Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Pithru devas (Mithra, Varuna and Aryamaan) in Tamil texts



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 noon sun helps in evaporation.

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 noon is known as blind – bhaga.

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 petra mugatthavan, makkaLuL mudhiyavan..”

(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- Ravi- the one who is praised

44- ViN maNi – the gem of the sky

45- Arukkan – the one worshipped by all.

(2) Kalitthogai -25

(3) PuranaanUru – 26