sAmpradaya saurabham - part I

[Guest guest]

Dear fellow bhAgavathas,

 

My wife was reading from Sri Tridandi Jeear Swamy's January 1998 Telugu

edition of Bhakti NivEdana, and found an interesting article on the six

steps the Lord takes us through before revealing Himself to us through an

AchAryan. We thought that we would share these with all of you over the

next couple of postings. This is our own crude translation of the Telugu

article. Please forgive us for any unintentional errors in translation

that may be made:

 

Introduction:

 

A teacher is required for any study, but particulary so for a spiritual

pursuit. Such a person is necessary in this life to teach us good from

bad, to show us the correct path, to correct us when we stray, and to

support us through it all.

 

After having fallen into it, we are wallowing in this sea of samsAram, with

agnyAnam, ahankAram, lobam, moham, and other such limitations. In this

state, can there be any other way to reach the shore than through achArya

samAsrayanam?

 

Given this, how do we have the accessibility to a sadAchAryan? There are

several steps that lead us to this:

 

Step 1. Bhagavad sauhArdam.

 

Perumal is the Lord and benefactor of all. Who is He not a friend to?

 

We are all bound by our karmas. Since He is the One who has established

this institution based on karma, He will not break it. However, He is ever

anxious to find one good deed on our parts such that He can redeem us out

of this sea of samsAram. This is His SousIlyam.

 

This step is His sauhArdam. His Kripa must be there for you.

 

Step 2. sadbhAvam

 

Once Perumal's Kripa is there with you, good intentions arise.

Unintentionally, for some unknown reason, you do some good deed. It just

happens.

 

You chase after your child with the intention of catching him. He runs

into a temple, and you follow him. He runs around the prAkaram of the

temple and you follow suit. You had no intention of doing what you are

doing, nor have the realization of it when you are doing it. But what

you have done is pradakshanam around Perumal's Koyil.

 

Although purely unintentional, this act has become a good deed. This is

called yadruchAsukrutam.

 

Step 3. Bhagavad katAksham

 

Will this good deed be ignored? Somehow, it makes the Lord's Compassionate

Glance fall upon you. The Lord will be looking at you in surprise and

saying "That guy is doing pradakshanam around the Koyil!?" He has seen

you. Because He saw you, should you not receive the palam of His seeing

you? Of course, you will. But, you will have no knowledge of it .

 

---continued---

 

adiyEn,

 

Mohan Raghavan & Madhuri