the glories of the Acarya

[Guest guest]

Pamho. AGTSP.

For me this story was very instructive how we should not get puffed up by

our devotional service and try to advance independent of Srila Prabhupada.

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DIRECTOR OF THE NON-DIRECT ROUTES TOO

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Ezisai Empiran was a great lutanist. His lute could lure & mesmerize

anyone. The listeners were enthralled by the magic of his lute & the

sweet tunes & lost all sense of time. Ezhisai Empiran was a great

devotee of Lord Sampathkumar of Thirunarayanapuram. The Hoysala King,

the Chola Emperor ? all wanted to have him as their royal lutanist.

But he would be lured by their generous offers. He wanted to serve

the Lord at Thirunarayanapuram, renouncing all his wealth that his

talent bought to him. This lutanist settled in Thirunarayanpuram. He

sat long hours sitting near the feet of Lord Sampathkumar & singing

His praise. Lute was & is considered a chamber music. When Ezhisai

Empiran started tuning the lute, the whole temple became silent

expectantly & only the sonorous sound of the lute could be heard for

hours.

 

Ezhisai Empiran's music was so soulful that he often became one with

his inner-self & that his rendition was a yoga in itself ? Bhakthi

Yoga. For, he would meditate upon the Lord all the time, the music he

created with such dedication forming a sort of background for the

meditation. He came to feel, with the passage of time that the Lord

was conversing with him when he experienced such musical ecstasy.

 

Indeed the Lord was immensely pleased with his performance with the

lute. Of a day, at the end of the music session, Lord Sampathkumar in

His statue form would nod in appreciation of his music & often would

demand encore.

 

Ezhisai Empiran would be thrilled. He played on the lute with utmost

devotion to the Lord & the Lord in His grace, condescended to

reciprocate.

 

It was the time when Sri Ramanuja had come down to

Thrirunarayanapuram from Srirangam. Thirunarayanapuram was the

western fort for Sri Vaishnavism & was fondly referred to by Sri

Ramanuja as Melakotta.

 

Ramanuja used to visit the temple with all his disciples of a day &

worshipped the Lord. Whenever Ezhisai Empiran was playing on his lute

at the temple, Sri Ramanuja took care to see that Empiran was not

disturbed.

 

One of the festival days, Ezhisai was so engrossed in his music that

he did not stop for hours. Ramanuja waited till he stopped & then

only arranged for the festival. Ramanuja gave due importance &

consideration to the lutanist. But gradually the lutanist was gripped

in the clutches of ego. Ezhisai came to think that he had no equals,

as he was the Lord's lutanist. His respect for Ramanuja also

dwindled. He expected that even Ramanuja should bow to him & started

treating him with scant regard.

 

Ramanuja, ofcourse, was not at all affected by his odd behaviour. He

used to visit the temple as always & treated Ezhisai with

consideration & regard. He would greet Ezhisai whenever he saw him.

But the lutanist stopped reciprocating. "Why should I care for this

Sanyasin when the Lord himself loves my music?" he began saying. Well-

wishers tried to correct him. They told him that only with the help

of an Acharya one could hope to have emancipation & he should

therefore pay due respects to Ramanuja. "I do not need anyone to

guide me for my emancipation. Even your Ramanuja has written that

Bhakthi, i.e, meditation on His virtues, is the means to reach Him.

My lute aids my concentration & what I perform is nothing short of

Bhakthi yoga. When even the Lord nods in appreciation of my music,

why should I worry abpout my reaching Him?" Thus, he gradually became

arrogant. He even went to the extent of ignoring the great Ramanuja.

This wounded the feelings of the devotees rather deeply. They all

wanted that Ramanuja should do something to prevent Ezhisai Empiran

from committing Bhagwata apachara. Ramanuja smiled on them &

said, "The Lord's will be done?"

 

"But, Swamy?" said Vatuka Nambikal, a close disciple of Ramanuja, "We

are not able to silently watch it, while he insults you. You are our

God & we cannot see our God being insulted. If you will not bring

this lutanist to his senses, our hearts will further sink into grief

& that will not be to the good of his soul?"

 

"Vatuka," said Ramanuja. "Kindly do not say such things. We should

guide people to the right path & not curse them."

 

"But Swamy! We are incapable of making him see reason without your

stepping in with your grace?"

 

Ramanuja looked at Vatuka & others with a serene smile on his

lips. "What shall we do about this, Azhwan?" he asked of Varadavishnu

alias Nadadoor Azhwan.

 

"Varadavishnu!" cried Ramanuja "You have shown me the way by

reminding me of Tirukkachi Nambikal. Let us try this?" He turned to

Vatuka. "Vatuka, please go to Ezhisai Empiran's residence immediately

& request him to get my doubt clarified from the Lord, who converses

with him freely. Like our saintly Thirukkachi Nambikal, he can also

guide me, you see!"

 

"What?!" said the surprised Vatuka. "He is already so full of ego &

conceit. Any such request from you will pour oil on the flames of his

pride."

 

"Please wait & see." said Ramanuja. "Varadavishnu & Dasarathi, he

said, addressing his nephews, "Iam hoping to bring Ezhisai back to

his old humble self & need your help. Varadavishnu, you have assisted

me in my logical analysis of Vedanta & I am sure you have guessed my

line of thinking. Kindly go to Ezhisai's house with Vatuka & request

him to get clarification of my doubt. I want to know if I would get

salvation on shedding my mortal coil. Let him ask this of the Lord

Sampathkumar when the Lord speaks to him today."

 

Nadadoor Azhwan, Vatuka Nambi, Mudali Andan & all leading disciples

of Ramanuja went to Ezhisai's house on the mission.

Ezhisai's feeling that he was greater than Ramanuja further

strengthened at their request. Nevertheless, he agreed to get the

doubt clarified.

 

At the conclusion of his recital with the lute, he looked up at Lord

Sampathkumar.

 

"Do you want to ask something of me, Ezhisai?" asked Lord

Sampathkumar with a smile.

 

"Swamy! this Ramanuja ? a great philosopher & devotee of yours, has

been pestering me to know from you?a doubt he has?"

 

"What happened to him? He is the great author of Sree Bhashya; does

he have doubts too?

 

"Yes, my Lord!" says Ezhisai. "He wanted to know about it from you,

through me?"

 

"Oh!" exclaimed Lord Sampathkumar. "Is that his doubt? You can tell

him that I escalate anyone connected with him properly to

emancipation. He need not have any doubts about his Moksha?"

 

Ezhisai returned home, sent for Vatuka & Nadadoor Azhwan ? his ego

would not permit him to go to Sri Ramanuja's mutt himself & convey

the message. "You Ramanuja & none of you, his disciples need worry.

The Lord is ready to carry all connected properly with Ramanuja, on

His shoulders to Vaikunta."

 

Ramanuja was informed of this. "Now," he said. "The second doubt. Let

him get clarification for this" He looked at Nadadoor Azhwan: "What

shall be the doubt Varadavishnu?"

 

"Will Ezhisai get salvation? Will he have entry at Vaikunta at the

end of this birth?" said Azhwan. Ramanuja smiled in agreement.

 

The three disciples went to Ezhisai again. "Empiran," they

said, "Ramanuja wants you to get clarifications to whether you will

get emancipation at your shedding this body."

 

"But I have no doubt about it. Your preceptor had doubts about

himself. When the Lord is dancing to my tunes, why should I have any

doubts about this?"

 

"Sure," smiled Nadadoor Azhwan. "We are logicians. We love inference

& guesswork. Yet, on a point like this, a confirmation from the Lord

himself will satisfy us. Why don't you ask? It may give you some

topic to discuss with the Lord?"

 

Ezhisai went to the temple. Nadadoor Azhwan's smile & the way he

spoke to him gave him food for thought. He decided to ask the Lord

after all.

 

"Lord! What about my salvation? Do I get it at my shedding this

body?" he asked.

 

"I have answered this yesterday?" said the Lord.

 

"But?"

 

"Yes! My royal lutanist, giving salvation is a thing I have left in

the hands of Ramanuja. Unless one is properly connected with & is

recommended by him, this escalator, i.e; I cannot carry one to

Vaikunta?"

 

"But?" stammered Ezhisai, "but you appeared to be dancing to my

tunes?"

 

"You played on the lute?I danced to the music. But salvation is

something which only Ramanuja controls?"

 

"But me?"

 

"I relish your music. I dance to the tunes played on your lute. But

salvation is different altogether?don't mix them up?"

 

At this, Ezhisai, out of sudden disgust, Ezhisai was about to throw

the lute; when Ramanuja, entering the temple just then, grabbed the

instrument & looked at Ezhisai with all grace & kindness."

 

"My child! Ezhisai, do not be upset?"

 

His look & smile were all too consoling. Ezhisai fell at his feet &

said, "Emperumanar! Only now I understand your greatness."

 

Ezhisai became Ramanuja dasa, had Samasrayanam & performed Saranagati

at Sampathkumar's feet through Ramanuja.

 

There are two morals to be had from this anecdote. One, is that the

Lord gives Moksha to all those having positive connection with their

preceptors.

 

The other one is that, to attain salvation, there are many routes

like Karma Yoga, Gnana Yoga etc. but they are long & indirect routes.

They ultimately end up in Bhakthi Yoga which takes you to Him. Thus

it is the direct route to reach Him. There is also a shorter route

called "Prapatti." Even to complete Bhakthi Yoga, one needs to do

Prappathi. Thus `prapatti' can be a direct as well as indirect route

to get to Him. One will ofcourse be guided by the Lord whichever

course one takes. Ezhisai Empiran however chose the indirect route of

service through the lute to reach Him. The Lord made him arrogant,

but he ultimately got Ramanuja's grace. Thus, He guided & gave him

Moksha. In some cases, He lets one complete the journey in his chose

non-direct routes to reach Him. Thus, He guides those seekers using

even the non-direct routes to reach Him. Hence He is called Director

for the non-direct routes too. Have you not heard the name "Yogavidam

netre?" in Vishnusahasranama?the name precisely means this only.