Guest guest Posted October 30, 2005 Report Share Posted October 30, 2005 SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha // SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha // SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/ SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya// KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: / SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm// =================================================== SRI RANGA SRI VOL.07 / ISSUE # 03 dated 29th October 2005 =================================================== EDITORIAL HAPPY DEEPAVALI! On behalf of the Members of the Board of Advisry Council (BAC) and the Internal Resource Panel (IRP) and on my own behalf, I wish you all a very HAPPY DEEPAVALI. May the “Festival of Lights light and delight your homes and your life”. May the dawn of lights bring an era of mutual understanding and respect and continued “Kainkarya praapti” for all of us. Dasoham Anbil Ramaswamy President SDDS and Moderator SRS =================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx =================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. IMPORTANT DAYS IN AIPPASI (TULA) MONTH 2. AN ADDENDUM TO THE TALK OF SRI ANBIL RAMASWAMY ON THE OCCASION OF TIRUVENKATAMUDAIYAN AND SWAMI DESIKAN’S TIRUNAKSHATRAM CELEBRATIONS IN ATLANTA 3. ATHI MANUSHA STHAVAM OF KOORATHAAZHWAAN Part 14 – Slokam 35 and 36 (Anbil Ramaswamy) 4. VILAKSHANA MOKSHADHIKARI NIRNAYAM OF SRI ERUMBIAPPA Part 18 (Anbil Ramaswamy) =================================================== ISSUES RELEASED So far, 179 Regular issues of SRS have been released apart from Special Issues: 27 Issues of Vol. 1 15 Issues of Vol. 2 42 Issues of Vol. 3 35 Issues of Vol. 4 28 Issues of Vol. 5 30 Issues of Vol. 6 and 02 Issues of Vol. 7 =================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx =================================================== 1. IMPORTANT DAYS IN AIPPASI (TULA) MONTH =================================================== DATE/ENGLISH)/DAY/NAKSHATRAM/ (THITHI)/ EVENT/ REMARKS =================================================== 01/10-11-05/Tuesday/Prathamai/Aswani/Tula Month begins, Tula Snaanam 06/10-23-05/Sunday/Shashtui/Tiruvadirai/Gurukulottamadasar 09/10-26-05/Wednesday/Navami/Aslesha Yatiraja Jeeyar 11/10-28-05/Friday/Ekadasi/Krishna Paksha Sarva Ekadasi 14/10/31-05/Monday/Chaturdasi/Night=Naraka Chaturdasi Snanam 15/11-01-05/Tuesday/Sarva Amavasya/Chitrai/ DEEPAVALI 20/11-06/05/Sunday/Panchami/Moolam/Uttama Nambi, MANAVALA MAA MUNIGAL 21/11-07-05/Monday/Shashti/Pooradam/TirukkurugaipiraanpiLLaan, SEnai Mudaliar 22/11-08-05/Tuesday/Saptami/utradam/Sravanam/ POIGAI AZHWAR, PILLAI LOkACHAR 23/11-09-05/Wednesday/Ashtami/Avittam/BUDAT AZHWAR 24/11-10-05/Thursday/Navami/Sadayam/PEY AZHWAR 26/11-12-05/Saturday/Sukla Paksha Ekadasi/Utrattadi /Tirutturaippooondi Andavan, Uthaana Ekadasi 29/11-15-05/Tuesday/PourNami/BharaNi/Pournami, KADAIMUKAM =================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx =================================================== 2. AN ADDENDUM TO THE TALK OF SRI ANBIL RAMASWAMY ON THE OCCASION OF TIRUVENKATAMUDAIYAN AND SWAMI DESIKAN’S TIRUNAKSHATRAM CELEBRATIONS IN ATLANTA ============================================================= The following paragraph was left out and may be added at the end of the day’s talk: “KALIYUGA: Lord KrishNa in Dvaapara yuga, had asked us to take refuge in him (MaamEkam SaraNam vraja). But, we, the dull witted, may not know where to take refuge! As if to clear our doubt, the Lord took his abode in Kali yuga at TiruvENkaTam (in which “Vem” means “sins” and “KaTam’ means incinerate” indicating that when resorted to, the mountain itself would dispel our sins (Sarva paapEbhyO mOkshayishyaami). He shows with his right hand his feet beckoning us to surrender at his feet. With his left hand, he assures that “If you do this, the Samsaara Saagaram (Ocean of lifecycle) will be only knee deep for you. In other words, you can cross this ocean and reach my abode in Sri VaikunTam” Thus, we are reassured that the Lord of TiruvEnkaTamuDaiyaan will never forsake us, once we surrender at his feet. Reason enough for us to celebrate his Tirunakshatram! Is it not? ================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx x=================================================== 3. ATHI MANUSHA STHAVAM OF KOORATHAAZHWAAN Part 14 – Slokam 35 and 36 (Anbil Ramaswamy) --\ - SlOkam 35: THE BUTTER THIEF! Pasyastsu soorishu sadaa padam tE dEvyaa sriyaa saha vasan parayaa vibhoothyaa / yOgEna yOganiratai: parimrigyamaaNa: kim tvam rajEshu navaneetham ahO!vyamushNaa:?// “Oh! Lord! You know that the dEvas, yOgis and Munis seek you through meditation all the time and the Nityasooris are incessantly staring at you without even batting their eyelids for a split second. This being so, I wonder, how did you take bold to steal butter in the homes of AyarpaaDi?” COMMENTS: Here Azhwaan alludes to the Veda Vaakhyam “Tad VIshNO: paramam padam sadaa pasyanti Sooraya:” Azhwaan seems to imply that in the world, a thief would ply his trade only in the absence of people who might catch him red-handed. When great Mahaans were always after the Lord, how could he ever entertain even the thought of stealing? Especially, how could he hope to escape the watchful eyes of the eternally vigilant Nityasooris in Paramapadam? Paryaa vibhootyaa: Azhwaan seems to ask: “Also, only those in want might sometimes get such ideas as stealing. But, you are the Lord of all the worlds. How come, you thought fit to indulge in such a mean act?” dEvyaa Sriyaa: saha vasan: “In the world, when the wife comes to know that her husband is a thief she would feel very bad about it. Much worse, it would be a matter of utter shame for the husband. This being so, “Sri”, your wife is always with you and in your company (akalgillEn iraiyum enru alarmElmangai urai maarbaa). Are you not ashamed to go about stealing in the very presence of your own wife?” nava neetam: The word “nava” means both “fresh” and “nine”. The butter churned out in Gokulam was always fresh. But, how “nine” fits in? It is said that from the time milk is milked from the udder of the cow to the point when butter is churned out, the process undergoes nine different stages. In the Rahasya grantas, “Tattva navaneetam” and “Rahasya navaneetam”, Swami Desika identifies these nine stages. --\ ------------------- SLOKAM 36: Yam durgraham sumanasO manasaapi nityam Bandaschidam paramam eesamudaaharanti / Daamnaa nibaddha iti susruma tam bhavantam naaLam babhoovidha! Batha! slatanaaya tasya // “You are known to the wise and the divine celestials as “THE Supreme being, as THE one who is always beyond the comprehension of anyone, as THE one who alone can cut asunder the strong bonds of Karma, as THE one who is always in the company of ‘Sri”, as THE one who is unequalled unique leader – It is said that such a you appeared weak enough to be bound by a rope to a mortar and that you were not strong enough to free yourself from this bondage! How incredibly strange is your drama in this?” COMMENTS: Nityam durgraham: In Bhagavad Gita 7.25, the lord describes himself as “naaham prakaasa: sarvEshaamyOgamaayaa samaavrata:” and in 7.26 as “maam tu vEda na kaschana” meaning that he cannot be recognized by those who are shrouded in his yOgamaaya and none can know him fully. Badha chittam: The Maharshi vaakhyam that none can free oneself from the bondage by one’s own efforts has been reflected by Swami Desika in Sarvaartha Siddhi.” kaTTil irundu viDupaDa virumbubavan DamOdaranai dhyaanikkak kaDavan”- The one who desires to cut off the shackles of Samsaaram should meditate on DaamOdara. Daama means Rope and Udra means belly. Hence DaamOdara meaning “one whose belly was bound by a rope” Paramam: Parakaalan in his 10.6.6 refers to how the Lord’s Paratvam and Sulabhyam play all at the same time and says: “Look at the Lord who can free others from bondage is bound as punishment for having stolen butter” “kaaNmin! Inru aaychiyaraal aLai veNNai uNDu aappunDu irundavanE” Swami Nammaazhwaar’s famous quote “mathuru kaDai veNnai kalavinil uraliDai yaappuNdu ethiram uralinOdu iNaindu irundu yEngiya yeLivE’ should be remembered in this context. It may also be remembered that even at birth, it was the same Krishna who broke off the shackles from the feet of his father VasudEva. Now, he acts as if he cannot break off the rope shackle that his YasOda had wound around his belly warning him “Oh! Brat! Go, if you CAN get off the rope” “Yadi saknOshi gachcha tvam athi chanchala chEshTita” Azhwaan wonders at the good fortune of the mortar getting KrishNa tied to it. In Yaadhavaabhyudaya, Swami Desikan says: “nikhila bandha nivartaka sannidhou vigaLanam nigaLasya kin adbutam? / abaalisO baalisavat prajaanaam prakhyaapayan svaatmani paaratantryam/” Meaning: “You are the one who relieves the bondage of everyone. How strange that though the most powerful, you appeared as if you were so powerless even to get out of the feeble and brittle rope that your mother tied you with and you had to depend on her (paaratantryam) for this” And, “nyadarsayat visvapati: prajaanaam bandhE cah mOkshE cha nijam prabhutvam // Meaning: “You are the ultimate authority whether it is for binding or for unbinding (bandE cha mOkshE cha nijam prabhutvam)” --------- To Continue ========================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\ xxxxxxx ========================================================== 4. VILAKSHANA MOKSHADHIKARI NIRNAYAM OF SRI ERUMBIAPPA Part 18 (Anbil Ramaswamy) --\ ------------- STORY OF AJAMEELAN: You know the story of AjaameeLan. He was steeped in vice. During his lifetime, there was not a sin that he had not committed whereby he became eminently eligible for suffering in all the hells known in the scriptures. At the time of his death, he beckoned to his bedside his dear son calling him by the “given name, which happened to be “NaaraayaNa”. The Lord made that a case of “ajnaata sukritam”, a pretext to bestow his grace on AjaameeLan. Citing this, some argue that this shows how the Lord grants mOksha on the basis of a mere unintended good deed and therefore there is no harm in our being vile. All that is required to secure mOksham is to remember to do some small good like AjaameeLa. ANSWER: The mistake that people do is that they tear the incident out of context in support of their conclusions. If we read the story fully, we learn that the messengers of Narayana forbade the messengers of the Lord of death from taking AjaameeLa to the hells. AjaameeLa was pleasantly surprised at this turn of events, developed an intense Bhakti towards the Lord. It was so intense and instantaneous that the Lord excused his sins and granted him mOksham (SarvapaapEbhyO mOkshayishyaami). The story highlights the quality of mercy of the Lord. No doubt, it is said he is compassionate even to his enemies (ripooNaam api vatsala:) This does not mean that the jeeva is entitled to “nirhEtuka kripa” (Causeless mercy) despite all the time indulging in precisely those evil ways that lead to Bhagavad nigraham (displeasure of the Lord). The Jeeva has to behave consciously in accordance with its true innate nature of “Seshatva” to be worthy of such grace. Just because Kaakaasura who offended PiraaTTi was spared does not confer a right or license for us to commit apachaarams like Kaakaasura. If one acts in tune with “Atamswaroopam”, it will evoke the sympathy of the Lord. Even granting that the Lord showers his grace out of “nirankusa swaatantryam” (unbridled independence), we cannot expect to make a general rule and claim similar protection but we should by our devotion and conduct prove worthy of his grace. ANOTHER QUESTION: It is said that mobile and immobile (charaachara) in kOsala and gOkula reached the Heavens; that even a mud pot (DadhipaaNda) attained mOksha. Did they undergo any Pancha Samskaaras? Did they develop any “Achaarya abhimaanam”? Why should we be treated differently? Why insist on living with swaroopam which includes Pancha Samskaaras and Achaarya abhimaanam as pre-requisites for becoming eligible for mOksha”? ANSWER: These are instances to highlight the “Soulabhyam” of the Lord. The point to be noted is that while the instances cited relate to insentient things and less sentient beings. We as “human beings” bestowed with cognitive abilities to recognize our true swaroopa sEshatvam and therefore capable of greater sense of discipline and dedication, we should remember that Azhwaars who were aware of Lord’s “Soulabhyam”, were more interested in pleasing the Lord than in ‘procuring mOksham’ for themselves. Vide- “emmaa veeTTut tiramum seppam” TVM 2.9.1 “sirappil veeDU svarga narakam irappil yeiduga ueydarkka” TVM 2.9.5 by which they held the Lord dear and in turn were held dear by the Lord. So, if you desire to follow the path laid down by Poorva Achaaryas, do so. Do not go about trumpeting that you are following them while all the time twisting their srisooktis to suit your whims and fancies for indulging in despicable conduct. BHAYAM AND ABHAYAM In SrivachanabhooshaNam, it is mentioned that even if one were to be afraid of the “SarvEsawara” (almighty) one can be fearless on securing the blessings of the Achaarya. Some people attempt to misinterpret this Sri sookti to mean that if one were to secure the “Achaarya abhimaanam”, one can act in whatsoever manner irrespective of whether such conduct is in accordance with or against the disciplines enjoined in the scriptures. ANSWER: The real meaning of “fearlessness” with reference to “Achaarya nishTa” has to e understood in its context. It is intended as a kind of reassurance that the Achaarya could be trusted to correct the Sishya (tiruthip paNi koLvaan) to make him an object of Lord’s “kripa” and not of Lord’s “leela” and that the Sishya need not entertain any fear in this regard. Madurakavi who resorted to the feet of Nammaazhwaar did not go about sowing wild oats under an excuse that he had secured “Achaarya Sambandam” and therefore, was immune from fear and could live a despicable life denounced by the wise (saanrOr). ANOTHER QUESTION: There is nothing wrong even if Madurakavi had adopted such reprehensible mode of living. Did not Ananthaazhwaar instruct Namjeeyar - “Bathe when you perspire; Eat when hungry. It is enough if you remember to take refuge at the feet of BhaTTar” “vErthapOdu kuLithu pasithapOdu pusithu BhaTTar tiruvaDikalE saraNam enru iruppadE pOdum” ANSWER: We should understand the meaning of this instruction. It only means that one need not take one’s own efforts to attain “Bhagavad praapti” and self protection (SvarakshaNa pravritti) and surrender at the feet of Achaarya will do the needful. It DOES NOT prohibit Bhagavad, Bhaagavata kainkaryams or “Pratikulya nivritti” nor does it sanction “filling the belly” as the only objective in life. Why then did several great souls express fear even after securing “Achaarya KaTaaksham”? Once Emperumaanaar was doing “pravachanam” on VibheeshaNa SaraNaagati. PiLlai Urangaavilli daasar who was listening expressed his fear considering his own involvement in Samsaara. Emperumaanaar consoled him saying “Don’t fear. If I can get over Samsaaram and obtain mOksham, there is no reason why you should not?” Why was PiLLai Urangaavilli daasar afraid for himself or was he really afraid for himself? In fact, he had no fear whatsoever. When he saw before him the multitude of Samsaaris all around him, he was moved by empathy and he assumed on himself (yEriTTUkkoNDu) on their behalf and expressed “naichya anusantaanam”; not that he was afraid for himself. Similarly, AlaVandaar and others also have on occasions given expression to their sense of fear. It should be remembered that they do so for our sake. It is therefore, clear that even after securing “Achaarya KaTaaksham”, so long as one adheres to the strict code of conduct prescribed in the Saastras, one need not be afraid of elevation to Paramapadam. ------------------------------- To Continue ==================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ==================================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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