Sri Vishnuchitta kulanandana kalpavalli (Part-22)

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara MunayE namaha

Sri Vanachala mahA munayE namaha

 

Srivaishnavas undergo sharanagathi under the divine feet of emperuman. It is said that Srivaishnavas should consider emperuman as the only rakshagan and remain with jnana, bhakthi, vairakyam. EmperumAnAr in his gadyatrayam says, “pitaram mAtaram dhArAn putrAn bandoon sakeen guroon …sarvadharmAmscha santyajya sarva kAmAmscha sAksharAn lOkavikrAntha charanow sharanam thE avrajam vibhO II” [ I leave my mother, father, wife, children, relatives, friends, acharyas, all other upayas and upeyas fully and surrender to your divine feet]. Thirumangai mannan says, “tAyE tandhaiyennum tAramE kilai makkalendrum nOyE pattozhindEn” So does that imply that all Srivaishnavas should leave all their relatives and friends and become sanyasis?

 

No. Nammazhvar who said “konda pendir makkal uttrAr…. KandathOdu pattadallAl kAdal maRRuyAdhu millai” in the paasuram (9.1.1) appears to contradict himself in his same words in the previous paasuram (8.10.11) who remarks in the phala shruthi that “nalla padhaththAl manai vAzhvar konda pendir makkalE”. But Azhvar has no confusion in his words. He actually means, those relatives or friends who aid us in bhagavat/bhagavata kainkaryam are very important. Infact the blood relationship with bhagavatas is greatly cherished by our acharyas. Guru paramparai says that koorathAzhvan used to feel bad that he couldn’t have the dEha sambhandam (Blood Relationship) like mudaliyandan with swamy emperumAnAr. EmperumAnAr took up sanyasa but koorathAzhvan who was a para virakthan did not take sanyasa. Why? He had favorable wife and sons. He cherished the relationship with Andal and bhattar. So it has to be kept in mind that practicing Srivaishnavism nowhere makes us a sanyasi. In fact only a gruhastan can serve bhagavatas in a very appropriate manner and hence Srivaishavas cherish to be gruhasthas.

 

Andal in the ninth paasuram, “toomani mAdhaththu” shows the importance of deha sambhandam by awaking a gopi who very well knows about the para svaroopam and jeevatma svaroopam and hence waiting for emperuman to come and take hold of his property, by calling her with the relationship, “mAmAn magalE” and “mAmeer avalai ezhupeerO”

 

(To be continued)

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan