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Intoduction to Vaishnavism
The desire to do beneficial or good things arose with the birth of the human being . To fulfil this desire ,the human being started a search . The path of
the westerners to attain this is different from the approach of the Indians. For the Westerners , good conduct , beneficial conduct , the search for the true
Self are all the same. For them, none of the above is separate from their religion. All their attempts to do good things flow only from their religious books.
In the tradition of the Indians religion is different and good conduct is different .In our country ,the Sruthis and the Smruthis direct that the
principles of good conduct as laid down in the four "varnas" and the four stages in life are asramas , viz. the Brahmacharya , Grihastha ,Vaanaprasta
and Sanyasa Asramas should be followed. That is why we are first Jivas and thereafter only beings . Thereafter , we are governed by the Varnasrama and
only there after we belong to our religion. Thus , the Indian tradition is that the Jiva ,the Being and the principles of the Varnasrama are different from
religion. In India ,to whatever caste among the four castes a person may belong , things like the naming ceremony , the first feeding , and such other
traditions are all the same . Similarly , only after dealing with food , sleep , fear , union , and principles of human conduct like truth , non-violence, and
after mentioning the activities like the naming ceremony , then only a reference is made [a place given ] to religion . These priniciples were explained by
Maharshis like Aapasthambha, Bodaayana, Kartyaayana, Yaagnavalkya and others in their great works of aphorisms. Ancient seers like Manu ,
Parasara and others explained these in their Smruthis .All these followed what was already indicated in the Vedas . After this , the thought process began
pertaining to the reality of the Truth , beneficial conduct and the end objects of life . Those who accepted the Vedas as the Authority in the above analysis
relating tothe Reality were regarded as believers or Aasthikas and those who did not accept the authority of the Vedas were called non -believers are
[Link] Manu Smruthi [2-11]says :
"praamaanya buddhirvedeshu naastikivedanindakah"
The six important creeds in the Vedic religion are the Nyaaya of Gautama , theVaiseshika of Kaana , the Sankhya of Kapila, theYoga of Patanjali , the
Poorva Mimaamsa of Jaimini, and the Uttara Mimaamsa of Baadaraayana . Among the above , the Uttara Mimaamsa of Baadaraayana attained
prominence as that gives an insight into the Vedanta. Because of the differences in interpretation of the above Maharshis, though the Vedas are one , the
creeds became six .All of them accepted the authorities of the Vedas , but as stated by Sir S Radhakrishnan in his book "Indian Philosophy" the
differences in the approach of the different creeds were only because of the sages and authors themselves . It is from the Uttara Mimaamsa of
Baadaraayana , the Advaita , the Visishtaadvaita and the Dvaita arose as principles enunciating different approaches to religion . The other creeds like
Nyaaya, Vaiseshika and others remained only as wings of these three [Link] the religions arising from the Vedas became parts of these three
religious approaches . The Principal enunciators of the three religious approaches, Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada, Sri Ramanuja charya, and Sri Madhva
charya accepted the Vedas , theUpanishads ,the Ithihasas and the Puraanas as the authorities and thereafter established their respective religions. Though
their principles were different , they all accepted the supremacy of Narayana and accepted that He alone can give all fruits , He alone is Worthy of
worship by all persons and He alone can confer Liberation (Moksha) .Even a very staunch Advaitin like Madhusudana Saraswati accepted this.

The supreme Lord who has all the Divinity auspicious qualities and has fulfilled all the desires,
the Lord of the Sri, took pity and with compassion gave a body and other limbs to the [Link] is
what Sri parasara Bhatta has said in the Sri Guna Ratna Kosa.
" Achita viseshitaan pralayaseema nisamsaratah
karanakalebaraih ghatatoyitum dayaamaana manaah"
For the sake of using these limbs, he gave saastras, which were like the lamps spreading light.
This has been put very nicely in Sriranga(raja) Stava as follows:
"maanampradeepamiva kaarunikodadaati"
To uplift the beings who are having repeated births, who are taking up repeated residences in the
wombs and to help the beings who are getting born again and again because they were
worshiping they were worshiping gods who are capable only of giving petty and ephemeral fruits ,
the Lord, in His compassion took pity and manifested as lord Rama And Lord Krishna.
Nammalvar, in his Thiruviomizhi 4-6-8 has said: " Maari maari pala pirappu pirandhu". However,
the lord bemoaned the fact that the foolish people did not recognise the fact that He was the
suprime Lord or sarveswara. This is what has been indicated in Bhagavad Gita at verse 11 of
chapter IX.
"avajaanatimaam moodaah maanusheem tanumaasritam"
it is to uplift us that the lord sent divine beings in the human form. To capture anyone, one will
have to assume the form of that particular being, for example to capture an animal another
animal of the same family is required. Because of this, the Lord , in His supreme Grace deputed
his accompanying beings to the earth as Azwars and Acharyars. These are all persons who have
obtained the infinite Grace of the Lord even without seeking it and they are persons who hava
divine knowledge. That is why they are called Divyasuris. The great works written by them are the
Divya [Link] religious places places which have been descrided & sung by them are the
Divya Kshetras. To know about the lord who is devoidog deficiencies, who is pure ,who is Eternal
and who is taintless is to have Jnana or [Link] Puraana(6-5-87) says as follows:
"tat jnaanam ajnaanam atonyaduktam "
Any knowledge which does not pertain to the Suopreme Lord is equal to ignorance. The Telugu
poet Potana has said that learning is hymning of the Lord who has the Chakra in His hand . That
which is not the cause for being bound is Karma. The Vishnu Puraana says this as follows(1-1941)
"Tat karmayannabandhaaya saavidyayaa vimuktaye"

That which is the instrument or cause for obtaining liberation (Moksha) is Vidya(the science of
education).those who have this knowledge alone are the real Jnaanis or knowledgeable
[Link] who have this Tattva Jnaana or (the knowledge of the Reality) are the Azhvars.
Since these persons bathed at all the places, at all times and in all conditions, in the nectar of
the divinely auspicious qualities of the Suprime Lord they got the name Azhvars. Tradition has it
that they are ten in number. Some Traditionalists hold that they are twelve in number including
also the names of Madhurakavi, the disiple of Nammazvar and Bhagvan Ramanuja. Another
tradition regard them as 12 in number including the names of Madhura Kavi and Goda Devi. Sri
Manavaala Maamuni, the Princilpe proponant of the Southern school recognizes only ten Azwars
and hymned as follows in the great work Upasana Ratnamaala(pasuram 4)
"Poygaiyaar, Bhootattaar, Peyaar,Pigazh Mazhisai ayyan, arul Maaran, Cheralarkone, thuyya
bhatta- nathan, anbarthaall dhiili, Narpaanan, Narkaliyan Eedhivar thottrathadaivaam ingu"
The meaning is that the ten Azwars manifested in the following Order: Poygaiyaazhvar,
bhoothattaazhvar, peyaazhvar,Thirumanzhisai azhvar, Nammazhvar, Kulasekhara azhwar,
Periyaazhvar, Thondarappodi Azhvar, Thiruppanaazhwar, and Thirumangai Azhvar

[Link]

Works of Ramanujacharya
(Nava rathnangaL- Nine Gems)
1. Vedartha-Sangraha
- A treatise presenting the tenets of Visistadwaita, a reconciliation of different
conflicting srutis.
2. Sri Bhasya
- A detailed commentary on the Vedanta Sutras .
Sri Bhaashyam : Magnum Opus of Our Acharya : This is a voluminous work critiquing the
interpretations on the BrahmasUtras of Sage Badaraayana ( Vyasa ) by Adhi Sankara's advaitha ,
Bhaskara's BhedAbhEdhA and other schools of Vedantha .The lengthy commentary on the first sUtrA
lays the foundation for the Sri VisishtAdvaitha darsanam firmly and clearly.
3. Gita-Bhasya
- A detailed commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita.
Sri GitA BhAshyam : This is a Substantive commentary on the Bhagavad Gita
based on the shorter grantham ( GithArtha Sangraham ) by his Acharya's Acharya
( ALavanthar/Yaamuna Muni). Bhakthi Archives has postings on ALavanthar's
work.
4. Vedanta-Dipa
- A brief commentary on the Vedanta Sutras.
VedAntha DeepA : A brief commentary on the purport of each of the Brahma sUtrAs . It is shorter than
Sri Bhasyam because it does not include the criticisms of the rival systems.
5. Vedanta-Sara
- Another brief commentary on the Vedanta Sutras and meant for beginners.
VedAntha SaarA : This grantham is for those , who might find Sri Bhaashyam and VedAntha DeepA too
terse and tough . It brings out the essence of Brahma sUtrAs and the AdhikaraNAs . Our AchAryA did
not want to frighten away those , who might have difficulty scaling the intellectual heights of Sri
BhAshyam .
6. Saranagati-Gadyam
SaraNAgathi Gadhyam : This deals with the most important SaraNAgathi
( Prapatthi )doctrine , which is cardinal to Sri VisishtAdvaitham.

7. Sri Ranga-Gadyam
Sriranga Gadhyam : This grantham is in the form of a soul-stirring prayer to
Sri RanganAthA.

8. Sri Vaikuntha-Gadyam
- Describtion of Sri VaikuntAdhi Divya lOkam and the
position of the liberated souls.
Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam : A glowing description of the celestial abode ( Sri
Vaikuntam ) of Sriman NaarAyaNA and the supreme bliss
( MokshAnubhavam ) of the Muktha and Nitya Jeevans.
9. Nitya-Grantha
- A short manual intended to guide the Sri Vaishnava devotees for Nitya
karmaas.
Nithya Grantham or Bhagavdh AarAdhana PrayOgA :Following the instructions given by
GeethAchAryA in the twelfth chapter of GitA , AchArya RaamAnuja insists on the need for a VishNu
BhakthA to engage in the religious observances enjoined in the VedAs , Smrithis and PurANAs . Through
these nine granthAs in Sanskrit , AchArya RaamAnuja built on the foundations laid by his predecessors
( natha Muni and ALavanthAr ) and built the citadel of Sri VaishNavam . His successors (74
SimhaasanAdhipathis) interpreted the above nine granthams and created the Vast Sri VaishNavite
literature that we are blessed to possess as our Kula Dhanams today .

Commandments ( Final Statements ) of Sri Ramanujachar

Bhagavadh rAmAnujA's

Gadhya Trayam

(Sarangathy Gadyam, Sriranga Gadyam & Vaikunta Gadyam)

My humble praNAms to this esteemed group of devotees of sriya: patih sriman narayanan,
who are on their paths toward performingprapatti yogam in order to obtain the blessings of
Divya dampatis. it is always our desire to perform kaimkaryam at all times and in all sorts to
divya dampatis. saraNAgathi tatvam is the only means to attain the same for srivaishNavALs,
as guided by our azhwArs, nathamuni, ALavandhAr, yatirAjar(sri rAmAnujar), kUrEsar,
parAsarar and our Great vEdAntha dEsikan, maNavALa mAmunigaL, my AchAryA His
Holiness Srimad poundareekapuram andavan, His Holiness Srirangam Srimad andavan, His Holiness Sri Ahobila
mutt Jeer Azhagiya singar, Sri Vaanamaalmalai Mutt Jeer, Sri Parakala Mutt Jeer and many other Greatest
AchAryAs of Sri vaishnavam.
On the panguni utthiram day Lord RanganAtha (naMperumAL) appears along with our mAthA pirAtti Sri
RanganAyaki thAyAr and on only this day, one can have this sEtthi sEvai (darshan of Divya dampathis together)
and words can NOT come to my rescue for expressing the happiness and bliss one gets during this utsavam when
a person looks at Them; Especially because the scene is this:
The Lord (naMperumAL) is standing majestically as usual and more beautiful and graceful today due to the fact
that His consort, the Most gorgeous looking pirAtti is enjoying the beauty of Her Lord without taking Her eyes
off Him even for a second (She does not even sit facing us; She has turned her posture by 90 Degrees and is
facing the LORD fully;) That should definitely make our pithA feel PROUD and HAPPY and one can actually
the beaming face of the Lord depicting His happiness in His eyes and His mandhahAsam;
And this is the right opportunity (any one who has got their report cards signed when the father is in joyous mood
and is with the mother, who is also happy being with the father will agree with me) for a person to ask for
favours from our Divine Eternal PARENTS. Our yatirAjar makes no mistakes; He has struck when the iron is
hot.
He has taken the pirAtti first in his side (knowing fully well that pirAtti is only listening; but not looking at him;)
by praising Her attributes of mercy, dayA, vAtsalyam and Her being together with the Lord always at all times
under all circumstances (nityAnapAyinee) and pleads to the pirAtti for recommending to the Lord.
There goes the Gadhya trayam composition ( saraNagathi Gadhyam, Sriranga Gadyam and Vaikunda Gadhyam
composed in prose forms) by sri rAmAnujar, the beauty of which must have already been known to
BhagavatALs. These gadhyams are in fact only to guide us who are caught in samsaaric troubles and are in deep
waters. There is no other sign of escape for us; except for such excellent compositions of seers. These
compositions of yatirAjA had been immediately appreciated by Divya dampatis Themselves and their assurances
to protect and save him (and his devotees as well) at all times and to take yatirAjA to Their Lotus feet at the end
to perform ceaseless kainkaryam.
With the blessings of Divya Dampathis and of yatirAjA, I would like to think loud with you by posting simple,
lucid description of these Gadhya trayams.
May pirAtti SriRanganAyaki samEtha namperumAL bless us all for performing kainkaryams to Divya
Dampathis and His BhagavatALs at all times.

Sri rAmAnujar thiruvadigaLe saraNam

Saranagathi Gadhyam
Sri: SrimathE RamanujAya namah:
1. Bhagavan NarAyaNa ......... saraNa maham prapadhyE..
Meaning: Sri MahAlakshmi has got all the attributes, the thirumEni, its specialities, the kalyANa GuNAs, which
the Lord likes always; Not even a second, she gets separated from the Lord; Blemishless; the pattamahishi of
dEvAthi dEvan; the mother for the entire universe; and my mother too; Such a great mother Sri mahAlakshmi- I,
who has no other shelter or protector, take refuge at her lotus feet.
Requesting Sri mahAlakshmi to recommend to Lord Sri RanganAtha:
2. pAramArtthika...... asthu mE..
Meaning: Parabhakti, ParaGnAnam and Paramabhakti are the permanent means to hold the Lord's Lotus feet.
With those Bhakti, one can get the divine experience and Bhagavadh anubhavam which is the only one to be
desired and nothing else; From that Bhagavadh anubhavam, the "NILAIYAANA KAINKARYAM" to the Lord.
For getting that sort of attitude and the bhakti, one shall perform SARANAGATHI at the Lotus feet of
namperumAL. O mAthA, Please bless me to obtain such bent of mind to do SARANAGATHI at all times; with
no gap absolutely.
Piratti acknowledges:
3. AsthuthE.....Let it happen as you asked for.
4. Thayaiva sarvam sampathyathE With that saraNagathi, you (and your sishyAs) ("SARVAM") are going to get
EVERY sampath.
EmberumAn's swaroopam:
5. Akila hEya .....swaroopa..
The One, who has embodied unlimited GnAnam, Anandham, and who has housed all kalyANa guNAs, who has
differed from all that is different from Him by nature, who has all qualities that is opposite to those which we
hate;
EmperumAn TirumEni azhaghu:
6. SwAbhimathAnuroopaika....Divya roopA..
The one who has the ThirumEni which is very much liked by Him; which can NEVER be thought and
understood about; which is NOT a combination of various particles and matter; which is a wonder(aRputham);
which has no beginning and no end; which is blemishless; which is an unparalleled brightening body; which has
azhaghu(beauty), sughandham(Good smell), softness, and youth always;
EmperumAn's GuNAs:

7. SwAbhAvikA.....mahArNavA..
the one who has excellent innumerable kalyANa guNAs (as enumerated by AchAryA in "saraNAgathi Gadhyam"
also) namely.,JnAnam(true and perfect knowledge), Bhala (ability to support the whole Universe), Aishwarya
(incomparable wealth and ruler ship of the Universe), veerya (untiring virility), shakthi (power to act without
extraneous help), tEjas(unmatched radiance), souseelya(purest character), vAtsalya(pure unmitigated love),
Maardava(affectionate tenderness towards devotees/ bhagavathaaLs), Aarjava(Honesty), Souhardha(Thinking of
good only), Samya(equanimous one), KaruNya(Merciful), Madhurya(sweet even to enemies),
Gambheerya(majesty and nobility), Audharya(giving out liberally- vaLLal thanmai), Chathurya(ability to change
even enemies into friends), sthairya(determined to stay on chosen course), dhairya(undaunted courage to bring
succor to the bhakthAs), sowrya(ablility to fight alone), parakrama(winning the battles effortlessly), sathya
kAma(having Thy will ever fulfilled), sathya sankalpa(Having Thy deeds fully executed), krutithvam(carrying
out the duties of BhagavathaaLs), kruthangnathai(remembering with gratitude even a little worship offered to
Him), and repository and ocean of all such innumerable kalyANa guNAs; He is parabrahmam and
PurushOtthaman . Such qualities are flooded in our Lord!
BhagawAn's alankArangaL:
[Link] bhooshaNA:
8. The ones which are exactly matching and are suitable to Him, the ones which are of different, spectacular,
kinds, and have no beginning and have no counts; have permanence in themselves; have no blemishes; unlimited
fragrance, softness, brightness in them;- such crown (kireetam), choodAvadhamsam (mudi aNi),
makarakundalam, mAlai, muthucharangaL, bangles, Srivathsam (mole on His chest), ThiruvayiRRup pattam,
PeethAmbharam, araigNaN, thaNdai, etc., are His AbharaNangaL(jewels).
EmperumAn's weapons(AyudhangaL):
[Link]..
9. The ones which are exactly matching and the ones whose powers can NOT be thought of or understood (by
anyone)- such sanghu(conch), chakram(discuss), gadhai, vil, are His weapons which have no blemishes and
always do good to others;- O Lord, the one who has such weapons!
His consorts:
[Link] yEvamhootha NeeLA nAyakA:
[Link] one who is always dearest to Him; who is foe ever, matching and suitable, without blemishes, has a
suitable ThirumEni azhaghu, attributes, guNAs, capabilities, command, qualities precisely identical to the LordSri MahAlakshmi- Her nAyakA!, Similarly BhoomidEvi, NeeLAdEvi nAyakA!
His parijana, parichArikALs:
[Link]
11. The state, actions and qualities of following emperumAn's thiruvuLLam(mind) at all times, the concentration
and determination to perform service to the Lord at all times and with a thought about that only at all times, the
GnAnam, actions, command, qualities and attributes and such countless kalyANa gunAs are housed in
AdhisEshan, vishvaksEnar, Garudan, and other parijanangaL and maids who always serve the Lotus feet of our
Lord incessantly. O such great two feet!

BhagawAn's place:
ParamayOgivaikuntanAthA..
[Link] the most greatest yOgis can not talk or think or measure His swaroopam, such wonderful swaroopam,
swabhAvam, such qualities are fully housed in unlimited, beautiful, blemishless, permanent, the one where there
is no comparison to any other place- such Sri vaikunta vAsi! Akila ulaga nAthan SwasankalpAnu vibhavalaya
leela..
13. The One who has leelAs(playful acts) of The creation, the sustenance and the Destruction of all countless,
wonderful enjoyer, the enjoyment and the enjoyed, the one who has housed within Himself as His nature the
prakrithi, the purushan and the time(kAlam),- Such leelA vinOdhA! Surrender to the Lord
SathyakAmAprapadyE..
The One who has all that He can think of; who can achieve all that He can attempt; The one who is a
parabrahman; uttamapurushan; who rules all unlimited, unbounded beings and non-beings; Sri mahAlakshmi
nAyakA!, NarAyaNA; Sri vaikutanAthA;
The one who is an ocean of kArunyam, sowseelyam, vAtsalyam, AudhAryam, Sowndharyam; The one who does
not see the level and protects everyone equally; who wipes the sufferings of bhaktALs; who removes bhaktALs'
mistakes; who knows the truths of all matters; movable ones, non movable ones-He commands them at all times;
who is the support for the entire Universe; who is a swAmi for the entire Universe; And also my swAmi; Who
has everything with Him; who can get whatever He thinks; who is different from others (except Him); who is like
a kaRpakatharu for those who beg Him; who is a friend in need; one who never separates Himself from pirAtti;
Sriman NarAyaNA; one who is the only refuge for those who are in need of support; Such Sri NarAyaNA! I
surrender into your two Lotus feet.
(Dvaya manthram to be recited here)
Pitharam... gruhANi cha..
O BhagawAn! I have left the bonds of bodily relations like father, mother, wife, children, bhandhus(relatives),
friends, Gurus, RathinangaL(wealth), danadhAnyangaL. Properties, Houses, DharmangaL, and all others, and
have surrendered to your feet, TrivikramA!
TvamEvadEva sodum.. DEvAdhi dEvA! You are my mother; my father; my relative; my Guru; my knowledge;
my matter; my every thing; One who has unparalleled good qualities; One who is a father of all movable and
immovable, living and non living beings; You are the only one who can be worshipped; You are the only one who
can be a Teacher; Hence, You are the GREATEST; When there is not even an equal person to match You; How
can there someone be greater than You(There CAN NOT BE).
Hence, I have placed my human body flat on the ground and prostrate at your feet considering You as my Lord,
the one who is worshippable. Consider me as a son to a father; as a friend to another friend; as a wife to a
husband; and bear all my mistakes, blunders which I have committed.
(Our Sri RamanujA thus prostrated to Sriya: pathi and begged to be forgiven by the Lord).
ManOvAkkAyai..kShamasva..
10&[Link] the mind, Language and the body, from time immemorial (for so many births), the mistakes,
blunders (apachArams) have been committed; that too, tremendous, infinite number of apachArams- doing the

ones which should not have been done; not doing the ones which should be done as per shAstrAs; committing
apachArams to the Lord; to the BhAgavathALs; committing unforgivable, unpardonable apachArams; -All of
these, O Lord, Please show mercy on me and forgive me for my such mistakes. Out of these apachArams, some
have already started giving me results; some have not yet yielded results; some have been committed in the past;
some are being done in the present; and some may even be committed in the future; - Please forgive me for all
these apachArams. With regards to Atman, Worldly things, I have been having a misconception and having a
"vibhareetha GnAnam", for quite a long time (for so many births); All these wrong GnAnams and
misconceptions, which I possess, and will possess- Please forgive me them also. Request for removal of
"mAyai"
madheeya-anAdhi karma... mAm thAraya..
12. The mAyA, which has been there in me due to my karmAs I have been doing for a long time; which has been
hiding me from the Supreme Truth (BhagawAn) and has been leading me to a "vibhareetha GnAnam" of
mistaking the Body as Atman (or attaching myself to the Body); a thinking that "Worldly and sensual pleasures
are the happiest and are to be sought after; the mAyA which has been as a body, as sense organs, as bhOgyam, as
gross and fine matter; as sattva, rajas and thamasa guNAs; - Such a mAyA of mine(who is saying to You, "I have
surrendered to You and am Your servant ALWAYS")-Please enable me to cross over Thy mUla prakriti of the
entire guNAs causing beginningless and endless karmas".
tEshAm gnAnee... sudhurlabha:..
13."the GnAni is the one, who is a bhakthA and always thinks of me; hence, he is my dearest. and I am his
dearest too." - Please make me such a gnAni!.
Request for PARABHAKTI
"purushas sa para: pArtha:... kinkarO bhavAni..
14."ArjunA, that Parama purushan can be attained through unadulerated ekAntha bhakti only"; "can be attained
only with a single pointed devotion/bhakti"; "he gets the Highest Bhakti from Me"- You have mentioned such
parama bhakti three times; - Please bless me with such a paramabhakti.
[Link] make me an embodiment of para bhakti, paragnAna and parama bhakti.
[Link] those para bhakti, paragnAnam and parama bhakti, I will get Bhagavadh anubhavam and will get "nitya
kainkaryam" to You.
BHAGAWAAN REPLIES:
Evambhootha mathkainkarya....kinkarO bhavishyasi..
[Link] that, you may not possess or have any means to get Nitya kainkaryam to Me; you may have committed
numerous apachArams to Me; and to My bhAgavathALs; you may have committed unpardonable apacharams;
you may have possessed vibhareetha ahankAram and vibhareetha gnAnam and hidden the"Real" swaroopam of
Atman; You may have got WRONG vibhareetha thoughts for ages (for so many births); you may possess sathva,
rajasa, thAmasa guNAs and also are bound by sukha, dukkangaL(pleasure and sorrows); their causes-theorigin of
such vibhareetha thoughts;- you are being troubled and disturbed greatly by the above things and obstruct you to
get the "paripoorNa parabhakti, paragnAnam and paramabhakti; - In spite of all these, even though, you have all
the above, JUST BECAUSE SOME WAY (may be, inadvertently), YOU HAVE RECITED DWAYA
MANTHRAM; and Hence, With My Grace and Mercy, you will get rid of all hurdles; worries and troubles

coming in the way to obtain para bhakti and para gnAnam and parama bhakti; With My Grace, you will be
blessed with My Swaroopam, GuNam, Roopam, Perumai, LeelAs etc., and you will see Them in person; you will
be My servant and you will enjoy Me ONLY; you will realise that realising Me and Serving Me ONLY GIVES
you HAPPINESS AND BLISS; For ever, permanently, with no other material benefit or desire, you will LOVE
to serve Me; Experiencing Me and Great Love and Bhakti, affection arising in you out of that Rich Experience
will come to you BY MY GRACE; you will always PERENNIALLY LOVE TO SERVE ME AND GET
BLESSED; you will be keen on That only;
18. This section is an assuring answer by the Lord to a question that Sri Ramanuja has in mind :When do I start
such a kaimkaryam ? You have already started BEING like that.
[Link] reciting Dwaya manthram and ITS MEANING and get over even the semblance of ALL the
HURDLES; Live like that HAPPILY in SRIRANGAM till your body is worn out and will not house YOU ANY
MORE;
[Link] your body falls down, you will shine BRIGHT BY MY GRACE and you will see My Darshan and You
will be GREATLY INQUISITIVE to see Me and Reach Me to Serve Me; and you will shed the BODY like
removing the Old Cloth; you will get All Bhakti for Me Due to My Grace; You will get "Nitya Kainkaryam" for
Me; and you will Not desire anything other than the bliss and happiness of performing Nitya Kainkaryam;
[Link] No Doubts about This (mA thE bhoothathra samsaya:)
22. I have NEVER UTTERED FALSEHOOD; Nor will I ever; Rama Never Talks Twice; "Once, whoever
surrenders to Me and says "I am Your Servant", I offer "AbhaYam" to All such Beings";
[Link] ALL FRUITS OF YOUR KARMA AND SURRENDER TO MY FEET; I SHALL DELIVER
YOU FROM ALL YOUR ALL SINFUL REACTIONS. DO NOT FEAR OR LAMENT. (SarvadharmAn ... mA
sucha:)
24. Athas thwam thava.. sukhamAswa.. Hence, you, the one who has joined Me, will know Me as I am, will see
as I am and will reach Me as I am and shall HAVE NO DOUBTS AT ALL ABOUT IT; Live Happily Till then.
(Dearest Brothers and Sisters- It is Just my free translation and I know with my limited (and no) knowledge, it is
beyond my ability and capacity to do full justice to this Gadhyam's RICH TATHWAM; My attempt is a humble
one , since great AchAryAs have commented on the many deep meanings of this gadhyam that is dear to the
world of Sri VaishNavAs. They have commented extensively about Sri RamAnujA's saraNAgathi Gadhyam
serving as an exposition of the Dvaya manthram that has come to us thru AchAryAs . I place this humble effort
of mine at the feet of the divya dampathis of Srirangam and AchArya RaamAnujA with great humility and in the
spirit of service to the Sri VaishNavA community
-- Narayana dasan Madhavakkannan

Sriranga Gadyam
Sri: SrimathE RamanujAya namah:
Dearest sisters and brothers, Subsequent to the article on "saraNAgathi Gadhyam", let us get blessed by the
bhakti and great intense personal and emotional anubhavam of our achAryA in his SriRanga Gadhyam.
1. svAdheenatrividhachEtanAchEtana-.....bhavAmi....

"Bhagawaan- the one who has and holds sway over the bhaktha, mukhta and nitya varities of chEtanAs
(sentinent) and their existence and activities; and achEthanAs (insentinent); the one who is not affected nor
influenced by miseries and by sinful and virtuous karmAs; the one who has excellent innumerable kalyANa
guNAs (as enumerated by AchAryA in "saraNAgathi Gadhyam" also) namely.,JnAnam(true and perfect
knowledge), Bhala (ability to support the whole Universe), Aishwarya (incomparable wealth and ruler ship of the
Universe), veerya (untiring virility), shakthi (power to act without extraneous help), tEjas(unmatched radiance),
souseelya(purest character), vAtsalya(pure unmitigated love), Maardava(affectionate tenderness towards
devotees/ bhagavathaaLs), Aarjava(Honesty), Souhardha(Thinking of good only), Samya(equanimous one),
KaruNya(Merciful), Madhurya(sweet even to enemies), Gambheerya(majesty and nobility), Audharya(giving out
liberally- vaLLal thanmai), Chathurya(ability to change even enemies into friends), sthairya(determined to stay
on chosen course), dhairya(undaunted courage to bring succor to the bhakthAs), sowrya(ablility to fight alone),
parakrama(winning the battles effortlessly), sathya kAma(having Thy will ever fulfilled), sathya
sankalpa(Having Thy deeds fully executed), krutithvam(carrying out the duties of BhagavathaaLs),
kruthangnathai(remembering with gratitude even a little worship offered to Him), and repository and ocean of all
such innumerable kalyANa guNAs; He is parabrahmam and PurushOtthaman (foremost); He is SriRanga saayi;
the one who is reclining on the serpent bed in Sri Rangam and He is my swamin;- I am always subject to the
command of Him, and have tasted the sweetnesss of being in service to the Lord forever. I will always consider
Him as the subject of my Bhakti and GNAnam and will enjoy Him only as my only aim with no gap or
separation at all; with such enjoyment, I will get tremendous happiness and bliss and pErAnandham and will
involve myself at all times and all circumstances, in offering my service to the Lord and will be saoked and
immersed in such service."
2. svAtma niyAmya....prapadyE...
".I, the jivaathma, am always at Your beck and call; always at Your disposal for carrying out service and having a
thought of service at all times; having love for enjoyment of limitless kalyANa guNAs of the Lord; Arising out of
that enjoyment, is the Bhakti yoga, karma yoga and Gnana yoga, sAthveekam, Asthikam etc., - But the above all
are NOT in me; On the contrary, I possess vibhareetha gnAnam and karma and am caught in deep waters of
inescapable ocean of sins; I am incapable of breaking myself free from this ocean (crossing the ocean of sin) with
my knowledge and bhakti since they are covered with ego and are covered by my inevitable association with
prakritti. My unavoidable association with triguNAs is like oil in the sesame seed (eLLil eNNAI pOl) and fire in
firewood(araNikkatayil neruppu pOl). I am bound by the rope of karma in the form of virtue and sin
accumulated over time immemorial over the ages for so many births of mine out of ignorance; I am incapable of
finding the means to overcome this bondage of samsaara ; However hard I try, it is not possible; Hence, the only
refuge of all beings! O Lord! Sriman NarayaNA!, the one who is ever associated with Sri Lakshmi!, You are the
only means of emancipation. I surrender at Your Lotus feet. I seek Your protection.
(Sisters and brothers, Acharya, we all know, DOES NOT possess such limitations but is speaking on OUR
BEHALF and whatever he says are only for us; Let us realise THAT and get blessed by AcharyA and Divine
Dampathis!)
[Link] mavasthi thasyaapi...praarthayE.
"Even though I am in such a helpless state, just because I have begged you, having that alone as the reason, the
ever merciful Lord, emperumaan, will grant me the favour of firm single-minded devotion in everlasting service
to Him; Oh Lord! Please grant me this boon and I pray for it."
[Link] sambhoota...gatimanyathA...

I do not have any other shelter and have no other means. BhagavaanE! Please give me and grant me the service
to You from the joy of experiencing and enjoying You. Please enable me to please You with my love for You and
grant that out of Your limitless mercy."
(You all may notice that any love, bhakti for Sriman Narayana arising in us is and can come only due to His
mercy and NOTHING else; Our begging Him to grant us that is all the simplest effort we have to take- Simplelet us start begging Him now immedeiately!)
sarvaavathOchitasEsha....kurushva mAm...
5." SenthAmaraik kaNNA!..(Red Lotus eyed Lord!) I should always be eager to render all forms and all kinds
of service under all conditions. Please bless me to possess this state of mind".
Evambhootha....kAraya
6." Even though I have no sincere wish to know the truth nor desire; and I am not fit for Your grace to reach the
goal, just because I am doing lip service and am uttering such words (without actually sincerely meaning them),taking that as my request please grant me the mind to concentrate on what I am going to tell and consider my
words as an excuse to fill my deficiencies" (What an excellent reflection about our character and defects in our
minds! acharya is narrating in clear categorical terms the state of our minds and their nature)
apArakanuNambhthE!...namOsthuthE..
7. "Oh Limitless infinite Ocean of Mercy!, the Ultimate Shelter and Succour of all irrespective of differences!,
the One who wipes and removes the distress of all who take refuge in Him!, Great Ocean of Love to Your
Devotees!, The One, who knows all truths about all beings that are created !, You who is filled with ENTIRETY!,
the One, who has His wishes always fulfilled!, The One who can do all that He wishes!, Friend in my distress!,
Oh kAkusthA (RaamA!), the One, who is ever associated with Sri!, Sriman NararyaNA!, The One, who is the
Greatest among all!, Sri RanganAthA!, My NathA!, I PROSTRATE BEFORE YOU!"
(Sisters and brothers, Acharya conveys us the saraNAgathi tatvam and that the Lord is ever Merciful and showers
His grace and mercy on those who surrender to Him. He has used Sri Ram for His mercy on the Bird, the
Monkeys, the Old lady (sabhari), the stone(ahalyaa), the enemy's brother(vibheeshaNa), the vEdan(Guhan), the
asuran (kAkAsuran) (and all of us!))
-- Narayana dasan Madavakkannan

Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam

SRI: SrimathE RamnujAya Namah:
This "Sri Vaikunta Gadhyam" is the third Gadhyam of our AchAryA's Gadhya trayam- (Let us immerse ourselves
into this excellent composition and get a darshan of Sriya: Pathih Sriman NarayaNa's Vaikuntam and be blessed
by the AchAryA and Divya Dampathis;)
[Link] trividha chEtanAchEtana_.saraNa manuvrajEth..
"Emperumaan- Bhagawaan- the One who has and holds sway over the ChEthanAs (sentient) namely., bhaktha,
muktha and nithya varieties ., and their existence and activities; Also over the AchEthanAs (Non-sentient
beings); He is the One who is NOT affected by nor influenced by miseries, pApa and puNya (sinful and virtuous)

karmAs; He is the One who has excellent Greatest innumerable kalyANa GuNAs namely., jnAnam, bhalam,
aishvaryam, veeryam, shakti, and is an Ocean of such Most Auspicious attributes; - He is the Foremost among
men; I shall consider Him as my Master, Friend, Teacher at all times and I shall render service to His Lotus Feet
and only such thought should prevail in my mind always;
To attain that Nitya kaimkaryam, even after wasting the Thousands of ages (births), with a thinking that there are
OTHER MEANS but to surrender at the Lotus Feet of Him- who is the Ocean of Mercy for all beings; who has
the unbounded nature of being good to anyone; who thrills the minds of dEvAs, human beings and all other
beings with His Grand GuNAs; who is the Ocean of Love for His bhagavatOttamaaLs; who considers being in
the company of His devotees as the Biggest enjoyment; who has the Grandest attributes in Him; Such Sriman
NarayaNan's Lotus Feet- I shall think at all times that these Two Feet, which are the only means for salvation for
the Athmaa ;There are no OTHER means for salvation - With that thinking I shall surrender at His Feet;
[Link]^EanusmarEth..
"Thereafter, everyday, I shall continue to think in this manner for the salvation of my Athman;
[Link] dasa bhuvanaathmaka maNdambhagavthE vinEdhayath.. SRI
VAIKUNTAM The Universe which consists of fourteen lOkAs; beyond that, the seven aavaraNangaL which are
ten times the size of these Universes; Beyond these Cause and Effect Groups; there exists "parama aakAsam" the
One which can NOT be comprehended /attained even by the minds and speeches of Brahmaa and others- That is
Sri Vaikuntam, the Divya lOkam. In that lOkam populated by the likes of sanathkumArA known for their
jnAnam, by the like of BrahmA, RudrA et al known for their karma bhavanA, likes of mahAthmAs known for
their devotion to their (our) Lord, there is ONE BIG ThirukkOil (temple) whose Length and Breadth can NOT be
measured at all - which is surrounded by thousands of Gardens full of flowers and kaRpakA trees (capable of
giving whatever one wishes) - which is surrounded by thousands of beautiful ramparts; In that temple, there is an
exquisitely beautiful "asthAna maNtapam" (Hall?) which has hundreds of thousands of "Rathna" pillars, floor
made of gems, curtains, etc., surrounded by trees which shower most fragrant flowers always, at all times;
There are Halls surrounded by kaRpaka trees yielding pArijAtha flowers; These halls always look as if they have
just been built; Some of thses halls are meant for Sriman NarayaNan's Divya leelAs and some others are meant
for AlarmEl mangai's Divya leelAs and others are meant for the enjoyment of Divya Dampathis together; There
are hundreds of thousands of gardens where parrots, peacocks, cuckoos etc., add beauty to them.
They are surrounded by Streams of water where crystal clear water flows; they are filled by Divine Birds which
are extremely beautiful to look at and whose sweet voices are pleasing to hear; Divine Swans swim in those
streams of water which flow at SriVaikuntam; There are beautiful play grounds which stupefy people who see
them; In those play grounds there are beds made of flowers at different places; In one of those playgrounds,
where there are honey - bees sing merrily and where sandal, camphor, Divya pushpanGaL etc., add sughandha
(Good) smell to the place; Amidst such a place, there is a Divine Beautiful Cot on which is seated, AdisEshan and Above AdhsEshA;SRI MAHA LAKSHMI
She illumines the Entire dEvalOkam with Her lustre; the One who directs the kaimkaryams for the Lord (that has
to be done by sEshan) and VishvaksEnar; She is EQUAL to The Lord in GuNAS, Form and the Attributes in all
respects- With Such Sri MahAlakshmi, Our Emperumaan adorns the place;
The BEAUTY OF BAGAWAN

Like the just bloomed Red Lotus flower, the kaNNazhgan, Blue hued Lord,- who wears the glittering
peethAmbharam, who enlightens the Whole world with His Cool, Pure, ThirumEni;- incomprehensible, Divine,
Wonderful, Ever permanent, Youthful, Ocean of Beauty; Since His body is so tender, it appears as if due to
exertion, there are few droplets of sweat on His forehead and few strands of dark hair falling on His forehead; The One, who has the Beautiful eyes as if it is just bloomed Lotus flower, who has the eye brows like the creeper,
who has the Most beautiful lower lip, who has the sweet, pleasing smile on His lips, who has soft cheeks, sharp,
prominent nose, Bright, long, ear studs (kuNdalanGaL) that hang down to the shoulders; who has the neck like
the Conch, who has the calf muscles (that have been pressed by the dEvis and contain the fallen flowers form
dEvis' heads)- and the Four long hands extending upto the Calf muscles; who has the Most Beautiful lines in His
soles of His Feet, which are red in colour like Red Lotuses; who has the Beautiful rings in His fingers; who has
the Fresh Red Lotus like Feet;
Ornaments (AabharaNanGaL)
To touch they are very soft and exude excellent fragrance in them; they are extermely beautiful to look at
(because they adorn His Divine Body); these are kireetam (Crown), makutam, choodavathamsam,
makarakuNtalam, neckalce, haaram, thOL vaLai, bangles, Sri Vathsam, Kausthupam, Pearl Necklace, araignAN,
peethAmbharam, thru vayiRRUp pattam, thiruvadich chilambhu, - such ornaments adorn the Lord; Beautiful
Vaijayanthi vanamaali adorns Him; Sanghu, chakrA, Divine Sword, Saarngham, - such srong Divine weapons are
borne by Him;
By delegating and giving the necessary powers to VishvaksEnar who just by thinking can create, sustain and
destroy the Entire Universe; - Such Emperumaan sits surrounded by NitysUris, who by nature do not have the
misfortunes that the samsaaris (like us) are burdened with;
NityasUris
By nature, they are eternally free souls; none that samsaaris have; they consider the servitude to the Lord as the
Only enjoyment- Such Divya sooris (like GarudA) serve Him; The One, who by just a mere glance can enliven the Universe with Happiness; - His nectar of words that comes
from the middle of The Red Lotus-like face; which adorns the Red Lotus; which is adorned by Divine
GhAmbeeryam, OudhAryam, mAthuryam and such Great kalyANa GuNAs; which fill the valleys in everyone's
minds; - Such Emperumaan- seeing Him in our minds; thinking and realizing Him and His Primordial Nature; Longing Desire of Athmaa
Sriman NarayaNan He is the Master of my kulam, the Lord of my kulam, the Wealth of my kulam; My
Enjoyment, My mother, My father, My Everything- Such Sriman NarayaNan When will I see Him? When will I
get to The Lotus Feet of my Bhagawaan? When will I get the only desire to render service to His Lotus Feet and
remove all other desires and all other natures of all kinds of samsaaris and attain His Feet?
When will I get the capacity to render kaimkaryam to Bhagawaan and consider that alone as the Enjoyment and
perform kainkaryam? When will Bhagawaan look at me with His cool eyes and speak to me lovingly,
majestically and sweetly and command me to render the kainkaryam?
Growing such a desire to render the kaikaryam to the Lord, (which also is growing due to His GRACE only )
approaching the Lord with that desire, I approach SRI VAIKUNTANATHAN, who sits on the lap of AdhisEshanATMA NIVEDHANAM

When I approach The One who sits along with Sri MahAlakshmi, on the lap of Adi sEshan, The One who can be
attained by GarudA et al., - Seeing such Bhagawaan- "Oh Sriman NARAYANAA! The One who stays with all
His parivaar (entourage)!" addressing the Lord like that from afar, from a long distance, from then on,- continue
to prostrate on the Ground towards the Direction where He sits, - with full of fear (due to Great respect),
politeness, pay obeisance to the Lord and all others sitting in that Hall, the Commander-in-Chief, The Gate
keepers, et al., and be seen and blessed by each of their merciful eyes; - Finally approach the Lord very closely
and stay very near to Him and utter the ThiruvashtAkshara manthram and beg Him saying " Please grant me the
capacity to render Nitya kainkaryam to YOU, My Lord, without any interruption and without any other fruit;"
With such yAchakam (begging), I should surrender myself to the Lord.
4. thathO bhagawathA swayamEva^[Link] mupaasithE^E Bhagawaan considers and takes care
"Then, Bhagawaan by Himself, for the salvation of athmaa, - looks very lovingly, and very much mercifully at
me; I at all times, at all situations, will be enabled to have the necessary capacity to be the Humble servant; and
will be permitted to be so; will pay obeisance to the Lord with full of Great fear (due to enormous reverence and
respect for Him) and will serve Him with Folded arms and render service to Him.
5. Thathascha ^EavalOkayan aasitha..
The Ultimate Bliss of Bhagawaan's Darshanam " Then, enjoying all natures of the Lord, due to the Great infinite
amount of love and bhakti for the Lord, there can not be any other doing, seeing, thinking- such actions are not
possible to be carried out by me any more (by His grace); begging only for being His servant exclusively;
Looking at HIM UNITERRUPTEDLY like a CRYSTAL CLEAR CONTINUOUS STREAM of seeing HIM and
shall continue to do so;

6. ThathO bhagawathO swayamEva^Esukhamaaseetha..

The Athma sukham Granted By Bhagawaan Then, Bhagawaan, by Himself, for the salvation of athmaa, looks at
ME, very much lovingly, affectionately, with a GENTLE SMILE CALLS ME, and removing all kinds of
SORROWS, GRANTING THE UNBOUNDED, UNPARALLELED, ENJOYMENT OF KEEPING HIS LOTUS
FEET ON MY HEAD- Like that Meditate on Him and let all parts (of the Body, Mind and the Intellect and
Athmaa?) be immersed in THE OCEAN OF NECTAR AND ENJOYING THE GREATEST BLISS FOR EVER
AND EVER;
Dearest BhAgavatOttamALs, Such is the most Excellent composition of our AchAryA, YathirAjA, Sri
RamanujAchArya. Be blessed with our AchAryA's tremendous enjoyment and bhakti for Sriya: pathih Sriman
NarayaNan. Please read them especially on Ekadasis and on auspicious days; Let us read the meanings, since we
do not know Sanskrit and are not capable of reading Gadhyams.
Thanjamadaindha nam RamanujanE thanjam

Commandments of Sri Ramanuja

On his death bed Sri Ramanuja is said to have articulated 82 statements to his disciples. It is not an exaggeration
to present these statements as the essence of Sri Vaishnavam. I give below excerpts of these, translated from "Sri
Ramaanujar," pi. sri, sudhEsamitthiran, pp. 250 - 259, aagaStu 1964 . I apologise for the lack of lucidity of my
translation. (written by Sri Parthasarathy Dileepan).
1. Serve God and God's devotees. Serve all devotees without regard to their status.
2. Have faith in the teachings of AchAryAs.
3. Do not succumb to sensual pleasures.
4 & 5. Do not put your conviction on trivial saasthraas, have conviction on the saasthraas that deal with God.
6 - 8. Protect yourself from the five senses.
9 & 10. Praise the name of the Lord and AchAryAs.
11. All the knowledge you may have will not protect you if you choose sensual pleasures.
12 & 13. It is not enough to control your sensual desires, you must surrender to the Lord.
14 - 17. Do not be disrespectful of sri vaishnavaas for any reason, including age, caste, etc. You must show
respect to them all.
18. When you rise from your bed meditate upon your ancestral line of AchAryAs.
19. In front of the sanctum of our Lord, amongst sri vaishnavaas utter the words of dvayam. (mentally' Do not
utter loudly, as they are rahaysyams)
20. Praise the auspicious qualities of our Lord and AchAryAs.
21 and 22. Welcome sri vaishnavas with open arms and praise. Do not praise ordinary people for the sake of
material gain.
23. Pay respect when you see the gOpuram of a temple.
24 - 25. Have undying faith in Lord Vishnu.
26. Do not find fault with praise of the Lord or devotees.
27 - 29. Pay at most respect to sri vaishnavaas.
30 & 31. Among sri vaishnavaas do not discriminate between poor and rich.
32. Ignore the faults and praise the virtues of sri vasihnavaas.
33 - 35. Consume Sri paadha theertham with respect.
36. Do not consider yourself as equal to other devotees. Think of yourself as their servant.

37 - 39. To purify your sins consume the sri paatha theertham of great saints. For this, do not consider the caste of
those saints.
40 & 41. Duties of families. (Not described in the text)
42 - 44. Visiting temples and securing prasaadam is important.
45. Do not boast about your virtues.
46. Do not scorn a devotee.
47. Do not ignore serving devotees.
48. Praise the auspicious qualities of the Lord daily.
49. Recite prabhandams like thiruvaaymozhi daily.
50 - 58. Do not associate with the ones who only pretend to be sri vaihnvaas. Do not associate with the ones who
find faults with others. Do not even look upon those who belittle devotees. Associate with those who wish to
surrender to the Lord.
59 & 60. Ignore the harsh words of other sri vaishnvaas. Always do good to them.
(From this point onwards I am unable to give numerical listing as the original text does not give the numerical
ordering.)
Do not think of the deities of the Lord as just stone or wood. (my note: In as much as we give respect to the cloth
(the flag of a nation) as the nation itself, we need to consider the Divya mangaLa vigraham as the transcendental
form of Emperumaan Sriya:pathih Sriman Narayanan Himself.)
Do not think of your guru (AchArya) as just an ordinary person. Even simply saying out loud the caste of a sri
vasihnavaas is a sin.
Do not consider anything related to our Lord as ordinary. There is nothing greater than making our Lord and his
devotees happy. Insulting a devotee is a greater sin than not praying to the Lord. Your duty is to surrender to our
Lord. Try to live in Thiru naaraayanapuram (mElkOte) at least for some time. If you are unable to, where ever
you are, live with dvayam in your tongue. If you are unable to do even this, serve other srivaishnavaas