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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