Sunday, January 4, 2015

82 GOLDEN RULES OF SRI RAMANUJACHARYA

82 GOLDEN RULES OF SRI RAMANUJACHARYA
In his death bed Sri Ramanuja is said to have articulated 82 statements to his disciples. It is not an exaggeration to present these statements as the essence of Sri Vaishnavam.
These instructions are reported to have been uttered by Sri Ramanuja four days before his demise. To our understanding, they were meant to be moral aids to his disciples in their relations to God, men and devotees.
Golden Rule 4 – Be devoted to God and Vaishnava Shastras
Devotion to God is the noblest and grandest lessons that Upanishads teach with unapproached and unapproachable excellence. The adjective “Vaishnava” should not be understood in its restricted sense, but in its broader sense as meaning “appertaining to the all-pervading Being”.

Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.3 says: “You cannot have the knowledge of the Supreme Soul by means of reasoning, erudition, or studying of the Vedas; only through causeless mercy does He reveal His own person unto him whom He does accept as His own”.
Sanskrit:
नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो
न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन।
यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्य-
स्तस्यैष आत्मा विवृणुते तनूं स्वाम्॥ ३॥
nāyamātmā pravacanena labhyo
na medhayā na bahunā śrutena |
yamevaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhya-
stasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām || 3||


Katha Upanishad of Yajur Veda says: “God is eternal amidst the perishable Universe, and is the source of sensation, among all animate existences and He alone assigns to so many objects, their respective purposes. To those wise men who know Him, the ruler of the intellectual power, everlasting beatitude is allotted; but not to those who are void of that knowledge. If man can acquire knowledge of God in this world, before the fall of his body, he becomes happy for ever, lest he assumes new forms in different mansions”.
Lord Krishna explains this to Arjuna, in Bhagvad Gita Chapter 8 Verse 15:
mam upetya punar janma duhkalayam asasvatam
napnuvanti mahatmanah samsiddhim paramam gatah

Swami Ramanuja rendered explanation to the above verse in his “Gita Bhashyam”, thus: “Those who attain Lord Krishna do not return to the impermanent material existence and temporary condition of samsara, the perpetual cycle of birth and death, the abode of misery and suffering. The devotees of Lord Krishna are mahatmas or great noble souls who have enlightened themselves as to the real nature of His nama or name, rupa or form, guna or attributes, dharma or abode and lila or divine pastimes. Such exalted beings feel such great love for Him in separation that their very life becomes unsupportable. Those whose mind is focussed on Him and whose heart is only for Him in bhakti or loving devotion is the very heart in which He resides.”

No comments:

Post a Comment