Not only that, when we think of Sri Ranganathar in Srirangam who is forever showering his kripa and meditate on that, it is definitely true that we become drowned in it.
Any sastram or vidya comes via guru parampara and that is the norm. There is a mud pot and we store water in it so during hot seasons we drink cool water from it. If there is a small hole in it, we throw it away or break it. The reason is that the pot is very cheap and just made of mud. Although the mud pots are easily broken, if someone asks us to make one it is hard to make them as it requires a special skill. How to mix the mud, churn the mud by turning it round and round and as it is being done, how well the pot beautifully comes in shape and then having exposed it to heat, as one strikes it, how the sound comes from it as it is struck. All these will come only by practice. Just for a small mudpot we need to get trained means how difficult it will be to know the bhagavan, how to attain him. Why should one attain the bhagavan and how will this come automatically to one. But only by means of the sastras can one come to know the bhagavan. Therefore Sage Veda Vyasa himself said "sastrayOnitva". Just as we can see a thing only by means of our eyes, the eye that is called sastram is the means by which we can see anything. Therefore sastrAbhyAsam is very much essential.
Sri Ramanujar himself came from Sriperumbudur to kanchipuram for the main purpose of learning the sastras that too the vedanta sastras under yAdavaprakAsar. When under the tutelage of yAdavaprakAsar, yAdavaprakAsar taught in the way he has learnt it. Sri Ramanujar did not find it correct in certain areas of the latters teaching. Many aspects of the teaching was not acceptable to Sri Ramanujar and all of his thought that arose in his mind was going in the direction of vishistAdvaitam only for Sri Ramanujar. YadavaprakAsar is a pandit, he could only teach how his guru had thought him and likewise his guru. Whilst teaching like that he wont accept any opinions and will only teach like he has been taught and wont deviate from his perceptors ways.
While yAdavaprakAsar was thus teaching in certain areas and when for the bhakthan, bhakthi is not considered or goes against it, Sri Ramanujar feels very sad. yAdavaprakAsar is taking oil bath for his head. yAdavaprakAsar is teaching chandOgyam. whilst teaching chandOgyam there is a sentence - kapyAsam pundareekam eva akshini - he takes up this and starts to explain its meaning. If one had to give an ordinary explanation for this, by breaking the words - kapEhE, yAsam. kapIhi means as we all know monkey - Asam means the bottom area, thus meaning "the monkeys bottom". How red being the monkeys bottom, such is the eye of the paramAtma is the explanation by yAdavaprakAsar. Sri Ramanujar is a parama bhakthar, bhAvukar, rasikar, when he heard the paramAtma's eyes being described by a comparision like this, he could not digest this. He could not argue as he was such a humble student. when he listened to this comparision of the great paramatmas eyes being compared with a monkeys bottom, he could not contain himself and being so humble started crying. While he cried, his hot tears fell on the shoulder of yAdavaprakasar. yAdavaprakasar on looking up saw the flood of tears like a waterfall coming out of Sri Ramanujars eyes. when yAdavaprakAsar asked why he was crying so, Sri Ramanujar asked how he could have said such a comparision. why whats wrong with kapEhE Asam, asked yAdavaprakAsar and yAdavaprakAsar was not even in a state of understanding why Sri Ramanujar was crying at this.
yAdavaprakAsar scoffed him as whether he was a great pandit or what and advised Sri ramanujar that this was how his guru had thought him lessons and the gurus guru had passed this down from generations. But Sri ramanujar humbly objected and said that vEdam would not say like that. How come sruti will say that the paramAtma's eyes are equal to a monkeys bottom. When yAdavaprakAsar now asks to Sri ramanuajr as to what he thinks is the correct meaning for this, izhaiAzhwar who knows the correct meaning now says he can give the different interpretation for this.
kapihi is actually "kam pibhathi iti kapiHI", says izhaiAzhwar.
Which Sun that absorbs or drinks all the waters of the Earth - "Asam", the meaning of the word "Asam" intended here is indeed "Asa upavEshanE".
The Sun which absorbs all the waters of the earth, and by looking at such a Sun, does the Lotus blossom itself.
Taking this as the reasoning, such a lotus is indeed the eyes of the bhagavan and not a monkeys bottom. This is what one could give as the correct interpretation for the statement. On hearing this, yAdavaprakAsar was astonished and speechless. He wondered at not being able to think like this, for how many years would he have given this teaching to so many students, yet this never occurred to him. How many discourses, even his earlier masters had never mentioned this meaning to him. Is not this beautiful, wondered yAdavaprakAsar. Can one give a low meaning like a monkeys bottom as a comparision for the paramAtma's eyes? He thinks so for a second, yet he does mot want to show this out in front of everyone. Instead he condemns Sri ramanujar telling him that he is becoming arrogant, he cannot just be saying whatever comes to his mind. You have to tell the meaning according to how it has bern told before and you cannot tell it as per your thought. Whatever you are saying is wrong, there is no such meaning as you have said, saying so, yAdavaprakAsar, closes the matter there and then. Sri ramanujar also stays quiet. But in the mind of yAdavaprakAsar the meaning of what has been said is going on and when he is in solitude, he keeps thinking about this. "How beautifully Sri ramanujar has said, will sruthi ever tell about the eyes of the paramAtma in a mean manner? YAdavaprakasar wonders "why did it not occur to me or was never told to me. how come ramanujar knows this. is he a mahapurusha or even an avatArapurusha?" Like this in his mind it is going on.
Also he thinks, maybe ramanujar may get more fame than him. Already yAdavaprakAsar has faced shame when he went to the king whose daughter was taken over by the brahmarakshas and none of his mantras had any effect. That brahmarakshas opened up all his previous birth history and shamed him in front of everyone. Whereas, when the king honored ramanujar by performing kanakAbhishekam. Also he worries that the king may refuse to accept him as the rajaguru. Usually a jealousy will crop in us whether the other will become better than us. Whilst being like this some very close disciples of yAdavaprakAsar asked why is he was like this worrying so much and not like he was before. yAdavaprakAsar started telling them about his worry about Sri ramanujar and recounted to them all that they had witnessed and faced his shame in the court before. He also mentioned about the recent interpretation provided by ramanujar and how he was worried that ramanujar would become more greater than him and overtake him. The disciples consoled yAdavaprakasar saying that there will be a way for this. We can maybe go to the river Ganga and perform bath which will bring some good, they suggested. Lets go on this trip and on the way some how we will get rid of ramanujar. yAdavaprakAsar decides that he will somehow convince ramanujar to come with him and on the way somehow get rid of ramanujar. The disciples of yAdavaprakasar talk to themselves and hit upon a plan. They mention that they will go on a north india tour and they perform a makamAtha snAnam in the river ganga it will be greatly beneficial. Whilst going on this trip, the disciples plan that somehow they can get rid off with Sri ramanujar. In order for this trip to take up they make the necessary arrangements and execute this plan.
Radhe Radhe
Read more translations of the other episodes at: http://aranganinarumai.blogspot.com/
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