FALL IN LOVE WITH GOD

Pray with sincerity humility and gratitude for atleast 15 minutes a day.

RESTRICT FOOD CONSUMPTION

Eat anything only after offering it to God.

RAMANUJA DARSHANAM
(Philosophy of Ramanuja)

MEDITATION
Meditate on the beauty of God, at least thrice a day, atleast a minimum of 3 minutes each time. Chant Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam (the 1000 Holy Names of Lord Vishnu) once a day.

RESPECT FOR ALL THAT IS HIS

Strive to lead a life in which you will never hurt a fellow living being for any reason.

MONEY
Earn to live, educate, support and serve and not for the sake of pursuing materialistic desires. CHARITY Donate however little it may be to noble causes. Feeding the needy is the highest form of charity.

CONTENTMENT
Be happy and content that you are His. Thank your preceptors at least once a day for blessing you with this awareness.

ABSOLUTE FAITH
Place complete trust in the supreme LORD. Do not go against His way.

SELF CONTROL
Strive to live a life free from selfish desire and anger.

Volume 3 Issue 1: Jan Mar 2005 Vedics Foundation (http://www.vedics.net)

A VEDICS JOURNAL

Always adorn a peaceful smile; it will work on others and on you too

Table of Contents

Ramanuja Darshanam
Editor: Sri Sridhar Srinivasan

Live discourses on the Tele-bridge

Regular upanyAsams on sri kooraththazvAn's athimanusha sthavam are happening by Sri E.S.BhUvarahAchAriAr svAmi. These normally happen on Saturdays; please refer to www.vedics.net for further details. The following is an excerpt from the paraphrasing of a part of a recent upanyAsam by svAmi. In Sloka 36 Kurathazhvan asks Krishna "You who is supposed to be pure, One who cannot be comprehended even by yogis, One who is capable of releasing samsaris from their cycle of birth and death, moreover One who is the All Supreme" this is how You are glorified by one and all. How were You bound by Yasoda's rope and couldn't get out of the ties? I am surprised! Now Sri ESBV Swami goes on to give details of how our Purvacharyas reveal the secrets of Krishna's Leelas. Referring to the samsaric bondage, Sri Pillai Thirunaraiyur Arayar says it is like trying to undo a bird's nest, which is built with so many materials that nobody can unravel it. By ourselves we cannot come out of the bondage of samsara. The Lord is all knowing, and He knows it all, but He was behaving with ignorance and got caught by Yasoda. He is the Lord for all, and is called ParamEsvara You who is birth less, but You are born of Your own will to Yasoda. The Vedas worship You, and You are above all, but You were tied by Your mother, and an Azhvars enjoy this by way of saying "kattuNNap paNNiya perumAyan"

Editorial OrAN vazhi Thuyar Aru Sudar adi Sri embAr RangAchAriAr svAmi Gadya Trayam of Swami Ramanuja Great Saints and Teachers Mumukshuppadi VaishNavam in the Vedic Period Sri V V Ramanujam Aradhana - Significance of Vanamala Divyadesha vaibhavam Smt. Vasumati Sampathkumar

1 3 6 9 12 14 20 25

Associate Editor: Smt Harini Raghavan Advisory Board: Sri Mukundan Pattangi Sri TA Varadhan Sri TCA Venkatesan Subscription: Each Issue: $5 Annual: $20 Email
vedic_mag@yahoogroups.com

About the Cover image The image of Sri Ramanuja on the cover of this issue is that of Ramanuja at thiru-k-kOshtiyUr. It is at this divine place that Ramanuja obtained sacred meanings for rahasyas from Sri GoshtipUrNa (thiru-k-kOshtiyUr nambi). Sri Ramanuja came here 18 times before Sri GoshtipUrNa would teach him the meanings of the the great rahasya tirumantram (ashTakshari), and that too under strict conditions that Sri Ramanuja not reveal the meanings to non-qualified people. As soon as He learnt the meanings, Sri Ramanuja promptly climbed up the temple gOpuram and told the sacred meaning to all his interested disciples. Soon after, Sri GoshtipUrNa summoned Sri Ramanuja and asked him whether he knew what the punishment for this transgression would be. Sri Ramanuja replied that he knew that he would have to suffer in naraka (Hell) for this act of disrespect to a gurus injunction, but doing so would also provide multitudes the benefit of liberation (mOksha). Because of this wondrous act of compassion for others, Sri GoshtipUrNa embraced Ramanuja and called him "EmperumAnArE!" (the exalted one), and that is how Sri Ramanuja got the name "emperumAnAr.

Latest updates and more information visit: www.vedics.net For more details, please e-mail: ramanuja@yahoogroups.com

34

ORAN VAZHI (THE PATH OF ONE ACHARYA)

The shAstras (mahOpanishad 1) declare, at their moment of finest clarity, thus:

EDITORIAL

EkO ha vai nArAyaNa Aseeth na bhrahma nEshAnaha nEmE dyAvA pruthivi na nakshatrANi na sUryaha
Sriman Narayana existed, manifestly alone, the only purushA (Divinity incarnate), and neither Brahma nor Shiva, not the sky or the earth, not stars or the Sun The above statement leaves little doubt as to why Swami Ramanuja bequeathed us his Darshanam (philosophy of visible truth), a simple, direct vision of truth as enumerated by Vedas. So, is Swami Ramanuja our first Acharya? Well, not really. For a sampradAyam as primordial as this, the first Acharya has to be none other than the para Brahman Sriman Narayana. Because, the essential truth has to have come from Him. And of course, He, because He is the very epitome of love and compassion for us the suffering lot, did perpetuate the eternal message that would allow us to escape from the bondage of samsAra through His hand-picked Acharyas. The quintessence of Ramanuja SampradAyam, known as rahasya trayam and their inner meanings, has always been passed on through an unbroken chain of preceptors known as OrAN vazhi, a term used to refer to the lineage that comes from one AchArya teaching the secrets to one sishya. Why is the OrAN vazhi so important? The message is so simple, yet subtle, profound, that it took the intellect of those hand-picked by the Lord himself (He knows best, right?) to ensure that the truth and nothing but the truth enshrined in the vedas and divya prabhandam is communicated, faithfully, unaltered, with no personal input or modification based on ones own needs or station in life. These were the mahatmas that knew of no benefit other than that for Mankind, a love for His children that had to be served.

Parthasarathy Swami (in Soorya Prabhai)

Parthasarathy Swami images, courtesy of www.pbase.com/svami

Our OrAN vazhi starts with Sriman Narayana, and ends with swami Manavala Mamunikal - one whom the Lord Himself elevated to the position of being the Lord's own Acharya, and is a veritable garland of gems of our greatest acharyas, made all the more refulgent by Swami Ramanuja in the middle, that unique gem whose presence adds luster to those around him. Even to this day, our own acharyas who subscribe to

33

the OrAN vazhi will utilize the wisdom of the OrAN vazhi acharyas only to teach us the essence of the SampradAyam. And our OrAN vazhi acharyas have bequeathed us such a comprehensive and complete vision of the Truth, that there is not a question left unanswered, not a doubt left unclarified. In fact, Swami Manavala Mamunikal, as a prologue to His magnum Opus Upadesa Rattinamalai (URM), states with crystal clear clarity:

OrAN vazhiyaay upadEsiththAr munnOr ErAr ethiraasar inaruLaal * paarulakil aasai udaiyOrkkellaam aariyargaaL koorum enRu pEsi varambu aruththAr pin (URM 37)
{Prior to Swami Ramanuja, the acharyas guarded the rahasya traya and their meanings and taught them exclusively to select disciples only. Bhagavad Ramanuja, out of his infinite compassion for all of us lost in samsAram, and broad-mindedness, exceeded the norms of the day by allowing himself and all his disciples to teach the rahasyatraya and their meanings to all who were interested.}

MunnOr mozhinda muRai thappAmal kETTu pinnOrndhu thAm adanaippEsAde * tham nenjil thORRinadhE solli idu suddha upadEsavara VARRadenbar mUrkarAvAr (URM 71)
{Those who do not learn the message in a traditional manner through the designated AchArya, internalize the message & pass on the message as was taught to them, but pass on whatever comes to their mind and justify it by saying that that message comes via the OrAN vazhi lineage are moorkhas (foolish people)}. That it was the kindness and compassion of swami Ramanuja that made this esoteric, important truth, hitherto available only to a select few, was now made available to all those with the desire to learn; but with an important caveat, that it had to be the message enshrined by the oRAN vazhi acharyas; anything else would not be the unsullied truth enumerated by the Lord himself. In an age where our bondage to our material needs and possessions only seems to grow greater by the day, just as our delicate and inflated egos brook no offense whatsoever, it is useful to reflect on the magnificent tradition that Swami Ramanuja and Manavala Mamunikal bequeathed

Parthasarathy Swami (in the thEr)

32

us - a way of life marked by simplicity, clarity, kindness, goodness, and at the end of the day, the opportunity for eternal bhagavath/ bhAgavata kainkaryam (Please see the Saranagati gadyam article to see the wondrous description of desire for kainkaryam by Swami Ramanuja) The OrAN vazhi is an inalienable part of Ramanuja Darshanam, for, it defines for us the truth that we need to adopt. In an age where Acharyas and scholars are willing to re-invent the SampradAyam with their own interpretations, it is instructive to reflect that if we want the essential, unaltered truth, the scholars and acharyas who come from, follow sincerely, and swear by the OrAN vazhi are our only beacon. Everything, and everybody else, are simply another passing event, or passers by, in this wonderful karmic game that our Lord has setup for us. That is His way of telling us, if truth and deliverance is our objective, to jettison those that cannot keep true to the message of orAN vazhi.

THUYAR ARU SUDAR ADI

U.Ve Embar Rangachari Swami

In the Ayodhya Kanda of Sri Ramayana (2nd sarga), the people of Ayodhya tell Dasaratha about Rama in the following sloka:

vyasanEshu manushyANAm bhrSam bhavati duhkhita : | utsavEshu ca sarvEshu pitEva paritusyati ||

When other people are in pain and suffering, Sri Rama himself suffers from deep sorrow. When the people of Ayodhya rejoice, he exults happily, much like a father finding joy in the joys of his offspring. Another sloka, which is very relevant for our discussion is the one from Mahabharata; this one is told by Lord KrishNa Himself:

gOvindEti yadAkrAnthath krishNA mAm dooravAsinam | RNam pravrddhamiva mE hrdayAt napasarpathi ||

When Draupadi (her other name was Krishnaa), in distress, called out to Me as Govinda, when I was far away from her location of distress, it felt as if My debt for her devotion (Saranagati) would only grow and this feeling refuses to depart from My heart even now. Both these Slokas reveal the Lords sorrow on specific occasions, but unlike the word sorrow which may be a literal synonym for dukhkha, they only indicate His utmost concern for the deliverance of the soul. Ramanujas interpretation of the "sorrow" of the Lord is in consonance

Parthasarthy Swami at thiru-all-k-kENi

31

with the outpouring of the Azhvars - that the means for our deliverance is the Lord Himself, who is also the goal e.g. neRi vaasal thaanEyaai ninraanai (He stands as the entrance to the right path) from poigai Azhvars mudhal thiruvandaadi. They consistently say that He cannot be realized by means of tapas or gnyaana by Rishis and Devas, but can be realized only by His grace e.g. vAri surukki madak kaLir ayndhinaiyum from poigai Azhvars mudal thiruvandaadi again. Implicitly, this means getting rid of ahamkaara (ego) and mamakaara (sense of doership/ownership) (neer numadhu enrivai vEr mudhal maayththu from Nammazhvar's thiruvAimozhi). In consonance with the caramaslOka of the Bhagavad gIta, the conviction of the Azhvars is that all souls get deliverance - vaikuntam puguvadhu maNNavar vidhiyE (It is the destiny of those on earth to attain Sri VaikuNTa - thiruvAimozhi), and that it is the Lord's mAyA (Ascharya, in the form of Lila and sankalpa (will)), that all souls do NOT get delivered simultaneously so that this world (leelavibhoothi) does not cease to exist (elleerum veedu peRRaal ulakillai enRE if everyone attains deliverance, then there will be no world - thiruvAimozhi). Unlike later authors, the Azhvars pronounce that all of our deeds, inclusive of the mental attitude that He is the upAya and upEya means and the goal stems from His sankalpa (nirantharam ninaippadhAka nee ninaikka vENdum That I should always think about you is something that You should think {the Lord's thoughts always come to fruition} thiruchchanda viruththam). Azhvars divined, felt, reiterated, that the feeling, or the hint of knowledge (madhinalam) is created by Him, that He is the means for deliverance, which is equivalent to the soul being completely dependent on Him (often described as SEshatva, in Sanskrit, and as adimai by the AzhvArs). It is in the background of the above principles that we now interpret the two Slokas mentioned at the beginning of this article: In the first sloka, the Lord, now in the human form, is said to experience sorrow, which is often indicated as a dOsha (blemish) for a human being (Our own kaNNapirAn says in the Gita thus sukhE dukhkhE samE bhUtvA labhAlAbhou jayAjayou The wise look upon sorrow and happiness with the same sense of equanimity). However, the word dukhkha mentioned in the slOka does not denote a blemish. It is stated really as a guNa para dukhkha asahisnutha - an inability to tolerate sorrow in others. After all, dOsha and guNa are evaluated contextually. Thus dukhkha in the form of concern, care, for the souls is really a guNa.

greatness is expressed in this pasuram. The second pasuram sings the glory of Lord Ranganatha. The seventh pasuram is in praise of Lord Rama who is enshrined in this temple along with Seetha PirAtti, Bharatha, Lakshmana and Satrughna. Azhvars Mangalasasanam is for the entire family of Lord Rama enshrined here. In the 8th pasuram Alvar describes as to how Lord took Narasimha Avatara for his ardent devotee Prahlada. The 9th pasuram describes the incident where Emperuman rushed to rescue GajEndra. Association of great saints and teachers with this divyadEsam: Thirumazhisai Alvar lived in this divyadEsam for a long time. It is inferred from the Ramanujara divya charita, that Asoori Kesavachari, father of Sri Ramanuja, performed Putra KAmEshTi yAga in this divyadEsam and that Sri PArthasArathy (Lord Krishna also possesses the name Ramanuja) blessed the couple and indicated that He Himself would be born as their son . Thus, our jagadAchArya Swami Ramanuja is often considered as an incarnation of Sri PArthasArathy Swami Himself. Hence, the procession of Swami Ramanuja in this divyadEsam is not accompanied by Sri PArthasArathy Swami, whereas the utsava moorthy will accompany processions for all other Azhvars and Acharyas. Other important facts: The most important festival in this temple is the adhyayanOtasavam, consisting of the pagal pathhu utsavam.and the Rapatthu utsavam. The existence of this temple dates back to pre-Mudal AzhvAr period. The ThiruvAimozhi Mandapam in front of Sri PArthasArathy Swami contains arcane figurines dated to Pre-Pallava Period. Location: Tiru-Alli-Keni, also called Triplicane, is situated on the sea shore about in Chennai, the largest city in south India, and one of the oldest and most prominent port cities in India. Chennai is easily reached by road, train or air from major cities in India and the world. (Note: Substantial material for this article has been borrowed from the book srI BrindAraNya kshEtra mahAtmyam published by srI pArthasArathy perumAL dEvasthanam in 1953).

30

The other Azhvars and AchAryAs are enshrined inside the main temple , and there is also a moolvar icon for Sri Madhava and KEsava. Sri SudarSana is also installed in Sri PArthasArathy Swami Sannadhi. We also get to see other ardent devotees of the Lord (Nitya Suris) Anantha, Garuda and VishvaksEna in the Main Shrine. There is Yaga Salai at one end of the ThiruvAimozhi Mandapam and the other end there is KannADi Arai (Room with mirror walls) Divine outpourings on the Lord: Peyazhvar, Sri Thirumazhisai Alvar and Sri Thirumangai Azhvar have sung in praise of the Deities enshrined in this DivyadEsam. Peyazhvars pasuram in Mundram Thiruvandadhi 16th verse vandhu udaiththa veNdiraigaL sempavaLa veNmuththam* Andhi viLakku maNiviLakkaam* - endhai Oruvallith thaamaraiyaaL onRiyaseer maarban* Thiruvallik kENiyaan sendru. { The One who resides in ThiruvallikkEni which has lots of red coral and white pearls that come from the waves of the ocean and gleam like it is dusk, the One who has the chest on which Mahalakshmi resides is My Lord} Thirumazhisai Alvars Pasuram Nanmugan Thirvandadhi 35th verse: thALaaL ulagam aLandha vasavE kol* vaaLaa kidandhu aruLum vaay thiRavaan* neeLOdhum vandhalaikkum maamayilai maavallik kENiyaan* aindhalaivaay naagaththaNai. {The Lord who resides on AdisEsha which has five heads and five mouths, in thiruvallikkENi, which is near mayilai, does not open His mouth and say anything Is it because He is resting after having measured the world?} Thirumangai AzhvAr has dedicated ten songs to thiruvallikkENi and in these ten songs Alvar has praised every deity enshrined in this wonderful divyadEsam. ( periya Thirumozhi 2-3) In particular, in the first pasuram virperu vizhavum kanjanum, AzhvAr describes the glory of Lords Vibhava AvatAra Geetacharyas

Coming to the second slOka, its important to interpret it in the context of the principles mentioned earlier, i.e., paramAtma, because He is purushOttama, never feels that He has done enough for His devotees, that He always feels a sense of lacking when it comes to taking care of His devotees. Sri KrishNa laments that after doing everything divinely possible to help Draupadi in her moment of distress, and even though her sari did get infinitely extended as soon as she cried for help, Krishna expresses a sense of inadequacy in not being there, close to her, to assist her in her moment of need. The real thing which stood in the way of her getting help was her initial attempt to get out of the maanabanga (humiliating situation) by herself. Having realized the futility of her attempts, she gave up any notion of self-protection and cried out for Krishnas help. Till this call for help, Krishna was dooravaasi (one who is far away) for her. She realized that He was always sannihitha (proximate) only after realizing that her true nature is total dependence on Him. In other words, that He was the upAya was made to be realized by her a little late by Him, and because of His love for every jIvAtma, He says that He felt sorry forever for this slight delay, even though the delay stemmed from the error of our ways. That Krishna waited till the war was over to get justice done to the Pandavas is itself His sankalpa which we cannot question, if we are to admit the Lord as one with nirankusha swatantrya (unbridled independence) so that His supremacy is NOT affected. This gives rise to his leela and the soul is given extreme confidence by Azhvars philosophy that the ultimate knowledge of His being the upAya and upEya, which facilitates our deliverance, will be attained by us ONLY through His uninstigated grace and He offers this, not because we are qualified in any way, but because of His immense love for us. When and how this grace would act is subject to His sankalpa, governed by His leela, but it is sure to be showered on every soul, irrespective of its eligibility e.g. Sisupaala keezhmai vasaivukaLai vaiyum sEtpaal pazham pakaivan sisupaalan thiruvadi thaatpaal adaindha thamai from thiruvAimozhi that even that lowly SisupAla, who used every demeaning phrase available to describe Krishna, simply out of extreme hatred, only begot His lotus feet as the reward.

29

GADYATRAYAM 4
Dr. V V Ramanujam, M. A., M. Sc., Ph. D. (With the maNipravALa commentary by parama kAruNika most merciful, vyAkhyAna chakravathi the emperor amongst commentators, swAmi periyavAchchAn piLLai. Serialized with permission from the original publisher, SrI Parampara Sabha, Bangalore) (Fourth part of a multipart serialization) (Editors note: It is the uninstigated grace of our Lord and connection to swami Ramanuja that has given us this wonderful opportunity to adapt and serialize this seminal work in Sri Vaishnavam. Swami EmperumAnArs gadya-trayam is both fundamental to the sampradAyam, and an essential aspect of Ramanuja Darshanam, very necessary for everyone to learn about, understand, comprehend. The incomparable commentary of swami periyavAchchAn piLLai has been very aptly transliterated by Dr. V V Ramanujam, to whom we will remain forever in debt for affording us this joy of getting close to the wondrous, inspired, divine, compassionate vision of our jagadAchArya Swami Ramanuja) The next sentence conveys the prayer to Sri who is sought after for the specific purpose of her mediation on his behalf. parmaiwRkgvr[arivNd yuglEkaiNtkaTyiNtk pri pr}an prmikt pirpU[R Anvrt inTyivzdtm AnNyyaejn Anvixkaitzyiy gvdnuvjint AnvixkaitzyIitkairt Ase;avSwaeict Aze;ze;tEkritp inTykEyRaPype]ya parmaiwRik gvr[arivNd zr[agit> ywaviSwta AivrtaeStu me, AStu te, tyEv svR sMpTSyte, Translation-2: I pray thee that you may be pleased to bless that my sincere and true Saranagati at the lotus feet of Bhagavan be accepted as truly and well-performed and lead to the desired end without any

Vimana The Vimana of the Central Shrine is partly covered with gold plates and is called Ananda Vimana Theertham kairavANi theertham, which means White Lily Tank. This water is regarded as very sacred and a dip in this is sure to bring devotion and proximity to perumAL. The front Gopuram and other structures are believed to have been built by Thondaman Chakravarthy; Azhvars pasuram also confirms this fact as is evident from the pasuram Thennan Thondayarkon seida Nanmailai Tiru alli keni nindranai (the One who is at the good place of thiruvalli-k-keNi, built by the king of thoNdai maNdalam) Utsavams: Pancha Parva utsavam (5 monthly celebrations) is celebrated for Sri PArthasArathy Swami. Brahmotsavam is celebrated during the month of Chitttirai (April 15- May 14). In addition, there is Vasantotsavam, Tepothsavam and kodaiotsavam. In the month of Masi (Feb 15 March 15) on the star of makham, Lord PArthasArathy goes to the sea on the garuda vAhana. Other shrines in the temple: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ranganathan Sannadhi Vedavalli ThAyAr Sannadhi Telliya Singar Sannadhi (narasimhar Sannadhi) Ramar Sannadhi Varadarajar Sannadhi Nammazhvar Sannadhi, Peyazhvar Sannadhi, Thirumazhisai Azhvar Sannadhi Separate Sannadhi for 4 Acharyas viz., Manavala Mamunikal, EmperumAnAr, Vedanta Desika, Thirukacchi Nambigal, and Alavandar

Azhvars and AchAryAs: There is separate Sannidhi (Sanctum) for Nammazhvar and Peyazhvar outside the temple premises and inside the temple for Thirumazhisai Azhvar. As for AchAryAs there are separate Sannadhis for Sri Alavandar, Sri Thirukacchi Nambigal, Sri Vedanta Desika, Swami EmperumAnAr, and Swami Manavala Mamunikal.

28

Venkatakrishnan, the wondrous mUla moorthy, is the central deity enshrined in the sanctum sanctorum; to his right we find RukmiNi thAyAr and Lord Krishnas brother BalarAma. If we traverse to the left, we find sathyaki (Cousin of Sri Krishna) and Krishnas Son and Grandson, viz., Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Of course, the omnipresent kinkara for Sriman Narayana, AdisEsha, is present right underneath the lotus feet of Lord Venkatakrishnan. The position of these deities reminds us of the incident described in srImad bhAgavatam (Marriage of RukmiNi thAyAr with the Lord Krishna). Sri Krishna, as is well known, spirited RukmiNi away right under the noses of rukmAngada and sishupAla. Sathyaki was the charioteer for Lord Krishna, RukmiNi was beside Krishna and Sri BalarAma, seated at the rear of the chariot, was warding off the attacks of SishupAla. All the deities are positioned similar to their positions in the chariot. The Divya MangaLa Vigraha of Sri PArthasArathy (utsavar) has the conch in one hand and the other hand reaffirms that his feet alone are the sure shelter for devotees. The posture of Geethacharyan here reminds us of two verses of Bhagavad gita, i.e., Panchajanyam Hrishikeshah dEvadatthO dhananjayaha and the all important Charama sloka (18th chap.66 sloka) Sarva DharmAn Parithyajya. One may be puzzled as why Geethacharyan, who has taken a vow not to take up weapons, holds a sword (found in the left side of Sri Venkatakrishnan). Justification is seen from the 42nd verse of chapter 4 of Bhagavad Gita where the sword possessed by him is described as an instrument to cut off the sins and ignorance of his devotees. The utsava moorthy - Sri PArthasArathy is very special, because to this day, we can see the wounds through out his body, which he has accepted with pride to protect Arjuna from the furious arrows of BhIshma. This demonstrates His overwhelming love for his devotees, and his quality Baktha ParAdhIna (He is verily dependent on His devotees) is well depicted from this Divya MangaLa vigraha. The unique feature of the Utsava moorthy is that the gold coppered color of the face of the deity gets changed within one hour of the Sacred Bath (Thirumanjanam); the Vigraha appears black with a classic blue tinge, much like the nIla mEgha shyAmala varNa (the dark mixed with blue hue of Sri Krishna), enhancing the beauty of the idol. Salient Aspects

interruption. The object (end desired) of my supplication (Saranagati) is the very personification of (born out of) my eagerness and loving desire to be of service in all its forms to Him under all circumstances (in public court and in the privacy of inner apartments). The desire to be of service is (in turn) a result of the immense joy of divine experience (bhagavadanubhava), an experience which is the ultimate in desirability beyond which there is nothing to be desired; an end in itself, eternal, uninterrupted, full and clear (without any trace of doubt or confusion). The divine experience (in turn) results from a well-founded devotion-(in its stages of) prabhakti-desire for a vision of the Lord; parajnAna-direct perception and paramabhakti-eagerness for continuous experience not suffering even an instants interruption-solely directed at the lotus feet of the lord, a devotion highly desirable in itself (This is a free translation attempting to bring the spirit of the text rather than be a literal translation) Translation-3: Sris (thAyArs) reply; So it shall be; by it (Saranagati) all your wishes shall be fulfilled. The prayer made above indicates that the supplication made to Sri is to seek her mediation (purushakAra) so that success in his supplication to the Lord would be ensured. Sri Ramanuja conveys his yearning to serve the Lord without interruption under all circumstances. His intense selfless devotion led to a wonderful experience of the divine which created the yearning to be of service in the same way as the Divine serpent (Thiruvananthazvan) which served as the umbrella when He walked, was His seat (simhAsanA) when He sat, was His footwear when He stood and His bed when He reclined on the ocean. Here the words asEsA sEsAtaikaratirUpa are significant- desire in the performance of all kinds of service without any exception (or restriction). The primary object is that the Lord shall be pleased, whoever may perform the service. The pleasure should be His. Pleasure may be derived by witnessing His pleasure. This itself is a form of service. The servant should not feel elated about his being of service. He should feel that the master has been properly served and pleased. Alavandar, in his StOtra ratna uses the word prahArsayisyAmi, implying that the service is solely to make Him happy- not for ones own pleasure (Stotraratna-45) Sris reply that all your wishes shall be fulfilled is interpreted by Sudarsana sUri to mean that the fruit of his supplication will not stop with him (Sri Ramanuja) but will continue to be available to all his spiritual heirs. This includes us too because of our link to Sri Ramanuja through a chain (parampara) of AchAryAs.

27

After the formal expression of surrender at the feet of the Mother in the first cUrnikA (sentence), Sri Ramanuja conveys his prayer to SrI in the second, beginning with paramArthika. The prayer is that he should be accepted as a prapanna and a kainkaryapara (servant). His Saranagati prayer to the Lord is to get accepted for eternal and devoted service. Though devotion and yearning for service are already there in him, he feels that these should be prayed for and obtained so that they will be continuous and everlasting. PAramArthikA- artha means wished for result-prayojana. Parama means supreme. When this word pAramArthika qualifies the word bhakti as an adjective, it implies that the bhakti is natural and not artificial (assumed). When it is taken as qualifying caranAravinda (the lotus feet), it becomes the highest prayojana (sought-after-fruit). BhagavAn in bhagavatcaranAravinda indicates the fullness of auspicious and desirable qualities which stir up devotion. caranAravinda indicates the highly desirable nature of the Lords form-vigraha. AikAntikahaving one end; not having any other purpose; Atyanatika-eternal; without end. Parabhakti, parajnAna and paramabhakti are stages in the fruition of bhakti indicated earlier. paripUrna complete and whole; not in separate parts like svarUpa (nature), rUpa (form), guna (qualities), vibhava (greatness), aisvarya (enjoyable wealth) and so on. This word paripUrna qualifies bhagavadanubhava-comprehension and experience of the Lord. Such experience should be anavarata uninterrupted; continuous and nitya- eternal; visadatama is clear comprehension (vision) of the Supreme leading to the paramabhakti state. Intense devotion is an end in itself (ananyaprayojana) and not a means to some other end. Bhagavadanubhava is the highest blissful experience of the Lord in His abode (paramapada). From these expressions, we get an idea of the ectstacy of the bhakta in the experience of the Lord contemplating His beautiful form with intense devotion along with His highly desirable attributes and qualities. This anubhava leads to everincreasing love which in turn leads to the yearning to be service to the beloved. anubhavajanita prItikArita kainkarya implies the yearning to be of service born out of intense love, a result of the ecstasy of the experience. Then follow epithets qualifying the service prayed for. AsEsAvasthOcita befitting all states; in court as well as in the inner apartments, asEsasEsataIkaratirUpa personification of desire to be of all forms of service waving the fan, holding the umbrella, offering betel leaves and sandal paste, sounding the trumpet and so on. We now come to the operative part of the prayer. My surrender at the Lords feet bhagavat caranAravinda saranAgati here bhagavAn implies the fullness of

DIYVA DESAM: TIRU-ALLI-KENI

Smt. Vasumati SampathKumar

BRINDARANYAM is the purANic name of this divyadEsam. Presiding Deities:

mUlavar: srI vEnkata krishNan (also known as gItAchAryan) thAyAr: rukmaNi thayar utsavar: srI pArthasArathy swami
Temple Legend: According to BrahmAnDa purANa , the five deities in this temple are worshipped by Saptha Rishis (the seven Rishis) (Bhrugu, mariachi, atri, mArkaNdEya, sumathi, sapthrOma and jaili) BrindAraNya kshEtram (thiru alli kENi) is famous for performing penance. It is inferred from the BrahmAnDa PurANa that the disciple of Sri Veda VyAsa, AthrEya Maharishi, asked his Acharya (Veda VyAsa) to show the right place for penance. Veda VyAsa gave the icon of Sri PArthasArathy Swami, with conch in one hand and the other hand pointing towards His Divine feet, and asked AthrEya Maharishi to perform penance at the BrindAraNya KshEtra. In the interim, King Sumathy prayed to Lord Srinivasa to give him an opportunity to see him as gIthachArya, the Divine vision that Arjuna got. Lord Srinivasa appeared in the dream of King Sumathy and said that his wishes will be fulfilled in the BrindAraNya KshEtra. Both AthrEya Maharishi and King Sumathy met one another in this DivyadEsam; Sumathy, on seeing the Divine icon of PArthasArathy in the hands of the AthrEya Maharishi realized that his desire got fulfilled and hence he worshipped the Geethacharyan icon and celebrated the Chaitrotsvam for this Lord according to Vaikanasa Agama (Since thirupathi has always followed worship per Vaikanasa Agama Sastra). This is one rare DivyadEsam, where Lord Krishna resides with his entire family in the same location. This rare combination of images of the entire family of Sri Krishna is neither seen and nor worshiped in any other temple in India.

SANCTUM DESCRIPTION

26

In his fifth song on thulasi, Saint Thyagaraja sees thulasi shining in every limb of Lord Ramas body- Uramuna (chest), mukhamuna (face), Siramuna (head), bujamuna (arms) Karamuna (hands) Netramuna (eyes), charanayugambuna (feet). In view of the above facts, Padma purana has declared that Yama , god of death will not dare to enter the house where thulasi is grown in plenty since the house has become holy. Editors Note: The original article was written by Late G. Seshadri Iyengar sometime in 1920s.It is further developed by Sri. D. Rangachariar of Srirangam.

knowledge, power and ability which make Him the sole means to fulfill the desired wish without any assistance whatever; pAramArthiki here means true and in proper form; yathAvasthita as it should be. This implies rejection of all other means except total surrender to the Lord. Avirata astu mE let it be uninterrupted till the desired end is achieved (until prayer is granted). This cUrnika clearly indicates that the formal surrender to SrI in the first cUrnika is the only to seek her recommendation (purusAkAra). The Acharya prays, Oh Mother! I fall at your feet that my Saranagati to the Lord should be in true and proper shape and result in the fruit sought for. The desired fruit is only uninterrupted and faultless service in all forms. The eagerness and longing to be of such service is itself a desired goal. This eagerness for service surely results from an experience of the Lords vision as well as comprehension born out of intense devotion. This devotion should itself result from His grace. Following Sridevi's assurance (cUrnika-3) that all his wishes will be fulfilled, Ramanuja proceeds to address the Lord directly and seek Him as the means to the desired end of eternal and loving service in diverse forms. Since the Gadyam is a practical exposition of the dvaya mantra, the prayer to SrI may be taken as the equivalent of srImat, the opening words of the dvaya mantra itself. This is followed by a very long cUrnika in which we find a poetic rendering of all greatness contained in the word Narayana with His attributes, the divine jewels which adorn His person, His weapons, His consorts and attendants, His divine abode, His sport field and all. This cUrnika ends with the formal offer of Surrender saranamaham prapadyE. For convenience we will split this into several parts.

GREAT SAINTS AND TEACHERS

TA Varadhan

In this issue of Ramanuja Darshanam, we will briefly get a glimpse of two great AchAryAs uyya-k-koNDAr and maNakkAl nambi as documented in the guruparampara prabhAvam. Swami uyya-k-koNDAr is one of the chief disciples of Sriman Nathamuni. Sriman Nathamuni had eight key disciples. They are (i) svAmi uyya-k-koNDAr

25

10

(ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii)

svAmi kurugai kAvalappan svAmi nambi karuNAkara dAsar svAmi ERu thiruvudaiyAr svAmi thiru-k-kaNNamangai ANdAn svAmi vAnamAmalai dEvi ANdAn svAmi uruppattoor aachaan piLLai, and svAmi sOgaththUr AzvhAn.

4. 5. 6.

Devi Thulasamma Thulasi Bilva Shri Thulasamma

Mayamalava Gowla Kethara Gowla Deva Gandhari

In the first keertana, he says in view of your soft body, your fragrance and your glory, the Lord keeps you in His head and does not part with you even in his dream. In the second composition, your holy feet are veritable paradise for rivers, your body is the abode of all angels and over your head shine all scriptures. In the fourth song, Gods like Brahma and Indra have attained their greatness by using you in their worship of the Lord. Without you, other flowers never fetch happiness to the Lord. Without you, Water will not be called as Thirtha. Without you, Lord will not merit the appellation Vanamaala. You are peerless. Thus, we have seen that right up from the learned down to the laity all adore thulasi. Thulasi means that which shines in the Thureeya Brahmam or through which shines the Brahmam. The Thureeya is beyond AUM-` (pranava). A (A) represents the Lord ( Universal Soul) U (%) represents Mahalakshmi and M (m) represents the jeevas ( individual souls) Thulasi represents the Mula Prakriti into which everything subsides at the time of maha pralaya and which is inseparable from the Thureeya and from which everything begins to evolve. So thulasi represents that from which everything comes and into which everything disappear In his second song on thulasi, Saint Thyagaraja says that thulasi is Jagadjanani (thulasi has given birth to all the cetana acetana prapancam). Bhagavan shines with the help of thulasi connotes that He manifests in every object of the universe. Hence, thulasi is Gods body. It is His Vigraham and He cannot be seen without it. Every part of Gods body is associated with thulasi.

Sri Nathamuni taught the following to the above disciples meaning of the rahasyas (Thirumantram, dvaya mantra, Charama sloka), thiruvAimozhi and other divya prabhandams, Veda Sastras, nyAya tattva (or nyAsa tattva) and Sri purusha nirNayam. Sri Nathamuni asked Sri kurugai kAvalappan to learn the yOga rahasya (a specialty of Sriman Nathamuni), and taught him the ashtAnga yOga rahasya. He also asked Sri uyya-k-koNdAr to learn the same, for which Sri uyya-k-koNdAr replied "piNAm kidakka maNam puNaralaamO? indha sareera avasaanaththilE abhyasikka amaiyum" (When this corpse referring to the body is there, can one think of marriage with the corpse? Please teach me something that will relieve me from this body). So, Sriman Nathamuni asked uyya-k-koNDAr to spread thiruvAimozhi and other divya prabhandhams and the Sastras. Sri uyya-k-koNDAr is next in the lineage of great teachers, after Sriman Nathamuni. After Sriman Nathamuni's time, Sri uyya-k-koNDAr spread the divine prabhandhams of Azhvars and the concepts of Sri Vaishnavam, along with the other disciples of Sriman Nathamuni. At this time, a few key and notable scholars became Sri uyya-k-koNdArs disciples they are (i) svAmi maNakkAl nambi, (ii) svAmi thiruvallikkENi-p-pAN perumAL araiyar (ii) settalUr seNdalankArar (also called as settai-p-poochchi saNdalankArar) (iii) Sri puNdareeka dAsar and (iv) Sri ulagu perumAL nangai. Of the above, Sri maNakkAl nambi spent 12 years at the feet of Sri uyyak-koNDAr and performed a variety of services, just as lakshmaNa performed all kinds of services to Rama. Sri maNakkAl nambis sense of kainkaryam was so deep, that the following incident is a testament to his Acharya pratipatti. When Sri uyya-k-koNdAr's wife left this earth for Sri vaikuNTa, Sri maNakkAl nambi started doing all the household work for His Acharya's family. uyya-k-koNDAr had 2 small girls at that time, and Sri maNakkAl nambi used to take the girls to the local tank for bathing. One day, on the way back, the canal was full of mud, the girls were afraid to

11

24

SpuriTkrIqadharki{Qka m[INkaNIgu[nUpuraidi>, rwaz'oaisgdaxnuvRrE> lsulSya vnmalyaeJJvlm!.

(Strotraratnam slokam 36) All other Azhvars also have given regard to Thulasi in their divine pasurams, which finds significant mention in Naalayira Divya Prabandham. The greatest Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 322 B.C) was the tutor of Alexander the great. As the son of the royal physician, Aristotle was the first to maintain a herbarium and to give botanical names to the herbs in greek language. Sanctum basil is the name given by him to thulasi plant. Mention may be made that he has not attributed that epithet Sanctum (holy) to any other plant, which goes to prove that the glory of thulasi was well known even to the western world from very early times. Thulasi is reverently referred to as under in other languages Latin French English Bengali Malayalam Tamil Sanskrit Ocimum Sanctum Basilic Saint Holy basil Krishna Thulasi Siva Thulasi Thiru Thuzhaai Vishnu Priya, Hari Priya, Divya

cross the small canal. Sri MaNakkAl nambi laid Himself on the canal, with his feet on one side, and his hands on the other, and asked the girls to use his back as a bridge, and made them cross the canal. On seeing this, Sri uyya-k-koNDAr was moved, and asked Sri MaNakkAl nambi what he could do repay for this great service. Sri MaNakkAl nambi replied that he wanted to do only service at the feet of Sri uyya-kkoNDAr; immediately, Sri uyya-k-koNDAr once again blessed Sri MaNakkAl nambi with the meaning of the dvaya mantra. When the time came for Sri uyya-k-koNDAr to go to Sri vaikunTa, Sri maNakkAl nambi asked him as to who the next darsana pravarthaka (the Acharya who will spread the philosophy, in the lineage) will be. Sri uyya-k-koNDAr asked Sri MaNakkAl nambi himself to be the next Acharya in the lineage, and told him thus With all the disciples present here, please take leadership and be the next darsana pravarthaka. Later, a son will be born to Sri Isvara muni (son of Sriman Nathamuni), who will be the grandson of Sriman Nathamuni. You should name him as yamunai-th-thuraivar (Yamunacharya), and you should teach him all the divine rahasyas and their meanings. He will become the darsana pravarthaka after you. Sriman Nathamuni ordered me to do this service during his time of going to Sri vaikuNTa; I cannot do this service now; So, in his name, please teach his grandson all the rahasyas"; And he left for SrivaikuNTa. Sri maNakkal nambi dutifully followed His AchArya's order, and taught Sri Yamunacharya the philosophy. A brief description of how he did this was mentioned in the Great Saints article of Ramanuja Darsanam, volume 1, issue 3 (Jul Sep 2003), available at www.vedics.net. Sri uyya-k-koNdAr's birthplace is thiruveLLarai, near Srirangam. He was born in the month of chittirai, star of kriththika. He lived for 105 years. His thaniyan is

The roots, leaves, inflorescences, twigs and seeds of a plant constitute what is collectively known as panchaang (five parts). The panchaang of thulasi, with each of its part having its own specific curative properties is of much importance in AyurvEda. Saint composer Sri Thyagaraja, the foremost among the musical trinity, has extolled the glory of thulasi in six of his songs. 1. 2. 3. Amma Raavamma Thulasi Jagajjanani Thulasi dalamula Kalyani Saveri Mayamalava Gowla

"nama: pankaja nEtrhAya nAtha: sri paadha pankajE | nyastha sarva bharaayaasmath kula naathaaya DheemathE ||"
Sri maNa-k-kAl nambi was born in a village called maNakkAl, near Srirangam. His thirunakshattiram occurs in the month of maasi, makha nakshattiram. His thaniyan is

"ayathnathO yaamunam aathma dhaasam aLarkka pathraarpaNa nishkrayENa| 23 12

ya: kreethavaan aasthitha yauvaraajyam namaami tham raamam amEya saththvam|| SRI PILLAI LOKACHARYA'S MUMUKSHUPPADI
(Swami Pillai Lokacharya is hailed as that very special Acharya, who synthesized the essential philosophy of Sri Vaishnavam and Azhvars, into a form accessible to one and all. His ashTAdaSa rahasyas, essential guidebooks for every practicing Sri Vaishnava, lay down the principles of Ramanuja Darshanam with crystal clear clarity and insight. Of all his works, mumUkshuppadi, tatva trayam and srI vaCana bhUshaNam deserve special mention, because they condense the essence of vEdanta and divya prabhandam in the form of easily assimilated sutras, aphorisms. It took the intellect of a Manavala mAmunikal, to expose the true meanings of these great works through his magnificent commentaries, and the intellectual might of a swami PB aNNangarAchAriAr, out of his compassion for the ignorant and incapable, to provide a condensed work based on swami Mamunikals commentary. Sri TCA Venkatesan has translated swami aNNangarAchAriArs manuscript into English, and it gives us great pleasure to bring to our readers an opportunity to experience the greatness of our acharyas) thirumanthra prakaraNam

v) vi) vii)

viii)

In many houses, thulasi plant is worshipped as Goddess, a representative of Maha Lakshmi. No charity (dhAnam) is complete, unless it is given with Thulasi water. In the ThulabhAram episode in srImad bhAgavatam, Rukmani Devi was able to weigh Lord Krishna with the help of the holy thulasi, while Satyabhama failed in her attempt with all her heavy gold ornaments. In the Tripad Vibhuti Narayana upanishad mention has been made about thulasi vaikuntam.

Nammazhvar, the foremost among the Azhvars, praises profusely the Greatness of thulasi in his thiruvAimozhi, verily the essence of sAma vEdam. Specific mention may be made that the entire baalaNai decad of ThiruvAimozhi (iv-2) is in adoration of this holy plant. In the following pasuram, he begs his associates to get anyone of the five aspects of Thulasi from the lotus feet of the Lord so as to relieve him from the unbearable sorrow of separation. vArAyinamulaiyALivaL vAnOr talaimaganAm seerAyinadeivanannOyithu deivaththaNNanthuzhAy - [Thiruviruththam -53] Thirumangai Azhvar while deputing his mind to go to Sriman Narayana to represent his Viraha (Separation) condition of His Consort (Himself) tells his mind to ask the Lord Yes or No. With regard to the giving of the thulasi dalam from His feet, depending on which reply, he intends to keep up his Life or give it up. The paasuram (poem) from siriya thirumadal of Thirumangai Azhvar, is as follows:

lOkAcAryAya guravE krishNa pAdasya sUnavE | samsAra bhOgi sandaShta jeeva jeevAtavE nama: ||
(I offer my obeisances to the preceptor Lokacharya, offspring of Sri Krishna pAda, the liberator for the jIvatma suffering from the clutches of the serpent called samsAra) Foreword: All beings who are born repeatedly in this world and suffer in the samsaric cycle have to understand many things in order to obtain mOksha (liberation). Of these many things, one of the most important is the understanding of Artha Pancakam. The understanding of, paramAtma swaroopam (True Nature of the Supreme), jIvAtma swaroopam (True Nature of the jIvAtma), upAya swaroopam (The means to attaining liberation),

vArAy maDanenjE vandhu - maNivaNNan seerAr tiruththuzhAy mAlainamakkaruLi thArAn tarumenniraNDaththilonnadhanai ArAnum onnAdhAr kELamE sonnakkAl
[SiriyatirumaDal 58-59] In his inimitable stotrarathnam, Alavandar, The Great Yamunacharya describes the Lord shining with the Garland of Thulasi known as Vanamaala along with the radiating crown, pearl chain, koustubha, mani etc with shanka, chakra, Gadha and Khadga (Sword).

13

22

the form of logical aphorisms, is known as nyAya prasthAna). This is accepted by all vaidikas (Followers of the Vedas). Any system of philosophy claiming Vedic origin should convincingly show that the interpretation they provide is consistent with these three texts.

purushArtha swaroopam (The nature of the goal to be attained), and virOdhi swaroopam (The nature of obstacles that prevent us from attaining our goal), are known as Artha Pancakam. The knowledge of these five is given clearly by the three rahasyas, Thirumanthram, Dvayam and Carama SlOkam and as such the understanding of the rahasya-trayam is very important for mumUkshUs (seekers of mOksha). The origin of the rahasya trayam is as follows. The Thirumantram, also known as Periya Thirumantram and Moola Mantram, originated in Badrinath. It was taught to Nara by Narayana. Dvayam which is also known as Mantra Ratnam (the Gem amongst mantrams), was revealed to Sri Mahalakshmi in Sri vaikunTam by Sriman Narayana. Carama Sloka is part of the Bhagavad Gita and as such was told to Sri Arjuna by Sri Krishna. Thus the originator of all three rahasyas is Lord Sriman Narayana. Therefore, He is the first Acharya in the Guru Parampara. It is thus that Sri Kurathazhvan said "Lakshminatha samArambam ... vandE guruparamparam", a thaniyan all Sri Vaishnavas invoke every day. Therefore, this rahasya trayam, even though short in words, has very many great, rare and majestic meanings, and as such, our acharyas have studied it extensively and taught their meanings carefully to their disciples. However, after swami Ramanujas tenure on this earth, this practice changed, and it is beautifully captured by this pAsuram from Upadesa Raththinamalai as,

ARADANA SIGNIFICANCE OF VANAMAALA (THULASI, THIRUTHUZHAI)

(Late) G. Seshadri Iyengar , M.A, M.Sc.,

vnmalI gdI zaIR zI cI c nNdkI , Iman! naray[ae iv:[uvaRsudevae=ir]tu.

The all pervasive Lord Vishnu, who resides in all things, is the sole abode for all of them as well and hence called as Sriman Narayana. May that Lord Vaasudeva (son of King Vasudeva) who shines with vibrant vanamaala (thulasi), mace (koumodaki), bow (Saarnga), conch (paanchajanya), discus (sudarSana) and sword (nandaka) protect us. Lord Vishnu is represented as one, who wears a vanamaala at all times as pancha aayudhas (five weapons). The vanamaala is considered to be one of the asaadharaNa chinnas (significant symbol of over-lordship) of Lord Vishnu. What is Vanamaala? Is it a garland of flowers or is it made up of thulasi only or both? There is a common association of thulasi with the Lord. There is no Saaligrama pooja or Vishnu pooja without thulasi. What is its importance? Some stray thoughts will be interesting to those, who conduct daily pooja. i) ii) iii) Mere cultivation and planting of thulasi plants in ones house itself is said to be the greatest act of Vishnu Pooja. Where there is thulasi, there Vishnu is present. One who sees thulasi plant as soon as he gets up in the morning, is said to be absolved of all his sins, committed up to that moment. After observing fast on Ekadasi day, breakfast (paaraNa) should commence on the following day (dwaadasi) with thulasi water only.

OrAN vazhiyaay upadEsiththAr munnOr ErAr ethiraasar inaruLaal * paarulakil aasai udaiyOrkkellaam aariyargaaL koorum enRu pEsi varambu aruththAr pin (URM 37)
(Prior to Swami Ramanuja, the acharyas guarded the rahasya traya and their meanings and taught them exclusively to select disciples only. Bhagavad Ramanuja, out of his infinite compassion for all of us lost in samsAram, and broad-mindedness, exceeded the norms of the day by allowing himself and all his disciples to teach the rahasyatraya and their meanings to all who were interested. ) From the time of Sri Ramanuja the meanings of these rahasyas were taught, but there is no evidence that during his time their special meanings were recorded in written form by acharyas. There is a possibility that a rahasyatraya vyakhyanam was made into a grantha by

iv)

21

14

Sri Kurathazhvan. Sri Vedanta Desika in his Rahasyatrayasaram, in the Carama Sloka section talks about the Carama Sloka vyakhyanam of Azhvan. However, if there was such a grantha (document), it is not available now. Sri ParASara BhaTTar, who is the son of swami Kurathazhvan, wrote the composition Ashtasloki as the essence of the rahasyatrayam. Even though this composition is short, Bhattar has included the tremendous depth of meanings encapsulated by these mantras. Sri Pillai Lokacharyar, who was the son of Sri Vadakku Thiruveethi Pillai and who is considered an avatAra of Sri Varadaraja, composed the Ashtaadasa Rahasyam which is a phenomenal collection of the meanings of rahasya granthas. Later Sri Achan Pillai also wrote rahasya arthas through works such as Parantha Rahasyam. Amongst the Ashtadasa Rahasyas, Yaadruccikappadi, Parandapadi and Sriyapathippadi contain the meanings of the rahasyatraya vyakhyanams but it is Mumukshuppadi that has gained fame in many ways. The other granthas suffer from drawbacks such as being too elaborate and extensive or being very short or that they contain a large concentration of Tamizh or Sanskrit words and phrases (requiring expertise in either language). Mumukshuppadi does not have any of these drawbacks. Also, this work contains special and rare meanings that are not present in the other granthas. Thus, Mumukshuppadi occupies a special place in the pUrvAchArya works and in the minds of Sri Vaishnavas.

"itihaasaas" (Sri Ramayana and Mahabharatha), and the "purANas" (Sri Vishnu Purana and the like). Smritis are texts which were written bearing Vedic truths in the mind. Itihasa means "it happended thus", and so represents history. Rama, the main character in the Ramayana is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu as a man, the son of a mighty emperor. In Mahabharatha, a pivotal role is played by Krishna, another human incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The Puranas are eighteen in number. The term "purANa" mans old or ancient, and they deal with diverse topics including the dealings of the Gods incarnate on this earth with their contemporary humans and others. The language of the Upanishads is not easily intelligible to the average person. It looks as if it wants to hide the truths and these have to be uncovered by persistent effort. This gives rise to different interpretations of the message conveyed by the texts. This, in turn, has led to different systems of philosophy and even religions. The great thinker and mystic, Saint SatakOpa (nammAzhvAr), puts it thus "Oh! One who has no equal (Narayana!), You have brought us into being different modes of worship by differences in understanding among the wise, different religious systems and worship of various deities which are all different forms of your great self! I adore You!" (thiruviruttam, verse 96). Note that swAmy nammAzhwar does not, in this verse, explicitly mention the deity by name! However, he does unequivocally identify srimannArAyaNa as the Supreme God in other verses of his composition, called as tamizh vEda (tiruviruttam, tiruvAsiriyam, periya tiruvandhadi, tiruvAymozhi, representing each of the four Vedas) The MahAbharatha was compiled by sage Vedavyasa who systematized the Vedas. The MahAbharatha is refereed to as the fifth Veda, which also contains an Upanishad. This is the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the song celestial which Sri Krishna revealed in the battlefield of KurukshEtra. It is agreed by all great thinkers that the Gita epitomizes all the wisdom of the Upanishads. It was already mentioned that Sage Vedavyasa gave us the Brahma Sutras. There are two "mImamsa" texts one containing the conclusion about the meaning of the karmakANda part of the Vedas and the other the conclusions of the enquiry into the nature of the Supreme, often referred to as "Brahma". So, this jnana-mimamsa is also called Brahma mimamsa. This is also referred to as "brahma Sutra. The Upanishads, the Gita and the Brahma Sutras constitute the most authoritative texts of Indian philosophy called the prasthana trayi (Trifold system related to this journey of life) Upanishads are the shruthi prasthAna, bhagavadgIta is the smruthi prasthAna, and brahma sutras, fashioned in

VAISHNAVISM IN VEDIC PERIOD

Sri V.V.Ramanujam Svami

{Note: It gives us great pleasure to begin a serialization of An introduction to Vaishnavism and the Vedas, written by Sri. V.V. Ramanujam Swami. The purpose is to give the readers an understanding of how our great SampradAyam is derived from the Samskrita Vedas} Sri Vaishnavam (Vaishnavism) is one of the many religious faiths followed in this world. There are many religions prevalent in this world. People are grouped as Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and so on according to their religions. Of these, Hinduism (the religion of the Hindus) is not a single faith. It is actually a conglomerate of various faiths mainly Vaishnavism, Saivism and Saaktham.

15

20

soul? What is the nature of the soul? Is it an independent entity? Or, is it controlled and guided by a superior controlling agency? These are some of the fundamental questions which have haunted mankind. There are many other questions for which a seeker of knowledge needs answers. The jnAna kANda of the Vedas gives us answers to all such questions. This portion of the Vedas guides us to live a righteous life, to understand the nature of the soul, and the superior force (the Supreme Brahman) which commands and guides us in our thinking and activities. We get to know the relationship between the Supreme Being and the individual human spirit from this portion of the Vedas. Each of the four branches has sections called "Upanishads" which go into the later Vedic part the jnAnakANda. This portion of the Vedas is indispensable to the seeker of knowledge about the true nature of the self or what we call "I", and the Lord who controls all our activities and makes us lead a righteous life. In all the four branches of the Veda, there is partitioning based on "samhita", "brAhmaNa", "AraNyaka", and "Upanishad". The first is mostly concerned with the rituals connected with the sacrifices (yAga, yagna). These rituals should not be looked up as merely result-oriented to get our desire for worldly ends fulfilled. Each is aimed at the worship of a particular Vedic deity Brahma, Siva (Rudra), Indra, Varuna and so on. The Vedic statement "vishNu: parama: agniravamah" proclaims Vishnu is Supreme and Agni is a lesser God. This statement essentially means that Vishnu is the Supreme and the other Gods like Agni are lesser Gods. One may believe that the particular God addressed in the sacrifice is responsible for conferring the desired end long life, wealth, cows and so on. Such an interpretation is not correct. We shall come to this again later. The AraNyakAs contain the beginning of the enquiry about the Supreme. The conclusions from the enquiry are contained in the Upanishads. The term "Upanishad" means "that which leads one near". To whom does it lead? The answer is near the peak (top) of the Vedas , where the Supreme Lord is enshrined. The Upanishads are referred to as the ultimate "end", as Vedanta ("anta" means the end). They represent the concluding portions of the Vedas and represent the quintessence of Indian philosophical wisdom. There are more than a hundred Upanishads in all the branches of the Vedas. The sentences in the Upanishads are terse and difficult to understand without the aid of the commentaries by learned preceptors. Besides the commentaries (called "bhAshya), the "upabrahmaNa" texts help us to understand the lofty truths enshrined in the Vedas. These are the "smriti" (the dharma Sastras code of life of Manu and other seers), the

All theists, no matter what faith they profess, believe a superior force controlling and guiding human destiny. The general term by which this force is called is "GOD". One who believes in this God is called a theist (Astika). Others are grouped as atheists (nAstika). All Asthikas believe that the worship of God is essential for their well-being. Due to differing concepts about the God they worship, different religious faiths have developed. In almost all the faiths grouped under the term "Hindu", God is worshipped as a PERSON with a name, form, desirable qualities and praiseworthy activity. Chief among these forms of deities is Vishnu, Siva and Sakthi. There are also other deities related to these deities. Sakthi is a female aspect of Godhead. These deities are established in the form of consecrated icons (Vigraha) in temples and homes and worshipped. In many homes, one finds a separate room, or at least a part thereof, where icons or pictures of their chosen deities are kept and worshipped. Those who worship Vishnu as the Supreme Being are called Vaishnavas. The word "Vishnu" in Samskrit means all-pervasive, or omni-present. He pervades all objects. There is no place where He is not present in spirit. The presence may be felt in all sentient and insentient objects a small ant, a big elephant, a tiny blade of grass, or a huge rock. This allpervasive universal spirit is described in the scriptures as personified in a form or body also. The most familiar form in that of a man, of youthful and most beautiful and captivating features. Three names (words) all meaning "all pervasive" found in the scriptures are considered most important among the innumerable names of this deity. They are Vishnu, Narayana and Vasudeva. This all-pervasive nature is referred to as vyApti, and the three names above are the vyApaka names. Sri Vaishnavam is the religious faith of people who worship as the Supreme Being as personified by the names Vishnu, Vasudeva and Narayana who pervades the entire Universe not only by his unique power, but also by His person. This concept is fully supported by scriptural authority. Vedas We now consider the other part in the title of this article. Vedas. All religious faiths in this world are based on their own scriptural texts which the followers of that faith believe to be unquestionable authority

19

16

the supreme, absolute "pramaaNa" (proof). The scriptural authority for Hindus is a collection of texts called the Vedas. In the broadest sense, the term Veda means a source of knowledge. It is common knowledge that the Bible is the scripture of the Christians and the Quran is the scripture of the Muslims. The original Bible is said to be in Hebrew or Aramaic, and the Quran is in Arabic. The Vedas are in Samskrit. They have been translated into other languages. Often, the original texts of any philosophy or religion are quite difficult to understand; unless one has a mastery of the language and is capable of deep and incisive thinking, one cannot know their true meanings. He/She should also have the grace of the Lord who is enshrined in the scripture. Sri Vaishnavam is a faith based on the scriptural authority of the Vedas. So, it is called a "Vaidika" faith. All those who accept the authority of the Vedas are "Vaidikas". A Vaidika is one who has deep faith in the content of the Vedas as the ultimate truth. It is not confined to a small group of people as is commonly understood in our society. The Vedas are a collection of texts which are the source of knowledge not only of God and "Spiritual" matters, but also many "Worldly" matters, contributing to our well being in living a regulated life. There are three sources of knowledge. The first is "pratyaksha" knowledge revealed by the organs of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The second is "anumAna" inference like inferring the presence of fire from the appearance of smoke. The third and most important is "Shabda" scriptural texts. Of the three, only shabda is considered as true pramAna (absolute proof), since, whatever is learnt through pratyaksha and / or anumAna is built upon a relative, error prone framework of human perception and logic. Shabda (the Vedas) is not subject to this limitation. An unquestioning faith in Vedas as pramANa is necessary for any Vaidika. The Vedas are very vast and limitless "ananta vai vEdah" (endless are the Vedas). They are eternal not subject to the limitations of time. They are faultless ("nirdOsha"), and not authored by human or even Divine agency ("apaurushEya"). An implicit and deep faith is needed to accept these attributes ananta, anAdi, apaurushEya and nirdOsha - of the Vedas. These have to be accepted wholeheartedly without reservation. Since the Vedas are ageless, there is no such thing as a Vedic period which is an idea spread by the Western methods of investigative learning.

The Vedas contain millions of Slokas (stanzas), which are, by tradition, called "mantras". The ancient sages ("Rishis") had divined all the mantras. They taught what they knew to others by word of mouth without changing in any way the word order and the mode of chanting. The use of an alphabet and committing words to writing came into being relatively recently in the long history of mankind. Speaking, hearing and repeating the words have been the mode of teaching the Vedic mantras over a long, long period. Since over a very long period this knowledge was transmitted by speaking what was heard, this came to be known as "shruti" (that which was heard). The great sage Vedavyasa systematized the substantial Vedic mantras into four sections called Rg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharvana Veda. Sages believe that it was Lord Narayana Himself who incarnated as Sage Vedavyasa and completed this stupendous task successfully. After an in-depth study of all the Vedas, Vyasa compiled the essence of the Vedas in the form of short aphorisms, collectively called as "Brahma sUtras". Broadly speaking, the content of the Vedas may be classified into two classes. The first deals with sacrifices yAga and yagnya, making sacrificial offerings of various gods for desired results. Thus, the Vedas show the way to get various desires of Man fulfilled. In a Vedic sacrifice, the Karma (act) involves chanting particular mantras and offering ghee and other materials cooked food, etc. in the hOmAgni (sacrificial fire), praying for particular results. For example, one performs "Ayushya hOma" for a long life. Some couples perform a "putrakAmEshti yAga" for being blessed with progeny. We learn from Sri Ramayana that Emperor Dasaratha performed this yAga and got blessed with four sons. The purANAs tell us that kings performed elaborate yagas for the continued welfare of the land for timely rains, good harvest and wellbeing of subjects. Each one of the four branches (Rg, Yahur, Sama and Atharvana) has its action based hymns and mantras. All these are collectively referred to as "pUrvabhAga" (first section) and karmakANda (section on karma, or acts). The "uttarabhAga" (Second/latter part) of the Vedic knowledge is called "jnAna kANda", or "brahma kANda". jnAna is knowledge. It is common knowledge that all living beings commonly are referred to comprise of a sentient soul. When the soul leaves the body (Upon death), the body becomes inanimate and decays, and has to be disposed off. When we say "I", or refer to a person by name, are we referring to they body, or the

17

18