Prapatti and Vyaja

[Guest guest]

Sri Sampath Rengarajan and Sri Varadhan had some public and private

discussions on Prapatti and moksham and the differences between the

Vadagalai and Tengalai schools on this issue. I am responding to a

request by Sri Sampath Rengarajan to write on Vyaja.

 

The Tenkalai viewpoint was put forward very succinctly by Krishna

Premee Maharaj in a discourse on Bhasyakaarar, I happened to hear

over the weekend. He said that one should not ask for moksham, but

merely avoid resisting the Lord's grace. As to why some people get

moksham and some people do not, he explains that if people are

waiting outside a temple for neivedyam to complete and Prasadam to be

served. Some people are on the verge of starvation, and cannot wait

for the doors to open, while others are sitting at a little distance

playing cards and are not too concerned about when Prasadam will be

served. Krishna Premee Maharaj asks, "Will you feed the people who

cannot wait to be served first, or will you make them wait and invite

those who are busy playing cards and cannot care less whether they

are served or not?"

 

The Vadagalai viewpoint is this:

 

The ashtAkshara Mantram which has all the Vedas condensed within it

as well as the principal Upanishads make it clear that all Jivatmas

exist to serve Sriman Narayana alone and no one else. The Bhagavad

Geeta explains that baddha jivatmas are those that have used their

free will to violate this injunction and have therefore ended up in

this material world. As the Bhagavad Geeta is the Upanishad Saram,

and is meant for mumukshus, it explains in the final chapter: "Having

come into this world of suffering, give up all other means to escape

this suffering and look upto Me alone as the means to attain Moksha,

and I shall deliver you from all sins. Do not fear."

 

Sriman Narayana is the Siddha Upaya or the ever existing means:

Prapatti is the Sadhya Upaya or the Vyaja or gesture that takes away

Sriman Narayana's anger. Srimad Mukkur Azhagiya Singar explains: "We

should not think that He (Sriman Narayana) is someone far away and

unrelated to us. He is our father and we are His children. If we go

to Him with our problems, He will solve them for us." I have this

experience with my own daughter. She will do some mischief and I

will scold her. She will be enraged and go and sulk in another

corner of the house. I will ignore the initial crying. Afterwards,

she will start calling for me and will want me to go to where she is

and pick her up. Till today, I have not been able to resist and say:

"She did what was not right. She should come to me and I will not go

and pick her up." We can just imagine how Sriman Narayana who loves

us millions of times more than I love my daughter will respond when

we call out to Him. The Tenkalais are right when they say that it is

not Prapatti but His grace that gets us moksha. He has been

manipulating our karma in such a way that we finally get fed up with

material life and implore Him for help. Swami Desikan says that only

one who has been glanced at by Sriman Narayana at the time of his

birth will make rapid progress toward moksha. This glance which

results in moksha katAksham has happened long before most samskaras

are performed, long before the soul meets the Acharya that will guide

him towards moksha, long before any punya karmas are performed by the

individual.

 

As Krishna Premee Maharaj explains that only the one who is starving

and cannot wait for the temple doors to open and be fed will be fed

first. This longing is Prapatti. This Sadhya Upaya becomes complete

when 5 angas come together in a single moment. They are Anukulasya

Sankalpah: or a promise to do only what is pleasing to Sriman

Narayana in future. PrAtikulasya Varjanam or a promise to give up

what is displeasing to Sriman Narayana. Rakshisyatiti Vishvaso or

the firm faith that Sriman Narayana alone can give us Moksha,

Goptritve Varanam or an understanding that I myself belong to Sriman

Narayana and that everything that has been rightfully allocated to me

by Him is to be used in His service alone. Karpanye is the feeling

of helplessness to be able to do anything including surrender to Him,

unless He provides the support and blesses us with the ability to do

something.

 

For one who attains moksham in this Kali Yugam, it should be

understood that he or she or it has done this Prapatti with its 5

angas and that this Prapatti happened at the prompting of Sriman

Narayana. It is this Prapatti that lets His grace flow so powerfully

that we are unable to prevent it from flooding us and take us on an

irresistable path to moksha.

 

Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yateendra Mahadesikaya

Namah:

Srimate Sri Lakshmi Nrsimha Divya Paduka Sevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri

Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikaya Namah:

 

Adiyen

 

Jaganath.