Panguni Uttiram

[Guest guest]

Respected Ramanuja Bhaktas,

 

Today, March 28, 2002 marks the occasion of Panguni Uttiram, the

thirunakshatram (appearance day) of the Divine Mother Mahalakshmi as

the Goddess Ranganayaki Nacchiyar, the consort of Sri Ranganatha at

His Temple in Srirangam. It is only on this date each year that the

Goddess appears in Her ceremonial form (ustavar) alongside Her

Eternal Consort Namperumal (Our Lord).

 

And, it is on this day, over 900 years ago, that Bhagavad Sri

Ramanuja expressed his mood of complete surrender to the Divine

Couple through his trilogy of devotional poems known as Gadyatrayam.

 

The Gadyatrayam is a moving Sanskrit work in which Sri Ramanuja

expresses his desire to serve the Divine Couple eternally and

unconditionally. This spirit of Eternal and Loving Servitude to the

Lord is the pinnacle of devotion and self-realization of the

SriVaishnava faith, and is culminated in the Lord bestowing His Grace

on the ardent devotee such that he can enjoy the Bliss of serving Him

directly in His Divine Abode, paramapadam. Sri Ramanuja goes into

great detail how he is unqualified to achieve this state on his own,

and beseeches the Lord to bring him to His Lotus Feet out of His own

Mercy and Compassion.

 

While this mood of surrender is poetic and moving, what is important

to note in Ramanuja's surrender, however, is the fact that our

magnanimous Teacher did not really want salvation for himself alone,

but for all living beings who are trapped in this cycle of

reincarnation as a result of their false egos.

 

In the Gadyatrayam, we understand how the Goddess, knowing Ramanuja's

true intentions, replied on behalf of both Herself and Her Lord that

all those who are connected to Ramanuja will be bestowed with this

Supreme Boon.

 

This magnanimous gift of connection to the Divine through Ramanuja's

surrender that is the ultimate gift of His Vision. This gift is

continued to be shared to this day by our Acharyas, whose

intercession in our own surrender becomes a link in a long chain that

leads to Ramanuja, and as result to the Divine Couple Themselves.

 

On this day, let us take a moment to reflect and rejoice on this

magnificent treasure that is our Sri Ramanuja Darshanam.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mohan