Among the sacred mountains of the world, Arunachala, located in the holy city of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, has the deepest religious meaning that a geological formation has ever acquired.
The mountain is mentioned in innumerable ancient Hindu scriptures that have put forth in glowing terms the wonder that is Arunachala; so much so, that it has left a deep religious imprint on the Indian psyche. The Vedas, Puranas, Upa Puranas, the Upanishads and the Siva Rahasyam as well as 69 Tamil sources written by important Shaivite saints have referenced Arunachala. However, the Tamil saint Sri Ramana Maharshi, should be given credit for rediscovering the importance of Arunachala.
In a 1938 deposition before a court challenging a British government notification taking over the formation, Sri Ramana marshalled verses in the Skanda and Siva Puranas to support his assertion that Arunachala was a manifestation of God in the form of a mountain. Sri Ramana also passed on several verses to the court from these two works under the title of “Sri Arunachala Linga Pramanya Vakyani” which means “Sentences giving authoritative proof that Sri Arunachala is a lingam.”
Origin of Arunachala Mountain
In his book “The Glory of Arunachala” (English translation of Arunachala Mahatmyam, Part of the Ancient Skanda Purana) author M.C. Subramaniam recounts the story of the origin of the sacred hill. The story is related by Brahma himself to his son Sanaka as follows:
“Once out of egoism, we (Brahma and Vishnu) engaged in an argument and started a fight. Seeing the terrible rage into which we had fallen while quarrelling, the Lord reflected: Why should there be a destructive fight between these two, as to who is greater? If I do not reveal myself immediately to both and stop their fight, the world will cease to exist. These two who in their anger have lost their senses, do not know the Vedic truth that my glory transcends everything. Each creature considers itself superior to every other creature. The ignorant who cannot realize and concede equality or superiority of another must necessarily suffer defeat and fall. I shall reveal myself in a definite form somewhere in the world. So that even a mean human being can attain me the moment he thinks of me.
Having so decided, the eternal Shiva manifested himself as a column of fire before us. The column transcended all the worlds and its limits could not be perceived. Blinded by the sight both of us stood still. We became confused and unnerved on seeing that blazing column of effulgence. Then there arose a voice in the air: Children why do you fight? Siva alone knows your strength and weakness. The form of Shambhu has now appeared before you as a column of effulgence. He who finds out the beginning or the end of it is the greater of the two.”
While Vishnu transformed himself as a huge boar to dig into the earth and try and find the root of the light shaft, Brahma flew up into the sky as a swan to locate the top of the shaft. Vishnu realized early on that it was impossible to find the root of the shaft and capitulated to Shiva. However egoistic Brahma flew higher and higher without getting to the top of the shaft but would not let go despite his vision decreasing and his wings becoming tired.
The story highlights the principle that the destruction of the ego is the only way to achieve Shiva consciousness.
Sanskrit and Tamil Sources Outlining the Importance of Arunachala
In the Maheshwara Khanda of Skanda Purana, sage Veda Vyasa describes the wonder of Arunachala stating that over the centuries many Shaivite saints like Manickavasagar, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar have been drawn to Arunachala for its mystical powers.
The Sanskrit text Arunachala Mahatmyamwhich forms part of the Skanda Purana states, “By seeing Chidambaram, by being born in Tiruvarur, by dying in Kasi or by merely thinking of Arunachala, one will surely attain liberation.”
Another verse translated from the Sanskrit into Tamil by Sri Ramana says “Arunachala is truly the holy place. Of all holy places it is the most sacred! Know that it is the heart of the world. It is truly Siva Himself! It is his heart-abode, a secret Kshetra. In that place the Lord ever abides as the hill of light named Arunachala.”
Arunachala as a World Heritage Site
Concerns are being raised over the destruction of the ecology and the natural setting of this great Kshetra, the biggest Sivalingam in the world. There is hope for a strong movement to support Arunachala’s declaration as a World Heritage Site.
The Significance of Girivalam
As the hill itself is considered a deity, it is auspicious to perform Girivalam (circumambulation of Arunachala Mountain) on every full moon day. This is the time when Siddhars living on the hill are believed to be in movement and the atmosphere is filled with the fragrance of herbal plants, all of which are good for the body and soul. It is said that each time someone sees the peak, he or she gets a different vision of Arunachala and each vision bestows a unique spiritual benefit on the seer. The longer one takes to circle the hill, the more the spiritual benefit is bestowed upon him.
References :
http://www.arunachalasamudra.org/bibiliography.html
http://davidgodman.org/rteach/bhagdep2.shtml
http://arunachala-live.com/Glory%20of%20Arunachala.pdf
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