Sri Sudarshan's contributions to understand Bhishma Sthuthi & its greatness .

[Guest guest]

Dear Fellow Members :

 

I have indeed encouraged Sri Sudarshan to

continue his welcome postings on his unique insights ,

analysis and personal remeniscences of what he has

learned from his illustrious AchAryA and share it with us.

It has been a pleasure reading them and benefitting from

the incisive analysis and the unique integrative skills of

Sri Sudarshan in piecing together the references( gems)

scattered in the various places of our sacred literature .

 

I can fully understand his concerns about the lack of

reader feedback , which leaves any writer or contributor

some what in the dark and makes him or her wonder

about the relevance and significance of their efforts.

I myself have gone thru these doubts. I am indeed

convinced now that for whatever reasons , the Divya Dampathis

have " commanded" me to engage in this kaimkaryam and

go on . Few of our readers write to me and some times I hear from

India and elsewhere form people , whom I did not even have the

privelege of meeting . on those occasions , I am reminded of

Saint ThyagarAjA's Thodi Krithi , " Daasarathi ! Nee RuNamu

Dheerpa naa taramA ? Parama Paavana Naama !,

aasadheera dhoora dEsamulanu prakAsimpa

jEsina Rasika sirOmaNi ( Dasarathi ) .

bhakthilEni kavijAla varENyulu bhava mEruga lErani

kalilOna jani bhukthi mukthi galgunani keerthanamulu

bhodimchina ThyagarAja KarArchitha ( Daasarathi ) .

 

Here Sri ThyagarAja Swami asks the Lord , whether it is ever

possible to repay his debt to Him ? To my heart's content ,

You have made my glory as Your servant shine in far off countries.

" Realizing that even great poets , being devoid of devotion,

are unable to grasp your real nature , You have come down

to the world (AvathAra Rahasyam ) and inspired ThyagarAjA

to compose divine songs that confer temporal and

spiritual attainments " .

 

The blessed bard of ThiruvaiAru continues to query

about the avathAra Rahasyam dealt at length now by

our Sri Sudarshan in yet another Krithi

in MukhAri , " yElAvathAramEtthukOntivi yEmi

kAraNamu ? Raamudai ". He questions his beloved

Sri RamA about the purpose of His incarnation as

the son of Dsaratha chakravarthy . He asks : " Was it

to make war , Oh RaghavA , or to rule over AyOdhyA ?

Was it to enable Yogis to have your darsanam or TO

SAVE PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM THE DISEASE

OF SAMSARAA ? Was it to grant boon to ThyagarAjA ,

who had made for you a garland of gems of Krithis

in various raagAs ( Satha raagarathna maalikalu

rachimchina ThyagarAjuku VARA

MOSAGUDUNUTHAKAA) ?

 

In yet another krithi in Rithigowlai raagam

( Raagarathna MaalikachE ranjillunata Hari ,

satha ) , the Saint enjoys his handiwork

this way : " Sri Hari is resplendently shining

with the garland of songs in hundred gems of

rAgAs , composed by ThyagarAjA for his SALVATION

FROM SAMSAARAA . Come , we shall sing together

well and ATTAIN ALL HIS BLESSINGS ! -----"

 

The context for Our meager attempts to celebrate the Lord

and His messengers (AachAryAs ) in the Bhakthi postings

has its resonance in yet another krithi of the Saint ThyagarAjA

set appropriately in Sri Raagam : Naama kusumamulachE

poojinchE NARAJANMAME JANMAMU -MANASA ,

Sriman Maanasa kanaka peetamuna chelaka

jEsikOni varasivarAma ( Naama Kusuma ) ,

Naadhasvaramanu vara navarathnapu vEdikapai

SAKALA LEELAAVINODHUNI , PARAMAATHMUNI ,

SRIRAAMUNI PAADAMULANU ,ThyagarAja Hrudh-

bhushaNuni ( Naama Kusuma ) .

 

Here the Bard of the town of five rivers says : " Oh ,

my mind ! That human life is a really blessed life

in which the Lord is installed on the golden throne

of thought and worshipped with flowers of His holy

names like SivA ( a great Rama BhakthA or

the name for Auspiciousness ) and RaamA .

 

Place Him , the reveller in the sport of this universe ,

the ornament of ThyagarAjA's heart , on the gem-

bedecked seat of SvarAs born out of NaadhaA and

worship His holy feet with the flowers of His names " .

 

One does not need the upahArams of the kind that we

offer Him , when He comes on His bhavanis similar to

that described by Sri Sudarshan in the part 13 of Bhishma Sthuthi

dealing with the allegorical conversation between the Lord

of Venkatam and the surprised BhakthA , who offered to

replace the heart of the Lord stolen by the Gopis . Our

own Vaachika and likhitha ( written ) kaimkaryams

in a spirit of " Parasparam Bhaodhyantha : ( Mutual

celebratory information exchanges on the Lord's glories ) and

chinthanA about Him , wherever we are on the globe

or whatever state we are blessed by Him to be . The

sathsangam of like-monded people is what the efforts

of Sri Mani VaradarAjan is making it possible to reach out

and stay together in the spirit of AandAL's Thiruppavai

( Koodi Irundhu kuLirndElOrempaavAi ) .

 

The above quotations from great souls and an

incomparable Rama BhakthA are cited not to elevate

ourselves to their levels of spiritual atainment , but to suggest that

in the Lord's scheme of things , there are many blessings

that we do not understand , but have to thank Him for nudging us

towards Him . There are much in His mysterious actions

and Sothanais The sincere effort in this journey (Deha YaatrA )

accompanied by Saatvika Thyaagam has its own purifying effect

inspite of the many limitations that we have and the dhoshams that

we are heir to . So , Sri Sudarshan ! Please keep on writing !

 

Sri KrishNArpaNamasthu .

 

V.Sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Dear Devotees,

 

I fully agree with Sadagopan and encourage Sudarshan to write further.

This is a kainkaryam and will pay off in Srimannarayana's view if not as

personal satisfaction. This will be a way for Sudarshan and such

bhagawathas on the net to go throught he texts for self satisfaction and

derive knowledge and happiness. I used to be active on the net two years

back. This year has been bad stress wise and in fact just getting ready to

leave to India for a few days on business.

 

Even if one person on the net reads these articles and gets benefitted, it

is worth it as kainkaryam, even though that person may not write back with

comments. I read Bhisma stuti about a few of them and did I guess post an

article on antimasmrti a while back. I will soon catch up reading other

articles on Bhismastuti soon.

 

With the little time I have, Recently, after finishing helping SMS chari on

his book on Brahmasutras, I am helping him with two papers : on Ramanuja

and Vedanta Desika, which are to appear on an international journal. These

two papers are very interesting work for me. I feel that the other papers

on this subject, seem to leave out some important ideas in this paper.

Unfortunately, I cannot release these papers to public since it has

copyright problems. I will send fax copies to some folks for review if SMS

Chari permits,

 

Krishna

 

 

 

 

At 10:52 AM 6/29/97 EDT, V. Sadagopan wrote:

>Dear Fellow Members :

>

>I have indeed encouraged Sri Sudarshan to

>continue his welcome postings on his unique insights ,

>analysis and personal remeniscences of what he has

>learned from his illustrious AchAryA and share it with us.

>It has been a pleasure reading them and benefitting from

>the incisive analysis and the unique integrative skills of

>Sri Sudarshan in piecing together the references( gems)

>scattered in the various places of our sacred literature .

>

>I can fully understand his concerns about the lack of

>reader feedback , which leaves any writer or contributor

>some what in the dark and makes him or her wonder

>about the relevance and significance of their efforts.

>I myself have gone thru these doubts. I am indeed

>convinced now that for whatever reasons , the Divya Dampathis

>have " commanded" me to engage in this kaimkaryam and

>go on . Few of our readers write to me and some times I hear from

>India and elsewhere form people , whom I did not even have the

>privelege of meeting . on those occasions , I am reminded of

>Saint ThyagarAjA's Thodi Krithi , " Daasarathi ! Nee RuNamu

>Dheerpa naa taramA ? Parama Paavana Naama !,

>aasadheera dhoora dEsamulanu prakAsimpa

>jEsina Rasika sirOmaNi ( Dasarathi ) .

>bhakthilEni kavijAla varENyulu bhava mEruga lErani

>kalilOna jani bhukthi mukthi galgunani keerthanamulu

>bhodimchina ThyagarAja KarArchitha ( Daasarathi ) .

>

>Here Sri ThyagarAja Swami asks the Lord , whether it is ever

>possible to repay his debt to Him ? To my heart's content ,

>You have made my glory as Your servant shine in far off countries.

>" Realizing that even great poets , being devoid of devotion,

>are unable to grasp your real nature , You have come down

>to the world (AvathAra Rahasyam ) and inspired ThyagarAjA

>to compose divine songs that confer temporal and

>spiritual attainments " .

>

>The blessed bard of ThiruvaiAru continues to query

>about the avathAra Rahasyam dealt at length now by

>our Sri Sudarshan in yet another Krithi

>in MukhAri , " yElAvathAramEtthukOntivi yEmi

>kAraNamu ? Raamudai ". He questions his beloved

>Sri RamA about the purpose of His incarnation as

>the son of Dsaratha chakravarthy . He asks : " Was it

>to make war , Oh RaghavA , or to rule over AyOdhyA ?

>Was it to enable Yogis to have your darsanam or TO

>SAVE PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM THE DISEASE

>OF SAMSARAA ? Was it to grant boon to ThyagarAjA ,

>who had made for you a garland of gems of Krithis

>in various raagAs ( Satha raagarathna maalikalu

>rachimchina ThyagarAjuku VARA

>MOSAGUDUNUTHAKAA) ?

>

>In yet another krithi in Rithigowlai raagam

>( Raagarathna MaalikachE ranjillunata Hari ,

>satha ) , the Saint enjoys his handiwork

>this way : " Sri Hari is resplendently shining

>with the garland of songs in hundred gems of

>rAgAs , composed by ThyagarAjA for his SALVATION

>FROM SAMSAARAA . Come , we shall sing together

>well and ATTAIN ALL HIS BLESSINGS ! -----"

>

>The context for Our meager attempts to celebrate the Lord

>and His messengers (AachAryAs ) in the Bhakthi postings

>has its resonance in yet another krithi of the Saint ThyagarAjA

>set appropriately in Sri Raagam : Naama kusumamulachE

>poojinchE NARAJANMAME JANMAMU -MANASA ,

>Sriman Maanasa kanaka peetamuna chelaka

>jEsikOni varasivarAma ( Naama Kusuma ) ,

>Naadhasvaramanu vara navarathnapu vEdikapai

>SAKALA LEELAAVINODHUNI , PARAMAATHMUNI ,

>SRIRAAMUNI PAADAMULANU ,ThyagarAja Hrudh-

>bhushaNuni ( Naama Kusuma ) .

>

>Here the Bard of the town of five rivers says : " Oh ,

>my mind ! That human life is a really blessed life

>in which the Lord is installed on the golden throne

>of thought and worshipped with flowers of His holy

>names like SivA ( a great Rama BhakthA or

>the name for Auspiciousness ) and RaamA .

>

>Place Him , the reveller in the sport of this universe ,

>the ornament of ThyagarAjA's heart , on the gem-

>bedecked seat of SvarAs born out of NaadhaA and

>worship His holy feet with the flowers of His names " .

>

>One does not need the upahArams of the kind that we

>offer Him , when He comes on His bhavanis similar to

>that described by Sri Sudarshan in the part 13 of Bhishma Sthuthi

>dealing with the allegorical conversation between the Lord

>of Venkatam and the surprised BhakthA , who offered to

>replace the heart of the Lord stolen by the Gopis . Our

>own Vaachika and likhitha ( written ) kaimkaryams

>in a spirit of " Parasparam Bhaodhyantha : ( Mutual

>celebratory information exchanges on the Lord's glories ) and

>chinthanA about Him , wherever we are on the globe

>or whatever state we are blessed by Him to be . The

>sathsangam of like-monded people is what the efforts

>of Sri Mani VaradarAjan is making it possible to reach out

>and stay together in the spirit of AandAL's Thiruppavai

>( Koodi Irundhu kuLirndElOrempaavAi ) .

>

>The above quotations from great souls and an

> incomparable Rama BhakthA are cited not to elevate

>ourselves to their levels of spiritual atainment , but to suggest that

>in the Lord's scheme of things , there are many blessings

>that we do not understand , but have to thank Him for nudging us

>towards Him . There are much in His mysterious actions

>and Sothanais The sincere effort in this journey (Deha YaatrA )

>accompanied by Saatvika Thyaagam has its own purifying effect

>inspite of the many limitations that we have and the dhoshams that

>we are heir to . So , Sri Sudarshan ! Please keep on writing !

>

>Sri KrishNArpaNamasthu .

>

>V.Sadagopan

>

>

>

>