SaraNAgathi & Vedic PramANam

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Vijay Srinivasan :

 

The Veda pramANam for SaraNAgathi is fairly

extensive . Madhva VedAntham may not wish to

recognize it , but it is there . Hence , the best poisture

in a public meeting would be to state our views

and beg to disagree , if it comes to that type of disputations .

 

Even if the Madhva Vedantham does not recognize Prapatthi ,

It does not in anyway remove

the underpinnings of the Vedic Support for SaraNAgathi .

 

For the followers of MadhvAchArya , Bhakthi is not to be viewed

as not as a means to an end , BUT AN END ITSELF . Their

cardinal belief is that the relation between the individual and

the supreme being is not something that is destroyed by

the release ( Moksham ) . In his Brahma Sutra BhAshtyam( BSP),

Sri MadhvAchArya declares :

 

harErupAsanA chAthra sadhaiva sukharUpiNi I

na tu saadhana bhoothA saa siddhirEvAthra saa yatha : II

BSP .iv, 4.21

(Meaning) : The worship of Hari , our Lord is an alloyed bliss

itself . It is not a means to any further end . It is an end in itself

and a fulfillment of our selfhood .

 

With this type of assertion , there is not much room to discuss

the twin path of Bahkthi and Prapatthi for Moksham with Davaitha

sampradhAyins . Our compassionate AchAryAs and the Lord

Himself has pointed out the difficulties in observing Bhakthi

Yogam and blessed us with the equally efficacious Prapatthi

yogam and made it available to all types of adhikhAris .

 

The key slokAs of GithA have been intrepreted differently

by the different AchAryAs . These are :

 

tamEva saraNam gaccha sarva bhaavEna Bharatha and

the carama slokam itself . The intrepretation for the

"Sarva DharmAn parithyajya maamEkam saraNam vraja "

section is according to Maadhva sampradhAyam is :

 

" giving up all the ways of other Gods or actions , surrender

yourself unto Me alone " .

 

The other unique doctrine of Madhva SampradhAyam is

aananda taaratamyam ( a hierarchic gradation in the nature ,

range , quality ,and intensity of SvarUpAnandam or the innate

bliss enjoyed by the released souls ) . This doctrine is a

direct result of the theory of SvarUpa BhEda of souls accepted

by the MaadhvAs . Sri VaishNavaas belonging to Bahgavadh

RaamAnuja siddhAntham do not accept these doctrines .

 

 

A great AchAryA , who was called by the Lord as His own mother ,

NadAthur AmmAL in his most scholarly work has established the

Sruthi/smruthi pramANam for Prapatthi elegantly . In his seventh

verse , he points out that the section starting with "VasuraNya "

in Taittiriya Upanishad deals with the ways to observe NyAsam

or Prapatthi . Professor Prasad can elaborate on this manthram .

AmmAL says :

 

" prapatthis TaittireeyANAm vEdhE taavath vidheeyathE I

nyAsAkyA saprayOgAsou (hi) VasuraNyEthi manthratha : II "

 

Dr.S.M.S. Chari has eloquently defended the ancient nature

and the antiquity of the Prapatthi doctrine as a separate yOgA

sanctioned by the vEdhAs ( p.262, VishNavism : Its Philosophy ,

Theology and Religious Discipline ) . He quotes the appropriate

texts from Rg Vedam , Taittireeya Upanishad and SvEthasvathAra

Upanishads .

 

He says : " The term prapatthi is derived from the root-words ,

pra-pad; pad means to move and pra implies in the best manner.

In the context of an Upaaya or means , the term implies self-surrender

to the Lord as the sole refuge ... There are numerous statements

in the Rg VedA referring to the basic principle of SaraNAgathi , viz .,

the individual pleading his inability to achieve a desired object seeks

with a fervent prayer the help of a divine power . The famous Rk

addressed to Agni , which is reiterated in IsavasyOpanishad states :

" O Agni , lead us along the auspicious path to prosperity , O God ,

who knows the means of attainment , remove all the obstacles

coming in our way ; we shall offer unto Thee salutations with

the expression of Namah : "

 

According to Swami Desikan , Agni in this Rk (AgnE naya

supathArAyE ---) refers to the Supreme Being resident as

the antharAthmA in Agni and the Nama: signifies the act of

self-surrender to the Lord .

 

The Rg Vedha manthram ( VIII.19.5 ) states , ' a person

who ofers prayer witht he expression of nama: ( implying

self-surrender ) is to be regarded as one , who has performed

a good yaagam . Ahirbudhnya SamhithA holds this intrepretation

of self- surrender for this manthram .

 

The two passages from SvEthasvathAra and

Taittireeya NaarAyaNa upanishads in support of

Prapatthi are :

 

" yO BrahmaNAm vidadhAthi purvam -- ( I as an aspirant of

Moksha seek refuge in the effulgent God , who creates

BrahmA first and who verily delivers to him the VedhAs --)

 

" tsmaannyaasaeshAm tapasAm athirikthamaahuh --"

( Extolling NyAsa an denjoining that the Self is to be surrenderd

to Brahman with the PraNava manthrA ) .

 

Katavalli Sruthi cited by VaishNavite AchAryAs refers to

Dhvaya manthram ennunciating the essence of SaraNAgathi .

We do not even to go to PurANAs , SamhithAs

or PaancharAthrAs to establish the antiquity

of the prionciple of SaraNAgathi .

 

I will not be surprised , if some of the MaadhvA sampradhAyins

still come back and ask , how come , Sri RaamAnujA did not

refer to it in his Sri Bhashyam . That is another story .

 

DasOham

V.Sadagopan