Onam And Trivikrama

Onam is celebrated in Kerala marking the arrival of their erstwhile ruler Mahabali once a year.
The story of Mahabali is well known to everyone.Mahavishnu, as Vamana asked for land that could be measured by three foot steps of Vamana. When Mahabali agreed, Vamana grew into Trivikrama , measuring patala with one giant step, the whole earth with another giant leap. At the request of Mahabali he placed his third step on the head of Mahabali ensuring Moksha to Mahabali and granted fulfilling his desire of visiting his subjects for a day- that is celebrated as Onam in kerala.

Now the question arises that Kerala is stated to be God's own country formed by Parasurama, the 6th incarnation of Vishnu.While Kerala itself was formed during the 6th Avatar of Vishnu, the question arises how Mahabali would have ruled the non existing Kerala during the earlier period of Vamana, the 5th Avatar of Mahavishnu.A logical doubt!
Mahabali's empire spanned the whole of earth, not just the tiny strip of land that is Kerala. He gave away this whole empire to Vamana as the first two of the three steps he promised and for the third step he gave away himself and attained moksha. However, he returns to this world once a year for Onam. Perhaps he chose Kerala to be the spot for this annual visit because it is the land founded by Parasurama, or perhaps its just that its only the people of this land that chose to celebrate his visit.
Another assumption:
After Lord Parashuram's rampage over the evil Kshatriyas he resorted to penance and Lord Shiva appeared before him and granted a boon to rule a land.Parashurama threw his axe from Gokarna to kanyakumari and hence Kerala was formed.Now this Kerala never had people so he had to gather people from different geographies (probably from Karnataka,Ap,TN,.Mahabali's paradise was never in Kerala.Its just that the people who used to celebrate Mahabali's arrival every year in AP,Karnataka of TN came to Kerala and celebrated as a remembrance of their culture there.Years later it became Onam and Kerala's own festival.

Parashurama did not discover Kerala. He is said to have prevented the advancing ocean from flooding Kerala.So Kerala existed even earlier to Parasurama and the name'God's own country-as if it was a new discovery, by Parasurama, seems to lack even mythological evidence.

Somehow the mythology prevailed only over Kerala and Onam is branded as the festival of Kerala though Onam sadya is served through out the country in all the restaurants and even in foreign countries on this day.
Keralites may offer suitable explanations.

Onam brings in memories of Mahabali and Vamana who turned into Trivikrama.Unlike other Avatars this story speaks equally the greatness of the Lord as well as the devotee.
Mahabali's words after he was warned by Sukracharya deserves special mention
"prana( life) and Maana ( honour) are the eyes of a human being.Even at the cost of life,'honour' should be protected.Granting that the young boy is Vishnu,I should be the most fortunate, since the Lord who is the giver,has come to seek something from me'.This need not be construed as pride.
Had Vishnu desired ,he would have strightaway killed Mahabali, as he killed Hiranyakasipu, Ravana or Kamsa.
But He preferred to teach a great tatwa to humanity-Trivikrama tatwa.
Mahabali wanted to perform a great yaga called'Vishwajit Yaga'
Vishwa denotes the pancha boothas(5 elements),pancha Indriyas(5 senses) and pancha koshas( 5 sheaths of human body).It is the victory of such a vishwam that the yaga symbolises.
That can be done only by a person who stands superior to the Lord at least for a moment.When Indra propitiated Vishnu to help him retaining Indra padvi, Vishnu agreed.When Lord took over the form of Vamana and asked for a land to the extent covered by His three feet,as a seeker he becomes inferior to Mahabali for the time being.
Now Vaman takes upper hand, takes a giant form of Trivikrama .
Lord Vishnu takes special care to be the progeny of Kasyapa representing Purusha tatwa, and Aditi representing 'Praakriti' or Nature and to be born as a dwarf child only to grow into a giant form at the appropriate hour.,measuring the earth by one leap and the patala by the second leap

This aspect of Trivikrama tatwam is represented by Gayatri mantra '-Bhur, Bhuvaha
and Suvaha',the Bhuloka, bhuvvar Loka and Suvar Loka'.
It is wrong to conceive the three lokas as existing one above the other extending to the height of thousands of kilometres.and struggling even to reach it by imagination..The three lokas are intertwined with each other and one exists within the other.
The real meaning of this kind of geometrical configuration of three lokas is that the pancha Indriyas, pancha boothas and pancha koshas( senses, elements and sheaths) -these aspects of human body is Bhuloka.
The aspect of ManasTatwam is Bhuvar Loka.
The microscopic state of Bliss or Anandam is the Suvar Loka..
The totality of these three represent Trivikrama Tatwam.
These three aspects of Trivikrma Tatwam can be understood in terms of three states of individual.
1.The one you think you are( Deha)
2.The one others think you are.( Manas)
3.The one you really are( Bliss)
Only by sadhana one can reach the Bliss after passing through bhuloka through bhuvar loka.
The disintegration of Moha or desires(Moha +kshayam) leads to Moksham as was given to Mahabali. He gave away everything he possessed notwithstanding being warned by his Guru Sukracharya and landed straight in Moksha .
The reception of such a great king demonstrating the trivikrama tatwa with the grace of Vamana is being celebrated as Onam. Though it is marked by Pookalam( floral decorations) onakkali, dance, and a heavy lunch called as Onam sadya, the spiritual significance of Onam is not to be lost sight of.

Happy Onam!

Jayasala 42

 

Thank you Joylokhi for the first response.In Tamilnadu ,except the malayalees and some palakkad people, Onam is not remembered.People are busy with Avani Avittam rituals onn that day.As my MIL was born and brought up in Quilon she used to describe so many things about Onam and Ona Sadya.
Now a days all the restaurants in Chennai provide Onam sadya on this day.

Jayasala 42

 

Dear Sindmani, Thank you.

jayasala 42

 

Dear Shri Thyagarajan,

It is very nice of you to have gone thro the entire snippet.Actually I thought of splitting the snippet into two, the one entirely dealing with confusion among the 5th and 6th incarnations and the second one dealing with Trivikrama tatwa in detail.Facts about Trivikrama tatwa has been dealt with on some other occasion in various articles by Viswa of our group.Thank you.

jayasala 42