Pancha samskaras- Samashrayanam-Life thereafter

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Samashrayanam (samskara)

 An explanation of a five fold Sacrament in Vaishnavam by Karalapakkam Anand

 Table of Contents:

 I. Introduction
 1. Neccessity of Spiritual Knowledge
 2. Approaching the Acarya of Sri Vaishnava Parampara
 3. What is Samashrayanam ?

 II. Pancha Samskaram
 1. Thapa Samskaram
 2. Pundra Samskaram
 3. Nama Samskaram
 4. Mantra Samskaram
 5. YAgA Samskaram

 III. Life After Samashrayanam

 I Introduction

 1. Neccessity of Spiritual Knowledge

 Any intelligent person will have queries like "Who am I?" ; "Who is God?" ; "What is my duty ?" ; "Why am I suffering through the process of birth , old age , disease  and death ?" ; "What is death ?";"What is the relationship between myself and God ?"; etc. These are highly important queries which leads one to know the actual  realities.

 The fact is that ,everyone is individually a spiritual entity called jivatma , who is eternally subservient to the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana . Due to the karmA (good  and bad activities) associated with the jivatma , it takes varieties of bodies like that of a bacteria , plant , bird ,animal , human being etc.It is very very rare to get a human  body.

 Once a jivatma gets the highly precious human body , he ('he' refers to jivatma eventhough there is no gender associated) has to start knowing about the actual  purpose of life . There may be so many varieties of knowledge floating around . But he has to pick up the 'sAram'(essence). He should choose that type of knowledge  which will answer all such important queries as raised above. These fundamental queries are answered by the spiritual knowledge.

 Materialistic knowledge (as explained by modern science etc) finally doesn't help the jivatma.For instance , a glorified Nobel Laureate may take the body of donkey in the  next birth. What is then the Credit of being a Nobel Laureate in his human birth ? The purpose of human birth is to have the realisation of God ( Sriman Narayana). If this  human body is used for other purposes ,then the activities of that person boils down to eating , sleeping and mating. Ofcourse , this is the way an animal also spends its  life.

 As long as one identifies himself as a body made of flesh and not as a jivatma , he leads a life of an animal and thereby wastes the most precious human body. The  greatness of Spiritual Knowledge is that it makes one understand the truth that he is a jivatma, subservient to Sriman Narayana and not the body housing him . It also  gives the processes ( Bhakti YogA and Prapatti ) by which one can terminate the repeated cycles of birth and death in this material world , and reach the spiritual kingdom  of Sriman Narayana known as "Vaikuntam", thereby attaining complete bliss.

 One has to start knowing about himself first ,rather than speculating about matter. Without knowing the answer for the question "Who Am I ?" , what is use of studying  so many other things ? Without knowing the purpose of human life , what is the use of engaging in varieties of activities ? So an intelligent seeker of knowledge gets hold  of the spiritual knowledge which is complete in itself and thus understands the Ultimate knowledge one needs to know.

 2. Approaching the Acarya of Sri Vaishnava Parampara

 Spiritual Knowledge is something which is far beyond the materialistic knowledge gained through a study of modern science . It is far beyond the reach of one's senses.  One can't understand these things on his own. Even for learning materialistic things which are highly evident to our eyes (senses in general ) ,one has to go to school for  years together.This process of learning from experienced persons goes on and on. Now , What to speak of Spiritual Knowledge , which deals with the relationship existing  between the three realities namely  1.IshwarA (Supreme Lord) : Sriman Narayana (Narayana who is ever united with Sri )  2.ChetanAs ( entities with knowledge) : jivatmas 3.achetanAs( entities without knowledge) : Matter , Time, SuddhaSattvA  Obviously , one has to approach a person who has this type of knowledge. But so many pose themselves to know this. How to find a bonafide Acarya ?

 The answer to this is really simple . The Supremely merciful Lord Sriman Narayana reveals the spiritual knowledge to His most ardent devotees.They in turn instruct  these things to others. This is called as a "ParamparA" .Thus, Narayana Himself becomes the first Acarya and the knowledge revealed in the paramparA is nothing  but what Narayana Himself has revealed. This chain of tradition beginning from Sriman Narayana is also known as the "SatSampradAyam" .

 Sri Vaishnava SampradAyam has Supreme Lord Narayana as the first Acarya , followed by His belowed consort 'Sri' ( MahALakshmi ), Sri Vishvaksenar ( Commander  in chief of Sri Vaikuntam ) , Saint ShatagopA (NammAzhvAr) , Sri NAthamuni , Sri PundarIkAkshA ( UyyakkondAr ) , Sri RAmamishrA ( ManakkAl Nambi ) , Sri  YAmunAcarya , Sri Ghoshti PUrnA ( Peria Nambi ) , Sri Bhagavad Ramanuja, ....SwAmi Desikan and so on down to our present Acaryas.

 Sri Ahobila Mutt was founded by the Supreme Lord Lakshmi Nrusimhan Himself , by initiating a twenty year old genius and supremely devout brahmachAri named  kidAmbi SrinivAsAcarya of Melkotte . This Acarya is very well known as Sri Adivan Shatagopa Yateendra MahAdesikan .. The current Acarya of this illustrious  Ahobila Mutt is Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Divya pAduka Sevaka Srivan Shatagopa Sri Narayana Yateendra MahAdesikan.

 The knowledge coming through the SriVaishnava SampradAyam (SatSampradAyam) is thus faultless. So, ONLY the Acarya belonging to the SatSampradAyam is  bonafide. Such an Acarya is called as a "sadAcarya" ( Ideal Preceptor). He will be well versed in the spiritual knowledge delineated by Sanskrit VedAs (including  Upanishads ), Tamil VedAs (Divya Prabandham by AzhvArs) , Rahasya TrayA ,Brahma SutrAs , Smrithis , IthihAsAs ( RAmAyanam and MahAbhAratham), SAthvIka  PurAnAs (like Vishnu purAnam , Srimad BhAgavatham ), PAncharAtrA , VaikhAnasa AgamA & other Vedic Literatures.

 The Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana , in His merciful avatAram as Sri KrishnA , instructs everyone to approach the sadAcarya. In His GIta Upadesam , Sri KrishnA  says "Learn the spiritual knowledge by prostrating , by questioning and by service to Wise men (sadAcaryas) , who sees the truth .They (sadAcaryas) will teach it  to you " (4.34).

 Thus the person desirous of becoming linked to the Sri Vaishnava SampradAyam, approaches the SadAcarya with great humility.One cannot attain a sadAcarya  easily . The reasons behind the acquisition of a sadAcarya are : i.Sriman Narayana's benevolence .  ii.Merit acquired accidentally.  iii.Grace of Sriman Narayana .  iv.No aversion towards Sriman Narayana.  v.Listened to the anectodes of Narayana ( Stories about avatArams of Narayana like NrusimhA,RAmA and KrishnA etc) and eagerness to learn.  vi.Conversed with devotees of Narayana.

So, one should be highly fortunate to attain a sadAcarya .Acarya ( Henceforth used to refer sadAcarya ) has every right to test that person ,even for many years,  before he can be initiated by him. Thus, SamAshrayanam is a result of great mercy from the part of our Acaryas.Only the highly fortunate souls gets this rarest  oppurtunity of getting initiated ( SamAshrayanam ) and thereby become a "Sri VaishnavA" .

 3. What is Samashrayanam ?

 SamAshrayanam means 'to approach (Acarya) with all sincerity'.In a nut shell , during 'SamAshrayanam' ,the Acarya initiates a person , irrespective of caste,creed or  sex, as his sishyA. It is a commitment from the disciple that he or she will live as per the wishes of the Acarya. Thus the person gets the link to the Sri Vaishnava  paramparA. During SamAshrayanam ,Pancha Samskaram (five fold Purifications) is performed and he becomes a "Sri VaishnavA".

 The five Samskarams and its main purposes are  1.thApam : To emboss the impressions of heated Sankha and ChakrA on the arms ( near the shoulders ).  2.pundram : To wear the dvAdasa OOrdhva pundram ( 12 Thiruman & Srichoornam )  3.nAmam : To be christened by the Acarya afresh as "Ramanuja dAsan" (addition of 'dAsA' at the end of ones name) to indicate that one is forever a servant of  the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana and BhagavAn Ramanuja .  4.manthram : To get the initiation of "Rahasya Traya MantrAs" - AshtAksharam , Dvayam and charama slokam .  5.Ijyai : To learn the worship of Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana in proper form ( Bhagavad ThiruvArAdhanam) .


 II. Pancha Samskaram

 In general,the human body must undergo many Samskarams.This is done basically to make the body more pure and thereby aid the jivatma in the path of Spiritualism ,  which culminates in God- Realisation.The greatest stumbling block for one's advancement in Spiritualism is their body itself, which is a result of their previous karmAs.So ,  sAstrAs prescribe various varnA specific Samskarams like JAtakarmA , NAmakaranA , Upanayanam etc.

 Pancha Samskaram is superior to all such Samskarams .One is not a born "Sri VaishnavA". It is this "Pancha Samskaram" that makes him one. Millions and Millions of  janmAs(births) were simply wasted without becoming a "Sri VaishnavA".It is this highly sacred "Pancha Samskaram" which gives the real "birth" to the jivatma. Since  all the previous births were simply spent in the darkness of ignorance , they don't have any value . The real meaning of life starts, only when one becomes a "Sri  VaishnavA" . Since "Pancha Samskaram" marks the beginning of the true life one has to lead , it is a VERY VERY SPECIAL EVENT for the person undergoing it .

 "IyengAr" means 'Iyndu angam Udayavar'or'Iyndu kAryangaL Udayavar'. These five refers to the 'Pancha Samskaram'. It also means the fiva angAs of prapatti. We can in  general say that this PanchaSamskaram gives one the name "IyengAr".

 1. thApa Samskaram

 This is the first Samskaram . The Acarya embosses the impressions of Conch (Shankam) and Discuss (Sudarshana chakram) on the left and right arms of the disciple,  respectively .

 To give an analogy in the materialistic world , a sales representive wears a logo representing the organization for which he is working. Factually , we ( Jivatmas) are  servants of the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana. So ,we also identify ourselves through the things which uniquely represent Him. Narayana holds the  Conch(PAnchaJanyam) in His Left Hand and the Sudarshana Chakram in His right Hand.So ,we also bear the same way .Any highly fortunate jivatma ,who becomes a  devotee of Lord Vishnu will be very happy about wearing Shankam and Chakram .

 The Acarya with great devotion recites the mantrAs to invoke Sriman Narayana and His weapons Sudarshana Chakram & PAnchajanyam .The Supremely merciful  Narayana abides by it.The Lord and His weapons thus become present in the Agni (Fire ).Then, Acarya prays specifically to the divine weapons to be eternally  present with the disciples for whom Pancha Samskaram is being performed.

 The emblem of "Sudarshana ChakrA" is heated in the agni and is embossed on the right hand , by chanting a hymn, which translates into "Oh! Sudarshana MahAJwAlA  (Highly resplendent), as lusturous as crores of Sun , please show me , an ignorant one, the path of Lord Vishnu" .

 Then , the emblem of "PAnchajanyam" is heated in the fire and is embossed on the left hand , by chanting a hymn , which translates into "Oh! PAnchajanyA! You are  capable of driving away the sins of individuals through your sound. Please protect me , a sinner , from this samsArA ".

 In Sri Ahobila Mutt , the procedure is much simpler since the emblems of ShankA and chakrA were given by the most merciful Lord Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan Himself , to Sri  Adivan Shatagopa Yateendra MahAdesikan.

 This is a highly powerful Samskaram . SudarshanAzhvAr's (ChakrA) mercy to the devotees of Sriman Narayana is highly glorifiable. No one can forget the wonderful  way in which SudarsanAzhvAr chased DhurvAsa Muni for his BhAgavadha apachArA unto the great VaishnavA "Ambarish". That is the way in which Sri  SudarsanAzhvAr extends his mercy to protect the devotees.He wards off the evil elements and thereby makes a nice pathway for the devotee to engage in Bhagavad  Kainkaryam .

 Nowadayas , SudarsanAzhvAr is popular amongst the 'mooda bhakthAs' ie. those people who pray for the fulfillment of their cheap materialistic desires.Its really a pity  that eventhough SudarsanAzhvAr is highly merciful to ward off all the evil obstacles that obstruct a person from developing pure bhakti or performing prapatti,these  people keep pestering him regarding their materialistic desires.

 The divine conch 'PAnchajanyam' shatters all the evils through transcendental sound . The most important aspect is that we have to realize our ignorant way of leading  the life. The whole life should be packed with ONLY devotional services (kainkaryAs) unto Sriman Narayana and His devotees.If we are even an inch shorter to it , it  clearly implies that we are ignorant.But , attaining the mood of kainkaryA is not a material phenomena.One must deeply depend on the mercy of Acaryas and  BhAgavathAs.This is the only way to get it.

 But before coming to this position , one has to know that doing kainkaryam to the Divya Dampati ( Sri and Narayana )is the ultimate goal of life . Thats why , we pray to  SudarshanAzhvAr to show us the path of Vishnu . SudarshanAzhvAr will lead us to do prapatti and by becoming a prapanna , one will be ever ecstatic in performing  various kainkaryAs .But , how will he help us if we don't want this from the depth of our hearts ?

 In addition to our unwillingness to completely surrender to the lotus feet of Sriman Narayana , there are so many nefarious traps in this world of samsArA. Since  everyone is allured by this and indulge nicely in the materialistic activities , they pile up the sins.So, already being a sinner , who is attracted by all the petty materialistic  things , we pray to 'PAnchajanyam' for his protection from 'SamsArA' (materialistic world).

 ThApa Samskaram is highly glorified by the sAstrAs in various places. Some of them are as follows :  1.Brahmasooktha in the Atarva Mahopanishad says " ChakrA in the right shoulder and Sankha in the left shall be worn" . 2.The Pushkala Samhita in Rig VedA says " Oh vishnu ! The learned wear the holy Sankha - Chakra to cross the ocean of samsArA ".  3.Atarva vedA says " By adorning the armour of the Lord , we shall live happily in this world and reach the abode of the Lord ( conveying that others cannot reach  Sri Vaikuntam ) "  4.In the Vishnu Tattvam , the passage narrating about NarakalokA says " Wearing of Sankha and ChakrA informs the relationship with Vishnu . The sentries of  YamA are afraid of them . The world will perish if they are belittled . The devotees of Vishnu are never seen in YamA's place due to the glory of Sriman Narayana  " .  5.BheeshmaparvA of MahAbhArathA says " All shall , as ordained in the PAncharAtrA SAstrA preached by Lord SankarshanA ( Narayana ) , wear the chakrA  mark. They only are eligible to worship BhagavAn Vishnu ( Bhagavad ArAdhanam ) " 6.VarAhapurAnam glorifies the persons wearing the hot seals of the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana on their arms (shoulders) . It says that these devotees  ultimately reach Sri Vaikuntam .  7.Garuda PurAnam says that only those who have been affixed with the Sankha and ChakrA are eligible to take part in the ceremony to forefathers.  Atarva vedA is very clear in the regard that one should adorn the heated symbols of Sriman Narayana on ones body , and continues to say that only such people attain  the Supreme Abode ( Sri Vaikuntam). Rig VedA is also categorical that the Sankha and chakrA be heated and adorned.

 Any intelligent person ,after getting so much help from the divine weapons of Sriman Narayana , should proceed further to become a true Sri VaishnavA in practise.

 Thus the Acarya out of his dayA does this "thApA SamskArA" for the upliftment of the sishyA from the world of samsArA .Further, the disciple with Anjali MudrA  should regularly chant the two hymns through which this Samskaram has been performed and thereby derive the supreme protection from SudarsanAzhvAr and  PAnchajanyam .

 2. Pundra Samskaram

 The Acarya makes the disciple aware of the places in the body where the 'upavyUha' forms of the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana, are to be saluted.The sishya  becomes fortunate enough to know the names of the Lord and pirAtti ,associated with each 'upavyUha' form of Narayana and also comes to know about the way in  which he has to offer his salutations.

 From the para-vAsudevA ( Sri Vaikuntam) form ,Narayana emanates into the four vyuha forms namely VAsudevA ( Vyuha VAsudevA) , SaNkarshaNA , PradyumnA  and AniruddhA . From each of these four vyuha forms , Narayana emanates into three sub-vyuha forms known as 'upavyuha'(vyuhAntarA) forms.

 VAsudevA -> KeSavA ,Narayana, MAdhavA SaNkarshaNA -> GovindA , Vishnu , MadhusUdhanA PradyumnA -> TrivikramA, VAmanA, SridharA AniruddhA ->  HrusIkeSA, PadmanAbhA, DAmodarA

 There are some minor differences in these forms of Sriman Narayana.All these different forms of our merciful Lord are highly relished by different Yogis deeply  meditating upon Sriman Narayana. For instance , let us take the case of sweets .Each one relishes a particular variety of sweet more than the other ones .Similarly ,the  taste of the Yogis /BhakthAs also differs .Each one gets attracted to a particular feature of Sriman Narayana.

 Each 'upavyUha' form of Sriman Narayana is externally represented by the 'OOrdhva pundram'(Thiruman kaapu).The 'thiruman' represents the Lord and the 'Sri  Choornum' represents PirAtti.The salutation to the Lord has to be done with folded hands ( Anjali Mudra ) : "KeSavAya Namaha" prefixed by pranavA, "MAdhavAya  Namaha" prefixed by pranavA etc. The salutation to the pirAtti is also done in a similar way : "Sriyai Namaha" , prefixed by pranavA , "AmrutodhbhavAyai Namaha" ,  prefixed by pranavA etc.

 The thiruman (white color) should be like the outline of Narayana's Lotus foot. Sri choornum is yellow in color since the thirumeni of pirAtti (divine body) is Golden in  color. Since Red Color is for mangaLam (pirAtti) , some do wear red colored Sri Choornum. Any photograph of GodA pirAtti (AndAL) shall reveal the way in which the  ladies has to wear thiruman on their foreheads . There is an unwritten convention among ladies to wear Red Sri Choornum if they are SumangalIs & Yellow Sri Choornum if  they are widows.

 OOrdhva Pundram is vertical and faces upwards denoting that it helps one in reaching 'Sri Vaikuntam' , the spiritual abode of Sriman Narayana.These twelve  OOrdhvapundrams are known as the 'DvAdasa OOrdhvapundram '.

 The location of the Thiruman kaapu , forms , names and colour of all the UpavyUha forms of Narayana are as follows :

 Location  (part of Human Body)  Forms of Lord  for Meditation  Name & Colour  of Lord

 Name of PirAtti  Forhead  (Golden)  ChakrA in all  Four Hands  KeshavA

 Sri  Lower Abdomen  (Middle)  Conch (SankA) in  all Four Hands  Narayana  (Blue cloud)

 Amruthodhbava  Chest  Mace in all  Four Hands  MAdhavA  (Gem)

 Kamala  Front Neck  (Middle)  Bow in all  Four Hands  Govinda  (Moon)

 Chandrasodari  Lower Abdomen  (Right)  Ploughshares in all  Four Hands  Vishnu  (Lotus Filament)

 Vishnu Patni  Right Arm  Pounding Rod in all  Four Hands  MadhusUdhanA  (Lotus)

 Vaishnavi  Neck  (Right)  Sword in al  Four Hands  TrivikramA  (Sparkling Fire)

 VarAroha  Lower Abdomen  (left)  Thunder Bolt in all  Four Hands  vAmanA  (Rising Sun)

 Hari VallabhA  Left Arm  Axe in all  Four Hands  SridharA  (Lotus)

 ShArngini  Neck  (left)  Crow-bar in all  Four Hands  HrusIkeSA (Lightening)

 Deva DEvikA  Back  (Lower Spinal)  All weapons in all  Eight Hands  PadmanAbhA  (Lustre of Sun)

 MahALakshmi  Back  (Upper Spinal)  Whip in all  Four Hands  DAmodarA (Silk-worm)

 Surasundari

First of all , all the 12 OOrdhvapundrams , starting from Lord KesavA should be adorned at appropriate places with proper salutations . After this , one might be left with  some amount of thiruman . In accordance with the traditions of Sannidhi SampradAyam (Sri Ahobila Mutt) the remaining thiruman should be smeared on top of ones head  while meditating on Lord VAsudevA through dvAdasAksharam . Then , Sri Choornum at all the appropriate places should be worn .The remaining Sri Choornum should  be smeared on top of one's head while saluting pirAtti as "SarvAbhishta phala pradAyai Namaha " prefixed by pranavam .

 The upavyUha forms of Narayana also represent the twelve suns in the Universe corresponding to the twelve zodiacs of the universe . KeSavA is the presiding deity of  month MArghazhi, Narayana is the presiding deity of month 'thai' and so on.They are the presiding deities of the twelve AdityAs.

 Thus , the sishyA gets the unique previlege to wear the Thiruman kAppu. So, only after SamAshrayanam should one wear the dvAdasa OOrdhva pundram .From then  onwards, the sishyA (including ladies) WITHOUT FAIL should wear them. All the evils fly away on seeing the thiruman kAppu (kAppu => protection).

 Materialistic people apply varieties of powder & cream to their faces,hands etc .They keep on polishing this temporary body with their deep materialistic attachment  towards it.They more over put many more ornaments over the lump of flesh(body) and foolishly think that they look beautiful. The very basic understanding is that one is  a jivatma ( soul) who is ever subservient to the Divya Dampati, and not the lump of matter housing it.

 The BEST ORNAMENT for the body is THIRUMAN KAAPU. This should be applied with great humility , thanking Acarya and Sriman Narayana for their mercy .  One should be really proud of the fact that he is a servant of Narayana .He should be highly enthusiastic to wear the thiruman kAApu for the reason that it reminds him  of the servant - master relationship eternally existing between himself and the Supreme Master Sriman Narayana.

 Materialistic people take pride in identifying themselves as a 'fan' ( follower) of some other materialist ( cinema star , sports hero etc) , who is also a jIvA suffering in this  whirlpool of samsArA . These so-called 'stars' of the material world are going to take bodies like donkey,cat etc in their future births .They are followed by thousand fools  who are also going to take such bodies in the next births.Materialists are highly ignorant fools because, their level of understanding that someone is 'great' is highly  limited. Once one becomes a fan of the greatest of all greats 'Sriman Narayana' , he CANNOT become a fan of any other person (except Narayanas staunch  devotees).Even the greatness of demigods like BrahmA ,SivA & IndrA in comparison with the greatness of Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana is like the brightness of a  small spark of light in front of the brightness of millions of suns.

 A Sri VaishnavA is thus never attracted to even any of the demigods ( what to speak of tiny materialists in earth). One who gets attracted to Narayanas divya mangala  vigraha ; kalyAna gunAs ; avatAra lIlAs as in NrusimhA , RAmA and KrishnA avAtAra ; Holy Names etc can never turn back to anything short of it.

 It is furthermore a duty of a Sri VaishnavA to follow what the Acarya has taught him during samAshrayanam.Some may feel that they are ignorant about these facts  .But , they also see so many Sri VaishnavAs, wearing the thiruman kApu and thus should automatically enquire into it.But , there are some who even after knowing that  they should wear the DvAdasa OOrdhva pundram daily , doesn't wear them out of shyness.Actually ,this is due to their ignorance. Any devotee of Sriman Narayana is  never a cheap personality . He is the most glorifiable one. So , one should wear them with love and enthusiasm without any hesitation. Once one understands about the  glories of Sriman Narayana and the eternal connection existing between himself and the Lord , he will automatically wear the dvAdasa OOrdhva pundram.

 One can talk a lot about VedAs, PurAnAs etc. If he doesn't put their teachings into practice, there is no use in learning them.Narayana gets pleased when one follows  the sAstrAs .Moreover , if it is a upadesA from an Acarya and is followed by the sishyA , Narayana gets pleased to a much greater extent.At the same time , if a  sishyA doesn't follow the Acarya, Narayana will never be pleased with him. So, if a Sri VaishnavA doesn't wear the OOrdhva pundrams , he is obviously not  following the Acarya and thereby becomes avaishnavA in practice . Moreover , sAstrAs says that a body without OOrdhvaPundram is equivalent to a Cemetery (burial  place).

 In extreme circumstances ,when one is not able to wear the dvAdasa OOrdhvapundrams , salutations to Sriman Narayana at the twelve places , with Anjali MudrA ,  should atleast be performed without fail .

 The katA portion in YajurvedA says " One who prays to the Supreme Lord Vishnu by wearing the OOrdhvapundram and by accepting the hot chakrA on the shoulder ,  reaches the Supreme Lord Himself ". Such is the glory of pundram and thApa Samskaram.

 An explanation of a fivefold Sacrament in Sri Vaishnavam -

3. NAma Samskaram

 The Acarya adds the name 'DAsA' at the end of the disciples name , to indicate that he is forever the servant  of Lord Sriman Narayana and Bhagavad Ramanuja. He becomes a 'Ramanuja dAsan'.This is highly  important.

 Eventhough Sri Vaishnavam is eternal , it was Bhagavad Ramanuja who propagated it with intensity and fervour ,out of his great compassion for all the living entities.  He was a supreme devotee of Sriman Narayana and an intellectual genius. He gave the true imports of Brahma SUtrAs and established the eternal truth vouchsafed in  the Upanishads . He made everyone understand that Narayana , the consort of 'Sri' is the Supreme Lord , who has all the sentient beings and insentient things as His  body (ie. Narayana is supporter & controller of everything and everything exists for His pleasure ).

 He gave the secret doctrine of 'prapatti' ( self -surrender ) to the whole world. PRAPATTI IS THE ONLY WAY IN THIS KALI YUGA BY WHICH ONE CAN REACH SRI  VAIKUNTAM (MOKSHAM). Thus ,it was Bhagavad Ramanuja who opened the gates of Sri Vaikuntam for anyone , irrespective of caste , creed or sex. The greatness  of Bhagavad Ramanuja cannot be expressed in mere words.

 Since he was the one who redeemed the whole suffering humanity by propagating the eternal truth and the ultimate good to everyone , Lord RanganAthA residing at  SriRangam became so moved that , the Supreme Lord placed at the disposal of Ramanujacarya , all His possessions - LIlAvibhUti ( Material World ) and  Nitya-VibhUti (Spiritual World ie. Sri Vaikuntam ) - including Himself.In commemoration of that act , Lord RanganAthA conferred upon Bhagavad Ramanuja the name of  'Udayavar'( Possesor or Master ) ,to signify that he was thenceforth the Master of All. Thus , to enter the Spiritual Abode of Sriman Narayana , the link with ' Udayavar '(  Sri Ramanuja ) becomes a vital and important criterion.

 The sishyA should always identify himself through this 'dAsa ' nAmA . Whenever he speaks to other bhAgavathAs he should have the servitude attitude which in one  way can be cultivated by remembering his 'dAsa ' nAmA. Ladies shall identify themselves by suffixing "nAmine Ramanuja dAsi" to their name ( eg: RanganAyaki  nAmine Ramanuja dAsi ).

 4. Mantra Samskaram

 Eventhough all the five Samskarams are highly important , Mantra Samskaram is the most important  amongst them. The Rahasya traya ( 3 secrets) mantrAs are initiated to the sishyA .They are the AshtAksharam ,  Dvayam and the Charama slokam . These are the TOPMOST ESSENCE OF ALL THE KNOWLEDGE .They  are highly potent and have deep philosophical meanings. These are secrets and are highly precious . These are  to be learnt from the Acarya only. The sishyAs at any cost CANNOT tell these mantrAs (AshtAksharam and  dvayam) to others , who haven't had samAshrayanam. Only the Acarya who is eligible to perform  samAshrayanam to others is entitled to initiate the sishyAs with these mantrAs.

 One should be VERY VERY FORTUNATE to receive these mantrAs. The glories of these mantrAs have no bounds.

 The potency of the mantrAs work only when it is obtained from the Acarya ( paramparA). This is because , without getting the link to the paramparA , which is started  by Sriman Narayana ,one cannot obtain the benifits of the mantrA ; rather it may lead to negative results also.PAdma purAnA says that " sampradAya - vihInA ye  mantrAs te niShphalA matAhA" ie. "Unless mantrAs are initiated (by the Acarya) through the sampradAyA , it has no effect ". Anyone who wants to become the  devotee of Narayana must get linked with the ParamparA . Sriman Narayana Himself has clearly laid out that the paramparA is the way through which one should  approach Him .

 AshtAksharam (also known as Moola Mantra , Thiru Mantra) is extolled by great people like AzhwArs and Rishis . This mantra originated from Lord BadriNarayana of  BadrinAth , chanted in Gayathri Chandas and is addressed to Sriman Narayana . Since this mantra is initiated by the Lord Narayana Himself , this is highly  sacred.Infact Narayana initiated this AshtAksharam to Thirumangai AzhwAr also.This same AshtAksharam was initiated to pundarIkA and PrahlAdA by sage  NAradA.Yogis practising Bhakti YogA , who were ever immersed in seeing the wonderful form of Sriman Narayana,used this secret AshtAkshara mantram as the key to  their success of God-Realisation (ie. realising Narayana).

 This highly sacred mantra has pranavam(combination of A,U and M) in the beginning.Vedic Scriptures strictly restrict the usage of pranavam. Only purushAs (men)  belonging to first three varnAs (BrAhmanA , KshatriyA & vaishyA) are allowed to recite it . This pranavam cannot be used according to ones whims and fancy.  Whenever it is referred in general public, it has to be addressed as pranavam only.One doesn't have the right to say this pranavam as a combination of A,U and M ,in  public ( unless it is a part of the recitation of VedAs for a particular ceremony etc). But, the same effect of AshtAksharam can be obtained by others by reciting 'um' instead  of pranavam.

 Everyone can infact chant 'Namo Narayana' aloud in public ( without even undergoing Pancha Samskaram ) .Its a humble request to all the bhAgavathAs , that the  chanting of 'Namo Narayana' be propagated allover the world . This is the real medicine for the suffering of all the living entities swirling in the whirlpool of SamsArA  .Since this has no restriction , anyone can be made to chant this and the soul can be saved. Propagation of the Holy Names of Narayana ( esp."Namo Narayana" ) is  the best service for the whole society , irrespective of caste , creed , sex etc. The Holy Name will then make all the necessary arrangements for the spiritual upliftment of  others.

 AshtAkshara mantra japam (either in tAntric or VaidhikA form ) MUST be performed daily in accordance with one's adhikAram , as prescribed in pAncharAtrA. Out of  great respect to this most valuable treasure , one should chant AshtAkshara mantram , only when he is pure in his body & mind. In Sannidhi SampradAyam (Sri Ahobila  Mutt) AshtAkshara japam is performed during SandhyAvandanam ( before upasthAnam , same number of times as that of GAyatri japam) .

 AshtAkshara japam gives ALL BENIFITS that one can derive from different mantrAs. More importantly , it facilitates the bondage between the person performing the  japam and Sriman Narayana for SaranAgati (Prapatti).

 Dvaya Mantram consists of two lines.It is eulogised as the 'Mantra RatnA' ( Gem/Jewel amongst all the MantrAs). This helps one to perform SaranAgati (Prapatti) unto  Sriman Narayana. Once this mantrA is initiated by the Acarya, it should be recited constantly within ourselves . It can be recited by the sishyA without bothering  about time , place etc. Infact Dvayam should be dancing in the lips of SriVaishnavAs , all the time. It is infact an INSTRUCTION from BhagavAn RAMANUJA that  Dvayam should be chanted for maximum time possible.

 Both AshtAksharam & Dvayam shall not be chanted in an audible manner . They have to be chanted within ourselves.

 Charama slokam is the famous 'Sarva DharmAn ....." sloka of Srimad Bhagavad GitA. It is a secret because of its invaluable hidden truth. Sriman Narayana during His  Krishna AvatArA did the Gita UpadesA to all the people through ArjunA. Since Bhakti YogA was highly difficult even for ArjunA , KrishnA out of His Mercy asked him (  all the people) to perform 'Prapatti' , as a means of God-Realisation .

 Bhakti YogA is the CONSTANT meditation (without any break; as constant as the flow of an unbroken stream of oil from the hole in the bottom of a vessel filled with oil )  with unsurpassed love , on the essential nature (svarUpA) , qualities (kalyAna gunAs) and form (divya mangala vigrahA) of Sriman Narayana , by the aid of any one of  the 32 vidyAs prescribed in the Upanishads.Such constant meditation is obviously difficult for the kali - yugA people. That is why the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana  in His Krishna avatArA pointed out the presence of another means of attaining salvation (prapatti) in the Upanishads.

 In many Vedic literatures & in works of Sri Vaishnava Acaryas , the term "Bhakti" is usually associated with the term "Bhakti YogA"( ie. UpAsanAs prescribed in  Upanishads ) . But , nowadays , the term "Bhakti" is commonly used by people for denoting any sort of devotion .A SriVaishnavA should certainly have Bhakti in the  sense of reciting VedAs,Divya Prabandhams, Nama Sankeertanams, StotrAs etc. And all these things are to be carried out as a kainkaryam (service) to the Divya Dampati  with the understanding that it is the ocean of dayA of Sriman Narayana that was responsible for him to be selected as an instrument in performing the kainkaryam .  These services should be done for the pleasure of Sriman Narayana and the fruits of these services are to be submitted to Him . Also, one should do the duties (like  SandhyA Vandanam , Bhagavad ArAdhanam etc) according to his varnA and AshramA , in the same spirit of kainkaryam (with sAthvIka thyAgam) to the Divya Dampati  (Divine Couple) as mentioned above.

 Regular recital of these mantrAs are highly essential and a Sri VaishnavA should be immersed in these mantras and its meanings .

 5. Yaj~na (YAgA) Samskaram

 In this Samskaram , the Acarya teaches about Bhagavad ArAdhanA ( Ijyai ). ArAdhanA is the way of  worshipping Sriman Narayana. There are basically two forms of ArAdhanA : bahyA (External) and  mAnasIkA (Internal).

 This Samskaram is initiated by the Acarya through Sanskrit verses whose translation in English is as follows :

 " After Achamanam , wearing OOrdhvapundram , prostrating to the Lord (Sriman Narayana) , sit in a seat. After prAnAyAmam , perform japam with DhyAna slokAs (  AshtAksharam , etc). Later , worship the Lord Sriman Narayana residing in ones heart ( mAnasIka ArAdhanA). Then with water from the vessel placed left (of Sriman  Narayana) , sprinkle water on flowers and other materials for worship and also vessels for arghyam, pAdyam etc.From water in arghyA Vessel , sprinkle water on flowers  etc (for worship) and also self "

 " After welcoming the Lord , offer arghyam , pAdyam ,Achamaniam & give ritualistic bath. Then offer cloth, Yaj~no Pavitha (sacred thread), Sandal paste , flower , incense  , light , in order. Offer Achamanam , honey and again Achamanam. Later offer food comprising of pudding, rice , vegetables, water, pan-betel etc.After Prostration  ,restoring status quo is the procedure of worship of Vishnu"

 Thus , the sishyA gets the eligibility to perform Bhagavad ArAdhanam ( Ijyai) to Sriman Narayana's archA avatAram as 'SALagrAmA'. Since the food we take should  only be the remnants of food offered to Sriman Narayana , SALagrAma ArAdhanA is very important for a Sri VaishnavA..

 Lord Sri KrishnA in His GIta Upadesam , says that " Good people eating the remains of yaj~nAs are released from all sins.Those sinners who cook food for their own sake  eat only sin " (3.13)

 Food is the major source of input to the body. It drastically affects the proportions of sAtvikkA (goodness), rAjasA (passion) and tAmasA (ignorance) gunAs in the  body.By eating the food which are devoid of sAtvikA nature , the person drifts away from spiritualism and his indulgence in materialistic affairs increases. Further , if the  food is not offered to the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana through Bhagavad ArAdhanA ,the person incurs lot of sins . Therefore ,One should perform the Bhagavad  ArAdhana kainkaryam daily without fail .

 By performing SALagrAma ArAdhanam (Ijyai) , one gets cleansed from many impurities (seated in mind).The sacred water obtained after the ablution of SALagrAmA is  highly potent. We have to remember that , the sacred water has had the direct contact with the thirumeni (divine body) of Sriman Narayana .Thus it makes one charged  with sAtvika gunA and cultivates bhagavad bhakti very easily.

 Ofcourse there are many side - benifits like improvement in health, intelligence, memory , etc due to the intake of sacred water ( 'PerumAL theertham'). All these benifits are  for aiding the cultivation of bhakti and shouldn't be seen in a materialistic perspective. The spiritual benifit obtained is enormous , and can only be felt by the devotee.

 A true devotee of Sriman Narayana however doesn't bother about the so called scientific explainations for the side-benifits incurred during any devotional kainkaryA .  These explainations are only for those who doesn't believe in Narayana and sAstrAs .For instance , Sri AnnamAcarya ( disciple of Sri Adivan Sadagopa Yateendra  MahAdesikan) , out of his intense devotion to the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana , has sung 32000 nectarian songs on Lord SrInivAsA at TirumalA . rAgA , tAlA are  not planned . These things pour out spontaneously out of his great devotion. But , one may get attracted by the greatness of rAgA , tAlA , way of composition etc.But,  the important aspect which should attract one ,is his bhakti towards Narayana . If this is left out , then there is no point in discussing other things. Eventhough the  rAgA,the composition structure etc are amazing, they simply aid one to create the mood of bhakti involved in that song & it is in this context that they are to be eulogized.  Similarly , we can talk about some petty, so called scientific explainations behind some devotional activities & the side - benifits obtained thereby .But , the spiritual reason  behind it and spiritual benifit one obtains is beyond the comprehension of our senses.

 The archA form of Narayana is due to His Soulabhyam ( easy accesibility to one and all ) & Sowseelyam ( Friendship shown by an exalted one towards a lowly person  without expecting anything in return ). His dayA (mercy) for all of us has no bounds.

 Garuda PurAnam says

 "SAlagrAma shilA yatra devo dwAravathIbhavaha  vubhyoho sangamo yatra tatra mukthirna samshayaha "

 ie . Mukthi is assured without doubt in those places where SALagrAma DwArakA shilA coexist (ie.Bhagavad  ThiruArAdhanam leads a devotee to perform prapatti and makes him lead a life of true prapannA ). The  greatness of sALagrAmA is that, Sriman Narayana has Himself chosen ( svayam vyaktA) to incarnate in that  form ie. it is not consecrated or installed by others.SALagrAmA can thus be straightaway worshipped without  any special consecration.

 Eventhough the sALagrAma ArAdhanA is performed by the male members of the three varnAs , ladies too have important role in that kainkaryam. They can make nice  arrangements in terms of preparing food, gathering & making fragrant flower garlands , etc.Thus they too derive the same benifits out of the ArAdhanam. The entire family  should assemble together for the 'SAtrumurai', the concluding session of ArAdhanam .

 The important aspect in any kainkaryam is that, it is performed purely for the pleasure of Sriman Narayana . SAstrAs also clearly specify the type of kainkaryam one has  to perform , according to ones varnA & AshramA. So , one has to just take up the kainkaryam assigned to him/her & perform that with devotion. This is the spirit behind  the kainkaryam & thus one shouldn't entertain questions like "Why can't I do this ?" , "Why should they only do that ? " etc.

 mAnasIkA ArAdhanA has to be performed by all. This is similar to the bahyA ArAdhanA , but the whole ArAdhanA is done mentally .Pictures of Sriman Narayana in  various Divya Desams , plays an important role here . Irrespective of the caste, place , time or sex , one can perform this mAnasIka ArAdhanA .

 Sri Sukabrahma maharishi in his nectarian Srimad BhAgavatham says about the way in which great devotees worship Narayana residing within their hearts ( mAnasIka  ArAdhanA ) :

 "These devotees meditate on Narayana with His four hands holding the Conch , ChakrA , GadhA (club) and Lotus. They fix His figure firmly in their mind. Having fixed  His figure firmly , they worship Him with the courtesies ( as in Bahya ArAdhanA or pUjA ) including serving of food , mentally. They conclude the worship with  MangalAsAsanam ( MangalArathi)".

 If one doesn't remember about the upadesam of the Acarya as regarding the Ijyai and unfortunately couldn't meet the Acarya , he can approach another Sri  VaishnavA who is spiritually advanced and learn the practical way of doing the sALagrAma ArAdhanA.

 This Samskaram is very important in many angles. thApa Samskaram makes the sishyA eligible to start performing various kainkaryams to the Supreme Lord Sriman  Narayana . The pundra Samskaram makes a person eligible to wear the dvAdasa OOrdhvapundram ,which is a must while performing kainkaryams like Bhagavad  ArAdhanam. NAma Samskaram makes the sishyA get the intimate relationship with Sriman Narayana & Bhagavad Ramanuja, which is again important while  performing kainkaryams. The mantrAs initiated during the mantra Samskaram are used to please Sriman Narayana while performing kainkaryams like Bhagavad  ArAdhanam. So , all the Samskarams are ultimately aimed to make the sishyA perform the kainkaryams like Bhagavad ThiruvArAdhanam properly.

 While doing Bhagavad ThiruvArAdhanam to Sriman Narayana , one is also reminded about the Lord in various Divya Desams , the nectarian anubhavA of AzhvArs ,  mercy of our Acaryas etc.All types of spiritual emotions can be nicely poured out during the Bhagavad ArAdhanam ,thereby bringing immense divine ecstacy.This  makes one get rid of the sins that propel a person to engage in materialistic pleasures and makes him deeply attached to the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord Sriman  Narayana.

 3. Life After Samashrayanam

 SamAshrayanam marks a great turning point in the journey of jivatma through the cycle of repeated birth and  death. The Pancha Samskaram performed is invaluable. But , one has to keep up the Samskaram by his  regular devotional activities. The Samskarams done loses its significance when one starts indulging in more  materialistic activities , without caring about the Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana . The whole purpose of  SamAshrayanam is to make a person ( jivatma ) get involved in the sanAtana dharmA ( eternal dharmA) of  performing Kainkaryam to Divya Dampati ( MahALakshmi & Narayana ). Surrender and love towards the  Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana is the only purpose of human life . SamAshrayanam helps in a great way to  make a person progress towards achieving this goal.

 The disciple should be highly thankful to the Acarya for his great compassion. He should take deep interest in the SampradAyam & gain the true knowledge from  kAlakshepams (Discourses) either under the lotus feet of his Acarya or under other SriVaishnava Acaryas his Acarya directs him to do so.He should atleast learn  from cassettes , books etc of our Acaryas. He should learn the recitation & meaning of the most nectarian , unparalleled divine songs of the Tamil VedA(Divya  Prabandham) , which is embedded with soul stirring devotional pAsurams.He should carry out the duties ( like SandhyAvandanam , Bhagavad ArAdhanam etc ) without  fail , according to the VarnA and AshramA . The taniyan of the Acarya must neccessarily be recited daily , atleast after adorning the dvAdasa OOrdhvapundram.

 He should perform various services to the Acarya and Sriman Narayana daily. Then, jn~AnA ( knowledge) , vairAgyA (detatchment from materialistic things ; sense  control) and bhakti (devotion) is automatically gained by the devotee due to blessings of the Acarya . By performing prapatti , the devotee should lead a life of  prapannA ever immersed in various kainkaryams .Eventhough he is in the midst of the society , he can earn through dharmA as a service to Sriman Narayana . The  money so earned should be spent for various devotional services and not for materialistic pleasures.

 Swami Desikan says in his NyAsa vimsati that ,

 "The disciple too must fulfil certain requisite qualifications. He should have  1.A Good sense  2.A friendly approach towards sAdhus.  3.A good character.  4.An earnest desire to understand the tenets of the sampradAyA.  5.A loving mind to render service to the Acarya  6.No self-esteem or self conceit.  7.Abject obedience to the Acarya, this being a SUPREME DUTY.  8.A tendency of waiting and readiness for the correct oppurtunity to get clarification of our doubts from  Acarya.  9.A complete restraint over the external senses.  10.A mental discipline  11.A mind of surrendering to the Acarya without any jealosy  12.An implicit faith in what the SAstrAs say.  13.The ability to pass all the tests the Acarya admininsters.  14.Supreme graditude to the Acarya for the great help.  Only such a disciple is eligible to be inducted into the philosophical training." Nyasa Vimsati(3).

 In his glorious 'pallAndu' to Sriman Narayana , PeriAzhvAr (Sri Vishnu chittar) glorifies samAshrayanam and instructs us the way one should lead the life after  samAshrayanam : "Bearing (on our upper-arms) the imprint of Holy ChakrA ,caused by the special consecrated instrument with the red - hot wheel-emblem ,which is  blazing more fiercely than fire , we have been at the service of Lord Sriman Narayana , generation after generation".

 Kindly follow the instructions of our dearmost AzhvArs and Acaryas and lead a life of a true Sri VaishnavA by their divine blessings.

 Those who haven't undergone samAshrayanam , please take the earliest oppurtunity to get the blessings of the Acarya corresponding to your sampradAyam and  humbly request the Acarya to perform Pancha Samskaram. Please do help others also ,to know about Pancha Samskaram and bring great fortune to their lives too.

 Namo Narayana

http://krishnascience.info/Vaisnava%20Library/Practical%20application/Samskaras/Samashrayanam%20(samskara).htm

knr

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