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Re: Sriman Anbil Swamy's note on the Pittsburgh Meeting

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Krishna Kalale • May 29, 1998 


Dear Sri Sadagopan,

I would like to know the references for some of the "nama samkirthanam"
related verses you have quoted. I need them since I am looking into
HareKrishna movement's views seriously.

thanks

Adiyen Krishna


At 11:20 AM 5/29/98 -0400, Sadagopan wrote:
>Dear Sri VenkatEsa BhakthAs  :
> 
>I appreciate very much the gracious comments of 
>Sri Anbil Swamy . In my earlier note and also in 
>person and on the dais , I have thanked most sincerely 
>every one , who contributed to the success of 
>the recent Bhagavath Kaimkaryam at Pittsburgh . 
>
>As all of you appreciate , I am just a coordinator of this program
>and the individual contributions of speakers from all parts
>of the country and the gracious support by Sriman Narender 
>Reddy and the Temple Officials from start to finish are 
>the CENTRAL elements in the success of this Yaj~nam .
>
>The devoted services of Sriman Rengarajan to help 
>a disorganized individual like myself have been 
>pivotal in chasing the myriad details of the two days .
>I have thanked him in person many times and I will go on record
>now and join with Sri Anbil Swamy in recognizing his 
>special and much apprciated efforts as Kainkarya Thilakam . 
>
>I have mentioned on the dais that our efforts are like
>creating a Nava rathna KIreetam for the Lord , where 
>every particpant's valued contribution at every level
>is like the enmeshing of a rathnams to join the assembly.
>This is very  much similar to the Navarathna kIreetam 
>samarpaNam by King Thondaimaan of Yore . Sri VenkatEsA 
>according to other legend accepted with more joy the mud flowers 
>offered by a potter than the pushpams by a king . Our devotional
>samarpaNam at His lotus feet belongs in the category of
>the bhakthi-laden offering . Every one of you through 
>your partcipation , presentation , services contributed
>equally to bring this ratha yathrA to a successful conclusion .
>THANK YOU ONE AND ALL MOST SINCERELY . 
>
>I will conclude this posting with the prayer of Adi Sankara 
>the VishNu bhakthA in his First SlOkam of 
>ShatpadhI sthOthram .
>
>avinayam apanaya VishNO dhamaya mana: 
>samaya vishaya rasa thrushNam I
>bhUthadhayAm visthAraya 
>tAraya samsAra Saagaratha : II
>
>Here The great AchAryA prays for five boons from
>MahA VishNu . The first prayer is for removing 
>AhankAram ( Avinayam apanaya ).This is the primary cause 
>for all unhappiness for the humans that plague us all
>at one time or other . Human beings are incapable of 
>fully banishing it .That raises its head often . Only
>the Lord can remove this aha and puRa iruL ( inner 
>and outter darkness referred to by Sri RengarAjan
>in his discourse on the Mudal AzhwArs ). Through the
>sambhOdhanam ( invocation ) VishNu , who is sarvAntharyAmi and 
>is pervasively present in the heart cavity , AchAryA 
>suggests that He alone as the enveloper of the space
>of mind and heart can successfully remove Avinayam .
>
>The second prayer is : damaya Mana: ( Control your mind ).
>Why ? ManO nigraham is the ankusam for ahankAra nivrutthi
>( banishing of ego ). 
>
>The third prayer is for the destruction of desire for
>material things ( vishaya rasa thrushNA ). ManO nigraham can
>only come about , when the burning desire for the material
>pleasures and possessions is quelled(quenched ) .
>
>In the first half of this slOkam , the venerated
>Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha BhakthA , who composed the 
>Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha KarAvalampana sthOthram
>and VishNu bhujangam prayed to the Supreme One
>to remove ahankAram and Aasura sampath and the granting
>of Dhaiva Sampath leading to Moksham .
>
>In the second half of this sthOthram , Adi SankarA 
>prays for the boon of bhUtha dayA . Compassion for 
>sarva Janthus , the bipeds and the quadrapeds and
>all living entities as the creations of the Lord .
>He asks the Lord to expand ( visthAraya ) the bhUtha
>dayA .This is the fourth prayer .
>
>The final prayer is "taaraya samsAra sAgaratha : " .
>Please get me across this fierce ocean of SamsAram
>is the heart of the prayer .This is the culmination 
>of ahankara nivrutthi, manO nigraham , vishaya rasa
>vairAgyam  and bhUtha dayA leading to mukthi or mOksham .
>
>By using the word , Saagara : (ocean ) , the venerable
>AchAryA visualizes our state to a log or splinter
>that is ceaselessly tossed about with the low and 
>high tides experiencing our puNyams and paapams
>and being tossed about in different births and
>going thru appropriate sukhams and dukkhams .
>He wants rest from all these ceaseless tossing about at 
>the holy feet of the Lord in His parama padham .
>
>Isvara KrupA is essential for the travel across 
>samsAra sAgaram . Even scholars get dragged by
>their five strong senses towards the vishaya ruchi and 
>the consequent lapse of  manO nigraham
>( balavAn indriya grAma: vidvAmsaapi karshathi ) .
>It has ben pointed out that it is easier to drink
>all the waters of the Ocean ,to pull Meru mountain
>out of its roots and to eat fire than controlling the mind 
>from its ahankAra-mamakArams . Only the Bhagavath
>and Bhaagavatha kaimkaryams and the Lord's dayA/
>anukampA /krupA of the kind saluted by our dear 
>Sri Vijaya Raaghavan in his talk at Pittsburgh 
>and the experiencing of NirvEdam discussed 
>by Sri Anbil Swamy could help us to overcome 
>this obstacle  of Vishama: chittha nigraham . 
>              
>In this context , it is my personal conviction that
>Bhagaavth Kaimkaryam and Bhagavatha Kaimkaryam means 
>more to me than titles , which are manifestations of 
>spontaneous burst of affection that fellow bhakthAs have 
>for any  effort I make in the joyous journey to understand 
>the beauty of our Kula dhanams . That is all !This is not a 
>statement arising out of false modesty , while I 
>thank Sri Nadadur Maadhavan for his spontaneous 
>sentiment . 
>
>What we did in unison at Pittsburgh is Govindha
>naama sankeerthanam revealed to us by our AchAryAs:
>
>rgvEdam maa yajusthAtha maa Saama pata kinchana
>GovindhEthi HarErnAma gaayasva nithyasa : 
>
>Meaning : There is no need to recite Rg, Yajur or Saama 
>Vedam . But You must sing the Govindha naamam
>of the Lord always . This was covered by Sriman Raaghavan"s
>presentation on ANDAL Paasurams at Pittsburgh .
>
>The intensity of desire to be anything on the Lord's
>saptha giris covered by Sri Murali Rangaswami is 
>another manifestation of the desire to be part of 
>this yajnam of Govinda Naama sankeerthanam practised
>by Sri Madhurai Sundar . 
>
>The deep nirvEdam and NaiichAnusanthAnam 
>experienced by Thirumangai AzhwAr was
>brought before our our mind's eye beautifully by Sriman Varadhan 
>and the need for MahA Viswasam in the Lord was saluted by 
>Srimaan Venkat culminating in the profound SaraNAgathi as
>aakinchanyan by NammAzhwAr elaborated so lovingly
>by Sri NadAdur Madhavan will happen surely .You can
>approach and experience the Lord as a Mother ( YasOdhA )
>as pictured by Sriman SrikrishNan in his presentation
>on the tender paasurams of PeriyAzhwAr or as a supplicant 
>for His mercy as Sri Vijaya Raghavan did in covering 
>DayA sathakam of the kavithArkika Simham or through
>rigorous logic developed by AchArya RaamAnujA 
>in his Sri BhAshyam and VedArtha Sangraham in
>the spirit of Sri Krishna Kalale's dizzyingly 
>delightful presentation .The easier route for most 
>of us is thru enjoying the spirit of AdhyAthma sankerthanam
>of AnnAmAchArya as demonstrated by Srimathi Mythili Krishnan 
>and the tanmayathvam of Purandara dAsA and Kanaka DasA's
>daasyam and SaraNAgathi to Govindhan as described to us
>with feeling by Sri M.G.Prasad . 
>
>This Govindha Naama Sankeerthanam and the power of it is 
>revealed to us by another slOkam :
>
>Achyutha kalpavrukshasccha anantha: kaamadhugh bhavEth 
>chinthAmaNisthu GovindhO naamatrayam udhAhrutham 
>
>( Meaning ) : The name Achyutha stands for the boon-giving
>Kapa Vruksham ; Anantha , the limitless stands for
>KaamadhEnu; Govindha stands for ChinthAmaNi rathnam .
>This is the significance of these three naamAs .
>That is why Sage VyAsA says : AchyuthAnantha Govindha --.
>
>That is why in this kali yugam , we go to the hills 
>of Pittsburgh and Saptha Giri following the foot steps of 
>our AchAryAs and offer our kaimkaryam to kaliyuga Varadhan ,
>Sri VenkataramaNa Govindhan :
>
>kalim sabhAjanthyAryA : guNaj~nA SAARADARSINA:
>yathra sankeerthanEnaiva sarvasvArtthO hi labhyathE 
>
>( Meaing ) : Those great ones , who truly understand
>the purport of kali salute the Kali Purushan specially .
>It is because of their correct understanding that in
>Kali yugam , all the sowbhAgyams come to us just from the 
>mere sankeerthanam of Govindha  naamam .
>
>Another AchAryA asserts that there are no other rites
>neeeded by the Janthus :
>
>RaamEthi varNa dvayamAdharENa sadhA smaran mukthim upaithi Janthu:
>kalou yugE kalmasha maanasAnAm anyathra dharmE kalu naadhikAra: 
>
>(Meaning ) : The Janthu that endearingly recites the taaraka
>naamam containing the two aksharams , Raa and ma attains
>mukthi surely . In this fierce Kali , for those full 
>of blemishes in their hearts , there is no other prescription
>to attain Moksham , other than Govindha nAma Sankeerthanam .
>
>I conclude this posting with the final slOkam 
>of the shatpathI sthOthram of Adi SankarA , where 
>Adi Sankara performs his saraNAgathi at Sriman NaarAyaNA's 
>lotus feet :
>
>NaarAyaNa KaruNAmaya SaraNam karavANi taavakou CharaNou
>Ithi ShatpathI madhIyE vadhana sarOjE sadhA vasathu 
>
>Here , the AchAryA prays to the KaruNAmaya NaarAyaNan 
>and performs his saraNAgathi at his sacred feet .
>
>The Lord described by the six tAhtparya Linghams 
>such as Upakramam , UpasamhAram et al and His 
>paramAthma SvarUpam is understood as Shatpadh 
>or the One with six legs like the honey bee .
>AchArya prays for that Shatpadh to reside forever
>on the lotus of his face ( Vadhana sarOjE vasathu )(i-e)., 
>He prays for this sthOthram to reside forever on
>his lips to grant him the five boons ( Removal
>of avinayam, Mana damanam , vishaya rasa vairAgyam,
>bhUtha dayA and safe journey across the ocean of
>SamsAram on the safe boat of the Lord ). 
>
>May we seek these five boons and rededicate our
>Kaimkaryam at the Lotus feet of the Lord of
>Sapthagiri , Sri PadmAvathi samEtha Sri VenaktEsan .
>
>asmath gurubhyO nama :
>Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan       
>        
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