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Sri Sudarshan's "farewell " note and concluding posts on Bhishma Sthuthi

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • July 29, 1997 


Dear Sri Sudarshan ; 

Our dear fellow bhakthAs like Sri Vijay Srinivasan and 
Sri Raja KrishNaswamy have already paid their moving 
tributes to the NishkAma Kaimkaryamthat you have done
so far to entertain , educate and enthrall  ALL  of us .

I was so much reminded of Sri Naaarada Bhakthi SutrAs 
during the many pleasurable moments of reading your 
unique postings . I will write about those links that you stirred
in my mind . Before that effort , let me hasten to acknowledge , 
thank and salute the magnanimous effort of feeding us with
a insatiable feast of bhagavadh vishayam . 

Bhagavan's abundant grace has been with you due to purva-
samskAram and as a result , you have been blessed not only
the power to absorb the teachings of your own Acharya and 
his paramparA , but share it generously and untiringly 
in your own inimitable writing manner . The fluency , the versatality , 
the "lawerly " analysis , the rich and sophisticated vocabulary ,
the depth and  the extraordinary ability to link the many threads 
in such a powerfully cohesive manner with focus on the 
story line have been driven by the intense Bhakthi in your
heart of hearts .

 I know that such skills can not be hidden 
under a bush for many reasons . I join with Sri Raja KrishNaswAmy 
in his request for you to continue to share with us your brilliant
and unique insights on SaamAnya DharmA and VisEsha 
DharmA . I think the adage that ' Much more is expected 
of those , who have been given much " fits here . Once you
settle down in India , we look very much forward to your 
spirited involvement and continued likitha kaimkaryam . 

My prayers to Sri Bhumi Devi Sametha ThiruviNNagarappan for 
happiness , health , prosperity and deep involvement with
the adhi granthams and aruL mozhis of Azhwars and AchAryAs .

I will conclude this note of thanks with few quotations from
the Bhaktha SiromaNi and Sriman NaarAyaNa paarAyaNA ,
naarada Muni :

tath prApya tadhEva aalOkayathi , tadhEva sruNOthi , 
tadhEva bhAshayathi , TadhEva chinthayathi 

Sri naraadA , the guru rAyar saluted by Saint ThyagarAjA 
was moved indeed by the chAndhOgya Upanishadic 
passage here that has been translated as :

" There , where you see nothing else , where you hear nothing
else , nothing else you know or feel , that state is called ,
BhUmA - the All pervading , the infinite , the Eternal , 
the immutable , the Brahman . There , where you see other things ,
there , where you hear  other things , where you feel and understand 
other things : " tadhalpam - that is the finite , the limited . 
That which is infinite is immortal that which is finite is mortal " .

Here nAradha muni is saluting Bhagavatha LakshaNam .

The sage goes onto acknowledge that the bhaktha , whose single goal
is the Lord Himself and whose single pointed devotion towards the Lord
is for its own sake - are the primary (best ) . He says : bhakthA 
EkAnthinO mukhyA : " The single-pointed ( eka-antha ) devotion 
is the subject of his acknowledgement . In your postings on
Bhishma Sthuthi , you have demonstrated this type of 
mukhya Bhakthi . 

The response to such devoted outporings has been described
by sage nAradhA in his own inimitable and terse manner 
in the SutrAs 68 and 69 :

kanTavarhOdharOmAnchsrubhi : parasparam labamAna :
pAvayanthi kulAni prthveem cha II

theerthee kurvanthi theerthAni sukarmee kurvanthee karmANi 
sacchAsthree kurvanthee saasthrANi II

( rough meaning ) : When such bhakthAs with their voices choked
with emotion , body covered with horirpulation , and tears flowing 
down their cheeks , converse with each other in fragmented sentences 
and broken words , they sanctify their family , and kulam , nay , 
the very earth itself they come to glorify .

They sanctify the holy places of pilgrimage and theertha YaathrA ,
add glory to their actions , and lend authority to the scriptures .  

Our AchAryAs are such magnanimous souls saluted by
the immortal bard singing the glories of NaarAyaNA .
The  AchAryA blessed with the sishya sampath like
yourself has legitimate reasons to be proud of . 

mukhayasthu mahath krupayaiva bhagavath krupA lEsAth vaa 
                              Narada Bhagavath SuthrAs # 38

Here NaradhA refers to the relation between the seeker , his or
her achArya and BhagavAn in a straightforward fashion without
mincing words . He says : " Primarily it (pure devotion ) is gained
through the grace of great souls or through a small tivalai ( particle)
of the infinite dayA of the Lord " . 

Sri Sudarshan certainly has the Acharya sambhandham , 
kataksham and paripUrNa anugraham of Sri MukkUr 
LakshmI NarasimhAchAr Swamy , a great AchArya in a 
kulam of great AchAryAs of AhObila Mutt .

May BhagavAn Lakshmi Nrusimha's blessings be with 
our Sri Sudarshan and his family always ,

AdiyEn , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan