ThiruvahIndhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimkaryam:Part XVI: Atharva Vedam

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SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Today adiyEn will start the study how Vedams and Upanishads

salute the Para Brahmam , which in its archA form

presides over the Dhivya dEsam of ThiruvahIndhrapuram

with the ThirunAmams of SrI DhaivanAyakan , DevanAthan ,

Achyuthan and Natha Sathyan .

 

adiyEn has vowed to write about Lord DhaivanAyakan

alone on the lists until the RathnAngi Kaimkaryam

is going to be completed on October 5 with all of

Your help .Hence this posting will also focus on Him .

It would be His ThiruvuLLam to bless all of us

with Kaimkarya Poorthi during this year's PurattAsi

SravaNam (October 5,2003).

 

High tribute from Atharva Vedam & its Upanishads

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All the 4 Vedams and the Upanishads associated with

each of them eulogize the Lord . Atharva Vedam is

no exception in this context.

 

Inview of the vast scope of the Vedams and Upanishads

and the mulitlevel meanings of individual Veda manthrams ,

it is not possible for anyone to understand fully

the timeless Sruthis or intrepret their meanings .

With this caveat , adiyEn will make a very feeble

attempt to offer my salutations .

 

In this posting , adiyEn will focus on the youngest of

the Vedams , Atharva Vedam . This Vedam like the other

three vedams covers many subjects. AchAryAs have said

that Vedams are like a "Pala sarakku Kadai" or a store

with many goods for "purchase". One picks and chooses

what they need. Atharva vedam is mistakenly underestimated

for housing manthras linked with "magic and cult ".

Actually , it contains immense theologic revelations

a in the other three samhithAs according to some commentators.

Examples of such profound thoughts are housed in

the following Sookthams of Atharva Vedam:

 

Brahma Sooktham , Skambha Sooktham , PraaNa Sooktham et al.

 

Each vedam has its SamhithA, BrAhmana and AraNyakaa

sections. The last section containing the Upanishads

are the distileld essence of Vedic philosophy (vedAnthaa).

All known upanishads are linked with one of the four

Vedams .

 

Atharva Vedam , Its SaakhAs and their Upanishads

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Atharva Vedam has 9 skhAs out of which 2 are current

today ,. The nine saakhAs are : (1) PaippalAda

(2)Tauda (3)MuNda(4) SaunakIyA (5)Jaajala

(6)Jalada(7)BrAhmavEdA (8)Devadarsa and

(9)CharaNavaidya.

 

Among these nine , Only Saunaka and PaippalAda

are available to us. Others are extinct .

 

Upanishads belonging to Saunaka SaakhA

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

The three upanishads belonging to the Saunaka SakhA

are : (1) MuNdaka (2)PraNava and (3) Gayathri .

PraNava Upanishad is housed in Gopatha Brahmanam.

The three Sookthams (Brahma , Skhambha and PrANa)

are like Upanishads and are inside the Atharva SamhithA

itself.

 

Upanishads belonging to Paippalada SaakhA

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

Prasna , Brahma , Garbha upanishads belong to

this SaakhA.

 

Upanishads belonging to unidentified SaakhAs

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

MaNdUkya , ChUlika , Atharva SikhA , Kaivalya,

Atharva Siras , Brahma Bindhu , Naadha Bindhu,

Amrita Bindhu and TejO Bindhu belong to these

unidentified saakhAs.

 

Among these Upanishads, some are well known :

Prasna , MuNdaka, MaaNdUkya and Atharva Siras .

There are commentaries avialable to these and

also for other Upanishads such as ChUlika

and four Bindhu Upanishads.

 

AdiyEn will select specific manthrams from

the original SamhithA text of Atharva Vedam

and its Upanishads to illustrate the glory of

the Veda Purushan , who has His ArchA form at

Thiruvaheendhrapuram as Lord Deva NaaTan

(Dhaiva Naayakan).

 

Inspite of the many references to curing of

physical diseases , rites for prolonging of

life on earth to serve the Lord and His BhaagavathAs ,

fulfilment of one's desires (ishta Kaamyam) ,

practise of state craft , "magic and charms ,

spells and sorcery" , the essence of Atharva Vedam

is marked by high Vedic philosophy and distinct

metaphysical thoughts about Brahma Jn~Anam.

Hence , Atharva Vedam should be studied and recited

with revenrence that should match that we have for

the other three Veda SamhithAs and their BrahmaNams ,

AaraNyakams and Upanishads.

 

Atharva SamhithA

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

It consists of 5977 verses (manthrAs) spread

over 20 Books.The 17th book has the smallest

number (30) and the 20th book has the largest

number of verses(958).

 

These 20 books are divided into hymns as

PrapADakAs/lectures) and as anuvAkAs( recitations)

and SookthAs. Latter (SookthAs) are divided further

into arTa (sense hymns) or ParyAya (Period ) SooktAs.

There are a a total of 95 AnuvAkAs in Atharva Veda

SamhithA.There are 34 PrapAdhakAs from Book 1-18.

 

The meanings of this Vedam is also intrepreted

at the three levels .

 

We will study together some of the selected pasaages

from Atharva Upanishads in subsequent postings and

focus on the VaishNavite itrepretation according to

AchArya RaamAnujA , Swamy Desikan and Upanishad

BhAshyakArar, SrI Ranga RaamAnuja Muni of DhIpa PrakAsa

PerumAL Sannidhi at ThUppul agrahAram.

 

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,

SrI HemAbja NaayikA SamEtha SrI Achyutha Para BrahmaNE nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan