RANI MANGAMMAL’s  PICTURE

Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,700

Date uploaded in London –5 May 2026

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

xxxx 

English version is posted here; Tamil version will be posted tomorrow.

MA words continued…………………………………………

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Mandapala

A strange story of a rishi is in the Aadi parva of Mahabharata . though he lived a pious life, Mandapala, was denied entry into swarga because he had not produced any children. In the next life he was born as a male bird who produced four baby birds through his wife Jarita. Later he abandoned her in favour of another female bird Lapita. When Arjuna and Krishna planned to burn Khandava (kaandava) forest, Lapita sent him back to Jarita, where he lived happily.

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Mandavya

His full name is Ani maandavya . Aṇimāṇḍavya (अणिमाण्डव्य)

Brahmin named Māṇḍavya did Tapas/penance for many years standing silent in front of his Āśrama, under a tree, raising his hands in prayer. At that time some thieves happened to pass by that place, with stolen property belonging to the King. Finding that the King’s men were pursuing them, the thieves fled away after leaving their stolen property in Māṇḍavya’s Āśrama. The King’s men seized Māṇḍavya with the king’s property. Even prolonged and repeated questionings did not bring out a single word from Māṇḍavya. At last, the thieves were caught. Mistaking him as one of the thieves, the King’s men produced Māṇḍavya also along with the thieves before the King. The thieves were all condemned to death. The royal executioners took all of them to the place of execution and stuck them up at the tip of a trident (Śūla). The thieves died, but even after a long time Māṇḍavya did not die.

In Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Verses 46-51, it is said that at this stage Śiva appeared and blessed him with longevity and then vanished. Several Munis in the shape of birds came near Māṇḍavya who was lying on the trident and made enquiries about him. The King came to know of all these stories. Full of repentance, he went and begged pardon of Māṇḍavya. The attempt to pull out the trident from Māṇḍavya’s body failed. At last it was removed by cutting it off. Since the tip (Aṇi) of the trident was left behind in his body he was thereafter known as “Aṇi Māṇḍavya”. (Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapter 107).

When he went to Dharma to find out the reason for his suffering, Dharma replied that in his childhood, he had caused some pain to a butterfly with a blade of grass.

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Mahalakshmi

Goddess of wealth. Wife of Vishnu. Se under Lakshmi.

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Mahakala (mahaa kaala)

Siva’s another name. one of the 12 Jyotir linga shrines. Mahākāla (महाकाल).—A sacred place situated in the Śiprā river valley in Ujjain. The Śivaliṅga installed in this place is called “Mahākāla.” Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 82, Verse 49 says that those who take a bath in the Koṭitīrtha at this place, get the same effect as that of an Aśvamedha yāga.

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Maharishi

Maharṣi (महर्षि) refers to:—A great sage.

“The seven great sages of old, and four elders and the Manus also are of My nature and born of My mind and from them are all these creatures in the world “ – (10-6 – Bhagavad Gita )

Atri, Brhu, Kutsa, Vasistha, Gautama, Kasyapa and Angirasa are Sapta Rishis (Seven Sages) now. They change during every Manvantara (Life of one Manu is one Manvantar. There are 14 Manus).

Four Elders: Sanakar, Sanandanar, Sanadanar and Sanatkumarar
Saptarishis showed Pravruti Marga and the Four showed Nivruti Marga.

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“Thus transmitted from father to son, Arjuna, this yoga remained known to the Rajarsis (royal sages). It has, however, long since disappeared from this earth”. (4-2 – Bhagavad Gita)

Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Janaka were all kings —Raja Rsis– who taught the highest wisdom.

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Agasta image

Baudhayana Dharmasutra Gives a list of different types of seers:

Sruta rsi = One who hears Vedas from their teachers
Kanda rsi = Rishis of different Kanadas (sections) of the Vedas
Tapa rsi = Those who do severe penance
Satya rsi = Those who are truthful learners
Deva rsi = Equal to devas; divine
Sapta rsi = Seven Great Sages
Maha rsi = Great/ Exalted position
Parama rsi = Supreme/ Exalted position
Brahma rsi = Rsi of Brahmana community
Raja rsi = Rsi of Kshatriyas community (Kings)
Jana rsi = Common man becoming a Rsi

Patanjali, author of Mahabhasya on Panini’s Ashtadyayi, affirmed two new categories of Rsis:
Mantrakrit = the revealers or composers of Vedic hymns
Mantrakritsama = a writer of Vedangas like Kalpasutra.

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Ten Types in the Ramayana and Mahabharata:

Grihasthasramis = Householder but Rsis
Urdhvaretas = who have no wives or children; celibates
Asramavasis = Hermit dwellers
Yayavaras = Continuous wanderers
Purohita- vrittikas = Priestly saints
Sadharana vrittikas = Usual type rsis
Saastras adyapakas = Teacher rsis
Sastras adhyapakas = Rsis who give arms training
Ugra tapasvis = Practising severe penance
Sadharana tapsvis = Practising ordinary austerity
Majority of the seers were householders.

Source: Rsis in Ancient India by C B Pandey 1987.

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In modern times we call Ramana as Ramana Maharishi. The  tcreator of Transcendental Meditation (TM) is also called Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

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Types of Rishis (seers)

In fact the English word seer itself came from the Sanskrit word Rishi. Seer is the mirror image of Rsi.

Of the ten Mandalas of the Rig Veda, eight are attributed to eight Rishis or his family:

Rig Veda
Mandala 2: Grtsamada (Brigu)
Mandala 3: Visvamitra
Mandala 4: Gautama (Vamadeva)
Mandala 5: Atri
Mandala 6: Bharadwaja
Mandala 7:Vasistha
Mandala 8: Kanva
Mandala 9: Angira
Mandala 1 and 10 are attributed various Rishis.

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Mahavakyas (mahaa vaakyaas)

The Vedas offer the highest propositions through the Vedanta comprising the four ‘maha-vakyas ’.

1. प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म (Prajñānam Brahma)

Meaning: Consciousness is Brahman.Source: Aitareya Upanishad (3.3) of the Rig Veda.

2. अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म (Ayam Ātmā Brahma)

Meaning: This Self (Atman) is Brahman.Source: Mandukya Upanishad (2) of the Atharva Veda.

3. तत् त्वम् असि (Tat Tvam Asi)

Meaning: That Thou Art (You are That).Source: Chandogya Upanishad (6.8.7) of the Sama Veda

.4. अहम् ब्रह्म अस्मि (Aham Brahmāsmi)

 Meaning: I am Brahman (I am Divine).Source: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.4.10) of the Yajur Veda.

Other Significant Mahavakyas

सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म (Sarvaṁ khalvidaṁ Brahma): All this is indeed Brahman.

इशावास्यमिदं सर्वम् (Īśāvāsyamidaṁ sarvam): All this is enveloped by the Lord.

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Mahendravarman

17.6.2.1. Mahendravarman (From Dr R Nagaswamy’s tamilartsacademy.com)

The Pallava Emperor, Mahendra-vikrama-varman, who reigned over the northern part of Tamil Nadu from Kanchipuram to the banks of the Kāverā River in Trichy, during the period from approximately CE 590 to 630, stands out as a unique poet in the realm of Sanskrit literature. His multifaceted personality deserves appreciation, and he undoubtedly ranks among the greatest artist-poets among India’s emperors. His passion for art and poetry emanated from his innate poetic genius, allowing him to perceive and visualize every facet of life from a poetic perspective.

Mahendra was a born kavi, a poet for whom everything unfolded either as a dṛśya kāvya (visual poetry) or as a śravya kāvya (literary poetry). This perspective is evident in his intriguing title, Vicitra-Citta. Here, Citta refers to his mental approach, while the term vi-citra alludes to varied arts. Some scholars interpret Vicitra-Citta as “Curious-minded,” but based on his works, the more fitting interpretation would be “varied arts,” as exemplified by another of his titles: Citra-kāra-puli, signifying “Tiger among artists.” 

Mahendra has left several monuments which are dṛśya kāvyas, and many Sanskrit portic works which are śravya kāvya like the Matta-vilāsa-prahasana and Bhagavad-ajjuka, both in Sanskrit. His love of monumental art is revealed by his titles like Citra-kāra-puli, Cettā-kāri and Mahā-cettā-kāri. Mahendra also invented a new rāga called the Saṅkīrna-jāti, which he assumed as one of his titles.As Mahendra’s titles found in his monuments engraved by himself are indicative of his personality, his significant titles are given below. He assumed several titles which are inscribed in alphabetic order in his monuments. They generally begin with his Paṭṭābhiśekha name or the coronation title, the rest fall in alphabetical order as follows:

1.               Anumāna

2.               Avani-bhājana

3.               Bhrāntaḥ

4.               Cettā-kāri

5.               Citra-kāra-puli

6.               Guṇa-bhāra

7.               Kalahapriyā

8.               Kāmārṇava

9.               Lakṣita

10.          Lalitāṅkura

11.          Mahā-cettā-kāri

12.          Mahendra-vikrama

13.          Matta-vilāsa

14.          Saṅkārīṇa-jāti

15.          Satya-sandhaḥ

16.          Upamāna

His cave at Maṇdagappaṭṭu was named Lakṣitāyatana; and the trichy cave as Lalitāṅkura-pallaveśwara-gṛha. He emphasizes his title Avani-bhājana in his Matta-Vilāsa-Prahasana which he used in the invocatory verse.

In the Trichy cave inscription he has used different titles, one for each verse as Guṇa-bhāra, Satya-sandhaḥ, and so on. He named his Trichy cave as Lalitam, i.e., beautiful.His attachment to sculpture and painting is revealed in his title Citra-kāra-puli. Interestingly his Gaṅgādhara sculpture at Trichy is the earliest monumental sculpture in Tamiḻnāḍu.

Two Sanskrit Satires by MahendraIt may be advantageous to reflect on his two Sanskrit works Matta-Vilāsa-Prahasana and Bhagavad-ajjuka. Both are farces in Sanskrit with profuse use of Prākṛt, that show the stature of Prākṛt around CE 600 in Tamiḻnāḍu.

The Matta-Vilāsa-Prahasana clearly after one of his titles, Matta-vilāsa, portrays a Kāpālika and his consort Kapālikā, another drunkard.Mahendra’s grasp of śleṣa-alaṅkāra, the different philosophical systems, and ridiculing the Kāpālikas, Buddhists, the then existing judiciary, etc. in a lighter vein. That too coming from the pen of an Emperor, the Matta-Vilāsa-Prahasana is a unique drama in the field of Sanskrit dramas. Playing pun on their vocabulary, he ridicules them quite refreshingly. His command over the Tarka-śāstra is revealed throughout the text and as mentioned earlier he assumed the title Anumāna and Upamāna which are significant that are fully reflected in the text.

Mahendra’s Mastery of Dance Tradition

The invocatory verse of the drama Matta-Vilāsa-Prahasana is an example that illustrates his mastery of Bharata’s Nāñya tradition.भाषा वेश वपुः क्रिया गुण कृतान् आश्रित्य भेतान् गतम् ।भावावेश वशात् अनेक रसताम् त्रैलोक्य यात्रा मयम् ॥नृत्तम् निश्-प्रतिबद्ध-बोध महिमा यः प्रेक्शकश्च ।स्वयम् स व्याप्त अवनि–भाजनम् दिशतु वो दिव्य कपालि यशः ॥bhāṣā veśa vapuḥ kriyā guṇa kṛtān āśritya bhetān gatambhāvāveśa vaśāt aneka rasatām trailokya yātrā mayamnṛttam niś-pratibaddha-bodha mahimā yaḥ prekśakaścasvayam sa vyāpta avani-bhājanam diśatu vo divya kapāli yaśaḥThe Nāṭya-śāstra deals with four types of abhinayas  amely āṅgika (bodily abhinaya), vācika (verbal), āhārya (costumes), and guṇa (like sāttvikam). All these are the essential components of dance recitals.

Mahendra himself played a lead role as an actor in the drama.

According to tradition this verse alone used to be interpreted by the Cākkiyār actors of Kerala for seven nights, that indicates the depth of meaning contained in the very first composition of this Great Emperor.

Bhagavad-Ajjuka

Similarly the Bhagavad-ajjuka is another farce where the Yama’s messengers who come to take away the life of a courtesan take the life of another courtesan by mistake. These two satires of Mahendravarman are unique with no parallels in the history of Sanskrit literature. There are a large number of inscriptions of Mahendra.

Mahendra was an extraordinary ruler of great love for Sanskrit, poetry, art, religion and the like. Mahendra is indeed a great poetic emperor India has known.

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Mangaiyarkarasi

Choza princess who married Pandya King Nedumaran and revived Shaivism in Pandya Country with the help of Tiru Gnana Sambandar, the greatest of the Tamil Saivite saints. She reconverted her husband to Hinduism from Jainism.

Mangayarkarasiyar was born in the royal family of the Chozhas. She was a devotee of Lord Siva. She got married to the Pandya king, Nedumaran. King Nedumaran was influenced by and practised Jainism. During that period in the Pandya kingdom, Hinduism was under the shadow of Jain philosophies. She approached the prime minister Kulachiraiyar for help. They sent messengers to the prodigy young saint Sambandar. He came to Madurai, the capital of Pandyas, and won in all the tests devised by the Jains ; he cured the disease of Pandya king, also called Koon Pandya, because he was a hunchback. Queen Mangaiyarkarasi felt really blessed by the Lord for enlightening her husband and the entire kingdom. This happened around 650 CE.

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Mangammal , Rani Mangammal

Rani Mangammal (1689 to 1704) was a queen regent of the Madurai Nayak kingdom during the minority of her grandson Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha in 1689—1704. She was a popular administrator and is still widely remembered as a maker of roads and avenues, and a builder of temples, tanks and choultries with many of her public works still in use. She is also known for her diplomatic and political skills and successful military campaigns. The capital of Madurai Kingdom during her times was Tiruchy.She endowed the temple of Meenakshi for which Madurai is famous, and ruled in the name of the deity. This was a practice by many rulers at the time who considered themselves to only be a servant while the real ruler was God.

Mangammal died in 1706 after her grandson attained majority and was able to rule. The circumstances of her death are unclear since no verified account is available. 

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Manikkavasagar

Manikkavasagar (maanikkavaasagar) was one of the Four Great Saivite Saints of Tamil Nadu (other three are Sambandar, Appar, and Sundarar). His statue is worshipped in all the shrines of Lord Siva. His great work is a sacred book called Tiruvasagam in Tamil. Even foreigners like Rev G U Pope were attracted by its contents. G U Pope translated the Tamil work into English.

Like other three saints Manikkavasagar also performed miracles, most of which were centred around Madurai Temple. Latest research shows that he lived just before Appar and Sambandar (500 CE).

The strangest mystery is we could not find his name in 9000 poems of Tevaram. Nor we find any reference to other three saints in his Tiruvasagam or Tirukkovaiyar.

In the beginning, he was appointed as the Chief minister by Pandya King Arimarthana. He was born in Tiruvathavur near Madurai. Pandya king came to know that he was a Vedic scholar born in a Brahmin’s family, and appointed him as the Chief minister. Later he faced several problems from the king and led the life of a saint and travelled to several Siva temples in Tamil Nadu. He fought with some Buddhists in Chidambaram. He reached the feet of God at Chidambaram temple.

The history of this great saint is narrated in the Tiruvadavur Puranam and the Tiruvilaiyadal Puranam. All the miracles of his time are reenacted every year in Madurai temple festivals.

To be continued……………….

Tags – HINDU DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH AND TAMIL 59; இந்து மத கலைச்சொல் அகராதி-59, Mandavya, Mahavakyas, Maharishi, Manikkavasagar, Mangayarkarasi, Mahendra Pallava