AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. May 06. Part 3)

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SrI:

SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrImate vedAnta rAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm nama:

SrI ra’ngarAmAnuja mahAdeSika divya pAdukAbhyAm nama:

 

AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. May 06. Part 3)

 

Translation of

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam in tamizh by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

 

As published in SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA by

SrI U.Ve. nATTEri kiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr (Editor of SrI ra’nganAtha

pAdukA)

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

 

 

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

SrI:

AcArya rAmAmRtam

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

 

What is said in those vedam-s? That is what rAmAyaNam says also. What is said

in the vedam-s?

 

prApyasya brahmaNo rUpam prAptu: ca pratyagAtmana:

prAptyupAyam phalam caiva tathA prApti virodhi ca

vadanti sakalA vedA: setihAsa purANakA: || (hArita samhitA)

 

- sakalA vedA:

 

poruL onRena ninRa pUmagaL nAthan avanaDi SErndu

aruL onRum anban avan koL upAyam amainda payan

maruL onRiya vinai valvila’ngu enRu ivai aindaRivAr

iruL onRilA vagai en manam tERa iyambinarE (rahasyatrya.

arthapa’ncaka. 11)

 

If you take the 4 vedams, they speak about only 5 essentials. Supposing one

writes a book for 500 pages, and takes it to the Hindu office and gives it to

be reviewed in the Sunday paper. Will all the 500 pages be reviewed? They will

read all the pages and will say: “Do you know what it speaks about? There are

only 5 important essentials that are pointed out” – that is how the review will

read. The four vedams together talk about only 5 essentials.

 

1. prApyasya barhmaNo rUpam – what is the tattvam we should attain?

2. prAptu: ca pratyagAtmana: who is the one who is attaining? What is his

svarUpam?

3. prAtyupAyam - what is the path to attain that paramAtmA? What is the

means?

4. phalam prApte: - what is the benefit in attaining that (paramAtmA)?

5. prApti virodhi ca – why have we not attained it so far? What is the enemy?

What are the impediments? We should know these.

 

These are the five things taught in the vedams. What is taught in a

not-easy-to-comprehend way in the 4 vedams is taught in an understandable way

in SrImad rAmAyaNam.

 

VedopabRhmaNArthAya tAvagrAyata prabhu:

 

Thus vedopabRhmaNam (explanation of the veda-s) is done in rAmAyaNam. It is

called “artha pa’ncakam”. This is an important rahasyam (secret) for SrI

vaishNava-s. This would not have been said publicly to all in the last

century. We are generously telling everybody it in this century. It is that

much of a secret. It used to be taught only when one finishes anushThAnams,

comes home, prostrates (before the teacher) with respect and seeks this

knowledge, in the old days. Nowadays, that does not exist.

 

There was a very learned person in my town. He was an adept in teaching “artha

pa’ncakam”; great expert. He had earned a name “There is no one who can

instruct like him; he explains artha pa’ncakam in a proficient way…in a very

nice way”. Someone wanted to learn from him. He wanted to do that one way or

the other. He went to kAvEri river to take a bath. There was a vegetable

market on the banks of kAvEri river (this was in kumbakONam). It was the

practice those days to buy the vegetables, go to the kAvEri river, take bath in

the river, wash the vegetables in kAvEri water, and then take them home. This

is because one should not use things bought in the market place in cooking,

without first washing them. svAmi deSikan says in AhAra niyamam “kaDaiyil

varum kaRi mudala kazhuvA vellAm”. If something comes from the store, it should

be washed before using for cooking. But, you cannot be washing the salt

(slight laughter in the audience). You should wash only things like

vegetables. It is enough if you just sprinkle water over salt, lentils etc. It

is said that vegetables must be washed, it is declared in AhAra niyamam. So,

he went to the vegetable market. That svAmi [who was an expert in artha

pa’ncakam] had also come there. The person who wanted to learn artha pa’ncakam

said, “svAmi, is it you! It is said that you explain artha pa’ncakam very

well! What is artha pa’ncakam? Tell me”. The svAmi said, “artha pa’ncakam’

means ten aNAs (ten units of money); artha pa’ncakam means five (paNam) units

of money. One paNam (unit) is 2 aNAs in my town. It is different in different

places. In SrIra’ngam, five units are equal to 12 and a half aNAs. In my town,

it is ten aNAs. artham means money. pa’ncakam means five. If you multiply, it

is ten units of money (pattu aNA). You multiply and see. In SrIra’ngam, it is

twelve and a half aNA-s”.

“What svAmi! Why are you talking like this? People say so many things [about

you]. Why are you responding like this? ”

svAmi said: “What else can I respond if you ask me in the market?”

 

The one who asked did not understand. Then, he went to the svAmi’s house,

prostrated before him and did kAlakshEpam with him and learned. It is such a

secret vishayam. The vedams talk about those 5 essentials. They apply to

everything else.

 

If one wants to attain salvation, one has to know these 5 facts. SrImad

rAmAyaNam teaches these. artha pa’ncakam applies to everything. A person

called his cook and said , ‘You have to cook tomorrow’.

 

1. prApyasya bRhmaNo rUpam – Cook asked what he should cook. One can say

‘sweet po’ngal, jilepi, tamarind rice, jA’ngiri etc. Okay; all right.

2. prApyasya pratyagAtmana: - We have to see if the cook knows how to cook the

said items; we have to look at his ‘nature’. This person might be a ‘cook’s

assistant’ who might have been given two rupees to draw water from the well for

cooking (laugher in the audience); if he is asked to make jA’ngiri, bAdAm halvA

etc, he will make bAdAm halvA like mOrkkaLi (buttermilk pudding) (laughter in

the audience). How can you say something to a person who does not know about

it? prAptu: ca prayagAtmana: - one should know about the prAptA – the one who

is sought.

3. prAptyupAyam – There is sweet po’ngal. If you want to ask a cook to make

bAdAm halvA, he should know the means for preparing that. He has to know how

to make it! For making halvA, the stove has to be burning with moderate heat.

It should not be too high. If the stove heat is too high, it will smell like

my town (Kumbakonam). You know what will happen in the end (laughter in the

audience) – only ‘kumba vAsanai’ [bad smell] will come. So, how should the

stove be? Not too high. How should you stir? You should keep stirring a lot.

All that should be known – prAptyupAyam.

4. phalam prApte: - What is the benefit if done in this way? The outcome will

be noticeable. It will be enjoyable [tasty]; it will be very good. A

wonderful experience is the result, right!

5. tathA prApti virodhi ca – What is the obstacle or impediment? If one says,

it does not come no matter how I try, what should you do? ‘You should not

leave the vessel on the stove and go away; you should not abstain from stirring

frequently. You should not be inattentive. Otherwise, the item will not come

out right. That is what is meant by ‘prApti virodhi ca’. Thus, everything has

5 elements.

 

Suppose you go to school to study, it has its artha pa’ncakam.

1. prApyasya bRhmaNo rUpam - [What is to be studied] If you ask someone what

he is studying, he has filled the application; finished P.U.C (pre-university

course); next he has to study Engineering - B.E (Batchelor of Engineering) is

prApya svarUpam. Something to be attained.

2. prAptu: ca pratyagAtmana: - [is the person qualified?] He submitted that

application. Who is he? prAptA. The jeevan who is submitting the application

has to look into his own svarUpam. He has “F” (Fail) marks in everything.

(audience laughs); One who gets “F” marks and applies for B.E., must know if

he is eligible for the study.

3. prAptyupAyam – [The means to get admission] He has to pass the entrance

examination if he wants to get admitted to B.E. What is the upAyam or means

for that? He has to study day and night. He would be given some instrument;

with that he has to draw some lines etc; things like that. He has to study;

studying is the means.

4. prApti virodhi ca – [Obstacles to attaining the goal] What is the obstacle

for this? He should not fall asleep during study time. He should not take

betel leaves and arica nut. He should not go to the movies. These are all

prApti virodhi.

5. phalam prApte: [benefis of attaining the goal] What should he do after

passing? He should put application in TVS. (audience has a hearty laughter – it

seems like the TVS official is in the audience, seated nearby; it looks like

they look at him and laugh again; AcAryar also laughs gently).

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End of May ‘06

 

To be continued………

 

 

 

 

 

 

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