THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALIASES AND THE ORIGINAL NAME

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALIASES AND THE ORIGINAL NAME

BY

S. MAHESHKUMAR

THERE is a lot of difference in Names. One may have several assumed names but there ought to be an original name to a person or a deity which may be birth name if the person tends to be a human being in particular and the living things in general; Gods have their original unique names which are ubiquitous and eternal and also they are subjected to have a multitude of Aliases [Names that are Assumed, Pseudonym, Also Known As (a. k. a.), etc.]

Sri Kalahastheeswara Swamy is the assumed name of Lord Sri Brahmachaleswara Swamy. Before he offered himself to be otherwise called as Sri Kalahastheeswara as a result of the Bhakti and sacrifice of the trio, viz., Sri the Spider, Kalam the Serpent and Hasti the Elephant, there should have been an original name for the Supreme God and that name, if eternal can be arrived at even now by observing the features of our Lord.

We see inside the sanctum sanctorum (Garba Gruham) the Brahmalingam of Lord Brahmachaleswara alias Sri Kalahastheeswara. What is unique about Him here is that the Vayu Lingam encompasses the Sthula Lingam! The base upon which the Sthula Lingam stands erect to the utmost, the Peetam, is regarded as the Chalam! Thus, He reveals His True Name in His appearance itself! That is, the invisible Vayu Lingam is the Brahmmam; the Base is the Chalam; and the Sthula Lingam is the Eswaram. Therefore, He is Sri Brahmachaleswara, the combination of Brahma (as Vayu Lingam), Vishnu (as Chalam) and Shiva (as Sthula Lingam). Hence He is the Para Brahma Swarupam!

Likewise, Sri Gnanaprasunambika Devi is the combination of Sri Saraswathi (as Gnanam), Sri Lakshmi (as Prasuna) and Sri Sakthi (as Ambika). Hence She is Para Brahmi Swarupam!

There is a likelitude between Sri the Spider with Brahma for they both create structures from out of them and can shrink back their stuff into them after the business is over! Kala the Serpent (also called time or maya) is in similitude with Vishnu!! And finally resemblance is there between Hasthi the Elephant (also called Asthi, i.e. Ashes) with Shiva!!! Consequently, this has been the reason why the Lord agreed to accept the name Sri Kala Hasti as his alias.

There is a temple at Pittsburg, in the United States of America dedicated to Lord Venkateswara built in inspiration of our Thirumala Thirupathi Balaji temple of Lord Venkateswara! Let us consider the following tale: A westerner or Indian settled in the West who had frequented the Shrine of Balaji at Pittsburg happened to come to India and visited the Thirumala Balaji temple. After he had darshan of Lord Venkateswara, he boasted: “There is a temple like this in Pittsburg which I have been visiting for long. Therefore, Thirumala is the Pittsburg of the East.” How absurd will such a statement be!

Geological studies reveal that Himalaya was a sea before it was formed. India was a part of the continent of Lemuria (which constituted part of Africa in itself amongst others) and the rocks of Arunachalam (Tiruvannamalai) were as old to be of the times of the Age of Lemuria. Also the Srikalahasti Hill dates back to such an age even before the formation of the Himalayas! When the bit that comprised India broke away from the African tip to move towards the Asian plateau and finally collided with it as a result of the continental shift, the sea froze and resulted in the formation of one of the youngest mountains of the world, The Great Himalayas! We know that Kailasam is one of the peaks of the Himalayas. Is it not ridiculous to keep on saying, like the above mentioned westerner or western Indian’s illogical and confused remarks of calling Thirumala temple as India’s Pittsburg, that Srikalahasti is the Dakshina Kailasam? It can also be called as so keeping in self that it is one of the aliases of Brahmachalam like Srikalahasti.

—S. Maheshkumar.

{Composed on 10th August 2007 at 12.32 PM, Indian Standard Time.}