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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00183 Oct 2005
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- Subject: Re: Re: [ramanuja] The current state of our sampradayam.
- From: vimalkumar ranganathan <panardasan@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 16:04:56 -0800 (PST)
- List-id: <ramanuja.yahoogroups.com>
Sri Guna Swamin,
I am not a Sri Vaishnava, it is a great honor and state, I am aspiring to be one. I am not worthy of calling myself a Sri Vaishnava; this is how I'd categorize an "aspiring Sri Vaishnava". AzhwArs and AchAryAs are SrivaishnavAs. Swami MM was a SrivaishnavA; Sri nammAzhwAr says, "thamargaL thamargaL thamargaLAM...", that should be a Srivaishnava. I am not being judgemental, but let us not blame all our inabilities on Nirhetuka KripA. nirhetukA kripa means causeless mercy, that is when one surrenders, it is totally because of the Lord that he does. Now, ask for yourself, what should the saranagathan do? What should an aspiring saranagathan do???
Please answer the following questions with your understanding of "nirhetuka kripa":
Can I go to a mundane masala movie filled with vulgarity and graphic violence?? Why not??
Can I practise polygamy?? Why not??
I loot $10,000 from work, and the same evening I chant the complete ThiruvAimozhi. Is that OK?
I took part in the Upadesa Rathna Malai goshti today and had wonderful dinner at a veg/non-veg restaurant the same evening. Is that OK??
I am not saying Kripa can't stand mundane lifestyle. All I am saying is that mundane lifestyle should be atleast decently perfect enough for us to have a standing. I am saying just don't practice what shouldn't be and call it "Nirhetuka Kripa". Forget being a Srivaishnava, even to being a Vaishnava, Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad GIta, "enquire from a knowledgeable guru", enquiry (not from a critical standpoint, but from a knowledge-seeking standpoint) is a must. That is the problem, all of us being born in Srivaishnava families take it for granted. Just learning the DP and not setting standards, watching SUNTV or whatever they show on the idiot box and if the children turn out to be least interested in anything spiritual, who is to be blamed??
Before you ask, I am not judgemental, "avaravar vidhi vazhi aday ninranarE". I am only talking to those who want to safeguard and expand our sampradayam. If the example of ISKCON where millions of people with the highest standards surrender to the Lord doesn't inspire us, I don;t know what else will.
If it all comes down to just having onion/garlic, please go ahead and do so, I can even pay the bill for you. If we have pitfalls, we should be able to accept those and move on, but not legalize those in the name of nirhEtuka kripa, that becomes dangerous.
-adiyen