58 days to SathAbhishEkam : Saama Vedam & ThiruvAimozhi: Part 9/ Srirangam VedAdhyayanam by 500 Vedic Scholars for 10 days in Novemebr , 2006

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Saama Vedam & ThiruvAimozhi : Part II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan

Saama Samhitha & Thiruvaimozi

In its importance in YaagAs and sacredness, Saama Veda SamhithAs rank next to Rig VedA. The Lord of GeethA however has put this Saama samhithA on the top of all four SamhithAs with His declaration that He is Saama VedA among the VedAs. This samhithA consists of hyms chanted by udhgAtri priests at the Soma YaagAs. Many of the hymns originate from Rig Vedam and have been rearranged without reference to the original order in the Rig Vedam and set to music. Only 75 verses of the total of 1,875 verses of Saama Vedam are not to be found in Rig Vedam. The remaining 1,800 verses are essentially the repetitions of Rig Vedic verses. The important distinction however is that they are sung instead of being recited. The Rig Vedam deals with knowledge and Saama Vedam deals with UpAsanA, Worship and DhyAnam.

In singing, the priests of the Yaj~nams follow specific styles through alteration of prolongation, repetition, modulation, rests et al. These become the various styles of Saama GhAnams: congregational (GrAma gEya GhAnam), AraNya ghAnam (Forest song style), Uha ghAnam and Uhya GhAnam.

Saakhaas of Saama Vedam

Saama Vedam had originally 1001 branches. We have very few left now. NammAzhwAr's celebrated Thiruvaimozhi is recognized as the Saama Veda SaarArtham.

ThiruvAimozhi and Saama Vedic Content

" Vedam Tamizh seytha MaaRan " is one of the salutations to Swamy NammAzhwAr. In this context , ThiruvAimozhi , which deals with Bahgavath PrApthi (Attainment of the Lord) , is considered as the precious gift of this AzhwAr to us on the quinessence of Saama Vedam . BhagavAn says in Gitaa that among the Four VedAs , He is in Saama Vedam . Such is the glory of Saama Vedam and by extrpolation, its Tamizh derivative , ThiruvAimozhi.

The Four PurushArthams (Goals of Life)

The four goals of life identified by the VedAs are : Dharma , ArTa , Kaama and Moksha . The ultimate and the most precious PrurushArTam in life is Moksha ( release from the cycles of births and deaths and ascent to the Supreme abode of the Lord , Sri Vaikuntam , to engage in blemishless Kaimkaryam there to the dhivya dampathis ) . The bliss ( Aanandham arising from Bhagavath Kaamam) granting the boon of enjoyment of BrahmAnandham by the Muktha Jeevan equal to that of the Parama Padha Naathan through the successful execution of Bhakthi or Prapatthi yOgam is the message of Saama Vedam and the Paasurams of ThiruvAimozhi rooted in the Saama Vedam . The Supreme Brahman , Sriman NarayaNan of VisishtAdhvaitham , His KalyANa guNams are the objects of meditation , salutation and singing of both Saama Vedam and ThiruvAimozhi . We shall illustrate this Saamyam between the Sanskritic and Tamizh Vedam in the next essay .

Moksha PrApthi thru dheerga SaraNAgathy is the precious PurushArtham covered by ThiruvAimozhi :

Tatthvam for Sri VaishNavAs is : " asEsha chid-achith prakAram Brahma yEkamEva tatthvam". Brahman is the one and only truth , the two others ( sentients and insentients) are His (Brahman's) aspects.

In ThiruvAimozhi ( 2088) , AzhwAr echos this tatthvam : avayavai thOrum udal misai uyirenak-karanthengum paranthu" ( He is pervasively present in all . He is indeed the sath. All are His body . He is the indwelling soul ( antharyAmi Brahman).

Elsewhere in ThiruvAimozhi , AzhwAr instructs us : " uruvinan , aruvinan (2084) AND uruvam ivvuruvuhaL ( 2090) ". Here , AzhwAr states that He is the soul of all sentient beings; He is also present in non-sentient beings.

Hitham for Sri VaishNavan is prapatthi (SaraNAgathy ) or Bhakthi yOgam to practise to reach Him . In ThiruvAimozhi Paasurams 2095 & 2100 , AzhwAr points this out : " iRai sErmin" ( Worship the Lord with bhakthi ); iRai uLLuha ( Meditate on the Lord ).

The jeevan recognizes thru AchArya UpadEsam that it is the unconditional servant (sEshan ) and He is the Supreme Lord ( sEshi).The jeevan transforms from samsAri ( Bhaddha Jeevan) to asamsAri (muktha Jeevan) thru the anushtAnam of Bhakthi or Prapatthi Yogam . Bhakthi yOgam is difficult to practise and therefore Prapatthi yOgam is the only means left for us in Kali yugam .

PurushArTam for Sri VaishNavan is the supreme Bliss ( brahmAnandham) of performing nithya kaimkaryam to Sri Vaikunta NaaTan after arriving in Sri Vaikuntam via the archirAdhi maargam . After Moksham , the liberated soul never returns to samsAric world . AzhwAr describes that Supreme abode of the Lord as : " meetchiyinRi Vaikuntha Maanahar ( TVM 2523); The Lord is seated in the hall of splendid effulgence . Numerous eternally liberated Jeevans and liberated jeevans serve Him there . AzhwAr says that he joins that blessed assembly and enjoys the endless bliss that he longed for : MaamaNi MaNtapatthu anthamil pErinpatthu adiyarOdu irunthamai ( TVM 3172) .AzhwAr describes that bliss as Saayujya Moksham , the best of all PurushArTams . It is the bliss , never-to-end.

ThiruvAimozhi 1.2 is an outstanding summation of PurushArtham .In the very first Paasuram ( Veedumin muRRavum--) , Azhwaar says: " Renounce all things except the Lord . Enough ! then surrender your soul to the Lord , who is its actual Master and owner .He resides in your soul ; indeed , He resides in the souls of all in the world.All souls are body to Him . He is the Lord of the upper world , Paramapadha .Relinquishing all( desires) and surrendering the soul to Him, you have secured Parama Padham also in an assured manner ".

In the third paasuram , AzhwAr says: " Banish from your heart the feeling of independence from God. The soul and body are subservient to Him .Once you have acquired this spirit of complete surrender , it is a matchless and unexceeked state of attainment ".

In the sixth Paasuram ( TVM 1.2.6) , Azhwar talks about the infinite Dayaa of the Lord : " His Love for the surrendered soul is His most eloquent attribute --may be , more than His Lordly supermacy ".

In the 8th paasuram( TVM 1.2.8), AzhwAr talks about the true sense of subservience to be practised by the individual soul: " We have three faculties : Thinking with the heart ( uLLam) , speaking with the tongue ( urai) and acting with the body (seyal) -- use these three to serfve Him; cut off all other attachments --Let all the three faculites converge on Him .Think of Him and of His activities ; talk of Him , recite His names ,sing His praise; perform praNAms and PradakshiNams and other services . These are concrete manifestations of the concept of subservience (sEshathva) , that is being cherished in the heart ".

Saama Vedic Echos in ThiruvAimozhi

Let me quote some Saama Veda mantrams that have the links to Swamy NammAzhwAr's instructions to us in ThiruvAimozhi:

PoorvArchika Saaman 11 : " Day and night , we approach You , Lord ,with reverential homage , through sublime thoughts and noble deeds".

PoorvArchika 191 : " Oh resplendent Lord , Come to bless us ; we offer You our loving prayers ; please accept and enjoy them. May You be enshrined in our worshipful jeart ".

PoorvArchika 203: " There is no one , oh resplendent dispeller of darkness , Superior to You ; no one better than You; there is no one , verily , such as You are ".

PoorvArchika 206: sunITO ghA sa martyO yam marutoO yam aryama. mitras pAntyadruhah

(Meaning ): " Fortunate in Life is that mortal , whom the faultless Supreme Lord of vital principles , Lord of Justices , and the Lord of Light , gives protection ".

PoorvArchika Saaman 224: " How amazing ! Even a little praise of Him , He magnifies and accepts it with delight , ieed , while we exalt Him , we exalt ourselves ".

PoorvArchika Saaman 229: " --- We solicit Your friendship since only Your friendship is unbroken and ever-lasting "( tavEdhagum sakhyamastruham) .

PoorvArchika 242: " Oh Friend ! do not worship anyothers but Him , the divine One. Let no grief perturb You . Praise Him alone , the radiant , the showerer of benefit s. Durign the course of self-realization , go on repeatedly utterign hymns in His honour ".

 

PoorvArchika 260: " Oh Lord of Resplendence ! Turn us not away but share in our Joy . You are our Protector , You are kith and kin ; turn us not away ". ( Rig Vedam : VIII.97.7)

PoorvArchika 291: " Oh Opulent Lord , mighty as thunder , the wielder of adamantine justice , I shall not sell my devotion to You for all the wealth in the world , not for a hundred , not for a thousand , nor for a million , for You are the Lord of countless wealth ( Rig Vedam: VIII.1.5).

PoorvArchika 439: " For killing the serpent of Nescience , we adore the resplendent Lord with our verses , and thus the learned persons extol the Supreme Lord " (Rig Vedam V.31.4) .

To be continued ,

NamO veda PurushAya ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

NamO Saama veda PurushAya ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

P.S: Please support the Saama Veda AdhyApAkAs ( Samhitha , Jadai and Ghanam ) at Srirangam during the forthcoming SathAbhishEkam .Thank you . Please send your samarpaNams to Sri Matam NA C/O :

Srihari Raghavan

231 Dixon Landing Road, Apt 150

Milpitas , CA 95035