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Re: Srishti

From the Bhakti List Archives

madhav.vasudevan • January 8, 2001 


SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:
Dear Sri Gopikrishna,

What is the meaning of this srishti?

meaning is "creation". During mahApraLayam (dissolution), the Lord takes back
the sentient (chit) and insentient (achit) to protect them by retaining in His
stomach. (AlilaimEl iru bAlakanAy jnAlam yEzhum uNdAn)..

Due to His great compassion, He brings them back to "life". after praLayam.
(uNdu, umizhndhu- as repeatedly referred to by AzhwArs). He gives the beings the
respective lives as per their karmAs.  This is CREATION. This is applicable to
ALL, right from worms, plant, upto four faced brahmA, Sivan, Indran et al.

Now question is: when did it start? How can there be karmA in the first
creation..?
Ansswer: It never started at one point of time. There was NEVER a time jivA did
not exist; He (jIvA) is andhi- beginningless in as much as the Lord Himself. (He
tells that in GitA too). jIvan's karmA too is anAdhi. It is bhIjAnkura nyAyam.
Seed or the tree - which comes first? when did the first seed come? NO ANSWER.

The most compassionate, most merciful Lord (playing all this as His leelA),
gives us these births (based on our past karmAs); gives us an opportunity to do
good, gain little puNyA, get better births etc.. To get out of this cycle of
anAdhi karmA, and births and deaths, is ONLY BHAKTI, Prapatti. (as told by the
Lord Himself).

Okay, if H is so compassionate, He could have simply taken all jIvAs to
SrIivaikuNtam and let us get rid of all these samsaaric afflictions. Why does He
not do that? Because He is an administrator, in addition to saviour. He has to
follow the rules, lest He will be partial and will be called "adharmic".
We are all bound by our karmas.  Since He is the One who has established this
institution based on karma, He will not break it.  However, He is ever anxious
to find one good deed on our parts such that He can redeem us out of this sea of
samsAram.  This is His SousIlyam.

You go around the temple for some short cut with no intention of going around
the temple. But what you have done is pradakshINam around Perumal's
Koyil.Although purely unintentional, this act has become a good deed. good
karmA.

Will this good deed be ignored?  Somehow, it makes the Lord's Compassionate
Glance fall upon you.  The Lord will be looking at you in surprise and saying
"This person (mu child) is doing pradakshanam around the Koyil!"  you will
receive His katAksham.  But, you will have no knowledge of it .

Because of His Compassionate Glance, a change occurs in us, joining bhakti list
(accidentally stepping onto Sri Mani's Home page). You feel happy at your own
desire to hear about Him in this list without interruption. You are listening to
tele upanyAsams, reading the TiruppAvai articles etc., and enjoy His Glories.
Some more katAksham. You seek out to bhAgavathas who can describe Him to you.
You always want to be with them and enjoy the happiness in their faces when they
are speaking about Him.

When you have reached this stage, you are ready for AchArya samAsrayanam.
AchArya will initiate you. You will perform prapatti and you have done what
needs to be done for getting rid of this cycle.

But why in the beginning should He create first of all? leelA. (play) It is His
play. Ramanuja says "akhila bhuvanajanma.... leelE.."
Swamy Desikan considers this leelA of His also as His GREATEST upakAram to us,
the beings, in order to pave the way for taking us to His abode.

Erudite BhAgawthAs of the list can supplement nicely and add value to adiyEn's
ramble.
Regards
Narayana Narayana
adiyEn narayanadAsan madhavakkannan



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