Bhakti & Prapatti- A prelude

[Guest guest]

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

 

Dear bhaktAs,

An attempt in the line of our pUrvAchAryAs' works. If you

feel that I'm deviating from the original ideas of our

AchAryAs,please feel free to correct me then and there. Now comes the

emphasis.

 

Srirangam AchAryAs: are those who give primary importance to the

interpretation of the AzhwArs hymns and rahasyAs,epics,purANAs than

the dictums of the sAstrA

 

MaNavALa mAmunigaL(AD 1370-1443)identifies himself with the AchAryAs

of Srirangam.

 

KAnchi AchAryAs: are those who give emphasis on the samskrt heritage

of the vEdAntA and sAstrA and defending visistAdvaita

 

VEdAnta Desika(AD 1270-1369)identifies himself with the AchAryAs of

kAnchi

 

Before I go to Sri MM,I will briefly say how Sri Desika views:

 

Sri Desika sees bhaktiyOgA and prapatti as alternative

means to the same goal,equally sanctioned by the Lord in the

scripture and enjoined upon two mutually exclusive groups of

individuals. Those having the specified qualifications of

birth,knowledge,ability and patience are commanded by the sAstrAs to

perform bhaktiyOgA. Only those who are akincana and ananyagati due to

their disqualification of bhaktiyOgA, are eligible to perform

prapatti.

I will come back to this point later wrt arjuna(kshatriya,fit to

perform bhaktiyOgA),Lord and carama slOkam in a separate post.

 

For Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL,bhaktiyOgA is to be relinquished

upon realizing the higher truth of the svarUpayathAtmya,that is, the

soul's utter dependence on the Lord. BhaktiyOgA and the sAstric

dharmAs,demanding self-effort and self-purpose,operate only at the

level of svarUpa. They are considered as inferior means and although

they have provisional validity leading to prapatti,they are

ultimately contrary to the soul's true nature of dependence. MM in

his commentary on SVB,says that the difference between the followers

of Tirumantra who have ceased their own efforts by surrendering to

the Lord and the followers of sAstrA who practise bhaktiyOgA by their

own efforts is due to "their different proportions of svarUpajnyAna"

PiLLAn says that other upAyAs are mixed with egoism like holy water

in a pure gold pot mixed with a drop of liquor.

 

MM explains that bhakti itself,pure devotion to the Lord,is

not contrary to the soul's nature. Only when it is practised out of

egoism,with self-effort aimed at one's own salvation(remember Lord's

words in BG:one must abandon the idea that the self can do anything

for its salvation) that it is objectionable to those who know the

soul's true dependence.

 

In nutshell:prapatti is not an act but a mental state of realizing

the soul's true nature and the "cessation of efforts". Unless or

otherwise specified explicitly,the views expressed belong to

Srirangam AchAryAs. We will see things in detail in subsequent mails

and bear with me if I tend to go back and forth to RAmAnujA and his

SB and GB(I would like to quote certain things).

 

Please feel free to correct if I sounded wrong in my expressions.

 

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam

nappinnai