Fw: Re: cAturmAsya sankalpa

From the Bhakti List Archives

• August 11, 2000


Mani Varadarajan (mani@alum.calberkeley.org) wrote:  

>
>Dear Sri Rajagopal.
>
>Here is your email. Please post it to the list if you would
>like.
>
>Thanks,
>Mani
>
>--
>
>Dear Sri Mani Varadarajan,
 Let me try to elucidate what little I can.
 The basic duty or the tradition,if we may call it that,of any Yathi is to 
be on Sancharam all the time and observe a strict code of conduct.This 
they have been doing 
>for thousands of years.With the passage of time the connotation of these 
>duties has changed somewhat. But one thing that has NOT changed is that 
>these Yathis have to stay put in one place, for FOUR months,from Ashada 
>Pournami day to the Pournami days 4 months on.
>Again due to passage of time that most of these 
>Yathis have also become Heads of Mutts and Asramams. They have enormous 
>institutions to manage and thousands of sishyas and admirers to take care 
>of in far flung areas. So these Four months have been shortened to Four 
>Pakshas always starting from the Pournami date as mentioned above.
>The basic idea of camping in one place was that during those periods 
there 
>used to be copious rains and all the pathways will be full of 
Jeevarasis,like worms and insects 
>not always visible and these Yathis might harm these inadvertantly had 
>they continued their Yatras during these rainy months also.You might feel 
>as i do that rain being such a rare and precious commodity in India 
>nowadays the whole concept may be too pedantic!! But certain traditions 
>are not to be broken whatever be the situation.This i imagine is one that 
>will stand for a long long time to come given the upsurge of interest and 
>commitment i have seen in the last two to three decades by persons from 
>our walks of life.In practical terms this can be used as a break from 
their hectic schedule all round the year and can be used to recharge 
themselves.
>The rationale behind the tour of H.H.Tridandi Sriman Narayana Jeer who, 
while 
>flying around this country(i am here on a short visit to be with my son 
>and daughter) and travelling on these roads,might be that He is hardly 
likely to harm a 
>single living Jeevarasi with such a mode of Yatra.This is of course my 
humble presumption as such a Great Soul will have His own reasons for 
being here and being on tour.
>Regards.
>R.Rajagopal(RR.)  
>You wrote:  



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