You are here: SriPedia - Ramanuja - Archives - Jun 2002

Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00068 Jun 2002

 
Jun 2002 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


SrimathE RAmAnujAya nama:

Dear Nappinnai (such a beautiful name!):

Your desire and enthusiasm to learn is both infectious and apparent. 
However, all learning processes (and probably most processes in 
prakrithi) involve a process of evolution. It is important to accept 
that we may not be able to comprehend certain concepts because we may 
not be intellectually ready for them.

For instance, if I try to talk about the general theory of relativity 
or Schroedinger's Cat to my four year old daughter (given that she is 
quite inquisitive and sincere), it may not make a lot of sense. 
Likewise, to a lot of people, the 'apourushEya' notion falls outside 
their 'common sense'. However, such absence of comprehension in no 
way alters the truth of the apourushEya concept or that the vEdas 
exist independently (as all truth does). There is a lot that one has 
to learn (in terms of basics of shAstra) before one can even begin to 
comprehend the natures of chith and Eeshwara or vEdic statements. It 
is important to recognize that such comprehension is not necessary to 
get near KaNNan or experience perumAL, not is it sufficient. All 
that the comprehension provides is a sense of cease less wonderment 
at the infinite beauty of perumAL, His sousheelyam and soulabhyam. 
Ultimately, we will realize He is the one who will give us that 
comprehension, if we are ready for it.

Now, more importantly, it is critical to recognize that all learning 
is a step by step process. And when it comes to the ultimate 
knowledge, understanding the glories of srImannArAyaNA and His 
vibhoothi, even the vEdas give up (yathO vAcha nivarthanthE aprApya 
manasA saha - unable to comprehend with the mind (Intellect), we come 
back to repeating with words that we are not able to grasp with the 
Intellect), meaning, we surrender to the notion that the true 
vibhoothi of emperumAn can only be experienced and not comprehended.

Instead of rushing to ask the first hundred questions that pop up in 
our fertile, febrile minds, when confronted with a statement from 
shAstra, it may be useful if we attempt to understand the simpler 
things of our inalienable relationship with perumAL, like, understand 
every word in thiruppAvai or listen to the swApadEshartham, or learn 
sanskrit and tamizh or read about the lives of our poorvAchAryas or 
stop making statements from hearsay/ignorance - that DP contains 75 
percent sanskrit words - or find an Acharya to help us (I speak for 
all of us, because most of us are in the same boat when it comes to 
ignorance) - now before somebody jumps on me for attributing 
ignorance, this is a statement from srI vachana bhooshaNam of Swamy 
piLLai lOkachAryar (that inimitable guide to how to live a life as a 
sri vaishNava) - where Swamy says

agnyAnathAlE prapannar asmadAdigaL
gnyAnAdikhyaththAlE prapannar maharshigaL
bhakthi pAravasyaththAle prapannar AzhwArgaL

Swamy, in his infinite kindness, includes himself with us in saying 
that our only qualification state for prapathi is our agnyAnam 
(ignorance).

> Truly speaking these vEdAs confuse a person like me. It's like 
> saying that knowledge and ignorance co-exist. 

Which is why our Acharyas have created vyAkyAnams for divya 
prabandham (created for many of us explicitly to obviate the need to 
learn the vEdas as a basis to understand emperumAn), the very essence 
of the vedas, much more accessible. Our dear Kannan says in the BG 
(yAvAnartha udapAne sarvathaha sampluthOdake, thAvAn sarvEshu vEdEshu 
brAhmaNasya vijAnathaha) that 
it is important to learn from what is applicable to our station in 
life (mannassukku eTTara vishayam), the vEdas contain material for 
everybody, but a brAhmaNa has to take what is applicable to him. 

The reason the vedas confuse many is because they do make the 
statement that ignorance is the basis of knowledge (He who knows that 
he does, does not and He who knows that he does not, does). But the 
vEdic statement here makes perfect sense for a few gnyAnis who have 
the intellectual maturity to comprehend the substance of the vedas. 
For some one like me, who may not have it, there is the bhakti 
siddhAnjanam (perumAL Himself). 

Once we decide to go along with perumAL (and not turn away, even 
attempting to comprehend things as a process of self discovery is 
achith sambandham), our doubts/questions will vanish with the same 
alacrity as we will discover the ultimate joy.

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

sridhar







[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
ramanuja-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list