Gadya Thrayam - Introduction, purport and its commentaries.

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Sri:

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMA:

 

Humble pranam to all Devotees.

 

The Saranagati gadyam is the first of three compositions of SrI Ramanuja in

Sanskrit prose. The three prose pieces (Gadyas) are expressions of the inner

experiences of the great Acharya and are to be ranked with the mystic poetry of

our Azhvars.

 

The Saranagati gadyam is actually a conversation between SrI Ramanuja, SrI

RanganAtha and His consort, srI ranganAyaki, and is a live exposition of the

doctrine of prapatti – surrender at the feet of srI Ranganatha.

 

On a Panguni Uttiram day in Sri Rangam, while Lord RanganAtha sat in court with

His consort on His divine throne, SrI Ramanuja stood before them, surrendered

himself and all his belongings to the divine and begged that all his earthly

sins be pardoned and that he be accepted in the service of the divine couple. He

got so accepted, with additional assurance that all his spiritual protégés would

be accorded what was assured to him.

 

Thus, the assurance of acceptance was not in isolation to swami Ramanuja alone,

but to all his spiritual progeny. It is on behalf of all humanity that Ramanuja

pleaded and we, as his spiritual heirs, can feel assured of the Lord’s grace.

 

 

The SaraNAgati Gadya is a forceful commentary of the mantra ratna

(the gem amongst mantras), the dvaya mahA mantram.

 

The shorter SrIranga gadyam is an abridged version of the SaraNAgati gadyam and

is directly addressed to swami rAmAnuja’s personal god - mamanAtha! (my master)

SrIranganAtha! The vaikunTha gadyam expresses the yearning of our jagadAchArya

to reach SrI VaikunTha, the supreme abode of Vishnu and serve the Lord and His

Consort. It recalls in spirit the last decades of the ThiruvAimozhi of our

kulapathi, swami Nammazhvar.

 

The language of the Gadyas is nectarine. A recitation of these is bound to

please the Lord as much it stirs and satisfies the reciter. The Lord is bound to

grant our prayer, however sinful we may be, remembering the assurance He gave to

the great Master.

 

The three Gadyas have been commented upon by several of our Acharyas. Some of

these commentaries are lost to us. The ones that are accessible to us are,

 

• The maNipravAla commentary of swami PeriyAvAchchAn PiLLai,

• The brief Sanskrit commentary of sudarsana bhattar and

• The gadya bhAsya of swami VedAnta DeSikA