points on pindam 1

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

 

 

When the scholarly series on the "use of dharbam" and points on 'thilam' etc

were being offered by Smt. Jayasree saranathan, our respected sri sadagopan

swamy of USA wanted me to offer some points as an addition. Since, at that

stage, I was not equipped with points, I replied to swamin in a private and

personal note, I will equip myself first and then offer some points. Perhaps the

following can be treated as an addition to what Smt. Jaysree gave to all of us.

 

 

 

In mahaa bharatham saanthi parvam, the 12 parvam, chapter 333 [or Section 333]

the following describes how the very first "piNdam" was offered to whom, by

whom, how etc are described. May be the full content what I have to say will

come in more than one post.

 

Sri bhagavaan says "I only created the pithrus and I only take the offer made to

the pithrus". See below.

 

[This is as per the Text of the mahaabhaarata based on the poona critical

edition produced by Prof. Muneo Tokunaga Kyoto, Japan available via the link to

mahaa bhaaratham available in website www.sanskrit.gde.to

<http://www.sanskrit.gde.to/> all Sanskrit documents list.

The English translation is from Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguly again available in

website www.sacred-texts.com <http://www.sacred-texts.com/> Since both the

authors mentioned here might have used different versions of originals, the

chapter numbers vary as given in this write up. Since we are more interested in

the contents, and not in the chapter numbers we will proceed further and not

worry much about the chapter numbers. Why I mention these is to show that any

body can cross check if they want].

 

Chapter 333 vaisampaayana [uvaacha is understood]

 

kasya chittvatha kaalasya naaradha: parameshtija: |

dhaivam kruthvaa yathaa nyaayam pithryam chakrE thatha: param || 1

 

 

Chapter or SECTION 346

 

Meaning to above slokam: Sage vaisampayana said, "On one occasion, while

residing in the retreat of Nara and NaaraayaNa, Naaradha the son of ParamEshti

[meaning brahmaa], having duly accomplished the rites and observances in honour

of the deities, set himself to perform thereafter the rites in honour of the

Pithrus.

 

 

Point: In mahaa bhaaratham many a sections start as vaisampaayana said. This

means vaisampaayana was telling this as a story to janamejaya, the grandson of

pandavaas.

 

thathastham vachanam praaha jyEshtO dharmaathmaja: prabhu: |

ka ijyathE dhvija srEsta dhaivE pithryE cha kalpithE || 2

 

 

 

meaning: Beholding him thus prepared, the eldest son of Dharma, viz., the

puissant Nara addressed him, saying, 'Whom art thou worshipping, O foremost of

regenerate persons, by these rites and observances in connection with the

deities and the Pithrus?

 

 

thvayaa mathimathaam sreshta thanmE samsa yathaa aagamam |

kim Ethath kriyathE karma phalam cha asya kim ishyathE || 3

 

 

 

meaning: O foremost of all persons, endued with intelligence, tell me this,

agreeably to the scriptures. What is this that thou art doing? What also are the

fruits desired by thee of those rites thou hast addressed thyself in

performing?'

 

 

Naaradha [uvaacha - naaradha said - is understood]

 

thvayaa Ethath kathitham poorvam dhaivam karthavyam ithi api |

dhaivatham cha parO yajnya: paramaathmaa sanaathana: || 4

 

 

meaning: Naaradha said, "Thou said unto me on a former occasion that rites and

observances in honour of the deities should be accomplished. Thou said that the

rites in honour of the deities constitute the highest sacrifice and are

equivalent to the worship of the eternal Supreme Soul.

 

 

thatha: thadhbhaavithO nithyam yajE vaikuntham avyayam |

thasmaath cha prasrutha: poorvam brahmaa lOka pithaamaha: || 5

 

meaning: Instructed by that teaching, I always sacrifice in honour of the

eternal and immutable VishNu, through these rites that I perform in worshipping

the deities. It is from that Supreme Deity that Brahma, the Grandsire of all the

worlds, took his rise in days of yore.

 

mama vai pitharam preetha: parameshthi api ajeejanath |

aham sankalpaja: thasya puthra: prathama kalpitha: || 6

 

meaning: That Brahma, otherwise called Parameshthi, filled with cheerfulness,

caused my sire (Dhaksha) to start into being. I was the son of Brahma, created

before all others, by a fiat of his will (although I had to take birth

afterwards as the son of Dhaksha through a curse of that Rishi).

 

Point: here how the birth of naaradha happened is also said by himself.

 

yajaami aham pithreesaadhO naaraayaNa vidhou kruthE |

Evam sa Eva bhagavaan pithaa maathaa pitaamaha: ||

ijyathE pithru yajnEshu mayaa nithyam jagathpathi: ||| 7

 

meaning: O righteous and illustrious one, I am performing these rites in honour

of the Pithrus for the sake of NaaraayaNa, and agreeable to those ordinances

that have been laid down by himself. The illustrious NaaraayaNa is the father,

mother, and grandfather (of all creatures). In all sacrifices performed in

honour of the Pithrus, it is that Lord of the universe who is adored and

worshipped.

 

srutischaapi aparaa dhEva puthraan hi pitharO~ayajan |

vEdhasruthi: pranashtaa cha punaradhyaapithaa suthai: ||

thathasthE manthradhaa: puthraa: pithruthvam upapEdhirE ||| 8

 

meaning: On one occasion, the deities, who were sires, taught their children the

Sruthis. Having lost their knowledge of the Sruthis, the sires had to acquire it

again from those sons unto whom they had communicated it.

 

noonam puraith dhvidhitham yuvayOr bhaavithaath manO: |

puthraascha pitharascha Eva parasparam apoojayan || 9

 

meaning: In consequence of this incident, the sons, who had thus to communicate

the Mantras unto their sires, acquired the status of sires (and the sire, for

having obtained the Mantras from their sons, acquired the status of sons).

Without doubt, what the deities did on that occasion is well known to you two.

Sons and sires (on that occasion) had thus to worship each other.

 

threen piNdaan nyasya vai prithvyaam poorvam dhaththvaa kushaan ithi |

katham thu piNda sanjnaam thE pitharO lEbhirE puraa || 10

 

 

meaning: Having first spread some blades of Kusa grass, the deities and the

Pithrus (who were their children) placed 3 Pindas thereon and in this way

worshipped each other. I wish to know, however, the reason why the Pithrus in

days of yore acquired the name of PiNdas.

 

 

Point: now it is clear from naaradha maharshi's words that all sacrifices - viz.

yagnaas, - even though in the name of pithrus also go to naaraayaNa only. How

this 3 piNdam came is a very good interesting story. I will give the English

translated portion now. [we will see the slOkams and this translated portion

repeated for each slOkam in next post].

 

 

"Nara and NaaraayaNa said, 'The Earth, in days of yore, with her belt of seas,

disappeared from the view. gOvindha assuming the form of a gigantic boar, raised

her up (with his mighty tusk), Having replaced the Earth in her former position,

that foremost of Purusha, his body smeared with water and mud, set himself to do

what was necessary for the world and its denizens. O Naaradha, when the sun

reached the meridian, and the hour, therefore, came for saying the morning

prayers, the puissant Lord, suddenly shaking off 3 balls of mud from his tusk,

placed them upon the Earth, having previously spread thereon certain blades of

grass. The puissant Vishnu dedicated those balls of mud unto his own self,

according to the rites laid down in the eternal ordinance. Regarding the 3 balls

of mud that the puissant Lord had shaken off from his tusks as PiNdas, he then,

with sesame seeds of oily kernel that arose from the heat of his own body,

himself performed the rite of dedication, sitting with face turned towards the

East. That foremost of deities then, impelled by the desire of establishing

rules of conduct for the denizens of the 3 worlds, said these words: [what he

said etc will be continued in next post].

 

 

 

Dhasan

 

 

 

Vasudevan m.g.

 

 

 

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