Swami Ramanuja - Week 2

Swami Ramanuja - Week 1

 Thiruppavai Upanyasam  by Velukkudi Sri U. Ve. Krishnan swami

Please login to view the Media player.

Q:  What is the meaning of the word, ‘ithihasa’?

Q:  Are Ithihasas and Puranas on par in terms of value?

Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha
Srimad Varavara Munaye Namaha

The Inspiration to the Inspired

In the disciplic lineage that we ascribe to as part of the Visishtadvaitha Srivaishnava Sampradaya the most venerated and celebrated acharya is Swami Ramanuja. We are all aware of his divine birth, deep knowledge and his unparalleled love for Sriman Narayana. It must be mentioned that Swami Ramanuja looked up to Swami Alavandar for inspiration. Swami Alavandar’s main contribution to our divine tradition is that he is the one who identified Swami Ramanuja (then known as Sri Ilayazhwar) in Kanchipuram and hailed him as the successor to adorn the pontifical seat of being the “darsana pravarthaka acharya” (preceptor to carry the divine vision forward).

Excerpts Swami Alavandar’s stotra literature are most celebrated in our sampradaya and serve as excellent works to learn methods of expression in the sanskrit language. His works are extremely polemic and served as the basis for the work by all our preceptors that followed him. Learning his works and spending time in understanding the manning contained in them is the best way to celebrate the annual birth asterism of this wonderful personality. VEDICS Foundation is proud to present a wonderful discourse delivered by Velukkudi Sri U. Ve. Krishnan Swamy at Kattumannar Kovil, the place of birth of Swami Alavandar.

Please login to listen to the above said upanyasams.

Please do not forget to check our calendar section to download a free Alavandar Wallpaper for August!

Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha
Srimad Varavara Munaye Namaha

True Education

Dear Readers,

Upakarma which means “beginning” in sanskrit is an annual ritual that is conducted in all Brahmin households. It signifies the day/date/asterism when a Brahmachari child, whose sacred-thread ceremony has been performed, commences his vedic studies. In the past, the day would symbolize the annual beginning of curricular studies for any brahmachari child.

Velukkudi Sri U. Ve. Krishnan Swami has delivered a beautiful discourse on the many aspects that pertain to the Upakarma festival that we celebrate. Please login with your userId to listen to the same.

Our readers are also encouraged to browse other sections of the website and recommend our Membership Program to their family and friends, through which a lot of the activities that we undertake currently, are made possible. As always, please share this information on your social media channels as well.

VEDICS Foundation, due to the grace of Sriman Narayana, has been helping propagate the traditional method of study for several works and works in conjunction with Kinchitkaram Trust which runs Veda Patasalas in India. More information can be had by contacting us directly

sri:

srimathe ramanujaya namaha
srimad varavaramunaye namaha

A Beginning or The End?

One of the core tenets of the Visishtadvaitha Srivaishnava Sampradaya as expounded by Swami Ramanuja, also known as the Emperumanar Darsanam, is the theory of causality known as the “satkaryavada”. It is defined by the axiom that the existence of any effect is implied in a latent form whenever a cause is exercised. It is a tenet that found favor with Swami Ramanuja in his explanation of our ontology, which resonates with the message in the Upanishads and lie in tune with the divine outpourings of the Azhwars. It principally helps rationalize the philosophy associated with creation. Much like the Law of Conservation of Energy, which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, our sampradayam holds that anything which comes to being is wholly real and is only a transformation from something that existed before to another new, present form and has not been created from a previous state of non existence.

Srisailesa Thaniyan

Sri Varavaramuni Suprabhatham

This dictum is one that followers of this tradition hold at high regard and is one that draws a thin line between ours and other schools of Vedanta. Thus, one can always hold a point of view that the end of something is the beginning of another and also infer that the beginning of one signifies the end of some other. The same concept underlies the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, verse 27 - “jaatasya hi dhruvo mrutyuhu”. It is also indicative of the pasurams of Swami Nammazhwar which are composed in the Andhadhi style, where the beginning of the following verse in the same as the end of the current one.

Thus, it is quite clear that a very interesting Möbius strip like phenomenon is quite predominant in our sampradayam. Interestingly, this day is one that holds extreme significance in this regard. we follow a disciplic succession called the Oran Vazhi Acharya Guru Parampara. This lineage is held in the highest regard amongst our elders and to relive of their glories time and again during the day was a favorite past time of theirs. This succession begins with Sriman Narayana. After them comes Sri Vishwaksena, followed by Swami Nammazhwar. Then begins the era of Sriman Nathamuni. Yamuna Muni, Swami Ramanuja and so on unto Srisailesa or Sri Tirumalai Azhwar. Each of them were known as the “darshana pravarthaka acharya”, roughly translated as ‘The Preceptor Promoting the Vision’. Sri Tirumalai Azhwar was succeeded by the most compassionate, benevolent and illustrious Swami Manavala Mamunigal.

Stories abound the legend of how The Supreme Lord himself sought a teacher who was replete with all of the qualities that defined a preceptor in entirety. It was Namperumal, as one of his many displays of divine amusement, who submitted himself as an acolyte by submitting a salutary verse called as a “thaniyan”. This is the thaniyan that begins as “Srishailesha daya pathram”. It was ordained by Sri Namperumal himself that this thaniyan be recited by one and all at the commencement and conclusion of any gatherings.

Thus, we see two instances of where the beginning and the end have been conceived as symmetric expositions. The Lord took it upon himself to complete the Acharya Ratna Haram by ably forging the hook and fastener so that the disciplic succession is one of perpetual propagation. Also, the invocatory and concluding verse of all recitation has ordained to be the Srisailesa thaniyan, the Srisailesa Maha Mantram.

VEDICS Foundation invites you to listen and delve into the glories of one of the greatest events of our sampradayam. We present to you an upanyasam giving the meanings of the Thaniyan, some graphics that illustrate the incident via paintings and some more resources about Swami Manavala Mamunigal for you to enjoy. As always, we encourage you to share our information across your social media channels and with all your friends and family. Happy Learning!

Please Login to Listen to Sri. U.Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami's Upanyasams on "Manavala Mamunigal Thaniyan and Vaibhavam"

Sri Varavaramuni Mangalam