KANCHI SHANKARACHARYA ATTENDED
Post No. 10,420
Date uploaded in London – – 7 DECEMBER 2021
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All of us look at sun and moon going into sea or coming out of sea if you live in a coastal area. In Kanyakumari , the southernmost tip of India, tourists throng to see such memorable scene. We were waiting for an hour to see the sun disappearing/setting in Santorini island in Greece. Unless you go well in advance you wouldn’t get a vantage point to watch it. Vedic rishsis/seers were all over India and they speak about hills and vales, rivers and oceans, stars and planets and sun and moon.
All of us watch the full moon and sun; but only a Vedic seer described it beautifully in a poem. He gave free rein to his imagination. Sun and moon as two youngsters are playing by hiding in sea and coming out of it!! In other words, played Hide and Seek game. As children all of us have played hide and seek. Parents do play this game with their children But look at what a Vedic seer say about it:-
HYMN LXXXI; AV; BOOK 7; SUKTA 396
A hymn to the New Moon
1.Forward and backward by their wondrous power move these
two youths, disporting, round the ocean.
One views all living things, and thou, the other, art born again
arranging times and seasons.
2.Thou art re-born for ever new: thou marchest, ensign of days,
in forefront of the mornings.
Marching thou dealest to the Gods their portion. Thou lengthe-
nest, Moon! the days of man’s existence.
3.O spray of Soma, Lord of Wars! all-perfect verily art thou.
Make me all-perfect, Beauteous One! in riches and in progeny.
4.Thou art the New Moon, fair to see, thou art complete in every
part.
May I be perfect, fully blest in every way in steeds and kine, in
children, cattle, home, and wealth.
5.Inflate thee with his vital breath who hathes us and whom we
detest.
May we grow rich in steeds and kine, in children, cattle, houses,
wealth.
5.With that unwasting stalk which Gods, unwasting Gods, in-
crease and eat, p. a307
May Varuna, Brihaspati, and Indra, the Lords and Guardians of
the world, increase us.
XXX
PUN ON WORDS
FOREIGN GANG UNDER MAX MULLER GOT CONFUSED IN TRANSLATING AND INTERPRETING VEDAS.
The reason being they started translating them to denigrate or belittle Hinduism.
They did not believe in what Hindus believed. Moreover, they believed a faith which has quite opposite views.
Above all, those idiots wrote from foreign soil. Though a few people like Ralph T H Griffith lived in India, they did not practise Hinduism. Unless you practise something you wouldn’t know the intricacies, significance and the symbolic meanings in such things. Max Muller never visited India. Max Muller gang never watched anything Hindu. May be, he may have seen some pictures.
Vedic rishis sing and dance saying we love talking in mysterious language; coded language; symbolic language. They just use numbers and leave it for your interpretation. Many thousand years after Vedic seers, Tamil Siddhas used that symbolic language. I have never seen such poems in any other language in the world. The number f poems with NUMBERS are enormous in the Rig Veda, the oldest book in the world, dated between 4000 BCE and 1500 BCE.
There is another difficulty in translating or interpreting Vedas. Several words, used quite often, have two or three meanings. Vedic rishis enjoyed pun on words like SINDHU, PASU, AYAS, MANU, SOMA, SEA/SKY, SARASVATI, INDRA, SHIP, ASVA etc
Actually we also do use such words with double meaning; every language has it. But one who is in the field, knows what one wants to say in a particular circumstance.
xxx
MY COMMENTS
Here is my comment. Two youths are playing in the sea. Both sea and sky are blue in colour. So foreigners translated all seas as sky in the Vedas. That is a blunder. In this sukta also they did it. They say that two youths are playing in the sky. But it would make better sense if you imagine the real sea. Youths do this in village ponds and wells. They do play hide and seek in water and on the ground. One must underline the words
Forward and backward by their wondrous power move these
two youths, disporting, round the ocean.
One views all living things, and thou, the other, art born again
arranging times and seasons.
The footnote says it is already in the Rig Veda 10-85-18
Most of the Atharvana Veda poems are taken from the oldest book in the world Rig Veda and presented with some minor changes. I don’t know why they did it.
Stanza /Mantra 2
Here is a beautiful description. Moon is described as the FLAG of the day. It announces the arrival of sun and disappears/sets. Hindus invented FLAG. It is in Harappan seal. Flags are in Ramayana and Mahabharata. Even today if you go to Tamil Nadu you can see the carriers of flags and other symbols go first, followed by drums on bulls, elephant and camels. Vedic pundits reciting Vedas also are part of the procession. Those who have not seen such things, couldn’t interpret Vedas properly. In North India, all such things gone into oblivion because of continuous foreign attacks from outside India.
There is another important statement in mantra two- YOU/moon LENGHTHEN THE DAYS OF MAN’S EXISTENCE.
This is a scientific matter which neither Russian nor American scientists have found yet. Throughout the Vedas, Moon is associated with plants’ growth. Soma stands for Moon and Soma herb. Mysterious properties of Soma plant are described all over the Vedas.
In Bhagavad Gita 9-20, Lord Krishna says
Those who drink Soma juice are cleansed of sin. By drinking the juice in fire sacrifices they go to heaven.
Greatest of the modern Tamil poets, Subrahmanya Bharati also praised Soma juice in two verses.
Dalavaipuram Copper Plates of Pandya Parantaka Veera Narayanan of 9th century CE praised ‘Manosuddha Somabana Kataka Soma Yaji’. One who drinks the Soma Juice is purified in Mind. It is an elixir which elevates you spiritually.
Kanchi Paramacharya in his Vijaya Yatra book says those who do Soma Yaga (Fire sacrifice) are given white umbrella. Sanskrit literature and later Sangam Tamil literature also show white umbrella are held only by emperors.
Now I wonder the Soma here means the herb Soma or the Moon Soma. Moon associated with growth is yet to be confirmed by science. Seeing moon immediately after new moon day and full moon day are considered holy. If one sees 1000 such full moons then it leads to a great celebration.
Foreigners don’t know a thing about this Great Hindu ceremony known as Sahasra Chandra/Soma Darsana Ceremony.
Here is an old news item from year 2008:–
Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshana Santhi Mahotsavam
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba , the Divine incarnation of the Kali Yuga is entering the auspicious 83rd year of His advent on 23rd November, 2008. This holy event is an occasion providing us a unique opportunity to observe and celebrate it in a grand and auspicious manner.
The celebration of the completion of 1000 full moon days of the divine incarnation is a unique and auspicious event.
Words can’t explain the kind of bliss that thousands of devotees witnessed during the last day of Sahasra Poorna Chandra Darshana Shanthi Mahotsavam.
Apart from the many thousands, there were many Swami ji’s belonging to various temples, spiritual organisations and Institutions. The atmosphere was totally Divine and why not – it was the day to thank the DIVINE for coming to His world, and witnessing 1000 full moons in this BODY.
Kanchi Shankaracharya Sri Jayendra Sarasvathi attended the event along with other Heads of Mutts.
In short, moon is associated with growth and longevity.
Mantra 3
Here moon is linked with soma herb.
Lord of War is Moon! In all cultures planet Mars is associated with war. The colour of the planet is also blood red. But here, moon is called God of War! The footnote adds “probably because the first quarter of the moon was considered a favourable time for predatory excursions”.
But I think moon is associated with mind according to Vedas (RV.10-90). Next mantra is also about the tidal force
(High tides and low tides are caused by the moon. The moon’s gravitational pull generates something called the tidal force. The tidal force causes Earth—and its water—to bulge out on the side closest to the moon and the side farthest from the moon. These bulges of water are high tides.)
Mantra 4
Special fire sacrifices are done on New Moon and Full Moon days. Goddesses Anumati and Raka are worshipped by Vedic Hindus. And the Yagas are called Darsa purnamasa. New moon day called Amavasya is also important. Some people start the Hindu month from Amvasya . Here First seen is Amavasya. And then the seer prays for children, cattle, horse, house and wealth it made more sense when they did special sacrifices. but later they left the fire sacrifice and started Purnima Puja. It is very popular among Devi worshippers. They do Pur nami puja with flowers and offer cooked Prasad. (I have seen it performed by Swamiji Krishna of Ayakkudi near Tenkasi)
New moon is described as ‘complete’. For Hindus it is a complete day. They start new ventures on New Moon day.
Mantra 5
Here the seer asks the moon to bulge, surge. We know it happens on both full moon and new moon days. It disturbs people who are already suffering from mental health problems. And the argument is human body contains 70 percent water like earth. So the moon affects humans as well, particularly on Full moon and New moon days.
Here also the seer prays for all good things.
Mantra 6
Now there is a clear reference to Soma juice and its effect on Devas/ heavenly people. Like gods we must also increase/ grow prays the mantra. In short give us growth
The important thing is previous two mantras are also about Full moon and New moon days.
So it is better to look at them together. (I am giving them separately)
–subham–
tags- Moon, Sahasra Chandra, Soma, Hide and seek,Sun and moon, Growth
Tamil and Vedas 