Today I read a very interesting thing about Arundhati, the wife of Sage Vashishtha and its symbolism as a star of Saptarshi Mandal. I didn't know this symbolism of Arundhati to such a detail.
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https://twitter.com/Hiranyareta/status/1316178043757563905?s=20
" The image of Arundhati is of iconic proportions such that her name is found invoked across the country irrespective of the languages spoken and the background of the people. Not many know that the true persona of Arundhati can be known from old Tamil texts!
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Arundhati is held as an epitome of pativratatva — a virtue that has no equivalent word in English, except the term ‘chastity’. Interestingly this virtue has a word in Tamil as “karpu” with two ancient Tamil texts giving elaborate description of what this virtue stands for.
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An exclusive chapter on this virtue runs into 53 verses in Tolkappiyam while the world famous text, Tirukkural has devoted 18 chapters with 180 verses dealing with various facets of a woman of this virtue.
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The reason for such detailing comes from the fact that it is core of the third Purushartha namely Kamal44l, This virtue is common to both the genders, and one from each
gender has been acclaimed for all times in the past.
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gender has been acclaimed for all times in the past.
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Among men Rama is cited as a model for this virtue and it is Arundhati among women. Of the two Rama is revered as a God, and Arundhati has been elevated to the celestial sphere as a star in the constellation called Sapta Rishi Mandala (Big Dipper).
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Marriage vow of firmness in the name of
Arundhati
Taking a vow in the name of Arundhati is an integral part of the Vedic marriage. This is done by sighting the star Arundhati before the couple are united in conjugal bliss.
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Arundhati
Taking a vow in the name of Arundhati is an integral part of the Vedic marriage. This is done by sighting the star Arundhati before the couple are united in conjugal bliss.
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This tradition continues in the marriage ceremony of Tamil Brahmins even today giving rise to the famous phrase in Tamil, “ammi midhitthu Arundhati parthal” that combines two rituals of the marriage ceremony.
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One of them is the ritual of the bride stepping on the
grinding stone as a mark of firmness expected of her. This is followed by the other ritual — that of sighting the star Arundhati with a vow of firmness.
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grinding stone as a mark of firmness expected of her. This is followed by the other ritual — that of sighting the star Arundhati with a vow of firmness.
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Like Arundhati, the woman should never waver from her path, is the import of this sighting.
The bride is first shown the Dhruva star (Pole star) known as a fixed or firm star. She takes a vow that she will be firm, i.e. rooted in her husband’s house.
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The bride is first shown the Dhruva star (Pole star) known as a fixed or firm star. She takes a vow that she will be firm, i.e. rooted in her husband’s house.
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Then she is shown the Sapta Rishi formation. From
there she is shown Vasishtha and then finally Arundhati. This practice has lent the name of Arundhati to a philosophical mooringl4s] of reaching the Unknown from the Known.
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there she is shown Vasishtha and then finally Arundhati. This practice has lent the name of Arundhati to a philosophical mooringl4s] of reaching the Unknown from the Known.
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From this one can imagine how spiritually rooted and culturally inspiring the icon of Arundhati has become in the Hindu society since time immemorial.
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Taking the vow of firmness by sighting the Arundhati star can be seen across the fabric of the society, irrespective of the background of the persons. There exists a reference in a Tamil Sangam textl46] to a Ksatriya woman, the wife of the Chera king taking such a vow.
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Two verses in Silappadhikaram in the context of Kannagi’s marriagel4] establish that this custom was followed by Vaishyas also.
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To cap it all an ancient Tamil text called ‘Tirikadugam’ — a name originally referring to a combination of three herbs of medicinal value —having in all 100 verses, with each verse giving a combination of three aphorisms, like medicinal Tirikadugam to cure the ills of life,
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begins the first line of the first verse that a person should have a wife having the virtue (karpu) of Arundhati!48) Can there beany better statement on Arundhati that she has been a household name for virtue?
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The established position of Arundhati as
follower of Vasishtha.
In the Hindu society it is customary for the woman to stand on the right side of her husband. She won’t be standing exactly in line with him, but a little behind.
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follower of Vasishtha.
In the Hindu society it is customary for the woman to stand on the right side of her husband. She won’t be standing exactly in line with him, but a little behind.
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In that position her left shoulder would be just be behind the right shoulder of her husband. This is also the customary position of the couple-deities in temple processions. This is the position of the couple when their right hands are united at the marriage ceremony.
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When the man is taking the right hand of his bride standing on his right, her position comes a little behind his stretched right hand. That is the traditional position of the couple in all sacred rites and also when they are
walking in public glare.
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walking in public glare.
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This is exactly the position of the two stars, Vasishtha and Arundhati (Mizar and Alcor) in the sky.
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This perception had given rise to a belief that to be like Arundhati means following the footsteps of the husband.
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This perception had given rise to a belief that to be like Arundhati means following the footsteps of the husband.
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The virtue associated with Arundhati is not something that makes the woman subsidiary to her husband. It is also not about towing the husband and taking his
orders.
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orders.
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From the inputs of Tolkappiyam and Tirukkural we can deduce that a virtuous woman always had her mind following her husband through thick and thin.
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The decipherment of the name Arundhati further reveals this nature of Arundhati that is reflected in the positional alignment between the two stars.
Read the rest from here in chapter-2 of the book.
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amazon.ca/MYTH-EPOCH-ARU…
Read the rest from here in chapter-2 of the book.
23/23
amazon.ca/MYTH-EPOCH-ARU…
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