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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00020 Sep 2002

 
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SrI:

Dear BhakthAs: 

On this important memorial day that has 
touched the lives of so many around the world ,
it looks appropriate to share some thoughts 
on the good and evil, hope and hopelessness
and the victory of good over evil .

I will focus on the two rivers , Viraja and
VaitharaNi , which mark the boundaries of 
SrI Vaikuntam and Naraka lOkam . The soul crosses
one of the two rivers according to its accumulated
karmAs and anushtAnams/AchArya sambhandham .

Definitions: Viraja: an epithet of VishNu,
free from Rajas(RajO GuNam, Passionate attachment
to things ), the name of the divine river that 
forms the boundary between SamsAra Mandalam and
SrI Vaikuntam , the Supreme abode of SrIman NaarAyaNan.
Viraja river flows at the boundary of SrI vaikuntam
( VaikunDaseemni VirajAm syandamAnAm mahA nadhIm ).
It is described as the Amrutha Nadhi.

After crossing the River VirajA , the liberated soul 
is touched by amAnavan to get complete freedom from
all karma vaasanais , gains sookshma sarItram 
and rushes further towards the gates of SrI Vaikuntam
as summarized by a Tathtva MukthA kalApa slOkam:

gathvAaTO VirajAM vimuchya cha tanum sookshmAm tathOamAnava-
sparsAth KshAlitha vAssanaas-sukruthinO gacchanthi VishNO: padham 

Restating in another way , The liberated soul after 
the successful completion of Bhakthi or Prapatthi yOgam
travels on the path of light (archirAdhi mArgam described 
by Swamy NammazhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi) and arrives at 
the banks of the VirajA river and crosses it with 
the strength of its sankalpam and gets to the other 
side and reaches the seat of SrIman NaarAyaNan in 
SrI Vaikuntam ( The land of no hindrance) . There 
the liberated soul is embraced by the Welcoming Lord 
and stays there forever without returning to 
the horrors of SamsAra mandalam and avoids 
the repeated cycles of births and deaths.

A beautiful picture roll of the soul's journey 
via ArchirAdhi Maargam , crossing the VirajA river
and reaching ThirumAmaNi MaNDapam of the Lord has 
been made available by SrI PoundarIkapuram Andavan Asramam
at 43A/13 Asramam Road, Srirangam , Trichy 6
India 620 006 . Addiitonal copies might be reprinted 
soon. Please acquire a copy and laminate it
for ready reference .

Regarding a verse on this topic , Swamy Desikan's 
Parama Padha sOpAnam verse is appropriate since 
it covers the entire gamut of ArchirAdhi Maargam 
and VirajA crossing :

This 8 line verse in chaste Tamil would need
setting of the tune and my sister can help
choosing the Raagam and TaaLam .

PaNDai iruvinai aaRRil padinthu,paaram
kaaNAthE ozhuhiya naamm pakkiyatthAl
vaNDamarum malar mAthu minnAi manna 
vaisayanthi maNi villAi viLanga vaan sEr
koNDal aruL mazhai pozhiya vanthoppAm
kuLirnthu tELinthamuthAya VIRASAI aaRRai
kaNDaNuhik-karutthAlE kadanthu, meeLAk-
karai kaNDOr kathi yellAm kathitthittOmE

Word by word meaning 
********************
PaNdai= anAdhi, iruvinai = two karmAs , PuNyam
and Paapam , aaRRil = in the river of ,
paDinthu = amizhnthu/immersed , paaram kANAthE =
not being able to find the banks of the river ,
ozhuhiya naamm = we who were being swept away 
in that torrential current , vaNdu amarum malar
mAthar = SrI Devi, who has Her seat on the red
lotus swarmed by th honey bees, minnAi manna=
resplendent like the bright lightning , vaisayanthi
maNi villAi viLanga = the Vaijayanthi maalai shining 
as bautiful bow , vaan sEr koNDal mazhai pozhiya=
At that Parama padham , the dark hued Lord taking
the form of a rainy cloud pouring out as the cool 
rain of compassion , vanthathu opppAm kuLirnthu teLinthu 
amudhAya VIRASAI aaRRai kadanthu = crossing the cool ,
clear and nectarine VirajA river generated as it were
from that cool rain waters of DayA ( the Lord ),
aNuhi karutthAlE kadanthu = approaching that river and 
crossing it with the power of sankalpam ,
meeLAkkarai kaNDOr gathi yellAm paakiyatthAl
kathitthittOm = through our bhAgyam , we enjoyed 
the elaborate details of the journey to SrI Vaikuntam 
from where no one returns back to samsAric world. 

(Summary Meaning): We --who were immersed deeply in 
the ancient (timeless) river made up of 
two karmAs (puNyams and Paapams) and were being
thrown around without ever touching the bottom
of that river-- are experiencing the great
BhAgyam of those liberated souls , who have 
crossed the cool , nectarine river of VirajA
and reached the other side of the river , 
SrI Vaikuntam from where there is no return
to this samsAric world. There at the Supreme
abode of the Lord , Periya Piraatti is sitting on
the lotus flower frequented by the divine bees and 
shines like the bright golden lightning , the wild
flower garland (Vaijayanthi maalai) appears like the bow
and the cool auspicious dark hued cloud ( Our Lord)
pours out His dayaa ( karuNai).


The tortuous Path to Hopelessness 
**********************************
I will be brief about the river of Narakam , VaitharaNi.
The soul , which has transgressed all the injunctions of 
the Lord arrive here after crossing torrid and arid 
deserts without shade or water . The soul arrives at 
the southern gate of Yama's city ,passes thru a gate of 
red hot iron and cross the fetid and boiling river of 
abandonment (VaitaraNi) .

The soul with its deeds ( Paapam bundles) accompanying it
arrives in front of Yama dharman and there ChithraguptA
reads the offences and Yama Raja, who is gracious to 
the just and the fearsome to the sinners gives the sentences.
There are not any slOkams about VaitharaNi , since it is
one of the many stages of the journey of the soul towards 
suffering that the soul could have avoided . 

In summing up between our choice between hope and hopelessnes ,
Our AzhwArs and AchAryAs out of their compassion offered 
the SaraNAgathy route to save the souls from ending up in 
narakam and rebirths and the route of total surrender at
the Thiruvadi of SrIMan NaarAyaNan . They celebrated 
the ArchirAdhi maargam , crossing of the Viraja 
river , contact with amAnavan and ultimate arrival at 
the Lord's seat at SrI Vaikuntam to enjoy ParipoorNa
BrahmAnandham and nithya kaimkarya BhAgyam there to 
the Lord and His divine consorts.

With prayers for Peace and Understanding ,

V.Sadagopan 






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