SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Instruction 4
sAmAnya SAsthra nirathO naiva thishtEth kadhAchana ||
Simple explanation: A SrIvaishNava should not be simply focused on sAmAnya SAsthram. sAmAnya SAsthram is the basic vaidhika dharmam. Anyone who is qualified to learn vEdham and other SAsthrams like tharkam, mImAmsA, vyAkaraNam, should engage in their young age to learn these SAsthrams thoroughly and also have to perform vEdha adhyayanam (learning the vEdhams). This is for those who have the qualification i.e. being born in brAhmaNa, kshathriya and vaishya and having had upanayanam and brahmOpadhESam. So, such persons are qualified to learn these sAmAnya SAsthrams. So, they can learn when they are young and memorise whatever possible. But the higher SAsthrams, viSEsha SAsthrams are dhivya prabandham, vEdhAntham, rahasya granthams – these are all higher knowledge sources. So as a SrIvaishNava, one should not simply be focused on learning the sAmAnya SAsthrams alone and spending time in teaching it and debating on it and so on. Similarly, on the anushtAnam side, there are many daily rituals one has to do – snAnam, sandhyAvandhanam, aupAsanam, samithA dhAnam etc. In this manner there are many rituals prescribed for anyone accepting vaidhika dharmam. One should not be simply focused on those rituals and activities. There are higher aspects such as – thiruvArAdhanam, kainkaryam etc. So, these are all viSEsha SAsthrams in practice, in anushtAnam. So both in jnAnam and anushtAnam one should not limit oneself to sAmAnya SAsthram. That is fundamental. The sAmAnya SAsthram is the foundation (basis), so one must gain that knowledge and practice when one is young, but as one develops devotion and knowledge, one should focus on higher principles. We will see more about it in the next vAkyam also.
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JeUeMb08psc
Instruction 5
bhagavadhvishayE SAsthrE niratha: sarvadhA vasEth ||
Simple explanation: One should be fully focused and engaged in the SAsthram which is bhagavadhvishayam. So here in continuation from 4th instruction, bhagavath rAmAnuja is emphasising the focus of SrIvaishNavas. As SrIvaishNavas, if one is qualified one may learn sAmAnya SAsthram and one may practice sAmAnya SAsthram also, i.e. learning tharkam, mImAmsA, vEdham, and performing adhyayanam, teaching and reciting vEdham and analysing different philosophies and so on. Similarly in practice one may be doing all the daily rituals. One should be doing all the daily rituals without fail. Whatever is compulsory for us, we have to do. But beyond that, one should be focused on bhagavadhvishayam. i.e. dhivya prabandham, rahasya granthams, pUrvAchAryas’ granthams – all of these must be learnt and fully understood. We have to learn dhivya prabandhams, their meanings thoroughly from elders, from AchAryas.
And then, in the anushtAnam side we have to prioritise kainkaryam. Our full life should be committed for kainkaryam. Nowadays we see everybody is having kainkaryam as an alternate option. Whenever they are free, they engage in kainkaryam. They have priorities. Everyone, even SrIvaishNavas have priorities – family, work, study, business and so on and for a brief period of time everyday people are spending in kainkaryam. But really, our focus should be only in kainkaryam, i.e. bhagavath kainkaryam (kainkaryam for bhagavAn), bhAgavatha kainkaryam (kainkaryam for bhAgavathas, devotees) and then AchArya kainkaryam. Our whole life should be for this only. The fact that we are born in SrIvaishNava families or getting connected to AchArya and becoming SrIvaishNava – the fact that we have become a devotee (bhAgavatha), that itself indicates that we must be spending our time in serving bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchArya. If we were meant to do something else, work like materialistic people, then we would have been born in some other families and also, we would not have gotten the AchArya sambandham. The fact that we have got all this connection, the connection with AchArya, the connection with bhagavAn, and we have gained some basic knowledge too, that knowledge should be put into practice. Without putting things in practice, knowledge is of no use. So our primary focus should be bhagavath, bhAgavatha kainkaryam. That is the message of bhagavadhvishaya SAsthram. The higher SAsthram i.e. bhagavadhvishayam always focuses on kainkaryam. So that is being highlighted in this fifth instruction by bhagavath rAmAnuja.
Video link: https://youtube.com/shorts/RqERg_UU5bc?si=a2tGqOic7UlEeAvY
Instruction 6
AchArya krupayA pUrvam sanjAtha gyAna sAgara: | bhUya: SabdhAdhi vishaya kinkarO naiva varthayEth ||
Simple explanation: A disciple, who was previously blessed by an AchArya and due to which he has acquired knowledge, should not again go into enjoying the senses, enjoying worldly pleasures. An AchArya is a compassionate person. He must have studied under a previous AchArya. He must have put things into practice in his life. Not only that, he also showers his mercy upon those who approach him and seek his guidance. And an AchArya could also voluntarily go and shower his mercy upon even strangers just by identifying that the person has the potential to become a great devotee. That is how great AchAryas have voluntarily gone and reformed even avaidhika persons into very vaidhika persons. In this manner one who gets AchArya’s mercy and due to that one acquires knowledge – here it is specifically explained that, by the mercy one should acquire knowledge. Just getting the mercy is not sufficient. It will be sufficient to give some auspiciousness, to bring some basic devotion. But one must study under the AchArya. The AchArya must be willing to teach those who approach him. For that he must be practicing the principles. So, all of these factors are there. When such factors line up and the AchArya blesses the disciple (Sishya) with deep knowledge, thorough knowledge, after that the Sishya should never go back to his past ways of enjoying worldly pleasures. Because the whole point of getting AchArya’s blessings is to escape this samsAra. When the Sishya understands that, he will not go back to his past ways. And when the AchArya is very serious in saving the Sishya, he will not let the Sishya slip out too.
Video link: https://youtube.com/shorts/YEzj3jrIw-s?si=wjpslkz7y3Mlm9Cp
adiyEn vidhyA rAmAnuja dhAsi
Proofreading done by – vEnkatESa rAmAnuja dhAsan
archived in https://granthams.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – https://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org