The Cosmic Conch

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

The Cosmic Conch

 

Weapons are usually ugly, literally and figuratively. No one calls a

machine gun beautiful, or a grenade, much less an armoured tank

(except perhaps a terrorist). They have absolutely no redeeming

feature to them, being meant solely for mass destruction, meant only

to cause sadness and sorrow and to take away that precious thing

which most of us take for granted—Life. We thus find that

anything that deals out death and destruction and little else, can

never be beautiful in any sense.

 

Hence if I say that weapons also double as adornments, people would

definitely look at me strangely and would probably construe that I am

referring to terrorists, who constantly tote guns and grenades,

considering them to be adornments to their person. Though none would

believe it, it is the Lord I refer to, who is always armed to His

teeth, ready to rush to the rescue of a devotee in

distress—“sadA panchAyudhee bibhrat sa na: SrIranga

nAyaka:” It is a well-chronicled fact that the Lord totes

several weapons in His hands and whenever we picturise Him in our

mind’s eye, it is as accompanied by these weapons.

 

One important difference between the Lord’s weapons and

others’ is that the former are used for both protecting and

preserving devotees on the one hand and for destroying their

detractors. Unlike weapons of human creation, which are meant solely

to cause damage and devastation, the Lord’s arsenal is for a

dual purpose, as indicated. Hence it is no wonder that the divine

armoury is extremely beautiful and enticing to look at, serving at

once as lethal weapons and luminous adornments to the Lord’s

arms.

 

All are agreed that the Lord’s principal weapons are

five—The Shankham, The Chakram, The GadA (Mace), asi (Sword)

and the ShArngam (Bow). Of these five, it is the Chakram or

Sudarsanam, which commands primacy and is known as the King of

Weapons—“HEti RAja”. As such, SudarsanAzhwan has a

lot of stotrams composed on him—the SudarsanAshtakam, the HEti

RAja stavam, the Sudarsana Satakam (poorva and uttara satakams,

comprising two hundred slokas in all) etc. to name a few. At several

divyadesams, separate sannidhis have been allotted to ChakrattAzhwar

and devotees delight in circumambulation in his shrine, as could be

seen at Srirangam and other places.

 

However, there is another worthy, who is no less magnificent, no less

Sudarsanam (good-looking), no less potent and no less dear to the

Lord, who does not attract as much attention and adulation as the

Chakram, but is all the same a strong, silent performer worthy of all

our admiration. Whenever there is an enumeration of the Lord’s

weapons, it is his name that is mentioned ahead of others’,

indicating his primacy in the divine scheme of things. You may refer

to not one but any number of instances, where the Lord’s

weapons find mention—in all of them, the Shankham is always

mentioned first, followed by the other AyudhAs. Look at the following

for example—

 

“Shankha chakra gadA pANe! DvArakA nilaya! Achyuta!”

(Draupati’s appeal while being disrobed in the Kaurava darbAr)

“Tamasa: paramaO dhAtA Shankha chakra gadAdhara:”

(Mandodari’s tribute to Sri Raghava, in Srimad Ramayanam)

“Shankha chakra gadA asi ShArngAdi asankhEya divyAyudha! (Sri Ramanuja in Gadyam)

“Sangennum chakkaram ennum tuzhAi ennum—igganE sollum”

“SanginOdum nEmiyOdum tAmarai kaNgalOdum”

“Sangu vil vAL tandu chakkara kaiyyarkku”

“VeLlai suri SangOdu Azhi Endi tAmarai KaNnan”

“Sangodu chakkaram kaNdu ugandadum tAmarai kaNgalukku attru teerndadum”

(Sri Nammazhwar)

 

All these denote in no uncertain terms the primacy the Shankham

enjoys, among the Lord’s weapons. What could be the reason

behind this phenomenon of the Shankham being accorded pride of place,

despite the Chakram being obviously more popular and enjoying greater

visibility?

 

The answer to this puzzle lies in the NAcchiyAr Tirumozhi of Sri Andal.

 

Perhaps to compensate in advance for the lack of adequate mention by

PoorvAcharyas, Sri Andal devotes all of ten pasurams for the

adulation of Sri PAnchajanyam, the glorious shankham adorning the

Lord’s left hand.

 

ChakrattAzhvan might be the much- adulated arsenal of the Lord, but it

is the Lord’s Shankham that gets to taste the incredibly sweet

lips and mouth of Emperuman. It is therefore to the Shankham we must

turn, as Sri Andal does, if we want to get a true picture of how

tasty the Lord’s lips are. For, when the Lord blows the Conch,

His coral lips and fragrant mouth come into close contact with the

Shankham, affording it a delectable taste, which is normally the

exclusive preserve of the Divine Consorts.

 

“Is the Lord’s mouth fragrant as scented camphor? Or is it

the type of fragrance exuded by the lovely lotus?” Sri Andal

seeks confidential information (which is known only to Sri Devi and

Sri Bhoodevi) from Sri PAnchajanyAzhwan—

“Karuppooram nArumO kamala poo nArumO

TiruppavaLa sevvai tAn tittitirukkumO?”

Maruppositta MAdhavan tan vAi suvayum nAttramum

Virupputtru kEtkindrEn sol Azhi veN SangE!”

 

Since this is a divine secret, Sri Andal places Sri Panchajanyam in

the position of an Acharya and seeks upadEsam on the taste and

fragrance of the Lord’s lips, says Sri Azhagia MaNavALa PerumAL

nAyAnAr—

 

“Karuppooram nArumO! Kamala poo nArumO!….endru dEsikarai

kEtkum padiyAna soundarya sArasyam uLLitta bhOgyataiyai udayOmum nAm

allOmO endrA pOlE”

 

We are able to glean quite a lot of information about the Shankham,

from these ten pasurams of Sri Kodai Nacchiar. For instance, we get

to know that the Shankham, though originally from the unfathomable

depths of the ocean, grew up in the body of an asurA known as

“Panchajanan”, from which it attained the name

“PAnchajanyam”. It is pure white in colour, symbolising

the epitome of Sattva guNam, of unalloyed goodness.

 

Sri Andal’s descriptions of the PAnchajanyam are indeed glorious

and graphic. The Lord looks like a huge mountain—“Pacchai

mA malai pOl mEni”. On this mountain, the pale wintry moon, the

“Sharat Chandran” rises slowly and beautifully. This is

what the Shankham, with its pearly white complexion, looks like,

sitting on the Lord’s left arm, resembling the glorious Moon in

colour, in affording immediate bliss at sight, etc.—

 

“Tada varayin meedE sharat kAla Chandiran

idaiyuvAvil vandu ezhundAl pOl”

 

The Shankham’s resemblance to the Moon is emphasized in the next pasuram—

“Chandira mandilam pOl DAmOdaran kaiyil

antaram ondru indri Eri”.

 

We are told by the PanchAyudha Stotram that the PAnchajanyam resembles

not one, but millions of Moons shining simultaneously—

“Tam PAnchajanyam sashi kOti shubhram Shankham sadAham sharaNam prapdyE”

 

Sri Andal speaks with envy about the several distinctions the Shankham has managed to garner.

 

If we need some favour from the Lord, it is to the Shankham that we

have to apply and not to any other acolyte, for, the PAnchajanyam

“has the Lord’s ears”, so to say, nestling close to

His left ear, as it does. From its vantage position, it looks as if

the Shankham is forever whispering secrets and sweet nothings into

Emperuman’s ears, unbeknownst to others and also putting in a

word on behalf of devotees who need the Lord’s favours—

“avan seviyil mandiram koLvAyE pOlum valam puriyE!”

 

We know how difficult and strenuous it is to visit holy places, for

having a spiritually cleansing dip in the various puNya teertthams.

Whether it be the Ganga or the Yamuna, they lie at a great distance,

involving a lot of time, expenditure and physical strain to bathe in

them. With absolutely no effort on its part, the Shankham is able to

bathe daily in the holiest of waters, holier than any of those known

to mankind, viz., the sweet juices from the Lord’s

mouth—“SeNkaN Mal tannudaya vAi teerttham pAyndu Ada

vallAi ValampuriyE!”.

Swami Desikan confirms this in Sri Devanayaka

Panchasat—“VamsEna Shankha patinA cha nishEvitam tE

bimbAdharam”

 

Food and Shelter form the essential requisites for any person. Some

can eat just porridge “Kanji”), while some are able to do

justice to a sumptuous meal. While some reside in humble huts, some

are fortunate to have palaces for their stay. However, more fortunate

than any one, as far as food and shelter are concerned, is the

PAnchajanyam, which has the sweet juices of the Lord’s mouth

for its staple food and sleeps comfortably in the most exalted of

shelters, viz., the Lord’s lotus-like, soft and supple palm.

Can the glory of the Shankham be measured at all, asks Sri

Andal—“Indiranum unnOdu selvatthukku ElAnE”,

“ShankarayA! Un selvam sAla azhagiyadE”.

 

By monopolising access to the Lord’s fragrant lips and mouth,

the Shankham generates immense envy in the minds of the fairer sex,

who too would like their share of the treasure. The Shankham’s

incalculable good fortune, in having for its constant consumption

liquids sweeter than nectar and holier than the holiest of sacred

waters, make the 16000 and odd Consorts of the Lord green with envy

and livid with fury, says Sri Andal—

“peN padayAr un mEl perum poosal chAttrugindrAr”

 

“PadinAram ayiravar dEvimAr pArtthiruppa

madhu vAyil kondAl pOl Madhavan tan vAyamudam

poduvAga uNbadanai pukku nee undakkAl

chidayAro! UnnOdu sol Azhi VeNsangE!”

 

The Shankham is not only the symbol of Shuddha Sattvam, it is also the

embodiment of immeasurable wisdom. It was through a mere touch of the

Shankham that the infant Dhruva, bewildered beyond measure by the

sudden appearance of the Lord before his eyes and unable to find the

right words to praise the Lord, was afforded eternal wisdom, which

made him burst into verses filled with devotion and erudition—

 

“Shankha prAntEna Govinda: tam pasparsha kritAnjalim

utAnapAdam anagham dvija varya! Jagatpati:” (Sri Vishnupuranam)

 

However, a major doubt assails us—we have been speaking of the

Shankham as an “Ayudham”, a weapon, and all that we have

seen so far indicates only a docile disposition. Is the Shankham

really effective as a weapon and if so, how can it cause harm to the

Lord’s opponents, not being endowed with a “cutting

edge”, like other weapons of distinction like the Chakram and

the Sword? Nor can the PAnchajanyam be used as a “blunt

instrument” to cause damage, like the Mace KoumOdaki!

 

The Shankham is by far superior to the other components of the

Lord’s arsenal, endowed with the power of making foes drop dead

due to sheer fear, shock and trauma, occasioned by its benumbing

boom—

 

“VishnO: mukhOttAnila pooritasya yasya dhvani: danava darpa hantA

tam PAnchajanyam sashi kOti shubhram Shankham sadAham sharaNam prapadyE”.

 

The Shankham does a clean job, with its victims just dropping dead,

unlike the gory and bloody deaths caused by its peers like the

Chakram and the Sword. As proof of the PAnchajanyam’s potency,

we find that the moment Sri Krishna and Arjuna blew their conches in

the battle field of Kurukshetra, the Kaurava army practically dropped

dead with fear and shock, making Arjuna’s job of disposing them

off much easier than it would have been otherwise. The following Gita

slokas attest to this—

 

“MAdhava: PANdavaschaiva divyou Shankhou pradadhmatu:

PAnchajanyam HrisheekEsa: DEvadattam Dhananjaya:

 

“sa ghOshO DhArtarAshtrANAm hridayAni vyadArayat”

 

Expanding on these beautiful verses, Sri Ramanuja says that victory

for the Pandavas was a foregone conclusion, once the deafening and

terrifying boom of these Shankhas tore through the hearts of the

Kauravas—

 

“SarvEsvarEsvara: ParthasArathI rathIcha PANdu tanaya: trailOkya

vijayOpakaraNa bhootE mahati syandanE stitthou trailOkyam kampayantou,

Sreemat Panchajanya DEvadattou divyou shankhou pradadhmatu:”.

The words “TrailOkyam kampayantou” appear to be a

verbatim translation of the Tiruppavai lines, “GyAlatthai ellAm

nadunga muralvana”, testifying to the deep roots that this

prabandam had taken in the mind of the Tiruppavai Jeer.

 

Sri Periyazhwar performs mangalAsasanam to this Shankham, which boomed

terrifyingly, reducing opposing armies to mere jelly—

“padai pOr pukku muzhangum ap Panchajanyamum pallANdE!”

 

 

The normal position of the Shankham is on the left hand of the

Lord—“kooonEru sangam idatthAn”. Lest we get the

wrong idea that the Shankham’s principal role is destructive,

to assure us that it indeed has a supportive, protective and

preservative role too, the Lord sports the same in His right hand, at

Tirukkovilur, says Swami Desikan in Sri DEhalIsa Stuti—

 

“Chakrasya daitya danujAdishu vAma bhAvam

Shankhasya cha Ashrita janEshu dakshinatvam

Vyaktam pradarsayasi GOpapurAdhirAja!

Vyatyasya noonam anayO: kara samprayOgam”.

 

The strains from the Shankham, while being unbearably terrifying to

opponents’ ears, are indeed sweet music to those of devotees.

We hence see Sri Kodai Naachiar wishing the Shankha nAdam to be part

of the marriage festivities, at Her divine wedding with the Lord-

“mattaLam kotta, vari sangam nindru ooda”

 

Have you seen the Lord holding only the Shankham? You would be

prompted to reply even without thinking that it could not be so, for

the Lord is always seen at all divya desams sporting both the Divine

Discus and the Cosmic Conch. However, just to prove you wrong, the

Lord does hold only the PAnchajanyam, at TiruvallikkENi, in His

bewitching role as PArthasArathy, adhering to His promise that He

would not touch a weapon during the Kurukshetra war. However, little

did the ignorant DuryOdhana know that the innocent-looking Shankham

could be as potent a weapon as the dreaded ChakrAyudham.

 

Compared to the burning and brilliant SudarsanAzhwar (“anal

Azhi”), true to its origins,(the ocean), the Shankham is cool

and comforting, and shares its birthplace with Sri Mahalakshmi, a

distinction unavailable to the other AyudhAs. And being dear to the

Divine Consort, the PAnchajanyam automatically occupies the pride of

place in the Divine Household, enjoying the dual advantage of privity

to both the Lord and His Consort.

 

To cut a long story short, the Shankham is the “coolest”

of the Lord’s weapons, incorporating the dual-purpose

technology of protectiveness and pleasurable ness to devotees and

striking terror in the hearts of others. It has not only the

Lord’s ear, but His mouth too, and, due to its vantage

position, is the object of not only “Neighbour’s

envy” (of Sudarsanam) but also that of the Divine Consorts.

 

Srimate SriLakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan