sAstha means ‘conservator’ or ‘chastiser’ one who punishes to conserve dharma. Village deities like Aiyanar (karuppu, muni) punish to ensure people conserve/follow dharma. They are the sAsthAs.

Aiyapaa (aiyan appan) is a sAsthA who conserves dharma, the dharma-sAstha. Manikandan, prince of panthalam either as one who brings the tigress milk back to kingdom or who defeats mahiSi or who conquers the outlaw Udayanan becomes the sAsthA, the conservator of dharma. As conservator of dharma, the sAsthAs guide the evolution of the Universe.

This conservator of dharma, sAstha is son of Vishnu through Shiva. Shiva is shantam, without second, Him they deem byeond all; He is Self, the object of Knowledge (śāntaṁ śivam advaitaṁ caturthaṁ manyante | saḥ ātmā saḥ vijñeyaḥ) Universe matter and beings are of Vishnu (Sarvam vishnu mayam jagat). On this Universe ruled by Vishnu, manifests Shiva, as the conservator of dharma, the dharma sAstha, Aiyappa.

Analogous to science, In matter domain, Shiva is Energy, Vishnu is mass that underlies Universal matter forms. Conservation laws that are never violated arise on them and guide evolution. In biological domain, Shiva is consciousness, Vishnu is manas of all beings. Social laws arise in ‘manas’, whose violation invites fear of punishment, ensuring their adherence.

dharma are Universal & social laws. Their conservator is dharma-sAstha.

In matter domain, there are several conservation laws of which laws in eight domains are exact. Exact laws are those that are never proved to be violated. They are Conservation of mass-energy, linear momentum, angular momentum, center of momentum, electric charge, color charge, weak isospin, probability invariance. In biological domain, laws are conserved in 8 domains for evolution. They are

  1. Adhi bhUta (rainfall/land fertility for beings to flourish)
  2. Dharma (altruism)
  3. KalyaNa (marriage/mating)
  4. kAla (time, death)
  5. Sammohana (love for each other/ conjugal bliss)
  6. santhAna (offspring)
  7. Veda (accumulation & dissemination of knowledge)
  8. jnAna (utilisation of knowledge). These are the eight dharma-sAstAs.

HarivarAsanam translation sung in tamil, essence in english

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DREDBfz8Wm4[/embedyt]