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Re: A doubt

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Madhavakkannan V • May 18, 2000 


Srimathe Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya Namah:

Dear Sri Govindarajan,

In Swamy Desikan's Srimad Rahasyathrayasaram, he covers all your queries. 
Swamy has not left anything unanswered that can occur to us. That is the 
greatness of Thoopul PiLLai.

Sri Anbil Ramaswamy mama has written in English a beautiful summary of 
Srimad rahasyathrayasaram and is availabe in Swamy Desikan home page.  
http://swamydesika.homepage.com

I have reproduced an extract from there for your reference and answers to 
your questions.


ADHIKARA 13 : KRITA KRITYA ADHIKARA  top
( The one who has done what ought to be done)


The marks of a person who has performed what he ought to perform viz., 
Prapatti are explained:

In the Post-Prapatti period till death the Prapanna should be free from all 
anxieties, worries, tensions or doubts regarding the fact of achieving the 
goal. He should look forward to the event of deliverance as anticipating the 
arrival of a honored guest since the release from Samsara ( cycle of births 
and deaths) is a matter for supreme rejoicing.

He should, nevertheless, be wary of his promises to do the Nitya and 
Naimittika karmas pleasurable to the Lord, avoid those that would displease 
the Lord and maintain the Mahaviswasa and remember his own Karpanya and 
Aakinchanya during the rest of his life. In short, he will conduct himself 
as a liberated soul even while living in this world .

The repentance on his having committed sins and the atonement therefor are 
proper before Prapatti; Otherwise, Prapatti would be ineffective. If on the 
other hand, he languishes over his past karma EVEN AFTER PRAPATTI, it will 
amount to disbelieving the Lord's assurance to forgive all that. SO, 
ATONEMENT BEFORE AND HOPE AFTER ARE THE HALLMARKS OF A PERSON WHO HAS DONE 
PRAPATTI.

A self conceited person might feel that his initiative has been lost, but 
the Prapanna would feel that the initiative was never with him; It was 
always with the Lord to whom he had surrendered. Neither our will nor our 
mind nor our intelligence work out things for us. Every action is His; The 
only actin that can ever be ours is to surrender our will to Him. This 
surrender, he does not do for us because it has to come out of our free 
will. All he does is to create the circumstances for us to surrender to Him. 
If we don't surrender in word, thought and deed, He mercifully lets us go 
free, but to be tossed about in Samsara and take our own time to come to 
Him. Once, having surrendered, the Prapanna can rest assured of His 
protection and has nothing else to do for saving himself.


ADHIKARA 15 : UTHARA KRITYA ADHIKARA  top
(The manner in which one should conduct oneself after Prapatti)


This Chapter lays down the duties to be performed by a Prapanna from the 
time of his doing Prapatti till attaining Moksha on death.

(a) A Prapanna should not slacken his attentions to and performance of his 
Nitya Karmas.

(b) He should continue to widen his knowledge by associating with Acharyas 
and others qualified.

(c) Even if he has achieved a mental evolution befitting him to a direct 
communion with God., he should not feel proud about it since he should be 
ever aware of his own insignificance

(d) He should keep his sense organs under perfect control

(e) He should continue to do service to the archa form of the Lord as also 
Nishkamya Karmas.

(f) He should consciously avoid all desire for worldly pleasures and carry 
on his daily routine with wealth earned through Dharmic means.

(g) He should always feel grateful to the grace of the preceptor who 
initiated him into Prapatti

(h) He should always utter the Dvaya mantra as advised by his Guru

(i) He should never boast about his own greatness (j) He should scrupulously 
avoid insulting or disrespecting the Bhagavatas and Acharyas.

(j) He should always be eager to perform service to Bhagavan, the Bhagavatas 
and Acharyas.

(k) He should eat only pious foods conducive to augmenting Satva guna.

What a Prapanna should do and what he should not may be summarized as 
follows:

(i) Not to indulge in  Worldly pleasures and desire therefor
(ii) To remember  The great help rendered by Acharyas
(iii) Not to utter  Words of Self-praise
(iv) To utter  Dvaya Mantra
(v) To avoid in mind  Disrespect to Bhaghavatas and word and deed Acharyas
(v) To perform in mind  Service to Bhaghavan, Bhaghavatas word and deed and 
Acharyas

ADHIKARA 18 : APARADHA PARIHARA ADHIKARA  top
(Atonement for offences)


After Prapatti, a Prapanna will not indulge in committing any sins

(1) Should he commit any without intention, such sins will not accrue to him

(2) Sins knowingly and deliberately committed can be neutralized by 
atonement -prayaschitta prapatti (not for the purpose of Moksha)

(3) Should one indulge in sins deliberately and does not atone, minor 
punishments will be imposed on him like becoming blind, lame etc., or 
disobedience by wife, children etc. In such an event also the Prapanna would 
not be denied Moksha because his papas will be negatived by atonement or 
suffering punishment as aforesaid.

(4) Even major sins except what is stated in (5) below will be excused by 
the Lord by inflicting a light punishment in exercise of his patience, love 
and compassion towards the Prapanna.

(5) The only heinous and unpardonable sins which will nullify the effects of 
Prapatti are: (a) Disrespect to Bhagavatas and Acharyas and (b) Adherence to 
deities other than Bhagavan.

(6) Though the means and Phala of Moksha are identical as between a Prapanna 
and the great Nityas and Muktas like PARASARA,VYASA,SRI NATHAMUNI and 
others, the Prapanna should not arrogate himself by equating himself with 
these extraordinary luminaries since they are far superior on account of 
their birth, character, knowledge, discipline etc which are not comparable 
to those of the Prapanna.

(7) THE PRAPANNA SHOULD NOT DISCRIMINATE ANY ONE AS INFERIOR ON ACCOUNT OF 
THE LATTER'S CASTE, CREED, SEX OR OTHER DIFFERENCES

(8) The Apacharas committed towards Bhagavatas can also be expiated but Only 
by seeking the forgiveness of the same Bhagavatas

(9) A SUBTLE POINT TO NOTE IN THIS CONNECTION IS THAT IF A PRAPANNA PRAYS AT 
THE TIME OF DOING PRAPATTI FORGIVENESS OF SINS HE MIGHT COMMIT KNOWINGLY OR 
UNKNOWINGLY IN THE POST-PRAPATTI PERIOD, THE LORD WOULD TAKE CARE TO GUARD 
HIM AGAINST HIS COMMITTING SUCH SINS ALSO.

(10) The Post-Prapatti sins get exculpated thus:- 1/4th by not repeating 
such sins; 1/4th by feeling repentant; ¼ th by efforts to perform atonement 
(Prayaschitta) and the balance 1/4th by actually performing the 
Prayaschitta. Thus, for the Prapanna, there is no consignment to hell or the 
danger of rebirth under any circumstances.


===================

However, if one does not stop committing or attempt to start repenting or 
does not do any praayacchittham, perhaps, the performance of pratti was NOT 
COMPLETE AND WAS NOT CARRIED OUT with its angams.

Regards

Narayana Narayana
adiyEn

----Original Message Follows----
From: "T. R. Govindarajan" 
To: bhakti-list@egroups.com
Subject: A doubt
Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 03:46:19 -0400

Sri:
Srimate Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya namaha


Bhagavathas:

AdiyEn has a doubt. If a srivaishnava after undergoing Prapatti under a 
revered
acharya, commits both bhagavatha apacharam and acharya apacharam. If 
prapatti
frees this person from rebirth, who gets his apacharams? One cannot go to
Vaikuntham
with all apacharas or papam. If he cannot be born again (purpose of 
prapatti),
how
does he nullify his papams before attaining moksham?

How should one lead a life after undergoing prapatti in this material world?

dAsan

govindarajan.

-------------------------- namO NArAyanA -------------------------

            - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaha -
Let noble thoughts come to us from every side - Rg Veda

Seyya Thamizh mAlaigaL nAm TheLiya Odhi
TheLiyAtha MaRai nilangaL TheLikindROmE.

En amudhanai kanda kangaL maRRonRinai kAnAvE.

namAmi nArAyana pAdha pankajam
karOmi nArAyana pujanam sadhA  |

vadhAmi nArAyana nAma nirmalam
smarAmi nArAyana thathvam avyayam ||

	SARVAM SRIKRISHNARPANAMASTHU

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