Acharya vaibhavam - 72- Having performed Prapatti, [or Saranagati], what are the do's and don'ts for a Prapannan? [Post Prapatti period]

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

 

We have enjoyed the glorious Acharya Paramparai, the

kalyANa guNAs of our Srimad ParavakkOttai Andavan

Swami in particular and also immersed ourselves in

vedic references and saasthric pramANams to Prapatti

yoga and Saranagathi maargam.

 

Now that we have gone trhough with that: what is that

and how does one behave after undergpoing BharanyAsam

or Prapatti at the lotus feet of Acharyan?

 

The following would come handy and hence is reproduced

below. [as extracted from Srimad Rahaysyathrayasaram

–the summary or essence of which is written by Sri

Anbil Ramaswamy Swami]

 

In the Post-Prapatti period till death the Prapanna

should be free from all anxieties, worries, tensions

or doubts regarding the fact of achieving the goal. He

should look forward to the event of deliverance as

anticipating the arrival of a honored guest since the

release from Samsara (cycle of births and deaths) is a

matter for supreme rejoicing.

 

He should, nevertheless, be wary of his promises to do

the Nitya and Naimittika karmas pleasurable to the

Lord, avoid those that would displease the Lord and

maintain the Mahaviswasa and remember his own Karpanya

and Akinchanya during the rest of his life. In short,

he will conduct himself as a liberated soul even while

living in this world .

 

The repentance on his having committed sins and the

atonement therefore are proper before Prapatti;

Otherwise, Prapatti would be ineffective. If on the

other hand, he languishes over his past karma EVEN

AFTER PRAPATTI, it will amount to disbelieving the

Lord's assurance to forgive all that. SO, ATONEMENT

BEFORE AND HOPE AFTER ARE THE HALLMARKS OF A PERSON

WHO HAS DONE PRAPATTI.

 

A self conceited person might feel that his initiative

has been lost, but the Prapanna would feel that the

initiative was never with him; It was always with the

Lord to whom he had surrendered. Neither our will nor

our mind nor our intelligence work out things for us.

Every action is His; The only action that can ever be

ours is to surrender our will to Him. This surrender,

he does not do for us because it has to come out of

our free will. All he does is to create the

circumstances for us to surrender to Him.

 

If we don't surrender in word, thought and deed, He

mercifully lets us go free, but to be tossed about in

Samsara and take our own time to come to Him. Once,

having surrendered, the Prapanna can rest assured of

His protection and has nothing else to do for saving

himself.

 

This Chapter lays down the duties to be performed by a

Prapanna from the time of his doing Prapatti till

attaining Moksha on death.

 

(a) A Prapanna should not slacken his attentions to

and performance of his Nitya Karmas.

 

(b) He should continue to widen his knowledge by

associating with Acharyas and others qualified.

 

© Even if he has achieved a mental evolution

befitting him to a direct communion with God., he

should not feel proud about it since he should be ever

aware of his own insignificance

 

(d) He should keep his sense organs under perfect

control

 

(e) He should continue to do service to the archa form

of the Lord as also Nishkamya Karmas.

 

(f) He should consciously avoid all desire for worldly

pleasures and carry on his daily routine with wealth

earned through Dharmic means.

 

(g) He should always feel grateful to the grace of the

preceptor who initiated him into Prapatti

 

(h) He should always utter the Dvaya mantra as advised

by his Guru

 

(i) He should never boast about his own greatness (j)

He should scrupulously avoid insulting or

disrespecting the Bhagavatas and Acharyas.

 

(j) He should always be eager to perform service to

Bhagavan, the Bhagavatas and Acharyas.

 

(k) He should eat only pious foods conducive to

augmenting Satva guna.

 

What a Prapanna should do and what he should not may

be summarized as follows:

 

(i) Not to indulge in Worldly pleasures and desire

therefore

(ii) To remember The great help rendered by Acharyas

(iii) Not to utter Words of Self-praise

(iv) To utter Dvaya Mantra

(v) To avoid in mind Disrespect to Bhaghavatas and

word and deed Acharyas

(v) To perform in mind Service to Bhaghavan,

Bhaghavatas word and deed and Acharyas

 

Atonement for offences:

 

After Prapatti, a Prapanna will not indulge in

committing any sins

 

(1) Should he commit any without intention, such sins

will not accrue to him

 

(2) Sins knowingly and deliberately committed can be

neutralized by atonement -prayaschitta prapatti (not

for the purpose of Moksha)

 

(3) Should one indulge in sins deliberately and does

not atone, minor punishments will be imposed on him

like becoming blind, lame etc., or disobedience by

wife, children etc. In such an event also the Prapanna

would not be denied Moksha because his papas will be

negatived by atonement or suffering punishment as

aforesaid.

 

(4) Even major sins except what is stated in (5) below

will be excused by the Lord by inflicting a light

punishment in exercise of his patience, love and

compassion towards the Prapanna.

 

(5) The only heinous and unpardonable sins which will

nullify the effects of Prapatti are: (a) Disrespect to

Bhagavatas and Acharyas and (b) Adherence to deities

other than Bhagavan.

 

(6) Though the means and Phala of Moksha are identical

as between a Prapanna and the great Nityas and Muktas

like PARASARA,VYASA,SRI NATHAMUNI and others, the

Prapanna should not arrogate himself by equating

himself with these extraordinary luminaries since they

are far superior on account of their birth, character,

knowledge, discipline etc which are not comparable to

those of the Prapanna.

 

(7) THE PRAPANNA SHOULD NOT DISCRIMINATE ANY ONE AS

INFERIOR ON ACCOUNT OF THE LATTER'S CASTE, CREED, SEX

OR OTHER DIFFERENCES

 

(8) The Apacharas committed towards Bhagavatas can

also be expiated but Only by seeking the forgiveness

of the same Bhagavatas

 

(9) A SUBTLE POINT TO NOTE IN THIS CONNECTION IS THAT

IF A PRAPANNA PRAYS AT THE TIME OF DOING PRAPATTI

FORGIVENESS OF SINS HE MIGHT COMMIT KNOWINGLY OR

UNKNOWINGLY IN THE POST-PRAPATTI PERIOD, THE LORD

WOULD TAKE CARE TO GUARD HIM AGAINST HIS COMMITTING

SUCH SINS ALSO.

 

(10) The Post-Prapatti sins get exculpated thus:-

1/4th by not repeating such sins; 1/4th by feeling

repentant; 1/4th by efforts to perform atonement

(Prayaschitta) and the balance 1/4th by actually

performing the Prayaschitta. Thus, for the Prapanna,

there is no consignment to hell or the danger of

rebirth under any circumstances.

 

asmadhAcharya ParyanthAm vandhE GuruparamparAm

Acharyan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan

 

 

 

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