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Re: Ashtaaksharam on Thirukkoviloor Gopuram

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Madhavakkannan V • January 27, 1999 


Sri:

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

I received a private reply from our dear bhAgawathA Sriman Sampath 
Rangarajan and his inimtable style of narration is always palatable to 
us. His kaimkaraym thorugh excellent posts of Thiruppaavai inner 
menaings is simply superb and we are indebted to him for such posts.

His repsonse is appended below: (and then my little worthy comments 
below that)

As similar to Sri Nrusinha priya having an ad in
which the ashtAksharam is printed in english, there
are publications from other Ashrams including Sri
Poundrika puram Ashram on Srimad Rahasya trya sAram
that discusses even the esoteric meanings in details.
It doesnot mean that one can learn from them
directly instead of learning from an AchAryAS.
In olden days the secrecy was maintained as the
printing press was not there and mantras and
their meanings were passed from one generation
to the other through their ears. The capacity
of the ordinary folk to keep these meanings in
their mind through out their life was so strong
and that they donot forget any of these, those days.
As Kali is riping the normal faculties of jivAtmAs
are falling behind and they donot remember many of
the things they learned under the AchARyAs
all the time. In fact they are so busy in lowkeeka that
they even forget the meanings and others. In order to
facilitate an ever prevailing knowledge of these mantras
and their menaings in the minds of samsAris who have received
them from AchAryAs, due to their infinite mercy
they have allowed publication of these rahasya granthas.
Hence those who have learned from a qualified AchAryAs
can treasure it and re-read it remember it and dwell on it
when ever they forget it. While all these publications
serve as a way of preserving or as a file copy, it in no means
authorise the learning of the mantras from
them directly. First of all the *good effect* of the mantram
will not be there if it is stolen from public utterances.
Secondly how do you ever know if that vendor
(may be he is a vEndAr ?) is succesful in all that
he is doing and that he is hitting home run all the
time ? You have seen him only for a moment and the
very fact that he is not knowledgable to keep this mantram
secret makes us know that his karma is still taking the toll on
him. So he may not be an ideal example. As a person
who has learnt the secrecy of the mantra one must
have prevailed upon him to find out if he has learnt
it from AchAryAs and if so one may have told him
to keep it low when he is chanting. If he has not (learnt
from an AchAryA), one may advise him about the importance
of leanring this from the AchARyas and also to inform him
the merits of keeping this mantra sacred by chanting it within.
On the other hand letting our strong minds stray after
this incident may only bring in "kalakkam" and not
theLivu to our mind.
thanks.

adiyEn
SR

_____________________________________

I just referred to an advertisement (by a sponsorer) in Nrusimhapriya 
and that has no connection to any article or upadEsam from any 
srivaishnava. Any article or upadEsam or translation can have the 
Ashtaaksharam; my only surprise was: why an advt? I am sorry, if it has 
hurt you, Swami. I fully understand that the book that talks about 
Rahasyathrayasaaram or SillaRai rahasyangaL has to print ahstaaksharam 
and that does not at all make the esoteric manthras less sacred, of 
course. As you rightly said, it is only for us, the aimless wanderers to 
notice and get to know ITS essoteric meanings.

Your comment on that vendor- Whatever he may be- Whatever may be his 
intention, or lifestyle- or sins- or sufferings- he DID stun me with his 
spontaneous prostration on the muddy street, where even dog's shit was 
there. I am not blessed with that attitude, dear rengi. I pray to Divya 
dampatis to bless me with Thier grace for getting that bent of mind.

As NammAzhwAr said "whoever may be, if they are (show off even any 
bhakti towards being a ) bhakthAs of Sriman Narayana, I am their 
servant's servant's servant's servant's servant. 

All of you, please forgive me if there is anything hurting in any of my 
words- statements.

NamO narayana!

Regards

Narayana dAsan Madhavakkannan 

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