On Sri Sudrsan's queries on 'Near Death experiences' of Swami Desika etc

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavatas,

 

Given below are the queries from Sri Sudarsan which were referred to

Sri K.P Rangaswamy (IA&AS) , an authority on Srivaishnava Siddhanta.

The queries and the replies are presented without any comments to

enable the Bhagavatas to draw their own inferences.

 

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

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Mr. Sudarsan’s query :

 

1. " Reading your notes on the RTS, especially on the ones relating to "

Departure of the soul after death", I am tempted to speculate Swami

Desikan may himself have had some " near death exxperience" or "outside

body experience". I say this because going through his biography (which

has remained unscientifically researched and recorded, in my opinion, to

the eternal embarassment of Vadakalai Ayyangars!). I think Swami Desikan

was himself very near death when he fled from the Muslim mauraders when

they attacked Srirangam. It is said that he fled with Srutaprakasika

along with a band of friends towards the Karnataka border. But, history

notes that after this band crossed the outskirts of Srirangam, it was

attacked by a muslim contingent. Swami Desikan’s group was slaughtered

mercilessly and he himself barely escaped certain death. Is it

therefore possible to speculate that much of what Swami Desikan has

written of death and after death experiences in the RTS could have

somehow been deeply influenced by his own near brush with death and

mayhem? Are there any independent sources in Srivaishnava history,

literature or oral archives to support such a theory? Is it credible?

Or, is it considered unacceptable from the view-point of orthodoxy?"

 

This query was answered by Sri K.P.Rangaswamy, thus:

 

" ... Your NRI correspondent has, I am afraid, missed the real point of

Sri Desika’s Abheeti Stavam which was composed at the time of Muslim

invasion. Sri Desika had presented the various aspects of Saranagathi in

different bits and in different contexts in Daya Satakam, Abheeti

Stavam, and even in Devanayaka and Varadaraja Panchasats. These were all

only ‘bits’ of the doctrine which was later formally presented in the

RTS.Sri Desika's poem was not because of any fear or anticipation of

death as your friend has mentioned. The real point is that with the

invasion, followed the slaughter of great souls and desecration. Sri

Desika was charged with the duty of taking the Srutaprakasika texts

along with the Utsavamurthis to safe havens till they were finally taken

to Tirupathi where they remained for the duration.

 

The fear (bheeti) in Sri Desika’s mind was NOT that of death and

therefore all the conjectures your friend has built up is totally out of

context.

 

The ‘bheeti’ in this case was due to the " Dhyaana Vichheda" or the

interruption in devotion and worship of the Lord. To a great soul, this

is worse than death; So, the ‘abhayam’ sought was for the cessationof

that Vichheda. So, Sri Desika’s prayer in Abheeti Stavam was for " Imam

Abhaya Siddhaye" for all devotees- "Pathatha Ranga Bartruh Stutim"

followed by the Lord’s own words :

"Bhayam Tyajatha Bhadram Iti Avadhat Sa Kesavah /

Swayam Gana Ghrunaa Guha Ganena Gopaayatee//"

 

It is an interesting co incidence that less than a month ago when I had

gone to Tirupati, my brother’s son in law who is also a NRI ahd also

formed a similar misunderstanding of the Abheeti Stavam based on modern

science of psychology and psychoanalysis on aspects of fear. I had

explained the whole doctrine to him and also arranged to give him a copy

of thr translation of Abheeti Stavam.

 

You could therefore advise your friend that the RTS was composed later

on while all the aspects of the Siddhanta on Saranagathi and Prapatti

that were already presented in other compositions and the doctrine had

been restated in the RTS in different Adhikaras.

 

One should not just pick up a bit from here or there and build up a

system on conjecture !. The whole doctrine of Prapatti is NOT for

allaying of ‘bhaeeti’ in Samsara but for the TOTAL SEVERENCE of the

Samsara connection. Naturally, therefore, instead of bits here and

there, the doctrine was presented in an exhaustive and comprehensive

manner in the RTS.

 

Sri Sudarsan's query No. 2 and 3:

 

2. "Is there a great degree of similarity between our Prapatti as

described in the RTS and the Christian "Scramental absolution" or

"extreme unction" ?

3. The Tenkaalai position on "Prapatti’ vis-a-vis that of Vadakali

appears to me so much like the Pre-Reformation Christian doctrine of

"indulgences" as compared to the Luteren emphasis on the doctrine of

"justification’. Are there, in your, opinion, any real parallels between

the movements in Christianity and our own Srivaishnavism? I am intrigued

by what seems to me as a great historical coincidence !. To think that

Luther was just a mere 100-125 years behind Swami Desikan !!"

 

Reply:

 

"I have no idea at all of what your friend describes as the Protestant

and Catholic sects have to say on the matter of Lord’s grace. The

doctine of "Rebirth’ again and again is unique in our religion. and

therefore, the Upaayas are indicated for its termination. Therefore, the

doctrine of "indulgence" which your friend has referred to is NOT

something connected with our doctrine. As far as I can gather, it is a

simple case of ‘temporal punishment’ due to sins after they had been

remitted by repentence. It is a sort of absolution from the censures and

public denouncments of the Church. It could even be in the form of

fines and is intended to diminish or destrioy in respect of sins, the

chances of punishment in purgatory !.

 

On the other hand, our idea of Prapatti is to END THE SAMSARA CHAIN

ITSELF `by grant of Moksha which is final release even more elevated

than "Svarga" which is not eternal.

 

Similarly, in what your friend has mentioned as "justification’, I can

only make out the idea of its being justified, in respect of God’s

requirements.

 

Milton had the words : "In such righteousness to them by faith imputed,

they may find justification towards God and peace of conscince".

 

So, the idea of finding any parallel in Christian theology is fruitless.

The basic idea in our Hindu dogma of Samsara chain which can be

terminated only by the Lord’ mercy AFTER the Jiva has erformed the act

in the prescribed manner. There is therefore no basis for any imaginary

idea about ‘ near Death’ and so on

 

Please explain to him that the presentation in the RTS is NOT about ‘

After death experiences’ in the Western sense but the Siddhanta laid

down in the texts about the "passage" of the soul

(i) either downwards through what is called the dark path (Dhoomadhi

Marga) while

(ii) passage through vein in the forehead upwards (called the

Archiradi Marga to Vaikunta) towards the Lord’s kingdom.

 

In any case, there was no question of "fear of death". You can also

tell him that according to the doctrine, the soul which passed by the

upper path is totally safe from Yama and his servants while the loer one

is for those who are in dangerof being "caught" and taken to Naraka for

punishment !.

 

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