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The glory of the Vedas knows no bounds and it is manifested in the
affairs
of the world in a manner that defies comparison.
Of all the sacred places on earth Kasi comes foremost. When we speak in
praise of other hallowed centres, we say that they are equal to Kasi in
holiness. From this we know the importance of that city. In the south
there is a pilgrim centre which has come to be called "Daksina Kasi
(Southern Kasi). There is an Uttara Kasi (Northern Kasi) in the
Himalaya.
Vrddhacalm in Tamil Nadu is also known as "Vrddha Kasi". In Tirunelveli
district (of Tamil Nadu) there is a town called " Tenkasi" (this also
means "
Southern Kasi"). When we speak in praise of a sacred place it is
customary to describe it as being "equal to Kasi". But Kumbhakonam is
considered greater than Kasi (" in greatness it weighs one grain more
than Kasi"). Here is a stanza that speaks of the high place accorded to
Kumbhakonam.
Anyaksetre krtam papam punyaksetre vinasyati
Punyaksetre krtam papam Varanasyam vinasyati
Varanasyam krtam papam Kumbhakone vinasyati
Kumbhakone krtam papam Kumbhakone vinasyati
"The sin committed in any (ordinary) place is washed away in a sacred
place. That committed in any sacred place is washed away in Varanasi
(that is Kasi). The sin committed in Varanasi is wiped away in
Kumbhakonam. And the sin earned in Kumbhakonam, well it is destroyed
only in Kumbhakonam. "
The glory of Kasi is that all other sacred places are likened to it.
Even
when a place is said to be superior to Kasi the implication is that Kasi
is
uniquely great. It has acquired a distinction by being made an object of
comparison. A great man has composed a poem on Kasi. " ksetranam
uttamanam api yad upamaya ka pi loke prasastih, " so it begins. It
means:
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337
"By being likened to it even highly esteemed places become famous- that
is Kasi.”
Similarly, when you speak highly of scared tirthas you liken them to the
Ganga or say that they are more holy than that river. We must conclude
from the foregoing that Kasi comes first among the sacred places and
that
the Ganga is the holiest of the tirthas.
It is in this way that, when any work is to be extolled, it is said tob
e
“equal to the Vedas". The Ramayana is a very famous poetic work. There
are many versions of it. Take any language in India: the story of Rama
will
be seen to be a theme in drama, poetry, music, etc, in its literature.
The
greatness of the Ramayana is such that it is exalted to the position of
a
Veda. "Vedah Pracetasadasitsaksadramayanatmana. " The Veda itself was
born as Ramayana to Valmiki, the son of Pracetas.
The Mahabharatha too is celebrated as a Veda: in fact it is called the
fifth
Veda ("pancamo Vedah").
Vaisnavas glorify the Tiruvaymozhi as a Veda. It is the work of
Nammazhvar, who is also called Sathakopan and Maran. They say:
"Maran Sathakopan composed the Tamil Veda.” The famous Tamil work
on ethics, the Tirukkural, is also called the "Tamil Veda.”
During the time of the author of the Kural, Tiruvalluvar, there was the
"Kadai Samgam" in Madurai. In that city there was a seat received as a
gift from Sundaresvara. Only the worthy could sit on it. The unworthy
would be pushed aside. Was such a ting possible? We cannot believe it;
but we do believe that when a coin is inserted in a machine we get a
ticket.
[Here the Paramaguru tells the story of Tiruvalluvar and his Kural and
how the poets of his time came to regard Tamil as great as Sanskrit
since
it had now come into possession of a work like Kural which, they said,
was equal to the Vedas. This story occurs in Chapter 5, Part Two, and
“The Vedas in their Original Form.”]
Saivas [in Tamil Nadu] regard the Tiruvacakam as the Tamil Veda. To the
Christians in India the Bible is the "Satya - Veda. " Thus we see that
the
Vedas have a special place of honour. The Vedic river is ageless and it
traverses the length and breadth of our land as the very life-blood of
our
culture. This river should not be allowed to dry up. There is no greater
responsibility for a Hindu than that of keeping the Vedas a live and
vibrant tradition.
The sound of the Vedas must pervade everywhere, must fill all space. The
truths enshrined in them must be spread far and wide and the rituals
enjoined on us by them must be made to flourish. Sufficient it would be
if
the Vedic dharma remains vigorous and is maintained atleast in our land.
If a man's heart is stout he will survive even if all other parts of his
body
are afflicted. In the same way, if the Vedas flourish in this land all
nations
will prosper and live in peace and happiness. This is the prayer of the
Vedic dharma.
"Lookah samastah sukhnio bhavantu.” |
