anthima smruthi (remembering the Lord at final moments)

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Ramanujaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Just to supplement the thread:

Essentially we are all agreeing that for those who have surrendered

the final remembrance is not needed. (means: prapannan has done what

is required to be done placing the burden of protection to the Lord

Himself.). It is the Lord who enables the jIvan (prapannan) remember

Him at the final stage.

 

Sri Mani Varadarajan beautifully posted few months ago and is

reproduced here for our ready reference.

 

bhakti-list, sadagopan iyengar <sadagopaniyengar>

wrote:

> Hence Swami Desikan concludes, "prapannanukku antima

> smrityAdigaliL nirbandham illai". We heave a sigh of

> relief, for, as prapannAs, our ascent to Sri Vaikuntam

> (at the appropriate time) is ensured, whether or not

> we are able to keep Him in our Last Thoughts.

 

Sri Sadagopan Swamin,

 

What a lovely essay! I would like to follow up with Sri

Vedanta Desika's concluding teachings from the same section of

Srimad Rahasya Traya Saaram. Some shastras (such as the Gita)

say that one *must* keep the Lord in one's thoughts as one

dies. Without this there is no attainment of the Lord, for

whatever one's last thought is, that itself it attains.

This we know from the story of Adi Bharata, etc. Other

shastras (such as the Varaha Charama Sloka) say that for

one who is relying purely on His grace, such remembrance

is unnecessary for He Himself will remember the jIva and

lead it along the path of light to His abode. How can one

reconcile the two conflicting teachings?

 

The resolution is that one must understand the real problem.

It is really not whether one must have a thought of the Lord as one

dies. This, as we have seen from the Gita and various other

shastras, is necessary. The question then is whether one

must *expend any effort* in *keeping* the Lord in one's thoughts

at that stage. For, as the author of the Mukunda Mala says,

'smaraNam kutas te' -- how can I remember you when I am physically

incapable of doing so?

 

The answer lies in the Lord's words from His conversation with

Sri Ramanuja in Saranagati Gadyam. He reassures Sri Ramanuja

that at the time of death, purely by His own grace, because

the He is remembering the jIva, the jIva will have the thought of

Him, even if the jIva would otherwise be incapable. --

'SarIra-pAta-samaye tu, kevalam madIya dayayA ... atiprabuddhaH,

mAm eva avalokayan ... '

 

In other words, one need not worry about the remembrance at

all. Just as for the mature upAsaka (meditator) the final

thought will be natural, as an outflow of his or her

meditative experience of the Lord throughout life, for one

relying wholly upon the Lord's grace, the Lord *Himself* will

achieve this final remembrance, without any effort expended

on the jIva's part. No matter what the condition, even if

the body be unconscious like a log, such a final thought

will be achieved -- because He has declared that He will

take care of the jIva.

 

In all cases one must adopt the attitude of Nammalvar --

'ciRRa vENDA' -- do not worry!

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mani

 

Hope it clarifies.

Regards

Namo narayana

aDiyEn

[Guest guest]

Dear BhagavtOttamas,

 

Looking at this further, on the surface of it there

appears to be a contradiction.

 

Our sampradhayam holds that for a prapannan the only

means to reach Him is through Him. Once prapatti has

been done at His lotus feet nothing further is

required to reach Him. Yet, we are also concluding

that He will make sure that a prapannan remembers

Him in the final moments. That is, the remembrance

is a required act beyond prapatti. This seems

contradictory.

 

AdiyEn thinks that it would be resolved as follows.

It is true that a prapannan does not need to remember

Him in the final moments. It also is true that Sriman

Narayana does not have to aid in the remembrance

either. However, were He to not do that, then the

Sastras that state that He has to be remembered might

appear to be false. Since He provided us the Sastras

to help us reach Him, He will not let those Sastras

be held untrue. Hence, we can conclude that He will

make sure that the prapannan remembers Him.

 

I look forward to thoughts on this from the esteemed

bhAgavthAs in this group.

 

adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan

TCA Venkatesan

 

--- srivaishnavan <madhav.vasudevan wrote:

> SrI:

> SrImathE Ramanujaya namah:

> Dearest Srivaishnavas,

>

> Just to supplement the thread:

> Essentially we are all agreeing that for those who

> have surrendered

> the final remembrance is not needed. (means:

> prapannan has done what

> is required to be done placing the burden of

> protection to the Lord

> Himself.). It is the Lord who enables the jIvan

> (prapannan) remember

> Him at the final stage.

>

> Sri Mani Varadarajan beautifully posted few months

> ago ...

 

 

 

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