Sep 18: Vamana Avatar & The Ganges
The Nama Sankirtan was led by Sankarji from California.
Generally the full-moon and half-moon days are considered very auspicious. On these days, the moon has a direct influence on the mind. It is said that in the Vedas that in the colossal [virat] form of the Lord, the mind of the Lord is made up of moon. Only on these days, it is always considered to be very auspicious. The avatara [incarnation] of Mahans are on the full-moon and half-moon days. Chaitanya mahaprabhu’s Jayanthi is on a full-moon day. The great Acharya, Sri Chandrasekharendra Bharathi Swamigal Aradhana is on a full-moon ammavasya day. The birth date of our beloved Guru Maharaj Sri Muralidhara Swamiji is on an ammavasya day.
The eighteenth of September happens to be an Ammavasya day. It is indeed a special one as it is known as Mahalaya Amavasya. It falls in Dakshanaya [the direction of sun is inclined to the south]. Amavasya is very sacred for the ancestors in the pitru Loka. Following this, is Navaratiri [nine day festival]. There are two Navaratris, Vasantha and Sharadha Navarathiri. Vasantha Navarathiri is in the spring season. Sharadha Navarathri is celebrated during the Autumn/Fall season. In Sharadha Navarathiri, the Divine Mother is worshipped in many different ways for nine days. It is celebrated as Golu in the southern part of India. In the north-eastern part of India, especially in West Bengal, the Mahalya Amavasya is celebrated in a very grand manner. The Durga deity is made with specific type of sand from a specific location in the banks of river Ganges. It is on this Mahalya Amavasya day that the eyes of the deity are carved out. The whole energy of the deity is brought out only when the eyes are carved out. The ‘Netronilanam’ starts on the morning of the mahalya Amavasya day. The Durga pooja is celebrated for seven days and culminates on the Saptami [Durga Saptami] . They celebrate the Durga Pooja on the seventh day.
Followed by introductions, Narayananji from Boston beautifully talked about the significance of Vamana Avatar and the Ganges.
The lord in Vaikunta is called as Paravasudeva [Lord Narayana]. He is in a standing posture with Goddess Lakshmi on his side. In Srirangam, one can find the Lord in Paravasudeva form on the tower [vimana] of the temple. This is said to be the form of the lord in Vaikunta. But he is not accessible in this form. In order to make Himself accessible for a chosen few [devas], he comes to Kshiraabdi, [the milky ocean] which is verily the Lord’s in-laws place. It is said that he is in a sleeping posture and even there he is not very accessible. He only speaks through the language of silence. In Srimad Bhagavatam, when Lord Brahma goes to Kshirabdi to meet the lord, “ Giram Samadhu Gaganae sameeritam”. It is only through the language of Samadhi that they communicate. In order to make Himself accessible to everyone, he took avatars and came into this world. He took innumerable avatars out of which Srimad Bhagavatam talks about twenty two avatars. The avatars of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna are known as complete [poorna] avatars.
Andal very beautifully shows these three forms of the Lord in her first three hymns. In her first hymn she says –
“Narayananae Nammakke Parai tharuvan”- in which she refers to the Paravasudeva, the supreme being in Vaikunta. In her second hymn, she refers to the lord in Kshirabdhi (‘payyathuiyindra paraman adi paadi’), where, Lordess Lakshmi is always caressing His feet. This is called the Vyuha Avataram. In her third verse, she goes to show an incarnation [avatar]. It is a known fact that the lord took ten avatars. Srimad Bhagavatam elucidates twenty two avatars and also talks about the innumerable [asankhyeya] incarnations. So we ideally expect Andal to talk about Lord Rama or Lord Krishna in her third hymn. But she talks about the Lord who came down to the earth as Vamana Avatar and who grew up as Trivikrama Avatar!
“Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
“Naangal nam paavaiku satru neeradinal”
Andal says, Oh Vamana!, the Lord who extended himself to measure the three worlds [lokas]. let me sing his Divine Name. If we ponder as to what prompted Andal to choose Vamana avatar out of all the avatars, Periyavavachanpillai gives a beautiful elucidation. It is in this Vamana avatar that the qualities of a true Brahmin are expounded. A Brahmin should have a ‘mounji’, ‘mekala’, ‘dandam’ and should wear a ‘kaupeenam’. A Brahmin’s roopa-lakshanas are mentioned in this avatar and this why Andal says “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
In addition to this, the activities of a true Brahmin are clearly brought to light in this avatar. The six-fold activities of a Brahmin are mentioned in the Shastras. Of them, the act of taking Biksha is beautifully described in this avatar and so Andal sings – “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
The Vamana Avatar talks about the Guna lakshanas [the qualities of a Brahmin]. The first quality of a Brahmin is contentment. He should be satisfied with what he has. If he is not, then he will never be satisfied even if all the three worlds come to his feet. Bhagawan Vamana very lucidly conveys this message in Srimad Bhagvatam in Vamana Avatar. Satisfaction is important just not for a Brahmin but for everyone in this world. Hence Andal glorifies this avatar and sings, “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
Then comes the qualities of a king. A warrior [kshatriya] should possess three glorious qualities. He should be one who respects and celebrates brahmanas [brahmanya], should be truthful [sathyasanda] and should be a great charity giver [‘vadaanya’ - even ready to give his life]. The Vamana avatar brought to light these qualities of King Bali and hence Andal sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
The Vamana avatar also glorifies the significance of Guru. No matter what the circumstances may be, the guru should always show the Lord. When Vamana comes to the court of King Bali, Bali promised to Vamana that he would offer anything that Vamana asked. Then his Guru Sukracharya called Bali, “Oh Bali! Don’t get fooled by him. ‘Maya Manava Ko Harih’. This is a magician who is verily Lord Hari. This great fact about the Guru’s lakshana is shown in Vamana Avatar and hence Andal says “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
Anybody who wears a sacred thread cannot be called as a Brahmin. When Vamana entered the courtyard of King Bali, everybody implicitly stood up and prostrated to the little child. The lustrous divinity emanating from his little countenance awed everyone and made them salute him. This is merely because of the tejas of Vamana and to show that brahma tejas is the important asset of a Brahmana. Bhagawan descended to the earth as Vamana to show this very fact, and hence Andal sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
A Guru’s word will never go falsified. Bali’s Guru, Shukracharya, discouraged Bali from performing the act of charity by hinting that the guest was no ordinary boy. But despite this, Bali consented to honor the request. Shukracharya became angry and cursed Bali. “Oh Bali, you didn’t adhere to my words and hence you will lose all your wealth”. And that indeed became true. To show that a guru’s word cannot become erroneous, bhagawan took the avatar of Lord Vamana and hence Andal hails “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
Being a demon, one should ideally expect King Bali to possess all the demonic qualities. But in contrary he has immense bhakti for the Lord. To prove his devout nature, he adhered to bhagawan’s request for the three foot of land. To show the bhakti of Bali, Bhagawan incarnated as Lord Vamana. Vindyavali, the wife of King Bali was also a very pious woman. She was extremely devoted to her husband, Bali. Inspite of Sukracharya’s overwhelming words, she was ready with a pot [kamandalu] of water to give the three foot of land to Vamana. It is said the “Vindyavali patni jaalakamaalini” To lucidly show the devoutness of King Bali and Vindyavali’s respect for her husband, the lord took the avatar of Vamana and hence Andal glorifies this avatar and sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
Bali was a great learner. He learnt a great lesson from his great grandfather. At the instant of time, when the lord cornered Bali and said “Oh Bali! Now give me the third foot of the land, he was not foolish unlike his great-grandpa, Hiranyakashipu, who did not give up till the last moment even though he was at the brink of defeat and died a gory death in the presence of Lord Narasimha. Bali learnt from this incident and he stopped beyond a point when he clearly knew that he was not going to win anymore. He calls to his assistants “hey Viprachitae! hey Rahu! Hey Neme! Please stop fighting. We are at a point where we are subdued. There is no point fighting. This great management precept is shown by Bali in Vamana avatar and hence sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
Bhagawan Yogi Ramsurathkumar would say, “I don’t want your possessions. I only want the possessor”. The surrender is not surrendering your wealth and other worldly possessions, but the surrender of the Self. That wonderful golden thought was brought forth in Vamana avatar and hence Andas says “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
When Bali fell at the holy feet of the Bhagawan, Bhagawan says “Oh Bali! When I first want to take a soul [jiva] unto me, the first thing I do is to appropriate his wealth. This is the first sign that I am going to shower the grace on him”. This great truth was revealed to us in Vamana Avatar and hence Andal sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
The moment we surrender unto the Lord, the lord surrenders unto us. When King Bali surrendered to the Lord, the Lord told him that he would be his guard in the “Patalaloka” until the Saavarani Manmantra is completed. The Lord takes you onto his fold just for the sake of the fact that the fore-fathers have done Bhakti to the Lord. Just for the sake of Prahalada who was an ardent devotee of the lord, the lord took Bali unto his feet. If our fore-fathers have done Bhakti, then it is only because of the good merits accrued by them that we are blessed with satsang today. To bring this remembrance, the lord took the Vamana avatar and Andal sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
Above all there is a great quality that is shown by this avatar and not seen in any other avatar. If Bhagawan had decided otherwise, he could have killed King Bali. He wanted to correct him rather than slaughter him. Bali was stripped of ego and Bhagawan took him to His feet. It is certainly not the quality of Bhagwan. We only see killing in Lord Rama and Lord Krishna’s incarnations. It is only a guru who can take a disciple to the holy feet of the Lord. Vamana Avatar shows this great quality of a guru and hence Andal sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”
Madhurakavi Azhwar sings the following verse when he talks about a guru.
“Payanandragilum paangalar agilum seyal nandraga thiruthi panikolvan”
In which he says “I am of no use to my guru. It is out of his sheer compassion that he takes me unto the holy feet of the Lord by correcting my wrong-doings and puts me unto the eternal service of Bhagawan”. Such is the glory of a Guru. In this context, Vamana comes in the guise of a guru and corrects King Bali and absolves his mistakes and throws him to the holy feet of the Lord. No wonder Andal sings “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi” as it is verily in this Avatar that this wonderful precept of guru is shown.
Beyond all these concepts, we have one tangible benefit out of this Avatara. We commit so many sins on a daily basis. There is a great thing that we have where we can wash away all our sins. But for Vamana avatar we would not have had this. It is verily the river Ganges. That is why Andal says “Ongi ulagalandha uttaman perpadi”. It is necessary to take bath in Ganges? Azhwar beautifully replies to this question “Gangai gangai endra vasagathalae”
By merely uttering the word Ganga, all our sins gets washed away. Such is the glory of river Ganga. Adi Shankara very beautifully sings an octet [ashtakam] on Mother Ganga. In one of the verses he sings how Mother Ganges was born and sings her history. Srimad Bhagavatham talks about the birth and history of Ganges in various places.
AdiShankara says “
Adavadi pithamahasya niyama vyapara patrejanam
Taschat pannaga shaayinah bhagavathah padokanam paavanam
Bhuya shambujataa vibushana mani janho maharishaeriyam
kanya kalmasha haarini bhagavatii bhageerathi paadumam”
When Bhagawan took the form of Trivikrama and started to measure the three worlds, his first foot reached Sathyaloka. The moment his foot touched sathyaloka, Lord Brahma saw the thumb finger of the left feet and he started to wash the lord’s feet with a pot [kamadalu] of water. [ niyama vyapara patre ]
“Padanaka neera janita jana pavana keshava druta vamana roopa” Sings Jayaadeva in his Ashtapadi. Lord Brahma started to wash the feet of the Lord and that water which started to wash the nails of the Lord’s left thumb finger became Ganges. But this Ganges was not prepared to come to earth. She was in Brahmalokha and there she was called as Vishnupadi since she washed the feet of Lord Vishnu himself. Later she started to flow to the Maharlokha, the dwelling place for Lord Dhruva. Lord Dhruva was a great Bhagavata. It is said that Lord Dhruva used to take bath in Ganges three times a day since it was his master’s water. Mother ganga then started to flow into the Saptrishi mandala [the abode of the seven rishis] who have all done immense tapas [penance]. So Ganges goes and washes their tufts [hair].
Ganges then goes to Swarga which is the holy abode of the Indra, Devas and the Devathas. They don’t have any dirt in them and so Ganges remains there and she flows in Swarga as Mandakini river.
In Surya Vamsa, there was a king called Sagara Chakravarti. In this lineage was Harishchandra, his son was Rohita and in the same lineage was a king by name Champa. Sagara did many Ashwamedha yagas and the moment he started to perform Ashwamedha Yaga, Lord Indra couldn’t take it and immediately started to trouble him. He took Sagara’s horse and hid it all the way in the Pathala loka where Lord Kapila Vasudeva was meditating. Sagara had sixty thousand sons and he sent all of them in different directions in search of his horse so that he could finish his Ashwamedha yaga. So the sons dig a hole on the underground and they find Kapilavasudeva meditating with the horse tied near to him. On seeing this site, they thought that it was he who had taken his horse and decided to kill him. Kapila Vasudeva is none other than the Lord himself. The very anger that made them rush to KapilaVasudeva burned them right there and all the sons died instantly at KapilaVasudeva’s ashram. The Ashwamedha yaga was not completed. Sagara’s son was Asamanjan. He was not a very smart kid. He was blessed with a son and he was Amshuman. He was a prodigy by birth. He owed to complete the Ashwamedha Yaga of his grandfather. He went to the patalalokha and prostrated to Kapilavasudeva, who said that it was Lord Indra who had hid the horse there. He gave back the horse and Amshuman successfully completed the Ashwamedha yaga. However, his sixty thousand uncles did not reach the proper lokas since they were burned in the fire [agni]. Kapilavasudeva adviced Amsuhman to sprinkle the Ganges water on his sixty thousand uncles and then they will be liberated. Amsuhman tried his level-best to bring the Ganges down, but was not successful. Lineages passed by and then finally it was Dilipa’s lineage. His son was Bhageeratha and he resolved to liberate his fore-fathers. He did penance to Lord Brahma for thousands of years and then finally Lord Brahma appeared in front of him. He requested Lord Brahma to have Ganges to flow down to the Earth. Ganges however did not want to come down to the earth as it is filled with so much of dirt and people in the earth have committed so many sins. Bhageeratha pleaded to Ganges that earth is blessed with Bhagavatas who are always immersed in the Divine Name chanting of the Lord and also told her that they will take bath in the Ganges. The moment she heard this, she decided to come to earth and she started to flow and was unable to control her force. Upon hearing this, Bhageeratha started to do penance on Lord Shiva and then Lord shiva came to help. Shiva told him that he is also a Bhagavatha and that he can take Ganges on to his head. He left a drop of Ganges on the earth and he took the remaining unto his head.
In Bhadrinath and Kedarnath, Ganges is called Alakananda and she is called as Ganga in Haridwar. Since Bhagiratha was the one who brought the Ganges down to the earth, river Ganges comes down as his daughter, Bhagirathi. She was a very mischievous girl. She once entered the ashram of a sage by name Janhu and started to play pranks at his abode. This angered him and he drank the Ganges. Bhagiratha found out that river Ganges was not flowing out anymore and realized that Janhu Maharishi drank the Ganges and pleaded with him to give back Ganges and told him that it was only with Ganges that he can liberate his fore-fathers. Hearing this, Janhu released a drop of water from his ears. Since Ganges is now a daughter of Janhu, she is also called as Janhavi. A mature and tame lady she came along with Bhagiratha and liberated all his fore-fathers. Such is the glory of Ganges and till date she has been purifying the souls not by a bath but my merely thinking of her and chanting her name “Ganga”.
It is very auspicious indeed to reminisce about Ganga on the holy day of Mahalaya Amavasya. We liberate all our ancestors by merely thinking of Ganga on Mahalya Amavasya day.
Azhwar says “Gangaium Punidhamaya kaveri naduvu pattu pongum neer paranthu payum poompozhil arangam thannul engal maal iraivan eesan kidandador kidangai kandu enganam marandu vazhven ezhaiyen ezhaeyanae”
Not only is river Ganga pure and pristine but also the river Cauvery is indeed one of the greatest rivers. Cauvery, Tamraparni and Kritamala brought forth lot of mahans who have shown the path of Bhagavatha Dharma.
The satsang ended with prayers with Namasankirtan.
Sep 11: Remembering Kanchi Mahaswamiji…
The Nama Sankirtan was performed by Nithyaji from Boston. Following this, Narayananji gave an introduction.
The Rohini Nakshatra falling in the tamil month of ‘Avani’ marks the birth of Avataras and Avatara Purushas. For one, it is the day of incarnation of Lord Krishna. And today happens to be that auspicous day of the year.
In the Vaishnavite tradition, the term ‘kovil’[temple] only refers to lord Ranganatha’s temple of Srirangam and the term “Perumal” is used only to denote Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam. Likewise the greatest of the Azhwars is Periyazhwar. Vishnu Chitta was his actual name, but because he had a special place among the Azhwars (with the Lord Himself being his son-in-law), he was called as Periyazhwar. Likewise, there are many scholars who have written different commentaries on the different scriptures of our Dharma. For instance, although there are more than a hundred upanishads, Adi Sankara and all other philosophers have taken up ten of them and written commentaries on them. The Vedas for the ‘Dravida Desam’ is the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. It is a collection of four thousand verses sung by twelve across in praise of the different deities of Lord Vishnu on this earth and beyond (called Divya Desams). These verses cannot be comprehended with ease by us in the form they are written. It definitely necessitates commentaries and expositions. While many have written such commentaries on Divya Prabandham, the work by Periyavachanpillai (1167 – 1265) is considered supreme. And so he gets the name ‘Periya’ ‘vaachaanpillai’ and ‘Vyakhyana Chakravarti’. Akin to Lord Krishna, he lived for one hundred and twenty five years.
The Rohini Nakshatra in Avani month marks his date of birth. He was born in a place called ‘Chenganur’ near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, the original name of it being ‘Shankapuri’. The beautiful Srinivasa Perumal who is the presiding deity of this town was also installed on the same day. So it is indeed a glorious day today.
Following this introdution, Sri Narayanaswamyji from Seattle talked about some incidents from the life of Sri Kanchi Mahaperiyava – Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamiji of Kanchi.
“Human beings are indeed the blessed ones when compared to other living beings. They are blessed with a head to bow down to the lord, a mouth to sing his divine names, ears to listen to his glory.
Bhagavatam says that rather than going to a temple or embarking on a pilgrimage tour, having the darshan of a great Mahan would accrue more merits. The difference between “man” and “Mahan” is the letter “h”. The letter ‘h’ ascribes to the term holiness. A Mahan’s actions and thoughts are indeed holy and are always directed towards the Almighty. It is our fortune that numerous such Mahans have incarnated in the same timeframe as ours, and and we get an opportunity to interact with them. One such Mahan is Sri Chandrasekharendra Swamiji from Kanchi Mutt.
He was born in 1894 and became the Kanchi Saint in 1907 at the age of thirteen. He was born to a devout couple and they named him Swaminathan. One day his parents received a call from the mutt requesting them to come to the mutt along with Swaminathan ad it was an emergency. Immediately they set out to the mutt and it was requested that Swaminathan travel in a separate cart. The reason was not known, but the young Swaminathan kept chanting two words incessantly, all through his way – “Rama Rama” till he reached the mutt. Upon reaching the mutt, Swaminathan was told that he was going to be accorded sanyasa. Such is the glory of chanting the Divine Name! Swaminathan became the pontiff of Kanchi mutt in 1907 at the tender age of thirteen with the title Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal. He was fondly called ‘Mahaperiyavaa’ by all his devotees.
One day a brahmin couple came to have the darshan of Mahaperiyavaa. After having the darshan, the couple handed over a suitcase full of money to Mahaperiyavaa. The couple humbly requested him to accept their donation. Mahaperiyavaa asked him for the source of his income. In reply, the couple mentioned to him that they hail from the neighboring village and he was into leather business. Mahaperiyavaa told him that a brahmin is not supposed to even touch leather and gently rejected the donation.
In another incident, Mahaperiyavaa decided to get the ‘Thadangam’ [ear-ring] of Lordess Akhilandewari of Thiruvanaikaval repaired. So Mahaperiyavaa requested some gold jewellery from his devotees. He had an overwhelming response and his devotees poured in a lot of jewellery. To everyone’s surprise, he accepted only about five sovereigns and gave back the remaining gold. Such was his greatness.
Mahaperiyavaa once visited Karaikudi. There was one great devotee of Lord Shiva in Karaikudi by name Ramanatha Chettiar. He used to perform Shiva pooja diligently for hours and only after the culmination of his pooja, he would even touch a morsel of rice. Such was his devotion. He was also a wealthy person and a great tamil pandit. When Mahaperiyavaa visited Karaikudi, He met with him a couple of times. He then asked Chettiar to accompany Him to a neighboring village. Chettiar also implicitly agreed to do so. The next day Mahaperiyavaa set out on a palanquin and upon reaching the destination he enquired with his close associates as to why chettiar didn’t come with them. Humbly chettiar came in front of him. He said “Mahaperiyavaa, I did accompany you. I was one among the palanquin bearers”. Upon hearing this, tears rolled over from Mahaperiyavaa’s cheeks. He said, “How could you do this? You are an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva.” Chettiar very politely replied, “Mahaperiyavaa, you are a re-incarnation of Lord Shiva and I am His servant!” This clearly shows how an affluent man was so humble and a simple life that he was living.
In another incident, Mahaperiyavaa was visiting a village. He camped there for some days with a few of his devotees. Suddenly he called out to all devotees who were in the kitchen and asked them to come out that very moment. To the last devotee who came out, he asked if everyone had vacated the kitchen. The devotee said yes and to this Mahaperiyavaa disagreed and said that one more person was in the kitchen. They went inside and found out that a cat was hiding behind the gas-stove and the cat was evacuated from the kitchen as well. After few seconds they heard a big thud and it was because the kitchen roof had collapsed. It was Mahaperiyavaa who had rescued and saved all his devotees who were in the kitchen.
In another incident, Mahaperiyavaa was visiting a village and was camping there for a few days. Devotees flocked Mahaperiyavaa and so in a few days all the groceries were used up and the manager panicked, wondering what he was going to do the next day for prasad. He went and confided this to Mahaperiyavaa and he replied “Lordess Kamatchi will take care”. But this did not convince the manager. After some time he again went to Mahaperiyavaa and repeated the same question. Mahaperiyavaa replied that he was going to fast from tomorrow and he went into meditation. This troubled his manager even more and he was started to spend a sleepless night. At about four in the morning, the manager heard the sound of bullock-carts and rushed out to see what it was. To his surprise, he saw fourteen bullock carts and they were all loaded with groceries. The landlord who had accompanied all these carts was a wealthy person and he stepped out from the first cart and told the manager that he wanted to have darshan of Mahaperiyavaa and he had brought the groceries to prepare prasad for all the devotees. The manager after witnessing this scene immediately rushed to Mahaperiyavaa and fell at his feet. Mahaperiyavaa told him that he was a responsible manager but had no faith on the Lord. It was Lordess Kamatchi who had sent all the groceries through this landlord.
At another instant of time, Mahaperiyavaa was visiting a village and upon his arrival, news spread about Mahaperiyavaa’s visit to all the nearby villages. All the scholars and other learned people came to have the darshan of Mahaperiyavaa. He had heard about one Vaishnavite scholar in that village and he was looking forward to meet him. But this scholar refused to meet Mahaperiyavaa. That scholar being a follower of Lord Vishnu did not want to meet Mahaperiyavaa. After three days, Mahaperiyavaa summoned his manager and asked him to go and meet the Vaishnavite scholar with vastram [dhoti], fruits etc. That is the tradition that is being followed till day to honor vedic scholars. On seeing this, tears poured from the scholar’s face and he immediately rushed to have the darshan of Mahaperiyavaa asked him for forgiveness. Mahaperiyavaa replied that he did not commit any mistake and that Shiva and Vishnu truly represent the Ultimate.
There once lived a dog in the Kanchi mutt. Whenever Mahaperiyavaa performed pooja, it would come and sit in front of Him and after the culmination of the pooja, it would eat the Prasad that was given to it by the mutt officials. It also travelled along with Mahaperiyavaa. Many people were wondering as to who this dog was. Only Mahaperiyavaa knew the true identity of the dog!
There is a place called Vadavambalam. It is in this place that Athma Bodendra Swamigal, who is the fifty eighth pontiff of Kanchi Mutt (and the Guru of Sri Bodendra Saraswati Swamigal)’s samadhi remains. No one knew the exact location of the Samadhi. Earlier, numerous devotees had tried to locate the exact location but were not quite successful. When Mahaperiyavaa visited Vadavambalam, he went around a particular spot many times and asked his attendants to dig that place and indeed, that was the exact spot where the Mahan’s samadhi was found. Mahaperiyavaa arranged for the creation of a Brindavan in Vadavambalam at that very spot.”
The satsang ended with prayers with Mahamantra Kirtan.
The little one’s diagnosis
On September 4th tele-satsang, Gayathriji from Boston shared her Nama Anubhava.
In the last week’s satsang, I participated and requested for a prayer for a friend of mine. She had just given birth to a baby boy. The baby boy was being diagnosed with a deadly skin disease right from birth – that which happens to one in a million kids and the little one is on painkillers all the time and that the little one had to survive with it through the rest of his life. I had requested prayers to our satsang that the detailed diagnosis should yield a negative result.
And indeed our Nama prayers are answered. The results turned negative and the disease was finally diagnosed as a common one, and curable.
Thanks to the Mahamantra and all the bhagavatas who chanted it with prayers that helped bring in divine grace of Krishna to the little one and hence, happiness in the face of the parents.
Sep 4: The Lord’s plan
The satsang started with Nama Sankirtan by Sri Thiagaraj and family from Dallas. Following this, a brief introduction was given by Sri Narayanan from Boston…
The first streak of Bhagavan’s grace falling on us in the form of a Satsang. Many a Mahan has talked about the glory of Satsang. Srimad Bhagavatam talks about the glory of Satsang in each story that it narrates – right from Narada’s story and Ajamila’s story, all the way until Rasa Lila, where the Gopis, after having lost Krishna amidst their dance, join as a satsang and sing His glories in order to get him back. Likewise, the greatest compilation of Azhwars – the Divya Prabandham talks about the glory of Satsang. Andal in her tiruppavai, does not go as a single person to do the ‘Paavai Nonbu’. She invites all her friends along, in order to gather a satsang. Most of the verses in Tiruppavai is such an invitation. She mentions ‘koodi irundhu kulirndhelorempaavaai’. Right at the beginning of the Prabandham, the first three Azhwars have shown us the glory of Satsang. It is only when there was a wonderful satsang consisting of the first three Azhwars – Poigai Azhwar, Boodathaazhwar, and Peyaazhwaar at Mrukandu Ashram in Tirukkovilur that the Lord appeared before them and it was only in such a satsang that we got the verses in Divya Prabandham. Such is the glory of a Satsang. Ours is one such satsang which has Nama Sankirtan and Katha Shravanam.
Following this, Sudhaji spoke about the glory of Bhakti and Nama Sankirtan.
na saadhayati maam yoga na saankhyam dharma uddhava
na svaadyaayah tapah tyagah yatA Bhaktir mamorjitA
Uddhava! Neither Yoga nor Sankhya, study of Vedas, austerities or renunciation captivates me as does intense devotion.
The Lord thinks of innumerable ideas to liberate the Jivas, and till date, his attempts have not been fully successful, as creation still takes place! Although Bhagavan may be omnipotent and omnipresent, our ignorance is so deep as to even outwit the Omnipotent Bhagavan! “Is there no way to bring these ‘jivas’ ashore?” We are an obstinate lot! We possess ‘intolerable’ stubbornness. We are very cautious and avoid being caught in the net spun and thrown by Bhagavan to liberate us. And Bhagavan possesses ‘intolerable’ compassion! In what “Try as he may I will not give up my effort to bring him ashore!” says Bhagavan and is relentlessly creating new ideas to attract us.
As the first effort Bhagavan gave the Vedas. All those who have learnt the Vedas are aware that the essence of the Vedas is Bhagavan. But merely giving the Vedas did not help the Lord in completing His sankalpa!
Then Bhagavan decided to incarnate Himself as Lord Rama. Periyavachhanpillai Swamy in His ‘vyakyana’ says, ‘Man kondu man pidiparpole’ – to catch a deer with the help of another (deer)’. A thorn has pricked the sole of a deer’s hoof. When we approach it to render help the deer runs away out of fear. The reason for this is we do not belong to its class/group (’swajathi’). While another deer would be able to easily approach this one. So, Bhagavan desires to be born as a man
Having incarnated on earth, if Bhagavan always remained in Bliss it would not serve the purpose; He could have remained in Vaikunta itself! Well! Having incarnated on earth if Bhagavan were to be immersed in sorrow like we do, this too, would not serve the purpose. We, jivas, here on earth are already drowned in sorrow. We do not need a Bhagavan to add up to this number! How then should an Avatara be?
He should always be in Bliss within but externally behave as if He, too, were affected deeply by the joys and sorrows of the world. Act like a human – ‘Kapatankiikrita manusha vesham’ – Wear the garb of a man and act like one. Behave like a man. And how should that man be?
A man should hold himself in such a position as to create awe in God and the Guru. This is the essence of Ramayana.
Sri Sri Swamiji says, ‘If you question, “Is it enough if I do not try to assimilate Rama’s qualities but just surrender to Him?” Well! The answer is simple. “Surrender to him. You will become one like Him. He will transform you!’ Ramavatara has been so great. ‘
But has Ramavatara served the purpose of the Lord’s incarnation? No. What is the reason for this? Till date actions of Rama in having hit Vali, hiding behind a tree and the like are being questioned. So Bhagavan decides to take an Avatara exhibiting his entire prowess. “Tam adbutam balakam ambujekshanam, chaturbujam, shankagadharyudayudam, srivatsalakshmam galashobikoustubam”.
Bhagavan took an Avatara that exhibited His divinity right from His birth. His birth itself is a marvel! Even as a babe Bhagavan destroyed asuras like Putana, Trinavarta, Sakatasura, etc. The entire Bhagavatam is filled with His wonderful divine lilas. One wonder after another! It is filled with His wonderful feats.
Well! Did this Avatara whence Bhagavan exhibited His entire glory fulfill His desire? The answer is a simple ‘No’ once again!
Bhagavan also shows His colossal form (‘Viswaroopa’) to Arjuna. Probably just for that moment Arjuna felt awed; wondering, “is this the One who has been so friendly with me?” but within a few days he is his old self again, having forgotten the colossal form. There is absolutely no sign of any transformation in Arjuna. He even wonders if it were some sort of a hallucination! So, in Krishavatara also Bhagavan’s wish was not fulfilled.
Neither the Vedas nor Rama-Krishnavataras fulfilled the wish of the Lord. Bhagavan, therefore, felt that He Himself should not come down to the earth.
“Kalau Khalu bhavishyanti Narayana parayanah”
“Tamraparni nadi yatra kritamala payasvini”
says the Bhagavatam
In this Kali Yuga innumerable Sadhus will come down to the earth, and being compassion incarnate, they liberate the Jivas by giving them the Divine Name of God. Once Perumal asked Bhagavat Ramanuja how he had so much of a following, while Perumal had very few people listening to what He said. Ramanujacharya replied, ‘Lord! You pointed them to yourself and said sing ME, sing ME! And they did not listen. Whereas, I point them to you and say ‘Sing HIM, sing HIM’ and they do listen!’
The sadhus and Mahans transform us into a beautiful golden flower and throw them at the Feet of Bhagavan, even without our knowledge.
When you attend a Nama Sankirtan, first you will be just sitting, then slowly you will start clapping, then you start singing and one point of time it will make you to dance too. That is the power of Sankirtan.
How did we acquire Ramayana? In Ayodhya, having sacrificed Sita, Ramachandra Prabhu is in silence and solitude. He, therefore, appears majestic. After attending to His royal duties he gets back to His room. He shows a deaf ear to anyone who speaks about Sita to Him. He behaves as if he is in no way connected to Sita! But in the solitude of His room he sheds tears thinking of Sita. Filled with love (‘prema’) within He sports a rough exterior. Therefore, nobody is able to approach Rama. It is at this time that two young children sing the life of Rama on the streets of Ayodhya. In Ramayana, Valmiki says that Rama was an adept in Sangeetha Shastra (Music shastra). Valmiki explains that Rama knew the intricacies of music. These two children who went about singing the life of Rama on the streets of Ayodhya were very fine looking. Valmiki writes, “If Rama were to look at His own reflection in the mirror and call out to it and the reflection took a young form and came out how would that be? These two children seemed to possess such a form!”
Their melodious rendering of Ramayana was heard and enjoyed by Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatruguna and all the others. All of them desired Rama to hear this since it was the story of Rama. But none of them had the courage to approach Him with this request.
Once Rama was strolling around in His garden. The melodious singing of the two children reaches His ears. Rama at once enquires of Lakshmana, “Lakshmana, where does such melodious music come from? Who is singing so captivatingly?” Lakshmana informs Rama, “Brother! Two children have come to our Kingdom. They resemble you very much and are going about the Kingdom singing the story of our family. You should definitely listen to them.” Rama replies, “It would not be proper for me to invite them to the court and ask them to sing my life. Let them come to Naimeesaranya where a Yajna is to be held and sing there.” Rama is anxious to hear the two children not for the reason of listening to his life being depicted; instead to listen to how Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatruguna, Piratti (Sita) had all sacrificed their lives for His sake.
Rama invites the two children to Naimeesaranya and requests them to sing Ramayana. “Tapaswadhyayaniratam…….” – the children begin to sing. Totally engrossed in their singing, Rama slowly moves up to the children and with tears flowing from His eyes listens to the rendering of the ‘Divya Charitra’ (the divine life history). The glory of Ramayana lies in the fact that the very first rendering of Ramayana on stage (‘arangetram’) was heard by Lord Rama Himself! At close the children sing, “All the people of Ayodhya are content and comfortable. Rama is their protector. This is the reason for their well-being. Henceforth, anyone who reads or listens to Ramayana will enjoy all comforts.” “Vishnorbalam vardhate” — Even Vishnu receives His strength from this. But Rama’s family is suffering till date. Sita and Rama have been separated. The children are wandering about like orphans. The children explain that Rama was undergoing sufferings as He had no protector But since Ramayana has now come as His protector the sufferings of Rama’s family has at last come to an end!
So what has given Ramayana to the World? ‘Gana’ – music! Attracted by music Rama desired to listen to it. Therefore, music attracts Bhagavan.
In Bhagavatam, Bhagavan performs ‘rasa’ with the gopis. But, Bhagavan disappears since the gopis are seized with what is known as ’sowbhaga mada’. Gopis yearn to see Bhagavan again and play lila. They do not then perform dhyana or yoga or mantra japa or go on fast. ’ruruduh suswaram rajan’- they sing Gopika Geetham. As soon as they sing Gopika Geetham Bhagavan appears before them. So, it was music that attracted Bhagavan here. This is the reason that one finds ‘pancha geetam’ in Bhagavatam. Just as there are pancha ratna keertanas of Thiagaraja Swami the five ‘geetas’ in Bhagavatam are known as ‘pancha geetam’. Thus, music attracts Bhagavan.
The Azhwars, the Nayanmars, Thiagaraja Swami, Panduranga Bhaktas, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu have all shown that one CAN attain liberation through mere chanting of Nama.
The power of their (such Mahans’) Namasankirtan is known by the incident in Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s life – He used to dance in ‘bhava’ on the banks of the Ganga (when no one was around) clapping his hands and singing the Maha Mantra ‘Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare!’ People who happened to witness this believed that he was none other than Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as it was the period immediately in succession to Mahaprabhu’s period. Totapuri used to mock at his clapping the hands for Namasankirtan as ‘preparing roti’! Once, Totapuri suffered from severe stomach ache. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa sat near him and sang ‘Hare Rama …’ and he was cured of it! This is found in the Gospel of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. They have all enjoyed Namasankirtan to this extent.
So, Mahans have shown two ‘margas’ in Kali. One ‘marga’ is ‘katha sravanam’ and the other is ‘kirtanam’. These are the only ways that will do ‘uddharana’ (liberate) of all the Jivas.
Even today we find Sadhus who have attained the highest state through mere chanting of Nama. This is the glory of ‘Nama Sankirtana’ — An absolutely easy, simple path.
As a final thought,
shRunvanti gAyanti gRuNantyabhIkshNasha: smaranti nandanti tavehitam janA:
ta eva pashyantyahireNa tAvakam bhava praVahoparamam padAmbujam.
The Meaning: Those people who listen to, sing, repeatedly narrate, often reminisce your story and derive joy out of it, are the only ones who attain, in no time, your lotus feet that terminated the cycle of births and deaths.
Gayathriji from Boston shared her Nama Anubhava.
The satsang ended with prayers with Mahamantra Kirtan.
