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Re: worship of Srivaishnava purvArcharyas

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Lakshmi Narasimhan Venkatapathy • Mon Dec 02 2002 - 09:05:34 PST 


Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha
Dear Shri Shreyas,
That was an excellent post. I have couple of questions for you before even I 
put forth my comments on the same. Thanks for helping me to understand 
these.

1. Acharya Nishtai - If a person can do a complete sharanagathi to an 
acharyan, why not the person do the same to the ultimate? A person who 
cannot surrender himself to the ultimate cannot surrender himself to anyone 
else right? So, we should really see what the word Nishtai means!

2. Ramanuja Nootrandhadhi - What I had mentioned was based on Shri U.Ve. 
Velukkudi Krishna Swamy's upanyasam. If you actually see, Amudhanar would 
have praised the lord in the first two lines and then the azhwar acharyas in 
the next two lines. This upanyasam by Shri U.Ve. Velukkudi Krishna Swamy is 
in the www.ramanuja.org website as a real media file. It is accessible for 
everyone. In the upanyasam, Shri swamy has explained the nara-sthuthi and 
the burning of the first composition by amudhanar and the reason WHY the 
second composition was accepted by Shri Ramanujar.

3. Acharyas see the paramatma in everyone(and so does a Bhagavatha). All the 
thaniyans were composed by prapannas who were acharyas. They worshipped 
their own acharyas as per the tradition - Guru Vandhanam(once again I repeat 
the quote - Munnor Mozhindha Muri Thappamar Kettu). So, out of their 
affection and respect to their acharyas, they composed/sung those thaniyans. 
Once again, there is a difference between acharya vandhanam and the 
paramathma sharanagathi. Please quote me one slokha in Bhagavad Gita where 
Bhagavan Shri Krishnar says that Acharya Vandhanam will give moksham to a 
jeevathma. He proudly says, "MAAM EKAM SHARANAM VRAJA - SARVA DHARMAAN 
PARITHYAJYA". And this is the ONLY slokha that Shri Ramanujar has taken up 
for the prapatthi margam. The one and only slokha. To me, there are two 
things. One is the tradition - which is more of a discipline and rules and 
regulations that evolve and are modified depending on the way of life in 
that particular yuga/varsham etc... i.e a time period. The other one is 
spirituality i.e the philosophy. The former has the Karma Kandam as the 
basis and is popularly known as RELIGION(in the modern world) and the rules 
and the disciplines change based on the yuga dharma. The 
latter(spirituality) is based on the Brahma Kandam. It never changes. It is 
just a simple philosophy(but the most difficult one to follow). All that it 
says is brahmam is one and only one and we should have maha-vishwasam on him 
and we should follow the RELIGION to perform our duties as service to the 
brahmam and we are only for his ISHTA VINIYOGAM. Acharya Vandhanam is more 
of a tradition. It has nothing to do with the philosophy. Based on the 
yuga(this kali yuga), our acharyas have adapted few ways that could be 
easily followed by everyone. Please do quote me a single pasuram where the 
azhwars have mentioned that one should do sharanagathi on an acharya("vaai 
kondu maanidam pada vandha kaviyenallom"). Madhura kavi azhwar was in full 
praise of Nammazhwar, but he never preached to anyone that one should do 
Sharanagathi to Nammazhwar. Prapatthi is mahavishwasam and that should be 
only on the ULTIMATE. Everyone CAN do prapatthi. But the reality is, some 
do! some don't! Some don't even understand it! The third category goes for 
the acharya vandhanam or saranagathi whatever people may call. It is only 
for getting the ACHARYA KADAKSHAM through which one will be able to 
understand prapatthi. That is the whole idea of samashrayanam. Once again, 
if one does Acharya Saranagathi, it is only to understand or know how to do 
the Paramathma Saranagathi. Shri Ramanujar approved the 
Thamarugandha/Thanugandha Thirumeni, only because Shri Vaishnavas wanted 
their future generations to see him as he was and NOT FOR THE WORSHIP. I am 
not against Acharya Vandhanam, but if we are able to understand the 
Paramathma Sharanagathi then it doesn't matter - is my point.

Well, bhagavadha sevai, acharya sevai and acharya vandhanam all these will 
get one the acharya/bhagavatha kadaksham and that will show the path to 
moksham. So, acharya/bhagavatha kadaksham is one of the upayam. According to 
me, if one does sharanagathi to his acharya and not to the ultimate(this may 
not happen in the Shri Vaishnava tradition, but may definitely happen in 
other traditions, right?) then it is of no use. Since this list is common to 
everyone(not just for the ShriVaishnavas), I tried to explain the same, in 
common terms. For Shri Vaishnavas, Acharya Sharanagathi makes sense. For 
others? There is no hard and fast rule that they should do Sharanagathi to 
our Acharyas. If I just explain things that are applicable only to Shri 
Vaishanvas then I would fail in my duty of explaining Shri Ramanujar's 
Prapatthi to everyone. I just tried to make sure my mail targets everyone.

Learned scholars, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Any 
misinformation is only due my agnyanam and anything that is right is only 
due to my swamy's kadaksham.
My humble apologies in case I am wrong and I request all the great Shri 
Vaishnavas to pardon me for my agnyanam.

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,
Lakshmi Narasimhan

>From: "Shreyas Sarangan" 
>Reply-To: bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
>To: bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: worship of Srivaishnava purvArcharyas
>Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 16:22:36 -0000
>
>Sri:
>SrimatE Rangaramanuja Mahadesikaya Namaha
>
>Dear Sri Narasimhan:
>
>After going through your message carefully, I get the
>impression you have used "worship" as an equivalent term
>for "saraNAgathi".  More often,  the term "worship" is used
>by texts to connote "ArAdhanam".
>
>-- Either way, it is my understanding that both (i) "saraNAgathi"
>i.e. Total Surrender at the feet of  Acharyas/Azhwars and
>(ii) offering "ArAdhanam" to them is well-established and
>strongly encouraged practice in the Srivaishnava tradition
>and teachings.
>
>



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