Continuation of Acharyas Qa session

[Guest guest]

Q&A with students at University Of Illinois at Chicago . – Summer 2000

=================================================

Continuation with Topic: Acharyas & Spiritual Knowledge? (Read that Q&A first)

=================================================

=================================================

Question: There are many gurus and teachers who offer a means to

God-realization. Are their teachings received through a lineage that comes from

God? If so, can I have one of them as my Acharya?

=================================================

Answer: While the present day culture of India offers us a number of gurus and

so-called “god-men”, virtually none of them followed a formal lineage of

scholars who can prove that they hail from Sriman Narayana. While some of them

may have a learned a few things from their own gurus, most of their teachings

were left from them to infer on their own. Consequently, you will find that many

of their teachings will be filled with contradictions and sometimes, may have

radical concepts that are not considered valid by those who have studied the

Vedas under a qualified Acharya. The message of a valid Acharya will always be

clear and concise, and very much in accordance with the parampara.

 

"LaksmiNatha Samarambham, Natha Yamuna Madhyamam AsmadAcharya Paryantam Vande

Guruparamparam "

 

===========================================================

Question: So, can we say that these gurus who cannot claim a proper lineage are

“fake” Acharyas.

===========================================================

Answer: All we can say is we that these specific gurus are not recognized to

part of our Acharya parmpara.

 

======================================================

Question: How do you know whether a guru is authentic or not?

===========================================================

Answer: For this day and age, the key measuring gauge is Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja

himself. If a teacher can show that he is linked through a direct line of

teachers to Ramanuja, and can prove that what he teaches is only what Ramanuja

has taught, then that individual can be accepted as a bonafide teacher.

 

===========================================================

Question: Some gurus are known for their wondrous miracles, such as being able

to magically appear and disappear in locations far away from where they actually

are, can produce objects at will, having sacred ash or elixir emanate from their

photos on the other end of the world, etc. How do we explain these phenomena?

=================================================

Answer:

Some of the gurus of the day have gained siddhis, or powers to control nature,

through their good deeds and penance of previous lives. The ability to acquire

such siddhis is known to be part of the Vedas. But, our Acharyas teach us that

these siddhis are regarded to be very dangerous, since the meditation required

to acquire and maintain them requires tremendous physical and mental control;

and could prove harmful to the person having these siddhis and the as well as

those that they use them on, if not performed properly.

 

Besides, all these powers belong only to this world, and really cannot save us

from the endless cycle of birth and re-birth. The only One who can save us is

Sriman Narayana. Consequently, instead of seeking miracles and miracle-workers,

we should seek out the wisdom of a qualifed teacher who can not only help us

make our life in this world better for ourselves and all those in our lives, but

can also connect us to the Only Being in this Universe who can provide us with

the Ultimate Miracle, Salvation.

 

Bhagawath Gita: 4: 2

evam parampara-prAptam imAm rAjarsayo viduhu sa kAleneha mahatA yogo naStaH

parantapa

"The Real Knowledge, was this received via a disciplinic succession (lineage of

Acharyas).....

 

A bonafide Acharya does not change the Real Science, or alter it, He revels it

AS it is. All the Ramanuja Jeeyar and Acharyas Swamis are in this disciplinic

succession. There are about 14 or so Jeeyars and about 74 or so Acharya Purusha

lineages currently following this tradition and imparting the true message from

LORD.

 

=================================================

Question: You mentioned Acharya is Like god, is there any proof for this. (or is

it just a feeling)

=================================================

Answer: Acharya to be treated as Lord Himself. In Srimad Bhagawatham 11.17.26

AchAryam mAm vijAniyAn nAvamanyeta karchit na martya-buddhyAsUyeta

sarva-devamayo guruh "One should understand the Acharya to be as Me, Never think

of Acharya as a ordinary man. because HE is sum total of all the devas"

 

Acharya is identified with GOD himself. He has the capacity to deliver us,

fallen souls to the LORD and help us acheive the purpose of life.

 

Please note that the intitated devotees, treat Acharya as GOD Himself, but a

Acharya never calls himself GOD. He is pained to see suffering of all being and

wants help them in every way in this life & also to attain Moksha.

 

=================================================

Question: How do we know one Acharya is in the lineage Started by GOD ? Is the

RamanujaSampradaaya the only one started by GOD, or are there any other ones?

=================================================

Answer: We know that all Vaishnava sampradAyas make a consistent effort to

maintain the continuity of the Wisdom that has been brought to us by Sriman

Narayana. Therefore, all of them have a parampara of teachers that finds its

teachings in God. However, among all of them, the Ramanuja Sampradaya is the

only one where there have been no dilutions or contradictions. The unbroken

chain of wisdom remains as lucid today, as it was at the time of Ramanuja, as it

was when the Lord first revealed it to Sri. Consequently, even scholars who do

not follow the faith recognize it to be complete and irrefutable.

 

=================================================

Questions: All that is sought in spiritual knowledge is Chit, Achit & Ishwara,

or is there more.

=================================================

Answer: There is so much more, but all that this knowledge does to us is, make

us realize the purpose of our life and helps us understand NOT to block his

grace with our ego and then helps us get there (Moksha), with HIS Grace.

 

Other important things only a qualified Acharya can teach you Mumukshupadi,

TatvaTrayam, SriVachanbhushanam, Bhagawad Vishayam and Artha Panchaka.

 

I will give some details here to give you an idea: Mumukshupadi covers

 

Thirumantram (Aum Namo Narayanaya)

 

Dwayam (Sriman Narayana Charanau Saranam Prapadye, Srimathe Narayanaya Nama:)

 

Charama Slokam (Sarva Dharaman Parityajya Maam Ekam Saranam Vraja ! Aham Tva

Sarva papebyo Mokshyishyami Ma Sucha: !!)

 

 

 

Artha Panchakam covers:

 

1. Who am I; 2. Who is God ;3. How can one Achieve the purpose of Live(Moksha) ;

4. What are the obstacles to this ; 5. How to overcome these obstacles. ;

 

To learn the answers to these questions you need a bonafide Acharya. Just

reading a book will not help. Artha Panchaka is just an example, there is so so

smuch of Real Education we need to get.

 

=========================================

Question: Why you say just reading from a book is not enough? why do you need

the acharya to teach ?

=========================================

Answer Material Science can be read from a book, and you can go to a Metirial

School and learn even become a Nobel Prize winner, but in your next life you do

not know what you will be.

 

You are back to Square One.

 

What use is this education in the long run for the Atma, when you are being born

again and again in the BhuLoka. For the real purpose of life we seek Spiritual

Education.

 

We can read the Mula Granthas (original texts, like Bhgawath Gita, Vedas, Dhivya

Prabhandas etc) from books tapes, cds etc. but to understand the meanings we

need a Bonafide Acharya. Because of our imperfect perceptions, we cannot

undertand the text as it is meant to be, but RamanujAcharyas because of passing

down the knowledge as taught by the lord, give us the correct interpretations

and attitude.

 

In the absence of proper disciplinary training through a Bonafide Acharya, we

(the fallen souls) are sure to err in some form or the other.

 

In the Padma Purana it is said "sampradAya-vihIna ye mantras te nisphalA mataH"

Unless intiated by a bonafide spiritual master, the mantras you receive is

without any effect."

 

In Mumukshupadi (A Rahasya Grantha by Pillai Lokacharya), it says:

 

For the Mantra to take effect, 1. One has to be intitiated by a qualified

acharya, 2. Have faith in the Mantra 3. and utmost respect and regard in the

Acharya who taught us the Mantra.

 

=========================================

Question: I still do not understand why we cannot read this from a book or Tape

or CD. Why do we need to only get this from a Acharya?

=========================================

Answer: Dear Devotees: Our knowledge is tooo imperfect, poor and inconsistent,

Our senses are so imperfect and our abilities to understand are so limited, that

it is not possible for us to have any way or means to realize the purpose of

life. We should surrender ourselves (it is a one time act, once we actually

surrender, we stop obstructing HIS grace) to the lotus feet of Bhagawath

Ramanuja & his Representative (Bonafide Acharya).

 

Bhagawath Gita (4:34) tad viddhi pranipathena pariprasnena sevaya.......

 

We are so so so very blessed to have "RAMANUJA Acharyas" who grace us by

accepting to save us from this karmic cycle of Life and death.

 

We have RamanujaAcharyas teach us all the way from India , over a telephone

bridge, This type of accessibility to an Acharya and the oppurtunity to learn

from him comes only to a very very blessed selected souls.

 

We have Bhagawad Githa, Upanishads, Veda Saram, Bhagawad Vishayam, Sri Bhashyam,

Mumukshupadi and much much more being taught to us by qualified acharyas

directly from India . We are so blessed, and should not resist the grace of the

Lord that flows via these acharyas to us. See handout for various discourses

offerred over tele-bridge from India .

 

These answers are getting very very long and detailed, but it seems that there

are many more hands up on the air, and more questions are to follow, please let

us continue this in the next session.

 

We have gone beyond out time here. These questions are very valid and we are

very happy if these discussions lead to a interest in the Guruparampara and Sri

Vaishnava Sampradaya, more importantly if students at UIC and other friends who

have not been intitiated yet, learn more and get intiated and start the soul's

destined journey to Moksha.