Panis (पणिकाः)
Who are the Panis?
Where do the Panis reside and what do they do? If seen from a symbolic perspective, many concepts are unravelled by the Vedas. Yaska maharshi explains that Pani means people with a mentality of business mindedness, “panims ca vani ja ha”(Niruktha 6.26). The Vedas also talks of ‘beka natas’ who are known to be shrewd money lenders who focus on doubling their money by getting more interest. The ‘beka natas’ are supposedly able to see only in the day, and when night arrives, they would argue that such things that were seen in sun light, doesn’t exist. Therefore they are considered to be ||nasthika (atheists) Charvaka philosophers. To reaffirm this, Yaska maharshi quotes Rk Samhita (8.66.10)
||kadu mahirdrishta asatvishaha kadu vruthagno askritham, indrovishvan beka natam ahardrisha utha krithva panikam rabhihi||
Here the word “ahardrisha” has been explained in detail by Sayana Acarya
||nanu sarve suryam pasyanthi ko atra tishaya iti ucyathe ihaiva janmani suryam pasyanthina janmanthare lubdaka ayushtarondhe tamasimajansthi athva laukika neva ahani pasyanthi na para laukikanthyath drishtani dishta pradanahini nastikaha||
It is explained beautifully by raising the question, that if everyone can see the Sun why for panis called “ahardrihaha” it is exaggeration? It is explained that panis can see the Sun only in this lifetime. However, in the next lifetime, because of their murderous mentality, miserliness and not engaged in Yajna, they will fall into the land of ‘andha tamasa’. (complete darkness). Thus in future, the Panis will only experience darkness as they only see the material or physical light. As they are unable to see the light of spirituality or the land beyond this world, their understanding is that of atheists who only believe what they see with their eyes. Indra’s army is indicated as very powerful, always alert and unconquerable. Indra, who defeated Vrithra can face any enemy. Therefore, Lord Indra with his invincible army can destroy the panis, who see only in the day time and he can destroy those who are into bekanata and other people who are cheating in their propensity. That is the essence of this verse. Yaska in another nirukti (2.17 “ panihi vanika bhavathi panihi pananatha vanika panyam nenakthi” says that panis are varthaka (business people) who sells things for money. Sayana acarya further explains “kincha panayaha vyaya ahisnavaha vanijaha panihi vanika bhvathi thi yaskaha panayaha iti lubdakaha abhi yuddavanaha yugadinam akurvanaha adanashilaha asmat shatravaha “ Rk Samhita 1.12.4 – 10. In that he explains the commentary. Panis are the one who do not like to see money getting exhausted. Having a very stingy business mentality. People without intellectual stability. Having a desire to understand intellectually, not performing any Vedic ritual. This same kind of sukta also comes during the description of Usha Devi. When the air which is offered to Usha Devi from the Vedas, who is the personification of the sukta abhimani devatha.
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Volume 3 Chapter 1B part 7
In the above Sukta the word “pani” has mentioned prayers are offered to Usha Devi (deity for the Suktas). “Hey Devi, you are magnanimous one who gives whatever we ask, and what do we ask? We only ask you for the ingredients to perform the Yajna. We appeal to to make the performers of yajnas, especially, those who are generous—make them broader in their intelligence. Similarly the Panis who are our enemies, who are cheaters, greedy and bereft of intelligence, please make them go to sleep. He Devi, those who are charitable, the initiators of yajnas, please give them all the benefits. Ye Devi, of the compassionate eyes, and have the power to give old age those who perform yajnas with all the stotras, you offer them unlimited happiness and prosperity”. In this word (which) Pani is explained in similar fashion. Panis are demonic. And in this word panis is used in plural, the panis who are indicated here are still existing in the present society also. This pani does not indicate the community which was existing previously alone. But these are the people or they indicate certain action: wherever there are positive activities which are meant for enhancing dharma or favoring the devathas that “go samuha” herd of the cows. So they steal cows and create obstacles in the progress of the devathas and society, which neither benefits them nor the society. They have only materialistic aspirations and do not understand the value of spiritual knowledge. They steal the knowledge or imprison the Brahma Nishtas to ensure that the knowledge is not spread. When our spiritual knowledge is kept in darkness it gives rise to wrongful transactions and ||nasthik (atheism). In the Srimad Bhagavatham, the ministers of Kamsa are shown to have the same mentality of the Panis as they want to control the devatas and the Lord. So they give the message of the Panis to Kamsa. They gave this strategy. From Srimad Bhagavatham (10.4.39-42)
||mūlaṁ hi viṣṇur devānāṁ yatra dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ tasya ca
brahma-go-viprās tapo yajñāḥ sa-dakṣiṇāḥ
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan brāhmaṇān brahma-vādinaḥ
tapasvino yajña-śīlān gāś ca hanmo havir-dughāḥ
viprā gāvaś ca vedāś ca tapaḥ satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ
śraddhā dayā titikṣā ca kratavaś ca hares tanūḥ
sa hi sarva-suradhyakso hy asura-dvid guha-sayah tan-mula devatah sarvah
sesvarah sa-catur-mukhah ayam vai tad-vadhopayo yad rsinam vihimsanam||
Translation: “The foundation of all the devatas is Lord Viṣhṇu, who resides wherever there are dharmic principles, culture, the Vedas, cows, brāhmaṇas, austerities and sacrifices with proper remuneration.
O King, we, who are your adherents in all respects, shall therefore kill the Vedic brahmanas, the persons engaged in offering sacrifices and austerities, and the cows that supply milk, from which clarified butter is obtained for the ingredients of sacrifice.”
The panis are the enemies of wisdom. They take their main occupation as envy of the jnanis. Be living in the visible world, trying to exploit the society, going in the name of socialism--these are asuric and destructive energies--Conscious efforts were made to say that they were original residence of Bharata, the panis, and the Aryas chased them away. This is illogical and has a wrong motivation. Panis could have been born in Aryan culture, they might have been the relatives of Aryans. Now also they could be Aryas. Nobody needs to say that. The society or the world is generally filled with Anaryas—those who are like Panis or Dasyues. If we see in that sense, Dasyue also has similar understanding like Pani. It comes from the root word: “Dus” those who take business as their goal. The alternative word given by Yaska in Nirukti is: “dasaha dassyathe upadasayathi “of course that doesn’t mean that the business and farming or transaction is useless. No. But wherever there is no connection to the jnana of the other world : “para” but only for the sake of earning money and consciously being envious of the wisdom, and therefore those who minimize the consciousness of advancing in spiritual perfection, such people will see the panis and dasyues with a contempt. Therefore wherever we experience such qualities which is bereft of perfection, they are panis or dasyues. Therefore vedas rather than speaking an historical perspective alone, they are establishing an eternal truth. And this is indicating that the jnana shakti is constantly in war with such opposite elements, indicating that such ajananis or unintelligent people were exiting in large numbers in previous time also and therefore such people caused harm to the knowledge bank of Vedas and thus it could be historical perspective also. Therefore those ajanis or panis they could be from any kula or race. They could be from any civilization, but that is not an important consideration for the Vedas. What is important is that they were against the wisdom or knowledge and therefore if we are bereft of such vision then what is there to say in Vedas?