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A Magnificient Celebration at Washington D.C during Sep 2-3, 2001 to pay our humble Tributes to AchAryAs of Ahobila Matam Paramparai : Part II

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • August 5, 2001 


SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:
SrimathE Sri VaguLa BhUshaNa MahA GuravE Nama:
SrimathE Sri Bhagavan RaamAnujAya Nama:
Sri NigamAntha MahA DesikAya Nama:

SrimathE Srimadh Aadhi VaNN SatakOpa YathIndhra 
MahA DesikAya Nama:( Founding Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Matam )

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka 
SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri Sriranga SatakOpa YathIndhra 
MahA DesikAya Nama:( HH SriVaikunta Vaasi , the 42nd Jeeyar of 
Sri Ahobila Mutt)

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka 
SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri VeerarAghava YathIndhra MahA 
DesikAya Nama:( HH SriVaikunta Vaasi , the 43rd Jeeyar of 
Sri AhObila Matam )

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PadhukA Sevaka 
SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri VedAntha Desika YathIndhra 
MahA DesikAya Nama:(HH SriVaikunta Vaasi , the 44th Jeeyar of 
Sri Ahobila Matam) 

SrimathE Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka
Sri VaNN SatakOpa Sri NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA 
DesikAya Nama:(HH the Current Jeeyar of Sri AhObila Matam )

Dear BhakthAs of Sri Bhagavann RaamAnuja Darsanam :

AchAryaas have a pivotal role in our samprAdhAyam ,
Whether one belongs to Vadakalai or TennAchArya or 
SvayamAchArya SampradhAyam . 

Celebration of one's AchAryAs and repeatedly remembering 
them with  a grateful heart is our duty for the UpakArams
that they have rendered to us .Even the Lord has an AchAryan
in VibhavAvathArams like Raaman and KrishNan . 

We have an uninterrupted chain of AchAryans , which reaches
all the way upto the Dhivya Dampathis:

Gurubhyasccha tadhgurubhyasccha namOvAkam adhImahE
VruNImahE tathrAdhyou DampathI JagathAm PathI 

(meaning): We recite the word Nama: to our immediate
Guru and their Guru paramparai. We elect as primordial
Gurus , the SarvalOka SaraNya Dampathis , Our PirAtti and
EmperumAn as UpAyam and the fruit of our saadhanaas.

A Great soul like Madhura Kavi AzhvAr let the Sarva Sulabhan ,
Lord KrishNan stand aside and elected an AchAryan like Swamy
NammAzhwAr as his sole refuge and established the ancient and 
auspicious way of total dependence on one's AchAryan with utter
VisvAsam as his saviour for Moksham . This way , Madhura Kavi 
showed that Moksham is not possible for one without SadhAchArya
SamAsrayanam .

The importance of AchAryAs have been stressed by Upanishads:

(1) Tadhvij~AnArtham sa GurumEvAbhigacchEth (Mundaka Upanishad)
    (For One who wants to comprehend the Supreme Being , He should
     seek a SadAchAryan ).

(2) AachAryavAN PurushO Vedha ( Only those , who is blessed 
    to have a sadAchAryan can comprehend the Brahman ).

(3) Sa chaachArya vamsO jn~EyO asAvasAvithi Aabhagavatha:
    ( Rahasya AamnAya BrahamaNam : The AchArya paramparai has to 
      be revered upwards from One's own Guru to Bhagavaan ).

This SampradhAya Paramparai leading all the way from One's
own AchAryan to Sriman NaarAyaNan is central to all branches
of Sri VaishNava darsanam . AchArya Bhakthi and celebration of
One's AchArya paramparai becomes thus a cardinal code of conduct
for SishyAs of all paramparais .

In this context , SvEthasvatara Upanishad declares:

yasya dEvE ParA bhakthi: YaTA dEvE taTA Gurou
tasyai thE kaTithA hyArTA; prakasanthE mahaathmana:
--SvEthasvathAram: 6.23

(meaning): For him , who has unfailing devotion to the Lord
and who has unfaltering devotion to his AchAryan , all sookshma
arthams will become clear like the kara tala aamalakam . Even
the meanings not taught by his AchAryan will become available
to him due to the intensity of his devotion to his AchAryan.

KatOpanishad states that this clear jn~Anam about Brahman
can not be obtained by expertise in Tarka Saasthram , but
can only be acquired through upadEsam from a sadAchAryan.
This Jn~Ana sampath can be attained only through SadAchArya
sambhandham and anugraham .

Swamy Desikan records beautifully the need for devotion to
One's SadAchAryan and revernece for his AchArya paramparai 
in Guruparampar Saaram section of Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram:

Yenn Yuir tanthaLitthavarai SaraNam Pukki
 yaanadaivE avar gurukkaL nirai vaNangip-
pinnaruLAl PerumbhUthUr vantha VaLLal
 Periya nampi AaLavanthAr MaNakkAl Nampi
nanneRiyai avarkku uraittha UyyakkoNDAr 
 NaaTamuni SaThakOpan SEnai NaaTan 
InnamudhatthirumahaL yenRivarai munnittu
 EmperumAn ThiruvadigaL adaihinREnE

(Meaning): My AchAryan blessed me with the Jn~Anam 
that my AathmA is Seshan to EmperumAn and saved me.
adiyEn has sought my AchAryan's sacred feet as sole refuge 
and offer my additional salutations to my AchAryan's Paramparai 
in the order of his AchAryAs and all the way upto 
the most merciful RaamAnujA of Sri PerumbhUthUr , 
Periya Nampi, AaLavanthAr,MaNakkAl Nampi , UyyakkoNDAr , 
NaaTa Muni , SaThakOpan , SEnai MudaliAr , the nectarine 
Periya PirAtti and  ultimately Her Lord , EmperumAn ,
the Primordial AchAryan without any AchAryan of His own.

The message of AchArya Vandhanam is that every sentient one
has to have a SadAchAryan to attain Moksha Siddhi. When One is 
blessed with the bhAgyam of attaining a SadAchAryan , then 
any number of cruel sins do not become obstacles to Moksham.
On the other hand , when One does not have the bhAgyam of 
having a sadAchAryan , then , even the greatest of PuNyams
(Virtous deeds) will not be useful to gain Moksha Siddhi. 

We can not consider our AchAryans as some one in human form 
and have to consider them as the Lord Himself incarnating 
as  human beings and should revere the AchAryans with 
the same amount of Bhakthi that one would show to the Lord .

Thus , the sishyan has to glorify and celebrate his AchAryan 
and protect carefully the manthrams and the meanings of
those rahasya manthrams that he has received  as upadEsams .
Whenever , the sishyan reflects on the manthrArthams , he 
has to salute with gratitude the AchAryan and his paramparai.
This reflection (anusandhAnam ) is the prAyascchittham for 
talking to those , who are not fit to be talked to.

Our ancient AchAryans according to Swamy Desikan has 
pointed out to us that AchArya Bhakthi is Nithyam ,
Naimitthikam and Kaamyam in scope. When we do not 
observe AchArya Bhakthi , it is a sin and therefore it 
falls under the category of Nithyam ( Must do). Since 
the nonobservance of AchArya Bhakthi has to be expatiated 
with PrAyascchittham , AchArya Bhakthi also fits into
the Naimitthika karmaa. AchArya Bhakthi yields the wealth
of Jn~Anam about the Supreme Being and hence it is 
a Kaamya Karmaa . Looked at every way , AchArya Bhakthi 
is the quintessential step for attaining Moksha PrApthi.

The Special Uthsavams like the one at Washington D.C
to celebrate AchArya Paramparai can be attended by
one and all for the reasons mentioned above.

adiyEn appeals to all the BhakthAs to participate 
in the planned assembly of BhaagavathAs during Sep 2-3
and receive the blessings of AchAryAs and Navaneetha
KrishNan .Please enjoy the sathsangam of BhAgavathAs
from all over USA at this unique Uthsavam to pay our
tribute to the AchArya paramparai and the SarvalOka
SaraNyan , Sriman NaarAyaNan .

Please register online at :

http://www.ahobilamutt.org/2001conf/confmain.html

Alternatively , Please call Srimathi Vimala Rajaji
at 301-545-0212 or Srimathi Malathi Dileepan at
423-877-9860 for registration .

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan  

      
   






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