Reflections on Kim : Part II (Rg Veda manthrams)

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear VedAbhimAnis:

 

Today , we will study the use of " Kim " in

Selected Rg Vedic Rks. The extended meanings

that would be given by me is based on my personal

anubhavam of these manthrAs .Let us start with

the first manthram:

 

1)Rg Vedam: IV.5.12

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kim nO asya dhraviNam kaddha ratnam

vi nO vOcO jAthavEdas chikithvAn

guhAdhvana: paramam yannO asya

rEku padham na nidhAnA aganma

 

(Extended Meaning):

 

Here , the antharyAmi Brahman of Agni is

addressed. He is addressed as the Omniscient

One , who is a knower of all that has been

(created by Him) and exists(protected by Him).

The supplicant throws up his hand in despair over

the aj~nanam that surrounds one in life and asks

the Lord : What is the use and value of all this

(material)wealth to us and what permanent and

beneficial thing do we gain by its acquisition?

Oh Lord , who is the knower of all with

the penetrating vision of the past , present

and future ! You know very well about what is

parama hitham for us & what is Parama purushArTam !

You know what is the best secret (guhyatamam)

for us to follow without obstruction (vignam)

for liberation from the cycles of repeated births

and deaths . You know this direct road instead of

all the bye ways that lead us to travel and suffer

like some one lost in an endless maze. Please bless us

with Your divine wisdom so that we can rush to

the most direct road /upAyam ( like SaraNAgathy at

Your Thiruvadi) and enjoy your divine splendour and

perform nithya kaimkaryam in Your supreme abode to You.

 

The echo for this prayer is heard in another Rg rk(V.78.4)

in the form of a response :

 

It says: When a sagacious and fortunate one escapes

with Your limitless DayA from the dark and forbidding

cave of nescience and entreats You as UpEyam , like

a wailing woman seeking protection of her Master,

You rush to that person with the rapidity of a falcon

(on the divine falcon like at the time You rushed

to the lotus pond , when GajEndran called for you

and addressed You as Aadhimoolam).

 

This is " the Kim " that the Vedam salutes !

 

Speaking of that " Kim " another Rg Vedic Rk

starting with " KIM " sums up in the second paadham

this way:

 

" nahee nv-asya pratimAnam asty antar jAthEshutha

yE janithvA: " --Rg Vedam : IV.18.4

 

The nature of the Lord as Parama Purushan

with none equal to or better than Him is

referred to here as the " Kim " . He is the Supreme Being

(Para Devathai), who is the one that commands

all (niyanthA) and is the Master of all. He is

the SamAnAdhika Daridhran. There is none that

exceeds Him or equals Him in any aspect .

He is the Para Tatthvam , UpAyam and Phalan.

When a Prapannan approaches Him in a state of

ananya Gathithvam , he gets the MokshAnugraham

directly from Him without the help of any other

DevathA , who are after all HIs vassals.

 

This portion of the Veda Manthram is one about

Paratatthva Nishkarsham ( determination of

the Supermacy of that KIM sabdhAnuvAchyan.

 

Rg Veda manthram IV.35.4

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This is a prayer to the Lord saluting His mysterious

power and also an upadEsam for us to enjoy the nectar

of Bhagavath anubhavam :

 

KIMmaya: svic camasaa yEsha aasa yamm

kAvyEna chathurO vichakra

aTA sunudhvam savanam madhAya

pAtha ribhavO madhuna: sOmyasya

 

Extended Meaning: Cosmic creation and activities

of the Lord is referred to here. The Saadhakan addresses

the Lord (Kim) in wonderment: " What sort of universally

spanning ladle did You apply with Your art and

wisdom and used it deftly in a fourfold motion

to engage in Your activities of creating the Universe

and its beings from Moola Prakruthi? "

 

The four fold motion has been intrepreted by commentators

as " downwards, upwards, transverse and straight(adha Urdhvam

tiryak samagathi yuktham " }. Four really stands for

countless ways in which He performs His leelais.

 

 

We will study additional manthrams with " Kim "

sabdham incorporated in them in our next posting.

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan