Prapanna Parijatham

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Adiyen dasasya vignaapanam. This may kindly be read alongwith Shri RR Swamin's most elaborate in-depth write-ups on Prapatti . The following portion is an extract of chapter IX of "Prapanna Parijatham" by Nadaathur Ammal. This is an English translation of the Grantham by Uththamoor Swami. which I could get from a Triplicane old books vendor.

dasan,

T.Raguveeradayal

 

PRAPANNA PARIJATHAM

 

CHAPTER IX

 

 

On the Karmas that ought to be Renounced

 

1. Of the worldly and Vedic Karmas those that ought to be renounced by the Prapannas are here described. One shall always shun what is incongruent with one’s own status, place and time.

2. What is particularly mentioned by Manu and others as contrary to caste and order of life and what is said in the one Pancharatra-sastra as inconsistent with one’s own duty shall not perform.

3-4. The reverential going from left to right, keeping the object of circumambulation to the right, round a place where the four roads meet, a tree, an auspicious object and such other acts which are destructive of sins to men, all those acts that are sanctioned by the general sastras but are contrary to the special ones, and the karmas yielding the enjoyments of both the worlds i.e. performed for some particular worldly object and future fruition (kamya), all these prince of men devoted to one object only (Paramekanti) shall not do, as also wearing marks and other tokens which are prescribed in the general sastras but are contrary (to the practices of a Vaishnava)

5. Singing, dancing etc., which are enjoined by the special Agama-sastra- all these shall a Vaishnava do. Yama and Sounaka have thus declared :

6. “O the purest of men! except the singing of God, no other song of word should be sung by a Brahmin. Therefore (if other songs are sung) sin has been committed by you.”

7. Singing of Vishnu, composing songs on Him and dancing, O Brahmin! ought to be specially done by those born of the Brahmin caste, like the obligatory karmas (Nitya Karma.)

8. The birds of great sins which inhabit the bodies of men who dance in the presence of God are scared away by the clapping of hands etc.,

9. A Vaishnava shall not give up the mark of the disc of Vishnu and such other tokens which are mentioned in the special sastras, on account of the superiority of a special rule.

10-11. Owing to sparseness of followers in the world, owing to the quality of being an easy means, from the weightiness of the result and also from construing otherwise the authorities (for prapatti) with the help of specious reasoning, some disregard the expediency of Prapatti for the accomplishment of freedom.

12. They who are wicked and foolish, are deemed the vilest of men. Robbed of their knowledge by Maya (Illusion) they have be taken themselves to demoniac nature.

13. Those sinners at the time of birth whom Vishnu Satva shall not glance at but Brahma or Rudhra shall look at as being covered with passion or darkness, with such one shall not speak. For, with the unrighteous one shall not have any intercourse whatever.

14. Manu has said the Sastras of the vain questioners of cause to be vulgar and forbids intercourse with them even by mere speech.

15. Those smritis which are contrary to the Vedas, and those low cults which are sophistical, all these are useless after death; therefore, indeed, they are considered as resting in darkness (low ideas)

16. One shall not honor even by speech heretics who practice impious acts, who are impostors in catlike observance” and who are religious hypocrites behaving like the crane.**

*Baidalavrata. “Catlike observance’s, concealing one’s malice or evil designs under the garb of piety or virtue. The allusion is to a characteristic story of a cat which after infusing confidence into the rats by show of assumed piety, tries to destroy them by carefully preying on the stray ones. Manu gives the following definition of a Baidalayratika. “One who vaunts his piety by carrying the flag of righteousness, who is always malicious and who is a religious hyprocrite, deceiver of the world, fierce as a beast and a traducer of all, is known as a Baidalavratika”.

**Bakavriti, “Cranelike conduct,” religious hypocrisy. The reference is to the act of a crane which under the pretence of sleep watches the fish passing through an acqueduct till a big one passes when it suddenly pounces upon it. Manu defines a Bakavratika thus: “He is a dvija (twice-bron) acting like the crane who (like a yogi) has a downward look, who is false and cruel, who is always bent on securing his own interest who is a rogue and who is falsely modest.

17. A Prapanna shall not practice any such (karmas) acts whatsoever by which hindrance arises to Prapatti.

18-21. Honoring deities other than God except in the established usages of daily work, following other means than Prapatti, and malice towards holy men, too much indulgence in sensual objects, reviling and other wise acting in any such way towards Lakshmi, the Lord of Lakshmi and their attendants and remorseless conduct as long as the body exists, egregious sins, devoid of prayaschitta all such acts also a Prapanna shall not do.

22. In case there is any connection with these to the good, and if repentance sets in, they shall, then, perform prayaschitta both privately and publicly.

23. To a repentant Prapanna there is authorization to prayaschitta only in private. Thus has Lakshmi said to the questioning Indra.

24. In the ways of yore secrecy has been pointed out to a Prapanna. Implying the same idea the words of Parasara are as follows :

25. “To a person in whom repentance sets in when a sin is committed, the remembering of God alone is mentioned as the highest atonement (prayas chitta).”

26. “O Maitreya! Swayambhu and other sages have spoken of prayaschitta to be of the same degree as the sin (proportionate) a severe one for a great sin and a light one for a slight sin”

27. “All prayaschittas are of the nature of austerity (tapas) and rite (karma). Of all of them the constant remembering of Krishna (God) is the highest.”

28. That those rites which are done in a sacrifice either from negligence or from deviation from the right course become perfect by the remembering alone of God, is the teaching of the Srutis.

29. To him who is devoted to the meditation on God, expiatory rites (kriyas) end with the setting in of that meditation; but to a foolish unbeliever those of ten year’s duration are enjoined.

30. As the expiatory rites which ought to be done (kartavya) are prescribed to of twelve years duration only to an atheist, by thus distinguishing the subject, there can be no confusion of the ‘severe one’ and the ‘light one’

31. “The purification that arises to a soul (Kshetrajna) from the knowledge of Isvara (the Lord is considered the highest” By Yajnavalkya who thus has said, is also described the purification of the soul that arises from a knowledge of the relation of the appropriated and the appropriator (deshaseshi) that exists between the Soul and God (Atman and Iswara).

32. Even though a person be much addicted to sin meditating on God for a moment he becomes a new an ascetic (tapasvin) and the purifier of the pure who sanctify by their presence those persons that sit with them in the same row to dine (panktipavana)

33. Whether he be holy or unholy or even has fallen into all sorts of undesirable states of life, that person who shall think of God, becomes pure both internally and externally.

34. To such men, meditators on God, mentioned by Saunaka and others who feel repentance when a sin is committed, their expiatory rites end with the setting in of that meditation (i.e. on God)

35. A Vaishnava, only giving up association with those that are devoted to other deities than God and also with those that are devoted to other means than Prapatti, shall live with the prapannas.

36. A virtuous man (sadhu) shall not resort to a fool, nor a guru shall teach a fool. For, he who betakes himself to an ignorant person enters the darkness; and the knowledge that is given to a fool is seed sown in a barren, saline soil.

37. The guru and the disciple shall not at any time bear malice towards each other. Of these he who is maliciously inclined falls from the path of freedom.

38-39. No person shall have recourse to God (Hari) with a mantra uninstructed by a guru. From cupidity a disciple shall not reproach a righteous guru. An intelligent man shall not appropriate without offering it to his guru. A good Vaishnava shall relinquish all those that hate his guru.

40-41. In a temple of Vishnu a Prapanna shall not commit spitting, and such other defilement; shall not wash his feet; not walk between God and the altar; nor enter God’s temple by any passage which is not intended as a regular door-way.

42-43. A Vaishnava shall never enter clothed in a blanket of black wool; nor in a temple of Vishnu perform any other work but the lighting of lamps etc., the knitting of garlands and such other services of God.

44. He shall not salute any other deity, nor contemplate any other deity; he shall not go up into any other temple nor enter any other sanctuary.

45. In the Varahapurana thirty two offences against God are especially considered. A Vaishnava shall abstain from them.

46. A Vaishnava shall not get, on his own behalf perfumes, flowers, also clothes, jewels, animals, houses and other objects of enjoyment.

47. The idea of subserviency should not be entertained in one’s one sons etc., who are the manifestations of the glory of God (Vishnu) For a wise man shall always shun the feeling of meum (mamata).

48. An Ekanti (one who is devoted to one object) should not be designated with the appellations of Village, family etc., but he should be called by the names of Vishnu. For his all is that Vishnu.

49. As of a river which has entered into the ocean all names are but the names of that ocean, so of an Ekanti who has completely surrendered himself to Vishnu.

50. He shall not also do crossing the shadows of the holy sages and such other acts. He shall always remain with spiritual men and shall avoid dispute with them.

51. The Vishwaksena Samhita of Pancharatra Agama thus enjoins a Prapanna. He shall not evince taste for an unvaishnavic look or love to an unrighteous sastra.

52-53. He shall not take a false oath, nor consult (astrologers etc.,) for good and evil. With base mantras he shall effect extraction of poison, exorcism of devils and other evil spirits and the curse of all diseases.

54. He shall not wear matted tresses, also he shall not wear ashes. He shall give up for life all heterodox marks.

55. My idea is that whever the Vaishnavic course of conduct approved of by wise men is in vogue, in any such place shall he always live and not elsewhere.

56. Any how for the sake of livelihood one shall not follow the ways of the world. Occupying that profession which is to the approval of the good and is consistent with place and time, he shall not, out of temptation, resort to vulgar means.

57-58. Bhagavan Vyasa has, in this connection, pointed out what ought to be rejected by the virtuous; “There is no moksha to him who takes delight in the science of words (sabda sastra) and also to him who is fond of fine habitation; not to him who is exclusively devoted to food and clothing; may to him who is bent on captivating the minds of people. But to him who is of a retiring dispotion, of firm practice, who has withdrawn from the pleasures of the senses, whose mind is devoted to the knowledge of the Supreme Spirit, and who is always harmless, moksha is certain”

59. He shall not welcome death, he shall not welcome life. As the hireling his wages, so shall he abide his time.

60. Mostly those people who have not accomplished the object of their lives shrink from death; but those who have accomplished their objects await death like a welcome guest.

61. A person shall never pray to Vishnu (God) for any other reward than love (Bhakti) and knowledge (gnana) at his feet, for by so praying he is sure to go to ruin.

62. If an offence is given to a sage either from negligence or from intention, repentant one shall seek him alone for forgiveness, otherwise there will be no palliation.

63. Even in the case of an offence against God this expiation is unsurpassed. A wise man shall avoid all carnality.

64. Therefore shall a wise man completely renounce the objects of the sense like poison. An ignorant is called a vulgar man of the world but a wise man, a Vaishnava.

65. A wise man shall not do anything with any unwise man. This has been said by the Lord in the Pancharatra Sastra, also by Manu and others.

66-67. Therefore a pious Vaishnava shall shun contact with a vulgar man of the world. Intermingling is said to be of eight kinds which ought not to be held with unblushing sensualists; occupying the bed, one seat, sitting in one row with other people, using one pot, intermixing cooked food, conducting sacrificial rites, teaching the Vedas, Intermarriage and interdining.

68. Sins enter into men by conversation, touch and the manner of sleeping, by sitting and lying down together, by the functions of a priest and of an instructor, and by inter-marriage.

69. Through conducting sacrifices, through reaching the Veda and learning them, through lying down, sitting and sleeping together, having associated with a fallen man for a year one falls.

70. The delineation of this commingling (sankara) by Brihaspati-and, Manu is diverse. But the power of conducting sacrifices and such other intercourses to cause degradation is immediate.

71. To the high souled Vaishnavas who are devoted to the knowledge of self surrender (Nyasavidya) the praise of the low sensualists is declared to be a censure and their censure, praise.

72-73. O worldlings hence forth you are yourselves and we are ourselves. You are devoted to worldly prosperity and sensual enjoyments and who are devoted to Narayana (God). There can be no intercourse whatever between you and us. You are servants of senses but we are servants of (God) Vishnu.