Prapatti

KALIYUGA:

Lord KrishNa in Dvaapara yuga, had asked us to take refuge in him (MaamEkam
SaraNam vraja). But, we, the dull witted, may not know where to take refuge!
As if to clear our doubt, the Lord took his abode in Kali yuga at
TiruvENkaTam (in which ?Vem? means ?sins? and ?KaTam? means incinerate?
indicating that when resorted to, the mountain itself would dispel our sins
(Sarva paapEbhyO mOkshayishyaami). He shows with his right hand his feet
beckoning us to surrender at his feet. With his left hand, he assures that
?If you do this, the Samsaara Saagaram (Ocean of lifecycle) will be only
knee deep for you. In other words, you can cross this ocean and reach my
abode in Sri VaikunTam?

Thus, we are reassured that the Lord of TiruvEnkaTamuDaiyaan will never
forsake us, once we surrender at his feet.




For this, we have to allude to the Gajendra Story:

Indradhyumnan, a great and virtuous king was absolutely devoted to Bhagavaan
(Parama Bhaagavata) was once cursed by Sage Agastya to become an elephant.
Similarly, Hoohoo, a Gandharva was cursed to by a Mahrishi to become a
crocodile. But, they secured reprieve from the curse, when the Lord himself
would come to their rescue.

Though Indradhyumna became an elephant, Gajendra, he was conscious of his
intense devotion to Lord VishNu and used to pluck lotus flowers from ponds for
offering to the Lord. Once, when he was in the act of plucking flower in a
pond, the crocodile caught the leg of GajEndra. A ?tug of war? ensued in which
GajEndra was pulling the crocodile out of the water while the crocodile was
pulling the elephant into the waters, because land and water were the areas
where the elephant and crocodile respectively were feeling at home and strong.

The war of attrition dragged on interminably long for 1000 divine years
(Devamaanaa Varusha). The elephant became emaciated by the long drawn war and
was fighting a losing battle until it had lost all hope of survival. It was
then that the pachyderm pathetically cried and pleaded to the Lord calling him
?AadimoolamE!? Gods other than Lord VishNu did not venture to its rescue saying
?I am not! I am Not! I am not the Aadimoolam?. It was then that the Lord
mounted on his divine bird vehicle and rushed to the spot. It was then that he
directed his Chakra disc that like a professional surgeon cut the crocodile?s
throat without harming the elephant?s foot! Though this is known popularly as
?GajEndra mOksham? in reality, who got MOksham first?
Elephant or Crocodile?

This point of the story is not relevant for us. What is relevant for us (and
the elephant) however, is the question why knowing fully well that as King and
then as elephant, Indradhyumna was his inveterate devotee, the Lord did not
rush to his succor for so long as 1000 DEvamaana years.

What came of his proverbial mercy (KaaruNyam)? Was he waiting for the
elephant to lose all consciousness and lie like insentient log of wood or stone
?KaashTa paashaaNa sannibham? being unable even to think?

Azhagiyasinghar explained that this is what caused ?nirvEdam? for the Lord for
the first time!

However, in this incident lies a Rahasyam. The Lord would not help unless and
until the jeevan specifically prays for protection, which in Rahasya parlance
is known as ?Goptrutva varaNam?- one of the 5 angas of SaraNaagati, others
being Aanukoolya Sankalpam, (doing what is pleasurable to the Lord)
Praatikoolya Varjanam (Avoidance of doing all that is opposite of this), Mahaa
Viswaasam (Absolute faith in the Lord?s extending protection) and KaarpaNyam
(feeling one?s utter helplessness to save oneself)

TrEtaa yuga
Let us see what happened in TrEtaa yuga. Everyone knows the popular story of
?VibheeshaNa SaraNaagati?VibheeshaNa had left his brother RaavaNa when the
latter called him a traitor and drove him out, was surrendering to Lord Rama
standing in mid-skies, pleading pathetically for acceptance at the feet of the
Lord saying that he had abandoned Lanka, friends, wealth, kingdom, comforts,
sons, wives and everything one holds dear and near, to surrender himself
wholeheartedly at the feet of ?Raaghava?.

- parityaktaa mayaa lankaa mitraaNi dhanaani cha
- bhavad gatam mE raajyam cha jeevitam cha sukhaani cha
- Tyaktvaa putraams cha daaraams cha raaghavam saraNam gata:
- nivEdayata maam kshipram/

At this critical juncture, what did Sri Rama do? Did he rush to accept him?

No. The ?KaruNaa Kaakutstha? summoned a conference of all his advisors to
assemble and debate whether VibheeshaNa could be admitted to their side or not.
The unending debate went on and on, each giving his reasons for NOT accepting
VibheeshNa until Hanumaan recommended acceptance. It was then that Sri Rama
declared that he would never forsake anyone who approached him extending his
hand of friendship

?MitrabhaavEna sampraaptam na thyajEyam kathamchana//

The famous Rama Charama SlOkam was born at that juncture when Sri Rama declared:

SakrudEva prapannaaya tavaasmeeti chaYACHATE/
a-bhayam Sarvabhootebhyo dadaami yEtat vratam mama //

The key words here are ?YaachatE?, ?abhayam? and SarvabhootEbhyO:?
The supplicant should literally ?beg? (YaachatE) for protection.
And, what does Sri Rama give in return? ?Abhayam?= Freedom from fear. And, fear
from whom? From ?BhootEbhyO?= all creatures that are born.

There is not even a whisper of ?mOKsham?!

That Sri Rama felt regret and expressed his anguish in delaying acceptance of
VibheeshaNa is well brought out by Swami Desika in ?Abhaya Pradaana Saaram?

?If seized by RaavaNa, had VibheeshaNa surrendered from the other shores, I
would have been obliged to rush to his place with utmost speed (athi-tvarai) of
VainatEya, he has spared me from this by coming over to my place to offer his
surrender.. This is like the waters of the Ganga falling on the head of a lame
person at the place where he sits!"

And, he addresses VibheeshaNa saying: ?Oh! VibheshaNa! If only I had
accepted you the moment you came to me you would not have had to undergo the
long and traumatic wait. Since this did not happen, the fault is entirely
mine?. Thus, Sri Rama assuaged VibheeshaNa.

To Quote From ?Sillarai RahasyangaL- Part II by Vangeepuram Sri Rama
Desikachariar Swami, published in 1980 by V.R Ramaswami Iyengar, Advocate,
Tanjore:

?RaavaNa graaha griheetanaai kaDalukku akkaraiyilE ninru ?Raaghavam SaraNam
gata:? enraan aagil, naam athi-tvaraiyODE VainatEya gatiyaalE akkaraikkE sella
vENDi irukka, naan irunda iDathilE ?pankhOPari gangaa nipadana? nyaayathaalE
vanda ivanai naam viDumbaDi enn? Oru nOnDi irunda iDathil avan talaiyil gangai
taanaaga vandu vizhuvadu pOl avan vandu sERndirukkiraanE!? (Page 463)

?VibheeshaNarE !ippozhudu naam ummai yErpadarkku munn neer paTTa
sirumaiyellaam emmaal yErpaTTana! Neer vanda uDanEyE emmiDam paadukaappaip
petruk koLLa nErndirundaal emakku sirumaiyE irundiraadu. Adu nEraamaiyaal naamE
sirumai aDaindu kutravaaLaraai keTTOm? enra muraiyil pala iniya sorkalaalE
vibheeshananai uruga seidu?? (Page 513)

Dvaapara yugam; Draupadi?s distress

When Draupadi was dragged to the huge assembly for being disrobed, she cried
pathetically to Lord KrishNa appealing to him

?Dwaarakaa nilayaa achyutaa! Govindaa! PuNDareekaakshaa!
Raksha maam SaraNaagatam?

At the crucial moment, did Lord KrishNa rush to her help?
NO.
He sent the unending stream of draperies to guard her modesty ONLY AFTER she
called him ?Hridaya kamala Vaasaa? ???Oh! You are the one who resides in the
lotus of my heart?. PaaNDavas were the darlings of KrishNa and he had a special
respect for Draupadi. Yet, he did not rush succor to her in the first place
itself. This left a permanent scar in his heart. KrishNa himself acknowledges
this saying:

?The delay in rushing to Draupadi?s help when she called me and pathetically
cried to me for protection is weighing heavily on my heart like a debt that I
owe her which seems to augment with ever mounting burden of usurious interest!?

GOvinda! Iti yat aakramaat krishNam maam doora vaasinam/
RuNam pravriddhamiva mE hridayaat na apasarpati//

That is why in the Sri KrishNa Charama slOkam the Lord assured that he will
never again forsake one who surrenders to him. At long last, it is as KrishNa
that the Lord uses the word ?mOkshayishyaami?, which was not used as Varaaha,
or Sri Rama in the respective CharamaslOkas. Lord KrishNa does not stop with
this. He proceeds further to reassure us by saying ?Maa Sucha!?- Do not grieve!

After all, As Swami Desika puts it this is the Sruti promise,
the expeller of all grief- ?sOgam tavirkkum Srutip poruL?

Sarva dharmaan parityajya maam yEkam SaraNam vraja/
Aham tvaa Sarva paapEbhyO MOKSHAYISHYAAMI/
MAA SUCHA//

Meaning:
?Leaving aside all Dharmas that you are unable to perform, surrender to me. I
promise to relieve you of all sins and liberate you. Do not grieve?

So, Bhagavatas:
Let us take heart that "achyuta will never let us down!




IS PRAPATTI EASY OR DIFFICULT?

QUESTION:

If such a long and painstaking process is involved in the evolution of the
soul, it looks that the means of ?PrapaTTI? cannot be considered an easy one
(sukara upaayam) at all. If ?PrapaTTI or ?Total Surrender? is so easy, why
would the Lord declare ?sa mahaatmaa sudurlabhah? That such a one is ?the
rarest of the rare?.

And, the Azhwaar himself vouches ?Ore oruvar uNDaagil athanai kaaNN? meaning
that those adhering to this means are indeed rare.

ANSWER:

It only means that beginning less ?Bhagavad maaya? cannot be overcome
easily. If so, when at all one enmeshed deeply in ?Prakriti? would be able to
cross over it? This ?nivritti? cannot be achieved through one?s own effort. It
can happen only by ?Bhagavad KaTaaksham? through the intervention of a
?Sadaachaarya?.

The Lord does not descend down in flesh and blood all the time to save every
one of the innumerable individual souls.

- That is why, he deputes Rishis, Azhwaars and Achaaryas to instruct us
what is ?Hitam? ? good for us.
- That is why he provides us with what are known as ?Saamaanya Saastras?
and ?VisEsha Saastras? that serve as instruction manuals on ?Dos? and Don?ts?
to guide us.
- That is why he endowed us with a sixth sense in the form of conscience
(the little inner voice) that constantly accompanies us and guides us on what
to do and what not to do in any circumstance.
- That is why AruLIcheyals of Azhwaars have been made available to us

Like creepers that climb up by winding on trees or other supports planted for
the purpose, the soul can, with the help of these invaluable props attain ?Atma
guNa poorthi?- the position of what the Lord has described as ?durlabham? and
become eligible for his grace.

The adoption of ?Saamaanya Saastras? help in cleansing the minds of the
suffering soul preventing it from falling into pitfalls and redeeming it from
undesirable and malefic tendencies and bringing it round to the mainstream.

The adoption of Saamaanya Dharmas like Nitya and Naimittika Karmas instills a
sense of regularity and discipline so necessary as an elementary step towards
spiritual evolution.

When routine exercises like drills and other practices that have nothing to do
with war are insisted upon in the defence sevices to keep up the fitness and
morale of military personnel, it needs no emphasis that the discipline of Nitya
and Naimittika karmas are equally necessary,if not more, for making one fit for
spiritual service.

For example, in a day consisting of 24 hours, cannot one spend 24 minutes in
observing the basic Nitya karma of Sandhyaa vandanam? On the other hand, so
many other preoccupations that one is engaged in are absolutely unnecessary and
not at all conducive to spiritual enlightenment.

When the soul realizes that it had wasted time over trivial pursuits, it is
then that it pleads to the Lord ?Oh! Lord! My faults cannot be cleared by my
own efforts. Only you should act as the means to get rid of them?.

When the soul reaches this stage, the Lord makes it an ?aartha?.
- Like TirukkaNNamangai AaNDaan, the soul would give up all material
pursuits.
- Like PiLlai Tirunaraiyur araiyar, the soul starts to hate even its own
physical form deeming it to be an impediment.
- It should be remembered that ?Saamaanya Saastras? that prescribe
?Nitya? and ?Naimittika? karmas act as the springboard and that ?Saamaanya
Dharmas? can never be dispensed with but should be observed with scrupulous
care.

When the soul reaches this stage, it becomes finally fit for ?mukti? and there
will be no looking back. And, it is such souls that Lord KrishNa describes as
?sudurlabhah?

SAREERA- SAREERI BHAVAM

Erumbiappa refers to another misinterpretation concerning the ?Sareera- Atma?
concept that Swami Desika calls ?Prataana Pratitantra? (Unique Siddhantam of
SrivaishNavam). In short, this means that just like the soul (Jeevaatma) has a
body, the soul also serves as body to Paramaatma.