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Ramanujaacarya’s SharaNaagati Gadyam

Courtesy: http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf

Tad viddhi praNipaatena pariprashnena sevayaa l

Upadekshyanti te jnaanam jnaaninah tatvadarshinahaa ll 4.34 ll BG

Dear All:

The following, somewhat lengthy email, is to share with you a most amazing event

that occurred this weekend, as we begin our study of chapter 13 of the Bhagavad

Gita. As you know, according to our acaryas, the last six chapters of the Gita are

collectively known as Jnana yoga. In chapter 4, verse 34, KrishNa tells Arjuna that

the great jnaanees, those who have “seen” the tatvams (the seers of the absolute

and essential truths) will instruct him and confer ‘jnaanam’ upon him.

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The verb ‘upadekshyanti’, which is the verb form of ‘upadesham’ which means

instructions or wise counsel, is used by KrishNa. He also mentions how the

student, or novice, the seeker of the truth can gain this ‘jnaanam’. This is described

in the first line of this verse. The student must be humble and offer obeisances

(praNipaatena), the student must serve the guru or acarya (sevayaa) and then ask

questions with humility (pariprashnena).

Most of the Sanskrit stotrams and scriptural texts, such as the Bhagavad Gita and

Srimad Bhagavatam, that we are still fortunate to study on some regular basis in

this Kaliyuga are written in poetic form, or ‘padyam’. This word is derived from

‘pada’, which means a step (like steps taken when we walk), and also a part of a

whole, like one quarter, one-third, etc. Most of the two line slokas (or even the

four-line slokas) are made up of parts, or padas, hence padyam. These slokas can

also be sung. There are very few Sanskrit scriptural compositions that are written

in what is known as the prose style – or gadyam. Such compositions are simply

read word by word - no singing or poetry.

In Canto 5 of the Srimad Bhagavatam we find prose compositions in chapters 20 to

24 (click here or http://vedabase.net/sb/5/en). One of the important works of

Ramanujaacarya, the founder of the VishishTadvaita school of Hindu philosophy,

called SharaNaagati gadyam, is basically a prose composition, as implied by the

name, although it does include several verses, especially many important verses

from the Bhagavad Gita.

Ramanujaacarya actually composed three such gadyams – known collectively as

gadyam trayam (click here, http://sriramanujar.tripod.com/gadya_trayam.html),

SharaNaagati Gadyam, Sriranga Gadyam, and VaikunTa Gadyam. My purpose

here is to present the first of these three immortal works in a more easily readable

form, breaking up the complex Sanskrit words, made by compounding many words

together following the rules of sandhi (joining of words). One such jaw breaker is

sheeladyanavadhikaatishaya, and another is anavadhikaatishaya, both encountered

frequently with the latter also being compounded with many other words.

Let us consider the first of the above. Sheela means good behavior and aadi mean

etcetera (abbreviated as etc.). Thus, sheelaadi means good character and many such

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sterling and good qualities or characteristics. The next is anavadhika, which is the

antonym (opposite) of adhika which means in addition to, in excess, and much

more, etc. Thus, anavadhika means not excessive, or not bounded or something

that cannot be exceeded. Finally, we have atishaya, which means more, in excess,

etc. Thus, with the sandhi rules sheela+aadi+anavadhika+atishaya =

sheelaadyanavadhikaatishaya.

This foray into Ramanuja’s SharaNagati gadyam, which needs no introduction or

clarification (see http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf or click here),

especially to scholars of SriVaishNavism, has been prompted by the remarkable

events of this past weekend.

In recent emails I had called attention to the inauguration ceremonies of the new

temple at 3325 Middlebelt Road, in West Bloomfield, Michigan. A small Balaji

temple was founded about eight years ago and was housed in an office suite in a

commercial building in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The temple management, with

the approval of all the temple board and members, recently acquired a church

which was on sale. The deities of Lord Venkateswara and His consorts,

Sudarshana Perumal with Narasimha, and Hanuman and Satyanaryana were all

moved to the new quarters over this past weekend. A grand three day event has just

been concluded with the chanting of all the Vedic mantras and performance of all

homams, with the enthusiastic participation by many devotees from the Metro

Detroit area. But, something that no one anticipated also occurred.

Three guest priests were invited for these inauguration ceremonies. One of them,

Sriman Varadaraja Bhattar, is associated with the Venkateswara temple in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the first Venkateswara temple in the North American

continent. Sri Varadarja Bhattar’s father performed the installation and

consecration ceremonies for the Lord at Pittsburgh. A very beautiful vigraham of

Sri Ramanujaacarya was to be installed in of the temples in Virginia and was

acquired by Sriman Varadaraja Bhattar. However, for some strange reason the

vigraham was not installed at that temple. Then Sri Varadaraja Bhattar asked the

Michigan temple management if they would accept the vigraham and install it in

the new West Bloomfield location. Needless to say, it seemed like a divine

blessing and Ramanuajaacarya’s vigraham has now been consecrated with all due

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Vedic chanting and sits at the feet of the Lord facing Hanuman and Sudarshana

Perumal and Narasimha.

In the temple, so far, we have been chanting Sudarshana AshTakam, RuNamocana

Narasimha Stotram, and Hanuman Chalisaa, on a very regular basis. This morning,

December 3, 2012, the first day after the inauguration ceremonies, and after the

regular stotram chantings were completed (Venkatesa Suprabhatam, Vishnu

Sahasranamam, Mahalakshmi AshTTotaram, Sudarshana AshTakam, Runamocana

Narasimha Stotram), it suddenly occurred to me that I must also chant Ramanuja’s

SharaNagati Gadyam from now on and that too on regular basis.

Let me add a couple more reasons for chanting this Gadyam. As noted, next week,

on December 9, our Canton Gita study group will begin the study of chapter 13,

which marks the beginning of the third section of the Bhagavad Gita. The last six

chapters (13 to 18), taken together, are known as the Jnana yoga section of the

Gita. We generally take jnanam to mean knowledge. A very knowledgeable person

is called a jnaanee and we all aspire to become jnaanees. Of course, sometimes we

kind of admit that we are all ajnannees, which means ignorant fools, but rarely do

we really mean it and generally conduct ourselves in arrogant and know-it-all

fashion with scant humility. That is how we live our lives and face all kind of

problems, especially inter-personal problems in dealing family members (husband

and wife, parents and children, sibling problems, etc.), friends, acquaintances,

colleagues, superiors (bosses), customers (especially running a business) and so on.

Chapter 13 begins with a question posed by Arjuna. He asks Krishna, “What is

jnaanam? What is jneyam (gnyeyam)?” which means “What is knowledge? What

is to be known, or worth knowing?”. Everything that we know is not knowledge.

Everything that is we know is not necessarily worth knowing. Krishna, as usual,

explains these two points very nicely in the Gita. (Arjuna also wants to know about

kshteram and kshetrajna and about Prakriti and Purusha. So, chapter 13 deals with

these three “pairs”.)

As I was chanting the SharaNagati gadyam, it seemed to me a remarkable

coincidence that Ramanujaacarya, whose commentaries on the Gita I often read

and cite, was now practically right there in front of me, to seek blessings and guide

us as we continue the study of Gita and the jnana yoga section.

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Courtesy: http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/sanskrit/saranaagatigadyam.pdf

Now, let me come to the second reason I had mentioned. The second sloka of the

SharaNagati gadyam (see above) starts with PraNaamam Lakshmanamunih

pratigruhNaatu, which means “May the Lakshmana muni (the sage named after

Lakshmana) accept my humble obeisances”. The declension of the verb used can

be translated as “may” in English. We can only wish. We can only pray. He ‘may’

or may not accept our obeisances. When we pray, we all hope the Lord is listening

to our prayers and will grant our prayers and wishes. But, nothing is guaranteed.

That is the implication of “gruhNaatu”. The verb here expresses a wish, like

bhavantu versus bhavanti. The first is a wish. The second expresses a fact, a

certainty. So, we humbly offer our obeisances to the sage and wish that he would

accept them and shower his blessings upon us. The sage here is referred to as

Lakshamana munih. In the first verse, he is referred to as Ramanuja but in the

second he is referred to as LakshmaNa munih. Why?

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The Lord Narayana, or MahavishNu, decided to incarnate Himself as Rama (half

human half divine) to kill Ravana (since Ravana could NOT be killed by anyone

due to a boon he had received but he forgot to include humans in the list of beings

or creatures that could NOT kill him since he never thought there could be any

danger from a human, or the human-like monkeys (vanaras) and bears!).

Adishesha, the serpent on which He lies in the Milk Ocean, also came along in the

form of His younger brother, LakshmaNa, in order to assist the Lord and also be a

constant companion and guardian (like he is with all his hoods providing a

protective cover for the Lord in the Milk Ocean).

The Lord as Ranganatha lying on His serpent bed Adishesha, as seen in

Srirangam. Courtesy: http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf

LakshmaNa, they say, did not sleep for all the fourteen years of Rama’s exile. He

was always awake and guarding and keeping a vigil when Rama and Seeta rested

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and/or went to sleep. When Rama was totally heart-broken and wailing (worse than

Arjuna) after Seeta was abducted, it was LakshmaNa who consoled his elder

brother and impressed upon Rama that He should now focus Himself on the search

for Sita instead of lamenting like a love-struck fool. LakshmaNa even suffered

intense scolding by both Rama (for leaving Sita alone and disobeying His

command of not leaving Her while Rama went chasing after the golden deer) and

the harshest of rebukes from Seeta (who even accused LakshmaNa of having evil

designs on Her, after She heard Mareecha last wail which was cleverly designed

and he said, “Haa Lakshmana, Haa SeetE” after being shot by Rama). His devotion

to Lord Rama was unparalleled.

Hence, it is that when twins are born we name the elder twin Rama and the

younger twin LakshmaNa. The word “anuja” means ‘one who is born, ‘ja’, after, or

following, ‘anu’. Thus, Ramanuja is a synonym for LakshmaNa, as is Soumitra

(son of Sumitra) and Valmiki uses all these names to refer to Lakshmana in the

Ramayanam. The acarya whom we all revere was actually named following this

tradition, as Ramanuja, after Lakshmana. However, our acarya became so

prominent and renowned a religious leader that the name Ramanuja has now also

come to mean not only Lakshmana but also the acarya. When we name a child as

Ramanuja (especially in South Indian VaishNavite, or Iyengar, families), it is done

to remind us not only of Lakshmana, Lord Rama’s younger brother (also called

Ilaiya Perumal, the younger Lord), but also the revered acarya.

Indeed, it is believed that the acarya is none other than Lakshmana himself, an

incarnation of Adishesha. Whom did he come to protect, like Lakshmana came to

guard Rama? This Lakshmana muni, or Ramanuja, came to guard our dharma and

establish VishishTadvaita. Hence, the second verse says LakshmaNa munih. It is a

reminder to us that the acarya we revere is the incarnation of Adishesha, like

LakshmaNa, and is here to keep a ‘vigil’ on how we perform our dharma.

Let me add one final bit. On Saturday December 1, 2012, day 2 of the inauguration

ceremonies, I arrived at the temple, early. I was waiting near the door and busy

doing a small kaimkaryam (chore) that was assigned to me (splitting up the

cashews to be used for the pongal that would be prepared for morning naivedyam

and prasadam). I was doing this near the door since I did not want to miss the start

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of the very first Suprabhatam seva in the new facility on Saturday, December 1,

2012. I had no clue about what was to happen that day. When our guest priests,

including Sri Varadaraja Bhattar, came to the temple with the vigraham of

Ramanujaacarya, I just happened to be there and I was first person they saw as

they entered the temple. Our temple President then came to me and asked me, “Do

you know who is Ramanuja?” I said, “Yes”. Then we continued talking about

“Who is Ramanuja?” for a minute or so but let me skip that now and get to the

interesting part. The temple President (who was hosting the guest priests) told me

to kindly go and help the priests get some things from his car. I was glad to do that.

Little did I know that I would be helping with bringing the vigraham of

Ramanujaacarya into the temple!

Only later that day did I realize what had transpired when the temple President

mentioned that he was literally amazed that I was the first person he saw when he

came to the temple with Ramanujaacarya’s vigraham. He was alluding to the fact

that the undersigned is a namesake of the revered acarya and Lord Rama’s younger

brother. When someone asks my name, I often reply, “Do you know Rama? What

was his brother’s name? Well, that’s me. Now, just think of Rama. You can forget

about my name.” Then, I get a big smile from them.

Surprisingly, so far I have not come across anyone who said, “Bharata, or

Shatrughna” to my question about the name of Rama’s brother! Not fair really.

Rama is often referred to as Bharataagraja, where agraja is the opposite of anuja,

means born before. Rama was born before Bharata and so He is also called

Bharatagraja Raama. There are only a few instances Rama is mentioned by

referring to Shatrughna. (My memory fails me now for the exact reference from

Valmiki Ramayanam.)

So, now I have given all the reasons that motivate this foray into Ramanuja’s

SharaNagati gadyam. Indeed, it is extremely fortunate for us now to receive the

blessings of Lakshmana muni when we visit the temple and also begin our study of

the Jnana yoga section of Gita, starting with chapter 13.

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Now, let me conclude this lengthy email with the first prose of the gadyam without

the sandhis. A brief explanation follows. For detailed discussion of the first prose

see http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/sanskrit/saranaagatigadyam.pdf and also

http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf . It is given below in Sanskrit.

The same is available in many different language scripts at www.prapatti.com

Prose 1 of SharaNaagati Gadyam

The asterisks denote places to pause while reading.

भगवन्नारायणाभभमतानुरूपस्वरूप रूपगुणभवभैश्वययशीलादि अनवभिकाभतशय

(गुणभवभैश्वययशीलाद्यनवभिकाभतशय ) असङ्ख्येय कल्याणगुणगणाां * पद्मवनालयाां *

भगवतीं * भियां * िवेीं * भनत्यानपाभयनीं * भनरवद्याां * िवेिवेदिव्यमभिषीं *

अभिलजगन्मातरां * अशरण्यशरण्याां * अनन्यशरणः शरणमिां प्रपदे्य ll 1 ll

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In the first two verses (see earlier on page 5), prior to the start of the gadyam texts,

the devotee offers obeisances to Ramanuja (the acarya) and also refers to him as

the sage who is none other than LakshmaNa, the incarnation of Adishesha.

Then in the first prose above is described the surrender of the devotee (Ramanuja)

to the lotus feet of Mahalakshmi or Shree, the consort of the Lord who is described

using various adjectives. This can be understood from “Bhagavateem Shriyam

Deveem”. The longest adjective is the first ending with kalyaaNaguNagaNaam.

भगवन्नारायणाभभमतानुरूप BhagavannaaraayaNaabhimataanuroopa = Bhagavan +

NaaraayaNaa + abhimata + anuroopa भगवन् नारायण अभभमत अनुरूप

स्वरूपरूप Swarooparoopa = Swaroopa + roopa स्वरूप रूप

गुणभवभैश्वयय GuNavibhavaishwaraya = guNa + vibhava + ishwarya गुण भवभव ऐश्वयय

शीलाद्यनवभिकाभतशय Sheelaadiyanavadhikaatishaya = Sheela + aadi + anavadhika +

atishaya शील आदि अनवभिक अभतशय (aadi + anavadhika = aadya-na-va-dhi-ka then

compound with sheela)

Asankhyeya KalyaaNaguNagaNaam = asankhyeya + kalyaaNa + guNa + gaNaam

असङ्ख्येय कल्याण गुण गणाां

पद्मवनालयाां Padmavanaalayaam = Padma + vana + aalayaam पद्म वन आलयाां

Bhagavateem Shriyam Deveem (no sandhis here)

भनत्यानपाभयनीं Nityaanapaayineem = nitya + anapaayineem भनत्य अनपाभयनीं *

Niravadyaam भनरवद्याां (no sandhi)

िवेिवेदिव्यमभिषीं Devadevadivyamahisheem = deva deva divya mahisheem िवे िवे

दिव्य मभिषीं

अभिलजगन्मातरां Akhilajaganmaataram = akhila + jagat + maataram अभिल जगन्मातरां

अस्मन्मात्रां Asamanmaataram = Asmat + maataram अस्मत् मातरां

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अशरण्यशरण्याां AsharNayasharaNyaam = asharaNya + shraNyaam अशरण्य शरण्याां

अनन्यश्शरणांशरणमिां प्रपदे्य AnanyasharaNashsharaNaham prapadye = ananya +

sharaNah+ sharaNam+aham अनन्यशरणः शरणां अिां प्रपदे्य

In the above, the main sentence can be taken as AnanyasharaNah sharaNam aham

prapadye. Of this, sharaNam aham prapadye means, I seek refuge, I perform the

act of surrender, etc. Who do I surrender to? AnanyasharNah sharNam.

The compound word ananyasharNah, instead of viewing as the nominative case

(prathamaa) can also be interpreted as the shashti form (genitive or the possessive

case) for the base noun ‘sharaNa’. (Example, swaminah is the shasti form of

swamin, and means belonging to swamin, of swamin, etc. Bhavatah is shashti form

of bhavaan, belonging to bhavaan, etc.) In the nominative case, it describes the

devotee (say, Ramanuja). However, ‘ananya’ can be taken to qualify the first

sharaNa and means one whose (indicates possessive case) refuge (sharaNam) is

like none other, or one who possesses the quality of offering refuge to us that no

one else possesses. It is to that person (or Divine) that I surrender, or seek refuge.

Or, in the nominative case, this means, I am so sinful (committed so many

paapaas) that no one else is willing to accept me but Mahalakshmi. We often see

this attitude expressed, especially in Indian movie plots, where someone who is

destitute seeks shelter and refuge, due to unfortunate circumstances and are

spurned as being too much of a problem (e.g., someone destitute seeking a home,

or an unmarried, raped, and pregnant woman seeking help, such people are referred

to as “paapis”, or the “bundle of paapams” and thrown out without showing a

mercy!) Who is this person, or Divine?

This Divine Mahalakshmi is now described in more detail with all the string of

adjectives, all ending in the sound ‘aam’ (which signifies a female, as opposed to a

male), in the rest of this passage.

The simple exhortations, Bhagavateem, Shriyam, Deveem, immediately tell us that

the devotee (Ramanuja) is seeking the refuge of the Shree (Mahalakshmi), the one

endowed with all opulences (Bhagavateem), the Divine (Deveem). She is my

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Mother (asmat maatram) and also the Mother for the whole Universe (akhila jagat

maatram) and so it is fitting that we seek Her refuge.

Next, the asharaNya in ‘asharaNya sharaNyaam’ means those who are so fallen,

who have committed so many sins, so many heinous crimes, that it would seem

that there is no place where they can find refuge. In the eyes of ordinary humans

such fallen people have nowhere to go. Even such people can, however, find

refuge at Her lotus-feet. This is the significance of this adjective. In other words,

there is no need to be afraid any feel that anyone is unworthy of redemption.

Everyone can seek Her refuge and She will grant them refuge. It is to this Divine

Mahalakshmi that I surrender.

‘Avadya’ means something to be condemned, which is faulty, censurable, etc.

Niravadya is the opposite and hence means without a trace of any fault or blemish,

One who cannot be censured in any way by any one. It is this Mahalakshmi that

the devotee is surrendering. Why? Because She is faultless, She can also remove

all the faults of those who seek Her refuge, like a piece of unmagnetized iron

which gets magnetized as soon as it comes in contact with a magnet. The same

property is transferred to and conferred upon those who seek Her refuge.

Deva deva divya mahisheem is the easiest of all the adjectives to follow. She is the

queen and therefore has lordship over all – She is the Divine (divya) queen - of all

the devas (celestials) and the celestials who are even more superior (deva deva).

Anapaayinee means One who is a constant companion, nitya adds force to this

thought. Always, daily, eternally, the constant companion of the Lord. Padma

(louts) vana (forest) aalaya (house, abode) means One who is seated in, or makes

Her abode in, the forest of lotus flowers. Mahalakshmi is completely surrounded

by such lotuses because Her devotees are constantly showering Her with such

flowers as they worship Her.

Now, we have covered all the adjective except the first long string which ends with

kalayana guNa gaNaam. The word gaNa refers to a group, or an assemblage. She is

the very collection of all auspicious (kalayaaNa) qualities (guNa). They are

innumerous, cannot be counted (asankhyeya, where sankhyaa means a count, as in

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jana-sankhya, which means the census, the counting of the population). To give us

an idea the string roopa (beautiful form), guna (character, qualities, behavior),

vibhava (glories, powers, greatness), aishwarya (opulences), sheela (pious

qualities) aadi (and so on, etc.) is used. This is just a short list of Her kalyaaNa

guNa gaNa. It is further qualified by anavadhika atishaya where anavadhika, as

discussed, means boundless, or something that cannot be exceeded and atishaya

implies bountifulness, abundance, etc., like a huge mountain. There is no end to

Her good qualities, no limit, no way to exceed them.

The string of adjectives that describe Shree of Mahalakshmi begin with Bhagavan

NarayaNa. Her swaroopa roopam (how She really is) is described here. Abhimata

means one that has received hearty approval from Sriman NarayaNa. In other

words, just looking at her fills Lord NarayaNa Himself with joy.

Sometimes, a daughter or a wife, when they are dressing up, will ask the husband,

or father, or brother (some male person) for approval of their choice. After all, the

purpose of such dressing up is to win approval. (Of course, does not guarantee that

what the male approves of will be followed! Cheers!☺) Mahalakshmi’s

swaroopam, however, has won full and hearty approval (abhimata) of Bhagavan.

Her swaroopam is also anuroopam which means it follows that of the Lord, always

compliments that of the Lord. So, when He came to us and walked on this earth as

Shree Rama, She was also a human and followed Him as Seeta, and so on.

The very essence of the complete harmony between the Divine Couple (divya

dampati) is described by “abhimataanuroopa swaroopa”.

Meaning (SrI. K. BhAshyam):

With no other help to resort to (ananya sharaNah aham), I seek Thee, SrI Devi, full

of all benevolent qualities (kalyana guNa gaNaam, with all the long list of

qualifications mentioned), seated in a forest of lotus flowers (padma vana

nilayaam): (Thou art) the refuge for all the helpless (asharaNya sharaNyaam);

(Thou art) my Mother (asmat maatram), indeed the Mother of the whole world

(akhila jagat maataram). The crowned Divine Queen of the Lord of the devAs

(deva deva divya mahisheem), the pure and the unsullied, never separated (nitya

anapaayineem) from the Lord; Thyself, Thine form, its qualities, and the most

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wonderful, limitless innumerable collections of auspicious qualities of Thine such

as, greatness, Rulership and high virtues, all to His liking and worthy of the

natural form and qualities of BhagavAn nArAyaNa.

Courtesy: http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf page 13

Very sincerely

V. Laxmanan

December 4, 2012

Sri Ramanuja Gayatri Mantra

Dear All:

During the evening Hanumaan pooja today, when we were chanting various

Gayatris for the deities, it occurred to me that we should also chant a Gayatri for

Sri Ramanuja. Before I left the temple, the following Gayatri flashed in my mind.

Amazingly, when I checked the Pancangam for this auspicious day, Tuesday

December 4, 2012, in the month of Karthik (Karthigai), the nakshtram was

Ashlesha, which is also the birthstar of LakshmaNa, the younger brother Lord

Shree Rama.

On Sunday, when the Kalyana Utsavam was celebrated, the nakshatram was

Punarvasu (Rama's birthstar). On Monday, the first day in the new temple, post

inauguration, the star was Pushya (Bharata's birthstar) and today the star was

Ashlesha (Lakshmana’s birthstar). In the Bala KaaNDam, Valmiki says, in the

sloka where the birthstars of the four sons of Dasharatha are given, “Saarpe jaatau

tu Sowmitree”. Here “saarpe” refers to the “serpent”. Lakshmana was the

incarnation of Adishesha, the serpent bed on which MahavishNu lies in the Milk

Ocean. The dual verb form ‘jaatau’ is used, which means that the twins Lakshmana

and Shatrugha, the sons of Sumitra, the youngest of the three queens, were both

born with the same nakshatram.

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Om Raamaanujaaya vidhmahe Tatvaarthadaaya dheemahi l

Tanno LakshmaNa-munih pracodayaat ll

ॐ रामानजुाय भवद्मि ेतत्वार्यिाय िीमभि l

तन्नो लक्ष्मणमभुनः प्रचोियात ्ll

ஓம் ராமானுஜாய வித்3மஹே த1த்1வார்த2தா3ய தீ4மேி l

த1ந்ஹ ா லக்ஷ்மணமுனிஹ் ப்1ரஹ ா1த3யாத்1 ll

In the Saatrmurai (Vadagalai) verses, we encounter a sloka where Ramanuja is

described as ‘Vedantaarthapradaayine = Vedanta+artha+pradaayine’. The

“Tatvaarthadaaya” in the Gayatri version above means the same. The word ‘artha’

has two meanings. Tatva artha, or Vedanta artha, means the “meaning of the

tatvams” or the “meaning of the Vedanatas”. He expounded to us the real meaning

of the “tatvams” and “Vedantas”. But, ‘artha’ also means “wealth” or “treasure”.

We find the latter usage in both the Bhagavad Gita (chapter 7, verse 16) and in the

Vishnu Sahasranamam Phalshruti section (Dharmaarthee praapnuyaat dharmam,

arthaarthee caartham aapnuyaat). Ramanuja gave us this great “treasure” to

cherish and nourish forever.

The asterism (nakshatra) of the day is doubly significant since Ramanujaacarya

was named as Ramanuja, after LakshmaNa, and his name means the younger

brother (anuja) of Shree Raamaa. Although the baby name Lakshmana (modified

in various ways) is used widely in North India, in South India, especially in

VaishNavite (Iyengar) families, the name Ramanjua is preferred. It not only

reminds us of Shree Raama and His younger brother but also our revered acaaryaa.

Very sincerely

V. Laxmanan

December 4, 2012.

Nakshatram: Ashlesha and Thithi: Shashti and Paksha: KrishNa

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Prose 2 of SharaNaagati Gadyam

In the second prose, the devotee (Ramanujaacarya) spells out the reason for the

surrender to the lotus-feet of Mahalakshmi, His eternal consort. She is always with

Him (nitya anapaayinee). The devotee is hoping to attain something (praapti

apekshayaa = praaptyapekshayaa). This is described in the rest of this text. The

SharaNaagati is not without this expectation. The devotee wants this surrender to

continue uninterrupted (avirataa astu may), i.e., not only in this birth but in many

births to follow until that final goal is accomplished. What is that final goal?

Nitya kaimkarya praapti is the apekshaa, i.e., to be able to serve the Lord,

regularly, daily, continuously, at all times. With this expectation, the devotee first

surrenders to the lotus feet of His consort. And, the devotee is then duly blessed.

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Courtesy: http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/030_sg.pdf

Translation of the Text:

Pray Thee, bless my sincere and real SaraNAgati at the lotus feet of BhagavAn

so that it may become well and truly performed with all its angAs (formalities)

and be continued, without interruption till the goal of PurushArtha is reached.

This is with the object of securing for myself (praapti apekshayaa) the privilege of

the occupation of ever-service to the Lord (i.e.)., the satisfaction derived in all

forms and kinds of service always suited to the conditions and circumstances for

the moments and which is the result of boundless intense devotion born out of the

experience of enjoyment of the Lord that is, the unbounded limitless, unselfish

love for no other end but that of service direct to Him,--A love perfect,

enjoyed fully in all His manifestations, not only now but continuously without any

interruption--this again promoted by the sincere one-pointed and ever intense

para bhakti (i.e, the desire for His Vision), para jn~Ana (direct perception of

God), parama bhakti (the longing to have that perception continued for ever) --

Bhakti at the lotus feet of the Lord. (This prayer to SrI is acceded by Her).

The text ending with apekshayaa is one long string of adjectives and qualifications

describing what the devotee wants to gain from the act of surrender. The text ends

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with “astu may” which expresses a “wish”. The devotee wants to be ever devoted

to the two (yugala) lotus-feet (caraNaaravinda) of the Lord (Bhagavat). The

devotee wants both immense devotion (para bhakti) and immense knowledge (para

jnaana) to be able to accomplish this. The devotee would like to fully experience

(bhagavat anubhava janita) the joy of service to the Lord. This service should be

perfect, spotless, without any blemish (vishada ta-ma). It should be complete

(paripoorNa). It should be incessant (anavarata).

Why?

Because this is paramaarthikee – the loftiest of all (parama) goals, objectives

(artha), desires of all, the highest that one can attain.

पारमार्थर्क =पारम अर्थर्क

Paaramaarthika = Parama+arthika

BhagavatcaraNaaravinda = Bhagavat+caraNa+aravinda

Yugalaikantikaatyantika = yugala+ekantika+atyantika

Very sincerely

V. Laxmanan

December 4, 2012.

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Prose 3 of SharaNaagati Gadyam

TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT:

(Then follows invocations to the Lord with a description of all His qualities, His

divine Form, and His weapons, etc.)

With no person to surrender myself to, I take shelter unto Thy lotus feet,

Oh SrIman nArAyaNa! The refuge of all the helpless, the Enemy of all Evil and

the Abode of all beneficial qualities (guNa nidhi), perfect embodiment (distinct

from the forms of all other things) of immeasurable knowledge and of bliss,

bearing a form agreeable to Thee, unchanging beyond the reach of thought, Divine

in essence wonderful to behold; ever existing pure and unsullied; preeminently

excellent, of Brilliant Loveliness; Sweet smelling, charming with the prime of

Youthfulness -- a form full of such and a whole treasure of excellences.

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Slokas from the Bhagavad Gita in SharaNaagati Gadyam

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The Dvayam mantra is in two parts, hence dvayam.

ॐ िीमन्नारायण चरणौ शरणां प्रपदे्य l

ॐ िीमते नारायणाय नमः l

"Sriman Narayana Charanau Saranam Prapadye"

"Srimate Narayanaya Namaha"

The first part is "Sriman Narayana Charanau Saranam Prapadye". This means "I seek

refuge at the feet of Sriman Narayana." The second part is "Srimate Narayanaya

Namaha". This means "My salutation to Sriman Narayana."

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******************************************************************

भगवन्नारायणाभभमतानुरूपस्वरूप रूपगुणभवभैश्वययशीलादि अनवभिकाभतशय

(गुणभवभैश्वययशीलाद्यनवभिकाभतशय ) असङ्ख्येय कल्याणगुणगणाां * पद्मवनालयाां *

भगवतीं * भियां * िवेीं * भनत्यानपाभयनीं * भनरवद्याां * िवेिवेदिव्यमभिषीं *

अभिलजगन्मातरां * अशरण्यशरण्याां * अनन्यशरणः शरणमिां प्रपदे्य ll 1 ll

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