Thursday, April 28, 2022

Sage Agastya in Nepal

 

Airavatesvara Temple; Excavations
Location:
Darasuram (Tamil Nadu, India)
View:
Sculpt.: sage Agasthya
Work type:
Archaeological site
Subject:
sculpture (visual works); Agasthya; rishis
Description:
Archaeological excavations began in 1985 under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Provenance:
MacDougall, Robert D. (Robert Duncan), 1940-1987
Repository:
Knight Visual Resources Facility; Cornell University; Ithaca, NY 14853; USA)
Call Number:
B-Q5 Dar 3.4 Air 7-4
Accession Number:
MCD_02491
Accession Number:
88000405
Agastya, Darasuram temple.
See: http://www.ulakaththamizh.org/JOTSpdf/030024037.pdf  Journal of Tamil Studies, 1986 December, pp.24-37
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00151/Dr_Iravatham_Mahade_151204a.pdf Mahadevan, Iravatham, Akam and Puram: 'Address' signs of the Indus script


The colloquy of Indra and Agastya

----Rig-Veda 1.170 * ऋग्वेद: सूक्तं १.१७०----

न नूनमस्ति नो श्वः कस्तद्वेद यदद्भुतम् ।
अन्यस्य चित्तमभि संचरेण्यमुताधीतं वि नश्यति ॥१॥
 
It is not now, nor is It tomorrow; who knoweth that which is Supreme and Wonderful? It has motion and action in the consciousness of another, but when It is approached by the thought, It vanishes.

किं न इन्द्र जिघांससि भ्रातरो मरुतस्तव ।
तेभिः कल्पस्व साधुया मा नः समरणे वधीः ॥२॥

Why dost thou seek to smite us, O Indra? The Maruts are thy brothers. Through them achieve perfection; slay us not in our struggle.

किं नो भ्रातरगस्त्य सखा सन्नति मन्यसे ।
विद्मा हि ते यथा मनोऽस्मभ्यमिन्न दित्ससि ॥३॥

Indra- Why, O my brother Agastya, art thou my friend, yet set thy thought beyond me? For well do I know how to us, thou will not give thy mind.

अरं कृण्वन्तु वेदिं समग्निमिन्धतां पुरः ।
तत्रामृतस्य चेतनं यज्ञं ते तनवावहै ॥४॥

Let them make ready the altar, let them set Agni in blaze in front. It is there, in the awakening of the consciousness to Immortality, we shall extend to thee the effective sacrifice.
त्वमीशिषे वसुपते वसूनां त्वं मित्राणां मित्रपते धेष्ठः ।
इन्द्र त्वं मरुद्भिः सं वदस्वाध प्राशान ऋतुथा हवींषि ॥५॥

O Lord of substance over all substances of being, thou art the master in force! O Lord of Love over the powers of love, thou art the strongest to hold in status! Do thou, O Indra, agree with the Maruts and then enjoy the offerings in the established method of the Truth.

sage agastyaAgastya at Pongala Para, ( a rock ) in Agastyarkoodam, the highest peak in Kerala after Anamudi. The spot is situated about 70 kms. from Thiruvananthapuram.
India, Bihar, Lakhi Sarai, South Asia
The Maharishi (Great Sage) Agastya, 12th century
Sculpture; Stone, Chloritoid phyllite, 26 3/4 x 14 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (67.95 x 36.2 x 12.07 cm)
Gift of the 2005 Collectors Committee (M.2005.30) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WLA_lacma_12th_century_Maharishi_Agastya.jpg


Tamil Vēḷir kings coming from Dwaraka. 49 generations ago is cited in Sangam text (Puranaanuru):

நீயே வடபால் முனிவன் தடவினுள் தோன்றி

செம்பு புனைந்து இயற்றிய சேண் நெடும் புரிசை

உவராஈகை துவரை ஆண்டு

நாற்பத்தொன்பது வாழிமுறை வந்த

வேளிருள் வேளே விறற்போர் அண்ணல்

தார் அணி யானைச்சேட்டு இருங்கோவே

nīyē vaapāl munivan taavinu tōni
cempu punaintu iya
ṛṛiya cēṇṇeum puricai
uvar
ā īkai tuvarai āṇṭu
n
āṛpattonpadu vaimuai vanta
V
ēḷiru Vēḷē vi ṟar- pōr aṇṇal
t
āraiyānaic cēṭṭu irunkōve


Trans. of tuvarai āṇṭu
n
āṛpattonpadu vaimuai vanta
V
ēḷiru Vēḷē: 'king among kings, ruling Dwaraka and descending from 49 generations' and refers to a Cera king (i.e. king in Kerala).

Averaging 25 years per generation, the 49 generations mentioned in this verse traces the genealogy of Vēḷir back by 1225 years. If the movement of the people (yadava, a_yarkulam) from Dwaraka is related to the submergence of Dwaraka as mentioned in the mausala parvan of Mahabharata, the early presence of Vēḷirin Dwaraka may be traced to c. 3000 BCE and hence, dating the Vēḷirof Sangam Age in southern Bharat to 1775 BCE (that is 3000 BCE minus 1225).

Agastya in Ramayana and Kalidasa:


Ghurye, G.S.,1977, Indian Acculturation: Agastya and Skanda, Bombay, Popular Prakashan: "In the Ramayana we have a much more explicit and expanded reference to Agastya's association with the extreme south-east and the Pandyas. It occurs when Sugriva, organising his campaign of search for Sita, describes various parts of the country, and assigns them for search to his lieutenants. (Ram. IV, 41.13-20). After mentioning the country of the Cholas, the Pandyas and Keralas, Sugriva fixes his emphasis on the Malaya mountain, otherwise known as Ayomukha, i.e., 'Iron-faced'. He fixes up the Kaveri river there and also the Tamraparni not far away and says: "You will see at the top of the mountain Agastya the greatest of sages sitting composed shining like like the sun." There "you will ask Agastya's permission and then can cross the Tamraparni and proceeding further you will see the Pandyakavata, the gate of the Pandyas. At that point you will notice the Mahendra mountain which was cast by Agastya in the ocean. Beyond that there is the island which is cursed Ravana's abode." The Tamraparni, Pandya Kavata and Mt. Mahendra are mentioned in Kautilya's Arthasastra (II, II, 29) as sources of pearls… Kalidasa speaks of the south as the quarter of the earth which is presided over or occupied by Agastya (Raghuvamsa,IV, 44)...He was the ooficiating priest for a Pandya king in the performance of great Vedic sacrifices like the horse-sacrifice. The Pandya king was accontemporary of the Ikshvaku king Aja, Rama's grandfather, and was present at the choice-marriage of the Vidarbha princess Indumati. The Pandya king, having obtained a special weapon from Lord Siva had become so powerful that the overlord of Lanka (Ravana), when he left his kingdom in search of his adventurous campaign against Indra, thought it prudent to effect a peace- treaty with him so that his dominions in India, not very far from that of the Pandya king's domain should be unmolested. The capital of the Pandya king was the town known as Uraga, which, as the great commentator Mallinatha tells us, was situated on the coast of Kanyakubja, i.e. what has been known popularly as Kanyakumari or Cape Comorin. Both the Kaveri and the Tamraparni rivers are mentioned as having been in his dominion (Raghu, IV, 45-50; VI, 59-62). A long necklace worn by the king around his neck is specially mentioned." (pp.21,31).

Images of Agastya in Nepal, Carol Radcliffe Bolon Artibus Asiae Vol. 51, No. 1/2 (1991), pp. 75-89
See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/11/agastya-in-java-guimet-museum.html Agastya in Java.
The podcast concludes with chanting of Aditya Hridayam which he wrote for Rama to give him strength to kill Ravana, and then Lalitha Trishati; the 300 names of Lalitha, the playful form of the goddess.