A question

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-

"ArunKumar K" <arunkumar_k

<sgopan

Wednesday, August 24, 2005 6:35 PM

A question

 

 

> Dear Sadagopan Mama,

>

> What's the Sanskrit name for peacock feather worn in Lord Krishna's head.

> What's the significance of the same ?

>

> Dasan

> Arun.

 

Dear Arun : Other Members might be interested in this question also.

Hence I am taking the liberty of copying my response to

our group members .

 

"Sikhipincham" is one of the names for Peacock feather worn in Lord's head

:

He is saluted as "Sikhipincha-moulinE Nama: " . ThisSikhi pincham is a sign

of victory

for our Lord as the Guru (SikshA Guru) . A great KrishNa bhakthar ,

Leela Sukhar (1220-1300 C.E) from Kerala visualized this SikshA Guru

form of Bala GopAlan in the very first slOkam of Sri KrishNa KarNAmrutham:

SikshA Guru is one , who tests the sishyan out for his qualifications

and true desire for learning and then accepts him as well as blesses

that chosen sishyan with true Jn~Anam . The second line of that slOkam is:

 

" SikshA-gurusccha BhagavAn Sikhi-pincha Mouli: " Jayathi.

 

BhagavAn KrishNa is revered as the most adorable Tatthvam

in the form a small child ( Baala GopAlan ) . The peacock feather

with its multiple colors( Mayil KaNNu ) is part of the beautification

( aabharaNam , alankAram) . He is a Jagan Mohanan . He does not really

need any aabharaNam for beautifying Him ; these aabharaNams gain

a status of distinction by sambhandham with His Divine Suddha Satthva

ThirumEni . He charms every one with His divine beauty ( From the Gopis to

His Mother YasOdha PirAtti and the whole world and its beings ). Mother

YasOdhA

decorates his bluish black wavy tresses with Peacock feather ( " Barha

utthamsa

kuntalalabharam ") to celebrate her son's unsurpassable soundharyam .

He decorates also His beautiful assembly of hair with the wild flowers that

His grateful playmates (GopAs) bring Him . He adorns the Laangali Pushpam

( the flower of the shoot from the coconut tree) over His ears

( lAngalee karNapooram) ; on His hair , he fixes the Mayil Peeli ( Barha

Utthamsa sphuritha chikura: in Swamy Desikan's words ) in His hair ;

He adds a red pushpam known as Bhandhujeevam (Semparutthi Flower) .

He adorns a lovely KunthumaNi Maalai ( yellowish beads with a black face)

around His neck ( gunjA-Bhatthaam laLithAm haara yashtim urasi dhArayan ) .

In the uras ( Chest region) is KunthumaNi Maalai ; in the Siras is

the Peacock feather ( Barha Utthamsa sphuritha Chikura: ) .

 

Thus this playful child-Lord has many aabharaNams and alankArams

( Chithra aakalpa: = vichithra alankArams ) to captivate the onlookers

and steal their hearts . He is the unique and incomparable embodiment of

youthful beauty ( JagathAm yEka abhirAma adhbhutham in the words of

Leelasukhar ).

 

The peacock feather in His hair and the Flute in His hands are the lakshaNam

for Lord KrishNa as a child . That is why He is saluted and meditated as

" Madha-SikhaNdi SikhaNda VibhUshaNan " ( One adorning the feather of

a proud pacock) . As He walks down in the streets of BrundhAvanam ,

these beauty marks become His defining features ( lakshmANi) .

 

His dark, dense and wavy (curly) hair are the right home for

the multi-hued , iridiscent peacock feather according to

the KrishNa Bhakthar , LeelA Sukhar : "pinchAvatamsa rachanOchitha

kEsapAsam " . His "muktha vEsham " ( delectable appearance) starts

from the dark hair assembly adorning the peacock feather as a decoration

( BhahuLa chikura bhAram Bhaddha pinchAvathamsam), travels down

to his beautiful forehead like the ashtami chandran , descends down to

the dark eye brows , long eyes , which are moving briskly scanning

which of His bhaktha kOtis are there ; once He recognizes them ,

his red lips reminding one of the ripe BhimbhA fruit extend

a sweet smile of recognition and welcome .

 

Describing the Lord's beauty as He walks down the streets of

uncle Kamsan's capital , Mathurai , His beauty is maddening every one .

The citizens of Mathurai ask each other : Who is this Jagan Mohanan ?

His peacock feather ( chandraka bhUshaNam ) , His distinguishing mark

gives them the clue . The peacock feather is the aabharaNam of choice

for Him ( Barham naama vibhUshaNam bahumatham). It is also a gOsha

uchitha bhUshaNam ( Fit for the kulam of cowherds) , who spend a lot of

time in the forests grazing their cows . This is also the play ground of

the beautiful male peacocks that strut about displaying their iridiscent

feathers . KaNNan's hue is like that of a dark blue kind resembling

the rain bearing cloud . Peacocks spread their feathers at the sight of

the dark bluish-black rainy cloud . When they have the darsanam of

the NeelOthpala hued KaNNan , they are reminded of the monsoon clouds

and dance before Him with spread feathers . At the end , they offer some of

their choicest feathers to Him as a samarpaNam just as the lions of

Ahobilam do by offering the ivory tusks of the elephants that they have

overpowered . Our Lord accepts these feathers of peacock offered by

them with Bhakthi and places it on His black tresses as an aabharaNam .

That explains in my imagination as to how the Peacock feathers landed on

our Lord's chikuram . The TaitthirIya Upanishad passage comes to our mind:

" rasO vai Sa: , rasam hyEvAyam labdhvA Aanandhee bhavathy " ( His whole

form is an embodiment of bliss principle ; one attains eternal bliss through

the taste of that Aanandham ) .

 

During this KrishNa Jayanthy season , let us reflect on the peacock feather

adorning Lord , who is the safe haven for all of us as the SaraNAgatha

Rakshakan and celebrate Him as Sri LeelAsukhar did :

 

SrungAra rasa sarvasvam Sikhipinchcha vibhUshaNam

angeekrutha narAkAram aaSrayE bhuvanAsrayam --- KrishNa KarNAmrutham: I.92

 

He is the perfect embodiment of SrungAra rasam (SrungAra rasa sarvasvam) ;

That SrungAra rasam is enhanced by the peacock feather adorned as

a special aabharaNam ( Sikhi-pincha vibhUshaNam ) ; He has incarnated as

a human being out of His own will (angeekrutha nara aakAram) . We seek

His protection as he is the refuge for the entire world ( bhuvanAsrayam

aasrayE ).

 

We will conclude this posting that got extended with another slOkam from

Sri KrishNa KarNAmrutham ( I.108):

 

Jaya Jaya Jaya Deva DEva Deva

thribhuvana manGaLa dhivya naamadhEya

Jaya Jaya BaalakrishNa dEva

SravaNa manO-nayanaamrutha avathaara !

 

Sri KrishNa ParabrahmaNE nama:

Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan