God as seen in the illuminating flame

DhIpAvaLi and JyOthi as saluted by VedAs and Upanishads

Dear BhakthAs: During this DhIpAvaLi day, let us remember the Vedic salutations to JyOthi . We will recall three Veda manthrams and comment on them . They are:

1) Rg Vedam: III.39.7

JYOTHIR VRUNEETHA tamasO vijAnann aarE syAma duritAd abhIkE
imaa gira: sOmapA: sOmavruddha jushAsvEndhra purutamasya kaarO:

(meaning): The discriminating intellect pushes away the darkness  from LIGHT . May we be kept far away and be detached from any inauspiciousness! Oh Supreme Being ! May Thou accept our highest salutations mingled with devotion and become pleased with the tributes originating from Your devout worshippers.

2) Rg Vedam: III.39.8

JYOTHIR YAJN~AYA rOdasI anu shyAdh aarE syaAma dhurithasya bhUrE:
bhUri chid dhi tujathO martyasya supAraso vasavO BarhaNAvath

(Meaning): Let there be LIGHT THROUGH BOTH THE REALMS OF BODY AND MIND for performing aarAdhanam (worshipful acts) to You. May we be kept in a place far away from all  inauspiciousness. May the boon giving Supreme Being (Varadhan) grant us auspiciousness and  accept our offerings from as benovolent supplicants.

3) UttarArchika Saaman : 1031( Rg Vedam:9.86.10)

JYOTHIR YAJ~NSAYA PAVATHE  madhu priyam pitA dEvAnAm janithA vibhUvasu:
dhadhAthi ratnam svadhayOr apIchyam madhintamO matsara indhriyO rasa:

(meaning): " It ( the elixir, the SomA Juice) is the LIGHT OF THE COSMIC SACRIFICE. It  distills in to sweet and delightful juices. It is the parent of  Nature's bounties ad the generator of all and  the possessor of ample wealth .This, the most exhilirating  and the nourishing elixir supports the hidden treasures of heaven and earth ".

From a  VaishNavite point of view ,One can link to the Ubhaya VibhUthi doctrine of the Supreme Brahman saluted as SrIman NaarAyaNan , the ruler of the Nithya and LeelA VibhUthis and as the Jagath Kaaranan.

UPANISHAD MANTHRAMS AND JYOTHI TATTHVAM
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In addition to the meanings of the above three manthrams, let us cite selected passages in Upanishads , Brahma Soothram and other pramANams (Means of Knowledge) , which salutes the Brahman as ParamjyOthis or Svayam JyOthi. AzhwAr's  paasurams also salute the JyOthis aspect of Upanishadic Brahman in the form of a personal God with anantha kalyANa guNams.

Upanishadic References to JyOthis as Brahman
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ChAndhOgyam (III.13.7) beginning with "atha yad atah: paro divo JYOTHIR dhIpyatE --" refers to this Supreme light (Brahman) and identifies it with the light inside  one's heart lotus (antharyAmi Brahman) . Brahma Soothram I.1.25 is derived from this passage in Upanishad: "jyOthisccharaNAbhidhAni "( The word JyOthi here means Brahman and explains why it is so ).

The meaning of the ChAndhOgyam passage as freely translated by Dr.S.M.S. Chari goes this way:

" Now the light which shines above this heaven , above all, above  every thing , in the highest worlds beyond which there are no higher worlds ;verily ,this is the same as the light , which is here  within the person". This light associated with the highest  domain (atha: parO dhivO JyOthi:) is Supreme Brahman  standing as Supreme light (Param JyOthi).

This Supreme Light is identified by and KatOpanishad II.11.15) as : " TamEva bhAntam anubhAti SARVAM Tasya bhAsA Sarvam idham vibhAti " (" Him the shining One , every thing shines after , by This light all this is lighted/illumined".

Brahman is " JyOthishAm JyOthi:" or the Light of Lights according to Mundaka and BruhadhAraNyaka Upanishad (VI.4.16: Tamm dEvA: JyOthishAm JyOthi:).

PAANCHARAATHRA AAGAMAM AND JYOTHI/TEJAS (AZHWARS'ANUBHAVAM)
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This Jyothi or Tejas is one of the Six divine attributes which define the essential charactrestrics of the Supreme  Lord /Bhagavaan ( JnAna , Sakthi, Bala , TEJAS (JyOthi), Veerya and Isvarya according to PaancharAthra Aagama).

AzhwArs in their dhivya prabandhams salute this "Tejas"  attribute of SarvEswaran following the Upanishadic/Aagamic  teachings that Param JyOthis is the Supreme Light ,  which denotes the very same Brahman. In this context ,  Swamy  NammAzhwAr addresses the Lord as "Param JyOthi"  in many of His Paasurams . Thirumangai Mannan salutes  Him as " NandhA ViLakkE". Here the clear reference by  the AzhwArs is to that Brahman ( the Supreme Being ) , who is the loftiest transcendental Spiritual Light that is the cause of the Universe , its protector and nourisher.

Additional examples from ThiruvAimozhi on JyOthi
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sOthiyAhi yellavulahum thozhum
Adhimoorthy yenRAl aLavAhumO?
Vediyar muzhu vedatthamudhai
theethi seer-ThiruvEngadatthAnayE

--ThiruvAimozhi: 3.5

(Meaning provided by Dr.V.N.Vedanatha Desikan): Nay , to say that the Lord of Thiruvenkatam ,  THE SUPREME EFFULGENCE , the Prime  Deity that all the worlds (and Vaikunta , not excluded ) worship , who is  the essence of the VedAs , which describe Him as "the Enjoyable (Rasa) , to say that the Lord has given Himself up to me , the vilest and  the most undeserved , is itself NOT a thing to enhance  His glory. Look there! He stands there , permanently , satisfied even when hosts of souls rach Him and are  redeemed ; this simplicity and magnanimous grace it is  that are His greatest virtues that really mark Him out".

In a moving paasuram ( ThiruvAimozhi 3.3) , Swamy NammAzhwAr salutes this ParamjyOthi brilliantly:

ParanchOthi Nee ParamAi ninnikazhnthu pinn maRROr
ParanchOthinmayin padiOvi nihazhhinRa
ParanchOthi NinnuLLE padarulaham padaittha . Yemm
ParanchOthi! GovindhA! paNNpuraikkamAttEnE

(Meaning  according to Dr.V.N.V): Oh Superb Effulgence ! There is none to excel You. Even this tribute looks empty , when I recall how people are prone to praise things. One thing is beyond dispute. Just a fraction of  Your divine will (Sankalpa) could create all the worlds. You wrought the entire universe out of Yourself , Yet  You are not equivalent to the created work. Its vices and  maladies can not taint You. How am I to recount Your auspicous Qualities ?

In yet another paasuram of the same Third patthu , Swamy  NammazhwAr salutes the ThirumEni of the Lord and its incomparable TejO-roopam , which is Suddha satthva Mayam . It never shows any changes.Same is true for His Jn~Anam , VibhUthi and SvabhAvam. His Thiruvadi Tejas can not be comprehended fully and saluted adequately even by the mighty Brahma Devan.

 MaasuNAc-chudar udampAi maqlarAthu kuviyAthu
 MaasuNA-Jn~amAi MuzhuthumAi muzhuthiyanRAi
 MaasuNA-vAnkOlatthu amararkOn vazhipattAl
 MaasuNA Unn Paadha malar chOthi mazhungAthE

 ThiruvAimozhi 3.8

In the 10th paasuram of this third decad , Swamy  NammAzhwAr identifies and salutes this JyOthi Svaroopan as: " MaRayAya naalvEdatthuL ninRa MALARCCHUDARE " ( Oh Param JyOthi ! You Yourself have clearly described thatYou are the One to be comprehended from all the vedAs: " Vedaisccha saravairahamEva Vedhya:". Thou art the SarvEswaran (Veda PrathibhAdhyan) and anubhava bhOgyan shining as illustrious JyOthi in all the VedAs ) .
 
There are many , many passages in AzhwAr's Tamil Vedams that pay tribute to this JyOthirmayaParabrahmam , whom we salute today . Let us reflect on this TejOmaya Vigrahan and become blessed by Him .

A PRAYER ON DHIPAAVALI DAY
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Let us pay tribute to this Supreme Light of Lights on this day devoted to Aj~nanam dispelling COSMIC LIGHT , SRIMAN NARAYANAN and seek His blessings through  surrender at His sacred feet .

Let us put aside all the small differences that separate us and unite together through the many , many things that we share as the followers of Bhagavad RaamAnuja SiddhAntham and enjoy His dhivyAthma Savroopam and His Dhivya mangaLa Vigraham of our SrIman NaarAyanan on this DhIpAvaLI day and all days of the years of our lives !

Sarvam KrishNArpanam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
ChithrabhAnu DhIpAwaLi day , New York .

OM
ASATOMA SADGAMAYA
TAMASOMA JYOTHIRGAMAYA
MRITHYORMA AMRUTANGAMAYA
OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI

Lead us from darkness to light
From ignorance to truth
And from death to immortality
Let peace prevail everywhere

The above prayer from the Upanishads is addressed to the Parabrahman ( Lord Vishnu ) to bless us with knowledge in the form of light (Jyothi) and to dispel our ignorance in the form of darkness.By attaining the supreme knowledge or God Realization, one transcends death by attainment of Paramapadam or Moksha.