Holy Smoke!

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

" Holy Smoke! "

 

 

 

Quite a huge crowd has collected. As is common to such gatherings,

none seems to know what exactly the excitement is about, except perhaps the

original members of the inner circle, though others at the periphery keep

hazarding guess after erroneous guess as to what exactly the crowd is for.

Everybody seems to be staring at the distant horizon, from where thick smoke is

billowing, blotting out the entire landscape with a black pall. Those who have

gathered arrive at the instant conclusion that some huge building or other must

be on fire.

 

 

 

The presence of Smoke thus automatically presupposes the existence

of a fire. The process by which the existence of a fire is arrived at from the

presence of Smoke is known as " anumAnam " or Deduction. This, along with

Pratyaksham, the Shruti, etc., constitutes the principal PramAnAs or sources of

knowledge. However, the subject of the present piece is not anumAnam but

Smoke. This does appear to be a rather smoky and nebulous topic to write on, but

one would be surprised to find that quite a lot has been said on the subject by

people of eminence. Here are a few samples.

 

 

 

First and foremost, we find that Smoke resulting from yAgAs and yagyAs

performed by VaidikAs merits frequent mention in the Divya Prabandas, especially

in Peria Tirumozhi of Sri Tirumangai Mannan. While singing of TirunarayUr near

Oppiliappan Koil, Sri Kalian comments on the thick smoke emanating from the

sacrificial fires at the homes of Brahmins. The smoke is so luxuriant and

widespread that it blocks out the entire sky-

 

 

 

" marayArum peru vELvi chezhum pugai pOi vaLarndu engum

 

nirayAra vAn moodum neeL selva TirunarayUr "

 

 

 

That such smoke resulting from sacrificial fires was considered auspicious and

to be a symbol of prosperity and well-being, is brought out by the words " neeL

selva TirunarayUr " . This is understandable, for Vaidikas would engage themselves

in yAgAs for universal welfare, only if other circumstances are conducive

therefor. That such smoke is extremely beneficial to the physical welfare of the

residents has been proved beyond doubt by the survival of a family at Bhopal,

which performed Agnihotram daily, and was saved thereby, when poisonous gas from

the Union Carbide plant claimed several thousand victims.

 

 

 

The smoke caused by offering Ahutis of pure ghee in the sacrificial fire, to the

accompaniment of the relative Veda mantras like " agnayE svAha, SOmAya svAhA "

etc., covers the entire divyadesam of TiruvazhundUr, remarks Sri Kalian-

 

" anthaNar tam Ahutiyin pugayAr selvatthu aNi azhundUrE "

 

 

 

This is the scene at Srirangam too, says Azhwar. However, the smoke

originating from the sacrificial fires mingles with the perfumed smoke used by

women to dry their hair after bath and to keep it sweet-smelling, emanating from

the various towering mansions tall enough to touch the skies-

 

 

 

" Manju sEr mALigai needu agil pugayum

 

marayOr senchol vELvi pugayum

 

kamazhum Ten arangamE "

 

 

 

This " akil pugai " is primarily used as " dhoopam " for the Lord, to prevent His

catching a cold after bath and is offered to Him lovingly during TiruvArAdhanam.

Lest offering the smoke directly make His eyes water, discerning archakAs first

capture the smoke in an absorbent cloth, thereby imprisoning its essence in the

cloth, and gently touch the Lord's tirumEni with it, thus ensuring that only the

fragrant and medicinal essence of the smoke reaches Emperuman and not the smoke

itself, which may sting His gentle lotus eyes. The simultaneous offering of such

dhoopam to the Lord from all the homes of Tiruvarangam, along with that

emanating from the temple of Rangaraja, is so thick and pervasive as to make the

entire town fragrant, says Sri Kalian.

 

 

 

At TiruvazhundUr too, smoke emanating from burning " akil " (a fragrant wood which

gives off extremely sweet-scented smoke) is so widespread and the manors from

which it emanates so tall, that the smoke seems to mingle with puffy clouds

populating the sky-

 

 

 

" akilin pugayAl mugilEykkum

 

aNiyAr veedi azhundUrE "

 

 

 

The smoke is so dense and so pervasive that it resembles rain-bearing clouds,

giving an impression of imminent precipitation.

 

 

 

Three sources of fragrant smoke have been identified by Sri Parakala, as

indicated above-that originating from dhoopam offered to the Lord, that

emanating from the sacrificial fires of yAgAs and yagyAs and the third from akil

burned by women for drying and perfuming their hair. Sri Kalian says that there

is a fourth too-

 

 

 

" Alai pugayAl azhal kadirai maraikkum veedi azhundUrE "

 

 

 

This pasuram gives the lie to the popular impression that all industry has

developed only after the Industrial Revolution that occurred in England. Even

during Azhwar's times, there appear to have flourished huge factories for

crushing sugarcane and for extraction of sugar. As if to attest to this, for

miles around Tiruvazhundur and its environs, we find that the principal crop is

still sugarcane, till today. The smoke billowing out of these cane-crushing

plants effectively shuts out the rays of the hot Sun and makes the weather quite

cool, says Sri Tirumangai Mannan.

 

 

 

An important inference to be drawn from this is that contrary to the current

concerns about industrial effluents and environmental pollution, the plants of

yore were designed with concern for the atmosphere, the earth and its

inhabitants.

 

 

 

We are also told that several cane fields had their own small-scale crushing

plants, which generated sweet-smelling smoke. This is at ArimEya ViNNagaram, one

of the TirunAngur divyadesams.-

 

" AdEru vayal Alai pugai kamazhu NangUr

 

arimEya viNnagaram vaNangu mada nenjE "

 

 

 

Apart from the four sources of Smoke enumerated above, Sri Kalian indicates a

fifth too, this one confined to Tiruvengadam. The tribal inhabitants of

Tirumala, consisting of hunters, gypsies, etc., make fires for cooking, warming

themselves during cold winter evenings, etc. For this purpose, they use wood cut

from 'Akil " trees, which are found aplenty in the forests of Tirumala. The smoke

emanating from the fires so made makes the entire hills fragrant, says Sri

Parakala-

 

 

 

" KAnavar idu kAr akil pugai Ongu Venkadam mevi "

 

 

 

Thus the smoke generated by hunters from fires meant for their own use, serves

to spread fragrance in the entire hills of TiruvengadamudayAn, resulting in a

" YAdrucchika sukritam " or incidental kainkaryam for the bestial tribes. For

those who wonder whether even undiscerning gypsies would use precious " akil "

trees as firewood, the only answer we have is that familiarity breeds contempt,

and the plentiful availability of any item only reduces its preciousness,

resulting in widespread and indiscriminate use for any odd purpose.

 

 

 

Let us conclude this Smoky tale with an itihyam relating to Sri Bhattar and his

illustrious disciple, Sri Nanjeeyar. Sri Nammazhwar comes out with a beautiful

formulation in Tiruvaimozhi (1-6-1), which runs as follows:

 

 

 

" Parivadil eesanai pAdi virivadu mEval uruvIr

 

pirivagai indri nanneer tooy purivaduvum pugai poovE "

 

 

 

Azhwar tells us in this pasuram that we should not be put off by the Lord's

eminence and our own insignificance before Him, nor need we, in worshipping Him,

search for the best of materials for ArAdhanam and face bewilderment in the

process. He is satisfied with any common garden flower, water from none too pure

a source and any ordinary dhoopam without insisting on the best of " akil " or

sandalwood. What He expects is sincerity and devotion and a heart brimming with

bhakti. The Eedu MupatthArAyirappadi has beautiful things to say here - " Dravya

tAratamyam pArppadillai: idugiravan nenjil eeramE Ayittru pArppadu " . The Lord is

not bothered about the preciousness or otherwise of the materials used for His

worship-He is concerned more about the way in which they are offered to Him and

the piety and love which accompany the offering.

 

 

 

While normally only smoke generated by burning incense or fragrant wood from

" akil " , " karumugai " or Sandalwood trees is used to offer " dhoopam " to the Lord,

what matters more is offering the same with unadulterated bhakti, without

expecting anything in return, prompted purely by kainkarya ruchi and

uncontainable love and affection for the Lord. If these qualities accompany the

offering, the Lord is eminently pleased with even smoke generated by burning

ordinary firewood or even rubbish- " chedugai ittu pugaikka amayum " -says Sri

Bhattar. Conversely, the Lord would turn His tirumukham away, even if the most

scented of smoke is offered, if the same is presented with indifference,

insincerity and lack of devotion.

 

 

 

What Sri Bhattar emphasises is that along with the dhoopam, along with the

relative Veda Rk ( " dhoorasi dhoorva dhoorvantam dhoorvatam yOsmAn dhoorvati tam

dhoorvayam vayam dhoorvAma: tvam dEvAnAm asi. " .),what is an indispensable

component is an all-consuming love for the Lord. The whole process of offering

incense to the Lord thus takes on the hue of " preeti kArita " kainkaryam and not

merely a " smoky " affair. Fragrant smoke offered to the Lord in this fashion

bestows on the devotee eternal fame, says Sri Nammazhwar-

 

" sAndodu viLakkam dhoopam tAmarai malargaL nalla

 

Ayndu kondu Ettha vallAr andamil pugazhinArE " .

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan