Madhwa’s Teachings.-His Holiness Shri Satyatma Teertha Swamiji’s Chaturmasya, 2009, Mumbai.-His Holiness’ address to the youth on 16th and 23rd August 09. – A summary.

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Madhwa’s Teachings.

 

His Holiness Shri Satyatma Teertha Swamiji’s Chaturmasya, 2009, Mumbai.

 

His Holiness’ address to the youth on 16th and 23rd August 09. – A summary.

 

11-09-09.

 

Dear Reader,

 

As a Maadhwa, and as a Vaishnava, one would perform sndhyavandana, applying gopi chandana and mudras, the vaishnava symbols; he would worship Lord Vishnu and observe fast on ekadashi to please Lord Vishnu and would thus reveal his vaishnava identity. These rituals although mandatory for a Maadhwa do not make one a vaishnava in its true sense. The term vaishnava is connotative in nature and not denotative; it connotes attributes; it does not denote external symbols; neither does it indicate the mere worshipping of Vishnu and observance of fast; it has a very wide meaning, said His Holiness in his address to the youth in the question and answer session and later on in his amritopadesha on 16th of August. Explaining the characteristics of a vaishnava and elaborating them on the basis of the contents of the Shrimad Bhagawat, he said, the term vaishnava has a vast meaning in terms of scope and a far wider application; it transcends caste and creed.

 

The first and the foremost attribute of a vaishnava is his unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu; it forms the very core of a vaishnava. Devotion is not an acquired attribute; it is deep within; in the self, in the subtlest form; it is the characteristic of every satvika soul, which, in its evolutionary process involving trans-migratory journey, gradually reaches out to God with the acquisition of more and more knowledge about God through listening to discourses and study of scriptures and of His mysterious ways of creation, sustenance and destruction. He is convinced that God, the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent, and the Omniscient is Lord Vishnu and it is He Who is behind every incident in the universe, be it at macro level or micro level. He worships Vishnu as the Supreme God, but he does not disregard other deities; he prays to them and pays them due respect.

 

A vaishnava is aware that the difficulties he faces in his life are mainly of his own making; the results of his own misdeeds. He will not blame others for his misfortunes; nor will he harbour ill feelings against others, whom otherwise he might have considered responsible for his failures. Instead, he would face the difficulties bravely with the conviction that the Lord will give him strength to overcome them, as He always does. He considers life as a divine gift given to him for his own progress. Therefore, he leads a virtuous life; he is contented with whatever he gets in his life and has no jealousy for the better-offs. He tries to make the most of this opportunity to serve the Lord in the best possible way; he would do every thing to please God; his life would be a continuous chain of service to the Lord.

 

Even this would not be sufficient to make him a true vaishnava, said His Holiness. The one who is thus engaged in individual sadhana will have to enlarge the scope of his service to the Lord; to include others, his parents, relatives, friends in need and even have-nots and he should serve them with a sense of duty with no expectations treating it as a service to the Lord Himself. His prayers should not be confined to the well-being of just human beings, but should also include all life forms. Then and then only does one become a true vaishnava, he said.

 

No doubt, leading such a life is not easy, he continued, but if one looks at life as a gift from God which is indeed so, and an opportunity to progress spiritually that will show him the way, he said. “Besides, you have already made a beginning in that direction; you will not find any difficulty in the pursuit of the ideals’, he said. The reward for such a life will be Lord’s anugraha that will not only bless one with material opulence but moksha in the end, he said in a voice that appeared to come from deep within and carried an unmistakable assurance.

 

With best regards,

 

Ramachandra Tammannachaarya Gutti.

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