Vadagalai SV's Multiple Prostration - A Clarification

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SrI:

SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha

SrI Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaN-

SatakOpa SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha

 

Dear devotees,

namO nArAyaNA.

 

There has been some discussion in the recent past regarding

the number of times one has to prostrate in front of

PerumAL etc.

 

---------------

SrI K.M.Narayanan wrote :

 

Let us first look at Vadaglai sampradayam.

Sri.Rmanuja's Sri Vaikuda Gadyam, ends like

"Swamin..... Phuna Phuna Pranamya:"

He says to the Lord that he prostrates HIM repeatedly.

Taking cue from Emperumanar, they have adopted multiple prostrations.

......

Now, Thengalai sampradayam,

Why they are prostrating only once?

it is said that vibheeshana just once prostrated, Sri.Rama

took him in his fort. the elephent called only once

'Adimoolamae'....there you see perumal giving

protection. not to negate prahalada's wish, he appeared at

ONCE. hence by just making single saranagathi, he gives

kadakshama at once. such is His love for us. hence to

remind him more and more by prostrating more and more, we

have not understood HIS mercy properly and hece multiple

prosrtations are not correct..

----

 

adiyEn is posting this article, since the position

of Vadagalai sampradyam is not brought out completly.

Also, adiyEn would like to clarify in this posting,

that the remark made above viz. " Those who prostrate

multiple number of times haven't properly understood

the mercy of PerumAL" is not correct. adiyEn would

also write about the line of reasoning used by Vadagalai

AchAryas for following their practise.

 

note : It is not that Vibheeshana prostrated only once.

His "prapatti" (only once) is the import in that context.

-----------------

SrI Mani wrote :

> -- Single Prostration

> "May the right hand of Lord Ranganatha, which, held

> in the abhaya-mudra pose, promises freedom of fear to all,

> protect me, as it asks those who have surrendered to

> Him to not do it again and again." -- Nyasa Tilaka, sloka 2

>

> This is a reference to the pose of Lord Ranganatha in utsava

> form as Namperumaal. His hand is held up, in abhaya-mudra,

> and Desika imagines this as saying "Stop! A single prapatti

> is enough! Don't repeat it!" If we take namaskAram as being

> equivalent to prapatti, one could take this bhAvam to mean

> that a single namaskAram is enough.

---------------

 

Though the bhAvam is understood, prapatti and prostration

can't be equated. Also, thengalai SrI VaishnavAs doesn't

end up prostrating only once in their entire lifetime, though

these reasonings of SrI Mani and SrI NArAyaNan are taken

to represent the position of thennAchAryAs. Also, the same

reasoning can be extended to things like, performing

SandhyAvandanam with proper mind set only once in

one's lifetime is enough, performing thiru aarAdhanam

only once for the pleasure of perumAL is enough, single

time recitation of Dwaya mantram is enough, single

time recitation of divya prabandham is enough etc,

since that itself would have immensly pleased PerumAL

etc.

 

The bhAvam expressed above has the purport of

"highlighting" the great mercy of SrIman nArAyaNa and

bhAgavathAs. This doesn't mean that, one has to employ

such bhAvams in contradiction to the dictates of sAstrAs,

which are the divine commands of SrIman nArAyaNa Himself.

SAstrAs dictate us about the do's and don'ts. One should

follow the sAstrAs, which are the guide available

to us to know as to what is pleasing to PerumAL and

what is not.

 

In this context, adiyEn would like to write from the work

called "SampradAyasudhA", by the late well known vidvAn

SrI U.Ve. MadhurAntakam Thirumalai EecchambAdi -

VeerarAghavAchArya swAmi (well known as madhurAntakam swAmi),

whose centenary celebration is going to be celebrated under

the presidentship of SrImad PoundarIkapuram Andavan.

 

MadhurAntakam Swami quotes the following verse from

ParamESwara Samhita, KriyA khANda, mAnasa yAgam adhyAyam :

 

" dvidhA pradakshiNam kuryAt praNAmam ca tathAvidham |

na yEka tri panca saptAdi gaNanA vishamam hi yat || "

 

< dvidhA = "even" ie. 2,4,6 etc; tathAvidham = same way ;

vishama = Odd; gaNanA = counting; yEka, tri .. : 1,3 ..>

 

This sloka instructs that, praNAmam (prostration) has

to be done, in the same counting as how pradakshiNam is

done in even numbers and not in odd numbers like one, three,

five, seven etc.

 

MadhurAntakam SwAmi has added that, based on this pramAnam,

SwAmi dESIkan has made a remark in His "SrI pAncarAtra

rakshai". SwAmi dESIkan says that one has to perform

praNAmams in even counting, since sAstrAs has not permitted

odd counting :

 

"PradakshiNAni praNAmAmca yugmAni kuryAt na yEka, tri,

pancasaptAdi gaNanA vishamam hi yat ...".

 

MadhurAntakam swAmi, further quotes from Vankipuratthu

nambigaL's (direct disciple of Bhagavad RAmAnuja) kArikai

which instruct us to prostrate many a times ie. repeatedly

(punaph punaha):

 

"pAdukAgriyE pradAyAgrE praNamyaca punaph punaha"

< Repeated prostrations in front of pAdukAs >

 

"tathavA SuprANivasatrANi praNamyaca punaph punaha"

< Repeated prostrations after offering pure cloths >

 

"dEvapArSvamupAgamya praNamyaca punaph punaha"

< Repeated prostrations in front of PerumAL Sannidi >

 

"SamutthAya tatas tasmai bhUyO bhUyah praNamyaca"

 

"praNamya dandavat bhUmou bhUyO bhUyaha purOharEhE"

< Repeated dandavat pranAmas ie. complete praNAmams on

the ground >

 

MadhurAntakam SwAmi, also quotes from the VishNu purAnam :

" namastasmai namastasmai namastasmai mahAtmaNE", for which,

SrI VishNu Chittar alias SrI yengaLAzhwAn ( One of the 74

simhAsanAdipatis appointed by Bhagavad RAmAnuja and AchArya

of SrI NadAdUr ammAL) comments in his "vishNu chittIyam",

the commentry on SrI VishNu purANam, that this is "aadhArAn

namaskAra aavruti" ie. Repetition (aavruti) of namaskArams

due to excessive happiness.

 

MadhurAntakam SwAmi also quotes few more pramAnams from

sampradAyam.

 

Earlier, SrI Mani wrote the following, which has indeed

been quoted by SwAmi.

> gOdA tasyai nama idam idaM bhUya EvAstu bhUyaH ||

>

> "... may my repeated namaskArams to Goda forever

> increase ..." -- Parasara Bhattar's thaniyan to Tiruppaavai

 

 

Thus, both in the sAstrAs and in the sampradAyam, it is

both instructed and practised to prostrate even number of

times, and there is nothing wrong in this practise of

Vadagalai SrI VaishnavAs .

 

BhAvam (mental attitude) is certainly extremly important,

while prostrating to PerumAL. For that matter, anything

concerning bhagavad vishayam (things related to BhagavAn)

needs very good bhAvam, pouring out one's love towards

PerumAL. But, it is very important to know first of all

as to what SrIman nArAyaNa expects out of us (in any

activity). He has very mercifully given His divine

commands Or what that pleases and displeases Him through

the sAstrAs. So, the bhAvam expressed by the jIvAtmAs

should be in accordance with His commands. In other

words, whatever is enjoined in sAstrAs for us to do, are

to be done with bhAvam / sAthvIka tyAgam etc. By doing so,

one can't be accussed as if he/she has misunderstood

PerumAL's mercy. Infact, they have perfectly understood

the thiru uLLam (divine wish) of PerumAL and pleases Him

by following His own commands.

 

Once again, adiyEn re-iterates that, this posting is only

to answer the remark made on the practise of vadagalai

SrI VaishnavAs, as if they haven't properly understood

the mercy of PerumAL. There is no doubt that thengalai

SrI VaishnavAs should follow their AchAryAs and adiyEn

is not against their practise/bhAvam expressed etc. adiyEn

only wanted to clarify the position of vadagalai AchAryAs

through their line of reasoning and make the pramAnams for

that practise be available for interested devotees (ie.

whatever vadagalai SrI VaishnavAs practise regarding

"prostration" is not something "baseless" and it has

pramAnams supported by good logic).

 

SwAmi dESikan thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

ananthapadmanAbha dAsan

krishNArpaNam