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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00030 Jan 2003

 
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Dear swAmin, Thanks for your appreciating kind words which impels me to
write more and more which educates me more and more. It was indeed
thoughtful and kind of you to send a personal mail to me. I am neither
learned nor vidwan.
Now, looking at your postings, I expected at least a dozen of mails
pouringin. However, only sri TCA Srinivasaramanujam swami has responded.
I concur with your view that that materialsitic and other things have taken
preference to pure srevaishnavic aspects. I concur with your view that those
who deviate from srevaishnavi path needs compassion.
AzhwAr-s have also in their various blessings analysed this in detail onRum
dhEvum is a class analysis of parathvam.oru nAyakamAi is a class analysis of
materialistic ends. koNda peNdir is a class analysis of nature of relatives
and friends. thandhai thAi makkaLE is a class analysis of vishayap
prAvaNyam.
So the question is whether dhEvadhAndhra bhajanam is acceptable as it at
least allows shEShathvam? Here I do not concur for two main reasons.
1. If dhEvadhAndhra bhajanam is a remedy for vishayap prAVaNYam and
materialstic bondage,then it can be prescribed However, it can only
aggravate the situtation and alongwith materialistic bondage vishayap
prAvaNyam will also tag us.
2. As per our principles also - dhEvadhAndhra bhajanam is not less harmful
when compared to other things.

I would like to quote two vArthai-s from vArthAmAlai in this regard.
vArthai 257 "vaishNavan enRum ,yEakAnthi enRum,paramaikAnthi enRum mUnRu
vaishNavanAgirAn. vaishnavaNAgarinAn -dhEvadhAndhra nivruthap pUrvamAga
bhagwadh sEshathvagnAnam piRandhavan. YEkAnthi AgirAn- sAdhanAndhra
nivruthapUrvamAga sidhasAdhana swEkAram paNNinavan; paramaikAnthi AgirAn-
prayojanAnthi pUrvamAga paramaprApyaruchi piRandhavan.
1.That is, the person who is not attached to other deities but to Lord
srEman nArAyaNa is vaishNavan. This person has attachment to materialstic
and his own efforts for salvation.
2. The person who has withered his efforts but is detached towards other
deities is termed as yEkAnthi.This person wants the Lord alongwith
materialistic beneficts.
3.The third class is the person who is devoid of both the above and desires
the Lord only (vunnai aruthithu vandhOm)This person is paramaikAnthi.

I do not think dhEvadhAndhra bhajanam breeds shEshathvam.Even other things
like vishayap prAvaNyam and materialsitic benefits leads to shEshathvam but
we are subservient to our egos or our beloveds or materialsitic
ends.Further, if we start applying this logic, then we can be subservient to
anything irrespective of vedic prescriptions which will lead to absurd
situation where even subservience to other religions(likeChristianity and
Islam) can be justified on the grounds of shEshathavam.
I cannot recall the Lord granting salvation to any person who is seeking
other deities.Only after they completely change themselves and realise the
Lord they become eligible for this(madhiyAl isaindhOm) Till then their
willingness to be subservient to the Lord is absent.(mArkaNdEya magarishi
got the blessings only after he completely turned towards the Lord).
The pAsuram comes which comes to my mind in this regard is: ' mAga mAnilam
muzhudhum vandhirainjun malaradi kaNda mAmaRaiAlan, thogai mAmayil annavar
inbam, thuthilAmail atha ingozhithu, bhOgam nE eidhi, pinnum nam idaikkE
pOdhuvAi' periya thirumozhi 5-8-5. In this pAsuram the Lord grants salvation
to a learned person but defers the salvation for the sake of the person and
gives him time to finish off all the desires.

. Four type of adhikAri-s are mentioned in srImadh bhagwadh gIta in chapter
7-16 as" ArthO, jignAsU,arthArthi, gnAni""
These are A.Those souls who approach me for Lost Wealth; B. Those souls who
appraoch me for fresh Wealth;
C. Those souls who want to be out of this prakruthi but be as a jEvAthmA-
enjoying themselves-without being in touch with the God and
D. Those souls who want to attin the Lord's feet.

Hence,Lord krishNa has acknowledged the existence of souls who seek him for
various ends.

I do agree with Sri TCA srinivasaramanujam's view that the songs given to
other deities reach the Lord Himself. But,they do not.
Hence, the inference is that both dhEvadhAndhra bajanam and vishayap
prAvaNYam are blemishes of different categories. One is not suprior or
inferior.Hence,as mentioned by you, only proper guidance and blessings by
AchAryan is the panacea for these ills.
This is my humble opinion. Any mistakes may please be pardoned.
vAnamAmalai padmanAbhan
----- Original Message -----
From: <tiruvarankattucelvanaikamural@xxxx>
To: <aazhwar@xxxx>
Sent: Saturday, January 04, 2003 2:01 AM
Subject: reflections on Azhi mazhai kanna


> Respected Vannamamalai Padmanabhan Swamy
>
> Please accept my thanks for all your postings. Their purity is
> refreshing to the soul.
>
> I wish to contribute some personal thoughts on the Azhi mazhai kanna
> pasuram. Since you are a learned vidvan, it seems impudent of me to
> add any comment to what you have said. Yet your post got me thinking.
> Before posting these thoughts, it is but proper for me to stress that
> these thoughts are sent in a spirit harmonious, and not in the
> slightest way contradictory , to your original Azhi mazhai kanna
> vyakyanam.
>
> Many thanks again
>
> Your servant, S. Ramanujadasan
>
> (the post: 'reflections on Azhi mazhai kanna' is given below)
> _____________________________________________________________________
>
> For most of you, this post will be a waste of time. But please read
> on, if only for an 'eye-opener' into the depravity into which some of
> us in your kulam have sunk).
>
> ------------------------------------------
>
> Respected members of the Ramanuja List,
>
> Many thanks for the excellent Azhi Mazhai Kanna post from the erudite
> Vanamamalai Padmanabhan swamy. We do well to place the general-
> managers of our universe in their proper perspective.
>
> Moreover, the vyakyanam's stresse on the folly of worshiping minor
> gods made me realise that some of us have a related problem. We have
> replaced deva worship with an alternative infidelity. Like Trshanku,
> we have substituted the traditional deities for our own perverted
> kingdom of gods. Therein, we don't worship Kubera, we worship our
> Rupees; we don't worship Kamadeva, we just surrender to our own
> Lusts; we don't worship Saraswati, we just exalt in our own Intellect
> (try to show how clever we are whenever we get half a chance). There
> is a Gujarati saying that pretty well sums up our problem:
>
> Paisa maro Parameswar
> Bairi mari Guru
> Dikro maro Shaligram
> Tho kohni puja karu?
>
> "Money is my God, my wife is my Supreme authority, my children are my
> deities; You tell me whose devotee i am?"
>
> Worst of all, we seem more concerned about what the society might
> think of our religious piety than the hardening of our once tender
> heart. We are in a far worse state than those who don't know their
> Agni from their Ayyappa [1].
>
> Please pray for those like me. As Srivaisnavas, you have not only the
> devas but Sriman Narayana Himself at your beck-and-call. It is only
> His Grace that can save us from ourselves.
>
> your servant, S. Ramanujadasan
>
> Notes:
>
> [1] People worship either vedic (e.g. Agni) or non-vedic (e.g.
> Ayyappa) gods because they have not yet been blessed with an Acarya
> who has given them the knowledge of the Supremacy of SrimanNarayan.
> These poor people innocently worship all sorts of gods, not really
> knowing one from the other, i.e. "Agni from their Ayappa".
>
> But then, at least those who worship minor gods have a spirit of
> sheshatva (though it is misguided). In time, association with the
> teachings of our Purvacharyas might well turn those misguided souls
> towards the correct perspective.
>
> Now contrast these demigod worshipers with someone who knows Sriman
> Narayana is Supreme, yet who continues to serve himself - that
> incorrigible person is worse than a naive follower of one demigod or
> the other.
>
> (learned members: please take time to correct me if i am wrong on
> this, or any other, point).
>
>







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