--- In tiruvenkatam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Sudarshan K Madabushi" <mksudarshan2002@xxxx> wrote: Dear Sri Sadagopan Iyengar, Thanks. Looks like there is no other Sanskrit word for Memory other than "smriti". It's interesting you bring up the word "vismriti" to denote Forgetfulness. When one reflects deeply, "vismriti" seems to be the true and universal condition of Man, isn't it? We are all entirely 'forgetful' of our past lives -- 'janmA'. We have no recollection of our past "karma" nor how and why it has brought us to our present state and condition of existence. We must ask ourselves if this 'forgetfulness', this 'vismriti', is it a blessing or a crippling handicap? IN one way, it is a blessing because if the Almighty had not erased the memories of our past 'janmA' before sending us to our present one, imagine how heavy and oppressive would be the burden of carrying with us a stock of painful recollections of past folly, failings and flaws? So great would be such a burden that we would, I fear, simply lose all hope of redeeming ourselves in the present life. Instead, having had our memory erased by God, we all start, each one of us, our respective present lives on a clean, shining slate (on a "tabula rasa", as the Latin phrase says) with the hope still strong in us that, this time around, we will somehow prove worthy and redeem ourselves in the eyes of our Maker... Looked at from that point of view, there is no doubt that our Forgetfulness, our condition of "vismriti", is truly the source of all fresh human hope. Ironic though it may seem, in Forgetfulness there is indeed great spiritual opportunity for the Redemption of Man. >From another point of view, however, our state of Forgetfulness is unmitigated curse too. It is 'vismriti' that makes us 'forget' who we are, where we come from and where we are really going. It is because we are 'forgetful' that we mistakenly think our present life and existence is a new one and the only one we shall ever have. We "forget" all the past 'janmA-s', and all the past opportunities that were afforded to us in those, and to which we must be beholden to the Almighty. It is the same 'forgetfulness', thus, that also results in our frittering away our lifetime and yet another 'janmA'. I was reading last week a brief biography of the life of the 'nAyanmAr', the Tamil saint Sundararar, as narrated in the great Saivite 'purANa' called "peria-pUrAnam". (Let me hasten to add here that I am a firm SriVaishnavan by birth and belief, but I also entertain a healthy interest in the rich bhakti traditions of the Saiva siddhAnta). Sundarar was a great spiritual soul, one who was a beloved of the Almighty. But he was born into the world in circumstances that made him "forget" his true nature and his great 'siva bhakti' and 'siva sambandham'. Sundarar was a handsome man and was hence soon set to marry a beautiful maiden. Destiny was about to drag the saint into the life of a worldly householder when at the last minute, on the wedding altar, as it were, the Almighty appeared on the scene disguised as an old venerable Brahmin and claimed Sundarar as his own slave -- "Have you forgotten you are my slave, O Sundara? How can you enter into marriage and seek to lead your own life?". Sundarar and the rest of the wedding assembly were shocked at the claim of the old Brahmin stranger who seemed to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The wedding ceremonies were aborted and the assembled guests demanded proof of the fact that Sundarar was a bonded servitor of the old Brahmin. The Brahmin told the gathering, "Follow me, and I will give you the needed proof!". Thus, leading Sundarar and the assembly, the old Brahmin led the procession through the streets of the town and into the temple of Siva. Entering the sanctum there, the Brahmin vanished into it, leaving the whole assembly aghast! It was then that Sundarar was able to recollect who he really was, to whom really he owed his soulful allegiance in life. All of a sudden, the recollections of his previous 'janmA-s', in which he had been a slave of God in His own Kingdom, all the recollection came rushing back to him with the force and intensity of an epiphany... Sundarar's 'vismriti' vanished, so to say, and 'Forgetfulness' was replaced with the one true memory ('smriti') that, although remaining ever clouded in the consciousness of Man, is yet never erased out of his soul -- the Memory of the Almighty. "vismriti" is truly such a beautiful Sanskrit word indeed... Thanks and regards, dAsan, Sudarshan --- In tiruvenkatam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, sadagopaniyengar <sadagopaniyengar@xxxx> wrote: > dear shri sudarshan, > > "Smriti" appears to be the appropriate word for Memory. > > this can be seen in > > the Varaha Charama slokam, where the Lord undertakes to remember His bhakta, even when the latter is no position to think about Him-- "aham smarAmi mat bhaktam" > > the Mukunda Mala slokam--"smarAmi nArAyaNa tatvam avyayam" > > the Ramayana slokam, "na smarati apakArANAm satamapi AtmavattayA". > > and "Vismriti" appears to indicate forgetfulness, while the total loss of memory is probably called "Smriti bhramsam" (as in the Gita sloka, "smriti bhramsAt buddhi nAsa:") > > thanks and regards, dasan, sadagopan --- End forwarded message --- ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! 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