WHO IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL SRI VAISHNAVA? The Sri Vaishnava sampradAyam (way of life), termed as rAmAnuja darshanam by the orthodoxy and those in the know, stands apart from other Indian philosophical systems in the simplicity of its message, that there exists an inalienable connection between all of the sentient and the Supreme. Swami Ramanuja, in his most profound and uplifting composition, SaraNAgati gadyam, lays bare the idea that this connection between God and the Sentient is not an ordinary one, since it encompasses and delineates every important emotional and physical bond that we all experience, be it that of a parent and a child, a husband and a wife, a master and a servant or an owner and the owned. In fact, the previous issue of Ramanuja Darshanam dealt at length over the life and contributions of Swami piLLai ulagAryan, who gave us the gem of sAmpradAyic wisdom, nava-vidha-sambandham, an aphoristic text expounding on nine types of fundamental relationships shared by Sriman Narayana and the jIvatma, the sentient. Given that we are all the children, nay princes, belonging to that one supreme God, what more is there to be done? Our poorvAchAryas answer this compellingly, that we should live as Sri Vaishnavas, performing bhagavath and bhAgavatha kainkaryam (service to the Lord and His devotees), awaiting the moment when He will liberate us from the bondage of samsAra. The next logical question would be, in this day and age, a time of profligacy and excess, of self-centeredness and foolish justification of all the wrongs that we perpetrate as rights, a way of life that often scoffs at shAstras and makes compromise the cornerstone of our existences, how does one live as a SrI Vaishnava? Is there a guidebook that would aid us in this purpose? Fortunately for us, we do not have to look far. We do not need to look into complex, theoretical manuals to tell us how to live a life of simplicity, kindness, honesty and compassionate service to all beings, beings seen as our siblings when perceived in the context of that one Supreme Parent Sriman-Narayana. Our preceptors (poorvAchAryas) thought, spoke and lived in consonance with shAstras and the way shown by our jagadAchArya (Acharya of the universe) swami Ramanuja. A path well lit by the glory of those that knew that practice before preaching was the way to show those that needed such assistance. ==============by Sridhar Srinivasan ======Vedics Magazine : Ramanuja Darsanam - Vol 2 Issue 1 http://www.vedics.net/magazine/index.html ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/VkWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: SriRangaSri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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