SrI:
SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //
SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /
SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//
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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.09 / ISSUE # 12 dated 16th December 2007
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IN THIS ISSUE:
1. SARVAJIT ? MAARGAZHI MAASA PANCHAANGAM DETAILS
2. YUDDHA KHAANDAM PART - 2 (SRIMAD RAMAYANAM DISCOURSES IN THE
HINDU TEMPLE OF ATLANTA by SRI ANBIL RAMASWAMY SWAMI)
3. TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 42- SLOKAM 17 -PART 4
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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ISSUES RELEASED
With this issue, about 275 Regular issues of SRS have been released
so far, apart from numerous "Special Issues" as indicated below:
27 Issues of Vol. 1
15 Issues of Vol. 2
42 Issues of Vol. 3
35 Issues of Vol. 4
28 Issues of Vol. 5
30 Issues of Vol. 6
50 Issues of Vol. 7 and
36 Issues of Vol. 8
12 Issues of Vol. 9(including this)
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1. Sarvajit varsha Kaarthikai maasa Panchangam:
December 16, 2007 ? Sunday ? Maargazhi month begins* (*- as per Seva
diary)
December 20, 2007 ? Thursday ? Vaikunta Ekadasi
January 6, 2008 ? Sunday ? ThoNdaradippodi AzhwAr Thirunakshthram
January 8, 2008 ? Tuesday ? amavaasyai
January 8, 2008 ? Tuesday ? Hanumath Jayanthi
January 10, 2008 ? Thursday ? SravaNam
January 14, 2008 ? Bhogi paNdikai
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2. "YUDDHA KHAANDAM" PART - 2 OF SRIMAD RAMAYANAM
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
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9. VIBHEESHANA SARANAAGATI
Iti uktvaa parusham vaakhyam raavaNam raavaNa anuja:/
Aajagaama muhoorthEna yatra Raama: sa lakshmaNa:// (17.1)
Uttering harsh words to Ravana, VibheeshaNa instantly came with four
of his like-minded attendants Anala, Sarabha, Sampaati and Praghasa
to where Rama was with LakshmaNa and was standing in mid-air. The
monkeys who saw him thought that he had come to kill Rama because if
Rama were to be slain, all others would also die. So, they started
pelting stones and trees at VibheeshaNa. VibheeshaNa was not daunted
by this and pleaded with the Vaanaras to announce to Rama that he
had come to take refuge at his feet, having been discredited like a
servant and chased out by his brother, Ravana who did not heed his
advice to restore Sita to Rama.
"I have renounced my wife and child, wealth and power. Please let
him know that I, VibheeshaNa am standing here".
sOham parushitas tena daasavat cha avamaanita:/
tyaktvaa putraams cha daaraams cha raaghavam saraNam gata://
sarva lOka saraNyaaya raaghavaaya maha-atmanE/
nivEdayata maam kshipram vibheeshaNam upasthitam// (17-16 & 17)
10. THE FIVE ANGAS OF PRAPATTI
As per our Siddhantam, SaraNaagati or Prapatti to be effective
should have the following five 5 angas (accessories). Let us see how
VibheeshaNa's saraNaagati fulfills each one of them:
(1) Aanukulya Sankalpam: Resolve to act only in accordance with what
is pleasurable to him. VibheesahaNa's advice to Ravana to restore
Sita to Rama represents this.
(2) Praatikulya Varjanam: Resolve to scrupulously avoid all actions
not pleasurable to the Lord (i.e.) those opposed to the ones stated
under (1) above - VibheeshaNa tearing himself off from the evil
minded Ravana and leaving behind near and dear ones.(tyaktvaa
putraams cha daaraams cha)
(3) Maha Viswasam: Absolute faith and confidence that the Lord will
surely protect - VibheesahaNa's great confidence in Rama's mercy in
the face of the Vaanaras rejecting him. (sarvalOka saraNyaaya
raaghavaaya mahaatmanE)
(4) KaarpaNyam: Realizing the utter inability of the individual to
do anything except surrendering at the feet of the Lord. This 'Self
effacing' confession eliminates the ego, pride, possessiveness and
such other defects in the individual. Having been driven out by
Ravana, I have no go except seeking refuge in you. (sOham parushitas
tEna daasavat cha avamaanita: )
(5) Goptrutva VaraNam or Atma Nikshepam: A formal expression of
one's total dependence on the Lord for protection. He spells out his
surrender in so many words: (raaghavam saraNam gata:// nivEdayata
maam kshipram vibheeshaNam upa sthitam//)
11. THESE 5 ANGAS IN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
It may be doubted how one could cultivate the five "angas" mentioned
above. Day in and day out, we are adopting and practicing these in
our lives without our ever being aware of it.
12. DEPARTMENTAL
STORES
Take the case of your visit to a departmental store for buying some
article that you need. The fact that you go to the particular store
is a favor done to that store. This is Aanukulya sankalpam. That you
avoid going to another competitor of his is Praatikulya varjanam.
Since you are not capable of manufacturing the product is an
admission of your Aakinchanyam. The trust you place in the
particular store for delivering the goods in quality, quantity at a
reasonable price is your Mahaavisvasam, that impels you to go to
that stores. The fact of your picking up the product you need from
the aisle, putting it in the store cart and pushing it to the cash
counter for preparing the bill for payment in an implied request for
the item constitutes your Goptrutva varaNam.
13. BABY SITTER
To cite another example, when you have necessarily to go out under
unavoidable circumstances, you may have to entrust your kids to the
care of a baby-sitter, of course for a consideration. The fact that
you pay the baby sitter is your Aanukulya Sankalpam, towards that
person. Not entrusting the job to some other person is an act of
avoiding something unfavorable to that person. This is Praatikulya
varjanam. It is because of your inability to look after your wards
or take them with you for whatever reason is a tacit acceptance of
your helplessness. This is your Aakinchanyam. Your trust in the
babysitter for taking good care of your wards constitutes your
confidence or Mahaa visvaasam. What you request that person while
entrusting the job is the expression of Goptrutva varaNam.
The same analogy can be extended to any situation in real life where
one has to depend on another at whatever time or place or
circumstances. If we recognize the fact of adoption of these
measures even in our daily routine, it should not be difficult for
us to consciously adopt the same while performing Prapatti - and no
special training or orientation is needed to inculcate these
requirements.
dasoham
Anbil Ramaswamy
(To be continued)
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3.TAATPARYA RATNAVALI - SUBMISSION 42 - SLOKAM 17 -PART 4
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARAIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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SrImate Ra'nga RAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.
tAtparya ratnAvaLi - Submission 42, Slokam 17
Part 4,
tiruvAimozhi 1.6, pASuram 1.6.7, 1.6.8.
pASuram 1.6.7:
nIL kaDal SUzh ilangaik kOn tOLgaL talai tuNi SeidAn
tALgaL talai vaNangi nAL kaDalaik kazhiminE.
Pass the ocean of time in this birth by worshiping the Lotus Feet of
the Lord who severed the shoulders and the heads of rAvaNan who was
the chief of LankA surrounded by the vast ocean.
svAmi deSikan captures the aspect of sukara bhajanatvam in this
pASuram with the words pAda Asakta prasakteh. He who is attached to
those who are devoted to His divine Feet (Asakti devotion,
attachment; prasakti attachment, devotion) tALgaL talai vaNangi nAL
kaDalaik kazhiminE. Those who possess the knowledge about Him will
realize that this samsAra is like an ocean. But they pass this
ocean easily by meditating on His great valor in destroying the
likes of the mighty rAvaNa. For those who are devoted to His Feet,
the ocean of time in this samsAra passes very easily. SrImad
tirukkuDanthai ANDavan explains svAmi deSikan's words - pAda Asakta
praskatan- as tan tiruvaDigaLait talaiyAl vaNangugiravargaLiDam
anugraham uLLavan. He who is benevolent to those who worship Him
with bowed heads.
SrI UV comments that rAvaNan with 10 heads and 20 shoulders wouldn't
even bow with just one of those heads, and so the Lord had to kill
him; all we need to do is surrender to Him with humility and with
bowed head at His Feet, and He takes care of getting us over the
ocean of samsAra and to His abode.
The aspect to enjoy in this pASuram is the extreme mercy that
bhagavAn displayed towards even the likes of rAvaNan. BhagavAn gave
ample opportunity to rAvaNan to realize his mistake and surrender to
Him. One day at the end of the day's fight, when He could have
finished off rAvaNan easily, bhagavAn told him instead: Go and
recoup some strength and come back; then we will continue the fight
gaccha! anujAnAmi, ASvAsya niryAhi . Even though several well-
wishers of rAvaNan advised him to surrender to Lord Rama, he came
back to fight and refused to surrender. Even then, the Lord severed
his head only one at a time, leaving behind the remaining heads and
thus giving him an opportunity to surrender till the last moment -
such is His mercy.
In the current pASuram, AzhvAr advises us to spend our time
meditating on the great story of Lord RAma and on all His brave
deeds that show His enormous mercy also simultaneously; our time in
this samsAra will pass very easily with His Grace. SrI UV points
out that bhagavAn keeps aiming the arrow of viveka (discernment) at
the devotee and thereby removes the confusion caused by the ten
indriya-s and the mind, and the devotee is thus able to attain Him
easily - 'daSa indriya Ananam ghoram yo mano rajanIcaram viveka Sara
jAlena Samam nayati yoginAm' (SASvata samhitA).
pASuram 1.6.8:
kazhimin toNDIrgaL kazhittu tozhumin avanai, tozhudAl
vazhi ninRa val vinai mALvittu, azhivinRi Akkam tarumE.
toNDIrgaL! kazhimin; kazhittu avanait tozhumin; tozhudAl, vazhi
ninRa val vinai mALvittu azhivinRi Akkam tarum Devotees! Desist from
attachment to things other than Him. Worship Him and surrender to
Him. As soon as you do, He will remove all the enormous sins that
stand in the way of rendering kainkaryam to Him, and offer the
eternal wealth of nitya kainkaryam to Him.
svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the words
sakRdupasadane mocanAt. He who bestows moksham even if one
surrenders just once (sakRt -once, on one occasion; upasadana
approaching, sitting at the feet) - avanait tozhudAl azhivinRi Akkam
tarumE. Surrendering to Him not only enables the devotee to cross
the ocean of time in this world easily (pASuram 1.6.7), but it also
will give the devotee the eternal abode of SrI vaikunTham at the end
of this life (current pASuram).
The pATham used by SrI venkaTeSAcArya and others is sakRd upasadana
mokshaNAt, whereas SrI UV has preferred sakRd upasadana mocanAt.
The first would mean that bhagavAn gives moksham, and the second
would mean He gives liberation.
SrI venkaTeSAcArya explains svAmi deSikan's words as orukkAl
upasatti paNNinArkku virodhi nirasana pUrvamAga a-punarAvRtti
lakshaNa mokshattaik koDukkaiyAlum. For those who approach Him even
once, He gives the eternal moksham from which there is no return to
this world again.
The basic message of AzhvAr is: First give up all other attachment;
then surrender to Him; He takes care of the rest; you are
guaranteed moksham. It is as simple as that sukara bhajanatvam
ease of worship. Having a part of us involved in vishaya sukham
attachment to worldly pleasures, and the other part in trying to
devote to Him does not work well; inevitably, more time and more
births are involved in attaining Him that way.
Regards
dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
(To be continued)
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