Pancha Suktas

[Ronna Bordelon]

AGAMICSIGNIFICANCE OF SNAPANA TIRUMANJANAM

TIRUCHANOOR, DECEMBER 14: Snapana Tirumanjanam-the sacred bath which is being rendered every day to Goddess Padmavathi Devi at Tiruchanoor during the annual Karthika Brahmotsavams involves 40 interesting bathing styles.

INTERESTING VEDIC JARGONS INVOLVED IN HOLY BATH:

The Jalavritam-sacred bath includes different phrases which are Chatvaarimshat-40 in numbers. The religious fete commences with Panchakarma, Punyahavachanam, Navakalasa Sthapanam etc. and all the deities are invited.

PANCHASUKTAS RENDERED:

While offering the holy bath the Archakas render Pancha suktas. Unlike in Tirumala where the suktas commence with recitation of Purushasuktam, here the archakas begin the holy bath fete to Goddess chanting Sri Suktam followed by Bhu, Neela, Dasa shanti and Slokas from Taittiriyopanishat. Again the recitation of slokas from Taittiriyopanishat for this ritual are as per the tenets prescribed in Seekshavalli, Bhruguvalli and Anandavalli.

ISSUED BY THE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER TTDs, TIRUPATI

Tirumala Dhruva Bera is considered to be Swayambhu - self-manifested and not created by human. According to Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam, Lord Venkateswara came to reside in this sacred spot to provide blessings to devotees in the Kali Yuga. The deity does not conform to the agamas (rules) for making a deity, thus furthering the belief that the temple's deity is Swayambhu.

The dhruva bera stands approximately ten feet tall[1] and stands a platform of about 18 inches. The platform follows a simple lotus design and the details of the any inscription on the platform is unknown to anyone except the temple's archakas (priests). The platform is usually covered in tulsi leaves except on Thursday afternoon and during Friday abhishekam.[2]

The face of the deity has exquisite features, with the nose neither flat nor prominent. The eyes are prominent and has the outline of 'namam' though it is not projected out of the deity. The eyes are partially covered with the namam made of pachakarpuram (raw camphor). The size, shape and details of the namam are governed by strict rules laid by the Vaikhanasa agamam. The deity has a self manifested crown up to the forehead and jatajuta (curly hair) resting on the shoulder. The chest is estimated to be between 36 and 40 inches in width and the waist would be between 24 and 27 inches, though there has never been a formal measurement of these statistics. Since the upper body is bare, features of the chest are prominently seen with the main feature being the image of a sitting Sridevi carved on the right side of the chest. The image of lakshmi is integral to the deity. The deity has 4 arms. The upper arms in the position to hold his weapons though the Chakram and Conch are not integral to the deity. The removable Sudarshana chakram is placed on the upper right arm while the Panchajanya - Vishnu's conch is placed on the upper left arm. The lower right arm is in the Varada Hasta pose - palms facing outward towards the onlooker to signal boon giving nature of the lord. The lower left arm is in the Katyavalambita pose - palm facing the lord with the thumb nearly parallel to the waist. The deity is seen with a dhoti worn waist downwards. Both the knees are slightly bent forward to indicate that the Lord is willing to come to the devotee's rescue. The shoulder of the lord has marks resembling scars made by constant wearing of bow and pack of arrows though the deity is not in the Tribhanga pose (unlike Tirumala Rama deity )[2]

Tirumala Dhruva bera has a number of ornaments as seen on the deity. The yagnopavitam (sacred thread) is seen on the bare chest of the lord running from the left shoulder to the right waist. Four sets of necklaces are seen on the deity. The deity also has a two-inch katibandham (waist band) running over the dhoti. The arms have armlets and the legs have ornaments near the ankle. The lord sports also ear ornaments. The lord has a coin necklace.[2]

The lord gets complete attention during most of the rituals conducted in the garbha griha. After, the lord is woken up during the Suprabhatam Seva, Suddhi (cleansing) is done by removal of flowers from the previous day and apportionment of holy water bought from Akasa Ganga thirtam for the day's prayer. During Tomala Seva, the gold kavacham (armour) of the feet is removed and abhishekam is done daily to it. Bhoga Srinivasa, the Kautuka beram of the temple receives full abhishekam every day in lieu of the Dhruva bera. Sahasranamarchana - recital of 1,000 names of Lord Srinivasa is performed to the main deity after the completion of Tomala seva. Naivedyam (food offerings) are made thrice during the day and is preceded by recital from various scriptures.[3] Following the first naivedyam (also called First Bell), verses from Prabandham is read. Before the mid-day and second naivedyam (also called Second Bell), Ashthottaranama (108 names of the Lord) is read and this is a private service.[4] The rituals of Tomala Seva, Archana and Naivedyam is conducted in the evening after Malayappa swami returns from Sahasra Deepalankarana Seva and is called Night Kainkaryams.[5] Naivedyam is offered to other deities only after apportionment of the same to the main deity.

Apart from these daily sevas, Ashtadala Pada Padmaaradhana Seva is conducted every Tuesday after the second bell. During the ceremony, the priests reads each of the 108 names of the Lord while offering a gold lotus to the feet of the lord after the recital of the name. On completion of archana for the lord's consorts, two kinds of arati is shown to the Lord.[6] On Thursdays, Tiruppavada Seva is performed to Dhruva bera in the Tirumamani mantapam inside the sanctum sanctorum. During the seva, large quantities of pulihora (tamarind rice) heaped in trapezoidal or pyramidal shape along with sweetmeats like payasam, laddus, jilebis, appam deposited on the edges is offered to the Lord with appropriate mantras.[7] On Fridays, Abhishekam is performed accompanied by the chanting of pancha suktas (five suktas - Purusha Suktam, Sri Suktam, Narayana Suktam, Bhu Suktam and Nila Suktam) and prabhandams.[8]

"Anantah vai Vedah", the Vedas are unending. The seers have, however, revealed to us only a small part of them but it is sufficient for our welfare in this world and next. We are not going to create many universes like Brahma that we should know all the Vedas. We need to know only as many as are necessary to ensure our good in this world.

In each of the four Vedas there are different "pathas" and "pathabhedas" or "pathantaras". The same musical composition or raga is sung in different "panis". For instance, the same musical composition or raga is expounded in different styles by, say, Maha-Vaidyanatha Ayyar, Konerirajaouram Vaidyanatha Ayyar and Sarabha sastri. Just as in some panis there are more sangatis to a composition than in some others, there are more suktas in some pathas than in others. There may also be differences in the order of the mantras.

Each pathantra or each version is called a sakha or recension. The various sakhas are branches of the Vedic tree, indeed a great tree like the Adyar banyan [in Madras]. The branches big and small belong to one or another of the four Vedas, Rg, Yajur, Saman and Atharvan.

Modern indologists are of the view that the Rgveda came first, that the Yajurveda came later and so on. But, according to our sastras, all Vedas are eternal. To state that one Veda belongs to a period prior to, or later than, another is not correct since all the Vedas are associated with the sacrifice that came to mankind with creation itself. The same argument holds good in the matter of fixing the dates of the divisions of any of the sakhas - the Samhita, the Brahmana and Aranyaka. The Vedas belong to a realm in which there is no scope for any research. If we believe that they were discovered by seers who knew past, present and future -- themselves, though, remaining in a state beyond time -- we will realise that it is meaningless to attempt to fix their date.

In the Rgveda itself the Yajurveda and the Samaveda are mentioned in a number of passages. In Purusasuktha occuring in the Rgveda (tenth mandala, 90th suktha) there is a reference to the other Vedas. We learn from this, don't we, that one Veda does not belong to a period prior to, or later than another?

I stated that each recension consisted of the Samhita, the Brahmana and the Aranyaka. When we speak of "Veda-adhyayana" (the study or chanting of the Vedas) we normally have in mind the Samhita part only. When we bring out a book consisting of the Samhita alone of the Rgveda we still call it the "Rgveda". The Samhita is indeed the very basis of asakha, its life-breath. The word means "systematised and collected together".

The Rgveda Samhita as all in the form of poetry. What came to be saled "sloka" in later times is the"rk" of the Vedas. "Rk" means a "stotra", a hymn. The Rgveda Samhita is made up entirely of hymns in praise of various deities. Each rk is a mantra and a number of rks in praise of a deity constitute a sukta.

The Rgveda, that is its Samhita, has 10, 170 rks and 1, 028 suktas. It is divided into ten mandalas or eight astakas. It begins with a sukta to Agni and concludes with asukta to the same deity. For this reason some believe that the Vedas must be described as the scripture of fire worship, a view with which we would be in agreement if Agni were believed to be the light of the Atman (the light of knowledge of the Reality). The concluding sukta of the Rgveda contains a hymn that should be regarded as having a higher significance than the national anthem of any country: it is a prayer for amity among all nations, a true international anthem. "May mankind be of one mind, " it goes. "May it have a common goal. May all hearts be united in love. And with the mind and the goal being one may all of us live in happiness. "

3a8082e126