A Journal of Nama Kirtan Satsangs

Jun 3: Alangudi Periyavaal

03 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs

The easiest way to Mukti is Mahamantra Kirtan. But we have been given this beautiful human body and life in order to attain liberation. In addition, we have been blessed with the ‘mind’ / intellect to lead us to that goal. The irony is that this very mind is a roadblock in attaining God Realization! When we are not able to focus the mind and concentrate it, it goes into worldly matters and takes us away from our goal. It is said that the destruction of the mind is liberation. Use the mind to destroy the mind, say our scriptures.

Bhagavan Ramana gives the example of ‘pinamchudu thadi’ – the stick that is used to hit the corpse burning in the pyre. When a corpse is lit on a pyre in a graveyard, owing to the heat, the corpse stiffens and rises on its own. The person burning it has a wooden stick in his hand with which he hits it whenever it rises. At the end, when the corpse has been burnt enough, he throws the stick into the fire and walks away letting the stick also be consumed by the flames. We should make our mind/intellect like the stick which we should use to hit ourselves in order to put it in its path. Eventually, the mind is also to be destroyed / put to the Lord’s feet.

Adi Sankara speaks of a sharp intellect as well, not to understand the Lord, but to appreciate and practice discrimination and dispassion in life and eventually offer it to the Lord as well.

Our Guru Maharaj says, when a piece of iron is to be broken, expose it to some wet weather and over time, this piece of iron transforms itself into rust (without any external chemicals involved). Soon, the entire piece of iron gets transformed into rust which easily flakes away, accomplishing our mission very easily. Our mind which is the cause of the problems, should be exposed to the moisture of Guru Kataksham and Satsangam and over time, it gets transformed / destroyed / dissolved in the feet of the Guru / God.

That is all we need to do: being in the sanctity and vision of the Guru / Lord awaiting His grace.

Following the introductions, Ramyaji from Bay Area gave the satsang talk.

A Mahatma who was an Avatara Purusha and was an exponent of Srimad Bhagavatham was Swamy Prakashananda Swamigal. His Aradhana normally coincides on the day of Nrisimha Jayanthi which was on May 16^th of 2011. The satsang reminisced the life-history of this great mahan.

We all know that Srimad Bhagavatam is bestows liberation. It is a Moksha Granta. Mahans have opined that mere reading/listening to the Bhagavatam liberates one. The uniqueness of this Holy Text is that every letter in it is verily Lord Krishna! No wonder that mere reading about/listening to the Lilas of Jnani of all Jnanis [Lord Sri Krishna] bestows liberation not only at the end of one’s life on earth but also has the ability to bestow Jivan Mukti state ['realising' one's nature even while living in the physical body]. This has been illustrated in the life of Sri Swayamprakasananda Saraswati Swami, popularly known as ‘Alangudi’ Periyava. He attained Jivan Mukti by merely reading the Bhagavatam.

Alangudi’ Periyava’s amadhi is in Mudikondan, a village near Tiruvaroor, Tamizh Nadu state, S.India.

Narayanar, a poor Brahmin lived in Alangudi, a small village Tamil Nadu. He had completed his Vedic studies and was a highly virtuous man. He earned his living through priesthood, assisting people in conducting Vedic rites and scriptural duties. A married man, he lived as per scriptural injunctions laid down for a householder and was deeply devoted to Gopala Krishna. After many years of marriage, through the Grace of his worshipping  diety Sri Venugopala Krishna swami, he was blessed with a son. They named the child  as Ramakrishna the parents brought him up with much love and care. The child’s ‘akshara-abhyas’ [learning to write] was performed at the age of five. When he turned seven the holy thread ceremony was performed; thereafter, he was left under the care of a great scholar for education. He learnt the Vedas wholly and became an adept in ‘Sikshai vyakarana’ that form part of the Vedas.

The parents desired to find a suitable bride for him. However, Sri Ramakrishna feared married life, as he felt it to be a block to Hari Bhakti [devotion to Lord Hari]. Feeling that the Grace of a Guru was most needed to strengthen his Jnana, Bhakti and Vairagya [wisdom, devotion and dispassion] he was in search of a proper Guru. Sri Balakrishnananda swami appeared in his dream, imparted Sri Nrisimha Mantra to him and also gave him Srimad Bhagavatam. After this Sri Ramakrishna’s Hari Bhakti [devotion to Lord Hari] reached its pinnacle. He began to remain in solitude doing Mantra japa and reading the Bhagavatam. Due to the Grace of Sri Balakrishnananda, Sri Ramakrishna earned deep love for Srimad Bhagavatam; and, through reading the Bhagavatam, earned deep Jnana.

The parents forced Sri Ramakrishna into marriage. Unable to go against the wishes of the parents he married a virtuous girl that they had chosen for him. Marriage did not have any effect on him. Sri Ramakrishna was deeply upset by the new bondage. One night, he had a dream in which he found himself in a forest and many dacoits trying to bind him. Suddenly, a lion appeared from nowhere, roaring ferociously. The dacoits threw the rope down and took to their heels. He realised that Lord Nrisimha would soon save him from the cruelty of his relatives who were the real dacoits trying to bind him to the world. The next morning he received the news of his wife’s death.

Mahans feel that the worldly ties are bondages that keep them away from their spiritual life. In Srimad Bhagavatam, we see how Sage Narada takes the death of his mother as an ‘anugraha’ [blessing]  (1:6:10). Sri Periyava had a similar feeling when he heard this news. He performed the death rites for his wife.

After the death of his wife his dispassion deepened. All worldly comforts seemed trivial. He spent all his time in meditating on his favourite Deity Lord Nrisimha who had protected his great Bhakta Prahlada. The relatives mistook his attitude to be longing for his lost wife and began to make plans for another marriage. Sri Ramakrishna sensed the danger. Days passed and suddenly one early morning, like the great Mahan Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra, he attained the ‘unmathha’ state. He ran away from home. He was twenty-eight years of age when he attained ‘self-realisation’.

He had no consciousness of the body and wandered about as an ‘avadhoota’ [naked sadhu]. Unaware of the world he wandered about like a madman.
[Srimad Bhagavatam describes the state of a Jnani as 'unmathha, mookha, jadavat' -- he is like a madman, the dumb and the inert].

His unkept hair hung in knots. The body was frail. The mind, however, going beyond the differences of man and woman remained pure. Almost always he was silent or chanting the Divine Names of Lord Narayana. Filled with the nectar of the Lord’s Name he would at times dance, at times sing, at times shed profuse tears, at times cry out loudly. Wherever the Lord’s stories were recited he would go and listen to it. But this would push him into ecstacy and he would begin to sing, dance and cry. He would experience horripilation. He would cry out loudly, “Narayana! Narayana!” At times he would fall down in a swoon.

During his wanderings he came to the Holy Place Thiruvisanallur. Sri Ramasubbha Shasri, who was proud of his scholarliness lived here. He was a thorn in the way of all other learned scholars. Due to the pride of his learning he held an indifferent attitude to the great Bhagavatam. But he turned over a new leaf after listening to Srimad Bhagavatam from Sri Ramakrishna swami, just once! He earned deep faith and taste for Srimad Bhagavatam!

Suddenly, a deep desire to discourse on the Bhagavatam took hold of Sri Ramakrishna Swami.

He arrived at the village Kamakshipuram. Sri Panchanata Iyer, a resident of this village, welcomed him with all reverence. Many others joined him. But the great renunciate said to them, “I have not come here for food. I have come here with the deep desire to discourse on the Bhagavatam. Is anyone interested to listen to it?”

Hearing this, some of them prostrated to the Swami and said to him, “It is verily our fortune that you have come here to bless us. But some amongst us feel embarrassed to see you an ‘avadhoota’ [naked Sadhu]. We do not possess your spiritual maturity; hence, though we all deeply yearn to hear the Bhagavatam we hesitate to come to your presence on this account.”

The surprised Swami said to them, “If this state of mine proves a block to giving discourses or listening to the Bhagavatam I will embrace sanyas and live according to scriptural injunctions.”

All present there were wonderstruck. The Swami at once set out and received sanyasa, as per Scriptural injunctions, from Sri Panangudi Swami. Sri Panangudi Swami gave him the ‘diksha’ name of Swayam Prakasananda Saraswati [one who shines on his own] because like Prahlad he had had attained Jnana without a Guru in a human body. Sri Panangudi Swami comes down in a great lineage of Mahans who were all Krishna Bhaktas and loved Srimad Bhagavatam.

Sri Ramakrishna swami embraced sanyasa [ascetic life] a s his state of ‘avadhoota’ was a block to his rendering Srimad Bhagavata discourse. He desired to give discourse on the Bhagavatam even to the spiritually immature. Therefore, embracing ascetic life, he began to wear ochre colour loin cloth, ‘gopi chandan’ on his forehead and held ‘danda-kamandalu’ in his hand and scrupulously followed the various rules and regulations prescribed for this life. He was ever doing Bhagavata parayana [reading] and discoursing the Bhagavatam. The Divine Lilas and ‘gunas’ of Lord Hari drew the great ‘avadhoota’ into a life of scriptural discipline!

Is it not the Divine Lila of the Lord to attract the hearts of Jnanis and make them sing His glory? People who listened to the Bhagavatam from ‘Alangudi’ Periyava, who wandered about in the same state as Sri Suka, were indeed most fortunate. Sri Suka who had ‘realised his self’ and wandered about like the inert, dumb, child, took to Srimad Bhagavatam as he felt deeply attracted to the ‘gunas’ of the Lord: so too, ‘Alangudi’ Periyava had for sometime wandered about in this state and later, due to his deep love and taste for Srimad Bhagavatam, took to living as per strict scriptural injunctions and began to visit innumerable villages to give discourses on the Bhagavatam. He was the very personification of tolerance and patience. He was totally free from from anger and lust. He followed all the scriptural injunctions laid down for the ascetic way of life. ‘Alangudi’ Periyava loved children. He would gather them around and play with them. If a village did not have a pond, he would gather the youths of the village and dig a pond. He loved to maintain gardens, conduct ‘utsavs’ in Temples. He always stayed in a garden outside the village or in a Mutt or in a Temple. He wore only a loin cloth. He carefully followed the ‘asrama dharma’ as spoken in the Bhagavatam. He never touched money for any reason.
He would accept an invitation to a village only if people agreed to conduct Bhagavata saptaham there. He would refuse to visit for the sake of ‘bhiksha’ [food]. He used to visit some villages quite frequently He performed innumerable Bhagavata saptahams there. Even today one finds the people of these villages interested in Bhagavata saptaham and possessing Krishna Bhakti. Several disciples still recall his Bhagavatam discourse.

All these villages turned holy due to the stay of the Swamigal. All people were great devotees of the Lord. Due to his association many read the Gita and the Bhagavatam and many performed Namakirtan. Even women and children in villages blessed by his visits knew the Bhagavata slokas by heart. The Swami had great love for the commentary of the Bhagavatam by Sridhareeya. In his discourses, he would always quote from it.

At the end of every ‘Saptaham’ there would be Namakirtan in which the Swami would participate. The Namasankirtan would go all through the night; yet, the Swami would be fresh and give discourse the next day. Through these unique qualities and Bhakti he was a great solace and support to the householders.

Once, the Swami conducted Srimad Bhagavata saptaham in Dittacheri village. Every day Namakirtan was also performed. ‘Alangudi’ Periyava always enjoyed rendering Gajendra Moksha and Prahlad charitra. His discourse on Gajendra Moksha was excellent that day and he said,

“Lord Narayana is the Supreme Godhead. All other gods are in His control. Gajendra Moksha is a testimony to this. When Gajendra, in seeking refuge in the Lord, chanted a ‘sloka’ no deity rushed to his help because, this sloka calls out to the ‘One who is the prime cause of all’. They were well aware that there was someone else who had created them. Lord Vasudeva Himself came on His divine vehicle, the Garuda, and saved Gajendra. Therefore, Lord Hari [Vasudeva, Narayana] is verily the Supreme Godhead.”

There was a Pundit amidst the audience. He said that each Purana spoke of a different God as the Supreme Godhead. Gajendra Moksham in the Bhagavatam was a spin story to show Lord Hari as the Supreme Godhead and that one should not attach any importance to it.

‘Alangudi’ Periyava was deeply hurt by this. He said to him, “It is difficult for people like you to earn faith in Srimad Bhagavatam. Only the Grace of the Lord can clear your confused mind. My explanations will not suffice.”

The Pundit retorted, “Why don’t you own up your mistake? Being a ‘smarta’ [saivite] sanyasi why do you speak like a Vaishnava sanyasi holding Lord Vasudeva as the Supreme Godhead?”

The Swami said, “I spoke only the words of the Bhagavatam. You can accuse me of speaking wrongly only if it were my imagination.”

The Pundit walked away haughtily.

‘Alangudi’ Periyava bathed in the river there during the early hours of the morning. On one such morning the Swami had gone to bathe and a few of his disciples were with him. While the Swami was bathing a crocodile came up to him and caught hold of his leg. At once, the Swamigal lifted both his hands and cried out, ‘Hare! Hare!” and the crocodile immediately let go of his leg. However, the Swami’s leg was badly hurt. The Pundit who had watched this incident realised the greatness of the Swami and at once fell at his feet seeking his pardon. He said that his argument that ‘Gajendra Moksha’ was a spin story was due to his pride and that it was only to wipe out his ignorance that ‘Yateendra Moksha’ had taken place. [Yati means ascetic].

The Swami said to him, “Why do you beg my pardon? Do not feel envious if anyone speaks of Srimad Narayana as the Supreme Godhead.”

The Pundit became a great devotee of the Swami.

A deep wound had been formed on the Swami’s leg due to the bite of the crocodile. At the request of the disciples the Swami agreed to treat it. He asked them to collect some herbs and boil it in oil. He then asked them to pour it hot over the wound! No disciple came forward. The Swami said to them, “Hey, ignorants! why do you fear? Have not I repeatedly told you all that the Atma is different from the body? If it were true how would I, the Atma, suffer? Also, how would the body which is really inert suffer?” Uttering these words he removed the boiling oil from the oven and poured it over his wound and laughed loudly! This brought tears to the eyes of the devoted disciples. The leg healed within a few days.

Once, the Swami gave a discourse in the woods of Koothanur village. The day was quite hot. A snake suddenly wound its way through the audience and moved below the Swami’s seat.

Some of them requested the Swami to move away. The Swamigal said, “A man becomes eligible to embrace the ascetic life only when he earns the Jnana that all forms are verily the Lord. There is no difference between my body and that of the snake. It is verily Lord Nrisimha who is the Atma in both. Why fear? All of you sit quietly and listen to the Lord’s story.”

But is it possible for the people to forget the presence of the snake and listen to his discourse? By sheer grace of Swamigal he held their attention. The people totally forgot about the snake and were engrossed in the discourse. At the end of the discourse the Swami asked one of them, “Where is the snake? See if it is still here?”

The man feared lifting the seat to find out.The Swamigal laughed and lifted the seat only to find the snake gone. All were wonderstruck. The Swamigal said, “This is not surprising at all. The snake went back the way it came but all of you were totally engrossed in listening to the Bhagavatam and did not notice it!”

The people at once prayed to him to bless them so that their minds would always be engrossed in the Lord’s stories in this manner.

The Swamigal thus passed his days wandering about several villages conducting hundreds of Bhagavata saptaha yajna and preaching Bhakti to the people. He became old. He had not spent his life labourig for his family. Shunning worldly comforts he had spent his days in the thought of the Lord. The Swami’s eye sight failed and the disciples arranged for a surgery. Dr.Mahalinga Iyer was at first very indifferent towards the Swami. But soon he realised that the Swami had come to him with the excuse of a treatment only to bless him. The Swami refused to use anesthesia. He said that one could lose body consciousness without the anesthesia; and that when he did so, the doctor could perform his surgery. The Swami then lay in ‘savasana’ and lost consciousness of his body in yogic state. The doctor performed the surgery with deep reverence and devotion. All through the surgery the Swami lay without any movement. The doctor was simply amazed. He realised that the physical state of Jnanis were beyond their medical world, that the surgery he had conducted was only for his own good and that the diseases of Mahans were only their Lila. The vision of the Swami was restored and the doctor earned spiritual vision!

‘Alangudi’ Periyava, fully aware of the day whence he would shed his mortal coil, arrived at Mudikondan village. The fortunate ones there served him in various ways. The Swami decided to celebrate Lord Nrisimha Jayanti during Vaikasi month in ‘yuva varusha’ grandly. He celebrated Nrisimha Jayanti every year. A Bhagavata Saptaham was arranged in this connection. He gave discourse on the Bhagavatam in his own unique way. On the day of Sri Nrisimha Jayanati, celebration of Sri Rukmini Kalyanam came to an end in the evening. It was the last day of Bhagavata saptaham. At the end of the discourse, ‘Alangudi’ Periyava gave a brief discourse on Prahlada charitra, as it was the day of Lord Nrisimha Jayanti. He was narrating the scene of Prahalad offering his prayer to Lord Nrisimha.

A divine light ['jyoti'] shot out of the top of his head. A few spiritually evolved people were blessed to witness this. The pure body of ‘Alangudi’ Periyava was buried as per scriptural injunction laid down for a sanyasi in Mudikondan.

The satsang ended with prayers and Namasankirtan.

May 20: Glory of Hanumanji – 4

20 May 2011 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs

The end of all Sadhanas is the complete subjugation of the mind.

dAnam svadharmo niyamo yamascha shrutam cha karmANi cha sadvratAni |
sarve mano nighraha lakshaNAntA parohi yogo masah samAdih ||

Our Guru Maharaj when expounding on the various works of Bhagawan Sri Ramana would always enthrall the devotees with the Lord’s creation. The sense organs act as window of the mind to the world. They take the stimulus from the world and feed it to the mind which in turn uses the organs of the action to reciprocate and provide responses to these stimuli. The sense organs take one away from the Lord into the world and the organs of action implants one into Karma which in turn is the seed for the next birth. Our Guru Maharaj articulates the dual purpose of the sense organs, out of which one is explicit and is perceived easily, while the other is implicit and not so easily perceivable. The ear serves two purposes. Firstly it is hearing and the other purpose that is implicit and secretive is that the ears provide balance/stability. Akin to ears is the nose, which recognizes the aroma and odor and also part of breathing and the excretory organs not only eject the waste from the body but also relieve the bad gases out. Our Guru Maharaj beautifully elucidates the two fold purpose of the eyes. The primary function of the eyes is sight; to see the whole world and the other is to turn the vision inside – to look at onself. When the eyes perceive the world, they take us away from the Lord but when the same organ of vision is turned to look at oneself, then one is able to see the Lord within oneself and that leads us to ultimate truth. There are two ways to attain the supreme truth. One path is turning the vision of sight and looking into oneself by controlling all the other sense organs and by controlling the mind, one will attain the ultimate truth and this path is known as the rational path of self-enquiry. The other path to attain the Lord is the path of Namasankirtan, where one let’s all the sense organs wander in the world and focus on the very Lord who is also residing outside. Srimad Bhagavatham lucidly teaches everyone that the Lord is verily inside everyone as the “Atma Swarropam” and the same Lord also dwells outside in a very gross form in the guise of time [kala].

When one is in a divine communion [satsang] where the sense of sight is always razor focused on the Lord, he uses the sense organs to enjoy the glory of the Lord.  When one wants to talk something, do not talk mundane topics, but speak about the glory of the Lord. Let the ears hear only the Lord’s names and his divine glories.

‘jitasano jitasvaaso jitasango jitendriyah’, says Bhagavatam.

Srimad Bhagavatam preaches one to control the body movement and postures [jithasano]; the basic guideline for any Yoga. One should not let the organs of locomotion run riot but if one is unable to control the movement of limbs, then go to satsang where divinity is present always. By seeing the Lord outside and by making the organs perceive the Lord everywhere, one can attain the Lord.

Following this, Sri Narayanaswamyji from Seattle continued his lecture on the life-history of Hanumanji. The satsang reminisced earlier that Lord Hanumanji was indeed adept in music. So Sage Narada conferred the title “Parama Bhagavatha” on Hanumanji and later Sri Thiagaraja also gave him the same title; Hanumanji in Govindapuram next to Sri Bodendra Swamigal’s Adhistanam  is called as “Bhagavata Anjaneya”.

One should approach Hanumanji with lot of humility. When one goes and prostrates unto Hanumanji without any pride, the Lord is sure to bestow his devotee with his grace. Once Sage Vashista approached Lord Rama and confided his interest to worship Rama as Lord. Lord Rama politely turned down his request and asked him to only perceive him as Dasaratha’s son. This goes to show the humble nature of Lord Rama and how the Lord himself preached how humble one should be.

“Athamanam Manusham manyae Ramam Dasarathahmajam”

As per the instructions of Lord Rama, Hanuman remained on the earth traveling from one place to another to bestow grace on all his devotees.

An incident once happened in a town called Manargudi in Tamil Nadu. There was a temple for Lord Rajagopala and there was a big hall which was part of Lord Rajaopala’s temple and it was known as “Vennaithazhi Mandapam” and that mandapam had a Hanumanji. It remained closed for the most part of the year.

In the same town, there lived a family who were devoted to Hanumanji.  They were very devoted in Lord Hanumanji. They had a son who was glib-tongued and was idling away his time and had no means to earn an income. One day his mother pulled him aside and requested him to open the Mandapam and tidy the temple premises and asked him to light the lamp. The son implicitly obeyed his mother’s instructions and the mandapam was opened and cleaned up. The mother also made a Prasad for the Hanumanji and slowly by selling the Prasad at a pro-rated price; the son stared to make some money. The revenue generated by the Prasad was in turn used for Hanumanji service only.  The service he performed to the Lord was filled with honesty, physical cleanliness and faith. The family was thus leading a contented life rendering service to Hanumanji and as years passed by, the mother passed away. The son was not knowledgeable enough to make the Prasad and so he in turn handed over his temple service [Kainkarya] to somebody else and headed to Hyderabad to meet his uncle. His uncle helped him to do set up a grocery store and he lead the business in a very honest way. The business slowly flourished and the son became very prosperous. This incident goes to show that when a devotee offers a pure and pristine service coupled with faith and honesty akin to the service rendered by the son to Hanumanji, the Lord bestowed him riches and Hanumanji himself took care of the son.

There was another incident that was elucidated to show how Lord Hanuman reprimands anyone who hurts his devotees. There was once a Ther Mutti Hanuman consecrated in a temple known as “Naalu Kaal mandapam” in Thanjavur in South India. Lots of devotees flocked to have the darshan of Lord Hanuman. One fine morning the devotees were shocked to see that the folded hands of Lord Hanuman were chipped off. They prayed to Lord Hanuman that they culprit be punished soon. As days passed by, the temple management decided to get a new idol of Lord Hanuman consecrated. Soon the new idol was sanctified and people poured in to offer their respects to Lord Hanuman. There were lots of devotees of Lord Hanuman who lived in the realms of the temple. One day a youth riding a bicycle passed by an old man, a devotee of Lord Hanuman. He stopped the old man and in a condescending manner inquired to the devotee as to why Lord Hanuman did not chastise the culprit who broke the hands of the Lord. The lad during their conversation admitted that it was indeed he who chipped the hands of the Lord and confided in the old man that the Lord did not yet punish him and started to question him about the existence of God. The devotee was in tears after hearing this and cursed the lad that the Lord will not spare him. The youth left the place after mocking at the old man’s faith on Lord Hanuman. The youth did not even go far and a strange incident happened. The boy lost his balance and went and hit his bicycle on a lamp post and his legs and hands were severely damaged and he had to lose one of his legs and hands in order for him to survive. This incident goes to show that when someone annoys the devotees of the Lord, they are sure to be lambasted by the Lord himself.

The divine vehicles [Vahanas] of the Lord are no different from the Lord and they act as a bridge between the devotees and the Lord. Lord Hanuman is known as “Manojavam Marutha thulya vaegam jithendriyam buddhimatham varishtam “ – which means that Hanuman can appear himself in front of his devotee in a split second and that the vehicle of Lord Hanuman is Vayu, the wind god. There was once a devotee known as Arunagirinathar who lost all his wealth and health because of his bad habits. He once came in contact with a Mahan who asked him to go to Thiruvannamalai. He decided to end his life by jumping from the temple tower and when he did so, he safely landed on the hands of Lord Subramanya. He asked the Lord for the reason for saving him and the Lord mentioned that he was saved so that he can compose songs in praise of the Lord. Hearing this, Arunagirinathar was moved to tears since he was not adept in this and so Lord Subramanya helped him by giving out the first word and soon Arunagirinathar started to compose hymns the most famous one is Thirupugazh. He became a great poet singing praises of Lord Shiva and his sons. There was a clan of devotees who worshipped Mother Durga and were very jealous about Arunagirinathar. So they approached the king and spoke ill about him. The king soon summoned him and asked him to sing praises on Lord Muruga and also ordered that the Lord should come to the courtyard and stand in front of him hearing the praises. Arunagirinathar soon started to sing to meet the challenge songs while on the other hand, the devotees of Mother Durga started to pray to Parvathi that Lord Muruga should not give darshan to Arunagirinathar. Parvathi was tightly holding Muruga on her lap and hence he was unable to step out. Not relented by the futile efforts, he started to compose songs in praise of the peacock. Soon the peacock standing in front of Parvathi in Kailash began expanding his wings and started to dance. She was captivated by the dance and this made her to loosen the grip on Muruga. He slowly slipped from his mother and gave darshan to Arunagirinathar. This incident portrays the greatness of Lord’s vehicle.

It is believed that Hanuman being a Chiranjeevi, knew about the Avatar of Lord Krishna long before the incarnation of Lord Krishna. It is also a fact that only two people were blessed with Lord Hanuman’s Vishwaroopa darshan. One of them is Sita Devi and the other one is Bheemasena. It was Hanuman who told Bheema that he will be in the flag of Arujna’s chariot guiding him mentally and physically to fight the battle of Mahabharatha.

The satsang concluded with prayers and Namasankirtan.

Apr 8: Sri Ramanujacharya – 2

08 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs

The talk was rendered by Sri Prakashji from Boston where he reminisced the incarnation of Sri Ramanujacharya, his association with Tirukkachi Nambi, his tutelage under Yadava Prakasha and his kainkarya in Kanchi.

When Ramanujar was learning under Yadava Prakasha, Aalavandar, a great Vaishnava Acharya from Srirangam, came on a pilgrimage tour to Kanchi, to have the darshan of Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal. When he arrived at Kanchi, he met Tirukacchi Nambi at the temple and talked to him. Alavandar’s eye caught sight of Yadava Prakasha coming along with his disciples around the temple, circumambulating, and among the disciples was Ramanuja with his hand covering the mouth in utter humility.  He realized the ‘Prabhava’ of Ramanuja and also heard from Nambi about his erudition and knowledge, humility and service.  Alavandar truly begged at the feet of Lord Narayana, that Ramanuja’s mission was to liberate the world and not be hidden in Kanchi and offered Ramanuja at the Lord’s feet. The Acharya took hold of Ramanuja just by sight [kataksha], even though Ramanuja and Alavandar had not met before. Alavandar had not initiated Ramanuja and yet, Alavanda has a sankalpa that Ramanuja should be pulled towards Narayana. After this incident, Alavandar returned to Sri Rangam, and Ramanuja continued his Theertha Kainkarya to Kanchi Varadan.

As Guru’s grace had falled on Ramanuja, his devotion to the Lord blossomed.  He truly yearned for Jnana and Bhakti and was totally immersed in kainkarya for Varadaraja Perumal.  He was sloly getting transformed.

Alavandar could not forget Ramanuja. He had so much to talk to Ramanuja and so he sent one his disciples to Kanchipuram and requested him to try and bring Ramanuja to Srirangam. Alavandar desired to initiate Ramanuja into the Vaishnava Sampradaya.

There are four kinds of people one can come into contact with – ‘darshana yogya’ – ones who are good in their looks – they may wear a Gopi Chandan and a pristine white dhoti, but one doesn’t know his qualities.  All one can do is, go to him, chant the Lord’s Divine Name, get one in return, and walk on!   The next is ‘sallapa yogya’ – those that are worthy of conversation – they may have good qualities  and no bad inclinations, frequent temples.  One can talk to him because there is a connection with Lord. Beyond that, they are not fit enough to spend time with or not fit enough to do satsangs with. The third level is “sahavaasa yogya” – those with whom we can mingle, and slowly lose our thought of ‘My’ and ‘I’ as they speak of Guru and the Lord all the time.  The fourth are the ones whom one can surrender unto.  Then, the question comes, “Whom do you surrender unto?”

“tath viddhi pratipaadena, pariprasnena sevaya,
upadekshyanthi te jnanam, jnaninah tatva darshinaha”[Srimad Bhagvad Gita 8.40]

When one seeks a Guru, he should surrender totally unto the Guru and if at all there are some questions, those questions should be like how Parikshit posed to Sage Suka. One will be blessed with real Jnana when one does selfless service to his Guru. “upadekshayanthi te jnana, jnaninaha tatva darshinaha”. Only someone who has understood what the supreme truth is, can impart that Jnana, isn’t it? So, we should seek a Guru, we totally surrender unto him and we ask only relevant questions and not trivial ones relating to this mundane world.

Ramanuja had the Kataksha of Alavandar but was yearning for his initiation. Guru is the only one who can impart the Jnana. The reason being the Guru has the ability to clearly wipe out what is not needed, the difference between, “saaram” and “asaaram”, what is needed and what is not needed. He is the one who can, you know, find out what is fit for a disciple and what is not fit for a disciple. The Guru prunes and filters the good qualities that will give a Vinaya in a disciple and the qualities that will take us to the holy feet of the Lord. But our Guru Maharaj has bestowed us with Srimad Bhagavatham. Is there anything “ “assara” in Srimad Bhagavatham? There are two things, one is Vidya and other one is Jnana. Vidya is, to guide our day to day life, to contribute to the society, to bring advancement in science. Whoever teaches Vidya, is a guru, no doubt and needs to be respected. But one who teaches us Jnana, the one who takes us unto his fold and the one who makes us understand and who gives us clarity in thought is Guru and he can only transform and take us unto his fold and show us Bhagawan and the Supreme.

Ramanuja yearned for such a Guru to surrender unto as he was fetching water for Varadan’s kainkarya – when he heard a few slokas from Alavandar’s work called “StotraRatnam”, where, Narayana is described as “Narayana Paratattva, “Svabhavika Aloukika”. The term “Swabhavika”, connotes – by nature, the Supreme.   It was the messenger sent by Alavandar.

Alavandar’s works were very soothing to Ramanuja and the verses go to talk about the limitlessness of Bhagawan. When Ramanuja enquired of the author of the slokas, he learnt that it was Alavandar in Sri Rangam and also heard that it was Alavandar’s desire that Ramanuja come to Sri Rangam.  Tears welled in his eyes because he had heard a lot about Alavandar from Tirukacchi Nambi, including the one about Alavandar’s kataksha on him.   He immediately left for Sri Rangam and when they reached the outskirts of the holy city, many had gathered there in pall and gloom, only to learn that Alavandar had just reached the lotus feet of the Lord. Ramanuja was in excruciating pain after coming to terms with fact that his Guru had left his mortal coil. Alavandar’s physical body was open for darshan and for last respects and Ramanuja came to seek the darshan of his master when he saw that the three fingers of Alavandar were folded. He inquired with everyone if it was a natural thing that Alavandar’s three fingers were always folded. People nodded in negation.

Ramanuja started to pray unto his Guru in that form and he finally came to understand what Alavandar had to tell Ramanuja. He wanted Ramanuja to do three things and he does a vow to complete three things. One, to liberate, millions and millions of people – “anantha koti samsari”, without any rationale, without any limitations based on caste, creed or narrow limitations. Secondly, Ramanuja mentioned, “I shall write a commentary for the BrahsmaSutras in the form of Sri Bashyam.” Thirdly he mentioned that he heard Alavandar spoke about VishnuPurana in his lectures and so it was Alavandar’s wish that someone from that Acharya’s lineage be named as Parashara. Ramanuja mentioned he wanted to pay the respect to Parashara and that someone this lineage will be named Parashara. As Ramanuja spoke about each of these three vows, each finger started to unfold. It was because of the connection between the Guru and the Shishya and it cannot be fathomed by regular intellect. Guru’s grace is beyond words.

Ramanuja gave these three vows thinking, ‘How shall I pay back what you’ve given me and for all that you’ve done for me?”

“yat padAmburuhadHyana bibratAshIshakalmashaha |
vastutham Buthayathoosmi ya muneyam namami tham. ||

He says, “It is only after your darshan that I am an object with some bhava.”. He says, “I am an object with life only after I have seen you. Ramanuja beautifully conveys the precept that it is as good as not having existed before we have the darshan of a Sadguru. True birthday is the day we have an opportunity to be blessed with the first darshan of a Guru. Ramanuja said that, “I am not even an object but people are now going to know me because of Yamunaacharya – Alavandar”. And, saying so, he left for Kanchi. He did not even have darshan of our beloved Sri Ranganatha since he was a little upset that Ranganatha did not grant him an opportunity to meet his Guru in person!

Ramanuja continued to perform Kainkarya to Kanchi Varadan, when one day the Lord answered his questions through Tirukacchi Nambi through whome he had asked.  These five responses formed the basis of Sri Bashyam that Ramanuja would write and for him to liberate millions and millions of people.

Ahameva parambrahma jagatkAraNakAraNam.

 First is, “ahameva parambrahma”, Narayana says, “I am the Parambrahma. I am the person responsible for this entire Universe and I am the One who create the things and is the cause of destruction.”

Second is, “kshetragye swarayorbodha sidDHayeva mahAmathehe|”

There is a difference between Jiva and Ishwara. The Jiva has limitations. The Iswara does not have limitations. Jiva has limited powers but Iswara has unlimited powers. Ishwara is the controller, jiva is the controlled.

Thirdly the Lord said “mokshopayonnasa eva jananam muktim ichhathe”. It clearly says, “mokshopayonnasa”, the prapanna, one who completely surrenders, will be liberated from this cycle of birth and death. They are given Moksha. They are the ones who are eligible for Moksha.

The fourth truth that the Lord revealed was about whether one can get Narayana Smriti. How can one get the thought of Narayana at the end of one’s life. We know that in Ajamila charitra, Ajamila had his tenth son named as Narayana and he had Narayana smriti, even though in a different involuntarily way. Narayana, conveyed in the verse “madbhaktanam”, for my bhaktha who has surrendered unto me, “madbhaktananam jananam cha na antima smriti ishyathe”. They don’t even have to think or do a little bit about Narayana Smriti. When the devotee of Lord Narayana is about to come to an end, it is verily the duty of the Lord to bestow Narayana Smriti.

Fifth truth, that he confided was the basis for all,

“pUrnAcharya mahAtmanam samAshraya guNAshrayam
iti ramanujAcharyaya mayogdha vadhasatvaram 

He requested Ramanuja to take ashraya unto Purnacharya”, Periya Nambigal, from the lineage of Alavandar. Ramanuja was so happy that he got his answers through Bhagavan himself. He again started to go back to SriRangam looking for Periya Nambigal and reached Madhurantakam, just a little south of Chengelpet. At the same time, Periya Nambigal was coming towards Kanchi to meet Ramanuja by Lord Ranganatha’s will. After Alavandar attained Vaikunta, there were not many learned men who had acquired so much Jnana to take over the lineage of the Guru Parampara.  Periyanambigal decided to go and bring Ramanuja back to Srirangam.  Both met at Madhurantakam.   Periyanambigal performed Panchasamskara for Ramanuja right there.

Panchasamskara is very unique because it establishes a connection with the Lord.  The Shanka and Chakra are directly stamped onto one’s body and thereby Bhagavan’s connection is established. – This is Thaapa Samskara.   Pundarasamskara relates to wearing ‘Thirumann’, denoting the adorning of the Lord’s feet on our head to destroy out our ego. In Namasamskara, one is named as a “dasan” of the lineage. This is again irrespective of caste or creed. We have “Kabirdas”. He was born Muslim. Can there ever be a greater disciple than Kabirdas who can show Bhakti to his Guru. Kabirdas was once asked, “If I were to bring the Guru and Bhagavan in front of you, whom will you choose?”. Kabirdas said, “I will choose the Guru.”

The last term is  “Thiruvaradhanam” and it refers to performing one’s daily pooja routine and rituals, according to Vaishnava sampradaya.   All these constitue the 5 samskaras – Pancha Samskaram, which is done on the basis of one’s love for the Lord and not on one’s birth.

Then they reached Kanchipuram where Periyanambigal continued Ramanuja’s classes and education, and imparted the Nalaairadivya prabandham to him. He also taught him “BrahmaSutras” for aiding him to do SriBashyam later.  Ramanuja’s wife unfortunately was caught in the framework of caste based rules and regulations because of which Periyanambigal and wife had to undergo trouble. And Periyanambigal decided to go back to Srirangam, because he was unable to stay away from Ranganatha for a long time and left without seeking Ramanuja’s permission for, he knew that Ramanuja would not allow him to depart to Srirangam. Ramanuja came back and realized that Periyanambigal was gone. He learnt from his wife and went in search of Periyanambigal, who convinced him that it was not because of malice that he left, but because of his being away from Ranganatha.

Once he had invited Tirukacchi Nambi for food, so that he could have Nambi’s ucchishtam.    He was at the temple engrossed in Kainkarya when Tirukacchi Nambi came home for food.  Ramanuja’s wife served him food, but washed off all the vessels soon after the lunch as Tirukacchi Nambi was not a Brahmin. Ramanuja learnt of this when he returned and was enraged and felt dejected.  He could not take it anymore and was finding it very difficult to come to terms with the fact that the very basic Dharma of feeding someone who is hungry was not being followed by his wife and he went crying to Lord Narayana. When he reached the temple, Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal, called Ramanuja as, “Yathiraja” and that was verily his clue. He renounced his family life at that point of time and embraced the path of “sanyasa”.

The satsang concluded with Namasankitan.