Dear SrI Ranganatha BhakthAs :
Today , we will study the 16th SlOkam
of the First Jitante .
SlOkam 16
*************
yacchAparAdahm kruthavAn
ajn~AnAth
PurushOtthama
madh-bhaktha ithi DevEsa
tath sarvam
Kshanthum-arhasi
(Meaning ) : Oh God of Gods! Oh
PurushOtthama! adiyEn
seeks Your aparAdha KshAmaNam . Whatever
sins that have been
committed out of my ajn~Anam ( nescience)
and vipareetha
Jn~Anam , Thou should forgive me however
with the thought that
I am Your devotee .
Commentary: Sounaka Maharishi seeks the Lord's pardon here
for the sins accumulated from
transgression of Bhagavath
Saasthrams due to ignorance . Here, the
bhakthan of the Lord
reminds the Lord that he is totally
dependent on the Lord's
grace and compassion and asks Him to
forgive the sins
acquired from Bhagavath Saasthra
Ullankanam . NirvEdham
( despondency ) over the sins by one
seeking Moksham
( Mumukshu) is required . When one atones
properly
(sincerely) , out of His infinite
compassion towards
the Prapannan , the Lord pardons
the aparAdhi :
( " na smarathy apakArANAm satamapi
AathmavatthayA ".
This compassion of the Lord has been
compared to
the Dayaa river flowing from the
Lord like GangA
pravAham and serves as an upAyam for
removing
the sins ( sadhA avadhAtha subhagAm Maadhava-
dayaa MandhAkineem vindhathi) .
PrAyascchitthams (Expiatory
rites) have
been ordained
for the sins knowingly committed
by a Prapannan
.
The Lord gives a light punishment for
these and overlooks
others acquired unconsciously out of
His compassion
for
a Prapannan seeking His pardon
.
The rite of PrAyascchittham and its
effect on the sins
has been pointed out by Vangipuram Nambi
as the sole
means to gain the pardon of the Lord
:
ajn~Ath aTa vaa jn~AnAth
aparAdhEshu sathsvapi
PrAyascchittham kshamasvEthi
prArTanaikEva kEvalam
(Meaning): One could have trespassed
knowingly or unknowingly .
The prayer seeking pardon is the only
prAyascchittham
to erase these sins .This prAyascchittha Prapatthi (
Puna:
Prapatthi) is
different from the earlier one done for
Moksham ( Moksha Prapatthi) .The
Prapatthi performed
for Moksham is done
only once .
The 18th chapter of Srimad Rahasya Thraya
Saaram of
Swamy Desikan ( AparAdha ParihArAdhikAram
) deals
at great length about the destrucion of
sins acquired after
performing Prapatthi
.
NamO SrI Ranganathaya
,
Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan
P.S: Dear SrI
Ranganatha BhakthAs : We have started to find
living quaters for our
Temple staff ( 5 Priests and one Cook)
and unite them with their
families as soon as Possible .
We need all of Your help to
realize this goal . Please go to
our temple web site and
send your contributions online :
Thank You all
.