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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

                                       "All that Glitters..."
 

No metal is more closely associated with the human race as Gold. Diamonds may 
be forever, but the lure of the yellow metal is eternal. In any comparison with 
other metals or elements, Gold comes out with shining colours. There is perhaps 
no sphere of human activity, which is not touched and adorned by Gold, be it 
social, economic or even religious. It has been the currency of yore, which 
people used to buy and sell other things. Anything valuable is said to be 
"worth its weight in Gold", while we characterise anything magnificent, 
splendorous or beneficial as "Golden", as for instance, the Golden Age of the 
GuptAs in history.  Successful passing of the midway milestone in life, 50 
years of married life, even the first 50 days of a film's successful run-all 
these are termed "Golden Jubilee", signifying how much we value the yellow 
metal. To honour someone, we drape him with a gold-coloured shawl-a "PonnAdai". 
Till a few decades past, the World Economy was on the Gold Standard, which 
meant that countries could issue currency, only if it was backed by an 
equivalent stock of Gold. Till today, the amount of Gold reserves a country has 
is taken to be a measure of its soundness and solvency. 

 

The yellow metal has another admirable characteristic, viz., Malleability, 
which makes it the preferred metal for the manufacture of ornaments and 
jewellery, thus rendering it the metal closest to the human heart, especially 
the feminine one, literally and figuratively. In marriages too, even the 
poorest of poor deems it a necessity to marry off their daughter with at least 
a gram of gold on her person, in tune with the mantra, "KanyAm kanaka 
sampannAm". It is a different matter that this more has resulted in several 
cases of exploitation of the bride's parents with exorbitant demands, perhaps 
based on a misinterpretation of the term "sampannAm". And when a child is born, 
the mother croons to it with a loving "en thangamE!". Even at the ripe old age 
of ninety, man delights in having gold showered on him by his progeny, in what 
is known as "KanakAbhishEkam".

 

It would thus appear that Gold pervades our life all throughout, in all spheres 
of human activity.

 

The question therefore arises as to why this yellow metal should command such 
lure and love from human beings, when other, more precious elements are there 
like Platinum, Diamonds etc.

Granted that these other metals and carbons do have an attraction for people, 
but it is nothing compared to the widespread and mass following that Gold has.

 

 Delving deep into the matter, we come to the conclusion that the fascination 
for Gold in the secular sphere is but an extension of its glitter on the 
spiritual plane. If we care to look for it, we find innumerable mentions of the 
yellow metal in the Scripture, with its being used as a mode of comparison with 
none less than divine personages.

 

Perhaps the most complimentary mention of this metal is in the context of 
comparing it with the glitter, brilliance, magnificence and preciousness of the 
ParamapurshA's tirumEni. "Ani sempon mEni endAi"   "Sem ponnE tigazhum tiru 
moorthiyAi" says Sri Nammazhwar, telling us that the Lord's complexion is that 
of beaten red gold. Another Azhwar confirms this and considers the matter to be 
significant enough to be catalogued in the very first verse of his 
composition-"TirukkaNdEn PonmEni kaNdEn". Sri Kalian, that peerless connoisseur 
of the arcchA moorthy, tells us that if we really think about it, we would find 
the Lord's tirumEni to be golden-hued-

            "vaNNam eNNum kAl
            Ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum tirumEni
 Inna vaNnam endru kAttIr IndaLooreerE".

 

As we know that every word and syllable of Azhwars' outpourings are based on 
the Shruti, we search for confirmation from the Vedas for this conception of 
the Lord's complexion and we do find it in the Upanishad, which goes a step 
further and tells us that even the hair atop the Lord's head, His moustache, 
other facial vegetation and all the magnificent parts of His splendorous torso, 
including His nails, are gloriously golden. Here is the relevant quote-

 

"Ya EshOntar AdityE hiraNmaya:Purusha:drisyatE
                         HiraNmaya:smashru:hiranmaya kEsa:AprNakhAt sarva Eva
 suvarNa:"
 
 
For good measure, the Shruti reconfirms the Lord's golden complexion 
thus-"Hiranya varNam rugmAbham". Emperuman's association with gold doesn't stop 
with His complexion. When He is born as Sri Krishna, He arranges for AdisEsha 
too to descend to Gokulam, in the form of a golden cradle. The conscientious 
chronicler of Krishna's childhood, Sri PeriayAzhwar, confirms that Sri Krishna 
slept in a golden cradle, the ardent offering of a devoted BrahmA-
 
"MANikkam katti vayiram idai katti
ANi ponnAl seida vaNna siru tottil
PENi unakku Piraman vidu tandAn" 
 
The Lord is so enamoured of gold that even His spittoon is made of the yellow 
metal, which Sri Kulasekhara Perumal wishes to hold forever-
 
"Venkata KOn umizhum pon vattil piditthu udanE pugapperuvEn AvEnE".
 
 Another indication of His infatuation with the yellow metal is His sporting a 
"golden" tirunAmam, at one of the TirunAngUr divyadEsams, as "Sempon sei 
Arangan" (HEma Rangan). 
 
We are told by Sri Valmiki that the Royal court of Ayodhya was all done up in 
glittering gold-"SabhAyAm hEma kliptAyAm". And on the occasion of Sri Rama's 
coronation, Brahmins holding auspicious things in their hands walked ahead of 
Sri Rama, on His way to the Royal court, and predictably, one of the mangala 
dravyAs they held was gold-
 
"akshatam jAtaroopam cha gAva: kanyA: tathA dvijA:
 narA mOdaka hastAscha Raamsya puratO yayu:"
 
When holy water is to be brought for the PattAbhishEkam from sacred rivers and 
oceans, it is brought in golden pots-
 
"sauvarNAn vAnarEndrANAm chatuNAm chaturO ghatAn".
 
And on the joyous occasion of the Coronoation, Indra, the Chief of the 
Celestials, offers with devotion a glittering golden garland to the 
Paramapurusha-
 
"MAlAm jvalantIm vapushA kAnchanIm shata pushkarAm
 Raghavaya dadou VAyu: VAsavEna prachOdita:"
 
And when Sri Rama thinks of offering a tribute to VadikAs on the occasion of 
His coronation, it is Gold that He plumps for, in the form of 300 million gold 
coins-
"Trimsat kOtI: hiraNyasya brAhmaNEbhyO dadou puna:" 
 
 
According to popular accounts, all SAlagrAma shilAs, in which the Lord's 
presence is constant and eternal, are said to contain a streak of gold inside 
them, giving such moorthies (especially those which do not have a vadanam or 
chakram) the name "HiraNya garbha:" (pregnant with gold). It is interesting to 
note that the Lord Himself is referred to as Hiranyagarbha by the 
Shruti-"HiraNya garbha: samavartata agrE bhootasya jAta: pati: Eka Aseet". This 
term is also used to denote the four-headed BrahmA.
 
The Golden Connection doesn't stop with the Lord. Predictably, His Consort too 
sports a golden hue, as She is in every way a perfect match to the 
Paramapurusha. This is confirmed by the Sri Suktam, which adds that, in the 
manner of our own women folk who have a penchant for matching colours, Sri 
Mahalakshmi too wears garlands of a golden hue-
 
"HiraNya varNAm HariNIm suvarna rajata srajAm"
 
Not only the Divine Duo, but also their devotees have an abiding connection 
with the yellow metal, we find. For instance, Parama BhAgavata Sri Shankara too 
sports a golden complexion, according to Azhwars-"Pon tigazhum mEni puri sadai 
am puNNiyan". Confirmation of this is available from a NayanmAr, an exclusive 
devotee of Rudra too, who describes the deity as "PonnAr mEnianE!".
 
VaruNa, the presiding deity of all waters, be they rivers, oceans, ponds or 
wells, is reported to have a golden horn-"Hiranya shringam VaruNam prapadyE" 
says the aghamarshaNa  SUktam.
 
Not only the Lord's votaries, but some of His sworn adversaries too have a 
golden name, like HiranyAksha and Hiranyakasipu, to quote a couple. Azhwars too 
refer to these asurAs as "Pon peyarOn".
 
While in one of the yagyAs, a golden vessel full of honey is supposed to be 
given away ("HiraNya pAtram madhO: pUrNam dadhAti-madhavyOsAnIti"), in another, 
the performer of the yAga gains bricks made of gold-"hirayNyEshatakO bhavati"
 
Gold not only serves the Lord in the myriad modes mentioned above, but is also 
eminently suitable for worshipping Him with, as flowers made of 
gold-"SwarNapushpam"-- make for an admirable adornment to Him. Additionally, 
during the alankArAsanam, we are supposed to submit (as part of the 32 types of 
"upachAram" to be offered to Him) gold too, as "MAtrA dAnam", according to the 
Pancha kAla kriyA Deepam-
 
"tila taNdula tAmbUla tapanIya dhritAmbarai:
 pooritAm darsayE mAtrAm pAtrENa PraNatArtihan"
 
Continuing the saga of ceaseless association of the Lord with the precious 
metal, we find that even the river, which laps gently at His tiruvadi and forms 
a glorious garland to Sri Rangaraja, is called "Ponni". Not only is the river's 
name golden, it brings gold from various underwater mines and offers it as an 
ardent tribute at the feet of the Lord of Srirangam-"Pon alaikkum KAviri"
 
Is it any wonder therefore, that stealing of gold ranks among the most heinous 
of misdeeds? Theft and robbery are bad enough when they involve other items of 
property, but when it comes to gold, ShAstrAs are especially severe in 
prescribing penalties for "SvarNa stEyam". 
 
However much we may tout Gold to be the best of riches, Sri Nammazhwar tells us 
that even the most precious of ornaments made of the purest of gold, would not 
equal one sincere and devout folding of the palms in a gesture of "anjali", as 
an offering to Emperuman-"dEsamAna aNikalanum en kai kooppu seigayE". Having 
compared the Lord's brilliance to beaten gold, Azhwar is eaten away by remorse, 
for likening Him to after all an inanimate object, the glitter of which would 
not equal a billionth of the Lord's, and comes out with a 
clarification-"Sutturaittha nan pon un tirumEni oLi ovvAdu".
Having traversed the golden trail so far, we find that there are several other 
items that are as precious and splendorous as Gold, with their glitter however 
hidden from the undiscerning observer. For instance, Sandhyavandanam is indeed 
a Golden Ritual, conferring upon us immense and precious benefits, but its 
brilliance is not immediately perceptible to the uninitiated. It is only when 
one adopts and continues its "upAsanA", that it reveals itself in all its 
magnificence, inculcating in us devotion and dedication to the Ultimate. There 
is similarly a "Golden Strategy" which leads us unfailingly to the gates of 
Paradise, viz., Prapatti, which too remains invisible to our eyes, till we 
apply the magical mascara of Acharya upadEsam.
 
Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
dasan, sadagopan



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




 
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