The Krittikai festival is a very important day for the Hindus, for it symbolizes the summum bonum of Hindu philosophy. It is the Day Lord Siva manifests as the Pillar of Effulgent light – the Lingodbhava. Vishnu and Brahma tried to trace the origin and end, one going to the nether world and the other to heaven to see Siva’s feet and head. Both failed. Siva’s appearance as a Jyotir Linga is celebrated in Thiruvannamalai (in fact in all temples) by placing the jyoti and also the bonfire. Jnanasambandar addresses Pumpavai in his Mylapore Tevaram exhorting her to witness the Karttikai festival. (Sambandar mentions all the maasotsavas - Monthly festivals in this hymn , attesting to the Agamic prescriptions.)

Karthikai vilakkiidu kanaathe podiyo pumpaavai.

The festival of light is mentioned very much earlier in the Sangam literature.



Lingodbhava, Kailasnatha Temple, Kanchipuram, 700 CE.

Appar has an ennobling poetry on the concept of Lingodbhava in his famous poem

Talaiye nii vanangaay

This Tevaram is called angamaalai, i.e garland of limbs. After addressing each and every limb of the body to adore Lord Siva, Appar sums up the ultimate truth of Saivism in the concluding verse

Tedikk kandu konden Thirumaalodu Naanmukanum
Tedik kandilla teevanai EN ULLE tedik kandu konden

Appar sings and dances in ecstasy saying I have seen the Lord whom Brahma and Vishnu could not see even after of great search. Appar has seen the Lord within his own self -en ullee.

There are two important points worthy of note in this legend. First Brahma and Vishnu were puffed up with pride thinking there was none superior to them. This impurity of egoism (Aanava mala)concealed their true self that they are also part of that effulgent light. The second point - they directed their search externally, one going up and the other down, while all the time the Supreme Siva was their own self as Conscious-Light. This is the subject matter of all the Puranas, particularly the Linga-purana which emphasizes the Supreme nature of Lord as effulgent Light - Ones own consciousness that dispels ignorance. Appar refers to Linga purana - Linga puraanatthu ullanai-
 

The Egyptian Gospel

This concept was also the fundamental concept of God in Christianity in its early period. There is a text called Egyptian gospel composed around the first half of the fourth century CE. The text is written in Coptic and is said to be a copy of a original Greek version dated to be much earlier. I give below a few points from that text which speaks about the nature of God.

" The light of fullness. The Eternal light of the Aeons. The Light in silence. The Light in word and truth. The Light of the incorruptabilities. The inaccessible light. The Light that has emanated for ever. Traceless, ineffable and unproclaimable."

There are many more. And even these statements could be studied in grearter detail. But please note that God was visualized as Inaccessible light,like Lingodbhava whose origin or end could not be fathomed. God, according to early Christianity is unproclaimable. According to Hindu concept neither the word nor the mind can reach God and He is indescribableyato vaco nivartante aprapya manasa sahasays the Vedas. The Early Christians believed that God is "Eternal Light".

The Hindus call God as Eternal Light Param Jyotih. The Siva Linga inside the sanctum of temples, that is the principal object of worship is a symbol of that Eternal Light. The Early Christians considered God as "the Light in word and truth" The articulated sound and words were created for the illumiantion of the world" says the Saiva Agamas. The Saivite and Vaishnavite saints sing of God as words and their meanings collanai porulanai . Think of Appar's poem

"Ariyaanai antanar tam cinthaiyaanai,arumaraiyin ahattaanai
Yaarkkum teriyaada tattuvanai,"

All Religions have proclaimed the nature of God in identical terms.A deeper study would reveal there is no fundamental difference between religons. The divisions are man made in an effort to comprehend the incomprehensible. The true religious follower can and will, have no hatred or disbelief towards any religion.That is what is said by the Vedas "Truth is One: the learned call it by different names. Ekam sat Vipra bahudha vadanti

R.NAGASWAMY
23-Nov-1999