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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00060 Dec 2006

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:
 
Dearest all, 

Let us enjoy the glories and greatness of VishNu
pathnI- Sri Mahalakshmi. 

The concept of SrI or MahalakshmI or PERIYA PIRAATTI
is unique to Srivaishnavam and has no parallel in any
other religion or philosophy in the world. Right from
Vedas to date, there are eight major works besides
innumerable minor texts, extolling her glories. Those
eight are: SrI Sooktham, SrI Sthuthi (by Devendran-
found in Sri Vishnu purana), ChathuslOkI (by Sri
ALavandhar- that we are now taking up), Sranagathi
Gadya (where Ramanuja first addresses PiraaTTi), Sri
Sthavam (by KooratthAzhwAn), SrI GuNa Rathna kOsam(by
Parasara Bhattar), SrI Sthuthi (by Swamy Vedantha
Desikan), Lakshmi Sahasram (Sri Venkatadvari)?

All these compositions contain enormous references to
Her eternal presence, eternal unity, and total
uninterrupted, never-ceasing indentify with the Lord,
Her unbounded Limitless dayA, benevolence, Her being
the MEANS as well as The GOAL? of all Humans and
lastly Her special role as Purushaakaara (Mediatrix)
between Her children (us) and the Father (the Lord).
The Lord and She are the Dhivya Dampathi ? and thus
They Both are SEshi (Master) for all except Them..

While the Lord takes the role of dhaNdadharathvam
(punishing of the transgressors against saasthrAs ?
and everyone of us are in this category- in accordance
with our karma) and She forgives us to recommend our
pitiable case to Him for protection and saving us..
For that, She expects us to turn to Her and look upto
Her as complete surrender to Her? Else, She would be
partial to few?

With vaalabhyam [love for Her], He is close to Her and
always listens to Her; with Vaathsalyam for us, She
recommends us to Him [and He naturally listens to Her
and heeds to her requests]. 

We, the dAsabhUthars (servants) of Sriman Narayanan
should always behave, act in manners that please Him?
For that alone, He has blessed us with the instruments
of mind, speech and action. Out of those three, it is
not simple and easy to think of Him and meditate on
Him controlling the mind which runs faster than the
wind.

Also, the mind, body that perform are fruitful only
the doer (or the thinker); while the action of speech
does help a lot to the listeners as well. That?s why
the praises openly, loudly, publicly in these forms of
verses are greatly beneficial to mankind? They are
available for us for ages and hence these are to be
saved for future generations to get benefited? These
translations of the wonderful commentaries would thus
enable us understand the ruchi (taste) richness of the
commentaries in original as well as the sthOthras and
would tempt the reader to recite them and read the
commentaries. One may say just naama japam (or
repetition of names) would be adequate and why all
these verses? the response is: [To the dynamic human
intellect, any repetition is boring and tedious, even
if it is of the Lord's haloed name. It is much easier
to recite a stotram than to repeat a mere tirunAmam.
Moreover, a name could possibly convey only certain
limited aspects of His greatness, whereas a Stotram
could do much greater justice to the Lord and His
auspicious attributes. Thus reciting a stotram affords
the devotee much more enjoyment than mere recitation
of His names. Stotras generally conform to a specific
metre (chandhas), often lilting and pleasurable,
adding to the enjoyment of the subject. [Sri Sadagopan
Iyengar wrote under ?Praise the Lord?]

If we write the Vedantha saasthrAs in prose form, very
few only would be able to follow and understand. Also
they would not address the Lord straight. Also
Bhagawan is called sthavya: sthavapriya: meaning: One
who likes being praised? Vedas can be recited only by
those eligible therefore, and uttering some mantras
too is subject to qualifications. Stotras do not
impose any such restrictions on anybody, and are open
to all universally.

Hence we need to recite the sthotras and try to
understand their purports. One such magnificent
sthothra is ChathuslOki on Mahalakshmi..

In Chathussloki (four verses), YaamunA focussed on the
theme of Purushakaara Prapatti and Eka Seshithvam
principles. He based this work of his on the doctrines
outlined by Lakshmi Tantram. Eka Seshitvam refers to
the practise of considering both Sri Devi and BhagavAn
together as the means and the goal (upAyam and Upeyam.
In this context, they are inseparable [agalagillEn
iRaiyum enRu alarmEl mangai.. ? says NammAzhwAr] and
hence She is known as VishNu Patnee and He is known as
Sriya: Pathi.. She on her own accord serves Him

In the PancharAtra smahitA, SrI Maha Vishnu explains
to his senior disciple VishvaksenA, the nature and
attributes of His consort, Sri Mahalakshmi. He states
that She is the resting place of all Gurus, ruler of
all worlds, eternal and imperishable. He elaborates
further on their relationship: Just as the Universe is
pervaded by me both in essence and quality, all this
is pervaded by Her also . Therefore, She is the
disposer and ruler of all.... She is pervaded by me
and similarly, I, the Lord, am also pervaded by Her.
The difference between me and Her is that She, who is
the ruler of all is subservient to me on Her own
accord being sahadharmachaarinI.. To Her as well as
the Universe that I am the Lord, is well known in
Vedas.

In the same PancharAtra SamhitA, Sri Mahalakshmi
herself has explained Herself and Her consort, their
pervasion and their ruler ship. Sri Vatsya Varada Guru
[also called as Nadhadhoor ammaaL, the author of the
illustrious work on SaranAgathi known as Prapanna
ParijAtha has elaborated on the relationship between
the divine couple as follows : That supreme energy of
Brahman, which is as is lustre to the moon, is the
Goddess Lakshmi , who is coexistent with Brahman in
all His conditions, and who is in His own nature and
is indestructible.

Thus She is endowed with the three capacities of
UPAYATVA(being the means), UPEYATVA (being the end)
and PURUSHAKAARA (being the mediatrix) and is the
ruler of the whole world. 

maathaa Devi tvamasi Bhagwawaan Vaasudeva: pithAmE..
Regards
asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE GuruparamparAm
namo narayana
dAsan


 
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