I bow at your feet and submit my doubts and seek for your advice. I am spiritual minded person with a belief that God is supreme, used to read books written by Chinmayananda and Adisankaracharya. While reading i have never focussed on the differences between Advaita, Dvaita, Visishtadvaita. My favorite God is Lord Ganesh. But lately came to know about sarana:gathi.
I have understood sarana:gathi as a process of surrendering to Lord Vishnu or Sri man Na:ra:yana for Moksha Prapti of the one who can not follow either Bhakthi yoga, Karma Yoga or Gnana Yoga. I Want to take Sarana:gathi.
I only feel that Lord Ganesh is helping me or blessing me to move ahead. Hence If I pray only Lord Vishnu, It should be perfectly alright. Is this correct or not ?.
Further My understanding is also that once Sarana:gathi is taken , I become a Vaishnavaite. Which school of thought does Vaishnavism belong to ? .
Also please differentiate between the school of thoughts “Dvaita, Advaita and Vishistadvaita. I bow are your feet and wait for your blessings with answer.
JAI SRIMANNARAYANA
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND SANKRANTHI 2009, TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
WE APPRECIATE YOUR INTEREST IN DOING SARANAGATHI TO LORD VISHNU.
YOU MUST HAVE HEARD THAT LORD KRISHNA SHOWED HIS UNIVERSAL FORM TO ARJUNA IN 11TH CHAPTER OF BHAGAVAD GEETHA. ALL FORMS OF HIS VIBHUTHI WERE SHOWN IN HIM TO ARJUN. THAT MEANS IF YOU WORSHIP LORD VISHNU ALL FORMS ARE WORSHIPPED. HE EXPLAINED THAT TO ARJUN ALSO IN HIS OWN WORD IN 7TH CHAPTER.
WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
IN A SMALL BODY LIKE OURS, IF YOU PLEASE THE PERSON, ALL PARTS OF THAT PERSON GOT PLEASED, RIGHT! IF ONLY A PART IS RESPECTED, THAT PERSON MAY NOT BE PLEASED. BUT PERSON IS HAPPY, THEN THE WHOLE BODY IS HAPPY. IN THE SAME WAY IF LORD VISHNU IS PLEASED ALL DEVATHAS ARE PLEASED. IF YOU TAKE CARE OF JUST ANY ONE OTHER DEVATHA, IT DOES NOT PLEASE ALL OTHER DEVATHAS. NOW, THE GANESH, WHOM YOU WORSHIPPED SO FAR, IS DEFINITELY PLEASED WITH YOU AND HENCE, SHOWING YOU THE PATH OF LORD NARAYANA..
SO YOU CAN HAPPILY TAKE SARANAGATHI AND BE GREATFUL ALWAYS TO LORD GANESHJI. ALL THE THREE SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT FOLLOWED VEDAS, ARE CALLED VAISHNAVA SCHOOLS. THEY SAY THAT THE SUPREME IS CALLED WITH INNUMERABLE NAMES AND MAINLY NARAYANA / VISHNU ETC., SO THESE 3 ARE CALLED VISHNAVA SCHOOLS.
THE DIFFERENCE IS ONLY WITH THE END AS HOW IT WOULD BE.
ADVAITHA, PREACHED BY SANKARACHARYA, SAYS THAT REALITY IS ONLY ONE, VISHNU, AND REST ALL IS ILLUSIONERY. (EX. IS APPLE IS ONE AND ONE ONLY)
DWAITHA, REVEALED BY MADHWACHARYA, TALKS ABOUT DUALISM LIKE, GOD, SOULS AND NATURE, THEY NEVER BECOME ONE AND SEPARATE ONLY. (EX. SKIN OF THE APPLE AND CORE OF THE APPLE NEVER BECOME ONE AND THEY ARE SEPARATE ENTITIES ONLY)
VISISHTADWAITHA, REVEALED BY RAMANUJACHARYA, SAYS THE NATURE, SOULS AND GOD ARE 3 REALITIES, AND THEY WILL BE THERE FOR EVER LIKE THAT. WHEN SOULS RELEAVED FROM KARMIC BONDAGE, AS A RESULT OF SARANAGATHI, BECOME EQUAL TO LORD VISHNU AND ENJOY THE DIVINE SERVICE OF LORD. (EX. THOUGH SKIN, CORE AND TASTE ETC,. ARE DIFFERENT AND HAVE THEIR OWN ENTITIES, ALL THEY PUT TOGETHER BECOME ONE. THAT ONE IS A QUALIFIED ONE. THAT IS VISISHTAM = QUALIFIED. )
WE FOLLOW THAT RAMANUJA SCHOOL. SARANAGATHI CONCEPT IS THE ESSENCE OF VEDAS. But now a days, out of ignorance, advaithies are thinking that they are not vaishnavites and started thinking that sivji is supreme and worship him only. In fact, adi Sankaracharya never accepted this.
=chinnajeeyar=
