No Aryan – Dravidian divide. It was one Aryavartha (19)
Our knowledge of Gods and practices of worship
are much less
compared to how it was with Tamils of yore.
For instance, we know that sun is known as Surya or Adithya.
The sun has many names in Sanskrit (in Vedas).
We think that all these names are alike in meaning.
It is not so.
The many names of sun are in accordance with a specific nature
exhibited by the sun.
Tamils had known these specific names and specific nature and
used the names accordingly only.
For instance Bhagan (bhaga) is the name of sun
which we find used in Vedas in the company of the pithru devas,
Mithra, Varuna and Aryama.
Sun is Bhaga because he is blind!!
Can the Sun be called as blind, we may wonder.
The sun is not the same throughout the day.
The morning sun is pleasant.
The sun at the moment of rising and setting
is capable of purifying the air in agni hotra and
destroying the demons (harmful micro organisms) in sandhya vandana.
The fore-noon sun helps the plants in food making.
The after
The evening sun helps in the build-up of clouds.
There are other unseen works done by the sun in the course of its journey in the sky.
Based on the works, the sun is known by different names. ( 1)
In this way, the Sun is blind
when he does not see any discrimination between the good and bad people
and tortures them alike by his fierce heat.
This happens at mid-day when the sun moves overhead at any place.
All the people – both good and bad – suffer from the heat of this sun.
Therefore the fierce (ugra) sun of the
So whenever Bhaga is found in texts,
we must understand that it is about a fierce or blind sun.
It will be interesting to know that even commoners in olden Tamil lands
had known such terms.
In Kalitthogai we come across a narration by a commoner
who compares the Kaurava king, Dhritharashtra with Bhagan –
in his being blind in literal sense and also blind in his love of his sons. (2)
“vayakkuru maNdilam vada-mozhi peyar
(The one who is blind like the Bhagan, Dritharashtran.. the oldest among people..)
(Almost all the analogies found in kalitthogai and many such olden texts
written before 2000 years are stories from
Mahabharatha, Ramayana and puranas only.
In the case of Kalitthogai, it is only about Mahabharatha incidents.
All these will be covered in a separate post.)
Bahga is one who travels along with the 3 pithru devas, namely,
Mithra, Varuna and Aryama.
From choodamani Nigandu
We come to know that Sun is also known as
Mithra, Varuna and Aryama. (1)
By this it is understood that the sun as a unit
includes the three pithru devas.
Vedic verses speak about the three in the company of
the blind sun, Bhaga.
We have already seen in posts on pithru tarpaN
that the tarpaN is to be done at mid-day.
We saw the time stipulation, but not the rationale of it.
The rationale of it is given in a verse in PuranaanUru.
These devas always travel with the sun who is Bhaga,
It means it is about mid-day
when the world will be reeling under intense heat of the sun.
These devas, by eating the havis from the shraddha and tarpaN ceremonies,
which is done by means of water,
reduces the heat of the sun!
This is rationale made out in the verse. (3)
In order to make the people bear the heat of the sun.
“theru kadir kanali vemmai thaangi”
they always wander with the sun and take up the offerings
“sudarodu kotkum avir sadai munivarum aruLa”
From the Tamil texts it is not only known that
the knowledge of the Pithru devas was there,
it is also known from many texts that
they had known all other gods, their worship,
the ways of vedic life and sanatana dharma.
They were indeed sanatanists
whose life style did not change a bit from the sanatana ways.
More on this aspect in the next post, after which
we will continue with the most important part of death related issues,
namely cremation, burials
and even pot burials (of Adicchanallur)
which are in accordance with the very ancient customs of the vediks
and which were given up by many in the north even by the Ithihasic times,
but were followed meticulously by the Tamils until 2000 years ago,
thereby making it a fitting place for the preservation of Vedic customs
that prompted the sage Agasthya, the Old Grammarian of Tamil and
the giver of the very language Tamil,
facilitate
the famous, but the little known migration
of people from the North to Tamil nadu
who came to be characterized as Dravidas by their clan
who continued in the North!
(to be continued)
Reference :-
(1) The different names of the sun depending on the work it does –
are found in Choodamani Nigandu, the Tamil encyclopedia.
Most of these names have Sanskrit origins only.
They are as follows.
1- Sooriyan –the one who propels people into their jobs.
2- Parithi – the one who is round in shape
3- Bharkaran or Bhaskaran – the one who lights
4- Adhithyan – the son of adithi, who drinks water by rays.
5- Pani-p-pagai – the enemy of snow
6- Sudar – the one who glows, the one who burns
7- Padangan – the one whop moves
8- Irul vali – the one who deters darkness.
9- Savitha –the one who makes people fixed on their works
10- Sooran – the one who always moves around
11- El – always having brightness
12- Maarthaandan – the son of Mridharunda, the one capable of making the ‘Huge” Brahmaanda survive.
13- Arunan – always moving
14- Aadhvan –bright one
15- Mithran – friendly to all beings, gives rains
16- DharaNi – the one who crosses the sky
17- Sen-kadirOn – having red rays
18- Sandan – angry person
19- Tapanan – one who heats.
20- VoLi – the bright one
21- SaandrOn – the one who is witness of all works.
22- Anali –having flames.
23- Ari- remover of darkness
24- Bhanu –bright one
25- Anda yOni –The source of this world
26- Kanali- one having fires
27- Vikarthanan – remover of darkness, the one whose heat was lessened by Vishwa karma. This is traced to a story in Markandeya pura as per which Sanjai, the wife of sun could not bear the heat of sun. So her father Vishwakarma rubbed the sun in such a way as to reduce his heat. So the sun is known as Vikarthanan.
28- Kadiravan – one having rays.
29- PagalOn – one belonging to the day.
30- VeiyOn – one having hot rays.
31- Dinakaran – the one who makes days
32- Pagal _ the one who divides the day
33- Jothi – the one who is bright
34- Aryama – the one who goes fast.
35- Inan – the one who wanders
36- Vudayan – the one who rises
37- Gyaayiru, ellai – very clear
38- KiraNa maali – having groups of rays
39- YEzh pariyOn – having 7 horses (more explanation of this can be found in Bhoja sambu kaavya vurai, niruttha vurai and Mathsya puranam)
40- VEdhan – bright one
41- Vricchikan – having cruel rays
42- VirOchanan – having tremendous brightness
43-
44- ViN maNi – the gem of the sky
45- Arukkan – the one worshipped by all.
(2) Kalitthogai -25
(3) PuranaanUru – 26
