Bhakti and Prapatti - 3

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Sri :

Srimate Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Para Brahmane Namaha

Srimate ShatakopAya Namaha

Srimate Bhagavad RAmAnujAya Namaha

Srimate NigamAntha MahAdesikAya Namaha

Srimate Sri Adhivan ShatakOpa Yateendra MahAdesikAyA Namaha

Srimate Sri Lakshmi - Nrusimha Divya PAdukA Sevaka -

Srivan Shatakopa Sri NArAyana Yateendra MahAdesikAya Namaha

 

Dear bhaktAs of Sriman NArAyaNA,

namo nArAyaNA . pranAmams.

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The second upAyA Prapatti (ie.SaraNAgathi alias Bhara nyAsam) as nyAsa

vidyA is enshrined in upanishads and can infact be performed by anyone

irrespective of age, sex , caste etc. Its modus operandi is explained

in a detailed manner in Ahirbudhnya samhitA, Lakshmi tantrA & other

pramAnams. IthihAsa purAnams also have lot of references to prapatti.

Ofcourse ,AzhwArs advocate Prapatti. Similarly , Sriman nArAyaNA

advocates prapatti especially in His varAha avatAram , RAmA avatAram

and KrishNA avatAram through the respective charama slokams. Not

satisfied , He in His most merciful archAvatAram also advocates

prapatti through His varada hastham , as in Thiruvinnagaram (Than

oppAr illappan alias oppiliappan) and Thirumalai (SrInivAsan).

 

The greatness of Sri Vaishnava sampradAyam is that , Sriman nArAyaNA in

His archA avatAram as PeraruLALan (kAnchi varadan) also advocated

prapatti by His divine answers to Bhagavad RAmAnujA through Thiruk

kachi NambigaL. Sriman NArAyaNA did not want to merely be a preacher

of prapatti . His mercy is so unbounded that He as MAlolan of Ahobilam

initiated a paramabhAgavathA into sannyAsa AshramA and ordered him

to propagate the most glorious prapattimArgA in each and every village

and He Himself accompanied the AchAryA to all the villages ,

inorder to accept the prapatti of baddha jIvAtmAs . That parama

bhAgavathOthamA was none other than the illustrious Sri Adivan

Shatakopa Yateendra MahAdesikan, the first jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Mutt

the 6th centenary celebrations of which is going to be celebrated in a

very grand manner by adiyEn's AchAryan and the current AzhagiyaSingar

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Divya pAdukA sevaka Srivan Shatakopa Sri NArAyana

Yateendra mahAdesikan , only because of whose divine katAksham can

adiyEn be even considered as a worthwile object. The forthcoming

celebration at Ahobilam for sure is going to be eulogized by even all

the muktAs and nityasUrIs , as a great event in the history of Sri

Vaishnavam.

 

SwAmi Desikan explains that Prapatti is neither a mere faith in the

saving grace of Sriman nArAyaNA nor a mere prayer to Him for

protection/moksha . Prapatti doesn't mean merely a surrendered life in

this world, centred around serving Sriman nArAyaNA . Prapatti

encompasses all of this & is much much more. Though "SaraNAgathi" is in

general used for denoting "surrender", what all things that needs to be

fulfilled in that surrender which is performed only once for obtaining

moksham ,is very important .

 

The greatest burden (Bharam) for a baddha jIvAtmA is "bhakti yogA"

because Sriman nArAyaNA would only grant moksham to a perfectionist of

bhakti yogA .Though the jIvAtmA wishes to meditate continuously on

nArAyaNA , it is not able to do so primarily because of its karmA.

Also , not all are eligible for Bhakti yogA . Only dvijAs can start

performing it . Moreover , one cannot be sure of the number of

future births that is needed to be taken while adopting bhakti

yogA, since the prArabdha karmA (that which has started to yield its

effect ) is not destroyed.

 

Neverthless , a mumukshu (one desirous of moksham) , who has the burden

of bhakti yOgA seeks moksham. So , during prapatti, Sriman nArAyaNA

Himself is pleaded to be present in the "place"(sthAnA) of bhakti

yOgA and give the fruit of Bhakti YogA ie. Sriman nArAyaNA is

pleaded to attain the level of "pleasing" He will obtain if one

approached Him through "Bhakti yOgA", which will make Him grant moksham

to the mumukshu . Thats why , Prapatti is also known as BharanyAsam.

 

The main qualifications for a mumukshu to adopt prapatti are

 

1. Akinchanyam (destituteness) which may result either due to one's

lack of mental and physical strength to adopt bhakti yogA OR lack of

requisite knowledge from sAstrAs OR Prohibition by sAstrAs regarding

the adoption of Bhakti yOgA OR Inability to put up with any delay in

attaining mokshA.

 

2. Ananyagatitvam ie. Seeking the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyaNA as the

sole refuge with complete aversion to all fruits other than mokshA.

This implies that one shouldn't resort even in his/her dream to a

demigod like BrahmA , ShivA etc .

 

Prapatti , which is also called by different names such as (Atma)

nikshEpa , nyAsA , SannyAsA and tyAgA has the following five angAs

(accessories).

 

1. Anukoolyasya Sankalpam ie. Determination to perform whatever is

pleasing to Sriman NArAyaNA . Since sAstrAs are His divine commands,

one should be firm in one's mind to perform what they are being

ordered to do so (like SandhyAvandanam , Bhagavad ArAdhanam etc),

which will thus be pleasing to the Divya Dampati.

 

2. Pratikoolyasya Varjanam ie. avoidance of acts that are displeasing

to Sriman NArAyaNA . So , one one should abstain from acts that

are prohibited in sAstrAs . For example , one shouldn't either eat

egg, meat ,onion, garlic etc OR drink alcohol , tea , coffee etc;

one shouldn't eat rice during ekAdasi etc.

 

3. KArpanyam ie. feeling of utter helplessness. One should cry in front

of Sriman NArAyaNA for his inability to perform Bhakti yOgA and

should be fully aware of the fact that he/she cannot attain moksham

by their own efforts. Utter dependence on the mercy of the Divya

Dampati is needed.

 

4. MahA VisvAsam ie. Intense faith that Sriman NArAyaNA will certainly

grant moksham for the prapatti performed, eventhough one has

committed countless sins. This complete faith on the saving grace of

the Lord ie. on the efficacy of prapatti is very difficult to obtain

because of various reasons. But inorder to obtain mahA visvAsam ,

one needs to have absolute faith in sAstrAs and the words of Sriman

NArAyaNA and AchAryAs ,which unanimously glorify prapatti as a

supreme upAyA. Extensive knowledge in various fields of sAstrAs

wouldn't neccessarily yield this supreme unshakable faith. Only by

the mercy of a sadAchAryA can one obtain mahA visvAsam , the most

important angA of prapatti.

 

It is also very important to understand that lack of mahA visvAsam

doesn't mean that one is either doubtful about the authority of

vedAs OR skeptical about the supremacy of NArAyaNA OR skeptical

about the existence of Sri VaikuNTham etc. If one doesn't even

recognize Sriman NArAyaNA as the supreme unparalleled Lord , then

his/her prapatti won't be accepted by the Lord in first hand. The

mahA visvAsam here is regarding the faith in the efficacy of

prapatti which can be strengthened by contemplating upon the

efficacy of purushakAratvam (recommendation) of pirAtti, eternal

sesha-seshi bhAvA existing between jIvAtmA & paramAtmA, Soulabhyam &

Sowseelyam of Sriman NArAyaNA , He being the Sarva Saranyan and

SaranAgata Vatsalan etc.

 

5. Goptrtva Varanam ie. Begging Sriman NArAyaNA for offering

protection. This is the prayer to the Lord for granting mokshA,

wherein one pleads with Him , the sole refuge , to be present in the

place (sthAnA) of bhakti yogA and grant its fruit of moksham to

an akinchanA like himself/herself.

 

Performance of prapatti is done with sAthvIka tyAgam, similar to

how one performs sAthvIka tyAgam before and after a kainkaryam. The

three components of the sAthvIka tyAgam are :

 

1. Kartrutva tyAgA : One should shed the doership attitude and realize

that Sriman NArAyaNA is the actual doer, since it is the ocean of

His dayA that is responsible for one to perform the act of prapatti.

 

2. MamatA tyAgA : One should give up the thought of "mine" while

performing prapatti.It is also done for the pleasure of Sriman

NArAyaNA.

 

3. Phala tyAgA : One should give up the thought that the fruit of

performing prapatti belongs to him/her and realize that the

fruit of Prapatti also belongs to Sriman NArAyaNA.

 

One is completely wrong if he/she thinks that they by themselves

performed prapatti (ie. doership ego is still there). One cannot

say "I performed prapatti to perumAL" , since this defies kartrutva

tyAgam. Actually, it is by the mercy of the Divya Dampati that one

is made to perform prapatti . So, one with proper understanding of

prapatti will say either "Divya Dampati by their mercy has made

adiyEn to perform SaraNAgathi and granted moksham" OR "AchAryA out

of his great compassion made an akinchanan like adiyEn obtain

moksham" etc. This is the essence of kartrutva tyAgam.

 

The performance of prapatti is for the pleasure of Divya Dampati.

The fruit of prapatti is the eternal kainkaryam to the Divya

Dampati,which is done for their pleasure. So, if Sriman NArAyaNA

tells a mumukshu 'x' that He would grant moksham simply because

'x' wanted it, then also 'x' shouldn't accept it. 'x' accepts

the moksham only if Sriman NArAyaNA awards it out of His own

pleasure and not simply because 'x' wanted moksham. Though a

mumukshu sincerely wishes to be in accordance with his (jIvAtmA's)

svaroopam by performing the kainkaryam eternally to the Divya

Dampati at Sri VaikuNTham, its upto the Divya Dampati to grant it

out of their own pleasure and a mumukshu while performing prapatti

should not have ego in this aspect also. This is the essence of

mamatA tyAgam and phala tyAgam. Ofcourse , Sriman NArAyaNA's

vratam (vow) is to grant moksham to those who perform prapatti

unto Him and the Divya Dampati will be very happy to grant

moksham to such a mumukshu .

 

-- to be cont --

 

namo nArAyaNA

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

anantha PadmanAbha dAsan

sarvam sri KrishnArpanamastu