saranAgati

[Guest guest]

SRI KrishnAya namah:

 

Dear BhAgavatAs,

 

NamaskArams.

 

I always got my questions answered in this forum and benefited immensely. I

thank you all for the effort all of you are putting for encouraging beginers

like me.

 

This time I would like to put another question, which will help me in

improving my understanding of srI vaisnavism and Its practices.

 

My Question (s) :

 

1. Can any body explain me the meaning of

 

Anukulasya sankalpa pratikUlsya varjanam

raksisyati iti visvAso goprtve varanam tathA

Atmaniksepa kArpanye Sadvidha saranAgati

 

( I know the meaning only approximately )

 

2. Can any body provide me with at least 3 Practical practice points for

each of the above 6 parts of saranAgati. So that I can put them into

practice. I don't want to guess them. I thought it will be good idea to

take suggestions from senior vaisnavAs.

I request also to tell me the only the basic practices first under

these 6 directions, so that I can straight away apply them in my life.

 

dAsan,

Mahesh

[Guest guest]

Sri K. Mahesh wrote:

> 1. Can any body explain me the meaning of

>

> Anukulasya sankalpa pratikUlsya varjanam

> raksisyati iti visvAso goprtve varanam tathA

> Atmaniksepa kArpanye Sadvidha saranAgati

 

Dear Mahesh,

 

Coincidentally, just yesterday I was studying Sri naDAdUr ammAL's

"prapanna pArijAta", which discusses this and other Sloka-s related

to SaraNAgati. The "pArijAta" is a beautiful work because it

presents ideas so simply, without excessive argumentation or

doubletalk.

 

The Sloka you cite above is one of the two most common verses describing

the mode of SaraNAgati. ammAL quotes it in the very first chapter of

his work. The verse, again, with translation, is:

 

Resolution to observe conformity (to His will),

abandoning actions contrary (to it),

faith that He will protect,

a prayer for protection,

the submission of one's self (to Him),

along with a feeling of utter helplessness --

this is the six-fold SaraNAgati.

 

( AnukUlyasya sankalpa: prAtikUlyasya varjanam

rakshiSyati-iti viSvAso gOptRtvE varaNam tathA

Atmanikshepa-kArpaNye shaDvidhA SaraNAgati: )

 

What this means is that the self-surrender that is the core

of SaraNAgati is total and complete when combined with these

other five attributes. In fact, as one seeks refuge in the

Lord, these other attributes should become natural in the

individual.

 

The other Sloka that is often cited is mentioned by ammAL in

the second chapter. This Sloka elaborates on the appropriate

mental attitude of this self-surrender:

 

"I am the abode of all sins, utterly helpless and without

any other recourse. O Lord! You alone must be my means!"

Such a condition of the mind is called SaraNAgati.

 

( "aham asmy aparAdhAnAm Alayo 'kincano 'gatiH |

tvam evopAyabhUto me bhava" iti prArthanA matiH

SaraNAgati: )

> 2. Can any body provide me with at least 3 Practical practice points for

> each of the above 6 parts of saranAgati. So that I can put them into

> practice. I don't want to guess them.

 

Dear Mahesh, here is what ammAL has taught about these five angas:

 

1) resolution to conform to the Lord's will --> positive acts of service,

kindness, and love to all

beings

 

Out of the certainty of feeling that the Lord abides in all beings,

kindness to all beings is said to be 'conformity to His will'.

 

( AnukUlyam iti proktam sarvabhUtAnukUlatA |

anta:sthitA'ham sarveshAm bhAvAnAm iti niScayAt || )

 

2) abandoning ways contrary to His will --> giving up cruelty and other

forms of injury

 

Furthermore, recognizing the universal pervasiveness of He who

is sought after in self-surrender, 'abandoning ways contrary'

means refraining from cruelties and other injuries to all beings.

 

( etena vyAptivijnAnAt prapattavyaSya sarvaSa: |

AnukUlyasya sankalpAt prAtikUlyasya varjanam |

himsAdy apAyavirati: uktA sarveshu jantushu || )

 

3) feeling utterly helpless --> abandoning all pride and ego

 

Because of one's incapacity to pursue other means to moksha,

and the inherent pitfalls theirein, relinquishing pride and being

humble is known as 'kArpaNya'.

 

( angasAmagryasampatter aSakteS cApi karmaNAm |

adhikArsya cAsiddhe: deSakAlaguNakshayAt |

upAyA naiva siddhyanti hy apAyA: bahulAs tathA |

iti yA garvahAnis tat dainyam kArpaNyam ucyate || )

 

4) faith that He will protect --> abandoning further self-effort in this

direction,

and not seeking the favor of others for

this purpose

 

By reason of His ability, His ease of accessibility,

His eternal union with compassion, and because of

the inherent relation of Him and that which He rules --

which is not know but which is is ever-existent --

the firm belief that He will protect us who conform

to His will is 'viSvAsa'.

 

5) a prayer for protection --> "O Lord! Be my protector!"

 

This is explained in the second verse cited above.

 

Finally,

 

6) self-surrender --> actually laying the burden at His feet. This is

a one-time event and constitutes the heart of SaraNAgati.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mani

 

P.S. ammAL's explanations are taken from the lakshmi tantra, the

pAncarAtra source book for much of our understanding of

SaraNAgati.

 

It is also understood that in addition to the above, one

should do all of one's ordained religious duties as service

and worship of God.

[Guest guest]

Dear Mani:

 

Once gain a superbly written article on Saranagati. May Lord Hayagreeva's

blessings continue to inspire you and through you let others be inspired.

 

Vijayaraghavan

Buffalo, NY

 

PS: One more point I may like to add (for Mahesh). The most difficult thing

to give up is the sense of doership. We must constantly work on it.

'Satvika tyAgam' in its true spirit should be constantly remembered.

______________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

[Guest guest]

Sri KrishnAya namah:

 

Dear Sree Mani varadarajan and Sreemati Vijayalakshmi Hari,

 

NamaskArams,

 

Thank you for your kind and quick replys, I got some understanding of

prapatti ( saranAgati ) now.

 

I have noted down following points one should follow to develop the mood of

saranAgati.

 

This is from Sree Mani vardarAjan's reply,

 

1. Show kindness to all living beings,

2. Give up cruelty

3. Abandon all pride and ego (this a broad statement, it may require

lot of things and hence I feel it is difficult )

4. Abandon self effort and other efforts for seeking protection other

than faith that HE will protect. ( this is extremely difficult as SrImati

Vijayalakshmi Hari also said )

5. Pray to the LORD for protection.

 

As I understood if one can do all the above 5 things - That means he is

actually surrendering one self completely at the lotus feel of the LORD. (

that is the 6th point - Atma niksepa)

 

 

In Sree Mani varadarAjan reply I found the following

self-surrender --> actually laying the burden at His feet. This is

a one-time event and constitutes the heart of SaraNAgati.

And also in Sreemati VijayalakshmiHari's reply I found

. "Prapatthi" has to be done only once "Sakruth Eva"

 

Now I have the following question.

 

What is this one time activity you are refering to in both your mails,

 

If someone follows some procedures and with some practice and of course by

the grace of supreme Lord and by AcArya kataksham, comes to the stage of

performing above 5 points perfectly and surrenders himself to the LORD. That

means he has done prapatti or saranAgati.

 

You are saying this is one time activity, Is it refering a physical

activity? Or the MOOD as explained in above 5 points.

 

Does this means one who does this , he is sure to reach vaikuntham, he need

not do anything else.

What if he falls down after all above things, Please note that at the point

of surrender he was perfect, but later on due to non-avoidable circumstances

he falls down, he is not able to maintain the same mood.

Even in this case will he reach vaikuntham ?

 

My Second question in relation to prapatti.

 

What Does it mean to say I have done prapatti under this AcArya. ( I know (

I am not sure ) that it consists panchasamskAram, Bharanyasam ( idont know

the details ) )

What is the purpose of this prapatti - What is state of mind one should have

before accepting prapatti from an acarya.

Does one should develop all above mentioned 5 points and go to acArya and

then perform a prapatti.

 

I am confusing with these things ?

Please enlighten me ? How to do prapatti ? both mentally and physically. ?

Role of Acarya ? Etc.,..

 

I am confused with different terminologies. Please forgive me if I am wrong

in presenting some of my doubts.

I hope you have understood my questions.

 

I am more confused after reading the 4 ways in which one does prapatti - (

Swanishta ...etc given by Sreemati Vijayalakshmi Hari ), Because after

reading I don't know what to take and what actions to take.

 

( I beg forgiveness form Sreemati VijayalakshmiHari for writing the above, I

don't have any intentions of offending anybody. And I don't have any

intention of opposing the contents in this mail - I was explaining my

inability to understand )

 

Eagerly waiting for the shower of mercy thru your replys from all the

members of this list,

adiyEn dasan,

Mahesh

 

 

 

Mani Varadarajan [mani]

Wednesday, July 12, 2000 12:23 PM

bhakti-list

Re: saranAgati

 

 

Sri K. Mahesh wrote:

> 1. Can any body explain me the meaning of

>

> Anukulasya sankalpa pratikUlsya varjanam

> raksisyati iti visvAso goprtve varanam tathA

> Atmaniksepa kArpanye Sadvidha saranAgati

 

Dear Mahesh,

 

Coincidentally, just yesterday I was studying Sri naDAdUr

ammAL's

"prapanna pArijAta", which discusses this and other Sloka-s

related

to SaraNAgati. The "pArijAta" is a beautiful work because it

presents ideas so simply, without excessive argumentation or

doubletalk.

 

The Sloka you cite above is one of the two most common

verses describing

the mode of SaraNAgati. ammAL quotes it in the very first

chapter of

his work. The verse, again, with translation, is:

 

Resolution to observe conformity (to His will),

abandoning actions contrary (to it),

faith that He will protect,

a prayer for protection,

the submission of one's self (to Him),

along with a feeling of utter helplessness --

this is the six-fold SaraNAgati.

 

( AnukUlyasya sankalpa: prAtikUlyasya varjanam

rakshiSyati-iti viSvAso gOptRtvE varaNam tathA

Atmanikshepa-kArpaNye shaDvidhA SaraNAgati: )

 

What this means is that the self-surrender that is the core

of SaraNAgati is total and complete when combined with these

other five attributes. In fact, as one seeks refuge in the

Lord, these other attributes should become natural in the

individual.

 

The other Sloka that is often cited is mentioned by ammAL in

the second chapter. This Sloka elaborates on the appropriate

mental attitude of this self-surrender:

 

"I am the abode of all sins, utterly helpless and without

any other recourse. O Lord! You alone must be my means!"

Such a condition of the mind is called SaraNAgati.

 

( "aham asmy aparAdhAnAm Alayo 'kincano 'gatiH |

tvam evopAyabhUto me bhava" iti prArthanA matiH

SaraNAgati: )

 

> 2. Can any body provide me with at least 3 Practical

practice points for

> each of the above 6 parts of saranAgati. So that I can put

them into

> practice. I don't want to guess them.

 

Dear Mahesh, here is what ammAL has taught about these five

angas:

 

1) resolution to conform to the Lord's will --> positive

acts of service,

kindness,

and love to all

beings

 

Out of the certainty of feeling that the Lord abides in

all beings,

kindness to all beings is said to be 'conformity to His

will'.

 

( AnukUlyam iti proktam sarvabhUtAnukUlatA |

anta:sthitA'ham sarveshAm bhAvAnAm iti niScayAt || )

 

2) abandoning ways contrary to His will --> giving up

cruelty and other

forms of injury

 

Furthermore, recognizing the universal pervasiveness of

He who

is sought after in self-surrender, 'abandoning ways

contrary'

means refraining from cruelties and other injuries to all

beings.

 

( etena vyAptivijnAnAt prapattavyaSya sarvaSa: |

AnukUlyasya sankalpAt prAtikUlyasya varjanam |

himsAdy apAyavirati: uktA sarveshu jantushu || )

 

3) feeling utterly helpless --> abandoning all pride and ego

 

Because of one's incapacity to pursue other means to

moksha,

and the inherent pitfalls theirein, relinquishing pride

and being

humble is known as 'kArpaNya'.

 

( angasAmagryasampatter aSakteS cApi karmaNAm |

adhikArsya cAsiddhe: deSakAlaguNakshayAt |

upAyA naiva siddhyanti hy apAyA: bahulAs tathA |

iti yA garvahAnis tat dainyam kArpaNyam ucyate || )

 

4) faith that He will protect --> abandoning further

self-effort in this direction,

and not seeking the favor

of others for

this purpose

 

By reason of His ability, His ease of accessibility,

His eternal union with compassion, and because of

the inherent relation of Him and that which He rules --

which is not know but which is is ever-existent --

the firm belief that He will protect us who conform

to His will is 'viSvAsa'.

 

5) a prayer for protection --> "O Lord! Be my protector!"

 

This is explained in the second verse cited above.

 

Finally,

 

6) self-surrender --> actually laying the burden at His

feet. This is

a one-time event and constitutes the heart of SaraNAgati.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mani

 

P.S. ammAL's explanations are taken from the lakshmi tantra,

the

pAncarAtra source book for much of our understanding of

SaraNAgati.

 

It is also understood that in addition to the above,

one

should do all of one's ordained religious duties as

service

and worship of God.

 

 

 

------

Get a NextCard Visa, in 30 seconds!

1. Fill in the brief application

2. Receive approval decision within 30 seconds

3. Get rates as low as 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR

http://click./1/6630/5/_/716111/_/963385036/

 

------

 

 

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

- SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -

To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list (AT) eGroups (DOT) com

Visit http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/ for more

information

[Guest guest]

Dear Sriman Mani Varadarajan,

 

Your clarifications to Mahesh's query are quite illuminating. I have certain

specific queries and would appreiciate your feedback to the same:

1) Is a prapatti as performed by me ( due to what was felt by me to be a

divine dictum) a valid one? In fact I have also not gone through the

mandatory "Kalakshepam" for a specified period at the acharyan's thiruvadi.

2) While I am in total agreement with your statement:

"I am the abode of all sins, utterly helpless and without any other

recourse. O Lord! You alone must be my means!", your subsequent

statement,viz: "resolution to conform to His will and not do anything

contrary to His will", is not quite clear to me. Does this presuppose that

we know what the Lord's will is? Would it not be better to state:

"Accept whatever happens as His will" and "Lead a life as detailed (or

atleast as close to)in the vedas. For instance I have realised that even to

follow such ordinary things as "Satyam Vada", "Love every one","Set aside

your ego" or 'do not eat onion" is one hell of a difficulty.

3) Further in the above instance what would be role of an "Individual's

initiatives.

4) I am of the opinion that "Saranagati" as a principle is a very simple

one. But when it comes to practice, considering our inadequacies it is quite

difficult. For instance in the write up to this point how many "I"s have I

used.&

5) I understand that the Azhwars related to the Lord in various ways-

Nayaka-Nayaki,Dasa-Dasi,Mother & Child, Friend etc. Is there an instance in

our Siddhanta where we consider the Lord as our mother? Infact I am tempted

to look upon Him as "my concerned mother", always willing to overlook my

inadequacies, but come to my rescue when I am in difficulty. Infact the

opening stanza of Godha Stuti (to me)appears to be a definition of the Lord

also.

 

Adiyen

K.Lakshminarayan

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

______________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Mahesh:

 

prapatti or saranAgathi is the quintessence of our philosophy and

tradition. So, although it is the surest and easiest means to

realizing the Lord, it is the most complex to describe and fully

understand. However, in an attempt to answer your questions, I

would like to provide a brief and rough synopsis of the two

prevailing understandings of prapatti, at least to the best of my

limited understanding of them:

 

The first understanding of prapatti along with its 5 accessories

can best be described by your term, "a mood," a psychological and

spiritual awakening -- perhaps analogous to an epiphany in

Christian faith -- in which the devotee becomes unquestioningly

aware of the fact that in his true state, he is completely

dependent upon and wholly subservient to Sriman Narayana. As

this state of being is the true nature of the soul, nothing is

really "performed" on the part of the aspirant other than an

acceptance of this awakening. The 5 accessories that were so

eloquently described by Sri Mani are both contained within and

are the result of this realization. What naturally follows is a

life of humility and service to the Lord, and the firm faith that

since He is the Lord and Protector, one's salvation will surely

occur when the Lord feels the time is right. No one can really

limit what conditions and at what time such an awakening occurs.

But, for the sake of practicality, most people regard the

receiving of samAsrayanam under an AchAryan -- the solemn

occasion when the devotee is initiated into the 3 Sacred

Mantras -- as being the moment when such a state of mind can

begin to be cultivated. But, as the Lord Himself is solely

responsible for all souls, proponents of this view are quick to

point out that even this very realization or prapatti is due to

His Grace Alone. Consequently, nothing on the part of the

individual has really brought this realization into being, and

there is really nothing that the individual need do further,

other than humbly accepting the joy and peace of mind that comes

from this awakening.

 

The second understanding of prapatti only slightly differs from

the first. While it is recognized that prapatti is in line with

the soul's natural state, the question arises as to whether we,

after so many eons of avoiding the Lord, can really be sure that

we have all the 5 qualities to be able to come to this

realization properly. As we really can never really be sure, the

best alternative is to seek out someone who embodies these good

traits, an AchAryan, and have him/her teach us, or better yet,

have him/her serve as a mediator, beseeching the Lord for

protection on our behalf, as we are unqualified to do so. This

latter method presumes that prapatti does involve a conscious and

sincere effort, in which we, guided by the Lord, go before an

AchAryan and beseech him to surrender to Him on our behalf.

Since such an opportunity involves a time, a place, and a

specific set of actions on our parts, it can best be achieved

through participation in a solemn ritual, bharanyAsam.

 

Whether through a mental affirmation, or through the mediation

via bharanyAsam, prapatti really rests on our unswerving faith in

our Supremely Kind and Accessible Lord, who promises us that He

will take care of us unconditionally and unceasingly throughout

our lives on this earth, and will indeed give us mOksham, if we

simply leave ourselves to His care. Since this promise is

unconditional, performing prapatti more than once would, in

essence, show our lack of faith in Him. It would be like

accepting a promise from a true friend, and then making sure that

the friend holds good to his words by asking to him to make that

promise again.

 

Giving in to the Supreme Promise of such an Endearing Being as

Sriman Narayana is something so irresistible and so engaging that

it would be virtually impossible to fall from it. But, even if

we were to transgress in our path, the Lord out of His Kindness

will never forget His promise to us, and will either, ignore the

transgression, as proposed by those holding the first view, or

punish us mildly as a reminder to us to stay with the path that

our AchAryans have tread in performing prapatti on our behalf.

 

The above is a brief synopsis of a very complex subject, based on

my limited understanding of what has been taught to me. Any

errors in the above are mine alone.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Ramanuja Dasan

Mohan

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

Dear Sri Mohan,

Simply excellent is your lucid explanation on saraNAgati. Thanks for such a

sweet post.

That reminded me of the last 11th verse of Swamy Desikan's "adaikkalappatthu"-

(Tamil equivalent of nyAsa dasakam) on SaraNAgathy

 

Swamy Desikan explains this WAY (saraNAgathy) AND THE GOAL (mokshAnubhavam-

eternal kaimkaryam -at Sriya: Pathi's Lotus Feet)- in adaikkalappatthu phala

sruthi verse very beautifully. ..

 

aaRu, payan vERu illaa adiyavargaL anaivarkkum/

aaRum adhan payanum oru kaalam pala kaalam/

aaRu payan enavE kaNdu aruLALar adi iNai mEl/

kooRiya naRguNa vuRaigaL ivai patthum kOthilavE..

 

Please read the above lines..

 

aaRu- meaning Way- route..or means ( upAyam)

payan- fruits or Goal (upEyam)

 

1st line- For all adiyavars (devotees, who have no other way or the goal (other

than His Feet as the way and the Goal);

2nd line: Way- oru kaalam- once performed; Fruits - pala kaalam- always forever-

one can enjoy- (implying- they surrender to His Feet once; enjoy His Feet for

ever and ever)

3rd line: the way- Having realised that the way and the Goal are the Feet of

Most Merciful- PeraruLALan -Sri Varadarajan,

4th line: These ten prabhandhams that have been uttered (on that way and the

Goal- the Lotus Feet), thus are faultless.

 

Same saraNagathi is echoed by Sri (Thiru) VaLLuvar:

piRavip perum kadal neendhuvar; neendhaar/

iRaivan adi sErAdhaar/

 

if people do not surrender to the Feet of the Lord, they will not cross the

vast, ocean of this birth (cycles); (Else, if they surrender) They will cross..

 

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Narayana Narayana

adiyEn Narayana dAsan Madhavakkannan