Guest guest Posted May 31, 1998 Report Share Posted May 31, 1998 Dear BhakthAs : Last week at Pittsburgh , I had the good fortune to acquire a copy of the above tape produced by Sriman Nadadur Madhava DAsan . I want to share with you the blissful experience of listening to this high quality tape released jointly by Sri Ramanuja Mission , Inc and Sri Ahobila Muth of North America , Inc . The subject matters of these five works associated with Sri Alavandar and Sri Ramanuja ( Sri ChathuslOki , Sri SthOthra Rathnam , Sri Saranagathi , Sriranga and Sri Vaikunta gadhyams ) are the core of our Sri Vaishnava sampradhAyam . The doctrines covered by these two AchAryAs are profound in scope and supremely relevant to our every day life .I have no doubt in my mind for the need for every Sri Vaishnava to acquire a copy of this tape produced with a high degree of devotion and professionalism and listen to them and recite along with them . The sampradhAyic way in which Sri SaranAtha Bhattar of the Pittsburgh Sri VenkatEswarA temple recites the slokams and the Gadhyams is a testament to his depth of Sanskrit scholarship and Bhakthi . The padacchEtham ( splitting of the sandhis and word groups ) as well as the breath control behind this blissful delivery is remarkable . The professional and skillful recording with high calibre recording facilities by Sriman Madhavan is the complimentary adjunct in the realization of this auspicious tape housing the AchAryA's paramAnubhavams .I thank Sri Madhavan for his pursuit of excellence in making available to us the great works of our AchAryAs with his deeply researched introductions and commentaries to gain the right perspective on these extraordinary granthams for our own salvation .His commentaries are crisp and pertinent and prepare us to enjoy the recitations. I wish him continued success in this mahath Kaimkaryam to capture and make available additional treasures . My hope & prayer is that every Sri Vaishnava household will acquire this and other tapes produced by him as a labor of love to our tradition and learn from them and train the children to recite them and make them their own . Competitions at the Hindu Temples for children to recite these sthOthrAs are worth the while to challenge the children to get acquainted with these kula dhanams . The fact that Swami Desikan has written commentary in Sanskrit for Sri ChathuslOki and Sthothra Rathanam as well as for the three gadhyams indicate the reverence with which he viewed them . PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai has blessed us with commentaries in Tamil . The subject is Sarvatha: Saaram ,( the quintessence of VedAntham)(i-e)., Prapatthi . Following his AchAryAs , Sri Ramanuja housed his reverence to AchArya paramparA ruchi parigruhitha prapatthi ( SaraNAgathi doctrine assembled by the discriminating and exquisite taste of the Successive AchAryAs ) in his SaraNAgathi gadhyam and extended its coverage to the other two gadhyams . He did not want to cover Prapatthi in Sri Bhaashyam , since it was intended for fulfilling another mission (viz)., kantanam ( crtical rejection of other Vedanthic approaches , which he found wanting in perfection ). He severely criticized the views that that held aloft the beliefs , " TattvamaseethyAthi Vaakya janya Jn~nam is Moksha Saadhanam and Karma jn~Ana samucchayam is Moksha- saadhanam " and established with precision that " bhakthi rUpApannamAna Jn~Ana VisEsham alone is VedAnthAbhimadhamAna Moksha Saadhanam " . After completeing the mission of creating Sri Bhaashyam , he turned his attention to the doctrine dear to his heart as an AchAryA and celebrated personally prapatthi at the lotus feet of the auspicious dampathis at Srirangam on the historic Panguni Uttharam day . The comparison between Bhakthi and Prapatthi has been made by celebrated AchAryAs time and again .The salient points for us to remember as taught by our AchAryAs are : ** AchArya Mukha Prapatthi is more appropriate for people like us than Bhakthi. ** The reasons are : Bhakthi is adhikruthAthikAram (limited to chosen adhikAris /practioners ) ,whereas Prapatthi is SarvAdhikAram ( Can be performed by anyone ); Bhakthi is hard to practise ( Dushkaram ), where as Prapatthi is sukaram ( easy to perform , KshaNa karthavyam ; can be completed in a second ) ; Bhakthi gives delayed results .Prapatthi gives immediate results unfailingly for one who has MahA viswAsam . Sri P.B.ANNangarAcchAr Swamy quotes the tenth slokam of Swami Desikan"s NyAsa Tilakm dealing with his prapatthi at the Lotus feet of the Lord of Srirangam to relate to the above points .Swami Desikan describes this preference of SaraNAgathi over Bhakthi thru his choice words in theis slokam : AarthEshu AasupalA = This SaraNAgathi gives immediate fruits for those , who are eager to cut asunder the samsaric links quickly . tadh anya vishayE api ucchinna dEhAntharA = Even in the cases of those , who are not in a hurry to destroy the cycles of births and deaths( like the AarhtAs ) , this Prapatthi yields fruits equally effectively . vahni aadhE : anapEkshaNAth = This SaraNAgathi does not require Agni kaaryam (i-e) not limited to a restricted few ; it is open for any one . yaavath aathma niyatha tvath paaratanthr*ya uchithA = This Prapatthi act fits well with the practise of being subservient to You until the end of one' life on earth . This is appropriate to the ChEthanA's svarUpam , which is subordinate to the Lord at all times. tvayi yEva tvadh upAya dhee: = In this SaraNAgathi , You become the means and the fruit of that act .SaraNAgathi is a sincere prayer for You to stand in the sthAnam of Bhakthi Yogam to yield the fruits of Moksahm . abhihitha sva upAya bhAvA = SaraNAgathi is the realization that it is not equal in importance as a means in comparison to You as the most important means (upAyam ) and it is THE MEANS to secure Your blessing for Moksham . Thus Bhakthi and Prapatthi are two different means ; for those without the resources to practise Bhakthi Yogam , it is the readily practisable and secure menas of cutting the cycles of births and deaths and serve the Lord in His paramapadham . AlavandAr and RaamAnujA performed their Prapatthis and showed us this way as the most efficacious way to secure the Moksha Siddhi . Their prapatthis are enshrined in these five works covered in this auspicious tape produced by Sri Madhava Daasan . Each of the words of these five superb kula dhanams are worthy of life long reflections . For Example , in the 45th slOkam of SthOthra rathnam , AlavandAr salutes the Bahgavath svarUpam as : Sriya; Sriyam = the Lord of Sri Devi, Sriya: pathi Bhaktha Janaika Jeevitham =mukhya prANan of bhakthAs Samartham = One who is all powerful to rescue us from the terrors of SamsAram aapathsakham = aapath bhandhavan , who rushes to us in times of danger as in the case of GajEndran, VibhishaNan and Droupathi . arthi kalpakam = One who is like a kalpaka tree and grants all the boons desired by his bhakthAs as VaradarAjan . To that Bhagavath SvarUpam , Alavandhaar and Sri RaamAnuja performed their SaraNAgathis . The 60th slOkam of sthOthra rathnam , which is echoed by RaamAnujA in his SaraNAgathi gadhyam is a fitting one to conclude this note relating to this tape housing their auspicious works : pithA tvam , maathA tvam dayitha tanayastvam , priya suhr*uth tvamEva tvam bhandhu : gururasi gathiscchAsi jagathAm tvadheeyas tvath bhruthya: tava parijana: tvath gathiraham prapannaccha yEvam sathyahamapi tavaivAsmi hi Para: (MEANING): Thou art the Father of all these universes ; Thou art also the Mother ; dear son ; desirable friend ; the dear relative ; Thou art the AchAryan , who banishes the darkness of ajn~Anam ; Thou art the end result ; I am Your sEshan ; I am the One to be raised by You . I am Your humble servant ; I am the one , who seek You as my goal ; I am also the one , who has performed Prapatthi at Your sacred feet .You are the saraNya Bhandhu for this erring Janthu .Myself with all these dhOshams have become your Bharam thru the performance of SaraNAgathi/Bara SamarpaNam . agathim saraNAgatham HarE krupayA kEvalam aathmasAthkuru DaasOham , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 1998 Report Share Posted May 31, 1998 Dear Sri Sadagopan Thank you for providing us with a comprehensive review of the ChathuslOki, SthOthra Rathnam & Gadhyam Tape produced to Sri Ahobila Muth, Inc., and Sri Ramanuja Mission Inc. Many thanks to Sriman Nadadur Madhava DAsan and Saranatham Bhattar for recording this. They have done a wonderful job. In an earlier mail i had indicated that this tape was released at Bhasyakara's Tiruvadi during his Jayathi at Sri Ranganatha Temple (NY). I just wanted to reiterate that this tape is available for sale for a donation of $10.00. Please write to Sri Dileepan (1908 Preswood Drive, Hixson TN 37343) or send him a email (dileepan) to get your copy. Narayana Dasoham Ramesh Sarangapani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 31, 1998 Report Share Posted May 31, 1998 Dear Sri Sadagopan: Thanks for your in-depth review and words of encouragement. This tape is bound to enlighten every Sri Vaishnava as it is one of the earliest works of our acharayas -- Sri Alavandar and Sri Ramanuja. Sri Saranatha Bhattar's dedication and hard work during recordings, which took up four days of his valuable time, is truly reflected in the tape. Sri U.Ve. Kannan Iyyangar provided invaluable guidance during recordings and in preparing the introductory commentary. Moreover, an authentic review from a most revered Bhaktha like yourself has definitely added value to this work. The encouragement received from Sri Ahobilla Muth and Sri Ramanuja Mission. Inc. and by Bhagavathas like you makes such kainkeryams possible. I humbly surrender this work at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Ranganatha. Sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamasthu Dasan Sadagopan +ADw-sgopan+AEA-computer.net+AD4- bhakti+AEA-lists.best.com +ADw-bhakti+AEA-lists.best.com+AD4- Sunday, May 31, 1998 3:54 PM The release of the ChathuslOki, SthOthra Rathnam +ACY- Gadhyam Tape +AD4-Dear BhakthAs : +AD4- +AD4-Last week at Pittsburgh , I had the good fortune +AD4-to acquire a copy of the above tape produced by Sriman +AD4-Nadadur Madhava DAsan . I want to share with you +AD4-the blissful experience of listening to this high +AD4-quality tape released jointly by Sri Ramanuja Mission , Inc +AD4-and Sri Ahobila Muth of North America , Inc . +AD4- +AD4-The subject matters of these five works associated +AD4-with Sri Alavandar and Sri Ramanuja ( Sri ChathuslOki , +AD4-Sri SthOthra Rathnam , Sri Saranagathi , Sriranga +AD4-and Sri Vaikunta gadhyams ) are the core of our +AD4-Sri Vaishnava sampradhAyam . The doctrines covered +AD4-by these two AchAryAs are profound in scope and supremely +AD4-relevant to our every day life .I have no doubt in my mind +AD4-for the need for every Sri Vaishnava to acquire a copy of +AD4-this tape produced with a high degree of devotion and +AD4-professionalism and listen to them and recite along with them . +AD4- +AD4-The sampradhAyic way in which Sri SaranAtha Bhattar of +AD4-the Pittsburgh Sri VenkatEswarA temple recites the slokams and +AD4-the Gadhyams is a testament to his depth of Sanskrit scholarship +AD4-and Bhakthi . The padacchEtham ( splitting of the sandhis and +AD4-word groups ) as well as the breath control behind this blissful +AD4-delivery is remarkable . +AD4- +AD4-The professional and skillful recording with high +AD4-calibre recording facilities by Sriman Madhavan is the complimentary +AD4-adjunct in the realization of this auspicious tape housing +AD4-the AchAryA's paramAnubhavams .I thank Sri Madhavan for +AD4-his pursuit of excellence in making available to us the great +AD4-works of our AchAryAs with his deeply researched introductions +AD4-and commentaries to gain the right perspective on these +AD4-extraordinary granthams for our own salvation .His commentaries +AD4-are crisp and pertinent and prepare us to enjoy the recitations. +AD4-I wish him continued success in this mahath Kaimkaryam to +AD4-capture and make available additional treasures . +AD4- +AD4-My hope +ACY- prayer is that every Sri Vaishnava household +AD4-will acquire this and other tapes produced by +AD4-him as a labor of love to our tradition and learn +AD4-from them and train the children to recite them and make them +AD4-their own . Competitions at the Hindu Temples for children +AD4-to recite these sthOthrAs are worth the while to challenge +AD4-the children to get acquainted with these kula dhanams . +AD4- +AD4-The fact that Swami Desikan has written commentary in Sanskrit +AD4-for Sri ChathuslOki and Sthothra Rathanam as well as for +AD4-the three gadhyams indicate the reverence with which +AD4-he viewed them . PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai has blessed us +AD4-with commentaries in Tamil . The subject is Sarvatha: +AD4-Saaram ,( the quintessence of VedAntham)(i-e)., Prapatthi . +AD4- +AD4-Following his AchAryAs , Sri Ramanuja housed his +AD4-reverence to AchArya paramparA ruchi parigruhitha prapatthi +AD4-( SaraNAgathi doctrine assembled by the discriminating +AD4-and exquisite taste of the Successive AchAryAs ) +AD4-in his SaraNAgathi gadhyam and extended its coverage to the +AD4-other two gadhyams . He did not want to cover Prapatthi in +AD4-Sri Bhaashyam , since it was intended for fulfilling another +AD4-mission (viz)., kantanam ( crtical rejection of other +AD4-Vedanthic approaches , which he found wanting in perfection ). +AD4-He severely criticized the views that that held aloft +AD4-the beliefs , +ACI- TattvamaseethyAthi Vaakya janya Jn+AH4-nam is +AD4-Moksha Saadhanam and Karma jn+AH4-Ana samucchayam is Moksha- +AD4-saadhanam +ACI- and established with precision that +AD4AIg- bhakthi rUpApannamAna Jn+AH4-Ana VisEsham alone is +AD4-VedAnthAbhimadhamAna Moksha Saadhanam +ACI- . After +AD4-completeing the mission of creating Sri Bhaashyam , +AD4-he turned his attention to the doctrine dear to his heart +AD4-as an AchAryA and celebrated personally prapatthi at +AD4-the lotus feet of the auspicious dampathis at Srirangam +AD4-on the historic Panguni Uttharam day . +AD4- +AD4-The comparison between Bhakthi and Prapatthi has been +AD4-made by celebrated AchAryAs time and again .The salient +AD4-points for us to remember as taught by our AchAryAs are : +AD4- +AD4AKgAq- AchArya Mukha Prapatthi is more appropriate for people +AD4- like us than Bhakthi. +AD4- +AD4AKgAq- The reasons are : Bhakthi is adhikruthAthikAram +AD4- (limited to chosen adhikAris /practioners ) ,whereas +AD4- Prapatthi is SarvAdhikAram ( Can be performed +AD4- by anyone )+ADs- Bhakthi is hard to practise ( Dushkaram ), +AD4- where as Prapatthi is sukaram ( easy to perform , KshaNa +AD4- karthavyam +ADs- can be completed in a second ) +ADs- Bhakthi +AD4- gives delayed results .Prapatthi gives immediate +AD4- results unfailingly for one who has MahA viswAsam . +AD4- +AD4-Sri P.B.ANNangarAcchAr Swamy quotes the tenth slokam of +AD4-Swami Desikan+ACI-s NyAsa Tilakm dealing with his prapatthi at +AD4-the Lotus feet of the Lord of Srirangam to relate to the above +AD4-points .Swami Desikan describes this preference of SaraNAgathi +AD4-over Bhakthi thru his choice words in theis slokam : +AD4- +AD4-AarthEshu AasupalA +AD0- This SaraNAgathi gives immediate +AD4-fruits for those , who are eager to cut asunder +AD4-the samsaric links quickly . +AD4- +AD4-tadh anya vishayE api ucchinna dEhAntharA +AD0- Even in the cases +AD4-of those , who are not in a hurry to destroy the cycles of +AD4-births and deaths( like the AarhtAs ) , this Prapatthi yields +AD4-fruits equally effectively . +AD4- +AD4-vahni aadhE : anapEkshaNAth +AD0- This SaraNAgathi does not +AD4-require Agni kaaryam (i-e) not limited to a restricted few +ADs- +AD4-it is open for any one . +AD4- +AD4-yaavath aathma niyatha tvath paaratanthr+ACo-ya uchithA +AD0- +AD4-This Prapatthi act fits well with the practise of being +AD4-subservient to You until the end of one' life on earth . +AD4-This is appropriate to the ChEthanA's svarUpam , which +AD4-is subordinate to the Lord at all times. +AD4- +AD4-tvayi yEva tvadh upAya dhee: +AD0- In this SaraNAgathi , You +AD4-become the means and the fruit of that act .SaraNAgathi is +AD4-a sincere prayer for You to stand in the sthAnam of Bhakthi +AD4-Yogam to yield the fruits of Moksahm . +AD4- +AD4-abhihitha sva upAya bhAvA +AD0- SaraNAgathi is the realization +AD4-that it is not equal in importance as a means in comparison +AD4-to You as the most important means (upAyam ) and +AD4-it is THE MEANS to secure Your blessing for Moksham . +AD4- +AD4-Thus Bhakthi and Prapatthi are two different means +ADs- +AD4-for those without the resources to practise Bhakthi Yogam , +AD4-it is the readily practisable and secure menas of cutting +AD4-the cycles of births and deaths and serve the Lord in +AD4-His paramapadham . +AD4- +AD4-AlavandAr and RaamAnujA performed their Prapatthis and +AD4-showed us this way as the most efficacious way to secure +AD4-the Moksha Siddhi . Their prapatthis are enshrined in +AD4-these five works covered in this auspicious tape +AD4-produced by Sri Madhava Daasan . +AD4- +AD4-Each of the words of these five superb kula dhanams +AD4-are worthy of life long reflections . For Example , +AD4-in the 45th slOkam of SthOthra rathnam , AlavandAr +AD4-salutes the Bahgavath svarUpam as : +AD4- +AD4-Sriya+ADs- Sriyam +AD0- the Lord of Sri Devi, Sriya: pathi +AD4- +AD4-Bhaktha Janaika Jeevitham +AD0-mukhya prANan of bhakthAs +AD4- +AD4-Samartham +AD0- One who is all powerful to rescue us from +AD4-the terrors of SamsAram +AD4- +AD4-aapathsakham +AD0- aapath bhandhavan , who rushes to us +AD4-in times of danger as in the case of GajEndran, +AD4-VibhishaNan and Droupathi . +AD4- +AD4-arthi kalpakam +AD0- One who is like a kalpaka tree +AD4-and grants all the boons desired by his bhakthAs +AD4-as VaradarAjan . +AD4- +AD4-To that Bhagavath SvarUpam , Alavandhaar and Sri RaamAnuja +AD4-performed their SaraNAgathis . The 60th slOkam of sthOthra +AD4-rathnam , which is echoed by RaamAnujA in his SaraNAgathi +AD4-gadhyam is a fitting one to conclude this note relating to +AD4-this tape housing their auspicious works : +AD4- +AD4-pithA tvam , maathA tvam +AD4-dayitha tanayastvam , priya suhr+ACo-uth +AD4-tvamEva tvam bhandhu : gururasi +AD4-gathiscchAsi jagathAm +AD4-tvadheeyas tvath bhruthya: +AD4-tava parijana: tvath gathiraham +AD4-prapannaccha yEvam sathyahamapi +AD4-tavaivAsmi hi Para: +AD4- +AD4-(MEANING): Thou art the Father of all these universes +ADs- +AD4-Thou art also the Mother +ADs- dear son +ADs- desirable friend +ADs- +AD4-the dear relative +ADs- Thou art the AchAryan , who banishes +AD4-the darkness of ajn+AH4-Anam +ADs- Thou art the end result +ADs- +AD4-I am Your sEshan +ADs- I am the One to be raised by You . +AD4-I am Your humble servant +ADs- I am the one , who seek You as +AD4-my goal +ADs- I am also the one , who has performed Prapatthi +AD4-at Your sacred feet .You are the saraNya Bhandhu for this +AD4-erring Janthu .Myself with all these dhOshams have become +AD4-your Bharam thru the performance of SaraNAgathi/Bara SamarpaNam . +AD4- +AD4-agathim saraNAgatham HarE +AD4-krupayA kEvalam aathmasAthkuru +AD4- +AD4-DaasOham , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan +AD4- +AD4- +AD4- +AD4- +AD4- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 1998 Report Share Posted June 29, 1998 >Return-Path: msriram >Mon, 29 Jun 1998 14:53:55 -0500 (CDT) >"Manjula V. Sriram" <msriram >X-Sender: msriram@studsys >Sadagopan <sgopan Dear BhakthAs : Srimathi Manjula Sriram is referring in the note below about delays in sending copies of the Videotape on the Pittsburgh Seminar due to pressures of business travel . She asked me to forward htis note to you , since she is not a member of the Bhakthi list and as such she could not send a direct mail . Some of you might already have expressed interest in purchasing for your study this Videotape dealing with the glories of Sri VenkatEswarA .It is worth the waiting to receive this tape that includes the presentations of one and half day's agenda . It is a pity that we could not get a chance to record the whole proceedings . V.Sadagopan >Let me first apologize. I just received my orders. I will be travelling >a lot for the next six months, ie all week and be home only for the >weekend. I would like to inform you that I am not sure when I will be >able to make copies of the tapes. If you would please inform every one >that it may take a little time before we can mail them out I would >appreciate it. I am not part of the list hence I can't e-mail yet. > >I will make copies as soon as I am back in one place. Hope all will >understand. > >Manjula V. Sriram >Programmer/Analyst >Metrix-Inc. >414-798-8560 ext 1199 > >On Sun, 28 Jun 1998, Sadagopan wrote: > >> Hello : Many thanks for your note and indication >> of support for the Temple Construction Kaimkaryam . >> Dr. Venakt Kanumala will acknowledge receipt of >> your welcome support and acknnowledge receipt of the check . >> >> That check for $108 should be sent to: >> Sri Ranganatha Temple , P.O. Box 120, Pomona , NY 10970 >> >> Srimathi Manjula Sriram will send you a copy of >> the Video Tape and her goal is to raise some collateral >> funds for the Temple . I think she has priced the Tape >> covering one and half days of the Pittsburgh Conference >> at cost of tape and reproduction ($15 ).Dear Srimathi >> ManjulA Sriram : Could you please send me a >> copy of that video tape .I will forward the check >> for $15 for its acquisition .Please also let me know , how >> the fund raising for the temple thru your efforts >> are coming . Thanks . >> >> Sriman Nadaduer Madhava Dasan is releasing the Chathusloki , >> Gadhyam tapes rendered beautifully by Sri Saranatha Bhattar >> of Pittsburgh Temple backed up by Sri Nadadur's commentary >> on behalf of RaamAnuja Mission from Virginia . I forgot >> now the small contribution for the audio tape .By copy of >> this note , I am requesting him to provide you information >> on the cost of the tape going towards Sri Ramanuja Mission and >> his address . >> >> The monograph on SaamshrayaNam is going to be expanded to >> include SaraNAgathi by Sri Anand Karalapaakkam . Scholars >> in India are reviewing his manuscript and when released , >> it will most probably be given to every one , who performs >> Prapatthi at the Lotus feet of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan at >> Ahobila Mutt in addition to its general availability >> for the Sri Vaishnavite Community. The proceeds from the sale >> of that monograph will also help raise funds for >> Sri Ranganatha temple construction . >> >> I hope I have answered all your questions. >> Thanks once again for your welcome support . >> >> V.Sadagopan >> >> At 01:03 AM 6/28/98 -0700, you wrote: >> >I would like to have, >> > >> > 1) the tape of ChathuslOki, SthOthra Rathnam & Gadhyam Tape >> > >> > 2) The video tape of Pittsburgh Bhaktha Sammelanam >> > >> > 3) SamAshrayanam Monograph >> > >> >Please let me know which address I should send the check to. I will be >> >sending $108.00 towards Sri Ranganatha Temple. NY. >> > >> >thanks >> >Rama Srinivasan >> > >> >> Sadagopan [sMTP:sgopan] >> >> Sunday, May 31, 1998 12:50 PM >> >> bhakti >> >> The release of the ChathuslOki, SthOthra Rathnam & Gadhyam >> >> Tape >> >> >> >> Dear BhakthAs : >> >> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.