Vysaraja , the great Vaishnava Saint

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Hare Krishna,

The idols and other articles which are used in worship should not be treated as mere insentient objects. They breathe life and are capable of exuding spiritual power and enable us to face our worldly problems. While many conduct various types of Pujas to idols with forms (Vigrahas), others use a precious stone-like object of different shapes called the ``Salagramam'' which are gathered from the Gantaki river in Nepal. They are precious and Krishna is presumed to be present in them. Hindu scriptures explain how they have come to be venerated. They are to be handled with care.

A saint demonstrated the inherent power in them by placing two of these round forms of Krishna on a devotee's eyes, who had lost her vision. The saint was worshipping it daily and hence this form had its spiritual powers enriched and she regained sight. This luminary was Sri Vyasaraja who was known as the ``defender of faith'' and was the patron-saint of the famed ruler, Krishandevaraya.

Devotion towards Krishna is not a mere emotional expression of one's dependence on Him. Saint Vyasaraja, who propagated Sri Madhwacharya's ``Dwaita'' doctrine, has explained how this philosophy of activism clicked well with modern ``humanism''. Taking up the Bhagavad Gita, he said that Arjuna, who represented man, failed to do his duty in an hour of crisis. He entertained pacifism to hide his idleness. Through him all the human beings are asked never to rest, not to become weaklings but fight evil in its face courageously. ``Life is a battle and there is no standing still.''

As the spiritual adviser of Krishnadevaraya, the saint once realised that a particular conjunction of planets would lead to the death of the king and so volunteered to face it by temporarily positioning himself on the throne. The saint made the assembly witness the spectre of death in the form of a snake and drove it away by tossing his saffron robe. This event made him ``Vyasaraja'' . The moment the danger was warded off, the saint vacated the throne, displaying extreme detachment towards material gains.

Another sterling proof of his greatness was that when the King of Chandragiri offered him the happy assignment of doing Aradhana to the Lord of Tirumala (Tirupathi), he did it for 12 years. His hymn on the Lord describes the grandeur of the idol. It was an opportunity which he could have utilised for his Math but he handed over the Puja rights to the son of a priest. Based on Madhwa's teachings, the saint installed 732 idols all over India, the first at Hampi and another at Badrinath .

Please Chant:Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareAnd Be Happy.

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