Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta
Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: The Numbers Game If you think of it, the entire world
appears to revolve around Numbers. There is no field of human activity which
numbers do not pervade nor are we able to think of anything without
automatically involving Numbers. The Great Cosmic Clock, ticking away the
seconds of our sojourn on this earth, is based on Numbers. And anything and
everything that we come across has a lot to do with figures, big and small.
Thus, right from birth to death, every moment of our time and experience is
dominated by these seemingly inoccuous integers, which, however, command great
value and worth. It would appear that even our Scripture revels in the The
Numbers Game, as would be evident to those who read on. The most interesting play with Numbers
is that indulged in by Sri Tirumangai Mannan, in his Tiruvezhukoottrirukkai.
This is an extraordinary type of Prabandam, involving the drawing of a Chariot-like
figure with a top half and a bottom one. Each half is in the form of a
seven-tiered Pyramid, with the top one an upright pyramid and the bottom one
inverted. At its broad end, the Pyramid consists of a base with 13 slots, which
gradually decrease, as we go up the tapering structure, with the top-most tier
consisting of three slots. This would be in the reverse order in the inverted
pyramid at the bottom. Each of these slots would be filled with numbers from
one to seven: for instance, the topmost tier of three slots would be filled
with numbers 1, 2 and 3—the next one with 1, 2, 3, 2, and 1, the third tier
from the top with 1,2,3,4,3,2,1, the fourth tier with 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,and 1 and
so on, with the base of the pyramid ending with the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,6,5,4,3,2
and 1. The
idea is that the Prabandam should begin with words incorporating the numbers
one, two and one again and go on to the last line of the upright pyramid, with
words containing the numbers from 1 to 7 and back to 1. The entire structure
would be in the reverse order in the upturned pyramid, with the first tier
consisting of words with numbers 1 to 7 and back to 1, gradually decreasing
till the last and smallest tier with numbers 1,2 and 1 is reached. The
resulting structure is somewhat akin to the “Pascal’s Triangle” that
mathematicians are fond of speaking of airily. I know this must be pretty confusing to read about—the structure is therefore depicted as a picture below. Readers would observe that the two pyramids together form a Chariot, from which this type of poetry derives its name, viz, Ratha Bandham. We can imagine how difficult it would be to compose a verse of this sort, with the numbers arranged in meticulous ascending and descending order. We can find this beautiful Prabandam inscribed on the wall of Sri SArngapani Sannidhi at Tirukkudandai, exactly in the undermentioned fashion and in the form of a majestic Ratham, with the individual slots filled with words containing the numbers.
1 2 1 1 2
3 2 1 1
2 3 4 3 2
1 1 2
3 4 5 4 3
2 1 1 2
3 4 5 6 5
4 3 2 1 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 6
5 4 3 2 1 1 2
3 4 5 6 7
6 5 4 3 2
1
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 6 5
4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6
7 6 5 4 3
2 1 1 2
3 4 5 6 5
4 3 2 1 1 2
3 4 5 4 3
2 1 1 2
3 4 3 2 1 1 2
3 2 1
This aforesaid may appear to be an inelegant depiction of a Chariot, given my notoriously poor drawing skills, but this is just to give readers an idea of the nature of the Prabandam and the difficulty in its composition. Here is how Sri Kalian has achieved this feat of accomodating ascending and descending numbers, all the while preserving the beauty of the poetry and without sacrificing the thread of deep devotion running through all of his pasurams. “oru pErundi—iru
malar tavisil—oru murai ayanai eendranai 1 2 1 oru murai—iru sudar meedinil
iyangA—mum madhiL ilankai---irukAl vaLaya—oru silai 1 2
3 2 1 ondriya--eereyettru azhal
vAi--moovadi--nAnilam vENdi--muppuri noolodu--iru pirappu 1 2 3 4 3 2 oru MAN Agi 1 oru murai-eer adi-moovulagu aLandanai-nAl
disai nadunga-anchirai paravai Eri-nAlvAi- 1 2
3 4 5 4 mum madattu-iru
sevi-oru tani vEzhatthu arandayai” and so on. 3 2
1 Readers would
observe how cleverly the Divine Poet has chosen the words representing numbers,
either in purport or in sound, and woven all these into an enthralling garland
of words, that is at once lilting in metre, profound in purport, brimming over
with Bhakti and matchlessly magnificent in composition. This
Tiruvezhukoottrirukkai belongs to a poetical form known as “Chitra Kavi”,
refreshingly different from run-of-the-mill verses and appealing to the
intellect as well as the heart. Not surprisingly, this Prabandam is recited
during the RathOtsavam at several divyadesams. And the beauty of this pAsuram
is to be heard to be believed, especially when intoned in unison in the atonce
melodious and stentorian voices of the
venerable GhOshtti. Another Azhwar
with a fascination for numbers is Sri Tirumazhisai Piran, who too has pasurams
to his credit, which appear mathematical in character. In the following sample
from Tirucchanda Viruttam, the numbers 5 to 1 have been arranged in descending
order, yeilding an extremely profound purport— “poo nilAya
ayndumAi punal kaN nindra nAngumAi tee nilAya moondrumAi chiranda kAl irandumAi meenilAyadu ondrumAgi vEru vEru tanmayAi neenilAya vaNNa! Ninnai yAr ninaikka
vallarE!” All the five
elements, says Azhwar, are under the Lord’s overlordship. These elements in
turn have their own characteristics—the Earth has five attributes (sound,
touch, form, essence and smell), while Water has the first four of the
aforesaid qualities, Fire three, the
Wind two and Atmosphere one, namely Sound. In other words, Azhwar tells us that
it is the Lord, who is the Inner-Dweller of all elements, who forms the material
cause for this universe. The second pasuram
of this Prabandam too has an arithmetical leaning— “Arum Arum ArumAi
Or iyndum iyndum iyndumAi Eru seer iraNdu moondrum Ezhum arum ettumAi Veru vEru gnAnam Agi meyyinOdu poyyumAi OorOdu Osai Aya iyndum Aya Aya MayanE!” Azhwar speaks
about of a trio of six items. First is the six Karmas ordained on
Brahmins—Yajanam (performing sacrifices), YAjanam (conducting YAgAs for
others), adhyayanam (imbibing the VEdAs), adhyApanam (imparting VEdic wisdom to
eligible others),dAnam (giving to others) and Pratigraham (accepting offerings
from others). The second six
consists of the Seasons—Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Winter etc. (Vasanta,
Greeshma, VarshA, Sarat, Hemanta and Sisira Ritus). The third six refers to six YAgAs, performed
on PourNami and amAvAsya days—AgnEyam, agnIshOmIyam, upAmsu, iyndram,
iyndrAgnam (numbering two). The trio of Fives
indicated in the latter half of the first line of the pasuram refers to the
Five YagyAs (Deva, Pitru, Rishi, Manushya and Bhoota YagyAs), the Five AhutIs
(respectively to the PrANa, apAna, VyAna, udAna and SamAna), the Five agnIs
(Garhapatya agni, AhavanIya agni, DAkshinAgni, Sabhya agni and the Avasatya
agni). GnAnam or Wisdom
and VairAgyam or lack of attachment, are the duo (“Eru seer iraNdu”), while “Moondru”
consists of Prapatti, ParagnAnam and Parama Bhakti. “Ezhu” indicates
VivEkam, VimOkam, abhyAsam, KriyA, kalyANam, anavasAdam and anuddharsham, while
“Arum” refers to the six glorious guNas of the Lord, viz., GnAnam, Balam,
Ishvaryam, Veeryam, Shakti and Tejas, the “ettum” consisting of the eight inimitable attributes of Emperuman,
referred to in the CchAndOgya—“apahata pApmatvam, Vijaratvam, Vimrityutvam,
VishOkatvam,Vijigatsatvam, apipAsatvam, SatyakAmatvam and Satyasankalpatvam. The third and
fourth pasurams of Tirucchandaviruttam too are a mass of numbers— “iyndum iyndum
iyndumAgi allavattrul uLayumAi iyndu moondrum ondrumAgi nindra Adi dEvanE! Iyndum iyndum iyndumAgi andaratthu aNaindu
nindru Iyndum iyndum Aya ninnai yAvar kANa vallarE!” “Moondru
muppadArinOdu Or iyndum iyndum iyndumAi Moondru moortthiyAgi moondru moondru
moondrumAi TOndru sOdi moondrumAi at tuLakkamil
viLakkamAi Endru en AviyuL pugundadu en kolO em IsanE?” The Vedas, which
are indeed the seed from which all the divya prabandas sprout, have their own
tale of numbers to tell. As if teaching us to count, the second prasna of the
Seventh Kanda enumerates the integers in various combinations—beginning with
“Ekasmai svAhA”, we have a counting in ones, from one to 19. Thereafter,
countings are taken in tens, mentioning 29, 39, 59, 69, 79, 89 and 99, ending
with a hundred and twice that number. The next panchAti narrates numbers in
countings of odd numbers—1, 3,5,7.9,11, 13, 15,17 and19, switching again to 29,
39, 49 and so on upto a hundred. The
next PanchAti takes a count of even numbers—2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and
20, going straight thereafter to 98 and 100. The 45th PanchAti
incorporates countings of four—4, 8, 12, 16, 20 then straightaway to 96 and
100. Countings of five figure in the next—5, 10, 15, 95 and 100 and in tens, in
the next one—10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100. Twenties are counted
in the next panchAti—20, 40, 60, 80 and 100, while the next counts in hundreds
upto a thousand. What do all these
numbers represent ultiamtely? They refer, as all other words do, to the
Paramapurusha. Be it any number, it is representative of the Lord, right from
one to the largest integer the intellect can count upto. For instance, the
Sahasranama stotra describes Him as “Eka:”—the incomparable One, who has
neither a superior nor an equal. It is significant that Azhwars too describe
Him as “oruvan”, “Eka moortthi” etc. When the Purusha
Sukta says, “Sahasra sIrshA Purusha:”, it refers to the Lord having not only a
thousand heads, but an infinite number—“anantam”. It is He who is referred to
by all the numbers in arithmetic. All numbers might
denote the Lord, but the very first integer 1 appears to have a much closer
association with Him than others. Just as every number is but a multiple of 1,
all beings in the world, sentient or life-less, are but aspects of the glorious
Lord, having Him for their vital in-dwelling spirit, without which they
wouldn’t exist at all. And if we put ourselves, as insiginificant JeevAtmAs, in
the position of Zero, we find that we acquire siginificance only by association
with Emperuman, just as the Zero attains greater respectability when preceded
by 1. Not merely
numbers, but advanced arithmetical concepts like the Set Theory also figure in
the Scripture. For instance, Sri Nammazhwar speaks of a Huge Set, the Universal
Set, which is a Set of all Sets, and also of itself— “Valatthanan
Tiripuram eritthavan idam pera, tundi talatthu ezhu Disaimukhan padaittha
nallulagamum tAnum pulappada,
pinnum tan ulagatthuL agatthanan tAnE solappugil ivai yAvum pinnum vayittruLa, ivan
avan tuyakkE” Azhwar describes
the glorious Lord’s inimitable deeds in this beautiful pasuram. Emperuman
accomodates Rudra on the right side of His tirumEni and BrahmA on the Cosmic
Lotus blooming from His navel. This BrahmA creates the various worlds, in which
the Lord takes birth as Rama,Krishna, etc. Thus, He is to be
seen in the world created by BrahmA, who is himself the Lord’s creation. We
have seen that normally, in this world, the architect of a building is distinct
and different from the structure he creates. However, the Universal Creator,
from whose navel the entire Creation sprouts forth, is seen as one of His own
creations (during His avatArAs), in the worlds spawned by Him. As if this is
not enough, all these beings and objects comprising the Universe, are also
accomodated in His spacious stomach, during the Cosmic Deluge. To those who
wonder how such a phenomenon, is possible, Azhwar tells us that this is due to
His “MAyA”—“ivai avan tuyakkE”. This is how the Lord is a magnificent Universal
Set, a Set of all Sets and of its own glorious self too. The mathematical
concept of Infinity too appears to have had its origins in the Shruti, going by
the numerous references to the same in the copious Vedic lore. The Narayana
anuvAkam, for instance, talks about the Parabrahmam being infinite—“anantam,
avyayam, kavim, samudrEntam Visva Sambhuvam”. Infinitely huge, boundless and
endless worlds are also talked about in the Shruti, which the liberated soul
attains-“anantam, apAram, akshayyam lOkam jayati”. Though beyond our
contemtpation, the concept of a Paramapurusha whose dimensions, auspicious
attributes, reach, vision and influence are beyond measurement, is what represents
Infinity. This is what Sri Nammazhwar means, when he talks about “soozhndu agandru
Azhndu uyarnda mudivil perum pAzhEyO soozhndu adanil periya en para nan malar
sOdIyO soozhndu adanil
periya en sudar gnAna inbamEyO soozhndu adanil
periya en avA ara soozhndAyE”. The Lord
represents a funny number too, one to which no amount of subtraction, division,
addition or multiplication appears to make any difference. He is the Infinite
Integer, which remains unchanged despite any amount of addition, subtraction,
multiplication or division. We are told by a Vedic ShAnti PAta that the
Parabrahmam remains the same complete self, with absolutely no reduction in any
of its attributes—“PoorNasya poorNam
AdAya PoorNam Eva avasishyatE”. There are people
who have a dread of Mathematics—a” numerophobia”, to coin a word. For them,
arithmetic and numbers in any form are anathema. However, it is only in Maths
that it is possible to score centums easily,more than in any other subject. The significance of all numbers can be
understood properly if we ascribe to them their true places, as but depictions
of the Lord and His glory. Centums in spiritual life, i.e., Liberation and
Emancipation and attendant Bliss, are what await the mathematician who
specialises in the upAsana of these divine numbers. Srimate Sri
LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra
Mahadesikaya nama: dasan, sadagopan
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