Varnam

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sri:

Srimate Srilakshminrisimha Parabrahmane Nama:

Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha Divyapadukasevaka

Srivan Satakopa Sri NarayanaYatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

namo narayana!

 

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" ajnyar bramikkiRa varNa Asramna vidyA vruthtangaLai

kardhaba janmam, svapasAdhamam, silpa naipuNam,

paSmAhuthi, sava vidhavA alngAram enRu kazhippar. "

 

" Only fools are confounded by vaRnam, Asramam, vidyA, and

anushtAnam. Their births are lowly, their knowledge is

useless, their vaidika karma is like " havis " given to ash.

They are analogous to bedecked corpse, or widow "

 

So says, Sri Azhagia Manavala Perumal Nayanar (AMPN), younger

brother of Sri Pillai Lokacharyar Swami, in " Acharya Hrudayam " #86.

 

Earlier in the same text, in #86, Sri AMPN declares,

 

" mlEcchanum bhaktanAnAl, chaturvEdigaL anuvarththikka

aRivu koduththuk, kula dheyvathhOdu okka pUjai koNdu,

pAvana thIrththa praSdhAnam, engiRa thirumugappadiyum …. "

 

" In accord with the words of Bhagavan, even if a person is of

the lowest of low birth (mlEchchan), if he has Vishnu bhakti (8

aspects of bhakti), he is an " andhaNan " (Brahmin). Worship as

your kula dheyvam, accept his sri pAdha thIrtham. "

 

Citations abound in Sri Vaishnava texts for revering all Sri Vasihnavas

without regard to VarNam. " paNdaik kulaththai thavirndhu " (discard

your hoary clan identity) says PeriyAzvar. The stories of Thiru

mazhisai piran, ThiruppANAzvar, and Nammazhvar clearly

demonstrate to us the need for utmost regard for all Sri Vaishnavas.

ThoNdaradippodi Azhvar in Thirmalai says to high and mighty vedic

brahmins, " thozhumin, kodumin, koLmin " (worship, give, and take)

from Sri Vaishnavas who are from the lowliest of low births.

PeriyavAccAn piLLai has commented on the term " thozumin " to

mean - falling at the feet of all Sri Vaishnavas without discrimination.

 

So, the message seems to be, if a person is a Vishnu Bhaktha, even if

he is from a very low birth, he must be treated as equal to an exalted

Brahmin, worshipped even to the extent of falling at his feet, and have

a give and take relationship. Anyone who thinks of caste, education,

anushtanam, etc., are fools.

 

Is this in line with the teachings of Sri Desika Sampradayam? Swami

Sri Desikan always gives surgically precise perspective without

exaggeration or understatement. What is Swami's teachings to us in

this regard. Swami Sri Deskan deals with this subject matter in mainly

in Chapter 25 of Srimad Rahasya Traiya Saram (RTS), " prabhAva

vyavastha adhikAram.

 

Kulam and jAti

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

Kulam refers to Vaishnava kulam, non-Vaishnava kulam. It can

change. But jAti is birth based. It cannot change. PeriyAzhvAr's

" paNdaikkulam thavirndhu " refers to relinquishing the previously held

" devatAntra kulam " (devathAnthrAdi sankIrNa kulam) and embracing

the " thONdar kulam (Sri Vaishnava kulam). Thus, PeriyAzvar was

not indicating the abandonment of one's birth based jAti and adopt a

new jAti. Swami says,

 

" jAti bhEdiyAdhu, kulam bhEdhikkum " ,

(jAti cannot change, kulam can).

 

If this is not so, all the jAti based duties prescribed by shasthrAs

and ordained by the Lord will become meaningless. In as much as there

are difference between castes among non-bhagavathas, there are

differences between castes among bhagavathas. The difference between

non-bhagavatha Brahmin and bhagavatha non-brahmin results in the later

gaining access to mOksham where equality prevails among all.

 

Azhvar

------

In general, Swami Sri Desikan admonishes that the life stories of

Azhvar's must not be cited as example to be adopted in our practice.

Swami says,

 

" vidurAthigaLilum utkrushta prabhAvarAna

AzhvArgaLudaiya vrutthAnta visEshangaLai nam

anushtAnaththukku drushtAntam Akkal AgAdu . "

 

In addition, Swami goes on,

 

" avargaL vruththAnthangaLaiyum ARAyndhAl Sva jAti

niyamaththai kadandhami illai. "

 

(even if we investigate the azhvar's life stories we find that

they did not break the limits of their own jAti.)

 

mlEchcha Vishnu bhakta/thozumin

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

Garuda purANam describes in the words of the Lord Himself of eight

different characteristics of a sincere Vishnu Bhaktha. The Lord goes

on to say, " Such a Vishnu Bhatha, even if he is a mlEchcha, will be

celebrated by everyone as a exalted Brahmin, man of enormous wealth,

a sanyasi, and a scholar. With him we can have give and take.

He is worthy of worship just like me. "

 

The term worship (pUjya) from Gardua Puranam is similar to the word

" thozumin " from Thirumalai cited earlier. The true significance of

this is to admonish everyone about the narakam that awaits those who

disrespect bhakthAs, says Swami Sri Desikan.

 

" ivarkaLai sajAtIyargaLOdu okka ninaiththu avanjyai

paNNina pOdhu narakamAm enRu ivvaLavilE thAthparyam " .

 

Sri Uttamoor Swami (US) in his commentary on this Thirumalai pasuram

refers to Sri PVP's interpretation of prostrating at the feet of

low caste bhagavathas. Then Sri US draws our attention to Srimad

RTS Chapter 25. Sri US quotes from Srimad RTS,

 

" AgaiyAl jAti vyavaSthai kulaiyAdhE niRka, bhAgavatha

prabhAvam kaNdukoLvadu "

 

and adds,

 

" enRavarai uLLa prabhAva vyavastA adhikAra (Srimad RTS,

Chapter 25) sri suktiyai anuSandhikka. "

 

(note the sri sukthi from Srimad RTS Chapter 25, namely,

" therefore, the greatness of bhjagavathAs must be understrood

within the limits of jAti. " )

 

This question also comes up in 3000 padi GPP in Sri Ramanuja

vaibhavam. At one time Sri Ramanuja invites Sri Thirukkachchi

nimbi (TKN) to his house and attempts to fall at his feet. Then, Sri

TKN himself reminds Bhagavad Ramanuja of the shashtrAs prohibiting

such action and forbids Sri Ramanuja from falling at his feet. To

fully appreciate the significance of this episode we must realize the

close, talking relationship Sri TKN had with Lord PeraruLALan. This

perumal is still today called " pEsappatta perumal " on account of this.

Even though TKN was such an exalted Bhagavtha, he still forbade Sri

Ramanuja from falling at his feet due to shasthra

prohibition.

 

Give and take

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

The " kodumin, koLmai " (Give and Take) in Thirumalai and from Garuda

PurANam refers only to knowledge, not marriage. Sri PVP also limits

the interpretation of this phrase to just knowledge. Even in the case

of knowledge it is limited only to showing the correct path. It does

not include manthra upadesam or manthrArtha upadesam. Here again we

must remind ourselves of Sri Ramanuja and Thirukkachi Nambi. When

Bhagavad Ramanuja was still searching for a proper Acharya, it was

Thirukkachchi Nambi who guided him towards Sri Periya Nambi. Also,

Sri TKN was the one who found the answers from Lord Varadarajan to

the six questions Bhagavad Ramanuja had.

 

anushtAnam

----------

Whatever is said and done, our action must be guided by shasthras.

Swami Sri Desikan reminds us of the strict anushtanam observed by

Sriman Nathamuni, Alavandhar, and Emperumanar, even in their old

age.

 

" … NAthamunigaL, AlvandhAr, emperumAnAruLLitta

paramAchAryagaLudaiya anthima divaSAvadhiyAna

anushtAnangaLaik kEttu theLindhu koLvadhu. "

 

In summary, kulam can change, but jAti cannot. Irrespective of jAti

all BhagavathAs must be highly respected and worshiped, considering

them with any disrespect will result in Narakam. However, our

respect and worship must be consistent with Shasthras. We can give

and take knowledge, limited to general guidance. anushtAnam is

something that must never be given up.

 

 

-- adiyEn ramanuja dasan

srimad azhagiya singar thiruvadi

 

p.s. This post is intended to give the Sri Desika

Sampradaya perspective for the members of Sri Malolan Net.

Pease refrain from initiating polemical arguments.