virOdhi parihArangaL - 23

srI:

srImathE satakOpAya 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/2014/05/virodhi-pariharangal-22.html.

55. bhOjya virOdhi (போஜ்ய விரோதி) - Obstacles in food/eating

 emperumAnAr desired to eat the remnants of thirukkachi nambi who is a confidential servant of dhEva perumAL

bhOjyam means that which is consumed. In this section, the places where we can consume food and cannot consume food are discussed in detail. Translator's note: When it comes to accepting food or eating, there are so many restrictions. Previously, many vaidhikas (followers of vEdham) used to follow "parAnna niyamam" - i.e., not accepting from any one else (only self cooking) and ofcourse accepting prasAdham from sannidhis (temples, mutts). Nowadays, there is tangential change - most people do not know cooking and depend on outside food (that too not prasAdham) only. Generally, sAthvika food items can be offered to emperumAn and consumed by srIvaishNavas. The food we eat must be well analysed before consuming - it must be cooked by srIvaishNavas, bhagavath prasAdham and fit to be consumed for the individual at that particular time. For example, wonderful meal may be cooked by srIvaishNava and offered to emperumAn too - but on an EkAdhasi such elaborate food items cannot be consumed. When it comes to food items, 3 types of limitations arise in consuming them - jAthi dhushtam (food items that are unfit to be considered by nature - onion, garlic, etc), Asraya dhushtam (sAthvika food items that have come in contact with avaishNavas) and nimiththa dhushtam (food items that are spoilt, etc). In any of these cases, such food items cannot be considered by us. Also, in bhagavath gIthA 17.8 to 17.10, kaNNan emperumAn explains in detail, what types of food to be avoided such as the food that is kept for more than a few hours, the food that has lost its natural flavour, the food which has become stale, etc. It is best to learn from elders on the various matters related to food and consume only what is appropriate for each individual. Please view detailed discussion on AhAra niyamam at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/07/srivaishnava-aahaara-niyamam_28.html and a Q & A (Question and Answer) related to that at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/08/srivaishnava-ahara-niyamam-q-a.html.

• Eating food at the homes of samsAris (materially focussed persons) is an obstacle. We have already discussed who are samsAris - those who are devoid of Athma gyAnam (knowledge about the soul) and bhagavath gyAnam (knowledge about god).
• Eating food at relatives home purely based on bodily relationship is an obstacle. Even amongst srIvaishNavas, one should have atleast some srIvaishNava lakshaNam, conduct (activity, AchAram-following basic rules/regulations) should be there.
• Eating bhagavath prasAdham which was specially prepared by people who are looking for cheap favours/benefits from emperumAn is an obstacle. Some people make a vow to offer special food when their material desires (such as passing exams, getting married, etc) are fulfilled. Once their desires are fulfilled, they may request special bhOgam to be prepared and offered to emperumAn. Even being bhagavath prasAdham, since the intent was for fulfilling their cheap desires, such prasAdham should be avoided.
• Eating bhagavath prasAdham without fully understanding the glories of the dhivya dhEsam where it is coming and the particular prasAdham itself from is an obstacle. dhivya dhEsams are greatly glorified due to AzhwArs' singing them. Such glories should be understood well.
• Eating food at persons who are only devoted to bhagavAn is an obstacle. Such people would not know the glories of AchAryas, bhAgavathas, etc., and thus food should not be consumed at their homes.
• Eating food that are self-cooked at srIvaishNava homes - this point is not clear. It may be understood that when food is cooked simply to satisfy oneself without offering it first to emperumAn is spoken about here. bhagavAn himself says in bhagavath gIthA 3.13 "thEthvakam bhunjathE pApA yE pachanthy Athma kAraNAth" - such persons who prepare food for self-satisfaction simply eats handful of sins.
• Eating food at homes where the host is so focussed on how much was spent for the day's thadhIyArAdhanam is an obstacle. 
• Eating food that was given to increase ones own fame, glories, etc., is an obstacle. Translator's note: Some people give out food just to show that they are great in charity, etc. Better to avoid such places.
• Eating food at wedding functions/festivals is an obstacle. Translator's note: Unless it is done as proper thadhIyArAdhanam at a mutt/thirumALigai with proper thiruvArAdhanam, etc., eating at wedding functions is to be strictly avoided. Especially, nowadays, there is so much dilution in the principles of preparing food, avaishNava persons that are invariably involved in preparing food, etc., indicate that it is best to avoid eating in such places.
• Eating food at death ceremonies is an obstacle. Similar to previous point.
• Buying food for money and eating that is an obstacle. Food that is sold in hotels and temples too should be avoided. Translator's note: If some one is performing thadhIyArAdhanam, after accepting prasAdham, one may contribute some monetary donations to help the person conducting thadhIyArAdhanam. But simply buying food that is meant for sale is totally unhealthy for the AthmA since the person selling it is purely interested in making money and by consuming such food we will also be affected with such attitude.
• Eating food remnants (food that is contaminated by others by contact with their mouth) is an obstacle. Translator's note: Here it is to be understood that remnants of common persons should be avoided. In bhagavath gIthA, bhagavAn explains this principle too. He says one should not eat uchchishtam (remnants). In the commentary, emperumAnAr explains that here remnants of AchArya, etc., are fit to be consumed. vEdhAnthAchAryar further explains in his commentary, that it the remnants of father, elder brother, husband (for wife), etc., are fit to be consumed. As seen in thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr pAsuram thirumAlai 41 (discussed in previous article), we can understand that qualified srIvaishNavas' remnants are also fit to be consumed.
• Eating food that is given with favours in return is an obstacle. piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights in srIvachana bhUshaNam sUthrams 286 and 287 that one can fulfill their true nature of being servant of god when one performs kainkaryam like srI vidhura , srI mAlAkAra (flower/garland vendor) and kUni (thrivakrA/hunched back lady). Translator's note: mAmunigaL's explanation for these sUthrams is most beautiful. He generally explains that whenever some one does kainkaryam they will expect something in return. In all these cases, they performed kainkaryam without any expectation. srI vidhura offered banana-peels to kaNNan emperumAn with great love which was accepted by emperumAn with greater love. srI mAlAkAra offered flowers to kaNNan emperumAn immediately when asked without any hesitation - those flowers earn the livelihood for him, yet he did not hesitate to give them to emperumAn. kUni who gave pure sandalwood paste to kaNNan emperumAn. mAmunigaL also highlights that these three personalities and these incidents are greatly glorified by scholars of great wisdom - so these are the examples to follow for us.
• Eating food that was dedicated for certain purposes is an obstacle. It is seen that in some vaidhIka karmAs, certain food is dedicated for certain dhEvathas through certain manthrams. Example is srArdha nimantharaNam. Consuming such food is an obstacle.
• Eating food that was given by some one who is too proud that he is the giver is an obstacle. Translator's note: previously discussed.

Before proceeding further with the next set of points, let me (srI u.vE. VV rAmAnujam swamy) explain whatever I have observed from elders in relation to AhAra niyamam (food restrictions), whatever I have heard from elders and whatever I have learnt from reading various literature on this topic. In the current times, there are very few who know these principles and the ones who follow such principles are even fewer. Food items (and raw materials) are classified based on its qualities in to sAthvikam (goodness), rAjasam (passion) and thAmasam (ignorance). And, rAjasa and thAmasa food items are forbidden from being consumed by srIvaishNavas. Detailed discussions are in bhagavath gIthA 17th chapter (highlighted at the top). Nowadays, people only care for external hygiene and cleanliness. There is total lack of knowledge about the internal hygiene and cleanliness of the food items. Raw materials should be grown by good-hearted persons who are known to us - they must have been farmed and given by people with good intentions. The ones who cook should have both basic AchAram and anushtAnam -
following rule of conduct and on top of that they should also have svarUpa gyAnam (that they are jIvAthmA who is a servant of bhagavAn). They should also be familiar with srIvaishNava sampradhAya granthams. Let me explain an incident from yathIndhra pravaNa prabhAvam written by piLLai lOkam jIyar. nampiLLai who is a great AchArya had two wives. He once asks a question to his wives separately. First he asks his first wife "What do you think about me?". The first wife responds "I think of you similar to namperumAL himself and as my AchArya". He becomes very pleased and engages her in preparing food for his thiruvArAdhanam and himself. He then asks his second wife the same question and she says "I think of you as my husband". He asks her to assist his first wife in cooking. When the first wife is unable to cook during her menstrual periods, he allows his second wife to cook but he gets his dear sishyas who are great srIvaishNavas to touch the prasAdham first and then he eats that. Thus he shows by practice that one should develop the real attitude in srIvaishNavam so that one becomes fit to serve bhagavAn and bhAgavathAs in cooking kainkaryam. (Translator's note: This nampiLLai incident is re-written in English to match the actual incident since VV Ramanujam swamy had given only a brief note about the incident). During emperumAnAr's times, in his mutt, every one of his sishyas were very great and capable of being an AchArya. Many common laymen, materialistic people, bodily oriented/focussed persons were removed from their services. This is not based on their birth. This is purely based on their mental maturity in bhagavath vishayam. The food we eat should be bhagavath prasAdham. In any situation, we should not eat anything that is not bhagavath prasAdham. We can see that both bhOjana virOdhi (54) and bhOjya virOdhi (55) are focussed on pure heart and sAthvika attitude.

• Eating food that is touched by unqualified persons (avaishNavas mainly) is an obstacle.
• Eating food that is kept in the vessels that are owned/used by unqualified persons is an obstacle.
• Eating food that was cooked by persons (even srIvaishNavas) who are remembering/contemplating on matters other than bhagavath vishayam while cooking. Matters other than bhagavath vishayam include dhEvathAnthara bhajanam, gossips, etc.
• Eating food that was not cooked by persons who are remembering/contemplating on dhivya prabhandham, etc. Translator's note: These two points are related only. Traditionally, when cooking, srIvaishNavas (men and women) would start reciting thiruppallANdu, thiruppAvai, etc., and also recollect the divine leelAs of emperumAn during such time. By discussing/relating to such matters, food that is prepared will naturally become very delicious for the pleasure of emperumAn. We can recollect an incident that happened in thirumalA during the times of mAmunigaL. prathivAdhi bhayankaram aNNA was serving thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn (srInivAsan) by bring water for thirumanjanam, etc. He use to bring water and add fragrance/flavours (cardomom, etc) to the water and offer the same to the archakas of emperumAn. One day, a srIvaishNava from srIrangam visits thirumalA and he starts discussing with aNNA about mAmunigaL's glories and his life in srIrangam amidst many great srIvaishNavas who are all disciples of mAmunigaL. In the process, aNNA forgets to add fragrances in the water that was fetched and offers the water as it is to the archakas. After some time, aNNA realizes that he forgot to add fragrances. He rushes back to archakas and informs them about his miss. archakas, who already started using the water in kainkaryam, replies to aNNA that the water was more fragrant than any other day. Hearing this aNNA becomes greatly amazed and confirms to himself that it was because of his divine discussions with the visiting srIvaishNava from srIrangam about mAmunigaL, the water automatically acquired fragrance. Subsequently, he goes to srIrangam and becomes a dear disciple of mAmunigaL.
• Eating food that was cooked for self satisfaction instead of feeding bhagavAn and bhAgavathas is an obstacle. Already discussed this in previous section.
• Eating food that was kept in vessels which dont carry bhagavAn's Urdhva puNdram symbol is an obstacle. The vessels that are used in cooking, serving, etc., should be embossed with thirumaN (thilak - the symbol of bhagavAn).
• Eating food that was not offered to emperumAn first is an obstacle. This has been already explained in detail.
• Eating food that was offered by materialistic people and food that was offered in public view are obstacles. Whenever food is offered to emperumAn, the place should be covered with screens or the door should be closed. Translator's note: Food should always be kept covered (both before and after offering). They should only be uncovered/opened at the time of serving prasAdham.
• Eating food that was only offered to bhagavAn and not offered to nithyasUris like Adhi sEshan, viswaksEnar, etc., and AzhwArs and AchAryas is an obstacle. When we offer bhOgam to emperumAn, we do it in the following manner. First we say "sarva mangaLa vigrahAya samastha parivArAya srImathE nArAyaNAya nama:" (Let srIman nArAyaNa who have arrived here with his many beautiful forms and associates accept my kainkaryam). "adiyEn mEvi amarginRa amudhE! amudhu seytharuLa vENdum" (அடியேன் மேவி அமர்கின்ற அமுதே! அமுது செய்தருள வேண்டும் - I am offering this food with great devotion! kindly accept it). Thus we offer it to emperumAn first. Then, we offer it to srI dhEvi, bhUmi dhEvi and nILA dhEvi, etc (other nAchiyArs) by saying "srI bhUmi nILAdhibhyO nama:" . Then we offer it to pAnchajanyAzhwAr (conch), sudharsanAzhwAr (disc), ananthan, garudan, viswaksEnar, etc. Then we offer it to AzhwArs and AchAryas saying "parAngusa parakAla yathirvarAdhibhyO nama:" (Let nammAzhwAr, thirumangai AzhwAr, emperumAnAr and other AchAryas accept the prasAdham of emperumAn). Finally, we offer it to our own AchArya saying "asmath gurubhyO nama:". Thus we offer the bhOgam to emperumAn, thAyArs, nithyasUris, AzhwArs and AchAryas before ourselves consuming the same.
• Eating food that are deficient by birth/nature is an obstacle. Translator's note:  onion, garlic, radish, drum stick, etc., are identified as vegetables which are by nature unfit to be consumed. We should consciously try to avoid such items.
• Eating food that came into contact with insects, hairs, bacteria/fungus, worms, etc., is an obstacle.
• Eating food sitting amongst abhAgavathas (avaishNavas) is an obstacle. Translator's note: When we eat, we should always look around who else is present, if we can eat in front of the persons who are present, etc.  
• Eating food with discussions on useless matters is an obstacle. Before eating, we should do parisEshanam (offering the food to antharyAmi emperumAn first) and recite thanians, slOkams, etc. Just eating with gossips and material discussions are to be totally avoided.
• Eating food without constant remembrance of dhvaya mahA manthram is an obstacle. 
• Eating food with an attitude to enjoy the same is an obstacle. We should not focus on the material enjoyment (taste, delicacy, etc). Instead we should focus on the purity of prasAdham. Even if elders were to relish the taste they would say "emperumAn has really enjoyed this prasAdham and given his remnants to us" instead of independently glorifying the taste alone.
• bhagavath prasAdham should be greatly revered and not doing so is an obstacle.
• prasAdham should be eaten as the completion part of bhagathArAdhAnam (deity worship) - not doing so is an obstacle. Translator's note: As part of our thiruvArAdhanam, we offer bhOgam to emperumAn, AzhwArs and AchAryas. Now that bhOgam has become prasAdham. We have to accept that prasAdham and complete the thiruvArAdhanam process. thiruvArAdhanam is called yAgam and thadhIyArAdhanam/eating is called anuyAgam. We should develop such attitude that our eating the prasAdham is also part of kainkaryam to emperumAn (so that we can have energy to do more kainkaryam to emperumAn) and not for personal enjoyment. This principle is explained in detail in prapanna dhinacharyA section (sUthram 243) of srIvachana bhUshaNam. piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights that we should accept prasAdham for dhEha dhAraNam (sustaining our body) and to complete the thiruvArAdhanam process.
• Eating food without offering the same to bhAgavathas (AchAryas, srIvaishNavas) is an obstacle.
• Eating food without offering the same to one own sadhAchAryan (true AchAryan) is an obstacle.
• Eating food with just offering it to the different prANa vAyus (vital airs) is an obstacle. As part of our parisEshaNam we offer the food through different airs prANa, apAna, vyAna, udhAna, and samAna. Just saying those manthrams and that offering is not sufficient. As discussed before, we should be reciting AchAryan thaniyans, etc.
• Eating food that was not purified/sanctified by great srIvaishNavas is an obstacle. Through the vision and touch of srIvaishNavas, prasAdham becomes purified. 
• Hesitating to participate in thadhIyArAdhanam even after seeing the participation of great srIvaishNavas who can purify the group. In the vyAkyAnam for eRumbi appA's varavaramuni dhinacharyA, thirumazhisai aNNAvappangAr highlights that mAmunigaL is one such divine personality whose presence will bring in all auspiciousness in a srIvaishNava thadhIyArAdhana gOshti (group of srIvaishNavas eating together). This is why varavaramuni dhinacharyA is recited before consuming prasAdham.
• Eating limited/constrained amount/type of food at ones own home. 
• Eating limited/constrained amount/type of food at srIvaishNavas' (who are as good as ones own AchArya) thirumALigai. Translator's note: thaithriya upanishadh says "annam bahu kurvIyAth" (prepare large amounts of food and share it). We too can prepare food (that are allowed) in large quantities, distribute them to srIvaishNavas and eat them as much as necessary so that kainkaryams can happen without difficulty.

We will continue with the next section in the next article.

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 - 22

srI:

srImathE satakOpAya 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/2014/05/virodhi-pariharangal-21.html.

kongil pirAtti performing thadhIyArAdhanam to emperumAnAr's sishyas

54. bhOjana virOdhi (போஜந விரோதி) - Obstacles in thadhIyArAdhanam (feeding)

Generally, bhOjanam means giving food which is explained as "bhAgavatha thadhIyArAdhanam". In this section, the attitude of the srIvaishNavas who give prasAdham (host) and accept prasAdham (guest) and the important aspects in relation to that are explained. Here, the mistakes that commonly happen in many places are highlighted. The intent is to have such mistakes rectified after seeing/understanding them. Translator's note: The main problem which is seen nowadays is - in many places bhAgavatha thadhIyArAdhanam happens without proper thiruvArAdhanam and offering of the bhOgam to emperumAn. When bhOgam is not offered to emperumAn first, it does not become prasAdham. Though there may be certain challenges in properly maintaining emperumAn in such places, there should be some arrangements made to ensure that the bhOgam is first offered to emperumAn and then only distributed in thadhIyArAdhanam.

• When a srIvaishNava gives prasAddham (remnants of food offered to bhagavAn) with love, checking the quality, quantity, taste, etc., is an obstacle. One should only see the love with which the prasAdham is given and simply accept and eat that. Translator's note: bhagavAn himself says in bhagavath gIthA that he accepts anything (a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water) that is given to him for the love of the giver and not for the quality of the thing that was offered to him. So, we too, should only see the love with which the prasAdham is given.
• Not treating bhAgavtha prasAdham with great respect/honour is an obstacle. 
• When the host commits some mistakes, wondering that "this person does not even know how to give prasAdham" is an obstacle. We should not find faults in the genuine person who gives prasAdham.
• From this point on, the mistakes committed by the host are highlighted (so such mistakes can be avoided). Preparing separate dishes/items for self and the others is an obstacle. The guests should be treated in the same manner or better manner than oneself.
• Giving prasAdham with pride (that I am giving prasAdham) is an obstacle. Translator's note: Once when emperumAnAr was travelling to thirumalA, he reached thirukkOvalUr. On the way to thirumalai, from there he decided to go to one the residence of one of his wealthy disciples named eNNAyirththu echchAn. Hearing this, echchAn made grand arrangements to welcome emperumAnAr to his residence. emperumAnAr reached a point on his route from where the road split into two. emperumAnAr asked a passer-by about the two routes. That person says, one road leads to echchAn's residence which is often visited by people with rAjasa guNam (passionate quality) and the other road leads to paruththikkollai ammaiyAr who is often visited by people with sAthvika guNam (goodness quality). emperumAnAr at once changes his plan and visits paruththiukkolli ammaiyAr (a sAthvika lady disciple). This charithram is explained in rAmAnujArya dhivya charithai written by piLLai lOkam jIyar. From this we can understand one should avoid pride while honoring others.
• Not thinking that the guest is the owner and he/she is simply acknowledging/accepting his own property is an obstacle. Translator's note:  thaithriya upanishadh declares "athithi dhEvo bhava" - the guests (srIvaishNavas) should be treated like God. bhagavAn is the owner of everything - whatever we offer to him, those are also owned by him only. When srIvaishNavas visit us, we should treat them like that also. We should consider that everything we have belongs to the visiting srIvaishNava and we are just giving something out of his own and he is kindly accepting it.
• It is an obstacle to judge the guest based on the amount/types of prasAdham he/she is eating. Translator's note: For example, if a person is eating a little bit more than normal, one should not think inferior about that person.
• When there are any mistakes, limitations in the thadhIyArAdhanam, the guest should not consider "He is not treating me properly" - that is an obstacle.
• Feeling angry that we are not treated properly and walking away leaving the prasAdham without fully consuming it is an obstacle.
• The host eating inside in a separate place and giving prasAdham to the guest in the hall (common place in the residence) is an obstacle. Again, guest should be treated honorably.
• Host eating first and then serving the guest is an obstacle. Host should treat the guest to his satisfaction first and then only eat himself.
• When the host and guest are eating together, the host should wait for the guest to finish eating prasAdham and then only rise. Translator's note: Usually, in thadhIyArAdhanam, at the beginning, certain slOkams (AchAryan thaniyans, dhEvarAja ashtakam, pUrva/uththara dhinacharyA, vAnamAmalai jIyar prapaththi/mangaLAsAsanam, etc - depending on the mutt, thirumALigai, etc) will be recited and then perumAL thIrtham will be given to every one for parisEshaNam (a simple act of offering the prasAdham to antharyAmi emperumAn before starting to eat). All srIvaishNavas should do this together (wait for others to receive perumAL thIrtham). Similarly, after completing, perumAL thIrtham is given and everyone accepts that and finishes their meal. Then everyone should leave the place together to wash their hands/legs. This is the general process. Independently rising up in the middle and leaving is not proper etiquette during thadhIyArAdhanam.
• Guest feeling upset that the host ate inside and he was given prasAdham outside is an obstacle. Translator's note: Related to previously discussed item - explained from the guest's point of view. It should be taken lightly and the guest should not be offended.
• Guest hesitating to eat considering that the host ate before him is an obstacle.
• Guest considering that the host walked away without waiting for him to complete eating is an obstacle.
• The host should generously invite the guest with kind words. Not doing so is an obstacle. As mentioned before, here the guests should also be srIvaishNavas.
• Host inviting avaishNavas with kind words when it is not necessary to do so is an obstacle.
• Guest becoming angry/upset thinking that the host did not welcome him enough with kind words is an obstacle.
• Guest becoming proud thinking that the host welcomed generously with kind words is an obstacle.
• Guest not showing humility and saying "you do not need to welcome me with many kind words" is an obstacle.
• The host accepting thIrtham (at the end as explained before)  before the guest accepting thIrtham is an obstacle. Basically, the host should wait under the guest finishes eating.
• Host eating first and giving the remainder to the guest is an obstacle. It is customary for the host to first feed the guest satisfactorily and then eat. Thus, eating first and giving the remainder to others is not proper etiquette.
• Guest starting to eat independently is an obstacle. Usually, in srIvaishNava thadhIyArAdhanam, some slOkams, AchAryan thanian, etc are recited first. Then perumAL thIrtham will be distributed using which parisEshanam will be done. Then only, we should start eating. 
• If a guest arrives to eat after one set of srIvaishNavas complete eating, the guest should not hesitate thinking that the food is now remnants (remainder) of others. Doing so is an obstacle.
• Exchanging prasAdham with srIvaishNavas without understanding their true nishtA (faith) is an obstacle. Either the prasAdham could be sEsham (remainder) of srIvaishNavas who are situated in AchArya nishtA or may be its served by srIvaishNavas who are situated in AchArya nishtA. When one has AchArya abhimAnam (being dear to AchArya), he/she will develop great devotion towards such prasAdham. Even after having such nishtA, ignoring such prasAdham is a great sin. I (Dr V V Ramanujam swamy) will share a personal experience in this regard. 20 years ago (from the time this original thamizh explanations were written), I was serving in mudhaliyANdAn swamy thirumALigai as srI kAryam (agent to look after kainkaryams). At that time, a mahA samprOkshaNam was conducted at singapperumAL kOyil. There was grand thadhIyArAdhanam arranged at the thirumALigai. My good friend (an AchArya purusha from srIperumbUthUr) had come there. I requested him to come and accept prasAdham at the thirumALigai. He refused saying "I dont accept prasAdham from kandhAdaiyAr thirumALigais (residences of mudhaliyANdAn descendants)". Translator's note: In pramEya rathnam, an incident relating to kUrathAzhwAn and his wife ANdAL ammAL is explained. After a long journey, AzhwAn and ANdAL are returning home. They are quite exhausted from the journey and feel very hungry. They arrive at the house of a srIvaishNava who offers them place to stay and prasAdham. AzhwAn performs his anushtAnams and then accepts prasAdham there. ANdAL refuses to accept prasAdham and tells AzhwAn "You accepted seeing his srIvaishNava name and form. But we do not know his nishtA. So, I will wait until we reach home". Hearing this AzhwAn is filled with admiration (unlike materialistic men) and tells ANdAL "How I do not have such nishtA like you? Please pray to emperumAn that I too become like you". That was ANdAL ammAL's nishtA and AzhwAn's humility - in deed something to cherish for us.
• After knowing AchArya nishtA of the srIvaishNavas, not having prasAdham is an obstacle. Continuation of previous point.
• Sharing prasAdham with contaminated hands is an obstacle. Translator's note: Our hands become contaminated when it touches mouth, nostrills, etc., and any part of our lower body (behind waist line). One should immediately wash the hands with water before touching anything else.
• Directly grabbing the prasAdham from the vessel instead of humbly requesting that to be distributed is an obstacle. Translator's note: One should never directly eat out of the container which is used for distribution of prasAdham to others. Nowadays, many of us have completely become ignorant of these basic principles due to too much influence from other cultures where licking hands in public, eating out of main vessels, not caring for contamination, etc., are rampant. 
• As said in thirumAlai 41 "pOnagam seytha sEdam tharuvarEl punithamanRE" (போனகம் செய்த சேடம் தருவரேல் புனிதமன்றே), it should be known that food remnants of srIvaishNavas are most pure (itself) and purifying (to the ones who consume it). Not having faith in that is an obstacle. This is thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr's divine words. sEsham (remnants) can be of two types - pANda sEsham (remnants in the vessel that is used for distribution) and pAthra sEsham (remnants in the plantain leaf on which prasAdham was consumed by srIvaishNavas). Elders firmly explain that, in this context, AzhwAr is talking about pAthra sEsham - remnants of prasAdham that is left in the plantain leaf by srIvaishNavas. It can be understood easily that to develop faith in the glories of such prasAdham is very difficult to achieve (since most people will look down on eating from others' leftover prasAdham generally). Translator's note: In this context, we can recollect "mOr munnAr aiyar" (மோர் முன்னார் ஐயர் - the one who eats curd rice first so that the taste of the last dish mAmunigaL ate does not change) - dear disciple of mAmunigaL who regularly ate out of the plantain leaf on which mAmunigaL first ate. He did this for about 30 years as highlighted in pUrvAchArya granthams. He eventually becomes a sannyAsi and was named paravasthu pattarpirAn jIyar.
• When srIvaishNavs take the vessel having prasAdham, just simply watching that is an obstacle. Translator's note: One should offer to help in serving.
• Not grabbing the vessel containing prasAdham voluntarily to serve other srIvaishNavas is an obstacle.
• When performing thadhIyArAdhanam, the host along with his wife should serve directly instead of asking their servants or samsAris (materially motivated persons) to serve the guests. Doing so is an obstacle. 
• After eating, the guest should insist on picking up the plantain leaf considering that it is a srIvaishNava thirumALigai which should be greatly respected. Not doing so is an obstacle.
• Even if the host does not allow, the guest should forcefully accept the responsibility of remove the plantain leaf. Not doing so is an obstacle.
• While removing the leaf, care should be taken so that food pieces are not spilling everywhere in the thirumALigai.
• Rushing ahead and washing hands before other srIvaishNavs is an obstacle. One should patiently wait for ones turn and then wash their hands, legs, etc.
• Hesitating to wash hands, legs, etc., after others considering its the water remnants of others is an obstacle. One should consider it as a fortune to wait for such opportunity.
• Sanctifying the place where srIvaishNavas took prasAdham is an obstacle. While the place need to be physically cleaned so that next batch of srIvaishNavas can have prasAdham comfortably, it does not amount to purification. It is commonly observed in mutts, thirumALigais that after one batch of srIvaishNavas eat, the place is cleaned with cow dung fully.
• Cleaning the place with ashes is an obstacle. 
• Not being careful and stepping over places where srIvaishNavas consumed prasAdham is an obstacle. 
• Having betel leaves, nuts and lime paste without offering it to other srIvaishNavas is an obstacle. Translator's note:  It is a common practice to offer betel leaves, nuts and lime paste after thadhIyArAdhanam. This and next point discuss the aspects in relation to that.
• Applying ones own remnant lime paste on betel leaves that are given to other srIvaishNavas is an obstacle.
• Guest finding fault in the residence of the srIvaishNava who arranged thadhIyArAdhanam is an obstacle.
• Guest hurting the feelings of the host who arranged thadhIyArAdhanam is an obstacle.

We will continue with the next section in the next article.

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 - 21

srI:

srImathE satakOpAya 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/2014/04/virodhi-pariharangal-20.html.

52. gruha virOdhi (க்ருஹ விரோதி) - Obstacles in place of residence 

emperumAnAr visiting parutthik kollai ammAL's residence and blessing her his own prapanna pAkai (cloth covering his head) observing that she is feeling shy to come out with torn clothes. During his thiruvEnkata yAthrai, emperumAnAr himself blesses a visit to her residence knowing her wonderful sAthvika qualities - this incident is identified in rAmAnujArya dhivya charithai written by piLLai lOkam jIyar


In this section, the nature of the residence of prapannas/srIvaishNavas is explained in detail.  Translator's note: In general, our pUrvAchAryas have focussed on living in dhivya dhEsams, abhimAna sthalams, AzhwAr/AchArya avathAra sthalams, etc. In periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5.1.3, periyAzhwAr explains that "un kOyilil vAzhum vaittaNavan ennum vanmai kaNdAyE" (உன் கோயிலில் வாழும் வைட்டணவன் என்னும் வன்மை கண்டாயே) - the ultimate goal is to be a vaishNava who lives in a place which is dear to you (bhagavAn) and engaging in kainkaryam to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas. dhivya dhEsams are glorified as "ugantharuLina nilangaL" (உகந்தருளின நிலங்கள்) - place which are blessed by bhagavAn with great desire. The purpose of living in dhivya dhEsams, etc., is to have constant engagement in developing ones knowledge in bhagavath vishayam through regular interactions with learned srIvaishNavas and to constantly engage in kainkaryam to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas. By being surrounded with bhAgavathas, we also automatically eliminate the need to mix with samsAris (materially minded people). This principle is greatly emphasised in this section in detail.

• Having residence in a place which is condemned due to its relationship with dhEvathAntharams (other dhEvathas such as brahmA, rudhran, etc) is an obstacle.
• Living in the streets where pAshaNdis (bhAhyas - ones who does not accept vEdham  and kudhrushtis - ones who accept vEdham but misinterpret the meanings) is an obstacle.
• Living in a residence which is neighboured (lived) by samsAris (materially minded people) is an obstacle.
• Living in a residence which does not manifest the divine symbols of bhagavAn such as thirumaN kAppu (Urdhva puNdram), sangam (conch), chakram (disc), etc., is an obstacle. Here the necessity of marking/identifying srIvaishNava residences with thirumaN kAppu, etc., clearly.
• Living in a residence which is owned by or dear to materially minded people is an obstacle.
• Living in a residence which is not dear to ones own AchArya is an obstacle. Translator's note: It is to be understood that, when a house is constructed, it must be offered to our AchArya and on his approval and with his blessing use that residence with great care. It is still seen that during gruha pravEsam ceremony, AchArya is invited and requested to bestow his blessing on the new residence. In AchArya hrudhayam, a beautiful incident is identified in 85th chUrNikai which starts with "mlEchchanum bhakthan AnAl" (ம்லேச்சனும் பக்தன் ஆனால்). When explaining the glories of bhAgavathas, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr highlights that when naduvil thiruvIdhi piLLai bhattar constructed a new residence, to purify the place, he simply requested piLLai vAnamAmalai dhAsar to step in to the newly constructed house and place his lotus feet in all the rooms. That by itself was sufficient to purify the new residence instead of having to do elaborate yagyams, etc.
• Living in a residence which is not totally free for bhAgavathas to enter and stay at any time is an obstacle. Translator's note: Ones residence should be maintained in such a manner that any bhAgavatha can enter any time freely (as the owner of the house will do) and stay for as many days he wishes. In periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4.4 padhigam (decad), periyAzhwAr greatly glorifies the residents of thirukkOshtiyUr as experts in welcoming srIvaishNava guests and caring for them during their visits.
• Living in a residence which is often visited by blood-relatives who are too focussed on material aspects. vaduga nambi broke his existing pots/vessels after some relatives visit him and gets pots that are used by mudhaliyANdAn. Translator's note: In guru paramparA prabhAvam 6000 padi, vaduga nambi's glories are explained. In that the following incident is also highlighted. Once vaduga nambi’s relatives (who are not srIvaishNavas) come to visit him. After they leave, vaduga nambi destroys all the pots and fully purifies the place. He then goes to mudhaliyANdAn‘s thirumALigai, picks up the pots that were discarded by him and starts using them. Thus he establishes that for the ones who have pure AchArya sambhandham, everything related to them (even discarded ones) are fully pure and acceptable to us and anything touched by samsAris is to be relinquished at once.
• Living in a residence where archAvathAra emperumAn (sALagrAma srI mUrthy, vigraha emperumAn, etc) in a separate kOyil AzhwAr (thiruvArAdhana room) is not present is an obstacle. Translator's note: As part of pancha samskAram, one learns from the AchArya how to perform thiruvArAdhanam. After learning that, one must properly worship the archAvathAra emperumAn who have descended mercifully into the residence of such srIvaishNava. gruhArchai (archAvathAra emperumAn in homes/residences) is greatly glorified  by our pUrvAchAryas. A detailed article on srIvaishNava thiruvArAdhanam can be seen at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/07/srivaishnava-thiruvaaraadhanam.html.
• Living in a residence where the entrance has sangu (conch) prominently is an obstacle. Though sangu (conch) is emperumAn's divine weapon and symbol, as it is independently used by others (other than srIvaishNavas), just using sangu along prominently is condemned here.
• Living in a residence where AchArya srIpAdha thIrtham (charaNAmrutham) is not present is an obstacle. It is explained by our pUrvAchAryas that in every residence AchArya srIpAdha thIrtham and thIrtha emperumAn (sALagrAma srI mUrthy) thIrtham (sanctified water) must be present. It is common practice that kumkum or saffron paste is applied on AchArya's lotus feet, that imprint is taken in a cloth and kept at home with reverence. Sometimes, sandals worn by AchArya is also kept at home. srIpAdha thIrtham can be prepared from either one of these - cloth with the imprint of AchArya's lotus feet or his sandals. There is also another way to prepare srIpAdha thIrtham - the soil under thuLasi plant is mixed with srIpAdha thIrtham of AchArya (collected once) and a solid block is prepared. When dried this is called as "thIrthavadi" - by sanctifying plain water using this block, srIpAdha thIrtham  can be prepared. In any case, srIpAdha thIrtham must be accepted by sishyas every day.
• Living in a residence where there is no bag/box which carries Urdhva puNdram (thirumaN and srIchUrNam) and a basket that carries alms (or bhagavAn's prasAdham) is an obstacle. Translator's note: These objects are necessary for day-to-day routines of srIvaishNavas.
• Living in a residence where japa mAlA (beads that are used to count the manthras while chanting) is hanging is an obstacle. If ever we need to keep count of our manthra recitation, we can simply use the lines in the hands/fingers. Translator's note: Unlike other sampradhAyams which advocate reciting manthrams, our sampradhAyam is fully focussed on meditating the meanings of the manthrams (thirumanthram, dhvayam, etc). There is no recommendation of systematic chanting of certain numbers of any manthrams in our sampradhAyam other than the gAyathri manthram recitation which is part of sandhyA vandhanam for the first 3 varNas (brAhmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya).
• Living in a residence which is close to dogs, wolves, foxes, pAshaNdis (we have already seen this before), etc is an obstacle.
• Living in a residence that keeps the literature of saiva, baudhdha, jaina, chArvAka (bhAhya and kudhrushti) sampradhAyams is an obstacle. thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr says "kANbarO kEtparO thAm" (காண்பரோ கேட்பரோ தாம் - will they ever see or listen to other sampradhAyam literature) in his thirumAlai pAsuram 7. In the pAsura vyAkyAnam, periyavAchAn piLLai explains how kUrathAzhwAn's father chastised/punished him for listening to such discoourses when he was very young.
• Living in residences which are cleaned/sanctified using cow-dung only on friday, amAvAsyai, etc (special days) is an obstacle. It is to be understood that everyday, ones residence must be sanctified and kept nicely. Similar principle is explained in Arjana virOdhi also (towards the end while talking about accepting alms from homes which are cleaned only on fridays, etc). Translator's note:  As emperumAn resides in every srIvaishNava home, it must be kept as clean and sacred as possible considering the residence as emperumAn's temple.
• Living in a residence where the kitchen or the place where cooked food is kept is visible from outside to commoners is an obstacle. Translator's note: Once cooked, the food cannot be seen/smelt/tasted by any one else before they are offered to emperumAn for his pleasure. So, the cooked food is to be generally covered by lid or cloth and kept safely. This is why, we usually observe that bhOgam which is carried to emperumAn for offering is always kept fully covered. This practice must be followed at residences also.
• Living in a residence where lots of ashes are spilled all over the place is an obstacle. Ashes are generally applied by saiva's on their forehead and is totally inappropriate for srIvaishNavas to touch. Translator's note: Again, this point relates to cleanliness and maintaining the sanctity of the residence properly.
• Living in a residence where stale (cooked) rice is kept in a pot in a corner is an obstacle. This is usually kept in IsAnya (north-east) mUlai (corner). Translator's note: When cooked rice is not exhausted on a particular day, it is commonly kept in a pot with water added into it in the night. This preserves the rice to some extent and is suppose to be a healthy food in the next morning. In the olden days (even 15 years ago), many families (even srIvaishNava families) used to preserve rice like this and eat that in the next morning as it is as a porridge or mixing with curd (yoghurt) and eat it like curd-rice. This type of practice is condemned here. kaNNan emperumAn explains in bhagavath gIthA that one should not eat food that is cooked in the previous session as such foods becomes stale and is not good for our sAthvika nature. But nowadays, people do not value food, so any leftovers are simply thrown out - which is equally bad as sAsthram specifically says "annam na nindhyAth" (do not waste food). So, either we should prepare as much as necessary without wasting food or when there is excess food, find some one who is needy of food and give the left-over prasAdham to them instead of wasting the prasAdham.
• Living in a residence, sleeping with protective threads/bands in hands, legs, etc. Translator's note: It has almost become a fashion even amongst srIvaishNavas to wear black/red threads in hands, legs, neck, etc., which are often related to dhEvathAntharams. Some times people claim it to be from thiruvadi (hanuman), srInivAsan emperumAn, etc. Whatever may be the case, it is completely against our sampradhAyam to wear such colored threads, bands, etc. For srIvaishNas, the main protection is their Urdhva puNdram (also known thirumaN kAppu in thamizh, where kAppu means protection). Generally, the threads/bands that can be worn by srIvaishNavas are:
• For brAhmaNas, kshathriyas and vaisyas - yagyOpavitham (also known as janEu, pUNUl, etc) is allowed.
• aRai nAN kayiRu (kati sUthram) - waist band (mandatory for everyone) - this is essential since kaupInam (kOvaNam - loin cloth - traditional under garment) must be tied in this.
• rakshAbandhanam - protective thread/band which is worn during yAgams, dhIkshais (special vaidhIka ceremonies such as upanayanam), etc - usually white or yellow in color.
• Living in a residence where the pots and pans that are used in thiruvArAdhanam, etc., lack Urdhva puNdram (thirumaN kAppu). All objects must be decorated with bhagavAn's symbols. Translator's note: periyAzhwAr identifies in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5.4.1 "ennaiyum en udaimaiyaiyum un chakkarap poRi oRRikkoNdu" (என்னையும் என் உடைமையையும் உன் சக்கரப் பொறி ஒற்றிக்கொண்டு) - apply your symbol of chakram on me (AthmA) and my properties (body, wealth, etc). It is the duty of every srIvaishNava to put the mark of bhagavAn in all objects of interest.
• Living in a residence which is not yet purified by the foot-steps of bhAgavathas is an obstacle. Translator's note: We have already seen the example of naduvil thiruvIdhi piLLai bhattar and piLLai vAnamAmalai dhAsar - no need to explain further.
• Living in a residence which is not purified after the visit of pAshaNdis (one who oppose the superiority of bhagavAn and sAsthram) is an obstacle. After visits of pAshaNdis, the place should be fully cleaned and purified.
• Living in a residence where the cattle are marked with symbols of other dhEvathAs is an obstacle. Identifying cattle through special marks is a common practice in villages. It must be ensured that there is no symbol of dhEvathAntharam in such marks.
• Living in residence where the residents are engaged in congregational reciting of slOkams, etc., which are not recited by our pUrvAchAryas is an obstacle. Translator's note: Our sampradhAyam is called as sath sampradhAyam or sudhdha sampradhAyam. Our pUrvAchAryas focussed on AzhwArs' pAsurams, pUrvAchAryas sthOthrams, vyAkyAnams and rahasya granthams - all of these are fully devoid of any dhEvathAnthara bhajanam (glorifying other dhEvathas), upAyAnthara nishtai (accepting any other upAyam other than bhagavAn himself), etc. Anything outside what is accept by our pUrvAchAryas may or may not be in line with our AzhwArs/AchAryas works. So, it is better to avoid engaging in such recitals.
• Living in residence where thuLasi (thiru thuzhAy) is not grown is an obstacle. For gruhArchchai (home perumAL) thiruvArAdhanam, it is ideal if we can grow our own thuLasi at home. 
• Living in residence where the sound vibration of dhivya prabhandham is not heard is an obstacle. Translator's note: At home too, we must engage in reciting dhivya prabhandhams, sthOthra pAtams, rahasya granthams, etc on a regular routine. This way, there is opportunity for all the members of the family to engage in bhagavath guNa anubhavam and kainkaryam.

53. kshEthra virOdhi (க்ஷேத்ரவிரோதி) - Obstacles in land that is owned

 emperumAnAr viewing ananthAzhwAn's garden for thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn

This can be seen as continuation of previous topic. In gruha virOdhi, the matters dealing with once place of residence is explained. This topic can be considered in relation to the land on which the house is built. Translator's note: kshEthra generally means cultivatable land. It can also mean any land or property which is used for agricultural, farming or other business purposes. Usually, in pUrvAchArya granthas gruha and kshEthra are discussed together since both are considered to be some sort of bondage. Let us see the points in detail.

• Holding on to a land that is owned/controlled by dhEvathAntharams is an obstacle. Translator's note: Some lands may be owned by other dhEvathas and their temples. It is inappropriate for srIvaishNavas to live/use such lands for their purposes.
• Holding on to a land that has the symbols of dhEvathAntharams is an obstacle. Translator's note: dhEvathAntharams have many significant symbols like thriyak puNdram (horizontal symbol on the forehead), sUlam (trident), etc. It is better to avoid dealing with lands that have such symbols.
• Having lands in a place which is not dear to bhagavAn is an obstacle. Translator's note: As seen before, dhivya dhEsams, AzhwAr/AchArya avathAra sthalams, etc are dear to bhagavAn and thus we ought to have lands only in such places.
• Holding on to lands that are stolen/grabbed from bhagavAn is an obstacle. Translator's note: Some people engage in stealing/overtaking temple lands, etc. It is better to avoid such lands as that is not good for our svarUpam to be associated with such stolen lands.
• Holding on to lands that are stolen/grabbed from others is an obstacle.
• Holding on to land considering that its "My land" is an obstacle. Translator's note: We must understand that everything is owned by bhagavAn and we are simply given an opportunity to utilize his property.
• Holding on to lands that are not used in the service of AchAryan. Translator's note: In nanjIyar's life history a very nice incident is shown. Once when bhattar along with his family was in kUrakulOththaman (a village), some damage happens to nanjIyar's garden by bhattar's family members. The EkAngis (servants) of nanjIyar become upset and say some harsh words towards them. Hearing this nanjIyar becomes very upset and explains to his servants that the garden is there for the whole purpose of bhattar's satisfaction and not for namperumAL (i.e., AchArya kainkaryam is more important). From this we can understand that our properties should be put in use for AchArya kainkaryam.
• Holding on to lands that are not at total disposal of bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchArya is an obstacle. Translator's note: Similar to previous point. We can also recollect ananthAzhwAn's wonderful dedication in creating a pond and a beautiful garden in thirumalA for thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn's kainkaryam on the orders of  emperumAnAr.

We will continue with the next section in the next article.

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