You are here: SriPedia - Ramanuja - Archives - Sep 2002

Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00055 Sep 2002

 
Sep 2002 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


Sri Parthasarathi thunai
Srimathe ramanujaya namaha

Dear Vaidhehi ji and Sri Venkatesh,

It has been made clear in Sri Venkatesh?s reply that we both do not have any 
difference of opinion, afterall we have studied under the same teachers(our
acharyas). But just for the clarification of the others let me summarize 
some key points. 

1. Nithya karmas have been specified in the sastras for the jeevatmas
born in the first three varnas. Sastras specify nithya karmas as upayas to
attain perumal. But since prapannas consider only the lotus feet of emperuman 
as a upaya to attain moksha nothing else will become upayas to them. But then 
can they leave the nithya karmas?

2. According to our acharyas they can be left if a prapannan is involved 
in bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryam.

3. It is actually an if-then-else loop. If a prapannan is involved in 
bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryam at a time of the nithya karmanushtanam or if he 
has vairakhyam like Thirukannamangai aandan to leave everything and look for 
the grace of emperuman alone(this level is not attained by all, remember) then
a prappanan can leave his nithya karmas(there is no doubt about it. 
It is not a sin for him) else others have to do their karmAnushtanams not as 
a means or upaya to reach emperuman but as a kainkaryam by itself.



Hope this clarifies in a better way.

About the reply by Vaidhehiji, adiyen feels that she hasn?t gone through my
reply properly or probably overlooked some points. Adiyen has clearly stated 
that nitya karmAnushtanam can be left for bhagavat kainkaryam as it is more 
important for prapannas. Adiyen has also quoted the incident in Srirangam where 
Sri Parasara bhattar has insisted this point. Adiyen has also explained even 
when the karmAnushtanams are done it should be done only as kainkaryam and not 
as upayam. Adiyen feels this is by all ways the thiruvullam of Srirangam 
acharyas. Adiyen has no where mixed the two schools of thoughts.

Adiyen do accept that Sri ramanuja did nithya karmas as kainkaryams not as 
upaya, for lokasangrahArtham. We are supposed to follow him(?mElayAr 
seivanagal? says andal). Once one person approached one lady shisya of Sri 
Ramanuja(I think it is ammangi ammal) and asked her why she doesn?t go tothe
temple of other devatas for which she replied, I donot know and I am not 
bothered about the reason. If our acharya ramanuja asks us to go then we follow 
him and go into the temple. All ramanuja adiyars should do the same. As 
Srivaishnavas we are supposed to be role models to the others. As Krishna in 
Bhagavat geetha says, ?karmanaiva hi samsidhdhi AshthithA jayakAjayaha: !
lOkasangraha mEvApi sampashyan karthu marhasi?!! (Even though janakan wasa 
great jnani he still didn?t leave his karmas for the sake of the rest of the 
world. But these jnani?s do karma as orders of bhagavan, kainkaryam.) 
Moreover Krishna says, ?na mE pArthAsthi karthavyam thrishu lOkEshu kinchana! 
NAnavAptha mavApthavyam vartha Eva cha karmani!! (Hey arjuna! Though I am 
sarvalOkEshvaran and need not do anything by myself still I do these karmas
like washing your horse and being your charioteer for the sake of others.) So 
Krishna adviced arjuna to do his karmas since if he left them he will become a 
bad example to the society. So people who are in a position to influence 
others should be careful. Though a prapanna is eligible to leave his nithya 
karmas if he considers, emperuman as everything and is involved in 
bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryams still should not give misleadings by doing the 
same. So we have to follow our acharyas and do the same karmas as kainkaryam 
to bhagavan and not as upayas. But when there is a clash between nithya karmas 
and bhagavat kainkaryam then without any doubt a prapanna can leave his nithya 
karmas as per sri Parasara bhattars words.

Hope this clarifies everything. I beg the pardon of all the learned scholars 
for any mistakes committed due to my lack of knowledge and ignorance.

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan





[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
ramanuja-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list