Periya Thirumozhi- 4.6- KannA! You alone are my rakshakan!, Commentary on this paasuram : Part 3

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs : In this posting , we will cover

the meaning of the second word used by Thirumangai:

" samayamAhi " in the ThirukkAvaLampAdi pasuram .

 

>Now coming back to the text of the 9th paasuram

>on ThirukkAvalampADik KaNNan , the portion

>for our discussion is as follows (second item

that is underlined )below :

>

> " chandamAi SamayamAhi Samayavaim bhUthamAhi

**********

> anthamAi AadhiyAhi arumaRai avayum aanAi-- "

>

>(1)ChandhamAi= by becoming the svAthanthrya sakthi of the Jeevans,

>(2)Samayam aahi=by becoming the kaala dhravyam with its many divisons

******************************************************************

 

 

Today's topic

*************

" Samayam Aahi " : Thirumangai here salutes the Lord

of ThirukkAVaLamPaadi , Sri KrishNan as the Lord

of Time and its divisions .

 

The Kaala Tattvam and its ruling by BhagavAn

is described in the 8thanuvAkam of TaittirIya

AaraNyakam and MaHA NaarAyaNOpanishad .The AaraNyakam

passage asks : where does Time take its residence:

 

" kvAyagum samvathsarO miTha:?

kvAha kkEyadEvarAthri:?

kkva maasA ruthava: srithA:?

ardhamaasA muhUrthA: ?

nimEshA: thruDibhissaha ?

kkvEmA aapO nivisanthE ? "

 

(Meaning ): Where does the collection of Time ,

the year reside ? On which principle is the day

based? Similarly , what is the place of residence

of the Time division known as night ?Where are

the pakshams (two divisons of the Month ) , the seasons ,

muhUrthams and nimishams take refufge ?

 

MahA NaarAyana Upanihsad answers these questions

and declares that Sriman NaarAyaNan is the Aasrayam

(place of refuge) of the Time Principle and its divisions

and are part of His body .

 

Kaalam is an insentient tattvam (achEthana Tattvam )

in VisishtAdvaitha Vedaantham . By the invocation of

the first of the six names ( ChandhamAi) , Kaliyan

focused on the Chethanam(sentient beings) in general

and the Jeevan in particular . Here , he concentrates on

Kaala dravyam (Time as an inert substance).It is devoid of

three guNAs/attributes like Sattva, Rajas and Tamas .

Time however is an essential substance and is all pervasive .

Its influence is not felt in Sri Vaikuntam(nithya VibhUthi);

there divisions like hour, day , month , year and

other divisions of time are not applicable .

 

Here in the prakruthi manDalam ,Kaalam is dividable

in to past , present and future .Kaalam is a coordinate

of prakriti and is totally dependent on the Lord (Isvaran).

The common adage , " Kaala chakram jagacchakram "

refers to the wheel of time that rotates to form

the changing days and nights , seasons and years

that mark the phases of one's life as a child , youth ,

old man/woman .

 

A VishNu PurANa SlOkam summarizes the fine points about

Kaalm this way : It is part of His(Lord's) body as achEthanam

and yet is different from the other achEthanams like

mUla prakruthi , which is also a constituent of the Lord's

body .

 

The Lordship of Isvaran over sentient and other

insentient principles like Time , mUla Prakruthi

is indicated by the MahA BhAratham passages :

 

kaalasya --IsathE BhagavAn Yeka:

( BhagavAn alone is the ruler of Kaalam )

 

kaalam cha pachathE tathra na kaalastathra vai prabhu:

sakalsya Prabhu: Raajan ! SarvasyApi tath Isvara:

 

( Bhagavaan creates the divisions for Time as

second , minute , hour , day , night etal. These

divisions are only in the prakruthi manDalam .

In Suddha satthva maya Sri vaikuntam ,the influence

of Time is not felt.He is the Lord of the ChEthanams

and achEthanms . That is why He is saluted as Isvaran

of all )

 

Thirumangai salutes this Swamithvam (Lordship) of

ThirukkAvaLampAdi KaNNan here and points in particular

about His supermacy in directing Time , the insentient

principle of importance in this earth .

 

We will take up the third NamaskaraNam of Kaliyan,

" samayam ei bhUtham aahi " in the next posting .

 

Thirumangai mannan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,

Oppilaippan Koil VaradachAri SadagOpan