[lecture-Announce] AshTa shlOki discourse this saturday (November 17)

[Guest guest]

SrImatE rAmAnujAya namaha

 

Dear bhagavathas,

 

We are honored and delighted to announce the next live upanyaAsam

(discourse) inTamil by Sri U Ve E S Bhoovarahachar Swamy on Sri ParAsara

BhaTTar's ashTa shlOki.

Sri Bhoovarahachar swamy's upanyasams have the uncanny ability to bring to

light abstruse shaastraarthams in a very elegent yet simple manner, and

everyone of you is strongly urged to dial in and partake of the divine

nectar of AzhwAr AchArya aruLiccheyals seamlessly laced into a discourse on

AshTashlOki.

 

AshTashlOki is considered to be one of the most insightful works of renowned

sri vaishNava Acharya, Sri parasara bhaTTar (PB), whose divine insights and

consummate mastery of the conceptual underpinnings of srI vaishNavam were

matched

only by his devotion to emberumAnAr and srI ranganAtha.

 

In AsTashlOki, swamy PB delineates the very essence of the thirumantram,

dvayam and charam shlOkam, in eight stanzas. The first four stanzas

describe the meanings expounded in the thirumantram, and the other four

provide an easy path to understanding the essence of dvayam and charama

shlOkam.

 

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Synopsis of previous upanyasam on 10/20/01 by Sri ES Bhoovarahachar swamy

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In his wonderful upanyasam of 10/20/01, Sri Bhoovarahachar swamy focussed

attention on the fourth shlOkam of AshTa shlOki:

 

dEhAsaktAtma buddhi: yadi bhavathi padam saadhu vidyAth thrutheeyam

swAthanthryAndhO yadi syAth prathamam ithara sEshatvat dhee: chEth dviteeyam

AtmatrANOnmukhaha chEth nama ithi cha padam bhandhava bhAsalOlaha

shabdham nArAyaNAkhyam vishaya cha phala dhee: chEth chathurtheem prapannaha

 

In his previous upanyasams, Sri Bhoovarahachar swamy described how the

esoteric essence of thirumantram is succinctly captured in the first three

stanzas of AshTashlOki. The fourth shlOkam, Sri swamy explained,

highlights the pitfalls one should avoid, even when one has been exposed to

the thirumanthram; errors that can be easily avoided by going back to the

essence of the thirumanthram.

 

The first pitfall is the false notion that the body (dEham) and soul (Atma)

are one and the same; If such a notion exists, it is negated by third

syllable of the praNavam (makAram), which separates the sentient jeevatma

(chith tattvam) as different from, superior with respect to, all the achith

tattvams (that insentient matter represents).

 

The second pitfall is a sense of free agency (swAthanthyAndhaha) that we may

develop, a blindness stemming from a false notion of independence that will

act to prevent us from gaining the requisite gnyAnam to reach paramAtma.

Sri PB tells us that to prevent such a state of blindness (ignorance of our

real swarooopam), we have to focus on the first syllable of praNavam

(akAram) to realize that it is srImannArAyaNA that is both the support and

the kAraNam, that all of chith and achith exists in Him and because of Him.

That we are the dependent element (sEsha) and He alone is the Independent

One (sarva swathanthran).

 

Even when we realize our sense of dependence, it is critical to realize that

such dependence is only towards srImannArAyaNA (and not anybody, god,

demi-god or being, or anything else). ithara sEshatvam (dependence on

something else) is clearly negated when we realize the meaning of the middle

syllable in the praNavam (u'kAram) that enjoins exclusivity with respect to

the jeevAtma paramAtma relationship, that we are sEsha (subjects, belonging

to) only to srImannArAyaNA, that He alone is the sEshi (owner).

 

The 'namaha' shabdam in thirumantram eliminates another source of conceptual

error, the notion of swashEshatvam (AtmathrANOnmukhaha), and firmly

entrenches the idea that we exist only to serve srImannArAyaNA, neither our

selves nor any one else, that we should fully embrace pArathanthryam only

with respect to srImannArAyaNA in every mode of our existence.

 

The word nArayaNa in the thirumantram reinforces the idea that He alone is

our real bandhu, that He is our true friend, guide, master, destination.

The term Aya (which is the fourth one in thirumantram) delineates the true

purushArtham, goal, for a prapanna, a goal consistent with our swaroopam, is

to seek service at his lotus feet as the only and the ultimate reward.

 

Sri Bhoovarahachar swamy, whose endearing style of delivery is marked by the

ability to simplify, communicate, difficult to comprehend tattvArthams

(familiar to all those who have

dialled into the previous upanyasams) will continue the discourse series

with the fifth shlOkam of ashTa shlOki

 

TOPIC: Sri Parasara BhaTTar's AshTa shlOki

DATE: November 17, 2001 (SATURDAY MORNING)

TIME: 9:00 AM CST/7:00 AM PST

Suggested donation: $10 per family

(http://www.radioramanuja.com/lectures.htm)

LANGUAGE: Tamil

 

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Conference number: 1-405-244-5555

Access code: 1533# (Please enter # after the 4 digit number)

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AzhwAr emberumAnAr Jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

 

sridhar srinivasan

(pataps)

 

 

 

 

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