SrI:
Dear Bhagavad
RaamAnuja SampradhAyins:
Back in 1959 ,
Sriman K. Bhashyam prepared under the guidance of Abhinava Desika Sri
UttamUr ViraraghavAcchArya Swami a short monograph of 50 pages with English
translation of the Text of Bhagavad Ramanuja's SaraNaagati Gadhya and its
commentary by SrutaprakAsika AchArya. This release is now
out of print and needs to be reprinted and read by all AastikAs , who may not be
able to read the original of this important gadhya in Sanskrit or its commentary
in MaNipravALam by Periya-VaacchAn PiLLai or Swamy Desikan's own
commentary in Sanskrit .
SrI HayagrIva
Likhita Kaimkarya Group has decided to bring out this out of print book back
into circulation for the benefit of the younger generation .Any proceeds from
the printing and sale of this out-of-print edition will be donated to
VisishtAdhvaita PrachariNi sabha and to the heirs of UttamUr Swamy for
releasing
additional books
such as Paramatha Bhangam by this great AchAryan .
In his introduction
, U.Ve. Sri UttamUr VeerarAghavAcchAr swamy says :
{ The
ultimate goal of life is Moksha , the release of one's soul from the cycle of
Samsara . To attain this , there are two ways indicated by the saastras , one
Bhakti Yoga and the other Prapatti . By either of these means , the Redemptive
Grace of God can be secured. Bhakti Yoga is difficult to perfrom for ordinary
mortals , for , it means constant one-pointed meditation of Brahmam to be
practised by the devotee during his whole life time , accompanied at the
same time by the performance of the usual rites , sacrifices , etc. On the other
hand , Prapatti is the absolute surrender of the Self to the Lord; it is
comparitively more easy and can be performed by any person who has learnt about
it from his AchArya and is desirous of Moksha. In ancient times, as stated
in Taittiriya Upanishad," yetat vai MahOpanishadam dEvAnAm guhyam". Prapatti was kept as a
close secret . Hence , in Brahmasutra , Prapatti is mentioned but not clearly.
For the same reason , Sri Ramanuja also did not wish to refer to it explicitly
in his Sri BhAshya and Geetaa BhAshya. Whatever controversy there may be as to
whether Sri Ramanuja advocated Prapatti in his other works , there is no doubt
that he has unmistakably indicated in his Gadhya Traya the path of Prapatti as a
sure direct menas of salvation . So , while other works of Sri Ramanuja are to
be studied to learn from them exactly what are the Tatwa and
PurushArta , but to know what is Hita , it is necessary to complete the study by
studying the Gadhya Traya , for , it is only then we can understand
Hita, ( Prapatti) , its nature and how it is to be performed .
SaraNAgati Gadhya
is in the form of a dialog between Sri Ramanuja and SrI DEvi
( Mahaa Lakshmi) in
the first instance, then between Sri RaamAnuja and Sriman NarayaNa .Tradition is
that Sri RaamAnuja performed SaraNAgati in Srirangam before Lord Ranganatha and
His consort , when They were seated on an Aastaanam and that SrI DEvi
and Her Lord actually spoke to Ramanuja and granted him his prayers as
seen from the dialog in SaraNAgati Gadhya.
To SrI RaamAnuja ,
Iswara is a personal God , who has the Universe , Chit and achit as His body and
is full of all various beneovolent attributes . It is appropriate therefore that
, as is usual with him , Sri Ramanuja should in his SaraNAgati Gadhya , sing the
glory and beauty of His divine personality,the brilliance of His wonderful
ornaments , and the mighty powers of His weapons. He is also adored as the
consort of Sri , BhUmi nad NaaLaa dEvis. He has also for His attendants
NityAs like AadhiSEsha , Garuda and VishvaksEna , and the MuktAs in VaikunTha ,
His blissful abode .
SaraNAgati
Gadhya is the exposition of the Dhvaya Mantra , whuich has come to us
traditionally . This is the major Gadhya , while the other two ( Sriranga and
Vaikuntha gadhyAs) stay as supplementary gadhyAs. This work is one of great
religious importance to the followers of Sri RaamAnuja , who believe in his
philosophy of VisishtAdhvaita." Sriranga Gadhya has been released earlier in the
Sri Hayagrivan series ( http://www.srihayagrivan.org ).
adiyEn SrI RaamAnuja DhAsan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri
Sadagopan
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Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
http://www.sadagopan.org
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