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RE: Sri Vaishnava tradition

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Madhavakkannan, Vasudevan • August 4, 1999 


Sri:

Dear Mr. C, 

Sage VyAsar is the One who compiled the Vedas; wrote Bramha sUthram, 
(the commentary of which is the great Sri Bhashyam of Ramanuja)
and is called Veda Vyasar. After he compiled Vedas, he says:

aalOtya sarva saasthrANi vichaaryascha puna: puna: /
idham yEkam sunishparNam dhyEyO nArAyaNas sadhaa: 

(Sage VyAsA  "I have carried out all research in  all saashtrAs; I have done

all investigations; Wherever I see, I find only this truth reverberating in
all 
saasthrAs- i.e. Sriman Narayanan alone is The Only One Lord in all of them")

Veda Vyasar also says: (after he complied Vedas and wrote Brahma soothram), 
raising his hands: Sathyam; Sathyam; Punassathyam; ... Vedhaas saasthraa: 
Param naasthE na Deivam Kesavaath Param". Vedas, Saashthras do not proclaim 
any other Deivam as ParamAthmA other than Kesavan.. 

Even for Sankaracharyas (Kanchi), they utter Narayana smaraNam, and never
says
Siva is greater..

It is only Sriman Narayanan, (Naaram +ayanam)
"naara"  means  Jeevan , which does not perish.
"ayanam " means: a resting place/ abode  /support;
UpayA or means and fruit  or  objective .  
NaarAyaNA is the one for whom the Jeevans  serve  
as  the  abode  or  resting  place.  He  is their antharvyApthi. 
NaarAyaNA is the inner resident of all chethanms.

The Purusha sUktham says: anthar bhahithschathassarvam vyApya nArAyaNas
sthithah: Inside and outside (the beings and non beings), everywhere,
Narayana
exists. Narayana Suktham says: Sa Brahma, Sa Siva SreNdra sOkshara: Parama
svarAt:
He is Brahma, Siva; Indran, et al. 

Except for One Lord, Sri Narayanan, all others are JivAthmAs inlcuding
Sivan, Brahma.
In fact, it is also told Sivan, Brahma are posts/positions, which is
occupied by exalted
souls / jIvAthmAs. The king (Sriman Narayanan,) may appoint few pesron as
ministers
and commanders etc,, to carry out ceratin duties, and to do some jobs, for
which they
are given certain powers to do their work. Nothing more. We are all
residents oh His
Kingdom and we do give respect to minsiters and KNOW THAT YOUR KING IS 
THE KING. Don't stop at the gate admiring the gate keeper and army general's
personality
and powers.. Come inside and be blseed at the manifolded, multi folded
GREATEST
PARAMA KAARUNYAN, PARAMA SOWLABHYAN, who is always waiting to receive 
you.. Sarvagnan, Sarva Shakthan, Most Beautiful, Most Merciful, KalyANa
guNagaNouka 
mahaarNavan..

As you may have heard of ThirumazhisaiAzhwAr. He studied first, buddhism,
then
Jainism and later became a saivite calling himself as "sivavaakkiyar, till
he was
transformed by pEyAzhwAr into a great bhaktha of Sriya: Pathi Sriman
Narayanan. (He had even composed a pAsuram "sakkiyam kaRROm; 
samaN kaRROm; sankaranaar aakkiya aagama noolaRindhOm; etc..

The AzhwAr was so straightforwarded, outspoken, fearless and established
the oneness and supremacy of Sriman nArAyaNan and sri vaishNavam. He became
an exemplary Sri vaishNava AcharyA and it is told that he spent about 700
years meditating on TiruvallikkeNi perumAL Sri vEnkata krishNan.

Here's Thirumazhisai Vandha jOthi's Naanmukhan Thiruvandhaadhi, 1st and
96th. Beautiful...

First.. Thaniyan on Thirumazhisai AzhwAr's Naanmugan Thiruvandhaadhi

NaaraayaNan padaitthaan naanmuganai* naanmuganukku/
yEraar sivan piRandhaan ennum chol*- seeraar/
mozhi seppi vaazhalaam nenjamE!* moi poo/
mazhisaip piraan adiyE vaazhtthu.

NarayaNan created Brahman (the four headed one). From this BrahmA,
Siva was born. Such greatest TRUTH was asserted by ThirumazhisaiAzhwAr . 
Recite his pAsurams and get saved, Oh Mind!. Praise ThirumazhisaiAzhwAr's
Feet.

AchAryAs enjoy this AzhwAr's works, and address them as the sword 
that has been taken out of its cover (from the waist band) to destroy
"other" 
non- truthful, false notions and doctrines and to establish that
Sriya:pathih 
Sriman NarayananE is Parathvam and AzhwAr has NOT still put the sword
back (since the false notion still lingers...!!). 

Since the 1st pAsuram starts with "Naanmuganai", this work is called
"Naanmugan Thiruvandhaadhi (NMT in short). 

1.	naanmuganai NaaraayaNan padaitthaan* Naanmuganum/
	thaan mugamaay sankaranaip padaitthaan * yaan mugamaay/
	andhaadhi mElitaaRivitthEn aazhporuLaich*/
	sindhaamaR koNmin neer thErndhu./

	NarayaNan created BrahmA (naanmugan- four faced one); BrahmA
	(thus became the instrument) and created the universe starting with 
	Sankaran. And this I have been blessed to announce in this most
	important truth. Oh People! you all see, understand the truth in
this 
	and don't let it get out of your mind. MahOpanishad declares this
truth
	 that Narayanan is the One who cause of creation for all dEvAs
through
	 BrahmA whom He first created.  (Thus, AzhwAr implies, "by getting
to
	 know the Creator, and the births of BrahmA and Sivan, you all can
get 
	rid of your future births".)

96.	iniyaRindhEn eesaRkum naanmugaRkum deivam/
	inyaRindhEn Emperumaan unnai- iniyaRindhEn/
	kaaRaNan nee; kaRRavai nee; kaRpavai nee- naRkirisai 
	naaraNan nee; nangu aRindhEn naan/

	(A LOVELY pAsuram! An assertive POSITIVE Truth strongly given
	 to us by the One who had searched everywhere; went into Saivism,
	 Buddhism, Jainism, etc.. and was initiated by pEyAzhwAr; He has
	 blessed us with these GREATEST TRUTHS AND HIS FINAL VERDICT.
	 Let us HAVE NO DOUBTS AT ALL FOR HE HAS DONE A THOROUGH
	 RESEARCH ON OTHER SECTS TOO! And found the Ultimate 
	Parathvam in Sriman Narayanan!)

	EmperumaanE! I have now known about You, who is the Lord of BrahmA
	 and  Sivan; who is my Lord also; (Swami Sri Ramanuja says: akila
jagadh Swami; 
	asmath Swamin; -  akila jagan maatharam; asmath maatharam); 
	who is the Cause of all worlds; who is the essence of all that has
been known; 
	all that we are going to know; who is Sriman Narayanan, the One who
is so 
	merciful to protect (us), without expecting anything (from us); 
	(You have such Grandest Most auspicious attributes with You!); - 
	All of these knowledge- I HAVE NOW (BEEN BLESSED WITH).

ESSENCE OF NAANMUGAN THIRUVANDHAADHI:

ThirumazhisaiAzhwAr, who is the disciple of pEyAzhwAr- has firmly
established 
the truth, that Sriman Narayanan ALONE is the Para tatvam; There is no other
god;
 who can be equal to Him; (why to talk about superior to Him?) SarvEshawaran
Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan alone is Cause of all worlds; and all
jIvAthmAs.
 He is the antharyaami in all beings; and is the director of all their
efforts, nature, 
state, etc..; Even BrahmA, Sivan and other dEvAs can NOT get to know of the
 Vaibhavam of Sriman Narayanan. Sivan himself, had categorically told
MarkaNdEyar that he also pays his obeisance to Sriman Narayanan and Sriman
Narayanan alone can grant mOksham; Brahman, Sivan and all other demigods too
are protected by Sriman Narayanan alone. 

AzhwAr also, tells about himself: I am blessed by the grace of Emperumaan
 and am blessed with the correct knowledge (jnAnam); I am blessed to get
 rid of all my future births and associated sorrows, by becoming His eternal
servant.
 I will spend all my time singing in praise of Him alone and paying
obeisance
 to Him as pastime; That is all what I want and that's enough for me;
Emperumaan, 
out of His great love for me, had willingly come and has been residing in my
heart.
 He also, shows Himself most gracefully at all DivyadEsams to bless me with
 His darshan. I SHALL NEVER EVER WORSHIP ANY OTHER (IDHARA) DEVATHA,
who is yet another Jivan, mistaken as God by others. 



> -----Original Message-----
> From:	a c [SMTP:ac@ampsc.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, August 05, 1999 9:10 AM
> To:	bhakti@lists.best.com
> Subject:	Re: Sri Vaishnava tradition
> 
> Dear Sir,
> 
> >First of all, please tell us your name so we can address you properly.
> >
> 
> Please call me Al if you feel uncomfortable with "Dear Sir" or 
> "Mr. C." as the very proper British often address each other ...
>