Fwd: "gnyAna-vairAgya-bhushaNam": Reflections on 'tirunakshatram' of Swami Venkatanat

[Guest guest]

tiruvengadam, "Sudarshan M.K." <sampathkumar_2000>

wrote:

Dear friends,

 

Tomorrow 28th September '01, the world over, SriVaishnavas will be

celebrating yet another 'tirunakshatram' of their illustrious

spiritual leader of the 14th CE, Swami Venkatanathan alias Vedanta

Desikan.

 

Why do we observe the 'tirunakshatram' of our achArya? The reasons

are many, ranging from the plain mundane to the especially spiritual.

 

It is mundane to celebrate birthdays... We throw a party and enjoy

the mirth and fanfare of the occasion. We do it all the time in the

case of our children, parents and our friends.

 

It is for more than mundane reasons, however, that we celebrate

birthdays of our kings, rulers or political leaders. As Indians, for

example, we observe with reverence the occasion of "Gandhi-jayanti"

on Oct 2 every year not only to mark the birthday of the Mahatma. We

do so also out of a certain sense of patriotic pride. Also it is a way

of expressing our gratitude to the many martyrs of the

freedom-struggle who willingly and faithfully followed the Mahatma.

 

When we celebrate the 'tirunakshatram' of a spiritual 'achAryA' like

Swami Venkatanathan we do so for a purpose that is far higher than

the mundane. We observe 'achArya-tirunakshatram' mainly to re-affirm

the fundamental values of life that spiritual preceptors lived and

worked for in their lifetime.

 

********* *********** *********

 

What are these so-called "values in life"? Why do we need them? And

what are the "values" which Swami Venkatanathan espoused?

 

"Values" are essential and enduring tenets an individual man upholds

in life. They are a small set of timeless guiding principles for him.

These values require no external justification; they possess

intrinsic and enduring value. Irrespective of the vagaries of

external conditions or circumstances of life one would therefore

uphold such values.

 

Let us take an example. The Upanishads offer certain values for us to

embrace. They say: "mAtr-dEvO bhava, pitr-dEvO bhava, AchArya-devO

bhava, aThiti-dEvo bhava!", meaning "The mother, the father, the

teacher and the guest at home shalt receive the same reverence

reserved for the gods".

 

This Upanishad 'vAkya' is a simple but crystal clear statement of a

certain "value". It enshrines a value to be upheld and affirmed by

all Vedic adherents at all times and under all circumstances in life.

The "value-satement", in effect, defines a whole society for what it

stands for. It reveals to the whole world what sort or what

character of society the vedic society is and what is the status

which present and future mothers and fathers (the basic constituents

of the family-unit in it) can reasonably expect to enjoy. It also

tells us that in the Vedic society a guest at home, in all

probability, may never need fear of being rudely and abruptly turned

out of the house on Monday morning simply because he has happened to

overstay the welcome he received (like a "god") the previous Saturday

evening!

 

In other words, a "value" is something which no matter what happens

to him in life --- in good times and bad, in the present moment and

for all times to come, for better and for worse --- an individual man

will steadfastly cling to. And that is because, more than anything

else in the world, it defines for him what he and the society to

which he belongs as well, essentially stand for.

 

(If one were to embrace a "value" one day and discard it another, or,

if one were to uphold varying sets of "values" under different

circumstances in life according to expedience... then, by definition,

such "values" cannot be regarded as values at all).

 

******** ********** *********

 

On this auspicious day, 'purattAsi-sravanam', the 'tiru-nakshatram'

of our AchAryA, Swami Venkatanathan we must therefore ask ourselves

the question:

 

"What are the values for which he stood for? What are the values

which he left behind for us to embrace? And what are those values

which we must re-affirm and re-dedicate ourselves to every year on

his 'tiru-nakshatram'day?"

 

The values that Swami Venkatanathan stood for are mainly 2 in number

viz:

 

(1) "gnyAnam" and

 

(2) "vairAgyam"

 

"gnyAnam" means "knowledge" and "vairAgyam" means "the wisdom of

worldly renunciation".

 

Because the Swami firmly espoused these 2 values all his life, he was

given the title "gnyAna-vairAgya-bhushanam" by his many legions of

disciples, followers and admirers.

 

The Sanskrit expression "gnyAna-vairAgya-bhushanam" roughly means

"the leading Light of Knowledge and Renunciation". In his own times

and that of posterity, Venkatanathan came to be known and renowned

chiefly for the sterling values he zealously guarded ...of

"Knowledge" and of "Renunciation".

 

How did he do it? And why did he do it?

 

We will discuss the same when adiyane returns to Kuwait the

day-after-tomorrow from a trip to Bahrain to join in the joyous

celebrations there tomorrow that 'bhAgavatA-s' have organized for

observing Venkatanathan's 'tirunakshatram' this year.

 

Thanks and regards,

dAsan,

Sudarshan

--- End forwarded message ---