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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00084 May 2002

 
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Sri Parthasarathi thunai,
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha


? Mattrondrum Venda Maname Madhilarangar
Kattrinum meitha kazhalinai keezh- uttra
Thirumaalai paadum seer Thondaradipodi Emperumaanai
Eppozhudum peesu?

?Srimat Krishna samahvaya Namo yaamuna soonave 
yetkadakshai kalakshyanam sulabha: Sridara: sadaa?

Pranams,

?Bhakthiyinudaya pushkaraiyopadi prapatti nishtA
hetuvAna vishvaasamum Silarukku kittukai
aridhagaiyale? says Sri PVP in his avadharikai. We
all know that in Kali we people are not capable of
doing Karma, Jnana, Bhakthi yogas to attain the divine
feet of the Emperuman. But here Sri Pillai puts
forward the fact that the Maha vishvasam which is
essential for prappati (ripened form of bhakthi) is
difficult for a few to obtain. At the present
juncture the word few must be however changed to many
since many lack confidence in the supreme and hence
prappati and bhakthi are not done by many. So the
Vishnu dharmam and following its footsteps Thirumaalai
detail about the easiest way to attain bhagavan, Nama
Sankeertanam. All types of yogas are explained by
paramatma in his Bhagavat geetha. But there is no use
learning Vedanta alone when nothing is put into
practice. We find many vedantins who talk a lot in
public do not possess that vairakyam they preach and
hence he will not be a Jyana Yogi though he knows a
lot about Jyana Yoga. Anybody can say body is
different from atma and that atma cannot be affected
due to fire rain etc. but can they really bring it to
practice is what is essential and only when they have
it in anushtanam (practice) what ever they preach will
be accepted by others.

While talking about this we remember two persons who
really practiced what they preached. Once when
Vivekananda was delivering a lecture in Chicago about
body and soul, one person wanted to test how much of
his preaching did he really put into practice. So
when Sri Vivekananda was delivering his lecture the
next day the man shot at the stage. But Vivekandanda
kept on lecturing unaffected by the sound of the shot.
Then the person apologized and accepted that
vivekananda actually practiced what he preached. Is
it possible for us? I know many of us will say a big
no. In our acharya paramparai, all of us know of
thirumalai anantazhvan one of Sri Ramanuja?s dear
shishyas. Once a snake bit him and his shisyas were
frightened and wanted to take him to a doctor
immediately but Sri Ananthazhvan replied that his body
itself was like a snake with poison spread throughout
and now another snake has bitten it. We will see
which snake is more powerful. If the snake which bit
was more powerful then I will continue my kainkaryam
to paramapadanathan in Srivaikundam and if the
snake(body) which got bitten is more powerful then my
kainkaryam to Lord Venkateshwara will continue. Such
was the vairakhyam of our acharyas. Such Vairakhyams
is not at all possible to common man. So Jnana yoga
is impossible for us.

For Karma yoga we need Acharam and again we do not
possess that too. So nothing can be made
Ishwararpanam(for the sake of god) and we are all
selfish so again karma yoga is also difficult. Ok if
all these are not possible then emperuman gives us a
simpler way. He says do bhakthi or Prappati in my
feet as he says ?Mam Ikam Charanam Vraja?(charama
slokam). But again for this Maha vishvasam is
absolutely necessary. We should believe that we are
incapable and emperuman is alone capable of anything
and everything. That again is not easy since we never
believe anyone and leaving our ego and falling under
some ones feet is highly impossible for we jeevatmas. 
Prahladan had that Maha Vishvasam even when he was put
in fire, when he was pushed down a mountain. But we
samsaris loose confidence even if we face a small
problem. We start saying things like why does this
happen to me instead of my prayers to the bhagavan? 
If bhagavan was really there then will this happen to
me? and so on. Emperuman says ?Ananyat
chintayantooman???..Yogakshemam Vahanmyaham? do we
really follow him but we expect him to take care of
our affairs and make our life very smooth. 

During Sri Ramanuja?s time one Srivaishnava was
shouting in front of the thirumadapalli(temple
kitchen) of Srirangam temple. Acharya enquired what
his problem was. He said that he was a
kainkaryaparan(person who does kainkaryam to bhagavan)
in the temple. Till today he got prasadam from the
temple and was feeding his family. Now that his
family has increased in size the prasadam was not
enough and so he was demanding for more prasadam. Sri
Ramanuja asked him if he believed in namperumal. The
srivaishnava replied that he believed acharyan more. 
Then the acharyan said then go and stay in your place
and you will get your prasadam. After this incident
acharya went to have darshan of emperuman and
completely forgot about the incident. After some
days he met the srivaishnava in the banks of kaveri in
front of a small hut. Now acharya asked him how was
his living going on for which the srivaishnava replied
that by the grace of the acharyan and emperuman he was
fine with the prasadam being delivered to him by the
person, who was appointed by the acharya everyday. 
Ethirajar was totally surprised to hear this as he
hasn?t appointed anyone. After enquiring he realized
that the person who was doing this job was none other
than Periya perumal himself. He has come to keep up
the words of his Bhakthan(Ramanujar) who told the
srivaishanava that he will get his prasadam if he
stays in his own place. This is how emperuman also
keeps up his words ?Yogakshemam vahanmyaham?. But
again here the srivaishavan had the maha vishvasam
that the acharya?s word will never go wrong. That is
why emperuman came to give fruit to his maha
vishvasam. In our sampradayam we regard acharya
vishvasam more essential than the bhagavat vishvasam 

So by the above it is proved even bhakthi or prappati
which is considered easier to the other yogas is
difficult for us in the present situation. So
Thondaradipodi alwar in this prabhandam highlights the
importance of Nama Sankeetanam which can be done by
one and all. Since this needs no Acharam, anushtanam
or anyother qualification. This can be done by any
person of any caste and creed and any gender. This
can be done at any time. As Thirumangai alwar in
Periya thirumozhi says ?Tunjum podu azhaimin
tuyarvaril ninaimin tuyarileer sollilum
nandram?(1-1-10). He says chant the Narayana namam 
even when you are sleepy and think of it when you are
in some danger and say it even when you are happy and
do not have any miseries. So there is no restrictions
for Thirunaama Keertanam. Moreover even if we say the
Bhagavan nama to tease someone or without knowing its
importance it still gives you the palan. Like a
medicine which gives cure to a disease for those who
know its effect well and those who donot know it
equally similarly bhagavan nama also gives palan
equally to all. ?Sanketyam Paarihasyam va stoham
helanamevava? says Srimad Bhaagavatam. Some people
tease a bhagavatan by saying see there govinda govinda
is going or if something is lost then they say govindA
govinda. According to bhaagavatam even to those
people the Govinda nama gives palan. Emperuman tries
to add good points to the jeevatmas so that he can
help them in someway. So even if we do it without
knowing we ultimately attain the palan. That is why
our acharyas recommend saying bhagavan nama loudly so
that it will be heard by others and they will also get
benefitted.

?Evvazhvar eppadipatta thirunamathtile ezhindavar
Agayale aththirunama vaibhavaththai pesugirar
epprabhandhattile? says PVP in his avadarikai. Since
Sri Thondaradipodi alwar was immersed in the bhagavan
namam he talks about the same in his prabhandam also. 
We will conclude the introduction in the next posting
and proceed to the excellent meanings of the
paasurams.

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai
Sumithra Varadarajan


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