Pearls of Wisdom ~ Azhaikindran Arangan Episode June 27th 2012

Amongst the 108 divyadesams the srivaikuntam that is mentioned with the paramapadam is the 108th. The first divyadesam is Sriranganathan. In the Swayam Vyakta thirumeni ("self manifested shrine") the first kshetram is Sriranganathan. The kshetram that were mainly inhabited by azhwars and acharyas was Srirangam. The acharyas and their avatara kalams started only after the darshan of Sriranganathan. In an ananda yoga sleeping posture we see the perumal situated on the banks of River Cauvery. There is a river and its overflowing with water and on its banks small children are playing games, flying kites, some people are enjoying the breeze of the air and reading a book, 4 or 5 friends are sitting on the steps leading to the river and talking, some have come to see the river, some are taking bath, some are washing their clothes.
But there is one person who comes running to the river with extreme thirst and after consuming the water feels greatly relieved. Why did not the children playing so close to the river did not come to drink the water, the reason being they did not get the thirst. Similarly the others who were doing their duties did not get thirsty. That is the reason why many have not yet come to see the Lord Sriranganathan, this is because the desire for samsaram has not left them yet. Just like the children enjoying their play, the people have the play of marriage, karthi, family, money and only if they get fed up of all this then they would really be able to come to the thiruvadi of Sriranganathan. They need to feel the thirst. Just because there is water nearby one will not drink, he needs to feel thirsty. 


For the samsaris only when they get fed up, once they find that having tried too many attempts to succeed and fail, then only they will remember the thiruvadi of the bhagavan and that too if a viveki. Just like thinking that sometime or the other one would definitely need water, one would bring and store a vessel of water in ones house, the viveki will feel that to avoid difficulty bhagavan is the means. No need of japam or yagam, just thinking of the kripa of the bhagavan is enough. Just thinking that by giving 10rs we can get him or by japam, not sleeping, not eating etc is ajNanam.  For a mother to feed her child will she do so only if someone gives her money or only if the child makes the mother happy. The mother makes the child sit and feeds him/her food even if the child is mischievous, not wanting food or even if he is bad. That's the same relationship we have with the bhagavan. We need not do something special to get the bhagavath kripa as we see that the relationship of the mother relationship with her child, her vatsalyam comes out of inherent nature. What will the mother do when the child runs around, doesn't eat and becomes obstinate. So what we need to do is to think of the bhagavath kripa and be supportive of it and not be adamant about it. The kripa smaranam, "Prabho! you have given me so much and if this thought always stays in your mind, nothing more than this is required, no need of dhyanam, yogam or japam. What is that kripa we need to think of? Has he not created such a great world for us to live in. Not just that, whenever this world has difficulties HE comes down to help us. Vedam is the foundation for all the dharmam and sastrams founded in this world called Veda Neri. Such a vedam when the asuras Madhu-Kaitabha took away, who came and saved the vedas. 



The bhagavan taking the matsya avatar subduing the asuras Madhu-Kaitabha, conquered them and obtained for us the veda sastra, the jnana scriptures. Did bhagavan need the vedas for himself? Just so we don't become bereft of jNana and for us to get jNana siddhi, bhagavan came down and saved the vedas for us. Sri Ranganathan himself coming down in the form of a fish saves the vedas for us. Devas wanted the nectar of life and only if the devas are contented, they would accept the offerings made in our yagas and will bless the world to be plentiful and therefore for them to get the nectar, the Lord offered his own back in the kurma avatar, will anyone do that? When the devas ran away with the nectar, HE himself taking the mohini avatar obtained the nectar for the devas but the bhagavan did not take a drop of the nectar for himself. Why does HE protect the devas, because only then the world will be made comfortable. Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, the asura even hid the earth itself. Brahma is confused on how to create the world. Bhagavan takes the varaha avatar and as varaha fighting with the asuras and amidst facing torture, HE conquers them and places the earth in its correct place. Only for our comfort. Then we see Hiranyakashipu, Kamsa, Ravana who are troubling the bhakthars and not allowing them to perform bhakthi, the bhagavan himself comes down to the earth as Rama and Krishna facing all worldly sufferings and bodily troubles, HE conquers these asuras and protects the dharma and keeps the sadhus peaceful again.
Instead of thinking and shedding tears of gratitude to the bhagavan for the various avatars HE has taken with so much vatsalyam and karuna in order to protect and keep us happy, we tend to think of the bhagavan in a wrong manner as having hidden himself HE killed vali, HE performed the mahabharata war with a bit of cunning. This is just our bad doshas. But whatever you think or do, the character of the bhagavan is that of giving.

Even though we have so many doshas, bhagavan does not look at them. Time and again bhagavan has taken many avatars matsya, kurma, varaha...and not being tired with that he has sent acharya purushars. How will these acharya purushas be? They will just like us as samsaris. They will eat, sleep, talk with us and be just like us...yet we are different and they are different. What then is the difference? There is a big ocean and in that ocean there are lots of fishes, there are lots of big fishes and in that same ocean there will also be a boat floating. There are fishes the size of a boat and there are fishes even bigger than the boat.  The fishes will think that even this boat is also a fish like us going hither and thither. But all the fish thinking so is wrong, how?  because only the fish can live in the water and once the fish is put on the land it will die.
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==Whereas== the boat will be in the land and also in the sea and the boat will be in sea to bring those drowning in the sea back to the shore as well !!!
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Just like fishes, samsaris like us are drowning in the sea of samsara, in this samsara just like us the mahans will talk and move with us, sleep, eat even without our knowledge teach us the bhagavath guna, instill bhagavath bhakthi in us and bring us back to the shore, the bhagavan sends such acharya purushas to this world.

In the Ramayana, vibhishana has come to surrender accompanied by 4 others. Lord Rama asks those surrounding him if vibhishana can be admitted to this group, because when there are 10 people around we need to ask their opinion isnt it. The Lord asks Sugreeva, Hanumar, Jambavan and also the vanaraas surrounding him. But what everyone says is, 'the time of Vibhishana's arrival is not correct, its not correct for him to come now', another says vibhishana has deserted his own brother and he may do the same here as well. Yet another says he may have come to spy on us. Someone says he may have come to mingle with us and create split amongst us. When everyone says all this, Hanumar comes and says vibhisana is a good man and we need to take him into confidence and make him part of our group. So a Guru should be like that of Hanumar. Only Hanumar understands the hearts of both Rama and Vibhishana. When Lord Sri Rama asks Jambavan, Angada and other vanaraas, He is expecting with positive expectation that someone will say that vibhishana should be accepted to this group. Vibhishana also awaits for a positive response with equal expectation. Lord Rama always welcomes anyone lovingly and Vibhishana is no exception. So Rama accepts Vibhishanas surrender. What should a Guru equal to that of hanumar be like? A Guru should understand that bhagavan loves to take his devotees to his lotus feet, a bhaktha suffering with the pang of attaining the bhagavan will also be understood by the Guru. Guru will show love towards all his devotees whether they know bhakthi or not. After the time of the rama krishna avatar, the bhagavan sets up the acharya parampara. This acharya parampara is even more virtuous since these acharyas also came and showed us the means of saranagathi. "lakshmI nAtha samArambhAm nAthayAmuna madhyamAm asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE guruparam parAm" which is said separately. Why separate? Out of the 4000 divyaprabhandams when we sing the stotrams, there will be one not belonging to the 4000 this is a "thaniyan" meaning separate and not included within the 4000. Who created this "thaniyan", it was kUraththAzhvAr. 

In the acharya parampara it flows as Sriman Narayana, 
lakshmI, 
vishwaksEnar then 
Nammazhwar 
followed by 
Nadamunigazh, 
Uyakondan, 
Manakkalnambi, 
Azhavanthar, 
Perianambi and from Perianambi to Ramanujar.
Even though we draw parallels in the Saranagath between Lord Sri Rama in the Ramayana and the path shown by acharyas in the acharya parampara, what is the difference here? 
In Ramayana, Lord Hanumar said "Vibhishana is a good man, so give him abhayam, Vibhishana is good so we can accept him". 
But the acharyas went a step ahead, they said that even if one is not good still give him abhayam. Even if he is bad, what else is the way out for him. You may not get any gunam out of him. Whether he is a duratma, bad man, wrong doer or a fool still accept him, this is how the acharyas have prayed to the bhagavan that with his kripa to accept them all at HIS feet, they tolerate the jeevan and perform prapatti before the bhagavan. This is how the acharya parampara begins.
Radhe Radhe
Subham!
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