Ubhaya VedAntha or Dual Vedic Theology series : Part I /Temple Priests' Living Quarters kaimkaryam Status

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

Sri RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

 

The Temple raffle for realizing the two living quarters for

the Priests of the Temple is moving slowly . We have sold

650 tickets sofar out of the 2,000 tickets that need to be sold.

 

Meanwhile , two SalakshaNa GhanapAtis ( Reciters of Vedam

in the Ghanam style) have arrived as new priests and

are carrying on their kaimakryams to Lord Ranganatha

at the temple with vigor and intense devotion .

 

Among the three priests that we have , all are experts in Yajur

Vedam recitation and two of the three are GhanapAtis . One of

the three is an expert in reciting the Four thousand sacred

collect ( NaalAyira Dhivya Prabhandham ).

 

We therefore have the truly Ubhaya VedAntha tradition of

offering worship to Lord RanganAtha as has been done for

thousands of years at Srirangam . The Lord hears daily

the Sanskrit Vedam and AzhwArs' moving Tamil Vedams .

The UBHAYA VEDANTHA Tradition is thus scrupulously

maintained at the Lord's house at Pomona , NY .

 

WHAT IS UBHAYA VEDANTHAM ?

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Professor Vasudha Narayanan has written extensively about this topic in

her monograph on " Tamil Veda ( 4000 Sacred Collect ) " . It is " a theology

and a dual VedAntha tradition based on both Sanskrit and Tamil VedAs " .

Sanskritized Tamil (ManipravALam ) was used by the commentators of the 4000

sacred collect of the Azhwars . The SthOthrAs of VaishNavite

Ubhaya VedAntha AchAryAs like Naatha Muni , AlavanthAr ,

RaamAnuja , KurEsar, Swamy Desikan and others were

inspired by both the Sanskrit VedAs and the Tamil VedAs .

 

ANCIENT RG VEDAM REFERS TO THE 4000 SACRED COLLECT

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The 4000 sacred collect ( NaalAyira Dhivya Prabhandham ) is

certainly younger than the ancient VedAs and major Upanishads.

It is fascinating however to find that the oldest of the VedAs ,

Rg Veda , saluting the 4000 sacred collect of Mahaa Jn~Anis (Yogis)

through four of its Mantraas . These mantraas refers expressly to

" ChathvAri SahasrA " ( the Four Thousand Collect ) . The prescient

Rg Veda Manthrams point out that the Four Thousand collect

blessed by great Jn~Anis ( AzhwArs) remove our nescience

(Ajn~Anam) and grow our Jn~Anam and through that process

banish our painful samsAric afflictions. Let us now study each of

these four Rg Veda manthraas (V.30.12--15) .

 

The First Rg Veda Manthram ( V.30.12)

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Bhadramidham rusmaa AgnE akrangavaam CHATHVAARI dhadhatha: SAHASRAA

ruNamchayasya prayatA magAni pratyagrabheeshma nruthamasya nruNAm

 

( General Meaning): Oh Resplendent , Self-luminous One ( Svayam JyOthi) !

The MahA Jn~Anis ( the AzhwArs steeped in Your guNa anubhavams )

have blessed us with the 4000 Sacred Collect to grow our knowledge of

the three tatthvAs (Sentients , Insentients and Iswaran and the integral

relation between these three tatthvAs) . This knowledge has been

bequeathed to us as our family treasures ( Kula dhanam) by these Mahaa Yogis.

We welcome and recieve them with gratefulness and recognize them as

the special gifts given to us through Your mystic Saints (AzhwArs) in Your role

as the bamisher of our three debts and as our indisputable Master (Sarva Swamy).

 

ChAndhOgya Upanishad ( 5.24.3) refers to the growth of this Jn~Anam

from the clear understanding of the instructions of Ubhaya VedAntham

and states that the beneficiaries have their Paapams and PuNyams burnt

thoroughly just as the swift moving fire burns the dried grass

in the fields . ANdal refers to this in THiruppAvai ( Theeyinil

thoosAhum ).

 

The Second Rg Veda Manthram( V.30.13)

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SupEsam maava srujantyastham gavaam sahasrai: rusmAsO AgnE

theevrA indhramamandhu: suthAsOakthOrvyushtou paritakmyAyA:

 

(General Meaning): Oh PurushOtthamaa! The great Jn~Anis ( AzhwArs)

have given us as gift this great palace made up of the sacred collect of

Four Thousand . We are blessed. These sacred collect of their Bhagavath

GuNa anubhavams gladdens the Lord , who resides in the temple of our

heart lotuses ( as antharyAmi Brahmam) and at the same time drives away

the darkness of the night of SamsAram and brings in the bright dawn of

Jn~Anam about the three cardinal tatthvams.

 

The Third Rg Veda Manthram (V.30.14)

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Oucchathsaa rAthree paritakmyA yaagum ruNamchayE rAjani rusmAnaam

athyO na vaajee raghurajyamAnO BhabhruscchathvAryasanathsahasrA

 

( General Meaning): Oh Self-effulgent Lord ! When You the deliverer from

all debts are invoked ( through the Sacred collect of four thousand eulogies

of the 12 AzhwArs ) , the frightful night of SamsAram transforms itself into

the bright dawn of Jn~Anam . As the Lord of these MahA Yogis , You have

linked us to the sacred collect of the AzhwArs to observe self-surrender

(SaraNAgathy) at Your divine feet and blessed us with the support stick

of these sacred collects during our journey via the path of light to Your

Supreme Abode of Sri Vaikuntam. These sacred collect of the AzhwArs serve

not only as support rod during the journey but also as the companion

during that special journey to Your Supreme Abode.

 

The Fourth Rg Veda Manthram ( V.30.15)

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Chathu: Sahasram gavyasya pasccha: pratyakbheeshma rusamEvagnE

garmAscchitthataptha: pravrujE ya aaseedh ayasmayastamvAdhAma viprA:

 

(General Meaning ): Oh Supreme Lord ! We have now recieved the trasure

of Jn~Anam ( the sacred collect of four thousand) from the MahA Yogis and

recognize them as the shining havis (sacrificial offering ) in the homa kuntam

of

their minds . Through a study of these sacred collect , we engage in the

enjoyment

of the auspicious attributes of the Lord ( Bhagavath GuNAnubhavam) and feel

comforted like one who gets relief from the scorching heat of summer by

dipping in the cool waters of the mountain brook . We develop the Jn~Anam

that the Chith-achith visishta Brahmam is the only doctrine and spend this

life on earth as Ubhaya VedAnthis.

 

NamO Veda PurushAya ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan