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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00034 May 2002

 
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The ability to befriend and guide the manas is vital in cultivating good
humane qualities. Two of these qualites are spoken about in the
taittiriya upanishad: abhima:nam and upama:nam. Abhima:nam is pride in
a good sense, a desire to maintain one's respectibility and integrity.
Upama:nam is a simile, or an analogy, in other words, putting ourselves
on par with this world through an understanding of our relationship with
it. Both together are necessary in a balanced way in order for us to
live a good life.

And both of these form a part of what was originally mentioned as being
our purpose in life, the constant cultivation of vinayam, humble and
loyal obedience, and vidhe:yata, the commitment to following the
teachings of those who know more than us, our elders and Acha:ryas, both
of which can be known through a proper understanding of the term
"namaha".

"Namaha" in its literal meaning is "bending or prostration". All of us
express us it in a superficial sense when we prostrate before the deity
in the temple. We even make our kids peform this act, calling them from
outside where they are playing with their friends at the end of pooja,
and asking them to prostrate in front of the altar. Our kids seem to
have figured out a shortcut to doing this, because even before we know
it, they have run into the room, completed their prostration and are
racing back outside to play.

Verbally, we all say "namaha" quite often, too, whether or not we mean
it. Our boss makes us work well into the night, and often-times all
weekend long. We do it if only to keep our jobs, and face the stress of
not only working, but of missing good quality time with our family and
friends. But, Monday morning comes around, and there we are, bleary-eyed
but with a smile on our face, ready to say "Good Morning" or "Namaste"
to him/her in our most polite way. Thank Goodness nobody knows what we
really want to say.

But, merely bending physically or saying "namaha" really achieves
nothing. What is really implied by the term "namaha" is a bending of
the heart, a genuine feeling of inspiration to live a life of humble
obedience to all that is good, and a genuine desire to respect and
follow the teachings of our sa:stras and those who bring them to us, our
Acha:ryas.

To gain this, we must be willing to bend both with the body and with the
soul, without pretention or false ego. And, to have the ability to do
this is something that we must constantly beseech God to provide us.

Those whose hearts are dedicated to this spirit of cultivating good
qualities will always see good things come to them, and will always have
the true respect of others.

In a beautiful passage in the Isava:sya upanishad, a deal is made
between the Divine and the spiritual seeker. Making a deal with God
should not be surprising, because we make deals with God all the time:
"Oh God in the temple, I am breaking 18 coconuts and offering them to
you; please let me pass my exams." Or, "Lord, if you bless me with that
visa to the USA, I will be able to place lots of money in the hundi
(collection box) the next time I visit India."

In the Upanishad, however, the prayer is far more noble. While on
superficial levels it is addressed to Agni, the deity of Fire, in
actuality, it really addresses He who is the Soul to Agni and all the
universe, the Supreme Lord, Sriman Narayana:

agne naya supatha raye asman visvani deva vayunani vidvan |
yuyodhyasmajjuhuranameno bhuyistham te nama uktim vidhe:ma ||

The prayer beseeches the Lord to take us on the noble path, the path
that leads to all wealth; it also beseeches Him to remove all our sins,
both the ones that we have committed knowingly and those that we have
committed unknowingly. In return, with our hearts filled with complete
devotion to HIm that comes from the knowledge of His wondrous
qualities, we will look to the Lord, His every desire and His every
action and think "namaha" with adoration.

Some important things to note in this prayer:

The term "wealth" is not intended to imply just material prosperity
alone, but all that is necessary for one's upliftment including
respectability, integrity, nobility and the support and company of
people who admire us.

Alos note that the verse does not say that we are to going to merely
chant "namaha" to the Lord, but will think it, experience it, in other
words, feel it in our hearts.

With the moving of the heart toward this level, comes the cultivation of
good humane qualities, integrity, and the respect and companionship of
those who respect us. Interestingly, our sa:stras speak of the company
of those who admire and support us as having four people around us.

Sri Rama in his mission to rescue Sita and liberate Lanka, was always in
the company of four good men: Lakshmana, Hanuman, Sugriva, and Angada.
This, along with many other things, was proof positive of his
uncountable good qualities.

Indeed, if there is one human being in this world who had perfected the
noble vinayam and vidhe:yata, it was Sri Rama. His heart was so good,
his actions so well-intentioned, his desire to bring good to the world
so great, his respect for his elders and teachers so unswerving, that it
is said that his name and his fame are known in every corner of the
universe.

And two men who admired and worshipped Sri Rama rose to a level of fame
that they will always be remembered by every person from India, Kalidasa
and Valmiki. While Kalidasa's fame is known in his peotry, Valmiki
experienced Sri Rama completely in his heart, and thus, his work is
considered indisputable as being the only true source on Sri Rama and
His Great Deeds.

It is the outpourings of Valmiki's heart, filled with love for the Lord
in the form of a human being, that is Sri Rama:yanam. Since it is a
work of such love and admiration, it is little wonder that it can still
move even the most modern and western-educated Indian to tears in its
sheer beauty and pathos.

This is the level of heart that we need in following vinayam and
vidhe:yata, a virtual soul-stirring feeling of humility, love, and
respect that naturally fills us with good intentions and good qualities.

It is this heart filled with love, respect, integrity, and servitude,
that opens the doors to Bhagavad kata:ksham (God's Unconditional and
Loving Grace), which we have shut out from our lives for countless eons
because of selfish attachment to our false ego. Such a Grace will give
us the strength and inspiration such that wherever we are, whatever we
do, we will be blissful in the knowledge that all that we are is in
service to Him and is for the benefit of the world.

HH Sri Tridandi Chinna Sriman Narayana Jeeyar Swamy concluded his talk
by praying that all of us will seek to cultivate these good qualities,
and in doing so, live a good and noble life, one that will allows us to
serve both God and HIs world.

------

The words that I have written are only my novice interpretation of the
profound wisdom of our Ve:das as shared with us by Sri Chinna Jeeyar
Swamy. I seek the forgiveness from all of you for any errors or
misinterpretations, and give the sole credit for all that inspires to
Acharya anugraham.

azhwa:r emperuma:na:r jeeyar thiruvadigale: saranam

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
Mohan














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