SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //
SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /
SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//
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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.05 / ISSUE # 10 dated 4th January 2004
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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. GOTRAS AND PRAVARAS ? AN OVERVIEW ? PART 18
THE GLORY OF AANGIRASA GOTRAM ? Part 2
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
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(Based on Monograph of MahaamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami, now
Head of Dept. French Indolgical Research Institute, Pondicherry and
?MaharishigaL Charitram? by Mimamsa SirOmaNi Mimamsa Vidvan Mimamsa Kovida,
Ubhaya Mimamsa Saaragjna, Veda Vedanta ChooDaamaNi Sri N.S. Devanathachariar
referred by Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami)
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2. DESIKAMRUTHAM
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
The Five Fundamentals-8
By Sri Sadagopa Iyengar Swamin (of Coimbatore)
?Srikaaryam? of the Board of Advisors of ?Sri Ranga Sri?
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3. FROM MAHABHARATA: ?YAKSHA PRASNAM?
Part 35: Prasnams 92 and 93
by Sri M.K. Ramaswamy Iyengar Swami,
Senior Officer of Govt. of India.
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1. GOTRAS AND PRAVARAS ? AN OVERVIEW ? PART 18
THE GLORY OF AANGIRASA GOTRAM ? Part 2
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
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(Based on Monograph of MahaamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami, now
Head of Dept. French Indolgical Research Institute, Pondicherry and
?MaharishigaL Charitram? by Mimamsa SirOmaNi Mimamsa Vidvan Mimamsa Kovida,
Ubhaya Mimamsa Saaragjna, Veda Vedanta ChooDaamaNi Sri N.S. Devanathachariar
referred by Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami)
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UPANAYANA MANTRA
There is great Mantram that a Brahmachari is required to utter at the time
of receiving the investiture of the sacred thread (Upanayanam). It goes like
this:
mEdhaam mahyam angeerasah mEDhaam saptarshayO daduh /
mEdhaam mahyam prajaapatih mEdhaam agnir dadaatu mE //
(Mantra Prasnam 2.4.6)
Meaning;
?Oh! Aangeeras! Grant me wisdom; Oh! Saptarishis! Grant me wisdom;
Oh! Prajaapati! Grant me wisdom; Oh! Agni (Firegod)! Grant me wisdom?
It is only by uttering this Mantram that the boy should offer Homam in the
sacrificial fire.
Study of the Vedas that the boy is about to embark upon is no small affair.
It requires a steady mind to assimilate the wisdom contained therein. Only
if the boy is endowed with this wisdom can his efforts bear fruit. That is
why he is made to pray to these entities renowned for such wisdom. It may be
noticed that of all of them, it is Sage Aangeerasa who leads them all. It
appears that Sage Aangeerasa is the one whose blessings are of prime
importance for all those who wish to learn the Vedas.
THE CHILD PRODIGY
The Sage was born out of the four faces of Brahma who constantly recited the
Vedas. No wonder, this child so born, was born as a child prodigy even at
birth. He is said to have mastered all the Vedas even as a child, all by
himself without any guidance from any preceptors. Even elderly scholars who
witnessed his precociousness rushed to him to receive instructions on the
Vedas. It is said that this child used to call the elders? Oh! Children!
Come for doing Adhyayanam?!
The one who grants wisdom is regarded as the father figure irrespective of
age.
This is attested by Manu in his Dharma Saastra thus:
?adhyaapayaamaasa pitroon sisur aangeerah kavi /
putrakaa iti hOvaacha jnaanEna parigrihya taan //
(Manu Smriti 2/151)
RAGHU VAMSAM
Mahaakavi KaaLidaasa describes the lineage of Sage Aangeerasa in his famous
?Raghu Vamsam?. Do you know who the progenitor of this Vamsam is? It is none
other than Sage Aangeerasa. Sri Rama?s GOtra- Pravara recital makes this
clear. It says ?Aangeerasa- Ambareesha- Youvanasva?. It is Aangeerasa in
whose glorious lineage that we find Sri Rama. This lineage accounts for
great heroes like Dasaratha and his forefathers who were so renowned that
the Lord decided to take birth in that lineage. All this is mentioned by
Sage VasishTa while narrating the lineage on the occasion of Sri Rama?s
wedding with Sri Sita. He recounts ?Yuvanaasva?s son was Maandaata;
Maandaata?s son was Ambareesha ? all of them were descendents of Sage
Aangeerasa.
A MALE PREGNANCY!
Yuvanaasva?s life is very interesting. He had no issues for long. So, he
performed a Yagjna with the help of great Sages. But, because, there was a
faux pas committed by him, the whole dynasty was about to be decimated.
Luckily, thanks to the intervention of Aswini dEvas, the impending tragedy
was averted. Yuvanaasva became pregnant! May be, this was the first instance
of a male pregnancy. Let us see how this happened in the next posting.
To Continue ?
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2. DESIKAMRUTHAM
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
By Sri Sadagopa Iyengar Swamin (of Coimbatore)
?Srikaaryam? of the Board of Advisors of ?Sri Ranga Sri?
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The Five Fundamentals-8
We saw that the main factor preventing our liberation from the mundane
morass is the Lord's displeasure and consequent chastisement, occasioned by
our continual transgression of His dicta, expressed in the form the Shruti
and the Smrtis. Swami Desikan lists no less than 12 ways in which the
aforesaid factor contributes to our remaining strangers to Paramapadam and
Bhagavat PrApti. Depending upon our stage and status in the life cycle,
Bhagavan nigraham affects each of us in a different way, as detailed below.
Swami Desikan lists the ways in which we are affected by this and the
consequences flowing out of such influence.
1. This divine displeasure results in our association with perishable
matter, which is characterized by three attributes-Sattva, Rajas and Thamas.
While the first-mentioned guNa, in its purest form, is the fountainhead of
all good things, when mixed with the other two characteristics of Rajas and
Thamas, loses much of its potency. The latter two contribute to almost all
of our misdeeds. It is association with such matter or Prakriti that causes
contraction in the JeevatmA's natural wisdom and makes it unmindful of its
true nature and attributes.
2. From this association with Prakriti comes about the connection between
the soul and the physical body and sense organs, which are but modifications
of mundane matter. Thus results the eternal prison sentence passed on the
erring AtmA, ensuring its confinement within a renewable material goal,
bound inextricably by the unbreakable bonds of Karma-
"thiNNam azhunda katti pala seivinai van kayittrAl
puNNai maraya varindu ennai pOra vaitthAi puramE"
says Sri Nammazhwar, describing the travails of the incarcerated
Individual soul. This material body not only imprisons us but also
completely subjugates us, making us abject slaves of our senses, helplessly
toeing the line our body wants us to - "nee tanda Akkaiyin vazhi uzhalvEn"
Sri Satakopa tells the Lord, describing the pitiful state of the Atma
comprehensively conquered by the unbridled senses running riot.
3. In many cases, even if the senses do dominate, an exposure to the
innumerable Scriptural texts telling us of our original glory and the way to
regain the same, would provide relief from our misery. However, what if one
is born as an animal, a bird, a worm or as a non-sentient object, which have
absolutely no opportunity for scriptural enlightenment? Such births, in
which one can do nothing to redeem oneself, are another effect of the
Bhagavan nigraham.
4. Even if one is fortunate to attain a human janma, the aforesaid factor
causes confusion in the mind, due to the influence of atheists, agnostics,
heretics and those with a skewed perception of matters. Once a man comes
under the sway of such people, he can very well be given up for lost, for
such is the misleading but persuasive pressures they can exert. It is very
few who can boast of coming back to the right path, after meandering in the
maze set up by the aforesaid "BAhya" and "Kudrishti" influences. There is
but one Ramanuja who could shake off the teachings of YAdavaprakAsa, only
one VEdAnti (Nanjeeyar) who could give up a lifetime of allegiance to
Advaita. And it is only mahAns of the caliber of Sri Tirumazhisai Piran, who
can boast of having mastered Buddhist, Jain, Shaivite and other systems of
philosophy and been convinced that VisishtAdvaita and Sriman Narayana
Paratvam were the only tenets worth adherence to -Says he,
"SAkkiam kattrOm, SamaNam kattrOm, SankaranAr
Akkiya Agama nool ArindOm-bhagyattAl
SenkaN kariyAnai sErndOm yAm teedilamE
Engatku ariyadu ondru il"
For ordinary mortals like us, these persuasive systems of so-called
philosophy is extremely overwhelming. That we fall prey to them is again an
inexorable effect of the Lord's displeasure.
5. Even those who manage not to fall in the pervasive net of the aforesaid
faulty schools of thought, find themselves unable to resist the puerile but
plentiful pleasures that this world has to offer- "iympulan karudum
karutthuLE tirutthinEn manattai" says Sri Parakala.
And once they become slaves to such addictive and ephemeral delights, their
perceptions become perverted ("viparIta gnAnam"), which in turn prevents
them from appreciating the true nature of the Lord and His attributes
("Bhagavat svarUpa tirOdhAnakarIM") Delighting in these juvenile joys,
people think less and less of the endless bliss the Lord has to offer, since
the former act as an extremely effective smoke screen, hiding the truth
about the Paramatma and His glories and in fact creating totally false
impressions about the things that matter. It is this that Sri Nammazhwar
terms as "poy nindra gnAnamum pollA ozhukum"
6. And where does the addiction to these mundane delights lead us? To
continued violation of the Code of Conduct prescribed by the Lord, pushing
us deeper into trouble. Intent on wallowing in the mundane mire, much like
a buffalo delighting in its habitat of mud, slime and dirt, we too omit
deeds we ought to do and indulge in acts we ought not to ?
"akritya karaNam and kritya akaraNam".
"SemamE vENdi teevinai perukki, terivaimAr uruvamE maruvi"
is how Sri Parakala puts this state of affairs.
6. The first sin is always difficult to commit: one sin leads to another and
thereafter, we adapt to sinning as a way of life. The conscience within,
which is initially very vociferous in chiding us when we go wrong, becomes
more and more muted in its protest, with every successive transgression.
The Mahabharata says that misdeeds destroy one's reasoning intellect, and
bereft of the faculty of distinguishing right from wrong, one hops with
expertise and ease from one offence to another, till sinning appears to be
a natural thing, shorn of its original stigma-
"PApam pragyAm nAsayati kriyamANam puna: puna:
nasthta pragya: pApamEva puna: ArabhatE nara:"
This chain of sin naturally generates greater displeasure in the Lord's
heart, resulting in our being inextricably and interminably caught in the
vicious cycle of birth, old age, death and purgatorial residence, ad
nauseam.
7. In their anxiety to ensure an endless enjoyment of puerile pleasures and
attainment of petty baubles, people propitiate petty deities who are
themselves prisoners of Karma and incapable of bestowing any but the most
insignificant of boons ("PENilum varam tara midukkilAda dEvar"). This is
how the worship of demigods, bhootAs, pisAchAs etc. gains currency, though
they are little better than their votaries, as far as KArmic fetters are
concerned.
8. Inebriated with the trivial bounties obtained from such petty deities,
people consider themselves to have attained bliss, just as worms find
pleasure in dirt and filth.
9. There are some who miraculously escape the aforesaid path of
self-destruction and tread the exalted route of YOga. Even such people are
not proof from Bhagavan nigraham, which makes them employ the sophisticated
spiritual tool of Yoga in the worship of demigods like Indra, which can at
best bestow limited fruits.
Worse than this class of people are those who direct their Yoga towards
contemplation of non-sentient things (like the glorious words of the Shruti,
the faculties of speech and thought, Water or Atmosphere) as the Ultimate.
Practitioners of this type of Yoga do derive minor benefits like the ability
of unfettered movement anywhere. Satisfied with such things, they abandon
the actual goal of all Yoga, viz., relief from all suffering and attainment
of endless bliss. The types of UpAsanam mentioned here are to be found in
the context of Bhooma VidyA, described in the ChAndOgya Upanishad.
10. Considering the contemplation of one's own soul to be by far superior to
the aforesaid types of upAsanam, others engage in four types of upAsanam of
the JeevAtmA-
a) Meditation on the JeevAtmA, as accompanied by its shell of perishable
matter (Prakriti), considering the former as verily the Ultimate:
b) Meditation on the individual soul, along with its material attachments,
as an entity distinct and different from the Brahmam:
c) Contemplation of the pure soul, uncontaminated by matter, as the
Parabrahmam itself, and
d) Contemplation of the individual soul, in all its glory and shorn of its
mundane associations, as oneself (aham).
All these four types of meditation (known as "Prateeka upAsanAs) do yield
fruits (known as "Kaivalyam") vastly superior to those resulting from those
mentioned previously, but which are still nowhere near the indescribable
bliss that BrahmAnubhavam affords. Further, inferior as they are, these
upAsanAs, when their effect is exhausted, push the upAsaka down again to the
earth, to get entangled once more in the cruel web of SamsAra, destined to
be born and die endlessly.
11. Even if one rises well above the puerile pleasures afforded by the
aforesaid strategies and remains steadfast in one's quest for Liberation,
Bhagavan nigraham is inescapable. Realizing the lowliness of AtmAnubhavam as
detailed above, the wise man opts for the infinitely superior BrahmAnubhavam
or the blissful contemplation of the Paramapurusha.
This Bhagavat upAsanam is again of two types-
a) The PanchAgni VidyA, in which the emphasis of contemplation is again on
the JeevAtmA. However, the Jeeva is contemplated as one with the ParamAtmA
as the inner dweller.
b) The other type of BrahmOpAsanam is that in which the ParamAtmA is given
pride of place and is meditated upon as one who has this JeevA as His
sharIram.
Here, a few words about the PanchAgni VidyA, which is one of the MOksha
mArgAs finding place in the ChAndOgyOpanishad. This strategy for liberation,
which was originally the exclusive preserve of Kings, was later imparted to
a Brahmin named Goutama uddhalaka.
In this VidyA, five entities--Swarga, the Cloud, Earth, Man and Woman?have
been rerpresented as five fires. When a person of righteous conduct dies,
the subtle forms of his faculties are first sacrificed in the fire called
Swarga. After experiencing pleasures there with an appropriate physical
form, the subtle form reaches the fire represented by the Cloud. Through the
rain precipitated by the Cloud, this subtle form reaches the Earth and
enters grains like paddy and wheat. Eaten by Man, this subtle form is then
sacrificed in the fire represented by Woman. Acquiring a normal physical
form again due to the coming together of Man and Woman, it stays in the
woman's womb for 10 months, is born into this world and undergoes the
aforesaid process again. One who understands this and worships the
Paramapurusha with devotion, reaches Paramapadam through the arcchirAdi
mArgam.
Those who practice munificence and philosophy with an eye on the merits that
would accrue reach the Svarga lOka through the PitruyANa or the path of the
forefathers and attain delectable sharIrAs like that of the Moon. After
exhausting the merits acquired earlier, they return to the earth through the
Atmosphere, Smoke, Cloud, Rain and Crops. These crops are then consumed by
Man and result in progeny when they reach the Woman. Thereafter, depending
upon the accumulated Karma, good, bad or ugly and high/low births result.
There are however some accursed souls who, due to their repertoire of
unalloyed misdeeds, traverse neither of the paths (arcchirAdi mArga or the
Dhooma mArga) and remain in this world, being born time and again as lowly
worms, mosquitoes etc. This, then, is the PanchAgni VidyA.
Coming back to the upAsaka, one would think that having come this far on the
uphill path and almost reached the crest of BrahmOpAsanam (contemplation of
the Ultimate); with the unfailing strategy of Bhakti YOga, the upAsaka would
be proof to any further pitfalls. Alas, no, says Swami Desikan.
Since the PanchAgni vidyA leads first to the lesser but infinitely
captivating pleasure of AtmAnubhavam, many get satisfied and prefer to
remain at the lower level of bliss itself, forsaking the highest of
pleasures resulting from attaining the Lord. And by the time they realize
their folly, eons would have passed, resulting in that much delay in
attaining he Ultimate.
Similar ephemeral delights in the form of attainment of ashta siddhIs
(aNimA, maNimA, gharimA, laghimA,vasitvam, aishvaryam, PrApti etc.) ensnare
the upAsaka. Other upAsakAs, especially those who take recourse to the
"Madhu VidyA", get diverted with the attainment of exalted posts like those
of the eight Vasus, which again delays the journey to the gates of Paradise.
Yet others get ensnared by the attainment of distinguished posts in the
pantheon of demigods like BrahmA, enjoying bliss which the Upanishad
describes as "sa Eka: PrajApatE: Ananda:? The trappings of the delegated
power of Creation and the attendant importance are so inebriating that those
caught in this mode wake up only late to the reality of their having stopped
far short of the desired goal of Paramapadam and thereafter rue the loss of
precious millions of years.
To those who wonder about the "Madhu VidyA" mentioned above, here is a brief
explanation from the ChAndOyOpanishad, which depicts the Sun as a beehive,
secreting nectar (representing the fruits of sacrifices prescribed in the
VEdAs, itihAsAs and PurANAs) from all the four sides and the top. Five types
of deities-- the Vasus, RudrAs, AdityAs, Maruths and the SadhyAs?imbibe this
nectar from each of the five directions. One who contemplates the ParamAtmA
as the Inner Dweller or antaryAmi of the entire contingent (consisting of
the Sun and the other dEvatAs), experiences bliss equal to theirs and
ultimately reaches Paramapadam in due course. This is the Madhu VidyA.
There are thus umpteen ways in which the Lord's displeasure makes us get
diverted from the principal goal of attaining Him, distracting us with
pleasures, which, in themselves, are delectable but are petty and puerile,
when compared to the Eternal Bliss that Bhagavat anubhavam can afford us.
How ironical would it be, if, when the date for his coronation is at hand,
bringing with it the exalted pleasures of royalty, the Prince develops an
infatuation for the chamber maid! Whither the lofty delights of royalty and
whither those afforded by the lowly servant! It is thus that we get
distracted from the pursuit of the Ultimate in all pleasures.
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3. FROM MAHABHARATA: ?YAKSHA PRASNAM?
Part 35: Prasnams 92 and 93
by Sri M.K. Ramaswamy Iyengar Swami,
Senior Officer of Govt. of India.
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PRASNAM 92
YAKSHA:
? KAS CHA VYAADHIRANANTAKAH??
?WHICH IS THE INCURABLE DISEASE??
YUDISHTIRA:
? LOBHO VYAADHIRANTAKAH?
? IT IS GREED OR AVARICE THAT IS THE MOST INCURABLE AILMENT?
NOTES:
Contentment does not come by itself. Nor is it acquired easily. Man is
restless by nature and tends to assess his achievements and importance
through fresh conquests or acquisitions. Mind grappled by the senses does
not satiate easily. Man, therefore, keeps goading himself on and on. Thus,
greed operates as a pernicious illness.
PRASNAM 93
YAKSHA:
?KEEDRUSAS CHA SMRUTAH SAADHUH??
?WHO IS CONSIDERED TO BE BENEVOLENT AND GOOD NATURED?
YUDISHTIRA:
?SARVA BHOOTA HITAH SAADHUH?
?A BENEVOLENT PERSON IS ONE WHO HAS COMPASSION TO EVERY LIVING BEING?
NOTES:
A benevolent person has many qualities and virtues. The Vana Parva of
Mahaabhaarata, the third book has a long section where a butcher who is
spiritually advanced imparts knowledge to a Brahmin, who though born high,
lacked the essential virue of humility and had at best, an imperfect
knowledge of all that is fit to be known. Referring to benevolent and benign
persons known as Sadhus, Dharmavyaadha (that was the name of the spiritually
advanced person) who by profession was a butcher said-
?Sarva bhoota dayaavantO ahimsaanirataah sadaa, parusham na prabhaashantE?
(Vana Parva Ch.198.80)
He will be full of compassion towards every living being, totally dedicated
to non-violence and will never utter a harsh word.
A Saadhu is a person who is adorned by many qualities like truthfulness,
control over his senses, control over his mind, deep wisdom, charitable
disposition and a sense of justice and fair play etc. However, YudhisTira
chose to lay emphasis on compassion. This is because, it is only compassion
that prompts a person to perceive his self in others and others too in his
self and makes him deeply committed to the noble attribute of ?samatva?,
considering everyone and everything alike without differentiation.
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