reflections on Azhi mazhai kanna pasuram

[Guest guest]

For most of you, this post is irrelevant. But please read on, if only

for an 'eye-opener' on the depravity into which some of us in your

kulam have sunk).

 

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Respected members of the Ramanuja List,

 

Many thanks for the excellent Azhi Mazhai Kanna post from the erudite

Vanamamalai Padmanabhan swamy. We do well to place the general-

managers of our universe in their proper perspective.

 

Moreover, the vyakyanam's stress on the folly of worshiping minor

gods made me realise that some of us have a related problem. We have

replaced deva worship with an alternative infidelity. Like Trshanku,

we have substituted the traditional deities for our own perverted

kingdom of gods. Therein, we don't worship Kubera, we worship our

Rupees; we don't worship Kamadeva, we just surrender to our own

Lusts; we don't worship Saraswati, we just exalt in our own Intellect

(try to show how clever we are whenever we get half a chance). There

is a Gujarati saying that pretty well sums up our problem:

 

Paisa maro Parameswar

Bairi mari Guru

Dikro maro Shaligram

Tho kohni puja karu?

 

"Money is my God, my wife is my Supreme authority, my children are my

deities; You tell me whose devotee i am?"

 

Worst of all, we seem more concerned about what the society might

think of our religious piety than the hardening of our once tender

heart. We are in a far worse state than those who don't know their

Agni from their Ayyappa [1].

 

Please pray for those like me. As Srivaisnavas, you have not only the

devas but Sriman Narayana Himself at your beck-and-call. It is only

His Grace that can save us from ourselves.

 

Your servant, S. Ramanujadasan

 

Notes:

 

[1] Most people worship either vedic (e.g. Agni) or non-vedic (e.g.

Ayyappa) gods because they have not yet been blessed with an Acaryan

who has given them the knowledge of the Supremacy of SrimanNarayan.

These poor people innocently worship all sorts of gods, not really

knowing one from the other, i.e. "Agni from their Ayappa".

 

But then, at least those who worship minor gods have a spirit of

sheshatva (though it is misguided). In time, association with the

teachings of our Purvacharyas might well turn those misguided souls

towards the correct perspective.

 

Now contrast these deva worshipers with someone who already knows

Sriman Narayana is Supreme, yet who continues to serve himself - that

incorrigible person is worse than a naive follower of one deva or the

other.

 

(learned members: please take time to correct me if i am wrong on

this, or any other, point).