கார்திகை மகா தீப திருவிழா (kaarthigai magaa dhIpa thiruvizhaa)

திருசிற்றம்பலம்!

தென்னாடுடைய சிவனே போற்றி! ! 

என்னட்டவர்க்கும் இறைவா போற்றி!!

கார்திகைக்குக் கார்த்திகை நாள் ஒரு ஜோதி 

மலை நுனியில் காட்டா நிற்போம்

வாய்த்த அந்தச் சுடர்காணில் பசிபிணியில்

லாதுகளில் மன்னி வாழ்வார்

பார்த்திவர்க்கும் அருந்தவர்க்கும் இடையூறு

தவிரும் இது பணிந்தோர் கண்டோர்

கோத்திரத்தில் இருபத்தோர் தலைமுறைக்கு

முத்திவரங் கொடுப்போம் என்றார்.  

ஸ்ரீ அருணாசல புராணம் 

(

In the month of Karthigai, when the moon is 

in the constellation of krittikka,

I shall mount a bright beacon upon the summit of this mountain .

They who see this most excellent light will endure 

and prosper upon the earth, free of disease and hunger.

The obstacles confronting kings and great ascetics will be removed   

We shall grant the boon of Liberation to the kin of those

who have praised or gazed upon it down to the twenty-first generation.

sri aruNaachala puraaNam

)

In the early hours of today morning, the sacred பரணி தீபம் (baraNi dhIpam) was lit while today evening is the grand finale of கார்திகை மகா தீப திருவிழா (kaarthigai magaa dhIpa thiruvizhaa) at திருவண்ணமலை அருணாச்சலேஸ்வரர் திருக்கோயில் (thiruvaNNaamalai aruNaachalEshvarar thirukkOyil). திருவண்ணமலை (thiruvaNNaamalai) is considered one of the most sacred शिवालय (śivālaya – shiva temple).  ஸ்ரீ அருணாசல புராணம் (sri aruNaachala puraaNam) eulogizes the தல பெருமை (thala perumai - temple glory) and மூர்த்தி பெருமை (mUrthi perumai - deity glory) as

இரவிகள், சந்திரர், வயிரவர், விஞ்சையர், இமையவர், எண்திசையோர்

உரகர், அருந்தவர், முனிவரர், பங்கையர், உவண நெடுங்கொடியோர்,

பரவி நெருங்களில் உலகம் நிறைந்தவர் பணியும் இடங்கிடையாது  

"அரகர" என்பது கடலில் முழங்கியது, அருணை வளம்பதியே.

மணிகொண்ட நெடுங்கடலில் விழி வளரும் திருமாலும் மறியினானும் 
பனிகொண்ட பாதலத்தும் பூதலத்தும்  மீதலத்தும் பரிந்து தேட,
அணிகொண்ட பிரமாண்ட கோளகைபொன் கோளகையாய் அழகு காட்ட,
கணிகொண்ட ஒரு, வரை ஆம் ஒருவரை, யாம்  அகலாது கருத்துள் சேர்ப்பாம்

ஒருமானைக் கரத்தினில்வைத்து, ஒருமானைச் சிரத்தினில் வைத்து, உலகம் ஏழும் 
தரும்மானை இடத்தினில்வைத்து அருள்வானை, பவளநெடும் சயிலம் போல
வரும் ஆனை முகத்தானை அளித்தானை, பொரும் ஆனை மகிழ ஏறும்,
பெருமானை அருணகிரிப் பெம்மானை அடிப்பனிந்து பிறவி தீர்பாம்.  

(

That place where Suns, Moons, Bhairavas, Vidhyadharas, Gods,

the Guardian of the Eight Directions, 

the denziens of the serpent realm, great tapasvis, rishis,

Lotus-dwelling Brahmas and Vishnus with their nobel garuda ensigns

spread out over the earth in dense crowd,

without even the space to bow down in worship;

where the cry 'harahara' goes up, like the ocean's roar,

is the rich and noble sthala of Arunai!       

Unfailing shall we hold in our thoughts 

the One who has become a unique mountain (of fire);

He whose divine will it was to reveal His beauty,

transforming the fair universal shell 

into a sphere of pure gold,

as Holy Mal, who slumbers in the deep, gem-strewn ocean, 

and (Brahma), the Veda's Lord, suffered,

Seeking Him upon the earth and in the heavens,

and in the infernal regions, where serpant naggas dwell.

He holds  a deer in his hand 

and bears the Ganga in his locks;

He keeps as Half of Himself the maiden Parvati,

who in grace begets the seven worlds;

He fathered the elephant-headed (Ganesha),

who towers up like a tall mountain of coral;

He joyfully bestrides a waring bull;

He is our Noble Lord, Arunagiri,

whose holy feet we worship to free ourselves from birth. 

-translation by Robert Butler            

)

In fact, it is widely believed that “திருவண்ணாமலையனை நினைத்தாலே முக்தி (thiruvaNNamaliyanai ninaiththaalE mukthi – Even the very thought of the Lord at Thiruvannamalai leads one to liberation)”. This fact is testified in the sacred श्री अरुणाचल महात्म्य (śrī aruṇācala mahātmya) section of the sacred  स्कन्द महा पुराण (skanda mahā purāṇa)

दर्शनाद्भ्रसदसि जन्मनः कमलाल्ये।

काश्यान्तु मरणात् मुक्तिः स्मरणादरुणाचले॥

(

dharśanād abhrasadasi jananataḥ kamalālaye|

kāśyāntu maraṇāth mukthiḥ aruṇācale||

one gets liberated by seeing chidambaram

by being born in thiruvarur where there is the tank kamalaalaya

by dying at kashi and by merely thinking of arunachala

)

स्कन्द महा पुराण (skanda mahā purāṇa) 

The sacred திருவண்ணமலை / श्री अरुणाचल / श्री अरुणगिरि (thiruvaNNaamalai / śrī aruṇācala / aruṇagiri – Sacred Fire Hill) is considered to be one of the most popular forms of स्वयंभु अग्नि लिङ्ग (svayaṁbhu agni liṅga – Natural Fire Pillar). Etymologically, this name of the mountain is derived from the terms अरुणा (aruṇā – Red/Fiery Sun) and अचल गिरि (achala giri – immovable mountain). In other words, the sacred mountain, refers to the Cosmic Pillar of Reddened Solar Fire and in fact, traditionally this क्षेत् (kṣetra – shrine) is one of the पञ्चमहाभूत स्तल (pañcamahābhūta stala – Five Core Principle Shrines) and affiliated to the अग्नि तत्त्व (agni tattva – fire principle).

The famous अरुणचल महात्ंयम् (aruṇacala mahātṁyam), श्री सूत संहित (śrī sūta saṁhita) from the स्कन्द महा पुराण (skanda mahā purāṇa) and various other scriptures testify that Lord Siva “Himself manifested as a column of fire before us. The Column transcended all the worlds and its limits could not be perceived”

According to a mythological legend, the absolute परब्रह्मन् (parabrahman – supreme divinity) theologized here as परमशिव (paramaśiva), manifested Himself as the cosmic स्वयंभु अग्नि लिङ्ग (svayaṁbhu agni liṅga – natural fire pillar) in order to resolve the ego conflicts between the सगुण ब्रह्म देवत (saguṇa brahma devata) viz. ब्रह्म (brahma) & विष्णू (viṣṇū) and re-establish the transcendence and omnipotence of the Absolute. The following verses from विद्येश्वर संहिता (vidyeśvara saṁhitā) in the sacred शिव महा पुराण (śiva mahā purāṇa) very categorically eulogizes the स्वयंभु अग्नि लिङ्ग (svayaṁbhu agni liṅga – natural fire pillar) at திருவண்ணமலை (thiruvaNNaamalai)

रणरङ्गत्त्लेऽमुष्मिन्यदहं लिङ्गवर्ष्मणा।

ज़ृम्बितो लिङ्गवत्तस्मालिङ्गस्थानिमिधं भव्त्॥

अनाद्यन्तमिदं स्तम्भम्णुमात्रं भविष्यति।

दर्शनतं हि जगतां पूजानर्थं हि पुत्रकौ॥

भोगवावह्मिदं लिङ्गं भुक्तिमुक्त्येकसाथ्नम्।

दर्शनस्पर्शनध्यानाज्जन्तूनां जन्मोचनम्॥

अनलाचमसङ्काशं यदिदं लिङ्गमुत्थितम्।

अरुणाचलमियेव तदिदम् ख्यातिमेष्यति॥

(

raṇaraṅgattle'muṣminyadahaṁ liṅgavarṣmaṇā|

zṛmbito liṅgavattasmāliṅgasthānimidhaṁ bhavt||

anādyantamidaṁ stambhamṇumātraṁ bhaviṣyati|

darśanataṁ hi jagatāṁ pūjānarthaṁ hi putrakau||

bhogavāvahmidaṁ liṅgaṁ bhuktimuktyekasāthnam|

darśanasparśanadhyānājjantūnāṁ janmocanam||

analācamasaṅkāśaṁ yadidaṁ liṅgamutthitam|

aruṇācalamiyeva tadidam khyātimeṣyati||

In the battle-ground of both of you, I had appeared in linga, therefore the place will be known as linga-stana.

O Sons, this is without the beginning or the end. This s a huge pillar, but for the sake of the human beings, it would be smaller.

The linga would be the cause of the pleasure as well as the redemption. By having a look at it or by touching it and meditating it, one would be freed from the bondage of birth and death.

This linga appeared at this place like a mountain of fire, therefore, this place will be known in this world by the name of Arunachala.

)-शिव महा पुराण (śiva mahā purāṇa)

Saint Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi, in his famous translation (in Tamil) of the अरुणचल महात्ंयम् (aruṇacala mahātṁyam) declares thus, “Arunachala is truly the holy place. Of all holy places it is the most sacred! Know that it is the heart of the world. It is truly Siva himself! It is his heart-abode, a secret kshetra. In that place the Lord ever abides the hill of light named Arunachala.” Similarly, the sacred mountain कैलास् (kailās) in the Tibetan range of the Himalayan belt is another classic example of such स्वयंभु अग्नि लिङ्ग (svayaṁbhu agni liṅga – Natural Fire Pillar). Obviously, it could be considered as one of the tallest लिङ्ग (liṅga –pillar) in the world, while the former, is perhaps the oldest, as per geological studies

Unlike other temples, at திருவண்ணமலை (thiruvannamali) is unique in the sense, the mountain itself is considered as the प्रधान स्वम्भु लिङ्ग (pradhāna svambhu liṅga) and hence circumambulating the same is given highest importance. 

In the case of the sacred श्री अरुणाचलेश्वर माहलय (śrī aruṇācaleśvara māhalaya) at திருவண்ணமலை (thiruvannamali), the scope of प्रदक्षिन परिक्रम (pradakṣina parikrama – rightward circumambulation) rite is further extended beyond the regular circumambulation of the temple premises to गिरिप्रदक्षिन (giripradakṣina) - the circumambulation around the sacred अरुणगिरि (aruṇagiri – Aruna mountain). The whole 14 KM stretch of गिरिप्रदक्षिन पाद (giripradakṣina pāda – circumambulatory path around hill) is filled with many other smaller shrines including the आदि अरुणाचलेश्र आलय (ādi aruṇācaleśra ālaya), अष्ठ दिक् लिङ्ग (aṣṭha dik liṅga) viz. इन्द्र लिङ्ग (indra liṅga), अग्नि लिङ्ग (agni liṅga), यम लिङ्ग (yama liṅga), नृति लिङ्ग (nṛti liṅga), वरुणलिङ्ग (varuṇaliṅga), वायु लिङ्ग (vāyu liṅga), कुबेर लिङ्ग (kubera liṅga) & ईसान लिङ्ग (īsāna liṅga). 

Every பௌர்ணமி திதி (pourṇima tithi – full moon day) several thousands of சிவனடியார்கள் (sivanadiyaargaL – Siva devotees) from different parts of South India visit the holy city of திருவண்ணமலை (thiruvannamali) and undertake the sacred गिरिप्रदक्षिन (giripradakṣina) and during special occasions like சித்திரா பௌர்ணமி (chiththiraa paurNami), गुरु पूर्णिमा (guru pūrṇimā), கார்திகை மகா தீப திருவிழா (kaarthigai magaa dhIpa thiruvizhaa), the crowd multiplies multi fold. 

Saiva tradition gives high importance to this ritual as it carries deep spiritual significance as highlighted by revered sage of Arunachala, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi, 

Pradakshina (the Hindu rite of going round the object of worship) is "All is within me." The true significance of the act of going round Arunachala is said to be as effective as circuit round the world. That means that the whole world is condensed into this Hill. The circuit round the temple of Arunachala is equally good; and self-circuit (i.e. turning round and round) is as good as the last. So all are contained in the Self. Says the Ribhu Gita: "I remain fixed, whereas innumerable universes becoming concepts within my mind, rotate within me. This meditation is the highest circuit (pradakshina)

गुणां च दर्शनादूरे कैवल्यं स्मरणेन वा।

अस्तु वेदान्त विज्ञानं न साध्यं निष्प्रयास्तः॥

(

guṇāṁ ca darśanādūre kaivalyaṁ smaraṇena vā|

astu vedānta vijñānaṁ na sādhyaṁ niṣprayāstaḥ||

Let there be liberation for men by seeing (this mountain),

or (simply) through recollection of it, (since)

the true understanding of Vedanta,  

is not to be obtained without great difficulty.  

-translation Robert Butler

)श्री अरुणाचल महात्म्य (śrī aruṇācala mahātmya)

அருணாச்சல சிவ, அருணாச்சல சிவ, 

அருணாச்சலா....

திருசிற்றம்பலம்!