Based on this finding, the researchers deem that these sections may be attributed to being written by these maharishis. But that is a wrong determination.The reason being, in certain circumstances we see that the perumal has told information via the archakamukEna. If perumal wants to tell any information, the archakar will get an exalted state and within this state, the perumal will talk. If such a talk comes, then it is not the archakar's words, its indeed the perumal himself talking. But we can say that such and such archakar in whom the perumal appeared and spoke the words, the opinion of the perumal came via "archakamukEna" to us. Similarly in the vedas, wherever there is mention of Yajnavalkya or Moudgalya, its through them that the opinion of the perumal has come to be represented but it is not the words of the maharishis themselves. Usually the known facts will not be told in the vedas. Which can be seen is not told in the vedas. This is Sun, this is moon, this is the earth, if a seed is sown on earth it will grow etc - for these things, the vedas is not meant for nor does it speak of. We usually go to a Guru to be under his care, he is a mahan and the reason why we go to a mahan is not to know the things which we already know but mainly to know and understand those things which we yet do not know. Some very small things we see with a microscope and large or far off distant things we see with a telescope. But indeed, these are already present. It is just that these things are far off, it is not visible to the eye. But when seen using a telescope these are visible. Because something thats very very tiny it is not visible to the naked eye, but when using a microscope this can be seen. Similarly God, Papam, Punyam, devathas, other worlds can be seen, for that the mind has to be controlled and seen within, that mind has to be clean, that mind has to be filled with samskaras, the mind has to be sattvic, tender and soft. With such a mind, many things which we dont know or understand will start to be understood.
But they did neither. Because these kings have understood that the vedas cannot be saved either by writing on the stone walls or preserving in a temple made especially for vedas.
The vedas have to be told and told and in practice all the time. Because what is most important for the vedas is pronounciation, modulation as these are mantras. If the pronounciation or modulation is changed, the mantras will not bear fruit. The only way the vedas can be saved is by reading and reading over time and centuries. For those who are reading thus, it is not necessary if they know the meaning of it or not, someone who comes in the future will know the meaning of these mantras and its significance. So these people who keep reading over time and centuries are the bridge so that someone in the future may be able to get the vedas.
There is a story about this. There was a matruthirunAzhi ("handicapped person") who was blind. This matruthirunAzhi is walking in pitch darkness. In his hand he has a torchlight. Two people coming from the opposite direction look at him curiously and comment "It does not matter for you whether it is light or darkness, you are a handicapped person with blindness, why then you hold a torchlight". To this the matruthirunAzhi responded beautifully, "True that I am blind, but you should not in this darkness bump into me, isn't it and that is the reason why I carry this light with me. Even though this light may not be useful to me, it is still useful to others and that is why I carry this with me".
Likewise, this vedas, whether we are chanting with meaning or not, be it ramayana, mahabharata, our itihaasas, upanishads, brahmasutras, divyaprabhandam - all these are for the next generation who will be amazed, astonished and filled with wonder at the magnificence within all this. We have to carefully and very responsibly make sure that this is safely transferred to the hands of the next generation. Otherwise there will be tremendous loss, a great loss! Such has been the way this vedas have been saved and saved over centuries and even today it is safe within our hands.
Think about this, even today, for pArayanam, we have the Valmiki Ramayanam. 1,00,000 slokas contained in the mahabharata is available with us even today for the pArayanam. Bhagavatham is available for the pArayanam. We do not know when Sages Valmiki or Vyasa lived, we have already told that these are not charithram, all these are yugAntharam. When we split the ages, we split to show that one part of it is history and the other part of it is the purAnas. When doing so, all these charithrams went into the purAnas. How did Valmiki write the Ramayanam and published it? Did Valmiki gave out free copies to many people? Was this kept as a book in an university? But even today, everyone gets the Ramayana, Mahabharata, the vedas - ALL THIS IS REALLY AMAZING!!!
Likewise for the 4000 Divya Prabhandam, Thirumangaiazhwar prayed to the bhagavan himself to obtain a status equal to what has been attributed to the vedas which we have seen already. During the karthikai month, beholding the thirumanjanam of the lord, in a divine voice, when Thirumangaiazhwar beautifully sang the thirunidanthAndagam, Lord Sriranganathar became so pleased with it and asked azhwar what he desired. "When Nammazhwar approaches and during the uthsavams, when the veda adhyayanam is being seen and performed, the thiruvaimozhi written by "sadagOpan" - Nammazhwar should be listened by the Lord and given a status equal to the Vedas" was what azhwar requested in return and perumal approved it and every year this uthsavam happens, which we saw earlier. What happened after the end of the azhwar period was that the kings of the chola, chera, pandya, kalinga dynasty as well as the vijayanagara kings formed small kingdoms all around in the south. If we just take Tamil Nadu, there were many kingdoms, similarly in Karnataka, Andhra, Maharashtra, many armies coming from the North as well which destroyed the peace of the people in all these places. The Divya prabhandams were being composed over time and centuries by the azhwars and therefore there was no written inscription of these and they therefore disappeared. 1 or 2 were with someone or the other, say with about 10 compositions, but the complete 4000 prabhandams and the songs sung by the 12 azhwars were not available in a combined or comprehensive form. Such a period came into being and what a great loss it was! Because whatever was in the vedas, all of which was contained in the 4000 divyaprabhandams as well including all the facts available in the puranas, itihaasas. In the KulasEkarAzhwar, there is the Ramayanam, within the periyAzhwar nAcchiar thirumozhi, the bhagavatham as well as the leelas of Lord Srikrishna, essence of the vedas. But everyone can ask, there is the Ramayana, Bhagavatham, Bharatam,Vishnu Dharmam why then we need the compositions of the azhwars? One cannot ask this question, why, because this is in the Mother tongue, Tamil. Not only being in the mother tongue, it is very simple and easily understandable by each and everyone. Being presented in the mother tongue and the Dravida veda, this can be read by everyone with no norms or procedures set for reading this. Besides this being in the mother tongue, the convenience is like this. When we usually speak in the language begot with learning, the thought within us initially arises in our mother tongue whilst the speech comes out in the language we have learned. With difficulty we convert the thought in the language of the mother tongue into english, say for example. Whereas in the Mother tongue, the thought will flow smoothly and rapidly into words easily. So if we try to ask our prayers in a different language, when we apply thought to it, the prayer content will not flow smoothly. The bhakthi we perform to the lord must be like how we fondly and lovingly talk to a small child. The pooja we perform to the Lord must be like how we offer our respects to a mahan. Like how we take care when talking to a higher official and what are the norms we usually follow in the manner of respect, rule and order, the pooja to the bhagavan must be performed likewise. But when speaking to a child or with one whom we have great freedom, without applying any thought, words coming easily straight from the heart is called bhakthi. So for bhakthi, speaking in the mother tongue will be the most simpler. Therefore the 4000 prabhandam containing all the pasurams is not available in one collection with anyone. Some bhakthars had about 10 pAsurams by madhurakaviazhwar, some bhakthars had the nammAzhwar pAsurams, here and there we get some and some more. For the community of bhakthars not possessing the complete 4000 divya prabhandam as one collection became a great loss. Everyone knows the existence of this, not only that, Thirumangaiazhwar obtained from the perumal the status of the prabhandam in the language of the south to being equal to that of the vedas.
In Srirangam, during the month of marghazhi, the adhyayanam uthsavam was happening is also very well known. From the banks of the River thamaraparani, at the place called azhwarthirunagari, NammAzhwar, Madhurakaviazhwar came here to srirangam participated in the uthsavam and then returned back to azhwarthirunagari is also well known. Everyone is speaking within the temple, saying such an uthsavam happened here in Srirangam, where did the 4000 divya prabhandam go? Will this be got again? This became a saying over time and centuries.
Thus everyone keeps saying. In certain temples, where the uthsavams that were happening suddenly stopped, likewise in Srirangam, after the time of Thirumangaiazhwar, the adhyayanam uthsavam stopped. Then the elders of the those yonder times have told about this uthsavam and the acharya purushars have come to know of this and how this will be taken back by the perumal once again and were looking towards it with expectation. After this, the 4000 divyaprabhandam once again was obtained by someone from nammAzhwar.
Subham
Radhe Radhe
Read more translations of the other episodes at: http://aranganinarumai.blogspot.com/
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