Fwd: SAtvika AhamkAram 4.03: "DO YOU WANT TO ASCEND TO PARAMAPADAM?

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Dear Bhagavatas

I give below the response from Sriman Muralidhar Rangaswamy in which he gives

additional inputs on the topic, which I am sure you will enjoy.

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy

Tue, 23 Nov 1999 06:54:52 -0800

"muralidhar rangaswamy" rangaswamy_m

Ramanbil

Re: SAtvika AhamkAram 4.03: "DO YOU WANT TO ASCEND TO PARAMAPADAM?

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Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Dear Sriman Ramaswamy,

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the above summary. The connection between Bhagavad

Dhyana

Sopanam and Tiruppan Azhwar's sublimal Anubhavam is extremely special.

I feel

compelled to add the following observations in the spirit of sharing

them

with a fellow Shishya of our Acharya Sarvabhouman purely for enjoyment

(not that you are not aware of them).

 

In the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna declares AksharaNAm AkarOsmi. In

keeping

with the Lord's statement, Tiruppan Azhwar's AmalanatipirAn, Swami

Desikan's

Bhagavad Dhyana Sopanam and Munivahana Bhogam as well as the Sri

Bhashyam

commence with the Aksharam "A". Furthermore, the Aksharam "A" is the

EkAksharam

for PraNavam, which unequivocally proclaims the supremacy of Lord

Narayana.

Interestingly, AmalantipirAn is the shortest of the 24 Prabandhams.

However,

in my personal opinion it is the sweetest of them all. Even more

significantly,

this is the only Prabandham for which Swami Desikan wrote an extensive

commentary and finally it is one of the two Prabandhams which contains

the

title in the opening verse. Nine epithets are used to glorify our Lord

in this

wonderful work: Amalan, Adi, PirAn, Vimalan, Nimalan, Ninmalan, Vinnar

KoNe,

Neetivanavan, VirayAr Pozhil Venkatavan. The last epithet is most

appropriate

in the context of your description of the stairway to Paramapadam. In

fact,

the last epithet could denote the first step in the stairway to

Paramapadam.

 

The conclusion of the Azhwar's tribute "En Amudhanai Kanda Kangal

Matraondinai

KANAvE" is the condensed essence of Gayathri Saman. The uniqueness of

Gayathri

Saman is that it exclusively extols the Lotus Feet of Lord Narayana.

Therefore,

the Azhwar's attainment of Parama Padam through the recitation of

Gayathri

Saman in chaste Tamil is a consummate illustration of the Vishnu

Sooktam Rk

"Tad VishNO: Paramam Padagam SadA Pashyanti Sooraya:"

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan