Srivaishnavism - can we revisit ?

[Guest guest]

Dear bhagavatas ,

 

na mantharAyA : na ca mAtulasyA: dOshO na ragna: na ca rAghavasya |

matpApamEvAtra nimittam AsIt vana pravEsE raghunandanasya || (Srimad

Ramayanam - words of bharata)

 

a.. This is a self analysis by Bharata on return to Ayodhya from his

maternal uncles place after Rama went exile. He probes the cause for

Rama's exile. Could it be mantharA (kUni). She stopped everything.

Bharata hastens to say NO. She was a dAsi to kaikEyi and so her well

wisher. She is not at fault. The fault lies on kaikEyi. She should not

have requested for the boons on the words of a dAsi. Bharata nods his

head NO. She is after all a mother and love towards her son made her

blind. Dasaratha, a great Emperor, having ruled for 60,000 years must

not have acted on the words of kaikEyi. He is to be blamed. Bharata

could not accept this too. It is the order of IkshvAaku kings to stand

by their words, come what may. Dasaratha is no exception. It is Rama to

be blamed. He should have argued his case and conducted the

pattabhisheka for himself. Why did he not do so ? bharata sighed. I am a

fool. The purpose of Rama' s incarnation was to make the human race

understand "obey the words of your parents ". ("jIvatO vAkya karanAt" -

the prime duty of a son is to obey his father, perform pinda pradAnam

(last rights) at gayA, and perform yearly srAddha sincerely - vEdas).

Will Rama act against this purpose. So finally who is to be blamed.

Bharata, unexpectedly turned his fingers to himself. My sins caused all

these. If I had not gone to kEkaya kingdom, I would have stopped Rama.

So I am to be blamed squarely. Can anyone blame bharata even in their

dreams. Bharata exhibits a rich and proud Srivaishnava characteristic

"accept your fault even if you are not to be blamed for that" Andal in

tiruppavai 15th pasuram reiterates this as " nAnEdAn Ayiduga". "Let

myself and only myself be at fault".=20

 

a.. Swamy Ramanuja enters Tiruvengadam (tirupaty) on a yatra. Peria

tirumalai nambigal comes to the outskirts of the town to welcome him.

Ramanuja felt that such a great person should not have come to invite an

unworthy person like him. He told the same to nambigal. peria tirumalai

nambigal smiled and said " I searched the whole tirumalai for an

inferior person to me. But could not get one. So I decided to come. "

Ramanuja was spell bound. Nambigal displays an unparalleled Srivaishnava

quality " shed your ahankAra - be humble"=20

 

a.. Koorathazhwan heard the cry of a frog caught by a snake. Azhwan

said "Is the frog calling the universal protector. O ! what a belief for

the frog. We, the samsaris do not have this belief ". Having said so he

fell unconscious. Koorathazhwan practices a great quality of a

Srivaishnava - "learn MahA viswAsam even from a small creature"

 

a.. Embar saw a painful snake with a thorn stuck to its mouth. He went

near the snake, pulled out the thorn unminding the danger, and had his

bath. Embar sets example for a Srivaishnava " help anyone in need.

Sorrow / pain of others must be unbearable to a srivaishnava."=20

 

a.. MudaliAndan was out of town. Embar made a disciple of mudali Andan

to do service to him, as though he was his sishya (Embar did not know

that he was a sishya of mudali Andan). After mudali Andan returned,

embar came to know the truth and felt sorry that he posed to be the

acarya to a sishya of mudali Andan. Mudali Andan smiled and said "it is

easy for two people (rather than one) to pull out some one in distress

from a well . It is easy for the drowning to come out if he holds two

people instead of one. Alwar sings "gnana kai tA" It is easy for two

acaryas to pull out a sishya from the ocean of samsara.So let us do it

together. " Mudali Andan is a trend setter for a Srivaishnava attribute,

"tolerance, peaceful co existance, collective action rather than

fanaticism. "

 

a.. Ramanuja was going through the streets of Srirangam with his 700

sanyasi and 12000 grhasta disciples. Peria nambigal (the direct acarya

of Ramanuja ) who came by that way sighted Ramanuja and suddenly

prostrated before him. It sprung a surprise to others watching and they

enquired with Peria nambigal. peria nambigal replied " Ramanuja sanyasi

surrounded by his sishyas, looked to me like my acarya Alavandar and so

I prostrated" Peria nambigal demostrates a Srivaishnava principle

"vaishnavO vaishnavam drshtvA dandavat pranamEt bhuvi" and "paraspara

nIca bhAvaBefore a vaishnava feel yourself inferior to him, say so,

and prostrate before him - whoever he may be "

You would all be wondering, as to why am I lamenting like above ? What

are all these ? Stories - Hagiologies Call it by whatever name you want.

These are all the guidance notes, pathway lights which our merciful

preceptors have left for us. These are stepping stones in building , in

developing our personal qualities as a Srivaishnava. It pains to watch,

that the same stories and hagiologies have been instrumental for

infights in our bhakti list.=20

 

While Ramanuja was out of Srirangam during difficult periods, there was

an order by the king that no one connected with Ramanuja should be

allowed inside Ranganatha temple. Unaware of this, Koorathzhwan tried to

go inside the temple. One, out of the two watchmen, stopped him. The

other recommended, "Eventhough Koorathazhwan is connected to Ramanuja,

individually he is a pious gentleman with full of atma gunas. So pls let

him in ". The other agreed to do so. Koorathazhwan was shocked and said

" I believed that atma gunas help to improve your love towards acarya.

But here they go against my acarya bhakti. " So he decided not to go

inside the temple taking the help of his atma gunas. Similarly,

hagiologies and guru parampara stories must go to develop your qualities

and not be counter productive.=20

 

Adiyen went through the string of mails, on adisesha avatara - Swamy

MMunigal, and got surprised. These mails have been exchanged amongst the

most learned, pious and understanding bhaktas of the bhakti list. I feel

individuals have been hurt by someone abusing, and that was the

backdrop for all these mails. If someone had abused, try to educate

them, if not it is just to be condemned and ignored.(pOvadE nOyadAgi).

You are the ones who can do something to our sampradaya.=20

 

Adiyen fully agrees with one important point of Mani. We should spend

time in learning acharyas works. But let me tell you, I am of late not

finding that dedication and perseverence even amongst devotees who talk

a lot about sampradayam. Many talk about Srivaishnavism and that they

lead their lives as a Srivaishnava but show no interest in knowing the

great works of our acharyas. Whether it is India or US , there is no

difference in this indifferent attitude.=20

 

You all have the experience of conducting tele lectures. Great scholars

like, Rangapriya swamy, NSA swamy, Bhoovarahachariar swamy, ANC swamy,

Narasimhachariar swamy have all delivered lecturers. All are quite old

and it is time for them to take rest. But they take pain (but enjoy) at

late hours in the bridge. How many log in ? How many are regular ? How

many really ask questions on the subject. Unless we undergo a systematic

course on our philosophy and religion, how can you appreciate the

acharyas. All these arguments/ kala vaishamyam would die naturally, if

we gain proper knowledge.=20

 

Adiyens father used to feel sad in saying : if one has to sign a balance

sheet he has to be an auditor, if one has to argue in a court of law, he

has to be an advocate, if one has to touch scissors on a operation

table, he has to be a doctor. All these take a minimum of 5 years

course. Unfortunately, to be a Srivaishnava or to comment on

Srivaishnavism there is no specified course to gain knowledge .=20

 

So the way to put down all these, is first to learn a lot, second to

practice atleast a few, and third to feel sorry that we are not able to

practise the rest.

 

I have experienced this. 18 months back we started regular courses

through our foundation at Chennai. Classes are on, tiruvoimozhi,

guruparampara, geeta, and sahasrananam. Classed are conducted slokam by

slokam, pasuram by pasuram, tirunamam by tirunamam. No rush. There are

about 100 people attending regularly alternate sundays. This is to gain

knowledge. For anubhava, they have visited 55 divyadesams together.

Adiyen took them personally to all these places, explained the greatness

of these divyadesams, pasurams for these divyadesams, acharyas works on

these divyadesams. etc. Now I see a vast difference in their

attitutude. There are almost equal number of both kalais. Adiyen feels

proud to say that 5 out the above have started rural propagation in turn

of what they have learnt.=20

 

As experienced members of our sampradayam, pls think and come up with

ideas as to how to make people get interested in a systematic course.

How to make them read and practise more instead of getting into duals. I

know this is a difficult process.Once they are soaked in the writings of

our acharyas and alwars they will not find time for these

shortsightedness. This is the only kritagyata we can show to our great

acharyas. The best way to make a line small without touching it, is to

draw a bigger line by the side of it. (refer sloka- yadA tE

mOhakalilam...nirvEdam gantAsi-Chapt 2 of Gita )