பாண்டியன்- குஜராத்தி தொடர்பு

[Santhanam Swaminathan]

சூரசேன மன்னன் மகளான காஞ்சனமாலையை

மலய த்வஜ பாண்டியன் கல்யாணம் செய்துகொண்டதாக திருவிளையாடல் புராணம் கூறுகிறது. அவளுடைய மகள்-- மும்முலை மங்கை--தடாதகைப் பிராட்டியார்- சுந்தரேஸ்வரரை தரிசித்துத் தோற்றவுடன் ஒரு முலை மறைந்து மதுரையில் உலகப் புகழ்பெற்ற மீனாட்சி கோவில் அமையக் காரணமானாள். இது எல்லாம் எல்லொரும் அறிந்த கதை. 

எனது கேள்வி? பாண்டியருக்கும் குஜராத்திகளுக்கும் இரண்டாயிரம் வருtaத்துக்கு முன் தொடர்பு உண்டா? கபிலர் சொல்லும் வேளிர் குடியேற்றத்துக்குப் பின் இது நடந்ததா? குஜராத்தில் வசிக்கும் பாண்டியா என்ற பிராமண வகுப்பினர் பாண்டிய நாட்டில் இருந்து அங்கு குடியே றியவர்களா? 

காஞ்சி சுவாமிகள் தில்லன் (த்ரிலிங்க-தெலுங்கு பிராமணர்கள்) பற்றிப் பேசி இருக்கிறார். இதே போல திராவிட் (வடக்கே போன திராவிட) பிராமணர்களை நாம் அறிவோம். பாண்டியா பிராமண குஜராத்திய நண்பர்கள் இருந்தால் கேட்டுத் தகவல் தரவும். 

இலங்கைக்கு குடியேறிய விஜய மன்னனும் மந்திரிகளும் பாண்டிய குமாரிகளைக் கல்யாணம் முடித்ததாக மஹாவம்சம் கூறுவதையும் நாம் அறிவோம். இது போல குஜராத் தொடர்பு இருந்திருக்குமோ?

Swami
020 8904 2879
07951 370 697

Blog: swamiindology.blogspot.com

[seshadri sridharan]

ஐயா,

பேரா. மதிவாணன் 'நற்குடி வேளாளர் வரலாறு' என்னும் நூலை மேற்கோள் காட்டி லோதல் துறைமுகத்தை ஒரு பாண்டியன், இதாவது அண்டன் பாண்டியன் ஆண்டதாக குறிப்பிடுகிறார். நீங்களும் அந்நூலை படித்தவர்.

நளினியார் அந்நூல் கிடைக்கும் என்கிறாரா? மறவர் வரலாறு நூல் என் கைக்கு வரவில்லை..

சேசாத்திரி 

2012/4/8 Santhanam Swaminathan <swam...@yahoo.com>

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[Santhanam Swaminathan]

நினைவுபடுத்தியமைக்கு நன்றி. ஒரு பி.எச்டி. மாணவர் என்னைப்  பார்க்க வந்த போது  நளினியைச் சந்திததாககக் கூறினார். ஆகையால் அவர் மீண்டும் வேலைக்குத் திரும்பி இருப்பார் என்றே எண்ணுகிறேன். அவருக்கு மீண்டும் ஒரு ஈ மெயில் அனுப்புகிறேன். மறவர் புத்தகம் பெங்களூரில் என் அண்ணன் கையில் இருக்கிறது. படித்துவிட்டு  அனுப்பலாமா என்று கேட்டார். நான் சரி என்றேன். விரைவில் கிடைக்க ஒரு ஈ மெயில் அனுப்புகிறேன்.

 

Swami
020 8904 2879
07951 370 697

Blog: swamiindology.blogspot.com

---

From: seshadri sridharan <ssesh...@gmail.com>
To: mint...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 12:47 PM
Subject: Re: [MinTamil] பாண்டியன்- குஜராத்தி தொடர்பு

[s.bala subramani B+ve]

பாண்டியா பிராமண குஜராத்திய நண்பர்கள் இருந்தால் கேட்டுத் தகவல் தரவும். 

போர்பந்தர் பகுதியில் இருக்கிறார்கள் விரைவில் குஜராத்தில்  உள்ள என் நண்பர் நீர்மூழ்கி கப்பல் வல்லுநர் முனிஸ்வரன் அவர்களை கேட்டு விட்டு சொல்கிறேன் 

அடுத்த தடவை மும்பை செல்லும் போது அங்கும்  சென்று விட்டு வருகிறேன் 

நன்றி 

2012/4/8 Santhanam Swaminathan <swam...@yahoo.com>

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"Tamil in Digital Media" group is an activity of Tamil Heritage Foundation. Visit our website: http://www.tamilheritage.org; you may like to visit our Muthusom Blogs at: http://www.tamilheritage.org/how2contribute.html To post to this group, send email to minT...@googlegroups.com
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--
S.Balasubramani B+ve
My Blog
http://balubpos.blogspot.com/

[s.bala subramani B+ve]

http://www.brahmintoday.org/magazine/2009_issues/bt70-1215_chitra.php

http://jayaraman.wordpress.com/category/tamilnadu/page/2/

சித்ர - ருத்ர மற்றும் மோத் பிராமணர்கள்

பஞ்ச திராவிடப் பிராமணர்கள் பகுதயின் குஜராத்திய பிராமணர்களில் நாம் அடுத்துக் காண இருக்கும் பிரிவினர்கள் சில பிரத்யேகச் சிறப்பு உடையவர்கள் ஆவார்கள். பிராமணர்களின் வசம் தற்போது மிகவும் குறைந்துவிட்ட சில சமூக சிறப்பம்சங்களை உடைய இவர்கள் நம் போற்றுதலுக்குரியவர்கள்.

சித்திர-ருத்ர பிராமணர்கள்

நிலவுடைமை அம்சத்தை முக்கியமாகப் பின்பற்றும் இந்த உட்பிரிவினர் தற்போதைய குஜராத் மாநிலத்தின் பரூச், சூரத், அங்கலேஸ்வர் ஆகிய மாவட்டங்களில் அதிகம் வசிக்கிறார்கள். ‘வாயு யுக்த சிவ ஷானிதா’ மற்றும் ‘நர்மதா மஹாத்மியம்’ ஆகிய காவியங்களில் இவர்களைப் பற்றிய குறிப்புகள் காணப்படுகின்றன. கணபதி நாராயண ஷங்கர் சுக்லா என்ற அறிஞர் சமஸ்கிருத மொழியில் எழுதிய நூலின் மொழிபெயர்ப்பாகக் காணப்படும் இக்காவியங்களின்படி தற்போதைய ஹரியானா மற்றும் பஞ்சாப் மாநிலத்தின் நதிக்கரை பிரதேசங்களிலிருந்து இவர்கள் குஜராத்திற்கு குடிபெயர்ந்தார்கள். சித்தேஸ்வர் மகாதேவ் இவர்களின் குலதெய்வமாக விளங்குவதால் இவர்கள் சித்ர-ருத்ர பிராமணர்கள் என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டார்கள். குஜராத் வந்து இவர்கள் குடியேறிய பிருகு கச்சா என்ற பகுதிதான் பரூச் எனவும் அங்குரூஸ்தர் என்ற பகுதிதான் அங்கேலேஷ்வர் எனவும் சஜோடு என்ற பகுதிதான் சூரத் எனவும் தற்போது அழைக்கப்படுகிறது என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தகுந்தது.

சிறப்புகள் பல இருந்தாலும் இந்தப் பிராமணர்கள் மேல் ஏற்பட்ட களங்கமாக இன்றும் விளங்கும் ஒரு செய்தியும் இங்கு குறிப்பிடப்பட வேண்டும். பட்டேல் என்ற அடையாளப் பெயருடன் விளங்கும் இப்பிரிவு பிராமணர்கள் சிலர் சில நூற்றாண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு தாங்கள் சொந்தமாக்கியிருந்த நிலங்களைத் தக்க வைத்துக்கொள்ளும் பொருட்டு முஸ்லிம்களாக மாறிவிட்டார்கள். இப்படி மாறியவர்கள் ஓரா பட்டேல் என்ற பிராமணர் அல்லாத தற்போதைய பிரிவின் கீழ் அடங்குவர்.

தற்போது, நிலவுடைமையைத் தாண்டி வணிகம், அரசு பணி ஆகிய எல்லாத் துறைகளிலும் நிறைந்து காணப்படும் இவர்களின் முக்கிய அடையாளப் பெயர் பட்டேல் ஆகும். மற்ற அடையாளப் பெயர்கள் பட், பாண்டியா, சுக்லா, ஜோதி, வைத்யா மற்றும் தேசாய் ஆகும்.

மோத் பிராமணர்கள்: (Modh) குஜராத் மாநில பதான் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள மோத்ரா நகரில் வசித்தவர்கள் மோதேஷ்வர் மாதா என்ற தேவியின் பக்தர்கள் ஆவார்கள். மாதங்கி மாதா என்றும் அழைக்கப்பட்ட 18 கைகள் உடைய இந்த இறை அன்னை அம்பா மாதாவின் ஒரு வடிவம் ஆகும். மோதேஸ்வரி மாதாவின் ஆலயத்தைச் சுற்றி வசித்த அனைத்து மக்களும் மோத் என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டார்கள். பின்னர் குஜராத் மாநிலத்தின் பிற பகுதிகளுக்கும் மஹாராஷ்டிரா மாநிலத்திற்கும் வேலையின் காரணமாகக் குடி பெயர்ந்த இவர்கள் மோத் பிராமணர்கள், மோத் வைஸ்யா, மோத் சத்ரியா என்று தங்கள் ஊரின் அடையாளங்களிலேயே அறியப்பட்டார்கள். அந்நகரில் இருந்து பிற பகுதிகளுக்குச் சென்ற பிராமணர்கள் மோத் பிராமணர்கள் என்ற பிரிவாக அழைக்கப்பட்டார்கள்.

(தொடரும்) 

பஞ்ச திராவிட பிராமணர்கள்

கேடேவால் பிராமணர்கள் (குஜராத்)

பூர்வீகக் கதை (தொடர்ச்சி)

குஜராத் மாநிலம் சபர்காந்தா மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள ஒரு ஊரின் பெயர் கேத்ப்ரம்மா. பரானவ் என்ற ஆற்றின் கரையில் அமைந்துள்ள இந்தச் சிறு நகரம் அகமதாபாத். அம்பாஜி பாதையில் உள்ளது. புராணக் கதைப்படி படைக்கும் கடவுளான பிரம்மா உருவாக்கிய நகரம் இது. பழைய நூல்களில் இது இதன் பொருட்டே ப்ரம்ம க்ஷேத்திரம் என்று குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. கூறப்படும் கதையின்படி விஸ்வகர்மா பிரம்மாவின் விருப்பப்படி இந்நகரை நிர்மாணித்தப் பிறகு பிரம்மா கங்கை நதியை இங்கு வந்து ப்ராவகம் செய்யும்படி கேட்டுக்கொண்டார். கங்கை நதியும் இங்கு வந்து பாய்ந்ததால் இங்குள்ள நதி ஹிரண்ய கங்கா என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டது. ஹிரண்ய என்று சொல்லுக்குத் தங்கம் என்பது பொருள். அதற்கேற்ப இங்குள்ள ஹரணவ் நதியின் மணல் பொன் நிறத்தில் இருக்கிறது.

நதியையும் நகரையும் படைத்த பிரம்ம தேவன் இந்த பிரம்ம க்ஷேத்திரத்தில் ஒரு யாகம் நடத்த விரும்பினார். யாகம் நடத்துவதற்கு யாகம் நடத்தும் எஜமான் மனைவியுடன் இருந்துதான் அதைச் செய்ய வேண்டும் என்ற யாக விதி உள்ளது. ஆனால் பிரம்மாவின் மனைவி சாவித்திரி அந்தச் சமயத்தில் பூமியில் இல்லை. வானுலகில் இருந்த ப்ரம்மனின் மனைவியை அழைத்து வருமாறு ப்ரம்மா ஒரு மகரிஷியைக் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார். வானுலகத்திற்குப் பறந்து சென்று தன் மனைவியை அழைப்பதற்கு அந்த ரிஷிக்கு பறக்கும் சக்தியை ப்ரம்மா அளித்தார். வானுலகத்துக்குப் பறந்து சென்று யாகத்திற்கு மகரிஷி அழைத்தாலும் பூலோகம் வருவதற்கு சாவித்திரி மறுத்துவிட்டாள். பூர்த்தி அடையாத யாகத்தை நிறுத்திவிட்டுப் பூலோகத்தை விட்டு வானுலகம் சென்ற ப்ரம்மா பறந்து சென்ற மகரிஷிக்குப் பரிசுகள் கொடுத்து அவரைச் சுற்றியுள்ள அனைவருக்கும் செல்வத்தை வழங்கினார். பறந்து செல்லும் சக்தி உடையவர் என்ற பொருள்படும் ‘கேட்டக்’ என்ற பெயரில் அந்த ரிஷி வம்சத்தினர் அழைக்கப்பட்டார்கள். பின்பு அங்கு ஒரு மகாலஷ்மி கோவில் கட்டப்பட்டது. ப்ரம்ம க்ஷேத்திரம் நாளடைவில் ‘ப்ரம்மகேத்’ என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டுப் பின்பு ‘கேத் ப்ரம்மா’ என்று மாறியது.

கேட்டக் பிராமணர்கள் ‘கேடேவால்’ பிராமணர்கள் ஆனார்கள். இவர்களின் குலதெய்வமாக அங்குள்ள மகாலஷ்மி இன்றும் விளங்குகிறாள்.

கேடேவால் பிராமணர்களில் ஒரு பிரிவினர் பின்னர் பந்தேலா வம்ச சத்ரசால் மன்னன் அழைத்து, தற்போதைய மத்தியப் பிரதேசத்தில் உள்ள ‘பன்னா’ என்ற இடத்திற்குக் குடி பெயர்ந்தார்கள். அந்நாட்டில் தலைநகராகத் திகழ்ந்த பன்னா பிரதேசத்தில் வைரச் சுரங்கங்கள் இருந்ததன் காரணமாகவே அவர்கள் குடிபெயர்ந்ததாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது. இன்றும் வைரச் சுரங்கங்கள் காணப்படும் இப்பிரதேசத்தில் குடியேறிய இவர்கள் பஜ்கேடேவால் குஜராத்தி பிராமணர்கள் என்று அழைக்கப்படுகிறார்கள். மத்தியப் பிரதேசத்தின் மற்ற பகுதிகளுக்கும் பின்னர் குடியேறிய இவர்களின் விவசாயத் தொடர்பு குஜராத் கேடேவால் பிராமணர்கள் போல அதிகம் இல்லை.

அடையாளப் பெயர்கள்

கேடேவால் பிராமணர்கள் சில முக்கிய அடையாளப் பெயர்கள். 
1. பட் 2. தவே 3. தன்நாயக் 4. செவோட் 5. தர்க்கர் 6. பாண்டியா 7. தேசாய் 8. ஜோஷி. (தொடரும்)

[Santhanam Swaminathan]

Thanks for the details.

It is all new to me.

The word Pancha DRAVIDA brahmins is interesting.

It may show south-north migration of brahmins.

I will wait for more information.

 

Swami
020 8904 2879
07951 370 697

Blog: swamiindology.blogspot.com

---

From: s.bala subramani B+ve <sunke...@gmail.com>
To: mint...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 4:27 PM

Subject: Re: [MinTamil] பாண்டியன்- குஜராத்தி தொடர்பு

http://www.brahmintoday.org/magazine/2009_issues/bt70-1215_chitra.phpphp

[ranganathan venkatachariar]

The Brahmin castes may be broadly divided into two regional groups: 1.)Pancha-Gauda Brahmins and 2.) Pancha-Dravida Brahmins from South of Vindhya mountains as per the shloka, however this sloka is from Rajatarangini of Kalhana which is composed only in 11th CE.

Pancha Gauda Brahmins(Panch Gaur) : (1) Saraswat, (2) Kanyakubja, (3) Maithil Brahmins, (4) Gauda brahmins, and (5)Utkala Brahmins . In addition, for the purpose of giving an account of Northern Brahmins each of the provinces must be considered separately, such as, Kashmir, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Kurukshetra, Rajputana, Uttar Pradesh, Ayodhya (Oudh), Gandhar, Punjab, North Western Provinces and Pakistan, Sindh, Central India, Trihoot, Bihar, Orissa, Bengal, Assam, etc. The originate from south of the (now-extinct) Saraswati River.

Pancha Dravida Brahmins Paara Thrivikraman Namboothiri, Head Priest of Guruvayoor Temple in Kerala, 1960's Panch Dravida : 1) Andhra, 2) Dravida, 3) Karnataka, 4) Maharashtra and Konkon, and 5) Gujarat.

Brahman, Pancha Dravida of India

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* Notes:

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The Joshua Project Progress Scale is an approximation of church planting progress based on all progress indicators available. For a fuller explanation, click here. If you have additional information, please contact us. These are links to external sites not managed or controlled by Joshua Project. A link to an external page does not necessarily imply that Joshua Project a) endorses the organization(s) or person(s) providing them, b) agrees with the ideas expressed or c) attests to the correctness, factuality, appropriateness, or legality of the contents. As on-site realities are understood, barriers of acceptance may be found in many of the larger people groups that will require multiple distinct church-planting efforts. This data may contain errors and needs continual correcting and updating. To send feedback, please contact us. History of Saraswat Migrations      Saraswats in India Early origin Migrations from Saraswat Desh In Bihar To Goa Kavale Mutt Exodus from Goa GSBs in Kerala Early settlements Founding of Kashi Mutt Major migrations and events Persecution Tirumala deity The 20th century Prelude The history of Saraswats is a record of their struggle for existence and a chain of migrations, the longest and the most wide spread among any groups in India. Even after generations and centuries they preserve their culture and traditions intact. Their traditions are unique and tolerant that they worship Shakti, Shiva and Vaishnava deities as well. Who are Gowda Saraswat Brahmins? The Gowda Saraswat Brahmins claim their origin to the Brahmins who lived on the banks of the now extinct river Saraswati of Punjab. They derived their name from either the river Saraswati or from their spiritual leader Great Sage Saraswat Muni who lived on the banks of  Saraswati. These Brahmins were one of the Pancha Gowda Brahmin groups who lived north of the Vindhyas. They belonged to Smarta tradition and primarily  worshiped the five deities: Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Surya and Ganesha. Throughout the course of history, the Saraswat Brahmins have migrated to a variety of locations and are found mostly in Western coast of India. Brahmins in India The Brahmins in India were divided into two major groups based on geographical origin of the people. The Brahmin groups that lived to the north of the Vindhyas were referred to as Gowda Brahmins, whereas the Brahmins who lived to the south of the Vindhyas were referred to as Dravida Brahmins. Each group was further divided into five sections according to the regions of their settlement. The five (Pancha) Gowda Brahmin groups were Saraswats, Kanyakubjas, Gaudas, Utkals, and Maithilas. The five (pancha) Dravida Brahmin groups were Andhras, Maharashtras, Dravidas or Tamils, Karnata, and Kerala Brahmins. As the southern brahmins had domiciled in the south for long, the Saraswats who came to the South newly were described by the local brahmins as Gowda Brahmins in general (because they belonged to Panch Gowda group) and thus the prefix Gowda was added to the Saraswats who were from the Saraswat region.   The origin The exact origin of the Saraswat Brahmins is difficult to ascertain. The Saraswat Brahmins are mentioned in the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata and even the Bhavisyottara Purana. According to Puranas, they are Aryan migrants from Central Asia who came to the Indian sub-continent through the Hindu-Kush mountains and the Khyber pass to south in about 2000-1500 B.C. Click to see location of settlements Most of them settled along the banks of Saraswati river. There were more than 1200 such settlements of migrants. They settled to an agrarian life, supplemented by cattle grazing. These settlers came to be known as Saraswats. Education was of great importance to the Saraswats and so they taught their young the Sanskrit language and enlightened themselves from the Rig Veda. Although they spoke Sanskrit in public, they innovated a simplified version of Sanskrit called Brahmani which they spoke only at home. This language was the grass-root for the present day Konkani language. Over the years along the Saraswati, the Saraswats established the concept of Kuladevatas or family gods, and began worshipping them. They accepted the Great Sage Saraswat Muni (son of Rishi Dadichi), living on the banks of Saraswati as their Guru. There were about 60,000 (Shatsahasara) Brahmins who were his disciples. When a severe famine which lasted for about 12 years hit the region and the crops were not enough to feed everyone, the survival of the Saraswats was at stake. When they could find no apparent solution to their vexing problem, at the advice of their Guru who was pragmatic, they started to feed on fish from the Saraswati river for survival. Thus they became the only fish-eating Brahmins ever known. This settlement was in the land between the  saraswati and Drishadvati rivers. A story: The fish eating habit of Saraswat Brahmins finds mention even in Ramanyana. Before performing Rajasuya yagna, Shri Rama asked Lakshmana to invite all the Brahmins for the yagna. Lakshmana invited everybody, except Gaud Saraswat Brahmins. When asked, Lakshmana explained that he observed them eating fish, which was considered non-vegetarian and therefore they could not be Brahmins. Shri Rama was puzzled and asked Lakshmana to elaborate what he saw. Lakshmana explained how the Brahmins would catch the fish, separate the head and tail from the fish, then using vedic mantras rejoined the head and tail. They would then release the fish in water. The fish would live again. The Brahmins ate the middle portion of the fish. Shri Rama was impressed. Since the Brahmins were not killing the fish, he felt that no sin was commited. Shri Rama instructed Lakshmana to invite Saraswat Brahmins to the Rajasuya Yagna. The River Saraswati and Saraswat Desh The mythological river Saraswati (named after the Goddess Saraswati), flowed in Northern India in the present Punjab and Rajasthan region, from the Himalayas to the western sea near Dwaraka in Gujarat. The vedas were composed mostly on her banks. The Rig Veda describes this river as the holiest, the purest and the grandest of rivers. The river has long since dried out because it flowed from the receding glaciers of the great ice age 10,000 years ago. The land between the rivers Saraswati and Dristhadvathi (near the present day Kurukshetra) was called the Saraswat Desh which was the homeland of Saraswats who are considered the fore-fathers of Saraswats of Goa, Kanara and Kerala. There is a strong belief that in Prayag, Allahabad, flowing under-ground Saraswati joins Ganga and Yamuna to form the Triveni sangam. It is also believed that the river changed its course over the centuries. A part of this mighty river became the small river Ghaggar and one of the tributaries of the Saraswati became the Sutlej, now a tributary of the Indus. Today's scientific evidences have proven the existance of the Saraswati river.click to know more about the mystery of Saraswati river...   The Migrations First Migrations leaving the Saraswat Desh Some calamity, it is believed, struck Saraswat Desh. Most historians suspect that after a few thousand years of flowing, the glacier began empty of its potential and the Saraswati began to dry out and became non-existent by 1000 BC. The entire region started becoming arid and with no means of growing their crops, the Saraswats had no choice but to pack up and move. This period of history saw many civilizations abandoning their settlements. The migration happened not overnight but spread over centuries. The last of the exodus was in about 350 BC due to a wide spead famine which lasted for 12 years. The Saraswats migrated in three directions - mostly followed the river routes and migrated to the South-West (Sind), North (Kashmir), East (Bihar). Migration to South and West The migrations to south and west followed the course of the River Saraswati, went up to Dwaraka and by ship they sailed to Goa. For their stay in Dwaraka, the Gowda Saraswats are nicknamed as Dorkes also. Along the route, these migrants left small colonies behind, and these settlements have been referred to as Saraswat Tirthas in Mahabharata. Migration to North and East The second route of migration was from Punjab into Kashmir. The traditions of Saraswats of Kashmir asserts that all brahmins in Kashmir are Saraswats. They have some thirty two sub-sects in Jammu and Kashmir, belong to six classes and 133 gotras. In the 14th Century, the Muslim rulers of Kashmir commenced persecution of the Hindus. Saraswats left on a large scale, and only a few families remained in Kashmir. Many families both Brahmin and others were converted to Islam. Some of the families who had migrated southwards, returned to Kashmir when the circumstances became more favorable. A predominantly Hindu state had by that time, become a predominantly Muslim state. Kashmir was prey to revages of Afghanistan as well. These caused so much distress to the people that some prominent kashmiris appealed to the Sikh Chief Ranjit Singh for help and he succeeded in getting rid of the Afghans. The kashmiri Saraswats were Devi worshippers. As the powerful Kshatriya kingdoms rose, a few Saraswats migrated to Indraprastha, Mathura, and Prayag, Kashi and other places. But as Kshatriyas fell with the rise of Buddhism, a few Saraswats migrated to Rajputana and Sind, married local girls and formed separate communities. Those who migrated to Kashmir called themselves as Kashmiri Pandits, Sind-Sind Saraswats, Kutch-Kutchi Saraswats, Punjab-Punjab Saraswats, Rajasthan-Rajasthan Saraswats and Gomantak- Gowda Saraswats.    Migration to Bihar The Saraswats who moved South East were mainly from the saraswat desh and they followed the Ganges and reached Trihotrapura or modern Tirhut in upper Bihar. This was in 400-350 BC. The major settlements were in Kanyakubja (Kanpur area), Magadha and Mithila. The Lichhavis were the ruling dynasty then, to be followed later by the Mauryas. With a strong ability to adapt, the Saraswats easily mingled with the locals, but did not try to compete with them in agriculture the major occupation in that area. Instead, they relied on their superior intellect and educational background to secure administrative positions in the Lichhavi Republic based at Vaishali. The Saraswats lived in this area during the reign of the Maurya and Pala dynasty. After the Pala kings, the kingdom was plundered repeatedly by hordes of Muslim invaders and local kings from central India. Tirhut is the historic name of  a tract in Bihar north of Ganges, about 55 km north of Patna. The geographical area known as Tirhut corresponds to the ancient region of Mithila. Today, Tirhut division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state with Muzaffarpur as the administrative headquarters and has four districts: Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Saran and Champaran. Goodbye to Bihar Life in Magadha became quite unbearable for the Saraswats, and so, around 1000 AD, almost 1500 years after they left the Saraswat desh, the Saraswats decided to move again. This time, however, they moved out mainly in two groups. One group (from Kanyakubja) moved eastand settled in Bangla (now Bengal) where in the course of time they assimilated the Bengali culture. The striking similarities between some aspects of Bengali and Konkani languages and cultures probably bear witness to this historic link. Another group (from Mithila) moved southwards and reached the Godavari river, and then proceeded along the south bank towards the source of Godavari near Nasik. The great Rishi Agastya had his ashram in Panchavati near Nasik and Sri Rama from Ayodhya came to Panchavati along the banks of Godavari. The migrants also followed the same route and then moved into Go-rashtra which isGoa and thence to Gokarna Mandala in uttar kannada district, which was the southernmost settlement of ancient Aryans. Having migrated from Trihotrapura which was in Gauda Desh they prefixed Gowda and called themselves Gowda Saraswats. The migration from Bihar to Gomantak is recorded in the Sahyadri Khanda of Skanda Purana. Goa was chosen mainly for its fertile soil and sea ports with flourishing overseas trade. Another reason for their migration into Konkan is the marital relationships between the Kadamba king Jayakeshi (1050-1080 AD) of Goa and a Saraswat king from Trihotra. Some historians believe that the king of Trihut sent ninety six families from ten gothras to the new land to propagate religion and philosophy at the request of the Kadamba King.   Saraswats in Goa         Goa chronological history                               The first migration (700 BC) to Goa by Saraswats was directly from the Saraswat river banks  via Kutch and southwards mostly through sea routes. The three main groups who came to Goa were the Bhojas, the Chediyas and the Saraswats. These Saraswats in Goa immersed themselves into farming, fishing and trade. They were from the Bhargava and Angirasa clans and maintained connections with the Kutch, Sindh and Kashmiri Saraswats. Many from these areas migrated to Goa in this period in search of greener pastures. The Saraswat Brahmins worked in partnership with the local indigenous people, the Kunbi tribals who exist still today. The second wave of immigrants were representatives of the Kaundinya, Vatshya and Kaushika gotras. They settled at Keloshi (Quelessam) and Kushasthal (Cortollim) and were named after those villages as Keloshikars and Kushasthalikars. They primarily sought professional careers in the fields of teaching, writing, and accounting. They established the Magarish temple at Kushathali and Santha Durga temple at Keloshi. From here they spread to other villages. The main deities which also came along with them were Mangirish, Mahadeo, Mahalaxmi, Mahalsa, Shantadurga, Nagesh, Saptakoteshwar besides many others. Gomantak region is dotted with so many Kuladevata Temples which testify this fact. All the saraswats in Goa at that time were Shavites. The first group of Gowda Saraswat immigrants from Trihotrapura (around 1000 AD) settled in two different parts of the Gomantak region. Thirty families were grouped in one commune and sixty six in other. The first commune was known as Tiswadi meaning 30 villages (modern Tissuary), and the other Shashatis meaning 66 (modern salcette). The Tiswadi commune was migrants from Kanyakubja and Shashatis was from Mithila. There is a view that these settlements together were 96 and referred as Sahanavis (Saha means six and Navi means ninety) and later as Shenvis. These settlelers belonged to 10 Gotras - Bhardwaja, Koushika, Vatshya, Kaundinya, Kashyapa, Vasishtha, Jamdagni, Vishwamitra, Gautam and Atri. Once settled down, they continued in their traditional professions of administration and education. Those Saraswats who were intelligent and lucky got royal patronage and positions in governance in due course of time. But the opportunities in these familiar professions were limited in Goa at that time. So some enterprising Saraswats branched out into the practice of trading. The successes of these pioneering Saraswat traders encouraged many other Saraswats to whole-heartedly adopt trading as a main-stream profession.  There is another version of the story that, Sri Parasuram brought 96 families of the Panchagauda Brahmins from Trihotra (in Bihar) and settled them at Panchakrosha in Kushasthali of Goa. Such stories are also narrated about settlements of brahmins in Konkan Kanara Coast and Kerala. This is considered to be more mythology than history as Parasuram, the 6th incarnation of Vishnu, is a mythological figure and should have lived far earlier than the time of Saraswat migration. And  most probably they arrived in Goa under the leadership of a strong personality named Parasuram. Legends say that Lord Parasuram, shot an arrow from the Western Ghats in adjacent Konkan and the arrow (Baan) landed at the site of Benaulim town. Benaulim also known as Banavali  about 40 km from Panaji and 2 km south of Colva is today a beach resort. Even if the legends are considered only as myths, today a temple of Parasuram exists in Painguinim village near Benaulim town of Canacona Taluka in South Goa.  Branching out of Goa By the 10-11th centuries several Sasasthikar families migrated to Thane and Kalyan (in Maharashtra) and started sea trade. In the 12th century, some Sasasthikar families went south to Honovar, Bhaktal, Mangalore, Tellicherry and Calicut to setup trade. Around the same time Kushathali saraswats went to Gokarn in Canara, purchased land and became landowners in large scale. Other who followed joined services under Sonde and Vijayanagar kings in Belgaum and Dharwad areas. Conversion to Vaishnavism The Saraswats in Goa originally believed in Smarta tradition. Shri Madhavacharya , founder of Dwaita philosophy, during his return journey from North India visited Goa in 1294. Attracted by his Dwaita philosophy, many Sasasthikar saraswats converted to Vaishnavism.  The conversion formalities were completed by Padmanabha Tirtha, who was appointed head of Uttaradi Mutt. During his chathurmasya  he converted large number of the saraswats residing in Sasasthi and Bardesh. His disciples converted Sasasthikars who had gone to Thane in North and Calicut in South.  However, they did not discard their attachment to the Panchayatana, and the Shaiva gods. Many of their Kuladevatas are Shaivate (Nagesh, Ramanath) and also connected with Shakti (Shanteri Kamakshi, Mahalasa).   THE FOUNDING OF GAUDAPADACHARYA OR KAVALE MUTT Due to migration and lack of communication facilities, the Saraswats settled in Goa lost contact with their roots. Being Brahmins, the Saraswats needed a spiritual leader, or Swami. In 740 A.D,  at the request of the Saraswats of Gomantak, Swami Vivarananda of the Gaudapada tradition from Kashmir founded the Mutt at Kaushasthali and the whole Saraswat community in Goa and Konkan was the followers of this Mutt. This belonged to the Smarta tradition advocating Adwaitha philosophy and worshiped Shiva, Vishnu, Ganapathi, Shakthi and Surya. The original Gaudapadacharya Mutt founded at Kushsthali, was destroyed during the Portuguese rule in Goa in 1564 AD. The 57th guru Vidyananda Saraswathi and his two successors stayed at Golvan in Ratnagiri and the 60th guru Ramananda Saraswati at Chindar. His successors Sadananda Saraswati and Bhavananda Saraswati stayed and attained samadhi at Varanasi and never visited Goa. The community members earlier approached Bhavananda Saraswati and pleaded with him to come back to Goa. Bhavananda Swamy (the 62nd Guru) sent his disciple Sachchidanandaswamy (the 63rd Guru) to revive the mutt in Goa. The Swamy stayed at Sonavade in Ratnagiri till the time the Mutt at Kavale was ready. The mutt headquarters was  shifted to Kaivalyapura near Shantadurga temple in 1630 AD in the Sonde kingdom and is presently known as Kavale Mutt. Bhavani Shankar The Kavale Mutt is the oldest of the Mutts of Saraswats. The present pontiff is Swami Sivanda saraswati. The deity worshipped by the Mutt is Bhavani Shankar. The Kavale Mutt is located at Ponda, Goa.   The rulers of Goa The various dynasties that controlled Goa during the period were Hindus, the Scytho-parthians (2nd -4th century AD), the Abhiras, Batpura, and the Bhojas (4th - 6th century AD), the Chalukyas (from 6th - 8th century AD) and the Rashtrakutas of Malkhed (8th to 10th Century AD). This was followed by the Kadambas (1006 AD-1356 AD). The Kadambas were unique because they were a local dynasty that slowly came to dominate the scene by forging alliances with their neighbors and overlords, the Chalukyas. They made Chandrapur (Chandor) their capital (937 AD to 1310 AD). They subsequently moved their capital to Govapuri on the banks of the Zuari river, the site of today's Goa Velha. The period of the Kadambas is considered to be the first golden age of Goa. The death of the last Chalukya king in 1198 weakened their alliance and this exposed Goa to the vulnerability to Muslim invasions that took place continuously after that. The history of Saraswats again took a turn due to continued military attacks on Goa. THE FIRST EXODUS FROM GOA (14th - 15th century) The Saraswats enjoyed peace and prosperity in Goa for 400 years. In 1328, the army of Delhi Sultans (Tughluqs) captured the Kadamba capital Chandrapur (Chandor or Chandargao) which included the Gomantak province and ransacked it. From 1352 to 1366 AD Gomantak was under the Khilji Rule. Then in 1472, the Bahamani Muslims attacked. They destroyed many temples and forced the Hindus to get converted to Islam. To avoid these insults and religious persecution several Saraswat families moved to the  neighbourhood Kingdom of Sonde, more to Kanara and a few to even far off Kochi in Malabar Coast. There were migrations during the rule of Vijayanagar and also during the persecution at the time of Muslim rule. The migrants carried with them the images of their worshipped deities. Those Saraswats involved in farming and trading were less willing to abandon their farms and businesses.They stayed back in Goa and slowly rebuilt their lives as farmers and traders. To North Those families fled to northern Kudal desh in Ratnagiri district (Maharashtra) settled down in Lotli, Bardesh, Pedne, Rajapur, Balavali, Malwan, Vengurla etc. where they assimilated the local language and culture. Naturally, with this exodus to distant areas and settling there, these groups lost contacts among themselves which led to estrangement. In course of time, they came to be known by prefixing their new locality names.  By the end of 14th century, atleast 6 distinct groups came into being and were known by their new locality names prefixing. They are: Sasashtikars, Shenavis, Bardeshkars, Pednekars, Lotlikars and Kudaldeshkars. Most of those who fled to North settled in Rajapur Taluk of Ratnagiri District and came to be known as Rajapur Saraswats. The descendants of today have their surnames like Bandivadekar, Madkaikar, Borkar, Sakhalkar, Haldwanekar, Chimbalkar, Navelkar, Marathe, Lotlikar, Salwankar, Karlekar, Burake, Bhagav, Tendulkar, Patkar, Juvale, Dhonde, Shinkar, Shendre, Bokade, Takur, Gawade, Potkar, Askekar, Shenai, Gavalkar, Shembekar, Lanjolkar etc. which are the original local village names of Gomantak found there. Some families took up agriculture and some others who stayed in the town became traders.The Rajapur Saraswats continued their Smarta tradition and established temples of their Kuladevathas at Sakalkarwadi near Rajapur Town (Mukhyaprana), Kodvali village (Datta Mandir). The Gajanana Mandir is another important and beautiful temple situated 24 kms. away from Rajapur Town. The famous Shrine Nava Durge Temple at Bhalavali is an ancient temple administered by Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins. In later years these Saraswats migrated to Bombay and Pune and established themselves in trade and commerce. Rajapur Saraswats are followers of the Kavale Mutt. To Kanara Those migrated to Kanara were both Vaishnavas and Smartas. Among the Smartas were the Kushashthalis, Keloshikars and Kudaldeshkars, and among the Vaishnavas the Sasashtikars, Bardeskars and Pednekars. The Vaishnava sect The group of Saraswats migrated along the seashore were mainly Vaishnavas and acquired a reputation for trade and agriculture. There were large settlements at Mangalore and Bhatkal and smaller settlements at other coastal towns. Under the influence of Shri Narayana Tirtha (who was a Saraswat) of the Udupi Palimar Mutt during the 15th Century a seperate Mutt was founded for them in 1476 AD at Bhaktal. This Mutt was later shifted to Gokarn and then to Partagali in Goa and came to be known as Gokarn-Partagali Mutt. The Vaishnava Saraswats of Goa and most of those from North Kanara were its followers. Vira Vithala is the deity of the Mutt. Those from Kerala and South Kanara remained with the Uttaradhi Mutt. Vira Vittala The Gokarn-Pratagali Mutt for Vaishnava saraswats has Vira Vittala as the worshipped deity. After Swamy Jeevottam Tirtha the Mutt is also called Jeevotham Mutt. Present pontiff Vidhyadhiraj Teertha succeeded to the Peetha in 1973. The Mutt has its headquarters at Partagali, Poinginim, Canacona, Goa. The Bhanaps and Chitrapur mutt The group of Smarta Gowda Saraswats (mainly Kushasthalikar and Keloshikar families) who migrated to Karnatak at the time of the Muslim invasion in the 1400’s were mostly the educators and administrators. This migrant group moved a little inland to North and South Kanara. Their intelligence and generations-old experience as administrators, allowed some of them to secure prominent positions as accountants in the courts of the Hindu rulers of the time. One such Hindu king of the Keladi kingdom, was so impressed by the diligence and skills of his Saraswat accountant, that he decreed that each village in his kingdom, be administered by a Saraswat. Eventually these Saraswats took on the name of the village as their last name. Once they had migrated to the Kanara district, the Shenvis were not able to sustain their unity with the Saraswat Brahmins they had left behind in Goa. Eventhough they continued to believe in Smarta tradition, their connection with the Kavale mutt was cutoff since the Kavale mutt at Kushathali was destroyed in 1564 AD and Swamijis shifted to Varanasi and were not available locally. Although the Saraswats were well respected as accountants, they were not readily recognized as true Brahmins by the local Brahmins (due to jealousy), accusing that the Saraswats have no spiritual guru in reality and complained to the King. So the King issued a decree stating that unless the community showed them their guru, heavy penalties would be imposed on them. Therefore, the Shenvis felt that it was necessary to seek a spiritual preceptor for their community. They pleaded with a Saraswat Sanyasi, Parijananasharma Swamy, visiting from North India, to become their Guru. He consented to guide the community and established a new Mutt for them in Gokarn in 1708 AD. The King of Nagar had his prejudices about the new guru. So he asked the Saraswats to get their Mathadhipati consented by the Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri mutt. Swami Parijnanashrama travelled to Sringeri to meet the Shankaracharya and the consent was granted.  This firmly established Parijnanashram Swami as the guru of the community. In 1739 AD, the ruler Basavappa Nayaka II donated land in Gokarn to build a mutt in reverence to their primary deity, Shri Bhavanishankar. His successor Shankarasharma Swamy travelled to Chitrapur and attained Samadhi there in 1757 AD. Another Mutt establishment was built in Chitrapur near Shirali in Uttara Kannada and it became headquarters of the Mutt. This group considered themselves as superior in intellect and cutoff the connection with other groups in Goa claiming that they are the decendents of Kashmiri Brahmins and eventually formed their own sub-sect, called the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins (also referred  as Bhanaps after one of their popular caste members) and continued their Smarta tradition. When the British ruled India, the Bhanaps took to English education earlier than others. Subsequently, they were able to obtain key jobs at the district offices and the Collector’s offices in Mangalore, Honavar and Karwar. They were also quickly employed as administrators in the Cotton and Textile export industry in Kumta, Hubli and Dharwad. Many Bhanaps made their way into the cosmopolitan city of Bombay by the late 1800's. The worshipped deity of the Chitrapur Mutt is Bhavani Shankar. The present pontiff of the Mutt is Shrimad Sadyojat Shankarashram. The Chitrapur saraswats follow Smarta tradition. The Chitrapur Mutt is located atShirali, Uttar Kannada Dist. To South by Sea Many Saraswats (mainly traders) sailed south from Goa, along the Konkan coast and disembarked at several ports to start a fresh new life in places such as Ankola, Kumta, Honavar, Bhatkal, Gangoli, Basrur, Udupi, Mulki, Mangalore, Ullal, Calicut and even as far south as Cochin. This group became widely  dispersed, living in villages and towns all along the Konkan coast. THE SECOND EXODUS (16th century) The Saraswats had migrated from Goa during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, but the exodus became thicker after the entry of the Portuguese from the 16th century. In 1510 A.D,  Panaji was captured by the Portuguese general Alfonso Albuquerque from the Adil Shah dynasty of Bijapur, and the Portuguese rule was established. At first, the Portuguese did not interfere with the locals, although they banned the sati rite (burning of widows). They employed Hindus and engaged them in their armies, and they maintained good trade relations with the Hindu empire of Hampi. When different Christian missionaries arrived in Goa, the question of religious tolerance began. The Hindu temples were destroyed and forced conversions to Christianity took place. The official figures show that 280 temples in Berdez and 300 temples in Salcette were destroyed. The Portuguese built churches in many places where the temples stood. In 1559 A. D, King Joao III of Portugal issued a decree threatening expulsion or execution of non-believers in Christianity. They were forced to eat beef. This was perhaps the worst of times seen by the Konkani people. The saraswats who were poor and belonged to lower strata got converted to christianity and the rich had the power to resist conversion and stayed back in Goa. Those belonged to the middle class who refused conversion had to flee. Having thrown the idols of their Kuladevatas (resident deities) into wells, thousands of Saraswath Brahman families fled to interior Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka. About 12,000  families from the Sasashti District of Goa, mostly of Saraswats and including Vanis (Vaishyas), Kunbis (cultivators), Sonars (goldsmiths) and others fled by ships to the southern ports from Honavar to Kozhikode. Many settled down at these ports, which already contained Saraswat traders and spread into the interior. About 4,000 went north-east to settle down in Maharashtra and Indore, and others went south to settle in Karwar and South Kanara. It is said that once tensions died down, the Brahman men alone travelled back to their native places and brought back their Kula Devatas. The families who escaped were never to see Goa again. The last of those who were expelled by the Portuguese from Goa landed in Calicut, Kerala but were driven out by the Zamorin. And so they went to Cochin and Travancore. This happened sometime in the year 1560 A. D. Those settled in Karnataka and Kerala easily adapted to locale. In due course their Kokani became heavily mixed with local languages. By the end of 17th century there were at least two distinct groups - Kerala Konkanis (malayalam as the local language) and Mangalore Konkanis (Kannada as the local language).    GOWDA SARASWAT BRAHMINS (GSB) IN KERALA The migration of GSBs to Kerala were mainly in two phases - in the 13th century (the exodus of 1294 AD) and subsequently in the 16th century (1560 AD). Early settlements in Kerala There are pieces of evidence to prove that stray members of the Saraswat community had their settlement in Cochin since the early part of 13th century A.D. Owing to certain religious disputes some Saraswats from Sasasti were forced to leave their native country Konkan with their idols in 1294 A.D. and travelling southward they came to the territory of His Highness the Raja of Cochin. They formed themselves into a community which they named "Konkanastha Mahajanam" and later came to be known as Konkanis. The Raja of cochin took them under his protection. An area of land was given to them and helped to build a Temple and also made arrangements for the conduct of festivals in the temple built by them. There still remains a plot of land in Cochin called Sastiparambu to commemorate the fact that the Saraswats of Cochin originally belonged to Sasasti (Salcette). In Sastiparambu, there is an old temple of Kuladevata Damodar. Damodar temple at Sasti parambu Sasti parambu It is believed that they came to shore through the canal and put their belongings at the place now called Sasti parambu and went straight to the King. The Raja of Cochin permitted them to stay and also allotted an area of land now known as Cherlai. This was later renamed as Gosripuram. The Canal By 1360 AD there were about 150 families of Saraswats at Tellicherry and most of them were engaged in trade. Other settlements were at Kasargode, Kumbala, Manjeshwar and Hosdrug. In fact, Saraswats were already there when Vasco da Gama arrived Calicut in 1498.  When the king of Cochin excempted Saraswats from the levy of poll tax, they came in large numbers and settled at Cochin as traders. In fact, the 360 families of Saraswats that migrated to Cochin were the pick of the Goa saraswats and eventually became rich and powerful. The local Brahmins did not recognise Saraswats as Brahmins and were not allowed inside the Kerala temples. This was mainly because many saraswats were fish eating and some of them came to Kerala by sea. In those days crossing the sea was considered inauspicious by the Brahmins. The GSBs wanted to establish own temples and started worshipping their Kuladevatas in homes and settlements. The Kerala GSBs also gave up fish eating to establish as Brahmins.   Founding of the Kashi Mutt   The senior Swamiji   Veda vyasa All the Kerala Saraswats were Vaishnavas and were disciples of the Uttaradi Mutt of Jayatheerth. Vibhudendra Tirtha, one of the two disciples of Jayatheerth, established a Mutt at Kumbakonam and Gowda Saraswats of South Kanara and Kerala were transferred to this Mutt. The Cochin Saraswats invited their junior guru Sri Vijayindra Tirtha (who was a Saraswat Brahmin) of Kumbakonam Mutt to Cochin for Chathurmasya vrita in 1539–1540 and requested him to initiate a Saraswat boy among them to Sanyasa. In 1541, Sri Hanumantha Bhaktha was selected and taken to Kumbakonam. The new Sanyasin was named Yadavendra Thirtha who eventually became head of the new Kashi Mutt at Varanasi established in 1542 AD. The people of Cochin helped to buy land at Benaras for the Mutt. The worshipped deity of this Mutt is Shri Vedavyasa. In 1599 AD, Sri Sudhindra Tirtha of Kumbhakonam Mutt installed the idol of Venkateswara at Cochin Tirumala Temple. Gradually Saraswats in other parts of Kerala also installed images of Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity in their temples and this deity is called Tirumala Devar. The Kashi mutt has its headquarters at Brahma Ghat, Varanasi. It has branches and establishments at Prayag, Haridwar, Bhatkal, Basrur, Hemmady, Bantwal, Panambur (Suratkal), Manjeshwar, Rameshwaram, Karkala, Nayampalli near Udupi, Bhagamandala (Kodagu), Bandora (Goa), Pallipuram (Kerala), Manchakal, Naravi (near Belthangady), Alleppey, Konchady, Hangarakatte, Tirupathi, Bangalore and Calicut. The Kashi Mutt is also running schools to foster Sanskrit learning and train purohits at Karkal and Basrur. The present senior swamiji had chosen a successor who was later replaced by another in 2002. This has led to some differences among the community members.   Major migration The Saraswat migrations reached its peak during the second exodus from Goa (in 1560 AD). Many of them came to Calicut, but were not welcomed by the Ruler Samoothiri of Calicut. So they moved still southwards. The first batch settled in Cherai, the area between Azheekal and Elankunnapuzha in the Vypeen island. In 1565 AD the idol of Lord Varaha brought from Goa by the settlers was installed at Cherai. In search of trading opportunities, some moved along the sea coast and settled in places like Alleppey, Purakkad and Kayamkulam. However, the major concentration was in Cochin area. They called their place of settlement Gosripuram, which is derived from the word Goapuri. They belonged to the Madhwa cult and had links with the Kumbakonam mutt. The saraswats settled in Cochin setup temples of their Kuladevtas. The social life of GSBs was inseperable from the temples and social exchanges with the locals was limited. Most of the new GSB settlers in Kerala were very poor. However they managed to get Royal patronage and free land for establishing their temples. Only a few (who migrated in the first phase, mainly traders in Cochin and Kasargod) were well off. They took control of the temples and the vast lands associated with it. The poor dispersed further in search of opportunities and doing petty business like pappad making and cooking. The GSBs thus belonged to 3 classes - businessmen, landlords and poor. Venkateswara as presiding deity Swami Vijayendra Tirtha of Kumbakonam mutt visited Cochin and performed Chaturmasa Vrita among the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin Community of Cochin. He had a miraculous idol of Venkateswara with him. Upon seeing the radiance of the idol, the community of Cochin under the leadership of Sri Mala Pai, requested the idol from the Swamiji. He agreed to hand over the idol in exchange for a heap of gold coins that would immerse the idol (Kanakabhisheka). A rent-free site was granted by the Prince of Cochin to build a temple. The Gosripuram temple was constructed and this Venkateswara idol was permanently installed in the Cochin temple as the main deity of Saraswats in 1599 AD. The Pratishtha was performed by Swami Sudheendra Tirtha, the disciple of Swami Vijayindra Tirtha. This idol has a major role in the events to come.click for origin of the Venkateswara idol. Gradually saraswats residing in other parts of Kerala also installed the images of Venkateswara as presiding deity in their temples. Major Events and Activities In 1627 A.D, Vira Kerala Varma Raja of Cochin gave the Konkanis certain rights and privileges such as excemption from payment of Purushantharam or succession fee, permision to construct houses with bricks mortar and wood and also to conduct business from Cochin with foreign countries. This is considered as the magna carta of the Konkani community in Kerala. After this the Saraswats became supreme in trade and commerce. Again in 1648 A.D, the Raja of Cochin, Vira Kerala Varma, gave the community the civil and criminal powers to be exercised by them within the well-defined boundary of their settlement called ‘Sanketam’.  The Saraswats could secure all these privileges in Cochin because of their skill and ability as overseas traders. During the second half of the 17 Century AD while the portuguese were dominating Cochin, the Dutch made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the Fort at Cochin from the Portuguese. The Konkanis who rendered assistance to the Dutch were tortured by the Portuguese and their houses, markets and temple known as Cochin Tirumala Devaswom were plundered. The Konkanis left Cochin along with the Venkateswara idol to a place called Udayamperur and remained there till Jan 1663.  When the Portuguese surrendered to the Dutch, the Konkanis came back to Cochin and reconstructed the Cochin temple. The second Prathistha of Lord Venkatesvara was performed in the reconstructed temple at Cochin during the year 1719 AD. The consecration took place at the hands of Swami Devendra Tirtha, the sixth pontiff of Sree Kashi Mutt Samsthan. While the Konkanies were at Udayamperur where they remained as refugees without shelter, they took a pledge to spread their habitation in sixteen places, eight in Cochin Kingdom and eight in Travancore area thereby building sixteen Tirumala Devaswoms and calling each place agramam. According to the Grandavari records in Cochin Archives, the Dutch company had secured in 1663 the privilege of extra-territoriality for the Konkanis and Christians in the Cochin kingdom. The privilege permitted the Konkani and the local Christian subjects of the Cochin prince for trial of all suits filed by these people or against these people, in the Courts of the Dutch Company. They secured this privilege because Konkanis were the people whose help the Dutch needed most for their commercial transactions, and the local Christians because they were the co-religionists of the Dutch. The Saraswats competed with the Jaina traders and the Muslim Mopla traders on the West Coast in their overseas trade. The Europeans especially the Dutch and the Portuguese, who disliked the local Muslims for their close alliance with Arabs who were the rivals of these Europeans in oceanic trade, maintained special relations with the Saraswats in their commercial transactions. The Dutch who founded their factory at Cochin and monopolized the trade of the port relied on the Saraswats for securing goods like pepper, rice, forest products etc. The Dutch had settled in Cochin at the full tide of Konkani predominance. The Dutch had given them the right to collect income from Mattancherry and Cherlai, to collect farms and customs of Amaravati and to conduct the affairs of Mattancherry and Cherlai and of Konkani temples. In the agreement made in 1772 with the Raja of Cochin, the Dutch had also stipulated that the Raja shall impose no new demand on the Konkanis that they shall have full liberty to complain to the Dutch Governor, if aggrieved, and that the Raja shall not interfere in any matters of the temple without the knowledge and consent of the Company. The story of Kalaga Prabhu Baba Prabhu was the foremost among the konkani merchants in Cochin. David Rahabi, a Jew business man and attorney in Malabar was close friend of the Prabhu and left his son young Ezechiel in charge of the Prabhus who had initiated the young jew to business. In 1752  Ezechiel Rahabi started partnership business with a prominent merchant Kalaga Prabhu. Unfortunately for Prabhu, he was indebted to Ezechiel and in 1770, Ezechiel took over a warehouse of Prabhu as part of payment of the debt without consulting the Prabhu. Kalaga Prabhu then approached the Governer, who ordered the Ezechiel to return the keys to Prabhu. The keys were returned and Ezechiel kept away from the disputed warehouse till Ezechiel was dead. On 11-11-1771, a sensational law suit began between the three sons of Ezechiel and Kalaga Prabhu. Kalaga Prabhu then entered into correspondence with the generals of Hyder Ali with the aim of humiliating the Raja of Cochin and the Jews of Cochin. The correspondence was detected in time and the Kalaga Prabhu and his son Chorda Prabhu were caught and exiled for life to Cape of Good Hope. This last known man of a great konkani family was the first Indian to settle in South Africa. Kalaga Prabhu had earlier constructed temple at Cherlai with granite stones. The temple was dedicated to Lord Siva and worshipped as Vasukewara which was later renamed as Keraleswara. It is believed that the linga of Siva was brought by Kalaga from the shores of Rameswaram. After the exile, the Dutch sold at public auction all properties of Kalaga Prabhu including the Keraleswara temple. The temple and the property of Kalaga were purchased by one Nagaresa who entrusted the same to the Raja of Cochin. However, the Raja of Cochin in 1790 handed over the management of the Keraleswara temple to Cochin Tirumala Devaswom.   Sakthan Thampuran & Persecution In 1791, shortly after ascending throne the new Raja of Cochin, known in Cochin history asSakthan Thampuran, demanded a contribution of jaggery from the Konkanies and made an injunction not to allow gathering of crops on Devaswom Kanam fields. On refusal, the Raja arrested a number of Konkani merchants and ordered them to pay customs to the king thereby violating the agreement which the Dutch had made in the year 1772. Letters were exchanged between the Raja of Cochin and the Dutch Governor, and the Dutch have determined to station a military detachement at Cherlai to protect them, and insisted on recall of Raja's guard stationed there. The relation of Konkanis with the Raja continued non-cordial. The also demanded 30,000 varahans from Cochin Tirumala Devaswom and that on refusal the trustees of the Devaswom were imprisoned. In order to get them released the Konkanies closed down all business establishments in Vypeen and Mattancherry as a protest against his high handedness. On 12th October 1791 the leading merchants of the Konkani community were massacred including Devaresa Kini, Krishen, Goga Kamath, Manuku Shenoi and Nagendra. Again, the Raja caused three overseers of Temple Tirumala Devasom to be put to death because they won't surrender to him any part of the treasure belonging to it, and also plundered the shops and carried away the merchant's property. The Duth on seeing the Raja's atrocities sent an army and attacked the King's Palace at Mattancherry, but were repulsed. The Raja plundered the temple of Tirumala belonging to the community and looted the wealth estimated at over Rs. 1,60,000 from the temple alone.     The exodus and the Tirumala deity  click for origin of the Venkateswara idol. The persecuted Konkanies then fled in country boats to Thuravoor and Alleppey in Travancore state in 1792 A.D and presented their grievances to the Raja of Travancore thru Dewan Kesavadas who assured them that he would bring about their return to and stay at Cochin as before and in the interim allowed them to stay at Alleppey. They have also carried the Tirumala devar idol from Cochin with them. At Alleppey, they installed the Tirumala Devar, in the Agrasala of the Venkatachalapathy Temple and worshiped. In 1853, as desired by the Travancore Maharaja, a separate temple was constructed at Ananthanarayana Puram (about 1 Km from the previous temple) and the deity was installed there.                   The king was exceedingly angry to hear about the massacre. Both Devaresa and Nagendra , the son of Ranga Pai , were his agents and between them took care of a great deal of his money. He intervened and urged the Dutch to take vengeance and to pay him a proper compensation.  But the English (Mr. Powney, the English company's agent) in Travancore intervened, and the King of Travancore had to withdraw from the dispute. The Tirumala deity was considered a good fortune for the area where it is located. Sakthan Thampuran made vain attempts to bring back Tirumala Deity from Alleppey to Cochin. He also made attempts to get back the Tirumala Deity through the Dutch Government functioning at Cochin. After the death of Sakthan Thampuran, Raja Kerala Varma who succeded him took keen interest in the deity and wished to get it back to Cochin. He even addressed a  letter to Col. Munro (1816 A.D) wherein he stated that "as the rheumatic and hermein disease which We have been suffering from, has grown more serious now and since no visible cure has been affected not withstanding that several physicians have treated the disease and, on consulting astrologers, it turns out that We have incurred the serevest displeasure of the Cochin Tirumala Deity and that the disease will be cured if the Tirumala  Deity is returned to Cochin, consecration effected and the poojas commenced....". The Raja therefore requested Col. Munro to use his good offices for restoration of the image in question to Cochin; But the request was turned down by the then resident as a result of urgent representation of Travancore officers that the presence of the image was considered to be intimately connected with the prosperity of the Port of Alleppey. With the settlement of Cochin Konkanies at Alleppey, the place began to develop into a center of commerce. The konkanis built 'Pandikasala' and started doing extensive business. It was during the prime ministership of the Diwan Kesavadas who recommended the case of Konkanies to the Raja of Tranvancore for their stay at Alleppey, that the new port of Alleppey came into being with better harbour facilities. The desperate Konkanies who returned to Cochin planned the recovery of the deity by hook or crook. Ultimately the idol was clandestinely brought back to Cochin on the midnight of 7th Feb 1853 (just 10 months after it was installed in the new temple). It was taken out of the Alleppey Ananthanarayana puram Temple at night in a basket coverd by Naivedyam and carried to Cochin by country boat via Aroor, beyond which was the Cochin State. The people of Alleppey came to know about this only in the next morning by the time the idol was beyond the Travancore State boundary and could not do anything. Since it was found that the Raja of Cochin had his hand in the Robbery, the Maharaja of Travancore put in a lenghtly complaint with the governor of Fort, St.George through the resident, Trivandrum for the restitution of the idol in question, and the whole matter was referred to the Hon. Court of Madras, and a long drawn out suit ensued between the two states, Cochin and Tranvancore. The Konkanies of Cochin got through all ordeals and finally the Idol was duly reinstated in the Cochin Temple itself.     The 20th century and Rise of middle class In the early 20th century, the rich temple Devaswoms started schools near the temples at places like Cochin, Thuravoor, Alleppey etc. During and after the first world war, many GSBs doing petty business utilised the business opportunities and made quick bucks. They realised the benefits of literacy and educated their children. Basically good in Mathematics and Commerce many of these children managed to get jobs as teachers, clerks and accountants. The founding of Canara Bank (in 1910) and the Syndicate Bank (in 1925) by GSBs of Mangalore and Udupi, gave employment to most of the educated GSB youths of Kerala until the nationalisation of banks. This resulted in a steady improvement in the economic conditions and social status of the poor class. Majority of them became middle class by the sixties. From the concentrated pockets, they migrated to other towns and villages and became dispersed.  The introduction of Kerala Land Reforms Act in 1963 relating to the fixation of ceiling on land holdings, the vesting of lands in excess of the ceiling in Government, abolition of tenancy system and assignment of proprietary right on land to the cultivating tenants changed the fate of the temples and many GSBs. The landlords lost much of their land and the vast lands attached to the temples were taken over by the government. With deteriorating income most of the temples (except a few) now struggle for existence.  aranganathan////uthiramerur

2012/4/9 Santhanam Swaminathan <swam...@yahoo.com>

[ranganathan venkatachariar]

Brahmin communities in India

[Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmin_communities]

See the separate page for Details of <a href>Telugu Brahmins</a>

Pancha Dravida		Pancha Gauda
Gujarat	Trivedi Mewada Brahman Bhatt Mewada Brahman Saurashtra Trivedi Mewad Brahman Saurashtra Bhatt Mewada Brahman Pushkarna Brahman Nagar Brahman Audich Brahman Modh Brahman Bardai Brahman Girinarayan Brahman Khedaval Brahman Shrimali Brahman Anavil Brahman Sidhra-Rudhra Brahmins Sree gauda Brahman Prashnora Brahman	Saraswat	Kashmiri Pandits MohyalBrahmins Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins Gouda Saraswat Brahmins Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin Nasarpuri Sindh Saraswat Brahmin
Maharashtra	Deshastha Brahmin Chitpavan Brahmin(Konkanastha) Karhade Brahmin Devrukhe Brahmin Daivadnya Brahmin	Kanyakubja	Kanyakubja Brahmins Bhumihar Brahmins Saryupareen Brahmins
Karnataka	Gauda Saraswat Brahmins (Generally considered Pancha-Gauda) Mysore Iyers Havyaka Brahmin Ashtagrama iyers Mulukanadu Brahmins Sankethi Brahmins Sarawat Brahmins (totally different from Gowda Saraswat)	Gauda	Khandelwal Brahmin Kota Brahmin Dadhich Brahmin Gaur Brahmin Sanadhya Brahmin
Karnataka (Major group) Kannada Brahmins	Daivajna Brahmins Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins Badaganadu Brahmins Babbur Kamme Brahmins Shukla Yajurveda Brahmins Ulucha Kamme Brahmins Niyogi Brahmins Madhva Brahmins Mandyam Iyengars Hebbar Iyengars Mysore Iyengars	Maithil	Maithili Brahmins Kulin Brahmins Bengali Brahmins
Karnataka (Major group) Tuluva Brahmins	Shivalli Brahmins Sthanika Brahmins Koteshwara Brahmins Padia Brahmins Saklapuri Brahmins Kandavara Brahmins Koota Brahmins Havyaka Brahmins Smarth Brahmins Maratha Brahmins Karhade Brahmins	Utkal (Orissa)	Utkala Brahmins
Tamil Nadu and Kerala	Iyers (of  sholiyar, Vadama, Vathima,Brihatcharanam, Astasataram) Iyengars (of Vadakalai and Thenkalai sects) Namboothiri Brahmins Pushpaka Brahmins (Ambalavasis) Sharada Brahmins Nagariks or the Brahmin migrants from north india

2012/4/9 ranganathan venkatachariar <ranganath...@gmail.com>

[Santhanam Swaminathan]

Thanks for very useful information.

I do some research in this area and History of Rishis.

I have Rishikalum Gothra pravarthangkalum by Lifco.

I have another research book Rishis in Ancient India and Maharishikkal Charithram.

Your links and reference will help me to do further research.

 

Swami
020 8904 2879
07951 370 697

Blog: swamiindology.blogspot.com

---

From: ranganathan venkatachariar <ranganath...@gmail.com>
To: mint...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, April 9, 2012 2:47 AM

[ranganathan venkatachariar]

 

This article is about the Hindu varnas. For other uses of this word and similar words, see Brahman (disambiguation). For brahmin moths, see Brahmaeidae.

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Brahmin, in Hinduism, traditionally refers to the priestly caste or a member of this caste in the Hindu caste system. According to Hindu dharma, it is the highest caste among the four varnas of Hindu religion. The Sanskrit word Brāhmaṇa ((Devanagari: ब्राह्मण) denotes the poet/scholar/teacher, priest, caste, class (varṇa), or tribe, that Hindu tradition enjoins to live a life of learning, teaching and non-possessiveness .[1][2][3] The Sanskrit terms Brahman and Brāhman ("belonging to Brahman") are also used.[4]

The English word brahmin is an anglicised form of the Sanskrit word brāhmana, however they are not necessarily the same things. Vedic brahman (bráhman) loosely translated means sacrificial poetry and one with such knowledge was a brahmin (brahmán) The acquisition of this knowledge was increasingly confined to men belonging to the brahmin caste. Few others could acquire brahmán.

Brahmins are also called Vipra "inspired",[5] or Dvija "twice-born".[6]

In 1931 (the last Indian census to record caste), Brahmins accounted for 4.32% of the total population. Brahmins even in Uttar Pradesh, where they were most numerous, constituted just 9% of the recorded population. In Tamil Nadu they formed less than 3% and in Andhra Pradesh, less than 2%.[7] In Kerala, Nambudiri Brahmins make up 0.7% of the population. In modern India, the state with the largest percentage of Brahmins is Uttarakhand (formerly a part of Uttar Pradesh). Here the Brahmin population exceeds one-third the total population of the state.[8]

Contents

1 History

2 Brahmin communities

2.1 Pancha Gauda Brahmins

2.2 Pancha Dravida Brahmins

3 Gotras and pravaras

4 Sects and rishis

4.1 Descendants from rishis

5 Brahmins taking up other duties

6 Practices

6.1 Traditional duties

6.2 Samskaras

7 Sampradayas

7.1 Vaishnavism

7.2 Shaivism

7.3 Other sects

8 Brahmins in Buddhism

8.1 Brahmin bhikshus

8.2 Brahmin Bodhisattvas

8.3 Scriptures dedicated to Brahmin bhikkus

8.4 In kingdoms

9 Brahmins in Jainism

9.1 In kingdoms

10 Contributions

11 See also

12 Notes

13 References

14 External links

//

[] History

Main article: History of Hinduism

The history of the Brahmin community in India begins with the Vedic religion of early Hinduism, now often referred to by Hindus as Sanatana Dharma, in ancient India. The Vedas are the primary source of knowledge for brahmin practices. Most sampradayas of Brahmins take inspiration from the Vedas. According to orthodox Hindu tradition, the Vedas are apauruṣeya and anādi (beginning-less), but are revealed truths of eternal validity. The Vedas are considered Śruti (that which is heard, signifying their validity or relevance and are the paramount source of Brahmin traditions. Shruti includes not only the four Vedas (the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda), but also their respective Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. Brahman and Brahmin (brahman, brahmán, masculine ) are not the same. Brahman (Brahman, neuter) refers to the Supreme Self. Brahmin or Brahmana (brahmán, brāhmaṇa) refers an individual. Additionally, the word Brahma (brahmā) refers to first of the gods.

[] Brahmin communities

See also: Brahmin communities

The Brahmin castes may be broadly divided into two regional groups: Pancha-Gauda Brahmins and Pancha-Dravida Brahmins as per the shloka,however this sloka is from Rajatarangini of Kalhana which is composed only in 11th CE and many communities find their traces from sages mentioned in, much older Vedas and puranas.

कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः,

गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा विन्ध्यदक्षिणे ||

सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः,

पन्चगौडा इति ख्याता विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासि ||[9]

Translation: Karnataka, Telugu (Andhra), Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), Maharashtra and Gujarat are Five Southern (Panch Dravida). Saraswata, Kanyakubja, Gauda, Utkala, Maithili are Five Northern (Pancha Gauda). This classification occurs in Rajatarangini of Kalhana and is mentioned by Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya in "Hindu Castes and Sects." [10]

[] Pancha Gauda Brahmins

Panch Gaur (the five classes of Northern India): 1) [[Saraswat]],2) [[Kanyakubja]], 3) [[AdiGauda brahmins (including Sanadhyas)]] 4)[[Utkala Brahmin]], and 5) [[Maithil Brahmin( including Saryuparin Brahmin)]]. In addition, for the purpose of giving an account of Northern Brahmins each of the provinces must be considered separately, such as, Kashmir, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Kurukshetra, Rajputana, Uttar Pradesh, Ayodhya (Oudh), Gandhar, Punjab, North Western Provinces and Pakistan, Sindh, Central India, Trihoot, Bihar, Orissa, Bengal, Assam, etc. The originate from south of the (now-extinct) Saraswati River.[11]

In Bihar, majority of Brahmins are Kanyakubja Brahmins and Maithil Brahmins with a significant population of Sakaldipi or Shakdweepiya Brahmins. The Bhumihars have regarded themselves as Brahmins.

In Haryana, the brahmin classified in mainly Dadhich_Brahmin, Gaud brahmin, Khandelwal brahmin.but large proportion of brahmin in haryana are Adi Gaud(about 90%).approximatly all brahmin in west U P are adi gaur.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Brahmins are classified in mainly Shri Gaud, Sanadhya, Gujar-Gaud Brahmins. Majority of Shri Gaud Brahmins are found in the Malwa region (Indore, Ujjain, Dewas).Eastern MP has dense population of Sarayuparain brahmins.Hoshangabad and Harda Distt. of MP have a considerable population of Jujhotia brahmins.

In Nepal, the hill Brahmins are classified in mainly Upadhaya Brahmin, Jaisi Brahmin and Kumain Brahmins. Upadhaya Brahmins are supposed to have settled in Nepal long before the other two groups.Majority of hill Brahmins are supposed to be of Khasa origin.

In Punjab, they are classified as Saraswat Brahmins.

In Rajasthan, the Brahmins are classified in mainly Dadhich_Brahmin, Gaud Brahmin,Sanadhya brahmins, Sri Gaud Brahmin, Khandelwal Brahmin, Gujar-Gaud Brahmins. In Sindh, the saraswat brahmins from nasarpur of sindh province are called Nasarpuri Sindh Saraswat Brahmin. During the India and Pakistan partition migrated to India from sindh province.

In Uttar Pradesh from west to east: Sanadhya & Adi Gauda(western UP), Kanyakubja( Central UP), Sarayuparin (Eastern, NE,& SE UP) and Maithil(Varanasi), the South western UP, i.e. Bundelkhand has thick population of Jujhotia brahmins(branch of Kanyakubja brahmins:ref. Between History & Legend:Power & Status in Bundelkhand by Ravindra K Jain).Mathure or mathuria brahmins'choubeys' are limited to Mathura area.

In West bengal the brahmins are classified in Barendra & Rarhi corresponding to the ancient Barendrabhumi(North Bengal) and Rarhdesh (South Bengal)making present day Bangladesh & West Bengal. Besides these two major community there are also Utkal Brahmins, having migrated from present Orissa and Vaidik Brahmins, having migrated from Western and Northern India.

[] Pancha Dravida Brahmins

Panch Dravida (the five classes of Southern India): 1) Andhra, 2) Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), 3) Karnataka, 4) Maharashtra and Konkon, and 5) Gujarat. They originate from north of the (now-extinct) Saraswati River.[11]

In Andhra Pradesh, Brahmins are broadly classified into 2 groups: Vaidika (meaning educated in vedas and performing religious vocations) and Niyogi (performing only secular vocation). They are further divided into several sub-castes. However, majority of the Brahmins, both Vaidika and Niyogi, perform only secular professions. [12]

In Kerala, Brahmins are classified into three groups: Namboothiris, Pottis and Pushpakas. (Pushpakas are commonly clubbed with Ampalavasi community). The major priestly activities are performed by Namboothiris while the other temple related activities known as Kazhakam are performed by Pushpaka Brahmins and other Ampalavasis. Sri Adi Shankara was born in Kalady, a village in Kerala, to a Namboothiri Brahmin couple, Shivaguru and Aryamba, and lived for thirty-two years. The Namboothiri Brahmins, Potti Brahmins and Pushpaka Brahmins in Kerala follow the Philosophies of Sri Adi Sankaracharya. The Brahmins who migrated to Kerala from Tamil Nadu are known as Pattar in Kerala. They possess almost same status of Potti Brahmins in Kerala.

In Tamil Nadu, Brahmins belong to 2 major groups: Iyer and Iyengar. Iyers comprise of Smartha and Saivite Brahmins and are broadly classified into Vadama, Vathima, Brhatcharnam, Ashtasahasram, Sholiyar and Gurukkal. There are mostly followers of Adi Shankaracharya and form about three-fourths of Tamil Nadu's Brahmin population. Iyengars comprise of Vaishnavite Brahmins and are divided into two sects: Vadakalai and Thenkalai. They are mostly followers of Ramanuja and make up the remaining one-fourth of the Tamil Brahmin population.

Karnataka,

Main article: Kannada_Brahmins

In Karnataka, Brahmins belong to 3 major groups: Smarthas, the followers of Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Madhvas (or Vaishnavas) who are the followers of Sri Madhvacharya, and Sri-Vaishnavas (Iyengars), who are the followers of Sri Ramanujacharya and Srimath Vedanta Desika. Major subsects of Smartha Brahmins of Karnataka are Hoysala Karnataka, Mysore Iyers, Ulucha Kamme, Babboor Kamme, Badaganadu, Sthanika Brahmins, Kota, Havyaka Brahmins, Moogooru Karnataka and Devanga Karnataka. All the sub sects just mentioned either follow the Rigveda or the Krishna Yajurveda. There are two other groups known as Sama Vedi's (affiliated to Sama Veda) and Shukla Yajurvedi's (affiliated to Shukla Yajurveda); all the Sama Vedi's are Smartha's while the Shukla Yajurvedi's are either Smartha's or Maadhva's. Other traditional non-Kannada speaking Brahmin groups in Karnataka are Mulukanadu (Telugu speaking Smartha's), Gowda Saaraswatha (Konkani speaking Maadhva's), Deshastha Brahmin (Marathi speaking Maadhva's) Konkani speaking Daivajnas and Sankethi ( Sankethi speaking Smartha's). Irrespective of their denominations, customs followed by all the Smartha's mentioned, are to a very large extent, identical.

In Maharashtra, Brahmins are classified into four groups: Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins, Deshastha Brahmin and Karhade Brahmin, Devrukhe. As the name indicates, Kokanastha Brahmin are from Konkan area. Deshastha Brahmin are from plains of Maharashtra, Karhade Brahmins are perhaps from Karhatak (an ancient region in India that included present day south Maharashtra and northern Karnataka) and Devrukhe brahmins are from Devrukh near Ratnagiri

In Gujarat, Brahmins are classified into Eight groups: Anavil Brahmin, Awadhich Brahmins, Bardai Brahmins, Girinarayan Brahmins, Khedaval, Nagar Brahmins, Shrimali Brahmins, Sidhra-Rudhra Brahmins and Modh Brahmins.

[Modh Brahmins] woshipped MATANGI-Modheshwai mata (MODHERA).Most of these found in North Gujarat and in ahd,baroda region...they are known as BARA BAVAN MODH CHATUVEDIY BRAHMIN.....

[] Gotras and pravaras

See also: Classification of Brahmins

In general, gotra denotes any person who traces descent in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as ' apatyam pautraprabh*rti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means 'the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage) beginning with the son's son. When a person says ' I am Kashypasa-gotra' he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent. According to the Baudhâyanas'rauta-sûtra Viśvāmitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvâja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and Agastya are 8 sages; the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. This enumeration of eight primary gotras seems to have been known to Pānini. These gotras are not directly connected to Prajapathy or latter brama. The offspring (apatya) of these eight are gotras and others than these are called ' gotrâvayava '. [13]

The gotras are arranged in groups, e. g. there are according to the Âsvalâyana-srautasûtra four subdivisions of the Vasishtha gana, viz. Upamanyu, Parāshara, Kundina and Vasishtha (other than the first three). Each of these four again has numerous sub-sections, each being called gotra. So the arrangement is first into ganas, then into pakshas, then into individual gotras. The first has survived in the Bhrigu and Āngirasa gana. According to Baud, the principal eight gotras were divided into pakshas. The pravara of Upamanyu is Vasishtha, Bharadvasu, Indrapramada; the pravara of the Parâshara gotra is Vasishtha, Shâktya, Pârâsharya; the pravara of the Kundina gotra is Vasishtha, Maitrâvaruna, Kaundinya and the pravara of Vasishthas other than these three is simply Vasishtha. It is therefore that some define pravara as the group of sages that distinguishes the founder (lit. the starter) of one gotra from another.

There are two kinds of pravaras, 1) sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara, and 2) putrparampara. Gotrapravaras can be ekarsheya, dwarsheya, triarsheya, pancharsheya, saptarsheya, and up to 19 rishis. Kashyapasa gotra has at least two distinct pravaras in Andhra Pradesh: one with three sages (triarsheya pravara) and the other with seven sages (saptarsheya pravara). This pravara may be either sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara or putraparampara. When it is sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara marriage is not acceptable if half or more than half of the rishis are same in both bride and bridegroom gotras. If it is putraparampara, marriage is totally unacceptable even if one rishi matches.[14]

[] Sects and rishis

Due to the diversity in religious and cultural traditions and practices, and the Vedic schools which they belong to, Brahmins are further divided into various subcastes. During the sutra period, roughly between 1000 BCE to 200 BCE, Brahmins became divided into various Shakhas (branches), based on the adoption of different Vedas and different rescension Vedas. Sects for different denominations of the same branch of the Vedas were formed, under the leadership of distinguished teachers among Brahmins.

There are several Brahmin law givers such as Angirasa, Apasthambha, Atri, Brihaspati, Boudhayana, Daksha, Gautam, Harita, Katyayana, Likhita, Manu,[15] Parasara, Samvarta, Shankha, Shatatapa, Ushanasa, Vashishta, Vishnu, Vyasa, Yajnavalkya and Yama. These twenty-one rishis were the propounders of Smritis. The oldest among these smritis are Apastamba, Baudhayana, Gautama, and Vasishta Sutras. [16]

[] Descendants from rishis

Many Indians and non-Indians claim descent from the Vedic Rishis of both Brahmin and non-Brahmin descent. For example the Dash and Nagas are said to be the descendants of Kashyapa Muni, the Gotamas (including Lord Buddha apart from the Gautam Brahmins are said to descendants of Gautama Muni. It is also believed that Buddha was a descendant of the Vedic Angirasa Muni.[17] Visvakarmas are the descendants of Pancha Rishis or Brahmarshies. According to Yajurveda and brahmanda purana They are Sanagha ,Sanathana,Abhuvanasa,Prajnasa, Suparnasa. The Kani tribe of South India claim to descend from Agastya Muni.

The Gondhali, Kanet, Bhot, Lohar, Dagi, and Hessis claim to be from Renuka Devi.

The Kasi Kapadi Sudras claim to originate from the Brahmin Sukradeva. Their duty was to transfer water to the sacred city of Kashi.[18]

Dadheech Brahmins/dayama brahmin trace their roots from Dadhichi Rishi. Many Jats clans claim to descend from Dadhichi Rishi while the Dudi Jats claim to be in the linear of Duda Rishi.

Lord Buddha of course, was a descendant of Angirasa through Gautama. There too were Kshatiryas of other clans to whom members descend from Angirasa, to fulfill a childless king's wish.[19]

The backward-caste Matangs claim to descend from Matang Muni, who became a Brahmin by his karma.

The nomadic tribe of Kerala, the Kakkarissi according to one legend are derived from the mouth of Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, and came out Brahmin.[20]

The Sikhwal (also known as Sukhwal or Shringi) Brahmins of Rajasthan claim descent from Ṛṣyaśṛńga.[citation needed]

[] Brahmins taking up other duties

Brahmins have taken on many professions - from being priests, ascetics and scholars to warriors and businesspeople. Muslim Brahmins, e.g., the group known as Hussaini Brahmin are the disciples of Imam Hussian, grandson of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. (see below for more on these Muslims).

Brahmins with the qualities of Kshatriyas are known as 'Brahmakshatriyas'. An example is the avatara Parshurama who destroyed the entire Haiheyas 21 times. Not only did Sage Parashurama have warrior skills but he was so powerful that he could even fight without the use of any weapons and trained others to fight without weapons. The Pallavas were an example of Brahmakshatriyas as that is what they called themselves. King Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir ruled all of India and even Central Asia according to many historians.

Today there is a caste, Brahmakhatris, who are a clan of the Khatris, however this is suspicious since Khatris are a business caste/community of Punjab and belong to the Vaishya caste. Khatri has often been misinterpreted as a variation of the word Kshatriya, meaning warrior, however there are no records of any Khatri kingdoms or empires in Indian history and this claim to Kshatriya is recently made in the 20th century.

Perhaps the word Brahma-kshatriya refers to a person belonging to the heritage of both castes.[21] However, among the Royal Rajput households, brahmins who became the personal teachers and protectors of the Royal princes rose to the status of Raj-Purohit and taught the princes everything including martial arts. They would also become the keepers of the Royal lineage and its history. They would also be the protectors of the throne in case the regent was orphaned and a minor.

Kshatriyan Brahmin is a term associated with people of both caste's components.[22]

King Rudravarma of Champa (Vietnam) of 657 A.D. was the son of a Brahmin father. [21]

King Jayavarma I of Kambuja (Kampuchea) of 781 A.D. was a Brahma-kshatriya. [21]

Brahmins with the qualities of a Vaisya or merchant are known as 'Brahmvyasya'. An example of such persons are people of the Ambastha[23] caste, which exist in places like South India and Bengal. They perform medical work - they have from ancient times practiced the Ayurveda and have been Vaidyas (or doctors).

Many Pallis of South India claim to be Brahmins (while others claim to be Agnikula Kshatriyas.)[24] Kulaman Pallis are nicknamed by outsiders as Kulaman Brahmans.[24]

[] Practices

Brahmins adhere to the principles of Brahmanism or Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism, such as acceptance of the Vedas with reverence, adherence to the position that the means or ways to salvation and realization of the ultimate truth are diverse, that God is one, but has innumerable names and forms to chant and worship due to our varied perceptions, cultures and languages. Brahmins believe in Sarvejanāssukhinobhavaṃtu — Let the entire society be happy and prosperous and Vasudhaika kuṭuṃbakaṃ — the whole world is one family. Many Brahmins are reformers. Most Brahmins today practice vegetarianism or lacto-vegetarianism. There are some Brahmins who are non-vegetarians, mainly the Brahmins of cold mountain areas like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Nepal, and coastal areas like Bengal, who are fish eaters. However, even the meat eating Brahmins shun beef in India although some American and Western Brahmins eat beef.

[] Traditional duties

The six duties of Brahmin are given as per the Sloka

adhyāpanam adhyāyānam

yajanam yajanam tathā

dānam pratigraham caiva

brahmanānāmakalpayāt[citation needed]

Teaching, study (svādhyāya), performing Yajna, make performing Yajna, accept Daana, and give Daana are the six duties of a Brahmin.

samodamastapah saucham

kshanthirārjavamevaca

jnanam vijnānamāstikyam

brahmakarma svabhavajam[citation needed]

The Brahmins are expected to have control of their emotions, control of senses, purity, truthfulness, tolerance, simplicity, renounce material wealth and have sustenance from other community, belief in God, and studying and teaching of sacred scriptures.

The daily routine[25] includes performing

Snana (bathing),

Sandhyavandana,

Japa,

Puja,

Aupasana and

Agnihotra.

The last two named Yajnas are performed in only a few households today. Brahmacharis perform Agnikaryam instead of Agnihotra or Aupasana. The other rituals followed include Amavasya tarpanam and Shraddha.

See also: Nitya karma and Kaamya karma

[] Samskaras

A young Shakdwipi Brahmin boy during his Upanayana

Main article: saṃskāra

Brahmins also perform sixteen major Samskaras (rites) during the course of their lifetime.[26]

In the pre-natal stage,

Garbhadharana (conception),

Pumsavana (rite for consecrating a male child in the womb) and

Simantonnayana (rite for parting the hair of a pregnant woman) are performed.

During infancy,

Jatakarma (birth ceremony),

Namakarana (naming ceremony),

Nishkarmana (first outing),

Annaprasana (first feeding solid food),

Choodakarana (first tonsure) and

Karnavedha (ear piercing) are performed.

During childhood and adolescence of the child,

Vidhyarambha (starting of education),

Upanayanam (thread ceremony- initiation),

Vedarambha (starting of the study of the Vedas),

Keshanta or Godana (first shaving of the beard) and

Samavartanam or Snaana (ending of studentship) are performed.

During adulthood,

Vivaha (marriage)

Nisheka (first sexual intercourse, 4 days after marriage) and

Antyesti (funeral rites) are the main ceremonies.

[] Sampradayas

The three sampradayas (traditions) of Brahmins, especially in South India are the Smarta sampradaya, the Srivaishnava sampradaya and the Madhva sampradaya.

[] Vaishnavism

Srivaishnava sampradaya and the Madhva sampradaya are the two major Vaishnavite sects. From these two were influenced several other Vaishnavite sects such as the Ramananda Sampraday, and Ramdassi Sampraday. The chief propounder of the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya was Ramanuja while Madhava was the founder of the Madhav Sampraday. The Pushtimarg Sampraday, founded by Vallabh Acharya is yet another sect influenced by the other two major Vaishnavite sect.

Vaishnavism included many sect such as the Swaminarayan Sampraday.

There are many members of the Swaminarayan Sampraday founded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan, born as Ghanshyam Pande a Vaishnavite Brahmin of present-day Uttar Pradesh. He later settled in Gujarat, wherein the highest density of sampraday members live. This is a Vaishnavite sect. This sect was founded in the latter part of the 18th century.

There is also the Varkari Sampraday, which worships Sri Krishna as "Vithal". The word "Varkari" means travelers because members of this sect travel from their home towns on a pilgrimage to Pandharpur, almost always on foot! Important saints of this movement were the Brahmins Dnyaneshwar, Muktabai as well as several non-Brahmin icons.

There is also the Mahanubhava sampraday founded by King Cakradhara, known popularly to members as Sri Chakradhar Swami, in the 12th century. The members of this sect worship Lord Vishnu in His five forms; Lord Krishna, Lord Sri Dattatreya, Lord Sri Chakrapani, Lord Sri Govindaprabhu, and Lord Cakradhara (the founder Himself).

[] Shaivism

The Shaiva Brahmins have important icons such as, Basava Swami of Karnataka, Kungiliya Kalaya Nayanar or Tamil Nadu, and Lakulisa of Gujarat.

[] Other sects

There are additional sampradayas as well which are not as widely followed as the rest.

The Mahima Dharma or "Satya Mahima Alekha Dharma" was founded by the Brahmin Mukanda Das of present-day Orissa, popularly know by followers as Mahima Swami according to the Bhima Bhoi text.[27] He was born in the last part of 18th century in Baudh ex-state as a son of Ananta Mishra. He was Brahmin by caste as mentioned in Mahima Vinod of Bhima Bhoi in Vol.11. This sampradaya is similar to Vaishnavism. Although the members of this sect do not worship Lord Vishnu as their Ishta-Deva, they believe that the Srimad Bhagavatam is sacred. The founder of this sect was a Vaishnavite before founding the new order.[27] This sampradaya was founded in the latter part of the 18th century.[27]

There is also the Avadhoot Panth, wherein Lord Dattertaya and his forms such as Narasimha Saraswati and Sai Baba of Shirdi are worshiped. Lord Dattatreya is worshiped by many as the Hindu trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one divine entity. Many even worship Dattatreya as an avatar of Vishnu or of Shiva.

[] Brahmins in Buddhism

Brahmins feature extensively in Buddhist canonical texts i.e. the Tripitaka, and are found among the chief disciples of the Buddha. The Brahmana Varga (section on Brahmins) contained in the Dhammapada lists down the Buddha's views on Brahmins[28]

[] Brahmin bhikshus

Abhaya Raja (built Mahabouddha temple with his descendants in Patan, Nepal in year 1604)[29]

Asvaghosa (wrote the 'Buddhacharita' and is considered along with Nagarjuna to have founded the Mahayana). His philosophy was favored in the court of King Kanishka.

Atapa

Bakula[30]

Bhitka (Buddha's fifth successor)

Cuda Panthaka[31]

Dignaga

Gopaka[31]

Guhyashila[32]

Harita[33] (wrote the "Harita Dharmasutra")

Humkara[34]

Jnanadharma[35]

Kacanna[36]

Kamashila (Kashmiri Pandit)

Kalika[31]

Kumarajiva (was imprisoned in China for spreading Buddhism)

Kanaka (Yamantaka Tantra)

Kukuraja[37]

Manjushri (The mentor of Asoka)[38]

Padma (woman)

Palden Dekyong[39]

Pingala-Koccha (preached to the Buddha the Cūlasāropama Sutta, after which he became a dedicated student of the Buddha)

Radhasvami (another mentor of Asoka)[38]

Majnushrimitra[40]

Nagasena[41]

Narpola (student of Tipola)

Sahara (master of Tipola)

Sariputra

Shantideva

Shantarakshita (Kashmiri Pandit)

Subha

Subhadra

Subrahman (coming father of Bodhisattva Maitreya)

Tipola (Mahasiddha, from modern-day Bangladesh)

Vakkali

Vanavasi[31]

[] Brahmin Bodhisattvas

Aryadeva (successor of Nagarjuna) Asangha (from Hinayana sect and Peshwar city founded the Yogacarya and established the Classical age of Buddhism)

Nagasena (the famous teacher of the milindapanha)

Bodhidharma (royalty of Pallava, from Kanchi) that went to China

Brahmadatta

Nagarjuna (founded the Shunyata concept and considered along with Asvaghosa to have founded the Mahayana)

Vasubandhu (Brother of Asanga and one of founders of the yogacara school - only historical Buddhist to be called the 'second Buddha')

Dignaga (5th century Buddhist logician from Kanchipuram)

Dharmakirti (7th century Buddhist logician from Andhra)

Buddhaghosa (5th century Pali scholar who led the revival of the Theravaada)

Kusanda Buddha

Konagamana Buddha

Kasyapsa Buddha

Kshitagarbha

Maitreya (Bodhisattva to come)

Padmasambhava (founder of Vajrayana Buddhism)

[] Scriptures dedicated to Brahmin bhikkus

Because of the aim of the Brahmins, and the Buddha following on their path, several Buddhist texts have been dedicated to them.[42]

Annatara Brahmana Sutta: To a Brahmin

Aññatra Sutta: To a certain Brahman (SN XII.46)

Brahmana Sutta 1: To Unnabha the Brahman

Cankii Sutta: To the Brahmin Cankii

Esukaari Sutta: To the Brahmin Esukari

Janussoni Brahmana Sutta: To the Brahmin Janussoni

Ganakamoggallaanasuttam B: To the Brahmin Ganakamoggallaana

Paccha-bhumika Sutta: To Brahmins of the Western Land (SN XLII.6)

Saleyyaka Sutta A: The Brahmins of Sela

Saleyyaka Sutta B: The Brahmans of Salahar"

[] In kingdoms

There have been Brahmin Buddhists too in Buddhist kingdoms.

In Cambodia (Sanskrit Kambhoja) there is an edict saying that King Jayavarman and his son Rudravarman build a monument in dedication of Lord Buddha and appointed a Brahmin to protect it.[43]

In Sri Lanka, Maha Adigar was the first Buddhist emperor of Sri Lanka, converting many to Buddhism.[44]

In 120 BC, the Indo-Greek King Milinda converted to Buddhism under sage Nagasena.

The Shunga Dynasty is thought by neo-Buddhists as an anti-Buddhist dynasty but the Shungas themselves built a stupa dedicated to the Buddha at Baharut.

[] Brahmins in Jainism

The first convert of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism was Indrabhuti (aka Gautamswami) the Brahmin, who headed a group of other Brahmins and converted them to Jainism. He was from the village Gobbar (also called Govarya) near Rajgriha. It is said that at the sight of Gautama, the tapsas who were competing with him to reach the top of a hill once, by seeing the winner Gautama at the top, achieved moksha.[45]

Sajjambhava was another born from Rajgriha and was elected the head of the Jain temple. He is famous for his composition of the "Dasavaikalika Sutra."

Acharya Vidyanand is a Brahmin of the Dhigambar Jain sect and compiled in the Sanskrit language, "Ashta Shahastri" with eight thousand verses.

Acharya Shushil Kumar, known better to Jains as "Guruji", was born a Vaidik in the Shakarpur village of the Haryana province. At the age of 15, he took Diksha (became a sanyassin) into the Sthanakvasi, a Swhetambara sub-sect.

There is also a story about a wealthy Brahmin named Dhangiri in the town of Tumbhivan, who, when heard the sermons of the Jain Acharya Sinhgiri, while he regularly listened to but later lost his interest in wealth and decided to take the Diksha.

Umasvati was a composer who was so loved by Jains that he is considered by the Dhigambar sect to be a Dhigambar member and the Svetambara sect to be a Svetambara member.

[] In kingdoms

The Jain Acharya Bhadrabahu of Pundravardhana is said to be the preceptor of Chandragupta Maurya of the Mauryan dynasty, grandfather of Ashoka the Buddhist ruler.

A copperplate grant from the Gupta period found in the vincity of Somapura mentioned a Brahmin donating land to a Jain vihara at Vatagohali.

A Brahmin general by the name of Vasudeva in the army of Kamadeva in the Vijayaditya dynasty had built a temple to Lord Parshvanath.

The Kadamba kings of Palasika were Jain Brahmins who supported Jainism and gave land grants and erected many temples and hence, patronised Jainism. This supports the view that Jainism entered South India through the West and perhaps from Ujjayini itself.

King Mrigesavarman of the Kadamba dynasty of palasika further went on to give grants to Yapaniyas, Nigranthas and Kurchakas.

The Brahmin Haribhadra was a pupil of Jinabhadra (or Jinabhata) and Jinadatta and later received the title of "Suri" (an honorable epithet of learning Jain monks.)

[] Contributions

Brahmins have contributed to the making of India and to the world in fields such as literature, science and technology, politics, culture, music and religion.

Brahmins traditionally played a role in the spread of knowledge, sustaining the culture and revitalizing the Indian society for millennia. They played an important role in the freedom movement and national reformation movements.

During the Indian independence movement, many Brahmins, including Nana Sahib Peshawe, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Tatya Tope, Chandrashekar Azad, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee,Adyakrantikarak Vasudev BaLvant Phadke, Chaphekar Brothers, Anant kanhere, Vinayak Deshapande, Vishwanath Vaishampayan(famous as "Bacchan", worked with Bhagatsingh,Chandrashekhar Azad), Balgangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Rajguru, Ramprasad Bismil, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, C. Rajagopalachari, Gobind Ballabh Pant, Kamalapati Tripathi, Ravishankar Shukla, Kailashnath Katju, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Motilal Nehru, DP Misra, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and others were at the forefront of the struggle for freedom and later Indian politics. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India and Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President of India, were also Brahmins. Communist leaders like Manabendra Nath Roy, E.M.S. Namboodiripad, Hiren Mukherjee, S. M. Dange, Acharya P. K. Atre and many others were Brahmins.

Other Brahmins who became prime ministers of India are Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, P.V. Narasimha Rao and Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Among Brahmin scholars and writers are Panini, Patanjali,Kalidas, Chanakya,Banabhatta,Goswami Tulsidas, Sur Das, Keshav das, BehariSaint Dnyaneshwar, Eknath, Samarth Ramdas. Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore and others like Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Hazariprasad Dwivedi,Sumitranandan Pant,Subramanya Bharathy, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Srilal Shukla and Manohar Shyam Joshi. Other Brahmin scholars include Pandurang Vaman Kane, Ram Sharan Sharma,(Bhumihar) and Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya,

Scientists from the Brahmin fold include Aryabhatta, Varahamihira, Brahmagupta, Nobel Laureates Sir C.V.Raman and his nephew Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan, the ethno-sociologist MN Srinivas and the modern genius of mathematics Srinivasa Ramanujan, Shakuntala Devi and C. P. Ramanujam. Raja Ramanna, who was instrumental in making India a nuclear weapons state, was also a Brahmin.

In sports, major names include Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Ishant Sharma, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and many more; the world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand, Ajit Agarkar, Hrishikesh Kanitkar.

In entertainment, Lata Mangeshkar, Hrishikesh Mukherji, Basu Chatterji,Sudhir PhaDke, BAlgandharva, Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande,Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Abhijeet, Alka Yagnik, Madhuri Dixit Sonali Kulkarni, Sadhana Saragan(original surname is 'Ghanekar')etc are prominent names. Tansen, the musician of Akbar's court was born a Brahmin. Anupam Kher, Mausumi Chatterji, Chunki Pande, Hema Malini are also Brahmins.

Several notable names in Indian classical music belong to the Brahmin community, such as Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Veena Doreswamy Iyengar, Dr. Balamurali Krishna, Pandit Jasraj, Shivkumar Sharma etc.

[] See also

Varnas

Brahmin Communities

Shakdwipi

Bhumihar Brahmin

Maithil Brāhamana

Brahmanism

Forward Castes

Social cycle theory

Bramins of Nepal

Untouchability

Dalits

[] Notes

^ For definition of the noun ब्राह्मणः brāhmaṇaḥ as "1. A man belonging to the first of the four classes (varṇas instead of castes in Apte's Skt-Hindi dictionary) of the Hindus, a Brāhmaṇa(priest) (born from the mouth of the Purusha)"; and the adjective ब्राह्मण brāhmaṇa as "a. 1. Belonging to a Brāhmaṇa", and other meanings, see: Apte 1965, p. 707 ,Apte 1966, p. 724-25 ; on p.901 of the latter, Apte gave one of the meanings of varṇa as caste but qualified it with a statement :"mainly people of four varṇas of brāhmaṇa (scholars,priests), kṣatriya (warriors), vaiśya (merchants), śudra (artisans)", and did not permit use of the term varṇa for any caste other than these four.

^ For definition of ब्राह्मण brāhmaṇa, with last syllable showing a Vedic accent, used as a noun as "m. (having to do with Brahman or divine knowledge), one learned in the Veda, theologian, priest, Brāhman, man of the first four castes"; and definition of ब्राह्मण brāhmaṇa, with only first syllable showing a Vedic accent, used as an adjective as "a. (i) belonging to a Brāhman, Brāhmanic", see: Macdonell 1924, p. 199.

^ For definition of brāhmaṇa, with last syllable showing Vedic accents, as a noun, "m., one who has divine knowledge, a Brāhman. a man belonging to the 1st of the 3 twice-born classes and of the 4 original divisions of the Hindū body", and the adjective brāhmaṇa, with first syllable showing a Vedic accent, as "relating to or given by a Brāhman, befitting or becoming a Br., Brāhmanical", see: Monier-Williams, p. 741, middle column. Cf. Rgveda, Pune Edition, vol-5 (index), p.408 in which all occurrences of brāhmaṇa as first person singular show anudātta (absence of accent) on first two syllables.

^ For definition of the neuter noun brahman (with Vedic accent on first syllable) as "n. the class of men who are the repositories and communicators of sacred knowledge, the Bramānical caste as a body (rarely an individual Brāhman)"; and the masuline noun brahman (with Vedic accent on final syllable) as "one who prays, a devout or religious man, a Brāhman who is a knower of Vedic texts or spells, one versed in sacred knowledge", see: MW, pp. 737-738.

^ Monier-Williams : inspired, inwardly stirred, wise, learned, etc.

^ 'Dvija was used more frequently for Brahmins, but it also included Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas who were "reborn through investiture with the sacred thread" - Monier-Williams.

^ A detailed article on Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation[1]

^ S.S. Negi, "Uttarakhand: Land and People", New Delhi: MD Publications, 1995.

^ Brāhmanotpatti Martanda, cf. Dorilal Sharma, p.41-42

^ A detailed article on various castes and groups of Brahmins at www.vedah.net[2]

^ a b P. 849 Gujarat State Gazetteers By Gujarat (India), 1984

^ A detailed article on Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh at Vepachedu Educational Foundation[3]

^ A detailed article on Gotras of Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation[4]

^ A detailed article on Gotras and pravaras of Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation [5]

^ Manu Smriti on learning of the Vedas

^ A detailed article on various sects and rishis of Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation [6]

^ The Life of Buddha as Legend and History, by Edward Joseph Thomas

^ (Bhanu, B. V., P. 948, People of India)

^ P. 17 Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature By John Dowson

^ (P. 227 History of Indian Theatre By Manohar Laxman Varadpande)

^ a b c P. 201, Professor A.L. Basham, My Guruji and Problems and Perspectives of Ancient ...By Sachindra Kumar Maity

^ P. 29 Cultural History from the Matsyapurāṇa By Sureshachandra Govindlal Kantawala

^ P. 37 Asian Medical Systems: A Comparative Study By Charles Leslie

^ a b P. 13 Castes And Tribes Of Southern India By Edgar Thurston, K. Rangachari

^ A day in the life of a Brahmin

^ The Forty Samskaras

^ a b c "Mahima Dharma, Bhima Bhoi and Biswanathbaba"

^ Brahmanavagga - The Holy Man

^ http://www.catmando.com/casinosnepal/july/buddhist.htm Mahabouddha temple

^ http://www.luxlapis.co.za/arahats.htm Arhants

^ a b c d arahats

^ Contents

^ From the Caves and Jungles of Hindustan Chapter III

^ Glossary from The Great Image - RangjungYesheWiki

^ Manjushri

^ Babad Gumi

^ Dog

^ a b A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms, by Fa-hsien (chapter27)

^ shambhala.com

^ Keith Dowman / Dzogchen Masters

^ Nagasena presented in Non Famous section

^ Web Page Under Construction

^ http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Mar272005/ac2.asp

^ Peoples of Art

^ P.21 Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana =: Jaina Iconography By Umakant Premanand Shah

[] References

Apte, Vaman Shivram (1965), The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary (Fourth Revised and Enlarged ed.), New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-0567-4.

Apte, Vaman Shivram (1966), Sanskrit-Hindi Koṣa (Reprint 1997 ed.), New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1924), A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary (1966 ed.), New Delhi: Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., ISBN 81-215-0715-4.

Monier-Williams, Monier (1899), A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, <http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/>.

Sontakke, N. S., ed. (1972), Rgveda-Samhitā: Śrimat-Sāyanāchārya virachita-bhāṣya-sametā (First ed.), Pune: Vaidika Samśodhana Maṇḍala. The Editorial Board for the First Edition included N. S. Sontakke (Managing Editor), V. K. Rājvade, M. M. Vāsudevaśāstri, and T. S. Varadarājaśarmā. This work is entirely in Sanskrit.

A History of Brahmin Clans (Brāhmaṇa Vaṃshõ kā Itihāsa) in Hindi, by Dorilāl Śarmā,published by Rāśtriya Brāhamana Mahāsabhā, Vimal Building, Jamirābād, Mitranagar, Masūdābād,Aligarh-1, 2nd ed-1998. (This Hindi book contains the most exhaustive list of Brahmana gotras and pravaras together their real and mythological histories).

Mayne's "Treatise on Hindu Law and Usage.

Kane, Pandurang Vaman, "History of dharmasastra" (ancient and mediæval religious and civil law in India)

Hindu Castes and Sects Jogendranath Bhattacharya.

Andhra Viprula Gotramulu, Indla Perlu, Sakhalu by Emmesroy Sastri.

History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh Rao PR.

History of India Herman Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund.

Acharalu sastriyata Narayanareddi Patil.

Hindu Manners, Customs, and Ceremonies Abbe J. A. Dubois

(Manusmriti) :Translation by G. Bühler (1886). Sacred Books of the East: The Laws of Manu (Vol. XXV). Oxford. Available online as The Laws of Manu

[] External links

Topics on Brahmins

About Kerala Iyers, a.k.a Pattars , the brahmins who moved to Kerala centuries ago from Tamil Nadu

List Of Andhra Brahmins And Surnames

A Long List of Brahmin Castes and Sub-castes

Online Shakdweepiya Community

Online Shakdweepiya Community

Shakdweepiya club

- Information by Gujarati authorBrahmin

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This article is about the social caste. For the moth family, see Brahmaeidae. For similarly spelled words, see Brahman (disambiguation).

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Glossary

Hinduism Portal

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A Brahmin (also Brahman; Brāhmaṇa) (Sanskrit: ब्राह्मण) [Note 1] is a member of the priestly class in the Indian subcontinent. Brahmins belong to the upper caste society. According to ancient Hindu texts including the Manusmṛti, there are four "varnas", or spiritual classes, into which all persons can be divided, based on inherent temperament, and level of spiritual development achieved through many incarnations – the Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), the Vaishyas (agriculturists, artisans and merchants), and Shudras (service providers and laborers). Later, this originally spiritual classification became a hereditary social system in India.[citation needed] Brahmins were charged with performing religious duties as priests and preaching Dharma (as "one who prays; a devout or religious man; a Brāhman who is well versed in Vedic texts; one versed in sacred knowledge"). The Brahmins held authority over interpretation of Vedic and Puranic spiritual texts like the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita, and were the teachers of the Vedic period.[citation needed]

The English word brahmin is an anglicised form of the Sanskrit word Brāhmana. Brahmins are also called Vipra ("inspired"),[1] or Dvija ("twice-born").[2]

Due to the diversity in regional religious traditions and the Vedic schools which they belong to, Brahmins, in modern usage of the term, are further divided into various sub-castes. Not all Brahmins are priests; only a subset of brahmins are involved in the priestly duties, with vedic learning, ascetic and humble living. Brahmins have practised other professions from the late Vedic ages, becoming doctors, smiths, lawyers, engineers, warriors, writers, poets, landlords, ministers, etc. Many Brahmins have emigrated to other parts of the world in sizable numbers, particularly to the USA, UK, Canada and Australia.

Contents

1 History

2 Brahmin communities

2.1 Brahmin and genetic communities

2.2 Pancha Gauda Brahmins

2.2.1 Assam

2.2.2 Bihar

2.2.3 Madhya Pradesh

2.2.4 Nepal

2.2.5 Odisha/Orissa

2.2.6 Punjab

2.2.7 Rajasthan

2.2.8 Jammu and Kashmir

2.2.9 Uttar Pradesh

2.2.10 Bengal

2.3 Pancha Dravida

2.3.1 Andhra Pradesh

2.3.2 Gujarat

2.3.3 Maharashtra,Goa and Konkan

2.3.4 Karnataka

2.3.5 Tamil Nadu

2.3.6 Kerala

2.4 Burma (Myanmar)

3 Gotras and pravaras

4 Sects and Rishis

4.1 Descendants of the Brahmins

5 Brahmins taking up other duties

6 Practices

7 Sampradayas

7.1 Smartism

7.2 Vaishnavism

7.3 Shaivism

7.4 Miscellaneous sects

8 Brahmins in other religions

8.1 Buddhism

8.2 Jainism

8.3 Sikhism

9 Contributions to society

9.1 Politics

9.2 Military

9.3 Scholars and writers

9.4 Sciences

9.5 Sports

9.6 Arts

9.7 Hindu Saints

9.8 Hindu avatarams

9.9 Business

9.10 Social/Public Service

10 See also

11 Notes

12 References

13 Further reading

14 External links

History

Main article: History of Hinduism

The history of the Brahmin community started from Brahma creation, husband of Saraswati, the supreme Hindu Goddess of knowledge and education in ancient Indian mythology and adopted in their religion (Vedic religion of early Hinduism, now often referred to by Hindus as Sanatana Dharma). The Vedas are said to be the primary source of knowledge for brahmin practices. Most sampradayas (religious practices) of modern Brahmins claim to take inspiration from the Vedas. According to orthodox Hindu tradition, the Vedas are apauruṣeya and anādi (beginning-less), and are revealed truths of eternal validity.

The Vedas are considered Śruti ("that which is heard") and are the paramount source on which modern Brahmin tradition claims to be based. Shruti includes not only the four Vedas (the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda), but also their respective Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads.

In 1931 (the last Indian census to record caste), Brahmins accounted for 4.32% of the total population. Even in Uttar Pradesh, where they were most numerous, Brahmins constituted just 12% of the recorded population. In Andhra Pradesh, they formed less than 2%; in Tamil Nadu they formed less than 3%.[3] In Kerala, Nambudiri Brahmins make up 0.7% of the population. In west bengal too the figures stand the same. According to the 2001 census, Brahmins constitute less than 4.1% of the Indian population.

Brahmin communities

See also: Brahmin communities

Brahmin and genetic communities

Distribution of R1a (purple) and R1b (red).

Main article: Haplogroup R1a (Y-DNA)

The highest levels of R1a (>50%) are found across the Eurasian Steppe: West Bengal Brahmins (72%), and Uttar Pradesh Brahmins, (67%) , the Ishkashimi (68%), the Tajik population of Khojant (64%), Kyrgyz (63.5%), Sorbs (63.39%), Poles (56.4%), Ukrainians (50%) and Russians (50%)[4][5][6][7] and in the Central India among the saharia tribe of Madhya Pradesh R1a*(22.8%) and R1a1(28.07%). It is also found in relatively high frequencies in several South Indian Dravidian-speaking tribes including the Chenchu and Valmikis of Andhra Pradesh.[8]

R1a has been variously associated with:

the re-colonization of Eurasia during the Late Glacial Maximum.[5][9]

the expansion of the Kurgan people from the Pontic-Caspian steppe, which is associated with the spread of the Indo-European languages.[4][5]

The Modern studies for R1a1 (M17) suggest that it could have originated in South Asia.[citation needed] It could have found its way initially from Western India (Gujarat) through Pakistan and Kashmir, then via Central Asia and Russia, before finally coming to Europe"..."as part of an archaeologically dated Paleolithic movement from east to west 30,000 years ago.[10]

The Brahmin castes may be broadly divided into two regional groups: Pancha-Gauda Brahmins from Northern India and considered to be North of Vindhya mountains and Pancha-Dravida Brahmins from South of Vindhya mountains as per the shloka. However, this sloka is from Rajatarangini of Kalhana, which was composed only in the 11th century CE.

कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः,

गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा विन्ध्यदक्षिणे ||

सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः,

पन्चगौडा इति ख्याता विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासिनः ||[11]

Translation: Karnataka (Kannada), Telugu (Andhra), Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), Maharashtra and Gujarat are Five Southern (Panch Dravida). Saraswata, Kanyakubja, Gauda, Utkala (Orissa), Maithili are Five Northern (Pancha Gauda). This classification occurs in Rajatarangini of Kalhana and earlier in some inscriptions [12]

Pancha Gauda Brahmins

Panch Gaur (the five classes of Northern India): (1) Saraswat, (2) Kanyakubja Brahmins, (3) Maithil Brahmins, (4) Gauda brahmins (including Sanadhyas), and (5) Utkala Brahmins. In addition, for the purpose of giving an account of Northern Brahmins each of the provinces must be considered separately, such as Kashmir, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Kurukshetra, Rajputana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Ayodhya (Oudh), Gandhara, Punjab, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, North Western Provinces and Pakistan, Sindh, Central India, and Tirhut, among others. They originate from south of the (now-extinct) Sarasvati River.[13]

Assam

In Assam, out of many sects of Hindu people which include Brahmins (Assamese: অসমীয়া ব্ৰাহ্মণ, Hindi: आसामी ब्राह्मण or Hindi: असमिया ब्राह्मण or Hindi: असमी ब्राह्मण), Kalitas, and Ahoms among others, the Brahmin community is comparatively small. Assamese Brahmins are found mostly in Lower Assam, Upper-Assam and throughout the entire Brahmaputra Valley. Assamese Brahmins are believed to have their origins in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, who generally migrated during Kamarupa Kingdom period to Lower Assam and then to rest of Brahmaputra Valley and some migrated also from far off Rajasthan to that of Karnataka. Brahmins in Assam are same as per their faith and customs with that of any other Brahmin community across India. Each Brahmin family within the community carries a specific Gotra (Proper Brahmin Identity Surname) which is specific for each family, thereby indicating their origin. Sarma, Barooah, Goswami, Sharma, Chakravarty, are a few common Assamese Brahmin surnames, among many others. (See also: Assamese Brahmins)

Bihar

In Bihar, majority of Brahmins are Kanyakubja Brahmins, Bhumihar Brahmins, bhatt brahmins and Maithil Brahmins with a significant population of Sakaldiwiya or Shakdwipi Brahmins. The distinctive 'caste' identity of Bhumihar Brahman emerged largely through military service, and then confirmed by the forms of continuous 'social spending' which defined a man and his kin as superior and lordly.[14] In 19th century, many of the Bhumihar Brahmins were zamindars.[15] Of the 67,000 Hindus in the Bengal Army in 1842, 28,000 were identified as Rajputs and 25,000 as Brahmins, a category that included Bhumihar Brahmins.[16] The Brahmin presence in the Bengal Army was reduced in the late nineteenth century because of their perceived primary role as mutineers in the Mutiny of 1857,[16] led by Mangal Pandey.

The Brahmins of Haryana are Gaur brahmins belongs to Panch Gaurs of north India.Thy are the early sattelers of the region and belongs to Vedic Aryan tribes.The Jats and Other farming Tribes who are Sakas came later.Guptas and Hashwardhan gave land grants to brahmins in Haryana .Brahmins of Haryana revolted aginst the British raj in 1857. After revolt Brahmins were punished by The Britishers by taking away there wast agricultural lands. Till indipendence most of the land of haryana occupied by the Gaur Brahmins.they were the biggest Zamidars of the region .Today after Land reforms though they do not have much land but in counts of Intellectuality,itellegentia,education,litrature,culture they are far superior then other communities The Jatt states of Punjab and Haryana have been unreceptive of Brahmin Ideology and practices such as Idol Worship etc.since ever, though there are sizeable populations present. Kaushik Kaushik/Koushik(कौशिक) is a ancient Indian'Gotra'. Origin of Kaushik can be referenced to an ancient Hindu text. There was a Rishi (saint) by the name of "Vishvamitra" literally meaning 'friend of the universe','vishwa' as in universe and mitra as in 'friend', he was also called as Rishi "Kaushik".kaushik is the biggest gotra in Gaur Brahmins of Haryana.

Madhya Pradesh

In western Madhyapradesh, especially in the "malwa" region, there are many "shrigoud" brahmins. "Shrigoud Brahmins" (श्रीगौड़ ब्राह्मन) are the root of all the other classified Brahmins. "Gaud" means Root. The word "Brahman" emerges out from Lord Brahma. Some clan of highly esteemed Upreti Brahmins are also found in this state. They were originally migrated from Kumaon regions. The people have surname like Mandlik, Joshi, Vyas, Rawat, Pathak, Dubey comes under Shrigoud Brahmins.

Nepal

Brahmins are the second largest caste group in Nepal, Chhetri(Kshatriya) being the first. Several subgroups(usually following the Sukla Yajurveda) are attested: the Newari speaking Rajopadhyaya, the Nepali speaking Purbe, Kumai, etc. Brahmins have been inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley since at least the Lichavi dynasty (c. 300-750 CE) Nepal. References in the Vamsavalis and some Puranas such as the Himavatkhanda, pointing to earlier times, are of legendary nature. The situations is different for the plains (Tarai), where Brahmins have been attested since the early Upanisads and the Buddhist Pali canon.

Odisha/Orissa

The Sanskrit text Brāhmaṇotpatti-Mārtaṇḍa by Pt. Harikrishna Śāstri mentions according to which a king named Utkala invited brahmins from Gangetic Valley for performing a yajna in Jagannath-Puri; when the yajna ended the invited brahmins laid the foundation of the Lord Jagannath there and settled there for serving the Lord

The Utkala Brahmins are of two classes 1) Shrotriya (vaidika) and 2) Sevaka (doing accessory rites) Brahmin. Again, there are many sub-classes in these two classes.

1) Shrotriyas are mainly adherents of Vedas, especially:

a) Shakalya shakha of Rigveda b) Kanva shakha of Shukla Yajurveda c) Ranayana/Kauthuma shakha of Samaveda d) Paippalada shakha of Atharvaveda

2) Sevakas generally belong to brahmins doing accessory rites like cooking in temples, helping in procession of temple deity. They generally follow any of the Veda of their choice for family rites but they cannot perform Vedic sacrifices.

Utkala or Oriya Brahmin surnames include: Acharya, Mishra, BhattaMishra, Tripathi, Dash, DashSharma, Dwivedi, Udgata or udgātṛ, Hota or Hotṛ, Dikshit, Satapathy, Chaturvedi, Debata (Devta), Kar, Bishi, Suara, Mahasuara, Garabadu, Sharma, Nath, Choudhury, Sahu, Dyansamantray, Panigrahi, Guru, Rajguru, Rayguru, Mahapatra, Pani, Mohapatra (some of them), Rath, RathSharma, Sharma, Patri, Sadangi, Pani, Thakur (found mostly in Kalahandi and Sambalpur), Pati, Bahinipati, Vedi, Trivedi, Sarangi, Pattajoshi, Joshi, Gantayat, Behera (found mostly in Kalahandi and Sambalpur), Sar (Found mostly in Hindol, Dhenkanal), Sabat, Swain (some of them), Shukla, Panda or Pandit, BadaPanda, PujaPanda, Sabata, Nanda, Purohit, Pujari, Padhiary, Pathi, Nepak, Devasharma, Praharaj, Padhi, Otta, Khadenga, and Pradhan (some of them)senapati.

Punjab

The Jatt states of Punjab and Haryana have been unreceptive of Brahmin Ideology and practices such as Idol Worship etc. ,since ever though there are sizeable populations present. The Brahmins of the Punjab region are chiefly Saraswat Brahmins. They have a special association with the Punjab since they take their name from the river, Saraswati.

In Punjab, the Saraswat Brahmins are further divided into following main sections.

1. Panja jati (five families), the highest subgroup of Punjabi Brahmins whose surnames are Jaitly, Trikha, Kumoria, Jinghan, and Mohla.

2. Barahis (twelvers), who marry among twelve castes only. This group belongs to the Shakadweepi Brahmins/ Maga Brahmins.

3. Bawanjais (fifty-twoers), who marry among fifty-two houses only.

4. Athwans (seven families/seveners) and include Joshis, Kurals, Bhanots, Sands, Pathaks, Bharadwajs, Shouries. These eight families marry among each other.

5. Mohyals- the warrior brahmin race. They are a distinct category of Brahmins who combine military knowledge with learning. They strictly refrain from performing priestly duties, often to the point of excommunicating anyone who violates that rule. They are a group of seven clans (Bali, Vaid, Chhibber, Datt, Mohan, Lau and Bhimwal). They generally own lands and are mostly involved in military and administrative services. They eat meat and are not very strict in the observance of religious taboos. They also marry within the seven clans.

6. Bhaskars Gotra Vashisht originating from a place "Badu ki Gusaiyaan" now in Pakistan.

Rajasthan

There are lots of type of Brahmin in Rajasthan. Bhardwaj, Bhargava, Dadhich, Gaur, Upreti, Gujar gaur, Kaushik, Pushkarna, Vashishta, Jangid Brahmins. Most Brahmins in India are strict vegetarians. One group is Brahmin Swarnkar, which developed from Shrimal Nagar's brahmins (now known as Bhinmal). They are called "Brahmin Swarnkars" because a group of Brahmins adopted a swarnkar business for their enhancement of life style, and so these brahmins are called as Brahmin Swarnkars. Being a brahmins, brahmin swarnkar, have main 9 Rishi gotras.

1. Atri, 2. Kashyap, 3. Kaushik, 4. Gautam, 5. Parashar, 6. Bharadwaj, 7. Vatsat, 8. Vashisht, 9. Haritas, 10. Bhrugu. Upreti / Uprety(देवनागरी:उप्रेती), 11. Saraswat Brahmin, is a community of highly regarded Brahmins living in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state of India. A few are also found in Rajasthan and the Konkan/Goa area. According to their traditions, they are the descendents of the sage Bharadwaj.[1]

There are subgotras in each Rishi Gotras, and total gotras are about 84 which were developed by Shri Dharmsi ji at Keradu during the 7th century.

Jammu and Kashmir

The Brahmins of the mountains and valleys of Kashmir, north of the Pir Panjal Range, are called Kashmiri Pandits. They are a Dardic community with a very complex and ancient culture. The Brahmins of the Jammu region, south of the Pir Panjal Range, are known as Dogra Brahmins. There are also other Brahmin communities in some sectors of the uplands of Jammu and Pir Panjal, including Kishtwari Brahmins, Bhaderwahi Brahmins, Poonchi Brahmins, and Mirpuri Brahmins.

Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh from west to east: Sanadhya, Gauda and Tyagi (Western Uttar Pradesh), Kanyakubja (Central Uttar Pradesh), Sarayuparin (Central Uttar Pradesh, Eastern, Northeast, and Southeast Uttar Pradesh),bhatt(Eastern and Central uttar prdesh) and Maithil (Varanasi and Agra region), Suryadhwaja Brahmins (Western Uttar Pradesh), Southwestern Uttar Pradesh, i.e. Bundelkhand has a dense population of Jujhotia brahmins (branch of Kanyakubja brahmins: ref. Between History & Legend: Power & Status in Bundelkhand by Ravindra K Jain). On the Jijhoutia clan of Brahmins, William Crooke writes, "A branch of the Kanaujia Brahmins (Kanyakubja Brahmins) who take their name from the country of Jajakshuku, which is mentioned in the Madanpur inscription."[17] Mathure or mathuria Brahmins 'choubeys' are limited to Mathura area. ))Upreti / Uprety(देवनागरी:उप्रेती),is a highly esteemed community of Brahmins living in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Some branches of Upreti / Uprety brahmins are also found in Uttar Pradesh (mainly in Agra), Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & now in Gujrat, they were originally migrated from Kumaon region. According to their traditions, they are the descendants of the sage Bharadwaj.[1]

According to Pandit Badri Datt Pandey's legendary book History of Kumaon, the Upretis were originally inhabitants of Maharashtra region of western India, or from Kannauj from where they migrated to the hills. They migrated to Nepal along with other Brahmins from Almora under the royal patronage of the Hindu kingdom when the Kumaon region was under the control of the Gurkhas till the early 19th Century.

Bengal

There are many sub-castes, including Rarhi, Barendra, Saiba (Rudraja) and Agradani. Some of the gotras are Savarna, Sandilya, Bharadwaj, Kashyap and Vatsya.

Pancha Dravida

The Panch Dravida (the five classes of Southern India) are: 1. Andhra, 2. Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), 3. Karnataka, 4. Maharashtra and Konkon, and 5. Gujarat.[13]

Andhra Pradesh

Most of the Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh belong to smaarta Brahmin group, i.e., the followers of smritis and followers of Adi Sankaracharya. The smaarta Brahmins follow Apastambasmriti or Apastambasutra (not Manusmriti). Apasthamba (~600 BC) was one of the earliest lawmakers of south India who lived on the banks of River Godavari. Boudhayana, Parasara, Yajnvalkya sutras and other laws were also important in the past, e.g., in the courts of Srikrishnadevaraya. Pradhamasakha Niyogi Brahmins follow Yajnavalkya sutras and Kanva sutras. The smaarta Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh can be grouped into two major divisions formed about a thousand to about 700 years ago (most probably during Kakatiya rule), Niyogi and Vaidiki. However, in addition to smaarta Brahmins, there are other Brahmin groups such as Sri Vaishnavas, Madhavas and Aradhyas.[18]

Niyogi Brahmins are those brahmins who were mostly scholars and officials under kings of different dynasties in ancient India. While Vaidiki Brahmins are the brahmins who undertook the religious vocation with vedik learning. They are considered to be experts in Sanskrit and Telugu (the state language of Andhra Pradesh) literature. See List of Telugu Brahmins and Telugu Brahmins.

Brahmins are broadly classified into 2 groups: Vaidiki Brahmins (meaning educated in vedas and performing religious vocations) and Niyogi (performing only secular vocation). They are further divided into several sub-castes. However, majority of the Brahmins, both Vaidika and Niyogi, perform only secular professions.[19]

Vaidiki Brahmins are further divided in to Velanadu, Venginadu, Muluknadu, Kosalanadu etc..

Gujarat

Brahmin communities, sub-castes and families in Gujarat include the following:

Aboti Brahmin • Anavil Brahmin • Audichya Brahmin • Baj Khedawal Brahmins (Khedaval Brahmin) • Bardai Brahmins . Trivedi Mewada Brahmin• Bhattmewada Brahmins • Chauriyasi Mewada Brahmin • Tapodhan Brahmin • Modh Brahmins • Nandwana Brahmins • Shrigaud Brahmins • Nagar Brahmins • Sachora Brahmins • Sidhra-Rudhra Brahmins • Shrimali Brahmins • Swarnkar Brahmins • Rajya purohit Brahmins • Sompura Brahmins • Kapil Brahmin (known to be descended from Kapil muni) originally residents of Kavi village in Jambusar Taluka, now most of them residing in Bharuch, Vadodara and Surat • Kanojiya • Kandoliya Brahmin • Unevad Brahmin – and many others including: Chhariya, Nathadiya, Badhiya, Bhaglani, Lakhlani, Bhuvadiya, Kailaya, Sardavarti, Ramani, Pingal, Kutch Bhatt Kanojiya Bramin Mandal, Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Saradiya, Nagalpar and Medhpar-Junagadh • Upreti.

Maharashtra,Goa and Konkan

According to the Census of 1931, the population of the Brahmins in Maharashtra was 781,448, which constituted 2.39% of the total population.[20] Maharashtra Brahmins have several sub-castes. The Census Report of the Bombay Province of 1911 lists all the sub-castes of the Maharashtra Brahmins, which are as follows:

1.Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins , 2.Deshastha Brahmins , 3. Devrukhe , 4.Golak or Gowardha , 5.Jawal or Khot , 6. Kanva ,7.Karhade Brahmin , 8. Kuwant or Kramavant , 9. Maitrayani , 10. Palshikar , 11. Samavedi , 12. Savvashe , 13. Trigul or Trigartha , etc.

Mrs. Irawati Karve has recorded a sub-caste called Charak Brahmins around Nagpur, belonging to the Krishna Yajurved branch. However, these several sub-castes are broadly grouped into three main divisions, namely Deshastha, Konkanastha and Karhade Brahmins. The Saraswat Brahmins of the Pancha-Gouda group is said to be the fourth branch. Unlike other Maharashtra Brahmins, Saraswats traditionally eat fish and meat. Devarukhe and Kramvant Brahmins inhabit Konkan, but originally they were Deshasthas. They are the priests for the lower castes. The Kramvant Brahmins migrated to Kokan from Paithan in historic times.

In Maharashtra, Panch Dravid Brahmins are dravids from Maharastra. They are classified into five groups: Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins, Deshastha Brahmins, Karhade Brahmin, and Devrukhe. As the name indicates, Kokanastha Brahmins are from Konkan area. Deshastha Brahmins are from plains of Maharashtra, Karhade Brahmins are perhaps from Karhatak (an ancient region in India that included present day south Maharashtra and northern Karnataka) and Devrukhe Brahmins are from Devrukh near Ratnagiri. Gaur Saraswat Brahman though found in Maharashtra belong to Panch Gaur brahman. Their origins are in Saraswat desh identified as Punjab and Kashmir region. The name Saraswat derives from Saraswati river that flowed through Punjab into Rajasthan into Kutch.

Daivadnya is another caste, claiming its descent from Maga Brahmins, and is found all along the west coast of India. Though Sringeri Shankaracharya recognizes them as Dravida, this claim is not always accepted by other orthodox creeds.

The Maharashtrian Brahmins are amongst the very few in India who took up military roles and hence, some of them belong to the warrior Brahmin category.Among the Brahmins the Maharastrians are the purest descendants of Arya Clan.

Karnataka

Kannada Brahmins are Brahmins whose mother-tongue is the Kannada language. Nearly all of them hail from the south Indian state of Karnataka. But some brahmin sects like 'Sanketi brahmins' are migrants from other states of south India. Kannada Brahmins follow one of the three schools of Vedanta philosophy, which are Advaita, Vishitadvaita and Dvaita. These communities are further divided into different sub-castes based on the locality of their ancestry. For further information see Kannada Brahmins.

Tamil Nadu

The brahmins of Tamil Nadu are identified to be having the purest form of vedic knowledge. Although very small in number, they have the most perfect form of Sanskrit pronunciation and still carry out the most elaborate of the vedic rituals. Brahmins form two main groups, Iyengars - the vaishnavites who follow the Visishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) philosophy ,and Iyers - Shaivites who follow the Advaita (non-dualism) philosophy.

The Iyengars are subdivided into two major subgroups:

1. Vadakalai Iyengars: This subsect of Iyengars are believed to be an Indo-Aryan people who once migrated from North India.[21][22]

In genetic studies ,the Vadakalai Iyengars have shown a high similarity of gene frequencies with the Punjabi people of Pakistan,[23] and they are devout followers of the SanskritVedas.[24]

2. Thenkalai Iyengars: This subsect of Iyengars are believed to have admixed with the non-brahmins by bringing within its fold many of the low sudra castes.[21][25][26][27] They are ardent followers of the Tamil prabhandams.[24]

The Iyers are subdivided into four major subgroups:

1. Vadama Iyers: This subsect of Iyers are believed to be of Northern origin which is known to be Varanasi and Kashmir. l. Freedom fighter V.V.S. Aiyer is also known to be a Vadamal Iyer.

2. Vathima Iyers: The Vathima are few in number and are confined mostly to eighteen villages in Thanjavur district.

3. Brahacharanam Iyers: Brahacharanam are a subsect of Iyers who are more Saivite than Vadamas ,and are known for well travelled people with mostly scientific background. Sir C.V. Raman and S. Chandrasekhar are also known to be of this subsect of Tamil Iyers. Their families are also known to give the most respect to the elders of the family.

4. Ashtasahasram Iyers: They are a subsect of Iyers who are Saivite ,just like the Brahacharanam branch.

In modern age, Tamil brahmins have made a mark in India for their administrative brilliance and globally for their scientific brilliance.

Kerala

The brahmins are Nambudiri and Pushpaka brahmins.

Burma (Myanmar)

This article contains Burmese script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Burmese characters.

Historically, Brahmins, known as ponna (ပုဏ္ဏား) in modern-day Burmese (Until the 1900s, ponna referred to Indians who had arrived prior to colonial rule, distinct from the kala, Indians who arrived during British rule), formed an influential group prior in Burma to British colonialism. During the Konbaung dynasty, court Brahmins were consulted by kings for moving royal capitals, waging wars, making offerings to Buddhist sites like the Mahamuni Buddha, and for astrology.[28] Burmese Brahmins can be divided into four general groups, depending on their origins:

Manipur Brahmins (Burmese: မုနိပူရဗြာဟ္မဏ) - Brahmins who were sent to Burma after Manipur became a Burmese vassal state in the 1700s and ambassadors from Manipur

Arakanese Brahmins (Burmese: ရခိုင်ဗြာဟ္မဏ): Brahmins brought to Burma from Arakan after it was conquered by the Konbaung king Bodawpaya

Sagaing Brahmins: oldest Brahmins in Burmese society, who had consulted the Pyu, Burman and Mon kingdoms prior to the Konbaung dynasty

Indian Brahmins: Brahmins who arrived with British colonial rule, when Burma became a part of the British Raj

According to Burmese chronicles, brahmins in Burma were subject to the four-caste system, which included brahmanas (ဗြာဟ္မဏ), kshatriyas (ခတ္တိယ), vaishya (ဝေဿ), and shudra (သုဒ္ဒ). Because the Burmese monarchy enforced the caste system for Indians, Brahmins who broke caste traditions and laws were subject to punishment. In the Arakanese kingdom, punished Brahmins often became kyun ponna (ကျွန်ပုဏ္ဏား), literally 'slave Brahmins', who made flower offerings to Buddha images and performed menial tasks. During the Konbaung dynasty, caste was indicated by the number of salwe (threads) worn; brahmins wore nine, while the lowest caste wore none. Brahmins are also fundamental in the Nine-God cult, called the Nine Divinities (Phaya Ko Su ဘုရားကိုးစု) which is essentially a Burmese puja  (puzaw in Burmese) of appeasing nine divinities, Buddha and the eight arahats, or a group of nine deities, five Hindu gods and four nats.[28] This practice continues to be practiced in modern-day Burma.

Gotras and pravaras

See also: Classification of Brahmins

Brahmins classify themselves on the basis of their patrilineal descent from a notable ancestor. These ancestors are either ancient Indian sages or kshatriyas (warriors) who chose to become Brahmins. The eight major gotras that trace descent from sages are: Kanva, Jamadagni, Bharadvâja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishtha,atryasa,Kashyapa ,Agastya gotra. Two gotras that trace descent from kshatriyas are Mitra and Vishvamitra gotra.

In general, gotra denotes any person who traces descent in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Pāṇini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as 'apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means: "the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage) beginning with the son's son". When a person says, "I am Kashypasa-gotra", he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent. This enumeration of eight primary gotras seems to have been known to Pāṇini. These gotras are not directly connected to Prajapathy or latter brama. The offspring (apatya) of these Eight are gotras and others than these are called 'gotrâvayava'.[29]

The gotras are arranged in groups, e. g. there are according to the Âsvalâyana-srautasûtra four subdivisions of the Vasishtha gana, viz. Upamanyu, Parāshara, Kundina and Vasishtha (other than the first three). Each of these four again has numerous sub-sections, each being called gotra. So the arrangement is first into ganas, then into pakshas, then into individual gotras. The first has survived in the Bhrigu and Āngirasa gana. According to Baudh., the principal eight gotras were divided into pakshas. The pravara of Upamanyu is Vasishtha, Bharadvasu, Indrapramada; the pravara of the Parâshara gotra is Vasishtha, Shâktya, Pârâsharya; the pravara of the Kundina gotra is Vasishtha, Maitrâvaruna, Kaundinya and the pravara of Vasishthas other than these three is simply Vasishtha. It is therefore that some define pravara as the group of sages that distinguishes the founder (lit. the starter) of one gotra from another.

There are two kinds of pravaras, 1) sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara, and 2) putrparampara. Gotrapravaras can be ekarsheya, dwarsheya, triarsheya, pancharsheya, saptarsheya, and up to 19 rishis. Kashyapasa gotra has at least two distinct pravaras in Andhra Pradesh: one with three sages (triarsheya pravara) and the other with seven sages (saptarsheya pravara). This pravara may be either sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara or putraparampara. Similarly, Srivatsasa gotra has five sages or is called Pancharsheya and are the descendants of Jamadagni. When it is sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara marriage is not acceptable if half or more than half of the rishis are same in both bride and bridegroom gotras. If it is putraparampara, marriage is totally unacceptable even if one rishi matches.[30]

Sects and Rishis

Due to the diversity in religious and cultural traditions and practices, and the Vedic schools which they belong to, Brahmins are further divided into various subcastes. During the sutra period, roughly between 1000 BCE to 200 BCE, Brahmins became divided into various Shakhas (branches), based on the adoption of different Vedas and different rescension Vedas. Sects for different denominations of the same branch of the Vedas were formed, under the leadership of distinguished teachers among Brahmins.

There are several Brahmin law givers, such as Angirasa, Apasthambha, Atri, Bhrigu, Brihaspati, Boudhayana, Daksha, Gautama, Harita, Katyayana, Likhita, Manu,[31] Parasara, Samvarta, Shankha, Shatatapa, Ushanasa, Vashishta, Vishnu, Vyasa, Yajnavalkya and Yama. These twenty-one rishis were the propounders of Smritis. The oldest among these smritis are Apastamba, Baudhayana, Gautama, and Vasishta Sutras.[32]

Descendants of the Brahmins

Many Indians and non-Indians claim descent from the Vedic Rishis of both Brahmin and non-Brahmin descent. For example, the Dash and Nagas are said to be the descendants of Kashyapa Muni. Vishwakarmas are the descendants of Pancha Rishis or Brahmarishies. According to Yajurveda and Brahmanda purana, they are Sanagha, Sanathana, Abhuvanasa, Prajnasa, and Suparnasa. The Kani tribe of South India claim to descend from Agastya Muni.

The Gondhali, Kanet, Bhot, Lohar, Dagi, and Hessis claim to be from Renuka Devi.

The Kasi Kapadi Sudras claim to originate from the Brahmin Sukradeva. Their duty was to transfer water to the sacred city of Kashi.[33]

Dadheech Brahmins/dayama brahmin trace their roots from Dadhichi Rishi. Many Jat clans claim to descend from Dadhichi Rishi while the Dudi Jats claim to be in the linear of Duda Rishi.

Lord Buddha was a descendant of Angirasa through Gautama. There too were Kshatriyas of other clans to whom members descend from Angirasa, to fulfill a childless king's wish.[34]

The backward-caste Matangs claim to descend from Matang Muni, who became a Brahmin by his karma.

According to one legend, the nomadic tribe of Kerala, the Kakkarissi, are derived from the mouth of Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, and came out a Brahmin.[35]

Brahmins taking up other duties

Brahmins have taken on many professions - from being priests, ascetics and scholars to warriors and business people, as is attested for example in Kalhana's Rajatarangini. Brahmins with the qualities of Kshatriyas are known as 'Brahmakshatriyas'. An example is the avatara Parashurama who is considered an avatara of Vishnu. Sage Parashurama was a powerful warrior who had defeated the Haiheya kshatriyas twenty one times, was an expert in the use of weapons, and trained others to fight without weapons. After Sage Parshuram destroyed the Kshatriya race, he was excluded by other Brahmin communities and denied to perform any religious ceremonies for him. At the coast of Arabian sea i.e. the Western Ghats he decided to create a new brahmin community where he found dead bodies of people came out floating from the sea. He purified them with Agni and brought back to life. Then he taught them all the veda's, weapons, religious knowledge and made the Brahmin known as Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins. Chitapavan means Chit + Pavan the Brahmins whose chit/soul was purified, Konkanastha means belong to Konkan region. Chitapavan Konkanastha Brahmin's didn't had their own land hence were insulted by other rulers & Brahmins. Hence Sage Parshurama asked the Sea Lord to go back and give some land which he denied. Sage Parshurama got angry and made ready the Brahmastra to destroy the Sea Lord. Sea Lord frightned and asked to forgive him. Sage Parshurama said that as he has made Brahmhaastra on the arrow ready to launch he cannot return the arrow backwards but he will remove the Brahmaastra and wherever the arrow will land till that point sea will leave the Land for his followers Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins. The place from where Sage Parshurama released the arrow is there in Konkan area known as Lote Parshuram and has a temple of Sage Parshuram. The Bhumihar Brahmins were established when Parashurama destroyed the Kshatriya race, and he set up in their place the descendants of Brahmins, who, after a time, having mostly abandoned their priestly functions (although some still perform), took to land-owning.[36] Many brahmins took up the profession of medicine. They are Vaidya brahmins called Baidya Brahmins of Bengal [gupta, dasgupta and senguptas] are descendants of Dhanavantari, the god of medicine and father of Ayurveda.

The Brahmakhatris caste, descendants of the Khatris, however, are a business caste/community of Punjab and belong to the Kshatriya caste.

Perhaps the word Brahma-kshatriya refers to a person belonging to the heritage of both castes.[37] However, among the Royal Rajput households, brahmins who became the personal teachers and protectors of the royal princes rose to the status of Rajpurohit and taught the princes everything including martial arts. They would also become the keepers of the Royal lineage and its history. They would also be the protectors of the throne in case the regent was orphaned and a minor.

Kshatriyan Brahmin is a term associated with people of both caste's components.[38]

The Pallavas were an example of Brahmakshatriyas as that is what they called themselves. King Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir ruled all of India and even Central Asia.

King Rudravarma of Champa (Vietnam) of 657 A.D. was the son of a Brahmin father.[37]

King Jayavarma I of Kambuja (Kampuchea) of 781 A.D. was a Brahma-kshatriya.[37]

Brahmins with the qualities of a Vaisya or merchant are known as 'Brahmvyasya'. An example of such persons are people of the Ambastha[39] caste, which exist in places like South India. They perform medical work - they have from ancient times practiced the Ayurveda and have been Vaidyas (or doctors).

Many Pallis of South India claim to be Brahmins (while others claim to be Agnikula Kshatriyas.)[40] Kulaman Pallis are nicknamed by outsiders as Kulaman Brahmans.[40] Hemu from Rewari, Haryana was also a Brahmin by birth.

Practices

Brahmins, adhere to the principles of the Vedas, Manu Smriti, Sanatana Dharma, and can be found in any of the different religions of Hinduism, such as acceptance of the Vedas. Brāhmaṇas have six occupational duties, of which three are compulsory—namely, studying the Vedas, worshiping the Deity and giving charity. By teaching, by inducing others to worship the Deity, and by accepting charity back, the brāhmaṇas receive the necessities of life. This is also confirmed in the Manu-saḿhitā:

ṣaṇṇāḿ tu karmaṇām asya

trīṇi karmāṇi jīvikā

yajanādhyāpane caiva

viśuddhāc ca pratigrahaḥ

A brāhmaṇa cannot take up any professional occupational duty for his livelihood. The śāstras especially stress this, if one claims to be a brāhmaṇa.[41] Brahmins believe in Sarvejanāssukhinobhavaṃtu—Let the entire society be happy and prosperous and Vasudhaiva kuṭuṃbakaṃ—the whole world is one family. Many Brahmins are reformers. Brahmins practice vegetarianism or lacto-vegetarianism which has been a custom since several centuries dating back to B.C. Following this custom is mandatory in brahmin culture. However, some among the Brahmins inhabiting cold regions of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Nepal, and coastal areas like Bengal etc., eat fish and other locally available non-vegetarian foods and hence are pesco-vegetarians.

Brahmins have a "choti", a braid that was grown on the back of their heads- the main purpose of this was to help differentiate Bhramins from other Hindu Castes, as well as to show that they possess sacred knowledge, unlike others. As a result of this, modern Bhramins often have no choti, or a seriously shortened one, and go on preforming their duties as such, showing an inclined respect towards other people.

Sampradayas

The three sampradayas (traditions) of Brahmins, especially in South India are the Smarta sampradaya, the Srivaishnava sampradaya and the Madhva sampradaya.

Smartism

Smartism (or Smarta Sampradaya, Smarta Tradition, as it is termed in Sanskrit) is a liberal or nonsectarian denomination of the Hindu religion who accept all the major Hindu deities as forms of the one Brahman in contrast to Vaishnavism, for example. The term Smarta refers to adherents who follow the Vedas and Shastras.

Vaishnavism

In south India Srivaishnava sampradayam was propagated by Srimad Ramanjuacharya Which has Given as bhakti marga by azhwar saints.

Shaivism

Saivism (sometimes called Shivaism) is a belief system where Lord Shiva is worshipped as the Supreme Lord. It is a derivative faith of the core Vedic tradition. Saiva sects contains many sub-sects, such as Rudrasaivas, Veerasiavas, Paramasaivas, etc. Ravana the Ruler of Lanka in the Hindu Epic Ramayana was a Devgan Brahmin Grand son of Sage Pulastya & So of Sage Visharva

Miscellaneous sects

There are additional sampradayas as well which are not as widely followed as the rest.

The Mahima Dharma or "Satya Mahima Alekha Dharma" was founded by the Brahmin Mukanda Das of present-day Orissa, popularly know by followers as Mahima Swami according to the Bhima Bhoi text.[42] He was born in the last part of 18th century in Baudh ex-state as a son of Ananta Mishra. He was Brahmin by caste as mentioned in Mahima Vinod of Bhima Bhoi in Vol.11. This sampradaya is similar to Vaishnavism. Although the members of this sect do not worship Lord Vishnu as their Ishta-Deva, they believe that the Srimad Bhagavatam is sacred. The founder of this sect was a Vaishnavite before founding the new order.[42] This sampradaya was founded in the latter part of the 18th century.[42]

There is also the Avadhoot Panth, wherein Lord Dattatreya and his forms such as Narasimha Saraswati and Sai Baba of Shirdi are worshiped. Lord Dattatreya is worshiped by many as the Hindu trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one divine entity. Many even worship Dattatreya as an avatar of Vishnu or of Shiva.

Brahmins in other religions

Buddhism

The Buddha redefined the word "brahman" so as to become a synonym for arahant, replacing a distinction based on birth with one based on spiritual attainment.[43][44]

A defining of feature of the Buddha's teachings is self-sufficiency, so much so as to render the Brahminical priesthood entirely redundant.[45]

The notion of ritual purity provided a conceptual foundation for the caste system, by identifying occupations and duties associated with impure or taboo objects as being themselves impure. Regulations imposing such a system of ritual purity and taboos are absent from the Buddhist monastic code, and not generally regarded as being part of Buddhist teachings[46] To the contrary, the early Buddhist scriptures defined purity as determined by one's state of mind, and refer to anyone who behaves unethically, of whatever caste, as "rotting within", or "a rubbish heap of impurity".[47]

There are many places in which the Buddha explains his use of the word brahman. At Sutta Nipata 1.7 Vasala Sutta, verse 12, he states: "Not by birth is one an outcast; not by birth is one a brahman. By deed one becomes an outcast, by deed one becomes a brahman."[48] An entire chapter of the Dhammapada is devoted to showing how a true brahman in the Buddha's use of the word is one who is of totally pure mind, namely, an arahant.[49]

Jainism

The first convert of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism was Indrabhuti (aka Gautamswami) the Brahmin, who headed a group of other Brahmins and converted them to Jainism. He was from the village Gobbar (also called Govarya) near Rajgriha. It is said that at the sight of Gautama, the tapsas who were competing with him to reach the top of a hill once, by seeing the winner Gautama at the top, achieved moksha.[50]

Sajjambhava was another born from Rajgriha and was elected the head of the Jain temple. He is famous for his composition of the "Dasavaikalika Sutra."

Acharya Vidyanand is a Brahmin of the Dhigambar Jain sect and compiled in the Sanskrit language, "Ashta Shahastri" with eight thousand verses.

Acharya Shushil Kumar, known better to Jains as "Guruji", was born a Vaidik in the Shakarpur village of the Haryana province. At the age of 15, he took Diksha (became a sanyassin) into the Sthanakvasi, a Swhetambara sub-sect.

There is also a story about a wealthy Brahmin named Dhangiri in the town of Tumbhivan, who, when heard the sermons of the Jain Acharya Sinhgiri, while he regularly listened to but later lost his interest in wealth and decided to take the Diksha.

Umasvati was a composer who was so loved by Jains that he is considered by the Dhigambar sect to be a Dhigambar member and the Svetambara sect to be a Svetambara member.

Sikhism

Many writers of the Guru Granth Sahib are of the Bhatt surname.[51] The Sikh composed Mathura Bhatt's fourteen verses are seven each in praise of Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan.

There are also several Mohyals (Brahmin warriors) in the Sikh community.

Contributions to society

Politics

During the Indian independence movement, many Brahmins were at the forefront of the struggle for freedom and later Indian politics, some of the popular ones are: Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya(Hemu), Mangal Pandey, Nana Sahib Peshwa, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Tatya Tope, Baikuntha Shukla, Chandrashekar Azad, Yogendra Shukla, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Adyakrantikarak Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Chapekar brothers, Anant Kanhere, Vinayak Deshapande, Vishwanath Vaishampayan, Sri Satyanarayana Shukla, Basawon Singh (Sinha), Pandit Bhola Shukla, Balgangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Surendranath Banerjee, Mahadev Govind Ranade, Rajguru, Ramprasad Bismil, Vanchinathan, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Ganesh Damodar Savarkar, Prativadi Bhayankara Venkatacharya ("Bhayankarachari"), Mahavir Tyagi, anand sharma, Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, S. Srinivasa Iyengar, C. Rajagopalachari, Pattabhi Sitaramayya, P. V. Narasimha Rao, R.V.Krishna Iyer, Laxmi Raman Acharya, Sri Krishna Sinha, Gobind Ballabh Pant, Kamalapati Tripathi, Sheel Bhadra Yajee, Ravishankar Shukla, Kailashnath Katju, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Motilal Nehru, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, Hiren Mukherjee, S. A. Dange, P. C. Joshi, Acharya P. K. Atre, Baba Amte and Vinoba Bhave

Present Brahmins in Indian politics:

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee,

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee,

CM of West Bengal Budhadev Bhattacharya,

Union Minister for Rural Development C. P. Joshi and

President of the National Commission for Women of India Girija Vyas.

Jairam Ramesh Union environment minister.

Manohar Joshi former cm of maharashtra

Anand Sharma Union minister of Commerce and Industry

Sheila Dixit delhi chief minister.

Sandeep Dixit MP delhi.

Brahmins who became Prime Ministers of India include:

Jawaharlal Nehru,the first Prime Minister of India and

Indira Gandhi,

Morarji Desai,

P. V. Narasimha Rao &

Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Brahmin Presidents of India include:

S. Radhakrishnan (whose birthday is celebrated as teachers' day in India),

V. V. Giri,

R. Venkataraman &

Shankar Dayal Sharma.

Pakistani politician Mahesh Kumar Malani, a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from the Pakistan Peoples Party, is also Brahmin.

Military

Chanakya was the chief architect of the Maurya empire of Chandragupta Maurya and later his mentor, adviser and strategist. His masterpiece was Arthasastra, one of the greatest treatises on economics, politics, foreign affairs, administration, military arts, war and religion ever produced in India.

Medieval Hindu king Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also called Hemu, who had established 'Hindu Raj' in North India after defeating Akbar's forces at Agra and Delhi, and had his coronation or Rajyabhishake at Purana Quila in Delhi on 7 October 1556, after winning 22 battles continuously, without losing any, was a Bhargava and Dhusar Brahmin.

Ramchandra Pant Amatya, called as one of the six pillars of the Maratha empire by none other than Shivaji himself, and later Peshwa Baji Rao I who led the Marathi army to 41 battle victories, without ever losing one, contributed greatly to the Maratha empire's stability and expansion.

Birbal,[52] the most trusted, admired and loved minister of Akbar, and the incharge of the military and administration, was a Brahmin.

Mangal Pandey, Tatya Tope and Nana Saheb were the leading personalities in the rebellion of Indian soldiers against the British in 1857 sepoy mutiny

Several chiefs of the Indian Army have been brahmins, including General K V Krishna Rao, General Arun S. Vaidya, General Krishnaswamy Sundarji, General T.N. Raina, General Bipin Chandra Joshi, General Sundararajan Padmanabhan and General V. N. Sharma.The first winner of the highest gallantry award, Param Vir Chakra in independent India was Major Somnath Sharma, a Himachali Brahmin. Maj Padmapani Acharya, recipient of Maha Vir Chakra.

In the Indian Air Force too, brahmins have reached the apex rank of Air Chief. Among these are Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, Air Chief Marshal Swaroop Krishan Kaul, Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy, and Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi. India's first and only cosmonaut, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, is also a brahmin.

When Sikandar (Alexander) came to India after defeating the rest of the world, he had to retreat from INDIA because first he met King Porus in a fierce battle field which gave him and his soldiers a taste of valour of the Indians and second CHANAKYA focused his efforts on establishment of a grand invincible empire ... BRAHMANS are those by meeting whom even the winner of whole world fears.... they are the BRAHMANS. Now INDIA stands because of brahmins, even though people may or may not realize it.

In the Indian Navy, Admiral A. K. Chaterji, and Admiral J. G. Nadkarni are brahmins who rose to the heights of their service. Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, a Kashmiri Pandit, commander of the INS Khukri received the Maha Vir Chakra during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for his gallantry at the helm of his stricken ship.

Scholars and writers

Brahmin scholars and writers include Pāṇini, Satyabrata Nath, Patanjali, Kalidas, Satya Sandhani Haridutta Dash,Chandrasekhar pranava (Indian yoga Mentore) Chanakya, Banabhatta, Goswami Tulsidas, Sur Das, Keshav das, Behari Saint Dnyaneshwar, Eknath, Samarth Ramdas. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Prativadi Bhayankara Annangaracharya (Sanskrit scholar and composer of the Suprabhatam in the mid-1400s), Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri, Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Hazariprasad Dwivedi, Sumitranandan Pant, Subramanya Bharathy, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Ramvriksh Benipuri, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Srilal Shukla and Manohar Shyam Joshi. Other Brahmin scholars include Pandurang Vaman Kane, Ram Sharan Sharma and Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya. Modern writers include R. K. Narayan, cartoonist R. K. Laxman, Sanskrit scholar Kundalam Rangachariar, Yoga exponent B.K.S. Iyengar, journalist Indra Kant Mishra, and traditional Vedic astrologer Srirangam Ramesh Guru.

There have been many eminent scholars and writers like Maasti Venkatesh Iyengar and Viswanatha Satyanarayana and Sitakant Mahapatra who produced great literary master pieces in their local languages and won the highest literary award of India, the Jnanapith award.

Sciences

Scientists from the Brahmin fold include Varahamihira, Brahmagupta, Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya, Madhava of Sangamagrama, Neelakanta Somayaji, Paramesvara and others of Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics whose findings and discoveries predated those of many eminent European scientists and mathematicians like Newton by centuries,[53] Nobel laureates Sir C. V. Raman and his nephew Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan, Prof. A. K. Joshi, (molecular plant breeder), ethno-sociologist M. N. Srinivas, the most talented legendary mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, eminent physicist Suri Bhagavantam, eminent engineer M. Visvesvarayya (whose birthday is celebrated as Engineers' day in India), eminent chemist and material scientist C.N.R. Rao, Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, C. P. Ramanujam and Shakuntala Devi. Raja Ramanna, who was instrumental in making India a nuclear weapons state, P. K. Iyengar, Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, who served as the director of AIIMS and later as director general Indian Council of Medical Research, U. R. Rao and K. Kasturirangan, former chairmen of ISRO and Narendra Karmarkar. There were/have been many directors, distinguished world renowned faculty members, students and alumni like for instance A.Narasimhachari [54] and his elder brother A.Raghavachari (topper of IITJEE 88) etc. who have contributed and continuing to contribute immensely to the world wide esteem of premier Indian institutes like IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and IISc. They (brahmins) also hold many academic, scientific, R&D and industry positions in prestigious establishments in India and abroad, like for example the 2007 "mathematician's Nobel prize" laureate S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan of NYU. Unfortunately because of the socio political and economic challenges they are confronting in the country, India is unable to fully utilize the talents and services of the younger generations of brahmins, who are preferring to migrate away in large numbers in pursuit of better opportunities and recognition outside the country leading to a massive brain drain.

PVN Acharya(1924–1993), of the Prativadi Bhayankara family, received his PhD in Biochemistry with highest honors from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, and published papers with his professor, the famous French scientist Edgar Lederer. As a student in Paris and later as a biochemist in Madison, Wisconsin, PV Narasimh Acharya conducted groundbreaking work in tuberculosis and was the first scientist to discover that "irreparable DNA damage" is caused by low-dose ionizing radiation, environmental pollutants and the food additives nitrites and nitrates, and that such damage to the DNA is a causal factor in premature aging and cancer.[55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63] Prior to pursuing his doctorates at the Sorbonne, PVN Acharya graduated from Benares Hindu University, where he studied Oil Technology, and worked at the Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (New Delhi), where he developed commercial applications for castor oil including detergents and synthetic materials, including Nylon products.

Sports

In cricket, major names include Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Dilip Balwanth Vengsarkar, Ajit Wadekar, Srinivas Venkatraghavan, E. A. S. Prasanna, Bagawath Subramania Chandrashekhar, Gundappa Vishwanath,M.L.Jaisimha, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Chetan Sharma, Parthasarathy Sharma, Ravi Shastri, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Anjali Vedpathak, Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Ajay Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Kartik, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Subramaniam Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Maneesh Pandey, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Ajit Agarkar, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Sunil Joshi and many more. Other sports names include the world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand, Kirti Azad (cricketer and M.P.), and 1890s national tennis champion Narumanchi Narayanamurthy from Tenali, Andhra Pradesh.

Arts

Saint musicians include Thyagaraja, Vyasatirtha, Raghavendra Swami, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Sastri. Several notable names in Indian classical music belong to the Brahmin community, such as Mysore Vasudevacharya, Bhimsen Joshi, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Veena Doraiswamy Iyengar, Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna, Pandit Jasraj, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and Shivkumar Sharma.

In entertainment, prominent names include Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Ghazal Srinivas Vishnuvardhan, Usha Uthup, Mithun Chakraborty, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Vyjayantimala, Hema Malini, Basu Chatterjee, Sudhir PhaDke, Balgandharva, Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande, Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Shreya Ghoshal, Udit Narayan, Shantanu Mukherjee, Abhijeet, Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Madhuri Dixit,Ajay Devgn, Amrita Rao, Sharmila Tagore, Aditi Govitrikar, Gayatri Joshi, Sonali Bendre, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol, Vidya Balan, and Sonali Kulkarni. Tansen, Baiju Bawra the musician of Akbar's court was born a Brahmin. Rati Agnihotri, Apurva Agnihotri, Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Dutt, Kamal Hassan, Suhasini, Mausumi Chatterji, Chunki Pande, Rekha,Hrithik Roshan,Arjun Rampal,Shankar Mahadevan,Hariharan,Mani Sharma,Shruti Hassan,Meenakshi Sheshadri,Mani Ratnam, Indian Idol winners Sandeep Acharya, Sreeram chandra and finalist N.C. Karunya are also Brahmins.

Hindu Saints

Brahmin saints include Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhwacharya, Mandana Mishra, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Goswami Tulsidas, Surdas, Vallabhacharya, Dnyaneshwar, Samarth Ramdas (the guru of Chatrapati Shivaji), Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Ramana Maharshi and Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Hindu avatarams

Some incarnations (avatarams) of Lord Vishnu were Brahmins. Parashurama, the son of sage Jamadagni, is considered a redeemer of virtue and set the stage for nobility to manifest as Lord Rama, the divine king, by ridding the world of unscrupulous and unjust rulers - Haiheyas. As Vamana, a dwarf Bramhin, Vishnu who vanquished Bali, an ancient king of Kerala who became more powerful than the Devas

Business

T.T. Krishnamachari, TTK group, T. V. Sundaram Iyengar, TVS and sons, Sundram Fastners,Arun Pudur of Celframe , Infosys,N. R. Narayana Murthy, SHREE BINDUKSHINI Advisory Services(www.bindukshini.com), Nitin Omprakash Bohra, UB Group Vijay Mallya,Dr. Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, the founder of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT, Jaypee group, The Cognizant,Atre Group,Garware Industries,Kingfisher,Airdeccan,Deccan Aviations,Amrutanjan LTD,Baidyanath,Vicco,Sahara Group,L&T,Amalagamations,TAFE tractors,TIME Institutes,ICFAI institutes,Manipal Institutes,Ashida Electronics,Agri gold,India Cements,Sanmar Group,Kirloskar,Shriram chits,AXIS Bank,ICICI bank,Dhanalaxmi Bank,Karnataka bank pvt ltd,Indus Airways,The Hindu,Seshasayee group,Sankhya Infotech,United Infotech,Gammon Infratech,Camlin Products,Uninor,Vilas rao deshmukh,Jaypee Group,Malladi Pharmaceuticals,Orchid Pharmaceuticals,Orchid hotels,Kamat Hotels,Kohinoor Group,Colorchips animations, Indra Nooyi, C.E.O. of Pepsico, C. K. Prahalad,Nandan Nilekani,Dyaneshwar of ITC,Kiran Majumdar of Biocon etc.

Social/Public Service

Dhondo Keshav Karve, Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (RSS founder), Shri. M.S.Golwalkar (Guruji), Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Durgabai Deshmukh, Baba Amte, Pandurang Shastri Athavale, Sudha Murthy/Infosys Foundation are some of the well known social reformers/activists.

C.D. Deshmukh, H.V.R. Iyengar, C. Rangarajan, C.R. Krishna Swamy Rao, T.N. Seshan, T.N. Chaturvedi, B. K. Chaturvedi, Raju Narayanaswamy and many distinguished civil servants of India who rose to the highest positions of Chiefs of Indian civil services/Cabinet Secretaries of India,[64] comptroller and auditor generals of India, principal secretaries of various ministries of the Union government and chief secretaries of many Indian states.

See also

Rajpurohit

History of Brahmin diet

Varna (Hinduism)

Brahmin communities

Brahmanism

Forward caste

Social cycle theory

Bramins of Nepal, Bahun, Brahman-Hill (to be merged)

Vaishnavism

List of Iyengars

Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya

Notes

↑ Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin,

Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self. Brahmin or Brahmana refers to an individual, while the word Brahma refers to God in the aspect of creator.

References

↑ Monier-Williams: inspired, inwardly stirred, wise, learned, etc.

↑ 'Dvija was used more frequently for Brahmins, but it also included Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas who were "reborn through investiture with the sacred knowledge" - Monier-Williams.

↑ A detailed article on Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation

↑ 4.0 4.1 Wells et al. (2001)

↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Semino et al. (2000)

↑ High-Resolution Phylogenetic Analysis of Southeastern Europe Traces Major Episodes of Paternal Gene Flow Among Slavic Populations - Pericic et al. 22 (10): 1964 - Molecular Bi...

↑ Behar et al. (2003)

↑ The Autochthonous Origin and a Tribal Link of Indian Brahmins: Evaluation Through Molecular Genetic Markers, by S. Sharma (1,2), E. Rai (1,2), S. Singh (1,2), P.R. Sharma (1,3), A.K. Bhat (1), K. Darvishi (1), A.J.S. Bhanwer (2), P.K. Tiwari (3), R.N.K. Bamezai (1) 1) NCAHG, SLS, JNU, New delhi; 2) Department of Human Genetics, GNDU, Amritsar; 3) Centre for Genomics, SOS zoology, JU, Gwalior, Page 273 (1344/T), Published in The American Society of Human Genetics 57th Annual Meeting, October 23–27, 2007, San Diego, California.

↑ Passarino et al. (2002)

↑ Underhill et al. (2009)

↑ Brāhmanotpatti Martanda, cf. Dorilal Sharma, p.41-42

↑ Mentioned by Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya in "Hindu Castes and Sects", a detailed article on various castes and groups of Brahmins

↑ 13.0 13.1 P. 849 Gujarat State Gazetteers By Gujarat (India), 1984

↑ Bayly, Susan (2001). Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age. Cambridge University Press. p. 440 (at p 203). ISBN 9780521798426.

↑ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's silent revolution: the rise of the lower castes in North India. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 68. ISBN 978-0231127868. OCLC 50064516.

↑ 16.0 16.1 The Boxers, China, and the World. Rowman & Littlefield. 2007. p. 231 (at p 63). ISBN 978-0742553958.

↑ Crooke, William (1999). The Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh. 4. 6A, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049, India: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 8120612108.

↑ http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.html#Brahmins_of_Andhra_Pradesh

↑ Article on Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh at Vepachedu Educational Foundation

↑ Maharashtra State Gazetteers

↑ 21.0 21.1 Article on Iyengars

↑ History of Madras by James Talboys Wheeler

↑ Prevalence of phenotypes & genes (pdf file) - Last page 10th line to the left

↑ 24.0 24.1 Pg 31 Std 7 Social Science textbook printed by the TamilNadu textbook corporation

↑ Book pg.40 - The world of the weaver in the Northern Coromandel

↑ Pg.443(Snippet View) - The Indian economic and social history review, Volume 22

↑ Pg.61(Snippet View) - Textiles and weavers in medieval South India

↑ 28.0 28.1 Leider, Jacques P.. "Specialists for Ritual, Magic and Devotion: The Court Brahmins of the Konbaung Kings". The Journal of Burma Studies 10: 159–180.

↑ Article on Gotras of Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation

↑ Article on Gotras and pravaras of Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation

↑ Manu Smriti on learning of the Vedas

↑ Article on various sects and rishis of Brahmins at Vepachedu Educational Foundation

↑ Bhanu, B. V., People of India, p. 948.

↑ Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature, by John Dowson, p. 17.

↑ History of Indian Theatre, by Manohar Laxman Varadpande, p. 227.

↑ Crooke, William (1999). The Tribes and Castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh. 6A, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049, India: Asian Educational Services. pp. 1809 (at page 64). ISBN 8120612108.

↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 P. 201, Professor A.L. Basham, My Guruji and Problems and Perspectives of Ancient, by Sachindra Kumar Maity

↑ P. 29, Cultural History from the Matsyapurāṇa, by Sureshachandra Govindlal Kantawala

↑ P. 37 Asian Medical Systems: A Comparative Study By Charles Leslie

↑ 40.0 40.1 P. 13 Castes And Tribes Of Southern India By Edgar Thurston, K. Rangachari

↑ http://vedabase.net/sb/7/11/14/en | Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.11.14

↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 "Mahima Dharma, Bhima Bhoi and Biswanathbaba"

↑ Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Handful of Leaves Vol 1, 2nd edition, page 391.

↑ See for example Dhp XXVI, Brahmanavagga, or Majjhima Nikaya 3.24, or especially MN 98 for three of many examples.

↑ Sue Hamilton, Early Buddhism: A New Approach: The I of the Beholder. Routledge 2000, page 49.

↑ (Robinson, Johnson & Thanissaro 2005, p. 51)

↑ Sue Hamilton, Early Buddhism: A New Approach: The I of the Beholder. Routledge 2000, pages 47, 49.

↑ Translation by Piyadassi Thera

↑ Dhammapada XXVI, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

↑ P.21 Jaina-rūpa-maṇḍana =: Jaina Iconography By Umakant Premanand Shah

↑ Bards/Bhatts in Adi Granth: Bhatt Mathura

↑ About Birbal http://www.india-intro.com/history-of-birbal-story-of-birbal

↑ Indians predated Newton by 250 years http://www.physorg.com/news106238636.html

↑ A. Narasimhachari http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/nri_achivers/3.htm

↑ Acharya NPV (PVN Acharya's Phd thesis at Universite de Paris, Sorbonne) Senn M and Lederer E (1967). "Sur la presence et structure de mycolate d'arabinose dans les lipides lies de deux souches de Mycobacteries". Compte Rendu Acad Sci Hebd Acad Sci D. 264: 2173–2176.

↑ Migliore D, Acharya NPV and Jolles P (1966). "Characterization of large quantities of glutamic acid in the walls of human virulent strains of mycobacteria.". Compte Rendu Acad Sci Hebd Acad Sci D. 263 (11): 846–8. PMID 4958543.

↑ Acharya, PV and Goldman DS (1970). "Chemical composition of the cell wall of the H37Ra strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.". J Bacteriol 102 (3): 733–9. PMID 4988039.

↑ Acharya, PVN; The Effect of Ionizing Radiation on the Formation of Age-Correlated Oligo Deoxyribo Nucleo Phospheryl Peptides in Mammalian Cells; 10th International Congress of Gerontology, Jerusalem. Abstract No. 1; January 1975. Work done while employed by Dept. of Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

↑ Acharya, PVN; Implicatons of The Action of Low Level Ionizing Radiation on the Inducement of Irreparable DNA Damage Leading to Mammalian Aging and Chemical Carcinogenesis.; 10th International Congress of Biochemistry, Hamburg, Germany. Abstract No. 01-1-079; July 1976. Work done while employed by Dept. of Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

↑ Acharya, PV Narasimh; Irreparable DNA-Damage by Industrial Pollutants in Pre-mature Aging, Chemical Carcinogenesis and Cardiac Hypertrophy: Experiments and Theory; 1st International Meeting of Heads of Clinical Biochemistry Laboratories, Jerusalem, Israel. April 1977. Work conducted at Industrial Safety Institute and Behavioral Cybernetics Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

↑ Acharya, PV Narasimh; The Effects of Industrial Pollutants on DNA Mechanisms, 1977.

↑ Acharya, PV Narasimh; Environmental Carcinogens: A Critical Appraisal, 1988.

↑ Acharya PVN; The isolation and partial characterization of age-correlated oligo-deoxyribo-ribonucleotides with covalently linked aspartyl-glutamyl polypeptides. (June 1971). Johns Hopkins Med J Suppl, p254-260. PMID 5055816.

↑ Heads of Indian Civil Services http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Services_of_India#Head_of_the_Indian_Civil_Service

Further reading

Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Rachnawali (Selected works of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati), Prakashan Sansthan, Delhi, 2003.

Baldev Upadhyaya, Kashi Ki Panditya Parampara, Sharda Sansthan, Varanasi, 1985.

M.A. Sherring, Hindu Tribes and Castes as Reproduced in Benaras, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, First ed 1872, new ed 2008.

Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya, Hindu Castes and Sects, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, first edition 1896, new edition 1995.

E.A.H.Blunt, The Caste System of North India, S.Chand Publishers, 1969.

Christopher Alan Bayly, Rulers, Townsmen, and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British Expansion, 1770–1870, Cambridge University Press, 1983.

Anand A. Yang, Bazaar India: Markets, Society, and the Colonial State in Bihar, University of California Press, 1999.

Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi Rachnawali, Rajkamal Prakashan, Delhi.

Bibha Jha's Ph.D thesis Bhumihar Brahmins: A Sociological Study submitted to the Patna University.

M. N. Srinivas, Social Change in Modern India, Orient Longman, Delhi, 1995.

Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi essays.

Apte (1965) (Fourth Revised and Enlarged ed.). New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Apte (1966) (Reprint 1997 ed.). New Delhi.

Macdonell (1924) (1966 ed.). New Delhi.

Monier-Williams, Monier (1899). Delhi.

Sontakke, N. S., ed (1972). (First ed.). Pune: .

External links

Brahman Swarnkar Brahmin soni brahman sunar bamania swarnkar

Topics on Brahmins

About Kerala Iyers, a.k.a Pattars, the brahmins who moved to Kerala centuries ago from Tamil Nadu

List Of Andhra Brahmins And Surnames

A Long List of Brahmin Castes and Sub-castes

Online Shakdweepiya Community

Online Shakdweepiya Community

Shakdweepiya club

Information by Gujarati author

Marriage and Matrimony for Brahmins - www.marryAbrahmin.com

Brahmins Only Marriage blogs and matrimony

Exclusive Matrimony Portal for Aiyer community

Marriage and Matrimony for Brahmins - www.marryAbrahmin.com

Retrieved from "search,wikipedia,Brahmin"

Categories: Brahmins | Varnas in Hinduism | Hindu philosophical concepts | Sanskrit words and phrases | Indo-Aryan peoples

Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements Austronesian Navigation and Migration

Ocean-going outrigger ship, Borobudur, Java 

From http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/borobudur/blevel_2/blevel2_panels.html 

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Paul Kekai Manansala's history blog Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan

The maritime achievements of the Austronesians have been noted by scholars

and other observers for many centuries.  The ability of the Micronesians to 

span out over many largely desolate atolls; of the Polynesians to make

voyages over vast stretches of ocean; of the Melanesians to sail with minimal

references; and of the Malays and Indonesians to venture thousands of miles over 

open sea to Madagascar are all great accomplishments that likely preceded

similar feats by other peoples.

In most cases, the Austronesians left evidence of their journeys by means

of their languages surviving in the lands they visited and settled.  In this

webpage, we will examine evidence of other regions that the Austronesians

might have reached, but that are not commonly included as such in most research.

The evidence used will come from various fields including linguistics, genetics

and physical anthropology.

An examination of Austronesian navigation and sailing techniques and technology

will also be included.  

Evidence of Austronesian Contact beyond their Accepted Linguistic Region

Linguistic arguments on the existence of Austric influence in India and South Asia

can be found on the Austric in India Webpage at 

http://www.he.net/~skyeagle/austric.htm.  Austronesian is a subset of the larger

proposed Austric language family.  For a radically new theory on South Asian

languages, visit the Austro-Dravidian Language Theory Webpage

at http://www.he.net/~skyeagle/lang.htm.  

A webpage on the Austric provenance of Sumerian can be found at 

http://www.he.net/~skyeagle/sumer.htm.  In both the Indic and Sumerian languages,

evidence of Austronesian influence may be direct, or through other member of the

Austric stock that absorbed some elements that also descended to the Austronesian family

at an early stage.  

The Austronesian Physical Type

Although Austronesians are a fairly heterogenous people in terms of physical appearance, 

some interesting common traits to exist widely over the group.  Many scholars claim

Austronesians are admixtures of Austroloids, a group which includes Veddoids, Australians,

Negritos and Papuans; with Mongoloids.  

Older ideas claiming Austroloids originated in the Mediterranean are now discredited.

As the "Out of Africa" theory seems to be the one best supported by the evidence, it

appears that the very old anatomically modern humans found in Asia, older than

comparable African skeletons, are very ancient migrants from the West.  The best

evidence for the Austroloid type is that it was descended from Ngandong man of Java,

(about 150,000 years ago) who originated from the older Pithecanthropes of Java 

(Cheikh Diop, Civilization or Barbarism, Lawrence Hill Books, Brooklyn, 1991, 

p. 35;  Andor Thoma, "L'origine de l'homme moderne et de ses races" in La Recherche,  

no. 55, Aug. 1975, p. 334.)

Skeletons of the Austroloid type have been found at the Kow Swanif site going

back to 8,000 B.C., and some possibly representing this type go to 20,000

to 30,000 B.C.  In Sri Lanka, skeletons of this type date back probably to about

12,000 B.C.   Thus, the earliest examples are considerably older than Mediterranean

examples and it is likely that the modern Austroloid type originated in the Southeast

Asia/Pacific region.  These Austroloids were tropically adapted people who were mostly

chaemarrhine and prognathous with prominent browridges and low skulls.  However,

considerable variation occurred among these Asian Austroloids.  

Whether the Mongoloid type developed from the Austroloid type will not be dealt

with here, but eventually these two types came together specifically in the region

of Southeast Asia.  Also present were Negroid types who differed from Austroloids

in having high skulls, frizzy hair, etc.  Some believe that the Oceanic Negroid 

types are subcategories of Austroloids, but it may also be that the reverse is true.

Although the hair of the Austroloid type is wavy or straight, it is actually very

similar to that of Oceanic Negroids (and also Africoids) in that it is thick

and coarse (as opposed to the fine, soft hair of Caucasoids).  

The Austronesian (and Austric) type that developed from the Austroloid/Mongolid/

Negrito admixture can be distinguished by such traits as:

Short face (one of the shortest of any group)

High skull

Bulging, pentagonal occiput

Prominent parietal protuberances

Medium cranial capacity

Ellipse-shaped orbit

Mild epicanthic fold ("almond-shaped eyes")

Mild alveolar prognathism (full lower lip with jaw projecting past plane of nose)

Subnasal mesognathism

Mesorrhine (medium broad nose on average)

Concave or concavo-convex nasal profile

Dull or guttered nasal sill

Sacral spot (highest percentages among all groups)

While some traits, like those listed above, help distinguish an Austronesian type,

quite a bit of variation also occurred.  For example, the "rocker jaw," of Polynesian

peoples, and the diminutive stature of the Negritos.  Generally, Austronesians tend

to have brown complexion, with dark, straight to wavy (sometimes frizzy) hair that

is coarse and thick, and dark eyes.  Occassionally, blondism occurs in infacy (as

among some tribes in Melanesia and Mindanao) or reddish-brown hair or streaking

is present.  However, this appears to be native variation rather than evidence

of Caucasoid admixture as suggested in earlier diffusionist studies.  The universal

coarse and thick nature of the hair is powerful evidence of this, since Caucasoid

contribution would result in some existence of fine, soft hair.

Studies in India have shown a great deal of common ground between the Dravidian 

type and the local Austric type.  In fact, little difference was found between

the two.  Again, a possible explanation for this commonality between the two

types that make up the bulk of the population in South Asia can be found on

the Austro-Dravidian Language Theory Webpage.

Genetic Evidence

Attempts have been made at finding genetic markers for Austronesian peoples

in recent studies.  A few good recent references are:

Melton et al, (1995) "Polynesian genetic affinites with Southeast Asian populations 

as identified by mtDNA analysis," American Journal of Human Genetics, 57:

403-414.

Redd et al, (1995) "Evolutionary history of the COII/tRNA intergenic 9 base

pair deletion in human mitochondrial DNAs from the Pacific," Molecular

Biological Evolution12:604-615.

Hill AVS, Sergeantson SW (eds) (1989) The colonization of the Pacific:

a genetic trail, Oxford Univ. Press, New York.

Concerning India, the earliest studies using blood genetic markers, the researchers

tended to emphasize evidence that confirmed existing beliefs in the "Aryan" 

relationship of South Asians.  The fact that many markers, such as the A2 blood

type, p2, q, Rh negative, ALDH and other factors tended to show greater 

relationship with Asians to the East. (D. Tills, A. Kopec, R. Tills, (1983)

The distribution of human glood groups and other polymorhisms Supplement

1, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford)

Studies of nuclear DNA, though, seemed to confirm earlier theories of a Central

Asian and otherwise Western origin of the bulk of the Indian populace ().

However, the most recent studies of mtDNA contrast sharply with the nuclear

DNA studies.  A recent work by Bamshad et al (Bamshad et al, (1996) "mtDNA

Variation in Caste Populations," Human Biology, v. 68, 1,) showed that South

Indian populations were genetically closer to Asians than Europeans.  In fact,

a very close relationship between Indians and Africans was displayed by a

neighbor-joining tree showing an African-Indian cluster in 88% of 1000 bootstrapped

trees.  Nuclear DNA studies have shown no close relationship between Africans

and Indians.  The table showing genetic distances is included below:

Table 6. Genetic Distances between Continental Populations

Group                African       Indian       Asian

_______________________________________________________________

African

Indian               0.00440       

Asian                0.00584       0.00085

European             0.658         0.00115      0.00046

_______________________________________________________________

(Source: Bamshad et al, p. 16)

The Asian group used in this study consisted of a mixture of East Asian and

Southeast Asian groups, and it would be interesting to find what a comparison

of Indian with specifically Austronesian and Austric peoples would produce.

The genetic distances shown above were supported by an earlier study by

Mountain et al. (Mountain et al.,(1995) "Demographic History of India and 

mtDNA-Sequence Diversity,"  American journal of human genetics,

APR 01 1995 v 56 n 4, p. 979) that showed Chinese were approximately

twice as close in terms of genetic distance to Indians than Europeans were to 

Indians.  However, the Mountain et al. study did not show the same linkage

with African populations as did that of Bamshad et al.  Clearly, more mtDNA

studies using different groups from all geographic regions are in order.

Just why the mtDNA studies showed such drastically different results from

many of the earlier nuclear DNA studies is hard to determine.  Bamshad

et al. suggested that possibly the African mtDNA in Indians might be due

to mostly female African admixture with other supposedly non-African groups.

However, any female African mixture sufficient to result in such a significant

cluster should also have resulted in considerable contribution of nuclear 

DNA, which is also passed on by females.  Of course, a thorough study using

Y-chromosomes could provide answers to this question, and such a study was

suggested by Bamshad et al.

Getting back to the Asian affinities shown by the mtDNA studies, a few non-mtDNA

studies have also shown such relationships.  For example, a study conducted

in India (Balakrishnan et al., "HLA Affinities of Iyers, a Brahmin Population of 

Tamil Nadu, South India," Human biology, AUG 01 1996 v 68 n 4, p. 523)

displayed correspondence between the Iyer Brahmins and Southeast Asian populations, 

although this was explained by Central Asian groups migrating to India through 

Southeast Asia.

An interesting article  appeared in the Oct. 1996 issue of American

Journal of Human Genetics.  It analyzes some peculiar mtDNA

polymorphisms in Northern India comparing them to samples of Caucasoids,

Specific mutations were focused on.  The Caucasoid group consisted of

Lebanese (50), Jews (52), North Africans (39), Northern Italians (22)

and U.S. Caucasoids (175).  Indian samples from the Punjab, Delhi and

Andhra Pradesh were taken.

Here is a table derived from that article minus the

standard errors and references:

---------------------------------------------------------

Frequency of Ddel(10,394)Alul(10,397)Haplotypes in Punjab

----------------------------------------------------------

                              Haplotypes

                    ------------------------------

                     ++         +-         --

             no.     (%)        (%)        (%)

 _________________________________________________________

Caucasoids        383     1.0        21.4        77.6

Punjabi            78     26.9       12.8        60.2

Indians (Delhi)    76     48.7        2.6        48.7

Indians (A.P.)     57     73.7        1.7        24.6

Tribals (A.P.)     30     60.0        0          40.0

East Asians       153     44.4        7.2        48.4

Siberians         412     56.3       10.0        33.7

Tibetans           54     61.1        0          38.9

Sub-Sah. African  197      1.5       88.7         9.6

-----------------------------------------------------------

Source: Passarino et al., "mtDNA Polymorphisms in Northern

India,"  _American Journal of Human Genetics_, 59:

927-934, Oct. 1996.

Interesting to note that with the possible exception of the

Punjabis, the other Indian groups (Delhi and Andhra Pradesh)

cluster more closely with the Asian groups.

Another recent article entitled, "India looks farther east for

its ancestors," _New Scientist_, 8 March 1997 (no. 2072),

examined the same possibility from the standpoint of

histocompatibility.  Here's is an excerpt from the article

as posted by Dominick Wusjastyk on the Indology list:

----

India looks farther east for its ancestors.

============================================

The physical appearance of the people of northern India has led historians

to assume they are more closely related to the European Caucasoid

populations that to their neighbours to the east.  But an international

group of geneticist claims that this view is wrong.

Some of the northern Indians, say the researchers, have much more in common

with Chinese and Japanese people than was previously thought.  The results

could change the way that historians view human migration into the Indian

subcontinent.

[...] "India is really a transition zone between the Caucasoids and

Mongoloids," says Narinder Mehra, director of the department of

histocompatability and immunogenetics at the All-India Institute of Medical

Sciences in New Delhi. Mehra belongs to an international team studying the

genetics of histocompatibility in populations worldwide.

[...] The scientists concentrated on the human leucocyte antigens (HLA)

which dictate whether a person undergoing a transplant will accept or reject

a donated organ or tissue.

[...] of the 17 subtypes of a gene [...] 44 per cent of a group of 46 people

living in Delhi had the same subtype as 69 per cent of a group of northern

Chinese.  And the subtype most commonly found in European populations was

totally absent.

[Mehra's sample consisted of] Hindus with family roots in the north Indian

states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

---

As already mentioned there is a great deal of evidence existing

in terms of blood genetic markers and similar polymorphisms, and both

metric and non-metric anthropological traits to support the findings from

mtDNA suggesting a substantial Asian component in India originating from

Southeast Asia, which could certainly have Austronesian connections.  The latter

conclusion is further strengthened by linguistic, archaeological and, to some

degree, historical evidence.

A new study in Genetics analyzes Y chromosome variation and

groups South Asians together with Southeast Asians due to common

paternal lineages.   Here is a selected sample constructed from

Table 1 of the article (M.F. Hammer et al., "The geographic

distribution of human Y chromosome variation" Genetics.

MAR 01 1997 v 145 n 3, 787):

--------------------------------------------------------------------

YAP haplotype and DYS19 allele frequencies (n = 1500)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Population                YAP haplotype              DYS19 allele

                     ---------------------    --------------------------

                 n   1    2    3    4    5     Z    A    B    C    D   E

------------------------------------------------------------------------

WEST ASIANS

Saudi Arabia    22   91   0    0    5    5     0    5    55   23   18  0

UAE             20   90   0    0    5    5     0    5    65   15   15  0

Oman            11  100   0    0    0    0     0    0    36   64    0  0

Iran             5   80   0    0    0   20     0    0    20   80    0  0

SOUTH ASIANS

Indians         39  100   0    0    0    0     0    0    23   51   21   5

SE Asians       47  100   0    0    0    0     0    2     7   55   23  13

(by group)

Vietnamese      13  100   0    0    0    0     0    8     8   46   23  15

Filipinos       10  100   0    0    0    0     0    0    10   60   10  20

Malaysians      10  100   0    0    0    0     0    0     0   70   10  20

Laotians         7  100   0    0    0    0     0    0     0   43   57   0

Indonesians      4  100   0    0    0    0     0    0     0   50   50   0

Cambodians       3  100   0    0    0    0     0    0    33   67    0   0

EAST ASIANS

Koreans         27  100   0    0    0    0     0    0    26   22   41  11

S. Chinese      48  100   0    0    0    0     0    4    10   52   25   8

Taiwanese       76   99   0    1    0    0     1    4    28   38   25   4

Japanese       132   58   0   42    0    0     0    8     3   49   25  15

Tibetans        30   53   0   47    0    0     0    0    23   67   10   0

S. EUROPE

Greeks          83   75   0    0   25    0     0   22    37   27   13   1

Italians       208   86   0    1   13    0     0   14    37   31   10   8

N. EUROPE

Germans         30   93   0    0    7    0     0    7    50   30   10   3

British         43   98   0    0    2    0     0   12    63   23    2   0

S. Africans     20   95   0    0    5    0     0    5    60   15   15   5

(white)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The RAID data recovery above shows that haplotype 1C is strongly associated with

South and Southeast Asians.  If not for this haplotype, Indians

would appear to be closer to Koreans.

Using a majority-rule consensus tree, Hammer et al. formed two

primary clusters.  The relevant cluster looks thus:

      -------East Asians

     |

     |

 ----|        -------South Asians

|    |       |

|    |       |

|     --------

|            |

|            |

|             -------Australians

|

|

|

|

|             -----North Europeans

|            |

|            |

|   ----------

|  |         |

|  |         |

 --           -----West Asians

   |

   |

    ----South Europeans

The Indian sample in this study consisted of 20 individuals

from Andhra Pradesh and 19 South African Indians, who were

mostly of Gujarati and Bengali origin.

Austronesians and South America

Rebecca Cann and J.K. Lum have studied the possiblity of gene flow

between Polynesian and Amerind populations based on mtDNA findings 

(R.L. Cann and J.K. Lum, "Mitochondrial Myopia: Reply to Bonatto et

al.," (letter to the editor), Am J. Hum. Genet. 59:256-258, 1996; Cann, R.L., 

(1994) "mtDNA and Native Americans: a southern perspective," Am. J. of Hum.

Genet. 55:7-11.) and have raised the following questions:

"Why is the B-lineage clade, a clade most common on the western

coast of the Americas, not found in Beringia?  Why does the B-lineage

clade have lower sequence diversity and a different mismatch distribution 

than do the major A, C, and D clades (as well as others recently documented

by T. Schurr and colleagues) in Amerindians?  Why are other lineages, not 

just in the B group, found in Pacific and Amerindian populations?

Finally, how do we account for the prehistoric distribution of the sweet 

potato in Oceania (Yen 1974)?  [Cann and Lum, p. 258]

Dr. Rebecca Cann can be contacted regarding

her research at rc...@hawaii.edu.

Dr. Cann's work has recently been supported by other research (Leon-S, F E; Ariza-Deleon, 

A; Leon-S, M E; Ariza-C, A; Parham, P.,(1996) "Peopling the Americas," Science 

Volume 273, Number 5276, pp. 721). In this article, these interesting points are 

brought to light suggesting seaborne migration from Southeast Asia and Japan to South 

America in pre-Columbian times via the Japan Current (using the route of the 

Manila Galleons):

1. A new allele found in the Cayapa or Chachi of Ecuador displays molecular

similarity in aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency to that found in Southeast

Asia and Japan, but not in Northeast Asia.

2. HTLV-I strains from Japan similar in molecular structure to those found

in South American (including Chile, Columbia and Brazil).

3. HTLV-II present in South America and Japan but not in far eastern Siberia.

4. Similarities in major histocompatibility complex type 1 (MHC-1),

MHC type II, haplotypes and mtDNA found in Japanese, Pacific and South American

native populations but absent in far eastern Siberia. 

Austronesians and Africa

Austronesians established themselves on the island of Madagascar off the

East African coast at an ancient epoch.  Austronesian prehistorian,

Wilhelm Solheim, has suggested that the beginning of Austronesian 

occupation of Madagascar may have been underestimated.  

The existence of various Austronesian crops suggest contact with

the African mainland.  Indeed, there are various Muslim historical

sources verifying such contact during medieval times.  There is also

some evidence of gene flow between the two regions.  Of particular

interest is the existence of the Asian-specific 9-bp deletion

among Sub-Saharan Africans.  One study has tried to explain this by 

means of independent origins (Soodyall et al.,(1996) "mtDNA Control-Region 

Sequence Variation Suggests Multiple Independent Origins of an "Asian-Specific" 

9-bp Deletion in Sub-Saharan Africans,"  American journal of human genetics

MAR 01 1996 v 58 n 3, p. 595), however, this question if probably far from

settled.  Certainly, there are reasons (occupation of Madagascar, existence

of Austronesian crops on mainland, Muslim historical sources) to suspect

gene flow between the two peoples.

Austronesian Ocean Navigation

The evidence presented above gives a sketch of known and possible areas

of Austronesian contact.  Other possibilities also exist which are not 

explored here due to the research being very preliminary.  

The great expansion of Austronesian peoples that began probably at least 

8,000 to 9,000 years ago according to recent radiocarbon datings (Eusebio

Dizon, "Maguidanao prehistory: Focus on the archaeology of the anthropomorphic 

potteries at Pinol, Maitum, South Cotabato, Mindanao, Philippines," National 

Museum Papers, vol. 4,No. 1, 1993, Manila) required a sophisticated system of 

open sea navigation.  

Such navigation differed greatly from sailing along the coastline or to visible

landmarks.  Not only were sturdy blue-water vessels needed, but a system of

orientation, dead reckoning, position-fixing and detection of landfall and 

weather prediction had be developed.

Bunkminster Fuller, the developer of "Synergism" and theorist on the development

of technology, believed that a combination of population pressures and the

submergence of the Southeast Asian landmass caused the rise of nautical and

other technologies in Austronesia.  He gave examples of the circular weaves

used in Southeast Asia and the Pacific comparing them to the unstable grid

pattern weaves used in most of the rest of the world, as an example of how

the need to build stable blue-water ship designs indirectly influence other

areas of life.  Sumet Jumsai, following up on Fuller's work, compared Southeast

Asian architectural designs with ship architecture showing the same relationship

of concept (Sumet Jumsai, (1988) Naga: cultural origins in Siam and the West

Pacific, Singapore; Bunkminster Fuller, (1981) The Critical Path, New 

York). A comparison of Austronesian terms shows that this connection indeed existed 

in the Austronesian mind:

barangay-       communal unit usually smaller than village, ship; Philippines,

burunga-        clan, Arosi,

bal.u-          village, community, house; Proto-Austric (Benedict),

barau -         canoe, Efate 

fera-           village, Proto-Malaitan,

farau -         canoe, Tahiti

puruwa-         village, Faita.

poruku -        canoe, Futuna 

peuru-          village, Bilua,

parao -         canoe, Tagalog

felakoe-        village, ship; Lavukaleve,

folau -         canoe, Polynesia

halau-          ship, longhouse used for communal activities, Hawai`i.

It would be hard to find greater evidence of the aquatic/maritime culture

of the Austronesians than the culture terms given above.

ORIENTATION

The Austronesian navigator had to be, at the same time, the village astronomer

and meteorologist.   More than anything, the heavenly bodies were used for

direction-finding and for establishing course bearings.  During the day,

the Sun, or the Sun's shadow could be used to keep bearings; at night, the stars 

were used for this purpose.  Indeed, the sidereal compasses of the 

Micronesians have become well-known among those who study Austronesian 

navigation.   

The sidereal compass uses the rising and setting points of stars to establish

direction.  Stars always rise and set at the same latitudes regardless of one's

own latitude. Of course, as one's own latitude changes, it will seem that the

stars are rising at different latitudes, but this is not the case.  Thus,

these fixed rising and setting points can be used to establish north, south,

east and west and every direction in between.  

During the daytime, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  However,

the Sun only rises and sets directly to the east and west respectively during

the spring and fall equinoxes.  At other times, the rising and setting points

of the Sun change latitude, and thus give slightly different bearings than

due east or due west.  Generally, Austronesian navigators checked the rising

and setting latitudes (known as declination) against the stars at sunrise

or sunset to determine the exact bearings of the Sun.   As the Sun rises to 

its meridian passage (high noon) its shadow will also give direction depending

on the Sun's position in the sky at any particular time.

During periods of bad weather, the heavenly bodies may not be visible and 

thus other means of finding direction are necessary.  During these times, the 

navigator may use the swells and currents of the ocean to keep on course.

Ocean currents tend to travel in certain directions during different 

times of the year.  According to some Austronesian lore, one can tell the

direction of currents by the stars that are in the ascendant at sunset,  or

even by whatever star was ascending at any particular time.  The stellar

compass could also be used to determine the direction of swells at a 

given time, and a corresponding swell compass can be derived.  When

weather obscures the skies, this swell compass can be used instead.  Likewise,

the navigator can pay close attention to the directions of the wind while

the sky is clear and orient this with the directions given by Sun and stars.

The resulting wind compass can be used when heavenly bodies cannot be 

discerned.  Of course, when using either the swell or wind compass, the

navigator and the other crew members must be alert of any changes in

direction that may occur.

DEAD RECKONING

In addition to the compasses mentioned above, the Austronesian navigator

often possessed a sort of internal compass as well.  The tremendous

orientation ability of these navigators has been recorded on a number

of occassions.  Captain Cook's crew encountered Tupaia, a Tahitian

navigator, whose knowledge of navigational lore greatly impressed

the Europeans (J.R. Forster,  (1777)Observations made during a Voyage 

round the World (in the Resolution 1771-5), London).  Though it was

highly unlikely that the dispossessed Tupaia was privy to the more

recondite knowledge on his islands, he still was able to accurately 

demonstrate to Cook's crew the position of numerous island chains

from the Marquesas to Fiji totally by memory.  The area covered is

greater than the span of the entire Atlantic Ocean and involved

numerous islands!

More than that, Tupaia was able to lead Cook to many of these islands

that were as yet unknown to Europeans.  However, the most interesting

notice regarding Tupaia regarding the art of dead reckoning occurred

during the voyage of Cook's expedition to Batavia in Java.  At various

points on the long, winding voyage that took them between broad-ranging

latitudes, Tupaia "was never at a loss to point to Taheitee, at 

whatever place he came." (Forster, 1778: 531)

The following notice from the missionary vessel Southern Cross

traveling in the late 1800's describes three Santa Cruz boys of 

whom the eldest was

"teaching the names of various stars to his younger companions,

and [I] was surprised at the number he knew by name.  Moreover,

at any time of night or day, in whatsover direction we might

happen to be steering, these boys, even the youngest of the 

three, a lad of ten or twelve, would be able to point to 

where his home lay;  This I have found them able to do many

hundreds of miles to the south of the Santa Cruz group" (W.

Coote (1882) Wanderings, South and East, London:

Sampson Low)

One of the most noteworthy examples of orientation is given by

David Lewis (Lewis, We, the Navigators, Honolulu 1972) from

his experience with Santa Cruz navigator, Tevake.

"Another instance [of orientation in rough weather] was

Tevake's success in finding Tikopia and the New Hebrides

in gale conditions.  What exactly did this entail?  He

was nearing Taumako from the Reef Islands, though, his 

destination not being visible in the thick weather, he

only had his own estimate to tell him where he was, when

the 'big wind' came down upon him.  The te puke being

unable to stand into the gale, he ran off for Tikopia

over 160 miles away; when it came into view he had covered 

something over 210 miles on two angled courses without

ever having seen land--no small achievement." (p. 147)

Etak

A system of dead reckoning used in Micronesia that has been studied

closely is etak or hatag.   Etak involves the use

of an island, reef or other marker that may not be visible to the 

navigator.  Early observers thought the etak islands might be used

as safety valves to run to in case of bad weather.  However, the etak

was actually a reference point by which the navigator calculated

distance covered on any particular bearing.  

The etak was thought of as moving past the ship, rather than vice

a versa, and as the etak passed under certain stars with each following

the other as the new bearing star.  As the etak could rarely be seen,

the relative position of the ship to the etak was ascertained by the

orientation and sense of distance covered by the navigator.  The

method by which Austronesian navigators judged distance travelled is 

still a great mystery.  Despite fairly extensive research, the writings

still betray the fact that the most important techniques used in

Austronesian navigation are still unknown.  

The technique is quite a bit more complicated than that of using

bearing stars that one sails towards directly.  In fact, the etak

stars are not truly bearing stars, but simply reference stars.

The ability of the navigator to equate distance traveled in 

a tangent to the etak island, to the angular distance between etak

stars is baffling.  Even more unfathomable, is how the navigator

is able to adjust the system and select new etak stars when driven

off course by gales and storms.  In modern navigation, this would

require complicated right-angled or spherical trigonometry solutions.

POSITION FIXING

The Austronesian navigator had a number of ways of determining

position other than by means of dead reckoning, although the

latter was certainly the primary method.  Position fixing required

knowledge of longitude and latitude at any particular time. 

The technique was especially important for reorienting the ship

after being driven off course by storms.

Determining Latitude

To determine latitude, the heavens were again the primary reference.

Depending on which region involved, the techniques varied.  In some

cases, the Pole Star, Southern Cross or other polar stars were used to 

find one's latitude.  Others used the altitude of particular groups of 

stars as they crossed the meridian.  These latter stars were selected

so they assumed a certain recognizable position when they reached

the meridian line.

Another technique was to use zenith stars to determine latitude.

This is similar to the last method as zenith stars are also observed

as they cross the local meridian. However, it is the distance of 

the star from the zenith, or point directly overhead, rather than 

distance from the horizon that is used.  

Austronesian navigators were also familar with methods of 

establishing latitude by various local charateristics of the sea

and environment.  The determining factors could be very broad

including the local types of sea life, the temperature and salinity

of the water, the currents and so on. In some cases, the navigators

even lowered buckets to the sea bottom to examine the nature of 

the soil.

Determining Longitude

The methods by which Austronesians established longitude at sea is

a controversial topic.  A. D. Reche (A.D. Reche, (1927) "Die 

Dreisternavigation der Polynesier" Marine-Rundschau, vol.32, 214-19, 

266-71; also Harold Gatty, (1958) Nature is Your Guide London) 

suggested that these navigators used precise biological

clocks to determine the difference of the their home reference time

with the local star time given by zenith stars.  

Reche's and Gatty's conclusions were attacked by others (Frankel, Lewis, 

etc.) based on the great difficulty in keeping accurate time and

constantly correcting bearing.  However, the latter difficulty

is also present in the etak method.  In fact, the only difference

in difficulty between the etak method and zenith star method is the

need for the navigator to occasionally determine the change in

longitude by the difference in home reference time to local star

time.  From these occasional time checks, dead reckoning can be used

to maintain proper adjustments to bearing.

The bit question is whether Reche and Gatty's beliefs were speculation

or whether the actually witnessed or heard of this techique being used

by native navigators (Gatty, for example, was a long-time resident

of Fiji).   There may be some viability to Lewis' (1973: 119-

122) argument that the biological clock is not something that one

can check at will. However, many of us are familiar with traditional

society in that region and how certain times of the day can be "set"

so that one is aware of them quite confidently.  

Even modern humans who have come dependent on electronic and 

mechanical clocks, sometimes find themselves waking up minutes or 

seconds before the alarm rings in the morning.  In traditional society, 

even schoolchildren were often able demonstrate the angle of the Sun in 

the sky at any time without having to go outside or in cloudy weather. 

Older people were known to wake up at the exact time in the morning,

perform certain daily chores or rites at precise times, and retire

at the same time each evening without reference to any type of clock.

There are many more examples, but the point is that there are certain

times of the day that can be worked into the body's biological alarm

clock even among ordinary people, as long as the traditional pattern

of certain strict daily routines.  Such daily rituals should not

be confused with the well-known "native time" used in meetings and

appointments and this is not part of daily, repeated ritual, and also

not part of traditional custom.

If ordinary folk can do this, how about a navigator and crew who practice

faithfully duties and chores on board in almost a religious (and rhythmic)

fashion?  

Non-astronomical methods of determining longitude are similar to those the

non-stellar methods mentioned in the section on determining latitude

above.

MAKING LANDFALL

In order to reach the intended target, the navigator often used

a "screen" or expanded target to minimize the risk of

completely bypassing the true target.  Of course, use of screens

was not applicable in exploration voyages. 

In such voyages, however, many of the same techiques used in

detecting the expanded target could be used in finding landfall

on an unknown stretch of sea.  Probably the best known aid in

finding land are seabirds.  Seabirds are known to be very effective

in telling the navigator when land is relatively close by.   

Wave action is another clue, and there are some navigators who

can apparently determine the existence of islands at fairly

great distances by wave action that would not be perceptible to

most people, and even to most modern pilots.  

A more romantic method is the detection of aura reflected off clouds,

or the radiation rising off island in the midst of a cool sea.

Obviously, these methods are not well-known even to those who have

investigated Austronesian navigation.

WEATHER FORECASTING

Weather forecasting was an important part of Austronesian seafaring.

Satawal navigator Mau Piailug could tell the nature of weather to

come by the color and nature of clouds and the changes in the

surface fo the sea. (Will Kyselka, An Ocean in Mind 145).

According to Varela the Tahitians were accomplished at predicting

weather:

"What took me most in two Indians whom I carried from

Otahiti to Oriayatea was that every evening or night, they told me, or

prognosticated, the weather we should experience on the following day, as

to wind, calms, rainfall, sunshine, sea, and other points, about which they

never turned out to be wrong: a foreknowledge worthy to be envied, for, in

spite of all that our navigators and cosmographers have observed and

written about the subject, they have not mastered this accomplishment

(B.G. Corney, (ed. )(1913-19)  The Quest and Occupation of Tahiti

by Emissaries of Spain during the Years 1772-6 (3 vols.), London,

286-287).

Beaglehole wrote regarding Tahitian weather prediction:

"The people excell much in predicting the weather, a circumstance 

of great use to them in their short voyages from Island to Island. 

They have many various ways of doing this but one only that I know of

which I never heard of being practised by Europeans, that is foretelling 

the quarter of the heavens from whence the wind shall blow by observing 

the Milky Way, which is generally bent in an arch either one way or the 

other: this arch they conceive as already acted upon by the wind, which 

is the cause of its curving, and say that if the same curve continues 

a whole night the wind predicted by it seldom fails to come some time 

in the next day; and in this as well as their other predictions we 

found them indeed not infallible but far more clever than Europeans."

(J.C. Beaglehole, (1962) Endeavour Journal Vol. I, 1768-1771, 

Sydney, p. 368)

There are many other reports of accurate weather lore from areas around

Austronesia including Hawai`i, the Gilbert Islands and the Carolines.

CONCLUSION

Investigations of Austronesian survivals of navigational lore leave 

little doubt that they possessed skills that surpassed those of Columbus 

or Magellan who could only sail by means of latitude sailing.  Austronesian

sailors, on the other hand, have demonstrated the ability to sail

angle course, and even multiple angled courses without instruments, and

over great distances.  In some cases, like that of Tevake, a two-angled

course over a few hundred miles resulted in a precise landing despite

very dense weather!

Thus, there is every reason to believe that Austronesian navigation skills

probably led them to visit many more lands than they are generally given

credit.  Some other evidence, genetic, linguistic, anthropological, etc.,

also supports such a theory.  

             

Austronesian Update

The following maps showing distributions of musical instruments are from:

Roberts, Helen Heffron, _Ancient Hawaiian music_ IN _Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 29_ . Honolulu, The Museum, 1926.

Notice the distribution of the instruments is mostly concentrated in near the equator and near coastal areas. All distributions include the SE Asia/Pacific island regions.

Shell trumpets http://home.attbi.com/~a.manansala/mimap1.JPG

Nose Flute and Gourd Whistle http://home.attbi.com/~a.manansala/mimap2.JPG

Bow and rasp http://home.attbi.com/~a.manansala/mimap3.JPG

Spiral twisted horn/whistle http://home.attbi.com/~a.manansala/mimap4.JPG

The Spice Trade

The spice trade played a major role in during the European colonial period. The lure of spices and precious metals drove Europe to explore new trade routes to the "East Indies" (Malay Archipelago).

The spice trade, though, actually began much earlier than this period. The sweet-smelling clove which was so valued during in colonial Europe was known much earlier to the ancient Chinese and Indians. This, despite the fact that before the modern period cloves grew only in the Moluccas Islands of Indonesia.

In ancient China it was required that people first chew cloves (gui) before speaking with the Emperor to ensure a pleasing breath. The Indians knew of cloves (lavanga) in their Ayurvedic system of medicine and used them to fasten betel leaves around areca nuts when chewing the betel quid.

But cloves have been found as early as 1,700-1,600 BCE in Terqa, Syria where a pot of cloves was found by archaeologist G. Buccelatoi . This date is very interesting because not too far away in Egypt during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (BCE 1503 to 1482), there is mention in the hieroglyphic texts of ti-sps 'cinnamon wood' being imported from the southern land of Punt.

Now cinnamon also grew only in southeastern Asia before the modern period. Cinnamon is again mentioned in the 7th century BCE Hebrew bibical texts and by Theophrastus (B.C.E.372-288).

The Hebrews claimed that cinnamon, cassia and possibly also lemon-grass were used in the holy oil of the temple proscribed by Moses (Exodus 30). This correlates somewhat to the early dates for cloves in Syria and cinnamon in Egypt.

The Hebrew word for cinnamon 'quinamom' is believed to be derived from Malay kayu manis 'sweet wood,' and the English word is ultimately derived from the Hebrew.

How did these spices arrive in Africa and the Middle East?

Archaeologists have found that the medieval cinnamon trade followed a route across the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Madagascar. The island of Madagascar has been occupied by Austronesian people since at least the start of this era. However, the late archaeologist Wilhelm Solheim thought their arrival may have been much earlier.

Solheim wondered why archaeologists in Madagascar started from the most recent finds back in time rather than the usual method of attempting to find the oldest period and working forward in time.

He had found much unstratified evidence suggesting there could have been a much earlier presence of Austronesians in this area. For example, types of Austronesian pottery dating well before the accepted arrival date have been found, but not in the pristine layers of sediment required. For example, sherds of such pottery may be found washed up on sandy beaches. Obviously the simplest explanation would be that the pottery had been unearthed locally in a flood and washed into the ocean by rivers.

Whatever the date of the Austronesian arrival, in medieval times, cinnamon landing in Madagascar would then find its way to Rhapta in present-day Somalia. From there it reached the South Arabian traders in Muza, Yemen who carried on the trade along the coasts of the Red Sea.

Now, this could be a medieval model explaining the ancient ships of Hatshepsut which sailed to the southern country of Punt to obtain cinnamon amongst other goods!

In the 3rd century ACE, the Chinese historians wrote about the sea-going vessels of the Kunlun of insular Southeast Asia. The Kunlun were described as short, wooly-haired, dark-skinned people who were expert sailors.

The Kunlun vessels were known as kunlun-po with the word po being the Kunlun word for ship. This could be cognate with Austronesian proa from Proto-Austronesian *peDaHu/*paDaHu.

Pliny the Elder (23/24-79 C.E.) wrote of how the Ethiopians bought cinnamon from their neighbors (probably to the south) who purchased it themselves from a seafaring people. These mariners:

"bring it over vast seas on rafts which have no rudders to steer them or oars to push or pull them or sails or other aids to navigation; but instead only the spirit of man and human courage. What is more, they put out to sea in winter, around the time of the winter solstice, when the east winds are blowing their hardest. These winds drive them on a straight course, and from gulf to gulf. Now cinnamon is the chief object of their journey, and they say that these merchant-sailors take almost five years before they return, and that many perish. In exchange they carry back with them glassware and bronze ware, clothing, brooches, armlets, and necklaces. And that trade depends chiefly on women's fidelity to fashion."

The ships of the Kunlun described by Chnese historian Wan Chen were much more impressive sometimes extending to 200 feet in length and standing out of the water up to 20 feet. They were said to be able to hold from 600-700 passengers and 10,000 bushels (900 tons) of cargo. Each ship could sport up to four obliquely mounted sails.

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, written in the first century ACE, describes ships from Chryse in the Malay Archipelago known as Kolan-diphonta or 'Kolan-ships'. The 'Kolan' here are probably the Kunlun of the Chinese annals.

The ships are described as large vessels made of two whole logs roped together. This sounds very much like the double canoes of Oceania. Stone represenations of such canoes have been found in Indonesia and northeastern India. Waruno Mahdi thinks these were the original models from which we get Proto-Austronesian *peDaHu/*paDaHu.

The trading voyages to Africa continued well in the Muslim period. The 12th century Arab geographer El Idrisi writes in Kitab Rujar about the inhabitants of Zabaj, a general term for Insular Southeast Asia who travel to Sofala and Zanj on the coast of sub-Saharan Africa:

"The residents of the Zabaj go to the land of Sofala and export the iron from there supplying it to all the lands of India. No iron is comparable to theirs in quality and sharpness."

"The inhabitants of Zabaj call at Zanj in both large and small ships and trade their merchandise with them, as they understand each other's language."

When the Europeans arrived in the area at the start of the Spice Trade, there were still references to trade missions from the Malay Archipelago as far as India and the Maldives, but no mention is made of trade with Africa.

The link with Madagascar and East Africa had apparently severed. The reasons are not altogether clear. The Europeans would soon learn just where all those spices were coming from and a new chapter in the spice trade would begin.

However, for thousands of years it appears that it was the navigators and sailors of Austronesia who controlled the spice.

 

Ancient New Britian Obsidian in Borneo dated to 4,000 B.C.

In Peter Bellwood's article, Ancient Seafarers in Archaeology, he mentions a report in the journal Science concerning anient New Britain obsidian found in northern Borneo.

Obsidian from New Britain was excavated by archaeologist Stephen Chia of Universiti Sains Malaysia. Analsyis by anthopologist Robert Tykot of the University of South Florida resulted in a date of 4,000 B.C. for the obsideian that was found at the Bukit Tengkorak site in Sabah, northern Borneo. Bellwood, himself, was sceptical of such an early date and insisted that the obsidian should not be dated earlier than 1000 B.C., although he admitted not having any details about the dating methods used.

New Evidence of Ancient Southeast Asian and Pacific Migrations to the Western Hemisphere The citation and excerpt below provide more evidence of possible Austronesian or pre-Austronesian influence in the Western Hemisphere.

From the Medline database:

 AUTHOR:       Haydenblit R

|      ADDRESS:  Department of Biological Anthropology, University of

|                Cambridge, United Kingdom.

|        TITLE:  Dental variation among four prehispanic Mexican populations.

|       SOURCE:  Am J Phys Anthropol (3T0), 1996 Jun; 100 (2): 225-46

|     LANGUAGE:  English

| COUNTRY PUB.:  UNITED STATES

| ANNOUNCEMENT:  9701

|    PUB. TYPE:  HISTORICAL ARTICLE; JOURNAL ARTICLE

 ABSTRACT:       In this paper, the dental morphology of prehispanic Meso-

|                american populations is described, compared, and examined

|                within the context of New World dental variation. Twenty-

|                eight morphological dental traits were studied and compared

|                in four samples of prehispanic Mexican populations. After

|                eliminating intra- and interobserver error, the dental

|                morphological characteristics observed show evidence of

|                heterogeneity among the populations. In particular, the

|                oldest population, Tlatilco (1300-800 BC), was significantly

|                different from the other three groups, Cuicuilco (800-100

|                BC), Monte Alban (500 BC-700 AD) and Cholula (550-750 AD).

|                When the four samples were compared to other Mongoloid

|                populations, either univariately or multivariately, it was

|                observed that the Mexican groups did not follow a strict

|                Sinodont (characteristic of Northeast Asia)/Sundadont

|                (characteristic of Southeast Asia) classification (Turner

|                [1979] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 51:619-636). From the traits

|                examined, 27% presented frequencies consistent with Sinodont

                 variation, while 73% of the traits showed similar incidence

|                to Southeast Asian groups. Multivariately, the Mexican

|                populations were found to fit an overall Sundadont

|                classification. These results indicate that there is more

|                dental morphological variation among American Indian

|                populations than previously shown.

Marta Mirazon Lahr, "Who were the First Americans," MAMMOTH TRUMPET VOL 11, 

NO. 3 (1996).

[...]

Why do I believe that the cranial data suggest that this "typical Mongoloid" 

pattern developed after the first people dispersed to the Americas? There is a 

point here about timing. Let's leave aside the Americas for a minute and think 

only in terms of the differentiation in Asia. The fossil and recent 

morphological data indicate that the development of a Mongoloid

morphology had at least two stages. An early one, in which certain features 

like coronal facial flatness and broad vaults, together with a dental complex 

defined as Sundadonty by Turner, were developed in Southeast Asia. This could 

have happened as early as 40,000 years ago, and certainly by around 20,000 

since it's present in fossils like the Minatogawa remains in Japan. People 

with this generalized morphology (which I have called "southern Mongoloids")

expanded geographically, and reached North Asia up to Japan and Beijing. 

Accordingly, early north Asian fossils, like those from Zhoukoudian Upper 

Cave, have generalized traits rather than a typical Mongoloid morphology. It 

is only much later, possibly at the beginning of the Holocene, that a "typical 

Mongoloid" morphology appears within northern Asia.

[...]

First People in the Western Hemisphere came by Boat? (From the London Times, CNN and sci.archaeology, 4-12-99)

New dating of the remains of the Arlington Springs Woman from California's Channel Islands suggests they may represent the oldest human found in the Western hemisphere.

The radiocarbon and DNA dating conducted by the Santa Barbara Museum pushed back the age of Arlington Springs Woman to about 13,000 years ago. At the time, the Channel Islands formed one single mass about 5 miles from the nearest point on the mainland. Did her people reach this region by boat rather than by foot across "Beringia?"

The new book: Eden in the East, explores an early Neolithic Austric expansion.

Geneticist and tropical paediatrician, Stephen Oppenheimer, has written a new book (1998) supporting the ideas of Sumet Jumsai and Bunkminster Fuller. The British writer has done an admirable job in compiling voluminous evidence in support of a major contribution by Austric peoples to world civilization. He personally spent many years living in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Like Jumsai and Fuller, Oppenheimer sees the rising sea levels around Sundaland as the primary cause for the proposed migrations. The book pieces together folklore from various parts of the world as evidence of knowledge of this event. Linguistic, anthropological, genetic and other arguments are used to support his theory.

Given Oppenheimer's profession it is not surprising that some of the most interesting evidence he offers comes from genetic research. He suggests that the Austric paternal line (Y chromosome) extended across North Asia into Europe and Africa, while the maternal line (mtdna 9-bp deletion) took a southern route through India.

Most compelling is the hemaglobin evidence given by the author. He notes that there are five different Southeast Asian B-thalassaemias extending into India, and one as far west as Kurdistan. One variant also occuring on the same "picture frame" is found from Vanuatu to Arabia and Turkey. An haemoglobin E variant is found from Southeast Asia to Kuwait. Oppenheimer also notes that other B-thalassaemias and haemoglobin E variants occuring on different frameworks might have a common origin hidden by gene conversion. This is possible to a lesser extent also with the larger A-thalassaemias with examples from southeast Indian tribes. The most convincing argument for this is that all these variants occur within a narrow belt along southern Eurasia from Southeast Asia to Africa. While many variants undoubtedly originate in Africa, at least half a dozen appear to have a Southeast Asian origin.

The author notes the evidence of early Austric influence on China as explained by Paul Benedict. The material here is largely linguistic in the form of numbers and certain complex words but also archaeological. The appearance of rice, which Oppenheimer explains as originating in Southeast Asia, in Eastern India is most often attributed to Austric speakers. Indeed, the Munda terms for rice and bronze/copper technology are of Mon-Khmer origin.

However, he does not go as far as to reverse the direction of Heine- Geldern's theory of bronze technology diffusion. Ban Chiang bronzes are the oldest in the world, although the datings have attracted controversy, and the area may have been the source for Old World tin. Also not mentioned is the work by Dilip Chakrabarti suggesting that Indian and Southeast Asian iron have similar origin. Although Chakrabarti sees this iron technology as originating in India others have suggested a more easterly provenance.

However, the main impetus of the book deals with a much earlier migration which Oppenheimer links strongly with the beginning of Sumerian culture. A lot of the evidence offered in this regard deals with the Sumerians own legends, but also upon similarities in Neolithic artifacts and pottery dating back to 7,500 years BP. The appearance of "Oriental-looking" female figurines is noted. The author also mentions linguistic research done in this regard, including that of the current author.

While Oppenheimer leaves himself open to attack in certain areas, his research deserves serious consideration. The similarities between Austric and Sumerian are now impossible to deny or to assign to mere coincidence. We hope this work helps stimulate further research along the same lines.

Was sensitivity of the Pineal Gland responsible for the remarkable orientation of Austronesian navigators?

The pineal gland is a cone-shaped organ located deep with the brain of humans. Among other animals, such as reptiles, the pineal gland is located near the surface of the skin, where it is light-sensitive and has been called a "third eye."

Among humans the pineal gland senses light and other energy through the retina of the eye. The pineal gland is not completely understood but it does produce all the hormones, including melatonin, that regulate cyclic time, or circadian rhythyms in humans. The gland also produces anhormome that causes us to dream while asleep.

Researchers have suggested that the natural navigation of birds and other animals may be related directly to the pineal gland. In this sense, the pineal gland allows the mind to subconciously keep track of cycles including day, lunar and even yearly cycles. By allowing the subject to sense the difference between local time (given by the Sun or stars) and home time (etched in the brain) one can sense longitudal movement. Through knowledge of where the Sun should be declination-wise at home and at a certain time of the year, as compared to where it is locally gives changes in latitude. All this information is processed by the brain allowing the subject to sense changes in geographic position.

There is quite a bit of evidence that can support this idea on a conceptual level at least. Plants and animals, when moved to different locations, continue to operate on "home time" for long periods after displacement. However, their pineal glands must sense the change in "light time" due to the differences in the rising and setting of the Sun. For most humans, these changes cannot be sensed, although they do effect us through conditions like jet lag.

However, what if the pineal gland is "activated" or "sensitized" in a way that is uncommon. The existence of the pineal gland was known to the ancients in many parts of the world. The Chinese even drew diagrams showing the exact position and shape of the organ. The "third eye" was known as an extra sensory organ that could only be "opened" through arcane methods.

Research has shown that in modern times, the pineal gland is often calcified reducing its ability to produce melatonin and other cyclic hormones. There does seem to be a higher rate of calcification among people with less melanin, but atrophy from disuse seems the strongest causative factor.

Were the Austronesians aware of the pineal gland and did they know how to "open" its sensitivity? Why did auras of islands play an important role in their navigation as recorded in Western journals? Certainly, there seems to be few other plausible explanations.since January 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements since August 2007

The Aryan Trail (3500 - 1500 BC)

2600 BC <<                        Indian History Timeline                      >> 1700 BC

View The Aryan Trail in a larger map

The Aryan Trail, the actual path by which the Aryans came to India, is a very controversial topic. For that matter the original homeland of the Indo Europeans, the predecessors of all the later Indo European peoples like the Greeks, Persians, Germans, Slavs and the Aryans (Indo Aryans), is also a very controversial thing. For centuries people have misinterpreted history and come up with various theories of Urheimat, original homeland. There's no doubt that the original Indo European peoples, or the Proto Indo Europeans as the historians and linguists say, were the progenitor of some of the best races and cultures of the world. So many people across ages have tried to claim themselves as the original Indo Europeans and establish their supremacy over other races. One extreme instance of such an attempt was the Nazism that claimed the supremacy of an Aryan race. Even many Indian historians believe that the Aryans originated from India and eventually moved to the west creating the Iranians, Greek, Latin, German and Slavic cultures and languages.

The proto Indo European peoples are often wrongly designated as Aryans. Truly speaking the Aryans along with the Iranians belong to the eastern branch of the Indo Europeans. This group, the common ancestors of both the Aryans and the Iranians, is referred to as the Indo Iranians or the proto Indo Iranians. They are also designated as proto Aryans at times because of the close similarities between the Aryan and Iranian cultures. We'll stick to the following designations

Proto Indo European (PIE) - the original Indo European peoples, the progenitor of all the Indo European peoples

Proto Indo Iranians (PII) - the eastern branch of the Indo Europeans (IE), and the progenitor of the Indo Aryans and Iranians. The prefix proto in both the above cases may be missed at many places.

Aryans or Indo Aryans - the Rig Vedic Aryans who entered India

Iranians - the Persians, Avestans, Scythians, Parthians and all other peoples of Iranian descent.

As we've mentioned, coming up with an Aryan Trail is not simple. We'd like to stick to one school of thought that believes that the Indo European Urheimat is somewhere in the Eurasian Steppe, north of Azov Sea. We find reasons to believe that the researches done by people like Witzel, Asko Parpola, J P Mallory and their likes are more credible than that of others who espouse to other theories. For a detailed list of related references please refer to this site.

The Various Phases of the Aryan Trail

Legends

Pit Grave Culture or Kurgan Culture (3500 - 2800 BC): The Pit Grave Culture extends over the entire Pontic Steppe. This is the late PIE (Proto Indo European) phase of Indo European unity where the PIE peoples stayed together prior to their disintegration and movement towards various destinations.

Catacomb, Hut Grave Culture (2800 - 2000 BC): This is the Proto Indo Iranian (PII) Bronze Age culture that existed in the Ukrainian Steppes. Relics of the culture are widespread in the region along the Dnieper River, the coastal region the Sea of Azov, Crimea and along the Don River. 

Timber Grave Culture (2000 - 800 BC): Around Samara on the Volga Basin, this is the Proto Iranian Culture. The Proto Indo Iranian peoples arrived here from Azov Sea. The Iranians stayed back and the Indo Aryans proceeded further east to Arkaim-Sintashta.

Andronovo Culture, Arkaim-Sintashta (1800 - 900 BC): South of the Ural Mountains this is an Indo Aryan Culture. The Indo-Aryans, the eastern branch of the Indo-Iranians eventually reached Northern Iran, Afghanistan and Indian subcontinent in the next few centuries. 

Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex, BMAC Culture (2200 - 1700 BC): This is an Indo Aryan Culture in Central Asia. It's contemporary to the northern Andronovo Culture (1800 - 900 BC). From here the Indo-Aryans moved to northern Iran, Afghanistan and India.

Vakhsh - Biskent Culture: Contemporary to BMAC & Andronovo, it's an Indo Aryan Culture. The last segment of the Aryan trail to India may be through through Vakhsh, via Vakshu or Oxus/Vakhsh, Kabul, Swat rivers. 

Kalash Culture (1600 BC till date): A very unique group of Indo-Aryans in Hindukush have preserved many of the Rig Vedic and early Indo-Aryan features including language and culture. Kalash is the last place in the Aryan trail before entering into the final destination of Punjab.

Gandhara Grave Culture (1700 - 1400 BC): Rig Vedic Culture in Punjab in Pakistan & India

1. Kurgan Culture: 3500 - 2800 BC

This is the beginning of the Aryan Trail. This can be treated as one of the original homelands, Urheimat, of the Indo European peoples. The Anatolian and the Tocharian branches of the Indo European peoples had already separated by this time. This culture is characterized by kurgan or burial mounds near rivers. Burial mounds may not be a unique thing but burial near rivers is something that perhaps has reference only in the Vedic texts. Though burial is not common among the Hindus but in early Rig Vedic days burial was a common thing. In one Rig Vedic hymn there's a reference to going to the house of clay, mrinmayam griham. 

In the kurgans the corpses were covered with red ocher and laid either in supine position or on their sides with flexed legs. The excavated grave goods provide important information about the socio-economic structures of the culture. Their major economic occupation was animal husbandry. Agriculture, hunting and fishing were of secondary importance. They usually lived in surface dwellings, often on high hills, in fortified settlements. Oval houses were secured with walls and moats. Fortification may imply conflicts. The houses were constructed with clay and reeds. Extensive copper items were found in the settlements. Excavations at kurgans revealed primitive carts pulled by oxen. Incidentally the area north of Azov Sea in Ukraine is the site where horse was first domesticated during the Srendy Stog Culture between 4500 and 3500 BC. As horses are the trademarks of the Aryans and the Indo Europeans many scholars espouse to the Kurgan Theory of identifying the Kurgan Culture with the proto Indo Europeans.

An interesting linguistic observation is that all Indo European languages have cognates for various parts of a solid wheel like the wheel itself, the axle and the nave, center of the wheel. But there's no cognate for chariot and spoked wheel. This may imply that when all the Indo European peoples stayed together a chariot and a spoked wheel was unknown. All they knew was the ancient cart with solid wheel and accordingly they had words only for that. 

The Latin colus, Greek kuklos, Persian charkh, Sanskrit chakra all come from the Indo European keklo, meaning wheel. The cognate of the Sanskrit ratha, meaning chariot, is Latin rota, which comes from the Indo European roto meaning wheel and not chariot. The cognates for axle are aksha in Sanskrit, axis in Latin, akson in Greek, all coming from Indo European aks. Similarly nave, the center of the wheel, comes from Indo European nebh and has Sanskrit nabhi, Avestan naba, Persian naf, Latin umbilicus, Greek omphalos and German nabel as cognates.

But on the other hand the Sanskrit ratha for chariot doesn't have any cognate in any other IE languages with the same meaning. Interesting is also the word ara in Sanskrit, meaning spoke. It comes from the IE root ero, meaning to move. Incidentally the Sanskrit root ri comes from the same root and has the same meaning, to move. It's very likely that both ratha and ara for chariot and spoke are later creations of the Aryans after the chariot and spoked wheels were discovered later. Interestingly the first remains of chariot and spoked wheel appear much later around 2000 BC near Arkaim-Sintashta, mentioned below.

Storozhova Mohyla, a place in Dnepropetrovsk, is one of the sites for kurgan or burial mounds. It dates back to 3000 BC. 

2. Catacomb Culture: 2800 - 2000 BC

It was a continuation of the Pit Grave Culture. It's the first place where the Iranian branch of the Indo European peoples were separated from the PIE peoples. Eventually these proto Indo Iranian peoples moved further east and finally entered into Iran and India. The Indo Iranian branch is at times referred to as the Aryan branch by many scholars.

The area of Catacomb culture is very adjacent to the original homeland of the Indo Europeans. It's believed that the while Indo Iranian peoples stayed back at their original homeland the other branches of the Indo European peoples left them. An immediate linguistic impact of this separation was the Centum-Satem split in the Indo European languages around 2500 BC. This refers to the two types of evolution of the original proto Indo European word kemtom, meaning hundred, in the various Indo European languages. The evolution of kemtom to centum in Latin represents a type of phonetic change that's seen in almost all the western branches of Indo European like German, Greek and Latin. In Greek it evolves to hekaton. On the other hand the evolution of kemtom to satem in Avesta represents the change that's seen in almost all the eastern Indo European branches like Persian, Sanskrit and Russian. In the eastern branch the original consonant ke changes to ca and we have catam as the proto Indo Iranian word for hundred. Eventually catam evolves to shatam in Sanskrit, satem in Avestan and sad in Persian. 

Many of these reconstructions of ancient events can be done using linguistic palaeontology. In this case the Indo European loan words in the Finno Ugric languages spoken in north eastern Europe. Finnish is one of the Finno Ugric languages.  Indo European loan words in Finno Ugric languages mean that the ancient Finno Urgic peoples stayed close to the Indo Europeans. It's beyond any contention that the ancient Finno Ugric peoples always stayed in north eastern Europe. If they had to stay adjacent to the Indo Europeans then the sites of Kurgan and Catacomb Cultures in Steppe do seem logical to be the homelands of the latter. 

A very important Indo European loan word is the Finnish orja, that's akin to Sanskrit Arya, which along with its cognates like the German Ehre, the Irish Erin, the Persian Ariya are the self designation of Indo Europeans in many languages. The names of the countries Ireland and Iran bear traces of these cognates. Iran comes from Ariyanam, meaning of the Aryas. The English word Aryan also comes from Ariyanam. The corresponding proto Indo European root is ar. The Finnish word orja is no doubt a loan from the Indo Iranian arya and not from any of its other cognates. Similarly Finnish sata for hundred is again a loan from the Indo Iranian cata/sata. But on the other hand the Finnish kehra, meaning spindle, seems to have come from the proto Indo European kettro and not from the Aryan branch where it's cattra in Sanskrit. This means that the Finno Ugric peoples stayed adjacent to the proto Indo Europeans, from whom they took the loan kehra, and they also stayed adjacent to the Aryan branch, from whom they took the loan orja and sata. This is possible if we believe that the eastern Aryan branch (who had satem, arya) stayed back in the original Indo European homeland north of Azov Sea and the western branch (who had centum, kettra) separated from them along with the centum-satem split.

Another interesting reconstruction is possible from the Finnish word orja which means slave, unlike the Indo European meaning of master or lord. This can only mean that the Finno Ugric people defeated the Aryas and hence arya became synonymous to subjugation or slave. 

It's very intriguing that Don, Donets, Dnieper, Dniester and Danube – the names of the main rivers here have all come from the Indo-European danus, which means river, stream or fluid. It’s danu in Persian and Sanskrit and danus and damos in Latin and Greek. The etymology of Dnieper and Dniester is interesting. Coming from west and travelling towards east first you get Dniester and then Dnieper – so Dniester is the anterior and Dnieper the posterior river. The older name of Dniester is actually Danastius which comes from Iranian Danu nazdya meaning anterior river. Similarly the older name of Dnieper is Danapris which comes from Iranian Danu apara meaning posterior river. 

The people of the Catacomb Culture practiced herding and primitive subsistence farming and produced metal objects. During its existence the patriarchal system replaced the matriarchal order. The dead were usually buried in a crouched position in catacomb niches of burial pits and sprinkled with red ocher dye. Excavations of the graves goods reveal three social groups similar to the later Aryan Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya - the priests, the warriors and the traders. Major excavations took place in the 1950s at the Kut burial site, which is now inundated by the Kakhivka Reservoir on the Dnieper River. The tribes of the culture are known to have had cultural and trade relations with the peoples of northern Caucasia. Later stages are marked with conflicts for lands, cattle and water.

3. Timber Grave: 2000 - 800 BC

From the coastal area of Sea of Azov the Indo Iranians might have moved along the Don and Volga rivers till they reached the Big Crescent, the Samara Bend near Samara. Eventually the Indo Aryans separated from the Iranians and moved eastward to Arkaim and Sintashta in search of more minerals. Timber Grave Culture may be initially Indo Iranian and then Iranian. An important site is Potapovka near Samara on the Sok river. 

Excavations conducted from 1985-1988 in Potapovka exposed four burial mounds, or kurgans, dated between 2200-2000 BC. Beneath kurgan 3 the central grave pit had remains of a man buried with at least two horse heads and the head of a sheep, in addition to pottery vessels and weapons. After the grave pit was filled, a human male was decapitated, his head was replaced with the head of a horse, and he was laid down over the filled grave shaft. This unique ritual provides a convincing antecedent for the Rig Vedic myth of Dadhyac Atharvan who knows the secret of making Soma juice, the nectar of immortality. The Asvins insists that Dadhyac tell them the secret. He refuses. They cut off his head and replaces it with the head of a horse, through which he becomes an oracle and tells them the secret. 

4. Andronovo Culture, Arkaim Sintashta: 1800 - 900 BC

East of Potapovka near the Ural Mountains is the Arkaim-Sintashta where the earliest known chariot was discovered at Krivoye Lake (a small lake in the Chelyabinsk Oblast of Russia, southeast of Magnitogorsk, near the Kazakhstan border) and dates to around 2000 BC. This settlement is a part of the large Andronovo Culture that spreads across a wide area of Russia and Kazakhstan. 

Funeral rites of Andronovo include kurgan graves in wooden lining or stone box. Grave items may be horse, ox, ram, hand made and potter wheel based pottery items, good metallurgical works and even chariots. They invented the light weight chariots with spoked wheels. It's evident that horse and chariots are very special to this culture. This is a very strong connection to the Rig Vedic Aryans who have horse, spoked wheel and chariot. There are horse hymns in Rig Veda. Spokes, wheels, chariots appear in multiple places in Rig Veda as metaphors. For example, in the verse 1.32.15 (15th verse of 32nd hymn of the 1st book or Rig Veda) it's said that Indra protects the world like a wheel encircling the spokes. Each and every part of a spoked wheel of a chariot - the rim nemi; spoke ara; axle aksha; center of the wheel, nabha; even the peg of the axle, dhura - appear in hymns. 

As discussed earlier, the chariots and spoked wheels being much later creation than the age of Indo European unity there is no cognate for either chariot and spoke across various IE languages.

Social structure here is again stratified. Very much like an Aryan society they have elites and commoners, as evident from grave goods.

Sintashta settlements are square, oval or round layouts fortified with two concentric walls built from clay, sometimes with stone base. It's further fortified by a wooden fence or wall or a moat. In the center is a common square. Small trapezoidal or rectangular lodgings are enclosed between the walls and the central square. Copper is smelted in the center. Each house can also have provision for smelting. Metallurgy is a very important aspect of this culture. The settlements are not far from sources of copper and tin or fertile plots.  Fortified settlements imply conflicts.

The settlement at Arkaim is very well preserved. It resembles the Vedic tripura, the three fold fort. It also resembles a spoked wheel.

Layout of settlement at Arkaim

There's an Indar Lake in this region on the South Ural river. The Rig Vedic God Indra might have been already known to these people. The ancient Greek name of Volga is Rha, a cognate of Indo Iranian rasa or raha and Latin ros meaning moisture. There's a mythical river Rasa in RV. The name Volga comes from the Slavic words vlaga and vologa meaning wetness and humidity. Even now the small group of people who speak the Mordvinic languages in the Volga basin refer to Volga as Rav, surely a cognate of rasa.

5. BMAC Culture: 2200 - 1700 BC

This is a very crucial phase of the Aryan Trail. It's quite close to India and also quite young compared to the other cultures. But still it's equally mysterious to historians due to the lack of proper linguistic and archaeological evidences. We'll present a very interesting scenario proposed by Asko Parpola and J P Mallory. 

In Rig Veda (RV) it's mentioned that the Panis steal the cows and imprison them in a cave. The cows are freed by the Angirasa seers. The Panis are said to be miser, niggards and envious demons watching over wealth. They are shown as enemies. Another group of people inimical to the Aryans are the Dasas. Indra kills many Dasa Kings, one of whom is Pipru. The Gods of the Dasas are called asuras, generally considered demons by the Aryans whose Gods are called devas. The Dasas have forts with concentric, often multiple concentric walls. Moreover the Dasa forts are not regularly inhabited cities but were temporary shelters, especially for the protection of the cattle. Indra is often called the slayer of asuras. A very confusing thing in RV is that though the Dasas are held as enemies and their Gods asuras demon, there are also instances where asuras and devas are both treated as Gods. The Monier Williams Sanskrit dictionary states one of the meanings of asura as the supreme spirit, said of Varuna and Varun is indeed the highest God of the Dasas, like Indra is of the Rig Vedic Aryans. In one instance it's mentioned in RV that a Dasa King Balbutha Taruksha starts worshiping Indra. Similarly Varuna is elevated to the ranks of one of the RV Gods.

The names Dasa and Pipru seem to be Indo European - dasa coming from the Sanskrit root das and Pipru from pri. Also asura and Varuna are Indo European words. Asura comes from the Sanskrit root as meaning to become, to dwell and is akin to Latin est and English is. Etymologically asura can't be associated with demon. Asura also has an Iranian cognate, Ahura (Ahura Mazda), the highest God of east Iranian Zoroastrians. Varuna is one of the oldest Indo European Gods akin to the Greek Uranos. So it's evident that none of the words dasa and asura means enemies or demons.

Interestingly Ptolemy's Geography written in 2nd century AD talks about a North Iranian tribe called Daha (Daai in Greek texts and Dahi in Latin) who lived in the lower course of Margos (Murghab River). The 1st century Greek historian Strabo mentions Parnoi (Iranian Parna) as one of the Daha tribes. Daha is a cognate of Dasa and Pani can be a derivative of Prini, a low grade variant of Parnoi. Prini like Pipru should come from the root pri.  

The Wakhi language of Iranian origin spoken in the Pamirs has a word dai that means a man, a male person. A related but now extinct Khotanese language of the ancient Khotan Kingdom in the nearby Xinjiang province of China had the noun daha that also meant man. Many people call themselves by their native word for man or human beings. A very common example is the word arya that means a noble man and which along with its cognates have been self designations of many IE peoples. This means that Daha or Dasa, which also means man, might have been the self designation of the tribe known by that name. This also means that the Wakhi language has preserved the original meaning of dasa, that has nothing to do with enemies or demons. Wakhi and the Rig Vedic Sanskrit descend from the same Indo Iranian branch of IE. This implies that the meaning of dasa got changed in the branch that's perpetuated through the Rig Vedic Aryans. So now the question comes - why did it happen.

That's where scholars have reconstructed a scenario that clarifies all the confusions. It's possible that the Indo Aryans from Sintashta and Arkaim came to Central Asia where already a civilization of fortified towns, something similar to and contemporaneous to the last phase of Indus Valley Civilization, had flourished since long. 

This civilization that stretched between the ancient Bactria (modern Balkh in northern Afghanistan) and Margiana (around modern Mary in Turkmenistan) is called Bactria Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC). The remnants of BMAC have been excavated recently at Gonur and Togolok near Mary and Dashly near Balk. At all these places fortified temple forts with protected by three walls have been excavated. The most striking among these is the complex with circular walls which resemble closely with the definition of tripura, forts protected by three walls.

Tripura at Dashly

This structure no doubts reminds us of the structure at Arkaim. More interestingly traces of ephedra, a candidate for the Rig Vedic Soma plant, have been found at many of these temples. All these connect them both to Arkaim and also the Rig Veda where the Soma is a very important aspect.

There was a sudden surge of wealth in BMAC around 1900 BC. This could have been due to the arrival of the sophisticated Indo Aryans from the northern Arkaim-Sintashta settlements. It's seen that the structured society of Arkaim with very good leadership from the elites helped them to exploit the abundant natural resources and create a prosperous culture. A similar leadership and direction lead to a very effective use of the natural resources and made the people of BMAC prosperous. They happily accepted the leadership of the Indo Aryan elites, who could have been the Dasas or the Panis (or Prini or Greek Parnoi or Iranian Parna). Pipru could have been one of the Dasa or Pani Kings. Eventually the BMAC natives adopted the language and culture of the Dasas whole heartedly. Interestingly there are quite a few Central Asian loan words in Sanskrit and Iranian languages. There are no corresponding IE cognates in any other IE languages for these words. Some of these words are Sanskrit ishtaka and Persian hist meaning bricks, Sanskrit kadru and Persian qahd meaning brown, Skt. ushtra and Per. ushtur meaning camel, khar meaning donkey in both Skt. and Per., Skt. bhang and Per. bang meaning marijuana, Skt. kapota and Per. kabutar meaning pigeon, Skt. kashyap and Per. kashaf meaning tortoise (later kashyap became kacchap in Skt.), etc. As there were no corresponding words for these things in vocabulary of the Indo Aryans the BMAC people retained their native words.

After a hundred years or so (around 1700 BC) a second lot of Indo Aryans from the north would have again arrived in BMAC. This lot of Indo Aryans, who eventually composed the Rig Veda, can be called Rig Vedic Aryans and the older Indo Aryans Dasas. It's very likely that the RV Aryans fought with the Dasas and also the other BMAC natives. That was when the defeated Dasas came to be known as slaves and their Gods demons to the RV Aryans who had to fight against the rich Dasa kings staying in tripura like forts. The Panis surely tried to protect their wealth and hence came to be known as envious demons watching over their wealth. But eventually the RV Aryans would have figured out continuous warfares were not good for prosperity and made a compromise. That was when the asura became a RV God and Varuna promoted to the same rank as Indra's. 

Central Asia is extensively mentioned in the Avesta, the Zoroastrian texts written in a language that's surreptitiously similar to the Rig Vedic Sanskrit. Complete verses in Avesta can be converted to Rig Vedic Sanskrit by virtually transliterating each word. 

The Zoroastrians were among the Indo Aryans who stayed back in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Eventually they separated from the Vedic Aryan peoples and moved to Iran. Thereafter they stayed close to the Iranian peoples immigrating from middle Volga areas (Timber Grave Culture). During the time frame of BMAC Culture the predecessors of Zarathrustra, whose followers were later known as Zoroastrians, and those of the Rig Vedic Aryans were the same lot. The separation of the Zoroastrians and the Vedic Aryans (few hundred years later than RV, sometimg around 1000 BC during the time frame of Atharva Veda) might have been due to intellectual conflict between them. There are enough indications (both in the Vedas and the Zoroastrian texts) to believe that Zarathrustra might have risen against the Vedic cult of worshiping Deva Indra, something that's referred to in Zoroastrian texts as Deva Yasna, yasna being an Avestan cognate of Skt. yajna, the Vedic sacrificial ritual, and Persian yashn meaning celebration. Zarathrustra propagated the cult of worshiping Ahur Varun or Ahur Mazda, something that's referred to as Ahur Yasna. It lay importance on moral character and righteousness and stuck to monotheism, where as Deva Yasna supposedly paid less importance to morality in religion. More details of the early Zoroastrians and the Avestan language can be found in the discussion on Atharva Veda.

Avesta talk about an Airyanem Vaejo, the Aryan expanse, surrounded by fifteen Aryan countries, all of which are in Central Asia. The names of the fifteen Aryan countries seem to be enumerated in an anti clock-wise manner. The commonly identified places from the list are as follows:

Sughdha - modern Sughd Province in Tajikistan and ancient Sogdiana

Bakhdi - modern Balkh in Afghanistan and ancient Bactria, Skt. Vahlika

Mouru - ancient Margiana, areas around modern day Mary/Merv in Turkmenistan. Mouru may be a cognate of Skt. maru meaning desert and also mountain.

Vehrkana - modern day Gorgan in Iran, Skt. Vrika

Haroyu - modern day area around Herat in Afghanistan, Skt. Sarayu, Persian Harirud River.

Haraxvaiti - cognate of Vedic Saraswati, modern Arghandab, Greek Arachosia, a tributary of Helmand.

Haetumant - modern Helmand River in Afghanistan. Though Arghandab matches etymologically with Saraswati, but Helmand basin is generally identified with Saraswati.

Varena - modern Bannu, Skt. Varnu

Hapta Hindu - Skt. Sapta Sindhu or the land of the Seven Rivers, that's the Punjab.

Central Asia as depicted in Zoroastrian text Avesta

6. Vakhsh Biskent Culture (~ 1700 BC)

This is often considered a part of Andronovo Culture that extended across a wide area of Russia and Kazakhstan. Areas around modern day Vakhsh in Tajikistan (ancient Skt. Vakshu) are the sites where cremation rites came into existence for the first time. The cemeteries here are of Kurgan type, as found in Arkaim-Sintashta and other places of Andronovo Culture, but the pottery, grave goods, are of contemporary Bactria. It's believed that the Indo Aryans of BMAC passed through Vakhsh before entering India.

Apart from the various Avestan places or Aryan countries of Central Asia there seems to be another important country during the BMAC or even earlier time frame - that's the country of the Kom tribes. The kam in Kamboj is of obscure origin, may be a substrate of an older Central Asian language that existed before the arrival of the Indo Iranian languages – this ancient language can very well be the proto Burushaski language, lingua franca of the big stretch of Central Asia from Caspian to Pamir. Kamboj is a later formation, but four thousand years ago, the time period of BMAC, it could have been known as just the country of Kam or Kom. Ptolemy mentions a tribe variously called  as Komaroi, Komedai, Khomaroi, Komoi and Tambyzoi that was wide spread in the Highlands of Bactriana and Sogdiana. Spread across Central Asia the names like Karakum and Kyzylkum may carry the same kam till date. The Kam people should have been very powerful because the name Kamboj has spread quite far. Many Persian kings had the name Cambyses, a cognate of Kamboj. Between Central Asia and Caucasus many places and rivers bore the name Cambyses across ages. A probable epicenter of the Kom people may be north of Pamir, a probable location of Parama Kamboja, one of the distant countries mentioned in Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Kom people might not have been Indo Europeans originally (unlike the Dasas and Parnas) but adapted an Iranian language later.

7 & 8. Rig Vedic Culture, Kalash & India: 1700 BC onwards

Kalash is a very interesting place that has preserved till date vestiges of some ancient Rig Vedic traditions that have disappeared from any where else. Kalash people presently stay only in the three valleys of Bumboret, Rumbur and Birir in  Hindukush in the Chitral district of Pakistan. For details of the Kalash religion and the Rig Vedic connections please refer to this paper by Witzel. 

Recent excavations in Chitral are unearthing innumerable Aryan graves. These graves are little older or contemporaneous to the Gandhara Grave Culture (since 1500 BC) which is considered the entry of the Aryans in India. On their way to Punjab from BMAC and Vakhsh some Indo Aryans would have stayed back in the Hindukush and preserved some aspects of the pre Rig Vedic culture. The present Kalash people may be direct descendants of either the first lot (Dasa peoples of BMAC) or the second lot (Rig Vedic peoples) of immigrating Indo Aryans.

The two different lots of Indo Aryans (Dasa and the Rig Vedic peoples) of BMAC would have logically entered India in two separate waves. The first lot (Dasa peoples) would have left BMAC around 1700 BC with the arrival of the second lot. The former would have reached India around the same time. Few centuries later when the Rig Vedic Aryans entered India they came across the ancient Aryans from the first lot. 

In the Battle of Ten Kings Kavasha is referred to as famed and ancient - śrutaṃ, vṛddham. He may be a Druhyu King and one of the leaders of the enemies. The reference to famed and ancient Kavasha may hint at the reputation of the Druhyus as a powerful and strong race of ancient times. Together, with the reference to the Druhyus also as distant people, it may be implied that they might have been a group of powerful and famous people much older than the composers of Rig Veda. None of the ten Kings, who are fighting against Sudas, is referred to as non-Aryan. Druhyu is in fact one of the 'five peoples' or Panajana or Pancakrishti (Yadu, Turvasha, Anu, Druhyu & Puru) of the Aryans. But still some of these tribes or peoples are considered to be older and distant compared to the others. This may imply that the Aryans migrated to India in waves - some came late and some early.

Around 1500 BC the Dravidian peoples arrived in Punjab and started interacting with the Indo Aryans. That was when many Dravidian words started appearing in the middle Rig Vedic books (3, 7, 8 & 9). It's not unlikely that the Rig Vedic Aryans of the second wave would be little averse to the newer Dravidian peoples and the older Aryans of the first wave. Eventually they pushed both of them to the periphery of their settlement. In Atharva Veda, composed around 1000 BC, the people of Magadha Gandhara, Anga and Mujavat are referred to as despised. Magadha and Anga are peripheral areas around Vanga. Gandhara is another peripheral area around Punjab.

The following diagram depicts a probable scenario in India around 1000 BC where the Rig Vedic Aryans are settled in the Gangetic plains and the older Aryans along with the Dravidian peoples pushed to Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkal (Orissa) and Vanga (Bengal).  Doesn't this diagram look like the sixteen Aryan countries mentioned in Avesta? Here also the central core area of Aryan settlement is surrounded by peripheral countries.

Language Map in 1000 BC

There are good linguistic evidences in favor of the scenario depicted in the above diagram. The peripheral IA languages (Punjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya and Bengali) are the ones that have more Dravidian influence than Hindi. Incidentally Hindi is spoken precisely in the area shown in the diagram as the locus of the Rig Vedic Aryans.

It's quite interesting that among all the Indo Aryan languages Bengali perhaps is influenced the most by Dravidian language. This means that there was a considerable Dravidian population in Bengal where Bengali developed. This might be really the case if we believe that the oldest lot of Aryans, along with a considerable number of Dravidian peoples, left (or were driven out of) Punjab soon after the arrival of the Rig Vedic Aryans. They eventually moved to the eastern part of India and settled in the ancient Vanga and Magadha regions. Close association with a good number of Dravidian peoples for a very long time induced strong Dravidian aspects into the Magadha Prakrit (the predecessor of Bengali) and the Bengali language.

1000 BC is also the time when the Avestan peoples separated from the Indo Aryans. They settled in the Airyanem Vaejo surrounded by the fifteen Aryan countries in Central Asia. The speakers of Burushaski languages (Mruza) reduced considerably with the decline of BMAC Culture. The Dardic branch (Kashmiri, Khowar, Kalash) of Indo Aryan languages started shaping up in the Himalayas and Hindukush.

Related pages

Languages of Aryan TrailG

uess who can beat Deepak Chopra’s record? Only Deepak Chopra. He’s truly nulli secundus. Despite calling his bluff on not one, but two occasions, despite the fact that he hasn’t answered any of my questions, I’m compelled to write again simply because given his reach and influence, his misleading assertions will get even wider currency.

His latest post on Huffington Post is pompously titled Who Owns Yoga where he repeats the same untruths as earlier in his Newsweek post. The crux–rather, the only point he makes is this: Yoga doesn’t “belong” to Hinduism.

Note: For a detailed exposition on how Yoga and Hinduism can’t be delinked, read my Hindu Roots of Yoga.

At the outset, Chopra claims that “The text usually cited as the definitive source for Yoga is Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, but the familiar poses that are part of Hatha Yoga are generally traced to Shiva cults, the god Shiva being its founder. The problem that is being swept aside is that exact dates cannot be assigned to any of these texts.” (Italics mine) If by “exact dates,” Chopra means right up to the last Millisecond, he’s right but that doesn’t save his claim from sounding both ridiculous and false. Perhaps Deepak Chopra might want to refer to Page 453 of S. Radhakrishnan (former President of India) and Moore’s, A Source Book in Indian Philosophy which sets the date at 2 BCE. Other scholars, for example, Gavin Flood, puts the date between 100 BCE and 500 CE. Hatha Yoga is derived primarily from Swami Swaratma’s definitive Hatha Yoga Pradipika and other major works like the Gheranda Samhita and Shiva Samhita. There’s no dispute to the dating of these three works–Hatha Yoga Pradipika, was composed sometime in the 15th Century CE, the Gheranda Samhita in the 17th Century CE, and Shiva Samhita is dated variously between 15th, 17th, or 18th Century CE. We need to ask Deepak Chopra where he detects a sweeping aside of the “date problem.”

Deepak Chopra is not alone when he asserts that Hinduism “sprang from the Vedic religion.” This is a very mischievous claim to make because even a cursory reading of the history of Hinduism reveals that the two are synonymous and inseparable. There is nothing in Hinduism that can’t be traced back to the Vedas. Equally, every verse in the Vedas have “raw material,” so to say, to spawn anything that we find in what’s called Hinduism today. For instance, the Vedic Durga Suktam chanted in the worship of Goddess Durga (or Parvati) is actually a Vedic chant dedicated to Agni, or the God of Fire. We can cite thousands of similar examples but this is enough in view of space constraints.

Realistically, the word “Hindu” or “Hinduism” was not an indigenous or native construct. It was given to us by the Arabs, who called India as the “Land bounded by the river Sindhu (today’s Indus).” “Hindu” is the corruption of the word “Sindhu,” and the land of the Hindus was “Hindustan,” or India. From this, it follows that “Hinduism,” is really not a religion in the strict sense of the word but merely a word used by foreign invaders to describe the landmass/country of India. The correct term to describe the predominant faith/religion of today’s India is the “Vedic religion” or “Vaidika Dharma” or “Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Dharma).” In the 5000 years of its antiquity, not one Indic text refers to the native religion as “Hinduism”— we’re talking of a corpus of the 4 Vedas, 6 Vedangas, 18 Puranas, the 4 Upavedas, the various smritis, the numerous Aagamas, the Ramayana and Mahabharata–in all over 3000000 verses. One wonders how Deepak Chopra confidently states that “Hinduism” is a “later” religion that “sprang” from “Vedic culture” when indeed the same Vedic culture doesn’t mention the word “Hinduism” even once.

Everything in what we call today as Hinduism–from its philosophy, art, music, sculpture, architecture, dance, Yoga, temples, Gods, Goddesses, rituals, worship, traditions, and practices–was derived from and belongs to what Chopra calls “Vedic culture.” What explains the fact that Vedic rituals and mantras are still used in Hindu temples in India and abroad? What explains the fact that a Carnatic classical concert opens with a Varnam (on a Hindu God) followed by the Vedic God, Ganesha? What explains the fact that a Hindustani classical concert opens with “Om Sri Anantha Hari Naryana,” Naryana, a synonymn of the Vedic God, Vishnu? The same applies to any classical dance form.

It’s true that temple culture was absent in the ancient Vedic times. But the temple culture if anything, is a glorious tribute to the conception of philosophy and “God” in the Vedas. The highest conception of what’s called “God” in the Vedas is the Nirguna Nirakara Brahman, or the Formless Universal Reality, which is called Brahman. To a lay person, this conception is almost incomprehensible because the human mind requires a Form and Name (or definition) to conceptualize anything. In other words, you can’t address somebody as “Good morning, Male” or “Good night, Female.” You need to call him/her as “John/Jane” to put him/her in a specific place-time reference. When you apply this principle to the Formless Universal Reality, you get names for Gods like Shiva, Vishnu, Parvati, Lakshmi, Indra, Agni, and so on. You assign them specific attributes but what you’re really doing is humanizing that Formless Universal Reality so that it’s easy to identify and define a highly abstract philosophical conception. In other words, you’re making them accessible to your mind. When the highest philosophical conception is a Formless “God,” it can be both male and female, which is why Hinduism has both Gods and Goddesses. In a way, the gradual development of what was derided as “idol worship” actually made the “Vedic religion” more accessible to more and more people–an organic growth so to say. If it had been confined to just a group of people who knew how to conduct rituals, there’s little chance that it’d have survived as an unbroken tradition for so long. It is therefore unsurprising that the Vedic culture that gave birth to this kind of conception of a Formless “God” also developed the methods to realize that God. Yoga is one such method. Trying to delink it from Hinduism or the Vedic religion is bound to backfire on the credibillity of the person attempting the feat.

I don’t have a position on the Hindu American Foundation but I’ve read enough news and other material that proves beyond doubt how the original aims and goals of Yoga have been hijacked by self-seeking “New Age” Gurus whose lifestyles and behavior show a yawning gap between what they preach and practice. A true Yoga Guru will not solicit disciples or advertise his shows, writings, and books the way Deepak Chopra does. It’s similar to a person without a degree in medicine opening a clinic. Chopra’s ill-advised pronouncements about “the spiritual path” and “englightenment” reek of hypocrisy because Yoga texts state that a seeker of Yoga must first purify himself by strict ethical observances–non-violence, non-stealing, hygiene, non-covetousness, celibacy and the rest–before he is qualified to learn Yoga Asanas. How does Deepak Chopra rate on these parameters? We must remember that he professes himself to be a Yoga teacher and healer–a status higher than an aspirant of Yoga–so it’s natural that we must hold him to a higher standard. This by itself denies Chopra the moral authority to speak about Yoga much less teach it to people. It’s also hard therefore to take his claim about “equal-opportunity offender” seriously. Offense for the sake of offense is not only childish but if left to itself, dangerous.

Equally, it is not in good taste on Deepak Chopra’s part to mischaracterize the HAF’s position on Yoga as “an innocent attempt by the Indian diaspora to get some respect” and “to lighten up.” Indeed, the NYT piece that Chopra refers to says that the HAF’s campaign “does not ask yoga devotees to become Hindu, or instructors to teach more about Hinduism…[but] suggests only that people become more aware of yoga’s debt to the faith’s ancient traditions.” It is similar to honouring say Einstein for giving us the theory of relativity or acknolwedging our debt to Pythagoras. One wonders why Chopra is so upset about a similar effort to give honour where it’s due.

Further, Deepak Chopra claims that he’d “like to point out that the whole point of Yoga is to achieve enlightenment, and that the most revered practitioners, whether known as yogis, swamis or mahatmas, transcend religion. In fact, even if Yoga were granted a patent or copyright…there is no denying that enlightenment has always been outside the bounds of religion.” One would like to ask him about the ethics of taking something from somebody and not crediting the original source. If this had happened in the intellectual/academic arena, professors would be sued for infringement, or in plain words, punished for committing intellectual theft. As Chopra would know, one of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras talks about asteya or non-stealing.

We also need to spend some time on Chopra’s leaps of logic, his contradictions, and the authenticity of his knowledge. He says that Yoga is a spiritual path that leads to englightenment and not “into the arms of priests or Yoga instructors.” If this was the case, why would the world need Yoga instructors? You know, you can just think up one of these asanas, get on the spiritual path and get enlightened on your own. Chopra doesn’t seem to realize that the moment large numbers of people begin to do this, begin to explore true spirituality on their own, he’d be out of business first. He also issues a caution of sorts that before Hindu Americans “complain about Hatha Yoga being deracinated, they might want to promote the ideas that are the very essence of Indian spirituality, which preceded Shiva, Krishna, cows and castes.” Perhaps Deepak Chopra might want to recall that both Shiva and Krishna were called the perfect Yogis, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a treatise, which Shiva imparts to his consort, Parvati and that the Bhagavad Gita is also known as one of the finest expositions of Yoga. Earlier in his piece, he talks about how Hatha Yoga is “generally traced to Shiva cults, the god Shiva being its founder.” One needs to ask Chopra the name of the religion, which regards Shiva as a God. Just an example of the nature of contradictions his piece exudes. Given his anxiety to delink Yoga from Hinduism or the Vedic religion, why does he continue to teach Yoga?

Chopra’s piece–like his attack on Aseem Shukla in Newsweek earlier this year–is singularly noteworthy for one point: it cites no references, doesn’t backup extraordinary claims with research, indulges in ad hominem attacks, argues from ignorance–in short, violates most principles of logical reasoning. In other words, he doesn’t have an argument other than his brand name and a self-professed claim that he has been writing ” about spirituality for many years.”

Nobody owns Yoga, Mr. Chopra, indeed the concept of ownership is abhorred by Yoga, which says that God pervades the entire creation (Ishavasyam Idam Sarvam). However, it also asks us to repay the debts we owe our ancestors. Or at the least, acknowledge that we owe those debts.

Tags: Commentary, Deepak Chopra, False Yoga Gurus, Hindu, Hindu Philosophy, Hinduism, India, Indian Philosophy, Meditation, Patanjali Yoga, Patenting Yoga, Pranayama, Yoga, Yoga in the US, Sanatana Dharma, Hindu, Huffington Post, Response to Deepak Chopra

Arkaim Settlement

Other RV topics

Selected references

limatic change and geotectonic movements have led to migration and abandonment of several rivers and drainage systems. Some of them are ‘lost’ because of the overburden of silt. But several evidences left by them usually help in proving the existence of a geomorphic feature in a particular location, which attract the attention of the interested people to discover the past. In India, the river Saraswati reflects such a fascinating history, supported by geological, hydrological and archaeological evidences as well as the records of the most modern tools, such as remote sensing and GIS. With the aid of remote sensing through orbiting satellites, the mystery of the river is more or less solved.

History behind the mystery 

 

The satellite imagery of Saraswati river

Geological record indicates that during the late Pleistocene glaciation, the water of the Himalayas was frozen and that in the place of rivers, there were only glaciers, masses of solid ice. When the climate became warmer, the glaciers began to break up and the frozen water held by them surged forth in great floods, inundating the alluvial plains in front of the mountains. The melting of glaciers has also been referred in Rig Vedic literature, in mythological terms. It was the first interglacial period in Holocene marking the break-up of glaciers and release of the pent-up waters that flowed out in seven mighty river channels referred as the ‘Sapta Sindhu’ in the Rig Veda, traced from east to west. The ‘Sapta Sindhu’ refers to the rivers Saraswati, Satadru (Sutlej), Vipasa (Beas), Asikni (Chenab), Parosni (Ravi), Vitasta (Jhelum) and Sindhu (Indus). Among these, the Saraswati and the Sindhu were major rivers that flowed from the mountains right up to the sea. The hymns in praise of the Saraswati are probably some of the oldest, composed more than 8000 years ago. 

For 2000 years, between 6000 and 4000 B.C., the Saraswati flowed as a great river. R. D. Oldham (1886) was the first geologist who argued logically pointing to the great changes in the drainage pattern of the rivers of Punjab and western Rajasthan converting a once fertile region into a desert. According to geological and glaciological studies, the Saraswati was supposed to have originated in Bandapunch massif (Saraswati-Rupin glacier confluence at Naitwar in western Garhwal). 

The river, which had originated from Kapal tirith in the Himalayas in the west of Kailash, was flowing southward to Mansarovar and then taking a turn towards west. Even today the Saraswati flows from the south of Mana pass which meets river Alaknanda, 3 km away in the south of Mana village. Descending through Adibadri, Bhavanipur and Balchapur in the foothills to the plains, the river took roughly a southwesterly course, passing through the plains of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and finally it is believed to have debounched into the ancient Arabian Sea at the Great Rann of Kutch. In this long journey, the Saraswati is believed to have had three tributaries, Shatadru (Sutlej) originating from Mount Kailas, Drishadvati from Siwalik Hills and the old Yamuna. They flowed together along a channel, presently known as the Ghaggar River, which is known as Hakra River in Rajasthan and Nara in Sindh. Some experts consider these two rivers as a single river whereas others consider the upper course of the Saraswati as Ghaggar and the lower course as the Hakra River, while some others call the Saraswati of the weak and declining stage as the Ghaggar.

 

 

Ancient courses of Saraswati river in Bahawalpur province (Cholistan desert) 

The river was obliterated within a short span, in the Quarternary period of the Cenozoic era, through a combination of destructive catastrophic events. The decline of the river appears to have commenced between 5000 and 3000 B.C., probably precipitated by a major tectonic event in the Siwalik Hills of Sirmur region. Geological studies reveal that the massive landslides and avalanches were caused by destabilising tectonic events which occurred around the beginning of Pleistocene, about 1.7 million years ago in the entire Siwalik domain, extending from Potwar in Pakistan to Assam in India. Those disturbances, linked to uplift of the Himalayas, continued intermittently. Presumably, one of these events must have severed the glacier connection and cut off the supply of melt water from the glacier to this river; as a result, the Saraswati became non-perennial and dependent on monsoon rains. The diversion of the river water through separation of its tributaries led to the conversion of the river as disconnected lakes and pools; ultimately it was reduced to a dry channel bed. Therefore, the river Saraswati has not disappeared but only dried up in some stretches.

Evidences supporting Palaeochannels

Hydrogeological evidences Lunkaransar, Didwana and Sambhar, the Ranns of Jaisalmer, Pachpadra, etc. are a few of the notable lakes, formed as a result of the changes; some of them are highly saline today, the only proof to their freshwater descent being occurrences of gastropod shells in those lake beds. Mr. Oldham accepted that there have been great changes in the hydrography of Punjab and Sind within the recent period of geology. Wilson has mentioned about the Sotar valley where “the soil is all rich alluvial clay such as is now being annually deposited in the depressions which are specimens of those numerous pools which have given the Saraswati its name, ‘The River of Pools’; and there seems little doubt that the same action, as now goes on, has been going on for centuries”.

Archaeological evidences Most of the archaeological sites of the-then civilisation are located on the Saraswati river basin. There are four Harappan and pre-Harappan sites in Punjab, in addition to the sites in Rajasthan and U.P. These sites are located at Rupar (present Ropar), Nihang Khan, Bara and Sirsa valley. Harappan culture flourished in the western part of Punjab around 2500 B.C. It is believed that the Harappans entered through the Indus Valley into Kalibangan valley on the left bank of Ghaggar (erstwhile Saraswati) and spread to Punjab along the Saraswati River. Carbon dating of the material at Kalibangan suggests that Harappan culture flourished around 2500 B.C. in India and existed for 1000 years. So the present day geomorphologic set up did not exist till 1500 B.C. and the Indus, the Sutlej and the Beas followed independent courses to the sea.

Evidences from Remote Sensing and GIS A remote sensing study of the Indian desert reveals numerous signatures of palaeochannels in the form of curvilinear and meandering courses, which is identified by the tonal variations. The Saraswati River could be traced through these palaeochannels as a migratory river. Its initial course flowed close to the Aravalli ranges and the successive six stages took west and northwesterly shifts till it coincides with the dry bed of the Ghaggar River.

It is found that the course of the river Saraswati in the states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan is clearly highlighted in the LANDSAT imagery by the vegetation cover thriving on the rich residual loamy soil along its earlier course. Digital enhancement studies of IRS-1C data (1995), combined with RADAR imagery from European Remote Sensing satellites ERS 1/2, identified subsurface features and recognised the palaeochannels beneath the sands of the Thar Desert. A study of NRSA, based on satellite derived data, has revealed no palaeochannel link between the Indus and the Saraswati, confirming that the two were independent rivers; also, the three palaeochannels, south of Ambala, seen to swerve westwards to join the ancient bed of the Ghaggar, are inferred to be the tributaries of Saraswati/Ghaggar, and one among them, probably Drishadvati. Digital enhancement techniques using high resolution LISS-III data of IRS-1C satellite, together with pyramidal processing, identified two palaeochannels trending NE-SW in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, which are presumed to be the lost river Saraswati. In a study, NRSA used Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-P3) Wide Field Sensor (WiFS) data covering the Indus river system to study the palaeodrainage in northwestern India. The image elements such as tone, colour, texture, pattern, association of WiFS and SIR-C/X-SAR images helped to derive information on current as well as palaeodrainage. WiFS image reveals very faint trace of the river Saraswati/Ghaggar while in the SIR-C/X-SAR image, the connectivity of the palaeochannel could be easily established due to the presence of dark irregular shaped features associated with wetness. 

Missing of a prominent river from the map is not a mystery; it is quite natural as the natural phenomena evolve through environmental changes. A part of the river Saraswati till now exists as Ghaggar in Haryana, the rest of it has disappeared in the fringes of the Marusthali or the Thar Desert. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai has made a breakthrough in its research for the existence and probable location of the mythical Saraswati river. The Rajasthan Ground Water Department undertook the task to ‘unearth’ the river with the collaboration of BARC and Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad (a wing of ISRO) in 1998. If the effort is successful, the people living in the desert belt of Rajasthan will be hopefully supplied more than 3500 year old water derived from palaeo-channels, believed to be the mythical Saraswati.

[ranganathan venkatachariar]

Rishis

Rishis of ancient India

In this part of my website the rishis of ancient India will be introduced. The term "rishi" or "rsi" originally denoted the composers and singers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic traditions, the rishi is also a "sage" to whom the Gods revealed the Vedas (Knowledge).

Sapta rishis are two Sanskrit words meaning "Seven Sages".

Vyasa

Vyasa is the most important rishi (sage) in the Hindu pantheon of religions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa, for he is the one who compiled the Vedas. He is also the author of the Hindu epic Mahabharata and the important character in many Puranas.

Markandeya

 

Markandeya was an ancient Indian Muni (sage) and he is known as author of religious Hindu texts. It may be a surprise to many people who are devotees of Lord Vishnu (vaishnavas) or Lord Shiva (shaivas), but Markandeya was a devotee of both. In the Hindu pantheon of (orthodox) religions, vaishnavas, shaivas, and shaktas represent mostly independent islands of beliefs.

Markandeya is one of the Chiranjeevin - the immortals in Hinduism. On the basis of the interactions of people known in Hinduism, it is sure that Markandeya lived through more yugas. He is sometimes called Maha Muni (Great Sage) and he is the author of important Hindu scriptures, Markandeya Purana is one of them. Summaries of Markandeya Purana say that sage Jaimini, the disciple of Veda Vyasa, asked Markandeya to explain to him some difficult parts of the Mahabharata. Here we can see that Markandeya was very, very important.

Read the whole article at society.ezinemark.com

Markandeya Purana is downloadable here.

Angiras

A Vedic sage who wrote most of the Atharva Veda.

Atri

A legendary scholar and a son of Brahma. He is among the seven (great) sages - Sapta Rishis.

Bharadwaja

Also known as Bharadwaj Gotra, a descendant of rishi Angiras, was one of the greatest Hindu sages. Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana (in the epic Ramayana) met many rishis and sages including Bharadwaja.

Bhrigu

One of the seven sages, or Saptarishis, who lived in ancient India. Bhrigu was one of the Prajapatis (and Maanasa Putra - a brain child) that Brahma created as facilitators of creation.

Charaka

Sometimes spelled as Caraka, was born about the year 300 BC and he made some most important contributions to the ancient Ayurvedic medical science.

Jaimini

An ancient rishi (sage), a great philosopher of the Mimansa school, and a disciple of Veda Vyasa (the son of wandering rishi Parashara).

Kashyap

An ancient sage (rishi), the Saptarishi. He was the father of the Devas, Asuras, and all humankind. He was the son of Marichi and Aditi.

Kraustuki

A Markandeya's disciple.

Kripa

Sometimes also referred to as Kripacharya, was an important character in the Mahabharata; he is one of the Chiranjivin (the "immortals").

Marichi

The son of Brahma and also one of the Saptarishis.

Narada

A divine sage (son of Brahma) in the Vaishnava tradition. He plays a chief role in a number of Puranic texts.

Paráshara

A Rigvedic Maharishi and author of many ancient Indian texts. He was the grandson of Vasishtha and the author of some verses in the Rigveda.

Prahlada

A character in many Puranic texts; he is famed for being uniquely devoted to Lord Vishnu. He is a mahajana - that is, a "great devotee" (in the Vaishnava traditions).

Pulatsya

One of the ten Prajapatis - sons of Brahma, and one of the Saptarishis. He was the spiritual vibration through the power of which some texts of the Puranas were written.

Shukra

Shukra is the name of the son of Bhrigu.

Sushruta

An ancient Indian surgeon and the author of the book Sushruta Samhita, in which he describes over 300 surgical procedures and 120 surgical instruments. He, too, classified human surgery into several categories.

Thiruvalluvar

A celebrated Tamil poet who wrote the Thirukkural, a work on ethics in Tamil literature.

Vaishampayana

An ancient Indian sage and the original teacher of the Black Yajur-Veda.

Vatsyayana

A Hindu philosopher (Vedic tradition) who lived during the reign of the Gupta Empire (4th - 6th century AD) in India. He is believed to be the author of the Kama Sutra.

Valmiki

The famous poet and the author of the epic Ramayana.

Vasistha

One of the Saptarishis. He was the Maanasa-putra ("a brain child") of Brahma. He possessed the divine cow known as Kamadhenu and the Kamadhenu's child Nandini. Vasistha (also spelled as Vashishtha) is the author of some parts in the Rigveda.

Vasudeva

The father of Krishna (with Devaki, the Krishna's mother, the sister of Kansa).

Yajnavalkya

A legendary ancient sage, a pupil of Vaishampayana.Gothras of Kanva, Vatsa (a descendant of Kanva as per rigved 6.1; 8.8 who was called shudra-putra in panchavimsha brahman 14.6.6 of samaveda)."

Since Sri Kameswara Aiyar was dealing only with Purusha Suktam and its meaning and not about all its consequences, especially, not at all with Rishis and Gotras, it was natural that the said book did not cover the point raised by you.

Lifco book "rishikaLum gOtRankaLum" published in 1974 with the blessings of many Acharyas including the Paramacharya of Kanchi, Ahobila matam etc., states that the original gOtRa Rishis were 8 in number as under:-

1.jamadagni, 2.bharadvAja, 3.gautama, 4.kASyapa, 5.vasishTa, 6. agastya, 7.atri and 8.agastya.

In addition to these, ten Rishis who were kshatriyas and became brAhmaNas subsequently, also became gOtRa Rishis. These are vaitahavya, mitRayuva, Sunaka, yavana, ratheedhara, mudgala, vishNuvRiddha,harita, kaNva and sankRiti. The first four of these belonged to mareechi's family line and the rest to that of atri while they were kshtriyas, but after becoming brAhmaNas, they embraced the gOtRas of bhrigu and angiras respectively. This should be sufficient to show that our ancestors need not have been descendants of the gOtRa Rishis but might have opted for a particular gOtRa when they were absorbed into the brahmin category in the historical past. 

kaNva gOtRa itself has two types of pRavara; 1)Angirasa, A(sA)maheeyava, Aurukshaya- for matsya sUtRa people, and 2)Angirasa,AjameeDa,KANva- for bOdhAyana, kAtyAyana and LaugAkshi sUtRa people. In addition there is one kANva gOtRa with the pRavara- vAsishTa, aindrapRamada, Abharadhvasavya (matsya sUtRa). So, we find that kaNva is different from kANva. The word kANva applies to the family/descendants of kaNva and also to a royal dynasty of yore. Interestingly kaNva is also the name of a group of evil spirits as per athaRva vEda ii-25 and their destruction is termed kaNvajambhana in that vEda. I do not have a copy of the panchavimSati brAhmaNa and so I am not able to verify whether it refers to kaNva or kANva. If you have, please send me the particular sUkta or portion which you refer to.

Even if the reference therein is to kaNva and not kANva, there are minimum two kaNVas in our purANas. one is the kASyapa descendant kaNva who himself is referred to as kASyapa at times and the second kaNva is a king of the puru dynasty, son of pRatiratha and paternal cousin of santurOdhan, father of dushanta (agni purANa). [dushanta's "onnu viTTu" uncle was kaNva and his father-in law's name also was kaNva.] However, the bhAgavata purANa says, Adiparva-94-33, that dushanta's parents were eeLin and rathantari.

The above explanation may be sufficient to show that we cannot take any of the statements in our ancient texts at face value and that will apply, I think, for the kaNva or kANva reference in the panchavimSa brAhmaNa also. Most probably that reference should be to a king (or kings) of kANva dynasty and I make this surmise based on some of the observations contained in "Political History of Ancient India" by Hemchandra Raychaudhuri, M.A., Ph.D., and published by the University of Calcutta in 1923.

Dear Shri Sangom,

Thank you for the post. 

From the Mahabharat, we know that Kanva did not marry, have children but had adopted / raised Shakuntala as a daughter. 

But we find (another?) Kanva in the Rigveda. So I had also thot that possibly there was more than one Kanva. Thank you for clarifying.

Regarding the portion I refer to, this is about Vatsa mentioned as Kanva’s son in Rigveda, book 8, Hymns to the Ashvins

The Rig Veda in Sanskrit: Rig Veda Book 8: Hymn 8 (translation: Rig Veda: Rig-Veda, Book 8: HYMN VIII. Aśvins. )

किमन्ये पर्यासते.अस्मत सतोमेभिरश्विना | 

पुत्रः कण्वस्य वां रषिर्गीर्भिर्वत्सो अवीव्र्धत ||

Do others more than we adore the Aśvins with their hymns of praise? The Ṛṣi Vatsa, Kaṇva's son, hath magnified you with his songs.

In the Sama Veda’s Tandya Mahabrahman / Panchavimsha brahman 14.6.6 Vatsa has been mentioned as Kanva’s son and addressed to as a “shudra-putra” (available here: Pancavimsabrahmana )

(PB 14.6.6) vatsaś ca vai medhātithiś ca kāṇvāv āstāṃ taṃ vatsaṃ medhātithir ākrośad abrāhmaṇo 'si śūdrāputra iti so 'bravīd ṛtenāgniṃ vyayāva yataro nau brahmīyān iti vātsena vatso vyain maidhātithena medhātithis tasya na loma ca nauṣat tad vāva sa tarhy akāmayata kāmasani sāma vātsaṃ kāmam evaitenāvarundhe |

I know a lot has been made out of this ‘Aryan looks’ by the colonialists, but just for the records, I found this interesting as well: Kanva mentioned as Nirshad’s son 

उत कण्वं नर्षदः पुत्रमाहुरुत शयावो धनमादत्तवाजि | 

पर कर्ष्णाय रुशदपिन्वतोधरतमत्र नकिरस्मा अपीपेत ||

Its meaning is given as: 

To Nṛṣad's son they gave the name of Kainva, and he the brown-hued courser won the treasure. For him dark-coloured streamed the shining udder: none made it swell for him. Thus Order willed it.

However this interpretation is also taken to mean that Kanva was dark-skinned by some, including the writer here: Hindu Wisdom (the writer there has also given a very good explanation on purusha suktam. It is contradictory to Sri Kameswara Aiyar’s explanation).

So could it mean that Vatas was Kanva' son and a shudra-putra?

In the book, Class and Religion in Ancient India, By Jayantanuja Bandyopadhyaya (available on google books online), I was reading about the ‘fear of shudra ascendency’. The book also calls the Yadus as mlecchas....

I always wondered what was the need to “fear” the shudras. I felt that an explanation based on regionalism might apply. It does fit the puranic explanation some give that there are no kshatriyas in kaliyuga. From the Nanda dynasty onwards, the Shrimad Bhagvatham quotes that Shudras become kings. It also calls Yadus, Pulindas and Madrakas as low-class men: Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 12 Chapter 1 Verse 34 

This is another translation: [ Srimad-Bhagavatam ]

SB 12.1.34

There will then appear a king of the Magadhas named Visvasphurji, who will be like another Puranjaya. He will turn all the civilized classes into low-class, uncivilized men in the same category as the Pulindas, Yadus and Madrakas.

Will continue on this…please let me know your views on this..

Regards.

Last edited by happyhi

Thiruppaavai Shri. Vellukudi Swaami 17th and 18th paasuram.

January 6, 2008

..17th paasuram ..Ambaramey thanneerey..nappinnai piraattiyai pattri  ..vundhu madakallitrin thodangi moontru paasurangallaal..raamaanujar yeedu patta paasuram vunndhu mada kazlattrin thiruppaavai jeeyar..nandagopalan marumahal yentru sambandam solli arulukiraall.. madam vunnda koodiya yaannai..kandam kamazlum kuzlali..vanthengum kozli azlithana.. vidintha adaiyaallam.. erummai siru veedu yentrum kozli yentrum edai thannmai yerittu ..panthal mela pala kaal kiyil enangallummkoovina yenkiraar.. madavi pandal eintrum paarkalaam..panthaar viralli kaiyil panthai piduthu konndu erukiraall..mythunnan=kannanai.. edai pennkal paachaiyil matchaan pola..per paada=nama sangeerthanam yentru ellai..vasavu paada keli panna yenkiraall..panthu thotrathukku.. santhaamarai kai avanathu thaamarai kai.,

17th paasuram..mudalil nandan appuram yasodhai ..daanam =nanda gopan.. yentha danam vastram theertham annan ethai seythaalum ethu mattum therinthavar pola daanam seyvaar..aram seyvathu saathi darmam yentru pannukiraar..konndaattam yethir paarkaamal pannukiraar..emberumaan=thallaivaan..lohathukku ellamaha kannanai koduthavar..kombu annaar vanchi kommbu pola edai padaitha ..yasodhai kula villakku kannanai kaatti kodukkum villakku.. emberumaattiyum eval ..arivuraay adaakka mudiyum kannanai thaambi kayaraal kattiyavall..ezlunthiraay arivuraay kannai muzlithaal kaariyum nadakkum..avan ezlunthu pannanum..kannan vastram thanneer annam yenbathaal sarva labhaha kesavan–vunnum soru pola..ellam avan thaan..andakulathukku adipadiyaahi..eisvaraathikal konndaadum..sadrukallai ozlithu .virithikallai ozlithu endranukku meendum allithavan..kannanai kodukka ketkiraal engey dasaradan paarthu ramanai koduthathu pola..draupadikku vasdra danam ..paandavarkalukku thanner koduthavan. pasu kantrukalukku theertham kudikka katru koduthavan..ambanna kannaal yasodhai yenkiraar thirumangai.. evan kannai paarthu anumaanam..dayaradar petra marahatha manni dadam raman yenkiraar..ninaiyey mahanaha pera peruveyn ezlu pirappum ..yennaiyum yen mey vuraiyum onnaha  konndu.. kulesekarar paasuram..vaikundaa manni kundaa–vallaley madisudhana..vunnaiyey kodukkum vallaley ..thirumeniyai kaatti koduthaan..yen marahada mallaiyay..patchai maa mallai pola meniyai kaatti koduthavan..vunnai yenganam viduveyn..avdaariyan=vallal..praarthikamal erukkum pothu veru prayojanathukaha ellamal kodukkum thanmai vallal thanmai…eiyappadu aruthu thontru azlahanoor arangam..thondar adi podi..kaiyiley piditha divyaaydangalum..nam mel vinnai kallivaan..radshikkum ..kavitha mudiyum..paradvam..therinthu kolla..greeda mahuda soodaavathamsam..perarasu visumbalarasu orarasu pola..thanathu greedam thottu kaattukiraan valathu thirukaiyaal edathu thirukaiyaal thiruvadi kaattukiraar..pun sirippudan sowseelyam..muhamum murauvalum..aazlavandaar amarmadiyaha paapishtaha 10 kuttrangallai solli kurai ontrum ella govindaa..saranagathan yennum pattam soottikonndu erukireyn..easvaran vittu vida koodaathu..vaitha anjal yennum kai..azluthuya thiruvadi yai pattra …vulaham allantha adikeezl amarnthu puhanum..samsaram kizlangeduthaal antreyl pereyn yentru erukiraan..avar purapattu poha joodathu yentru acharikkamal erukirom!..ubanishad perum kaadu pola..kuzlappam ..aazlvaar paasuram othi thellintheyn yenkiraar desikan.. roobam pesi svaroobam mattum pesaamal..than paal aadaram peruha vaithaan arangan..pattrina pinbu ..ubadana sinthanai eintri sevikkanum..maathru yoni paritchai pannuvathu pola..notra nonbileyn paasuram vaanamaa mallai..deivanaayagan..svayam shedram..angutreyn alleyn ,engutreyn allan-,nithya baktha muktar oruvarum engutrenum allen.ellai.. elangai setra ammaaney ..vantharulli ..yethar koovuthal aavathu ellai..yen nenjidar konnda vaanavar kozlunthey..uba samebathil paayam allaithu konndu ponavar..evar ubayathey..yellerum veedu petraal yentru kellikkai padaithu erukiraan..nin padamey saranaga thanthu ozlinthaay….yogam motsham tharathu avanai patri motsham peranum..vunnal antri yaavaraalum purai veynndeyn..charanau saranam prapathyey eranndu thiruvadi thamaraikallai  thanchamaha vuruthiyudan nanbukireyn..mandra drayam therinthu kollanum..eranndu nillaiyai vellipaduthukirathu eranndu thiruvadikalaal..prapahan prapaham..adivippanum adainthu anubavikkum porulum avan..arenakku thanthozlinthaay..aaru,peru eranndum ..aarahavum perahavum koduthaay.. neri vasal thaanahavey nintraay..ubaayam ubeyathaal pannina gunathaiyey gunamaha vadiveduthathu pola ..5-7,5-8,5-9,5-10 sarannagathi pannukiraar..avan vubaayam yentru pesavey vanamaamallai padiham..padamey ubayamaha thanthozlinthaay eharam..maa meham pola..ekaaram mukkyam..eranndaiyum pragaham yenkiraar battar..125000 slokams-geethai–2 slokam..sarama slokam 18-66..avdaryam vanamaamaliyil kozlunthu vittu erukkum-naayanaar..thiruvezlunthoor araiyar.. aaru kaatti vantha pothu padamey thanthu koduthaan yenbaar..vallanmai..thirumeniyum thiruvadiyum kaatti koduthaan..sandeepanidam erukkum pothu kuselarummkannanum sulli porukka kathai psinndu erunthaar acharyar anughraham nantraha erukirom.. kunthunkashdam koduthu vunnai ninaikka thonum..madi thadaviya soru pola aahum yentru ketkka villai ethuvum aval kodutha pinbu..raman kattuku pohum pothu danam pannukiraan go danam pera andanan manaivi -paal ellai yentru -ponathum..sarayu karaiyil pannanum.. vaitharanni nadhi atma dandum go danathaal..thadi podum vizuntha edam varai vulla maadukal ellam vunathu.. asoka vanathil eppadi siritha ramanai ezlantheyney yenkiraal seethai..kannan avan kathaiyai sollubavarkallai vallal yenkiraan..vallal thanathai kai yenthinathaal thaan kaatta mudiyum avarkal than vallal..kathai solli nillaika vaitha aazlvaarkal yaavarum vallal thaan..koovi kollu kaalamkurukaatho yentru kathari..than veetil erukkum kuzlanthaiyai patinni vaithu .namakku virunthu padaikka vaithaan.nanjeeyar..”gjanam kalantha nalam konndu –vanam kodupathu madavan valvinaiyen yeenam eraamanusanai.. “amudanaar..than thiruvadi thanthilen thaan athu thanthu..yadirasar namakku allitha vaazlvu..than thahahu-krubai kodutha kaarey karunnai raamanusa..vunnmaiyana vallanmai evarathu thaan..sem por kazla adi baladeva yentru aahasam thaandinavannai ezluppiyathum..vummbiyum neeyum vurangeyl.padukkai thoongi paarthathu ellai..vurangel oer embaavaay..

..18th paasuram..purushkarahi aval.. avallai patri avanai pattranum..maha lakshmi,boodevi ,neella devi ..motshathai kodukkavall vubayamaha piratti moolamm pattrukiraarkal..payam theernthu madiyil othungi avannai pattri eruvarukkum kainkaryam pannanum yentru moontru paasuram..kuthu villakku eriya.. aayar kulathuku villakku aval. kottu kaal kattil..prasadam maallihai kattil padukkai pola..naangu kaalkal..patta mahishikku vanum yentru kuvalaaya beeda yaanaikalin thanthaal ..menmai kulirtchi visalam pontra pancha sayanam.. kothu kothaha alarnthu konndu erukira pushbangal thiruvadi sambathaal malarum..aval sambathaal evanum malarukiraan..malar maarban..vaay thiravaay yenkiraal..maasusaha yentru vaay thirakka pohum pothu vumakku antha peyr koodaathu.. radshikka vara yen thadukiraay?..muthadam kanninaay–vaseekarithu yengalai kakkathaan.. thueil ezla ottaathaay? piruvu payanthaa?..thathuvam antru thahavum antru..vun purushakarathukku seraathu krubai svaabam ethukkum seraathu..yenkiraal

..emberumaanaar vunja vrithikku pohum pothu..thanneril alasivittu vunbaraam.. vaasanaikallai neekka..sayanam pothu thiruvaaymozli thadakkam thiruppaavai..yaanai pola eruppar thiruvaay mozliyaal..singam pola eruppar..vali mikka seeyan ..kaliyan paasurathaal..periya nambi keezla chitira veedhiyil koorathaazlvaan mudaliaandaan thirumaazlihai.. mayakkam athullay vanthathum..vundhu mada kazlitrin paasuram anusandanam..vasal kadai thiravaay yentrathum mayakkam..bakthi bavam athiham vedaandam erunthaalum..acharyar pinbummpiratti moolamm pohanum..palamaha erukiraal..srihi.. mada..lakshmi..piraatti kutram kuraikallai thavirthu serkiraal.. lakshyathey anaya lakshmi..lakshyamaha kolla venndiyaval. madippudan patra mada.. kamala.. narayana jeevatma koduthu vaangukiraal..sothai swamikku thara hethuvaahiraal..la da na adana kamala..purushan karothi purushakaari purushanaha avanai aakkukiraal.. ketathai thayangamal kodukka pannukiraal.. saastram padi paapam punnyam poruthu arulanum..thukka saharathil azluthukiraarey? etherkku ?..attu mandhai ottubavan allai..koukka vallavanaha aakkukiraan.. vatsalyam killappi vaikiraall..kobam adakki..puri dadhi naadi parthom..munnokki nadappavan purushan..thirunaraiyoor piraatti munnam..bagavannai nokki aabi mukyam erukkanum virupathudan..eruvaraiyum purushanaha aakkukiraall..ubedasathaal nammai thiruthikiraall.raavannanukkum panninaall..sarannam yentru nintavarkalukku krubaiyum daya ellam kaatu ..ellathavanukku saastra vidhi vaithukko yentru solli koduthaall..vuootram erunthaal vazli kittum..purushaharaha vuyarntha aanpaal soll..serthu vaikiraal.. om eil nadu padam vukaram eval palam pola akarathaiyum makarathaiyum serkiraall..nappinnai lakshannam arulukiraall..sibarusu pannukiraall..sri paarsam separsu aanathu..nanda gopalan marumahal mudal vurimai..kandam kamallummkuzlali enimai boghyathvam aduthathu..neengaatha kaadal erukkanum ..vurimaiyaim enimaiyum ..panthaar viralli.. naam thaan panthu.. oru kaiyaal avan adutha kaiyaal naam ..villaiyaattu porul naam ellaam.. namathu kainkaryam konndu aanantham adaivaarkal avarkal..suttramellaam pin thodara lakshmannan ellamaha poey aanandam koduthaan..madiyiley erukiraan adimai yentrathum..aadkolvaan yentru vueir konnda maayan paarthom..prapthamana adimaithanam..moovarum orey aanantham yenkiraar vaalmiki..seshadvam sidhi seshidvam sidhi yennum aanadam..avar kaiyil panthaha ellai..yen thirumahal ser maarbaney yennum..battar-nanjeeyar..yennudaiya aaviyey yennum..thaayar solvathaha paasuram..7-2 arangan padiham..nee thaan vyaadhi theerkanum yenkiraal thaayar..nilamahal kelvaney yennum..aaymahal anbaney yennum.. sridevi boo devi neelladevi erunthum yennai kai vittu vidalama yentru kettalaa..variyai serthu moortchithu aanaiyiley saaynthaar..sriyapathi yennudaiya aavi yentru ardam konndu serthanaal vanthathu..maarbam=thirumahal servan.yen maarbam thirumahal sernthavan pala pala ardam yen thirumahal thaan sari..battar naatchiyaarukku parthaa yentru mathippom..piraatti pakkal othunginaal bayam eintri erukkalaam..senthaamarai kai seeraar vallai  ollippa..seeraar vallai piriyamal eruppathai arulukiraall..seermai kallalaamal. sanghu thanghu mun kai nangai pola..valliyalum kallalaathu avanai vittu piriyathathu pola..varutham ellithu vallaiyai villunthu vudainthathu.pohavillai yentrathum peruthu athuvum vudainthathu ..pirivai pattri petchey ellai eingey.. ahalahilleyn yentru eruppathaal..nithyanabayaanni nirabadyaam pola..srimannu naarayana pola..nithya yogam.. vittu piriyaamal..naarayannan aavathum eval vittu piriyamal eruppathaal.. gunnangalum nara sabdathul adangum..thiru kanndeyn yentru avallai mudalil arulinaar..appuram pon meni kanndeyn yentraar..thiru yentrathum lakshannam solli avannaiyum sonna maathiri..eintriyamaiyathathu svarooba nirubaha darmam …sripathiapthvamey ethu.. nenjai paarthu parathevathai.. thiruvilladevarai dereyn min devu..veetrirunthu thiruvadikallai thonga vaithu karppu thiru meni sandanam evallin kumkumam pattu adaiyaallam kaattum.. thiruvukkum thiruvaahiya selvan..avallai konndu thaan avanai adaiyaalam kanndu kollanum..endran mukkalkadashthaal.. brahman paathui muzlu kan bagavaan aanaan yenkiraar battar..padaithu eval muhathai paarthu -stotrapriyan-angeeharam panninaal..kann jaadaiyaal paarthaal..palam adainthaal pola aanadam konndaan..ubadesathal  meezlada pothu avanai azlahaley  evanai arylaaley thiruthum..madavan yennu otha valleerey ..meenukku vudambellam thanner pola sernthu eruppaall..poomel eruppaal vinai theerppaall..nirangua svandaran.. vurimai yoda…athudan enimai konndu kattu paduthukiraal..odametri kooli kollaarai pola..andarpurathil ..aval anubavathaal avanin kann paarvai kuraiya thosham paarkkavillai desikan..nadu gangaiyil pohum pothu koolli kolluvaar  nadu aatril avanai pattri erukkum pothu..adiyavarkal paapangallai sabikka solluvaall..seeraar vallai ezluppa..ekonna seshadvam…vishnu pathni easvariyaha..aadiseshan garudan vishvaksenar brahma edran devimaarudan seshamaha ..venneerai thanneraha kullira vaippaal.. evallai pattra yaarum venndaam thanneerai kulira vaikka vera venndaam..anjali mattum porum.. vadakku vaasallil valliyey pohum pothu namaha sonnathum than thallaiyaal thaanguvaallam eisvaryam kaivalyam parama padamum koduthu vusithamana palan thara villai yentru thallaiyai kuninthu eruppaallaam.. kadalaal vetki thallai kuninthu erukka battar eppadi arulukiraar..perumaanukku piraattiyaal yetram..hiranya kasibuaasdanam poha mudivu pattu nethikku eyyukollaamal aazlvaar ponaaraam..kalliya mikka kaalam poha pakthi koodukirathu.. paarai thooki pohum pothu erakki vaithaan selva narannan yentru sor kettu angirunthu thirumbinaaraam..sriya pathi soll yengum ketkirathu..thunba paduthum pothu thirumaal yenkiraar..vuru meen varum allavum kaathu kokku erunthathu velluthathu vanchithaanaa vunnaiyumaa yentraar kaathu oodinathu katti aalluthaar.. noyum .nneyum thirumaallal nenjam kot pattaayaa? yenkiraar..manathaiyum olliyum konndu pushpathaiyum maannikamum kolluvathu pola evallai pattri avannai pattranum.. nera seetha paarkka eranniyan.. ramanai pattra soorbanahai kaathum mookkum ezlanthaal.. mannam oli thanithu kolla mudiyaathu..anuha koodiya thanmai tharukiraal eval..srihi thiru naamam..otrai ezlthu pravaaham..sreyathey sreeyathay ellaarum asrikiraarkal thaan avanai aasrikirall..piraattiyidam ellaam solli shamikka arula venndikanum thani kovil naatchiyaaridam..sri devi boo devi eruvarum kann jaadai.. thiru maarbu naatchiyaar rahasiyamaha aruli kaappar.. ahara draya sambandam..visvaroobam sevikkanum deva perumaannai vallaiyal pottunndu moontru vari erukkum..perum devi thaayarin vallaiya mudraiyudan sevikkanum avallin vasathil erukkum pothu..vurimai padaithaval..jagad easvari erattai.. kutram kettu avanai ketpikiraal..kaathai thiruppi namathu sarannathai ketpikiraall..eranndaavathu erattai thosham allikiraal serthu vaikiraall..vadivallahil aadpattu kandam kamallum.. panthaar viralli vibbothi oru kaiyil naram oru kaiyil ayanam oru kaiyil kattilaiyum thottilaiyum vidaamal erukiraall.. sangu thangu munkai nangai seeraar vallaiyal….purushakaaram seyvikiraall….serthu radshikiraarkal..

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Thiruppaavai Svabadesam Shri. M.A.V Swaami 15th and 16th paasuram.

January 5, 2008

..15th paasuram..elley ezlam killiyey..nangaay naannadaay naavudaiyaay yentraal mun paasurathil.. vubayogam vudaiyatha erukanum..karmendringal 5 ..gjana enthiryangal..5..vaakku,paani kainpadam kaal vaay ubasdam mala moothra thuvaaram..erandilum varum vaakku vaay ..gjanam, karma enthiyangalilum erukku..annathai vunnum pothu suvaiyai sollum pothu vera visesham..nakku vazliyaha ponaal pisu pisuppu aahathu..azlukku ottathu..yaa kaavarenum naa kaakka..naavinnal sutta vadu aaraadu..naa adakki yenbathu vunavukkum sollukkum..vunnum soru yellam kannan yentru eruppavall..entha paasurathil mattum eruvarum vuraiyadal pola aruli erukiraall..samvada roobamaha vaithaall. ..baagavatha anushtithu kaattinathaha aruli erukiraal….yaar vasana booshannathin aazl porullai arivaar yaar neril anushtippar..oer oruvar vunndaahil..velli vyaazlan vyranguvathu 2-3 mannikku keezlvaanam munnam arulinaal.. ellaam svabadesathukku arulinaal..yelley=adiyey..vaithevi ein thunnaiyaay..kanamarum kaannedi thirumangai .naayagiyum thozliyum pesum paasuram..vanavar thanni malar ezley..padil..sayaley.. kuraithum yetriyum 11 thiru mozliyil eintru thirumangai paasuram..athu pola samvadam vaithu erukiraar..yeley= adey pola..ellam killi..ennum vuranguthiyo..sill yentru azliyeermin.. surukkentru alliyaatheerkal…elley yentrathaal..killi pola sowkyamaha erukireney yenum arthathil sollukireer..uranguthiyo kann vallarum yentraal maaman mahalukku..naayanaar thiru paavaiyahirathu eppasuram..nadu naayagamana paasuram ethu..palan paasuram vanga kadal..nayaga radnam haarathin naduvil vaipathu pola..nigrahamum prasadam anughrahamum acharyarin prasadam..thappai eduthi kaatti thiruthi panni kolluvaar..PBA swaami saahum tharuvaayil erunthaalum paal yentraal vaay thiraveyn thapaal yentrathum vaay thirapeyn yenbaar..meda vilasam pillaiyai thiruthi redirect pannuvaarkal..appadi thiruthi panni konndaar..erannduaazlvaarkal vuyarthinnai eruvar yentru erukkanum.. muyarchikeren ellai muyalkireym .. kidaambi achaan..ner sishyar sri baashya simhasa adhipathi kidambi naayanaarin thatha..thirumadapalli kainkaryam..pitchaiyil visham kalanthaarkal vishumikal..ubavasam erunthaar thiru koshti nambi vanthu acharyarai ethir konndu thandam samarpithaar..ezlunthiru yentru solla villai kaathunndu erunthaar.. kidaambi atchaan maarbil yerittu konndaar..padu paabi yentraar..vummai kaanna pannineyn nyamithaar..madappallai valiyaha vantha mannam yenkiraar desikan..theertham saathikkanum..thatheeyaradanam.. edathu kaiyaal saappida koodaathu..ottai viral moodikonndu varuvaar..vaayil saathipparkal..kidaambi atchaanpanniyaammai kullaiyaamai4 pathu 8 thirumozli 4th ..pillaiyamal panni konndavannai arulukiraar.. ethir varisai sirama pattu muthuhil ongi vudo elley enkiraar..thanndam samarpithu adiyenai panni konndeer yentraaraam..koottathil sonnalum eppadi eduthu konndaar..”seyal nantraha thiruthi panni kolvaan” madurakavi….killi sonnathai thiruppi sollum acharyarum munnor mozlintha murai thappaamal kettu …etheyo solli ubadesam yenbavar moorkar aavar yenkiraar maa muni..sishyar sandya vandanam eranndu paapam pannamal pannineyn yentraar..sill yentru allieyel yentrathum nangaimeer yentru gowrahamaha sonnathum..potharuhintren=varukiren..pothanthaar pohintraar ellai varuhintraar..vallai kettikaari katturai=kadumaiyana vaarthai..panndey arithom..posukentru padil solluvathu..valleerkal neengaley yentru padilukku sonnaal..shannam yosithu “naaney thaan aayiduha”-paasurathin naduvil amaithaal ..nadu nayaga pathakathil amaintha radna kall.solli anushdanamaha kaattukiraall..valleerkal neengalley suram eduthu paadukiraarkal..ethai arulaamal..adamam kuttrathai maraithaal madyaman vudaman ellatha kutrathai yerittaalum ..baradanin anushdanam..vana prevesam avanaal yentru mandarai ellai,vellaikaari..kaikeyi..agjanam..pillaikku yentru ninaithaal..thakappanaar..raamain peril thappu yentru ninaithavar..madva.. kaikeyi vayitril piranthathu thaan kaarannam yentraan..mama papamey yentru maa muniyum yathiraja vimsadhiyil arulukiraar..pirar thunbam kanndaal eiyo yentru erakkam kolluvathaal..puram vasanai vidivathum ..peru thuthikkaiyum eppadi erukkum sri vaishnnavar .yetram kanndu vuhandhu erukkai..munbu seyvathellam yerpattalum arithavathu ethu thaan yenkiraar maa muni.. 600 years munnam..ollai nee pothaay vunakku yenna verudaiyaay..anathaazlvaan.. battar puthiya manniyakarar .kadumaiyaha vaarthai ..nammudaiya thoshangallai vinnappikkanum emberumaanidam vasavu aazlavandaar neesar poramaiyin vuootru manathilor thooymai ellai sinathinaal.. dan padaithiallan nesanen nunarivileyn kontren pallu vuirai ..papamey seythu paapiyaaneyn nanavida naraham puhum ,,puthisaha naraham srishtikkanum naan pannina papangalukku..nychayanusandanam namm anusandhikka panni vaithaarkal mud piraviyil yerpattu erukkalaam..kadya drayathilum arulukiraar bagavatha abachara naana vida abachara ..battar yenakku pradinidiyaha vinnapatheerentru thenndam samarpithaaraam..nampillai ,kanthaadai thollappar mudaliaandaanin thiruperar..poraamai ..kadumaiyana vasaiyaal vaisaar..paaryai solla abarada panna ubedeikka..ezlunthu vanthu paarthaal nampillai keezley vizlunthaar..shamikka ..devareerin thiru vullathil vaarthai pada abachara patteyn yentraaraam..lohacharyar yentru pattam koduthaar..ongi vilahamal nintrathu lohacharyar yennum peyar..kaaranna peyar..arula paadu nampillai lohacharyar yentru aruluvaarkal..kuttram seythavar pakkal porrai-porumai,krubai-papam avaruku poey serukirathu nammai vaithathaal..svanishtai thannai pattri nishtai.. thanakku thaaney ariya srivasana booshanamum nammai naamey arinthu kolla..krubai kollanum sirippum..vuhakkum..dehathukku pannuvathaal virothiyana.. ubahara smrthi pradi nidhiyaha evan panninathaal…nadakka veynndum ..easvaran thannudaiya yaagjaiyaal pannukiraan ennoru jeevatmavaal yentru ninaikkanum..desikanum pillai lohacharyarum ethai arulinaar..ollai nee pothaay vunakku yenna perudayai..seekiram ..thani anubavam ethukku?..koorathaazlvaan kannkallai ezlanthathum arangan kovilil poha anumathithathum emberumaanaarin sambandam venum yentru “yenakku yenna verudaiyai “-acharyar sambandam venumyentru aruli pohavillai..mullahau aazlvaan ..vuoor perahum….sadas raja saivan..daduthaan..srivaishnavar anumathi kidaiyaathu ori ellai erinthu koothaadinaar srivaishnavan yentru vun vaayaal sonnathu..virothi kai viduthal thaan uthesam..battar ananthaazlvanidam ketkka sonnar sri vaishnava lakshnam solla..amudhu seythaar pullakadiyilum ..kokkai pola kozli pola ..kokkau odu meen vuru meen vara vuyarntha vishayathil kann vaikkum..asaramana vasthuvil kann. kozli kuppayil erukkum maannikam edukkum.. vummai pola erukkum mudalil pakkam kadaisiyil pullakadi acharyar etta , vuppai pola soril suvai vuttum..sariyaha erunthaal solla maattarkal.. sri vaishnavan pradanamahavum varamalum erukka koodaathu ..uppai pola kalanthu erukkanum..baagavatha goshtiyil seranum ..serthu kollalaam eppo veynndumanalum..sri vaishnavan sera avakasam paarkka veynndaam. vasthu thaan karainthu suvai kodukkum thannai ozlnthu .. villai kuraivi vuppu sri vaishnavanum dasa dasa pola erukkanum..allinndu varuvaarkal thaaney vanthu anughrahikkanum.. thaniyana vuppukku suvai ellai vunakku yenna perudaiyai..kainkaryam kolla villaiyanalum kalanga koodaathu..ellorum ponthaaro.. oruvar varavillai yentraalum kurai kadaisiyil vuppu podanum…yenni koll..thottu yenninaal parama baagyam..acharyarai stotram pannanum.. mada kalliru einthirangal adakkubavar..maattrarai para samaya vadikallai naattiya nesa samayangal maandana ..sangara baskara pola..maattrarain maattrai azlikkanum yagja moorthu advaithi vadam panni maattrinaar..maaru patta karuthai allippar anandaalvaan arulala perumaan emberumaanaaridam ..yadava prakasarai maatrinaar govinda jeeyar.. battar nanjeeyar aakinathu pola..thiruthi panni kolluvar.. maayan erumbai ponaakkuathu pola..bagavanukku vuriyavanaha pannuvathaal..samvadam thirumangai.. kadaisi aazlvaar ezlam thammai killiyaha solli kondavar..thee emberumaan adiyamukku emberumaan allero..kasin oliyil enthalooril vaazlnthey poem yentraar..vasi valleer..madal eduthu payamoottinaar..valler .kurumbu seyyum mahan ”vembu pola vallarthaaley ..madal eduthathu thanni vazli ollai nee pothaay vunakku yenna perudayai..adi pravarthiyaha ..ellorum aazlvaarkal ellorum vanthaachaa?..yaannai kontra sarithiram arulinavar..

..16th paasuram..thirupuullannaiyil sarannagathi..vibeeshannan..manusha baavanniyil raaman.. vayam ezlum kanndaal pillai vaayil pirantha pozluthey sanghu chakaram kaattinaan..sooriyannai maraithaan brahmanna pillaiyai meetozluthaan..anthanan oruvan ..ethellal einarul..parshad karikattaiyaal pidanthai vuirpithaan..raman parathvathai erittu kollavillai ..raman thirunamam solli thaandinaar hanumaan..palam valliyaha thaan thaanduvaar..nadhi mela nam perumaal eintrum poha maattar..aahasathil vanthu nintraan vibeeshannan..sukreevan moolam thaan sarva loha saranyan rahavanidan vanthaan..manasika kadatsham seethai arulukiraall..thirisadai oruthu aarudal vaarthai aruli vibeeshannanin penn yentrall..10 paasurangallal pathimarai ezluppinaall..vedam vallaarkkallai konndu vinnor perumaan thiru paadam panninthu….vedam mudal saptham mudal einthu paasurathaal arulinaal..vallaarkallai konndu yentru adutha 10 paasurangallal arulukiraal.. vinnor nithya soorikal adutha 5 paasuram.. battar thirukoshtiyoor sentru erunthaar meendum varum pothu sri renga raja sthavam .. shedra balagaal nahara balagaal koburam .. 50, 60 slokangallal anubavikiraar..battarum pillai thiru naraiyoor araiyarum aari vull kulira yengana vuhakkum ..pooviyal pozlilulm thadamum avan kovilum kanndu…edai seri kudilaiyum kovil kaappan vasal kappan yentrathu archai anubavathaal arulukiraall. naangu vasal 8 per vunndu..karimuhan-,jaya seelan-yanai muhan senai mudaliyaar thalaivar..jaya vijayan..pillaiyaar elakkiyathil kidaiyaathu subramanniyar prasthabam erukku ..aazlvaar paasurathilum naayanmaar pattukalilum ellai.. vadabi yudam pothu vanthavar..kari muhan thotramum pillaiyar muhamum ontru..amudanaar kaarthihaiyaanummkari muhathaanum yentru arulukiraar..ner sernthaan kozli kodiyaan yenkiraar murugannai aazlvaar..kovil kappanaiyum vaayil kappaanaiyum naayagan yenkiraal..emberumaanaaraiyum kurikkum paasuram..raamanuja madam ethu..emberumaanaar darisanam yentru naatti vaithaar..vallabar nimbaarkar chaitanya madam thotruvithavar peyaril amainthana..parasangusar darisanam yentru sollanum.. sthiramahi aakki vaithavar enthai thanthai ezlvadikaal 21 thalaimurai kesavan damar keezl mezl emar ezlu pirappum..3times 7 .10 +1+10..yentrum 21 thallai murai aruluvaar..vyasam vasishtarin kollu peran sakthu peran parasar pillai suhan thakappanaar..oruvarai ettu ellorukkum perumai…thirumudi sambandam..thaambarabaranni aatru manallai kaaytchi vigraham bavishyadaacharyar vigraham kidaithathu marupadiyum kaaytchi nammaazlvar kidaithaar..maa muni munnam raamanujar nadu naayagam yentru desikar arulukiraar munan 9 pinnam 9..naduvil emberumaanaar..periya perumaalil arambithu maa muni yidam sishyarahaya periya perumaal..nanda gopanum emberumaanaar.rashikiravar aanantham adaikiravar ethaal..sveekaaram konndaar kannanai..yenna nombu petraarkalo evannai pettra vayiru vudaiyaall..thaathu konndaal kolo thaaney petraarkalo..thirunarayanna puram selva pillaiyai evarum sveekaaram konndavar..vumakkum vumudaiya sambandathukkum motsham yentraar namperumaal..manam mozli mey karanna drayam kaala rdayam past present future paapangallai pokkum perumai namakaka prarthithu ..shemam vaangi koduthaar..gopaha=rashikiravan gokullai radthikiravar gopapalan..naamum pasukkal pola..udaiyaan=udaiyavar.. kovil kappaan=thiruvarangam kaathavar..divyadesa kainkaryangallai pannuvathu kadamai yentru kaatt koduthu..dadvaarthangallai ubedesam mattum pannathu anushdanamaha kaatti koduthaar..raamanuja divya yagjai  kovil kainkaryam pothu vallarattum yenkirom..kambar kovil udsavam sirakka divya prabanda sevai goshti perumai serthaar..kodi thontrum kovil kappaan..thorannam naatti parama padathil maha navami vuoor valam vijayadasami munnan vallaivu, thorannam kattimuktarkalum nithyarkalum pannuvarkalaam..manni kadfavam.. nava radnam evar ezluthiya grandam..geetha baashyam gatya trayam nithyam vedanda saaram mudaliya..aayar sirumiyarom kulam gjanam siriyavar.. kulangalil piranthileyn gjanamum ellai yentru mazlisai piraan aruliyathu pola..nammidaiyey vanthu vaazlvithaar evar..nihar eintri neesar..puhal ellai..amudanaar..adhikaram ellatharkantro ethirasa nee eranga veynnduvathu ..yennai pol vinnai seyvaar vunndo unnai pol poruppaar vunndo yenkiraar maa muni..annai kudi neer arunthi  azlum kuzlanthai noeyai  theerpathu pola neer pannineer..nennelley vaay nernthaan.. bavishyachaaryar ..aadi seshen lakshmannan balaraman raamaanujar..yada yada darma..geethai gjani kallai vunndaakkukireyn yenkiraan geethaiyil..arai parai =purushardam..maayan manni vannan=nammaazlvaar..poliha poliha poliha..kalliyum kedum kanndu konnmin….thooyomaay vanthom..puram thooymai neeraayl amaiyum aham thooymai vaaymaiyaal amaiyum..nenjai thooymai..devada pradipathi pola acharyarai anuhanum..villanchilai pillai saptha kaathai ..mann vuloham yentru ninaikka koodaathu…silai sulaa thirumeni.. daaru thirumeni-marathaal..ethaal aayirunthaalum menmai ..acharyaraiyum sareerathai vaithu kuraiyaha ninaikka koodaathu..acharyarkku samamaha bagavanaiyum ninaikka koodaathu.. thueil ezla ..kainkaryam pannanum ..pinpazlahiya perumaal jeeyar nampillai sishyar..aazli ezla padiham sevikkanum ney kudaitha padiham arulanum..prayojanathukku aasai pattaraam..noey vanthathaal..thiruvalavattam kainkaryam panna aasai atharkaka erukkanum..thueil ezluppa paduvatharkaha”agjanathilirunthu meezla yentrum artham.. vaayal munnam munnam maattrathey..thiru koshtiyoor 18 dadavai vara sonnaar..appadi ellaamal  kodukkanum.. ammaa=swaami..nesa nillai kadavam neekku..nesam nillai kettiyahavum porunthiyum erukkum kadavu..erattai pahuthi yentru theriyamal porunthi erukkum..kadavum vazliyum kooda theriyaathu..ellaam eranndu namathu sampradayathil..perumaal piraatti vubaya vadam..manni pravallam.. thirumandram mandram mandra sesham poorva uthara kanndam..ellaam porunthi erukkum..vunakerkkum kola malar paavai pola porutham..dvayam poorva kanndam sonnathai uthara kanndam arulum.. neekku artha viseshangallai kaattanum..arumaiyana vasthu kadavai pottu jagrithaiyaha vaithaarkal.. aasai vudaiyorkelam velli ettaar..sarama slokam –koorath aazlvaanum mudali aandaanum erunthaar..thanndu pavitharum vara solli.. thirumandram mattum ubadesithar.. mattum vara solli sadyam vaangi konndu sarama slokam..aalvaanukku ubadesikka oru varusham paritchai panni ubadesikanum. vaari eraikka villai..oru madam ubavaasam erunthu kettaar..mudali aandaan kettathum thiru koshtiyoor 6 madam kainkaryam panni ..ethukku vantheer..vidya madam ethirasarey ubadesikkattum yentraaraam..vaarri eraikka villai..18-66 artha vishayam..rahasyamaha arulinaar..eru kadavum adaithu kaaleshebam pannuvaarkal ..artham muzluvathum kettu poha..moodi moodi maraithaalaarvam erukkum..nesa nillai kadavam lockeril vaithaar pola..nee vanthu neekku.. nee yenbathu avar moolam ariyanum..ellaam raamanujar vaibhavam arula pattathu..

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Geethaa Saaram 6-3 to 6-7

January 5, 2008

…6-3 slokam..yennai kinnaru..boomikkul erunthaar raja thedu svapnam setru thamarai erumbu koodi vazliyil sentraan..putrai thonndi eduthaan..perumaanin thallaiyil pattathu..abacharam pattom yentru kaiyaal eduthaan..yennai eduthu ..thina padi yennai theythu kollukiraan..kesavan..neenda myvanna narum kunji..vuduthu kalantha nin peethaha vaadai pola naamum yennai namakku thaan. kinnattril serbaarkal.. madathin aadheenathilum vunndu ..sivan kovilukkum vunndu yennai prasadam engum pohirathu..yogathil-atma sashadkaram poruttu muyaluvanukku..antha munivanukku ninaithu konndu eruppavan muni–karma yogam yerum padi kattu..sinthanai panni konndu karma yogamey kaarannam yenkiraan..karma yogathukkul atma gjanam adanginathu..karma yogathai vittuvidalaam mel padi vantha pinbu..atma sashadkaram petravan panna veynndaam.. yeniyil yerina pinbu yeni veynndaam..yetti vuthaikalamaa?..perum varai vida koodaathu yenkiraan ..sama darisanam kittivaithathum-prahaladan pola-kadaisi varai pannuvaarkal..ethan moolamaha atma saashdkaram perum vazli yentru ninaikaamal pannuvaarkal..karmamum kaikaryathil puhum..palanukkuhaha panna villai..aanathathukkaka pannuvom..reading books after examsforv pleasure pola..

aruruksor muner yogam

karma karanam ucyate

yogarudhasya tasyaiva

samah karanam ucyate

“For one aspiring to climb to reach atman darshan, karma yoga is the cause. While for the one already achieved, abandoning climbing in Karma yoga is the cause

..Aruruksor = the one who is climbing up [in the Karma yoga for atman sakshatkaram], mune = for such an intellect [as he is thinking always of atman; muni is manana seela: in Sanskrit], karma yogam = Karma yoga, karana ucyate = becomes the cause…Samah = abandoning [normally this word would convey equalizing, but here it is to mean abandoning karma yoga]. Who can abandon Karma yoga? Yogarudhasya = he who has achieved the objective of Karma yoga, that is atman sakshatkaram, tasyasya = such a person, karanam ucyate = is considered as a cause..

6-3..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities is the explained by Lord Krishna as the means for ascending in spiritual knowledge and achieving renunciation in their quest for atma tattva or realisation of the soul. But once a person has actually achieved renunciation and is securely situated then the cessation of activities is the rule and meditation, introspection and reflection becomes the means for attaining atma tattva. Exactly when one is considered to be well established and securely situated in dhyana yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness by meditation is next.

..6-4 slokam..pirattiyudan sernthu radchikiraan..srivara mangala nagar sollanum ..naatchiyaar sannidhi..srivara mangala nahar notra nonbileyn pathiham anguttren alleyn  ..paattu thorumm perumai arulukiraar..ponnadi..kaal jeeyar madam..srinivasan thaayar..archahar..thirumallai..evarudan sentru deiva nayaga perumaludan sella mahal pola..abimaanam..ovoru aandum madathiukku seer konndada povaarkal moontru thadavai 9th brahmotsavam kannu pidikkum..ponndaikala jeeyar puratasi punarvasu kanni punarvasu..aaroodan arroshu eruvarum..yerivittan yaar?..yappothu endiriyamum vishayamum -arthangal-nuhardal mookku..pulankalum bogamum..yeedu paduvathillai pattru attru erukiraan.. mudal adaiyaallam..porulium pattru attru porullai adaiyum karmaavilum yeedu paaduvathillai.. yella aasaikal manoradangallaiyum thuranthu vidukiraan.. virupathai ellam aruthaan moontravathu adaiyaallam..yatha thodangi thathaa yentru mudithaan..nithya karmaanushdanathilirunthu vilaha villai..

yada hi nendriyarthesu

na karmasv anusajjate

sarva-sankalpa-sannyasi

yogarudhas tadocyate

“A person is said to have attained atman sakshatkaram, when, having renounced all material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in fruitive activities

..Yada = when, arthesu = objects [of desire], na anusajjate = are not attracted by him or he has no desire for those objects. Na anusajjate = nor interested in, Karmasu = the actions or efforts to do a Karma to achieve anything which may give him worldly pleasures..Sarva =all, sankalpa = desires or wishes, sanyasi = renounced.

6-4..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Lord Krishna uses the compound word yogarudhas which is an adept in dhyana yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness by meditation. Such a person from experiencing the sublime bliss of the atma or soul within has ceased to be infatuated by sensual objects and is no longer deluded by the impulses of the senses in relation to such sense objects. The words na anusajjate meaning not enamoured denotes that one is no longer under the influence of such delusions. One is yogarudhas who has abandoned all illusions and false conceptions. Thus for the aspirant of moksa or liberation from material existence who still is under the sway of infatuation and delusion there is no alternative but to perform karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities as the means to relinquish oneself from from dross of bodily association and carnal desires. This being accomplished one has qualified themselves for dhyana yoga and can begin to perfect their meditation. Hence as warning, before this point it is recommended to exclusively perform karma yoga until completely free from the infatuation of desires and sense objects.

..6-5 slokam..pulangal ahathua-vilakka nee vaitha ..vilakka vallai veesinaay..maaya val eim pulankal..thaandi vun thiruvadi adaiveyn yenkiraar..era pathu manndabam.. aandaal sannidhi.. .naatchimaar kooda darbaaril sevai..nadu nayagam perumaal devi sooriyar chandrar vurvasiyum thilothamaiyum ..sri devi..bruhu munivar kathai..sivan, brahman kaalaal vuthathaar kollappoor davam..brhu vuthaithu abacharamn ..thothari vanthu dabasu.. pennaha sridevi pirappaal vumakkum edam brahu maarkendeyaru erukiraar..padma pushkaranni thiru kudanthai..baargavi yennum peyar..vala puram sri devi..madhu kaidabar eruvar mudithu.. boomiyil thellika azlukku adainthu thavam erunthaakl sevai saathikka..vumudan erukka aasai konndaall. edapurathil boomi devi vaikunndam pola..nenjaley thannai samsarathilirunthu thaandi kolla venum.. nenjaaley nazluva vittu vida koodaathu..nenjam eranndum pannumaa?..pattratra nenjaaley vuyarvu.. pattruvulla nenjaal thaallvom..pidithathai seybavarkal.. dehathai vallarbavarkal vunnmaiyil virothikal samsara aasai vallarkiraarkal.. samsara veruppu yerpada seybavarkal nallavarkal..nenju thaan atmavukku bandhum virothiyum..pattratra nenju nanbam.. pattru vulla nenju virothi..kadamaikakla yudam seyya solli nanjam nallathu aahum.. nenjinnpaahu paattai arulukiraar ..nal nenjaha nalla nenjai naan thozluvom yentrathu pola..

uddhared atmanatmanam

natmanam avasadayet

atmaiva hy atmano bandhur

atmaiva ripur atmanah

“One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.”

..Atmana = by thought or by mind, atmanam = self [ jeevatman], uddharet = one should uplift or rescue [from the samsaram], atmana = by mind or thought, atmanam = self [jeevatman], na avasadayet = should not allow to slip [and fall back and remain in samsaram]. atmaiva hi= mind alone is, atmano = for the soul [jeevatman], bandhu = friend, atmanaiva = mind alone is, atmana = for the self, ripu = enemy

6-5..Ramanuja’s Commentary..The word atmana refers to the mind. The mind must detach itself from the infatuation of sense objects by association from those wise in Vedic knowledge who posess spiritual knowledge. In this way the mind will be elevated and gravitate towards spiritual objectives. But if the mind is pointed in the reverse direction subject to worldly pursuits and deluded by sense objects then the mind will become agitated and harassed. Lord Krishna is confirming the truth that the mind has the potential to give the most benefit as the greatest friend to the atma or eternal soul and also that the mind has the potential to be the most destructive as the greatest enemy to the atma or eternal soul depending upon how the mind is influenced.

..slokam6-6..deiva nayaha perumaal..chakra kaiyan..aalvarai thiruvadiyil serthu konndu erukiraan.sri vaikundam pola sevai.. naduvil deiva nayagan aadi sesha paryanthil valathun kaiyil prayoha chakiram.. sridev boo devi soorya chandran, voorvasiyum thilothamaiyum.. brhu maarkandeyar…dakshan yaagam..paarvathi sentru ..yagam azlithaar.. sooriyan chandranum.. dabam purinthu ..vun aruhil erukka aasai pada..sevai kondaarkal munnan sandaikku ponaarkal..vurvasi thilothammai sadya lohathil sandaiapsaras ..veennai esaithaal ..sundarubasundar asurarkal..veennai esaithu.. mayangi maaynthaar..brahma edam erukka varum.. thothari divya desam vanthu dabam.. sernthu samaram kainkaryam panni konndu erukiraarkal.. aruhaamai kittiyathum manam maari ..munnam manam opahaivan eppo nanban..atma nenju vuravu sollukiraar..thannal nenjasi jeyakiravanukku vuravahum.. jeyakathavanukku antha nenjey sadruvahum..nenjai jeyapathu yenbathu..sooshmaha erukkum nenju..atma vishayathil seluthanum.. ezluthu pidithu seluthanum..vurvasi thilothamaiyidamum sooriya chandraridam paarthom..para pasran avan vuyarnthavan..avanai sevithaal manasil erukkum muditchukal arunthun paapam tholainthu jeyippom..kai davangal seythu setha vellviyavar entha thiru thalathil eruppavarkal…darmathai vidaamal panninaalum thiru vullam preethi adaiyum ..arul kitti namakku ellaam kittum papangal kaliyum nenju maari nanbanahi pohum.. pattrilaiyaay avan mutril adangey..

..

bandhur atmatmanas tasya

yenatmaivatmana jitah

anatmanas tu satrutve

vartetatmaiva satru-vat

“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.”

Tasya atmana = for that great soul, atmana bandhu = mind is friend, yena = for that person, atmaiva = by his soul, atmana jita = mind is conquered…Anatmanas tu = [but] he who has not conqureed his mind, atmaaiva = his own mind, chatru vat = lke an enemy, satrutva = enmity, varteta = is established

6-6..Ramanuja’s Commentary..The mind is only a friend to those who are able to restrain it from flowing externally outwards after sense objects; but if one is unable to subdue the mind that it will harass and aggravate one to satisfy the senses and is the worst enemy. Lord Krishna is conveying that an ungoverned and uncontrolled mind being attached to sense gratification interposes obstructions and deviations in the way which deviates and hinders one from attainment of atma tatva or realisation of the soul. Sage Parasara the father of Vedavyasa has stated that the mind itself is the sole cause of bondage in the material existence as well as the sole cause of moksa or liberation from the material existence. A mind infatuated with desire for sense objects constitutes a state of bondage and a mind free from the delusion of desire for sense objects constitutes the way to moksa. The preliminary competency to be acquired before one commences meditation will be given in the next verse.

..6-7 slokam..garudan pola vedamey kannadi avanukku..perumaikallai vedamahiya kannadiyil.. moola moorthy dabam puriyum thiru kolathil..garba grahathukku velliyil. kasdaba-vinata garudan arunnan -soorya therotti.. aadiseshan padukkai..sadru putran..naga loham sentru ekazlnthun pesina..vittu piriyaamal.. eimpulankal vinnulaar vullaraiyum..thothaathri dabam thiru kolam.. vunathu aruhil erukka aasai.. ezlunthiu arla kaattuvathu neer..nithya thiruvaradanai garudanukku.. yennai kaappu udsavam.. nymisaranya rishikalum vullaarkal..4 thadavai 220 lit oru kottai yennai kaappu.. millahaay koodaathu milahu thaan..garuda vahanathil hamsa vahanam thaayar killiyil aandaalum ezlukiraarkal..vantharulli yen nenju edarai ..patha paauram yaarenakku pathameu vunakku ontru kaimmaru yenathu aaviyum vunathey yenkiraar..thanni vigraham ellai sadariyiley nammalvarin vuruvam sevai.. thiruvadi vittu ahalahilleyn yentru sadariyiley erukiraar..setham ushnam suham thukkam mana avamanam erattaiyilum vikaram attra manam padaithavan..didatmanahan..appadi pattavan manasiley..velli pulan adakkiyavanin..jeevatma mukta atma svaroobam nirainthu erukkum….yogapyasathukku ethu munnurai adutha eranndum ethu pola..erattaikallai poruthu kollanum..kuthiraikalukku aayasam varum pothu vudam nirkkum.. kuthiraikku pul koduthun panni seyvaan..eintriyamaiyaathathu ethellam ..papangal yerika pattal suham thukkam kannil padathu.. dr vihaaram adaikiravaha erunthaal thaan surgery sariyaha panna mudiyum..vud pulan manasu velli pulan ellam jeyikkanum.. atma..para atma.. paramamana atma yentru moontru nillai..

jitatmanah prasantasya

paramatma samahitah

sitosna-sukha-duhkhesu

tatha manapamanayoh

For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquility. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.

6-7..Ramanuja’s Commentary..When the mind is well governed and under control, when it is incapable of being affected by the dualities such as heat and cold, joy and grief, praise and ridicule, when in equanimity it has become completely tranquil and equipoised; at that time the exalted atma or eternal soul can be realised within. The word samahitah means situated in samadhi or deep meditation and denotes that atma or soul has been realised in its true transcendental essence. Lord Krishna uses the word paramatma meaning in this instance parama or exalted and atma or soul and refers to the individual soul and not the Supreme Soul as normally assumed. Designating the individual soul in this way is to show special deference to one who is endowed with the aforementioned quality of being situated deep in meditation enough to perceive and realise the eternal and transcendental sublime atma.

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Thiruppaavai Shri. Vellukudi Swaami 15th and 16th paasuram.

January 4, 2008

15th paasuram…thiruppavai yaahirathu epasuram yenbaar ethaiyum 29 vathu paasuramum..ethil baagavatharkal nadanthu kollum muraiyai sittram siru kaalai bagavaan nadanthu kollum muraiyaiyum arulukiraall..yaannai kontraan..maayanai pada azlikiraall..ezlam killi yenkiraal..pangaya kannanai pada yentru aruliyathum vullukkul solla ezlam killi yenkiraall..eruvarin pesukalaiyum vyakthiyaha arulukiraall..samvadam..pechin enimai erukku ennum vuranguthiyo.. nangaimeerkel potharkintren yenkiraal.. vun katturaikal panndy vun vaay arithom yenkiraar..valleerkal neengaley yenkiraar eval..krishna anubavam panna koopidukiraarkal eppadi pesinathu thavaru yentru naaney thaan aayiduha yenkiraall..ollai nee pothaay seekkiram vaa vunakku yenna verudaiyai? yellorum ponthaaro..goshti koodiyaachaa? yenkiraall.yellorum pontharo ponthaar ponthu yenni koll yenkiraall…vallaanai.yaanai kontranai kuvalaya beedam yaanau  ..maattrarai mattrazlikka vallaannai mayannai.. 5th mayanil thodangi mayanil mudithaall.. ezluppi vaithathaal maayan..naaney thaan aayuduha.. ellatha kutrathai ethinaalum othukolluvathu baagavathanin darmam..baradan nadantha maathiri..kekaya desam poyerunthaan..uthishto rajan yentru kaikeyi sonnathum thaay vuruvil vantha pey yentraan..raman kaattukku povatharkku yaar kaarannam..”kalakkiya maa..manathannallay kaikeyi varam veynnda .mannavanum marathuozliya..kula kumara kaaduraiya po yentru vidai koduppa”..manothari,kaikeyi, dasradan, raman, ellai ellai mad papam-yennudaiya kutram.. ramanai vittu maman veedu ponathu yentru than thallaiyil yetri konndavan..perumaan piraatti yaman nammum namathu thosham paarkka villai.. aduthavarkal kutram paarkirom..aduthavar kutram sollamalavathu erukanum..baktan vendiyavan veynndathavan eruvaraiyum samamaha raha dvesham entri erukanum..ennum vuranguthiyo?..naangal vantha pirpaadum..artha thonni ketta pinbum yelley yentrathum.. vishayam kai patta pinbum thoonga koodaathu..bagavath vishayam kai pattathu adutha paasuram naayaganaay ennum thoongalaamaa?..bakthi paravi vulla edam gokulam..eruvarukkum bakthi muthi erukku..mohanasthiram..mayakkam adainthu thudikka pannum asdram mattru ontru..jirmanaasdaram ethu..uranguthal=krishnaanubavam..paramatmaanubavam thani anubavam..endriyangal adangi pohum thookathin pothu..jagrada disai villithu erukkum.. svapana disai manasu mattum villithuerukkum..enthirangal adangi aduthu susikthi thisai ..moorchai thisai .mayakka thisai.. naanku thisai…sri baashyam 3adyaayam 2nd adikarannathil villakukiraar..namathu kanavai aduthavar paarkka villai.. karmaadeenamaha svappanam..athaiyum paramatma srushtikiraar..thoongukira sareerathilaa svapana sareerathilaa.. atma? thoongukira sareerthil thaan..swapanam ninaithaalum thirumbi paarkka mudiyaathu.. sushkthi disai..adutha nillai..atma moontru edathil thoonguvatha naadikalilum paramatmavilum thoongukiraan…kanavu vanthaal kalakkam.. ellatha pothu thellivu erukkum..thookathin prayojanam?..povaan pohintraar nonbu norbatharkku pohintraarkal..4.5 manniyaavathu susikthi disai thookkam venum..kalakkam entru naadi visheyathil jeevatma thoongu kiraan hrudaya kamalam thalai keezl erukkum thaamarai pola..thaathukkal otti konndu erukkum 72000 nunniya allaikal -naadi- 101 mukkya naadikal..101si sushktinaadi..ethai pidithu archiraathi maargam pohanum..thirumeni vellitcham kaatti ethai therivippar..maamisa pinndathil naadi mudiyum edathil puri dathe sesha purusha ethu erandaavathu edam..paramatmavidam thoongukiraan..vikalpayamaha moontril ontril thoonguvaan.. engeyo angeyo yentraal..moontru edathilum ..maallihai kattil padukkai thoonguvathu pola..naadiyiley puri dathiley paramatmavil yentru nirubithu kaattinaar..aham suhama avapsam..suhamaha thoongineyn.. thoongum pothu suham ..eyarkkai nillaiyil avanudan ontri ponathaal suham..avanidam erunthu ezlunthu vanthathai therinthu kolla villai..karma sambandam thollaiyumaa avanidam sambandam pattathum?..ninaivu karma ..anusmirthi..darma bootha gjanam villithu erukkum..krishna anubavam=thookkam ethai jeyakkanumaa?..kangulum pahalum .kann thiel ariyaal.. eravum pahalum thoonga mattaal.. kollaal ellai ariyaal thookkamey theriyaathu vundariyaal vurakkam pennaal thirumangai…lakshmananum .thoongaamal.guhan paarthu..avanum thoongaamal..urahal urahal yentru yaaraiyum thoonga koodathu yenkiraar periaazlvaarum..aaravaram athu ketti azlal umizlum aadiseshanai paarthu pongum parivaal arulukiraar.. vuranguvaan pol yogu seyvaan evanum jagad sinthanaiyodu..jagadradshanna sindhai..enthriyangal oyvu pera thonngu kirom..dyaana maargamaha thoonguvathu vera..agjanathodu thoonguvathai vittu gjanathodu dyana maargathil avanodu thoonganum.. padanjali yoga sastram..aadi seseshanin avadaram.. rishikal maargam ethu.. srirengam poey motsham vidatha periya nambi avaney ubaayam yentru erukkanum.. svayam prayojanam dyanam..thirunamam sollum prayojanam sahasranama archannai..thaay thanthai kittey arimuham thevai ellai..vunnaal allaal yaavaraalum ontrum veunndeyn yentraar nammazkvaar..nada muni yoga sastram kai vanthavar..kuruhai kaaval appan kai vanthathu nada muni valli thontralaha..pinam kidakka manam kolvaar vunndo.puriyalamaa yentraar vuyakonndaar.. yoga sastram vitti prabandam yetru konndaar..svayam prayojanamanathum veynndaam avanai anubavikkum enbamum veynndaam yentru nammai vujeevikka..kuruhai kaaval appan sannidhi sentraar aazlavanthaar ..koopitaar sotta kulathil uthithaar yaarenum vunndo yentraar..adiyen yentraar..vanthathu eppadi theriyum.. dyanam daila daarai pola thodarbudaiya yennangal..kettu ninainthu edai vidaamal erukkanum…aazlavandaar varuvathai emberumaan etti paarthaan..karuthu vuyira veetrirunthaan munnam eppo..kedu edara kesava yenna 10-2-thiruvantha puram allahu eduthal kainkaryam pannanum ..perukkunaal azlukku povathu pola papam pohum.. nadamino namarkal yentrathum thiruvanatha puram ponaar..ollai suvadi antraya dedhi athodu vittaar..mattra perin nalan kai kooda svayam prayojana yogam vittaar..edai vidamal dyanam panni vuyarnthu athai anubavithu sadva gunam vallarthu nammudan sambandam adaivaarkal..eravil thiruvaaymozli anusandhithu ninaithu thyanam pannindu erupparkal.. aadi sesha roobathil eruppar maa muni..eravu pozluthil sevai saathithaar..gjana dyanathaal konnda oyvu ethu..ennum vuranguthiyo yenkiraall..paramatma suham ethu..ollai nee pothaay vanthu kalanthu kollanum yenkiraall..

..16th paasuram..dvara seshikal ..pradana seshi avan..avannai katti koduthu anumathipavar dvara seshikal..aasdanam kovil kappon vaayil kappaan ..shedra palahar  dvara palahar.. jayan vijayan..kaatti koduthavarkalukku nantriyoda ..vedam vallarkallai konndu vinnorai konndum avannai anuhanum..vedam valla pennkallai ezlupinaal bakthi vullavarkal evarkal.. eppo vinnor mudalil kovil vasal kappaannai..nee nesa nillai kadavam neekku.. kadavum nesamudan erukkum..pradanan nayagan.. nanda gopalanin kovil..kovil kappanaiyey naayagan yentrum sollalaam..kannan yennum nayagannai tharuvar ellorum naayagan..kodi thontrum thoranna vaayil.. nithyam thorannam.. kamsan therinthu kolluvaan yennum payam. manni kadavam..panniyil eruppathey avannai paathu kaappatharkku..sirumiyar yenkiraal soorbanahaiyum penn aayar sirumiyar.. poothanaiyum edai penn..sirumiyarom chinna edai penn aballai pennkal..villamballam asuran.. nennaley vaay nernthaan yentrathum.. vuruthi koduthu erukiraan.. avan yengalidam aasai pattu sonnathu.. thooyomaay vanthom veru ontru kettu vara villai..arai parai endran vanthu mazlai pozliya vaithaan..veynndiyavarkallaiyum vida maatteyn yentrathum.. endran thooymai yillamal -avanaiyey kettu varanum..–madi thadavatha soru surul marada poo, manam ellatha sandanam..-erukkanum..vithuran tholl koduthaalum piriyamaha koduthathu pola..than kaariyathukkaha paarkadal kadaiya moovulaham azlakka solla villai.. thueil ezla paadu vaan vanthu erukirom..thiru palli ezlutchi..dasaradan-kaikeyi samvadam ..thirupalli ezlutchi.. thoongatha rajavukku etherkku ethu? adimai kainkaryam panni konndu erukkanum..kala damadam panninathum sugreevan meethu raman kobam konndathu pola kannanum pannuvaan yenna..vaayaal munnam munnam maattrathey..amma .swaami–vunathu poruppu yengallai serthu vaikkanum..neengaley thiranthu konndu pohalaam yentraar..nesa kadavam.. thallu ezlu muhathil padum ..kamsanaa yentru ninaikkum.. nee neekku yenkiraall..kadavai thirakka yogyathai ellai neeyey thirakkanum..acharyar raamanujarai arulukiraar yadi rajar=nayagar..naayaga kall evar radnathin varisai guru parambarai harathil thollkalil anikalam.. eranndu pakkamum olli mur pattavarkalukku mudi sambandam pada sambathaal pin pattavarkalukku vaazltchi…edakai vala kai theriyatha evarkal sasthrartham eppadi therinthu konndaarkal.. 6 pathu patchi thoothu.. kadaisiyil ahalahillen piraatti kaalil pattri avannai.. serpaarai patchikalakki..acharyar.. gjana karmangallai sirahu..vulahumuna permaaya kadaisiyil adikeezl puhunthaar…kaarthihai kaarthihai thorum vudambaiyum thalaiyum nanaipaarkal…poopudai punithan-kannan theertham aadi punithan aandaaludan mannam puriya–rik yaju sama 6000 to 8000 years yenkiraar dvabara yugam veda vyasar pahuthaar athu varai ontraha erunthathu anathiyaha erukkum..srudhi solla kettu vaithathu..acharyar ubedasam peratha evarkalukku -eppadi therinthathu.. avannai sastram pin pattri sellum..manu shadriyar.. vedam brahmanarkalukku yentru ellai..periyorkal-bakthiyil siranthavarkal. gjanikal pesuvathum anushtipathum vedam.. seyyathana seyyom..raha prapdam ethu vidhi praptham athu aasaiyodu rusiyodu seyvathu ontru.. vidhithirukku yentru seythaal ..arintha pinbu raha prasdanama erukkanum..vidhi rusiyai thaandi pohaathu.. elakkyam elakkanam pola.. kavithai anbu nirainthu peerittu varum..evarkal seyvathu sastram.”. vedathin mun selka….pgjanathu brahma rudaran erumaal-aazlvaar paasuram yengal then kuruhai punithan paadathin pin selvan “.kambar..parangusan..yaannai aadum pothu angusam pottaal thaandi pohaathu.. evar 4 angusam pottaar..yaannai thaandavillai thirunedumthaandahathil yaannaiyaha arulukiraar.. anugrahathaal rusi kidaithathu..aazlvarudan kooda avatharkka villai gopikaludan kooda erunthu rusi koduthaar.. rasa kuzlihai -prapyam kai vanthaal athu thaan saastram..nirheduvaha kadatchitaan mayarvara madi nalam arulinavan.. vuyarvara vuyarnalam vudaiyavan mudalil aduthu mayarvara than petrathu ayarvara amar adipadi meenndum avan perumai.. perumai varisai.. arulinaan yetharkku yentru sollamal viseshannam eintri avanaha arulinaan..yennantri seythen yen nenjinil puhunthaay?..pundareham nameyl orungey vaithaar.. vadakkey varaha avatharam therkkil aazlvaar.. thirupulli adiyil ella kadatshamum evar mela vizunthathaam..rasavadi kai rasa kuzlihai pola gopikallai aakkinaan..vanathidaraikulam vettiyathu pola kaathu konndu erukkanum yen vunarvilil erukiraan athuvum avan arulinan..avaa kadal vetkai anbu naangum raagam..arjunan ther otti..varum pozluthu yaar vieir pattathu vaari konndu villunguvan yennai ..mothama yennai -yennil munnam paarithu..thaan yennai muttram parukinaan.. bagavaan jeevatmavin meethu aasai vaikka acharya moolam ellai ..velli manndabam kottaaram pottu vaipaarkal 1000 aakkuvatharkku.. 5-6 lakhs selavu aahum..koodaathu nithya viboothi leelaa viboothi pottu pottu kallattanum..nammazlaar vul manal velliyil ezlunthu eruppaar.. panthallil ..puli paaytchallil varuvar ..nammazlvaar 4 adi povaar..avar vehamaha vanthu yennil munnam paarithu 6 adi pinnam varuvar..vaari konndu vizlunguvaan ..velli manalil povaar..pin thodarnthu aazlvaarum povaar raha kaariyam..motsham pohanum aathan thiru mohoor vazli koottinndu povaar. kaala mehathai kadiyaakki..thiru maalirum solla pakkallil vanthaar..pohalaamaa pohalaam.. sareeramm kazlinthu pohanum yentru kelvi.. maranam adainthaal vaikundam..yenkiraar..sareethoda azlithupoha erunthen.. prakruthi manndallam engeythaan..meyai poey azlukku vudambu..gjana bakthi yoda neer eruntha eruppai kaattanum yentraar.. maazlatha kaadal yentraar..kaadalil vedam pattri kavallai ellai..thyajaya deha ..thirumaal vanthu yen nenju nirai vanthaan pereyn yentru nenju nirai vanthu nintraan..aazlvaar aasai patta padi nadapom..naanera vaattartaan panni vahai naan yera ..than aasaiyai yenathu aasaiyaha konndavan..thiruvadi thozluthathum.thiru thullay namm sadagopannai thantharula thirumbi koduppar..pattayam vaasikirathu ..thirumbi vara anumathi vudan varuvaar..my vannam narum kunji ..thirunedum thaangaham 25..eppaal kai vallaiyum mehallaiyum kaanney evvallavuvunndu emberumaan kovil..kettathum poeyvittan..nananthaa naathanaar nallathu pattal santhosham adaiya mattaal..ethu vanno..ezlil aazli.. vummidaiya edam thaan yenakku..vuruha arambithaar.. thiruvadi kattai virallai thottu vummil yentraan ethu thaan yenakku aasai murai keda parimaarinaan..vanthaan yen munney nintraan..varuvenaa yentru kaal kadukka nintreer vudkaarum keezl vdkaralaamaa seshadvam yen vullapadi nadakkanum..thiruvadi pidithaar 32 varusham pala janmaakkal.. kannum vaayum thuvarnthu..varudi vidalama yentraar..aadkolvaan othu yen vueir vunnda maayan..kattaiyaha amarnthaar ethir vizli kodukka villai aanandam vallarkka edathu kaallai pidi yentraaraam..vidi meeral ethuvum..acharyaridam kaleshebam petru vaanginavarkal..perumaanin thiruvullathil edam pidithaarkal.. suhachariyar uthamar edai pennkal thiruvadi patta mann thuhallil ontraha aasai pattaarkal….acharyar kadavai thiranthu ..dasaradar paarthu pannina thiru kalyannam pola..

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Thiruppaavai Shri. Vellukudi Swaami 13th and 14th paasuram.

January 4, 2008

..13thpaasuram..vedam vallorkalai konndu vinnor mudalvannai pattranum.. vedam vallavarkal 10 aazlvarai vinnor yentru adutha 5 paasurathaalum 21st paasurathaal avannai anukukiraal..pothari kanninaay yenkiraall..pullin vaay keendaannai.bahasuran kookku vadivam.. pollatha arakkannai killi killainthaannai..siriya poosalil killi killithaan.. keerthimai paaduthal..perumaikallai paaduvathu..paavai kallam pukkaar.. povaan pokintraar yennam munnam solli eppo pukkaar yenkiraal pozluthu pulara pulara adaiyalam maarukirathu..vidinthamai adaiyaallam vunndu ethilum..velli ezlunthu sukiran vudayam ..vyaazlan vurangitru..6th pullum silambina eppoyum pullum silambina yenkiraall..kala mayakkam ellai pedaiyudan pesi konndu erunthana appo koottukkul eruntha patchikal.. eppo eppadi erai thedalaam yentru pesikirathaam.. pothari pushpathin azlahaiyum sancharikkum maannin azlahaiyum thorkkadika kann azlahu konndavall..kalyanna gunnangallil neerada azlikiraall..paavaay padumai pontravall..entha nall nalla naall..mazlakku nonbu kannanai sandhika othukonnaarkal.. ethai ubayoha paduthanum yenkiraall..kallam thanithu anubavipathu..kalanthu koodi..naallai naavudaiyaay vaayin yetram.. gjana koormai kann azlahu..acharyarkku gjanamum vuraikkum vanmaiyum ethaal arulukiraall..

12th paasuram..ramavatharam pesukiraal..manathukku eniyaan.. shadrukkalum vidaamal konndaaduvaarkal evannai.. kannanukku yentru piranthaalum  maareesanum raavananum kooda vuyarvaha pesinaarkal..ellatha gunathai ninaithu manathukku eniyaan yenkiraall..kanaithu mudalil solli..ezluvaau payanillai seyapadu porul..vinai soll ellatha paasuram pallaanndu mudal paasuram vaika villai ..elakkanna padi kutramaa vaazl naazl muzluvathum pallaanndu pala kodi yentru solli konndu erukka aasai pattaar mudichom yentru thirupthi ellaathathaal vinnai soll vaikka villai..kanaithu yentru vinnai sollil arambikiraal vulla kumurallai manasu sareeram mattum ellai kanaithu..eranguthal.adutha vinnai soll.. thavithal..sinathinaal vinnai soll manathukku eniyaan peyar soll..raman kanaithaar..eranginaar..radshikka peratha kaalathil kanaithaan..gajendranai kakka kala damadam aanathaal kumural pola draupadi thozlai thadavi aasuvasa padutha mudiyaamal kannan kanaithaan.. seethaiyai radshikka mudiyaamal kumurinaan.. eranndu nimisham kumiraan narasimhan.. engum erukkum avan yentha edam kai kaattuvaan yentru vullam kumirinaan..jagad shrishti pothu kanaithaan.. nithya nymithika..4 vida pralayam..,janam maranam nithya prallayam..moola porul maarinaal layam adaiyathal.. earkkai sareeram konndavan ellai ponaal layam ..nymithikka prallayam moontru lohamum brahma pahal pozluthuponaal mudiyum ..1000 chadur yugam.. 400000years i chadur yugam..nimitham karannam kurithu yerpattathu..prakritha prallayam 14 lohamum eim boothangalum moolam adaiyum..perutha prallayam jalamum erukkaathu pancha boothangallum poey vidum thirumeniyaha ellam erukkum..sooshma disai ..achitkkum atmaavukkum ontraha erukkum ..ontri erukkum..shrushtikku mukya kaarannam thirupaar viboothil anadthamaha erunthaalum..vunndathu vurukkaattathey.. varutham/..bojanam sappittathu  theriyamal ..kanaikiraan..srivaikunndam vara yogyathai panna ..settriley etta pola vuzlalum..vanney paal ney ellam sappittay kanndu pidithom yenkiraar ..mann vunndaay jeerannikka neyvunndaay..aatraamaiyai kanaithu..benchil vudkaarnthu pesivaarai pola kanaikirom..erangi yentru adutha vinnaisol..srushtikka pohireyn yentru erangukiraan.. adyantika prallayam..janam marannam ellatha meezla enbam kittinaal ..srishtithaal thaan sadanam panna mudiyum.. sareerthodu pirappithu saastram pala konndu..desaandra puthiran pakkalliley ..needhi vaanavar erunthaalum..aneedh mannavar naam..vanavar vuyya amarar vyuaa..mannulahil manusar vuyya ..krubaiyaal ..erangi..athanaal thaan mamathukku eniyaan..gjana soonyamaay kallu mann pola erunthom..sinthaiyodu karannangal yaavum sithainthu munnaal antham muttri aazlnthathu kanndu..amudhanaar..saha kudumba sahodadaraay ..thapaha saha eranndu thadavai ..varathavarai pattri thaan ketbaar.. koodi erunthu kullira..pithru hrudayam  desaandraha puthiran pakkal kidakkumaa pola..anaadhi kala sambandam namakkum avanukkum..samsaari pakkallil yeedu pattaan..angaheenanidam erakkam konnda ..gjanamum bakthiyum thollaitha..prakruthu mahan ahan  ella dadvankallaiyum jagad athanaiyum pannukiraan..erangi..sinthai thannil neenga erukkum thiruvey..sinthanaikku eniyaan ..thirumangai aazlvaar arulinaar..nera ketta arjunaney sarannagathi panna villai..swargam thaan ponaan..narasimhan ..yengumulan .mahanai kaaynthu .engillaiyaa angey appozluthey thontrinaan..singa perumaan.. varathukka thakka roobam naram miruham kalantha roobam..thoon paattiyanathaam..brahma appa narayannan avan ethil garbam ..thoon thaan pitha mahan brahmaa.. thoonnai thattinaal angum eruppaan eranndu nimishathil kumurinaan..vaarthai poeyaha koodaathu yentru pillai kai kaatta ..engum eppozluthum erukiravar ellaa thoonilum vanthu ella miriha manusha kalaiyudan erunthaaraam kanaithu.. erangi..thoonil eranginaaraam..vaikundathilirunthu erannginaar erakkam erunthathaal eranginaar..abisheham panna padatha muruham simham.. kaattuuku raja simham..perumai vittu kodukkaamal rajavaha vanthaar.. pesinathu kettathaam..singam yaanaiyai mudikkum pola yentru sonnaan eranniyan..vullaintha ariyum maanidamum ..mahasuran edathil eranginaan sthambam yenkiraar sollukku thaan paal sanskrit..penn paal prasava prakrannam desikan..adimaanusha stavathaal..himarthya simha vahusu-naram kalanda singam-azlahana avathaaram..thelliya singa perumaal pirai yeiru anal vizli -agni yerikkanum ponnai pottu -manathukkueniyaan.. anukoolanukku aasriyamana sevai…azlahai paarthu bakthi ..kobam oru kann kadi madiyam pol muhathaan.. erangi sinathinaal..hiranya kasibai kurithu..srishti pothu sinam ellai..kobam evallavu thooram–pradhi pimmbam kobam kannai maraithathu prahaladanin kamam kannai maraithathu…nirusimhar ahasa agni devar allavu ponathaam..singam kutti kooda mahizlnthu paallai koduthu konndu yaanaimela kobam kollumaa pola..adiyavan vaarthai meyppikka thontriyavan.. vedam sonna padi brahma vaarthaiyum meypithu endran mudaliya avarkalukkum baktarkalin paadallai meypikka koopitta kuralukku varuvaan yenkirathai meypithaar..sarabesvaran sarithram kattu kathai.. kobam adakka yaaraalum mudiyatha pothu prahaladan -asura kuzlanthai koopitta kuralukku vanthaay.. yeriya neruppukku thaneer pola kobam adanginathu..para brahmam yaaraalum adakka mudiyaathu.. bakthi mattum kattupadutha mudiyum.. sarabam vunnmai neruppil pona vittilpootchi  pola erinthasthu..saramam sanndai pottu ..yentru kattu kathai  ettu sarithram thiruthi..paravai piraarthaal adanginaan yentru sollalaam..adiyaar thunbapadukiraan yentru kananthaar sinanthaar eranginaar manathukku eniyaan.. gajendra motsham..thiru kooda parvadam sollai potramarai kullam..malar parithu kodukka aasai saba vimotshanathukku adiyaar kaallai pidithathu kamaru poyhai 9th pasuram..thiruvellikeni.. menar poyhai nan malar vetkaiyody sentru..atma sareethil kaallai vaiththu pola 10 mudal.. emma veettu paasurathilum arulinaar 1000 deva varusha poraattam..svadandriya abimanam.. narayanna o manni vanna yen aaredarai theeraay yentrathum karainthaan..namathu kathai erumaappu thaan yaanai..koopida kaathu erunthathu kanaithal.. koopidathum vaikundathilirunthu kulakaraiyil kuthithaar kanaithaar garudanaiyum thookki konndu vanthaar..para parappu sri vaikunndathil avan killambiyathum..padil sollaamal sridevi..gajam azlikirathu ga arambithu jam yentru karaiyil sonnaaraam..panchaydam eppothum vaithu koddu eruppaan ..vehamaay vanthaan radshikka..purappaadu kanndarula ..thalli vittaan.. vishvaksenar kodutha manni paduhai yetru kolla.. thavippu yentru poritaano antrilirunthu thavithu konndu erukireyn.. sothu sothu thaan.. kanaithu..kai eduthu alara..kanaithu eranginaar mudalai mela sinanthaar gajendra varadan manathukku eniyaan.. vehathukku namaskaram yenkiraar desikan..kannan kumiraan..kadannalli pola nenjam..drovbadi 81 vaarthaikal thiru kolur vaarthaikal..eru kaiyum vittano draubadi pola engu vunnden sonneyno prahaladan pola..eruppavarkalukku yenna yogyathai yentru vulley vara solli koottu sappittar..eru kaiyaiyum vidum varai kumuri kanainthaan..dwaraha nilaya radshaha yentrathum vudaney vanthuerukkanum..nera poha villai gajendranukku ponathu pola.. maanusha deham.. erangi sinanthu aabathu.. engey vanthaal ..pancha paandavarkal meethu mudal seetram erunthu erukkum.. govinda pundareekasam avarkal sothu ellai gjanam ellathavarkal..drubathi mangala soothrathukku bangam varatharkku neraha varavillai..thannadi jothi pohum pothu viritha kuzla sahikaamal pannina kainkaryam.. kadan vaangi vattiyum mudalum kodukka villai yentru arulinaan..evanum manathukku eniyaan.. raman 30 naalkal kedu vaithaal hanumaanidam..radshithaal avarukku nalam yentrathum hanumaan ravananidam pattathum sinanthaar kontraan kollaiyaazli manathukku eniyaan.. devarkalukku seethaikku aandaalukku raavananukkum eniyaan..endriyangalukku vasa pattu papangallai melum pannina ravannanin deham parithaar..avan atmavukku eniyaan..

..14th paasuram..vaikundam.shreebthi. vibava..narayannaney namakku paar kadalil paiya thueintra paraman vada madurai mainthan yentraall..ungal pullakadai paasuram..semkazluneer vaay nehizlnthana malarnthana ambal koombina yenkiraal adaiyaallamaha..poochoodu padihathil malarum kaalamum porunthi aruli erukirar..neengallaha alarthi erukkanum ..koomba vaikkanum.. ungal pullakadai yenkiraarkal..kadavai thirakkamal erukkum pothu eppadi theriyum yenna vuoor ellam erunthathaal vunathu pullakadaiyum athey pola erukkum yentraar.. sangiduvaan pohintraar yentraar adutha adaiyaallam.. sanyaasikal..venn pall senkal podi koorai vudan.. thiru kovil thirappa..saivarkal kovil..sangam yentraal saavi yentra arthathaal jeeyar periya kelvi chinna jeeyar saaviyai kaiyil eduthu thirumallai kovil thirakka pohintraarkal..eintrum appadiyey..kolla manndabam santhithu saavi parimaattram panni kollukiraarkal..vaay pesum nangaay nannathaay naavudaiyaay..sangodu ..pankaya kannanai paada..pothari kanninaay eppo pankaya kanninaay yenkiraall..naavin azlahum arulukiraal. pechu aatral ..

13th..pothari kanninaay..gjanam vullaval..maanum kannai paarthu vetka padum.. azlukku edam ellatha gjanam..aazntha gjanam..baagavatha seshadvam therinthu kolluvathu..pushpathai abaharikkum kann arivu vullavall.. kalakka thisai thiruppa mudiyatha gjanam..vanndu pushpathilirunthu thennai grahikkum pola gjanam kolla veynndum..rahasthiya granda gjanamaruli seyal gjanam ethellam kolanum..aanatham arivin nillai vishaya gjanathaal adaikirom..gjanam thaan aatharam..kannan raman eruvaraiyum pullin vaay keendaanaiyum polla arakkanai killi killanthaanaiyum paadukiraal..ramanaiyum kannanaiyum paadukiraal..polla arakkan nalla arakkan eranndu vahai..naru mannam vasam..naattram thur naattram yentru ninaikirom.. thur naattram naru naattram adi mozli venum.. hiranya kasibu prahaladan pola raavannan vibeeshannan pola..predikoola ahangaram tholaithavan saadviha ahangaarathai..dehatma abimaanam.ahangaaram..ahangaaram=arakkan..deha enthiriya manas pranna -vaayu puthi vida etharanaay jeevatma..pranna vaayu vera atma vera..gjanamayamaay ananthamayamaay nithyamaay sesha boodamaay anumayamaay erupathu atma..dehathodu erupathu pirivathu erappu pirappu..atma daisanam sama darisanam..ahangaram tholaiyanum adipadaiyaha..deham atma latchiyathukku karuviyaha erukkanum..varanasura darmam mukkyam..atmavin eayarkkai nillaiyai adaiyanum.. meezlatha nillai sri vaikunndam povathu thaan..thukkam karmaavin thaakkam kidaiyaathu..anatham mattumey erunthathu eppo..anantham thukkam kalanthu..nithya anubavam eppo kaallai mattum ethu pola erukkaathu..manasil azlukku erunthaal deha atma ontru yentru ninaikka..sadvam raja damas gunathaal.. aahara nyamathaal ,poojaiyal kattu paduthanum..anahamana dehathai aham yentru ninaikirom abimmana thunnkan selvannai -peraazlvaarpola abimaana bangamaay.-aandaal .venumaa koodaathaa..avanudaiya sambanthil abimaanan koodum..bagavanin sothai rashikkanum..yennudaiya ninaivinaal varum abimaanam koodaathu..amudhanaar kaattu azlahiya singar sannidhiyil raamanusa andaathi panninaar..mudalil panninathai raamanusar othukka villai.. perumaiyai aazlvaarin perumaiyudan kootti aruliyathum othu konndaar..yellorudam sambandam solli aruliyathaal marukka mudiya villai periyavarudan koodiya ahanharam koodithu..yaamuacharyar, nada muni yai nenjaai vaari paruhum.. bakthi vellam kudi konnda raamanusan yentrathum..saayai embaarai konndaada avarum perumaiyai othu konndathu pola .raamanusan thiruvadi sambathaal..battarai nanjeeyar aruliyathu pola..madiyil thalaiyai vaithu sayanithaar dvayam parisu thanjamavathu vaarthai thanthaar parisaha..thiru katchi nambi azlithu vanthaar raamanusanarai aazlvanthaar kadashikka..”aa mudalvan evar”..ezlaiyaazlvaanai kettu petraar..perumaikku acharyar sambandam yentru yaavarum kolluvaar..saadvika abimanam ok –pradikoola abimaanamkoodaathu..polla arakkannai yenkiraal..yendha sambathathaal ravannan aahirom..kulasthiya maharishi brahmavin puthran..sabithu ..avarin penn vanthu yaarumm varamal..garbam tharithaal thirannabindhu purinthaar ..theriyamal setra kuttram..manaiviyakki konndaar.. mootha kuzlanthai visravasu..vaisravannyan kuberan ..thik balaharakalil oruvar..vadakku thisaikku evar.. therukku yaman endran varunnan eranndu thisaikku..pushbaka vimanam.. thiru kooda parvadam koduthaar thirukonnamallai kuberan aandu vanthaan..pura visvarsu puthirar arakki pillai raavannan..radshasa gunnam.. kuberanudan porittu ..pushbaka vimanamum vaangi konndaan.. orey kulam visvaravasu vedam therinthaum sadva gunnam kuberan rajo gunam raavannan..darma bootha gjanam vullathu atma..manasodu sanbandam mudalil..kadavu pola ..kudathukku vulla villakku pola manasu endriyam ellatha pothu..dvarathin valliyey pohum ..rajo guna sambandathodu vanthaal kaamam..vishaya vasanaikal thoonndi vidum..rajo, gunam sadva gunam eayarkkaiyil ellai..damo gunammmayakkam thookkam kodukkum..vaatham pitham kabam sama nillaiyil erunthaal vudambu nalam..aayrvedam moolathai nokki thelliya vaikkum..mukkunamum vuyarum thaazlum ovuontraha..athodu sambatha pattu atma gjanam..sadva gunathaal nalla gunam krishnaguna kamam..manasu einthu vasr padi enthiriyangal..kannai kaathai mookkai naakkai thollai..roobam rasam muyartchi sabdam sparaisam ..ethaal vasthu kitta pohirathu..sooshma vehathaal pohintrathu..manasum kannum vyabithaal paarkirom..polla arakkan nalla arakkan ..rajo dama gunam eppadi thollaikanum?..sadva gunam vallarkanum..paarthu pirikkanum..aahara sudhi..mukkyam..”neer numathu …ver mudal maaythu …ner nirai ellai..” paasuram.erattai maram pinninathu pola..kamathukuu ver rajo gunam athai maaykkanum..sadvikar koodinaal durpalathodu erupparkal..mudal ver aahara sudhi..anaathi papa vasannai aduthathu.. nithya thiruvaradanam deva poojai thyanam archannai moolam..entha eranndu vazliyilum nalla arakkan aahalaam..maha sanaha kaamam ..kamo akarshid mannyu akarshid namo namaha…prayachittam..aasai pattu thaduthathum krodam varum….seethaiyidam kaamam pattu ramanidam kobam pattaan.. kuberanum ravannanum ..hiranya kasibum prahaladanum..thuyar adi thozlu ezlu manamey yenkiraar mudalil..manasai sari paduthi vaikkanum..avarkuu polla arakkannai killi killaiya mudiyum avanin thiruvadi patranum.. arul yennum olvaall vuruvi..papangallaiyay vetti viduvaar..

.14th paasuram..ungal pullakadai..pangaya kannanai padanum..aaydam paadum pothum kannkallaiyum paaduvaar ..kariya vaahi neenda aperiya aaya kannkal.. 16 adi sayanithu erukiraar pada kamalam.. vattamil kannkal yentru arulukiraar..sangodu chakaram yenthum thada kannan pangaya kannan.. kaathum kaathu -ellai-yentru kann peruhukirathu..manathoonnai pattru kombu..therkku nokki sayanam..vudal vuruhukirathu..pani araumbu vuthirum..kadatcham oodi varukirathu kaaveri vida..ethir neetchal poda mudiyaathu pravahathil adi padamal erukka mannathoonai pattri nirkanum..viraja nadhi thaanndiyathum thiruparivattam maatti kolluvaan.. namm perumaal adyana udsavathil..kullirntha paarvaiyaal yeerkiraan..kottaarai vasalil nadai poduvaar..manal velliyil muzluvathum..gokulathil eppo sanghodu chakaram sevithaall.. angulla gopikalukku sevai saathithaan..pirakkum pothu devakikku sevai saathithu pola.. draubathikkum sanghu chakrathodu sevai.. rajasdanathilum eppadi sevai..pennkal mudal varisai.. ubanishad gayatri solla koodathu yentraalum avalukku sevai saathithaan..arjunan thenaiva roobena chadur bujey yentru kettu..visvaroobathil kaattinaan..”mechoodu appochi kaattu kintraan..”..kannai puratti kaattum paasuram.. embaar tholkalil sangu chakaram kaattuvathu yentru kaattinaar..embaarey eruntheero yentraar emberumaanaar..sangamidathaan yentru paasurathil erukirathu..kuzlanthaikal payanthathunpaarthun sirithaan..

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Geethaa Saaram 5-27 to 6-2.

January 3, 2008

.sloam 5-27.,5-28….poyhai attrangarai ..maram..karannda maadu poyhaiyul ..kaakkai aadum panam pallam villunthu puraanu vazla paay meenkal kurunkudi..nedum thahaay..thirumazlisai..noey nodikal theerum..aazlvaraha avatharithaar nambi…naangu aazlvaarum aruli erukiraar..yogam surukkum..endirayam jeyithavan motsham adaikiraan..velli vishaya thodarbu villakki.. yogasanam panna-eranndu puruvangalukku naduvil kannai vaithu ..mookku kul pirayanam pannum prayanna apana vaay samanamaakki–atma vishayangalai thavira mattravatril adakkinaal munivan.. ninaithu konndu eruppavan gjana vadivamana atmavai ninaithu konndu muyalubavan.. atma sashadkaramey payanaha kollubavan.. sada mukta eva saha–muyatchi thodangina thisaiyiley muktanakiraan..eravil thoongum pothu velli vulaha thodarbu vidukirom.. brahmaandam perukirom aayasathaal. yogathaal arivudan mudiyum.. aasanam thernthu eduthu kollanum mudalil.. ambience veynndum..padmasanam eduppu keezl narambu kattu paadu padum..ethaiyum villakki .kannkalaal puruvathin nuni mookkin nuni paarkkanum..paadhi moodi paathi thirantha nillaiyil pirana apana vull mootchu samamaha aakkanum.. mel nokki keezl nokki pohum .. naduvil niruthum neramum vulleu ezlukkum neramum velliyil vidum neramum samamaha vaikkanum.. vudal reethi nillai ..nenjai atmavidam vuruthi atma vidam seluthanum..vuyarntha nillai pattri ninaikkanum..munivan evan..viruppu etchai ellai bayam krodam ellai.. payan atma sashadkarm yennum motsham thaan..sadana nillaiyil muktanukku samamaha eruppom..muthirtchi adainthathum ellam pannum pothum ethai adaivom..

sparshan kritva bahir bahyams

caksus caivantare bhruvoh

pranapanau samau kritva

nasabhyantara-carinau

yatendriya-mano-buddhir

munir moksha-parayanah

vigateccha-bhaya-krodho

yah sada mukta eva sah

“Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils, and thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, he is a muni constantly thinking of atman to attain atman sakshatkaram. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated

..Bahya = external, sparsa = contact [listening, seeing, touching, tasting and smelling], bahir kritva = pushed aside or out, that is our sensual experience from outside contact are expelled, bhruva antare = in the middle of the two brows, chaksus = keeping our sight..Nasabhyantara = in the nostrils [or nose], carinau = travelling [or passing], pranaapanau = the prana and apana airs [ vayu], samau kritva = equalising them..yata = such, indriya = sense organs, mano = mind, buddhi = intellect or resolve, muni = [by controlling organs, mind and buddhi] he becomes a muni or one always thinking of atman, moksha parayana = with atman sakshatkaram as the sole objective, vigata = dispelled, iccha = desires, bhaya = consequent fear, krodha = and consequent anger, ya = such a person, sah mukti eva = he is always in a state of liberated.

5-27..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Stopping all activities of the external senses prepares one to qualify for practising meditation. Sitting in an erect posture, focusing the eyes half closed between the eyebrows or the tip of the nose, equalising the breath until suspended rendering the mind and sense incapable of moving to any other location except to the atma or soul. Due to fulfilling the above meditation one is automatically freed from desire, fear and doubts. Whose sole goal and aim is moksa or liberation. Determinedly intent on achieving atma tattva or soul realisation such a person is considered to be liberated even before fully accomplishing the goal as it is a certainty it will be achieved. The ease which this karma yoga or selfless performance of prescribed Vedic activities with its nitya or daily duties and its naimitika or occasional duities having yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness will next be revealed.

5-28..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Stopping all activities of the external senses prepares one to qualify for practising meditation. Sitting in an erect posture, focusing the eyes half closed between the eyebrows or the tip of the nose, equalising the breath until suspended rendering the mind and sense incapable of moving to any other location except to the atma or soul. Due to fulfilling the above meditation one is automatically freed from desire, fear and doubts. Whose sole goal and aim is moksa or liberation. Determinedly intent on achieving atma tattva or soul realisation such a person is considered to be liberated even before fully accomplishing the goal as it is a certainty it will be achieved. The ease which this karma yoga or selfless performance of prescribed Vedic activities with its nitya or daily duties and its naimitika or occasional duities having yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness will next be revealed.

..slokam 5-29..paal pola geethamurudam tharukiraan..thiru kurungudi mallai mel nambi.. sindhu aaru mahendra parvam.. merkku thodartchi therkku ..Hanumaan thaavina mallai mahendra ..7 sikaram vunndu ethil..nambi aaru..sala sala yentru odum ..neeraattam vunnavu savai moontrum kittum.. moolihai konndu varukirathu paarai thaandi ponaal 3 mile raman seethai thiruvadi vullathu ..kishkanthai karnadakathil vullathu hambi pakkam..malai moolam vanthathu..kudahu malai kaveri vurpathi..lakshmana theertham neelagiri merkku pakkam vanthaarkal..hanumaan sambandam varaha shedram.. parasuraman thotru marupadi davam eruntha edam..gjana karma yogam ethu siranthathu yentru kettaay..karma yogam yenakku aaradanam yenkiraan.. yagja dabas yellavatrukkum aaradanam naan..piramanai kurithu hiranyakasibu saaha varam pettrathu pola ellai motsha reethiyaha pannuvathu ellaam..sarva loha mahesvaram.. periya devan naan ellorukkum antaratmavaha aatchi seybavan naan..nuyamikiravan-entha sakthiyai  earkkaiyaha petravan..sarva boothaanaam sukurudam.. maam-yennai..arinthu shanthi adaikiraan yennai pattri eppadi therinthu konndu karma yogam pannubavan shanthi adaikiraan..namathu aandaan nallathu ninaipavan vallal azliyatha nithya palan tharubavan yennum yennam vallara vallara kashdangal pohi aanantham adaikirom..seykintra kirikal yellam yaaney yennum paasuram pola..sadana thisaiyiley enikkum..surukkamaha yogam pattri arulukiraan..

..

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam

sarva-loka-maheshvaram

suhridam sarva-bhutanam

jnatva mam shantim rcchati

“A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

..Yajna = yagna or homam or yagam, tapasam = meditation, performed, bhoktaram = objective or beneficiary, is Sri Krishna…Sarva = all, loka = worlds and the people residing in all these worlds, Maheshvaram = the greatest Isvara, is Sri Krishna..Ishvara means, Isha = commanding power, vara = that is natural ..Sarvabhutanam = for all creatures or living beings, suhridam = welfare..Mam = [such] I [Sri Krishna]. The ‘I’ here denotes the great Commander He is and the great Donor He is capable of granting anything to anyone. Jnatva = understanding [Sri Krishna], rcchati = attains, shantim = peace..

slokam 5-29..Ramanuja’s Commentary

..Knowing Lord Krishna to be bequeather of all rewards for all actions. The sovereign lord of all existence. The intimate friend within all beings and wellwisher of all beings attains moksa or liberation from material existence. What this means is that if karma yoga or the selfless practice of prescribed Vedic activities and are the sum total of all duties are performed consciously as offerings of worship to Lord Krishna then this in itself is enough to grant moksa. This is the easiest and most practical as it is so simple to do. Moreover who would not be inclined to offer such service to a dear friend especially when this friend is such a universal benefactor existing within and without every living being throughout all of creation.

slokam 6-0….rishikesan mallai mel nambi..antaratmiyaha namakkulley erukkum nambi.. thina padi mallai yeri varanum.. 5 garuda sevai.. koodal azlahar srivilli puttur pola ..kannal paal amudaha vanthu neezl mudi sevai saathithaar aazlvaarukku.. penn bavathil  ..kaiyul nan muham vaithum..yen kaiyai yen muhathil vaithulleyn..nammai avan thaan radshikanum yenkiraal thaat..siru kuzlanthai thaayai ethir paarkkuma pola..5th adyaya mahimai.. paarvathi sivan vuraiyadal..pinkallan kathai..devai attra arunaa penn thodarbaal thunba pattaan..kazluka evan killiyaha aval..ottukkul vizlunthu piraannan ponathu.. yama darma rajan manndai odu 5th adyayam thyanam panninavanin manndai odu sambandam..yama darma rajan sonnathai sivan arulinaar..aallavandaar seekiram palan naan seybavan allai sama darsanam vunnarkiraan yellorukkum nanmai seyya viruppam kolluvaan..vulakamey vaazlum ..6th yogam arulukiraar..sidha purusharkal vullaarkal engey..surukka sangraha slokam..5 karuthukkal ..arumai perumai sonnaan..yogathai apyasa murai naangu vida yogi villakkam yoga sadanam sinthanai vairagyam ..yoga sidhi yerpadum thadangal vanthaalum.. kannanai pattri bakthi yogathin sirappu.. eppadi 5 karuthukkal arulukiraan.

.yogaabhyaasavidhiryogii caturdhaa yogasaadhanam . 

yogasiddhiH svayogasya paaramyaM ShaShTa ucyate .. (10)

Chapter 6 conveys five things to us. In Chapter 5, yogam was indicated. It was told that by dedicating the yoga to the Lord, we can never feel tired by performing Karma yoga and peace would prevail. Now, how this Karma yoga has to be performed is explained. With unbiased mind and with an objective to achieve, we can try to understand and practice the Yoga as detailed in Chapter 6. Let us first see the five things this Chapter is to convey:

vidhi – procedure, to perform Yoga.

yogi caturdha - four types of yogi

yoga sadhanam – the tools required to perform yoga viz. chintanam- thought and vairagyam - detachment

yoga siddhi – attaining the objective by practicing yoga, even if interrupted in between.

svayogasya paramyam – the yoga on Sri Krishna, that is Bhakti yoga, and paramyam- its eminence.

..In chapter six Lord Krishna reveals astanga yoga, and the exact process of practicing such yoga. He explains in detail the difficulties of the mind and the procedures by which one may gain mastery of their mind through yoga which reveals the spiritual nature of a living entity. Thus this chapter is entitled: The Science of Self-Realization

..slokam 6-1..vanamaa mallai ..srivara mangala naatchiyaar ..yena paasuram dodatri naanguneru srivara mangai vaanamaa mallai svayaravara shedram srirengam sri mushnam thiruvenkadam 4 ..badri saklagramam pushkaram nymisaranyam vadakkey..svayam,deivam, aarsham ,maanusham naangu vahai ..azlahu laavanyam padaithavan bakthi kolla ethuvaha ruchi yerpaduthukiraan..thiru kurungudi pola vanamaamallai avdaaryam vallal thanmai kaannalaam..anbu piranthathum avalodu erukkum namakku pathamey saran aakkukiraan engey..jeeyar..kalliyan raamanuja jeeyar..yoga apyasa yogam ….eppadi apyasam pannanum yenkiraan ethaal..mudal 9 slokathaal karma yogathin yetram arulukiraan..nell kuthum pothu vyarvai varum karma yogam palamahiya atma sashdkarathukku pannanum mattra palam thaanaha varum.. karma kaariyum pannanum palan karuthi panna koodaathu..sanyasiyahiraan gjana yogi poli yogiyaahiraan karma yogam pannuvathaal..naan selbavan ellai yennum gjanathaal pannuvathaal sanyaasam yentraal nantraha vittu viduvathu yentru porul..agni-sastra neruppu konndu yaga yagyam  -seybavan seyyathavan allan..karma vittu poha villai gjana yogi pola..nasa agriyaha seyalkallai seythu konndu erukkathavan allai…seyum pothu kainkaryam yennum gjanathodu pannukiraan..pattratra karma yogam seyyanum..

sri-bhagavan uvaca

anasritah karma-phalam

karyam karma karoti yah

sa sannyasi ca yogi ca

na niragnir na cakriyah

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no duty..

..

6-1..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Karma yoga or the performance of prescribed Vedic activities and all its separate constituents has so far been expounded by Lord Krishna as well as jnana yoga or the cultivation of Vedic knowledge. Now the method for practicing yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness while being in renunciation will be explained by means of meditation to achieve atma tattva or realisation of the soul. This verse is a brief reassertion of what has already been previously stated that karma yoga unaided has the capability of bestowing atma tattva and that within the performance of atma tattva is the special quality of renunciation and that karma yoga in its mature stage also has for its goal meditation which precedes atma tattva.Whosoever performs karma yoga without hankering for rewards or desiring results, performing all activities as a matter of duty with no other conception except that it is a humble service rendered to the Supreme Lord Krishna who in every way is the best well wisher and dearest friend. Whether one is a sannyasi or celibate brahmin in the renounced order or a performer of jnana yoga or karma yoga such a person may be considered a renunciate following the path to atma tattva. Its not that a sannyasi is one that simply abstains from activities such as agnihotra or offering ghee or clarified butter and food grains into the fire. Nor is one renounced merely because they do not perform activities enjoined in the Vedic scriptures. One is renounced who engages in prescribed Vedic activities at the same time abandoning desire for rewards while fulfilling the requirements of action and renunciation. The next verse describes how within karma yoga there is found renunciation as well.

..slokam6-2..notra nonbileyn nun arivileyn ..srivara mangai deiva nayaga perumaalidam ..setru thaamarai sennolodu .malar .kulam ellai kadal pola erukkum..thothri..pokkukiraan paapangallai pokkukiraan erukkum mallai..malai pola asangatha thanmai padaithavan evan..naathan vudaiyavan mallaikkum avanukkum athey peyar.. vanam allavu vuyaramum puhazlum vudaiyavan..sri vara manghai nahar mangala nahar..vara =sirantha ella varamum tharbavall..sri padam paanndiya raja mangalam maha pala vuoorkallai yerpaduthinaan..sri para mangaa puri.. naanguneri.. 4 vallaivi 4 pakkathulum vallainthu 4 pakkanmum kooraahi erukkum yeri..yathontrai gjanam yentru -sanyasam-solluvaarkalo athey gjanathai karma yogathil adanginathaha therinthu koll yenkiraan..sankalpaha vuruthuopadaithavan sankalpa vittu vittavan asankalpa -vittu vidathavan..asanyasya sankalpanaha ..na yogi pavathi..dehamey atma yennum puthi kollubavan .mayakkam thollaikadavan karma yogi aavathu ellai..karma yogathukku ethu entriyamaiyaathathu..gjanam karma yogathil adanginathu yenkiraan..aazntha vunnmai vulla padi arivathu vudal veru atma veru yentru therinthavan..vunnmai arivu karma yogathil adangi vidum ..

yam sannyasam iti prahur

yogam tam viddhi pandava

na hy asannyasta-sankalpo

yogi bhavati kascana

“Scholars acclaim the gyana sans karma in Karma yoga as Gyana, know thus Oh! Son of Pandu. One who has not cast off the gyana [ that body and soul are different] can never become a karma yogi”

Yam =that which, sannyasam iti = is called Gyana by, prahur = learned people would call, tam = that Gyana is, yogam = [in] Karma yoga, viddhi= understand so, pandava = the Son of Pandu…Asannyasta= unabandoned or unfailing, Sankalpa= determination or resolve.. na yogi bhavati= never becomes a Karma yogi.

..

slokam 6-2..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Lord Krishna is declaring that what is known as sannyasa or renunciation and what is known as yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciouness are all leading to atma tattva or realisation of the soul and are only different forms of karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities. No one can perform yoga who is infatuated by delusion. The words asannyasta-sankalpo means without renouncing the desire for rewards Without renunciation is not possible to be free from delusion for the error is there of mistaking the physical body as the atma or soul. One who by the power of self introspection gleans knowledge by meditation of the atma within the etheric heart of their physical body is freed from this delusion. No one who has failed to shake off the binding fetters of hankering for rewards and desire for sense pleasures is under the sway of delusion is never regarded as performing karma yoga nor considered a real renunciate.

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Thiruppaavai Swapadesam Shri. M.A.V Swaami 11th and 12th paasuram.

January 3, 2008

..11th paasuram..nottru yanbathaal emberumaanai adainthavanukku panna veunndiyathu ellai.. sarannagathi vanammamalai notra nonbileyn nunarivileyn pathiham..srivara mangai..emberumaannai vaana maa mallai yentru azlikraar..seytha vellviyar vaiyathevar– yaagam panninavarkal evarkal..agni gothra kudumbi..chadur vedi kudumbam..ethai seythaalum velliviyai seythavar avannai saranamaga adainthavarkal..krishnanai vulla padi therinthavarkal..memaamsakan yagam pannum pothu apoorvam vanthu palan kodukkum.. palan kidaithathum poyidum..marunthu pola kaariyam mudinthathum poyidum.. achedanam ethu emberumaanaar thirupthi avanukku vunndupanni palan peruhiraan.. achedana kriyaa alaabangal..sarvesvaran sandosham pettru sankalpathaal palan kittum..standing instructions computeril kodukkumaa pola..yagam pannaamal santhosham vunndaanaal palan kittum ethu thaan sarannagathi..sarva darmaa mandram pola vittu avanai patrinaal pothum..kaariyathaal palan ellai..panthu adithu vudainthathu vasthu ontru..thappai othunndu thavaru yentru sonnathum mannithaar..santhosham kuzlanthaikku..porullai vudaithaalum kobam yerpada villai..mattru oruvarin vunnartchikal thaan palan..papa kaariyam seythaal avanukku kobam vanthu kutram.. thappu othunndu gjanam sakthi ellai mannithuvidu yentrathum santhoshithaan..sidha sadanam ethu..instant coffee ready made dress pola…kalam virayamum ellai..nalluvathalukku vaayppu ellai.. kaisika puradanathil barahma raashasu aanathu pola aaha maattom.. adimai thanmai avanai konndu radshannam pannikanum..singa piraan sishya emberumaanukku.. punnya kaalam..jeeyarey..puthu varusham santhoshamaa yentraaraam..prapannathikaarikal..jan 1st kumbal vaikunnda ekadesi kooda ellai..odunga avan kann odungal ellaam vidum yentraar..kaalam kallikaamal vittu vaithaan..artha prapannarkal aalvaar acharyarkal ..loham thiruthi panni kolla nyamanam..sarannagathi panninathum kovina kaalathiley palan..erukka nyamannam..ethu thaan thadai athil ontru thollainthathu yentru santhosham yentraar..kallivathu uthesam..maamballam sanndai..loham suttinaan oruvan thaayaar thahappanaarai sudhi pazlam petraar..sisdhathai pattri konndaar..ethu thaan nottru  yenbathu..sombuthal oru kaariyamum seyaamal ethu yeri vudkaarnthathu evan meyl.. marameri pola sombali mela yeri vudkaarnthaan..vaazlum sombar evar..varnnasrama darmam pannanum.. konndi pasuvukku thadi katti vidumaa pola..vishaayantharangalil thiriyaamal erukka karmaanushdaanangal vunndu..kovalar tham por kodi..edaiyarkal kattru karavai kannangal pala karanthu ..kovalan gobalar pallai karappathu theriyum daramam anushtikiraarkal..naan yennavan ellai kaappathum kadamai ellai kathathaal palamum yenakku ellai..ellam sriyapathikkey..atmaa avanathu athai naam samarpikkanumaa? ..avan vasthuvai avanidam kodupathaa ..udavi kaimaaru yen vueir yennai vittru yennil athum mattru angu avanathu yenkiraar aazlvaar..yaaney yen vudaiyumey yentri erunthen ethuvum seyvathu ellai..paapam thavirkka karmaa pannanum.. sandyaa vandanum pola..nithya nymithya karmaa..thiru kanna manghai aandaan..yellaam vittu erunthaar..makizla marathin thiruvalahu theendi erunthaar -thudapam samprayada paachai- thanjam yentru eruntheer yenna prayojanam..kainkarya uthesam thiruvulla vuhappu..karmangallai kainkaryamaha pannanum..sampallathukku pannubavarkal work to rule pannuvarai pola..kamo akaarishad  namaha..mannu akaarishad namaha..kamam kobathaal panna villai yenaal allai yenkirar..pala karanthu yentru karmaa panninndu erukkanum..desikan attrangarai akkarai poha padahu -vittam-200 per padahu 30 per kollum.. konjamaha pohalaam..vara kaathukonndu erukka sokkattan villaiyaadinaarkal..pannnam katti .. pothu pokka villaiyaadikiravarkal padahu vanthathum ponaarkal adutha tripil ponaar panam sampaathikka..karaiyil vutkaarnthu.. prapannadthikaarikal samsaarikal..pana pandam vyuhathil ezliyaatha viharathvathil ezlivaarai pola yenkiraar desikan.. vaikunthan yennum thonni..murai thappaamey villaiyaaduvaarkal eruvarum..sasra vidhikalai anusandhithu erukkanum erukkum naallil yellaam..setraar thiral azliya–kattru mudalil kantrahiya kaalathiley karaivai pasuvaha erukkum..oru artham..karaival acharyar jeevadaramana paallai kodukkum atmavadaramana gjana paalai tharuvaar..karappathu kettu therinthu kollanum.. pala pala acharyaridam ketkanum..pala pala davai ketkanum..pesithey pesum gurukkal erunthaalum.. kattru karavai pola paarkka siriyavarkal pola erunthaalum..sirumaa manisar kattru karavai..panchaacharyar raamanujarukku..artha vishayangallai kettu kathukkanum..karanthu yenbathaal..karavaamal pirakkum pasu nallaikku krubaamadram acharyar..18 thadavai poey kathunnaar Raamanujar..artha vishaya virithikallai kanndikanum.. PBAswaami pola..thappu ezluthiyathum mai vullarum munnan ezluthuvaar..sentru seru seythavar evar..marvadam panninavar.. kuttam ontrum ellatha seyal.. yagya moorthyyai thedi battar nanjeeyarai sentru thiruthinaar pola..angeu aruppathey karumam kanndaay yenkiraar thonndar adi podi..aallavanthaar 5 vayasu aakki aazlvaanai jeyathaar..yaanaiyin un pakkam sentru poridum singam pola thuthikkai mela thallai mel yeri kolluvathu pola ..por kodi emberumaanaraiyum ..puttraavu alkul ..putravul nullaiyum paambu pola surukki kollum ..gjanam bakthi vairakyam..bakthi edai piradesam siranthu villanganum..puna mayil..thushda janchukallai vara vidaathu.. pootchikalum varathu mayil thohai.. muhil vannanai kanndu makizlum mayil pola acharyar.. thohai virithu aadum pozluthu gjana vihassam virinthu pesum acharyar..potharaay.. sutrathaar thozlimaar yaavarum koodi eruppaarkal..deha pandhu parama baagavatharay erunthaal suttramum mukkuyam.. mudaliaandaan embaar pola..koorath aazlvaan kidaambi atchaan vaduha nambi ananthaazlvaan pola.. muttram thirumaazlihai ..thiru muttra vazli aayiram kaal manndam munnam thiruvadi patta edam yentru maraikka koodaathu..muhil vannan per pada ..mayil varanum..sitrathey pesaathey.. asaivu kooda ellaamal erunthaar 16 varusham nammaazlvaar..sushyanthi ramanthi ..eranndu santhosham.. sollum santhosham ketkkum santhosham eranndaiyum geethaiyil arulinaar pola..sela penndaatti thiruvullathukku vuhandavar evar..sastra anushtaangallai panninathaal vuhantha..kettu solli arulubaval..notru paasurathaal peyaalvaarai vunnarthukiraal..muruhanndi maharishi rellaiyil koodiyavarkal..mattrum thaarathaar vasal thiravathaar evar..notru svargam puhuntha perumai.. thiru kanndeyn pon meni kanndeun yentru villakku yetraamal kidaithathu evarukku.. baagavatha nerukkam thaan svargam evarukku..thiru thullay 2nd,..vandariyum than thullay kadaisiyilum thiru thullaay 15 paasuram.. raman kathai aneham aruliyavar.. kumba karnnan–ahasthiyar therkku vanthathum tamil thalaivar ..avarum thotrum padi tamil thalaivan..thueil bagavath anubavam..manniya perull ..maamalaaal thannodum kanndamai kaattum tamil thallaivan yenkiraar amudanaar.. pey periyavar yennum artham peridar pey mazlai pola ..perinbamum pola..romba periyavar thiruvai solli thodangi thiruvil mudithavar.. saarvu vubaayam ..thenarum thiru thaan saarvu yenkiraar..poyhai jagad kara boodan sarvesvaran yentraar.. booth narannarakku yentru peyar sonar sriya pathi yentru evar arulinaar..attra anandal romba somberi thanam thirumazlisai anandal evar attra anandal..athu nantru ethu theethu pothu nintra ponankazlaley erukkanum..yentravar.. arum kalamey thirupathiathvam aruliyathaal thetramaay vara sollinaar..azluthu kuthithu paadinavar..thetramaay vara sollukiraall..

..12th paasuram..mattrinam kamangal.. pura vishyangallai vasanaiyodu vidanum.peru thapaathu yentru thunninthu erukkaiyum editcha pulli pola erukkanum ..perukku thudikkaiyum veynndum….aaru vaarthaiyil oru varthai ..antha sareeam mudiyum pothu mukthi saranagathanukku..mudivu eppo? kettkum athikaariyai poruthu..artha prapannarkal ..poy nintra gjanamum..azlukku vudambu enimayl kolla mattom yenbaar..paasuram vaangindathum thanthaan avarkalukkum..vazliyalla vazli sentru peru adaiya thudikkanum..kaaman kaallil vizlunthaal aandaal..thuvarikkaiyaal..ethai thintraal pitham thezliyum vunnaiyum vun vummbiyum thozlutheyn..kaaman thambi sammbanaiyum thozluthaal ..thudippu avanin vylakshanyathukku nirnnayam..madal eduthallum athi pravarthi..thappu yellam vuraar ehazlalum vurrathu ozliyeyn ..thappy yellam solluveyn yentru mirattiinaar.. black mail panninar..bayanthunndu koduthaan petrai.. thiruvaalli thirunagari thirumeni..srivilliputtur sriperambudur kanchi nammazlvaar.. kai kooppi naduvil konjam edam madal vaithu konndu erukiraar kinchu vaithu konndu erukireyn anughraham niruthinaal kaatti viduveyn yennu maa pola vigraham..karanthathu entha thudippin kaarannam..kanaithu ezlam kattrerumai paasuram..nar selvan thangaay yenkiraal..nar selvan karakka villai..mullai kaduthu vedanai varamal erukka paallai sorinthu vidum..ellam seru aakkum..ninaithu erangitraam..nanaithu seraanathu..vibarannam etharkku?..sollum avidu suruthi..vullaralum vedanda artham..selvan..nar sevan.. seer malhum aaypaadi selva srimeerkaal yentraal munnan neengaatha selvam vullavarkal..gjanam yennum selvam..bagavath kainkaryam selvam.. baagavatha sesha gjanamum anushdaanamum vudaiyavan- narselvam..adaman, madyan pola ellaamal uthamanaha eruppavan narselvan..gunaanubavam thaan kainkaryam..vuhanthu aruliya  nillangallil-edangalil -archai adiyaarkal-ellam kainkaryam..vuoonum vurangamum eintri divya desa yatrai pannanum..koshti saathumurai 7-12 varai panni vittu kaanchi sentru PBA swaami udsavathukku neraha selvaar..eravu 10 manni gruham povaar..evar nar selvan graha darmam panna mudiyaamal ponavan.. emberumaanukku andaranga kainkaryam panni konndu erukiraan..”thuthi kaiyum theri villum thanndu kollum melaadaiyum thozlanmaarum oru kaiyaal ..thozlai vunntri..evan kannanudan eppothum erupavan-”Periaazlvaar paasuram..notru anushtikka veynndaam aduthu anushtikkanum eppo anushtikka vittaalum kuttram ellai..athaani sevahathil pothuvaanathu nazluvum..agni kothram pannanum nithyam saathi asrama darmangal..brahma shadriya vaisiyar sandhya vanndanam pannanum..grahsramathil darpanam sanyaasikku kidaiyaathu..samidaa danam brahmachari..deetshaiyil –yaagam pannum pothu kaappu samanya karmangal kidaiyaathu..theettu kidaiyaathu..vilakku koduthathu kaappu ponathum vunndu..dabaha-sanghu chakram, pundaraha thirumann.. nama ..mandrayam.. yaagam einthaavathaha thiruvaaradanam deva poojaiyai yaagam yenkiraar..pancha samskaaram ethu..sthreekal poorvaanga kainkaryam pannukiraarkal..jaladaramgam pannivittu pohirom namm..PBA swaami aruluvaar..athaanni sevahamum asthana kainkaryankal pannum pothu..nazluvum vuranguvaan kai panndanam pola –kaalam theriyaamal-yeedupattu mattra visheyangal nazluvum..manathu arinthu karmam vida mattaan aanaal yeedu pattu than anushdanam nazluvum yenkiraar maa munikal..evan kai vidavillai athu evanai kai vittathu..emberumaaney sillarai nyamippaan evarkalukku..namm mudalikal perya thirunaazlilum anushdanam pannuvaarkal..saashad kainkaryam  mudalathu..sandayavandanam andaryaamiyahi avanukku devathaikalukku-devathaathram moolam kainkaryam..thodarnthu kutrevel pannubavanukku ethu thaan mukkyam..baagavatharum thaaney paaley pol seer pola varshippaarkal..kanaithu kumari artha vishayam solla mudiyamal vedanai vunndaahi..koorathaazlvaanidam solla aasai pattaar thiru viruttam..pathari vanthu arulinaar emberumaanaar..battar nanjeeyarai thedi sentru mel naadu sentru koduthaar..ezlam kattru erumai namm pola samsaarikal damasa prakruthi..karumbu erukka kallaiyai saapittu kazluneeril erukirom.. ezlam kattru erumai..naharaathu thooki konndu vazli kollanum.. pasumadu ezal pasi erumai ezlam ezlam erumai. naangu vahai..nanaithu mullai vazliyey nintru paal sora ..emberumanarai pattrum paasuram anaithu ellathaarum ariya aasai pattaval eval..thaaney artha vishyam varambu aruthu koduthavar..meyyay kattuvithchi  meyyey soll yenna sonnaall..kurathi  sonna vudaney sonnaal geethaacharyanum emberumaanaarai pola..artham therivi yentrathum porum yentru sonnaalum 700 slokam sonnaar.. booya yeva marupadiyum kezlu yenkiraar geethaiyil..sollathey yentru sonnal pothum yentru..arjunan kannukutti pola avanai katti namakku koduthaan..rahasyarthangallai evar arulinaar..nanaithu ellam seraakkum..kannummkanneraaha erupparkal sollum pothu..pazluthey pal;a pozluthey yentru anchi azluthen kaazlaalum nenju azliyum pola..narsevanum avarey thangaiyum avarey.. pani thallai veezl vasal kadai pattri..aviveha kanaanda thin muha thukka varshni ..aazlavandaar ..varsha drayam ..aadi boethiham ,aadi deiviham mudaliyana..kaarunnya maarudam acharya kadatsham mazlai athil naiyanum ..vasal kadai pattri avarin thiruvadikalil puhunthu erukkanum..sinathinaal then elangai komaanai settra  manathukku eniyaannai..enthirangal ellam raavannan 11 manasai serthu gjana karma enthirangal..atmaa vai siraiyil vaithu emsikirathu athan virupathukku esaiya.. mothiram abaya hasdam..atma kai kolluvathu thaan ramayannam..acharyar manathukku eniyan.. “yennakkal annikkum amudhroom yen naavukkey”-madurakaviyaarum amudanaarum  aruliyathu  ummai solli acharyarai paadavum thoongalaamaa?..eni thaan ezlunthiraay ethenna per vurakkam acharya gjanam vanthathum eppadi erukkalamaa? antru naan piranthileyn piranthathum maranthileyn yentru erukkanum..anaithu ellathaarum arinthu..ellorum jagad muzluvathum thiruntha veedu mun muttravum yentru paada arambithaar nammazlvaar..ubadesikka thodanginaar.. seethai -ravananukkmahan -prahaladan,thambi vibeeshannan evar adi panninthavar  emberumaanaar pola..kovalar tham por kodi thiru kovalooril anubavithaar..villi puthooraar muhunthanai thozlum ponnaadu..mudalvaril por kodi edaiyavar gjanam bakthi siranthathu..thammai kol thedi odum kodi mallai thedi sellum manam yentravar.. putrarvu bakthi arulinavar anbaal arambithi anbaal mudithaar.. mayil pola gjanam vullavar kadal mallaiyil piranthavar..nin muttram suttrathaar eruvarum thozlimaar mattraiya aazlvaarkal.. vutru vannangi..muhil vannan thirunaamam sonnar.. bootha..boo thaathu sathai eruthal emberumaannai ninaithu erunthavar..sitrathey pesathey erukka koodaathu..selva penndaatti vuhanthavar.. odi thiriyum yogikal pola divya desam sentru paadinavarkal..karavai kannangal pala karanthu mudalil azlahiya tamilil paasuram veda vedaantham saaharam-athanai arthamu karanthu veda ananthvan karavai kannangal. paalaha namakku karanthu koduthaar..ethara mada nirasanam panninavar..anya seshadvam azliya kaattinavar ..brahma sivanaalum yenna mudiyaathavan yentru arulukiraar.. endisaiyum  pethaikaal theertha kaarar..paranthu madam parappanum yentru arulukiraar..

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Thiruppaavai Svabedesam Shri. MAV swaami 13th and 14th paasuram.

January 2, 2008

..13th paasuram..saasthirikal theppa kaiyar pola..karai yera mara kattaiyai pidithu kolluvaan..eranndaiyum edakki prayadanam pannanum mattru oru kaiyaal..saragyagyar vittathil erupparai pola -padahil eruppar pola prayadnam panna veynndaam..saram vunarnthavarkal thulaavum veynndum karai adaiyum kaalam yenni erupparkal..samsarathai thaanuvatharkku onnum panna veynndaam..akkarai  samsarathai ..ekkarai yenbaar motshathai sollukiraar..peraazlvaar..pinnum akkai vidum pothu yenney paasuram pola..svadandariyam konndu namathu prayathanaal pannina palan anubavikkanum..veynndam yentru thiruppi oppadaipathu sarannagathi..svarooba thyaaham ellai ubaayadaam yennum ninaivai vidanum .kaariyam seyyanum..qualification -yoghyathai means-saadanam pola ..vanathidarai yeri vetti vaithaal thekki vaikka vudavum sadanam ellai yoghyathai vunndaahum.. namathu anushdanamum athey pola..krubai villum pothu thangi kolla yoghyathai namathu karmaanushudaanangal..bakthi yoga nishdan thaila daarai pola yennai vizlum pothu edai vidaamal vizlum pola..dabasu pannum pothu puthu kattum valmeeki yentraal puthu..varusha kannakkil dabasu pannuvaarkal.. nithya nymithya karmaakal kidaiyaathu evarkalukku..ezlaiya perumaal panninaar nodi pozluthilum kainkaryam panninavar..seethai sandayavanndanam panninaal yenkiraar..entha moontraiyum 10,11,12 paasurathil arulinaall..eppo pothu ari kanninaay yenkiraal..pushbathai jeyikintra ,pontra ,kann ,parikintra kannkal vullaval..manathukku eniyaannai paadavum nee vaay thiravaay yentraal munnam ..vummai solli ramannai padum pozluthum nee thoongalamaa..kannanai pada nee thoongalaam yentra arthathil..kuri kuzla mangai oruthi paasurathil niraiya oruthi arulu kannan ..kurumbu seyvaanor mahanai petra nanda goban..vaithiyan vaasal pola nandan maazlihai erunthathaam-battar..kattannam-toli-thuvalumaay..velkaaya vallarthaaley ..vembu avan evan manasukku eniyaan..miruda sanjeevanam raman..kuyil kannan raman namam solli vaithu erunthaall prannan pohum vueirkku athu kaalan yentraar..piratha varutham athikamahi kaalam athu..yeedu paadu appadi..oru sol oru vil oru eil avanukku..devimaar sala vudaiyavan evan..16108 devimaar panni seyya ..thoothu pona perumai ellai yentru solla battar munnor thoothu vanor vaayil mozlinthu ..avaney pinnor thoothu adi mannarkkuaahi..thiruvalloor sayana chakravarthi thirumaham thirupulaaniyilum thiruvallorilum..hanumaanukku prasitham ramanukku kooda ellai..adutha vaayppu varum pothu naamey pannanum yentru panninaam..pirantha kulam esvaahu yenbathaal vasudevan edukulathil piranthaan..aayarkulam vudaney ponaan ethanaal thoothu pohum pozluthu aadshebam panna villai..kurungalin sahavasam theriyum pudavai kodu yenkiraal aandaaley naatchiyaar thirumozliyil..pullin vaay keendaanai bahasuran polla arakkannai killi killainthaaney raamanin kathaiyai aduthu arulukiraal..eranndum acharyarai kurikkum..eranndu vahai mandra ubadesam panni thiruthubavar oruvar..uthaarahan evar..thaanndum padi seybavar.. artha visesham seythu ubakaram panninavar.. manathukku eniyaan yentrathu visesha ardam arulu villakinavar..periya thirumandirathai ubadesithavar acharyar..ubakaraha acharyar manathukku eniyaan.. eruvarum veru alla..maannikka maallai gradthathil ethai villakukiraar..munnam solla veynndiyathu mudalvar ..acharyar thaniyan mudalil solli..thathyarathanaiyilum appadi thaan..periya perumaal maa muni varai 19 thaniyan vanamaa mallai 30 pattam ella thaniyanum arulanum..pullin vaay keendanai..bahasuran vadam..alpamana kaariyum..kalla vasuran pothukku yentru killithaan-periaalvaar..pradana visesham ellai..polla arakanai killi killanthaanai..ethu visesham..yeedana sarithiram arula villai..ellam avan panninathaal athu ethu vuthu ..ellaam vun seyhai..avan panninathaal ellaam pradanam..avan pannuvathaal ellam gunnamahum..maadu meyka thaan laayakku..kannan gopalanam gunamaathu..vennay thirudinathum nalla kaariyamanathu..pancha samskaram chinna kaariyam pola erukkum artha visesham killi killainthaanai pola..athai munnam sollanum..bahasuran- kokku pola hamsam..eranndum velluppu jalam palaiyum pirikkum hamsam..paallai saappittu jalathai vittu vidu kokku athai panna mudiyaathu.. kuyilum kaakkaiyum karuppu koovum kathum.. pandithanum muttaalum paarkka ontru samsarikalum acharyarum ontru pullin vaay keendaanai parama hamsar acharyar.. polla arakkanai endariyangalin vasam pokkubavar..pillaikal=baagavathar..kana puram kai thozlum pillaikal..paavai kallam arangan kovil thiru muttram goshti..velli ezlunthu sukiran vyaazlan-guru..vurangitru..asuran deva guru..aasura vargam thallai yedukkum acharya ubadesam ellamal ponal..neer ezlunthu ethai maattranum..vettri yentravar thallai allal kaimmaru ellai yenbathai nampillaiyidam kettu therinthu konndaar..pullum silambina kaann.acharyar azlikiraar.kumuri erupparkal.. pothu ari kanninaay gjanam thaan pothu..potham sanskrit.. pothir kamal sennithidar pada elatchinai periaalvaar..kulla kulira kudainthu neeradanum bagavatha,baagavatha,acharya  visesham..sekka sivanthu pola ..viraghni kothithu eruppathaal oruthi eranginaal yamunai vattrumaam..sernthu eranganum anaivarum..thaniyaha erukka koodaathu..koodi erunthu kuliranum..palli kidathoyi =yehanthamaay avanai anubavipathu.. goshtiyaha anubavikkanum.. paavaay=padi virathai acharyarai vida elloraiyum alatchiyam pannubaval..indifferent to all..vaduha nambi kidambi atchaan ananthaalvaan pola.. koorathaalvaanaiyum mudaliyaanndaanaiyum erukaraiyar yenbar..emberumaanidamum emberumaanaaridamum kolluthalaal..thiruvaradana perumaalaiyum evarin paathuhaiyum sernthu yezla panninaar vaduha nambi..vummudaiya perumaal ennudaiya perumaal yentraar..paavaay evar..nannaall-maarga seershathukku nalla naal ethu thaan..gjanam kidaitha naal ..kallam thavirnthu=thanni anubavam thavirnthu..kalanthu vara allikiraall..kanaithu poyhai aazlvaar..adiyavarkalukku mudalil pesinathaal kanaikanum..moovaril mudalvar evar..elam kattru erumai naam.. millai valliyay ketkamal thanathu kirubaiyaal thanthaar..pazluthey pala ..anchi azluthen yentraar..seraakkum.. nar selvan evar thodangi vaitha kainkaryam nar tamilaal noor seythaar..piraatti pola thaamarai poovil pirantha thaal nar selvan.. pani thalaiveezla..thukkamahiya mazlai gjanam thanthu kaathaar..vasal kadai pattri..sinathinaal manathukku eniyaan..”poomeya madavathon-brahma-thaazl pannitha padam athaal yeninaan panbu”..paasuram..anaithillathaarum ariyum padi arli thodagi vaithavar..

..14th paasuram..pranavathaal ..jagadin aadhi ..avaney ratchahan..yella jeevatmaakkalukkum..luptha chadurthi bagavaan.aaya yeri kazlinthathu..vettrumai thohai..ku yennum naankavathu vettrumai thohai..bagavanukku mattumey jeevatma vuriyavan..eranndaam vetrumai -yai-vellaiyai adithaan pola..thirumaaley naanum vunakku pazla vadiyen yennum pola..rashahan aval venum purushakarathirkku..pirikka mudiyaatha svaroobam..thiruvilla devarai pattraatheer ..radnathin olli pola..kanna puram ontru vudaiyaanukku adiyen vuriyen mattru oruvarkku vuriyeno..aval vuhanthaanaiyum vuhakkanum.. adiyaarkalukku adiyaar aahanum..acharyar, baagavathar, bagavaan moovarukkum yentru erukanum..kariya kola thiru vuru kaanban naan yenkiraar..viseshannam ..kai kollum padi seyya kolam panninndu thiru vuruvudan vanthaan paarvai visesham paarpathu pola parthu vittaar glance only..aazlvaridam thaan preethi avar thiru vullam vuhappa glance yenkiraar..acharya abimanamey utharaham.. ezlu paasuram ubadesa radna maallaiyil  arulukiraar…gjanam anushdanam vulla guruvai adainthakkaal.. thaaney vaikundam tharvaan kodukka veynndiyathai koduthaal thaaney tharvaan..mudal edai kadai nillai pola bagavaan, baagavathar acharyar pattruvathu..naduvil sooryam praypathukku pradama parvam acharya parvam yenkiraar.. maa muni naduvil orey padam nullikkanum..acharya kainkaryam nyamithathai pannanum..eranndu sishyar thiruvadi pidithaarkal nee pannu yentru avan solla.. valathu kaal nee edathu avan yentraar.. valathu thiruvadipiditha  sishyar varavillai virothi thiruvadi puzluthu nasamaay pohattum yentraanaam..emberumaanukku pannu yenbaaraam..ananthaazlvaan mottu viruvatharkku munnam kattanum kainkaryam avan koopitathum poha villai.. acharyar nyamanam yentrar..kunnamendhi ..paran senrtu ser thiruvenka maa mallai neeyum vanthu sernthavan ..acharya preethi yaha pannina kainkaryam pradana kainkaryam..madya bagavath kainkaryam ethuvum adiyavarkku seyvathu bagavaanukku pidithathu.. ethai maa muni aruli seythaar..moontrumey amaiyanum namakku..ontraiyum vida koodaathu ..moovarin preethaiyum mukkyam..nangaay naanaadaay naavudaiyaay yenkiraal ethil..gunangal  ellaam poornam vullaval namgai nambi pola.. nambi.yai kaana nangaikku aayiram kann venum..kambar..naa vannmai vullavall..vasaa kainkaryam pannanum..navasainthaal nadu asaiyum..5-12 vulley 2 angulam naakku sirama paduthinaal pir kaalam sowkyamaha erukkum..naavu thaan gjanam vudaiyavanaha aakkum..naaney thaan aayuduha yenbaal.. naanaathaay vetkam kooda ellaathavall..nangaay–baagavatharin poorthi gjana bakthi poornnar aazlvaar..gjana sakthi poorthy avan..mithuna seshadvathil aasai padanum..soorbanahai raavannan pola ellaamal kaakaasuran pola..piraattikku ethu kittathu..eha seshadvam thaan vunndu avalukku..erupidam vaikundam venkadam..avai thanidam erupidam maayan raamanusan manathu ..yenthan ethayathulley yenkiraar ethil thaan poorthy..vetkam ellathavan baagavathan ellanam seythaalum..govindaa kathuvaarkal..i was able to provide amusement without effort yentraar..govinda namam solla kaarannam aaneyn..athaa ariyey yentru naan azlikka pithaa yentru pesukiraar muthey manni maannikamey..thiru naamam solli tharithu kollukirom athanaal namam..kadan vaangi thiruppa kodukka mudiyaathu sanyasam vaangi kolluvaarkal thirumann ettaal parama baagavathar namam pottu konndaar yenbaaraam..naanaathaay ethu..ahangaram ellaathaval naan aadaay..naan periyom allom namakku yentru nallathu seyvaar edam sentru kathuppom ..desikan arulukiraar..naiachanu sandaanam..embaar raamanujarin perumai yenbathaal esaintheyn yenkiraar..dasa dasa ganangalukkul dasanaha aasai kollanum..pullakadi thottathu vaaviyull..senkazluneer sooriyan vuthithathum malarum chandran vudayamanathum aambal..damasa prakruthi eravil mullithu pahalil thoonguvaan.. asura gunam..nisarahar evarkal.. asura raadsarkal manusa gargam radjathan..devasri asuran..sadvika prakruthi malarvathu sengaluneer..ungal pulla kadai thottathil eruppar evar..sengal podi koorai..kaavi vasdram anninthavar..vasdram pena kooda maattar..padasobam padam=vasdram adobam vastrathaal mirattuvathu..thiru vaakku konndu mayakkanum.. vidvaan saalvai yenbaar munnam..ottaham yaanai yaathirai vunndu kaattu valliyil pohum pothu..elli kadithu saalvai gangaiyil poda sonnarkal.. parisarahar ketkka neengal vaithukolla koodaathu yenbaaraam..raamanin anda puram kaaval kaakkum .vayasanavarkal dasaradarai madiyil pottu vallarthavarkal..kaashayano viruthaarkal yenkiraar vaalmiki..andaranga kainkaryam pannubavarkal vasdram pena avakasam ellai..ethanaal neer kaavi anathaam..aalinganam panni alangaram petravarkal..venn pall davathavar..pallai vellukanum ..velluppu parisudam kaattum..avanai thavira mattravaridam pallai kaatta maattarkal..battar kaiyai marithaalum vara maatteyn yentraar rajavidam..loha vibareedam ..pall sengal vasdram velluppu ..ethara viseshadam veruppu erukkanum.. thangal thiru kovil sangiduvaan pohintraar..sanyaasi gramathil oru naal thanga koodaathu saasdram.. madaathipathi maattri vaithaar thirumallai periya jeeyar madathil saavi vaippar sanghu=saavi..srirenga narayanna jeeyar madathukku saavi varukirathaam..thangal thiru kovil sangiduvaan -rahasya drayathai tharuvaarkal..gavanathodu ketkanum yentru rahasyam..thiravu kollai pottu arthathai velli paduthuvaar acharyar.. thangal thiru kovil=rahasya drayam.. thangal el namudaiya svaroobam thiru mandram..thangal thiru el dwayam..kovil sarama slokam..moontraiyum sollvathaal rahasya drayam..battar ubadesikiraar..nanjeeyar velliyil vanthaar..nammai eru yentru solla villai.. avarai vara solli..oru thadavaiyum ketkaamal poha koodaathu yentru erukkanum..yengallai munnan  ezluppuvaan vaay pesum ..sangodu chakaram yenthum thada kaiyan..acharyar tholil poruppa vaithu eruppar avarin acharyar porithavar appanukku sangaazli azlithavan thonnaimaanukku koduthathum. pangaya kannaan thaamarai kannan kadasham villanum..dadaham niraiya thaamarai poo kaathu adikka thaamarai pakkam saayum..”vangaarkku araiya ..thadam pol pollinthana “-paasuram..pada ezlunthiraay yenkiraal..pullin vaay thondar adi podi aazlvarai vunnarthukiraal..mayarvara madi nalathaal pin vanthoraiyum vunnarthukiraal.. nandavanam kainkaryam..pullum silambina kaan yentru eruvarukkum arulukiraall..pothu ari kanninaay pushbam parikka kann thidaiyatha thuvallavum adaiyaallam evarukku..kulla kullira kudainthu neerada..anushdanam vittu deda deviyidam kullithu ollithitten yentraar evarey..kallam thavirnthu kalanthu..kallavaal pon vattil koduthu pinbu kalanthaar aazlvaar goshtiyil..pullin vaay polla arakkan krishnan raman sarithiram kattrinam meytha enthai sillaiyinaal elangai setra devaney devanaavaan yenbaar periya perumaal kannan nam perumaal raman.. venney saappitta perumaal avan vasistar nyamithu vaarnthu vadintha vinaythodu eruppar..paavaay karbu athiham evarukku.. nanaallal..markazliyil kettai avathaaram..thirupalli ezluchi paadinaar pillaikal ellorum paavai kalam pukkar.. loha sarangar munivar sengal podi koorai venn pal thavathaar..munnam ezluppuvaar mudalil baagavath seshadvam sonnavar..amalan aadi piraan adiyavarkku aadpaduthum vimalan..naan=vetkam, ahangaaram erannum evarukku poruthum..avarin nirbandathaal vudkarnthu naanaathaay erunthaar..velliyil erunthaar pillakadai..naitchyam vullavar.. naavudaiyaay surukamaha sonnaar radna surukamaha..pazla maraiyin porullaiyum ethil arulinaar kanni nun siru thaambu 11 paasuram evar 10..kaiyinaar suri sanghu anal aazliyaar avarkku naanghu thirukaikalai kaattinaar..sangodu chakaram thadakaiyan pangaya kann–kariya vaahi varunnanai..

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Thiruppavai-shri Vellukudi Swaami-11th and 12th paasuram..

January 1, 2008

..11th paasuram.. kovalar tham por kodi eval..ella pasu maadukallaiyum thaaney karakkum kovalan..koottam koottamana pasukkalaiyum..kattru karavai -kantrukalodu koodiya karavaikal..kootam yethanai yentru yenna mudiyaathu..emberumaaney elloraiyum kaappathu pola evan oruvaney pannuvaan.. varannasranama darmathai vidaamal pannukiravan..naamey seyvathai aal ettu seyyaamal pannanum..setraar=bagavath virothikalai..sentru seru seyyum avarkal erukkum edathil sentru azlipparkal..ramanin vazlithontralo..kuttram ontrillatha..aayudam ellamal erunthaal eintru poey naazlai va yenbaan.. moontru thiral vulla kovalan..porkodiyum entha mukkunangallaiyum konndavall ethodu azlahum konndavall por kodi yenbathaal.. kodi marathil suttrum.. kannanidam ..sowndaryam laavanyamum konndavall..puttru aravu pola siriya azlahu.. puna mayil pola ..eranndaiyum arulukirall..nin muttram puhunthu thozlimaar ellorum vanthom.. kannanin aasai entha muttram..sitraathey asaiyaathey ,pesaathey vaayaal padil sollavillai, selva penndaatti..mudal aazlvaridam sernthaar evar..muhil vannan meham pola svabam vallal thannmai..ethu porulukku vurangum yenna prayojanathukku vurangukiraay yenkiraall..

..9,10 thoonga vendum yentru thoongubavarkal..sarannagathi panninaalum vellai pannuvaarkal..ollai suvadiyil ellam namakku venndum yentru ezluthi vaithu erukiraarkal..seyvippavan avan..sangha dyaham pala dyaham..seyyamal erukka maatarkal.. kai padaitha payan pannanum..sales person virkkum pothu kidaikkum porul sales personakku ellai parisu vunndu.. einbam namakku yentru ninaithaal samsara sirai..sandosham namakku peru  veedu appuram tharuvaan..thayaar kuzlanthaikku pannum kaariyam pola..yetharkaka yentru ketkka mudiyaathu..konjara payan thaan konjuvathaal..muha vullasathukku palan..thookam yentru namathu radshanathaiyum, palathaiyum namathu yennum yennam kollaamal eruppathu..karma pannuvathu thaan namathu yoghyai..kurangukal ellam eravil thoongumm raamanum lakshmananum sudhi sudhi poey paarthu koluvaanaam..sala pala naal vuhandhu vueirkal kappaan..aasaiyudan seyyanum kadamaiyaha panna koodaathu..aananthamaha kurangukallai radshithaanaam..thurumbu narkka prabthi ellai sarannagathanukku..ethu thaan thookam maarbil kai vaithu thoongu kiraall.. ammanaay swaamini yenrathum..nottru pera venndiya krishna anubavam nonkaamal petravalley yenkiraal. vasal kadavai adaithaal vayaiyum adaikanumaa yenkiraal..eruvarum paraspara nalla ninaivudan pesukiraarkal..rahasyangalukkul naan mownamaha erukireyn yenkiraan 19th adyaayathil..adiyaal yennum peyar vaanga aasai avalukku ..rajannu ezlunthueru yentrathum thirudan pola varutham konndaan baradan raja pattam vanthathum..battar kalashebathil vaithavannaukku saalvai pothinaar..thanal killarinaal eriyum..svadandra abimanam thoobam poduvathu pola erunthaal thudippaan.. raja ramanin para dandriyam vullavan..hanumaan seethaiyai paarthathum nava vyagram kattravan yenna pannanum yentru yosithaan..onbathu naallil kathunnavar..madura vaakyam pesinaar vaithehiyai kurithu pesinaar..yenna pesinaar yenbathu mukkyam ellai  enimai thaan mukkyam ..miruha sanjeevini pola rama mandram ..seethai kattunndu erunthaall..vakyam parama maduram.. nintraal.. athu pola. maa mayan madavan vaikundan yentru madura soll kettu pesa villai eval.. vaay adaitchu potchu evalukku..raman jeyathithathum seythi sonnathum vaay thiranthu pesa villai..santhosham thonndai adaithathu..yenna kutram seythen yentru hanumaan kettathu pola maattramum thaaraaro yenkiraal..kannden seethaiyai yentrathum paaraimela vudkaarnthaar simhasanam pola..vibaramaha sollum yentru kettaar..seethai enimaiyaha pesuvaal ellam solu yentru ethir paarthu kettathu pola..vaivathum nantraha erukku mela pesattum enimaiyaha erukku ..ashda puja emberumaanidam vanchi-ontru pannitha thunndu..moontru ezlutha peraal ..ketka povom yentru maraithu sonnaar..yenna sonnar yentru thaayaarukku theriyaathu..avan antru yenna sonnaan yentru naan sollukireyn yenkiraar perivatchaan pillai..munnor sonna murai thappaamal-aruvaarkal..edai soll namaha..yennai radchikkum poruppu yennathuellai..siruthu erukkum edai  yenbathai ashda buja paasurathil arulinaar..vaayai thirantha azlahil yeedu patteyn yenkiraar..adidhi thithi paarthu varadavarkal..chola naadu soru vudaithu erunthathu parimaattam vittu koduthom..vattam kuruha ..udsavam pothu paiyai vaithu povaarkal..thangi kolla bagyam yentru eruppavan vaishnavan..vaikasi chitirai brahmotsavam pothu mallai vasam povaarkalum vunndu..adiyaarkallai vittey kodukka koodaathu..ollivil kaalam ..paasurathil pushba kainkaryam panna vallaar vunndo yenna ananthaazlvaan..veduvarkalukkum kaaduvaalvarkalukkum ananthaalvaan pillai yentraar..yeri vettum pothu garbini penn..siruvan vadivathai eduthu konndu raamanujar kainkaryam panna aasai kolla..avalidam ketkka..vehamaha vellai nadakka..gadappaarai abradadshanamaha oodinaar muha vaayil pattu eratham..patchai kalpooram ennum vunndu..baagavathanidam adi pattathai kaatta maha dvarathul nullaiyum pothu gadappaarai vunndu..novu saathikonndaar oru naallil..poey paarthaar thiruvenkadamudaiyaan..paarkka villaiyaam..avarkal ninaivu yenna eval ninaikiraal..pesaamal udaaseenam panna koodaathu..kutram seythavar pakkal poraiyum -poruthu kollanum-kirubaiyum ..perumaal baagavatha abacharam panninaal porukka maattaan..oru nimisha abacharam panninaalum porukka maattaan.. kirumi kannda cholan kann ponathum ..vasalil pona nethi thiruman kaappu neraha ellai yentru ninaithu eruppeyn athu thaan kann ponathu yentraaraam..pesuvathu svarooba laabam..adalmaa kudhiraiyil poey kainkaryam panninaar thirumangai..vedupari udsavam..nammalvaar olivil kaalam ellaam..vazluvilla adimai seyya veynndum yentru paasuram mattum panninaar..vaasihamaay anghu adimai seythaar..sorpanni sey aayiram..22000 sorkal mattum ubayogham panninathaal naan munney yentru sollumaam.. divya desa perumaallin varisaiyum sollkallin varisaiyum nintrathaam..paada mudiyaathu yentru solla 1000 naakku venum yentraar battar.. mazlai peythu samudra jalathil kalakka perumai mazlaikku..stotrathukku appaarpattavan..namathu naakku kainkaryamaha stotram pannukiraarkal..eruvarum vuyartchi panni pesukiraarkal..”ma susaha “yentru solla kaathu konndu erukiraan..nivedayada yentru pannmaiyil sonnaan vibeeshannan..seekiram poey sollungo ..sugreevanidam..raamanidam maha visvasathudan vanthu evan muniduvarai avan munniduvaan..yennai adaiyanum yentru raaman thudithu konndu erukiraar  baagya labathai tholaikaathey seekiram sollu yenkiraan..

..12th paasuram..narselvan thangaay yenkiraal ethil..anaithillaarum arinthu yenkiraall..naithu ellam seru aakkumaam..paal vellathaal..karavamal vittathaal.. kantrin vaayaal pohanum edaiyan kaiyaal pohanum eranndum ellaamal kumuri ..ninaithu mullai valliyey kottinathaam..varnnasrama darmathai vittavan ..erunthaalum evannai narselvan yenkiraall..pala karanthaan keezl paasurathil..thallaiyil pani vellam, keezley paal vellam naduvil krishna anubava maal vellam.. moontru vellam..sinathinaal then elanghai komaanai setraan manathukku eniyaannai..sandaiyaal ellai..gobathaal yenkiraall..sinam virothikalidam namakku manathukku eniyaan..raman gunnam yaaraiyum vida villai roobam gunangalalum yeedu pattu..eni thaan ezlunthiraay..ethenna per vurakkam.. kumbakarnna thotru kodutha thookkam ontrumey ellai yentru aakkinaval.. per vurakkam..

..anushtitha paasuram 11th..setraar..virothi yengu erunthaalum sentru..munbolaa raavannan paasuram..saadhu sanathai nalliyum kanjanai saadipatharkku..kashtapaduthanum yentru eyarkkaiyaha kashdapaduthinavan..selva vibeeshannan yenkiraar yellam vittu raamanidam vanthavannai..nija selvam therinthavan..sadru pakkathilirunthu vanthavan yenkiraan sukreevan ..avanukku setraar yaarum ellai..aazlvaarkalaiyum aruli seyalaiyum thaazlvaha ninappavarkal thaam  narahil veezlvaarkal ..nee our paal sellaathey yenkiraar maa muni..nenju thirinthaal athuvum setraar aahum..pattrulla manasu virothi.. pattratra manasu nanban..kamsanaiyo raavannanaiyo thedi sella veynndaam setraarai paarkka..visvaroobam kaattum munnam visvaasam erunthaal sevai yentraan Kannan Arjunanidam..gokulam maadukallai yenna mudiyaathu yenbathai..veedu mun muttravum padhiham ..pidithathai vittu vittu patraathavanai pattranum..neer numathu tholaikanum..thurumbu velliyil varuvathu ethrkku thimngalam kadalukkul adakkam yentru erunthaal thalla maattaan ..yenberukku annalathu onn porul yeerillai..kalyana gunnangallai yenni mudikka mudiyaathu namathu thoshangallai yenna mudiyaathathu pola..kalyanna gunna ganaha adisaya niravadhiha adhisaya asangeya yenkiraar..aanatham allakka aasai ubanishad..alavu koll. manushya aanadam therinthathu 100 deva,100 endra,100 prahaspathi 100 brahmaa..einnum usadhi..ethu pola 100 brahma vanthaalum  mudiyaathu ..vuyarvara vuyar nalam vudaiyavan yenkiraar..antha gunnangallai yennallam entha karavai kannangal pala yenna mudiyaathu yenkiraar..battar adimedaavi..sarva dandra svandarar yentru peyar..thirumanna thoonnil thottil katti thoonga panninaaram..abimana puthrar..amudhu paaraiyil prasadam thavillnthu vanthu allainthathum thaan avanukku prasadam..sarvagna battan vanthaan..elloraiyum jeyitheyn yentru  ..kai manal ethanai yentru soll yentru pidi manal yentru solla theriyathavan.. thahappanaar eppadi eruppar raamanujar eppadi eruppar yentru purinthu sentraanaam.. vargamaha pirikkallam kalyanna gunnangallai  maadu kantrukallai pirikka mudiyaathaam..kannanai daraha boshka boghyamaha konndavarkal.. nayaa gokul puranna gokul yenkiraar..paradvam sowlapyam yentru eranndaha pirikkalaam…”para avaran” -vuyarntha thaazlntha eranndukkum mel ellai ..asrenna yedhuvaana ezlimai otha gunnangal..asridhanin kaaryam nadatha sakthi vallamai padaitha gunnangal eppadi eranndu vahai..asridha kaariya..maa meham yentrum thannai thottu solkiraan..angi paasurathaal paartha sarathy erukiraan..pasallai noy kanndu velluthu povathu pola erunthathaam arjunanidam seraamal erunthaal..aham dvaa sarva paapam nenjai niminthu sonnaan..svaroobam roobam sollum gunnangal..eyarkkai thannmai sowree raja ,sowndara raja perumaal pola.. thirumeni pattri sollum gunnangal..chitathaal pidikka vuruvam venum..manasai oru nillai paduthanum ..erilla vann puhazl narannan thin kazlal serey atmaavai yennalaam karavai kannankallai yenna mudiyaathu.. bakthar, muktar, nithyar yentru pirikkallaam..divya visva roobam aaydam, maalaikal, abarannangal thollkal aayirathaal kannkal aayirathaay yentru yenna mudiyatha nillaiyai vinmeethuruppaay, kadal vuyyoham, andaratmi archai yentru pirikallaam..paravasudevan kaarya vaikunndam sadya loham thaandi erukkum sanndhanyaha loham..rishikal engey thaan poey vittu varuvaar..prapannan mattum vulley poha mudiyum..nithyodidam sandodudam..vuyaha vasudevan sangarshannan pradyumnan anurudyannan ..moontru per oruvarin pirappaar kesava 12 thirunaamamum eppadi pirinthathu mukya avatharam avesa avadaram balaraman, parasuramam eranndum..sakthi avesa avathaaram vunndu..sanmam pala pala seythu yennintra yoniyumaay piranthaay..divya desam pirikirom..nintra eruntha kidanda..27 sayana divyadesam..amarntha 21.. nintra 60..kizlakey79..merkey19 ..vadakkey 3 salagramam ayodya thiru vuraiyoor.. therkku 7.. thiruvarangam ethil ontru..yennil adangaatha yennil kallithaal yennil adangaathathu varum..thiruvida chedana ..baktar mumukshu bhubukkshu eranndu vahai..muktaril baghvallabaarthi ,atmaa anubavam kaivalyaarthi.. yedu nilathiduvathin munnam thirumbi varathavar evarum..eisvarthharthi kaivalyaarthaarthi bagavalaabaarthi moontru vahai….ezuvaar -eisvaram vidai kollvaar-solli konndu povaar yeen thullaay pola vilahaamal eruppavar..tholaisa sothai puthiyana sothai..andakulathukathipathi..asurarkallai pokki andakulam eranndu vahai naankku vahai chadur vidam yenbar..gunna nishtar kainkarya nishtar munivar yogi..lakshmananum(kainkaryam) baradanum (guna)pola..thirunamangalukku kuraiyo?..gunathukku solla thirunamam.. vyabahangal narayanna vishnu vasudevan.-ella edathilum-.avyabaha mandram..thamar vuhanda perum avanathu..svarooba thirunamam vishnu easvaran pola.. roobam kesava pola suseela vatsala kaarunnya gunnangal seshtitham damodaran naangu vahai paduthidalaam..pramaannam vedam yenna mudiyaathu vyasar pirithaar kattru karaivai kannangalukku yeedaha koodaathu..pradyadsham anumaanam sabdam moontru vahai..neraha, anumaanam-parvatham mela puhai paarthu neruppu erukkum yentru therinthu kolluvathu..sabdam vedam..kannal parthu ,kaathaal kettu .mookkal muharnthu ,rusithu,enthirangallaal therivathu.. thuvabaraha yugathil vedam naankaka pirithaar saahaihal pala..rik artham anusarena padam..sadyam gjanam anandam brahmam..yajur artham anusanthithum padam ellamalum paadam..gaanathodu saamam.. kalanthu vanthal adarvannam..vysambanar yajur..jaimini ..krishna yajur 86 saahai..smirthi ethihasam..6 angangal..ubaagangal 8..meemaansai pola..puraannangal..vidya saanangal entha 14..sudha misra kaala moontru vahai achit..sadvam raji damas kalanthu..anandam kala dadvam..erantha nigazl kadantha kaalam.. manni nimisham pirikkalaam..sothu ethannai avanukku..nithya leelaa viboothi..prakruthi vikrithi..moolam mahaan ahangaaram pancha boothangal einthirangal gjana karma einthiriyangal..10 manasu ethellaam..24 vargam..annda gadaha mayam evai 14 loham..7deebangal jambodeebam9 baarada varusham kanndam..pirikkalaam..kattru karaikal koottam pirikka mudiyaathu..

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Thiruppaavai Shri. Vellukudi Swaami 17th and 18th paasuram.

January 6, 2008

..17th paasuram ..Ambaramey thanneerey..nappinnai piraattiyai pattri  ..vundhu madakallitrin thodangi moontru paasurangallaal..raamaanujar yeedu patta paasuram vunndhu mada kazlattrin thiruppaavai jeeyar..nandagopalan marumahal yentru sambandam solli arulukiraall.. madam vunnda koodiya yaannai..kandam kamazlum kuzlali..vanthengum kozli azlithana.. vidintha adaiyaallam.. erummai siru veedu yentrum kozli yentrum edai thannmai yerittu ..panthal mela pala kaal kiyil enangallummkoovina yenkiraar.. madavi pandal eintrum paarkalaam..panthaar viralli kaiyil panthai piduthu konndu erukiraall..mythunnan=kannanai.. edai pennkal paachaiyil matchaan pola..per paada=nama sangeerthanam yentru ellai..vasavu paada keli panna yenkiraall..panthu thotrathukku.. santhaamarai kai avanathu thaamarai kai.,

17th paasuram..mudalil nandan appuram yasodhai ..daanam =nanda gopan.. yentha danam vastram theertham annan ethai seythaalum ethu mattum therinthavar pola daanam seyvaar..aram seyvathu saathi darmam yentru pannukiraar..konndaattam yethir paarkaamal pannukiraar..emberumaan=thallaivaan..lohathukku ellamaha kannanai koduthavar..kombu annaar vanchi kommbu pola edai padaitha ..yasodhai kula villakku kannanai kaatti kodukkum villakku.. emberumaattiyum eval ..arivuraay adaakka mudiyum kannanai thaambi kayaraal kattiyavall..ezlunthiraay arivuraay kannai muzlithaal kaariyum nadakkum..avan ezlunthu pannanum..kannan vastram thanneer annam yenbathaal sarva labhaha kesavan–vunnum soru pola..ellam avan thaan..andakulathukku adipadiyaahi..eisvaraathikal konndaadum..sadrukallai ozlithu .virithikallai ozlithu endranukku meendum allithavan..kannanai kodukka ketkiraal engey dasaradan paarthu ramanai koduthathu pola..draupadikku vasdra danam ..paandavarkalukku thanner koduthavan. pasu kantrukalukku theertham kudikka katru koduthavan..ambanna kannaal yasodhai yenkiraar thirumangai.. evan kannai paarthu anumaanam..dayaradar petra marahatha manni dadam raman yenkiraar..ninaiyey mahanaha pera peruveyn ezlu pirappum ..yennaiyum yen mey vuraiyum onnaha  konndu.. kulesekarar paasuram..vaikundaa manni kundaa–vallaley madisudhana..vunnaiyey kodukkum vallaley ..thirumeniyai kaatti koduthaan..yen marahada mallaiyay..patchai maa mallai pola meniyai kaatti koduthavan..vunnai yenganam viduveyn..avdaariyan=vallal..praarthikamal erukkum pothu veru prayojanathukaha ellamal kodukkum thanmai vallal thanmai…eiyappadu aruthu thontru azlahanoor arangam..thondar adi podi..kaiyiley piditha divyaaydangalum..nam mel vinnai kallivaan..radshikkum ..kavitha mudiyum..paradvam..therinthu kolla..greeda mahuda soodaavathamsam..perarasu visumbalarasu orarasu pola..thanathu greedam thottu kaattukiraan valathu thirukaiyaal edathu thirukaiyaal thiruvadi kaattukiraar..pun sirippudan sowseelyam..muhamum murauvalum..aazlavandaar amarmadiyaha paapishtaha 10 kuttrangallai solli kurai ontrum ella govindaa..saranagathan yennum pattam soottikonndu erukireyn..easvaran vittu vida koodaathu..vaitha anjal yennum kai..azluthuya thiruvadi yai pattra …vulaham allantha adikeezl amarnthu puhanum..samsaram kizlangeduthaal antreyl pereyn yentru erukiraan..avar purapattu poha joodathu yentru acharikkamal erukirom!..ubanishad perum kaadu pola..kuzlappam ..aazlvaar paasuram othi thellintheyn yenkiraar desikan.. roobam pesi svaroobam mattum pesaamal..than paal aadaram peruha vaithaan arangan..pattrina pinbu ..ubadana sinthanai eintri sevikkanum..maathru yoni paritchai pannuvathu pola..notra nonbileyn paasuram vaanamaa mallai..deivanaayagan..svayam shedram..angutreyn alleyn ,engutreyn allan-,nithya baktha muktar oruvarum engutrenum allen.ellai.. elangai setra ammaaney ..vantharulli ..yethar koovuthal aavathu ellai..yen nenjidar konnda vaanavar kozlunthey..uba samebathil paayam allaithu konndu ponavar..evar ubayathey..yellerum veedu petraal yentru kellikkai padaithu erukiraan..nin padamey saranaga thanthu ozlinthaay….yogam motsham tharathu avanai patri motsham peranum..vunnal antri yaavaraalum purai veynndeyn..charanau saranam prapathyey eranndu thiruvadi thamaraikallai  thanchamaha vuruthiyudan nanbukireyn..mandra drayam therinthu kollanum..eranndu nillaiyai vellipaduthukirathu eranndu thiruvadikalaal..prapahan prapaham..adivippanum adainthu anubavikkum porulum avan..arenakku thanthozlinthaay..aaru,peru eranndum ..aarahavum perahavum koduthaay.. neri vasal thaanahavey nintraay..ubaayam ubeyathaal pannina gunathaiyey gunamaha vadiveduthathu pola ..5-7,5-8,5-9,5-10 sarannagathi pannukiraar..avan vubaayam yentru pesavey vanamaamallai padiham..padamey ubayamaha thanthozlinthaay eharam..maa meham pola..ekaaram mukkyam..eranndaiyum pragaham yenkiraar battar..125000 slokams-geethai–2 slokam..sarama slokam 18-66..avdaryam vanamaamaliyil kozlunthu vittu erukkum-naayanaar..thiruvezlunthoor araiyar.. aaru kaatti vantha pothu padamey thanthu koduthaan yenbaar..vallanmai..thirumeniyum thiruvadiyum kaatti koduthaan..sandeepanidam erukkum pothu kuselarummkannanum sulli porukka kathai psinndu erunthaar acharyar anughraham nantraha erukirom.. kunthunkashdam koduthu vunnai ninaikka thonum..madi thadaviya soru pola aahum yentru ketkka villai ethuvum aval kodutha pinbu..raman kattuku pohum pothu danam pannukiraan go danam pera andanan manaivi -paal ellai yentru -ponathum..sarayu karaiyil pannanum.. vaitharanni nadhi atma dandum go danathaal..thadi podum vizuntha edam varai vulla maadukal ellam vunathu.. asoka vanathil eppadi siritha ramanai ezlantheyney yenkiraal seethai..kannan avan kathaiyai sollubavarkallai vallal yenkiraan..vallal thanathai kai yenthinathaal thaan kaatta mudiyum avarkal than vallal..kathai solli nillaika vaitha aazlvaarkal yaavarum vallal thaan..koovi kollu kaalamkurukaatho yentru kathari..than veetil erukkum kuzlanthaiyai patinni vaithu .namakku virunthu padaikka vaithaan.nanjeeyar..”gjanam kalantha nalam konndu –vanam kodupathu madavan valvinaiyen yeenam eraamanusanai.. “amudanaar..than thiruvadi thanthilen thaan athu thanthu..yadirasar namakku allitha vaazlvu..than thahahu-krubai kodutha kaarey karunnai raamanusa..vunnmaiyana vallanmai evarathu thaan..sem por kazla adi baladeva yentru aahasam thaandinavannai ezluppiyathum..vummbiyum neeyum vurangeyl.padukkai thoongi paarthathu ellai..vurangel oer embaavaay..

..18th paasuram..purushkarahi aval.. avallai patri avanai pattranum..maha lakshmi,boodevi ,neella devi ..motshathai kodukkavall vubayamaha piratti moolamm pattrukiraarkal..payam theernthu madiyil othungi avannai pattri eruvarukkum kainkaryam pannanum yentru moontru paasuram..kuthu villakku eriya.. aayar kulathuku villakku aval. kottu kaal kattil..prasadam maallihai kattil padukkai pola..naangu kaalkal..patta mahishikku vanum yentru kuvalaaya beeda yaanaikalin thanthaal ..menmai kulirtchi visalam pontra pancha sayanam.. kothu kothaha alarnthu konndu erukira pushbangal thiruvadi sambathaal malarum..aval sambathaal evanum malarukiraan..malar maarban..vaay thiravaay yenkiraal..maasusaha yentru vaay thirakka pohum pothu vumakku antha peyr koodaathu.. radshikka vara yen thadukiraay?..muthadam kanninaay–vaseekarithu yengalai kakkathaan.. thueil ezla ottaathaay? piruvu payanthaa?..thathuvam antru thahavum antru..vun purushakarathukku seraathu krubai svaabam ethukkum seraathu..yenkiraal

..emberumaanaar vunja vrithikku pohum pothu..thanneril alasivittu vunbaraam.. vaasanaikallai neekka..sayanam pothu thiruvaaymozli thadakkam thiruppaavai..yaanai pola eruppar thiruvaay mozliyaal..singam pola eruppar..vali mikka seeyan ..kaliyan paasurathaal..periya nambi keezla chitira veedhiyil koorathaazlvaan mudaliaandaan thirumaazlihai.. mayakkam athullay vanthathum..vundhu mada kazlitrin paasuram anusandanam..vasal kadai thiravaay yentrathum mayakkam..bakthi bavam athiham vedaandam erunthaalum..acharyar pinbummpiratti moolamm pohanum..palamaha erukiraal..srihi.. mada..lakshmi..piraatti kutram kuraikallai thavirthu serkiraal.. lakshyathey anaya lakshmi..lakshyamaha kolla venndiyaval. madippudan patra mada.. kamala.. narayana jeevatma koduthu vaangukiraal..sothai swamikku thara hethuvaahiraal..la da na adana kamala..purushan karothi purushakaari purushanaha avanai aakkukiraal.. ketathai thayangamal kodukka pannukiraal.. saastram padi paapam punnyam poruthu arulanum..thukka saharathil azluthukiraarey? etherkku ?..attu mandhai ottubavan allai..koukka vallavanaha aakkukiraan.. vatsalyam killappi vaikiraall..kobam adakki..puri dadhi naadi parthom..munnokki nadappavan purushan..thirunaraiyoor piraatti munnam..bagavannai nokki aabi mukyam erukkanum virupathudan..eruvaraiyum purushanaha aakkukiraall..ubedasathaal nammai thiruthikiraall.raavannanukkum panninaall..sarannam yentru nintavarkalukku krubaiyum daya ellam kaatu ..ellathavanukku saastra vidhi vaithukko yentru solli koduthaall..vuootram erunthaal vazli kittum..purushaharaha vuyarntha aanpaal soll..serthu vaikiraal.. om eil nadu padam vukaram eval palam pola akarathaiyum makarathaiyum serkiraall..nappinnai lakshannam arulukiraall..sibarusu pannukiraall..sri paarsam separsu aanathu..nanda gopalan marumahal mudal vurimai..kandam kamallummkuzlali enimai boghyathvam aduthathu..neengaatha kaadal erukkanum ..vurimaiyaim enimaiyum ..panthaar viralli.. naam thaan panthu.. oru kaiyaal avan adutha kaiyaal naam ..villaiyaattu porul naam ellaam.. namathu kainkaryam konndu aanantham adaivaarkal avarkal..suttramellaam pin thodara lakshmannan ellamaha poey aanandam koduthaan..madiyiley erukiraan adimai yentrathum..aadkolvaan yentru vueir konnda maayan paarthom..prapthamana adimaithanam..moovarum orey aanantham yenkiraar vaalmiki..seshadvam sidhi seshidvam sidhi yennum aanadam..avar kaiyil panthaha ellai..yen thirumahal ser maarbaney yennum..battar-nanjeeyar..yennudaiya aaviyey yennum..thaayar solvathaha paasuram..7-2 arangan padiham..nee thaan vyaadhi theerkanum yenkiraal thaayar..nilamahal kelvaney yennum..aaymahal anbaney yennum.. sridevi boo devi neelladevi erunthum yennai kai vittu vidalama yentru kettalaa..variyai serthu moortchithu aanaiyiley saaynthaar..sriyapathi yennudaiya aavi yentru ardam konndu serthanaal vanthathu..maarbam=thirumahal servan.yen maarbam thirumahal sernthavan pala pala ardam yen thirumahal thaan sari..battar naatchiyaarukku parthaa yentru mathippom..piraatti pakkal othunginaal bayam eintri erukkalaam..senthaamarai kai seeraar vallai  ollippa..seeraar vallai piriyamal eruppathai arulukiraall..seermai kallalaamal. sanghu thanghu mun kai nangai pola..valliyalum kallalaathu avanai vittu piriyathathu pola..varutham ellithu vallaiyai villunthu vudainthathu.pohavillai yentrathum peruthu athuvum vudainthathu ..pirivai pattri petchey ellai eingey.. ahalahilleyn yentru eruppathaal..nithyanabayaanni nirabadyaam pola..srimannu naarayana pola..nithya yogam.. vittu piriyaamal..naarayannan aavathum eval vittu piriyamal eruppathaal.. gunnangalum nara sabdathul adangum..thiru kanndeyn yentru avallai mudalil arulinaar..appuram pon meni kanndeyn yentraar..thiru yentrathum lakshannam solli avannaiyum sonna maathiri..eintriyamaiyathathu svarooba nirubaha darmam …sripathiapthvamey ethu.. nenjai paarthu parathevathai.. thiruvilladevarai dereyn min devu..veetrirunthu thiruvadikallai thonga vaithu karppu thiru meni sandanam evallin kumkumam pattu adaiyaallam kaattum.. thiruvukkum thiruvaahiya selvan..avallai konndu thaan avanai adaiyaalam kanndu kollanum..endran mukkalkadashthaal.. brahman paathui muzlu kan bagavaan aanaan yenkiraar battar..padaithu eval muhathai paarthu -stotrapriyan-angeeharam panninaal..kann jaadaiyaal paarthaal..palam adainthaal pola aanadam konndaan..ubadesathal  meezlada pothu avanai azlahaley  evanai arylaaley thiruthum..madavan yennu otha valleerey ..meenukku vudambellam thanner pola sernthu eruppaall..poomel eruppaal vinai theerppaall..nirangua svandaran.. vurimai yoda…athudan enimai konndu kattu paduthukiraal..odametri kooli kollaarai pola..andarpurathil ..aval anubavathaal avanin kann paarvai kuraiya thosham paarkkavillai desikan..nadu gangaiyil pohum pothu koolli kolluvaar  nadu aatril avanai pattri erukkum pothu..adiyavarkal paapangallai sabikka solluvaall..seeraar vallai ezluppa..ekonna seshadvam…vishnu pathni easvariyaha..aadiseshan garudan vishvaksenar brahma edran devimaarudan seshamaha ..venneerai thanneraha kullira vaippaal.. evallai pattra yaarum venndaam thanneerai kulira vaikka vera venndaam..anjali mattum porum.. vadakku vaasallil valliyey pohum pothu namaha sonnathum than thallaiyaal thaanguvaallam eisvaryam kaivalyam parama padamum koduthu vusithamana palan thara villai yentru thallaiyai kuninthu eruppaallaam.. kadalaal vetki thallai kuninthu erukka battar eppadi arulukiraar..perumaanukku piraattiyaal yetram..hiranya kasibuaasdanam poha mudivu pattu nethikku eyyukollaamal aazlvaar ponaaraam..kalliya mikka kaalam poha pakthi koodukirathu.. paarai thooki pohum pothu erakki vaithaan selva narannan yentru sor kettu angirunthu thirumbinaaraam..sriya pathi soll yengum ketkirathu..thunba paduthum pothu thirumaal yenkiraar..vuru meen varum allavum kaathu kokku erunthathu velluthathu vanchithaanaa vunnaiyumaa yentraar kaathu oodinathu katti aalluthaar.. noyum .nneyum thirumaallal nenjam kot pattaayaa? yenkiraar..manathaiyum olliyum konndu pushpathaiyum maannikamum kolluvathu pola evallai pattri avannai pattranum.. nera seetha paarkka eranniyan.. ramanai pattra soorbanahai kaathum mookkum ezlanthaal.. mannam oli thanithu kolla mudiyaathu..anuha koodiya thanmai tharukiraal eval..srihi thiru naamam..otrai ezlthu pravaaham..sreyathey sreeyathay ellaarum asrikiraarkal thaan avanai aasrikirall..piraattiyidam ellaam solli shamikka arula venndikanum thani kovil naatchiyaaridam..sri devi boo devi eruvarum kann jaadai.. thiru maarbu naatchiyaar rahasiyamaha aruli kaappar.. ahara draya sambandam..visvaroobam sevikkanum deva perumaannai vallaiyal pottunndu moontru vari erukkum..perum devi thaayarin vallaiya mudraiyudan sevikkanum avallin vasathil erukkum pothu..vurimai padaithaval..jagad easvari erattai.. kutram kettu avanai ketpikiraal..kaathai thiruppi namathu sarannathai ketpikiraall..eranndaavathu erattai thosham allikiraal serthu vaikiraall..vadivallahil aadpattu kandam kamallum.. panthaar viralli vibbothi oru kaiyil naram oru kaiyil ayanam oru kaiyil kattilaiyum thottilaiyum vidaamal erukiraall.. sangu thangu munkai nangai seeraar vallaiyal….purushakaaram seyvikiraall….serthu radshikiraarkal..

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Thiruppaavai Svabadesam Shri. M.A.V Swaami 15th and 16th paasuram.

January 5, 2008

..15th paasuram..elley ezlam killiyey..nangaay naannadaay naavudaiyaay yentraal mun paasurathil.. vubayogam vudaiyatha erukanum..karmendringal 5 ..gjana enthiryangal..5..vaakku,paani kainpadam kaal vaay ubasdam mala moothra thuvaaram..erandilum varum vaakku vaay ..gjanam, karma enthiyangalilum erukku..annathai vunnum pothu suvaiyai sollum pothu vera visesham..nakku vazliyaha ponaal pisu pisuppu aahathu..azlukku ottathu..yaa kaavarenum naa kaakka..naavinnal sutta vadu aaraadu..naa adakki yenbathu vunavukkum sollukkum..vunnum soru yellam kannan yentru eruppavall..entha paasurathil mattum eruvarum vuraiyadal pola aruli erukiraall..samvada roobamaha vaithaall. ..baagavatha anushtithu kaattinathaha aruli erukiraal….yaar vasana booshannathin aazl porullai arivaar yaar neril anushtippar..oer oruvar vunndaahil..velli vyaazlan vyranguvathu 2-3 mannikku keezlvaanam munnam arulinaal.. ellaam svabadesathukku arulinaal..yelley=adiyey..vaithevi ein thunnaiyaay..kanamarum kaannedi thirumangai .naayagiyum thozliyum pesum paasuram..vanavar thanni malar ezley..padil..sayaley.. kuraithum yetriyum 11 thiru mozliyil eintru thirumangai paasuram..athu pola samvadam vaithu erukiraar..yeley= adey pola..ellam killi..ennum vuranguthiyo..sill yentru azliyeermin.. surukkentru alliyaatheerkal…elley yentrathaal..killi pola sowkyamaha erukireney yenum arthathil sollukireer..uranguthiyo kann vallarum yentraal maaman mahalukku..naayanaar thiru paavaiyahirathu eppasuram..nadu naayagamana paasuram ethu..palan paasuram vanga kadal..nayaga radnam haarathin naduvil vaipathu pola..nigrahamum prasadam anughrahamum acharyarin prasadam..thappai eduthi kaatti thiruthi panni kolluvaar..PBA swaami saahum tharuvaayil erunthaalum paal yentraal vaay thiraveyn thapaal yentrathum vaay thirapeyn yenbaar..meda vilasam pillaiyai thiruthi redirect pannuvaarkal..appadi thiruthi panni konndaar..erannduaazlvaarkal vuyarthinnai eruvar yentru erukkanum.. muyarchikeren ellai muyalkireym .. kidaambi achaan..ner sishyar sri baashya simhasa adhipathi kidambi naayanaarin thatha..thirumadapalli kainkaryam..pitchaiyil visham kalanthaarkal vishumikal..ubavasam erunthaar thiru koshti nambi vanthu acharyarai ethir konndu thandam samarpithaar..ezlunthiru yentru solla villai kaathunndu erunthaar.. kidaambi atchaan maarbil yerittu konndaar..padu paabi yentraar..vummai kaanna pannineyn nyamithaar..madappallai valiyaha vantha mannam yenkiraar desikan..theertham saathikkanum..thatheeyaradanam.. edathu kaiyaal saappida koodaathu..ottai viral moodikonndu varuvaar..vaayil saathipparkal..kidaambi atchaanpanniyaammai kullaiyaamai4 pathu 8 thirumozli 4th ..pillaiyamal panni konndavannai arulukiraar.. ethir varisai sirama pattu muthuhil ongi vudo elley enkiraar..thanndam samarpithu adiyenai panni konndeer yentraaraam..koottathil sonnalum eppadi eduthu konndaar..”seyal nantraha thiruthi panni kolvaan” madurakavi….killi sonnathai thiruppi sollum acharyarum munnor mozlintha murai thappaamal kettu …etheyo solli ubadesam yenbavar moorkar aavar yenkiraar maa muni..sishyar sandya vandanam eranndu paapam pannamal pannineyn yentraar..sill yentru allieyel yentrathum nangaimeer yentru gowrahamaha sonnathum..potharuhintren=varukiren..pothanthaar pohintraar ellai varuhintraar..vallai kettikaari katturai=kadumaiyana vaarthai..panndey arithom..posukentru padil solluvathu..valleerkal neengaley yentru padilukku sonnaal..shannam yosithu “naaney thaan aayiduha”-paasurathin naduvil amaithaal ..nadu nayaga pathakathil amaintha radna kall.solli anushdanamaha kaattukiraall..valleerkal neengalley suram eduthu paadukiraarkal..ethai arulaamal..adamam kuttrathai maraithaal madyaman vudaman ellatha kutrathai yerittaalum ..baradanin anushdanam..vana prevesam avanaal yentru mandarai ellai,vellaikaari..kaikeyi..agjanam..pillaikku yentru ninaithaal..thakappanaar..raamain peril thappu yentru ninaithavar..madva.. kaikeyi vayitril piranthathu thaan kaarannam yentraan..mama papamey yentru maa muniyum yathiraja vimsadhiyil arulukiraar..pirar thunbam kanndaal eiyo yentru erakkam kolluvathaal..puram vasanai vidivathum ..peru thuthikkaiyum eppadi erukkum sri vaishnnavar .yetram kanndu vuhandhu erukkai..munbu seyvathellam yerpattalum arithavathu ethu thaan yenkiraar maa muni.. 600 years munnam..ollai nee pothaay vunakku yenna verudaiyaay..anathaazlvaan.. battar puthiya manniyakarar .kadumaiyaha vaarthai ..nammudaiya thoshangallai vinnappikkanum emberumaanidam vasavu aazlavandaar neesar poramaiyin vuootru manathilor thooymai ellai sinathinaal.. dan padaithiallan nesanen nunarivileyn kontren pallu vuirai ..papamey seythu paapiyaaneyn nanavida naraham puhum ,,puthisaha naraham srishtikkanum naan pannina papangalukku..nychayanusandanam namm anusandhikka panni vaithaarkal mud piraviyil yerpattu erukkalaam..kadya drayathilum arulukiraar bagavatha abachara naana vida abachara ..battar yenakku pradinidiyaha vinnapatheerentru thenndam samarpithaaraam..nampillai ,kanthaadai thollappar mudaliaandaanin thiruperar..poraamai ..kadumaiyana vasaiyaal vaisaar..paaryai solla abarada panna ubedeikka..ezlunthu vanthu paarthaal nampillai keezley vizlunthaar..shamikka ..devareerin thiru vullathil vaarthai pada abachara patteyn yentraaraam..lohacharyar yentru pattam koduthaar..ongi vilahamal nintrathu lohacharyar yennum peyar..kaaranna peyar..arula paadu nampillai lohacharyar yentru aruluvaarkal..kuttram seythavar pakkal porrai-porumai,krubai-papam avaruku poey serukirathu nammai vaithathaal..svanishtai thannai pattri nishtai.. thanakku thaaney ariya srivasana booshanamum nammai naamey arinthu kolla..krubai kollanum sirippum..vuhakkum..dehathukku pannuvathaal virothiyana.. ubahara smrthi pradi nidhiyaha evan panninathaal…nadakka veynndum ..easvaran thannudaiya yaagjaiyaal pannukiraan ennoru jeevatmavaal yentru ninaikkanum..desikanum pillai lohacharyarum ethai arulinaar..ollai nee pothaay vunakku yenna perudayai..seekiram ..thani anubavam ethukku?..koorathaazlvaan kannkallai ezlanthathum arangan kovilil poha anumathithathum emberumaanaarin sambandam venum yentru “yenakku yenna verudaiyai “-acharyar sambandam venumyentru aruli pohavillai..mullahau aazlvaan ..vuoor perahum….sadas raja saivan..daduthaan..srivaishnavar anumathi kidaiyaathu ori ellai erinthu koothaadinaar srivaishnavan yentru vun vaayaal sonnathu..virothi kai viduthal thaan uthesam..battar ananthaazlvanidam ketkka sonnar sri vaishnava lakshnam solla..amudhu seythaar pullakadiyilum ..kokkai pola kozli pola ..kokkau odu meen vuru meen vara vuyarntha vishayathil kann vaikkum..asaramana vasthuvil kann. kozli kuppayil erukkum maannikam edukkum.. vummai pola erukkum mudalil pakkam kadaisiyil pullakadi acharyar etta , vuppai pola soril suvai vuttum..sariyaha erunthaal solla maattarkal.. sri vaishnavan pradanamahavum varamalum erukka koodaathu ..uppai pola kalanthu erukkanum..baagavatha goshtiyil seranum ..serthu kollalaam eppo veynndumanalum..sri vaishnavan sera avakasam paarkka veynndaam. vasthu thaan karainthu suvai kodukkum thannai ozlnthu .. villai kuraivi vuppu sri vaishnavanum dasa dasa pola erukkanum..allinndu varuvaarkal thaaney vanthu anughrahikkanum.. thaniyana vuppukku suvai ellai vunakku yenna perudaiyai..kainkaryam kolla villaiyanalum kalanga koodaathu..ellorum ponthaaro.. oruvar varavillai yentraalum kurai kadaisiyil vuppu podanum…yenni koll..thottu yenninaal parama baagyam..acharyarai stotram pannanum.. mada kalliru einthirangal adakkubavar..maattrarai para samaya vadikallai naattiya nesa samayangal maandana ..sangara baskara pola..maattrarain maattrai azlikkanum yagja moorthu advaithi vadam panni maattrinaar..maaru patta karuthai allippar anandaalvaan arulala perumaan emberumaanaaridam ..yadava prakasarai maatrinaar govinda jeeyar.. battar nanjeeyar aakinathu pola..thiruthi panni kolluvar.. maayan erumbai ponaakkuathu pola..bagavanukku vuriyavanaha pannuvathaal..samvadam thirumangai.. kadaisi aazlvaar ezlam thammai killiyaha solli kondavar..thee emberumaan adiyamukku emberumaan allero..kasin oliyil enthalooril vaazlnthey poem yentraar..vasi valleer..madal eduthu payamoottinaar..valler .kurumbu seyyum mahan ”vembu pola vallarthaaley ..madal eduthathu thanni vazli ollai nee pothaay vunakku yenna perudayai..adi pravarthiyaha ..ellorum aazlvaarkal ellorum vanthaachaa?..yaannai kontra sarithiram arulinavar..

..16th paasuram..thirupuullannaiyil sarannagathi..vibeeshannan..manusha baavanniyil raaman.. vayam ezlum kanndaal pillai vaayil pirantha pozluthey sanghu chakaram kaattinaan..sooriyannai maraithaan brahmanna pillaiyai meetozluthaan..anthanan oruvan ..ethellal einarul..parshad karikattaiyaal pidanthai vuirpithaan..raman parathvathai erittu kollavillai ..raman thirunamam solli thaandinaar hanumaan..palam valliyaha thaan thaanduvaar..nadhi mela nam perumaal eintrum poha maattar..aahasathil vanthu nintraan vibeeshannan..sukreevan moolam thaan sarva loha saranyan rahavanidan vanthaan..manasika kadatsham seethai arulukiraall..thirisadai oruthu aarudal vaarthai aruli vibeeshannanin penn yentrall..10 paasurangallal pathimarai ezluppinaall..vedam vallaarkkallai konndu vinnor perumaan thiru paadam panninthu….vedam mudal saptham mudal einthu paasurathaal arulinaal..vallaarkallai konndu yentru adutha 10 paasurangallal arulukiraal.. vinnor nithya soorikal adutha 5 paasuram.. battar thirukoshtiyoor sentru erunthaar meendum varum pothu sri renga raja sthavam .. shedra balagaal nahara balagaal koburam .. 50, 60 slokangallal anubavikiraar..battarum pillai thiru naraiyoor araiyarum aari vull kulira yengana vuhakkum ..pooviyal pozlilulm thadamum avan kovilum kanndu…edai seri kudilaiyum kovil kaappan vasal kappan yentrathu archai anubavathaal arulukiraall. naangu vasal 8 per vunndu..karimuhan-,jaya seelan-yanai muhan senai mudaliyaar thalaivar..jaya vijayan..pillaiyaar elakkiyathil kidaiyaathu subramanniyar prasthabam erukku ..aazlvaar paasurathilum naayanmaar pattukalilum ellai.. vadabi yudam pothu vanthavar..kari muhan thotramum pillaiyar muhamum ontru..amudanaar kaarthihaiyaanummkari muhathaanum yentru arulukiraar..ner sernthaan kozli kodiyaan yenkiraar murugannai aazlvaar..kovil kappanaiyum vaayil kappaanaiyum naayagan yenkiraal..emberumaanaaraiyum kurikkum paasuram..raamanuja madam ethu..emberumaanaar darisanam yentru naatti vaithaar..vallabar nimbaarkar chaitanya madam thotruvithavar peyaril amainthana..parasangusar darisanam yentru sollanum.. sthiramahi aakki vaithavar enthai thanthai ezlvadikaal 21 thalaimurai kesavan damar keezl mezl emar ezlu pirappum..3times 7 .10 +1+10..yentrum 21 thallai murai aruluvaar..vyasam vasishtarin kollu peran sakthu peran parasar pillai suhan thakappanaar..oruvarai ettu ellorukkum perumai…thirumudi sambandam..thaambarabaranni aatru manallai kaaytchi vigraham bavishyadaacharyar vigraham kidaithathu marupadiyum kaaytchi nammaazlvar kidaithaar..maa muni munnam raamanujar nadu naayagam yentru desikar arulukiraar munan 9 pinnam 9..naduvil emberumaanaar..periya perumaalil arambithu maa muni yidam sishyarahaya periya perumaal..nanda gopanum emberumaanaar.rashikiravar aanantham adaikiravar ethaal..sveekaaram konndaar kannanai..yenna nombu petraarkalo evannai pettra vayiru vudaiyaall..thaathu konndaal kolo thaaney petraarkalo..thirunarayanna puram selva pillaiyai evarum sveekaaram konndavar..vumakkum vumudaiya sambandathukkum motsham yentraar namperumaal..manam mozli mey karanna drayam kaala rdayam past present future paapangallai pokkum perumai namakaka prarthithu ..shemam vaangi koduthaar..gopaha=rashikiravan gokullai radthikiravar gopapalan..naamum pasukkal pola..udaiyaan=udaiyavar.. kovil kappaan=thiruvarangam kaathavar..divyadesa kainkaryangallai pannuvathu kadamai yentru kaatt koduthu..dadvaarthangallai ubedesam mattum pannathu anushdanamaha kaatti koduthaar..raamanuja divya yagjai  kovil kainkaryam pothu vallarattum yenkirom..kambar kovil udsavam sirakka divya prabanda sevai goshti perumai serthaar..kodi thontrum kovil kappaan..thorannam naatti parama padathil maha navami vuoor valam vijayadasami munnan vallaivu, thorannam kattimuktarkalum nithyarkalum pannuvarkalaam..manni kadfavam.. nava radnam evar ezluthiya grandam..geetha baashyam gatya trayam nithyam vedanda saaram mudaliya..aayar sirumiyarom kulam gjanam siriyavar.. kulangalil piranthileyn gjanamum ellai yentru mazlisai piraan aruliyathu pola..nammidaiyey vanthu vaazlvithaar evar..nihar eintri neesar..puhal ellai..amudanaar..adhikaram ellatharkantro ethirasa nee eranga veynnduvathu ..yennai pol vinnai seyvaar vunndo unnai pol poruppaar vunndo yenkiraar maa muni..annai kudi neer arunthi  azlum kuzlanthai noeyai  theerpathu pola neer pannineer..nennelley vaay nernthaan.. bavishyachaaryar ..aadi seshen lakshmannan balaraman raamaanujar..yada yada darma..geethai gjani kallai vunndaakkukireyn yenkiraan geethaiyil..arai parai =purushardam..maayan manni vannan=nammaazlvaar..poliha poliha poliha..kalliyum kedum kanndu konnmin….thooyomaay vanthom..puram thooymai neeraayl amaiyum aham thooymai vaaymaiyaal amaiyum..nenjai thooymai..devada pradipathi pola acharyarai anuhanum..villanchilai pillai saptha kaathai ..mann vuloham yentru ninaikka koodaathu…silai sulaa thirumeni.. daaru thirumeni-marathaal..ethaal aayirunthaalum menmai ..acharyaraiyum sareerathai vaithu kuraiyaha ninaikka koodaathu..acharyarkku samamaha bagavanaiyum ninaikka koodaathu.. thueil ezla ..kainkaryam pannanum ..pinpazlahiya perumaal jeeyar nampillai sishyar..aazli ezla padiham sevikkanum ney kudaitha padiham arulanum..prayojanathukku aasai pattaraam..noey vanthathaal..thiruvalavattam kainkaryam panna aasai atharkaka erukkanum..thueil ezluppa paduvatharkaha”agjanathilirunthu meezla yentrum artham.. vaayal munnam munnam maattrathey..thiru koshtiyoor 18 dadavai vara sonnaar..appadi ellaamal  kodukkanum.. ammaa=swaami..nesa nillai kadavam neekku..nesam nillai kettiyahavum porunthiyum erukkum kadavu..erattai pahuthi yentru theriyamal porunthi erukkum..kadavum vazliyum kooda theriyaathu..ellaam eranndu namathu sampradayathil..perumaal piraatti vubaya vadam..manni pravallam.. thirumandram mandram mandra sesham poorva uthara kanndam..ellaam porunthi erukkum..vunakerkkum kola malar paavai pola porutham..dvayam poorva kanndam sonnathai uthara kanndam arulum.. neekku artha viseshangallai kaattanum..arumaiyana vasthu kadavai pottu jagrithaiyaha vaithaarkal.. aasai vudaiyorkelam velli ettaar..sarama slokam –koorath aazlvaanum mudali aandaanum erunthaar..thanndu pavitharum vara solli.. thirumandram mattum ubadesithar.. mattum vara solli sadyam vaangi konndu sarama slokam..aalvaanukku ubadesikka oru varusham paritchai panni ubadesikanum. vaari eraikka villai..oru madam ubavaasam erunthu kettaar..mudali aandaan kettathum thiru koshtiyoor 6 madam kainkaryam panni ..ethukku vantheer..vidya madam ethirasarey ubadesikkattum yentraaraam..vaarri eraikka villai..18-66 artha vishayam..rahasyamaha arulinaar..eru kadavum adaithu kaaleshebam pannuvaarkal ..artham muzluvathum kettu poha..moodi moodi maraithaalaarvam erukkum..nesa nillai kadavam lockeril vaithaar pola..nee vanthu neekku.. nee yenbathu avar moolam ariyanum..ellaam raamanujar vaibhavam arula pattathu..

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Geethaa Saaram 6-3 to 6-7

January 5, 2008

…6-3 slokam..yennai kinnaru..boomikkul erunthaar raja thedu svapnam setru thamarai erumbu koodi vazliyil sentraan..putrai thonndi eduthaan..perumaanin thallaiyil pattathu..abacharam pattom yentru kaiyaal eduthaan..yennai eduthu ..thina padi yennai theythu kollukiraan..kesavan..neenda myvanna narum kunji..vuduthu kalantha nin peethaha vaadai pola naamum yennai namakku thaan. kinnattril serbaarkal.. madathin aadheenathilum vunndu ..sivan kovilukkum vunndu yennai prasadam engum pohirathu..yogathil-atma sashadkaram poruttu muyaluvanukku..antha munivanukku ninaithu konndu eruppavan muni–karma yogam yerum padi kattu..sinthanai panni konndu karma yogamey kaarannam yenkiraan..karma yogathukkul atma gjanam adanginathu..karma yogathai vittuvidalaam mel padi vantha pinbu..atma sashadkaram petravan panna veynndaam.. yeniyil yerina pinbu yeni veynndaam..yetti vuthaikalamaa?..perum varai vida koodaathu yenkiraan ..sama darisanam kittivaithathum-prahaladan pola-kadaisi varai pannuvaarkal..ethan moolamaha atma saashdkaram perum vazli yentru ninaikaamal pannuvaarkal..karmamum kaikaryathil puhum..palanukkuhaha panna villai..aanathathukkaka pannuvom..reading books after examsforv pleasure pola..

aruruksor muner yogam

karma karanam ucyate

yogarudhasya tasyaiva

samah karanam ucyate

“For one aspiring to climb to reach atman darshan, karma yoga is the cause. While for the one already achieved, abandoning climbing in Karma yoga is the cause

..Aruruksor = the one who is climbing up [in the Karma yoga for atman sakshatkaram], mune = for such an intellect [as he is thinking always of atman; muni is manana seela: in Sanskrit], karma yogam = Karma yoga, karana ucyate = becomes the cause…Samah = abandoning [normally this word would convey equalizing, but here it is to mean abandoning karma yoga]. Who can abandon Karma yoga? Yogarudhasya = he who has achieved the objective of Karma yoga, that is atman sakshatkaram, tasyasya = such a person, karanam ucyate = is considered as a cause..

6-3..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities is the explained by Lord Krishna as the means for ascending in spiritual knowledge and achieving renunciation in their quest for atma tattva or realisation of the soul. But once a person has actually achieved renunciation and is securely situated then the cessation of activities is the rule and meditation, introspection and reflection becomes the means for attaining atma tattva. Exactly when one is considered to be well established and securely situated in dhyana yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness by meditation is next.

..6-4 slokam..pirattiyudan sernthu radchikiraan..srivara mangala nagar sollanum ..naatchiyaar sannidhi..srivara mangala nahar notra nonbileyn pathiham anguttren alleyn  ..paattu thorumm perumai arulukiraar..ponnadi..kaal jeeyar madam..srinivasan thaayar..archahar..thirumallai..evarudan sentru deiva nayaga perumaludan sella mahal pola..abimaanam..ovoru aandum madathiukku seer konndada povaarkal moontru thadavai 9th brahmotsavam kannu pidikkum..ponndaikala jeeyar puratasi punarvasu kanni punarvasu..aaroodan arroshu eruvarum..yerivittan yaar?..yappothu endiriyamum vishayamum -arthangal-nuhardal mookku..pulankalum bogamum..yeedu paduvathillai pattru attru erukiraan.. mudal adaiyaallam..porulium pattru attru porullai adaiyum karmaavilum yeedu paaduvathillai.. yella aasaikal manoradangallaiyum thuranthu vidukiraan.. virupathai ellam aruthaan moontravathu adaiyaallam..yatha thodangi thathaa yentru mudithaan..nithya karmaanushdanathilirunthu vilaha villai..

yada hi nendriyarthesu

na karmasv anusajjate

sarva-sankalpa-sannyasi

yogarudhas tadocyate

“A person is said to have attained atman sakshatkaram, when, having renounced all material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in fruitive activities

..Yada = when, arthesu = objects [of desire], na anusajjate = are not attracted by him or he has no desire for those objects. Na anusajjate = nor interested in, Karmasu = the actions or efforts to do a Karma to achieve anything which may give him worldly pleasures..Sarva =all, sankalpa = desires or wishes, sanyasi = renounced.

6-4..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Lord Krishna uses the compound word yogarudhas which is an adept in dhyana yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness by meditation. Such a person from experiencing the sublime bliss of the atma or soul within has ceased to be infatuated by sensual objects and is no longer deluded by the impulses of the senses in relation to such sense objects. The words na anusajjate meaning not enamoured denotes that one is no longer under the influence of such delusions. One is yogarudhas who has abandoned all illusions and false conceptions. Thus for the aspirant of moksa or liberation from material existence who still is under the sway of infatuation and delusion there is no alternative but to perform karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities as the means to relinquish oneself from from dross of bodily association and carnal desires. This being accomplished one has qualified themselves for dhyana yoga and can begin to perfect their meditation. Hence as warning, before this point it is recommended to exclusively perform karma yoga until completely free from the infatuation of desires and sense objects.

..6-5 slokam..pulangal ahathua-vilakka nee vaitha ..vilakka vallai veesinaay..maaya val eim pulankal..thaandi vun thiruvadi adaiveyn yenkiraar..era pathu manndabam.. aandaal sannidhi.. .naatchimaar kooda darbaaril sevai..nadu nayagam perumaal devi sooriyar chandrar vurvasiyum thilothamaiyum ..sri devi..bruhu munivar kathai..sivan, brahman kaalaal vuthathaar kollappoor davam..brhu vuthaithu abacharamn ..thothari vanthu dabasu.. pennaha sridevi pirappaal vumakkum edam brahu maarkendeyaru erukiraar..padma pushkaranni thiru kudanthai..baargavi yennum peyar..vala puram sri devi..madhu kaidabar eruvar mudithu.. boomiyil thellika azlukku adainthu thavam erunthaakl sevai saathikka..vumudan erukka aasai konndaall. edapurathil boomi devi vaikunndam pola..nenjaley thannai samsarathilirunthu thaandi kolla venum.. nenjaaley nazluva vittu vida koodaathu..nenjam eranndum pannumaa?..pattratra nenjaaley vuyarvu.. pattruvulla nenjaal thaallvom..pidithathai seybavarkal.. dehathai vallarbavarkal vunnmaiyil virothikal samsara aasai vallarkiraarkal.. samsara veruppu yerpada seybavarkal nallavarkal..nenju thaan atmavukku bandhum virothiyum..pattratra nenju nanbam.. pattru vulla nenju virothi..kadamaikakla yudam seyya solli nanjam nallathu aahum.. nenjinnpaahu paattai arulukiraar ..nal nenjaha nalla nenjai naan thozluvom yentrathu pola..

uddhared atmanatmanam

natmanam avasadayet

atmaiva hy atmano bandhur

atmaiva ripur atmanah

“One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.”

..Atmana = by thought or by mind, atmanam = self [ jeevatman], uddharet = one should uplift or rescue [from the samsaram], atmana = by mind or thought, atmanam = self [jeevatman], na avasadayet = should not allow to slip [and fall back and remain in samsaram]. atmaiva hi= mind alone is, atmano = for the soul [jeevatman], bandhu = friend, atmanaiva = mind alone is, atmana = for the self, ripu = enemy

6-5..Ramanuja’s Commentary..The word atmana refers to the mind. The mind must detach itself from the infatuation of sense objects by association from those wise in Vedic knowledge who posess spiritual knowledge. In this way the mind will be elevated and gravitate towards spiritual objectives. But if the mind is pointed in the reverse direction subject to worldly pursuits and deluded by sense objects then the mind will become agitated and harassed. Lord Krishna is confirming the truth that the mind has the potential to give the most benefit as the greatest friend to the atma or eternal soul and also that the mind has the potential to be the most destructive as the greatest enemy to the atma or eternal soul depending upon how the mind is influenced.

..slokam6-6..deiva nayaha perumaal..chakra kaiyan..aalvarai thiruvadiyil serthu konndu erukiraan.sri vaikundam pola sevai.. naduvil deiva nayagan aadi sesha paryanthil valathun kaiyil prayoha chakiram.. sridev boo devi soorya chandran, voorvasiyum thilothamaiyum.. brhu maarkandeyar…dakshan yaagam..paarvathi sentru ..yagam azlithaar.. sooriyan chandranum.. dabam purinthu ..vun aruhil erukka aasai pada..sevai kondaarkal munnan sandaikku ponaarkal..vurvasi thilothammai sadya lohathil sandaiapsaras ..veennai esaithaal ..sundarubasundar asurarkal..veennai esaithu.. mayangi maaynthaar..brahma edam erukka varum.. thothari divya desam vanthu dabam.. sernthu samaram kainkaryam panni konndu erukiraarkal.. aruhaamai kittiyathum manam maari ..munnam manam opahaivan eppo nanban..atma nenju vuravu sollukiraar..thannal nenjasi jeyakiravanukku vuravahum.. jeyakathavanukku antha nenjey sadruvahum..nenjai jeyapathu yenbathu..sooshmaha erukkum nenju..atma vishayathil seluthanum.. ezluthu pidithu seluthanum..vurvasi thilothamaiyidamum sooriya chandraridam paarthom..para pasran avan vuyarnthavan..avanai sevithaal manasil erukkum muditchukal arunthun paapam tholainthu jeyippom..kai davangal seythu setha vellviyavar entha thiru thalathil eruppavarkal…darmathai vidaamal panninaalum thiru vullam preethi adaiyum ..arul kitti namakku ellaam kittum papangal kaliyum nenju maari nanbanahi pohum.. pattrilaiyaay avan mutril adangey..

..

bandhur atmatmanas tasya

yenatmaivatmana jitah

anatmanas tu satrutve

vartetatmaiva satru-vat

“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.”

Tasya atmana = for that great soul, atmana bandhu = mind is friend, yena = for that person, atmaiva = by his soul, atmana jita = mind is conquered…Anatmanas tu = [but] he who has not conqureed his mind, atmaaiva = his own mind, chatru vat = lke an enemy, satrutva = enmity, varteta = is established

6-6..Ramanuja’s Commentary..The mind is only a friend to those who are able to restrain it from flowing externally outwards after sense objects; but if one is unable to subdue the mind that it will harass and aggravate one to satisfy the senses and is the worst enemy. Lord Krishna is conveying that an ungoverned and uncontrolled mind being attached to sense gratification interposes obstructions and deviations in the way which deviates and hinders one from attainment of atma tatva or realisation of the soul. Sage Parasara the father of Vedavyasa has stated that the mind itself is the sole cause of bondage in the material existence as well as the sole cause of moksa or liberation from the material existence. A mind infatuated with desire for sense objects constitutes a state of bondage and a mind free from the delusion of desire for sense objects constitutes the way to moksa. The preliminary competency to be acquired before one commences meditation will be given in the next verse.

..6-7 slokam..garudan pola vedamey kannadi avanukku..perumaikallai vedamahiya kannadiyil.. moola moorthy dabam puriyum thiru kolathil..garba grahathukku velliyil. kasdaba-vinata garudan arunnan -soorya therotti.. aadiseshan padukkai..sadru putran..naga loham sentru ekazlnthun pesina..vittu piriyaamal.. eimpulankal vinnulaar vullaraiyum..thothaathri dabam thiru kolam.. vunathu aruhil erukka aasai.. ezlunthiu arla kaattuvathu neer..nithya thiruvaradanai garudanukku.. yennai kaappu udsavam.. nymisaranya rishikalum vullaarkal..4 thadavai 220 lit oru kottai yennai kaappu.. millahaay koodaathu milahu thaan..garuda vahanathil hamsa vahanam thaayar killiyil aandaalum ezlukiraarkal..vantharulli yen nenju edarai ..patha paauram yaarenakku pathameu vunakku ontru kaimmaru yenathu aaviyum vunathey yenkiraar..thanni vigraham ellai sadariyiley nammalvarin vuruvam sevai.. thiruvadi vittu ahalahilleyn yentru sadariyiley erukiraar..setham ushnam suham thukkam mana avamanam erattaiyilum vikaram attra manam padaithavan..didatmanahan..appadi pattavan manasiley..velli pulan adakkiyavanin..jeevatma mukta atma svaroobam nirainthu erukkum….yogapyasathukku ethu munnurai adutha eranndum ethu pola..erattaikallai poruthu kollanum..kuthiraikalukku aayasam varum pothu vudam nirkkum.. kuthiraikku pul koduthun panni seyvaan..eintriyamaiyaathathu ethellam ..papangal yerika pattal suham thukkam kannil padathu.. dr vihaaram adaikiravaha erunthaal thaan surgery sariyaha panna mudiyum..vud pulan manasu velli pulan ellam jeyikkanum.. atma..para atma.. paramamana atma yentru moontru nillai..

jitatmanah prasantasya

paramatma samahitah

sitosna-sukha-duhkhesu

tatha manapamanayoh

For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquility. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.

6-7..Ramanuja’s Commentary..When the mind is well governed and under control, when it is incapable of being affected by the dualities such as heat and cold, joy and grief, praise and ridicule, when in equanimity it has become completely tranquil and equipoised; at that time the exalted atma or eternal soul can be realised within. The word samahitah means situated in samadhi or deep meditation and denotes that atma or soul has been realised in its true transcendental essence. Lord Krishna uses the word paramatma meaning in this instance parama or exalted and atma or soul and refers to the individual soul and not the Supreme Soul as normally assumed. Designating the individual soul in this way is to show special deference to one who is endowed with the aforementioned quality of being situated deep in meditation enough to perceive and realise the eternal and transcendental sublime atma.

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Thiruppaavai Shri. Vellukudi Swaami 15th and 16th paasuram.

January 4, 2008

15th paasuram…thiruppavai yaahirathu epasuram yenbaar ethaiyum 29 vathu paasuramum..ethil baagavatharkal nadanthu kollum muraiyai sittram siru kaalai bagavaan nadanthu kollum muraiyaiyum arulukiraall..yaannai kontraan..maayanai pada azlikiraall..ezlam killi yenkiraal..pangaya kannanai pada yentru aruliyathum vullukkul solla ezlam killi yenkiraall..eruvarin pesukalaiyum vyakthiyaha arulukiraall..samvadam..pechin enimai erukku ennum vuranguthiyo.. nangaimeerkel potharkintren yenkiraal.. vun katturaikal panndy vun vaay arithom yenkiraar..valleerkal neengaley yenkiraar eval..krishna anubavam panna koopidukiraarkal eppadi pesinathu thavaru yentru naaney thaan aayiduha yenkiraall..ollai nee pothaay seekkiram vaa vunakku yenna verudaiyai? yellorum ponthaaro..goshti koodiyaachaa? yenkiraall.yellorum pontharo ponthaar ponthu yenni koll yenkiraall…vallaanai.yaanai kontranai kuvalaya beedam yaanau  ..maattrarai mattrazlikka vallaannai mayannai.. 5th mayanil thodangi mayanil mudithaall.. ezluppi vaithathaal maayan..naaney thaan aayuduha.. ellatha kutrathai ethinaalum othukolluvathu baagavathanin darmam..baradan nadantha maathiri..kekaya desam poyerunthaan..uthishto rajan yentru kaikeyi sonnathum thaay vuruvil vantha pey yentraan..raman kaattukku povatharkku yaar kaarannam..”kalakkiya maa..manathannallay kaikeyi varam veynnda .mannavanum marathuozliya..kula kumara kaaduraiya po yentru vidai koduppa”..manothari,kaikeyi, dasradan, raman, ellai ellai mad papam-yennudaiya kutram.. ramanai vittu maman veedu ponathu yentru than thallaiyil yetri konndavan..perumaan piraatti yaman nammum namathu thosham paarkka villai.. aduthavarkal kutram paarkirom..aduthavar kutram sollamalavathu erukanum..baktan vendiyavan veynndathavan eruvaraiyum samamaha raha dvesham entri erukanum..ennum vuranguthiyo?..naangal vantha pirpaadum..artha thonni ketta pinbum yelley yentrathum.. vishayam kai patta pinbum thoonga koodaathu..bagavath vishayam kai pattathu adutha paasuram naayaganaay ennum thoongalaamaa?..bakthi paravi vulla edam gokulam..eruvarukkum bakthi muthi erukku..mohanasthiram..mayakkam adainthu thudikka pannum asdram mattru ontru..jirmanaasdaram ethu..uranguthal=krishnaanubavam..paramatmaanubavam thani anubavam..endriyangal adangi pohum thookathin pothu..jagrada disai villithu erukkum.. svapana disai manasu mattum villithuerukkum..enthirangal adangi aduthu susikthi thisai ..moorchai thisai .mayakka thisai.. naanku thisai…sri baashyam 3adyaayam 2nd adikarannathil villakukiraar..namathu kanavai aduthavar paarkka villai.. karmaadeenamaha svappanam..athaiyum paramatma srushtikiraar..thoongukira sareerathilaa svapana sareerathilaa.. atma? thoongukira sareerthil thaan..swapanam ninaithaalum thirumbi paarkka mudiyaathu.. sushkthi disai..adutha nillai..atma moontru edathil thoonguvatha naadikalilum paramatmavilum thoongukiraan…kanavu vanthaal kalakkam.. ellatha pothu thellivu erukkum..thookathin prayojanam?..povaan pohintraar nonbu norbatharkku pohintraarkal..4.5 manniyaavathu susikthi disai thookkam venum..kalakkam entru naadi visheyathil jeevatma thoongu kiraan hrudaya kamalam thalai keezl erukkum thaamarai pola..thaathukkal otti konndu erukkum 72000 nunniya allaikal -naadi- 101 mukkya naadikal..101si sushktinaadi..ethai pidithu archiraathi maargam pohanum..thirumeni vellitcham kaatti ethai therivippar..maamisa pinndathil naadi mudiyum edathil puri dathe sesha purusha ethu erandaavathu edam..paramatmavidam thoongukiraan..vikalpayamaha moontril ontril thoonguvaan.. engeyo angeyo yentraal..moontru edathilum ..maallihai kattil padukkai thoonguvathu pola..naadiyiley puri dathiley paramatmavil yentru nirubithu kaattinaar..aham suhama avapsam..suhamaha thoongineyn.. thoongum pothu suham ..eyarkkai nillaiyil avanudan ontri ponathaal suham..avanidam erunthu ezlunthu vanthathai therinthu kolla villai..karma sambandam thollaiyumaa avanidam sambandam pattathum?..ninaivu karma ..anusmirthi..darma bootha gjanam villithu erukkum..krishna anubavam=thookkam ethai jeyakkanumaa?..kangulum pahalum .kann thiel ariyaal.. eravum pahalum thoonga mattaal.. kollaal ellai ariyaal thookkamey theriyaathu vundariyaal vurakkam pennaal thirumangai…lakshmananum .thoongaamal.guhan paarthu..avanum thoongaamal..urahal urahal yentru yaaraiyum thoonga koodathu yenkiraar periaazlvaarum..aaravaram athu ketti azlal umizlum aadiseshanai paarthu pongum parivaal arulukiraar.. vuranguvaan pol yogu seyvaan evanum jagad sinthanaiyodu..jagadradshanna sindhai..enthriyangal oyvu pera thonngu kirom..dyaana maargamaha thoonguvathu vera..agjanathodu thoonguvathai vittu gjanathodu dyana maargathil avanodu thoonganum.. padanjali yoga sastram..aadi seseshanin avadaram.. rishikal maargam ethu.. srirengam poey motsham vidatha periya nambi avaney ubaayam yentru erukkanum.. svayam prayojanam dyanam..thirunamam sollum prayojanam sahasranama archannai..thaay thanthai kittey arimuham thevai ellai..vunnaal allaal yaavaraalum ontrum veunndeyn yentraar nammazkvaar..nada muni yoga sastram kai vanthavar..kuruhai kaaval appan kai vanthathu nada muni valli thontralaha..pinam kidakka manam kolvaar vunndo.puriyalamaa yentraar vuyakonndaar.. yoga sastram vitti prabandam yetru konndaar..svayam prayojanamanathum veynndaam avanai anubavikkum enbamum veynndaam yentru nammai vujeevikka..kuruhai kaaval appan sannidhi sentraar aazlavanthaar ..koopitaar sotta kulathil uthithaar yaarenum vunndo yentraar..adiyen yentraar..vanthathu eppadi theriyum.. dyanam daila daarai pola thodarbudaiya yennangal..kettu ninainthu edai vidaamal erukkanum…aazlavandaar varuvathai emberumaan etti paarthaan..karuthu vuyira veetrirunthaan munnam eppo..kedu edara kesava yenna 10-2-thiruvantha puram allahu eduthal kainkaryam pannanum ..perukkunaal azlukku povathu pola papam pohum.. nadamino namarkal yentrathum thiruvanatha puram ponaar..ollai suvadi antraya dedhi athodu vittaar..mattra perin nalan kai kooda svayam prayojana yogam vittaar..edai vidamal dyanam panni vuyarnthu athai anubavithu sadva gunam vallarthu nammudan sambandam adaivaarkal..eravil thiruvaaymozli anusandhithu ninaithu thyanam pannindu erupparkal.. aadi sesha roobathil eruppar maa muni..eravu pozluthil sevai saathithaar..gjana dyanathaal konnda oyvu ethu..ennum vuranguthiyo yenkiraall..paramatma suham ethu..ollai nee pothaay vanthu kalanthu kollanum yenkiraall..

..16th paasuram..dvara seshikal ..pradana seshi avan..avannai katti koduthu anumathipavar dvara seshikal..aasdanam kovil kappon vaayil kappaan ..shedra palahar  dvara palahar.. jayan vijayan..kaatti koduthavarkalukku nantriyoda ..vedam vallarkallai konndu vinnorai konndum avannai anuhanum..vedam valla pennkallai ezlupinaal bakthi vullavarkal evarkal.. eppo vinnor mudalil kovil vasal kappaannai..nee nesa nillai kadavam neekku.. kadavum nesamudan erukkum..pradanan nayagan.. nanda gopalanin kovil..kovil kappanaiyey naayagan yentrum sollalaam..kannan yennum nayagannai tharuvar ellorum naayagan..kodi thontrum thoranna vaayil.. nithyam thorannam.. kamsan therinthu kolluvaan yennum payam. manni kadavam..panniyil eruppathey avannai paathu kaappatharkku..sirumiyar yenkiraal soorbanahaiyum penn aayar sirumiyar.. poothanaiyum edai penn..sirumiyarom chinna edai penn aballai pennkal..villamballam asuran.. nennaley vaay nernthaan yentrathum.. vuruthi koduthu erukiraan.. avan yengalidam aasai pattu sonnathu.. thooyomaay vanthom veru ontru kettu vara villai..arai parai endran vanthu mazlai pozliya vaithaan..veynndiyavarkallaiyum vida maatteyn yentrathum.. endran thooymai yillamal -avanaiyey kettu varanum..–madi thadavatha soru surul marada poo, manam ellatha sandanam..-erukkanum..vithuran tholl koduthaalum piriyamaha koduthathu pola..than kaariyathukkaha paarkadal kadaiya moovulaham azlakka solla villai.. thueil ezla paadu vaan vanthu erukirom..thiru palli ezlutchi..dasaradan-kaikeyi samvadam ..thirupalli ezlutchi.. thoongatha rajavukku etherkku ethu? adimai kainkaryam panni konndu erukkanum..kala damadam panninathum sugreevan meethu raman kobam konndathu pola kannanum pannuvaan yenna..vaayaal munnam munnam maattrathey..amma .swaami–vunathu poruppu yengallai serthu vaikkanum..neengaley thiranthu konndu pohalaam yentraar..nesa kadavam.. thallu ezlu muhathil padum ..kamsanaa yentru ninaikkum.. nee neekku yenkiraall..kadavai thirakka yogyathai ellai neeyey thirakkanum..acharyar raamanujarai arulukiraar yadi rajar=nayagar..naayaga kall evar radnathin varisai guru parambarai harathil thollkalil anikalam.. eranndu pakkamum olli mur pattavarkalukku mudi sambandam pada sambathaal pin pattavarkalukku vaazltchi…edakai vala kai theriyatha evarkal sasthrartham eppadi therinthu konndaarkal.. 6 pathu patchi thoothu.. kadaisiyil ahalahillen piraatti kaalil pattri avannai.. serpaarai patchikalakki..acharyar.. gjana karmangallai sirahu..vulahumuna permaaya kadaisiyil adikeezl puhunthaar…kaarthihai kaarthihai thorum vudambaiyum thalaiyum nanaipaarkal…poopudai punithan-kannan theertham aadi punithan aandaaludan mannam puriya–rik yaju sama 6000 to 8000 years yenkiraar dvabara yugam veda vyasar pahuthaar athu varai ontraha erunthathu anathiyaha erukkum..srudhi solla kettu vaithathu..acharyar ubedasam peratha evarkalukku -eppadi therinthathu.. avannai sastram pin pattri sellum..manu shadriyar.. vedam brahmanarkalukku yentru ellai..periyorkal-bakthiyil siranthavarkal. gjanikal pesuvathum anushtipathum vedam.. seyyathana seyyom..raha prapdam ethu vidhi praptham athu aasaiyodu rusiyodu seyvathu ontru.. vidhithirukku yentru seythaal ..arintha pinbu raha prasdanama erukkanum..vidhi rusiyai thaandi pohaathu.. elakkyam elakkanam pola.. kavithai anbu nirainthu peerittu varum..evarkal seyvathu sastram.”. vedathin mun selka….pgjanathu brahma rudaran erumaal-aazlvaar paasuram yengal then kuruhai punithan paadathin pin selvan “.kambar..parangusan..yaannai aadum pothu angusam pottaal thaandi pohaathu.. evar 4 angusam pottaar..yaannai thaandavillai thirunedumthaandahathil yaannaiyaha arulukiraar.. anugrahathaal rusi kidaithathu..aazlvarudan kooda avatharkka villai gopikaludan kooda erunthu rusi koduthaar.. rasa kuzlihai -prapyam kai vanthaal athu thaan saastram..nirheduvaha kadatchitaan mayarvara madi nalam arulinavan.. vuyarvara vuyarnalam vudaiyavan mudalil aduthu mayarvara than petrathu ayarvara amar adipadi meenndum avan perumai.. perumai varisai.. arulinaan yetharkku yentru sollamal viseshannam eintri avanaha arulinaan..yennantri seythen yen nenjinil puhunthaay?..pundareham nameyl orungey vaithaar.. vadakkey varaha avatharam therkkil aazlvaar.. thirupulli adiyil ella kadatshamum evar mela vizunthathaam..rasavadi kai rasa kuzlihai pola gopikallai aakkinaan..vanathidaraikulam vettiyathu pola kaathu konndu erukkanum yen vunarvilil erukiraan athuvum avan arulinan..avaa kadal vetkai anbu naangum raagam..arjunan ther otti..varum pozluthu yaar vieir pattathu vaari konndu villunguvan yennai ..mothama yennai -yennil munnam paarithu..thaan yennai muttram parukinaan.. bagavaan jeevatmavin meethu aasai vaikka acharya moolam ellai ..velli manndabam kottaaram pottu vaipaarkal 1000 aakkuvatharkku.. 5-6 lakhs selavu aahum..koodaathu nithya viboothi leelaa viboothi pottu pottu kallattanum..nammazlaar vul manal velliyil ezlunthu eruppaar.. panthallil ..puli paaytchallil varuvar ..nammazlvaar 4 adi povaar..avar vehamaha vanthu yennil munnam paarithu 6 adi pinnam varuvar..vaari konndu vizlunguvaan ..velli manalil povaar..pin thodarnthu aazlvaarum povaar raha kaariyam..motsham pohanum aathan thiru mohoor vazli koottinndu povaar. kaala mehathai kadiyaakki..thiru maalirum solla pakkallil vanthaar..pohalaamaa pohalaam.. sareeramm kazlinthu pohanum yentru kelvi.. maranam adainthaal vaikundam..yenkiraar..sareethoda azlithupoha erunthen.. prakruthi manndallam engeythaan..meyai poey azlukku vudambu..gjana bakthi yoda neer eruntha eruppai kaattanum yentraar.. maazlatha kaadal yentraar..kaadalil vedam pattri kavallai ellai..thyajaya deha ..thirumaal vanthu yen nenju nirai vanthaan pereyn yentru nenju nirai vanthu nintraan..aazlvaar aasai patta padi nadapom..naanera vaattartaan panni vahai naan yera ..than aasaiyai yenathu aasaiyaha konndavan..thiruvadi thozluthathum.thiru thullay namm sadagopannai thantharula thirumbi koduppar..pattayam vaasikirathu ..thirumbi vara anumathi vudan varuvaar..my vannam narum kunji ..thirunedum thaangaham 25..eppaal kai vallaiyum mehallaiyum kaanney evvallavuvunndu emberumaan kovil..kettathum poeyvittan..nananthaa naathanaar nallathu pattal santhosham adaiya mattaal..ethu vanno..ezlil aazli.. vummidaiya edam thaan yenakku..vuruha arambithaar.. thiruvadi kattai virallai thottu vummil yentraan ethu thaan yenakku aasai murai keda parimaarinaan..vanthaan yen munney nintraan..varuvenaa yentru kaal kadukka nintreer vudkaarum keezl vdkaralaamaa seshadvam yen vullapadi nadakkanum..thiruvadi pidithaar 32 varusham pala janmaakkal.. kannum vaayum thuvarnthu..varudi vidalama yentraar..aadkolvaan othu yen vueir vunnda maayan..kattaiyaha amarnthaar ethir vizli kodukka villai aanandam vallarkka edathu kaallai pidi yentraaraam..vidi meeral ethuvum..acharyaridam kaleshebam petru vaanginavarkal..perumaanin thiruvullathil edam pidithaarkal.. suhachariyar uthamar edai pennkal thiruvadi patta mann thuhallil ontraha aasai pattaarkal….acharyar kadavai thiranthu ..dasaradar paarthu pannina thiru kalyannam pola..

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Thiruppaavai Shri. Vellukudi Swaami 13th and 14th paasuram.

January 4, 2008

..13thpaasuram..vedam vallorkalai konndu vinnor mudalvannai pattranum.. vedam vallavarkal 10 aazlvarai vinnor yentru adutha 5 paasurathaalum 21st paasurathaal avannai anukukiraal..pothari kanninaay yenkiraall..pullin vaay keendaannai.bahasuran kookku vadivam.. pollatha arakkannai killi killainthaannai..siriya poosalil killi killithaan.. keerthimai paaduthal..perumaikallai paaduvathu..paavai kallam pukkaar.. povaan pokintraar yennam munnam solli eppo pukkaar yenkiraal pozluthu pulara pulara adaiyalam maarukirathu..vidinthamai adaiyaallam vunndu ethilum..velli ezlunthu sukiran vudayam ..vyaazlan vurangitru..6th pullum silambina eppoyum pullum silambina yenkiraall..kala mayakkam ellai pedaiyudan pesi konndu erunthana appo koottukkul eruntha patchikal.. eppo eppadi erai thedalaam yentru pesikirathaam.. pothari pushpathin azlahaiyum sancharikkum maannin azlahaiyum thorkkadika kann azlahu konndavall..kalyanna gunnangallil neerada azlikiraall..paavaay padumai pontravall..entha nall nalla naall..mazlakku nonbu kannanai sandhika othukonnaarkal.. ethai ubayoha paduthanum yenkiraall..kallam thanithu anubavipathu..kalanthu koodi..naallai naavudaiyaay vaayin yetram.. gjana koormai kann azlahu..acharyarkku gjanamum vuraikkum vanmaiyum ethaal arulukiraall..

12th paasuram..ramavatharam pesukiraal..manathukku eniyaan.. shadrukkalum vidaamal konndaaduvaarkal evannai.. kannanukku yentru piranthaalum  maareesanum raavananum kooda vuyarvaha pesinaarkal..ellatha gunathai ninaithu manathukku eniyaan yenkiraall..kanaithu mudalil solli..ezluvaau payanillai seyapadu porul..vinai soll ellatha paasuram pallaanndu mudal paasuram vaika villai ..elakkanna padi kutramaa vaazl naazl muzluvathum pallaanndu pala kodi yentru solli konndu erukka aasai pattaar mudichom yentru thirupthi ellaathathaal vinnai soll vaikka villai..kanaithu yentru vinnai sollil arambikiraal vulla kumurallai manasu sareeram mattum ellai kanaithu..eranguthal.adutha vinnai soll.. thavithal..sinathinaal vinnai soll manathukku eniyaan peyar soll..raman kanaithaar..eranginaar..radshikka peratha kaalathil kanaithaan..gajendranai kakka kala damadam aanathaal kumural pola draupadi thozlai thadavi aasuvasa padutha mudiyaamal kannan kanaithaan.. seethaiyai radshikka mudiyaamal kumurinaan.. eranndu nimisham kumiraan narasimhan.. engum erukkum avan yentha edam kai kaattuvaan yentru vullam kumirinaan..jagad shrishti pothu kanaithaan.. nithya nymithika..4 vida pralayam..,janam maranam nithya prallayam..moola porul maarinaal layam adaiyathal.. earkkai sareeram konndavan ellai ponaal layam ..nymithikka prallayam moontru lohamum brahma pahal pozluthuponaal mudiyum ..1000 chadur yugam.. 400000years i chadur yugam..nimitham karannam kurithu yerpattathu..prakritha prallayam 14 lohamum eim boothangalum moolam adaiyum..perutha prallayam jalamum erukkaathu pancha boothangallum poey vidum thirumeniyaha ellam erukkum..sooshma disai ..achitkkum atmaavukkum ontraha erukkum ..ontri erukkum..shrushtikku mukya kaarannam thirupaar viboothil anadthamaha erunthaalum..vunndathu vurukkaattathey.. varutham/..bojanam sappittathu  theriyamal ..kanaikiraan..srivaikunndam vara yogyathai panna ..settriley etta pola vuzlalum..vanney paal ney ellam sappittay kanndu pidithom yenkiraar ..mann vunndaay jeerannikka neyvunndaay..aatraamaiyai kanaithu..benchil vudkaarnthu pesivaarai pola kanaikirom..erangi yentru adutha vinnaisol..srushtikka pohireyn yentru erangukiraan.. adyantika prallayam..janam marannam ellatha meezla enbam kittinaal ..srishtithaal thaan sadanam panna mudiyum.. sareerthodu pirappithu saastram pala konndu..desaandra puthiran pakkalliley ..needhi vaanavar erunthaalum..aneedh mannavar naam..vanavar vuyya amarar vyuaa..mannulahil manusar vuyya ..krubaiyaal ..erangi..athanaal thaan mamathukku eniyaan..gjana soonyamaay kallu mann pola erunthom..sinthaiyodu karannangal yaavum sithainthu munnaal antham muttri aazlnthathu kanndu..amudhanaar..saha kudumba sahodadaraay ..thapaha saha eranndu thadavai ..varathavarai pattri thaan ketbaar.. koodi erunthu kullira..pithru hrudayam  desaandraha puthiran pakkal kidakkumaa pola..anaadhi kala sambandam namakkum avanukkum..samsaari pakkallil yeedu pattaan..angaheenanidam erakkam konnda ..gjanamum bakthiyum thollaitha..prakruthu mahan ahan  ella dadvankallaiyum jagad athanaiyum pannukiraan..erangi..sinthai thannil neenga erukkum thiruvey..sinthanaikku eniyaan ..thirumangai aazlvaar arulinaar..nera ketta arjunaney sarannagathi panna villai..swargam thaan ponaan..narasimhan ..yengumulan .mahanai kaaynthu .engillaiyaa angey appozluthey thontrinaan..singa perumaan.. varathukka thakka roobam naram miruham kalantha roobam..thoon paattiyanathaam..brahma appa narayannan avan ethil garbam ..thoon thaan pitha mahan brahmaa.. thoonnai thattinaal angum eruppaan eranndu nimishathil kumurinaan..vaarthai poeyaha koodaathu yentru pillai kai kaatta ..engum eppozluthum erukiravar ellaa thoonilum vanthu ella miriha manusha kalaiyudan erunthaaraam kanaithu.. erangi..thoonil eranginaaraam..vaikundathilirunthu erannginaar erakkam erunthathaal eranginaar..abisheham panna padatha muruham simham.. kaattuuku raja simham..perumai vittu kodukkaamal rajavaha vanthaar.. pesinathu kettathaam..singam yaanaiyai mudikkum pola yentru sonnaan eranniyan..vullaintha ariyum maanidamum ..mahasuran edathil eranginaan sthambam yenkiraar sollukku thaan paal sanskrit..penn paal prasava prakrannam desikan..adimaanusha stavathaal..himarthya simha vahusu-naram kalanda singam-azlahana avathaaram..thelliya singa perumaal pirai yeiru anal vizli -agni yerikkanum ponnai pottu -manathukkueniyaan.. anukoolanukku aasriyamana sevai…azlahai paarthu bakthi ..kobam oru kann kadi madiyam pol muhathaan.. erangi sinathinaal..hiranya kasibai kurithu..srishti pothu sinam ellai..kobam evallavu thooram–pradhi pimmbam kobam kannai maraithathu prahaladanin kamam kannai maraithathu…nirusimhar ahasa agni devar allavu ponathaam..singam kutti kooda mahizlnthu paallai koduthu konndu yaanaimela kobam kollumaa pola..adiyavan vaarthai meyppikka thontriyavan.. vedam sonna padi brahma vaarthaiyum meypithu endran mudaliya avarkalukkum baktarkalin paadallai meypikka koopitta kuralukku varuvaan yenkirathai meypithaar..sarabesvaran sarithram kattu kathai.. kobam adakka yaaraalum mudiyatha pothu prahaladan -asura kuzlanthai koopitta kuralukku vanthaay.. yeriya neruppukku thaneer pola kobam adanginathu..para brahmam yaaraalum adakka mudiyaathu.. bakthi mattum kattupadutha mudiyum.. sarabam vunnmai neruppil pona vittilpootchi  pola erinthasthu..saramam sanndai pottu ..yentru kattu kathai  ettu sarithram thiruthi..paravai piraarthaal adanginaan yentru sollalaam..adiyaar thunbapadukiraan yentru kananthaar sinanthaar eranginaar manathukku eniyaan.. gajendra motsham..thiru kooda parvadam sollai potramarai kullam..malar parithu kodukka aasai saba vimotshanathukku adiyaar kaallai pidithathu kamaru poyhai 9th pasuram..thiruvellikeni.. menar poyhai nan malar vetkaiyody sentru..atma sareethil kaallai vaiththu pola 10 mudal.. emma veettu paasurathilum arulinaar 1000 deva varusha poraattam..svadandriya abimanam.. narayanna o manni vanna yen aaredarai theeraay yentrathum karainthaan..namathu kathai erumaappu thaan yaanai..koopida kaathu erunthathu kanaithal.. koopidathum vaikundathilirunthu kulakaraiyil kuthithaar kanaithaar garudanaiyum thookki konndu vanthaar..para parappu sri vaikunndathil avan killambiyathum..padil sollaamal sridevi..gajam azlikirathu ga arambithu jam yentru karaiyil sonnaaraam..panchaydam eppothum vaithu koddu eruppaan ..vehamaay vanthaan radshikka..purappaadu kanndarula ..thalli vittaan.. vishvaksenar kodutha manni paduhai yetru kolla.. thavippu yentru poritaano antrilirunthu thavithu konndu erukireyn.. sothu sothu thaan.. kanaithu..kai eduthu alara..kanaithu eranginaar mudalai mela sinanthaar gajendra varadan manathukku eniyaan.. vehathukku namaskaram yenkiraar desikan..kannan kumiraan..kadannalli pola nenjam..drovbadi 81 vaarthaikal thiru kolur vaarthaikal..eru kaiyum vittano draubadi pola engu vunnden sonneyno prahaladan pola..eruppavarkalukku yenna yogyathai yentru vulley vara solli koottu sappittar..eru kaiyaiyum vidum varai kumuri kanainthaan..dwaraha nilaya radshaha yentrathum vudaney vanthuerukkanum..nera poha villai gajendranukku ponathu pola.. maanusha deham.. erangi sinanthu aabathu.. engey vanthaal ..pancha paandavarkal meethu mudal seetram erunthu erukkum.. govinda pundareekasam avarkal sothu ellai gjanam ellathavarkal..drubathi mangala soothrathukku bangam varatharkku neraha varavillai..thannadi jothi pohum pothu viritha kuzla sahikaamal pannina kainkaryam.. kadan vaangi vattiyum mudalum kodukka villai yentru arulinaan..evanum manathukku eniyaan.. raman 30 naalkal kedu vaithaal hanumaanidam..radshithaal avarukku nalam yentrathum hanumaan ravananidam pattathum sinanthaar kontraan kollaiyaazli manathukku eniyaan.. devarkalukku seethaikku aandaalukku raavananukkum eniyaan..endriyangalukku vasa pattu papangallai melum pannina ravannanin deham parithaar..avan atmavukku eniyaan..

..14th paasuram..vaikundam.shreebthi. vibava..narayannaney namakku paar kadalil paiya thueintra paraman vada madurai mainthan yentraall..ungal pullakadai paasuram..semkazluneer vaay nehizlnthana malarnthana ambal koombina yenkiraal adaiyaallamaha..poochoodu padihathil malarum kaalamum porunthi aruli erukirar..neengallaha alarthi erukkanum ..koomba vaikkanum.. ungal pullakadai yenkiraarkal..kadavai thirakkamal erukkum pothu eppadi theriyum yenna vuoor ellam erunthathaal vunathu pullakadaiyum athey pola erukkum yentraar.. sangiduvaan pohintraar yentraar adutha adaiyaallam.. sanyaasikal..venn pall senkal podi koorai vudan.. thiru kovil thirappa..saivarkal kovil..sangam yentraal saavi yentra arthathaal jeeyar periya kelvi chinna jeeyar saaviyai kaiyil eduthu thirumallai kovil thirakka pohintraarkal..eintrum appadiyey..kolla manndabam santhithu saavi parimaattram panni kollukiraarkal..vaay pesum nangaay nannathaay naavudaiyaay..sangodu ..pankaya kannanai paada..pothari kanninaay eppo pankaya kanninaay yenkiraall..naavin azlahum arulukiraal. pechu aatral ..

13th..pothari kanninaay..gjanam vullaval..maanum kannai paarthu vetka padum.. azlukku edam ellatha gjanam..aazntha gjanam..baagavatha seshadvam therinthu kolluvathu..pushpathai abaharikkum kann arivu vullavall.. kalakka thisai thiruppa mudiyatha gjanam..vanndu pushpathilirunthu thennai grahikkum pola gjanam kolla veynndum..rahasthiya granda gjanamaruli seyal gjanam ethellam kolanum..aanatham arivin nillai vishaya gjanathaal adaikirom..gjanam thaan aatharam..kannan raman eruvaraiyum pullin vaay keendaanaiyum polla arakkanai killi killanthaanaiyum paadukiraal..ramanaiyum kannanaiyum paadukiraal..polla arakkan nalla arakkan eranndu vahai..naru mannam vasam..naattram thur naattram yentru ninaikirom.. thur naattram naru naattram adi mozli venum.. hiranya kasibu prahaladan pola raavannan vibeeshannan pola..predikoola ahangaram tholaithavan saadviha ahangaarathai..dehatma abimaanam.ahangaaram..ahangaaram=arakkan..deha enthiriya manas pranna -vaayu puthi vida etharanaay jeevatma..pranna vaayu vera atma vera..gjanamayamaay ananthamayamaay nithyamaay sesha boodamaay anumayamaay erupathu atma..dehathodu erupathu pirivathu erappu pirappu..atma daisanam sama darisanam..ahangaram tholaiyanum adipadaiyaha..deham atma latchiyathukku karuviyaha erukkanum..varanasura darmam mukkyam..atmavin eayarkkai nillaiyai adaiyanum.. meezlatha nillai sri vaikunndam povathu thaan..thukkam karmaavin thaakkam kidaiyaathu..anatham mattumey erunthathu eppo..anantham thukkam kalanthu..nithya anubavam eppo kaallai mattum ethu pola erukkaathu..manasil azlukku erunthaal deha atma ontru yentru ninaikka..sadvam raja damas gunathaal.. aahara nyamathaal ,poojaiyal kattu paduthanum..anahamana dehathai aham yentru ninaikirom abimmana thunnkan selvannai -peraazlvaarpola abimaana bangamaay.-aandaal .venumaa koodaathaa..avanudaiya sambanthil abimaanan koodum..bagavanin sothai rashikkanum..yennudaiya ninaivinaal varum abimaanam koodaathu..amudhanaar kaattu azlahiya singar sannidhiyil raamanusa andaathi panninaar..mudalil panninathai raamanusar othukka villai.. perumaiyai aazlvaarin perumaiyudan kootti aruliyathum othu konndaar..yellorudam sambandam solli aruliyathaal marukka mudiya villai periyavarudan koodiya ahanharam koodithu..yaamuacharyar, nada muni yai nenjaai vaari paruhum.. bakthi vellam kudi konnda raamanusan yentrathum..saayai embaarai konndaada avarum perumaiyai othu konndathu pola .raamanusan thiruvadi sambathaal..battarai nanjeeyar aruliyathu pola..madiyil thalaiyai vaithu sayanithaar dvayam parisu thanjamavathu vaarthai thanthaar parisaha..thiru katchi nambi azlithu vanthaar raamanusanarai aazlvanthaar kadashikka..”aa mudalvan evar”..ezlaiyaazlvaanai kettu petraar..perumaikku acharyar sambandam yentru yaavarum kolluvaar..saadvika abimanam ok –pradikoola abimaanamkoodaathu..polla arakkannai yenkiraal..yendha sambathathaal ravannan aahirom..kulasthiya maharishi brahmavin puthran..sabithu ..avarin penn vanthu yaarumm varamal..garbam tharithaal thirannabindhu purinthaar ..theriyamal setra kuttram..manaiviyakki konndaar.. mootha kuzlanthai visravasu..vaisravannyan kuberan ..thik balaharakalil oruvar..vadakku thisaikku evar.. therukku yaman endran varunnan eranndu thisaikku..pushbaka vimanam.. thiru kooda parvadam koduthaar thirukonnamallai kuberan aandu vanthaan..pura visvarsu puthirar arakki pillai raavannan..radshasa gunnam.. kuberanudan porittu ..pushbaka vimanamum vaangi konndaan.. orey kulam visvaravasu vedam therinthaum sadva gunnam kuberan rajo gunam raavannan..darma bootha gjanam vullathu atma..manasodu sanbandam mudalil..kadavu pola ..kudathukku vulla villakku pola manasu endriyam ellatha pothu..dvarathin valliyey pohum ..rajo guna sambandathodu vanthaal kaamam..vishaya vasanaikal thoonndi vidum..rajo, gunam sadva gunam eayarkkaiyil ellai..damo gunammmayakkam thookkam kodukkum..vaatham pitham kabam sama nillaiyil erunthaal vudambu nalam..aayrvedam moolathai nokki thelliya vaikkum..mukkunamum vuyarum thaazlum ovuontraha..athodu sambatha pattu atma gjanam..sadva gunathaal nalla gunam krishnaguna kamam..manasu einthu vasr padi enthiriyangal..kannai kaathai mookkai naakkai thollai..roobam rasam muyartchi sabdam sparaisam ..ethaal vasthu kitta pohirathu..sooshma vehathaal pohintrathu..manasum kannum vyabithaal paarkirom..polla arakkan nalla arakkan ..rajo dama gunam eppadi thollaikanum?..sadva gunam vallarkanum..paarthu pirikkanum..aahara sudhi..mukkyam..”neer numathu …ver mudal maaythu …ner nirai ellai..” paasuram.erattai maram pinninathu pola..kamathukuu ver rajo gunam athai maaykkanum..sadvikar koodinaal durpalathodu erupparkal..mudal ver aahara sudhi..anaathi papa vasannai aduthathu.. nithya thiruvaradanam deva poojai thyanam archannai moolam..entha eranndu vazliyilum nalla arakkan aahalaam..maha sanaha kaamam ..kamo akarshid mannyu akarshid namo namaha…prayachittam..aasai pattu thaduthathum krodam varum….seethaiyidam kaamam pattu ramanidam kobam pattaan.. kuberanum ravannanum ..hiranya kasibum prahaladanum..thuyar adi thozlu ezlu manamey yenkiraar mudalil..manasai sari paduthi vaikkanum..avarkuu polla arakkannai killi killaiya mudiyum avanin thiruvadi patranum.. arul yennum olvaall vuruvi..papangallaiyay vetti viduvaar..

.14th paasuram..ungal pullakadai..pangaya kannanai padanum..aaydam paadum pothum kannkallaiyum paaduvaar ..kariya vaahi neenda aperiya aaya kannkal.. 16 adi sayanithu erukiraar pada kamalam.. vattamil kannkal yentru arulukiraar..sangodu chakaram yenthum thada kannan pangaya kannan.. kaathum kaathu -ellai-yentru kann peruhukirathu..manathoonnai pattru kombu..therkku nokki sayanam..vudal vuruhukirathu..pani araumbu vuthirum..kadatcham oodi varukirathu kaaveri vida..ethir neetchal poda mudiyaathu pravahathil adi padamal erukka mannathoonai pattri nirkanum..viraja nadhi thaanndiyathum thiruparivattam maatti kolluvaan.. namm perumaal adyana udsavathil..kullirntha paarvaiyaal yeerkiraan..kottaarai vasalil nadai poduvaar..manal velliyil muzluvathum..gokulathil eppo sanghodu chakaram sevithaall.. angulla gopikalukku sevai saathithaan..pirakkum pothu devakikku sevai saathithu pola.. draubathikkum sanghu chakrathodu sevai.. rajasdanathilum eppadi sevai..pennkal mudal varisai.. ubanishad gayatri solla koodathu yentraalum avalukku sevai saathithaan..arjunan thenaiva roobena chadur bujey yentru kettu..visvaroobathil kaattinaan..”mechoodu appochi kaattu kintraan..”..kannai puratti kaattum paasuram.. embaar tholkalil sangu chakaram kaattuvathu yentru kaattinaar..embaarey eruntheero yentraar emberumaanaar..sangamidathaan yentru paasurathil erukirathu..kuzlanthaikal payanthathunpaarthun sirithaan..

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Geethaa Saaram 5-27 to 6-2.

January 3, 2008

.sloam 5-27.,5-28….poyhai attrangarai ..maram..karannda maadu poyhaiyul ..kaakkai aadum panam pallam villunthu puraanu vazla paay meenkal kurunkudi..nedum thahaay..thirumazlisai..noey nodikal theerum..aazlvaraha avatharithaar nambi…naangu aazlvaarum aruli erukiraar..yogam surukkum..endirayam jeyithavan motsham adaikiraan..velli vishaya thodarbu villakki.. yogasanam panna-eranndu puruvangalukku naduvil kannai vaithu ..mookku kul pirayanam pannum prayanna apana vaay samanamaakki–atma vishayangalai thavira mattravatril adakkinaal munivan.. ninaithu konndu eruppavan gjana vadivamana atmavai ninaithu konndu muyalubavan.. atma sashadkaramey payanaha kollubavan.. sada mukta eva saha–muyatchi thodangina thisaiyiley muktanakiraan..eravil thoongum pothu velli vulaha thodarbu vidukirom.. brahmaandam perukirom aayasathaal. yogathaal arivudan mudiyum.. aasanam thernthu eduthu kollanum mudalil.. ambience veynndum..padmasanam eduppu keezl narambu kattu paadu padum..ethaiyum villakki .kannkalaal puruvathin nuni mookkin nuni paarkkanum..paadhi moodi paathi thirantha nillaiyil pirana apana vull mootchu samamaha aakkanum.. mel nokki keezl nokki pohum .. naduvil niruthum neramum vulleu ezlukkum neramum velliyil vidum neramum samamaha vaikkanum.. vudal reethi nillai ..nenjai atmavidam vuruthi atma vidam seluthanum..vuyarntha nillai pattri ninaikkanum..munivan evan..viruppu etchai ellai bayam krodam ellai.. payan atma sashadkarm yennum motsham thaan..sadana nillaiyil muktanukku samamaha eruppom..muthirtchi adainthathum ellam pannum pothum ethai adaivom..

sparshan kritva bahir bahyams

caksus caivantare bhruvoh

pranapanau samau kritva

nasabhyantara-carinau

yatendriya-mano-buddhir

munir moksha-parayanah

vigateccha-bhaya-krodho

yah sada mukta eva sah

“Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils, and thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, he is a muni constantly thinking of atman to attain atman sakshatkaram. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated

..Bahya = external, sparsa = contact [listening, seeing, touching, tasting and smelling], bahir kritva = pushed aside or out, that is our sensual experience from outside contact are expelled, bhruva antare = in the middle of the two brows, chaksus = keeping our sight..Nasabhyantara = in the nostrils [or nose], carinau = travelling [or passing], pranaapanau = the prana and apana airs [ vayu], samau kritva = equalising them..yata = such, indriya = sense organs, mano = mind, buddhi = intellect or resolve, muni = [by controlling organs, mind and buddhi] he becomes a muni or one always thinking of atman, moksha parayana = with atman sakshatkaram as the sole objective, vigata = dispelled, iccha = desires, bhaya = consequent fear, krodha = and consequent anger, ya = such a person, sah mukti eva = he is always in a state of liberated.

5-27..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Stopping all activities of the external senses prepares one to qualify for practising meditation. Sitting in an erect posture, focusing the eyes half closed between the eyebrows or the tip of the nose, equalising the breath until suspended rendering the mind and sense incapable of moving to any other location except to the atma or soul. Due to fulfilling the above meditation one is automatically freed from desire, fear and doubts. Whose sole goal and aim is moksa or liberation. Determinedly intent on achieving atma tattva or soul realisation such a person is considered to be liberated even before fully accomplishing the goal as it is a certainty it will be achieved. The ease which this karma yoga or selfless performance of prescribed Vedic activities with its nitya or daily duties and its naimitika or occasional duities having yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness will next be revealed.

5-28..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Stopping all activities of the external senses prepares one to qualify for practising meditation. Sitting in an erect posture, focusing the eyes half closed between the eyebrows or the tip of the nose, equalising the breath until suspended rendering the mind and sense incapable of moving to any other location except to the atma or soul. Due to fulfilling the above meditation one is automatically freed from desire, fear and doubts. Whose sole goal and aim is moksa or liberation. Determinedly intent on achieving atma tattva or soul realisation such a person is considered to be liberated even before fully accomplishing the goal as it is a certainty it will be achieved. The ease which this karma yoga or selfless performance of prescribed Vedic activities with its nitya or daily duties and its naimitika or occasional duities having yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness will next be revealed.

..slokam 5-29..paal pola geethamurudam tharukiraan..thiru kurungudi mallai mel nambi.. sindhu aaru mahendra parvam.. merkku thodartchi therkku ..Hanumaan thaavina mallai mahendra ..7 sikaram vunndu ethil..nambi aaru..sala sala yentru odum ..neeraattam vunnavu savai moontrum kittum.. moolihai konndu varukirathu paarai thaandi ponaal 3 mile raman seethai thiruvadi vullathu ..kishkanthai karnadakathil vullathu hambi pakkam..malai moolam vanthathu..kudahu malai kaveri vurpathi..lakshmana theertham neelagiri merkku pakkam vanthaarkal..hanumaan sambandam varaha shedram.. parasuraman thotru marupadi davam eruntha edam..gjana karma yogam ethu siranthathu yentru kettaay..karma yogam yenakku aaradanam yenkiraan.. yagja dabas yellavatrukkum aaradanam naan..piramanai kurithu hiranyakasibu saaha varam pettrathu pola ellai motsha reethiyaha pannuvathu ellaam..sarva loha mahesvaram.. periya devan naan ellorukkum antaratmavaha aatchi seybavan naan..nuyamikiravan-entha sakthiyai  earkkaiyaha petravan..sarva boothaanaam sukurudam.. maam-yennai..arinthu shanthi adaikiraan yennai pattri eppadi therinthu konndu karma yogam pannubavan shanthi adaikiraan..namathu aandaan nallathu ninaipavan vallal azliyatha nithya palan tharubavan yennum yennam vallara vallara kashdangal pohi aanantham adaikirom..seykintra kirikal yellam yaaney yennum paasuram pola..sadana thisaiyiley enikkum..surukkamaha yogam pattri arulukiraan..

..

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam

sarva-loka-maheshvaram

suhridam sarva-bhutanam

jnatva mam shantim rcchati

“A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

..Yajna = yagna or homam or yagam, tapasam = meditation, performed, bhoktaram = objective or beneficiary, is Sri Krishna…Sarva = all, loka = worlds and the people residing in all these worlds, Maheshvaram = the greatest Isvara, is Sri Krishna..Ishvara means, Isha = commanding power, vara = that is natural ..Sarvabhutanam = for all creatures or living beings, suhridam = welfare..Mam = [such] I [Sri Krishna]. The ‘I’ here denotes the great Commander He is and the great Donor He is capable of granting anything to anyone. Jnatva = understanding [Sri Krishna], rcchati = attains, shantim = peace..

slokam 5-29..Ramanuja’s Commentary

..Knowing Lord Krishna to be bequeather of all rewards for all actions. The sovereign lord of all existence. The intimate friend within all beings and wellwisher of all beings attains moksa or liberation from material existence. What this means is that if karma yoga or the selfless practice of prescribed Vedic activities and are the sum total of all duties are performed consciously as offerings of worship to Lord Krishna then this in itself is enough to grant moksa. This is the easiest and most practical as it is so simple to do. Moreover who would not be inclined to offer such service to a dear friend especially when this friend is such a universal benefactor existing within and without every living being throughout all of creation.

slokam 6-0….rishikesan mallai mel nambi..antaratmiyaha namakkulley erukkum nambi.. thina padi mallai yeri varanum.. 5 garuda sevai.. koodal azlahar srivilli puttur pola ..kannal paal amudaha vanthu neezl mudi sevai saathithaar aazlvaarukku.. penn bavathil  ..kaiyul nan muham vaithum..yen kaiyai yen muhathil vaithulleyn..nammai avan thaan radshikanum yenkiraal thaat..siru kuzlanthai thaayai ethir paarkkuma pola..5th adyaya mahimai.. paarvathi sivan vuraiyadal..pinkallan kathai..devai attra arunaa penn thodarbaal thunba pattaan..kazluka evan killiyaha aval..ottukkul vizlunthu piraannan ponathu.. yama darma rajan manndai odu 5th adyayam thyanam panninavanin manndai odu sambandam..yama darma rajan sonnathai sivan arulinaar..aallavandaar seekiram palan naan seybavan allai sama darsanam vunnarkiraan yellorukkum nanmai seyya viruppam kolluvaan..vulakamey vaazlum ..6th yogam arulukiraar..sidha purusharkal vullaarkal engey..surukka sangraha slokam..5 karuthukkal ..arumai perumai sonnaan..yogathai apyasa murai naangu vida yogi villakkam yoga sadanam sinthanai vairagyam ..yoga sidhi yerpadum thadangal vanthaalum.. kannanai pattri bakthi yogathin sirappu.. eppadi 5 karuthukkal arulukiraan.

.yogaabhyaasavidhiryogii caturdhaa yogasaadhanam . 

yogasiddhiH svayogasya paaramyaM ShaShTa ucyate .. (10)

Chapter 6 conveys five things to us. In Chapter 5, yogam was indicated. It was told that by dedicating the yoga to the Lord, we can never feel tired by performing Karma yoga and peace would prevail. Now, how this Karma yoga has to be performed is explained. With unbiased mind and with an objective to achieve, we can try to understand and practice the Yoga as detailed in Chapter 6. Let us first see the five things this Chapter is to convey:

vidhi – procedure, to perform Yoga.

yogi caturdha - four types of yogi

yoga sadhanam – the tools required to perform yoga viz. chintanam- thought and vairagyam - detachment

yoga siddhi – attaining the objective by practicing yoga, even if interrupted in between.

svayogasya paramyam – the yoga on Sri Krishna, that is Bhakti yoga, and paramyam- its eminence.

..In chapter six Lord Krishna reveals astanga yoga, and the exact process of practicing such yoga. He explains in detail the difficulties of the mind and the procedures by which one may gain mastery of their mind through yoga which reveals the spiritual nature of a living entity. Thus this chapter is entitled: The Science of Self-Realization

..slokam 6-1..vanamaa mallai ..srivara mangala naatchiyaar ..yena paasuram dodatri naanguneru srivara mangai vaanamaa mallai svayaravara shedram srirengam sri mushnam thiruvenkadam 4 ..badri saklagramam pushkaram nymisaranyam vadakkey..svayam,deivam, aarsham ,maanusham naangu vahai ..azlahu laavanyam padaithavan bakthi kolla ethuvaha ruchi yerpaduthukiraan..thiru kurungudi pola vanamaamallai avdaaryam vallal thanmai kaannalaam..anbu piranthathum avalodu erukkum namakku pathamey saran aakkukiraan engey..jeeyar..kalliyan raamanuja jeeyar..yoga apyasa yogam ….eppadi apyasam pannanum yenkiraan ethaal..mudal 9 slokathaal karma yogathin yetram arulukiraan..nell kuthum pothu vyarvai varum karma yogam palamahiya atma sashdkarathukku pannanum mattra palam thaanaha varum.. karma kaariyum pannanum palan karuthi panna koodaathu..sanyasiyahiraan gjana yogi poli yogiyaahiraan karma yogam pannuvathaal..naan selbavan ellai yennum gjanathaal pannuvathaal sanyaasam yentraal nantraha vittu viduvathu yentru porul..agni-sastra neruppu konndu yaga yagyam  -seybavan seyyathavan allan..karma vittu poha villai gjana yogi pola..nasa agriyaha seyalkallai seythu konndu erukkathavan allai…seyum pothu kainkaryam yennum gjanathodu pannukiraan..pattratra karma yogam seyyanum..

sri-bhagavan uvaca

anasritah karma-phalam

karyam karma karoti yah

sa sannyasi ca yogi ca

na niragnir na cakriyah

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no duty..

..

6-1..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Karma yoga or the performance of prescribed Vedic activities and all its separate constituents has so far been expounded by Lord Krishna as well as jnana yoga or the cultivation of Vedic knowledge. Now the method for practicing yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness while being in renunciation will be explained by means of meditation to achieve atma tattva or realisation of the soul. This verse is a brief reassertion of what has already been previously stated that karma yoga unaided has the capability of bestowing atma tattva and that within the performance of atma tattva is the special quality of renunciation and that karma yoga in its mature stage also has for its goal meditation which precedes atma tattva.Whosoever performs karma yoga without hankering for rewards or desiring results, performing all activities as a matter of duty with no other conception except that it is a humble service rendered to the Supreme Lord Krishna who in every way is the best well wisher and dearest friend. Whether one is a sannyasi or celibate brahmin in the renounced order or a performer of jnana yoga or karma yoga such a person may be considered a renunciate following the path to atma tattva. Its not that a sannyasi is one that simply abstains from activities such as agnihotra or offering ghee or clarified butter and food grains into the fire. Nor is one renounced merely because they do not perform activities enjoined in the Vedic scriptures. One is renounced who engages in prescribed Vedic activities at the same time abandoning desire for rewards while fulfilling the requirements of action and renunciation. The next verse describes how within karma yoga there is found renunciation as well.

..slokam6-2..notra nonbileyn nun arivileyn ..srivara mangai deiva nayaga perumaalidam ..setru thaamarai sennolodu .malar .kulam ellai kadal pola erukkum..thothri..pokkukiraan paapangallai pokkukiraan erukkum mallai..malai pola asangatha thanmai padaithavan evan..naathan vudaiyavan mallaikkum avanukkum athey peyar.. vanam allavu vuyaramum puhazlum vudaiyavan..sri vara manghai nahar mangala nahar..vara =sirantha ella varamum tharbavall..sri padam paanndiya raja mangalam maha pala vuoorkallai yerpaduthinaan..sri para mangaa puri.. naanguneri.. 4 vallaivi 4 pakkathulum vallainthu 4 pakkanmum kooraahi erukkum yeri..yathontrai gjanam yentru -sanyasam-solluvaarkalo athey gjanathai karma yogathil adanginathaha therinthu koll yenkiraan..sankalpaha vuruthuopadaithavan sankalpa vittu vittavan asankalpa -vittu vidathavan..asanyasya sankalpanaha ..na yogi pavathi..dehamey atma yennum puthi kollubavan .mayakkam thollaikadavan karma yogi aavathu ellai..karma yogathukku ethu entriyamaiyaathathu..gjanam karma yogathil adanginathu yenkiraan..aazntha vunnmai vulla padi arivathu vudal veru atma veru yentru therinthavan..vunnmai arivu karma yogathil adangi vidum ..

yam sannyasam iti prahur

yogam tam viddhi pandava

na hy asannyasta-sankalpo

yogi bhavati kascana

“Scholars acclaim the gyana sans karma in Karma yoga as Gyana, know thus Oh! Son of Pandu. One who has not cast off the gyana [ that body and soul are different] can never become a karma yogi”

Yam =that which, sannyasam iti = is called Gyana by, prahur = learned people would call, tam = that Gyana is, yogam = [in] Karma yoga, viddhi= understand so, pandava = the Son of Pandu…Asannyasta= unabandoned or unfailing, Sankalpa= determination or resolve.. na yogi bhavati= never becomes a Karma yogi.

..

slokam 6-2..Ramanuja’s Commentary..Lord Krishna is declaring that what is known as sannyasa or renunciation and what is known as yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciouness are all leading to atma tattva or realisation of the soul and are only different forms of karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities. No one can perform yoga who is infatuated by delusion. The words asannyasta-sankalpo means without renouncing the desire for rewards Without renunciation is not possible to be free from delusion for the error is there of mistaking the physical body as the atma or soul. One who by the power of self introspection gleans knowledge by meditation of the atma within the etheric heart of their physical body is freed from this delusion. No one who has failed to shake off the binding fetters of hankering for rewards and desire for sense pleasures is under the sway of delusion is never regarded as performing karma yoga nor considered a real renunciate.

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Thiruppaavai Swapadesam Shri. M.A.V Swaami 11th and 12th paasuram.

January 3, 2008

..11th paasuram..nottru yanbathaal emberumaanai adainthavanukku panna veunndiyathu ellai.. sarannagathi vanammamalai notra nonbileyn nunarivileyn pathiham..srivara mangai..emberumaannai vaana maa mallai yentru azlikraar..seytha vellviyar vaiyathevar– yaagam panninavarkal evarkal..agni gothra kudumbi..chadur vedi kudumbam..ethai seythaalum velliviyai seythavar avannai saranamaga adainthavarkal..krishnanai vulla padi therinthavarkal..memaamsakan yagam pannum pothu apoorvam vanthu palan kodukkum.. palan kidaithathum poyidum..marunthu pola kaariyam mudinthathum poyidum.. achedanam ethu emberumaanaar thirupthi avanukku vunndupanni palan peruhiraan.. achedana kriyaa alaabangal..sarvesvaran sandosham pettru sankalpathaal palan kittum..standing instructions computeril kodukkumaa pola..yagam pannaamal santhosham vunndaanaal palan kittum ethu thaan sarannagathi..sarva darmaa mandram pola vittu avanai patrinaal pothum..kaariyathaal palan ellai..panthu adithu vudainthathu vasthu ontru..thappai othunndu thavaru yentru sonnathum mannithaar..santhosham kuzlanthaikku..porullai vudaithaalum kobam yerpada villai..mattru oruvarin vunnartchikal thaan palan..papa kaariyam seythaal avanukku kobam vanthu kutram.. thappu othunndu gjanam sakthi ellai mannithuvidu yentrathum santhoshithaan..sidha sadanam ethu..instant coffee ready made dress pola…kalam virayamum ellai..nalluvathalukku vaayppu ellai.. kaisika puradanathil barahma raashasu aanathu pola aaha maattom.. adimai thanmai avanai konndu radshannam pannikanum..singa piraan sishya emberumaanukku.. punnya kaalam..jeeyarey..puthu varusham santhoshamaa yentraaraam..prapannathikaarikal..jan 1st kumbal vaikunnda ekadesi kooda ellai..odunga avan kann odungal ellaam vidum yentraar..kaalam kallikaamal vittu vaithaan..artha prapannarkal aalvaar acharyarkal ..loham thiruthi panni kolla nyamanam..sarannagathi panninathum kovina kaalathiley palan..erukka nyamannam..ethu thaan thadai athil ontru thollainthathu yentru santhosham yentraar..kallivathu uthesam..maamballam sanndai..loham suttinaan oruvan thaayaar thahappanaarai sudhi pazlam petraar..sisdhathai pattri konndaar..ethu thaan nottru  yenbathu..sombuthal oru kaariyamum seyaamal ethu yeri vudkaarnthathu evan meyl.. marameri pola sombali mela yeri vudkaarnthaan..vaazlum sombar evar..varnnasrama darmam pannanum.. konndi pasuvukku thadi katti vidumaa pola..vishaayantharangalil thiriyaamal erukka karmaanushdaanangal vunndu..kovalar tham por kodi..edaiyarkal kattru karavai kannangal pala karanthu ..kovalan gobalar pallai karappathu theriyum daramam anushtikiraarkal..naan yennavan ellai kaappathum kadamai ellai kathathaal palamum yenakku ellai..ellam sriyapathikkey..atmaa avanathu athai naam samarpikkanumaa? ..avan vasthuvai avanidam kodupathaa ..udavi kaimaaru yen vueir yennai vittru yennil athum mattru angu avanathu yenkiraar aazlvaar..yaaney yen vudaiyumey yentri erunthen ethuvum seyvathu ellai..paapam thavirkka karmaa pannanum.. sandyaa vandanum pola..nithya nymithya karmaa..thiru kanna manghai aandaan..yellaam vittu erunthaar..makizla marathin thiruvalahu theendi erunthaar -thudapam samprayada paachai- thanjam yentru eruntheer yenna prayojanam..kainkarya uthesam thiruvulla vuhappu..karmangallai kainkaryamaha pannanum..sampallathukku pannubavarkal work to rule pannuvarai pola..kamo akaarishad  namaha..mannu akaarishad namaha..kamam kobathaal panna villai yenaal allai yenkirar..pala karanthu yentru karmaa panninndu erukkanum..desikan attrangarai akkarai poha padahu -vittam-200 per padahu 30 per kollum.. konjamaha pohalaam..vara kaathukonndu erukka sokkattan villaiyaadinaarkal..pannnam katti .. pothu pokka villaiyaadikiravarkal padahu vanthathum ponaarkal adutha tripil ponaar panam sampaathikka..karaiyil vutkaarnthu.. prapannadthikaarikal samsaarikal..pana pandam vyuhathil ezliyaatha viharathvathil ezlivaarai pola yenkiraar desikan.. vaikunthan yennum thonni..murai thappaamey villaiyaaduvaarkal eruvarum..sasra vidhikalai anusandhithu erukkanum erukkum naallil yellaam..setraar thiral azliya–kattru mudalil kantrahiya kaalathiley karaivai pasuvaha erukkum..oru artham..karaival acharyar jeevadaramana paallai kodukkum atmavadaramana gjana paalai tharuvaar..karappathu kettu therinthu kollanum.. pala pala acharyaridam ketkanum..pala pala davai ketkanum..pesithey pesum gurukkal erunthaalum.. kattru karavai pola paarkka siriyavarkal pola erunthaalum..sirumaa manisar kattru karavai..panchaacharyar raamanujarukku..artha vishayangallai kettu kathukkanum..karanthu yenbathaal..karavaamal pirakkum pasu nallaikku krubaamadram acharyar..18 thadavai poey kathunnaar Raamanujar..artha vishaya virithikallai kanndikanum.. PBAswaami pola..thappu ezluthiyathum mai vullarum munnan ezluthuvaar..sentru seru seythavar evar..marvadam panninavar.. kuttam ontrum ellatha seyal.. yagya moorthyyai thedi battar nanjeeyarai sentru thiruthinaar pola..angeu aruppathey karumam kanndaay yenkiraar thonndar adi podi..aallavanthaar 5 vayasu aakki aazlvaanai jeyathaar..yaanaiyin un pakkam sentru poridum singam pola thuthikkai mela thallai mel yeri kolluvathu pola ..por kodi emberumaanaraiyum ..puttraavu alkul ..putravul nullaiyum paambu pola surukki kollum ..gjanam bakthi vairakyam..bakthi edai piradesam siranthu villanganum..puna mayil..thushda janchukallai vara vidaathu.. pootchikalum varathu mayil thohai.. muhil vannanai kanndu makizlum mayil pola acharyar.. thohai virithu aadum pozluthu gjana vihassam virinthu pesum acharyar..potharaay.. sutrathaar thozlimaar yaavarum koodi eruppaarkal..deha pandhu parama baagavatharay erunthaal suttramum mukkuyam.. mudaliaandaan embaar pola..koorath aazlvaan kidaambi atchaan vaduha nambi ananthaazlvaan pola.. muttram thirumaazlihai ..thiru muttra vazli aayiram kaal manndam munnam thiruvadi patta edam yentru maraikka koodaathu..muhil vannan per pada ..mayil varanum..sitrathey pesaathey.. asaivu kooda ellaamal erunthaar 16 varusham nammaazlvaar..sushyanthi ramanthi ..eranndu santhosham.. sollum santhosham ketkkum santhosham eranndaiyum geethaiyil arulinaar pola..sela penndaatti thiruvullathukku vuhandavar evar..sastra anushtaangallai panninathaal vuhantha..kettu solli arulubaval..notru paasurathaal peyaalvaarai vunnarthukiraal..muruhanndi maharishi rellaiyil koodiyavarkal..mattrum thaarathaar vasal thiravathaar evar..notru svargam puhuntha perumai.. thiru kanndeyn pon meni kanndeun yentru villakku yetraamal kidaithathu evarukku.. baagavatha nerukkam thaan svargam evarukku..thiru thullay 2nd,..vandariyum than thullay kadaisiyilum thiru thullaay 15 paasuram.. raman kathai aneham aruliyavar.. kumba karnnan–ahasthiyar therkku vanthathum tamil thalaivar ..avarum thotrum padi tamil thalaivan..thueil bagavath anubavam..manniya perull ..maamalaaal thannodum kanndamai kaattum tamil thallaivan yenkiraar amudanaar.. pey periyavar yennum artham peridar pey mazlai pola ..perinbamum pola..romba periyavar thiruvai solli thodangi thiruvil mudithavar.. saarvu vubaayam ..thenarum thiru thaan saarvu yenkiraar..poyhai jagad kara boodan sarvesvaran yentraar.. booth narannarakku yentru peyar sonar sriya pathi yentru evar arulinaar..attra anandal romba somberi thanam thirumazlisai anandal evar attra anandal..athu nantru ethu theethu pothu nintra ponankazlaley erukkanum..yentravar.. arum kalamey thirupathiathvam aruliyathaal thetramaay vara sollinaar..azluthu kuthithu paadinavar..thetramaay vara sollukiraall..

..12th paasuram..mattrinam kamangal.. pura vishyangallai vasanaiyodu vidanum.peru thapaathu yentru thunninthu erukkaiyum editcha pulli pola erukkanum ..perukku thudikkaiyum veynndum….aaru vaarthaiyil oru varthai ..antha sareeam mudiyum pothu mukthi saranagathanukku..mudivu eppo? kettkum athikaariyai poruthu..artha prapannarkal ..poy nintra gjanamum..azlukku vudambu enimayl kolla mattom yenbaar..paasuram vaangindathum thanthaan avarkalukkum..vazliyalla vazli sentru peru adaiya thudikkanum..kaaman kaallil vizlunthaal aandaal..thuvarikkaiyaal..ethai thintraal pitham thezliyum vunnaiyum vun vummbiyum thozlutheyn..kaaman thambi sammbanaiyum thozluthaal ..thudippu avanin vylakshanyathukku nirnnayam..madal eduthallum athi pravarthi..thappu yellam vuraar ehazlalum vurrathu ozliyeyn ..thappy yellam solluveyn yentru mirattiinaar.. black mail panninar..bayanthunndu koduthaan petrai.. thiruvaalli thirunagari thirumeni..srivilliputtur sriperambudur kanchi nammazlvaar.. kai kooppi naduvil konjam edam madal vaithu konndu erukiraar kinchu vaithu konndu erukireyn anughraham niruthinaal kaatti viduveyn yennu maa pola vigraham..karanthathu entha thudippin kaarannam..kanaithu ezlam kattrerumai paasuram..nar selvan thangaay yenkiraal..nar selvan karakka villai..mullai kaduthu vedanai varamal erukka paallai sorinthu vidum..ellam seru aakkum..ninaithu erangitraam..nanaithu seraanathu..vibarannam etharkku?..sollum avidu suruthi..vullaralum vedanda artham..selvan..nar sevan.. seer malhum aaypaadi selva srimeerkaal yentraal munnan neengaatha selvam vullavarkal..gjanam yennum selvam..bagavath kainkaryam selvam.. baagavatha sesha gjanamum anushdaanamum vudaiyavan- narselvam..adaman, madyan pola ellaamal uthamanaha eruppavan narselvan..gunaanubavam thaan kainkaryam..vuhanthu aruliya  nillangallil-edangalil -archai adiyaarkal-ellam kainkaryam..vuoonum vurangamum eintri divya desa yatrai pannanum..koshti saathumurai 7-12 varai panni vittu kaanchi sentru PBA swaami udsavathukku neraha selvaar..eravu 10 manni gruham povaar..evar nar selvan graha darmam panna mudiyaamal ponavan.. emberumaanukku andaranga kainkaryam panni konndu erukiraan..”thuthi kaiyum theri villum thanndu kollum melaadaiyum thozlanmaarum oru kaiyaal ..thozlai vunntri..evan kannanudan eppothum erupavan-”Periaazlvaar paasuram..notru anushtikka veynndaam aduthu anushtikkanum eppo anushtikka vittaalum kuttram ellai..athaani sevahathil pothuvaanathu nazluvum..agni kothram pannanum nithyam saathi asrama darmangal..brahma shadriya vaisiyar sandhya vanndanam pannanum..grahsramathil darpanam sanyaasikku kidaiyaathu..samidaa danam brahmachari..deetshaiyil –yaagam pannum pothu kaappu samanya karmangal kidaiyaathu..theettu kidaiyaathu..vilakku koduthathu kaappu ponathum vunndu..dabaha-sanghu chakram, pundaraha thirumann.. nama ..mandrayam.. yaagam einthaavathaha thiruvaaradanam deva poojaiyai yaagam yenkiraar..pancha samskaaram ethu..sthreekal poorvaanga kainkaryam pannukiraarkal..jaladaramgam pannivittu pohirom namm..PBA swaami aruluvaar..athaanni sevahamum asthana kainkaryankal pannum pothu..nazluvum vuranguvaan kai panndanam pola –kaalam theriyaamal-yeedupattu mattra visheyangal nazluvum..manathu arinthu karmam vida mattaan aanaal yeedu pattu than anushdanam nazluvum yenkiraar maa munikal..evan kai vidavillai athu evanai kai vittathu..emberumaaney sillarai nyamippaan evarkalukku..namm mudalikal perya thirunaazlilum anushdanam pannuvaarkal..saashad kainkaryam  mudalathu..sandayavandanam andaryaamiyahi avanukku devathaikalukku-devathaathram moolam kainkaryam..thodarnthu kutrevel pannubavanukku ethu thaan mukkyam..baagavatharum thaaney paaley pol seer pola varshippaarkal..kanaithu kumari artha vishayam solla mudiyamal vedanai vunndaahi..koorathaazlvaanidam solla aasai pattaar thiru viruttam..pathari vanthu arulinaar emberumaanaar..battar nanjeeyarai thedi sentru mel naadu sentru koduthaar..ezlam kattru erumai namm pola samsaarikal damasa prakruthi..karumbu erukka kallaiyai saapittu kazluneeril erukirom.. ezlam kattru erumai..naharaathu thooki konndu vazli kollanum.. pasumadu ezal pasi erumai ezlam ezlam erumai. naangu vahai..nanaithu mullai vazliyey nintru paal sora ..emberumanarai pattrum paasuram anaithu ellathaarum ariya aasai pattaval eval..thaaney artha vishyam varambu aruthu koduthavar..meyyay kattuvithchi  meyyey soll yenna sonnaall..kurathi  sonna vudaney sonnaal geethaacharyanum emberumaanaarai pola..artham therivi yentrathum porum yentru sonnaalum 700 slokam sonnaar.. booya yeva marupadiyum kezlu yenkiraar geethaiyil..sollathey yentru sonnal pothum yentru..arjunan kannukutti pola avanai katti namakku koduthaan..rahasyarthangallai evar arulinaar..nanaithu ellam seraakkum..kannummkanneraaha erupparkal sollum pothu..pazluthey pal;a pozluthey yentru anchi azluthen kaazlaalum nenju azliyum pola..narsevanum avarey thangaiyum avarey.. pani thallai veezl vasal kadai pattri..aviveha kanaanda thin muha thukka varshni ..aazlavandaar ..varsha drayam ..aadi boethiham ,aadi deiviham mudaliyana..kaarunnya maarudam acharya kadatsham mazlai athil naiyanum ..vasal kadai pattri avarin thiruvadikalil puhunthu erukkanum..sinathinaal then elangai komaanai settra  manathukku eniyaannai..enthirangal ellam raavannan 11 manasai serthu gjana karma enthirangal..atmaa vai siraiyil vaithu emsikirathu athan virupathukku esaiya.. mothiram abaya hasdam..atma kai kolluvathu thaan ramayannam..acharyar manathukku eniyan.. “yennakkal annikkum amudhroom yen naavukkey”-madurakaviyaarum amudanaarum  aruliyathu  ummai solli acharyarai paadavum thoongalaamaa?..eni thaan ezlunthiraay ethenna per vurakkam acharya gjanam vanthathum eppadi erukkalamaa? antru naan piranthileyn piranthathum maranthileyn yentru erukkanum..anaithu ellathaarum arinthu..ellorum jagad muzluvathum thiruntha veedu mun muttravum yentru paada arambithaar nammazlvaar..ubadesikka thodanginaar.. seethai -ravananukkmahan -prahaladan,thambi vibeeshannan evar adi panninthavar  emberumaanaar pola..kovalar tham por kodi thiru kovalooril anubavithaar..villi puthooraar muhunthanai thozlum ponnaadu..mudalvaril por kodi edaiyavar gjanam bakthi siranthathu..thammai kol thedi odum kodi mallai thedi sellum manam yentravar.. putrarvu bakthi arulinavar anbaal arambithi anbaal mudithaar.. mayil pola gjanam vullavar kadal mallaiyil piranthavar..nin muttram suttrathaar eruvarum thozlimaar mattraiya aazlvaarkal.. vutru vannangi..muhil vannan thirunaamam sonnar.. bootha..boo thaathu sathai eruthal emberumaannai ninaithu erunthavar..sitrathey pesathey erukka koodaathu..selva penndaatti vuhanthavar.. odi thiriyum yogikal pola divya desam sentru paadinavarkal..karavai kannangal pala karanthu mudalil azlahiya tamilil paasuram veda vedaantham saaharam-athanai arthamu karanthu veda ananthvan karavai kannangal. paalaha namakku karanthu koduthaar..ethara mada nirasanam panninavar..anya seshadvam azliya kaattinavar ..brahma sivanaalum yenna mudiyaathavan yentru arulukiraar.. endisaiyum  pethaikaal theertha kaarar..paranthu madam parappanum yentru arulukiraar..

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Thiruppaavai Svabedesam Shri. MAV swaami 13th and 14th paasuram.

January 2, 2008

..13th paasuram..saasthirikal theppa kaiyar pola..karai yera mara kattaiyai pidithu kolluvaan..eranndaiyum edakki prayadanam pannanum mattru oru kaiyaal..saragyagyar vittathil erupparai pola -padahil eruppar pola prayadnam panna veynndaam..saram vunarnthavarkal thulaavum veynndum karai adaiyum kaalam yenni erupparkal..samsarathai thaanuvatharkku onnum panna veynndaam..akkarai  samsarathai ..ekkarai yenbaar motshathai sollukiraar..peraazlvaar..pinnum akkai vidum pothu yenney paasuram pola..svadandariyam konndu namathu prayathanaal pannina palan anubavikkanum..veynndam yentru thiruppi oppadaipathu sarannagathi..svarooba thyaaham ellai ubaayadaam yennum ninaivai vidanum .kaariyam seyyanum..qualification -yoghyathai means-saadanam pola ..vanathidarai yeri vetti vaithaal thekki vaikka vudavum sadanam ellai yoghyathai vunndaahum.. namathu anushdanamum athey pola..krubai villum pothu thangi kolla yoghyathai namathu karmaanushudaanangal..bakthi yoga nishdan thaila daarai pola yennai vizlum pothu edai vidaamal vizlum pola..dabasu pannum pothu puthu kattum valmeeki yentraal puthu..varusha kannakkil dabasu pannuvaarkal.. nithya nymithya karmaakal kidaiyaathu evarkalukku..ezlaiya perumaal panninaar nodi pozluthilum kainkaryam panninavar..seethai sandayavanndanam panninaal yenkiraar..entha moontraiyum 10,11,12 paasurathil arulinaall..eppo pothu ari kanninaay yenkiraal..pushbathai jeyikintra ,pontra ,kann ,parikintra kannkal vullaval..manathukku eniyaannai paadavum nee vaay thiravaay yentraal munnam ..vummai solli ramannai padum pozluthum nee thoongalamaa..kannanai pada nee thoongalaam yentra arthathil..kuri kuzla mangai oruthi paasurathil niraiya oruthi arulu kannan ..kurumbu seyvaanor mahanai petra nanda goban..vaithiyan vaasal pola nandan maazlihai erunthathaam-battar..kattannam-toli-thuvalumaay..velkaaya vallarthaaley ..vembu avan evan manasukku eniyaan..miruda sanjeevanam raman..kuyil kannan raman namam solli vaithu erunthaall prannan pohum vueirkku athu kaalan yentraar..piratha varutham athikamahi kaalam athu..yeedu paadu appadi..oru sol oru vil oru eil avanukku..devimaar sala vudaiyavan evan..16108 devimaar panni seyya ..thoothu pona perumai ellai yentru solla battar munnor thoothu vanor vaayil mozlinthu ..avaney pinnor thoothu adi mannarkkuaahi..thiruvalloor sayana chakravarthi thirumaham thirupulaaniyilum thiruvallorilum..hanumaanukku prasitham ramanukku kooda ellai..adutha vaayppu varum pothu naamey pannanum yentru panninaam..pirantha kulam esvaahu yenbathaal vasudevan edukulathil piranthaan..aayarkulam vudaney ponaan ethanaal thoothu pohum pozluthu aadshebam panna villai..kurungalin sahavasam theriyum pudavai kodu yenkiraal aandaaley naatchiyaar thirumozliyil..pullin vaay keendaanai bahasuran polla arakkannai killi killainthaaney raamanin kathaiyai aduthu arulukiraal..eranndum acharyarai kurikkum..eranndu vahai mandra ubadesam panni thiruthubavar oruvar..uthaarahan evar..thaanndum padi seybavar.. artha visesham seythu ubakaram panninavar.. manathukku eniyaan yentrathu visesha ardam arulu villakinavar..periya thirumandirathai ubadesithavar acharyar..ubakaraha acharyar manathukku eniyaan.. eruvarum veru alla..maannikka maallai gradthathil ethai villakukiraar..munnam solla veynndiyathu mudalvar ..acharyar thaniyan mudalil solli..thathyarathanaiyilum appadi thaan..periya perumaal maa muni varai 19 thaniyan vanamaa mallai 30 pattam ella thaniyanum arulanum..pullin vaay keendanai..bahasuran vadam..alpamana kaariyum..kalla vasuran pothukku yentru killithaan-periaalvaar..pradana visesham ellai..polla arakanai killi killanthaanai..ethu visesham..yeedana sarithiram arula villai..ellam avan panninathaal athu ethu vuthu ..ellaam vun seyhai..avan panninathaal ellaam pradanam..avan pannuvathaal ellam gunnamahum..maadu meyka thaan laayakku..kannan gopalanam gunamaathu..vennay thirudinathum nalla kaariyamanathu..pancha samskaram chinna kaariyam pola erukkum artha visesham killi killainthaanai pola..athai munnam sollanum..bahasuran- kokku pola hamsam..eranndum velluppu jalam palaiyum pirikkum hamsam..paallai saappittu jalathai vittu vidu kokku athai panna mudiyaathu.. kuyilum kaakkaiyum karuppu koovum kathum.. pandithanum muttaalum paarkka ontru samsarikalum acharyarum ontru pullin vaay keendaanai parama hamsar acharyar.. polla arakkanai endariyangalin vasam pokkubavar..pillaikal=baagavathar..kana puram kai thozlum pillaikal..paavai kallam arangan kovil thiru muttram goshti..velli ezlunthu sukiran vyaazlan-guru..vurangitru..asuran deva guru..aasura vargam thallai yedukkum acharya ubadesam ellamal ponal..neer ezlunthu ethai maattranum..vettri yentravar thallai allal kaimmaru ellai yenbathai nampillaiyidam kettu therinthu konndaar..pullum silambina kaann.acharyar azlikiraar.kumuri erupparkal.. pothu ari kanninaay gjanam thaan pothu..potham sanskrit.. pothir kamal sennithidar pada elatchinai periaalvaar..kulla kulira kudainthu neeradanum bagavatha,baagavatha,acharya  visesham..sekka sivanthu pola ..viraghni kothithu eruppathaal oruthi eranginaal yamunai vattrumaam..sernthu eranganum anaivarum..thaniyaha erukka koodaathu..koodi erunthu kuliranum..palli kidathoyi =yehanthamaay avanai anubavipathu.. goshtiyaha anubavikkanum.. paavaay=padi virathai acharyarai vida elloraiyum alatchiyam pannubaval..indifferent to all..vaduha nambi kidambi atchaan ananthaalvaan pola.. koorathaalvaanaiyum mudaliyaanndaanaiyum erukaraiyar yenbar..emberumaanidamum emberumaanaaridamum kolluthalaal..thiruvaradana perumaalaiyum evarin paathuhaiyum sernthu yezla panninaar vaduha nambi..vummudaiya perumaal ennudaiya perumaal yentraar..paavaay evar..nannaall-maarga seershathukku nalla naal ethu thaan..gjanam kidaitha naal ..kallam thavirnthu=thanni anubavam thavirnthu..kalanthu vara allikiraall..kanaithu poyhai aazlvaar..adiyavarkalukku mudalil pesinathaal kanaikanum..moovaril mudalvar evar..elam kattru erumai naam.. millai valliyay ketkamal thanathu kirubaiyaal thanthaar..pazluthey pala ..anchi azluthen yentraar..seraakkum.. nar selvan evar thodangi vaitha kainkaryam nar tamilaal noor seythaar..piraatti pola thaamarai poovil pirantha thaal nar selvan.. pani thalaiveezla..thukkamahiya mazlai gjanam thanthu kaathaar..vasal kadai pattri..sinathinaal manathukku eniyaan..”poomeya madavathon-brahma-thaazl pannitha padam athaal yeninaan panbu”..paasuram..anaithillathaarum ariyum padi arli thodagi vaithavar..

..14th paasuram..pranavathaal ..jagadin aadhi ..avaney ratchahan..yella jeevatmaakkalukkum..luptha chadurthi bagavaan.aaya yeri kazlinthathu..vettrumai thohai..ku yennum naankavathu vettrumai thohai..bagavanukku mattumey jeevatma vuriyavan..eranndaam vetrumai -yai-vellaiyai adithaan pola..thirumaaley naanum vunakku pazla vadiyen yennum pola..rashahan aval venum purushakarathirkku..pirikka mudiyaatha svaroobam..thiruvilla devarai pattraatheer ..radnathin olli pola..kanna puram ontru vudaiyaanukku adiyen vuriyen mattru oruvarkku vuriyeno..aval vuhanthaanaiyum vuhakkanum.. adiyaarkalukku adiyaar aahanum..acharyar, baagavathar, bagavaan moovarukkum yentru erukanum..kariya kola thiru vuru kaanban naan yenkiraar..viseshannam ..kai kollum padi seyya kolam panninndu thiru vuruvudan vanthaan paarvai visesham paarpathu pola parthu vittaar glance only..aazlvaridam thaan preethi avar thiru vullam vuhappa glance yenkiraar..acharya abimanamey utharaham.. ezlu paasuram ubadesa radna maallaiyil  arulukiraar…gjanam anushdanam vulla guruvai adainthakkaal.. thaaney vaikundam tharvaan kodukka veynndiyathai koduthaal thaaney tharvaan..mudal edai kadai nillai pola bagavaan, baagavathar acharyar pattruvathu..naduvil sooryam praypathukku pradama parvam acharya parvam yenkiraar.. maa muni naduvil orey padam nullikkanum..acharya kainkaryam nyamithathai pannanum..eranndu sishyar thiruvadi pidithaarkal nee pannu yentru avan solla.. valathu kaal nee edathu avan yentraar.. valathu thiruvadipiditha  sishyar varavillai virothi thiruvadi puzluthu nasamaay pohattum yentraanaam..emberumaanukku pannu yenbaaraam..ananthaazlvaan mottu viruvatharkku munnam kattanum kainkaryam avan koopitathum poha villai.. acharyar nyamanam yentrar..kunnamendhi ..paran senrtu ser thiruvenka maa mallai neeyum vanthu sernthavan ..acharya preethi yaha pannina kainkaryam pradana kainkaryam..madya bagavath kainkaryam ethuvum adiyavarkku seyvathu bagavaanukku pidithathu.. ethai maa muni aruli seythaar..moontrumey amaiyanum namakku..ontraiyum vida koodaathu ..moovarin preethaiyum mukkyam..nangaay naanaadaay naavudaiyaay yenkiraal ethil..gunangal  ellaam poornam vullaval namgai nambi pola.. nambi.yai kaana nangaikku aayiram kann venum..kambar..naa vannmai vullavall..vasaa kainkaryam pannanum..navasainthaal nadu asaiyum..5-12 vulley 2 angulam naakku sirama paduthinaal pir kaalam sowkyamaha erukkum..naavu thaan gjanam vudaiyavanaha aakkum..naaney thaan aayuduha yenbaal.. naanaathaay vetkam kooda ellaathavall..nangaay–baagavatharin poorthi gjana bakthi poornnar aazlvaar..gjana sakthi poorthy avan..mithuna seshadvathil aasai padanum..soorbanahai raavannan pola ellaamal kaakaasuran pola..piraattikku ethu kittathu..eha seshadvam thaan vunndu avalukku..erupidam vaikundam venkadam..avai thanidam erupidam maayan raamanusan manathu ..yenthan ethayathulley yenkiraar ethil thaan poorthy..vetkam ellathavan baagavathan ellanam seythaalum..govindaa kathuvaarkal..i was able to provide amusement without effort yentraar..govinda namam solla kaarannam aaneyn..athaa ariyey yentru naan azlikka pithaa yentru pesukiraar muthey manni maannikamey..thiru naamam solli tharithu kollukirom athanaal namam..kadan vaangi thiruppa kodukka mudiyaathu sanyasam vaangi kolluvaarkal thirumann ettaal parama baagavathar namam pottu konndaar yenbaaraam..naanaathaay ethu..ahangaram ellaathaval naan aadaay..naan periyom allom namakku yentru nallathu seyvaar edam sentru kathuppom ..desikan arulukiraar..naiachanu sandaanam..embaar raamanujarin perumai yenbathaal esaintheyn yenkiraar..dasa dasa ganangalukkul dasanaha aasai kollanum..pullakadi thottathu vaaviyull..senkazluneer sooriyan vuthithathum malarum chandran vudayamanathum aambal..damasa prakruthi eravil mullithu pahalil thoonguvaan.. asura gunam..nisarahar evarkal.. asura raadsarkal manusa gargam radjathan..devasri asuran..sadvika prakruthi malarvathu sengaluneer..ungal pulla kadai thottathil eruppar evar..sengal podi koorai..kaavi vasdram anninthavar..vasdram pena kooda maattar..padasobam padam=vasdram adobam vastrathaal mirattuvathu..thiru vaakku konndu mayakkanum.. vidvaan saalvai yenbaar munnam..ottaham yaanai yaathirai vunndu kaattu valliyil pohum pothu..elli kadithu saalvai gangaiyil poda sonnarkal.. parisarahar ketkka neengal vaithukolla koodaathu yenbaaraam..raamanin anda puram kaaval kaakkum .vayasanavarkal dasaradarai madiyil pottu vallarthavarkal..kaashayano viruthaarkal yenkiraar vaalmiki..andaranga kainkaryam pannubavarkal vasdram pena avakasam ellai..ethanaal neer kaavi anathaam..aalinganam panni alangaram petravarkal..venn pall davathavar..pallai vellukanum ..velluppu parisudam kaattum..avanai thavira mattravaridam pallai kaatta maattarkal..battar kaiyai marithaalum vara maatteyn yentraar rajavidam..loha vibareedam ..pall sengal vasdram velluppu ..ethara viseshadam veruppu erukkanum.. thangal thiru kovil sangiduvaan pohintraar..sanyaasi gramathil oru naal thanga koodaathu saasdram.. madaathipathi maattri vaithaar thirumallai periya jeeyar madathil saavi vaippar sanghu=saavi..srirenga narayanna jeeyar madathukku saavi varukirathaam..thangal thiru kovil sangiduvaan -rahasya drayathai tharuvaarkal..gavanathodu ketkanum yentru rahasyam..thiravu kollai pottu arthathai velli paduthuvaar acharyar.. thangal thiru kovil=rahasya drayam.. thangal el namudaiya svaroobam thiru mandram..thangal thiru el dwayam..kovil sarama slokam..moontraiyum sollvathaal rahasya drayam..battar ubadesikiraar..nanjeeyar velliyil vanthaar..nammai eru yentru solla villai.. avarai vara solli..oru thadavaiyum ketkaamal poha koodaathu yentru erukkanum..yengallai munnan  ezluppuvaan vaay pesum ..sangodu chakaram yenthum thada kaiyan..acharyar tholil poruppa vaithu eruppar avarin acharyar porithavar appanukku sangaazli azlithavan thonnaimaanukku koduthathum. pangaya kannaan thaamarai kannan kadasham villanum..dadaham niraiya thaamarai poo kaathu adikka thaamarai pakkam saayum..”vangaarkku araiya ..thadam pol pollinthana “-paasuram..pada ezlunthiraay yenkiraal..pullin vaay thondar adi podi aazlvarai vunnarthukiraal..mayarvara madi nalathaal pin vanthoraiyum vunnarthukiraal.. nandavanam kainkaryam..pullum silambina kaan yentru eruvarukkum arulukiraall..pothu ari kanninaay pushbam parikka kann thidaiyatha thuvallavum adaiyaallam evarukku..kulla kullira kudainthu neerada..anushdanam vittu deda deviyidam kullithu ollithitten yentraar evarey..kallam thavirnthu kalanthu..kallavaal pon vattil koduthu pinbu kalanthaar aazlvaar goshtiyil..pullin vaay polla arakkan krishnan raman sarithiram kattrinam meytha enthai sillaiyinaal elangai setra devaney devanaavaan yenbaar periya perumaal kannan nam perumaal raman.. venney saappitta perumaal avan vasistar nyamithu vaarnthu vadintha vinaythodu eruppar..paavaay karbu athiham evarukku.. nanaallal..markazliyil kettai avathaaram..thirupalli ezluchi paadinaar pillaikal ellorum paavai kalam pukkar.. loha sarangar munivar sengal podi koorai venn pal thavathaar..munnam ezluppuvaar mudalil baagavath seshadvam sonnavar..amalan aadi piraan adiyavarkku aadpaduthum vimalan..naan=vetkam, ahangaaram erannum evarukku poruthum..avarin nirbandathaal vudkarnthu naanaathaay erunthaar..velliyil erunthaar pillakadai..naitchyam vullavar.. naavudaiyaay surukamaha sonnaar radna surukamaha..pazla maraiyin porullaiyum ethil arulinaar kanni nun siru thaambu 11 paasuram evar 10..kaiyinaar suri sanghu anal aazliyaar avarkku naanghu thirukaikalai kaattinaar..sangodu chakaram thadakaiyan pangaya kann–kariya vaahi varunnanai..

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Thiruppavai-shri Vellukudi Swaami-11th and 12th paasuram..

January 1, 2008

..11th paasuram.. kovalar tham por kodi eval..ella pasu maadukallaiyum thaaney karakkum kovalan..koottam koottamana pasukkalaiyum..kattru karavai -kantrukalodu koodiya karavaikal..kootam yethanai yentru yenna mudiyaathu..emberumaaney elloraiyum kaappathu pola evan oruvaney pannuvaan.. varannasranama darmathai vidaamal pannukiravan..naamey seyvathai aal ettu seyyaamal pannanum..setraar=bagavath virothikalai..sentru seru seyyum avarkal erukkum edathil sentru azlipparkal..ramanin vazlithontralo..kuttram ontrillatha..aayudam ellamal erunthaal eintru poey naazlai va yenbaan.. moontru thiral vulla kovalan..porkodiyum entha mukkunangallaiyum konndavall ethodu azlahum konndavall por kodi yenbathaal.. kodi marathil suttrum.. kannanidam ..sowndaryam laavanyamum konndavall..puttru aravu pola siriya azlahu.. puna mayil pola ..eranndaiyum arulukirall..nin muttram puhunthu thozlimaar ellorum vanthom.. kannanin aasai entha muttram..sitraathey asaiyaathey ,pesaathey vaayaal padil sollavillai, selva penndaatti..mudal aazlvaridam sernthaar evar..muhil vannan meham pola svabam vallal thannmai..ethu porulukku vurangum yenna prayojanathukku vurangukiraay yenkiraall..

..9,10 thoonga vendum yentru thoongubavarkal..sarannagathi panninaalum vellai pannuvaarkal..ollai suvadiyil ellam namakku venndum yentru ezluthi vaithu erukiraarkal..seyvippavan avan..sangha dyaham pala dyaham..seyyamal erukka maatarkal.. kai padaitha payan pannanum..sales person virkkum pothu kidaikkum porul sales personakku ellai parisu vunndu.. einbam namakku yentru ninaithaal samsara sirai..sandosham namakku peru  veedu appuram tharuvaan..thayaar kuzlanthaikku pannum kaariyam pola..yetharkaka yentru ketkka mudiyaathu..konjara payan thaan konjuvathaal..muha vullasathukku palan..thookam yentru namathu radshanathaiyum, palathaiyum namathu yennum yennam kollaamal eruppathu..karma pannuvathu thaan namathu yoghyai..kurangukal ellam eravil thoongumm raamanum lakshmananum sudhi sudhi poey paarthu koluvaanaam..sala pala naal vuhandhu vueirkal kappaan..aasaiyudan seyyanum kadamaiyaha panna koodaathu..aananthamaha kurangukallai radshithaanaam..thurumbu narkka prabthi ellai sarannagathanukku..ethu thaan thookam maarbil kai vaithu thoongu kiraall.. ammanaay swaamini yenrathum..nottru pera venndiya krishna anubavam nonkaamal petravalley yenkiraal. vasal kadavai adaithaal vayaiyum adaikanumaa yenkiraal..eruvarum paraspara nalla ninaivudan pesukiraarkal..rahasyangalukkul naan mownamaha erukireyn yenkiraan 19th adyaayathil..adiyaal yennum peyar vaanga aasai avalukku ..rajannu ezlunthueru yentrathum thirudan pola varutham konndaan baradan raja pattam vanthathum..battar kalashebathil vaithavannaukku saalvai pothinaar..thanal killarinaal eriyum..svadandra abimanam thoobam poduvathu pola erunthaal thudippaan.. raja ramanin para dandriyam vullavan..hanumaan seethaiyai paarthathum nava vyagram kattravan yenna pannanum yentru yosithaan..onbathu naallil kathunnavar..madura vaakyam pesinaar vaithehiyai kurithu pesinaar..yenna pesinaar yenbathu mukkyam ellai  enimai thaan mukkyam ..miruha sanjeevini pola rama mandram ..seethai kattunndu erunthaall..vakyam parama maduram.. nintraal.. athu pola. maa mayan madavan vaikundan yentru madura soll kettu pesa villai eval.. vaay adaitchu potchu evalukku..raman jeyathithathum seythi sonnathum vaay thiranthu pesa villai..santhosham thonndai adaithathu..yenna kutram seythen yentru hanumaan kettathu pola maattramum thaaraaro yenkiraal..kannden seethaiyai yentrathum paaraimela vudkaarnthaar simhasanam pola..vibaramaha sollum yentru kettaar..seethai enimaiyaha pesuvaal ellam solu yentru ethir paarthu kettathu pola..vaivathum nantraha erukku mela pesattum enimaiyaha erukku ..ashda puja emberumaanidam vanchi-ontru pannitha thunndu..moontru ezlutha peraal ..ketka povom yentru maraithu sonnaar..yenna sonnar yentru thaayaarukku theriyaathu..avan antru yenna sonnaan yentru naan sollukireyn yenkiraar perivatchaan pillai..munnor sonna murai thappaamal-aruvaarkal..edai soll namaha..yennai radchikkum poruppu yennathuellai..siruthu erukkum edai  yenbathai ashda buja paasurathil arulinaar..vaayai thirantha azlahil yeedu patteyn yenkiraar..adidhi thithi paarthu varadavarkal..chola naadu soru vudaithu erunthathu parimaattam vittu koduthom..vattam kuruha ..udsavam pothu paiyai vaithu povaarkal..thangi kolla bagyam yentru eruppavan vaishnavan..vaikasi chitirai brahmotsavam pothu mallai vasam povaarkalum vunndu..adiyaarkallai vittey kodukka koodaathu..ollivil kaalam ..paasurathil pushba kainkaryam panna vallaar vunndo yenna ananthaazlvaan..veduvarkalukkum kaaduvaalvarkalukkum ananthaalvaan pillai yentraar..yeri vettum pothu garbini penn..siruvan vadivathai eduthu konndu raamanujar kainkaryam panna aasai kolla..avalidam ketkka..vehamaha vellai nadakka..gadappaarai abradadshanamaha oodinaar muha vaayil pattu eratham..patchai kalpooram ennum vunndu..baagavathanidam adi pattathai kaatta maha dvarathul nullaiyum pothu gadappaarai vunndu..novu saathikonndaar oru naallil..poey paarthaar thiruvenkadamudaiyaan..paarkka villaiyaam..avarkal ninaivu yenna eval ninaikiraal..pesaamal udaaseenam panna koodaathu..kutram seythavar pakkal poraiyum -poruthu kollanum-kirubaiyum ..perumaal baagavatha abacharam panninaal porukka maattaan..oru nimisha abacharam panninaalum porukka maattaan.. kirumi kannda cholan kann ponathum ..vasalil pona nethi thiruman kaappu neraha ellai yentru ninaithu eruppeyn athu thaan kann ponathu yentraaraam..pesuvathu svarooba laabam..adalmaa kudhiraiyil poey kainkaryam panninaar thirumangai..vedupari udsavam..nammalvaar olivil kaalam ellaam..vazluvilla adimai seyya veynndum yentru paasuram mattum panninaar..vaasihamaay anghu adimai seythaar..sorpanni sey aayiram..22000 sorkal mattum ubayogham panninathaal naan munney yentru sollumaam.. divya desa perumaallin varisaiyum sollkallin varisaiyum nintrathaam..paada mudiyaathu yentru solla 1000 naakku venum yentraar battar.. mazlai peythu samudra jalathil kalakka perumai mazlaikku..stotrathukku appaarpattavan..namathu naakku kainkaryamaha stotram pannukiraarkal..eruvarum vuyartchi panni pesukiraarkal..”ma susaha “yentru solla kaathu konndu erukiraan..nivedayada yentru pannmaiyil sonnaan vibeeshannan..seekiram poey sollungo ..sugreevanidam..raamanidam maha visvasathudan vanthu evan muniduvarai avan munniduvaan..yennai adaiyanum yentru raaman thudithu konndu erukiraar  baagya labathai tholaikaathey seekiram sollu yenkiraan..

..12th paasuram..narselvan thangaay yenkiraal ethil..anaithillaarum arinthu yenkiraall..naithu ellam seru aakkumaam..paal vellathaal..karavamal vittathaal.. kantrin vaayaal pohanum edaiyan kaiyaal pohanum eranndum ellaamal kumuri ..ninaithu mullai valliyey kottinathaam..varnnasrama darmathai vittavan ..erunthaalum evannai narselvan yenkiraall..pala karanthaan keezl paasurathil..thallaiyil pani vellam, keezley paal vellam naduvil krishna anubava maal vellam.. moontru vellam..sinathinaal then elanghai komaanai setraan manathukku eniyaannai..sandaiyaal ellai..gobathaal yenkiraall..sinam virothikalidam namakku manathukku eniyaan..raman gunnam yaaraiyum vida villai roobam gunangalalum yeedu pattu..eni thaan ezlunthiraay..ethenna per vurakkam.. kumbakarnna thotru kodutha thookkam ontrumey ellai yentru aakkinaval.. per vurakkam..

..anushtitha paasuram 11th..setraar..virothi yengu erunthaalum sentru..munbolaa raavannan paasuram..saadhu sanathai nalliyum kanjanai saadipatharkku..kashtapaduthanum yentru eyarkkaiyaha kashdapaduthinavan..selva vibeeshannan yenkiraar yellam vittu raamanidam vanthavannai..nija selvam therinthavan..sadru pakkathilirunthu vanthavan yenkiraan sukreevan ..avanukku setraar yaarum ellai..aazlvaarkalaiyum aruli seyalaiyum thaazlvaha ninappavarkal thaam  narahil veezlvaarkal ..nee our paal sellaathey yenkiraar maa muni..nenju thirinthaal athuvum setraar aahum..pattrulla manasu virothi.. pattratra manasu nanban..kamsanaiyo raavannanaiyo thedi sella veynndaam setraarai paarkka..visvaroobam kaattum munnam visvaasam erunthaal sevai yentraan Kannan Arjunanidam..gokulam maadukallai yenna mudiyaathu yenbathai..veedu mun muttravum padhiham ..pidithathai vittu vittu patraathavanai pattranum..neer numathu tholaikanum..thurumbu velliyil varuvathu ethrkku thimngalam kadalukkul adakkam yentru erunthaal thalla maattaan ..yenberukku annalathu onn porul yeerillai..kalyana gunnangallai yenni mudikka mudiyaathu namathu thoshangallai yenna mudiyaathathu pola..kalyanna gunna ganaha adisaya niravadhiha adhisaya asangeya yenkiraar..aanatham allakka aasai ubanishad..alavu koll. manushya aanadam therinthathu 100 deva,100 endra,100 prahaspathi 100 brahmaa..einnum usadhi..ethu pola 100 brahma vanthaalum  mudiyaathu ..vuyarvara vuyar nalam vudaiyavan yenkiraar..antha gunnangallai yennallam entha karavai kannangal pala yenna mudiyaathu yenkiraar..battar adimedaavi..sarva dandra svandarar yentru peyar..thirumanna thoonnil thottil katti thoonga panninaaram..abimana puthrar..amudhu paaraiyil prasadam thavillnthu vanthu allainthathum thaan avanukku prasadam..sarvagna battan vanthaan..elloraiyum jeyitheyn yentru  ..kai manal ethanai yentru soll yentru pidi manal yentru solla theriyathavan.. thahappanaar eppadi eruppar raamanujar eppadi eruppar yentru purinthu sentraanaam.. vargamaha pirikkallam kalyanna gunnangallai  maadu kantrukallai pirikka mudiyaathaam..kannanai daraha boshka boghyamaha konndavarkal.. nayaa gokul puranna gokul yenkiraar..paradvam sowlapyam yentru eranndaha pirikkalaam…”para avaran” -vuyarntha thaazlntha eranndukkum mel ellai ..asrenna yedhuvaana ezlimai otha gunnangal..asridhanin kaaryam nadatha sakthi vallamai padaitha gunnangal eppadi eranndu vahai..asridha kaariya..maa meham yentrum thannai thottu solkiraan..angi paasurathaal paartha sarathy erukiraan..pasallai noy kanndu velluthu povathu pola erunthathaam arjunanidam seraamal erunthaal..aham dvaa sarva paapam nenjai niminthu sonnaan..svaroobam roobam sollum gunnangal..eyarkkai thannmai sowree raja ,sowndara raja perumaal pola.. thirumeni pattri sollum gunnangal..chitathaal pidikka vuruvam venum..manasai oru nillai paduthanum ..erilla vann puhazl narannan thin kazlal serey atmaavai yennalaam karavai kannankallai yenna mudiyaathu.. bakthar, muktar, nithyar yentru pirikkallaam..divya visva roobam aaydam, maalaikal, abarannangal thollkal aayirathaal kannkal aayirathaay yentru yenna mudiyatha nillaiyai vinmeethuruppaay, kadal vuyyoham, andaratmi archai yentru pirikallaam..paravasudevan kaarya vaikunndam sadya loham thaandi erukkum sanndhanyaha loham..rishikal engey thaan poey vittu varuvaar..prapannan mattum vulley poha mudiyum..nithyodidam sandodudam..vuyaha vasudevan sangarshannan pradyumnan anurudyannan ..moontru per oruvarin pirappaar kesava 12 thirunaamamum eppadi pirinthathu mukya avatharam avesa avadaram balaraman, parasuramam eranndum..sakthi avesa avathaaram vunndu..sanmam pala pala seythu yennintra yoniyumaay piranthaay..divya desam pirikirom..nintra eruntha kidanda..27 sayana divyadesam..amarntha 21.. nintra 60..kizlakey79..merkey19 ..vadakkey 3 salagramam ayodya thiru vuraiyoor.. therkku 7.. thiruvarangam ethil ontru..yennil adangaatha yennil kallithaal yennil adangaathathu varum..thiruvida chedana ..baktar mumukshu bhubukkshu eranndu vahai..muktaril baghvallabaarthi ,atmaa anubavam kaivalyaarthi.. yedu nilathiduvathin munnam thirumbi varathavar evarum..eisvarthharthi kaivalyaarthaarthi bagavalaabaarthi moontru vahai….ezuvaar -eisvaram vidai kollvaar-solli konndu povaar yeen thullaay pola vilahaamal eruppavar..tholaisa sothai puthiyana sothai..andakulathukathipathi..asurarkallai pokki andakulam eranndu vahai naankku vahai chadur vidam yenbar..gunna nishtar kainkarya nishtar munivar yogi..lakshmananum(kainkaryam) baradanum (guna)pola..thirunamangalukku kuraiyo?..gunathukku solla thirunamam.. vyabahangal narayanna vishnu vasudevan.-ella edathilum-.avyabaha mandram..thamar vuhanda perum avanathu..svarooba thirunamam vishnu easvaran pola.. roobam kesava pola suseela vatsala kaarunnya gunnangal seshtitham damodaran naangu vahai paduthidalaam..pramaannam vedam yenna mudiyaathu vyasar pirithaar kattru karaivai kannangalukku yeedaha koodaathu..pradyadsham anumaanam sabdam moontru vahai..neraha, anumaanam-parvatham mela puhai paarthu neruppu erukkum yentru therinthu kolluvathu..sabdam vedam..kannal parthu ,kaathaal kettu .mookkal muharnthu ,rusithu,enthirangallaal therivathu.. thuvabaraha yugathil vedam naankaka pirithaar saahaihal pala..rik artham anusarena padam..sadyam gjanam anandam brahmam..yajur artham anusanthithum padam ellamalum paadam..gaanathodu saamam.. kalanthu vanthal adarvannam..vysambanar yajur..jaimini ..krishna yajur 86 saahai..smirthi ethihasam..6 angangal..ubaagangal 8..meemaansai pola..puraannangal..vidya saanangal entha 14..sudha misra kaala moontru vahai achit..sadvam raji damas kalanthu..anandam kala dadvam..erantha nigazl kadantha kaalam.. manni nimisham pirikkalaam..sothu ethannai avanukku..nithya leelaa viboothi..prakruthi vikrithi..moolam mahaan ahangaaram pancha boothangal einthirangal gjana karma einthiriyangal..10 manasu ethellaam..24 vargam..annda gadaha mayam evai 14 loham..7deebangal jambodeebam9 baarada varusham kanndam..pirikkalaam..kattru karaikal koottam pirikka mudiyaathu..

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Mana Sanskriti (Our Culture)

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Chief Editor: Sreenivasarao Vepachedu, PhD, LLM

Issue 69

5105 Kali Era , Swabhanu Year, Asvayuja  month 

1925 Salivahana Era , Swabhanu Year, Asvayuja  month 

2061 Vikramarka Era, Swabhanu year, Asvayuja  month 

 2003 AD, October

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Vedah

BRAHMINS

Brahmin Motto:

|| Lokaha Samastaha Sukhino Bhavanthu || (May the whole world be happy) 

|| Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu || (May all people be happy) 

|| Sarva Jeeva Janthu Sukhino Bhavanthu || (May all beings be happy)

"The wisdom of the ancients has been taught by the philosophers of Greece, but also by people called Jews in Syria, and by Brahmins in India." 

-Megasthenes, Greek Ambassador to Gupta Empire of India (now Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India), writing around 300 BC.

Introduction

Brahmin Population

Geographical Location

Meaning of “Brahmin”

Brahmin Sages and Branches

Major Brahmin Castes

Various Brahmin Communities

Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh

Notes and References

Introduction

In the ancient world and even in the modern society people usually form cohesive groups based on their language, culture and geographical location.  These groups have a common ancestry and are led by chiefs of the families around which they gathered.  Such communities are called tribes1. There are innumerable tribes in this world.  The Indian continent is not different from the rest of the world1b as far as tribes and the rivalries between them are concerned.

It seems there are two kinds of tribes in the Indian continent, the tribes and castes2. The tribes are still in the forests and hills and not really part of the modern society.  Castes have been living in the villages and cities since ancient times and are civilized. In the Indian Continent, a caste means a modern civilized tribe or clan or group of people that have marital relationship among them.  Some castes are further divided into subcastes.  Matrimonial relationship among subcastes is not acceptable due to differences in religious and cultural practices.  It is important to note that the caste or tribe is blood-related and genetic, and hence hereditary.  So, one has to be born into a caste or tribe to belong to that tribe or caste.  Again, this is not unique to India.  These ancient tribal traditions are slowly disappearing in this modern age3.  One among such communities in the Indian continent is the Brahmin caste. For consistency in this article, Brahmins are referred to as a caste.

Brahmin Population4

The census of 1881 enumerated 1,929 castes.  Brahmins, Kunbis and Chamars accounted for approximately 10 million each. Of these 1,929 castes, 1,432 (74 per cent) were geographically localized groups and each caste or tribe is unique to a particular place.  Only few castes like Brahmins had an all-India presence.

Brahmins are one of many minority groups in India. In 1931, Brahmins were 4.32% of the total population. The so-called Muslim minority in India is approximately 20 to 25 percent of the total population, even after Muslim Pakistan and Muslim Bangladesh separated from India. However, registered Muslim percentage is only ~15%, less than the real percentage of the total population, due to misrepresentation.  Brahmins even in Uttar Pradesh, where they are most numerous, constitute just 9 percent. In Tamil Nadu they form less than 3 percent and in Andhra Pradesh they are less than 2 percent. 

During the Islamic conquests in India, it was a typical policy to single out the Brahmins for slaughter, after the Hindu warriors had been bled to death on the battlefield. Even the Portuguese in Malabar and Goa followed this policy in the 16th century, as can be deduced from Hindu-Portuguese treaty clauses prohibiting the Portuguese from killing Brahmins.(http://sarvadharma.org/Museum/Articles/islamicgenocide.htm) 

Geographical Location

Brahmins are Vedik people.  The Vedas describe the landscape of northern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Over and over the Vedas mention a mighty river called the Sarasvati where Brahmin communities flourished, where the Indus Valley civilization flourished and dispersed when the Saraswati river dried up around 1900 BCE.  Long before, during the Ramayana period Brahmins migrated to Dandakaranya (Dandaka Forest) in the south with Viswamitra, the author of several hymns in Rigveda including Gayatri mantra, and practiced Vedik religon performing yajnas under the protection of Lord Rama and Lakshmana.   Long before Rama went south,  Agastya, a prominent Brahmin sage and writer of several hymns of Rigveda, crossed Vindhyas and established Vedik religion in south India.  Sage Agastya appeared to Rama when he was despondent at the impending war with Ravana and instructed him in the use of Aditya Hridayam, a hymn praising the Sun God. Brahmins have been migrating to various regions within the Indian Continent since time immemorial and recently to other continents as well. 

Meaning of “Brahmin”

The word Brahmin means many things to many people resulting in confusion.  One of the reasons for this confusion is Sanskrit language5.  Many words in Sanskrit have many meanings6.  Depending upon the context one has to take the meaning of the word. The word Brahmana (hereinafter "Brahmin") means the God, one who knows God, one who has the knowledge of God, one who has the knowledge of Vedas, an intellectual, a priest, a teacher, a professor, a person belonging to Brahmin caste, a superior person, a text related to Vedas, and so on7.  Accordingly, priests in a mosque, church,  a synagogue, a gurudwara etc. are all Brahmins because they are all , obviously, priests. They are also Brahmins because they are supposed to have the knowledge of God.  They are also Brahmins because they are intellectuals. However, none of them are God and at least a couple of them would consider it blesphemous to say so.  They may not have the knowledge of the Vedas and they may not belong to the Brahmin caste.  And certainly, they are not the texts related to Vedas. To add to this confusion there are Boston Brahmins who are Americans and have nothing to do with the Vedas or vegetarianism. They are not even remotely related to the Indian Continent.

There are hundreds of religions, practices, traditions, castes, tribes etc. dubbed as Hinduism. One among those religions is the Brahminism8 practiced by the Brahmin caste.  Brahmins have distinct traditions, culture and religion and follow certain principles and practices.  This religion9 may also be called Sanatana (ancient) Dharma or Vedic religion.  However, there is a lot of confusion as to the definition of Hinduism10, which encompasses everything indigenous to the Indian Continent, e.g., some  groups of Indians like Busddhists, Jains, Sikhs, dalit Christians, Muslims, and people like Iliah Kanche, a Kuruma Christian, confuse Brahminism with Hinduism (Indigenous Religions of Indian Continent). Iliah Kanche declares that he is not a Hindu, because he does not follow any of the principles of Brahmins such as vegetarianism etc. However, Brahminism is only one of the many religions of India that are collectively called Hinduism.  Yet, almost all other Indian (Hindu) religions also respect the Vedas because they are essentially the human heritage and the most ancient texts. The Rig Veda was declared by UNESCO as part of the world heritage.

  

Most of the practicing Brahmins adhere to the principles such as acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation and realization of the truth are diverse; God is one, but has innumerable names and forms to chant and worship due to our varied perceptions, cultures and languages; that a Brahmin works for the welfare of the entire society and so on.  Daily practices of Brahmins include sandhyavandana (prayers to Gayatri and Sun God), prayer to ishtadaiva or ilavelpu (personal God), yoga, non-violence, vegetarianism etc. Everything in the daily life of a Brahmin is a ritual.  However, special rituals include marriage, ritual conception and consummation of the wedding, rituals of childbirth, naming ceremony, first feeding ceremony, the child’s first tonsure, upanayana (the sacred-thread ceremony - initiation into vedic learning and ritual), ritual baths, cremation rituals, shraaddha, etc.  All of these rituals are very important for a practicing Brahmin.  

The Vedas are the primary source of knowledge for all Brahmin traditions, both orthodox & heterodox.  All religions of Brahmins and all traditions, in one way or other, take inspiration from the Vedas.  Traditional Brahmin accepts Vedas as apaurusheyam (not man-made), but revealed truths and of eternal validity or relevance and hence the Vedas are considered Srutis that which have been heard and are the paramount source of Brahmin traditions and is believed to be divine.  These Srutis include not only the four Vedas (the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda), but also their respective Brahmanas.  Brahmins also give tremendous importance to purity of body and mind and hence attach importance to ritual baths and cleanliness.

Brahmin Sages and Branches (Gotras and Subcastes)11:

In general, gotra denotes all persons who trace descent in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as ' apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means 'the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage) beginning with the son's son. When a person says ' I am Kashypasa-gotra' he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent. According to the Baudhâyanas'rauta-sûtra Vishvâmitra, Jamadagni, Bharadvâja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and Agastya are 8 sages; the progeny of these eight sages is declared to be gotras. This enumeration of eight primary gotras seems to have been known to PâNini. The offspring (apatya) of these eight are gotras and others than these are called ' gotrâvayava '.

The gotras are arranged in groups, e. g. there are according to the Âsvalâyana-srautasûtra four subdivisions of the Vasishtha gana, viz. Upamanyu, Parâshara, Kundina and Vasishtha (other than the first three). Each of these four again has numerous sub-sections, each being called gotra. So the arrangement is first into ganas, then into pakshas, then into individual gotras. The first has survived in the Bhrigu and Ângirasa gana. According to Baud, the principal eight gotras were divided into pakshas. The pravara of Upamanyu is Vasishtha, Bharadvasu, Indrapramada; the pravara of the Parâshara gotra is Vasishtha, Shâktya, Pârâsharya; the pravara of the Kundina gotra is Vasishtha, Maitrâvaruna, Kaundinya and the pravara of Vasishthas other than these three is simply Vasishtha. It is therefore that some define pravara as the group of sages that distinguishes the founder (lit. the starter) of one gotra from another.

There are two kinds of pravaras, 1) sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara, and 2) putrparampara. Gotrapravaras can be ekarsheya, dwarsheya, triarsheya, pancharsheya, saptarsheya, and up to 19 rishis. Kashyapasa gotra has at least two distinct pravaras in Andhra Pradesh: one with three sages (triarsheya pravara) and the other with seven sages (saptarsheya pravara). This pravara may be either sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara or putraparampara. When it is sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara marriage is not acceptable if half or more than half of the rishis are same in both bride and bridegroom gotras. If it is putraparampara, marriage is totally unacceptable even if one rishi matches.

Due to the diversity in religious and cultural traditions and practices, and the Vedic schools which they belong to, Brahmins are further divided into various subcastes.

The Beginning of Divisions among Brahmins: sutra Period: During the sutra period, roughly between 1000 BC to 200 BC, Brahmins became divided into various Sakhas or branches, based on the adoption of different Vedas and different readings and interpretations of Vedas.  Sects or schools for different denominations of the same Veda were formed, under the leadership of distinguished teachers among Brahmins.   The teachings of these distinguished rishis are called sutras.  Every Veda has its own sutras. The sutras that deal with social, moral and legal precepts are called dharma sutras, whereas those sutras that deal with ceremonials are called Srauta sutras and domestic rituals are called gruhya sutras.  sutras are generally written in prose or in mixed prose and verse.  These sutras are based on divine Vedas and are manmade and hence are called Smritis, meaning “recollected or remembered.” 

There are several Brahmin law givers such as Angirasa, Apasthambha, Atri, Brihaspati, Boudhayana, Daksha, Gautama, Harita, Katyayana, Likhita, Manu, Parasara, Samvarta, Sankha, Satatapa, Usanasa, Vasishta, Vishnu, Vyasa, Yajnavalkya and Yama.  These twenty-one rishis were the propounders of Dharma Sastras.  There is a lot of contradiction among theseDarmasastas, even within one Smriti.  These differences in the rules and rituals resulted in the rigid stratification of subcastes among Brahmins. None of these smritis is supreme and universally applicable throughout the Indian Continent.  The oldest among these Dharma Sutras are Apasthambha, Baudhayana, Gautama and Vasishta Sutras. 

   Apasthambha: Apasthambha, a native of Andhra Country, belonged to Krishnayajurveda School. He belonged to fifth century BC. Apasthambha’s teachings are called Apasthambhasutra or Apasthambhasmriti.

     Baudhayana: Baudhayana also belonged to Krishnayajurveda School and was an inhabitant of Andhra Country. Baudhayana’s teachings are called Baudhayanasutra or Baudhayanasmriti.

     Brihaspati: Brihaspati was probably the first jurist to make a clear distinction between civil and criminal justice. Yajnavalkya referred to Brihaspati.  However, Brihaspati is considered to belong to 200-400 AD.  Brihaspatismriti has a lot of similarities with Dhammathats of Myanmar (Burma).  

   Gautama: Gautama was the most ancient sage of all Brahmin lawgivers. He was quoted by Baudhayana and belonged to Samaveda School.  Gautama’s teachings are called Gautamasutra or Gautamasmriti.

    Harita: Baudhayana and Vasishta in their Dharmasutras quote Harita.  Haritasmriti or Haritasutra is an extensive work.

   Katyayana: Yajnavalkya mentions Katyayana. Katyayanasmriti is quoted in several works of Viswarupa, Mitramisra etc.  Smriti Chandrika cites 600 verses of Katyayanasutras. He may belong to the same period as Narada and Brihaspati.

    Manu: Manu is a mythical personality and is the ancestor of the entire humankind.  Manu received the code from Brahma, and communicated it to ten sages and requested Bhrigu rishi to repeat it to the other nine.  This code of conduct recited by Bhrigu is called Manusmriti.  For convenience, the British took Manusmriti as the paramount law of the Indian Continent. Manudharma is not only revered by Brahmins and Hindus, but also by Buddhists in Java, Siam and Myanamar.  Manusmriti was composed around 200 BC, around which time a revival of Brahminism took place under the rule Sungas in the North India.

   Narada: Sage Narada was probably a native of Nepal around first century AD.  Naradasmriti is the first legal code unhampered by the mass of religious and moral teachings. Some authors think that Narada belonged to Gupta period when there was a distinct revival of Brahminism and Sanskrit literature.

    Vasishta: Vasishta belonged to 3rd century BC and a native of North India. Vasishta’s teachings are called Vasishtasutra or Vasishtasmriti.

    Vishnu: Vishnu belonged to 1st or 2nd century AD. Vishnu’s teachings are called Vishnusutra or Vishnusmriti.

   Yajnavalkya: Yajnavalkya belonged to Suklayajurveda School12.  He was a native of Mithila City in North Bihar and probably lived anywhere from few centuries before Christ to 200 AD.  However, some scholars think he belonged to first or second century AD.  Yajnavalkya Dharmasmriti has been subject of numerous commentaries. The most celebrated of all the commentaries of Yajnavlkyasmriti is Mitakshara and is practically the beginning of the Brahmin law and the so-called Hindu law.  Passages from Mitakshara have been found practically in every part of the Indian Continent and became an authority.  The Yajnavlkyasmriti is concise, more systematic and better arranged than the Manusmriti. From early times, commentators like Viswarupa, Vijnaneswara, Apararka, Sulapani, Mitramisra etc., from every part of India selected the Yajnavalkyasmriti as the basis of their commentaries.  Passages from Yajnavalkyasmiriti appeared in Panchatantra. 

 

Other important Brahmins who gave smritis/sutras/laws are: Angirasa, Atri, Daksha, Devala, Laugakshi, Prajapati, Pitamaha, Pulatsya, Yama, Vyasa, Samvarta and Satatapa.  Prominent smriti writers of later age include, Devanabhatta or Devanandabhatta of Madras province, who belonged to ~1200 AD and wrote Smritichandrika, and Madhavacharya or Vidyaranya, who was the Prime Minister of Vijayanagara dynasty and pontiff for some time of the celebrated mutth at Sringeri in Mysore province. He wrote Parasaramadhaviya, which is a commentary on Parasarasmriti.

Major Brahmin Castes: Major Brahmin castes in the Indian Continent include Chitpavana Brahmins, Daivajna Brahmins, Deshastha Brahmins, Dhima Brahmins, Gouda Saraswat Brahmins, Havyaka Brahmins, Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins, Iyers, Kandavara Brahmins, Karade Brahmins, Karhada Brahmins, Kayastha Brahmins,  Khandelwal Brahmins, Kota Brahmins, Konkanastha Brahmins, Koteshwara Brahmins, Nagar Brahmins, Namboothiri Brahmins, Niyogi Brahmins, Padia Brahmins, Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins, Saklapuri Brahmins, Sanketi Brahmins, Saraswat Brahmins, Shivalli Brahmins, Smarta Brahmins, Sthanika Brahmins, Thenkalai Iyengars, Tuluva Brahmins, Vadagalai Iyengars, Vaidiki Brahmins and Vaishnava Brahmins. 

In addition to the above major castes of Brahmins, there are several Brahmin subcastes.  The Rev. M.A. Sherring4 had, in the 1860s, compiled some 2,000 of them in the second volume of his Hindu Tribes and Castes.  He considered the list incomplete.  The Brahmin subcastes are grouped under various gotras13 that are patrilineal groups. 

According to some Shashtras and popular belief as mentioned in "Hindu Castes and Sects" (by Jogendranath Battacharya), the Brahmins in the Indian Continent are divided into two major groups: Panch Gaur and Panch Dravida.  Panch Gaur (the five classes of Northern India) group constitutes: 1) Saraswata, 2) Kanyakubja, 3) Gaudra, 4) Utkala, and 5) Maithila. In addition, for the purpose of giving an account of Northern Brahmins each of the provinces must be considered separately, such as, North Western Provinces, Gandhar, Punjab, Kashmir, Sindh, Rajputana, Kurukshetra, Oudh, Cetral India, Trihoot, South Bihar, Orissa, Bengal, Assam etc. Panch Dravida (the five classes of Southern India) group constitutes: 1) Andhra, 2) Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), 3) Karnataka, 4) Maharashtra, 5) Gujarat.

According to one legend (according to Sherring), all the chief Brahmin gotras are descended from the Saptarishis (seven sages). Sherring says the Vatsa, Bida, Arshtikhena, Yaska, Mitryu, Shaunak and Bainya gotras claim descent from sage Bhrigu; the gotras of Gautam, Bharadwaj and Kewal-Angiras from sage Angirah; the Atre, Badbhutak, Garishtira and Mudhgala from sage Atri; the Kaushika, Lohit, Raukshak, Kamkayana, Aja, Katab, Dhananjya, Agamarkhan, Puran and Indrakaushika from sage Viswamitra; the Nidruba, Kasyap, Sandila, Rebha and Langakshi from sage Kasyap; the Vashisht, Kundin, Upamanyu, Parashara and Jatukaraniya from sage Vashisht; and the Idhamabahar, Somabahar, Sambhabahar and Yagyabhar from sage Agastya. Other gotras are said to have been derived from these gotras.

Sherring has also listed some chief gotras according to the Veda each one observes. Thus the Bhargaus, Sankritas, Gargs (Chandras), Bhrigus and Saunaks follow the Rig. The Kasyaps, Kaasyaps, Vatsas, Sandilas and Dhananjays follow the Sama. The Bharadwajs, Bhaaradwajs, Angirahs, Gautams and Upamanyus observe the Yajur; and the Kaushikas, Gritakaushikas, Mudhgalas, Galawas and Vashishts follow the Atharva. All others follow the Yajur. The Brahmin subcastes are broadly categorized into two great geographical divisions-the north and the south. The dividing line is the Narmada River. The gaur (white) subcastes, according to Sherring, inhabit the region north of the Narmada and the draviDa subcastes, the south. The chief gaur subcastes are Kanakubja, Saraswat, Gaur, Maithila and Utkala and the chief draviDa subcastes are Maharashtra, Tailanga, Dravida, Karnata and Gurjar.  Then there are supplementary subcastes like Mathur (from Mathura), Magadh, Malwa, Kurmachali, Naipali (from Nepal), Kashmiri, Sapt-Shati, Shenevi, Palashe, Sengardaro, Sankahar, Thatiya, Ahwasi (Haiwasi), Byas, Bilwar, Lrikhishwar, Agachi, Bagaria (Parchuniya), Unwariya, Golapurab, Lyariya, Nade, Myale, Dasadwipi, Dehra-dun, the names largely indicating their habitat. Today, many Brahmins don't know and don't care about these distinctions, which are now of historical importance only.  Intermarriages are becoming very common among these groups, nowadays.  As a matter of fact, Brahmins have been marrying non-Brahmins also.  

Various Brahmin Communities15 (Note: The following list does not represent all the Brahmin castes of the Indian Continent)

 

1) Andhra Brahmins

         i) Niyogi Brahmins          

         ii) Vaidiki Brahmins

2) Chitpavana Brahmins 

3) Daivajna Brahmins 

4) Deshastha Brahmins 

5) Dhima Brahmins 

6) Gaur Brahmins

7) Gouda SaraswatBrahmins 

8) Havyaka Brahmins 

9) Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins: The Hoysala Karnatakas are Smarta Brahmins living in the State of Karnataka in the Indian Union. Many eminent scholars, musicians, philosophers, generals and religious pontiffs belong to this community. (Read more here)

10) Iyers

11) Kandavara Brahmins 

12) Karade Brahmins 

13) Karhada Brahmins 

14) Kashmiri Saraswat Brahmins

15) Kayastha Brahmins 

16) Khandelwal Brahmins 

17) Konkanastha Brahmins 

18) Kota Brahmins 

19) Koteshwara Brahmins 

20) Nagar Brahmins

21) Namboothiri Brahmins 

22) Padia Brahmins 

23) Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins 

24) Saklapuri Brahmins 

25) Sanketi Brahmins 

26) Saraswat Brahmins 

        a) The Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins 

        b) Kashmiri Saraswat Brahmins or Kashmiri Pandits

        c) Rajapur/Balawalikar Saraswat Brahmins 

        d) Haryana Saraswat Brahmins

27) Shivalli Brahmins 

28) Smarta Brahmins 

29) Sthanika Brahmins 

30) Tuluva Brahmins 

31)Vaishnava Brahmins

 

Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh16

Brahmins have been migrating from time immemorial. The Brahmin families that migrated made an impact peacefully by example rather than converting people by any means. 

The Brahmin migration to the South features in the legends of sage Agastya.  The Vindhya mountain range in central India continued to grow higher showing its might and obstructed cloud movement causing draught. Sage Agastya decided to solve the problem and traveled south. The Vindhya mountain bowed to Agastya and the sage requested Vindhya to stay prostrated until he returns. Vindhya complied with this request and sage Agastya never returned to north.

The earliest Brahmins to arrive in Andhra were most probably sage Viswamitra's students and progeny around 1200 BC.  South Indian kings showed respect and patronage for Brahmins and Brahminism since ancient times, e.g., Satavahana dynasty that ruled for five centuries and extended over Andhra and central India, founded by Srimukha (221-198 BC), supported Brahminism and Vedic tradition.16a   One of the most important features of Satavahana dynasty was granting land to Brahmins.16b Sangam era of Chera, Chola and Pandya kings in Deep South also used to grant lands to Brahmins.16c Similarly there have been Brahmin migrations back and forth that continue even today.  Due to these waves of Brahmin migrations, perhaps, we see today various sub-castes and traditions among Brahmins. 

Most of the Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh belong to smaarta Brahmin group, i.e., the followers of smritis and followers of Adi Sankaracharya.  The smaarta Brahmins follow Apastambasmriti or Apastambasutra (not Manusmriti).  Apasthamba (~600 BC) was one of the earliest lawmakers of south India who lived on the banks of River Godavari.  Boudhayana, Parasara, Yajnvalkya sutras and other laws were also important in the past, e.g., in the courts of Srikrishnadevaraya.16d  Pradhamasakha Niyogi Brahmins (see below) follow Yajnavalkya sutras and Kanva sutras.  The smaarta Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh can be grouped into two major divisions formed about a thousand to about 700 years ago (most probably during Kakatiya rule), Niyogi and Vaidiki.  However, in addition to smaarta Brahmins, there are other Brahmin groups such as Sri Vaishnavas, Madhavas and Aradhyas.  I have grouped them in Vaidiki Brahmin group below for convenience only. Today, many Brahmins don't know and don't care about these distinctions.  Intermarriages have been very common among theses groups.  As a matter of fact, Brahmins have been marrying non-Brahmins also.  The following is only of historical importance.

i)  Niyogi Brahmins : Niyogi Brahmins are those Brahmins who took up various secular vocations including military activities and gave up religious vocation, especially the priesthood.  Niyogi Brahmins depend and emphasize on modern education.  They were ministers in the courts of kings and feudatories. Many of them were village accountants/clerks, karanams (Andhra) or patwaris (Telangana), until recently. The Niyogis are considered to be eligible for priestly service.  But they will never either accept a religious gift or partake of Sraaddha food (food given to Brahmins duiring the death related rituals). According to Jogendranath Bhattacharya16e, Niyogi name is derived from Yoga, which means religious contemplation or meditation, as opposed to Yaga, which means religious sacrifice. Niyogin in Sanskrit also means "employed" or "appointed" and accordingly, it is probable that they are so-called because they accept secular employment.

They were very rich and influential. Legendary Rayamantri belongs to this group.  Niyogi Brahmins include eminent personalities like Veeresalingam Kandukuri, Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli, Venkatgiri Varahagiri, KL Rao, Prakasam Tanguturi, Venkatanarasimharao Pamulaparti (PV), General K. V. Krishnarao etc.   PV was the only Brahmin Chief Minister (1971-72) of Andhra Pradesh and also the only Telugu Brahmin Prime Minister (1991-1996) from South India who ruled the modern Indian Union. Over the past millennium the Niyogi Brahmins are divided further into various groups:

    a) Pradhamasakha (First Branch) Niyogi Brahmins

    b) Aruvela Niyogi

    c)  Nandavarika Niyogi 

    d)  Karanakamma Niyogi 

    e)  Velanati Niyogi 

    f)  Telaganya Niyogi 

    g)  Dravida Niyogi 

    h)  Karanalu 

    i)  Sristikaranalu or Sistukaranalu or Sistakaranalu. 

    j)  Kasalanati Niyogi 

    k)  Pakanati Niyogi.  

   a) Pradhamasakha Niyogi Brahmins: This caste belongs to Sukla (white) Yajurveda School12, while majority of Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh belong to krishna (black) Yajurveda School.  In Maharashtra also there is a group of Brahmins called Pradhamasakha Brahmins.  The Pradhamasakha Niyogi Brahmins16f are further divided into branches such as Vajasaneyulu,  Saivulu, Yajnavalkyulu and Kanvulu. 

    b)  Aruvela Niyogi: Aruvela Niyogi group is the largest Niyogi group.   They belong to Krishna Yajurveda School. According to some, the word "Aruvela" is derived from 6000 (Aruvelu) villages in velanadu area of Andhra Pradesh.  Some believe that Arvelanadu is an alternate name for Velandu and hence the Niyogi Brahmins of that region are Arvela Niyogis. Aruvela Nioyogi Brahmins are political, worldly-wise, and business minded.  They were ministers in the courts of kings and feudatories, and clerks and accountants (Karanalu).  Pamulaparti family belongs to Aruvela Niyogi Brahmins.  

 

    c)  Nandavarika Niyogi 

    d)  Karanakamma Niyogi 

    e)  Velanati Niyogi 

    f)  Telaganya Niyogi 

    g)  Dravida Niyogi 

    h)  Karanalu 

    i)  Sristikaranalu or Sistukaranalu or Sistakaranalu: These are teachers, officials, village accountants (karanam).  They are mostly located in Ganjam and Visakha districts.  Famous poet Krishnamurthy Sistu belongs to this group of Brahmins. 

    j)  Kasalanati Niyogi 

    k) Pakanati Niyogi  

ii) Vaidikulu (Vaidiki Brahmins): Vaidiki Brahmins are those Brahmins who practice mainly religious vocation performing various religious activities, in addition to other mainstream secular vocations like agriculture, cooking, teaching, clerical, management, administration, architecture, science etc.  They perform various religious activities including performing rituals and prayers to please Gods, planets and stars as priests for both Brahmins and non-Brahmins, at homes and in temples.  However, they are not the priests for many Hindu temples in which animal sacrifices are common.  The priests in such Hindu temples are non-Brahmins. Vaidikis  also perform rituals for every occasion in life such as birth, giving solid food to the infant for the first time (annapraasanamu), initiation into education (upanyanamu), female puberty, marriage, consummation of marriage, several stages of pregnancy, death, carrying the dead bodies, cremating the dead, etc.  Many of these rituals are very important and limited to Brahmins, except a few ceremonies like marriage.  They also take up even begging as ascetics.  This ascetic life of Brahmins was the inspiration for the Buddhist ascetics.

The majority of Vaidikulu belongs to krishna Yajurveda School.  However, there are Rigvedis, Samavedis etc. also.  Some Brahmins had proficiency in several Vedas, e.g., Dvivedi is one who has proficiency in 2 Vedas, Trivedi in 3 vedas and Chaturvedi in 4 vedas and are known by those titles as such.  However, these titles became family names, even though the family members may not know any Veda at all today.  While Niyogis embraced western education, Vaidikulu had shunned Western education and as a consequence many Vaidikulu are poor and not well educated in Western education, contrary to the notion that Brahmins are rich and well educated. 

According to Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji, the Brahmins who perform priestly duties and other religious activities should follow certain rules:

The Brahmin has to wake up at four in the morning and bathe in cold water, rain or shine, warm or cold. Then, without a break, he has to perform one rite after another: sandhyavandana, Brahmayajna, aupasana, puja, vaisvadeva and one of the 21 sacrifices. If you sit before sacrificial fire for four days you will realise how difficult it is with all the heat and smoke. How many are the vows and the fasts the Brahmin has to keep and how many are the ritual baths.... 

.... Other castes do not have to go through such hardships. A Brahmin cannot eat "cold rice"in the morning like a peasant - he has no "right" to it. The dharmasastras are not created for his convenience or benefit, nor to ensure that he has a comfortable life. He would not have otherwise imposed on himself the performance of so many rites and a life of such rigorous discipline. When he has his daytime meal it will be 1 or 2. (On the day of a sraddha it will be three or four). This is the time the peasant will have his rest after his meal under a tree out in the field where he works. And the Brahmin's meal, mind you, is as simple as the peasant's. There is no difference between the humble dwelling of the peasant and that of the Brahmin. Both alike wear cotton. The peasant may save money for the future but not the Brahmin. He has no right either to borrow money or to live in style. ...

In the "Yaksa-prasna" of the Mahabharata the simple life of Brahmin is referred to: 

pancame' hani saste va sakam pacati svegrhe

Anrni ca' pravasi ca sa varicara modate

If daytime is divided into eight parts, the Brahmin may have his food only in the fifth or sixth part after performing all his rites. Before that he has neither any breakfast nor any snacks. And what does he eat? Not any rich food, no sweets like almonds crushed in sweetened milk. "Sakam pacati" - the Brahmin eats leafy vegetables growing on the banks of rivers, such areas being no one's property. Why is he asked to live by the river side? It is for his frequent baths and for the leafy vegetables growing free there and for which he does not have to beg. He should not borrow money: that is the meaning of the word "anrni", because if he developed the habit of borrowing he would be tempted to lead a life of luxury. Poverty and non-acquisitiveness (aparigraha) are his ideals. A Brahmin ought not to keep even a blade of grass in excess of his needs. ...

The Brahmin must be conversant with the fourteen branches of the Vedic lore. He must be proficient even in Gandharva-veda or music and must be acquainted with agricultural science, construction of houses, etc. At the same time he must give instructions in these subjects to pupils from the appropriate castes. His own vocation is the study of the Vedas and he must have no other source of income. ...

If the Brahmin is asked, "Do you know to wield a knife? " he must be able to answer, "Yes, I know". If he is asked, "Do you know to draw and paint" again he must (be able to) say, "Yes". But he cannot wield a knife or become an artist to earn his livelihood. All he can do is to learn these arts and teach others the same according to their caste. He is permitted to receive a daksina to maintain himself and he must be contented with it however small the sum may be. The Brahmin's specialty is his true vocation is Vedic learning. 

... The goal of Vedic works is the happiness of all mankind, indeed the happiness of all the worlds ("Lokah samastah sukino bhavanthu"). The sound of the Vedas creates universal well-being, so too Vedic sacrifices. … Brahmins would be committing a sin if they gave up Vedic rituals and earned money by doing other types of work. 

However, it is important to realize that the successive secular governments in the Indian Union are determined to destroy the Hindu religions, in favor of non-Hindu religions.  The modern Indian democracy tends to support Abrahamic religions to appease the rich and powerful global proselytizing religions. The ancient tradition of rulers protecting Brahmins is an obsolete tradition.  Accordingly, it is upon the individual citizens to step up to help and protect Brahmins, temples and their traditions. As the times have changed, even Vaidika Brahmins should earn money to protect the Dharma, despite the traditional ban on earning money. That was one of the main reasons for the existence of Niyogi Brahmins.  However, many Brahmins in India are Naxalites, communists and atheists. Thus, it is incumbent on all Brahmins, who believe in their culture, to rise to the challenge of protecting the Vedik culture.  Otherwise, the extinction of Hindu culture and Brahmin tradition is not far away.  See a review of Brahmin Poverty in Andhra Pradesh: http://www.vepachedu.org/brahmana-tribe.html.  

There are many subcastes in Vaidiki Brahmins as well:

l) Vaishnava

m) Draavidulu

n) Madhvulu

o) Velanati Vaidikulu

p) Telaganyulu or Telaganadu Vaidikis

q) Venginati Vaidikulu

r) Kasalnati Vaidikulu

s) Muraknati Vaidikulu

u) Adisaivulu

v) Saivulu

    l) Vaishnava:   Pancharatra and Vaikhanasa Brahmanulu:  Among the Vaishnavities, the strict vegetarians and highly educated people also are given the approximate status of brahmins in Andhra Pradesh. They adhere to either the medieval Tenkalai or Vadakalai and Agaama scriptures. One section follows Vaikhanasa scriptures and other the Pancharaatra, dealing mainly with temple ritual. They run large temple establishments very efficiently. They rose to prominence during Vijayanagar times. They are followers of panchasanskara, ekayanayajussakha and katyayanasutra. These Vaishnavite Brahmins are spread mainly in Karnataka and Andhra, and to some extent in Tamilnadu also.  Vaikhanasa subcaste belongs to this group.  The great Vaishnavite reformers like Ramanujacharya, Ramananda (north India), Madhva (all over south India), Vallabhacharya (found among velanadu, gujarat, rajasthan and UP), Nimbaarka, etc.  Not all the followers of these Vaishnavite reformers are Brahmins.  Some of these Vaishnavites include Acharis, Iyengars and velanadu vaideekulu. These Vaishnavas are also known as Andhra Vaishnava.

    They rely on the doctrines laid down in the medieval scriptures (agamas). Many of the famous temple establishments like Tirupati and Ahobilam are run per vaishnavite agamic canons. The big hearted Raamanuja fought against caste distinctions and gathered under his doctrine, people from all walks of life and caste and religion and occupation and said henceforth they shall be known as one community. Thus he created the Iyengar community, and told them to always work for reform of society. Some of the earlier vaishnava and bhagaavata adherents also merged into the iyengars. Later there was a large immigration of Ramaanandi vaishnavas from north India and another large migration from Gujarat. While they too merged, slight differences arose.

The great Raamanuja specifically included among his followers sc's, tribals, immigrant foreign soldiers, arabs and turks, destitutes women, jains, etc. Raamanuja's efforts are glossed over by modern  pseudo-secular writers. Ramanuja and his later disciples running the movement, certainly saw to it that there was no more exclusivism of caste groups inside the community. All the same it appears they made sure that the brightest were selected as iyengars, evangelizers of vaishnavism, without any regard to their former caste or other origins. It is however true, after some centuries this reformist movement became just another caste, not quite sure about its place in the hierarchy.

The immense and lasting influence of Raamanuja is probably not realised by many Indians. Here are some direct and indirect descendants of his thought: ---the entire actual live vaishnava tradition of today, and including offshoots and modifications and the movements heavily influenced like those of Raamananda Kabir Ravidas Nanak Tulsidas Vallabhacharya Nimbaarka Madhvacharya Raghavendra Chaitanya Ramdas. ...even recent reformers like Phule and isckon and others

One characteristic method used by the gurus was community dinners, where everybody sat together without distinction. This went a long way towards reduction of old discriminations. As a consequence there are expert cooks who easily handle very large scale cooking among them. Old tribal cult spots and medieval pilgrimage centers like the Varaaha shrine at Tirupati were modernised, along with the new scriptures and new rituals invented by Ramanujacharya to foster a cooperative spirit. He also kept in mind the weaning away of simple tribal people from blood sacrifices. It seems many jains also merged with vaishnavites, just like in an earlier era buddhists shifted to various sects of saivism. His followers also took up the spread of education, whose effect which lasts to this day. The vaishnavite communities in Andhra Pradesh have a marked bent towards education, literature and performing arts like music and dance.

The Madhvaas date from the recent reform activities of Madhvacharya (somewhere in the 12th century) also of the vaishnava sampradaya , and they were prominent in the last days of Vijayanagar (1500's) . A famous guru of the line was Raghavendraswami. (They are found all over karnataka, south Maharashtra, Tamilnadu as well as Andhra). Their roots include a strong marathi one, and a north Indian connection as well.

(http://netinfo.hypermart.net/reformist.htm)

    m) Draavidulu:  Draavids, who seem to be north Indian Brahmins who arrived in coastal Andhra. Dravidas are further divided into subcastes like Aaraamadravidulu, Perurudravidulu, Ryalidravidulu, Divili Brahmins, Pudurudravidulu, Tummagunta Brahmins etc based on the locations they settled.  Some of these Dravida Brahmins belong to Rigveda school and some belong to Krishnayajurveda school.  The Telangana Vaidiki Brahmin caste to which Goutamiputra Satakarni beloged to is a Dravida Brahmin caste (?). This group belongs to Rigveda school.  For more on Dravida Brahmins click here.

    n) Madhvulu:  Madhvas are the followers of Sri Madhvacharya, (a k. a. srimad Anandateertha), the 13th century saint-philosopher of Karnataka, India (see also http://www.madhva.org and http://www.madhva.net). They were prominent in the last days of Vijayanagar (1500's).  Raghavendraswami was a famous guru of this caste. They are found all over Karnataka, south Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and Andhra and have very strong roots in Maharashtra and the north. 

    o) Velanati Vaidikulu16e: The Velnadus are most numerous class of Vaidiki Brahmins. Vallabhachari, who in the 15th century attained great success as prophet, and whose descendants are worshipped almost as gods still Rajputana, Gujarat and Maharashtra was a member of this caste.  The Velnadus are most numerous in the Godavari and Krishna districts.  Colonies of this caste are found in the erstwhile Mysore State (Karnataka), except Kadur.

    p) Telaganyulu or Telaganadu Vaidikis:  The Telaganya Vaidikis are as numerous as the Velnadus and found mostly in Telangana, chiefly in the  Northeaster part of erstwhile Hyderabad Kingdom.

    q) Venginati Vaidikulu: The Venginadus are chiefly found in the districts of Godavari and Vizianagaram, formerly known as the Vengi Country.

   r) Kaasalnati Vaidikulu: The Kasalanadu derive their name from Kosala, the ancient name of Oude, from where they migrated to Kalinga Country, where they are found now.

   s) Muraknati Vaidikulu: Murakanati Vaidikis are found mostly in the country sounth of the River Krishna.  They are numerous in Karnataka.

    t) Gouda Brahmins are teachers and priests. They belong to Sukla Yajurveda and Kanva madhyandina sakha and have the family names such as Joshi, Ojjhulu etc.

   u) Adisaivulu: They belong to Krishna Yajurveda school.  These Saiva Brahmins are further devided into several castes such as Kanchisaivulu, Antarvedisaivulu, Balajipetasaivulu, Tiruvalngadusivulu, Sakteya Brahmins etc.

   v) Saivulu: The Saivite Brahmins follow the Saiva aagamas. However, they study Vedas also and belong to Krishna Yajurveda school.  One of the sects of these saivite Brahmins is called Aradhyas, related to Panditaradhyas of Sivakaviyugamu (Era of Saiva poets) of 12th century. They generally run Saiva and Shakti shrines, often very large, and famous ones like Kalesvaram, Vemulavada, Srisailam, Kalahasti, etc. They have a link to Kashmir Saivism, Varanasi and Jyotirlinga shrines all over India like Kedarnath. The rituals they follow are different from the smaartas.  Aradhyas are in fact semiconverted Lingayats.  They following Basava and attach great importance to Linga worship.  However, they adhere to Brahminism, recite Gayatri prayers and marry Smaarta Brahmins.  Although Lingayat Saiva religion attempted to dismatle the tribal differences, the Lingayats adhere to their original castes naturally.  Thus Aradhyas remain designated to be Brahmins, just like other castes in Lingayat religion (followers of Basava) today, e.g., various Jangamas.

 

2) Chitpavana Brahmins: Konkanastha Brahmins17 

Chitpavan brahmins are basically from Konkan, the coastal belt of western Maharashtra. Since they are from Konkan they are known as Konkanastha. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj appointed Balaji Vishwanath Bhatt as his Peshwa or Prime Minister. It was the first time a person from Konkan appointed to an important post in Deccan.  Eventually, many people from Konkan migrated to join the service of Marattha kingdom.  Chitpavan Brahmin folks are easily recognised by the certain characteristics suc as fair skin, light coloured eyes (blue, green or grey), sharp nose, distinct jawline, and some have light or blonde hair. 

3) Daivajna Brahmins 

4) Deshastha Brahmins 

5) Dhima Brahmins 

The Brahmins of Haryana14 are divided into four main groups: Gaurs, Saraswats, Khandelwals and Dhima.  The Khandelwals and Dhima came into this region after Saraswats and Gaurs, most probably from neighboring Rajasthan. The Brahmins themselves had a ranking system between them with the Gaurs being on the top followed by the Saraswats, the Khandelwals and the Dhima. The Gaurs used to consider themselves to be superior to the other Brahmins and neither ate, drank nor intermarried with them.

6) Gaur Brahmins

The Gaurs of Haryana claim that they come to Haryana originally from Bengal. It is believed they came as Purohitas along with various immigrant farming tribes. The Brahmins themselves had a ranking system between them with the Gaurs being on the top followed by the Saraswats, the Khandelwals and the Dhima. The Gaurs used to consider themselves to be superior to the other Brahmins and neither ate, drank nor intermarried with them.

7) Gouda Saraswat Brahmins 

8) The Havyakas18

It is believed that the Kadamba kingdom had many Kshatriyas and Havyakas were brought in to perform the royal rituals and the related functions of the empirical government. Thus the first few families were settled in Banavasi, the beautiful capital of the Kadambas and the place so adored by Pampa. Since the very purpose of bringing these Brahmin families was to perform Havana (Havya) and Homa (Gavya), they were aptly named as Havyaga or Haveega, which has transcended to the present day "Havika" or "Havyaka." This functionality of naming even extended to the specific role played by families in the whole gamut of rituals. Thus originated the seven family names given by Raja Mayooravarma. The Havyakas are the only Brahmins who derive their surnames from the job they perform rather than by their origin (e.g., Kota, Shivalli) or by the preacher (e.g., Madhva) or by God worship (e.g., Shivite, Vaishnavite). Thus came the names "Hegade (Hegde)" for the head of the village who sponsors the ritualistic activities, "Dixit" for one who is the head of the Yajna, "Bhat", who actually performs the rituals and so on. 

9) Hoysala Karnataka Brahmins 

10) Iyer19: The earliest group of Brahmins to come to Tamil Nadu is largely known as Gurukuls. They have been here from very ancient times and were primarily invited to be temple priests in the early Chola period. Many of them were great Vedic scholars. They conducted the coronation of the kings and acted as their spiritual advisors and Gurus. They also acted as the Gurus to the villages and the towns where the temples were located. They advised people on various matters including fixing of auspicious time for commencing important ventures. Many of them were the great exponents of Vedic Astrology and Ayurvedic Medicine. They are supposed to be followers of Baudhyana sutra and are divided as 'Kanchipuram', 'Tiruvalangadu' and 'Thirukazhakundram' Gurukuls. It is interesting that all the three are the names of ancient towns and temples around Kanchipuram. This clearly indicates that the earliest migration was to Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram is one of the two most ancient cities of India, the other being Varanasi (Kashi). The linkage between the Varanasi (Kashi) and Kanchi has existed from earliest times and has been facilitating the migration of priests between the North and the South. It is possible that Kanchipuram, Tiruvangadu and Tirukalikundram were the first destinations for the Gurukuls who arrived. They stayed and worked there till they were redeployed to other interior temples and towns.

11) Kandavara Brahmins 

12) Karade Brahmins 

13) Karhada Brahmins 

14) Kashmiri Saraswat Brahmins

15) Kayastha Brahmins 

16) Khandelwal Brahmins 

The Brahmins of Haryana14 are divided into four main groups: Gaurs, Saraswats, Khandelwals and Dhima.  The Khandelwals came into this region after Saraswats and Gaurs, most probably from neighboring Rajasthan. 

17) Konkanastha Brahmins 

18) Kota Brahmins 

19) Koteshwara Brahmins 

20) Nagar Brahmins

21) Namboothiri Brahmins 

22) Padia Brahmins 

23) Rajapur Saraswat Brahmins 

24) Saklapuri Brahmins 

25) Sanketi Brahmins 

26) Saraswat Brahmins 

        a) The Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins20 

The Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins represent a relatively small group of Brahmins who firmly established their identity as a unified group in the year 1708. The history of migration of their ancestors from Kashmir to a variety of places all over the country of India serves to demonstrate how their strong religious and cultural beliefs developed into the present century. Today, members of this group are in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Tamilnadu. 

     b) Kashmiri Saraswat Brahmins or Kashmiri Pandits21 

According to accepted traditions in the rest of the country, Kashmiri Brahmins are believed to be a branch of the Saraswat Brahmins who were so called because they were  believed to have settled along the course of an ancient river in the North-West Indian Continet (Indo-Pak region) called Saraswati. When this river dried up, these Brahmins migrated. A large section of this uprooted community was settled in the Western Konkan coast of the present state of Maharashtra. Others moved further North into the Valley of Kashmir. The first Prime Minister of the Indian Union, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, belongs to the Pandit community.  The Nehru dynasty ruled the Union for almost half a century.  Yet, Kashmiri Pandits are subjected to a genocide, which under UN resolution, means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. (Article 2 of Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by Resolution 260 (III) A of the U.N. General Assembly on 9 December 1948. Entry into force: 12 January 1951. U.N.T.S. No. 1021, vol. 78 (1951), p. 277)

          Genocide in Kashmir22

400,000 Kashmiri Pandits, constituting 99% of the total population of Hindus living in the Kashmir Valley, were forcibly pushed out of the Valley by Muslim terrorists, trained in Pakistan, since the end of 1989. They have been forced to live the life of exiles in their own country, outside their homeland, by unleashing a systematic campaign of terror, murder, loot and arson.

Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits has reached its climax with Muslim terrorism succeeding in 'CLEANSING' the valley of this ancient ethno-religious community.

With the completion of 11th year of their forced exile, this peace loving, culturally rich community with a history of more than 5000 years, is fighting a grim battle to save itself from becoming extinct as a distinct race and culture.

        Main Refugee Camp Sites in Jammu:  Muthi Camp, Transport Nagar, Purkhoo Camp, Stadium Camp,  Jhiri Camp,  Nagrota Camp,  Mishriwala Camp,  and Battalbalian Camp, Udhampur

        Main Camp Sites in Delhi:  Nandnagri, Sultanpuri, Kailash Colony, Maviya Nagar, South Extension, Palika Dham, Lajpat Nagar, Aliganj, Bapu Dham, Amar Colony, Mangol Puri, Patel Nagar, Sultanpuri, Moti Nagar and Begampura. 

(See also: http://www.kashmir-information.com/Atrocities/index.html)

     c) Rajapur/Balawalikar Saraswat Brahmanas22 

Rajapur/Balawalikar Saraswat Brahmanas,as they are known, belong to the "Pancha (five) Gauda Brahmana" groups or "Gaudadi Panchakas".  The Saraswats of all subsects of today are said to have originated from the Saraswath region, from the banks of river Saraswati. In Rigveda, references to river Saraswati has been frequently made in the shlokas praising the river as the most mighty river and describe her as "limitless, undeviating, shining and swift moving". But the Saraswati vanished from the region.

    d) Haryana Saraswat Brahmins

The Saraswats of Haryana are original settlers of this region, taking their name from the Saraswati river.

27) Shivalli Brahmins 

28) Smarta Brahmins 

29) Sthanika Brahmins 

30) Tuluva Brahmins23: The ancient Tulu nadu extended from Gokarna in the north, all along coastal Karnataka up to Kasargod in the south. This included both coastal Uttara Kannada district as well as all of Dakshina Kannada district. Over many centuries the principal language of Tulu nadu was Tulu. Today Tulu is spoken only south of River Kalyanpur in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka. This is the heartland of Tulu nadu today. While Udupi is the religious center of Tulu nadu, Mangalore is the commercial hub. Innumerable smaller towns and villages comprise of a green landscape within the mountainous range of the Western Ghats as well as along the coastal Karnataka with access to Arabian Sea. Here Tulu language, one of the five main Dravidian languages of the South, with its extinct script is spoken. For historical purposes the regions settled by Brahmins are three in number. Haige or Haive (Uttara Kannada), Taulava (Dakshina Kannada) and Kerala.

31)Vaishnava Brahmins

 (This page is under development and will be updated as and when more information is available. If you have any suggestions or information please email it to the editor)

Notes and References

     1Tribe (Lat., tribus: the tripartite division of Romans into Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans), a social group bound by common ancestry and ties of consanguinity and affinity; a common language and territory; and characterized by a political and economic organization intermediate between small, family-based bands, and larger chiefdoms. Some anthropologists believe that tribes developed when more stable and increased economic productivity, brought on by the domestication of plants and animals, allowed more people to live together in a smaller area. A tribe may consist of several villages, which may be crosscut by clans, age grade associations, and secret societies; each of these crosscutting institutions may, at different times and in different ways, perform economic, political, legal, and religious functions. Tribes are popularly believed to be close-knit and parochial, but some anthropologists now argue that they are flexibly defined communities of convenience. 

1b Japan: Our Japanese friend tells that there are 4 castes (sections) in Japanese society.  It is called Shi - Nou - Kou - Chou system.

1. Byshi (Samurai) = Kings and Soldiers

2. Noumin = Farmers etc. (large section)

3. Kou = Artisans and Workers 

4. Choumin = Merchants

A Japanese Male can never change his caste. But, a woman can climb up by marrying a man of upper caste. But, she can be only a 2nd wife of upper caste. May be her children are considered as upper caste, but some difference in minds will be there.

Those who work in Temples are not included in any of these. They are called Bouzu. The bouzus can not marry. They adopt people from other castes (not Samurai in general) and train as Bouzus.

There are UNTOUCHABLES, called Era Hina. This community is called BARAKU. These people are not considered as HUMAN BEINGS. They live far from the society.  It seems about, nearly, 150-200 years back, American army captain- Pierre went to Japan.  At that time, Japan was closed to outside world by the Emperor for the fear that others spoil their society. But, when American captain went there, the Emperor was not given any choice. He had to obey or fight. So, American army entered and they forced the Emperor to make some system like in UK. King, his family, some Lords as higher section, rest of the society as Lower section. This existed till 2nd world war after which due to American pressure again, the present system came into existence. Source: A friend from Japan.

.

   2According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a tribe is a social group consisting of people of the same race who have the same beliefs, customs, language etc. and usually live in one particular area ruled by a chief.  Illustrated Oxford Dictionary defines a tribe as a group of (especially primitive) families or communities, linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, and usually having a common culture and dialect, and a recognized leader.  Webster’s dictionary defines a tribe as a system of social organization comprising several local village bands, districts, lineages, or other groups and sharing a common ancestry, culture, language, and name.  It is also a group of persons sharing a common occupation, interest, or habit. However, a tribe means, in general, a group having marital social relationship within the group and  won’t allow any matrimonial relationship outside the tribe, e.g. Marriage between a Yeruka and a Lambada or other tribe is not common.

    Caste (Fr, Pg, Sp, race, breed, lineage, chaste, stock etc.) is a closed group whose members preferred a particular occupation and a degree of social participation. Marriage outside the caste is prohibited. A specialized labor group may operate as a caste within a society otherwise free of such distinctions (e.g., the ironsmiths in parts of Africa). 

According to Webster's unabridged dictionary a caste is a race, stock, or breed of men or animals; one of the heriditary classes; a system of social stratification more rigid than class and characterized by hereditary  status, endogamy, and social barriers rigidly sanctioned by custom, law or religion; a form of polymorphic social insects that carries out a particular function in the colony.

 

The Longman Dictionary defines a caste as one of the fixed and unchangeable social classes into which people are born in India.  Oxford dictionary defines caste as any of the Hindu hereditary classes, distinguished by relative degree of purity and pollution (of blood), whose members are socially equal with one another and often follow the same occupation.   A caste, according to Webster’s New Riverside University Dictionary, is one of the four major hereditary classes of Hindu society, each caste is distinctly separated from others by restrictions placed on occupation and marriage.  Apparently, the editors of these dictionaries have no idea of how many thousands of castes are in the Indian continent.  Further, one has to wonder why the same kind of group elsewhere in the world is a tribe and in India is a caste.  Whatever may be the reason, caste and tribe are distinguished in India. The Sanskrit words like varna, kul, jati etc. are very much confused and as a result words like class, caste and tribe are misinterpreted by the world. 

There is another important aspect to this caste.  Even though, castes or tribes are not unique to India, caste was invented by Western indologists and Western influenced Indian leftist intellectuals to define the bewildering diversity of the ancient culture.  During the colonial and Muslim period it served the interests of foreign rulers to diminish Indian society by instilling a sense of shame and inferiority.  In fact, castes are found in the history of every nation in this world.  Even today, we find such divisions in the most advanced countries like the United States of America. However, the Western and leftist Indian intellectuals interpret Sanskrit scriptures to fit their agendas and continue to cling on to those interpretations even when they don't make any sense.

The so-called caste system, a complex network of interdependent yet separated, heriditary, endogamous, occupationally specialized, and hierarchically ordered social groups is incomprehensible to leftists and Westerners.  Caste as an institution transcends the religion, just like various tribes in Islam, e.g. Kurds, Arabs, Pashtoons, Mohajirs etc.  Brahmins, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, Sikhs, Vaishnavites, Shaivites, Veera Shaivites, Shaktites, Christians, Secular humanists, and others in India are all subject to the overarching dictates of caste.  Attempts to break the caste system were made time and again from the days of Lord Buddha. Religions like Buddhism, Veera Shaivism, Vaishnavism etc., succeeded momentarily, but the caste always resurrected itself with vengeance, because it is a natural phnomenon. It happens in Christianity and Islam also.  Islam not only has tribes like Kurds, Arabs, Pashtoons, Mohajirs, but also many so-called Hindu castes. Christinaity is no different either, e.g., Reddi Chrisitans, Kamma Christians, Mala Christians, Madiga Christians, Kuruma Christians etc. 

There is no universal system of caste throughout India.  The belief that the Vedic varnashrama dharma was the “caste system in embryo,” is flawed. If not, the tribes of Afghanistan should also be considered originated from this class system, because Afghanistan was Hindu/Buddhist and didn't know Islam until 700 AD.  For that matter, the Hutus and Tutsis of Burundi should also be a result of Vedic hypothetical class system. The caste system is different from the ideal vedik varna class system.  Varna is hypothetical and is a class, whereas caste is real and plays a major role. Varna (the class) allows movement of people from one class to the other, while tribe or caste does not. Thus, it is preposterous to say the vedic hypothesis of class is same as caste.

According to Vedas, in any society in general, there are four underlying varnas (colors or divisions or groups), the four groups being, intellectuals and priests (Brahmin varna), rulers and warriors (Kshatriya varna), agriculturists and business persons (Vaishya varna), and other workers (Shudra varna).  Without these four classes there is no society in this world.  Thus, if the society is the God, his/her head is the intellectuals and priests, shoulders are the warriors and military, the trunk is the business and agricultural community and finally the legs are the workers who fulfil the basic needs of the society starting from the work in agricultural fields to the temple construction, without which society cannot go forward.  

"Giving a human form to the society, we may say priests and teachers are its expressive face, rulers and warriors its protective arms, traders and farmers its supporting thighs and servants and labourers its transporting feet. To conceive of the world in the image of man, we may say the sun and moo are its eyes and mind, water and fire its mouth, air its breath, sky its head, earth its feet, and the ethereal space its body. This world is itself a continuing sacrifice, in which we see all matter and energy evolving into new forms by consuming whatever existed before." Purusha Sukta: (The Hymn of God); Rigveda.

Anybody can become a Brahmin varna (intellectual group), but one has to be born into Brahmin caste to be a Brahmin caste. If there is a confusion, it is because the word Brahmin has several meanings including the ultimate God, earthly God, intellectual, teacher, priest, Brahmin tribe/caste.  

The castes in Andhra Pradesh can be divided into two distinct categories. Brahmin, Komati, Reddy, Kamma, Velama, Kapu, Nayudu, Relli, Mala, Madiga, Yeraka, Yanadi etc., castes are based on their tribal, cultural and religious differences, while the castes like Chakali (washerman), Kummari (potter), Kammari (smith), Kamsali (goldsmith), Mangali (barber) etc are based on their duties in addition to the above differences.  With a few exceptions like the Brahmin caste, all these castes are uniquely localized in Andhra Pradesh.  Each caste has a deity and distinct social formalities. The interaction between various castes is difficult because of these religious, cultural and tribal considerations. (Visit for more on caste: http://www.vepachedu.org/caste.htm).

   3Conversions and adoption are such mechanisms by which a tribal identity of the offspring may be changed. However, one has to remember that changing the labels cannot change genes.  Only inter-caste marriage combined with conversion would result in genetic change as well.  In the past, inter-caste marriage had resulted in new castes, as conversion was not an option. Indian castes, just like any other tribes, do not appreciate conversion to another tribe or caste, as most of them are non-proselytizing and consider their customs superior to any other customs and caste practices. 

Brahmins are also non-proselytizing and do not appreciate tribal-caste conversion in general. However, it may be inevitable when faced with proselytizing forces such as Christianity and Islam, and when there is a need for increasing the numbers in a particular community. Also, in a cosmopolitan civilized world, where there cannot be restrictions on one’s choice of the spouse, conversion is the best compromise.  Muslims and Christians follow this method very strictly as a method of increasing their fold.  Usually, anyone who marries a Muslim must convert to Islam.  

In the past, however, through rigorous courses and tests some non-Brahmins became Rishis, e.g., Kings like Viswamitra, Vishnuvardhana, Radheerga, Veerahavya etc. became Rishis and established their own Vedik schools and new Brahmin branches. (Reference: "Andhra Viprula Gotramulu, Indla Perlu, Sakhalu," by Emmesroy Sastri, Gollapudi Veeraswami Son, Sri Seetarama Book Depot, Rajamandri).

4 "The Risilient Brahmin," The Week, November 10, 2002,

 http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/000760.html.

5 The Sanskrit is an ancient language that became irrelvant to Indians in general, and Brahmins in particular.  It is the language of Brahmins.  However, whenever, Brahmins migrated to lands, they adopted to the local language and customs and adopted local Gods, yet maintained their Sanskrit language, the Vedas, traditions and culture.  Unfortunately, today's Brahmin lost this ability to keep the Sanskrit language and the Vedas due to various reasons.  

   

6Many words in Sanskrit have many meanings, e.g., Hari means God, Vishnu, Indra, Yama, the sun, the moon, a monkey, a lion, an eagle, a horse, a frog, a parrot, air, wind, a ray of light, yellow color, the best, etc.

7With hidden agendas and/or without proper knowledge of Sanskrit, many interpreters distort the Sanskrit texts.

8Brahmanism is an ancient non-proselytizing religion and forms the basis for many Indian religions such as Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Buddhism, Jainism etc., to a large extent.  

9A religion is a belief in and reverence for a supernatural power accepted as the creator and governor of the universe and having a certain organization and tradition in worshipping such Supreme Being.  Brahmins believe in such Supreme Being and have a unique way of worshipping with certain rituals, which are different from that of the rest of the world.  However, Brahmins have embraced the local religions wherever they migrated and yet maintained their identity and basic Vedic culture.

 10 Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life. It includes traditions, culture, religions and othe  practices of various peoples localised in the Indian Continent. Hinduism includes communists, atheists, capitalists and numerous Indian religions.  However, the so-called experts also tell us that there is a religion called Hinduism.  For example, the Longman Dictionary says, Hinduism is the main religion of India, which includes belief in destiny and reincarnation, while the Oxford Dictionary says Hinduism is the main religious and social system of India, including the belief in reincarnation and the worship of several gods.  However, there are many non-Inidan religions in this world that believe in destiny and reincarnation.  Some say that rather than a single doctrine or a single system of worship, Hinduism is a broad confluence of ideas and attitudes.  Well, of course, then one has to wonder why the ideas and attitudes from Middles East, such as,  Islam, Christianity and Judaism, are not included in it!  

However, historically, there was never such a thing as Hinduism in the Indian Continent.  It is a recent creation by the outsiders to define the myriad religions and cultures that exist in the Indian Continent. Whatever may be the history, the fact is that now there is so-called Hinduism in the minds of people, who cannot comprehend the diversity of the Indian Continent and have no intention of even attempting to understand it.  So, even the Brahmin Gurus and Pandits and other so-called Hindus have come to accept the name-the Hinduism, given to them by the outsiders, while denouncing and redefining it again and again.

In an attempt to define Hinduism that exists in India today, the Constitution Bench in Sastri Yajnapurushadasji and Others Vs. Muldas Bhudardas Vaishya and Another, 1996 (3) SCR 242 held: "Then we think of the Hindu religion, we find it difficult, if not impossible to define Hindu religion or even adequately describe it. Unlike other religions in the world, the Hindu religion does not claim any one prophet; it does not worship any one God: it does not subscribe to any one dogma: it does not believe in any one philosophic concept: it does not follow any one set of religious rites or performances; in fact, it does not appear to satisfy the narrow traditional features of any religion or creed. It may broadly be described as a way of life and nothing more."  The Supreme Court further opined "Hinduism had originally a territorial and not a cradle significance. It implied residence in a well-defined geographical area. Aboriginal tribes, savage and half-civilized people, the cultured Dravidians and the Vedic Aryans were all Hindus as they were the sons of the same mother. The Hindu thinkers reckoned with the striking fact that the men and women dwelling in India belonged to different communities, worshipped different gods, and practised different rites."  Thus Hinduism is a group of religions.

A story from Panchatantra illustrates the present confusion perfectly.  Once there was a Brahmin who used to live on alms provided by generous villagers.  One day he was offered a calf by a neighboring villager.  The Brahmin was happy and was carrying the calf home.  Three cheats saw the Brahmin carrying the calf and thought that it would make a nice meal for them, while it would be useless to the vegetarian Brahmin. They came up with a plan to cheat the poor Brahmin. One after the other all three pass by the Brahmin and tell him that he was carrying a goat, donkey and a dead pig, respectively.   Although the Brahmin didn’t believe initially, he came to a conclusion that whatever he was carrying was certainly not a calf and it must be demon because it was appearing to various people as various things.  So, he became scared and abandoned the calf.  The three cheats happily had a nice meal of the calf.  This story tells us that persistent misinterpretation gets credibility over a period of time. And so, now we have Hinduism and everything in India is Hinduism and the tribes and castes in India are due to the Hindu philosophy, contrary to the reality and the interpretation of the Supreme Court. Life is simple that way, otherwise the diversity in India is bewildering. 

This Western and leftist definition of Hinduism resulted in attribution of Brahmin customs, traditions, and culture to non-Brahmins.   As a result, non-Brahmins like Iliah Kanche, a Kuruma Christian, who had developed a bitter hatred against Brahmins declared themselves as non-Hindus.  Many other Hindu religions also declared themselves as separate from Hinduism, e.g., Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism etc.

This Western definition of Hinduism as a single religion, contrary to the above Supreme Court definition, by the Western and leftist Indian intellectuals has resulted, unfortunately, in another SC judgment of far-reaching consequences for Brahmin religion.  The Supreme Court has ruled that Brahmins do not have monopoly over performing puja in a temple where Brahmins have been priests for centuries and said a non-Brahmin, properly trained and well-versed in the rituals, could be appointed as a priest. In this decision, the SC has trampled on the freedom of religion enshrined in the constituion as applied to Brahmins. The Brahmins and non-Brahmins are considered part of a single religion called Hinduism and, thereby, a non-Brahmin can take over the temples of Brahmins. This decision was delivered by a Bench comprising Justice S. Rajendra Babu and Justice Doraiswamy Raju, while upholding the appointment of a non-Brahmin as a priest in Kongoopilly Neerikode Siva Temple at Alangad village in Ernakulam, Kerala.  The government of India and the Judiciary not only interfere in the religions of Hindus and Hindu institutions, but also actively attempt to destroy the Hindu religions such as Brahminism, while supporting and allowing the growth of Western religions such as Islam and Christianity and those religons that declared to be separate from Hinduism, by all means.  This kind of interference by the government would not be tolerated anywhere in the world, including India.  It is impossible to have a Kurdish priest in a Turkish mosque or a Catholic priest in a Serbian church or a Muslim in Christian Church; and even the most secular/communist government in the world would not impose such an absurd decision, except in India and that too with regard to Brahmins only.

 

 11Mayne’s Treatise on Hindu Law and Usage, 14th Edition, 14th edition, pp. 1-45.

       

       Pandurang Vaman Kane, History of Dharmasastra (ancient and mediæval religious and civil law in India) -- 2d ed. --  Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. -- (Government oriental series. Class B ; no. 6.). -- Vol II, Part I. -- 1974. -- S. 483 -486.

 12Once upon a time, an assembly of Brahmins was arranged in presence of Lord Brahma. All the Brahmin teachers and professors were invited. It was declared that who ever among the invited fails to attend the Brahmin assembly would be considered to have committed the sin of murder of a Brahmin (Brahmahatya). For some unavoidable circumstances, Professor Vaisampayana could not attend this meeting and acquired the sin of Brahmahatya. He assembled all his disciples and requested them to share the burden of the sin of murder. One of his disciples was Yajnavalkya. He was a great intellectual and was very powerful due to his knowledge. He came forward and suggested that he would take all the sin and manage it with his powers and requested Vaisampayana to let go other disciples. Vaisampayana was enraged at this request. He considered this request as arrogance of Yagnavalkya and completely out of line. Consequently, he ordered Yajnavalkya to give up all the learning that he learned from Vaisampayana and leave his school immediately. Yajnavalkya followed the orders of the professor and discarded all the learning, which immediately evaporated into the solar dimension. And he became poorer in his knowledge and hence in powers and luster. 

Yajnavalkya went to the Sun God and requested the Sun to teach him Yajurveda. The Sun God agreed to teach and asked him to follow him in the form a horse during his continuous travel across the skies and learn. Thus Yajnavlakya became a Vajasaneya, one who learned as a horse and a branch formed called Vajasaneya sakha. This Yajurveda learned by Yajnavlkya as a horse from the Sun God is called SuklaYajurveda and the earlier one that was learned from Vaismpayana was Krishna Yajurveda. 

    According to Vedas, when Yajnavalkya discarded the knowledge of Vedas, other disciples absorbed it like Tittiri birds and hence the branch that came from those disciples is called Tittiriya sakha. 

    Source: Vayaupuranamu in “Ashtadasapuranamulu,” by Venkataramasastri Kompella, Rohini Publications, Rajamandri, pp. 308-309.

13In Sanskrit, gotram means family, race, lineage, a mountain, a cow-pen and so on!

14http://www.haryana-online.com/People/brahmins.htm

15http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/people/brahmins/list.htm

16 "Andhra Viprula Gotramulu, Indla Perlu, Sakhalu," by Emmesroy Sastri, Gollapudi Veeraswami Son, Sri Seetarama Book Depot, Rajamandri.

    

16a History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh, Rao PR, pp.viii and 8-22

16b History of India, Herman Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, p. 102

16c History of India, Herman Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, p. 104

16d History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh, Rao PR, pp.viii and 8-22

16e "Hindu Castes and Sects," Jogendranath Bhattacharya, 1896.

16f The Pradhamasakha Niyogi Brahmins: Some family names that belong to Pradhamasakha Niyogi are: Adaalatu, Adukuri, Ainaparti, Ainamprolu, Akhandam, Alapattu, Aleti, Alladi, Ambadasu , Ambarukhana, Anantavarapu, Andukuru, Anipeddi, Annavarpu, Anumarlapudi, Attota, Ayinambrolu, Ayinpurapu, Challa, Chittem, Edlapalli,  Eedupalli, Errapatruni, , Gangaravula, Gampa, Gatraju, Gaddapalli, Ganapatiraju, Gajulapalli, Gadicharla, Gorijavolu, Kanchikacharala, Kanchugantala,Kathari, Kanakabhattula, Kavulu, Kavuluri, Kakarlapudi, Kakarlamudi, Kamaraju, Karinapati, Kuppila, Khandaladinne, Regadamilli, Srikaram, Sridhara, Sandepudi, Sampatam, Sambaraju, Sattenapalli, Satram, Sannikandlapadu, Samudram, Saripalli, Savidi, Somaasi, Sthaanam, Tammera, Udayagiri, Ullaganti, Uppala, Urakaranam, Uta, Uttaralingamakuntla, Vaddiraju, Vadduri, Vadlamudi, Vaduri, Vahi, Vallambhatla, Valluri, Vanam, Vangipurapu, Vankeswarapu, Varagani, Varahagiri, Vareswaram, Varkhola, Vasa, Velagapudi, Vepachedu, Vissamraju, Vonkamamidi etc.  Most of these families belong to "Kanva" or "Kanveeya" branch of Pradhamasakha.  Many of these family names are unique to Pradhamasakha, and you may not find the same names in any other Brahmin caste, but some family names are found in various other Brahmin groups as well.  Also, some of these family names may be found in non-Brahmin castes due to the fact that many of the family names are derived from the village names and/or due to inter-caste-mixing. 

17http://www.kokanastha.com/index.htm

18http://www.chembio.niu.edu/hosmane/roots.html

19http://www.chennaionline.com/columns/DownMemoryLane/diary169.asp

20http://culture.konkani.com/Historical/15_Chitrapur_Saraswa.htm

21http://www.hindunet.org/srh_home/1996_9/msg00393.html

22http://www.rsbnet.com/new/history.html

23http://www.boloji.com/places/0019.htm

Other sources on the web:

Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh by V. Ramachandrarao

http://www.brahminworld.com/bw1.htm

http://www.gosai.com/dvaita/madhvacarya/Brahmana-Vaisnava.html

Oldest Vedic Script, the Rg Veda, the Authors of Rig Veda, Names of some of the Rishis

 

Before we start getting the names of great Rishis, we should know first the Saptha Rishis, known as the Seven Great Rishis. There is a Saptha Rishi Mandalam in our stellar system which signifies the importance of these Seven great Rishis. The names that symbolizes the saptha Rishi Mandalam are:

 

Kashyapa

Athri

Bharatwaja

Viswaamitra

Gauthama

Jamadagni

Vasishta

 

Apart from the Rishi Mandala names, the Seven Important Rishis names are listed in the Ithihasa; They are: Athri, Bruku, Kuthsa, Vasishta, Gauthama and Aangirasa. However, the Gothra Rishis are in a differently arranged one as : Bruku, Aangirasa, Athri, Viswamitra, vashita, Kasyapa & Agasthya. Please note, that the names of Adri, Kasyapa and Vasishta are listed in the Rishi Mandala, Rishi grouping and also in the Gothra Rishi list. This proves their important role in formulations of basics in the Vedic Scripts.

 

And the next one we should know at the beginning is the names of 7 Chchandas - viz., Gayatri, Ushnik, Anushtub, Bruhathee, Bhangthi, Thrushtup and Jagathee. These are the notations that one will see in every Vedic script that pronounces the names of Rishis who composed it and the Chhandas that it belong to and finally the Devatha it is in composition within. Now let us proceed with knowing the names of the Great Rishis, who composed the oldest script known as Rg Veda (Rig Vedam).

Following are the known names of the Rishis, but not all of them so popular; all these Rishis composed many versus of Mantras mentioned included, which are part of the syllabi of various Upanishads. Those who are of Sama Veda and perform the Upakarma, might have come across mose of the following Rishis names.  Each syllabi divided into various Parts known as Mandalas that comprises 64 chapters Sakala Sakha are classified in a different method in the Bhaskala sakha of Rigveda (with minor variations) into ten mandalas. The first mandala has 191 sookthas, then in the order from 2nd to 10th mandalas, respectively 43, 62, 58, 87, 75, 104, 103, 114 and 191 sookthas are present. The number of Riks in each suktha or each mandala is vary significantly. Say for example in the first mandala there are 2006 Riks included 191 sookthas and in the last Mandala has 191 sookthas but consists of only 1754 Riks.

One might have heard the names of some of the Rishis who have composed our Puranas (The oldest Scriptures), Itihasas (History of Great Indian Events) etc. But we might not have heard the names of majority of the Rishies who composed Veda mantra. Some of the names are special. However if a researcher would like to go deep into the subject of the 'names' of these Vedic Rishis, he can understand that these names have very special meaning or message. Given below are the names of Rishis who composed the Rig Veda. These names are presented here only just to give an awareness on the names of the Vedic Rishis: (What I heard is there were more than 182 Rishis, but I could gather the names of only 161 Rishis. If anyone is in the know of the other names, kindly send it to me, so as to include the missing names and publish the omitted names of the great Sages of yesteryears).

Kanwa

Sunsepha

Aangeeras

Athri

Praskanwa

Savya Aangeeras

Nodha Gouthama

Gouthama Rahoogana

Kuthsa Aangeerasa

Kasyapa

Dhairghathamas

Romasa

Daivodaasi

Ouchadthya

Agasthya

Lopaamudra

Gurthsamada Sounaka

Viswamitra Gaadhina

Rushabha Viswamitra

Utkeela kaathya

Katho Viswamitra

Gaathee Kousika

Bhartha

Prajapati Viswamitra

Vamadeva Gouthama

Thrasadsyu

Athreya

Kumara Athreya

Vrusojaana

Vasusrutha

Isha athreya

Gaya athreya

Suthambhara Aathreya

Dharuna Aangeerasa

Pururathreya

Vaprirathreya

Prayaswantha Aathreya

Sasa Aathreya

Viswasaama Aathreya

Gopayana

Loupaayana

Vasooyava Aathreya

Bharatha Raja

Viswamithrarathreya 

Babhrurathreya

Gaathurathreya

Prabhuvasurangeerasa

Athri Bhouma

Avathsaara Kasyapa

Sadaavuruna Aathreya

Prathikshathra Aathreya

Achanaana Aathreya

Bharadhwaaja

Bharhaspathya

Suhotra Bharadwaja

Bharathwaja

Samyu Bruhaspati

Gargya Bhradwaja (There are many Rishis from Bharadwaaja kula)

Maitravaruna

Vasisthaputra

Viswamanu

Vaivaswatha Manu

Medhathithi Kanwa

Syaavascha Aathreya

Naabhakakanwa

Syaavascha Aathreya

Viroopa angeerasa

Thrisoka Kanwa

Vasosavya

Ghora Karna

Bhaga Praagatha

Pragaatha Kanwa

Purhanma Aangeerasa

Haryatha Praaagaatha

Gopavana Aathreya

Kurusutri Kanwa

Kruthsa Bhargava

Ekadhyunoundhas

Kuseedikanwa

Krishna Aangeeras

Nrumedha Aangeeras

Thirascheera Aangeeras

Repha Kasyapa

Nomobhargava

Jamadagnir Bhargava

Sobhari Kanwa

Medhathithi Kanwa

Hiranyasthoopa Aangeeras

Darddyachyutha

Bindhurangeeras

Nidhruvee Kasyapa

Ambareesha

Yaama

Yaamee

Yamavaivaswatha

Yaamayatha

Vimada Aindra

Vasuka

Aindra

Kavasha Ailoosha

Lusadhana

Abhithaapa Sourya

Ghosha Kaakshivati

Suhashtya Ghousheya

Saptha Guru Aangeeras

Agni Souchika

Gayaplaatha

Vasu Karna

Vasukra

Aayaasya Aangeerasa

Sumitra Vandhyaswa

Beruhaspati Lounkhya

Viswakarma Bhouvana

Manyuthaapasa

Suryasaaavitri

Vrushtikaama

Vaikhanasa

Mulagala Bharmaswa

Dhurmitra

Vairoopa

Agniyutha

Bhiskshur Aangeerasa

Atharvana

Vaasishta

Hiranyagarbha

Vagamdhruni

Kusika

Parameshti

Sakapootha

Paijavana

Aapsathya

Brahma

Nainruthi

Vairraaja

Vathayana

Aghamarshana

Samvanana

Naaraddha

Bhabrava

Shoki

Shakalya

Badapaa

Bhaguri

Dhandyaa

Rurukeesha

Bhatkasheera

Kuhusaa

Bhahava

Jaananthu

Maandavya

Mithravarsha

Santhokamaake

PraNavalkee

Aupamanya

Khamboja

Sushravasa

Araala

Dharthreya

Rushyasinghara

Mithrabhuva Kasyaba

Vibhandaka Kasyaba

Above are the Ancient Vedic Rishis who composed or scripted the Rg-Veda mantra. The names of other Rishis & Rishikas, though not necessarily the composers of Rg Vedic scripts are given in alphabetically given in this page.  (It is still possible that some more names might be there in the Puranas and still there can be some omissions. If anyone brings the names of other Rishis too, I shall gladly add it to this list). 

When one recites or chants the Rigveda manthra, just before reading, he is expected to chant the name of the Rishi who composed the manthra, the chandas (chandas is based on the number of letters in each Rik/mantra in the suktha) and also the Vedic deity of adoration (the deity of the manthra). Before we start reciting any specific slokha or mantra, the relevant Rishi who composed it and and the Chandas and the Devatha name is given at first, an example is given from Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam as below :

Sri Veda VyasO Bhagavan Rishi, Anushtub chanda: Sri Mahavishnu Paramaathmaa Sriman NaarayaNo devata..

then the Sahasra naamam mantra is to be recited. 

Here the author of the manthra is Veda Vyaasa, The chandas is anushtub and the Vedic Deity is Sriman Narayana (Sri MahavishNu). Here the name of the Rishi, the chandas and the devatha are given in that order.

So it is easy to understand who has composed each manthra. There are many mantras composed by the same Rishi but with different Devatha. There are also mantras composed by the family members of the same Rishi. In the Rigveda text, you can read the names of the composer of each manthra.

To know the names given above one has to read it several times, to understand and know the names of the composers of the greatest and the first literature in the world, Rig Veda.

In the next article, I shall give the Gothra Pravaram, grouping of Rishis under specific Gothra which is the main contents while doing Abhivathanam to elders while prostrating, they recite the Gothra, Soothra and name etc.

 

2012/4/9 ranganathan venkatachariar <ranganath...@gmail.com>