SRI RANGA SRI VOL.10 / ISSUE # 13 - ELECTRONIC JOURNAL dated 3rd August 2009

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SrI:

SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //

SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //

SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/

SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//

KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /

SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//

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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.10 / ISSUE # 13 dated 3rd August 2009

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IN THIS ISSUE:

 

1. VEDIC RITES- 4 by Sri U Ve Anbil Ramaswamy Swami, USA

2. AZHWAARS and SWAMY DESIKAN (3.2- Thirumazhisai AzhwAr and Swamy Desikan –

Part 2)

3. Srivaishnavam – Part 6

 

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ISSUES RELEASED

With this issue, about 299 Regular issues of SRS have been released

so far, apart from numerous " Special Issues " as indicated below:

27 Issues of Vol. 1

15 Issues of Vol. 2

42 Issues of Vol. 3

35 Issues of Vol. 4

28 Issues of Vol. 5

30 Issues of Vol. 6

50 Issues of Vol. 7

36 Issues of Vol. 8

27 Issues of Vol. 9 and

13 Issues of Vol. 10

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1. VEDIC RITES – 4

Sri Anbil Ramaswamy USA

CHAPTER 4

VEDANGAS

" Anga " means " limb " - of the Vedas. Six treatises mentioned below are considered

the limbs of Vedas. Their purpose is to ensure the correct performance of the

ceremonies prescribed in the Vedas.

(1.) SIKSHA lit) Learning, method of study, pronunciation, phonetics,

articulation, accent. A sophisticated system of phonetics indicating the correct

value of each letter of the alphabet, its accent, proper method of articulation

and proper pronunciation for reciting the mantras (sacred utterances employed in

Vedic rites).

(2.) VYAKARANA: (lit) Separation or explanation, Grammar involved in the above

sacred utterances employed in Vedic rites

(3.) JYOTISHA: (lit) Light - Science of light. " Jyoti " meant both astronomy and

astrology - mixture of the empirical and the heuristic, the scientific and the

mystical. Jyotisha is mainly based on Sidereal system (fixed star system) as

different from Western Tropical system (fixed date system). It is intended for

deciding the proper time for the performance of various Vedic rituals. It refers

to the Vedic almanac (Calendar) by which the most auspicious day and time for

the performance of the particular sacrifice is fixed. It provided a basis for

subsequent astronomical treatises called " Siddhantas " of which " Surya Siddhanta "

is the basic handbook of Indian astronomy.

 

(4.) CHANDAS: (lit) Desire, will. Metrical science, Meters. This explains the

meters of the mantras. ( " Chandas – Sastra " by Pingala. about 2000 B.C.) This

also details the rules for the conduct of Vedic sacrifices besides ensuring

chanting with proper meters. Chandas itself means meters (i.e.) the feet or

Paada of verses constructed in a specified manner.

(5.) NIRUKTA: (Etymology) explains the derivation of words from roots,

etymological meaning and interpretations of difficult words in the Vedas that

are used in Vedic rites - a kind of dictionary or a sort of lexicon with indices

of hymns called " Anukramani " . " Nigantu " by Yaaska (about 320 B.C) is a standard

book listing the words in the Vedas handed down by tradition (which with

nirukta) is the oldest surviving Indian treatise on etymology, philology and

semantics " - 16.

(6.) KALPA: (Ritual) General rules governing procedures to be adopted in Vedic

sacrificial ceremonies.

1, 2 & 3 are connected with text of the Vedas while 4, 5 & 6 are connected with

the meanings of the words in the Vedas.

As mentioned earlier, of these six Angas, we are concerned with (6) KALPA which

is in the form of Sutras.

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2. AzhwArs and Swamy Desikan

Thirumazhisai AzhwAr and Swami Desikan – Part 2

 

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all

 

Continuing on AzhwArs and Swamy Desikan- we have enjoyed Thirumazhisai AzhwAr

divya charitham and now we will enjoy his two prabandhams as enjoyed by Swamy

Desikan.

 

Reference:

Article in Tamil was written by Navalpakkam Sri U Ve Dr NV Vasudevachariar

Swami, Thiruvananthapuram as appeared in Sri Hayagriva priya

 

Vedanta desikan enjoys the prabandham of AzhwAr.

 

In Naanmukhan ThiruvanthAthi, AzhwAr establishes in very many ways- Sriman

Narayanan is the one and only unparalleled Lord of all and is the one who had

created four faced brahmA and enabled him to create Sankaran and others.

 

thERunkaal dEvan oruvanE… in all 96 verses – AzhwAr establishes unambiguously

and in crystal clear terms the Parathvam of Sriman Narayanan.

 

Let us enjoy for an example – one verse…

 

9th verse:

kuRai koNdu naanmukhan kuNdikai …

sEvadiyayi aangu..

 

 

AzhwAr's second prabandham is Thirucchandha viruttham. Swami Desikan says: mey

migundha thirucchandha virutthap paadal viLangiya nooRirupathum.... This

prabandham explains the truths about taatva trayams. The five elements- are

talked about in the very first verse. He narrated the colours that the Lord

takes in every vyooha avathAram.

 

Bhagawaan creates this universe and beings (at the time of cosmic evolution);

Not just that He stays with the universe and beings and protects them. The world

can not be different and away from Him. Though He is always along with them, He

stands and is different (visEsha aakaanagaL) from them. This is

visishtAdvaitham. This is explained as " ulagu thannOdu onRi niRka vERu niRRi).

 

Since the prabandham establishes the tattva vishayams and artthams so

wonderfully, Swami Desikan says: mey migundha thirucchandha virutthap paadal " .

Swamy refers to these verses in Tattva maathrukai.

 

Referring and following the style of AzhwAr's verses:

Swamy Desikan takes the style of Thirumazhisai AzhwAr verses in his tamil

prabandhams as well besides using AzhwAr's verses to explain his point and

subject.

 

Sri Prathivaathi Bhayankaram aNNan himself mentions this:

 

Ya samskrutha kavithAyAm prowdimnAtvEthi karanAThapthutham

drAvida kavithAmArgE parakAlam vaaya bhakthisAram vaa ||

 

Swamy Desikan for Sanskrit verses, followed the style of Sri Parasara Bhattar

(the illustrious son of Swami KooratthazhwAn).. For the tamil verses, Swamy

followed the style of Thirumazhisai AzhwAr and Parakalan (Thirumangai AzhwAr).

How?- Let us enjoy

 

1. In PeriyAzhwAr pasurams, Bhagawad avathAra anubhavam is narrated and enjoyed.

In NammazhwAr verses, Bhagawad GuNa anubahavam is at its zenith. In Naacchiyaar

verses, Bhagawad premam is evident more.

 

In mazhisai Piraan's verses, besides Bhagawath anubhavam, his explanation of

tattva hitha purushaartthams to us was his main objective, it appears. AzhwAr

himself says: aRivitthEn aazhporuLai; sindhaamal koNmin neer… " .

 

Swamy Desikan on similar lines, had the main objective to explain to us tattva,

hitha purushaarrthams and all his verses came out to explain the same. oppaRRa

naan maRai uLLak karutthil uRaitthuraittha muppatthiraNdivai..- Swami himself

explains. (unparalleled vedic essence is explained in these 32 verses)

 

2. AzhwArs verses were majestic, lilting and rhyming. Pleasing to hear and

utter. Thirucchandha viruttham style. One can not simply read and understand

straightaway. Desikan's prabandhams are also of the same category.

 

yettilaaRirandilonRil engum aaRiyambuvaar..

vittavaaRu paRRumaaRu veedu kaNdu mEvuvaar

sittaraana thesuyarndhu desikarkku yarndhumEl

yettumoonRum oodaRuttha yendhai maalirakkamE…

 

3. yaanmukhamaay anthAthi mElittu aRivitthEn aazhporuLai; sinthAmal koNmin neer

… (I am singing the inner meaning of Veda Vedantha; don't teach them to

undeserving one and waste them. Understand them in its entirety and pass on to

qualified ones).

 

Swamy Desikan also blessed us in anthAthi style on Prapatti (in adhikaara

sangraham). In Acharya krithya adhikAram finally says: don't give away to

everyone; pass on only to sathsishyas.

 

4. AzhwAr went and learnt, searched other philosophies and religions and finally

understood Srivaishnavam alone is the most truthful one and parama vaideeka

matham. Swamy Desikan mentions: maayOnallaal deivam maRRillai ena uraittha-

Other than Sriman Narayana, there is none else as God.. explained Thirumazhisai

AzhwAr – says Swami.

 

Swamy Desikan also learnt all other religions to establish our Srivaoishnavam,

and mentions the same in Paramatha bhangam for establishing our matham and

rejecting all other avaideeka and non-vedic religions.

 

5. AzhwAr mentiosn about four colours of Vyooha avathArams in paalineermail

verse. Swamy elaborates furher and enlists the 12 vyooha colours in panniru

naamam in an exclusive tamil prabandham.

 

6. Thirumazhisai mentions " veRpenRu vEnkatam paadinEn; Swamy says: vEnkata

veRpena viLangum vEdha veRpE… (ThiruvEnkaram is the mountain of Vedas..)

 

 

Swamy Desikan's explanation of AzhwAr's verses in unparalleled manner is very

well known. Let us enjoy one such verse.

 

1. anRu naan piRandhilEn..

 

Swamy Desikan explains: anRu naan piRandhilEn – engiRa mubuRRa nilai kazhigai;

meaning: With our willingness, for none else as the eternal servant; for none

else as dependent; for nothing else (but Him and serving Him) as the only

attainment and goal; having none else as the Master (but Sriman Narayanan) –

 

Transfomring into being such a kind and discarding the previous state of mind

and feeling independent or dependent on someone else and for something else as

the goal.

 

We are His servants; His dasas. We are fully and unconditionally dependent on

Him alone; This was not revealed or clear to us so long; for so many births. We

were thinking of serving someone else and considering ourselves as dAsars for

several others; We were also under the impression that we were completely

independent and free; We were aspiring for alpa (fleeting, material and sensual)

pleasures but not Him as the very goal. Hence we sought others (but not Him) for

attainment of these so long.

 

Later with the blessings of Sadacharya and his upadesam, we realized that we

have been His eternal servant since time immemorial and it was revealed to us.

There is no change except our realizing the same. Hence we have not discarded

other pleasures and seek only Bhagavath sEvai. He alone is the means and He is

the goal- we have realized now. Thus our older state has gone and now we are

born new. That's the purport of " anRu naan piRandhilEn; piRandha pin

maRandhilEn…

 

2. kulangaLaaya eerinaNdil onRilum piRandhilEn

nalangaLaaya naRkalaigaL naalilum navinRilEn.

pulangaLaindhum venRilEn poRiyilEn punidha – nin

ilangu paadham anRi maRROr patrilEn em eesanE…

 

Desikan explains: Prapatti (Saranagti) is everyone's right and everyone is

qualified for the performance is explicit in the verses like the above. (Saara

Saaram)

 

Ninnilangu paadhamanRi – it explains clearly the qualification of

(ananyagatitvam- having no other recourse except Himself) Prapannan. (Rahasya

padhavee)

 

kulangaLaaya eeriraNdil aruLic cheydha kaarpaNyatthin adic chuvadugaLaiyellaam

anusandhitthuk koNdu pOra – (Rahasyathraya saara)

 

Meaning: if one needs to perform saranagati (Prapatti), what does he (or she)

need as qualification? Akinchanyam (being utterly helpless that there is no

other means except His Lotus Feet) and ananya gatitvam (having none else as the

Goal but Sriman Narayanan Himself) alone are enough as qualifications. Other

than these two- there is nothing else that is required, like learning

saasthras, being born in certain caste, or religion or kulam, - none at all.

This is uniformly and universally applicable to one and all – everyone in

humanity and every being is eligible.

 

Subsequently even after performance of Prapatti, We should continue to

contemplate on having no other means and goal except Him at all times. This is a

must as post prapatti anusanthAnam. Thirumazhisai mentions this specially – in a

line:

 

Theritthu yezhudhi, vaasitthum kEttum vaNangi vazhipattum poositthum pOkkinEn

pOadhu… Whatever that we have learnt- jot down; bow down to Him; perform

thiruvArAdhanam, prostrate at His feet; that's why I would spend the life time…

- says AzhwAr

 

He also adds: nirantharam ninappadhaaga nee ninaikka vENdumE… For me to think

of You for ever and ever- You should think of blessing me with that… Please

bless me. (what a line…!)

 

More on this – in next issue

 

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Desikan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan

 

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4. SRIVAISHNAVAM – Part 6

 

Ennuyir thandhu aLitthavaraich charNampukki/

yaanadaivE avargurukkaL niRai vaNanghi/

PinnaruLaal perumpudhUr vandha vaLLal/

periya nambi Alavandhaar maNakkal nambi/

NanneRiyai avarkku uRaittha uyyakkoNdaar/

naathamuni satakOpan sEnainAthan/

Innamudhath ThirumagaLenRu ivarai munnittu/

Emperumaan ThiruvadigaLai adaiginREnE!

 

Srivaishnavism is a philosophy and a religion based on the Upanisads and the

divine hymns of Alwars. This system of philosophy explains the nature of

souls, matter and God and the relation between them in a rational manner based

on testimony and prescribes two basic paths namely Bhakti and Prapatti to get

liberation from the vicious cycle of birth and death and attaining the highest

state bliss which is nothing but divine service to Sriman Narayana( in

paramapada). Srivaishnavism lays equal emphasis on ethical religious way of life

and performance of religious duties. It is this practical aspect that gives

distinction to Vaishnava philosophy that is far more important than the

philosophy!

 

This song composed by Narasimha Mehta (a Gujarati poet of 15th century)

summarises practical Vaishnava values in an unique way :

 

He is a true Vaishnava who knows and

feels another's calamities as his own.

Ever ready to serve, he never boasts.

Keeping his thought, word and deed pure.

Blessed is the mother of such a person.

He treats women as he would treat his own mother

He keeps his mind calm and

does not stain his lips with falsehood;

Nor does he touch another's wealth.

No bonds of attachment can hold him.

Ever in tune with Rama-nama (name of God),

within his body is present all places of piligrimage.

Free from greed and deceit, passion and anger,

This is a true Vaishnava

 

We can find the echo of such statements emphasizing the religious and

ethical values in almost all the world religions. However, the distinctive

feature of Vaishnava dharma lies in the fact that a Vaishnava believes in

Vishnu, the Supreme Being who pervades the entire universe as enunciated in the

Isaavaasya Upanisad - isa vasyam idam sarvam yatkincha jagatyam jagat.

 

Hence, a Vaishnava should therefore love all beings and treat them as equal and

hate none. He should live with the peace of mind and lead a humble pious life

dedicating himself to the service of God and his devotees. Such a way of life

will bring him not only happiness in this world but an everlasting bliss in the

other world.

 

One of the essential requirements for a Vaishnava in order to lead a

religious life is to have a well qualified Acharya or Guru. Even the most

meritorious person and a sinner of the worst kind needs the guidance of an

Acharya or preceptor. The inner meaning of the philosophical truths cannot be

attained by just self study of Vedanta.. A special feature of Vaishnaivism is

the emphasis on daily worship of the entire lineage of Acharyas starting from

Narayana, the first Acharya (preceptor) to the present Acharya.

 

For one to be fully qualified as a Vaishnava, one has to undergo the

five-fold sacrament, namely pancha-samskara.

 

The distinctions of caste, creed, learning and social status have no

bearing on being a Vaishnava. Garuda purana explicitly states that a

person who has the eight-fold bhakti in Vishnu should be honored, even if he is

a mleccha or person who does not conform to Hindu ideals.

 

A devout Vaishnava performs certain prescribed daily duties meticulously with

true devotion. These duties are : 1) abhigamana or morning prayers, 2) upadana

or collection of materials for worship, 3) ijya or formal worship of God, 4)

svadhyaya - recitation and study of scriptures, 5) yoga or contemplation on God.

 

There are certain easier religious practices such as the nine-fold bhakti

mentioned in srimad-bhagavatam : 1) listening to the glory of Vishnu (sravana),

2) singing the glory of God (kirtana) 3) constantly remembering His greatness,

(smarana) 4) service to God (padasevana), 5) offering worship to God's image

(archana), 6) prostrating before God(vandana), 7) developing feeling of

subbordination to God (dasya), 8) developing friendly disposition to God

(sakhya) and 9) surrendering oneself to God. These practices do not require

preparatory and purificatory activities except deep love for God.

 

A vaishnava has to fully realize that he (sEsha) is absolutely dependent on God

(sEshi) and that his intrinsic duty is to serve God at all times (sarvakala) and

all ways (sarvavastha). He should realize that he is a mere tool in the hands of

God and do all actions not for his selfish purpose but with a spirit of

providing pleasure to God. This is nishkama karma or self-less action and this

is the height of renouncement of ego (ahankara) and the notion of mine

(mamakara). A service done in this spirit removes one's sins by earning the

grace of God. Though any act can be taken as kainkarya or service to God, there

are certain services mostly related to temple activities ranging from the

simplest act of bringing flowers to the great task of construction of a temple

to Sri-Hari. Some examples of kainkarya are : lighting lamps, waving fan to the

diety, preparing and offering food to God, bringing water for worship,

recitation of hymns and slokas, cleaning the floors of the temple etc. A true

kainkarya is done not for monetary or social gain but as a source of divine

pleasure to Sri-Hari.

 

Along with service to God, a true Vaishnava should serve Godly people or

Bhagavatas. In fact service to His devotees is MORE IMPORTANT [From article –

written by Sri Krishna Kalale, USA based on book on Vaishnavism by Sri SMS

Chari]

 

Regards

 

Namo narayana

dAsan

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