Dear VedAbhimAnis : The 5933 Manthrams of Atharva Vedam are housed in Twenty KhAndhams . We will pay our salutations to EIGHTEEN OF THE MANTHRAMS from the different KhAndhams in this and the subsequent posting . 1. THE WIFE'S VOW ( PATHIVRATHA DHARMAM ) ***************************************** idham kanAmi bhEshajammaampasyamabhirhOrudham parAyathO nivarthanamAyatha: prathinandhanam --Atharva Vedam : VII.38.1 ( Meaning ) : I , the wife , the Sumangali ,take this scred vow that makes my wedded husband look at me , that deters him from straying afar from me , that bids him to return to me after being away and greet him with affection as he returns to my side . 2. LORD OF THREE SPOKES AND THREE SUPPORTS ******************************************* tasmin hiraNyayE thrayarE thriprathishTatE tasmin yadh yakshamAthmanvath tadhvai BrahmavidhO vidhu: II ---A.V X.2.32 ( Meaning ) : Men deeply conversant with the knowledge about Bhramman know that our Lord , who dwells in the multi-powered soul with three spokes and three supports. One set of the traid of spokes has been described as STHAANAM ( Capacity) , NAAMAM ( Token, Sign ) and JANMAM ( Existence ) . The three supports have been intepreted as KARMA (Action ) , UPAASANAA (Contemplation ) and JN~ANAM (knowledge) . The SthAna VisEshAdhikAram , the Naama SiddhAntham and Janmam as BhagavathA have been covered in the different sections of these postings . Bhagavadh GitA is an epitome of Karma , JN~Ana and Bhakthi YogAs leading to Prapatthi Yogam to acquire Moksham . All of these concepts( Tattvams ) are covered in this profound manthram . 3. ETERNAL BHRAMMAM AND ITS ACTIVITIES *************************************** apAdhagrE samabhavath sO agrE svarAbharath chathushpaadh bhUthvA bhOgya: sarvamAdhattha bhOjanam -----A.V: X.8.21 ( Meaning ) : Our Lord , the indivisible , existed before creating this world . He realized perfect joy prior to engaging in the act of creation of His world , just as a soul that experiences after being blessed with Moksham to perform nithya Kaimkaryam in Sri Vaikuntam . Being four-footed , our ruler of the Universe absorbed the whole universe that He created in Himself as food at the time of MahA praLayam . While resting in the state of Yoga NidrA at Srirangam , He thinks with Joy about Creation as a LeelA . He protects His creation and at the end of the cycle , protects the worlds by consuming them and releases them in the next cycle ( Vatapathra Saayee ). The reference to Him being four-footed covers the concept of our Lord existing as " PrakAsavAN (with Lustre ) , ananthavAn ( limitless/infinity) , JyOthishmAn ( Cosmic Intelligence ) and AayathanavAn ( Immensity ) .These are the four metaphoric feet of our Lord as conceived by this manthram . He is as the Upanishad visualizes Him : Yesha sEthurvitharaNa : ( He is the immense , intelligent , lustrous Bhramma sEthu that safely gets us across the turbulent seas of samsAram . 4. HOMAGE TO THAT IMMENSE LORD AT THE THREE SANDHIS **************************************************** nama: sAyam nama: pratharnamO raathryA namO divA bhavaaya cha sarvaaya chObhAbhyAmakaram nama: --- A.V : XI.2.16 ( Meaning) : Salutations to the Lord at evening and at dawn , homage at night , homage by the day (noon ) .I have paid my humble obesiance to both His mighty powers of creation and dissolution . 5-7: HIS OMNIPOTENCE AND OMNIPRESENCE *************************************** AgnirAseena utthithOasvinA indra: prAngh thishtan dakshiNA thishtan Yama: prathyangh thishtan dhAthOdangh thishTathsavithA --- A.V: IX .7.19 (Meaning A.V.IX.7.19 ) : In the seated position , He is the sacred Fire and in the standing posiiton , He is Day and Night . ( Comments on A.V. IX.7.19): At ShOlingar , He is Agni as the seated Yogapattai- Narasimhan ; At ThiruviNNagar , He stands as Day and Night at the banks of AhOrAthra PushkaraNi ) . ( Meaning : A.V.IX.7.20&21):Standing Eastwards , He is full of Glory ; standing southwards , He is full of Justice . Standing (facing ) westwards, He is the supporter , standing northwards , He is the Creator . (Comments on A.V.IX.7.20&21):Sri RanganAthA faces southwards ( Therkku Paarkkum RaajA ) . As DharmO VigrahavAn , He is full of justice and blesses VibheeshaNA after destroying RavaNA . He established Dharmam and met out justice . He faces southwards at ThiruvitthuvakkOdu as well to hear the moving prapatthi of KulasEkahra AzhwAr . At Kaancheepuram , on Garuda Sevai day , He emerges out of the Western gate and always looks westwards as our supporter /rakshakan . Other Divya desams , where He faces west besides Kancheepuram are : ThiruvAli , ThirukkaLvanUr , DwArakai , ThirutthEvanArthogai, Thiru Nandhipura ViNNagaram , ThirunilAtthingaL thundam , Thirup ParamEsvara ViNNagaram , Thirup PaarthanpaLLi , ThiruvaNNvaNDUr , ThiruvAttAru and ThiruvehhA . At ThiruvallikkENi and many other Divya Desams , He faces eastwards and is full of glory ( Indra: praangh Thishtan ) .At ThiruvallikkENi , he is fullof glory as the paramAchAryA , who gave us the charama slOkam . At ThirukkOzhi ( UrayUr ) , He faces Northwards as Azhagiya maNavALan , the Creator. 8. SAGUNA BHRAMMAM : SRI VISISHTAADHVAITHIC LORD ************************************************* UcchishtE naama rUpam chOcchishtE loka aahitha: ucchissta IndrascchAgnisccha visvamantha: samAhitham ( Meaning ) : " GOD CONTAINETH NAME AND FORM , AND THE WORLD . CLOUD AND SUN AND THE WHOLE UNIVERSE ARE COMPRISED WITHIN HIM " . The Saareerika doctrine as elaborated in Srimadh Bhaashyam is covered by this profound manthram . 9. A PRAYER FOR THE VEDA PURUSHAN TO DWELL INSIDE US ***************************************************** Rg Saama Yajurucchishta udhgeetha : prasthutham sthutham himkAra ucchishtE svara: SaamnO mEdisccha tanmayi ---A.V: XI.7.5 ( Meaning ) : The recitation of the Rg , Yajur and Saama Manthrams as well as the chanting of the Saama Saamans by UdhghAthA priest , the Saamans sung by the PrastOtA ( a praiser ) priest at the beginning of the Yaj~nam and the other Saama Saamans recited in laudatory mode , the reverberarations ( hum ) , the tone and the murmur of the Rks and Saamans , ALL REST IN HIM . May He reside in me , the soul . ( To Be Continued ) Veda PurushAya Nama : Sri RanganAthAya Nama : Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
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