Post No. 15,196
Date uploaded in London – 18 November 2025
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
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WHAT IS COSMOLOGY?
It is a branch of astronomy that deals with the structure and evolution of the universe as an ordered whole.
WHAT IS BIG BANG?
The hypothetical explosive event that marked the origin of the universe as we know it. It took place about 10-20 billion years ago. The big bang explosion threw the compact material outwards, producing the expanding universe. The cause of the big bang is unknown.
All of us know that it happened in the sky with a big noise. Then there was gusty wind and fire everywhere. Then came the water. From water, life evolved.
The above sequence is right if we take our earth as the model.
Since Hindus are the only people who consider TIME is cyclical not linear, our poets sing about Big Shrink as well.
Appar (600 CE) in a decad/Pathikam on Shiva at Pullirukku Velur, also known as Vaitheeswaran Koil near Mayuram says,
His form in fulgurant; He is ONE in the ether,
TWO fold in wind that blows a main , THREE fold
in the form of ruddy fire , FOUR fold in the water that flows
downward and FIVE fold in the expanse of earth;
he is of the eternal form……………………….
Hindus gave certain qualities or virtues to the
Panchabhtas /five elements.
They are called Tanmaatraas . the five tanmatras are sound, touch, form, taste and smell. In Sanskrit
Sabda- ether
Sparsa- air
Rupa- fire
Rasa – water
Gantham – earth.
1.Ether is pervaded by sound.
1,2.Air by sound and touch.
123.Fire by sound, touch and form.
1234.Water by sound, touch, form and taste.
12345.Earth by the above four and smell.
We see it in Dasavatara as theory of evolution: Fish, amphibians, land animals, half man and half animal, full man with a weapon, Exemplary man (Rama), man with tricks (Krishna).
Earth was Firey ball with gusty winds in the beginning and then rain and water came. When water receded, we saw earth and land animals evolved on it and at the peak of Land animals stood Man.
Purananuru verse 2 and 51 mentioned it. Puram poet Mudi Nagarayar praised the king with all the qualities of Five Elements.
Nammaalvaar also sang about this.
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What is the science in it?
First there was a sky with sound;
Then came wind and fire;
That created rain and water;
From water came Life forms.
Hindus told it to the layman in a story format:
Lord Vishnu was lying in the vast water in half sleep/sleeping but conscious.
Then came Brahma/creator;
From him came all the living beings.
The water that Vishnu was lying is the Potential energy/Shiva
All the activities mentioned above was the Kinetic energy/Goddess Shakti.
Hindus beautifully named Goddess as Power, in Sanskrit ,Shakti, used in all the Indian languages.
***
Great Saivite poet and saint Manikkavasagar who lived before Appar said,
Tiruvasagam
பாரிடை ஐந்தாய்ப் பரந்தாய் போற்றி Earth with Five qualities
நீரிடை நான்காய் நிகழ்ந்தாய் போற்றி Water with Four qualities
தீயிடை மூன்றாய்த் திகழ்ந்தாய் போற்றி Fire with Three qualities
வளியிடை இரண்டாய் மகிழ்ந்தாய் போற்றி Air/Wind with Two qualities
வெளியிடை ஒன்றாய் விளைந்தாய் போற்றி Space with one Quality
He used the Five Elements in the reverse order. Manikka vasagar used the same numbers to praise Lord Shiva
***
Appar (600 CE) Tevaram in Tamil:
Tevaram
மின்னுருவை விண்ணகத்தில் 1 ஒன்றாய் மிக்கு
வீசுங்கால் தன்னகத்தில் 2 இரண்டாய்ச் செந்தீத்
தன்னுருவின் 3 மூன்றாய்த்தாழ் புனலின் 4 நான்காய்த்
தரணிதலத் 5 தஞ்சாகி யெஞ்சாத் தஞ்ச
Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 above.
மன்னுருவை வான்பவளக் கொழுந்தை முத்தை
வளரொளியை வயிரத்தை மாசொன் றில்லாப்
Coral, Peral, Diamond, 24 carat Gold (gems and gold)
பொன்னுருவைப் புள்ளிருக்கு வேளூ ரானைப்
போற்றாதே ஆற்றநாள் போக்கி னேனே
***.
2000 year old Purananuru Poem
மண் திணிந்த Earth நிலனும்,
நிலம் ஏந்திய Sound /Sky விசும்பும்,
விசும்பு தைவரு Wind, வளியும்
வளித் தலைஇய Fire தீயும்,
தீ முரணிய நீரும், , Water, என்றாங்கு
ஐம்பெரும் பூதத்து இயற்கை போலப்
Here the poet Muranjiyur Mudi Naagaraayar changed the order just to fit the verse in Anthaathi genre.
Anthaathi means last word of each line must be the first word of next line. The five qualities are attributed to the King, who Hindus worshipped or venerated as god.
***
Three Interpretations
Divya Prapandham
Nammaalvaar, a Vaishnavite saint, who lived later, used the five elements in the same order and attributed them to Lord Vishnu:
1 ஏக மூர்த்தி 2 இரு மூர்த்தி 3 மூன்று மூர்த்தி 4 பல மூர்த்தி-
ஆகி, 5 ஐந்து பூதம் ஆய் இரண்டு சுடர் ஆய் அருவு ஆகி,
நாகம் ஏறி நடுக் கடலுள் துயின்ற நாராயணனே உன்-
ஆகம் முற்றும் அகத்து அடக்கி ஆவி அல்லல் மாய்த்ததே.
English translation of verse 4.3.3:
You assumed a single form, then two, three and many,
The form you took of the senses five, the Sun and the Moon;
Formless, you did everywhere, as Internal Controller, pervade,
Repose you did, Oh, Nārāyaṇa, in mid-ocean on serpent-bed
And now your body and all it needs you have compressed
Right in my mind and thus feel fully relaxed.
Notes; Another interpretation:
(ii) Single Form: This refers to the state of affairs prior to creation, when the Lord alone subsisted, containing within Himself, in a subtle state, all sentient and non-sentient beings; there was no scope then for differentiation, by name and form.
(iii) Two forms: Keen on creating the Sportive Universe, the Lord assumes the twin forms of ‘Prakriti’ and ‘Mahān’
(iv) Three Forms: The triple ‘ahaṅkāras’ of Sattva, Rājas and Tāmas;
(v) Many Forms: The wonderful variety (i.e.) variegated forms of creation arising through inequalities among the three ‘Guṇas’, referred to in (4) above, the five sense-organs, the five elements etc.
***
Another interpretation
3147. O Narayaṇa!
1 You are the only god.
1,2 You are the two gods—the sun and the moon.
1,2,3You are the three gods—Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma
(all)and you are all the gods.
5 You are the five elements—water, fire, wind, earth and sky.
You are formless.
You climbed on the heads of Kalingan and danced.
You sleep on the middle of the ocean.
I kept you in my heart and all my troubles went away.
My Comments
The above two re wrong interpretations because Appar and Manikkavasagar who lived before Nammalvar have given us the correct interpretation.
Moreover, we can clearly see the influence of Maanikka vaasagar in Nammaalvaar poems. He clearly used MAANIKKA and VAASAGA in innumerable stanzas.
–subham—
Tags- Big Bang, Five elements, Five qualities, Appar, Nammalvar, Manikkavasagar, Tevaram, Tiruvasagam, Divya Prapandham , Purananuru