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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