A Westerner's account of Ramanuja Darshanam

[Guest guest]

Respected Ramanuja Bhaktas,

 

It seems that there has always been some kind of unwritten rule that

one adopts the religion of his/her parents. For the followers of

Ramanuja, this rule certainly isn't denied, in that the devotional and

ethical ideals of his Vision certainly may come easier to one who has

been brought up in the culture.

 

But, at the same time, there is the bittersweet irony that the more

traditional one is brought up and tthe more that we are expected to

naturally follow the gifts that are being provided to us, the more our

human desire for self-expression lures us into being pulled away from

our faith.

 

What makes this all the more ironic, though, is while many of the

birth-based devotees are struggling to define themselves in more secular

ways, there are a number of people who have come into the fold without

any former knowlede of or connection to Ramanuja at all. It seems that

they have been given an even greater gift than simply being born with

the obligation of following Ramanuja. For they have been brought into

the community of devotees through the Lord's own Unconditional Grace

that has awakened Ramanuja in their hearts.

 

One such individual, Sri Madhavachari, is a bhAgavatha of European

origin who received formal initiation into the Sri Vaishnavism at the

end of November in the very birthplace of Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja Himself,

Sriperumbudur, under the tutelage of the highly respected Sri Varada

Yathiraja Jeeyar. The following is his personal account of his visit to

Ramanuja's birthplace and his receiving of samAsrAyanam or

panchasamskAra, the sacrament that binds us through the lineage of

Teachers through Ramanuja to the Lord Himself.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mohan

 

-------

 

In the end of November I went to see Sri M.A. Venkatakrishnan

[Moderator's note: Sri M A Venkatakrishnan is noted professor of Sri

Vaishnavism at the University of Madras] of the Sri Parthasarathy

Temple, Thiruvallikkeni.

 

We spoke for about thirty minutes, and I told him that it was my desire

to

become a Sri Vaishnava, and surrender to Sriman Narayana. He immediately

 

recommended me to go to Sri Perumbudur and talk to Sri Varada Yathiraja

Jeeyar. Dr. Venkatakrishnan wrote a letter to Sri Varada Yathiraja

Jeeyar,

recommending me for initiation, panchasamskara.

 

Then I went to Sri Perumbudur twice, but Sri Jeeyar Swamiji was not

there,

he had been delayed in Hyderabad where he attended a function together

with

Sri Chinna Jeeyar. On both of those occasions I spent a few hours at the

 

ashram with one of my godbrothers, Sri Raja Ramana who is the manager of

the

Matham. The third time I went to Sri Perumbudur, which was November 27,

Sri

Swamiji had returned from Hyderabad. He was sitting outside the office

at

his ashram and I fell to the ground and offered my pranamas to him. He

very

kindly asked me to come inside and he sat down on his chair.

 

We spoke for a long time and he asked many things. I also showed him the

 

letter of recommendation from Dr. M.A Venkatakrishnan. When I took out

the

letter I also showed him a book I was reading, Stotra Ratna. I wanted to

ask

if he knew of any better translation of the text. He didn't know of any,

but

he said that he was sure of my sincerity because I had come back again

and

again to the ashram for the purpose of receiving pancasamskara. He also

said

that because I had the Stotra Ratna and liked that book very much he was

 

sure of that I was a fit disciple. He said that it would not be possible

to

give panchasamskara that day, but two days later.

 

I had brought my son with me and Swamiji wanted to give him a glass of

milk.

My son who is only 6 years old is very shy, and wouldn?t take the milk.

Then

Swamiji said to him, " Look, I am closing my eyes now, so you can drink. "

 

Then he covered his eyes with both hands, and my son drank the milk. I

thought this was very nice. Far from all persons understand the mind of

a

small boy, but he did.

 

I decided to stay two nights instead of going back to the family's house

and

returning once again. My son went back the same day with the family's

driver

and I stayed at Sri Chinna Jeeyar's ashram, two houses down the same

road

where the ashram is located. Swamiji told me later the same evening that

he

would give panchasamskara the next day, on the 28th November, instead of

on

the 29th as previously planned. He arranged for my head shave that

evening,

and also put on thiruman and sri churnam on my forehead after the shave.

 

Then we walked around the Sri Adikehsava Perumal temple and he showed me

the

significant places around it. We also went to see an old sanskrit

scholar,

who was 101 years old. He stood up and greeted us when we entered the

room,

and told me (in Tamil) " You look just like Sri Ramanuja Acharya " . I

guess he

meant my shaved head, tiruman and fair complexion. I felt very shy and

unfit

when he said it though!

 

The next morning I went to the ashram and Swamiji put on my tiruman and

srichurnam. Some Vaishnava priests came and made arrangements for the

ceremony, homam, etc. 4 or 5 people were present and assisted. After

having

received brahma gayatri and the five samskaras I went with one of the

priests to the main temple and made offerings to Sri Ramanuja Acharya

and

Sriman Narayana. Some of the temple priests objected to my presence near

the

altars, and I was told to stand far away from them. My friend start to

discuss with them and said that I was as much a Sri Vaishnava as they

were,

and that was in fact a disicple of Sri Yathiraja Jeeyar. But the priests

did

not care about that. When we returned to the matham, Jeeyar Swamiji said

 

that those priests are corrupt government employees, and that they do

not

understand the heart of Sri Ramanuja Acharya.

 

After the initiation, a disciple of Sri Swamiji who is writing his

biography, interviewed me and wanted to put my story in the book.

Later on my wife and children came from Chennai to Sri Perumbudur and

took

lunch prasadam at the matham. My wife is from West Bengal, and Swamiji

told

my wife that he has a friend in W.B., a swami in the Ramakrishna

Mission. He

also asked if it was ok with her that I have become a Sri Vaishnava. She

 

said that she didn?t mind at all. Jeeyar Swamiji said that he doesn?t

want

to make any problems for the family. Later in the afternoon we went back

to

Chennai and took rest a couple of days before the flight back to Sweden.

 

 

Now, a while after the samasrayanam, I feel a definite change in my

life. I

am doing salagrama puja every day and chant the mantras that I received

from

my Acharya. The association with the Sri Vaishnavas I met, has somehow

made

me indifferent to the pursuit of material pleasures. Instead I feel that

my

mind and thoughts are turned towards Sriman Narayana, and there is more

of a

realization that I am eternal soul that belongs to Narayana, not to my

senses. Previously when I was into the Bengali type of vaishnavism I had

 

theoretical knowledge about this (the eternal nature and function of the

 

soul) , but now it's more a reality than a theory.