Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Re: Prapatti for other fruits

From the Bhakti List Archives

Jaganath.Bharadwaj • October 11, 1996 


>Prapatti involves the recognition that the Lord is both Upaya and
>Upeya, and consequently, could involve no other desire than the
>desire for Him.  It follows, then, that Prapatti done with the
>motivation to secure other fruits could not be considered Prapatti
at
>all.

  Is there any evidence for this (i.e. prapatti for
  other fruits is not prapatti at all) in the sampradaya
  or verses such as sthOthrarathana?

  Kaakaasuran surrendered to the Lord with only one thing in mind,
  escaping the wrath of the asthram the Lord had sent after him.
  Even though this prapatti was done without any recognition or
  understanding that the Lord is the Upeya, Kaakaasuran was not
  only saved from the asthram, but he got mOksham as well.


-- Dileepan

The Rahasya Traya Sara as well as a number of chillarai Rahasyas of
Swami Desikan discusses the question of Prapatti exhaustively.
Prapatti is a valid method per shastras for obtaining any fruit one
wants similar to a Satyanarayana puja or a temple archana.  Swami
Desikan asks, "If Prapatti can obtain moksha itself which cannot be
obtained by any other method (well almost), can it not deliver other
fruits which are comparatively insignificant?"

The reason that Prapatti is not used (thankfully) for other fruits is
because of so much disinformation spread about it.  I am not
referring to any postings on the net but conversations with my
relatives and other people born in families that descended from
Srivaishnavas.  Also the handful of people who can do Prapatti will
not do it for anything other than moksha.

Jaganath.