One of my friends is a Rugveda scholar and teacher. He took part in Vaikunta utsavam of HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji’s mother. Vaikunta utsavam is a celebration of one’s journey back to the origin. My friend, along with a hundred other peers, holding a trimmed sugarcane plant walked around and into Divya Saketham temple. They were all lead by HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji, 6 other Jeeyar Swamiji’s and many scholars chanting Bhagavad Ramanuja Nootrandadi, a prayer in praise of Ramanujacharya. The event was so beautifully organized giving one a view of Vaikuntam.
As I was watching, there were many questions about the event… and here are the answers from Swamiji’s discourse (must watch – 23rd Evening, 24th Morning)
‘Being in love’ is best described with the word “madhuram”, sweet. In this world, one may develop love for someone or something. But, such someone or something goes through a change over time. Unless one accepts the change, it is difficult to remain in love.
If one develops love for eternal truths in life, then the entire life becomes a journey filled with love. Sugarcane plants represent the state of eternal bliss/joy resulting from being in love with eternal truths, especially God and His divine qualities. These eternal truths are spelled out in Vedas, God’s command!
so: o: snuthe sarva:n kama:n saha brahmana: vipaschithe: thi:
A liberated soul unites with God and enjoys the eternal bliss…
God in one of His prime avatars as Sri Krishna revealed the three eternal truths.
- Apara: prakruthi – nature and the way it constantly undergoes change
- Para: prakruthi – all souls, ji:vas including you and I describing how we are currently associated with body made of apara: prakruthi experiencing the result of our karma
- Parama:thma – the supreme being (Krishna) who can elevate one from the limitations of apara: prakruthi to a state of bliss. Both para:and apara: prakruthi belong to God.
prakruthim purusham chaiva
viddhy ana:di: ubha:vapi|
vika:ra:ms cha guna:ms chaiva
viddhi prakruthi sambhava:n|| (13 – 20)
Krishna mentions that there are two paths to a jeeva. One path is called the ‘sukla gathi, white path – filled with light’ and the other is called the ‘krishna gathi, black path – filled with darkness’. Sukla gathi is the path for one who desires to re-unite with Him.
sukla krushne: gathi: hye:the:
jagathassa:svathe: mathe: |
e:kaya: ya:thy ana:vruththim
anyaya:::varthathe: punaha ||
so:dhvanaha pa:rama:pno:thi thad vishno:h paramam padam
– Kato:panishad
thad vishno:h paramam padam sada: pasyanthi su:rayaha
– Rugveda
This divine path begins when a soul sheds the sthu:la sari:ra, physical body. God Himself (ha:rda purushudai – as antarya:mi) holds the soul along with its su:kshma sari:ra, mini body and begins travel upwards to the world of Archi. Therefore this path is called archira:di ma:rgam.
The journey continues to the upper worlds of dina, pu:rvapaksha, utthara:yana, samvatsara, va:yu one after another and further to cross through the worlds of Surya, Glow, Vidyuth, Varuna, Indra and Bramha. These 14 worlds are within an oval shaped space called andam.The soul then crosses through the outermost layer of the andam, and travels through several other layers in the outer space.
The journey reaches a divine river called Viraja, where the soul gets cleansed and sheds the mini body. The mini body containing the elements of nature go back to their root spaces. The touch of ama:navagives the soul a divine body that is fit in God’s abode. All the liberated souls (muktha:s) and the resident souls (nitya:s) welcome the new soul with respects. Garuda arrives to board the new soul and takes him through Airammadam, a divine water body. The new soul’s love for God enhances to the fullest in this part of the journey.
He then reaches the Yo:ga Pi:tam of God where God is seated in honour along with the divine companions (de:ve:rulu – Sridevi, Bhudevi, Neeladevi). The Yo:ga Pi:tam is staged at the centre of a divine self-glowing thousand-pillar structure. Overwhelmed and driven by love for God, the new soul gives himself fully to God through his initial namaskaram.
Uttha:ya uttha:ya punah punah pranamya – says Ramanujacharya in Vaikunta Gadyam…
Take a moment and imagine yourself in that state. What would you say? By the time one reaches there, one knows exactly what to say by the grace of acharya. An acharya initiates one with mantra, and enables one to put its meaning into practise, mantra ardha jnanam. The company of devotees enhances one’s virtues to a beautiful state that outpours as the following in response to God’s question…
“I am here with your grace. You were with me all throughout the long journey with so much compassion and patience. I am nothing other than you. And I am all yours. Aham Brahma:smi”
God immediately holds the liberated soul with love in His hand and lifts him/her up onto His lap. God converses (abhibhashanam) with the soul about how long it has been. He then hands the soul to the divine mother, Sridevi. With her grace, the soul enters God’s divine body and then comes out in radiance taking innumerable forms to serve God!
The soul is now no longer with a body driven by karma, but has a divine body that is filled with the grace of God ready to exercise His divine will in bliss.
Bhagavad Ramanujacharya brought together the aspects of all this wisdom and more into a concise format that can be put into practise every day. Vaishnavism is nothing but this set of extremely valuable practices sanctifying one in every way (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually). This is the generous effort by acharyas to give us the gist of Vedic wisdom. Ramanuja Nootrandadi is therefore chanted to offer gratitude to Ramanujacharya.
Ramanujacharya said, “Everyone has the right to travel in this beautiful path, everyone is equal in the eyes of God”. It is up to the belief and determination in the seeker to attain it.
-From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– Three-day Paramapada Utsavam of Amma Garu
– (Swamiji’s mother)
– 23 rd Evening and 24 th Morning, Divya Saketham,
– JIVA campus
🙏
anEka kOti praNaamamulu Swamiji ! We are ALL so blessed to have you as our guru. Jai Shreeman Narayana!
Who am I ?
Why should I ?
What should I ?
When should I ?
Where should I ?
How to know I ?
Pujya Swamyji ki padaabhi Vandanamulato
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Jai srimannarayana 🙏🙏
Infinite dandavats unto ur lotusfeet🙏
Jai srimanarayana
Jai srimannarayana
🙏🙏🙏