Srivaishnava lakshaNam

[Guest guest]

Sri. Dileepan wrote:

 

> However, discrimination based on caste and sex is unavoidable

> in anushtanam. These relate to marriage, accepting food, who

> can touch perumal, who can recite vedas, who can fall at whose

> feet, and when, etc. Often these actions are viewed by many

> as a consequence of the worst form of discrimination based on

> notions of superiority and inferiority. They often argue that

> discrimination like these cannot be anything but the imposition

> of inferior status upon some castes and the female gender, But,

> a Sri Vaishnava is duty bound to follow sashthras and must

> follow these discriminatory injunctions even at the risk of

> getting labelled as racist, castiest, sexist, and worse.

 

At a Nama event in Dallas TX on May 19, 2001 Sri Velukkudi

Krishnan spoke on Madhurakavi Azhwar & Bhagawat Ramanujar;

a question-and-answer session followed thereafter and the

subject of " rights " and " privileges " in Srivaishnavam came

up in discussion. Sri Krishnan stated that it was neither

his practice to mince words and distort/sugarcoat the truth,

nor was he inclined to mention only *selected* portions of

sastraic injunctions which coincided with today's social

expectations. DharmaSAstras, he said - stipulate different

rights and responsibilities for different varNa and gender.

 

These are two sides of the same coin; because there exist

numerous duties accompanying each particular right. Non-

performance of prescribed duties by individual in any given

varNa/Asrama/linga results in their accumulating paapam and

being drawn further and further away from the purushArtham

that is Sriman NarayaNa. Thus every privilege granted by

DharmaSAstras makes bhUlOka existence more and more demanding

for those concerned - while there are no " bonus points " for

having the rights to thiruvaradhanai, vEdAdhyayanam, etc.,

it is *expected* that those conferred with such rights will

live by extremely austere standards OR suffer dhaNdaNai if

not. It is verily, a crown of thorns.

 

On the other hand - fewer the rights, fewer are the expected

duties, and lesser is the likelihood that those jeevans will

slip into paapam. Given all this, alongwith MOST IMPORTANTLY

the fact that prapattimArga is open to all - why would anyone

wish to be burdened with greater rights and duties which do

not in any way contribute to the end goal of reaching PerumAL?

PuNyam and pApam correspond to gold and iron handcuffs. The

way out of samsAra is NOT by performance of the duties of

ANOTHER varNa, but by bhakti and prapatti.

 

The various roles ascribed to different jeevas by DharmaSAstra

only have to do with the functioning of society in samsaara;

they are as skin-deep as SarIram and do not pertain to the

jeevAtmA within, LEAST of all to sarvaSEshi Sriman nArAyaNa.

This is why all Srivaishnava AchAryas since time immemorial,

have stressed upon the need to give up ahankAra and mamakAra.

For, it is these egoistic qualities which bind us more tightly

to sareeram and distance us from perumAL. Adherence to Dharma

SAstras WITHOUT insulting or ill-treating anyone based on the

varNam/lingam of their bodies is TRUE SriVaishnava lakshaNam!!

 

 

> As far as creed is concerned, I submit we must recognize every

> other creed as they really are, namely " inferior " to Sri Vaishnavam.

> Otherwise the only reason some of us want to follow Bhagavat

> Ramanuja/Swami Sri Desika sampradayam will be we are born into it,

> nothing more. I think I am fortunate to have been born into this

> great sampradayam. But even more wonderful is, due only to Srimad

> Azhagiya Singar's grace, I am able to discriminate other creeds

> from our own and am able to see the inferiority of other creeds.

> Otherwise, I will not be one who tries to practice Sri Vaishnavam.

 

It is adiyEn's humble opinion, that those who practice TRUE

SriVaishnavam have taken the high road - for it is a life of

austerity, devotion and parama-eikAntitvam where kAmya karmas

and material benefits are shunned, and the only purushArtham

is sriyaHpathi emberumAn. It would be a lot easier to seek

karmaphalams through dEvatAntara sambandham, to " get along "

with others in society, and to tell people exactly what they

want to hear etc. But to follow the divine precedent of our

AchAryas requires complete and unwavering trust in their

teachings, and single-minded devotion to Sriman nArAyaNa.

 

That other schools and denominations in sanAtana dharma are

NOT the way to paramapadam has been unambigiously proven by

our poorvAchAryas, using the very pramANas accepted by the

" opponents " - i.e. by beating them at their own game. If

today they wish to re-write the rules, by including purANas

and upanishads which are not among the principal ones, etc.

it only shows that they are fashioning a biased game - one

that we don't wish to play anymore. For, the only " game "

we now care about is the leelAvibhuti of Sriman nArAyaNa!!

 

traiyyantaiH EkakaNThaiH

tadanuguNa manuvyAsa mukhyOtibhiScha

SrIman nArAyaNOnaH patir-akhila

tanuH muktidO mukti bhigyaH ||

 

" All scriptures proclaim in unison,

the supremacy of lord Sriman nArAyaNa,

who alone can deliver us to mOksha "

 

[srimad RTS of Swami Desikan]

 

Learned members may kindly excuse errors in the above.

Truly,

-Srinath C.