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--- In tiruvengadam@xxxx, "Sudarshan M.K." <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx> 
wrote:
Dear friends,

Tomorrow 28th September '01, the world over, SriVaishnavas will be 
celebrating yet another 'tirunakshatram' of their illustrious 
spiritual leader of the 14th CE, Swami Venkatanathan alias Vedanta 
Desikan.

Why do we observe the 'tirunakshatram' of our achArya? The reasons
are many, ranging from the plain mundane to the especially spiritual. 

It is mundane to celebrate birthdays... We throw a party and enjoy
the mirth and fanfare of the occasion. We do it all the time in the 
case of our children, parents and our friends. 

It is for more than mundane reasons, however, that we celebrate 
birthdays of our kings, rulers or political leaders. As Indians, for 
example, we observe with reverence the occasion of "Gandhi-jayanti"
on Oct 2 every year not only to mark the birthday of the Mahatma. We 
do so also out of a certain sense of patriotic pride. Also it is a way
of expressing our gratitude to the many martyrs of the 
freedom-struggle who willingly and faithfully followed the Mahatma.

When we celebrate the 'tirunakshatram' of a spiritual 'achAryA' like 
Swami Venkatanathan we do so for a purpose that is far higher than
the mundane. We observe 'achArya-tirunakshatram' mainly to re-affirm 
the fundamental values of life that spiritual preceptors lived and 
worked for in their lifetime.

********* *********** *********

What are these so-called "values in life"? Why do we need them? And 
what are the "values" which Swami Venkatanathan espoused? 

"Values" are essential and enduring tenets an individual man upholds 
in life. They are a small set of timeless guiding principles for him. 
These values require no external justification; they possess
intrinsic and enduring value. Irrespective of the vagaries of
external conditions or circumstances of life one would therefore 
uphold such values. 

Let us take an example. The Upanishads offer certain values for us to 
embrace. They say: "mAtr-dEvO bhava, pitr-dEvO bhava, AchArya-devO 
bhava, aThiti-dEvo bhava!", meaning "The mother, the father, the 
teacher and the guest at home shalt receive the same reverence 
reserved for the gods". 

This Upanishad 'vAkya' is a simple but crystal clear statement of a 
certain "value". It enshrines a value to be upheld and affirmed by
all Vedic adherents at all times and under all circumstances in life. 
The "value-satement", in effect, defines a whole society for what it 
stands for. It reveals to the whole world what sort or what 
character of society the vedic society is and what is the status
which present and future mothers and fathers (the basic constituents 
of the family-unit in it) can reasonably expect to enjoy. It also 
tells us that in the Vedic society a guest at home, in all 
probability, may never need fear of being rudely and abruptly turned 
out of the house on Monday morning simply because he has happened to 
overstay the welcome he received (like a "god") the previous Saturday 
evening! 

In other words, a "value" is something which no matter what happens
to him in life --- in good times and bad, in the present moment and 
for all times to come, for better and for worse --- an individual man
will steadfastly cling to. And that is because, more than anything 
else in the world, it defines for him what he and the society to
which he belongs as well, essentially stand for. 

(If one were to embrace a "value" one day and discard it another, or, 
if one were to uphold varying sets of "values" under different 
circumstances in life according to expedience... then, by definition, 
such "values" cannot be regarded as values at all). 

******** ********** ********* 

On this auspicious day, 'purattAsi-sravanam', the 'tiru-nakshatram'
of our AchAryA, Swami Venkatanathan we must therefore ask ourselves 
the question: 

"What are the values for which he stood for? What are the values
which he left behind for us to embrace? And what are those values 
which we must re-affirm and re-dedicate ourselves to every year on
his 'tiru-nakshatram'day?"

The values that Swami Venkatanathan stood for are mainly 2 in number 
viz:

(1) "gnyAnam" and 

(2) "vairAgyam"

"gnyAnam" means "knowledge" and "vairAgyam" means "the wisdom of 
worldly renunciation".

Because the Swami firmly espoused these 2 values all his life, he was 
given the title "gnyAna-vairAgya-bhushanam" by his many legions of 
disciples, followers and admirers. 

The Sanskrit expression "gnyAna-vairAgya-bhushanam" roughly means
"the leading Light of Knowledge and Renunciation". In his own times 
and that of posterity, Venkatanathan came to be known and renowned
chiefly for the sterling values he zealously guarded ...of
"Knowledge" and of "Renunciation". 

How did he do it? And why did he do it?

We will discuss the same when adiyane returns to Kuwait the
day-after-tomorrow from a trip to Bahrain to join in the joyous 
celebrations there tomorrow that 'bhAgavatA-s' have organized for 
observing Venkatanathan's 'tirunakshatram' this year.

Thanks and regards,
dAsan,
Sudarshan
--- End forwarded message ---






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