[Digest Number 151: Valmiki & Vyasa]

[Guest guest]

Dear SrI Sampath Kumar <sampathkumar_2000

 

You have written:

>When it comes to relishing, appreciating and cherishing

>the 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata' the differences amongst people of

>'siddhAntam' and " sampradAyam', or " vedantam " and 'darsanam' simply

>dissolve, don't they? These two works of the great Valmiki and Vyasa

>have indeed been such a tremendously unifying and integrative force

>in our society and culture that like nothing else... no other

>religious or cultural institution... can ever compare with them in

>that particular respect.

 

I feel that you have a good point there. If this is done in its true

sense, then people will understand that 'siddhAntam' is only

VisishtAdvaita, 'sampradAyam' is only SrI VaishNava sampradAyam,

'vedAntam' is only the authority in knowing tatva-hita-purushArthas

and 'darsanam' is only SwAmi DESika darSanam.

 

You have written:

>--- I picture this imaginary scene in my mind: Someone walks up to

>Valmiki and asks him, " sir, which " gOtra " do you belong to? " . Valmiki

>smiles but pat comes his reply, " I belong to the

> " JanakiRama-gOtram! " .( " mAta-devi tvamasi bhagavAn vAsudeva: pitamE " !

>to paraphrase Swami Desikan's famous line in the " Sri-stuthi " )!

>Srinath, would you say this imaginary scene of mine is rather

>ridiculous?

 

Your imaginary scene is great and appears to me as if you were

contemporary of SrImath VAlmIki Muni. But being a SrI VaishNava, one

would always enjoy that but being a Vaidika first, one will

always tell his own gOtram. The love for SrIman NArAyaNa is

everything but it should not be at the cost of violating the

Veda-dharma. BhagavAn himself has categorically told that

" even if one is my bhaktha, he is not a VaishNava if he

violates the SAstra " . The SAstra is the form of VishNu's AagnyA (order).

He who loves SrIman NArAyaNA will surely follow the SAstra

strictly. Otherwise, his love loses meaning.

 

You have written:

>There seems to have been a time in the ancient days when people

>simply followed and cherished the Veda, the Vedic values of " dharma "

>and the Vedic way of living in a rather simple, uncomplicated way.

>Neither Valmiki nor Vyasa nor the ordinary people were ever

>self-conscious of any 'darsana' or " siddhAntam' that they were

>following. There were no distinctions to make, no variations in

>perception.... It was a very, very long time ago... It was such a

>congenial time that God Himself chose to descend on earth to live

>amongst mere mortals...

 

Yes. I too believe from your words, such a time, when anya-mathams

were not present. Only Visishtadvaita Shree Vaishnava philosophy and practice

was present as it is the eternal parama-vaidika matham. But you have mentioned

" It was a very, very long time ago " . What could be that

time? I feel that God chose to descent on earth to live amongst

" mere mortals " even now. Our SrI VaishNava AachAryas are still

present with us, protecting us and taking us to SrI VaikuNtam.

Their divine presence is enough to substantiate my point.

 

You have written:

>Now too we have the Vedas with us, for sure... But alongwith that

>we also have different Vedantic 'darsana-s', 'sampradAya-s',

>'parampara-s', 'siddhAntA-s' etc.... The original integrated vision

>and the intense inspiration of a Valmiki or a Vyasa is simply no

>longer available to us as one unified whole.... It has become

>hopelessly fragmented...

 

The " original integrated vision and the intense inspiration of a Valmiki or a

Vyasa " is still very much safe. It is protected by the divine

words of Bhagavath Ramanuja and SwAmi SrIman NigamAntha Maha DESika.

Therefore, there is no need to worry. It is still " unfragmented " and

available to all of us in its original form!

 

You have written:

>The result of it all appears to be this: that while we are all very

>busy going hither-tither weighing and deciding for ourselves which

>amongst this plethora of Vedantic viewpoints will serve us best....

>God Himself quietly slipped out, made his exit a long time ago and

>disappeared from this world and out of our midst and hearts....

>Sometimes I tell myself (at a deeply personal level) that I may

>perhaps have inherited the riches of many great systems of religious

>thought of this world but, alas, seem to have lost God.

 

The one and only God SrIman NArAyaNA (divyO dEva: EkO NArAyaNa:) is

still very much with us. He is called " Achutha: " so he will never

" slip " . He is present in this world very much because SrI VaishNavas

are still there in this world. Because of the divine treasure of

SrI SUkties of our SrI VaishNava AachAryas, we have surely

" gained " . There is no point of losing God or " lost God " .

 

You have written:

>To me thus, all the above matters are really what set apart our times

>from those of Valmiki and Vyasa... the Age of " kali " from that of

> " trEta " !

 

Our SrI VaishNava Aacharyas have said " kalium kedum kandukonmin " .

Therefore, there is nothing to worry. But all that is needed now is to spread

our SrI SampradAya in more all over the world.

 

Thanks & Regards

M.S.HARI Ramanuja Daasan (mshari)

 

 

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