Vol 01.018 12 April, 1998
In this Issue:
1. Welcome back Sri AR ! - Note from the Publisher
2. Acharya Vamsa Vriksham - Part 18 - Anbil Ramaswamy
3. parama padha sopAnam - part 7 - V. Sadagopan
4. saranagathi - part 13 - nirhEthuka kadAksham - Sampath Rengarajan
5. Sri Ramanuja Mission, Inc. -- An Announcement
1. Welcome back Sri AR ! NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Dear BhagavathAs, I have tried my best to publish this journal in the absence of Sri Anbil. It is learnt that he will be back here in US tomorrow the 13 April, 1998. I on behalf of the board of editors welocme Sriman Anbil Ramaswamy. I hereby submit my responsibility at his holy feet and pray to him to resume his responsibility. It is learnt that Sri Anbil Swamy had extensive one to one discussion with His Holiness Sri Poundrikapuram Andavan and other yathis. We look forward to hearing from him on all these. We also wish all the readers a happy and succesful tamil new year. Please send us a feed back on the journal.
adiyEn
Sampath Rengarajan
2. ACHARYA VAMSA VRIKSHAM Part 18: Period G :
Bhagavad Ramanuja
Anbil RamaswamyTHE SPIRITUAL HIERARCHY - The Guru Parampara has been identified differently by different authorities. The following is from PLV (Palanadai Vilakkam) 1. The Mantra Parampara 2. The Mantraartha Parampara 3. Sri Bhashya Parampara 4. Bhagavad Vishaya Parampara From Bhagavaan to Bhagavad Ramanuja, the succession is the same for all the four:-
Bhagavaan, The Divine Mother, Vishwaksena, Satakopa, Naatha Muni, Pundarikaaksha, Raama Misra, Yaamuna Muni, Mahaa Poorna & Bhagavad Ramanuja.1.MANTRA PARAMPARA
This consists of the 74 Simhasana Adhipathis AND their descendants. This includes the Guru Paramparas of Ahobila Mutt and Parakaala Mutt.2.MANTRA ARTHA PARAMPARA
Bhagavad Ramanuja
Kidambi Aachchaan (Pranathaarthihara)
Kidambi Ramanuja
Kidambi Sri Rangaraja
Kidambi Appullaar
Swami Vedanta Desika
Brahmatantra Swami3. SRI BHASHYA PARAMPARA
Bhagavad Ramanuja
Pillaan
Vishnu Chitta
Nadadoor Ammaal
Appullaar
Swami Vedanta Desika
Brahmatantra Swami4. BHAGAVAD VISHAYA PARAMPARA
Same up to Swami Desika; Then Nainaarachaarya and then Brahmatantra SwamiGURU PARAMPARA IS ALSO CLASSIFIED INTO 2 CATEGORIES AS FOLLOWS:
I. AASRAYANA PARAMPARA and II GRANTHA PARAMPARAI.AASRAYANA PARAMPARA
Same as the above as far as Bhagavad Ramanuja. ThenEmbaar
Paraasara
Nanjeeyar
Nampillai
Sri Krishnapaada (Vadakku Tiruveedhip Pillai)
Pillai Lokaachaarya
Sri Sailesa (Tiruvoimozhip Pillai)
Manavaala Maa Muni( Periya Jeeyar)II.GRANTHA PARAMPARA
This is considered under THREE subdivisions: ( i ) RAHASYA GRANTHA PARAMPARA
Inserts Koora Kulottama Daasa after Pillai Lokachaarya ( ii ) BHAGAVAD VISHAYA PARAMPARA
Bhagavad Ramanuja
Pillaan
Embaar
Aalvaan
Bhattar
Nanjeeyar
Nampillai
Sri Krishnapaada(Vadakku Tiruveedhip Pillai)
Iyunni Maadhava
Iyunni Padmanaabha
Kola Varaaha Nainar
Nalloor Devaraaja
Sri Sailesa (Tiruvoimozhip Pillai)
Periya Jeeyar (Some substitute Nampillai here)
Krishna Samaahvaya (Periya Vaachaan Pillai)
Nainaar Achaan Pillai
Azhagiya Manavaala Jeeyar
Vaadhi KhanteeravaIII.SRI BHASHYA PARAMPARA
Bhagavad Ramanuja
Embaar
Bhattar
Nanjiyar
Nampillai
Sri Krishnapaada (Vadakku Tiruveedhip Pillai)
Pillai Lokaachaarya ( Some substitute one Ramanuja here)
Pillaan
Vishnu Chitta
Nadadoor Ammaal
Appullaar
Swami Vedanta Desika
Nainaaraachaarya
Prathivaadhi Bhayamkaram Annan
Polippaakkam NainarAnbil Ramaswamy
3. parama padha sopAnam - part 7
V. Sadagopan9.2.7:The anubhavam of the beauty of the Cheeks
The shining cheeks of the Lord are like the mirror set among the gems ( maNI darpaNam )for His consorts and the jeevan finds their beauty beyond its descriptive power .9.2.8 : The enjoyment of the beauty of the Lovely lips
The fully ripe red lips of the Lord reminds the jeevan of the integrated essence of the hue of the red coral branches . Swami Desikan refers to the anubhavams of ParAnkusa Naayaki who was haunted by the beauty of those red lips and ANDAL who so very much wanted to know how they tasted and queried the divine conch , Paanchajanyam , which enjoys the taste of those sweet lips (KaRpuRam nARumO --) . ParAnkusa Naayaki wonders whether those haunting red lips are a piece of red coral or BimbhA fruit ( kOvai pazham ) . She complains that those enchanting lips of the Lord surround her aathmA in every direction and that there is no escape from them .9.2.9: Eulogizing the bewitching smile of the Lord
In Thiruvaimozhi 5.3.8 pasuram , ParAnkusa Naayaki appeals to her mother to save her from the power of the Lord's smile . She refers to the combined effect of the white rows of teeth of the Lord and the beautiful red lips , which together destroy her by making her long for the union with her Lord . She wonders whether that radiance arising from the two rows of white teeth are the bright , blinding bolt of lightning or the jyOthi of the row of white pearls intent on driving her mad through their beauty .She complains to her mother that she does not know of any place to escape from the power of the Lord's intoxicating smile .Swami Desikan describes the Jeevan's anubhavam of the Lord's inviting smile in the context of ParAnkusa Naayaki's anubhavam .9.2.10 : The enjoyemnt of the beauty of the Lord's Ears
The Jeevan shifts its glance away from the lips housing the smile of the Lord and focuses on the two ears of the Lord , which remind it of the swings meant for sport ( LeelA Dolai) .ParAnkusa Naayaki describes the disturbance that those beautiful ears caused to her psyche in Thiruvaimozhi 7.7.6 paasuram . She views them as creepers taking the shape of a pair of beautiful fish (Makaram tazhaikkum taLir kol ? )9.2.11: The enjoyment of the Thirumuka Mandalam of the Lord
The Jeevan is reminded of PeriyAzhwAr's anubhavam of that radiant , round face , which is like the full moon ( SuRRum oLivattam sUzhndhu sOthi parantha ) . The integrated beauty of the organs in the face of the Lord reminds the jeevan of ParAnkusa Naayaki's anubhavam of the incomparable beauty of the face of the Lord (Thiruvaimozhi 7.7.8) . Naayaki is very much affected by the power of the beauty of the Lord's face .According to her , the eyes have the radiant lustre of a full blown lotus flower ; The nose is like an exquisitely tender creeper ; the lips are like coral stems ; the eye brows are like a bent bow ; the rows of teeth are like the two rows of dazzlingly white pearls; the two ears are like two more tender creepers ; the forehead has the shape and beauty of ashtami chandran . The beauty of the face of the Lord is multiplied by the individual beauty of each of the contributing parts . Naayaki cries out loud that the integrated beauty of the Lord's face is driving her mad . Jeevan feels the same way ,when it experiences the beauty of the face of Sri Parama Padha Naathan .9.2.12: The beauty of the neck of Sri Parama Padha Naathan
The conch-like slender and beautiful neck of the Lord attracts the attention of the Jeevan as its gaze shifts downward from the Face of the Lord . It tries to escape from the power of the eyes housed in the face of the Lord . The jeevan is reminded of the anubhavam of ThiruppANAzhwar at Srirangam , the BhUlOka VaikunTam : " muRRum unda Kantam kandeer adiyEani uyyakkondathE " . Here AzhwAr refers to the Lord's neck that swallowed during PraLayam , the aNdams , anDAvaraNams , MahA prithvee , and the seven kula parvathams in one gulp .9.2.13: The anubhavam of the Lord's shoulders
From the neck region , the jeevan's focus shifts now to the sundaratthOLgaL Like Kamban , It feels : "ThOL KandAr ThOLE KandAr " . Swami Desikan is reminded of the aanandAnubhavam of HanumAn , when the thankful RamachandrA embraced with His hands and powerful shouders His messenger ( Raama dhUthan ) for bringing the auspicious news of finding His piratti in the city of LankhA . Sri RaamA acknowledged that the embrace of His is all the wealth that he had to confer on HanumAn for his unmatched service : " yEsha SarvasvabhUthO mE parishvanghO HanUmatha:" .The coolness of that embrace associated with the powerful shoulders and the comfort that the nAyaki ( ParAnkusa Naayaki ) derived from those shoulders holding her tight is described by her as being under the cool shade of the fragrant KaRpakA tree ( Thiruvaimozhi 6.6.6) .9.2.14: The enjoyment of the Beauty of the chest of the Lord
From the enjoyment of the powerful and lovely shoulders of the Lord , the jeevan reluctantly moves its gaze to the region between the shoulders (viz)., the chest region . What does it see there? The jeevan has the sEvA bhAgyam of Periya Piratti there along with the pearl necklace , Srivathsam , Kousthubam gem and the vana maalai ( Mouktika - Srivathsa -Kousthubha -VanamAlA -virAjitham ) . There it finds Mahaa Lakshmi residing in a state of Athyantha BhOgyam and is thrilled .9.2.15:The enjoyment of the Lord's stomach region
The jeevan shifts its gaze downwards from the chest to the stomach region now. It remembers the service done by the Lord's stomach of holding all the prapancham ( Seven oceans , seven mountains , seven clouds et al ) and protecting them in that stomach , which still had room for more things. NammmAzhwAr salutes that capacious and protective stomach this way :"KaarEzh malai yEzh ulahamundum
aarAvayirrAnai adangap piditthEnE " . ( TVM: 10.8.2)The occasion is the mangaLAsAsanam for ThiruppEr Nampi . AzhwAr is about to leave for Sri Vaikuntam by the archirAdhi maargam soon. Here , he acknowledges that he has held that Lord , who still has room in His stomach after that prodigious feat. AzhwAr says that he held the Great Lord tightly to the satisfaction of the Lord.
9.2.16: The enjoyment of the PeethAmbharam in the waist
The Lord's thirumEni is like an emerald mountain . The golden yellow silk garment adorning His waist is like the cloud of mAnnickkam . The jeevan sighs and takes in the beauty in the spirit of NammAzhwAr , who described his feelings of joy this way :
paticchOthi aadaiodum palkalanAi ninn paimponn katic chOthi kalanthathuvO ?AzhwAr wonders whether the lustre of the Lord's waist has transformed itself into the radiance of the peethAmparam and the jewels found around the waist region .
9.2.17: The enjoyment of the ankles of the Lord
Those finely chiseled-ankles remind the jeevan of the trbutes paid by PeriyAzhwAr , when his gaze fell on the beautiful jangAs (ankles) of Bala KrishNa in his role as the doting mother , YasOdhA piratti . Here , AzhwAr taking the role of YasOdhA invites her friends to enjoy the beauty of those ankles adorned by the silver ankle jewelery :iNaikkAlil veLLitthaLai ninRilangum
kaNaikkAlil irundavaa kANeerE karihayeer ! vanthu kaaNeerE .Swami Desikan describes the well shaped ankles as " kandharpa-kAhALa-kaLAchi-thUNeera maathrukai " ( ManmathA's musical instrument, YekkALam , the vessel known as KaaLAnchi with a wider top and narrow bottom , the arrow cage /ampaRAtthUNi ) .
9.2.18 : Salutation to the glorious feet of the Lord
The Jeevan's sevai of the Lord arrives now at His lotus feet and find them standing on the top of the siras of the Vedams . It is reminded of the anubhavam of PeriyAzhwAr , where the AzhwAr saw the power of the Lord as an emperor as revealed by the insignias of conch , disc on His inner feet that imprinted themselves on the bhUmi , when he moved around .9.2.19 : The Lotus below the Lord's paadha Kamalam
There is an AdhAra Padhmam under the Lord's sacred feet . NammAzhwAr has wondered about the origin of that lotus below the Lord's holy feet this way : " adic chOthi nee ninra thAmaraiyai alarnthathuvO " ( Meaning ) : Did the kaanthi of Your Thiruvadi blossom forth into the aadhAra Padhmam on which You are standing ?9.2.20 : Enjoyment of the beauy of all the limbs
Now , the jeevan has enjoyed from the holy head to the sacred foot the beauty of the Lord of Sri Vaikuntam . This is reminiscent of NammAzhwAr's anubhavam of the SarvAnga Soundharyam of the Lord :karumANiccka malai pOl maNit tadam thAmaraik kaadugaL pOL ThirumArvu vaai kaNN kai undhi kAludai aadaigaL seyyap pirAn
Here , NammazhwAr , who has enjoyed the samslEsham with " her " Lord as ParAnkusa Naayaki describes to her thOzhi about the beauty of the Lord : He is like a mountain of sapphire and His chest , lips , eyes , hands , navel , feet and the silk garment on His waist blossomed and shone like the freshly blossomed lotuses in a cool pond . Similar is the anubhavam of the jeevan of the total captivating beauty of the Lord of Sri Vaikuntam .
Elsewhere, NammAzhwAr describes the beauty of the Lord shining thru every limb of His this way :
senthAmarait tadankaNN sengani vaai senkamalam senthAmaraiadikkaL semponn thriuvudambE
9.2.21: The enjoyment of the AabharaNangal of the Lord
Here NammaazhwAr visualizes how the Lord appeared before him as SarvAbharaNa bhUshithan and in a state of joy and beauty .Azhwar states that the Lord came to his side with the same solicitude that He shows to Nithya Sooris in parama padham and had the flower garland wrapped around His crown and adorned Sankham , Chakram , sacred thread and His pearl necklace. Azhwar remembers that the eyes of the Lord then were like just blossomed red lotuses and His red lips resembled the color of the petals of Red lotus and His sacred feet were red like lotus and His entire body was like molten red gold ( Thiruvaimozhi 2.5.1) .9.2.22: The salutation to the Chakram and Sankham
The Lord was like a dark mountain ( anjana giri ) in hue and the fiery disc and the cool conch in His two hands with paraspara-paribhAgam ( equal attributes ) were like the Sun and the Moon hugging that anjana giri .The jeevan like NammAzhwAr (Thiruvai- Mozhi 7.2.1) salutes those two divya Aayudhams ( Sankhu chakkarangaLenru kaikUppum --IvaL ).After the enjoyemnt of the beauty of every one of the limbs of Parama padha nAthan , the jeevan starts to enjoy the anantha kalyANa guNams of the Lord .
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Oppiliappan Sannidhi VaradAchAri SadagOpan
4. Saranagathi - Part 13 - nirhEthuka kadAksham
Sampath RengarajanThe meanings of the last two lines of thondar adip podi's pasurams are dealt in an elaborate way in the parts to come in the context of understanding kArpaNyam angam in full. A srivaishnavan does anusanthAnam of his/her naicchi or sirumai and thAzhmai and marches ahead to perform anusanthAnam of Akinchanyam ie kai muthal or yOgyathai illAmai as a part of kArpaNyam. ANDAL delivers as "kaRavikaL pin senRu", ie., my nyAnam is so inferior that I am part of this aRivoNrum illA Aaykulam" ie., the clan that doesnot have a strong intellectual background for generations is this milk maid clan and I belong to that". As similar to that thONdar adip podi does naicchi anusanthAnam by saying "AnthaNamai thannai OLitthittEn". ie., I have nullified all the benefits of being born as a brahmin due to my lack of anushtAnam. Azhwar proceeded to do the most important aspect of "kArpaNyam" angam known as Akinchanya anusanthAnam by "nin kaNum patthan allEn". ie., I donot have the yOgyathai to understand you either. Similar to these realisations and anusanthAnams, nirhEthukai is a nature of Lord's thiru aruL for mOksham that a prapanna in kArpanyam angam must fully understand.
hethu means - kAraNam or cause (of an act), the other words for kAraNam are reason or rationale or motive. But in the current context, cause is the right word to be considered. nirhEthukai means kAraNam illAmai or kAraNam aRRa thanmai - or an act that has no causes to cause it or That which cannot be casued to happen An act that has no cause or cannot be caused to happen.Lord Arangan is the "cause" of all "causes". ie sAshtram propagtes that praNavam is cause for every action of this universe including that of the jIvAtma in it. And as a praNavA krithi, Lord is the cause of all causes or kAraNa kartthA of everything to happen.
The act of Lord bestowing HIS thiru aruL through HIS siddha upAyam for "pERu" known as mOksham is not a response or reaction of any act of the jIvAtmA. It is strictly happening as per the thiru uLLam of the Lord alone. There is no act or upAyam or yOgam or nOnbu that a jIvAtma performs can invoke this thiru aruL for this purpose ie., mOksham. The pramAnam for this is derived from the explanations on "eKa" saptham in saram slOkam and the vyAkyAnam for "eka" saptham from Swami dEsikan's "sarama slOka surrukku" and derivations on siddha upAyam are already presented in the part on "vyAjA" earlier.
It is important to know this nature of the "nirhEthuka" of the Lord's thiru aruL for pERu or mOksham when a prapannA is in in the stage of realisation of their inability known as kArpaNyam. Without realising the fullest meaning and nature of "nirhEthuka", dwelling in karpaNyam is futile. If there is an act or upAyam or yOgam or nOnbu that a jIvAtmA *can* perform along with saranAgathi or surrender, such that a reaction known as thiru aruL for mOksham is provided by the Lord in return, then there is no need for the jIvAtmA to realise its inability or kArpanyam as such. It may as well attempt such an act. The jIvAtmA realises that it is not able to perform any nOnbu or yAgam or any act to attain the thiru aruL of the Lord for mOksham. It is thus realised in depth that there is no act or upAyam that a surrendering soul is capable of performing by itself to invoke a favourable response from the Lord for attaining mOksham. Such realisation is considered as the pinnacle of kArpaNyam angam thereby making the realisation of jIvAtmA's inability complete.
siddha upAyam:
nirhEthukai kripa of the Lord strictly means that WITHIN a given birth, jIvAtma cannot manipulate to attain perumAL's thiru aruL of siddha upAyam for its desired destiny of mOksham by any intellectual play or act of its own. ie., Nothing can cause this thiru aruL action of the Lord to take place. It is perumAL alone who can provide this thiru aruL of HIS, through "than iccahi" or "HIS OWN DESIRE". It means that jIvAtmA has no control over as to why, where, how and when the Lord will shower HIS thiru aruL through HIS siddha upAyam and grant mOksham. Though the word is given that jIvAtmA will be granted mOksham on its surrender or saranAgathi, the why, when, how, and where are not revealed to jIvAtmA. It is unwise for a prapannA to gauge the kripA sakthi of the Lord.nirhEthukai is sometimes applied unilaterally and misunderstood, when used in other contexts. Though no nOnbu or yAgam can cause this thiru aruL through sidha upAyam, as per poorvAcchAryA srI sUkthis and vyAkyAnams, certain angams of prapatti are considered by Lord in HIS siddha upAyam, as an yOgyathai or a qualification of the prapannA to bestow the desired patham or pERu to the prapannA when ever Lord wishes to do so. If certain angams are going to bring in the necessary qualifications to get the reward of mOksham., then can a prapannA perform such angam for the sake of getting this reward and control or manipulate his or her own destiny in a given time or birth ? Answer is No. The pramAnam for this also is drwan from the "eka" saptham of saram slOkam as explained in the previous article on "vyAja" as the differences between sAthanA upAyam and siddha upAyam.
The very fact is such that these angams are performed in such a way that the jIvAtmA totally surrenders its desires at the feet of the Lord including the desire and thought that he or she had performed saranAgathi and that they have been assured of mOksham. ie., Even that thought is surrendered right away or else the ahankAram or ego in the form of the thought such as "I have been chosen already for "pERu" (mOksham) and that I am just in the pipe line" will ruin the very "undertaking".
The very undertaking is such that the jIvAtmA has completely surrendred and realised that it is totally subservient to the Lord and that the Lord Owns it. There is no iccahi or desire that the jIvAtmA possess on its own once it is surrendred. It simply accepts that all the destined events in the birth are the acts as per the thiru uLLam of the Lord. And the jIvAtmA does not possses a "than icchai" or self desires from then on. A "than icchai" of a jIvAtmA that it owns a reward and that such reward is in pipe line, violates this concept of realisation of total subservience to Lord. Thus the jIvAtmA already prepares itself to accept the Eswara siddham as its own icchai.
The main uncontrollability is that why, when, how and where are not revealed to jIvAtmA unless it undertakes baranyAsam through an AchAryAn known as achArya nishtai. However a prapanna who has undertaken prpatti through any one of the four prapattis known as swa nishtai, ukthi nishtai, AchArya nishtai, and bAgawatha nishtai is guaranteed of mOksham at end of such birth during which one of these prapatti was undertaken. The truth is no jIvAtmA knows when this end of birth unless it ends. jIvAtmA has no control of when this end will happen unless they are given a boon similar to Sri BhismA. There is proverb that A man learns even during his death.
However, While the baranyAsam is undertaken, AchAryan provides the thiruaruL and opens the gate for the "aruL veLi" or the domain of aruL (refer earlier part on "AruL" in this sereis) of the Lord. By the given authority, AchAryan also conveys to the jIvAtma the Lord's assurance that the jIvAtmA will be granted with mOksham at the end of this janmam or birth. That (when) is the only thing jivAtma is revealed. There are instances when mOksham is apparently seen as given instantly, for example gajEndra mOksham. gajEndran the elephant was an ardent Srivishnu bhakthA for a very very long time and was a cursed to be born as an elephant and the remedy for the curse was also set by saint Sri Durvasa muni. Even during gajEndra mOksham, the mOksham was given at the end of its life only.
Thus the imoprtant aspects of nirhethuka kadAksham are 1. Nothing the jIvAtmA can do as an act can cause the thiru aruL of the Lord to happen.
2. It is a misconception to assume that such thiru aruL is given to everyone irrespective of one's yOgayathai. 3. The Lord does consider certain acts of the jIvAtmA performed as an angam of saranAgathi as an yOgyathai or qualification to bestow HIS thiru aruL through siddah upAyam for granting mOksham. 4. The "Akinchanya anusanthAnam" is itself cited as one such Yogyathi by Lord, as per our poorvAcharyALs. (will be dealt in the next part).Swami dEsikan thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan
5. Sri Ramanuja Mission, Inc. -- An Announcement
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha
SRI RAMANUJA MISSION, INC.
14433, SETTLERS LANDING WAY
NORTH POTOMAC, MD 20878-4304
PHONE (301) 294-6206 FAX (301) 738-2419
nadadur@erols.com, kannank@us.ibm.comMarch 15, 1998
Dear Bhaghavathas of Sri Swami Desika Darsan Satsangam (SDDS):It gives us great pleasure to announce the formation of Sri Ramanuja Mission, Inc. with the gracious blessings of HH Srimad Srirangam Andavan. The Mission has been registered in the state of MD and has obtained tax exemptions under IRS as a non-profit organization. As desired by HH, one of the primary objective of the Mission is to facilitate community out-reach programs for promoting the understanding of our Sri Vaishnava Sat Samparadhayam established by Sri Ramanuja. The Mission is committed to facilitating work shops, produce and distribute texts, tapes, and other materials on the works of AchAryAs like Sri Alavandar, Sri Ramanuja, Sri Vedantha Desika, and others through cooperative efforts of other service organizations.
We request Andavan Thiruvadikal and SDDS Bhaghavathas to participate and support the Mission in nurturing Sri Vaishnava Sat Sampradhayam.
Sarvam Srikrishnarpanamasthu
Regards
V. Kannan President
Vijayaraghavan Poondi, Vice President
Nadadur Mathavadasan, Secretary
K. Kesavan, Treasurer
SRI RAMANUJA MISSION, INC.