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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00135 Mar 2004

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Today- Panguni Rohini is asmadhAchAryan His Holiness
Srimad PaRavaakOttai Andavan Sri Gopaladesika
Mahadesikan 84th Thirunakshathram. Swamy is a
nadamaadum vashihsta.  

adiyEn likes to send my tribute to the most merciful
and most compassionate Srimadh VEdamArgEdhyAthi JnAna
VairAgyAnushtAna ParipUrNa paramahamsa
ParivrAjakAchArya Srimad Gopaladesika Mahadesikan
Swamy.

The role of an AchArya in guiding a human being
towards salvation can hardly be exaggerated. Chandogya
Upanishad, Kashyapa samhitha and many other works
emphasize AchArya?s part in shaping a disciple and his
future.

GithAchAryan Sri Krishna tells Arjuna:

Tadhviddhi praNipAthEna pariprashnEna sEvyayA |
UpadEshyanthi thE jnAnam jnAninasthatha dharshina:

Learn by prostrating and questioning and by service to
jnAnis (who have seen- realized   the truth) who will
teach you this jnAnam. One of the most essential
requirements for a srivaishnava, thus, in order to
lead a religious life is to have a well qualified
AchArya or Guru ( a spiritual preceptor).

The term AchArya implies: one who acquires philosophic
knowledge (jnAnam) by the proper study of saashthrAs;
by imparting such jnAnam that He had 
acquired to His disciples makes them adopt the
religious life fully in accordance with or as laid
down by saashthrAs; and one who follows the 
saasthrAs himself. 

Yaangnyavalkya smruthi says:

AchinOthicha saasthrArthAn AchArE sthApayathyapi;
Swayam AcharathE yasmAth thasmAth AchArya uchyathE

AchAryan should not only practice what he preaches; He
also makes sure that his sishyas too practice what he
teaches.  Our AchArya lineage does not end or begin
some time or other in the past. It traces back to
Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan. It is not a thAnthOnRi
(self styled) lineage. It does not utter any statement
an iota away from Vedic hymns. It is the most accurate
interpretation of Vedas, which does not violate any
Vedic statement. It is the one firmly propounded by
Bhagavath Ramanuja and expounded by Swamy Desikan.

And in this AchArya lineage comes our AchArya
saarvabhouman Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Asramam
Srimad Andavan H.H Sri Gopaladesika mahadesikan Swamy.
There is no substitute to show our ratefulness to the
AchArya except to fall at his sacred  feet again and
again ( puna: puna : PraNamya ).

The Lord does not accept one without AchArya
sambhandham. This is one of the main doctrines of our
SiddhAntham. The Upanishads through their upadEsams (
AchArya dEvo Bahava)emphasize the importance of an
AchAryan. Great AchAryAs of Our tradition have
practised the greatness of AchArya Kaimkaryam and have
celebrated the extraordinary importance of AchArya
Kaimkaryam in their Sri Sookthis:

(1)dEvamiva AchAryam upAseetha--Aaapasthampa Rishi
  ( Worship the AchAryan as the Lord Himself )

(2)AchAryAdhiha dEvathAm samAdhikam anyAm 
   na ManyAmahE--Swamy Desikan
  ( Here on this earth , we do not consider 
    any Gods equal or superior to my AchAryan). 

Swami Desikan has pointed out that it is impossible to
pay back in any manner to The AchAryA, who lights the
lamp of knowledge in our minds and banishes the
nescience and vipareetha JnAnam that occupied our
minds before. The only service that we can do is to
praise His kalyANa guNAs and reflect on them and to
spread the message of the great help that he gave us
(AchAryam prakAsayEth ):

yERRi manatthu yezhil jnAna viLakkai iruL anaitthum
mARRinavarkku oru kaimmAru Maayanum kANahillAn 
pORRi uhapathum punthiyil koLvathum pongu puhazh
sARRi vaLarpathum saRRallavO munnam peRRathaRkE 


Swami Desikan states authoritatively that even the
Lord can not find a proper way to return the gratitude
for the AchAryan who lit the JnAna deepam in our minds
and chased away the darkness of ajnAnam. 

GururEva Param Brahma , GururEva ParA Gathi:
GururEva ParA VidhyA , GururEva ParAyanam
GururEva para: KaamO GururEva param dhanam
YasmAth SadhupadEshtAasou tasmAth GurutamO Guru:
[from Swamy Sri U Ve SrivathsankAchAr Swamy's
introduction to Sri Uttamur Swamy's KaNNinun
chiRutthAmbhu commentary] 

This Guru is the Supreme Highest; he is verily Brahman
(Lord); He is the highest of highs; He is the highest
desire; He is the Highest God Himself. 
Guru is the Ultimate wealth; Guru is the knowledge;
Guru is our treasure; Guru himself is means; Guru is
the end. He needs to be worshipped at all times, under
all circumstances; His name shall always be uttered by
the disciple at all times.

AchAryan is Para Brahmam (Supreme Brahman). He is the
highest to be attained as Education, wealth, the means
for PurushArtham and the essence of VedAs.
AchAryan is the One , who instructed us on SadAchAram
and anushtAnam. Therefore , He has to be worshipped 
by us with reverence at all times out of gratefulness
(Kruthaj~nathai) for His MahOpakAram. 

Our attitude towards our AchAryan has to be along the
lines shown by Swami Desikan and Sri NadadUr AmmAL :

Achaaryasya PrasAdEna mama sarvam abhIpsitham
prApnuyAmithi YasyAsthi VisvAsa: Sa SukhI BhavEth

(Meaning): The Sishyan, who has the unshakable faith
in his AchAryan's grace as THE cause for realizing all
that he wishes for , will be the most happy and
contented one .

Therefore , our AchArya Bhakthi is molded along
the lines drawn by Swamy Desikan:

archanIyasya Vandhyasccha KeerthanIyasya SARVADHAA
DhyAyEth japEth namEdh BhakthyA bhajEdh abhyarchyEn
MUDHA upAyOpEya BhAvEna TamEva SaraNam vrajEth 

AchArya vandhanam , Japam of His Taniyan , Keerthanam
of His auspicious attributes , dhyAnam with joy should
be peformed by us always . We should seek His feet for
succor as the upAyam for placing our AathmA,the
BhagavAn's property, at His CharaNAravindham as Aathma
NivEdhanam.

Everything --our body , wealth and even prANan--has to
be placed at the sacred feet of our SadAchAryan, who
saves us from the terrors of SamsAram and helps us
most mercifully to reach Parmaam Gathi. 

The word Guru means one who removes ignorance
(agnjAnam) of spiritual knowledge. A great Guru should
be sought after by a person (disciple), immersed in
samsaaric afflictions; who is afraid of the transitory
life; the sorrows due to internal and external factors
(AdhyAthmikam- soul dependent; 
Adhiboudhikam- extermal world dependednt; and
Adhideivikam- pertaining to Supreme Lord). That Guru
will teach and initiate the disciple with the 
necessary manthrAs and impart jnAnam.

Srivaasa Ranga Parakaala Munitrayaapta Lakshmaatma
Rakshana Yathitva Yugaagamaantham /
Achaarya Bhakthi Pari pootham Anargha Seelam
Gopaala Desika Munim Gurum Aasrayaamaha //

(meaning)
We seek refuge at the sacred feet of our revered
AchAryan, Sri Gopala MahA Desikan, who received the
sacred rites of samAsrayaNam , Bhara SamarpaNam from
the great AchAryA, Sri Srinivasa MahA Desikan (Srimad
Poundarikapuram Andavan); ThurIyAsramam from Sri
Srinivasa MahA Desikan (Srimad VeNNaaRRankarai
Andavan) and the wealth of Ubhaya VedAntham from
Srimad Abhinava Ranganatha Brahmatantra Swantantra
Parakaala Yatindra Maha Deshikan. He shines with
illustrious sadAchAram and is resplendent
with his limitless AchArya Bhakthi.

AchAryan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
Srimad Andavan paadhaangrirENu: 

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