maangalayastavam

From the Bhakti List Archives

• August 15, 2001


Dear BahkthAs:

Sriaman Sunder Kidambi,  a devout sishyA of Srirangam
Srimath Andavan is doing extraordinary kaimkaryam for the past
few years through encoding of many SthOthrams of PoorvAchAryAs 
in Sanskrit Script and five other Indian languages ( Telugu, Tamil ,
Kannada et al). Some of the examples are Pancha Sthavams of 
KurEsar , Dawmy Desikan's SthOthra Granthams , AlavanthAr's
sthOthra rathnam et al.

THE LATEST IN THE SERIES IS MAANGALYA STHAVAM (Note Attached).

I want to thank Sri Sanjiv Balaram of Chennai , who sought 
information about MaangaLya Sthavam and the many informative 
responses from Srimans Venkatesan , Mani VaradarAjan , Maadhava-
KaNNan , Srimathi Shela Bellur and others regarding the attitude of 
a Prapannan , who recites such sthOthrams (Svayam PrayOjanam or 
otherwise).All these inputs have been valuable.

When I referred to young ladies reciting Maangalya Sthavam 
for VivAha PrApthi , I was not referring to that group of
people as PrapannAs seeking Parama PurushArtham.The role of
these sthOthrams for a Prapannan , who has become Krutha Kruthyan 
and as such does not need any Kamya Phalan from the Lord , is
quite different . This distinction has to be kept in mind always.

Let me quote some pramANams for reference and sum them up
on " the attitude " during such recitations by PrapannAs and
others , who are yet to be blessed with Prapatthi through 
a SadAchAryan.  

GeethAchAryan, Andal , AchAryAs in general and Swamy Desikan 
in particular (Sriamth Rahasya Thrya Saaram: Krutha-KrithyAdhikAram)
have performed upadEsams for us.

First PramANAm: GeethAchAryan
******************************

ChathurvidhA bhajanthE Maam JanA: SukruthiNorjuna
AarTo Jig~nAsu arTArTi Jn~Ani cha Bharatharshabha

(meaning): "Four types of men of good deeds worship Me,
Oh ArjunAa, These are the DISTRESSED , the seekers after
knowledge , THE WEALTH SEEKERS and the men of knowlege ".

AchArya RaamAnujA's commentary is revealing: Men/Women of 
good deeds ( Sukruthina:)with puNyams to their credit 
and who have Bhakthi resort to Me and worship Me alone 
(Maam SaraNam upagamya  Maam yEva BhajanthE).They are 
divided into four categories/types . Each subsequent type
is better than the preceding  due to the ascendant degrees 
of their Good deeds ( Sukrutha-garIyasthvEna prathipatthi-
vaisEshyAth uttharOttharAdhikatamA: Bhavanthi). These four with 
gradations arising from their sukrutham and knowledge 
( Sukrutha-Jn~Ana Taaratamyam) seek four different phalans
from Me.

(1) AarTa: ( The Distressed One)seeks his/her lost position
and wealth and wish to regain them . They pray to me to restore 
them ( PrathishtAhInO Bhrashta Isvaryam puna: Tath PrApthi Kaama:).

(2)ArTArTi is not tooo different from the above type. He/She 
seek wealth , which he/she did not have had sofar ( Riches ,
SoumAngalyathvam , SanthAna BhAgyam , dhana-dhAnya Samruddhi
et al). Both the ArTan and ArTArTi seek essentially the boon of
wealth from Me in My role as VaradarAjan (aprAptha IsvaryatayA 
Isvarya Kaama:).

(3) Jig~nAsu: He/She seeks after knowledge .He/She is engaged
in Aathma VichAram and wish to know about the true nature of Self.
The knowledge they seek is about Aathma Svaroopam devoid of any 
association with Prakruthi.They reognize that Jn~nam alone is
the true and essential nature of the Self.

(4)Jn~Ani: He/She goes beyond Jig~nAsu in that He/She do not
stop with the mere knowledge of the Self as being different 
from the Prakrithi but desires to attain Me alone as the highest 
PurushArtham , Parama Hitham and Param Tatthvam .

Type 2 (ArtArTi ) is the type that we would recognize as 
a person seeking wealth and soubhAgyams like SoumAngalyam ; 
Even the Lord accepts such prayers and grants them what they
seek and waits patiently for them to turn to Him for
Prapatthi .
 
Type 4 is the Jn~Ani, who goes on to perform Prapatthi and 
becomes the dearest to the Lord and does not need anthima 
smruthi even as per Sri VarAha Charama SlOkam .For them ,
the karryams are NishkAmam as Krutha-Krityan.

ANDAL's PramANam(ThiruppAvai):
******************************
"MaRRai Namm KaamangaL MaaRRElOrempAvAi".
She instructs us to seek sarva Desa , Sarva Kaala
and Sarva AvasthA Kaimkaryam by those , who have done 
Prapatthi to her Lord.In Her first Thiruppavai Paasuram,
She sought Maargaseersha Prapatthi in the role of a Gopi
In this 29th ThiruppAvai , She integrates the Svaroopa,
Bhara and Phala SamarpaNam and begs Her Lord to change
from Kaamya Kaaryam to nishkAama kaimkaryams to Him 
and Him alone.He turns even those with DevathAnthara
Sambhandham thru His VasIkaraNam and banishes that
sambhandham , which is Moksha VirOdhi. PerukkAranai 
Swamy cites this PramANam for this way of the Lord:

"SanthAm cha Yaagum SanthathE BrahmaNA Yesha: 
ramathE Tasmin jeerNE SayAnE nainam jahAthi
ahassu poorvyEshu".

Even those , who seek alpa Phalans , which are important
to them as ArTArTi , He slowly , slowly turns them around
and propells them towards Prapatthi to Him . 

There are abundant pramANams on this important topic from
Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram . Inview of the lengthiness
of this posting already , I will stop here.Sukruth Taaratamyam
is the key word and every one is dear to the Lord as He weaves
His"magic" over time. Therfore there is no need to feel bad
about those , who seek anything other than Moksham as Prapannan .
I will write another postign later on this subject about
PoorvAchAryA's merciful directions in this matter.These
powerful prayers including those in Sri RanganAtha PaadhukA
Saghasram have their specific place for us independent of our
status as PrapannA or otherwise.

V.Sadagopan 



 
   

    
 


>Dear Sri Sadagopan Swamin,
>My humble regards to you. Adiyen has encoded Sri Maangalyastavam 
>in six scripts,>viz., Telugu, Tamil, Tamil with numbered consonants,
Kannada, >Roman, and Sanskrit. Our webmaster has been a bit busy these days and 
>hence has not been made available on our webpage
>www.prapatti.com. It should be available within the next week. 
>I am attaching the sanskrit version for your use. 
>
>Adiyen
>Sunder
>Attachment Converted: C:\EUDORA\maangaly.pdf



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