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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

"nilA nilA Odi vA!"

There would scarcely be anyone, to whom his or her mother wouldn't have taught 
the captioned rhyme during infancy. And through generations, this particular 
limerick has remained popular, with the mother and child calling to the Moon in 
the distant sky to come fast, and while at it, bring along some fragrant 
flowers too. The equivalents of this Tamizh ditty are to be found in other 
tongues too, with minor changes. The Moon has therefore always been an object 
of fascination and fancy, having been pointed out by billions of mothers to 
their innumerable children, over the ages. As a silver ball hanging in the sky, 
millions of miles above, the Moon has evoked a wide spectrum of feelings in the 
inhabitants of the earth, from romance and bliss to sadness and sorrow.

If we try to trace the origins of children being shown the Moon by their 
mothers, we find that it was Yasoda who first did it. Sri Periazhwar describes 
this effort to bring down the mighty Moon for the little Lord's entertainment, 
in all of ten pasurams. "MAmathI viraindu Odi vA", "AmpulI kadindOdi vA" 
"MamathI magizhndu Odi vA" etc. is the refrain in these verses, telling Moon to 
hurry up and come down, in response to the Divine Toddler's call. The Moon must 
be extremely thankful to Sri Vishnuchitta for having made his name a byword 
with mothers and their children, for, they have followed Yasoda's practice ever 
since. It is interesting to note Yasoda practically threatening Moon to come 
down fast, or else! She tells him that it is no ordinary brat who is beckoning 
him, but the very Lord of Thirumala-
"vitthakan VEnkata vANan unnai viLikkindra
kaitthalam nOvAmE ampulI viaraindu Odi vA"
Yasoda wants the Moon to respond with alacrity, so that the Lord's beckoning 
arm doesn't ache with repetitive motions. "Don't mistake this toddler to be any 
nondescript specimen of humanity: He is verily the Paramapurusha, who feigned 
sleep on the banyan leaf, in the swirling waters of the Cosmic deluge.If you 
don't come down fast and if He gets annoyed, He can very well seize you and 
bring you down with great ignominy!" threatens Yasoda-

" BAlakan endru paribhavam seyyEl-pandoru nAL
Alinilai vaLarnda sirukkan avan ivan
MEl ezha pAindu piditthu koLLum veguLumEl
MAlai madiyAdE MAmadI magizhndu Odi vA"
It is indeed a measure of closeness that this planet has with Sri Krishna that 
he is offered an "arghyam" on the Sri Jayanthi day.

But why should mothers be enamoured of only the Moon and want it to
entertain their offspring, and why not the Sun? The answer is obvious, for the 
Sun, though he radiates light and heat, is a ball of fire one would hardly like 
to play with, while the Moon ,being cool, pleasant and inviting, looks to be 
the ideal playmate for a toddler. And why should the Moon be so cool and 
pleasing? The Purusha Sukta has the answer to this-"ChandramA manasO jAta:"-the 
Moon was born straight from the Lord's merciful heart, filled with compassion 
for errant humanity. As such, the Moon cannot but be pleasing and lovely. After 
a hard day's labour, the sight of the full Moon in all its splendour provides 
us relaxation and peace of mind. Tranquility enters our embattled soul and 
restores a semblance of equanimity to our skewed perspectives. All these 
enthralling effects the Moon has are solely due to its origins, viz,, the 
Lord's merciful mind. The Shruti tells us further that during every fresh crop 
of Creation, the Moon is created too, as it was during earlier episodes of 
universal conception-"SooryA Chandramasou dhAtA yathA poorvam akalpayat". 
Though the Sun is mentioned first in this vAkya, the Purusha Sukta gives the 
order of precedence to the Moon, by mentioning him ahead of the former.

The Moon has other facets of greatness too. What would you consider a good day 
for Bhagavat anubhavam? EkAdasI? DwAdasI? Sri Andal plumps for a full moon day 
as the best bet in this regard and calls upon fellow seekers to immerse 
themselves in the blissful ocean of Krishnanubhavam on a PourNami-"MArgazhi 
thingaL madi nirainda nannALAl". Her fascination with Chandran makes Her 
compare the Lord's eyes to the Moon and the Sun, in that order-
"Thingalum Adityanum ezhundAr pOl angaN irandum". The Sun-like eye dispels the 
darkness of ignorance and sin from our hearts, while the Moon-like eye fills us 
with boundless bliss, with its shower of mercy. 

With all this going for him, is it any wonder that the Moon is the darling of 
everyone's heart, firstly due to his pleasing appearance, which is extremely 
easy on the eye (unlike the blindingly brilliant Sun) and secondly due to his 
capacity to put the mind at ease and fill it with happiness? Is it any wonder 
therefore, that Chandran is the apple of poets' eyes? They find the enchanting 
silver ball in the sky an ideal and inviting simile for anything or anyone 
good-looking and endearing. We thus have the Adikavi Valmiki telling us that 
Sri Rama was as beautiful, radiant and lovely as the Moon-"SOmavat 
priyadarsana:". Not only this, Sri Rama is often glorified as "Ramachandra!", 
affording the Moon the distinction of forming a significant suffix to the 
hallowed name of the Paramapurusha (despite His having taken birth in the Sun's 
Dynasty-Soorya Vamsam). We are told by the prelude to the Vishnu Sahasranama 
that the Lord's complexion resembles that of the Moon-"Shashi varNam 
chaturbhujam". Swami Desikan compares the Lord's tirumukha mandalam to the 
flawless full moon and the two enchanting eyes to two blooming lotuses-"Chandra 
mandalam pONdra tirumukham, adil iraNdu tAmarai pOl kaNgaL". Considering it 
unfair to compare the radiance of Emperuman's luminous face to a single Moon, 
another vachanam says that it resembles not one, but a million Moons shining 
simultaneously, drenching the entire universe in waves of bliss-

"Visvam AhlAdayan kAntyA poorNa Chandra ayuta tulyayA".

Sri Parasara Bhattar, an Acharya who was regarded by Sri Ranganatha as His very 
own adopted son, calls His mentor a magnificent Moon in the firmament of 
Srirangam-"Ranga ChandramA". Swami Desikan, who is equally attached to 
DEvanAthan of TiruvahIndrapuram, tells us that the Lord's face is verily a full 
moon, which, with its comfortingly cool beams, drives away all the heat and 
dust of Samsara from our souls-
"mugdha smitAmruta shubhEna mukha indunA tE
sangamya samsaraNa sanjvara shAntayE na:"

If such is the close association of the Lord with the Moon, can it be anything 
else with Piratti, with Her preferences being the same as those of Her Consort? 
After all, She is complementary to the Lord in everything He looks like, thinks 
and does-"Bhagavannarayana abhimata anuroopa svarUpa rUpa". Hence we find that 
the Divine Consort too is extremely close in Her alliance with the Moon.

The Vishnu Purana tells us that when the dEvAs and asurAs churned the Milky 
ocean with Mantara Parvatam as the churning rod, Vasuki as the rope and Sri 
Mahavishnu Himself, in His KoormAvatAra, as the steadying force on which rested 
the gigantic mountain, several auspicous things emerged from the depths of 
TiruppArkadal, prior to the Nectar for which the entire exercise was 
undertaken. The first to surface was the Divine Cow KamadhEnu, followed by the 
ParijAta tree with its overwhelming fragrance and the ApsarAs (mermaids with 
breath-taking beauty). Immediately thereafter emerged the Moon, with his soft 
and snowy beams and pleasant looks-"tata: sheetAmsu: abhavat". We now have 
additional reasons for the Moon's coolness-his origins in the TiruppArkadal. 
When the ocean was churned further, there emerged from its depths a brilliant 
Goddess, Mahalakshmi, seated on a blooming lotus and holding another in Her 
hand.

Thus, both the Moon and SrIdEvi are products of the Milky Ocean. It is thus 
that the Lakshmi Ashtottharasatam describes Her as the Sister of 
Chandra-"Chandra sahOdarI". Just as we call Sri Andal "Perumboodoor MAmunikku 
pin AnAL", there is perhaps more reason to say that Sri Mahalakshmi is junior 
to Chandra, if we are to go by the order of birth from the PArkadal. It is no 
wonder that She inherits the same complexion as that of Her elder brother, as 
described by the same stotra-"Chandra varNAm". What an extremely concordant 
couple the Divine Duo is, for while the Lord is "Shasi varNam", His Consort is 
"Chandra varNA". She also has the same beauty, brilliance and bewitching 
properties as Chandra-"Chandra roopA". She has the same comforting coolness as 
Her brother-"indu sheetalAm". She generates bliss in the minds of Her devotees, 
as does the Moon-"AhlAda jananI". With all this, it is no wonder that the 
Shruti calls Her, "ChandrA".

Lest anyone mistake the Moon to be an adequate comparison for the Lord's looks 
and beauty, Sri Periazhwar hastens to dispel the impression, quoting Yasoda to 
confirm that however brilliant be his beams, the Moon would hardly equal a 
minuscule part of Kutti Krishna's radiance-
"suttrum oLi vattam soozhndu parandu engum
etthanai seyyilum en magan mukham nEr ovvAi".

Not only is Chandra a fertile source of similes, his wife ROhiNI is one too. 
She is famed for her close, shadow-like adherence to her husband. It is for 
this inseparability that she is held out as a model-"Shasinam ROhiNi yathA". 
Students of Astronomy would perhaps be able to confirm whether the relative 
celestial position of the two also conforms to this statement. 

Talking of similes, if you imagine that the rAkshasIs of Lanka were all 
unseemly ogresses, you are in for a surprise, for even the confirmed bachelor 
Hanuman finds those in Ravana's harem to be beautiful, with faces resembling 
the full moon-"shasi prakAsa vadanA:chAru kuNdala bhooshitA:". Tiruvadi finds 
this worth repetition-"tAsAm ChandrOpamai: vaktrai: shubhai: lalita kuNdalai".
In the chapters of Srimad Ramayana that follow, the Moon graduates, from a mere 
model for comparison, into a deity powerful enough to bestow desired boons. Sri 
Hanuman, having scoured Lanka and failed to sight SItA Piratti, has a fit of 
dejection. Shaking it off as unworthy of a Ramadoota, AnjanEya prays to the 
Moon, inter alia, for assistance in locating Mythily-
"namOstu Ramaya salakshmaNAya dEvyai cha tasyai JanakAtmajAyai
namOstu Rudra Indra Yama anilEbhyO namOstu Chandra arka Marut gaNebhya:" 

Sri Vishnu Purana reveals to us a less endearing aspect of ChandrA's character. 
Born in the distinguished lineage of atri (the son of BrahmA), ChandrA was 
crowned king of all stars, herbs and brahmins. He performed the RAjasooyA Yaga, 
acquiring a glorious stature therefrom. There are several examples of people 
going berserk when success goes to their heads, and the Moon's is one of them. 
Forsaking his wedded wife ROhiNi, he coveted and consorted with TArA, the wife 
of dEvaguru Brihaspati, despite being counselled against it by everyone. This 
resulted in a battle royal between ChandrA and those opposed to his heinous 
conduct. Perhaps due to this atrocious act of his, the Moon was cursed to 
phases of waxing and waning, known as the Shukla Paksha and the Krishna Paksha.

The progeny of this unholy communion was "Budha". Thus was founded the Soma 
vamsam or the Dynasty of distinguished rulers and Rishis, with ChandrA as the 
founder. A few of the illustrious descendants of the Moon, direct and indirect, 
are King PurUravA, Maharshi Jahnu (who drank up the entire waters of the mighty 
Ganga in a fit of rage at his ashram being flooded), Maharshi Jamadagni, Sri 
ParasurAma, Maharshi Visvamitra etc. The Chandra vamsam can thus boast of a 
Bhagavat avatAra, as much as SooryA's lineage can. It is perhaps to acknowledge 
this that the Lord, during the Brahmotsavam, rides one night on the Chandra 
Prabha, glorifying the Moon with His presence.

Just as most of us in Tamilnadu follow the SouramAnam or the Solar calendar, 
based on the months of mEsham, Vrishabham etc., caused by the Sun's entry into 
the respective RAsis, there are those too, especially in Andhra Pradesh etc., 
who follow ChAndramAnam or the Lunar Calendar, based on phases of the Moon. 
While for those following the Solar Calendar AmAvAsyA is an auspicious day, for 
the other group, it is not, perhaps because of the total absence of the Moon on 
that day. Another interesting titbit is the prescription of a PrAyaschittam 
(atonement) know as "ChAndrAyaNam", for some sins, which involves taking just 
one morsel of food per day on the Shukla Paksha prathamai, gradually increasing 
the number of morsels in tune with the waxing phases of the Moon and reducing 
the same during the waning phase. 

The universal appeal of this inviting planet would be apparent, when we 
consider that the Full Moon casts a spell over beasts too, which are supposed 
to lack the finer aesthetic feelings that we have. We have heard of wolves 
trying to emulate talented singers, on the full moon day, howling away to their 
hearts' content. Even inanimate things are influenced by lunar phases, as can 
be divined from the behaviour of tides. The magic of the night is considerably 
enhanced by the moon, but for which many a budding romance would have perished 
without attaining fruition. When one reaches the ripe age of 80, one is said to 
have seen a "thousand Moon"s. All these assorted facts attest to the popularity 
of this beautiful planet, which might only reflect the Sun's light, but has an 
alluring glory, all of its own.

Srimate Sri LakshmINrismha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan, sadagopan



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