Sri Ramanuja & the Moola Manthram

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Vaishnavas,

 

I have been following the discussion on the Astaaksharam for some time

and did notice comments like:

>Regarding the arguments for and against recitation of the Ashtakshara

>mantra by non-brahmin Vaisnavas.

>This says : stri sudras who are bhagavatas they should avoid pranava

and

>say moola mantra.

 

While all this is informative, you guys are all missing the point some

where.

 

Let me narrate something from the Life of Sri Ramanujacharya.Please

correct me If I am

wrong with the incident or my interpretation of it.

 

In his life time, there were 3 attempts on the life of Sri Ramanuja for

his unethical means

of spreading the glory of the Lord. He took it as his life's mission to

spread the glory

of Sriman Narayana among people of all castes.He is the one who called

the Lower caste as

"thiru Kullathar " or Gods people (Hari jan if you want).

 

After Sri Ramanuja takes over the SriRangam matta, he introduces many

reforms against which

the caste Bhramins are totally against. Particularly, the high priest of

the Sri Rangam temple

planned to kill him by giving him poisoned food when he came for

"yachakam".

 

I personally wont even consider the high priest as a human being , what

to talk of being a

Brahmin and all.He is completely in maya and in ignorance(tamasa guna).

 

When the lady of the house gives his food with her left hand, he takes

the hint and throws the

food away. This incident brings great grief to our acarya who goes into

a fast , later to be

nursed back to health by kidambi aachaan.

 

News of this latest attempt on Sri Ramanuja's life spreads to

thiruKOttiur and reaches

thiruKOttiur Nambi.Who then teaches him the maha mantram, whispers in

his years and warns

him that if he tells anybody , he will derive no benefit from it.

 

After , this koorathazwan and others want him to go back to SriRangam

but our acarya instead

remembers the "thondar kuzhaam" (the low caste people) climbs on top of

a Gopuram and addresses

all people outside:

 

"People! Hear me carefully! I am giving you the secret mantram which

will get you salvation in

this very birth, irrespective of your caste of at birth. Listen! Om namo

naaraayaNaaya!."

 

He gives out the treasured secret of the Sri Vaishanavs to everyone male

or female and people

of all castes, this was his birth's mission. Sri Ramanujacarya was none

other than Adisesha,

he comes down to the calling of thiruKacchi Nambi to establish proper

interpretation of vedas

and to vanquish the so called authority of the Brahamanas , who were

exploiting the common people

on the name of God.

 

All along the histroy of Sri Vaishnavism , we seen great Alzwars being

born in the low caste

and setting so many examples, yet we do not comprehend the real truth as

posthulated in the

Srimad Bhagavad Gita ...irrespective of caste & creed anybody can attain

him by bhakti.

 

So,where is the question of some manthra not to be said by non-brahmin

vaishnavas etc.

There is no such person as a non-Brahmin vaishanava, if a person

qualifies as a Vaishanava

he is very much higher than a Brahamana. Please refer to the list of

qualities required

for a Brahmana and those required for a Vaishanava as it is given by our

own Sri Vaishnava

Acaryas.

 

This attitude in the Sri Vaishnava community about hiding some great

truth from the common man

is completely false and is baseless and is also not an issue to be

avoided as suggested by some

but should be properly discussed and the truth established.

 

Please forgive me for any offenses, I might have committed in expressing

my view points.

 

Humbly Yours,

 

Sriram,Balaraman.

 

 

 

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