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Sir-
 
Great! Do we need more pramANam to pranAmam?
 It is also a great physical exercise.
We should make it a daily routine for all to perform
couple of sASHtAnga pranAmams in morning
and evening at family altar or some designated place.
 
 
>> Falling at the feet of Sanyasis, as and when we see them,
can be very difficult. <<<
 
I remember in the late 1960s, Thirukudandai Andavan used to go sanchArams
in II block jayanagar from his Ashramam.  We used to run into him
and we used to prostarte then and there. The roads were quite filthy.
I think one should keep this in mind, considering the sorry state of
our road conditions for most part.
 
dAsan
 
K.S. tAtAchAr
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: R Madhavan,Salem. <rammadhav@xxxxxxxxx>
To: sadagopaniyengar <sadagopaniyengar@xxxxxxxx>; SriRangaSri 
<SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; radha jagannathan <radha@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 
cs.srinivasan <chetlurvas@xxxxxxxxxxx>; rajamragu@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; J.Srinivasan 
<arunharitha@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: sadagopaniyengar <sadagopaniyengar@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 08:11:33 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: [SriRangaSri] A Mark of Respect




SRI :
 
PraNAms to The AchAryAs, BhAgavathAs, Elders  and All those who are to be 
prostrated.
 
The Greatest asset of our SampradAyam, viz SaranAgathi has its root in 
prostration and showing respects with folded hands to Bhagavathas, Acharyas, 
Bhagavan and those who are due to be respected in befitting manner is, as 
stated 
in this valuable write up of Sri Sadagopa Iyengar, is practically getting 
erased 
in the present  day fast changing life styles. 
 
Atleast some years back, when marriage and such other functions had a personal 
touch and was conducted under the supervision and as per the advice of the 
senior members of  the families, one could see the newly married couple doing 
Namaskaram individually to all elders. On all festival days, the custom of 
doing 
Namaskaram to all the Elders by the younger ones was a pleasing program and 
brought joy to ALL to home. Slowly these customs are vanishing.
 
It is  for the busy parents and other elders to reinculcate this very desirable 
custom once again more by practicing than by preaching.
 
Our thanks to Sadagopa Iyengar for the write up on a very important subject of 
great relevance for the present day.
 
Regards
 
Madhavan.                 
 
                                                                                
                                     


sadagopaniyengar <sadagopaniyengar@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

                                   
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:



                                   A Mark of Respect


"Old is gold" says the adage. Youngsters feel that this must have been coined 
by 
a person well past his seventies, who felt as much at home with the present 
environment as a fish on land. It is true that elderly people do have nostalgic 
thoughts about the days past and dream of their return. It would interest you 
to 
know that the pastime, of glorifying yesteryears and denouncing modern times 
and 
especially the present day youth (for their irreverence, impertinence, 
disobedience, etc.), is as old as the hills. We hear that several centuries 
ago, 
the Greek philosopher Plato passed similar comments about the youth of those 
days.  



Coming back to old and gold, Mahakavi Kalidasa adopts a more balanced approach 
and remarks that not everything old is good, ipso facto, nor everything new 
bad, 
per se. It is however a fact that many good customs of olden days have all but 
disappeared now. It is about one of these that we are about to see in this 
piece.



What do we do when an elderly gentleman or Bhagavata drops in on us?

We welcome him warmly, offer him a seat and then prostrate before him, seeking 
his blessings and thankful that he has blessed us with his presence at our 
home. 
Time was, when boys used to perform Sandhyavandanam and then, as a routine, 
fall 
at the feet of their parents every day. Girls too did this in the evenings, 
after the lamp at Perumal Sannidhi was lit. This hoary practice was not 
confined 
to evenings, but was observed in the mornings too. Married women prostrated 
before their husbands and in-laws everyday. Needless to say, students paid 
obeisance this way to their teachers, before commencement and after conclusion 
of studies, both religious and secular. And, of course, everyone prostrated 
before the Lord at His temples and at home, every day and several times a day. 
This is what we used to do. Now, however, the practice of prostrating before 
elders is on its way out, observed more in the breach than in observance, and 
mostly reserved for special occasions like marriage or
 upanayanam, if at all then.



Leaving aside the blame game, why should we at all prostrate before elders? Is 
there any scriptural authority for this, or is it one more archaic practice, 
which we have developed over the ages and continue to perform, regardless of 
its 
relevance? Shall we see what the great Aapasthamba Maharshi has to say on the 
subject?



At the arrival of elders, the life spirit and faculties (Indriyas) of younger 
people automatically rise up and try to leave the body. By putting the body 
down 
in front of elders and performing a prostration, the younger person restores 
the 
spirit and indriyas to their respective positions in the body, says Aapasthamba-



"Oordhvam praanaa: hi utkraamanti yoona: sthavira aayati.   

Pratyutthaana abhivaadanaabhyaam puna: taan pratipadyate". 



What this means in effect is that if we do not accord appropriate respect to 
elders by prostrating before them, our faculties would lose their efficiency 
much before the scheduled time. What Aapasthamba says in a negative fashion is 
reiterated by the venerated Manu in the following words worth their weight in 
gold-



"Abhivaadana seelasya nityam vriddha upasevina:

Chatvaari tasya vardhante hi aayu: pragyaa yaso balam"



One who prostrates before elders daily is so blessed that his lifespan, memory, 
fame and strength are multiplied four-fold, declares Manu categorically. 



However, the real why of this prostration is explained by the Ahirbudhnya 
Samhita. By falling at the feet of an elder, the younger person acknowledges 
the 
former's greatness and his own comparative smallness, says the Samhita-



"Nantru nantavya bhaavoyam na prayojana poorvaka:

Neecha ucchayo: svabhaava: ayam nantru nantavyataatmaka:"



Extolling the glory of those who have performed Veda adhyayanam, the Shruti 
tells us that we should pay obeisance to them daily, falling at their feet in 
reverence-"tasmaat Brahmanebhyo Veda vidbhyo dive dive namaskuryaat". And 
another deity we are supposed to propitiate daily with "namaskaaram" is Agni. 
Every day, morning and evening, after performing Samidhaadaanam or Oupaasanam, 
all dvijaas should prostrate before Agni.



That this prostration is an age-old practice adopted by wise men and women, is 
brought out time and again in the great Epic. When Brahma arrives at Sri 
Valmiki's ashramam, he is welcomed by the Maharshi with a reverential 
pranaamam-"Pranamya vidhivat cha enam prishtvaa chaivaapi anaamayam". When 
Dasaratha enters the Yagyashaala for performing Asvamedha Yagam, he prostrates 
before his Kula Guru Vasishtta and obtains his blessings-"Abhivaadya Vasishttam 
cha nyaayata: pratipoojya cha". After finishing their morning Sandhyavandam and 
other rituals, Sri Rama and Lakshmana perform obeisance and Abhivaadanam to 
Visvamitra-



"Krita aahnikou mahaa veerou Visvamitram tapodhanam

Abhivaadya abhi samhrishtou gamanaaya upatasthatu:".



Here is Sri Rama prostrating before His father and uttering abhivaadanam-



"Sa praanjali: abhipretya pranata: pitu: antike

Naama: svam sraavayan Rama: vavande charanou pitu:"


And Rama doesn't wait for His father to get near, when He sees the 
Chakravartthi 
coming at a distance-He prostrates then and there-

"dadarsa pitaram dooraat pranipatya kritaanjali:". (This is an object lesson to 
us, when we see the Lord on the streets, during Utsavams-we should not stay 
stationary, waiting for Emperuman to draw near, but should go towards Him, 
prostrating all the time.) Sri Rama performs Abhivaadanam to His mother 
too-"tathaa saniyamaameva sa: abhigamya abhivaadya cha". When we want to get 
something done by others, the best way is to fall at their feet. This is 
demonstrated by Lakshmana, when he seeks to accompany his elder brother to the 
forest-"Sa: bhraatu: charanou ghaadam nipeedya Raghunandana:". Reaching the 
abode of Maharshi Bharadvaja, the first thing Rama does is to prostrate before 
the sage along with Sita and Lakshmana-"Rama: Soumitrinaa saardham Seetayaa cha 
abhyavaadayat". There are thus any number of occasions for prostration in 
Srimad 
Ramayanam-so much so that you find the characters constantly at it, apparently 
awaiting an opportunity for the same.  



Prostration is prescribed especially in the case of students wishing to imbibe 
spiritual wisdom from learned teachers. We have this on very good authority-the 
Lord Himself says so in the Gita-



"Tat viddhi pranipaatena pariprasnena sevayaa

upadekshyanti te gnaanam Gnaanina: tattva darsina:"



Are there any specific rules for performing such prostration? Are there persons 
who should and should not be accorded such reverence? The late Sri Melpaakkam 
Nrisimhacharya Swami, doyen of Dharma Shastra adhikaaris, lays down the 
following criteria, to be observed while prostrating before others.



Immediately after Sandhyavandam in the morning, one should fall at the feet of 
one's Acharya, from whom one derived wisdom, and prostrate before others 
thereafter. The term "Acharya" refers to those who have imparted to us Vedas, 
Vedaangaas, Mantras, etc., and includes one's parents.  These "others" include 
Brahmins, even if they are younger to one. In such a case, however, these 
younger Brahmins should return the respect accorded to them, by performing 
Pratipranaamam. The Smriti Ratnaakaram tells us that one should prostrate 
before 
one's parents, elders and Acharyas, those who are elder to one by three years 
and other Bhagavatas-



"Evam sandhyaam upastthaaya pitarou agrajaan guroon

Trivarsha poorvaan sishttanscha paarsvastthaan abhivaadayet".



Such namaskaaram performed regularly after the three Sandhyavandanams enhances 
one's lifespan, intellect, fame and might, says the Saccharitra Sudhaanidhi-



"Saayam praatascha vriddhaanaam kurvaanasya abhivaadanam

Aayu: praggyaa balam keerti: pravardhante dine dine"



Even if the opposite party is an eminent Bhagavata, we should not prostrate 
before him, if he is holding in his hand a Samit, Flowers, Tulasi, Darbham, 
Agni, Water, Sand, Food or Akshata. Only after these are kept aside in a clean 
place should we fall at his feet. Similarly, one should not perform namaskaaram 
to those engaged in Vaidika karmas like Japam, Homam, etc., and to those who 
are 
eating or sleeping, says the Dharma Saaram-



"Samit Pushpa Kusha Agni Ambu Mrit Anna Akshata paanika:

Japam Homam cha kurvaana: na abhivaadya: tathaa dvija:"



Similarly, those engaged in bathing, cleaning their teeth, excretion, those who 
have applied oil to their bodies preparatory to bathing and people who are 
lying 
down, should not be prostrated to. If either of the parties to the Pranamam has 
contracted "teettu" or Aasoucham, then too no prostration should be done. 
Similarly, Shastras forbid prostration before pregnant, menstruating and 
just-delivered women. We are also told that while in a temple, we can fall at 
only the Lord's tiruvadi and at none other. Further, prostration in a temple 
should be performed only at the Dhvajastambam. 



What about Sanyaasis? What are the rules governing their prostrations and those 
of others to them? All of us know that the normal rule is that we should fall 
at 
the feet of Tridandi Sanyaasis with reverence, the moment we see them. However, 
what about a great soul, a householder (Grihasttha), who has wide knowledge of 
Shruti and Shastras, has performed Yagas and Yagyas and is of unblemished 
conduct? Does he too have to prostrate before a Sanyasi, though the latter 
might 
be much less accomplished? And what about elders, who come across an ascetic 
much younger to them in age? Does the rule hold good then too?



The answer is a big YES-a householder or Brahmachari should invariably pay 
obeisance to a Sanyasi, irrespective of whether the latter is much less endowed 
or qualified than the former. The Sanyasi's avocation and Ashrama are so 
exalted 
that all other accomplishments like wisdom, age, etc., cease to matter. One 
should always abide by this injunction to prostrate before Yatis, to the 
accompaniment of the Ashtaakshara Mantra. Failure to do so makes us impure, 
which can be cured by fasting, says the Smriti Sangraham-



"Devata pratimaam drishtvaa Yatim chaapi tridandinam

Namaskaaram akurvaana: upavaasena shuddhyati"



By the same token, a Sanyasi should never prostrate before a Grihasttha, 
whatever be the latter's competence. However, what about two Sanyasis? Being on 
an equal footing as far as Ashrama is concerned, should they prostrate before 
each other mutually? Seniority among Sanyasis is reckoned by the length of 
their 
renunciation. A person who has been a Sanyasi for long, takes precedence over 
another, whose tenure in asceticism is shorter, even though the latter might be 
older. Thus, the Sanyasi who is a junior in the Sanyasa Ashramam should 
prostrate before another who is his senior, provided the latter adheres to the 
strict disciplines of his calling.



When our Acharya and his own Acharya are together, we should first pay 
obeisance 
to the latter (the Praachaarya) first, as it would please our own Acharya.



Coming back to Grihastthas, one should not fall at the feet of one's son, 
disciple, maternal grandson or son-in-law. Similarly, even if one's uncle 
(father's younger brother, mother's younger brother) or father-in-law is 
younger 
to one, then too Pranaamam is not called for. 



The elder brother is equated with one's father-"Jyeshtta bhraataa pitru sama:". 
However, what should one do if the elder brother's wife is younger to one? 
Shastras tell us that women should be considered as old as their husbands-"Pati 
vayasa: striya:". Hence, since she occupies a higher position almost equal to 
one's mother, even if the elder brother's wife is younger to one, she is 
entitled to a prostration. Sri Lakshmana's conduct is a model for us in this 
regard.



Thus, though the general rule is that one Srivaishnava seeing another should 
immediately prostrate before the other ("Vaishnavo Vaishnavam drishtvaa 
dandavat 
pranamet bhuvi"), it appears to be governed by the aforesaid additional rules. 
Incidentally, when two Vaishnavas perform a mutual prostration, the Lord 
appears 
in between, say the Shastras.



A word here about 'Abhivaadanam". Prostration is complete only when accompanied 
by Abhivaadanam. After falling at the feet of the elder, one should touch the 
elder's feet with palms crossed at the wrists-so that the right palm touches 
the 
elder's right foot and the left palm, the left foot. While doing so, the person 
performing the Pranaamam recites the names of the Maharshis--the distant 
ancestors to whose Gotram and Pravaram he belongs, as also his Veda and his own 
given name. This serves not only as an introduction to the other person, but 
also affords us an opportunity to remember our Maharshis reverentially.



When he hears such an Abhivaadanam, the elder should bless the prostrator and 
should intone the last vowel in his (that of the person paying obeisance) name 
elongated to the extent of three "Maatras". This is known as 
"Pratyabhivaadanam". One who does not know this doesn't deserve to be 
prostrated 
to, say the Shastras-



"Yo na vetti abhivaadasya vipra: pratyabhivaadanam

na abhivaadya: sa vidushaa yathaa shoodra: tathaiva cha"



What happens when there is a congregation of elders, not one person to whom you 
could easily prostrate to and recite abhivaadanam, but several of them? We can 
fall at their feet, but not perform abhivaadanam to any particular worthy, we 
are told.



>From all the aforesaid, it is clear that prostrate we must-but how many times 
>do 
we do this? Once, twice or many times? Sri Ramanuja tells us in Sri Vaikuntta 
Gadyam that the liberated soul, upon reaching Sri Vaikunttam, pays obeisance 
repeatedly to Emperuman, falling at His lotus feet time and again-"Pranamya, 
utthaaya utthaaya, puna: puna: pranamya". However, in view of there being 
different views on the subject, one must do as one's Acharya instructs and as 
per one's elders' advice.



More than anything else, the Pranaamam appears to be an indispensable part of 
Saranagati. If we need proof of this, we only have to look into the Saranagati 
Shastram (Srimad Ramayanam). When Lakshmana performs Saranagati to the Divine 
Duo seeking the opportunity of kainkaryam during the Lord's jungle sojourn, he 
falls at the feet of Rama and holds His feet tight-



"Sa bhraatu: charanou gaadam nipeedya Raghunandana:

Sitam uvaacha atiyasaa: Raghavam cha mahaavratam"



When Bharata performs Saranagati seeking Rama's return to Ayodhya, he 
prostrates 
before Rama in sincere prayer-



"Evam uktvaa mahaa baahu: sabaashpa: Kaikayee suta:

Ramasya shirasaa paadou jagraaha vidhivat puna:"



When Vibhishana performs his famous Saranagati, he falls unreservedly at Rama's 
feet, along with his fellow Rakshasas-



"Sa tu Ramasya dharmaatmaa nipapaata Vibheeshana:

Paadayo: sharana anveshee chaturbhi: saha rakshasai:"



Thus Pranaamam or Prostration appears to be a sine qua non of Saranagati. Apart 
from the folded palms, what better outward gesture could there be of Absolute 
Surrender, than a humble prostration! 



Acharyas speak about a type of Pranamam known as "Sukruta Pranamam". The mind 
must be full of devotion to the Lord, prompting a desire to prostrate to Him. 
The palms must be folded in the classic pose of obeisance. And all the eight 
specific parts of the body must touch the ground, to the accompaniment of the 
aforesaid mental state. This is what is known as "Sukruta Pranamam". The glory 
of such a Pranamam is enshrined in the following sloka-



"Ekopi Krishne Sukruta Pranama: shata Asvamedha avabhrutena tulya:

Sata Asvamedhee puna: eti janma, Krishna pranamee na punarbhavaaya"



One single Sukruta Pranamam is equal to performance of a hundred Asvamedha 
Yagas. The important difference, however, is that one who performs a hundred 
glorious Asvamedha Yagas does enjoy unimaginable pleasures in Svarga lokam, but 
has to ultimately come back to earth after the Punyam is exhausted. The 
performer of Sukruta Pranamam to Krishna, however, enjoys boundless bliss in 
the 
Lord's company, never to return to the mundane morass. From the description of 
its fruits, it is clear that this Sukruta Pranamam is nothing but Saranagati, 
for, nothing else is capable of conferring on us the ultimate award of Moksham.



Shastras point out that prostration, before those who deserve the same, is not 
optional-it is mandatory. One who refrains from doing it is inviting trouble: 
he 
or she is likely to be visited by famine, fear and untimely death. Conversely, 
the same fate awaits those who prostrate before ineligible persons, says the 
Dharmasaaram-



"Apoojyaa yatra poojyante poojyaa yatra apamaanitaa:

Tatra treeni vivardhante durbiksham maranam bhayam"


Pranamam should always be done "Saashttaangam", that is, in such a way that 
eight parts of the body touch the ground. Regrettably, the North Indian 
practice 
of bending down and just touching the foot of an elder, is fast catching up in 
the South too. We see too at our own homes, the unseemly sight of children 
either remaining seated unconcernedly or merely calling out a "hello", when 
elders visit our homes. If peace and prosperity, internal and external, are to 
return to our homes, if conflict and controversy are to be banished therefrom, 
if materialism and Mammon-worship are to be replaced by spirituality, then it 
is 
imperative that we should inculcate in ourselves and our children, the healthy 
habit of paying obeisance to elders, Acharyas, Bhaagavatas and to Bhagavan, 
through frequent Pranamams.



Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Nnarayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan








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