WITH THE GREAT
25. ARUNAGIRI AND AVATARS
Avatar, not easy to recognise
Hindus have a very clear idea of Avatara. It is Brahman alone who comes as Avatara. Those who worship the Avatara in fact worship the Ultimate, Absolute, Unnamable, Unthinkable. It is for our sake that He comes as Avatara. The Avatar is a special sign of Divine grace and compassion for mankind.
Yet, not many people can recognise the Avatar when He lives among us. Sri Krishna who gave us the definitive statement of the purpose and functions of the Avatar also said that people often took him to be a mere/ordinary human being, and even ridiculed him!
त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत्।
मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम्।।7.13।।
Deluded by the three gunas of Prakriti, all this world does not know Me,who is beyond them and Immutable.
अव्यक्तं व्यक्ितमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः।
परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम्।।7.24।।
The foolish regard Me, the Unmanifested , as come into manifestation (as if limited by it.) not knowing My supreme state- Immutable and Transcendental.
अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाश्रितम्।
परं भावमजानन्तो मम भूतमहेश्वरम्।।9.11।।
Unaware of My higher state, as the great Lord of beings, fools disregard Me,dwelling in the human form.
यो मामजमनादिं च वेत्ति लोकमहेश्वरम्।
असम्मूढः स मर्त्येषु सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते।।10.3।।
He who knows Me, birthless and beginningless, the great Lord of the Worlds- he is undeluded among mortals. He is freed from all sins.
In the Ramayana it is said that only a few Rishis knew that Rama was an Avatar. That is why we need association with holy people to know about the Avatar.
If this is the case with the human Avatar, how much more difficult it would be in respect of the other Avatars! All creation is from Bhagavan, and He can manifest in any form! This is what Hindus have understood and celebrated!
Arunagirinatha celebrates Avatars!
In many of his hymns, Arunagiri has sung of the Avatars of Vishnu.
ஆதிசர ணெனக்கயங்கு லாவமுத லையைக்கிடங்கி
லாரவுடல் தனைப்பிளந்த ...... அரிநேமி
ஆமைகய லெனச்செயங்கொள் கோலகுற ளரித்தடங்கை
யானஅர வணைச்சயந்தன்
Here, he mentions 5 Avatars.
"O Aadimoolam, I surrender", pleaded the elephant caught by the crocodile in that deep pond. Vishnu came rushing and tore the body of the crocodile with his chakra.
That Vishnu took the avatars of the tortoise, the fish, the pig, the pigmy (Vamana) and Narasimha with his extended hands. He is the one reclining on the serpent.
If we split the words here, it becomes so easy to understand.
Aadi = Aadi Moolam.- the origin of everything
ena kayam = so saying, the elephant
kulaava = pleaded
mudalaiyai = the crocodile (which had seized the elephant)
kidangil = in that pond or lake
aara = well
vudal thanaip pilanda = splitting/breaking the body
ari nemi = Hari, with the Chakra
Aamai= tortoise
kayal = fish
jayam kol = obtaining victory
kolam = pig
kural = pigmy- Vamana
thadangai = with extended,broad hands
ari = lion, Narasingha
aravanai = on the serpent as his couch
jayanthan= sayathan= sayanathan= sleeping
(Vishnu, reclining on Adishesha, had taken these avatars.)
சிறுத்தசெலு வதனு ளிருந்து
பெருத்ததிரை யுததி கரந்து
செறித்தமறை கொணர நிவந்த ...... ஜெயமாலே
The ever victorious Vishnu Incarnated in the form of a small fish to enter the ocean with the huge waves to recover the Vedas which were concealed there.
He says elsewhere:
ஆரணற்கு மரை தேடியிட்ட பெருமாள்
Tirumal (Vishnu) who searched and recovered the Veda for Brahma.
சூக ரத்தொ டம்பு தானெ டுத்து வந்த
சூதன்
சூதன்
Assuming the body of a pig, Vishnu brought the submerged earth up.He also became a charioteer. (Soothan)
But there is something more to the story. Having drunk the blood of Hiranyaksha (who had hidden the earth), the varaha became uncontrollable. Subrahmanya with his spear brought it under control. This is stated in the following line from a Tiruppugazh on Tiruvanaikkaval.
ஏனப்பதிதனை கோலக்காலமாக அமர் செய்த வடிவேலா
Narasimhavataram is celebrated in ever so many hymns.
கோலவுரு வாயெ ழுந்து பாரதனை யேயி டந்து
கூவிடு முராரி விண்டு ...... திருமார்பன்
கூடமுறை நீடு செம்பொன் மாமதலை யூடெ ழுந்த
கோபவரி நார சிங்கன் .
Taking the form of a pig, he dug up the earth and recovered it. He killed Muran, the Asura. He has Lakshmi on his chest. He manifested as Narasimha with great anger in that golden pillar in the hall.
அருமறை நூலோதும் வேதியன்
இரணிய ரூபாந மோவென
அரிகரி நாராய ணாவென ...... ஒருபாலன்
அவனெவ னாதார மேதென
இதனுள னோவோது நீயென
அகிலமும் வாழ்வான நாயக ...... னெனவேகி
ஒருகணை தூணோடு மோதிட
விசைகொடு தோள்போறு வாளரி
யுகிர்கொடு வாராநி சாசர ...... னுடல்பீறும்
உலகொரு தாளான மாமனும்
The Brahmin, well versed in the Vedas, was appointed to teach ' Hiranyaroopa Nama:'. But the young, matchless boy said: "Hari Hari Narayana" Enraged, he was asked: 'Where is your Hari? What is your proof? Is he in this pillar? Tell me." Immediately the boy said: "Our Master inheres in all things in the universe". Hiranyakasipu immediately went and banged that pillar which was in front of him. Immediately, dazzling Narasimha came out with great force and sharp nails and tore the body of Hiranyakasipu. He is the Vishnu who measured the whole world with his one foot.He is the uncle of Subrahmanya.
மொருசுரர் பூசுர னோமென்
றதற் கநந்தர மிரணி யாய நமவென
நாராய ணாய நமவென் றோதுங்
குதலை வாய்ச்சிறி யோனுக் காகத் தூணிற் ...... றோற்றிய வசபாணிப்
பலநக நுதியி னிசாசர னாகங்
கிழித் தளைந்தணி துளசி யோடு சிறுகுடல்
தோண்மாலை யாக அணியுங் கோவும்
This he repeats here too. But how he describes!
The excellent Brahmin started his lessons with "Om". He next said "Hiranyaya nama:" But the small boy with his tiny mouth (in speech not yet perfectly formed- kuthalai vaai) said "Narayanaya Nama:" For his sake, Vishnu appeared from the pillar as Narasimha. With the several nails in his fingers, he tore open the body of the Asura, and took out his entrails and wore them as a garland, in addition to the Tulsi garland. Such is our master.
The Vamana Avatar is also exuberantly celebated by Arunagiri in several hymns. Some we have already seen.
ஞாலத்தை அன்றளந்து வேலைக்குளும் துயின்று
நாடத்தி முன்பு வந்த திருமாலும்
Vishnu measured the world those days. He also slept on the serpent. He came to save the elephant in the former days.
இச்சையே செலுத்தி யுச்சிதாள் பலிக்கும்
இட்ட மால்
Vishnu who conveyed his wish to Mahabali, and kept his foot on his head. (He asked for space measured by his three steps.)
உலுத்த ராவணனைச் சிரம் இற்றிட
வதைத்து மாபலியைச் சிறை வைத்தவன்
உலக்கை ராவி நடுக்கடல் விட்டவன்
He removed the ten heads of Ravana, whose desire was uncontrolled.
He imprisoned Mahabali in Patala.
He directed the iron (pounding) rod to be filed and thrown into the sea.
Arunagirinatha has the habit of relating many connected things. In the last entry above, three incidents are mentioned. The first two are well known. The last is heart-wrenching.This is connected with the destruction of the Yadava clan, and Lord Krishna's own departure from the earth.
We have already seen how extensively Rama and Krishna avatars are dealt with, with all interconnected incidents clearly stated. He has mentioned Balarama in two places- in one as carrying the plough as his weapon, and in the other as an expert wrestler. Kalki may be taken to have been mentioned once by implication in the hymn on Tiruvaamaaththur, when he states that he will come riding the horse to save the world.
Krishna playing his flute
Where Arunagiri describes something, that is hardly excelled by any one else on earth. Just see how he describes the effect of the music from the flute of Krishna:
அளையில் உறைபுலி பெறுமக வயிறரு
பசுவின் நிரைமுலை யமுதுண நிரைமகள்
வசவ னொடுபுலி முலையுண மலையுடன் ...... உருகாநீள்
அடவி தனிலுள உலவைகள் தளிர்விட
மருள மதமொடு களிறுகள் பிடியுடன்
அகல வெளியுயர் பறவைகள் நிலம்வர ...... விரல்சேரேழ்
தொளைகள் விடுகழை விரல்முறை தடவிய
இசைகள் பலபல தொனிதரு கருமுகில்
சுருதி யுடையவன் நெடியவன்
The cub of the tiger, living in the cave, goes to the group of cows to drink the nectar of their milk.
The male and female calves drink the milk from the udder of the tiger.
Mountains just melt.
The tall, lifeless trees in the forest spring to life again with new shoots.
The male elephants, mad after the females, go into a side with them; birds flying high in the air come down and settle on the ground.
Such is the effect of the music produced by Krishna, of the colour of the clouds, playing methodically with his fingers on the bamboo with seven holes, creating all those sounds. He is the tall Vishnu, substance of the Veda.
Where have we seen a better description?
ISKCON. Their pictures are so beautiful. Thanks.
NOTE:
Tamil text of Tiruppugazh taken from kaumaram.com.
Gratefully acknowledged.
