SrI:
Dear BhakthAs: During this DhIpAvaLi day ,
let us remember the Vedic salutations to JyOthi .
We will recall three Veda manthrams and comment on
them . They are :
1) Rg Vedam: III.39.7
JYOTHIR VRUNEETHA tamasO vijAnann aarE syAma duritAd abhIkE
imaa gira: sOmapA: sOmavruddha jushAsvEndhra purutamasya kaarO:
(meaning): The discriminating intellect pushes away the darkness
from LIGHT . May we be kept far away and be detached from
any inauspiciousness! Oh Supreme Being ! May Thou accept our
highest salutations mingled with devotion and become pleased
with the tributes originating from Your devout worshippers.
2) Rg Vedam: III.39.8
JYOTHIR YAJN~AYA rOdasI anu shyAdh aarE syaAma dhurithasya bhUrE:
bhUri chid dhi tujathO martyasya supAraso vasavO BarhaNAvath
(Meaning): Let there be LIGHT THROUGH BOTH THE REALMS OF
BODY AND MIND for performing aarAdhanam (worshipful acts)
to You. May we be kept in a place far away from all
inauspiciousness. May the boon giving Supreme Being (Varadhan)
grant us auspiciousness and accept our offerings from
as benovolent supplicants.
3) UttarArchika Saaman : 1031( Rg Vedam:9.86.10)
JYOTHIR YAJ~NSAYA PAVATHE madhu priyam
pitA dEvAnAm janithA vibhUvasu:
dhadhAthi ratnam svadhayOr apIchyam
madhintamO matsara indhriyO rasa:
(meaning): " It ( the elixir, the SomA Juice) is
the LIGHT OF THE COSMIC SACRIFICE. It distills in to
sweet and delightful juices. It is the parent of
Nature's bounties ad the generator of all and
the possessor of ample wealth .This, the most exhilirating
and the nourishing elixir supports the hidden treasures of
heaven and earth ".
>From a VaishNavite point of view ,One can link to
the Ubhaya VibhUthi doctrine of the Supreme Brahman
saluted as SrIman NaarAyaNan , the ruler of the Nithya
and LeelA VibhUthis and as the Jagath Kaaranan.
UPANISHAD MANTHRAMS AND JYOTHI TATTHVAM
****************************************
In addition to the meanings of the above three manthrams ,
let us cite selected passages in Upanishads , Brahma Soothram
and other pramANams (Means of Knowledge) , which salutes
the Brahman as ParamjyOthis or Svayam JyOthi. AzhwAr's
paasurams also salute the JyOthis aspect of Upanishadic Brahman
in the form of a personal God with anantha kalyANa guNams.
Upanishadic References to JyOthis as Brahman
**********************************************
ChAndhOgyam (III.13.7) beginning with "atha yad atah:
paro divo JYOTHIR dhIpyatE --" refers to this Supreme
light (Brahman) and identifies it with the light inside
one's heart lotus (antharyAmi Brahman) . Brahma Soothram
I.1.25 is derived from this passage in Upanishad:
"jyOthisccharaNAbhidhAni "( The word JyOthi here means
Brahman and explains why it is so ).
The meaning of the ChAndhOgyam passage as freely
translated by Dr.S.M.S. Chari goes this way:
" Now the light which shines above this heaven ,
above all, above every thing , in the highest
worlds beyond which there are no higher worlds ;
verily ,this is the same as the light , which is here
within the person". This light associated with the highest
domain (atha: parO dhivO JyOthi:) is Supreme Brahman
standing as Supreme light (Param JyOthi).
This Supreme Light is identified by and KatOpanishad II.11.15)
as: " TamEva bhAntam anubhAti SARVAM Tasya bhAsA Sarvam
idham vibhAti " (" Him the shining One , every thing shines
after , by This light all this is lighted/illumined".
Brahman is " JyOthishAm JyOthi:" or the Light of Lights
according to Mundaka and BruhadhAraNyaka Upanishad
(VI.4.16: Tamm dEvA: JyOthishAm JyOthi:).
PAANCHARAATHRA AAGAMAM AND JYOTHI/TEJAS (AZHWARS'ANUBHAVAM)
***********************************************************
This Jyothi or Tejas is one of the Six divine attributes
which define the essential charactrestrics of the Supreme
Lord /Bhagavaan ( JnAna , Sakthi, Bala , TEJAS (JyOthi),
Veerya and Isvarya according to PaancharAthra Aagama).
AzhwArs in their dhivya prabandhams salute this "Tejas"
attribute of SarvEswaran following the Upanishadic/Aagamic
teachings that Param JyOthis is the Supreme Light ,
which denotes the very same Brahman. In this context ,
Swamy NammAzhwAr addresses the Lord as "Param JyOthi"
in many of His Paasurams . Thirumangai Mannan salutes
Him as " NandhA ViLakkE". Here the clear reference by
the AzhwArs is to that Brahman ( the Supreme Being ) ,
who is the loftiest transcendental Spiritual Light that
is the cause of the Universe , its protector and nourisher.
Additional examples from ThiruvAimozhi on JyOthi
*************************************************
sOthiyAhi yellavulahum thozhum
Adhimoorthy yenRAl aLavAhumO?
Vediyar muzhu vedatthamudhai
theethi seer-ThiruvEngadatthAnayE
--ThiruvAimozhi: 3.5
(Meaning provided by Dr.V.N.Vedanatha Desikan):
Nay , to say that the Lord of Thiruvenkatam ,
THE SUPREME EFFULGENCE , the Prime Deity that
all the worlds (and Vaikunta , not excluded )
worship , who is the essence of the VedAs , which
describe Him as "the Enjoyable (Rasa) , to say that
the Lord has given Himself up to me , the vilest and
the most undeserved , is itself NOT a thing to enhance
His glory. Look there! He stands there , permanently ,
satisfied even when hosts of souls rach Him and are
redeemed ; this simplicity and magnanimous grace it is
that are His greatest virtues that really mark Him out".
In a moving paasuram ( ThiruvAimozhi 3.3) , Swamy NammAzhwAr
salutes this ParamjyOthi brilliantly:
ParanchOthi Nee ParamAi ninnikazhnthu pinn maRROr
ParanchOthinmayin padiOvi nihazhhinRa
ParanchOthi NinnuLLE padarulaham padaittha . Yemm
ParanchOthi! GovindhA! paNNpuraikkamAttEnE
(Meaning according to Dr.V.N.V): Oh Superb Effulgence !
There is none to excel You. Even this tribute looks
empty , when I recall how people are prone to praise
things. One thing is beyond dispute. Just a fraction of
Your divine will (Sankalpa) could create all the worlds.
You wrought the entire universe out of Yourself , Yet
You are not equivalent to the created work. Its vices and
maladies can not taint You. How am I to recount Your
auspicous Qualities ?
In yet another paasuram of the same Third patthu ,
Swamy NammazhwAr salutes the ThirumEni of the Lord
and its incomparable TejO-roopam , which is Suddha
satthva Mayam . It never shows any changes.Same
is true for His Jn~Anam , VibhUthi and SvabhAvam.
His Thiruvadi Tejas can not be comprehended fully
and saluted adequately even by the mighty Brahma Devan.
MaasuNAc-chudar udampAi maqlarAthu kuviyAthu
MaasuNA-Jn~amAi MuzhuthumAi muzhuthiyanRAi
MaasuNA-vAnkOlatthu amararkOn vazhipattAl
MaasuNA Unn Paadha malar chOthi mazhungAthE
ThiruvAimozhi 3.8
In the 10th paasuram of this third decad ,
Swamy NammAzhwAr identifies and salutes this
JyOthi Svaroopan as: " MaRayAya naalvEdatthuL
ninRa MALARCCHUDARE " ( Oh Param JyOthi !
You Yourself have clearly described that
You are the One to be comprehended from
all the vedAs: " Vedaisccha saravairahamEva
Vedhya:". Thou art the SarvEswaran (Veda PrathibhAdhyan)
and anubhava bhOgyan shining as illustrious JyOthi
in all the VedAs ) .
There are many , many passages in AzhwAr's
Tamil Vedams that pay tribute to this JyOthirmaya
Parabrahmam , whom we salute today . Let us reflect on
this TejOmaya Vigrahan and become blessed by Him .
A PRAYER ON DHIPAAVALI DAY
***************************
Let us pay tribute to this Supreme Light of Lights on
this day devoted to Aj~nanam dispelling COSMIC LIGHT ,
SRIMAN NARAYANAN and seek His blessings through
surrender at His sacred feet .
Let us put aside all the small differences that
separate us and unite together through the many ,
many things that we share as the followers of
Bhagavad RaamAnuja SiddhAntham and enjoy His dhivyAthma
Savroopam and His Dhivya mangaLa Vigraham of our
SrIman NaarAyanan on this DhIpAvaLI day and
all days of the years of our lives !
Sarvam KrishNArpanam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
ChithrabhAnu DhIpAwaLi day , New York .
|
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |