An explanation of a fivefold Sacrament in Vaishnavam by KaraLapAkkam Anand
I. Introduction
1. Neccessity
of Spiritual Knowledge
2. Approaching
the AchArya of Sri Vaishnava Parampara
3. What
is Samashrayanam ?
II. Pancha SamskAram
1. thApa
SamskAram
2. Pundra
SamskAram
3. Nama
SamskAram
4. Mantra
SamskAram
5. YAgA
SamskAram (worship of Salagram)
1. Neccessity of Spiritual Knowledge
Any intelligent person will have queries like
"Who am I?" ; "Who is God?" ; "What is my duty ?" ; "Why am I suffering
through
the process of birth , old age , disease and
death ?" ; "What is death ?";"What is the relationship between myself and
God ?";
etc. These are highly important queries which
leads one to know the actual realities.
The fact is that ,everyone is individually
a spiritual entity called jIvAtmA , who is eternally subservient to the
Supreme Lord
Sriman NArAyanA . Due to the karmA (good and
bad activities) associated with the jIvAtmA , it takes varieties of bodies
like
that of a bacteria , plant , bird ,animal
, human being etc.It is very very rare to get a human body.
Once a jivAtmA gets the highly precious human
body , he ('he' refers to jIvAtmA eventhough there is no gender associated)
has
to start knowing about the actual purpose
of life . There may be so many varieties of knowledge floating around .
But he has to
pick up the 'sAram'(essence). He should choose
that type of knowledge which will answer all such important queries as
raised
above. These fundamental queries are answered
by the spiritual knowledge.
Materialistic knowledge (as explained by modern
science etc) finally doesn't help the jIvAtmA.For instance , a glorified
Nobel
Laureate may take the body of donkey in the
next birth. What is then the Credit of being a Nobel Laureate in his human
birth ?
The purpose of human birth is to have the
realisation of God ( Sriman NArAyanA). If this human body is used for other
purposes
,then the activities of that person boils
down to eating , sleeping and mating. Ofcourse , this is the way an animal
also spends its
life.
As long as one identifies himself as a body
made of flesh and not as a jIvAtmA , he leads a life of an animal and thereby
wastes
the most precious human body. The greatness
of Spiritual Knowledge is that it makes one understand the truth that he
is a
jIvAtmA, subservient to Sriman NArAyanA and
not the body housing him . It also gives the processes ( Bhakti YogA and
Prapatti ) by which one can terminate the
repeated cycles of birth and death in this material world , and reach the
spiritual
kingdom of Sriman NArAyanA known as "Vaikuntam",
thereby attaining complete bliss.
One has to start knowing about himself first
,rather than speculating about matter. Without knowing the answer for the
question
"Who Am I ?" , what is use of studying so
many other things ? Without knowing the purpose of human life , what is
the use of
engaging in varieties of activities ? So an
intelligent seeker of knowledge gets hold of the spiritual knowledge which
is complete
in itself and thus understands the Ultimate
knowledge one needs to know.
2. Approaching the AchAryA of Sri Vaishnava ParamparA
Spiritual Knowledge is something which is far
beyond the materialistic knowledge gained through a study of modern science
. It
is far beyond the reach of one's senses. One
can't understand these things on his own. Even for learning materialistic
things
which are highly evident to our eyes (senses
in general ) ,one has to go to school for years together.This process of
learning
from experienced persons goes on and on. Now
, What to speak of Spiritual Knowledge , which deals with the relationship
existing between the three realities namely
1.IshwarA (Supreme Lord)
: Sriman NArAyanA (NArAyanA who is ever united with Sri )
2.ChetanAs ( entities with
knowledge) : jivAtmAs
3.achetanAs( entities without
knowledge) : Matter , Time, SuddhaSattvA
Obviously , one has to approach a person who
has this type of knowledge. But so many pose themselves to know this. How
to
find a bonafide AchAryA ?
The answer to this is really simple . The Supremely
merciful Lord Sriman NArAyanA reveals the spiritual knowledge to His most
ardent devotees.They in turn instruct these
things to others. This is called as a "ParamparA" .Thus, NArAyanA Himself
becomes the first AchAryA and the knowledge
revealed in the paramparA is nothing but what NArAyanA Himself has revealed.
This chain of tradition beginning from Sriman
NArAyanA is also known as the "SatSampradAyam" .
Sri Vaishnava SampradAyam has Supreme Lord
NArAyanA as the first AchAryA , followed by His belowed consort 'Sri' (
MahALakshmi ), Sri Vishvaksenar ( Commander
in chief of Sri Vaikuntam ) , Saint ShatagopA (NammAzhvAr) , Sri NAthamuni
,
Sri PundarIkAkshA ( UyyakkondAr ) , Sri RAmamishrA
( ManakkAl Nambi ) , Sri YAmunAchAryA , Sri Ghoshti PUrnA ( Peria
Nambi ) , Sri Bhagavad RAmAnujA, ....SwAmi
Desikan and so on down to our present AchAryAs.
Sri Ahobila Mutt was founded by the Supreme
Lord Lakshmi Nrusimhan Himself , by initiating a twenty year old genius
and
supremely devout brahmachAri named kidAmbi
SrinivAsAchAryA of Melkotte . This AchAryA is very well known as Sri
Adivan Shatagopa Yateendra MahAdesikan ..
The current AchAryA of this illustrious Ahobila Mutt is Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha
Divya pAduka Sevaka Srivan Shatagopa Sri NArAyana
Yateendra MahAdesikan.
The knowledge coming through the SriVaishnava
SampradAyam (SatSampradAyam) is thus faultless. So, ONLY the AchAryA
belonging to the SatSampradAyam is bonafide.
Such an AchAryA is called as a "sadAchAryA" ( Ideal Preceptor). He will
be
well versed in the spiritual knowledge delineated
by Sanskrit VedAs (including Upanishads ), Tamil VedAs (Divya Prabandham
by AzhvArs) , Rahasya TrayA ,Brahma SutrAs
, Smrithis , IthihAsAs ( RAmAyanam and MahAbhAratham), SAthvIka PurAnAs
(like Vishnu purAnam , Srimad BhAgavatham
), PAncharAtrA , VaikhAnasa AgamA & other Vedic Literatures.
The Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA , in His merciful
avatAram as Sri KrishnA , instructs everyone to approach the
sadAchAryA. In His GIta Upadesam , Sri KrishnA
says "Learn the spiritual knowledge by prostrating , by questioning and
by
service to Wise men (sadAchAryAs) , who sees
the truth .They (sadAchAryAs) will teach it to you " (4.34).
Thus the person desirous of becoming linked
to the Sri Vaishnava SampradAyam, approaches the SadAchAryA with great
humility. One cannot attain a sadAchAryA easily
. The reasons behind the acquisition of a sadAchAryA are :
i.Sriman NArAyanA's
benevolence .
ii.Merit acquired accidentally.
iii.Grace of Sriman NArAyanA
.
iv.No aversion towards Sriman
NArAyanA.
v.Listened to the anectodes
of NArAyanA ( Stories about avatArams of NArAyanA like NrusimhA,RAmA and
KrishnA
etc) and eagerness
to learn.
vi.Conversed with devotees
of NArAyanA.
So, one should be highly fortunate to attain
a sadAchAryA .AchAryA ( Henceforth used to refer sadAchAryA ) has every
right
to test that person ,even for many years,
before he can be initiated by him. Thus, SamAshrayanam is a result of great
mercy from
the part of our AchAryAs.Only the highly fortunate
souls gets this rarest oppurtunity of getting initiated ( SamAshrayanam
)
and thereby become a "Sri VaishnavA" .
SamAshrayanam means 'to approach (AchAryA)
with all sincerity'. In a nut shell , during 'SamAshrayanam' ,the AchAryA
initiates a person , irrespective of caste,creed
or sex, as his sishyA. It is a commitment from the disciple that he or
she will live as
per the wishes of the AchAryA. Thus the person
gets the link to the Sri Vaishnava paramparA. During SamAshrayanam ,Pancha
SamskAram (five fold Purifications) is performed
and he becomes a "Sri VaishnavA".
The five samskArams and its main purposes are
1.thApam : To emboss the
impressions of heated Sankha and ChakrA on the arms ( near the shoulders
).
2.pundram : To wear the
dvAdasa OOrdhva pundram ( 12 Thiruman & Srichoornam )
3.nAmam : To be christened
by the AchAryA afresh as "RAmAnuja dAsan" (addition of 'dAsA' at the end
of ones name)
to indicate
that one is forever a servant of the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA and BhagavAn
RAmAnujA .
4.manthram : To get the
initiation of "Rahasya Traya MantrAs" - AshtAksharam , Dvayam and charama
slokam .
5.Ijyai : To learn the worship
of Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA in proper form ( Bhagavad ThiruvArAdhanam)
.
In general,the human body must undergo many
samskArams.This is done basically to make the body more pure and thereby
aid
the jIvAtmA in the path of Spiritualism ,
which culminates in God- Realisation.The greatest stumbling block for one's
advancement in Spiritualism is their body
itself, which is a result of their previous karmAs.So , sAstrAs prescribe
various varnA
specific samskArams like JAtakarmA , NAmakaranA
, Upanayanam etc.
Pancha SamskAram is superior to all such samskArams
.One is not a born "Sri VaishnavA". It is this "Pancha SamskAram" that
makes him one. Millions and Millions of janmAs(births)
were simply wasted without becoming a "Sri VaishnavA".It is this highly
sacred "Pancha SamskAram" which gives the
real "birth" to the jIvAtmA. Since all the previous births were simply
spent in the
darkness of ignorance , they don't have any
value . The real meaning of life starts, only when one becomes a "Sri VaishnavA"
.
Since "Pancha SamskAram" marks the beginning
of the true life one has to lead , it is a VERY VERY SPECIAL EVENT for
the
person undergoing it .
"IyengAr" means 'Iyndu angam Udayavar'or'Iyndu
kAryangaL Udayavar'. These five refers to the 'Pancha SamskAram'. It also
means the fiva angAs of prapatti. We can in
general say that this PanchaSamskAram gives one the name "IyengAr".
This is the first samskAram . The AchAryA embosses
the impressions of Conch (Shankam) and Discuss (Sudarshana chakram)
on the left and right arms of the disciple,
respectively .
To give an analogy in the materialistic world
, a sales representive wears a logo representing the organization for which
he is
working. Factually , we ( JIvAtmAs) are servants
of the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA. So ,we also identify ourselves through
the things which uniquely represent Him. NArAyanA
holds the Conch(PAnchaJanyam) in His Left Hand and the Sudarshana
Chakram in His right Hand.So ,we also bear
the same way .Any highly fortunate jivAtmA ,who becomes a devotee of Lord
Vishnu will be very happy about wearing Shankam
and Chakram .
The AchAryA with great devotion recites the
mantrAs to invoke Sriman NArAyanA and His weapons Sudarshana Chakram &
PAnchajanyam .The Supremely merciful NArAyAnA
abides by it.The Lord and His weapons thus become present in the Agni
(Fire ).Then, AchAryA prays specifically to
the divine weapons to be eternally present with the disciples for whom
Pancha
SamskAram is being performed.
The emblem of "Sudarshana ChakrA" is heated
in the agni and is embossed on the right hand , by chanting a hymn, which
translates into "Oh! Sudarshana MahAJwAlA
(Highly resplendent), as lusturous as crores of Sun , please show me ,
an ignorant
one, the path of Lord Vishnu" .
Then , the emblem of "PAnchajanyam" is heated
in the fire and is embossed on the left hand , by chanting a hymn , which
translates into "Oh! PAnchajanyA! You are
capable of driving away the sins of individuals through your sound. Please
protect
me , a sinner , from this samsArA ".
In Sri Ahobila Mutt , the procedure is much
simpler since the emblems of ShankA and chakrA were given by the most merciful
Lord Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan Himself , to Sri
Adivan Shatagopa Yateendra MahAdesikan.
This is a highly powerful samskAram . SudarshanAzhvAr's
(ChakrA) mercy to the devotees of Sriman NArAyanA is highly
glorifiable. No one can forget the wonderful
way in which SudarsanAzhvAr chased DhurvAsa Muni for his BhAgavadha
apachArA unto the great VaishnavA "Ambarish".
That is the way in which Sri SudarsanAzhvAr extends his mercy to protect
the
devotees.He wards off the evil elements and
thereby makes a nice pathway for the devotee to engage in Bhagavad Kainkaryam
.
Nowadayas , SudarsanAzhvAr is popular amongst
the 'mooda bhakthAs' ie. those people who pray for the fulfillment of their
cheap materialistic desires.Its really a pity
that eventhough SudarsanAzhvAr is highly merciful to ward off all the evil
obstacles
that obstruct a person from developing pure
bhakti or performing prapatti,these people keep pestering him regarding
their
materialistic desires.
The divine conch 'PAnchajanyam' shatters all
the evils through transcendental sound . The most important aspect is that
we
have to realize our ignorant way of leading
the life. The whole life should be packed with ONLY devotional services
(kainkaryAs)
unto Sriman NArAyanA and His devotees.If we
are even an inch shorter to it , it clearly implies that we are ignorant.But
,
attaining the mood of kainkaryA is not a material
phenomena.One must deeply depend on the mercy of AchAryAs and
BhAgavathAs.This is the only way to get it.
But before coming to this position , one has
to know that doing kainkaryam to the Divya Dampati ( Sri and NArAyanA )is
the
ultimate goal of life . Thats why , we pray
to SudarshanAzhvAr to show us the path of Vishnu . SudarshanAzhvAr will
lead us to
do prapatti and by becoming a prapanna , one
will be ever ecstatic in performing various kainkaryAs .But , how will
he help us if
we don't want this from the depth of our hearts
?
In addition to our unwillingness to completely
surrender to the lotus feet of Sriman NArAyanA , there are so many nefarious
traps in this world of samsArA. Since everyone
is allured by this and indulge nicely in the materialistic activities ,
they pile up the
sins.So, already being a sinner , who is attracted
by all the petty materialistic things , we pray to 'PAnchajanyam' for his
protection from 'SamsArA' (materialistic world).
ThApa SamskAram is highly glorified by the
sAstrAs in various places. Some of them are as follows :
1.Brahmasooktha in the Atarva
Mahopanishad says " ChakrA in the right shoulder and Sankha in the left
shall be worn" .
2.The Pushkala Samhita in
Rig VedA says " Oh vishnu ! The learned wear the holy Sankha - Chakra to
cross the ocean of
samsArA ".
3.Atarva vedA says " By
adorning the armour of the Lord , we shall live happily in this world and
reach the abode of the
Lord ( conveying
that others cannot reach Sri Vaikuntam ) "
4.In the Vishnu Tattvam
, the passage narrating about NarakalokA says " Wearing of Sankha and ChakrA
informs the
relationship
with Vishnu . The sentries of YamA are afraid of them . The world will
perish if they are belittled . The
devotees of
Vishnu are never seen in YamA's place due to the glory of Sriman NArAyanA
" .
5.BheeshmaparvA of MahAbhArathA
says " All shall , as ordained in the PAncharAtrA SAstrA preached by Lord
SankarshanA
( NArAyanA ) , wear the chakrA mark. They only are eligible to worship
BhagavAn Vishnu ( Bhagavad
ArAdhanam )
"
6.VarAhapurAnam glorifies
the persons wearing the hot seals of the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA on
their arms
(shoulders)
. It says that these devotees ultimately reach Sri Vaikuntam .
7.Garuda PurAnam says that
only those who have been affixed with the Sankha and ChakrA are eligible
to take part in the
ceremony to
forefathers.
Atarva vedA is very clear in the regard that
one should adorn the heated symbols of Sriman NArAyanA on ones body , and
continues to say that only such people attain
the Supreme Abode ( Sri Vaikuntam). Rig VedA is also categorical that the
Sankha
and chakrA be heated and adorned.
Any intelligent person ,after getting so much
help from the divine weapons of Sriman NArAyanA , should proceed further
to
become a true Sri VaishnavA in practise.
Thus the AchAryA out of his dayA does this
"thApA SamskArA" for the upliftment of the sishyA from the world of samsArA
.Further, the disciple with Anjali MudrA should
regularly chant the two hymns through which this samskAram has been
performed and thereby derive the supreme protection
from SudarsanAzhvAr and PAnchajanyam .
The achAryA makes the disciple aware of the
places in the body where the 'upavyUha' forms of the Supreme Lord Sriman
NArAyanA, are to be saluted.The sishya becomes
fortunate enough to know the names of the Lord and pirAtti ,associated
with
each 'upavyUha' form of NArAyanA and also
comes to know about the way in which he has to offer his salutations.
From the para-vAsudevA ( Sri Vaikuntam) form
,NArAyanA emanates into the four vyuha forms namely VAsudevA ( Vyuha
VAsudevA) , SaNkarshaNA , PradyumnA and AniruddhA
. From each of these four vyuha forms , NArAyanA emanates into
three sub-vyuha forms known as 'upavyuha'(vyuhAntarA)
forms.
VAsudevA -> KeSavA ,NArAyanA, MAdhavA SaNkarshaNA
-> GovindA , Vishnu , MadhusUdhanA PradyumnA ->
TrivikramA, VAmanA, SridharA AniruddhA ->
HrusIkeSA, PadmanAbhA, DAmodarA
There are some minor differences in these forms
of Sriman NArAyanA.All these different forms of our merciful Lord are highly
relished by different Yogis deeply meditating
upon Sriman NArAyanA. For instance , let us take the case of sweets .Each
one
relishes a particular variety of sweet more
than the other ones .Similarly ,the taste of the Yogis /BhakthAs also differs
.Each one
gets attracted to a particular feature of
Sriman NArAyanA.
Each 'upavyUha' form of Sriman NArAyanA is
externally represented by the 'OOrdhva pundram'(Thiruman kaapu).The 'thiruman'
represents the Lord and the 'Sri Choornum'
represents PirAtti.The salutation to the Lord has to be done with folded
hands (
Anjali Mudra ) : "KeSavAya Namaha" prefixed
by pranavA, "MAdhavAya Namaha" prefixed by pranavA etc. The salutation
to
the pirAtti is also done in a similar way
: "Sriyai Namaha" , prefixed by pranavA , "AmrutodhbhavAyai Namaha" , prefixed
by
pranavA etc.
The thiruman (white color) should be like the
outline of NArAyanA's Lotus foot. Sri choornum is yellow in color since
the
thirumeni of pirAtti (divine body) is Golden
in color. Since Red Color is for mangaLam (pirAtti) , some do wear red
colored Sri
Choornum. Any photograph of GodA pirAtti (AndAL)
shall reveal the way in which the ladies has to wear thiruman on their
foreheads . There is an unwritten convention
among ladies to wear Red Sri Choornum if they are SumangalIs & Yellow
Sri
Choornum if they are widows.
OOrdhva Pundram is vertical and faces upwards
denoting that it helps one in reaching 'Sri Vaikuntam' , the spiritual
abode of
Sriman NArAyanA.These twelve OOrdhvapundrams
are known as the 'DvAdasa OOrdhvapundram '.
The location of the Thiruman kaapu , forms , names and colour of all the UpavyUha forms of NArAyanA are as follows :
Location
(part of Human Body)
Forms of Lord
for Meditation
Name & Colour
of Lord
Name of PirAtti
Forhead
(Golden)
ChakrA in all
Four Hands
KeshavA
Sri
Lower Abdomen
(Middle)
Conch (SankA) in
all Four Hands
NArAyanA
(Blue cloud)
Amruthodhbava
Chest
Mace in all
Four Hands
MAdhavA
(Gem)
Kamala
Front Neck
(Middle)
Bow in all
Four Hands
Govinda
(Moon)
Chandrasodari
Lower Abdomen
(Right)
Ploughshares in all
Four Hands
Vishnu
(Lotus Filament)
Vishnu Patni
Right Arm
Pounding Rod in all
Four Hands
MadhusUdhanA
(Lotus)
Vaishnavi
Neck
(Right)
Sword in al
Four Hands
TrivikramA
(Sparkling Fire)
VarAroha
Lower Abdomen
(left)
Thunder Bolt in all
Four Hands
vAmanA
(Rising Sun)
Hari VallabhA
Left Arm
Axe in all
Four Hands
SridharA
(Lotus)
ShArngini
Neck
(left)
Crow-bar in all
Four Hands
HrusIkeSA
(Lightening)
Deva DEvikA
Back
(Lower Spinal)
All weapons in all
Eight Hands
PadmanAbhA
(Lustre of Sun)
MahALakshmi
Back
(Upper Spinal)
Whip in all
Four Hands
DAmodarA
(Silk-worm)
Surasundari
First of all , all the 12 OOrdhvapundrams ,
starting from Lord KesavA should be adorned at appropriate places with
proper
salutations . After this , one might be left
with some amount of thiruman . In accordance with the traditions of Sannidhi
SampradAyam (Sri Ahobila Mutt) the remaining
thiruman should be smeared on top of ones head while meditating on Lord
VAsudevA through dvAdasAksharam . Then , Sri
Choornum at all the appropriate places should be worn .The remaining Sri
Choornum should be smeared on top of one's
head while saluting pirAtti as "SarvAbhishta phala pradAyai Namaha " prefixed
by
pranavam .
The upavyUha forms of NArAyanA also represent
the twelve suns in the Universe corresponding to the twelve zodiacs of
the
universe . KeSavA is the presiding deity of
month MArghazhi, NArAyanA is the presiding deity of month 'thai' and so
on.They
are the presiding deities of the twelve AdityAs.
Thus , the sishyA gets the unique previlege
to wear the Thiruman kAppu. So, only after SamAshrayanam should one wear
the
dvAdasa OOrdhva pundram .From then onwards,
the sishyA (including ladies) WITHOUT FAIL should wear them. All the evils
fly away on seeing the thiruman kAppu (kAppu
=> protection).
Materialistic people apply varieties of powder
& cream to their faces,hands etc .They keep on polishing this temporary
body with
their deep materialistic attachment towards
it.They more over put many more ornaments over the lump of flesh(body)
and
foolishly think that they look beautiful.
The very basic understanding is that one is a jIvAtmA ( soul) who is ever
subservient to
the Divya Dampati, and not the lump of matter
housing it.
The BEST ORNAMENT for the body is THIRUMAN
KAAPU. This should be applied with great humility , thanking AchAryA
and Sriman NArAyanA for their mercy . One
should be really proud of the fact that he is a servant of NArAyanA .He
should be
highly enthusiastic to wear the thiruman kAApu
for the reason that it reminds him of the servant - master relationship
eternally
existing between himself and the Supreme Master
Sriman NArAyanA.
Materialistic people take pride in identifying
themselves as a 'fan' ( follower) of some other materialist ( cinema star
, sports hero
etc) , who is also a jIvA suffering in this
whirlpool of samsArA . These so-called 'stars' of the material world are
going to take
bodies like donkey,cat etc in their future
births .They are followed by thousand fools who are also going to take
such bodies in
the next births.Materialists are highly ignorant
fools because, their level of understanding that someone is 'great' is
highly limited.
Once one becomes a fan of the greatest of
all greats 'Sriman NArAyanA' , he CANNOT become a fan of any other person
(except
NArAyanAs staunch devotees).Even the greatness
of demigods like BrahmA ,SivA & IndrA in comparison with the greatness
of
Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA is like the brightness
of a small spark of light in front of the brightness of millions of suns.
A Sri VaishnavA is thus never attracted to
even any of the demigods ( what to speak of tiny materialists in earth).
One who gets
attracted to NArAyanAs divya mangala vigraha
; kalyAna gunAs ; avatAra lIlAs as in NrusimhA , RAmA and KrishnA avAtAra
; Holy Names etc can never turn back to anything
short of it.
It is furthermore a duty of a Sri VaishnavA
to follow what the AchAryA has taught him during samAshrayanam.Some may
feel
that they are ignorant about these facts .But
, they also see so many Sri VaishnavAs, wearing the thiruman kApu and thus
should automatically enquire into it.But ,
there are some who even after knowing that they should wear the DvAdasa
OOrdhva
pundram daily , doesn't wear them out of shyness.Actually
,this is due to their ignorance. Any devotee of Sriman NArAyanA is
never a cheap personality . He is the most
glorifiable one. So , one should wear them with love and enthusiasm without
any
hesitation. Once one understands about the
glories of Sriman NArAyanA and the eternal connection existing between
himself
and the Lord , he will automatically wear
the dvAdasa OOrdhva pundram.
One can talk a lot about VedAs, PurAnAs etc.
If he doesn't put their teachings into practice, there is no use in learning
them.NArAyanA gets pleased when one follows
the sAstrAs .Moreover , if it is a upadesA from an AchAryA and is followed
by
the sishyA , NArAyanA gets pleased to a much
greater extent.At the same time , if a sishyA doesn't follow the AchAryA,
NArAyanA will never be pleased with him. So,
if a Sri VaishnavA doesn't wear the OOrdhva pundrams , he is obviously
not
following the AchAryA and thereby becomes
avaishnavA in practice . Moreover , sAstrAs says that a body without
OOrdhvaPundram is equivalent to a Cemetery
(burial place).
In extreme circumstances ,when one is not able
to wear the dvAdasa OOrdhvapundrams , salutations to Sriman NArAyanA at
the twelve places , with Anjali MudrA , should
atleast be performed without fail .
The katA portion in YajurvedA says " One who
prays to the Supreme Lord Vishnu by wearing the OOrdhvapundram and by
accepting the hot chakrA on the shoulder ,
reaches the Supreme Lord Himself ". Such is the glory of pundram and thApa
samskAram.
The AchAryA adds the name 'DAsA' at the end
of the disciples name , to indicate that he is forever the servant of
Lord Sriman NArAyanA and Bhagavad RAmAnujA.
He becomes a 'RAmAnuja dAsan'.This is highly important.
Eventhough Sri Vaishnavam is eternal , it was
Bhagavad RAmAnujA who propagated it with intensity and fervour ,out of
his
great compassion for all the living entities.
He was a supreme devotee of Sriman NArAyanA and an intellectual genius.
He gave
the true imports of Brahma SUtrAs and established
the eternal truth vouchsafed in the Upanishads . He made everyone
understand that NArAyanA , the consort of
'Sri' is the Supreme Lord , who has all the sentient beings and insentient
things as
His body (ie. NArAyanA is supporter &
controller of everything and everything exists for His pleasure ).
He gave the secret doctrine of 'prapatti' (
self -surrender ) to the whole world. PRAPATTI IS THE ONLY WAY IN THIS
KALI
YUGA BY WHICH ONE CAN REACH SRI VAIKUNTAM
(MOKSHAM). Thus ,it was Bhagavad RAmAnujA who opened the
gates of Sri Vaikuntam for anyone , irrespective
of caste , creed or sex. The greatness of Bhagavad RAmAnujA cannot be
expressed in mere words.
Since he was the one who redeemed the whole
suffering humanity by propagating the eternal truth and the ultimate good
to
everyone , Lord RanganAthA residing at SriRangam
became so moved that , the Supreme Lord placed at the disposal of
RAmAnujAchAryA , all His possessions - LIlAvibhUti
( Material World ) and Nitya-VibhUti (Spiritual World ie. Sri Vaikuntam
) -
including Himself.In commemoration of that
act , Lord RanganAthA conferred upon Bhagavad RAmAnujA the name of
'Udayavar'( Possesor or Master ) ,to signify
that he was thenceforth the Master of All. Thus , to enter the Spiritual
Abode of
Sriman NArAyanA , the link with ' Udayavar
'( Sri RAmAnujA ) becomes a vital and important criterion.
The sishyA should always identify himself through
this 'dAsa ' nAmA . Whenever he speaks to other bhAgavathAs he should
have the servitude attitude which in one way
can be cultivated by remembering his 'dAsa ' nAmA. Ladies shall identify
themselves by suffixing "nAmine RAmAnuja dAsi"
to their name ( eg: RanganAyaki nAmine RAmAnuja dAsi ).
Eventhough all the five samskArams are highly
important , Mantra SamskAram is the most important amongst
them. The Rahasya traya ( 3 secrets) mantrAs
are initiated to the sishyA .They are the AshtAksharam , Dvayam
and the Charama slokam . These are the TOPMOST
ESSENCE OF ALL THE KNOWLEDGE .They are highly
potent and have deep philosophical meanings.
These are secrets and are highly precious . These are to be learnt
from the AchAryA only. The sishyAs at any
cost CANNOT tell these mantrAs (AshtAksharam and dvayam) to
others , who haven't had samAshrayanam. Only
the AchAryA who is eligible to perform samAshrayanam to
others is entitled to initiate the sishyAs
with these mantrAs.
One should be VERY VERY FORTUNATE to receive these mantrAs. The glories of these mantrAs have no bounds.
The potency of the mantrAs work only when it
is obtained from the AchAryA ( paramparA). This is because , without getting
the link to the paramparA , which is started
by Sriman NArAyanA ,one cannot obtain the benifits of the mantrA ; rather
it may
lead to negative results also.PAdma purAnA
says that " sampradAya - vihInA ye mantrAs te niShphalA matAhA" ie. "Unless
mantrAs are initiated (by the AchAryA) through
the sampradAyA , it has no effect ". Anyone who wants to become the devotee
of NArAyanA must get linked with the ParamparA
. Sriman NArAyanA Himself has clearly laid out that the paramparA is the
way through which one should approach Him
.
AshtAksharam (also known as Moola Mantra ,
Thiru Mantra) is extolled by great people like AzhwArs and Rishis . This
mantra
originated from Lord BadriNArAyanA of BadrinAth
, chanted in Gayathri Chandas and is addressed to Sriman NArAyanA .
Since this mantra is initiated by the Lord
NArAyanA Himself , this is highly sacred.Infact NArAyanA initiated this
AshtAksharam to Thirumangai AzhwAr also.This
same AshtAksharam was initiated to pundarIkA and PrahlAdA by sage
NAradA.Yogis practising Bhakti YogA , who
were ever immersed in seeing the wonderful form of Sriman NArAyanA,used
this
secret AshtAkshara mantram as the key to their
success of God-Realisation (ie. realising NArAyanA).
This highly sacred mantra has pranavam(combination
of A,U and M) in the beginning.Vedic Scriptures strictly restrict the usage
of pranavam. Only purushAs (men) belonging
to first three varnAs (BrAhmanA , KshatriyA & vaishyA) are allowed
to recite it .
This pranavam cannot be used according to
ones whims and fancy. Whenever it is referred in general public, it has
to be
addressed as pranavam only.One doesn't have
the right to say this pranavam as a combination of A,U and M ,in public
( unless it
is a part of the recitation of VedAs for a
particular ceremony etc). But, the same effect of AshtAksharam can be obtained
by
others by reciting 'um' instead of pranavam.
Everyone can infact chant 'Namo NArAyanA' aloud
in public ( without even undergoing Pancha SamskAram ) .Its a humble
request to all the bhAgavathAs , that the
chanting of 'Namo NArAyanA' be propagated allover the world . This is the
real
medicine for the suffering of all the living
entities swirling in the whirlpool of SamsArA .Since this has no restriction
, anyone can
be made to chant this and the soul can be
saved. Propagation of the Holy Names of NArAyanA ( esp."Namo NArAyanA"
) is
the best service for the whole society , irrespective
of caste , creed , sex etc. The Holy Name will then make all the necessary
arrangements for the spiritual upliftment
of others.
AshtAkshara mantra japam (either in tAntric
or VaidhikA form ) MUST be performed daily in accordance with one's adhikAram
,
as prescribed in pAncharAtrA. Out of great
respect to this most valuable treasure , one should chant AshtAkshara mantram
,
only when he is pure in his body & mind.
In Sannidhi SampradAyam (Sri Ahobila Mutt) AshtAkshara japam is performed
during
SandhyAvandanam ( before upasthAnam , same
number of times as that of GAyatri japam) .
AshtAkshara japam gives ALL BENIFITS that one
can derive from different mantrAs. More importantly , it facilitates the
bondage between the person performing the
japam and Sriman NArAyanA for SaranAgati (Prapatti).
Dvaya Mantram consists of two lines.It is eulogised
as the 'Mantra RatnA' ( Gem/Jewel amongst all the MantrAs). This helps
one
to perform SaranAgati (Prapatti) unto Sriman
NArAyanA. Once this mantrA is initiated by the AchAryA, it should be recited
constantly within ourselves . It can be recited
by the sishyA without bothering about time , place etc. Infact Dvayam should
be
dancing in the lips of SriVaishnavAs , all
the time. It is infact an INSTRUCTION from BhagavAn RAMANUJA that Dvayam
should be chanted for maximum time possible.
Both AshtAksharam & Dvayam shall not be chanted in an audible manner . They have to be chanted within ourselves.
Charama slokam is the famous 'Sarva DharmAn
....." sloka of Srimad Bhagavad GitA. It is a secret because of its invaluable
hidden truth. Sriman NArAyanA during His Krishna
AvatArA did the Gita UpadesA to all the people through ArjunA. Since
Bhakti YogA was highly difficult even for
ArjunA , KrishnA out of His Mercy asked him ( all the people) to perform
'Prapatti' , as
a means of God-Realisation .
Bhakti YogA is the CONSTANT meditation (without
any break; as constant as the flow of an unbroken stream of oil from the
hole in the bottom of a vessel filled with
oil ) with unsurpassed love , on the essential nature (svarUpA) , qualities
(kalyAna
gunAs) and form (divya mangala vigrahA) of
Sriman nArAyanA , by the aid of any one of the 32 vidyAs prescribed in
the
Upanishads.Such constant meditation is obviously
difficult for the kali - yugA people. That is why the Supreme Lord Sriman
NArAyanA in His Krishna avatArA pointed out
the presence of another means of attaining salvation (prapatti) in the
Upanishads.
In many Vedic literatures & in works of
Sri Vaishnava AchAryAs , the term "Bhakti" is usually associated with the
term "Bhakti
YogA"( ie. UpAsanAs prescribed in Upanishads
) . But , nowadays , the term "Bhakti" is commonly used by people for denoting
any sort of devotion .A SriVaishnavA should
certainly have Bhakti in the sense of reciting VedAs,Divya Prabandhams,
Nama
Sankeertanams, StotrAs etc. And all these
things are to be carried out as a kainkaryam (service) to the Divya Dampati
with the
understanding that it is the ocean of dayA
of Sriman NArAyanA that was responsible for him to be selected as an instrument
in
performing the kainkaryam . These services
should be done for the pleasure of Sriman NArAyanA and the fruits of these
services are to be submitted to Him . Also,
one should do the duties (like SandhyA Vandanam , Bhagavad ArAdhanam etc)
according to his varnA and AshramA , in the
same spirit of kainkaryam (with sAthvIka thyAgam) to the Divya Dampati
(Divine
Couple) as mentioned above.
Regular recital of these mantrAs are highly essential and a Sri VaishnavA should be immersed in these mantras and its meanings .
In this SamskAram , the AchAryA teaches about
Bhagavad ArAdhanA ( Ijyai ). ArAdhanA is the way of
worshipping Sriman NArAyanA. There are basically
two forms of ArAdhanA : bahyA (External) and mAnasIkA
(Internal).
This samskAram is initiated by the AchAryA through Sanskrit verses whose translation in English is as follows :
" After Achamanam , wearing OOrdhvapundram
, prostrating to the Lord (Sriman NArAyanA) , sit in a seat. After prAnAyAmam
, perform japam with DhyAna slokAs ( AshtAksharam
, etc). Later , worship the Lord Sriman NArAyanA residing in ones heart
(
mAnasIka ArAdhanA). Then with water from the
vessel placed left (of Sriman nArAyanA) , sprinkle water on flowers and
other
materials for worship and also vessels for
arghyam, pAdyam etc.From water in arghyA Vessel , sprinkle water on flowers
etc (for
worship) and also self "
" After welcoming the Lord , offer arghyam
, pAdyam ,Achamaniam & give ritualistic bath. Then offer cloth, Yaj~no
Pavitha
(sacred thread), Sandal paste , flower , incense
, light , in order. Offer Achamanam , honey and again Achamanam. Later
offer food
comprising of pudding, rice , vegetables,
water, pan-betel etc.After Prostration ,restoring status quo is the procedure
of worship
of Vishnu"
Thus , the sishyA gets the eligibility to perform
Bhagavad ArAdhanam ( Ijyai) to Sriman NArAyanA's archA avatAram as
'SALagrAmA'. Since the food we take should
only be the remnants of food offered to Sriman NArAyanA , SALagrAma
ArAdhanA is very important for a Sri VaishnavA..
Lord Sri KrishnA in His GIta Upadesam , says
that " Good people eating the remains of yaj~nAs are released from all
sins.Those
sinners who cook food for their own sake eat
only sin " (3.13)
Food is the major source of input to the body.
It drastically affects the proportions of sAtvikkA (goodness), rAjasA (passion)
and tAmasA (ignorance) gunAs in the body.By
eating the food which are devoid of sAtvikA nature , the person drifts
away from
spiritualism and his indulgence in materialistic
affairs increases. Further , if the food is not offered to the Supreme
Lord Sriman
NArAyanA through Bhagavad ArAdhanA ,the person
incurs lot of sins . Therefore ,One should perform the Bhagavad
ArAdhana kainkaryam daily without fail .
By performing SALagrAma ArAdhanam (Ijyai) ,
one gets cleansed from many impurities (seated in mind).The sacred water
obtained after the ablution of SALagrAmA is
highly potent. We have to remember that , the sacred water has had the
direct
contact with the thirumeni (divine body) of
Sriman nArAyanA .Thus it makes one charged with sAtvika gunA and cultivates
bhagavad bhakti very easily.
Ofcourse there are many side - benifits like
improvement in health, intelligence, memory , etc due to the intake of
sacred water (
'PerumAL theertham'). All these benifits are
for aiding the cultivation of bhakti and shouldn't be seen in a materialistic
perspective. The spiritual benifit obtained
is enormous , and can only be felt by the devotee.
A true devotee of Sriman NArAyanA however doesn't
bother about the so called scientific explainations for the side-benifits
incurred during any devotional kainkaryA .
These explainations are only for those who doesn't believe in NArAyanA
and
sAstrAs .For instance , Sri AnnamAchAryA (
disciple of Sri Adivan Sadagopa Yateendra MahAdesikan) , out of his intense
devotion to the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA
, has sung 32000 nectarian songs on Lord SrInivAsA at TirumalA . rAgA ,
tAlA are not planned . These things pour out
spontaneously out of his great devotion. But , one may get attracted by
the
greatness of rAgA , tAlA , way of composition
etc.But, the important aspect which should attract one ,is his bhakti towards
NArAyanA . If this is left out , then there
is no point in discussing other things. Eventhough the rAgA,the composition
structure
etc are amazing, they simply aid one to create
the mood of bhakti involved in that song & it is in this context that
they are to be
eulogized. Similarly , we can talk about some
petty, so called scientific explainations behind some devotional activities
& the side
- benifits obtained thereby .But , the spiritual
reason behind it and spiritual benifit one obtains is beyond the comprehension
of
our senses.
The archA form of NArAyanA is due to His Soulabhyam
( easy accesibility to one and all ) & Sowseelyam ( Friendship shown
by an exalted one towards a lowly person without
expecting anything in return ). His dayA (mercy) for all of us has no bounds.
Garuda PurAnam says
"SAlagrAma shilA yatra devo dwAravathIbhavaha
vubhyoho sangamo yatra tatra mukthirna samshayaha "
ie . Mukthi is assured without doubt in those
places where SALagrAma DwArakA shilA coexist (ie.Bhagavad
ThiruArAdhanam leads a devotee to perform
prapatti and makes him lead a life of true prapannA ). The greatness
of sALagrAmA is that, Sriman NArAyanA has
Himself chosen ( svayam vyaktA) to incarnate in that form ie. it is
not consecrated or installed by others.SALagrAmA
can thus be straightaway worshipped without any special
consecration.
Eventhough the sALagrAma ArAdhanA is performed
by the male members of the three varnAs , ladies too have important role
in that kainkaryam. They can make nice arrangements
in terms of preparing food, gathering & making fragrant flower garlands
,
etc.Thus they too derive the same benifits
out of the ArAdhanam. The entire family should assemble together for the
'SAtrumurai', the concluding session of ArAdhanam
.
The important aspect in any kainkaryam is that,
it is performed purely for the pleasure of Sriman NArAyanA . SAstrAs also
clearly specify the type of kainkaryam one
has to perform , according to ones varnA & AshramA. So , one has to
just take up the
kainkaryam assigned to him/her & perform
that with devotion. This is the spirit behind the kainkaryam & thus
one shouldn't
entertain questions like "Why can't I do this
?" , "Why should they only do that ? " etc.
mAnasIkA ArAdhanA has to be performed by all.
This is similar to the bahyA ArAdhanA , but the whole ArAdhanA is done
mentally .Pictures of Sriman NArAyanA in various
Divya Desams , plays an important role here . Irrespective of the caste,
place ,
time or sex , one can perform this mAnasIka
ArAdhanA .
Sri Sukabrahma maharishi in his nectarian Srimad
BhAgavatham says about the way in which great devotees worship
NArAyanA residing within their hearts ( mAnasIka
ArAdhanA ) :
"These devotees meditate on NArAyanA with His
four hands holding the Conch , ChakrA , GadhA (club) and Lotus. They fix
His figure firmly in their mind. Having fixed
His figure firmly , they worship Him with the courtesies ( as in Bahya
ArAdhanA or
pUjA ) including serving of food , mentally.
They conclude the worship with MangalAsAsanam ( MangalArathi)".
If one doesn't remember about the upadesam
of the AchAryA as regarding the Ijyai and unfortunately couldn't meet the
AchAryA , he can approach another Sri VaishnavA
who is spiritually advanced and learn the practical way of doing the
sALagrAma ArAdhanA.
This samskAram is very important in many angles.
thApa samskAram makes the sishyA eligible to start performing various
kainkaryams to the Supreme Lord Sriman NArAyanA
. The pundra samskAram makes a person eligible to wear the dvAdasa
OOrdhvapundram ,which is a must while performing
kainkaryams like Bhagavad ArAdhanam. NAma samskAram makes the
sishyA get the intimate relationship with
Sriman NArAyanA & Bhagavad RAmAnujA, which is again important while
performing
kainkaryams. The mantrAs initiated during
the mantra samskAram are used to please Sriman NArAyanA while performing
kainkaryams like Bhagavad ArAdhanam. So ,
all the samskArams are ultimately aimed to make the sishyA perform the
kainkaryams like Bhagavad ThiruvArAdhanam
properly.
While doing Bhagavad ThiruvArAdhanam to Sriman
NArAyanA , one is also reminded about the Lord in various Divya Desams
, the nectarian anubhavA of AzhvArs , mercy
of our AchAryAs etc.All types of spiritual emotions can be nicely poured
out
during the Bhagavad ArAdhanam ,thereby bringing
immense divine ecstacy.This makes one get rid of the sins that propel a
person to engage in materialistic pleasures
and makes him deeply attached to the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord Sriman
NArAyanA.
SamAshrayanam marks a great turning point in
the journey of jIvAtmA through the cycle of repeated birth and
death. The Pancha SamskAram performed is invaluable.
But , one has to keep up the samskAram by his regular
devotional activities. The samskArams done
loses its significance when one starts indulging in more materialistic
activities , without caring about the Supreme
Lord Sriman NArAyanA . The whole purpose of SamAshrayanam is
to make a person ( jIvAtmA ) get involved
in the sanAtana dharmA ( eternal dharmA) of performing Kainkaryam
to Divya Dampati ( MahALakshmi & NArAyanA
). Surrender and love towards the Supreme Lord Sriman
NArAyanA is the only purpose of human life
. SamAshrayanam helps in a great way to make a person progress
towards achieving this goal.
The disciple should be highly thankful to the
AchAryA for his great compassion. He should take deep interest in the
SampradAyam & gain the true knowledge
from kAlakshepams (Discourses) either under the lotus feet of his achAryA
or under
other SriVaishnava achAryAs his achAryA directs
him to do so.He should atleast learn from cassettes , books etc of our
AchAryAs. He should learn the recitation &
meaning of the most nectarian , unparalleled divine songs of the Tamil
VedA(Divya
Prabandham) , which is embedded with soul
stirring devotional pAsurams.He should carry out the duties ( like
SandhyAvandanam , Bhagavad ArAdhanam etc )
without fail , according to the VarnA and AshramA . The taniyan of the
AchAryA must neccessarily be recited daily
, atleast after adorning the dvAdasa OOrdhvapundram.
He should perform various services to the AchAryA
and Sriman NArAyanA daily. Then, jn~AnA ( knowledge) , vairAgyA
(detatchment from materialistic things ; sense
control) and bhakti (devotion) is automatically gained by the devotee due
to
blessings of the AchAryA . By performing prapatti
, the devotee should lead a life of prapannA ever immersed in various
kainkaryams .Eventhough he is in the midst
of the society , he can earn through dharmA as a service to Sriman NArAyanA
. The
money so earned should be spent for various
devotional services and not for materialistic pleasures.
Swami Desikan says in his NyAsa vimsati that ,
"The disciple too must fulfil certain requisite
qualifications. He should have
1.A Good sense
2.A friendly approach towards
sAdhus.
3.A good character.
4.An earnest desire to understand
the tenets of the sampradAyA.
5.A loving mind to render
service to the AchAryA
6.No self-esteem or self
conceit.
7.Abject obedience to the
AchAryA, this being a SUPREME DUTY.
8.A tendency of waiting
and readiness for the correct oppurtunity to get clarification of our doubts
from AchAryA.
9.A complete restraint over
the external senses.
10.A mental discipline
11.A mind of surrendering to the
AchAryA without any jealosy
12.An implicit faith in what the
SAstrAs say.
13.The ability to pass all the
tests the AchAryA admininsters.
14.Supreme graditude to the AchAryA
for the great help.
Only such a disciple is eligible to be inducted
into the philosophical training." Nyasa Vimsati(3).
In his glorious 'pallAndu' to Sriman NArAyanA
, PeriAzhvAr (Sri Vishnu chittar) glorifies samAshrayanam and instructs
us the way one should lead the life after samAshrayanam : "Bearing (on
our upper-arms) the imprint of Holy ChakrA ,caused by the special consecrated
instrument with the red - hot wheel-emblem ,which is blazing more fiercely
than fire , we have been at the
service of Lord Sriman NArAyanA , generation
after generation".
Kindly follow the instructions of our dearmost
AzhvArs and AchAryAs and lead a life of a true Sri VaishnavA by their divine
blessings.
Those who haven't undergone samAshrayanam ,
please take the earliest oppurtunity to get the blessings of the AchAryA
corresponding to your sampradAyam and humbly
request the AchAryA to perform Pancha SamskAram. Please do help others
also ,to know about Pancha SamskAram and bring
great fortune to their lives too.
Namo NArAyanA
Adiyen
Sri Vaishnava dAsAnu dAsan
KaraLapAkkam KomAndUr ELayavalli AnanthapadmanAbha
dAsan
All glories to the lotus feet of AzhvArs, EmperumAnAr & Desikan
Sarvam Sri KrishnArpanamastu
