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Sri Hari
GURUJI SRI MURALIDHARA SWAMIGAL MISSION |
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SWAMIGAL SPEAKS |
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NÃMA BHIKSHA KENDRA |
VEDA PATASHALA |
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Sri Hari
GURUJI SRI MURALIDHARA SWAMIGAL MISSION |
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SWAMIGAL SPEAKS |
MISSION |
NÃMA BHIKSHA KENDRA |
VEDA PATASHALA |
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‘Chitrakoot’ Mandap, Bhadrachala Sri Rama Temple
Page 1 Page 2
Sri Swamigal has been rendering ‘Upanyãsam’ (discourses), in Tamizh. This is being brought to you here. There may appear to be variations in the ‘tense’ of the language. This is due to the fact that great effort has been taken to maintain the original style of the ‘Upanyãsam’. Therefore, we request you to keep this in mind while reading the translated ‘words’ of Sri Swamigal.
Sri Swamigal, "HARE RÃMA HARE RÃMA RÃMA RÃMA HARE HARE
"
Paritrãnnãya Sãdhunãm Vinãshãya Cha Dushkrutãm
To establish Dharma I incarnate Myself in each Yuga. ‘Yuge Yuge’ - in each Yuga here does not mean that there is an Avatar of Bhagavan in every Yuga but every time there is danger (‘hãni’) Bhagavan takes Avatar. Dharma is very sublte (‘sukshma’). As I have been repeatedly pointing out Sanatana Dharma is very ancient. Sanatana itself means ancient (‘pazhamai’ - Tamizh). Dharma Shastra is the base for the execution of any work. Bhagavan says, “Tasmãt shãstram pramãnam te kãryãkãrya vyavasthithou”. The mind (‘manas’) should not be the basis (‘pramãnam’) for carrying on or avoiding any work but the Shastras should be the deciding authority in this connection. This is because the mind is impure, (‘kalmasham’) strongly filled with likes and dislikes (‘rãga dwesham’). The mind is cheap (‘Chittam malinam’). What may appear to be right for us may appear to be wrong for another. Everything should be done only as per the Shastra. Why so? Because it is the Mahans who have given us the Shastras. ‘Mantra drishta Rishih’ - it is said. Mahans possess divine vision. Mahans have seen Bhagavan directly. They have grasped the Shastras and offered it to the world with the consent of Bhagavan. Raghuvamsa, Kalidasa says, ‘Mãrgam manushyeshwara dharmapatni sruterivãrtham smritiranvagachat’. In Raghuvamsa is the story of a King by name Dileepan. He has no heir and so approaches his family Guru (‘Kula Guru’) Sage Vasishta with a prayer to bless him with an heir. The Sage gives him Nandini, the calf of the celestial cow Kamadhenu and instructs him, “Take utmost care of Nandini and this would bestow you with a son”. While illustrating the deep care that the King took of Nandini, Kalidasa speaks through a simile (‘uvamai’), ‘Just as the Shastras follow the Vedas close at heel, the King followed the divine calf Nandini. If Nandini sat the King, too, sat. If she stood up the King, too, did the same.’ We say, ‘a face like that of a Lotus’ to depict that the face is beautiful. In some way we wish to describe the beauty of the face and so use the Lotus as a simile. There may be difference of opinion in the way the King might have followed Nandini but there cannot be any two opinions in saying that the Shrutis are only along the lines of the Smritis - ‘Mãrgam manushyeshwara dharmapatni sruterivãrtham smritiranvagachat’. So, it is said, ‘Tasmãt Shastram pramanante’. It is said that one should live on the lines of Dharma but at the same time it is also said that the Dharma is subtle (‘sukshma’). Dharma is of two kinds (‘reeti’) - Bhagavata Dharma and Vaidika Dharma. Only a few are eligible to follow (‘adhikãriis’) Vaidika Dharma while all are eligible to follow (‘adhikãriis’) for Bhagavata Dharma! We speak of reforms. Don’t we? Today this term ‘Reform’ is so commonly being uttered. If we look at what the term ‘Reform’ means, we find the modern philosophers (‘naveena vãdhi’) calling any practice that has been in vogue for a long time to be wrong and bringing about a change in it as ‘Reform’! Bhagavata Dharma is a reformation measure indeed! What is the reason to say so? It says, ‘Worship of Rama will suffice. Why do you worship anyone else? There is no need for pilgrimage to any Holy Place (‘kshetra yãtra’) or a dip in any Holy River (‘teerta yãtra’); Well! Why worship even Lord Rama? It is enough if you worship a Bhagavata! Or just utter ‘Rama’/‘Krishna’ in your own place. One who performs Naama Sankeertanam has no caste, creed or religion.’ Thus speaks Bhagavata Dharma. Bhagavata Dharma opens the door for all. In this there does not exist the difference on the basis of religion, caste or creed. Even while saying ‘Samacharana sarojam’ of Panduranga it is only an expression of external feeling. If we take Panduranga Bhaktas we find that Sena Nayi was a barber, Gora Kumbha was a potter, Nãmdev was a tailor, Rahidas was a cobbler. But all of them were indeed Panduranga Bhaktas. Lord Panduranga was ‘Pratyaksha’ (to be seen as we see each other) to all of them. Panduranga speaks with all of them. Therefore, all are entitled to follow Bhagavata Dharma. It is a Dharma that opens the door for all. In Kali Yuga it is the primary Dharma (‘Pratyega Dharma). Well! Now we know that this (Bhagavata Dharma) is the best (‘sreshta’) path for Kali Yuga.
What is Bhagavata Dharma? It consists of performance of Prabodanam,
chanting the slokas composed by the Guru, dhyana, Nãma lekhanam
(write the Name of the Lord innumerable times), Ramayana or Bhagavata
Pãrãyana (reading), ‘Thiruvãrãdhanam’ for Perumal,
‘Unchavridhi’ (beg for rice/grains), singing Kirtans, regular performance
of discourse, Dolotsav - All these are external adherence to Bhagavata
Dharma. Through this external adherence to Bhagavata Dharma one attains
Jnana, Bhakti and Vairãgya (Knowledge, Devotion and Dispassion).
These are very subtle.
Who are Bhagavatas? Those who are indifferent to kama, kãnchana
and keerti (desire, wealth and fame) and have become totally
dispassionate and adhere to Bhagavata Dharma. All Bhagavatas sing well.
By the Grace (‘anugraha’) of Bhagavan the Bhagavatas sing very well.
Bhagavatas also dance in praise of the Lord. But one cannot call all
those who sing well as Bhagavatas. Not all music professionals are bhagavatas.
Gopalakrishna Bharati is a Bhagavata. Sadguru Swamigal is a Bhagavata.
What is the reason for this? Sheer melodious rendering of music does
not make Bhagavata of a man. A Bhagavata should possess all the virtues.
Only those who are filled with all the virtues (‘paripoorna ãtma Gunãs’)
and adhere to Bhagavata Dharma, can be called Bhagavatas. They may be
performing just Nama Sankeertanam. They may be chanting only Rama Nãma.
They may be performing bhajans. There are different levels amongst
Bhagavatas, too. One level of Bhagavatas may deserve to be just
addressed with a ‘Radhe Krishna!’; another level of Bhagavatas may be
those who deserve to be conversed with, a little; yet another level of
Bhagavatas may deserve to be invited home for food; while there are those
who belong to the level with whom one may develop friendship (‘sangha’);
but ‘atma samarpana’ (total surrender) can be done only to one who is a complete Bhagavata in the true sense and not to any other. If one does surrender to anyone who is not a Bhagavata in the true sense then he will face dire consequences.
Therefore, one should be aware of the level of the Bhagavata and treat them as deserved.
Be a slave to the one who is a Bhagavata in the true sense and offer Him
your services. Always be at His beck and call. Be a servant of His servant.
Who is a servant of (Lord) Hari? One who is always singing the praise of the Lord,
is above
likes-dislikes, is filled with love for Lord Hari and is ever in the state
of Brahmananda. Therefore, one should be aware of the level of the Bhagavata
and treat them as deserved. Be a slave to the one who is a Bhagavata in the
true sense and offer Him your services. Always be at His beck and call. Be
a servant of His servant. Who is a servant of (Lord) Hari? -
The essence of all Epics, Puranãs, Vedas is only ‘Taraka (Rama) Mantra’.
The ‘Taraka Mantra’ is ‘komalam’ (soft). ‘Taraka’ means to ‘help cross over’! Since it helps one to cross the ocean of ‘samsara’
it is called Taraka Mantra. If one performs japa of this Mantra it is as good as having performed the japa of all other Mantras.
How? Am I saying so out of bias for this Mantra or without actually knowing about it or because I just wish to speak highly of it?
Only two Mantras are popularly spoken of. Siva Bhaktas chant ‘Namah Sivãya’. Nãyanmãrs
say ‘Vedam Nãnginum Meiporul ãvadu Nadhan Nãmam Namah Sivãyame’ (the essence of all the four Vedas is the Name of the Lord - Namah Sivãya) while the Vaishanavites utter ‘Nãrãyana’ -
Thiagaraja in his ‘Evaru nee’ Kirtan asks Rama, “Rama! Who are you? Are You Siva? Or are You Vishnu? Then Thiagaraja himself says that the ‘Ra’ from the Ashtãksharam - ‘Nã rãyana’ - and ‘Ma’ from the Panchakshara - ‘Nama Sivãya’ - have been picked up to coin the Mantra ‘RAMA’! If one does upasana (worship) of Taraka Mantra it amounts to performance of upansana of all the twelve Mantras. Manu in Manu Smriti shows that the Nãma Rama when uttered is equivalent to uttering the Namã (Name) of all Devatas. In his commentary Manu writes that if one does japa of Rama Mantra it bears the fruit of having performed the japa of all Mantras. This Mantra is of such glory! Not only this but He also points out that the worship of Rama, even the little gesture of offer of flowers at the Lotus Feet of Rama, bestows on you the fruit of worshipping all the three and thirty crore Devas. How can worship of Rama bring upon us the fruit of worship of all the thirty-three crore Devas? This doubt arises in one’s mind. While doing upasana of a Mantra one should do it letter by letter (each ‘akshara’) and then perform homa, tarpana, Brahmana bhojana (feed the Brahmins) and thus attain ‘sakshãtkãra’ of the particular devata (of that Mantra). The japa of the Mantra cannot be done casually in a dry manner but with ‘Bhãva pushti’ (deep feeling). Do the japa with Bhãva, Do the japa with Bhava, we say repeatedly. Should a japa also be done with Bhãva? Well! What does Bhãva mean? Let’s say there is a mother who is attending to her sick child admitted in a hospital. She is sitting quietly beside the child. But all her thoughts are filled with the way child used to run about calling her ‘Amma’! ‘Amma’! (Mother) and all its other pranks. Repeated thoughts of the child’s activities give rise to waves of grief. Her eyes swell up with tears. It is the same with happiness, too. When one is very happy, waves of feelings of joy rise up and fill up the heart. It just overflows. Likewise, we are deeply affected when someone has abused us; and the mind repeatedly recalls the words of abuse. In all the above cases there is no need for one to express their feelings through words. Tears either out of grief, joy or insult swell up in our eyes, the heart having been filled up with the particular feeling and the mind constantly recalling the incident/s. Similarly, while performing Nãma japa (chanting the Name of the Lord) it should not be done unconcernedly in an automatic manner. But how to feel the Bhãva? This can be felt only through repeated thinking of/recalling the various loving acts of Bhagavan. How Bhagavan protected Draupati, how Bhagavan saved the elephant Gajendra. By these thoughts bhava rises up wave after wave in one’s heart. Similarly, Satsang (company of Sadhus), Katha sravana (listening to the Lord’s stories) help in creating Bhava in one’s heart. All these teach you to repeatedly think of the Lord and thus Bhava is attained. ‘Maha Tejasvi’ (The radiant) Viswamitra comes to the court of Dasarata Maharaja and asks him to send Rama and Lakshmana along with him for guarding Yajna (which were being performed by great Rishis in the forest) from the Asuras who were disrupting the Yajna performance. Dasarata refuses to send his young sons but consents on the advice of his ‘Kula Guru’, Sage Vasishta. You wish to gift something to the one you love. This is human nature. What do you do when you desire to gift something to a person you love? You gift that which is in your possession and is dear to you. Well! here Viswamitra possessed a kamandalu, darbãsana and japa mãla. The Sage deeply desired to offer something to these children. Since Viswamitra had lived for a long period he had performed upãsana of all the Mantras and attained sãkshãtkãra of the devatas of all these Mantras. So, the Sage now decided to gift these Mantras to Rama. He initiated him into the Mantra of all the thirty-three crore Devatas that he had done successful upãsana of. What happened when the sage offered each Mantra to Rama? Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was initiated into Atma Vichãra (Self-enquiry) by Thothapuri who had toiled for years to attain the fruit of such a practice. No sooner had he learnt it than Ramakrishna Paramahamsa went into BhãvaSamadhi! Ramakrishna Paramahamsa attained the highest state of Samadhi immediately while it had taken ages for Thothapuri! Here in the case of Rama, with the utterance of the Mantra just once, Rama attained sãkshãtkãra of that particular Devata while the same had taken years for Viswamitra! As soon as each Devata appeared before Him, Rama did ‘ãvãhanam’ (absorb/ place in the heart) of that Devata within Himself! Thus did Rama absorb all the Devatas unto Himself! Thus all Devatas being in Rama, worshipping Rama amounts to the worship of all the devatas while chanting the Rama Mantra that contains all Devatas within it, bestows the ‘phala’ of having done the upãsana of all Mantras. Such is the greatness of ‘Taraka Mantra’. Ramachandra (Rama) is indeed such a great a Prabhu (Lord)! The life of Rama is one that can be comprehended by all: whereas the life of Krishna can be comprehended only by Yogeeswarãs. Krishna’s life was extraordinary and appeared to be ‘not in tune with the world’ and ‘dharma’ (‘loka vilakshana’/ ‘dharma vilakshana’)! This is because the innumerable Lilas of Krishna are incomprehensible to the layman’s mind. Only Yogeeswarãs who possess divine vision can comprehend and enjoy Krishna’s divine plays. But Lord Rama’s life was in tune with the order of the world and dharma. ‘Satyam vada’, ‘Dharmam chara’ - Speak the Truth and walk on the path of Righteousness - it is said. This indeed can be understood by one and all. While saying speak the Truth, it is said walk on the path of Dharma (Righteousness) and not ‘speak Dharma’. Why has it been said 'walk on the path of Dharma' and not speak Dharma? This is because it is very easy for anyone to speak of Dharma but very difficult to follow and stand by Dharma! Hence it is very carefully coined as 'Speak the Truth and Stand by Dharma'. Here Rama’s charitra (life history) is the ultimate in human life. It depicts a perfect man. Rama is an obedient son who does not even entertain a second thought when His father Dasarata asks him to give up the crown to His brother and move over to the forest. His nature as a son, a brother, a husband, a friend, and an enemy is the classic example of a perfect man. Rama was the very personification of a complete man. He is, therefore, comprehensible and attracts (‘ãkarshana’) everyone. So great is this Prabhu (Lord). ‘Gunas, Gunas, Gunas’ (virtue)! He has in Him all the virtues that touch the line of perfection (‘gunangallin ellai’/ paripoorti’). So, how should our feelings be then? ‘If I am Rama Bhakta then I must at least possess 5% of his virtues if not wholly.’ Even if this appears to be impossible then pray to Him, “Oh Lord! only You can be so perfect. I am but a lowly person (‘alpan’)”. Pray sincerely to Rama and surrender unto Him. By His Grace, the Lord will transform you. So, anyone who repeatedly reads Rama charitra will, no doubt, become like Him. Thiagaraja Swami, Bodendra, Arunãchala Kavi have all been attracted by Lord Rama and have sung His Praises. No wonder then that Rama charitra is very popular. Rama has walked on the strenuous path of dharma successfully. This has attracted one and all. Bhojan Maharaja having taken up the task of writing Ramayana wonders, “Why does everyone desire to write the Ramayana though it has been written by innumerable Mahans in different languages?” Bhojan Maharaja himself offers the clarification too, “It is because one cannot find such a hero as Rama! He is that great a Prabhu (Lord)! " Page 1 Page 2 NOTE: Any discrepancy/lapse in the translated version of the Upanyasam is the sole responsibility of the person/s who translated the work from Tamizh into English.
Radhe Krishna |
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