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Re: a small clarification

From the Bhakti List Archives

Anand Karalapakkam • November 11, 1999 


SrI:
SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha
SrI Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaN-
SatakOpa SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESIkAya namaha

 Dear devotees,
 namO nArAyaNA.

----------------  
SrI Mani wrote:
So, while according to doctrine, supreme liberation may
not be assured, as it is if one surrenders to Sriman Narayana
as conceived of by our scriptures, I cannot rule out the
merciful Lord from granting liberation to whomever *He*
sees fit.  After all, He is 'nirankusa-svatantran', isn't He?
In fact, I believe either a good birth or liberation itself
is assured for the first person.
-------------------------

 adiyEn would also like to point towards an earlier discussion
 regarding this issue. Kindly refer to the posting on 
 7th April 1999 in the archives (probably the thread on
 "bhakti and prapatti"). 
---------------------

  Ofcourse, God is independent. But, He is Satya Sankalpan,
  and will not act whimsically, performing things against
  the sAstrAs.

 PerumAL Himself, in Ahirbudhnya samhitA
  categorically declares :

" bhaktyA paramayA vA-pi prapattyA vA mahAmathe
  prApyoham na anyathA prApyO mama kainkarya lipsubhihi"

  PerumAL declares that bhakti and prapatti are the
  only means (sAdhyOpAyam, to be adopted by a jIvAtma)
  for which He will grant moksham (kainkaryam at Sri
  vaikuNTham) and  for _no other means_ adopted by the 
  jIvAtmA, will He grant moksham.

  By the way, the above verse has been quoted by 
  SwAmi dESIkan in His SrImad Rahasyatraya sAram.

  Thus, eventhough SrIman nArAyaNa has every independency
  and "rights" to _directly_ grant moksham for anyone 
  (who has not adopted either bhakti Or prapatti), He 
  goes by His own words/sAstrAs, that being His kalyANa
  guNa. He neither suddenly decides that moksham should 
  not be granted for prapannAs, nor does He suddenly decide
  to grant moksham for someone who has not performed a 
  sAdhyOpAya viz. either bhakti Or Prapatti. The eternal 
  sAstrAs are always true and PerumAL will not violate 
  them. 

  Even if God grants moksham to someone He picks, not in
  accordance with sAstrAs, then He is certainly liable to 
  arbitrariness and partiallity to those He picks, resulting 
  in cruelty to others who haven't obtained moksham. Thus, this
  option is not possible, since God never behaves with such 
  characteristics ( Iswaratthukku hAni). SrIman nArAyaNA has 
  already listed in sAstrAs as to whom He sees as "fit" to 
  obtain moksham. They are the the bhakti yOgIs and the prapannAs. 
  All other devotees, who are very sincere will certainly be guided 
  by the most merciful PerumAL to adopt either bhakti yOga Or 
  Prapatti and will then grant moksham ie. PerumAL will not directly 
  grant them moksham, without making them undergo some "vyAja" 
  (excuse) like either bhakti or prapatti (Otherwise, there is no 
  meaning for these "vyAjAs" to be imposed by Him in the sAstrAs; 
  He could as well grant moksham to everyone in one moment). 

  PerumAL certainly reciprocates to His devotees in
  various ways ; no one can comprehend it. He is
  bhakta vatsalan. But, whether He grants moksham
  to them depends upon the performance of the 
  sAdhyOpAya.

  Infact, King Dasaratha was very fortunate to have
  Lord Rama to be his son. But, Dasarathar went
  only to svargA after his death, since he didn't
  complete either bhakti yOgam OR prapatti.

  PAndavAs also were very intimate with Lord Krishna.
  But, for moksham, they didn't perform either
  prapatti Or upAsanA, and thus didn't obtain
  moksham that time.

  But, during the rAma avatAram, everyone at AyOdhya
  were taken to the vibhava lOkam called 
  SaantAnika lOkam (rAma lOkam), from where those 
  jIvAtmAs performed either bhakti Or Prapatti to
  attain moksham (ie. This is what meant by statements
  like "everyone at ayOdhya attained moksham" ; Here,
  the time frame is not specified; It implies the "krama
  mukti"  and not direct mukti to 
  Sri VaikunTHam). 
  
  During the rAmAvatAram, trijadai performed
  prapatti for herself and other rAkshasIs, and
  all of them obtained moksham !!

  The karmA associated with a baddha jIvAtmA is anAdi and
  it has taken countless births. Each jIvAtmA obtains 
  sukrudams from beginingless time. These things pile
  up to a stage wherein PerumAL makes that jIvAtmA perform
  either bhakti Or prapatti.

 But, it is beyond our knowledge to exactly list out the 
 things a person has to have, that will certainly result in
 PerumAL making that person perform prapatti and grant moksham. 
 One can only in general say things like obtaining
 the association of bhAgavathAs, getting AchArya Sambandham,
 learning about glories of PerumAL and prapatti etc will aid
 in one performing prapatti. But someone satisfying these
 things also may not perform prapatti (with the five angAs and
 three angIs) due to some pApa karmAs. Only PerumAL knows 
 exactly the status of each jIvAtmA. But once a jIvAtmA performed 
 prapatti, it can be easily inferred that it has got the neccessary 
 sukrudam to undergo prapatti. Only from the effect (performance of 
 prapatti) can the cause(sukrudams) be understood in this case. 
 The exact nature of the cause (sukrudams) is known only to the 
 Divya Dampati. Thats why, in the context of granting moksham, 
 PerumAL's mercy is sometimes  said to be "nirhEtu" ie. the 
 "hEtu" or reason(here,referring to sukrudams) is unknown 
 (to us) !!

  Along the journey from beginingless time,
  the jIvAtma acquires various sukrudams. Thus, 
  though according to some pApa karmA, the jIvAtma 
  may be deprived of bhagavad anubhavam for many years, 
  but due to the appropriate sukrudam it has accumulated 
  from anAdi, that jIvAtmA will be made to perform prapatti 
  by PerumAL and it will ascend to Sri VaikuNTham. Thats 
  why, we see some getting suddenly changed in their life
  and undergo samASrayanam and bhara-nyAsam (prapatti), 
  leading a life of a prapanna. Also, for instance, all 
  the rAkshasIs were torturing sItA pirAtti ; but finally
  obtained moksham. Only due to their sukrudam,
  they were at asOka vanam with trijadai, sIta pirAtti
  and finally obtained moksham also due to the
  prapatti of trijadai for them.

  In another case, though in the current life one
  is highly devoted, some pApa(s) of the past may
  obstruct that jIvAtma from performing prapatti for
  moksham. 

  The bottomline is that, only either bhakti Or Prapatti
  from the side of jIvAtma is used as the vyAja for 
  SrIman nArAyaNa to grant moksham. But, the performance
  of these sAdhyOpAyAs are again due to Lord's mercy, 
  in accordance with the sukrudams accumulated for
  the jIvAtma. The various sukrudams are actually mercifully
  allotted by PerumAL in accordance with the actions of each 
  jIvAtma. Those who are well devoted towards SrIman nArAyaNa
  are slowly led by Him to perform either bhakti Or prapatti.
  In each and every step, it is only the supreme unparalleled 
  mercy of SrIman nArAyaNa that needs to be understood and
  meditated upon.

 adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
 ananthapadmanAbha dAsan (Anand Karalapakkam)
 krishNArpaNam