GANGAVATARANA - FIVE

(Under GANGAVATARANA TWO, which was also an excerpt from Chapter 40, BALAKANDA, VALMEEKI RAMAYANA, Shloka 5 was given where there was a mention about thirty-three deities. The shloka is as follows.

PitAmahavachaha shrutwA trayastrimshandarindamAha|

DEvAha paramasamhruShTAha punarjagmuryathAgatam||

The meaning is: Rama, hearing those words of Pitamaha, all the thirty-three1 deities were delighted and returned to their respective heavenly abodes. Details of these thirty-three deities are given herebelow, as it is quite relevant. Next part of GANGAVATARANA in the next posting. SHARE IT IT YOU LIKE IT.)

The thirty-three deities comprise of 11 Rudras, 12 Adityas, eight Vasus and two Ashwini Devatas. The names of 11 Rudras or YEkAdasharudras are: MrugavyADha, Sarpa, Nirruti, AjaikapAda, Hirbudhnya, PinAki, Dahana, Ishwara, KapAli, SthANu, Bhaga (Ref. Adiparwa of Mahabharata, Chapter 67); however, the names mentioned in Mahabharata, Shantiparwa Chapter 202 are: JaikapAda, Ahirbudhnya, VirUpAkSha, Raivata, Hara, BahurUpa, Tryambaka, SurEshwara, SAvitra, Jayanta, PinAki; the names further vary as AjaikapAda, Ahirbudhnya, PinAki, Ruta, PitrurUpa, Tryambaka, MahEshwara, VruShAkapi, Shambhu, Havana, Ishwara as per ViShNupurANa Ch. 1.15, Mahabharata AnushAsanaparwa 255, Bhagavata 6, 6 and Harivamsha 1 to 3). These are the names provided differently in different epics. The 12 Adityas were born to Kashyapa from Aditi namely: DhAtru, Mitra, Aryama, Shakra, VaruNa, Amsha, Bhaga, Vivaswanta, PUShA, Savitru, TwaShTru, ViShNu – Refer Mahabharata Adiparwa 66, 132 and Shantiparwa 207. — Ashtavasus or the eight Vasus were born to Dakshaprajapati from Vasu, the daughter of Daksha, namely: Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Aha, Anila, Anala, PratyUSha and PrabhAsa, as mentioned in Mahabharata Aranyaparwa 67. The two Ashwini deities are said to be the doctors for all gods and goddesses. They were born to Sun God from his wife Sanjna when the latter was in the form of a horse. These twin brothers were very beautiful (Ref. Bharata Adiparwa 62, Bhagavata 6.6, Varahapurana 20, Vayupurana 84, Harivamsha 1.9 and so on. Once, these two, in appreciation of the chastity of Chyavana’s wife Sukanye, bestow upon the aged sage Chyavana youth and charm. He reciprocated the gratis by making them share the offerings in a sacrifice performed by King Sharyati, along with other deities, which they were otherwise not eligible to receive. Sri Madhwacharya in his Tatparya NirNaya states that because of the boon or the initiative of Sage Chyavana, the Ashwini deities became eligible to receive the Somarasa, a kind of liquor, offered in sacrifices. However, according to Shantiparwa verse 207, these are Shudras among deities. In Mahabharata, after the first wife of Pandu invoked three deities and begot three sons, Dharmaraya, Bheemasena and Arjuna, his second wife Madri tells her husband thus: JAtAha sutAstE pravarAha PruthAyA mEkAnapatyAhamataha prasAdAt|Tavaiva bhUyAsamaham sutEtA vidhatswakunteem mama mantradAtreem||121, Chapter 12 of Tatparyanirnaya|| meaning “You (Pandu) have begotten three worthy sons from Kunti but I have been left without children. From your grace and kindness, I also want to beget children. Please instruct Kunti to preach me one of the hymns.” Besought by Madri, Pandu also advices Kunti thus:

Iteeritaha prAha pruthAm sa mAdryai dishaswamantram sutadam variShTham|ItyUchivAmsam patimAha yAdavee dayAm twadarthE tu sakurtphalAya||122||” Preach the hymn that bestows children to Madri”. Kunti replied “I am going to preach that hymn to Madri because you are asking me to. But, the hymn I am going to preach her will fructify only once”. UvAcha MAdryai sutadam Manum cha Punaha phalam tE na bhaviShyateeti| Mantram samAdAya cha madraputree vyachintayat syAm nu katham dwiputree||123|| = Kunti preached the hymn to Madri but told very strictly that the hymn will not yield results twice. After receiving the hymn, Madri contemplated deeply. She was thinking about the ways to get two children with one hymn. SadAviyOgau divijEShu dasrau na chaitayOrnAmabhEdaha Kwachidhdhi|YEkA bhAryA saitayOrapyuShA hi tadAyAtaha sakrudAvartanAd dwau||124|| Madri realized that Ashwini deities are always twins and they come together even if one of their names is pronounced. They were always together. There is no difference between them, even in the name. They have the sole wife UShe. Hence, Madri thought, both of them will come by chanting only one hymn. Mahabhata also mentions that by having a bath in Ashwini pond, one can get a charming beauty. Madri, therefore, decided to to call Ashwini deities. One of them was called NAsatya and the other Dasra but by pronouncing any one name, both of them could be addressed. They were called Nasatyas and Dasras. There was difference in their names. IteekShamtyAkAritAvashwinau tau sheeGhram prAptauputrakau tatprasUtau|TAvEva dEvau Nakulaha pUrwajAtaha SahadEvO(a)bhUt pashchimastauyamauhi|| Having thought like this, Madri invoked Ashwini deities and they both came to be her two children, twins, named Nakula and Sahadeva in that order.

About Kapila Maharshi 

Kapila is one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. He was born to Devahuti, one of the daughters of Swayambhuva Manu, from Kardama Muni. He had nine sisters, including Arundhati and Anusuya. He was born as a boon bestowed upon Kardama Maharishi by Lord Vishnu. Kardama, after a long penance, secured the darshan of Lord Vishnu. When Lord Vishnu asked him what boon he wanted, the sage asked the Lord himself to be born as his son. Kardama’s wife was Devahuti, the second of the three daughters of Swayambhuva Manu. The details about his incarnation are given in the Third Chapter of Sri Bhagavata. After the death of Kardama, Devahuti served Kapila as she knew that he was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In the end, Kapila preaches his mother the Sankhya Sutras, which dovetails the various aspects of spiritual life and strict obeisance that need to be observed in pursuit of spiritual knowledge and salvation. Reference to Kapila Maharishi is in the Vana Parva of Mahabharata. Once when a sage called Syumarashmi had entered into the body of a cow, Kapila Maharshi argued with Syumarashmi Muni that cows should not be offered as a sacrificial animal.(THE PICTURE MAY NOT BE FULLY APT. PLEASE PADON)

WHY IS THIS VAIKUNTHA YEKADASHI MUKKOTI DWADASHI?

Sri Padma Purana mentions that Lord Vishnu, in spite of being aware of the tyranny that Mura demons had created, came to the door of his heavenly abode Vaikuntha and opened the doors. Earlier, Mura had approached Lord Shiva, who directed him to Vishnu by stating that Vishnu alone could give him a fight. However, Lord Vishnu pretends to be weaker than Mura, runs away from him and rests in a cave in Badari. From his fatigue emerged a goddess called Haimavati. While Lord Vishnu was still pretending to be tired and asleep, Mura dashes into the cave and gets burnt into ashes by a sheer glance of Haimavati. Lord Vishnu was impressed with her victory and the destruction of Mura and offers to bestow a boon. He calls her Yekadashi and she says that whoever observes fast on this Yekadashi should be redeemed of their sins and ge

t eligibility to have Mukti or Mokshada. Some sources state that the boon was sought by Mura. Generally, fasting is mandatory on all Yekadashis. But, fasting on this Margashira/Pushya Shukla Yekadashi is equal to fasting on the remaining 25 Yekadashis. It is stated that the over three crore deities descend from Heaven to have a holy bath at Tirupati and therefore Darshan of either Tirupati Balaji or Balaji at other temples is highly meritorious. Since Vishnu himself opened the doors of Vaikuntha to Mura, it is called Vaikuntha Yekadashi. As over three crore deities descended to Earth, the next day or Dwadashi is denoted as Mukkoti Dwadashi.

SRI KRISHNARPANAMASTU| SARVE JANAHA SUKHINO BHAVANTU||

JADABHARATOPAKHYANA - XVII

(Jadabharata continues his line of argument or clarification to King Rahugana, who had tried to chide Jadabharata for carrying the palanquin erratically. This particular line of thought can be a lesson to several people around us today. PLEASE SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE IT)

ShOchyAnimAmstAnaDhikastavADhirviShTyA nigruhNan niranugrahO(a)si|

Janasya gOptEti vikatThamAnO na shOBhasE vrudDhasaBhAsu duShTaha||

Jadabharata states:

“Owing to the pride of being a king, you are getting the works done for free from these poor guys. By doing so, you are inviting more misery. In spite of that, you still boast yourself as their king and take pride in saying so. You are cruel and you will not shine in any confluence of knowledgeable persons. You are not the protector, not the king. Lord Vishnu alone is the protector and Vishnu alone is the King and He is present in you.”

Some commentators alter the words “ShOchyAnimAmstAnaDhikastadeenAn” into ShOchyAnimAn twamaDhikaShTadeenAn” and say that it means Jadabharata had said (or meant): “You are forcefully making the servants, who are suffering a lot of trouble and are desperate, carry the palanquin and you are not a king by quality or character. You only have a body of a king…” On the contrary, Sri Madhwacharya clarifies, what Jadabharata meant to state was that the king had a wrong or false pride by misunderstanding the life he was enjoying was because of his own inherent quality or eligibility some other trait. In reality, Lord Vishnu is the ONLY king, which Jadabharata wanted King Rahugana to realise, conceive and follow. Jadabharata wanted the king to be aware of the fact that he was not the real king and that Hari was the real king.

YEvam mUlagOptrutwam cha ViShNOrEva|

Quote Jadabharata:

“Just as Hari is the primary Karta or doer of all our acts of carrying the weight of palanquin, walking etc., being a king perchance, you are not the King but Lord, who is intrinsic, is the king in reality.”

This leads to another question that commentators raise: “If that is the way, then it should not be said that someone is walking on the ground. It should be stated that someone is walking on or in Lord Hari.” Jadabharata clarifies this too, which can be perceived in the next post. (to be continued). SRI KRISHNARPANAMASTU     

JADABHARATOPAKHYANA - XVI

(This is in continuation with the previous posting and since it is related to philosophical debate, it is better to consider it in a sequence. PLEASE SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE IT)

In the previous posting, Jadabharata clarified to King Rahugana that the only and ultimate Karta or Kartru is the Lord, which should be applied to everything, every minute action, speech, reaction etc., Questions like ‘kasya hEtOho’ cannot be raised, though some scholars convert the words “Kasya hEtOho” into “kasyachid” to restrict the meaning to “due to any one reason”, which is incorrect, unwarranted, according to Sri Madhwacharya. Sri Acharya says:

YamAnmUlakAraNaBhUtO ViShNurEva atO muKhyam srvakAraNatwam tasyaiva| MUlAshraya vivakShA yadi na syAt, kutaha pruThivyAm chalateeti vyavahAraha? YatO(a)vAntarAshrayA bahavaha santyamGhryAdyAha|

Lord Hari is the origin, genesis of even the nature, which is normally conceived as the origin and therefore, bearing the weight, as in the case of four servants bearing the weight of the palanquin in which Rahugana was being carried, and moving or walking etc., all depend on Him and His desire or will. The conception that ‘X,Y,Z etc… is walking, sitting, speaking and so on’ is for worldly transaction. It is only desirable and quite mandatory at that, all actions of all living and non-living beings or things rests only and only with the Lord.    

ABOUT DHANURMASA - II

This is about Dhanurvayateepata and Dhanurdhruti.

YOgEshu parvakAlaha syAt vyateepAtashcha vAiDhrutihi say Smrutis. Therefore, both VyateepAta and VaiDhruti are ranked as Yogas and Parvakala. These are Pitrudinas or those very beloved to ancestors or

forefathers.

Yoga is one of the components of Panchanga, along with Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra (star) and Karana. Yoga is different from Aanandaadi Yogas or Gauri Panchanga that is usually mentioned in every Panchanga. Yoga represents the sum of longitudes of the Sun and the Moon for a given lunar day. Like Nakshatras or constellations, Yogas too are 27 in number and their duration is 13.20 degrees each that keep happening every day on a cyclical basis in a specific sequence starting from Vishkambha and ending with Vydruti Yoga. Although Yoga is given secondary importance in the ordinary parlance of Astrology, some of them, especially the Vyateepata and Vydruthi are forbidden for auspicious events.

Vyateepaata actually means great calamity or prone to sudden mishaps or chaos. Vyateepaata Yoga is in the 17^th position in the list of 27 Yogas. Like Nakshatras, Yogas also have presiding deities or Abhimani Devatas) and Vishwedevatas are the presiding (abhimani) deities for Vyateepata Yoga. Though Yogas like Vyateepata and Vaidhruti are not considered good for auspicious events, they are highly appropriate, auspicious and special for ceremonies, especially those related to Pitrus or ancestors or forefathers.  

Generally, 12 or more Vyateepata days occur in a year. If it is associated with Dhanurmasa, it is called Dhanur-Vyateepata Yoga, which is most significant for performing Pitru-related activities. It is said that any Pitru karya or charity given in respectful reverence to one’s Pitrus on the sacred day of Dhanur Vyateepata Yoga during Dhanurmasa is considered 1000 times more meritorious than the one performed during Ardhodhayaadi parva kala.

On this day of Vyateepata, after the early morning pujas akin to Dhanurmasa, Tarpana should be offered to the Pitrus, followed by Arghya. Sankalpa shloka is as follows:

DhanrmAsaniyAmaka SankarShaNaprEraNayA SankarShaNarUpee ParamAtmapreetyarTham DhanurvyateepAtaparvakAlE pitrutarpaNAKhyam karma kartum Adau vyateepAtArGhyadAnam KariShyE||

VyateepAta mahAsatwa sarvapApapraNAshan|

SahasrabAhO VishwAtman gruhANArGhyam namO(a)stu tE||

VyateepAta namastE(a)stu namastE vishwamangala|

ViShNuchakraswarUpAya namastE divyatEjasE||

Reciting the above hymns and keeping water in the palm, the Arghya should be given as is done during the Mahalaya and Tarpana should be offered to all Pitrus in the same order.

Prayer:

ViShNupriya vyateepAta pitruNAmAnRuNaprada|

PitrUNAm mama VaikunTham prayachCha Bhagavan HarE||

TwatprasAdEna mE BhaktirastvEvamanapAyinee|

JnAnavijnAnavairAgyam prayachChaBhagavan mama||

AnEna DhanurvyateepAtapUjArGhyatilatarpaNAdikarmakaraNEna ViShNuchakrAntahasThitasudarshanAtmaka SankarShaNarUpiparmAtmA preeyatAm||Sri KriShNArpaNamastu||

GANGAVATARANA - II

Hearing the words of chief priests and Rutvijas, Sagara, who was sitting in the Yaga Mantap, summoned his 60,000 children and told them:

“Dear children, although this great sacrifice⁴ is being conducted by most virtuous, pious and expert priests and Rutvijas, the sacrificial horse has been stolen due to the mystic powers of demons, leaving me in a state of confusion as to what I should do next. Therefore, all of you should immediately go round the sea-surrounded globe, find the horse and bring it back. I wish you good luck. In case the horse is not found anywhere on Earth, then, under my instructions, dig up the Earth in search of the kidnapper till you find the horse. As I have taken the pledge⁵ (Yagnadeeksha) of performing the sacrifice, it is not proper on my part to come with you. Therefore, I, along with my grandson, priests and Rutvijas, will stay here till the horse is seen by me once again. I wish you good luck and please start off for now.”   

Raghava, having been instructed by their father Sagara, the highly powerful and strong 60,000 children went in different directions of the globe in search of the horse, with a pure sense of satisfaction. They searched for the sacrificial horse in all places on Earth. But, the horse was not seen. Later, as directed by their father, each one of them chose an area of one Yojana long and one Yojana wide and started digging the earth with their nails that were like the thunderbolt (Vajrayudha), spikes that produced sounds like lightning and giant ploughs that could easily plough the Earth. Getting dug and shattered by them, Goddess Earth screamed horribly. When those sixty thousand princes were digging the Earth, the screaming sounds of most powerful serpents, Asuras, who were living under ground and were then dying due to the onslaught of the prices, was reverberating. Within a very short period, the 60,000 brave children of Sagara Maharaja had dug up the land measuring 60,000 yojanas wide and 60,000 yojanas deep, as though they wanted to win a war against the under world⁶. Ramabhadra, the children of Sagara thus dug Jambudweepa in this manner and moved everywhere, in search of the horse. Seeing thousands of inhabitants of Patala Loka (under world) like serpents, Asuras and Rakshasas being killed by the children of Sagara, the deities, Gandharvas, Apsaras, serpent gods, who were all perplexed and terrified, went to Pitamaha Brahma. They offered worship and honored him with Stotras and prayers. The perturbed deities told Brahma, wearing bleak faces:

 “Oh Great Lord, the 60,000 children of Sagara are digging up this Jambudweepa. As a result, lakhs of great beings are being destroyed. Oh revered, they are catching anyone they find while digging the underworld and saying ‘he is the one who has stolen our horse and therefore he has spoiled the sacrifice’ and killing that person. Thus, they have been torturing all the animals.” (to be continued…) SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE IT PLEASE   

ABOUT DHANURMASA

Piercing and shearing cold marks the transit of Sun into Sagittarius or Dhanus Rashi and that is why it is called Dhanur(s) Masa. The body refuses to get out of bed or even uncover itself from the comfort of the blanket, which is the first symptom of laziness. The body bends like a bow which is why it is called Dhanur Masa. The Rishis and Munis have therefore prescribed two important things for Dhanrmasa. One is performance of puja before sunrise and the other is consumption of Mudganna or Huggi after offering it to the Lord as Naivedya.

Dhanurmasa is the Ushahkala or the early hours of the morning for deities. When the Sun moves to Makara that marks the Uttarayana, it becomes daytime for deities. It is our bounden duty to perform puja before daybreak when it is also pre-daybreak for deities.

Mudga means green gram and a dish prepared with equal quantity of green gram and rice with spcies, prominently pepper, is called Mudganna. This is mandatorily the item to be offered as Naivedya during Dhanurmasa.

Anyone offering Mudganna to the Lord as Naivedya before sunrise during Dhanurmas attracts the Punya that is equivalent to the Punya secured through Puja offered for one thousand years.

KOdanDasThE savitari mudgAnnam yO nivEdayEt|

SahasravArShikee pUjA dinEnaikEna sidDhyati||AjnEya PurANa||

Points to remember:

Dhanurmasa puja performed at a time when stars are still glittering in the sky is highly meritorious; puja performed when no stars are seen is mediocre and that offered after sunrise is worse. However, puja performed in the noon or later is totally futile.

If Dhanurmsa Puja cannot offered for any reason, at least watching it being performed by others is meritorious or advisable. Puja can be watched after taking bath.

In unavoidable circumstances, Dhanurmasa puja can be performed first before sunrise and lather Sandhyavandana can be performed.

After performing Dhanurmasa puja, feeding Brahmin with Mudganna and consuming the same by self before sunrise is the correct or prescribed tradition.

The Vyateepata and VaiDhruti Yogas that occur during Dhanurmas are considered to be very sacred, auspicious and meritorious Parva Kala and certain special norms and tradition have been prescribed to be observed during that period.

Shall furnish details about Dhanurvyateepata and DhanurvaiDhruti in the next posting. SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE IT PLEASE