SrI: Dear and Respected List Members: Our Oppiliappan List completed one year of serving fellow devotees on March 9 , 2003. Our Oppiliappan list carrying the name of the Lord of ThiruviNnagaram (OppilA appan/ The Matchless Lord) is not a list with a huge number of Members. It is a boutique list devoted to an understanding of our SampradhAyam as preserved and propagated by the illustrious set of SrI VaishNavite AchAryAs , who are always deeply interested in our spiritual well being . It is also a list to focus on Kaimkaryams to develop a ruchi for them as a part of our lives as Bhagavath RaamAnuja SampradhAyns and AbhimAnis. Bhagavath-BhAgavatha-AchArya Kaimakryams are indeed an important focus of this list . We do not want our list to be a huge list for fear of falling in the trap of many apachaarams to our SadAchAryAs arising from too many unsubstantiated free wheeling analyses. Our AchAryAs are parama DayALus and are deeply interested in our spiritual advancements.We do not want flip approaches to discussing important topics that are dear to them . The role of our AchAryAs is unparalleled and we have to be ever so guardful of not offending what they have devoted their entire lives to protect and preserve for posterity. On the eve of the precious SrI Nrusimha Jayanthi , adiyEn is taking the vow to tighten up the rules for acceptance of postings , since some of the recent postings that were offensive to the sensibilities of those , who place the highest emphasis on the role of SadAchAryan in our lives. The freewheeling discussions are great in a general forum ; if these discussions are not backed up by a sense of respectful regard for our illustrious line of SadAchAryans and the scholarship and authenticity that they represent in interpretations of the SaasthrArthams , then we would be wasting our time and learning nothing. The list will ultimately shrink to a level of purposelessness and will end up in empty pontifications & shouting matches. It will disappear like a thin stram that lost its identity in the sands of an arid desert. Let us keep up a level of sanctity in dealing with the topics related to our sampradhAyam. We have so much to learn from the depth of knowledge represented by the sishyAs of many of our AchArya paramparais. SadaachAryas are gained by us through Bhagavath sankalpam and anugraham . PerumAL is our First AchAryan and commands His line of AchAryAs to bless us with paravidhyAs of Bhakthi or prapatthi Yogam as MokshOpAyams. Most of us do not have the qualifications are rigor to practise Bhakthi yOgam and perform hence Prapatthi at the sacred feet of the Lord with the intercession of our AchAryan. AchAryA's DayA can never ever be repaid . AchAryA's Paadhukais give us PerumAL as the Parama PurushArTam (Supreme boon). AchAryA's aasritha Vaathsalyam ( affection for those , who sought their protection) is immeasurable. It is as deep as their Jn~Anam and DayA. They make every effort to rescue us from the wrong steps that we are wont to take . They save us from all kinds of asubhams ( inauspiciousness). On this Nrusimha Jayanthi Kaalam, adiyEn's mind hovers over the Silver Mantapam , where SrI Lakshmi Nrusimhan has His aasthAnam and Our AchAryan , SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA Desikan , is performing the VisEsha Nrusimha Jayanthi AarAdhanam. One of Our Lord's Sacred foot has a Paadhukai and the other has been left behind during His hurry to accompany AdhI VaNN SaThakOpa Jeeyar , the First Jeeyar of AhObila matam . The combination of the image of the Bhagavan and AchAryan together on this auspicious occasion beofe the mind's eye from this distance of 9,000 plus miles reminds adiyEn of Swamy Desikan's MangaLAsAsanam in SrI PaadhukA Sahsara Phala Paddhathi (SlOkam 984): "Idham BhavathI-samEtham yath PaadhAravindha-yugalam tath sarkarayA samEtham Ksheeram iva". Here Swamy Desikan is describing what is delectable for aathma kshEmakaram ( that confers kshEmam on one self) and provide paripoorna Thrupthi (Full satisfaction). There are two sEvais that belong to this category of immense satisfaction . One is the darsana soubhAgyam of the SubhAsraya Dhivya Mangala Vigraham of Lord Narasimhan , the apoorva aanandha maya vigrahan , who is enjoyable by the mind and whose darsanam destroys all sins on sight . The other sEvai , which is equally blessed is the Darsana soubhAgyam of our AchAryan . Both sEvais are individually BhOgyam (most enjoyable) and Paapa haram ( destroyer of one's sins). The BhOgyatamam ( the supremely delectable) experience however is the joint darsanam of the AchAryan performing AarAdhanam for the Lord , who incarnated as the Man-Lion and jumped out of the court pillar of HiraNya Kasipu to prove that His devotee's utterances will not prove false. When such a joint sEvai is realized, even Paramapadham is not important ! The pramANam quoted by our AchAryAs for this avicchinna sEvai is: "Bhagavad vandhanam svAdhyam Guru Vandhana poorvakam" Such a sevai of the Lord preceded by the sEvai of one's AchAryan is like the most exalted experience. It is like drinking the Milk admixed with Sugar (Ksheeram SarkarayA samEtham). Such a Joint sEvai in person before the Silver Mantapam at SrI Matam and dhyAnam on such a joint sEvai is Taaraka-pOshaka-BhOgyams for sishyAs. The great blessing to be near our AchAryans to perform Sarva Desa-Sarva Kaala-Sarvaavasthitha uchitha Kaimkaryams is not available to many of us stuck away in foreign lands for one reason or other. Serving the AchAryAs and following the path laid out for us by them is indeed Parama PurushArTam. For those of us who have the paripoorNa KatAksham of our SadAchAryans and observe sEsha Vrutthi for them , all karmAs are destroyed. Those MahA BhAgyasAlis , who are very few (Sudhurlabha:) since they have unquestionable belief in their SadAchAryans as parama PrApyam and PrApakam . This is the Upadesam of Swamy Desikan. Let us follow the SadAchAryA's golden path rooted in VedAs (Veda Maarga PrathishtApanAchAryAs) to gain Moksham granted by the Veda Maarga PrathipAdhyan, SrI MaalOla Narasimhan of Ahobilam travelling to villages and cities with His AarAdhakars for the past 600 plus years in an unbroken tradition to bless us. let us approach Oppiliappan List in this mood and strengthen the bonds between the respected members from here on. We will make some changes in the format of SaraNAgathi list soon and revert back to the Journal mode with special articles on SrI VaishNava SrI Sooktis soon. We will focus on Swamy Desikan's DramidOpanishad Taathparya RathnAvaLi, DranidhOpanishad Saara and chillarai Rahasyams . With prayers for AchAryA's blessing for these Kaimkaryams to the SrI ViashNava Community, SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam SrI Lakshmi Nrusimha Para BrahmaNE Nama: Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaThakOpan
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