Adiyen Narasimha Dasan

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends from the community: This is my first sojourn into Bhakta Samaj.

I am now a regular reader of the letters from Bhaktas on different aspects of

Srivaishnavism. I offer here some comments on Sankalpa. Sankalpa means

intent.

Before we begin any religious rite, such as Sandhya, Tharpana, Aradhana, we

declare our intent thru sankalpa. We declare the geographical location, time

etc, by staing the year (nama SamvatsarE,) ayanE, rutau, masE, pakshE, shubha

thithow,

vasara yuktayam.. This is followed by the statement Bhagavad Ajnaya, Sriman

NArAyana Prithyartham. Then we say what we are going to do, eg. Pratah

Sandhyam upasishye . All our religious rites are presribed in the scriptures

which are given by the Lord. So we use the term Bhagavad ajnaya. Our

intention is to please him and receive his blessings and so we say, Bhagavad

prityartham or SrimanNArAyaNa prityartham.

Vaishnavas also also do Sathvika Tyagam where we declare " svasmei,

svaprithyei,

swayameva karayati" meaning I do this myself, for my own pleasure. Thus you

see that there are four elements in the sankalpa, the command of the Lord, His

pleasure,

individual's effort and individual's (doer's or kartha's) pleasure.

Yours

Narasimha Dasan.

[Guest guest]

Sri Narasimha Dasan wrote, regarding sankalpa:

> Vaishnavas also also

> do Sathvika Tyagam where we declare " svasmei, svaprithyei,

> swayameva karayati" meaning I do this myself, for my own pleasure.

> Thus you see that there are four elements in the sankalpa, the

> command of the Lord, His pleasure, individual's effort and

> individual's (doer's or kartha's) pleasure.

 

Dear Sri Narasimhan,

 

I think you are slightly mistaken. Please pardon me if I

have understood you incorrectly, but the sAttvika tyAga

starts with:

 

bhagavAn eva svaniyAmya svaSeshabhUtena mayA ...

^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

which means that the Lord Himself (bhagavAn eva) by His

own hand performs this act through His SeshabhUta (the

individual). The pleasure of the individual or kartA plays

no part in the sankalpa or the act.

 

In other words, Vaishnavas do not perform the act "for myself".

They perform it purely for the Lord, thinking that it is being

performed by the Lord Himself through the individual.

 

Mani