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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00068 Sep 2002

 
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srisailEsa dayApAtram dhIbhaktyAdi guNArNavam |
yatIndrapravaNam vandE ramya jAmAtaram munim ||

carama slOkam(Supreme secret that grants mOksa)

sarvadharmAn parityajya mAm Ekam saraNam vraja |
aham tvA sarvapApEbhyO mOksaiSyAmi mA suca: || (BG 18:66)

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Chapter 4 deals with jnAna yOga and chapter 18 deals with 
SamyAsa/mOksa yOgA.

paritrANAya sAdhUnAm vinAsAya ca duSkrtAm |
dharmasamsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE || (BG 4:8)
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Continuation of "sarvadharmAn parityajya"

Srirangam AchAryAs insist that the gerund "Iyap" form of the 
verb "tyAga" is interpreted as an injunction/vidhi as opposed to 
kAnchi AchAryAs view that "Iyap" refers to a statement of "what has 
already occurred(anuvAda)"

PiLLai lOkAchAryA[Mumu 202]says: "Iyap" states that we first have to 
completely relinquish other means/dharmAs and then surrender to the 
Lord just as "having bathed one should eat - snAthvA bhunjItha". The 
Lord who said in BG 4:8,that He is born in every age to establilsh 
dharmA now reveals the Supreme secret by saying that "give up all 
those dharmAs and surrender to Me alone-mAm Ekam saraNam vraja". MM 
in his commentary on the same says: since "sarvadharmAn parityajya" 
precedes it immediately,the interpretation given by PL that "having 
relinquished all the dharmAs,one surrenders to the Lord" is justified 
and hence kAnchi AchAryAs view that "sarvadharmAn parityajya" refers 
to the statement of what has already occurred and arjunA's difficulty 
of performing the same and therefore now he should resort to God is 
wrong. 

For kAnchi AchAryAs bhakti/prapatti is an upAya. Those who are 
qualified(varNAsrama dharmA)can follow bhaktimArga and those who are 
not qualified can follow prapatti as a means/upAya to reach the same 
goal/Him.

For Srirangam/Tennkalai AchAryAs, since the Lord taught the difficult 
way(bhaktiyOgA) and also easier way(prapatti),neither can be a upAya. 
He alone is the upAya. 

MM in his commentary[Mumu 203]explains: when rAvaNA wanted to leave 
RAmA did not let him go as rAvaNA was still holding the bow. But the 
moment rAvaNa dropped the bow, RAmA granted him permission to leave -
"gachAnujAnAmi". It's not "rAvaNA's act of dropping the bow" but 
the "bow" which was an impediment. MM[Mumu 204]says that dasaratha 
chakravarthy lost the fortune to live with RAmA by clinging to 
the "vow" he promised kaikEyi and didn't want to dishonour the vow. 
What's dharmA? "RAmO vigrahavAn dharma",and "KrSNAm dharma 
sanAthanam". Meaning living with RAmA is dharmA and KrSNA is Eternal 
dharmA. 

Instead of DhrtarAstra uvAca,it could have have been BhagavAn 
uvAca:"sarvadharmAn...suca:" but arjunA would not have accepted. So,

PiLLai lOkAchAryA[SVB 127-8] says: for those who will not take the 
medicine,people mix it with a substance they like. Similarly the 
bhakti is only enjoined mixing in the Lord/Isvara. MM in his 
commentary on the same(MM extends the metaphor to bring in the 
affectionate mother motif AH[14-5]) says if the Lord had initially 
taught them to first desist from their own actions and employ 
siddhOpAya(Lord),Who removes this illness of samsAra quickly,the 
chEtanAs would not have accepted it, because of their 
proclivity/inclination(vAsanA) toward self-effort which has been 
going on since time immemorial! In the example shown, the loved 
substance "bhaktiyOgA" does not remove the illness. Similarly it is 
not the "upAsanA" but the "Lord" mixed in with it is the "real 
upAya". When medicine is taken directly,it cures the disease 
immediately but when mixed with desired substance, the "effect" will 
be delayed. Same way,the Lord delays in granting the goal(mOksa)when 
He is mixed with upAsana.

What does the Lord teach in BG? "SanAthana dharma". That is 
HE HIMSELF and the rest(karma,jnAna etc) are all transient.

For Srirangam/TennAchAryAs,since the Lord is the Cause of all,"prapatti" is 
the "effect" of His Grace.

To be continued...

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
RAmAnujasya caraNau saraNam prapadyE
nappinnai








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