The Taittiriya Samhita refers to the Supreme One as rakshOhA, the fire that keeps evil at bay. In this context, it is Lord Aravamudhan of Kumbakonam who comes to mind, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse, for He is addressed as ‘fire’ in a pasuram. Aravamudhan is not in fully reclining posture. The Lord here is utthana saayee — that is He is in a slightly raised posture. It indicates to His devotees that He is always on the alert to ensure that they come to no harm. Thirumazhisai Azhvar sang wondering why He was reclining — was it because His feet hurt? The Lord rose in response to the Azhvar’s query. Immediately, Thirumazhisai Azhvar said, “Stay just the way You are.” And the Lord stayed in the semi-reclining position. But although He did this because of Thirumazhisai Azhvar’s request, the truth is that He also wanted to assure His devotees that He is watching over them to protect them from harm. So naturally, the Vedic reference to the Supreme One as rakshOhA, can be taken to refer to Aravamudhan.
The Vedic mantra also refers to the Lord as amitrAn apabAdamAnah — One who does not allow enemies to approach. But does He have enemies? Those who are the enemies of His devotees are His enemies. The mantra can be said to refer to Aravamudhan. In the Aravamudhan temple, Viswaksena — the commander of the Lord’s army — is seen in standing position unlike in other temples, where he is seen in sitting position. This shows that Aravamudhan is ready to fight the enemies of His devotees. He fights sins and the use of the word pramruNah shows He does so fiercely. The sthala purana of Aravamudhan temple says that even sins committed in Varanasi will be destroyed in Kumbakonam. So here also the Vedic reference is to Aravamudhan.
