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re: suffering of our Acharyas

From the Bhakti List Archives

A.Bharat • February 18, 2000 


Dear BhagavatOttamas

In yesterday's Bhakti posting a member poignantly
exclaimed about the way our AchAryas underwent
physical suffering DESPITE being so pure and so
much devoted to Sriman Narayana.

The fact is,as repeatedly mentioned by AzhwArs and
AchAryas- it was precisely BECAUSE they were so
devoted to Him that they suffered so much.

ADiyen will give two telling quotations(in translation)
to substantiate this seeming anamoly.

Sri PeriyavAchhAn PiLLai in his commentary on the
Periya Tirumozhi (3.6.7)gives the following Aitihya-
"AmmangiammALuDaiya charama daSaiyil Nanjeeyar.."

Swami Nanjeeyar had gone to see Swami AmmangiammAl
during his last moments and observing his extreme
sufferings he exclaimed,"When one thinks of SwAmin's
AchArya-seva and the fact that all his time was devoted
only to enjoying the Lord's KalyANaguNas,it seems unjust
that he too has to suffer like any other ordinary man!"

and the other replied,"Has it not been said-'NeeyALa
vaLai-ALamATTOmE!"-if one becomes the Chosen of the Lord
One HAS TO PERFORCE suffer before leaving this body!"

After coming out of his house Swami Nanjeeyar remarked
to his pupil Swami Nambillai-"See the extremity of his
Faith (ViSwAsa)which makes him talk like this even at the
point of his passing away!"

The second example is from Swami DeSikan's commentary
on Swami ALawandAr's StOtra Ratnam.While commenting on
St60,and explaining that for a SrIVaishNava there is
no Yama-vaSyatA and hence all his karmas are expiated
in this body itself,he quotes from Rahasya AmnAya:

"Tat kim amI Yamavishayam gachhanti etc.."

"Then do these people go to Yama's territory and does
Yama punish them? Not at all! BhAgavatas never go
to Yama's territory! What then? HERE itself they suffer
infirmities,some become lame,some blind etc.They should
put up with these infirmities patiently-TAn UpaklESAn
sahEran!"

Sr EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigaLE SaraNam!
aDiyEn
BHARAT