Prostration / PraNAmam

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SrI:

SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha

SrI Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaN-

SatakOpa SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha

 

Dear devotees,

namO nArAyaNA.

 

This posting is regarding the number of times one has to

prostrate in front of PerumAL, bhAgavathAs.

 

Thengalai SrI VaishnavAs prostrate only once in front of

PerumAL and AchAryAs/bhAgavathAs. They perform it

with a good bhAvam that when PerumAL/AchArya would

have already melted down because of that single

prostration, and would be immensly pleased to grant

everything, one should not make multiple prostrations.

Some also say that, when PerumAL grants moksham for a

single prapatti and asks not to repeat it once again,

one has to prostrate once. adiyEn does not know about

the official reasoning provided by the thennAchAryAs.

Above are what adiyEn has heard in general. But, some

thengalai SrI VaishnavAs (not aachAryAs) say that

Vadagalai SrI VaishnavAs haven't understood the mercy

of SrIman nArAyaNa. Hence this posting.

 

Though the bhAvam is understood, prapatti and prostration

can't be equated. Also, thengalai SrI VaishnavAs doesn't

end up prostrating only once in their entire lifetime.

Also, the same reasoning can be extended to things like,

performing SandhyAvandanam with proper mind set only once in

one's lifetime is enough, performing thiru aarAdhanam

only once for the pleasure of perumAL is enough, single

time recitation of Dwaya mantram is enough, single

time recitation of divya prabandham is enough etc,

since that itself would have immensly pleased PerumAL

etc.

 

The bhAvam expressed above has the purport of

" highlighting " the great mercy of SrIman nArAyaNa and

bhAgavathAs. This doesn't mean that, one has to employ

such bhAvams in contradiction to the dictates of sAstrAs,

which are the divine commands of SrIman nArAyaNa Himself.

SAstrAs dictate us about the do's and don'ts. One should

follow the sAstrAs, which are the guide available

to us to know as to what is pleasing to PerumAL and

what is not.

 

In this context, adiyEn would like to write from the work

called " SampradAyasudhA " , by the late well known vidvAn

SrI U.Ve. MadhurAntakam Thirumalai EecchambAdi -

VeerarAghavAchArya swAmi (well known as madhurAntakam swAmi),

whose centenary celebration is going to be celebrated under

the presidentship of SrImad PoundarIkapuram Andavan.

 

MadhurAntakam Swami quotes the following verse from

ParamESwara Samhita, KriyA khANda, mAnasa yAgam adhyAyam :

 

" dvidhA pradakshiNam kuryAt praNAmam ca tathAvidham |

na yEka tri panca saptAdi gaNanA vishamam hi yat || "

 

< dvidhA = " even " ie. 2,4,6 etc; tathAvidham = same way ;

vishama = Odd; gaNanA = counting; yEka, tri .. : 1,3 ..>

 

This sloka instructs that, praNAmam (prostration) has

to be done, in the same counting as how pradakshiNam is

done in even numbers and not in odd numbers like one, three,

five, seven etc.

 

MadhurAntakam SwAmi has added that, based on this pramAnam,

SwAmi dESIkan has made a remark in His " SrI pAncarAtra

rakshai " . SwAmi dESIkan says that one has to perform

praNAmams in even counting, since sAstrAs has not permitted

odd counting :

 

" PradakshiNAni praNAmAmca yugmAni kuryAt na yEka, tri,

pancasaptAdi gaNanA vishamam hi yat ... " .

 

MadhurAntakam swAmi, further quotes from Vankipuratthu

nambigaL's (direct disciple of Bhagavad RAmAnuja) kArikai

which instruct us to prostrate many a times ie. repeatedly

(punaph punaha):

 

" pAdukAgriyE pradAyAgrE praNamyaca punaph punaha "

< Repeated prostrations in front of pAdukAs >

 

" tathavA SuprANivasatrANi praNamyaca punaph punaha "

< Repeated prostrations after offering pure cloths >

 

" dEvapArSvamupAgamya praNamyaca punaph punaha "

< Repeated prostrations in front of PerumAL Sannidi >

 

" SamutthAya tatas tasmai bhUyO bhUyah praNamyaca "

 

" praNamya dandavat bhUmou bhUyO bhUyaha purOharEhE "

< Repeated dandavat pranAmas ie. complete praNAmams on

the ground >

 

MadhurAntakam SwAmi, also quotes from the VishNu purAnam :

" namastasmai namastasmai namastasmai mahAtmaNE " , for which,

SrI VishNu Chittar alias SrI yengaLAzhwAn ( One of the 74

simhAsanAdipatis appointed by Bhagavad RAmAnuja and AchArya

of SrI NadAdUr ammAL) comments in his " vishNu chittIyam " ,

the commentry on SrI VishNu purANam, that this is " aadhArAn

namaskAra aavruti " ie. Repetition (aavruti) of namaskArams

due to excessive happiness.

 

SrI ParAsara Bhattar, in his thaniyan for thiruppAvai

says " gOdA tasyai nama idam idam bhUya yEvAstu bhUyaH " ie.

" .. may my repeated prostrations (namaskArams) to GodA

increase forever .. " .

 

Bhagavad RAmAnuja in His VaikuNTha Gadyam says

" ... praNamya utthAya punaph punaha praNamya .... "

ie. " ..prostrating many a times repeatedly by getting

up and down ... " .

 

MadhurAntakam swAmi quotes from the commentry of SrI

PiLLai lOkAcArya (*) on Bhattar's thaniyan for thiruppAvai,

wherein he actually quotes the above line of bhagavad

rAmAnujA's Gadyam <for prostrating repeatedly> and says

" 'atra paratra cApi' nityam yenak kadavudirE " ie. " be like

that forever in both here and VaikuNTham " .

 

MadhurAntakam SwAmi also quotes a pramAnam from

NampiLLai yeedu vyAkyAnam for ThiruvAimozhi pAsuram

" kaikaLArath thozhudu thozhudunnai .. " .

 

Thus, both in the sAstrAs and in the sampradAyam, it is

both instructed and practised to prostrate even number of

times. MadhurAntakam swAmi concludes by saying that, though

it is the case, because of the practise of later day

thennAchAryAs in performing single prostration, others (to

this day), also follow that practise :

 

" ...adarkup pinpuLLArkaL seiyyAdana asakrun-namaskArangaLai

(multiple prostrations) nAm seiyyOm yenRu thAnE ivar

yezhudavEndum. vERu vazhi illaiyE. "

 

BhAvam (mental attitude) is certainly extremly important,

while prostrating to PerumAL. For that matter, anything

concerning bhagavad vishayam (things related to BhagavAn)

needs very good bhAvam, pouring out one's love towards

PerumAL. But, it is very important to know first of all

as to what SrIman nArAyaNa expects out of us (in any

activity). He has very mercifully given His divine

commands Or what that pleases and displeases Him through

the sAstrAs. So, the bhAvam expressed by the jIvAtmAs

should be in accordance with His commands. In other

words, whatever is enjoined in sAstrAs for us to do, are

to be done with bhAvam / sAthvIka tyAgam etc. By doing so,

one can't be accussed as if he/she has misunderstood

PerumAL's mercy. Infact, they have perfectly understood

the thiru uLLam (divine wish) of PerumAL and pleases Him

by following His own commands.

--------

 

There is no doubt that thengalai SrI VaishnavAs should

follow their AchAryAs and adiyEn is not against their

practise/bhAvam expressed etc. adiyEn only wanted to

clarify the position of vadagalai AchAryAs through their

line of reasoning and make the pramAnams for that practise

be available for our malolan net members.

---------------

 

(*) PiLLai LOkAchArya is regarded as the founder of thengalai

sampradAyam, in the sense that, the special doctrines

unique to that of thengalai sampradAyam are derived from his

works.

 

SwAmi dESikan thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

ananthapadmanAbha dAsan

krishNArpaNam