virOdhi parihArangaL - 15

srI:
srImathE satagOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImadh varavaramunayE nama:
srI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:

emperumAnAr explains to vangi puratthu nambi the obstacles that are faced by srIvaishNavas in various aspects of day-to-day life. vangi puratthu nambi documents these instructions in a wonderful grantham with commentary named virOdhi parihArangaL (removal of obstacles). We are now viewing the English translation of this grantham with the help of the explanations given by srI U. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy. The whole series can be viewed at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/virodhi-pariharangal.html.

Please see the previous article at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/02/virodhi-pariharangal-14.html.

46. sEvA virOdhi (ஸேவா விரோதி) - Obstacles in worshipping emperumAn

sEvA in srIvaishNava paribhAshai (terms) means several things. Generally having dharshan of perumAL, i.e., seeing him is called sEvA. Offering dhaNdavath praNAms (obeisances) and performing anjali (namaskAram) is also called as sEvA. Reciting pAsurams, reading granthams are also identified as sEvA. To summarize, traditionally, any type of kainkaryam (service) is called sEvA. Many different aspects - mostly related to worshipping emperumAn at the temple are explained in this heading.

periya perumAL - srIrangam

AzhwArs

emperumAnAr surrounded by All AchAryas

• When going on a yAthrA to dhivya dhEsams, abhimAna sthalams, etc., one should not visit other places where there is no connection to (mainly archAvathAra) emperumAn. Even if we are forced to go to such places, one should simply ignore the special features of such places. Our mind should be focussed on bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to bhagavAn) only and nothing else. Translator's note: Nowadays, it is seen that while going to dhivya dhEsa yAthrA, people also visit nearby tourist attractions, shopping places, etc. It is best not to be involved in such acts when going on dhivya dhEsa yAthrAs. dhivya dhEsams are places where emperumAn himself descended into archAvathAram form with great desire to uplift every one. It is the ultimate manifestation of emperumAn's saulabhyam (easy accessibility) and mercy. One should realize the glories of such dhivya dhEsams and fully focus on performing mangaLAsAsanam to emperumAn using AzhwArs' pAsurams and AchAryas' sthOthrams.
• When seeing temples and towers, one should first enquire if it is emperumAn's temple/tower. If they are the temples of other dhEvathAs or avaidhika faiths, one should not offer respects. If one offers respects by mistake without enquiring the nature of the temple/tower, one should repent for such mistake and get purified. In this connection, we can recollect the following incident which is identified in nampiLLai's eedu vyAkyAnam for thiruvAimozhi 4.6.6. vaNdar and choNdar (nephews of piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar) were working as security guards for the uRaiyUr king (akaLanga nAttAzhwAn). Once when they were walking along with the king, they saw a jain temple (which structurally looked similar to vishNu temple). The king wanting to test them, tells them "Look, there is a perumAL temple! offer your obeisances now". Hearing this, they fall flat and offer full obeisances. But then they realise they have done a grave mistake - realizing that they faint at once and become unconscious. Every one becomes speechless and the king sends his personnel to bring piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar. dhAsar arrives at the place, hears what happened and applies the dust of his lotus feet on their head. Immediately both of them become conscious. Thus, we can understand that any mistake committed in relation to worshipping dhEvathAntharams, can be purified by accepting the srI pAdha dhULi (dust of the lotus feet) of srIvaishNavas.
• Seeing emperumAn's temples and towers, one should immediately feel great joy, offer full obeisances, get down from the vehicles (if we are travelling) and remove sandals/shoes (if we are wearing them). Not doing so is a great offense.
• Entering into dhivya dhEsams with sandals/shoes in the feet. At a minimum, one should atleast remove the sandals/shoes before entering the street where the temple is.
• Entering into the thirumALigais (residence) of AchAryas and srIvaishNavas without offering full obeisances at the entrance.
• Going directly to emperumAn's temple without going to the thirumALigai(s) of AchAryan and srIvaishNavas. If the AchAryan's residence is situated nearby the temple, one should always visit there, worship AchAryan and AchAryan's thiruvArAdhana emperumAn and then only go to the temple. Translator's note: AchAryan is the one who shows us emperumAn. srIvaishNavas are the one who guide us to AchAryan and explain us the great principles about emperumAn. So, emperumAn must always be approached through AchAryan and srIvaishNavas and never approached independently. nammAzhwAr highlights this in thiruvAimozhi 4.6.8 "vEdham vallArgaLaik koNdu viNNOr perumAn thiruppAdham paNindhu" (வேதம் வல்லார்களைக் கொண்டு விண்ணோர் பெருமான் திருப்பாதம் பணிந்து) - Worship the lotus feet of emperumAn who is the leader of nithya sUris, through the srIvaishNavas who are well versed in vEdham.
• Going into the temple without offering dhaNdavath praNams at the entrance. 
• Entering into the temple with upper body covered with the uththarIyam (upper waist cloth). Translator's note: We are called dhAsas - servants of emperumAn. dhAsas  should never put the waist cloth covering the chest (at least in front of the master). This principle can still be seen practiced in kEraLA temples, where men are suppose to remove the shirts before entering the temple and women enter the temple only with traditional clothing (saree). This is also in practice in some of the pANdiya nAdu dhivya dhEsams (south) such as vAnamAmalai (thOthAdhri), etc.
• Entering in-between emperumAn and the bali pItam (the place where offerings are given for parivAra dhEvathas, etc).
• Entering the temple in an apradhakshiNa (anti-clockwise) manner. sannidhis should be approached in a clockwise manner.
• Walking/Stepping on the steps directly outside the main sannidhis (inner sanctum) is not proper etiquette. We can recollect kulasEkarAzhwAr saying to thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn in perumAL thirumozhi 4.9 "padiyAyk kidanthu un pavaLavAy kANbEnE" (படியாய்க் கிடந்து உன் பவளவாய் காண்பேனே) - I will become the steps at the entrance of your sannidhi and joyfully worship your beautiful pearl-like mouth.
• Directly going to mUlavar (main) sannidhi without worshipping the various sannidhis around the temple. Usually thAyAr sannidhi, AzhwArs/AchAryas sannidhi, etc will be present in the pradhakshiNam. They should all be worshipped first before entering into main sannidhi of the temple. Translator's note: In pUrva dhinacharyA 23rd slOkam eRumbi appA highlights the sequence in which mAmunigaL performs mangaLAsAsanam at srIrangam temple every day. "dhEvi gOdhA yathipathi satadhvEshiNau rangasrungam sEnA nAthO vihaga vrushaba: srInidhis sindhukanyA bhUmA nILA gurujanavrutha: pUrushachchEthyamIshAm agrE nithyam varavara munErangriyugmam prapadhyE" (தேவி கோதா யதிபதி சடத்வேஷிணௌ ரங்கச்ருங்கம் ஸேநா நாதோ விஹக வ்ருஷப: ஸ்ரீநிதிஸ் ஸிந்துகந்யா பூமா நீளா குருஜநவ்ருத: பூருஷச்சேத்யமீஷாம் அக்ரே நித்யம் வரவர முநேரங்க்ரியுக்மம் ப்ரபத்யே) - Everyday, I worship the lotus feet of maNavALa mAmuni in the presence of ANdAL nAchiyAr,  emperumAnAr, nammAzhwAr, srIranga vimAnam, sEnai mudhaliyAr, garudAzhwAr, srIranganAthan who is the wealth of srI mahAlakshmi, paramapadhanAthan who is surrounded by srI bhU nILA dhEvis and many AzhwArs/AchAryas(in paramapadhanAthan sannidhi). In this slOkam eRumbi appA beautifully depicts the map of srI rangam temple and the various sannidhis in sequence. It is also common knowledge in our sampradhAyam that we first worship AchAryas, AzhwArs and thAyAr before approaching emperumAn.
• Stepping on the shadows of the divine vimAnam (tower) of the temple is an obstacle - one should never do that.
• Entering into the temple without getting the permission of the divine gate keepers (jaya/vijaya, etc) is not correct. Before entering the sannidhi, one should recite thiruppAvai 16th pAsuram "nAyaganAy ninRa" (நாயகனாய் நின்ற) - In this pAsuram, ANdAL nAchiyAr establishes the proper etiquette for us to seek permission of the gate keepers before entering the sannidhi of emperumAn. Translator's note: Even before starting thiruvArAdhanam for our home perumALs, we recite this pAsuram and then only open the doors of kOyilAzhwAr (thirvArAdhanam room).
• Entering into the temple without seeking the permission of viswaksEnar (sEnai mudhaliyAr) is an obstacle. Translator's note: sEnai mudhaliyAr is the chief administrator for bhagavAn in paramapadham and is one of the main nithyasUris (eternal associates of bhagavAn). He is also part of our guru paramparai as our guru paramparai goes on as follow: periya perumAL, periya pirAttiyAr, sEnai mudhaliyAr, nammAzhwAr, nAthamunigaL, etc.... upto maNavALa mAmunigaL. So, it is apt to take his permission before entering the quarters of emperumAn.
• One should always approach emperumAn through ones own AchAryan. Translator's note: AchAryan is the who reminded our divine/eternal connection with emperumAn. One must always be grateful towards him and always approach emperumAn through him. Even while performing thiruvArAdhanam to our home perumALs, we must consider ourselves as the hands (instrument in the hands) of AchAryan and perform thiruvArAdhanam on his behalf.
• Entering the sannidhi right in the middle and directly without any shyness is an obstacle. One should carefully enter the sannidhi along the sides with great devotion and humility.
• When there is room in the right hand side, going towards the left hand side and worshipping emperumAn from there is an obstacle. 
• Worshipping emperumAn in the crowd of samsAris (materially minded people) is an obstacle. As much as possible that should be avoided.
• emperumAn should be worshipped slowly from his lotus feet upto his divine head to the full satisfaction of our eyes and heart. Not doing so is an obstacle.  Translator's note:  The most ideal example of worshipping emperumAn is thiruppANAzhwAr. He compiled amalanAdhipirAn which beautifully brings out the divine parts of periya perumAL. In the end he declares that such eyes which have seen and relished periya perumAL will not see any thing else. That should be our attitude too.
• emperumAn should be worshipped with recital/remembrance of thiruppallANdu and other dhivya prabhandha pAsurams (specific to the particular dhivya dhEsam, etc) and pUrvAchArya sthOthrams (as heard from elders). 
• We should not worship like materially minded people will do such as reciting materially focussed slOkams, etc.
• emperumAn should not be worshipped with the desire to get some material benefits from. Translator's note:  poigai AzhwAr explains in mudhal thiruvanthAdhi pAsuram 26 - "ezhuvAr vidai koLvAr In thuzhAyAnai vazhuvA vagai ninaindhu vaigal thozhuvAr vinaich chudarai nandhuvikkum vEngadamE  vAnOr manach chudaraith thUNdum malai" (எழுவார் விடை கொள்வார் ஈன் துழாயானை வழுவா வகை நினைந்து வைகல் தொழுவார் வினைச் சுடரை நந்துவிக்கும் வேங்கடமே வானோர் மனச் சுடரைத் தூண்டும் மலை) - Three types of people approach thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn - the ones who are looking for material benefits, the ones who are looking for kaivalyam and finally the ones who are looking for eternal kainkaryam. For these 3 types of people, thiruvEnkatam hill itself will remove the hurdles (to achieve what is desired by them). In this, we should be like "In thuzhAyAnai vazhuvA vagai ninaindhu vaigal thozhuvAr" (ஈன் துழாயானை வழுவா வகை நினைந்து வைகல் தொழுவார்) - the ones who constantly worship emperumAn without any blemishes.
• While worshipping emperumAn, mind should be fully focussed on him. Not having so is a hurdle.
• Mind should be fixed on emperumAn while worshipping him. It should not be like a housefly which does not settle in brand-new pot which does not have any food particles left. 
• In temples, after perumAL thiruvArAdhanam and offerings of bhOgam to emperumAn, prasAdham is given to parivAra dhEvathAs at bali pItams. After that sARRumuRai (completion of pAsurams) is done. One should not leave in the middle (i.e., after thiruvArAdhanam).
• During dhUpam (incense/fragrances), dhIpam (lamp), thiruvandhikkAppu (hArathi done to ward-off dhrushti - ill-wishes), offering of bhOgam to emperumAn, etc., one should fully observe/relish such upachArams (services) to emperumAn and recite the appropriate pAsurams. Not doing so and being focussed on something else is an obstacle. Translator's note: In jIyar padi thiruvArAdhana kramam, mAmunigaL beautifully highlights how thiruvAradhanam should be performed at homes. While thiruvArAdhanam is performed, srIvaishNavas usually recite many pAsurams at various times. During thirumanjanam (divine bathing), we should recite pancha sUktham, veNNey aLaintha kuNungum padhigam (decad) in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi, etc. While decorating emperumAn, for offering sandalwood paste, we should recite gandhathvAram (srI sUktham) slOkam, pUsum chAnthu (thiruvAimozhi) pAsuram. For offering ornaments and garlands, spurathkirItAnga hArakantikA (sthOthra rathnam) slOkam, chUttu nan mAlaigaL (thiruviruththam). For offering dhUpam, parivathil Isanaip pAdi (thiruvAimozhi) is recited. For offering dhIpam (lamp), vaiyam thagaLiyA (mudhal thiruvanthAdhi), anbE thagaLiyA (iraNdAm thiruvanthAdhi), thirukkaNdEn (mUnRAm thiruvanthAdhi) are recited. During hArathi, indhiranOdu biraman (periyAzhwAr thirumozhi padhigam where periyAzhwAr shows his great care for thiruveLLaRai perumAL) padhigam (decad) is recited. At temples, while the particular upachAram is performed to emperumAn, we should be fully focussed on that and be reciting the relevant pAsurams for that upachAram.
• One should not be focussed on materialistic dance and songs and ignore emperumAn's archA vigrahams.
• Seeing an oil lamp (in sannidhi of emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas) dying down and not immediately fixing it and making it glow brightly is an obstacle. Please see the vyAkyAnam for srIvachana bhUshaNam 382 sUthram which discusses about lalithA charithram. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNam, piLLai lOkAchAryar identifies a purANa charithram (incident highlighted in purANas), a rat accidentally poking a wick in a lamp leading to the lamp glowing brightly takes birth as a beafuitful girl named lalithA and marries the king of kAsi. Due to her previous life's deed, she becomes very attached to lighting lamps to emperumAn subsequently. We, prapannas, do not do any kainkaryam looking for any thing in return like good birth, etc., yet we perform kainkaryam as a natural act of loving devotion towards emperumAn.
• Seeing dust on the floor (in sannidhi of emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas) and not cleaning it immediately. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 10.2.7 "kadaiththalai chIykkappeRRAl kaduvinai kaLaiyalAmE" (கடைத்தலை சீய்க்கப்பெற்றால் கடுவினை களையலாமே) - ones sins can be removed by simply sweeping the floor of emperumAn's temple. Translator's note: thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn is well known for giving up everything and staying in thirukkaNNamangai bhakthavathsalan emperumAn sannidhi ever after. He was greatly attached to sweeping kainkaryam at the temple and was performing that kainkaryam regularly. In nAchiyAr thirumozhi first pAsuram itself, periyavAchAn piLLai highlights that thirukkaNNamangai ANdAN was performing the cleaning kainkaryam as the ultimate goal (not as a means to achieve something). In thiruvAimozhi 9.2.1 vyAkyAnam, nampiLLai beautifully establishes an important aspect. Here in the pAsuram, nammAzhwAr says to emperumAn "We have been doing many different kainkaryams such as cleaning the temple, etc., for many generations". Here a question arises. prapannas fully accept emperumAn as the only upAyam. They have no involvement in any personal effort - so why do kainkaryams at all? This is explained beautifully by nampiLLai through the following incident involving thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn. One class-mate (who became nAsthika) asks ANdAn why he is troubling himself by sweeping the floors if he has no involvement in self-effort. ANdAn shows him a place where there is dust and a place where there is no dust - he says the result of sweeping is just that - the place becomes clean - nothing more. He asks "Cant you spot the difference between clean place and dirty place?". Thus, we can understand that performing kainkaryam is a natural act of the dhAsa bhUthan (a servant) and that kainkaryam (service) does not become upAyam. In srIvachana bhUshaNam, piLLai lOkAchAryar beautifully explains in sUthram 88, "If a materially driven person will do so many things to fulfill his (or his dear ones) material desires, how much desire a prapanna should have to serve emperumAn who is supremely blissful and apt to be served for the true nature of the jIvAthmA?".
• While seeing clothes, ornaments, garlands, etc worn by emperumAn, one should relish such things one emperumAn and not think that "It will be nice if I wear them".
• Mouth-watering after seeing bhOgam presented in front of emperumAn before emperumAn accepts them and presents them to us as prasAdham. Translator's note: Everything naturally belongs to emperumAn and he is the one who is entitled to enjoy everything. By his grace, he consumes them and blesses us with the remnants. We should be grateful for emperumAn for giving us his remnants. Because, in gIthA sAsthram it is said that, consuming anything without offering to emperumAn is just like consuming handful of sin. So, it is a great sin to look at the food which is prepared and kept to be offered for emperumAn with the intention to consuming the same before emperumAn accepts them.
• The following should not be done inside the temples
• stretching the legs - legs should be kept folded always.
• vasthram (dhOti, etc) should not be folded up - it should always be properly worn
• yawning
• stretching hands/legs in laziness
• letting hair fall down by shaking the head, etc
• cutting/breaking nails
• sneezing, flushing out mucus from the nose
• spitting
• chewing on betel leaves and nuts, tobacco, etc
• covering the upper body with clothes
• sleeping, dozing off
• gossipping
• laughing loudly with clapping hands
• screaming out loudly to cal some one
• scolding others
• being angry on others
• being proud without humility
• Enquiring/discussing with materially minded people and ignoring srIvaishNavas inside the temple is an obstacle
• Simply serving bhagavAn without serving bhAgavathas
• Avoiding kainkaryam to ones own AchAryan. Translator's note: mAmunigaL identifies in upadhEsa rathina mAlai a very important principle in pAsuram 64th pAsuram. He says "One can serve his own AchAryan only when the AchAryan is in this material world. Even after realizing this, if one does not serve his/her AchAryan what can we say?".
• One should follow the AchAryan like his shadow and serve him always. embAr is glorified as "rAmAnuja padhach chAyA" - the shadow of the lotus feet of srI rAmAnuja. We can also recollect periyAzhwAr thirumozhi ending (last pAsuram last line) "chAyai pOlap pAda vallAr thAmum aNukkargaLE" (சாயை போலப் பாட வல்லார் தாமும் அணுக்கர்களே). Translator's note: In this pAsura vyAkyAnam, there is a nice incident explained by periyavAchAn piLLai. Some srIvaishNavas approach embAr and ask him to explain the meaning for this sentence. Literal translation of this line will be "One who can sing like the shadow are dear servants of emperumAn" - but it does not look very appealing/clear. embAr says "I have not heard the meaning for this from emperumAnAr and now he has gone to meet thirukkOshtiyUr nambi. But since you have asked I have to explain this to you" and takes the sandals of emperumAnAr and keeps them on his head and meditates for a while. After a while he opens his eyes and says "Now emperumAnAr has explained me the meaning for this. You may hear. It should be taken as pAda vallAr - chAyai pOla - thAmum aNukkargaLE, i.e., one who are able to sing these pAsurams, will become like the shadow and be very dear to him".

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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virOdhi parihArangaL - 14

srI:
srImathE satagOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImadh varavaramunayE nama:
srI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:

emperumAnAr explains to vangi puratthu nambi the obstacles that are faced by srIvaishNavas in various aspects of day-to-day life. vangi puratthu nambi documents these instructions in a wonderful grantham with commentary named virOdhi parihArangaL (removal of obstacles). We are now viewing the English translation of this grantham with the help of the explanations given by srI U. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy. The whole series can be viewed at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/virodhi-pariharangal.html.

Please see the previous article at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/02/virodhi-pariharangal-13.html.

emperumAnAr with his kAlakshEpa (lecture) gOshti

45. sravaNa virOdhi (ச்ரவண விரோதி) - Obstacles in hearing (the glories of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas)

sravaNam means listening/hearing. In this section, what to be heard and what not to be heard are explained. Translator's note: In srI bhAgavatham, prahlAdhAzhwAn explains that there are 9 processes of bhakthi - sravaNam kIrthanam vishNO: smaraNam pAdha sEvanam archanam vandhanam dhAsyam sakhyam Athma nivEdhanam (ச்ரவணம் கீர்த்தனம் விஷ்ணோ: ஸ்மரணம் பாத ஸேவநம் அர்ச்சநம் வந்தநம் தாஸ்யம் ஸக்யம் ஆத்ம நிவேதநம்) - Hearing, singing, remembering srIman nArAyaNan, serving his lotus feet, worshipping him, glorifying him, serving him, befriending him and offering oneself to him are the nine ways to engage in devotion towards emperumAn. Of these, sravaNam is highlighted first as it is the most important aspect. Let us see about that now.

• Gossiping where bhagavath vishayam is discussed, should be condemned. Not doing so is an obstacle. Though, if one is fully situated in bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to emperumAn), whatever they speak will naturally become bhagavath vishayam. In gyAna sAram pAsuram 40, it is said that "anbar chollumavidu churuthiyAm" (அன்பர் சொல்லுமவிடு சுருதியாம்) - Even casual talks of bhagavAn's dear devotees who are fully realized, will become pramANam (authentic). Translator's note: In varavaramuni uththara dhinacharyai, eRumbi appA prays to mAmunigaL that "Dear swamy! please bless me that all my thoughts are focussed on you, all my words are in glorification of you, all my acts of my body are in service/glorification for you, anything I have not mentioned here -  let all of that be done for your joy" - this is the state of true srIvaishNavas - they always look out for the pleasure of emperumAn and Acharyan - so whatever they do naturally becomes pleasing to emperumAn and AchAryan.
• Not having full concentration on the subject matter while hearing is an obstacle. Mind should be fully focussed on the particular subject matter. It should not be heard casually and to say that "I also listened to bhagavath vishayam" without understanding the full importance.
• While listening to bhagavath vishayam, focussing on something else is a great hurdle.
• When hearing about a particular topic which one is not familiar with, one should carefully listen to the same and try to understand it properly. One should not simply nod the head and say "Yes, that is correct", etc and pretend that it is already known.
• When a learned scholar is explaining some principles nicely, one should not boast ones own knowledge and interrupt to show off the same. It is also not proper to find faults in what is being explained properly.
• Being jealous on hearing some one explaining bhagavath visahayam nicely is an obstacle. One should not show ones jealousy on seeing others shine in bhagavath vishayam. Translator's note:  In Arthi prabhandham, mAmunigaL speaks about himself in pAsuram 55 "piRar minukkam poRAmai illAp perumaiyum peRROmE" (பிறர் மினுக்கம் பொறாமை இல்லாப் பெருமையும் பெற்றோமே)  -  I have no jealousy absolutely when seeing others shine. This is a great quality and indeed very difficult to achieve - but this is what is desired from srIvaishNavas - one must feel naturally happy about other srIvaishNavas being glorified.
• Not appreciating when hearing good words of bhagavath vishayam is an obstacle. It is good to be courteous and appreciate others whole heartedly when some good words are said and good deeds are done.
• Being jealous of sabrahmachAris (class-mates) who are more intelligent than oneself and manifesting such jealousy are great hurdles. Translator's note: A srIvaishNava should naturally feel joy when seeing other srIvaishNavas shine and feel sorrow when other srIvaishNavas suffer. This is the true quality of a realized person. It is said that when good things happen to other srIvaishNavas we should be joyful as if some good things happened to our own children (naturally every one will be delighted to see their children shine and be happy).
• Ones heart should melt on hearing bhagavAn's divine attributes such as saulabhyam (easy accessibility), sausIlyam (mixing freely with all), etc. Not doing so is an obstacle. We can recollect nammAzhwAr losing conscious for 6 months after remembering the supreme lord in the form of kaNNan emperumAn being in a helpless state after being bound to the mortar.
• bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to emperumAn) should be heart with great devotion. Hearing them casually devoid of any devotion is an obstacle.
• Not having bodily changes out of divine emotions is an obstacle. "AhlAdhasItha nEthrAmbu: pulakIkrutha gAthravAn" (ஆஹ்லாதசீத நேத்ராம்பு: புலகீக்ருத காத்ரவாந்) - With tears of joy and bodily changes out of emotions (goose bumps, hair standing erect, etc) when hearing the names of emperumAn. Translator's note: These aspects are explained by bhagavAn himself in garuda purANam while explaining the eight qualities of his bhaktha - one such quality is having divine emotions while hearing about him. He says "My bhakthas essentially have the following eight qualities - 1) unconditional love for bhakthas of emperumAn, 2) enjoying (others) worship of emperumAn, 3) worshipping emperumAn him/herself, 4) being without any pride, 5) having attachment in listening about emperumAn, 6) having bodily changes (like goose bumps, etc) when hearing/thinking/speaking about emperumAn, 7) always thinking about emperumAn, 8) not asking material benefits in return for worshipping emperumAn. Such bhakthas even if they are mlEchchas, they are worshippable at par with my own self by leaders of brAhmaNas, the meditators, the ones involved in kainkaryam and even sannyAsis and scholars. They are also eligible to give and accept knowledge from such scholars". 
• After hearing the principles of our sath sampradhAyam, one should follow it fully. Not doing so is an obstacle. In nAchiyAr thirumozhi, ANdAL nAchiyAr says in 11.10 "meymmaip peruvArththai vittuchiththar kEttiruppar" (மெய்ம்மைப் பெருவார்த்தை விட்டுசித்தர் கேட்டிருப்பர்) - periyAzhwAr (my father) heard the charama slOkam and lived exactly according to that. This is Asthika lakshaNam (the real meaning of being a believer of sAsthram). Not following the principles is truly damaging to the true nature of the self.
• Not hearing from a sadhAchAryan (true AchAryan) is an obstacle. sadhAchAryan means the one who heard from elders (authentic AchAryas) properly, contemplate on the meanings and explain the same to others. One who learns the etiquette of our pUrvAchAryas. Only such great personalities are called sadhAchAryan. This is what mAmunigaL explains in upadhEsa rathina mAlai pAsuram 61 as "gyAnam anushtAnam ivai nanRAgavE udaiyanAna guru" (ஞானம் அனுஷ்டானம் இவை நன்றாகவே உடையனான குரு) - the AchAryan who is properly situated in knowledge as well as following the principles effectively.
• After learning valuable knowledge from sadhAchAryan, teaching the same to unqualified persons is an obstacle. The real qualification is the desire to learn and having faith in such true knowledge.
• Hearing bhagavath vishayam from avaishNavas is an obstacle. avaishNavas mean one who have dhEvathAnthara sambandham - relationship with other dhEvathAs like rudhran, dhurgA, brahmA, indhran, skandhan, etc. Translator's note: thirumangai AzhwAr explains in periya thirumozhi that we should not have any relationship with persons who are associated with dhEvathAntharams. periya thirumozhi - 8.10.3 - maRRumOr dheyvam uLadhenRu iruppArOdu uRRilEn (மற்றுமோர் தெய்வம் உளதென்று இருப்பாரோடு உற்றிலேன்) - I will not associate with the ones who accept other dhEvathAs. Such persons, even if they present bhagavath vishayam, there may be a tinge of their personal interests related to their favourite dhEvathAs - thus it is better to avoid hearing from them. Whether it is bhAhyas (persons outside vaidhIka system) or kudhrushtis (persons who accept vaidhIka system but misinterpret the meanings) - whatever they explain will always be contrary to sath sampradhAyam principles - so one have to be careful with such persons and not hear from them.
• One should not hear anything outside the sath sampradhAyam matters. One should hear from scholars who are properly trained in sath sampradhAyam only. Translator's note: Similar to previous point - when we hear from scholars who are not trained in the proper principles, there may be room for confusion and mis-representation of the real principles. Thus it is better to avoid such persons. In thirumAlai 7th pAsuram thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr says "kalaiyaRak kaRRa mAnthar kANbarO kEtparO thAm" (கலையறக் கற்ற மாந்தர் காண்பரோ கேட்பரோ தாம்) - will the well learned persons listen to other avaidhIka (non-vEdhic) matters. In the vyAkyAnam periyavAchAn piLLai highlights an incident where kUrathAzhwAn in his young age hears some budhist text and returns home late. kUrathAzhwAr (AzhwAn's father) becomes upset with such behaviour, gives him srIpAdha thIrtham to purify AzhwAn and then only accepts him inside the home.
• When hearing about the glories of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas one should feel blissful. Similary when some one insults bhagavAn and bhAgavathas (like sisupAlan did) one should at once close the ears and leave the place. Not doing so is an obstacle.
• charamArththam (Ultimate principles) such as thirumanthram, dhvayam and charama slOkam should be well understood and implemented in daily life.  charamArththam can also mean charama slOkam. Translator's note: charamArththam can also mean ultimately accepting AchAryan as the means and goal. aruLALa perumAL emperumAnAr explains the same principle in gyAna sAram and pramEya sAram prabhandhams. In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar concluded that AchArya's mercy is the ultimate means to uplift us. viLAnchOlai piLLai explained the same principle in his saptha kAthai in 7 pAsurams. mAmunigaL explained the same principle in an elegant manner in the end of upadhEsa rathina mAlai.
• While discussing bhagavath vishayam one should not bring in matters relating to other dhEvathas such as rudhran, brahmA, indhran, etc.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

archived in http://ponnadi.blogspot.com

pramEyam (goal) - http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) - http://srivaishnavagranthams.wordpress.com
pramAthA (preceptors) - http://guruparamparai.wordpress.com

virOdhi parihArangaL - 13

srI:
srImathE satagOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImadh varavaramunayE nama:
srI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:

emperumAnAr explains to vangi puratthu nambi the obstacles that are faced by srIvaishNavas in various aspects of day-to-day life. vangi puratthu nambi documents these instructions in a wonderful grantham with commentary named virOdhi parihArangaL (removal of obstacles). We are now viewing the English translation of this grantham with the help of the explanations given by srI U. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy. The whole series can be viewed at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/virodhi-pariharangal.html.

Please see the previous article at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/02/virodhi-pariharangal-12.html.

 dhivya dhEsa archAvathAra emperumAns - target of dhivya prabhandham

 nammAzhwAr, emperumAnAr, mAmunigaL - The main propagators of dhivya prabhandham

44. sankIrthana virOdhi (ஸங்கீர்த்தன விரோதி) - Obstacles in singing and speaking (the glories of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas)

sankIrthanam means singing or speaking or reciting. It generally refers to vAchika (words) kainkaryam (Translator's note: kainkaryam can be done through mind, words/speech and body).

• Speaking bhagavAn's supremacy while discussing his simplicity is an obstacle. guNa kIrthanam - remebering emperumAn's glorious attributes and speaking about the same. emperumAn has 2 unique qualities (which no one else has) - full in auspicious qualities and devoid of inauspicious qualities. Of the auspicious qualities, there are 2 categories - those qualities that focus on bhagavAn's parathvam (supremacy) and those qualities that focus on bhagavAn's saulabhyam (simplicity). We can recollect nammAzhwAr's thiruvAimozhi pAsuram 1.3.4 "yArumOr nilaimaiyanena aRivariya emperumAn yArumOr nilaimaiyanena aRiveLiya emperumAn" (யாருமோர் நிலைமையனென அறிவரிய எம்பெருமான் யாருமோர் நிலைமையனென அறிவெளிய எம்பெருமான்) - emperumAn remains such that he (his parathvam (supremacy)) cannot be comprehended easily and he (his saulabhyam (simplicity)) can be easily comprehended. There is no upper limit for his supremacy and there is no lower limit for his simplicity (i.e., he makes  himself available very easily for his devotees). His simplicity can be seen in two of his attributes: saulabhyam (easy accessibility/approachability) and sausIlyam (mixing freely with others disregarding his supremacy). Though he descends into various incarnations with all his auspicious and supreme qualities, he shines radiantly due to his simplicity. It is this simplicity which melts the hearts of his devotees. nammAzhwAr says "eLivarumiyalvinan" (எளிவருமியல்வினன் - naturally simple) in thiruvAimozhi 1.3.2. In thiruvAimozhi 1.3.1, AzhwAr remembers krishNan being bound by yasOdhA for stealing butter saying "eththiRam! uralinOdu iNainthirunthu Engiya eLivE!" (How is it possible? what simplicity in being bound to the mortar and manifesting helpless nature (even after being the supreme)?) and faints for a long period as explained in history. In thiruppAvai, ANdAL nAchiyAr explains that gOvindhan (cow herd - one who tends the cows) is the biggest and dearest name for krishNan (which explains his simplicity). The name "nArAyaNan" (which speaks about his supremacy) is said to be a small name. The gOpis say "chiRupErazhaiththanavum chIRi aruLAthE em iRaivA" (சிறுபேரழைத்தனவும் சீறி அருளாதே எம் இறைவா) - Dear Lord! If we call you by your small name, please do not become angry on us. guNavAn (One of the qualities explained for srI rAma in srI rAmAyaNam by vAlmIkI) explains srI rAma as the one with abundance of saulabhyam (easy accessibility) and sausIlyam (mixing freely with everyone). Thus, while speaking about the qualities that are focussed on simplicity, one should not discuss his supremacy - that is never desirable.
• bhagavAn should be glorified as svayam prayOjanam (glorifying emperumAn in itself is the goal - it is not done expecting something from bhagavAn in return). Glorifying bhagavAn to receive some wealth, benefit or fame is an obstacle. bhagavAn's auspicious qualities are to be sung/spoken in a blissful manner for both the speaker and listener.
• Glorifying incomplete/defective personalities is an obstacle. This is to be understood as instructing us to avoid dhEvathAntharams. Translator's note: emperumAn is explained as the abode of all auspicious qualities and directly opposite to inauspicious qualities. srIvaishNavas who are fully devoted to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas are also fully eligible for our glorification. But other dhEvathas such as rudhran, brahmA, indhran, skandhan, dhurgA, etc., are all bound souls in this samsAram. While they are empowered by bhagavAn to perform certain aspects in this samsAram, they are still limited in so many ways and are in the modes of rajas (passion) and thamas (ignorance) many times. So, they dont truly deserve to be glorified by srIvaishNavas.
• Disregarding glorification of bhagavAn citing that the language is not samskritham. bhagavAn can be glorified in any language.  Translator's note: samskritham is hailed as dhEva bhAshA (divine language). vEdham is in samskritham language and is full of glorification for emperumAn. But in many other languages there are many literature that glorify emperumAn. azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr (the divine brother of piLLai lOkAchAryar) compiled a wonderful prabhandham (prose) named AchArya hrudhayam which is a collection of sUthrams in thamizh. In this prabhandam, he establishes that, irrespective of their birth, AzhwArs' glories are unlimited because they were directly blessed by emperumAn and thus were fully surrendered to him; irrespective of the language in which they are written (thamizh), 4000 dhivya prabhandhams are glorious since they are the essence of four vEdhams and fully glorify emperumAn alone. Thus he establishes the glories of AzhwArs and their dhivya prabhandhams and prove that they are to be pursued fully by srIvaishNavas.
• Glorifying other materially minded persons (who may be wealthy, politically powerful, etc) and dhEvathAntharams with the tongue/mouth that is given specifically to glorify emperumAn in an obstacle.  nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 3.9.1 "ennAvil inkavi yAn oruvarkkum kodukkilEn, ennappan emperumAn uLanAgavE" (என்னாவில் இன்கவி யான் ஒருவர்க்கும் கொடுக்கிலேன், என்னப்பன் எம்பெருமான் உளனாகவே) - my tongue will not glorify any one other than emperumAn who sustains himself by hearing my sweet glorification.
• Considering what is sarvAdhikAram (eligible for everyone) for reciting as adhikrudhAdhikAram (eligible for qualified persons). For example, vEdhams can be learnt and recited only by thraivarNikas (first 3 varNas - brahmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya). But reciting dhivya prabhandhams and performing mangaLAsAsanam can be done by everyone. Translator's note:  The same principle is explained by
  azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr in AchArya hrudhayam chUrNikai 73 - mruth gatam pOlanRE poRkudam (ம்ருத்கடம் போலன்றே பொற்குடம்) - A clay pot is not like a golden pot. Gold is naturally pure. It can be touched by anyone at any time. Clay pots have many regulations, only certain persons can touch them and only certain times - if touched by unauthorized persons or during unauthorized times, it becomes unusable for any auspicious activities. Golden pots have no such regulations. Similarly, AzhwArs' pAsurams are pure and can be pursued by any one
• After becoming a srIvaishNava (with proper understanding of sath sampradhAyam principles), reciting pAsurams that are not written by AzhwArs and AchAryas is an obstacle. Translator's note: AzhwArs were divinely blessed with blemishless knowledge by emperumAn. Our purvAchAryas were divinely blessed by AzhwArs. Whatever written by them are totally pure without any self-motivation. So, we strictly recite and follow what is written by our AzhwArs and AchAryas. In case of other persons (even devotees of emperumAn but not following our sudhdha sampradhAya AchArya paramparai), depending on their own nishtai and understanding, there may be mix of upAyAntharam (considering karma, gyAna, bhakthi, etc., as upAyam), prayOjanAntharam (looking for benefits other selfless kainkaryam to srIman nArAyaNan) and dhEvathAntharam (independent glorification of other dhEvathas). Thus, it is better to avoid such literature as we ourselves may not fully be able to distinguish between pure and mixed literature.
• Such literature of AzhwArs and AchAryas should be learnt under a proper AchAryan. Learning it on our own by studying them independently or learning it through un-authorized persons is an obstacle.
• bhagavAn's nAma sankIrthanam must be done joyfully not just as a purificatory process. Doing so is an obstacle. Reciting bhagavAn's name leads to pure bliss. madhurakavi AzhwAr says in kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu 1 "kurugUr nambi enRakkAl aNNikkum amudhURum ennAvukkE" (குருகூர் நம்பி என்றக்கால் அண்ணிக்கும் அமுதூறும் என்னாவுக்கே) - when I recite nammAzhwAr's name, I can taste pure nectar in my tongue. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 7.9.11 "enganE sollilum inbam payakkumE" (எங்ஙனே சொல்லிலும் இன்பம் பயக்குமே) - however I say emperumAn's glories, it leads to bliss. Translator's note: thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr brings out the full glories of nAma sankIrthanam in his thirumAlai. periyavAchAn piLLai brings out the wonderful meanings of this prabhandham in his detailed vyAkyAnam (commentary). In the first pAsuram, nAma sankIrthanam's pAvanathvam (its own purity and ability to purify the reciter) is highlighted. In the second pAsuram, the bhOgyathvam (sweet and most enjoyable nature) of nAma sankIrthanam is highlighted. Both aspects are important. periyavAchAn piLLai beautifully explains the reason for presenting pAvanathvam (purity) before bhOgyathvam (bliss) - that is, once we are purified by nAma sankIrthanam we can feel the full bliss properly.
• Independently reciting bhagavAn's names without reciting bhAgavathas names is an obstacle. Both bhagavan nAma sankIrthanam and bhAgavatha nAma sankIrthanam are equally glorious (infact bhAgavatha nAma sankIrthanam - glorifying bhAgavathas is even greater). So, both should be done. We can recollect the verse from previous point - madhurakavi AzhwAr says in kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu 1 "kurugUr nambi enRakkAl aNNikkum amudhURum ennAvukkE" (குருகூர் நம்பி என்றக்கால் அண்ணிக்கும் அமுதூறும் என்னாவுக்கே) - when I recite nammAzhwAr's name, I can taste pure nectar in my tongue.
• Independently starting to recite/speak in front of the AchAryan without receiving his approval and not reciting when he orders to do so are obstacles. Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in the end of his "arththa panchakam" that a srIvaishNava (who has understood the five essential principles) should manifest certain qualities in front of certain personalities. In that, he says, in front of bhagavAn one should manifest humility/meekness, in front of AchAryan one should manifest ignorance (i.e., wanting to learn everything from him instead of showing off ones own intelligence) and in front of materially minded persons one should manifest that the distinct nature (that one is a srIvaishNava) from them. Also, AchAryas will feel great pleasure, when they see their sishyas speak about bhagavath/bhAgavatha vishayam - so when the AchArya instructs one to speak one should not refuse at that time - one should humbly speak the glories of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas at that time.
• When in gOshti (collective/congregational recital), independently starting to recite is an obstacle. Usually, there will be a leader for the gOshti who first starts with "sAthiththaruLa" (ஸாதித்தருள) meaning - kindly begin the recital. Only after that, we should start reciting. This is the proper etiquette.
• Not reciting subsequent part after the leader starts recital is an obstacle. Translator's note: Out of ego, one may always want to show that he is the leader and he only begins the recital. Such persons, may keep their mouth shut in gOshti when some one else leads. This is not at all good etiquette (behaviour).
• Hesitating to recite the second part of pAsurams. Translator's note: In gOshti, usually, learned/senior adhyApakas recite the first part of the pAsuram and others (juniors, etc) recite the second part of the pAsuram. This method allows seamless recitation and facilitates proper rest between recitals so that recitals can be done for long durations. This is the standard practice in dhivya prabhandha sEvAkAlam (recital). Given a situation, any one should be ready to recite the second part without any hesitation.
• Reciting in such a fast manner that some letters/words are missed is an obstacle. Translator's note: dhivya prabhandham must be recited in a reasonable pace, so that every one can follow, recite and understand what is being recited. It should not be done so fast that words are missed, etc., to fit ones own convenience and urgency.
• When a srIvaishNava in the gOshti recites something wrongly, he should not be laughed at and made fun of. Nor that person should be corrected publicly. Privately he may be informed humbly about the misses.
• First and last pAsurams of each prabhandham and each padhigam (decads) are recited twice. Not doing so is an obstacle. There are some exceptions (Translator's note: such as recitals during charama kainkaryams - final rites, etc - all pAsurams are recited only once) - please enquire from elders for further details.
• Not performing anjali (namaskAram - salutations with joined hands) when hearing sadagOpan is an obstacle. During the last pAsuram of the prabhandham/padhigam, nammAzhwAr's name is usually recited (as part of the pAsuram). At that time, it is customary that we turn towards south direction (AzhwAr thirunagari is located in deep south of bhAratha dhEsam) and perform an anjali. Translator's note: This is applicable for other AzhwArs too. azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr highlights this principle in kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu vyAkyAnam as well as AchArya hrudhayam - that it is mandatory for srIvaishNavas to perform anjali towards south direction immediately on hearing nammAzhwAr's name showing our gratitude towards his great favours for us. It is a pity that, even learned persons do not perform anjali on hearing nammAzhwAr's name during sEvAkAlam. While this is said for nammAzhwAr here, the same principle can be applicable for all AzhwArs.
• Not performing sARRumuRai (proper completion) for dhivya prabhandham recitals is an obstacle. Whenever dhivya prabhandham is recited, there is a proper process to follow. We start with common thanians, then recite the particular prabhandhams in sequence and finally perform sARRumuRai properly according to the practice in particular temple, mutt, thirumALigai (residence), etc. Just dhivya prabhandham recital without the proper routine is not proper.
• When teaching dhivya prabhandham to others, one should not expect any material/monetary benefits in return. Translator's note: dhivya prabhandham is fully focussed on kainkaryam and mangaLAsAsanam for emperumAn. So, the purpose of teaching dhivya prabhandham is to induce others in performing mangaLAsAsanam to emperumAn. That is the only goal - there is no place for any other expectation in that.
• One should not recite dhivya prabhandham in return for money. Selling AzhwArs' dhivya prabhandhams for a price or reciting dhivya prabhandhams as a paid-job is a great sin. It is OK to accept if there was voluntary sambhAvanai (offerings) from some one for reciting dhivya prabhandham - but there should not be any demand from the reciter.
• One should not participate in dhivya prabhandham recitals at the homes of persons who are engaged in dhEvathAnthara worship. This will affect the svarUpam of such reciter. This is like performing nithya karmAnushtAnam at a ghat where materially minded persons take bath - it only pollutes others who are pure. It is said that, in front of a dhEvathAntharam temple, even when hearing nammAzhwAr's name, we do not need to perform anjali (since it could be mistaken for performing anjali to the dhEvathAntharam).
• Reciting vishNu saharanAmam, Ezhai Ethalan (thirumozhi 5.8), Azhiyezha (thiruvAimozhi 7.4) pAsurams to cure oneself from diseases is an obstacle. It is generally explained that reciting sahasranAmam and the pAsurams mentioned here relieve oneself from diseases. But since we should not be looking out for the body in any manner, it is improper to recite this to cure ourselves. It may be OK to recite to cure others.
• Reciting glories of bhagavAn without reciting glories of AchAryan is an obstacle. Usually thanians are recited before reciting the prabhandhams. We can recollect mudhaliyANdAn's declaration "Reciting dhvayam without guruparamparA manthram is similar to worshipping dhEvathAntharams". Translator's note: We can observe in many pUrvAchArya sthOthra granthams such ALavandhAr's sthOthra rathnam, AzhwAn's sthavams, bhattar's srI rangarAja sthavam, etc., first several slOkams glorify guru paramparai, AzhwArs and AchAryas and subsequently the actual sthOthram will begin. piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights the same principle in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram sUthram 274 "japthavyam guru paramparaiyum dhvayamum" (ஜப்தவ்யம் குரு பரம்பரையும் த்வயமும்) - one should constantly recite guru paramparA manthram (asmath gurubhyO nama:....srIdharyAya nama:) and dhvaya mahA manthram - mAmunigaL in his commentary explains that guru paramparai means starting from ones own AchAryan upto srIman nArAyaNan (who is the first AchAryan for every one) and dhvayam is the prasAdham of such guruparamparai received from ones own AchAryan.

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

archived in http://ponnadi.blogspot.com

pramEyam (goal) - http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) - http://srivaishnavagranthams.wordpress.com
pramAthA (preceptors) - http://guruparamparai.wordpress.com