Some Reflections

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavatas,

 

Sri Sadagopan posted a couple of excellent articles on the

works of Madhurakavi Azhwar. The main feature of Madhurakavi Azhwar's works

is Bhakti for his Acharyan, Nammazhwar. This has been brilliantly

captured by Sri Sadagopan in his posts. Respect for the Guru is

emphasized by all our Azhwars, Purvacharyas and Acharyas. However, nobody

except Madhurakavi Azhwar made it the central theme of their works.

Sri Sadagopan's post reminded me of a Kriti by Purandara Dasa "

Guruvina GulamanAguva Tanaka DorayadaNNa Mukti (It is impossible to get

mukti unless one becomes the slave of the Guru)".

 

While reflecting on the work of our Azhwars, Purvacharyas and Acharyas,

I began to wonder whether one needs to be learned and erudite in order to

realize the Lord and obtain Moksham. If yes, I wonder how the knowledge and

erudition takes one closer to the Lord? The works of our Azhwars,

Purvacharyas and Acharyas indicate that total surrender to the Lord is

sufficient for attaining Moksham thereby implying that nothing more is

necessary. The experience of greatest scholars

(like Sri Ramanujacharya after

rendering the Gadya Trayam, Swami Desikan after delivering the Daya Shatakam

or Sri Tiru Kacchi Nambi after the Devaraja Ashtakam) suggests that the Lord

can be realized only after a complete surrender (Sharanagati). I would

appreciate more input on this subject from all of you.

 

Sri Ranganayaki Sametha Sri Ranganatha Swami Parabrahmane Namaha,

 

Muralidhar Rangaswamy

[Guest guest]

I think Swami Desikan's nyaasa thilakam (I posted the first few verses) clearly

explains this. It is enough even you surrender once, even if such a prapannaa

errs, HE will put them on the corrective path and take them to mOksham. In this

slOkam swami desikan explains the two maargams for getting mOksham and explains

how simple is surrender or saraNaagathi. when I have heard advaithins say that

"saraNaagathi is only a means and not the end", I would like to point out that

"knowledge whether so called absolute or partial is only a vehicle and not the

final destination by itself. Even the knowledge that it itself is free from

anyaanaa and is itself is ablsoulute and is itlsef is the final destination is

only a partial knowledge and not the final destination. It is partial knowledge

becuase no one can completely either talk or describe Lord and his kalyaana

gunangal and until such complete knowledge on The Lord's is known no knowledge

is complete (SRimath Bagwath Geetha) and only the LORD in HIS true form can

have such complete knowledge on HIM. Hence all the other so called knowledge is

only partial and cannot be considered complete to clear the so called anyaanaa.

As said by our poorvaachaaryaaL, this so called absolute knowledge needs to be

an object for this only one real soul to realise that it is the only one real

soul, and that once there is one soul and an object is in this process, it is

neither absolute nor void of attributes, though one may claim that after this

process only this absoulteness is achieved. It is becuase of the irony that

this process will even make the very "vedams" with which all the souls thrive

as false at the end due to its absoluteness. Hence such process that destroys

their own foundation (by saying that this absoluteness is the only real and

that even void of vedams) and would render the vedams as false is considered

non saathvik by our achaaryaals. In short, even as per the process of our

counterparts the highest possible knowledge (for us the "unreal" perceivers) is

only a vehicle and need not be considered as most important for mOksham except

that one must know the knowledge on surrender. Our nammaazhwaar says on the

paasuram for Lord Oppilaippan that our Lord is in the form of both the

opposites moodam and nyaanam

 

3367:

nagaramum naatugaLum "NYaanamum mootamumaay",

nigarilsoozh sudaraayiru LaaynNila Nnaayvisumpaay,

sigaramaa tangaLsoozh thiruviNNagarch chErndhapiraan,

pugargoL keerththiyallaalillai yaavarkkum puNNiyamE. 6.3.3

 

Thiruvaaymozhi

 

Since our Lord is also present in (as in above "NYaanamum mootamumaay")

"moodam", one need not worry about acquiring only enormous knowledge to either

know or qualify for mOksham. Hence one need not worry about mastering the

knowldege but simply get such knowledge to surrender to the Lord is sufficient.

 

nammaazhwaar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Swami Desikan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri BoomaDevi samEthara Sri Oppiliappan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

Sampath Rengarajan