A Magnificient Celebration at Washington D.C during Sep 2-3, 2001 to pay our humble Tributes to AchAryAs of Ahobila Matam Paramparai : Part II

[Guest guest]

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

SrimathE Sri VaguLa BhUshaNa MahA GuravE Nama:

SrimathE Sri Bhagavan RaamAnujAya Nama:

Sri NigamAntha MahA DesikAya Nama:

 

SrimathE Srimadh Aadhi VaNN SatakOpa YathIndhra

MahA DesikAya Nama:( Founding Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Matam )

 

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka

SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri Sriranga SatakOpa YathIndhra

MahA DesikAya Nama:( HH SriVaikunta Vaasi , the 42nd Jeeyar of

Sri Ahobila Mutt)

 

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka

SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri VeerarAghava YathIndhra MahA

DesikAya Nama:( HH SriVaikunta Vaasi , the 43rd Jeeyar of

Sri AhObila Matam )

 

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PadhukA Sevaka

SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri VedAntha Desika YathIndhra

MahA DesikAya Nama:(HH SriVaikunta Vaasi , the 44th Jeeyar of

Sri Ahobila Matam)

 

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka

Sri VaNN SatakOpa Sri NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA

DesikAya Nama:(HH the Current Jeeyar of Sri AhObila Matam )

 

Dear BhakthAs of Sri Bhagavann RaamAnuja Darsanam :

 

AchAryaas have a pivotal role in our samprAdhAyam ,

Whether one belongs to Vadakalai or TennAchArya or

SvayamAchArya SampradhAyam .

 

Celebration of one's AchAryAs and repeatedly remembering

them with a grateful heart is our duty for the UpakArams

that they have rendered to us .Even the Lord has an AchAryan

in VibhavAvathArams like Raaman and KrishNan .

 

We have an uninterrupted chain of AchAryans , which reaches

all the way upto the Dhivya Dampathis:

 

Gurubhyasccha tadhgurubhyasccha namOvAkam adhImahE

VruNImahE tathrAdhyou DampathI JagathAm PathI

 

(meaning): We recite the word Nama: to our immediate

Guru and their Guru paramparai. We elect as primordial

Gurus , the SarvalOka SaraNya Dampathis , Our PirAtti and

EmperumAn as UpAyam and the fruit of our saadhanaas.

 

A Great soul like Madhura Kavi AzhvAr let the Sarva Sulabhan ,

Lord KrishNan stand aside and elected an AchAryan like Swamy

NammAzhwAr as his sole refuge and established the ancient and

auspicious way of total dependence on one's AchAryan with utter

VisvAsam as his saviour for Moksham . This way , Madhura Kavi

showed that Moksham is not possible for one without SadhAchArya

SamAsrayanam .

 

The importance of AchAryAs have been stressed by Upanishads:

 

(1) Tadhvij~AnArtham sa GurumEvAbhigacchEth (Mundaka Upanishad)

(For One who wants to comprehend the Supreme Being , He should

seek a SadAchAryan ).

 

(2) AachAryavAN PurushO Vedha ( Only those , who is blessed

to have a sadAchAryan can comprehend the Brahman ).

 

(3) Sa chaachArya vamsO jn~EyO asAvasAvithi Aabhagavatha:

( Rahasya AamnAya BrahamaNam : The AchArya paramparai has to

be revered upwards from One's own Guru to Bhagavaan ).

 

This SampradhAya Paramparai leading all the way from One's

own AchAryan to Sriman NaarAyaNan is central to all branches

of Sri VaishNava darsanam . AchArya Bhakthi and celebration of

One's AchArya paramparai becomes thus a cardinal code of conduct

for SishyAs of all paramparais .

 

In this context , SvEthasvatara Upanishad declares:

 

yasya dEvE ParA bhakthi: YaTA dEvE taTA Gurou

tasyai thE kaTithA hyArTA; prakasanthE mahaathmana:

--SvEthasvathAram: 6.23

 

(meaning): For him , who has unfailing devotion to the Lord

and who has unfaltering devotion to his AchAryan , all sookshma

arthams will become clear like the kara tala aamalakam . Even

the meanings not taught by his AchAryan will become available

to him due to the intensity of his devotion to his AchAryan.

 

KatOpanishad states that this clear jn~Anam about Brahman

can not be obtained by expertise in Tarka Saasthram , but

can only be acquired through upadEsam from a sadAchAryan.

This Jn~Ana sampath can be attained only through SadAchArya

sambhandham and anugraham .

 

Swamy Desikan records beautifully the need for devotion to

One's SadAchAryan and revernece for his AchArya paramparai

in Guruparampar Saaram section of Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram:

 

Yenn Yuir tanthaLitthavarai SaraNam Pukki

yaanadaivE avar gurukkaL nirai vaNangip-

pinnaruLAl PerumbhUthUr vantha VaLLal

Periya nampi AaLavanthAr MaNakkAl Nampi

nanneRiyai avarkku uraittha UyyakkoNDAr

NaaTamuni SaThakOpan SEnai NaaTan

InnamudhatthirumahaL yenRivarai munnittu

EmperumAn ThiruvadigaL adaihinREnE

 

(Meaning): My AchAryan blessed me with the Jn~Anam

that my AathmA is Seshan to EmperumAn and saved me.

adiyEn has sought my AchAryan's sacred feet as sole refuge

and offer my additional salutations to my AchAryan's Paramparai

in the order of his AchAryAs and all the way upto

the most merciful RaamAnujA of Sri PerumbhUthUr ,

Periya Nampi, AaLavanthAr,MaNakkAl Nampi , UyyakkoNDAr ,

NaaTa Muni , SaThakOpan , SEnai MudaliAr , the nectarine

Periya PirAtti and ultimately Her Lord , EmperumAn ,

the Primordial AchAryan without any AchAryan of His own.

 

The message of AchArya Vandhanam is that every sentient one

has to have a SadAchAryan to attain Moksha Siddhi. When One is

blessed with the bhAgyam of attaining a SadAchAryan , then

any number of cruel sins do not become obstacles to Moksham.

On the other hand , when One does not have the bhAgyam of

having a sadAchAryan , then , even the greatest of PuNyams

(Virtous deeds) will not be useful to gain Moksha Siddhi.

 

We can not consider our AchAryans as some one in human form

and have to consider them as the Lord Himself incarnating

as human beings and should revere the AchAryans with

the same amount of Bhakthi that one would show to the Lord .

 

Thus , the sishyan has to glorify and celebrate his AchAryan

and protect carefully the manthrams and the meanings of

those rahasya manthrams that he has received as upadEsams .

Whenever , the sishyan reflects on the manthrArthams , he

has to salute with gratitude the AchAryan and his paramparai.

This reflection (anusandhAnam ) is the prAyascchittham for

talking to those , who are not fit to be talked to.

 

Our ancient AchAryans according to Swamy Desikan has

pointed out to us that AchArya Bhakthi is Nithyam ,

Naimitthikam and Kaamyam in scope. When we do not

observe AchArya Bhakthi , it is a sin and therefore it

falls under the category of Nithyam ( Must do). Since

the nonobservance of AchArya Bhakthi has to be expatiated

with PrAyascchittham , AchArya Bhakthi also fits into

the Naimitthika karmaa. AchArya Bhakthi yields the wealth

of Jn~Anam about the Supreme Being and hence it is

a Kaamya Karmaa . Looked at every way , AchArya Bhakthi

is the quintessential step for attaining Moksha PrApthi.

 

The Special Uthsavams like the one at Washington D.C

to celebrate AchArya Paramparai can be attended by

one and all for the reasons mentioned above.

 

adiyEn appeals to all the BhakthAs to participate

in the planned assembly of BhaagavathAs during Sep 2-3

and receive the blessings of AchAryAs and Navaneetha

KrishNan .Please enjoy the sathsangam of BhAgavathAs

from all over USA at this unique Uthsavam to pay our

tribute to the AchArya paramparai and the SarvalOka

SaraNyan , Sriman NaarAyaNan .

 

Please register online at :

 

http://www.ahobilamutt.org/2001conf/confmain.html

 

Alternatively , Please call Srimathi Vimala Rajaji

at 301-545-0212 or Srimathi Malathi Dileepan at

423-877-9860 for registration .

 

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan