Re: Prapatti and Moksha
From the Bhakti List Archives
• December 4, 1996
I wish to make a few comments on this subject, based on what I have learned by the grace of my Acharya Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yateendra Mahadesika. There are no categories of Prapannas. Once somebody has done Prapatti either by their own interest to seek moksha or Prapatti being done on their behalf by their Acharya or another Bhagavata, they become a Prapanna. Once somebody is a Prapanna, there are no further categories, though how a Prapanna serves Sriman Narayana after Prapatti will depend on his or her or its (in the case of animals etc) inclinations as well as gunas and karmas. JatAyu obtained moksha by sacrificing its life for the sake of Sita's freedom. When exactly JatAyu obtained Prapatti is not stated. It had to have been long before the confrontation with Ravana. Adherence to Dharma alone will not guarantee Moksha. Before Bhishma got his moksha, he had to give up his resolve to protect Hastinapur. He did this when he was faced with another Dharma sankatam of fighting with a person born as a woman. At the time of Prapatti, one does 3 things. Swaroopa samarpana, or realization that we ourselves are Dasas of Sriman Narayana and cannot follow our own dreams but such dream is only to be engaged in the service of Sriman Narayana. Bhara Samarpana is where we realize that Sriman Narayana will take away our burden of sins that keep us from such uninterrupted service. Phala samarpana is the return of even the fruit of such protection to Sriman Narayana as it rightfully belongs to Him, since He gave Prapatti out of His own grace. After Prapatti the Prapanna engages in service to Sriman Narayana according to his or her capacity until the fall of the body connected with the 3 gunas. When Nitya suris and mukta jivatmas take birth in the service of Sriman Narayana, (e.g. Ramanujacharya), they do not take material bodies but shuddha sattva bodies. It is for this reason that Ramanujacharya's body has not decayed till today and is worshipped in Srirangam. We do not know whether Shabari was a baddha jivatma at the time of Rama avatAram, since many jivatmas descend from Vaikuntham during the time of avatarams to take part in the leelas. For a baddha jivatma, either Bhakti Yoga or Prapatti has to precede moksha. There is no other method to attain moksha. How exactly this Prapatti takes place varies according to sampradayam and Bhagavath Sankalpam. Adiyen, Jaganath.
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