April-June Archives of Bhakthi List

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Mani :

 

I wish to take this opportunity to thank you sincerely for

your extraordinary time , effort and sraddhA to

complete the above task amidst all the understandable

pressures of your work . It is a substantive assembly

of meaningful contributions of the many respected members

of this special group .The thread of discussions

on important topics of deep interest to all of us

on the Sri Sookthis , doctrines of Sri VaishNavism

are enduringly preserved in these archives .I am convinced

that these archives are a rich source

of reference for now and for times to come .

 

Based on the anugraha vachanams of the full range

of AchAryAs that Sri Anbil Ramaswamy SwamigaL has

been priveleged to meet with recently ,

It is clear that they consider that

efforts like ours are helping them in their own work

to reach out to the future generations on the greatness

of our sampradhAyam in all its multi-faceted brilliance

and glory .

 

The Sri Sookthis have their own " intoxicating "

effect on any one , who comes close to them . If one gets

carried away by their Ruchi , it is understandable. There

is no way to drink them in a big gulp . You are absolutely

right about appealing for moderation in output from some

of us, who have been very active . If our postings can

not be read , absorbed and reflected upon , then , the goal

and purpose of these efforts would have been counter productive.

Here again , the archives come to help .

 

As for myself , I reflected further and decided that I will write

twice a week and adhere to that time table instead of burning

my candle at both ends . I will plan to write on Mondays and

Thursdays on individual topics of potentail interest to all of us , .

 

With Continuing best wishes for an enjoyable summer ,

 

V.Sadagopan

 

P.S : I have a special request to Sri Anbil SwamigaL .

It will be wonderful , if he could post his recollections as

an eye witness on the SansyAsrama sveekaraNam

of the 45th Jeeyar of AhObila Mutt as an EYE WITNESS

to this rare event . Thanks in advance to him .

 

There are 19 sanyAsa Upanishads . Each one describes the

procedures and rules of the turiyAsramam differently.

It will be wonderful to see how the Ahobila mutt tradition

goes about inducting an AchArya . Others familiar with

other Yathi paramparAs can add their own inputs for all

of us to get a complete picture .

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri.Sadagopan,

At 08:21 AM 7/20/97 EDT, you wrote:

>The Sri Sookthis have their own " intoxicating "

>effect on any one , who comes close to them . If one gets

>carried away by their Ruchi , it is understandable."

--------------------------------

 

 

How true indeed !

I was just comparing what you have said above with what I had myself written

about the "bhishma-stuthi" in Post #2 on 4 JUNE 1997 (from Mani's archives) when

------------

I first commenced the series and had no idea of which way it would all go !

 

Forgive me my immodesty and please permit me to quote myself verbatim from

the archives :

 

QUOTE :

 

".....The reason, however, why "bhishma-stuthi" has traditionally been held in

extremely high esteem by SriVaishnava "AchAryA-s" --- as highly as the

"sahasranAmama", in fact --- is because it contains, within its deep kernel,

the very quintessence of many 'vEdAntic' themes with a distinctly

VisishtAdvaitic flavour. Every phrase in the "bhishma-stuthi", scholars have

commented, seems to be shorthand for the vast saga of lofty wisdom that

Vyasa's "Mahabharatha", verily, is."

 

".....A unique feature of the 10 verses of this "stUthi" is the way they

sound to one's ears. Vowel and consonant, rhyme and syntax in this Sanskrit

poem are

sweetly evocative of the distant echoes of many subtle themes, scenes and

plots in the Mahabharatha."

 

"....The "stuthi" when recited, therefore, creates a mood of grave

reflection and repose in the mind of the reader/reciter even if he/she were

to possess only

a smattering of the Sanskrit language and/or the skimpiest acquaintance with

the great message of the Mahabharatha."

 

"....Listening to the soft sounds of this "stuthi" is, indeed, like

listening to a philharmonic representation of a simple folk tune. It sounds

like a

simple, uncomplicated refrain but you sense, as you read or recite it

repeatedly, that many grand operas lie latent between its lines."

 

"....The 42nd Azhagiyasingar set such great store by this rare "stUthi"

that he was known to readily recommend it for deep study and reflection to

anyone

who came to him inquiring about the possiblities of "bhagavad-guNAnubhavam"

during the twilight hours of one's life ..... the "antima-prayANa-kAlE"

Swami Desikan speaks of .... or the "antima-smriti" the ancient Upanishad

describes as a great "brahmha-vidyA"."

 

UNQUOTE

 

What more can I say, Sir, except that since June 4th, 1997 --- and Posts #2

through to Post # 20 --- the Lord Himself seems to have ensured that every

single one of the above statements of mine, about BhishmAchAryar's great

"stuthi", should ring true !!

 

adiyEn/dAsan,

sudarshan