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sadagopan

           Saama Vedam & ThiruvAimozhi : Part II
     

                                                                                
                                       









      Lord Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan

          

      Saama Samhitha & Thiruvaimozi

      In its importance in YaagAs and sacredness, Saama Veda SamhithAs rank 
next to Rig VedA. The Lord of GeethA however has put this Saama samhithA on the 
top of all four SamhithAs with His declaration that He is Saama VedA among the 
VedAs. This samhithA consists of hyms chanted by udhgAtri priests at the Soma 
YaagAs. Many of the hymns originate from Rig Vedam and have been rearranged 
without reference to the original order in the Rig Vedam and set to music. Only 
75 verses of the total of 1,875 verses of Saama Vedam are not to be found in 
Rig Vedam. The remaining 1,800 verses are essentially the repetitions of Rig 
Vedic verses. The important distinction however is that they are sung instead 
of being recited. The Rig Vedam deals with knowledge and Saama Vedam deals with 
UpAsanA, Worship and DhyAnam.

      In singing, the priests of the Yaj~nams follow specific styles through 
alteration of prolongation, repetition, modulation, rests et al. These become 
the various styles of Saama GhAnams: congregational (GrAma gEya GhAnam), AraNya 
ghAnam (Forest song style), Uha ghAnam and Uhya GhAnam.

      Saakhaas of Saama Vedam

      Saama Vedam had originally 1001 branches. We have very few left now. 
NammAzhwAr's celebrated Thiruvaimozhi is recognized as the Saama Veda 
SaarArtham.

      ThiruvAimozhi and Saama Vedic Content 

      " Vedam Tamizh seytha MaaRan " is one of the salutations to Swamy 
NammAzhwAr. In this context , ThiruvAimozhi , which deals with Bahgavath 
PrApthi (Attainment of the Lord) , is considered as the precious gift of this 
AzhwAr to us on the quinessence of Saama Vedam . BhagavAn says in Gitaa that 
among the Four VedAs , He is in Saama Vedam .  Such is the glory of Saama Vedam 
and by extrpolation, its Tamizh derivative , ThiruvAimozhi. 

      The Four PurushArthams (Goals of Life)

      The four goals of life identified by the VedAs are : Dharma , ArTa , 
Kaama and Moksha . The ultimate and the most precious PrurushArTam in life is 
Moksha ( release from the cycles of births and deaths and ascent to the Supreme 
abode of the Lord , Sri Vaikuntam , to engage in blemishless Kaimkaryam there 
to the dhivya dampathis ) . The bliss ( Aanandham arising from Bhagavath 
Kaamam) granting the boon of  enjoyment of BrahmAnandham by the Muktha Jeevan 
equal to that of the  Parama Padha Naathan  through the successful execution of 
Bhakthi or Prapatthi yOgam  is the message of Saama Vedam and the Paasurams of 
ThiruvAimozhi rooted in the Saama Vedam . The Supreme Brahman , Sriman 
NarayaNan of VisishtAdhvaitham , His KalyANa guNams are the objects of 
meditation , salutation and singing of both Saama Vedam and ThiruvAimozhi . We 
shall illustrate this Saamyam between the Sanskritic and Tamizh Vedam in the 
next essay .

      Moksha PrApthi thru dheerga SaraNAgathy is the precious PurushArtham 
covered by ThiruvAimozhi :

      Tatthvam for Sri VaishNavAs is : " asEsha chid-achith prakAram Brahma 
yEkamEva tatthvam".  Brahman is the one and only truth , the two others ( 
sentients and insentients) are His (Brahman's) aspects.

      In ThiruvAimozhi ( 2088) , AzhwAr echos this tatthvam : avayavai thOrum 
udal misai uyirenak-karanthengum paranthu" ( He is pervasively present in all . 
He is indeed the sath. All are His body . He is the indwelling soul ( 
antharyAmi Brahman). 

      Elsewhere in ThiruvAimozhi , AzhwAr instructs us : " uruvinan  , aruvinan 
(2084) AND uruvam ivvuruvuhaL ( 2090) ". Here , AzhwAr states that He is the 
soul of all sentient beings; He is also present in non-sentient beings. 

      Hitham for Sri VaishNavan is prapatthi (SaraNAgathy ) or Bhakthi yOgam to 
practise to reach Him . In ThiruvAimozhi Paasurams 2095 & 2100 , AzhwAr points 
this out : " iRai sErmin" ( Worship the Lord with bhakthi ); iRai uLLuha ( 
Meditate on the Lord ).

      The jeevan recognizes thru AchArya UpadEsam that it is the unconditional 
servant (sEshan ) and He is the Supreme Lord ( sEshi).The jeevan transforms 
from samsAri ( Bhaddha Jeevan) to asamsAri (muktha Jeevan) thru the anushtAnam 
of Bhakthi or Prapatthi Yogam .  Bhakthi yOgam is difficult to practise and 
therefore Prapatthi yOgam is the only means left for us in Kali yugam . 

      PurushArTam for Sri VaishNavan is the supreme Bliss ( brahmAnandham) of 
performing nithya kaimkaryam to Sri Vaikunta NaaTan after arriving in Sri 
Vaikuntam via the archirAdhi maargam . After Moksham , the liberated soul never 
returns to samsAric world . AzhwAr describes that Supreme abode of the Lord as 
: " meetchiyinRi Vaikuntha Maanahar ( TVM 2523); The Lord is seated in the hall 
of splendid effulgence . Numerous eternally liberated Jeevans and liberated 
jeevans serve Him there . AzhwAr says that he joins that blessed assembly and 
enjoys the endless bliss that he longed for : MaamaNi MaNtapatthu anthamil 
pErinpatthu adiyarOdu irunthamai ( TVM 3172) .AzhwAr describes that bliss as 
Saayujya Moksham , the best of all PurushArTams . It is the bliss , 
never-to-end.

      ThiruvAimozhi 1.2 is an outstanding summation of PurushArtham .In the 
very first Paasuram ( Veedumin muRRavum--) , Azhwaar  says: " Renounce all 
things except the Lord . Enough ! then surrender your soul to the Lord , who is 
its actual Master and owner .He resides in your soul ; indeed , He resides in 
the souls of all in the world.All souls are body to Him . He is the Lord of the 
upper world , Paramapadha .Relinquishing all( desires) and surrendering the 
soul to Him, you have secured Parama Padham also in an assured manner ".

      In the third paasuram , AzhwAr says: " Banish from your heart the feeling 
of independence from God. The soul and body are subservient to Him .Once you 
have acquired this spirit of complete surrender , it is a matchless and 
unexceeked state of attainment ".   

      In the sixth Paasuram ( TVM 1.2.6) , Azhwar talks about the infinite 
Dayaa of the Lord : " His Love for the surrendered soul is His most eloquent 
attribute --may be , more than His Lordly supermacy ". 

      In the 8th paasuram( TVM 1.2.8), AzhwAr talks about the true sense of 
subservience to be practised by the individual soul: " We have three faculties 
: Thinking with the heart ( uLLam) , speaking with the tongue ( urai) and 
acting with the body (seyal) -- use these three to serfve Him; cut off all 
other attachments --Let all the three faculites converge on Him .Think of Him 
and of His activities ; talk of Him , recite His names ,sing His praise; 
perform praNAms and PradakshiNams and other services . These are concrete 
manifestations of the concept of subservience (sEshathva) , that is being 
cherished in the heart ". 

      Saama Vedic Echos in ThiruvAimozhi 

      Let me quote some Saama Veda mantrams that have the links to Swamy 
NammAzhwAr's instructions to us in ThiruvAimozhi:

      PoorvArchika Saaman  11 : " Day and night , we approach You , Lord ,with 
reverential homage , through sublime thoughts and noble deeds".

      PoorvArchika  191 : " Oh resplendent Lord , Come to bless us ; we offer 
You our loving prayers ; please accept and enjoy them. May You be enshrined in 
our worshipful jeart ".

      PoorvArchika 203: " There is no one  , oh resplendent dispeller of 
darkness , Superior to You ; no one better than You; there is no one , verily , 
such as You are ".

      PoorvArchika 206: sunITO ghA sa martyO yam marutoO yam aryama. mitras 
pAntyadruhah 

      (Meaning ): " Fortunate in Life is that mortal , whom the faultless 
Supreme Lord of vital principles , Lord of Justices , and the Lord of Light , 
gives protection ".

      PoorvArchika Saaman 224: " How amazing ! Even a little praise of Him , He 
magnifies and accepts it with delight , ieed , while we exalt Him , we exalt 
ourselves ".

      PoorvArchika Saaman 229: " --- We solicit Your friendship since only Your 
friendship is unbroken and ever-lasting "( tavEdhagum sakhyamastruham) .

      PoorvArchika 242: " Oh Friend ! do not worship anyothers but Him , the 
divine One. Let no grief perturb You . Praise Him alone , the radiant , the 
showerer of benefit s. Durign the course of self-realization , go on repeatedly 
utterign hymns in His honour ".



      PoorvArchika 260: " Oh Lord of Resplendence ! Turn us not away but share 
in our Joy . You are our Protector , You are kith and kin ; turn us not away ". 
( Rig Vedam : VIII.97.7) 

      PoorvArchika 291: " Oh Opulent Lord , mighty as thunder , the wielder of 
adamantine justice , I shall not sell my devotion to You for all the wealth  in 
the world , not for a hundred , not for a thousand , nor for a million , for 
You are the Lord of countless wealth ( Rig Vedam: VIII.1.5).

      PoorvArchika 439: " For killing the serpent of Nescience , we adore the 
resplendent Lord with our verses , and thus the learned persons extol the 
Supreme Lord " (Rig Vedam V.31.4) .

      To be continued ,

      NamO veda PurushAya ,

      Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan     

           

          

                                                             









                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                  

      NamO Saama veda PurushAya ,

      Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan   

      P.S: Please support the Saama Veda AdhyApAkAs ( Samhitha , Jadai and 
Ghanam ) at Srirangam during the forthcoming SathAbhishEkam .Thank you . Please 
send your samarpaNams to Sri Matam NA C/O :

      Srihari Raghavan

      231 Dixon Landing Road, Apt 150

      Milpitas , CA 95035 






       


     

     


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