An appeal to List Members during SrI Nrusimha Jayanthi and Kaanchi Lord VaradarAjan's Garuda Sevai Uthsavams.

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear and Respected List Members:

 

Our Oppiliappan List completed one year of serving

fellow devotees on March 9 , 2003.

 

Our Oppiliappan list carrying the name of

the Lord of ThiruviNnagaram (OppilA appan/

The Matchless Lord) is not a list with a huge

number of Members.

 

It is a boutique list devoted to an understanding

of our SampradhAyam as preserved and propagated by

the illustrious set of SrI VaishNavite AchAryAs ,

who are always deeply interested in our spiritual

well being .

 

It is also a list to focus on Kaimkaryams to

develop a ruchi for them as a part of our lives

as Bhagavath RaamAnuja SampradhAyns and AbhimAnis.

Bhagavath-BhAgavatha-AchArya Kaimakryams are

indeed an important focus of this list .

 

We do not want our list to be a huge list for fear of

falling in the trap of many apachaarams to our SadAchAryAs

arising from too many unsubstantiated free wheeling analyses.

Our AchAryAs are parama DayALus and are deeply interested in

our spiritual advancements.We do not want flip approaches to

discussing important topics that are dear to them .

 

The role of our AchAryAs is unparalleled and we have to be

ever so guardful of not offending what they have devoted

their entire lives to protect and preserve for posterity.

 

On the eve of the precious SrI Nrusimha Jayanthi ,

adiyEn is taking the vow to tighten up the rules

for acceptance of postings , since some of the recent

postings that were offensive to the sensibilities of those ,

who place the highest emphasis on the role of SadAchAryan

in our lives. The freewheeling discussions are great in

a general forum ; if these discussions are not backed up

by a sense of respectful regard for our illustrious line of

SadAchAryans and the scholarship and authenticity that

they represent in interpretations of the SaasthrArthams ,

then we would be wasting our time and learning nothing.

The list will ultimately shrink to a level of purposelessness

and will end up in empty pontifications & shouting matches.

It will disappear like a thin stram that lost its

identity in the sands of an arid desert.

 

Let us keep up a level of sanctity in dealing with

the topics related to our sampradhAyam. We have so much

to learn from the depth of knowledge represented

by the sishyAs of many of our AchArya paramparais.

 

SadaachAryas are gained by us through Bhagavath

sankalpam and anugraham . PerumAL is our First

AchAryan and commands His line of AchAryAs to

bless us with paravidhyAs of Bhakthi or

prapatthi Yogam as MokshOpAyams. Most of us

do not have the qualifications are rigor to

practise Bhakthi yOgam and perform hence Prapatthi

at the sacred feet of the Lord with the intercession

of our AchAryan. AchAryA's DayA can never ever be

repaid . AchAryA's Paadhukais give us PerumAL as

the Parama PurushArTam (Supreme boon). AchAryA's

aasritha Vaathsalyam ( affection for those , who

sought their protection) is immeasurable. It is as

deep as their Jn~Anam and DayA. They make every effort

to rescue us from the wrong steps that we are wont to take .

They save us from all kinds of asubhams ( inauspiciousness).

 

On this Nrusimha Jayanthi Kaalam, adiyEn's mind

hovers over the Silver Mantapam , where SrI Lakshmi

Nrusimhan has His aasthAnam and Our AchAryan ,

SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA Desikan , is performing

the VisEsha Nrusimha Jayanthi AarAdhanam. One of Our Lord's

Sacred foot has a Paadhukai and the other has been left behind

during His hurry to accompany AdhI VaNN SaThakOpa Jeeyar ,

the First Jeeyar of AhObila matam .

 

The combination of the image of the Bhagavan and AchAryan together

on this auspicious occasion beofe the mind's eye from this distance

of 9,000 plus miles reminds adiyEn of Swamy Desikan's

MangaLAsAsanam in SrI PaadhukA Sahsara Phala Paddhathi (SlOkam 984):

 

" Idham BhavathI-samEtham yath PaadhAravindha-yugalam

tath sarkarayA samEtham Ksheeram iva " .

 

Here Swamy Desikan is describing what is delectable for

aathma kshEmakaram ( that confers kshEmam on one self)

and provide paripoorna Thrupthi (Full satisfaction). There are

two sEvais that belong to this category of immense satisfaction .

One is the darsana soubhAgyam of the SubhAsraya Dhivya Mangala

Vigraham of Lord Narasimhan , the apoorva aanandha maya vigrahan ,

who is enjoyable by the mind and whose darsanam destroys all sins

on sight .

 

The other sEvai , which is equally blessed is the Darsana

soubhAgyam of our AchAryan . Both sEvais are individually

BhOgyam (most enjoyable) and Paapa haram ( destroyer of one's sins).

The BhOgyatamam ( the supremely delectable) experience however

is the joint darsanam of the AchAryan performing AarAdhanam

for the Lord , who incarnated as the Man-Lion and jumped

out of the court pillar of HiraNya Kasipu to prove that

His devotee's utterances will not prove false.

 

When such a joint sEvai is realized, even Paramapadham is

not important ! The pramANam quoted by our AchAryAs

for this avicchinna sEvai is:

 

" Bhagavad vandhanam svAdhyam Guru Vandhana poorvakam "

 

Such a sevai of the Lord preceded by the sEvai of

one's AchAryan is like the most exalted experience.

It is like drinking the Milk admixed with Sugar

(Ksheeram SarkarayA samEtham).

 

Such a Joint sEvai in person before the Silver

Mantapam at SrI Matam and dhyAnam on such a joint

sEvai is Taaraka-pOshaka-BhOgyams for sishyAs.

The great blessing to be near our AchAryans

to perform Sarva Desa-Sarva Kaala-Sarvaavasthitha

uchitha Kaimkaryams is not available to many of us

stuck away in foreign lands for one reason or other.

Serving the AchAryAs and following the path laid out

for us by them is indeed Parama PurushArTam.

For those of us who have the paripoorNa KatAksham of

our SadAchAryans and observe sEsha Vrutthi for them ,

all karmAs are destroyed. Those MahA BhAgyasAlis ,

who are very few (Sudhurlabha:) since they have

unquestionable belief in their SadAchAryans as

parama PrApyam and PrApakam . This is the Upadesam

of Swamy Desikan. Let us follow the SadAchAryA's

golden path rooted in VedAs (Veda Maarga PrathishtApanAchAryAs)

to gain Moksham granted by the Veda Maarga PrathipAdhyan,

SrI MaalOla Narasimhan of Ahobilam travelling to villages

and cities with His AarAdhakars for the past 600 plus years

in an unbroken tradition to bless us.

 

let us approach Oppiliappan List in this mood and

strengthen the bonds between the respected members

from here on.

 

We will make some changes in the format of

SaraNAgathi list soon and revert back to

the Journal mode with special articles

on SrI VaishNava SrI Sooktis soon. We will

focus on Swamy Desikan's DramidOpanishad

Taathparya RathnAvaLi, DranidhOpanishad Saara

and chillarai Rahasyams .

 

With prayers for AchAryA's blessing for

these Kaimkaryams to the SrI ViashNava Community,

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE Saranam

SrI Lakshmi Nrusimha Para BrahmaNE Nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SaThakOpan