FW: Digest bhakti.v002.n551

From the Bhakti List Archives

• May 7, 1998


>Hare Krishna! As a newcomer to this list, it has become obvious that a
>little fluency in Sanskrit and Tamil would enable one to better appreciate
>some of the beautiful devotional postings that are routinely made here.
>Therefore, as one who is ignorant of both Sanskrit and Tamil, I request some
>kind devotee to please provide some English translations of the following
>terms.
>
>pAsuram ]  	verse in Tamil, similar somewhat to shloka in Sanskrit 
>
>Emperumaan ]  	Bhagavaan 
>
>parathvam ]  	Supremacy 
>
>sowlabhyam []  	Ease of accessibility 
>
>anubhavam ]  	experience 
>
>Embar ]  	Govinda or nephew of Ramanujacharya 
>
>bhAgawathAL ]  	bhaagavatas or devotees 
>
>ThirumEni ]  	body (generally Bhagavaan's made up of shuddha sattva) 
>
>upanyaasam []  	lecture 
>
>AzhwAr (Alvaar?) []  	Alwar as it is sometimes written but the l is the wrong
>pronunciation. 
>
>Also, I would appreciate if someone could help explain the transliteration
>scheme used for many of the Tamil words on this list. For example, what is
>the difference between "A" and "aa"? What do capital letter signify? What is
>"E"? And so on and so forth.
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>your servant,
>
>-- Krishna Susarla
>  There is no difference between aa and A.  Tamil has two different endings
>in the sound ay like in say.  One is short and the other is long.  That is
>why there are two different Es used. 
>
>Also, since no one has attempted to answer the question on why Vishnu should
>meditate, adiyen takes a shot at it.  This has not been referred to an
>Acharya and this answer is inference only.
>
>Sri Thirukullam Narasimha Raghavachariar explains how the Geeta itself is an
>avataram separate from Krishna.  So are Vyasa, Balarama, Srimad Bhagavatam,
>the Vedas and the Vedic mantras.  It is stated in the life of Ramanujacharya
>that Lord Ranganatha instructed the priests to bring Ramanujacharya to
>Srirangam.  It is also stated that He (Ranganatha) told them to propitiate
>Lord Varadaraja first, as Ramanujacharya will not show up in Srirangam,
>unless Lord Varadaraja gave permission).  Here Ranganatha and Varadaraja are
>the same Bhagavaan in two different deity forms.  Yet they are dealt with as
>if they are different personalities.  Therefore Vishnu meditating on Vedic
>Mantras may be just His pastime between various manifestations of Himself.
>
>adiyen
>jaganath. 
>
>