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Written by Sri Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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The events described in one Sthala Purana are linked to those mentioned
in another. Thus the strand of the same story is taken through a number
of Puranas. We have to read them together to learn the entire story.
That
one Sthala Purana begins where another ends is one proof of their
authenticity. Another proof that could be adduced is that it is these
Sthala Puranas that fill the gaps in the 18 main Puranas and Upa-puranas.
Once Siva and Amba (Parvati) played dice in Kailasa. "I have won the
game,” said Amba. "No, I am the winner,” said Siva. The two played thus
to impart lessons in dharma to mankind. If now their game of dice ended
in a quarrel it was because the divine couple wanted the world to learn
that playing for stakes was an evil, that it leads to disputes and
misconduct.
To resume the story. In his anger Siva cursed Amba thus: "You shall be
born a cow and shall keep roaming the earth.” Siva is Pasupati, lord of
animals. Yes, he is the Lord that controls the animal senses (the
indriyas)
that are in a frenzy. It is to demonstrate that he does not bless people
with a big ego that he cursed even Parasakti (the Supreme Power).
Though she is Mahasakti herself she realised her error and, the great
pativrata that she is, she became submissive to her husband. She roamed
the earth as an ordinary cow.
In her One Thousand Names ("Sahasranama") Amba is extolled as
"Gomata, Guhajanmabhu.” She came to the earth as Gomata (Mother
Cow).
Visnu is Amba's brother, is he not? He is very much attached to her and,
as soon he knew that his brother-in-law (Siva) had "driven her out", he
thought to himself:"Let him not protect her, lord of animals though he
be. I will have my sister under my protection. “So taking the guise of a
cowherd he accompanied the divine cow. He was not the victim of any
curse that he should roam the earth thus. It was to demonstrate to the
world the dharma of filial affection that he came down to the world of
mortals with her. (He developed a liking for the job of the cowherd now.
That is how he took delight in grazing cows in his incarnation as Krsna.
He
then came to be called Gopala which name also means "Pasupati". If you
reflect on these two names of Siva and Visnu you will cease to make any
distinction between the two gods. )
Tiru-Azhundur is the place to which sister and brother came as cow and
cowherd. It is the same as "Terazhundur". It also happens to be the
birthplace of Kambar and in fact there is a locality here called
"Kambarmedu". Tirumangai Azhvar performed the "mangala sasanam" in
a temple here. Visnu is in the sanctum sanctorum as Gopala with the cow.
Since he came as a companion of the cow he is called "Gosakha".
"Gosakhaksetra" is another name for Terazhundur. "Gosakha" in Tamil is
"Amaruviyappan", the initial "a" in the name meaning cow. There is a
temple to Siva also here. According to our ancient system of
townplanning
there must be a temple to Siva at one end of a village or town
and one to Visnu at the other. If the Visnu temple at Terazhundur is
associated with the songs of the Azhvars the Siva temple is associated
with the Tevaram hymns of Jnanasambandhar. The places sung by the
Azvars are said to have had "mangalasasanam", while any place
associated with the Tevaram is called "patal perra sthalam" [place that
has been sung]. Many places in the South have had both types of
distinction. Terazhundur is one of them. Near it is a village called
Pillur
where Visnu, as the cowherd grazed the cow that was Amba. ("Pillur"
means a place where grass grows, pil meaning grass. In the Tanjavur
region pul is known as pil. ) Mekkirimangalam also is one of the places
where Visnu grazed the cow and An-angur another (an=cow).
For brother and sister to worship Siva, Visnu installed Vedapurisvara
(Siva) in Gosakhaksetra. (Both the Vedapurisvara and Amaruviyappan
temples are today under the same manegement.)
The cow as well as the Brahmin is essential to the practice of Vedic
dharma. Milk and ghee are indispensable to sacrifices, while without the
Brahmin the sacrifices cannot be performed. This fact is underlined in
the
prayer, "Gobrahmanebhyo subhamastu nityam" [May cow and Brahmin
ever prosper].
The one (that is Siva) who had cast a curse on Amba came as
Vedapurisvara to the same place where Amba had also come. Until
recently there were many Brahmins in this place learned in the Vedas and
sastras. Sambandhar often refers to them as "Azhundai Maraiyor"(Vedic
scholars of Azhundur). The Azhvars call Visnu by these names:
"Chandoga", "Pauzhiya", "Taittiriya", "Samavediyane".
One day, when the cow (that is Amba) was grazing, her hoof dug into the
earth and a stone was revealed. It proved to be a Siva linga. The cow,
thinking that she had commited an offence against Siva, ran about in
bewilderment. Visnu pacified her and brought her back. The place where
this incident occured is "Tirukkulambiyam". Visnu was pained by all
these
developments and regretted that his sister had shown herself to be
egoistic, albeit playfully, and that this fact had led to such
unfortunate
consequences.
It was Visnu who had married Minaksi to Sundaresvara. Wishing to unite
them again he now performed puja to propitiate Siva. The latter was
pleased and he said to Visnu: "Keep grazing the cow until you come to
the
river Kaveri. Bathe her in the river and she will be restored to her
original
form. I shall tell you later when I will marry her. "
Visnu, as bidden by Siva, bathed the cow in the Kaveri. The place where
the cow was seen after she had bathed in the river is "Tiruvaduturai".
(It
is also important for the reason that it was here that Tirumular
composed
his Tirumantiram.)
Amba was restored to her original form and Siva himself appeared on the
scene. But he wanted to play a game again. There is a place called
Kurralam. (It is not the same as the Kurralam in Tirunelveli district
that is
famous for its waterfall. This Kurralam is near Mayuram in Tanjavur
district. It was once called Tirutturutti. This is one of the 44 places
which
Appar, Sambandhar and Sundaramurti have sung. ) A sage was
performing austerities here for Amba herself to be born as his daughter.
Siva thought that this was the opportune moment to grant his wish. He
said to Amba: "Go and be born the daughter of the sage at Tirutturutti.
I
will come and marry you at the appropriate time. "
Siva made his appearance as promised. There is proof for the fact that
the one who gave his word at Gosakhaksetra appeared here also in that
in this place too the deity is called Vedesvara. The sage and Visnu-the
latter had been waiting for the day his sister would be married again to
Siva- received Siva and took him to the place of marriage. The spot
where
Siva was received came to be called "Etirkolpadi". The "vrata" before
the
marriage was performed by Siva in a nearby place which later came to be
called "Velvikkudi". The spot where he saw Amba as the bride and
performed the palika ceremony is called "Kurumulaippali". The marriage
pandal was spread over two or three villages. The one in the middle came
to be called "Tirumananjeri ". It was here that Visnu married Parvati to
Paramesvara and it was an occasion of great joy for him.
From this account you will realise how wrong it is to dismiss Sthala
Puranas as of no significance. The present story contains a warning
against the evil consequences of ahamkara and gambling and tells us how
a wife should be dutiful towards her husband and how a brother should
be affectionate towards, and concerned about, his sister. Actually I did
not tell the story with this idea in mind. I wished to demonstrate how a
number of Sthala Puranas fit into one another, how the incidents
narrated in different Sthala Puranas are woven together- those of
Terazhundur, Pillur, Anangur, Tirukkulambiyam, Tiruvaduturai, Kurralam,
Etirkolpadi, Velvikkudi, Kurmulaippali and Tirumananjeri. The
interconnected narrative also shows that the story must be authentic.
A story with which people of Tanjavur should be more familiar links
Kumbakonam with places in its neighbourhood.
During the great deluge Brahma prepared himself for the next creation.
He put all the seeds in amrta(the elixer of immortality) and kept them
together in a mudpot to the chanting of Vedic mantras. With due
ceremony, he placed a coconut with mango leaves on it and invested the
same with the sacred thread. Now he placed the pot on the summit of
Meru. When it came floating in the waters of the deluge, Paramesvara
wished to recommence creation. Then the coconut on the pot was
dislodged in the storm and fell into the water. At once the water
receded
revealing the land there. This spot is four miles north-west of
Kumbhakonam. The deity here is even today called "Narikelesvara",
("narikela" means coconut). Then the mango leaves fell off. The water
receded there too revealing land. This is Tiruppurambayam, four miles
north-west of Kumbhakonam. "Payam" [or bayam] is "payas", that is
water, but in this context deluge. "Puram" means outside or beyond
something: the name of the place [Tiruppurambayam] thus
means"outside the waters of the deluge". Now the sacred thread (sutra)
also got loosened from the pot and fell off. The deity in the place
where
the sutra fell is "Sutranatha", "sutra" meaning the "sacred thread".
The kumbha(pot) had a "nose" in addition to a "mouth"- it was like a
gindi
or kamandalu. My pot too has a nose in addition to its mouth. Water is
filled in the pot through the mouth and poured out through the nose. The
pot with the amrta was also similiar. Paramesvara watched the scene.
Since the pot with the elixer and the seeds in it were not overturned on
their own, he decided to break it with his arrow so as to bring out its
contents. The place where he discharged the arrow is called "Banapuri"-
now it is known as "Vanatturai". The deity here is "Banapurisvara" and
the spot where the mouth of the pot fell in pieces is
"Kudavayil"("Kudavasal"). Paramesvara wanted the amrta to be
discharged in the sastric manner, from the nose of the pot. The place
where the nose broke and the elixir or ambrosia fell is holier than
other
places. It is called "Kumbhakonam", "kon"("konam") meaning nose. In the
Tevaram the place is referred to as "Kudamukku". Here the mudpot itself
came to be the linga and even today it is so. The linga is ceremonially
bathed along with a protective wear outside. "Kumbhesvara" is the name
of the deity. The Mahamagham pond is the spot where the amrta first
fell.
Since the place is hallowed by the fact that it was here that the amrta
fell,
the Vaisnava deity here, Sarngapani, is called "Ara-amudan" by the
Azhvars. To Vaisnavas Kumbhakonam itself is "Kudandai".
Thus there are many sacred places that are interconnected, which fact
also confirms that the Sthala Puranas are authentic. Tiruvazhundur,
Kumbhakonam, etc, are situated within a radius of four miles. There will
be further confirmation of the authenticity of these Puranas if we note
how the places mentioned in them and which are far apart are connected
together. Ramesvaram, Vedaranyam and Pattisvaram are not near one
another. Ramesvaram, in Ramanathapuram district, is on the seacoast.
Vedaranyam is in a corner of Tanjavur district and is also on the
seashore
in the taluqa of Tirutturaipundi. In the same district, but by no means
close by, is Pattisvaram which is near Kumbhakonam. These places which
are far apart are connected by the same thread of a story. Would you
call
such a story baseless?
In all these three places there are great Siva temples and the name of
the
deity in each is "Ramalinga", suggesting that they are connected with
Rama. That he installed lingas in these places strengthens the concept
of
Saiva-Vaisnava unity. These places have some other special features too.
Of the four great religious centres, known as "car-dham", Ramesvaram
alone is in the South. In the North is Badrinath(a), in the west
Somanath(a), in the east (Puri)Jagannath(a) and, of course, Ramesvaram
in the south.
Vedaranyam is associated with the salt sathyagraha during the freedom
movement. The place is mentioned in the Tevaram as
"Tirumaraikka"(Tamil for Vedaranyam). Here the temple door was closed
after the Vedas had worshipped the deity Siva. Appar sang his patigam
here and the door flung open. Tirujnanasambandhar made the door shut
again when he sang before the deity.
Pattisvaram is the place where Siva was worshipped by Patti, one of the
four daughters of Kamadhenu. Like Tiruvaduturai mentioned before there
are many places where the cow has performed worship. Tiru-Amattur is
near Panrutti. It is connected with Appar. Here too the cow has
performed puja. Pattisvaram is a similiar place. When Jnanasambandhar
was a child he sang the praises of Siva and went dancing before the
deity
in the hot sun. The Lord was moved by the sight and ordered his
attendants to build a pandal to protect his devotee from the sun.
Jnanasambandhar was an incarnation of Subrahmanya. Govinda Dikshita
was a minister to the Nayaka kings of Tanjavur. He was very much drawn
to Pattisvaram and made additions to the temple there. Images of
Dikshita and his wife may be seen before the sanctum of Amba.
Where did Agastya witness the marriage of Siva and Parvati? Three places
are mentioned, that is three places are associated with the same event.
As mentioned before, the Ramalinga was installed in three places, but in
each place a different reason.
Rama commited a threefold sin by slaying Ravana. Ravana, the son of the
sage Visravas, was a Brahmin. By killing him Rama incurred the sin of
"Brahmahatya". To wipe away the same he installed the linga at
Ramesvaram.
Some people today describe the war between Rama and Ravana as a
quarrel between Aryans and Dravidians. Such a view is totally baseless
and there is no better proof of this than the fact that Ravana was a
Brahmin. If the Ramayana is a lie so must be the battle between Rama
and Ravana. It cannot be claimed that there is a historical basis for
this
battle alone. If the Ramayana is accepted as true the account of Ravana
contained in it must also be taken to be so. It is said again and again
in
the epic that Ravana was the son of a sage, that he was conversant with
the Vedas, that he pleased Siva by chanting the Samaveda and that it was
for this reason that he was saved from being crushed under Kailasa. It
does not stand to reason to accept only that part of the Ramayana which
suits you and reject the rest.
Leave aside the Ramayana and what it says about Ravana: the temple of
Ramesvaram is there for all of us to see. It has the biggest corridor in
the
world ("prakara", ambulatory). All India worships Ramanathasvamin in
the form of the linga Rama installed for the removal of the sin he had
incurred by killing the Brahmin Ravana. For centuries our forefathers in
Tamil Nadu never thought of Ravana as belonging to a caste other than
that of Brahmins.
Apart from being a Brahmin, Ravana was also a great warrior. All the
worlds trembled before him. He fought successfully all the powerful
rulers of the time except two- Kartaviryarjuna and Vali. By killing such
a
warrior Rama committed the sin of"virahatya". It was in expiaation of it
that he installed the linga (Ramalinga) at Vedaranyam.
In addition to the qualifications already mentioned, Ravana had another;
he was an ardent devotee of Siva and proficient in playing the vina,
besides being a singer. Excellence such as this comes under the term
"chaya": it means both light and shadow. The goddess Minaksi is
addressed as "Marakatachaya" (emeraldine in radiance). By killing Ravana
who possessed chaya, Rama also earned the sin of "chayahatya". To
expiate it he installed the linga at Pattisvaram.
From the sastric point of view, by slaying Ravana Rama brought on
himself the threefold sin of Brahmahatya, virahatya and chayahatya.
Actually Rama is patitapavana
and he cannot be tainted by any sin. By
uttering His name a man is freed from the most terrible of sins. So Rama
has no need to perform any prayascitta (he does not have to do any
expiatory rite)- he is "Taraka Rama ". But he had descended to this
world
to serve as an ideal for all mankind and so he acted strictly according
to
the canons even with reference to matters that might be considered
trivial. In the observance of dharma according to the sastras no one
excelled Him. Throughout the Ramayana we see this remarkable trait in
His character. He regarded himself as an ordinary individual, observed
all
the rules of the sastras; in this way he also performed the prayascitta
according to them. This is not mentioned in the Ramayana of Valmiki; but
the Sthala Puranas of Ramesvaram, Vedaranyam and Pattisvaram fill the
gap.
"The Ramayana does not contain these incidents. They must some old
wives'tales. “To think so is not correct. The incidents described in the
Sthala Puranas are in keeping with Rama's character. He must have
performed the three types of penitence. What is left out in the Ramayana
of Valmiki is mentioned in the Sthala Puranas.
Ravana had caused suffering to all mankind and it was with an evil
intent
that he had stolen Sita, the mother of the world. Rama killed such a
wicked character amd made all the world happy. At a time when there
was a universal rejoicing over his victory, Rama thought himself to be a
sinner because he had killed an enemy eminent in three different ways.
The loftiness of His character is further enhanced by these acts. That
he
installed the linga in three different centres goes to demonstrate the
unity of Hari and Hara (Visnu and Siva).
These Sthala Puranas do not contradict one another nor is there any
overlapping in them. Those pertaining to Ramesvaram, Vedaranyam and
Pattisvaram deal respectively with how Rama, by installing the linga in
each place, was freed from the sins of Brahmahatya, virahatya and
chayahatya. Rama must have proceeded north from Ramesvaram along
the coast. From Vedaranyam he must have gone to Pattisvaram in the
interior. It is the strand of the same story that takes us through three
Sthala Puranas. The three places are 150 or 100 miles apart from one
another. When there were no fast modes of transport these distances
correspond to 1, 500 or 1, 000 miles today. The fact that the stories
belonging to the three places fit into one another shows that the Sthala
Puranas relating to them must be true.
I would like to express a view that might seem strange to modern
researchers and traditional scholars alike. It is generally believed
that the
Sthala Puranas cannot be considered authoritative to the same extent as
the Ramayana. But I think that such of them as are authentic are more
authoritative than the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Visnu Purana
and Bhagavata Purana, and so on. I have come to this conclusion from
examples like the one I have cited above.
Now I am going to speak about Sthala Puranas that connect places in
different parts of the country.
There are two versions of the Kaveri Purana. One gives importance to the
Amma mandapa on the Kaveri in Srirangam. It states that bathing in the
Kaveri in the month of Tula (October-November) is specially meritorious.
The chief character in this Purana is the Cola king Dharmavarman. He
reigned from Niculapuri. The Sanskrit words "nicula", "nicola", "coli"
mean a garment covering the body [or a part thereof] like a case ("urai"
in Tamil). The place called "Uraiyur" is known in Sanskrit as "Niculapuri".
The kingdom with its capital as Niculapuri came to be called Coladesa
(Cozhadesa). What is remarkable about a corn-cob? The grains growing
on the top of the stalk are encased in the "cob". It means the grains of
the cereal called colam or maize wear a coli so to speak.
In the second version of the Kaveri Purana the bathing ghat called
Tulaghattam
in Mayavaram [Mayuram] is given importance. It is popularly
called "Lagadam": the word must be a distortion of "Tula-ghattam". This
ghat has been specially built for the convenience of pilgrims who bathe
in
the Kaveri in the month of Tula. There are such ghats in six or seven
other
places on the Kaveri, all built to the same plan. While in the first
version
of the Kaveri Purana Srirangam and Dharmavarman figure as important,
in the second, apart from Mayavaram, a Brahmin couple find a prominent
place. The couple were liberated by bathing at this ghat.
The Brahmin was called Nathasarman and his wife Anavadya. They were
freed from wordly existence by bathing day after day in the Kaveri in
the
month of Tula in the manner prescribed by the sastras.
The Brahmin couple had during their pilgrimage visited Kedara and Kasi.
(This story is known only in Mayaram. ) Kasi is a thousand miles from
here. One of the ghats there is called "Kedarghat". The Sthala Purana of
Kedarghat mentions that the Brahmin couple, Nathasarman and his wife
Anavadya, bathed there.
People in our parts are not much familiar with the story of Nathasarman.
He is not like Rama, Krsna, Hariscandra, Nala and so on to be known all
over the land. It is amazing that the story of such a man as told in the
Sthala Puranas of Mayavaram and of Kasi, a thousand miles away, tally.
This story shows how wrong it is to be sceptical about the authenticity
of
Sthala Puranas.
Kasi, which is a thousand miles from Kancipuram, is famous for the
goddess Annapurni. In Kanci too, when the World Mother observed the
32 dharmas, she distributed food among people. Opposite the doorway
of the sanctum of the Kamaksi temple in Kanci is the sanctum of
Annapurnesvari. It has a vimana or tower that is unlike that of any
other
temple in the South. It has six spires ("sikharas"). The explanation for
this
is the fact that the tower of the Annapurnesvari temple in Kasi too is
similar. Even in such small matters there is agreement about places as
far
apart as Kanci and Kasi. Are Sthala Puranas then to be dismissed as of
no
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