Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Re: WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF A SRI VAISHNAVAN?

From the Bhakti List Archives

Varadarajan Sourirajan • June 17, 2002 


Sri Parthasarathi thunai 

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha 

Dear Smt.Jayashree, 

Though this question will be well answered by other learned members of the group let me try to answer your question up to my little knowledge. 

When you take a doctor or a lawyer though they wear a black or white coat for identification they need to be educated correspondingly and should possess the required knowledge.  Though they go to a college to get the book knowledge and elligibility to practice they have to work under a senior for a year or two before they actually practice on their own. 

Like wise a Srivaishnava has two identifications. Agachinnam(inside qualities) and purachinnam(outside).  No one is a Srivaishnava by birth.  we are born as brahmins,kshetriyas,vaishyas or sudras but anyone can become a Srivaishnava. Irrespective of caste creed or gender anyone can become a srivaishnava.  THis is what sri ramanuja preached and wanted to establish all through his lifetime. So the admission to the course is entering a college.  Similarly a Srivaishnava enters the college under a acharya and his identity card is the panchasamskaram which a acharya does. Now no student on entering the college becomes a engineer or doctor but he has to learn the subjects and get qualified , pass the exam.  So now the student(Srivaishnava) learns our sampradayam vishayam from his acharya and there are also so many disciplines that a srivaishnava should follow.  The prinicipal is none other than Emperuman. He tests the srivaishnava both disciplinary wise and academically and if the student clears then the emperuman

Like the uniform in a school or college to give an identity that the student belongs to that particular institution similarly a srivaishnava should wear the oordva pundram.  A lawyer never hesitates to wear a black coat nor does a doctor to wear a white one, but wears it with pride, but why should a srivaishnava hesitate to wear his Thiruman on his forehead?  People appreciate modern punks but they talk ill of the person who has shikai which is our tradition.  We srivaishnavas should realise the importance of all these. 

Now let me substantiate my note with one of the words of our beloved acharya Sri Pillailokacharya in his 'Mumukshupadi' 

sutra 116 

"purampundAna pattrugalaiadaiya vAsanaiyOde vidugaiyum, emperumAnaiye tanjamendru pattrugaiyum, pErutappAduendru tunindirukkaiyum, pettrukku dvarikkaiyum, errukkum nAl ugantirunda nilangalile pravananAi gunAnubhava kainkaryangalile pozhudupOkkaiyum, eppadi errukum srivaishnavargal ettrum arindhu vugandhuerrukkaiyum, Thirumandiraththilum dwayaththilum niyadhanAgaiyum, Acharya premam ganathtirukkaiyum, Acharyan pakkalilum emperuman pakkalilum kruthagyanAi pOrugaiyum, jnanamum, vairAkhtiyum, shantiyum, oodaiyavanAi errukkum paramasAtvikanOdE sahavAsam pannugaiyum vaishnavAdikArikku avashyAbheshitam”

In this sutra Sri Lokacharya clearly explains what all qualities a Srivaishnava should have.

1.       He/she should leave all other wishes along with vasana because if not,  at one time he will come for bhagavat bhakthi and kainkaryam then the worldly pleasures will again pull him.

2.       He/she has to accept emperuman as his soul refuge.  He should not consider anyone else (other devatas or other manushyas) or even himself to be his refuge. He has to realise that only the emperuman can save him and he alone is responsible for everything.

3.       Be confident that due to acharya and bhagavat krupai we will surely attain moksha. Alwar says “vaikundam puguvadu mannavar vidhiye” and “maranamAnal vaikundam tarum perumal” A srivaishnava should have a great confidence in these words.

4.       He/she should realise that all the worldly things are temporary and that only bhagavat kainkaryam is sasvatam(permanent) so we should have a urge in our minds to attain the thiruvadi of bhagavan as soon as possible getting away from this samsaric world.

5.       For the days we stay in this leela vibhuti we should stay in divyadesams, which were the places adorned by our alwars and acharyas and spend our time listening to the divine bhagavat vishaya kalashepams and doing various kainkaryams to emperuman.

6.       The most important thing a Srivaishnava should do is respect the Srivaishnava who has all the above qualities.  He/she should stay in the satsangam of such Srivaishnavas.

7.       He/she should know the importance of Thirumantram and dwayam and should recite it along with the thinking of the meaning always

8.       He/she should have a strong devotion towards his acharya.

9.       He/she should be grateful towards perumal and his acharya who has imparted the divine knowledge to him and thereby washing his sins have made him a clear soul.

10.   He/she should always stay in the company of a Srivaishnava who is filled with jnanam(knowledge),  vairAkhyam(detachment to anything other than bhagavan and bhagavat vishayam) and shanthi(peace).

Sri Pillailokacharya says these are the qualities a Srivaishnava should essentially possess.

Hope this helps.  All the errors are due to my lack of knowledge and ignorance.  I beg the pardon the learned members for the same.

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 


  jasn sn  wrote: 
SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA

Who is a Sri vaishnavan?
(Hope I am not inviting the wrath of the subscribers
of this list in asking this question.)
Is it by birth 
or by smearing of oorthwa pundram 
or by Samashrayan 
or by surrendering to the thiruvadi of a vaishnava
achryan
or by following the precepts of Sri Ramanuja
or by being a devotee of Sriman Narayana
or by anything else?
What makes one a true Srivaishnavan?
(I am reminded of the story written long ago by Cho
Ramaswamy of Thuglak, "Enge Brahmanan?' wherein he has
brought out the 'lakshana'of a true Brahnmin )

I am asking this question out of curiosity to know
where we, the women stand. What is that we, the women
must adorn to qualify ourselves as Srivaishanvites,
though by birth we come to belong to the Sri
vaishnavite familty.

Beg your pardon if I have hurt anyone's sentiments.

Kindly clarify.

Regards,
JAYASREE SARNATHAN

[ Please focus answers to this question on philosophical
ideas taken from Vedanta, Divya Prabandham, Bhagavad
Ramanuja's works, or philosophical tracts of later
thinkers. Thanks -- Mani ]


--------------------------------------------------------------
- SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/


Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 




---------------------------------
Do You Yahoo!?
Sign-up for Video Highlights of 2002 FIFA World Cup

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/