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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00014 Sep 2002

 
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Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

Dear bhaktas,
According to Srirangam AchAryAs,Prapatti is not an upAya. 
What is upAya? His Grace is the upAyA. To kAnchi 
AchAryAs,bhakti/prapatti is sAdhyOpAya,a task which is to be 
accomplished by the individual and the Lord is siddhOpAya. Note that 
none of our pUrvAchAryAs practised "bhaktiyOgA" with the exception of 
nAthamuni. BhaktiyOgA was just restricted to the academic studies.

The central feature of Ramanuja's theology is that the 
Lord is the soul of the cosmos and piLLAn elaborates this concept in 
his commentary on TVM 1.1.7,wherein he states that the relationship 
of the Lord to the cosmos indicates His supremacy and 
the "insignificance" of one's effort to reach Him. PiLLAn regards the 
only upAyA for reaching Him to be His grace which is central to the 
understanding of prapatti. If the King of Acetics(Ramanuja)admits in 
SriRanga gadyam that he is unable to practise bhaktiyOgA and doesn't 
possess any good quality,then we are all doomed not to attain 
salvation. Ramanuja's silence about AzhwArs in his samskrt works can 
be explained through piLLAn's Six Thousand,which bears close 
resemblance to Ramanuja's thoughts and exact usage of samskrt words 
and at the same time reflects the thoughts of AzhwArs. PiLLAn in his 
commentary says that only the Lord's grace can effect salvation and 
he frequently uses the word "nirhEtuka" in the context of AzhwAr 
receiving the feet of the Lord. PiLLAn says:

"why does not everyone recognize Him,who has auspicious qualities,and 
take refuge in Him? It's because He deludes those who have no 
attachment for Him and thus can not realize the true nature" - 
ST 1.3.9

"what was the reason(hEtu)for the Lord to graciously act thus? The 
only reason was my desire. Yet even that desire didn't come from me 
but from His favor(prasAda)" - ST 8.8.3

"I have no karmayOgA,jnyAnayOgA or bhaktiyOgA nor any other upAyA 
that would qualify me to see the Lord" - ST 4.7.9

KUraththAzhwAn says "even the words of surrender could not have come
without His grace" - Va St 88

BhaTTar says "O Lord of Srirangam! I have always transgressed the 
laws you have ordained! through word,thought and deed and I have done 
wrong to You and the bhAgavatAs knowingly and unknowingly" SR St u91

"O Lord of Srirangam! my faults are as innumerable as Your auspicious 
qualities! Just as a demon can not quench its thirst in the sweeping 
flood,I am so wicked that I am unable to praticipate in or enjoy Your 
auspicious qualities" SR St u94

In short it's the Lord's favor and grace that accomplishes everything.

ST - Six Thousand(Arayirappadi commentary on TiruvAymozhi)
Va St- VaradarAja Stava
SR St-SriRangarAja Stava;u-uttara;p-pUrva

Let us see important passages(I'm also learning and if I make 
mistakes please point it out)and also see what "AchArya 
abhimAnam/bhakti" than even the "Lord" can do for us! 

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
nappinnai




























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