SrI: Dear Saama Veda Saakins :
After the coverage of the Kumbha Prathishtai
Mantrams ,
let us now study the PuNyAhavachana Japa Mantrams
.
1) Saama Veda Mantram 500 ( Rg Veda
Rk :IX 58.1):
taratsa mandhee dhAvathy dhArA
sutasyAnthasa:
taratsa mandhee dhAvathy
(Meaning): " He
( the divine sap of Spirituality ),
exhilirating and
rescuing (from Sins) , runs swiftly
(to
receptacles): the effused sap of nourishment flows
in streams.
Swiftly runs the rescuing elixir , the giver
of delights
".
One can interpret this verse as a metaphor for
the rejuvenating Dayaa of the Lord flowing
swiftly
towards the Jeevan , freeing the jeevan from
its
sins and immersing the jeevan in the stream of
its
bliss . " dhaavathy " means : it runs to the jeevans .
It does not flow sluggishly . It is a swift
torrent and
washes away all the sins of the Jeevans
.
(Comments) : This is about Soma rasam
(Soma-PavamAna) ,
the vitalizing
, conceptual juice of the Soma plant ,
the beverage of
the Gods , offered to them during
the Soma Yaagams
.
The Soma PavamAna book of Rg Vedam is totally
devoted to effusion , filtration and purification
of
the conceptual Soma (herbal) creeper .
BhagavAn
says in GitA that He is the Soma among the
medicinal
herbs ( Oushadhis) . It is considered to be
present in
all medicinal herbs to different degrees as an
ingredient.
All the medicinal herbs growing on this earth are
the gifts of Soma ( "ThvamimA Oshadhee:" 604th
Saaman).
This same Saaman continues to praise the Soma
Creeper
as the dispeller of darkness with its
light/radiance
( Thvam jyOthishaa vi tamaa vavarTa ).
The Soma ( the elixir of the divine) is requested
to flow
( pavasva) in the sweetest and most exhilirating stream
( madhishDayaa): " svAdhishDayaa madhishDayaa
pavasva
Soma dhArayaa" .
Soma's another name is Jn~Ana and Aananda ( light
and Joy) .
The Soma offered by the devotee is a small measure
of
the cosmic Soma and the prayer is for that to flow
(dhArayaa)
swiftly (AaSava) and copiously .The place of
its origin is
considered as mid-space (antariksha) and brought
from
there to earth with Vedic prayers (girvaNa:) in
Trishtubh
metre (SomE arkaa sthrishtuba: sam navanthE).
It is considered
the elixir of life force .It is saluted as KIng
Soman( Soman
rAjAnam) .
2) Saaman 350 ( Rg
Vedam:VIII.95.7) :
yEthOnvindram sthavAma Suddham SuddhEna
sAmnA
Suddhair-ukthair-vAvrudhvAgumsagum
Suddhair-
AaseervAnmamattu
(Meaning) : "
Come now and let us glorify the pure Lord resplendent
with fresh Saaman hymns . Let the correctly
recited hymns mixed
with devotional love gladden Him and magnify His
glory ".
This is a magnificient Saaman offered to
Omnipotent and
Omniscient Lord with awe and reverence
. The awe results
from the awareness of His majesty and vaibhavam .
The reverence
arises from the recollection of the Sesha-Seshi
BhAvam
( Master and servant relationship) based on
svaroopa Jn~Anam
of the Jeevan .
Our Lord is sthOthra Priyan and therefore this
Saaman singer
is inviting the assembly to eulogize the Lord with
Suddha Saamans
( sthuvAma SuddhEna sAmnA) .
The ukthi ( recitation) is
invoked
to be blemishless ( Suddhair ukthair ) . It
is also instructed that
the ukthi to be not only correct in a formal way
but it is also
advised that it be blended with bhakthi (
devotional love ) and
flow like a steady stream to please the Lord as it
glorifies His
limitless grandeur (Vaibhavam) .
3) Saaman 91 (Rg Rk: X.141.3, Yajus
IX.26 , Atarvam: III.20.4) :
Somam rAjAnam varuNam agnim anavArabhAmahE
Aadhithyam VishNum Sooryam BrahmANam cha
Bruhaspathim
(Meaning ): " We invoke and evoke the blissful bounties and
venerable soverignities , the fire of spirituality
, the Sun ,
the infinity , the all pervading energies , the
effulgent bounty ,
the supreme divinity and Universal
Lordship."
(Comments) : This Saaman reminds adiyEn of the
travel by
a Muktha Jeevan by archirAdhi Maargam at the end
of the life
on earth due to prapatthi anushtAnam .
The clue for this intrepretation
comes from the next Saaman ( 92nd ) , which says :
" Hence these
nature's bounties gone up high and mounted to
topmost heights of
heaven-- they become conquerers on the path by
which our divine
intellectuals , adept in spiritual practises ,
travel to the lofty sky ".
The venerable soverignities are the AadhivAhikars
of the Para Brahmam
( Agni , Sun , VaruNa et al) . They have
their sharply demarcated
boundaries as they lead the muktha Jeevan
to the limit of their
kingdoms and hand it over to the next
devathaa. The Lofty
sky
referred to in Saaman 92 is the ParamAkAsam (SrI
Vaikuntam).
4) Saaman 274 ( Rg Rk: VIII.61.13,
Ataravam XIX.15.1) :
yatindra bhayAmahE tathO nO abhayam
krudhi
maghavanchagdhi tava tanna UtayE vi dhvishO vi
mrudhO jahi
(Meaning) : " Oh
Resplendent Lord ! May Thou give us security
(freedom from fear ) from whom we are afraid of .
Oh bounteous
Lord ! be firm to give us Your protections ; drive
away our enemies
who try to harm us "
(Comments) : This prayer (abheethi sthavam)
reminds us of
the JitantE sthOtra slOkam ( 1.8)
:
aham bheethOasmi dEvEsa
samsArEasmin bhayAvahE
paahi maam
PundareekAksha na jaanE SaraNam param
This slOkam is in the form of a prayer from the
Bhaddha
Jeevan ( Jeevan bound to SamsAric
sufferings) to the Lord of
the DevAs( DevanAthan ,
ImayOr Talaivan ) for protection
.
The Jeevan states that it is afraid of the horrors
of transmigratory
existence ( ceaseless cycles of births and deaths)
and begs for
protection ( release from those never ending
cycles of transmigration) .
In this Saaman , the singer reminds the Lord of
His Achyutha
tatthvam , which does not permit Him to abandon
those , who
had sought His refuge . Next the singer reminds
the Lord about
one of His avathAra rahasyam : dhushta nigraham
and asks
the Lord to protect him from the enemies , who
wish to harm him
.
The prayer is " Be firm to give us Your
protections ; drive away
our enemies , who try to harm us ". Oh
Achyutha ! please do not
vacilate but rush to our rescue like you did when
the king of elephants
was tormented by the crocodile
.
We will cover the final three samans(321, 565 and
169) in
the final posting .
NamO Veda PurushAya ,
Oppiliappan KOil V.Sadagopan
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