SamAshrayanam - Part 2

[Guest guest]

Sri :

 

Srimate Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Para Brahmane Namaha

 

Srimate Sri Lakshmi - Nrusimha Divya PAdukA Sevaka -

Srivan Shatagopa Sri NArAyana Yateendra MahAdesikAya Namaha

 

Srimate NigamAntha MahAdesikAya Namaha

Srimate Bhagavad RAmAnujAya Namaha

 

Sriyai Namaha ; SridharAya Namaha

 

 

Dear Bhakti Group Members ,

 

Namo NArAyanA . kindly accept adiyens pranAmams.

 

 

 

 

SAMASHRAYANAM

---------------

 

Neccessity Of Spiritual Knowledge :

--

 

Any intelligent person will have queries like "Who am I?" ; "Who

is God?" ; "What is my duty ?" ; "Why am I suffering through the process

of birth , old age , disease and death ?" ; "What is death ?";"What is the

relationship between myself and God ?"; etc. These are highly important

queries which leads one to know the actual realities.

 

The fact is that ,everyone is individually a spiritual entity called

jIvAtmA , who is eternally subservient to the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA

.. Due to the karmA (good and bad activities) associated with the jIvAtmA ,

it takes varieties of bodies like that of a bacteria , plant , bird

,animal , human being etc.It is very very rare to get a human body.

 

Once a jivAtmA gets the highly precious human body , he ('he' refers

to jIvAtmA eventhough there is no gender associated) has to start knowing

about the actual purpose of life . There may be so many varieties of

knowledge floating around . But he has to pick up the 'sAram'(essence). He

should choose that type of knowledge which will answer all such important

queries as raised above. These fundamental queries are answered by the

spiritual knowledge.

 

 

Materialistic knowledge (as explained by modern science etc) finally

doesn't help the jIvAtmA.For instance , a glorified Nobel Laureate may

take the body of donkey in the next birth. What is then the Credit of

being a Nobel Laureate in his human birth ? The purpose of human birth is

to have the realisation of God ( Sriman NArAyanA). If this human body is

used for other purposes ,then the activities of that person boils down to

eating , sleeping and mating. Ofcourse , this is the way an animal also

spends its life.

 

As long as one identifies himself as a body made of flesh and not as

a jIvAtmA , he leads a life of an animal and thereby wastes the most

precious human body. The greatness of Spiritual Knowledge is that it makes

one understand the truth that he is a jIvAtmA, subservient to Sriman

NArAyanA and not the body housing him . It also gives the processes (

Bhakti YogA and Prapatti ) by which one can terminate the repeated cycles

of birth and death in this material world , and reach the spiritual

kingdom of Sriman NArAyanA known as "Vaikuntam", thereby attaining

complete bliss.

 

One has to start knowing about himself first ,rather than speculating

about matter. Without knowing the answer for the question "Who Am I ?" ,

what is use of studying so many other things ? Without knowning the

purpose of human life , what is the use of engaging in varieties of

activities ? So an intelligent seeker of knowledge gets hold of the

spiritual knowledge which is complete in itself and thus understands the

Ultimate knowledge one needs to know.

 

 

Approaching the AchAryA of Sri Vaishnava ParamparA :

-------------------

 

Spiritual Knowledge is something which is far beyond the materialistic

knowledge gained through a study of modern science . It is far beyond the

reach of one's senses. One can't understand these things on his own. Even

for learning materialistic things which are highly evident to our eyes

(senses in general ) ,one has to go to school for years together.This

process of learning from experienced persons goes on and on. Now , What

to speak of Spiritual Knowledge , which deals with the relationship

existing between the three realities namely

 

1. IshwarA (Supreme Lord) : Sriman NArAyanA (NArAyanA who is

ever united with Sri )

 

2. ChetanAs ( entities with knowledge) : jivAtmAs

 

3. achetanAs( entities without knowledge) : Matter , Time, Suddha-

SattvA

 

Obviously , one has to approach a person who has this type of

knowledge. But so many pose themselves to know this. How to find a

bonafide AchAryA ?

 

The answer to this is really simple . The Supremely merciful Lord

Sriman NArAyanA reveals the spiritual knowledge to His most ardent

devotees.They in turn instruct these things to others. This is called as

a "ParamparA" .Thus, NArAyanA Himself becomes the first AchAryA and the

knowledge revealed in the paramparA is nothing but what NArAyanA Himself

has revealed. This chain of tradition beginning from Sriman NArAyanA is

also known as the "SatSampradAyam" .

 

The Sri Vaishnava SampradAyam has Lord NArAyanA as the first

AchAryA , followed by His belowed consort 'Sri' ( MahALakshmi ), Sri

Vishvaksenar ( Commander in chief of Sri Vaikuntam ) , Saint

ShatagopA (NammAzhvAr) , Sri NAthamuni , Sri PundarIkAkshA ( UyyakkondAr )

, Sri RAmamishrA ( ManakkAl Nambi ) , Sri YAmunAchAryA , Sri Ghoshti PUrnA

( Peria Nambi ) , Sri Bhagavad RAmAnujA, and so on down to our present

AchAryAs.

 

The current AchAryA of the illustrious Ahobila Mutt is Sri Lakshmi

Nrusimha Divya pAduka Sevaka Srivan Shatagopa Sri NArAyana Yateendra

MahAdesikan. Ahobila Mutt was founded by the Supreme Lord Lakshmi

Nrusimhan Himself , by initiating a twenty year old genius and supremely

devout brahmachAri named kidAmbi SrinivAsAchAryA of Melkotte .He is well

known as Sri Adivan Shatagopa Yateendra MahAdesikan .

 

 

 

The knowledge coming through the SriVaishnava SampradAyam (SatSampradAyam)

is thus faultless. So, ONLY the AchAryA belonging to the SatSampradAyam is

bonafide. Such an AchAryA is called as a "sadAchAryA" ( Ideal Preceptor).

He will be well versed in the spiritual knowledge delineated by Sanskrit

VedAs (including Upanishads ), Tamil VedAs (Divya Prabandham by AzhvArs) ,

Rahasya TrayA ,Brahma SutrAs , Smrithis , IthihAsAs ( RAmAyanam and

MahAbhAratham), SAthvIka PurAnAs (like Vishnu purAnam , Srimad BhAgavatham

), PAncharAtrA & VaikhAnasa AgamAs.

 

 

The supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA , in His wonderful avatAram as Sri

KrishnA , instructs everyone to approach the sadAchAryA. In His GIta

Upadesam , Sri KrishnA says "Learn the spiritual knowledge by prostrating

, by questioning and by service to Wise men (sadAchAryAs) , who sees the

truth .They (sadAchAryAs) will teach it to you " (4.34).

 

Thus the person desirous of becoming linked to the Sri Vaishnava

SampradAyam, approaches the SadAchAryA with great humility.One

cannot attain a sadAchAryA easily . The reasons behind the acquisition of

a sadAchAryA are :

 

i. Sriman NArAyanA's benevolence .

ii. Merit acquired accidentally.

iii. Grace of Sriman NArAyanA .

iv. No aversion towards Sriman NArAyanA.

v. Listened to the anectodes of NArAyanA ( Stories about avatArams of

NArAyanA like NrusimhA,RAmA and KrishnA etc) and eagerness to learn.

vi. Conversed with devotees of NArAyanA.

 

 

 

So, one should be highly fortunate to attain a sadAchAryA .AchAryA (

Henceforth used to refer sadAchAryA ) has every right to test that

person ,even for many years, before he can be initiated by him. Thus,

SamAshrayanam is a result of great mercy from the part of our

AchAryAs.Only the highly fortunate souls gets this rarest oppurtunity

of getting initiated ( SamAshrayanam ) and thereby become a "Sri

VaishnavA" .

 

 

 

Namo NArAyanA

 

Adiyen

 

Anantha PadmanAbha dAsan

 

 

Sarvam Sri KrishnArpanamastu