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SrI:
SrImatE rAmAnujAya nama:
SrI laksmI narasimha parabrahmaNE nama:

dear vaishNavAs,

The following is a passage from the English
translation(george Taibut) of SrI bhAshya of AchArya
rAmAnuja...
The passage clearly explains, in emperumanar's
opinion, how the Lord chooses some one to grant His
Mercy.

"The vAkyakAra then propounds a pUrvapaksha (prima
facie view), 'once he is to make the meditation, the
matter enjoined by scripture being accomplished
thereby , as in the case of prayAjas and the like';
and then sums up against this in the words
'but(meditation) is established on account of the term
meditation' that means -- knowledge repeated more than
once(i.e. meditation) is determined to be means of
release(mOksha).-- The vAkyakAra then goes on
'Meditation is steady remembrance, on the ground of
observation and statement.' That means -- this
knowledge, of the form of meditation, and repeated
more than once, is of the nature of steady
remembrance.

Such remembrance has been declared to be of the
character of 'seeing', and this character of seeing
consists in its processing the character of immediate
presentation (pratyakshatA). With reference to
remembrance, which thus acquires the character of
immediate presentation and is the means of final
release(mOksha), scripture makes a further
determination, viz. in the passage Ka. Up. I.2.23,
'THAT SELF(GOD) CANNOT BE GAINED BY THE STUDY OF
VEDA(REFLECTION), NOR BY THOUGHT ('MEDITATION'), NOR
BY MUCH HEARING. 

WHOM THE SELF CHOOSES, by him it may be gained; to him
the sellf reveals its being.' This text says at first
that mere hearing, reflection, and meditation donot
suffice to gain the Self, and then declares, 'whom the
Self chooses' by him it may be gained. 

NOW A CHOSEN ONE MEANS A MOST BELOVED PERSON; THE
RELATION BEING THAT he by whom the Self is held most
dear is most dear to the Self. That the Lord(bhagavAn)
himself endeavors that this most beloved person should
gain the Self, He Himself declares in the following
words, To those who are constantly devoted and worship
with love I give the knowledge by which they reach me'
(BG 10.10), and *to gum who has knowledge I am dear
above all things, and he is dear to Me' (BG 7.17).
HENCE HE WHO POSSESSES REMEMBRANCE MARKED BY THE
CHARACTER OF IMMEDIATE PRESENTATION (sAkshAtkAra), and
which itself is dear above all things since the object
remembered is such, he, WE SAY, IS CHOSEN BY THE
HIGHEST SELF, AND BY HIM THE HIGHEST SELF IS GAINED.

Steady remembrance of this kind is designated by the
word 'devotion' (bhakti); for this term has the same
meaning as upAsana (meditation). For this reason the
scripture and smriti agree in making following
declarations, ' A man knowing Him passes over death'
(Svet. Up. 3.8); 'knowing him thus he here becomes
immortal'(Taitt Ar. 12.7); 'Neither by the vEdAs, nor
by austerities, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice can I
be so seen as thou hast seen me. But by devition
exclusive I may in this form be known and seen in
truth, O arjuna, and also be entered into' (bha. gita
11.53,11.54); 'That highest Person, O pArtha, may be
obtained by exclusive devotion' (BG 8.22)"

sarvam SrI krishNArpaNamastu.

dAsOham,
SrIperumbUdUru vEnkaTa vinOd.



you can downlaod sri bhAshya at
http://sriranganatha.tripod.com/sri_bhashya.pdf 


                
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