Why to study SAstras ?

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SrI:

SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha

SrI Lakshminrusimha Divya PAdukA SEvaka SrIvaN SaThakOpa-

SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha

 

namO nArAyaNa!

 

Dear devotees,

 

SrI Hari in his very good posting on SwAmi DESikan's

Prabandhams - Part 2, has discussed one important

issue viz. " Why to study SAstras ? " . This posting is

for supplimenting it.

 

Once one has understood that SAstras are the way through

which one can obtain Tatva-Hita-PurushArtam, the next

question to be answered will be :

 

" Is it not the unparalleled SrImad Rahasya Traya SAram, the

magnum opus of SwAmi DESikan, more than enough to understand

whatever a mumukshu needs to know ? Why to learn other

grantas ? Afterall, once the Prapatti is performed, moksham

is guaranteed by the most merciful SrIman nArAyaNa. Whatever

needs to be done to attain the eternal kainkaryam to Divya

Dampati has been performed. So why to keep learning other

grantas (Or Why to even learn SrImad RTS if Prapatti is

already performed) ? "

 

A SrI VaishNava should neccessarily learn SrImad RTS to

understand the topmost essence of VEdAnta. There are various

instructions on even how a Prapanna should conduct in the post

Prapatti period, apart from various other invaluable

instructions and impartment of topmost knowledge that will

make one act appropriately, focussed in various kainkaryams.

A Prapanna will deviate from his/her Swaroopa, UpAya and

PurushArta nishTha, if he/she has not understood SrImad RTS

properly.

 

In SrImad RTS itself, SwAmi DESikan strictly warns such

attitude of Prapannas who do not want to learn (Uttara Krutya

adhikAram ie. On Life after Prapatti):

 

" tan nishThaikku anuroopamAgat theLiyavENdum arthangaLil

tanakkut theLiyAda nilangaLai, nAn Krutakrutyan yenRu

anAdarittirAdE anubhavapoorti-uNdAmpOdu teLivum,prEmamum

vENdugaiyAlum ...... "

 

ie. A Prapanna, thinking that he/she is a krita-krityan

(ie.as a person haing performed whatever needs to be done

to attain mokham) *should not* discard learning things

unknown to him/her regarding one's nishThai, since in

the complete (ie.perfect enjoyment) of BhagavAn, both

Refined Knowledge (teLivu) and Love (PrEmam) are essential.

 

SwAmi DESIkan, then proceeds to instruct the way a Prapanna

should seek the feet of a SadAchArya and also be in the company

of ParamaikAntins to learn from them through discourses and

observation, apart from observing one's own VarNAshrama Dharmam

properly etc.

 

 

The next question to be answered will be :

 

" A Prapanna after learning SrImad RTS can spend rest of the life

by regularly attending various upanyAsams and kAlakshEpams of

AchAryas mainly on Bhagavad Vishayam ie.AzhwAr's Divya

Prabandham, Gadya Traya BhAshyam, BhAshyams on Stotras,

Prabandhams of AchAryas etc. This way, he/she will ever be

immersed in the thought of Divya Dampati and such a Prapanna

wedded to ParamAtma will be performing various kainkaryams.

Why to keep reading all the grantas of our PUrvAchAryas

esp.SrI BhAshyam and the like, which are filled with advanced

Polemics, endless jargons and definitions etc, taxing too much

of one's mind ? "

 

This is a very valid question. Once a prapanna is in the

company of ParamaikAntins and is spending his/her life in

a blissful way as mentioned in the question, there is not much

personal use to learn high degree Polemics and abstruse concepts

in SatadUshaNi etc.

 

aDiyEn would like to refer to my earlier posting in

the archives for answering this question (It was an appeal

for SrI UttamUr SwAmi's Books Re-Printing Project) :

 

/message//1183

 

---------

Relevant portion from that posting :

 

Kainkaryam (service performed with sAtvIka tyAgam)

to the Divya Dampati SrI and NArAyaNa is the

parama-purushArtam (the final goal) for a jIvAtma.

Such kainkaryams for a baddha jIvAtma can broadly be

classified into two categories viz. (i) Ag~nyA kainkaryams

which are mandatory according to the VarNa and Ashrama and

(ii) anug~nyA kainkaryams which are optional.

 

Out of the endless types of anug~nyA kainkaryams,

SwAmi dESikan in the chillarai rahasyam " pradhAna Satakam "

clearly points out that " Kainkaryam in the form of

jn~Anam " is superior to " Kainkaryam in the form of

physical act " ie. kainkaryams like learning and

spreading ubhaya-vEdAnta is superior to kainkaryams like

making garlands for PerumAL etc. SwAmi dESikan says that

such kainkaryams in the form of " Jn~Anam " are " pradhAnam "

(of foremost importance).

 

 

The SrIsookti of SwAmi dESikan is :

 

" anug~nyA siddha kainkaryamgaLil kriyAmSatthil jn~AnAmSam

pradhAnamAna padiyAlE jn~Ana-upayukta-prabandha-

pariSeelanamum SAstrArtha-pratisandhAna-hEtuvAna dwaya

vacanAdigaLum pradhAnangaL " ( PradhAna Satakam, 54).

 

It is stated {by SwAmi DESIkan} that, learning vEdAnta and

the divine works of AzhwArs and AchAryAs to obtain jn~Anam

belongs to the category of " Kainkaryam in the form of jn~Anam " .

Rememberance of such learnt sAstrAs through Dwaya mantra

etc is also stated to be a " kainkaryam in the form of

knowledge/jn~Anam " . These are " pradhAnam " ie. of utmost

importance in comparison to " Kainkaryams in the form of

physical act " .

 

Infact, the first three of the last five commandments

of Bhagavad RAmAnujAchArya is

 

1. To study and propagate SrI BhAshyam, his magnum opus

and the commentary to Brahma SUtrAs of Sage VyAsa.

 

2. To study and propagate the Divya Prabandham (not

mere texts, but the implied meanings) of AzhwArs.

 

3. To recite Dwaya mantram with the knowledge of its

meaning. {ie.contemplating upon the meanings of

Dwaya Mantra}.

 

Bhagavad RAmAnuja then said that if these things

weren't possible, one should perform services at a

divya dEsam Or be merely a good servant for a

SrI Vaishnava who does the above kainkaryams.

 

Also, one of the last commands of { " abhinava DESIka " } SrI

UttamUr SwAmi, before ascending to paramapadam, to his

disciples in particular and the SrI Vaishnava community in

large is to re-print his works and the works of the AchAryAs

whenever they are not available and _always_ make them

available for the needy.

 

The emphasis on the anug~nyA kainkaryam in the form

of knowledge is the most important message from our

AchAryAs, since the Divya Dampati are greatly delighted

by these kainkaryams. Afterall, its Lord NArAyaNa who is

the first AchArya of our SrI SampradAyam and He has made

it a point to always propagate the vEdAs and Smrutis

from kalpam to kalpam and to provide us with AzhwArs

and AchAryAs for our utmost benifit to understand the

tattva, hita and purushArtam properly. He has been doing

this without any tiredness from time immemorial and it is

by itself an indication as to what we should also do

with sAtvIka tyAgam to please SrIman NArAyaNa.

------

 

Thus, as a Prapanna eagerly awaiting to perform the best

possible kainkaryam to one's qualification and capacity,

the first priority should be given to learning and

spreading of Ubhaya-VEdAnta. But, to become a well learned

vidvAn/AchArya, one needs to have a sound knowledge of

Granta Chatushtaya apart from many other grantams like

TatwamuktA KalApa, SatadUshaNi etc, aided with good knowledge

in sAmAnya SAstras like NyAya, MImAmsa and VyAkaraNa. Jn~yAna

and anushThAna are considered to be the two attributes of the

AchAryas which keep them away from the pitfalls of material

world, just like how a bird with two wings happily flies in

the air, without any contact with the earth. Attainment of such

knowledge will not only increase one's conviction , but

is extremly essential to guide others appropriately in accordance

with the dictates of SAtras and PUrvAchAryas. Thus, such lOka

kshEmam of guiding all the jIvAtmas properly will arise only by

learning various grantas as mentioned above.

 

Though one needn't be an AchArya, learning SrI BhAshya and the

like will yield more teLivu (a component neccessary in bhagavad

anubhavam apart from prEmam) to a prapanna and that knowledge will

be useful to guide atleast his family.

 

Hence, it is the sincere aspiration of a Prapanna to serve

Divya Dampati in the best possible manner that he resorts to

learn sAmAnya SAstras and Ubhaya VEdAnta Grantas. Needless to

say, one should certainly be aware of one's qualification and

capacity to perform such kainkaryams, through the guidance of

AchAryas.

 

AzhwAr,emperumAnAr,dESikan,Azhagiyasingar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

KOmAndUr ELayavilli KaralapAkkam AnantapadmanAbhan

krishNArpaNam.

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha

SrI Lakshminrusimha Divya PAdukA SEvaka SrIvaN SaThakOpa-

SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha

 

namO nArAyaNa!

 

Dear devotees,

 

A few more additional points to this issue :

 

The definition of AchArya includes Paramata khaNdanam

(Refutation of other Philosophies) and Svamatha sthApanam

(Establishment of one's Philosophy). This invariably requires

the thorough study of SAstras.

 

Also, works like SatadUshani etc which are written for refuting

other Philosophies, give a good clarity of ViSishtAdvaita

in the first place. Many intricate details about one's own

siddhAntam gets clarified by learning such a work, since good

distinction of " what is appropriate " and " what is not

appropriate " wrt certAin issues in philosophy, is constantly

dealt with in these works.

 

AchAryas who blessed us with granthas in VEdAnta are slightly

distinguished from other AchAryas who did not, though they

blessed their disciples through their upadEsam. During the

kAlakshEpam, SrI PuriSai KrishNamAchArya SwAmi has mentioned

about this distinction. It goes like this :

 

" SrImatE " sabdam is used for those AchAryas, who have blessed

us with granthas in VEdAnta and " SrI " sabdam for other

AchAryas.

 

The guruparampara anusandAnam we perform makes this clear :

 

...

...

 

" SrImatE VEdAnta GuravE namaha " {SwAmi VEdAnta DESikan}

" SrImatE rAmAnujAya namaha "

" SrI ParAn^kuSa dAsAya namaha " {Peria NambigaL}

" SrImat-yAmuna munayE namaha "

" SrI rAmamiSrAya namaha "

" SrI PuNdarIkAkshAya namaha "

" SrImannAthamunayE namaha " {blessed us with granthas, but

not extant}.

" SrImatE SaThakOpAya namaha "

...

...

 

In the Sanskrit tippaNi (Footnotes) of Ahnika grantham,

SrImad Azhagiyasingar has discussed this and mentions as

being learnt from his AchArya ie. SrImad InjimEttu

Azhagiyasingar.

 

Grantha NirmAnam (Writing of books) can take place only after

thorough knowledge of SAstras and esp. in the subject of concern.

This does not mean that everyone will start writing, just for

the sake of writing. One has to first of all learn the

sampradAya granthas from AchAryas and should be certified by

AchAryas to be fit enough to write a book. Also, there were many

great AchAryas in the past, who did not bless us with a book for

the reason that if even one error occurs during the presentation

of some terse issue in VEdAnta, it would amount to a great

dis-service to our sampradAyam.

 

AzhwAr,emperumAnAr,dESikan,Azhagiyasingar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

KOmAndUr ELayavilli KaralapAkkam AnantapadmanAbhan

krishNArpaNam.