Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Miscellaneous topics on Carnatic music
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vamsipet
Posts: 55
Joined: 29 Jan 2010, 07:22

Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by vamsipet »

Are there any krithis on "Arthanareeswara"?
I've found one kriti, Arthanaareeswaram Aaraadhayaami – Kumudakriya – Muthuswamy Dikshitar.

Thank you

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by Lakshman »

Here are some:

ardhanArIshvaram AshrayEham. rAgA: bilahari. jhampa tALA. Badrinarayanan.

P: ardhanArIshvaram AshrayEham ambhOja sambhavAdi vinutam haram
A: ardhEndu bimbAdharam ambikEsham arkEndu vahni trinEtram akhilEsham
C: nAgEndra bhUSaNam natajana supOSaNam nArAyaNa priyam sunAda svarUpiNam
suputra kaLatra saubhAgyadam shubhakaram pavitram parAtparam karuNAkaram


ardhanArIshvaram. rAgA: kumudakriyA. rUpaka tALA. Muttusvami Dikshitar.

P: ardhanArIshvaram ArAdhayAmi satatam atri bhrgu vasiSThAdi muni brnda vanditam shrI
A: ardhayAma alankAra vishESa prabhAvam ardhanArIshvarI priya karam abhayakaram shivam
C: nAgEndra maNi bhUSitam nandi turagArOhitam shrI guruguha pUjitam kumudakriyA rAganutam
AgamAdi sannutam ananta vEda ghOSitam amarEshAdi sEvitam Arakta varNa shObhitam


gangAdhIshvaram. rAgA: sindhubhairavi. Adi tALA. Guru Surajananda.

P: gangAdhIshvaram shankaram sangamEshvaram
A: angam ardhanArIshvaram shen jaTAdharam shivam
C: mangaLAkAram mahAdEvam mangaLa rUpam mahEshvaram
lingOdbhavam vaibhavam OmkAra nAdam sadAshivam


ardhanArIshvaram smarEham. rAgA: bauLi. Adi tALA. Indira Natesan.

P: ardhanArIshvaram smarEham Ashrita bhakta hrdaya kamala vAsam
A: adbhuta sundara mandahAsa vadanam jaTAdhara sOma kalAdhara maunam
C: shivakAmi samEta cidambarEsham prasIda prasIda riSabhArUDam
bhavarOga nivAraN gangAdharam jyOtirmaya kAmakOTi kAmAkSi mAmava


pirai matiyai. rAgA: shuddhasAvEri. Adi tALA. N.Savitri.

P: pirai matiyai aNindu kalai vaDivAi viLangum ardhanArIshvaranE namaskAram
A: tavat-tiruvuruvAi aruL payanai viLakkum tanitta paramporuLAi anaittukkum uyar poruLAi
C: mUvulagirkkum nalla mangaLangaL aruLum ninaikka ninaikka pudu nirmalamAi oLirum
AtmAnubhavattAl onrAik-kaLippuDanE ammai appanAi viLangum ayyanE namaskAram


ardhanArIshvarAariya. rAgA: bilahari. Adi tALA. Periyasami Tooran.

P: ardhanArIshvarA ariyasolvIrayyA
A: nartana rAjanE naTrava yOgiyE shatru kAmanai sAmbalAi seidavA
C: uDal pAdiyAnavaL umai tanakkoLittengE maDamangai gangaiyai maraittiDuvIrayyA
shangODu kuDikoNDa shankaranE shambhO angaiyil azhalEndum Ananda mUrtiyE


ardhanArIshvaram akhila. rAgamAlikA. k/cApu tALA. Sitarama Sharma.

(rAgA: kAmbhOji)
P: ardhanArIshvaram akhila jagat pAlakam amita shubhadAyakam Ananda cidrUpam
(rAgA: bauLi)
A: nandIshvaruDu Damaruga mrdanga yatula sOmardhalamu nOvimpaga
nAradA tumburu kaccha gandharva kinnarAdulu gAnamadi sEyagA
C: brahma tALamu taTTa ghuma somma shESuDu pEraNi Ananda nATyamADa
shrI viSNu muraLi tapamu sEyaga kailAsamE kalala kanuvindAya
(rAgA: rEvati)
pArvata rAjakumAri paramEshvari paramEshavarunikai tapamu sEya
pari pari vidhamula parikincigi sadici tama bhAgya mosagina sadAshiva

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by arasi »

Lakshman,
Thank you for bringing several kritis on ardhanArISvara to us! But for MD's kumudakriya one, I was not aware that several other composers have also sung about this form of divinity.

Periasamy Thooran has, in tamizh. Other composers too, in sanskrit, I see.
*Vidwan Sitararama Sarma, a composer too?

*young TMK's guru.

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by Lakshman »

arasi:
Sitarama Sharma's composition is a dance piece. He has composed two other dance pieces - one in dharmavati and the other in tODi.

shankarank
Posts: 4042
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by shankarank »

Even though they may not be specifically on ardhanArISvara, references to the form are sprinkled across other kritis ( I cannot count as I may not remember all of them).

Here is one : tyAgarAjAya namastE - bEgaDa - part of SrI tyagarAja of tiruvArUR kshetra, vibhakti kritis

vAma bhAga sthita SailajAya ( the one who has Parvati seated on the left side) in the samashTi caraNam (madyama kAla sAhityam) :

Code: Select all

bhOga mOksha dAna vAma bhAga sthita SailajAya

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by arasi »

Indeed, Shankarank. We also find the reference in several compositions in tamizh and other languages without their spelling it out as ardhanArISvara....

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the context of this thread, vAggeyakAras of the Sri-vidyA tradition see the Siva-Sakti union and therefore the ardhanAri as essential and vital.

So the Dikshitar naturally acknowledges the ardhanAri at many kSEtras.

Of course the most interesting one is the Sri-vidyA rAjagOpAla (discussed in the Mutthuswamy Dikshitar thread) where the viSnu as rAjagOpAla is united with lalitA.

The sAvEri , the jaganmOhanam and the mOhanam kritis invoking Sri + rAjagOpAla all call attention to the ardhanAri of mannArgudi.

The sAvEri carries the reverse rAga mudra, delivered via "na-ri-vE-sa" in the line “nArIvESa-dhara vAmabhAga murArE SrIvidyArAjaharE” indicating the unique status of this uncommon combined deity. (this reverse mudra was noted last year in post dated Apr 23, 2022 of the Mutthuswamy Dikshitar thread)

SyAmA SAStri also sees this combined deity , of course the more standard Siva-Sakti ardhanAri for e.g. in the gaulipantu “tarunamidamma” where he says “sOmaSEkhara pAdi sundari kaumari “ in the 3rd stanza, pAdi referring to this “half”.

ardha-nAri vs. ardha-nAra vs. ardha-Sariri or ardhAnga

Perhaps there is somewhat of a gender bias in the word ardha-nAri (as the male with a female half, instead of the other way around ) Or else it suggests that only the male needs the female to complete himself.

The Dikshitar handles this in his tiruvArUr mAyAmALavagauLa “nIlOtpalAmbikAyAstava” , by calling the goddess “nIlakaNTha-ardha SarIriNyAh”

Indeed the tyAgarAja is also not aloof on these matters.

At the panCanada dharmasamvardhani kSEtra, in his extensive tOdi “karuna judavammA”, the tyAgarAja calls the goddess “SambharAri vairiki ardha-Sariri” .

And neither is the mahArAja.

In the transcendent sindhu-bhairavi, “viSwESwara darSan kar” the line appears “

“bhasma ang bhuj trishUl ur mE lasE nAg mAl
girijA ardhang dharE tribhuvan jin dAsI”.

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by arasi »

Thank you nadOpasaka, for your as expected, instructive post.

The yin and yang of it, as it were?
A fusion of two forces?A fortification?
It's beyond our ken, of course...

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The following can also be considered when contemplating the ardhanAri deity as well as contemplating the superb kriti of the Dikshitar.

Why the rAga “kumuda-kriyA” for the ardhanAriSwara of tiruCengOde ?

The rAga “kumuda-kriyA” for the ardhayAma alankAra (midnight pujA) at tiruCengOde is highly appropriate due to the kumuda = water-lily flower’s night-blooming properties.

But the choice of a rAga with a flower-name in it , is particularly relevant to the combined male + female aspect of the ardhanAri….since flowering plants also carry both these aspects together !

Once again, it can be observed, that for the Dikshitar, the very word for the rAga dominates its choice and how it integrates into the kSEtra/pujA.

And properly the Dikshitar offers it only to the tiruCengOde deity who bears the name “ardhanAriSwara”.

The word yOga means “union” or joining, as in “yoking” together.

“ardhanAriSwaram in kumuda-kriyA” is a shining example of the nAda-yOga, the uniting of the pujA and the music.

And like all the Dikshitars kritis, it enriches the existence of all nAda-upAsakas.

ardhanAriSwaram ArAdhayAmi – rAga kumuda-kriyA

p srirAm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8-P16-eKY0

veena rEvati
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ7qXa2v5MM

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Krithis on ardhanArISwara (The ardhanAri-ardhanara of tiruvaiyAr = panCanada kSEtra)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The ardhanAri-ardhanara of tiruvaiyAr (= panCanada kSEtra) and how it appears in kritis of the tyAgarAja, the Dikshitar and SyAmA SAStri

tiruvaiyAr = panCanada kSEtra is purified by the breath of the supreme nAdayOgis, the tyAgarAja, the Dikshitar and SyAmA SAStri.

tiruvaiyAr is also united by the fact that All 3 vAggeyakAras have kritis that acknowledge the ardhanAri-ardhanara deity of tiruvaiyAr.

Indeed, the name "dharmasamv-ardha-ni" for the female deity of this kSEtra itself conceals the "ardha" nature of the deity.

The tyAgarAja is most direct about this reference in his tOdi kriti…

As noted in a post above, he describes the “dharmasamvardhani” female deity as “SambharAri vairiki ardha Saririni” in his “karuna judavamma” .

The tyAgarAja also has the madhyamAvati “muccata brahmAdulaku” as well as the atAna “ilalO pranatArtihara”. to the male consort named “pranatArtihara” but only the tOdi refers to the ardhanAri.

The real thrill is in examining if this unique conjoined deity at tiruvaiyAr makes its way into the kritis of the other two vAggeyakAras.

And lo and behold ! ...the Dikshitar at tiruvaiyAr submits not one, but two kritis ! that identify the ardhanara-ardhanAri of this kSEtra.

In the terrific madhyamAvati classic “dharmasamvardhani danuja sammardani” two descriptors stand out.

The first is “madhyamAvati Sankari” which is easily seen as “the goddess who is in the center/middle/half-way of Sankara !).

And to confirm this, the Dikshitar gives the second description “nityAnanda vilAsini” to this goddess.

In the Siva purAna, “nityAnanda” is of course a synonym of Siva…

Siva purana 2.2.6 stanza 14 gives

Ekam Suddhaṃ dIpyamAnaṃ tathAjam CidAnanda sahajam CAvikAri
nityAnandam satyabhutiprasannam yasya Sridam rupamasmai namastE
)

And therefore the goddess who is "vilAsini" = resides in or manifests in “nityAnanda = Siva” is also a descriptor of her “sharing Sivas body”.

In his rAga sAmantam kriti “pranatArtiharAya namastE”, the Dikshitar introduces the male deity as “vara dharmasamvardhani sahitAya” where “sahita” also implies “conjoined" or united, precisely the ardhanara-ardhanAri descriptor.

Both rAga choices i.e. “madhyamAvati” ( = that in the middle or central to) and “sAmantam” (= equivalence) are influenced by the half-and-half concept of the conjoined deity.

Note that in his other kritis (the nAta and nAyaki to the pranatArtihara and the nAmadESi to the dharmasamvardhani) the Dikshitar does not refer to the ardhanAri, keeping the focus on the individual deities.

And finally to SyAmA SAStri who has 3 kritis at tiruvaiyAr.

The tOdi “Emani migula”, the sAvEri “durusuga krupa jUCi” and the varAli “karuna judavamma” are all to the “dharmasamvardhani”, since SyAmA SAStri was a rather focused dEvi-upAsaka.

The name “SAmbhavi” appears in the tOdi and can be interpreted as “she who belongs to Sambhu”.

And the name “OmkAri” appears in the sAvEri.

Since Siva is synonymous with Om, OmkAri is the dEvi who "shares" this representation of Siva.

Both names are therefore reasonable indicators of the conjoined status of the dEvi and Siva = ardhanara-ardhanAri at tiruvaiyAr.

Some fine examples of these tiruvaiyAr kritis are available.

karuna judavamma – the tyAgarAja tOdi

KNRS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA8bfB3fMnU

dharmasamvardhani – the Dikshitar madhyamAvati

Hyd bros.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNtOf52MsLs

pranatArtiharAya namastE – the Dikshitar sAmantam

bAlAji Sankar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGZRAh--5zs

Emani migula – SyAmA SAStri tOdi

BMK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmxYPzOq370

durusuga krupa – SyAmA SAStri sAvEri

MSS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUm0rO3aYTk

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re:ardhanAriSwara kriti (part 1 dEva Sritapastirtha – Why & How the tyAgarAjas madhyamAvati reflects the ardhanAriSwara)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

PART 1 dEva Sritapastirtha – Why & How the tyAgarAjas madhyamAvati reflects the ardhanAriSwara of Sritapastirtha kSEtra (aka lAlgudi)

Anything and everything the vAggeyakAras do is of enormous interest to the nAda-upAsaka/s.

And what the tyAgarAja does at Sritapastirtha is particularly intriguing !

Post dated 27 May 2023 on the tyAgarAja thread has shown how the panCa bhuta elements are uniquely linked to the saptariSiSa and linga legend of the Siva-sthala kSEtra in the “ISa pAhimAm” kalyAni.

It will now be shown (BEYOND A SHRED OF DOUBT) that the tyAgarAja has enshrined in the other male deity kriti, “dEva Sri tapastirtha”, the key aspect of the ardhanAriSwara.

Some background on the ardhanara-ardhanAri at Sri-tapas-tirtha

At Sri-tapas-tirtha-pura (aka lAlgudi) kSetra , the female deity is also known as “mahA-sampat-gauri” ( along with the name “pravrdhha Srimati”).

The name “mahA-sampat-gauri” is literally the direct descriptor of the conjoined nature of the ardhanariSwara’s body , since “sam-pat” carries the meaning of uniting/joining etc. of mahAdEva and gauri.

In the madhyamAvati kriti, the tyAgarAja wastes no time establishing this image !

Why ?

Straight out of the gates, he announces

dEva SrI tapastIrthapura nivAsa ! meaning “Siva who resides in Sritapastirtha”

dEhi bhaktim adhunA – immediately grant (tyAgarAja) grace (bhakti)

At first these look like two disconnected statements until one examines the significance and placement of the word “dEhi”.

dEhi (or dEha) is always linked to the “body”…e.g. vaidEhi is the goddess who transcends the body…deriving from her father who has same quality “vi-dEha”.

When the pallavi is taken as one connected statement instead of 2 disconnected ones, what the tyAgaraja is signaling is ....

The Sivas body (dEha) is i given (dEya) instantly (adhunA) in response to the devotion (bhakti) of the dEvi (the Sri of Sri-tapastirthapura) upon the completion of her tapasyA at this tirtha kSEtra.

And this of course is the idea behind the name “mahA-sampat-gauri” of this dEvi.

In fact the name “dEva Sri” applies to both residents of tapas-tirtha pura living in this conjoined body (dEha).

But wait there is more, much more.

It is in the rest of the kriti that the tyAgarAja crystallizes the key philosophy of the ardhanAri.

The ardhanara-ardhanAri is the supreme expression of harmonious blending of contrasts.

It nominally expresses these contrasts as male and female properties that hold each other in balance.

The ardhanAriSwara stOtra of the Adi Sankara is a terrific summary of these contrasting male-female properties.

Each line of the anupallavi and Caranams will now be illustrated to show this contrast.

This will be shown in Part 2 , the continuation of this post.

the basis for the choice of the rAga madhyamAvati !

madhyama is the synonym for that which is in the middle of two halves..a more perfect representation than madhyam-Avati of the ardhanara-ardhanAri cannot be found !!

Case closed.

dEva Sri tapastirtha – rAga madhyamAvati

MSS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nivjAwN_bY4

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

ardhaNaareeswara concept is limited to saivism only. Even Saakthaas do not subscribe to that.
---
Normally, PerumaaL temples do not have a separate sannadhi for Thaayaar. Lakshmi resides in the heart of Vishnu.
-
In Mannargudi, the temple is for Krishna. known by the special name of 'sri vidya rajagopalan. It is not clear what 'srividya' denotes here. Usually vidya is associated with knowlefge and education. -
It is said that the temple has been built over a sacred spot , of mystical significance- dedicated to Devi--Lalitha-Triourasundari.. This is not clear however. We take it as Parvathi.
-
As Parvathi is sister to Vishnu, 'ardha' will be most inappropriate.
-
It seems there is a separate shrine for 'cen-kamalath thaayaar'. This is unique. if it refers to Lakshmi temple.
-
Clarifications are welcome.
-

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar.

At mannArgudi, the Dikshitar identifies (UNAMBIGUOUSLY) the ardhanAri-ardhanara form described by “vAma bhAga stitha murarE Sri vidyA rAjaharE" in his sAvEri) with the Sri aspect of overarching lalitA.

Indeed he specifically names this half "ramA" with the usage “ramA-sahita” that appears in the sAvEri Sri-rAjagOpAla.

The name of this unique half as “ramA” also appears in his mannArgudi mOhana “rAjagOpAlam bhajEham” kriti.

ramA of course is synonym for (Sri)-lakSmi

The less heard kriti "SrividyA rAjagOpAlam" in rAga jaganmOhanam

bhAskar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEMNgXH3Vbw

vEdavalli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S5XXqkQIAY

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

The said kruthi clearly mentions krushnà with rukmani and sathyabaama. The line jivaeesa simply refers to possibly mohini avatar. No ardha matter here.

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar..

The usage "nAri-vESa dhara vAma bhAga stitha” is most assuredly the Dikshitars signal of the ardha-nAri at mannArgudi.

“vAma bhAga” is this left side bearing the female.

The deliberate use of the word “nAri” is also meaningful.

Indeed, as I have shown in earlier posts, the word “nAri-vESa dhara” is also being used to deliver the rAga mudra for the word sAvEri.

It is not a coincidence that this is the inverse of the word sAvEri.

The choice is spurred by the split nature of the deity.at mannArgudi.

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Unlike the usual images of ardhaNaareeswara, the icon at mannargudi does NOT show the feminine half atall. The only indication is that a male ear ornament in one ear and a female ear ornament in the other. There is an interesting story of child krishna,S prank.
,,

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar..

There can be zero doubt that the Dikshitar is addressing an ardhanara-ardhanAri at mannArgudi.

Indeed, the name “Sri-vidyA-rAjagOpAla” is itself formed by combining the words Sri (for lakSmi) and the rAjagOpAla and represents this ardhanAri-ardhanara.

In Sri-vidyA upAsana, the word “vidyA” implies the “union” deriving from “enlightenment/wisdom/knowledge”.

Of course the SriCakra history at mannArgudi (where lalitA is Sri) is also well known.

In fact the Dikshitar specifically refers to the kSEtra in the sAvEri kriti as emblematic of both “viSiSta advaita” AND “advaita”, combining both traditions. In this kriti the name is given as “Sri-vidyA-rAja-hari”

nAri-vESa implies female disguise especially dress and form and appearance.

The Dikshitar uses this graphic language “nAri-vESa dhara vAma bhaga stitha” to represent this (entire) left-side form of the deity.

Of course the Dikshitar is himself a Sri-vidyA upAsaka.

He places additional evidence deriving from this upAsana.

The usage “dakSina dwAra-kA” implying “right side gate” is also the upAsaka recognising that the worship to the rAjagOpAla , who is on the dakSina = right side leads also to the Sri goddess (i.e. ramA) who is on the left side = vAma.

Additionally the skanda-purAna , Chapter 254 stanza 94 , gives the description of the ardhanAri as

pitrvadraksakOsi tvam mAtA tvaṃ jiva samjnakah

Whereby the ardhanAri is both father, mother and of the form and name “ jivA”

This is the basis for the word “jivESa” representing the ardhanAri in the jaganmOhanam kriti in addition to the “SrividyArAjagOpAla” name.

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

The main point is that there is no place for ardha Naareeswara concept
in vaishnàvism. And the shrine at mannargudi is a vaishnavite temple, that
too dedicated to krishna with rukmani and sathyabhama on either side.

Smt.Vedavalli has written a nice article on Balagopàls BHairvi kruthi by MD on this shrine. She mentions three kruthis only as having specific and
unambighous reference to sthalam.

All this conjecture about vaama left part of fhe body of the deity is
unwarranted

as it refers to different ear ornaments only.
In fact it can be easily seen that the icon of krishna here is as a a cowherd with fhe typical half dhothi worn by such . With a whip also to affectionately guide the cattle herd. To complete the picture, there is a cow and calf too.

Where is the question of half female body when the lord is having rukmani and sathyabhama on either side? In fact , fhis icon is rafher special as even the varkari icon shows krushna and rukmani alone standing on bricks side by side , arms endearingly akimbo, patiently waiting for the devotee till he completes his oblations to his parents.

This is one of the most charming episodes in bhaktha vijayam narrated by
vinoba in his impromptu discouses in jail on the GIta. The Lord is a slave
to the devotee!
Mahavishnu did not even look at Lakshmi when she emerged from fhe ocean.
He was supremely indifferent.That was one the reasons why lakshmi chose
vishnu!

Vishnu lakshmi did not have ,*union* . Their mutual affection was
sentimental. Neither Saraswathy nor lakshmi had any children. They too were platonic and unsullied, immaculate.

Creation of lives was mystical.and done by Nanmukan.

These are all very nice anthromorphic and beautiful imageries, very often if not most often, vulgarized by idle minds,ho find fiendish pleasure in defiling noble concepts to their own animal levels.

A careful reading of MD ,s sweet kruthis at Mannagudi, shows absolutely
nothing outside the usual and wellknown stories of krushna. And then
vishnu. Shenbaga lakshmi. What a nice name!

And nari vesha just refers to mohini avathar for which there is a special fesfival day at mannadgudi

Advaita of sankara has no place for personal god. While madhwa is firmly
grounded in personal god. SS and Thÿagaraja being theists found this
problematic, intellectually they were advaitins but emotionally they were
theists. Personal god is the first step towards universalism

Here all the lalgUDI Pancharafhna kruthis of Thgagaraja refer to some
other saivite shrine at mannargudji and not to rajagopala shrine.

Strange!, have to check up.

In closing, we can collect aĺl the vaishnavite kruthis of MD and sift for
any ardhaNAri imagery anywhere.

There surely wont be any.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar..

I think the following facts need to be re-emphasized.

It is an absolute fact that the idol/icon/deity of this discussion is called uniquely “SrividyArAjagOpAla

In contrast to bAlagOpAla or vEnugOpAla or bAlakrSna or santAnagOpAla…which are the other aspects of the mannArgudi kSEtra, discussed in my other posts.

It is an absolute fact that the mannArgudi kSEtra (a krSna kSEtra) has a SriCakra history.

This is why both viSiSta-advaita and advaita are cited for this kriti by the Dikshitar. This confluence of these two ideas is also embodied by this particular deity, in name and form.

It is also an absolute fact that the Dikshitar (who is a SrividyA upAsaka) is scrupulously exact in his usage of words/names. “vAma bhAga stitha” is used by him for the ardhanAri aspect at other shrines...bhAga means portion.

A single earring cannot and does not meet the standard for the Dikshitar using the words "vAma bhAga" left side portion/half.

The ardhanAri as the “vAma bhAga nAri vESa” is the proper explanation (also given by the Dikshitars other choice of words/ideas in the sAvEri/jaganmOhana kritis) for all the above facts at mannArgudi.

I would be interested in knowing how else these facts can be explained simultaneously.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: ardhanAriSwara (PART 2 dEva Sritapastirtha –Why & How the tyAgarAjas madhyamAvati reflects ardhanAriSwara)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

PART 2 dEva Sritapastirtha – Why & How the tyAgarAjas madhyamAvati reflects the ardhanAriSwara of Sritapastirtha kSEtra (aka lAlgudi)

Part 2 continues Part 1 posted earlier.

Part 1 already notes the choice of madhyamAvati as rAga for “dEva Sritapastirtha” is deliberate, since the word “madhyama” implies the balance between two halves of seemingly opposite nature.

In this post the choice of words and ideas made by the tyAgarAja in the anupallavi and Caranas to illustrate the contrast inherent to the ardhanAriswara is fully exposed.

Post 1 examined the pallavi of 'dEva Sri tapastirtha" for its indicators of the ardhanAri.

Each line of the kriti from anupallavi to Caranas will be taken up.

pAvana pravrddha SrImati hrd-bhavana , sakala jaga-davana SrI mahA
lives in the heart of the goddess YET is protector of the entire universe
pASa hasta ganESa haraNa destroyer of ganESa who is yama, YET he is father to another ganESa, the elephant head deity..that yama and ganapati both hold the pASa (noose) is added emphasis on the imagery
pAlaSanAri nutEsha varada the all-powerful Indra destroys flesh-eating demons YET needs boons and is given these by this deity (varada)
kuSESay-Ari dhara bears the crescent moon, which is enemy (ari) of the lotus (that which rests = SESa) on water (ku) , YET this lotus is the very symbol and ornament of the goddess. The moon of course signals nighttime when the the day lotus closes ! (see as “pankaja-ripu” in the Dikshitars "Candram bhaja" asAvEri). The deity bears the moon as well as the lotus dEvi, which are enemies to each other, yet are held in balance.
aShar-ibha mrgESa as Lion (= mrga-iSa) he protects animals YET destroys elephant (demons) note Lion is also the goddess’ vAhana
mrgESa sapta riSISa As Lion he rules creatures that walk the earth (deer etc) YET he also rules the celestial riSiS nIlagaLa surajAlanuta natapAla Holds poison in his throat, YET is praised by the throats of the multitude of dEvas and protects them
girIsha vishAlaphAla krpAlavAla Hard and vast as a mountain YET soft and deep as the ocean of mercy
suSIla gaurI-lOla Siva mAm pAlayAdbhuta The tyAgarAja seeks protection from the Siva YET he is not just Siva but the marvelous amalgam (adbhuta) of Siva and gauri’s embrace (gauri-lOla)
nAgapUjita nAga danujahara agamardana Extolled by nAga’s YET also destroys the nAga demon and other serpent demons
vAgAdhipa vinuta aganita guna Extolled by the speech gods (brahmA , saraswati ) YET with uncountable qualities even beyond the ability of the speech deities to describe
rAgamada dUra-agha-hara the deity who is distant (dUra) from excesses of all pride and desires YET close enough to destroy these sins in his devotees

Summary

The unfortunate predominance (and near sycophantic ?) usage of the more recent name “lAlgudi” has diluted and almost destroyed the classical theme embedded in the ancient name “Sri-tapas-tirtha”.

Until now…until this post.

Indeed, the hugely sensitive vAggeyakAras see all and tell all, with clarity and honesty. For they are the messengers of the deities, and the pinnacle of the nAda-sampradAya. Every kriti of the nAdayOgis carries a message and a teaching.

At Sri-tapas-tirtha, the tyAgarAja makes his own tirtha, reaches his own destination and teaches the ancient meaning of the kSEtra...And in doing so he enriches the existence of the nAda-upAsaka.

dEva Sri tapastirtha – rAga madhyamAvati

Samriddhi SiSyAs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj8Zj0VTsBg

flute K janArdanan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLA1eJOlJAU

RSR
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

ArdhaNaaree is an iconic representation. In earler centuries it was shown crudely as a painting.
This is not to be confused with emotional bond. Umai oru baagan is to be understood at emotional level only and not physically. Lakhmi is dear to vishnu but it will be revolting if the vaama is depicted as the half body of lakshmi. Even in thiruvaiyaatu, the moorthy does not show such a
berratio nn, There are numerous and universal icons and paintings, of siva parvathi, krishna rukmani, muruga valli devsena raama and sita seated on lap but only in proximity and never in kajuraho abomination.
The lalgudi kruthy nowhere even hints at half stuff,

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The more-than-a-dozen contrasts shown in the kriti language of "dEva Sritapastirtha" echo the more-than-a dozen contrasts shown in the ardhanarISwara stOtra of Adi Sankara..

The rAga madhyamAvati chosen by the tyAgarAja for the “dEva Sritapastirtha” is the exact expression of the ardhanAri.

“madhyama” in this case implies the balance between the two halves.

Indeed, the word "madhyama" is given to the middle swara between the Sadja, riSabha and gAndhAra on one side and the panCama, dhaivata and niSAda on the other.

RSR
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

https://sujamusic.wordpress.com/2012/06 ... eeshwaram/
------------------------------------------------------
A wonderful blog
---\






The concept of divinity with both male and female aspects permeates throughout Hinduism. Take, for example, the Purusha-Prakriti (Consciousness-Matter) duality. Without going deep into the matter, the word Purusha itself means man and prakriti is seen as woman. The duality represents the experiencer and the experienced, the concept and the conceptualisation, the doer and the deed.

Have you ever wondered about our Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva trinity and the appropriateness of their consorts? Brahma, the creator, has as consort Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and arts, the manifestation of creativity. Vishnu, he who sustains, is joined by Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, the means of sustenance. Shakti is the consort of Shiva the destroyer, the Goddess of energy and power, the means of destruction and recreation. So we have the Trinity as Creation-Creativity, Sustenance-Wealth & Prosperity, Destruction-Power. Have you noticed that in each pairing, it is again the mating of concept to manifestation?
------------------------------------------------
To answer your question, though the three pairs exist, there is no form for the Brahma-Saraswati pair. As for Vishnu, he is ALWAYS represented with a mole on the right side of his chest which represents Lakshmi, so they are never separate. However, there is no special naming like we have for the Shiva-Shakti pair. A bit of a Hindu primer for you 🙂

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The primer is not able to address or refute the unique SriCakra history of mannArgudi, the origin of the unique name “SrividyA-rAjagOpAla”, or the unambiguous “vAma bhAga nAri” description applied by the supreme SrividyA upAsaka , the Dikshitar at mannArgudi.

Perhaps other primers have to be studied, but I doubt they will help.

Separately, there is another example of rAga choice based on the ardhanAri icon (in addition to the “madhyamAvati” rAga chosen by the tyAgarAja for its representation of the ardhanAri at Sritapastirtha)

The rAga name/word “gauli-pantu” can be derived from the combination “gauri-pAndara”.

In fact the Dikshitar presents this word as the mudra “gauri-pAntAranga” in one of his kritis.

No less an authority than SyAmA SAStri, celebrates the ardhanAri form of kAmAkSi at kAnCi in his gaulipantu kriti “tarunam idamma “ specifically using the words “sOmaSEkhara pAdi sundari”.

Why is this rAga for this kriti not a random choice ?

Because the word “gauri” represents the goddess and the word “pAndara” represents Siva, for his ash white color and the combination is the ardhanAri referred to in the kriti as “sOmaSEkhara pAdi”

The vAg-geyakAras are always sensitive to words, not just sounds.

tarunam idamma – rAga gaulipantu

Hyd. Bros.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kQtN7QCV2A

RSR
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Smt suja s blog post is the last word for me in fhis issue. As you often say, .the case is clsed.
The op was about the kruthi on thiruchengde. Ìt is rather special thaf sri.md made the long trip to thaf place outside chozha and pandyan kshetras.

The reason may be that if is the ONLY temple in entire thamizh country where the VIGRAHAM Itself depicts ardhaNareeswara exactly in defail.

If it were not that very special, sri.md would not have broken off his usual confingent visits and forayed into kongu area, i am basing mysdlf on the loveliest monograph on ,the eternal pilgrim. By ravisri.
I remember to have read a nice arficle by forumite scholar @rajani, on her groups visit fo the thiruchengode shrine.

What struck me in the thiruchengode kruthi is fhat word by word , line by line,
It is 99 percenf about siva! And vdry liftle about sakthi!.

Vidya rajafopala is a concession to the fact as menfioned by smt vedavalli fhat fhe temple complex was raised on a site consecrated by sakthi chakra, such chakras are ALWAYS associated with original deity KOTRVAI,KAli who is fierce goddess all inddpedent
.
According to ancient thamizh lore
There are only five divinifies,kotravai, murugan , krhshna ,,,,,,indra and some u named.

There are plentiful references about kotravai,murugan,and above all krish a
In sangam litrrature. Nothing or next to nothing about siva.

So, it is certain thaf ardhanari is a ,latter day intepolation imported from north..
And is applicable to saites only. And siva is rudhra as is kotravaj! Fhey match indeed.


To be confinued.
P

RSR
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Nobody denies that mannargudi rajagopalaswamy temple is raised in srichakra land of kotravai.
It is attributed to Adi Sankara to have installef such consecrated chakras be it kanchi or other places, to PACIFY the fierce kotravai.
But, when it comes to mannargudi, it is definitely s krushna shrin. The icon definitely does not depict any ardhaNAri stuff. It is recognjized by all devotees as a lovely icon of krushna as a cowherd with whip, cow and calf and rukmani and sathhabama.
The story is that the boy krushna sfole one of the kundalams of his admiring girl friends and wore it himself. Yasoda
Is bewitched and charmed that even in such unusual different ear rings, her boy is so ravising. That is for the vama part. And concesorsion to srividya, aka parvathi, his SISTER. She is known as
Nappinnai in ancient tamil. And as subadra in puri lore. Did not arjuna marry her?
We are hogging this thread. So let me quit with my firm conviction that ardhanari can NEVER be ascribed to any vaishnava shrine. We cannot and SHOULD not replace a sister with a wife
an abnoxious egyptian custom.
By the way, in parting try to find a n official VIGRaham as ardhanari
i. even at thiruvaiyaru or any other shrine. Ofcourse only the priests have that privilege.
In the footsteps of sri.md, best thing is to visit the places personally and discuss with traditinal preists,

I am now exiting this thread.

With due respect to your herculean effort to relate raga names , though with half convincing result.
And less invectives on venerated personalities will surely enhance the viewpoints.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar..

I appreciate the insistence on the “so-called purity” of certain viSnu icons.

But equally I do not think the SrividyA aspects of the Dikshitars “SrividyArAjagOpAla” kritis have been comprehended, either now or in the decades prior.

I take them up one by one

1. the SrividyA-rAjagOpAla is at dakSina dwArka ..NOT dakSina vrndAvana !!

It is important to note that the Dikshitar refers ONLY in his sAvEri kriti to mannArgudi as dakSina dwArka.

At dwArkA (the original one on the Gujarat coast), hundreds of miles from vrndAvana, the krSnA is fully established as king, with his queens well defined. He is always nanda-gOpa's child, but his SrngAra in dwArka is reserved for these consorts.

His days as an amorous cowherd in vrndAvana (mathura) are OVER and his dalliances with the gOpis on the yamunA are a distant memory , distant in both space and time.

As SrividyArAjagOpAla, krSnA is this king (rAja) of dakSina dwArkA.

For the bAlagOpAla or vEnugOpAla or bAlakrSnam icons of mannArgudi which are distinct from SrividyArAjagOpAla, there is no "vAma bhAga nAri" aspect described in the Dikshitars kritis.

Therefore the solitary earring icon being erroneously proposed for the child/amorous cowherd cannot apply as a correct descriptor of the “vAma bhAga nAri” at dakSina dwArkA.

Neither does the mOhini avatAra explain the "vAma bhAga nAri” because the mOhini is obviously not a split half male/half female.

2. Something else is driving the Dikshitars unique choice of words..”nAri vESa dhara vAma bhAga”

The Dikshitar is not dyslexic !!..he deliberately puts the rAga mudra in reverse, responding to the “inverted” nature of the unconventional deity. It is the only kriti out of 500 odd kritis to do this.

Indeed, this is why the rAga sAvEri itself was chosen..because it offers the ability to deliver this inverted meaning when used within “nAri vESa dhara vAma bhAga”

3. The kriti is replete with important contrasts
nArAyana tAraka divya nAma – the SrividyArAjagOpAla kSEtra invokes both “nArAyana” and the Om
viSISta-advaita advaita -Alaya – the SrividyArAjagOpAla kSEtra celebrates both contrasting advaita themes
vAma and dakSina - which words appear simultaneously

4. The sAvEri is the ONLY Dikshitar kriti where the words vAma, dakSina (and dwArkA) appear simultaneously.

In the SrividyA , vAma and dakSina have particular meaning as left and right.

And dwAr-kA as the gateway also has particular meaning.

5. For the SrividyA upAsaka, the worship of krSnA as SrividyArAjagOpAla is unquestionably also the worship of the goddess.

krSnA is the dakSina dwAra (gate) to the vAma bhAga nAri, the right-side gateway to the left side dEvi, unique only to mannArgudi.

To the SrividyA upAsaka, the icon of krSnA dancing with the SriCakra yantra at mannArgudi, is also representative of the dance of the ardhanAriSwara as “ramA sahita” conjoined with the ramA dEvi.

6. The sacred dance should not and cannot be disparaged with some prurient symbolisms, conjured up by perverse minds.

Sri rAjagOpAla - rAga sAvEri

KVN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsPztsFEF2I

nAdopAsaka
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Re:ardhanArIswara (The ardhanAri-ardhanara of kAnCi–bhairavi prasangam, sOmaSEkhara pAdi & the "rAjadhari" madhyamAvati)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

The ardhanAri-ardhanara of kAnCi – bhairavi prasangam, sOmaSEkhara pAdi and the "rAjadhari" madhyamAvati

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar..

All three vAggeyakAras agree that an important aspect of the kAnCi deities is the form of the ardhanara-ardhanAri.

SyAmA SAStri gives the reference ”sOmaSEkhara pAdi sundari” in his kriti “tarunam idamma”.

This has already been referenced in above posts, in connection with the unique and ABSOLUTELY-NOT-RANDOM-CHOICE of rAga “gauripAnta”.

Both the Dikshitar and the tyAgarAja show the same ABSOLUTELY-NOT-RANDOM-CHOICE for their depictions of the ardhanAri aspect at kAnCi.

How ??....Why ?...

Read on to rejoice (or weep ) .

The Dikshitar

The Dikshitar picks no less than the major prthvi linga kriti “Cintaya mA kanda” to bring forward the ardhanAri at kAnCi.

How ?

He gives the unambiguous descriptor “bhairavi prasangam”, where pra-sanga defines precisely this “union/congress’” of the two “angas’.

Why ?

The choice of rAga as bhairavi for the linga kriti is indicative of the feminine aspect being considered.

Indeed, the doublet of the linga/yOni is also an aspect of the ardhanAri iconography.

That it is sacred enough for the vAggeyakAras to worship is enough for the nAda-upAsaka. ( absolutely NO perverted interpretations are relevant )

To the everlasting dismay of the ignorant, the tide of truth continues abated.

The tyAgarAja

The tyAgarAja also delivers the ardhAngini aspect at kAnCi in his kriti “vinAyakuni valEnu”.

How ?

1. When he says “tyAgarAja hrdaya sarOjamElina”, she who resides in the lotus heart of the tyAgarAja = Siva.
The choice of the heart as the location is sensitive to the left-side position known as “vAma bhAga”.

2. “rAja dhari” – bearer of the crescent moon, signifying her half of the Siva forehead.

Why ?

It is notable that for the ONLY kriti by the tyAgarAja to kAmAkSi, the rAga chosen is “madhyamAvati”.

The rAga “madhyamAvati” through the word “madhyama” expresses the balance of the two contrasting forces of the ardhanara-ardhanAri.

It has already been shown to be the proper choice for the ardhanAri at Sritapastirtha/lAlgudi.

And now it is seen also for the ardhAngini at kAnCi, through the eyes, music and words of the tyAgarAja.

No lewd images or innuendo can corrupt the sacred pujA of any of the vAggeyakAras or the nAda-upAsakas.

Cintaya mA kanda – the Dikshitars prthvi linga kriti in rAga bhairavi

veena ramana B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aej0RMLXRqU

viSnudEv N
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXITCSL3rOk

vinAyakuni valEnu – the tyAgarAjas ONLY kAmAkSi kriti

MSS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFy6l38jXj0

OST
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLTp3ODrb_A

RSR
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

The only mother goddess all over india has been Parvathi..daughter of the mountain. She is fierce and yet kind to good people. She is worshipped under various names as kotravai in tamil country, bagavathi in kerala, mahishasuramardhani in karnataka, Bhavani in mahaaràstra, durgà in bengal, parvathi in Up, gowri in malwa and many more, .
,,
The concept of lakshmi and sarawati is laterday addition. As such, kotravai is the goddess of all people in india.
She does not need any support. She is the sakthi of our national poet bharathy and Bankim.
...
Vishnu likewise is THE ORIGIN AND PROTECTOR. He too is omni potent. He can be fierce as narasimha whom only prahlàða was able to pacify.

Siva likewise was rudra embodied. He burnt the manmatha to ashes. He is ascetic.

All the three are independent and separate and hostile sects.
There are no Iconic sculptures uniting them.
We cannot go by mere lyrics but only by vigrahams.
Bankim and Bharathy show the way

nAdopAsaka
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by nAdopAsaka »

None of the unseemly sectarian arguments (or other lewd associations) made changes the fact that the Dikshitar uses the words “vAma bhAga" (or that the tyAgarAja/SyAmA SAStri/mahArAja use the words ardhAngini, pAdi, ardha-Saririni etc) ALWAYS and UNERRINGLY for the icon of the ardhanAri.

And the Dikshitar uses the "vAma bhAga nAri" for describing the SrividyA-rAjagOpAla at mannArgudi.

The consistency of the Dikshitars words and their usage (as well as the other 3 vaggeyakaras) CANNOT be questioned, in my opinion.

These vAggeyakAras , their music, words and worship do NOT belong to ANY narrow-minded (and "holier-than-thou") sects.

My suggestion is that those who do not agree with the words of these vAggeyakAras (and are unable to refute their descriptions or meanings) should just ignore these vAggeyakAras and their kritis.

There are of course other composers of some merit other than these four.

Pratyaksham Bala
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

.
Saraswati is a Vedic Goddess !

Please check : Rig Veda 1.13.9
इळा सरस्वती मही तिस्रो देवीर्मयोभुवः |
बर्हिः सीदन्त्वस्रिधः ||

“Ila, Saraswati, and Mahi, the three Goddesses … …”

Pratyaksham Bala
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Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

.
Sculpture of Trimurti, the united image of Brahma, Siva and Vishnu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ElephantaCaves4.jpg

There are a number of similar sculptures.
And also a few Trimurti temples.

nAdopAsaka
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Re: ardhanAriSwara (bAhulEya’s bA(h)uli to the inseparable, “Sri pArvati paramESwarau” – the ardhanAri of vEdAranyam)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

bAhulEya’s bA(h)uli to the inseparable parents, “Sri pArvati paramESwarau” – Why & How this kriti is to the ardhanAri of vEdAranyam

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar…

None of the vAggeyakAras use “mere” words, every word carries an inherent , unambiguous meaning.

If these meanings cannot be comprehended, inspite of patient explanations, it is better to stop listening to these vAggeyakAras.

What better kriti to illustrate the inseparability of Word and its Meaning than the bAuli “Sri pArvati paramESwarau” !!

The choice of rAga bA(h)uli for bAhulEyas song to his divine inseparable parents “Sri pArvati paramESwarau” cannot be considered random…(just as hundreds of the other rAga choices of the Dikshitar are not random as shown in many posts)

bAhulEya , the word, of course is the synonym for the name skanda/muruga/guruguha which at once gives the basis for the choice of rAga bAuli ! …but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Any discussion of the bAhulEyas bAuli kriti “Sri pArvati paramESwarau” must begin at the beginning !

And at the beginning, millenia before the nAda-upAsaka, and the Dikshitar, much before the tEvAram poets and before the Adi Sankara, there was the Adi-kavi, kAlidAsa.

kAlidAsa and the “generic” ardhanara-ardhanAri

The great dEvi upAsaka , the Adi-kavi kAlidAsa, marks the inseparability of the universal divine parents with the classic opening SlOka of “raghuvamSa”

vAk-artha viva samprktau, vAk-artha pratipattayE
jagatah pitarau vandE pArvati paramESwarau


As he says “samprkta” = conjoined = the joining of the two entities (Word and its Meaning) is similar to joining of the two entities (pArvati and paramESwarau).

The two halves form the one deity = the ardhanara-ardhanAri.

It is this united deity that kAlidAsa addresses at the start of his classic “raghuvamSa”… the poet himself seeking the blessing of this deity to understand the intertwined use of Word and it Meaning…words and their meaning being of course the whole reason for a poet to exist.

Naturally words and their meaning are central also to the vAggeyakAras music..(in spite of attempts to deny this)

Which brings us to the Dikshitar and the rAga bauli kriti “Sri pArvati paramESwarau”

It will now be shown how this kriti is addressed specifically to the ardhanAri at vEdAranyam = tirumaraikAdu.

Some preliminaries

1. The tEvAram poets enshrine the ardhanAri icon of tirumaraikAdu in several stanzas. e.g. second tirumural, 2nd stanza, second tirumural, 4th stanza, fourth tirumural, 7th stanza, fifth tirumural, 7th stanza etc..etc..)

The reference typically appeaance as “mangai yumai pAkam umA” or “umA bhAgam”, placing umA as the left half of the deity.

So there is no question the ardhanAri icon exists at vEdAranyam = tirumaraikAdu.

Let us see what other mudras = signatures the Dikshitar places that are both necessary and sufficient to identify with the ardhanAri here.

The Dikshitar’s ardhanAri kriti at vEdAranyam

2. The deities name , meaning and grammar

The kritis opening line is “Sri pArvati paramESwarau, vandE”

This is easily seen as the same from the kAlidAsa SlOka, which is to the “generic” inseparable ardhanAri..i.e. the paramESwara Siva endowed with his “Sri pArvati”.

3. the “jagata pitarau” of kAlidAsa’s SlOka are the universal parents.

Only the father (pitarau) is noted by kAlidAsa since he is already conjoined with the female half….

The Dikshitar notes these divine parents as the parents of bAhulEya when he includes the reference “guruguha karanau”…the creators of bAhulEya = guruguha

4. The grammar (vibhakti/declension) is similar to the kAlidAsa SlOka ..the -au ending.

But these connections are only “necessary” requirements of the ardhanAri concept, and generic just like the kAlidAsa image.

The following questions arise…

What is the sufficient , unambiguous mudra in this kriti for the vEdAranyam kSEtra.

also

What is/are the sufficient conditions that establish the kriti as the ardhanAri of vEdAranyam.

Both these questions are answered completely in what follows.

5. The impact of kAlidAsa’s opening SlOka on the Dikshitar kSEtra choice is seen in the very first word !

vAk as words and their sound transmit the vEdas as Sruti – that which is heard.

It is therefore no coincidence tha the kSEtra is vEdAranyam…indeed the noted vEdic riSi agastya = lOpamudrESa is also mentioned in this kriti.

In contrast, the tiruCengOde kSEtra ( see the kumudakriya to the ardhanAri there) does not have this vAk feature or connection to kAlidAsa.

But the Dikshitar adds a much more specific mudra !

The sOpAna ASrama’s and the vEda-aranya

The unique line appears in this bauli kriti

“sOpAna-mArga mukhyAdhArau”

In the sOpAna panCaka of the Adi Sankara, the phrase “vEdo nityam adhiyatam” is used, indicating that the 4 ASramas of the sOpAna ladder/steps are always to be accompanied by the study of the vEdas.

aranya (forests) are always associated with ASrama (hermitages).

Indeed forests = aranya are sites of meditation and refuge = ASrama, in traditional scripture.

The sOpAna ladder refers to the 4 ASramas = 4 stages of life.

The Dikshitar has wonderfully connected the 4 ASramas to the 4 vEdas, (that form the basis of vEdAranyam kSEtra) by linking the meaning of aranya and ASrama.

In doing so the unambiguous kSEtra mudra for vEdAranyam is also given.

6. How the “ardha-nAri basis” i.e. the half-male and half female at vEdAranyam is illustrated by the Dikshitar

Whereas kAlidAsa refers to the inseparability of the generic divine parents (as word blended with its meaning), the Dikshitar goes further in his illustration.

His second line gives the union of two halves , unique to “ardha” concept.

How ?

Because he uses the “mirror” reference, as in “bimba”

Cid bimbau lilA vigrahau.

A mirror always connects two images, each “reflected” in the other.

The two united halves of the deity are reflected each in the other.

It is the interplay (lilA) of the united Cit (consciousness) of the conjoined deity (vigraha) that is reflected as “Cid bimbau lilA vigrahau”.

Here wonderfully, the rAga name bAuli which also signifies the bAhulEyas song to his parents is embedded.

A separate post on the Mutthuswamy Dikshitar thread is made Jun 13, 2023 to further describe several additional features of this magnificent kriti.

It is linked here...https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopi ... 63#p379463

satyam Eva jayatE

Sri pArvati paramESwarau - rAga bauli

fine veena by vidUSi N. krishnavEni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1e7WZT1HRo

padma S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GxKmr5P1ws

KBMK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ny1jHILIc
Last edited by nAdopAsaka on 13 Jun 2023, 05:17, edited 2 times in total.

Pratyaksham Bala
Posts: 4164
Joined: 21 May 2010, 16:57

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

Wow !

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: ardhanAriSwara kritis ("Sri valmika lingam CintayE SivArdhAngam CintayE" – Yet another tiruvArUr ardhanAri kriti)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

"Sri valmika lingam CintayE SivArdhAngam CintayE" – Yet another tiruvArUr ardhanAri kriti which is anchored in the hayagriva + lalitOpAkhyAna legends

In the footsteps of nAdajyOti Mutthuswamy Dikshitar…

There is no question that the ardhanAri icon exists at tiruvArUr.

It is enshrined in the tEvAram (for example 2nd tirumurai, 10th stanza) as “malaiyAl pAka”, approx. translated as “Siva with the daughter of the mountain as his one half”

It has been shown in an earlier post how the Dikshitar celebrates this tiruvArUr ardhanAri with the 4th Cakra kritis of both the tyAgarAja navAvarana and the nilOtpalAmbA navAvarana.

Indeed, the Dikshitar goes further.

He also embeds the unambiguous ardhanAri icon, in no less than one of the tiruvArUr panCalinga kritis, the “Sri valmika lingam CintayE SivArdhAngam CintayE ” kAmbOji.

The choice of rAga kAmbOji is well aligned with the 4th Cakra = sarva-saubhAgyA-dAyaka Cakra.

Of course it is noticeable that the words saubhAgya-dAyaka + ambhOja , the lotus icon of the Sri Cakra, carry the word kAmbOja as well when combined.

But the mere citation of the major panCalinga kriti as an ardhanAri is not enough for the nAda-upAsakas..

It must be asked ..

Why is this particular panCalinga kriti (of the 5 ) being given the ardhanAri descriptor by the Dikshitar ?

It is these questions (and their answers) that reveal the thinking of the nAdayOgi and elevate the kritis beyond the mere sound-frequency variation/air-pressure disturbance patterns that the SSP etc. have reduced them to.

Background

Post # 536 dated Jun 10, 2021 of the Mutthuswamy Dikshitar thread has already shown that the 5 tiruvArUr panCalinga kritis have a pair-wise relationship (i.e. each with a counterpart) in the panCabhUta linga kritis.

It is linked here for ready reference

https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopi ... 01#p371801

And Post # 537 of that same thread showed how the “nAgalingam” mOhana kriti, carries all 10 lingam names/descriptors.

The 5 pairs of tiruvArUr panCalinga and panCabhUta linga kritis are repeated here from the above linked post

The key words in each kriti and the key linking ideas/mudras are also summarized for each pair

tiruvArUr pancAlinga - panCabhUta linga - bhUta/element

1. “sadACaleswara” and “arunACala nAtham” - Agni
Siva as the lord of the mountains (ACala)
The motif of agni as Light is also common via the “CamatkAra dipa” and the "tEjOmaya linga"

2. “hAtakeSwara samrakshatu” and “Cintaya mA kanda” – prthvi
Siva shining and decorated with ornaments
the gold and jewel clad “hAtakESwara” and the "mAnikya maya kAnCi sadana" in the bhairavi
The “pAtAla bilahari” reference in hAtakeSwara emphasizes the connection to the prthvi linga kriti

3. “Anand-ESwarEna” and “jambupatE mAm pAhi nij-Ananda” – Apa/Water/jala
The samAdhi/consciousness reached that is beyond the limbs or thought or senses as given by the mudras
“avaya-trayaAtitEna” in “AnandaESwarEna” and “nir-vikalpa samAdhi” of “jambupatE”
The word “Siva” in “AnandaESwarEna” implies water – “Apa” is the water element “jambupatE”

4. “siddhiSwarAya namaste” and “Sri kAlahastiSa” - vAyu
The reference “viSuddha Cakr-a-nila-yAya”in “siddhiSwarAya namastE” is to the throat Cakra which controls vAyu or life-breath.
Notably the word “anila” is also embedded.
And of course the vAyu linga kSEtra kritis is “Sri kAlahasti”

and finally to the pair relevant to this post

5. “Sri valmIka lingam CintayE SivArdhAngam CintayE” and “Ananda natana prakASam” – AkASa/gagana/sky

the dancing Siva

The reference “divya viti vitanka” appears only in this kAmbOji kriti out of the 5 panCalinga kritis.

Why is this relevant ?

Because tiruvArUr is one of the 7 “sapta vitanka sthala”s, each one of which is associated with a unique form of dance.

At tiruvArUr it is the ajapa natana.

And of course “Ananda natana” is to the natarAja icon of Cidambaram and also notes the tAndava dance form.

The word “divya” is a synonym for the sky = gagana which is also the AkASa bhUta of the kEdAram kriti.

So each pair of 5 sets of linga kritis has matching icons for the bhUta and also matching ideas..

But the question remains ..

Why is the Dikshitar addressing ONLY the valmika-linga as the ardhanAri = SivArdhAngam ?

The basis for this lies in the story of the valmika linga and the installation of the horse-head deity hayagriva.

The kriti itself describes the bowstring that beheads the sleeping viSnu (mura ripu kArmuka etc).

The story is told in the skanda purAna Book 3 brahma khanda - dharmAranya section.

Indeed Chapter 14 stanza 59 says an anthill was erected that was the size of a mountain.

muditAstA pramuncamti valmikaṃ cAgratO harE
kOtipArSvE tatO nitaṃ valmikaṃ parvatOpamam

And now we see how the AkASa/gagana motif works for “valmika linga”..!

The enormous mountain of the anthill (created to allow the vamri = white ants to chew the bow-string of viSnus bow) soars into the very sky.

But the ardhanAri connection comes from the lalitOpAkhyAna, where hayagriva the deity specifies it EXACTLY !
.
In the prathama adhyAya of the lalitOpAkhyAna, (right at the beginning !) stanza 28-30 reads

SivOpi samArAdhya dhyAna-yOga balEna Ca
ISwara sarvasiddhinAm ardhanAriSwarO bhavat


Here the horse-head deity namely hayagriva, introduces Siva and relates how Sivas yOga and dhyana leads him to acquire the siddhis and realize his position alongside the goddess..

Summary

There is no doubting the authencity of the tiruvArUr kSEtra ardhanAri.

There is no doubting the authencity of the tiruvArUr valmika linga (along with the other 4 ) forming the tiruvArUr panCalinga.

And there is no doubting the authencity of the Dikshitars valmikalinga kriti (or his 4 other kritis to the other 4 lingas)

The tEvAram does not cite hayagriva.

But this post has discovered that the Dikshitar , after describing the tale of the “valmika-linga", and its relationship with hayagriva (through the "mura ripu kArmUka" etc.) , has connected this same hayagriva to the lalitOpAkhyAna and then obtained the description of the Siva, as the ardhanAri, extracted in the stanza above.

And therefore he has included the specific “ardhanAri” description in the “valmika linga” kriti.

It had to be ONLY in the “valmika linga” kriti (and not the other 4 linga kritis ) because of the specific connections noted above

The independent pathways that culminate in the “ardhanAri” reference appearing in the valmika kAmbOji kriti can be summarized…

tEvAram ---> tiruvArUr ardhanAri

tiruvArUr ---> valmika linga of panCalinga set

skanda purAna --> valmika linga ---> hayagriva --> lalitOpAkhyAna --> ardhanAri

It is the Dikshitars vision that unites the pathways , and which consolidates the history of the kSEtra and the scriptures

Once again the "nAda sampradAya pradarSini" triumphs..

satyam Eva jayatE

SrI valmIka lingam CintayE, SivArdhAngam CintayE – rAga kAmbOji

ajeeSh M plus a dance depiction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yaCdnvJ7SM

seetha N
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lmsDGLkmpc

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Sri.PB,
There are much grander refereces to Saraswathy in Rig Veda, from wiki.
Rig veda is indeed grand poetry..almost secular. Nehruji quotes fully a poem from R V about a dense forest. Normally, it considered to be around 2000 BC.

The Gods of RV are much different from popular Hindu pantheon. This got crystallized only around 300 Ad to
600Ad. Corresponding to Gupta empire. Ajantha Ellora paintings and sculptures belong to gupta and rashtrakuta periods.

In Tamizh country, sangam literature flourished between 200 Bc and 200 Ad...exactly 400 years. Penetration of three northern ideologies, namely, Jainism, Buddhism and vedism was minimal and thamizh people and kings followed a much narural Five Lands culture where KaaLi was the goddess of drylands, murugan the deity of mountainous regions, krishna was the deity of mullai nilam, land just at the foothill valleys of small rivers and friendly forests and streams. Areas near srivillputhur, theni still retain the charm
.
Sangam era had a glorious Sathavahana rule in Andhra, Karnataka, southern maharashtra and southern Orissa. In fact they were known as Andhra dynasty. They had extensive maritime trade in both west coast and east coast.
They were patrons of vedism,buddhism and jainism.
More imortantly they were very friendly to thmizh kings and people


From 200 AD to 600 AD, thamizh land was overrun by kalabras, neither jain, nor buddist nor brahminical.
..
In 600 AD, almost the entire INDIA was predoninantly Jainist or Buddhist!
In Ganjetic plain, the great Harsha was ruling and he was a true Buddist.
In Maharashtra and DEccan, also, buddhist monasteries flourished. ..pulikesi.
In northern
VThamizh land , even from 400 AD, it was the pallavas who were ruling and they were clearly of Iranian origin akin to Sanskrit and were jains.
Surprisingly, even chola and Pandyan kings and people were jains! No trace of popular puranic lore of Gupta era.
.
It was in 600 AD, Mahendra pallavan of kanchipuram, who changed from Jainism to SAivism along with APpar. It coincided with the emergence of Adi Sankara in kerala. who managed to integrate the popular hindu pantheon of Guptas with strict vedic ritualistic culture.
While, Saivism got royal patronage of pallava empire, .vaishnavam was not that lucky. Still, it is noteworthy that the first three Azhvaars, namely poykai aazhvar, paeyaazhvaar and boothaththaazvar lived in mylapore, triplicane and nearby areas and gave us the exquisite poems in 600 Ad.
Luckily, the Pandyan king, got converted by Periyaazhvar. And we all know the great Thiruppavai of his foster daughter AndaaL.
In farther south, we had Nammaazhvar and his desciple Madhurakavi Azhvaar. Thus began the glorious vaishnava bhakthi movement..entirely free from a lot of puraanic rubbish. And in chaste thamizh.
Afterall, thamizh and vaishnavam belong to Pandyan country. Pandyans migrated from Mathsya desam and surasena janapadha. No wonder then
Bhagavatha puraanam mentions pandyan kings in mathsya avsrhaaram, gajendra moksham
All the puraNAs were written only in Gupta and post GUpta period.
They were just prkpaganda stuff and fake history.
Brammanda puraanam says Saraswathy was wife of VIshnu!


Even Ramanuja conceded the superiority of Thamizh vaißhnavism.
It was totally anti casteist.

T And truly reflected the teachings of krishna in gita.
Thyagaraja swami absorbed the messsage best.
So, if we want to really understand devotional hindu religion we have to go to pre 600 Ad thamizh culture.
To this day, no vaishnavite worships siva or siblings.
You cannot find a SIngle reference to
any ardhaNari abominarion. In vaishnava thamizh poetry.

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by arasi »

It's my turn now to say WOW! as Pratyaksham Bala did !

Pratyaksham Bala
Posts: 4164
Joined: 21 May 2010, 16:57

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

Why drag me?

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: ardhanAriSwara kritis (“amba Sarva-ani akhanda-AkAri” – the tyAgarAjas Arabhi to the dharmasamvardhani ardhanAri )

Post by nAdopAsaka »

amba Sarva-ani akhanda-AkAri” – the tyAgarAjas Arabhi to the dharmasamvardhani ardhanAri at tiruvaiyAr (panCAnada kSEtra)

With complete and total disregard for any irrelevant sectarian etc. views, the "individual" tyAgarAja addresses the ardhanAri deity at panCanada kSEtra in 2 kritis…one is “karuna judavamma” in tOdi already noted in a post (May 13 , 2023), where the image is captured as “SambarAra vairiki ardha Sariri

The other kriti is the Arabhi rAga kriti “amba ninu nammiti” where the dharmasamvardhani ardhanAri is illustrated using the phrase...

amba Sarva-ani akhanda-AkAri”, the indivisible (akhanda) form of amba and Sarva = Siva.

Notably the tyAgarAja also calls this dEvi “Om-kAri” in the kriti, which is the first sound, the ud-gita of the sAma.

And therefore Arabhi deriving from the word “Arambha = beginning” is properly the rAga choice made.

Can the tyAgarAjas pujA to this deity be considered an “abomination’ ?!

Can any of the nAdayOgis pujA’s/kritis be considered an “abomination” ?!

Perhaps to some...

Clearly the music and the words of the nAdayOgis are NOT for everyone.

For the disenfranchised it’s best to move on to alternatives, of which there are many.

amba ninu nammiti – rAga Arabhi

Bombay sisters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_hckrHfNcw

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by arasi »

Pratyaksham Bala,
Well, the reason I mentioned you was, at that juncture, your 'Wow' translated as wonderment to me for all the revelations in Nadopasaka's posts that I found--even as an unlettered person in this area fascinating. I have also considered you as an extremely knowledgeable person during all these years. That's why your 'Wow!' made it even more relevant for me to echo it. Just read your 'sweet' little poem to in the Languages section) too!

However, RSR's approach (however different, not acceptable by some, understood), had some thoughts which made me think (in my not at all a scholarly way) that: how HE(SHE) lends Itself to endless interpretations of the engum niRaindavan (niRaindavaL).

Surely, there is room for interpretations on this subject for all of us born in India and were brought up in its unimaginably varied culture and ways of life, isn't there? As for me, I will read the posts here with interest but stay away from posting. Yes, that also helps in not hindering the flow of the subject matter and the music and dance* which Nadopasaka brings(*a 'wow!' there for its beauty in expression and simplicity)...

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

History of south india by kallidaikkutichy Neelakanta SAstry....

...
is thiruvaiyaru a vaishnava xhrine?no. Does the vigraham there show half male half femalr? NO.

nAdopAsaka
Posts: 878
Joined: 20 Jul 2020, 17:05

Re: ardhanAriSwara (Yet another tiruvaiyAr “ardhanAri kriti” – the “Siva sAmba dEhi” of the sAranga “Ehi trijagadISa”)

Post by nAdopAsaka »

Yet another tiruvaiyAr “ardhanAri kriti” – the “Siva sAmba dEhi” of the sAranga “Ehi trijagadISa”

Unfortunately neither the tyAgarAja, the Dikshitar or SyAmA SAStri agree with this “historian” !

UNAMBIGUOUS synonyms for the ardhanari appear in their tiruvaiyAr kritis … as ardha-Sariri, dharmavardhani-sahitAya and sOmaSEkhara pAdi sundari (noted in posts above) .

One needs to ask…Why would ALL THREE vAggeyakAras uniformly make this description, if this aspect of the deity was not important to each of them.

Absolutely No “historian” has any credibility, compared to the Trinity, especially at tiruvaiyAr !

And the tEvAram confirms their vision (e.g. first tirumurai, 5th stanza, “maiyaa var umA thanaiyArae”)

What’s more…as punishment for the untruthful…here is yet another panCanada kSEtra kriti of the tyAgarAja illustrating the conjoined deity in rather graphic detail..

Ehi tri-jagad-ISa SambhO mAM, pAhi panCa nadi-ISa
vAhini-ISa ripu nuta Siva sAmba dEhi tvadIya karAbja-avalambam

Siva sAmba – as in Siva sa-amba..(the following word “dEhi” can also easily be seen to reinforce the shared body dEhi, although Siva-sAmba is sufficient).

The rAga name sAranga, a synonym of Siva is clearly also not random.

At every step, with every breath, the music is about a choice.....a choice between Sruti and apa-Sruti, between truth and untruth.

The nAda-upAsaka ALWAYS chooses the vAggeyakAras.

For those who choose otherwise, the only recourse is to stop listening to these vAggeyakAras.

Ehi trijagadISa – rAga sAranga

vijayalakSmi S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNy_bwKVNLs

nishA R and group
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvgs_mNHIZ4

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

There is no vaishva temple in Thiruvaiyaru. The central issue is whether ardhnari image and concept is accepted by vaishnvites.

shankarank
Posts: 4042
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by shankarank »

The goddess is seated in the vakshastala of the Lord. As TNS quipped in a discourse on TiruppAvai, an Indian Diaspora student pronounces the passage as "uttaman bare body" since he cannot really get the "pEr" EkAram correctly. The Lord does not come bare body in vAmana Avatar, he had a uttarIyam to hide his consort as her grace would impede his efforts! :D

Now you are as always, being literal, anthropological and not philosophical, as you would now keep harping on the "half part!". :x :lol:

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Rubbish. As usual.
Vishnu s avatars do not have Thaayar in the heart of the Lord.
In vaamana avathaaram, he was a brammachari. Read the story in thamizh section.
The Lord leaves Lakshmi in vaikundam in mathsya,koorma, narasimha ,jvaraaha, vaamana parasuraama avarhaars.. even in raama avarhaar sita is not lakshmi. In krishna avatar, neither rukmani nor others are the same as Thaayar.
Yes, i am historical, anthropolological and never vulgar as the so called scholar devotees are.
But i appreciate the humour in your quip.about bare body.

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Sametha does not mean union. It is inexcusable vulgar distortion. It simply means accompaniment.

Pratyaksham Bala
Posts: 4164
Joined: 21 May 2010, 16:57

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

"half part!"
There are Harihara sculptures depicting unified image of Siva & Vishnu --- with half-part Siva and half-part Vishnu.
Ardha Siva Ardha Vishnu !

There are a few Harihara temples too.

But, not sure where there are any Carnatic music kriti on Harihara.

shankarank
Posts: 4042
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by shankarank »

Sankaran Koil! Has Sankara Narayanar.

@RSR -> You contradicted yourself. Even SrI Krishna vows he is a bramhacAri in his Avatar. Lord and his associated shakti are inseparable whatever form he is. samEta is a term used in addressing the deities of temples.

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Sri.pb,
Iam not referring to combination icon of two male gods. Even that is a puerile attempt at resolving the saivite and vaishnava followers. As in sankarankoil. That applies to trimurthy icon also. I am only referring to crude and vulgar interpretation of ardha Naari. It is just a poetic and philosophical assertion of the role of partners in family life. .imagery of siva family is so widespread though, i am unable to find any prayer to any female deity except usha but it is sublime poetry at its best. In rigveda.
Thère is no mention about himagiri putri or durga. Remembèr Rigveda wàs ceated around 2000 BC.
Thanks for your time. I used to recite Rudram Chamakam daily in my school days. Though i have to refresh my memory. Free pdf is available in web with rough translation.
...Rv mentions vishnu as the ultimate though, in just a few poems. There is sarawarhy but no lakshmi or parvarhy. I think rV is heavily pariarchal it is mostly about battmles and war, and indra the wàr god and possibly the General. And entire chapter on soma drink!m
That is why we say that vedic chants of RV àre far removed from latter day puranic stories.

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Krithis on Arthanreeswara

Post by RSR »

Sankarank
I am very clear and straight in my understanding.
If krushna is a brammachari, the term should mean something else. LOL.

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