Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,
When the scholarly series on the "use of dharbam" and points on 'thilam' etc
were being offered by Smt. Jayasree saranathan, our respected sri sadagopan
swamy of USA wanted me to offer some points as an addition. Since, at that
stage, I was not equipped with points, I replied to swamin in a private and
personal note, I will equip myself first and then offer some points. Perhaps
the following can be treated as an addition to what Smt. Jaysree gave to all of
us.
In mahaa bharatham saanthi parvam, the 12 parvam, chapter 333 [or Section 333]
the following describes how the very first "piNdam" was offered to whom, by
whom, how etc are described. May be the full content what I have to say will
come in more than one post.
Sri bhagavaan says "I only created the pithrus and I only take the offer made
to the pithrus". See below.
[This is as per the Text of the mahaabhaarata based on the poona critical
edition produced by Prof. Muneo Tokunaga Kyoto, Japan available via the link to
mahaa bhaaratham available in website www.sanskrit.gde.to
<http://www.sanskrit.gde.to/> all Sanskrit documents list.
The English translation is from Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguly again available in
website www.sacred-texts.com <http://www.sacred-texts.com/> Since both the
authors mentioned here might have used different versions of originals, the
chapter numbers vary as given in this write up. Since we are more interested in
the contents, and not in the chapter numbers we will proceed further and not
worry much about the chapter numbers. Why I mention these is to show that any
body can cross check if they want].
Chapter 333 vaisampaayana [uvaacha is understood]
kasya chittvatha kaalasya naaradha: parameshtija: |
dhaivam kruthvaa yathaa nyaayam pithryam chakrE thatha: param || 1
Chapter or SECTION 346
Meaning to above slokam: Sage vaisampayana said, "On one occasion, while
residing in the retreat of Nara and NaaraayaNa, Naaradha the son of ParamEshti
[meaning brahmaa], having duly accomplished the rites and observances in honour
of the deities, set himself to perform thereafter the rites in honour of the
Pithrus.
Point: In mahaa bhaaratham many a sections start as vaisampaayana said. This
means vaisampaayana was telling this as a story to janamejaya, the grandson of
pandavaas.
thathastham vachanam praaha jyEshtO dharmaathmaja: prabhu: |
ka ijyathE dhvija srEsta dhaivE pithryE cha kalpithE || 2
meaning: Beholding him thus prepared, the eldest son of Dharma, viz., the
puissant Nara addressed him, saying, 'Whom art thou worshipping, O foremost of
regenerate persons, by these rites and observances in connection with the
deities and the Pithrus?
thvayaa mathimathaam sreshta thanmE samsa yathaa aagamam |
kim Ethath kriyathE karma phalam cha asya kim ishyathE || 3
meaning: O foremost of all persons, endued with intelligence, tell me this,
agreeably to the scriptures. What is this that thou art doing? What also are
the fruits desired by thee of those rites thou hast addressed thyself in
performing?'
Naaradha [uvaacha - naaradha said - is understood]
thvayaa Ethath kathitham poorvam dhaivam karthavyam ithi api |
dhaivatham cha parO yajnya: paramaathmaa sanaathana: || 4
meaning: Naaradha said, "Thou said unto me on a former occasion that rites and
observances in honour of the deities should be accomplished. Thou said that the
rites in honour of the deities constitute the highest sacrifice and are
equivalent to the worship of the eternal Supreme Soul.
thatha: thadhbhaavithO nithyam yajE vaikuntham avyayam |
thasmaath cha prasrutha: poorvam brahmaa lOka pithaamaha: || 5
meaning: Instructed by that teaching, I always sacrifice in honour of the
eternal and immutable VishNu, through these rites that I perform in worshipping
the deities. It is from that Supreme Deity that Brahma, the Grandsire of all
the worlds, took his rise in days of yore.
mama vai pitharam preetha: parameshthi api ajeejanath |
aham sankalpaja: thasya puthra: prathama kalpitha: || 6
meaning: That Brahma, otherwise called Parameshthi, filled with cheerfulness,
caused my sire (Dhaksha) to start into being. I was the son of Brahma, created
before all others, by a fiat of his will (although I had to take birth
afterwards as the son of Dhaksha through a curse of that Rishi).
Point: here how the birth of naaradha happened is also said by himself.
yajaami aham pithreesaadhO naaraayaNa vidhou kruthE |
Evam sa Eva bhagavaan pithaa maathaa pitaamaha: ||
ijyathE pithru yajnEshu mayaa nithyam jagathpathi: ||| 7
meaning: O righteous and illustrious one, I am performing these rites in honour
of the Pithrus for the sake of NaaraayaNa, and agreeable to those ordinances
that have been laid down by himself. The illustrious NaaraayaNa is the father,
mother, and grandfather (of all creatures). In all sacrifices performed in
honour of the Pithrus, it is that Lord of the universe who is adored and
worshipped.
srutischaapi aparaa dhEva puthraan hi pitharO~ayajan |
vEdhasruthi: pranashtaa cha punaradhyaapithaa suthai: ||
thathasthE manthradhaa: puthraa: pithruthvam upapEdhirE ||| 8
meaning: On one occasion, the deities, who were sires, taught their children
the Sruthis. Having lost their knowledge of the Sruthis, the sires had to
acquire it again from those sons unto whom they had communicated it.
noonam puraith dhvidhitham yuvayOr bhaavithaath manO: |
puthraascha pitharascha Eva parasparam apoojayan || 9
meaning: In consequence of this incident, the sons, who had thus to communicate
the Mantras unto their sires, acquired the status of sires (and the sire, for
having obtained the Mantras from their sons, acquired the status of sons).
Without doubt, what the deities did on that occasion is well known to you two.
Sons and sires (on that occasion) had thus to worship each other.
threen piNdaan nyasya vai prithvyaam poorvam dhaththvaa kushaan ithi |
katham thu piNda sanjnaam thE pitharO lEbhirE puraa || 10
meaning: Having first spread some blades of Kusa grass, the deities and the
Pithrus (who were their children) placed 3 Pindas thereon and in this way
worshipped each other. I wish to know, however, the reason why the Pithrus in
days of yore acquired the name of PiNdas.
Point: now it is clear from naaradha maharshi's words that all sacrifices -
viz. yagnaas, - even though in the name of pithrus also go to naaraayaNa only.
How this 3 piNdam came is a very good interesting story. I will give the
English translated portion now. [we will see the slOkams and this translated
portion repeated for each slOkam in next post].
"Nara and NaaraayaNa said, 'The Earth, in days of yore, with her belt of seas,
disappeared from the view. gOvindha assuming the form of a gigantic boar,
raised her up (with his mighty tusk), Having replaced the Earth in her former
position, that foremost of Purusha, his body smeared with water and mud, set
himself to do what was necessary for the world and its denizens. O Naaradha,
when the sun reached the meridian, and the hour, therefore, came for saying the
morning prayers, the puissant Lord, suddenly shaking off 3 balls of mud from
his tusk, placed them upon the Earth, having previously spread thereon certain
blades of grass. The puissant Vishnu dedicated those balls of mud unto his own
self, according to the rites laid down in the eternal ordinance. Regarding the
3 balls of mud that the puissant Lord had shaken off from his tusks as PiNdas,
he then, with sesame seeds of oily kernel that arose from the heat of his own
body, himself performed the rite of dedication, sitting with face turned
towards the East. That foremost of deities then, impelled by the desire of
establishing rules of conduct for the denizens of the 3 worlds, said these
words: [what he said etc will be continued in next post].
Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.
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