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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "ArunKumar K" <arunkumar_k@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <sgopan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 6:35 PM
Subject: A question


> Dear Sadagopan Mama,
>
> What's the Sanskrit name for peacock feather worn in Lord Krishna's head.
> What's the significance of the same ?
>
> Dasan
> Arun.

Dear Arun : Other Members might be interested in this question also.
Hence I am taking the liberty of copying my response to
our group members .

"Sikhipincham"  is one of the names for Peacock feather worn in Lord's head 
:
He is saluted as "Sikhipincha-moulinE Nama: " . ThisSikhi pincham is a sign 
of victory
for our Lord as the Guru (SikshA Guru) . A great KrishNa bhakthar ,
Leela Sukhar (1220-1300 C.E) from Kerala visualized this SikshA Guru
form of Bala GopAlan in the very first slOkam of Sri KrishNa KarNAmrutham:
SikshA Guru is one , who tests the sishyan out for his qualifications
and true desire for learning and then accepts him as well as blesses
that chosen sishyan with true Jn~Anam . The second line of that slOkam is:

" SikshA-gurusccha BhagavAn Sikhi-pincha Mouli: " Jayathi.

BhagavAn KrishNa is revered as the most adorable Tatthvam
in the form a small child ( Baala GopAlan ) . The peacock feather
with its multiple colors( Mayil KaNNu ) is part of the beautification
( aabharaNam , alankAram) . He is a Jagan Mohanan . He does not really
need any aabharaNam for beautifying Him ; these aabharaNams gain
a status of distinction by sambhandham with His Divine Suddha Satthva
ThirumEni . He charms every one with His divine beauty ( From the Gopis to
His Mother YasOdha PirAtti and the whole world and its beings ). Mother 
YasOdhA
decorates his bluish black wavy tresses with Peacock feather ( " Barha 
utthamsa
kuntalalabharam ") to celebrate her son's unsurpassable soundharyam .
He decorates also His beautiful assembly of hair with the wild flowers that
His grateful playmates (GopAs) bring Him .  He adorns the Laangali Pushpam
( the flower of the shoot from the coconut tree) over His ears
( lAngalee karNapooram) ; on His hair , he fixes the Mayil Peeli ( Barha
Utthamsa sphuritha chikura:  in Swamy Desikan's words ) in His hair ;
He adds a red pushpam known as Bhandhujeevam (Semparutthi Flower) .
He adorns a lovely KunthumaNi Maalai ( yellowish beads with a black face)
around His neck ( gunjA-Bhatthaam laLithAm haara yashtim urasi dhArayan ) .
In the uras ( Chest region) is KunthumaNi Maalai ; in the Siras is
the Peacock feather ( Barha Utthamsa sphuritha Chikura: ) .

Thus this playful child-Lord has many aabharaNams and alankArams
( Chithra aakalpa: = vichithra alankArams ) to captivate the onlookers
and steal their hearts . He is the unique and incomparable embodiment of
youthful beauty ( JagathAm yEka abhirAma adhbhutham in the words of
Leelasukhar ).

The peacock feather in His hair and the Flute in His hands are the lakshaNam
for Lord KrishNa as a child . That is why He is saluted and meditated as
" Madha-SikhaNdi SikhaNda VibhUshaNan " ( One adorning the feather of
a proud pacock) . As He walks down in the streets of BrundhAvanam ,
these beauty marks become His defining features ( lakshmANi) .

His dark, dense  and wavy (curly) hair are the right home for
the multi-hued , iridiscent  peacock feather according to
the KrishNa Bhakthar , LeelA Sukhar : "pinchAvatamsa rachanOchitha
kEsapAsam  " . His "muktha vEsham " ( delectable appearance) starts
from the dark hair assembly adorning the peacock feather as a decoration
( BhahuLa chikura bhAram Bhaddha pinchAvathamsam), travels down
to his beautiful forehead like the ashtami chandran , descends down to
the dark eye brows , long eyes , which are moving briskly scanning
which of His bhaktha kOtis are there ; once He recognizes them ,
his red  lips reminding one of the ripe BhimbhA fruit  extend
a sweet smile of recognition and welcome .

Describing the Lord's beauty as He walks down the streets of
uncle Kamsan's capital , Mathurai , His beauty is maddening every one .
The citizens of Mathurai ask each other : Who is this Jagan Mohanan ?
His peacock feather ( chandraka bhUshaNam ) , His distinguishing mark
gives them the clue . The peacock feather is the aabharaNam of choice
for Him ( Barham naama vibhUshaNam bahumatham). It is also a gOsha
uchitha bhUshaNam ( Fit for the kulam of cowherds) , who spend a lot of
time in the forests grazing their cows . This is also the play ground of
the beautiful male peacocks that strut about displaying their iridiscent
feathers . KaNNan's hue is like that of a dark blue kind resembling
the rain bearing cloud . Peacocks spread their feathers at the sight of
the dark bluish-black rainy cloud .  When they have the darsanam of
the NeelOthpala hued KaNNan , they are reminded of the monsoon clouds
and dance before Him with spread feathers . At the end , they offer some of
their choicest feathers to Him as a samarpaNam just as the lions of
Ahobilam do by offering the ivory tusks of the elephants that they have
overpowered . Our Lord accepts these feathers of peacock offered by
them with Bhakthi and places it on His black tresses as an aabharaNam .
That explains in my imagination as to how the Peacock feathers landed on
our Lord's chikuram . The TaitthirIya Upanishad passage comes to our mind:
" rasO vai Sa: , rasam hyEvAyam labdhvA Aanandhee bhavathy " ( His whole
form is an embodiment of bliss principle ; one attains eternal bliss through
the taste of that Aanandham ) .

During this KrishNa Jayanthy season , let us reflect on the peacock feather
adorning Lord , who is the safe haven for all of us as the SaraNAgatha
Rakshakan and celebrate Him as Sri LeelAsukhar did :

SrungAra rasa sarvasvam Sikhipinchcha vibhUshaNam
angeekrutha narAkAram aaSrayE bhuvanAsrayam --- KrishNa KarNAmrutham: I.92

He is the perfect embodiment of SrungAra rasam (SrungAra rasa sarvasvam) ;
That SrungAra rasam is enhanced by the peacock feather adorned as
a special aabharaNam ( Sikhi-pincha vibhUshaNam ) ; He has incarnated as
a human being out of His own will (angeekrutha nara aakAram) . We seek
His protection as he is the refuge for the entire world ( bhuvanAsrayam
aasrayE ).

We will conclude this posting that got extended with another slOkam from
Sri KrishNa KarNAmrutham ( I.108):

Jaya Jaya Jaya Deva DEva Deva
  thribhuvana manGaLa dhivya naamadhEya
Jaya Jaya BaalakrishNa dEva
  SravaNa  manO-nayanaamrutha avathaara !

Sri KrishNa ParabrahmaNE nama:
Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan







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