Copy of: Prapanna PaarijAtham-- Part 4: PramANa Paddhathi

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Bhakthi Group :

On this SravaNam day , it is my pleasure to

forward you the weekly posting of mine for the SaraNAgathi

Journal . This posting has relevant information

for the question of Sri Dileepan and the response

of Sri Kalale . These are the fundamental sources

for Akinchanyam , KaarpaNyam ,

Gopthruva VaraNam and the other two angAs

of Prapatthi , which were elaborated by

Nathamuni , RaamAnujA , Swami Desikan ,

PiLLai LokAchAr and " the anyAs " .

 

It is also interesting to note that the Abhaya

mudrA of the Lord is intrepreted as the command

to the PrapannA not to repeat the prapatthi more than

once .

 

V.Sadagopan

 

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

V. Sadagopan, 75041,3037

TO: SR, INTERNET:Srengara

CC: vas, INTERNET:vasanthi

DATE: 12/4/97 9:36 PM

 

RE: Copy of: Prapanna PaarijAtham-- Part 4: PramANa Paddhathi

 

The Scope of PramAN aPaddhathi

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The first of the ten chapters of Prapanna-

PaarijAtham is PramANa Paddhathi . There are

17 slOkAs in this chapter , which refert to

the ancient and unimpeachable sources of

Prapatthi from passages found in Sruthis ,

Smruthis , PurANAs , AagamAs and the IthihAsAs .

The purpose of this effort by our AchAryA is to establish

the Vedic authority of Prapatthi as a doctrine

and practise handed down to us from the prathama

AchArya( Sriman naarAyaNA ) down to the curent AchAryA .

 

SlOkam 1

************

 

prapatthis thaitthireeyANAm vEdhE taavath vidheeyathE I

nyAsAkhyA saprayOgAsou vasranyEthi manthratha II

 

(Meaning ) : The first and the foremost authoritative

statement on Prapatthi is found at the end of

Thaitthireeya Upanishad (Sruthi ) . There it says

that Prapatthi has to be performed under its name

nyAsam starting with the vEdha mantram commencing

with the word " Vasuranya : " . This manthram describes

for the first time prapatthi under its name of nyAsam and

prescribes as well its modus operandi .

 

( comments ) : We are starting here at the very beginning

by looking for authoritative and ancient references to prapatthi

or nyAsam in Sruthis . The roots of Prapatthi in ancient vEdhams

are recognized from the many vEdha mantrams one

comes across in Rg Vedhic rks and KrishNa Yajur Vedhic mantrams .

Upanishads such as Taittireeya NaarAyana and SvEthasvatAra

upanishads have authoritative references to Prapatthi ..

A passage from Katavalli sruthi is another oft-quoted authority

for the doctrine of Prapatthi's origin from Sruthis .

 

By choosing the word nyAsam , the Vedhic manthram

reminds us that this doctrinr refers to a pledge , a pledge

of one's Self ( Jeevan ) to the Lord .

 

Dr.S.M. Srinivasachari has covered the numerous passages of

Rg vEdham to the basic principles of Prapatthi or SaraNAgathi .

These rks refer to " an individual pleading his (or her ) inability

to achieve a desired object " or goal such as freedom from the

cycles of birth and death . He or she seeks prayerfully divine

intervention for success in such efforts .

 

One of the oft-quoted rk ( Rg vEdham I.189.1) starts with " AgnE

naya supathArAyE---" . This manthram is found again in

IsAvAsyOpanishad and Swami Desikan has commented

on this rk in his Bhaashyam on the above upanishad .

The manthram has the following meaning : " Oh , Agni !

lead us along the auspicious path to remove all

the obstacles coming in our way ; we shall offer unto Thee

salutations with the expression of NAMA: "(--tE nama-ukthim

vidhEma) . Swami Desikan has connected the name Agni

here to the AntharyAmi Brahman and the word " NAMA : " to

the act of the SELF seeking the refuge in Lord and laying

itself at His sacred feet .

 

Another Rg rk found in the 7th khAndham ( VIII.66.13)

invokes reverentially the Supreme Brahman as the

only one to shower us with favour and that the jeevans are

totally dependent on that supreme Brahman . It says :

" O Resplendent Self ! We are verily Yours , therefore , We ,

the worshippers ( prapannAs ) , entirely depend on You .

There is none but only You to show us favor ,

O Bounteous divine power , invoked by ALL "

( nahi tvadhanya: purUhutha kascchana

magavannasthi marDithA )

 

The whole VIII.66 section of Rg vEdham is a celebration

of the Supreme Brahman " as full of might and the revealer of

wealth " , as " the powerful Lord , purifier and master of all

forces" . The third rk salutes the Lord as the one , " who opens

the closed gates of wisdom and destroys the devil of dark

evil forces " . In the fifth rk refers to the prayerful devotion

of the Jeevan to the Lord this way : " Oh resplendent Self ,

praised by all, we hasten to bring to You our devotion and

appreciation , which You have been expecting to receive from

Your sincere devotees since ancient times ( vayam tattha Indra

sam BHARAMASI yajnamuktham thuram vacha : ) .

 

The subsequent rk ( Rg VIII.66.7 ) eloquently states

the mood of the Jeevan's prayerful devotion in a state of

helpnessness to the Supreme Brahman this way : " Today ,

Yesterday , and ALL the days , let the resolute will power

(supreme Brahman ) accept our tribute to His full satisfaction .

We offer Him our reverence . Let Him now hasten here on

hearing our admiration ( tasma u adhya samanA sutham

BHARA nUnam bhUshatha sruthE ) .

 

In the 14th rk , the jeevan prays to the Supreme Lord

to deliver them from this dire (spirtual ) poverty ,

hunger (for His presence ) and calumny ( arising

from accumulation of sins due to doing things prohibted by

sAsthrAs and abandoing karmAs that should be performed ) .

The jeevan continues its prayer for protection with

His wonderous might and thought . The jeevan declares

with conviction : " O mightiest ! only You know the right way " .

 

In the VIII.19.5 rk , we come across the explicit statement

the person( Jeevan ) , " who offers prayer with the expression of

NAMA : ( implying self-surrender ) is to be regarded

as one , who has performed a good scrifice (sOdhvarah: )

almost equivalent to the formal sacrifice done in the consecrated

fire by offering the faggots (samiths) along with the recitation

of the manthrAs " ( ya samidhA ya aahUthee yO vEdhEna

dhadhAsa marthO AgnayE I yO namasA svadhvara : II ) .

 

The above rk and the others of the VIII th canto of Rg vEdham

leads onto the climatic statement embedded in the famous

rk quoted above ( VIII. 66. 13 ) , which unequivocally states

that none other than the Supreme Being is capable of protecting

the Jeevan from " the ocean of bondage " .

 

In a subsequent Canto ( X.63. 9 and 10 ) , the rks compare

the Lord to a non-leaky boat that alone can safely take the jeevan

across the turbulent ocean of SamsAram ( dhaiveem naavam

svaritrAm anAgasam asravantheemA ruhEmA svasthayE ) .

The Lord is invoked here as " vessel divine , well-protecting ,

spacious , shining and unmenaced , full of comforts ,

seamless , goodly constructed , fitted with fine oars , flawless

and unsinkable (never-leaking ) " .

 

In the previous rk the jeevan offered a moving prayer

to the Lord in the unmistakable spirit of a true PrapannA

this way : " In our conflicts or struggles of our

life , we invoke our Lord ( who is known by so many attributive

names as ) the resplendent one , the deliverer from sins ,

the virtuous , the Divine , the Creator , the Adorable , the Friendly ,

the Venerable , the Glorious one . We invoke You --for the acquisition

of (spiritual ) food and luxury and for our (spiritual) well-being " .

 

These are the Vedhic PramANams for nyAsam to establish

its ancient roots .

 

V.Sadagopan