Humble Pranams:
Lets pray for more families like this to take up services in India.
=============================================
Sri:
Dear Mukundan
       Forwarding an article. Interesting to read.
=============================================
After a week's hectic work, some people go to the
theatre, some watch a movie and munch popcorn, some
listen to music or read books, while still others
  prefer the television...

  But for B Rajesh and his wife Rajani, relaxation is
  of a different kind altogether. After taking care of
  the demands of Rajesh's small factory, the
  Chennai-based couple, along with their daughter and
  some close friends, drive down to a remote village
  where they stay for a week. Their mission: to clean
  and renovate temples that have fallen prey to
  neglect and the passage of time.

  Rajesh is an MTech from the Indian Institute of
  Technology, Madras, and owns a small factory with a
  turnover of Rs 3 million. Rajani works at the
  government-run television channel Doordarshan.
  The couple was first inspired by the words of Adi
  Sankara, that once upon a time temples were the
  focal point of village life and that all social
  activities in a village revolved around the temple.

  The second inspiration occurred 15 years ago when
  they came to know about a dilapidated Vishnu temple
  in Thirumazhisai near Poonamallee from a friend.
   "I still remember how the Vishnu temple looked when
  I first reached the place," says Rajesh. "We could
  hardly call it a temple. The face of Lord Vishnu was
  not visible at all. There were cobwebs everywhere
  and the whole place looked so dirty! We got all the
  more inspired to start work, and it went on for
  several weeks."
  Rajesh and Rajani cleaned out and renovated the
  temple. When the shankaracharya of Kanchi heard
  about the couple's work at Thirumazhisai, he
  summoned Rajesh to Kancheepuram and asked him not to
  stop the exceptional work that he had just begun. He
  also asked the couple to pay a visit to one Shiva
  temple at Achirupakkam, in Kancheepuram district.
  The shankaracharya had found the temple to be in a
  very bad shape, with bats infesting the interiors
  and few devotees visiting it. "Can you do something
  there? Can you make the villagers visit the temple?"
  he asked Rajesh.

  This became their second assignment.
  Rajesh first visited each and every house in the
  village and requested the villagers to come to the
  temple, but no one was willing to do so. So he,
  Rajani, and a few friends started cleaning the
  premises on their own. Soon, the embarrassed
  villagers joined the couple and their friends. Once
  the temple became visit-worthy, they organised
  prayers for the welfare of the villagers.
  Within a month, the number of people coming to the
  temple went up to around 500. "I didn't have to
  personally do all the renovation work there," he
  says. "I just kindled the interest in them, and that
  was enough for the villagers themselves to clean up
  the place. They understood that after all it was
  their own temple."
  News of the temple-renovating couple began to spread
  and they soon started received calls from various
villages requesting them to rebuild several
  dilapidated temples.
  Thus began their new journey. One temple after
  another was cleaned and renovated as the years flew
  by. Now, after 15 years of relentless work, they
  have renovated 50 temples in and around Kancheepuram
  district, a few kilometres south of Chennai!
  Rajesh and Rajani's modus operandi is this: Every
  weekend, accompanied by a few friends and relatives,
  with bagsful of fruit and flowers, they drive to the
  village where their efforts are needed. Without
  waiting for the villagers to join them, without even
  calling them, they start cleaning the temples. This
  act generally prompts the villagers to join them.
  Sometimes they carry food prepared at home to the
  temple site; at other times they carry the necessary
  provisions and, with the help of the villagers, cook
  lunch in the village. But they always make sure that
  the villagers join them in partaking of the lunch.
  After a day's work, they prepare prasadam and
  distribute it to all the villagers.
  "Free food also attracts the poor villagers and they
  join us in the renovation work that way," says
  Rajesh. "After a few visits, we become friends. We
  start carrying the provisions needed for a feast and
  the villagers join us in preparing the meals. We sit
  together and eat the food. My driver Antony is a big
  help in the effort."
  One of the most exciting experiences the couple has
  had was at Kovalam, a place near Chennai. When they
  came to know that a place filled with waste and
  plastic bags was once a temple tank, they decided to
  reclaim it.
  "Funds are never a problem for us, we get money from
  somewhere," says Rajesh. "In this case, somebody
  gave a bulldozer free, somebody gave two lorries
  free, someone gave diesel free... all for a good
  cause. Within five days, we dug up the whole place
  and collected two lorries full of plastic waste.
  After that, we invited the district collector to
  inaugurate the tank. After the inauguration, he
  promised to construct a compound wall.
  "It is a service and not only the local people but
  even the government is involved in such constructive
  projects. Once the tank reappeared, the villagers
  started getting good water! We also renovated the
  temple in the process. Believe it or not, Kovalam is
  a Muslim-dominated area and a Muslim gentleman
  donated Rs 1,000 to the temple!"
  Another unforgettable incident occurred at Nemam
  where they came across a temple that was locked for
  25 years. When they first reached the place, they
  couldn't even locate the temple; the tall grass
  around hid it. When they asked the villagers to help
  them clean the place, the villagers retorted: 'How
  much money will you give us?' Rajesh told them, 'I
  have come here to clean your temple. You have to pay
  me for that! This is your temple and it is this
  deity that will bring you health and wealth. Since
  you are not cleaning it, I will do it for you.' His
  answer silenced them.
  Soon, one by one, the villagers joined them in
  cleaning the surroundings. "As we moved forward,
  cutting the bushes, we saw the temple, and also
  knee-deep dust inside. The temple was built in such
  a way that only on the 1st of Chithirai [the Tamil
  New Year Day, which coincides with April 14],
  sunlight would fall on the deity. So the whole area
  was very dark and we could not see anything. Then
  somebody lit a matchstick and suddenly we saw a Siva
  lingam three feet tall!"
  This is not an isolated story, Rajesh says.
  Once the locals are motivated enough to take care of
  the temple and other community activities, they help
  the villagers form a village committee. Slowly, the
  couple moves to another village, another temple, and
  another challenge.
  Encouraged by Rajesh and Rajani's effort, a few
  voluntary organisations have also chipped in. For
  example, the Sankara Netralaya, one of the most
  famous eye hospitals in Chennai, arranges free eye
  camps for the poor and old villagers when such
  temple-cleaning operations are on. When the doctors
  visit the villages, the villagers invite the doctors
  to eat food with them.
  Not that the couple never faced difficulties. They
  had to encounter resistance and protests in some
  places where the villagers suspected their motives.
  Why do these city people come here? Is it to grab
  our land? Once, when Rajesh opened a temple that was
  locked for 50 years, he received a lawyer's notice
  for doing so. But no hurdle has deterred the couple
  or dampened its spirit.
  Both Rajesh and Rajani believe that religious places
  are very important for the development of a village.
  "We are willing to clean and renovate other
  religious places too. The good thing is, when we
  start cleaning old temples, people belonging to
  other religions also start cleaning their places."
  Money and help have never been a problem for them.
  People from unexpected quarters come forward and
  offer them money and manpower.
"All the profit that
  I make from my small factory goes to this work,"
  says Rajesh. "I am only a catalyst. I have to only
  start and afterwards the villagers themselves
  continue the work. And we do it because we get
  pleasure out of the work."
  ====================================

azhwAr emperumAnAr JeeyAr thiruvadigalE sharanam

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
Mukundan Vangkipuram Pattangi
http://www.radioramanuja.com

Sri:
Humble Pranam & Happy Deepawali to ALL:

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================================================
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Azhwar Emberumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Sharanam

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan
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Sri: | Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Sutra 63:
More important than being enslaved to Him, is not being enslaved to another.

Sri PBA Swami's Sarartha Deepikai:
The meaning shown in Sutra 61 is being stressed again here. As shown before,
removing of anya sEshatvam which is a terrible thing is very important for a
jIva. Therefore, even more important than being enslaved to Him is not being
enslaved to another. It is not just that the meaning of ukAram is better taken
as avatAraNam rather than Lakhmi. The removal of anya sEshatvam even more than
having bhagavat sEshatvam, is the most necessary thing.

Jai Sriman Narayana | adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan | TCA Venkatesan
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/mumukshuppadi/index.html

Jai Srimannarayana!
Sri  Sri Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji's Tirunakshatram will be celebrated on 4th 
Nov. We, all his discipiles around the world pray for his mangalasasanams and
his continued spiritual and social invaluable guidance to us and the the entire
world.

VT-Masab Tank, Hyd'bad

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha | Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha I

Sri manavAla mahAmuni (azhagiya manavAlan at that time) was studying under
thiruvAimozhi pillai at that time.  The greatness of all our poorvAcharyas is
that they never considered themselves to be a master instead they always
considered them to be a shisya of their own acharya and their shisya also to be
only their acharya’s shisya.  So thiruvAimozhi pillai told Sri manavAla mahAmuni
to consider rAmanuja to be his acharya and not himself. By the order of his
acharya, Sri manavAla mahAmuni then sung the 21 excellent slokas on ethirAja,
the “YethirAja vimsathi”.  ThiruvAimozhi pillai was highly pleased, with the
love and respect Sri manavAla mahAmuni had for ethirAja, which he has expressed
in simple slokas, but with indepth meaning. At that time, thiruvAimozhi pillai
presented his thiruvArAdha rAmanuja vigraham to Sri manavAla mahAmuni and asked
him to always remain with same prathipaththi (gratefulness) towards ethirAja.

This is the reason why Sri manavAla mahAmuni in his arthi prabhandam cried to
ethirAja to grant moksha, washing all his sins with swamy’s krupa. But never did
Sri manavAla mahAmuni forget that, he falling into the feet of ethirAja happened
only due to the grace of thiruvaimozhipillai(Arthi prabhandam-58).

Sri manavAla mahAmuni says, "Due to the grace of thiruvAimozhi pillai Oh
ethirAja! Now I know the relation between you and me.  After that how can I stay
without thinking that you are everything for my soul?"

So each of our acharyas put us all into their acharya’s feet and they inturn put
us to the feet of Sri rAmanuja who is the udaiyavar who grants us all moksha
(“vishnulOka manimantapa mArgathAyi”). Since thiruvAimozhi pillai instructed Sri
manavAla mahAmuni to consider Sri rAmanuja as his sole refuge, Sri manavAla
mahAmuni, with the gratefulness towards his acharya, in his mind, surrenders to
the divine feet of ethirAja.  That’s why in his upadesa ratnamalai he says, "iam
talking as per the instructions of my jnana pitha sri thiruvAimozhi pillai".

---------------------------------
There is one other legend in the life history of Bhagavad Ramanujacharya, which
confirms that ramanuja sambhandam will surely grant us moksha.
---------------------------------

Let's see in the next posting.
Jai Srimannarayana | Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan |

Sri Krishna Parabrahmane: namaha | Srimathe Ramanujayanamaha |

E:swara’s compassion and the punya earned by Devaki-Vasudeva in their earlier
births were responsible for the darshan of Lord. They did not do any ‘sa:dhana’
(practice) in their current birth. The Lord graced them with a darshan of His
actual form as a result of their sukrutha (good karma) in their previous births.
It’s only Lord who out of compassion blesses us with His darshan. It is
unattainable with our efforts. The ‘Para:thpara’, Hari, due to His saulabhyam,
became accessible, as their son. This appearance was an experience of their
minds. He did not come as could be seen by all. He appeared only to Devaki and
Vasudeva. He spoke to them. He withdrew that form of His. This experience won’t
last for long. Once one witnesses Lord’s divine form, he would automatically be
relieved of his bondage of karma.

Upanishad says,
“bhidyathe: hrudaya grandhihi bhidyanthe: sarva samSaya:h |
kshe:manthe: ba:sya karma:Ni tasmin para:vare: ||”

One to whom even the de:vatha:s like Brahma are subordinate, when He appears,
the root of one’s ahamka:ra  gets destroyed. All the doubts vanish. The karmas
will be obliterated, say the Upanishads.

The heart is like the doors. Karma is like the chains that binds them. The
doubts are like the nails that are inserted in them. The doors opened when
Vasudeva had the darshan of Krishna. The chains were broken. The nails dropped
down. A real devotee is blessed with this wonderful experience, in this birth,
in this body, by the grace of Bhagavan.

To be continued ...
O:m Haraye Namaha | O:m Haraye Namaha | O:m Haraye Namaha |
Jai Srimannarayana | Ramanujamma Mudumbai Ramanuja dasi |

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha |Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha
SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam
Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramyajAmataram munim

Once Sri Ramanuja was delivering a lecture (kAlashEpam) on Sri rAmAyanam.  That
day the topic happened to be Vibheeshana sharanAgathi. Sri Ramanuja started
explaining the way vibheeshana came and stood in the air and waited for the
approval of Sri rAma to join his ghosti. Meanwhile sugreeva and others objected
saying he was the brother of ravana and since he has come in a wrong time, in a
wrong way etc, he should not be accepted.  While Sri Ramanuja went on saying
about the discussion between the members of the rAma parivar, about whether to
accept vibheeshana or not, one of his disciples pillai vurangAvilli dAsa stood
up from his place and started leaving.

It was unusual for anyone to leave in the middle, while Sri rAmAnuja was
delivering kalashepam. Amazed by the act of dAsa, Sri rAmanuja asked him the
reason. For which he replied, “When vibheesha, who was a dharmAtma had to face
so much opposition to attain the divine feet of perumal, then how can a sinner
like me attain perumal’s feet without a massive trial session? This thought
upset me and hence I'm leaving.”  Immediately ethirAja said, “Sit down. That was
Sri rAma ghosti and hence there was opposition for vibheeshana but this is Sri
rAmAnuja ghosti and hence there is no hinderance for anyone here to attain the
divine feet of God”.

Then swamy ethiraja further explained why there was no doubt for Sri rAmAnuja
sambhandis to attain moksha.  Swamy explained as follows: “You (pillai
vurangAvilli dAsa and others in the ghosti) will attain God's feet if I attain
moksha, I am assured moksha if periya nambi attained the same, periya nambi is
assured moksha if alavandaar attained the same, Alavandaar is assured moksha if
manakkAl nambi (rAma misra) attained the same, manakkAl nambi is assured moksha
if uyyakondar(pundareekAksha) attained the same, uyyakondar follows nAthamuni,
nAthamuni follows nammAzhvar, nammAzhvar follows vishvaksEna, vishvaksEna
follows periya pirAtti, and thAyar follows perumal.  Do you have any doubt in
God having the control of moksha? If not, then we are all assured of the same
without any trial” said Sri RamAnuja.

What happens next?
We will see in the next posting. (To be continued)
Jai Sriman Narayana | Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai| Sumithra Varadarajan

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha l Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha
   SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam
   Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramyajAmataram munim

By this it has been clearly proved that everyone who has a relation with
rAmAnuja are assured moksha.  Our direct acharyas put us under the divine feet
of Bhagavad rAmAnujAcharya.  That is what Sri manavAla mahAmuni says in Arthi
prabhandam (12)
"Oh ethirajA! My acharya who is being praised by everyone Sri
thiruvAimozhipillai, the flawless thirumalaiAzhvar, due to the great love he had
towards me put me into your divine feet with a thought to uplift this soul and
make me reach the divine feet of God. So please fulfill his wish accordingly."

When lost in a big ocean, a lifeboat saves us and takes us towards another ship
which inturn shows us the shore. Similarly thiruvAimozhipillai was the lifeboat
that saved Sri manavAla mahAmuni from the miseries of the world and put him into
the divine feet of rAmAnuja (the big ship) who transports innumerable jeevatmas
from this world of misery to the world of ever joy (nithya vibhuthi, Sri
Vaikundam) and places us in the permanent kainkaryam of God. The lifeboat is
absolutely essential for each one of us and hence we all should be highly
grateful to our acharyas who save our soul but all the lifeboats finally reach
only the big ship. EthirAja.  So now that Sri manavAla mahAmuni has been thrown
into the feet of rAmanuja by his acharya, he begs ethiraja to cut his samsAric
relation and send him to the divine abode of God. That is the main essence of
his Arthi prabhandam.
------------------------------
Is rAmAnuja capable of only transporting us to the nithya vibhuthi or does
surrendering to his feet give us any joy in this world too? Sri manavAla
mahAmuni explains in his paasuram-55 what all he has obtained here, in this
leela vibhuti due to the divine grace of the acharya.
-----------------------------

We will see in the next posting. (To be continued)
Jai Sriman Narayana | Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan

~Jai Srimannarayana
Dear Srikanth,
Very nice questions. You can find answeres to all your questions in HH Sri
Chinna Jeeyar Swami's Pra:tas smarani:yam CDs (2-CD set). This CD set has
around 20+ brief explanations about various concepts and secrets revealed by
the sthotras, in divine voice of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami.

You can secure the CDs by visiting: http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/products.htm
~Jai Srimannarayana
------------------------
>From:  B_Srikanth
>Q1 : Who is God ? Does He have a form or is He formless ? What is His name
>? Where does He reside ? Q2 : Are Lord Krishna, Lord Siva, Lord Brahma,
>Lord Ganesa, Goddess Durga, etc one and the same or are they different with
>different roles and powers ? Q3 : I understand that the aim of human life
>is to reach God. Is that correct ? If yes, Then what should I do to reach
>Him?

Sri Krishna Parabrahmane: namaha
Srimathe: Ramanujaya namaha

The words of Bhagavan are Sruthi:s and Smruthi:s. We should follow them with
belief and devotion. Lord told Vasudeva to take Him and walk ahead. He never
thought, “How can I go forward when there are so many obstacles in my way?”. The
Lord told him to do so and he did. All the hindrances vanished on their own.

It was raining heavily. The sky of our hearts is cast with the clouds of
illogical thinking and packed with the darkness of ajna:na. The rain of
‘a:dhya:thmika’, ‘a:di bhouthika’ and ‘a:di daivika’ griefs keep pouring down on
us. Those miseries cannot be stopped with our efforts. When Vasudeva took Lord
Krishna on his head and walked ahead, the ‘She:sha’ prevented the rain from
falling on Krishna with his hoods. Vasudeva too escaped the rain. If we keep the
Lord in our hearts and lead our lives, Se:sha protects us from the rain of
miseries.

Why are we gripped by the grief?
It is because of our thinking: This is  ‘I’ ; ‘for my sake’; ‘ I am doing my
work’! It’s not true. We should do with the feeling: This is ‘He’ ; ‘for His
sake’; ‘He is getting His work done`.  This ‘bha:vana’ is called ‘Se:shathvam’
When one has this Se:shathvam, the sorrows won’t touch him.

Yamuna is flowing beside Madhura. Yamuna is sister to Yama. They both are
Surya’s children. Both are black. Yama controls time. Yamuna is the flow of
time. Time keeps on passing. A river keeps on flowing. Madhura is on this side
of the Yamuna. Vrajam is on the other banks of Yamuna. Madhura is being ruled by
Kamsa. ‘Vraja’ is ruled by Nanda. We know that Kamsa denotes ‘desire’ (ka:mam).
It rules over the kingdom of ‘samsa:ra mandalam’. Nanda rules over ‘Vraja’. He
is the ‘guru’. He is always in a state of a:nanda and he is the giver of
a:nanda. That is only ‘mumukshu mandalam’. Lord Krishna has to arrive there.

To be continued ...
O:m Haraye Namaha | O:m Haraye Namaha | O:m Haraye Namaha |
Jai Srimannarayana | Ramanujamma Mudumbai Ramanuja dasi |

Priya Bhagawatas, Happy Deepawali greetings to all!
Gitajyothi Week No. 30 discourse of  Sri Sri Sri Jeeyar Swamiji in Telugu
recorded from Gemini TV on 3rd November 0600 IST 2002 can be found at:
   http://www.geocities.com/krk1961
   http://gitajyoticurrentweek.tripod.com
                                30 th week
                    maya: prasanne:na thava:rjune:dam
                 ru:pam param darsaitham a:thma yo:ga:th|
                   the:jo: mayam visvam anantham a:dyam
                yanme: thvadanye:na na drushta pu:rvam ||
                                   11-47
  Brief Translation :
   Lord Krishna to Arjuna
   "Pleased  with you I  have shown you,
   through My own power of Yoga, this supreme,
   effulgent, primal and infinite Cosmic Body,
   which was never seen before by anyone else than you"
Jai Srimannarayana | Kilambi Ramakrishna Ramanuja Dasan
List of Other sites/archives available at http://acharyakrupa.tripod.com

Sri: | Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:
Sutra 64:
By the divine words of Thirumazisai Azhvar that says Srivaishnavas are those who
even if they forget His name will not become enslaved to another.

Sri PBA Swami's Sarartha Deepikai:
To explain the previous sutra, the 68th pasuram from Nanmugan Thiruvanthaathi
("thiruvadi than naamam maRanthum puRanthozhaa maanthar") is being shown as an
example here.

It is possible that one can even forget His divine nama; however, one should not
be enslaved to another. For example, a wife may not have love for her husband;
in time, she may become affectionate with him. But, it is not correct that she
develops love for another. Similarly, in Sri Vishnu Purana the sage Parasara
says "madhusUdana prapannaan" and Thirumazhisai Azhvar said the same as
"maRanthum puRanthozhaa maanthar". Therefore it is very important, even more
than having bhagavat sEshatvam, that bhaagavatas should not have anya sEshatvam.

Jai Sriman Narayana | adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan | TCA Venkatesan
For more details: http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/mumukshuppadi/index.html

Sri: | Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Sutra 65:
The ukAram that shows anya sEshatva nivrutti says that the soul neither belongs
to another (other than Him) nor does it belong to itself.

Sri PBA Swami's Sarartha Deepikai:
It is not just that the soul should not be enslaved to another samsari who is
like itself. It also means that the soul should not be enslaved to itself. The
term anya includes the self as well, as the self belongs to the same category as
the anya's. anya seshatva nivrutti includes the removal of enslavement to the
self also; there is no need to show a separate effort for the same. SvasEshatva
nivrutti is included therefore through the meaning of anya sEshatva nivrutti in
the ukAram.

Thus far, the meanings of ukAram have been explained.

Jai Sriman Narayana | adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan | TCA Venkatesan
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/mumukshuppadi/index.html

Sri: | Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:| Jai Srimannarayana|
Current Githa Jyothi Week: 30

{Please note the new dial-in number & passcode and please inform your family,
friends, near and dear }
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DIAL IN PHONE NUMBER (to participate & discuss)
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PHONE NUMBER : +1 512 225 3050 Passcode: 91544#  (*6 to mute & *6 to unmute)

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DAY  :   Wednesday of Every Week
TIME :   6:30PM PST/ 8:30PM CST/9:30PM EST

~~~~~~~~~~~~
DO YOU KNOW?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have learnt several things so far from HH Sri Tridandi Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar
Swami over the past 29 weeks.
- How is the viswarupam?
- How did sanjaya witness the rupam?
- After witnessing this form how did arjuna feel?
- What more did arjuna wanted to know from the Lord?
- How did he react to Bhagavan's revelations?
- How does Lord appear usually to his bhaktas?
- Which factor enabled Arjuna to witness Lord's visvarupam?
- What was the form of Lord that Arjuna witnessed generally?
- How did Lord Krishna appear to devotees?
- How did Lord Krishna appear to His ardent devotees?

~~~~~~~
ANSWERS
~~~~~~~
Taste the divine nectar and get all the answers directly from His High Holiness
Sri Sri Sri Tridandi Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar Swami. We are truly
blessed to be educated directly by Divine HHH Sri Jeeyar Swami. So far the first
ten chapters in Srimad Bhagavad Gita have been covered. We are now in 30th week
of Gita Jyothi dedicated to 11th chapter.

~~~~~~
PRICE
~~~~~~
FREE & no need to register either.

~~~~~~~~~~~
ELIGIBILITY
~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyone & Everyone interested can join the
TeleEducation Series.

Jai Srimannarayana | http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/
Latest Celebrations: http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/diwali2k2.htm

Srimathe: Ramanujayanamaha!
Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Saranam!!

Sri Rama sensed Sugreeva’s fears. So he showed yet another proof of his
strength. Sugreeva said to Rama, “Seven trees are there. When Vali shook one
tree, the leaves on it used to fall off. It stood bare without a single leaf on
it”. Sri Rama took out an arrow from his quiver, took aim on his bow and shot
it. The arrow pierced through the trunks of all the seven trees, went through a
mountain near them, went into the earth and returned to his quiver. Sugreeva was
shocked. He was convinced and became very sure of SriRama’s strength. He went
along with Sri Rama to Kishkindha town, which was like a den, in between the
mountains, to call Vali for battle.

Sugreeva was gold in colour. Of late, that complexion has deteriorated due to
his problems. But now he became his original self again because of the support
he gained of his association with Rama. He went to Kishkindha and roared in a
majestic voice, inviting Vali for war. There was a marked difference in his tone
this time.  This irritated Vali and he came out. Tha:ra who earlier  heard in
detail about Sri Rama from Angada was perturbed and dissuaded Vali from going to
war.  But he persuaded her saying that Sri Rama being a ‘dha:rmika:gre:sara’
would never hurt or kill him for he had not committed any crime in his regard.

SriRama had a complete knowledge of the intricacies of dharma. Knowing that in a
war killing even from behind a tree is not against dharma, Rama killed Vali with
a single arrow. If the first arrow had gone waste then when it comes to fighting
with Vali standing in front of him the opponents strength will go to Vali.
Considering that boon, to keep up the word given to Sugreeva; as it is not
adharma to punish the ill-doer and it is justified in hunting to kill an animal
from behind a tree, SriRama killed Vali. SriRama established Sugreeva’s kingdom.

To be continued.....
Jai srimannarayana, Ramanujamma Mudumbai Ramanuja Dasi

Dear Devotees,

Adiyen forwarding a message from Smt. Sashikala Iyengar from NJ.

Dear SriVaishnavas,
Please join us at Sri Ranganatha Temple, Pomona, New York on Sunday,  10th of
November 2002 to celebrate our dear Acharya Sri Manavala Mahamuni's
Thirunakshatram and Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji's
Thirunakshatram. As we all know this temple has a wonderful tradition of
honoring all the Acharayas. Because, this temple itself was constructed at the
command of an Acharya, Srimadh Mukkur Azhagiyasingar of Sri Ahobila Mutt. As
SriVaishnavas, it is our duty to celebrate all our Acharya’s thirunakshtrams.
Because of their immense grace only we understand ourselves.

After Nithayanusandhanam at the temple, around 9.00 am we will start the ghoshti
near Swami Sri Ramanuja's sannidhi.
1. Koil Thiruvaimozhi
2. Iramanusa Nootrandhathi
3. Thiruvaimozhi Nootrandhathi
4. Aarthi Prabhandham
5. Upadesa Rathinamalai
6. Thirunakshatra Tanians

Around 11.00 am there will be a Thirumanjanam for Sri Ranganatha. After the
Thirumanjanam we will continue the Ghoshti. Around 1.00 pm we will have the
Satrumarai.

If you need accommodation or further information about this event

Ramanujadasyai Sashikala Iyengar
Ramanujadasan Kannan

[ Please let us know. Please let all your friends, family, near and dear know
about this great event and we request all the sishyas of Sri Jeeyar Swami to
participate ]

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha | Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha
In the earlier postings we saw that a druptha prapanna is one who surrenders to
the divine feet of God, through an acharya and waits for the nirhEduka krupa of
bhagavan to flow on him. Mostly all srivaishnavas fall under this category. Then
is it that srivaishnavas should sit idle without doing anything?

Srivaishnavas after doing prapatti need not do anything to attain the divine
abode of God. God's nirheduka krupa alone can fetch us moksha. So what to do
till we are in this world?  Thondaradipodi alwar says, “vAzhum sOmbhar” (person
living lazily). Srivaishnavas are called like this by alwar because even though
they live lazily they have the mahavishvasam that perumal will come to rescue
them from this world of misery and grant moksha so they are considered to live.
But there is one category of people opposite to this.  When we say “vAzhum
sOmbhar” then there should be a “thAzhum sOmbhar” too.  “ThAzhum sOmbhar”(lazy
people who get ruined) are those who are neither active in lowkikam nor do they
realize the supremacy and soulabhyam of bhagavan and do prapatti towards him.

When we say srivaishnavas need not do anything.  Is it practically possible for
us to just sit in one place without doing anything?  No. In reality, the
srivaishnavas are very active. They are not active when it comes to protecting
or decorating their body and family but they are very active in
bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryams. When kainkaryam is not the means to attain
moksha why should we do any service at all? A mother feeds her kid. Does she do
it for the sake of getting anything from the kid as a result? In her old age the
boy may even send the mother to an old age home forgetting everything she has
done for him. But the mother doesn’t take care of the kid thinking of all these.
She does it due to the love, affection and care she has towards her child.

Similarly we srivaishnavas do bhagavat/bhAgavata kainkaryam not because it will
fetch any wealth in this world for us or for attaining moksha but do service
only due to the love and affection we have towards bhagavan who is our permanent
bandhu (relative) and the bhAgavatas who are our atma bandhus.  We may have to
face innumerable problems and hinderances in continuing with the kainkaryam but
still we care for them and hence succeed in doing the kainkaryams.

So srivaishnavas do kainkaryam not for attaining any result and even the
enjoyment due to the kainkaryam is not for us. According to our poorvAcharyas,
we are not even supposed to think that the kainkaryam we do to bhagavan fetches
us happiness and hence we are doing it. Kainkaryam is only for making God happy.
Kulasekara alwar says, “padiyAi kidanthu vun pavala vAi kAnbEnE” Why?  Alwar
says, I will remain as a step in front of perumal and due to this service God
will get happy and a smile will appear on his lips which alwar wants to see and
enjoy.

So Srivaishnavas live a different life from that of the other people in this
world.  Which is the wealth for srivaishnavas?  Sri manavAla mahAmuni explains
in the (AP-55) paasuram what all he has obtained due to acharya krupa.
-------------------------
For anyone to live, food, shelter, clothing and entertainment are essential. 
And for srivaishnavas ………………..
-------------------------
We will enjoy line by line of this paasuram in the next postings and find the
answer.

(To be continued)
Jai Sriman Narayana | Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan

What is Moksha ? How many types of mokshas are there ? Is Bhakti superior
to moksha ?
Jai Srimannarayana.

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha
Dear Sri Srikanth,
Moksha is the divine abode of bhagavan, Paramapadam or Srivaikuntam.  Though the
supreme moksha is only Srivaikuntam still one another moksha, kaivalyam (where
there is no anubhavam of bhagavan but only the realisation of atma exists) is
said.  Bhakthi Yoga is one of the ways to attain moksha. So nothing can be
superior to moksha.

Adiyen ramanuja dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan

[ We adivise you to join the free Bhagavad Gita sessions being conducted every
Wednesday by HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami. You can get all your questions
clarified. HH answers are extremely simple and even a small kid can understand ]

Qs from sriraman.sreenivasan
Subject: Regarding Bhagwad Gita
===========================
I have a doubt regarding Bhagawad Gita.
I Don't find any reference saying that Bhagawad Gita was told
                                   By Lord Krishna in Our Azhwars
'Divya Prabhandam' expect one place in 'Ramanusa Nutruandhadi' .
Does this mean that Only after Emperumanar 'Bhagawad Gita' was
told with  Vishitadwaitam's approach?

That means Even our azhwars thought it to be different and
didn't give a reference in their verses?

Dasan,
KattumannarKoil Kumandur ilayavilli sriraman.
===========================================
Ans. from Sri Velukkudi Swmai :

There is ofcourse a reference in alwars pasurams about bhagavat gita.
Tirumazhisai alwar in his nanmukan tiruvandadi 71st song mentions this :

sEyan aNiyan siriyan migapperian, Ayan tuvaraikkOnAi ninra mAyan anrOdiya
vAkkadanakkallAr ulagattil EdilarAi meignanamil.

It is so clearly mentioned that Ayan the idayan, who was the king of dwaraka,
anru - on the day of kurukshetra war and arjuna was confused, odiya vakku -
gita.
All our purvacaryas have opined that alwars were so fond of gita.
There are many more references like this.

Why gita ? Every about visistadvaitam.
Ramanuja never discovered visistadvaitam.
He only wanted to bring to light the right philosophy of vedanta.
So visistadvaita is not only as old as alwars but as old as vedas themselves.
Swamy Manavala mamunigal says "emperumanar valartha anda seyal arigaikka
" and not "emperumanar kandupiditta anda seyal arigaikka "

Poliga Poliga Poliga
Alwar Emberumanar jeer tiruvadigale saranam.

=============================================
I have a humble request to the members of the group.
If you have a genuine doubt kindly go ahead and ask them.
Approach your doubt with an open mind and wait for people to answer.
But before getting the answer to it and enquiring fully on your doubt,
let us restrain ouselves from passing our doubts as final comments on that
subject.
===============================================


azhwAr emperumAnAr JeeyAr thiruvadigalE sharanam

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
Mukundan Vangkipuram Pattangi
http://www.radioramanuja.com

Jai Srimannarayana !
Thousands of devotees thronged the Sithanagaram Asramam at Vijayawada to be
blessed by taking part in the wonderful celebrations of Sri Swamiji's
Thirunakshathram. For all those, who could physically not be a part of it, here
are some photos at
www.bhakthinivedana.org.
Jai Srimannarayana !

Sri: | Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Sutra 66:
The makAram that follows the ukAram is the 25th letter (starting from ka); it
also describes knowledge as it arises out of the root for the word gnAna.
Therefore,it stands for the Atma which is the 25th tattva and whose nature and
quality is gnAna.

Sri PBA Swami's Sarartha Deepikai:
The third part of praNavam which is makAram is now  explained.

It is said that each of the aksharas explains one tattva. The 24 aksharas
starting from ka till bha explain 24 tattvas and the 25th akshara which is ma
shows the jivAtma which is the 25th tattva.

Also, makAram arises out of the root "mana-jnAnE" or "manu-avabodhane" and as
such it stands for the Atma whose nature and whose quality is knowledge.

Jai Sriman Narayana | adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan | TCA Venkatesan
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/mumukshuppadi/index.html

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha | Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha
-------------------
Everything in this world is a part of God. Then why are vaishnavas special and
why should they be respected? Let us see why.
-------------------
Anything in this world is surely a part of God so everyone can be called
vaishnava. Then one may ask why should we then worship Sri Rama and Sri Krishna
alone and not ravana and sisupala?  Surely you can worship ravana and sisupala
if they accept that they are part of perumal, is the answer.

A man is lying down worried about his next meal. Underneath his bed, under the
ground there is a bag full of gold coins, which can make him one of the richest
men in the world.  But he can become rich only if he realizes that there is so
much wealth underneath his bed and take it into his possession. So the
realization, the knowledge is very important. Similarly all of us are part of
God’s body only but then we become srivaishnavas only when we realize the same.
------------------
How do we get the knowledge?
------------------
We can attain this realization only due to acharya kataksham (divine grace of
our acharyas)
------------------
But why that only a few are blessed with such acharya kataksham?
------------------
Sri Manavala Mahamuni says that is because “THENNARANGAR SEER ARULUKKU ELAKKAGAP
PETTROM”, we have all been blessed by Sri Ranganatha with such acharyas.
------------------
Then is Sri Ranganatha himself partial to bless one, with good acharya and hence
knowledge and realization but leave the others?
------------------
No. God has a samadrishti (view of equality) towards all. He showers his
blessings equally on everyone.  Let us see how. Initially all the jeevatmas lay
dormant. God due to his nirhetuka krupa gave all the jeevatmas chaitanyam and
sends them to this world.  He gave them the choice of either selecting the path
of jnana, bhakthi, vyrAgyam and attaining his divine feet or getting involved in
the worldly affairs.  People were more attracted by the colorful attractive
world and hence they totally forgot about God and their relationship with him.
So now bhagavan, again due to his krupa, gave the Vedas to make people aware,
that the wordly pleasures are temporary and only the divine kainkaryam to God is
always permanent.

(To be continued)
Jai SrimanNarayana | Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan
_________________________________________________________________________
Sahasra Kalasabhishekam on Sri maNava:La maha:muni Thirunakshatram Day
                  http://www.chinnajeeyar.org
Celebrations of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami Thirunakshatram Day:
             http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/diwali2k2.htm

Dear Devotees,
We are having Sri maNava:La maha:muni's and Sri Thridandi Sriman Narayana Chinna
Jeeyar's Thirunakshathram celebrations at Sri Ranganatha Temple, Pomona, New
York on Nov 10th  from 9A.M. to 1 P.M. (For directions: www.ranganatha.org ).
Please treat this as our personal invitaion and bring as many devotees as
possible. This is a request of adiyen as a sishya on behalf of all Sriman
Narayana and Sri Mahalakshmi Thayar's devotees.

Sashikala.
_________________________________________________________________________
Sahasra Kalasabhishekam on Sri maNava:La maha:muni Thirunakshatram Day
             http://www.chinnajeeyar.org
Celebrations of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami Thirunakshatram Day:
       http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/diwali2k2.htm

Sri: | Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:
Sutra 67:
This makAram that speaks of the Atma, is the akshara that stands for all Atmas.
Sutra 68:
It is in the singular that points to the Atma jAti.

Sri PBA Swami's Sarartha Deepikai:
The makAram in the praNavam is in the singular (Eka vacanam) and therefore
stands for one Atma. Therefore, is it correct to say that the bhagavat sEshatvam
described before talks about the sEshatvam of only one Atma?

Atmas are divided as Baddhas, Muktas and Nityas and bhagavat sEshatvam is the
quality for all Atmas. So, how does that fit into this singular use of the
makAram?

Pillai Lokacharya answers that the makAram here is a jAtyEka vacanam. That is,
the singular used here stands for the type rather than a single case. For
example, if one says "umbrella sold in this shop", it does not mean a single
umbrella. Similarly the makAram speaks of the Atma jAti rather than a single
Atma. Therefore, it stands for all Atmas.

Jai Sriman Narayana | adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan | TCA Venkatesan
http://www.acharya.org/vyakyanam/mumukshuppadi/index.html

Sri Krishna Parabrahmane: namaha! Srimathe: Ramanujaya namaha!

As long as Kamsa is there in  Madhura, Krishna will not be there in Madhura. 
Krishna would come there, kill Kamsa and will become its ruler. As long as 
there is ‘ka:mam’, Bhagavan will not enter our ‘manas’. He grows with Nanda and
Yasoda. Once ‘ka:mam’ is destroyed, Bhagavan would occupy and rule the ‘manas’.

The only means to get rid of the influence of ‘time’ is to have Bhagavan. 
Vasudeva bore Krishna on his head and when he walked on as per His order and for
His sake Yamuna gave him way. When one follows Krishna’s words and leads his
life for Krishna’s sake, Time would not show its influence on him.

Bhagavan comes down through mantra. Only that mantra is Bhagavan’s mother,
father and guru. The‘mantra’ will be visualized by someone in a deep meditation
state.  He is the ‘rishi’.  An expression of that visualized form would come out
that rishi’s mouth as some letters. That is the ‘mantra’. That is ‘chandass’.

Vasudeva had the darshan of Bhagavan. Devaki made it possible. They both are 
the ‘rishichchandam’. Lord Krishna was the ‘de:vatha’ that was enunciated 
there. This reached a guru in the form of a mantra to be able to be accessible
by the ordinary. That mantra is Yaso:da. The guru is Nanda. That Yasoda and
Nanda were the parents who brought up Krishna. He grew up there as belonging to
all and became accessible to all. Bhagavan took incarnation as Krishna to
expound this secret to the world.  Srikrishna avatha:ra is the avathara that
blessed us knowledge. This spreads divine light which shows its radiance in the
dark only. That is the secret of Srikrishna taking incarnation in the night.

To be continued ...
O:m Haraye Namaha | O:m Haraye Namaha | O:m Haraye Namaha |
Jai Srimannarayana | Ramanujamma Mudumbai Ramanuja dasi |

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha | Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha |
But the Vedas were very complex (as the meanings were hidden) and hence the
people ignored the Vedas and went on in their own ways. But God the father of
the world couldn’t keep quiet seeing his kids suffer. So He himself came down
taking rAma Krishna avatars. The state of perumal in Srivaikuntam while all his
kids, the jeevatmas suffered in the leela vibhuthi, is explained by our Sri
maNava:La maha:muni as follows:

Arthi prabhandam –5
Oh! EthirAjA can a father enjoy a sophisticated life when his son is away and
doesn’t join him in his enjoyment?

This we visualize even today. Many of us are in the US and our parents in India.
When a function or a festival like deepavali comes even though the parents join
to celebrate with their other sons and daughters still their minds linger in the
thoughts of the son/daughter in a far of land many miles away from them. Same
thing happened to God. He was in the moksha mandalam along with the nithya
sooris but his mind was constantly thinking about how to uplift, we jeevatmas to
his abode. So one fine day when the nithya sooris were doing pooja to him with
the dhoopam (smoke from camphor and agarbaththi) he escaped from there and came
down to this world says nammAzhvar (thiruviruththam-21). Nithya vibhuti is a
land of divinity and leela vibhuti is the most filthy and dirty place. God due
to his care for the jeevatmas came down. Can we all leave our houses and go and
live in a slum? We will immediately say “nay! I will rather die than live in
such a nasty place” But God has come down from his divine abode to the worst
slum. Why? Sri maNava:la maha:muni answers in Arthi prabhandam-9 "like the
mother who jumps into the drainage to save her kid which has fallen into it
accidentally"

We are all the kids who have fallen into this drainage of samsAram (samsAra
sAkkadai).  So God, who is the mother of this whole world with the vAtsalyam of
all the mothers in this world put together, came down to save us all from the
miseries of samsAram.
-----------------------
But did perumal succeed?  If so why are we all still suffering in this world?
-----------------------
Let us find out in the next posting.
Jai SrimanNarayana l Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan

_________________________________________________________________________
Sahasra Kalasabhishekam on Sri maNava:La maha:muni Thirunakshatram Day
      http://www.chinnajeeyar.org
Celebrations of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami Thirunakshatram Day:
      http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/diwali2k2.htm

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha! Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha!
SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam
Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramya jAmataram munim

VANAMAMALAI RAMANUJA JEEYER SWAMI’S ACHARYA BHAKTHI

"Oh! My master! You explained all the vedic meanings. You remove all the
ignorance from the minds of people.  Please bless us with your divine grace
today and remove the cycle of birth and death.  Oh! Sri Varavaramuni."

Swamy, in another verse calls his acharya, like a mother calling her beloved
kid.  The affection swamy has towards Sri Varavara muni is enormous which is
reflected in the verse below.

Oh! My capable master, the king! Sri maNava:La maha:muni! You are a clear
personality, with a glowing bright crown, you are like a pearl, you are as sweet
as a sugarcane, you are like the divine nectar which came out of the ocean
please grant us your divine feet with mercy.

There are similarly 18 slokas of vanamamali ramanuja Jeeyer swamy, called as
ponnadikkAl Jeeyer by Sri Manavala mahAmuni himself, under the name “guna
vaguppu”.  Vanamamalai Jeeyer Swamy spent his time immersed in the divine
qualities of his acharya.  Then the fine day Iyappasi thirumoolam came.  Swamy
celebrated the day in a grand manner with great enthusiasm and submitted the
`song of the day` to the divine feet of Sri Varavara muni:

"This is the day when the vedic scholars got cleared of all their doubts and are
filled with ecstasy; This is the day the divine works of lOkAcharya attained
glory; This is the day which uplifts even the ignorant and less intelligent
masses to the divine abode of God; This is the day the divine glory of ethirAja,
to whom all the flawless scholars surrender, spreads everywhere; This is the day
when the work of nammAzhvar, kurugoor nambi wearing the sweet smelling garland,
attained its height of glory; This is the day when the king of Srirangam, Sri
ranganatha with a divine beauty, rejoiced with his eyes; This is the day our
dear Sri maNava:La maha:muni took avataram to lift us all; This is the beautiful
day of “IYPASI THIRUMOOLAM”.

No more words to really explain the greatness of this day(iypasi thirumoolam),
the acharya of this day(Sri manavala mahamuni) and the shisya of the acharya
(vanamamalai ponnadikkAl Jeeyer swamy). The Iyappasi thirumoolam is a great day,
on which day our Periya Jeeyer, eetuperukkar, ramya jAmaatru muni, yatheendra
pravanar, Sri Vara Vara Muni, Sri manavala mAmunigal, Sri maNava:La maha:muni, 
took avataram to lift us all from this ocean of samsAram to the divine abode of
God.  Each vaishnava is destined to celebrate this day in a grand manner and
also recite the song and srisailEsa thaniyan given by God himself as a
sambhAvana to His acharya, Sri Varavara muni.
Jeeyar thriuvadigale sharanam| Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan
_________________________________________________________________________
Sahasra Kalasabhishekam on Sri maNava:La maha:muni Thirunakshatram Day:
             http://www.chinnajeeyar.org
Celebrations of Sri Jeeyar Swami Thirunakshatram:
        http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/diwali2k2.htm

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha l Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam
Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramyajAmataram munim

Did perumal succeed fully in his avatara mission?  No.  Perumal wasn’t able to
correct people totally.  Sri Rama says, “These people consider me to be a man
equal to them and cease to accept my supremacy”. Mother Sita advised ravana and
tried to even threaten him but he never got down from his stands. Then Sri Rama
sent hanuman to advise ravana but again it didn’t work.  Vibheeshana tried
correcting ravana, as a result he was chucked out of lanka. Inspite of all these
Sri Rama never got angry with ravana and even said, "Oh! sugreeva, bring not
only vibheeshana to my feet, even if ravana changes mind and comes then get him
immediately to me". Perumal due to his divine krupa waited even for ravana to
change.  Even at the last moment during the war Sri Rama says, "Go! come back in
your chariot with bows and arrows" to give ravana more time to think and change
his mind and surrender. Inspite of that ravana refused to change and hence Sri
Rama had to kill him.

Then Sri Rama returned back half mindedly to Srivaikuntam. He once again took
avatar as Sri Krishna. Again kamsa and sisupala considered Sri Krishna to be
their rival. Bhagavan laments in Gita saying, “avajAnanthi mAm moodhA:” (these
stupid fools never understand me) and till the end Sri Krishna was not able to
find a single person who considered God as everything  “vAsudEva sarvamithi sa
mahAtma su durlabhaha:” So with a heavy heart he returned back to his divine
abode.

The next day after perumal going back to his divine abode kali started and on
the 43th day of kali the great mahan, Sri saTakOpa took avatar.  Our acharyas
with great feeling say, “What a pity. Couldn’t have Krishna gone 43 days later
or nammAzhvar taken birth earlier?”  Krishna wanted to see a mahan who
considered vasudeva to be everything and nammAzhvar lived accordingly (“vunnum
sOru parugum neer thinnum vettrilai ellAm kannan”). Again azhvar did change the
world with his paasurams but was more involved in his own anubhavams but not
able to reach the masses. So God again due to his love and affection to one and
all sent the acharyas to this world. The acharyas are only capable to correct
this world and take the jeevatmas in the right way.

How can these acharyas correct the people who will not listen even to God, the
sarva shakthan. Our acharyas say, the power of thatva darshi vAkhyam is more
than even the thatva vAkhyam. God is the thatvam and the azhvars and acharyas
are those who have realized the supremacy and soulabhyam of God(thatva darshis).
If one says, consider me to be the supreme we refuse to do so. But some other
person comes and says he is supreme, he has all divine qualities we accept.

(To be continued)
Jai Sriman Narayana | Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai, Sumithra Varadarajan
_________________________________________________________________________
Sahasra Kalasabhishekam on Sri maNava:La maha:muni Thirunakshatram Day:
             http://www.chinnajeeyar.org
Celebrations of Sri Jeeyar Swami Thirunakshatram:
        http://www.chinnajeeyar.org/diwali2k2.htm
http://www.bhakthinivedana.org/EVENTS/2002%20Thirunakshathram/SUMMARY2003.HTM

Q) From Raj:
I am discussing some aspects of our tradition with youngsters. They
would like to find out more about the creation story. I know many such
stories exist. Specifically, they wish to know the equivalent of the
Adam and Eve story in the semetic traditions; if such a story does
exist in our tradition. I have not yet found a suitable answer. Please
advise. Regards, raj

Q) From Pavan Maruthi:
What is the maning of "Tridandam"? Why a sanyasi performs
"chaturmasam" and dhanurmasam?

Q) Swamiji, I want to take "samasrayanam". Please explain to me about
that and please mention the dates when you are giving in India.

Q) From Ram Prasad:
What is meant by chakrankithalu what are the rules and regulations and
the process?

Q) From Rohit Gupta:
What is meant by odugu (or) upanayanam why people are advised to get
it done before 16 years and again before marriage?