SaraNaagati gadhyam of AchArya RaamAnujaa : 1950 release of Sri VishitAdhvaita PracharaNi sabha , Madras : Part I

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Bhagavad RaamAnuja SampradhAyins:

 

Back in 1959 , Sriman K. Bhashyam prepared under the guidance of Abhinava Desika Sri UttamUr ViraraghavAcchArya Swami a short monograph of 50 pages with English translation of the Text of Bhagavad Ramanuja's SaraNaagati Gadhya and its commentary by SrutaprakAsika AchArya. This release is now out of print and needs to be reprinted and read by all AastikAs , who may not be able to read the original of this important gadhya in Sanskrit or its commentary in MaNipravALam by Periya-VaacchAn PiLLai or Swamy Desikan's own commentary in Sanskrit .

 

SrI HayagrIva Likhita Kaimkarya Group has decided to bring out this out of print book back into circulation for the benefit of the younger generation .Any proceeds from the printing and sale of this out-of-print edition will be donated to VisishtAdhvaita PrachariNi sabha and to the heirs of UttamUr Swamy for releasing

additional books such as Paramatha Bhangam by this great AchAryan .

 

In his introduction , U.Ve. Sri UttamUr VeerarAghavAcchAr swamy says :

 

{ The ultimate goal of life is Moksha , the release of one's soul from the cycle of Samsara . To attain this , there are two ways indicated by the saastras , one Bhakti Yoga and the other Prapatti . By either of these means , the Redemptive Grace of God can be secured. Bhakti Yoga is difficult to perfrom for ordinary mortals , for , it means constant one-pointed meditation of Brahmam to be practised by the devotee during his whole life time , accompanied at the same time by the performance of the usual rites , sacrifices , etc. On the other hand , Prapatti is the absolute surrender of the Self to the Lord; it is comparitively more easy and can be performed by any person who has learnt about it from his AchArya and is desirous of Moksha. In ancient times, as stated in Taittiriya Upanishad," yetat vai MahOpanishadam dEvAnAm guhyam". Prapatti was kept as a close secret . Hence , in Brahmasutra , Prapatti is mentioned but not clearly. For the same reason , Sri Ramanuja also did not wish to refer to it explicitly in his Sri BhAshya and Geetaa BhAshya. Whatever controversy there may be as to whether Sri Ramanuja advocated Prapatti in his other works , there is no doubt that he has unmistakably indicated in his Gadhya Traya the path of Prapatti as a sure direct menas of salvation . So , while other works of Sri Ramanuja are to be studied to learn from them exactly what are the Tatwa and PurushArta , but to know what is Hita , it is necessary to complete the study by studying the Gadhya Traya , for , it is only then we can understand Hita, ( Prapatti) , its nature and how it is to be performed .

 

SaraNAgati Gadhya is in the form of a dialog between Sri Ramanuja and SrI DEvi

( Mahaa Lakshmi) in the first instance, then between Sri RaamAnuja and Sriman NarayaNa .Tradition is that Sri RaamAnuja performed SaraNAgati in Srirangam before Lord Ranganatha and His consort , when They were seated on an Aastaanam and that SrI DEvi and Her Lord actually spoke to Ramanuja and granted him his prayers as seen from the dialog in SaraNAgati Gadhya.

 

To SrI RaamAnuja , Iswara is a personal God , who has the Universe , Chit and achit as His body and is full of all various beneovolent attributes . It is appropriate therefore that , as is usual with him , Sri Ramanuja should in his SaraNAgati Gadhya , sing the glory and beauty of His divine personality,the brilliance of His wonderful ornaments , and the mighty powers of His weapons. He is also adored as the consort of Sri , BhUmi nad NaaLaa dEvis. He has also for His attendants NityAs like AadhiSEsha , Garuda and VishvaksEna , and the MuktAs in VaikunTha , His blissful abode .

 

SaraNAgati Gadhya is the exposition of the Dhvaya Mantra , whuich has come to us traditionally . This is the major Gadhya , while the other two ( Sriranga and Vaikuntha gadhyAs) stay as supplementary gadhyAs. This work is one of great religious importance to the followers of Sri RaamAnuja , who believe in his philosophy of VisishtAdhvaita." Sriranga Gadhya has been released earlier in the Sri Hayagrivan series ( http://www.srihayagrivan.org ).

 

adiyEn SrI RaamAnuja DhAsan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan