Sri Sudarshan's "farewell " note and concluding posts on Bhishma Sthuthi

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Sudarshan ;

 

Our dear fellow bhakthAs like Sri Vijay Srinivasan and

Sri Raja KrishNaswamy have already paid their moving

tributes to the NishkAma Kaimkaryamthat you have done

so far to entertain , educate and enthrall ALL of us .

 

I was so much reminded of Sri Naaarada Bhakthi SutrAs

during the many pleasurable moments of reading your

unique postings . I will write about those links that you stirred

in my mind . Before that effort , let me hasten to acknowledge ,

thank and salute the magnanimous effort of feeding us with

a insatiable feast of bhagavadh vishayam .

 

Bhagavan's abundant grace has been with you due to purva-

samskAram and as a result , you have been blessed not only

the power to absorb the teachings of your own Acharya and

his paramparA , but share it generously and untiringly

in your own inimitable writing manner . The fluency , the versatality ,

the "lawerly " analysis , the rich and sophisticated vocabulary ,

the depth and the extraordinary ability to link the many threads

in such a powerfully cohesive manner with focus on the

story line have been driven by the intense Bhakthi in your

heart of hearts .

 

I know that such skills can not be hidden

under a bush for many reasons . I join with Sri Raja KrishNaswAmy

in his request for you to continue to share with us your brilliant

and unique insights on SaamAnya DharmA and VisEsha

DharmA . I think the adage that ' Much more is expected

of those , who have been given much " fits here . Once you

settle down in India , we look very much forward to your

spirited involvement and continued likitha kaimkaryam .

 

My prayers to Sri Bhumi Devi Sametha ThiruviNNagarappan for

happiness , health , prosperity and deep involvement with

the adhi granthams and aruL mozhis of Azhwars and AchAryAs .

 

I will conclude this note of thanks with few quotations from

the Bhaktha SiromaNi and Sriman NaarAyaNa paarAyaNA ,

naarada Muni :

 

tath prApya tadhEva aalOkayathi , tadhEva sruNOthi ,

tadhEva bhAshayathi , TadhEva chinthayathi

 

Sri naraadA , the guru rAyar saluted by Saint ThyagarAjA

was moved indeed by the chAndhOgya Upanishadic

passage here that has been translated as :

 

" There , where you see nothing else , where you hear nothing

else , nothing else you know or feel , that state is called ,

BhUmA - the All pervading , the infinite , the Eternal ,

the immutable , the Brahman . There , where you see other things ,

there , where you hear other things , where you feel and understand

other things : " tadhalpam - that is the finite , the limited .

That which is infinite is immortal that which is finite is mortal " .

 

Here nAradha muni is saluting Bhagavatha LakshaNam .

 

The sage goes onto acknowledge that the bhaktha , whose single goal

is the Lord Himself and whose single pointed devotion towards the Lord

is for its own sake - are the primary (best ) . He says : bhakthA

EkAnthinO mukhyA : " The single-pointed ( eka-antha ) devotion

is the subject of his acknowledgement . In your postings on

Bhishma Sthuthi , you have demonstrated this type of

mukhya Bhakthi .

 

The response to such devoted outporings has been described

by sage nAradhA in his own inimitable and terse manner

in the SutrAs 68 and 69 :

 

kanTavarhOdharOmAnchsrubhi : parasparam labamAna :

pAvayanthi kulAni prthveem cha II

 

theerthee kurvanthi theerthAni sukarmee kurvanthee karmANi

sacchAsthree kurvanthee saasthrANi II

 

( rough meaning ) : When such bhakthAs with their voices choked

with emotion , body covered with horirpulation , and tears flowing

down their cheeks , converse with each other in fragmented sentences

and broken words , they sanctify their family , and kulam , nay ,

the very earth itself they come to glorify .

 

They sanctify the holy places of pilgrimage and theertha YaathrA ,

add glory to their actions , and lend authority to the scriptures .

 

Our AchAryAs are such magnanimous souls saluted by

the immortal bard singing the glories of NaarAyaNA .

The AchAryA blessed with the sishya sampath like

yourself has legitimate reasons to be proud of .

 

mukhayasthu mahath krupayaiva bhagavath krupA lEsAth vaa

Narada Bhagavath SuthrAs # 38

 

Here NaradhA refers to the relation between the seeker , his or

her achArya and BhagavAn in a straightforward fashion without

mincing words . He says : " Primarily it (pure devotion ) is gained

through the grace of great souls or through a small tivalai ( particle)

of the infinite dayA of the Lord " .

 

Sri Sudarshan certainly has the Acharya sambhandham ,

kataksham and paripUrNa anugraham of Sri MukkUr

LakshmI NarasimhAchAr Swamy , a great AchArya in a

kulam of great AchAryAs of AhObila Mutt .

 

May BhagavAn Lakshmi Nrusimha's blessings be with

our Sri Sudarshan and his family always ,

 

AdiyEn , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan