JyOthis aspect of Upanishadic Brahman

in the form of a personal God with anantha kalyANa guNams.

 

Upanishadic References to JyOthis as Brahman

**********************************************

ChAndhOgyam (III.13.7) beginning with "atha yad atah:

paro divo JYOTHIR dhIpyatE --" refers to this Supreme

light (Brahman) and identifies it with the light inside

one's heart lotus (antharyAmi Brahman) . Brahma Soothram

I.1.25 is derived from this passage in Upanishad:

"jyOthisccharaNAbhidhAni "( The word JyOthi here means

Brahman and explains why it is so ).

 

The meaning of the ChAndhOgyam passage as freely

translated by Dr.S.M.S. Chari goes this way:

 

" Now the light which shines above this heaven ,

above all, above every thing , in the highest

worlds beyond which there are no higher worlds ;

verily ,this is the same as the light , which is here

within the person". This light associated with the highest

domain (atha: parO dhivO JyOthi:) is Supreme Brahman

standing as Supreme light (Param JyOthi).

 

This Supreme Light is identified by and KatOpanishad II.11.15)

as : " TamEva bhAntam anubhAti SARVAM Tasya bhAsA Sarvam

idham vibhAti " (" Him the shining One , every thing shines

after , by This light all this is lighted/illumined".

 

Brahman is " JyOthishAm JyOthi:" or the Light of Lights

according to Mundaka and BruhadhAraNyaka Upanishad

(VI.4.16: Tamm dEvA: JyOthishAm JyOthi:).

 

PAANCHARAATHRA AAGAMAM AND JYOTHI/TEJAS (AZHWARS'ANUBHAVAM)

***********************************************************

This Jyothi or Tejas is one of the Six divine attributes

which define the essential charactrestrics of the Supreme

Lord /Bhagavaan ( JnAna , Sakthi, Bala , TEJAS (JyOthi),

Veerya and Isvarya according to PaancharAthra Aagama).

 

AzhwArs in their dhivya prabandhams salute this "Tejas"

attribute of SarvEswaran following the Upanishadic/Aagamic

teachings that Param JyOthis is the Supreme Light ,

which denotes the very same Brahman. In this context ,

Swamy NammAzhwAr addresses the Lord as "Param JyOthi"

in many of His Paasurams . Thirumangai Mannan salutes

Him as " NandhA ViLakkE". Here the clear reference by

the AzhwArs is to that Brahman ( the Supreme Being ) ,

who is the loftiest transcendental Spiritual Light that

is the cause of the Universe , its protector and nourisher.

 

Additional examples from ThiruvAimozhi on JyOthi

*************************************************

 

sOthiyAhi yellavulahum thozhum

Adhimoorthy yenRAl aLavAhumO?

Vediyar muzhu vedatthamudhai

theethi seer-ThiruvEngadatthAnayE

 

--ThiruvAimozhi: 3.5

 

(Meaning provided by Dr.V.N.Vedanatha Desikan):

Nay , to say that the Lord of Thiruvenkatam ,

THE SUPREME EFFULGENCE , the Prime Deity that

all the worlds (and Vaikunta , not excluded )

worship , who is the essence of the VedAs , which

describe Him as "the Enjoyable (Rasa) , to say that

the Lord has given Himself up to me , the vilest and

the most undeserved , is itself NOT a thing to enhance

His glory. Look there! He stands there , permanently ,

satisfied even when hosts of souls rach Him and are

redeemed ; this simplicity and magnanimous grace it is

that are His greatest virtues that really mark Him out".

 

In a moving paasuram ( ThiruvAimozhi 3.3) , Swamy NammAzhwAr

salutes this ParamjyOthi brilliantly:

 

ParanchOthi Nee ParamAi ninnikazhnthu pinn maRROr

ParanchOthinmayin padiOvi nihazhhinRa

ParanchOthi NinnuLLE padarulaham padaittha . Yemm

ParanchOthi! GovindhA! paNNpuraikkamAttEnE

 

(Meaning according to Dr.V.N.V): Oh Superb Effulgence !

There is none to excel You. Even this tribute looks

empty , when I recall how people are prone to praise

things. One thing is beyond dispute. Just a fraction of

Your divine will (Sankalpa) could create all the worlds.

You wrought the entire universe out of Yourself , Yet

You are not equivalent to the created work. Its vices and

maladies can not taint You. How am I to recount Your

auspicous Qualities ?

 

In yet another paasuram of the same Third patthu ,

Swamy NammazhwAr salutes the ThirumEni of the Lord

and its incomparable TejO-roopam , which is Suddha

satthva Mayam . It never shows any changes.Same

is true for His Jn~Anam , VibhUthi and SvabhAvam.

His Thiruvadi Tejas can not be comprehended fully

and saluted adequately even by the mighty Brahma Devan.

 

MaasuNAc-chudar udampAi maqlarAthu kuviyAthu

MaasuNA-Jn~amAi MuzhuthumAi muzhuthiyanRAi

MaasuNA-vAnkOlatthu amararkOn vazhipattAl

MaasuNA Unn Paadha malar chOthi mazhungAthE

 

ThiruvAimozhi 3.8

 

In the 10th paasuram of this third decad ,

Swamy NammAzhwAr identifies and salutes this

JyOthi Svaroopan as: " MaRayAya naalvEdatthuL

ninRa MALARCCHUDARE " ( Oh Param JyOthi !

You Yourself have clearly described that

You are the One to be comprehended from

all the vedAs: " Vedaisccha saravairahamEva

Vedhya:". Thou art the SarvEswaran (Veda PrathibhAdhyan)

and anubhava bhOgyan shining as illustrious JyOthi

in all the VedAs ) .

 

There are many , many passages in AzhwAr's

Tamil Vedams that pay tribute to this JyOthirmaya

Parabrahmam , whom we salute today . Let us reflect on

this TejOmaya Vigrahan and become blessed by Him .

 

A PRAYER ON DHIPAAVALI DAY

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Let us pay tribute to this Supreme Light of Lights on

this day devoted to Aj~nanam dispelling COSMIC LIGHT ,

SRIMAN NARAYANAN and seek His blessings through

surrender at His sacred feet .

 

Let us put aside all the small differences that

separate us and unite together through the many ,

many things that we share as the followers of

Bhagavad RaamAnuja SiddhAntham and enjoy His dhivyAthma

Savroopam and His Dhivya mangaLa Vigraham of our

SrIman NaarAyanan on this DhIpAvaLI day and

all days of the years of our lives !

 

Sarvam KrishNArpanam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

ChithrabhAnu DhIpAwaLi day , New York .