RE: saranAgati - Many thanks to Sri Mohan sAgar

[Guest guest]

SrI KrishnAya namah:

 

Dear BhAgavatAs,

 

NamasKarams. My dandavat pranAmams to Sri Mohan sAgar. This mail cleared

most of my doubts and produced clarity of thoughts and provided me with

basic flow. I was not even clear of my questions. Sri Mohan sAgar understood

me correctly and answered in a way that I can easily understand. Many Many

Thanks to him.

 

It was like mother feeding sweet pAL sAdham to her child. Although the child

is not clear what to ask, mother feeds him appropriately with Love.

I also could feel the sweatness as well as Love in his mail.

 

I would like to thank Sri Anand also for his direct explanations in clear

terms. - especially regarding Angi and AngAs,

 

I think, I have a basic understanding of prapatti now.

 

I would like to read Sri Anand's articles on saranAgati & prapatti on

Ahobilamutt's home page.

Recently I also bought the Book " VAISNAVISM - Its phylosophy, theology and

religious decipline by SMS Chari"

I will carefully read 13th Chapter ( Prapatti as means of attainment of

Visnu )

 

After reading of the above two I would like to present my understandings on

this forum again to make sure that my understanding is right.

 

Thanks for the encouragement I got from all of you.

 

If somebody asks me what is the first step one should do for attaining

moksha - I suggest the very first thing as

Subscribe to bhakti-list <bhakti-list >

 

 

dAsan,

Mahesh

 

 

 

Mohan Sagar [msagar]

Saturday, July 15, 2000 9:36 PM

kmahesh; bhakti-list

Re: saranAgati

 

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

 

 

 

 

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