WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Post No. 10,558

Date uploaded in London – –    13 JANUARY   2022         

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

LET ME CONTINUE MY COMMENTARY ON BHUMI SUKTA IN ATHATHARVANA VEDA (A.V.)

A.V.BOOK 12; HYMN 1 WITH 63 MANTRAS

We have already seen 20 out of 63 mantras or stanzas.  See the attachments for original Sanskrit and English translation of the mantras.

MY COMMENTS

Mantra 21/ Stanza 21

Here the poet echoes the most famous Gayatri Mantra found in all the Four Vedas

“May Mother Earth sharpen me bright and make me aflame”

Compare it with the Gayatri Mantra.

 “We meditate on that most adored Supreme Lord, Sun/the creator, whose effulgence (divine light) illumines all realms (physical, mental and spiritual). May this divine light illumine our intellect. (May He stimulate our intellect)”

Earth is described as ‘clad in her fiery mantle’. It is a beautiful scientific description. Earth is alive and kicking . The space shuttle pictures and Hubble telescope pictures show it with all the illuminated areas. When the Vedic poets sang, there was no electric light. But the millions or billions of Yaga Fire illuminated the Earth. That is what made the poet to say ‘Agnivasa/Fiery Mantle.

xxx

Mantra 22/ Stanza 22

Here the poet describes the decorations and fire altars and the happy men and women wandering.  In another hymn a Vedic poet says ‘let us decorate like a mother decorating/beautifying her child’. All men and women do this to their children. Vedic poets describe also the bedecked, bejewelled brides. So we may get a good picture of decorated fire altar or the entire earth.

I am reminded of two anecdotes-

Sakuntala, the forest beauty, the heroine of world famous Sakunatala Drama of Kalidas decoratesthe  forest. Y/Jugal Prasad, the hero in Aranyak Novel of Bengali writer Vibhuti Bhushan Vandopadhyaya decorates the forest by planting newer species in newer areas in different parts of the forest. He waits for a whole year and feels very happy when they bloom in those areas. He decorated the forest without expecting anything.

Aranyak, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay

The Vedic poet prays also for healthy and long life. The word Jara for old age gives the word Gerontology in European languages.

Xxx

Mantra 23/ Stanza 23

Those who live in villages are very familiar with the fragrance from the earth. For city dwellers it is a rare commodity; in fact, they did not know what it is. He talks about the fragrance in rivers, the plants. Here the word ‘Gandha’ for good smell and fragrance is very important. We find the heavenly singers Gandharvas and heavenly dancers Apsarasses through out Rig Veda (RV) the oldest book in the world. Gandharvas mean sweet smelling. Apsaras are their wives. According to one AV hymn, there are 6333 Gandharvas. We don’t know the significance of this number. Wherever the Number meaning is not known, Western translators reject or ridicule them as ‘fanciful’, ‘meaningless’ numbers!!!

“May no one hate me is added in many stanzas.”

When the poet says it, there is a hidden message. One should not hate another in this beautiful world- The Big Blue Marble. That is why after describing the beauty of earth, he adds it again and again.

Xxxx

Mantra 24/ Stanza 24

Traditional Hindu marriage is celebrated for 4 days. Now a days it is shortened to half a day because of the expenses and travels involved in it. No one celebrates marriage like a Hindu. The decorations and the jewellery involved in it beats all imaginations. The most popular Wedding Mantras in the RV 10-85 and AV 14 give full details where the bride is described ‘You are the Queen’. It elevates women to the highest place. The mantra projects Surya’s bride as an ideal bride. That Surya bride comes in many other Vedic hymns. The poet prays that he should also have the same fragrance as that girl. One who has seen a Tamil Brahmin Family Wedding would know the fragrance of flowers, sandal, Kumnkum, Turmeric and Kasturi. In addition to it, they make fragrance powder with various ingredients. They use it in the bath. (Known as Srivilliputur Andal Snana Powder).

Here the fragrance entering Lotus is also mentioned by the poet. Lotus is the National flower of India. In Tamil the word for Flower and Lotus is same- MALAR. So we may take it as the representative of all flowers. Like peacock, the lotus flower is praised as Satapatra (100 petalled) in Sangam Tamil literature and Sanskrit literature.

Sangam Tamil poems Aka Nanuru 86 and 136 also describe the beautiful Hindu Weddings.

In short, the poet looks at all that is ‘positive on earth’ and then gives the message ‘please don’t hate anyone’ in such a beautiful place called Mother Earth. Throughout the 63 stanzas feminine pronoun SHE is used for Mother Earth.

To be continued……………………………….

tags– earth, bride, fragrance, no hatred