And - Encyclopedia of Shaivism

Th$trip~e volumes EacydopHdil. :is a cOlllprelltmsivl! ami t1lemaitiC (lompillltiOft 01 aU imporlaftt upedl of 6ivaandWvism in atphUetkal omerwhkh took a.
cUve pan .m. on.,... alld developmmt of Imtian I1!liF.&-phUosephial trmi.mm. Siva is one of the eminent aDdu,t Mimi ..

,....~ .... d1~,,;,vis- _ ........... L._ p- ~'_."';.p-l_

;:i;i:· ~;;;;:;:I::k;i:' ~

modem HiAdm.m whkh Cftl,:ten· Oft. lb. WDUMP of Lo.rd! "§lva. In clulica~.Hiftd.u mytMJes:y, Qiv. g the god 01 deltntctioft, 'pneuly portrayed ,u·. 'loam-he llYn .ta Hmaaay •. 1n: d:\ne volUll\D, I .l?rHeRt mOle thatt uo tl\emes on.. Siva arut.tvUUlt &om P~,Il~to

modem society. .

I

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'BI ,}-I> '-, . 'di' .• ' " ,-' f"~ ,.:-,ncYIC lopae-,a, ot

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Saivism

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EH:cydopaedia of th:e 'sa:ivi.sm

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This three vohnnesEneyclopeedra ofS,alvlsmls, a. eomptlation ofcomprehensJ.ve andmformanve SQUl1ce of re~igi~phnosophiCa.~ tradition. ofStva. and Saivls.m., Lord SIva created Of manIfested this world. out of His tree will and on. his own accord (Lu,a and Swa.t,antryasak.ft.),. He 1.5 the absolute reality bot.hin hiJstranscenden tal andnnmanent aspects, Theworld lsnol separate from him, LordParamasiea has m,auife,stoo hims@~fjn two forms. ~viz..tbe experteneer and. the experienced. The expedencer 1sGrahaka. the indivldl.lal self and the exped,en,ced is Grnhyll. the universe or the objecttve world .. The ·indlvidual seU~.s no other than Lord Hi.mself with powers lnntted .. ,

The' Universe is diVided into thiriy-sixfaUmsor cat~g;ories efunwersal expenence.

These are grouped, in two ways. as pureorder and nnpureoeder, The pure order is drvtded mto five ~ubdiviSl0ns, Siva, SaKt,i. Sad'asitm, .ls:lJtZra. Sudldha-r#aya. Out of these .five categones, theftrst-two Siva and SaleH wUI notundergu any dual ch,ange thoughthe:setlre the potential SQUlICE! Eor further divisIons from .Mn,ya down, to earth, When the absolute Mah,e.s·:parn, 'by hts ·Swa.tantrya~· or a1bsolufeMU~ feel Uke leUinggothe umverse contamed h't Hnn; in the first vibraiti.on or lbrobmg:,of thiS v-nU he is knownas Siva". ThjsWitial creative movement is Slmta.t:M~ 1111,s 1s the State of pure Chaitmlya-Substr:a.tum of a,n changes.

The term :Siva is used. £01£ the ultimate condttton ofcoo.sdou.snes:sin its tmmanent aspect. :Sivclco:.m,prises both the Univcr:sal and the indiVidual and mani.fests as c-onsdous.[l,ess·in ,eondltiortal form. There is no dlffef~nti.a,tingattribrut,esto Siv,a.. Siva is hem called armsri,ta~Siva because he is the .first manUestation of the Supremebemg oognisrng consclousness alone aevQid of objects. Uls 1.dentlfied as the stage of the Smzya. There is no objiGctlive conten t :in it. It is Oldy an a vastha a. SI'.a teo

Theugh fherecao be no dif€erentiaifdon between. :S·j\wa and 5iikn as. such. the ·C;it~ is nevertheless know as Siva. insofar as it is free from. all dlfJer·entiating a.ttributes and as . Stikti by virtue o.t its charaetertstic self awareness Slvaand Silkti are inseparably nd.a,.tea to each other as the rays tothe f).Bme .. Here SIva and 'Sdkti may be expressed as


Encyclopaedia of -the

Volume-S

Sw,amit,P'armeshwaranand

Sarup&Sons

New Denu~1100D2


1

Image of W'o,nten InVirasaivism

The term 'Vira.saivas" lUer,al]yme,ans, 'brave SaiVas. ~ However, the re~i,gJ:on followed by Vi:rasa iva Sis. not rneFely a branch of Sa:iv:is1.1z~ but a. protest movement aga,il1l,st Hlndn, po~yfbei,sm and its soelal orgla:nisa:tiulil. in,wilkhB,rahmanical superiority and the caste hler'arcltyheld sway. Virasaivlsm believesmmeno-thetsm, infbe eqnality of all occupatrons.aad intbepennan.entfr-eedom of all Vlra;saiv,as from pollution. The present day c-ommunitylnthlspart is caUed.Lingaya:fs (wearers of Unga on their body),

'The'FG is a, great deal of con uoversyalbotl,t th.e founde:r.s~ leaders, iU1JU,quify as wen as the authoritativ,e literature oiViraSa:ivlsm., My m . ennon .alibis con,tr-overs:yis merely torefer to the existence of different sources of Vir as alva religious lUer.atur-e endpracnces,

Dr. S.C. Nandtmath (and others.) concludes from the study of ,Sa.ivaganms that Virasaivism. is a much older roli,gioofhan the one propoundcdby Basaveshwasra .. and other 12th century S;lvQ.sa;ranas~ his ,crm.tempol,i]Ji.es..· Ac-coIldlng to Dr, N,ancUma:th!l Vlra:stllvjsm was established by ancient teachers UkeRevanas.iddhi and. Mlamlaskidha .. Thisviewhas its basis also in theplcsentday .Pcurc.ha,Cnanjfl 'uul:thas (fiveh,ead GurH11udJl(lSJ. These mathn'S arc said. to have been esta.blished by these teachers of Vira:saiVism and so are named after them. These ~atlchadmnja m.athas "have their sulbordina.te 1tudhas estabJish@d. in each town and. aHIGnd to the day"'to-day Virasaiva riltuals ..

But neither these mathasc nor th.e Vlrasaiva. Sanskrit t~xts proJedthe Improved :ims.ge of the Virasaiva wom.an. ]t is the Vaehena Htel'.ahlre of the 12',th century ~.wr1.Hen by Basaveshwara and other :SiivMaranas. that pr:ojeds U.

Thts Vachana Uteratur,e provides the most dynamic and pJog;ressive sid~e of Vi.rasai.va.phUosophy and t.tstltuals,. The' phUosophlcal doddn.eisba:s:ed onre81son. and lJ3· ad1on"-orit~nted,whiJethe ritua]sare simpllftedto the extreme and reduced in. number, 'TheiM.portancegiveJltoadioJ:1 ,and'rt'?asan i_nVlraSaivismcan.be seen In Chennabasavanna' s

.followlng lines: .

A .c,ry-, ntts -) f i -lim -w~ ed c_ D. • end

, ,C~~.oH _. SC 8 _ ._.0. _e_"g:~, a ,

Knowledge is arnon;.):no,wled}ge means To l!.mderSfand; and acflon means

To act aceordmg as one undetst,and:s


10'0

.~

E' . ., ,.:I" nJ';,1. S' . '"'

c.nCY~C~iopae"la '~Jr.it~ ._mv,tsm

It can take plaeem that lm.lftca.Hon where sididJmre,fc,ts to the' eyes and, yag,itd the mrm. '01' .5.iddha can be the car and yogiulthe SOM,d,. I am, not r-ef:emngtotbepnys,i.cal eyeorpbysfmJ ear.bat to the ene'rgy of seemg-and the eller-gy 0,£ hean.fll.g.,rhy:s1,cal seeIng orhoo.~gls not the ener,gy of soo~ng or hearing. For m.ooitatJon, In cQrya,-kra:"'m: tbe sensa.Hoft of the knowledge of ifhIs cognUion (jfiir1£Mdriylls) i:su:HltZied. Thtsts knowo as the reality (If htI7,tll-tattVQ"

Our~eat: teache:r Aljhiv,ana,gupta has also ctari.aed fh,i& in, his Tmtfml:'om::

In the Ktila,gunv,ara Tantra. we ,are~old tba.t\be ,energy o.f Cre,atioo (,vi:sarsa) liS found. in an conJuncnonsvecaa5eiItlsLhe' ,crea.Hve energy" By the contact Qlltwo,. samJethl"gel:seiIs created, It m.ay be JOY J It may be :s:a.f1sfacHon,bu.t :som,ethinlgi:S cJleated. 'This energy of Cre'aitinn. (visa.r-ga) is the! leHe:r b. Thls JeRe'r' .is a 'half [etter and. is .only partlyproduced .. If Is nota complete "·m.a ." Thl;s .~. wh~ch~s ~ndlstincltty produced is called the real1ty {tatwa) ofkam.a. (WilfUl des:~.r~) because kama. is on.~:r fuUUled when It is ILm:i.ted.Whc'ni.t is anUed thati.sthe true sta.te of ll;:,ama.

TanttiLlo,ka 3~146

Supreme ttnlncation. takes place through the contact ofs,iddhas ,mel. yog;infs. Thi;s .150 the grea.tfest1.val of tI:nUlcaUon. (m,an.amela.pa).

The tru this tha tall contacts ars sexual So. tbisv@'rse not on.ly [@,fe.l'sto phyrsi,cal sexual centaet, it I'-@.ferstu all sensual c:olil.ta.ds .. In this wa.y~ heal.ringis a. :se'X:u.al'coot.ad. Seeing is a sexual contact, SmeUingis a. sexual contad.T'cJII,u:bingi.s a. sexual contad:. T'a:Stl!nglsa. sexual contacit So in this verse,. th.ewor-d. siddhar-eler"S to I--Consciousness ,ana the wo~d yogini refers to whatever dbjecl1vltyunl~edwlfh it.

The word mah'u:melapa: inthl,s verse m:ea:ms. I~festirva] of sup~mlemee~ng,.u ''Jihts descdbestha,£ sta.te' of §akti~kJ.~tJl~al',iniwhe[\e the s1!lpre'me meeHng of S1.va and. SaJdiJ. t,akes· place, If'tha.t £ortuna.te Ka.tda yogiacllleves. and. ,ex:pedencesth~s sta'~e of ,s'(l'kt~i,·J(U~'(l'alint for Only one second.then be has il,eJlte:ved.the nn1.HcaHon. of Slva and SakH .. 'Thls~:s that s,tam where Siva ,and. :Sakft ca_:_nnot_ibe disnnglUsh@d. ,Relm each other (l'.Mhj'San.farasya)~. where' fhe' individuality of Siva and Saktti:slost.. :S,iva.i,s, ,everyvih,ere ,and S,akti.i.s,evieryWhere,. 'It is just Uke mIxIng :togeifbe:rtwlOcoo.laWiets of mUk 10 one pot. 'Thesefwo containers of m;nk>:~once unit@d, cannot be separ,a.ted .. 'Tb~.sisthe sta.te of~hat sllpre,meunion. wbere Siv,a and Saktl beceme one with eech ,oiher~ wh.ere 'they cannot be experienced separately. In. that sta.te of the gIleat .festivaJ. ofu_nlon (nMhiijueI4pa)~ wbidit takes place by fbeoontad

(samp;hatt:a~ of .siddhas and WloafNis~ the Kaula.t1IioQ!i pe:roe:lves &e s,tate o.f5akt,i-lamdaU.ni,and

,OL ,"... J ,~ ,01' ':1" 0, J ., ,~

eanhereafter do. whateverhe Ukes. Hencemrtll thie:r-ei:sru.l sin. ~O!f him, in .any ,ad ton ..

You. must de.ady tlndetsta:nd that on.l.y thi.syogf~ and no one else, Is fit mpractiloo carya-lcTl1ma.'Thls means th,at only those yogis who are establiShed In. the aw,areness (villMr,sa:) 'Of the~.r minturn of S~.va~ who have hean-s as broad as the ocean" amr.i who are' seat!edin. tbat sta.te fhaUs above ,aU,.ma.ve the' right topradioe Ci1rJii...kran.l'a~ Qth,erswbD try


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10

never tlons1deredthe husband as the llor-d. andfhe' wife ,as am inCilIima.tioo. of 1'\i)SS10m 81la. last, as seen by Manu. On the of her hand she is, given aplaoe ofRlsp@ctd.ep~.di~g oohet ments, Per jnstan.~e. Basavar·e'fers· to Nee)ambn(,~~ as, hi:s 'Mttkty~ngine~tthe padmerWDe helps him in attaining ~Lmganga~lsaInar,asy,a~, oIM~k~.

As a mlatHer of fad~ Vira.Satvism :h~s .lonn.a.the most es:sential hatmonl'mi'Sl rela.'f1ons in married life. Aooolldingfoit', fh,e rea] happmes!s ,of a ma_'fri~d ooUlpl@' J:tes'ilfl. lUuw.alllnde'lstandi:ng and. respect and mbeingeacbofber':srnemta:f and: notifIJ. looe'lbelng the other's servant. In a Vac'hanatPrabhudeva has gI.ven a:mplepraise :toLakka~ma ,aftd Marayyaasa. model ofh1!lsband"'wjf~ relaHons~and described :th.em asaprootoilype ,oft'he ISaHpati.Jbhav,a.!'

~. . Lakkamma and .Ma.rayya. w,e:r-e ,gFeat devotoos of :Siva. and ~,ed amtJ.~lje! ,~s

Slvasaratnas. A s,tory goes that~ em one' occC()sionJ,whenMail'ayya~.1bfonghtmore ri~ tiball requ:~fed for" their daily uee, lakkamma. expo,sni]atoo:

Beyond one measure YOIl have bIlou;ght Twoccan ~bis min.e be yoursj

Or Basavanna.' 5 scepUcalbran, '?

M·' . ",.' ._'. -1. ..... I A.··· ·.c , •.... , . c. 11i···.··, I'

arayya. p.uy,a .. m,are.swaF,a . nga ..

Go~ drop it wher'e It w,as ,andcom.e,

M·a'l"a· vy.· 'a

! .. Jt -'J' :_:: __ J+.

If work .a:nd.grmeFDsi.Ity.~ you thlnk~, Tale you to' Hea.ven •.

Js, Heaven a workerl!'s wage? U wUh.no thowght'

Of what no ~hough.t

Ofw.hat 1.S oom~f1Ig i(lfrgon.e?'

Yon a,ta}, engrossed in wJ1at you do" Then Heaven is where M,a.rayyapriya. Amar-eswa.ralingaisi.

I( r~.(,J1,~. ..' cS-V'Cc .. 1 xn '·1· lj'tt ."'I!~.). ~nUIUl~Cl' ... · .•. . .. Ol~ •. A ~ .. '~ .~" 'V •.. "-iiJ .•..

Ji.AI···1.,.· .• d •. -_ .... _.- c --·L_·.·f - 't<'"~ -1...c··ll~· ... c.~~;ll ~-- ~- c" ~";1l..t.. ~"'.jI-. ~.' ~.jI..- .d'l nF\'o~ ~'''~c_ ~;'!!'I.aiJlI.a. . :eVcl:mma~ wue Ou. a ~s!t~:m]_I' .,.m:g~.1J,~ dJ aamomen u~r ,~I.1ilSuan . ' .. ~ .u,liI.m,,; l~~

too proud 'Of you:r ~acri,fi,ce in. g;i:vingup your kingd.o:m. fUf iftJ:e v{)catl,om ,olfco][eam_g firewood and he a Sivasar.ama"uThu:s~ ,a.ccordtng' to VliF,asailr,a:s!,neUhe:rthe! wife Btlr ,the bwslband.is supenor to the olner:;.the only superior being Is Ithe laid Htmse]f~ 'Th.s~, Saty,al<ka~ another "reahsed" woman saint., says.!'"My Sl1.amibhmjiea.s,w,ara alone lsfhe hltlslband in the world of saints .. r' 'ThtS is not an. ,abstract con.cept' oEman.~:s and G~oo's internelattons ,a.mong Vi:r,a.sajv,as; lor many i()fnle·m ha:v,e aduaU,Fh1led up' tD,rbeseldea[s. Inmost poetic and sublim,e fashion~ Akkamaha.dev~ descrloos her weddtngwtlb lit.er i"lol'd!'t:


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102

centre Qif tbetwob.~ea.fhs Is the way . Throughtihts,w,ay you wm gam entry m, r:i.stng" III ordinary life (vy,amhi:ra)9ds way is closed illlid blockod. It does not soompassabJle,.Sd U w,nl .open whenp:r:rr1;Za~ku~4tlljH:i OOCtU:S •. When, the sU,prem@ en.ergy of c{)Dsdonsnessls concentrated m ru;d:hva .. nlarga~ where the Ib[eathene~lh.er,goesont Orrin, you rare carrrled to~ andrest m, fhecenke. Thts center is.ftrdh'l#2~mirga., men. you (lOO(lootrate ron thaturdhvamU':raa with conHnnalawareness., Itneinoomll(l' brealli l'knOwn. as,C'lZf1dfR, the moon) .•• , and, the

,0, - _. - -- - - -- ~. - _._- 0 --- \J - - -- -- --"_ ~. -- ..... - --··1

ou.tgO:ing breath (knoWlil, as saTJa~ the' sun) sponta:noo1!ls~yenter In. the pathway ,of th.e central chann~el'(slu~unn:ri) andmsh down, to ululiidhir:a ,ukra. rThetl~a:s ,1aJJJ€}ati,d~ it l'1ses, from tbe milidhartl: to the silha:s,r:jra.ull calera.. Passlngthrough th.e subtle open.tn,g of bran.tlfar:andhra It leaves. the entang~ements of fh.lsbocly ana enrers that inf:ini.te e:lCpiaJne of God Consciou sness .. Here ibrl'!a.ifhingin. ,(Ulld, ]breathing OU.t no l.on~'f e:~dst .. [nfhi:ss;taE you must gJv1e wb()leheart0d~ oDe-"pomted aHen.t3iOnto tbatv.t.ol',atlng ,eEIl.Ue.lf you divert your ccnsciousaess from that poin.1tfor on.emomen:t.youwm suddenly come rOut of fbat s:ta.tE! and fan til. the vO'ld state caUed.'P,!(dayakala~ At the.!' poin'tyou wiUnlot y,etbe imthe dlv1e'6e eye1:€! of the world .fiUed Withthoughts~ youMn be m voidness (suNyaJ. After .€aUtngbltito the vosd s.tate you wiU open your eyes and rag:atn be as an ordinary 'Person ..

. ,' _' _-' _' =

to achi,e;ve t:hig highes,t' .state Y011. cannot'prarnce ha]f~lleanedlr Ear a.naU anheur jn thernoming and. a. half ,an hour mthe ,evenililg and 8. hour a.t mldn:ight:. Tha.t won~t 'help you .. You have to' do It wi.th. c-oml'UnlLllty. Ofh.erwi.se'fhetle~snohope~nllils life"there is: only hope in. the ne-xt Ufe .. The reaUIiy is that the whole l1l1,ivretse Is fined with Consdo1!lsnesst and yet that Ca!1l;sd.,ou.sness is lost, to everyone. 'Tha't 'is the cause rof ,our beinsfhlownm the cycle o.f ulaga, filled wlthma_nlf{'l·ldtortJi1resl~ and foreed toexpenenoE!) the palm of disease andrepea.ted btrths rand deaths, Th.at y;ogi w.ho is always, ,aUerrtJ:ve (p,rahddha:) in this s·fate wIn not lose his conselousness 'e'\fleni.fhe wer-e pElt under an a,esthetli.c. The memtenance of attentiveness ts a truly great filing .. Va:sugu.pta exph.dns rail flUs in his Spanda J<:j:rJkas. ¥then thisSa.tvayogi does not aUow awareness lobe a:lbmm.t for re'lftm. one' mom,entt :r-e:mlillinlng alwrays one-:potnted~ estaibUshedmthe sta.te uf SriVClt d.irrOCtml bis rnfndf,ow'a1:1ds the sta,te of absorJ:jpHan (sama'[le~-da~).~the~ bythepowe,r o'f bts 'onepo~ntedness. bofbbre.a.tbs . .thebrealliingin an.breathlng out.____,spont.aneously en.ter.inthe central charm@ll(s,U$u:ntna).

After'(imt~dngfhe central channe],thebrea.th energy (p.r:atJa iakli) ofttds~gi 8.HmmtSr the seat oftbe 1.1~Qliid1uinl ca.kra. And.thoo! ,asprii1;Ul-k:ur;uJal'inl,. ilbeg,insto n,se in the cenb'al .channel from muZid1mra cairn towards the thou.sand-spoJc!OO cakt,a: (SiQrha:S,t:j"dM)~th.e energy of brea.th '(prt1tuz-'Mktt) bloemson ,an sides andthl;s yogie:xperierM:es tih.e :sta.te o:f prd,~-ku:t!t#alinl.

Yogis expedenrelnls sta.teofpra:fM~rzf!aUnrm~wo ways. For som.e'yogfs •. when 'the breath enters in Ute cenh:'a] channel the incomlng breath (apnna) and the rOl!J,'t!oklg Ibl~ath (prif:tza) iul.HaUy descend (adhonnikha).Herce Ibo~hinguin,g: and rQu.tGoingCb.r~atb cUienaihlFaUy co.llocted togel.he'F' .. Thls Is a spontaneou.s staltewherethe b1"~ath is collected. :m. ome pio1n.t posltioo.ed in descend, n j;s·the stateknawn as, lalu&ika. The s.tate' of lamblki ,cannot be estalblishedl by any phYSical meansbecause ilis very subtle. There are louF'passages jnr


103

l'tUllb'ikil. These MO breaths, whenfhey take the pOlsrti<m of descending,. ,amveat flhe lambtka that tsthe passage frem.the right side.,FFom left ;side fhere lsanolber Um:bika. The llmzbikiitha.te,usts on the left' side Is presently adiv't3i in uswhlla the .lambi.mfhaf elC~lsts on. the right s1,deisblockiGd. At the-momenf' whenthe in,coming and the outgoing breath c-oUectan.d.t,ake the position. o.fflOWlng down, the brea.th stops. There is nobreafhingin and. out., The ordinary course ofbreatbin,g ceases, and you £eel a ,chok.mg sensa.tion .. 'Then fbe l'am:bika oothenght sldeopens and. the breath enters ~hrou,gttthat open1ng and, mimes d.own..

When the breath gains entry through the l'ambikiI" Uproduces a sou_nd which Is hke thatmtemal sound pmducedwhen you dose the earsbYP'Fesslrng your ftngeFs 00 them. Itis a continuous close the ears by pressing yonr fingers, oathem.Itts a c'OO.t~nu.ou;s sound like fhesound offhaecean, A sound. nke fh~s Is producedwhen the twobrea.ths ga~n en.try intO' thecmttaJ channel through thelam,b.ibiand travel to the muladharacakra where they rest.

A t'fhat pOlnt the l1zultitihiiracakrtl is penetrated. At the 11:luUidhiira cakr:l'l: fhere is a wheel---fbe San.skrit word calera me,ans·~·wheet ~~Whetl. fhenl:fil'tfdlmnl ctJkra Is peneh'ated, the :y;og!expenenc:es ,the wheel (cakra)' 1bcgirulingto movewtth ,g;reat~orce and. seand, It !DOVes in. a clockWise dJrocfion. 'This lS the ata ~eexperiencOO by !/ogisat the D:listmomen.t thisoceura

Herethebreath no longer exists. Ithas takeathe £onn of kutr4tdini.Now lcuf!'{iaUni advances from t:hem:u'liidhiihi:cakra and rises to penetratethe calera resl.d:i.ng at the navel, known as tbenti:'bhfcakra .. AtthlscakTa fherea~su'ex~s'ts awheel, and.after lbe1lngiPenetrated~ thiis cab-a alsolbeginsto mover,apidly ,and make sound .. Atthalume,theyogf doe,s not fool that thenabh;i cakr:aalol1l€i.s movmg; he feels tha tthe nibhia c-alctiu and {he miiliidhtira calera are both moving,jus,tlike wheels tn a fa.ctory.Eioth cakras aremovtng and.bofh .are producing a sound. .. 1bey~gi h.eartsthis sound and fhlssound produc-es joy .. Anthis I am r~l,ating fnlm myowI1I. experience.

Nowrnom the ntIb,hit:akra this breath aave.lsin the £onn of ku~4ali~rup to' the heart and pen.etrates fhecakrares~ding there .. This, cakrwis, known as the heart I(hrit)cakra. After he1ngpenetral-ea,thi$crikra (lEthe heart ,aJSQbeg,ifl,s tlo,m()'ve ra.pi.d~y and 1becon1esfined wUh sound. The yQgifeel:s fbis, .. Here also, the yog:i not onlyexpenences the movement o.f the heart cakr:a .. He experiences the move:tnetlt Qf n:ibhi cakra and. 't1lu:ladhiiracakrn as well .. He ,experiences and. feels the movements of all fhree ,cakr:as.

In thts way succe;sslv~ly" breath Mil the form .of kup:4aU:ni continues to rise and penetrates the cakr:a: of fhe throat (ka'tha) and thecakra or bh:ra~tlladhy~ .fo:und betweenthe two eyelbl1ow:s. With this penetration.iboth of these cakra begin to moverapi.dly alongwith sound. .. Thrs is what the yogi' experlen.ces?

In. fhlsway t;hey:ogr~ .in Ulis sta te ofmardfestatlon ofpriitJa-ku~r!alinit expedences the movement of all these cl)kra~:tlght hom m:filadhara cakra up 1:0 bhrU~J.nm:lhlla ,cnJaa,. simultal1.eou.slyju.s,i' like ,(1 great ma.chific. From that very moment, the yqgi expenenees the app@,aranJce of the eight Yogicpowe.ts,a~dma" etc.

Those u.,- .. v.Q -j.5wbo areunfertuna te expenenee the state of l1r:ana~hltldal:ird in a second

~' 0 L r ~I I~ '.


Encydopaedia al t.heSaivisUl

to pracfj~ce it witholLlt tbese q1l1a:nocatioo}s win only fa.U and cause themselves dtffiClliltIJes. In this con:n.edi()n~ K~ema;raj.a wrote the' £oUoWimg verse:

Ifthose yogis who fa.lSelyimagine tha.t fhey are Kau!Ia. yogIs attempt carya-kranftl, they wm, not be able to hold n., 'They arenot ,fit for this cotnmunlcaUm. the rising of sakti-km::u;lalini. To 'expen,erLcethis state of cfl,rya-,krama a y,(i)gi must possess a heartoomple,te' m fuJIness. He must be broad ... ml.nded.llkc aJl oc-ean, for nis an ocean where all movin,g sheams become tm,moving and soltndlessly rest ..

~Spa:nda NiftJ,a.y,a.

So when fbisyogl!" (ID,theoccasi,oll o.ffhe CO-lJUi.oo of siddhas .andyqgin~is~ which OCCUJ;S dnrin.g the practice of caryakranza, tou.ches kiimtl-,kala' and ,gains entry :into v,i~atat;tva:. he win expecfienc€: the state of prlitJOrkuf:!;~tllbd;. Th.isvi:~am:twa j:s the s[at~ .of the great meeting: of siiddhas and yogi.nis called' mahan.zelap,a. In.the dIvine scrlpblre.stt Is also caned kiin~t1~tatf,v:n because •. In. bothcases •. it 18 the graspmg of the moment of union.

ThIs Creative En.e:r-gy (ci,t-'visarga-sa/dt) of 1..ordS,ivais fttIedwith thetaste of Her cOillsdousn.es;s. The na ture of visatgai-su/ktlis tocreate one's self from 'One's own Self in - one' S OlN1l Self. (Ta.t1.ttaloka.3~ 141) To createtheseff from the Self is the Self inthereaility

of Creative Energy (vis'l'l'~gl1J-SaktO.. -

Albhtnava.gupt'a. tells ns.t1hat when ,k;uudaJin:iex]penences the state of the Cllea.ti.ve Energy o.£cOfl:Slc1ousn,essin He£ own nature then, in. the· very belnn.lng of creatien, breath (Imltza) comes forth as theflrst creatlenThis 1s not the physical br-eath. It i:s the vib£aHn,g breath of life ,f.,.", ranana):. Thts first m,ani.festatl:on of v.{:mr<r. fl'-sakU i:sfhe seed of p .. ,. rtIna. Thls,is

\y III . ,Ol:_, ;a;

the stage of the vlbratlng:bre.ath,.the breath of life celled P:1:avtltUl ..

When. the consctousaess of God consciousness descends. when this. conaetousness flow:s .aufmtne crea:fivecycle~ She takes the .for.m. ofvibraH~gbrea.th. Wba.ti.sthls breath? As example'." take ifheaeaUol1 . .of nfe w:Jtnin a woman.V\7hen a woman conceives a. dlHd. that ch~~di.s first prodlLlced with fbi.svibrati.ng brea.fu .. At tbat nmie there is no actual breathing, there IS o111ylife .. That i.svibranng breath. When. this. Creative Energy ('pisarga:~Sakh) hastaken the form oivi,braHng breath {priifMna)~fhe scdprurestell ustba.t 'this breath is in. the form of priii7)a-ku~;~aUni.Jntbenext movement of this vibration the five stales of breath-pratfl?, apj,!aj5a:mana~ udiiJ!a and uyatra-. begin. to .furm ... At this stage. however ~ these Hvebrre'a.fhs are not yet manUes~.ed .. Because 'Of this,you wm only Andet thIs sta,getbe state of prii1;ltl-b1;l4alini. Inthts state ofpni1Jll-lalf,1~tdini only tbeblissful state of one's nature appear:s.

Th:isE11I,ergy .0.1 Consctousness (cit,-.sakt:t)J which. Is in.thefo:rm. ofprii1_la-kutr4aUn,i .• appearmthe .~l~st state o.f the ,crean ve pulse (visa:rga ) .. The yf:lgi anderstandsthi.s. Heba;s expen.enced U.

Accora:ir:l.g to the SplllulaKarimst verses 24 and. 25~ Vasuguptatells us that the


way . Their exper.ience ofthe:ri;se ofprtlpthtu:!Z4a:J'iitdiS the same a.s,tha.t ,expm,enced by ,great yogIs up to and.lflcludlng the croKpedence o.f .lan.l~&.i:kiiand the! uavel.Ung&()m mmbiU tD,tlhe :mflladhira cab-a. At tbatnolnt it is, exnededi Uta.t&om ndiladhar:tl .caJc1:a'," .. ·ril~:-kundal:bd will

r r .., If". .' ~J

nse, pilerCing thecakras beginning wUhthe cakra of the navel~ fhmthe c:abia oftheheaflt~

and so.Forlh lmt:U it reaches andpier-ces bhru-madhy:acab'a,.But .~ortbeun~l'Jrtuna.teyog:ifhis. does not happen. For fhls.yogi.wben prii1Jll,-ku"f/n2iniireaches, tb:e imiZiidhat-a: ctitr:-a' tbe rise of p .. ··.ra~a-.bnidalinlisreversed and be at onee e·xp: ·ed!etlces :the cm:a. 0,£ ,bhri~u,ad&~.,. aift

, • Lr. r. " ::/'

m,ovement~ not thecakra of thcn,avel After that he experi.ences fbe mbl1' oithe hoo.t

(1mf;Z~MO in mov,e:ment. 1Boih are movLng Slm111ta_neo'Us~y .. Then he! c"pe:denooslhe ,emaR of the heart in movement, and. ,aftertba.t heexpe:riences m:be cab-a o.f~he navel in. mov1ement .. FinaJly ~be expertences fhemt11adhiira cab:tI' in ID!QV'e:ment. AU efthese aahds:movew1th sound. .. When 11rarM,-kutl~alintnse'S infhls .faSMon .tUs. M.Ina;j(',atiJon tha t this :.111. ~ .. u .•...... i Is aiR,ached

,,.,' '" 'r. _ ;:, 0

to w()lddly plea;su.res,.Forhmlttac-es of aHachme.nt rematn, 'This IS· ~he second. way

Iru'~ltli:tfirl.ses,!. ibu.t aau,a.Uy it 1.5 not ri:siIng. It 1,$ .falling.

For fhisyogUh.eifc is.DO ,cba:nceofpossessin.g the eight grea.t p()we:rs of yoga. On th.e con.trary ~fhls yqg"i has en.tered into a. state of ,absorpti.oowhi.ch is satdto be oevmsh (p.isjjc~:vesa) .. Et jiB not a correct .absorptiJJn and l.t causes this, yog,F to become lhe Vidim" ,of

an.unendlng series of obs,tacles dunng the rest 0.£ his Hfe;... ~.

Why does toi.s happen '?'When it is not the win ofl.ord :S,iva £or p.r:i~~kuWaUn:f~o rtse propcl'lYt it does netnse pfoper.Iy? E:v,e:rythitllig takesplace only when.LOtrd. Sllv,a Wishes. Accord:tngto the Raman.lillasQ$b:n:

Whenlliiss.ta.~ei:s'es.tabUsbed'below~ and.wnen ftomthere~sl'en.e"atesh~ghermd higher" that is, the sta.m ,o,HiberaiHlGn (:mok:~a).. that ts thiS state where yogis beoom,e; fiWnglyquaUfled for the a.ttammento.fkmowledge .. l3iuJt ontheconacary" when these states. are penetrated downward. hom. above and. 10 reverse, fhat ~s .fnoo1'.1l'ed: absorpUon (pisiicilveSa). Thatjs 'file! lndlc:a.t1on tha.t hereaHe·F'fhls· yog;iSi Ul~ will be :filled wlth obstacles,

The Yog:ts ,experIence of fh.c rise ofprti~-hl'~~l'in,i and the reslllJ.fing pene:tr,atloo of thec:alonlS: . begmnmgwlth mQ1adha~acnkraan.d.efLdin,gwnhbhn'i~madhJlllc.ao,l",salm'Snltdha calr~an ta'kemany dU~fel'enf forms.These spontaneorus vanations, in the rl~ ofpt:Qva.kzm:daUni aile known. aJ.S ~~enetratinp' inj;najti,ons~' I(.vedhu"'iaiksa;,. This i:se.xp~ainledin. the

~, '!' Y c <, •. "",1 ,ir'

TantriilbkabyAibhmavagupta:

'This initia.tion ofpenetr'aHon is,descrlbedl i.n dJfftlrentwaysin the Tantras.He:rn fhe Yogi. has to ex.pcr.ierLOO tbeini.tiation of pen,mranonbywhicm be n:ses nom one cakra to another and. SimuFt'a.n,eously e\Xperienp12s these cakras in mnv'cm,enfr" By trnls,. the e1lghtgJIca t powersef yoga are possessedby yogis\.


105

-Tantra~oka 29:23'7-2.:18,

----' ---' -----', ---"I

In the Kulagunvara Tantrapene'tratlnginitia tion (vedha,-dik~)is said 'tooe s·ix.~fold. Mantrli~vedh'a 1.5 .first, nm1:a",vedha~;s second, biHdu-uedhalsfhtl1d~ smcta-vedha is fQurth~ bhujangR-vedha is. fUith~ and. s~x.th i:sthe supreme '(par:a) z1l!dha.

'These S:1x:-fo~dpeliletratin,g inifiaUoos revealed. in 'the Kulagu.hvara 'Tantru, all take place in pra~za:-.kutujali,nl,.When. p,.a~4mtz(Mli,d rises. from maladhiira cakra:fo b,hru-madhyn ,calra or saM T'Sriidha ca1craj,thesfateofthey:(Jg~a~d! theimpress1on,sacHng onhim determme ids expertenee; These slx.~fold. penetrating initia,HOJl:s eachreflect a, dlfter-ent expedencein the rise of pra~a-ktt~u;lalb:~ i. 'The varIeties of penetrating inUia ti:OfU;, come lathe aspirant

depending on his desires andlongmgs, -

Mlll~t·ra-'l,ea:ha. the firs,t plel'\dng~ is that pierong where tbcyqgf hearsthe sound of a nltUrtr,~:.Thls kind. ofpi.e'r(:mg 't,akesp,lace when. the YCg'.lifltensely desires andlongs for the recognition of S:uprem.e l-Consctousness. In this case, when prtIHa'-lamdalinirlscs~ it takesthefoem .of m'an~ra. and the yogibe,ar:s a JI1{mtra such as Oll'I~Siva~'aha:n;j'or sv·ham. At ~;he same itim,Gt he t0els:uF am this blndalinl I am. one willi thIs .klln:daUni~' This is caned 1~um.tm. Hisbreath (prar:m)be(Jomes furi~fbliss,~ ecstasy, ,and1joy.-lB'Yth.epow~~~f~mplete I-ConsdQusn:esst this bUssful breath penetrates aU the cak¥~sfrom 1,~iUadhirlJt.o vita- 1."I~dhya or sahasrardha. 'This ktnd of peaetratlonis called matttra-vedha.

Another vanety of piercIng is I<nIOwn. as nada,-ve,dha. This type of pi,er-dng occurs when. theyog:ide'SiJ:es ito tlpU.ft people. There is an inmn.se desire: "I am dOin.gthis pra.cHce solely For the beneflt of' mankind," Here, whenthe bllss.fulforce of breath touches m:uladhara ctlkra~this breath is transtormed m.to .,uida..UteraHythe word. nada means u-~nd t~Jtts·can-dn'adQib-"-au-:th-"Jeufc.xc.ric.,c c.-.ithc. .·,n~'fcc dr 'l'III~'·;10/'· ..•... HD-',I""

sou ._ _ . e_ . _ ec .se e ;;'-0. epe __ mlces __ ,0 SOU~W 0. . aru.m. Dea.Ung. . . um

dum dum, n the: constant sound of a drum. is hear-d by this yogi durin.g threose O'f prti1,m~ ku~J~alini. This irdUa.timt comes to the yogi who waatstoexplatn the Universal Reality to others ..

Another kind of pIercing Iscalled bindu-v,l!dha .. 'Thi:stype O'f pi.erdngtakes place when. theyog1 is attached to. and longs Eor. (iomfort.~ease.happ'in.ess" and joy- Hem the bUs.sful ferce of breathts tr'ansionned ~nto it foul1.tail1 . of semen, The word b.indurneans semen (vtrya). The yogt expenenees fhat Uis a fountain of semen. whicbi:s; n.sillg: mom ttzDlndM:r:acairllto lU'alm~la'1:muilh1:a in the Form of an an t because ,tha;t bbss·.rul fo:rce of breath istransform.edtntoenergy .. He feels that power is Ibeing developed, Ttd:s is the rise of energy in bt~uJaUnt' .. He feels fhatl'te is the embodiment .of energy. The sound is cr-eatmg power. Ilis stimulating-indeed Itisthc,greateststjn1tdati.on. Because this parllcu)arkind of penetration inp:t:ti;~a~1)c.lalitdis flUedw1.th pow~r ,(s-aH~),. i.tiscaUed ,sa'kta"'vedha.

B'ht'fa:~gtl:-ved'hais tha.tpacrUcular va;ri,ety ,O'f pll'l!:vdng where.when prd~,!...lcu~(lalint ts nsing.~ ~he yogi feels that a serpent 1$ riSing and producing it serpent sound ... This, kind Q1f penetra.tion bikes placewhen the 'JjQgf hasthe lmpres:S:ionthatthe FQrnnandrea.~ity of bl,,~alini 1;8 oorpentpowll'£,. In this cast the nse o.f the blissful force of br~afhlnthe form 'Of p:rd1ja,-kl1t.zl[la.llni takes the form of a cebrra (bJmjan.ga). He tru1y experiences that a cobra 1.8


106

riSIng, with Us t,ailr,emalnlng in. ,and touch,IF!l,g :u~6ladha:r:~ cabu and sttelcbingtnpElnWf,ate

all of t'hecakras up to and. including brmnuaraHdhra. - ~

F'inanyfhefeb;pten:ing kl'lIUwn aspara.~mdhn~ Para~ivedhaisthesl\l!,prem.ev:edmz~.1'hts, It:edha is expeneneed 1by those yogis who are a]ways bent upoo find.lngthe Lo~d and nothin,gelse. They are not ~nte:mstooil1, thi:suni.ve;r8e'; they ordy want to glvethemselv~---8 cotnplete~yto the lord,

Now we will touch upon the expenen,ce.of s1!),preme (para)ku~4aUrd'. TM:s snpm:eme:

CrceaUveEn,e£gy, parii-ku{l~aUn:ij lsexpedenred as Omit!' wirth snpFero:e conseiousness (pari\. dtih

Wh.en the Supr-e:m.e CreanveEnergy 1;5 dimctedtowa:rds Mel' .m.temal nature (sva:rapa). whereall movement ,ends~She tbere rehshes Her true state-the fullness of J~ Consciousness (pat~ihantii) oQ1,m,pletely :fiUedwUh. 'God,Con:lEldou;sne$fs. Thmtha.t I~ 'C:onsd.ou.sne:ssl.5 dul1lJ.ted. In.oonsci;onsnes:s~o£-thls~ and. consdou:sn.ess·-o.f"fhisis d1iJ!utm. ill r~C:onsdousnes\s .. Here fhl;sfuUness· of I~Consdou:Stless, absorbs ~'!'fhisnes.s.~~and PIlOduces the oneaess 0,1 lntem,al samad'ki and.,extemal expenooce(vyutthami),.Her(lW1lnamr-e as thesupr-em.eCre,aove Energy and.thewodd beeomeone, 'They are experlenoed asbemg 'c ·~·m--,·.-clle~~l.l1.'.· nnj~ed.,' ,one·· 'Mth th.e·· ""'Ol~ .. ThI:14..-.oo:l!S·· eb ,s·o·'111~1;~1~.·.~ n,olJ. ~~I~f=-r':9"·C'::; ~""~~':~I ~h·~· --:,-co, 'P~~"'"_I ---~-- --" . ---- ... ~--- ---- "' __ ·c,",""_ "-- u ... ~""' _ .' ~-- .~"",,,,,,,,-y"- .... 1":U~c~'t!! ,.,."uW ~~W~ __ ,~, , . em.

thisi:s th.e sta.te ,of krluna~mudr'j:. 'Thlslsthesta.te 'Oit par,j~.b"tl:l:;~tt This~9the' sta.£e of jagadiinanda.

In the Tmdr-iiloka the d.e.ftnUi.an ()if iR~ad-imanda: .is,given. in this way:

Abbina:vagupta says~ ~tM1 mastee Sha_mbhunatha desc:dbedja,gad.~inan.dia. as that .sta.te that is ,completely nnencum.beF;ed~. w:herebJcss (inanda.) l,slQ1mJd Shit1l.illg~ wher-e UisuniversaUy s~ben.ed by fb.e Supremel"C:o.nsdo.usness, ,o,f G(Jd~ andwhere tbe stxhmbs o,f yoga:..,bMmna'J' ,dhi.irtl~iit ,d:h,intt! pt:-atyihiira: •. yQga~. and s'Cunadh:i.........a_nd.no lc.mger used ~o:r requ tred, ,,!!

Now,!,~ceor{Ung to my ownexpenenc@J' lwan.t' totell you something more ,about thi:s .. Wb,en a. Saiva :yogi has becom,€: wiQrihyof the s1!lpreme grace (tiv.ra-,sakfip,iifa) ,of Wild S~va. and. when his energy 0:1 breath '(p,at,M:..,saltEllen.te·rs m fhe!pafhwar of' the centra~ channel (su~mMll, if does nottou-ch the six. cllkrasthat are {'Ound tbelle.Rafher~, It rises Wl.thoutthe interruptIJon of these SIX caJcr:as, just like rount,am rls~ng up to tbe! fho1ltsa!1ld~ spoked (saha$.~aTdha) cakra. and. fbc':reit is .nned. with the bUss oifGoiL eon$C1io.umess.A.t that very movement this yfJg1 expenenees the state of allso:rpflon of krama~mmi"a.

In m:he .K1:an~a Satra U'says tn,a.t ,a. yogi .fmst mltt:efS ktlJm'a~nf;ud:rtiln the inuDve,md state .. Then, owing to the intensity ofkra:ma.tm:udra. he'ern~ges hom the :mtro~etted :s!ta'e andenters i_nto the oldef~ external cycle ofccansdJonsness.


107

Firs't from. o1!.1tside~ he goes lnsldet and then from. inside he goes outside. This movement of gOingtn ,andc-oming out and then. ,ag.atn.g1o~ng in and coining out 'takes place by the ferce of the aibsorpHon (SRmivesa) of krama .. mudra. not by the effort· ofthe Yogi.

Where the yogi' trav'els.from outside to IDsldean.d. then &omtnsid.e toautsid:e~ just to come to fheU!Oderstandmgfl-;l,atouls~de and .inside aren.otcUfferenf' aspectsbutune~ that iSkr~UtJl~I'~~tdr:tf:.

'There is onemore thing Ear you to understand .. The one who ,experiences this stale oflu,e a.bsOfplion (sm.l1tivc;Sii) ,of.kra:l1la ... mudriI ex.periencesthis wholeuntverse meltingtnto nothingness In tbe ,gr,e-at sky of 'God. eons(;ionsnes:s (dd-:gagatm). Although he opens his ,eyes· and perceives fhateverythim,g is melfing into that .state, yel-when.he salves toceme mIt.of that· state----j.tbooon\,es very difficult ~ol'.bim." As uisvery difflcultfor us to €n.tel' into that .s·ta.te;~in.th,e same way.. U~svery dlfBcuH fur that yogi to come out of n ..

Bu.t why does he wan.tto, come out? He wants to come out for the fun. of n. but he cannot COR-JIe out, The lnf·en:slty .of God. COflsciotlsne.ss doesto let h~m come out. Yet he stru.g;glas to como out. Tben .~or a. mo:me.n.t be rises uf'~ and aft:ertha.t he again, fined wiith ilil.ro"~caHon,rostsin.s~de. Then., a,~ain~be sfrhl,es·to come Qut.HeoonHnIl@s frying to rome ont and he :gets out hrleflybut then.a,gain he is. umted ins,ide. ThiJ:shappcns.aga~n an.d.again

and this celled .krama:-~''tudrn,. .

It lsjus:llist the aetiens o.f s:wing.~ SWinging back and forth, backand forth .. One m.amen.t he comes out and in the nex.t mom,oot he rests in his own namre. B.y thisprooess of kram,a~uludrn expressmg ·the state of kuttqaUnt irn side and outstde, he 'experience's fhe stateofabso:rpti.on (S{UI1uvesn) ofsupl1eml(! l(para)~{Ialini. Byth.iiS absorption theyogtoffhe Kulla :sys;w,mente:r;s tna.t slate 'whi.cnis. piltlTe~ spotlessl~ and wUnottt lblemi.sh (nf:~mijatJ'a).

Here. there IS no fcaraf death, no fear of £alling •. ne fear' of descending again. into fhe world oflirnitation alld bondage. 'Thi sis the statekno\o\m as nirmijana~fa;l,ftm~. thepur-e and spotless@lem.ent. It lsfhepa.fhwa.y oHhe energy of,adion (krfy~-sakttl. So.~ in the end, thetl.nal yoga is fhe yogam ,a~c:Hon. It is sa~d, HWhcnyou. find Godin. adion~ that action is. pure and spotless (ni:ratijtm.tl:)." ills supreme."

Soa.cCOl'oing tQth.e oilld.emg o.f1<anza~la. kWna~,fa,ttm resides in the energy of wiU (ic.clui~'iRkti)~ v.i,a~ta:tfva resides in the energy of kllowledge (jimJfI,-SakN).a.nd :tJfrnfiialia~ ,taUvfllieaidesiu f:heenergy of ,action 'Ckriyii-SaktO.

When. these three sta.tes are uni.ted wl:tb each other; when. kttl1:U2~tat.tva Is united willh. vi$ca-Ja:UM andwtth ni~a,iiJmm~taftva,.that 1:5 th.e state of Hlmi'raoo.

So) jn tbe sam:ew,ay. thedtvlme scrlptUfeS of our Saivism (saivaglm~:as) explaln that the ener-g:y of will. iccha-Sakti,.ls sa1cli~1,l;alitfi.. The energy 01 know~edge~, jiianIJ saKtiis p:r:ir:tfl-ku:tzflaUn:lJ. and the energy of ,action. ki:rya~iakti~iS para-kJ:~~f4al'i:"t


author' s statements andreferences: we need not" therefore, say anything mare about' the paruculars of the a.uthor"stre,atm,ent oftllle subJ'ect.,

Our inform.ati.on about the author Is next to nothlng. a is only from 'the cOlophons of vanousraanuscnpts tha.~ some meagre il1l£o[ll1l,ation can be had ... The .cdophons, of the prinfededUi<m. pnnted and published at Beneres, ~ves no inlormau,on about the author except thathe was an aufhorify on ~lt<Ol:ltiIJ whtch he could estaMlsh in dlspu:t,afion and which heheldto be theessence of the teaching fi)f~t ~~iGf\3,qlfl1l$1CJ:s.~. !Pur,a:Qas~!, and history ('15rql~d)ihe was the dc,s[tuctiveelephantto the lotus ofnon-behevers (in Ungadha.ranaJ~ he wasUke a sun to the frost tnthe form of ql~:qU31 or Valshna.v,a sys.tem; he was a hen ito teer of.fthe 'temples of the elephants intbe Jorm of du.a~is[ schools .of :phi~o:sophy. From this it is eleartbathe was abi,gotcd Shaiva and. III Veerashatva .. One remarkable thing to

be n.oUced is that he never names the ~~ philosophy of l.ifigayats ,as~lfttil~~liS2laal bu.l on.ly' as ~. III thi.srespect he seems 'to' be a. foUawer of.:ffiicl&.6ofihElillilllif,who himself ~s the .fbUow·er of~l;:fio~a. n.otedc-Otn.mcntator of'ifHUe~:ts. The colophon of themaauscnpt B contatas mare information about the atl.tbor~h.athewas 3. descendent offbe fa.rnily of one ti§dl,(liliZf; he was a son of one .at14'iMgl{I,~~ and. he wrote the wort onaccount of the inscnption eausedm hrm iby htabrother and bytbe gra.ce extended to him by his brother~ '''''''"''''''~.We.re~ ·g~.·.:rA'f W'" ha ve· ~ . no. It b _ - n ablet __~ -- n--~ m -,r --. in £·--rm>.:o'flon abc u~th _lP.~ i _ :rs _ na]

;;rl!!' ;·Fi(~ '" . ..~... _'-' ...... _ ... _ _ . _ ee v_eo co __ ecl~ ~ __ o~ e __ ~o ~~u. _ _ 0 _.~_.e 1_ e,_o___

- -

history of the author.

As regards the date of the 3n.thor n can be ."xed a.pprox:ima.tely from lntem.a1 evidence. He refers fovarlous authors in hts work. hom. som.£! of whom he quetes .. The

promtment autbors he refers toare fil6,j!41Ii (author o.fR:!~idlll@I'Ifi1I)J ij)Hrl~Rkt~1~t ~.'~ ~,:~1I(llloa:rt andi3lIGllI'LLlI~ .. q~·UE4was p'I1obalb~y~iftq q~CllllrIllIi the author o.f the eemmentary 00 36fS1l\"ffi~"111U1I'!'lTi1lqPttl~@h:illn4)1Gf.1,~d, ete., as tbere is notw'ork .fuund so .fa.rby q'QijJiMt, If as such.i!f~i1I~{le:rhiJms.elfrefersto~inhj.s work.The auth.orof ·tlIrlll~rl'(1J111 ~;Cfilll fbe:r-efore,ooures later thatboth ~and·dlH21qfgcl ~(!w. We fhe:r-efure. put the authcr loth.e 17th century .A.D;. U Is likelythat he was a 4l!(~3fI'{m¥l.{i' being a. des(lenda:nt of ~'II{rals of ~n'e Telngu country.

One noteworthy thilil.gis thal he discusses the objedi.on raised tllatthe Vedic tex~ {.tTltt~~~,~?'r.··=il: 'C!lfGIR;j ~n has not been. commented u.pan by ~e:mu;q (fUqoUiU4) the illustrious exegete of fhe Vedas", in. the way the author does .. We: have noted a11aboatfrils 1ft our notes. But he does not say aJ_nythillg butkeeps silent over the diff@.rent in.terpreta.-

Horns of611~i"'w:rni:;nij oif the hvo RIgved.1.C texts, The author does liIntaUe:mpt a.t ex.plaJf'!ln;g away the differen.t inte:rp're~'a.tions.

The' author~s work an thewhol~i5,a notable and successful attempt at e:Shl0Hshing the cr-eed of Lingadharana tn spue of any criticism '~hat may he made agains.t his explanation, Another noteworthy point is tha.t idenHc,aJinterpvetaUon:s of an the Vedic


'18 Lingadbaranachandrika's Work

The Ungadh.a,rana.istbe mos:t'prominelltm,ark aadfeature oEfhe l.in,gayatooUgion. and denotes what jil Is? AU phIlosophy and pra,eUce of the reUgion hitl_geon. it., Rlgbny fhC:f1p.Fbr-c" the' autho:r of theboot.Nand~leshwar'a~~h.tnk$l't "Alto viniUca.t:e' and. establish the creed of wearingUnga on tlrebody mainly on the atLltho:rUy 0,£ cerlain Vedi,(' tex,ts whh:l1 Is hilsop:inion wou~d s~~emil,c-ecaFp'il'1l,g spirits and. f'altllt-Ande:rs. o£fhecrecd~ :nts not onlv '~h" .,0, V~~'~'c' ,""" .... ts h ,,,,, ",g'Y"i" and m ·a· 'l·'""I;'a"]",nl'" b "'I~ the whelaranae 'i""~ ",tl,~·tl'-~..:It.·a~"~,,,_o'an·,· I~k.rl'r Iid!. J ',j' iLL J,~ '. "-UJI,,_ "'1~oI\J. Jil~ L J,.,I;;; ~l~J.:' ID IQHIUJ'. _ J. JL J.', ~ J ll~,11l. _, I 'J~\~I -_ '~J'Il.J J.I~ .,', ,II ~.,l'~. ' _ - ,I o'~: vJj. U.!I:.iIJ _,IJ~,~J!LI..~, ,~\~,'W'~: ,~ __ -_:,_IQ.',_,,_,iI,!I,I~,

n.~e-r,atur-e! 11ket[6i1ftlfl;a-J Puranas, ,and Smrlt:is. supports ,andj!!1stJrHes lthereUgJous pMdple of wearIng Llnga on the body .. At tbe .outset of bis wor.k he s.ta.t@sfhe objiedj(UU;; to fbi,s, prinCiple a!llJdJ starts dlscus8~ol1l ... He begms wUhth@discliJ.ssJJOn about, tbear<illfiPlri4II(OII In tbe fonn .altne search of'~Rrfi:q'I(tUil,g:a the UghtJj.a:s iti:stl'1:!,~ VI2FY basis nf'illTt~?n~t 'He next' proceeds. tOiiillm1ltlHii for q~·:i.Jl"r.. The .au~horinte,rpI~tiStb€ V~dic te'xts BIB l,ayirJ.g d.own Unga.dhitrana with aU pros and cons, with a:n POSSIble 61Djectionsr,aised~refuta.ti!on s,t:ated .and. finally fhe concluston arrived. at. Inthi.s respeet he i:sUke all other' (lomm,CJl'tat-or:s or

"I11:tSQ&'iifs of '~he p,hllosophiC litera'mre .. lt:isf,or seholaes to seeaQiwf,arne i:B SU(lc:ess,llU.1 and. how mnch heis justified :i:n.hl!;j :intel'p'm~tafi()n.. In O'ur oplnt.tIDJ he haspedomt.ed the task adrmrably wen. however .fa.ncifuJ if may Iook.

..... . 'r '~. ... . .~ ',..~... ~

The author takesthree text:s .from the ~111(I!QtI~l'q(~I~~. one .frDm, ther~l0!ttl!tF;itll't ORe

from. ~~~~ and. two fromthe ~~t~. He expl,ains.~h.em a.:s@njo~ningth@ wrecuimg of Linga (~tl2f-#1 ~ I~) .. His Ln.b~~rtl~'alion ~s~ ther~£ore. sGver@ly ,eo:ntr11'VersaaJ and. polemi,c:. H,e :$bow~s hts skm III dl,aJectics and d.ia~ecHcalue6!W1en.l of the slllbje<:t. He seems to be ,q,uire' wleFl versed jn V cdic. Purantk, and. SmrUI lit~ram:r-e, tnthe literature of different'r,eU,giou:s sects,

(Val shnava and other:s.) andl in the six. schools of[ndjan.pb1~osophy~U1kede6~ 'ii!4IIIl4 and i111'iJ li;al' (~ln q 1ft I)~ specially in "the ~a.stFI1 the cou.rse of Ms interpret:a,Uonhe adduces many

~n ..

priru:i:plcs or maxims of ~.ogJi.c established by yrtj~Pi I~r tm support of hts arguments,. He

quotcspmfll.se~y specially from. Plllrnoa.s, and. Agam.as", in stlppmi of the vJ!l2w-poin.ttak:en b'yhtm~ at a. par'Ucu~.nr stage of the d~:scllls:sim\and. act the end .of hi.s explana.tin:ril. {)if a p.aFUcu~,aF fext Inournotes we m.av'e amply. almost 'G'xhaU!sUv,ely,. cemmented on. the'


_ _ L"

EtlC1Jd,opaetUa of t.he Sai'vism

11

Guru. was k.insman to o.fficiate;. Ll~gallie bridegroom." T the bride~ This all the workl to knew; my .father and my mother were

The maumerable samts, 18eholdJthey ha.ve me to a. groom

'Booo:ming Prabbu.~house ... Tlu~:r-efDret Chenn.a.Mallt'kaljunais. my Lord:

No otherhusbends in the world aile aught to me Chenna M,a~Ularjuna :(A~":"l'Ml~"d~~;I·V··.·.·· -11.6.'-. "11 AI 'S--' '8-,)'

,= ""Mf, - __ 'TUi ,-,,,,"V!I!'J' L •• ,t ' J' -:Ii ' J •• -, '.' -" .. ~:

The:sem,arrlagerimals and. rites poin,tfotheperfedequalnygiven by ViraSatvism to man a.n.d.woman inthei.r marltalUfe., F1!.Irther~ to can a. husband. Lord tsmerely to show that Virasal.ves do not think of God. asmere p.lIotector ~ as Mother or Fa.ther. l:n such a. rolanoo;sbi.p of man wUh God~ Virasaivismshows Us greater emphasls on bemgunned with God: 'Lmg.anga.-:samBrasya~ as a husband and wi€e are. ~

Very .few fe,]1g1oush.ave presodbed equalt,aiboos. Eor wife and. husband .. 1m this re'spect~.H.l.ndttlsm.is. known .fOI double standaFd.s in every ,neld .. But ifba.t is n,o,t solin. Vh:a.s.aivisffi. Along:with ,equal ngntst slmllar taboos are i.lnposed on husband and wife. :So~in one context. Basava says::

The lotus lendsthe watergrace, And. h.,Uowsto 'the sea:

A woman 's vi.rw.eis her grace~, Thesky' sthe moen .....

(30 A'M)

:=-,:11_ .u·. ""I

-, . .•. . ....

'Thus, a Virtuous wife ca. Hea.ven toBasava, while a .£aithJess.wlfe is worse than the tormen.ts of heU. Thus he :says:

On.e sfiU can stand wherebumt fhe hearlh~ But could one stand wher,e bum'ttrne earth ? When. the bank, fhiliSty.~ drinks the streams And the fence b1mstu gra_ze~

The wlJe a.t horn.€! to thievish ways Andmother' s mflk to poisonous creamAnd. all seems, part .of acr,az.y dream-sTo w:homshould. I ,compl,ain~. 0 Lord?

(28~ 99 A.M .. )

If sueh is the image of awlfe, an.eq118Uy high standard is expecled .nom ahnsband.

Hets expectelto t,reatnis wire wnh ktndness, respect andaf.fection. .. Basava sarys,: ~'Men are not superior to women amtthe genOe sex. tlltlst be treated wUh. respectand deUc,a.c.y .. Ofh.erwise,woman ~s.IUe tsalso a hell""


110

texts taken iby the a uthor aretobe £oundinil!\ii~itll&1 q fdwJ whieh Is very au fho:rita.itive work

", . ',' . ... ,-' .. , . - " . - ''-... . . .. _. ,- . - .. _- - --' '-,_ . ,,-

fn Sanskrit an. the Veerashawa qqJ:rtlutllid~phnosophy and pracnce, which 1010 st,ates

or steps are sub drvtssons of tSl~~M. The .author:" sexplananens of fhe V,edic texts are a. dia.lecUcalelabora.uon ofthe very short explanations ofthese texts til. ~;a!:dfQH91Iq~11 In simp Ie a~~~m€!tres, All thesehave been. noted In our notes, All Iah.~'r Sanskrrt writers o.f renginu.s books follow the lead given by fti;;;G]il1iilrmr:lliir.BILl t U ma ybe said. to the' credit .of Nandfkeshwar that the polerete dtssertatlons .a.rerernarkaMy successful-We lea.",!'! it to ourreaders to judge forthemselves about these dissertanens. The last section. of fbeooo,k 18 devoted to the vlnd~caUon of~:be antherttativenesa of Sh:ivagamas .. Tlnsts stmilarrto 1I1~1jII11:ll1Ij4' sfreattse (atPltij $I I~I I, (Iq.'U wri.tlen to establi.sb the authoritali.v,eness. of Vaishn,ava.gamas. In. this connection we refer readers to. our ,essay on the Agamasin section vn and to our notes on she las:l seceon of Lingadharan.achandrika.

The Commentary and the Commentator of Li.ngadhlranacbandriki

The work has been. commented nponbyP'and.1t'W.ll1iNyttllrqftrCft,1:Mlrt of Benares, Tbeeommentary is named. H~I,t~:r as,signify~ngb) throw bl'HUant moonligh'[ on the text so a.sto make it clear and easily int,emglble to readers .. He has dune his work wen. But It is aJ. sorry fact that the Pandrt, though a ~q:ffi~ does netknow .anything of the Lingay,a.·t or Veerashatva religion.. His commentary in naturally profuse and elaborate on the Vedic tex~ quoted by Nandikeshwar .. But his commeraaryfs very brief and. doesnot tnT-OW any light ()n~:heprjndples of the Lingay-at religion. It may be none of his. fault asthe eommentator was 11.0 Lmgayat and had not s:tud!jed, or rather,haa. no reason to study Lmgayat religious books well .. I:n. many places he explains wrong .. Pormstenee his commentary on ~@[Cjj~.l :a~UqIIH~qltll{q ~m~l;r .~ ..' ----;J-~nt (mxt~ pa.g@ 4)i s quite maccura t@~ because he tak.es«6tJtn~ 91 as y~~qllltR1J wlili,ch isrepttd.iated. by Lingayatllsm on account of fhe~l~n~NIB111Itaug.htby it. The' re~~valilt porii.on oEthe comm~rilt:aryis:

~rrf't ~""I-·lq=d::ri'IRl:m.·_ 'Q:T-IQ= .. ij)=. ~=~ II~q~:::r, RHi_JBr.·:;a •..• ·...~. ~ ~! i ij!Jlll~i \lI filll;fiJIi]CihRii ~EI' ~ I =ts~~iilrl i1:fi<J11 ~1ft;Yi{~~H' "!I

ti:imsrq '~';r '~1''4 "~Rll, ~I;:q<il, cite. etc," In someplaces he ~:sv,ery unsympafhehc and adverse to theauthor .. The commentary an. th.e",~ 1I~:~~~~lfa4<OI~I~~H quoted bytbe a nthor (see p,age '70 offhe t@xt),wHI m,ak!etnils ev~dent. Iti.s:q\i1~ 1:ffr:I' 'qlJlaq' 'i,JilI.fiJIIRi4i(tlI41 ~!f' im q IltlJl-11lr;Ul§q:IIi5-GfillaJi51;11ICll%~1,qi41i4'1#1~~1I\J i9~, ~. I ~ ~ ~,OO,"tI~fti".'t\ijr~_ ~ ijlfaRl ~~:d ·fqiITfq'~f~~l~~fl: 14{~f @lra~I~q)RI~a(1i~'1'EbfllRlli)§UF4~rlli~I~I~~l&n~~1 r~lq4lPII~'4qIM~Tql\ii1j'1II_~:lij~ I:

The oom.mentat?f was paid for the 'commentary andhe did his d.utya.ccordi,ngly as a haek-writer .. He makes no. secr~t of this ami he says in one of his invoeatorry verses:


.Encyclopaedia ,oj'the' Safvism

III

'ffiiiI$lUlrt1~lSIllllUtQ 34~ijliiil' I Mlljfq M,~lfI~,I~~fd '9i1'jJ'ldY:1

The commentator, therefore, does it as a ma tter of bu stnese and not beca use he wanted toexp,h:dn the religiQus pfinCi.ples wen for thebehoof of the students of compare-

Uve Religion .. OthercommentabJrs. like ql:~rNFaflr$ft ~·anda.host of others have immortalised themselvee by explaU:Hng the works theycommenred on, because they loved the Shastras and loved to' explain out of admiration for or luU faUh mthe pnactples of the Shastras., Thetrs was sympathy and love for learning for Us 'Own sake and desired

to conveythe ]!eamingthroughfhei:f eommentary, But in the case of'Pandtt ~~lq4§iIi !tit was a di.f.f13'ren:t maHer~ lu1z..monetary g'ain. He w,as nei.,{'hera IJngay,a't no:r astudent o.f Lingayat re]~SI!oUs,Utu.ctture .. He~theref6re~ lacked the equipmentr,cquired and expected of a. commentato:r. namely, sympathy andrealmssght intothe rce:Ugion.We do not and should not reasonab~y find fault wuh his cnmm.enta:ry.We m.ay s:i:mptypo~nt out that ~he

Swami o.fKa.s.him.alh Q:a_nga.llilwadi of&mares)~ a pontifical se,"d,.offtWql{~!6'tr one ofthe fiv,e

Unga.yat~ftlll~,S. could find no competent Lingaya~'scho~a.r~o 'comment on. the work. It shows a sad bankru.pt!:y of SansKnf' scholars, amongt.he Ungayats. The Sw,a.mls t:he:mse:~ve'.s.the' heads of SUCh nI,gh sees and. slmnarblg lnfluel1Ua~ matins. shouJd lack in requiSite scholarship andins.lght inilo thei.r own r-engio[1l~ ferthe premulgatton and propagation of whkh th.ey are imbmded"is a. reg rettabl e Icommenbuy onthe present state o·f affairsand~h,eprcsent of the Lingaya.tJlelI~Qn. It wasthef,efore,thou,ghi proper not to print the commenct,ary alongwith the text


'19

The Lingaraja Temple

The Brahm!es;var a temple wa.s built by I<Jola,vali:Devi~ the mother of Mahar,aj,adbtr,a;ja. Udyota Kesad and this Udyota Kesarl is no otbertha:nthel<ing of the same' narnewhogranted fheB!aUjhad copperplate. As the na.me Udyota Kesari. lJ:j, found, after Mahasivagupta Dharmarafha, who was defeated. by RaJendra Cho~a 10124-215 A.D.~ his date istobe assigned after ]025 A.D. Twokifl,gsnam;ed N.ahut?1:1 andYayai, II preceded Udyota. and lfw.e allot 25 to 30 ye'arsfbrfhem. fhe da1te.of sueeessien o.fUdyota Kesan can be a,ss,i~gned to 1050-1055. A.D., and. the date of ~he Brahmesvara temple which was erected in the 1. 8th. year of hlsrelgrtthus c·omeslo semenme near 1070 A.n. R. Chanda. wri.teSiJl hi S .I1Ote Oll. The [.!1ngaraj:ao'l' the G:rea,t temple of.B.hub:anesrv.artha t ~be'tween.th.e style of decoration . .of the Brahmesvara. and the Lin.gara.ja.(here is considerablerese'mbla_nc.e~. i The B:rahmes:var,a and. the Unga.raja represent a. single line of arlistl:ctr,ad1.HOfiltthe la.tter monument harvingib@~n.ln aUprobabilitY'l'!l1ededby (lneoflhea:m:es~or:s ofUdyofaKeSad~ say about 1:004 A.D.'"

'The Gan.g:a. ktlil.gRaja.r,aja ] of Kalil1g:anag,ara defeated the king of Utkalatn 10i~ 76 A.D. On. the other hand the in:scripHons 01 Yayali II ,and UdyolaiCesad showtbe '-,.'1,] enccand eower ~ftbe·. 8"0' im"'I'k'l~lli K-=>~-ri: dvnestv ,o'f~I'S3and the . weakness ryf·· it··~ .. ,D.:"". oplLl..cnce BL_ po. '.' e_ v___ ... _~_~~ •• '!"L _~ ... sa __ ._y_ay ... ~ vuS~_____ .. ~~.H .......... , .u""'

dynasty may natttrally be atmbutedto a succ-essoro,fUdyo~a K~SaFi,a.fieF his: death befere 10175 A.,D. During the period of 50 yealI'srrom lO!23 to l07S .A.D.. we fmdfrom In.cripitlons of the SomaJkuliJ lk:~ng:s the names of Nahm:hl, Yayan and Udyota Ke.sati and as fhe Brahmesvara templewas bu.ilt intbe 18th year of reign of Udyota Kesa:ti~ wem.ay safely say Ula.t Ud.yota. Kesa:r1. ascended the throne about in. 1050 A,D.lf 20 yoa.~s are allotted to YayaH 11. he ascended th.e thr-Olil,e in 10301 A.D. Stirling recorded thefoll,owing ib'adtHon in connccHoo wifh.the oonsb-udi.OO. of the l.ing~arajatemple:: "Towards the cloae .o.fhis lIeign Rata Yaryan Kesarl beg/an the butldmgs at Bhubaneswar."

Ananta Kesan.the second sUQcessor.of YayatJ .• '!!began. the huHding .of the great

.. ~:" I, .·1·~· ,'f'.'B:h-·!'b,'\ane. swar," ~··He .• ' W "'I s· '. su eeeded 11\1." taJillndra Kesad a It), -rS··~la.01 -~ c:f'·1fii.,c,.,h' .. '

d2:mpe a ".1.L 6 _._ .__ . ~ , .. _" "" , _) _. .. _ .. _ _ .. _.~ __ JJ;e- .!,,~.,o. , 0" J!il-8-

repute mthelegends .of the 1i3htibaneswar temple, in conaequence of his having bUilt or completedthe great pagoda a.t that place sacred to Mahedeo under Hl:e tlUe of tbe Linga Raj Bhubaneswar,"

Tti.s aU !pos:sjb~ethat Ithe gre,at structure Is a wiQ,rt oftw'o ,generaHons and the c-onstructi,on of the fcm.ple was !begun by Y,aya.U Iltowards the dos@o,f.nlsr-mgn and.


114

holdinga :Sakti fun the ]:ef~hand. An. i.m.age ofM,ahlsam,ardhli Is to he found on the :SOI.d~,em facade ofthe Jagmnnhatm .. The only tm"g~ofLakunsa appears. on. the .fron.t Ea!cade ,of file sanctuary. Here ta~tlli Jig ac-enmpani,ed by fottl'llgu,es .• t~o an 'ead:~ :s:iJde. One ,gf:the' intelc'snng scene of Slva':s marriage of Nanda~Yasod.a arid Slri'kri~b1)a a.re a]eo ~onnd an the body of fhetem.plc' .. Wifhout, aUf doubt. it can be said fhat Ule temple O'r L~nga_l'aiia iis

the mosiiimpartantSa.i.v.amanumen.ts not only of Onssa.but ,R.l:so of Ind.la. - -


113

completed by Udynta.iGesatl at ihe beginning of his r-eigrt aJ.fter 1050 A.D. It seems to m€! that Lalalendu or'tala~a lltdr:a was a. ti.tle: of' Udyota. Kcsan and the frad1.itl<on has onJy acoptedthe fifleand not the name, There Is a cave caned Lala.te:nau Kesarfscave ill. the Kl1.andagi.n.hln~ 1butthe inSc:ripUon .in 1.t refers of Udyot'a. l<esarlwho was r,e,a~~y the Lalatenduor the .Moon O!f theforeh'etul of 'the Somakuh I<12sari kings in COfis:eq,u.en.c@ of his having baHt or' completedltbe great Lil1igaraja temple at Bhubeneswar. So Chanda's suggesUofl of 1000 A.D .. fo.rtbe date of the lalngarajatcmple accepted by Dr .. A.I<. Cemmaraswaenyand Mr.Parey E.ro1Ntilnceds,conecUon. acco:.rdingtotbenevl e'p)graplhic.a~ evidence now available ,and. the datle oHhe Unga.raJa temple canbe safely ,aSSigned to the mtddle of the t lth century A.D.

Liftgar,aj,a Temple

The temple ofLlngaraJai.s lbyfarthe mostnotable femp~enotonly ofBblLlbaneswar" but 09180 of Orissa and aecordmgto scholars IS also one .of the best a.rchaBo~ogl.cal monuments of the 'east. Pen:y Brown assigns 1000 A.D. aethe date ofIL.ing:al'i~a temple .. But K.C.Pan~gr,ahjj. t~]nk:s tha.t:!it was bUlltin about A.D. 1.060 .. The constructtoncf the Lmgaraj,i1i temple'marks the culmina.nngpointoHhe a.rchU~turalacti.viU@s,at 13.nm:banesw'ar. it sta.uds in the midst·o:f a. number of smallertemples within a spacteus compound of measimng 520 feet fn le:i.'lgtl1.flud 465 .feet inbreadth, R.n. Ban~rji describes from his personal observanon that the sanctuary 18 a hallow pyramrd ccmposed of several super imposed ,cha.m.be~s,the access to which IS Obf3.1 ned. by a stail'lcase bUilt through the fhlcJm.es:s of the wall. The Li~\ga.r,a~a conststs of .four stm9rures which eompnse the fuHy developed.Ortssan temple-type, name]ythe DeuE, or S:rauumdi:r as it is caned. in this parUcu),ar:instance, correspoo.dingto fhe Vimana in . other pa_rt:s,thepiUarod .Hatl of JagamloJmJm.~ the Dandng Halt .or Naf-Mcmdtr and fhe han o.f of~@ring:s~ or Bhogn Mmldir. Undoubtedly~ themo·sfl:mpressiv,e feature ofthis templeis the gireat tower ofthe Sr,i Mand.lr. a:sUdominat@snot only the entire OOffiposU:ton butthewhole·town ofBhulbanc:8war with Us h 'eIght andvolume .. The sanctuary tsa .Pa!ica~ft1tha deu:lhavll1.g dose archibx:tur,aJ afAnUjE!S wUhfhe Bmhmesvara t~mp~e .. There are clear evidences to indiCate thatthe Jagamohana was a later addttion, but- s~nce both the sculptnres arebuilt of tbe: same type of sandstone andhave the seulpturcs repmsentlng the same' line of an is tic tradlUon they m.ay belong lathe same penod, Both the Nata-mandna and 'the Bhoga. M,andira.re apen halls but the £ormer has a Oat roof while the later has pida~e~ll ..

Th.edi.kpiiZas with fh.etr distinctive mounts and. aJ.tcrlbutes appear on the temple waUs not on. the iagamonana .. The ]images of Gal).p.sa.~ Ka.rmI<.eya. andParvatt appear respccUve:ly on. the southern, western. and. northern niches of the sanctuary, The life-size images .of the P:ir,sm~DevaM5 are .an in dh1arUe which must have been imported from a. distant place and were used toel:1su;re gr~ate.r p@r:mal1€!l:IIc~ and to baring outnnef' d.ef,aUs of arflsti.c.d.esilngs. Among the'.cuHimages. the image of Karffikeya. occupies an. important pOSU.lJOll on fhechattya arch m the east. He Is show.n here asrld~ng on a ]peaoock and


2'0 Lingodbhavamurti in North Indian Art

The concept ofLhr..gudbhav,amfirfl of Siv'a can betraced in the Sauplikaparva ofthe Mahdb1M'r:aftl~where Sanjaya related fhat when Asvatfhama the son of Dro~acarya~ i:n,voked.the aid of Siva~t11e latter suddenly appeared before hnn as a golden alterwith flames of nrebblzing lo,ut of it.

~:RI ~ d1i41t1d$lIi;qII_ wniffiol,l: I :91n:a II1[Chi~lt ~,tI my 1r:r:'~ndrl?ij?i~:04jn-::, ,61T.;1t'!::rT_ . ~'1: I I

dllIf~iji 'ijGT' (IGf~I$l14;I~jN~II;q:d ~l

"« 'fbA"(qra~T~ @"ij, iii!l1€Ufqftq ~.I ~i

The PU:r,r,a,J;ti,C story of the Lingodibha.vamum has, boon VI"V,id]y descr.ibedin, the Si'oo, .Li:ri'ga and a fewofherS,ahr,aPm·ar;ms. 'The story goes tbat atthe'Ume of disp uHn.,g their individual claims £or the creation. of fhe untverse.Brabma and VI~l'lU destred to find out fhetop andlthe bottom. of abJazing pinar and, hancefwentinllie lorm.of a sawn and aboar u.pwa.rds and. dOVolllw.;:trdsrespernv,e]y. Butne:itlle:r oE fhem c-ou.ld reach ,8.t the top or the bottom of the immeasurable Siva.-Ulig!a. Bhabmat however, .falsely uttered. fhathe had rea,cned.fheto:p of the JynfirFinga and. num.it hadbrou.ght a petal of the KetakifiJow.er as 8J. witness 'OEMs pedonna.1ill'ce. 1ButVi~yu confessed In.aUhumUity his :ina'bilityto discover Ute lower end oftheglganUc pinal" .. Siva appr,edated. Vi~t;lu forMs honesty, butcursed Br,ahma . fer not to reeetve any worship onearth,

The my'fbo~ogy 1 though ,qtJ.1teinteFeSitlng~ ~1.s undoubtedly sectananm cllaracter) for it lays stress in a pronounced mannernot onJyof the immense superi.<:xtl.ty OfSlv,a. over thetw,o other members of the ]B,rallmat;tiCal triad Brath:mi and Vi.$uu,.but:i.t also a.Hempts to explamtheF'eason why8r.ahma dj.d notandl c-ould not h,a.ve a sect developin_gar-uund him/

ArchateologtcaJ evideace also tells us the same story. The depiction of this tbeme known as Li"godbhavaml!t'rtl,has fuund a. moreplenHftd lconograpllicexpreSSion 1.9 South. India than.tn fhe North. Images 0.£ thi.svariety ea:rlierthan.the early mediev penod


down below In bont oftille ,oolumn~ which. we do not .firnd in the sculptures of North Jndta .. Some fine s(;ulpmres of the .c:Ola period executed lntypica1 South Indl,antradlHonare

= '_' , -

dlsplayedm the Nauonal Musellm,. New Delhi. the' Cu:v,ernment Museem, Madras, the

Ur.lt1shMuseum, london and the M1LIsh~e Guimef. Paris ..


116

have not yelt been found from any part of NorHl India, 'Ihe earliest example of Un,godbh.avamuru~s frQmEtan. (U.P.)and. is now disp'b~j.yed. in the Bbaral Kala. Bhawana" Va_:rana.sLTh1s )yotirUnga.. carved. inh~glh relief~ is shown emenatmgfrom a mil 1blolwn. lotus, with flames shooting upwards on its stdes .. Brahmaand Vi~~u are depicted sea'ted. on lotuses in reverential attltud.e with their hands held near tnee:he'in adoration to admit the snpedority of Siva-Mahideva~the Great God. who is imm,ane:lilt and mcomprehens,ible .. On the lower left corn,e:r of tbis majestic column, Vi~u shown. bon-owIng down into the earth to trace the lower end of U. Tbe Image thoughbacUy damaged at places, is yet am eXlieUentexample of the Pranhara art of 8th .. 9th. century A.D.

The weUkri.Qwn VedIc doctnne that Rudra <or Swa) is the God. ,ofFbeis also revealed In another important icon of tihi,s type carved. on fheManadev,a temple, Stmn,anafha In the Cutlack disindo€Orissa. Here, Brahm,s and. VI~ou ave represented on mhe len and the :right sides respectively altha nammg pm.ar ascending and descending in COUF:se offathomj:n.g its top and the bottom .. Th@ir changed positi,on in this particular lmageJ.s worth-noticing and.beslde:s this. unlike his ofhe~ tmages, Br.a_hma is shownhere

one-faced only, 'The image is a ftneprodud of tbe9th cenrury A.D.. .

An cx.quisitely carved Linno.d:bhavam1Jlt'ti was fou.nd. some years ago in the Siva temple at Harsahtll, near Sika.r (Rajla.sfhan) and is now preserved mjhe Rajputar Museum, AJm,er. The long slendercahrmn mthecentrehas on its sides theexeeller flgln:,es of BlI'alitma. and. Vi.~lt;nti!1in fhe-ad of soa.ting u.pwar-d.s a:fid.comlfig downward m:specnvely. The two gods ar-e shown again flanking the piUar as the respedful attendance 0,£ Slv,a" Th.ey holds their usual attributes and are also accompanied by their Viinnnar. Som.e aceessoryflg:ures are deplcted clustermg round the upperpart for the linga wbjch IS slightly damaged. This is one 'Of the fines·t Uftgod1bhavanlilrus Eound anywhere and. can be detedto fh.€' Ca!uhana pe:dod~ 10th century A.D.

Besides these, a fewmo1teimages of thi5,typea,[C also kn:o'wn.in plasne art on Norlh India .. A magnIficent temple oftamiba. in. the Jodhpur Divisj,on. built dunngthe PraHha.rapedod. has an. image of Ungodbha.vamftrH with the figures O'f Urahma and Vb?Qu :shown in usual pose on. its ·eIth.er sid.e.

Another fine .im,age of tnlS vadety can. be se~ on the Somesvaratemple at ]Grid lTl! BaQmer djsfrlct of Raj,asthan. A seated .flgure of Shra. is executed on the Linga while fbe :Images 0.£ Brahmaand Vi~tj'lu as stl:ppnc:ants are shown em Us rl.gll.tand. left sjdes respectively. This :fine panel can. be a.ssigned. to theI'lth em.tury A.D ..

Thu- W-. have .. s···'¥""tnbtleJs~me· .-,vada·.b~ll~" -x-·m-·-·~~~-. ,~·f· ~tr·-. T ~I,'.-d,b-,lr·:li- m :-:·I·~:-.

_____ s .. e _ _ _ ... ..., ... ~ ~ ..... __ " (1. __ ~_" ~e e __ a~_p _ ... 5 0 I~ue L .. d'l,gO" .ual.vamuuIS

bail'il1l,g from various parts o,f North India. Bu.t In. South Ind:ia~sculpt:uFes depicting t11l1;5 these wen! faahion.ed! in a dlfIerent wa.y .. Tbebea.utiful sculptures smdd0d. on tbew,aUs of thetemples in South .India geneJ'.aUy show Siva as Cu_Rc);ra;se_khara maJe'Siti,caUy standing in .sa:mabharlg,npoge inside an. eUipocal ccavity (someUmeshaving flames on the outer rim) on the surfaceof the piu'arwifh decoranons on.its~0'P' The wur91nned. deity.hold.sa.battleaxe and an ante]o.pe 1n his u,!pper hands, his lower' right hand in .abhaya-:mudra and the couespon:djn_g leltl ts te'Stmg: Qn.thehip. ]B'rahma. liS :usuaUy sub:sti.ru.t-ed. by bis vanana, a swan~ depl!oed .f!Iy:in.g.an the top ~eft'oornel' and. the boar-faced Vi~o.tl 'IS shawn vQrrOWin_g


,.

L·t·· S·--·· . f ··S· I • ..

rterary Sourcesor Sarvtsm

Oarlitulmry sources mainly coosi.st oftbe e;x.~erd MahapUrat)i,a:sand Uparpl1!t'ioas which present a. very rich eollecnon of malenalfor the: study of the d.e:velopment of Salvi;sm~ its vanous cults, pra,cfice8~ntuajs, and Us hl,s,t,o'il)' lFvom the sixth to the twelfth cen.tu.ry A'D .. The structure of the PuriiJoas was an atiemp'tto proyldean ~n.~egrat-ed.w()dd vlew oEfhe past andpresen.t, ltn.kin,g€rvent15 totheemer,8I.mc:e ofa deity or a.:sed S:1nce each PUrltt~,a.wa.s d,ed.l,cated. to such a one, We cannev,er be :su__mthat the details, ,giVmil l_ntbe various Pur'm.· as exhausts all that· belung_.· •. s to the d:i.fferent sects and the:lrrimal~:sHc

~I - - I

practices, ThePlll"2i])a,s are simply speakmgl1cligiJons. stories in. whi.ch figu.oo ,deifies· and m,a:ny :semi-(Uvine charac~ers. The PuraftlC llt-erature constitutes ,il. v,ast sou_j',oo oftJhe ancient Indian 'tradition. ThePlluanic ~~teraru.re 'coo:sHmtes a vast souree ofth.e: admit Indian tr.a.d.tti.on,. mythology ,and culture and the Pu.t'a~a;s ,arefefJ,l,ete wUh themyrth.sand 1.egendsr-egIBt'dlng Sa.iva. di.v.iniloes .. ln.f,actnften a pIIoblem may ertse due to t'n.emlom1n'I1$ wealth of mforma:tionlliat;ha:s lobe encountered m fhePura~as.nds~s becaese myihographe:ts have ,gJone O1n adding,. al1t.ertng" selecting, embellisblng and "mod,em~sln,g:i' the myfhs. 'The PU.r,iir.taJs fa!c:Uita.too fh.e ,albsorpnlon ·of local mytlls and.I,egen.ds. Often the odginalmyth gets buried to sncha. degree' fha.tit becomes ,almost 'Opaque.

A- cum'lft' -- .... 'fha,this·,tr"n""al:;one"';!o···:l!1'~:- . .rnS! c "t: akes Hil-- f,~rrn .,f hi:-:ct ~ :n:""al w~:W~~ .. -. __ , __ ~ c;

~ _58 ~ _g "~ .. _v "" c ~ __ sn .... sa __ if!. e _ ... ~ ... ~S _011,',,,,_ -JiU.'-IUClB~, W~

can depend ontheseInyths~o reveal the Imvol.ve:m.en.t .0,' and norms and. e:.xpeda1H,cullS ,o:f fhcculture. The s~gnincan.c-e of myth lies m its ibemg the: scU ima~e ()f a. given ClIIDture ,@xpreSSifi,g its ,soc]a~ ass,tnnptions,. Myth wastransmiooed orally In its eadiest phaJ~. There is evidence to suggest. tihatfhePuranict-ex:ts, were transla.ted from the ():r,al Pri~ tothel;at@t Ilt-e.ra.t-e San.skri.t.. 'The PUFW)as repre,sen tt11!et\. an, tn"t~'rpretaI10n orcladlcaHon o.fthe SnlUr~vealingthe eternal i.mmutable truth in. ,B. oomprehens.iblelonn~D ali mankind in his cllan.gtngM.storica~ sUua.Hon. H'ence we .Andfha.t the aIP'paF,enHy senseless myths SJO' iUogi.caUy put t-oge,the:r in our' Pura~a:s have a lPeodiarbasb;, ~nreality .. Thou,gh v~ often. the n:i:s:todca] In.rorm,atiJonln such. wrlHnglSAot a~w,a.ysv.tsjible yet it has t-obe prised :tt,o,m sucb S!Ol!Ut'eS which tend to cooc~aJ n ..

'TJhI -,,~ a t'.I'nl--'r,o~ ''''''"'h~-.n.~4~ ·m--:."if.,-t"",o- Ic •. ITY.~'. ~ .. -. l",~, th - ,0::;... P--:-":~'r':;ln-c asshould 1!..-:; Q ... l~~,'" ·n-· .Q ... qc,s-,-,,,,,.oliI'1i1.~ ', .... ""." .•

L 'OJ I~ '-'-'Lrr'-'- .. ,g ..... __ , 1!j;,U !~'h; • .; _'~'_I -I,'~" "'\~" '0.'/' _~I~_J "'_J~'I;;i L" u~.g_'II. J __ bI.:L., _' ' __ ~ ~ 1II;;i~"Ij.,,~~I~ .. _~'!Ir~!WI .. -~_"'.I_ J'; ~u

to account for ~he mwltJ.voca]ity oEthem.yths. Far jwst asthere a.rem,anym'E!Mm,gs and tne'mes tha.t ma.y beextladoo in a. myth $ofh~e ,are'manythem!es an.Gln.terpr-eta.Hon:stha,t


12

Basava says:

-ShouJd the kingrag~!,

You must depart HIs kingdom:

Should a husband rage.;, Tbe wiFe must leave .....

(824D~H .. )

Thus, mutua] love and. gul.d,an!ce a.r,€! thebases of a happy family .. Nelthe:r rom nor woman tsallowed to v.onatemadta.lfJd.ellty .. Actually. fhls. is consldere9]as the most hemous $,lnln fheworld.

Basava says~

Thave no fear of streaking snake,

Nor point of sword, nor tongue 0.£ flame; There's onefhing makes Illy' whole heart shake. T tremble atthe naza.if-dous g.a.m,e Anothel"swUe or w,ealfh may make 'I

In days of old;, Ravana 's knell was bold

B,ut soon 'Ravana;'sknell was toned

On~y tuthin:k, my heart grows cold,

.a Kudal,B Sangama Lord,

(~,"~0(1'''''(r ,til"'''::: '"'!'1'>,,a. 'n""'A,··· ~ AI g,,:-. p ;M •• ~A····),

_,D:>Ii,t,.::;:I""'I~1!J;ji ~o JJ ... _: I .. !;JIiI! L . _ ... iI!J!'~\IJ~ ~, '~"i .. , ,III I -"'I

Simnady~ .0'£ a faithlesswi.fe be saysibat her nose should be cut ouf. Owing to fhJ:s· complete ,equa~itanan tteatm,ent meted out to woman. alongwithm8!1l~iin. the marital sphere woman's lRlage inVlrasai.vi:s:mis,n~aJlye_nViabl,e. Thougn Dasilva dl.af'tlota:pp'(Ove of too many rituals lur Virasaivas", Virasa:iv,a men and wo:m,en~ Jiving as, they do.1n ~rm_d where Eestiva~s and. rtw,alsare a part andpar()e~ onHe~ dope:rform ,a.'V'anety ofritna]:s), m~e' thenamJngc-eremonyofctdldr,en~~tllehou~wann.mg celletnonywhlle~'!Sa!mpa1faSbW'awal' Pooja" and such others are perfermed only by women. and 'enjoyed amongth.emselves .. Further; alo~gwUh otherrttuals, Vi.rasaivawoman.celeibra.te 'pregn,ancy'cere·m.ontest ,and

l~t,·L. _, . ,t·;L.::... -H- :·,·;.dl·I·, " ':~'I' 11··, . '· ... -·1· ted wtthfan ''''~··-,,·'G: .·I'r·:,c·t~"c,·.l·:fi'- e:-·I~t.nu,t-·b-, g~~O"s,u:bt''''-4 .au ._I.d3: O .. l~ler ... nil. .. I!1.r.I.I~ua.~s assoaa.i;;'1U WJ. .. I.~ . .amll.y o.r " .. n.ntlS .. na.,_Le~ Wl~"'b ... __ I ...... IJIL~ .. '_')'~~

to any cH:saOnmesand segregations like. those: of a Hilldu w():man.

Regardllng the econenueaspects of ra~mily life.,8asa.va was agamstfuoar-di!1l;g:and inheritance .of pr:operty viewmg fheseas unnecessary and evil He says:

As though you wouJd live for ever 8_nd not die. YOI!1 hoard you:r wealth.Ba t sbould.Fifie end!~

Death should ,come~theJ.)ewOil.dd be none tOe1lJoy your wealth ~ Do not hoard wealth~burrOWitlgtbeearth I:

v .-~ ~'l.:- 11~ :-- . ·.1,- ~ •. ,e ".·i.t-' ~'..' ., • . . . .~ t ~

••• I. au. mm ... yom .Ieave. . LO your WuG,


.EfWjlclopaedia O'f t.he Sa.iviSl1il

119

have been or might be appUed to fllesemyths,. It lS dear thaItthere can. be no mHlloUthic 01' ~:heoFyfo·:rthe explanation of myths" The mythsmay 'be intetpretedelther in the eUologjcal~ narraHve.metaphodca]~, cosmologicaJ 'Or soci~psychologica]mefbod,. 'The na,naUve lev1e] is the story itself in ,an i.ts vefs,j,onSI' The m.etaphoricleve'lis one in whi.ch thethem.e'Sin the narrattve level link oneparfiCUl[ar myfbto other ill 'the same or different cydes., Atfhe cosmologJ,caJ [eve[we .findthe more abstraet noHons of .blrma and. power relattons in the universe expressed, .for example, jn the tension between eroHc(;leSireand ascetic restra:int. In. the social and psychologi.cal dimen;sJ:ons .of them.yihs we have their meanmgs ferhumen life andactton. The etlo]ogical meanmg joins fhe narraHve. metaphorical and sod~psyc-ho[ogicalleveIsl'

TIl --' p.'u,r.an. as-.-· ·Uhe· -m selve .. '$-' do not ~·-=!e-m lI'),a·~I~'~] arlr-y· ... ' inte-re- ,st',e,d· I~nl 10- e« ·a·- ·tin··- :. c. ~~. =--.

e , .-__ _ -.._ _,VI ~ _VI _ o;n.. __ ~ iF-iI. U'-'''''''' r- ~__ __ .:Y~._"" _ :g U.l€lI

m.ytbological materials in relation tonistorlcal 'events; the stones of the gods and. the rituals and mnra]prescrttptiml.s arenmeless and always valid In the:i:rappU,ca.Uon to particular SU.[UlUon. Our a.pproach does not depend on dete:nniningwhich myths alee prior to which. other as the', a.llconsti!tu ~e an ongoing tradition. of stOFY belonging to an 'e-vnlv~ng oral andte:x:tual tra:dUl.on. Thecalts, pr,adicesl~rites and custom.s di,sClllssea in the Puranas.are not tbe plIodoction. ofa s1oglesodal dtctator Of of a parHcullar'perioG of tiIne

11-, I, ·t·· " :"', '."'-.-"- :"'t'~.,;l 'fro. m eeneratto n to P!eJ\'- --r.·a·· 'H'""", and reshaeed 'P'1"a~ua··· U--to. 'p." resent a

uLt were ["eVI~u.'m ,g ... __ 1<11 ~,~ ..... '1';)- _e __ 'U.V.L~ a_ __ __ y .... __ o~--u y _: _ ...... n. a

certain character with sach addlUornS}ilSlhe satiety demanded .. An a.ttemptl.s, ~eingm.ade to. dehneatethe salLn€!: feamre of the Saiva cults as they are manifested inth.e PUFaQ.as ]by those wnoau.ihoredthePttriQas ... Anin:t-e_resHng .£acettha.t we comeacross js.tlile .culnc tension. noticeable amongst d.e:tftes .. In some cases the cults are not d:i.5cl!lssed but ju.st myths andattrfbutesefthe demes al'c:aHacted.We consider this an important part ofonf study that is to nonce and a~mplify the toosion. 'Of rival cults and sometimes. even. deiHJes ofa single cult .. C'ultassimnathm does not necessarily imply harmomoua sy:ncrensmbut would neverthelesis Imply the formaHon .of a. slructur-ewhld1 combines heterogeneous beliefs and ti.tua~s JJnt08J. whole." whUe makJn.g andtrans,formmg :spedfic elements as dOn:1rinant:.

The paSl!.rpatas wer-e possihly the earliest, and. certainly themos1linflulenUal of not orilythe S.aJva" but of most ofthe 01US prevalent in our period .. ThemajoriltyoffhePuril)\\a:s referto the Pasupata ctilt ..

- Th.eP,arsupat:as make anon.tological di.stin.ction.betw'een. the indIVidual saull(pa.su),.

god (patl)~. and th.e .fetters· of this wodd. fpi.Si1:). 'Their basic metaphysical posiUo:nls thus both dualist and mnnofhei's·t:iJc. The grace of god 1S bel~eved. to be essential tor salvation wh.lIchls concet.ved of as, antnrimate a.ssoda.tlon of the soul wi.th Siva. (Ruclrasdlpjya). Individual :sotds (pn:Sl:t) wanderlng :1n the sav.z,sara' aretied by a noose (puSn) to w'Oddly extstence by Pasupat:lJ who 'throu.gh. sporHvenessb~nd.s the souls and hence can liberate them.fr(,ltn thebondsof maya. Thepafh to]iberaHon difFe!~s&om PUraQ.ato pgra~a,. Inmost oftnecasc:s we. find fhe sag¢s asking tobeexplainedthese dtfler-ern.tten:ns.. In.onein.stan.ce I<t$Q,aasKs Upamanytl.!~Howls the Jord.known.as Pasupati ?Who are the past ?Inanofher slm.Har case sages are asklng Vayn as to how Kt:!?1J8. had obtained. P.asl!Jtpa.ta-1wafu ? This tsextremely relevant to exfenua.te the clann that in. our Hm.efile: P,a:supata sectand


121.

pedorming penances inaccessIble to ,d.evas and danalUl's and Pa;supa.ta. rite has been evolved by me ... It Is evolvedm secret ana. i.s un.lntelUg~ble to the nn:in.teUJJgent. In some respects it agrees wuh {he functions of differentcasttds a_nd. stages oflifu .. In semereepects it is conh'aryto 'them. It is determmed !hythe meanmgs of the Vedic passages. It 113 conductive to HbetaUotl from bondage olindividual souls, It can befoUow,ed !bya. person in. ,any stage ofelann, '~Reqll:estedby them I produced a Sa~hita which contamed rules Ear VecUc .ntes as weU."" Here' we finda. clear auem.pt toepitomlze the fea,tu.res of fhe pastl.pata,cun that wouldappeal to the orthodox Brabamat;lias,. Ifthe P'asup,ata cult had a. herenc streak tn It. it is certainly'" ~ not hlg· '·hli:c:".-ht-ed here. In the Brahm.aftPu't:ana alse there

., I... ,0' ~,

is a s~mi,~ar statement that 4"in some rcsped U ~migh~' ,coo:~O!rm to the diSCiplin,ed life of four ~.-, ··t, ss .... nd in s om . f! .. , •.• , .... ts l~" . av n ,~'b'-~'~·It.· ~ '~'fi'-- ~It··· -l~-l" ;f,'~ ,-,-, .•..•• ~; ,e-'ll:_' 'i'-" ,.e ·J'~-t··· ,- =-.~ ,-,f'; 'I'''I''=- H' cases ':L_ ~ __ SO._. __ e _especs ~,~ m __ y _O,~ _U~.l ue_ul e y _8_0:£ poope n. (:LI S alg@s 0 .. I.E.@.

The Lingapurilo1ll has an. almost' sim~lar InjlLmdion. The Kfir.mapurii1;la records two forms .of P,asupatas:that.wMchisapproved byihe Vedi.ctr,adition andthe other condemned so much so that thesedls c'la.ssed With thenon.':VedkhereUc sects UkeVim,a (I@n hand type.of Tan.·h1sm) and Arhat O.ain.s) and! was believed to be created Ear the deluSlon of llon-bel1.evers. The be~tevers are pl'iOhib~t@d frern even speaking to those heretics. From.fhe same source we ftnd Utat the heretic sects were propagated by Siva so' fhat theheretic sect would delude the carsed people. It appears they wore a g:adand 'Of skull bones, cevered the:iJr bodl.es with ashes (hom. thebumlng ground o.fthe dead) and war-e matted hair ..

Wha.tis S:1gnific8_ntis that tihepractic-eso.f the Veda .. approved was not much dtffer-en? They either shaved their head or had ma.tt:edhalrttheybes.m.ea:red. the whole of'111e1r body with ashes and were·engaged in Rudraja.pa .. Some seholarsbeheve alat the Purana. wa.s'PaSlli",aliged~ later .. Tn. a 'p","araUel case we find.lha.t anenare secl1on.of the

I. ,r' OJ

Varnhnpu:r:a:pa was wrltt~wlth a View t-o populansleg ,the Pa.o.cara.'tra :system whi.ch was losing favour in NOrfhem.lnd:ia ... It is ma.inly directed a.gajnst the antagoniStiC non-Vedic Pa.supa~tas who were growing m number, Thi$ substattH.ates oarpremtse that the jRopolarify and. 'breadth oEthe P'asupata cult had scaled alarmingproporfio:nsforthenoll~ S,aivacults. These £oUowers of the Pasupata sect are said to be fond ofWine~ wom.en and flesh andwere ou.t to spreadterror in. tilie wodd .. The Brahmla:~asfonowing this crdl are said to be cursed bythe age Gaut,ama.

In fhe sam,€' text RtI.ar,a is asked about certaininbellent fe.atures of the: calt, suchas Maha:stfs;t~a (the science of s.itU.pe'iacD.on) and why is it fhath.e produces deluslon? Silva. :says hJtis for those whoare ,c'utside the Vedic fold that I inhoduced the §astra caned. Nayas;ld'd~f!,tR ere. This ts therope (Ptisa) that bmds men (pa'su)fhat should be snapped. Therefere, jt tsthe P'asu.pata-sasfra whi.cn is Va.ldU::a." Rudra. alsomentiens.atext caned Nissrasa~1:z1d.tti with a lakh .of verses which IS the only aufhotlta.ti.ve texlaJf\d give's the disctpUne reg:arding PiSl!.rpata .. Thts follows, the path offhe Vedas and. whatever fs outside its scope shonld be conssdered as impurc.Hets C!lso made to say t!hat on~y .6.cI<le minded peopleframe their own sastrlls but in th.at case Siva does notremam wIth them ... This is 'very pernnentasm a Val~folaV'atext it is not as though. theP,asupataSed is completely ignored orm.a.l'g;j,nalised. but in fact aHenH.on.1s drawn to it-by the poly of Rudra ·hlm.seU lIe~ng bT-OUght in. to denou(iI,ce thenon- VedlcP,a.:supata.s as well as fhe~r saiptures.


One oifthe majiorpracnoo:s·ofthe P'a:8upata:s W,9J;S the a.pp'l~caHon (Jif,blmsnM or ashes on. their body. 1'liu,stC1!:shes of Siva ar-e by their ma.ture capable of SUsbliolng a.number ,of lmpHcatioos,. On an expltdf"supefFHdalle'V'et. the ashes aFe,a~etiiC~, d]s,gnsHm,fJ and sImply anti-p['ot],c. Ashes we~e usedm ri.tesof expi,aHon .. Tbi:s suggested an. erotic connotation. Ashes werethe rraditioo,al remedy ror a .fever especially the fever iQiflov,eaJudfh.ey wefe to be used in place of sandalwood paste upon fbebod1.es of a. couple w:ho had. perfurmed '~antricritElal irnte:r(:Qurse .. IGeeping lnmlnd. the ~onc~pt 'of explatlQtlthe ashes,smeamd, on Siva~s 1bodymay bear witness-to h~s past sexualexcesses r.a.therfhantohts steadfast asc-eUdsm,.I tis, also said in. one p.lac-e that the "ash is the virneessel1,ce of nile ,and a.pel.son

who uses .b/zasman 'becomes a v.i.r.nepe:r:son:' -

This is sEI.bstanfia.ted by the ,Com.meril.tal~Y on. an epithet of ,Siva. Ibhas:rnail:y:i (Iymg .on aShes.) whkh dtes ,al,Bw-Dook.hAnyorne whohae C()n1mitted ,afhelft. sedueedhfs teacher's wlfe" drunk w.in.e 'Or k;fUedl a nr,ahmaQ.a should 'oov,er aUMs limbs willi ashes ... and ~y~t1.g om a. bed of a shes. m.edl.t,a.flng upon Rudra, he is released hom all sms," It Is ,dea.l' hom nu:!'gl!Olssed epilhetthalSiva is, (10ns~deF~dto 1i.e lilpon ashes, It' is said in the 'Pur'anas that e'verything can be .acbiev,ed thfongb&h'lls.ma:. 1t is descrlDedaslbeing 'cxce1l.ent and. sacr-ed. and one 1.8 rid. O'.f all. s~ms t'hrDLlg'J:iI. bhasn.lan: whlch ];s a,ascribed. mone place as bejng :S'lva~svigpur and vim and. :S,[v,a says", ·'1 retain my OMitvi~our'by means of my OVwllbody."" Th.i.s,ls a. fil'f:er'Emc-e to Slva 's semen.13nas.man: is sa~dtoha.vE!,a.protm::tive in£luenceagainsm aU evils., .1\ person whoselfispur.ined,b.f a!.pply.m1,gtbe ,iishes ,and~s ,seH~

tt ,l~..,..A:-Jjit.,.-:,.·~I~-d.IHs·· sstd '~1f. ~.t -:Vr""" 'ifa ',' -::r:s.·"'~ •. c: ~mmUI~ thousa nd •• · . -e .. ;- fm~I'I"~I~"'d,- :- .:-i·;,d.'·

con .FOn~ IS __ ~l'a~.e ~I~ _ .' S~~. _u~a .. e_ ~H P e~ .""~~ C-O ~ _ Q ... __ ~_ _ ,S 0" _, _1!l:iiU,~,,", . san

ta:k,e;s an. ash baththe bchasmabttmsaU the sins ltko fiFe bums. a Eote:st. ... and It ts sta.tBd. that a.persofl shouldtake anash bath three times a day .In the ,SivapurLi~atherp.is o~e whole, ,·h·· nter '-"itiitled "The Gre,atn,ess Q.ftbe Holu Ashes .. ~

c. ape~ en ~ .. .. ._ ..._ _ , _

IlIa stated tha.t the ashes of auspldous na.ture are of twotype,s. One ~:skn,own a:s mahabhas.mQand the sec-ond. a.ssvai'p,a (tbeliUle) .. 'The'n~,a'habha'sma i$ of three types~ sl:auta (V,edic),. SJ,U'arta (r-esulHng&om. s71lrt'i rites)" and. ,la.ukt.ka (pr,eplared .flam. (lrd~nary .il1rn). 'nU! svalpa tsthe olldlnary ash which IS of various Eorms. Wh~IiI. dry cowduag IS rooJucea to ashes It Iscalled .a;gneyn (Hery). This asb can.beused fur the appUcati.oo o.ftripUPfr:a, the ash app~led on. fbe forehead .. These horiz:ontaJ. pa:r,an~lnnc's .of ash an the :fooohead aIre poptllansedex~en:slvely and if Is :stated that the moment ashes oome In. contad:wUh the bodythe devat-oowmbe freed from sins of his lmp'~ous acts" These :slns, blclude~theft" usurping and forcible .occupyIng of her's .tl.elds and .sex.ualln.b~·FOOUI:se wifh ~prosnwt~s". women o.f trlbal castes and wom.elil in. their mensb"u,aJperiiod. n~,s seated.th.at bba'stlrn.is so ealledbeeause ltmum~na.tese"erythlng auspidou,s and t-enders, it fragrall.t·. It is sa~d. that evil sp'ints". gboS'b3."reptt,g11,ant diseases nee at the Vf!I'y proximity of ,(1 bha;smani~~1M, that is a person who has a. bMs:ma ba.fh.? That the person !la.s had tb~ bhas11Mbath is Lerd Siva himself. U: has been (',aUed a grBa.t weatpon.of ~be devutees of SIva ,a. d\lvlne mj~ss:i[e and hence once shouldendeevcer in,an :poss~ble wa.ys to collect ,&JMs".fI~ like wealth afi'er thepa:supata~vrata.

Tomes are wrlttentn fneP'urru:u:\s of the efflca.cy of ashes, ,Silva nlm.self says a


120

thereEore~ Siva. were so persua.si.ve!fhat a V,ai,~a.va deIty would.be its dis....'ple. Admi.ttedly In the seetarian gT!ouplng of the Pudioasthe cIUng:s are from. the so caned S,aiva one but ~hls does, notdenect Worn Usr'e]ev.ance .. Up,amlanyu. giving tbeknowllooge oftbe fas1Il:pla.ta rile to. KJ;~t;lasa.ys that KJ.;~r.ta caIne·of his own accord' because he despisoofne hUMan. form. and sop€tdnrmed purl6.catnrynte:s £01 the'ibody and for obtaming sons. Thts is the reas:onwhytheLol'-dKI:~f;ta wanted to performpenence.

In the BrmWl:apurYitml the! rite is roldbecause ofDak:~a~s !"ra:yer and SiV,8. ,(b!Ughted after Dak~~s o!belsan.re gives llim a boon ,aJ_Dei reUs h~mthe nt-e. Else'whem ~t·lsstated, j'ThlS e:~ooUtttlt and. exalted. Pasnpata.knowled.ge was,mmtJ'ol1.ed. to the goddess by lord Si.va. on t'be Ma_ndaramountain." An entlre chapter seems to have been.inseded In. the Var:al1apUriJja as. a. Pllotest against theeadi.er denigr.a'H.on" In this chapter fhereis a de:scrlpUon. of the origins of fhe Rndra ... vmta. It 18 narrated by Varaba ht.roself .. Thismytb .of :SiJ;va":Kapilln ts the most important basis fer su:pp'Ortmgthe e'xistence of a speCl_m!c KapaHta sect. s~nce! the myfh erv~d.ernt]y serves as the 'arche·typal modellorfheooliglJ01!1S practices of the ascetic members offhe sed. Siva ,getsenr,aged. ,a.tbeln.g called J<alPialin by Br,ahm.il.and chops offhls head. which a\\t,aclled ttself \toShm~ shaad .. Elr,a_._tr.:ma fhen. t-ells, SlNa to perform a tJ.r\(J:tacaUed KapiOlka to ,atone fur his, sin. This a.too!ementmade Siva. go. tin fhem!o!l!1ntajns~remaj1:\ nude, wander aU over with matted fui:ltt for years ..

Subsequently Bra.hma. tells him: uLet yuu be the :p~opound,er ofthe,rigbteous, faith in the world, slnc-e ylOtII wand.e'red in the wodd. with Kn,plIla (stuU) jnhand .. ,f·oUow1n_:g flljs those who duly worsbip YOu.tofhem you. may im.pa.nbriefly with.1fhe rifuah; aU! .sas:tr:ast ~heP'asupata~.s-a:sifr:a in paFHcu1,Br.uII1 anofherinstance wehear of the sages, reques.tlng VaYII.totell.them Qlfthe great P'as,npata-vra:fa onperfomtln_g whiCh Brahma and (ltners became Pasl1:pa.tas. Elsewhere wenea.r th.at form:erlYlu order tob~m. tbe thr-oo dties Itbe F'asutvaw,as snpula.t@d anu thatnowttu~y were wornloo. overfhis Pa.su.tv,a" :Since then all ~he deva:sareknown a.spas1!.t-pata$. Some·Mmesltis m.ention.ed that the ,gods w,ent t-ofhe Ka:ilasa. mountaln. toleam &.e P'a:stlp.ata. .n.tual. from. Slva. 'They desi:r-ed.10u.r llbeJ'aHon from. fhe bondage ofp:a~SilI" Kindly show Lor-dMaheswa.ra ~O[lS.U

We hear of t;hePa;supata as Ibemg''"outsldefhethree V,edas ,and :ine~ig]b[eto pedurm Vedi(: arts n Thl.sreooren,ceprobahly giv,es us a. clue of their sodal·bafse. Th.e'y do not seem. to have belon.ged. tofhe hierar(wdcal social order. There are several other mstanees of an ,auemiP1: ~o de1!l.gratethe entire features of the fasu.patafs .. :In. ,a:n.ofherpl,Bce wehear 'Of the sage's telling Si.v,a: "In. the J(aU age many wm:ha.ve youl'£orm wilh u-owm o.f matted hair aS6UID:Jng ghosfly form. and. wearing Ung::as. Jj TheKah age w.a:sfear·edto be the worst of periods and the ~ai~va,pura~ln wbiCh. this· sta.tenumt appears is lP~o!bab[r all-udingtiO the KiJamukhas whowere a prominent sect in the southern s.ta~es,a.'tth~s time. There-are several of her :i.nsta:nces of a:n"a:ttmnpt to denigrate theen.ti!re feaw.r,es of the p,asu.pata,s,. In spite ofthesetype ofpJlopoundings :there are.ampleexamples ito showfhat thePasupata.~vT:afa waaa cult whlch wasfeunded on oert.a,inM,cals chosen ,Rom V,edjea_:_nd n(ln-V,edlc t'8X.t8 •.

'Th.l;sis dear by such. statements as ,enoonn~eFedbere. ebva says: ~'hav~g estabhshed the four Vadas withtheiF ancillaries toget:herwUh S,ankhy,a and the Yoga and


things} and equaJ indifference tobGtnhonoul" and djshon()urtheseoonstitutethe'e~cenent covering garment.

Afterth€l pa;supa.ta-v:rata.lfn.ot~){tr-emely bashhd.he shatl remaln. naked thereafter fhou.gh. altem,atively he can wear ochlicf\ohes. hide Of barks, 01 trees, 'On1ya. single ,c~o61 or a singlebarkgarm.ent shan bewern .. He shallhave a. staff .... This desu:n"ptton soulld:sm~e the l<ipaJil<as. Elsewhere it is statedthatl~he sha]1 w,ear deerskirn,or bark garment," In. the Vdyu,Ptclrar;zafhe'fi2' is a (,h~,scripUon of peeplewho, oppressedby dr-ought and scantyr'am, were Forced to a.bandon cu.dti.va.tiort, 1Be~ng!l1Uedy mise-rable theyleflth.Erir lands and. countnes and hved 1:1:11. thefr-onlile1'. They began to resort to rivers" oceans"weUs and mountains. Theymamtained themselves on frultslj' 11oot.s~wlneand. Ine,at. 'Theybec'ame very' mtserable, They were bark garments .a_nd door skins. They had no wives "n' sons. Theyf~n tromfhe system ofcastesand st,ages()nife. They resort toa temblepromiscuous jntermixtu.re of 'castes. This ts a. descnptton offhe Eou'r'yng:a's,

The g].ma.Hon delineated. shows that this was probably the state of Indiansocieiy at the Um@tha.t this waswritten In. tho Vayupu:r~a, Iti.s d0a;dy sta.te tll,a.t~·Y,ajfjas are forsakea when dhnr:H:ra receives a set-back. Therewlllbe m,any types ofhe'reUcs· sellers of ~he Vedas and of sacred places, HereUcsa.n:tagordstlc to fh.e' d~scip'U.ne and ,arran,getnent of the dUferetl.~ castes. and si,ages of Ufe w:m bebcm." Here we have amplee'l.~denceto show that the extreme form. o.f :Pa.supata,. that is. ~he I<i.pa.1U;;a.st was wi.d.eIYPllevalentat !thIs Ume and. posed a defunte fh.f1l21atmtbeorthoQoxfoUowel's of tbeVeda;sl .. Thellefe.r·ence 1.'0[11. a f"',min"'Who::oF"'" thi3 men had to- , resort to ¢,' '~I''';i~''''1 '].] :,~-¢,~.'-~Q ·0- .,,~v.- ... - seem -, "",I,"'" .'t--g; ,"'I ·t'\D~!ijjer-, -c '~'In. ·· .. 6 ..

I~v ~ l""!~",",l""!' __ ''"' _'!I.p '.' _' '""' _~"'" ~ ' __ ~"'-'" ¥~, l""! ' '. ""' ~~V'""' I~, _', _ iJI~!!I._~j~J ~J _J",",~!w;. ifiIl''J ~'I;ii ,_.\IJ~l'j"l !iiiil~~ J. . JiiIJ .. U' 1iJ~; ~J ~ ;T! - ' 1~:r':2'

for if~hey we're iudulgingilil WIDe and mea.ttbey could not have been . asrmserable as i.t has-been mentioned.

S~.va{s behaviour ,aJsoindjcates the mannesinwhich the P'asupataa.sce1H,cIDUI:st hac-v,e conduct.ed himseU.We hear, ua.t some placeshe laugbedbo1sterous1y and terribly. At someplace he snowed surprise and begantosing, At some pha.ce he ibegan.i10 dan.Cll! expressing am.OlOU8 sentiment At some places he began to slng again and again. til These verses describe the pasupata. way ofbehavieur or' penance vl,de P'asup,ata~sab:as. A, ~·-'O. ird!jo. ~. to , these s11tritSPie. fa JuP-. e.'ta:~ ,are. ill: -r"1 c:+:--dto·.··lJ :-hav -;- in -'1. ~h ,91 W<1I.l1 .. ' w'ti~'Ij\q1!..~.· .. ~

_ ~CCl ~_g _. __ .,,"~ e _u. '"' ~ _____S,~..IUCIi;Ii;;_" _ _e~ __ "_ e suc __ ~ __ Y, __ :!!lh'.~.",Uy

the pra:ctifione:r of the v.rata lsi.nsu~ted (a'Wmm.t:aha). The alm. of whlch is to earn. the active c, ontem ut '0·. if fhe un:iJnm~l~ed popu laee, n.-.~ fb ","c;<'!:-ciI-'·;IC.f,'l,C~: sfhe a e#'lQHc. ·.iC· '.p .. 18J;o=!¢" .~~ ereb •... "".c'r:bgi~ cou~ ... m!r;~ ..... ~ -- - .. -------~-~yl~I.-- ~""L-u~- .... ""-_y~-e~. p.Jl.u ... S u_'"' -"...".. ... ,~~ ... L- __ ...... Uh.~ .... y ~--'"'-~

own had .karmar.l to fh@ir unsuspecting: fi!Vners~ while at the same Um.e absorbing these rcvtlers' good kn.rJl'J:an. It 'bas been suggested fha tt1~is behavIour was. similar to the beha V-JOIllf o.f the shamans.

However Clourt1ng: the censure or one's feUow humans is after all an ·efftd.ent means of cuffing oneself off&om. them,. of a.d:lleving :~.sola.ition and wo:d:dly aet-atcllm,ent. Under various names fhls state o.f defa.tclnnen.t ts an.es:sc-nUalingJ:l0djent of Ja.inism,. E'llddhisID.and U!panl;~adlcthought.Rem.oval ofaHadnn@l1It i;s one ofth.efi~epun6,cauon,s of fhefasupafa doctrine. It has b0lID refuted however em the gronnclltha.t this :type o.f beha.w~ourha.s no place tn. tn€! wodd of the shaman, His babbling:s~ antmail neises and so forth d.OC11.t him. off from his .fenow m:en.ibufbuth h~a:nd.theyrel:aFdthis.beha.violll.r as a sign .of bls S1!lperioT spirimal power .. However much the sha.m.an contvols hi.s,tranoe be:


fncydopaed'ia of the Sa:ivisl.ft

123

pel'sonwho apphes b.has~ltais on par wuh my son Ga(l;esa or like In. another place we hear a .. simila:rs.tatem,enttha.t 'he attams,Gaf.il!ap,atya~ (the state of being afoUow@r of Ga9apati). We hear that once it Is. staled, 'what )}sr-epugnanttoiliem. should be eschewed' and. in tbis respect this shows a compromise but &.e£oUowtng pfldas IOf fhe same verse tmposes stridnessimthe observance? Far a. notlsebol.derwhols devoid of Birilbman (VedIc: knowl,eage),. ,and, who does notwearfripufl@rafallsln.to the depths of heU .and. all his holy rites ofworship.~ cbaritable gUts andho[y a:bO:lutlons win be-in vam .. It i.s not always st,ated whethe:rthe bhaSt1Uu.lwas ash of the dead bodles collected from the crematorium. TI:lis indlcate$ that there must have been anextreme set. of P'a,:sup.ata followers along with. the m,ore moderate ones .. At o[[l,epla,ce l.t· is sai.dthat.~ "Onecan take ashes from fheBre of the agn:ihoua sacrlf1ce .... A learned[ B,rahmin. who smeaI'"$bim:Sie1f with ashes isuodoubt,edly Ube·ratedfrom ,aU sins inclu.ding fhosefha.ta.recalled 'f:uahapatalms (gtlea.t s.ins). ~l

1t is statedirn the Padn.lap.u:r;j:~ that b.hasl',llpUrH1.ed fhe incantations and applied on difFeren.t parts of fhe bodyjseapable of destroying sins. oommlUed by differentt org/ans. o.ft1he body .H destroys sinslikj3 ,bmn.ttla.Jiatyj" 'The .Pad1'lapur~~la narrates vsnous aecoun ts ()if sagest gods and Brahm,ao,a.s in whi.ch such.lDira,cu~(Jus deeds likein.ruoomen.t wi.fh life ha.ppened by the a.ppu'ca:Hon. of bhasma .and. the chanting ofilil.canta.tinns .. Ar,atm:erunusual practice is. the e.aHng of bhasma. 1'heKalamukha:s eat the ashes apparllenHy as one' of the means .fur the at1alnment .of des~r,es conc-emin,gthis worM. and. the next 'Thef'aamapurtl'tfR

11:- .~ .. r- :-'. ~~ fii.i.~ JiIL.,Q·.~.'i"'l'--\d· l'l~f -"'if if'i.' ·.·II'Pn. ~ ;li~~. 17.····· ~s:"t.., ,~/~d •. ·1 r~~ C! appl! .. ·a.itl n ... n dl ff,aiN3nt Umb:~ f th-

.Ia.ys u.O~'!'u ~.n ... p~ ...... ,", .1I.'I._e .... -r-- -rgU~'ia' fie .... _·'L~!!'!iH _.U o~~Pr~~"'~~' ~ ~~ 'V~'~~~~ __ ""'~"'~'.' .... ~ .. ~ !;;> ~._ .. e

body. 'Thislmporlatlce of bhasma has beentaken as the worship of Agni as a vUal pad of thePa:supata.sadha.na that is aa:om:p~ishm.enf or adora Hon which Isreflected .tn!. external pr~CH(leS Qf(lgt:z,i~f(1,p~n;U1' and bhasn1a~hQrlJtJa.

Both ofthese possess anesotene meaning: M.th reference to the jpurlllcaHon of ,pra'r)tl or vital ene:r-gy. The .Pad:mapurii~Qglol:in.es the bha5'ma~n a. new way that 1,S as the essence ofthree 81tt.!RS 'saUva, Taias and ,tamas. These are lPe~sonHledby Ur,altm,a~ Vl~u and 'MaheSa. Th.ey were8!pparently asked by Siva to bear one g:U~ll 'each th.ey wei(! however llnableto hold. fh.a.t gu~,a for a long time sa they were asked! toreducethegu~5 to ashes.

Nak.ednesisi.s another outstanding: feature among the practicea of the P'asnpa.ta sect. When Sllv,a a.ppearedin the Daruvana brest to confer grace on the sages who were per.fottnit'illg austennes "his litl:l.bs were grey due to the app~icatiofi of .BMsman. He was naked .. He had hideaus .ma.tnres .. Hts hatrswere dlshevelh:~d and ugly.Hls ,teeth were' :t,emfic. Hi s hands eagedygot held O'f a .firebrand. .. His ,eyes were reddish brown. HI:spenls and scrotum.reeembled red. cha.'Ik. TIllis verse must truly descnbehow a P'a.supata. ascetic must ha:velooked Ht.e .. 'The ~sage'8 appealed t-onim 'to re:sortto I(a~ least) one _gannent." Even w aUy' fheyJ'lecQgt11se Sivaa:nd ask hun. the reason for nakedness and Siva says". hOei.H.esand sagesarebom onlynaked1 others.the humanbemgs in the world •. all ofthem are born without any garment, t Even the persons wno are ,covered w:t.fha. silken garmentare (no better than) naked, sho.uldbe sene-ori-,gans beuneonquered, They are weU hidden (cove'r,ed) Hthey a.redu~y subdued .. Itisnotthe ,g'armentfihati:Stne real reason aiboutn.udUy andnon-:llud.ity .. F'orgiv,ene:ss,. £ommde~non-Violence, absence ofa.ttachmenttoa~1 (worldly


125

beli eve ,." ··t'h',a,~L'e·tl:s· a "n "'1'0" ,m,m" un . ,l"'a_~<!"lWI"~ <1fh, 'It.., e ·s·p· :~.d'h~a· l. Th ,e ·P···a'""s',U!p~,a·- 'rae ., ~ m ,- "'"d·e' 'L."h- '8' "I"O'U,'J;'

- ',_:, --~Y" ~ Q ',,, ,II:., ,ll .:: I ,JJ~' , _, - "', >< 0 '" 0 -" -. I,,,",, ,~,I,~LiII. "',!IlL, ,~![,~".:: '~", .: .. ,ll,l!',!Ij,.lI:i_,I,., '" ,_:, ,_:, ,_- ' __ , ~ ,_-~_:_1r;I' :__:,J~,._:_ '"' 1..1\:~ _ _:__'~ -'_ . __ '. J

antRe ofuerhandl is completely ftldgnoo and Wirnsonly contempt. ,hom O1rdlnary men. It is possible tha,t theulnmate SOUl]);;'! of someofhi}s practices maybe f,oundin Shamanism but th.elrpsycllcdogicaJ basts bas c.,llan~ completely. For thts reason It IS preferred to consider the Pasupataoottmng of dishonour ID,ainlya:s an extensiont allbe~ta hlgh~y miginal GrII,e" of the sea.r-chfOl worldly detaf:chm,entllillOughascetlc :penance. Thlsls, tnereifur-e(#dhf orthe rules 'Of condact,

Anothe'r important element of the Pa.supata syst-em was yoga. 'The: Pa,5upata vow was based on :v,vga and was cihllonologically pramulg,ated at first .. The vartJ4sfllma dharnta itise:leady stated.ts a la.ter cr@B.uatlby god Bl'ahm.a. The .LingapuraJ,M lays grearemphasts on,qg,aas .against file reading Oil the scrip,mr-es. LThis~s because H •••• the scripture creates desire for' them ill the minds of good mea i_nthe woFld.merelyby fhehear1ng o.filt. H'Henc.e the pelicepUl:de worldend the world oE Ve-d.1.ciradm.,on and rltuals both should be eschewed with gfea,t,ef1art.Hefhen beGomesvirakta~ (unatt.a.Ched.person) allt.ogefber .. Then i.tisas,k,edbywhatyngado fhegood. menohtam good aHrlbutes? How do the yogin:sbecom,e endowoo'With Q!lima ,and. not other sidahis? The yoga pertam~mg to P'a;snpata 1S one that bestows salv.a.tinrn. and. he whopracH.cesthe 'gagen' doe'S get the attributes, Hke a~irmf (minu.teness) and. not ofberwj;se even fhrough crores of ho~y rites. The P'astlpata system as gleaned hom thePural)as seems to 1betwofold~tbe Pa.supata. yuga (phjlosophy)~. and "'IL ~.n<ai J.u' In ata-vra t;,..(,c.,r~fr'~ <;0).)" sm)

,"_ill,~ ~. QJ~. _ J,F,". g.~ '_ '_ ~ ~~ '.,' jl~JI~'YJH~_: .'~\ L J ',_': it

Thesetwo thoughrepJ!!esenHng two different aspects .of fhep,a.supata cult Slgtli.tying kllowl.edge and acti.oorespecHv,elyare mutuaUy interdepend.ent and have a common goal. :111: one place it IS stated.tha:t "the ho[yri'tePa;snpatals (notinferlor to)yoga,~ the holy rite o.f .imptfl'aIS based on yuga. The P'asupatartt:e is laid down before, Itts most cxoeUent.~J Thisinal,ca:tes tba.t there was a c:ompeUtion between thetvJo aspects £or sll'p'enortty in the cult. It is stated f'baf' s,tJa",g:th~ bea~th, ind:ifle'rence to sensual obJect:s~ ~us;trous· c-omplexlon ... are primary Si'gnsof progress Jn yvgainfhe body and. If the pl',a,ctitioo,erseI2sbimseU andt1heearth iblazm.g' and on.eenterin,gtbe otb.el'ne should know that ~be time of ac-rompllshmentyog;a has approached. IUs said in oneplare that the holy D~es Pa.s:upa;ta 1.8 (notinfe:rior to)yogaJfheholy Ii.te of ka,pa,lais based onyaga.

By performingthepa.~upata-vFat,a.fur :twelvey'eats~twelvemolJ-th:s ormelve days of pasus are 'libera.ted from the bondage of wodd~ye){istence. In. the SiVapUTUf.Mfhe time l:imit .for the vra.tais,tlU deatht twelve yeats~ six years~thr,ee yealis.".".K~~Q,a also eeesLerd Mahe:sva.ra a.t the ,end of 8. yearby means of penance.

Th.€ 13ralt1f1:apu.rii~a menticasthata penance too djfll.cultto be performed even. by devasand diinavas should be undertaken. During the ,course of twelve years the holy ri.te has. been prepared .. IUs. subtle and no lntenlg~nt man shall censure i.t. The r:Ueisbeneficial to Bra.nm:ao.a;s". K$arh1ya, Vaisyas and particularly ascetics. forest-dwellers and. good householders. Tlns lnal:catestha,t there was no caste bar f-or fhe dlsdp~,es .. The time in. the menthis Canra and mhem.n moon day therein. ~:he deSctipfion of tmlfa JJs given ~n. detail Certain rituals are relevant such as the pe·d()rmer'iS~o wear pure wllUedloth:es,~ he Isto redlemaH:tras and. after collecting cOiwdun.g and rolUng it tn.to bans andrepeatfng mantras


126

overthem, he should place these jn tbe fire .. Oncethe sacrifice is overhe jsto gather the a.shes.assiduously. Afte'r~:hishe should keep mattedhair or shave offthehatr Qompletely. Even K~s.Qa got his head sh8!venand! put an hart. garments andbesmeared h:isbod.Y with ashes. 'There is also the Ins.truction ~hat""he shallwcrship the phalHc image of SiV,a;'~

The KapaHkas and~he Kal.am:ukhas~ two extreme sectsrelated 10' the Pa.supata seerare mentioned s€,OveralHmesIn th.e Skandapurt1{ltl. InfamQus for their extreme antmormanbehavtour and.thetr supposed! practice of human sacriJice~hey caught the ~maginaUQn of Sanskrit poets in the past. Very often the KapaUtas have been. depicted. as an. obl,ed of'ndteule forthett hedonism and poculi.a:r behefs and are often :portrayed as viUains dedtcated to the exercise of theIr magic powers wn.i.ch they a:cquil1e fhI'iOugh pen,ance.mluzl;ra's! and. awesome, often violent rites. The Kapalikas and Kal.a:m.tlkhas can be said to be totally ,a:nt'l- Vedic. Itis said that it is douhtfulwhether fhey had any kind of philosophy exc-ept the worship of Bha.irava. The Skn.tldapurtitl'(J denounces thesecults saying these peoplewere altogether uncultured. always ell.gaged.in hemedpraetiees of

d·r··l··.,.,l'~;!n g-e--'a' tinge £00- din human ck~' ll t...""g-Vl·to '" an J,I n""'''':'''QPC'''Q~ hu '··m·; . ·a- nskulls ,'8; "" ~nrn· ia m ents

J • I,I~JLI\,,~ ~1' __ ,.::!i __ ' '~ .. _,U, _' _'" ' _' '_,_,, ,'_,~ ... ,.Y __ :!I U!Ii;.i.:, __ '01"_i1a,D RL J. U 1\ u!i;;llr;;r"";;'~l~'l;;iJlwt LtJl _ i. J ... '. _I,I~, I~ 1_.lu,I,lr;JI __ I~ VI - J.. _ J - .. ,,..;;,, a~

'They carried thetrfdent had maUed hair and roa.med.1n cremation grounds .. The v.r:ata Is called the Kap~lbl-vrata.Mahap.a:sup'ata"vrata. Rudra-vrata or Maha-vrata .. The Maha ... vrata Is supposed to ha:vebeern. related by Slv,a himself..

The mostimp,ortant of all evj.dence Eor the seets tethe contemporary Sanskrit drama P'rllbadhactmd,rodaya by J(~~,a Mi:SrawhiCb.ls supposed. to ha.v~!beEmwrlttlm at the inslstenceoflGng Gopala oftne Candella. dynas:ty and sta.gedln fhevery pre:sen.ceofKln_g KirUv.arm.a:n. The laU@f was a. staunch Vai~r,,'IavU'e and. denounces; all those sects who do not worship Vl!;iQu ... It i~. an allegorical drama, Somereeentwnters have tnedto und.erplay thetenstonsbetween Saivismand Vi:~1)uism. by saying thata readerof .P:r:aoodhn,(Jmaro.daya nllay be ~ncnned 'to lnln1:thafVi:!?l),tl1Sm and Sa:ivism were two disii inetly separatelielig.i.ou.s doctrines in the Candella dominion.B,utth.at this is far frcm the truth. as.mmscnpnens Vl.~oullsmand S,alv!sm are often :m.ent1onOOwnh same thesaene respect anddevoltion. The thIrd act of this. drama infrcduces four hereti.calsectarisn,s who are tbefriends and auxiu'arles of Passion (11mham:oha). a materiaUst (Cirv,aka),. a. Jain (Di.ga.mba.ra. or Ksapanaka), a Buddhtst monk (bhik~u) and. a. Kipalika caned. Sama Sidd_hanta. The KapaUk,a himsell' talks about htsneeklaeas and ornaments which are 01 human bones. He 'a.y·.'.:s·. ~'I d.··. weUam.~''''· ·the a',h<t>·"o·if ·tlhe·. d sad and eat m-.- ~:-;-din hu···tn~ln-k~[ls· .. n

s ..... , .. _ .... _ ..... _.....~"o .. - ... S_¥S . _ ._ __e eg, y ._.cm __ . ~_a __ s_u~ __

S:iva and P,8.rVati harvetwo sons, Skanda and Ga~e:sa. The myths of Skanda are eadi.e;r and appear s()metim.esto pr-(),vide the model for some of the versions of Gary.e.sa.1 s birth-story"How@ver,myfhologicanyIIBcking the dear aura . of Vedic mots GalJesaa:nd Skanda .find place iniuany within fhe world! of SiVa and Parvatl. The Ptu:at;tas aUude to myths regardtng origins i:tnd exp~oits of Gauesaand. J(arUUc.eya .. No sill.gle version ol.~ myth conhlins aU fheelements :f:ou_n.din. aJl the vanants, Also tbere is n.o clear way of d.etermining wllkh. of the m,an.y v,a.rian.ls of tbeir myths ar,e prior to the others, We do fjnd ~ha.tlhePuranicte'xts are cotlcemed.with d.e·terminln.g fheir origins, and. e'stabUshm_g them within the framework ofS'iva.'s and. sametimlesParvaticycle of myths". giving themmo:re au.fhority under their parents' umbrella, We wUl determine how .far the references. found can jtlst1fythe prevalence of a. Skanda and Ganesa cult In our' period ..


127

A cult worshlpplng fhel:mage of Skanda was in vogue at t:n:e Um.e of P'atafijla.l1 (second century Be).. We alsofind fha.t the names of Skanda were adeptedbythe rulers of the Gupta dynasty. However in oar penod there seemsto be lesserevtdence of wide pre:v,aJence O,f such a cult .. Th.ey In,ay be explained by the surmise fha.'t the more powerful d.eity Siva had. fused Skanda wUhln Its pantheon ... 'The Sivapunlpa contafns em enUJle section celled the Ktlm,ar.akhat;u;ll,a whi.ch descnbesm dc,t"a:il the birth of KarWkeya. In. alii aH'e'mpt to giv~ it sa_ncity :itis be~.ieyed tube the essence oEthe Veda.sand IS pleasant to the ears, Here it is ex.pl.ained that ·~Siv.a retamed the semenwhne makltil.g ~avetoPaNati as he was lnterrupted by the gods as he was an expert in ytlgQ~ flee fr·o.m. lust," hSubsequ.enHy the semenm.l,ssing P,arvati takes a cir-cuitUU:SFonte. via a. series of earrles who vary from PuraQa to Purana ... Theyindude A1gni, Ganga.t Vayu.and. sometimes fa:rvati.Kilrtitl!keya. is caned. the son of Hara born 0.£ the womb o€ Uma, bom oEfhe womb of Agn1.f bum. of the womb of Catiga..

In onein.stance Skanda is caUedthe son ofRud.ra.;.Agni and Ganga. Here there 1"8 no mention ofP,arvafi. Inmost aceounts anenraged P'arva:H.cm.rses the gods but in. the' instance she returns to her room, pe(~si.stell.~ly plead.ing wnh Siva .. The ultimately bore a son named. Gauesa,By this account It would seem that both Skanda and GaQ.esa were b om aJmO·',f sil1:ll.ult,aneo· usl~~in dlffAI'·lm·t<la -e~,. EiV',enfua.n~- Karffik-.c~ai!~ brouaht ue i\.:- .

. 0 _ _._. s .' .... _ .. '.. . -1/.. . . '.' .. ... _ . p .C_ s_ _.' .'.. . _y . . ...ey _'"' _ og _ 'Up L'y

the Ktffi.k!a.s."~· The Semen of :SiVa Seen 1by~he gods fell on. the ground .• the earth dropped into the :fire.~ the' .fire ont'he m01:lntain,.the mounfainon Ga.n.ga and 'Ganga by her currents transmitted. it to lb.€ grove of sara plants and was picked up by the Krllikas .. An. attempt is made her-e: t'O read ~:h]sm.yf:h as one of rehabilitation at the level of mytb. when atrjbal god is asslmnatedl into the Brahmanic fold. This woaldparallela sodo-ihistoricalsttuatlon in whichhibal or [oiw,er eastegroups were a.8isimnatedinlo ~he caste hierarchy as part of the Brahmarue synthesi.s.. 'The KtHi.k,us are Sev'l2nMotlhe'r~st Goddesses hutuaraarried .. No father seemed necessa.ry to the soo:ely in. whfuch they ori,gil1l,at'ed.

ThereFar-e" .1.t seems that the child god Skanda was obviously devtsedto bring the mothers and fhei.r cults under male cOI1.lk(ll There rs anandent tTadiUOl1 of mother~Jin~ common that c-ouild not bereconefled with V,edic father rlght So this myth of Ka.rUlleya.'s birth m,ay have been devised to aceommedatethe pritnHive concept 'that may have existedIn same kinds of pra-patrtarehal soci@ty o.f several mothers who equally bear a chUd~in<omm.on (without any parUcu~arr father arid foe' trnt!'xpUcable'noHoliI.is present even. in. the ~gveda)., It wou~dap'Pear that them:ol~bers were easlert,o oonfrolthrough their cbUd Skanda~ who was inven.ted .. £orlha.t special puriP'Oise~ than. by IthelmpostHon of violently hostile pa.llriarclud cults, :sun the sep.araUon. must not have beeneasy, We near of the' Ktttikasimploring Skanda notto leave them, faUing in~o a swoon due to the imm.inent separation,

In the Padm:apuni~ 'there is a variatien, in the ~@ge;liIdbi.rlh of th.e Kartfikeya .. 'The semen is deposited in. alake and the moment the water ts drunk byP'arvafi~an @"x.ceUent, wonderfulbody removing diseases and gne·ts" ns<tng from. the right sid.e of the goddessl" after having ~()m i it" came au.t. Severalep:ithe'[s are en umerated in the same m!G:xt such as


1:28

EtrcyclopaedJa of the- Saivism

S,a;,Qjvadana, $alJlmukha. Vi:sa:kha. Goha. and KarHlkeya.. There Is the m.ention of his v~hlde the pea~ock as-well as-the referenee ,of him i>etngfiel1ce in battle. His armywa:s supposed to constst of gobhns a,nd, evi~ :Spirits in. addi,Uon. to ae1Jas" This supports the tradlUon whtchexplame him names Maihasena and Ku.mara., There Is a deScr1pftODm. the Siva'l-m~atla' of the birth of Skanda." ... after a lomg time' the splendour (semen) grew into ~ boy of be,a,utlflil and "tender hmbs, a model for all boys, .. , .. '·' He asked the goddess m feed him on her breast milk. She blessed htm saying yourmca.maHoo.i.s Eo:rtbe we:lfar-e of the wo:dd. Indra comnatesthe lnfan.tas theeommander-m-ehtef of the gods.

Where GaQapat1 is concerned we .find he makes his ri.tual appearance in the brahmantc pantheon relatively late, poss~b[yin circa: fUly century AD. As~s the case wlCn the birlh-:stone:s alhia brother Skanda.thereare many and with van,atioo;s. The fiUral;tas are awarethat there are variant .andinco.mpatible accounts and they account Ear this inconsistency bY' p~adng different vartants m different cycles of cosmic time ..

Gauesa makes a more abrnptand dramanc .appearance. Gat;lesa~stheriOlDotpl:tlc lonn suggests that he tstoo ·pri.mltt\f'e~ eme.ll'ging also from lower classes or abon,ginal ecmmumties in to reluctantBrahmantcal recogR1.Hon ..

A si.m.llar'proce:ss of:reba:bUUatIJon seems to have workedwUh Gaoesa.in has been said. that by reading Gaoesa~ smylliology one gets fheimpres,sion that we are encounter".'", ':..: :_·l-,'b·:-,r·-,~ ',rat'.., nahsatt ... for an 'inV,I't "d'· ~ .d·~if"l~ Wkn W~1f.-,~t'jL :_ -P'-,,-=,:-',;--, - - .....".,

Jug an ea_o_a~e_ ... ~o_ _._.~s. on ~(L_ . __ .. , erL'{J__e_~J .. ,. ,. e ~ __ m. 'ud),~ .ue .. Ul'alQas were

specifically w:dtten to J'Usti.fy and even toglon.fY so manYP,nm.itive autoehthoaous cU,~ts, They provided a. regular mechanism. f:o!r asstnnlation and acCt:lltura.ti.oll.Pr-oviding an excellent means. for di.frusing the remodelled cults and the Brahmamcaleode and by r-eca.sltlng thesethe priests c-ould c-ombine reUgious and moral instruction with popular entertamment. This wasclearly done in the case GaQcsa. May be he was one Q1f the nameless viUage gods who had nsen fromgraesome origins to idenUHca.tionwtthsome respectable deUY.j. in. this case with Siva .. In. fad many Iudologlsts conclude that he Is. derivative ofS,iva .. In one mstance Gat).apaH has beenreferred to as Pasupata and. ilis said that he who recites these names ofGru:mpaH!wotdd. never meet with any dlffirulty~ nor w -,I 11,d' h .. ~ -. troubled by drseases," This reference is V~\1." s· ,Imilarto· •• the . ones w~ '~--',<c

__ OUL_ ,_e l!.Ie __ _ __ y .;;0 s_ _ _ _~"'"_ _ "'"' __ .... __ _ ... "~ ,I __ __ _ __"'"... _ e "' .... rn;€!

across in a.ssocia.ti.on w.Uh Siva .. In .anOlther verse there are even more striking attriibute.s: "he who has pu t on the skin of theblaek antelope .and. has the sacred. thread of serpents, who has on his head the di,g,i.t of the young moon. n This coul:deasi1y be a d.escr.i.ptinn of Si,ratnsfeaa. of GaQesa except thatfherejs also fhe d.escripUon of "''having one rusl~ whose body isbig, who. has. a. ~arge belly..n

I tis per Un en tto look. in to lhera:iso.n d J,etre ofGa:Ij@.sa ~ s bidh. aarelatedm the-various PuraQas.. At Hmes we find {bat Gar:ruesa isbern €or the' destruction ofdai,ty,as and for rendenng help unto the dezllls and Brah.m.a.t;las" Thjs is comparable to the reason as to why Skanda took birth to destreythc demon Ta.raka. who was dearlyinvincibl.e?Wha.t is more oftenrelated incermeetion with Ga.t;l€sai.s hisbe;.ingbom to guardParv,aU?i.nner chambers, It is said lhal ParvaU feels fheneed to have her own among people who m,ay be alien to her ..

Pa.rva.fiis also very shy as Siva ell.te!isinthem~dst of her bath and ills ,thenUtat


shethin.iks "theremnstbe a serv,ant ofrny ocwn who, w~IUbe expert in hils dunes ... He must not :strayblOnl. my bebesf even a sI'eak.."!Onoohecrea.reshim~ fhatJJsGaoes.n."shetenshl.m" '!'1bere is none else who belongs to m!e; yOIl ar-e my own. ~jPi"a.n Is saidto have created hi:m. out of fhe dirt· ofnerbody and.fhat ,evm 00. fhe· fourth day. Tlushae'tobe unde'rstood jn the conteX'tof the c-oncept of the ea.rth gDddess and fherituals of fhe earlhm.other. 'This wouldheark.ell back to' an earlier peri,od when mothergeddesses p,r-evailedand were beUeved to create With.out th,e assistance o.f a male delty.Braluna says. "V,erm;fUon Is vlsible on 'your face now hence you wUlbe worshipped with vennilinn,by men. a]ways,.n VennlU.on stands fur meastrualbloed .. , I'nprim:itlvetboughtmehshuationw.a;s rega.l'ded. as theprocess of the same na.ture as. chUd.-bu1h.

In the PUril!{U1S we .Bndtha.tonthefourfh day .of menstruaaon when the blood would cease to (lome out the woman. concernedmust take a bath. and unUy wUh her husband to make her mcnsbua.ti!on fruitful Thefourth day is so impodantfha.t it 1.5 sa:id that the manwanders away at this nme without cohabit~ng with the wife due to anger or delustonmeurs the sin of killmg the emb,ryo .. Soon a!fterthe period cohabUaUon Is laid down for'the sake of the manes. HIe whocohablts at thc1:S tlme(aloue) 15 conSidered oeliibate 'en.ou.ghand fheru.le ,that a womIa:n. should be cohaibitared wUha.fter her monthly course Md if suehts not donetheman dOlmbtlcss make hl;smanes drink semen ... The r-oo colour Is a.:ssoda.twwith GaJ)e'sa as is dear' mom fbe 5i:~ul{j'ra~ the, red gannen.ts and r-ed :flowers. to be usedin th.e wOliship ·of GaJ):e:sa and. the dirt of hts mother are noth.lngbu.t myfhtc,a] superlmposlW:ons or art.navada 'in the mythopOOic s~y~etDin(.bc,atehls birth fromthe mofher ea.rthin fhettadiUonal 'penod' t:bat j,sjust after themenstrual perlodis over.

Hence we .f..!ud tha.t th.e birth of Gat;l.e,sa is usually aittdbuted toParvaiti quite lndepend.ent of Siva 's lnre'nrenUon ·bu.t in one instance we findtb!e orilginis cornlr,ary to the rule .. ltsef!'ms fhe devas wen.t to srva. desirln_g abeon and told htm tna.t ~ .. .ii'l1l,cehe was prayed to' by those who were harmful and lnJ[lIi:on.s to dC'l}(ls .fur the achievement 0.£ their desiree hence Siva should blessthemwtth a geedcause of h:nped.tm.ent to those whobdng about tnjuryto .devas. On heaJing thisl1equestS,Iva created the body of 'Ote leading ,d,'eva GaQ:esv,ara. This was done! by entering tihewomlb 'Of Um.a.fQbe born as GaQ€lisv,ara vid.'e the V'cd~cconcept that tihe wUie becomes fhem!ortner unto her hu.sbandlw:hen fbela.H~f is born efher jnthe form o.f,a son. Here Uis dearly statedthatthe boy emanated from both

. OIf them .. There Is noreferenee of Gauesabeing born ofP,aIvaU's scruf G.aj,a;nana i:s told [0 be sta.tio:n,oo.lnthe h,Gavenly path andto cl1eate impediments in the riltlals of fhat person by whom the sacrific@ had been performed wUboult the monetary ~fts .on the surface of the earth. There is a.. shift from guardtn,g hlsmO'fl1ler~s quartersto pntlishln~g thesewho do not want to spendmooey on. rituals and B"f,ahma~,as.We can. detect a dear ,8!Pl'ropda'oon Qif a tribal deUy andMsrun.ctions·fol' a more developed society wifh lts own kInd of proble'fills. G~e5a is ltv I'lerrtovethevifal hrea.tns ,(lEthe person who,lmp'lIo'per.lyperfurms thentes of tea.ching amd the stud.y of Veda.s.~he commeetanes thereln.and. the rites m.enUonedi in thern..There are mdteattonsthat the custom. that GaQ.e:Sa should be worsh_1pped before any undert,akng or before any other devli •. 1.8 laid. out. It isa.lso stated that ne- was. to be wo~shippedby an fourcastes alike.


13

The m.Qment tha.t yOlurbody drops" su:re~y she Weds another man, DO[lotgiv~jfar others· Use and 'pr~ve a. bi'" s~nv sheep ..

,. _ ,D. I "III

Hit s]lou~.d be spent. spellt:iJt at once

1For~udala Sang-,ama.ls Sarana:s ..

(72. A.M.)

In. general sub-eastes lnduded.i:n.the Llngaya.t cnm:mu.nUy Follow fhe HindLi law of mheritance and :successi.oo .. But additional benefitts enjoyed by Lmgayat women, of inheriting {hell" mother's p,I10perty ~ e'lt\ler gold, land or m!oney. In ama:jorlty' of cases, mothers with no male chUd do not adoptouttranslfer thell' property to fbetr daughters. Beeauseef these dose ma.ritalpr,adi,ces~. Vlrasaivafa'milies are mother<entred. So~most rOf the 'give and take' ~.the exchan.g:e of gifts" lseitber 'c-ompletely done by a woman, or she is at least consulted tn.the matter ~ say:sDr. D.A. Chekkt.Her tradUloaal cnnnect10n wu:h -both her par-ental :families and her matemel unclets sUn so close that she doesnot claim the ben.e8.ts glv,en tober by the laws of in_heri!tanc-e under the 1950.,56 Hindu. Code.

If we~ook at her image purely in fherellgiQLlsa~ld~ fheVira.saiva.wom,aD is given the rigbt to be a devotee '(Bha.kta)~tQr foI1owthe ~six s[ag~s\ and. aUa~ril urillonm.th God (Lrng.anga.~Sama.rasY'a). Thlsn.ghtdoes n.otcom.etlo her .&ombe:rjp'revlous .liFe's a.cHvit:tes, nor Is it given 'to her only if shegrves. birth to a malechrld .. Ewen wh.Ue leading a marrted life and dOing:he:r hoasebold duH.es~ provided she does fhem wU:h devotion and understandingt she can. atta.in tbe h~ghesf stage of spirUualunl0n.

His a matter o.fpn.de fba.t this nghthas not just remained ln the Vir,a:salva religiolus t-exts~ bu.t has been enjioyed.1by gr,eat Vir.asalva women sajn~&-both mamed. and unmarn~(t Akkamahad~vi ·,tno·,: -·-t·t.h-, ~v· .. - .~ .. :. 1 :", \,t·.·· W 1 c,. cl. :1;.: .~ •.. w '~:n :-, ~r -~'f"a~·:'n:t,t1f.-,t

__ ... ~ .. __ ... '._ ~ a ngs .... e .. Jrasarva Stun s~ .... a.s S1JlCu a 11,.0. _ en_gp€_ s .... ~ L~l,~)'.na·

she st'ands as a:l1I.eveFY-'.in:spiring exampleto Vlrasalva women .. Fo:rinstancet even today ~ whether Uis a women's dab or .a.revolt.ltlQtl,a:ry women's party. t~e'ytry te achieve her spirihll.al stature.

Akkamahadev! i:srega:rded by some saints as the greatest ViraSaiva Sillnt of the 12th century amongst both men and women, So histo:rbu\s", says'~AKkamah,adevi, a t1f11que representanve of the fair sex,eX!empUn.ed. the sUlprema,cy of hue devononand demonsttated'il:hepu:rity of womanhood In therealm ofreUgion., No miracles are a.ttached. to be!' (even in mythologies). but shelsmoee hl.gMyrespeded than any other Vir3.saiva saln.e~ Similarly. AUamap:rabhu~ the spearheadmg Guru of the 12th Century Vira.Saiva saints,. ex.pl,ains Akkamahadevr"s spiritual attainments. as .£OUOWSi:

Shedd.ing her co-rporealtraits, She has become

United with Ljrng~a ....

She hasbecome

Hel"seUtbe Stlprem.e Hght~

I say han to the m.ajesfy


130

The myth of G,anes.a~s birth indudes, ParV'atJJ~s cfcaUan. of Gaoesa in SWails absence. 'When Siva retums .&ombJs fJutin,g, GaQesa gualldlngParvafJJ~s, ~hanlber~ does, nolaUJO'w S'lvato enter even after ,S"lva dtscleses.hts ~iden.uty.Amasshl'e iba,Hle takes pma.ee' between Ga:l)es.a and :S':]v,a~s a:Uendant:s~ wbid1, '0v,entual:ly leads to the beheadtngol GalJcsa., A diisfraught Pa.rva.tiJh-rusist'S that her son be restored to life andlliat is, how GaJ)csa 's ongfunal head. was replaced bytnat Of,flJll elephant's., Som,ehistnD,ans have seen the s~ory of - Ga_Qesa~:s cortfninta,Uon -with Siva and hi,s· S1!J,bseq_U0ntIBsto!faHan.and ,adoption astbe~(ud of the gttu;as asa COnllDentary on the pr-,oces's by whkh GaijeSa was elev a ted. flUID. obsrorify into 1Brahm.anIIC recogrdHon.O'therslJUIV,e sug8estedthat'Gil!I)eSa~ s origins are to be found amongtneaibonginaltrilbes whose fotemi.c ,emblJem. W,S.$ ,an. elephant. Th.eE3ir,ah~anjct:r,adtUone'Ventuany assimUated ~hewo.l'ship 0.1 tb~,s.outsjder~ ,a,s, they had done w1~h Stva andbecauae he was a. 'fhfea.tming ~gure~he was, rehabill:tared. by his beh~ad.irngand.adopUon into Siva 's 'irm.er (:irde. In. th_l;!3!· w,ay he became ilrccepmbl!eto, Urahm,anic Sie:tilsilb111Ues,.

Th ,"'" a ""~'O" .... ·1" a l·t-'l'O·· 'f' AlQ,~""p.t.. a- 'liIl~1"' ·W'· 'i~~h- Ga ... I·""~al ma v reflect l1"O"~ ""I ~,..rb·a· .'~ ''''0' ,tr-,:m,,'. t-.~,j!, I/t.. ...

L. L I J~ • _ .~:i.:)_,"- J •• _ •• j_-A~ ~J !\,,;.dJ ~b~~ ~_ .1~J_. _ I,L!;JI' .,' .ilJ11j._ I J ' __ '_, _ -IJ.I~I'I;,!'a. _ J L J. J • ',J' . J ~l,b;;i\;",r._, L,' I -.,L IQJ IIii"iI"ilJ .... _ oI, IL! :)Il;e.- 'JI . DU.'" Il.!l.illl;;;;i:

eeremontal and. mlUta~y use of elephants byimpedal dyna.sUes o.fthis ,a;nd.laterpedods; of Indtan h~is,tory. His not :&0 lmp~ausjble.,. however, that symbols of thee]epba:nt~ obstacles, the need for pro,g:enyto d:omesUcate a w.Ud ,a:sc~Hc :Si~va and hts chiiJJdless wtl@ ParvaU intoa.vi,alll,e housellJold~ and the obUg,a;Hon to protect sacred temple enclosures from poUtlUOrl and htsttle .£OI't""f::SID,ay havebeen coalesc-ed into thefigun,~ofGat,esa. Mlat is commen to an myths of Gaf;lcsa' S orlgms is fh~atbeis [iI,ever born, uum,the se~:~811tuucm. ofh:lismofhe:r and fa~he:r in their divi!n,e forms as Siv,a and ParvildnOn@urtheotber cr-eates him unHa.te:raUy.

The two sonseome inlo Clonf])icf'wifn one anotherwntdl. not only proVides ElS wiith ~nteresUngmyfhology tlO.t U we readfhem as MSitory we comeacross facets o.fthe religiou.s preferences and the sectarlan con.fUct of~heHm.e' .. The taleiSevoke fhetO.eme iQf' slbUngriva]ry.. GaQ,esa. and Skanda are In. fact always. in opposUion in ,them:ythsin whi.cll ~he'y appear tqgether. The CO'IDpe'UHol1t.ake's dUf~'ren~ fQ1nns· ill diff~lIentmy6:itsl' In IOOte' . such m,y~h thetwo brothers compete over the pnze ofmv,es.Thebrothers are ta,ld 1byfbei.r parents that "the auspi~cjous maniagewmbe {1elebfat~d oftha.t boyw:ho oomeshel1efiJrst after going round ~heenU;re world," When he heard th~.s SkandJa started i()i£f~ll1med.ta.tel.y fogo aroundthe world but Gaij.esa performed ,aholILtDlOfls. gothvosea.ts and. mak~nglit~s parents s,tt down heworslnpped them.~, c1rannamln.t'laled them and demanded to be married ..

It is deady ;sa~d that he who worshipsbds, parents and. clr(:umambuJate:s them dertvesthe frutts and merit ofdrcumambu],aflngthe earth.He who leaveshts :p1a..mnts!il"t home' and ,g:o@s on a pilgrlm,ageincU[;S the: sin ·0,' th.eir murd@r ... The holycenfro of ,a son. consists of the lotus-like feet of hi:s parents. It ls because of this myfh. .'hat :Skandais ~dentifjed as a. b.r:n'hmac-ari.n. I lean also be seen as the oonf1)1d of two rituaJ strategies that :~s action versus devotion. Thts fact.remainsc:ons·ta_ntin ,aJ~ the vanants,ol'the~mythsl' .13hakt~ is the preferred path tID salvatJ.Qn.. The myth pO'fb-ays Skanda as wen m,eanmgbut


131

dtm~wnted and ilis said. ~''when. ml:sfortune comes if a person is keenly int0nigent~ his mi.srortune perishes El'VenaAS darl<ness I'enshes when fh.esun rlses,.He who hasin.te:Ulgencapcssesseestrength as well :HowC'an.hewhol,sd,evo]:d.Qfin.m:Ulgenoeh.aveske~gth. 1'" GalJl128als not only thep@r.fe:d devome 'bu.tbeis also the: clever rliuaU;s1 theologian-who

knownhow to tum fh.e rules and doctrines toMs Ovnil. advantage. -

'Thi:s'eplsode exemplifies. the rulHc tension be'tweenthe two aeifi.es". Ui.sthese type ofe'pi;sode:s in the v'anollsl?ur,aoas,tha.t ,expac,ate our daim. for perpetual eulne :tension between the two dE!'i.itl,es •. WrItten :in, a waytha,tt devotees wou,ld beable to ea:sHy .identify,~ on ~:he surface it" appears like just· sibUng ['lv-airy between the two but in a.c:tuallty there is even.a note o.f tensl.on. on.lhe righhne.fhod ofwof:rshlp .. On. the one hand. is the (lom.plex of winning the pnze by conquest, reminiscent of ,the ,ancientti:ng:s~ who prior to the sacrifice ofthe horse, would "goa.round the woddconquerlng oo.evel'Y slde."The theme of conqu/eringfheworld. 1l1I.a.rkingof its outer bound.ariescoalesC'Cs in:to n~.e bhnkti trad.iHon ;-;.f jI1'~II'.i7ri.-c .. ·.·mag;.:.t=i' .. Thlsinv,o,lves·. p'.·-.IOlir:lp' a. ~·.~ .. ·.·.·.at dtstanoe and P"'I".-,.·a:ccnlt1.c:..· fh-:.~riZJ.- .• - .. " il"1l../~ 0_ .f"~O"~- .--...... '- --"'- .. ' 0"" -0' '-- Q'&- - .-"" - .. C - . - ·o~ - -sr-- _g: __ e f- __ e 0" 'I .. U€!

a;uspiciOUS s~ght ,(.aar.SJiH'a) of the de'i~. It lsfhebeJ:1oic q:aos,t for the 'centre~--fhe locus of secret and preciouspower at the farand dangerous pe'riphery o.f the t:amHla.1' world, £ollowedby the return homiewilththeprize In one·shand ormarked on one's soul. Skanda being a hero. such. a ventureis approprlarteto his nature. The' 'Other dtualts~okeep fhe

,-:' .. " '1m,-: -" ,,-,-, 1l.."'I' 11,"!'~; -0·' ",11 oaerto i'-, m 1.0=1,. 'Pr" ~,'l' a ..... ,' I,d' •. jOti,rv.-··,a·· tic. a 1'1' e· Jl., e·· 'centr \00,' ~ 0>£: ~Ih. ·a. un ,i- ··'·e-r,s· ·e.·.· TIll ; "",$'.'.

CJ_rCll~_Jlmu,""'~~uCt_ ... ~o . .!! _ ... u ...... _ O~¥~,_~IL_lI.~~_ , ,_ .. u~ ...... ~l. __ .... S._ Il_._ ... ¥._ ... ~ __ ~.

l!ea!p of tbeo:loglcal jma,8'/lnation. savesmeny s:tepsand. mueh lime. 'Gal)esamci<s his bmther out oEthe prize, ,and forces Siva. to reward hun fnil his clevemess, a clevernesstbat lS,iftSeparable' .from hts devotion.

]tis jnteresting fbaf hereafter though Skanda retains ids mUUadstlc Im,ag(!"l'Y .• jlt Is given. non"n:d~if'ansHcintllrpFet,ation. nor does he ever seem fo belhe pab'on wetll'"'god for 'c-hlic.dt,ains 'Of lings. Part of the reason fQrfhis maybe Gat)esa's arrival on the seene and his edgIng ou.t Skanda's supre.macy as heir ln Siva'sfam.ily._

If wasprobaibly during- our periodbemeen the sixth and twelfth. oenttt'l1:esthat 'GaQasa.~s F'oUow1n,g: must have been 'exp,andlng for we hear nfdeians regal)d:lng t]le V1:ata '~obe per.fo.r:rned topmpiti,are Ga(l,esa.Pitnr.a(l. says". 'ilO Gaucsa.you were born in the first praha:r:a' on the EnD.rIh d.a.y 'i!nthe dark haU of the Bbadra month at the 4:lu5pildous hour of themeonnse, Since your form 'manifested. i'tseU .hom the g:ood mmd ofP,a,rv,ao, your ,exc~:nent vTnta shaH be pedar.m.ed on. that" l:UhiitseU or beginning from that day. It will1be veryall1spidou:s and. conducnveto the acih.iev,em,ent of an sfdd,1ds ..

. The worsbip of the l'inga Ia the essence of Sai"il~heolo,gy. The WOld. UfigaJJs used

in. many senses .. The most l:m.portal1l.t ,and fund.a.menb:d meaning of the WOJ:1d. isa mark, sym1b?l" :5y:m:ptQm o~sing.RegaJldin,g thewneani1ngsln.whkh fheli.fz;gaisused. in ,connec~U()n with Siva. we.n.nd it'ls '[I.sedin. ~he S€n:5e of a. vlsi:sble: symbol and the absolutefbrm. of St.va which.:is beyond ,aU vls,ibleform.s is tli,emioro called a.l.iii,ga'. that js·onewh~cll ha.sno vi.silb~e symbol. We win see how farthe pf,a.cHces regardtngth.e Zmga-worshi.p were prevalent in our' time.

. A fu.U~fledJged. p'hnosophy d~evelop~d around the (Jonce'pt of fhe Ungl1 in the

S:fvapu:r:a.~'a~ whkh ~s not found in ~bl2 other S,aiv],c fur·a.Q,as .. A~cCi)rdingto fbe ,Sivapuratta


132.

the ling;a :represents a. stase of (iomlP~eit1Qn awi'ru,le'whi.ch co:nstitutestwg, ,asped"S, male and. €em,ale OF the sup'rem.e and hlJs power. '!hi,s· isth.e nad'a ,and bitld:u. the' twin ,causaJii.ty forSaktl. who am also caned Binga and. Bharga. The'refo:re~ .fur creatilor:l. tbemtlltt:.ui~ ca.wsali.ty o~ the deal prinCIple is a.b8olu~elye$senUal, In oneplalcc we find the ~~e9':alk thatev,erywhe'rethedc,jrHes are worshIpped onJyintheIFlmage ~onn~ so how iiS·U tbat:Sirva 1~ worsl~ipp'ed bo~hiti1.the lma,geand the pp,aUus. S:itar-ep~iesbttl daLimsthe ;speakc'r ~s Siva himself and. not any ordin,a.ryperson. Slva. alone is glodfted asni~bla (nameless. and formless) smee he is tden.\ical wlfhthe Stlprem,e Br.ali!ima_n.But then heis ,also,.satala: as he has an. embedied form ... 'Ihushe is bo:&. sakata and ni~la.

Jtis inhis,";i~ka:l'a a sped" that f'he ,l.inga ts ,appl1opnate. Sowc'8l1e told that'm ,tll.e,sakala' ,a:spect the worship of his, em'bodJ.ed ferm Is appropriate a_neJ stn.c-ehehas tbesakala ,Sind rd~ka:laa;sped:sbe ts worshtppedboth. in fhepba.l1ilc and the e:mbodl00fofm.lbyfnepeopl,e. This fact Is repeab&Uy empha:S:ised as an. ach:Utlon.al m,erlt .. ~~B()fh th,e pha~n.c andtbe embodied Form are seen on~yln.the worship of Siva. ThIs body.less aspect l!nvlrtue ofhJs bein.gthe Supreme Brahman~fhe ni,~mla l'ing;am oonEormily with f1le Veaiclmp~~ca.fdon.~lS used only in his worship. It is stated that nis a. dedJsion. in th,e Veclasfbatthe embodied f()rmalone is to be used 1l1.the wursMp of ofher d@~.H.e.s who are onlyindt.vld.uEIll souls embodll2ci. Devasha.v~ only fheem'bodied. ,(liSped" in thetrmuires.taHO:rt. ""

The Li'ngapura:tJa -",also ,expblins the nature oftbe Shva'llLngla In. vanous (lontex.ts. nis said. that the Su.pre:m.e SI.va. is forml.e.ss. and the mysttcalliiiga: isllis sy-rn)botto the qu~ of the sag~s roga.rding; the ,li~ga: and Us ori,~~nSt~ Brahm,aexpla.ined. tathem. tbatthe Supreme Siva is .fi1i:gi. whereas the Un:ga is caHed. P:radhautJ." Tll.elaHeri,g l1,('),th!ing e]:se :but the .P.rakrti~~be ro()!~. evolvent 'This places the Suprem,e Siva who 1,8 formless (~Uri:gt1on par withfbe Sankhy;a .P.Ufflijl'a, The U,iga ,coo;stttutes the ,frin.~u,.H and the Mlla according to the L:ingapurtftm ..

We find that iihePuranllC'wriiters created oovera]epl;sodesln order topopularlse lliepl1aIl1.cCl!dt. In End tthasbeen sa.id O'f the .Lingapul'ipa:tha.tthe chapt«s on. l,lj:ga ... worship sbo:wtwo dlsHnd modes o.fproc~dlt,~,e usmg th.c' Ved~.iCnftmt,rQ'Sand the otneriin which the 'Tanfricelem.entsprevait Hazrahas slllggestedlthat while' ft:temnner gliOW.pS has beenretained mom the ,eadie'F form. offhe Puri~a.t showing mflruenoos ·of T,a:ntt1cpracHces~and belon,gmg andbelongi~gtQaperlod!noteadie'r'to thc'elgbfhcentury AD.

W,e wIB noH.oe, however, tha.fthe pbi!1osopby that dmr,etopedaxournd the COOllOOft·

f-l;:_ lit! .. ~.:a ...• ' ,'mstnh,ave ev -lv, ed ont ;-ft\v;;bac:i""1I"Irm~1i'd ,:s.··.·thCl,J"'1lilto.ffh~,:n. · •. ·~n<=iol'an.d.· .. ::-~.1.~.~.' ..

0" ud! ..g. soo_. _ . _. . .. __ .0 .... e .. - ..... 0._ ... 0__5_ ... Jr-_. ~~r· e,_ ...... 11,&- .... - . · ..... r--~- ._Itn.n

ofpbaJU,c wor:sbip,

HIs dea.rtha.t the run of the piIhar had emef"ged as a. signlfi!can.tpnn,dpleirll the V'edlc horl2Jon a.pI'opOS the Skambhasuk.ta. ofthe.At.ttatvadeva ... Fo:rth@S£!who did notw,ant· to accept the antiquity and the VedJ.sm. of the pl:il,alUc symbolis.m, of the Sliv,altnga Ihl:s provedeo be a :saving g,f,ace. Ithaa also been. sUlg~sted fh,atthe wOlisll1.p of the 'b'OO w,a:s laterrepJa~ed ]by a stone' pUla.rwhlch took tbermal shaps asth,e Un,ga. It cant therefiore. be 8ald.tha.lthe liH:giiviTblham~. lingodliha,va or the eme;[~nce ,ot the Unga~found in vanous


PuraQaS as a symlbol of Sj,y,a~, augments the onset 'Of a newconcept, tha.t is the synthesiS of the otd.C11I.ts of the pfllar ,and pnaUic wOlshJ"p tn/ere can beno demal of an. endeavour through clever myfho1ogy to eenstruet abas~smr the sllIperiority of ~e Lm.ga alIt.

The tin.gais described as ·~a.hu.ge column of fir-e' mtne Sinapu~~a. In the BrahmtittPuri~ also wefmd that the lingo IS not a. phallus but a, ·c-('I,)umn Q1f fire. Similarly infhe ,I<:a'rmapura~mthe lirigalstbemlaJfliEs,ta,fl.on o.fa. cohrmn offtre. TbeseI1emr-en.ces point of fire worship. the ie/en,H,ly of ~udra and Agrd lS stated as early as in the .. ~.Ma (Taittiri-y.nsp'lhUi11 as well as mthe Satapatmmriihma1!la. The sjmi~adty in lmga-wolishl,p and file~worsh]piS sign1ficB!_nt .. Usually wbl1e deseribiF\gthe Unga we hear o:fuduster.s O'f :Aa:m:es5p!r"8ading everywhere. Ii was ftlghtfuJJ to all beings. It wClsextremely terrible in Us features, It appearedro piefw heaven and ,earthf~ In the Lirigapuravu alsothe lmga: is descr:iJ1bed. a.shavlngthousands 0.1 clusters .of flames m.c-o'mpar.able to hundreds of aU consummgfrres,

The varying episodes relating to the l.irigdVirbhava 01' the 'emergence DUhe l.iriga are representative and a mlanifestati,on of the seetartan QonJUct between UleUri.'gtJ are representative and a mantfe:siafi.Ofi. offhe secta.nart eon f)]i.d betwoon the .U:riga as actilHc symbol and Vi~folu~sm or any othercult, This is because npaints to the ultimate SUperiOrity of the Unga Ollt and. is an ,ex:c;eUent e'X,am.ple of fhe cloaking or dJ.sguls~ng of cuJ.tI,c tension thr-otl.ghtihe medium o.fm:yfhologyand. legends m the Purar:ta,s.

The most common myth found assodJa.ted wIth the Jingavirbhiiuatsfllisthat god Siva came to bless the sages of the Da.ru.va:na. and demonstratedto them the Pasupata way of reducing sms byinvifing: plilblic censure ... 'The sages were aghast as Stva'~s beha.viour was against dharma as, ,they understood it. 'They requested him to. drcopnis phallas.clothe himseU,md. speak gently . Siva of his own accord dropped it and disappear-ed .. .In. this mstance there is no mention 0.£ a huge U:ri:ga. As alinga iaUs, there is chaos everywher-e. "There was no appea_ranc:e ofanyUvlng !beblgin the range o.f three worlds, E.verything wasagtt,ated and. n.othlng shone. The sun. did not shine, the .fire became devoid of lustre. The stars and tihep~anets became contrary to their normal state .. The kra:ultas (sacr.ifice '?) of the sages who had. plenty of resources and who were eng!aged in ,acfivities conducnve tothebtrth ofchUdren andwho used. tOaJ.ppI1oo.chtheir Wives .only at the permttted period afterfhe days oif menstruanon, dtdnot function. properly ."~ After the sages. are told of Siva In. this fonn.by Br,ahm,a~. dotbeypay Obei:stru1.C~ to him and we aretol:d. fhart they made a replica of the Hnga and when the Un.ga was instaUed once a.gain with a destre Ear the weUare of aU the wodds'j.those excellent sR,ges d.evoted. to the duties of different castes earnedthem out.

Some lustorians such as R.G. Ebandarkar~ J.N .. E3\anerJea.~B.C.Law and. J.N.

F.tlI'guhar ]believe fhat linga~worship origjna.ted from. the aborigln:S of India .. Though R.G. 1Bbandarkarclan.nes that the ,a:ssodaHon o.f Ungatu:ttva with the worship' of :S~va~R!Uldra was ,anen to the Rudras ..

Usually the lirrgaappears because of the squabbling tha.t takes place between Vj.~Qu ami Elr,ahm,a stating that eadhisbetit~'rthan fheo,ther,a:nd.daiming tobe the lord they go ready to fight." ~ike two foolish goats de.sJro1!1s of kimng each other, It is then the huge


column of fire ap:pea:rsb~lfo:re fh@(m.HItisbeyand ifhe range of human senses .. We ha.v~to find out It:s tlOp and bottom .• '" NeIther of them. is aibleto do SQ~tholJgh 13ra:hma employs .£aJ:sehood. and clarms that he m,analges to reachthe top- Due to this aratstm: d','etr,e is pr-ovided ~O:I' BFahma not havin,g any separa.te templenorr .fesn.val In the .Liri,gapu,riQa the Uriga is, descnbed.aabemg ··stable with no decline or decrease. Ithad fil.e~the·r ICl beginnin_g' nor anendl nora. mIddle. It was inGomparable~lnexplicable Clll1d jnd~sHnct. J:t wastbe source ofthe univers€,n

Strictly speakm_g thesereferences are not dlred~y advocatmgp:haUicw(t:rship.

Nor musthave {be ,lmgg r-epnca {ba.t is pf\epilfsdbyfhe sa,ges ha.ve'inc~uded the ytmi", but the hint of phallus worship Is clear, Phalltc W""tshlp hlghll'ghts ~he:pmdple ,of mmuty. That phallic worship W8$ alien. to the San.skti.t speaLkingpeop~e ,amongst the ,gveda people IS e1vldent from a coaple ofverses in the~ei$a d.enouncin.g phallus worshfppets. The falct remama undemable tha.tphaUlsm mnst have beenpopular wl.th cert,amtrlDeS, during fhe-early Vedic perlod.Ho:wev'el' by the ttme OfPll.n'81)aS we .Hnda synrhes~so.fthe phallic cult and. the Cli.dt Qfthe pm.ar. ''nUs wasprobaJbly because tbe pmar (kaJ*bhli}1 standsfor the ulttmate causaltty of mrfiJity and ,gene·rationwhtch a]socov"'@f,S lli:epnna.ple ofulnmate ,cau.sali"ty. The cult of the pina_]' seems to 00 primarily based onthe con,capt' l(lf 'the axis of the unreerse, His an mdestru.ctiible and etemal column. Tbisistumsee'm:sto hav,e led. to the principle of Dhrine Suppod respofil.s~hle forfhe sustenance o.Ffheuni.verse. This pnnctpleeeems tohavebeen sym.boli:sed iby a veItlcalpmar whkh is the adhi.i:raar substratum stLIppomng the adnlye.ya Of the' un.1VC'fse .

. Fn one mstaneethe origin or the .lin,ga Is not d ueto fhe CUI':se bythe sages IbUlt~s &eque:'Jtly the result of measurestaken to cure Siva of his destructtve f@ver .. The :sages curse Slv,a "s ,{#f:ga tor,an to ~:h~ earfh .. It burnt evcfylhin.g before it Itke a fire ..... AU crestures weretJIoubl,ed. andthe sages wen.t to desperatton to Ura.hm,awho said to them.~uas loo,g as ~beli1Jgaisnot still there wm be nothing ,aUSPl,ciOU:5ln thelllni"verss. You mU$tpr-p.pmate D'etir so that she will take the form iQf the yooi .and. ~~ben I'lle linga: wn~heoom.e stJn.~'They honoured. SIva and. he appeared and said.~, '!~U my l'ingals,held in a ymithen allwU1. 'be w,elt Only Parvati can hold the Unga and fbenifwiU become calm," 'Theyprco:piHated. him. and ithusli.Ng:a~wo:rship was@sta:bU,sbcd.

VVhetheT:' wle 100k at the li.nga celtas acon.HnuaHon of the ruU of the ptllar or see Uas, the cO[il.tinua.tiofl. o.f thecuU o.f the pbanU9~ itisu_ndeniable that the cult ,ar-oundrhe Siva-UH:g,r1 wars of ~lncni';a.sing tmportance and contrl'buted fo the popularity o:f Shl'atsm lin eurperied.

The yogints seemmhave been powerful derttes but there is s~21ntr·eferenoeto them in the Pura.~,as .. W.llen theyare described :!I.m is usually as fbrmlti1,ga. dr<.::le,.betng ,a gl10up, bel,ing v'ery fierce w'ith their shouts resembhagthe sound oE bh:eri drums. 1Bbatrava 01' Cm:u:;U~s desenbed as the greatleader aecompamed by the cird.e of ytlgiu,l'swh()~ore through all th~ devas and drank their wonderful blood ... YOgi:Nls are m.enHoned. alongwUh ,k~ef;r:apulas" bh'utas. p.r:amath,tl;:;, .glth:y;akas, sa1dnis~ and. i!a'kin:is,. aU of whom.r08!red" drank blood and. devoureda ~ot of t1!@sl1. .. Th.e number sibdy-fouf' ilsalso assodat~d.wUh fhe·m.,


'1bere Is a, descnpnon ,of what ma,ybeyogi'nfsCl:S those mothers who gave aHendants to Skand,a, ibe'Eore he set ou.ton battle ag'at1nstTar,ak,a, .. The names are W1.t1,su.al such asCatu)a~ Bamusira~ n,aha:daba~Rud.l'aka[it and Pu,tana,~W'e madthat~~'They dw,elf' entrees and. quadrulP:tesl~ they-bad their abodes in the places where ~ourl1oads met~theynved in cave'S

= - _' - -

and cremati,on grounds a_ndtheyhad, mountams, caseades, and catara,cts as thei.r regular

dweUlngpla,ces. 'Th!eybad diEferent kinds ofdress and omaments, The assumed difFerent kinds of forms. They spoke dUEe'rent languages and Ifheywiel.d,ed ,dlffur,ent weapons.,~·

UsuaUy Siva and 'I' arv,a.ti.are de'plcted as aeeuplewho seemto have ,an eg,aJitanan re~a,Honship. They are soon, d.i,vertingihem,seh.r,es in, vaned ways such as pl,aying and sporti~g~. engaged in aquatic :sports~ playing onthe s,whil.g, ,gathering flowers,playmg on thelute~ p a:in!tillg~ drawing JlI~ctures,ado:ming eaeb ot.he'F' •. E!,ven. talKl.ng about topiCS of leadn.g such as the .Agama:s and di:scu:sslng fhe mdd.en.fs and events of the worId. They alsotndulgedin acH.vUies wlneh led to fbeempHon of ten slon between them such as when they played. dl.ce? In~tiany P·arv,afi smarts art 'the censure ,and taunts of the sages hkethe N.a.rada", because theyconstant]y romlndedher of the inviac1bHity of :Stva to her and everyoneitil. fhls· utll.ve:fse. Once she wins, tbe g.amefhey aeeuse her of ,cilea..fill.g and hes, whereby she' tntumaocuse:sihem ofpa.rtlaltty. Ha.vmgwon the glame Pa.t"Vafi seiz.esthe mQonthat was on the head. of Siva, annulates, it and wears Uas anearmng, One !by one she removes all his ornaments as wen as bisloin. dJQ~h. At wm.ich pamt Siva becomes angry 8_nd Parvati rephes, ~~Whathaveyou. to do wUh a 10m doth? Youare a :s8!n.difi,ed soul. Some timeback you wandered. thr-ough DarttVan.8. wUhth.e cardina] pOiln:t:salon.e ~Qr

-, el',-'-,e, -,- rment .(·f"vlou ,are·. '. naked): ,-~.

,your ga.~'I,Ui""UI~ '. _"'~'''~ ) ' .. _, . - ... __ .'

'I'iheadti:ctenstoll noUcea.ble thron,gh the medium of dialogue and the metaphors occumng thefein proVide ampleuppo:rrunitiesto de~ve irn theinmcacies ofmJanons:hi.p:s. It is an lut-eresting .£a.cet tJ'bat we encounter in the lUenuytfadiHon of our ]period. Uther-e w,assepa,r.atecult aroundlP'arvafi jtcert,ainlyisnotdlscc'mibleln the Puraoas.Tha.'tthcadt .of the mother godd.ess WB.S prevalent In its dicf1erentmanif'El'.sta.tions·is obVious .. ''This ts wUhrefe:r-ence to the D,(?V,i .MihtItnzya. However, this is not sufficient evtdenee to extend parv.atrs dai,m as anmdependent cuJtic deuy. Earher she must have had. an. lrnpressiVe fuIlQwm,g. The spUhets l.d.entify her wUh mnunta;mo:u,s n~gion!S~ MalildaFa:vas~nlt Gi.riji.~ Haimavam~ Sa:iJlasuta~ SaUaputri, Vm.dhyava:stol-aUindl,ca.Hng heras:sodatlon. wlfbthe hills .. Itis q1tlitepossll.llefha.tpanraH"s eadyMstory and anglo may U.ewlth a godd.esswho dwelt]n the mountains la_ad was assceated with non. .. s,anskl1.Hctr.ibal. peoples. UP,arvaH was associated with such atr,aattion.!, almost everytr.ace o.F fh.a.t i.oen.tl.tyi:S gnn.e by the time we find her mentioned in the B,rahmanic literary tradit~on.

Now P,arvatits myth,o.logy lsaJm.ostenHre')y dominated byher assoctaHon wuh S,hra.. Her liI.a.1lnrce developa and 1,8 charaeterrsed tlu.!I1efur,e 1by this relati.onshJp.M:ost

r. ,.en. I.d. I ttl.·. ion. s.' Of. Pa.- .•. ,r.V.8 .... ti. ~ s. m. I .•. 'Y.,.t.~h .. · 0. Jo.·. g. _Y .• ·.ie.=-. -xP.-. ~a.':l.n ...•. ~.I.h.,_ ... '_ .. e ..•. g._.o.·. d. ~_.e.- .•..•. s.-.'_.s ..•• ~. ~.~ .••• iI.:.r. rh .. _ .. €l.S. '.Jl.~.ec. ~s.-._.sa. ry.'~. - £.l.()i~_.b .• ~._.e.· ..•. ~ing .....•.... ~iV ..•... ~. ~'t. S c-onsort lor p.lIoduClng a. chdd OlE Si.va .. The demon T.arak,a, has been granted a boon ofbemg

irt'l.tndhle to any cr-eaturoexmpt s. child. 9f.Siva. As :S:iva is an aseencthe gods have to :find a woman orgoddesscapable of lUring Sliva mbla. sexnal enc-ountef or mamage. Parvati a.nd :S,iv':lrepresent the perenntaltension behNeen the ascetic ideal and. the housebolde:m;s


~d.eal.. Siva. is th.e god o.fexcessestDot11 asceUc and sexua]. P arva..fi.play:sthe Tole o,f modifier. As a.representaUon of the householder ideal she represents thetdeal of :-:-t~U -d' .. :- x na.m 1" mam ... ..;I, ·'.'X 'w''hi,J1I ~-":i"""'~ If...:,l(h ,~;, ,"''';~''l_'-C-, ,':i"d'I::.~"";::,;,

conoo __ e, se_~ e,y _:u.!, se _ .. '. __ ,c_,~s op:po~ uO~ __ I~t) a8ceuc~sm art, el,!i.1iU,~J:sm.

Th:i,$ theme of (:onfljct~ tensionJ oppOSi,ition~ somewhere y:ieM.s loa, vlsimll 'of reooncniaHon~mter-dependen.ceand symbolic harmony whtch canbe seen in dUIe'rmt lmage:s~ fhe linga., yv.ni~ Ardhanadsva:r,a and ,Stv,a..dS,akH. Pa_;_rvafl .Furtbe most part represents the households,. Hermtsstoa irs totentpt' :S,i,va from, ,a,sootidsmtY;vga~ and 'othe'!' wo:rldlypreoocupatioo. In th.tsFoleParvatI~s cast as ,aBpr-e who upho,Jdstille ,or-tier of dha:rI11t1~ who enhances life in the WOF.~d1, who reprresentsfbeooau"tyand. 8.ttr:aCfton of worldly sexua~llfc" Itm,ayalso be surmised thaitth~:swa;s fhepenod ,ofalcHve'a:ssimtlation ofthe Pa.nra.tJ'CI!llt:m.mthe cult.ofSfv,a,8indth~smay alsc be a causefor'thet-enswoo ibetwoon S·jvaand iPirvaitl.Whe·tev,er the case :m,ay harve been. the dUA.cultles. fClC~d are demon~ stFa.ted in the d~aloguebemoon ,£bva and 'Parvati in. the .Pad"tap'Ur~'f;1a"

In. one'suchexchange S.i.va is seen. gloating over hiSiwhi.tebodf and. isays that ~1o~nted wUh hlm.Parvati·s body wouldl shlnelit.e a blackfemele serpent elung t-oa white sandal tree or like nl.ght covered mth reddish gann.enttouclledbymoonUght.*· At 'fbi:s Uma is enraged,. and lflsteadoftaking the statemen.t sulbserdenUy she ret-oris tha.t I~nei.th.er is she crooked (U~ea serpeat) OIJ:1ough but, iftst-eaJid Siva" wasknown in. the world to bep()ssess~ngpoi:son and. as lbeirng a shelter ~{)I the mines, of €a.tdt:s (fhat~,sthose wt.n commit faults)," 8ivais toldbyP,arvat1 that he is the nne who snatched away th.etee:th of P'u~n ,and. destr-oyed Bha.gI8.·sleyes" He conldnot afford tv call her black ashe himseUwas 1~ ·C. WI1I f -. '1f.. -. MahaKiila .. W, - find her .~ -Jin.'.·v -;T.~ ... :,.~",catll- ""li:1US. 'D. she Is b.D~nQ' .. ;_ ... ·· humili <!I,~. -.·~ .. d .. 'c ....

,I>.no __ ~ __ D uC __ _ _ _ . e ctt;::e ;g . e_ y up~ _ ._e .... ....u ... _. _""--,o ~ __ ~u,~~

by "a rogue" amean skuU camel'. always living lna.crem,atofY wuh body smeared with ashes and. movmg .amoog the di.vlne mothers," There is n.ov,esft,ge ofapa,o_fylllgParv,atl ru.shhlg towtl.rd. penance to ,achieve a ialrer stinto please her lord. W,een,(lonnter a goddess sbowmg de~ni!te Signs of being a. powe:r.fulJ, jndependent~ 0p'jn~ona.led. persont who seems wa.ry of Si.v,ats attributes. ciharade-:risti:cs and. De:navi:ou.r"

In enemstanee she says is rus__hing to the mOli1ntaiLn tn order to a1bandon herseHby means.ofpenance as she had ib~eninsun:ed.lby aro_g1.lle~rathe(rfhan.tohewlne €ail'skm:ned. In an.o-ther place she accuses, Siva. of ,creatmg a h.eadacllein h.erby 1'e!vtUnghe'I" with his own defects.. :S'lva also re'talia.t-es thatsne was,behaving nke her' fa.tber and that her mmd was overpowered wlthturbidnesis lik.ethe mass of clouds on the pe,a]:; of the Hima~ayatl mountains, He also !Says tha.tP',aIVa.t:rS heart wa.sl!1'llfa.thamable lik-e f:nem,ountaimt hardnessfrom stones, thleknesafrcm fn:}cke,ts", ,cr:ookedness fr-om rivers and was dtffl.cult l.,- b ... ::., ~ CIC~ --""',rl.lik:.q th :-"fl --;w .. S'~lva ,"; ~-S·· ~';;II~ frl;Q;c,g~r,; i!~-,h ~v ebeen tran __ ~err"'~'~ ~,~c. -~,~nm~·"·

l~otH:~m"p"Joyf;;liU ... ~_e s __ o __ ' .. say O!...JI, u~,,",,~,~~a~~s~_a " e _¥_, _~ Pl"uS_ ... ~. "oyaD nu, ... ,

fhe Himal,ayanmounfa:in."j, Uma. repU,es.u.&o:m s@rpentsyou.ha:ve:ooc-eiv,edJ mJa_nytongues~ from the ashes you have got oiliness. the wickedness .of yuur heert has s.pllung up Hom. the moon." He is also saidto have no sense o.f shame because he is naked.

In. a.nothe:r sUu.at:ion. we .and an eg!o tussle but over a difiment matter .•. Parvafi seems to be ex.periencing Ion,@'1irJ:ess. 'This appearsto 00 the ~suJt ofner recell1!t as!similaUon in to the :S,aivapm:rthecn., P'arva.ti.'sm.emd alsoteUs her' "all the g~as: of Rudra caRY


;!'

Encyclopaedia of t.he Sm'visnz

1.37

out the orders of Siva and that none of them can be caned our O\oVD .• 'They all stand as portals, subservient QfSiva ~ s behests .... Ou.rmind isn.ot In union with them .. Henceoul' own must be created .. n The CleaLUOlii. 0.£ Ga:l)'Gsa isa. totally fundepen.dent act without the intervention .of S.iva. Si.v.a is also worried over hisrepulafion of bemg scared .of his wife and. fhereEore inUially hesttates before.8oLng to war with Ga:Q,cSa. "Out i.f we are to be humble there is likelyto be a rumoun Siva. is subservient to his wi.fe .... this is der-oga tory torneHow can a woman be obdurate espedaUy w1th herhusband? .farvattwiH certainly de:r:h'·e the fruit of whaf she has done?"

In anctherocrurrence Siva tnes to apolog;izeand placareParvatt even stating .. "1 shall be a sycophani-a. flatterer sayng amusing words." Parvat1 still does not give lip ber intense an.ger ..

In another inshmce we fmd PaTvati cursing, "O .flre since youbaveeaused in. impediment in sexual intereoarse even before I had. been satisned~ therefore you have committed an acnonwhtch you should not have committed; youevtl-tmnded one I" If Pa.rvaU is Siva's consort; her statements c~rhljnly do liIotim.ply that she was a mere

z . _ "_ _ . ~ _ _

appendage to SiV'a~ fa_]" infertor in powe'r and status but seems ~o have a. mind of her 0'\VT1

In all m81\He:rs ram~ng fromthe childrentc sex. and. evenm removmg GaJ~ga .. from. such

1 _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ - - _ _

dose proximity of Styaber spouse. It may be therefore hypothesised on the basis of

Pall'vat1r'e~a.:Uon with Siva which seems to have-been a :spirifed one that there may have boon a. cult dedicated. to Pa.rvafi thatwas now being subsumedmfo the S.a.i'l.a p,mtheou.

StmUady there seems to have been culHc tension between GaJ;lCiSa .and Skanda whIch haebeeareferred' to earlierin thts chapter. Thlstension~ as. has been. pointed out, lndlca:H.ve 0.£ a strainbetween the MO nvaJ cults, There also seems to have been problems o.f acceptance with the-extreme sects ~ike the Ka.paJika.s and witb tbe:ir pracnceswhteh we find are denigrated and said to he anti-Vedic ..

Wefll1dtha.ttheSanskrlHc tradition in the Plna.Q,aspossesses enormous symbiOtic appeal representing a. norm. of socio-cultural excellence and possessing virtually a pro&elyti.s~ng qu.a:U.ty .. We have alsofoand that the SanskrUic lu.adltiotlisnof Cl. motlo:Uthic entity but fs involved 1n. symbohc jin[erp~ay with myriad local tradtnons so that Sanskdflsa.tioo]s.a very complex two directional processdrawmgfrom .a:sweU asfeeding into. r'lon-!Sal1l.skriUc culture ..


22 M,inikkava,cakar

•

The Immense output of tnysUc,al wrlHngs fr-om theSa;jvUe Nayanmaxsand Vai.fiiijavit.e AJvars in the Tamil counky~ which eontnbuted to the rev~v2d of Hinduism against the currents of Budd.his.m. and jainism. reached Us climax in. the Tiruviicakam of M:aorkkavacalar. the lastofthe Tarml S,aivitepoel-myst:iJcs. This sail1tls satd to have been bom at the tovm of Tlruva.tavfnr. 00 the river Vatkal~ hi! fhe nin.th century. Glfted with a. powerful intelectand wi~h. a genius for adminish:auJonJ he became tbe pri:m,@ minister of the P'ilJ:Q!lya. king, Ad.marttanar.Power and riches a tthe royal court did .n{)t~ corrupt hnn; coovinced! of thctrb'an.sUodn.ess, he sethis mind on.the sac lied truths oilhe' Sahra. reUglon and. longed €nrrclea.se&om impri:90nment irn.the world of rebirth. While on a VlSU to. Y'e'runhlrai.ne came under the iniltleI1ce of a Brahm,ln r-e:Ug,iotisteacher,.Ev,enm,aUy he reaouncedhrs prime mini.stey;ship' and took to the Hfeof ,are:ligiou.S 'poet. singlng Siva),s praises. practiSIng austermes at CUamparam,pedortnln.g miracles. saehas res.fo.tlng the g;1.ft·of speech to the dumb daughter af~be Cola. kill.g~ and engagmg in discussions With t'he Buddh.lsts of Ceylon.

His best-knownwerk, the Tir:umCi1kam .. Is dally sung wUh devotion: and.raprure in te.mples and homes thr-ougbout the Tamrlland .e. A common Tamil sayingi~ ~ha.t 'He! who isn.ot melted by the Tinlvik:aMmmu:st have a. stone Eor a heart .. ~ Ills a. remarkable mystica] work. pr-o£oundlyreligious,~ in exqulsUelybcautiful vesses, divilillely In:splrea andund.ouib~edlyFallktlillg as one of the gr-eat r-eligjouS classics .or the world; its stanzas express the ecstatic and proFound loveMW)ikkavaca~k,ar always had in his neart~ once hehad forsaken earthly love and. come to taste the love o.fGod.

God's Love for M,3n

'Two com.plementa.ry a.rtldesof Sa:ivife fa:ifh concerning thenatureof God.to.r:m the basis of M,W:tikkav,acak,ar~:s whole tea.ching am. God~s love fol' man .a Thefi~stls that God. is sovereign and. indwells allcreatures out of love' for men. the second that hts love is perfect 8_nd unfailing ..

How doeahe concelveoftheabsolu.te sovereIgnty o.fGod? The point stressedtnne and. again lnthe Ttr.uvacdJcnmts that God. IS the LOFd Qif!creaUon~, ruler of the umverse, ind.weller of allbemgs .. Actually ~Godis lli.e sovellelgnlord. and. RuJer of fh.e tmi.verse msefar as he Is pJ'lesent infhe inmost essence of an beings and hence his indwelling resumes aU d.i.vineactivity wUhFespectto all Ibellil.gs.


139

God Slva creates, prctects, ,and. destroys all wodds; he' ennehesthem w:Uh hi.s grace andreleeses them from EeHers;.he bring.s about ina special waytbe ,entry of souls in.to the company of the :faifhful. HeAUs (ni:rai.nm) the heaven and the earth. and whole ·crea.firnil~ is bright wUh hts manifested Ught (vilank-o.lt) (1.23).. He is th.e truth which~ as lo.rilCir~nn~ dwells In the soul (1 .. 33)1; heabtdes esp@daUy in the thought (c:int.at) of men (1 .. 17). He is the unseen light that lurks within. souls who d,ld. not see hnn; Uql!dfyingOleit' hearts with love, heindweUs asthe pr«i.ousli£e (mimyir)1 of souls (t.,68 .. 9'J. His glory and grea tness consist in:resld:lng with ever-flowing love Witbin. his devoteesJsiRmost souls. MingUng with aU ibeings~ he cherishes everyone of theln. The self~sU£fidet1,t [Being seeks the souls outandensers into t1heirinmo!Stbe~ngs (01.47).

The diviLoe lmman.eru:::e jn the world and-in souls is descnbed 1by M,aUikkavacakar thus: 'He (God)i.s th.eLord. who has taken possession of me; the .~mother of the universe wh.o penetrates the seven worlds;a:nd. the Lord. who rules over them aU' (8 .. 7) .. liei:B said tobe 'the essence of ,aU that nve:s~.~ infhe sense fha.t everyUvlng 1beIng is the embodiment . of God.~:s goodness andfmds ltsulHm.ate desHnyln him ... He~elgns over all souls and Is in.H.ma.te~y present tothem. iRe entered. myrleslrt. umted w:il:rn my seU" never leavesm.y souls. ~ [God] does not quit myhe,artev~n. fur an instant:h.eis .~theklng· who soothedmy soul's, unrest, and made me his ..... (He] lS: far removed fromtbosewho are with:out [love] .... [he] isp']:ea;sed. with those wbow.o~sbip him with ador.ing hands .... [he is] {he glOriOUS One who upHftstnose who bowthei!rhea~d [to him] ... Pralsebeta the €eetofthe stamless, who stands near in love. (1. 2-13)

. That tbis dlvtlilcimm.a;nence is not understood in the pantheistic sense is made

clear by the k>Uowing,phdosopbyicallyimport,ant, ataremencHe (God) is fhe life of all thatUves and yet notconfused with any of them .. t The profound m:earjn.g of divine tmmarence ts further focussed when MaQikkavakar ttles to explam ifin Ute sense ofutter dependence of mha creature om. G.od ..

If you leave, 1 perish.

None out yon upholds your devotee:

80 •. ··.· uree o .. f mv Iife

- -~ ........... ~ -- -y --- .... ~

JndweUlngin. me ..

Vitilo ketutliJl

Ma/rra~iyen-ranna:it taH:bmar il',lai; En val m:u.frz.le,.

Enakku~lavane (6.23)

We may go further .. Not only is God's lovmg :presen.ce and aCtl.v.i.ty the very condition of ~he continued e'xlstence of tbe world and men, but his direct action upon the mmdsand heads 'Of his devotees leads them to final Hoora.ti.on.. The devotee' srmnd and heart would. have gone astray, had. be not held them wIth htspower (s'akti). 'Lest I should go astray, he la.ld. his hand. on. me .. ~ He is In:sep,arah]e even. for a. moment from the hearts oif tile devotees: ~honghfar ais,tant tt(liffi those devoid. o·.f l(fv"e~ he is tbe inner delight of those who worshii.pbiJm (1.1-1.0).He and his powe:J' (Saldi)res:iJde a'Rl.ong the d.evotees;as supreme Hein.g he encoamsersthe devotees and lead.s their God -tntent mmds to final l~beration (21 .. 1).


14

Of'M .• ", 11!...,~ 'dJ~~:· ~~~~.,jt., 1i.., I'

. ,~,~ I,ll ia .@" ly,a,,,,,r..a, W,~, ~Q ,na,s~

Shcdd.lng the sense of self ,and of her Become one wnh the IJn.g,ailseU.

In Guheswara Lin,ga.

SU!rpris~ngly~ Akkam,ahadevi is no't the anly rate example 01 wom~ sajnts", becausethere were quUe a number of pradi;sl:rru,gyog,bds whiocame cl05e~o bel. The'y are Satyakks, MuI<tayakka" Neel,amb~ka,M:ahade'\i'ty,amma" Lakkamma and. otlh~s,. ''Jo quote their Vaehanas wm.ddb@a:n ,efEectllve proof o,f tmis .. S,a~yal<ka, says~

HThlrlkill.,g He Is OrtUs~de.I mdn.dlessly spok.e~ Com.ing Wl~h()ll1t my tfil]Qrwledjge~, Heis in IDe ! The in.t:egral Unborn one

Is not aC-C@:S$~b]'I2~u werds

Mother, I've been 'bewndered by His void:

Wha.t do I do, O mother ? If I fQrget~

The bu'sband withotlt a. fo,rmsnall wake 'me' up .. 1"lni'f ·~.f; U"l'"U.L,~...,W ~·l·m', 'H" ',0 i,,,"' 'g'o' od

,r'u, .1., )i ... 1 .. ""."u~~ lll, L" I",. ,,,", ,I,,," ".' '."" .. "

Our' Sambuj akeswara,'

(Sa:tynkka:" :148, S$ .. Trans. A.M. & S.M.A..)

N@eiambila" wi~oflBasava. sends 1ba.ckBasava 's me;ssengerssay-in,gtU~meOO. no,t (lome \~O Kupptldll Sarngamato atttdn Lm;g,atkya .. I,t;an ,atia.1n i~bere' as weU .. ltis sttrpdslng fhat Basava does npt ln~o'wev~that m.u~h .. n In. this. (:-Qnn,~ti,('nl. a. 'q1u(!s,fj,onput' 1b,y Gogg:a.vve a.bol!1t~heequ,a]:iJfy ofm,an and. w-um,an IS worth quoting:

Th.e'y can one woman. If one have Bfea.sits and a braid~

'They can. one man If onep'ols:6eiSS Moustaches and. loiF1l.~l.o:th .. IsknowJ:edge of th·es.etwil.in Male or Female.

O Na:sfina tha 7'

('(;0- 1-9'0- 3-0'-&'5 'V' .. r A-M' 1:- S M' A- )

"---;--,'-:-.',,--,~,,:-l:-:- l .,',,' I ,--: ',',,--:-=1_', 1 __ ", ".': 'I~'-'::-'-_"'-' ,'-". ,',-:-.1 __ .""",_ "I

',,';gga:rrtle~ ,'.,'" p. ".'." ':"'~' ~[a_ns, .. _.~'"."IJ~J',;, '.",-- .• ,";,,' ,.', '.:"

Similarly. A~kamahadcv:i .Isa.hnost lening Basava~in.acha.Ueng;jng spinf~ ofh()w she has conquered Siva. and yetwlth ma.tured.btrmlUty:

I won over my passions by thy Grac-e Basavanna, lea ll.gl'tt hold. of


140

The One, the most prw!Ous,the Jnfjnite~ came down ~o ea.rth; I did not despise his d.escent as Guru who appeared fun gra!Oe.

S,iva, the mighty Lend. as,boney and as sweet ambrosia. hlmseUcame. entered m,}"

souland gave hi,s grace to me! his slave. -

The purpose 0:[ 111sgra.ce-g~v~ng desoent on ea.rlfll. ind:l.e form 0.£ a. GUl't1~ and 'of hts presence in souls as, the supreme wisdOlm, .~ s tba.t all false things migh.ttateto fUghl; fttaltthe true wisd om. mig"l1t gleam br,~,ght im, true sp:~endour; that unJ,wisd.om. mlghtfilee far off. The unseenLord, appearinglnv~sible .form as gUIU~ mends his ,aid with mo,rb,e',rly ~,o'Velohl5 devotoos; anymof<l?! he peneb:,ams their bodies :andthrlUs th.em wu:h the honeyeil,amibros1la of pur~~ight. 'Th,at God! $ deStJewrut Qn earth has love god merqf~lF'moUveiscleat:·Wlth, moth.edy~ove he de:scended~n grace to lopen lhe rich store oEmellcy!' (10.JO) .. 'The gradous (Lord) who left the h.e'2IiVens.eflItered. this ,earth, made men his ovm;tihe' anWy (LOIlCO .... enlter-m my soul and Itlls my thought' (18.4).

God. "s whole adivUyis mOhvatedbyM.s move:; dlere is .no a.ctoEhis Dutexpre:sses iths love.;. fnr ll~.s activny is again and a,gaInportr,ayed.tnterm.s of love. "He loveshta dev,ousarm g~vems them by h~.s grace,' God is ,e'xplidty and .f,ormally caned a bba.k:ta.(patta ;p"i'm; haUm th€~(lv€r) (4 .. 1 '76) .. Hers fuelover (kj"ta,m.n) o·.f souls (2.113).1"0' the lovLng: ones he i:s the ~nver (anparukkan;p:an) (2.119)..1'0 th,osewho~.ove bimwlthperf&~ love he l:s~.ove Uselfthat surpasses th.eirs ("5.:6,9). His move for men, far from. .fa.~.W~ng~ burgeons .furit:8 day by day (4.B6).

Mi.QlkkavQcakar portrays Goer slove fn terms (I'.f metlcy and gra.ce. God~ who ~:sthe. ocean of mercy (karuyaikka:fal) (10'.9). gjvesthe heavenly f:'ood of mer,ey and. grace to sustam devoteestn tl"teir :spirlhla~]Hfe (3,Jl79~81) .. His rrI.a.tnre itself Is said to coosl:s,tofmer:d.fu~.love, mere precious tl1,anamother~s. God is the sacred mount of g.raceand goodness, ialto~fuer free from evil. He Js the flood. ofm:~hty~,changeless me:r-cy. Hlsm,e'r-cy know'S no bounds"

The tree ()if dlvlne'gra.ce in. a unique way s.prang~roseup~ sent forth. Us bou.ghs whiCh nooe can count; rightly he cared for me and called me and helped me to ride m state a.loft (Ul.8) (n,ameiy ~ lril the realm of spldtual expenenee of gra.ce) ..

'(God "srule of love ,ex~efilds to the in most sandU\ary of humanfuoughts and ,as:p.~:ra .. nons) Heru~es ove.rmyw,anderingthou.ghtanrn. shows~ove andalJ.ld:e5lnm.yh.eart and soul.

He works in. grace of love in order that wickednessm.ay die out in the hea.rts of men. (1 .. 65 .. 6)

Wheo.J knew 110,t his fcrm, even then.be .[L>;;ed his love on me! ph![1Jted himself wlttLin my thQu.ght, and flesh and thus made me his ..

With greater lovethanfhatofthe mothe:rwbo ilioughtful~.y feeds ,(herchlld) w.lthm:n~, me:~tingthe .flesh. o.f thesir':"'1e'r Wdreme!, .flooding: my soulwtth inner Ught. (God) bestows, unweary, honeyed bliss, (3i.9)"

It IS in words euchasjhesethet M,iQ.'ikka:vacakar describes the gr~atnes\s of 'GOd.~:9 love.


141

supreme degree .. However unworthy the' cr-eatu.res may be, God~ out ofJove,oestows on his bhakfa's no less a gift than hi:s own Sell He give's hims~U to the devotee's as the suprero.e gift~ :rncomp,ara:bltl wi.th thepoer giftthey make offhemselves to him. 'You gave me yOUI' own seU~ in return you 'have accepted ·IDe., a poor wretch., .,. Your gave 'me infinite b1iss;. in return. what did your~eiv·e fllomm.e? (Nothlngmuch wodhY (22.10) ..

Ma.n's Love for God €al Bh,akti. as 'God's Grace·

As the outset 'it :1.$ tmportamt to !lote ·that :Milt).:ikk,avacaka.1' teaches that bhak~i is a n-ee ,gift a,' God be:s:~owedl on a. reli.giO'us :soul,ea.ge:r m follow the path of lib~,atioo. He ,eon$ltanUyprays to' God: "Grallt me the grace of melftingin ceaseless love for' you. l' "In .grace 'bestow love to your .glOrious feet 'lha·t I may praise youcea:sele,ssly' (5 ... 6).. It is the Lord who bestows Iove, 'who makes hearts melt wi.th love for him (4.,1).. With fun reali,sation fur God '8gHl of love, he observes: "Ihe supreme ltghtplunged me d.eep' in the sea. oflove (paUi)~h(Jw' sweet his mer,cy Js! ~ (11 .. 12) .. 'He hes:towedon me'mconc-ei'Vable' love and. made me hts own, •

(b)' Quesl' for the G:r,s:ce of Bh.akti.

A1tholl.gh bhakfi Is proposed as ,a. free gift o.fGod~MaQ.ikka.v,aca.k,ar does notfntend to make It work. a.utom,atb::allY.~ frrespeettve of man 'sIongin.g for it. His abundantly dear from thetex.ts thathe is. far hom proposing a doctrine 01 grace according to which 'God does everythtng and man nothing. He constders ,bhakti' as a. cherished possession which one has to ~ong£Oil" above all else. 'I do not dread a:n:y birtll .. J do not crave fol' heaven itself;. I do not deem it worthwhile to rule fln.seadb . , .. my oo]y a,mdlety is: when shall I obt'ain your g,r,ace (of love)~' (5 .. 12.). The first: ofthefonow:~ngpF'ayers is comparable wtlh the best ln religiOUS 11terature~

Give megrace tha.t ceaseless .ov,e for you. may abide-in the inmost of my heart, melting (in. love) my v'ery' soul. (5 .. 11)

You see that lcUng to none bu,t you ... i.f you who made me your own deny your S',a.CE!'. to whom shan I .eo:mjpD,ain:? To whom shalll ten my sorrow? ... bid. me come to you, (2El.l)

Your deSire me and rule me' ib.,· yOU.f grace.. . I desire nothing else, but int:en.selove

.wr you. - . -

Uat aU I desiIrEla gift from y'oo. it is· your lov,e. (33Ai)

(The mysuc: .finds. all blis:sin. God alone).. Seetin.g blessedness, I do not want Indra'a (choicesf) delights. nor those of ethergedstI do not live save unned with your :reet. (5.'72)

Idonotseek friends •. lela:Hves; I donotwant(wrule) anydty .nor (toacq,uire) fame.

I do, not seek the leamed (men':s :sodety) ,., . ..


I seek your (sa.cJEd.)feet .... thata:sthecow ream.s £OI'I.1:s calf,mylongjng sold may melt (39'.3)..

I follow y0ll1d08~d.y and have seized you and hold you. fast. (37.9') Ne'\iler los~ng my hold. I ,d~ng to yo.n .fi!Fmly. (37<1.)1

(c) 'TheM,e'ans o,:fLiberaUon

Th.~S lnt~ll.se l:ongingEorlove .of God. is :rillot mercely an. ,emntionaJ ~ooling bU.t, 100v,c penetrated by knowledge. Tnne ,and aga.in the Titu;w'Ca:kam: :Pl10poOOrs bhakfi aCwmpMll.ied by clOnt~m.pla.uon. ,and. mean·atian. on 'God:r~fml:tl:t;fjl n:lnain.fu U'ruki;med"iIfa.tin,girn:m~nd. and melting (].1l.lQve)~p:aJa'm~1 unnaipp.iviUu: repeatedly ,conte:mpl.atlng you.B,hilkfi is ,a.~enl!dne inruZ!'r love which ~overHows. WithIn the devctees' ('inmost) soul (Q~iyjr unaftu)~ (2.7). MilJ.lkka.vac:aka:r sa.ys. '1 am pierced with,eal" n.ev~r in.te:r:m.itten.~· love, Just as a. wedge is driven lntna. soft youngttee" (4.63 f . .)~Myinmost self Is, dissolved tfit s~ong love;.lov,e~s Fiver overflows i.ls banks' (4 .. 80 .f.)

The gel1l!.ul1e,lntenectual~ lnn.er.bhakt.i Is the way O'f saJva.Non because ltw.one bees souls from tb.e .feH:ers of o~d deeds (pal'a: v',i~,lacl) andthe mind.~:Sim.pun.t:y I(citlt:l. JlftJltimJ, egoism); they ,attain. SiVl1fN;, the .fomlo.f Siva (5,1 .. 1). 'God 'be-arsto' sttpreme 'bliss ~only) ·the devotees who love him. If it were not given ... to m.elt in lov,e Ear god .. " . wna.tcan.1 dUt a. poor sinnet? ~ (5,.36). God is a ftainable by lave .. '~Soo', he :is,ca.1I1_ght:lll! the R~t of }ov,e(m:z,pu ~JulaiY (3.,42.) .. MaJ)itkavacakar is never' satIJs:H.ed wIth half,.h.eartledl,ove' .for 'God, fur" he saY~"h

God demands ~o:taJ lov@; .. be demandsmy all, (10,1.3) There was .in you destre forme, mme fur you. (5 .. 80)

I long to sing your praise. whi~.e allmybe'itilg sinks and. m.e~tsin love. I long to wnte with YOU, in oeder to leillve Ea.l:sehooda,side, you who aretrue t-ofhe ~u.m,e devetees, (S,100),

This genu:]n~@.int:e]iledual~total bhakU results in the delVo~ee~sfea.chi~g the dJvme himsdf..!I(God) has mereased l~i,ght and ibanish.ed. da.rkI1lGSfS; hehas ,cut ·off affli.ctilonts c1!iilil.ging bond .• and. givel'iI. nght of ~(Jv~ ..... weU~:phea;sed~()m,at.e my head h~s 'ownf ,(47 .. 1]). St Paul speak cd the Ch:dsH,an. lIJea.s, puuing on Christ~ :some'Wna.1 slm:narly~, Magitka v,acakar speaks ofbeiFil.g d.athed wIth 'God" and ex.presses his tna.bUity to do, ISO by him own power8~iI do l1Jot knowhow I m.a.yput· on (unqip patlutlJ artu·ty,m)"

Lastlv, bhaiti, for Manikka;vacakara:s for other Salvi.tem!J. sHes,. inch.ui.es t\h~

,~l -I! ,I'

reaUsa.~~ion of ene's.unworfhmess, .Ak~en sense Oil one's n,othingnessf0suUS momtihe

a.w,areness~:ha.t aU ofl@pos:oos$e,scom,esEIom God aaa free gin~ and seU-lIels:l)d vanishes irone admowI@dges one's £aUings .in ,the pvcsence of God. Without SEIth a hum,nityt:her-e can be no genuine love of God,. £()Irtru!e :humtUtyi,s baeed onthe reansa.t1on O!f the we re~aHcmshlpthat exists bC'Wl'eeft God and the devotee ..

Mi_Qikkavac,akar ·w hrs poomsneqw2n.uyeXpl'\eSIses f:ee.l1ngs of doop hutnnily 'm clearterms,


143

tthe vile one (pu:laiyanen) dwell In a short-Uvea house o.f worms wherefalse mus.lnns ~ow andpress, (37.:3)

OGodlnfinite" exalted overaUl: You have assigned a. place in supreme bliss for me, a mere s~av,e, the lowest of all (men). (4'7.8).

Tome. mean as J was~wUb no good th~ng (of Illy own)" you grant grace that I should. mirlgle mlove, me~t in soul-subduing rapture ., ., " You favoured me with grace, me who am amere slave~m.eerner tlla_o any dog. (1.56-61.)

I am Ul1I,woFthytobe counted am,ong your loving ones" .. u.mng lllghthe meenest thin.g" you broaght low the heavenly ones. (5.10)

ThIS e?<perlence of his unworthiness went.hand in handwtth a profound sense o.f h~ ··,-·'nfuln·---.and.acravin'" for fermveness. He declares

- ,16 SL " ,esiS_ - - -- .. - 0- .. -- . - ~~ .- 8 .. - - --- . 1

I amfalse, 1E!¥ heartis deceitful and my love is sham; low.t if you:r sinful servant wc"c (,m sorrow for sin~. he can eamvou, (5.'90) ••

.. eep . -_ _,u_ 4~ ..-~.- J -, "

You de~gn to visit me a sinful man (p.'livlyttl:) .. (37 .. '9)

Fear' holds 1]"le.forin dark (lonrusion ~forgottn.e gra.ce that saves me; Lam .aCILlI and a cheat. UEe is j:oyless; nnw ~et your grace speak; bid .~ me come to you. (2B .. 6)

Often. enough he tmpkrres .from. God. pardon. and fogiveness forhis sins:

Pardon my offences. .. (Sa.S:)

It is the d 1.ll'ty of grea tones to .forglv'e faults,

T am" a. thief lVith a. deceItful heart, stiff~necked. herd-hearted; men my heartand possess me oy yau.r meIcy. (1Jll1.)

D.is,trus·tfu~ ofhrmselfhe laments: 'My senaelessheartbsmgs ruin to me' (5 .. 33).

However acute be the fooUng of uJ'Iworthin.es:s B_nd self:'abasem,ent.~Mar:'ljkkav.acakaf s re:U.giol1. Is one of opUmlsm~. hope, and trustm God. The prevalent note of optimism and holye~a.'tlonruns acrosstheexpenence of his smfulness,

Even. fboughIam a smner, .1 can cry.: wm you not grant yourseU tom,e;? (34.10~ lam of (evU) deeds; yet you are my r.iches; lest I should rot .in my foul flesh and dle~ you have preserved meand now J am yours; you are our God! boundless sea. of g.race. ('37 .. 2)

I had navirtue, no prma.nce~ notrue knowledge, no seU-conhol but he .fined me

in. every ~bnb.wUb Jove's in.tense longing. (50 .. 3)

'Thou.,gh lam. a gre'at sinner" yourwill Ia not to sever from me .. (5 .. 37)

(d,) The Pinal Sm.te o.f Liberation


-

When. true love matures in the devotee's soul and takes the lonn.o.fmyst.icaJ expenenee, the mysUcis said. to be liberated .ttom. the ,fetters of.lmrmQ: andsamsara and to be most intimately tInned. with God. ..

The state ofliOe;raition •. for MaUikblvacakar. does not consist in theexpenence of the timeless and. spaceless, eternal, ulUmate~ mtpersonel Absolute !Being" but in love and union with oil personal God:

Love JOined me to your feet in mystic union.

The supreme-Miss is ever fu II o.fmylove (anp.n); fhis sta.te cannot be.aHain.oo.U!nless my Lordereess mto me (enu.zn.u:l puk'unfu). (49,.2)

He came. and. while my soul dissolved. In love hemade me his own .. (5.29')

You made me yours. fhriUlngmy frame through every pore; you are the Lord who. m~elung my hones,~entered. :my (inmost) self as a. shrme, (37.1(0

(God js. the Lord) who g:rat1ltsthebha~ktas the gra.ce.of untonwith :him hymmgling wIththem... (1. 130-1)

It tsa state of dtvme of God ..

You made my thotlght your thought; you. made m.y eyes rest on the blest flowers of your .feet , .. you came to fill my sensesand made me yours ... you. gave-me yourself .. (5 .. 2.6)

'The Lor-d detgnstortse inthe soul as a brigbt sun. cnaslng the darkness out of my mmd: this nature 'Of your I(a.ction) I (inteno:dy) realised; besides you fhere is nothing (valuaible for me), (22 .. '7)

This sptritual vision is moreelaborately described:

The light that hides witih:inmy soul shall suddGn~y rtse and lbum.-shaU it not? God. win come in order that (fhee:xperi.ernce ot)the man.i€old phenomenamay cease=-wjll he not?

DJvlne experiences unknown before shan rise un,{oIdltlg-shaU ithey not?

The ex,ceUent ,(divine) nature that even the heavenly ones know not shallbe wIth ms-shaJl it not?

We shan attain the limitless eightfold ,qualin.es---shall we not?

if (only) he whose head is adomedby crescentmoen designs to anse to make us

his .. (49.7) ,. .

M,aQ.ikkavacakarQonce'i.ve:s of fhe'mysWcunionm terms of ma.ri.tal love,

]tl.th,€!' tir.uJ:::klmral (Ka'malfup ,pti'l) VaUuvar has many beautiful couplets on wha.t might be called'eash!:mj romantlctove?'Ihe spiri,t of these couplets rs already found m the 'Tb1:ktfppiyaH;l.Por:ul·aUkar:tun: .

F'ear~ess, when maids with golden, jewels docked~a!nd youths meet, see and love, they can it still Gal1!;dJ\a.rvamarria.ge-bond.


145

Thus oncethepairs,Q,ftheseJ blamelese vls~on. fair"who turned the lute~an galdand rstdant, used to loin ..

A mysucaJ interpretation is given to the above love-aff:alrs,~ or, more correctly. the love-affair's· a€for:dsthe mystic the imagery and. language needed. to descnbethe mystic union. Mantkkav,acakar ~nt'equ'etsi't as an allegory exbibuingthe p~ay of the divine Spirit with fhee·mbodles soul.

Wearing thefilowery ~cassia.t wreafb~ I wmjoln myself to Siva ~ smighty arms; and joining I wtll ding to him lost tn. ecstacy .. Then shrirn.king wm.l menwtth love ofhfs ",os-,y·· ··)··In.,·l1 w-i ~1 seek h tm '. 'a' n ·d· lseek '~n"g"" ··I··· ... m m ,ndl~~l·~-a-".l), """"",":- ~ s r':~~(·'8···· - '-11 "'1'1,

.I.u. _._,: L':r 1~11 I. '_,'_' dliLI. ,_,~~, •• i&~,I: J.' __ J •• ' ~~~ ". I: I.: ._: .. W.I,I.II. "1 ,,~; _ JI,II:" _ ILrl~;; ""III~, ,:11.111_' ,1,1~:~'i "J-'~'." ~ ,}

'The sa.jnt addresses ~he loUowmgv,ersetothe humming boo; in it the spouse (th.e sauU .finds aU sweetnessin God ..

No~ sipping heneyfrem any:flower t however small. even as tinlest gradn of mUlet seed. whenever, we' think of h~m. see him, speak of htm"tht.'ll honey o.t bhss ever flows.HU all our frame d~ssolves within (10 .. 3)

Dissolved in :blis;sfhe soulme1tsu.tl'edy and gesUcul,atesinraputnre" la.1l1ghin.g. sheddin.gteaFS~l?aying hom,age of hand and Up ..... to see w~thjoyousthr1nthe sacred form I(of Siva) ... When sbaU.I be jOined with him In mystic union? (27.8,)

'The' dl'J~n.e leverhas at daim over the devotees I Ufe and service .e. 'You, maids. (.know that he is) fbe Lord wbolseeye looked. Oll. me' sweeHy. clalmlng due serviee ..... (he ~' .. 'rI.'.' 1;:1.; c·l~· - ord .... ···h,e,-. takes ·t~lhl· .~. --" ·::I·'d'~"s. ~ bns .. bt·-rml.-t:~ and clatma •. th<:=o.:i:r self ( ... uill .. ir).·. and true

IS,1 tU,e or. w .. o a. __ es _ ,,", mal,_,""~,~.. 1.1-.-:8-" a ,e - .;> - - - ... __ .... __ ...-n.. __ ._y .' ...

serv~ce~ (42..3~ .. The cuckoo's enandbnn;gs, outthe sam,€! pomt mom dearly:

Hear ~ n.ttle CUC~OQm the groves rich with honeyedfruU! ThegracteusLord spumed heaven and. came toe-firth to save men; d.espisIn.g the flesh heentered my mind andbecame my very fho-ught. (18.3)

He came and ~endedy emDradng made me his; fhi.!) lTil1rade ofgra.ce I know not.

(41.,,3)

lnretum.jhe mysuc1ong:s IOl'the divine presence:

I ever pme tosee your .flowery feef .. (5,.13) _

(My) sparkling eyes shaU then. embrace his sacred form, shall it notbe ... if Isa~ my own loving SpOUS0t meet me here in presenc-e? (49 .. 3)

We shall enjoy the bhss ofrem,ainingwithinnl.s, loved embrace, shallttnetba (49.4)


,_,

E)~cycl;C1paedia 0/ the Saiv.i.sm,

VVhile desCI1lbingfrte' mystic unton, Mi[)i.kkavacaka.l" speaks of~he 10SiS, ,ot :se~f ,on ,the pan of' the mystic" 'In, him (God) my body', seal, and ,thooght.~and mmewere'mefged~ how all :my :selfwa.slost. sIng we and beat te,f,fln.arn~ (12.HJ.). ·My bltss; you did d18solv,e my soul and do consume my lli~~ ,,".3,). TtU!fe is not the sltgbtest doubt ~h,a;tthe,se statements do not mean total annihilation, even. at the lev,e} of the :my:sucls expenence of the self.M,i_f;I,ikkava,caka'f himself ,e.xplamsthemeanin,g .of these text:! by declar1ng: that in the mystic union. God destroyed ~,a:n.thD,E4,ght of ~1!'" .and "mme", 'My adion ceased, (tmnutaiyace-yal mllitl~a)~ (1,1".11).. III tills mestim,sble uruoa Itheknowledge end 'e:xpel1elCe of' God. ae sepa,I'clie from tbe SJeU disappears,; an woddJy ,desi'res die out:; emptdcal1anluale andaetton cease; ,the senee '0.1' "l" (tarpo:f:mn) vanishes;; mstead.fhe expe'nence,that ~.a[~ am the' d10jng of Siva ~ (dui\l,p6:bnn) isreali:s@dl a'nd lived.. "I" and ~lnjrlie": f:j,'uc'h thougb ,andspeech he ,(God) destroyed. (Th,exe i:s) liI.oeg:otstic experience o:f~':mmen and! "I" (34,,3).

This poInt is 'more clear1y brougn ou'tw'hen Miuikkava.,cakardescrioos tbemystJc state as cm1!llistlng of the mystic; sp1arHdpaHon i.n and total d.@dication to 'C'cd, ~What 'OU (God.) have given Is, you., and what you. have g'alned irs me?' Entering wi.thjn my bmas,t he (God,) made me his' (13 .. 1.7). '0 Lord, I have seized your .. ' . hokl yon :fast! Heru:elorlh., whith.e:rgra.ceimp8Ftingwould you rise'?" (37 .• 1) To tne,diViIte sel.f-giftt.he'mysHcl'e5l"'wd:s

··,·.-:.,r:h· the >·IIft.·.'~11.·~,c. ,,,,~'~f"'~I'-'d' b-;.,,~·c·~ "'.'''1,'':·,:, td :: "1·: . ···,,·t,·· ,'.:' "'." ., .. " " ,"- .. il· :-1",,,,'1'" I :~ " ']l~, .e,;:_,

l'\I'J'~ . I. ,.egL.Ol!~d.mse~.an .... '~U~a.l, surroo er ... am no . my @wo, youl'servan~ am., _can II,Yf!

no moment severed ,b'o:m yeu' (44.2). ~,AhiGe in me, YOrU. can. govern, sell, mort,gageme (,8;S youhke)': i.e. '1 ammtire1y yOUl's. ,and you. can. do wha't youlik:e with me,' - -

We have seen that the Ag,am.as reeogruse foUT st.'ages 'towa_¢s lIberat:km:ctlryil (relli,gio-moral conduct), hiyd (devout service ,andassistan,ce at Sj.va~wlorShlp)" yoga (meditation on Silv's). jiiana (mysncalreali:sation, of God).. Thesestates receive a deep signification only in the context .of the tUD .Oowermg of bhnkti among the' T,amU mystics • . Bha'di I1sfne means' ofsalvntton:. T:i.I'umO.1ar d,escrilDes,bWti as, ~me]H~g in love fO,f'God.': God. i.s a,cces~jible i()nly 1W fhese who accompUs,h 'this. J{a;r,ajkkiJ AmrnsijirprodabDs 'thatfhe love ofSi.v2I! has absorbed her whole Uie~ and that:tbe'patb onov1e, liberates de:votoos &am. the evil o.f acnon andr~blrth and mUlble,s them to a.Ham.s h.lsfeet. Campantar adv,ocates bhakti as the most eflicadoos, means of bbe:raH.on." constUulingfhe snm and subs,tan.oe ,of re]i,gion itseU, Sing~m_inded love to 'God i.:s one ofther,ecumng themes o.f Cuntara:r. 'The devotee' should surrender himself in love' andtake r-efuge.in, him in Older to be :freed. Dam 6ettyers., For. Appar hea.rtfeJt deep ,&hakfiis wnaf'maliers, 1m, devotees~ worship and in the attainment ·0'£ salvation", .AtlCOrdingfio Mit)i,k:.k;arv'icaka'f~ ,blmkli' is aehertshed possesion, ;.which.a, reUg;iOU8, person has tokmg fren am:strantly. P:or he ,say',; '~I do not ,crav,e nom,

. heaven ltseU~ I do :not deem ttwort1h:wh:l1,e"toru1e this earrh.,,,.:m,, on'ly des,:it-e is: when :s:haU

I obtain your grace' of love?, .. :Giv,e me ,grace that osaseless love for you 'may abide mtbe inmost o:f my heart, m'eltingm love my very soul.' Sin'Cl~re~, luminous. and :steady bhaldi is indispen:sable for llbe:ra.tion" :sin.ce such an ,attitude ,a1one destroys selk:enb'ed!n.ess~ the root cause' of all evil, and make's the soul Cod-centred, B:haldl~ as commonly proposed by N.i.yammirs, indtldes.a p':rofound sense ofh1llmilltya!'\G se]f-.albasem,en.t,.keen awareness of one" 5, smfulness, a.ndtrotalsunender bJ God..,


147

B.haldi as .sa.lvat.im1.it'ScJ/. IJM'tU" £or thesemysncs, is not m.ere~ythe means 'Of salvation, hut, in :J.ts D\,os:tperf"ect fr.om.the essence of salvanon Itself. The state of lfberatien lies pred:sely in the mys.Hcal rea]isaHon of oneJsradi,cal odenta.tionto~ and d.epen.d~t1I,.ceon!,G:od .. By the mystical s,ta,te Tirumu'I,ar understand:s union w.ithGod,in,love; m this statethe sou]. stripped of its. egoism~ lives in complete pos:ses;sion of God .a Kiraikkal Ammalya.r portrays the mystl,caJ experience 0,£ love as {be vls~on of 'Godllke hd_ghtlighl. The Ube'raHng ifiana~s fhe ou.tcome o.f perfect lave ~n whb,ili union with God is eff1!cted. Nayanm,ars express this doctdnemorev~vldly., F'or' Appar, the experience of bhnkti ripens into the mystical state of liberalion which con.sistsi~unionwith God .. For CUl1I.tar,ar,. deep bhakfiinvolves red.pmcaJ possesslen ont'heparfS of God and th.e: devotee., God enters the Bhak.ta'smind and the bWta in tum !belongs tohtmtn fujI suaender., Accofd:ing 'to M,a~nc.ka"acal<ar the state' of IlberaHlon does n:ot' mean ex.per:iJenc:e of the Um.elessand ,spa,oeless,.etl!mat ultiImates. and ImpersonalAbsolnte, but umenm love wUha.pe'rsona] God .. For he' pointedly observes~, ~love jomed meto your feet :in mystic uni:Oin" .... The sup'feme bltssis ever fUn.of my love; this sta.re eannetbe ,a.ftalned IlJlI,less.my LOFd~l1.teEsi.t1I.to .m.ee .. ~


213 Marttanda-Bhairava

- - - - I" • - --

Sl.v,a. and Surya~.the members 0'£ the B,rabmaJnicalpmted~are occa;s~onaUy fCl.1md tobe'assoda.tedwltheach other in some of the' ~Pu.majc texts .. [none ,o:ffhem,~ the AgniPt~;rdpa. fhey have been ex.pressly deSttibed asba'\fing been unttedm one body.~ and the resul.tartt composileform has 'been dle,s~gna.ted asMiFttanda.~Bhalrrava ... .A:nlls:~on:stothjs, compos~te' £onn of Stva.Md So_rya are m,e!: wi81m·· ~t'her treattses, suehas the Siimaatilaka:fantra, Haya5irsa Panc"U.r4t:ra ,and.Vi~rmii9istra" J:m.podardly en~gh~the practice o.f WOl'shj.ppmgM;aIfta1:l~a~~hahavahas been afte.st,ed by a few :~nr~vlngtcmuc examples, The doseassoda.tion IOf Siva and Surya .• ats describedm 'lliePutiijia:s :under discussion, seemstonavenadlts,geme.si:Sinfbe Vedic Uterature where'm Suryalnthe:fonn of Agnihas been.idenHlled. wi!thRudra-,Siv,a,. Among the PuraQ,a.s assoCiating S'lva with Surra. menttenmay bemade of MaJsya~ Skar,rda~ ti,ri:8a~ Sa:m:ba. a:nd.the above--mentJ,oned Agni

The Mafsya-Pu:rat!'tl ,contains ,atlea:st two re:rer:en.asindicaong :suchanassodatHon.

Ad:!lty,asay,a.na.vra.ta.~, mentton has been made of the wors,lli.p of Uma.M,abesv.ara under the name of the Sun . .Ag;aln~, itis, said that there is no dJfiellm,c-eoo'twElOO Umapap and Ravi. Then, after havingenumer.atedthe SUJ1"S names and epi.ftuds by wh ,'., _ I~, 'Siv>i de --t d ,'th:- t-t at 4,d' h H- m,' e -0 ;+-f~.a t ,~n - wh ~ cam :CS., n.,,,,, -.g, . en, e d

__ "J.Cu __ ~ .. _ a ~s __ eno _e __ ~_J~ _ex u __ ,s. __ o __ "age ~O UL __ [Le.~ _ . __ 10 c ._e_ _,v .... s ... "g.ua_~

tr,ident,lofills~ SkUn~CUp',~, se'rpentJ,lnoon and. bow ... It may be IODervwfha.t :sev,m1I ,afrha above-men fion!€daUrllbu.te:s- .aFemarkmily Saviiti!e~ only one (the lv.du;s" padma) fs,ffie ,charact,edsUc emlbJem. of tbe Sun. This furth.el' show'S fhatthegodha:se·~gbt hands. Chapter 93 Navag;rahahoma;sa:nti~vl.dbarn.aexpl!alns arite in honour of 'the me Grabas~ ,each ofthem being assod.ated.W:i.t:h one titUla.i d:ivlnUy "adhide'Mfa)~.e .. g .. Is'Vara is fha.t 'Of Ifhe Sun •. Uma. of the· moon ,and the like. TheMa:tsya-Pu,.a~. thCfC'ro.r-e~present'S ;Siva as ,closely with the Sun.

The Skatu:la-f'u:rafJR as wen as the Saur,ud:hamul (cUed by Hea.dri in his Catu:ma1'ga~ d:u.tdH~la~i)' reEersto the Sun as Hlra~y,areta,sor Suvan:tarebas who,is equal to Siva. l'n fhe Sam:ba-Puratlafbe story ofDto,Q,1 is n.arrated. as fOllows: After tearing awayBrah.ma.~shead~ .Rudratoolic. ,the sklLlll in his hand and went nall;iedJ. to Da.ruvana f,orpracHslng penance .. At the sIght of Rudra, the minds of the' w.ives and. daughtelis of the sages became a__gitated. So the sag"es drove Rudra ,away frem the plaice. Rlldra then went to the solar r-egi,o:n. wber-e the Sun'a cbief attendan.ts,advised.nim. to appeal to the Sun for getti~gnd. of the sin. (1ommitled.Rtldr.a @uJogl.sed.tllie :91.U1~the fesu.lt being tba.t he became pElI1:fi:Gd.an.d w,a:s


Siva by fhe Grace:. J am a. womalil In nam ,t:iJ a; if' ~ 'm'~ 11~iI,i'Il sp irit,

.• 1, " .. 0 I, .• , .1 ,,,",. .OII,I,l",: ,c.i!.~'" ,1:_, 'i, Q~ ~I."

I f you propery understand

(AkknltlaJmdevj. S.B. Vol. HI" Cha,t. .. 16.44)

If you would know my name What answer shan I nnd ?

'ThiiS body of flesh means nougnt t-o me, Noris there nonSEm;s@ in,my miliilldt And, if you ask me, no name !:

What shall 1: say~O bl!other ? Wba.t witless £001 a,m I, Owin_g no .fa'ther or mother:

V.-·,-". 'C'-_,-C ,-~-.t.·~r I am to A;·,aga.rma 1 ounger S.itS .e_ -- ---- I~"" .~ -1- _ c' . - - - - - - "~

Who his. mortal lnit-eUect has

Forgnne,t:o be a shinlnglightbeyond aU bounds,

(Mukfayalcka. 5.S. Volt n. 16,)

Further, a poem hom Liilga,m:ma ts StilU more Important because she comes Jrom a low caste, with no tradition. of spiritual attatnraentbelund her.Here she says:

Amnng the~.owes,t was Ibom, A.m,oog the highest did I g,t'owt And held. the .fcetofl)eal S,ala,nlas; And ho,l.ding them, I saw

GUlru and Ling-.a. ,and.'anga.ma.~ Pras~!da.andP,adoctaka~

Since I have seenellthese,

The d,arknesslcJf.!'f:ore my eyes cleared u.p; As 5000. as tha.t cleared up~

I reveUedJinthe sp:lendld Ilght Of the auspicious one

And won myhal?pin:eS!s~

o AUamapriya Chennabasavanna [

(Linga,m;mat 64~ p. 254· 9.S. Trans. (A .. M ... & S.M.A.)

Sjmda.r]y~ Akka_nagamma says:

Theroot of mybi.rthts creeper was tom As, I receive 1Basavarmats g;i.ft!


Encyclopaedia of the Sa:ivz:sm

149

giv,enthenatne DiQ.~;U. The Sun advised Rudrat-o Jive in a sacred place IOn the earih where he himself would li.ve w:i.fh him mcompanyw1th hisG'Ig;bteen, chief aHen.dants as weHas.

Fourteen ofller:s. .

The sun also conferred dWineknowledge on Rudra, gave fhe name' 0.£ Avfmuktaksetra to fheplsce where Rudra practisedaustel1es :foraHaJn.in_g hrs favour, and assured Rudrathatthose people, who would bow to, thelaHel' and the Sun .at that place, would become s"inJe'ss" The story thus seemstn mdlcatethe way how fhe cult of Marita('l.Q,aBhalrava dc:ve1:oped.ln the ,Linga-Pu:r:atza~we flmd. reference-to sueha syncreH.c.ronn of Snrya and Siva, The two sectarian PurilJas. viz. Sandm and .Linga, cilasser.ias Sausa and Salva reepecnvely ,fe,fer' to the adt o.F Maritat)·9a.~Bbairava.. Thtistype of image is described. inllie' Sdr,Qda:tilaka '!antra as foUows: i~Werender homage to the ~d who possesses an inna.t:e lustre as fbe 'bud of a ,gt)ldenlotus andhas innis. handskhntvanga, plld:n~h1,. cakr~ Sak:ti~ paSR, .s(tz:i~ ak,-ama!d a.ndkap,~la. Obei,sanoe to him who has.Eour faces and 15 beaut:U]~edbythT-et! eyesea.ch and wears a tiara of prectouspearls and is ornamented wlfua. necklace.

In fhe .Agni~.Purn~a. (C'CCI. 12.~ 14)Martt,ag:Qia~Bhalrava~sa.ttrjibutes;a_re tdenHca~ with. tbose given~n the Nti:raytm:iya. dted.1by Ragbava.":bh.att:a on the Tantra, The passage Sbfd:u~r4ru~am'-rSa'mtll v'am-ardha-aayitam .R.avim iSex.plamed by Ragha:va~bhatta as .fol-

.~ -II ~'- . . .'. ,. ·f; --~ .. ...··~·c- -~ - t.. .'. . -R- . ...•. . 'h-' .1[ - .ft- .. -. - .~ .. -. ~ - --.- c -b -.' . - .. i'-- ~'f-

.IOWS •. .sana 1,8 0 'I~'"U v€rm.ldon CQ,I,QU.r l~,avmg .. a.vl m t1 .. ,e d! .'a.sl~lS dlVlng .. eUel'll,a,c' ..

Though the interpretatl,of'l is dear ,and acci!ptable .• the a.mr-esai:d verseIs g:r,amm,a.fically meorreet and is no doubt slllg:gesttve of thevermlhon colour of ~sana havin,ghis beloved goddess. on. tbe left. According to D.C. Slrcar. Marltanda-Bhalrav,a sometimes represents a romblna.t1on of :S~va (Ard]umatIS,vara.) and Surya .• 1b~t such a form i:~ neither rerelJled to in. any ofth.e PnraQas nor is known. In plastlc art. On. the other' hand, Siva is descdbedm manytexts as havi~ghis be1oved. goddess on the len. In Us. de:sc:npHon af the s,yncretJ,c form of SQrya.and Siva. the Liri:ga .. Purj~ .. as we have seen abCJve~ mentions thelatteras A:ldhanans,vara.

[nddentaUy,. some rnanuscnpts of the Agni-Pur~a. preserved in the Asia-iDe Sod@ty~.give the verse as sindur~rotm:m i.§a~mmv.at1t4r,dha~yi,fa1if parnrn.MLN. Dutta translated the verse onthebasss of.averston ofllie text where Ute' s~,okn aboutMarttatJl!QJ!a~ Bhalrava~s bisectedand disb1butedlnMochapters. A portion of the Chapter CCClo.Hhl,s Pura:~awas arbi.t.rar:i!ly lnc-orpOrratooin. thepfev:i!Ou,s Chal'terti.,e.~ ChapterCCC. In course of a dlscuss],on oograha-n:TJ1umantlain fhls chapter.l.a syncretiC farm. of Suryaand Si.va. j,B. described. abruptly and irrelevantly. If the verses fromthe middle portion of verse lOa m 26a. of Chapter CCC are enmin,afed.the said chapter appe'a~s to be a complete and usual . ' . - ~. 'Th··. --, -hcp.· .• ·t ~r seems t-o have heenwritten mthe same wa.w.·.· as above in Ms. No. 2.744

one 15C: .. a .li:l" --- --- - - -- .. ---- ' J. . .. . .. -. - ··1

69~B~1. O1f the ASiatic Soa:ety.

The Agamic t@xt:senum.erate a.smany as Six~y~Eour Bhatravas dividedl in groups 0.1 e~.ght,. each g;rQupbelng headed respecnvelyby thenamea like .As-nanga,. RnRJJ,t C8Jr.t9aKrodha, Unmatt,a.~Bnairav,a.~ Kapala, Bhl~at).a and Sambara.Ma.rtt8J)Q8-Bbalrava belongs to the AsU,anga. group. The Bhaira,v,a.s of tbis, ,group are o:fgold.en complexion and have good~lookmg limbs and ca.tty the~risUla~ ,4'al1faru~ paSa and khadga.


150

Recently m.y a.tterrtioo. to the iconographicprescriipiHtms ofM:ifltaQ,Qja.':Shaiirava coliI.ta.inedin ·:SauFa.kaJ;'~9a t of the' Hayasl'r~ P:rmcBTjfrahas been. drawn. by 1<.1<. Da.sgupta.

The said ktft);p;a gives descnptil'on's' oftbree Form.:s o.fM:artta'Q'Qia~Bhain:Jiva. namely sixttwehre-~ and e:~lghtoon':ha:nded. In his six~lhandedmnn.the gIui isrepI@smted.as standing 00. a boat .. Hewi,elds·vadou:s weapons and has a. fiel10e '£ac-ewilt!h the wlh,oleranp of teetheXPQi~dJ.his mattrohair is tied 'Up with a snake, He wears ill, gada.nd, o:fhuman. heads (m,u1;1qa;'-'7:zala). In. this righthanas,. he displays mkr:a. tti:Si:la. and. p(J;r.ightt ,and [n the

laU .Jnm'a· .... ' O'".Jn an· .J M;.~"'"".;;:Ho,"'· 'H~'" has ·b· ......... d·· ehest and ·W·o=i11Illl c...""""",aA 1i.."""d--H- c •• ~ JI,~IJ~, U~:~,\"_', 'J-'-~ .• , IO:dJU~ ,~, -II,U IV'm~llfl'~d,~'~ '_' _'~' ' __ I:~,_~ 1.~,r;lj,V1C:l,~_ U,l'!li., __ :'~ Q~,'~ ~_ ">.:'~'J!,I!"",I,'U,~~~I;I~.Y. JL:~U!lJ" __ '~_ .5,., I., ,,8' 15

represented as surrounded and serv,ed. byhJ.5 aftenda_ntsDar-uJln and PitiLga]a and. bis g,aijas.~ Kinnaras, and. other ,800]i&g8. When the deltyis repFesm.too asha.vinghve~ve h,8!~:u:lstbee::ddbn;s Jihal-ga~ ,khe(aka,. cip~Sila~ 1.nudg:a:r:a:" g:1:uu)~ii!.madhupafr:~ btr~tia" cakrrlj parigha~.trisa,la and iJa:ma;ru:. Inhls eJgh,teen":han.ded Eonn be! Is to carrY' kha~gtt dlMn"" ulusala, naia.mud!o:a:r:l1'. churi101. ,?atUM. khe,~ata,. sula, ahatdiR" n~a'dh:up. d:tr,l)'. kart,.ka~ .cilKraJ

~J • r' ~' - II"'" '" ~'. 'r.. . 0: • 'r. • I,· '"

. .

• r,,~ " •. ~~. ,l. ..:I'. .. d r.:1. ~ c

parz:g:iruj trtsi~a~wam'aru, g;awa anc ,Mm~V,m1ga.

ltts it1,te:resHng to t10~e fnafanthe ,abave d.esmpHooso.fM:a.rttan.ga-1tIhall',a!.'Va.. (J,mn the char'adedstllc emblem of the Sun~god~ fu,ough they mention hIs aHendWl.ts caUed D.andin and Plngala .. And~therefol!e~ U becomes an the mom intererSil:inl to, mee,t wltma. fig~U,(i~' atetther and oEthe bottum Her above the ,r,iilhi(prajedilOfi\) oftheporrll ofthet'emp'ie No.1 at Konarak (Onssa) which ,answers,~othe stx handed form. elf the Bbalra.va.ilil quesn:onnoted above, The deUy 1sll£e-sl:zm and. is, endewed wi.1h .four healdiS. T:emftcm appearance. he IS charactertsedby p[1)trudlng .fangs, and a.~adand of' chopped heads (mu~l~a .. mtili) andexh.lblts in lids 1,eftband:s ,as ,g'(ld~ a. khatvinga •. and a 4acmaJ';U1. and ~nthe tl.p'.· •• ·.ht hands a. ~~j;la. ,B. tri:sala and a cakrare~'ec:tJj'velw .. And more"m 'ooruonnl"1~ witlh the

1ft =r ~,["'. ,)' ~,l'

reJevan.t de'scrlpflofl. he dances1necstasym a. boat (Mum1. Thuslhese lma_ge:s,. ~den.ti.cal wUh each other, can be Ind.ubitably desllgn.ated as .MirU2I!od.a.-Bhai!rava, ..

Amlong other ex.tan.t specim:ert.s ofMa.rltaJ.t;liqa.~B:halra.v,a. which are few m Dumber.

M:fmUonmayb@ made of a. six.-a.nned ,eomposlte'ima,g:efrom Madhl.a.ln the' o,ldPanna Sta'te (now in M.P.).. It appears thattlteimag~lla:ssom.ebeadng on tbe alorE!said. oonception of M2u1tat;t¢la-'Bhatrava as It holds 1n.MO o.fits lefttl,and ,triiQJa ,and. p,atima, the third hand being in fhe varnda pose. One offheright hands is broken, f~Je ot'hitafsboldmg the pad:tttaand 'HizrgaH'b (door) symbo]:s. The boots on the legs and. the lomses, in. the hands are unm~stable'so~.arreatu[-es. whUethe trldentand dee'r s,ymbols are :Sa~vmteattrl_brutes. But amore promlnent~mage! ofthr,ee--faood ali\d tcm.-armoo.Mafttal)!da.':!Bhalfav,abelo~ging to the twelfth century was, fiou.nd ,at tbe vmage of M,anda In the Ra1jSihalli di,s,tri.d.~ now tn.BangbJdesh.

R·o.",g·a'i"""'·h, M····:c·'I·~."Oi'I~m·,· Ra'1sLa' ·l..·I" the -·m'l'.:O., ...... I't·:a· ,n.""u ~·s· .'1"" j4~~1f.., ,_.,llll·O!f:· on a ~:~n''''' slab

~ii.'I~I ~,,""_"_ L "-"_.~I~~_".,,,,~ =" ""} l ' _,~,_ . __ 1,1, l . _IJ~~ L."~£",1.~ii.'I~_LI~JI~ __ ._ L.lJV: J.. LIL _ "_Lli, ,11.1,101,' LilJ~il.ll';;;; - >' - _ - ~tlV I ,~, ~ '

". ' ... 3. 'i A £.11/"U ''T'\I.. - Jh •• - .1< _ .. - . . •.... : . . . .... 11- "_I.. jI.. ·11.l1 .• ""... .. ~. .: ··f'h·'" ~ 'l·k·· . . . .lI "L .... i •••

measuring .... x <:I:,U- .. "· ,1".U@ I~"O ~0I00 arme, W.!nlLU .ue:~u .U!)uliSeS WJ. .. I S .. 8L iS~ aBu. ~~I,e,wo

be]ow them. arebroken, The face of the mam. Agure .and the ·c:rownare~mllltl[ated. Usle:l hands hold sarpa •. WUfW:ruj, muunldi and. apndrna: ,and' Us rig'hthnnds Hmtwmga~ t,rlsiltlt sti1ttl and padt/l'tl. Thetmag~' has apomted.n~mbuswUb a .k1r:ti~mkha at thetup aad two fI.ymg figttmsofVl:d!yad_har.as oatwe sides of It. At the 'back are ShO'Wll. flam,es.fapermg~ow,ards fh~top. Itts n,chlybeJ,ew~Ued" hut does not wear any breast-plate, though a.tbtn. :scarH:s


lSI

shown across theehest, It wears elaborately carved ka~#la-Imra'~ka'lUl:-ku1}¥ala,j' SiTio~,bandha~ kn,fi-bandhaand !{ajnopanUa .. Thonghth.e face of file main. figure issUghtJy mutibJitoo~the poin.ted .Ul'aka or fhe fhtrdeyers y,etvisible .. Each ofthe othertwofa(les~ 00 the Je.ftandright of the marnn;gnre~. alsowears Ja,fiimuht~a: and has three eye.s~ and Olil,€!: of the MQis shown as bearded with the whole range of teeth exposed. The main delty stands ereet 00 a. full!b~oWlilliOtus or padn~a-pitha. A small dagger passed through the girdle and. i,s attached to the ngh.t of theimage, On either stde ave two arr-aw-:shooting Ecmale Aguresl' Th.ey ar-e Usas and. Pl'a.tytl.sas. On. the extrem~e right of the~ma~ 1S the bearded .ftg\l'reofPb1g,a~a ho]ding pen. andm.k-stand. On. the left' of the Image stands DaJQ,(;Hn ,grasp:ingthe handle of swm:d ..

There are also two fem,aJe figures holding whisks, who are the consorts of the· Sungod. On ,a.padma~pithain fron.tof the main Image, stands the goddcssf:rthvi .. Jn frunt oftbis again is seen a E<i!maleflgJlw with developr~dbreasii:S~ with a. serpent-hood behind her bead and . a cord lnner right hand, 'she is l1dil1g on a Makara and.waves ,arevlsible byher side. She'mary be identified wUh Gan.ga WI fhebasas of a. story narrated in the Santim'p Pur_a~ ... According to It~the Sun. god. gave the name A.'l}imukta-~etra: tQthe place where Rtld:ra practised austentles br aUa.irnmgMs favour and he dedared that one who would now to Sutya and Rudra at lhisplac-e would become free from an Sln.. Now, AvnnukgaK~tr.a.the'(lfhernameofVaraua$i .• whichis sitnated on fhe1baJflkQi.ffheGa:nga~ mlght have kindled the ima_glnaUon of the SCu~p't,Qr of the Manda r-elief ttopomay the river-goddess in quesnon in his work, In an U.keUhoodl the .simba-Pl'lra~ originated 'in. Orissa, and it was thus not unnatural for the artists of Bengal. the neig,hbou:rto have boon. familiar wi.fh.this S,imba-:Purtf~ st-ory ..

The earUe:sttm,ag'e o.fMartt,al:J.~,a-Bha;i.ra.vaperha.ps cemesfrem.Candhawal, M.P.

It:m.ay be aSS::igned tofnerernth century and Isthusearherthan th.eMalildaexalDple. There are four identtcal .fiJgurns~. usually dubbed sn.rya~ on the thjrteenth~century ,gOPUrRS (gateways) of the Nat:a.r,aja tem.ple a.t Cludambaram, Taml1n,aQu. About one ofthem~ appearing on the inner side of the western gopura, H. Kn.shna. Sasm rnmark.ed! that it '"rel":re'setl.ts Sfi.ry,a. as composed of B,rahma .• M,anesvar,a and Vish~u.·~ 'Th,e imla~ on. the mner side.of fhe nort-hem.g:u.p~i~a 1;$ betterpreservedand all the eigbt hands of fbe god are intact'" theatttributi!:S in tille back light hands being, .all'ak~lZsutra~ a. ptu11na, a smancc]ub and ,abhaya-uludrii and those tnthe le.ft' being a pfisa~ a padma~ small club ,anrlvarllda-tlHldra~· the god IS stan. cling on a. chanot drawn by Anu)a and is flanked by female attrodants~ apparently hiswives .. AU these four .6gul'\es may fepr-esent le:i.fh@rMladta.l]iI~a-Bha:i:ra.va. or the composite gpo caned nrahma.~8urya or Dhaitt or Dhafa ..

OfJ,ate a Iewmore images ofMartta(l.Q_a":BhaJrava.ha.ve ccmeto lIght,. one of fuem oolng unique .. Carved on the wan of a temple at Nagda 10 the Udaipur distdct. Rajasthan,. it shows the god as seated on a lotus and as holding a pair offull-blown lotuses In his princtpal hands and. a t,risii:/'a and a. kh,tltvrIn:ga mlus u.pperright and len handsrespedively (.Pl,ate~2). The €ltbe:r ,exa:R1pl,es a.tRana,Kptlf (M,arwar district~ Rajasthan) and the Gadiya tem.ple (A~:am,. near Kotah~Raj,ast:han). The former ~ carved. 0[11. the old. Soo. temple, cernes


iw'o fun-b~ownlo~uses :jn.h~:s~ower hands anda .. msiila in the 1!1fper le-H lland"ther~ma.ini~g ha_nd being broken .. The secondspecimenhas itsprjnICipalha:ndsbro~@n. the upper hands are visIble with a sarp~l ,and a trisfl1.'a,: in it the g~,l wears akavacha ,and i.satt'ended, by Dand.jn and Ping-.· . ala,

~' ~ ..

Another scu~pwr-e~ ro~€vanttotbe pr-esenf'C'orn,mxt'.I'sH1.e! rcepr-esel1ilaUon Q,f a wheel

(cak:ra) in the farm 0.1 a. double lohls.DataDle~o,the tenth or the early eleventh ,century" tnt,s, twelve spoked wheel" resting on a ped.esta] halls ,froOm,Khicbing {Orissa}, andiiSAOW pres!erved in the Em:Uan ,Mu.seum. Inthehub o:fthe inner wheel,-Iot,ll;s.tbe ,fou:f~rm,edand. ,f()ut-,faced dei.ty is seen. seatt.!d on a [otus"Th,einte,rvening space betweentbe'lnrl!l;~f'an,d outer rims is occupied by n,il1l!1.:!; planets, eadl deplldedin. a. compartment. The e:xt@nlorrim. is ornamented.by flames, tltUS indicating tbeso',llar ,en,Brader of fheenHr-e objed"M.arie Therse MaJlmarm. .idenHfied this wheel as, the RavimaQ.4ala and the central fi.gureas, representation of MarttaI;tga~Bbairava. on. fheatltbodty of the Agu,i~PuratJ:i1:. ~rtttihis identiflcation 1,S not beyond. dauibt~ since the aftribu.tesa.oo dj.fliladtto .asoortatn. We are ~nc_Jinedto take l.~ as a.plain. Na.vagraha,ca.ki',a.~ with. Sirya. asthe ,cen.tt,al d~vm:lty.


214 Mey--kandlir Literature

':-' ....

The reli:g;b:U1tand evetl,theiheolo,gy ,of Saivism. which oomestDbe labelledl as S,alV,a, Sdddhafllta involving use o,f,ooncepts. of :Siv,a", theoonefllce:nlt of P,aH,tthe sove,r-e1gn, Lord, o,f H:arafthe universal desbuyer ~ o.fooi~nntc creation and cosmic di,ssoluUcm,~ ,of Karma. understood as ,ana,ctof divioe pllovldencc'" oJ Bondage ao.dUberatlon •. was inmn vogue in thela.nd of the Ta.mUs .Ul.Ute eady ChrisHan c-enturtes., Of fhelr vogu,e even earli.er as Enrlldn,gpaFt and para] of the adblr.al €-abr1c of fu.e ancien.1: 'I',amns also we have am,ple eV1.dence.Butin tbe spa,te of re'ligjoUs and devotionalli,teraoJ'lIetha,tconsH,tutes the main, bulk ofT,'amn literature of {be period from th,eftrsttn the'tel1,fbcentury!t the ou.tllnes 'oftfie reUgionandphUosophy o.f Saivlsm are c'learly d~sceml1ble.hisml1cany· w,t;! know o.fthe vogue andprest1ge .of the re]jgj.o~ph~~osoJl'hica~ trea.tIJses called Sialv,agama:s during the time to the Pallavas, the Colas and. the p,al)giiya:s. These treatises were looked upon as scnptu.r-esoon.tainin,.g fheulHm,ate sancnonsor ,a.u.fbodty ,fQrWOr8hlp~ai1t~ ri.tualsaFil:d. also :tior the()~.(lgy. Though. these tr-ea.Hses were in Sanskrif itl: is, con,ce:lv,able tba.tfher:e were many of them in. Tannl also ..

A~t'emately fhe Sanskrit ones themselves could be vi.ewed as r-endeFin.gsinrofhe U~guafra_nca(Jfthat Hmeofthe~d.eas ori__g;inatlysystem.aHsedinTamlt We are atteastsure In the case .of one TamUwork o;fthe petlod fhat it Is both an agatHa ac-cord~_gto Us awn admission and also an ongmal. ind.ependent Tamtl work. v,lz.~ 'firum,a:nwr,am. There is pr,a.ctlically nothing in. the later Saiva Std.dhanta U.teratlne that we are aiboutto consider 'tha'tcanrtotbe d.ocumenmdfrom 'U\e'VE!'FSe ofTirumand1ram.Eventhe a:ttemptt:o:r-econ.dle

v. ,~.: .. ..:l ....• ' :::-nt'''',wnh fhe .. elatms '0·. f :5'" .'l!rld·· 'ha.n- I~a·' '9""'1.~ '~"',q, 'in.· - 1~-4Tit'1. c-~a··.··"":·o-·'" o. If' ~1.. :. "·'d·- ,~'~tu ... - ~,'" I~"'i'- ~

aliL_ .. YI, ' .. Q._ .. ~ "IL ~~U U~ ,IL"'"~",r:rel>,u.u , ~ne l.,~uu~)" ILe.x.~s OJl LU@

Veda;soompanhlywitntne sp!iritafS\a.iv,a.Sldd.ihanta.~,en these we .findin TlrumandJram. Yettr,adiHoo 'Ifrumandtram dasslliedl under ihecoIptl$ of devoUonalUter-ature whtlethe later :Satva S:iddhanfa treatises are taken to ,ctmlstihtte thecorpus of S,astra .. As w'e shan see this Is not without some j1!ls,itifl.caUon.

Thepenod follOwing on. the heels ()if the ,Sa.l.va devoHonallite:r,a.rur-e in. 'Tamil land was also the period flMlf' Wi.fnessed arevtval in HmduBtrajunLllicaJ theo)ogyinthe ~orm . .o.fV'edanta ... Itwas :revolutionary in. its Sign:],f].cance spw:::iaU.yin th.e form in.wmkh it made itS,impad as tbe Adva:itathonghtheworks of Sanka:r.a (788.,820 A.D.). Broadly speaking itconsts.ts of a doetrme ofBr,ahma:n 'undelistoodasundiffe'remdatedplllre Being, d.evold 'Of qllantl,es ,andr@laHon.~, and also co:m:plemmta.nly to this d,octrine, a. themy ,0£ filu.sj('H"1ljsm


151

(Mayatvada:m) aCcCurdingto which. the world. inclndin,gthe indjvidtlal selves IS only an ,appear,anceofBrahm,an.l(n.Qwled.ge is the sole m.eansofl..i.beraUon and. fbe:relsno loglca] sequ.enc.e either between duty (Dharms) and. Lfherat:IJon. (M.ok~a) or evenbetweea d.evotion (BhakH) and Libera.tion .. Duty is onlya. moral pnf.i.fka.tl.on. necessary but not sifRden.t. SO' also. devonon can only help in. the ,a.fiairnnent ofone-pointedne'Ss of mlnd. A full-fledged epistemology and meta.physics came to be developed controvernng the claims of realism and pluralism and.vtndicaHrn.g the stand-pcmt of advana,

As a first reaction to fhl,s. Vai$'ijava fueismappeared on the scenem the .~(lr.m of amny@~abor.ated~ IOgicany argued fheology of 'qualified non..(lua]i:sm.' (Vis],$tadva:itam). Ramanuja (Ilth cf!l1turyh himseU preceded lby a line of thinkers.wr-ote his curamensanes 00. tbe Brahm.Zi.siltr.as and the Gila as a counte~blast to those of San:kar,a~ and. thus lnaugur,ated a newtradmon of Vedanfa, caned. the Visi;~~advaita .. /\ second phase offbls thei.sticrevoll we .flndin fhe advent of the rradHl.oo of dualistic Vedanta. ~d.vaitam) under the lead of Madhva (13th century). His very si,gnJficant to note that the hemeof this great revolution wIthin Hindui.sm was South India, if not Tamill.and.

A fM.rdJ phase of this,theisiHc revolt is seen in. the advent of the Salva Si.cldh.8!n.ta traditioJl~ taklng lead from M.eykaf;l!Qiar 0.£ about {he samepenod .. Thts b'aditi.oo under .. stands~non-dua~.i:sm ~ in a diffelloof way and. [ts, mterpretation steers dear Q.fthe: classical absolutistic, ph.ualisti.ct duali.sti.c and mOlll.SUC interpretatioll.s,. Its a:pproachto the queSt'10n o.frelalion of man and God de'fines itspOsitiJonas a. pbnosophy of~~on-dualisUct a.dvaiti:sm .. Thismaybe taken as fbe·unquan6@dJinte'rpretatlon of aavaita. or ~'p\1t-e advaUa.~ (Suddhadvaltam). ThisaJ.pprcoach was thereeven beforetheadventof Meyka:g4,ar as w'e are abl.eto see from the hymns of the Salvi"te saints and Tirumandirram. But the contribution of M.eyk,au9(ar lies in. tha.t he, a:ccepnng all the views of the preceptors who preceded him euta n.ew path whIch compnsedaU fhe v].e;ws thatopposed.n. Th.BS the 5aiVa Siddhinta trad1l.tlon proves ifself an ,all inclusive one and the cr@dit ·of this goes to Meykat;u;ia.r,.afier whom. the S,aiv,a Siddhanta S,astr.a:s are called the Meykar,u;la Satfiram (Skt. Sastra).

Mcyk:sr.t4a g,astrasare f:ourtoon in number .. 'They arc-- (1) 'fl.m.vundiyarJ• (2) Tirukka1.1f1J1Ppagiyar. (3) Slva:nana Bodam (Sk.t Si.valfUinaBodham).t (41) S,lvaJiUina Sid.diyEtr (Skt.. SivaJnana Slddh[yar).~ (5) Irupatrupahdw, (6) UlJ.rn,aivilalk.anll~ (7) Stvappill'akas,am (Skt, Siva.p:ral<asa.m)~. (8) ~ru:va:nlwayan.,. (9) VinavetjbaJ (10) POf(1!ppahr.ogal, (11) Kcu;J:ikka;vl, (12) Neiicuvi<;lumdll~ (13'J UQ.mairu,~~ivil,a.kka:m~ and (14) Sm\karpanh'akarafolam ..

The chief cencep ts of:S'aiva S~ddlhanta were in popularvogu.ebe:foFeM@ykam)d.a:r's S:ivan.ana'Bodam appeared on fhe scene. Also afe·wT,amil. beaUseson.thepbi~osopby,and religion of Slatva Siddh.anta. seemed. to have gained recogniUon before MeykaQ'~Jail'. I\lanam:hdam (Sk.t.. Jiianamrtam) ts one such pre-Meyka~9a Sa:Stra in 'famU. Its diction


155

and meterclearly indicate Us anH,qu:i.ty rela.Uvelito fhepe'fiod nfM.eykal]l.Q.a.1Uerature. Its a~thoF Va;glsar 'Or Vagi sa. Munivart is Uu:n.:tght to beloagte 12th cen.tury ,thus anteceding Meyka:Qlr;lar by ,aibout:lOO years .. 'The name Vagl:saPaoQi.i'tan Is, .fuundln one of the Insc.rlpHons of Raj,adf Raja U (116~/8 A.D.)J with ·the ,SignificaJnt descrtptiJon 'tagged. te It'· ~~iz .on·· ··e· whe .exp.·.·l-il8S and nron -. -.e k - ... 4 - 's-'- ," '. ·S-·- ," ···bL .. Dd··dl1. ... · ~

rr, V-~~-'J __"_ .,i_' .' ~~a_l~'i' ,aU_prop.a'gwl,.'e's LUe . orna a:m.,uUca·uaLl. _

The metaphysics 0.1' Saiv,a SI.ddhanta, ls systemaHcally 'expoundedl wi.fh argnmerus and remt,ations, {)iEI'Il/al views perhaps . .for' the' first Hme In 'Tamn~angtlage. Sivanana Yogin .• the Tamil commentatoe on, the :Shrafiana Bodam~ quotes promselytt,om this text and. ,implies tha.t this. worl< is earUer fhanthe S:j'v,afi.ana 1Bod~tlm a'ndthat the latter is to be understood in the light of Nl.inamtJld.am, atleast wIth regard to certain. issues. He says,tihat Nanamildam is a work: of general validIty to be understood in the l~sht of more speciale and unamibigJl:Ous trc:abnenfiS of the smbject such as are to be Euundin. Slvanana BOdam.He~ feels fha.t flds· work Is part of the 'general" phase of development wUhmthe

_L . _ _ ... _ _ :_ _ . . ,_,

Sajvaga:mampir;(!sented by P'au~kaI'a~MrgJendn'a~, ~'v[atanga and other Agamas,

Va.kisa. Munlvar' saysfhaf an fhe Agamas speak of 1000.F' fh:ings~. viz"Jcarya. biya .• yog,a: and jiana'. And hecallsfhe dga~fras. ~marai"~ the term used In. Tamil Ito ref:El'tQ VedIc scnpture, The work commences wi.fhthc avowaltha:t It ts thebeg~nntng of fhcfitiruJpiida lmplYlngfhereby HUll it is a.co.ntmuatton (iomtng after carya and other parts. To lend credeneetothss sUl:p'posjHon~ S.i.vaJfi~na, Muniv,ar in hts commentary quotes a stanza

arliegecUy of 1\J,anamir~dambu.t pettainmgto Kl'ly,ipadam.. . -

·J\Jrana:mirdlam (lit. nectar of knowledge) was obtained a.ft-e'r ·churning tbe' ocean of IgnQirancewi.th. the Aga.tnasaJs the Stic1<~,tbe knowledge asthehands and UpadeSa as the 'rope a~round.the stict.1hls i:show the author explains the' Utle ,of biswork Ha poses a questioo: how can knowledge arise lna.dt~ a. nonw!ln~elll,genfbe:ing 'l Ifse'lf 1Si1il.t'@Uig:en.t~ i.e.; clt. how can Ube himself ·answers these,quesfio:ns sayinglhat fire is there m theAl1ewood but unless some method of lighting It is em.plQyed fhe' .firem.eans of jnstruclion &om withOUllt, 'viz.~ 'by a preceptor (gtJ.ru).

Na.nam~rdam is dtvi.ded into ei:,gbt pans.~ 'They are (1) Sammly,a. itmam (stanzas a .. 14) .• (2) Sammiya ,aari.santuu (15-17)'t (3) P'a.sa hand am (18-26,)~. (4) Deg,antaram (27~28)" (5) P'aSinadl.ttuvam. (29-30).~ (6) P'asaccedam (31 ~52). f7) P,a;ttnlccaya.tn (53~7.2)~ and (8), Pasa:mlocanam (73-~75) ..

EXpOtlfldlngthe fheme offiuMptidanzto censtst of t:reatm,oot .o.fflle nature of pasut p.tlsa and!:pati~ the author takes them ttl' In fhIs· order .. A ,complete d.enl1:lfj:on o.ffhe .finite self (pa;su) mea_ns~a,cron:Ung to thea.1!1,thor. understandIng thethree states, of kevala. sakala andsuddh,tJ..through whti~. it passes. 'The basis .~ofthethree£old un.der:stand:i.n,g of acknQwledgement,of sprir,i:ma] Impurity wl"d.ch is cornnatewifh self.ltis, indeed .in. the light of this characteristic that pasu stands diStinguished. fllompatl. The impurtty .. ndden self becomes ,embodloo by lbelngcooceived. in the womb of :nuly.i. Arguing about the 'exist,etlGe of self the author gives negaHve .alld.poSitiv,e reasons For a.ccordJin.g r-ecogJrlition to the bem,g ofsomeon@tihalb;.embodi,ed.as d:ifIcI·en.t from the body and tben proceeds to explam themore basic distiJl:ciion. of the ~tn.tenig:ent~ end the nOl1.~intem.g!rm;t;~ which ts impUedby

fhe conc-ept of life, -


156

_ . l' __

EncydQpaefUa of,fhe S:aivtsm

Sammtya Darisanamg;,ves ,a homootal a_nd vertiad account of the lifeo,ftheHnt'te se~f.and Us' ftvefold states, which span. Us. ,em.pirica]an.d embodied, 1.tfe (:sakalam).

The nature Q.f'bondag:e~ :b;ne:xttalen 111' and th@, g:r-oulnd,s, for tihe' di5ti~ciHon ,of the mulUp~e bonds are set .forth. The tluee£o~d nature of ]mp[u1,~y Infesting the sellf~ 'the' prlmordtal impurity of Ina va that accountsfor thegenl~fa.1Qondi'Hon .of servitude and bonda.,g:c. the ImpUTi'ty of kanna that accounts for diverse and heterogeneous eharacter of smti€l1t experience and the Impurity of Maya t_hatbmdsthe seU in theform of body·

sense. would and worldly object's. are dearly set: down" -

The doctrine of rebirth or frans,mlgration of self whi.ch. ferms a. sequ.a~to. ith.e~ aeeptance of karma and miya is then explamed, As the .so~dlers; steps ma:rc.hingiim Utlinten1lpt-ed :suc-cess~o:n.Uke the' looomoHon of theearthwerm. li'ke ch,ange,of' aWre', lib dream alternating wuhW',akefu~ IUet Uk.e an arrow fhat passes througb Us' target~ :!m:lf transm:igr,atesfrom one body to another.

Referring to the be,gmningle,ss cha:r,ader of ,the bondage of vanous bnndsthe authorpemts to a paradox that i;s posedby fhe doctrme, May,a provides body., sen;ses, etc." and ka'rmamaJ\1;!es, action possible., Wi.thout the A.ssodalioo 'Olf m'ttya and karma the self has no scope of achieving: freedom from, the Impurity ·o.fMtdam. But as Maya cann.Dt function wiJihou.,t the help of kaniul andv.ic'e v,erS'R. and with neither of them flmdial1ing' the self cannot be :freed. from 8s:s00.a.tioo. wUh ,,.,nbrm,. It ~oUow,stha,t self is wl\:ever destined to remain as,soclatedwUh.lhese bonds. How is, a ,sta'te of 'pUri~~j' i.e,,·. of freedom for various boads concdva1blelO:rthe self?

In answer to this the author expounds. the doctnne .of the "means o:fcutHng loose of the fetter ofbondage" (pasacced.a upay.am)just as with the help of the very water'whkh accounts for slush and mlreone can cleanse oneself free of dirt caused by that mOfethe' same body assumed as, fruit of at previous deedcan be of'he'lp in the ca,ttoo ,o:f Uquida,Hon of karma. Commentlng on the unique value of 'the dO(irifIJ@ the atwllioF'b,ints att,llepmbable' meanmg connoted by the, name 0.1' ,tile, text~ literally the mQanimird,am ~'amlb~osta ·of knowledge"I' Sweet aa the' combblJati(m Qfhoney' andnecter itis capable o:f conquering the great suffering ofbil'th and! oonquenng the mnmoltali'~.of freedom, Itfur-ever destro;ys the \'Vced of pasa by uproo'ti:n,g i't, sets at naught' the dements, ads as, a fence £or ments and cures man. of averston andappetence,

The auther also descrfbes ttmore sped6caJly as, the Itioctnn.E! of· the "means of cu~:tjng aennderthe bond of Karma." (kanma,cc&ia, up,iyam)., 'Th~t seems to be the content o,ft,he work. Oncereal knowb::dg,e dawns "asa does not bind tbe reaUsed ones, jiust 11];;e Hrein the harrwd of a wiza.rd does, :not, get preclplta:ted by dirt once ,ag'(l.in.

Pan ~:S ommpresent, The feet oEthe Lord (P,aG) is and i:saJora:e the refuge oHhe :seU.

The world is non-intelligent and so an tnte:UigentBeingmustlhave ibeenthereto,bringJ;tiR'to eXis'ten,ce;seU cannot be the author for it is bound; the released ones ,cannot bocomethe creators for they werenotetemally free and there was, someone who helped them get released from bondage. LordSiva)s, theauthor of the cosmtc functions. Though He .15, rormles,s He does! this through H.h;, Sa:t.ti .. SilVa is f:o:rmless. is, wtt.hafbtm ,a:~dJ. ind.eOO. both.,


1,51

Though he perfonnsthesepall,cakrityas (A.veJoM ads)He i,s not affected. by these~ fer He

acts through Hls Sak.ti. '

The last :secHoo peaks ofpasam.ocanam.ThereaUsed. eoulbecemeecoeweh ;SiVa.

A· . -;-',,'~, ~~. -0 Is 10'0' :s-.:II here Whe·I,1f.,¥~~·q ,crt, 11 we -.&'.:1',: -:t· f-I.':", ed ·tt,;, i ·t.· . "-<',;,.,..,.,,: , I,· ~ th - i . . q_-ues uOc ~'.r .' ... I.;;lU._ _ .... _ _ u'h •• "" IU hi.. ovU.. as uF Ii .u.eB. .. om I S pasu nq,c, anu en

became Shv.a Of v.icever.s.a .. Bothltappen at the sam'etlmeas the dtspeUtng oft_he darkness

and sbining of fhelight. - -

Th.eN:,anamli-dam.in short, is a phnosophy of spmtual nre.

Itwas statedeaeher that a few Tamil treati:ses on the phUosophy of S,alva SI,ddnanta. i!_ad! gained! re<iognJfion before Meykat),c;Ui,r~s SivafUiRa. - ]3oda.m appeared on the scene.N.ana.m1:rdam was oneS1!lch.Th,el1rsttwo work. viz.. Timvundiyar and -;-"~'I'll~t·--·lir-.~--d·I:--ar-;f h .. fourtee .Pid',d •• r1f",,-~c. <-,-.,.,·.-C. ~ll,-:-.ll~';,-.'C,c, - .- .•.... ka ,;"

':!'lmlli._a.,,{Ucppa ,,_If , 0_ the tourteen CL __ uanta Sasttas~ a~50 l\rmwn as M.ey .. ar.u;ia,

Sash'as. a.re also pFe-Meyk,a~~al'tri!aUses.

Tiru.vun.diyir and. 'Tit'i\!lkkal.h.!illppla.4ii.yar

Th,ea,uthar of Timvet1idiyar was Uyyavanda Deva Na,:y,an.ar of riru,viya]u.t~. and that ofTlrukka~ir,r,uppa.4iyarrwas Uyyavaoda Deva Nayanar of Tlmkk819avir. The la.U-er w,as~, thedi,dpleof the A,~uIQla:iya D~\la.Nayana·F~ who was ~h.e smd.entofUyyavanda Deva N,ay,a_n.ir~fheauthor of 'fi.ru.vundtyar ...

Timvundiyal' contains £o:n:y-n,v,e verses whoseburden chtmed with a ga:m.e played by women folk fundi) ..

TtmkKali~ppa..Qiyir conststs ofonehundred verses :in ve:[)ba, meter, Thts can be caned a poeti.cal commentary on the Ti,ru,vll1udiya:r. As such it would do wen to consider these two works together.

'The author of Tlmvundty.ar says that hethatknows thetruth 'Of fhls work w:m be able to removethemalady of the ,entire world,

'God~, fermless and unknown assumes 'Old: ofHls Grace the form of a spmtual preceptor and confened on. me that w.her:ebf I could. become offbe nature of Himself. If that Lord, emhocUmeni of Gr,ace. had not appeared mperson and.tnstructed how can the Scrtptu.re cum,€!' in.to ,existence? Or how can. anybody know his Nature ?

'Only tbe wend . .of Guru (pr«eptoi) win remove the doubts; books do not help in th~s.Th.e sea water does not' quench ·the thirst. ~ut when th,e same sea water is g,i.ven in the form .of rain .£rom. fbe cloud Uls. acc-eptable and useful Eor an purposes, The cow-dung, in. s,pite 0,£ its bi'!'ing a dlirt~ is pure enougb teremeve all the dirt .. So .a1:90 the preceptor, though one atmonglliepeopl!e, lscapableofrem.ovingthcmaJad.y of bIrth. PaH is. the Grace which is. insep.arabl,e .fro:m~the :sel[ :S,iV.aisnot to be- reached in the usnal worldly way in which things aT-erun.,afte:r and sought He is inseparable. and wherethe knowledge 0,£ soul fans· to' proceed, fha tis the place ~()!r Siva to appear.

If one foUows -the path, ofthe ftv'e~tetter·ed tIMl1'tru. the hidden conscseusnesscen be unvened. and bem.g one with it one can. see Pan and oneself The bond whIch conceals the Lordmust be recogntsed and. wIth Its h.e~p. one can seethe Lord ana oneselfiHere the ,di1,ange' of Tirodhana :S!akH, I(a. bond) in,~o arutsakn (GrClce~ that revealsthe LQl1d) IS ex:p:lalnoo,.


158

Therealtsed ones remain ~ike the tongue of the bell placed on. the ground .. The tongu:e ts .aw,ay from the ed.ge (and doc'S not make any sound) audit does :not have ,a. movement as :J.~I.s seated on the· g.1"lQund .. Thus tneJ:1eaJised souls are .away fr-om.thefa~ftuas and. not affcct'ed by .atrtt~Ja VI.~h~ch leads to the 'f-ness' and 'my ness. J In this sta.tetbe self becomes one wUh the vast expanse of 'bliss withoutlosingn8indivi.dua~Uy., This ts an expal1lse without day (embodied state) and n.J,ght (pre-embodies st:a~~). In. f:ni:sst,a te the indivtdu,aJ selves are one with Pa.~1 {the a~t.a.mlirli) and so in no way intolZch with the world, as such there rsno relational or' finite knowledge, whkh leads to ·tral1l.s.m.lgra.tion.. As the self 1.$ one wUh Pati, it is everything.

To those who havereachedthe .turJya g.taiiiG.even the jagrals lik.eturiy;a. Eor Grace is everpresentto them .. The hves of thefour saints (Sa.maya.ca . ryars) of Saivl:smprov:I.d.e good. examplefor thils.

Only Swa Saddhanta speaks of such thing; other systems are like unYleld:ing crosa; so nne should not waste' one's tim.e In t:rytngto understand them .. The seffbecomes one wi[h g,iVaand. enjoys bl1lss only beeause of the latter's Grace. This does not mean the selfbecomes :S;iva HImself. The self is selfwh~~:beri.n the embodied or released state. 'The extraneous growth of a mango tree does notyteM m,ang!o@s as the tree itself.

Though. Tiruvundiya.rexpound:s snchm.eta.ph.yS:i.calkuths there are scholars who believe~hatthis is nota. ,sast:ra. But StvananaMutlW,ar says thIS.l:)(i~:kmgs 'tQtl1e~spociftc~

groups of the sasJras. .

TirukkaIJ~tupp'a~jyar mentions the mIFac](~:sthat oeeurredm fhe' lives of many ,,!ijy:anmars and an explananon Q,f the same in the Ugh t ofthe Siddhanta systemis also, given, The author main tams tbat though thesa naytmma'fs m,ay be behaving lI.k€! o.rdlnary even fhey become idenU.Aed. wUh. Siva and. an~beir ads are theacts of SIva.

Sunderamurn, while dcscdlblng the a~(;Uyar:s (devotees) classtfies them as 'nal a.t;iiyarJ and. 'val ,a,qHyar. The epltllefs 'nal' and 'val' with reference to {l{iiyiirsa.re explatned by the au~hor of rirukkaJJ(l;'u:ppa'Q,iyir~ as applying to theIr aets (melvinai) 'nalvinai' and "va]vinaL ~JOm.a tever the ,ad.ion t ·the aim. 'is the destruction o.f th.e separa un.g seU'm~ for when. that seU(_theselfthat says I and mmein relationto othe~s-j"s destroyed, Lora appears mlove .. Therefore. both species of adion, ~va.lvinai' ,and. 'melvinai~,ach:iev,e the destruction of the se~.a:sh ~r ..

The author of this work was a great scholar and was well tl(lq1ua.inttd with ~be old. literature. The general impact of a Tamil work like TiTll.1kku(.al onfhework ofMeyka:~~,a.

Sa.stta canbe seen .. from the verses of nds work. .

This wort takes up the Ved~.cM!ah.avakya and tries to gIve a soluUon; they say ~that isthi.s"; 11 am. thett (SjvaJ~ 'You. are fhat~;. and ~T beoometh,af;those whohave realrsed the truth will nut say these to mean. a mere 'one' or 'two .. ~ For, He, who dest:roys everything is one at that 'End,' He becomestwo (Siiva and ~Saktl)at the time of creanon andtakes ~eJJght £orms". referring to the worM. 'Of lntelligelll souls aad non~lntenigent m.aUer. and atthe same UtneHe Is separate from and coextsts wUn[bem ..

'The important con fribution of itbis work is its illustra tton o.f the Uves of nayt'll1Jllli.rs. Thetradttton ma.lntalnsthat thls work was nota~ccept~dby the scholars and. so the


Ui9

au thor places tlns work 011 fhe first step leading; to the ma._Q,~,a pam (ban) of N a taraja at Cidamba:r,am. 'The' stone-elephant 00. one side of the step nRGd it'S trun.k and. pllacesthils work. at the feet of Lord Na~afaja ... And l"t wa;sa.c<:ept(!d by .aUand tbe work also got the name of ·Th'iUkk,al;[rotlpp'a..~;Uyae meanjng ~that which was placed on the step wIth an elephant,'

Thoughtbese two works existed Meytaa:u;lar and both have been acc-ept"ed as Siddhinta. works, authors like Um,apaijhav~ nat mentioned. eV€lfl fheir names Perhaps wbattheau!hol'of ~Santartavarr,alar.u· narrafestscorrectthatthts UyyavandaDevanay,anar and the other Uyyavanda Devanaya.nar (a.uthor of Tiruvun.diyar) belonged t-o Vjnn.a_na DevarSan.tana:m .. Thjs.mightllavle made authors ]ikeUmapaH rlI,ottom~niti(ill:il. theseWOTKs ~dong with the Slddhtmta w()rk:sof the MeykaQ!9!adevar Smltinam~ to which Um,a.pat:ii lbelongm.~SmDe one who came much la.t:N wrote aJ. vef,zba.giving the names of these fourteen Sash'as now available.

Thetradinon has this account to saytnat Me-fkao~,ar was born. o.f parents wbo were stauftc'n devotees of Siva and. who had an indomitable .fa itlv 'in. fhe tirun2'Urats~ and he was nam.edl Svetac-v.an8ippe·rumal. Asfhe Ichild had aremarkable spiriiwal growth Pa:rafijofi munrvar 1rrttlated the ,cbl1dand. named ~f MeykaIJ9ar. after hls own. Guru. Salya:5.ana.dar.sani,g:al.Meyka_J)Q.arpl1e:achedSaiva Siddhii_rdato his £onowers" of whom lus fa.ther~s own Gt1ru~ Sak,ala,gama P'.andita.~ was, one, He presents the phi~OSGphy of S,aiv',a; Sid.dhan.tain amost sysrem,aHcmanne·r in a work O'f increiUble size ,and terseness. iSii'van,anaboaam. (S:hr,a:jiiana Bodham in Sanskrit) is a work of 12 siit:ras wtth a. bdef commentary consHmHrig 81 v8t!bds.

MeykaQIQa,rwas born olf the Grace of the Lord enshrmed at' Tiruvet;tkadll1 (S,vetavanam in Sanskrit) ... In grateftd <ldmowledgement of whlchfhe chjld was named :S.--,~3~C<=iln· 3nne,'I;',u·· mal But" ac cerd :linC!'~..,the-·f.-m;l~y'~,,¥" he' -was· ,caI1<;iodl ~O' . nu I' I~e.-&- -~ P zru i'-m·c·~I"",n ~

.' VIi:'~UVU. Yr.r-~· -------~ - , ..... -v~' __ ,~ "v ._ .!ld ~. '.' U.,,","'~~_._ .' . ' .. "",_ . __ ·'Y~Lya _ e ,la,."a~_a

BQl-utiaduvahy,avel!ar. ~ This is.IDmndJjnthemscrlpfioo found in tberemple,afTjruvmJIJamala. 11M,s inscription is dated 1.232 A.D..

. The name M,ey.kau~.ar t it is obvi~ou.s frcmthe abeve refeeence to Uls neither a.

personal name nOlan.tle .. What doesiil referto ? Why hasthe author of Sivafianabodam come to be mown to fheposrenty oniybythis name .? M.eykat;u;iar hi-mself has mcluded in t_ihework~tbe :Slivanan.abodam~ lH.11sfraH.veverses and. bdefprosepassages ofeemmentary (vartUkam).. TheseiUus.trations arem veubameter .. Of the ej~hty",one Venbas, six contain tbe e~pressi.on M.eykan-c;ian, sometimes usedas a lalbe:lfor' Salva Siddhlln.ta and other tilD~$ tomaan realtsanon of the nature of Being (Sat)t and at one place :it is used as a descn.ptive label referrtng to 'enewho has Feallsed. theh'nth~ and the fifth and fhe sixth re~eFence stand for 'one who has known. the nature 01 that. The author wasso fond of this expression 'Meykal)Q,an.~ and. found ltthemo~t sui.tabie to explain his expostttonthat he used that' in ma_n.y places and!aptlyttlo. TIlls made the scholars caUhlm,. perhaps In. the absenc-e of any o1:her proper na me, Meyka1JQ.a.r wl.fh a.f.f'ection. and respect 'This practic-e


The scr-een befor-e my mind. withdrew Because J won Chennabasavanna' s grace:

My hearr's ravIng doubts have quit

Beca 'Use' in lord Basa.va.pnya Cennasanga, . I found. the holy feet

Of my supreme Guru. AUamaprabhl1deva ..

- -

{Akkanagamtna~ 1'65~ 8.S. Trans ... A.M .a ,& S.M .. A.)

'Th.1:1s,~looling a.t these examples of Vi rasa iva women sa:ints~the~l' ,a.fia.in.men ts and experiences on the ni.ghest level ofre~ig;iou;s experience." any woman could be proud to be B. Vira.salva woman, But thewtsdem of Virasalva saints doe'S not end. here. For, Hihey have given womat'ltheh~ghestreligiOtls:rights.~. sohavethey expected impertant religions, obligations fruIJlller .. She is also equany to' FoUow ULingacihara" (Rl!11es of Uftga-pooja)" ·Sad.a~charaj. ·.shiv.achara.~ ,'Ga:liI,achara ~, ,and'Brithay,ad'.a·ra '. Among these ~ acharae' ~ very jew reUgiolls have expected the fum::Holil of rel'.ig.ious ,d:ejl!Hc,{!fr,om women. But Vi:rasaWism does it. Thus it 1.$ satd jnthe Prablnilingame that women have parl1dpaied In the worship of ·Shiv.aJj.nga'~. 'Dasoha' (servtlil.g food), philosophical dtscussioas, HlissJjOnarywoTk~ and also worI<edwith eqtlal enni1US1,aSm and. courage to defend Virasa.ivism .. In· thts connectlon, R.ekkamma.'sVa,cbanais. very iUunina.tlng. Acco["-ding to her ~Ganachara t 1S main1y to .flight agamst injustice by a v,a:r.iety of means .. She says,:

If yOIll behold. one who ha.S turned his back On Linga, or fa~~enfr-om. D.i.sdpUne~

Or faUied his vows, or killed

Guru, or Unga. or J angama~ OF scoffed

At Padodaka and Prasad, and made 1:iHle o.f The sacred. ashand Rudr,ak.si heads.

You must destroy him JJf you are strong;

But H you are not, you must shut

Your eyes and ears andtell

The .Si.v.a-marJtM .. If you can 't au this much, You ought to leavetheplace; or else,

Sri Guru![dddhesva.ra. shall cast you

Into profoundest hell of hells,

(Re&mma~. 2:04 p. 386 5.S. Trans. A.M. & S.M ... A .. )

AJong wit.hthese wom.en defenders ofthef.aith., we have glowin,g examples of pohUcal defenders in as recent a penoaa:sthe 16th ,and 1.9t:h centuri.es.FloFinstance~ MaUa.mma gave shelter to Shtvajl at amos! difficnlt tiJme; wbUe Kitm.r Chennamma, in 1814~ was the .first Vira.saiva Indian widow to Hght val1anHy again the ·8dtish. And. even when shewae defeated. and. put in jan~ shepFayed fo:rthe tt'eeOom o.£J<Ulur and spent the rest ofherhfe in Ja~1 as a Shrvasaram, Tht1S~ even-in fhe political sphere .• owln,g to thetrhtg"h


UiO

of naming a poet wtth am endearing expn~:sston usOO.tn. htspoem was ac"Ommon pr,tJj,Ctice in fheperiod 0,1 classical Tamil-There iJS a pmia,ct{)ryc:alopbonto :StiV,aniMbooam, written, perhaps. by Anll.mmdi Siv,acaryaFtthe :first di:Sdple o.fMeyka(u;tar. For the grammarprescnbes fhaton~y a few others~,notdefinttely fhe authornimse1f."c,an wrltethe prefatory verse, In fhlsprefatol'Y colophon tbere~is,a. dear' menHon t)fthe name,

The name MeykaoQ.all' Is a desmpflveproper name. It .means,~on.e who has seen. thetruth .. ~ Arul,nand~, clartftes it saying fhe 'one who has seen, the falS€! and, avo~,dm.gitt perceived andpersfsted w~,th the Tndh., J Mana,v8.caka:m, Ka,gandar'J' ,anofheJL disdp'~e' ,of Meykal)Qi,ar ~ also mentb:ltilJ.5 thus. And it Is p.oet Tayum,MaJ.var (17th ,cen,tury)~ who ,fully gtves the actual meaning of the na:m.e'Meykar.u;l.ar .. ~ ,j'MeykaQ,Q,ar (one who bas seen the Truth) f:o:r he has re,au'sed the me,anmg of'the holy wor-d 'advattam' whIch the othe'r false philosophers could not see .. n It can be said! Without any exa,ggeraHon tna.tfhe contti1bu.tl.att of Meyka:Q.<J.a.r is theintellP~retafion of this, word ·~adv,aita.m~ ~ on which stands the whlole ~dUke of fll€ Sj.ddhanta. phi.losoph.y. To give a corred interpr,otatioo o~ this word hemad to elaboratethe stand-point of Siddha:ntain a m~dnanycoliI,s]stentmanner~ ,a:ndthe result Is the Slvafiitnabodam~ the .£i.l's.f syste,maHsed work ,explaInIng the Sidd_hinta sCihool

TheStva.t1.anabod.am. contains twelr\"e 5u.tras, (a.pbon:sm,s);. The nrsts:ix. Bl'1! "gen.eral' and the rest ~spedfk:t;, the whole book is d1Vided Into four parls,;ea.chcnn:tairdng 3. sum-as.;, fhe flr:stpart.Pbamaoalyat evtdeaees through the aid o.Fmetaphyst.ca~rea.son the reahty of Pa:t],Pasuand PaSa. The .first siU1'(l sta.~es: The untverse Is composite for U c'an. be pamculansed '(!I,s he, she and. H; .. and . it undergoeS,Utlee changes of Desnu,gioot Reprodudion~ and Presenr.atlflnt which calls Eor an author willo can 00 no ofherthan. Siv,a~ the Supreme Lord .. The matenaleause of theumverse is Maya from which the universe comes emf and resolves into, The object oftbe cllaJnges.iS to Uberatethe mtenigent bemgs from bondage (a~,ava) ..

The second su,tramaintains that tbe Sn.pre'me Lo:rd~ in order' ti~ enable leaCh I!:ln]jb~rated soul to unde'rgo deaths and.b~dhs a,ccordi.ng to 1.t:sKannat aided by His Baku (Gracebe.lps the soul assume at non-dual 'I1elationship. Thatts of lbein_g on,e with Him,t di"fIe:oont.fIlorn Him and ofbein.g coex:is,tentwUh. Him, He stands in m:sGplarableunl!onw.ifh

His SalU for the sam.€!' PlllrpOS@,.· -

The third sutrn datm.s: The soul (pas1!l)~s {here' separate . from thebody.~whtcb is .formed out of Ma.ya .. Uis dif:ferent hom the fhr'esenses and sense ol'gaJns.~ and. also :mom. the vltaJair~ sinaef'hcfel.$, tl.eUher consCiousness· no'rmoi'vemenfs d'UDfilgS~eep'. It );9. also difFerent from Lord s~nce U;:sund~sta:llding is in p:rnportioo to Us enlightenment &om outside ..

The seeondpart, Uakkau;t,a Iyal, defines the threereaJifies,. 'The' Fourth sitra. speaks o,f thenasure of soul (pasu) .. The soul is dlfie'r,enf fremthe mtem,a~ senses also, ,alth:01llgh i.tis united to them. as to the other senses and organs, betng devoid of any understanding duefo the beginll.tn.g conjundionwUh ,~,avamalam. .. These senses and organs serve the soul as mmtaters serve theirking~ and subject the soul to five diJrerentsta,tes .of cOllsciousness. The fifth siha states~Thesesense-sandorganspossess]imirted.'consct01l1sness~


and flult too only when adu,ated by a soul, F1ven then they are not conscious of fhe soul aduaHngfhe'm .. Til:U:l samefs fhe case wl.th thesou~!'scon:sciousne'5s.adua.too by theLord.·~s Grace. The Lordis yet un~changl!ng~ as ts a. magnet causing changes In iron ..

The sixth su.tra. mairn.tail1.s: Whatever IS· compr-ehensible for Umitedun{h~·rstand.in.g undergoes change .. Wbateverr is· incompreben:s~ble for any ttn,derstandingls mm~xist'eJlt The Lordis neither, Andhence the' wlsespeak of HIm as!Siva~Sat .. ~ -

Thefhird part. Sadhana. Iyal~ speaks ef fhe spiritual means, The seventh ,s~nr:a' spea.ks oHbe special.fea.tures. ofPasu. Si!Va~ theSatt ,cann.otenjoy an.ything~.lo'f everything in Hi:spresence 15 non-appareat; not' can. The Asat Universe enjlO}l anythJn.g being nonlntenigent. But the soul1being; neither can ,enjoy both ..

The eighthdlr:a elalms; The soul havll1_;g beeabreught ue amldsf:ph.y5~,calsen.5es ,and organs, ·misnnders.til_nds, Us jnna.~e nature .. The Supreme SlY,il"howeverj insITud:s such soul in t.ts lnna;tenaruretbrough apreceptor, and does soon Us a ltainil1l,gth.e required s,ta.t,e of fitness. The suur s mi;SWlderst,andlng having :thusbeengot rid of, !tat once seeks to ,atta,ln the bli:ss of :S,iva who stands in "advajta.~ umon with it.

The ninth Slltra stales: 'The soulthuslnltlated in the use oiE the spiritual senses seeks with th.e .aid .0.1 such senses t-o know the Lord Filof' knowa.ble ,@uber for t:nephysical senses or fortbe inteUe<:t. To the :soul so sookin:gthe physlcaluniver~ disappears wjth fbe swUln,e;s:s 0.1 a mir2l,geJ and ~:he swoo't wId. presents, Him.self. The 0001 ,at fhis sta.ge m.entaUy recites the P'.aficalaijiara to'r enjoying tbe Lard ~ 8 presence.

The .fourth part. P'ayan. Iyt speaks.of the spiritual ~frllit. ~ The tenth sulTa says: The soul that has ,en}oy,ed the pr(~sanoe of ifu.e Lord next iden.tUlesttselfwlth theLord in the same way tbat the Lord jaoofin.es, Hlm.self wU:h thein:Uiated seul, ,afild devetes itself to t:he service (lEthe Lmd..By cSuohid.entlil,ca.tion. and devotion. such soul becomes. ableto overcome the ·e'fleets of fhethreema:las.AQava~Ma.yaand. Ka:n:n.a.,

The eleventh $,uJra elaims; Just as, the soul helps the e're ill see and enable the soul to se.Lord S,iva he')ps the soulthustemporarUy UlberCt.ted. by itself, Himself ef1ljoytng~ and enab1i.ngthe soul to en.j:oy Hispresence .. This help produces in the soul an undYlnglov,e fbl"the l .. ord, whkh.lovG~ve:[1I.ttuilJJyguides the soul to ~he Lord's Holy foot.

The M'elfth sitrastates: The soultbat seeks with unc-easing love tOlleachthe Lord Hara.·sFeel r-em.oves fhe obshud.i.on. thereto once for anbyaompl:etely washing off the MaJas. IHhen.moves in the sodetyofHfsdevotet!s and worships equallythe devotees and tbe te.m.ple.

There are sebolarswhe beheve thatthere is no internal evidence to show that MeykaQIQiar r-eceivoo instruction .. from"Paraficoli munivar, asM,eykaoc;Jlar does not in his preface saypra.yer tohis g11m,. as his fuUuwers later on. dId .. They are O'f th.e opinion that Sivatli:nlCIJ !BEldam. was written by Meyka£ol'9ar in Tamil in the 13fhcentury "when there was a. soci,al upheaval and. :reU.gious, turmoil in the Tamrl Nadu, indi.cating among other fhings, th.eo.dm;tnatJon ofthe Tamfhan geni1l1s in speculattve plirUosophy,"

It ls suan.ge. to m.om l:ha.t in the whole book OfSi!Vanan,abodam we do not come 8!CIossthe name Saiv,a. Siddhanta. the s:ystem which this. work expounds. The grea:tn.ess o.fthi:!l; work. can be understeodfrom a. poem wMch says~: "The Veda. is the cow;. the


162

Agamas are Its mtlk; the Tamfl l(Tevaram and. 'flruv,ackam) of the .Four saintsfa the gnBe churned. out of the milk; the excellsnce o.f the well-instructive Tamil (SivarUina ibodam) of Meyka,r.u;:i.a.r of Tiruv0Q:Q.eynanilr~ is like the .tine taste of the ghee, n

M@yk,aQ,g.8j.r him.self:has mustr.atedt:njg work with examples anda commentary ..

There are m.al1lY commentaries on fh.etext~thBearU,e.rknownbcing fha.toflPalJ(;Upperumat.~ SWan,ana Mardvarwvotetwo commeraarles, one a. shod one (ct1,"l.'f1rai)1 and the other perurai (Bh&~ya.~. wh~chis known as Stvanama Bha;~yam or Dr'a.vida.M,ahaibhaj,~yam or

simply MapaJ;Uya.m. in Tamff), ~

There was a conlrover:sy sometime back whether S~vanamlb:odam was an . . - .. ,'::' - - .. ]. T:-;Cc .. ,-.-'111 work or .a·- transla U.""'I'rrIO·· f ·~~·e ip.·.as~a:miC)c.an,a nathala' of .~~.~ R .• · .c -~,-c_c-c--.c.c.-,-.-

onglna. a.m~~ __ ._ ... O P __ o" _Uv~_ ... ~U!!. L --.-.-.-- .... -"---l!;-.------ ..... _ UI1,;; .. auravagam8.

The scholars who. supportedthe viJew~:hat itwas a" translenenquotedm their supportlhe

"" L J • J _ ~ L

aufhon.ty of ~ivagraYogtn.the oommenfa[orofSl~\i',afiana Sidd~y,ar~ltpakkamand.fua.t

of Sanskrit SiVaJifiana the g,ivana:.n,abodham and! Savanana .Mun.ivar .tbe Ta.m.l1 eommenta:tol' of the Siva.n.anabodam (Tamil) andt:bel'au:l?kara Bhasyam o.fUmapali. S:jva:caryar. in. which lefeF~IlCeS are made to Sanskrit SivaJiffi,anabod,ham., The other schoolmed to malnt,ain that Siv,ananabodamwa.s original Tamil work. '[he upholders of fhis view~ave in their wrlHngsmany reasons to prove thelr theory. The mostfmportant of themare: (l) MeykaQ'~ar does not menhon nus anywhere it IS a. h'ansla.Hon. (2) Nor dtdthe authors. 0.1 the other Meykaut;ia :S,astra works who were centemporaneouste Meyl<a[JI:Qjar or dose to his time e~ther as his disctples or the dtselples ofhls djsciples. (3) the Sanskrltverslon .of the same, ill. the 12.lth .SieUr-a:. says,. "thus says fhe Sivajiri,anaBodha .. " n 1.$ questioned whether a. portion of a pntluda in a. agmlM can have a. sep,arate heading like this and whether ,lherofor-e. Udoesnntsuggest thatit'is a r-ender.ingo.ffhe Tamil S.avanana Bodam .. 1(4) Bven before the advent of MeykalJlQ!ar." there wer-e works like Nanamird,am. Tiru.m,andir'a.m.,. etc., wluch expounded this syste~, though notloglcally andmny as Meyk,aoQ.ar did. in his wod<,and the worslnp of Siva. had been there even be€ore the ChrisHan. era and the hymns in 'ramil speak ofthegeeatnessead G:r,ace ()if S,iva and indi.rectlythe tenets of this system ..

Arllll1l.a_ndi, the di.rect disciple of Meyk.aijJ;j.ar.,. wFoteSivan,a_na Siddiya:r ,as a. ccmmentarym pOOh'y on theS;i'\ran,i:n,aDodam. There h.e menlion.s the :spi.rimalUneage of insitruction. Thereh .. e grves the names oft:heperceptoFs and not any book .. He was himseU a gr-eat Sanskrit scholar and. had earned the t:it~e o.f jSak,a~a.gam.a Paij:g:li1ta. ~ He would not have missed.thist that Sivanana.bodam ~ was a Tamil r~ndeftng of a portion of the Rauravagama, If itwas so. And he wouldhave had llohes,ltaft:ontobr.ill.gthis to Hght.~ if ltwas so .. fortherewas nothing wrong in. tratls~atmg an. Agama '(ora. pOll'H.on .afit)., Ttwould hclrve been and. honour and privUe.ge,w do so as the Agamas were-revealed by Siva Hl.mseU (9.S.S, 267) .. And Um,ap'aH .SI.vadirya .• another preceptor in that Hoe and the author ofSa.'l.luatn.a Sangraha (Skt.,) does notmentian1n any of hlseigh:t TamHwork:sthat the Tamil :Stvafianabodam is a. translation of the Sanskrit work. of the same name, He menttens onlythe names of the works by his predecessers (SP .. 11).

So Uca.n sa.i@lyb@ said. that the Ta,mn~;hvananabodaml.s only an on.ginal worl andl


litiS

that someone who wa.o.red to tn.h'oduce these ide,asto the Sanskri.t woddmight have translated it into Sanskri t ,and. called tt a portion of the pasn:u:uxana patha1'a of the Rauravagama. to gi,veU a stamp ofauthoriiy. And. tlhis mighthavc'g.atned cunency before Siv,agra'iogin and. hem.ight'ha:v,e aecepted UwUhouf,questiofllng. And others, might have

followed Siv,agra YO'gin. . . - -


,25 Muktesvara Temple

The Muktesvaratemple of Bh,tdla_nesw,ilrCJJppear$~o bathe e,ar'Uest monument ,OJ the Som,avam:sl period. Ilia one o,f the most 'beautiful temp~es, o€ll1dia 8t'i!Jdlhas,bem described by M .a M" Gangu1y as "a dream realised. in sand. stone." 'Eleg,anny dooor,a,too from top to bettem, it stands Within a.graceruUy la:id. out low cClmpou:nd w,allWith a beautiful tQ~a~a infront of it. Th.i,s temple also reveals :SQI,me nota:blefeatu1'e:8' both :1m arebttectural and ililthe attributes of the 'cult 1.mages,.In fhe odtimaps. we 8ndhere a. :rat used. as fhe mount of GaQ.esa.a.peacock assocla£ed wlfh KarffikeY'2l. 1baMes: camedim arms of :Sapta"matdkas and Kern. among the planets,. R.D. Baru:tqi thinks· tha,ti ,a,1 Bhtiba.neswa,rtheM1!dctes,vara wasthe lmm,ediate succsssor o~ the far,a:silJl'ames'lara temple. Like early temlP[es~ it is a sma.llmlor:lunlloot rising to a.l1~gh of 34 feet although 'th.e Muk.tesva.r,a.possess a.f:1ch.l.tedural and. settlptu.ral afftn:Ui.es wU'h Br.ahtnes,V'ara.(C.~ A.D. T060).ilil. point of chronology fbeMuk.te:sv8ra. is earlier fhanfhe' Hr,abmt.esvara.Percy Bl1ownput.s the date A.D. 950 as the year o.fthe construcHon of Mtiktes,vQ_'[,aiem.ple. No t{l1:n.pais· to' be found. in a.ny of the eXlsting temple's at Bhubane~Swar~ except 'in the Muk.tesva.ra. temple. The remams oftn~s to,r:a~a alongwith some oftts other panS8[-enow preserved .in. ~he Onssa Sta.teMuseum" The abm.pt changes in th.e early .~()nns .of cul~ images~ in the arcfuitectur,aJ designs. and even ifilthedet.a~ls of the sru[ptu._ra~ MFf-e.seata.ttonsmdicetesthat thebulMer o:f the Muktesvar,il. wa;s tb.e harD~nger of a new ,adWre.

The Viulana square in pla_rh. -s,tandson a raised. plaHuntlL and. has .n.ve 'pag~$ or pilasters on the each feeade, The SikhaJ'ilis. short~ and. it lUIS four Nata.'fiijias, andthe wllr Klrtti.Tnukba:s on four £acesl.1[ihetQP porl1on ,of fhe S~kha1r,aha:s theu:suaJ crowning members .. Jtltin .front of the door of the lagamo.hanastandsthebeau.timl toraljZa:. These ,ar-e some of the main archt~ectural arl'angements of this m.m.l.a:fulle g:em of 'Or~:ssa_n Arc]:'! itecture.

J L . , .i J.J_'- .... _. __ .' __ "' _

On. the body of la.ga.tnahan we flnd. thelma,ges of Ganga and Yamuna carved ~cle by side of Chanda andPrachanda.On i.ls Imted occ~rs o~£ouratmed male deUy.tpeIhaps the .figure of Lakunsa.se,ated lnBhQmi.aTSa~nmd~a am.d holding ,aLii.b~M~. The Bprre~, of G8!ja-Lak:~hmj,.Ketu and Rahu. are also marked. on the Jagam'fJ'hafltl of fhe tlem!P'[e ...

A .few cult lm,ages also occur on. the ()ut~FwaU. IQlfthe temple and on. the!agam:ohmt but allof t:hemare .fhund in. mlnia.wl'e' forme, Num,erousa.mnn,gfherSJe m.jnlatuR~mages are those ofUkuli~a found all ove:rtbebody offhetemple. Th.eyarellsual[yfound within


EtlClJdopaedia of the .Sai vism

ornamented Chaitya arches. shQiwing v,ariousmuaras such as¥:oga, BhUl'lisparsa and Vyiik1rya1l'tI witb YagapatMs tied. to,fheir knees .. They are a,coornp ani ed byt.he fi.gures offhcir dtsctples, as tn. the takull tmages of the earher temples.


26

,

Nandikesvara's Advaite Saivism

Nandikesvara

The available matertal on, thi.ssystelllt 1.6 very scanty. We have just one smallwork, c-ons;isnng oftwenty-six verses and a !brief commentary onit, to' which w@.bave r-eferred earlier. But n is a. very fmportant work jnasffi.ttch as it states the fun.damentals ofthe mordstte Saiva PhUosophy ~ as incorporated. in the firs.t fourteen aphensm of P~,lnf"s gr'ammal'. accordmg to ~heintBrp(\etatilml of Nandikesva,ra ..

At the end. of each of these fourteen. aphonsm thereis a. consonant. Nandike.svara L:;]~, th •. ,:j1, ," h. I, ·,.',n mt :'t, rsds fr"', 'o·d·lj.···t· exactlv ~. ]I') .. ~ .. ' .. 'i,,' holds ·,t~,"" ':t' Is ~" no ,U.s I~ , at sucn a COliISO ra __ . stan _.S _0_ a pre"~ca e, C .e_y as ,[" aIJ~ru no .".s naL 1 . S .u,}r

~11.. e: ' .~ on of .J" "hl " ' ~ ·t' '.," ,.1i.., I. "A '.' ~"('TI 't'· ... t.... , .')

LI. ie rorma LIon Q a ~oc~ ,nu::a~ errn SUCu as .. lJI. . .1~ ra. yanara),

The Imp'ortan:ce of Nan.dikesvara S,aivi.sm : If we accept the view that Nandikesva:ra was a.contemporary of PaQlni. because of the per:SIsHngtt.adifion. and indtreetreferencetehieview by Pa.tanjial1..lhe syslem .• presenledbyNandikiesva:ra,:iJsvery important indeed- Por, it IS then theearliest voluntaristic Phtlosophy, whlch was subsequently developedby Laktilisa in h~s PaSllpata. Sutra~ in the light of Duaiism",cuntnon-dnahsm, and bytberhinkers of Kashmir, such as Somananda~ Kana~a~ Utpala, Abhmavagupta and Ksemarajaete., mthe U.gh.t of monism. In fact,fne very 'brief statements about the phUosoph1ca] prinelples in the NandikesvaraKasil<a~ have meaning~ .only when they are studied iLn the Ught of what Kashmir thinkiers· have said on allied top~cs?

The fad that the system~presentedby Nandikesvara~is very smular to, U not identical wUhwhat is now knownas MonisUC Kashmtr Sai:vi:smt becomes evident if we compare the beaedtctery verse at theheginn.lng ofthe Sp.a:nda Kiirikll with the one at the begmmng of the commeneary by Upamertyu onthe NandikeSvara. Ka.sika. .. These two verses not only present the same phUooophlcthought bnt also present ~t in almost identicaJexpress~o:ns.

Y ,". ..... 'I" ' .: ' .. ' ntm -~ bh -- am J- a· ~a tam" rrala -"~da e s au

a.sy onme !;l'a_. e~a~_ y- --_.' ...g. -'. 'ei- p_ '. __ yo_ .. ,y. , .'

Yasyonme:!?anlmee-abhyam Vyaktavyaktam. idam jlagat


167

TbeMain Te:ndenci:e's'of the System

(1,) NandikesvarB, ,Smv1;sm has mysHct,en.den,cy'. Thts tendency may be said to De

- p,edamblant. FOI'~the ctJlcumstances~ whiCh were responsible~orcolDin,gto light of fhis syst-e"!"w,ere my:sHc. The sages,praCtised austerity ,for mystic~~ght. As an ad of graee to the-mt Sj,vaappearod, myst1.caUy and. tau.ghtthem,tbat fhe.ReaUty Is beyond an ,categories; that n is tbe self, the "I' Ol' "Ahara", the aU~tran:scendmg; that U~S aU~grace'ful~fhe-Gr,a,ce being to it what body is to souhand that ft is the transcrmden,tal W:Uness ofev,eryfhing.

Here we find fhree fundamentals of mys.Hcism: (1) theR.eaU,ty as it is .8naUy r-eaUsed;fbefmal and ev,erla.stmgexpe,gen.cc,that a my:stic aims at attaining through mysUe life and. pr'acH,ces; (2) the ReaUty aslt appears to a. mystic in. a mystic Vision; and (3) fhe faUh~ with whtcJland In wJrdclha. mysHc lives" The .an~tr(J!nsce_ri!ding nahlOO(lf the .lDysUcR.eaUtYt the appearanceofth~s Reality 1ft a mysUcf,o'rm in a my:stic vis~on and .fai.th lin HIS Grace are the fundamental p:re--suppOSirUon.s of mysticism.

(2).We aJSQ' find thevoluntari;sttctenden.cy in Nandikesva:ra S,aJvl:Rl ,ln, the context

O.Hts.··me.ta.". hw.'s·· i. ~,. 'Bv<=&:nt.. mv. stic- s·,v ... :s:te- m has ifc m.et8!-. h-. -·s·i alfbe,o· '-. - aleo •. , 'B~~,t ·t·.hl ::_ ~R, ~ .. -'~"h: .. - ... '.iI'.' .

----- ---1'., ,J &,$. '-J -- -'J .-------- --""-------p--y- --- ___ry~_s_ -""". ,e .ea,ll~)'

as,lti:s presented in. thecontex.t ofm"ystl,cism Is generany s]lghtly different frem th.eRea.1ity as it ls posm]ated tn the tnetaphy:sica.l context. Tile .fOrmer 1.s beyond. an. ca.mgories and~ thereEDoo~ Is indeilnable unless, we take the lnd;Uma.bi~Uyitse~fto bea d.eAniHon .. Th,e latter~ however, .is spoken efaseause, source or manifester ofeve'rythtng. 1Butfhe mysHcReaUty i.s,n.otessen.HaIly dlffe~m.t,fro·m.th€!metapllysi,cal Fort theUltima.tei.sadm.i.ttedto be both transcendental and lm.manent

Plotinus"formstance, on the one hand. speaks ofthe One as SQtransrendJenttha't is, beyond fhereach of mind and speeeh; it ,cannot be preisented. ev,en. In terms o.f the hlgbest cate,gory;. Uis reaUsalble only In mystic ecstasy, On the .other hand, herepresenfsthe One aa the seureeand goal oEeveryfhmg~ from whom an 0pposluons and dlv,m;si.tles,emman.mt

Simil.ady N,a:ndJitesvar,a. alSOt mthecourse of his InterpfetaUQt1 of the fil':st aphcnem .of the Mahesvara Stltr,as~ speaks of the metapby:sical Reality,whtchi:s ~d.ent:iJ:Hed wuh the :first letter ~~A1!I.t as Brihman~ which Is .&-00 .from.aU. gUJ;liastis :I:uesentin everythIng and in an forms of speech~P,asyanH~ etc an.dis the source or migm~ not only o:.f .aU. leH@fs,but also of the entire unl!verseJindudlng many different worlds. ThIs iBifihm.anbecomes o,r manifests itself as the Universe fihfiOugh Us power.tedln~caiUy caIledJ'C:I.tk,ala"· 'OT '!"cl"t-sakU""~. and~ the:remretl:s called ·~isv,arat,j,. The leHer"'r~ and hU~'1n

the aphorism s~gn1fy the "Power" I~CUkalarand tb,e "Lord" respect:i.vely.

There Is an interesfing point, worth noUliIg in the comm,enbuy on th.e verse .. No.3~ (in which the $lat~ment.made in. the preceding par,agr.a.ph.~ is based.

The word ~"Cit-lal.auisinterpr-eted. as '''Maya}' It has.,the:r-efore~tD "be made clear he'Fe thatthe word '''M,ayaUin this context does not ha vethe meaning fha.tit has in. the VedaJ)taPhilo~o'Pby. i.e."rhe prinople of ignorance and Uhlsinnt whicll cannot be pmsentiedl as eJ.ther'"beingU lor ~no,t~bej.,· F'or~in the sys~em of Nandjkesvar,a~ there' is ne such category as Maya .• dlstlnct&om lk.ti,.aS in other Saiva. systems. No doubtU admits


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169

gets a signif1canc~, wihtchexp,latn:sthe use of the analegyoffhe Moon and. her ra.ys to hiring out non~diHerence betweenB:rahman. and CUkaUi. If Brahman. or Self is ·CUi·~t the power of Brahman, whj~ch is responsible .Iorthe being of the wbo~e universe~is spoken of as 'Citk,alif, because !tis an aspect of Brahman. and,~herefore, nlOn-dlfferent horn It!,exactly as fheray of the Moon ts an aspect of herandts non-different from. her ..

'Th.e moni,stl.C view ,present.ed on the basis of aphOrism "'gt"K"\ im.p'liGs~ha.t· the relatton between Brahman. and its powerts fhe same as between Rand 1;.. We know that. accordin.g to thegremmanan, there-is thellel,ation of identify between the two, ~ and L, isimilar to that between one ··A" and another <8J... va:rr;tayarmithal;l s,avan:tyam vacyam). Nand~kesvara S.awlsm, therefore. IsamonisHp system.~becauSGit admUsthe identity of the mind and i.tspotel1ltiaJityand. acHvity. of SIva. and Sa,k.ti, or Brah.ma_;_n. a:n:dCitkaJa ..

The~Th.eory ·o.f' Ma.nifestation = The relanon benveen. nle Brahman. and the universe is not tha.t ofthe creator and the cr-eated. 'The world does notexi;st apart from the Brahman as doesa JaF .froma potter. whomakes it. U is, onthe (JontraTy~Hletnat of thought and the thinking subject. The worldlis n.oth1ng but the thought of Brahman .. It is external manifestetlon of wha.ti.s pof€nUallywithln. It is esseanally idenUcal wuh Brahman. muchas thought is with the thinking subject. Si.mUarly fhetranscendental Reality (NIF'guoa.) and ~he immanent (SaguQa)' are ldcl1.tical. FO'r ~ the latter is a. mamfestalion· of the - former .. All the categorlesare fhe mani.festa.tioos ,()ftheB,-rahm,iID.


168

~h:irty-Sb;. ca,tegurie\~h buttheysre slightly different from thOise ofofhef S,aiva systems~ as we shan show. The questi'on~, fru,~~relo:re~arirses, what does ~~M:aya~' mean? Alld.tne,iJn:sweI is tba.t it means wha.t VUna.rsa Means mine' monlsHcSatvlsm ofI<ashmir .ltmlea:AS 'f~Free wnr' (Sviuantrya). For. fhis sys,tem ad'mitsthat the universe owes j.ts being to His will.

That thewO:I1dj~itakaJaUt whl,c:hisl!nterplleted as '!'~Mayajj' bytheoomtnmtatoli6~

means whati,s sta.tedaiboveis borne out !by another fact? That is" N,aruii!kesvara taIls 0.£ ~~An th.e 1Bir,ahm,an~ as ~·Prakasif~~. as dlstind mom '~TU ~ fhe Cltkala, and also of the inseparable rela.tion between the two., The priFlldp'le~ r~prosented by ~'F" ~,issa~.d. kl1bc' the canse.inso£~1I' as it is 'the potentjality~'the powerthe Saktit 11> w1hlch eve:rylli~ng; owes its ibeing.Buf'Saktr IS so only in relanon of SiV'a~ 1B,rihman."Pr,atas.a or i~At~. And. w,e blow that the m.ordsH.c Siaivlsm O'f I<ashmk~ wtdch. talks ofllie .£[rs.t caregoryas ".Prakwsau and ofthe second as '·Vlm,ar:sa.H~ uses the words '~iHu and. '~svatantryaU as synonymous with VimarSa. 'The word. ~'Cnata~i\therefOre, seems to mean Vtmarsa or free wm.

N,anidilesvar,a himselfuses the word ~tMiya", in the sense of 'tManov(t;ti'j'~fhe adivity of themind~m,a_nifestedbytheLo[(t and. the relation ofthiiS wnhthe Lord :is spokonof as ~he same (Sama:sntY,rl) C1\S fhat whicll He has wUb Cj.ti:a:la inhting;ing £hIe univel'.seinto being. It may be pointed au. t· here tha.t in. till;!; con.tex.tthe co:mme·ntator uses

",11.. . . . ds 'h-M..c,-",. ,- UH-I'!'!'c -- Jl uC·.-:'·'t·k.· -11- '1'1'-- - .c - '.' .' - - . - )JoLt,. -t ,cN- '.- ..J ··11~ .~': .. - .. - "h- ~ .. '.' -l'

Llll.e WOll. _ S .' ... -. a.y.a J • . anu '" cl.l. a~a a.s synonymlous; anli.A. U.~a.l. . · . .aUul1!.:eSV,ara .. Jm.seu

propounds the volunta.tl.s.t1c world-vi.ew and pre;oonts itirn almost the same words ,as those used. by K~emaraja.m his Pr.a.tyabbljfia Hrdaya, as. has been stated'lin file H1storlca~ section .. Thel1efo're~ there 'is little doubt about ~he synonymjty of Cit1kaJi wlt:n :Sva.tantrya and about the vo~un.tarlsHc tendency of the' sys.te'm O'f Na.nd~kesv.ara.

Monism. of Nandlkesvara

We have talked of the relaH.on. between. Brahman. andSakfi or' Cit-kala. Does not the admtssen of thetwo uUi.m.ate m!etaphyslcai prlndp,les mean Dualism? The reply t-o this quesaonIs given in fhe course of t;helnte'rpi,etatbin of the second apbor1sm.~~~'l(. u The Brahman isfheMlnd. And th.e M,aya Is the,a.cHv1ly.whkb it manifests. TheB:r,ahman~ being al'ctiV"e~ belng inrelaitlon wtth i"ts acHvUy, whkh is.i.ts own. outf!low J blings the world tn.tobeing. 'The aCH.vehas no bemg in isola.tion .fromthe activity. 'The two are Inseparablet macn asaee the Moon and her l'ayis~ or a wOfd 8_nd ita meol\ing.

Nandikesv,ar,a seemsto advocare fhew'e of moni:s:m. which isth.e cnara,dens,Hc of fbe Ph:Hosophy of Grammar. He 1.dentifies the ]B':rahmant the uAn~w:i.th Pa:ra~ as presented by Na_gesa Bhatta~unde[ themfl1ll.oooo of the Saivagama.HetaLks offa..l:as;S. pure JnapH. or senUency (Jftapti.ma.t:ra).nu~ wOld. Jiia!pti seems to be used as ,a :synonym of~"CUi .. ~·F'or,Pat.anjaJ~. a near :suo:eS'sorofNand~kesvarat in Ids Yog,asutra~ jn.presen.~g the seU,. uses the words, ~'ICifir and ~~D~siu, in stalng lts essential na.ture. And Utp.ruaand Abbinavaguptahave Interpreted Uta show that ~atailjaUts conc@pn.on. Q1f the SeU is the same astbat lof mJonistic Kashmir SaiVism ,and. that it lmpl:t.es vo~un.ta:rlsm.

If we .a.coopt tihis'\liew .name~y. fllat ~Jna.pfil~ stands .fm~"C:UH.·· ,andpl'esentsthe essentfal nalure ·oftlhe SeU~ tllewoIia. '"Citkala/j'.the meMhJl1g Ol.f which we!tti.edito setaeeadie:rJ


17

sodo~FeUgious d,ghts, ViraSa.iva women. have provided Shining examples of (!ou.rage and. soctal awaren,(!ss ..

In tbe 20th century. Virasaiv,a women sHU contmue to be yoginls and. 5Q(;i;0- re:Ugi01!1S workers, such as Sbolapur :Shranamma~Ja.ya.dev.ita.i.Ligad!e and manyo'tners. They sun u,phold the high hnagegtven by the 1.2tll. century reformers, :Re8~.rdHng the~wid.ersoci,al llf,e.,tneoomttivuti.ofll;s of Vir,asaiv,a womento academtc lit~r,awre, novels and. f.lne art:s~s no~ lnconsiderable .. Dr, SanJjllni Mabish[' s thesis, "Kama takadaKavtya tri yaru" i.san,~]lus,trlous document onm,any Vlrasa.l.va,WtJ.men poets. We shall compareth.e idea:~. bi;storlcal image of Vrrasaiva woman as found lnthe Vadilan.as ~)if ilie 12.th.cerntury w~lh the presenl:"day Virasaiva woman's image imn.d.igi,ou.S and secular li£e~ irnorderto und.eI1stand tb.e oon!tinl1ln_g[mpact of Vbasai;vlsm on the :status, ofwaman.


27 Njanamrtam

..

~

Nj,aaNam:rtam. 'is a.:ni:m,port.a:nt :Salva. S,lddharl,ta textgi.vin,g tb,€!; ma'~,ideas of ''the' ,

kno~~edge section o.f\the~Satvagamas. Itwas composed by V,aggjsa Munivar'eaiUer than

the Stv,ClnjaaNa B,oaM'm. SiwmjaaNa Bmlhamis the im!portanttreatiJse exp[ainm,g the saltemt features offbe :Sa.iva. Siddhanta. P'hUo\Sophy ,amid w,a~s composed lftthe-tnlrtemfh oml,mry.

We may compareniaaN.tUlu:'tatl!;andi S!mnjanNa B~1:tmuin order that we may .£in.dtbe"Ja:~.e

of niaaNam,rtam is thene:ld of SabIa Slddhanta,Phil.osopby.

Siv,aniaaNa Brulhau!is constdeeed to deal wIth the nature of fhefhree enfi'Hes"Goo, man and world or 1bonda8e not only wi"threspeat-o the state ofbollda8e.bu.t also W'lutn respect to fhe st,ate of release, All tbem,ated,al:s which we have seen tobeelaboFately •. ealt with. in the Siv,anj.aaN.aBodhamand. i.ts secondaries have heem with respect oftbe s~fie ofrelease .. Butwlth respectto the state o.fbom.i.a\set :S:lvanja~lNaBodba.lliI. d~al:sib.tb3Iy'W1:tD ~be leading fhol1ghts ex.pocnngthe di;sdP~.eto supply the missing links,. These Hn.~sa,m su:ppH.ed by Nja,aNa.mrtam.. . ~

The first sex verses of Siv.anjr:mHa Badhaul deal with the na ture of the et~mid varieties as seen by man, from" the standpolntof his state!()fbotilda.ge.Here~we~may,a:s~sume that Meyka:nhda.at gi",es, only the lead~ing thoughts ,Q'lld the main 'ideas tbabl!rekl ibe,bnme' to. mmd whHe smdyin,g t.be system. o:EPhilosophy. He sim.ply fhr·ows,il:ere ,atndt'B,e:fe :some una.m.b~guou:s terms 'Or e'x.pr,e:ssion:s wh'kh s1!1gg:est a world o~or"8,anisOO" tbeon}@s, ama. ,oon.v€ml.HQns,Farexample~inthe .fi~st verse Meykanhdaar' reJiers to the seen wot1dhy fhe term titi (entity). This term~miPnes what j:S caned satkaanja:vaaaa which is d,eaUwi~bll the Saangki.y~. system", Mey!kanlldaal' expects the dist:ipleto unde'Fstand fhe whole theory olE stdkattrya vaadn and. to proceed further mthe 'Fla'fn, .of wisdo~, dl,alked (lut by h.lm. Hem njaaNumr,tarn lends a. helping "hand£of an eam.eststu.dent ()I~ S:ivanjaa:Na Bodlmm. Satm'l1rgtt vaada has been taken tl'pand ~og~cal developed Mdtreaited in s,tanza twerYtytwo.

]n the fact c(lm.~entato:r Slva~j.aaN.a -:-mtmiVar actuaIly rererst-oth.e st,8!nza quotoo above wbileexplalulngthe lmpllcatlons of the teml Uti used. byM:eykanhdMf;rwhi"h ]:S· further expanded byh:i.min the ,expessl,on "il:laaa 'Tkut too Ttfdtl1,~a:yin <a;stherel:sfJ:.O appea.rance ~or a. tbing which is non~xisten.t).

Anotber mstanee illustrating this View is .nowMeyk,a:nh:ba,ar s;uggestsJthe c-o:goot argument In est,abHshing the ex]sten.ce offbe Su.-premebe1ng £O'r the~variou:s ,ac'MviHes of


Encydopaedia of t.he Sa:ivism

1'71

fhephenomenal world. H:isid.eais that an inert thlng.s are robe actuated byanlntelJi,gent being; fhatm.telUgent bei_ng cannot be one 01 the Eettered. souls~ far they are nebetter than mud pot for their aCfiviUes·t as they arechained by the pnnciples of bondage and. are dependent-Even the souls that havegot release should' havereq,uJred fhea:sslstance or help .of a soul fha.tha.;s alFBady been.released.Hence, pressing the question to Us logieal tlondu;sion~ the cDnsdousDemgthal has to move bOtfl the sentient and. non-sennent worldly thing.sshnu1dbena.turallyfreed from. fetters, ha.v~ngtheq1.lallt1esO'fOmnisdef!:ce,. onmipoienceeb:. 'These Ideas are cogently expressed in sfan:za58 of njaa:Nanz:rta:m. In fad :swanJa.aNa muntvar takes up this stanza and from the M.oos expressed in U~ he able to supplythe missing Imksm tbenrst silutm ..

Meykallhdaar takes up the question ofther-e-or-g,a;nlsaHon of the expanded untverse and postts fhattheacUVity should have been infused by tbe Supreme Bemg in accordance w~~"th merits and demerits that had been performed by the individu,al selves in.t:he:lf previous bittbs .. Fnasmuch. as the Sapr-eme Be:ingi.s diU(!r-ent from the souls and the material world. in. substa:nce,it :shouJd have some kind. of relation wuh them. in order lu make themmove,

Her-e he solves the question by ilntrodudngt:wo tdeas that have been found expressed In the condud~ngporlions of the Vedas. 'The f]:tst Idea is about the concept of re·larHonshlp denoted by the term iad:v.iUya11'l. ; Theterm a.coord.mg to :M'eykan.hdaa1l' means

= _' _' -

if1l,separ·a.ble~ :fl,0r rwol~. itdoos net mean no twa. Hefurther expands them.eantngof fu.etenn

tll the fuUawlng form: fhe Supreme BeIng is onewtth fhe ind~vldual ;sou~s, di£ta-1mi' from it in. substance and is tog:efbe:r Vitlth Hin as mnchas the il1l.divi.dual souls are enabled to know and aet, The oneness wUh the souls is cQmpared to the relation betweenthe indi.Vldual. ·a_nd Us embodnnent; The next pOi~.t is that a. p:riLn:dple whidl.hascontrol ov-er an~"h -r,--inn~-I s .. shoeld .~, 1·.·.'- .,-.~~, -l1i;-lld·I'.ff-,;~ '. '.~ :'. ',1 'I""" .]t; ·0· •.• ·th-.~tvJ:iI;~· ·~-·it I cann ····f-.rvad .•.. ~~J)'l4e_p __ ,I.iJ:P_€ .60UJlI ... na.vepU'l~:enl.dl~ ... 1ooleIlCe .In. hse.l ... __~e__ _se __ C:~~~~O _ pe_ . __ .. e

the ather thing so asto activa.t:eit. He ,expresses this potential diHerence as bemg ront,a,.ined lnthe eoncept tOE .sakH whiCh is iJfi'I.sepa,rab~e fr-om S,iva.

It Is something H.k:e Hght or heat energyt and the Su_n IS not dIfferent from. that ene'FSY .. Whneexpand.tngth.eseideas and meetingthe obJocnoos tiha.t' may be rai;sed by otherschoels of thought. M.eyka.nhdaar'leaves many a fhtngthatha:sto be given in respect of the two deeds. merits and demerns.For example one should like to know the mertts and dements pe:rta.ining to the thought. speech and action oE a persrnl" These fu:ing:s are explicitly and elaborately supplh~d bynjaaNatlfrtan:l. In fact njaaNa:mrttUrl deals with the nature 'Of deeds or ka:rma in stanzas,23,~ 24 and. 25,. Some of fhem have been. quoted by Si.vanjaaNa muntvar .. The sources through wbi.ch the deeds (lometa fruttton nam.ely aadhidaivakam" aadhi:bhaufikamand .aadh:iaafmikmu are also explamedin .njaaNam,rtam ..

While expla.ini.ng thethree causal states of consciousness ,and! fhe five efEe,cHve sta.tes, ill. each of tbem.,.M,eykanhda,ar~s s1!lggesHve and deals with them :inthe.f,ourth,. fifth ,and th.e s~xth sUlIt.rns r-espectively. But in the m,afie:r of comparlsontnat he uses wifh respect to the five eff«Hv·e states of consciousness in thecasual st.ate of sakalaJ Meyk.anhdaar speaks of the ionri:ntema] oFgans (an.tahkarl7f!.i!'as) as 'the miniSW:ES nf the lflcUvldual self. Njaa.Narurftnn has already taken up the eompsnsenand compared the


17.2

sense organs, themotor organs, the varlQ'!l18 kmds of atrs and olhe't~hj:ng,s jn ilnelaborate manner, :S'lvanJa,aNa Muniv.ar supplies. these ld.ea.s to flu!· scholar quoting t1jaaNam~rtam.

NJaaNa1;urtam commences by sa.ying~ fhatth@ ve:ryes:sence of the S',ivara'11Mswhi.ch 18 produced by f:h.e churning o.f the sCriptures wUn. the he~p of ~h.er-easonil1,g mind atS the' ehurner ~ is to be gtven by the work Of course rhe gtlidancegive:nby~be spirItual master ~orm8 part of the accessories ~jlthe 2U:t ofchl!1rnJllg. Hence O[l!B shoald ,expect a complete treatment of the phi]os()phicaJid~a in a.ll orgnni:S!eu form rr-nID the :~h1dyofthe\vIOfk.W'e may go ltothe extent to sayJJngn~.a.t the workgtves.m a nutsheUaUthe Ideas fhart are contained in the inana section of the .Ag!a.m,as .. .Accor-dingly mhe work proceeds by stating tha tithe purport of all the scriprure:s con.s:Istsm giving: the nature of the fhveeentlt.IJes pFlSfl" p.l1Q;sa and paU {the s()ul~the prmciples nf the bondage and fhe dlvini~ lhatI1edeems the soul), Thework ,dos:e~y observ,esthe order in. whiCbthese ,entities heve boon rnen.ti!On@d. at first .. The mention. of the sub~edsto be-treated inth€! workiscalled uttesa as. perthe reoinrem ents ,o···~ ~k.r.I ··N·lv<>v.,.,,:I:"':lr·'''''''·,,:,·'i'' l'n, fac ~ ·S~·"I~··"'n·~"!'·aIN··:a. ·M·I'U·~··l·va·r· ·1·11'!' jL~",. C";".n1i:liru· ·"·""u·

.I,!,.,...,,, .IILi.~· .. ,~li~.,,~ '-"L~. !L.111~ 'J' ,lliQ,l" ~'"I,.;:t'~I"J'~!I.!J;,r. .~J,. ],,_,,_,IIl.. 1~_llyg:J,~A._ .. '_J LJ"LJ._~.~"J'_' _J' ,IIIi, LIJIJIJ~ 1.;:,l'J""""~"~J, ... Kn .. _:

Bhnshytun takes the v€!rynrstlJJtte;r,arn,ce of the work 'pasH pasaUlodu paU yrd petti ~~ lnfhe second $Ui.'b:3 ..

When. he discusses the princi.p~es that are observed ~j_n seiq~l!iH!n(Je~ the ~o'Sical portions of the subj:ect such as sca:tkaarya vmum~ the means of know. in g .• the '~~istence of the S()U~ and. .of fhe Supreme Being etc .. ~. are dtscussedin great aet,aU.Buttowardstheend of ~.he wort the author does notgo into the detasls o.f themeana of ilhnninaUoo and the various.aspects of the I~:SUUS of jUnminafion. Of' course the work deals wUh th.efe~ea,se ofthe three p.rlndp]cis of fhebandagen,amelyullMYa. .karw·a and .. lmM.'f?'a'.By cQR<lmb'aHng one' s .at.tenti:on on the ephemeral nature of the embodtment and the impurity and ,aJsothe sufferings caused iby n one can. become averse 'towards mn.e: wo:rldy UJe· .. One can. ,get rid of the honda.g.e of kanna if one gives. up the egoi.s.Uc~endende'S of 'I' and ~mlne: .. " The splri:tu!a~ darkness whtch is called aaHhalm rs g;ot rid of by having tbe divine illurn.mation wllleh bnngs one face tofaee with the Supr,€m,e Being .. As lor howth.e di.vlaellluminaHoo dawns uponthepu!rifi,ed. soum~the workmennons the steps. by w:luchthe :spj;n.malma.ster .Ilfts the soul ,aJongrhe Iadder hke steps of theevolutes ofrl:raya. 'Thisi.s what happen;sln ~he iniiti.alio!l1 ofwisdosn which 1.8 caUed ll,inJQ(Ulba diiksa1' Here' the student is left to :think wh.ether' {h.e aufhor lays more atress en the ceremony of lnlfllaltion. rather Ulan enthe acqulsltian of spiJtlrual wisdom ..

Authors of Sa.lVa" 5tddha.t!l.~a dUfer it1this.r.esped. Oftbe MQ thlngs the ~ni.tlJatIJoo and. the acqlLU,slnon of the Spiritual wisdom oflc'is consid@rodto be the ma.in thing 'Catzg,t) and the other asthe a:caessory (a.~~gasJ. 'The terms ~~lnia n~' and. ·'an:gi· ereused .. in Ithe sense in which theMimal~lzsa systeml!1ses; them. .. Most offhe scholars who are weU"vlersedin the Ag;an1ic IOIle.,. take the ad of lInl.IUa:UQn (~ftroa,anha Id.i:ibm) as augi and f'be dtvlnewlsdcnn as anga. 'But the Meyklml!:da Sa:s,trus lay stress on. lhe divinem.sdom. and ac-(:ord:ingJy eall it a:ngi and aseribethe place of auga on~yto the Lord and the splI1hlal wisdom. is Ihe: result o.f ~he ope~ation. of the cogn.aUv€!po~~ncy of the-Lord which is caUed.the light of grace. ]n ~hl.s r-espect we are led to ,conJuctive nu:mgh.nQl~ wHh certainty that the ,aulbo.r ibelongsto the class of fhinkers who ascnbea 'Pfo:m.iJnentposi.liOl'lto ~he ceremony oflnUia6on. for we


1'3

mi:ssm.any "ptlint,swlth respect to the divine Ublm1natjon which we are able to seem the

_' = -

later works on Saiva Siddhanta .

. MftijKaJl'h'da Saastras not only deal Wi.ththe su.bject of d.l.vin.enlumina.tion btlt also amalyse the results of snch ill1!lminaUoninto :plmsa: ksaya andthe attainment of .s,iWilhooil? Meyk.arlhdaargirves in. fhetenin stamza.howthe soul by identifying ifseU" with th.e d.i.v.ine grace .and.8i!cting as per fhewUl of God~ disp@'ls the spmtual darkness and alsobeeames hec .from.the taln.ts.of mayiiand brma~ He J;oglcal1yputs it tba.fbytdenUfyingwUh the light of .gracel.he sou,lgets free hom. the sense of·I~ and 'mine' and thus transcends the reach oEthe ·ev:i1 tendency of the splrituaJ derkness aanha:rm .mala .. Again by acHnga,c(lordlng ito the will of God the soul ge·ts free from the fett·et'sof ka:rlllil andnlayii.

In the 'eJeven~h verse.Ihe ;subject of attainm.en.t of :S.lvahood or the ex.pen.ence of (lonsd(Jusness-bUs;si;sexp~ained. Th.tl· iUamlned soulreahses the 'e:::d:stence o.f the Supreme Being by im.m,edlate knowledge and knows how the supremie Being is the source Earth.e .actlvlfies .n_ndeve,n for ~he conselouaaess of the souls. Tha eye of man cannot apprehend and grasp fh~ v.lsl!lla_lim.pl\ess~on that .It r-ecelv·e;s from. the external world wIthout th.e a:id. and hnpulsion of the lndJivid.ual self So also the individual seU cannot ob~ectifyfhe exteFnalworldwUhoul belng mded and impeUedby the Supreme Being .. This help of the' Supreme He:ling is not only ~hnited.to ~he worldly IUe when the soul tsm bondage but alsocenttnueseven in. the state ofre]ease. Thc'rethe :Supreme Beingtums the COlilSClonsness potelil.cy of the individual seU towar-ds UseUanderrt.alble:s it too id.entify ItseU with the Supreme, Thereleased soul being-conscious of this ext~ftiI.alhelp rendered by the Supreme ne~ngls actfva.~ed by Itt; alEoct1vena.tureand hasthetranscendCl1taJ love fOE t:he Su:premeBeing. This ]!Olve unites t:heindividual self tothebliss.fu.l aspect of the SDpreme whtch is gen.e:raUy spoken O'f asthe .feet of God..

In the above explananonwe come acrossthe expressions .of consdousness, love

- -

artd adherenee 0.1 the released soul. These are the quaJines. of fhe pureindi.vldual seU.

Thus mthe state ofrele,a.se which IS caned p.artU1tukt;i the soul a tta.lns 1 ts PUrity and. shines in Us own spendear IOf coasdousaess, love and attachment which qnaUHes make It ld.enfrlfy withfhe Supreme 130mg andexpttnooCefhe everlasting Miss of the Supreme 13e'ing .. This is how Meykanhdaar explains the spri.rim.a.1. e'xperienc12 oE everlasting bliss?' SWanjaaNa Muniva.rthe rnca.nin.g· of experiel1l.,oe. nne ofthe works in Sanskrit byname .Bhoga Kaa:r.ika: also gives the same explan.aHon. In all experiences the qualitieswhlcha:1C-e external to the iniUviduaJ self become reflected on the mdividual self .. In.the wl):dd~y experience of pleasure. the evolute called budah:ige~:s m.od.i.fiedin to the .form of M.troa gttn1!'a. Tho indjvidual.selfbecomesoonsdou;s of thIs lmddhi and. tbe 5a,ttvn ,pnna becomes man;i.fes.t in the individual. seUwhen it ldenbn.es Itself wIth the modincations of .budd.hi.

Thisj~s in OUF p.~danc~tbe cexpe:ri:ence ofwoddIy pJeasu.r-e. . . . . .

As per Saiva Siddl.haanta. God. baseighf sphitna~ quaUUes. The released soul i.denUtl.es itself with the Supre.me Being and t.hese eight spirttaal quali.Ues become refleded. in. theindlvldlluiJ] sell. This conscious steeping ill offhe releasedselfmthe di.vin.e qEl,ali.th;~sis thebllSis.ml experJ'et1cewblch IS the end . and aim of all human aspiration .a. Thus fherels aparaUeliSlm in thepsy.cho~og;lca]e:xp]aJnalion of the waddly pleasure· and the


heavenly pleasure cxpe~rieru:w by the individual self in In.£! state of bendage and in the s.fatf~ ofrelease respeenvely. This kind otdetailed explananents wUh.he.ld by njaaNa:m,r,tam so that fhejnqulsiHve studentts requrred to ,apPllOadl. the spoct,al works like Sfoonj.nanna Bodham, and Srull.njfwaNa Sidd'hlyar,. and .B.fmgakaarl1m ,a.ndMloisukilarikn--:hNo frea.Msesln the group' of the Sanskrit Ashta Prakarana, As nja.aNa.m.rtam throws important nght on some aspects of the state of bondage. l.t may beconsidered to be a supplement to SivanjinaNa Bodhem in :re,speao.Uheldea.s fhath.ave been deaJtwi.th from the stand-point of n~e s:tate of bondage ..


28 Padmanabhapurann Neelakantaswamy Temple

Abeutten kUo'metres, .from.Niageroon~theca!pjta1 ,of Kanyakuman dl'stri,ctis located tIle hlstori!c town. ofP.adm,analbha.pn.l'a.m .. R@mrrEd to as Kalkularn lin the ancient inscrlptIJons,.'fhis place was ih,e capital of the rolers of Vmad. In 1'44 T<ing Marthanda Varm.a renamed his kingdom as Travanoore. He also shifted his headquarters to rriv~ndrutn. As Cf've'ly a.rdentdevotee of Lord Padmanabha ofTnrv'.andram.~he dedtcatecl his :kingdamto the Lord. This,noble act earned iorhim. 'the sobnquet 'Pad:m,anabhadasa.' It was probably to commemorete t.nt.s event that Kalku]am. w.asre'n.,a.med fadm,snabhaeuram,. 'Th:is,p~a,cehast b~es~desthem.agnifi,oent forttt'Woanciernttemples dedtcaeed to ~ri Rama:sw,am.y ,and to Sri Neelakanta:sw.atDf.

Ramasw,amy Temp~.e

There ,aJre ve,ry l@wtemp]es,ofKetala.whicn.aredeolcatedtoSnRa:ma .. Ramas' ;'tIDy temple :i.s situated. to fhe·n!O!rfh--east of the Fort, The prcesen t sttucm.re of the tem.pl~ was constructed. abuut 200 years ba.ek: by Marib,a:ndaVann,a. rt1s,a.typtcaJ spedmen o€Kerala areni.tecm:re. ThedwaJasthambam whicl't stands in front of 'lhetemplei:sregardedas lhe tallest in. tbe wbole of Kanyakumatl dlsll1d. Thett1angn],arroof is. covered with a mat made of Palmyra leaves, Avery smaUlnmda,patll located near the dwajastha.mbarIJ houses the ,baltpe,etru'u. In the: outer prm:a:ra:n~ th@I!B is a sm,an snr,in.e for Vmayaka..

The grand ",ulntaptun:ha:s a roof made oE wooden. ·planks.. On. all the ~our sides uf fhis n:la'dl1pa·tn~ the wtuJ,leepfisode of Rarna.yana is engr~vedln wood. All the incidents h ,·t·h,:_·:D· ... h.··-~k-·,,·b~ y,a.····n'c r-; i"h-:M;h9-~'H' ·'·,1b~bicb-l'ram .o·re- readeeed ~"1' w--~4 .;o,!!,!;

.u.um.. e :c u~.ra",ame5~_u u-l-a ,!-'O 'y, _f! ~_ba __ gpaa_ ~ __ '"' __ el\ r;.o,~ .. _en_.~ ... _ .. iU'~_ OIJU ,In. 'iIfI,.iI

panels, Thts marvellons.aad intncam wDrkma:n.shlpi.sr-emJniS<len.t .afa very high lev,eJ o.f cultureaUa.ined" by our aneestors .. Every lover OI.f art should endeevoerto visit this plaee ,at least once to have a gnmpse of this treasure-house .. 'The in_ner p:rab:a:m i:sadom,ed by about 4;OOOlam.ps wbilch~ wbm.tif will present a glOriOus Si.ght.

In. 1680 the' M1J1gha~for-ces launchedupen an c'xpea:iHun.to loot 'Iravaneere,


171

flowed out of the pot The villagersweae non-phrssedwhen they came know of the

in.cident -

Consultation wUhan a.str-ol.ogerrev,e,a~edthe presence of a lmga at the sp'CJ!~. As Instructed. bythe astrotogelis, a temple was erected and watsni!p waSinlt1C)rteu" The SW8¥ambtt Ungam (a lingam, wbirn, comesmte existence all Us own ac-cord and not er-ected by human.be:ingsJ came too he' known ,as Nee~akantasw,amy. ,l\]t:hou,gh rhe1ieis nO' eennectlen between sage Neelakantaswamy and flus temp.llet the people gav'e Ms name tothe Lord.asamark ofres,pect ferfhe sage.

The ortgm of this tem"ple is shrouded in the obsCLlrify.Lor-d Parasurama, who had takeaa vow to e:x.mnnina.tethe Kshahiyas ult1ma'te]y decided to cann Ill, day and unshea.ited hIS swor-d. After'havln,g~ ,constructed. a temple at Vardba_napuramthe handed over his, sWQrdtoprlnceBanuVlkrama~ a sdan oflhe Sama,Va;m"sa" The KshalrlyaPdnce was ordainedl to rule over Kerala Wl'th hisheadql1arters .a.t'Va:rdhana.pu:ram. Hisitori.ans opinetha.t fhis Vardhana.:puram was thenueleas .of the present day P'admlanabhapttram., The earltest avaflable :tnscrip'tloon~s dated 13371\.D. (Qui1on era, 412). 11]e bad~y mufi~ated.inscr1pHon. in Valfalefunchara.ctet'5 refe:rtutherelo:rms ofRa.vi Var:ma~ theruler ofVenad. 'The ruler 'had plugged certai_n loopbO:h,:H::l,ifll,th.e aa,ministrative ma.chi.n.ery ofthe temple and hadtrea.mlined. its :fJnandal structure .. Aninsenpti.OO, aa,ted.1578 A.D. (QuHon era 653) states that the Innee Prakaeam of Kalkulam Mahad.evarTemple was laid, wifh stoneslabs,

The temple with its lUl8etank In ftont~ presents a. pkture:sque view. A graceful .nve·tier·ed. towe:r~ bUilt inthe Dravidian. style of arelutecture, adams the entrance .. It isa rare feature in Kanyakumarr dlstrict. The outer praJcarrull has small sl1:nnidhis for Vinayaka:r and Sastha, The imposing .fl.gures of Kama, Ar1jtma, VenugopaJa and Kankal.ana.tha. occupy fhe pUla-r;s offhe mner 'rtla~l,tapa'lu. The subU.m,e ibeauty and the graceful Ieatures of theeehave to be seen tobebelieved .. Na.tara:ja.r is aceommodatedm a separaterf,antulpam,ins:i.de tbetemple.Rettai Plnayar and. Cha:Fildikesw,araarefhe other tl1pail,evas worth men.tioning.·, Reg1Ll~,ar poo,j,a:s are performed at the shrine 01 AdhUnoolaswamy.

]{jn,gMadhana.a. Vanna~ who was a true devotee of Goddess M.eenakshi. o.f Madur,a.l. used. ~nIDtnderial~e frequentmpsto.M,adul'al to of.fer his obeisance ... Hechenshed a destreto construct ,8, l:emplefor the Goddess within fhe fort-Orne night. the Goddess lns.ttuct-ed h~m inhts dream to locate' her Idol at a spot near Thul.u;kalay and. toconstruet atemple .for her, She also enjoined 'Tlmm.alai Nayak. the ruler of Madural toa:sslst M'arln.and.a Va.nna Jn th.e insiallatiJon of her ldo~. Accolld~ng~y j Ma.rfllan.da. Varm,atraced fhetdol attheappropdatepJa:ce.,He was,surpdsed toHnd that it was an exact repU.ca Q.f GoddessM,eenakShi of Madurat The hetwltchlng charm of the image induced hhn to name her ·Ananda.v'aJI.fi~ .. Theptllsrs (jlf the Manta.pam COO.talft the figures eftwonslers who seem. to gaze at fhc 'Goddess .. The images have been ~den.ftf:IJedl as thcseof Marthanda Va:rm,a and Ttrumalat Nayak,

A considerable portion ofthi:sremple m.dlud.ing theMantapams and the tower were renovated by the la.termlers .. The celebr.aHon of the annual Rathothsavamand ~he


176

'Ir', . -, ,~- - ,..I. ~ --c .1 j:r., - ,d: -'-,' -.

;£,nqpr;t,opaetda oJ ~tle ~mVZSnl

Umayamma], the Queen of Trevaacore sought succour from. Kerala Varm,a,; the ruler of Northern ]<:ottaY,ilm. Kerala Vanna, cnivalroltsly condeseendedto a.ss:i,st her toHde over the crls~s. Before taking thebattle~ he offered worship to Lord Adlikesa,va, Perumal of Ttruvattar. The battle was wen contested, when all of a sudden arI10WS begantepour in torrents upon the Mughalsrrom an. unknown dtrecnon. The' horror .. strlcken MnghaJ forces ran. p'eUmell. M.ostoliliem w,ereengu1'fud. ina vortex of alln~hn,aUon. Theastunjshed, KI.1l.g wonderedwho the unseen benef'ador was, WUmate'~y Rama appear:edbeful'e him. lateI' Sri Rama a.ppea;rjugin. his dream, '~j,oined Kera]a Vanna to btl I Id. a temple. ]n accordance with the indllca.tions ghl'~n by Sri Ra:m,a~. KeFal,a Var.ma located this ~dol at a. spot on th.enorlh. easre'm. partofP,adm"anabhapttram.~where a cow was reblxmgand,a. calf was grazing fht;pastu:re. The ,forest was de:n.-uded of l.ts . trees ,and. a temple was constructed fur Sri Xama.

The .figure of :8ri Rama •. hdding the bow and. arrows IS m,aje:stic. To his left: stands

- . . . - - .. - " .. ~' --

SUa whUe 1,atshman,a. and Anjiam.eya ar-e on lITis right side, One of fhe ar.ms of Sri Rama

was damaged during the Mu,ghalinv.asi.on and! so Uha:s~ been. covered with SOli. The Penchaloka images are remarkablepieces of sculphu')e. Sri Rama has a serene ceuntenance; He seems to look at AnJianeyaWith a great deal of a£fecHon. Anj'ameya.ls regarded as a pow~rful deny ~ wifh mtracaloaapowers. A siBvarvaihanam of Hararmen islound near~he Sr:JJ 'Koll.

ARhottgh. thetempleIs under tbe control of the Hindu. ReligioUJS Endoiwments, Department ofTamUnadu., thecuetoms that existed[ before e:oo.tinu.eto bepracdced, The da.y to day poojas arepedonned byMaBayalee-Br,ahm]ns,How~ve1". during restlvaltlmes the Utsavar (fesHval image IOf the LordJ l,sno1t carried on elepbanrs, as, is the customm. other Kerala Temples. The Utsa.vari~ carried in a vahanam by fh,e tlllchakasth.emselves,. Among thefestivals celebrated hcreSrl Rama Navami, Tfrnvonam andVaikun.taEk8lda;$~ ar-e worth mentioning, .AU Tuesd~.ys of theMa~ayal,am -month of Kru'IfU{Sepitem.ber~ Octobm:) are ,considered auspfdcus. On those daysa number of devotees fhrongftds. place forworsbtp, The annual fusHval held in. the lDonfh:s Mari:h-Ap.r.n ,(Ma.1,Ry,aJammonfll of .Meena.m) commences on. the day of the Revatl:d star and. oo.nsu.mm.a.tes wHh. tthe:holy im.m:@r:s.l!On ceremony onthePunarvasu day.

Neelakanta:swamy'Temple

A f,ew centuries ago a. sa.g,e ca,U'ed. N,eelak.anta.swam.y Uved.near padm,anahhapuram.Hew,a:s perform.lng aSr!v,er-epenance dt.ung h.is blist days, One day he suddenly ,afia,lnoo a. state nt Samadhi .. The people of the nmghbourhood! hadheldthe sage in. high esteem .. As a. mark of reverence they installed a li:~gan!: (lv'er' hl:sgra.ve. 'This ling.aui ,eametQbe caned. Admtmoela Swatny. A separate sh:rinewa.seredOO.tDnotil&e the Ihlgam ..

A few years latera servaat-matd, entrusted with. the work. Qlfd0a_nmgt1le shr:in@~ Icep'l an earthen pot near the shrine and went out to attend.to herpersnaJwofrk. .. ,Onretu.m~ She wasperplexed to .find thatthe potconld.not be: moved. All. aHe'mptto :l1emove Ithe pot fo:n::ibly eadedm fiasoo and. the pot broke .. To her ,coo.st~ma.t.ion, she noted. tba.tblood.


E~lcydap.aedia oj l:he .Saivls1ft

Float fes:ijval here bear ample testimony to the Chela il1.Huence. Among the:i:mportant festivals celebrated helle .. Nav arathln~ 'TIFukalyanam and Panguni. Pestrval (ten days) deserve lobe mentioned, Navarathm festival celebrated in Punuttasi culminateswtththe Te'ppa~~savam 01:11. the V~jayadasami day. A retinue of the Travancore rulers usedto celebrate the Mal'ga.zhi 'f~f'lLtvadira.i festrvalm agrand manner, Once In twelve yea.rs the Moo~a.var is anomredwtthghee on theMahastvarathn day, The ceremony known as. Grithad1hara takes place .for one fu~~ day.

Ongmally the day to day rituals were conducted inconformity with the custom and pattern of the temples of. TamUnad .. Whell.fhe temple carne under the control of the rulers of 'Iravancore, the practice as followed lU Kerala temples carne into vogu.e .. At present the temp~.e Is controlledby the Hindu Religious Endowm.ent Board of Tamflnad, 'The pOI:Jjas are pe:dorrned four Urnes a day by Kerala Brahmins .. An Tuesdays In the month of AcU are considered auspicious here.

'Ihehistonc fort of Padmanabhapuram COVC'FB.an area of 2112mHes .. The majestic palace buflt by the rulers of Verrad.ts a. place worth vi sUing. Wnhin the Fort are located a Sa.ra.swathi temple and Alamparal Hhagava'thI Amman Temple .. The fes.fiva~.lmage of Sarasvathi Istaken in a. prcceeston of Godd.essBba.gavatht Thetwelve fa.mous· SWa Temples of Kanyak.u.m.ad district are situa.ted around. Padman,a:bhapuram ..

ThlUsPadmanabbapuram serves not only as a. IHstOrlcto\N11.but also as a pllgnm centre. The place can be reached by buses .from Nagercoll, Thucl<a]ay and Trivandrum.


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Pafichayatana Siva Li:riga atPatna

Dr. J..N .. nanelijea.~ one of thegreatest authortttes of thIs ,"me on Hindu Ieenegraphy~ jlb.1sttatt.!d on plate XlVl~ of his highly renowned ooak.:rhe Deve.lapnrent ,0/ Hindu .lcfJ1uJgraprny ! (Sec()ndEld:ition~ Calcatta, 1956), aP'afkhayatana SiVa Lrnga ongmanyfrom some pad ofmhar (theexecr find-spot being-no. mentioned). On the work, he writes. 'a Pa:fi.cnaya.tana Siva-LiJi.ga~ ongmally .fbundin a. pari o.fBihar and. now In. the ·coUoction of the Ifldi,al1lMuseum~which lsb;~·~ng mustraredhe:re. charactensesm avery intereStilng: mannerthereliglous belief o~f a. medievaJS,alva 0.1 Eastern. India belonging to the orderofthe Stnarta. It is inaccmrately described.lntheMuseumreeords asC'baturm1!lldla SivaUfiga~ but reaUy shows the four cult detties Gal)apaH~ Vi$Ou~ Paurva.fl· and Sury,a on

_ .. - _ _ _ - __ Jt, _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ the four sides IOf the central Serva emblem, all of which ta.kentogether symboHse thefrve

Brahmamcal Hindu cult's.'

Dr .. Baneqeahas notfumished a detatled description O'f the sculpture. l10teven the iconographrc pecuUaritH~:s 0.1 fhe cult deities have been. dIscussed. stm:p1y besidesmeotinning tha.t 'jjt shows the ~ourcult deine:s~ Gao,ap8U,. Vi~l)U. Parvati and Suryaon the four sides o.fthe :SI8!jva emblem .. ~ MCltreov,er. the ~n1ustraUon on plase XLVI s.hows only two of the four sides of the sculpture bringing into view only GaQ,apaH and Vi!?'rJu .. Onecannot have, therefore, the exactrdea .of the flgut'cs of the other two cult d.ei.ti.es,Pa.rv,atJj and. Sillrya from the jUustr.aUou.

In course of my \,15,I't of the Satva fempm,e on t'he bank of the Ganges at the .Ada],a.t Ghat ofPama in January last, T chanced to comeacressanothee Paiicha.yata:n,a type of Sl.v,a '~mgafix,ed in . a shrine erroneously na:m.@da,s'SUala-Devi-Ka-MandJr' (Temple of'Goddess S'ita~a). The shrmets a. modern redangular structure iadngto the north wIth a. small stunted SIJihar¥l over it A ste~e o.f the P'atl.a period in blaekbasalt fixed. infhe rear wan of the shrin.e .fac.ing towardstheentrance doorway on. the north, ,almost cove"ed willl. a curtam of red. colour hanging,in frent of n.cnriolLl.sJy enou.gh desenbed as the tm,age O'f S:atala De-v'i. does not even show a fem,ak~ fli.guf\e. bu.~ a male Buddhist dlvlni.ty ~ which can ·1·, ·111[0.' :i·t .. ·tiJ rlvb ;...:ckmf"fi ed as the rn elr',- f Padmaeam Avalaokne- ·s~,v,ara· dil=:!p-·.la~-mg- the I!iln~l.esLa~ng.ye LE", __ L_e__ --.-.c--su- e 0___ ----.-p -.,--- - ._. -' - - _ ..... -- -,-""_. --Y'-c--e

,a.ttiludeofpro~EcUon .(abhaytllmuirtQ lbyhiS semewhatupratsed righthand and holding the Iang stalk of loru.sflow@Is by hIs left~ held low and placed on. fhethigb. With. a kneeling devotee tn aiijtd'i-mudra on t:1he pr-opef right Sloe of the Bodhisattva, 'TI\.e figure of the


2

The Irupavirupatu

Besides the Cit:ti.l." .. J ,ar AmlnanH wrote the Jn~n.c ,avinJ~,~am abou.t .A..D. 1254 1(. Oil'ivih'RlM,

:! '" ,r 'ft" J

Cahaptam 11 '76), The tltle indieates a species of poettc ,c-umpostt~an tn whicllthe ~pj,and

alcnv'O:l metres alternate f,ortwel1tyverses. Although the' work as, a whole I;S a. Gtlto,gy on Meyk,aQ.ta Tevar.whnm Aru1,nC:lij.Uhaa ,asguru~ it ,expou.11dsllmme o.f,the main. 'themes of ~heSaiv,a siddhan:ta and. spedfically. the mystid:sm of div.1AeimmanenQe. Nama(.jdviyat Tampiran of 'Tiruv,a,vat;uturaiMuU wrote a (1'am:U) Comment,ary orn U.andthi:s WaJ:S published In the .Meykt1~l,fa Cd,ttil'RtlZ.,

'T.beDoddm.e: Immaaenee

'The chief theme of the lnlp.avirl'prat;u ~s God'atmmanence jn all Us diverse mlanlrestatiOl1S" leading up to fhemysUcal ,expedence of his p'eSen(le in ,thei1tna] uoJon with 111m .. Aru~.nallUagain .and! again teeches us how Gad Is ,actl vely pr~!;enl~n seuls, ,and bow hiatmmenence becomes eVe'l'w:oreinllmatcinth.e di.fi{!fell.t states oEthe :saul. F1na)ly.~ iln ttHi:'~mysUcaJ staie,t.ilt'!' soulis'oned ~wlth 'God. In. such a way fhatGod is sa~d to be more:

Jntlmate than ~;he inUm!at~ se1.f~ and is possessed by the self mOfe really and! Ideeply than jnthe state ofbondage, smee 1In the' mysncal stilrt~ it reahses God ~inmjD"elyan,d. with lntcnsc' love ..

The Ontological Immaaenee

!By the ontologicaJ 1.mmanencethe Siddhan.ti!n. undersa:ndsinthepr-@senllCein eVlery s(JILd o.fGod is pow~r (catU)~ on which the soul's ,adivUyand. change ra:dl.caU.y d.epend ,as on the mstrumental cause .. Thi.s di.vin.eimma:l1.ooc;e is apen:nan.ent state ·of insepiarabinty fr-om thesoal (e.natuu:(am uiir!:m ll,fl'a:im.a:i,. 2.. 5-6) .. Aga.ln" ~.t .is nat ;something s.tattcin fae sense ctlla.l God tspClsS:lvelypres!en f ~nthe soul.as a. so:rt of omamerrt .. 'God oper,ates ~in Bite solll: and (;o-ope,rateslt1 its every aCtiVIty through hi;s ,Q,m~'caltti,. U.k.ethe other Salv,'ll SiddhaUta Sast:ras fh.e .1nlptWlr,upa~;u d.e.a:dy tE"ucnes [hat nod.!"spu:rp()se~ tD.Jiough his pr-esenoe ,arn.d ,8",)tivity .is to save e'lVery seulfrom the bondage of the! f]:rrr-eerold jmpurUy (UMklm~ n:ralaul R'mrrU"J'z. 1.2). God. conducts the soul ,accoT'ld.l0gto h.l.s ways Gfan vaUe cell'lf.f:tj, 4. 12) ,and the


180

considerably defaced Dhyanl Budd~ha~ the 81m of the dlvinity. can benonceden fheTiar-a of Avatokltesvara.

Somewhat very dose to the eastern. and the southem walls of the :shrine ,cnamlber 1.9 fix,ed on. the floor ~fheP'atlchayatafMl ,Siiv,a l.ing,a wIth. flu! four edt divinities on the' mUl' sides of thecentral Salva emblem .. On aceonn.tofex.toomesmaIlness olthe shrmecha:mber and aJ90 on. accouot of close proximity .of the sculpture to the w.aUs". it is f,atn,e;r an. ~mposs1bmty to have all the four sldesphotogra:phed .. On~y one of the sides, facing towards the entrance d.oo:rwa.y oa fbe nerth, couldbe phot'ogra.phedwht.ch ·e_x_'_bi:bUs fb,e :figure of Ga.t)€:sa. on this s~de andltha:t ofVi$Quin pl1QiIlle an the right'. On. theon'lsr sid,e ·of the' central piece~. fadng tOWCliJId:S the west.tbe latter can be seen but notp.botogta.phed. On. aCCOUl1.:t ofextreme clesenessof the sculpture to the eastem.andthe southem.walls ,of the shrine, jtwas with con.s.id·er,ab~e difficulty wtfh fheaid. ofa mirror and. a tnrch-Ugbttba.t it c()u~d be possiMetoh.ave the lconogr,a:piltc f'ea.rur-es o.fParvafi and Sfnya s,tudl,eit Thus~ like th.ePa.n,chaya.tana srva tm,g:a of the lha:ian. Mnseum. a.t Caleutta, th.eP,an,cnay,atana Swa Llng.a of the Adabtt Ghat 'shrine also exn~blts Itbefigures of the four cult d.E.d.H,es,. Gal)apati., Vi~t;lU. Parnr,aH and Sflry,a. on the four sides of ·the c·emtral :Sialtva 'emblem ..

- The Siva ti.nga .• m.ea.sunng 2, .foot and L .. S in" in :heigh.t and. 4 ~ and O,,5m .. in . ,.... "" £:. '. ·nc •. ' "at th - ba - - ha - b .~ -nmad ~ .• '0' It . - 'f 'b-la~'kl:);a:calt 'and-I -,",il~I' :~~c u-- ~t •.. c ,c I,n· , 'L. ~

ClrCUln_ e:rCL _ ce _ __ __', e_ .. __ se.~, _. __ .8 _ eEL _~ _ _. __ € UI~, 0_ _ ~ _ _c~ ~ ~ __ __ s ~l,~:Slu, ... a.~y.1 €:a. De

dated. during the P,aJa period. intbe UUb-l Uh cen, A.D. :F:t hasbeer» cbam:m.red int four sidee, each .of them. pre:senHng.an appea:rat1!!ce of a stele~whne Its crown. pcfo/viJding almost a circular space' is .furme~. nke tne'Y;oni pedestalm the centre olwhi.chl:s an extremely' mu.Hla.ted ngure of a bull, Si.v,a· vr~abha. On the side £adng"tow.a.rdsthe entrance doorway enthenerth appearsfhe figur-eof GaQB.paU who tsfeuranned and. represented asdamdng all t:ne pa~nc.h'atatha pedestal Thepot-belU,ed god . .of wisdomt wUh his right legplantcd 00 the pedestal andthe left one slightly r,aised~both somewha.f' di:stended.sidewa.ys ,a.sifm. ~he act of dancing, has been very bnptJesslvely carved. .. Thefour armed godl i:s having h~s front dght hand. in. what ts known asfhe ,d~i~a-ha'Stapose dra.w.n a,aossllis,beUym ,order [0 eccentuatethe diane€! performed by hi:m .• w:hi,~e he ts ha.ving the pot of :sweethallsbf his frontleft hand. to which theproboSci.5 of the ,graC€'wlly curvedtntn.khas been. appn.ed~. sugg:es:Hngtherebyfha~e'vetl. when he was dandnghe did not EOT,get his,~aJvoiUl1te ~1nodakas .. ·'In. h~s back .rl.ght hand. he"isshawnholdmg a .raddish (1n~11'aka:}~,oommonlyfound held. ~n the hand ofhl,smediev.al representahons, whi1!eth.eobJect:in.hi:s ibacklefthandheld s~m.Uadybanging isnQltde,aI~thcmgn i.t alsoappears somethIng Uk.ea. ball of 8woot"'mlea.t

To justify hts name of'Ekada:rda' ~be deUyis provrded only with his right btsk~the loRane being brok.etiI. ina~~uS~Qn totheP',aura~lc stlo'rytbatout of his, wr,a.thhe nil.t a.t the Moon Godby plucking his left msk and lhurHngUwt~h a great rupcc tow,ardsbtm.His€an~ shapedears ffllepromdnenfly shown wl,fh aU the lmpartan.tn(!rves and.ti.sisues clearly brought out, HIs eoffnre arranged tastefully intoa. iaflibais been dOOO:I.atedWi.tb. all . omament of three stnn,gsand. adorned wuh th.e' ereseeat (ardha-c414mlra). H:ls, dra.pery ,gafhen~din.t-o .folds in between the two legs is secured In position by .3 d.oubl.e-smng·ed waist gi:rd~e ha.Ving rope des~gn. SHg~Uybelow the w,aist.end!os~n,gthel1.1.p~isthe snake girdlewUh. the snakehoed rai.sed! near the left ~hlg~. Other .qma:m,ents. mcludethe


necklace, armlets.wristlets, leg ornamen ts and sacred thread. (Y'aif:lopavfta). The figure of GaoapaU bas thu.s been carved. with eoneummete sktll, the artist' :ha.ving succeeded in hIs mission of portraying the bulky elephant-beaded god aemally performing the damce~ Dot the vlgorous ta~J,dava-'~r!ta of Siva. but dancing l1ghtly hke the Bhanava of the 'Gaya Munldpa~Museum,. Danemgtmages of Ga1JClpaU .from. Bihar are extremely rare, :So far only MO :lnd.epend.ent ;scu)Ftures~ one from. Eksan in the Saran district and the otherfrom Birpurnear Begusara; infhe Mongbyr dtstnct, representi!ng the deify dandn.g have come to Hght~ and they differr inresped oficonogra.phic details from the one discussed above .. In vi.ew ofthis~ the representation of the dancing GaI)a.pan, on thePanchaya.talltl .Siva Lin.ga adds new dimension tothe study of HiI.eiconograp:hicfearures of the deity.

The side facing towards. the west contamsfhe .figureofVi.$QU. Itts a. representative figur-e of the d€!ity who hasbeen provided with four arms, Vi.~Qu carries dlsCILls (eha/an) in. his light hand hanging by his slde.while Ithe graspe a. maee (gada) by the lefthan.d slm.na.fly han~ng loosely. By his front righ~ hand, sU.ght1yupraised, he Is f-ound catehmg held DEan unblossomed lotus fptldnzaJ" whflethe ohject held. In his hoot left hand is, quite ind~sHnd wlilj,cn may certamlyhave been a. conch~shelll(smikJm). He puts on. a. .kir:i,ta mu'kufa over his head anda number ofom.ame:nts over his person. V]~l)l.1!l is one oHhose important deities who have: veryexlensIve.lybeen represented during the medieval period. Numer» oasfeararmed standit1lg.'.imap"es of Vi SDtI. with his usual attrIbutes in his hands and his

.. I~I 'r. r.

- -

body adomed with ornamentshave boon feundnnt on~y from Di.harbu.t also .from di.fFerent

parts of the country. ViJ~n is usuany a.ccompanloo by Lak~,miw1th a. lotus.and Sarasvatl with alyre standlng on. lustwo sides. The two divine consorts of the deity are, howe-ver. con spleuoua by fh.e~l' absence lfil.t:he present representa lion..

The rear side of theUngat .i .. e, the s,M;e .faCing towards the south 1.5 occupied by the fIgure of a goddess,. She has two hand hanging by her sides, earrymga water-vessel (ktlmayr;laJu) by her right hand and a rosary ,(a.k~a'-5mra) in her le.fthand .. Her sufi erect posture, arrangement of her coiffure into a ia~il' and the o!b,jedsin her two hands would

l'~.'e .•..•. ~tl.'ly.lt.ch .... e ... g. o_.d ... I.d.e'Ss .. ~ ... a.~ .•. s., ... ~ .. '~rll~.,u .••. " .... T .. ·.~., r e.lll.·.s.'.:tl .... · .. ~ld. h ... !l._.r1:' ... t ... ,o. t.lt.n. r .... a ... '. ,.w.·- .•... tI_i.le .... d.,.e., .. s.crl .•..•. rfb .•. c.i.n.,g.-.' a .. , EO. u ... 'r .... ,. .. !=f.~._.~ s~ttmg figure of Gaun (or Parvatl) mennons kn1lta~r4alu and ,ak~:I1~$!fllra among ... the

attnbuses cf'thegoddess, Pitnra.U puts on a. siiria:nd a number of ornaments decor,a'Hng dlUerent parts of her body . The representatton of the goddess is rendered an the more l.nter-estl.ng on account ofthe presience of the breast-band (h-ldm~lumdha)., a. feature lIlstlany found in. late medieval figllres of the goddess. IndependentimagesofP'arvan are very rare In. Blhar .. There is a fine Fou:r:-a.rmedfigure of ParvaU embedded in the extelior wall of the Sun Templeat Badgaon near N!landa. 1111. the distnct of Patna, which has usual~y been ld.enHfled as the .figu:r@ of BhJ;k.u.f,L 'The goddess parvati. aceoenpamed by hertwo seas, Ga.,apafi and KarUikeya. has been shown holding water-vessel and llOsaty in. her two lower hands. The obj'ectsne'ldIn her bact. hand are.however, not clear. Abronze statuette from. NaJand.a. also shows the goddess with a. water-vessel In the lower' n.ght hand. the eorrespondmg ~eft hand being broken,

The fourth side, i.e .• fhe side fa.cingt,ow,ards theeast bears the figure of Surya. He has been represented as standin.ghoM.ing funy blossomed lotus Bowe'l's :in hiS two


182.

uprafsed hands.. The deity is acco:mpanJed by htstwo .firvouribe a.ttellidants~, Dar;t<la holdmga sta:ff and a. Pingala. sbow.n.pot-belU,oo .. He has his legswUhfh.etyplcalboot'Sml and he wears his usual tl!ubt~a:. :Sc1.l1pluralr-epF@sentaDons of the god belongmg ,~o ·th.e medieval periodi arefeund ,all uY'e'rfhc'ooUfl.tryhil.large nmmibers. In s,1!Icn.representaBons, he is showneccompemed :by his two consorts U~,aand Praltyu,i~,fheEa_rlh Goddess .In. his fr-ont. ~b.e ,chanofee:rleg]ies5 Arw,at fbeseven horses ofilia ,chariot carved on the pedestal wIth fbe stn,g[ew'heel of th.e chariot In .its centre, bes~des, D'aQ,~,a and. Pln,gaJa Ofil his either s:ide. These feah.lms~ ,excepfifi,gfhe fw(), a.Uendarnts. na~H;I,a andPi~fJalaj) are'" however" not visible in fhepre.sent r-epresentation an the PanC:h;ayatanatl~ga. It ISj, however." not!Lmltk~lyth.a.t scul.ptor had no 'Option ba.t tolea.vl12 out ml(lst of tbe detaUs deliberately on account of the sm,aUness of tbe space ,afEonied tohtm ontbe :s~de 'o,f the Un.ga.

TI",~ Linga. ofS,ivanxed in the' shrine of~he AdaJalGbailt at' Pa.tna.has thus. like the Panchayatana type of Lmga pubhshed hyDr ... r .. N.B8!rlcrjiea,. fi.gures of .fouIrcalt ,ddities~ GaJ)apaU, Vi~t\U. iPanraU aJnd SQrya-supenmposed l)n Its four' sides\.Thete~ howlil'ver~, ,appea'rs to 00 no myiholog-y whatsoevtu: connected wUhthe :fusion. of the' ftv,e 'o1_lt dlvhlliUes mto one .. [nthis con~ext reference may be tlutdeto !he re:maiks, of Dr. B.anerjea where he has point:~d out the s,ignilnlC'ance o.f a. P'an.c.naysLtana.type of Siva. L:Ulg~. The ervolu.Uon of the'1la~ichiiy:a,ttma~puj,ti and tlu!~ (10nstru,cnon oft:ll!epaiicm.rgatana type o,f mmple.t wh.leh areundoubtedlytllustranve 0.£ the liberal bent of mdnd of the' Hindu. de'v,OIboos. pavedfheway .fnr fhe prod uction ofsach. syncretic fig.nres,.ch.ar.acteristJ.eaUy demonstrateIng~he sYll(] .. -eUsH'ctendency operaUngamilllilg~stthe fOnQiW~r8, of fh.e:l'i.valsed~s.Ref~ence may bemadejo aoo:tlherSilva lrrnga.from Bodhg,aya.bea.ri.ng,an.llilscrJpfior;t ofrh.e:26fh yetiar .of tlle~e:].gn of DharInapala~ the Pala.m~er~ showLng VI1?(l.UJ and BnalF'av,arepfesenled on Utfe;e of Us S:ldes~ t.he .fourth. side lJe~ng .. - .•. ·uftli.sed .fO:rtheinsrnptioo carved. upon it

- -

The spirit cOl :~yncreti.sm did not leave, 1llIntouched even. t:he[lJ:atl:-Br.allJM,a1nical ,cults ..

A Har:tharalmage from mhar.~, nowtn lhe Indtan Museum at Cal,cutta. ,shows Suryaand B!!:utilJ~,a s:tandtf1l.g on e1.fhcT' sIde of the cenh'al flgufe.~~h:u;tr,a Hng~n a. :strikJngmam'1lJer not: only the ,combination. of the Hindu. deUies but also-that ofBu.ddha with them. LThereis.as, a. m,atier of fad', 1110 dearth of sculptures demonstraHng ru:S:I,on aroombinaHon ·of se·veraJ detttes mto one .. And. the A:daJat Ghat sCUJptUF~,. oosJ.des reinfordngwhat bas ,aJl1eady ba-m estabhshed wUh rega.rd tore~igl,on:s synlcl'~tism, win rem,ain on account ,of eX.tr-e:m,e ra.ri ty of the Panchayatanatype OfSii va Lhig:a and. also on ,ac-C()1llJnt ,of Us .fin,a w.()rkma:l1ship~, a . remarkablepieee of medh~'val 1ndiaJnari.


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Th$trip~e volumes EacydopHdil. :is a cOlllprelltmsivl! ami t1lemaitiC (lompillltiOft 01 aU imporlaftt upedl of 6ivaandWvism in atphUetkal omerwhkh took a.

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﻿Th$trip~e volumes EacydopHdil. :is a cOlllprelltmsivl! ami t1lemaitiC (lompillltiOft 01 aU imporlaftt upedl of 6ivaandWvism in atphUetkal omerwhkh took a.

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Th$trip~e volumes EacydopHdil. :is a cOlllprelltmsivl! ami t1lemaitiC (lompillltiOft 01 aU imporlaftt upedl of 6ivaandWvism in atphUetkal omerwhkh took a.