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Subj: RE: Garuda

 

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Sampath Rengarajan <srengara

Re: Garuda

In-reply-to: Mani Varadarajan <mani <Garuda

(Mar 10, 4:51pm)

RANGASWAMY, srengara

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On Mar 10, 4:51pm, Mani Varadarajan wrote:

> Garuda

>

> My thanks to Murali for explaining Desika's Garuda poems

> to us. However, I ask a very fundamental question, one that

> I am surprised has not already come up.

>

> I do not quite understand why we as Sri Vaishnavas would

> resort to worshipping Garuda (or even the Lord for that

> matter) for the sake of obtaining something. These are

> kaamyaartha, are they not, lower desires nowhere near

> the pursuit of jnaana, bhakti, and consequently moksha?

>

> For example, it is often stated that recitation of the

> Sudarshana Mantra can be used as means to ward off disease,

> that the Garuda Mantra wards off poisons and snakes, etc.

> Appeals to the fantastic mythology of Garuda and the

> popular tales concerning his obtaining of amRita are often

> told in this context. Aside from the fact that this

> tale has nothing to do with Bhagavan Garuda's wisdom or

> devotion, these ``recite the mantra and get results''

> stories smack of a very unenlightened and selfish form

> of religion, one that is not respected very much by

> Krishna himself (recall the classification of adhikaaris

> in the Gita).

>

> Please note that my comments are not directed towards

> anyone in this group, in any manner.

>

> It seems to me that someone who has surrendered his

> very self to the Divine Lord should already be free

> from these worldly concerns, or at least try to be so.

> Is this not why a prapanna is described by Desika as

> a kRta-kRtya (one who has done what ought to be done,

> and is therefore supremely satisfied in his Self)?

>

> I must admit that Desika's vivid and fancy description

> of the Puranic tales of Garuda also do not hold my

> attention very much. This is admittedly a criticism

> of me rather than Swami Desikan,

>

 

I am not sure if this is the intent of the post Sri Murali has made ie I am not

sure if he is encouraging everyone to pray to Sri Garuda to get boons that are

materialistic in nature. First of all I would like to put the facts and the

notion that many *evolved* Srivaishnavas have in their mind when they pray to

Sri Garuda or Sri AnchanEyA. This is done in the manner of adiyaarkku adiyaar.

They are the best adiyaars of the lord as they get to serve the Lord all the

time and constantly. We as Srivaishnava must pray to such bAgawathALs who

serves the Lord all the time and without seeking any boons. When Smt Nagu

Satyan asked a question I didnot want to answer hoping that someone else can do

it that time.

I want to provide the answer known to me, i would like to give it now. Why Sri

Garuda is known as periya thiruvadi. This is a purely tamil word for these 2

bAgwathALs. 2 reasons.

 

 

Sri Garuda is many times addressed as bird in many pAsurams. example :

"anchiRavaip paRavaikku anchi" by thirumangai. anchanEya is addressed in the

pAsuram "vaatha maamagan markku vilangu maRRoR.." Azwaars are amsams of Lord

and it is acceptable for them to address these nitya suri and chiranjevi this

way when they worship and praise periya PerumAL. When we bAgwathALs pray to our

Lord and want to address these bAgwathALs, we should not address them as a bird

or otherwise. Instead we have to address them by their feet which we belong to

serve contantly in the notion of adiyaarkku adiyaar. Thus a bird's feet which

is wide in shape came to be known as periya thiruvadi and anchnEya's thiruvadi

which is narrow in shape came to be known as siRiya thiruvadi.

 

This naming convention itself provide the clues as to why we must worship

these two bAgwathALs who serve the lord constantly. ie We are by nature

adiyArs adiyArs and among adiyArs these two are the ones who constantly serve

the Lord all the times. It is thus our nature to pray and serve these adiyArs.

Coming to the form praying to these agdiyArs, we always worship garuda in a

garuda vAhanam when he carries the Lord on HIS shoulders. We donot worship

garuda alone unless it is the thirunakshathiram for this nitya suri or his

association with the Lord on this day is very desirable to the lord etc. On

those days we pray to Sri Garuda separately also. Samething for siriya

thiruvadi. We mostly pray to anchanEya as pancha muga anchanEya wherein the

four other faces are Sri Garuda, Sri Narasimha, Sri varAhaa Sri hayagreeva and

Sri anchanEya himself.

 

> but I fail to see how

> contemplation of the Puranic stories of Garuda (which

> are obvious mythologies from any perspective, given

> that Garuda is a nitya-sUri in our sampradAya) helps

> one in the path to God-consciousness.

>

> Please give me your reaction to my comments.

>

> Mani

 

I think it helped swami desikan this way. ie

Please note that Swami Desikan himself chanted Sri garuda mantram which led to

Sri hayagreeva mantra upadesam from sriGarudan and then he chanted Sri

hayagreeva mantram to get the blessings of Lord Hayagreeva which led Swami

deiska to deliver the 101 granthas of swami deiska.

>From these 101 granthas it helped us this way ie by:

 

we all cherish and preserve and follow and attempt to realise and attain

salvation as prescribed by swami desikan's granthams.

 

Besides what is wrong in chanting mantra as long as it takes us to the

destination where we wanted ie sriman narayana's lotus feet.

Swami dEsika himself chanted matram of Swami garudan and i find there is

nothing wrong in ourselves doing it. Some active writers in this group are

privy to one or the other mantrams and also attribute their knowledge to the

mantra sidhdhi.

Swami deiskan says that praying to Sri garuda helps a prapanna in many ways ire

the first is to get them the true knowledge. Whether one seek this and mediate

or not this will be one of the effect of garuda mantram anyway.

Having said all these i will conclude by saying one thing. ie I myself who is

initiated into SriGaruda mantram chant it everday and i have known the effect

of the same.

 

Sri periya thiruvadi pakshi Rajan thrivadikaLE charaNam

Sampath Rengarajan