Dr.N.S.Anantha Rangachar (NSA) Swamy's monograph on SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs:

 

It is my pleasure to follow up on my earlier brief announcement

about the most recent release (Feb 2004) of the English monograph on

Swamy VedAntha Desikan's magnum opus , "SrImad Rahasya

Thraya Saaram " by Dr.NSA Swamy..

 

The Kaimkaryam of Dr.NSA Swamy to educate , enlighten and inform

SrI VaishNavAs has spread over many decades. His likhitha kaimkaryam

has covered many topics ranging from Upanishads to anushtAnam . He has written

in number of languages to reach out to his diverse target audiences. Many are indebted to

him for the care with which he has assembled these many scholarly monographs .

 

The most recent among his scholarly monographs is about Swamy Desikan's sacred

text revered as " SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram " written in MaNipravALam text .

There are five vyAkhyAnams for the grand text of Swamy Desikan by our poorvAchAryAs.

Dr.NSA Swamy has gone through all of them many times in his one on one kaalakshEpams .

In this mopnograph , Dr.NSA Swamy has condensed and presented the essence of

the above commentaries in English for the benefit of all in general and for those , who could

not access the original text or commentaries in Tamil or MaNipravAlam (Mixture of Tamil and

Sanskrit) in particular . This is a great and timely service especailly to the youngeer generation

of SrI VaishNavAs , who are thirsting to know more about our PoorvAchArya granthams.

 

SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram focuses on the inner meanings of the three rahsyams

that are taught by a SadAchAryan to a discerning Sishyan in private

..These three rahasyams

are :

 

(1) Moola Manthram or AshtAksharam ( the manthram with of SrIman NaarAyaNa

with 8 aksharams/syllables) .

 

The condensed meaning of Moola Manthram is : SrIman NaarAyaNan is the protector

of all (Sarva Rakshakan). He is eternal and is always accompanied by His PirAtti.

He is the One , who blesses all janthus with Jn~Anam and makes them travel in

auspicious paths. He has anantha kalyANa guNams and has a dhivya ThirumEni.

He is the Creator of all sentients and insentients existing in this prapancham .

He is both means and the end for the chEthanams. He is the aadharam for all

and stands as antharyAmi inside them all through anupravEsam.

 

Jeevan is the embodiment of Jn~Anam . Jeevan's attribute is Jn~Anam .

Jeevan is of atomic size . Jeevan is different from Iswaran and achEthanam.

This Jeevan is the eternal/bonded servant of the dhivya dampathis. Jeevan is not

master of anything or anybody and stays attracted to SrIman NaarAyaNan.Jeevan

has no svatantram of its own.This Jeevan vows with all these features to perform

uninterrupted Kaimkaryam to SrIman NaarAyaNan.

 

2) The dhvaya manthram has 25 syllables and is an elaboration of the UpAyam

and Phalan , which are covered succinctly by Moola Manthram . Since it elaborates on

both the means ( upAyam ) and Fruits ( Phalan ) arising from the obeservance of

that upAyam , it is named as the Dhvaya manthram.

 

The integrated meaning of Dhvayam is: adiyEn performs prapathti with its five angams

as an incompetent one , who is unable to practise other upAyams . adiyEn performs this

aathma samarpaNam without worries about my protection or interest in the phalans

of that aathma samarpaNam. SrIman NaarAyaNan is Sarva Swamy and the insatiable

nectar , who is enjoyable by every one. He is never ever separated from His divine

consort, MahA Lakshmi .adiyEn performs this prapatthi for gaining paripoorNa

nithya kaimakryam to the dhivya dampathis at all places , times and states

after removal of all obstacles that stood in the way of nithya kaimkaryam and

enjoying paripoorNa BrahmAnandham at Their Supreme Abode.

 

3) Charama SlOkam , the third rahasyam has 32 syllables and was given to us

by GithAchAryan using Arjuna as a vyAjam.Here GithAchAryan instructs & assures us :

 

Oh ChEthanam ! Your Jn~Anam and sakthi are trivial .You live for a precious

little time on this earth. You chafe at the delay in gaining MOksha sukham.

You are inacapable of understanding or putting in to practise other upAyams

for Moksham like Bhakthi Yogam , which yield phalan in a delayed manner .

Do not roam in the path leading to such upAyams. I am easy of reach to

every one. I am the refuge for the beings of all the worlds . I have the power to

protect all. Choose Me alone as your protection.Perform prapatthi at my feet

with its five angams. Once you do that , You become the object of protection

by Me. There is nothing else for you to do .You will become very dear to Me .

My affection for You is limitless. There is no limit to my independence . The phalan

of protecting you belongs to Me. For My act of protecting you, My sankalpam alone

is my help. The kinds of enemies for Your deliverance are multifarious.You can not

get rid of them by yourself even if you try.I will destroy them to their roots.They

will not follow you anymore, when I am done with them. I will make you equal to Me

in the enjoyemnt of my wealth and bhOgams .I will be joyous in blessing you with

paripoorNa BrahmAnandham resulting from nithya kaimakryam to Me at

My Supreme Abode of SrI Vaikuntam .

The prominent features of SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram are (1) Focus on

the doctrines to be known by one aspiring for Moksham ( Tatthva, Hitha and PurushArTam)

(2) Emphasis on Prapatthi as an " independent and efficacious means for Moksha".

(3) provision of the inner meanings of the three rahasyams (4) the descriptions of

the lakshaNams of one , who has done prapatthi , his svaroopam , prakAram and

ways to conduct himself /herself after performing prapatthi .

 

With superb insights gained from many years of KaalakshEpam , Dr.NSA Swamy has

distilled the essence of SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram in 400 pages of text in

a lucid and absorbing manner.Dr.NSA Swamy has taken us on an enthralling journey

to demonstrate how Swamy Desikan has successfully expounded and established

the doctirne of Prapatthi on infallible and firm grounds based on the PramANams from

VedAs , Upanishads , Smruthis SaasthrAs , PurANAs , aagamAs and AazhwAr's

dhivya prabhandhams. Dr. NSA Swamy points out that Srimad Rahasya Thraya

Saaram is "a landmark in the history of SrI VaishNava philosophy , as it is an original

and authentic expostion of the essentials of VedAntha , as related to Saadhana...

Swamy Desikan deals with topics that were not covered clearly in earlier Sri Sookthis

(viz)., the nature and scope of Prapatthi , the difference between Prapatthi and Bhakthi

yOgams , the accessories of Prapatthi , the yogyathai (fitness) for performing Prapatthi ,

the mode of performance of Prapatthi , the conduct of a Prapanna after prapatthi

and answers to the objections on Prapatthi ".

 

Dr.NSA Swamy has appended a separate section on highlights of NikshEpa RakshA

at the end of this monograph and summarizes the arguments advanced by Swamy

Desikan against the prima facie view objecting to the efficacy of Prapatthi as

" a distinct and different means for gaining MOksha". The poorva pakshins

raised nine objections against Prapatthi . Swamy Desikan refuted successfully

all these prima facie objections with suitable pramANams and established once

and for all that Prapatthi is a direct and independent means for Moksham. Later

Swamy Desikan out of His infinite compassion for us blessed us with a sequel to

SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram revered as "VirOdha ParihAram " , where he

answered any doubts that may arise from a study of his Masterly treatise on

the Rahasya Thrayams.

 

We are indeed fortunate to have the benefits of the outstanding monograph of

VedAntha VidvAn, Dr.NSA Swamy . This monograph should be in the private

libraries of all aspirants for Moksham .

 

Copies of this modestly priced monograph (250 Rupees ) can be obtianed from

Swamy himself or by sending e-mail to his KumArar , Sri A.Narasimhan

( ananth (AT) ramsoft (DOT) com ) . Dr.NSa Swamy's address is:

 

VedAntha VidvAn Dr. N.S. Anantha Rangachar

# 780 , 5th Main Road

Vijayanagar , Bangalore 560 040

(Phone ): 338-3755

 

After completing this masterly monograph on one of the Grantha ChAthushtayam ,

Dr.NSA Swamy has moved on to complete yet another monograph on the meanings

and commentary on "BrahadhAraNyaka Upanishad " manthrams following the text of

Upanishad BhAshyakArar , SrI Ranga RaamAnuja Muni . Please join in supporting

the costs for printing and releasing the VisishtAdhvaithic Commentary on this

major upanishad used extensively by AchArya RaamAnuja in His SrI BhAshyam.

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

New York , USA

[Guest guest]

Magnum opus of Desika

 

http://www.hindu.com/br/2004/03/16/stories/2004031600081800.htm

 

ESSENCE OF SRIMAD RAHASYATRAYA SARAM OF SRIMAN NIGAMANTA MAHA

DESIKAN: N. S. Anantha Rangacharya; 780, 5th Main Road, Vijayanagar,

Bangalore-560040.

 

Rs. 250.

 

THE RAHASYATRAYASARA the magnum opus of Vedanta Desika, the great

post-Ramanuja polymath, composed in the Manipravala style

(Sanskritised Tamil) explains a number of subtle doctrines of the

Vishistadvaita school in a very lucid and authoritative manner. It is

encyclopaedic in nature and is certainly a landmark in the history of

Srivaishnava philosophy.

 

Since the work is meant for lay people who have no access to Sanskrit

lore, the author has not quoted any Upanishadic text directly. A

number of important topics that were not explained by earlier writers

such as the nature and scope of Prapatti (whole-hearted surrender),

the difference between Prapatti and Bhakti (loving devotion), the

accessories of Prapatti, the eligibility to adopt it, the mode of

doing it and the conduct of a person who has surrendered to the Lord,

Arthapanchaka or five topics, which every seeker after liberation is

expected to know are explained by Desika here.

 

It is worth noting in this context that while Ramanuja speaks of

Bhakti (devotion) as the means to liberation in his Gitabhashya and

Sribhashya, he stresses the importance of Saranagati (surrender) in

his Gadyas. Only Desika explains the reason for this apparent

dichotomy. He says that the Bhashyas are meant for scholars at the

pan-Indian level, who may not care much about the concept of

surrender, which, from the viewpoint of tradition, is a "secret".

This is therefore dealt with in the Gadyas meant for the inner circle

of disciples.

 

The book under review is a brief exposition of this work in English

prepared by N. S. Anantha Rangacharya, one of the highly respected

authorities in Visishtadvaita philosophy. M. R. Rajagopala Iyengar

had already translated the Rahasyatrayasara into English.

 

But the present volume is a welcome one since it summarises the

original text for the benefit of the modern man who has neither the

time nor the scholarship to understand it in all its intricate

details.

 

The author has done a commendable job in condensing the original

without leaving any important detail. He deserves our respectful

congratulations.

 

In the valuable introduction he has very lucidly explained different

viewpoints held by Pillai Lokacharya, Vedanta Desika and Meghanadari

Suri on the doctrine of surrender (Prapatti). His summary is lucid,

sweet and simple.

 

The appendix on Nikshepa Raksha, another work of Desika, which deals

with Prapatti is quite useful. The work is an excellent addition to

the rich and vast literature on Srivaishnava religion and philosophy.

 

M. NARASIMHACHARY