Vahana Mahima and Arunagirinathar(combined posting)

[Guest guest]

Dear Aparna Ma,

 

 

Shaktism, the cult of Mother Goddess and

Shakti, the female divinity in Indian religion

symbolises form, energy or manifestation of

the human spirit in all its rich and exuberant

variety. Shakti, in scientific terms energy or

power, is the one without which no leaf can

stir in the world, no work can be done without

it.1 The Goddess has been worshipped in India

from prehistoric times, for strong evidence of

a cult of the mother has been unearthed at the

pre-vedic civilization of the Indus valley.

According to John Marshall Shakti Cult in

India was originated out of the Mother Goddess

and was closely associated with the cult of

Siva. Saivism and Shaktism were the official

religions of the Indus people who practised

various facets of Tantra. Siva and Shakti, the

dual deities were the principal deities of the

non-Aryans of the Indus Civilization. The

Mother Goddess assimilation into the Hindu

Pantheon, however, took place long after Siva

and Visnu had been accepted in two distinct

phases; i.e. first the Indo-Aryan male gods were

given wives, and then, under the influence of

Tantric and Shakti movements, which had been

gaining momentum outside orthodox Hinduism

for many centuries, these shadowy female

figures emerged as supreme powers in their

own right and emerged into the great Goddess.

Due to the wide prevalence of the

worship of Shakti or the female energy in India

from a very early period among almost all the

different ethnological elements comprising the

vast mass of Indian population, Goddess Durga

gradually became the supreme object of

adoration among the followers of Shaktism.

Studies on various aspects of her character in

our mythology, religion, etc., grew in bulk and

her visual representation is well depicted in

our art and sculpture. It is interesting to note

that the very origin of her such incarnation (as

Durga) is mainly due to her celestial mount

(vehicle or vahana) lion. This lion is usually

assorted with her in our literature, art sculpture,

etc. But it is unfortunate that in our earlier works

the lion could not get his rightful place as he

deserved.

 

 

In the Hindu Pantheon all the deities are

associated in mythology and art with an animal

as its specific vahana, conceived both on the

figurative and the metaphysical plane. An

animal acting as vahana owns some magical

characteristics, in that each single example of

its species, either living or carved in sculptural

form, bears the implicit presence of the deity

associated with it. In the realm of Indian

sculpture art the vahana of a deity is generally

depicted below the latter's pedestal.

 

 

 

 

According to H.Zimmer, the vahana meant as

an animate divine symbol supporting the

anthropomorphic figure of a god or goddess,

is an iconic representation of the power and

character of the concerned divinity, or an

incarnation of the same at an inferior stage and

under a different aspect.

 

 

The depiction of the

vahana below the pedestal of the deity

 

dissipates any possible ambiguousness as to

the latter's identity.(In the Nanganallur temple there is a simhadhwaja before the deity representing her vahana simha ) Such treatment of the carved

images of divinities may have originated in

Mesopotamia in the course of the second

millennium B.C.; from thence, through the

medium of trade, it may have reached in Indian

sub-continent in the subsequent epochs.7

In consideration of the mount lion

associated with her in the myths or in sculptural

art, goddess Durga can be alternatively

conceived as Mahisamardini or as

Simhavahini. The lion came to prominence in

the Hindu pantheon with the origin of the

goddess Durga, which was narrated beautifully

in the Markandeya Purana. According to this

text, after being completely defeated by

Mahisasura, the gods, headed by Brahma,

approached Visnu and prayed for the

destruction of the demon. Thereupon all the

gods including Brahma, Visnu and Siva emitted

flames of anger which solidified into the

effulgent form of a goddess (Durga) with three

eyes and ten arms, each of which bore a weapon

given by the mighty gods. During this time the

Himavat offered a white lion to goddess Durga

as her vahana.

The golden skinned hairy lion is an

archetypal symbol for the golden rayed sun,

the lord of the day, whose appearance kills the

god of the night. Night, terminating the day in

the evening, is equally well represented by the

bull, whose horns connect it with the cresent

of the moon. It seems possible that the lion and

the bull also simultaneously personified other

antithetic cosmic forces, such as heat and cold,

fire and water, light and darkness, life and

death.

The lion has always been important in

mythology, not only in India, but also in some

other countries. In Mesopotamia, Ishtar the

goddess of war, has always been associated

with the lion. The car of the Phyrgian goddess

Cybele, whose cult spread all over the Roman

empire is dragged by lions. Goddess Cybele

is popularly known as Mother of the mountain

in ancient Rome, like the same in the Indian

context, Durga and Parvati similarly associated

with lion and in the different manifestations,

they are also known as the goddess of the

Mountain. The Egyptian goddess Sekmet has

a leonine head, while the most archaic statues

of the Greek goddess Aphrodite depict the deity

as accompained by a lion. Sculptural examples

of a goddess associated with lion and paired

with a god associated with bull have been

recovered from Anotolia.

Durga, the beautiful goddess of dawn,

life and victory, riding a lion, defeats the

buffalo-demon Mahisasura. In all her exploits

the lion is her mount, ferocious in look and

action. The lion also symbolised in all ancient

civilizations as the solar, igneous and luminous

principle of life and knowledge. The lion is

well represented in our religious digests and

others, adoration to him along with the goddess

is enjoyed with reference to this point the

Vaikrtika Rahasya appended to the Saptasasti

states that after worshipping the Goddess, the

devotee has to attend to the demon, whose body

lies in the left side of the Goddess with severed

head and then to the lion, the carrier of the

Goddess in her right side.

Vamabhage grato devyas chinnasirsam mahasuram //

Pujayen mahisam yena Praptam Sayujyam isaya /

daksine paratah simham samagram dharmam isvaram//

As the symbol of the divine energies

embodid by the great Goddess, who is stated

to have been born out of the tejas of all the

gods in order to slaughter the buffalo-demon,

the lion express the heroism and prowess

necessary to defeat the asurik forces contrasting

with the Hindu dharama. Furthermore, the lion

can be even taken to represent the heroism and

strength required from the sadhaka to enter the

dangerous path of Shakta-Tantric religious

practices, full of pitfalls for the uninitiated.

In Indian context the lion is considered to be

an animal full of Shakti(power) with a devaic

and sattvik being of rhythmic movement. As

far as Shakta iconography is concerned, the lion

almost invariably accompanies the images of

Parvati, Mahisamardini and Simhavahini Durga

and is also represented in the most part of the

composite Saiva-Shakta images, such as

Ardhanarisvara and Umamahesvara, as the

symbolic animal lion associated with the

feminine side of the sculpture. Of course, from

an orthodox Brahmanical point of view, it was

only the lion, that acted in all ages as the

celestial vehicle of the Mahadevi. It

represents lordly power in general and lordly

power of wild beasts in particular. The image

of this animal, expressing a sense of rhythm, is

thought to be made up Prakriti maya-shakti.

Therefore, the lion partakas in the divine

essence of the great Goddess, the transforming

energy of the universe.

In the Brahmanical pantheon the lion not

only has relation with the Goddess, but also

with Siva and Visnu. A lion sculpture placed

on its Vahana-Stambha faces the main portal

of most of the Shakta Shrines. A Shakta pitha

is always guarded by a image of lion facing its

main entrance, just like a Nandi image in a

Saivite Shrine and a Garuda image in a

Vaisnavite Shrine. The decorative sculptural

element of Orissan temples called gajasimha,

formed by an lion trampling on a crouching

elephant marked the victory of divine light over

asurik darkness. The Saiva tradition, as

attested in the Varaha Purana, knows a leonine

form of Siva which the god assumed in his

Virabhadra incarnation to kill the elephant

demon Nila. The lion's association with Visnu

appears more consistent due to his incarnation

as Narasimha.

Lion, the royal beast, the mount of

Goddess Durga, represents the best in animal

creation. It can also represent the greed for

food and hence the greed for other objects of

enjoyment, which invariably leads to lust.

Goddess Durga in Simhavahini form is a lesson

for the control of animal instincts in human

beings.

(Virupaksha nandi unique statue of Hampi)

 

unique standing nandi of Karnataka,nandigramam

 

Iam giving an elaborate reply for your small query.I will club a small write up on Arunagirinathar who has elaborated in detail on different devi vahanas. I thought it appropriate because people should know his connection as a shaktha too not just a kaumara. Also,eventhough this reply is very long and at times seems irrelevant to your query, I still have to post it because many unknown points are covered.

 

(lion vahana in front of Jalakanteshwara temple)

 

I had mentioned Kukkuta Vahana as a post-script to your query on the tiger and lion significance.

(lion and cobra as kali's vahana)

It is a very saatwic and fecund form of devi granting desires to unmarried girls and also for the fertility of women.

 

 

(linga as the vahana of kamatchi Amman,linga means phallus)

 

lion and elephant as vahanas along with bali peetham

 

Some worship Durga by taking the mud from a prostitute's house(symbolising fertility subtly) for this form.

 

 

 

Cock A "very occult bird, much appreciated in ancient augury and symbolism. According to the Zohar, the cock crows three times before the death of a person; . . . As the cock was always connected in symbology with the Sun (or solar gods), Death and Resurrection, it has found its appropriate place in the four Gospels in the prophecy about Peter repudiating his Master before the cock crowed thrice. The cock is the most magnetic and sensitive of all birds, hence its Greek name alectruon" . In the Zoroastrian Avesta, the cock is called Parodarsh "he who foresees" the coming dawn, and is also termed the drum of the worlds, for he crows in the dawn which dazzles away the fiends of the Avesta: thus he shares with the dawn the honor of the victory

 

 

 

Kukkuta means cock in sanskrit so there is no difference between the two.

 

 

 

 

The Crocodile form is in close association with Ganga devi whose vahana is crocodile(not exactly crocodile but the Ganges ghariyal,a form of crocodile)

 

(Tapa Chandi Ganga Jagamundi Amba Bhavani Raksha Raksha!)

 

 

Chandi who did tapas there are chandi-vana durga bears it sometime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Durga having lizard(actually an iguana of the Indian kind) as the vahana is shown in the eastern side of our country. I think the local mores and practices there of the tribal kind incorporated this symbology and iconography. However there are mentions here and there of this form in ancient text commentary but Iam yet to come across a reference in a tantric/vedic text referring to Iguana as a vahana for Durga or any other devi.

 

lion and linga before a kali temple,her vahanas.

The parallel worship in Bengal of tiger-riding Jagaddhatri and of Dakhin Rai/Bon-Bibi in the Sunderbans tiger-habitatis interesting to note. Middle Eastern virgin goddesses are also linked with tigers, never with the lion which does not feature in the Indus Valley culture either. That opens up a fresh area of research into implications of the tiger and lion vahanas of Devi’s different aspects.However from my own direc t experience and visions of my Amba Rajarajeshwari I have seen a lion. So atleast for one devi(Rajarajeshwari devi) I can say strongly that Lion is a vehicle.

There is a Zennish Koan :"What do you do when the stone lion roars?" This has ramifications of Sakhyamuni who had practiced Bala-Tantra.

As per astrology:The lion was once the leader of the procession of constellations, and that is one of the reasons it is considered the King of Beasts and not because it is majestic or whatever. There are other species like elephants which too are majestic and more noble than lion(why is then elephant not considered the king of animals?...I used to ask my School teacher in my school PSBB in chennai and she used to silence me!...he!he!)I later made a research why the lion is considered The king of animals as her explantion was not convincing to me.

Because of the wobbling path of the earth as it moves against the backdrop of the heavens, (recorded as Hamlet's Mill, or in Indian mythology as the Churning of the Sea of Milk -- the Milky Way) the first or Spring astrological sign changes every 26 thousand years. This causes the day of equinox (the couple of days in the year when daylight and night hours are equal) to shift over time, and results in a precession of the equinoxes. 'Precess' means to get closer, to come nearer.

The precession has affected astrology, which would cause any skeptic to further question the validity of contemporary natal-chart interpretation.

Researchers find that around 10, 500 BCE, the pyramids at Gizeh perfectly mirrored the placement of the three belt stars in the constellation Orion. At that time (early Old Kingdom of Egypt) Leo, the pattern of stars seen as the form of a Lion, was the spring sign. For people in the northern hemisphere, when the Lion constellation appeared in the night sky, it heralded the cycle of growth.

Some scholars believe that the monumental Egyptian Sphinx once stood at the very edge of the Nile Delta facing the appropriate constellation as it rose. When there was a correspondence of position, the flooding of the Nile was anticipated. Today, the sphinx bears a much too small human head (in proportion to its crouching body) but that may not always have been the case.

Perhaps not all pre-historic peoples viewed that formation of stars as a lion, but when they did, for a long time that animal was associated with the initial steps in fertility of the land. In Egypt, it was also associated with Osiris, the deity who was both the culture hero who introduced agriculture, and the one associated with the resurrection of the dead. In 2003, the remains of a lion were found buried near the tomb of the ancient Egyptian boy-king, Tutankhamen.

Also if you have watched a lion in a lion pride(i watched both in close quarters in a safari and also discovery channel series on animals which i never miss as I learn a lot from animal behaviours!)you will find the lioness takes the prominence and the lion takes the back seat.This is typical of Devi Rajarajeshwari selecting Lion...any guesses why?...very easy!...Pancha pretha manchaadishaalini in which shiva is the asana the secretive fifth support. Shiva is akin to the lion who takes a backseat when the lioness is on the move! In this case my Mother Rajarajeshwari devi. But this does not mean Shiva is a coward or that devi is superior...for a pride to be flourishing both the lion and lioness have an equal share and for cosmos to flourish both shiva and shakthi have to act equally. If I keep boasting (sometimes out of emotionality i might do) about Amba that she is greater than shiva then iam being no different than a naeieve shaktha

and this too is her maya. Shakthi illa shivam shavam...ayinil, shivamilla shakthi malam!(this completes the wheel)

 

 

Almost all have been considering Sri Arunagirinatha as a Kaumara, for he has expressed his great adoration of Lord Muruga in his compositions, which are:

 

 

Tiruppukazh

Kandar Anubhuthi

Kandar Alankaram

Vel Viruttam

Mayil Viruttam

Saval Viruttam

Tiru Ezhukûtrirukkai

Tiruvaaguppu

Many persons like Vannacharabam Dandapani Swami have also referred to Sri Arunagirinatha as a Kaumâra.

Long before the time of Sri Arunagirinatha, Sri Adi Sankara had established the Shanmatas, i.e. the six cults of Hindu worship. He named those who worship Lord Ganesa as Ganapatyas; the worshippers of Lord Muruga as Kaumaras; of Shakti as Shaktas; of Lord Siva as Saivites; of Lord Vishnu as Vaishnavas and of Sun God as Sauras. Sri Sankara did not only sanction the Shanmata for the external worship of God, but also propounded the philosophy of Advaita (non-dualism) or the One without a Second. He made a wonderful blend of both internal and external forms of worship. Though Sri Sankara performed external worship to the Gods like Shiva and Vishnu, he was always worshipping internally Goddess Shakti, and was really a Shakta. If we make a deep study of all the important works of Arunagirinatha, there is ample evidence to prove clearly that he adopted the philosophy of Advaita.

 

Sri Arunagirinatha explains that the One Supreme Brahman became manifested as so many different deities. He makes it clear that those who worship Lord Muruga externally worship only the Para Brahman. Of the six principal deities of the six systems of worship founded by Sri Sankara, five of them are male gods and only one is a female. If we make a deep study of the itihasas and puranas, we will find that the female aspect of God -- Para Shakti -- is the source of energy to all male gods. Therefore, whichever god we worship, we worship Shakti in addition and it is this Shakti who is the principal deity of the Shakta cult. She is called by many names, as Ambika, Devi, etc. This self-same Shakti manifests as various forms of Gods in all different forms of worship. But whenever we worship the female aspect of any god, we worship Her only. Abhirama Bhattar worshipped Shakti as the All-pervading Force in the universe. It is

She who performs the tasks of creation, protection and destruction.

Without that energy or Shakti, even the great deities like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are powerless as stated in the Lalita Sahasranama. Not only the Trinity, but the other gods an devas also like Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga, Sun, Moon, Indra, Manmatha, and Kubera and sages like Agastya and Durvasa are stated to be worshippers of Shakti. From this it is clear that all the deities worship Para Shakti and derive their energy from Her to perform their respective tasks. Therefore, when devotees worship gods, they worship only Para Shakti in truth. In this sense, all the devotees of different cults may be called Shaktas and it is no surprise if we call Arunagirinatha as a Shakta.

By the grace bestowed by Devi, Shaktas claim the ultimate experience of Nirguna Brahman by their worship of Para Shakti in its external form or Saguna Upasana. This is the greatness inherent in Shakti worship. It is not necessary that one who worships Shakti internally should worship Her in the external form as well. Similarly, there is no bar on those who worship other deities in the external form from worshipping Her internally. We are of the opinion that, though Arunagirinatha worshipped Lord Muruga in many of his songs, he worshipped only Devi internally in his heart and he may, therefore, be called a Shakta. We may also take note that many other saints besides Arunagirinatha finally became upasakas of Devi or Shaktas in their heart of hearts, though they had first started with external worship of Lord Muruga or Lord Krishna.

We may now examine some of the ideas of Arunagirinatha in his compositions as further proof that he was a Shakta:

He reveals in the Kandar Anubhuti that Devi incarnated in the world in Poorna Nakshatra for the uplift of mankind. In some other songs of his Tiruppukazh, he describes Devi of being green in complexion. In another Tiruppukazh, he describes the divine vehicles of Devi. Arunagirinatha says that Devi had incarnated at innumerable times for the benefit of mankind. He describes several holy places where Devi had incarnated and extols the great sanctity of such places.

Sri Arunagirinatha declares that not only gods and great saints but ordinary mortals also have worshipped and obtained the grace of Devi. He believes that the reason for such unique greatness of Devi is that She is the very personification of the Vedas. He has referred to the worship of Devi in the vamachara form also, thereby showing his familiarity with various rituals pertaining to that worship. It will be quite an experience to go through the works of Arunagirinatha showing his wide knowledge and experience of Shakti worship in all its respects. This great joy of Devi Upasana, he has disclosed to us in many of his Tiruppukazh.

We will now consider the natha title of Sri Arunagirinatha and some of the events in his life to strengthen our view that he was a Shakta. The title natha is normally conferred on one when he becomes an adept in the worship of Devi. Saint Agastya was initiated into the worship of Devi by Lord Hayagriva and was considered as a great devotee of Devi. The title natha was, therefore, conferred on him and also on Sri Tirumoolar, who was one of the twelve disciples of Agastyanatha. It can be easily seen from the works of both these saints that they were Shaktas. Though Saint Tirumoolanatha worshipped Lord Shiva externally, he was a Shakta in his internal worship. There are great similarities between Saint Arunagirinatha and Saint Tirumoolanatha. Arunagirinatha has adopted several ideas from Tirumoolanatha. From the very title natha conferred by Lord Muruga on Arunagiri, we can infer that he was a Shakta.

 

We may now see some of the experiences of Arunagirinatha with Devi as found in his works. He has said that Devi had removed his ignorance, sufferings and desires, destroyed his ego and showered Her grace on him and that She was his Mother and Protector at the time of his death. when Arunagirinatha externally worships the same Shakti like Lord Muruga himself, he prays to Sri Valli to come along with Him and give darshan. He records how Sri Valli has blessed him with sparsa diksha, which removed the effects of his karma.

There are many references in Arunagirinatha's songs in which he has extolled Sri Valli as greater than Muruga. In his descriptions of Lord Muruga's associations with Valli, Lord Muruga is made to say that He will not worship any other woman than Valli. He goes to the millet fields of Vallimalai to offer His salutations to the Golden Hunter Girl. He walked on thorns and rocks of the Vallimalai Hill, seeking the young hunter woman. He brought sheaves of leaves for the Shakti -- the Royal Hunter Girl -- to fashion a dress for Her. He spent all his time without any other thought in Valli's company. He became an errand boy of Valli. He was the Divine Suitor and companion to her Excellency the Hunter Girl, the Lover and bodyguard of Valli. He declared that He was Her slave for all time and had it so inscribed on Mount Meru, witnessed by the devas. He massaged Her feet; His head is often decorated by bowing down to Valli's feet. He

grasped the feet of Valli treating it as the Seed of the Pranava mantra. Sri Arunagirinatha has worshipped Sri Valli and has referred to the method of Shakta worship by which the husband worships his wife as the World Mother or Para Shakti. Is this the inner meaning of Lord Muruga's worship of Sri Valli.

To Arunagirinatha, Muruga, who married Valli or Iccha Shakti, became Her companion in the sport and Her slave or actor when participating in the play of which She is the Director. The Shakta cult, therefore, teaches that there is One Reality and nothing besides which is false or illusory to true knowledge and understanding.

 

Hope this evenmore lenghty explantion satisfies your query. Carry on with your good work in running good on shakthi. May Godess Rajarajeshwari Devi bless you. You are truly blessed to give so much to so many people and yet you ask me humbly these questions.

 

I have a lot to learn from you Aparna Ma! And this group is truly blessed to have you as one of it's esteemed members.

 

 

 

 

 

i bow before YOU humbly,

 

and I remain,

 

Yours yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli

 

Aparna <appu72 wrote:

 

can you tell us something about kukkuta vahana, cock, crocodile, and even a lizard in some cases as you had mentioned...

 

Thanks for such a elaborate mail....

 

Regards,

Aparna

On 8/9/05, para_anuloma <para_anuloma wrote: Dear Aparna ma,Tiger is an animal which is more cunning and ferocious than a lion. Also it is very dangerous. It kills even when it is not hungry. Lion is majestic and does not kill when it is not hungry and moves in prides(group of lions). It selects normally a big animal and kills it and eats in a group and also takes care of its lioness and frolicks with it's cubs. In times of need it will die for it's family and the pride.Tiger is a lonely animal on the other hand and kills even small animals(like new born fawan of deer). It even eats its cubs when hungry that is why tigress hides its cubs from the male tiger. Devi riding a tiger and lion depends on her mood.Normally Rajarajeshwari devi chooses Lion as that suits her majesticity. She rides a Lion with golden mane and that is stationed in

Chintamani griha. The claws of this lion are rubies and it's eyes are green emeralds. The coat too is shiny. All this "magic" is because of the guptayogini's maya.But durga devi either rides on a lion or a tiger.Depending on her mood. For big battles she prefers lions and for small cunning battles she prefers tigers.Keeping either is significant in the house when one is trying to make an upward move in life or spiritualitySpirituality=simhavahana(lion vahana)materiality=vyaaghravahana(tiger vahana) Hope this suffices!Yours yogically,shreeramps: I expected a question on "kukkuta vahana" which is when she tries to please women folk ,especially unmarried women for granting them boons to get married.

 

 

 

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...

 

 

 

 

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