Dear Sri RanganAtha BhakthAs : In this posting belonging to the series on " Sri RanganAthO Jayathi " relating to the Construction of a Temple for Him at Pomona , NY , I will focus on the ways in which the Upanishads rush to salute Him . I will follow the path established by AchArya RaamAnujA and his successors on this matter . Sriman NaarAyaNan of Srirangam : Sri RanganAthan ************************************************* AchArya RaamAnujA's darsanam is profound in many ways . Two of the key features of this darsanam are that (1) it harmonizes God's transcendence ( parathvam ) with His accessibility ( Soulabhyam ) and (2) it inculcates "the highest form of devotion without belittling the part of intellectualism and social duties in man's spiritual life " . Sriman NaarAyaNA as Para VaasudEvan is readily accessible to us at His BhUlOka Vaikuntam on the island of Srirangam .The parathvam of His form at Sri Vaikuntam by the banks of the river VirajA comes together with the soulabhyam of His ArchA svarUpam at Srirangam ( nithya -LeelA VibhUthis ). This amalgamation of Parathvam and Soulabhyam at Srirangam is considered the central root ( aaNi vEr ) of our Sri VaishtAdvaithA tradition elaborated by our AzhwArs and developed further by Dankar , DramidAchAryA , Naathamuni, ALavanthAr , Periya Nambi and Acharya RaamAnujA and his succesors in the mold of Upanishadic and Vedic tradition . The Ubhaya Vedantha tradition flourishes today from that amalgamation . The embodied Isvara Tattvam at Srirangam ***************************************** The epistemology , ontology , cosmology , theology and psychology of Sriman NaarAyaNA as the controller of all (SarvEsvarathvam ) , the principal of all ( sarvasEshithvam ) , the One worshipped by every religious act ( Sarva KarmAradhyathvam ) , the bestower of all fruits of such worship ( Sarva pala pradhathvam ) , the sustainer of all ( SarvAdharathvam ) , the cause of all effects ( Sarva KaaryOthpAdhakthvam ) is nowhere celebrated more than at Srirangam . It is no wonder that our AchAryAs , who were conversant with the nuances of Ubhaya VedAntham spent so much of their life time at Srirangam and worshipped Sri RanganAtha as the Jagadheesvaran. Sri RaamAnujA & Aupanishada- Parama Purushan ********************************************* AchArya RaamAnujA recognized Sriman NaarAyaNA as the Aupanishada-Parama Purushan ( the supreme spirit revealed in the Upanishads ) .He is the same Parama Purushan celebrated by Sri GeethOpanishad in the chapter on PurushOtthama Yogam . This Supreme spirit of the Upanishads has been saluted by AchArya RaamAnujA as " Sruthi-sirasi Videepthan " ( the shining crown of the VedAs ). The nectar churned out of the milky ocean of Upanishads by BaadarAyaNA's Brahma sUthrams was intrepreted by AchAryA RaamAnujA to strengthen the citadel Of Sri VisidshtAdvaitham and fly high the flag of the supermacy of our Soulabhya Para VaasudEvan of Srirangam . With great coherency and clarity , AchArya RaamAnujA commented on BaadarAyaNa sUtrAs in His Sri BhAshyam and elucidated " the philosophically CENTRAL affirmations of the Upanishads . As an easier text for us to understand, AchArya RaamAnujA gave us VedArtha SangrahA , whose central purpose was to gather into focus the teachings of Upanishads . Sudarsana Suri ,the author of Srutha PrakAsikA , an elaboration of Sri Bhaashyam of AchArya RaamAnujA , states that the great AchAryaa extracted the nectar of VedaanthA , meaning Upanishads .With his effective and clear synthesis of the BhEda, BhedAbhEda and AbhEda sruthis , AchArya RaamAnujA was able to establish a coherent doctrine of Brahman . The essence of AchAryA's thesis that is endearing and assuring is that the Brahman of the Upanishads is the paratattvA(supreme Reality ) , parahitA ( the supreme way to redemption ) and and ParapurushArthA (the supreme goal ). For AchArya RaamAnujA , " the ultimate spirit holds ALL things within Itself and abides as indweller in ALL things-- --- such is the final substance and the entire message of the Upanishads , according to RaamAnujA . For his way of thinking , the concept of Sriman NaarAyaNA , properly comprehended , embodies in itself this philosophy completely . Hence one may , as well , conclude that the WHOLE teaching of the Upanishads stands summed up in A SUPREME SYNTHESIS IN THE CONCEPT OF NAARAAYANAA " . Personal God and the Upanishidic Brahman ****************************************** Sri RamAnujA postualted a personal God and defined Brahman this way : " By the word Brahman is denoted the highest person , who is , by nature , devoid of all evil , and is possessed of hosts of auspicious qualities , which are innumerable and unsurpassable in excellence " . He accepted a world that is real distinctly different from the world of illusion of the advaitins . Regarding the means of attainment , AchArya RaamAnujA accepted Bhakthi and Prapatthi , " wherein the Lord is considered both as a means and the object of attainment . Only he attains the Lord , whom he elects with grace " . This is the essence of Sri VisishtAdvitha Darsanam and Parama purusha prasAdham is central to it and the Samastha chidachidh vasthu sareeran as AkhilAthman blesses us to gain Moksham .These then are the conclusions of AchArya RaamAnujA that we cherish as the distillation of the essence of the Upanishads on the Aupanishadic Parama Purushan reclining on His serpent bed at Srirangam . The source Upanishads for Sri RaamAnujA's Works ************************************************ The 15 upanishads quoted by AchArya RaamAnujA to develop his synthetic approach to reconcile the three categories of sruthis are : Isa, Kena , Katha , Prasna , Mundaka , MaandUkya , AitarEya , TaittirIya , ChhandOgya , BrihadAraNyaka , KaushItakI , SvetAsvaatara , MahOpanishad , SubAlOpanishad and MahA NaarAyaNOpanishad Sriman NaarAyaNA of MahA NaarAyaNOpanishad ******************************************* I will conclude this posting with select manthrams of MahA NaarAyaNOPanishad .This Upanishad has moving revelatory passages on the identity of the ParamAthMan ( Paramapurushan ) .In the very first manthram , which has profound meanings , the role of the Lord of creation is saluted : ambasya paarEbhuvanasya madhyE naakasya prushtE mahathO maheeyAn I SukrENa jyOthIgumshi samanupravishta : PrajApathisccharathi garbhE antha : II ( Meaning ) : " The Lord of Creation , who is present in the shoreless waters ,on the Earth and above the Heaven and who is greater than the great , having entered the shining intelligence of creatures in seed form , acts in foetus (which grows into the living being that is born ) ". This Lord of Creation and the AntharyAmi Brahman is recognized in the next manthram as the source of power by which all Gods remain enjoying their respective powers ( Sarvam yasmin dEvA adhi visvE nishEdhu: ) . The Upanishad goes onto declare that certainly has been true in the past and will be true in the future (TadhREva bhUtham tadhu bhavyamA ). In section 12 , the 17th manthram of this Upanishad we come across the connection of the Lord to PraNavam : yO vedAdhou svara: prOkthO VedAnthE cha prathishtitha : I tasya prakruthileenasya Ya; Para: sa MahEsvara : II This manthram asserts that this Lord of Creation is the supreme Lord , who transcends the syllable OM , which is invoked at the commencement of the recital of the VedAs , which is well established in Upanishads and which is dissolved in the primal cause during contemplation . The next few manthrams identify this supreme Lord as Sriman NaarAyaNA : NaarAyaNam mahAj~nEyam visvAthmAnam parAyaNam This Supreme Lord , Sriman NaarAyaNA is declared as the One , who is supremely worthy of being known by the Jeevans and recognized as the supreme goal . The thundering statements that follow are : NaarAyaNa: param Brahmma tattvam NaarAYaNa: Para: I NaarayaNa: parO jyOthirAthmA NaarayaNa : para :II NaarayaNa: parO dhyAthA dhyAnam NaarayaNa : para : I ( Meaning ) : NaarAyaNA is the supreme reality designated as Brahmman . NaarAyaNA is the loftiest of all principles. NaarAyaNA is the supreme effulgence described by Upanishads. NaarAyaNA is THE INFINITE SELF. He is the most outstanding mediator and meditation . Yaccha kinjijagathyasmin dhrusyatE SrUyatEpi vaa I antharbahisccha tathsarvam vyApya NaarAyaNa: sthitha : II ( Meaning ) : Whatsoever that is comprehended through perception or known through hearing , all that is pervaded by NaarAyaNA within ( indweller ) and outside . A CONCLUDING SALUTATION TO THE SAKALA UPANISHAD SVARUPAN ********************************************************* This Lord of Srirangam , who has been saluted as Mahath Yasa: ( the great glory ). He is the web and woof of creation saluted by the Upanishads . He reclines under PranvAkruthi VimAnam and glorifies the meaning of PraNavam ( PraNavArtha PrakAsakan ) . He is the para Vaasudevan of parama Padham . He is RangEsan . He has Srirangam as His temple by the side of KaavEri river and His other home is by the side of VirajA river in Sri Vaikuntam . That Sri RangasAyee is saluted by this famous slOkam : KaavErI VirajAsEyam Vaikuntam Rangamandhiram Sa VaasudEvO RangEsa: Prathyaksham Paramam Padham I VimAnam PraNavAkAram Vedasrungam MahAdhbhutham SrirangasAyee BhagavAn PraNavArthaprakAsaka : II It is this Sri RangasAyee saluted by Upanishads that Saint ThyagarAjA implored to come to him at Srirangam in his celebrated KaambhOji Raaga Krtihi :Oh RangasAyee ! pilachitE-Oh yanuchu raa raadhAA ? ( Oh Rangasaayee ! When I implore You to come to me , why should You not respond ?) . Saint Thyagaraja composed the Sriranga Pancharathna krithis on this Lord reclining on Adhi SEshA at Srirangam . We will salute those 5 krithis in the next posting . Sri RanganAthO Jayathi ! Sri RanganAtha Para BrahmaNE Nama: Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan P.S: Please join in the Temple Kaimkaryam for this Lord saluted by Upanishads and Vedams . Be Blessed by Him through Your particpation . Subhamasthu !
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