Arunachalanatham

Arunachala Natham

In this essay one will focus on the sthala which pertains to agni /tejas or fire.

This composition in Saranga is set to rupaka talam. Dikshithar has composed three other krithis in this raga, of which varadaraja upasmahe is also set in the same rupaka talam. It is interesting that of the five pancha buta krithis, only two are in prati madhyama ragas – but both of them are janyas of kalyani

While Saranga is a sampurna raga, it is a vakra bhashanga janya of the 65th melakartha, Mechakalyani. The phrase p m(2) r g m(1) r s showcases both the vakra nature and the sudha madhyamam , which is the anya swara.

Before we go to the krithi, let us go to this particular sthala .

Arunachala refers to the holy hill at Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. This hill is also known by a couple of other names like Arunagiri( associated with the 15^th century Tamil poet Arunagirinathar who composed 16000 songs in praise of Lord Muruga collectively called the Thiruppugazh), Annamalai Hill, Arunachalam, Arunai, Sonagiri and Sonachalam. The 9^th century poet Manikkavasagar is supposed to have composed the Tiruvempaavai here.

It is also an important place for devotees of Sri Ramana Maharishi, since his ashram is in the foothills.

Legend has it that Parvati once playfully closed Shiva’s eyes . Even though it was just a moment for them, all light was taken from the universe for decades. Parvati, along with other devotees, performed a penance and Shiva appeared as a column of fire on the top of Annamali Hills, returning light to the world. He then merged with Parvati to form Ardanarishvara( also the subject of a Dikshithar composition in Kumudakriya) – the half male and half female form. The red Annamalai temple lies behind the Annamalaiyar temple. The hill itself is considered sacred and an iconic representation of the Shiva lingam.

In another legend, Vishnu and Brahma competed as to who was superior( yes, that is the interesting thing about Hindu mythology. Our Gods can be unabashedly pedestrian and even juvenile at times.) Shiva is supposed to have appeared as a flame and challenged them to find his source. Vishnu became a swan and flew to the top, while Brahma became a boar( varaha) and burrowed below the earth. This scene is called lingothbhava. Neither could find the source. However, Vishnu accepted defeat gracefully while Brahma lied about locating the source. Because of this as a punishment Shiva ordained that there would be no temples on earth ever to worship Brahma.

This is considered to be an aathara sthalam or a personification of one of the chakras in the human anatomy. Incidentally all pancha buta sthalas, except the prithvi sthala are considered aathara sthalas. The Annamalaiyar temple is supposed to represent the manipuraka sthalam. I will not go into the chakras themselves their location and what they represent etc. Suffice to mention that the other chakras/temple combines are ajna( Chidambaram), Visudhi( Kalahasti), Anahata( Kashi Vishwanatha), Swadhishtanam( Tiruvannaikaval) and Mooladharam( Thyagaraja swamy at Tiruvarur). The sahasra chakra seems to have no corresponding temple – maybe because it is not located in the actual body. Just one last thing about the pancha buta – chakra connection, if we were to look at the way the energies are believed to rise it would start from the swadhishtana to the ajna and eventually sahasra. While the ajna sthala is Chidambaram and corresponds to the most sublime of the elements, there seems to be a disconnect in the order of the visudhi and manipuraka sthalas

Shiva’s spouse here is referred to Unnamulai Amman or Apitakuchamba. While the consorts of Shiva in all the other pancha buta sthalas have compositions in their honour( Kamakshi, Akhilandeswari, Gnana Prasunambike and Sivakami), there seems to be no composition about Apitakuchamba.

The sthala vriksha is the magizha. It is considered sacred and medicinal and childless couples tie small cradles to the branches in worship.

We will talk about just two rituals connected with this shrine . The first is the Giri Valam or the 14 km circumambulation of the hill and the second is the Karthigai Deepam when devotees take the embers from the fire at the temple upto the top of Arunachala where a fire is lit which can be seen for miles around.

It is also interesting that this krithi abounds in the ra syllable , which is an agni beeja.

Pallavi

ArunAchala nAtham SmArami

Anisham apItakuchAmba samEtam

It is interesting that Dikshithar could have easily said Arunachala natham bhajami or even namami. But he chose to say smarami so as to allude to the fact that merely thinking( smaranath) about Arunachala could give one moksha. What can one say? The guy was real deep.

Smarami – think of/contemplate

Anisham – constantly/continually

Sameta – joined/united

 I  constantly think of Arunachalanatha, who is with Apitakuchamba

Anupallavi

SmaranAth kaivalyaprada CharanAravindam

TarunAditya kOti shankAshachidAnandam

karunArasAdi kandam

SharanAgatha sura brindam

Smarana – remembrance/to think of

Kaivalya – leading to eternal happiness or emancipation

Prada – effecting/causing/bestowing

Charanaravindam – charana(feet) + ravinda( lotus flower) – lotus feet

Tarunaditya – taruna( young/youthful) + aditya( sun) – newly risen sun

Koti – crores

Shankasha – look/appearance

Chidanandam – Chit(consciousness) + ananda( blissful)

His lotus feet bestow eternal happiness just by thinking of them. He is consciousness and bliss personified and his effulgence appears/looks like  crores of rising suns.

Charanam

AprAkritha tejOmaya lingam

aprAkritha – extraordinary

tejas – brightness/brilliance/light/fiery energy; tejomaya – filled with those properties

He is in the form of the extraordinary brilliant lingam

AtyAdbhuta karadhrta sarangam

Adhbhuta – wonderful/miraculous; atyAdbhutha – very wonderful

Karadhrta – kara( hands) + dhrta( supported) – supported by hands

Sarangam – deer ; also the raga mudra in this krithi

He holds a very marvelous deer in his hands

ApramEya aparnAbja bhrngam

Aprameya – unfathomable/immeasurable/unlimited/abundant

Aparna – leafless – but also another name for Parvati( please refer to the story when she tried to get Shiva’s attention by eating only leaves . Parvati’s got her name of Aparna from that incident)

Abja – lotus

Bhringa – large black bee

He is like the black bee hovering over the abundant lotus like Aparna or Parvathi

ArUdhOttunga vrshaturangam

 Arudho – mounted on / elevated on

Turanga – horse – but used to mean a deity’s vahana or vehicle in most krithis

Vrsha – bull

He is mounted on a bull , which is his vahana or vehicle( turanga here is used in the context of vehicle)

ViprOttama vishEshAntarangam

viparOttama – vipra( Brahmin/sage/seer) + uttama( highest/most elevated/uppermost) – or the most superior Brahmins

vishesha – special

antaranga – interior

He is especially in the hearts of the best sages

Veer guruguha tara prasangam

Veer – Brave/Courageous

Tara – good/excellent

Prasanga – attached to

He is very attached to the excellent and brave Guruguha

SvapradIpamouli vidhrta gangam

SvaprakAsha jita sOmAgnipatangam

Sva – self ; pradeep – light; mouli – head – his glorious head

Vidrta – borne

He wears /bears the Ganga on his glorious head

Svaprakasha – sva( self) + prakasha( brilliance) – his natural brilliance

Jita – won

Somagnipatangam –soma(moon) + agni(fire) + patanga(sun)

His natural brilliance wins over the sun, moon and fire

 It is prasa laden, like all his krithis and is filled with references to fire and light right through the krithi.

The raga mudra is in the beginning of the charanam and the vaggeyakara mudra( guruguha) towards the end of the charanam.

Srikalahastisha

Sri Kalahastisha

In this essay one will focus on the sthala which pertains to vayu or air.

This composition in Huseni is set to jhampa talam. Dikshithar has composed only one other krithi in this raga – paradevate bhaktha pujite in adi talam

While Huseni is a sampurna raga, it is a vakra janya of the 22^th melakartha, Kharaharapriya . This is because of the vakra phrase pndns in the arohanam. It is also called Useni and allows for the sudha dhaivatam in the bashanga phrases like pdp and pndp

Before we go to the krithi, let us go to this particular sthala .

The Srikalahasti temple in the town of Srikalahasti is the only pancha buta sthala outside Tamil Nadu. It is located in Andhra Pradesh 36 km from Tirupati. It is said to be the site where Kannappa was ready to offer both his eyes to cover blood flowing from the Siva linga before the Lord Shiva stopped him and granted him mukthi.

This temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu of the navagrahas and is called the Kailash of the South or Dakshin Kailash (this is referred to in the song also)

There is a lamp inside the inner sanctum that is constantly flickering despite the lack of air movement inside. The air-linga can be observed to move even when the priests close off the entrance to the main deity room, which does not have any windows. One can see the flames on several ghee lamps flicker as if blown by moving air. The linga is white and is considered swayambhu or self-manifested.

The main linga is untouched by human hands, even by the priest. Abhisheka (bathing) is done by pouring a mixture of water, milk, camphor, and panchamrita, sandal paste, flowers and the sacred thread are offered to the utsava-murti, not the main linga.

Srikalahasti is named after three devotees of Shiva – Sri( spider), Kala( snake) and Hasti( elephant). This story has already ben referred to in the jambupathe krithi, so we will not cover it again.

There are several other legends connected to the glory of the temple. Prominent among them is of Parvati who was cursed by Lord Shiva to discard her heavenly body and assume the human form. To get rid off the above curse Parvati did a long penance here. Pleased with her deep devotion Lord Shiva again restored her body – a hundred times better than her previous heavenly body and initiated various mantras including the Panchakshari. Consequent to this, Parvati gained and came to be known as Shiva-Gnanam Gnana Prasunamba or Gnana Prasunambika Devi. There is also a composition to her called Jnana prasunambike by Dikshithar in Kalyani

At Sri Kalahasti, Lord Shiva tested the unshakable devotion of Thinnadu (later became Bhaktha Kannappa) before the sages gathered at SriKalahasti. With his divine power, Lord Shiva created a tremor and the roof tops of the temple began to fall. All the sages ran away from the scene except Kannappa who covered the linga with his body to prevent it from any damage.

In another incident, Kannappa plucked out one of his eyes and placed iit n the eye of the Linga which was oozing with blood and tears. When the tears and the blood were still trickling from another eye, Kannappa decided to remove his second eye and placed one of his feet on the right eye of the Shiva Linga. Before he could pull out his second eye with the arrow, Lord Shiva appeared and restored his eye while granting him a boon to occupy a place close to him.

This is also a paadal petra sthalam . like all the pancha buta sthalas. I have not been able to find mention of a sthala vriksha for this temple

Pallavi

SrikAlahastIsha shritajanAvana

SamIrAkAra mAm pAhi rAjamoulI ehi

Shrita + jana + aavana =worship + public/common people + protector/preserver

The protector of people who worship him

Samir + kara = wind/air + to cause/to make /to do

Samirakara – he who causes the wind

Ehi – come near

So the translation would be

Srikalahastisha, you who protect those that worship you, you who cause the wind, oh rajamouli (lord/king) come near and protect me

Anupallavi

PAkAri Vidhi Hari pranAmaya kOsAni

LAkAsha BhUmi salila agni prakAsha Shiva

Paka- Indra

Vidhi – Creator( Brahma)

Hari – Vishnu

Pranamaya – life force/vigorous breath

Kosha – sheath/pocket

A Kosha (also, Kosa)   - a sheath one of five coverings of the Atman or Self according to Vedantic philosophy. They are often visualised as the layers of an onion.

According to the Kosha system in Yogic philosophy, the nature of being human encompasses physical and psychological aspects that function as one holistic system. The Kosha system refers to these different aspects as layers of subjective experience. Layers range from the dense physical body to the more subtle levels of emotions, mind and spirit. Psychology refers to the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of our being. Together, all aspects make up our subjective experience of being alive.^[

The five sheaths (pancha-kosas) are alluded to in the fifteenth verse of Shankaras Atmabodha. From gross to fine they are:

1.    Annamaya kosha, appearance due foodstuffs-sheath (Anna)

2.    Pranamaya kosha, appearance due energies-sheath (Prana/apana)

3.    Manomaya kosha appearance due mind-stuff-sheath (Manas)

4.    Vijnanamaya kosha, appearance due wisdom-sheath (Vijnana)

5.    Anandamaya kosha, appearance due bliss-sheath (Ananda)

Pranamaya means composed of prana, the vital principle, the force that vitalizes and holds together the body and the mind. It pervades the whole organism, its one physical manifestation is the breath. As long as this vital principle exists in the organisms, life continues. Coupled with the five organs of action it forms the vital sheath. In the Vivekachudamani it is a modification of vayu or air, it enters into and comes out of the body.

You are the life force behind Indra, Brahma and Vishnu

Anila – God of Wind

Or Nila Akasha – blue sky

Bhumi Earth

Salila – water

Agni fire

Prakasha -  illuminate

Oh Shiva you illuminate the sky earth, water and earth

Charanam

JnAna PrasUnambikApate

Jnana Prasunambike- Consort of Shiva at Srikalahasthi

Pate – Lord of

He is the Lord of Jnana Prasunambike

BhakthAbhimAna dakshina kailAsAbhIshtha

DAna chaturkarAbja dIna karunAnidhe

Bhaktha –Faithful/Devotees; Abhimaana – pride or the pride of your devotees

Dakshina Kailasha- another name for this place

Abhishtha –wished/desired

Dana – gift/donation/dispenser

Chatur –Four; Kara- hands; abja-lotus – your four lotus hands

Deena-poor/depressed/sad/helpless

Karuna-compasion; nidhe-treasure house; karunanidhe- you treasure house of compassion

You are ensconced in Dakshina Kailasha to the pride of your devotees. You are a treasure house of compassion and dispense the desired boons to the helpless with your four lotus hands

SUnanashara sUdana ajnAna hara

Soonashara- God of Love or Cupid/Madana

Sudana – killer/destroyer

Ajnana- Ignorance

Hara- destroyer

You killer/destroyer of Cupid and Ignorance. The story of Shiva reducing Madana to ashes is described in another krithi. We will not cover it again

Pasupate – You are the Lord of all living beings

JnAna guruguha

You took gnanopadesha from guruguha( muruga)

Legend goes that Muruga enslaved Brahma for not knowing the meaning of Om. With Bhrahma enslaved, all creation came to a stand still. The devas went to Shiva for help. Shiva went to Muruga and tried to reason with him. Muruga said that he knew the meaning of this and would explain it to Shiva but he would have to accept him as a guru. Shiva agreed( parents had trouble dealing with their offspring even in those times. The quickest way of achieving normalcy was to accede to their demands). So in Swamimalai, Muruga is  the guru who gave gnanopadesh or the meaning of the primordial pranava mantra to his own father Shiva

SachidAnandamaya mUrthe

Sat –truth/absolute being; Chit- consciousness; anandamaya- blissful

Satchdanandamaya – The universal spirit which is truth consciousness and bliss

Murthe- form/embodiment/manifestation

You are the manifestation of the universal spirit

HIna jAti kirAtakEn pUjita kIrthe

Hina jaati – low caste

Kirataken- of the kirata tribe

Pujita worshipped

Kirthi- glory/fame/renown

You are renowned for being worshipped by a low caste person of the kirata tribe( reference to Kannappa

It is prasa filled but maybe not as much as a krithi like jambupathe

The raga mudra  is embedded inside the word kosani( in the anupallavi )and the vaggeyakara mudra( guruguha) towards the end of the charanam.