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Dear Sriman Mohan,

 

Kindly forgive me too for any mistake. God is blemishless as He does not expect anything from anyone in return (pratyupakAra nirapEkshatvam, as said by Bhattar for the name "Suchi:"). But still we worship Him expressing our SEshatvam as if we are doing Him something in return (pratyupakAram iva - says bhattar while commenting on "yajamAna:" in dhayAn stuvan ... line). This is true to our nature once He generates some love for Him in us.

 

Surrender in the sense of leaving our efforts and just depending on His grace is very much preached by Azhwars, though not as upAya. We are already His, so where is the question of submitting, says ALavandhAr (athavA kinnu samarpayAmit tE?).

 

The following Srisooktis of Prof. M.S.Rangacharya swami can help in understanding Azhwars' philosophy:

 

1. Can one knowing His words be (anything) other than a servant to Him, when we get clarified about the good He does to us by removing the clouded birth, disease, aging, death and taking away as if from the root the great misery of being born in this world? (vArtthai aribavar, ThiruvAimozhi 7.5.10)

 

In technical terms this can be alternatively described as ‘prapatthi’ or surrender unto the Lord, the word being interpreted as, ‘svapravrtthinivrtthi’ or stopping all attempts on the part of the soul for deliverance. In fact, in the Thiruvaimozhi, more than once, the Azhvar mentions about submitting his soul to the Lord but corrects himself telling that the soul is His and there is no question of submission.

 

2. Even about Bhakti, the Azhvars don’t claim to be Bhaktas by themselves, but deem themselves made bhaktas by the Lord. ‘…….nirandharam ninaippadhaaha ni ninaikkavendume’. Thirucchandhaviruttham 101. (You should will that I always think about You.)

 

‘…ennunarvinulle irutthinen adhuvum avanadhu innarule’ (I kept Him in my feeling, but even that was His sweet blessing only.)

 

3. Ramanuja distinguishes ‘bhajanti’, from the usual notion of ‘doing bhakti’ – a ritualistic performance or worship – to a concept of devotion or adoration of the Supreme Being, for its own sake without any expectation on either side.

4. Even about service or kainkarya to the Lord, they have this attitude: -

‘ariyakkalatthulle adimaikkaò anbuseivitthu’ Thiruvaaimozhi 2-3-3. (Making me have a taste of servitude when I was ignorant.)

 

Note from Vishnu:

 

 

a)In consonance with 2, Bhattar says Bhavati bhakti: mahata: sukrtasaya phalam, Bhakti is the result of sukrtam of the great Lord (mahAn - interpreation for this word by Bhattar is interesting in aNu: brhat... line). It cannot be cultivated by ourselves.

 

b) As noted in 3, it is the concept of selfless love and not requited/unrequited one.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsanVishnu

 

> >> Sri Vishnu,> > Very well said, I stand corrected. The Supreme Being grants His Grace > without expecting anything from anyone. You must forgive me; being a > hopeless sentimentalist, there is still a part of me that wishes to > encourage people to love Him in return for all that He is affording to > us. Experience and some exposure to poetry makes me rather sensitive to > the notion of unrequited Love, even if it is in accordance with His > Nature. Besides, did not the Alwars plea with us to surrender to Him?> > adiye:n Ra:ma:nuja da:san> Mohan

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