Kaisika Eakadasi- what is that? what is the significance?

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika manahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

 

Today is Kaisika Ekadasi: Sometime back Sri M N Ramanuja of Bangalore posted a

note on Kaisika Ekadasi. Repruduced below is Sri Ramanuja’s article: (Thanks

to Sri TS Sundararajan swami who has supplemented with his nice write up on

Eakadasi, Sri Malolan Kadambi for the link and Sri MN Ramanuja swami for his

article; and for their permission to share this information)

 

Here is a link on Kaisika Puranam and nampAduavan

 

http://www.narthaki.com/info/intervw/intrvw35a.html

 

What is the origin of this word kaisika? Was NampAduvAn the opener of

this word? Has it been cited in any reference before? Why is the name

kaisika ekadasi/dvadasi given to that day? are some questions that arise in our

mind. It will be great if some bhakta can throw some light on these?

 

Meanwhile, adiyen has some clues about this, which have to be

authenticated by very enlightened members of the list. This word kaisika has

appeared first of all in Srimad Valmiki Ramayana in the first canto of Sundara

kanda *sEvitE vAridhArAbhi: patagaischa nishEvitE; charite kaisikAchAryai:

airAvata nishEvitE* etc. Hanuman flew in the skies which had a number of

waterfalls, and various birds frequented. where the great order of gods or

preceptors who were expert in singing the raga or svaras of kaisika cruised;

where airavata or indra's elephant resorted to. Here 'kaisika' is already

referred to as well known in treta yuga as a special kind of singing or raga or

svara.

 

In the introduction of kaisika purana vyakhyanam by Sri Parasara Bhattar, there

is no reference to the genesis of the name kaisika purana. It is only referred

to as 'bhagavad guna apadAna gAnam' or singing in praise of the qualities and

heroic deeds of Lord Narayana. Nampaduvan, as is well known, was caught by a

brahma rakshasa, in a forest and ultimately transferred a small amount of his

good deed of singing in front of varAha nAyanAr by which the brahmarakshasa was

released of his bad birth and went to heaven. Sri Parasara Bhattar makes an

interesting remark about the holding of nampaduvan (singer to god) or the

chandala (shvapacha dog-cook or dog eater) by the brahma rakshasa. " Avan

brahmananallAmeyAle oru panjAdiyai chcholli tannai viduvittuk kola mATTitthilan.

durbalanagaiyAle parakramatthAle viduvitthuk kolla maTTitthilan. Avan nam

pakkalile bharanyAsam panninAn kANum. " as said by Sri varaha nayanar to bhoomi

piratti. Not being a brahmin he

(nampAduvan) could not recite a panjAdi from veda and get himself freed from

the brahma rAkshasa and not being strong he could not fight his way free from

the captor. He did only surrender to Me and waited. This shows that in sri

Bhattar's opinion veda mantra had powers to free one from the clutches of brahma

Rakshasa. After sixteen shlokas of various swearings taken by nampAduvan

promising to return to him after singing till daybreak, brahma Rakshasa allows

nampaduvan on his mission.

 

He returns after daybreak and offers himself as food to the demon, when he

changes his mind and requests him to transfer all his merits earned by singing

throughout the night of kaisika ekadasi and help him be released from the janma

as a demon. Nampaduvan refuses to part with any punyam and finally after

listening to the story of previous birth as a vile Brahmin and death during a

sacrifice and consequent birth as a brahma rakshasa, nampaduvan's heart softens

and offers to give the punyam of singing the last song. " yanmayA pashchimam

gItam svaram kaisika samjnakam; phalena tasya bhadram tE mokshayishyAmi

kilbishAt " . Here what he said is to be noted. He said that he sang a last song

with the svara named kaisika.

 

This particular single song earned so much merit as to be powerful enough to

release the brahma rakshasa from his mean life and send him to heaven. Perhaps,

to point out the significance of this song, the whole episode was named as

kaisika puranam.

 

We know that in music, kaisika is associated with the svara nishAda as

'komala kaisiki nishAda and kaisiki nishAda' which is a part of several

enchanting ragas as nathabhairavi, kharaharapriya, rathnangi etc, of which

bhairavi etc, are janyaragas. Perhaps, it can be guessed that one of these ragas

was sung by nampaduvan. We do not know if any specific song was sung or any song

in those ragas could be sung concerning His praise.

 

We have to wait and see what the research of Prof S.Ramanujam will

reveal regarding Kaisika puranam from the manuscript obtained from

Tirukkurungudi. The photos of nampaduvan's and brahma rakshasa's roles

posted in the website in the kaisika nataka are very interesting and we

all do wait eagerly to see the drama and enjoy it. As srivaishnavas,

though, we do not think in terms of the other angles viz.,

societal and social aspects as mentioned by the Prof. For us, it is

forbidden to inquire into the birth aspects of a srivaishnava devotee,

as in " vIttinba inbappAkkaLil dravyabhAShA nirUpaNa samam

inbamAriyil ArAychi " and " mlEchchanum bhaktanAnAl ... pUjai

konDu, tIrthaprasAdanAm " and " janma vritta vidyAnaipuNAdigal ... shava

vidhavAlamkAramenru kazhippargal " . It may be of academic and

political interest to say that a svapacha gave moksha to a brahmin,

though in fact it was the power of kaisika mahatmyam that cleansed

the sins of the brahmarakshasa.

 

 

dasan

Ramanuja

 

Sri TS Sundararajan swami adds:

 

The most extensive theme-account of EkAdaSI is available

in the padma purANam which (despite its own quota of

visibly irrelevant and banal interpolations) could be

termed as the most authentic vaishnava purANam, reckoned

as such after the vishNu p., varAha p., and bhAgavata p.

 

Being on a visit from Srirangam to Memphis, I do not

readily have my copy of padma p. with me; hence write

from memory.

 

padma.p. devotes a chapter to each EkAdaSI of the year,

each of them bearing a distinct name. (EkAdaSI, as is

well known, literally means the ordinal 'eleventh', and

stands for the corresponding day/date of the waxing/waning

phase of the moon; this 'tithi' occurs twice in a month.)

 

Of all the formal 'vratam' prescribed, the EkAdaSI is the

most cherished and exclusively vaishnava vratam. The

observance consists of fasting through the day and overnight

vigil, dedicated throughout to devotional activity like

reading the scriptures, telling the rosary, recitation of the

'stotram'/'keertanam' etc. [it is interesting that the

purANam prohibits the woman from fasting as such; with the

exception that she may, with her husband's consent, fast for

half of the EkAdaSI day.] The EkAdaSI is completed only

with the pre-dawn bath the next morning (i.e. of the dvAdaSI)

and breaking the fast (pAraNA) by imbibing 'tulasI'

(ocimum sanctum) in holy water.

 

nArAyaNa bhaTTattiri's work, 'nArAyaNIyam', a marvellous

condensed retelling of SrImad-bhAgavatam, identifies

EkAdaSI inter alia eight objects/observances identified with

deliverance and Grace, viz., (GanGa water, the celebrated

krshna-arjuna dialogue bhagavad-GeetA, the GAyatrI mantram,

the tulasI plant, the oordhva-puNDra mark drawn with Gopi

sandal powder, the devotions offered in the SALagrAma

(ammonite) stone, observance of the EkAdaSI vratam,

recitation of the (sahasra-) nAma. Even though a later-day

(15th cent.?) work, 'nArAyaNIyam' has all the inspiration

and verity of an authentic 'sAmpradAyika' work, and has the

status of good literature and a reliable religious document.

 

" GanGA GItA cha GAyatrI api cha tulasikA GopikA-chandanam tat

SALaGrAmAbhipoojA, para-purusha, tathaikAdaSee nAmavarNAh

EtAnyashtAn-ayatnAn-yayi kali-samayE tvat-prasAda-pravrddhyA

kshipram mukti-pradAnee-tyabhidadhu(h) rshayah tEshu mAm

sajjayethAh! "

 

Of the EkAdaSI marking the annual calendar, the interval

between the Sayana- and the utthAna- EkAdaSI represents the

span of yOGa-nidrA (cosmic slumber) of SrIman-nArAyaNa, and

is observed as the chAtur-mAsyam (the Four Months) when the

itinerant 'sannyAsI' should remain rooted in one place.

These two EkAdaSI are observed with great rapture and devotion

in panDharpur in mahArAshtra, the home of 'haridAsa' movement.

 

The utthAna E. is observed in SrIrangam and tirukkurunguDi

as 'kaiSika E.', named after a melody in which the hymn was

set for worship on this E. day. This E. is two E. precedent

to the great vaikuNTha E. The illustrative anecdote

of kaisika E. is contained in the varAha purANam (which

~~ unlike the other purANams recorded by SrI vEdavyAsa, and

vishNu p. by his sire sri parASara ~~ has the status of

bhagavacChAstram, being verily from the Lord himself).

SrI parASara-bhaTTa had written the Sloka-wise tamizh

paraphrase of the varAha p. anecdote, and this work is

recited by the bhaTTa descendants before namperumAL in the

arjuna-maNDapam on the midnight of kaiSika E. The absolute

tranquility of the midnight hour, the audience of devotees

absorbing the enchantment of namperumAL's visage, and bhaTTar

reading the kaiSika-purANam and the exalted tamizh paraphrase

out of the palm manuscript against the backdrop of the golden

crest of Sriranga-praNavAkAra-vimAnam ~~ all these blend to

produce the alchemy of an incomparable beatitude which is

hard to describe in words.

 

It is, of course, tirukkurunguDi one thinks of to mention

the kaiSika E which is considered (in the 'sampradAyam')

to be dedicated to vaDivazhakia nambi, sundara-paripoorna-

perumAL of this divya-deSam. The kaisika E anecdote is

staged here as a play before perumAL.

 

The vaikunTha E. is the event and festival held to be most

precious in SrIrangam, and would constitute a full-book

theme in itself. This E. is especially sacred and dear to the

vaishnava as marking the full recitation and glorification

of the AzhvAr aruLiccheyal (divya-prabandham) hymns

 

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