Madhwa Vijaya - 29
Sarga 14 Part 2
Poornapragnya then took a sip of Vishnu paadodaka (water that has been used to wash the feet of the deity), considered to be holier than the waters of rivers and believed to grant the fruit of twelve years of fasting.
The end of the world is said to take place when twelve suns blaze simultaneously. Ominous of a deluge, the twelve upward facing marks on Poornapragnya’s upper body were like these suns, unbearable to his detractors.
Typically, disciples request people to make way for their guru, but in the case of Madhwa, people would be in such awe of his presence that they would step back and stand with folded hands, unprompted.
The water* that washed the lotus feet of Madhwa was scooped up by the devotees to sprinkle on their heads. Bhoomi devi was not pleased with this as the water that remained was insubstantial. Yet, true to her name, ‘Kshama’, she forgave them.
*paadodaka
Madhwamuni poured the pure, cool water carried in a pot, unsmelt, untouched by nail or breath, into the whitest of conches. The most fragrant flowers that ever grew on land, in water, on trees, plants and shrubs were gathered for worship. He bathed the idols in water mixed with sandal paste and offered them fresh holy basil (tulasi).
Poornapragnya, who was beyond the thirty two transgressions* that apply to ordinary men, made the customary sixteen offerings** followed by the six oblations*** to the ever pleased lord.
*
| Doing pooje after having eaten | Going to a temple without brushing teeth | Doing pooje without bathing after intercourse | Doing pooje without bathing after seeing a corpse |
| Having to pass urine in the course of the pooje | Having to pass stools in the course of the pooje | Lamenting in the course of the pooje | Doing pooje while wearing black clothes |
| Partaking all meals in the court/palace | Going to a temple without bathing after contact with ritually impure people | Getting angry in in the course of the pooje | Use of flowers forbidden for worship |
| Doing pooje while wearing red loin cloth | Use of black cloth for worship | Touching idols in darkness without lighting lamps | Not following prescribed procedures for worship |
| Using a kerchief to fan the idol in place of a chaamara | Going to a temple after touching a dog | Consuming pork | Consuming chicken or flesh of any bird |
| Entering a temple with muddied feet | Going to a temple after touching a pyre | Consuming extremely spicy/pungent food and entering a temple | Offering the meat of pig to the gods |
| Going to a temple after consuming liquor | Eating the petals of sunflowers (?) | Doing pooje while wearing someone else’s clothes | Incomplete worship without mirror, etc. |
| Offering dhoopa without adorning the idol with flowers | Carrying idols while wearing footwear | Not striking gongs/ bells/ drums when visiting temples | Doing pooje when food remains undigested in the stomach |
**
| arghya | paadya | aachamaneeya | madhuparka |
| punaraachamaneeya | snaana | vastra | bhushana |
| yagnyopaveetha | aasana | gandha | pushpa |
| dhoopa | deepa | naivedya | namaskaara |
***
| mukhavaasa |
| taamboola |
| kannadi |
| chathra |
| chaamara |
| paaduke |
One should not be under the impression that the daily worship of the Acharya happened only once a day. This was merely the physical display. The coral coloured* lord, forever seated in the lotus of the Achaarya’s heart, purified with utmost devotion, was constantly worshipped and offered the eight non-material flowers.**
*colour of padparadscha sapphire
**
| Non-violence | Discipline | Compassion | Forgiveness |
| Knowledge | Penance | Contemplation | Truth |
The sight of a smiling Poornapragnya draped in silk, after he completed his ceremonial worship, was a feast for the eyes of the gods, the sages and mortals. The gentle fragrance of sandal paste emanated from his arms, chest and shoulders.
The effortlessly procured alms (milk+rice) were gracefully consumed by the expert exponent of the Vedas, who all the while thought, ‘May the lord of the universe be pleased’!
The Achaarya who occupied a raised seat covered with a woollen blanket added splendour to the gathering regaling everyone with scintillating expositions. His disciples, ever alert to his wishes, sometimes conveyed by the mere movement of his eyebrows would hasten to his side, whispering in his ears with their hand covering their mouth (lest their breath defile the Achaarya).
People vied with each other for proximity to the Achaarya, some rushing forward to get close to him and seek his blessings. Those who had merely heard of him before, dumbfounded by what they saw (for the Achaarya was a thousand fold greater than their expectation), stood quietly with folded hands.
An eager senior disciple chided the disciples who were going over previously taught lessons, to cast aside their lessons and to hurry to listen to his discourse. The audience engrossed in the mesmerising discourses would lose track of time.
The sun that was about to set in the west, cast its kindly rays (as he does so at dawn), the red of the sky partly covered by the blue of the sea, indicating the time for Poornapragnya’s evening worship and for the accompanying brahmins to perform their sandhyavandane*. They performed all the rituals as prescribed including the agnihotra,** while contemplating on the sixteen celestials*** from the lord of the sixteen arts, Rudra, to the lord of the Devas, Indra.
*Vedic ritual of chanting the Gayathri mantra and offering tarpana (water), to be performed thrice a day
**Vedic ritual of lighting fire and offering oblations to the accompaniment of mantras, to be performed twice a day
***The sixteen celestials present in milk, the oblation offered during agnihotra:
| Milk present in the udder: Rudra | When the udder is about to be milked: Vayu | When the milk flows out of the udder: Ashwini Kumaras | The milk transferred to a vessel: Soma |
| The milk placed on a stove for boiling: Varuna | The milk which is boiling and rising up: Pushan | The boiled milk that spills over : Maruts | The bubbles of the boiled milk: Vishwedevas |
| The layer of cream that forms: Mitra | The boiled milk that is removed from the stove: Dyaavaprithivis | The milk prepared to be brought for the homa: Savitr | The milk being brought for the homa: Vishnu |
| The milk brought near the agni: Brihaspathi | The first oblation: Agni | The oblations that follow: Prajapathi | The act of performing the Havana: Indra |
The brahmins who had commenced their worship at dusk went on till the stars came out to shine. The full moon dawned in the night sky, so beautiful that it was said that if not for its blemishes, he would have been as beautiful as his sibling*, Ramaa.
*As both Lakshmi (Ramaa) and Chandra emerged from the churning of the ocean of milk
While the diurnal flowers and birds lamented the disappearance of the sun, the nocturnal flowers and birds rejoiced at the appearance of the moon. The lord does not work to please all.
Poornapragnya lit the spiritual sky just as the moon illuminated the night sky, the difference being the former shed light on the supreme lord, the embodiment of gnyaana and ananda, while the latter only dispelled the darkness of akaasha*, the embodiment of shabda**.
*one of the pancha-bhutas
**one of the pancha-tanmaatras (Ref HKS)
End of Sarga 14