Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Re: Reasoning and Faith - pirATTis' purushkAratvam.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mani Varadarajan • October 15, 1998 


Sriman Krishnamachari wrote:

> Dear bhAgavatottama-s:

> I am not a person versed in the subtleties of these arguments, I would like
> to refer to a vedic passage in ISAvAsya upanishad - mantra 4 if my memory is
> correct, which essentially says that issues relating to God and faith in Him
> (and in this case faith in Her and Her purushakAratvam) are beyond the realm
> of reasoning. 

Dear Sri Krishnamachari,

This point is well taken; the only reason the question came up
in the first place, however, is that our acharyas emphatically
say that without Sita, Rama punishes, and with Sita, Rama is
gracious. My friend, who has a very soft spot for his dear
Rama, feels that Rama is inherently gracious, even without the
constant presence of Sita, and cites as his evidence Vibhishana
Saranagati. Knowing my friend, this is not a case of reason for
reason's sake! He is asking for a convincing explanation, given
the proposition that has been set forth.

> It is for explaining these kinds of issues that we need, and
> luckily have, a few great SrIviashNava AcArya-s. I am very happy that we
> have been blessed with the views of one such AcArya, in this case SrI
> venkatakr*shNa svAmi.  I am particularly thankful to SrI venkatesh for
> taking the interest in all of us and going and asking the question and
> sharing his learning with us.  On behalf of all of us, I would like to
> request SrI venkatesh to continue this great kaimkaryam on an on-going basis
> for other issues that my come up in our discussion in the future. 

These are my sentiments exactly; in fact, I have requested Venkatesh
to give regular updates on the activities in Tiruvallikkeni. Time
permitting, I hope he will.

> -dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan

rAmAnuja dAsan,
Mani