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The Ultimate sharaNagathi and personal beliefs ...

From the Bhakti List Archives

Raja Krishnasamy • July 21, 1997 


This is a topic that has been bothering me for a
while now.  I hope the learned people on this group
can resolve my doubts.

I have often had discussions with people who have
been "formally" inducted as a Sri Vaishnava who has
surrendered to the Lord through baraNyAsam.  Some of
them I talk to, militantly oppose the concept of
other Gods - like Lord vignEsvarA or Lord ShivA, to
the extent that they even consider it even beyond
their limits to pray to these Gods.

I have always been of the belief that the visual
forms that we see in Temples and Photographs are mere
earthly formulations and mental conceptions of
humans.  I have believed in sharaNagathi as something
more heavenly, something that is difficult to
visualize, but it is something where one can see the
srIman nArAyaNa thaththuvam (The Philosophy of sIman
nArAyaNa) in all creation.  It may be a mahAvigraham
of shrI vignEsvara, one still visualizes the
srIchakra yanthram placed next to him, and not just
as considering him an idol of an other religion, for
religion is a mere boundary of fiction.  The concept
of one Supreme being only helps us focus our efforts
in attaining the level of spiritual perfection that
prepares one for mOksham.

It is my belief that when one attains this level of
tolerance and maturity of thought, when one can see
the beauty of the Lord in everything that is or can
be thought of, there can be no higher level of
acceptance by the Lord, and you attain mOksham.  And
I believe that this could be the Lord in any form,
for after all "nArAyanAyEthagum sarvam" as told in
the nArAyaNOpanishad.  He may come to you as perumAl
or paramEsvaran, but it is the human mind that makes
the difference.  The spiritually pure mind does not. 
Is my thought right ?  Or is there something that I
am missing.  Would someone clear this question for me
please.

Is nArAyaNa a concept or is he a form ?  Does he not
say in the Gita that he exists formlessly in all
forms ? Why do we mortals fight about these boundaries
 when our goal is beyond that ?  Is not the srIchakram
 we believe in as "srI vaishnavAs" concieved out of
the third eye of Lord Shiva.  Is'nt srIvaishnavism
defined as surrender to Lord nArAyaNa who is:

"jagathprabhum dEvadEvam anantham purushOththamam"

as told to us by Shri BhIshmA ?  So why do we attach
a mortal value to this purushOththaman who is
formless.  Is not that a sin ?


adiyEn
Raja Krishnasamy
raja@cyberdude.com