Guest guest Posted March 28, 1999 Report Share Posted March 28, 1999 Dear Bhaktas, I would like to be enlightened about the status of Sri Lakshmi as the consort of Lord Narayana. Is she also a permanant part of Lord Narayana? or is she, as dvaitins claim, a soul (like the rest of us) at a very high office or status? If this is a fact that Sri Lakshmi is inseperatable from her Lord, then is is possible to say that Lakshmi is one of the attributes of Lord Narayana (as the lord of Sri)? I would be most happy to learn about SriLakshmi in our parampara especially when our parampara is named after her. Adiyen, Jagan Mohan -Ramanujadasan. -------- || Saknotihaiva yah sodhum prak sarira-vimoksanat Kama-krodhodbhavam vegam sa yuktah sa sukhi narah || He who is able, before giving up this present body, to withstand the impulse born out of desire and anger and the urges of the material senses, he is a YOGIN, He is a happy man. Bhagavad Gita, Ch.5, Verse 24. -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 29, 1999 Report Share Posted March 29, 1999 Dear Sri Jagan: Lakshmi is an inherent, distinctive part of the Godhead according to our sampradAyam. This is based on statements from the Vedas, as well as countless statements from Itihasas, Puranas, Divya Prabandham, etc. It is for this reason that God is known not merely as 'Narayana', but Sriman Narayana or Tiru Narayana. The 'man' in 'Sriman' is known as the 'matup' pratyaya according to Sanskrit grammar. This means that it is an inherent, inseparable relationship that is distinctive. Narayana is God because he has Sri Devi (Lakshmi) as his distinctive attribute. The most important vAkya here is from the uttara-anuvAka of the purusha sUktam, where 'hrI' (am amsa of Lakshmi) and 'lakshmI' are declared to be the 'wives' of the Highest Being, the Parama Purusha. In Srimad Ramayana, it is stated at least twice that Sita can never in reality be separated from Rama, as lustre can never be separated from light. The words used as 'bhAskarena prabhA yathA'. In the Divya Prabandham, when Nammalvar takes refuge in Lord Srinivasa, he describes Lakshmi as residing on the chest of the Lord, saying 'akalaillEn' -- I will never leave this place. Similarly, Andal in the 'kuttu viLakku eriya' paasuram in Tiruppaavai describes Nappinnai (also an amsa of Lakshmi) as 'eththanai Elum pirivaaRRa kilaayaal' -- who cannot be separated from Krishna even for a second. The word used in the pUrvAcArya granthas is 'mithunam'. At all times, whether we seek refuge in God, or are trying to serve God, we must see God as 'Sriman Narayana' -- never Narayana alone, or Lakshmi alone. The view that only one or the other alone is God is described by our acharyas derisively as the 'ekAyana' system. The followers of Ananda Tirtha (Madhva), who espouse the Dvaita philosophy, take this view. Sri Uttamur Swami points out two examples from Srimad Ramayanam which demonstrate the calamity that befalls people who have such an incorrect notion of God. Ravana, who desired Sita alone, not realizing that Lakshmi is inseparably related as 'paratantra' to Narayana, did not achieve his goal and suffered miserably. On the other hand, Surpanakha, who desired Rama alone and wanted to do Sita harm, suffered a nearly terrible fate. So, the important conclusion is that the Godhead is 'Sriman Narayana' -- always 'mithunam', or united. rAmAnuja dAsan, Mani P.S. There are some debates within the tradition as to the actual ontological nature of Lakshmi. These are highly technical and do not affect the nature of the Godhead as being mithunam, as the fact that Lakshmi is related as 'paratantra' to Narayana. We need discuss these details only if absolutely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 1999 Report Share Posted March 30, 1999 Dear Bhaktas, Sri Sadagopan, Sri Mani, Sri Sudarshan, Thank you very much for your explanations which answered my questions to a point from which I feel comfortable to continue my further search in the archives. I am asking this question to Sri Sadagopan since the answer, I believe might be useful to all others too. Sri Sadagopan avl, can you please let me and others know about how I can to the 'Nrusimha priyA' I am very interested and I believe many of the list members who are yet ignorant about this journal would also appreciate the details. Adiyen, Jagan Mohan, Ramanujadasan. On Mon, 29 Mar 1999 08:42:59 -0500 (EST) Sri Sadagopan <sgopan wrote: |Dear Sri Jagan Mohan Naidu : | |Bhakthi archives has a good compendium |of Mahaa Lakshmi related articles . |These deal with ChathuslOki, Sri Sthavam , |GuNa rathna Kosam and MahA Lakshmi Krithis |of Swami Desikan ( may 1996 vintage ). |You may wish to review them . |Nrusimha priyA , if you are not already a |recipient of this monthly publication |from Sri matam and kepe up |with the wonderful articles there |on Mahaa Lakshmi' s role as understood |by the different branches of |Bhagavath RaamAnuja SiddhAntham . | Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 1, 1999 Report Share Posted April 1, 1999 Sri: Sri Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha Sri Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrivaNN- SatakOpa Sri nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha Dear Sri Jagan, namO nArAyaNA. Sri S.M.S. Chari has discussed this issue very well in his book "Vaishnavism" . Sri Mani has given a reference/link to it in the Homepage (for ordering from amazon.com or sth like that). Please have a look at that book. adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan ananthapadmanAbha dAsan krishNArpaNam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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