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- Subject: Re: [Oppiliappan] Women & chanting vedas- 4
- From: "Sumithra Varadarajan" <Sumivaradan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 18:47:40 +0530
Sri Parthasarathi thunai
SrimathE rAmAnujaya Namaha
Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha
Sri Vanachala mahA munayE Namaha
Dear Smt. Jayashree sAranathan,
Your mails and the analysis behind them are really
amazing, beyond words. It is very true that only a person who is well
guided by Perumal (your RAma) and ofcourse our dear emperumAnAr (our beloved
acharya) can be so clear in thoughts and words. Your quotes from brahma
sutras, geethabhasyam, vedantha sangraham, arulicheyals
and other rahasya granthas show clearly that you have a clear
insight into them. Adiyen's special pranams to you.
Talking about bhakthi, dhyana, manana, shraddha
---It can be otherwise termed as parabhakthi, parajnana and paramabhakthi.
These are the states of the first three azhvars (mudal azhvars) say our
acharyas. Poigaiyazhvar who sung the mudal thiruvandhAdhi was supposed to
have more of parabhakthi (though all of them had all the three states the most
prominent state is attributed to them), the state of bhoodhaththAzhvar
parajnAnam and the third azhvar pEyazhvar was filled with parama bhakthi.
Poigai azhvar started his prabhandam with "vaiyam thagaliyA"- to remove all the
ignorance that resulted due to the mesmerisation of the worldly
pleasures (varuththum puravirul mARRa) His state
is PARABHAKTHI- wishing to see the bhagavat svaroopa,
roopa, gunangal . The second azhvar sang "anbE thagaliyA.." and removed
the ignorance inside one's mind that prevented one from seeing the brahmam
who recides inside each and everyone's mind (eraivanai kAnum
vullaththirul keda). This state of realisation is
PARAJNANAM and the final azhvar peyazhvar reached the state
of PARAMABHAKTHI and had the sAkshAtkAram of emperuman
(manniya pErirul mAndapin, kOvalul mAmalarAl thannodu mAyanai
kandamai kAttum thamizh thalaivan)
BruhadhAranyam says, "AthmAvA arE drushtavya: srOthavyO manthavyO
nithithyAsithavya:"
[First know about the paramatma by listening to the
sastras, then analyse with your mind, meditate on the same and then finally
visualise him in front of you]
Thirumangai mannan puts the same into his words in
thirunedunthAndakam as "mulaiththu ezhundha thingal
thAnAi"
Nammazhvar's was in the state of parabhakthi
starting from the first paasuram in thiruviruththam till thiruvaimozhi
10-8
"KamalakaNNenru
thodangi kaNNul ninrarudhi kaNdEnendra paththum vulkaNNAlEyAi kANpAnavAvudhal
adhi erattiyAgaiyAlE kaNdu kalippa alavum parajnAna karpa parabhakthi" [Acharya hrudhayam -230-12]
Nammazhvar reached the state of parajnanam in
"soozhvisum panimugil"
"erundhamai endradhu
poorNaparajnAnam" [231-13]
And he reached the state of paramabhakthi in the
final padhigam "muniyE nAnmuganE"
"mudindha avA endradhu
paramabhakthi" [232-14]
Geethacharyan's words about these three
states,
"bhakthyA tvananyayA shakya:
ahamEvam vidhOrjuna, jnAthum drushtumcha tatvEna pravEshtumcha
paranthapa"
Sri Ramanuja prays in his gadyam
as,
"parabhakthi parajnana
paramabhakyEka svabhAvam mAm kurushva"
Reply of Sri Periya
perumal,
"matjnAna dharshana
prApthishu nissamshayas sukamAsva"
"evai jnAna dharshana prApthi
avasthaigal" [AH-233-15]
parabhakthi - the state of happiness while
with emperuman and sorrow while away from him (samslEsha-vislEshangalil suka
dukka nilai) - jnAnAvastai
parajnAnam - understanding(visualising)
well the bhagavat svaroopa, roopa guna vibhoothis -
dharshanAvastai
paramabhakthi - Like a fish out of water
loosing life while separated from emperuman (state of lakshmana and seetha if
separated from rama)-prApthi avastai
Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE
sharaNam
Adiyen ramanuja dAsee
Sumithra Varadarajan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 11:30
PM
Subject: [Oppiliappan] Women & chanting vedas-
4
>
> SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.
>
> " Neer
sollum. Neer vazhi nadatthum. You are one who
> did not discriminate on
basis of caste, gender, or
> possessions. You have been exceedingly
impartial to
> all. But how can our God be impartial to the
seeker?
> In what way it makes a difference if the seeker has
>
learnt to chant vedas or not? Should we not cling to
> whatever little of
vedas or upanishads that are at our
> reach? Sollum. Have you made any
amends to this
> mandatory clause (of ashramas) anywhere else?
Neer
> sollum. If you don't show me the way, I would have to
>
re-interpret what I thought Raman indicated me on the
> other day.
Therefore sollum. Raman wont say anything
> twice. You too wont say
anything doubtful. Therefore
> sollum." So saying as I opened my eyes, all
lights
> suddenly went off and the Thirumeni of Ramanuja and
> the
garbha griham glowed in in-describable splendour
> in the light shed by
the Thoonga ViLAkku.
> Simultaneously I saw the bhattar taking
the
> deepaaraadhana near his thirumeni.
> The immediate thought
that flashed in my mind was
> 'INNER GLOW'.
>
> The whole
area presented a surreal picture of a
> pleasant glow inside the garbha
griha where I was
> able to see clearly the smile on the face of
Ramanuja
> glow in shantham, consolation (don't worry
>
kuzhandhaai), karuNyam and an alAdhi prIthi. Tears
> were streaming down
my eyes. "Yes I have understood
> your message, swami. It is the
inner glow that
> matters. It is the mental feeling that matters.
If
> that is what you wish to tell me, I am very much sure
> that
you would have somewhere indicated that. Bless me
> to grasp it
soon."
>
> As I was readying to leave, the bhattar started
>
telling on his own volition (?) that Ramanuja stood
> for free inquiry,
One must cultivate absolute faith
> when young. But as one grows up,
one must go about
> searching, discussing, debating and inferring
the
> salient aspects of Knowledge. Avaravar arivukku-th-
>
thakkapadi avaravar purindu koLgirArgaL. That was what
> he wanted
everyone to do."
>
> I recalled the first commandment of Ramanuja.
Yes he
> wanted everyone of us to study some part of Brahma
> sutra
every day. There is nothing that has not been
> said in his sri bhashyam.
If we have questions phrased
> in different ways, we have to look at his
bhashyam
> again and again. Somewhere he would have certainly
>
indicated his reply. The pramana for Inner glow must
> be somewhere
in Brahma sutras.
>
> I began to look for the answer and it didn't
take long
> to identify them. Sutras 46, 47 & 48 in chapter
3-3
> shed light on 'mental fires'. He talks about the
> glory
of meditation (of mental nature) in the context
> of sacrificial fires.
The sacrificial fires are aimed
> at certain fruits. Texts speak about
different
> ingredients that go into the conduction of sacrifices
>
of mental fires. "The altars made of mind may be
> equivalent to the altar
made of bricks in some
> aspects. This similarity does not authorise us
to
> connect mind-made altars with the actual sacrifice.
> The point
is that the fruit of both the performances
> is common."
>
>
He draws pramana from Satapatha Brahmana to establish
> that the passages
that speak about mental fires on
> brick altars can not be taken as
literal sacrifice but
> as meditation. To transfer this to reply our
query,
> "each one is as great as the previous one' (sat
> X-iv-1.3)
meaning that each type of meditation, one by
> way of 'works' as
prescribed by karma khandam and the
> other by way of knowledge are
independent of each
> other and as great as each other.
>
>
Further we find in sutras 3-4-14, 16 &19 it is
> established that
knowledge is not subsidiary to works.
> "permission to perform work
is for the glorification
> of knowledge. Indeed, one may work all his
life, still
> he is not tainted by the greatness of knowledge.
>
Therefore knowledge is not subsidiary to works."
>
> To present all
this in a nutshell, Ramanuja says like
> this in his commentary for verse
3-4-26.
> " Knowledge is something absolutely different from
>
the knowledge of the textual meaning. It is denoted by
> words such as
dhyana (meditation), upasana (worship)
> etc. It is of the nature of
remembrance, which has
> attained the form of direct and clearest
perception.
> By practicing day by day, it attains excellence, and
>
being continued up to final departure, it becomes the
> means of attaining
final release.'
>
> What is this dhyana, manana, shraddha? "it is
of the
> form of a succession of memories which is unbroken
> like a
stream of oil." Elsewhere he regards this
> stream of oil (thaila
dhaaravathu) as bhakti. He
> regards this non-stop remembrance as bhakti.
It is for
> getting Dhyana, manana and shradha that Karma khandam
>
is to be learnt (like how the children at early years
> of schooling are
trained in oral repetition of nursery
> rhymes). This idea, transformed in
latter period, with
> full blessings of Gitacharyan is known as
bhakti
> which has dhyana, manana and shradha as the basic
>
ingredients / requirements.
>
> In simple parlance Ramanuja comes
to regard bhakti as
> the result of works and knowledge as the
result of
> inquiry into Brahman.
>
> He talks about karma
khandam and the scope of
> sacrifices not with a purpose to glorify
them. He
> instead highlights the limits on the nature of fruits
>
given by those sacrifices.
>
> Texts of yore insist on doing
'works' because they
> help in constant remembrance and faith (shraddha).
> The substituting term for this is bhakti.
>
> In today's
condition, these ingredients of sacrifices
> help one in growing in
bhakti. Without sacrifices,
> texts say, that knowledge can not gained.
>
> Without bhakti, knowledge into the nature of Brahman
>
or god can not be gained.
>
> Texts say that vedic chanting (works)
is the
> antecedent to knowledge.
> Similarly, bhakti is antecedent
to knowledge.
>
> Without bhakti, knowledge can not bloom.
> But at the same time knowledge is not subsidiary to
>
bhakti.
>
> Gyaana khnadam supported by karma khandam was
the
> path way to salvation. Similarly, knowledge in the
> nature of
Bhakti is the means of attaining the
> Bhagavan (VS- 251)
>
>
Bhakti leads to knowledge just as how 'works' lead to
> inquiry.
>
Knowledge without bhakti is wasteful just as how gyana
> khnadam without
karma khandam can not give results.
> Bhakti leading to knowledge is
like how karma mimamsa
> study leads to the study of gyana
mimamsa.
>
> Ramanuja has given the prescription. So grieve not,
my
> mind whether you have sanction to recite vedas. Any
> such
recital that leads you to bhakti-marga is
> accepted. Without such recital
you can not realise the
> glory of Knowledge. Like without karma khanda,
one can
> not pursue utthara khanda. The recital though very
>
insignificant in today's condition is aimed at
> hastening your interest
in gyana marga.
>
> Bhoothathaazhwar had shown the way in lighting
the
> lamp of knowledge by 'inburugu sindhai'. The urugum
> inbam
shows the preethi by name bhakti. The sindhai
> stands for knowledge. So
grieve not, my mind, grieve
> not.
>
> To get sanction
for this, I again went to see Kembhal
> Raman. With eyes closed with a
viNNappam that He has
> to give approval for my thought on INNER
GLOW, I was
> mentally concentrating on my favourite Senniyongu
>
paasurams. When it was 'vunnai-k-kondu ennuL vaitthEn,
> ennaiyum vunnil
ittEn', I opened my eyes to see Him.
> The bhattar was inserting a flower
in Raman's nenju
> when I was saying 'ennaiyum vunnil ittEn'. Raman
has
> accepted this.
>
> It is what springs in our mind that
He takes as our
> offering.
>
> It is the inner
thought, inner glow, inner bhakti
> that is the ultimate outcome of all
this inquiry - no
> matter whether it comes from a man or a woman.
>
> Thank you Rama.
> I don't forget the symbolism of your
role in
> Ramavathara.
>
> You are all the more concerned
that you must get back
> your Sita who is none other than us, the jivas.
>
> You are the Creator who craves to get back His dear
>
ones - i.e., us.
>
> You can not bear the loss of your
dear ones into the
> vicious cycle of birth and death.
>
>
You always think of ways and means of getting us back
> to You.
>
> So it wont make an issue whether I am a woman or
not,
> whether I chant vedas or not. You would catch hold of
> me
appropriately at the appropriate time!!
>
>
---------------------concluded-------------------------
>
>
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