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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00052 Jun 2003

 
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SrI:

Dear VedAbhimAnis :

In the previous Rks cited , the Para Tatthva NishkarshaNam 
and the ParamaikAnthithvam were referred to as well as 
the prayers for the boon of SaraNAgathy as an upAyam 
to gain the Parama PurushArTam were discussed.

The upadEsam was that If One is not sure about
who is the Supreme Purushan (Para dEvathai), 
ParamaikAnthithvam ( the strong belief in the Lord 
as the means and fruit of one's UpAsanaa) 
wont last .The blessed status described by
Swamy NammAzhwAr as ParAnkusa Naayaki
(" Unnitthu maRRoru Dhaivam ThozhAL Avanai allAl").
The VivEkam behind " Onrum dhEvum ulahum yuirum 
maRRum yAthu illA anRu--kunram pOl MaNimADa needu 
ThirukkuruhUr athanuL ninRa AdhippirAn niRkka
MARRAI DHAIVAM NAADUTHIRE" will not dawn unless
Paramai kAnthithvam is established as a result of
Paratatthva nishkarshaNam .

Let us now reflect on few manthrams from
the Xth Canto of Rg vedam , which start 
with "KIM " sabdham:

1) Rg Vedam X.12.5
*******************

KIM svin no rAjA jagrihe kad-
asyAti vratham cakrimA kO vi vEda 
mitras chiddhi shmA juhurANO dEvAn 
cchOkO na yAthAmapi vAjO asthi

The Mood of the manthram: The Yajamaanan of
the offering is sitting in front of the sacrificial
altar and prays to the Lord for the acceptance of
the Havis : Aaathma nivEdhanam . He has respectful
concerns about his suitability in a mood of 
KaarpaNyam as he performs SaraNAgathy.

Extended Meaning : In the previous manthram ,
the YajamAnan states: " As Your humble servant,
I glorify You my Lord . May Thou hear me and
May Thou bless me with ambrosia ( amruthathvam)!

In this manthram that follows the above prayer,
the YajamAnan is assailed with a doubt about 
his fitness and qualifications and he addresses
the Lord , who is the antharyAmi of Agni,
who carries the offerings to His lord:

" But , will the radiant fire accept our oblations 
and our homage ?". One can view this doubt arising from
MahA VisvAsam not settling in fully or Naicchiyam 
is asailing the mind of the Aathma NivEdhi.
He has vowed to return the Lord's property
(AathmA) to Him (as the True Owner ) and not to hold it 
as his own anymore and committ the sin of aathmApahAram. 

In this spirit , the sacrificer asks: 
" How duly we keep our pledges to Him ,
who knows". He is SarvAntharyAmi and Sarva Saakshi. 
There is nothing we can hide from Him. We can not 
get away with our pretensions and bhAvanais
and abhinayams. Refreshed by these thoughts , 
the yajamAnan of the sacrifice appeals to Agni
and reminds this messenger,Agni that his
antharyAmi Brahman has been affectionately 
invoked for this offering ceremony and as such to
accept and carry the offering in a suitable manner to
the Supreme Lord , the KIM Sabdha PrathipAdhyan.

2)Rg Veda Rk: X.31.7
*********************
In this manthram set in Thrishtubh Chandas, 
Sishyan is advised about AchArya Vaibhavam 
and the well worn path of sanAtana dharmam 
that seeks the AchAryA's sacred feet for enlightenment 
for getting us ready to travel on the archirAdhi maargam
to reach the Lord's Supreme abode for nithya
kaimkarayam there. 

KIM svid vanam ka na sa vruksha
aasa yathO dhyAvA-pruthvee nishtatakshu:
santasTAnE ajarW itaUthi ahani
pUrvir ushasO jarantha 

This whole section of Rks (X.31.1 to 11) are 
moving prayers to the Lord in recognition of 
His Omnipotency to sustain heaven and earth 
and shower all blessings . The questions raised are
like the Upanishadic questions on the seed and the tree
arising from it and which is th eorigin of What. 

(Extended Meaning of X.31.7: The manthram asks 
" Kim Svid (what is the tree ?) and Kim vanam
(what is the forest?).What is that power that 
has designed heaven and earth (DhyAvA-Prithvee
yathO nishtatakshu:). What is the power (Jagath
KaaraNa vasthu ) that has created this heaven
and earth , which are stationary , firm , undecaying?
How do they get sustained ( Jagath RakshaNam) 
by that power ? KIM idham? The tree and the Vanam
are mnifestations of His Sarva VyApakthvam
(aNOr aNeeyAn , mahathOr maheeyAn). He is VishNu,
the Aadhi Devan present pervasively as antharyAmi
Brahman in all the objects that He created. 

The second paadham of this manthram acknowledges 
a fundamental truth that righteous men from 
time immemorial marked by innumerable dawns and 
sunsets have been eulogizing this Supreme Lord 
for this grand act of Dayaa , which creates 
and protects this universe and its chEthanams
and achEthanams ( SamsTAnE ajarE ithaUti ahAni
pUrvir ushasO jaranta). 

3)Rg Veda manthram X.81.4
************************

This reference to trees and forests and their 
connection to the creation of heaven and earth
(DhyAvA-Pruthvee ) is touched upon in the above
manthram(X.31.7) and an appeal is made to 
the thinkers to visualize the nature and stature of 
that Omnipotent Lord , who achieves these miracles:

KIM svid Vanam ka u sa vruksha aasa 
yathO dhyAvA-pruthvee nishtatakshu:
maneeshiNO manasA pricchatEdh u yadh 
adhyatishad bhuvanAni dhArayan

--Rg Vedam X.81.4

The first paadham of this manthram is an
exact repetition of the Rk X.31.7 that we 
just studied. The second line asks the thinkers/
questioners ( manIshiNa:) to interrogate their
minds ( manasA pricchatEath ). What should their
minds be asked? The question to the mind is:
What is the pedestal on which the Omnipotent 
Lord stands , while holding the worlds and carving out 
the heaven and earth from the trees and the forest ? 

The loftiness of that vision as seen in His Visvaroopam 
astounds and humbles Arjuna in the battle field of Kuru kshEthrA!

4)Rg Veda manthram: X.81.2
***************************

KIM svid aasId adhishtAnam arambhaNam
katamat svit kaTAseeth 
yathO bhUmim janayan visvakarmA vi
shyAm aurNon mahinA visvachakshA:

The many inquiries ( What is That ?) with
wonderment set in here to grasp even to a little 
extent the creative power of that Universal
architect ( VisvakarmA) , who creates the
heaven and earth by forging them in to 
multitudinous Naama-Roopams with His 
mighty winged arms .

The manthram asks: " Which is that forest and
which is the tree from which the dhyAvA-Pruthvee 
( the heaven and earth) were carved out from
Moola Prakruthi? Oh Inquirers! inquire with
in Your mind , what is the mighty pedestal
on which He stands , while holding the three 
worlds that He has created ?

The rest of the manthrams of X.81 section 
offer generous praise to the Lord , the Universal
architect and invoke His protection . They recognize Him 
as the Lord of Speech (Vaageesan) . They appeal to
Him to hear their prayers for protection. They
request Him to perform the Yaj~nams Himself for 
the well being of this universe as Yaj~nakruth and 
Yaj~na Bhug (X.81.5, 7 ).

We will conclude here the additional reflections
on the One enquired after as "KIM" ( KimE nama:)
in SrI VishNU Sahasra Naamam.

AzhwAr Paasurams in general and that of Swamy
NammAzhwAr carry this inquiry on "KIM " sabdham
brilliantly and instruct us on the significance 
of this Sahasra Naamam. 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigLE SaraNam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan 




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