Guest guest Posted February 8, 2001 Report Share Posted February 8, 2001 Om Vishnave Namaha Namaskars, In Srimad Bhagavath Gita, Krishna ParamAthmA says one should be involved in one's own Swadharma and should not get involved in the activities not prescribed to him. Here I would like to have some clarifications. I am a Brahmin (Sri Vaishnava) and I have my own Swadharma. But I am not doing my duty of approaching my AchArya for Enlightenment. As a Brahmin my Swadharma is to engage myself full time for spiritual progress and learn about Him through AchArya's grace. But I am not doing this. I am a final year student of BITS,Pilani and next year will proceed for Atomic Research. So I am moving miles away from my Swadharma! I don't do anything other than daily reciting ThirupallAndu, Vishnu Sahasranam, Hayagriva slokam and Sundarakandam(kanto 36). Nothing more! I feel very guilty of not following His advice in Gita. I don't think I will get chance to learn directly from AchAryas. I would like to have advise from you all. Om Namo Narayanaya Namaha. AdiyEn, Aravind Gopalan. Get personalized email addresses from Mail - only $35 a year! http://personal.mail./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 8, 2001 Report Share Posted February 8, 2001 SrI: SrImathE Ramanujaya namah: Dear Sri Arvind, Your query is very interesting and a valid one too for all of us. I am glad that you have started feeling at this young age. We are all sailing in the same boat. No doubt, we should be learning Vedas and saathras, and follow our swadharmam. BUT.. due to various reasons, over a period of time, we all have been drifting away from that. See. Lord KrishNA, when he was a Sarathy, he used to wash the horses and remove the insects from their necks- such was His perfection to His duties. Lord Rama, though appeared as Kshathriya, never said "I was born a king, and am the eldest. How can I be deprived of the kingdom and am asked to go to forest?" Never did He utter a word. All that He did was to obey the father's words. Why am I saying this?- Because, ask your father. He wants you to study English education.. complete BITS Pilani, engg degree. Perhaps go abroad and earn for a better living. etc.. etc.. Follow that first. Simultaneously, what you have been doing is fantastic. Reciting few slOkas that you have learnt, during the course of the day, reading the posts appear in bhakti list and getting your doubts clarified on sampradayam- You are doing just fine, dear. At any cost, never stop doing sandhyAvandhanam. If you do not do that, you are a karma brashtan- karma chaNdALan. You have nithya theettu. Not qualified to even enter the temple, - why to talk of other things? Keep doing.. On the other hand, we have Sriman Anand Karalapakkam, also an ex BITSIAN.. did his MS from Connecticut, completed in flying colours naturally (like any other Indian). Now he is doing full time VedAnthic studies and saasthrAs at Chennai, with 12 ThirumaN, and sikhA. We also have Sri Narendran Thaiyar at Chennai, after completeing his degree in USA,; we do have Sri TA Varadan returning back to Chennai after his tenure of about 6-7? years at USA. We have number of Srivaishnavas, coming back to do grantha kaalakshEpams. We also have a 35 year old great Srivaishnavaite Sriman U Ve Velukkudi KrishNan Swami, a Management consultant who delivers in his inimitable style great upanyasams so simple to understand in both Tamil and in English. We do have a Ph D sanskrit scholar Dr MV Anantha Padmanabhan, a 27 year old, at Chennai, who has now taken over a co-editor for Sri Nrusimhapriya. We have at Singapore, one Sri MS Hari, a 25 year old, an MCA and a computer software consultant, who has studied all nine works of Ramanuja's and many works of Swamy Desikan's too. He has been taking tremendous efforts to drill into our heads the depth and content of Visishtadvaita Srivaishnava Sri sampradayam. We also find our Sri Mani Varadarajan, brought up from childhood in the States, is one of the founders of this list and maintains Srivaishnava Home page. He is a very learned member of our list, who is in his mid twenties. We are also blessed with Sri Satakopan mama, Sri Anbil Ramaswamy mama, the elderly members and erudite scholars to guide us on the right track. Thus, There is a silver lining in the cloud. There is light at the end of the tunnel. And you need not feel bad or guilty. The very fact that we are discussing all this is due to the limitless grace of Divya Dampathi Sri Ranganyaki Sametha Sri Ranganathan. Nothing else. "adhuvum avanadhu innaruLE". Don't worry. the most benevolent AchAryAs, the walking Gods are all there..they all know our limitations and problems just like the Lord Himself. Approach your AchArya, and undergo samsrayaNam, and perform prappati at His Feet. Get to know of our rich samprayadayam by mere browsing thru these articles written by these Bhagawathas. Ask if there is any question, however stupid or silly it is. (Don't ask me. I don't know. Ask others please) anEka AseervAdhams to you and wish you all success both on- sampradyam and off -sampradayam. Narayana Narayana adiyEn Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan (also from BITS, Pilani, 1983) Sri Arvind Gopalan wrote: Namaskars, In Srimad Bhagavath Gita, Krishna ParamAthmA says one should be involved in one's own Swadharma and should not get involved in the activities not prescribed to him. Here I would like to have some clarifications. I am a Brahmin (Sri Vaishnava) and I have my own Swadharma. But I am not doing my duty of approaching my AchArya for Enlightenment. As a Brahmin my Swadharma is to engage myself full time for spiritual progress and learn about Him through AchArya's grace. But I am not doing this. I am a final year student of BITS,Pilani and next year will proceed for Atomic Research. So I am moving miles away from my Swadharma! I don't do anything other than daily reciting ThirupallAndu, Vishnu Sahasranam, Hayagriva slokam and Sundarakandam(kanto 36). Nothing more! I feel very guilty of not following His advice in Gita. I don't think I will get chance to learn directly from AchAryas. I would like to have advise from you all. AdiyEn, Aravind Gopalan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2001 Report Share Posted February 10, 2001 Quote: Why am I saying this?- Because, ask your father. He wants you to study English education.. complete BITS Pilani, engg degree. Perhaps go abroad and earn for a better living. etc.. etc.. Follow that first. Simultaneously, what you have been doing is fantastic. Reciting few slOkas that you have learnt, during the course of the day, reading the posts appear in bhakti list and getting your doubts clarified on sampradayam- You are doing just fine, dear. Unquote: I have a doubt. Is it possible to spread Srivaishnavism or any other Vaidika Sampradaya without India re-emerging as a healthy, proud and self-reliant nation? What are we supposed to do for that? dasan Vishnu Get your small business started at Lycos Small Business at http://www.lycos.com/business/mail.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 13, 2001 Report Share Posted February 13, 2001 Dear Sri Aravind, I would like to join Sri Madhavakannan in expressing my compliments to you on your insightful question, as it really holds a mirror to all of us. Be that as it may, however, I have to say with some regret that except for the fortunate few, most of us will never be able to live a life in which we can clearly say that we are following our swadharma. Given that this is case, I think it is important that we now make an effort to redirect our feelings of guilt and helplessness towards a more positive direction, one that will allow us to recognize SriVaishnavam as a more universal spiritual experience that benefits both the individual and society as a whole. The fundamental basis for following SriVaishnavam lies in the recognition that all this, this world, the beings who dwell here, the conditions, codes and ambiguities that form it, really belong solely to Sriman Narayana, and under HIs Careful Direction. Consequently, whatever opportunities that are being given to us are His Loving Gift to us, and are based on what He feels is best for us. Our is but to accept these gifts, and as they really only belong to Him, utilize them for His Service. Putting this into practical application requires cultivating 3 fundamental qualities that our AzhwArs and AchAryas have propounded: 1. Wholeheartedly knowing and accepting Sriman Narayana as the sole object of our adoration and sole means of sustenance and eventual salvation 2. Seeking out the company of His devotees and serving them in the mood of adoration to Him 3. Recognizing the Divine Nature of all things that leads to a sense of love, compassion and friendship to all beings, and the sincere desire that they too should find the joy of serving His Lotus Feet. Such an attitude of humility, faith, service and friendship is universal, whether one is a devout Brahmin living in a divya dEsam, a student in BITS, or an engineer in the USA. It is, of course, nurtured through the practice of prescribed obligatory duties, such as sandhya vandanam, as they are the direct means by which we can serve Him. But, it should involve the same dedication to our secular duties as a means to His Service, as well, for these duties allow us to use our talents to benefit the world around us. This ideal of service to God, His devotees, and His world really can only be best understood and best experienced under the kind direction and guidance of an AchAryan. But, based on personal experience and those of others, I have found that the AchAryan really only comes to you, you really do little to seek him. Up until that time, though, seek out the company and wisdom of bhAgavathas through personal contact and through electronic forums such as this one, and make a conscious effort to operate from a mood that whatever you are doing, you are doing in His Service. I wish you continued success in your material and spiritual pursuits. adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan mohan raghavan - Aravind Gopalan <balaji_gop <bhakti-list> Thursday, February 08, 2001 5:07 AM Swadharma > Om Vishnave Namaha > > Namaskars, > > In Srimad Bhagavath Gita, Krishna ParamAthmA says one > should be involved in one's own Swadharma and should > not get involved in the activities not prescribed to > him. Here I would like to have some clarifications. I > am a Brahmin (Sri Vaishnava) and I have my own > Swadharma. But I am not doing my duty of approaching > my AchArya for Enlightenment. As a Brahmin my > Swadharma is to engage myself full time for spiritual > progress and learn about Him through AchArya's grace. > But I am not doing this. I am a final year student of > BITS,Pilani and next year will proceed for Atomic > Research. So I am moving miles away from my Swadharma! > I don't do anything other than daily reciting > ThirupallAndu, Vishnu Sahasranam, Hayagriva slokam and > Sundarakandam(kanto 36). Nothing more! I feel very > guilty of not following His advice in Gita. I don't > think I will get chance to learn directly from > AchAryas. I would like to have advise from you all. > > Om Namo Narayanaya Namaha. > > AdiyEn, > Aravind Gopalan. > > > > Get personalized email addresses from Mail - only $35 > a year! http://personal.mail./ > > ----------------------------- > - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH - > To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2001 Report Share Posted February 21, 2001 Dear SrI Aravind Gopalan <balaji_gop, I am delighted to get to know about your interest in SrI VaishNavam, Vaidika-dharmam. The amount of importance that you have attached to SrImath Bhagavath GeethA's divine order is interesting. I appreciate your interest. You have written: > I don't do anything other than daily reciting > ThirupallAndu, Vishnu Sahasranam, Hayagriva slokam and > Sundarakandam(kanto 36). Nothing more! Please add doing sandyAvandanam three times (morning, afternoon and evening) daily without fail. sandyAvandanam is a AgnyA karma and it cannot be skipped. Without doing this, a dvija has no eligibility to do other karmas. A dvija who has failed to do sandyAvandanam is not even eligible to enter VishNu's temple. Even if you fail to recite all the things that you have listed, please do not fail to do sandyAvandanam three times daily. The classification of karmas into AgnyA and anugnyA must be comprehended. I am not against anugnyA karma but I stress that AgnyA karma is mandatory. For more details please refer the following link where I have written some more points regarding the same subject: Visistadvaita_Shree_Vaishnava_Shree/message/92 You wrote: > I feel very guilty of not following His advice in Gita. > I don't think I will get chance to learn directly from > AchAryas. I would like to have advise from you all. If you start doing your nitya karma with sAtvika tyAgam, SrI GeethAchAryan SrIman NArAyaNan will surely bless you and you will reach SrI VaishNava AchArya sannadhi. Thanks & Regards M.S.HARI rAmAnuja dAsan (mshari) __________________ Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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