Good Evening!

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

" Good Evening! "

 

 

 

Which would you say is the best part of the day?

 

 

 

Some would plump for the morning, which generates uplifting emotions in us,

being a time of the day when the Sattva guNa comes to the fore. It is this time

of the day which is suited best for elevating emotions, when we feel most

inclined to engage in prayer, worship, etc. You would definitely have felt the

difference that a cleansing early morning bath makes -you feel clean, pure and

nearer to God than otherwise. It is this feeling that prompts many to favour the

Morning as the finest part of the day.

 

 

 

Diametrically opposite are those who prefer the Night, for the rest it affords

to the body and mind, exhausted with a hard day's toil. It is during night that

we forget all the tensions of mundane existence and give ourselves up to

blissful sleep, which enables us to wake up the next morning, well prepared to

face the challenges of yet another day. Thus there is nothing like the night to

wipe off both physical fatigue and mental ennui. Is there any wonder, therefore,

that some consider this as the culminating glory of every day?

 

 

 

There is however one more part of the day, that is neither day nor

night, but carries the best features of both, without the negative aspects of

the two. This is the time of day when the blazing Sun that makes the mornings

and afternoons torrid affairs, is on the wane. However, the gloom and murkiness

of the night, that make it such an opportune time for nefarious activities, are

yet to make their advent. A pleasant twilight envelops everything, imparting it

a reddish-golden hue, the wind picks up the fragrance of flowers opening their

petals to welcome the birds and bees who have rid themselves of the stupor

induced by the hot day, the cheery chirping and tweeting of birds, returning to

their nest for a reunion with their little ones after a day in search of food,

adds music to the ambience-in short, to quote a kindred spirit, " God is in His

heaven and everything appears to be all right " with the world, in the evening.

The Evening, therefore, appears to be the best part of the day, heralding, as it

does, the dawn of peace and tranquillity vis-à-vis the fierce competition and

turbulence of the day and the absolute inaction of the night.

 

 

 

All this is from the outlook of a layperson. From that of the Vaidka

too, the Evening easily triumphs over the other parts of the day. To mention but

one reason, this was the time chosen by the Lord to manifest Himself as the

magnificent man-lion Nrsimha. To this day, every evening is a glorious reminder

to us of this spontaneous avatara that the Lord assumed, apparently without any

premeditation. And apart from the avowed objectives of all avatAras, those of

protecting the good and destroying evil ( " SAdhu paritrANam and dushkrit

vinAsanam " ) the third and most endearing objective of this evening avatAra was

validating the words of an ardent devotee- " Satyam vidhAtum nija bhritya

bhAshitam " . It was to confirm Sri PrahlAdA's golden words that Hari was present

everywhere, be it a blade of grass or a pillar of stone, that Sri Nrsimha popped

out of a column in Hiranyakasipu's palace, of an evening. To honour the terms of

the boon the asurA had obtained from an indiscriminately generous demigod, that

he should face death neither in the day nor in the night, Sri Nrsimha manifested

Himself in the evening, which is neither morning, afternoon, nor night. It is to

commemorate this event that evenings are prescribed as an ideal period for the

worship of this adhbuta KesarI. PradOsha kAla is therefore ideal for the

ArAdhanam of Sri Nrihari, which is sanctified by the practice obtaining till

date in Sri AhObila Mutt, with PAnaka ArAdhanam being performed to Sri MAlOla at

every sundown.

 

 

 

If Speech is silver, Silence in golden, says the adage. The value of silence

need not be overemphasised. When we come to think about it, our tongues are

continually engaged in vocalisation of some thought or the other, with scarce

consideration for whether or not the listener really wants to hear it all. Often

what emanate from our mouth are words unpalatable to others, invective,

innuendos and worthless gossip. What better atonement could there be for such

offences, than to refrain absolutely from using this faculty, at least for some

time? And the beneficial effects of absolute silence are to be experienced to be

believed-if observed in all sincerity, it would result in a rejuvenation of the

spirit and even a communion with the elusive Inner Dweller. If Mahatma Gandhi

was an ardent votary of Silence and practiced it with regularity and

earnestness, it is because of the glorious inner peace it brought him. When we

cease to speak either with the tongue or the mind, it silences not only the

external noise but also the inner clamour and clatter, enabling us to listen to

the Inner Voice, which is otherwise lost in the din of speech and thought. It is

with this in view that the Shruti enjoins upon us to devote the glorious Evening

to absolute silence, to contemplation of the Ultimate in blissful quiet. The

Vedas tell us to practice silence daily and with devotion, at

sundown- " ativriksha SooryE vAcham visrujati " . Thus the Evening represents a

welcome change from the constant racket and din of the day, being a time of hush

and quietitude, to be spent in blissful contemplation of the Almighty, with all

faculties focussing on Him, with the silence prescribed by the Shruti.

 

 

 

The evening belongs to the Lord of all Lords, as we saw from the NrisimhAvatAra.

This is confirmed by the SAyam SandhyAvandana mantrAs too, which tell us to

meditate upon GAyatri as a " VishNu dEvata " , with magnificently mature looks,

astride on Sri VainatEya and holding the Sudarsana Chakra, reciting the glorious

SAma VEda-

 

 

 

" SAyam SarasvatIm shyAmAm Ravi mandala madhyakAm

 

SAma VEdam vyAharantIm chakrAyudha dharAm shubhAm

 

DhyAyAmi VishNu daivatyAm vriddhAm Garuda vAhanAm "

 

 

 

While every evening is a time for silence, devotion and worship as aforesaid,

there are Great Evenings that occur every fortnight ( " MahA PradOsham " ), which

are characterised by the presence of the TrayOdasI tithi at sunset. Similarly,

there are the CharutthI PradOsham and the SaptamI PradOsham too. During the MahA

PradOsham, such emphasis is laid on silence that even VEda adhyayanam is

prohibited.

 

 

 

The Shruti also tells us that asurAs battle with the Soorya every morning and

evening and it is the waters of the arghya pradAnam, thrown at the Sun every

evening during SandhyAvandanam, that act as a veritable VajrAyudha and bundle

off these asurAs, comprehensively vanquished, to a God-forsaken island called

the MandEhAruNa dveepam. One who contemplates on the ParamAtmA residing in the

Soorya mandalam in the evening and morning attains everything auspicious, says

the Shruti- " udyantam astamyantam Adityam abhi dhyAyan kurvan BrAhmaNo vidvAn

sakalam bhadram asnutE " .

 

 

 

The Evening might be a time for rest, relaxation and rejoicing for us, but for

Sri Nammazhwar, it is a time of torment and torture, as he describes graphically

in all of ten pAsurams, collectively known as " MAlai poosal " . Though every

moment of separation from Sri Krishna, the Divine Lover, is indeed an ordeal for

Azhwar , the evening is especially cruel, with the threat of the impending, long

night of separation looming large. The gentle evening breeze from the south

carrying the intoxicating scent of the Jasmine ( " Malligai kamazh tendral

eerumAlO " ) appears to him to be worse than the sharp winter wind, which chills

you to the morrow. The bewitching music of Kurinji rAga that the breeze carries

sounds little better than a raucous screech. The slanting rays of the setting

Sun induce a stupor, not of bliss but of distress. Reddish clouds, instead of

generating joy, cause only anguish. The mellifluous chime of bells adorning the

necks of cows sounds to be an unbearable din, as does the incredibly sweet

calling of the Koels. The rising Moon, normally a symbol of romance, with its

soft and inviting luminescence, now appears to virtually blaze like a scorching

Sun. While all the allurements of the golden evening are indeed enchanting in

the company of Sri Krishna, the same sources of attraction turn into tormenting

factors, in His absence. Azhwar, assuming the role of a GOpi weary with waiting

for the wonderful cowherd, laments that the promised evening of reunion has

arrived, in all its splendour, but there is no sign of Krishna turning up-

 

" MAlayum vandadu MAyan vArAn " .

 

 

 

On the other hand, the NArAyaNeeyam portrays the indescribable bliss of an

evening with Sri Krishna, amidst the sands of Yamuna, with the rising Moon

drenching those present with his soft beams, the balmy spring breeze bearing the

intoxicating scent of innumerable blooms and the strains from Krishna's flute

transporting everyone to new heights of delight- " SAyam kAle vAnAntE kusumita

samayE saikatE chandrikAyAm " .

 

 

 

Whenever we think of finer things like music, dance or uplifting lectures

on Bhagavat KathA, we find that they are invariably associated with the evening.

Music concerts or Hari KathA expositions are held mostly in the magical evening

rather than the prosaic morning, for captivating the hearts of audiences. Even

filmgoers appear to prefer the evening show to the matinee, if the crowds are

any indication. So, looked at from the religious angle or the secular, readers

would agree that the Evening is definitely the preferred portion of the day.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan