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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00252 Dec 2007

 
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Post 3

 

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

In the previous post we saw gold is the essence of 'fire and of soma'. Also we saw earth was churned and a mass of energy came out and that is gold. But how that essence came is again a different story and that is available as a continuation, in same anusaasana parvam of maha bharatham.

 

During the 'dhaksha yagnam', paarvathi, in spite of a negative advice from her husband siva, went to the yagnam and then went into 'self immolation'. After a good amount of thapas on rebirth as himavaan's daughter, she again obtained siva as her husband.

 

After this remarriage siva wanted a congress with the new wedded wife. At that time all the dhEvaas came to siva's abode and prevented siva from having a union with his wife – saying the two great energies out of thapas – of siva and paarvathi – [because both did a lot to join again] joining together will produce a third great energy, which the "lokam" will not be able to bear and hence please do not join in congress.

 

Though siva agreed and he drew up his energy within himself [became oordhva rEthas] uma cannot do so and she cursed the dhEvaas.

 

– quote – from same section 84 anusaasana parvam

 

"The offspring that will be born of you 2 will certainly be able to afflict the deities! Neither the goddess Earth, nor the Firmament, nor Heaven, O puissant one, nor all of them together, will be able to bear thy energy, we firmly believe. The entire universe is certain to be burnt through the force of thy energy. It behoveth thee, O puissant one, to show us favour, O illustrious deity. That favour consists in thy not begetting a son, O foremost of the deities, upon the goddess Uma. Do thou, with patience, restrain thy fiery and puissant energy!'

 

Unto the deities that said so, the holy Mahadeva having the bull for his sign, O regenerate Rishi, [MGV adds here - vasishta telling story to parasuraama] answered, saying, 'So be it!' Having said so, the deity that has the bull for his vehicle, drew up his vital seed. From that time he came to be called by the name, of Urdhva retas (one that has drawn up the vital seed).

 

The spouse of Rudra, however, at this endeavour of the deities to stop procreation, became highly incensed. In consequence of her being of the opposite sex (and, therefore, endued with little control upon her temper) she used harsh words, thus, 'Since ye have opposed my lord in the matter of procreating a child when he was desirous of procreating one upon me, as the consequence of this

p. 130

act, ye deities, ye all shall become sonless. Verily, since ye have opposed the birth of issue from me, therefore, ye shall have no offspring of your own.'

 

– unquote--

 

Poor dhEvaas were thus cursed not to have an offspring of their own. One exception to this list of dhEvaas was agni, the god of fire. Meanwhile the thaaraka asuran came up to torture dhEvaas and so all went to brahma for a solution.   He said since dhEVaas cannot produce a son having required force to destroy thaaraka, "go and search for agni who is not covered by the curse of uma".

 

Then the dhEvaas got agni and he also agreed. Meanwhile due to that desire for congress a part of seed of siva came out. The dhevaas requested agni to take it and pass it on to ganga.

 

See the on what brahma says about this –

 

Quote --

Brahman said, 'Ye foremost of deities, Agni was not there at the time p. 131 the curse was denounced by the goddess. Even he will beget a son for the destruction of the enemies of the gods. Transcending all the deities and Danavas and Rakshasas and human beings and Gandharvas and Nagas and feathery creatures, the offspring of Agni with his dart, [MGV adds vEl in tamil] which in his hands will be a weapon incapable of being baffled if once hurled at the foe, will destroy Taraka from whom your fear hath arisen. Verily, all other enemies of yours will also be slain by him.

 

Will is eternal. That Will is known by the name of Kama and is identical with Rudra's seed a portion of which fell into the blazing form of Agni. That energy, which is a mighty substance, and which resembles a 2 nd Agni, will be cast by Agni into Ganga for producing a child upon her in order to effect the destruction of the enemies of the gods. Unquote --

 

MGV adds -- Then agni consummated with ganga and she could not really bear that high energy seed.

 

quote --

Thus addressed, the illustrious and irresistible bearer of sacrificial libations [agni] answered, saying, 'Be it so', and he than proceeded towards Ganga otherwise called Bhagirathi. He united himself in (spiritual) congress with her and caused her to conceive. Verily, in the womb of Ganga the seed of Agni began to grow even as Agni himself grows (when supplied with fuel and aided by the wind). With the energy of that god, Ganga became exceedingly agitated at heart. Indeed, she suffered great distress and became unable to bear it.

Unquote --

 

MGV adds -- So ganga cast off the seed on mount meru in the form of gold and the foetus in the cadamba reed pond which became kaartikeya or subrahmanya or muruga in tamil or skandha.

 

So gold is a product of siva's seed thru agni into ganga and cast off on meru. Then can we call it as a 'udan pirappu' of muruga? A firm   "yes" will be the answer. Just to show it is not my imagination, I give some more quotes from mahaa bhaaratham --

 

– same chapter 84 – Quote

Unto her the deity of fire [agni] said, 'Do thou bear the seed. Do, indeed, bear the foetus endued with my energy. It will lead to great results. Thou art, verily, capable of bearing the entire earth. Thou wilt gain nothing by not holding this energy.'

 

That foremost of streams, though thus passed by the deity of fire as also by all the other deities, cast off the seed on the breast of Meru, that foremost of all mountains. Capable (somehow) of bearing that seed, yet oppressed by the energy of Rudra (for Agni is identical with Rudra), she failed to hold that seed longer in consequence of its burning energy.

 

After she had cast it off, through sheer distress, that blazing seed having the splendour of fire, O perpetuator of Bhrigu's race, Agni saw her, and asked that foremost of streams, 'Is it all right with the foetus thou hast cast off? Of what complexion has it been, O goddess? Of what form does it look? With what energy does it seem to be endued? Do thou tell me all about it.'

 

Ganga said, 'The foetus is endued with the complexion of gold. In energy it is even like thee, O sinless one! Of an excellent complexion, perfectly stainless, and blazing with splendour, it has illuminated the entire mountain. O foremost of all persons endued with penances, the fragrance emitted by it resembles the cool perfume that its scattered by lakes adorned with lotuses and Nyphoea stellata, mixed with that of the Nauclea Cadamba. [ MGV adds that is that saravaNa poigai in tamil ]

 

With the splendour of that foetus everything around it seemed to be transformed into gold even as all things on mountain and low land seem to be transformed into gold by the rays of the Sun. Indeed, the splendour of that foetus, spreading far, falls upon mountains and rivers and springs. Indeed, it seems that the 3 worlds, with all their mobile and immobile creatures, are being illuminated by it. Even of this kind is thy child, O illustrious bearer of sacrificial libations. Like unto Surya or thy blazing self, in beauty it is even like a 2 nd Soma.'

 

----- continue quote after omitting para in between –

 

Having said these words, the goddess disappeared there and then. Pavaka also, of great energy, having accomplished the business of the deities proceeded to the p. 135 place he liked, O delighter of the Bhrigus. It was in consequence of the result of this act that the Rishis and the deities bestowed the name of Hiranyaretas upon the deity of fire. [1] And because the Earth held that seed (after the goddess Ganga had cast it upon her), she also came to be called by the name of Vasumati [2].

 

----- continue quote after omitting para in between --

 

It was in this way that gold came into existence as the offspring of the deity of blazing flames. [3]

 

Hence it is that gold came to be looked upon as the foremost of all things and the ornament of the very gods. It was from this circumstance that gold came to be called by the name of Jatarupam. [4] It is the foremost of all costly things, and among ornaments also it is the foremost.

 

The cleanser among all cleansing things, it is the most auspicious of all auspicious objects. Gold is truly the illustrious Agni, the Lord of all things, and the foremost of all Prajapatis. The most sacred of all sacred things is gold, O foremost of re-generate ones. Verily, gold is said to have for its essence Agni and Soma.'

 

135:1 Hiranyaretas implies having gold for his vital seed.

 

135:2 Vasumati implies endued with wealth, so called because the seed of Agni, identified with gold, is wealth of the highest kind and fell on the Earth who from that time began to hold it.

 

135:3 Skanda is derived from Skanna or fallen out. Guha implies secret. The secrecy of his birth in the wilderness led to the bestowal of this name. He has many other names.

 

135:4 Jatarupa refers to the incident of its having assumed an excellent form after its birth from Agni.

 

Unquote ---

 

Now with the above - the birth of gold is complete. We will see why all these stories in next post.

 

Dhasan


Vasudevan MG __._,_.___

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
http://www.sadagopan.org




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