[Angeheade]

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Greatness of the number sixteen
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pages 008-011

Sixteen is an utkRShTa--excellent/eminent, number.

• What is mentioned as ShoDasha kalA pUrNam involves the sixteen kalAs--phases, of the moon from the amAvAsya--new moon day, up to the paurNamI--full moon day. Only when it reaches the sixteenth kalA, does the chandra--moon, becomes pUrNa chandra--full moon.

• The pUjA we perform somewhat elaborately is one that comprises sixteen kinds of upachAras--acts of homage, called ShoDashopachAra.

• Like referring to the seven devIs--divine mothers, as sapta mAtrukA, there is also ShoDasha mAtrukA--sixteen devIs.*1 and 2

• Of the mantras of ambAL RAjarAjeshvarI, the uchcha--apex/peak, is only the ShoDashAkSharI*3. Thereby, ambAL herself has a name ShoDazhI. ShoDasha akShara for ammA--mother. For piLLaiyAr--son GaNesha, SoDasha nAmas.

• To do AshIrvAdam--benediction, with these words is the custom in Tamzhi desham--regiion:

பதினாறும் பெற்றுப் பெருவாழ்வு வாழணும்

padinARum peRRup peruvAzhvu vAzhaNum
"Getting the sixteen, you people should lead a great life."

As to what AshIrvAdam is mentioned in the Veda, for a sumanggalI--woman living with husband, in a beautiful way with a deep inner meaning *4, it is this:

"Hey bhagavAn! Let this woman beget ten children and then treat her husband as her eleventh child."

In the Tamizh custom it is 'getting sixteen'. This is family planning yugam! Talking about it (this many number of children) makes one fear if they would 'push us inside' (the cell)!

• But then they say that 'getting the sixteen' does not denote begetting children but only those sixteen viShayas--fortunes, so the life would be prosperous.

There is one phrase (in Tamizh) 'பெரும் பேறு பெறுவது--perum pERu peRuvadu--getting a great fortune'.

That which is got is 'pERu'; which is why the prasava-kAlam--pregnancy time, is called 'பேற்றுக்காலம்--pERRukkAlam'.

• When we say 'perum pERu' we say it in the meaning of 'one which is bhAgya-vasha--of great fortune', 'one which is adRShTa-vasha--unseen fortune'. Getting something by Ishvara-anugraham--divine favour, without our making any efforts, is what is called 'pERu' here. They (the westerners) also say it in this same meaning, as 'gifted'.

• So, 'padinARum peTRu' is being gifted with the sixteen fortunes in this way. Apart from those gifted by Ishvara's grace with their own distinguished features, these (sixteen) also include those we get by making efforts and exerting.

• Thinking over it, one would understand that those things we get at birth without any efforts on our part, are only those He gave us depending on what we were and did, in the pUrva-janma--earlier birth. Perhaps he might have added to what we were to get by our karma.

• We refer to one who has such a pERu--fortune, as a man of adRShTam--luck. What the shAstra--scripture, says as 'adRSTha-phala--unseen fruit' is only the pUrva-sukRta--good karma of earlier birth, which one gets as 'a-dRShTa'--un-seen, by our intellect. (The direct meaning of a-dRSTha is that which can't be seen).

• When we start any worship, we should first do saMkalpam--determination/resolution, 'I do this pUjA for this purpose'.

The saMkalpam for GaNesha pUjA is usually chanted with these lines:

सह-कुटुम्बानां क्षेम-स्थैर्य-वीर्य-विजय-आयुर्-आरोग्य-ऐष्वर्याणां अभिवृद्ध्यर्थं ।
धर्मार्थ-काम-मोक्ष चतुर्विध-फल-पुरुशार्थ-सिद्ध्यर्थं ।
इष्ट-काम्यार्थ-सिद्ध्यर्थं ।
समस्त मङ्गला व्याप्त्यर्थं समस्त दुरितोपशान्त्यर्थं ।
पुत्र पौत्रादि अभिवृद्ध्यर्थं ।
सर्वाभीष्ट सिद्ध्यर्थं महागणपति प्रसादेन ।
ज्ञान वैराग्य सिद्ध्यर्थं ।
सिद्धिविनायक पूजां करिष्ये ॥

saha-kuTumbAnAM kShema-sthairya-vIrya-vijaya-Ayur-Arogya-aiShvaryANAM abhivRuddhyarthaM |
dharmArtha-kAma-mokSha chaturvidha-phala-purushArtha-siddhyarthaM |
iShTa-kAmyArtha-siddhyarthaM |
samasta ma~ggalA vyAptyarthaM samasta duritopashAntyarthaM |
putra pautrAdi abhivRuddhyarthaM |
sarvAbhIShTa siddhyarthaM mahAgaNapati prasAdena |
j~jAna vairAgya siddhyarthaM |
siddhivinAyaka pUjAM kariShye ||

• These are the sixteen fortunes sought after with divine blessings, in this saMkalpam:

saha-kuTumbAnAM--for the entire family;
kShema-sthairya--welfare and stability,
vIrya-vijaya--strength and success,
Ayur-Arogya-aiShvaryANAM--longevity, health and wealth;
siddhyarthaM--may these be fulfilled; (7 fortunes so far)

dharmArtha-kAma-mokSha--dharma, artha, kAma, mokSha
chaturvidha-phala-purushArtha--four puruShArthas--aims of life,
siddhyarthaM--may these be fulfilled; (11 fortunes now)

iShTa-kAmyArtha--manoratha--mind's wishes,
siddhyarthaM--be fulfilled; (12 fortunes now)

samasta ma~ggalA vyAptyarthaM--may all auspiciousness be obtained;
samasta durita-upashAntyarthaM--may all sinful acts be appeased; (14 fortunes now)

putra pautrAdi abhivRuddhyarthaM--sons and grandsons in good number,
as the 15th fortune; and as

mahAgaNapati prasAdena--with MahAgaNapati happy over my puja and devotion, by his prIti--favourable disposition, and as his prAsada--divine favour,
sarvAbhIShTa siddhyarthaM--all these wishes be fulfilled. (16th fortune).

• Those who think there is too much laukilam--worldliness, in these wishes, would add these two to them:
j~jAna vairAgya siddhyarthaM--may knowledge and dispassion be accomplished.

• I don't very well remember if all these sixteen occur in the Tamizh usage 'padinARum peTRu'. Only thing I remember is that like the 'vIrya-vijaya' here, there it would come as 'vIRu-visayam'. *5

The pERugaL--fortunes, are sixteen. For PiLLaiyAr--GaNesha, the names are sixteen!

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Notes:
01. The sapta mAtrukA are: brAhmaNI, vaiShNavI, shivadUtI or indrANI, narasiMhI, chAmuNDA, kaumArI, and varAhI. They represent the inner will power of their consorts. There is a temple for the sapta mAtrukAs in JaipUr, RAjasthAn. (Saptamatruka Temple - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

02. The ShoDasha mAtrukA are remembered by the following shloka:
Ref: The Student's Sanskrit-English Dictionary by Vaman Shivram Apte

गौरी पद्मा शची मेधा सावित्री विजया जया ।
देवसेना स्वधा स्वाहा मातरो लोकमातरः ।
शान्तिः पुष्टि ध्रुति तुष्टिः कुलदेवत आत्मदेवताः ॥

gaurI padmA shachI medhA sAvitrI vijayA jayA |
devasenA svadhA svAhA mAtaro lokamAtaraH |
shAntiH puShTi dhruti tuShTiH kuladevata AtmadevatAH ||

03. The ShoDashAkSharI mantra comprises these akSharas--syllables:

कएलह्रीं हसकहलह्रीं सकलह्रीं श्रीं

kaelahrIM hasakahalahrIM sakalahrIM shrIM

Listen to this mantra at: Sri Chakra - Sri Yantra navaavarana pooja of Devi Lalita Tripura Sundari)
If the last akSharam shrIM is dropped, it becomes a panchAdashi mantra).

04. Rg veda10.85.45:

इमां त्वमिन्द्र मीढ्वः सुपुत्रां सुभगां कृणु ।
दशास्यां पुत्राना धेहि पतिमेकादशं कृधि ॥ १०.०८५.४५ ॥

imAM tvamindra mIDhvaH suputrAM subhagAM kRuNu |
dashAsyAM putrAnA dhehi patimekAdashaM kRudhi || 10.085.45 ||

05. In Tamizh usage, here is an isolated verse about the sixteen:

தமிழ் வழக்கிலுள்ள பதினாறு பேறுகளப் பற்றிய தனிப்பாடல்:

துதி வாணி, வீறு, விசயம், சந்தானம், துணிவு, தனம்,
மதி, தானியம், சௌபாக்யம், போகம், அறி(வு), அழகு,
புதிதாடு பெருமை, அறம், குலம், நோயகல் பூண்வயது
பதினாறு பேறும் தருவாய் மதுரைப் பராபரனே.

tamizh vazhakkiluLLa padinARu pERugaLap paRRiya thanippADal:

tuthi vANi, vIRu, visayam, sa~ntAnam, thuNivu, danam,
mati, dAniyam, saubhAgyam, bhOgam, aRi(vu), azhagu,
pudidADu perumai, aRam, kulam, ~nOyagal pUNvayadu
padinARu pERum tharuvAy maduraip parAparanE.

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