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Re: sandhyAvandanam and Sei.Shridhar Srinivasan

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Venkatesh.T.V(FXSL_HO) • August 8, 1999 


                            Srimathe Narayanaya Namaha

Dear Sri Sudarsan,

AdiyEn would agree with the views of Sri Sridhar in that, for  the 
exalted souls (sOmbhars), though the Nitya karmAs have to be 
performed, failing to do so will not incurr any sin on them. However 
the point to be noted here is what Sri Sridhar has emphasized, that 
is we should also be such exalted souls as the AzhwArs (certainly a 
difficult one in these days) to renounce our Nitya karmAs. However 
the pAsuram "mEmporuL pOgavittu...." very clearly states this view. I 
would request our members like Sri Mani , Sri Varadhan and Sri 
Sridhar to give us a clearly translation of Sri Periya Vachhan 
Pillai's vyAkhyAnam for this pAsuram.

However while agreeing to your views that the Nitya karmas are very 
much essential for even the exaltes souls please note that there 
cannot be a dispute to it, but the important point and fact to be 
noted is that these karmas should not be performed as an upAyam for 
attaining mOksha. Since for us Sriman Narayanan is the only upAyam 
and the upEyam too. "Karmamum nAnE, palnum nAnE...." these words by 
our Sri Krishna paramAthmA (I am not sure where I heard this from, of 
course certainly from somewhere in Gita) very clearly says this. 

Hence if we are only doing the Nitya - KarmAs just for the sake of 
doing and not as an upAyam for the mOksha, it is as well not wrong if 
we can stay as sOmbhars as said by our dearest  Thondaradippodi 
AzhwAr.

In this context there was one great bhAgavathA ( I don't remember his 
name) who relinquished all his duties and was only thinking of 
PerumAL and was an exalted soul. He was literally a sOmbhar by our 
T.P AzhwAr's definition. He would do nothing. However one day when he 
went to the temple, he found that there were lots of dry leaves that 
had fallen from the trees and decided to clean the temple and was 
doing it. Then one of the local folks who came to temple asked him 
"Swami, you said you have relinquished everything and will not do 
any karmA and etc., but now I am seeing you doing this cleaning work. 
What does this mean and what is the difference". For which this great 
bhAgavathA answered " Kuppai irundhadhukkum , illAdhadhukkum enna 
vidhyAsamO athE vidyAsam thAn idukku", meaning the difference is 
nothing but the same as between a place with litter and without 
litter. The point to note here is, the great bhAgavathA was never 
thinking that he is doing the karma (kartrutvam), it is his job to 
clean the temple i.e the work is his (karmam), and the fruit for 
doing so is mOksham (phalam).

The important point in our Sri VaishNava philosophy is the Karma , 
kartrutva, phala tyAgam. If only we sacrifice these three we can 
become such exalted souls, by virtue of which we shall all remain 
sOmbhars and attain His Thiruvadi. It is only these three sacrifices 
that our Sri Krishna says in " Sarva dharmAn parityajya .." Here 
there dharmA refers to the Karmam, Kartrutvam and Palam, and 
Parityajya is doing the sacrifice.

Hence adiyEn would say that the views given by Sri Sridhar is most 
appropriate, taking into consideration the above points also.

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam

adiyEn RAmAnuja dAsan,

Thirumalai Vinjamoor Venkatesh
Regards

T.V.Venkatesh
E-mail : TVV@SANMARGROUP.COM
Phone: 91-44-4960455 extn. 5218
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