Reflections on Kim : Part III (Rg Veda manthrams)

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear VedAbhimAnis :

 

In the previous Rks cited , the Para Tatthva NishkarshaNam

and the ParamaikAnthithvam were referred to as well as

the prayers for the boon of SaraNAgathy as an upAyam

to gain the Parama PurushArTam were discussed.

 

The upadEsam was that If One is not sure about

who is the Supreme Purushan (Para dEvathai),

ParamaikAnthithvam ( the strong belief in the Lord

as the means and fruit of one's UpAsanaa)

wont last .The blessed status described by

Swamy NammAzhwAr as ParAnkusa Naayaki

( " Unnitthu maRRoru Dhaivam ThozhAL Avanai allAl " ).

The VivEkam behind " Onrum dhEvum ulahum yuirum

maRRum yAthu illA anRu--kunram pOl MaNimADa needu

ThirukkuruhUr athanuL ninRa AdhippirAn niRkka

MARRAI DHAIVAM NAADUTHIRE " will not dawn unless

Paramai kAnthithvam is established as a result of

Paratatthva nishkarshaNam .

 

Let us now reflect on few manthrams from

the Xth Canto of Rg vedam , which start

with " KIM " sabdham:

 

1) Rg Vedam X.12.5

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KIM svin no rAjA jagrihe kad-

asyAti vratham cakrimA kO vi vEda

mitras chiddhi shmA juhurANO dEvAn

cchOkO na yAthAmapi vAjO asthi

 

The Mood of the manthram: The Yajamaanan of

the offering is sitting in front of the sacrificial

altar and prays to the Lord for the acceptance of

the Havis : Aaathma nivEdhanam . He has respectful

concerns about his suitability in a mood of

KaarpaNyam as he performs SaraNAgathy.

 

Extended Meaning : In the previous manthram ,

the YajamAnan states: " As Your humble servant,

I glorify You my Lord . May Thou hear me and

May Thou bless me with ambrosia ( amruthathvam)!

 

In this manthram that follows the above prayer,

the YajamAnan is assailed with a doubt about

his fitness and qualifications and he addresses

the Lord , who is the antharyAmi of Agni,

who carries the offerings to His lord:

 

" But , will the radiant fire accept our oblations

and our homage ? " . One can view this doubt arising from

MahA VisvAsam not settling in fully or Naicchiyam

is asailing the mind of the Aathma NivEdhi.

He has vowed to return the Lord's property

(AathmA) to Him (as the True Owner ) and not to hold it

as his own anymore and committ the sin of aathmApahAram.

 

In this spirit , the sacrificer asks:

" How duly we keep our pledges to Him ,

who knows " . He is SarvAntharyAmi and Sarva Saakshi.

There is nothing we can hide from Him. We can not

get away with our pretensions and bhAvanais

and abhinayams. Refreshed by these thoughts ,

the yajamAnan of the sacrifice appeals to Agni

and reminds this messenger,Agni that his

antharyAmi Brahman has been affectionately

invoked for this offering ceremony and as such to

accept and carry the offering in a suitable manner to

the Supreme Lord , the KIM Sabdha PrathipAdhyan.

 

2)Rg Veda Rk: X.31.7

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

In this manthram set in Thrishtubh Chandas,

Sishyan is advised about AchArya Vaibhavam

and the well worn path of sanAtana dharmam

that seeks the AchAryA's sacred feet for enlightenment

for getting us ready to travel on the archirAdhi maargam

to reach the Lord's Supreme abode for nithya

kaimkarayam there.

 

KIM svid vanam ka na sa vruksha

aasa yathO dhyAvA-pruthvee nishtatakshu:

santasTAnE ajarW itaUthi ahani

pUrvir ushasO jarantha

 

This whole section of Rks (X.31.1 to 11) are

moving prayers to the Lord in recognition of

His Omnipotency to sustain heaven and earth

and shower all blessings . The questions raised are

like the Upanishadic questions on the seed and the tree

arising from it and which is th eorigin of What.

 

(Extended Meaning of X.31.7: The manthram asks

" Kim Svid (what is the tree ?) and Kim vanam

(what is the forest?).What is that power that

has designed heaven and earth (DhyAvA-Prithvee

yathO nishtatakshu:). What is the power (Jagath

KaaraNa vasthu ) that has created this heaven

and earth , which are stationary , firm , undecaying?

How do they get sustained ( Jagath RakshaNam)

by that power ? KIM idham? The tree and the Vanam

are mnifestations of His Sarva VyApakthvam

(aNOr aNeeyAn , mahathOr maheeyAn). He is VishNu,

the Aadhi Devan present pervasively as antharyAmi

Brahman in all the objects that He created.

 

The second paadham of this manthram acknowledges

a fundamental truth that righteous men from

time immemorial marked by innumerable dawns and

sunsets have been eulogizing this Supreme Lord

for this grand act of Dayaa , which creates

and protects this universe and its chEthanams

and achEthanams ( SamsTAnE ajarE ithaUti ahAni

pUrvir ushasO jaranta).

 

3)Rg Veda manthram X.81.4

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

 

This reference to trees and forests and their

connection to the creation of heaven and earth

(DhyAvA-Pruthvee ) is touched upon in the above

manthram(X.31.7) and an appeal is made to

the thinkers to visualize the nature and stature of

that Omnipotent Lord , who achieves these miracles:

 

KIM svid Vanam ka u sa vruksha aasa

yathO dhyAvA-pruthvee nishtatakshu:

maneeshiNO manasA pricchatEdh u yadh

adhyatishad bhuvanAni dhArayan

 

--Rg Vedam X.81.4

 

The first paadham of this manthram is an

exact repetition of the Rk X.31.7 that we

just studied. The second line asks the thinkers/

questioners ( manIshiNa:) to interrogate their

minds ( manasA pricchatEath ). What should their

minds be asked? The question to the mind is:

What is the pedestal on which the Omnipotent

Lord stands , while holding the worlds and carving out

the heaven and earth from the trees and the forest ?

 

The loftiness of that vision as seen in His Visvaroopam

astounds and humbles Arjuna in the battle field of Kuru kshEthrA!

 

4)Rg Veda manthram: X.81.2

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

 

KIM svid aasId adhishtAnam arambhaNam

katamat svit kaTAseeth

yathO bhUmim janayan visvakarmA vi

shyAm aurNon mahinA visvachakshA:

 

The many inquiries ( What is That ?) with

wonderment set in here to grasp even to a little

extent the creative power of that Universal

architect ( VisvakarmA) , who creates the

heaven and earth by forging them in to

multitudinous Naama-Roopams with His

mighty winged arms .

 

The manthram asks: " Which is that forest and

which is the tree from which the dhyAvA-Pruthvee

( the heaven and earth) were carved out from

Moola Prakruthi? Oh Inquirers! inquire with

in Your mind , what is the mighty pedestal

on which He stands , while holding the three

worlds that He has created ?

 

The rest of the manthrams of X.81 section

offer generous praise to the Lord , the Universal

architect and invoke His protection . They recognize Him

as the Lord of Speech (Vaageesan) . They appeal to

Him to hear their prayers for protection. They

request Him to perform the Yaj~nams Himself for

the well being of this universe as Yaj~nakruth and

Yaj~na Bhug (X.81.5, 7 ).

 

We will conclude here the additional reflections

on the One enquired after as " KIM " ( KimE nama:)

in SrI VishNU Sahasra Naamam.

 

AzhwAr Paasurams in general and that of Swamy

NammAzhwAr carry this inquiry on " KIM " sabdham

brilliantly and instruct us on the significance

of this Sahasra Naamam.

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan