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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00001 Sep 2002

 
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Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

Dear Mukunda and devotees,

Dear VEnkata KrSNan of Tiru AllikENi,has the unique 
majestic look that other DD PerumALs don't possess! Whenever I look 
at Him,i only think of His revealing the cosmic form to Arjuna. Let 
me share a few thoughts with you all.

Vedic understanding of bhakti/devotion is interpreted 
in terms of the Gita's category of bhaktiyOgA(GitabhASyA). 
BhaktiyOgA,as explained in RAmAnujA's GitabhASyA and 
SribhASyA,primarily involves loving meditation on the Lord and His 
qualities as described in the upanisads. It's to be accompanied by 
the rites and sacrifices as specified in the sAstrAs according to 
one's own varNa and AsramA. KarmayOga and jnyAnayOga are anicillaries 
to bhaktiyOgA. But these can't lead to salvation without culminating 
in bhakti and hence they are not separate means. That is,bhaktiyOgA 
demands the performance of sacrifices,meditation,worship etc 
culminating in the "antimasmrti" or the final remembrance of the Lord 
at the end of one's life. Any mistakes/omissions along the way for 
which proper atonement/prAyascit is not performed,will delay the 
mOksA until the next life time when bhaktiyOga's requirements can be 
fulfilled and bhaktiyOgA is limited to males of twice-born castes.

Prapatti/saraNagati(same for RAmAnujA and 
pUrvAchAryAs),a simple surrender to the Lord as one's upAya for 
mOksA,is documented in the hymns of AzhwArs,the 
epics,purANAs,pAncharAtrAs and is open to all regardless of 
birth,learning or ability(RAmAnujA quotes pAncharAtrA Agamas in 
SribhASyA and directly defends their validity and authority). To 
qualify for prapatti,one neeed only be "akincana" and "ananyagati"-
helpless and with no other refuge. Prapatti is a one-time performance 
that achieves its result at the end of this very life time. When one 
surrenders to the Lord,He Himself takes the place of all the 
auxiliary activities and becomes the upAya for salvation(RAmAnujA 
gives two interpretation to carama slOka). Hence this upAya is called 
nirapEksOpAya,the upAya which needs nothing else and it is also 
siddhOpAya,an accomplished upAya.

According to pAncarAtrA,once one has surrendered 
himself to the Lord for his salvation,engaging in any other upAyAs 
for salvation is forbidden. This is beautifully illustrated through 
the incidences namely "brahmAstra","rAvaNA" and "dasaratha" in 
RAmAyaNA;(i)the demons bound hanumAn with supremely powerful 
brahmAstra weapon but doubting its efficacy,they tied him further 
with a jute cord. So brahmAstra slipped of and hanumAn escaped (ii)
when RAmA and rAvaNA were engaged in combat,rAvaNA wanted to withdraw 
but RAmA would not let him go as rAvaNA still had bow in his hand. 
But the moment rAvaNA dropped his bow,RAmA granted him permission to 
leave (iii)dasarathA lost the fortune to live with RAmA,Eternal 
dharma,by clinging to the dharmA of truthfulness which is only a 
semblance of dharmA. Same is true with bhISmA and karNA. On the other 
hand,vibhISaNA sought His feet as the soul refuge and nothing else. 
This clearly shows that clinging to false upAyAs actually impedes 
with the attainment of God.

RAmAnujA himself taught and practised an alternative 
spiritual path to the bhaktiyOgA that he saw as central to 
vEdAntA:saraNAgati/prapatti.In saraNAgati gaDyam,RAmAnujA performs 
his own solemn act of surrender and follow temple practice byfirst 
approaching the Goddess Sri,gaining her blessing and then 
surrendering to the Lord. He uses arjunA's words in the Gita,in 
reuqesting the Lord for forgiveness and gAndhAri's words(in another 
passage in the mahAbhAratA)in addressing the Lord as 
his "father,mother,friend,teacher,wealth,knowlege",in short,as 
his "all". The Lord's promises to his devotees in various scriptural 
passages are also brought into the conversation. In Sriranga 
gaDyam,RAmAnujA admits that he doesn't deserve the privilege of 
service that he has requested since he is unable to practise 
bhaktiyOgA and possesses no other good quality. Therefore he takes 
refuge at NArAyaNA's lotus feet.

Bhakti,practiced as a sAdhanA proceeds in three stages 
as mentioned in RAmAnujA's saraNAgati gaDya (1)parabhakti-desire to 
realize the Lord (2)parajnyAna-realization of the Lord (3)
paramabhakti-love arising from the joy of realization. When prapatti 
is done independently as sAdhanA,takes the place of parabhakti. You 
see only prapatti in AzhwArs hymns because the Lord Himself out of 
His nirhetuka krpa,provided the first two. 

Direct Reference to BG in NDP
NammAzhwAr's TiruvAymoshi 7-5-9(3389)"kaRpAr"

mAyamaRibavar mAyavarkALanRiyAvarO?*
dAyamseRumorunURRuvarmanga OraivarkkAy*
dEsamaRiyaOrsArathyAychchenRu sEnaiyai
nAsamseithittu* nadanthanalvArththaiaRinthumE

nalvArththai-BG

Kaliyan's Periya Tirumozhi 11-4-8(1939) "nilaiyidam"

Lord KrSNA teaches in the Gita that one must abandon 
the idea that the self can do anything for its salvation. Concept of 
freewill is ruled out! HE is both the actor and the One worshipped 
through the action,the upAya and as well as upEya. HE Himself is the 
phala and we are mere instruments.

Pardon all my errors/mistakes in this. We will see how 
MaNavALamAmnuigaL explains these things in the next mail.

AzhwAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
sarvam KrSNArpaNam astu
nappinnai

sarva dharmAn parityajya mAmEkam saraNam vraja |
aham tvA sarvapApEbhyO moksaiSyAmi mA suca: ||





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