All that Glitters...

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

" All that Glitters... "

No metal is more closely associated with the human race as Gold. Diamonds may be

forever, but the lure of the yellow metal is eternal. In any comparison with

other metals or elements, Gold comes out with shining colours. There is perhaps

no sphere of human activity, which is not touched and adorned by Gold, be it

social, economic or even religious. It has been the currency of yore, which

people used to buy and sell other things. Anything valuable is said to be " worth

its weight in Gold " , while we characterise anything magnificent, splendorous or

beneficial as " Golden " , as for instance, the Golden Age of the GuptAs in

history. Successful passing of the midway milestone in life, 50 years of

married life, even the first 50 days of a film's successful run-all these are

termed " Golden Jubilee " , signifying how much we value the yellow metal. To

honour someone, we drape him with a gold-coloured shawl-a " PonnAdai " . Till a few

decades past, the World Economy was on the Gold Standard, which meant that

countries could issue currency, only if it was backed by an equivalent stock of

Gold. Till today, the amount of Gold reserves a country has is taken to be a

measure of its soundness and solvency.

 

 

 

The yellow metal has another admirable characteristic, viz., Malleability, which

makes it the preferred metal for the manufacture of ornaments and jewellery,

thus rendering it the metal closest to the human heart, especially the feminine

one, literally and figuratively. In marriages too, even the poorest of poor

deems it a necessity to marry off their daughter with at least a gram of gold on

her person, in tune with the mantra, " KanyAm kanaka sampannAm " . It is a

different matter that this more has resulted in several cases of exploitation of

the bride's parents with exorbitant demands, perhaps based on a

misinterpretation of the term " sampannAm " . And when a child is born, the mother

croons to it with a loving " en thangamE! " . Even at the ripe old age of ninety,

man delights in having gold showered on him by his progeny, in what is known as

" KanakAbhishEkam " .

 

 

 

It would thus appear that Gold pervades our life all throughout, in all spheres

of human activity.

 

 

 

The question therefore arises as to why this yellow metal should command such

lure and love from human beings, when other, more precious elements are there

like Platinum, Diamonds etc.

 

Granted that these other metals and carbons do have an attraction for people,

but it is nothing compared to the widespread and mass following that Gold has.

 

 

 

Delving deep into the matter, we come to the conclusion that the fascination

for Gold in the secular sphere is but an extension of its glitter on the

spiritual plane. If we care to look for it, we find innumerable mentions of the

yellow metal in the Scripture, with its being used as a mode of comparison with

none less than divine personages.

 

 

 

Perhaps the most complimentary mention of this metal is in the context of

comparing it with the glitter, brilliance, magnificence and preciousness of the

ParamapurshA's tirumEni. " Ani sempon mEni endAi " " Sem ponnE tigazhum tiru

moorthiyAi " says Sri Nammazhwar, telling us that the Lord's complexion is that

of beaten red gold. Another Azhwar confirms this and considers the matter to be

significant enough to be catalogued in the very first verse of his

composition- " TirukkaNdEn PonmEni kaNdEn " . Sri Kalian, that peerless connoisseur

of the arcchA moorthy, tells us that if we really think about it, we would find

the Lord's tirumEni to be golden-hued-

 

" vaNNam eNNum kAl

Ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum tirumEni

Inna vaNnam endru kAttIr IndaLooreerE " .

 

 

 

As we know that every word and syllable of Azhwars' outpourings are based on the

Shruti, we search for confirmation from the Vedas for this conception of the

Lord's complexion and we do find it in the Upanishad, which goes a step further

and tells us that even the hair atop the Lord's head, His moustache, other

facial vegetation and all the magnificent parts of His splendorous torso,

including His nails, are gloriously golden. Here is the relevant quote-

 

 

 

" Ya EshOntar AdityE hiraNmaya:Purusha:drisyatE

HiraNmaya:smashru:hiranmaya kEsa:AprNakhAt sarva Eva

suvarNa: "

 

 

For good measure, the Shruti reconfirms the Lord's golden complexion

thus- " Hiranya varNam rugmAbham " . Emperuman's association with gold doesn't stop

with His complexion. When He is born as Sri Krishna, He arranges for AdisEsha

too to descend to Gokulam, in the form of a golden cradle. The conscientious

chronicler of Krishna's childhood, Sri PeriayAzhwar, confirms that Sri Krishna

slept in a golden cradle, the ardent offering of a devoted BrahmA-

 

" MANikkam katti vayiram idai katti

ANi ponnAl seida vaNna siru tottil

PENi unakku Piraman vidu tandAn "

 

The Lord is so enamoured of gold that even His spittoon is made of the yellow

metal, which Sri Kulasekhara Perumal wishes to hold forever-

 

" Venkata KOn umizhum pon vattil piditthu udanE pugapperuvEn AvEnE " .

 

Another indication of His infatuation with the yellow metal is His sporting a

" golden " tirunAmam, at one of the TirunAngUr divyadEsams, as " Sempon sei

Arangan " (HEma Rangan).

 

We are told by Sri Valmiki that the Royal court of Ayodhya was all done up in

glittering gold- " SabhAyAm hEma kliptAyAm " . And on the occasion of Sri Rama's

coronation, Brahmins holding auspicious things in their hands walked ahead of

Sri Rama, on His way to the Royal court, and predictably, one of the mangala

dravyAs they held was gold-

 

" akshatam jAtaroopam cha gAva: kanyA: tathA dvijA:

narA mOdaka hastAscha Raamsya puratO yayu: "

 

When holy water is to be brought for the PattAbhishEkam from sacred rivers and

oceans, it is brought in golden pots-

 

" sauvarNAn vAnarEndrANAm chatuNAm chaturO ghatAn " .

 

And on the joyous occasion of the Coronoation, Indra, the Chief of the

Celestials, offers with devotion a glittering golden garland to the

Paramapurusha-

 

" MAlAm jvalantIm vapushA kAnchanIm shata pushkarAm

Raghavaya dadou VAyu: VAsavEna prachOdita: "

 

And when Sri Rama thinks of offering a tribute to VadikAs on the occasion of His

coronation, it is Gold that He plumps for, in the form of 300 million gold

coins-

" Trimsat kOtI: hiraNyasya brAhmaNEbhyO dadou puna: "

 

 

According to popular accounts, all SAlagrAma shilAs, in which the Lord's

presence is constant and eternal, are said to contain a streak of gold inside

them, giving such moorthies (especially those which do not have a vadanam or

chakram) the name " HiraNya garbha: " (pregnant with gold). It is interesting to

note that the Lord Himself is referred to as Hiranyagarbha by the

Shruti- " HiraNya garbha: samavartata agrE bhootasya jAta: pati: Eka Aseet " . This

term is also used to denote the four-headed BrahmA.

 

The Golden Connection doesn't stop with the Lord. Predictably, His Consort too

sports a golden hue, as She is in every way a perfect match to the

Paramapurusha. This is confirmed by the Sri Suktam, which adds that, in the

manner of our own women folk who have a penchant for matching colours, Sri

Mahalakshmi too wears garlands of a golden hue-

 

" HiraNya varNAm HariNIm suvarna rajata srajAm "

 

Not only the Divine Duo, but also their devotees have an abiding connection with

the yellow metal, we find. For instance, Parama BhAgavata Sri Shankara too

sports a golden complexion, according to Azhwars- " Pon tigazhum mEni puri sadai

am puNNiyan " . Confirmation of this is available from a NayanmAr, an exclusive

devotee of Rudra too, who describes the deity as " PonnAr mEnianE! " .

 

VaruNa, the presiding deity of all waters, be they rivers, oceans, ponds or

wells, is reported to have a golden horn- " Hiranya shringam VaruNam prapadyE "

says the aghamarshaNa SUktam.

 

Not only the Lord's votaries, but some of His sworn adversaries too have a

golden name, like HiranyAksha and Hiranyakasipu, to quote a couple. Azhwars too

refer to these asurAs as " Pon peyarOn " .

 

While in one of the yagyAs, a golden vessel full of honey is supposed to be

given away ( " HiraNya pAtram madhO: pUrNam dadhAti-madhavyOsAnIti " ), in another,

the performer of the yAga gains bricks made of gold- " hirayNyEshatakO bhavati "

 

Gold not only serves the Lord in the myriad modes mentioned above, but is also

eminently suitable for worshipping Him with, as flowers made of

gold- " SwarNapushpam " -- make for an admirable adornment to Him. Additionally,

during the alankArAsanam, we are supposed to submit (as part of the 32 types of

" upachAram " to be offered to Him) gold too, as " MAtrA dAnam " , according to the

Pancha kAla kriyA Deepam-

 

" tila taNdula tAmbUla tapanIya dhritAmbarai:

pooritAm darsayE mAtrAm pAtrENa PraNatArtihan "

 

Continuing the saga of ceaseless association of the Lord with the precious

metal, we find that even the river, which laps gently at His tiruvadi and forms

a glorious garland to Sri Rangaraja, is called " Ponni " . Not only is the river's

name golden, it brings gold from various underwater mines and offers it as an

ardent tribute at the feet of the Lord of Srirangam- " Pon alaikkum KAviri "

 

Is it any wonder therefore, that stealing of gold ranks among the most heinous

of misdeeds? Theft and robbery are bad enough when they involve other items of

property, but when it comes to gold, ShAstrAs are especially severe in

prescribing penalties for " SvarNa stEyam " .

 

However much we may tout Gold to be the best of riches, Sri Nammazhwar tells us

that even the most precious of ornaments made of the purest of gold, would not

equal one sincere and devout folding of the palms in a gesture of " anjali " , as

an offering to Emperuman- " dEsamAna aNikalanum en kai kooppu seigayE " . Having

compared the Lord's brilliance to beaten gold, Azhwar is eaten away by remorse,

for likening Him to after all an inanimate object, the glitter of which would

not equal a billionth of the Lord's, and comes out with a

clarification- " Sutturaittha nan pon un tirumEni oLi ovvAdu " .

Having traversed the golden trail so far, we find that there are several other

items that are as precious and splendorous as Gold, with their glitter however

hidden from the undiscerning observer. For instance, Sandhyavandanam is indeed a

Golden Ritual, conferring upon us immense and precious benefits, but its

brilliance is not immediately perceptible to the uninitiated. It is only when

one adopts and continues its " upAsanA " , that it reveals itself in all its

magnificence, inculcating in us devotion and dedication to the Ultimate. There

is similarly a " Golden Strategy " which leads us unfailingly to the gates of

Paradise, viz., Prapatti, which too remains invisible to our eyes, till we apply

the magical mascara of Acharya upadEsam.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan