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Re: Santhyavadanam and Gayathri mantra

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mohan R Sagar & Madhuri • December 8, 1998 


Mani Varadarajan wrote:

>
>
> With respect to this, Sri Manavala Mamunigal writes:
>
>    It is very hard to to find those who are qualified
>    for [receiving the inner meaning of the carama sloka].
>    For this reason, and because of the venerable importance
>    of its meaning, Ramanuja's predecessors had kept it a
>    secret, without making it public.
>
>    But Ramanuja's overwhelming compassion made him unable
>    to bear seeing the distress of those in samsaara.  Thus,
>    regardless of the preciousness of the carama sloka's meaning,
>    when he saw their suffering, he publicized it.
>
>                             [Translation of the Introduction to
>                              Mamunigal "carama sloka adhikaaram",
>                              Mumukshuppadi, by Patricia Mumme.
>                              Unfortunately, I do not have the
>                              original.]
>
> It is clear from the writing of these two acharyas
> that Ramanuja wished to broaden the net to encompass
> essentially all those within earshot.  To say otherwise
> would be to undo what he quite clearly did, and make
> Ramanuja's legacy no different in this regard from the
> acharyas before him.

Thank you, Mani, for clarifying this very important incident from our community's
rich history. There are three words from above, "... Ramanuja's overwhelming
compassion..." which repeatedly catch my attention.  To me, these are words for
constant meditation whenever we look upon a picture or vigrahan of Sri Ramanuja.
I can almost picture our dear emperumAnAr looking at all of us with his
compassionate eyes and feeling for our sufferings. How much better we all would
be if we could only experience a fraction of what emperumAnAr felt for humanity.

emperumAnAr thiruvadigalE saranam,

Mohan