count the head

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

It is quite natural and logical to get a doubt on whom to worship to get a

particular wish fulfilled, in a system called "hindhu dharmam", wherein we are a

part, where there are 33 crores of dhEvaas. For, we know our capacities are

limited, help of an external force named "dheiva sankalpam" is required to

achieve any thing.

 

Such a large flexibility is also a nuisance many a times, for who knows which

dhEva will grant

* What type of boon

* At what time

* To which kind or way of worship

* What to offer in turn to please him - penance, praise, singing his /her glory,

materials or ?

 

That too with the speed at which we desire, and our "desire priorities changing"

how to come to a decision to worship one or other god, in particular.

 

This doubt of "whom to worship" existed even for people of olden times, who had

less number of desires, and lesser change of priorities, compared to ourselves

of present days.

 

That is why questions were raised by people to elders, whom they thought will be

competent enough, to elicit an answer. See question -

maanavaa: subham praapnuyu: kam sthhuvantha: kam archantha: ?

meaning: praising whom or worshipping whom, will men attain the good?

 

the reply given to this question is -

purusha: sathatha uththitha nithyam naama sahasrENa purushOththamam sthuva:

meaning: man has, always, to engage himself in praising the supreme lord of men

or highest person without limitation by chanting the 1000 names of him.

 

Now the confusion is confounded - as to who is this purushOththama:. So,

realising this first answer is not clear, another answer given was

purusha: nithyam ya: avyaya purusham [tham ]Eva bhakthyaa archaya:

meaning: man has, always, to adore him who is everlasting, and him alone.

 

Perhaps, now even this is also not clear and gives rise to a doubt,

* who is that puruOththama:,

* who is that avyaya purusha:,

* who is that jagath prabhu: , the lord of the universe.

 

Perhaps, if I leave this question and answer, as it is, you may or may not

easily get a clue wherefrom this question and answer is taken. So I will re

write that question and answer in the well-known form.

yudhishtira uvaacha:

sthhuvantha: kam kam archantha: praapnuyu: maanavaa: subham?

 

and bheeshma replied

jagath prabhum dhEvadhEvam anantham purushOththamam|

sthuvan naama sahasrENa purusha: sathatha uththitha

tham Eva cha archayan nithyam bhakthyaa: purusham avyayam||

 

Perhaps the "lesser-known" may get a doubt who is this purushOththama and avyaya

purusha. Sri vaishNavaas will not get this doubt for there is no one else who

has a 1000 naamaas praising him.

 

[if at all somebody else also have this 1000 naamaas praising him or her, as we

see nowadays, then that 1000 naamaas collection/s is preceded by their very

name].

 

So if a mention about "1000 naamaas" is made [or SAHASRA NAAMAAM as is generally

named], and the 1000 naamaas goes without any specific name, it is "sree vishNu

SAHASRA NAAMAM" ONLY [sVSN]. Now it is clear who is that purushOththama:, jagath

prabhu, avyaya purusha: etc.

 

Perhaps, then also, you may add, that, that very purushOththama sree krishNa,

was standing in front of bheeshma and hearing that 1000 naamaas being recited by

bheeshma lying in arrow bed. So bheeshma was under a sort of compulsion to do

this "praise".

 

"yE yadhaa maam prabhadhyanthE thaamsthathaiva bhajaami aham" says the very same

lord sri krishNa to arjuna in his bhagavath geethaa, standing in front of

bheeshma. This assurance was much before bheeshmaa fell to that arrow bed and

said this "1000 names". [meaning: whoever wants to praise or worship me in

whatever form they prefer, I give the desired fruits to them, through that

form].

 

But yet again another doubt comes to mind, whether he will give all the desires

by responding positively.

 

Just to dispel this kind of doubt only, there is a slOkam in same SVSN

describing his character as "sthavya: , sthavapriya: , sthOthram, sthuthi: ,

sthOthaa " [re slOkam 73], meaning

sthavya: - one who is the object of all praise.

sthavapriya:- one who is invoked by the praise

sthOthram - he is the very hymn of praise,

sthuthi: - he is that act of praise,

sthOthaa - one who does the praise. Or the very praiser.

 

So all these doubts stand removed by these assurances. Further lord also says

such a person is to his liking - sa mE priya: [geethaa 12th chap - 14th slokam].

 

poigai aazhvaar after a long period after this bheeshmaa's praise, simply puts

this across authoritatively - in same lines of "yE yadhaa maam"

 

thamar ugandhadhu evvuruvam avvuruvam thaanE

thamar ugandhadhu ep pEr maRRu appEr - thamar uganthu

evvaNNam sindhiththu imaiyaadhirupparE

avvaNNam aazhiyaanaam - 44th paasuram - mudhal thiruvandhaathi.

 

meaning: the devotee in whatever form he wants the lord to appear before him, in

that form the lord appears. Similarly what name the devotee chooses the lord

take that name. In whatever way the devotee thinks and concentrates on the lord,

who bears the sudharsana chakra - the wheel, he transforms himself to that form.

 

vaNNam here means many - colour, kind, type, nature, form etc. what colour -

that colour, what kind that kind, what type that type, what nature that nature,

what form that form etc.

 

This word 'thamar' means a. uRavinar- relatives, b. bhakthaas. So, for thamar it

is ok. If one is a new person and not a relative, then what happens? This doubt

is emphatically replied in the very next paasuram, stating that it is the

character of the lord to transform himself to suit his thamar's or other's taste

to change him also into a thamar,

 

aamE amararkku aRiya adhu niRka

naamE aRigiRpOm nan nenjE poo mEya

maadhavaththOn thaaL paNintha vaaLarakkan neeLmudiyan

paadhamaththaal eNNinaan paNbu - 45th paasuram - mudhal thirucvandhaathi

 

what is his character - paadhamaththaal eNNinaan paNbu naamE aRigiRpOm nan nenjE

- Oh our mind, let us learn ourselves what is his character - now go back to

previous paasuram - evvaNNam sindhiththu avvaNNam - in whatever way we think

that way.

 

Meaning of this paasuram in tamil as given by uththamoor swamy -

dhEvadhaigaLukku emberumaan aRiyappadak koodum. aiyam illai. andha vishayam

irukkattum. nalla manadhE, naabhik kamalaththil vasikkum mikka thavam udaiya

brahmanin paadhaththil vanangi ninRa kaththiyaik kaiyil uLLa raavaNanin neeNda

thalaigaLai paadhaththaal eNNik kaaNbiththa emberumaanin kalyaaNa guNaththai

naam kooda aRiyavallOm. - P 70 of prabhandha rakshai

 

So the doubt on his character goes. Clarity comes. Lord comes to a bhaktha in

whatever form he wants.

 

But that is not the main point for discussion to take up this paasuram.

Incidentally that came up and hence dealt. The main point for this post is that

very special anecdote of counting raavaNa's head by the lord while lying as a

child in brahma's lap. For same is anecdote is reflected in 3rd and 4th

thiruvandhaathi also as

 

aaintha arumaRaiyOn naanmugaththOn nanku urangil

vaaintha kuzhaviyaai vaaLarakkan Eintha

mudippOdhu moonRu Ezhu eNNinaan aarntha

adippOdhu nangatku araN - 77 - third thiruvandhaathi

 

koNdu kudangaal mEl vaiththa kuzhaviyaai

thaNdavarakkan thalai thaaLaal paNdu eNNi

pOm kumaran nirkum pozhil vEnkatamalaikkE

pOm kumaruLLeer purinthu. - 44 fourth thiruvandhaati

 

Has this counting of raavaNaa's head any reference in srimadh raamaayaNam? We

will see in next post.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.