Bhagavadh rAmAnujA's Gadhya Trayam My humble praNAms to this esteemed group of devotees of sriya: patih sriman narayanan, who are on their paths toward performing prapatti yogam in order to obtain the blessings of Divya dampatis. it is always our desire to perform kaimkaryam at all times and in all sorts to divya dampatis. saraNAgathi tatvam is the only means to attain the same for srivaishNavALs, as guided by our azhwArs, nathamuni, ALavandhAr, yatirAjar(sri rAmAnujar), kUrEsar, parAsarar and our Great vEdAntha dEsikan, maNavALa mAmunigaL, my AchAryA His Holiness Srimad poundareekapuram andavan, His Holiness Srirangam Srimad andavan, His Holiness Sri Ahobila mutt Jeer Azhagiya singar, Sri Vaanamaalmalai Mutt Jeer, Sri Parakala Mutt Jeer and many other Greatest AchAryAs of Sri vaishnavam. On the panguni utthiram day Lord RanganAtha (naMperumAL) appears along with our mAthA pirAtti Sri RanganAyaki thAyAr and on only this day, one can have this sEtthi sEvai (darshan of Divya dampathis together) and words can NOT come to my rescue for expressing the happiness and bliss one gets during this utsavam when a person looks at Them; Especially because the scene is this: The Lord (naMperumAL) is standing majestically as usual and more beautiful and graceful today due to the fact that His consort, the Most gorgeous looking pirAtti is enjoying the beauty of Her Lord without taking Her eyes off Him even for a second (She does not even sit facing us; She has turned her posture by 90 Degrees and is facing the LORD fully;) That should definitely make our pithA feel PROUD and HAPPY and one can actually the beaming face of the Lord depicting His happiness in His eyes and His mandhahAsam; And this is the right opportunity (any one who has got their report cards signed when the father is in joyous mood and is with the mother, who is also happy being with the father will agree with me) for a person to ask for favours from our Divine Eternal PARENTS. Our yatirAjar makes no mistakes; He has struck when the iron is hot. He has taken the pirAtti first in his side (knowing fully well that pirAtti is only listening; but not looking at him;) by praising Her attributes of mercy, dayA, vAtsalyam and Her being together with the Lord always at all times under all circumstances (nityAnapAyinee) and pleads to the pirAtti for recommending to the Lord. There goes the Gadhya trayam composition ( saraNagathi Gadhyam, Sriranga Gadyam and Vaikunda Gadhyam composed in prose forms) by sri rAmAnujar, the beauty of which must have already been known to BhagavatALs. These gadhyams are in fact only to guide us who are caught in samsaaric troubles and are in deep waters. There is no other sign of escape for us; except for such excellent compositions of seers. These compositions of yatirAjA had been immediately appreciated by Divya dampatis Themselves and their assurances to protect and save him (and his devotees as well) at all times and to take yatirAjA to Their Lotus feet at the end to perform ceaseless kainkaryam. With the blessings of Divya Dampathis and of yatirAjA, I would like to think loud with you by posting simple, lucid description of these Gadhya trayams. May pirAtti SriRanganAyaki samEtha namperumAL bless us all for performing
kainkaryams to Divya Dampathis and His BhagavatALs at all times.
Saranagathi Gadhyam1. Bhagavan NarAyaNa ......... saraNa maham prapadhyE.. Meaning: Sri MahAlakshmi has got all the attributes, the thirumEni, its specialities, the kalyANa GuNAs, which the Lord likes always; Not even a second, she gets separated from the Lord; Blemishless; the pattamahishi of dEvAthi dEvan; the mother for the entire universe; and my mother too; Such a great mother Sri mahAlakshmi- I, who has no other shelter or protector, take refuge at her lotus feet. Requesting Sri mahAlakshmi to recommend to Lord Sri RanganAtha: 2. pAramArtthika...... asthu mE.. Meaning: Parabhakti, ParaGnAnam and Paramabhakti are the permanent means to hold the Lord's Lotus feet. With those Bhakti, one can get the divine experience and Bhagavadh anubhavam which is the only one to be desired and nothing else; From that Bhagavadh anubhavam, the "NILAIYAANA KAINKARYAM" to the Lord. For getting that sort of attitude and the bhakti, one shall perform SARANAGATHI at the Lotus feet of namperumAL. O mAthA, Please bless me to obtain such bent of mind to do SARANAGATHI at all times; with no gap absolutely. Piratti acknowledges: 3. AsthuthE.....Let it happen as you asked for. 4. Thayaiva sarvam sampathyathE With that saraNagathi, you (and your sishyAs) ("SARVAM") are going to get EVERY sampath. EmberumAn's swaroopam: 5. Akila hEya .....swaroopa.. The One, who has embodied unlimited GnAnam, Anandham, and who has housed all kalyANa guNAs, who has differed from all that is different from Him by nature, who has all qualities that is opposite to those which we hate; EmperumAn TirumEni azhaghu: 6. SwAbhimathAnuroopaika....Divya roopA.. The one who has the ThirumEni which is very much liked by Him; which can NEVER be thought and understood about; which is NOT a combination of various particles and matter; which is a wonder(aRputham); which has no beginning and no end; which is blemishless; which is an unparalleled brightening body; which has azhaghu(beauty), sughandham(Good smell), softness, and youth always; EmperumAn's GuNAs: 7. SwAbhAvikA.....mahArNavA.. the one who has excellent innumerable kalyANa guNAs (as enumerated by AchAryA in "saraNAgathi Gadhyam" also) namely.,JnAnam(true and perfect knowledge), Bhala (ability to support the whole Universe), Aishwarya (incomparable wealth and ruler ship of the Universe), veerya (untiring virility), shakthi (power to act without extraneous help), tEjas(unmatched radiance), souseelya(purest character), vAtsalya(pure unmitigated love), Maardava(affectionate tenderness towards devotees/ bhagavathaaLs), Aarjava(Honesty), Souhardha(Thinking of good only), Samya(equanimous one), KaruNya(Merciful), Madhurya(sweet even to enemies), Gambheerya(majesty and nobility), Audharya(giving out liberally- vaLLal thanmai), Chathurya(ability to change even enemies into friends), sthairya(determined to stay on chosen course), dhairya(undaunted courage to bring succor to the bhakthAs), sowrya(ablility to fight alone), parakrama(winning the battles effortlessly), sathya kAma(having Thy will ever fulfilled), sathya sankalpa(Having Thy deeds fully executed), krutithvam(carrying out the duties of BhagavathaaLs), kruthangnathai(remembering with gratitude even a little worship offered to Him), and repository and ocean of all such innumerable kalyANa guNAs; He is parabrahmam and PurushOtthaman . Such qualities are flooded in our Lord! BhagawAn's alankArangaL: SvOchotha.divya bhooshaNA: 8. The ones which are exactly matching and are suitable to Him, the ones which are of different, spectacular, kinds, and have no beginning and have no counts; have permanence in themselves; have no blemishes; unlimited fragrance, softness, brightness in them;- such crown (kireetam), choodAvadhamsam (mudi aNi), makarakundalam, mAlai, muthucharangaL, bangles, Srivathsam (mole on His chest), ThiruvayiRRup pattam, PeethAmbharam, araigNaN, thaNdai, etc., are His AbharaNangaL(jewels). EmperumAn's weapons(AyudhangaL): SwAnuroopAchnthya.divyAyudhA.. 9. The ones which are exactly matching and the ones whose powers can NOT be thought of or understood (by anyone)- such sanghu(conch), chakram(discuss), gadhai, vil, are His weapons which have no blemishes and always do good to others;- O Lord, the one who has such weapons! His consorts: Swabhmatha.srivallabhA yEvamhootha NeeLA nAyakA: 10.The one who is always dearest to Him; who is foe ever, matching and suitable, without blemishes, has a suitable ThirumEni azhaghu, attributes, guNAs, capabilities, command, qualities precisely identical to the Lord- Sri MahAlakshmi- Her nAyakA!, Similarly BhoomidEvi, NeeLAdEvi nAyakA! His parijana, parichArikALs: SwatchAndhAnu.saraNayugaLA 11. The state, actions and qualities of following emperumAn's thiruvuLLam(mind) at all times, the concentration and determination to perform service to the Lord at all times and with a thought about that only at all times, the GnAnam, actions, command, qualities and attributes and such countless kalyANa gunAs are housed in AdhisEshan, vishvaksEnar, Garudan, and other parijanangaL and maids who always serve the Lotus feet of our Lord incessantly. O such great two feet! BhagawAn's place: ParamayOgivaikuntanAthA.. 12.Even the most greatest yOgis can not talk or think or measure His swaroopam, such wonderful swaroopam, swabhAvam, such qualities are fully housed in unlimited, beautiful, blemishless, permanent, the one where there is no comparison to any other place- such Sri vaikunta vAsi! Akila ulaga nAthan SwasankalpAnu vibhavalaya leela.. 13. The One who has leelAs(playful acts) of The creation, the sustenance and the Destruction of all countless, wonderful enjoyer, the enjoyment and the enjoyed, the one who has housed within Himself as His nature the prakrithi, the purushan and the time(kAlam),- Such leelA vinOdhA! Surrender to the Lord SathyakAmAprapadyE.. The One who has all that He can think of; who can achieve all that He can attempt; The one who is a parabrahman; uttamapurushan; who rules all unlimited, unbounded beings and non-beings; Sri mahAlakshmi nAyakA!, NarAyaNA; Sri vaikutanAthA; The one who is an ocean of kArunyam, sowseelyam, vAtsalyam, AudhAryam, Sowndharyam; The one who does not see the level and protects everyone equally; who wipes the sufferings of bhaktALs; who removes bhaktALs' mistakes; who knows the truths of all matters; movable ones, non movable ones-He commands them at all times; who is the support for the entire Universe; who is a swAmi for the entire Universe; And also my swAmi; Who has everything with Him; who can get whatever He thinks; who is different from others (except Him); who is like a kaRpakatharu for those who beg Him; who is a friend in need; one who never separates Himself from pirAtti; Sriman NarAyaNA; one who is the only refuge for those who are in need of support; Such Sri NarAyaNA! I surrender into your two Lotus feet. (Dvaya manthram to be recited here) Pitharam... gruhANi cha.. O BhagawAn! I have left the bonds of bodily relations like father, mother, wife, children, bhandhus(relatives), friends, Gurus, RathinangaL(wealth), danadhAnyangaL. Properties, Houses, DharmangaL, and all others, and have surrendered to your feet, TrivikramA! TvamEvadEva sodum.. DEvAdhi dEvA! You are my mother; my father; my relative; my Guru; my knowledge; my matter; my every thing; One who has unparalleled good qualities; One who is a father of all movable and immovable, living and non living beings; You are the only one who can be worshipped; You are the only one who can be a Teacher; Hence, You are the GREATEST; When there is not even an equal person to match You; How can there someone be greater than You(There CAN NOT BE). Hence, I have placed my human body flat on the ground and prostrate at your feet considering You as my Lord, the one who is worshippable. Consider me as a son to a father; as a friend to another friend; as a wife to a husband; and bear all my mistakes, blunders which I have committed. (Our Sri RamanujA thus prostrated to Sriya: pathi and begged to be forgiven by the Lord). ManOvAkkAyai..kShamasva.. 10&11.Through the mind, Language and the body, from time immemorial (for so many births), the mistakes, blunders (apachArams) have been committed; that too, tremendous, infinite number of apachArams- doing the ones which should not have been done; not doing the ones which should be done as per shAstrAs; committing apachArams to the Lord; to the BhAgavathALs; committing unforgivable, unpardonable apachArams; -All of these, O Lord, Please show mercy on me and forgive me for my such mistakes. Out of these apachArams, some have already started giving me results; some have not yet yielded results; some have been committed in the past; some are being done in the present; and some may even be committed in the future; - Please forgive me for all these apachArams. With regards to Atman, Worldly things, I have been having a misconception and having a "vibhareetha GnAnam", for quite a long time (for so many births); All these wrong GnAnams and misconceptions, which I possess, and will possess- Please forgive me them also. Request for removal of "mAyai" madheeya-anAdhi karma... mAm thAraya.. 12. The mAyA, which has been there in me due to my karmAs I have been doing for a long time; which has been hiding me from the Supreme Truth (BhagawAn) and has been leading me to a "vibhareetha GnAnam" of mistaking the Body as Atman (or attaching myself to the Body); a thinking that "Worldly and sensual pleasures are the happiest and are to be sought after; the mAyA which has been as a body, as sense organs, as bhOgyam, as gross and fine matter; as sattva, rajas and thamasa guNAs; - Such a mAyA of mine(who is saying to You, "I have surrendered to You and am Your servant ALWAYS")-Please enable me to cross over Thy mUla prakriti of the entire guNAs causing beginningless and endless karmas". tEshAm gnAnee... sudhurlabha:.. 13."the GnAni is the one, who is a bhakthA and always thinks of me; hence, he is my dearest. and I am his dearest too." - Please make me such a gnAni!. Request for PARABHAKTI "purushas sa para: pArtha:... kinkarO bhavAni.. 14."ArjunA, that Parama purushan can be attained through unadulerated ekAntha bhakti only"; "can be attained only with a single pointed devotion/bhakti"; "he gets the Highest Bhakti from Me"- You have mentioned such parama bhakti three times; - Please bless me with such a paramabhakti. 15.Please make me an embodiment of para bhakti, paragnAna and parama bhakti. 16.With those para bhakti, paragnAnam and parama bhakti, I will get Bhagavadh anubhavam and will get "nitya kainkaryam" to You. BHAGAWAAN REPLIES: Evambhootha mathkainkarya....kinkarO bhavishyasi.. 17.Like that, you may not possess or have any means to get Nitya kainkaryam to Me; you may have committed numerous apachArams to Me; and to My bhAgavathALs; you may have committed unpardonable apacharams; you may have possessed vibhareetha ahankAram and vibhareetha gnAnam and hidden the"Real" swaroopam of Atman; You may have got WRONG vibhareetha thoughts for ages (for so many births); you may possess sathva, rajasa, thAmasa guNAs and also are bound by sukha, dukkangaL(pleasure and sorrows); their causes-theorigin of such vibhareetha thoughts;- you are being troubled and disturbed greatly by the above things and obstruct you to get the "paripoorNa parabhakti, paragnAnam and paramabhakti; - In spite of all these, even though, you have all the above, JUST BECAUSE SOME WAY (may be, inadvertently), YOU HAVE RECITED DWAYA MANTHRAM; and Hence, With My Grace and Mercy, you will get rid of all hurdles; worries and troubles coming in the way to obtain para bhakti and para gnAnam and parama bhakti; With My Grace, you will be blessed with My Swaroopam, GuNam, Roopam, Perumai, LeelAs etc., and you will see Them in person; you will be My servant and you will enjoy Me ONLY; you will realise that realising Me and Serving Me ONLY GIVES you HAPPINESS AND BLISS; For ever, permanently, with no other material benefit or desire, you will LOVE to serve Me; Experiencing Me and Great Love and Bhakti, affection arising in you out of that Rich Experience will come to you BY MY GRACE; you will always PERENNIALLY LOVE TO SERVE ME AND GET BLESSED; you will be keen on That only; 18. This section is an assuring answer by the Lord to a question that Sri Ramanuja has in mind :When do I start such a kaimkaryam ? You have already started BEING like that. 19.Keep reciting Dwaya manthram and ITS MEANING and get over even the semblance of ALL the HURDLES; Live like that HAPPILY in SRIRANGAM till your body is worn out and will not house YOU ANY MORE; 20.When your body falls down, you will shine BRIGHT BY MY GRACE and you will see My Darshan and You will be GREATLY INQUISITIVE to see Me and Reach Me to Serve Me; and you will shed the BODY like removing the Old Cloth; you will get All Bhakti for Me Due to My Grace; You will get "Nitya Kainkaryam" for Me; and you will Not desire anything other than the bliss and happiness of performing Nitya Kainkaryam; 21.Have No Doubts about This (mA thE bhoothathra samsaya:) 22. I have NEVER UTTERED FALSEHOOD; Nor will I ever; Rama Never Talks Twice; "Once, whoever surrenders to Me and says "I am Your Servant", I offer "AbhaYam" to All such Beings"; 23.SACRIFICE ALL FRUITS OF YOUR KARMA AND SURRENDER TO MY FEET; I SHALL DELIVER YOU FROM ALL YOUR ALL SINFUL REACTIONS. DO NOT FEAR OR LAMENT. (SarvadharmAn ... mA sucha:) 24. Athas thwam thava.. sukhamAswa.. Hence, you, the one who has joined Me, will know Me as I am, will see as I am and will reach Me as I am and shall HAVE NO DOUBTS AT ALL ABOUT IT; Live Happily Till then. (Dearest Brothers and Sisters- It is Just my free translation and I know with my limited (and no) knowledge, it is beyond my ability and capacity to do full justice to this Gadhyam's RICH TATHWAM; My attempt is a humble one , since great AchAryAs have commented on the many deep meanings of this gadhyam that is dear to the world of Sri VaishNavAs. They have commented extensively about Sri RamAnujA's saraNAgathi Gadhyam serving as an exposition of the Dvaya manthram that has come to us thru AchAryAs . I place this humble effort of mine at the feet of the divya dampathis of Srirangam and AchArya RaamAnujA with great humility and in the spirit of service to the Sri VaishNavA community -- Narayana dasan Madhavakkannan
Sriranga GadyamDearest sisters and brothers, Subsequent to the article on "saraNAgathi Gadhyam", let us get blessed by the bhakti and great intense personal and emotional anubhavam of our achAryA in his SriRanga Gadhyam. 1. svAdheenatrividhachEtanAchEtana-.....bhavAmi.... "Bhagawaan- the one who has and holds sway over the bhaktha, mukhta and nitya varities of chEtanAs (sentinent) and their existence and activities; and achEthanAs (insentinent); the one who is not affected nor influenced by miseries and by sinful and virtuous karmAs; the one who has excellent innumerable kalyANa guNAs (as enumerated by AchAryA in "saraNAgathi Gadhyam" also) namely.,JnAnam(true and perfect knowledge), Bhala (ability to support the whole Universe), Aishwarya (incomparable wealth and ruler ship of the Universe), veerya (untiring virility), shakthi (power to act without extraneous help), tEjas(unmatched radiance), souseelya(purest character), vAtsalya(pure unmitigated love), Maardava(affectionate tenderness towards devotees/ bhagavathaaLs), Aarjava(Honesty), Souhardha(Thinking of good only), Samya(equanimous one), KaruNya(Merciful), Madhurya(sweet even to enemies), Gambheerya(majesty and nobility), Audharya(giving out liberally- vaLLal thanmai), Chathurya(ability to change even enemies into friends), sthairya(determined to stay on chosen course), dhairya(undaunted courage to bring succor to the bhakthAs), sowrya(ablility to fight alone), parakrama(winning the battles effortlessly), sathya kAma(having Thy will ever fulfilled), sathya sankalpa(Having Thy deeds fully executed), krutithvam(carrying out the duties of BhagavathaaLs), kruthangnathai(remembering with gratitude even a little worship offered to Him), and repository and ocean of all such innumerable kalyANa guNAs; He is parabrahmam and PurushOtthaman (foremost); He is SriRanga saayi; the one who is reclining on the serpent bed in Sri Rangam and He is my swamin;- I am always subject to the command of Him, and have tasted the sweetnesss of being in service to the Lord forever. I will always consider Him as the subject of my Bhakti and GNAnam and will enjoy Him only as my only aim with no gap or separation at all; with such enjoyment, I will get tremendous happiness and bliss and pErAnandham and will involve myself at all times and all circumstances, in offering my service to the Lord and will be saoked and immersed in such service." 2. svAtma niyAmya....prapadyE... ".I, the jivaathma, am always at Your beck and call; always at Your disposal for carrying out service and having a thought of service at all times; having love for enjoyment of limitless kalyANa guNAs of the Lord; Arising out of that enjoyment, is the Bhakti yoga, karma yoga and Gnana yoga, sAthveekam, Asthikam etc., - But the above all are NOT in me; On the contrary, I possess vibhareetha gnAnam and karma and am caught in deep waters of inescapable ocean of sins; I am incapable of breaking myself free from this ocean (crossing the ocean of sin) with my knowledge and bhakti since they are covered with ego and are covered by my inevitable association with prakritti. My unavoidable association with triguNAs is like oil in the sesame seed (eLLil eNNAI pOl) and fire in firewood(araNikkatayil neruppu pOl). I am bound by the rope of karma in the form of virtue and sin accumulated over time immemorial over the ages for so many births of mine out of ignorance; I am incapable of finding the means to overcome this bondage of samsaara ; However hard I try, it is not possible; Hence, the only refuge of all beings! O Lord! Sriman NarayaNA!, the one who is ever associated with Sri Lakshmi!, You are the only means of emancipation. I surrender at Your Lotus feet. I seek Your protection. (Sisters and brothers, Acharya, we all know, DOES NOT possess such limitations but is speaking on OUR BEHALF and whatever he says are only for us; Let us realise THAT and get blessed by AcharyA and Divine Dampathis!) 3.Eva mavasthi thasyaapi...praarthayE. "Even though I am in such a helpless state, just because I have begged you, having that alone as the reason, the ever merciful Lord, emperumaan, will grant me the favour of firm single-minded devotion in everlasting service to Him; Oh Lord! Please grant me this boon and I pray for it." 4.tavaanubhoothi sambhoota...gatimanyathA... I do not have any other shelter and have no other means. BhagavaanE! Please give me and grant me the service to You from the joy of experiencing and enjoying You. Please enable me to please You with my love for You and grant that out of Your limitless mercy." (You all may notice that any love, bhakti for Sriman Narayana arising in us is and can come only due to His mercy and NOTHING else; Our begging Him to grant us that is all the simplest effort we have to take- Simple- let us start begging Him now immedeiately!) sarvaavathOchitasEsha....kurushva mAm... 5." SenthAmaraik kaNNA!..(Red Lotus eyed Lord!) I should always be eager to render all forms and all kinds of service under all conditions. Please bless me to possess this state of mind". Evambhootha....kAraya 6." Even though I have no sincere wish to know the truth nor desire; and I am not fit for Your grace to reach the goal, just because I am doing lip service and am uttering such words (without actually sincerely meaning them),- taking that as my request please grant me the mind to concentrate on what I am going to tell and consider my words as an excuse to fill my deficiencies" (What an excellent reflection about our character and defects in our minds! acharya is narrating in clear categorical terms the state of our minds and their nature) apArakanuNambhthE!...namOsthuthE.. 7. "Oh Limitless infinite Ocean of Mercy!, the Ultimate Shelter and Succour of all irrespective of differences!, the One who wipes and removes the distress of all who take refuge in Him!, Great Ocean of Love to Your Devotees!, The One, who knows all truths about all beings that are created !, You who is filled with ENTIRETY!, the One, who has His wishes always fulfilled!, The One who can do all that He wishes!, Friend in my distress!, Oh kAkusthA (RaamA!), the One, who is ever associated with Sri!, Sriman NararyaNA!, The One, who is the Greatest among all!, Sri RanganAthA!, My NathA!, I PROSTRATE BEFORE YOU!" (Sisters and brothers, Acharya conveys us the saraNAgathi tatvam and that the Lord is ever Merciful and showers His grace and mercy on those who surrender to Him. He has used Sri Ram for His mercy on the Bird, the Monkeys, the Old lady (sabhari), the stone(ahalyaa), the enemy's brother(vibheeshaNa), the vEdan(Guhan), the asuran (kAkAsuran) (and all of us!)) -- Narayana dasan Madavakkannan Sri Vaikunta GadhyamThis "Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam" is the third Gadhyam of our AchAryA's Gadhya trayam- (Let us immerse ourselves into this excellent composition and get a darshan of Sriya: Pathih Sriman NarayaNa's Vaikuntam and be blessed by the AchAryA and Divya Dampathis;) 1.svAdheena trividha chEtanAchEtana_.saraNa manuvrajEth.. "Emperumaan- Bhagawaan- the One who has and holds sway over the ChEthanAs (sentient) namely., bhaktha, muktha and nithya varieties ., and their existence and activities; Also over the AchEthanAs (Non-sentient beings); He is the One who is NOT affected by nor influenced by miseries, pApa and puNya (sinful and virtuous) karmAs; He is the One who has excellent Greatest innumerable kalyANa GuNAs namely., jnAnam, bhalam, aishvaryam, veeryam, shakti, and is an Ocean of such Most Auspicious attributes; - He is the Foremost among men; I shall consider Him as my Master, Friend, Teacher at all times and I shall render service to His Lotus Feet and only such thought should prevail in my mind always; To attain that Nitya kaimkaryam, even after wasting the Thousands of ages (births), with a thinking that there are OTHER MEANS but to surrender at the Lotus Feet of Him- who is the Ocean of Mercy for all beings; who has the unbounded nature of being good to anyone; who thrills the minds of dEvAs, human beings and all other beings with His Grand GuNAs; who is the Ocean of Love for His bhagavatOttamaaLs; who considers being in the company of His devotees as the Biggest enjoyment; who has the Grandest attributes in Him; Such Sriman NarayaNan's Lotus Feet- I shall think at all times that these Two Feet, which are the only means for salvation for the Athmaa ;There are no OTHER means for salvation - With that thinking I shall surrender at His Feet; 2.thathaccha^EanusmarEth.. "Thereafter, everyday, I shall continue to think in this manner for the salvation of my Athman; 3.chathur dasa bhuvanaathmaka maNdambhagavthE vinEdhayath.. SRI VAIKUNTAM The Universe which consists of fourteen lOkAs; beyond that, the seven aavaraNangaL which are ten times the size of these Universes; Beyond these Cause and Effect Groups; there exists "parama aakAsam" the One which can NOT be comprehended /attained even by the minds and speeches of Brahmaa and others- That is Sri Vaikuntam, the Divya lOkam. In that lOkam populated by the likes of sanathkumArA known for their jnAnam, by the like of BrahmA, RudrA et al known for their karma bhavanA, likes of mahAthmAs known for their devotion to their (our) Lord, there is ONE BIG ThirukkOil (temple) whose Length and Breadth can NOT be measured at all - which is surrounded by thousands of Gardens full of flowers and kaRpakA trees (capable of giving whatever one wishes) - which is surrounded by thousands of beautiful ramparts; In that temple, there is an exquisitely beautiful "asthAna maNtapam" (Hall?) which has hundreds of thousands of "Rathna" pillars, floor made of gems, curtains, etc., surrounded by trees which shower most fragrant flowers always, at all times; There are Halls surrounded by kaRpaka trees yielding pArijAtha flowers; These halls always look as if they have just been built; Some of thses halls are meant for Sriman NarayaNan's Divya leelAs and some others are meant for AlarmEl mangai's Divya leelAs and others are meant for the enjoyment of Divya Dampathis together; There are hundreds of thousands of gardens where parrots, peacocks, cuckoos etc., add beauty to them. They are surrounded by Streams of water where crystal clear water flows; they are filled by Divine Birds which are extremely beautiful to look at and whose sweet voices are pleasing to hear; Divine Swans swim in those streams of water which flow at SriVaikuntam; There are beautiful play grounds which stupefy people who see them; In those play grounds there are beds made of flowers at different places; In one of those playgrounds, where there are honey - bees sing merrily and where sandal, camphor, Divya pushpanGaL etc., add sughandha (Good) smell to the place; Amidst such a place, there is a Divine Beautiful Cot on which is seated, AdisEshan - and Above AdhsEshA;- SRI MAHA LAKSHMI She illumines the Entire dEvalOkam with Her lustre; the One who directs the kaimkaryams for the Lord (that has to be done by sEshan) and VishvaksEnar; She is EQUAL to The Lord in GuNAS, Form and the Attributes in all respects- With Such Sri MahAlakshmi, Our Emperumaan adorns the place; The BEAUTY OF BAGAWAN Like the just bloomed Red Lotus flower, the kaNNazhgan, Blue hued Lord,- who wears the glittering peethAmbharam, who enlightens the Whole world with His Cool, Pure, ThirumEni;- incomprehensible, Divine, Wonderful, Ever permanent, Youthful, Ocean of Beauty; Since His body is so tender, it appears as if due to exertion, there are few droplets of sweat on His forehead and few strands of dark hair falling on His forehead; - The One, who has the Beautiful eyes as if it is just bloomed Lotus flower, who has the eye brows like the creeper, who has the Most beautiful lower lip, who has the sweet, pleasing smile on His lips, who has soft cheeks, sharp, prominent nose, Bright, long, ear studs (kuNdalanGaL) that hang down to the shoulders; who has the neck like the Conch, who has the calf muscles (that have been pressed by the dEvis and contain the fallen flowers form dEvis' heads)- and the Four long hands extending upto the Calf muscles; who has the Most Beautiful lines in His soles of His Feet, which are red in colour like Red Lotuses; who has the Beautiful rings in His fingers; who has the Fresh Red Lotus like Feet; Ornaments (AabharaNanGaL) To touch they are very soft and exude excellent fragrance in them; they are extermely beautiful to look at (because they adorn His Divine Body); these are kireetam (Crown), makutam, choodavathamsam, makarakuNtalam, neckalce, haaram, thOL vaLai, bangles, Sri Vathsam, Kausthupam, Pearl Necklace, araignAN, peethAmbharam, thru vayiRRUp pattam, thiruvadich chilambhu, - such ornaments adorn the Lord; Beautiful Vaijayanthi vanamaali adorns Him; Sanghu, chakrA, Divine Sword, Saarngham, - such srong Divine weapons are borne by Him; By delegating and giving the necessary powers to VishvaksEnar who just by thinking can create, sustain and destroy the Entire Universe; - Such Emperumaan sits surrounded by NitysUris, who by nature do not have the misfortunes that the samsaaris (like us) are burdened with; NityasUris By nature, they are eternally free souls; none that samsaaris have; they consider the servitude to the Lord as the Only enjoyment- Such Divya sooris (like GarudA) serve Him; - The One, who by just a mere glance can enliven the Universe with Happiness; - His nectar of words that comes from the middle of The Red Lotus-like face; which adorns the Red Lotus; which is adorned by Divine GhAmbeeryam, OudhAryam, mAthuryam and such Great kalyANa GuNAs; which fill the valleys in everyone's minds; - Such Emperumaan- seeing Him in our minds; thinking and realizing Him and His Primordial Nature; - Longing Desire of Athmaa Sriman NarayaNan He is the Master of my kulam, the Lord of my kulam, the Wealth of my kulam; My Enjoyment, My mother, My father, My Everything- Such Sriman NarayaNan When will I see Him? When will I get to The Lotus Feet of my Bhagawaan? When will I get the only desire to render service to His Lotus Feet and remove all other desires and all other natures of all kinds of samsaaris and attain His Feet? When will I get the capacity to render kaimkaryam to Bhagawaan and consider that alone as the Enjoyment and perform kainkaryam? When will Bhagawaan look at me with His cool eyes and speak to me lovingly, majestically and sweetly and command me to render the kainkaryam? Growing such a desire to render the kaikaryam to the Lord, (which also is growing due to His GRACE only ) approaching the Lord with that desire, I approach SRI VAIKUNTANATHAN, who sits on the lap of AdhisEshan- ATMA NIVEDHANAM When I approach The One who sits along with Sri MahAlakshmi, on the lap of Adi sEshan, The One who can be attained by GarudA et al., - Seeing such Bhagawaan- "Oh Sriman NARAYANAA! The One who stays with all His parivaar (entourage)!" addressing the Lord like that from afar, from a long distance, from then on,- continue to prostrate on the Ground towards the Direction where He sits, - with full of fear (due to Great respect), politeness, pay obeisance to the Lord and all others sitting in that Hall, the Commander-in-Chief, The Gate keepers, et al., and be seen and blessed by each of their merciful eyes; - Finally approach the Lord very closely and stay very near to Him and utter the ThiruvashtAkshara manthram and beg Him saying " Please grant me the capacity to render Nitya kainkaryam to YOU, My Lord, without any interruption and without any other fruit;" With such yAchakam (begging), I should surrender myself to the Lord. 4. thathO bhagawathA swayamEva^E.bhagavantha mupaasithE^E Bhagawaan considers and takes care "Then, Bhagawaan by Himself, for the salvation of athmaa, - looks very lovingly, and very much mercifully at me; I at all times, at all situations, will be enabled to have the necessary capacity to be the Humble servant; and will be permitted to be so; will pay obeisance to the Lord with full of Great fear (due to enormous reverence and respect for Him) and will serve Him with Folded arms and render service to Him. 5. Thathascha ^EavalOkayan aasitha.. The Ultimate Bliss of Bhagawaan's Darshanam " Then, enjoying all natures of the Lord, due to the Great infinite amount of love and bhakti for the Lord, there can not be any other doing, seeing, thinking- such actions are not possible to be carried out by me any more (by His grace); begging only for being His servant exclusively; Looking at HIM UNITERRUPTEDLY like a CRYSTAL CLEAR CONTINUOUS STREAM of seeing HIM and shall continue to do so; 6. ThathO bhagawathO swayamEva^Esukhamaaseetha.. The Athma sukham Granted By Bhagawaan Then, Bhagawaan, by Himself, for the salvation of athmaa, looks at ME, very much lovingly, affectionately, with a GENTLE SMILE CALLS ME, and removing all kinds of SORROWS, GRANTING THE UNBOUNDED, UNPARALLELED, ENJOYMENT OF KEEPING HIS LOTUS FEET ON MY HEAD- Like that Meditate on Him and let all parts (of the Body, Mind and the Intellect and Athmaa?) be immersed in THE OCEAN OF NECTAR AND ENJOYING THE GREATEST BLISS FOR EVER AND EVER; Dearest BhAgavatOttamALs, Such is the most Excellent composition of our AchAryA, YathirAjA, Sri RamanujAchArya. Be blessed with our AchAryA's tremendous enjoyment and bhakti for Sriya: pathih Sriman NarayaNan. Please read them especially on Ekadasis and on auspicious days; Let us read the meanings, since we do not know Sanskrit and are not capable of reading Gadhyams. Thanjamadaindha nam RamanujanE thanjam adiyEn NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan
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