SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
God was pleased with vELvi. He relishes yagya as it is so close to His heart. He has a name, yagya: too. That means, He is yagya personified.
In SrI bhagavath githA
“aham krathuraham yagna svadhAham ahamoushadam |
mantrOham ahamEvAjyam ahamagniraham hutham ||” (githA 9-16)
He proclaims “I am yAga. I am Maha yAga. I am piNdam (Offering) to ancestors (pithrus) as nourishment (swathA). I am shabdha (vEdha manthram). I am havis, manthra, I am ghee, I am agni, and I am hOmam”.
In sahasranAmam titles starting from yAga up to yagyaguhyam appear as a detailed supplement to the above verse from githA. It is an apt food for thought.
“sEiginRa kithiyellam yAne” – said nammAzhwAr (All rituals performed are Me (God).
kaliyan too concurred “vELviyum thAnAy ninRa emperumAn” – (yagya too is a manifestation of our Supreme Lord).
He is the ritual. He is the penance. He is the offering.
He is present latent in everything. So, brahmA did not fear. Where there is genuine faith, there is no place for fear. Fear is not an ally of faith.
This is precisely what prahlAdha declared. He was young in the age group of school children. But he is regarded as foremost among sAdhus (ardent devotees). The reason is obvious. He never feared.
hiraNya was startled. He asks his son “My son! Do you not get frightened ever”?
Smilingly, the child replies – “The one, whom even fear is afraid of, gives constant company to me. I have no worries or concerns.”. This only, this unfailing faith alone, stood by him steadfast as a shield till the end.
We too need to acquire this faith – faith in God. God too expects nothing but this from us – mahA viSvAsam (unflinching faith and loyalty toward God).
brahmA had it in abundance. He was not grieved over any impending assault by saraswathi.
Only saraswathi had misjudged. On top of this, there was evil guidance by asuras. Reasons were many for the ire of asuras. By nature, they were avers to the good natures. Further they had the grievance that brahmA’s vELvi gave prominence to dhEvas and they were not given due regards.
They wanted to use saraswathi to their advantage, to avenge (the humiliation) and hence their attempt to cause havoc in the yAga.
asuras intended to accomplish their vicious demonic mission employing saraswathi. saraswathi also yielded. Starting from the place of her penance, she surged southwards and reached this spot, turned into a torrent, a flooded river and rushed to rage brahmA’s vELvi to the ground.
saraswathi turned into “vEgavathi”. Her fury was obvious to onlookers when they saw the river gushing ferociously destroying all that encountered on the way. The participants wanted to save themselves and their belongings from the fury of the violent river, vEgavathi. So, they started looking for safer, elevated spots. The high waves made it look as though a sea stood there erect, causing terror this way.
vEgavathi was fast approaching the yAgSAlA. The speed of mind or that of wind seemed to be dwarfed by the surging river vEgavathi.
But this vEgavathi river seems to be totally erased by us; there is no trace of it now. It may sound incredible to us if it is stated that once this river had the distinction of having flown along with seven branches. The entire credit (blame) for wiping out vEgavathi along with seven river lets, by means of encroachments, must go to us only.
The glory of vEgavathi and the good, benefit we gain from a dip in the river are spelt out in (the purANa) hasthigiri mahAtmayam and dhESikan’s hamsasandhESam.
We have multiplied and magnified our burden of sins by obliterating vEgavathi, the river that had surfaced to free us from our sins (but we have freed the surface from vEgavathi).
“Apa Eva hi sumanasA:” and “water is sacred” – thus we quote holy statures and further we proclaim “world cannot survive without water”. But we only are responsible for the disappearance of rivers and water bodies.
We do indulge in many immoral, sinful acts. There may be salvation to all these. But there do not seem to be any redemption for the biggest among the sins, namely eradicating water points.
Incensed and outraged saraswathi (as vEgavathi) flowed ferociously. But even God did not intend to destroy her, rather saved her by controlling her speed like a dam would.
But we!
We have totally liquidated vEgavathi and her seven associates (Branches) . Shall we get to know the names of these at least?
In the next part..
Soon in the story of varadha’s emergence, we will hear thiruppARkadal, paLLikondAn, and thiruvehkA – their eminence.
adiyen thOthAdri thirumalai rAmAnuja dAsan
Source: https://granthams.koyil.org/2018/05/30/story-of-varadhas-emergence-12-1-tamil/
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – https://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – https://acharyas.koyil.org/index.php/
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – https://pillai.koyil.org
1 thought on “Story of varadha’s emergence 12-1”