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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00034 Sep 2002

 
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Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

Dear bhaktas,
PerumAL(LakshminAth)is the default AchAryA. After reading 
Smt Sumitra's reply,I would like to briefly say the two views
(srirangam and kanchi acharyas)and go directly to MM's view on carama 
slOkam,and AchArya abhimAnam. I request Sri Tirunarayanan 
Parthasarathy and other devotees to pay attention and see whether I'm 
truly expressing the views(in english)of PiLLai lOkAchAryA and 
MaNavALa mAmunigaL.

The one community under one God disagreed on the issues of 
Divine Grace and also prapatti. Whether or not prapatti is to be 
called an "upAya" is a question that plays a central role in the 
dispute between Srirangam and kAnchi achAryAs

Srirangam AchAryAs

It is contrary to the soul's true nature of dependence 
to perform any act for his own salvation and infact it's an affront 
to the Lord's unlimited autonomy if He can not save the soul out of 
His own will and power but must depend on some frail/futile action on 
the soul's part to carry out His aim. MM argues that prapatti is not 
to be seen as something that forces,wins or earns the Lord's grace. 
On the contrary,it's the Lord's Gracious will and overwhelming efforts
(through teaching,avatArAs etc)that prompt the soul to surrender to 
Him. So,God is to be considered as the sole means for salvation and 
prapatti as an effect of His Grace without any instrumental efficacy 
of its own.

KAnchi AchAryAs

Vedanta Desika considers that it's proper for the soul 
to perform the appropriate upAyA which the Lord has enjoined for his 
salvation using the dependent agency and limited autonomy which the 
Lord has granted him. If the Lord chose to save some souls and not 
others,without regard to the code of conduct and prescriptions of 
upAyAs which He has laid down in the sAstrAs,it would render 
meaningless and subject the Lord to the charge of cruelty and 
partiality. Desika affirms that the Lord is the ultimate upAya for 
salvation but the soul's performance of bhakti/prapatti must be seen 
as having some instrumental efficacy/upAyatva.

Examples for MM's view:

1)Tirumazhisai (2)Draupadi (3)RavaNa (4)Dasaratha

(1)In the case of Tirumazhisai,when he was relaxing in front of a 
brAhmaNa's house,the brAhmanAs who were chanting yajur suddenly 
stopped chanting without realizing the greatness of Tirumazhisai and 
also thinking that he belonged to the low class. But Tirumazhisai 
realized it and started to leave. The brAhmaNas, who wanted to resume 
their chanting,forgot(due to ahankAram) and Tirumzhisai reminded them 
through "sign" language.

(2)Draupadi had too much "self" confidence that she could save her 
own chastity without the help of external agency(svarUpa ajnyAnam). 
Time is running out and fortunately she realized(again thro' His 
grace only) what was in between her and the Lord in coming to her 
rescue. Her "EGO associated with self-effort".

(3)Why SriRama didn't grant permission when RAvaNA wanted to withdraw?
The latter was still holding the bow in his hand. The bow was 
interfering. It's not because of RAvaNA's act(RAvaNA dropped the bow)
that Rama let him go but for the "bow" itself.

(4)DasarathA was clinging to the "vow" he had promised and not to 
dishonour the "vow" instead of clinging to Rama Himself who is DharmA 
incarnate.

It's precisely for these reasons,PiLLai lOkAchAryA and ManavALa 
mAmunigaL says that all these sAstrA(sruti,smrti etc)which assumes 
particular nature and form which is contrary to the soul's true 
nature of dependence. Ramanuja's time period was different and it was 
dominated by brahmins. Ramanuja's main aim was to refute advaitic 
philosophy,so he kept silent about azhwars in his samskrt works. Does 
that mean R didn't know about AzhwArs works as per some article in 
Saptagiri? Some westerners who do research in SrivaisNava philosophy 
question the veracity of gaDyatraya. They strongly believe that it 
couldn't have been composed by Ramanuja. Why Ramanuja called PiLLAn 
as his jnyAna/mAnasa putra? PiLLAn's ST will come handy to prove 
that "no one,other than Ramanuja could dare to compose a poetry in 
the form of jet speed,non-stop emotional prose". 

Does the mother depend on the baby's effort in the former taking care 
of the latter? NO. The mother considers as her sole responsibility to 
take care of the baby and the baby's effort doesn't matter to her at 
all.

The next post is on carama slOkam as per PiLLai LOkAchAryA and 
MaNvALa mAmunigaL.

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
nappinnai





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