Thondaradippodi AzhwAr's ThirupaLLIyezucchi:Part V (1st Paasuram)/Contd.

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SrI:

 

Dear SrI RanganAtha BhakthAs:

 

We will continue with the study of the First Paasuram now.

We studied the word by word meaning and focused on the word

Kathiravan chosen by ThoNDardippodi as the first word for

the Dhivya prabahnadham and dwelled on the Saama Vedic

significance of Kathiravan/Adithyan in the previous posting.

Let us start with the first line of this Paasuram

and dwell on the significance of the word , "Kathiravan"

from the Rg Vedic and Atharava Vedam point of view.

 

"Kathiravan GuNa Disai sikaram vanthaNainthAn"

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Kathiravn is Aadityan/Sooryan. Kathiravan visualized as

the composite of 12 AdithyAs(DhvAdasa AdityAs/ Twelve soverign

Principles).

 

These Twelve AdityAs are embodiments of the laws that

adminisiter the divine laws and the human socciety

as saluted by Rg Vedic Rks ( I.115.1-6).

 

The significance of Adityan/Kathiravan

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Adithyan is at the center of life, warmth , energy and

is considered by ChAndhOgya Upanishad (3.19.1) to be

at the boundary of the unmanifest(avyAkrutham) and

the manifest(articulation of names and forms).

"As the source of light, physical, mental, spiritual,

Kathiravan (Dhinakaran) is the nearest image of

divinity living in the middle of solar sphere

(in the middle of Soorya maNDalam as Soorya NaarAyanan)".

 

The Lord at the center of Adhithya MaNDalam

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The dhyAna slOkam used in the SandhyA Vandhanam

visualizes the Soorya mandaLa Madhyakan as

SrIman NaarAyaNan with four hands, weapons

and AabharaNams:

 

"YodEva: SavithAsmAkam dhiyO dharmAdhi gOcharA:

prErayEth Yasya tath bharga: tadh varENyam upAsmahE

 

Adithya maNDalE dhyAyEth ParamAthmAnam avyayam

VishNum chathurbhujam , rathna pankajAsana-madhyakam

 

kirIDa hAra kEyUra kadakAthi vibhUshitham

Srivatsa VanamAlA SrI TuLasi kowsthupOjwalam

 

Harim PeethAmbharadharam Sankha chakra gadhAdharam

prasanna vadhanam rathna kunDalair-maNDithAnanam

Sarva rathna samAyuktham SarvAbharaNa BhUshitham ".

 

Many Names and Kinds of Adhityan

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The Sun (Kathiravan) is saluted as Bharga(evolver) ,

Nourisher(Savithru),Thousand-rayed One( SahasrAmsu),

Made of Twelve parts ( DvaadasAthman), Gem of the sky

(Dhyu MaNi), The shining one(arka), Killer of darkness

(Tamisra-han), Maker of light (BHAskara), Maker of day

(DhivAkara)and resplendent One(Vivasvat).

 

There are six AdityAs in Rg Veda , Eight in TaittirIya

BrAmaNa and Twelve in Sathapatha BrahmaNa (11.6.3,8)

and VishNu purAnam.

 

Kathiravn Saluted by Rg vedam

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chithram dEvAnAm ud agAd aneekam cakshur mitrasya

VaruNasyAgnEh , aaprA dhyAvApruTivee anthariksham

Soorya aathmA jagatas tasthushasccha--I.115.1

 

(Meaning): Yonder has arisen with mysterious and

wonderful divine lustre , the eye of our light, life

and energy. He has filled the celestial regions , this

earth and the space between the sky and the earth with

His effulgence and glory. This Sun( Soorya NaarAyaNan)

is the anthraathmA of all chEthanams and achEthanams.

 

SooryO dEveem Ushasam rochamAnAm maryO na

yOshAmabhyEthi pascchAth , yathrA narO dEvayanthO

yugAni vithanvathE prathi BHADHRAAYA BHADHRAM --I.115.2

 

(Meaning): Just as a Young man follows a comely maiden,

Suryan follows the divine and brilliant dawns. Pious people

aspiring to be divine and desirous of rewards for their

KarmAnushtAnams perform rituals addressed to Him according

to prescribed times .

 

BhadrA asvA haritha: Sooryasya chithrA yEtagvA anunAdhyAsa:

namasyanthO dhiva aa prushDamasTu: pari dhyAvA-peuTivee

yanthi sadhya: ----I.115.3

 

(meaning): Our salutations to the blissful glory of

the rays of the Sun , who ascends the summit of the sky

and is driven by the strong , swift horses yoked to

a chariot (with one wheel) and travels on a road in

interspace and circumambulates the earth and the heaven.

 

Tath-Sooryasya dEvathvam tanmahithvam madhyA kartOr vitatam

sa jabhAra, yadEd ayukta harita: sadhasTAd aadh rAthri

vAsastanuthE simasmai--I.115.4

 

(meaning ): great indeed is the divinity and grandeur

of the radiant Sun . When He sets , He withdraws in to

Himself His widely spread rays . As He pulls in to

Himself the rays representing His vaibhavam , it is

like the unyoking of the seven horses from His chariot

leading to the onset of night and the the spreading of

the veil of darkness over all.

 

adhyA dEvA udithA Sooryasya nirahamsa: pipruthA

niravadhyAth , tannO mithrO VaruNO mAmahanthAmadhithi:

sindhu: pruTivee utha dhyaou:

 

(meaning): On This day, Oh Divine Forces , this is

our prayer to You ! With this SUryOdhayam, deliver us

from terrible crimes and spare us from any dishonors.

May the venerable Soorya Mandala Madhyakan , our Lord

possessing the abundant wealth of the two VibhUthis

including the oceans, earth and celestial regions

and grant us our wishes !

 

ThoNDaradippodi was a vedic scholar and he invoked hence

Kathiravan with the First word of His dhivya prabhandham .

AzhwAr will conclude with reference to Kathiravan in

the final (Tenth) Paasuram of ThiruppaLLiyezhucchi.

 

GuNa disai Sikharam vanthaNainthAn & The Twelve AdithyAs

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GuNa disai is GuNakku disai or the Eastern direction.

AzhwAr informs Lord RanganAthan that Kathiravan has

arrived to perform His duties and has embraced

the mountain peak in the Eastern direction.

 

We may inquire with the help of Rg Vedam & VishNU

PurANam as to who this Adityan is and what twelve

benovolent aspects are represented in Him to lead

to His mighty grandeur and why His arrival on

the eastern peak is important in the lives of

humans and the gods.

 

All aspects of the twelve AdithyAs are incorporated

in this Kathiravan , who has just about become visble on

the Eastern peak.

 

The Twelve AdityAs

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The first of the twelve AdityAs is Mithra, who represents

friendship and solidarity.The comradeship among men and

the friendship between the men and their Lord is indicated

by Mithra .The benovolent Mithra is the guide towards

moral actions that guide us.He is usually associated

with VaruNa in Rg Veda Manthram .

 

The second of the twelve AdithyAs is AryamAn (Chivalry).

The laws behind hospitality , the maintenance of sanaathana

dharmam , anushtAnam and sampradhAyam are guarded by

AryamAn .

 

The third of the twelve AdithyAs resting on the Eastern mountain

is Bhaga , the inherited share of wealth covering Rayi, Rai,

rutham , dhAna , Yaj~na et al leading to inward tranquility

( Rg Vedam: 7.41.2-3).

 

VaruNa , the mysterious binder is the Fourth of the AdithyAs.

In Vedic parlance , VaruNa is associated with MithrA.His

mysterious powers are saluted by Vedam (Rg Vedam: VI.48.14,

X.99.10, IV.42.2). "He has bound together the hours of the day

and established the morning with magic art".He is seen beyond

all things and is saluted as Omniscient (Rg vedam:VIII.41.3,

VIII.41-6-7, I.25.7-9.

 

DakshA, the Fifth AdhithyA , the power behind the technique

of ritual skills that deals with the complex steps of Soma

Yaj~nAs (Rg.Vedam I.91.7 & 10.75.5).The DevAs are created

and sustained thru havis offered to them with ritual skills.

 

Amsa, the non-inherited share of wealth (Rg.Vedam: I.102.4).

It is the opposite of the inherited share, Bhaga . Amsa is

the sixth Adithya representing the earned wealth.

 

TvashtA , the shaper of security and progress through

craftsmanship is the Seventh Adithya , who is connected

somewhat to the next two AdityAs, Pushan( the nourisher

and protector of cattle) and Vivasvath(the embodiment of

Morality: Rg Vedam X.14.1)).Weapons are produced through

His craftsmanship (Atharva Vedam:12.3.33).TvashtA bestows

long life and prospertity as well as confers generative

power on humans and dEvAs. TvashtA , Pushan and Vivasvath

are thus the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth AdithyAs respectively.

 

Savithru , " the vivifier" is recognized as the magic

power of (Vedic) words(manthrams). He as the Tenth

AdithyA is linked to the elventh and the twelfth AdityAs,

Sakra (The Mighty , the divinity of Courage )and VishNu

(the all pervading jyothi of Knowledge representing and

protecting the cosmic law sustaining the three worlds).

 

Thus all the AdithyAs united together and controlled

by the Aditya MaNDala Madhyakan, SrI Soorya NaarAyaNa

parabrahmam guards and guides us in our lives . We become

Mumukshus ( those desirous of Moksham) and perfrom SaraNAgathy

and attain the matchless blessings of nithya Kaimkaryam

to the Lord in His nithya vibhUthi.When one says " nandhathi

udhitha AdithyE "( one rejoices over the rising of the Sun) ,

one has all these prospective happiness in in mind through

participating in ThirupaLLiyezucchi of the Lord

and becoming the objects of His dhivya KaruNA KatAksham.

 

NamO Rg Veda SvaroopAya , SrI RanganAthAya,

BhakthAngri rENu Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan