VIRODHI PARIHARANGAL

virOdhi parihArangaL (Removal of obstacles)
emperumAnAr - vangi puratthu nambi
http://ponnadi.blogspot.com 1 http://koyil.org
Preface
srI:
srImathE satakOpAya nama:
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srImadh varavaramunayE nama:
srI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
jagadhAchArya srI rAmAnuja is glorified as "kArEy karuNai irAmAnusa" - Most merciful

like clouds that freely bless everyone with rain (rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi - 25) and
"dhayaika sindhu" - ocean of compassion (yOnithyam achyutha - thanian). An
incarnation of Adhi sEshan, he is popularly known as udaiyavar, emperumAnAr, srI
bhAshyakAra, yathirAja, etc.
srI rAmAnuja - thirumalai
mAmunigaL joyfully reveals the greatness of emperumAnAr's compassion in upadhEsa

rathina mAlai 37th pAsuram.
OrAN vazhiyAi upadhEsiththAr munnOr

ErAr ethirAsar innaruLAl
pArulagil AsaiyudaiyOrkkellAm AriyargAL kUrum enRu
pEsi varambaRuththAr pin
AchAryas before emperumAnAr were very selective in sharing/teaching the divine

knowledge to others. They would put the prospective sishyas into test fully and ensure
that only deserving candidates get the divine knowledge. But emperumAnAr out of his
unlimited and natural compassion, explained the divine principles to whoever desired to
learn the same. He also instructed the many AchAryas who were established by him to
do the same. Thus he was glorified as "krupA mAthra prasannAchAryar" - one who is
filled with compassion towards jIvAthmAs. From his times, this srIvaishNava dharsanam
becomes to be known as emperumAnAr dharisanam and reaches great heights.
emperumAnAr had innumerable sishyas. 74 AchAryas who were established by him,

12000 gruhasthas, 700 sannyAsis and many thousands of srIvaishNavas (men and
women who were fully surrendered to him) were present during his times. Out of his
large-hearted nature, he removed the restrictions that were there for initiating men and
women into the sath sampradhAyam and seeing the sufferings of the bound souls, he
established that any one who has a little desire for upliftment needs to be shown the
true path. As said in "rAmAnjArya dhivyAgyA varthadhAm abivarthadhAm", he placed
these divine orders for the upliftment of everyone.
During his last moments, emperumAnAr gave valuable instructions which are usually
called as charama sandhEsam (final instructions) to his sishyas individually and
collectively. These are recorded in 6000 padi guruparamparA prabhAvam, vArthA
mAlai, prapannAmrutham, etc. Apart from those, his direct instructions to vangi puratthu
nambi is recorded in a grantham named "virOdhi parihArangaL" - Removal of
obstacles/hurdles. virOdhi means obstacles/hurdles. parihAra means
removal/elimination. This grantham contains 83 vAkyams (phrases/sentences) and a
commentary for each of those vAkyam which are compiled by vangi puratthu
nambihimself based on the instructions received from emperumAnAr. Each of these
vAkyams relates to a particular aspect of philosophy, practice (sleeping, eating, etc), etc
and the commentary by vangi puratthu nambi explains in detail the various intricacies
for each of those aspects.
emperumAnAr - vangi puratthu nambi
For srIvaishNavas, this grantham is of great value as it brings out minute details of
many day-to-day challenges we face now. In every action of ours and in every situation,
we may have various doubts in our mind on how to conduct ourselves properly. This
grantham clearly outlines our proper conduct and dealings with great clarity.
This grantham was originally verified by srIsaila aththangi thirumalai srImAn srI U. vE
vidhwAn thiruvEnkata thAthAchArya swamy and published by bhAgavatha vidhEyan
bhAshyam rAmAnuja dhAsan in circa 1914. There is a brief English translation for this
grantham with the vyAkyAnam which was written by srI U. vE. BSS iyengar swamy.
srI U. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy, has written detailed explanations for this
vyAkyAnam. On seeing the English translation of this grantham by srI U. vE. BSS
iyengar, He acquired the mUlam (source) written in telugu script from him and with the
help of srI U. vE. Dr. M Varadharajan swamy, he got the mUlam (source) written in
thamizh script. Subsequently, he wrote detailed explanations for the vyAkyAnam and
released them as part of his yathirAja padhukA magazine as a series. Eventually he
published this grantham as a book and released the same in April 2010. He also
recollects with gratitude about the many discussions he had on this subject matter with
vAnamAmalai vidhwAn srI U. vE. N S Krishnan iyengar swamy in the preface. srImath
paramahamsa ithyAdi kaliyan vAnamAmalai rAmAnuja jIyar has given his srImukam
(auspicious note) to this publication with great appreciations to srI U. vE. V V
Ramanujam swamy and his tireless contributions for our sath sampradhAyam.
This introduction section is written mainly based on srI U. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy's
introduction to the book. This will be a long series of articles where each topic will be
discussed in detail. adiyen will attempt to present the principles as best as possible in
simple English for the benefit of many srIvaishNavas who are eager to know about
these principles in detail. By the grace of asmadhAchAryan, adiyen is beginning this
work with the help of the simple thamizh explanations given by srI U. vE V V
Ramanujam swamy.
ANdAL nAchiyAr prays to emperumAn in the end of thiruppAvai that he removes the
obstacles while serving him. She says to emperumAn "unakkE nAm AtcheyvOm
maRRai nam kAmangaL mARRu" - bless me to serve purely for the pleasure of you
alone (no tinge of desire to satisfy ones own pleasure while serving emperumAn). It is of
great importance to clearly understand the obstacles we face in our day-to-day life and
how to remove them so that we can desire to ultimately reach the state of existing and
serving purely for the pleasure of emperumAn.
Full series can be viewed at: http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/virodhi-pariharangal.html
By the divine grace of emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas and asmadhAchAryan, adiyen is

presenting this e-book for the larger srIvaishNava community.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
Email: sarathy.thothathri@gmail.com
Web: http://koyil.org , http://ponnadi.blogspot.com,
http://guruparamparai.wordpress.com, http://pillai.koyil.org
jaya – mArgazhi 4 (Azhi mazhaik kaNNA!) - visAkam (December 19th, 2014)
ஜ – 4( !) –
Note: The book (in thamizh) published by srI U. vE. Dr V V Ramanujam swamy can be
purchased for Rs 120 from:
srI rangapriyA padhippakam

68 (116), thuLasingap perumAL kOil street,
thiruvallikkENi (Triplicane), Chennai - 600005
Phone: 28442441
Only few copies left with swamy at the moment.
asmadhAchAryan
srImath paramhamsa ithyAdhi pattarpirAn rAmAnuja jIyar (29th pattam, vAnamAmalai mutt)
varthamAna swAmy
srImath paramhamsa ithyAdhi madhurakavi rAmAnuja jIyar (31st pattam, vAnamAmalai mutt)
Table of contents
virOdhi parihArangaL - 1 ............................................................................................................... 9
virOdhi parihArangaL - 2 ............................................................................................................. 17
virOdhi parihArangaL - 10 ........................................................................................................... 83
virOdhi parihArangaL - 11 ........................................................................................................... 89
virOdhi parihArangaL - 12 ......................................................................................................... 103
virOdhi parihArangaL - Conclusion ........................................................................................... 383
virOdhi parihArangaL - 1
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 V Ramanujam
swamy. The whole series can be viewed at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/virodhi-
pariharangal.html.
1. svargaththukku samsAram virOdhi ( )-

samsAram (in this context - that which is connected to the current body) is an obstacle
for heavenly pleasures
svargam generally means heavenly planets of dhEvas. indhra's planet is known as

svargam. svargam is filled with many enjoyable aspects which are not to be found in
this earth. But to pursue the path to svargam, one has to perform many austerities
(thapasyA). samsAram, in this context refers to earthly life which is a result of ones own
karmA. These are usually considered as obstacles for thapasyA. Ones own body, bodily
relatives (such as wife, children, etc), properties (such as land, wealth, etc) are hurdles
for austerity and thus should be given up.
Earthly pleasures - Obstacle for svargam
Translator's note: "jyOthishtOmEna svarga kAmO yajEtha" can be remembered which
highlights that ones who desire svargam need to perform jyOthishtOmam - a type of
hOma/yAga which requires great austerity.
2. svargEchchuvukku aihika sukam virOdhi (

) - for the ones who desire heavenly pleasures, pleasures in this earthly
planet is an obstacle
Similar to previous point. For the one who is desirous to enjoy the pleasures in heavenly
abode, the dealings/pleasures in this world are obstacles. If there is too much
attachment towards earthly pleasures, that will limit the pursuing of heavenly abodes.
Translator's note: A question may arise here - Why is the mention about
svargAnubhavam here? How does it relate to prapannas? It is to be understood that this
is just shown to explain the progressive state of the various obstacles - right from the
basic desire for looking for heavenly pleasures to the ultimate pleasure of being fully
serving bhAgavathas.
3. AthmAnubhavaththukku svargAnubhavam virOdhi (

) - heavenly pleasure is an obstacle for enjoying ones
own AthmA.
heavenly pleasures - an obstacle for AthmAnubhavam
AthmAnubhavam is a type of mOksham called kaivalyam. kaivalyam means reaching

srIvaikuNtam after crossing virajA river, completely being relieved of material body and
fully being engaged in enjoying the self (jIvAthmA). Since there is no re-birth in
samsAram (leelA vibhUthi - material world), this is also considered as a type of
mOksham. The pleasures in svargam will last only until there is virtues (pious karmA).
Once the virtues are exhausted, one has to return back to the earthly planets to
continue the vicious journey in samsAram as explained in "kshINE puNyE
marthyalOkam visanthi".
4. AthmAnubhavakAmanukku svargam virOdhi (

) - for the one who is desiring to enjoy oneself the desire to
heavenly abodes is an obstacle.
Please refer to previous point's explanation.
5. bhagavath anubhavaththukku AthmAnubhavam virOdhi (

) - enjoying ones own AthmA is an obstacle for enjoying
bhagavAn
enjoying oneself - an obstacle for bhagavath anubhavam
bhagavath anubhavam means enjoying bhagavAn with his auspicious qualities,

beautiful forms, ubhaya vibhUthi aishwaryam (ability to control the two worlds) - nithya
vibhUthi (spiritual world) and leelA vibhUthi (material world), etc. Such joyful experience
will lead to prIthi (devotion, love, attachment) towards him. Such attachment which was
derived by the joyful experience will lead to kainkaryam (service) to bhagavAn. Such
loving service will again lead to eternal bliss. Such bliss in paramapadham (srI
vaikuNtam) is called unlimited blissful mOksham. Though enjoying ones own self is
blissful, in comparison with bhagavath anubhavam, it is very insignificant. Thus, such
desire to enjoy oneself is an obstacle for bhagavath anubhavam.
Translator's note: jIvAthmA is naturally gyAnamayam (filled with knowledge) and

Anandhamayam (filled with bliss). So, enjoying AthmA may look like an interesting
prospect, yet it is very insignificant as the AthmA itself is aNu svarUpam (atomic in
nature). But bhagavAn is vibhu (great and all pervading) and his gyAnam and
Anandham are unlimited in comparison to the very limited gyAnam and Anandham of
AthmA.
6. bhagavath anubhava kAmanukku AthmAnubhava ichchai virOdhi (

) - for the ones who is desiring
bhagavath anubhavam, enjoying oneself is an obstacle.
Please refer to previous point's explanation.
7. guNanishtanukku guNi virOdhi ( ) - for the ones
focussed on the auspicious qualities of bhagavAn, bhagavath svarUpam is an obstacle.
enjoying bhagavAn's svarUpam - an obstacle for bhagavath kalyANa guNa anubhavam
guNanishtan - as said in "sadhA paraguNAvishta:", the one who is constantly enjoying

the auspicious qualities of emperumAn. pramANams from sruthi like "sOsnuththE"
reveals that jIvAthmA enjoys the supreme lord (brahmam) along with his auspicious
qualities. This also includes experiencing the divine forms of bhagavAn. "rasOvai sa:"
means he is sweetness personified. By experiencing this the mukthAthmA (liberated
soul) acquires get bliss. emperumAn's reveals his auspicious qualities through his many
divine activities. Through thiruviruththam 98th pAsuram "nenjAl ninaipparithAl -
veNNeyUNennum Irach chollE" ( -
) , thiruvAimozhi 1.3.1 pAsuram
"eththiRam! uralinOdu iNainthirunthEngiya eLivE" ( !
), etc., we understand nammAzhwAr's experience
of bhagavAn's guNams. This is explained in periya thiruvanthAdhi 86 as "chIr kalantha
chol" ( - words drenched with bhagavAn's auspicious qualities). guNi
means bhagavAn's divine svarUpam (i.e., the one who has the guNam is called guNi).
This bhagavath svarUpam is most difficult to understand even for great yOgis. Thus
focussing on bhagavath svarUpam will be an obstacle to experience and enjoy
bhagavath guNams. This is similar to the next point.
8. kainkaryanishtanukku bhagavath saundharyam virOdhi (
) - for the ones who are focussed on serving
emperumAn, emperumAn's beauty is an obstacle.
focussing on bhagavAn's beauty - an obstacle for rendering service (iLaya perumAL

was constantly engaged in serving perumAL)
kainkaryanishtar - Like iLayaperumAL (lakshmaNa) who said "aham sarvam

karishyAmi" ( - I will do everything for you), one who is
fully focussed on bhagavAn at all times in all possible ways. Once we start experiencing
his divine beauty, our vision and mind will become fixated on him and will become
totally stunned. This will affect our service to emperumAn. This is why piLLai
lOkAchAryar highlighted in mumukshuppadi sUthram 187 "saundharyam antharAyam"
( ) - bhagavAn's beauty is an obstacle. The natural
position is - bhagavAn being the master and jIvAthmA being a servitor. By experiencing
bhagavAn's qualities, jIvAthmA develops attachment towards bhagavAn and
subsequently develops the desire to serve such glorious emperumAn. This fits the
nature of jIvAthmA which is sEshathvam (being secondary/servitor). This is desirable
too. Once the focus shifts to the divine beauty of emperumAn that will hinder the
kainkaryam to be done. Thus, for the ones focussed on kainkaryam bhagavAn's beauty
is an obstacle.
9. bhAgavatha kainkarya nishtanukku bhagavath kainkaryam virOdhi (
) - for the ones who are
focussed in serving bhAgavathas (devotees) bhagavath kainkaryam (service to
bhagavAn) is an obstacle.
focussing on bhagavath kainkaryam - an obstacle for bhAgavatha kainkaryam
jIvAthmA's natural state is bhagavath dhAsyathvam (to be a servitor of bhagavAn) and

to be fully at the disposal of emperumAn. Even more important - svarUpa yAthAthmyam
(essence of true nature) - bhAgavatha sEshathvam (to be a servitor of bhAgavathas). In
periya thirumozhi 8.10.3, thirumangai AzhwAr announced the essence of thirumanthram
(ashtAkshari) to emperumAn himself as "nin thiruvettezhuththum kaRRu nAn uRRathum
unnadiyArkkadimai kaNNapuraththuRaiyammAnE" (
-
Dear lord of thirukkaNNapuram! After learning the essence of thirumanthram I
understood that I am a servitor of your devotees). thirumazhisai AzhwAr highlights in
nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi 18th pAsuram "EththiyiruppArai vellumE maRRavaraich
chAththiyiruppAr thavam" (
- the devotion towards devotees is greater than devotion to
bhagavAn himself). Eththiyiruppavar - bhagavath sEsha bhUthar - one who is
surrendered to bhagavAn. The state of those who are surrendered to such devotees is
much greater. In srI rAmAyaNam, lakshmaNan and bharathan were fully surrendered to
srI rAma. shathrugnAzhwAn had bharathan as everything for him. It is said in srI
rAmAyaNam that "chathrugnO nithyachathrugna:" ( : - one
who has conquered the eternal obstacle). Our pUrvAchAryas have explained that
"shathrugnAzhwAn conquered/ignored srI rAma's beauty and auspicious qualities and
was fully serving bharathan". In thiruvAimozhi 8.10.3, nammAzhwAr says "avanadiyAr
siRumAmanisarAy ennaiyANdAr" (
). siRumAmanisar - ones who are fully surrendered to
emperumAn, who are small in size but great in knowledge and practice. nammAzhwAr
declares such devotees are his masters. When such devotees exist how can one ignore
them and serve the lotus feet of emperumAn? For the true nature of jIvAthmA,
bhAgavatha kainkaryam is more apt than bhagavath kainkaryam. Thus, bhagavath
kainkaryam is an obstacle for bhAgavatha kainkaryam.
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/2013/12/virodhi-

pariharangal-1.html.
gIthAchAryan clearly expounded the principle of prapathi to arjunan
emperumAnAr explained the principles of prapathi through sharaNAgathi gadhyam and
gIthA bhAshyam elaborately using nammAzhwAr's pAsurams
10. prapaththinishtanukku karmAdhyupAyangaL virOdhi (

) - For one who is focussed on prapatthi, upAyams
such karma, gyAna, bhakthi, etc are obstacles.
11. prapaththi upAya nishtanukku itharOpAyangaL virOdhi (

) - For one who is performed prapathi as
upAyam, other upAyams (such as karma, gyAna, bhakthi) are obstacles.
Being relieved from repeated birth/death in this samsAram, after reaching

parampadham, engaging in eternal blissful service to bhagavAn is called mOksham. To
attain such mOksham there are many upAyams (means/processes). In sAsthrams,
mainly 4 such upAyams are highlighted - karma yOgam, gyAna yOgam, bhakthi yOgam
and praptthi.
 karma yOgam - Following the injunctions of sAsthram with the three thyAgams
(sacrifice) namely karthruthva thyAgam (I am the doer), mamathA thyAgam (this
is my responsibility) and pala thyAgam (the result is mine) and performing such
activities as service to bhagavAn is called karma yOgam.
 gyAna yOgam - By performing karma yOgam the mind gets purified and one will
understand the true nature of AthmA (oneself). Constant meditation in such state
is called gyAna yOgam.
 bhakthi yOgam - Understanding that paramAthmA eternally exists in jIvAthmA

and showing loving devotion towards bhagavAn continuously without any break
is called bhakthi yOgam.
 Further, living in dhivya dhEsams and serving archAvathAra emperumAns in

there by lighting lamps in his sannidhi, making flower garlands and offering them
to him with love, cleaning the temples, etc are explained as means to attain
mOksham.
 thirunAma sankIrthanam (singing bhagavAn's many names) is highlighted as a

wonderful way to attain mOksham. This is highlighted by bhIshma pithAmaha to
yudhishtra in kurukshEthram.
But all of these are founded on the independent efforts of jIvAthmA. Unless these
means are observed by the jIvAthmA, the result cannot be established. jIvAthmA
pleases bhagavAn by performing such activities and bhagavAn benedicts the jIvAthmA
with mOksham ultimately. All of these processes involve lengthy observation -
potentially one goes through many life times before ultimately attaining mOksham.
prapatthi - approaching emperumAn and praying to him "Dear Lord! I have nothing in
my part to insist you to bless me with mOksham. I have nowhere to go other than your
esteemed self. I accept you as my total refuge. Pless bless this poor soul".
nammAzhwAr explained this state in thiruvAimozhi 5.7.1 pAsuram "nORRa nOnbilEn,
nuNNaRivilEn, Agilum ini unnai vittu onRum ARRaginRilEn aravinaNaiyammAnE"
( , ,
) and in thiruvAimozhi
6.10.10 "thiuvEngataththAnE! unnadikkIzhamarnthu pugunthEnE"
( ! ). ALavanthAr
highlights the same in sthOthra rathnam as "thvath pAdha mUlam charaNam
prapadhyE" ( ).
In "charaNam prapadhyE", one may think that "the act of taking refuge" is the means.
But that is not true. In place of prapatthi, bhagavAn himself is the upAyam.
sharaNAgathi is defined in sAsthram as "'thvamEva upAya bhUthO mE bhava' ithi
prArththanA mathi:" (' ' :) -
surrendering means "praying and having the confidence that 'you are the only upAyam
for me'"). In bhagavath gIthA, bhagavAn orders "sarvadharmAn parithyajya mAm Ekam
charaNam vraja" ( ஜ) -
Completely give up all other upAyams and accept me alone as the upAyam. This is why
in the commentary for 10th point, vangi puratthu nambi says "sarvEsvaran (an
established upAyam) who is implied by the word prapaththi is the only upAyam".
siddham means established - like food prepared and presented. sAdhyam means "to be
established" - like uncooked rice, lentils, etc. which need to be cooked separately and
eaten. Accepting bhagavAn as the upAyam is called siddhOpAya varaNam. This is
called sharaNAgathi, prapatthi. This is why bhagavAn himself is explained as prapatthi
and siddhOpAyam in the commentary for 10th point.
One who pursues other upAyams such as karma, gyAna, bhakthi, etc (instead of
accepting bhagavAn himself as upAyam) is called upAyAnthara nishtan. For the ones
who have total faith in bhagavAn as the upAyam, involvement in such upAyams will be
an obstacle. sAdhyam - attaining something by self-effort.
Here we should certainly remember an important aspect. Whatever karmAs ordered in

sAsthram - they must be fulfilled. Giving them up is considered as great blunder. It is a
violation of bhagavAn's own orders. One must consider that "I am performing this
karmA per bhagavAn's orders as a kainkaryam for him" and perform the same. piLLai
lOkAchAryar highlights in mumukshuppadi sUthram 271 "karmam kainkaryaththil
pugum" (for prapannas, all activities that are done according to sAsthram will count as
service to bhagavAn).
Translator's note: Here we have to understand the difference between siddha

sAdhanam and sAdhyam (sAdhya sAdhanam).
 siddha sAdhanam (siddhOpAyam) - siddham means that which is already

established - ready to be accessed. An example is food that is prepared and
presented readily for eating. One needs to simply eat the food. bhagavAn is
always present and ready to shower his mercy towards all the jIvAthmAs (one
needs to simply accept that). Accepting bhagavAn's mercy is called siddhOpAya
varaNam. This is sharaNAgathi, prapatthi. This is why bhagavAn is explained as
prapatthi sabdha vAchyan (the one who is indicated by the word prapatthi) and
siddhasAdhana bhUthan (the entity who is already an established upAyam).
 sAdhya sAdhanam (sAdhyOpAyam) - sAdhyam means to be accomplished. An

example is having rice, lentils, vegetables, etc - all these need to be cooked to
have edible food. All upAyams such as karma, gyAna, bhakthi etc., are principles
that are to pursued by a jIvAthmA. Only by the pursuit of jIvAthmAs, these
upAyams become established.
The other fine difference is - bhagavAn is parama chEthanan (supremely knowlegable) -

so only he can benedict the ultimate result. All other upAyams are achith (insentients -
which have no knowledge of themselves) - by one performing the particular upAyam - it
is bhagavAn who becomes pleased and blesses the ultimate mOksham.
12. bhagavathkarmanishtanukku dhEvathAnthara karmanishtai virOdhi
( ) - For the one
who is focussed on kainkaryam (service) to bhagavAn, engaging in actions for other
dhEvathAs is an obstacle.
srIman nArAyaNan who is sarvEsvaran and supreme to every one can be identified with
the term "dhEvan" (God). brahmA, shiva, indhra are also considered as dhEvas. But
these dhEvathAs are also jIvAthmAs. Just like wealthy people are approached by
normal people and praised to get wealth, these dhEvathAs are in a higher position than
normal humans and the humans can approach them get certain benefits. These
dhEvathAs are established by srIman nArAyaNan as highlighted by thoNdaradippodi
AzhwAr in thirumAlai 10th pAsuram "NAttinAn dheivangaLAga ... ath dheivanAyagan
thAnE" ( ... )-
emperumAn who is the God of all Gods established these dhEvathAs for the welfare of
others. These are called dhEvathAnthrangaL (Other dhEvathAs).
dheivanAyakan with nAchiyArs - Supreme Lord of dhEvathAs
When we perform our activities as kainkaryams to bhagavAn, bhagavAn will be pleased

and we will observe happiness in his face. This is ideal for us. Bringing happiness in his
face is the sole purpose for our existence. From these we can understand easily that
engaging in activities for dhEvathAntharams (any one other than emperumAn and his
devotees) is an obstacle for bhagavath kainkaryam.
Translator's note: In this principle, one must clearly understand the difference between
sAsthra vihitha karmams (activities which are established by sAsthram) and others. Let
us see this with an example.
We (brAhmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya) perform sandhyA vandhanam thrice every day. In

this also, there are specific offerings for dhEvathAs like agni, sUrya, indhra, varuNa, etc
- but we observe that srIman nArAyaNan is the antharyAmi in these dhEvathAs. But our
pUrvAchAryas performed these nithya karmAs as kainkaryam to bhagavAn since these
are mandatory based on ones own varNam. So, anything which falls under nithya
karmA (sandhyA vandhanam, etc) and naimiththika karmA (tharpaNam, etc) are
performed. But we dont engage in any activities involving dhEvathAntharms in their own
temples. nampiLLai gives a classical explanation for this situation. This is highlighted in
6000 padi guru paramparA prabhAvam.
Once, some one goes to nampiLLai and asks him "You all are so fixated on worshipping
emperumAn only. While you are worshipping dhEvathAs such as agni, indhra, etc in
nithya/naimiththika karmAs, why are you not worshipping dhEvathAntharams in
temple?".
 nampiLLai explains "Listen! the difference is like accepting the fire from agni
hOthram (yAgam/hOmam) and rejecting the fire from a crematory". Fire from
yagya is considered as pure but fire from burning corpse is considered as impure
- even though both are fire.
 He further explains "Whatever is performed in our nithya karmAs, they are

explained as part of our worshipping of emperumAn in sAsthram. But
dhEvathAnthrams present in temples have the following defects - a) the ones
who establish such temples will be of thAmasa (ignorant) nature and would not
know the distinction between supreme lord and others and b) they may have
used Agamas which are contradictory to bhagavath thathvam and established
the dhEvathAs as independent forces".
 Further he says "There is no specific rule in sAsthram to worship other

dhEvathAs (outside nithya/naimiththika karmA) - so its not appropriate to do that
for prapannas. Moreover, rudhran is top-most in the list of dhEvathAs who should
be completely avoided. This is because, he is filled with thamO guNam which is
direct opposite to sathva guNam - so he cannot be worshipped in temples
considering that he is also pervaded by emperumAn (as antharyAmi)".
 Finally, he says "Why should we give up nithya/naimiththika karmAs which are

favourable in developing our sathva guNam and why should we take up
dhEvathAnthara worship which are unfavourable for our bhagavath
kainkaryam?". From these we can understand that worshipping
dhEvathAnthrams in temples, even if they are properly established using vEdha
Agamam - it is to be given up for prapannas.
In this day and age, there are so many new dhEvathAs that are created every day in
every nook and corner. There are also many self-styed gurus who dont accept vEdham
as authority and teach whatever they think is the philosophy. It is best for prapannas to
enquire from elders (learned scholars) and follow what is done by our pUrvAchAryas
instead of being caught in the vicious cycle of ignorance.
13. bhagavath kainkarya nishtanukku dhEvathAnthara bhajanam virOdhi (

ஜ ) - For the ones who are
focussed on bhagavath kainkaryam, worshipping other dhEvathAs is an obstacle.
praNavam which is the essence of all of vEdham establishes that jIvAthmAs

(secondary/subservient) exist solely for the purpose of srIman nArAyaNan who is the
cause of all of creation, who is the protector for everyone and is the supreme
personality. Thus, being situated/engaged in kainkaryam for bhagavAn (who is the
natural lord and master) is natural for the jIvAthmA. For such persons engaged in
bhagavath kainkaryam, having any relationship with other dhEvathAs is a major
obstacle.
Translator's note: In the vyAkyAnam, "pathim visvasya" ( - master

of the whole universe) pramANam is quoted. pathi generally means "husband/master".
For a woman, once she gets married to a man, she is totally surrendered to her
husband and cannot focus at any one else. Similarly, when jIvAthmA realizes his
svarUpam that he is a servant of bhagavAn, he must be totally surrendered to
bhagavAn. Thus, jIvAthmA has nothing to do with dhEvathAntharams after such
realization. Not only that, thirumangai AzhwAr declares in periya thirumozhi 8.10.3
"maRRumOr dheyvam uLadhenRu iruppArOdu uRRilEn" (
- I will not associate with anyone who
believes that there is another God than srIman nArAyaNan) - one should carefully avoid
dhEvathAnthara nishtars.
14. bhagavathupAya nishtanukku prapaththi virOdhi (

) - For the ones who consider bhagavAn alone as the means,
considering their own act of surrender as the means is an obstacle.
We can recollect what is discussed in points 10 and 11. One who firmly considers
emperumAn as upEyam (goal) and upAyam (means) is called an uththama adhikAri
(top-most devotee). bhagavAn himself orders "thamEva charaNam vrajEth" (
ஜ - Surrender unto bhagavAn only) and "mAmEkam charaNam vraja"
( ஜ - Surrender to unto me only). For such persons, their act of
surrender that is highlighted in "prapadhyE" is not the means (it is only a natural state of
acceptance). A person who pursues karma, gyAna, bhakthi, etc is called madhyama
adhikAri (mediocre devotee - as there is the constant emphasis on self-effort). The one
who considers their own prapatthi as the upAyam (means) falls into the category of
madhyama adhikAri. Such act is an obstacle for prapannas - similar to karma, gyAna,
bhakthi yOgams, etc.
15. sAdhyOpAya nishtanukku nivruththi virOdhi (

) - For the ones who are focussed on karma, gyAna, bhakthi,
yOgams, etc., giving up self-efforts is an obstacle.
16. sidhdhOpAya nishtanukku pravruththi virOdhi (

) - For the ones who are focussed on bhagavAn as the upAyam,
engaging in self-efforts is an obstacle.
Please see discussions on points 10 and 11 to understand siddhOpAyam and

sAdhyOpAyam.
 pravrutthi means engaging in actions with self-effort.
 nivrutthi means withdrawing from self-efforts.
 sAdhyOpAya nishtan - one who desires to accomplish a goal based on ones own
effort.
 siddhOpAya nishtan - one who accepts bhagavAn (who is already established as

upAyam) as his means and expect him to relieve him of the miseries (samsAram)
as explained by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 5.8.8 "kaLaivAy thunbam
kaLaiyAthozhivAy kaLaikaN maRRilEn" (
). These prapannas will not
engage in any activity with the consideration that they are performing it as
upAyam (means). nammAzhwAr declares them in thiruvAimozhi 5.7.5 as
"cheytha vELviyar" ( ) - this is explained in samskritham as
"krutha kruthyan" ( ) - one who has already performed all
necessary acts. For prapatthi, the main definition is "to give up ones own self-
efforts".
sAdhyOpAyan (one who is engaged in karma yOgam, etc) can not give up self-efforts -
they have to keep on performing them with the goal achieving the results. For him,
giving up self-efforts is an obstacle.
But for siddhOpAyan - this is directly opposite. He cannot engage in self-efforts in

pursuit of the goal. Such self-efforts will be an obstacle for him.
These principles of pravrutthi and nivrutthi are explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in

srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram in sUthrams 80 - 82 (and subsequent
sUthrams) while explaining "adhikAri kruthyam - adhikAri nishtA kramam". Please refer
to it and have a clear understanding.
Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivyasAsthram, in the particular section

referred here, some fine examples are given by piLLai lOkAchAryar for upAyam and
upEyam. mAmunigaL's precise vyAkyAnam is most valuable for these principles. Let us
see them briefly.
 For upAyam (accepting bhagavAn as means), sIthA pirAtti, dhraupadhI and

thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn are the ideal examples.
o sIthA pirAtti gave up her own shakthi - she is powerful herself and could
have easily destroyed lankA and rAvaNa. But she waited for srI rAma to
come and rescue her.
o dhraupadhI gave up all shyness and lifted her hands up calling out for
emperumAn with full faith that she will be protected by kaNNan
emperumAn - surely she was protected.
o thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn gave up all self-efforts/activities and fully
served thirukkaNNamangai bhakthavathsalan emperumAn. He observed
two dogs fighting outside and seeing that the owners of the dogs also
starting to fight. Seeing this, ANdAn thought "if the owner of the dog will
come for the rescue of the dog, why not my owner (bhagavAn) will protect
and nourish me? why should I engage in external activities?" and just
gave up everything at once.
ANdAn - at his thiruvarasu, thirukkaNNamangai
 For upEyam (engaging in bhagavath kainkaryam), iLaya perumAL (lakshmaNan),

periya udaiyAr (jatAyu), piLLai thirunaRaiyUr araiyar and chinthayanthi are ideal
examples.
o iLaya perumAL accompanied srI rAma everywhere and constantly served

him since he cannot sustain himself without constant accompanying and
kainkaryam to emperumAn.
o periya udaiyAr (jatAyu maharAjar) and piLLai thirunaRaiyUr araiyar gave
up their bodies in protecting sIthA pirAtti and archAvathAra emperumAn
respectively.
o chinthayanthi is a gOpikA who was unable to leave her residence to see

krishNan, having derived great pleasure in listening to emperumAn's flute
and in the process - out of extreme sorrow of not being able to meet
emperumAn, gave up her body.
For further details, please approach a qualified AchArya and learn these intricate
principles.
pariharangal.html.

srI ranganAthan's lotus feet - the only upAyam (means) for prapannas
17. upAya virOdhi ( ) - obstacles in upAyam (means/process)
The following are explained as obstacles with respect to understanding upAyam

properly.
 It is already emphasised that one must have firm faith in "bhagavAn who is
siddhOpAyam is the top-most upAyam to attain mOksham". So, a siddhOpAya
nishtan (prapannan) should not consider anything other than bhagavAn himself
such as karma yOgam, etc as upAyam. Considering such processes as upAyam
in itself is an obstacle.
 Considering karma yOgam, etc., at par with siddhOpAyam is a great obstacle.

(Translator's note: We have already seen in previous articles that these other
upAyams are achEthanam (insentient) and bhagavAn is supremely sentient - so
there is no question of equating them - bhagavAn as upAyam is most glorious).
 This acceptance of "bhagavAn as upAyam" is also an outcome of the grace of

emperumAn. Considering that it is triggered by us is an obstacle.
 Generally, our acceptance of "emperumAn as the upAyam" is explained in one

way as "sarva mukthi prasanga parihArththam" (
) - this means thinking that "if bhagavAn simply gives mOksham
without expecting the acceptance, then everyone should have been given
mOksham. So he chooses to give mOksham to the one who accepts him as
upAyam". This is explained by pUrvAchAryas in their vyAkyAnams and rahasya
granthams. nammAzhwAr highlights this principle in thiruvAimozhi 4.10.6 as
"ellIrum vIdu peRRAl ulagillai" ( - if
everyone in samsAram gets mOksham then there is no purpose for sAsthram)
where nampiLLai explains that the importance of sAsthram is upheld by
bhagavAn not benedicting mOksham to everyone. piLLai lOkAchAryar also
highlights the same principle as in mumukshuppadi. But highlighting only that (to
avoid sarva mukthi prasangam he blesses mOksham for the ones who accept
him as upAyam) as the reason is an obstacle. (Translator's note: bhagavAn is
sarvasvathanthran (completely independent), he cannot be tied down by any
exclusive reasoning - so we cannot think that only to avoid sarva mukthi
prasangam he is benedicting mOksham for the ones who accepted him as
upAyam.)
 emperumAn is the one who is protecting both chith (sentient) and achith
(insentient) irrespective of them having the ability to accept emperumAn as
upAyam or not. This acceptance of "bhagavAn as upAyam" simply differentiates
jIvAthmA from achith. jIvAthmA is sentient - one who has knowledge/intellect.
achith is insentient - does not have any intellect (so cannot accept bhagavAn as
upAyam). So it is natural for the jIvAthmA with the intellect to accept bhagavAn
as upAyam. Considering this natural distinguishing behaviour as an upAyam is
an obstacle. (Translator's note: One should not think, "my acceptance" is the
upAyam - bhagavAn is the upAyam, our acceptance is just natural outcome of
intellect).
 jIvAthmAs are also fully at the disposal of emperumAn just like achith is. One
cannot think that jIvAthmA can independently accept or reject emperumAn
(Translator's note: if emperumAn wants he can easily force any AthmA - he just
does not do that).
Thus, the above are explained as obstacles with respect to understanding upAyam
properly.
18. upEya virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in upEyam (goal)
upEyam means that which is accomplished by pursuing the upAyam. The following are
explained as obstacles with respect to understanding upAyam properly.
eternal kainkaryam to the divine couple is the most cherished upEyam (goal)
 bhagavathupAyan - prapannan who considers bhagavAn only as the upAyam.

He must aim to accomplish kainkaryam to bhagavAn only as the goal. Asking for
material benefits, etc from emperumAn is explained as "Asking for loin cloth from
a kalpa tharu" and is very inappropriate. Looking for other benefits from
emperumAn is an obstacle.
 Reaching bhagavAn through other upAyams such as karma, gyAna, bhakthi

yOgams is an obstacle (Translator's note: for the jIvAthmA who is sub-servient it
is natural to accept bhagavAn as upAyam. To pursue self-efforts is against the
nature of the jIvAthmA).
 While performing bhagavath kainkaryam one cannot think "I am doing this
kainkaryam on my own". bhagavAn says in bhagavath gIthai 3.27 "ahankAra
vimUdAthmA karththA aham ithi manyathE" (
) - confused by ahankAram (ego), the jIvAthmA
foolishly thinks he is doing the act on his own. Such ahankAram is an obstacle.
 Considering oneself as akarthA (non-doer), one should not show dis-interest in
kainkaryam. (Translator's note: As explained in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram, kainkaryams should be performed under the guidance of sAsthram
and AchAryan, with great desire and dedication).
 Considering the pleasure derived from kainkaryam to bhagavAn/AchAryan as

ones own. As nammAzhwAr explains in thiruvAimozhi 2.9.4 "thanakkEyAga
enaik koLLumIthE" ( ) - the pleasure
should be purely for bhagavAn only. "bhOkthA" means one who enjoys the fruits
of an action. bhagavAn is the real bhOkthA. So, there is no room for jIvAthmA to
independently enjoy. jIvAthmA having such desire for independent enjoyment is
an obstacle.
 bhOgyam means that which is enjoyed. jIvAthmA should completely place

himself at the disposal of bhagavAn for bhagavAn's full pleasure. When
bhagavAn becomes pleased and shows such pleasure in his face, jIvAthmA
should respond by reciprocating such pleasure. kulasEkara AzhwAr explains this
in perumAL thirumozhi 4.9 "padiyAyk kidanthu un pavaLavAy kANbEnE"
( ) - I will be a foot step at
the entrance of your sannidhi (like achith which has no intellect) and reciprocate
the pleasure (as chith which has intellect) when I see the joyful smile in your lips.
(Translator's note: This is the highest principle of our sath sampradhAyam called
"achithvath pArathanthriyam" - being like achith at the full disposal of bhagavAn
yet reciprocating pleasure like jIvAthmA when bhagavAn reveals his joy). This
principle (of eradicating self-centered pleasure) is explained in "nama:" in the
second part of dhvaya mahA manthram. ALavndhAr explains the same principle
in his sthOthra rathnam 46 "kadhA ... praharshayishyAmi" ( ...
) - longing to bring pleasure for emperumAn. When
jIvAthmA reciprocates bhagavAn's pleasure, bhagavAn becomes fully pleased.
His pleasure is the sole objective of our kainkaryam. Considering any other way
is an obstacle.
19. upEyathri virOdhi ( ) - More obstacles in upEyam (goal)
Some more obstacles are identified here in continuation of the previous point. upEyam
is the result which is accomplished by upAyam. For a srIvaishNava prapanna,
emperumAn is both upAyam (means) and upEyam (goal). emperumAn being upEyam
means reaching emperumAn in paramapadham, experiencing great bliss in his most
auspicious qualities, developing full loving attachment towards him and finally
performing kainkaryam (loving service) to him. This is called "bhagavath anubhava
janitha prIthi kAritha kainkaryam" ( ஜ
). This is the ultimate goal. Let us now see the obstacles for this result.
 Desiring for a specific goal (other than the previously explained kainkaryam).
This attitude is not appropriate for a srIvaishNava and is an obstacle.
 Desiring for dhrusta palam (worldly benefits - what can be seen and enjoyed in
this life) such as good wealth, food, clothes, house, wife, children, fame, etc.
When compared to the eternal bliss that is acquired by serving emperumAn,
these results are very insignificant. So, having such attachment is an obstacle.
 Desiring for adhrushta palam (benefits in higher worlds - what cannot be seen
and enjoyed in this life). This can be classified in to two aspects:
o Desiring for pleasures in heavenly worlds (the abodes of brahmA, rudhran,

indhran, etc). This is an obstacle.
o Desiring for serving emperumAn in paramapadham (the highest abode)

where there is unlimited bliss. Not desiring for such state is an obstacle -
i.e., one should desire and aspire for eternal kainkaryam.
 Stopping at bhagavath kainkaryam is an obstacle. thadhIyArAdhanam

(worshipping thadhIya - devotees of bhagavAn) which is called bhAgavatha
kainkaryam is greater than bhagavathArAdhanam (kainkaryam to bhagavAn).
thadhIyArAdhanam does not just mean feeding devotees with prasAdham - it
means much more than that such as serving them and giving them proper care.
kongu pirAtti beatifully performing bhAgavatha kainkaryam during emperumAnAr's
yAthrA
 Considering bhAgavatha kainkaryam as something inferior (to bhagavath

kainkaryam) is a big obstacle.
 Being satisfied with some (a little bit) AchArya kainkaryam is an obstacle.

AchArya is the foremost of bhAgavathas. One can never be fully satisfied - there
should be constant desire to perform more and more kainkaryam for AchAryan.
Just like a hungry person will eat whatever is served on his plate and will be
eager to eat whatever is being cooked, a sishya should desire for all possible
kainkaryams for his AchArya. Considering "I have done enough for my
AchAryan" is an obstacle.
madhurakavi AzhwAr fully situated in nammAzhwAr kainkaryam
vaduga nambi fully situated in emperumAnAr kainkaryam
In summary, one should not stop with bhagavath kainkaryam - there should be
progressive transition into bhAgavatha kainkaryam. And that too one shoud serve the
AchArya who is the foremost of bhAgavathas with great eagerness. This is explained by
madhurakavi AzhwAr in kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu 9th pAsuram "satagOpan en
nambikku Atpukka kAthal adimaip payananRE" (
) - It is fitting to my nature to perform loving
service to nammAzhwAr who is full in all auspicious qualities.
pariharangal.html.

20. mukyapramANa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in understanding

the primary evidence
pramA means valid knowledge. pramANam means that which provides valid knowledge
about a particular subject. Three types of pramANams are generally accepted by
vaidhikas.
 prathyaksham (perception) - that which observable by our sense organs like

eyes, nose, ears, etc. Though this is generally assumed to be revealing the truth
as it is, there are limitations in this. For example, if some one has a disease in his
eyes what is visible to him may not be truthful and trustworthy. Another example
is, when there is limited light, it is easy for one to confuse a pillar with a man and
a rope with a snake. Mirage is also a false vision (looks like water is present but
in reality it is not).
 anumAnam (inference) - stipulating based on prior perception is called inference.
Where there is smoke, there is fire - this is a classic example for anumAnam. But
this is also fraught with limitations. Both prathyaksham and anumAnam are not
considered as primary evidences.
 sabdham (authentic scriptures) - vEdham is considered as the most authentic

and trustworthy evidence for valid knowledge. All Asthikas (one who accepts
vEdham as pramANam) accept that vEdham is apaurushEyam (not created by
any man or woman), nithyam (eternally existing), nirdhOsham (blemishless).
Let us now see the obstacles in understanding about mukya pramANams.
 vEdhAntham bestows blemishless knowledge. vEdhAntham means the end or

top-most portion of vEdham - mainly upanishadhs. Not considering such
vEdhAntham as the ultimate authority is an obstacle.
 Considering vEdhAntham to be at equal level as prathyaksham and anumAnam

is an obstacle. Obviously vEdhAntham is a greater authority than other
pramANams. Translator's note: Please recollect the famous pramANam from
mahAbhAratham "sathyam sathyam punas sathyam vEdhAth sAsthram param
nAsthi na dhaivam kEsavAth param".
 kaNNan emperumAn orders in the end of bhagavath gIthA "mA sucha:" (do not
worry). charama slOkam in gIthA is the essence of all upanishadhs. bhagavAn
assumed the position of gIthAchAryan and instructed gIthai seated on the divine
chariot saying "give up all upAyams and fully surrender unto me. I will relieve you
from all sins (obstacles). This is guaranteed. Do not worry; Do not doubt; Do not
lament". This is what is called "mA sucha:". ANdAL nAchiyAr highlighted this as
"meymai peru vArththai" ( ) in nAchiyAr thirumozhi
11.10 pAsuram. One must have full faith in these words. Not having such faith is
an obstacle.
 AzhwArs are divinely blessed by bhagavAn's causeless mercy with blemishless
knowledge. As they are an outcome of pure knowledge, they are absolute truth.
They are as good as vEdham to be considered as primary means of knowledge.
Not considering as such (i.e., considering AzhwArs' pAsurams to be lower) is an
obstacle.
 From nammAzhwAr upto mAmunigaL - AchAryas who are found in the guru
paramparai are called pUrvAchAryas. Knowledge has been transmitted from an
AchArya to sishya and so on in this paramparai. All the AchAryas and their dear
sishyas are completely blessed by AzhwAr himself. Their instructions are also
considered as primary means of knowledge. One must have strong faith in this.
Lack of faith in such principle is an obstacle. Translator's note: ALavandhAr
highlights in sthOthra rathnam 20 "thvadhIya gambIra manOnusAriNa:" - vEdham
follows the divine heart of bhagavAn's bhakthas. Commonly known pramANam
"dhamagya samayam pramANam vEdhAs cha" also insists the same - the
actions of the one who knows dharmam are main pramANam and vEdham is
also a pramANam - this also gives more weightage for AzhwArs and
pUrvAchAryas who were well established in the eternal dharmam.
21. yAvadhAthmabhAvi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for the

AthmA as long as it exists (forever)
yAvadhAthma bhAvi means as long as the AthmA exists. AthmA is nithyam (eternal) -
always exists. But virOdhi is not - it will be removed when true knowledge fully expands
for the AthmA. So, this can be considered as those which exist(ed) for a long time.
True nature of jIvAthmA is to be an eternal servant of bhagavAn and bhAagvathAs
 ALavandhAr quotes "dhEhEndhriya mana: prANa dhIpyO anya:"

( : :) indicating that AthmA is
different from body, senses, mind, intellect, etc. It is commonly observed that
people consider soul and body to be the same and function according to that. But
this is not true - its only a confusion. The body is subject to birth, growth,
shrinkage (with old-age), disease and death. But AthmA is nirvikAra
(changeless). So it is an obstacle to confuse the soul with body, etc. Translator's
note: In thathva thrayam, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains that AthmA is different
from dhEham (body), indhriyam (senses), manam (mind), prANa (vital air),
bhudhdhi (intellect), etc., in an elaborate manner.
 To consider AthmA as independent is wrong. AthmA is owned by sarvEsvaran

and is always controlled by him. Servitorship towards bhagavAn is the true
identity of jIvAthmA. To consider AthmA as ones own (independent) is a theft
(stealing the property of bhagavAn). This is a big obstacle.
 Iswaran is complete in all manner. He is sarvagyan (omniscient), sarvasakthan
(omnipotent), avAptha samastha kAman (all desires fulfilled) and apahatha
pApmA (not affected with any defects). To consider such Iswaran as apUrNan
(incomplete) is an obstacle.
 To consider brahmA, rudhran, etc as controllers - srIman nArAyaNan is the

natural controller of all dhEvathas including brahmA, rudhran, etc. That is why
Adhi sankara bhagavath pAdhar highlighted in his sahasranAma bhAshyam
"IsanasIla: nArayaNa Eva" (nArAyaNan is the only controller). upanishadhs also
declare "nArAyana: parabhrama". Thus considering any one other than srIman
nArAyaNan as Iswaran is an obstacle.
 To consider any one other than emperumAn as rakshakan (protector) -

emperumAn is the protector for every one. This is the purport of praNavam which
is the essence of all of vEdham. As rudhran, brahmA, etc., are jIvAthmAs, they
are not controllers like emperumAn. It is an obstacle to consider them like that.
Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar has written a grantham named "prapanna
parithrANam" which clearly establishes that only srIman nArAyaNan is the true
protector. He himself quotes this in mumukshuppadi sUthram 39 "'Iswaranai
ozhinthavargaL rakshakarallar' ennumidam prapanna parithrANaththilE
chonnOm" (' '
).
 bhAgavatha apachAram, AchArya apachAram and apachArams to the AchArya

bhakthas (ones who are surrendered to the AchArya) are big obstacles.
bhagavAn never forgives the ones who commit bhAgavatha apachAram.
emperumAn says to bhUmi pirAtti "kshipAmi, nakshamAmi vasundharE"
( , ) - "bhU"dhEvi! I will push them down and
will never forgive them". This is understood from many incidents identified in
purANams. emperumAn will forgive the ones who commit bhagavath apachAram
(apachAram towards emperumAn). But he certainly punishes the one who
commits bhAgavatha apachAram and AchArya apachAram.
thiruvarangaththamudhanAr prays to emperumAnAr in rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi
107 "irAmAnusa! un thoNdarkatkE anbuRRirukkum padi ennaiyAkki
angAtpaduththE" ( !
) - srI rAmAnuja! Please reform me so
that I am always attached to your servitors. This is what we should also desire
for.
22. nithya virOdhi ( ) - continual obstacles (related to ones senses
which are always with oneself)
Senses stay with the AthmA throughout. There are 10 sense organs:
o pancha gyAnEndhriyas - 5 sense organs of knowledge -srOthra (ears), thvak

(skin), chakshur (eyes), jihvA (tongue), grAhNa (nose)
o pancha karmEndhriyas - 5 sense organs of actions - vAk (mouth), pANi (hands),

pAdha (legs), pAyu (excretory organs), upastha (organs for procreation)
bhagavAn blesses the jIvAthmAs with the senses so they can be used in serving him
and glorifying him. They are quite strong and powerful. In thiruvAimozhi 7.1.6
nammAzhwAr says "viNNuLAr perumARku adimai cheyvAraiyum cheRum
aimpulanivai" (
) - these senses are so powerful that they will even shake up the
nishtai (firm state of mind) of nithyasUris (eternal associates of bhagavAn). Let us see
the obstacles in this topic.
 As nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 3.2.1 "annAL nI thantha Akkaiyin vazhi

uzhalvEn" ( ) - I am being
tormented by this body and senses which are given by you (to facilitate the path
of upliftment). So, it is important to understand that the senses and sense
enjoyment are major obstacles.
 Being subservient to senses and fulfilling all such sensual desires is an obstacle.
 Some think/claim that "I am too knowledgable. I have full control over my
senses". This is a major obstacle. Many great sages like viswAmithrar, etc., lost
their glories due to being overwhelmed by sensual pleasures. Translator's note:
We can also recollect how AzhwArs and AchAryas themselves have revealed
their own fear in many of their pAsurams and sthOthrams about the cruel nature
of falling prey to sensual pleasures. Such is the power of sensual pleasures and
one has to be very watchful about the pitfalls.
 Focussing our senses purely bhagavath saundharyam (beauty of bhagavAn) and

ignoring bhAgavatha kainkaryam due to that is an obstacle. While sensual
pleasures are one type of pitfall, the other type of pitfall is being fully drenched in
bhagavAn's beauty as identified by nammAzhwAr in periya thiruvanthAdhi 34
"kAlAzhum, nenjazhiyum, kaNsuzhalum" ( , ,
) - By seeing the divine beauty of emperumAn, one immediately
falters unable to stand on their own, heart melts and starts fainting due to
extreme anubhavam. Such state leads to loss of bhagavath kainkaryam and
bhAgavatha kainkaryam (obviously if one is not even conscious they cannot
serve anymore). In srI rAmAyaNam ayOdhyA kANdam 1.1 it is said that
"sathrugnO nithya sathrugna:" ( :) - sathrugnan who
has conquered the eternal enemy. periyavAchAn piLLai explains this as
"sathrugnan conquered (and ignored) the beauty of srI rAma and served
bharathAzhwAn constantly". Thus anything which comes in the way of
bhAgavatha kainkaryam is considered as an obstacle.
23. anithya virOdhi ( ) - temporary obstacles (related to bodily

comforts and discomforts)
anithyam means temporary - bodily joy and sorrow. This revolves around considering
the body as the self and feeling joy/sorrow per bodily comforts/discomforts. Let us see
the obstacles in this topic.
 Considering the pleasures derived from sandalwood paste (fragrances), flowers,

etc., as real pleasures is an obstacle.
 Considering the sorrows derived from being attacked by weapons or by poison,

etc., as real sorrows is an obstacle.
 Feeling happy while receiving material benefits and feeling sad while not
receiving such benefits are also considered obstacles.
Thus one should not be disturbed by bodily comforts and discomforts and always be
equipoised.
Translator's note: In second chapter of bhagavath gIthA, kaNNan emperumAn
explains in detail about the distinction between the soul and the body and how one
should constantly be aware of that distinction and treat bodily comforts/discomforts in an
equipoised manner.
pariharangal.html.

24. svasvarUpa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in understanding the

true nature of jIvAthmA
bhAgavatha sEshathvam - intrinsic nature of jIvAthmA
svasvarUpam means jIvAthmA's true nature. jIvAthmA is understood to be made of of

gyAnam and also has gyAnam (knowledge), sEshathvam (servitorship) and
pArathanthriyam (being fully controllable). gyAnam means knowledge. One who has
knowledge should understand everything as it is. Let us see the obstacles in this topic.
 Of any object, there is gyAnam (true knowledge), gyAna anudhayam (lack of any
knowledge or knowledge-less state), anyathA gyAnam (misunderstanding the
attribute of the object - considering a conch as yellow in color) and viparItha
gyAnam (misunderstanding the object itself - considering a pillar to be a man). Of
these gyAna anudhayam, anyathA gyAnam and viparItha gyAnam are obstacles.
Translator's note: We will understand this with the following simple examples.
o gyAna anudhayam - not knowing that AthmA is a sentient (knowledgable)

entity and thus different from body (which is insentient) is the state of total
lack of knowledge.
o anyathA gyAnam - misunderstanding that the AthmA is subservient to

dhEvathAs other than srIman nArAyaNan is the state of misunderstanding
the sEshathvam of the AthmA.
o viparItha gyAnam - misunderstanding the jIvAthmA to be independent is

the state of misunderstanding the nature of jIvAthmA himself.
 When emperumAn is enjoying the jIvAthmA, if he vanquishes the sEshathvam of

the jIvAthmA, i.e., if he places the jIvAthmA at a higher position and himself
accepts a lower position and attempts to serve the jIvAthmA, the jIvAthmA should
not backtrack claiming that he should always be subservient reflecting on
sEshathvam. Such backtracking is an obstacle and it will be a hindrance for
bhagavAn's enjoyment. sEshathvam means being subservient or secondary to
bhagavAn and being ready to serve him. For example, it is normally seen (in our
traditional lifestyle) that a woman serves her husband in many ways. But if the
husband out of great love and affection serves the wife, the wife should not pull
back and say "No! No! you cannot serve me. I have to serve you!" - that is a
hindrance towards the husband who would derive great joy by serving his wife.
Between paramAthmA and jIvAthmA there is barthru (husband) - bhAryA (wife)
relationship. In this sense, jIvAthmA (being the wife) is suppose to serve
bhagavAn. But if bhagavAn wants to derive pleasure by serving the jIvAthmA, the
jIvAthmA should facilitate that having bhagavAn's pleasure in mind. This same
principle is explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in mumukshuppadi sUthram 92 with
the same words as in the vyAkyAnam here.
 sEshan (servitor) means one who increases the glories of the sEshi (master).
pArathanthriyam means being at full disposal of the master just like achith
(Translator's note: if one places his watch on the table or tie it in his hand, the
watch will not question the owner - jIvAthmA should be like that towards
emperumAn) generally. But as cited in previous point, when emperumAn wants
to enjoy the jIvAthmA, the jIvAthmA cannot stay like a stone without any reaction.
The jIvAthmA should respond appropriately to increase the pleasure of
bhagavAn. Not doing that is an obstacle. (Translator's note: When kusElan
went to see kaNNan emperumAn, emperumAn massages kusElan's feet and
serves him well to which kusElan agrees since that is pleasing to emperumAn.
Similarly, when emperumAn wants to serve nammAzhwAr, he takes AzhwAr's
right foot and starts massaging that with great joy. AzhwAr is initially perplexed at
emperumAn's act but then he realizes thats what emperumAn wants. So, after a
while, AzhwAr withdraws his right foot and presents his left foot to emperumAn.
emperumAn becomes greatly delighted and his joy is doubled). So, not
responding to emperumAn's subservient actions citing ones own
pArathanthriyam is an obstacle.
 Considering bhAgavatha sEshathvam as secondary (and bhagavath sEshathvam

is primary) is an obstacle. We are naturally subservient to bhagavAn. This should
further progress into manifesting servitorship towards bhAgavathas. bhagavAn
himself relishes more when one serves his devotees more than him. So, there is
no reason to consider bhAgavatha sEshathvam as any less important. Doing that
is an obstacle.
 Same thing applies in AchArya's case as well. Translator's note: One should be
totally surrendered to ones own AchArya and serve him in all cases. piLLai
lOkAchAryar highlights the importance of being fully surrendered to ones own
AchArya in srIvachana bhUshaNam elaborately. mAmunigaL brings out the
essence of this principle in upadhEsa rathina mAlai.
25. parasvarUpa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in understanding the

true nature of paramAthmA
One carried by garudAzhwAr (who is hailed as vEdhAthmA) is the supreme lord
parasvarUpam means true nature of paramAthmA. bhagavAn is supreme, omniscient,

omnipotent, the master of all universes, one who has no blemishes and one who is filled
with all auspicious qualities. Let us see the obstacles in this topic.
 Becoming attached to matter and material pleasures is an obstacle. This

prakruthi (matter) is like a screen which hides the true nature of bhagavAn.
prakruthi is made of three guNas (qualities) - sathvam (goodness), rajas
(passion) and thamas (ignorance). Becoming subservient to bodily pleasures will
keep us away from bhagavAn. When sathva guNam raises in a person, this body
will be used effectively to understand the true nature of bhagavAn. But when
rajO/thamO guNam raises, the same body will lead us away from understanding
bhagavAn. Thus, becoming subservient to bodily enjoyment is an obstacle.
 Considering materially minded persons as supreme is an obstacle. Even

dhEvathAs like brahmA, rudhran, etc are caught in the vicious cycle of birth and
death. thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr says in thirumAlai 10 "nAttinAn dheyvangaLAga
ath dheyvanAyagan thAnE" (
), all dhEvathAs are given specific tasks and they
cannot be considered as supreme.
 Not considering that "these dhEvathAs are also controlled by emperumAn".

Every one is ultimately at the total disposal of bhagavAn. So considering
otherwise is an obstacle.
 Doubting his supremacy on observing his saulabhyam (simplicity) is an obstacle.
vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance), saulabhyam (simplicity/easy accessability),
sausIlyam (magnanimity), etc., are most desirous qualities in bhagavAn. These
are to be greatly cherished. But if one considers "since bhagavAn is easily
accessible, he should also be like me (human) only", that is an obstacle.
Translator's note: gIthAchAryan says in gIthai (9.11) "avajAnanthi mAm
mUdha..." - foolish men consider me human (during my avathArams) and they do
not understand my supremacy.
 Havnig agyAnam and anyathA gyAnam in bhagavath vishayam is also an

obstacle. Translator's note: One must properly understand bhagavAn's
parathvam (supremacy) and saulabhyam (simplicity). Not having such proper
understanding will lead to bhagavath apachArams.
26. svAnubhava virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in experiencing oneself
svAnubhavam mean experiencing/enjoying ones own AthmA in a pure state. Though

this is lower than experiencing/enjoying bhagavAn, AthmAnubhavam is considered as
something enjoyable. AthmA being bound inside a material body itself is a hurdle for
AthmAnubhavam. The obstacles in this head are:
 pleasures/recollections from dhEha vAsanA (bodily impressions) is an obstacle.

Our impressions from previous joyful bodily experiences through the sense
organs will remain even subsequent to the actual experience. This vAsanA
(impression) is dangerous and this will lead to ruchi (taste). Translator's note:
vAsanA is sub-conscious impressions and ruchi is intentional desires.
 pleasures/recollections from the ones who are related to the body - wife, children,
wealth, etc., are an obstacle and will limit AthmAnubhavam.
 ruchi (taste) derived from vAsanA (impressions) is also an obstacle. It is

commonly said that "A cat which tasted the milk will return to steal the same".
Translator's note: Once our body enjoys the pleasures and comforts, it is
difficult to give up the same and have control over the senses. That is why the
great sages guided us towards renunciation instead of sense gratification. Any
amount of gratification of desires will not fulfill such desires and would rather only
increase the desires further.
27. parAnubhava virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in experiencing

paramAthmA
archAvathAram - thirukkuRungudi nambi - most enchanting
parAnubhavam means understanding truly and experiencing/enjoying the supreme

lord's svarUpa (nature), rUpa (forms), guNa (auspicious qualities), vibhUthi (wealth).
bhagavAn has five prakArams (forms) - para (in paramapadham), vyUha (vAsudhEva,
sankarshaNa, pradhyumna and anirudha, kshIrAbdhi nAthan), vibhavam (many
incarnations like srI rAma, krishNa, etc), antharyAmi (all pervading supersoul) and
archai (deity forms). Among these, in current scenario, archAvathAram can only be
experienced/enjoyed by our senses as mentioned by thirumangai AzhwAr in
thirunedunthANdagam 10 as "pinnAnAr vaNangum chOthi" (
) - worshippable by the future (after vibhavAvathArams ending with
kaNNan emperumAn) generations. Now, the others can only be understood through
mAnasa sAkshAthkAram (through the mind). anubhavam (experience/joy) leads to
attachment/love towards bhagavAn. That love kindles loving kainkaryam (service) to
him. All of these are part of anubhavam - anything which hinders such anubhavam is an
obstacle. Let us see the obstacles in this topic.
 Self-centered activities are obstacles. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 3.2.1

"annAL nI thantha Akkaiyin vazhi uzhalvEn" (
) - I am being tormented by this body and senses which are
given by you (to facilitate the path of upliftment). Instead of using the body and
senses towards upliftment, using that for self-centered activities will be an
obstacle for bhagavath anubhavam.
 Feeling jealous on hearing the auspicious qualities of emperumAn is an obstacle.

Due to ones own time immemorial sins, one may feel jealous on hearing the
glories of bhagavAn like sisupAlan, dhuryOdhanan, etc. That is an obstacle.
 Feeling comforted by hearing about others (samsAris, ones who are demoniac,
etc) is an obstacle.
 Being overwhelmed by his supremacy and leaving him is an obstacle.

thirumangai AzhwAr says in thirunedunthANdagam 21 "avarai nAm
dhEvarenRanjinOmE" ( ) - I was
scared thinking that he is the supreme. While in AzhwAr's case it was divine
interaction between him and emperumAn - it is beyond questioning, but it is
generally recommended that feeling overwhelmed about his supremacy and
moving away from him is an obstacle.
28. samslEsha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for jIvAthmA's

communion with paramAthmA
samslEsham means having anubhavam with emperumAn. This could be mAnasa

anubhavam (in the mind) or prathyaksha anubhavam (face-to-face). Somehow enjoying
with emperumAn together is called samslEsha. This is very similar to parAnubhavam
discussed in 27th point. Let us see the obstacles in the topic.
 Being overwhelmed by his supremacy and giving up his association is an

obstacle. Already discussed in the last item in 27th point.
 Being satisfied with bhagavAn's qualities and avoiding his association

considering AthmA's insignificance is an obstacle. This is explained as
considering that such insignificant AthmA associating with bhagavAn will
minimize bhagavAn's qualities and such feelings will be a hurdle for ones
association with bhagavAn. This state is referred to as "vaLavEzhulagu
thalaiyeduththal" () - being overwhelmed by emotions in vaLavEzhulagu
(thiruvAimozhi 1.5 padhigam). nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 1.5.7 "adiyEn
chiRiya gyAnaththan, aRithalArkkum ariyAnai - kaNNanai - adiyEn kANbAn
alaRRuvan, ithanil mikkOr ayarvuNdE" ( ,
- -
, ) - I am very ignorant and
he is most difficult to see even for great sages and incarnated as kaNNan - I am
crying out to see him - what is more foolish than this act? Such interactions of
AzhwArs with emperumAn should be understood as great loving exchanges
between them. But for us, we should not avoid association of emperumAn
considering our defects.
 Approaching bhagavAn without the purushakAram (recommendation) of
srImahAlakshmi thAyAr is an obstacle. bhagavAn is supremely independent and
uncontrollable by any one. If we approach him directly, as nammAzhwAr says in
thiruvAimozhi 1.4.7 "en pizhaiyE ninainthu aruLAtha thirumAl" (
- simply considering my defects, srIman
nArAyaNan did not bless me), bhagavAn may push us down in to samsAram
again per our karmA. But if we go with the recommendation of thAyAr, our desire
will be easily fulfilled. purushakAram means recommendation. Her being the
mother of everyone, ensures that bhagavAn forgives our mistakes (just like a
father will forgive the mistake of the child based on mothers's recommendation).
This purushakAram is the nature of pirAtti and ignoring such purushakAram is an
obstacle. Translator's note: In this world, AchAryas represent thAyar and they
facilitate us in easily approaching him.
 Considering that bhagavAn is too difficult to attain and avoiding his association is
an obstacle. Translator's note: While bhagavAn may be difficult to achieve for
the ones who believe in their self-efforts, he is very easy to achieve for the ones
who fully surrender unto him through an AchArya.
29. vislEsha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for jIvAthmA's separation from

paramAthmA
vislEsha means separation from something dear. From the vyAkyAnam it can be
guessed that vislEsham itself is an obstacle.
parAngusa nAyaki (nammAzhwAr) - srIrangam
 Not having enough devotion or staying normal during separation are obstacles.
"bhakthi pAravasyam" (being fully drenched with devotion for bhagavAn) can be
understood "paraguNAvishta:" ( : - being possessed by
bhagavAn's qualities), nammAzhwAr's periya thiruvanthAdhi 34 "kAlAzhum
nenjazhiyum" ( - legs cannot stand on their own,
heart melts completely) and nammAzhwAr's thiruvAimozhi 7.2.1 "kangulum
pagalum kaNthuyilaRiyAL kaNNa nIr kaigaLAliRaikkum - enganE dharikkEn
unnai vittu" (
- -
parAngusa nAyaki's mother saying about her daughter "My daughter does not
sleep during day and night and is constantly crying and thinking how she is going
to sustain herself without srIranganAthan"). This state of suffering due to
separation is called pArvasyam. Staying normal without such suffering in
separation from bhagavAn is an obstacle.
 gIthAchAryan says in gIthai 10.9 "machchiththA madh gatha prANA

bOdhayantha: parasparam kathayanthas cha mAm nithyam thushyanthi cha
ramanthi cha" ( :
) - My devotees
constantly remember me, they hold me as their life breath and discuss my
activities amongst each other. By such discussions of my divine activities
constantly, they (both the speakers and the listeners) derive great satisfaction
and pleasure. This act of sharing and discussing bhagavAn's activities and
glories and thus being satisfied and joyful is generally called "bOdhayantha:
parasparam". This is most desirous. The ones who participate in such
discussions are called "uchAth thuNai" ( - dependable
companion). They will reduce the sorrows of separation in one's heart. By not
engaging with such dependable companions in discussing bhagavath vishayam
during separation will lead to more sorrows and is an obstacle thus.
nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 5.4.9 "chenjudarth thAmaraikkaN chelvanum
vArAnAl - nenjidar thIrppAr iniyAr? ninRu uruguginREnE" (
-
? ) - When the beautiful red lotus eyed
srImAn does not arrive I am completely melting away by the sorrow of
separation. Who will remove the sorrows from my heart now?
pariharangal.html.

30. vishaya virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for bhagavath vishayam
irresistible nectar - ArAvamuthan - most enjoyable
vishayam generally means bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to bhagavAn).

Anything contrary to that is an obstacle.
 Matters such as sabdha (sound), sparsa (touch), rUpa (vision), rasa (taste),
gantha (smell), etc., which give material pleasures to our senses are a hurdle for
bhahgavath vishayam. Translator's note: When one engages in sensual
pleasures it increases the rajO and thamO guNam in oneself and naturally
moves the person away from bhagavAn. AzhwArs have themselves cried out in
many pAsurams that these wordly pleasuers are very powerful and they torment
them constantly.
 Listening the names of bhagavAn is naturally good for the jIvAthmA. bhagavAn
himself considers these as sukrutham (good acts) done by jIvAthmAs when they
listen/utter the names of bhagavAn (even unintentionally). Not listening to
bhagavAn's names or listening to other's names are obstacles.
 bhagavAn's archA vigrahams (and pictures/drawings of the same) are most

enchanting. Looking at material bodies is an obstacle.
 Reciting others names instead of reciting bhagvAn's names is an obstacle.
 The legs given to us are to be used to go to bhagavAn's kshEthrams (dhivya

dhEsams, etc). Using them in going to other dhEvathAs kshEthrams is an
obstacle.
 nammAzhwAr speaks about the glories of bhAgavathas in thiruvAimozhi 2.7

"payilum chudaroLi" ( ) padhigam and 8.10
"nedumARkadimai" ( ) padhigam. With this understanding,
one should know that glorifying bhAgavathas is greater than glorifying bhagavAn.
So, just worshipping bhagavAn's archA vigraham without serving bhAgavathas is
an obstacle.
 Reciting bhagavAn's names instead of reciting bhAgavathas names is an

obstacle. For example, it is explained by our pUrvAchAryas that the name
"rAmAnuja" is greater than "nArAyaNa" and reciting emperumAnAr's names is
most desired. vaduga nambi once hears some one reciting "nArAyaNa" and says
"One must recite 'rAmAnuja' only, simply saying 'nArAyaNa' is 'nAva kAriyam'
(inappropriate act)" and walks away from that spot.
 Touching (the lotus feet of) bhAgavathas is good for oneself. But touching
samsAris or being touched by them is a major obstacle. Translator's note: In
parAsara bhattar's life, an incident is highlighted in this connection. While walking
in the streets of srIrangam, a devotee of some other dhEvathA wearing colored
dhOti comes close to bhattar and makes bhattar think that he may touched him.
bhattar at once becomes very disturbed and goes to his mother ANdAL ammA
and asks her for a remedy. She instructs bhattar to accept the srIpAdha thIrtham
from a bhAgavatha who is not upavIdhI (one who does not wear
yagyOpavIdham). bhattar somehow convinces one bhAgavatha who performs
srIpAdham kainkaryam to namperumAL to present their srIpAdha thIrtham and
feels satisfied. If, bhattar who is namperumAL/nAchiyAr's adopted son himself
fears so much for the touch of samsAris, we can understand how careful we
should be.
 thuLasi is very dear to emperumAn. But we should only smell the thuLasi leaves
that are offered to bhagavAn. Smelling thuLasi that is not used in worshipping the
lotus feet of bhagavAn is an obstacle. Translator's note: Everything animate
and inanimate is owned by bhagavAn and exist for the pleasure of bhagavAn
only. They should be first offered to bhagavAn and then accepted as prasAdham
- nothing can be independently enjoyed by us.
31. visvAsa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for our faith in upAyam
sIthA pirAtti demonstrated full faith on srI rAmA in most adverse situation
visvAsam means firm faith. Here we are looking at firm faith in upAyam for mOksham.
Our pUrvAchAryas have explained based on sAsthram that bhagavAn is the apt
upAyam for mumukshus. Translator's note: The same principles are explained by
mAmunigaL in the vyAkyAnam for piLLai lOkAchAryar's mumukshuppadi sUthram 116
while explaining "pERu thappAthenRu thuNinthirukkaiyum" (
) - one should be firmly faithful that the desired goal of eternal
bhagavath kainkaryam will be achieved.
 prapatthi is the act of praying to emperumAn to be the upAyam. It is simply the

state of mind accepting bhagavAn as the upAyam. It is a very simple step. Yet,
this is all that is required from our part. One should not think that "oh! This is a
very simple step. How will this simple act make bhagavAn become upAyam?".
Having such thoughts is an obstacle.
 upEyam is the result of pursuing upAyam. For srIvaishNavas, eternal kainkaryam
in paramapadham (srIvaikuNtam) is the ultimate goal. And this kainkaryam in
paramapadham is most wonderful and unimaginable to achieve by ones own
self-efforts. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 5.1.7 "ammAn AzhippirAn avan
evvidaththAn yAnAr" (
- My lord is the one who holds chakram in his hand - how great he is
and how lowly I am) out of great joy that bhagavAn blessed him. So, one should
not think of his greatness and we may not achieve kainkaryam to him because of
our meekness - that is an obstacle.
 There are so many obstacles in samsAram. Fearing for those obstacles is an

obstacle. Translator's note: In mumukshuppadi charama slOka prakaraNam,
while explaining "sarva pApEbhyO mOkshayishyAmi mA sucha:", piLLai
lOkAchAryar beautifully highlights bhagavAn's promise that all obstacles will be
removed by him. mAmunigaL has expertly explained these principles in the
vyAkyAnam.
 Not having faith in charamOpAyam (ultimate upAyam) is an obstacle. Both

prapatthi and AchArya abhimAnam are explained as charamOpAyam. For
prapatthi one should not consider that its a simple act and how will this simple act
earn us eternal kainkaryam? For AchArya abhimAnam, one should not consider
AchAryan is also a human like us, how will we help us get mOksham? Both are
to be avoided. Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in
mumukshuppadi charama slOka prakaraNam that "sarva dharmAn parithyajya"
gIthA slOkam is called charama slOkam because it explains the charama
upAyam (saraNAgathi). There is a grantham written by nAyanArAchAn piLLai
which explains the glories of emperumAnAr (as AchArya) and is named
charamOpAya nirNayam.
32. pravruththi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for our actions

(kainkaryams)
iLaya perumAL (lakshmaNan) - the first one to be counted amongst shining servitors of
bhagavAn
 We should understand that kainkaryam to emperumAn is the fitting action for our
nature. kainkaryam is karthavyam - to be pursued naturally. Performing
kainkaryam just as following vidhi (rules) is an obstacle.
 kainkaryam should be done with great love. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi

10.8.10 "uganthu paNi cheythu" ( - serving with love).
Performing kainkaryam without such love is an obstacle. Translator's note: We
have already seen the true nature of kainkaryam in previous definitions -
"bhagavath anubhava janitha prIthi kAritha kainkaryam" ( ஜ
) - one experiences bhagavath guNam, etc., that
leads to loving attachment and that leads to kainkaryam. If it was simply done
without attachment it is against the svarUpam of jIvAthmA.
 Citing ones pArathanthriyam not being anxious during kainkaryam is an obstacle.

One should think "this is emperumAn's kainkaryam; we should complete it
properly; we should not be committing mistakes and so on" - such thoughts will
naturally lead to anxiety. Even during our thiruvArAdhanam at the end, everyone
recites "upachArApadhEsEna kruthAn - apachArAnimAm sarvAm kshamasva
purushOththama" ( -
) - I started doing kainkaryam to you but ended up
committing many mistakes in process, you being the best among purushas,
kindly forgive me. Being casual without any anxiety is an obstacle. Translator's
note: When kaNNan emperumAn visited vidhura's palace, vidhura was filled with
anxiety that he offered the banana peels to emperumAn. Yet kaNNan
emperumAn greatly appreciates vidhurAzhwAn's loving service. This is why
vidhurAzhwAn is called "mahAmathi" - one who is greatly knowledgable - for
being anxious to serve emperumAn.
 Considering ones anushtAnam as sAdhanam (upAyam) is an obstacle.
svAnushtAnam (ones anushtAnam) includes karmAs that are ordered by
bhagavAn as essential. Not performing such acts will lead to accumulation of
sins. But performing them will not add any pious karmA - they are mandatory.
One should not consider such anushtAnams as upAyams that will force
emperumAn to give us mOksham. vihitha karmA includes sandhyAvandhanam
thrice a day, thiruvArAdhanam for home perumALs, pithru tharppaNam, etc.
33. nivruththi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for inaction (renunciation)
piLLai lOkAchAryar and mAmunigaL (srIperumbUthUr) - clearly explained the principle

of renunciation in mumukshuppadi
nivruththi means renunciation/being detached. One who accepted emperumAn alone as

upAyam will have to give up all other upAyams. bhagavAn says in gIthA charma
slOkam that "sarvadharmAn parithyajya" ( ) first give up all
upAyams and then "mAmEkam charaNam vraja" ( ஜ)
surrender unto me only. So, according to this, one should fully give up attachment to all
other dharmams (upAyams such as karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams) and accept
bhagavAn alone as the supreme dhramam. Translator's note: Our AchAryas establish
that srIman nArAyaNan alone is supreme dharmam as cited in mahAbhAratham
"krishNam dharmam sanAthanam" ( ) - kaNNan
emperumAn is the eternal dharmam and srI rAmAyaNam "rAmO vigrahavAn dharma:"
( :) - srI rAma is embodiment of dharmam. piLLai
lOkAchAryar majestically explains this in mumukshuppadi sUthram 213 "dharma
samsthApanam paNNap piRanthavan thAnE 'sarva dharmangaLaiyum vittu
ennaippaRRu' engaiyAlE sAkshAth dharmam thAnE engiRathu" (
'
' )-
bhagavAn appears as krishNan to establish dharmam - when he says 'give up all other
dharmams and accept me' that means he is the real/eternal dharmam.
 Even after understanding all of these, if one considers "would I get some sin for
giving up these other upAyams?" that is an obstacle. This only shows the lack of
faith in bhagavAn. The objective will also not be fulfilled due to such doubting.
 Performing such actions with doubt in emperumAn is also an obstacle.

Translator's note: One should not think "what if my prapatthi fails? May be I
should also do a little bit of karma, gyAna or bhakthi yOgam so that will back me
up". It is explained that bhagavAn is like brahmAsthram. When brahmAsthram is
applied, it will easily arrest the opponent. But if one doubts the powers of
brahmAsthram and try to tie down the opponent with any additional protection,
the brahmAstharam will withdraw itself. This is what happened when hanuman
was arrested by brahmAsthram and later when the rAkshasas tied him with
ropes, brahmAshtram let hanuman free. hanuman eventually goes to rAvaNa's
court, warns him and sets lankA on fire subsequently.
 Giving up other upAyams simply due to ones own asakthi (incapability) is an

obstacle. One should consider that other upAyams are not suitable for the
svarUpam and thus give them up.
 Giving up other upAyams because one is capable to is an obstacle. Similar to

above - they should be given up to fulfill the true nature - not for any other
reason. Translator's note: For example, one may be able to give up karma
yOgam and thinking that "Oh! I am very much in control, so I am giving up karma
yOgam" - this is not good either.
 One should also not boast about giving up attachment to all upAyams - that is an
obstacle too. If one is able to do that, that is natural for jIvAthmA and happens by
the grace of emperumAn and AchAryas - one should not praise oneself for doing
that and think that "I have given them all up! how great?".
One should constantly remember, piLLai lOkAchAryar's mumukshuppadi sUtram 271 -

"karmam kainkaryaththilE pugum; gyAnam - svarUpa prakAsaththilE pugum; bhakthi
prApya ruchiyilE pugum; prapaththi - svarUpa yAthAthmya gyAnaththilE pugum"
( ; - ;
; -
). mAmunigaL beautifully explains the necessity for performing all such activities
out of compassion towards whole community (if great persons give up these vihitha
karmAs, others will follow and simply fall down) - yet one should never consider them as
upAyam - they are done as kainkaryam. Whatever karmA done (like
sandhyAvandhanam, etc) - they will become part of kainkaryam towards emperumAn.
Whatever acquired through gyAna yOgam will lead to the enlightenment of the soul.
Whatever performed as part of bhakthi will help improve our loving attachment towards
bhagavAn. And finally the prapatthi will fit into the intrinsic nature of jIvAthmA in
accepting bhagavAn alone as upAyam.
pariharangal.html.
emperumAnAr and vangi puratthu nambi

34. sayana virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in sleeping/lying down
sayanam means sleeping, resting and lying down. In srIvaishNava paribhAshai it is said
as "kaN vaLargai" ( ) similar to bathing is said as "nIrAttam"
( ). Quite a few obstacles are listed in this topic. Let us see them now.
 Sleeping at samsAris' (materially minded persons) homes is an obstacle.
mumukshu means one who desires for mOksham. samsAris are the ones who
are not desiring for mOksham. nammAzhwAr defines the life-cycle of a samsAri
in thiruviruththam first pAsuram itself "poy ninRa gyAnamum pollA ozhukkum
azhukkudambum" (
) - Out of ignorance repeatedly performing sinful deeds and as
a result being born with a material body repeatedly.
 Sleeping or lying down with them.
 Sleeping or lying down on their bed.
 Sleeping near their feet.
 Sleeping at a lower platform compared to samsAris (For example: them sleeping

on a bed and us sleeping on the floor).
 Giving them space to sleep.
 Not sanctifying the place where they slept.
 Not sleeping at srIvaishNavas' homes. Translator's note: When given the

opportunity one should sleep at a srIvaishNava's home considering that it is a
great fortune.
 Lying down with them considering that they are equal to us. Translator's note:
We should always consider other srIvaishNavas greater than us.
 Lying down on their sacred bed without respecting the same.
 Hesitating to lie down near their lotus feet.
 Lying down on a higher platform than them (For example: them sleeping on the
floor and us sleeping on the bed).
 Lying down without providing appropriate space for them to sleep.
 Sanctifying their place after them sleeping at a place and waking up.
Translator's note: It is common practice to purify/sanctify where we slept at
night if we need to use that space in the day time. Usually, water is poured and
the place is fully cleaned. But since we should consider other srIvaishNavas to
be pure, we should not do such sanctifying where other srIvaishNavas slept.
 vihitha vishayam means enjoyment that is prescribed/allowed in sAsthram - even
that is an obstacle. Here it indicates a srIvaishNava's wife (or husband for the
srIvaishNavi). One cannot sleep/lie down with his wife thinking that this
communion is allowed in sAsthram and is to be enjoyed. Translator's note:
piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram 101st
sUthram "maRRaiyiruvarkkum nishidhdha vishaya nivruththiyE amaiyum;
prapannanukku vihitha vishaya nivruththi thannERRam"
( ;
) - mAmunigaL
explains this high principle in his usual beautiful way. For the ones who are
attached to material benefits and for the ones who are following upAyAntharams
(karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgam) - being detached from others' wives is sufficient
(i.e., hankering for others' wives is condemned in sAsthram generally). Others
enjoy communion with their own wives to fulfill their dharmam (of bringing about
procreation), but for prapannas such communion is considered as a hindrance
for their svarUpam (nature), so even that should be avoided. It is further
explained in other granthams such as vilakshaNa mOksha adhikAri nirNayam by
eRumbi appA that our pUrvAchAryas even though were the most advanced
prapannas, yet engaged in such communion for a few days with utmost
compassion to procreate one or two srIvaishNava santhAnam (children) without
any desire for personal enjoyment and subsequently fully gave up such acts also
and fully spent their time in bhagavath vishayam only. This is a complicated
subject matter and one needs to properly hear the principles from an AchArya.
 Considering that ones wife is also a srIvaishNavi, one should accompany her
while sleeping without any desire for enjoyment. Not having such good thoughts
is an obstacle.
 One should not sleep with thoughts that stimulate sensual pleasures.
 Not sleeping with remembrance of bhagavAn is an obstacle. Translator's note:

While going to sleep one should meditate on pAsurams such as periyAzhwAr
thirumozhi "uRagal uRagal" ( ), "panikkadalil paLLi kOLai"
( ), "aravaththamaLiyinOdum"
( ), etc. For pancha kAla parAyaNas, sleeping is
supposed to be the communion of jIvAthmA and paramAthmA (the vaidhikas day
is divided in to 5 parts and the last part is called yOgam) - remembering
bhagavAn's names, forms, auspicious qualities, etc., before going to sleep is of
great importance.
 Not sleeping with remembrance of ones own AchArya and other pUrvAchAryas is
an obstacle. Translator's note: Similar to previous point, one should recite
AchAryan thanians, vAzhi thirunAmams, etc., before going to sleep to remind
oneself of the great favours done by AchArya in establishing the connection with
bhagavAn.
 Sleeping with thoughts about our bodily activities is an obstacle.
 Not sleeping with thoughts about the soul and its nature is an obstacle.
Translator's note: As discussed in previous activities, one should consider the
soul to be a servitor of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas and thus have thoughts that
are in line with such attitude.
 While sleeping/lying down, one should not stretch their feet towards the presence
of bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchAryas.
 While sleeping/lying down, one should not stretch their feet towards the direction
of temple, thiruvArAdhanam room in ones own homes and the mutt/thirumALigai
(residence) of AchArya.
 One should not sleep when one is supposed to be engaged in AchArya

kainkaryam.
 One should not sleep before the AchArya goes to sleep.
 One should not continue to sleep, when the AchArya tries to wake him/her up.
Translator's note: Sleeping may be considered as a casual activity. But as in every

activity, one should carefully analyse the various aspects. As highlighted before, a
vaidhika means the day is divided in to five parts - abhigamanam (waking up, morning
routines), upAdhAnam (collecting raw materials for thiruvArAdhanam), ijjA
(thiruvArAdhanam to our home perumAL), svAdhyAyam (learning/teaching of ubhaya
vEdhAntham) and yOgam (resting - communion of jIvAthmA and paramAthmA). The
yOgam part is what we normally consider as sleep and when the sleep is
controlled/directed properly thamO guNam will subdue and satthva guNam will
increase. Too much sleeping is considered to be directly related to increased thamO
guNam and one should try to improve that by regulating ones routines by waking up
early in the morning and engaging the mind and body in bhagavath/bhAgavatha
kainkaryam.
35. uththAna virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in waking up/rising
uththAnam means rising from the bed. Let us see the obstacles in this topic.
 Rising casually/slowly when AchArya or srIvaishNavas awake us. Translator's
note: When srIvaishNavas wake us up, we should feel sorry to have made them
wake us up instead of being alert and awake in their presence. Thus we should
wake up at once with great rush.
 Rising hurriedly when materially minded people awake us.
 Waking up without remembrance/recitations of bhagavAn's glories and
AchAryan's glories is an obstacle. Learned people usually wake up reciting "hari:
hari:". Reciting "harir harathi pApAni" slOkam and dhyava mahA mantham is
good for oneself. Translator's note: In sAsthram it is said that one should wake
up in the early morning hours of brahma muhurtham (approx 4am) and
remember the glories of srIman nArAyaNan. It is commonly seen in elders that
as part of waking up, guru paramparA manthram "asmadh gurubhyO nama: ...
srIdharAya nama:", rahasya thrayam (thirumanthram, dhvayam, charama
slOkam), AchAryan's thanian, "harir harathi pApAni" slOkam, "kausalya suprajA"
slOkam, nadAthUr ammAL's paramArtha dhvaya slOkams, gajEndhra mOksha
slOkams and parathvAdhi panchaka slOkams are recited.
 It is an obstacle to focus on ones own anusandhAnam such as reciting dhivya
prabhandham, sthOthrams, ithihAsa/purANams or japam when AchAryan or
srIvaishNavas are waiting for us. Translator's note: When srIvaishNavas wait
for us or arrive at our home, we cannot make them wait due to our own
anusandhAnam - we should complete it as quick as possible, attend them
satisfactorily and then continue with our anusandhAnam.
 When the AchAryan rests by keeping his head on ones lap, one should not rise
suddenly saying the leg is aching. We can recollect bhattar-nanjIyar incident.
bhattar (AchAryan) rested by keeping his head on the lap of nanjIyar (sishyan) -
nanjIyar stayed without moving for a long time and when bhattar woke up he
greatly praises nanjIyar for his strong will in serving the AchAryan. We can also
remember karNan's incident with parasurAma. When karNa was learning archery
from parasurAma, once parasurAma rested by keeping his head on karNa's lap.
At that time, a bee starts stinging karNa and he stays unmoved. This incident is
found in mahAbhAratham.
 It is an improper conduct to rise and leave a srIvaishNava gOshti in the middle
and is considered as an insult to the gOshti. Translator's note: In dhivya
prabhandha gOshti or kAlakshEpa gOshti, it is always better to enter at the
beginning and stay until the end. People entering and leaving in the middle is a
distraction for others too.
 It is an obstacle to wake up srIvaishNavas by shouting at them. To wake up
srIvaishNavas or to ask srIvaishNavas to move from one place to another, they
should be humbly approached and requested submissively.
 It is an obstacle to simply wake up the AchArya. Translator's note: One should
wake up before the AchAryan and wait for the AchArya to wake up. One cannot
force the AchArya to wake up. We can recollect the incident in bhattar's life. It is
shown in thiruppAvai 8th pAsuram 4000 padi vyAkyAnam of Ay jananyAchAryar
that all the srIvaishNavas would wake up early, decorate themselves, go and wait
at the doorsteps of bhattar and humbly wake him up. Since bhattar was the dear
son of AzhwAn/ANdAL and the adopted son of srIranganAthan/srIranganAchiyAr
and was a matchless scholar and the leader of the sampradhAyam, the sishyas
were greatly admiring him and serving him during his time.
 Not waking up before the AchAryan wakes up is an obstacle. One should go to
sleep after the AchArya sleeps comfortably and wake up before the AchArya
wakes up and ensure all his needs are satisfied.
 Other sishyas of ones AchArya are called "sabrahmachAris" (class-mates). They
should be treated with great respect as well. One should not yawn in front of
them, snapping the hairs from the head, stretching in front of them such that our
hands/feet touches them, etc. These are considered as offenses and should be
avoided.
 These class-mates are to be respected. Before they offer praNAms, one should
first say "adiyEn" and offer them praNAms (obeisances). Not doing that is an
obstacle.
 One should have great respect towards AchAryan, AchArya pathni (his wife) and
AchArya puthras (sons). As soon as waking up, they should be offered praNAms
and served properly. Not doing that is an obstacle.
pariharangal.html.

36. gathi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our walking (and activities)
gathi generally means walking (based on gamanam - going), the way (like in archirAdhi
gathi - the bright path to paramapadham) and the refuge/target (like in agathi - the one
who does not have any refuge). Here the main points discussed relate to how to
conduct oneself with srIvaishNavas (one who have taken shelter of bhagavAn through
an AchArya), samsAris (materially minded people), etc. We have previously discussed
the definition of srIvaishNava, mumukshu, samsAri, etc - that can be recollected as
necessary.
 Stepping on the bed that was used by srIvaishNavas is an obstacle. Translator's
note: Whatever used by srIvaishNavas they should be treated as holy and
respected. In our tradition, stepping on anything is considered to be offensive.
While it is quite normal in other cultures to keep the feet up, push/pull things
using the feet, etc., it is considered as a great disrespect to touch any one or any
thing with ones feet in our culture.
 It is disrespectful to avoid srIvaishNavas who are coming towards us. One should
humbly offer them praNAmams and proceed submissively. Translator's note: It
is highlighted in sAsthram that when a vaishNava meets another vaishNava,
mutual respects must be paid by offering full praNAmams (prostration) - but
these habits are fast disappearing nowadays.
 In contrary to the previous point, it is an obstacle to be very humble towards
samsAris. Translator's note: It is explained by our pUrvAchAryas that with
samsAris will increase our attachment towards wordly pleasures - so being very
humble towards them looking for material favours will be detrimental for our
spiritual progress.
 While having the vision of gOpurams, vimAnams of bhagavAn's temples, one
should worship them and relish the beauty of them. Ignoring them or quickly
crossing them is an obstacle. Translator's note: In periya thirumozhi 2.6.6
pAsura vyAyAnam, periyavAchAn piLLai highlights an incident where nanjIyar
says that he observed piLLai thirunaRaiyUr arayar and bhattar used to perform
pradhakshiNam (circumambulation) of the temple greatly admiring and relishing
the temple gOpurams, residences of the srIvaishNavas, etc.
 While having the vision of gOpurams, vimAnams of dhEvathAntharam (other
dhEvathas) temples, a srIvaishNava should quickly pass the area instead of
worshipping them or relishing their physical appearance. Doing so is an obstacle.
Translator's note: In this connection an incident is identified by nampiLLai in his
eedu vyAykAnam for thiruvAimozhi 4.6.6 pAsuram. piLLai uRangAvilli dhAsar's
nephews vaNdar and choNdar were once walking along with agaLanga
nAttAzhwAn. Wanting to tease them, agaLanga nAttAzhwAn shows a jain temple
and tells them it is emperumAn's temple and asks to offer their obeisances. They
duly follow his request but once they realize that it is not emperumAn's temple,
they faint at once. Hearing this, piLLai uRangAvilli dhAsar arrives there and gives
them the dust of his lotus feet and after applying that they gain consciousness.
Such is their firm faith.
 Seeing emperumAn's temple one should go around it in clock-wise manner as a
pradhakshiNam - going in the opposite direction is an obstacle.
 While going some where, if we hear bhAgavathas reciting dhivya prabhandham,
etc., we should wait, listen to the same and slowly leave the place. Walking off
very fast at that stage is not proper.
 On hearing other matters being discussed or glorified, one should leave the place
quickly closing the ears.
 While walking along with AchAryan or srIvaishNavas, one should not step on
their shadows.
 We should also walk so that our shadow does not fall on them.
 Also, one should avoid the shadow of samsAris touching us and our shadow
touching samsAris.
 When going for collecting materials for bhagavath/bhAgavatha ArAdhanam
(worshipping), one should not walk close to the residences of brahmA, rudhran,
etc. sANdilya smruthi explains that the residences of them are similar to
smasAnam (crematorium).
 Stepping on materials that were used in worshipping dhEvathAntharams is
considered as Asoucham (contamination) and should not be done.
 One should not walk in the company of pAshaNdis (avaishNavas or the ones
who try to negate the glories of bhagavAn).
 One should show gratitude to the srIvaishNavas who accompany him/her during
travels. Ignoring them is an obstacle.
 While sending-off srIvaishNavas, one should go upto a good distance and wait
for them to disappear from the vision. Sending them off right at our door-step is
not proper. Translator's note: It is explained by elders that one would go up to a
water-body (river, lake, etc) which is usually located at the entrance of the town
while sending off srIvaishNavas.
 When AchArya or srIvaishNavas come towards us, we should go towards them
and welcome them. Just sitting wherever we are without welcoming them is not
proper attitude.
 When dealing with samsAris it is unnecessary to be overly caring while
welcoming them or sending them off.
 Looking for monetary benefits one should not go to the homes of samsAris.
 dhivya dhEsams are known as "uganthu aruLina nilangaL" (
) - bhagavAn descended here with great compassion - these are the
temples which were highlighted/glorified by AzhwArs. AchAryas also had special
attachment towards certain kshEthrams - these are called abhimAna sthalams
(srI rAmAnuja had great affiliation towards thirunArAyaNapuram, mAmunigaL
had great affiliation towards rAja mannAr kOil, etc). When one goes to such
places, they should spend time in worshipping and glorifying bhagavAn. Just
roaming around in those kshEthrams is not proper attitude. Translator's note:
The whole purpose of thIrtha yAthrais (sacred pilgrimages) are to go and worship
emperumAn and to meet great srIvaishNavas to get their association.
 Going to functions/festivals of bodily relatives just based on the bodily platform.
 Skipping/Avoiding functions/festivals of Athma bandhus - srIvaishNavas who are
fully dedicated to kainkaryam.
 emperumAn is staying as antharyAmi (in-dwelling soul) with in every one. So,
one should avoid unnecessarily walk rashly and disturb the antharyAmi
emperumAn. One should be soft in their walks so that it does not disturb anyone.
Translator's note: It is said in prahlAdhAzhwAn's charithram that when he was
pushed down from the mountain top and when he started falling down, he at
once held his heart tight so that there is no jerk for the emperumAn who is in his
heart. That should be our attitude too.
 One should constantly go behind sadhAchAryan (true AchAryan - could either be
the one who performs pancha samskAram or the one who instructs valuable
knowledge in bhagavath vishayam) and serve him properly. mAmunigaL explains
these principles beautifully in upadhEsa rathina mAlai 64, 65 and 66 pAsurams.
Please read them and be clarified. Translator's note: In the 64th pAsuram,
mAmunigaL explains that a sishya should constantly serve his/her AchArya when
the AchArya is in this world and asks how one can be missing out on that. In the
65th pAsuram mAmunigaL explains that the AchArya's responsibility is to take
care of the sishya (jIvAthmA/soul) and the sishya's responsibility is to take care of
the bodily needs of AchArya and says that it is very difficult to fully understand
and implement this principle. In the 66th pAsuram, mAmunigaL highlights that
pinbhazhagiya perumAL jIyar was such an exalted sishya of nampiLLai where
jIyar was constantly engaged in serving nampiLLai and even shunned
paramapadham to continue his service for nampiLLai and instructs his heart to
sincerely follow such attitude.
 One should not go behind others for any material gains other than
bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam.
 One should be fully at the disposal of sadhAchAryan (true AchAryan) - when the
AchAryan says "go" the sishya should go and when he says "come" the sishya
should come - there should be no questioning/protesting - one should simply
follow the true AchAryan.
 In dhivya prabhandha gOshti (congregational recital) during processions, one
should not try to go in the front of the gOshti - one should always be humble and
stay in the back. One should not hesitate to the stay and walk in the back lines.
 One should help others who are unable to walk fast during such gOshti. Ignoring
such persons needing help is an obstacle.
 When one gives the AchAryan a helping-hand, one should be respectful and
affectionate. One should not do this casually.
37. sthithi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our staying (and behaviours)
sthithi means existence and also sitting. This topic explains how one should behave in
different situations. samsAri means one who does not know about their own true nature
(i.e., as servitor of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas). They are mainly focussed on nice
food, clothing, etc. Let us continue with the obstacles discussed in this topic.
 Being touched with the clothes worn by samsAris. Translator's note: We have
already discussed the incident from bhattar's life where a dhEvathAnthara
devotee's cloth touches bhattar and he atones for that by accepting the srIpAdha
thIrtham of a bhAgavatha.
 Being seated in the same seat or a similar seat to a samsAri.
 Allowing our clothes to touch srIvaishNavas. Translator's note: One should be
careful in close proximity of srIvaishNavas and not touch them. They may be in
the middle of some kainkaryam for emperumAn, AchAryan, bhAgavathas. We
may be unclean at times - so we should avoid touching srIvaishNavas and
contaminating their sanctity.
 Considering ourselves as equal to other srIvaishNavas and being seated on an
equal seating with srIvaishNavas. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa
dhivya sAsthram, the main apachAram identified by piLLai lOkAchAryar is to
consider oneself equal to another srIvaishNava. One should always be humble
and consider oneself to be lower than other srIvaishNavas.
 One should not consider samsAris to be higher than oneself and be seated at a
lower platform than them. Translator's note: samsAris means one who increase
our bodily attachments in many different ways. One should be very careful in to
having admiration of samsAris in whatever ways and consider oneself
subordinate to them. That will eventually increase ones own material aspirations
and keep oneself in the vicious cycle of birth and death in this samsAram.
 One should not live in the same house where samsAris live.
 One should not wait anxiously for the arrival of samsAris with the intent that we
will gain material benefits by their arrival.
 One should not be in the company of samsAris.
 One should not live in a place which is filled with samsAris.
 Refusing to be seated at a lower platform to srIvaishNavas. Translator's note:
One should happily sit at a lower platform compared to srIvaishNavas.
 Hesitating to live in the same house where srIvaishNavas live.
 Feeling ashamed to wait anxiously for the arrival of srIvaishNavas.
 Not willing to be in the company of srIvaishNavas.
 Not living in a place which is filled with srIvaishNavas.
 Being inside the house when AchAryan or emperumAn is on a procession and is
outside ones own house. Translator's note: In dhivya dhEsams, etc., it is often
seen that emperumAn goes on a procession in the streets around the temple. It
is by the great compassion of bhagavAn that he comes out of the temple to give
his mercy to every one (even the ones who are old, suffering from diseases,
disability, etc., and cannot visit the temple). When emperumAn comes out on
procession, one should step out of their house before his arrival, wait for his
arrival and welcome him appropriately according to local customs (offering
flowers, fruits, etc).
Adhi kEsava perumAL with nAchiyArs - during puRappAdu in srIperumbUthUr
 While seeing AchAryan and srIvaishNavas, one should immediately rise, offer
our respects and welcome them. Not doing that is an obstacle.
 In contrast, when samsAris visit, even if they are materially well-off one should
consider them as a blade of grass (which is not worthy) and avoid giving them a
great welcome (looking for material benefits). Translator's note: One can
recollect "yOnithyam achyutha ..." thanian for emperumAnAr where it is said that
emperumAnAr treated everything but the lotus feet of emperumAn as a blade of
grass.
 Being casual about the arrival of AchAryan and srIvaishNavas. Translator's
note: One should become excited about the arrival of srIvaishNavas and ensure
that they are well taken care off.
 While doing thiruvArAdhanam for emperumAn, if a srIvaishNava arrives, one
should stop the thiruvArAdhanam at once, welcome the srIvaishNava, enquire
his well-being, make some arrangements for his comfortable stay and resume
the thiruvArAdhanam. One cannot simply make the srIvaishNava wait citing that
he is in thiruvArAdhanam. It is to be understood that bhAgavatha ArAdhanam is
more important than bhagavath ArAdhanam.
 When collecting/accepting srIpAdha thIrtham from one srIvaishNava and another
srIvaishNava arrives at that time, it is improper to stop collecting srIpAdha
thIrtham from the first srIvaishNava. One should request for pardon from the
newly arrived srIvaishNava, humbly ask him to wait for some time, complete the
srIpAdha thIrtham procedure with the first srIvaishNava and then proceed to do
the same from the second srIvaishNava.
 The srIvaishNavas who are giving their srIpAdha thIrtham should also co-operate
properly and should not leave abruptly.
 jangama vimAnam means movable object - refers to both vAhanams that are
seen during uthsavams and srIvaishNavas (who carry emperumAn in their
hearts). ajangama vimAnam means immovable object - temple tower. One
should not step over the shadow of both movable and immovable vimAnams.
 One should not stand such that the shadow of the temples and the temple towers
of dhEvathAntharams fall on them.
 One should not stand in the shade of trees that are dear to dhEvathAntharams
(for example neem tree). It is ideal to be in the shade of trees such as tamarind
tree which is dear to nammAzhwAr.
 One should not stay in the places that are deemed to owned by
dhEvathAntharams and that are dear to dhEvathAntharams.
 Ignoring bhAgavathas homes and staying in abhAgavathas (one who is not
devoted to srIman nArAyaNan exclusively) homes is an improper action. It is best
to avoid staying in abhAgavathas' residences. Translator's note: A well-known
incident from mahAbhAratham could be studied to understand this principle.
When kaNNan emperumAn went to dhuryOdhana as a messenger, he ignored
the palaces of dhuryOdhana, bhIshma and dhrONAchArya and went to vidhura's
palace. vidhura, being a great devotee of emperumAn, greatly relished
emperumAn's arrival. When dhuryOdhana asks kaNNan emperumAn why he
ignored their palaces, emperumAn answers "Because pANdavas are very dear to
me, I cannot visit ones who are not favourable towards them" - emperumAn
himself chooses to stay with bhAgavathas only clearly demonstrating this
principle.
 When the AchAryan is standing, the sishya should not be seated.
 When the AchAryan is walking, the sishya should not be seated. He should walk
along with the AchArya and assist him as necessary.
 When AchAryan instructs the sishya to stand, disobeying that is improper
attitude.
 Stretching ones feet towards the direction of bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and
AchAryan. This is not proper at all.
 Even in temples, when srIvaishNavas arrive, one should rise and respect them. It
is improper to stay seated even after seeing srIvaishNavas enter the temples.
 In the presence of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas (at temples, etc), one should not
close their eyes and sit in meditation. One should be fully awake and relish the
beauty of emperumAn, divine assembly of emperumAn and the presence of
wonderful bhAgavathas. There is an incident identified in bhattar's life where
bhattar notices some one praying with closed eyes in front of emperumAn and
bhattar feels sorry for him and tells him that he is missing out on wonderful
dharshan of emperumAn by shutting his eyes. It is also said that subsequently
that person lost his eyesight.
pariharangal.html.

38. Avasyaka virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles for principles that are to be

essentially remembered and avoided
One should essentially remember these obstacles and avoid them. When our saliva
touches any thing that becomes contaminated. The human body is said to have nine
outlets (Our body is called nava dhvAra pattaNam - city of nine gates - 2 eyes, 2 ears,
mouth, 2 nostrils, urinary organ and anus). When our hands come in contact with any of
those parts, the hands become contaminated and they need to be purified. One can
wash the hands with water and purify the same. When the hands touch the feet one
should wash them before touching anything else.
Translator's note: This topic and the next couple of topics relate to asuddhi
(contamination). In the modern culture, there is total disregard for contamination.
Generally, eating/drinking with the hand touching the mouth/lips (sipping, licking with
tongue, etc) is called contamination. There are also many other aspects of
contamination such as
 eating/drinking
o touching the main container of food with the contaminated (eating) hand
o eating/drinking with left hand
o eating/drinking with spoon, straw, etc., also lead to contamination.
o not purifying the place after eating. One should purify the place with cow
dung.
o after eating one must wash hands, feet and rinse their mouth properly.
 vizhuppu (contaminated clothes)
o once a dhoti or saree is worn while sleeping or touching the bed on which
one sleeps in the night, it becomes contaminated. It should be put to wash
and not be touched after bathing.
 birth/death
o During birth/death of paternal relatives, one acquires Asoucham and thus
can not participate in any kainkaryam (including ones own home
perumAL's thiruvArAdhanam). Yet, one cannot give up sandhyA
vandhanam even during Asoucham.
 Visiting barber (for hair cutting, etc), hospitals, etc., contaminates such visitors.
One should take bath after coming home (or return home after bathing in a water
body such as river, lake, etc., near by if available).
 After passing stool one becomes unclean and should bath to purify oneself.
 Women during their menstruation cycle, should stay/rest separately and not mix
with others at home.
 Coming in physical contact or close proximity with others who are contaminated
is also an aspect of contamination and one needs to purify oneself in such
cases.
One should learn from the elders about these various aspects and avoid contamination
as best as possible. Let us look at the obstacles discussed in this topic now.
 Contaminating (by spitting, etc) in the vicinity of the residences of srIvaishNavas

and AchAryas. Translator's note: Spitting in the streets has become very
common now. One must be very careful and avoid such act since it is a great
mistake.
 Contaminating the streets which are visited by emperumAn (during processions)
and srIvaishNavas.
 Contaminating the gardens where nithya sUris assume the form of flowers to
serve emperumAn. Translator's note: kulasEkarAzhwAr highlights in perumAL
thirumozhi "UnERu selvam" ( ) 4th padhigam "emperumAn
ponmalaimEl EthEnum AvEnE" (
) - Let me become anything on the divine hills of
thiruvEnkatam. parAsara bhattar highlights in srIrangarAja sthavam that the
nithya sUris (eternal associates of emperumAn in paramapadham) descend to
dhivya dhEsams in to the gardens and streets and assume the form of trees and
flowers for the pleasure of emperumAn.
 Contaminating the place where AchAryan is present.
 After being contaminated, going behind the AchAryan to serve him or to assist
him by giving him water, etc.
 After being contaminated, one should avoid
o touching emperumAn's archA vigraham
o touching bhAgavathas
o not moving away from bhAgavathas
o entering into the residences and gardens of srIvaishNavas
39. sarIra sudhdhi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in purifying ones own

body
sarIra sudhdhi means maintaining purity in ones own body. It can be applicable for
preserving the purity of others too. Whatever action causes impurity are obstacles and
should be avoided.
 Knowingly causing impurity for water bodies such as rivers, lakes, etc., which are
used in fetching water for bhagavAn's kainkaryam. One should be very careful
and not affect the purity of such waters.
 Using the water which is collected and preserved for AchAryas and
srIvaishNavas. One should not try to usurp such water for personal use.
 Remaining water after used by srIvaishNavas is called "sEsham" and is
considered to be very pure. One should not use such remnants to wash their
hands, feet, etc. Translator's note: Remnants of srIvaishNavas are to be
preserved carefully and consumed as srI pAdha thIrtham (charaNamrutham).
 One should not use the srI pAdha thIrtham of AchAryas and srIvaishNavas to
wash his/her feet.
 The place where AchAryan washes their hands is to be considered as sacred. A
sishya should not wash their hands or feet at the same place.
 One should not rinse and spit the water in a manner that the contaminated water
spills on srIvaishNavas.
 Being seen or touched by bhAgavathas in itself will purify oneself. Looking at
other options to purify ones body even after being seen or touched by
srIvaishNava is an obstacle.
40. snAna virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in bathing
snAnam means bathing in river, lake, etc., where one fully submerges in water and
removes the dirt from the body. It is also identified in thamizh as nIrAttam or
thIrththamAduthal. snAnam finds an important place in the daily routine of a brAhmaNa
(and others too). Our elders have identified that avagAhana snAnam (submerging fully
in water in river, lake, etc.) is the one that gives real purity. In our current times, there is
very limited opportunity for such bathing - we are limited to bathing in bathrooms by
pouring water on oneself using a mug.
 One should not bathe simply to clean ones body. One should bathe according to
the rules of sAsthram.
 Being a prapanna, specifically bathing on special occassions looking for puNyam
(piety) is an obstacle. Special occassions here mean sangamaNam, ayanam
(dhakhsiNAyaNa puNya kAlam, uththarAyaNa puNya kAlam), grahaNam
(eclipse), etc. Being a prapanna, one has already submitted all their
responsibilities to protect oneself under the lotus feet of emperumAn. So, there is
no question of bathing in these occassions looking for pious karmA - it is
completely against jIvAthmA's true nature.
 After following certain actions which are contrary to the principles of prapannan
out of great compassion and to protect the dharsanam (sampradhAyam), one
should feel bad that it is due to being bound in the body, one has to undergo
such deeds. Not fearing for such actions is an obstacle. This does not seem to
relate to bathing directly.
 Bathing in the river ghats where water is fetched for emperumAn's kainkaryam is
an obstacle. Translator's note: nammAzhwAr in his thiruviruththam 1st pAsuram
says we have a dirty body (azhukkudambu - ). thirumangai
AzhwAr also uses the same word to describe our body in
thirukkuRunthANdagam. So, one should not go and wash their body from the
same place where the water is fetched for emperumAn's kainkaryam. That place
must be kept as pure as possible.
 Bathing in the same ghats where samsAris (materially minded people) bathe is
an obstacle. We should not bathe in a place such that the water touched by
samsAris touches us too. In this relation, there is an incident identified by
azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr in AchArya hrudhayam 32rd chUrNikai
"sAdhana sAdhyangaLil muthalum mudivum varNadharmigaL
dhAsavruththigaLenRu thuRaivERividuviththathu" (
) - One who understands the difference between

karmam (which is the first stage of upAyam/means) and kainkaryam (which is the
final stage of upEyam/goal) will say "you are simple followers of varNa dharmam
and we are followers of bhagavath dhAsathvam (being servitor of emperumAn) -
so we cannot mingle with you in the same ghats" and leave. mAmunigaL
highlights a beautiful incident that happened in thiruvhindrapuram. There was a
srIvaishNava (sannyAsi/jIyar or greatly learned scholar) named "villipuththUr
pagavar" who was performing his anushtAnams in a separate ghat while a local
brAhmaNa was performing his anushtAnam in another ghat. The brAhmaNa
requested him to come to the ghat which are used by brAmhaNas and
villipuththUr pagavar replies quoting a pramANam which says "We are the
servitors and devotees of srIman nArAyaNa and you are followers of varNa
dharmam - so there is no question of us mixing with each other" and leaves the
place.
 While bathing in rivers, we should not bathe in a ghat where the water flows from
another ghat which is used by samsAris. Translator's note: This means we are
bathing in the remnants of the water used by samsAris which is not favourable.
 We should not bathe in a ghat which flows subsequently in to another ghat which
is used by srIvaishNavas for bathing. We should bathe in the ghats which are
after the ghats where srIvaishNavas bathe. In this relation we can see an incident
from the life of mAmunigaL. periya jIyar (maNavALa mAmunigaL) used to go to
cauvery river for bathing. A srIvaishNava named "thirumanjanam appA" who was
serving srI ranganAthan regularly bathed after mAmunigaL bathes and thus was
divinely blessed by gyAnam, vairAgyam, etc., by that simple of act of bathing
after mAmunigaL and lead to accepting mAmunigaL as his AchAryan.
 Bathing with remembrance of other manthrams. Generally during bathing certain
manthrams are recited (praNavam, etc). We should be careful to avoid
avaishNava manthrams.
 It is also commonly seen that "imammE gangE yamunE sarasvathI" slOkam is
recited before bathing. prapannas should not do that. As srI ranganAthan is
glorified as "thriuvarangap perunagaruL theNNIrp ponnith thiraikkaiyAl
adivarudap paLLi koLLum karumaNi" (
) - "The black gem who rests (on the Adhi sEshan) in

srIrangam touched gently by the waves of the pure cauvery river" in perumAL
thirumozhi 1st pAsuram, one should recite "gangaiyil punithamAya kAviri"
( ) - "cauvery which is more holy than gangA".
It is also fitting for the true nature of the jIvAthmA to remember virajA river during
bathing which flows at the border of paramapadham (since that is the river to be
crossed before mOksham).
 It is not proper to bathe after returning back from attending festivals of

emperumAn, AzhwArs and AchAryas even after being touched by sEvArththis
(the ones who visit to have the dharshan during the festivals). By the divine
presence of emperumAn, AzhwArs and AchAryas, any
inauspiciousness/contamination in the crowd will be dispelled.
 When srIvaishNavas (sannyAsis and other great srIvaishNavas) leave their
bodies - the bodies are considered to be "vimala charama vigraham" (
) - pure final body. Such final thirumEni (body) is considered to
be at par with emperumAn's archA vigrahams. So, claiming Asoucham/theettu
(contamination) for such body is totally ignorant and should be avoided. After
completing the final rites, one does take bathe - but it should be considered
similar to avabrutha snAnam (holy dip - bathing done as part of uthsavam
completion such as thIrtha vAri).
 When touched by avaishNavas/abhAgavathas (samsAris - materially minded
persons) one should bathe and purify oneself. Not doing so is an obstacle.
 On AchAryan thiruvadhyayanam day (thIrtham - annual remembrance festival on
the day of ascending to paramapadham), sishya should bathe properly, perform
bhagavathArAdhanam and bhAgavatha ArAdhanam adequately. Translator's
note: When the AchArya's thirunakshathram, thIrtham are celebrated at the
mutt/thirumALigai, sishyas should participate both physically and monetarily. It is
the primary duty of the sishya to conduct the thirunakshathram and thIrtham of
the AchArya.
 After bathing one should not dry themselves by shaking their head, etc., such
that water from our body sprinkles on the srIvaishNavas who are near by.
 srIvaishNavas are said to be vEdhakap pon (touchstone) - when touched by
them we become purified. Considering their touch contaminates us and bathing
for that is an obstacle. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar says in sUthram 221 "vEdhakap pon pOlE
ivargaLOttai sambandham" (
) - Having the relationship with srIvaishNavas is like coming in
contact with touchstone - when a touchstone touches iron piece, the iron piece
becomes gold. Similarly, when touched by srIvaishNavas we become purified.
 Bathing after performing thimanjanam to emperumAn is an obstacle.
Translator's note: While performing thirumanjanam, milk, curd, honey, etc may
spill on us. That is a great fortune. One should never consider that one has
become dirty by those and attempt to clean themselves.
 One should not bathe after bathing srIvaishNavas.
 It is not proper to bathe after sending off srIvaishNavas after their visit at our
home.
 Bathing just to clean ones body (for healthy lifestyle, etc) is an obstacle. One
should consider the spiritual aspects in bathing and perform the same.
pariharangal.html.

emperumAnAr brought out the essence of sAsthram - kainkaryams to dhivya dhEsa

emperumAns
nithya karmAnushtAnam
41. anushtAna virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our daily routines
Translator's note: Let us have a detailed analysis of this subject before entering in to
the actual obstacles/hurdles. There is so much misconception in this topic on what to do
and what not to do.
 Our anushtAnam consists of many aspects. Here the focus is more on how we
should conduct ourselves with respect to the core principles of our
sampradhAyam.
 That is, understanding the difference between karmam and kainkaryam. While
karmam is sAmAnya (varNAsrama - bodily) dhamam which is
essential/mandatory to follow, kainkaryam is visEsha (svarUpa - for the soul)
dharmam which is even more important than sAmAnya dharmam.
 karmam is of three types
o nithya karmA - daily routines such as sandhyA vandhanam, etc
o naimiththika karmA - periodic activities such as tharpaNam, etc
o kAmya karmA - activities that are done for worldly/material benefits
 kainkaryam is also of three types
o bhagavath kainkaryam - service to bhagavAn (nithya and naimiththika
karmams become part of bhagavath kainkaryam due to himself ordering
everyone to engage in such karmams)
o bhAgavatha kainkaryam - service to bhAgavathas
o AchArya kainkaryam - service to ones own AchArya
 This principle is most important for us to understand. One can never give up
varNAsrama dharmam. In mumukshuppadi sUthrams 270 and 271, this principle
is explained wonderfully - in 270 avathArikai mAmunigaL says "there is certainly
no svarUpa thyAgam of karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams" (which means it is only
upAya budhdhi thyAgam - i.e., the karmA should be done but it should not be
considered as upAyam/means to attain bhagavAn and it should be considered as
kainkaryam) - we do not do anything as upAyam to please bhagavAn to get
something in return. All nithya (daily - sandhyA vandhanam, etc) and naimiththika
(tharpaNam, etc) karmams must be done as kainkaryam. This is highlighted in
the next sUthram "karmam kainkaryaththilE pugum..." (
- karmam will fall under kainkaryam) - who else other
piLLai lOkAchAryar and mAmunigaL can explain this better.
 But when does such sAmAnya kainkaryam become secondary? mAmunigaL
explains this in the vyAkyAnam for azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr's
AchArya hrudhayam for chUrNikai 31 - "aththANi chEvagaththil podhuvAnathu
nazhuvum" ( ).
mAmunigaL explains in the vyAkyAnam that when we are engaged in
bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam, sAmAnya kainkaryam takes back seat and
can be delayed/skipped.
 Nowadays, it is common to see many srIvaishNavas not performing basic
anushtAnams saying that "it is not necessary for srIvaishNavas".
 But our pUrvAchAryas clearly demonstrated that it is absolutely necessary for us
to perform sAmAnya kainkaryams (karma anushtAnam) and they themselves
performed these without fail - because they were strictly abiding by sAsthram.
Only when there was a conflict with bhagavath kainkaryams, sAmAnya
kainkaryams were given up temporarily.
 In 6000 padi guru paramparA prabhAvam, nampiLLai is once questioned why we
perform nithya/naimiththika karmAs when we refuse to worship other dhEvathas.
nampiLLai clearly explains that as nithya/naimiththika karmAs are part of
vaidhIka anushtAnam (that which is part of vEdham), we perform them.
 periyavAchAn piLLai explains in parantha rahasyam charama slOka prakaraNam
(section) "nammAchAryargaL ivaRRai anushtippArum anushtiyAthArumAyp
pOrugiRathu" (
) - Some of our AchAryas have shown
that varNAsrama duties have to be performed (when there is no conflict with
kainkaryam) and othes have shown that varNAsrama duties can be skipped
(when there is conflict with kainkaryam). We can understand this principle from
the following examples: emperumAnAr performed sandhyA vandhanam and
gave arghyam standing up (as mandated in sAsthram) even when he was 120
years old. bhattar continued to perform fanning kainkaryam to namperumAL
skipping his sandhyAvandhanam. So, the principle of performing sAmAnya
kainkaryam is based on whether we are engaged in confidential
bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam or not (not whether I want to perform
sAmAnya dharmam or not).
 This principle is further explained in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram by
piLLai lOkAchAryar and beautifully explained by mAmunigaL in sUthrams 276 to
278.
o sUthram 276 - kainkaryam is of two categories.
o sUthram 277 - performing desirable acts and avoiding undesirable acts
are the two categories.
o sUthram 278 - desirable and undesirable acts are based on varNAsrama
dharmam and Athma svarUpam. For this small sUthram, mAmunigaL
writes a long and comprehensive commentary analysing the various
aspects. He explains the principle from a few different view points and
then finally says "if giving up varNAsrama dharmam is what to be
considered as necessary, that will directly contradict the desire of
bhagavAn (and pirAtti). So that cannot be considered reasonable". So he
says that it is better to consider that varNAsrama dharmam is performed
out of mercy towards others (so that every one collectively will benefit by
following varNAsrama dharmam and srIvaishNavas facilitate such
improvement for everyone by their own proper conduct in varNAsrama
dharmam).
 Finally, while it is seen that our pUrvAchAryas fully abided by sAsthram and
performed nithya (daily) and naimiththika (periodical) karmAs, they never
engaged in kAmya karmAs - those karmAs which are done for material benefits.
nithya and naimiththika karmAs are mandatory - non-performance of the same is
condemned in sAsthram. But kAmya karmAs are the ones that are optional - the
ones who are behind material opulence engage in such acts.
 Thus it is better for us to follow in the foot steps of our pUrvAchAryas and apply
the principles as shown by them.
Let us see the obstacles in this topic now.
 Performing a routine which does not fall under AchArya kainkaryam, bhagavath
kainkaryam and bhAgavatha kainkaryam. These 3 are natural for our svarUpam
to be engaged in. Whatever performed outside the boundary of these 3
kainkaryams is an obstacle.
 Among the previously mentioned 3 kainkaryams, one should not think that only
bhagavath kainkaryam is natural and AchArya (and bhAgavatha) kainkaryam is
additional. Just like bhagavath kainkaryam is nirupAdhikam (natural - not based
on an explicit reason), Acharya kainkaryam is also natural. It is explained in
praNavam that the jIvAthmA is naturally subservient to bhagavAn. As
AchAryas/bhAgavathas are very dear to emperumAn, kainkaryam to them is also
natural for jIvAthmAs. Translator's note: In periya thirumozhi 8.10.3,
thirumangai AzhwAr announced the essence of thirumanthram (ashtAkshari) to
emperumAn himself as "nin thiruvettezhuththum kaRRu nAn uRRathum
) - Dear lord of thirukkaNNapuram! After

learning the essence of thirumanthram I understood that I am a servitor of your
devotees. From this, it is easy to understand that the essential principle is to be a
servitor of the AchArya and bhAgavathas even more so than bhagavAn.
 Anrusamsyam - compassion. lOka sangraham - welfare of world (by following
sAsthram). sAmAnya kainkaryams (basic varNAsrama dharmam) is performed
by srIvaishNavas out of AnrusamsyArththam (great compassion towards general
public) and not lOka sangrahArththam (to maintain principles of sAsthram for the
welfare of the world). In gIthai 3.22 kaNNan emperumAn says that there is no
prescribed duties for him, yet he engages in the actions that are bound by
sAsthram during his various incarnations. Translator's note: In the previous
slOkam 3.21, bhagavAn says that whatever performed by the great men in the
society, common men follow such deeds. So, our pUrvAchAryas engaged in
performing sAmAnya kainkaryams (varNAsrama dharmam) out of great
compassion. The subtle difference between Anrusamsyam and lOka sangraham
is in the purpose and the attitude. Doing it out of compassion (that it is
bhagavAn's desire and orders that varNAsrama dharmam is essential in material
world and the leaders should perform it so others will follow and progress
spiritually) vs doing it for as being role models (the tinge of ahankAram that I am
doing this perfectly so others to follow and flourish).
 Any act which is not fitting truly for the jIvAthmA's nature but done out of
compassion does not become part of kainkaryam. Considering them as part of
kainkaryam is an obstacle. Translator's note: jIvAthmA's true nature is to be
eternally serving bhagavAn/bhAgavathas - any thing done outside that just out of
compassion (without specific reference in sAsthram) should not be considered by
oneself as kainkaryam.
 When emperumAn is present in front of us (as part of procession or in his
sannidhi in an assembly), one should not give up that presence and perform
sAmAnya dharmams (like sandhyA vandhanam, etc) highlighting ones
compassion towards others. Only after emperumAn returns to his sannidhi, one
should leave him and go back to their routines. Translator's note: It is explained
in parama samhithai "yEna yEna dhAthA gachchathi thEna thEna saha
gachchathi" ( ) - wherever
the supreme lord goes, his devotees (mukthAthmAs in this case) follow. This can
be understood from bhattar's life as cited before. When he was once fanning
emperumAn and it was time for sandhyA vandhanam, one srIvaishNava reminds
bhattar about that. bhattar replies "If I skip sandhyA vandhanam at the moment
due to my engagement in serving emperumAn directly, chithra gupthan (yama
dharma rAja's assistant) will not count this as a sin". It is said that, when
emperumAn goes out on procession, every one must accompany him for his
protection and to be in his company until he returns back to his sannidhi. So, as
per our pUrvAchAryas, while engaged in kainkaryam, one can delay
karmAnushtAnams.
 When srIvaishNavas are engaged in discussing/enjoying bhagavAn's divine
qualities, one cannot leave the gOshti in the middle saying that they have to
perform sandhyA vandhanam, etc. Though they are performed out of
compassion for the upliftment of others, they cannot be done at the cost of giving
up bhagavath/bhAgavatha anubhavam.
 For prapannas, bhagavAn is the only upAyam. So, even while performing many
acts, one should not consider them as upAyam but all of them should be
performed as kainkaryam. They must be done without any expectation in return
and these aspects are natural for the jIvAthmA to be engaged in. These aspects
include:
o applying Urdhva puNdrams (thirumaN/srIchUrNam)
o accepting thIrtham, prasAdham, etc
o Washing the lotus feet of emperumAn (as part of thiruvArAdhanam)
o Reciting dhivya prabhandha pAsurams
o Lighting lamps (at the temple, at home perumAL sannidhi, etc)
o Making garlands and offering them to emperumAn
o Maintaining garden to grow flowers for bhagavath kainkaryam
o performing services to srIvaishNavas
o Learning and teaching dhivya prabhandham, rahasya granthams
 Engaging in actions that were not performed by our pUrvAchAryas. ANdAL
nAchiyAr says "cheyyAthana cheyyOm" ( ) in
thiruppAvai 2nd pAsuram indicating this principle.
 kainkaryam should not be performed with any specific purpose other than doing it
naturally for the pleasure of emperumAn.
 One should perform kainkaryam for the pleasure of bhagavAn instead of what is
pleasing to oneself. nammAzhwAr declares in thiruvAimozhi 2.9.4
"thanakkEyAga enaik koLLum IdhE" (
) - Please engage me in your service fully for your pleasure (I dont want to
anything which is not exclusively for bhagavAn's pleasure - there should be no
tinge of self-desire while performing kainkaryam). iLaya perumAL (lakshmaNan)
also requested srI rAma and sIthA pirAtti to order him to perform services that
pleases them exclusively. ANdAL nAchiyAr also prays for the same thing in the
end of thiruppAvai "maRRai nam kAmangaL mARRu" (
).
Thus, we have seen the importance of performing all kainkaryams (including bhagavath
AgyA kainkaryams, i.e., nithya/naimitthika karmAnushtAnams) with the sole focus on
bhagavAn's pleasure in this section. We have also seen how one should not perform
kainkaryam with the expectation of something in return - kainkaryam should be done
solely for the pleasure of emperumAn as it is natural for srIvaishNavas to be engaged in
kainkaryam.
pariharangal.html.

42. lakshaNa virOdhi - Obstacles in our identity, appearance and behaviours.
Many different aspects are discussed under this section. lakshaNam means
appearance, identity among other meanings. Translator's note: In our samskritham
literatures, lakshaNam is generally associated with the unique characteristics that
distinguish one entity from another. This topic covers some aspects of pancha
samskAram like thApam (accepting sankam and chakram on ones shoulders, applying
Urdhva puNdram on 12 parts of the body), physical appearance, dress-code, etc. Very
interesting and subtle points are highlighted in this section.
nammAzhwAr, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar, jIyar - the ideal srIvaishNavas
First there is detailed discussion on thApa samskAram which is part of pancha

samskAram (samAsrayaNam) - the process of being initiated in to srIvaishNava
sampradhAyam.
An AchArya performing thApa samskAram
 thiruvilachchinai (thaptha mudhrA on the shoulders indicating that a person has

undergone samAsrayaNam - pancha samskAram) must be clearly visible. This
mudhrA is embossed on the shoulders by heating the sangu (conch) and
chakram (disc) with specific manthrams by the AchAryan. While it may appear
like a boil/wound initially, eventually it will heal and the mark remains on the
shoulders forever. This is the first samskAram in samAsrayaNam or pancha
samskAram - the process of initiating oneself into srIvaishNava sampradhAyam.
It is essential that the marks remain clearly visible on the shoulders for
srIvaishNavas. Not having visible marks is an obstacle. Translator's note: In
many AchArya pItams, it is seen that, the conch and disc are heated moderately
and placed gently on the shoulders of the sishyas - this ends up in not having
very visible marks on the shoulders. As this practice is seen in practice in many
AchArya pItams, it is considered as sistAchAram (that which is done by our
elders) in this case.
 There is another way of accepting thApa samskAram - which is using flowers -

this is called pushpa samAsrayaNam/samskAram. This is not seen in our
sampradhAyam at present. This practice is pursued by asishtas (people other
than our pUrvAchAryas) and thus is not to be pursued by srIvaishNavas.
 thApa samskAram using heated conch and disc is the proper way of getting
initiated. Not doing that is an obstacle.
 Undergoing thApa samskAram (using heated conch and disc) to cure bodily
diseases is an obstacle by itself.
 It is to be properly understood that the whole purpose of this pancha samskAram

is to relieve us from the biggest disease called samsAram (being in the repeated
cycle of birth and death) and to uplift us to eternal and blissful life of service to
bhagavAn in paramapadham. Undergoing this pancha samskAram without this
understanding is an obstacle.
 The conch and disc are the eternal identify of bhagavAn. One should wear them
with great joy that they are wearing the symbols of their dear lord and master.
Not having that joy is an obstacle.
 By becoming a srIvaishNava one becomes detached from samsAris (materially

minded people). One should not feel ashamed for being separated from
samsAris.
 By becoming a srIvaishNava one becomes dear to other srIvaishNavas. One

should feel great joy in thinking that "now I will be accepted by srIvaishNavas".
Not having such joy is an obstacle.
Next there is detailed discussion on applying Urdhva puNdram. There are many subtle
points discussed in this section. First we will see some important aspects in this topic.
thiru maN - sacred soil. kAppu - protection for the ones who wear it. So, Urdhva
puNdram is known as thirumaN kAppu in thamizh. thirumaN kAppu is also known
thripuNdram (because it involves 3 lines) - it is applied vertically from bottom to top. Our
elders have analysed the appropriate parts in sAsthram and determined many important
aspects about Urdhva puNdram. It is a big shame that srIvaishNavas are not
understanding the glories of Urdhva puNdram and applying it properly.
thirumaN kAppu (Urdhva puNdram) should be applied based on the proper method (as
learnt from proper source) in a clean and beautiful manner. One incident can be
recollected in this regard. Everyone knows the incident where kUrathAzhwAn loses his
eye sight in chOLa king's court. Some srIvaishNavas felt very sad and shared their grief
with AzhwAn about his loss of eye sight and going through extreme pain. At that time,
AzhwAn magnanimously and humbly states that "This is the result of bhAgavatha
apachAram. I should have looked at some one's Urdhva puNdram and have considered
that its not applied properly". So, we should not apply our Urdhva puNdram
casually/improperly so that elders look at it and feel grief. It is our essential duty to avoid
putting elders and other srIvaishNavas in a difficult situation.
thirumaN is made of pure white powder. It is also known as dhavaLap podi (dazzling
white powder). We understand from purANams that periya thiruvadi nAyanAr
(garudAzhwAr) brings this sacred soil from svEtha dhvIpam and placed them in certain
places in bhAratha dhEsam. This is found nowadays in few places like
thirunArAyaNapuram, ayOdhyA, etc., in the form of white clay. This white clay is dug out
from the ground, mixed with water, processed and dried to make the blocks of
thirumaN. This can be purchased in many dhivya dhEsams for a price nowadays.
Though there are some disagreements - I am (Dr V V Ramanujam swamy) sharing what
I have learnt from elders and studied in various literature related to our sampradhAyam.
Lotus pItam, Lotus feet of chelva piLLai (thirunArAyaNa puram), thAyAr at the lotus feet
hari-pAdha-Akruthi - representing lotus pItam, lotus feet of emperumAn, thAyAr in the

middle of lotus feet
 A prapanna (srIvaishNava) should wear Urdhva puNdram using white soil named
svEtha mruththikA (white soil) on his forehead (and other parts).
 While applying Urdhva puNdram, one should remember/recite bhagavAn's

thirunAmams (holy names). This is why thirumaN is also known as thirunAmam
(or just nAmam at times).
 nammAzhwAr glorifies the dhvAdhasa (twelve) nAmams (names) of srIman
nArAyaNan in thiruvAimozhi 2.7 decad (padhigam). In the introduction section of
the commentary for this padhigam it is said that "vaishNavathva chinhamiRE
thirudhvAdhasa nAmam" (
- The twelve names/puNdrams symbolize vaishNavam - that which
belongs to srIman nArAyaNan).
 It is explained in sAsthram that one must wear 12 puNdrams in the following 12

parts of the body (in the following sequence).
1. forehead
2. middle of stomach
3. middle of chest
4. middle of neck
5. right side of stomach
6. right shoulder
7. right side of the neck
8. left side of stomach
9. left shoulder
10. left side of the neck
11. above waist line in the backside
12. on the back side of the neck
 In thiruvAimozhi 4.4.7, nammAzhwAr says "nIRu chevvEyidak kANil

thirumAladiyAr enROdum" (
) - if I see any one wearing the soil in a vertical fashion (Urdhva
puNdram), I will consider/appreciate them as a servant of srIman nArAyaNan.
So, we can understand that we must apply vertical symbols only. Translator's
note: It is often seen that even srIvaishNavs apply other things such kumkum,
sandal paste or even ashes which are to be completely avoided - in a horizontal
manner. This practice must be completely avoided.
 thirumaN is applied in hari pAdha Aktruthi (in the form of the lotus feet of srI hari)
with the pAdha pIta padhmam (the lotus which is holding the lotus feet).
Translator's note: nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 4.5.8 "thaNthAmarai
sumakkum pAdhap perumAn" ( -
lord whose lotus feet as held by cool lotus).
 It should be applied with as vertical lines. Two white lines (left and right) indicate
the lotus feet of emperumAn. The red line in the middle indicates srI
mahAlakshmi and is known as srI chUrNam. srI chUrNam is prepared from
turmeric powder. It is also known as haridhrA chUrNam. When processed this
becomes red in colour. The padhma pItam (lotus at the bottom) should be
applied using thirumaN only on the nose. Between the two white lines (which
represent emperumAn's lotus feet), there should be two inches distance
minimum. Each white line should be one inch wide.
 Only in the forehead, the pAdha pItam is applied. In all other 11 places, thirumaN
is applied without an explicit extended lotus feet.
 There are restrictions applicable for the size of thirumaN in each part of the body.
Please learn further on this topic from the elders.
Let us now see the obstacles in this sub-section of lakshaNa virOdhi.
 Using thirumaN which is retrieved from places which are not approved by our
elders is an obstacle.
 Not using thirumaN from dhivya dhEsams (such as thirunArAyaNapuram,

srIrangam, ayOdhyA, etc) which are approved by our elders is an obstacle.
 Applying thirumaN without understanding the glories of such dhivya dhEsams

from where the thirumaN is brought is an obstacle. One must think "Oh! this
thirumaN is from ayOdhyA, this is wonderful!" and apply the thirumaN.
 Being a mumukshu, one should only apply white thirumaN. Not doing so is an
obstacle.
 It seems there are different colored thirumaNs (and srI chUrNams too) for
achieving different goals. It is an obstacle to pursue such practices.
 Our pUrvAchAryas approved applying hari pAdha Akruthi (in the form of lotus
feet of emperumAn). There are other forms of puNdrams too - but our
pUrvAchAryas have only approved applying hari pAdha Akruthi for us after
analysing the sAsthram fully.
 Applying very small thirumaN (in dot form) is an obstacle. Translator's note: It is
seen some times people wearing just 4 dots in the four corners of the thirumaN -
this may be referring to such practice.
 thirumaN should not be applied in a very narrow manner. Translator's note: As

explained before there should be minimum 2 inches gap between two vertical
white lines.
 Applying thirumaN without knowing the exact measurement our pUrvAchAryas

used is an obstacle.
 thirumaN should be applied at all the specified 12 body parts. Not doing so is an
obstacle. Translator's note: It is to be observed in many of our pUrvAchArya
granthams that wherever applying thirumaN is explained, there is always mention
of dhvAdhasa Urdhva puNdram (applying twelve thirumaNs) - so everyday,
srIvaishNavas should apply 12 Urdhva puNdrams only.
 Also, the 12 thirumaNs must be applied in the proper order (as explained before)
starting with remembering kEsava nAmam (followed by other names of
emperumAn as appropriate for each part).
 All 12 thirumaNs should be applied at the right parts of the body.
 After applying thirumaN, one should not adjust them using the finger nails.
 One should not apply thirumaN without srI chUrNam in the middle. Translator's
note: Only during charama kainkaryams (final rites) and Asoucha kAlam (period
of contamination for birth/death of relatives) - thirumaN alone is applied - all other
times, both thirumaN and srI chUrNam should be applied together. thirumaN
represents emperumAn (his lotus feet) and srI chUrNam represents thAyAr - one
should not never separate them from each other - it is a great sin.
 thirumaN should be mixed with remembering srI sailEsa dhayA pAthram thanian,
AchAryan thaniyans, rahasya thrayam (thirumanthram, dhvayam, charama
slOkam), etc. Other manthrams should not be recited while mixing/applying
thirumaN.
 thirumaN should be applied only with own fingers. No instrument should be used
to apply thirumaN.
 thirumaN mixed with water that was used by materially minded people should not
be used.
 Not applying thirumaN that was mixed with water that was used by bhAgavathas
is an obstacle - i.e., we should use water that was used by bhAgavathas to
prepare our thirumaN.
 Using water that was fetched for AchAryan to prepare our thirumaN is an
obstacle.
 One should not apply thirumaN in front of samsAris (materially minded people).
 One should not get thirumaN from samsAris (materially minded people) and use
it.
 thirumaN should be worn thinking that this is the proper identity for vaishNavas.
Not doing so is an obstacle.
 Applying thirumaN simply because it was ordered in sAsthram is an obstacle.

Translator's note: It should be applied with great delight as explained in
previous point.
 thirumaN should be applied considering it is very dear to bhAgavathas. Not doing

so is an obstacle.
 thirumaN should not applied over and over again (wiping off the previous
attempt) to get it look perfect. It should be properly and patiently applied once
and never wiped off.
 One should always use thirumaN and srI chUrNam that are the remnants
(remainder) of ones own AchAryan.
 Even if the thirumaN is not directly from AchAryan, one should meditate and pray
to the AchAryan that it becomes his remnants (after offering the same to him
mentally before using). Not doing so is an obstacle.
 One should not use the thirumaN which is kept for the use of AchAryan and let
him use the remainder. This is a great sin.
 One should never be present in front of bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchAryan

without thirumaN in the forehead. Translator's note: We can recollect the
incident where emperumAnAr himself hid his face (by covering with a cloth) in
thirunArAyaNapuram when he had no thirumaN left with him to apply on him.
emperumAn at once showed him where to find thirumaN and emperumAnAr
happily collected the thirumaN and applied it soon after.
Next there is detailed discussion about wearing thuLasi/lotus stem mAlA (garlands), etc.
 Wearing thuLasi or lotus (stem) mAlA separately is an obstacle. thuLasi and lotus
stem, when dried completely, can be made as small beads and is used to
prepare garlands/necklaces. They should always be worn together and cannot
be worn separately (i.e., one or the other). Translator's note: As said in "yE
kaNta lagna thuLasi nalinAksha mAlA; yE bAhu mUla parichinnita sankha
chakrA; ye vA lalAta phalakE lasadh Urdhva puNdrA; thE vaishNavA bhuvanam
Asu pavithrayanthi" - by the presence of srIvaishNavas who wear thuLasi/lotus
stem garlands, who has the symbol of sanka and chakra embossed on their
shoulders and who wears the Urdhva puNdram (thirumaN) on their fore head, the
place where they stay becomes purified. It is often seen people wearing one or
the other (thuLasi beads mAlA or lotus beads mAlA) - here it is said that they
should always be worn together. srIvaishNavas also wear pavithra mAlA which
was worn by emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas.
 Not wearing it upto the naval is an obstacle. Translator's note: It should be worn
for the full length, hanging down upto the naval. In other sampradhAyams, it is
seen that it is worn tightly around the neck. But our pUrvAchAryas wore it full
length - this can still be observed in pavithra mAlAs at various temples, where
they are worn for full length (upto naval).
 Wearing twisted waist string is an obstacle. Translator's note: waist string is a

mandatory aspect for a vaidhIka. One should never be without it (will be
highlighted in the next point too). It is said here that one should not wear the type
of waist string that is twisted.
 Being without a waist string is an obstacle. Known as arai nAN kayiRu (

- waist string) in thamizh - this is one of the essential things to be
worn always.
 Being short of (not wearing) of antharIyam (dhOti/vEshti - main wrap),

uththarIyam (anga vasthram - wrapped on top of dhOti) and kaupInam is an
obstacle. Translator's note: One should always be with antharIyam and
uththarIyam. Only while performing certain apara karmA (post-death rituals) and
tharpaNam, antharIyam alone is worn - no uththarIyam in those situations.
During all other times atleast two clothes must be worn. Nowadays, it is very
common even amongst learned people to walk around with single dhOti - this
should never be done - one should always have uththarIyam with the
antharIyam. kaupInam is the loin cloth - this is natural under-garment without any
stitching. vaidhIkas should not wear any clothes that has undergone stitching -
while performing kainkaryams, etc., only woven clothes are worn.
 Using black blanket is an obstacle and should not be used.
 Using torn clothes or damaged clothes is an obstacle.
 While wearing dhOti, it should be worn in such a way that the end parts are not
flowing downwards.
 Wearing clothes (dhOti, saree, etc) without borders is an obstacle.
 Not wearing a string/thread around the dhOti to protect the dhOti from falling off
is an obstacle.
 Shaving the body without shaving the head is an obstacle. Translator's note:
For brahmachAris and sannyAsis, only head/face shaving is allowed (no other
parts of the body can be shaved). For gruhasthas, they should do sarvAngam
shaving (shaving all parts of the body from head to toe, except upper back)
everytime - just face shaving/hair cutting is not allowed. It is also important to
note that even while shaving the head it should not be fully tonsured - there
should always be a sikai (kudumi - tuft). Full tonsure which is done casually these
days is not authorized at all - generally, the concept of full tonsure is opposite to
vaidhIka matham and should not be done. In many pAsurams of AzhwArs fully
tonsured head is related to avaidhika sampradhAyams.
 Keeping/Trimming moustache is an obstacle. Translator's note: Our elders have

never maintained moustache alone - either properly shaven (according to one's
varNa and Asrama) or grow both moustache and beard together (without
shaving) according to ones own situation. For example, during dhIkshai (period
of vow while wife is pregnant, the first year after parents passing away, etc) no
shaving is performed. But just keeping moustache and trimming it is not
permitted.
 Growing long nails is an obstacle and should be cut appropriately.
Translator's note: Some of the above aspects may seem rigid and even odd. But there
are also practical reasons for all of these. For example having long nails will be an
obstruction while performing kainkaryam and may even harm oneself or others.
Next discussion is about wearing fragrances, etc - mostly aspects related to self-
indulgence and material enjoyment. Obviously we can understand that these are to be
avoided by srIvaishNavas.
 applying "make up" items on face, etc., for physical beauty.
 applying a lot of sandal wood paste, etc. Translator's note: Here the focus is on
over indulgence - as per varNAsrama dharmam gruhasthas can accept a little bit
of sandal wood paste which is distribute at times at sannidhis as prasAdham of
emperumAn.
 applying sandal wood which is not offered to emperumAn first is an obstacle.

Translator's note: kaNNan emperumAn says in bhagavath gIthA that whatever
one eats, does, etc., that should be done after offering to emperumAn first and
then only be done by the individual. periyAzhwAr says in thiruppallANdu
"uduththu kaLaintha nin pIthakavAdai uduththu..." (
...) - we wear the vasthrams/dhOtis which are first offered
to emperumAn. Same principle applies for all we consume/use - first they should
be consumed/used by emperumAn.
 specially requesting and indulging into sandal wood paste, fragrance, etc., that
are the remnants of namperumAL. Translator's note: Even bhagavath
prasAdham should not be accepted with bhOgya budhdhi (self-enjoyment) and
over-indulgence. Everything should be done in moderation and as much is
necessary.
 applying sandal wood with too much body-consciousness. Translator's note:

One should understand oneself as the spiritual self and be devoid of bodily
desires and enjoyment. After becoming a prapanna, it is meaningless to engage
in activities that will increase our attachment to the body. Instead one should
focus on the true nature of oneself which is servitorship to bhagavAn and
bhAgavathas and focus on that.
 accepting and enjoying betel leaves and nuts which are not offered to
emperumAn first. Translator's note: Again, when distributed as prasAdham, it is
OK to accept a litte bit. Betel leaves and nuts are also only consumable by
gruhasthas. Unlike sandalwood paste, this can be accepted by brahmachAris
and sannyAsis and can be given to others. But sandalwood paste cannot even
be accepted by brahmachAris and sannyAsis.
 Wearing different and heavy ear-rings and pendants in the ears. It is possible
that the ears will extend by wearing heavy rings, etc. It is better to avoid such
heavy rings.
 Wearing thuLasi in the ears. It is sometimes seen that thuLasi is kept on the ears
- this is not to be done.
Finally, a few more aspects are explained here.
 Brushing the teeth on Fridays. Not clear about this and the reason behind it.
 There are certain types of black ink/paint which is used to mesmerize and control
others. These are generally acquired by worshipping dhEvathAntharams. One
should not associate with such things.
 Wearing strings in neck, hands, legs, etc., for protection. Our protection is
thirumaN kAppu (Urdhva puNdram) and sankam/chakram on the shoulders.
Translator's note: It is often seen that even srIvaishNavas wear red, black
colored strings for protection. emperumAn is our only protection. One should
never engage in wearing any such strings. srIvaishNavas can only wear thuLasi,
lotus and pavithra mAlAs (garlands) - none other.
 Wearing silver rings in fingers.

 Coming in contact with weapons. We should only depend on the weapons of
emperumAn.
 In front of bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchArya one (men) should not cover
their upper body by putting the anga vasthram on the body. Translator's note:
dhAsa vargam (serving class) means having the anga vasthram on the waist -
that is why srIvaishNavas never put the anga vasthram on their body. There are
certain dhEsAchArams (rules specific to the specific place) - such as cold places
where people cover their body with vasthrams, shawls, etc.
 speaking about materially motivated aspects and having the high-held head with
ahankAram (ego).
 Being without mercy/kindness in the eyes is an obstacle. Our eyes should always
exhibit peace and mercy - not anger. Translator's note: It is natural for
srIvaishNavas to be kind and merciful and that should be naturally revealed
through ones eyes.
 Speaking subjects that are outside dhivya prabhandham (vyAkyAnams,

sthOthrams, rahasya granthams, etc) is an obstacle. Translator's note:
Whatever we speak/discuss, that should only be based on pUrvAchArya
srIsUkthis.
 Speaking loudly is an obstacle. While glorifying srI rAmA, it is said that "mruthu
pUrvancha bhAshathE" (soft spoken) - it is good to be soft spoken.
 Gossipping and useless discussions are obstacles.
 Laughing too loudly.
 Being without anjali is an obstacle. When not engaged in kainkaryam, one should
keep the hands in anjali mudhrA (namaskAram posture).
 One should not be ashamed (feeling shy) to hold begging bowl in ones hands.
Translator's note: It is part of brAhmaNa dharmam to beg for food-grains. Many
great stalwarts of our sampradhAyam such as kUrathAzhwAn,
vEdhAnthAchAryar, etc., performed unja vruththi (begging for food-grains).
 Having high-held chest - one should manifest humility in their behaviour. Similar
to what is explained in high-held head topic.
 Walking heavily and in a tensed manner are obstacles. One should walk slowly
and be at peace.

 Folding the dhOti up and wearing it. This is considered dis-respectful.
 While hearing about bhagavAn and seeing bhAgavathas one should feel great
emotions and have goose bumps - naturally out great attachment. Not having so
is an obstacle. Translator's note: emperumAn himself explains the eight
qualities explained in his devotees and one such quality is having divine
emotions while hearing about him. He says "My bhakthas essentially have the
following eight qualities - 1) unconditional love for bhakthas of emperumAn, 2)
enjoying (others) worship of emperumAn, 3) worshipping emperumAn
him/herself, 4) being without any pride, 5) having attachment in listening about
emperumAn, 6) having bodily changes (like goose bumps, etc) when
hearing/thinking/speaking about emperumAn, 7) always thinking about
emperumAn, 8) not asking material benefits in return for worshipping
emperumAn. Such bhakthas even if they are mlEchchas, they are worshippable
at par with my own self by leaders of brAhmaNas, the meditators, the ones
involved in kainkaryam and even sannyAsis and scholars. They are also eligible
to give and accept knowledge from such scholars". Similarly, it is explained that,
when seeing a srIvaishNava, one should feel like seeing moon (everyone is
fascinated by the moon), feeling mild breeze (which is very pleasing) and
applying nice sandal paste.
 Not suffering out of separation from bhagavAn and bhAgavathas. nammAzhwAr

shares his grief in separation in thiruvAimozhi 8.2.1 "nangaL varivaLai" (
) padhigam. Translator's note: We can recollect the incident of
ALavandhAr and his sishya dheivavAri ANdAn - when ALavandhAr goes to
thiruvananthapuram, ANdAn becomes very sick and only recovers after seeing
ALavandhAr again.
 Ones gyAnam, bhakthi, vairAgyam should be manifested in ones own form.

Automatically, one should understand that by seeing the person. Not being so is
an obstacle. Translator's note: In kUrathAzhwAn's charithram, it is said that any
one seeing AzhwAn will become purified - such is his qualities that are also
manifested in his physical appearance perfectly.
 Not manifesting ones vaishNavathvam in ones form (physical appearance)

naturally is an obstacle. Similar to previous point.

pariharangal.html.

emperumAn, AzhwArs and AchAryas - object of our thoughts and meditation
43. smaraNa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in

thoughts/meditation/contemplation
smaraNa means meditation or contemplation on some thing. In this section, aspects

such as what is to be meditated upon and what is not to be meditated upon are
identified.
 As mentioned in srIvishNu purANam "anyE thu purushavyAgra chEthasA yEpi

apAsrayA: asudhdhAsthE samasthAs thu dhEvAthyA: karmayOnaya:" (
:
: :) - one should not meditate on

the aspects of dhEvathAntharams such as rudhra, skandha, durgA, etc and fully
focus their minds on the most auspicious form of srIman nArAyaNan. To focus on
dhEvathAnthrams is a great obstacle. It is also difficult to focus on something
which does not have form and name. So, it is obvious that one should fully focus
on the divine names and archAvathAra (deity) forms of emperumAn which are
most auspicious and easy to meditate upon.
 Not meditating on ones own true AchAryan's divine form is an obstacle.

Translator's note: thirukkOshtiyUr nambi once visits srIrangam during an
uthsavam and stays there for the whole time. emperumAnAr serves nambi
throughout the uthsavam. While nambi was leaving, emperumAnAr asks him
"Please give me a few good instructions that I can take refuge on". nambi closes
his eyes for some time and says "We were undergoing training (on spiritual
matters) under ALavandhAr. At that time, when he bathes in the river and takes a
dip facing down, his upper back will resemble a beautiful shining copper pot. I
always take refuge in that divine vision. You also consider the same as your
refuge" - this incident is very popular. The same incident is explained in 6000
padi guru paramparA prabhAvam also. This incident indicates that the sishya's
focus should be on meditating on the AchArya's divine form. It is said that, nambi
used to stay on the upper level of the main gOpuram in thirukkOshtiyUr temple
meditating on ALavandhAr and always reciting the manthram "yamunaithuraivar"
(yAmunAchAryar). This incident is identified in anthimOpAya nishtai.
 Not meditating on the divine sangam (group) of bhAgavathas is an obstacle.

Translator's note: nammAzhwAr glorifies bhAgavathas in many pAsurams in
thiruvAimozhi specifically payilum chudaroLi (2.7) and nedumARkadimai (8.10)
padhigams. kulasEkarAzhwAr declares his great affection and devotion towards
bhAgavathas in thEttarum thiRal (2) padhigam in perumAL thirumozhi. Other
AzhwArs and AchAryas too have shown that we should always remembering and
meditating on the divine aspects of the bhAgavathas.
 Meditating on the various aspects of materially minded people is an obstacle.

Translator's note: thirumangai AzhwAr says in periya thirumozhi 2.6.1
"naNNAdha vAL avuNar" pAsuram that "Even for a fraction of a moment, I will
not think about the ones who do not meditate upon sthalasayanap perumaL who
resides in the cool thirukkadalmallai dhivya dhEsam". samsAris (materially
minded people) are only focussed on getting food, clothes, comfortable place to
live, etc and are devoid of any interest in spiritual aspects.
 Not meditating on the dhivya kshEthrams which are dear to bhagavAn and
bhAgavathas is an obstacle. Also, meditating on other kshEthrams which are not
associated with emperumAn, AzhwArs and AchAryas is an obstacle.
Translator's note: It is said that emperumAn descends as archAvathAram (deity

form) out of great compassion to uplift everyone. He descends to many temples,
mutts, thirumALigais (homes), etc., with great desire and enthusiasm to help
jIvAthmAs. Amongst these kshEthrams, the ones that were sung by AzhwArs
became to be known as dhivya dhEsams. Ones that were dear to AchAryas
became to be known as abhimAna sthalams. There are many other kshEthrams
which are dear to srIvaishNavas in generaly. Our focus and meditation should be
on such kshEthrams which have the connection of bhagavAn, AzhwArs and
AchAryas.
 Not meditating on aspects that are dear to bhAgavathas and meditating on

aspects that are dear to samsAris (mundane persons) are obstacles.
Translator's note: The focus of AzhwArs and AchAryas is to engage in
bhagavath vishayam always in many ways. The focus of mundane people is to
focus on acquiring wealth, engaging in mundane pleasures such as
entertainment, sports, mundane music, etc. Being a prapanna, one should
constantly aspire to walk in the footsteps of our AzhwArs and AchAryas instead
of walking the path of mundane persons.
 Not meditating on the auspicious qualities of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas and

meditating on the mundane/material glories of avaishNavas are obstacles.
Translator's note: For example, when we see a srIvaishNava who is very
detached and focussed on emperumAn and his devotees, we should also
contemplate on such qualities so we also develop the same attitude. When we
see material greatness like high position, huge wealth in others (or even in
srIvaishNavas) - we should not be inspired by such material aspirations as that
will lead us to more binding within this samsAram.
 It is a great obstacle to analyse the raw-material from which the dhivya mangaLa
vigraham of archAvathAra emperumAn is made off. For example, thinking that
golden vigraham is greater and wooden vigraham is lesser - is a great mistake.
Translator's note: It is said in sAsthram that analysing the raw-material of archA
vigraham is like analysing the chastity/purity of ones own mother.
 Similarly, it is a great obstacle to qualify a srIvaishNava (who is matured in

gyAnam and bhakthi) based on his birth, wealth, anushtAnam, etc., is an
obstacle. In thirumAlai, thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr explains the glories of
bhAgavathas towards the end (after mEmporuL pAsuram). One should
constantly remember these pAsurams and deal with bhAgavathas with great
devotion and respect. Translator's note: Judging a srIvaishNava based on birth
is compared to judging archAvathAra emperumAn based on the raw-materials of
which the emperumAn's archA vigraham is made (which is already explained in
previous point) - so it is considered as a great sin to do so.

 Similarly, considering ones own AchAryan (who is truly an incarnation of
emperumAn himself) as a mere human is an obstacle. Per pramANa vAkyam,
"AchAryas sa haris sAkshAth - chararUpI nasamsayA:" (
- :) - AchArya is hari himself and who
is movable (unlike archAvathAra emperumAn who is immovable). One should
never consider that AchArya is a normal human being like oneself.
 One should have great gratitude towards ones own AchAryan. Not having that is
an obstacle. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram,
piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights that it is through AchAryan one gets bhagavAn and
through bhagavAn one gets AchAryan. So, the AchAryan is doing us the greatest
favour of relieving us from the clutches of samsAram by establishing our proper
connection with emperumAn. So, one must always remember that and be faithful
towards the AchAryan forever.
 Considering bhAgavathas (who are to be considered as equal as ones own

AchAryan) at par with oneself is a great obstacle. Translator's note: All
srIvaishNavas are to be generally considered at par with ones own AchAryan. In
srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, while explaining bhagavath,
bhAgavatha, asahyApachArams, piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights that considering
another srIvaishNava at par with oneself is in itself a great bhAgavatha
apachAram. One should always consider other bhAgavathas higher to oneself
and bhagavAn and give them utmost respect and importance.
 AzhwArs pAsurams are known as dhivya prabhandhams (divine songs). They

are popularly known as "aruLicheyal". They are compiled in thamizh language.
Some say that samskritham is dhEva bhAsA (godly language) and thamizh is
lowly. But thirumangai AzhwAr says "chenniRaththa thamizhOsai vadachollAgi"
( ) - meaning "the beautiful thamizh
sounds became samskritham". As identified by nAyanAr in AchArya hrudhayam
"Agasthyamum anAdhi" ( ) - thamizh which was
revealed by agasthya rishi is also eternal (ever-existing). Though it was revealed
by a rishi, it is also ancient and cannot be considered as lower to samskritham.
Translator's note: azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr in his master-piece
AchArya hrudhaya explains in detail about the glories of nammAzhwAr and his
dhivya prabhandhams. In this work, he establishes that irrespective of AzhwAr's
birth, due to him being directly blessed by emperumAn himself, his greatness is
unlimited. Similarly, he establishes that irrespective of the dhivya prabhandhams
being in thamizh, their greatness is unlimited. He beautifully explains that if we
were to purely accept a literature based on it being written in samskritham
(dhEva bhAshA), then we have to accept buadhdha sAsthram. If we were to
reject based on the Author's birth, then we have to reject mahAbhAratham

(written by vyAsa rishi) and bhagavath gIthA (spoken by krishNa) since both the
authors are abrAhmaNas. Thus, he beautifully establishes that the glories of a
prabhandham is not based on the language it is written or the author's birth, but it
is the content of the prabhandham - i.e., as long as it is glorifying srIman
nArAyaNan with unflinching devotion (without any attention towards other
dhEvathas), it is acceptable.
 Forgetting the importance of focussing in Athma yAthrai (activities of the soul)

and focussing on dhEha yAthrai (activities of the body) are obstacles. Athma
yAthrai means looking out for the welfare of jIvAthmA and behaving accordingly.
dhEha yAthrai means looking out for the welfare of the body and behaving
accordingly. One should not focus on very comfortable living of the body at the
cost of the well-being of the soul.
 Thinking about nature and attributes of activities that are not focussed on
bhagavath anubhavam is an obstacle. jIvAthmA's nature is to be subservient to
bhagavAn and to act according to the desires of bhagavAn only - anything
contrary to that is not fitting for the nature of the jIvAthmA.
 Forgetting that our nature is to fully be dependent on emperumAn as the upAyam

(means) is an obstacle. emperumAn is called sidhdha sAdhanam - meaning "the
upAyam which is ready to bear fruit always". We cannot forget that aspect ever.
 Engaging in thoughts that make us indulge in sAdhya sAdhanams

(upAyAntharams such as karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams). sAdhya sAdhanam
means "the upAyam that needs to be accomplished by ones own effort".
 Just focussing on bhagavath kainkaryam and forgetting bhAgavatha kainkaryam

is an obstacle.
 Thinking about the favourable acts done for bhagavAn and bhAgavathas (with
pride) and not fearing after thinking about the many unfavourable acts towards
bhagavAn and bhAgavathas.
 One must specifically be very thankful to the AchAryan for the great favour done
by him. Not doing so is an obstacle.
 Thinking that anthima smruthi (thinking about bhagavAn in the last moments
before leaving the body) is necessary is an obstacle. Ones who are engaged in
karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams will reach paramapadham after many many
births. For such persons, thinking about emperumAn in the last moments is
absolutely necessary. But for prapannas, anthima smruthi is not required. As
bhagavAn says in varAha charama slOkam "aham smarAmi math bhaktham"

( ) - I will thinking about my devotee during his
last moments and uplift him, it is bhagavAn's responsibility to benedict the
prapanna with mOksham and bring him to paramapadham. Translator's note:
As we can observe in the lives of many of our pUrvAchAryas, while leaving their
thirumEni (body), they always meditate on their AchArya (instead of
emperumAn). Thus, it can be concluded that, even if we are able to meditate with
a stable mind at our last moments, we should meditate on our AchAryan instead
of meditating on emperumAn - as we (srIvaishNavas) are considered to be
AchArya abhimAna nishtars (ones who are firmly situated on the mercy of
AchAryan).

pariharangal.html.

dhivya dhEsa archAvathAra emperumAns - target of dhivya prabhandham

nammAzhwAr, emperumAnAr, mAmunigaL - The main propagators of dhivya
prabhandham
44. sankIrthana virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in singing and speaking

(the glories of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas)
sankIrthanam means singing or speaking or reciting. It generally refers to vAchika

(words) kainkaryam (Translator's note: kainkaryam can be done through mind,
words/speech and body).
 Speaking bhagavAn's supremacy while discussing his simplicity is an obstacle.

guNa kIrthanam - remebering emperumAn's glorious attributes and speaking
about the same. emperumAn has 2 unique qualities (which no one else has) - full
in auspicious qualities and devoid of inauspicious qualities. Of the auspicious
qualities, there are 2 categories - those qualities that focus on bhagavAn's
parathvam (supremacy) and those qualities that focus on bhagavAn's
saulabhyam (simplicity). We can recollect nammAzhwAr's thiruvAimozhi
pAsuram 1.3.4 "yArumOr nilaimaiyanena aRivariya emperumAn yArumOr
nilaimaiyanena aRiveLiya emperumAn" (
) - emperumAn remains such that he (his parathvam

(supremacy)) cannot be comprehended easily and he (his saulabhyam
(simplicity)) can be easily comprehended. There is no upper limit for his
supremacy and there is no lower limit for his simplicity (i.e., he makes himself
available very easily for his devotees). His simplicity can be seen in two of his
attributes: saulabhyam (easy accessibility/approachability) and sausIlyam (mixing
freely with others disregarding his supremacy). Though he descends into various
incarnations with all his auspicious and supreme qualities, he shines radiantly
due to his simplicity. It is this simplicity which melts the hearts of his devotees.
nammAzhwAr says "eLivarumiyalvinan" ( - naturally
simple) in thiruvAimozhi 1.3.2. In thiruvAimozhi 1.3.1, AzhwAr remembers
krishNan being bound by yasOdhA for stealing butter saying "eththiRam!
uralinOdu iNainthirunthu Engiya eLivE!" (How is it possible? what simplicity in
being bound to the mortar and manifesting helpless nature (even after being the
supreme)?) and faints for a long period as explained in history. In thiruppAvai,
ANdAL nAchiyAr explains that gOvindhan (cow herd - one who tends the cows)
is the biggest and dearest name for krishNan (which explains his simplicity). The
name "nArAyaNan" (which speaks about his supremacy) is said to be a small
name. The gOpis say "chiRupErazhaiththanavum chIRi aruLAthE em iRaivA"
( ) - Dear Lord! If we
call you by your small name, please do not become angry on us. guNavAn (One

of the qualities explained for srI rAma in srI rAmAyaNam by vAlmIkI) explains srI
rAma as the one with abundance of saulabhyam (easy accessibility) and
sausIlyam (mixing freely with everyone). Thus, while speaking about the qualities
that are focussed on simplicity, one should not discuss his supremacy - that is
never desirable.
 bhagavAn should be glorified as svayam prayOjanam (glorifying emperumAn in
itself is the goal - it is not done expecting something from bhagavAn in return).
Glorifying bhagavAn to receive some wealth, benefit or fame is an obstacle.
bhagavAn's auspicious qualities are to be sung/spoken in a blissful manner for
both the speaker and listener.
 Glorifying incomplete/defective personalities is an obstacle. This is to be
understood as instructing us to avoid dhEvathAntharams. Translator's note:
emperumAn is explained as the abode of all auspicious qualities and directly
opposite to inauspicious qualities. srIvaishNavas who are fully devoted to
bhagavAn and bhAgavathas are also fully eligible for our glorification. But other
dhEvathas such as rudhran, brahmA, indhran, skandhan, dhurgA, etc., are all
bound souls in this samsAram. While they are empowered by bhagavAn to
perform certain aspects in this samsAram, they are still limited in so many ways
and are in the modes of rajas (passion) and thamas (ignorance) many times. So,
they dont truly deserve to be glorified by srIvaishNavas.
 Disregarding glorification of bhagavAn citing that the language is not
samskritham. bhagavAn can be glorified in any language. Translator's note:
samskritham is hailed as dhEva bhAshA (divine language). vEdham is in
samskritham language and is full of glorification for emperumAn. But in many
other languages there are many literature that glorify emperumAn. azhagiya
maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr (the divine brother of piLLai lOkAchAryar)
compiled a wonderful prabhandham (prose) named AchArya hrudhayam which is
a collection of sUthrams in thamizh. In this prabhandam, he establishes that,
irrespective of their birth, AzhwArs' glories are unlimited because they were
directly blessed by emperumAn and thus were fully surrendered to him;
irrespective of the language in which they are written (thamizh), 4000 dhivya
prabhandhams are glorious since they are the essence of four vEdhams and fully
glorify emperumAn alone. Thus he establishes the glories of AzhwArs and their
dhivya prabhandhams and prove that they are to be pursued fully by
srIvaishNavas.
 Glorifying other materially minded persons (who may be wealthy, politically
powerful, etc) and dhEvathAntharams with the tongue/mouth that is given
specifically to glorify emperumAn in an obstacle. nammAzhwAr says in
thiruvAimozhi 3.9.1 "ennAvil inkavi yAn oruvarkkum kodukkilEn, ennappan
emperumAn uLanAgavE" (
, ) - my tongue
will not glorify any one other than emperumAn who sustains himself by hearing
my sweet glorification.

 Considering what is sarvAdhikAram (eligible for everyone) for reciting as
adhikrudhAdhikAram (eligible for qualified persons). For example, vEdhams can
be learnt and recited only by thraivarNikas (first 3 varNas - brahmaNa,
kshathriya, vaisya). But reciting dhivya prabhandhams and performing
mangaLAsAsanam can be done by everyone. Translator's note: The same
principle is explained by
azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr in AchArya hrudhayam chUrNikai 73 -
mruth gatam pOlanRE poRkudam ( )-A
clay pot is not like a golden pot. Gold is naturally pure. It can be touched by
anyone at any time. Clay pots have many regulations, only certain persons can
touch them and only certain times - if touched by unauthorized persons or during
unauthorized times, it becomes unusable for any auspicious activities. Golden
pots have no such regulations. Similarly, AzhwArs' pAsurams are pure and can
be pursued by any one
 After becoming a srIvaishNava (with proper understanding of sath
sampradhAyam principles), reciting pAsurams that are not written by AzhwArs
and AchAryas is an obstacle. Translator's note: AzhwArs were divinely blessed
with blemishless knowledge by emperumAn. Our purvAchAryas were divinely
blessed by AzhwArs. Whatever written by them are totally pure without any self-
motivation. So, we strictly recite and follow what is written by our AzhwArs and
AchAryas. In case of other persons (even devotees of emperumAn but not
following our sudhdha sampradhAya AchArya paramparai), depending on their
own nishtai and understanding, there may be mix of upAyAntharam (considering
karma, gyAna, bhakthi, etc., as upAyam), prayOjanAntharam (looking for benefits
other selfless kainkaryam to srIman nArAyaNan) and dhEvathAntharam
(independent glorification of other dhEvathas). Thus, it is better to avoid such
literature as we ourselves may not fully be able to distinguish between pure and
mixed literature.
 Such literature of AzhwArs and AchAryas should be learnt under a proper
AchAryan. Learning it on our own by studying them independently or learning it
through un-authorized persons is an obstacle.
 bhagavAn's nAma sankIrthanam must be done joyfully not just as a purificatory
process. Doing so is an obstacle. Reciting bhagavAn's name leads to pure bliss.
madhurakavi AzhwAr says in kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu 1 "kurugUr nambi
enRakkAl aNNikkum amudhURum ennAvukkE" (
) - when I recite nammAzhwAr's
name, I can taste pure nectar in my tongue. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi
7.9.11 "enganE sollilum inbam payakkumE" (
) - however I say emperumAn's glories, it leads to bliss.
Translator's note: thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr brings out the full glories of nAma
sankIrthanam in his thirumAlai. periyavAchAn piLLai brings out the wonderful

meanings of this prabhandham in his detailed vyAkyAnam (commentary). In the
first pAsuram, nAma sankIrthanam's pAvanathvam (its own purity and ability to
purify the reciter) is highlighted. In the second pAsuram, the bhOgyathvam
(sweet and most enjoyable nature) of nAma sankIrthanam is highlighted. Both
aspects are important. periyavAchAn piLLai beautifully explains the reason for
presenting pAvanathvam (purity) before bhOgyathvam (bliss) - that is, once we
are purified by nAma sankIrthanam we can feel the full bliss properly.
 Independently reciting bhagavAn's names without reciting bhAgavathas names is
an obstacle. Both bhagavan nAma sankIrthanam and bhAgavatha nAma
sankIrthanam are equally glorious (infact bhAgavatha nAma sankIrthanam -
glorifying bhAgavathas is even greater). So, both should be done. We can
recollect the verse from previous point - madhurakavi AzhwAr says in kaNNinuN
chiRu thAmbu 1 "kurugUr nambi enRakkAl aNNikkum amudhURum ennAvukkE"
( )
- when I recite nammAzhwAr's name, I can taste pure nectar in my tongue.
 Independently starting to recite/speak in front of the AchAryan without receiving
his approval and not reciting when he orders to do so are obstacles. Translator's
note: piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in the end of his "arththa panchakam" that a
srIvaishNava (who has understood the five essential principles) should manifest
certain qualities in front of certain personalities. In that, he says, in front of
bhagavAn one should manifest humility/meekness, in front of AchAryan one
should manifest ignorance (i.e., wanting to learn everything from him instead of
showing off ones own intelligence) and in front of materially minded persons one
should manifest that the distinct nature (that one is a srIvaishNava) from them.
Also, AchAryas will feel great pleasure, when they see their sishyas speak about
bhagavath/bhAgavatha vishayam - so when the AchArya instructs one to speak
one should not refuse at that time - one should humbly speak the glories of
bhagavAn and bhAgavathas at that time.
 When in gOshti (collective/congregational recital), independently starting to recite
is an obstacle. Usually, there will be a leader for the gOshti who first starts with
"sAthiththaruLa" ( ) meaning - kindly begin the recital. Only after
that, we should start reciting. This is the proper etiquette.
 Not reciting subsequent part after the leader starts recital is an obstacle.
Translator's note: Out of ego, one may always want to show that he is the
leader and he only begins the recital. Such persons, may keep their mouth shut
in gOshti when some one else leads. This is not at all good etiquette (behaviour).
 Hesitating to recite the second part of pAsurams. Translator's note: In gOshti,
usually, learned/senior adhyApakas recite the first part of the pAsuram and
others (juniors, etc) recite the second part of the pAsuram. This method allows
seamless recitation and facilitates proper rest between recitals so that recitals
can be done for long durations. This is the standard practice in dhivya
prabhandha sEvAkAlam (recital). Given a situation, any one should be ready to
recite the second part without any hesitation.

 Reciting in such a fast manner that some letters/words are missed is an obstacle.
Translator's note: dhivya prabhandham must be recited in a reasonable pace,
so that every one can follow, recite and understand what is being recited. It
should not be done so fast that words are missed, etc., to fit ones own
convenience and urgency.
 When a srIvaishNava in the gOshti recites something wrongly, he should not be
laughed at and made fun of. Nor that person should be corrected publicly.
Privately he may be informed humbly about the misses.
 First and last pAsurams of each prabhandham and each padhigam (decads) are
recited twice. Not doing so is an obstacle. There are some exceptions
(Translator's note: such as recitals during charama kainkaryams - final rites, etc
- all pAsurams are recited only once) - please enquire from elders for further
details.
 Not performing anjali (namaskAram - salutations with joined hands) when
hearing sadagOpan is an obstacle. During the last pAsuram of the
prabhandham/padhigam, nammAzhwAr's name is usually recited (as part of the
pAsuram). At that time, it is customary that we turn towards south direction
(AzhwAr thirunagari is located in deep south of bhAratha dhEsam) and perform
an anjali. Translator's note: This is applicable for other AzhwArs too. azhagiya
maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr highlights this principle in kaNNinuN chiRu
thAmbu vyAkyAnam as well as AchArya hrudhayam - that it is mandatory for
srIvaishNavas to perform anjali towards south direction immediately on hearing
nammAzhwAr's name showing our gratitude towards his great favours for us. It is
a pity that, even learned persons do not perform anjali on hearing
nammAzhwAr's name during sEvAkAlam. While this is said for nammAzhwAr
here, the same principle can be applicable for all AzhwArs.
 Not performing sARRumuRai (proper completion) for dhivya prabhandham
recitals is an obstacle. Whenever dhivya prabhandham is recited, there is a
proper process to follow. We start with common thanians, then recite the
particular prabhandhams in sequence and finally perform sARRumuRai properly
according to the practice in particular temple, mutt, thirumALigai (residence), etc.
Just dhivya prabhandham recital without the proper routine is not proper.
 When teaching dhivya prabhandham to others, one should not expect any
material/monetary benefits in return. Translator's note: dhivya prabhandham is
fully focussed on kainkaryam and mangaLAsAsanam for emperumAn. So, the
purpose of teaching dhivya prabhandham is to induce others in performing
mangaLAsAsanam to emperumAn. That is the only goal - there is no place for
any other expectation in that.
 One should not recite dhivya prabhandham in return for money. Selling AzhwArs'
dhivya prabhandhams for a price or reciting dhivya prabhandhams as a paid-job
is a great sin. It is OK to accept if there was voluntary sambhAvanai (offerings)
from some one for reciting dhivya prabhandham - but there should not be any
demand from the reciter.

 One should not participate in dhivya prabhandham recitals at the homes of
persons who are engaged in dhEvathAnthara worship. This will affect the
svarUpam of such reciter. This is like performing nithya karmAnushtAnam at a
ghat where materially minded persons take bath - it only pollutes others who are
pure. It is said that, in front of a dhEvathAntharam temple, even when hearing
nammAzhwAr's name, we do not need to perform anjali (since it could be
mistaken for performing anjali to the dhEvathAntharam).
 Reciting vishNu saharanAmam, Ezhai Ethalan (thirumozhi 5.8), Azhiyezha
(thiruvAimozhi 7.4) pAsurams to cure oneself from diseases is an obstacle. It is
generally explained that reciting sahasranAmam and the pAsurams mentioned
here relieve oneself from diseases. But since we should not be looking out for the
body in any manner, it is improper to recite this to cure ourselves. It may be OK
to recite to cure others.
 Reciting glories of bhagavAn without reciting glories of AchAryan is an obstacle.
Usually thanians are recited before reciting the prabhandhams. We can recollect
mudhaliyANdAn's declaration "Reciting dhvayam without guruparamparA
manthram is similar to worshipping dhEvathAntharams". Translator's note: We
can observe in many pUrvAchArya sthOthra granthams such ALavandhAr's
sthOthra rathnam, AzhwAn's sthavams, bhattar's srI rangarAja sthavam, etc.,
first several slOkams glorify guru paramparai, AzhwArs and AchAryas and
subsequently the actual sthOthram will begin. piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights the
same principle in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram sUthram 274
"japthavyam guru paramparaiyum dhvayamum" ( ஜ
) - one should constantly recite guru paramparA
manthram (asmath gurubhyO nama:....srIdharyAya nama:) and dhvaya mahA
manthram - mAmunigaL in his commentary explains that guru paramparai means
starting from ones own AchAryan upto srIman nArAyaNan (who is the first
AchAryan for every one) and dhvayam is the prasAdham of such guruparamparai
received from ones own AchAryan.

pariharangal.html.

emperumAnAr with his kAlakshEpa (lecture) gOshti
45. sravaNa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in hearing (the glories of

bhagavAn and bhAgavathas)
sravaNam means listening/hearing. In this section, what to be heard and what not to be
heard are explained. Translator's note: In srI bhAgavatham, prahlAdhAzhwAn explains
that there are 9 processes of bhakthi - sravaNam kIrthanam vishNO: smaraNam pAdha
sEvanam archanam vandhanam dhAsyam sakhyam Athma nivEdhanam (
:
) - Hearing, singing, remembering srIman
nArAyaNan, serving his lotus feet, worshipping him, glorifying him, serving him,
befriending him and offering oneself to him are the nine ways to engage in devotion
towards emperumAn. Of these, sravaNam is highlighted first as it is the most important

aspect. Let us see about that now.
 Gossiping where bhagavath vishayam is discussed, should be condemned. Not

doing so is an obstacle. Though, if one is fully situated in bhagavath vishayam
(matters relating to emperumAn), whatever they speak will naturally become
bhagavath vishayam. In gyAna sAram pAsuram 40, it is said that "anbar
chollumavidu churuthiyAm" ( ) - Even
casual talks of bhagavAn's dear devotees who are fully realized, will become
pramANam (authentic). Translator's note: In varavaramuni uththara
dhinacharyai, eRumbi appA prays to mAmunigaL that "Dear swamy! please bless
me that all my thoughts are focussed on you, all my words are in glorification of
you, all my acts of my body are in service/glorification for you, anything I have not
mentioned here - let all of that be done for your joy" - this is the state of true
srIvaishNavas - they always look out for the pleasure of emperumAn and
Acharyan - so whatever they do naturally becomes pleasing to emperumAn and
AchAryan.
 Not having full concentration on the subject matter while hearing is an obstacle.
Mind should be fully focussed on the particular subject matter. It should not be
heard casually and to say that "I also listened to bhagavath vishayam" without
understanding the full importance.
 While listening to bhagavath vishayam, focussing on something else is a great
hurdle.
 When hearing about a particular topic which one is not familiar with, one should
carefully listen to the same and try to understand it properly. One should not
simply nod the head and say "Yes, that is correct", etc and pretend that it is
already known.
 When a learned scholar is explaining some principles nicely, one should not
boast ones own knowledge and interrupt to show off the same. It is also not
proper to find faults in what is being explained properly.
 Being jealous on hearing some one explaining bhagavath visahayam nicely is an
obstacle. One should not show ones jealousy on seeing others shine in
bhagavath vishayam. Translator's note: In Arthi prabhandham, mAmunigaL
speaks about himself in pAsuram 55 "piRar minukkam poRAmai illAp
perumaiyum peRROmE" (
) - I have no jealousy absolutely when seeing
others shine. This is a great quality and indeed very difficult to achieve - but this
is what is desired from srIvaishNavas - one must feel naturally happy about other
srIvaishNavas being glorified.
 Not appreciating when hearing good words of bhagavath vishayam is an
obstacle. It is good to be courteous and appreciate others whole heartedly when
some good words are said and good deeds are done.

 Being jealous of sabrahmachAris (class-mates) who are more intelligent than
oneself and manifesting such jealousy are great hurdles. Translator's note: A
srIvaishNava should naturally feel joy when seeing other srIvaishNavas shine
and feel sorrow when other srIvaishNavas suffer. This is the true quality of a
realized person. It is said that when good things happen to other srIvaishNavas
we should be joyful as if some good things happened to our own children
(naturally every one will be delighted to see their children shine and be happy).
 Ones heart should melt on hearing bhagavAn's divine attributes such as
saulabhyam (easy accessibility), sausIlyam (mixing freely with all), etc. Not doing
so is an obstacle. We can recollect nammAzhwAr losing conscious for 6 months
after remembering the supreme lord in the form of kaNNan emperumAn being in
a helpless state after being bound to the mortar.
 bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to emperumAn) should be heart with great
devotion. Hearing them casually devoid of any devotion is an obstacle.
 Not having bodily changes out of divine emotions is an obstacle. "AhlAdhasItha
nEthrAmbu: pulakIkrutha gAthravAn" ( :
) - With tears of joy and bodily changes out of emotions (goose
bumps, hair standing erect, etc) when hearing the names of emperumAn.
Translator's note: These aspects are explained by bhagavAn himself in garuda
purANam while explaining the eight qualities of his bhaktha - one such quality is
having divine emotions while hearing about him. He says "My bhakthas
essentially have the following eight qualities - 1) unconditional love for bhakthas
of emperumAn, 2) enjoying (others) worship of emperumAn, 3) worshipping
emperumAn him/herself, 4) being without any pride, 5) having attachment in
listening about emperumAn, 6) having bodily changes (like goose bumps, etc)
when hearing/thinking/speaking about emperumAn, 7) always thinking about
emperumAn, 8) not asking material benefits in return for worshipping
emperumAn. Such bhakthas even if they are mlEchchas, they are worshippable
at par with my own self by leaders of brAhmaNas, the meditators, the ones
involved in kainkaryam and even sannyAsis and scholars. They are also eligible
to give and accept knowledge from such scholars".
 After hearing the principles of our sath sampradhAyam, one should follow it fully.
Not doing so is an obstacle. In nAchiyAr thirumozhi, ANdAL nAchiyAr says in
11.10 "meymmaip peruvArththai vittuchiththar kEttiruppar" (
) - periyAzhwAr (my father)
heard the charama slOkam and lived exactly according to that. This is Asthika
lakshaNam (the real meaning of being a believer of sAsthram). Not following the
principles is truly damaging to the true nature of the self.
 Not hearing from a sadhAchAryan (true AchAryan) is an obstacle. sadhAchAryan
means the one who heard from elders (authentic AchAryas) properly,
contemplate on the meanings and explain the same to others. One who learns
the etiquette of our pUrvAchAryas. Only such great personalities are called

sadhAchAryan. This is what mAmunigaL explains in upadhEsa rathina mAlai
pAsuram 61 as "gyAnam anushtAnam ivai nanRAgavE udaiyanAna guru"
( ) - the
AchAryan who is properly situated in knowledge as well as following the
principles effectively.
 After learning valuable knowledge from sadhAchAryan, teaching the same to
unqualified persons is an obstacle. The real qualification is the desire to learn
and having faith in such true knowledge.
 Hearing bhagavath vishayam from avaishNavas is an obstacle. avaishNavas
mean one who have dhEvathAnthara sambandham - relationship with other
dhEvathAs like rudhran, dhurgA, brahmA, indhran, skandhan, etc. Translator's
note: thirumangai AzhwAr explains in periya thirumozhi that we should not have
any relationship with persons who are associated with dhEvathAntharams. periya
thirumozhi - 8.10.3 - maRRumOr dheyvam uLadhenRu iruppArOdu uRRilEn
( ) - I will
not associate with the ones who accept other dhEvathAs. Such persons, even if
they present bhagavath vishayam, there may be a tinge of their personal
interests related to their favourite dhEvathAs - thus it is better to avoid hearing
from them. Whether it is bhAhyas (persons outside vaidhIka system) or
kudhrushtis (persons who accept vaidhIka system but misinterpret the meanings)
- whatever they explain will always be contrary to sath sampradhAyam principles
- so one have to be careful with such persons and not hear from them.
 One should not hear anything outside the sath sampradhAyam matters. One
should hear from scholars who are properly trained in sath sampradhAyam only.
Translator's note: Similar to previous point - when we hear from scholars who
are not trained in the proper principles, there may be room for confusion and mis-
representation of the real principles. Thus it is better to avoid such persons. In
thirumAlai 7th pAsuram thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr says "kalaiyaRak kaRRa
mAnthar kANbarO kEtparO thAm" (
) - will the well learned persons listen to other avaidhIka (non-
vEdhic) matters. In the vyAkyAnam periyavAchAn piLLai highlights an incident
where kUrathAzhwAn in his young age hears some budhist text and returns
home late. kUrathAzhwAr (AzhwAn's father) becomes upset with such behaviour,
gives him srIpAdha thIrtham to purify AzhwAn and then only accepts him inside
the home.
 When hearing about the glories of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas one should feel
blissful. Similary when some one insults bhagavAn and bhAgavathas (like
sisupAlan did) one should at once close the ears and leave the place. Not doing
so is an obstacle.
 charamArththam (Ultimate principles) such as thirumanthram, dhvayam and
charama slOkam should be well understood and implemented in daily life.
charamArththam can also mean charama slOkam. Translator's note:

charamArththam can also mean ultimately accepting AchAryan as the means
and goal. aruLALa perumAL emperumAnAr explains the same principle in gyAna
sAram and pramEya sAram prabhandhams. In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar concluded that AchArya's mercy is the ultimate
means to uplift us. viLAnchOlai piLLai explained the same principle in his saptha
kAthai in 7 pAsurams. mAmunigaL explained the same principle in an elegant
manner in the end of upadhEsa rathina mAlai.
 While discussing bhagavath vishayam one should not bring in matters relating to
other dhEvathas such as rudhran, brahmA, indhran, etc.

pariharangal.html.

46. sEvA virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in worshipping emperumAn
sEvA in srIvaishNava paribhAshai (terms) means several things. Generally having

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

AzhwArs
emperumAnAr surrounded by All AchAryas
 When going on a yAthrA to dhivya dhEsams, abhimAna sthalams, etc., one

should not visit other places where there is no connection to (mainly
archAvathAra) emperumAn. Even if we are forced to go to such places, one
should simply ignore the special features of such places. Our mind should be
focussed on bhagavath vishayam (matters relating to bhagavAn) only and
nothing else. Translator's note: Nowadays, it is seen that while going to dhivya
dhEsa yAthrA, people also visit nearby tourist attractions, shopping places, etc. It
is best not to be involved in such acts when going on dhivya dhEsa yAthrAs.
dhivya dhEsams are places where emperumAn himself descended into
archAvathAram form with great desire to uplift every one. It is the ultimate

manifestation of emperumAn's saulabhyam (easy accessibility) and mercy. One
should realize the glories of such dhivya dhEsams and fully focus on performing
mangaLAsAsanam to emperumAn using AzhwArs' pAsurams and AchAryas'
sthOthrams.
 When seeing temples and towers, one should first enquire if it is emperumAn's
temple/tower. If they are the temples of other dhEvathAs or avaidhika faiths, one
should not offer respects. If one offers respects by mistake without enquiring the
nature of the temple/tower, one should repent for such mistake and get purified.
In this connection, we can recollect the following incident which is identified in
nampiLLai's eedu vyAkyAnam for thiruvAimozhi 4.6.6. vaNdar and choNdar
(nephews of piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar) were working as security guards for the
uRaiyUr king (akaLanga nAttAzhwAn). Once when they were walking along with
the king, they saw a jain temple (which structurally looked similar to vishNu
temple). The king wanting to test them, tells them "Look, there is a perumAL
temple! offer your obeisances now". Hearing this, they fall flat and offer full
obeisances. But then they realise they have done a grave mistake - realizing that
they faint at once and become unconscious. Every one becomes speechless and
the king sends his personnel to bring piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar. dhAsar arrives
at the place, hears what happened and applies the dust of his lotus feet on their
head. Immediately both of them become conscious. Thus, we can understand
that any mistake committed in relation to worshipping dhEvathAntharams, can be
purified by accepting the srI pAdha dhULi (dust of the lotus feet) of
srIvaishNavas.
 Seeing emperumAn's temples and towers, one should immediately feel great joy,
offer full obeisances, get down from the vehicles (if we are travelling) and remove
sandals/shoes (if we are wearing them). Not doing so is a great offense.
 Entering into dhivya dhEsams with sandals/shoes in the feet. At a minimum, one
should atleast remove the sandals/shoes before entering the street where the
temple is.
 Entering into the thirumALigais (residence) of AchAryas and srIvaishNavas
without offering full obeisances at the entrance.
 Going directly to emperumAn's temple without going to the thirumALigai(s) of
AchAryan and srIvaishNavas. If the AchAryan's residence is situated nearby the
temple, one should always visit there, worship AchAryan and AchAryan's
thiruvArAdhana emperumAn and then only go to the temple. Translator's note:
AchAryan is the one who shows us emperumAn. srIvaishNavas are the one who
guide us to AchAryan and explain us the great principles about emperumAn. So,
emperumAn must always be approached through AchAryan and srIvaishNavas
and never approached independently. nammAzhwAr highlights this in
thiruvAimozhi 4.6.8 "vEdham vallArgaLaik koNdu viNNOr perumAn
thiruppAdham paNindhu" (
) - Worship the lotus feet of emperumAn

who is the leader of nithya sUris, through the srIvaishNavas who are well versed
in vEdham.
 Going into the temple without offering dhaNdavath praNams at the entrance.
 Entering into the temple with upper body covered with the uththarIyam (upper
waist cloth). Translator's note: We are called dhAsas - servants of emperumAn.
dhAsas should never put the waist cloth covering the chest (at least in front of
the master). This principle can still be seen practiced in kEraLA temples, where
men are suppose to remove the shirts before entering the temple and women
enter the temple only with traditional clothing (saree). This is also in practice in
some of the pANdiya nAdu dhivya dhEsams (south) such as vAnamAmalai
(thOthAdhri), etc.
 Entering in-between emperumAn and the bali pItam (the place where offerings
are given for parivAra dhEvathas, etc).
 Entering the temple in an apradhakshiNa (anti-clockwise) manner. sannidhis
should be approached in a clockwise manner.
 Walking/Stepping on the steps directly outside the main sannidhis (inner
sanctum) is not proper etiquette. We can recollect kulasEkarAzhwAr saying to
thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn in perumAL thirumozhi 4.9 "padiyAyk kidanthu un
pavaLavAy kANbEnE" ( )-
I will become the steps at the entrance of your sannidhi and joyfully worship your
beautiful pearl-like mouth.
 Directly going to mUlavar (main) sannidhi without worshipping the various
sannidhis around the temple. Usually thAyAr sannidhi, AzhwArs/AchAryas
sannidhi, etc will be present in the pradhakshiNam. They should all be
worshipped first before entering into main sannidhi of the temple. Translator's
note: In pUrva dhinacharyA 23rd slOkam eRumbi appA highlights the sequence
in which mAmunigaL performs mangaLAsAsanam at srIrangam temple every
day. "dhEvi gOdhA yathipathi satadhvEshiNau rangasrungam sEnA nAthO
vihaga vrushaba: srInidhis sindhukanyA bhUmA nILA gurujanavrutha:
pUrushachchEthyamIshAm agrE nithyam varavara munErangriyugmam
prapadhyE" (
:
ஜ :
) - Everyday, I worship the lotus feet of
maNavALa mAmuni in the presence of ANdAL nAchiyAr, emperumAnAr,
nammAzhwAr, srIranga vimAnam, sEnai mudhaliyAr, garudAzhwAr,
srIranganAthan who is the wealth of srI mahAlakshmi, paramapadhanAthan who
is surrounded by srI bhU nILA dhEvis and many AzhwArs/AchAryas(in
paramapadhanAthan sannidhi). In this slOkam eRumbi appA beautifully depicts
the map of srI rangam temple and the various sannidhis in sequence. It is also

common knowledge in our sampradhAyam that we first worship AchAryas,
AzhwArs and thAyAr before approaching emperumAn.
 Stepping on the shadows of the divine vimAnam (tower) of the temple is an
obstacle - one should never do that.
 Entering into the temple without getting the permission of the divine gate keepers
(jaya/vijaya, etc) is not correct. Before entering the sannidhi, one should recite
thiruppAvai 16th pAsuram "nAyaganAy ninRa" ( ) - In this
pAsuram, ANdAL nAchiyAr establishes the proper etiquette for us to seek
permission of the gate keepers before entering the sannidhi of emperumAn.
Translator's note: Even before starting thiruvArAdhanam for our home
perumALs, we recite this pAsuram and then only open the doors of kOyilAzhwAr
(thirvArAdhanam room).
 Entering into the temple without seeking the permission of viswaksEnar (sEnai
mudhaliyAr) is an obstacle. Translator's note: sEnai mudhaliyAr is the chief
administrator for bhagavAn in paramapadham and is one of the main nithyasUris
(eternal associates of bhagavAn). He is also part of our guru paramparai as our
guru paramparai goes on as follow: periya perumAL, periya pirAttiyAr, sEnai
mudhaliyAr, nammAzhwAr, nAthamunigaL, etc.... upto maNavALa mAmunigaL.
So, it is apt to take his permission before entering the quarters of emperumAn.
 One should always approach emperumAn through ones own AchAryan.
Translator's note: AchAryan is the who reminded our divine/eternal connection
with emperumAn. One must always be grateful towards him and always
approach emperumAn through him. Even while performing thiruvArAdhanam to
our home perumALs, we must consider ourselves as the hands (instrument in the
hands) of AchAryan and perform thiruvArAdhanam on his behalf.
 Entering the sannidhi right in the middle and directly without any shyness is an
obstacle. One should carefully enter the sannidhi along the sides with great
devotion and humility.
 When there is room in the right hand side, going towards the left hand side and
worshipping emperumAn from there is an obstacle.
 Worshipping emperumAn in the crowd of samsAris (materially minded people) is
an obstacle. As much as possible that should be avoided.
 emperumAn should be worshipped slowly from his lotus feet upto his divine head
to the full satisfaction of our eyes and heart. Not doing so is an obstacle.
Translator's note: The most ideal example of worshipping emperumAn is
thiruppANAzhwAr. He compiled amalanAdhipirAn which beautifully brings out the
divine parts of periya perumAL. In the end he declares that such eyes which
have seen and relished periya perumAL will not see any thing else. That should
be our attitude too.
 emperumAn should be worshipped with recital/remembrance of thiruppallANdu
and other dhivya prabhandha pAsurams (specific to the particular dhivya
dhEsam, etc) and pUrvAchArya sthOthrams (as heard from elders).

 We should not worship like materially minded people will do such as reciting
materially focussed slOkams, etc.
 emperumAn should not be worshipped with the desire to get some material
benefits from. Translator's note: poigai AzhwAr explains in mudhal
thiruvanthAdhi pAsuram 26 - "ezhuvAr vidai koLvAr In thuzhAyAnai vazhuvA
vagai ninaindhu vaigal thozhuvAr vinaich chudarai nandhuvikkum vEngadamE
vAnOr manach chudaraith thUNdum malai" (
) - Three types of people approach thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn -

the ones who are looking for material benefits, the ones who are looking for
kaivalyam and finally the ones who are looking for eternal kainkaryam. For these
3 types of people, thiruvEnkatam hill itself will remove the hurdles (to achieve
what is desired by them). In this, we should be like "In thuzhAyAnai vazhuvA
vagai ninaindhu vaigal thozhuvAr" (
) - the ones who constantly worship
emperumAn without any blemishes.
 While worshipping emperumAn, mind should be fully focussed on him. Not
having so is a hurdle.
 Mind should be fixed on emperumAn while worshipping him. It should not be like
a housefly which does not settle in brand-new pot which does not have any food
particles left.
 In temples, after perumAL thiruvArAdhanam and offerings of bhOgam to
emperumAn, prasAdham is given to parivAra dhEvathAs at bali pItams. After that
sARRumuRai (completion of pAsurams) is done. One should not leave in the
middle (i.e., after thiruvArAdhanam).
 During dhUpam (incense/fragrances), dhIpam (lamp), thiruvandhikkAppu (hArathi
done to ward-off dhrushti - ill-wishes), offering of bhOgam to emperumAn, etc.,
one should fully observe/relish such upachArams (services) to emperumAn and
recite the appropriate pAsurams. Not doing so and being focussed on something
else is an obstacle. Translator's note: In jIyar padi thiruvArAdhana kramam,
mAmunigaL beautifully highlights how thiruvAradhanam should be performed at
homes. While thiruvArAdhanam is performed, srIvaishNavas usually recite many
pAsurams at various times. During thirumanjanam (divine bathing), we should
recite pancha sUktham, veNNey aLaintha kuNungum padhigam (decad) in
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi, etc. While decorating emperumAn, for offering
sandalwood paste, we should recite gandhathvAram (srI sUktham) slOkam,
pUsum chAnthu (thiruvAimozhi) pAsuram. For offering ornaments and garlands,
spurathkirItAnga hArakantikA (sthOthra rathnam) slOkam, chUttu nan mAlaigaL
(thiruviruththam). For offering dhUpam, parivathil Isanaip pAdi (thiruvAimozhi) is
recited. For offering dhIpam (lamp), vaiyam thagaLiyA (mudhal thiruvanthAdhi),

anbE thagaLiyA (iraNdAm thiruvanthAdhi), thirukkaNdEn (mUnRAm
thiruvanthAdhi) are recited. During hArathi, indhiranOdu biraman (periyAzhwAr
thirumozhi padhigam where periyAzhwAr shows his great care for thiruveLLaRai
perumAL) padhigam (decad) is recited. At temples, while the particular
upachAram is performed to emperumAn, we should be fully focussed on that and
be reciting the relevant pAsurams for that upachAram.
 One should not be focussed on materialistic dance and songs and ignore
emperumAn's archA vigrahams.
 Seeing an oil lamp (in sannidhi of emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas) dying down
and not immediately fixing it and making it glow brightly is an obstacle. Please
see the vyAkyAnam for srIvachana bhUshaNam 382 sUthram which discusses
about lalithA charithram. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNam, piLLai
lOkAchAryar identifies a purANa charithram (incident highlighted in purANas), a
rat accidentally poking a wick in a lamp leading to the lamp glowing brightly takes
birth as a beafuitful girl named lalithA and marries the king of kAsi. Due to her
previous life's deed, she becomes very attached to lighting lamps to emperumAn
subsequently. We, prapannas, do not do any kainkaryam looking for any thing in
return like good birth, etc., yet we perform kainkaryam as a natural act of loving
devotion towards emperumAn.
 Seeing dust on the floor (in sannidhi of emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas) and not
cleaning it immediately. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 10.2.7 "kadaiththalai
chIykkappeRRAl kaduvinai kaLaiyalAmE" (
) - ones sins can be removed by simply sweeping
the floor of emperumAn's temple. Translator's note: thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn
is well known for giving up everything and staying in thirukkaNNamangai
bhakthavathsalan emperumAn sannidhi ever after. He was greatly attached to
sweeping kainkaryam at the temple and was performing that kainkaryam
regularly. In nAchiyAr thirumozhi first pAsuram itself, periyavAchAn piLLai
highlights that thirukkaNNamangai ANdAN was performing the cleaning
kainkaryam as the ultimate goal (not as a means to achieve something). In
thiruvAimozhi 9.2.1 vyAkyAnam, nampiLLai beautifully establishes an important
aspect. Here in the pAsuram, nammAzhwAr says to emperumAn "We have been
doing many different kainkaryams such as cleaning the temple, etc., for many
generations". Here a question arises. prapannas fully accept emperumAn as the
only upAyam. They have no involvement in any personal effort - so why do
kainkaryams at all? This is explained beautifully by nampiLLai through the
following incident involving thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn. One class-mate (who
became nAsthika) asks ANdAn why he is troubling himself by sweeping the
floors if he has no involvement in self-effort. ANdAn shows him a place where
there is dust and a place where there is no dust - he says the result of sweeping
is just that - the place becomes clean - nothing more. He asks "Cant you spot the
difference between clean place and dirty place?". Thus, we can understand that
performing kainkaryam is a natural act of the dhAsa bhUthan (a servant) and that

kainkaryam (service) does not become upAyam. In srIvachana bhUshaNam,
piLLai lOkAchAryar beautifully explains in sUthram 88, "If a materially driven
person will do so many things to fulfill his (or his dear ones) material desires, how
much desire a prapanna should have to serve emperumAn who is supremely
blissful and apt to be served for the true nature of the jIvAthmA?".
 While seeing clothes, ornaments, garlands, etc worn by emperumAn, one should
relish such things one emperumAn and not think that "It will be nice if I wear
them".
 Mouth-watering after seeing bhOgam presented in front of emperumAn before
emperumAn accepts them and presents them to us as prasAdham. Translator's
note: Everything naturally belongs to emperumAn and he is the one who is
entitled to enjoy everything. By his grace, he consumes them and blesses us with
the remnants. We should be grateful for emperumAn for giving us his remnants.
Because, in gIthA sAsthram it is said that, consuming anything without offering to
emperumAn is just like consuming handful of sin. So, it is a great sin to look at
the food which is prepared and kept to be offered for emperumAn with the
intention to consuming the same before emperumAn accepts them.
 The following should not be done inside the temples
o stretching the legs - legs should be kept folded always.
o vasthram (dhOti, etc) should not be folded up - it should always be
properly worn
o yawning
o stretching hands/legs in laziness
o letting hair fall down by shaking the head, etc
o cutting/breaking nails
o sneezing, flushing out mucus from the nose
o spitting
o chewing on betel leaves and nuts, tobacco, etc
o covering the upper body with clothes
o sleeping, dozing off
o gossipping
o laughing loudly with clapping hands
o screaming out loudly to cal some one
o scolding others
o being angry on others
o being proud without humility
 Enquiring/discussing with materially minded people and ignoring srIvaishNavas
inside the temple is an obstacle
 Simply serving bhagavAn without serving bhAgavathas
 Avoiding kainkaryam to ones own AchAryan. Translator's note: mAmunigaL
identifies in upadhEsa rathina mAlai a very important principle in pAsuram 64th
pAsuram. He says "One can serve his own AchAryan only when the AchAryan is

in this material world. Even after realizing this, if one does not serve his/her
AchAryan what can we say?".
 One should follow the AchAryan like his shadow and serve him always. embAr is
glorified as "rAmAnuja padhach chAyA" - the shadow of the lotus feet of srI
rAmAnuja. We can also recollect periyAzhwAr thirumozhi ending (last pAsuram
last line) "chAyai pOlap pAda vallAr thAmum aNukkargaLE" (
). Translator's note: In this pAsura
vyAkyAnam, there is a nice incident explained by periyavAchAn piLLai. Some
srIvaishNavas approach embAr and ask him to explain the meaning for this
sentence. Literal translation of this line will be "One who can sing like the shadow
are dear servants of emperumAn" - but it does not look very appealing/clear.
embAr says "I have not heard the meaning for this from emperumAnAr and now
he has gone to meet thirukkOshtiyUr nambi. But since you have asked I have to
explain this to you" and takes the sandals of emperumAnAr and keeps them on
his head and meditates for a while. After a while he opens his eyes and says
"Now emperumAnAr has explained me the meaning for this. You may hear. It
should be taken as pAda vallAr - chAyai pOla - thAmum aNukkargaLE, i.e., one
who are able to sing these pAsurams, will become like the shadow and be very
dear to him".

pariharangal.html.

Before reading on, one could give a quick read at

http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/07/srivaishnava-thiruvaaraadhanam.html to have a good
understanding on srIvaishNava thiruvArAdhanam as this entire article relates to this
aspect.
47. samArAdhana virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in worshiping

emperumAn at home in thiruvArAdhanam
emperumAn's different manifestations - para (in paramapadham), vyUha (kshIrAbdhi),

vibhava (srI rAma, krishNa, etc., incarnations), antharyAmi (in-dwelling super-soul),
archai (temple), archai (at homes)

thiruvArAdhanam at home
samArAdhanam here means performing pUjA to emperumAn at home as kainkaryam.

This is traditionally said as thiruvArAdhanam. bhagavath ArAdhanam
(thiruvArAdhanam) must be done with loving devotion and without any expectation in
return. In bhagavath gIthA 9.26, bhagavAn says "pathram pushpam palam thOyam
yOmE bhakthyA prayachchathi thadhaham bhakthi upahrutham asnAmi
prayathAthmana:" (
:) - A leaf, flower, fruit or water
- when offered with devotion, I will accept it joyfully. In this section, the exact attitude
while performing bhagavath ArAdhanam is explained. In the final part, bhAgavatha
ArAdhanam (worshiping devotees) is also explained. Translator's note:
thiruvArAdhanam is a very important part in our srIvaishNava lifestyle. bhagavAn's
ultimate act of compassion is seen in him descending to the homes of his devotees in
archAvathAra form. It is of paramount importance to ensure that such emperumAn is
well taken care off by srIvaishNavas at their homes. As part of our samAsrayaNam
(pancha samskAram), the AchAryan performs 5 purificatory acts - 1) thApam (marking
the shoulder of the sishya with heated conch and disc), 2) puNdram (thilak - thirumaN -
vertical mark symbolizing emperumAn's lotus feet and srI mahAlakshmI's presence), 3)
nAmam (dhAsya nAmam - naming the sishya), 4) manthram (teaching the secret
manthram which will relieve the sishya from the clutches of samsAram) and 5) teaching
the yAgam (process of thiruvArAdhanam). This thiruvArAdhanam is the most important
kainkaryam for a sishya after being initiated by the AchArya. The sishya must learn the
thiruvArAdhanam process properly from the AchArya and perform the same to his
emperumAns at his home. emperumAnAr explained the thiruvArAdhana kramam in his
nithya grantham (samskritham). maNavALa mAmunigaL explained the same in his jIyar
padi thiruvArAdhana kramam (thamizh). The glories and the steps to do
thiruvArAdhanam are explained in http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/07/srivaishnava-

thiruvaaraadhanam.html. More details on our nithyAnushtAnam (daily routines) can be
seen in http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/anushtanam.html.
 Performing thiruvArAdhanam in fear of scriptural ordainment/injunctions and not

doing it out of loving devotion towards emperumAn is an obstacle.
thiruvArAdhanam should be performed with the firm faith that, this is the proper
kainkaryam for us. Translator's note: bhagavAn descends to the homes of his
devotees out of great compassion and love. All we need to do is to simply
reciprocate such love towards him. By performing thiruvArAdhanam, we interact
with him exclusively and directly. For that interaction to be proper, one must truly
understand the jivAthmA (oneself) as the true servant of bhagavAn (who has
unlimited auspicious qualities). Once that understanding is there, that will
automatically lead us to worship him properly as guided by our pUrvAchAryas.
 One should not be lethargic (lazy) while performing thiruvArAdhanam. There
should be great joy and enthusiasm while performing thiruvArAdhanam.
Translator's note: It is explained that thiruvArAdhanam should be performed
with both fear (that we are dealing with the supreme lord and not commit any
offense during the thiruvArAdhanam) and loving devotion (that such supreme
lord has descended to accept our worship - so we must treat him splendidly with
great devotion). With such attitude, there is no room for lethargy/laziness for
even a single moment.
 Appointing some one else to perform thiruvArAdhanam is not proper. One must
take care of their personal emperumAns at home themseleves. We can
remember famous saying "ALittu andhi thozhavO" (
? - can we appoint some one to perform our sandhyA vandhanam?
No - whoever it is, one has to perform their own nithAnushtAna karmAs.) and
"mahishI svEthathaththukk ALiduvAruNdO?" (
? - Is there any king who appoints an assistant to wipe off
his wife's (the queen's) sweat? No - he will personally do it out of love).
 thiruvArAdhanam must be done at the appropriate time - not when it is
convenient for us. Translator's note: As shown in varavaramuni pUrva/uththara
dhinacharyA of thiruvArAdhanam must be done 3 times - a brief one early in the
morning, an elaborate one right at noon time and a brief one in the evening.
Generally, the main thiruvArAdhanam is done right at the middle of the day.
vaidhIkas are called as pancha kAla parAyaNas - one who divides the day into
five sections and perform some act during each of the section. The five sections
are - abhigamanam (waking up - morning bodily purifications), upAdhAnam
(collecting raw materials), ijjA (dhEva pUjA - performing thiruvArAdhanam with
the collected materials), svAdhyAyam - learning of vEdham, vEdhAntham, dhivya
prabhandham, etc., and finally yOgam - meditating and resting the mind/body on
emperumAn's thoughts. From this we can understand that the most elaborate

and main thiruvArAdhanam is done right at the middle of the day. Similarly, pithru
kAryam (shrArdhdham, etc) should be done after 2pm - that is the apt timing for
pithrus.
 Doing thiruvArAdhanam for fame and to have others glorifying us is an obstacle.
It should be done as a kainkaryam for emperumAn.
 Performing thiruvArAdhanam for a price is an obstacle. It should not be done as
a paid-job instead it should be done as svayam prayOjanam (doing it for the full
pleasure of emperumAn alone).
 thiruvArAdhanam should not be done as other kAmya karmAs (where one
performs a particular karmA in expectation of specific result). It should be done
as kainkaryam without any expectation. Translator's note: For example, to
attain svarga lOkam (heavenly abode of indhran), one performs jyOthishtOma.
thiruvArAdhanam is not to gain such material benefits - instead it is to fulfill ones
own svarUpam of being the eternal servant of bhagavAn.
 thiruvArAdhanam should be done with the understanding that our body (and
senses) is given by bhagavAn to serve him and be uplifted. Not doing so is an
obstacle. Translator's note: As said in "vichithrA dhEha sampaththir IsvarAya
nivEdhithum, pUrvamEva kruthA brahman hasthapAdhAdhi samyuthA"
( ,
), when the jIvAthmA is in a subtle state
(during layam) just like matter (intelligence fully subdued) without any
senses/body and not being able to engage in worldly enjoyment or efforts
towards emancipation, the most merciful sarvEsvaran, blesses the jIvAthmA with
senses/body to begin the process of approaching bhagavAn's lotus feet. The
jIvAthmA, instead of using the senses/body to approach bhagavAn to be uplifted,
as said by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 3.2.1 "annAL nI thantha Akkaiyin vazhi
uzhalvEn", goes by the bodily/sensual pleasures, just like a person who was
given a raft to cross the river goes with the flow of the water and falls into ocean,
the same senses/body that were given to the jIvAthmA to be uplifted from this
samsAram were used to engage in samsAram more and more. thiruvarangathu
amudhanAr also explains the same principle in rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi
pAsuram 67 "mAyavan thannai vaNanga vaiththa karaNam ivai" (
) - bhagavAn has given this body
to jivAthmAs to worship him. Thus one should understand the real purpose of this
birth and perform accordingly.
 One should worship emperumAn with the understanding that it is the natural
activity that fits the true nature of the jivAthmA who is an eternal servant of
emperumAn. It should not be done superficially.
 bhagavAn is called avAptha samastha kAman (one who has all his desires
fulfilled already). He does not expect anything from any one and is thus called
nirapEkshan (desireless). We perform thiruvArAdhanam to fulfill our responsibility
and be properly situated in our svarUpam (true nature). We should not think that

he is depending on us. Translator's note: bhagavAn is sarva svathanthran
(completely independent). jivAthmAs are fully dependent on him. In the battle
field of kurukshEthra, bhagavAn himself made available as a charioteer (servant)
for arjuna. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this principle in mumukshuppadi charama
slOka prakaraNam sUthram 247 beautifully. "kIzhil pArathanthriyamum intha
svAthanthryaththinudaiya ellai nilamiRE" (
). The brilliance of our
pUrvAchAryas can be understood from this beautiful explanation. Here, in this
section, piLLai lOkAchAryar is discussing "aham" - where bhagavAn is showing
his supremacy (I). piLLai lOkAchAryar connects this with "mAm" in the first line of
charama slOkam where kaNNan emperumAn shows himself who is the
charioteer (lowly servant) and asks arjunan to depend on him fully. piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains that bhagavAn taking up such lowly position in front of his
devotees is the manifestation of his ultimate supremacy. Similarly, bhagavAn
taking up the form of archA vigraham and descending into his devotees homes
and manifesting total dependency on his devotees is the manifestation of his
ultimate independence and also ultimate saulabhyam (easy accessibility).
 One should understand that bhagavAn owns everything as he is the controller of
everything and he is having thiruvArAdhanam using his own materials. We
should not think that we are doing thiruvArAdhanam to emperumAn with our own
materials. If we are offering some fruits or food, we should think that "he is
accepting his own material, nothing belongs to us" and serve him. Translator's
note: In sAsthram it is said that "svathvam Athmani sanjAtham svAmithvam
brahmaNi sthitham" ( ஜ
) - jIvAthmA's nature is to be a property of bhagavAn and
bhagavAn 's nature is to be the proprietor. Same thing applies for achith (matter)
too - everything is owned by bhagavAn. Once this knowledge is understood
properly by the jivAthmA, he will long for eternal service to emperumAn.
 One should perform thiruvArAdhanam to purify oneself and not think that he is
purifying emperumAn (by doing thirumanjanam - bathing), etc. bhagavAn is
always pure and is known as andhaNan, kundhan, amalan, etc. We are filled with
defects and impurities. By worshiping emperumAn, we become purified (as the
mind engages in thinking about emperumAn). Still, one should purify ones own
body before performing thiruvArAdhanam by bathing, wearing dhautha vasthram
(clean clothes which are properly washed and dried), performing nithya
karmAnushtAnam and following the routines of a prapanna - one should not think
that since engaging in worship will purify them, they do not need other routine
purificatory steps. Translator's note: Both the body and mind must be purified.
Bodily purification happens by snAnam (bathing), etc and mind gets purified by
constantly meditating on emperumAn and his auspicious qualities. As
emperumAn is pure, when jivAthmAs engage in mediating/worshiping him,
jivAthmAs become purified as well.

 Not understanding that bhagavAn only expects bhAva sudhdhi (clean heart)
while performing thiruvArAdhanam to him.
 Thinking that bhagavAn will judge us based on what we offer is an obstacle.
bhagavAn does not judge some one by what is offered to him - whether it is
expensive or inpexpensive, rich or poor, etc. One should worship and serve him
with love and whatever one can afford to offer him. If one can offer rich foodstuff
like high quality ghee, etc., one should do that without any hesitation. But if one
can only offer some basic food stuff, he/she can offer that. bhagavAn is not
bothered about what is being offered - but the mood in which they are offered. In
sAsthram it is said that "yadhanna: purushO bhavathi thadhannasthasya
dhEvathA" ( : ) - whatever
one eats (can eat), that food should be prepared, offered to him first and then
accept that as his prasAdham. Translator's note: This pramANam is very
important. One can offer emperumAn the food stuff that is appropriate to be
consumed by the one who is offering. emperumAn can consume anything and
every thing. But each individual can consume only certain food stuff based on
ones own varNam and Asramam. For example, while gruhastha may consume
betel leaves/nuts (after offering to emperumAn), brahmachAri cannot consume
them (even if it was prasAdham). So, one must carefully analyse the particular
item and see if it can be offered to emperumAn before consuming oneself.
 Considering thiruvArAdhanam as a very difficult activity and not considering it to
be a very pleasing activity. One should understand that thiruvArAdhanam is a
very pleasing and fulfilling activity and thus should be done very joyfully.
 Seeing the ultimate saulabhyam (simplicity - easy accessibility) of emperumAn
one should not be indifferent (careless) while performing thiruvArAdhanam to
him. Translator's note: bhagavAn accepting the archA vigraham at our homes is
the ultimate act of saulabhyam - he is accessible right at our own homes. But
seeing such glorious aspect of his simplicity, one should not feel that he is not
worthy of worshiping and ignore him - that is completely disrespectful.
 Not considering archAvathAra emperumAn at home as supreme and not feeling
his absolute presence are obstacles. One must have firm faith that archAvathAra
emperumAn is the same as paramapadhnAthan (the supreme emperumAn seen
srIvaikuNtam - paramapadham). In mudhal thiruvanthAdhi, poigai AzhwAr says
in pAsuram 44 "thamarugaNthathu evvuruvam avvuruvam thAnE
thamarugaNthathu eppEr maRRappEr (
) - emperumAn
takes the form that pleases his bhakthas. He keeps the names which are liked by
his bhakthas. nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 3.6.9 says "nenjinAl
ninaippAnyavan avanAgum nILkadal vaNNanE" (
) - The supreme

emperumAn is none other than the one who have assumed/taken the form that is
desired by his devotees.
 One must consider oneself as the hands (sub-servient) to his AchAryan and
perform thiruvArAdhanam on his AchAryan's behalf. One should start performing
thiruvArAdhanam after getting permission from AchAryan. As part of
samAsrayaNam (pancha samskAram), AchAryan teaches how to perform
thiruvArAdhanam and blesses the sishya with the required qualification to
perform thiruvArAdhanam. In our daily thiruvArAdhanam, we remember this
sankalpam "srI bhagavadhAgyayA bhagavath kainkaryarUpam AchArya
hasthEna bhagavathArAdhanam karishyE" ( ஜ
) - Let
me perform this thiruvArAdhanam (which is performed as kainkaryam to
bhagavAn based on his divine orders) being the hands of my AchAryan. Thus,
one should consider oneself as the servant of his AchAryan and perform
thiruvArAdhanam.
 One should not perform thiruvArAdhanam in front of samsAris (materially minded
people, also the ones who have gained knowledge but does not practice the
principles) - doing so is an obstacle. Similarly, when srIvaishNavas (who have
knowledge and practice the principles properly) are present, one should not put a
screen across the room to cover their vision of our thiruvArAdhanam - instead
thiruvArAdhanam should be done in front of them.
 thiruvArAdhanam must not be done as a mere routine/ritual. One should
understand the process as done by elders as stated in thiruppAvai "mElaiyAr
seyvanagaL" ( ) - what is done by elders.
Translator's note: sistAchAram (principles practiced by our pUrvAchAryas) are
most important for us. They have fully understood the essence of sAsthram and
have practiced what is most important. Thus, it is easier for us to progress
spiritually if we simply followed our AzhwArs and AchAryas.
 Following are identified as obstacles during thiruvArAdhanam:
o performing thiruvArAdhanam with other manthrams. manthram generally
means thirumanthram (ashtAksharam). In thirunedunthANdagam
pAsuram 4, it is said that "manthiraththai manthiraththAl maRavAthu
enRum vAzhuthiyEl vAzhalAm" (
) - bhagavAn can be constantly
remembered using thirumanthram and thus lead a glorious life. This
thirumanthram is called "manthra rAjan" (king of manthrams). dhvaya
mahA manthram is the expansion of thirumanthram and is called manthra
rathnam (crown jewel of manthrams). In thiruvArAdhanam, dhvaya mahA
manthram is recited at many instances. Due to its arththa pUrththi
(complete nature - full in all meanings) and sishta parigraham (acceptance

and practice by our pUrvAchAryas) nArAyaNa manthram is the top-most
and incomparable manthram.
o Reciting manthram (dhayvam) without first reciting guru paramaparA
manthram during thiruvArAdhanam. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in
mumukshuppadi sUthram 4th sUthram - manthraththilum manthraththukku
uLLidAna vasthuvilum manthra pradhanAna AchAryan pakkalilum
prEmam ganakka uNdAnAl kAryakaramAvathu (
). mAmunigaL beautifully explains that the sishya

should have great faith in the manthram (which is explained), bhagavAn
(who is the object of the manthram) and AchAryan (who has full control
over the manthram) and should develop great attachment towards all the
three. Translator's note: We have already seen this principle in detail.
guru paramparA manthram (asmath gurubhyO nama: ... srIdharAya
nama:) should always be recited before reciting dhvaya mahA manthram.
We should always show our gratitude towards our AchArya paramparai
starting with our own AchAryan upto srIman nArAyaNan (who is the first
AchAryan to every one) before reaching out to emperumAn.
o One should also remember the pAsurams of AzhwArs and
sthOthrams/words of AchAryas which explain dhvaya mahA manthram in
detail during thiruvArAdhanam. Not doing so is an obstacle. Translator's
note: In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr
says "dhvayArththam dhIrgga charaNAgathi enRathu
sArasangrahaththilE" (
) - piLLai lOkAchAryar established that
thiruvAimozhi (also known as dhIrga saraNAgathi) is nothing but the
detailed explanation of dhvaya mahA manthram. So, by remembering the
pAsurams of AzhwArs and AchAryas, we are constantly remembering
dhvaya mahA manthram and its meanings. Also, in pUrva dhinacharyA,
eRumbi appA says that mAmunigaL's lips are always reciting dhvaya
mahA manthram and his heart is always remembering its meanings. So,
we can understand the mood of our pUrvAchAryas in this aspect clearly.
o One should remember/recite the pAsurams/sthOthrams relevant to
arghya/pAdhya/Achamanams (water to rinse emperumAn's hands, lotus
feet and mouth), snapanam (thirumanjanam/bathing), dhUpam
(incense/fragrances), dhIpam (lamp), thiruvAlavattam (fanning), offering
sandalwood paste, offering flowers, offering bhOgam (food), etc as done
by our pUrvAchAryas. These can be seen in "jIyar padi thiruvArAdhana
kramam" which was blessed by mAmunigaL to us. Translator's note: At
each step, there are relevant pAsurams. For example, for snAnam, we

recite periyAzhwAr thirumozhi padhigam "veNNey aLaintha kuNungum",
for dhUpam - we recite thiruvAimozhi pAsuram "parivathil Isanaip pAdi",
etc.
o One should recite the manthrams, pAsurams, etc., that were recited by
greatly knowledgable persons (our pUrvAchAryas). One should not recite
based on ones own understanding.
 Performing thiruvArAdhanam with lapse in full concentration. One should have
full focus on emperumAn and perform thiruvArAdhanam with care and love.
 One should consider that AzhwArs and AchAryas are greater than emperumAn
and perform thiruvArAdhanam to them also in same or greater grandeur. Not
doing so is an obstacle. They are glorified as "viNNuLArilum sIriyar" (greater than
the ones in paramapadham). Also, to hesitate to wash their lotus feet at par with
washing emperumAn's lotus feet is an obstacle. Worshiping bhAgavathas
(emperumAn's devotees) is explained as greater than worshiping bhagavAn in
sAsthram They should be treated at par or more. Translator's note: In this
connection, one can remember the state of vaduga nambi. vaduga nambi was
greatly devoted to emperumAnAr and will not even turn towards emperumAn.
Once while travelling with emperumAnAr, along with emperumAnAr’s
thiruvArAdhana perumALs, vaduga nambi also carried his thiruvArAdhana deity
(sandals of emperumAnAr) in the same package. emperumAnAr was shocked
to notice that and he enquired vaduga nambi why he was doing that. vaduga
nambi spontaneously replied “In what way my perumAL is lower than your
perumAL?”. This is why mAmunigaL prayed in Arthi prabhandham to
emperumAnAr that "Let me be situated with the full-hearted focus of vaduga
nambi towards your good-self".
 The bhOgam prepared for offering to emperumAn should be offered from a close
distance to emperumAn's thiruppavaLam (divine mouth/lips). It should not be
kept low or at a distant place while offering. Translator's note: As explained
before, one should understand that emperumAn is physically present and treat
him with care and love, not just carelessly in a ritualistic manner.
 AchAryas should be treated in a greater manner than emperumAn and one
should not hesitate to offer bhOgam, etc., to AchAryas like it is done for
emperumAn.
 One should understand the difference between the emperumAn who is present in
the homes of samsAris (materially minded persons) and srIvaishNavas. It can
easily be understood that emperumAns who are present in dhivya dhEsams (that
are sung by AzhwArs) and also emperumAns who are present in great
srIvaishNavas are much more glorious and celebrated. Translator's note:
emperumAn descends specifically to give dharshan to srIvaishNavas, enjoy their
presence and accept their service. In bhagavath gIthA 4.8, emperumAn says
"parithrANAya sAdhUnAm, vinAsAya cha dhushkruthAm, dharma
samsthApanArththAya sambavAmi yugE yugE" ( ,
,

) - I appear again and again to protect my devotees, destroy their
enemies and establish the proper religion. In the gIthA bhAshyam, emperumAnAr
explains that though there are 3 reasons, the main reason is to please and
protect his devotees. emperumAnAr explains this purely based on AzhwArs'
pAsurams such as nammAzhwAr saying in thiruvAimozhi 3.1.9, where AzhwAr
says "If emperumAn does not personally arrive to protect gajEndhrAzhwAn, his
fame/glories (that he pleases his devotees by being physically present when they
need him) would have certainly been lost".
 Worshiping certain devotees of emperumAn who are not worshiped by our
pUrvAchAryas is an obstacle. As mentioned in thiruppAvai, "mElaiyAr
seyvanagaL" ( ) - what is done by our elders is to
be done. "cheyyAthana cheyyOm" ( ) - what is not
done by our elders is not to be done. Translator's note: This is a very important
point. emperumAn has many many devotees. But our pUrvAchAryas specifically
highlighted that we as prapannas are suppose to follow the devotees of
emperumAn who have no tinge of ahankAram (ego - self-effort) and always
positioned in sathva guNam (mode of goodness). Very good example, which
comes up often is, rudhran. Generally, rudhran is glorified as jyEshta bhAgavatha
(great/prime devtoee). In srI bhAgavatham, it is said that "vaishNavAnAm yathA
sambu:" - among the vaishNavas,sambu (rudhran) is the greates. Yet, our
pUrvAchAryas shunned him completely, due to him having thamO guNam (mode
of ignorance) most often. He also fights with emperumAn at times (even after
knowing emperumAn's supremacy). This is the same for many
dhEvathAntharams, who become ignorant and fight with emperumAn. Even in
the case of some devotees who are situated in saththva guNam, they may have
tinge of ahankAram (self-effort) in considering that they achieve emperumAn
through their own bhakthi (instead of depending on emperumAn's grace fully). In
such cases too, it is better not to worship such devotees.
 Wanting to worship emperumAn as the one who is seen in the center of Adhithya
maNdalam (which is very normal manifestation of being antharyAmi - indwelling
soul of everything) while he is present in archA vigraha form which is most
magnanimous manifestation of emperumAn in front of us at our own homes.
Translator's note: Worshiping archAvathAra emperumAn is more glorious than
any other form of worship - since he fully allows himself at the disposal of his
devotees.
 Not understanding that bhahir yAgam (public/external worship) is better than
anthar yAgam (private/internal worship) is an obstacle. yAgam is derived from
the root "yaja dhEva pUjA" - worshiping bhagavAn. Doing it privately within
closed screens is inferior to doing it in public with the participation of others.
Translator's note: This aspect encourages participation of every one in
thiruvArAdhanam. Women, children, etc., can all do kainkaryams that fits their
nature. For example, women may cook for emperumAns at home, prepare

garlands, keep the place clean, etc. Children may be encouraged to recite
sthOthrams, pAsurams, etc. Another interpretation of anthar (internal) and bhahir
(external) can be - it is better to worship emperumAn externally in
archAvathAram than worshiping him internally in ones own heart - because
emperumAn specifically descends in archAvathAram to be worshipped in a grand
manner. So, one cannot ignore emperumAn who descended to ones place and
say that they are meditating on the emperumAn inside their heart.
 If one receives an archA vigraham (deity) from ones AchAryan, that person
should worship that deity as it is. One should not seek out to perform an official
prathishtA before starting to worship such deity. Translator's note: Whenever
one gets an archA vigraham made by a sculptor, one needs to engage a
qualified person (adhikAri, like a priest) to perform praNa prathishtA (inviting
emperumAn into that deity). It is also said that, a newly made deity for worship at
home may be placed in some yagyam at the temple (pavithrOthsavam, etc) to
invite the presence of emperumAn in to that vigraham. But for archA vigrahams
presented by ones AchAryan (who is a learned srIvaishNava who firmly follows
the sath sampradhAyam principles) need not be put through such rituals and can
be worshipped right away. Also, this principle (of requiring prANa prathishtA) only
applies for man-made archA vigrahams. For sALagrAma emperumAn, there is no
such necessity, since he is svayambu (self-manifested) and can thus be
worshiped right away.
 Starting here, the focus shifts to AchArya/bhAgavatha ArAdhanam. One should
firmly understand that worshiping emperumAn's devotees is greater than
worshiping himself and should do that with great joy. Translator's note: It is
explained in padhma purANam - rudhran telling his wife pArvathi that
"ArAdhanAnam sarvEsAm vishNOr ArAdhanam param, thasmAth paratharam
dhEvI thAdhIyAnAm ArAdhanam" (
, )
Amongst all kinds of worship, worshiping vishNu is the best. Even better than
that is worshiping vishNu's devotees". Our pUrvAchAryas established this
principle in many ways practically. Thus, it is important for us to also show great
care towards bhAgavathas.

 One should firmly believe that worshiping ones own true AchArya is the special
means for ones own upliftment. Translator's note: AchAryan is explained as
"emperumAn who can interact with us" in compared to archAvathAra
emperumAn who does not personally interact with us (except in rare cases such
as dhEva perumAL directly interacting with thirukkachi nambi, etc). Thus,
worshiping him and serving him is more suitable for the nature of the sishya.
 In the case of emperumAn, it is explained that his thiruvadigaL (lotus feet) are
dearer than his thirumEni. nammAzhwAr highlights this in thiruvAimozhi 6.10.4
"pUvAr kazhalgaL aruvinaiyEn porunthumARu puNarAyE" (
) - Let me firmly fixed on your
lotus feet which will remove all my sins and in thiruvAimozhi 6.10.11 "adikkIzh
amarnthu pugunthEnE" ( ) - I am resting
under your lotus feet. Similarly, in case of AchAryan also, one must have greater
attachment in serving the lotus feet of the AchAryan. Translator's note: piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains this beautifully in mumukshuppadi sUthram 147 while
explaining dhvaya prakaraNam charaNau (thiruvadi/lotus feet) sabdham -
sEshipakkal sEshabhUthan izhiyum thuRai; prajai mulaiyilE vAy vaikkumA pOlE
( ; ஜ
) - Just like an infant will naturally look out for the breast of
his/her mother (since that is the source of sustainance/nourishment), jivAthmA
will naturally look out for the lotus feet of bhagavAn.

 For charamAdhikAris (persons who are situated in the ultimate principle of
AchArya bhakthi), even greater than AchAryan thiruvadi (lotus feet) is
AchAryan's pAdhukAs (sandals). This must be firmly placed in ones heart after
repeated contemplation and realisation. Not doing so is an obstacle. Just like
emperumAn's pAdhukA srI satagOpam (satAri) is most dear to us, AchAryan's
pAdhukA is also most dear to us. As seen before, we can recollect the greatness
of vaduga nambi. nambi was firmly situated in the principle of
"dhEvumaRRaRiyEn" ( ) - I dont know any other dhEvathA
than emperumAnAr). He was fully focussed on doing confidential and menial
services to emperumAnAr. Once while travelling along with emperumAnAr in a
yAthrA, he packs his thiruvArAdhanam - emperumAnAr's sandals, along with
emperumAnAr's thiruvArAdhanam - emperumAn deities. When emperumAnAr
finds out about this, he becomes upset and scolds nambi. nambi, without any
fear, confidently says, "In what way my perumAL is lower than your perumAL?".
emperumAnAr becomes greatly amazed at nambi's faith and says "I give up
debating with you. You cannot be won." to nambi. It is very difficult to develop
such strong faith. Translator's note: We can also recollect kongil pirAtti, who
was personally instructed by emperumAnAr in spiritual matters. She was
worshiping emperumAnAr's pAdhukA in her thiruvArAdhanam. This pair of
sandals was given by emperumAnAr himself to her on her request. In this
context, let us see the names of the pAdhukA of different personalities. Usually,
the pAdhukA will be named after the dearest sishya of the particular personality.
For bhagavAn, it is called srI satagOpam (representing nammAzhwAr). For
nammAzhwAr, it is called madhurakavigaL (in AzhwAr thirunagari, it is called as
srI rAmAnujam). For emperumAnAr, it is called mudhaliyANdAn. For AzhwAn
and embAr, it is called bhattar. For maNavALa mAmunigaL, it is called
ponnadiyAm sengamalam (representing ponnadikkAl jIyar) and so on.
 One must engage in worshiping bhagavAn and bhAgavathas - this will please
AchAryan very much. Not doing so is a great mistake. Also, there should be no
distinguishing between bhagavathArAdhanam (worshiping bhagavAn) and
bhAgavatha ArAdhanam (worshiping bhAgavathas) - one must treat them both
equally well.
 When we observe a tired srIvaishNava, we should immediately wash his lotus
feet and offer him some prasAdham to eat. Not doing so is an obstacle.
 It is said that "dharsanAth gruhyathE mayA" ( -
offerings are eaten by me through my vision) - this is known as "kaNdaruLap
paNNugai" ( - offering bhOgam to emperumAn). But
there is also "amudhu seyyap paNNugai" ( -
literally emperumAn eating the offering) - which is most complete. Though, these
two are different, we should think that emperumAn is literally eating even though
he is accepting through his eyes and giving us his remnants. Translator's note:
Since the discussion has moved on to bhAgavatha ArAdhanam, we can

understand this as follows. While, offering bhOgam to emperumAn, he accepts
that through his vision. We should then offer that prasAdham to bhAgavathas
who will literally eat the prasAdham. Then only, we should accept that
prasAdham (remnants of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas) which is greater than the
direct prasAdham of emperumAn which was just eaten through his eyes.
bhAgavatha sEsham (remnants of bhAgavathas) is greatly glorified as the most
purifying thing. In srI bhAgavatham, nAradha muni highlights that he became
purified in the previous birth by simply accepting the prasAdham of learned rishis
who were great bhAgavathas. thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr declares in thirumAlai
pAsuram 41 that "pOnagam seytha sEdam tharuvarEl punithamanRE"
( ) - if only the
bhAgavthas mercifully give out their remnants, it is most purifying at once.
 AchAryan and bhAgavathas (who are equal to AchAryan) should be treated at
par with emperumAn and be served in the same grand manner without any
distinction. It is said that "AchAryas sa haris sAkshAth chararUpI na samsaya:"
( :) - AchArya is
bhagavAn hari himself, in the form of AchArya, he is moving around while
archAvathAra emperumAn is immovable.
 There sAmAnya sAsthram and sistAchAram (vishEsha dharmam). There is a
famous quote "dharmagya samayam pramANam vEdhAs cha" (
) - Learned scholars' intelligence/direction is
the authority and vEdham too. Here the intelligence of scholars (srIvaishNavas)
is given more importance, even more than vEdham. So, while performing
thiruvArAdhanam, we should follow in the steps of our pUrvAchAryas who were
great scholars instead of following common principles (which may be looking for
material benefits, etc).
 Out of laziness, one should not yawn, etc., while worshiping emperumAn,
AchAryan and bhAgavathas.
This has been a very lengthy subject with many important points that are very truly
applicable in our most important day-to-day activity, i.e., thiruvArAdhanam. One must
carefully read this, understand the principles clearly and attempt to practice the
principles in the daily life.

pariharangal.html.

48. vandhana virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in offering obeisances.
vandhanam means offering sAshtAnga namaskAram - full obeisances (prostration) with

eight limbs (2 feet, 2 knees, stomach, 2 shoulders, 2 hands and forehead) touching the
earth in this context. It is ordained in sAsthram that "vaishNavO vaishNavam dhrushtvA
dhaNdavath praNamEth puvi" (
) - when a vaishNava sees another vaishNava, he should
immediately fall on the earth like a stick and offer obeisances. Offering full obeisances is
also called as dhaNdam samarppiththal ( ), dhaNdaniduthal
( ) in thamizh - here dhaNdam refers to a stick and the obeisances
should be like a stick falling on earth (without any second thought and deviation). In this
section, many aspects on offering obeisances in the presence of bhagavAn,
bhAgavathas and AchAryan are explained firmly. Here one principle should be
understood properly. Our purvAchAryas always offered obeisances once - sakruth (one)
praNAmam (obeisance) only. One sect of vaishNavas offer repeated obeisances - I am
(VV Ramanujam swamy) not entering into debates on that principle here. But
dhaNdaniduthal ( ) - means falling flat like a stick. A stick falling down
will not rise up and fall again - we can remember like that. Translator's note:
Generally, obeisances are offered to show ones respect/reverences towards the other
person. Usually we offer our obeisances to emperumAn, thAyArs, nithyasUris
(ananthan, garudan, vishwaksEna, etc), AzhwArs, AchAryas and bhAgavathas. One
should avoid offering obeisances to materially minded people who have bodily
relationship with us or otherwise (just because they are elderly), ones who have
dhEvathAnthara sambandham, sAmAnya AchAryas (teachers who teach arts, science,
etc) without any inclination towards bhagavAn, etc. These points are discussed in detail
in this section. Another important point - in srIvaishNavam, age is not a determining
factor while offering obeisances. In many incidents in the lives of our pUrvAchAryas

where older srIvaishNava offers obeisances to younger srIvaishNava. thirumangai
AzhwAr says in thirumozhi 8.2.9 "kaNapuram kaithozhum piLLaiyaip piLLai enReNNap
peRuvaRE" (
) - One who worships thirukkaNNapuram, even he/she is a small (or ones
own) child, one cannot think them like a child - he/she should be thought as a
srIvaishNava. He also says in thirunedunthANdagam pAsuram 14 "vaLarththathanAl
payan peRREn varugavenRu madakkiLiyaik kaikUppi vaNanginALE"
(
) - even though the parrot was raised by parakAla nAyaki
(thirumangai AzhwAr in feminine mood), when she heard that parrot beautifully recite
the names of emperumAn, she feels greatly joyful and performs anjali with joined palms
to her own parrot. AzhwAn's dharma pathni (wife) ANdAL used to take srIpAdha
thIrtham of her own son - parAsara bhattar who was a great scholar and the leader of
our sath sampradhAyam at srIrangam. So, young and old, offering mutual obeisances
to srIvaishNavas is a necessary aspect.
Ideal example - emperumAnAr offering praNAmams to thirukkOshtiyUr nambi
 Checking the ground before offering obeisances is an obstacle. Even if the

ground is wet, muddy, etc., one should offer obeisances without caring for the
body/clothes.
 Not offering full obeisances is an obstacle. One should not just lean down and
touch the ground with the hands. One should ensure that all eight limbs touch the
ground while falling flat. This is what is already explained as falling like a stick.

 Offering obeisances without full focus/concentration is an obstacle. One should
be fully focussed on emperumAn/bhAgavathas/AchAryan while offering
obeisances.
 Offering obeisances without remembering and reciting dhvaya mahA manthram.
While offering obeisances to emperumAn one should recite dhvayam. It is also
commonly observed in elders that they recite ALavandhAr's sthOthra rathna
slOkam 22 "na dharma nishtOsmi..." ( ..) - I have no
karma yOgam, gyAna yOgam, bhakthi yOgam, etc; I have nothing to offer in my
hands and I have no where else to go; I am surrendering unto your lotus feet. In
this connection, we should understand one important aspect. After offering
obeisances, we need not perform abhivAdhanam (that which reveals our
gOthram, sUthram, name, etc) as abhivAdhanam can be restricted to vaidhIka
karmAnushtAnams. In other interactions with srIvaishNavas, we should simply
identify ourselves as "adiyEn rAmAnuja dhAsan" ( ஜ
), "adiyEn srIvaishNava dhAsan" (
) - as recited by prathivAdhi bhayankaram aNNA sishyas, "adiyEn
madhurakavi dhAsan" ( ) - as recited by
ananthAzhwAn sishyas, etc. This is to be clearly understood by srIvaishNavas.
Translator's note: abhivAdhanam (identifying oneself in relation to gOthram,
sUthram, vEdham, etc) relate to the body. When we are focussed on the AthmA
(self) and when we meet Athma-bandhus (srIvaishNavas - who are related to us
by being servitors of emperumAn), we should identify ourselves with reference to
the AthmA. In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr
most beautifully explains this principle in chUrNikai 36 - "viprarkku gOthra
charaNa sUthra kUtasththar parAsara pArAsarya bhOdhAyanAdhigaL; prapanna
jana kUthasththar parAngusa parakAla yathivarAdhigaL" (
;
ஜ ) - For the brAhmaNas
(who are simply thinking on the bodily platform), gOthram (lineage), charaNa
(part of vEdham), sUthram (portion of vEdham which focusses on
karmAnushtAnam) are the rishis (sages) such as parAsara, vyAsa, bhOdhAyana
respectively. For prapannas (ones who have fully realised that they are servitors
of empreumAn and thus surrendered to him), their identification is in relation to
AzhwArs such as nammAzhwAr (parAngusa), thirumangai AzhwAr (parakAla),
etc and AchAryas such as emperumAnAr, etc. Here, mAmunigaL highlights a
very important point in the vyAkyAnam - prapannas identify themselves in
relation to AzhwArs and AchAryas, since AzhwArs and AchAryas laid out the
principles that are to be followed by prapannas, through their upadhEsams
(instructions) and anushtAnam (practical examples) clearly.

 Merely offering obeisances since it is ordained in sAsthram and not doing it with
love and devotion.
 Hesitating to offer obeisances to bhAgavathas like offering obeisances to
emperumAn. Translator's note: Accepting bhagavAn's supremacy, one may
easily offer obeisances to emperumAn with love too. But bhAgavathas also
should be treated similarly and offered the same love and respect. bhagavAn
himself highlights that his devotees must be treated with great respect and
affection while explaining eight qualities expected out of his devotees. To qualify
to be a devotee, one must first respect and care for devotees of bhagavAn.
 When offering obeisances to AchAryan, it should be done in such a way that
ones head is closely attached to the lotus feet of AchAryan. Not doing so is an
obstacle. Translator's note: Though it is said like this, one should be careful
about touching AchAryan - especially sannyAsis who have strict rules and
regulations of not having physical contact with any one. So, one should follow the
proper etiquette and avoid physically touching AchAryan in such cases.
 One should not be satisfied with just offering obeisances once. Here it does not
refer to asakruth praNAmam (repeated obeisances) - it is more to do with being
instructed by AchAryan for subsequent praNAmam or any other specific reason
or returning back after leaving emperumAn/AchAryan sannidhi. At these times,
one should not think that "I have offered once at first and that should be sufficient
for the day".
 One should stay put on the ground while offering obeisances until the AchAryan
says "Enough! please get up now". We can recollect an incident here:
emperumAnAr was reforming the srIrangam temple administration when he
entered srIrangam. At that time, some people did not like emperumAnAr's efforts
and arranged to poison emperumAnAr's bikshA (as a sannyAsi, he would go
around begging for alms - so they decided to poison that food). emperumAnAr
becomes aware of the attempt to poison him and so he becomes fasting for a
day or two. Hearing this, thirukkOshtiyUr nambi (one of emperumAnAr's
AchAryas) rushes to srIrangam. emperumAnAr wanting to welcome his AchArya,
goes to the banks of cauvery river in the middle of the day in scorching heat.
After seeing nambi, emperumAnAr falls flat and offers obeisances to him. Since
nambi does not instruct him to get up, he stays put on the hot ground. Seeing
this, kidAmbi AchAn (one of emperumAnAr's dear sishyas), rushes to lift
emperumAnAr up saying to nambi "What kind of etiquette between sishya and
AchArya is this? Why are you letting some one like emperumAnAr suffer in this
hot ground? Would any one let a tender flower scorched by fire/heat?". nambi
becomes pleased with kidAmbi AchAn's attachment towards emperumAnAr and
says "I am seeking out for a person like you only who have great attachment for
emperumAnAr. From now onwards, let him have his bikshA (prasAdham) from
you alone and need not go around for alms". From this, we can see
emperumAnAr himself demonstrating the proper etiquette of offering obeisances.

 Just offering obeisances and not touching AchAryan's lotus feet with the head.
Similar to previously discussed aspect.
 When we go to worship emperumAn, if we see AchAryan being present there, we
should offer our obeisances to AchAryan first and then to emperumAn. If
physically not possible we atleast need to mentally offer our obeisances to
AchAryan before offering obeisances to emperumAn. Translator's note: We
always go to emperumAn through our AchAryan. So, if he is present, one must
first offer obeisances to AchAryan and then go to emperumAn. We have seen
this in thirvArAdhanam also, we first worship our AchAryan, seek his permission
and perform thiruvArAdhanam on his behalf. mAmunnigaL explains in his "jIyar
padi thiruvArAdhana kramam" that we offer thiruvArAdhanam to emperumAnAr,
AzhwArs, nithyasUris and finally to emperumAn in sequence.
 Hesitating to offer obeisances to bhAgavathas in the sannidhi of bhagavAn is an
obstacle. Though, this is not seen in practice nowadays. Usually, inside the
temple, offering obeisances to any one other than emperumAn, thAyArs,
AzhwArs and AchAryas is not observed these days.
 Waiting for other srIvaishNava to offer obeisances first and then reciprocating
that with our obeisances is an obstacle. srI rAma is glorified as "mrudhu
pUrvancha bhAshathE" ( - pUrvA bhAshi) - one who
enquires first with kind words when meeting others. Similarly, we should also
offer obeisances before the other srIvaishNava offers us obeisances.
 When a srIvaishNava offers obeisances, thinking that "He is worshipping ME"
and reciprocating that is an obstacle. In this connection an incident is identified in
thiruppAvai vyAkyAnam of azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr for 1st
pAsuram. Once when emperumAnAr was walking along with his sishyas, periya
nambi (mahA pUrNa - who is emperumAnAr's AchAryan) comes across and
offers obeisances to emperumAnAr. Every one is shocked at that sight. Though,
emperumAnAr knew the inner-heart of periya nambi, to clarify the confused
minds of the others who were around, he asked nambi why he offered
obeisances to his own sishya. nambi says that he offered obeisances
considering that ALavandhAr was present there (seeing emperumAnAr himself
as a representative of ALavandhAr - who is the AchArya of periya nambi). Thus
emperumAnAr manifests pArathanthriyam (total dependence) on his AchAryan
by properly understanding his heart and thinking that the obeisances does not
belong himself. Translator's note: One should not think that the obeisances
offered are for oneself but it is for bhagavAn who is antharyAmi (in-dwelling
super-soul) and the bhAgavatha sambandham one has with ones own AchAryan
and AzhwArs and AchAryas. That is the proper way of accepting obeisances and
reciprocating it to others.
 If srIvaishNavas want to offer obeisances due to their affection towards us, one
should not disregard that and step aside. Translator's note: Similar to previous
point. One should know how to honour srIvaishNavas and their genuine desires.

If their desire was to offer obeisances to us which will put us in a higher position
than them, we should graciously accept that position with great humility.
 One should perform full obeisances after completing thiruvArAdhanam. Not doing
so is an obstacle. Translator's note: At the end of the thiruvArAdhanam, we
recite "upachArapadhEsEna..." slOkam and offer full obeisances and ask for
forgiveness for any mistakes committed during the thiruvArAdhanam. This aspect
is highlighted here.
 After completing iyal gOshti sEvAkAlam (reciting pAsurams together during
puRappAdu/procession), srIvaishNavas offer obeisances to each other. Leaving
without offering obeisances is an offense. Though here, there is specific mention
of "iyal sARRu" ( ) which is a specific collection of glorificatory
verses, this can be taken as any iyal gOshti (chanting of pAsurams during
processions). Translator's note: This is still seen in practice everywhere. After
puRappAdu completion, assembled srIvaishNavas usually offer obeisances and
then thiruvandhik kAppu (hArathi for protection from evil-eyes) is done.
 While entering srIvaishNava gOshti during the beginning and leaving the gOshti
at the end, one must offer obeisances and seek permission to leave. Not doing
so is an obstacle.
 If one lives near the AchAryan, one should visit AchAryan everyday, offer
obeisances and accept srIpAdha thIrtham (charaNAmrutham). But, if one is not
staying close to the AchAryan, one must offer obeisances towards the direction
of AchAryan's residence everyday.
 purOdAsa means remnants of yagyam (bhagavAn) - this should not be offered to
dogs, etc. Similarly, once surrendered to emperumAn, one should not offer
obeisances to his/her bodily-relatives (who are not srIvaishNavas) purely based
on their elderly nature.
 One should not offer obeisances just because some one is born in so-called
higher birth (brAhmaNa, etc). Translator's note: In AchArya hrudhayam,
azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr beautifully and elaborately explains the
differences between srIvaishNavas and mere varNa conscious brAhmaNas.
brAhmaNyam is purely meant to approach bhagavAn - if a brAhmaNa does not
understand that but is claiming to well-versed in vEdham, vEdhAntham, etc., it is
simply waste of valuable knowledge.
 When a srIvaishNava visits us, a suitably comfortable seat should be offered and
then obeisances should be offered. Not doing so is an obstacle. Translator's
note: When guests visit, we should offer water to wash their hands, feet and to
rinse their mouth. We should make them feel comfortable after what could have
been a difficult journey in visiting us.
 Offering obeisances in the vicinity of dhEvathAntharam temples and in presence
of pAshaNdis (avaishNava, mainly avaidhika - one who does not accept vEdham
as pramANam/authority). This principle of not honouring avaishNavas has been
previously explained in detail.

 When entering thiruppathis (thiruppathi generally means dhivya dhEsam, it can
also mean temple), one should offer obeisances at the entrance before entering.
 Hesitating to offer obeisances to AchArya and the ones who are as good as
AchAryan (srIvaishNavas) in public is an obstacle. Wherever we see them, we
must offer obeisances immediately.
 Offering full obeisances to one who is not well versed in adhyAthma vidhyai
(most confidential knowledge on bhagavAn) even though he/she may be well
versed in other (worldly) matters is an obstacle. As explained in "thath karma
yanna bhandhAya sA vidhyA yA vimukthayE, AyAsAyAparam karma vidhyAnyA
silpanaipuNam" ( ,
- that action which
relieves one from bondage, that knowledge which relieves one from bondage is
true knowledge; other action will just make one tired and other knowledge is just
for craft work), teachers who teach wordly knowledge are not real object of our
obeisances. Our pUrvAchAryas compare such knowledge to having knowledge
about stitching chappals (as any other manual craft work) and such persons who
recite vEdham without understanding the real purport as donkeys that carry
saffron (without understanding the true value of saffron).
 Offering obeisances to the ones who are not the teachers of manthra rathnam
(dhvaya mahA manthram and its meanings) but teachers of other manthrams.
Here though dhvayam alone is highlighted, this could easily mean
thirumanthram, dhvayam and charama slOkam as all these 3 are related. Here
other manthrams generally mean avaishNava manthrams and such manthrams
that are given to relieve one from snake-bite, etc.
 One should not surrender (and offer obeisances) to materially minded people
when faced with dire (difficult) situations. Translator's note: One must have full
faith in bhagavAn that he will take care off oneself at all times. When that faith is
there, there is no need to look out for other help.
 One should not feel lazy and skip offering obeisances to emperumAn. Same
thing applies to AchAryan and bhAgavathas.
 In emperumAn's sannidhi/presence, offering obeisances to abhAgavathas and
not offering obeisances to bhAgavathas are obstacles. We have discussed these
points previously - offering obeisances to avaishNavas is always to be avoided.

grantham with the help of the explanations given by srI u. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy.
pariharangal.html.

49. anjali virOdhi ( ஜ ) - Obstacles in offering anjali (saluting with
folded hands).
anjali means saluting (namaskAram) with joined palms. This is related to 48th topic
(vandhana - offering obeisances). After offering obeisances, one has to rise up and
perform anjali (salute with joined palms). It is also seen that, at times, one just performs
anjali without offering full obeisances. anjali is done by bring the hands to the chest and
holding it in a way both the palms are touching each other. It is also seen that the palms
are joined and held on top of the head at times. anjali is defined by "am jalayathi ithi
anjali:" ( ஜ ஜ :) that which melts bhagavAn who is mentioned
by "a" - akAram. It is also said that "anjali: paramAmudhrA kshipram dhEvaprasAdhinI"
( ஜ : ) - anjali is the ultimate and top-
most posture which will quickly induce bhagavAn's mercy.

 anjali must be performed with our mind fixated on bhagavAn's lotus feet. It must
not be performed with our mind focussed on others like dhEvathAnthrams,
materially rich persons, etc.
 It must be understood that there is no time restrictions to perform anjali and
performing anjali after checking for auspicious time, etc.
 Not understanding that it can be performed by and to any srIvaishNava (no need
for any qualification) is an obstacle. Similarly, thinking that one needs special
qualification to perform anjali is also not correct. Any one who has bhagavath
sambandham can be offered anjali. We can recollect thirumangai AzhwAr's
thirunedunthANdam pAsuram 14 "vaLarththathanAl payan peRREn
varugavenRu madakkiLiyaik kaikUppi vaNanginALE" (
)
- even though the parrot was raised by parakAla nAyaki (thirumangai AzhwAr in
feminine mood), when she heard that parrot beautifully recite the names of
emperumAn, she feels greatly joyful and performs anjali with joined palms to her
own parrot.
 Not understanding that one can perform anjali in any situation is an obstacle. In
saraNAgathi gadhyam, emperumAnAr says "EnakEnAbi prakArENa
dhvayavakthA" ( ) - In whichever
situation, one recites dhvaya mahA manthram - similar to that, in any situation
one performs anjali, that will melt emperumAn.
 Not considering that one anjali is sufficient and thinking that one should perform
multiple anjalis. sakruth - once. asakruth - multiple times. In ALavandhAr's
sthOthra rathnam 28, he says to emperumAn "thvadhangri mudhdhichya kathApi

kEnachith yathA thathA vApi sakruth kruthOnjali: thadhaiva mushNAthi asubAni
asEshatha: subhAni pushNAthi najAthu hIyathE" (
ஜ :
: ஜ )-A
single anjali performed by any one at any time in any way towards your lotus feet
will at once remove the sins and increases the well-being of such person and
never lets that goodness diminish. Thus, just performing anjali once is sufficient
and no need to keep on repeating it. Translator's note: bhattar beautifully
reveals the glories of periya pirAttiyAr in his srI guNa rathna kOsam, 58th
slOkam "iswaryam akshara gathim paramam padham vA kasmaichith anjali
param vahathE vidhIrya asmai na kinchith uchitham krutham ithi atha amba
thvam lajjasE kathaya ka: ayam udhArabhAva:" (
ஜ
ஜ
: :) - Dear mother! If one performs anjali in front of
you, you bless him with worldly wealth, supreme destination (paramapadham)
and kainkaryam in paramapadham. After giving everything, you are thinking
'have I done enough?' and puts her head down out of shyness. From this we can
understand the mood of emperumAn and pirAtti, who cannot even bear the
devotee taking the least effort in approaching them and are willing to shower their
grace at once. So - what to speak of multiple efforts?
 Considering that performing an anjali will accomplish the desired result much
later in the future and not understanding that result will be bestowed immediately.
As said in "kshipram dhEva prasAdhinI" ( ), bhagvAn
at once bestows the desired result when seeing any one performing an anjali.
This can also be understood from previous point of discussion.
 Considering that for each apachAram (offense) a separate anjali must be
performed and not thinking that one anjali is sufficient to remove all apachArams.
Just saying "aparAdhAnimAn sarvAn kshamasva purushOththama!"
( !) - Oh best among
the AthmAs (bhagavAn)! Please forgive all my offenses and performing an anjali
will be sufficient. Translator's note: This reference is part of the slOkam
"upachArApadhEsEna...". This slOkam is recited at the end of our
thiruvArAdhanam at home. It means "Oh bhagavAn! I started this
thiruvArAdhanam with the desire to pamper you and serve you. But I ended up
committing more offenses than service to you. So, you kindly forgive me for all
such offenses". Looking at the greatness of bhagavAn, one can never serve him
sufficiently enough. Also, considering the mental state of jIvAthmAs who are
bound in this samsAram, even while performing thiruvArAdhanam, it will be very

difficult to fully focus on emperumAn alone and worship him properly. So, from
both bhagavAn's greatness and jIvAthmA's imperfections, thiruvArAdhanam will
only end up being an unsatisfactory one from jIvAthmA's perspective. But
bhagavAn being the epitome of saulabhyam (simplicity), gracefully accepts
whatever kainkaryam performed by his devotee with great joy even if there are
some deficiencies.
 Similar to the previous point, anjali will not remove only certain pApams (sins) but
it will remove all types of sins. It is called "sarvapApanivAraNi" (that which
removes all sins). But there is no hope of upliftment for the persons who
intentionally perform sins and plan to atone by performing anjali every time.
 Considering that performing anjali will only bestow certain auspiciousness and
not all auspiciousness in full is an obstacle. As discussed previously in sthOthra
rathnam 28th slOkam, it will bestow all auspiciousness.
 Performing anjali only until getting the desired result and not understanding that
even after getting the result, one should continue performing anjali. This is
focussed on bhagavath anubhavam as the result. Even in paramapadham,
nithyas and mukthas are said to be performing anjali as in "nama ithyEva
vAdhina:" ( :). Translator's note: nammAzhwAr says in
thiruvAimozhi 3.8.4 "kaikaLAlARath thozhuthu thozhuthunnai" (
) - I am worshiping you constantly by performing
anjali. nampiLLai's vyAkyAnam (commentary) is most excellent for this - his
brilliance shines like a radiant sun in revealing AzhwAr's divine emotions. He
says nammAzhwAr's tendency for performing anjali is most dear to him. He says
"One who is focussed on material benedictions will stop worshiping once their
desire is fulfilled. One who performs as sAdhanam (means) to achieve something
will stop once their goal is achieved. But for the one who has this as their yAthrA
(life sustaining activity) as said in 'nithyAnjali pudA:" ( ஜ :) for
svEtha dhvIpa vAsis (the residents of milk ocean), (nithyas and) mutkthas in
paramapadham too always perform anjali constantly as previously seen in 'nama
ithyEva vAdhina:'". He continues to explain that emperumAn sustains himself by
inducing these great devotees perform anjali to him. So, we can understand that
when done as kainkaryam out of great love and affection towards emperumAn,
one keeps performing anjali.
 Not understanding that garuda mudhrA will control and subdue snake's poison,
this anjali mudhrA will control and subdue bhagavAn's svAthanthriyam (total
independence/free-will). One must be very faithful of this principle. Translator's
note: In srI rAmAyaNa slOkam, "cha chAla chApam cha mumOcha vIra:" (
) - when rAvaNan was holding on to the bow and
shooting arrows at srI rAma, srI rAma was counter-attacking as well - but when
rAvANa's bow was broken by srI rAma and he dropped it down (knowing well that
srI rAma will not hit him if he does not have any weapons in his hands), srI rAma

immediately stopped attacking rAvaNa and gave him a life-line. Our
pUrvAchAryas explain that, if only rAvaNa performed an anjali at that time, he
would have easily won over srI rAma - since emperumAn can be controlled by
this supreme mudhrA named anjali mudhrA.
 One should firmly understand that just like abhaya hastham (protection posture)
is apt for the nature of the sEshi (master), anjali hastham (joined palms posture)
is apt for the nature of the sEsha bhUthan (servant). Not having such faith is an
obstacle. sEshi - svAmi (master), i.e., emperumAn. He holds his hand in different
postures such as abhaya hastham (giving protection posture), varadha hastham
(bestowing posture), AhvAna hastham (inviting posture), etc. Similarly, for
jIvAthmA, anjali hastham is the most apt one - since it reveals the jIvAthmA's
ananya gathithvam (that there is no other refuge) and Akinchanyam (that he
does not have anything in his hands). Translator's note: We have already seen
in the vyAkyAnam for thiruvAimozhi 3.8.4 pAsuram in previous points -
emperumAn sustains himself by protecting his devotees and jIvAthmA sustains
himself by accepting emperumAn's protection.
 Performing anjali with attachment to protecting oneself is an obstacle. By

performing anjali, one manifests that there is nothing on ones own to protect
oneself. Just like there is no other refuge, one can also does not protect oneself.
As it is said in thirukkOLUr peN piLLai vArthai grantham "iru kaiyum vittEnO
dhraupadhiyaip pOlE" (
) - Did I give up protecting myself with both my hands and fully
surrendered to emperumAn like dhraupathi did?. When dhraupathi was in great
danger of losing her honour, she gave up any efforts to protect herself and called
out "hA krishNA! hA dhvArakAvAsA!" and was protected immediately by
emperumAn. Similarly, we also should perform anjali without any tinge of faith in
protecting oneself.

 Performing anjali for any other benefit other than kainkaryam. Translator's note:
The whole purpose of existence of jIvAthmA is to serve emperumAn and his
devotees. There should not be any other expectation. This is not a business deal
between jIvAthmA and bhagavAn to trade ones anjali for any other benefits. We
have previously seen poigai AzhwAr's mudhal thiruvanthAdhi pAsuram 26
"ezhuvAr vidai koLvAr In thuzhAyAnai vazhuvA vagai ninaindhu vaigal
thozhuvAr..." (
) - the ones looking material wealth
and the ones looking for kaivalyam (enjoying AthmA oneself) will leave
emperumAn once their desires are fulfilled, but the ones who purely want to
serve emperumAn, will constantly engage in worshiping emperumAn without any
other expectation.
 Performing anjali for satagOpan (nammAzhwAr) in-front of dhEvathAntharam
(other dhEvathAs) temples is an obstacle. It is common practice that when
reciting thiruvAimozhi, at the end of each padhigam (decad - 10 pAsurams),
while reciting the 11th pAsuram, on hearing nammAzhwAr's name (satagOpan,
vazhuthi nAdan, mARan, etc), one immediately performs an anjali showing
gratitude to nammAzhwAr for the great favours he has done to us. It is also said
the same for hearing nammAzhwAr's name anytime - we must perform an anjali.
But even that, if we happen to be near-by or in-front of other dhEvathAs temples,
we should not perform such anjali (since it may be mistaken for performing anjali
to other dhEvathAs). In this context, it is said that "satagOpanum thyAjyam"
( ) - even (anjali to) satagOpan is to be given up.
Translator's note: Though, thiruvAimozhi is not recited in streets during
puRappAdu (procession), great devotees are often constantly reciting the
pAsurams (in their heart without reciting loudly) and remembering the meanings.

Even in such cases, one has to be careful and avoid showing any reverence to
dhEvathAntharams.
 When an abhAgavatha (one who is not a devotee of emperumAn) performs
anjali, one should not reciprocate that with an anjali - one should simply ignore
that. On the contrary, when we see a bhAgavatha, we should perform anjali
before they do.
 When seeing the AchAryan, one should not simply perform an anjali, one should
offer full obeisances, rise up and then perform anjali.
 One should not perform anjali with dis-honesty in the heart and also in a partial
fashion. Translator's note: anjali must be done in whole-heartedly in a proper
manner. Saluting others with one hand is generally condemned in sAsthram.
 Not performing anjali over the head when we hear the names of nammAzhwAr
(satagOpan, etc). This was previously discussed in detail. During recitations of
pAsuram in gOshti (congregation), we are not observing people raising their
hands over the head and performing anjali. emperumAn's pAdhukA (sandals) are
called as srI satagOpan. In gOshti or otherwise, when we are blessed with srI
satagOpan, we should bow our head humbly and accept that blessing with an
anjali.
nammAzhwAr directly present in srI satagOpam - vAnamAmalai

pariharangal.html.

nampiLLai kAlakshEpa gOshti - the most enchanting scholar who engaged many
stalwarts into hearing the glories of emperumAn through his thiruvAimozhi lectures
50. kAlakshEpa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in passing/spending our

time
kAlakshEpam generally means passing time. Our time should not be wasted. There are
two aspects in passing time - dhEha yAthrA (time spent for the benefit of the body) and
Athma yAthrA (time spent for the benefit of the soul). dhEha yAthrA includes any time
spent to nurture the body and bodily relatives. Athma yAthrA means time spent to
nurture the soul and its well-being. One should be focussed on the upliftment of the
jIvAthmA (oneself). One needs to take care of the body needs in righteous way - this
cannot be refused, yet one should simple not focus on food, shelter, clothing and bodily
luxuries only. thirumazhisai AzhwAr and mAmunigaL have explained how ones time
should be spent - these are to be understood, glorified and practised.

thirumazhisai AzhwAr says in nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi 63rd pAsuram:
theriththu ezhuthi vaachiththu vaNangi vazhipattum pUchiththum pOkkinEn pOthu

(
)
I spend my time by thinking/meditating on emperumAn, writing about him, reading about
him, hearing about him from others, worshiping him without any pride, doing
thiruvArAdhanam to him.
mAmunigaL says in Arthi prabhandham 26th pAsuram:
paNdu pala Ariyarum pArulagOr uyyap parivuadanE cheydhu aruLum palkalaigaL

thammaik kaNdathellaam ezhudhi
avai kaRRu irunthum piRarkkuk kAthaludan kaRpiththum kAlaththaik kazhiththEn
I searched and collected all the pUrvAchArya granthams which were lost/distributed
during muslim invasion. These granthams were written by the apAra kAruNyam (great
mercy) of pUrvAchAryas towards the hitham (well-being) of all the future generations.
Whatever granthams I found, I wrote them personally in palm leaves, I learnt them from
my Acharyans (thiruvAimozhi piLLai, etc), lived according to the instructions in those
granthams, and taught those to my disciples.
Though kAlakshEpam is understood as "passing time" generally, we can understand

here the focus is on learning pUrvAchArya granthams word-by-word and teaching them
to others through lectures. Translator's note: srIvaishNava dhinacharyA (daily routine)
is explained in detail in these following articles:
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/08/srivaishnava-lakshanam-10.html and
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/08/srivaishnava-lakshanam-11.html.
 Falling asleep while listening to kAlakshEpam out of thamO guNam is an

obstacle. thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr says in thirumAlai pAsuram 3 "vEdha nUl
pirAyam nURu manicharthAm puguvarElum pAdhiyum uRangippOgum" (

) - Though jIvAthmA accepts a human body which is given
100 years of life, half that time would be spent in sleep. This sleeping is
highlighted as an outcome of thamO guNam (ignorance). Though reasonable
sleep is required (it is sufficient to have a 6 hours sleep in the available 24
hours), sleeping too much is not good. Translator's note: One must be very
alert while hearing kAlakshEpam and focus on the principles that are explained in
the lecture.
 After waking up, thinking about worldly matters and wasting the time is an
obstacle. When we are awake, the time should be spent usefully. Just
thinking/wishing ill for others is a great sin. Translator's note: In srI
bhAgavatham, it is said that a bhAgavatha can engage in many activities such as
sravaNam (hearing about emperumAn), kIrthanam (singing the glories of
emperumAn), visNO: smaraNam (remembering his activities), pAdha sEvanam
(serving his lotus feet), archanam (worshiping him), vandhanam (glorifying him),
dhAsyam (serving him), sakyam (befriending him) and Athma nivEdhanam
(offering oneself fully to him). When there are so many auspicious activities to
engage, we should not waste our time in inauspicious activities. In periya
thiruvanthAdhi, nammAzhwAr says "kAr kalandha mEniyAn kai kalandha
AzhiyAn pAr kalandha valvayiRRAn pAmbaNaiyAn sIr kalandha sol ninaindhu
pOkkArEl sUzh vinaiyin Azhthuyarai en ninaindhu pOkkuvar ippOdhu?" (
?) -
When there are wonderful things to talk about the most auspicious qualities of
bhagavAn who is blackish-blue like a cloud in complexion, who has sudharshan
chakram in his hand, who protects the universe in his stomach during layam and
who is lying on the serpent bed, how else can they spend their time without
thinking about emperumAn? AzhwAr is thinking from his perspective and he does
not know how to spend the time without thinking about emperumAn.
 Spending ones time thinking about enjoying with women is an obstacle.
Translator's note: Ultimate aim for materialism is to enjoy sex with the opposite
gender. Right from the beginning of adult-hood, men and women are focussed
on how to enjoy. This is explained by our pUrvAchAryas as "vishayAnthara
prAvaNyam" ( ) - attachment to worldly pleasures.
pEyAzhwAr explains a simple remedy to remove such sensual desires from ones
mind. He says in mUnRAm thiruvanthAdhi pAsuram 14 "mARpAl manam
chuzhippa mangaiyar thOL kai vittu" (
) - When we focus our mind and desires towards
emperumAn, the attachment towards worldly pleasures will automatically

disappear. bhagavAn is explained as "subhAsrayam" ( ) - auspicious
abode to focus on - when we focus on bhagavAn, automatically all
auspiciousness will manifest in us too and all inauspiciousness will vanish.
 Spending the time not thinking about the lotus feet of kariyAn kazhal (the lotus
feet of the blackish-hued emperumAn). bhagavAn is explained as nIla mEga
shyAmaLa (one with the form that resembles blackish-hued clouds). We should
focus on emperumAn's lotus feet as stated by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi
3.6.10 "anRu thEr kataviya perumAn kanai kazhal kANbathenRukol kaNgaLE"
(
) - When am I going to see the lotus feet of the emperumAn who
drove the chariot (for arjuna)?. Also, in thiruvAimozhi 3.8.4, nammAzhwAr
manifests the divine craving to see emperumAn by saying "unnai meykoLLak
kANa virumbumen kaNgaLE" (
) - My eyes crave to see your divine form.
nammAzhwAr also says in thiruvAimozhi pAsuram 8.5.1 "oru nAL kANa vArAyE"
( ) - please come once so I can see you.
 Just spending ones time in sAmAnya karmams which are prescribed as per
varNAsrama dharmam. This need not be taken as condemning the performance
of vaidhIka karmAs. They should be done as bhagavath AgyA kainkaryam (that
which are ordered by bhagavAn to be performed as kainkaryam). These are
called "sAmAnya dharmam" (basic rules). Some karmAs (such as nithya
(sandhyAvandhanam, etc), naimiththika (tharpaNam, etc) karmAs) are identified
as "akaraNE prathyavAyam" ( ) - when such karmAs
are not performed, that will lead to accumulation of sins for oneself. These
karmAs must be performed. But one should not simply focus on such karmAs
alone. We are also called thoNdakkulam (dhAsa kulam - the clan of servitors of
bhagavAn and bhAgavathas). Our actions should be mainly focussed on that
aspect and we should spend our time serving bhagavAn and bhAgavathas.
 Spending ones time without contemplating on dhvaya mahA manthram is an
obstacle. The best way to spend our time is to constantly recite the dhvaya mahA
manthram and meditate on the divine meanings of the same. In saraNAgathi
gadhyam, srIranganAthan orders emperumAnAr
"dhvayamarththAnusandhAnEna saha yAvach charIrapAdham athraiva srIrangE
sukamAsva" (
) - You stay at srIrangam until the end of
your (this) life and constantly meditate on the divine meanings of dhvayam mahA
manthram. In varavaramuni dhinacharyA, dhEvarAja guru (eRumbi appA)
documents the divine activities of maNavALa mAmunigaL. In the 9th slOkam, he
highlights "manthra rathna anusandhAna santhatha spurithAdharam;

thadharththa thathva nidhyAna sannadhdha pulakOdhgamam" (
;
) - mAmunigaL's lips are constantly reciting dhvaya mahA
manthram (which is called the manthra rathanm - gem among manthrams). His
body is manifesting divine reactions due to constant meditation of the meanings
of dhvayam (which is nothing but thiruvAimozhi). Translator's note: It is to be
remembered that dhvaya mahA manthram is never recited independently - we
always have to recite guru paramparA manthram first and then only recite
dhvaya mahA manthram. We have already seen this in previous postings.
 Spending our time in performing dhEvathAnthara bhajanam and not worshiping
bhagavAn all the time are obstacles. We should fully spend our time in
worshiping emperumAn only. Translator's note: thirumazhisai AzhwAr explains
that srIvaishNavas are "maRanthum puRam thozhA mAnthar" (
) - the ones who dont worship anya dhEvathas at any cost.
When we undergo pancha samskAram (samArayaNam), the AchAryan fully
makes us realize our true relationship with bhagavAn. Just like a wife will be
totally dependent on her husband only and will not have any attachment to any
one else, srIvaishNavas will be totally dependent on bhagavAn only and no one
else.
 Spending time in sAmAnya sAsthram (common guidelines based on vEdham)
and not spending time in hearing/meditating on thAthparya sAsthram (essence of
vEdham which is thirumanthram, etc) are obstacles. sAmAnya sAsthram explains
that sathyam vadha (speak truth only), dharma chara (be righteous), snAthvA
bhunjItha (bathe before eating), perform nithya karmAnushtAnam, etc. These are
certainly necessary but are not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to
understand the specific vaishNava dharmam and follow the same. We have
already seen many such aspects in this grantham itself. Translator's note: In
AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr, beautifully
explains the difference between varNa dharmi (one who is focussed on
varNAsrama dharmam only) and dhAsa vruththi (one who is focussed on
kainkaryam to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas) in many chUrNikais. varNa dharmi is
focussed on vEdham alone and does not understad the highest principles of
sAsthram. dhAsa vruththi is full focussed on thirumanthram (dhvayam,
charamaslOkam too) and understands the highest principle of sAsthram which is
to serve bhagavAn and bhAgavathas all the time. nAyanAr calls the dhAsa
vruththi as sArAgya (one who grasped the essence), adiyAr/thoNdar (servitor),
maNdinAr (one who is fully attached to dhivya dhEsams), mikka vEdhiyar (one
who is most knowledgable in sAsthram), etc. He calls the varNa dharmi as
sAsthri (one who is attached to sAmAnya sAsthram), anthaNar/maRaiyOr
(brAhmaNa/vaidhIka), maRRaiyAr (others who are not so focussed on dhivya
dhEsams), vEdhavith (one who is learned in sAmAnya sAsthram), etc.

 Spending time in earning for wordly pleasures and learning useless subject
matters are obstacles. Also, not spending time to learn the subject matter that
leads to ultimate upliftment of the AthmA is an obstacle. Focussing our lives on
material wealth is destructive to the nature of the soul which should be focussing
on service to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas.
 Spending time in hurting others and not spending time in helping others. "na
himsyAth sarvabhUthAni" ( ) - Do not cause
difficulty to any one is a common injunction of sAsthram. We should arrange our
life in such a way that we dont cause disturbance to any one. It is also said that
"parOpakArArththam idham sarIram" ( ) - this
body is to help others. We can recollect the kapOtha upAkyAnam (the story of
the pigeon) which is explained by srI rAma during vibhIshaNa saraNAgathi in srI
rAmAyaNam. Translator's note: When vibhIshaNAzhwAn arrives to surrender
unto srI rAma, sUgrIva and others protest to srI rAma and advises him not to
accept vibhIshaNAzhwAn. At that time srI rAma explains an incident to establish
that he will accept vibhIshaNAzhwAn even if vibhIshaNAzhwAn is coming with
evil-intentions to hurt him. In a forest, once there lived a couple of doves on a
tree. On a rainy day, a hunter arrives underneath the tree where they lived. Due
to heavy rain he gets stuck underneath the tree for a long time. He feels very
hungry and looks around and spots the birds on the tree. He hits the female-
pigeon with an arrow, makes a fire and toasts that and eats the same. He is still
stuck for some more time and unable to move out of that location. The male-
pigeon who is greatly saddened by the loss of its companion, looks from above
and thinks "here, I have a guest now and he is suffering from hunger, I have to
some how welcome him and feed him something". It brings some dry leaves,
etc., makes a fire for the hunter for him to warm himself up and jumps in to the
fire and offers itself to the him. We can understand that the pigeon sacrificed
itself to satisfy the hunger of the hunter who it considered as its guest. srI rAma
then says "If I dont offer myself to vibhIshaNAzhwAn who has come all the way,
will the world not consider me lower than that male-pigeon who sacrificed itself
for its guest even after the hunter killed its companion?". sugrIva and others get
completely satisfied with srI rAma's explanation and eventually welcomed srI
rAma.
 Spending time in simply eating at others' homes and not eating at ones own
home is an obstacle. Translator's note: One must be very careful while eating
outside ones own home. At home, one can ensure that the food stuffs are offered
to emperumAn, AzhwArs and AchAryas. But outside it is not possible to ensure
such things. So, our elders always maintained parAnna niyamam - not accepting
food cooked by others. The only exception for this is generally for any
prasAdham given at the temple, mutts, AchAryan thirumALigais, etc., where
there is proper principles are followed in cooking and offering to emperumAn
before distributing to others.

 Spending time in contemplating about other women and developing detachment
towards ones own wife due to such interest in other women is an obstacle.
sAmAnya sAsthram (vEdham) explains and accepts communion with ones own
wife with the intent of begetting righteous offsring (there are so many rules and
regulations in sAsthram even for such communion). But seeking out other
women is severly condemned in sAsthram. Yet, in sath sampradhAya literature
such srI vachana bhUshaNam, even enjoying ones own wive is rejected -
because enjoying worldly pleasures (in any form) is directly opposite to the true
nature of the jIvAthmA who should only be focussed on bhagavAn's pleasure.
 Spending time in stealing others properties and not donating ones own properties
is an obstacle. One should engage in atleast some charitable activity such as
helping the needy, etc.
 Spending time in any form of gambling is an obstacle.
 Not spending time in inquiring about bhagavAn, writing the glories of him, reading
about him, listening about him, worshiping him, etc is an obstacle.
 Not spending time at ones own home in worshiping emperumAn with proper
anushtAnams, serving srIvaishNavas whenever possible and going to others
homes just to indulge in gossipping, etc., are obstacles.
 Spending time to take care of ones own livelihood by maintaining garden, farm,
etc. While taking care of livelihood and basic needs are necessary, that should
be the sole focus.
 One should maintain garden, etc as kainkaryam to ones own AchArya. We can
consider that AchArya kainkaryam means bhagavath kainkaryam which pleases
AchArya. For example, ananthAzhwAn created and maintained a beautiful
garden as per the desire of his AchAryan emperumAnAr to offer flower garlands
to thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn regularly. One should also offer flowers, etc., to
AchAryan thirumALigai. Translator's note: nanjIyar who is the sishya of bhattar
maintains a garden. Once when some one from bhattar's family arrives at the
garden in nanjIyar's absence and asks from some flowers. The ones who were
taking care of the garden refused to give the flowers citing that the nandhavanam
(garden) is for emperumAn. nanjIyar comes to know about this and at once
chastises the care-taker and tells him that the garden is only built for the pleasure
of his AchAryan bhattar and his (and his family) needs must be fulfilled at all
times. This incident is highlighted in pinbhazhagiya perumAL jIyar's 6000padi
guruparamparA prabhAvam.
 One should take care of the needs of AchAryan and AchAryan's thirumALigai
(residence) - not doing so is an obstacle. It is the responsibility of the sishya to
take care of AchAryan's bodily needs. One should not let ones AchAryan run
around for his bodily needs - the sishya should fully facilitate the AchArya to
focus on the spiritual needs of the sishyas. Translator's note: This principle is
discussed in detail by piLLai lOkAchAryar in srI vachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram and mAmunigaL explains the essence of the same in his upadhEsa
rathina mAlai.

 Spending time in simply nourishing ones own family and not taking care of
AchAryan's family is an obstacle. One should consider AchAryan's family as
ones own family and take care of their needs.
 Spending time in taking care of ones own body and not taking care of AchAryan's
body. mAmunigaL explains sishya lakshaNam in upadhEsa rathina mAlai
pAsuram 65 "thEsArum sichchan avan sIrvadivai Asaiyudan nOkkumavan"
( ) - the
realizes sishya will take care of his/her AchAryan's divine form with great
affection.
 Spending time in simply bathing/cleaning oneself and not assisting srIvaishNavas
in their bathing, etc. This highlights the importance of serving srIvaishNavas in
many ways.
 Spending time in oneself eating rich foods (like high quality milk, ghee, etc) and
not offering such rich foods to srIvaishNavas. Similar to previouos point.
 Spending time in decorating oneself with high quality clothes, fragrances, etc.,
and not decorating oneself with the sandalwood paste that was offered to
bhagavAn, wearing flowers that were worn by bhagavAn, wearing clothes that
were worn by bhagavAn, etc., are obstacles. Whatever one uses/consumes, it
should be first used/consumed by bhagavAn and AchAryas - one should only
accept their prasAdham and consume that.
 Spending time in viewing worldly entertainment and not spending time in
enjoying the divine incidents of bhagavAn are obstacles. bhagavAn is called
mAyan (most magnificient) - his leelAs (divine activities) are most cherishable to
our hearts. We should spend our time reading/listening about such glorious
activiites instead of wasting time on worldly pleasures.
 Spending time in glorifying dhEvathAntharams and talking nonsense and not
spending time in glorifying emperumAn through the divine pAsurams of AzhwArs
(and AchAryas) are obstacles.
 Spending time by simply travelling to common holy rivers and not seeking out for
the srIpAdha thIrtham (charaNAmrutham - water that washed the lotus feet) of
srIvaishNavas are obstacles. Here common holy rivers are gangA, etc. These
are very pious rivers. But srIvaishNava srIpAdha thIrtham is most purifying.
thiruvAimozhi is also highlighted as thIrtham (pAvanam - pure). It is said in
thiruvAimozhi pAsuram 7.10.11 itself that "One who is well-versed with
thiruvAimozhi will be worshipped by dhEvas". Starting with this point, distinction
between following sAmAnya (dharma) sAsthram and visEsha (bhagavath)
sAsthram is emphasised. sAmAnya sAsthram is essential to be followed. but
visEsha sAsthram is more subtle. One should learn this properly from elders
through study of scriptures and observing their practices. Here at times the
importance of sAmAnya sAsthram/anushtAnam is seen to be reduced. But that
does not mean that they should be completely given up. The purpose is to
highlight the importance of visEsha dharmam.

 Spending time in simply visiting puNya kshEthrams (like kAsi, gayA, etc) and not
visiting bhagavath kshEtram is an obstacle. kOyil (srIrangam), thirumalai
(thiruvEnkatam), perumAL kOyil (kanchIpuram), thirunArAyaNapuram, etc., are
special kshEthrams that are dear to AzhwArs and AchAryas. We can recollect
srIranganAthan himself ordering emperumAnAr to stay in srIrangam for the rest
of the life.
 Spending time in ordinary kAvyam (poetry), nAtakam (drama), etc., only which
are basic grammar/history and not spending time in srI rAmAyaNam which is
bhagavath kAvyam (divine poetry). Generally, sAmAnya kAvyam is studied to
master the knowledge. But, srI rAmAyaNam is called Adhi kAvyam (first poetic
history). vAlmIkI rishi was divinely blessed to record the life of srI rAma as it is. It
is also glorified as visEsha sAsthram (special scripture). Translator's note: srI
rAmAyaNam is glorified as saraNAgathi sAsthram (the scripture of surrender) -
there are plenty of surrenders discussed in detail in this. Our pUrvAchArayas
have quoted extensively from srI rAmAyaNam in the vyAkyAnams
(commentaries) to establish a number of principles. nampiLLai specifically was a
great scholar of srI rAmAyaNam. periyavAchAn piLLai wrote a lengthy and in-
depth commentary for many important slOkams of srI rAmAyaNam and this
commentary is called srI rAmAyaNa thanislOkam.
 Spending time in simply reading/discussing ithihAsas and purANas and not
reading/discussing aruLicheyal (dhivya prabhandham). ithihAsams (srI
rAmAyaNam and mahAbhAratham) and purANams (vishNu purANam, srI
bhAgavatham, etc) are to be studied but one should not stop with that. One
should understand the glories of AzhwArs and their dhivya prabhandhams and
spend their time full on them. Translator's note: nampiLLai's glories are
unlimited. periyavAchAn piLLai (who is known as vyAkyAna chakkaravarthy - the
emperor among commentators), in the vyAkyAnam for periya thirumozhi 5.8.7
"OthuvAymaiyum" ( ) pAsuram brings out the glories of
nampiLLai beautifully. Here are periyavAchAn piLLai's own words: muRpada
dhvayaththaik kEttu, ithihAsa purANangaLaiyum adhikariththu, parapaksha-
prathikshEpaththukkudalAga nyAya mImAmsaigaLai adhikariththu, pOthu
pOkkum aruLichcheyalilEyAmpadi piLLaiyaippOlE adhikarippikka vallanaiyirE
'oruththan' enbathu ( ,
, -
,
' ' ). Here in this pAsuram, thirumangai

AzhwAr is glorifying sAndIpani who is kaNNan emperumAn's AchAryan. To
explain how an AchAryan should be, periyavAchAn piLLai highlights the qualities
of nampiLLai and shows that he is the perfect AchAryan to follow. A true
AchAran should be like nampiLLai who can fully educate his sishyas by - first

hearing the meanings of dhvaya mahA manthram, then learning ithihAsams and
purANams, then learn nyAya, mImAmsa, etc to understand other sidhAnthams
and to establish our own sidhAntham and spends his own time by always
engaging in discussing AzhwArs' dhivya prabhandhams and their meanings.
Similarly, thiruvAimozhi piLLai ordered mAmunigaL to learn srI bhAshyam once
but fully spend his life in propagating thiruvAimozhi and its vyAkyAnams
(commentaries). mAmunigaL promptly obeyed the orders of his AchAryan and
eventually got the name "Ittu perukkar" ( ) - one who expounds
nampiLLai's Idu vyAkyAnam for thiruvAimozhi.
 Spending time in analysing pUrva paksha granthams and not spending enough
time in ones own sidhAntha (philosophy) granthams are obstacles. pUrva paksha
granthams means literature of other philosophical schools. It is necessary to
learn that and understand the highlights of others' arguments, so that one can
establish ones own sidhAntham clearly. But is a great mistake to constantly end
up studying other sidhAntham literatures and ignore our sampradhAya
sidhAntham. We should immerse into our emperumAnAr dharsanam which
presents visishtAdhvaitha sidhAntham. Translator's note: We have seen that srI
rAmAnuja studied pUrva paksham under yAdhava prakAsa - but eventually
establishes visishtAdhvaitha sidhAntham and convinces and accepts yAdhava
prakAsa as his own disciple. We have also seen the incident where
kUrathAzhwAn (in his childhood) hearing to bhAhya (ones who dont accept
vEdham as pramANam) grantham lecture for some time and arrives home late
due to that and his father allows him inside only after purifying AzhwAn with
srIpAdha thIrtham.
 Spending time in serving bhagavAn only without serving ones sadhAchAryan
(true AchAryan) is an obstacle. bhakthi (devotion) and kainkaryam (service)
towards bhagavAn is initial level. The same towards AchAryan is the ultimate
level. This is glorified as madhurakavi nishtai (the state of madhurakavi AzhwAr
who was full surrendered to nammAzhwAr) and vaduga nambi padi (the state of
vaduga nambi who was always serving emperumAnAr). This is explained in
detail by mAmunigaL in upadhEsa rathina mAlai pAsurams 60 to 66. Translator's
note: Please refer to anthimOpAya nishtai
(http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/anthimopaya-nishtai.html) and charmOpAya
nirNayam (http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/charamopaya-nirnayam.html) to
understand AchArya nishtai properly.

pariharangal.html.

vaiththamAnidhi (The great wealth) - thirukkOLur - the real wealth for us
51. Arjana virOdhi ( ஜ ) - Obstacles in earning wealth
Arjanam means earning wealth. This section is very lengthy. There are certain aspects
which are not clear. Even after enquiring from elders, I (V V Ramanujam swamy) did not
get satisfactory answers. I (V V Ramanujam swamy) have written as much as I
understood. Generally, earning must be within the boundaries of dharma mArgam

(righteous path). One should earn without crossing the limits of ones varNam and
Asramam. As said in old thamizh proverb "pOthumenRa manamE pon cheyyum
marunthu" ( ), being satisfied with
only as much as required is the best medicine, one should prepare ones own mind to be
content with what is present. All illegal methods should be avoided. Money earned by
cheating others, by lying, by extortion, etc., should be completely avoided. Greed must
be completely avoided. Trying to earn money through short cuts, sinful methods, doing
against ones own conscience, etc., seems to have been present even in the olden days.
I (V V Ramanujam swamy) assess that the amount of corruption we are seeing in
politics and other commercial places would not have been present in the olden days.
These should be kept in mind. Let us now see the obstacles now. Translator's note:
The general principle seen across the various points is to not earn money/wealth by
demanding remuneration for any services rendered. Anything voluntarily given must be
accepted with satisfaction and one should not be greedy in earning money/wealth that is
more than necessary to take care of basic bodily needs. Also, the real wealth for
srIvaishNavas is emperumAn's lotus feet. ALavandhAr declares in his sthOthra rathnam
"dhanam madhIyam thava pAdha pankajam" ( ஜ )-
your lotus feet are my wealth. kainkarya srI (service to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas) is
also glorified as great wealth. Our AzhwArs and AchAryas have been totally detached
from mundane wealth and fully focussed on serving bhagavAn and bhAgavathas only.
So, we too should focus on the real wealth instead of earning mundane wealth.
 Earning by accepting donations even after being a vaishNava is an obstacle.

Generally for brAhmaNas, both giving donations/gifts and receiving the same are
allowed in dharma sAsthram. Here we have to understand that accumulating
such donations/gifts and hoarding it is condemned. When one receives
donations/gifts it must be distributed to others who are in need.
 Advising people to give donations/gifts to atone for certain mistakes that were
committed and being the benefactor of such donations. Translator's note:
Nowadays, it is seen that some people offer advice/suggestions to perform
parihAram (remedies) to relieve people from difficulties they may be undergoing.
Some times such persons who advice also be the recipient of monetary benefits.
Such acts are to be definitely avoided. Our emperumAn, AzhwArs and AchAryas
are not waiting to remove and provide remedy for ones material sufferings. The
reason for their presence is to relieve oneself from the material bondage. One
should fully understand that and suggest others to simply worship
emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas and be surrendered to them.
 Accepting wealth from others given via dhAnam (charity) with water is an
obstacle. Generally, when any charity is given, the giver pours water into the
hands of the taker and firmly confirms that the wealth/material that was given to
the taker full belongs to him. This is explained in thamizh as dhArai vArththuk

koduththal ( ). In vaidhIka karmAs, charity is
given reciting "srOthriyAya srIvaishNavAya sampradhathE namama"
( ) declaring that the
item no longer belongs to the giver. emperumAn descended as vAmanan (dwarf)
and accepted charity from mahAbali - this incident is greatly glorified by AzhwArs
in many pAsurams. He enacted this to protect his devotees at the cost of even
seemingly diminishing his greatness (yet it only increases his greatness further
more). This is the most selfless act of emperumAn. But it is said that we should
not accept charity like this for selfish motives.
 Accepting charity from persons who are breathing their last moments is an
obstacle. kAladhAnam - charity which are given while a person is leaving the
body to atone for his/her sins. Some people give grains, gold, etc., in charity. But
one should not accept such charity out of greed. That will destroy ones true
nature of being a srIvaishNava.
 Accumulating wealth by eating in srArdhdham is an obstacle. srArdhdham means
the vaidhIka karmA that is done on the anniversary of the death of father, mother,
etc. That which is done towards sradhdhA (faith/conviction) towards the pithrus
(ancestors/forefathers) is also known as srArdhdham. As part of this routine, the
person performing the karmA invites 3 brAhmaNas to assume the position of
pithru (for whom the srArdhdham is performed), visvadhEvar and vishNu, feed
them sumptuously with different varieties of food and finally provide them
sambhAvanai (charity) and thAmbUlam (betel leaves/nuts, coconut, etc). In the
olden days, when some one is given nimanthraNam (invitation for assuming such
positions listed before), srIvaishNavas would accommodate such request and
fulfill the vaidhIka karmA. It was also a practice back then to invite the most
trustworthy srIvaishNavas for nimanthraNam. But nowadays we see that many
people are making a livelihood by eating in srArdhdham and earning money out
of it. It is easily understood that such activities are most abominable.
 Earning by suggesting certain rituals for others is an obstacle. Giving advice to
ignorant/innocent people to perform certain rituals for health, wealth, etc., and
earning out of that is clearly an act of cheating and is to be avoided.
 Earning by giving astrological advice relating to ones house, etc is an obstacle.
 Earning by being the village head (in mundane administration, dispute resolution,
etc) is an obstacle. In srI rAmAyaNam uththara gANtam, 69th sargam an incident
is explained. A brAhmaNa hurts a dog out of anger. The dog with blood oozing
from its body arrives at the assembly of srI rAma and complains to him about the
incident. srI rAma invites the brAhmaNa to the assembly and enquires the matter
from him. The brAhmaNa says "I was too hungry, was begging for food and so
terribly tired. Since the dog bothered me at that time, I reacted with anger and
hurt the dog. I will accept whatever punishment that is given to me". srI rAma
then turns to the dog and tells it to give the appropriate punishment. The dog
requests the brAhmAna to be made the head of a village and srI rAma orders as
such. He then asks the dog why that punishment was given? The dog replies "In

my previous birth, I was the head of a village. As far as I am aware, I treated
everyone equal, behaved with utmost discipline and took care of the needs of the
village people. Yet I have taken birth as this very lowly creature. I could have
committed injustice without my knowledge. Or my assistants could have made
some mistakes. Due to that I am in this current situation". Thus we can
understand that being a village head by itself is a difficult position and should be
avoided. Translator's note: It is to be remembered that the king of the country
gets part of the sins committed by the citizens. Similar principle can be
understood for being village head as well. As such, it is better to avoid indulging
in any mundane profession that is focussed on earning money/wealth.
 Earning by teaching children basic education is an obstacle. Again, one should
not focus on making money out of education - if the students voluntarily offer
guru dhakshiNA (offerings to the teacher), that can be accepted gladly and the
teacher should be content with whatever that was offered as such.
 Earning by boasting ones pANdithyam (knowledge/wisdom) is an obstacle.
Translator's note: It is said that "vidhyA dhadhAthi vinaya:" (
:) - wisdom nurtures humility. When one is wise, he/she should not boast
their knowledge to earn money out of that. Rather they will become most humble
and help others learn through their selfless teachings and practical examples.
 Earning by praising others is an obstacle. In thiruvAimozhi 3.9 padhigam
"chonnAl virOdham" ( ), in the first pAsuram itself,
nammAzhwAr says "en nAvilinkavi yAn oruvarkkum kodukkilEn" (
) - I will not give my
sweet poems of glorification to any one (other than bhagavAn). nammAzhwAr
goes on to advise the poets not to praise wealthy people, earn money and thus
become fallen. Translator's note: In olden days, poets where very poor and they
would go to the king or any other wealthy person and praise them with poems
which carry many exaggerations. Being pleased on hearing about themselves,
the king/wealthy persons will offer many gifts to the poets. In the modern day
also, many people simply spend their life glorifying wealthy people, getting many
favours done by them and thus becoming totally attached to worldly matters. This
kind of attitude is severely condemned by our AzhwArs and AchAryas since such
attitude is directly opposite to our true identity/nature as the servants of
bhagavAn.
 Earning by stealing others wealth/property is an obstacle.
 Earning by cheating others is an obstacle.
 Earning by robbing others while they are travelling is an obstacle.
 Earning by bad-mouthing others is an obstacle. ANdAL says "thIkkuRaLaich
chenROthOm" ( ) in thiruppAvai second
pAsuram which means "We will not speak ill of others at any cost). Translator's
note: In the vyAkyAnam, periyavAchAn piLLai and azhagiya maNavALa

perumAL nAyanAr highlight sIthA pirAtti's greatness where she did not mention
even a single word to srI rAma about the tortures done by the rAkshasis when
she was at asOkavanam. Ay jananyAchAryar beautifully highlights that one
should not even consider the faults of srIvaishNavas in their heart since
emperumAn is present in the heart as antharyAmi - by taking into the heart,
bhagavAn will come to know of that - so even contemplating on others faults
should be avoided
 Earning by making others believe that one is a great personality and thus they
should be submissive to him/her and offer money, wealth, etc is an obstacle.
Translator's note: Some people boast their connection with great personalities,
etc., and make others believe that they are very powerful. When people believe
like that, the ones who are inclined to get favours from such persons will
automatically manifest humility towards them and also offer money, wealth, etc.,
in return for material benefits. Such attitude is condemned here.
 Earning by reading purANams and giving lectures on purANams. As such
reading purANam and giving lectures are not wrong. It is to expect remuneration
for the same is an obstacle. Translator's note: As explained before in other
cases, it is not wrong to accept whatever was given voluntarily by the listeners.
 Earning by stealing books is an obstacle. In the olden days, literature was
documented in palm leaves. They are all hand-written which involves great effort
and pain. They are invaluable treasures. It is a great sin to steal these and sell
them. Translator's note: In present day scenario, we can relate to people who
steal others works, publish them, earn money and not give due
credits/remuneration of the original author can be equated to this aspect.
 Earning by lifting earrings is an obstacle. The meaning of this point is not clear.
 Earning by boasting on one's birth in high family/clan. kulAdhikam - AbijAthyam -
Being born in high family/clan. We can see people tactically arranging others to
say "this person is born in a great family, you worship/respect him and offer him
wealth" and receiving such money/wealth. Such attitude is condemned.
Translator's note: We can recollect kUrathAzhwAn's glories - he is glorified as
"mukkuRumbu aRuththavar" ( ) - one who is fully free
from 3 types of defects, i.e., thinking oneself as being born in great family,
thinking oneself is being most wealthy, thinking oneself as being most
knowledgable - though AzhwAn was born in a great family, though he was most
wealthy and though he was most knowledgable in sAsthram, he never ever
boasted his greatness - that is the ideal nature of a srIvaishNava.
 Boasting ones orthodox nature of following scriptural injunctions and earning out
of that is an obstacle.
 Making everyone believe that "aham brahma" and earning out of it. "aham
brahma" is an adhvaitha principle. It is interpreted by adhvaithis (kudhrushtis -
one who have defective vision) as jIvAthmA is the same as brahmam. This
principle is directly opposite to emperumAnAr dharsanam. It can also be

understood as "I am great" and earn out of such teachings/propagation. Such
acts are condemned here.
 Earning by boasting ones knowledge in sAsthram, etc., is an obstacle. One
should not engage in self-advertisement in show casing ones own knowledge
and make money out of such acts.
 Earning by boasting ones valour/bravery is an obstacle. Presenting oneself
having great strength, valour, etc., and earning is wrong. In current days we see
Dons, etc., who are doing this.
 Earning by performing magic, etc., is an obstacle.
 Attracting ignorant people towards oneself to earn money is an obstacle.
manthram, anjanam (kind of dark paste), attracting others through mesmerizing
with ones eyes, etc., are used to extort money from others. Such acts are
condemned here.
 Earning by being a doctor is an obstacle. Medical profession must be done with
the intent to help others and not to make money.
 Earning by promising to show treasures is an obstacle.
 Earning by working for lowly persons (samsAris - ones who are totally attached
to worldly pleasures).
 Earning by being an alchemist. Alchemy is the principle of converting iron,
copper, etc., into gold. This is not possible to accomplish these days. But making
others believe that this can be done and cheating them is an obstacle.
 Earning by boasting close proximity towards the king/emperor/ruler is an
obstacle.This need not be explained further as this is quite common in politics
these days.
 Earning by presenting worldly news, etc is an obstacle. Some people survive
simply by gossiping about others - such attitude is condemned.
 Earning by being an expert in curing poison attacks by various creatures. Snake,
scorpion, certain types of insects, etc could bite and spread poison into the
victim's body. It is curable using specific manthrams and medication. Yet this
should be done with the intent of helping others and not as a business.
 Earning by teaching bhagavath vishayam. Though thiruvAimozhi and its
vyAkyAnams collectively are called bhagavath vishayam it is a general term to
indicate any matters regarding bhagavAn. It should be taught to others with the
intent of enlightening others and not for monetary favours.
 Earning by boasting ones devotion towards emperumAn is an obstacle. Ones
devotion towards bhagavAn should be done without any external motivation. It
need not be advertised.
 Earning by reciting dhivya prabandhams is an obstacle. One should not demand
monetary favours for reciting aruLicheyal (dhivya prabandham).
 Earning by glorifying others and glorifying oneself are obstacles. Translator's
note: AzhwArs condemn the aspect of glorifying worldly persons in look out for
monetary benefifts. They firmly establish that our tongue is given to us to glorify
bhagavAn and bhAgavathas only and should not be used for any other purpose.

 Earning by boasting once renunciation is an obstacle. It is commonly seen that
some people say "no" when offered money verbally, but their hands are wide
open to accept the same - such behaviour is condemned here.
 Earning by pretending to be faithful/friendly to others is an obstacle.
 Earning by showing ones helpless situation is an obstacle.
 Earning by pretending to have no other refuge is an obstacle.
 Earning in the name of performing kainkaryam to bhagavAn/AchAryan and using
such monetary favours for ones personal situations is an obstacle.
 Earning by pretending to be a sannyAsi (mendicant) is an obstacle.
 Earning by pretending to be maintaining flower gardens, etc., for emperumAn is
an obstacle.
 Earning by pretending to offer flower garlands to emperumAn is an obstacle.
 Earning by pretending to help dhivya dhEsams such as thirumalai (thiruppathi),
etc is an obstacle. This is commonly seen now where people raise money in the
guise of performing kainkaryams in dhivya dhEsams, etc. Such behaviour is
condemned here.
 Earning by pretending to make arrangements for srIvaishNavas to stay, to eat,
etc., during uthsavams is an obstacle.
 Earning by committing to perform special offerings, etc., during uthsavams is an
obstacle. It is commonly seen that during uthsavams, when certain pAsurams
such as "poliga poliga" (thiruvAimozhi 5.2), "ulagaumuNda peruvAyA"
(thiruvAimozhi 6.10), "kangulum pagalum" (thiruvAimozhi 7.2), "nARu naRum
pozhil" (nAchiyar thirumozhi), etc., are recited, special bhOgams (food
preparations) are offered to emperumAn. It is also commonly seen that when
sthala pAsuram (prabhandham/pAsuram related to the particular dhivya dhEsam
where the uthsavam is happening), special offerings are made. One should not
take advantage of such situations and earn money through such situations.
 Earning by committing to perform sARRumuRai (grand conclusion) of dhivya
prabhandham recital/learning is an obstacle.
 Earning by committing to perform thiruvadhyayanam is an obstacle.
thiruvadhyayanam can mean both ubhaya vEdha pArAyaNam (recital of
samskritha vEdham and dhrAvida vEdham) and also pithru kainkaryams
(srArdhdham).
 Earning by performing thiruvArAdhanam to emperumAn is an obstacle.
Nowadays, it is seen that people appoint others to perform thiruvArAdhanam for
personal emperumAns. It is not proper attitude at all. One should perform
thiruvArAdhanam to ones own emperumAns without fail. Just like one has to
perform ones own sandhyA vandhanam, one also has to perform ones own
emperumAn's thiruvArAdhanam - there is no escaping from that.
 Earning by physically toiling in the fields, etc., are obstacles. Depending on ones
own varNam and Asramam, one has to see what is fitting to them and engage in
such activities only.

Starting with this point there is quite a bit of discussion about mushti kUdai (fist basket).
Since a lot of these are not in vogue for a long time, some of these are not discussed in
detail by elders also. I am writing based on my (Sri VV Ramanujam swamy)
understanding. There may be defects in some of these understandings. In these points
of discussion, there are various usage of "mushti", "mushti pugurugai", "mushti kUdai",
"maushtika vyAvruththi", etc. mushti generally means fist - mainly focussed on a handful
of rice, etc. We can recollect vEdhAnthAchAryar's srIsUkthi (divine words) "yO
saudhayAlu: purAdhAnA mushtimuchE kuchElamunayE dhaththEsma" (
: ) - by his
natural compassion, bhagavAn long ago bestowed great wealth to kuchEla in
reciprocation to kuchEla giving a handful of broken rice. This aspect of begging for alms
is part of brAmaNas varNa dharmam. After completing their morning anushtAnams,
they have to go to a selected few houses, recite emperumAn's names and beg for alms
saying "bhavathi bikshAm dhEhi". By collecting a few handful of rice grains they should
conduct their livelihood. It is seen in mahAbhAratham that when pANdava princes were
disguised as brAhmaNas when persecuted, they begged for alms and lived off that.
kUrathAzhwAn who was a very rich administrator, gave up all his wealth, reached
srIrangam, took shelter of srI rAmAnuja and begged for alms to conduct his livelihood.
Once, on a rainy day, when he could not go out for his alms, he was lying at his home.
At that time, ANdAL (his dharmapathni) was severely pained see her husband's hunger
and prayed to srIranganAthan. srIranganAthan, at once sends his aravaNai prasAdham
which bestows AzhwAn/ANdAL couple with the divine children who become to be
parAsara bhattar and vEdha vyAsa bhattar. From these following points, we understand
a lot of important details. bikshai (begging for alms) is identified as "mushti" here.
bikshA pAthram (container which is used for begging) is called as "mushti kUdai".
Everyday one should beg a few handful of alms and live with that. One should use that
to perform emperumAn's thiruvArAdhanam, taking care of the srIvaishNava guests, etc.,
using that alms and finally accept prasAdham. brAhmaNas should never accumulate
funds for future. There were many such restrictions like that and they were strictly
followed in the olden days.
 periyAzhwAr says in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 4.6.3 "pichchai pukkAgilum

empirAn thirunAmamE nachchumin" - Even if you were to beg, please remember
my dear lord srIman nArAyaNan's name with love - but still, begging by shouting
bhagavAn's name and earning is an obstacle. Here, we can understand this as
"begging by forcefully insisting to earn" and that should be avoided. Translator's
note: This pAsuram is part of "kAsum kaRaiyudai" padhigam. mAmunigaL
explains in the commentary that AzhwAr encourages everyone to name their
children with bhagavAn's names even one has to earn their livelihood by begging
instead of meaningless materialistic names. By naming their children with
bhagavAn's names, they can constantly relish bhagavAn's name by calling them
out all the time. Also, by naming the children with bhagavAn's names, the mother
of the child can also be saved from entering hellish regions. In this 3nd pAsuram

specifically, an incident is highlighted by mAmunigaL as quoted by thiruvAimozhi
piLLai who quotes nAlUrAchAn piLLai. Once a brAhmaNa's wife gave birth to a
child. He wants to name his child with the name of a dhEvathA that will bring
prosperity. One person suggests vaisravaNan (name of kubEra who is the
dhEvathA for wealth). An Asthika who was there said "Dont give such
meaningless names. Name him with srIman nArAyaNan's name - even if he was
to beg for his livelihood that is fine". mAmunigaL explains that when the child is
named with emperumAn's name, emperumAn will ensure that he is protected
and nurtured so that he does not have to beg for his livelihood - one must simply
have faith in emperumAn that he will protect us. Moreover, though the
following section mostly talks about begging for alms (which is the prime
method of earning the livelihood for brAhmaNas), this can be easily
correlated to any money/wealth we get as donations, gifts, etc.
 Being a vaishNava hesitating to beg for alms is an obstacle. It is also fitting for
ones own varNAsrama dharmam (for brAhmaNas/brahmachAris/sannyAsis) to
beg for alms. Translator's note: We can recollect kUrathAzhwAn who begged
for alms. Also, srI rAmAnuja, being a sannyAsi, himself begged for alms until
some miscreants tried to poison him and kill him. Based on thirukkOshtiyUr
nambi's order, kidAmbi AchAn was appointed as the one to take care of
emperumAnAr's bikshai (prasAdham). In the olden days, it was quite common for
brahmachAris to beg for alms, gather the raw materials and present the same to
their gurus (teachers) during gurukulam (schooling).
 Begging for alms to simply fill ones stomach and to accumulate money through
that are obstacles. It should be done purely for taking care of the basic needs
and to facilitate the kainkaryams.
 Begging for alms should be done with the understanding that the activity is fitting
for ones nature (varNAsramam). Not having such understanding is an obstacle.
This is similar to previous points of discussion.
 Begging for alms should be done with the understanding that our pUrvAchAryas
have done this and this is the apt method to take care of the bodily needs. Not
having such understanding is an obstacle.
 Not being satisfied with what was given as alms in the fist basket/container and
feeling upset for receiving less alms are obstacles. One should beg only at
certain places and certain times and be content with what was given.
 Being over-joyous when receiving more alms is also an obstacle. One must
consider that it was the divine arrangement of bhagavAn that we got more alms
today and such alms should be distributed on the same day itself to needy
persons. Translator's note: In bhagavadh gIthA, 2.14, emperumAn says
"mAthra sparsas thu kaunthEya sIthOshNa suka dhukka dha: AgamApAyinO
nithyas thAm thithikshava bhAratha" (
:
) - Oh kaunthEya (kunthI's son - arjuna), One must not be disturbed by

heat/cold, happiness/sorrow, etc., which are perceived by the senses. Oh
bhAratha (descendant of bharatha), you must learn to tolerate such distinctions
and rise above them". So, temporary pleasures and pains must be
tolerated/controlled at all times.
 Similar to previous points. One must be satisfied with a particular quantity of alms
every day - one should not be greedy to get more and more.
 One must loudly recite the names of bhagavAn like "gOvindha! gOvindha!" so
that the ones giving alms will hear bhagavAn's names. Not doing so is an
obstacle.
 Reciting bhagavAn's names is done as per sistAchAram (practice of elders) and
it should be done with that mentality only.
 One should not think that reciting bhagavAn's names is the means to get alms.
Related to previous point - it is only indicate our arrival not to force people to give
alms.
 Begging alms at houses where anya dhEvathathAs (dhEvathAntharams - other
than bhagavAn and AzhwArs/AchAryas) are worshipped is an obstacle. One
should also not accept alms from such persons who have dhEvathAntharam
connection.
 One should not beg alms from houses where bhagavath thiruvArAdhanam is
looked down.
 Accepting alms from houses where the floor is mopped (cleaned) on Fridays. It
can be seen as condemning people who are only cleaning the house on fridays
instead of every day. Translator's note: It is possible that there is injunctions in
sAsthram to not mop the floor in friday.
 Accepting alms from the house where the residents dont feel happy hearing
bhagavAn's names is an obstacle.
 Accepting alms from the house where bhagavAn/bhAgavathas are insulted is an
obstacle.
 Accepting alms from the house where the residents do not understand that
begging for alms is a proper srIvaishNava activity and insult such srIvaishNavas
is an obstacle. bikshai (begging) is proper srIvaishNava dharmAnushtAnam - it
should not be looked down.
 Going to a village/town which is dear to dhEvathAntharams or which is filled with
such people who worship dhEvathAntharams is an obstacle. Translator's note:
There are many towns which are specifically popular for dhEvathAntharams -
srIvaishNavas should avoid going to such towns altogether.
 Accepting alms from towns where there are no temples for srIman nArAyaNan is
an obstacle.
 One should not beg alms from houses where bhagavath thiruvArAdhanam is not
performed regularly.
 Being a prapanna, reciting dhivya prabhandham only on specific festive days
while going for alms is an obstacle. dhivya prabhandham must be recited and the

meanings to be remembered every day - its not something which is done only on
special occassions.
 When there is free time, one should engage oneself in reciting dhivya
prabhandham and remembering the meanings. Our valuable time should not be
wasted in discussing mundane matters. nammAzhwAr wonders in periya
thiruvanthAdhi "How people would spend their time without thinking about
emperumAn and his auspicious qualities?"
 Speaking out rahasya manthrams/granthams in public is an obstacle. rahasya
(confidential) meanings should be heard from an AchAryan and should not be
casually discussed.
 Having bad associations is an obstacle. Bad association means associating with
evil-minded people, ignorant fools, one who do not understand their true nature,
etc. upanishadh declares that "asannEva sa bhavathi - asath brahmEdhi
vEdhachEth" - one who does not realize the existence of God is as good as
asath (matter) only.
 Not taking the eyes of worldly pleasures is an obstacle. One should be focussed
on bhagavath/bhAgavatha matters and avoid mundane matters such as women,
politics, etc. thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr severely condemns such attitude of being
addicted to worldly pleasures in his thirumAlai.
 One should watch ones step carefully and focus fully on the ultimate goal. Not
doing so is an obstacle.
 Not being peaceful while going for alms is an obstacle.
 Not serving the AchAryan by accepting the amudhu padi kUdai (container/basket
for collecting alms) from him is an obstacle.
 Such basket should be carried on ones head and should be considered as crown
with great joy. It is not a demeaning act to carry the alms basket/container. Not
 One should constantly recite/remember dhvaya mahA manthram while going for
alms. For srIvaishNavas, constant recital of dhvayam is natural. Reciting
dhvayam must be accompanied by remembering the deep meanings of
dhvayam. srIranganAthan orders to emperumAnAr to stay in srIrangam with
constant remembrance of dhvayam - "dhvayam arththAnusandhEna saha
yAvachcharIra pAdham athraiva srIrangE sukamAsva" (
) - with constant recital of dhvayam and remembrance of its

meanings, stay here until the end of life in this srIrangam happily.
 Accepting alms from the ones who have not undergone pancha samskAram.
pancha samskAram is the process that initiates a person in to srIvaishNava sath
sampradhAyam. Until one undergoes such process, we cannot accept anything
from him/her.

 Accepting alms from the ones who wear earrings in the shape of snakes. Usually
srIvaishNavas wear simple earrings or the ones that have bhagavAn's sangu
(conch) and chakram (disc).
 Accepting alms from the ones who are filled with ego and prideful attitude. One
should consider themselves as dhAsan, adiyEn, etc., which indicate servitorship.
 While accepting alms, a portion should be accepted for AchAryan, another
portion for srIvaishNavas and yet another portion for bhagavAn. Simply accepting
alms to fulfill ones own personal needs is not correct.
 Any alms collected should be brought to AchAryan and only after his confirmation
the portion required for oneself should be carried home.
 Alms (raw-materials) collected should not be shown to public. It should be taken
home in a closed container, cooked properly, offered to emperumAn and be
eaten later as prasAdham.
 Alms should not be collected by praising samsAris (materially minded people).
 One should not compel/force srIvaishNavas while earning anything.
 Earning by stealing the property/wealth of AchAryan is a great sin.
 Earning by stealing the property/wealth of bhagavAn. Temple wealth, properties,
etc., should not be siphoned/stolen and such acts are considered as great sins.
 Earning by begging from people who steal bhagavAn's property/wealth.
Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNam, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains the
different types of apachAram - bhagavath apachAram, bhAgavatha apachAram
and asahya apachAram. He explains this aspect of stealing bhagavAn's
property/wealth as bhagavath apachAram. Not only that, helping others steal
bhagavAn's property/wealth and accepting such wealth by begging or when
given voluntarily are also identified as bhagavath apachAram - thus it is better to
avoid such activities altogether.
Translator's note: To conclude this lengthy section, it is important to be very careful

while earning money. We are into a very difficult situation in the present scenario where
the overall system itself is quite distorted from the ideals presented in sAsthram. There
is so much of money in circulation that is earned in direct contradiction with sAsthram.
This is yet another indication for us to totally minimize our needs and most importantly,
constantly pray to emperumAn to protect us from being entangled in this mundane
thinking and life-style.

pariharangal.html.

52. gruha virOdhi ( ) - 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" (
) - 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"
( ) - 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" (
). 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" (
- 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:
o For brAhmaNas, kshathriyas and vaisyas - yagyOpavitham (also known
as janEu, pUNUl, etc) is allowed.
o 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.
o 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"
(
) - 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 ( ) - 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.

pariharangal.html.

kongil pirAtti performing thadhIyArAdhanam to emperumAnAr's sishyas
54. bhOjana virOdhi ( ஜ ) - 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"
( ), 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" ( - 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

 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.

pariharangal.html.

55. bhOjya virOdhi ( ) - 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" ( !
- 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.

pariharangal.html.

56. thIrtha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in thIrtham (holy water)
villagers becoming purified by consuming mudhaliyANdAn's srIpAdha thIrtham, vaduga

nambi accepting srIpAdha thIrtham of emperumAnAr
thIrtham means pure/sanctified/holy water. The purity is acquired by coming in contact

with bhagavAn, AchAryan, etc. Water that is used in emperumAn's thiruvArAdhanam is
known as thIrththam. It is also said as "perumAL thIrtham". Bathing emperumAn is
known as "thirumanjanam" in srIvaishNava paribhAshai (language). Others call
emperumAn's bathing as "abhishEkam". The water that was used in bathing
emperumAn is called "thirumanjana thIrtham". It is collected and is distributed to
everyone in the srIvaishNava gOshti (and others too). Also srIvaishNava's bathing is
identified as "thIrthamAduthal" in srIvaishNava paribhAshai. Also, the charaNAmrutham
(water that is used to wash the lotus feet) of AchAryas and highly qualified
srIvaishNavas is called srIpAdha thIrtham. The water that comes into contact with the
pAdhukas (sandals) of AchArya is also called srIpAdha thIrtham. In this section "thIrtha
virOdhi", we learn about the norms, practices, etc., related to perumAL thIrtham,
thirumanjana thIrtham and srIpAdha thIrtham. Translator's note: thIrtha has many
meanings - venerable/sacred, holy water, holy place, bhagavAn himself (who is purest
and will purify whoever associates with him), etc. Here the focus is on holy water that
are of various kinds as explained before. Let us see them in detail.
 Accepting perumAL thIrtham at/from prayOjanAnthara parars' (ones who are

focussed on material favours from emperumAn) residences is an obstacle.
mumukshus are the ones who are focussed on mOksham (eternal kainkaryam to
emperumAn in paramapadham). Ones who are focussed on other materialistic
benefits are generally called bubukshus (desirous for material enjoyment).
Accepting perumAL thIrtham from such persons are detrimental as any contact
with such persons will influence us too and may disturb our steady faith in the
pUrvAchAryas' words.
 Accepting perumAL thIrtham in front of sAdhanAnthara parars (one who consider
anything other than bhagavAn as the upAyam/means) is an obstacle.
Translator's note: sAdhanam means upAyam (process) to accomplish
something (here we are focussed on eternal kainkaryam to emperumAn). There
are many processes that are explained in sAsthram as upAyam to achieve
eternal kainkaryam to emperumAn namely karma yOgam, gyAna yOgam,
bhakthi yOgam, etc. Even prapathi is considered as upAyam by some persons.
But true prapannas/saraNAgathas consider only bhagavAn as upAyam
(benedictor of eternal kainkaryam to us). Such persons should not consume
anything in front of others who consider ones own self-effort as the means to
achieve emperumAn.
 Accepting perumAL thIrtham in front of manthrAnthara parars (one who engage
in reciting manthrams other than dhvaya mahA manthram) is an obstacle.
rahasya thrayam (thirumanthram, dhvayam, charama slOkam) are instructed to
sishya by AchArya and any other manthrams are highlighted here - these may
also include manthrams related to dhEvathAntharams (other dhEvathas than
srIman nArAyaNan). Translator's note: dhvaya mahA manthram is glorified
greatly by our pUrvAchAryas due to the clear revelation of bhagavAn being

upAyam (process/means) and pure kainkaryam to thAyAr and perumAL being
upEyam (goal). Of all the manthrams, this manthram is glorified as manthra
rathnam and our pUrvAchAryas always recommended that we constantly
recite/remember this manthram. In pUrva dhinacharyA, eRumbi appA identifies
that mAmunigaL's lips are constantly reciting dhvaya mahA manthram and his
mind is always meditating on its meanings (thiruvAimozhi and its vyAkyAnams).
 Verifying the sanctity of perumAL thIrtham before consuming the same in dhivya
dhEsams is an obstacle. That is, in dhivya dhEsams (sannidhis/temples) one
should not hesitate to accept thIrtham. dhivya dhEsam means those temples
which are glorified by AzhwArs in dhivya prabhandhams. The same rule also
applies for any temple that are connected to AzhwArs/AchAryas (example:
abhimAna sthalams, their avathAra sthalams, etc) - they are as good as dhivya
dhEsams.
 Not verifiying the sanctity of perumAL thIrtham before consuming the same in
other places is an obstacle. Translator's note: Beyond dhivya dhEsams,
abhimAna sthalams and AzhwArs/AchAryas avathAra sthalams - we have to
ensure that there is proper srIvaishNava kramam being followed, etc. For
example, our elders usually ensure that there is presence of AzhwArs/AchAryas
sannidhis in the temple and proper worship is conducted for them along with
emperumAn before visiting a temple.
 Accepting thIrtham amidst samsAris (materially focussed persons) is an obstacle.
We have already discussed who samsAris are. Translator's note: Our
pUrvAchAryas have totally avoided mixing with people of such mentality and
consuming anything in front of them.
 Accepting thIrtham before other srIvaishNavas is an obstacle. We should wait for
other srIvaishNavas to accept thIrtham first and then accept. We should not try to
forcefully/intentionally go ahead of others to get thIrtham before them.
 Hesitating to accept thIrtham when we are in a particular direction/situation is an
obstacle. There are no specific rules to accept thIrtham like we should be facing
east, etc. Wherever we are in the srIvaishNava gOshti, we can accept thIrtham
right there.
 After accepting thIrtham one should apply the same on the ones own eyes and
head with reverence - not doing so is an obstacle.
 Looking to wash ones hands after accepting thIrtham is an obstacle.
 Not washing ones hands before engaging in another kainkaryam for bhagavAn,
AchArya, etc. While consuming thIrtham, ones hands may have contacted their
lips - to purify such contamination (of touching lips), one should wash their hands
before moving on to next kainkaryam.
 Spilling thIrtham in the ground is an obstacle. One should carefully keep their
upper cloth underneath their right hand while accepting thIrtham and ensure that
there is no spilling. Translator's note: It is explained in sAsthram that whoever
spills thIrtham is committing great sin. Same thing is said about stepping over
thIrtham or prasAdham.

 Sprinkling the thIrtham on the head like people who lack sampradhAyam
knowledge is an obstacle. Translator's note: As mentioned before, thIrtham
should be gently applied in the head and eyes. It should not be casually sprinkled
like layman.
 Accepting thIrtham with discussing useless matters is an obstacle. thIrtham
should be accepted with great reverence and we should avoid speaking to others
at that time.
 Accepting thIrtham that is seen by samsAris (worldly people) is an obstacle.
 One should understand that srIvaishNava srIpAdha thIrtham is superior to
bhagavath thIrtham. Not having such understanding is an obstacle.
 Not knowing the real nature/glories of the thIrtham which was accepted simply
based on the physical appearance of the giver is an obstacle.
 Based on what is recited while giving thIrtham, just accepting the thIrtham once
is sufficient. Generally thIrtham is distributed during sARRumuRai (completion of
pAsurams recital) and at that time it is sufficient to accept the thIrtham once. Not
understanding this is an obstacle.
 AchArya srIpAdha thIrtham which is given out of the mercy of the AchArya
should be accepted more than once. Not understanding this is an obstacle.
Translator's note: In some mutts/thirumALigais, srIpAdha thIrtham is given twice
and in other mutts/thirumALigais it is given thrice. Both have valid pramANam in
sAsthram. So, it can be understood that srIpAdha thIrtham should not be
accepted just once.
 One should understand that the srIpAdha thIrtham of the sadhAchAryan (true
AchAryan) is worshippable always (just like gangA water kept in a pot is
worshippable). One should also understand that it is sishtAchAram (practice
followed by elders) and should be done by us also. Not having such
understanding is an obstacle.
 srIpAdha thIrtham is glorified as vEdhakap pon (touchstone which can change
copper into gold). Just by coming contact with srIpAdha thIrtham one will be
purified. "sramaNi vidhura rishi pathnikaLaip pUtharAkkina puNdarikAkshan
nedunOkku" (AchArya hrudhayam - the divine vision of srIman nArAyaNan who
is glorified as puNdarikAksha/lotus-eyed purified sramaNi (sabari), vidhura and
the wives of the rishis. Similar to bhagavAn's divine vision, AchArya's divine
vision is also most purifiying. Such AchArya's srIpAdha thIrtham is to be
considered very special. And this is called special knowledge. Not having such
special knowledge is an obstacle. Translator's note: In the life of
kUrathAzhwAn, a beautiful incident is identified. A srIvaishNava's son due to bad
acquaintance become attached to avaishNava matters. But one day, he suddenly
appears in front of his father with beautiful vaishNava attire with thirumaN (thilak),
etc. At once, his father asks, were you seen by kUrathAzhwAn with his divine
vision? Such was kUrathAzhwAn's glories that just by his vision, he would bring
in most auspicious qualities in the person who was seen by him.

 Accepting srIpAdha thIrtham by just understanding the glories but without having
great desire in accepting it is an obstacle. Not only just the glories should be
understood, but there should be a great urge that was triggered by the desire to
accept such srIpAdha thIrtham.
 Accepting certain thIrtham (like the ones which have dhEvathAnthara
sambandham) is detrimental for the true nature of the jIvAthmA. Accepting such
thIrtham boldly (without considering the consequences) is an obstacle.
 Accepting thIrtham happily when given first (before others) and accepting the
same with hesitation when give after giving to others is an obstacle. thIrtham
should be accepted at whatever situation without any anxiety with the
understanding that it will purify the consumer.
 Refusing srIpAdha thIrtham as it contains the srIpAdha thIrtham of oneself as
well. During special occassions, when srIvaishNava gOshti is conducted at
homes, it is a common practice to gather the srIpAdha thIrtham of assembled
srIvaishNavas. After doing so, the collected srIpAdha thIrtham is distributed to all.
At that time, one should not refuse to accept that thIrtham since his own
srIpAdha thIrtham is also mixed in it. One should accept such thIrtham
considering the fact that it contains the thIrtham of the water that was used to
wash the feet of many srIvaishNavas and that will purify us more.
 prapannas should not accept thIrtham which is used in certain karmAs to perform
prAyaschiththam (atonement of sins). Doing so is an obstacle.
 When coming in physical contact with others such as saivas, etc., one should
accept srIpAdha thIrtham to purify oneself. Not doing so is an obstacle. When
physical contact happens, we should wash that portion which came in to contact
and then accept srIpAdha thIrtham. This is the atonement for such
contamination. We can recollect the incident in the life parAsara bhattar. When
ashes from a pAshaNdi's body spread and touched parAsara bhattar, bhattar at
once runs to his mother and asks how to purify that. His mother ANdAL who is
very scholarly in sAsthram, instructs him to accept srIpAdha thIrtham of an
abrAhmaNa srIvaishNava and bhattar requests one such person who carries
emperumAn during puRappAdu and purifies himself. This incident is identified in
vArthAmAlai 327th entry.
 Considering srIpAdha thIrtham to be pure only and not having great attachment
(taste) towards srIpAdha thIrtham is an obstacle. It should be understood as
most enjoyable as well.
 Being satisfied with accepting srIpAdha thIrtham just once and not longing for it
every day is an obstacle. Just like a baby who is still drinking mother's milk will
long for mother's milk greatly, one should long for AchArya's srIpAdha thIrtham.
 Missing out on AchArya srIpAdha thIrtham without understanding that this is the
last birth for the AchArya in this material world is an obstacle. As said in
thiruvAimozhi 9.10.5 "maraNamAnAl vaikuntham" (when he dies, he goes to

paramapadham), we have to treat the AchAryan with great love and accept
srIpAdha thIrtham and hear valuable instructions from him while he is alive.
 srIpAdha thIrtham should be accepted directly (from the one who distributes it)
instead of accepting it through some one else. In case of perumAL thIrtham, at
times, we see an assistant is being appointed for the thIrthakArar (the main
adhyApakar of the temple). Such practice is not recommended.
 Fetching srIpAdha thIrtham oneself directly is an obstacle. One should accept
srIpAdha thIrtham from the AchAryan or the person doing thiruvArAdhanam
instead of oneself fetching it from the vessel.
 One should have great desire to accept srIpAdha thIrtham until they get it. Not
having such desire is an obstacle. Translator's note: Here,
casually/mechanically accepting srIpAdha thIrtham is condemned.
 Both giver and receiver of srIpAdha thIrtham must be fully focussed on dhvaya
mahA manthram. Not being so is an obstacle. Translator's note: dhvaya mahA
manthram and its meanings are to always contemplated along with
guruparamparA manthram. This will constantly remind us that we are eternal
servants of thAyAr and emperumAn, we accept emperumAn alone as upAyam
and would increase our desire to eternally serve them in paramapadham. By
reciting guruparamparA manthram, we are constantly reminded that our
sambhandham to emperumAn is through this glorious lineage of AchAryas.

pariharangal.html.

57. prasAdha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in prasAdham (sanctified food)
parAsara bhattar and vEdha vyAsa bhattar born to kUrathAzhwAn and ANdAL by
srIranganAthan's prasAdham
prasAdham means the food-stuff that was offered to bhagavAn first. The food that is
cooked in the thirumadappaLLi (kitchen), raw milk, fruits, sugar (raw), etc., once offered

to bhagavAn, it is called prasAdham. Offering to bhagavAn is explained as "kaNdaruLap
paNNuthal" ( ) in thamizh - which means that which was
presented to emperumAn so he can mercifully glance them with his divine vision to
purify the same. prasAdha svIkAram means accepting and eating prasAdham.
Translator's note: It is of paramount importance for srIvaishNavas to only accept
prasAdham for eating. Eating food that is not offered to bhagavAn first is simply like
eating handful of sin - this is explained by kaNNan emperumAn in bhagavath gIthA
3.13. thiruvArAdhanam is explained as yAgam and consuming the prasAdham that was
offered in thiruvArAdhanam is called anuyAgam. Both aspects are very important for
srIvaishNavas. Our pUrvAchAryas have greatly respected/honoured prasAdham. When
bhagavath prasAdham was sent kUrathAzhwAn's residence, emperumAn sends it with
great pomp and celebration. The basket/vessel containing is usually carried on the head
showing great respect and reverence. It is accompanied with chathram (umbrella),
chAmaram (fan/wisk), music band, etc. In another incident, when bhattar was given
prasAdham, he accepts that with great joy and says "yAm peRu sanmAnam" (
- this is the honor we received). Thus, prasAdham needs to be
respected and honoured properly. Nowadays, it is seen that many people (even
srIvaishNavas) deal with prasAdham in a careless manner. Some receive the
prasAdham and just pass it on to others with very little interest for the same. Some
receive the prasAdham and leave it in the temple itself and so on. Such attitude should
be avoided. In this section, many subtle points about prasAdham are nicely explained.
 Accepting and eating emperumAn's prasAdham from temples of materialistic

villages/cities is an obstacle. Translator's note: Even prasAdham, when offered
and cooked by materialistic people, it is to be given up. When materialistic people
cook and offer, they do it with materialistic thoughts and that has its influence on
the ones who consume such prasAdham. It is better to avoid such prasAdham.
Note: It is to be understood that we are not materialistic to start with - if we
ourselves are materialistic and engaging in materialistic activities, there is no
point rejecting emperumAn's prasAdham saying that it is cooked by materialistic
people.
 Hesitating to consume the prasAdham that was given in dhivya dhEsam temples
(abhimAna sthalams, AzhwArs/AchAryas avathAra sthalams also included) is an
obstacle. It should be consumed as soon as distributed. Translator's note: It is
explained that whenever prasAdham is received, it must be consumed at once.
"prasAdha prApthi mAthrENa bhOkthavya" is quoted in vyAkyAnam too. We can
also remember emperumAnAr accepting prasAdham given by children who were
playing in srIrangam and enacting thiruvArAdhanam, etc., as part of their child's
play.

 Accepting dhivya dhEsa emperumAn prasAdham after analysing it is an
obstacle. It must be consumed as it is without enquiring how it was prepared,
who prepared it, etc.
 Rejecting prasAdham due to upavAsam, etc., is an obstacle. Though EkAdhasi,
etc., fasting are ordained in sAsthram, when prasAdham is given in dhivya
dhEsam temples, it must be honored properly by atleast accepting a little bit.
Rejecting bhagavath prasAdham means insulting it. Translator's note: Fasting
is done on certain days/times such as EkAdhasi, pithru tharpaNam, grahaNam,
etc., as ordained in sAsthram - such fasting is not optional, it is compulsory. At
times, if we happen to receive bhagavath prasAdham during such fasting times, it
is recommended that we accept a little bit to honor such prasAdham.
 Desiring to purify oneself by performing Achamanam, etc., after consuming
prasAdham is an obstacle. Translator's note: Generally after eating anything we
wash our hands and legs, perform Achamanam (sipping water 3 times with
remembering achyutha, anantha and gOvindha names of emperumAn), etc. But
when consuming prasAdham at temples, etc., as long as we dont lick or touch
our mouth with the hand, we dont need to perform any purificatory act. Actually,
after consuming prasAdham, the small remainder that may be stuck in our hands
is applied on the head (just like applying oil).
 Considering pure bhAgavatha prasAdham as contaminated food is an obstacle.
As explained in thirumAlai 41st pAsuram by thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr, "pOnakam
cheytha chEdam tharuvarEl punithamanRE" (
) - if the bhAgavathas give their food remnants it is
most purifying at once. Generally, we dont accept food that is leftover by others
saying that it is contaminated. We cannot have such thoughts in bhAgavatha
prasAdham.
 Considering AchArya prasAdham as something ordinary is an obstacle. It should
be accepted with great reverence.
 Hesitating to consume AchArya prasAdham in public is an obstacle.
 Considering that the prasAdham has become contaminated due to coming into
contact with AchArya's mouth is an obstacle.
 Not staying hungry for the whole day to consume ones AchArya's praAdham is
an obstacle. One should consume AchArya's prasAdham every day with great
eagerness. In this connection, we can relate to paravasthu pattarpirAn jIyar who
was famously known as "mOr munnAr aiyar" (one who consumes curd rice first
in mAmunigaL's prasAdha kalam - plantain leaf after mAmunigaL completes his
meal with curd rice). He was also known as "chirOpAsitha sath vruththar" - one
who had good conduct for a long period of time. Here, sath vruththi (good
conduct) is to always consume food in mAmunigaL's prasAdha kalam - plantain
leaf after mAmunigaL completes his prasAdham every day. That too, since
mAmunigaL completes his meal with curd rice, he will start with curd rice that his
AchArya's rasam (taste) continues in the food and then he would eat
sARRamuthu (rasam) rice and negizhkariyamuthu (kuzhambu) rice. This pattar

pirAn jIyar blessed us with srIvachanabhUshaNa mImAmsA bhAshyam (a very
detailed samskritham commentary for piLLai lOkAchAryar's srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram).
 When there is no indication of bhOgam being physically consumed by
emperumAn, having less joy in consuming such prasAdham is an obstacle.
Translator's note: archAvathAra emperumAn consumes bhOgam generally
through his eyes (by his divine vision) instead of mouth and converts such
bhOgam to prasAdham. So, there may not be a physical mark on the prasAdham
indicating that he physically consumed it. But that does not mean that we should
not have bhOgyathva prathipaththi (feeling of joy towards consuming bhagavath
prasAdham).
 When AchArya mercifully blesses us with prasAdham it must be consumed
immediately. Not doing so is an obstacle. In the lives of our pUrvAchArayas, we
see incidents where the AchArya himself voluntarily blesses his sishya with
prasAdham like in the case of thiruvAimozhi piLLai giving his sEsha prasAdham
(remnants) to maNavALa mAmunigaL and bhattar giving his prasAdham to
nanjIyar.
 Eating prasAdham along with ones AchAryan is an obstacle. One should wait for
AchArya to first complete eating and then only one should start eating.
 One should fully and joyfully witness ones AchArya eating. Not doing so is an
obstacle.
 Grabbing perumAL prasAdham from the container oneself is an obstacle. One
should always have it distributed by others.
 Taking prasAdham without getting permission from the concerned authorities is
an obstacle.
 Contaminating the bhOgam that is to be offered or prasAdham that is offered is
an obstacle.
 Eating prasAdham alone without considering sabrahmachAris (class-mates who
are learning from the same AchArya) is an obstacle. One should share the
prasAdham with other class-mates and eat together.
 prasAdha kalam (vessel or plantain leaf on which prasAdham was kept) cannot
be left behind so that it is touched by samsAris (materialistic people), nAsthikas
(atheists - one who does not accept vEdham as authority), dogs, etc. Doing so is
an obstacle.
 Not knowing sistAchAram (practice of learned elders - pUrvAchAryas) while
consuming bhagavath/bhAgavatha prasAdham is an obstacle. prasAdham must
be consumed with great reverence as held by our pUrvAchAryas and not
knowing/following such principles are obstacles.
 Dropping prasAdham on the floor, stepping on it, etc., without reverence towards
prasAdham are obstacles.

pariharangal.html.

mAmunigaL - thiruvahindhrapuram - mAmunigaL is glorified as visathavAksikAmaNi

(the one who speaks/writes exactly as much as required to explain the principles)
58. ukthi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our speech/language.
ukthi means word, language, way of speaking, etc. It is emphasised in this section that
srIvaishNavas should be well aware of the most dignified srIvaishNava paribhAshai

(special choice of words, etc - for detailed listing, please refer to
http://srivaishnavagranthams.wordpress.com/readers-guide/) and speak that only and
also avoid speaking like common materialistic people. This is a lengthy section. Yet, it is
very much essential and should also be practically followed in daily life. Translator's
note: srIvaishNavas have traditionally used a wide selection of wonderful
words/phrases for common terms. Majority of this section deals with thamizh words, but
same principle could be applied in other languages too. In any language, the same
action could be explained in multiple terms. Being a srIvaishNava, it is recommended
that we use dignified words and speech. This section is lengthy and little bit more
technical with lots of thamizh terms. Let us see this section now.
 When a srIvaishNava calls us, we should respond "adiyEn" ( -

"dhAsan" with humility) and when materialistic person calls us, we should
respond "En" ( - what, why you called). Doing the reverse is an obstacle.
Also, if we respond incorrectly by mistake or due to carelessness, we should feel
sorry and atone for that immediately. Not doing so is an obstacle. Translator's
note: In important aspect to note in any mistake. Whenever we atone (feel sorry,
etc) for a mistake - if we truly realize the mistake, we should never repeat the
same mistake again.
 When speaking to srIvaishNavas, not using dignified terms like "viNNappam
aruLichcheytharuLa" ( - kindly recite),
"thirukkai viLakkiyaruLa" ( - kindly wash your
hands), "churuLamuthu amudhucheytharuLa" (
- kindly accept this betel leaves and nuts), "kaNvaLarntharuLa"
( - kindly sleep) is an obstacle. In srIvaishNava paribhAshai
"aruLa" ( - bless us), "amudhu" ( - nectarean food - prasAdham)
and "thiru" ( - honorable/reverence) are more commonly used to add dignity
and reverence towards the other person whom we are discussing with. These
are called "pujyOkthi" - words of glorification. These are also called as
prapannOkthi (language of prapannas). In the next point, the words which are
commonly used by materialistic people and is explained that prapannas should
not use such words. First, in this point, the proper terminology is explained and
then in the next point, the terminology that is to be avoided is explained. When
saying "viNNappam aruLichcheytharuLa" to srIvaishNavas, it means, requesting
the leading adhyApaka swamy to start the recital. In temple sannidhis, during
dhivya prabhandha gOshti, the leading adhyApaka will request others to recite
along by saying "sAdhiththaruLa" ( ) and start reciting the
thaniyans. Others will follow along and recite. During special occasions (in some

sannidhis always), the archaka or maNiyakArar (administrator) will say
"aruLappAdu sAdhu srIvaishNavargaL" (
), or "aruLappAdu rAmAnusanadiyArgaL" (
) or "aruLappAdu thiruvAimozhi viNNappam cheyvAr"
( ). The leader of
the gOshti (and others too) will say "nAyanRE nAyanRE" (
) this dog is here to serve - AzhwArs themselves call themselves as
dogs indicating that they are loyal servant of bhagavAn who is the master) and
then starts reciting. This is commonly seen in many places. Similarly, such
dignified words should be used with great humility when dealing with
srIvaishNavas.
 When speaking to materialistic people, using dignified words instead of saying
"vArththai chollu" ( - speak), "iru" ( - wait/be seated),
"eNNeyidu" ( - apply/give oil), "uRangu" ( - sleep), etc.,
is an obstacle. We dont need to and should not be using srIvaishNava
paribhAshai when speaking to materialistic people who would probably not
understand such terms anyway.
 Not knowing the following terms properly and using them without knowing their
value are obstactles - the terms are: thIrthamAda ( - to take bath),
prasAdhappada ( - to accept prasAdham - to eat), amudhupadi
( - rice), kaRiyamuthu ( - vegetables),
adisil/thirukkaNNamuthu ( / - pAyAsam - sweet
rice), prasAdham ( - remnants of bhagavAn/bhAgavathas), thIrtham
( - sanctified water), thirumanjanam ( - water to be
used in perumAL's thiruvArAdhanam, this term is also used to say "bathing of
emperumAn"), ilaipprasAdham/ilaiyamudhu
( / - prasAdham served in plantain leaf),
mUnRAvathu ( - lime paste which is used as the third component
along with betel leaves, nuts).
 Using commoner's terms like kuLikka ( - to bath), uNNa/thinna
( / - to eat), arisi ( - rice), chORu ( - cooked rice),
kaRi ( - vegetables), thaNNIr ( - water), veRRilai ( -
betel leaves), suNNAmbu ( - lime paste) is an obstacle.

 Using the following dignified terms for the dhEvathAntharams who are known as
thiruvillAth thEvar ( - all anya dhEvathAs who lack thiru -
srI mahAlakshmi sambandham) is an obstacle. The terms are: thiruppathi
( - dhivya dhEsam where emperumAn stays happily out of own desire,
can also mean thirumalA thiruppathi), thiruchchOlai ( - divine
garden, can also mean thirumAlirunchOlai), thirup poygai ( -
divine pond), thirukkOpuram ( - divine temple tower),
thirumadhiL ( - divine fort around the temple), thiruvIdhi ( -
divine streets around the temple), thirumALigai ( - residence of
AchAryas/srIvaishNavas), thiruvAsal ( - divine main entrance),
thirumaNdapam ( - divine hall), thiruchchuRRu ( -
inner layer around the sannidhi), thiruvOlakkam ( - divine
assembly), thiruppaLLiyaRai ( - divine sannidhi of perumAL),
thiruppaLLik kattil ( - simhAsanam - throne or bed),
thirumERkattu ( - vidhAnam - decorative cloth tied in the roof),
thiruththirai ( - divine screen), thirukkoRRoliyal
( - divine cloth for covering prasAdham container, etc),
thiruveN chAmaram ( - divine wisk), thiruvAlavattam
( - fan), thiruvadi nilai ( - lotus
feet/sandals), thiruppadikam (vessel where thiruvArAdhana thIrtham is collected),
thirumanjanakkudam ( - pot to bring water for
thirumanjanam/thiruvArAdhanam), thirupparikaram ( -
paraphernelia), thiruvandhik kAppu ( - hArathi done at the
end of puRappAdu/procession), thiruviLakku ( - divine lamp),
thirumAlai ( - divine garland), thiruvAbaraNam ( -
divine ornaments), thiruppaLLith thAmam ( - thuLasi
beads garland), thirumEni ( - divine form from head to toe), thirunAL
( - festival), etc. Translator's note: In any word, when used for
bhagavAn, AzhwArs, AchAryas, and srIvaishNavas, we should always use "thiru"
as a prefix. By doing that we show our reverence towards the one who is dealing
with us. But such glorification should not be done for other dhEvathas who are
devoid of the direct connection of srI mahAlakshmi. thirumazhisai AzhwAr says in

nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi "thiruvillAth thEvarai thEREnmin dhEvu"
( - I will not treat such
dhEvathas who lack connection with mahAlakshmi as dhEvatha ever).
 Being a srIvaishNava saying "srIrangam" instead of "kOyil", not saying
"thiruvarangam" after sneezing and saying other dhivya dhEsam's names,
saying "vEnkatam" for thirumalai instead of saying "thiruvEnkatam", saying
"kAnchIpuram" instead of "perumAL kOyil", saying "anantha sayanam" instead of
"thiruvananthapuram" are obstacles. Here, ideal terminologies for dhivya
dhEsams are emphasised. In srIvaishNava sampradhAyam "kOyil" (temple)
means it indicates srIrangam naturally. Similarly "thirumalai" means
thiruvEnkatam and "perumAL kOyil" means "kAnchIpuram". And then there is
thirunArAyaNapuram (mElkOte) - these four are of great significance to
srIvaishNavas. srIvaishNavas should use sampradhAyam terms instead of
commoner's terms. One should be aware of such terminologies and use them
properly. Also, when we sneeze, it is common to utter some auspicious names.
In this case, it is said that we should only utter "thiruvarangam". Translator's
note: Once when bhattar was lecturing, a srIvaishNava in the gOshti sneezes
and says "vEnkatam". bhattar becomes very angry and says "you should only
say thiruvarangam". The srIvaishNava quietly agrees. But he is from thirumalA
thiruppathi - so he goes back and discusses this with ananthAzhwAn in
thirumalA. ananthAzhwAn gives him an idea and sends him back to bhattar. He
again attends the lecture and sneezes again. He says "vEnkatam" again - bhattar
notices and tells him "I have already told you to say thiruvarangam - why are you
repeating this mistake again?". The srIvaishNava replies "thirumangai AzhwAr
himself said vEnkatamE in veRuvAthAL pAsuram (periya thirumozhi 5.5.1) which
is meant from srIranganAthan". bhattar, who is most intelligent replies to him
saying "Look, that is not AzhwAr saying, it is AzhwAr singing in parakAla nAyaki's
mother's mood - if it was parakAla nAyaki (AzhwAr in feminine mood), she would
have only said thiruvarangam there too". The srIvaishNava becomes convinced
then with bhattar's explanation.
Starting at this point, srI rAmayaNa and other purANa purushas' names are explained
from sampradhAyam perspective. Each of these personalities have specific names
which glorify some aspect of them. It is recommended that we use such names instead
of the common name for them. Generally srI rAmAyaNa is hailed as divine sAsthram
which exemplifies the aspect of bhakthi in various ways.
 Saying "srI rAma" instead of "perumAL", saying "sIthA" instead of nAchiyAr (or
pirAtti), saying "lakshmaNan" instead of "iLaya perumAL", saying "srI krishNa"
instead of "krishNa" (since krishNa wanted to be treated like cow-herd boy he
does not like to be treated with reverence but likes to be treated like a friend),
saying "srI nrsimhan" instead of "azhagiya singar" (beautiful lion faced) -
thirumazhisai AzhwAr says in nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi - "azhagiyAn thAnE

ariyuruvan thAnE" (the lion faced emperumAn is most beautiful, Translator's
note: In vishNu sahasranAmam also it is said that "nArasimha vapu srImAn" -
the most beautiful lion faced emperumAn), saying "guhan" instead of "srI guha
perumAL" (since guhan was accepted by srI rAma as his own brother, he too
becomes to be called guha perumAL), saying "hanumAn" instead of "thiruvadi",
saying "sugrIvan" instead of "mahArAjar", saying "jatAyu" instead of "periya
udaiyAr", saying "thuLasi" instead of "thiru thuzhAi" (as AzhwArs used the word
"thuzhAi" in many places) are obstacles.
 AzhwAn/AzhwAr term is suffixed for great devotees of emperumAn such as srI
vibhIshaNAzhwAn, srI gajEndhrAzhwAn, thiruvAzhiyAzhwAn (sudhasana
chakram), srI pAnchajanyAzhwAn (sangam - conch), srI bharathAzhwAn, srI
sathrugnAzhwAn, kOyilAzhwAr (bhagavAn's sannidhi), nammAzhwAr (srI
satakOpan). Not doing so is an obstacle. We can also observe that
periyavAchAn piLLai calls gaNtA karNan who is a corpse eating demon as "srI
gaNtAkarNAzhwAn" due to his unflinching devotion towards krishNa.
Translator's note: AzhwAn/AzhwAr generally means one who is immersed in
bhagavath anubhavam (auspicious emotions). It is used for certain personalities
to highlight their attachment towards bhagavAn. Many AchAryas are glorified
with the title AzhwAn - kUrathAzhwAn, engaLAzhwAn, nadAthUrAzhwAn,
miLagAzhwAn are a few who are given such title due to their overwhelming
attachment towards emperumAn.
 Saying "sALagrAmam" instead of "thIrtha nAyanAr" is an obstacle. In kaNtaki
river, which is near the dhivya dhEsam named sALagrAmam, bhagavAn appears
in deity form (as stone deities). Such deities are commonly called as
"sALagrAmam". But this is not correct (in srIvaishNava terms). He should be
called thIrtha nAyanAr (as he appears from thIrtham - water). He is also called as
"srI mUrthy". Translator's note: sALagrAma sILAs are most auspicious.
emperumAn appears in deity form out of great compassion so that any one can
place him at their homes and worship them with minimum requirements. thIrtha
also means pure/sacred/holy - emperumAn's divine form of "srI mUrthy" is most
sacred and pure - that is also another reason he is called thIrtha nAyanAr.
nAyanAr means "lord" or "most respected".
 Not knowing (and using) the special glorificatory titles is an obstacle. The special
titles include:
o srImath dhvArapathi nAyanAr ( )- The name
for the main gate keepers of emperumAn's temple, etc.
o thiruvAsal kAkkum mudhaligaL ( )-
These are the door-keepers inside the temple (just outside the sannidhi).
In thiruppAvai 16th pAsuram - "nAyaganAi ninRa nandhagOpanudaiya
kOyil kAppAnE! thOraNa vAyil kAppAnE!" (
!

!), bhagavAn's servitors who protect different areas (main
entrance, sannidhi entrance, etc) are identified.
o sEnai mudhaliyAr - viswaksEnar - the commander-in-chief for bhagavAn's
servitors.
o nambi mUththa pirAn - balarAma is glorified as the elder brother of
kaNNan emperumAn and one who always takes care of emperumAn.
o srI mAlAkArar - As mentioned in srI vishNu purANam as
"mAlyOpajIvana:", he is the one who lived his life selling garlands.
Translator's note: He gave the best garland with best intentions (without
expecting anything in return) to kaNNan emperumAn and pleased
emperumAn very much.
o srI vidhurar - vidhura (the brother of dhrdhrAshtra and pANdu) also known
as vidhurAzhwAn is a great devotee of krishNa. Translator's note: He is
glorified as "mahA mathi:" (one with great intelligence) when he threw
away banana and gave the banana peels to krishNa out of overwhelming
emotions. Real intelligence means having great devotion towards
bhagavAn.
o srI nandhagOpar - nandha mahArAja who raised kaNNan emperumAn.
Translator's note: He too is glorified greatly in vyAkyAnams for his great
attachment towards krishNa.
 Reciting/using the names of bhagavAn that are not used by our AchAryas is an
obstacle. bhagavAn's names such as harIsh, surEsh, narEsh, etc., have come in
to existence quite a bit - but such names are not used by our AchAryas and so
we too should not be using them.
 Not reciting/using the names of AchAryas which were used with great joy by our
elders is an obstacle. Our pUrvAchAryas glorified true AchAryas using many
wonderful titles like "piLLai", "AzhwAn", "ANdAN", "nambi", etc. Such titles/names
should be greatly cherished by us.
 Analysing the EkAnthis (most advanced srIvaishNavas who accept emperumAn
as means and goal) based on their native place, family tree and birth is an
obstacle. srIvaishNavas should not be judged based on their birth (and many
other aspects). It is a great sin. To discriminate them based on their native place
or the clan is also equally sinful. In srIvachana bhUshaNam sUthrams 79 and
194 to 200, this principle is explained in detail. Please read the same and have
clarity. Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar establishes the glories of
srIvaishNavas in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram. He quashes many
misunderstanding and misgivings regarding the position of srIvaishNavas
irrespective of their birth by giving many evidences from sAsthram. mAmunigaL,
in his beautiful and elaborate vyAkyAnam, highlights many pramANams and
explains them in detail, so these principles are understood clearly. For example,
sUthram 79 says "EkAnthI vyapadhEshtavya:" - this is a slOkam from
vishwaksEna samhithA. In the commentary, mAmunigaL beautifully explains the
full slOkam - "One who is fully surrendered to bhagavAn alone is not glorified by

his native village, clan, etc., but he is glorified based on his wonderful and eternal
relationship with bhagavAn". He goes on to explain that for such bhAgavatha -
everything (native village, clan, gOthram, etc) is emperumAn only. In sUthrams
194 to 200 (and few more subsequent sUthrams) - bhAgavatha apachAram is
explained in detail. This aspect is discussed in detail at
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/08/srivaishnava-lakshanam-7.html.
Starting this point, the words/phrases that are to be used when a srIvaishNava leaves
his body (dies) are explained/discussed in detail. This aspect of death is expressed in
few different ways. AzhwArs say "paNikaNdAy chAmARE" (
) - chAmARE means "to die". "maraNamAnAl vaikuntham" (
) - when a srIvaishNava dies, he reaches srIvaikuNtam (paramapadham).
Nowadays, in srIvaishNava terms, when some one dies, it is indicated as "AchAryan
thiruvadi adainthAr" ( ). There are different
srIvaishNava terms for death that are seen in the pUrvAchArya literature like "thiruvadi
chArnthAr" ( - thiruvadi means lotus feet as well as master/lord -
thiruvadi chArnthAr means reached the lotus feet or reached emperumAn),
"paramapadham eythinAr" ( - attained paramapadham - the
supreme abode), "thirunAdu alankariththAr" ( - person
reaching and decorating the divine land), "avathAram thIrtham prasAdhiththAyiRRu"
( - the avathAram/life/incarnation has
come to an end).
 It is to be understood from this point that based on the type of the srIvaishNava,
the appropriate phrase should be used - not doing so is an obstacle.
paramapadham and thirunAdu mean the same thing - just the language is
different - former is samskritham and the latter is thamizh. Yet, paramapadham
(supreme abode) is an ordinary term and thirunAdu (divine land) is a special
term. Only AchArya srEshtas are glorified as "thirunAdu alankariththAr" when
they leave their body. It is at times difficult to establish how different terms are
used for different personalities - that aspect can be learned from elders as
required. Translator's note: In anthimOpAya nishtai, following charithram is
explained. paravasthu pattarpirAn jIyar says - vaduga nambi was alive for some
time after udayavar's ascending to paramapadham. But, eventually he also
ascends to paramapadham. One srIvaishNava goes to bhattar and tells him
"vaduga nambi ascended to paramapadham". bhattar responds "You should not
say like that for vaduga nambi". The srIvaishNava asks "Why not? Cant we say
that he ascended to paramapadham?". bhattar beautifully explains that
paramapadham is common for prapannas and upAsakas (ones who undergoes
bhakthi yOgam and achieves paramapadham by their self effort) - vaduga

nambi's focus is not that. Then, the srIvaishNava asks "So, does he have some
other place in his mind?" and bhattar explains "Yes. You should say vaduga
nambi reached the lotus feet of emperumAnAr" - this is explained by my
AchAryan (mAmunigaL). Similar incidents are explained in periyAzhwAr
thirumozhi vyAkyAnam for 4.4.7 pAsuram also. Basically it is explained that
normally srIvaishNavas leaving this world is indicated by "thiruvadich chArnthAr".
If the particular srIvaishNava was very attached to bhAgavatha kainkaryam, it
should be said as "thirunAdu alankariththAr". If the srIvaishNava was very
attached to AchArya kainkaryam, it should be said as "AchAryan thiruvadi
adainthAr".
 Speaking in a manner that hurts srIvaishNavas is an obstacle. Translator's
note: One must always try to speak nicely. It is said in sAsthram that "sathyam
brUyath priyam brUyAth" even when speaking the truth, speak pleasantly in a
way that is acceptable for the other person who is at the receiving end.
 Speaking in a manner that rattles the heart of the person who is listening is an
obstacle. Translator's note: srI rAma is known as mrudhu pUrvancha
bhAshathE" ( - pUrvA bhAshi) - one who enquires
first with kind words when meeting others. Our AchAryas too, always speak in a
very pleasant way without hurting others. So, we too can try to follow our
AchAryas in this.
 Not speaking ones own faults, speaking the faults of materialistic people and
speaking ones own good qualities (self-glorification) are obstacles. As said in
"ahamasmi aparAdhAnAm Alaya:" ( :) - I
am the abode of all defects, we should see ourselves in a very meek and humble
position. nammAzhwAr says "thIvinaiyO perithAl" ( -
my vices are too many). If there are some good qualities, that is upto
emperumAn to notice that and acknowledge the same. We need not propagate
our own glories.
 Not speaking the glories of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas is an obstacle. There are
no defects in bhagavAn. He is glorified as amalan (blemishless - defectless).
bhAgavathas also pure - yet due to the existence in this material world, they may
be affected by minor defects. Still we should not focus on such minor defects and
we should fully glorify their auspicious qualities. Finding faults in bhAgavathas is
a big mistake.
 Focussing only on bhagavAn's glories and ignoring Acharya's glories is an
obstacle. As we have discussed before, bhagavAn is blemishless and pure.
bhAgavathas too are called as vEdhakap pon ( - touchstone).
By their vision and touch, they purify others. There is an incident related to this
(we have already seen this before). A srIvaishNava's son goes astray due to
relationship with troublesome friends. The srIvaishNava was pained by his son's
situation. But one day, suddenly, the srIvaishNava's son became reformed and
was seen with sikhA (tuft), yagyOpavItham, Urdhva puNdram, etc., and offers his

respects to his father. The srIvaishNava becomes very happy and at once asks
"Did you see kUrathAzhwAn? Did he bless you with his divine vision which
purified you?". From this we can understand that he was in firm belief that his son
got reformed only due to the mercy of a bhAgavatha. bhAgavathas' glories are
greater than bhagavAn's glories. AchArya is the leader amongst bhAgavathas -
one should speak highly of ones AchArya.
 Being knowledgable in deep spiritual matters, one should constantly recite
AzhwArs/AchAryas pAsursams/sthOthrams. Not doing so is an obstacle. While
reciting the pAsurams, one should also meditate on the divine meanings. This
also includes many grathams that are writtten by AchAryas which are to be
properly studied and remembered all the time.
 Reciting manthrams other than guru paramparA manthram and dhvya mahA
manthram which are instructed by AchArya and giving up constant japam of such
guruparamparA and dhvaya mahA manthram are obstacles. dhvaya mahA
manthram is indicative of rahasya thrayam (thirumanthram, dhvayam and
charama slOkam). Translator's note: As we understood that our pUrvAchAryas
were constantly meditating on dhvaya mahA manthram, we should also
understand that dhvya mahA manthram is not recited independently without
reciting guru paramparai first, i.e., we dont approach pirAtti and perumAL
independently instead we approach them through the guru paramparai. This is
why our AchAryas always recited guru paramparA manthram before reciting
dhvaya mahA manthram.
Here is the guru paramparA manthram that is to be recited before dhvaya mahA
manthram:
asmadh gurubhyO nama: (our own AchAryan)

asmadh paramagurubhyO nama: (our AchAryan's AchAryan)
asmadh sarvagurubhyO nama: (All AchAryas)
srImathE rAmAnujAya nama: (emperumAnAr)
srI parAngusa dhAsAya nama: (periya nambi)
srImadh yAmuna munayE nama: (ALavandhAr)
srI rAma misrAya nama: (maNakkAl nambi)
srI puNdarikAkshAya nama: (uyyakkoNdAr)
srIman nAthamunayE nama: (nAthamunigaL)
srImathE sadagOpAya nama: (nammAzhwAr)
srImathE visvaksEnAya nama: (sEnai mudhaliyAr)
sriyai nama: (periya pirAtti)
srIdharAya nama: (periya perumAL)
This is highlighted by piLLai lOkAchAryar in srIvachana bhUshaNam sUthram 274 -

japthavyam guru paramparaiyum dhvayamum (ஜ

) - One should constantly recite guruparamparai and dhvya mahA
manthram.

pariharangal.html.

60. sambandha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our relationships.
nammAzhwAr declares emperumAn as his mother and father. madhurakavi AzhwAr

and ALavandhAr declare nammAzhwAr as their father and mother.
sambandham means relationship. This can occur based on a) bodily connection, b)

friendship and c) on a spiritual platform based on AthmA and matters truly related to
AthmA. Of these three aspects, we must understand that the third aspect is most
important and to be cherished/glorified. Bodily relationship means father, mother,
brother, sister and other bodily relatives. These are assumed under a particular cause -
based on ones birth in a particular family to a particular father and mother due to ones
own karmA. Similarly, based on the karmA of the parents, they beget children who are
healthy/unhealthy, good/bad mannered, etc. ANdAL in nAchiyAr thirumozhi,
vAraNAmAyiram (6th decad) last pAsuram, explains the phala sruthi (result of reciting
the 10 pAsurams) as "thUya thamizh mAlai Irainthum vallavar vAyu nan makkaLaip
peRRu magizhvarE" (
- the ones who learn and faithfully follow these 10

pure pAsurams will beget wonderful children and live happily). nammAzhwAr, in
thiruvAimozhi 8.10.10 explains similar principle "ivaiyum paththum vallArgaL nalla
pathaththAl manai vAzhvar koNda peNdir makkaLE" (
-
Those who understand bhAgavatha kainkaryam and learn/faithfully follow these 10
pAsurams will be blessed with wonderful family life which favourable for devotion
towards bhagavAn and bhAgavathas). thirumangai AzhwAr, in thirumozhi 8.2.9 says
"kaNapuram kai thozhum piLLaiyai piLLai enReNNap peRuvarE?" (
? - Even if it is ones
own child, if the child worships thirukkaNNapuram that child should not be considered
as a small child but a great devotee). He also says in thirunedunthANdagam 20
"pErALan pErOthum peNNai maNmEl perunthavaththaL enRallAl pEchalAmE"
(
- A small girl (ones own child) who glorifies emperumAn should be treated
as good as a nithyasUri (eternal resident of paramapadham)). Even if it is ones own
child, if by the grace of emperumAn, that child is very attached to emperumAn, one
should not treat such child "as my little child" casually, instead, such child should be
treated with great reverence as "sukruthina:" (virtuous). (Translator's note: In the life of
parAsara bhattar, this principle is beautifully explained. ANdAL, the dharmapthni/wife of
kUrathAzhwAn was considered as a very advanced and realized scholar in our
sampradhAyam. parAsara bhattar and vEdha vyAsa bhattar are their sons who were
born out srIranganAthan's prasAdham. Among the two, parAsara bhattar was
specifically glorified in many ways due to his extreme intelligence and scholarship.
ANdAL used to accept bhattar's srIpAdha thIrtham, even though she himself gave birth
to him. When asked why she was doing that, she explained, though a sculptor makes a
sculpture, once the particular emperumAn manifests in the sculpture, it becomes
worshippable even for the scupltor who made it. Similarly, even though, I gave birth to
him, as soon as he was blessed by emperumAn and have developed great devotion, he
is worshippable for me also. She also cites thirumozhi 8.2.9 pAsuram which is quoted
here to establish the same principle.) In this regard, if our bodily relatives are well
realized bhAgavathas, such relationships should be greatly appreciated and glorified. It
is emphasised that the relationships/friendship that arise through bhagavAn,
bhAgavathas and AchArya are to be given higher importance than simple
bodily/materialistic relationships. It is also emphasised that giving importance to mere
bodily relationships is inappropriate for the jIvAthmA's progress. It was necessary to
give a lengthy introduction to clearly grasp the important principles that are explained in
this section. With this introduction, we can easily understand the inner essence of this
section.

 Considering dhEha sambandhis (bodily relatives who are materialistic) as
relatives and not considering bhagavath sambandhis (one who are surrendered
to bhagavaAn) as relatives are obstacles. dhEha sambandham (bodily
relationships) arise out of ones own karmA. But bhagavath sambandham arise
out svarUpa gyAnam (true realization of the nature of oneself) and so is more
glorified.
 Being a prapanna, having connections with bodily relatives who are materialistic
and not having connections with vaishNavas are obstacles. Translator's note: A
prapanna means one who is surrendered to bhagavAn through the mercy of an
AchArya. For such persons, there is no interest in having connections with
materialistic people. Their whole focus is to perform kainkaryam to bhagavAn
and bhAgavathas and only engage in such activities.
 Considering the ones who merely gave the body as mother and father and not
considering one who gave knowledge (AchArya) as mother and father are
obstacles. In thiruvAimozhi 2.3.2, nammAzhwAr says "aRiyAdhana aRiviththa
aththA! nI cheyvana adiyEn aRiyEnE" ( !
) - here AzhwAr glorifies bhagavAn as the
one who taught the divine and essential principles like an AchArya would do.
AchArya is the one who brings in the realisation of the true self in the sishya.
Parents are the ones who are the cause for the body and AchArya is the cause
for true realization which is considered as higher birth. Though one should
respect ones own parents and treat them with reverence, the knowledge-giving
AchArya is to be considered as higher parents as explained by nammAzhwAr in
thiruvAimozhi 5.1.8 "mElAth thAy thanthaiyarum avarE iniyAvArE" (
) - From now on bhagavAn is my
higher mother and father since he made me realize who I am truly is.
Translator's note: We can also relate to this important principle in madhurakavi
AzhwAr's kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu 4th pAsuram "annaiyAy aththanAy ennai
ANdidum thanmaiyAn sadagOpan en nambiyE" (
) -
nammAzhwAr who is full of auspicious qualities has full control over me as
mother and father (would have full control over their children). Similar mood is
exhibited by ALavandhAr in the most popular thaniyan "mAthA pithA ..." where
ALavandhAr declares that nammAzhwAr is his mother, father, etc., everything for
him.
 Considering bodily (materialistic) brothers and sisters as brothers and sisters and
not considering the sishyas of ones own AchArya as brothers and sisters are
obstacles. Just like anyone born to our parents are considered as brothers and
sisters, since AchArya is also called as father and his sishyas are his
sons/daughters - they (such sishyas) naturally become brothers and sisters for
us.

 Not considering dhEha sambandham (bodily relatives) as aupAdhika
(conditional) and not considering bhagavath sambandham (bhagavAn,
bhAgavathas - spiritual relatives) as nirupAdhikam (unconditional) are obstacles.
Every one is born into a particular family due to ones own past karmA - so it is
conditional. But bhagavath sambandham and AchArya sambandham
(relationship with bhagavAn, AchArya and bhAgavathas) is unconditional.
 Not knowing that achith sambandham (relationship with body and bodily
relatives) is annulable (removable) and (thus) temporary and Not knowing that
ayana sambandham (relationship with bhagavAn - ayana means place/abode of
refuge) is not annulable (removable) and thus permanent are obstacles. The
relationship between jIvAthmA and paramAthmA is the one between owned and
the owner. bhagavAn is the owner and jIvAthmA is owned by bhagavAn - this
relationship is eternal and never ceases to exist. In all conditions, jIvAthmA is a
servitor of bhagavAn. This must be properly understood.
 Not considering achith sambandham (materialistic relationships) is damaging to
the nature of jIvAthmA and not considering ayana sambandham (relationship
with bhagavAn) will uplift the jIvAthmA from samsAram (material condition) are
obstacles. Since the body is made of matter which has 3 qualities - sathva
(goodness), rajas (passion) and thamas (ignorance), it will always stop jIvAthmA
from realizing the true nature. But bhagavAn will help realize the true nature of
the jIvAthmA once he surrenders to him. Translator's note: In mANikka mAlai,
periyavAchAn piLLai explains this principle beautifully. He beautifully brings out
the similarities between achith and Iswara. When we start developing a liking
towards worldly pleasures, achith will ensure that we become immersed in such
worldly pleasures and stop us from going elsewhere (towards bhagavAn
specifically). Similarly, when we start developing a liking towards bhagavAn,
bhagavAn will ensure that we become realized in our true nature and have great
devotion towards him. He also gives a beautiful example. hiraNya kasipu took
shelter of (became addicted to) prakruthi (matter) and opposed bhagavAn - he
was destroyed. prahlAdhAzhwAn took shelter of bhagavAn and stayed away
from prakruthi - he was uplifted. The more we become attached to matter, we
become more ignorant. The more we become attached to bhagavAn, we become
more blissful due to the expansion of knowledge. Finally, periyavAchAn piLLai
beautifully concludes - If one is not fearful of their body and bodily activities after
being established in bhagavath sambandham (through AchArya), such person's
knowledge should be doubted/questioned.
 Not considering that all material aspects are to be used for the service of
bhAgavathas and not considering that the connection with srIman nArAyaNan
(who is the antharyAmi - in-dwelling super-soul of every thing) is that which
sustains us are obstacles. srIman nArAyaNan is omni-present everywhere in
every thing. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 1.1.7 "udanmisai uyirenak
karanthengum paranthuLan" (
) - just like the jIvAthmA is spread (through its dharma bhUtha

gyAnam - knowledge) throughout the body, bhagavAn is himself spread every
where in the whole of existence. In vEdham, it is highlighted that bhagavAn
desires to enter into all matter through innumerable jIvAthmAs and thus this
universe (and many innumerable universes) comes into existence with many
different forms of life.
 Considering that we are related to materialistic people due to everyone's
relationship with bhagavAn (even materialistic people are connected to
bhagavAn) and not considering that we have eternal connection with
srIvaishNavas who have very pure consciousness (and actions) are obstacles.
Though bodily relatives are to be respected based on basic humanity, it is not the
end of everything. One should appreciate srIvaishNavas who are constantly
looking out for the welfare of others and serve them. We should also understand
that the relationship with such srIvaishNavas is eternal too. Translator's note:
ALavandhAr, in his sthOthra rathnam 2nd slOkam itself declares that "nAthAya
nAtha munayE athra parathra chApi nithyam yadhIya charaNau saraNam
madhIyam" (
) - the lotus feet of nAthamunigaL (his grand father)
is my eternal refuge both in this world and the other world (paramapadham).
 Not considering bhagavAth sambandham (relationship with emperumAn) is
common for both bandham (binding in this material world) and mOksham (being
relieved from this material world) and not considering AchArya sambandham is
only focussed on mOksham are obstacles. In the vyAkyAnam for piLLai
lOkAchAryar's srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram 433rd sUthram,
mAmunigaL beautifully explains that surrendering to bhagavAn (having such
connection through surrender) may either lead to bhagavAn citing our unlimited
pApa karmA (vices) and engaging us again in samsAram (for some more time) or
bhagavAn mercifully uplifting us (since he is naturally merciful) and relieving us
from the miseries of material world. This is due to the fact bhagavAn is nirankusa
svathanthran (completely independent and not controllable/questionable by
anyone) - it is purely his desire in the end. But AchArya, being an embodiment of
compassion, will always seek out to uplift the one who is surrendered unto him.
srI mahAlakshmi thAyAr is always compassionate towards jIvAthmAs and try to
recommend to bhagavAn for their upliftment - AchAryas are also in similar mood
that they are filled with compassion towards others and ensure that the sishyas
get uplifted. This is explained in the 447th sUthram - AchArya abhimAnamE
uththArgam - AchArya's mercy is the only way for upliftment.
 Not considering that the relationship with AchArya is that which sustains oneself
and considering that such relationship only exists due to AchArya instructing
essential principles to sishya. As explained by mAmunigaL in upadhEsa rathina
mAlai "AchAryan sishyan Aruyiraip pENumavan" (
- AchArya is the one who nurtures the jIvAthmA) -

he is not simply an instructor, he must be considered as everything and treated
with great reverence, respect and service.

pariharangal.html.

nammAzhwAr is glorified as krishNa thrushNA thathvam - embodiment of devotion

towards emperumA
61. snEha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our attachment/friendship.
snEham means friendship, love, affection, attachment, etc. The matured state of snEha
is bhakthi. Also, the snEham of inferior person towards a superior person is called
bhakthi (Translator's note: For example, the affection of thiruvadi (hanumAn -

jIvAthmA) affection towards perumAL (srI rAma - paramAthmA) is called bhakthi and
affection of perumAL towards thiruvadi is called snEham). In this section, in each point,
2 aspects are discussed - first aspect is what is to be avoided and the next aspect is
what is to be pursued. The essence here is, we see the first aspect happening most
commonly, but the second aspect is seen rarely in this samsAram (material world). This
is not appropriate for the nature of jIvAthmA. It is obvious that one should have less/no
attachment in the first aspect and more attachment in the second aspect. These points
are very easy to understand.
 Having attachment to prAkrutha bandhus (materialistic relatives - relatives who

are connected through our bodily birth) and not having attachment to Athma
bandhus (ones who are related through bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchArya)
are obstacles.
 Having attachment with materialistic aspects and not having attachment with
bhagavath vishayam are obstacles. One should develop attachment in
bhagavath vishayam and give up attachment towards materialistic aspects.
pEyAzhwAr explains this in mUnRAm thiruvanthAdhi 14th pAsuram "mARpAl
manam suzhippa mangaiyar thOL kaivittu" (
) - When we develop attachment towards
srIman nArAyaNan, our attachment towards women (and other worldly
pleasures) will automatically disappear.
 Having attachment towards ones own bodily comforts and not having attachment
towards the bodily comforts of the AchArya. In upadhEsa raththina mAlai
pAsuram 66, mAmunigaL explains that "AchAryan sichchan Aruyiraip
pENumavaan thEsArum sichchan avan sIrvadivai Asaiyudan nOkkumavan"
(
) - AchArya means one
who nurtures the sishya (AthmA and AthmA related aspects such gyAnam,
bhakthi, etc) and sishya means one who nurtures the divine body of the AchArya.
Translator's note: mAmunigaL brings out the essence of piLLai lOkAchAryar's
srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram in his upadhEsa rathina mAlai pAsurams
in a very simple and elegant manner. In srIvachana bhUshaNam, piLLai
lOkAchAryar goes on to explain that AchArya and sishya changing roles is not
appropriate. i.e., AchArya should only focus on sishya's Athma yAthrA (spiritual
needs) and sishya should only focus on AchArya's dhEha yAthrA (bodily needs).
And AchArya trying to take care of sishya's bodily needs and sishya trying to take
care of AchArya's spiritual needs will only end up creating confusion - since it is
unnatural for them to do so.
 Having attachment to people who gives us materialistic comforts, etc., and not
having attachment to AchArya who gives us the essence of thirumanthram are
obstacles. materialistic comforts mean food, clothing, shelter, etc. thirumanthram

means ashtAksharam and is glorified as periya thirumanthram due to it having all
the essential knowledge within itself.
 Having attachment in the place where one lives and not having attachment
where ones AchArya lives are obstacles. One should have greater attachment
towards the residence, town of AchArya more than ones own residence, town,
etc. Translator's note: One can recollect mAmunigaL's upadhEsa raththina
mAlai pAsuram 64 - "than Ariyanukkuth thAn adimai cheyvathu avan innAdu
thannil irukkum nAL, annEr aRinthum athil AsaiyinRi AchAriyanaip pirinthiruppAr
Ar? manamE pEsu" (
,
? ) - One
can serve his/her AchAryan fully when the AchAryan is in this material world
(when such service will be of real help to him). Even after knowing this, who will
live separately from his AchAryan?
 Having attachment in dhEha yAthrA (material life) and not having attachment in
Athma yAthrA (spiritual life) are obstacles. Nurturing bodily needs is not
appropriate for srIvaishNavas. The focus should be on spiritual aspects such as
serving bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchArya.
 Having attachment to children, wife, etc., who show animosity towards bhagavAn
and bhAgavathas is an obstacle. With such children, wife, etc., one should only
have as much relationship that is allowed in sAsthram (like providing basic food,
shelter, clothing, etc) and one should not have any loving relationship with such
children, wife, etc. Nothing wrong in having affectionate relationship with children,
wife, etc., who are favourable towards bhagavath/bhAgavatha vishayam since
they qualify to be bhAgavathas.
 Not having attachment towards archAvathAra emperumAn and main
temples/dhivya dhEsams such as kOyil (srIrangam), thirumalai (thirumalA -
thiruppathi), etc., are obstacles. archAvathAram is glorified as "pinnAnAr
vaNangum sOthi" ( ) - the radiant shining light
for the ones who missed out on vibhava avathArams (like rAma, krishNa, etc) by
thirumangai AzhwAr in thirunedunthANdagam. We should fully understand that
archAvathAra emperumAn is our full refuge. Our AzhwArs and AchAryas had
great attachment and devotion towards dhivya dhEsams and archAvathAra
emperumAns who are present in such dhivya dhEsams. Even amongst such
dhivya dhEsams, one should have greater attachment towards kOyil (srIrangam),
thirumalai (thirumalA - thiruppathi), perumAL kOyil (kAnchIpuram) and
thirunArAyaNapuram (mElkOte) due to the significant glories of such
kshEthrams. Transalator's note: When certain dhivya dhEsams are glorified
more than others like srIrangam for example, it does not mean that other dhivya
dhEsams are lower. For example, srIrangam was the head quarters for our
sampradhAyam and all AzhwArs and AchAryas were greatly attached to that

dhivya dhEsam. It is due to such attachment of AzhwArs/AchAryas, srIrangam
got greater prominence over other dhivya dEsams.
 Having attachment towards others manthrams and not having attachment
towards manthra rathnam are obstacles. manthra rathnam means dhvaya mahA
manthram. We can consider this to be talking about rahasya thrayam
(thirumanthram, dhvayam and charama slOkam). These are learnt from an
AchArya. This rahasya thrayam clearly explain the nature of jIvAthmA and
engage the jIvAthmA towards the path of salvation. Translator's note: In pUrva
dhinacharyai, dhEvarAja guru (eRumbi appA) documents the divine activities of
maNavALa mAmunigaL. In the 9th slOkam, he highlights as follows: manthra
rathna anusandhAna santhatha spurithAdharam thadharththa thathva nidhyAna
sannadhdha pulakOdhgamam (
)-
mAmunigaL's lips are constantly reciting dhvaya mahA manthram (which is
called the manthra rathanm - gem among manthrams). His body is manifesting
divine reactions due to constant meditation of the meanings of dhvayam (which is
nothing but thiruvAimozhi). nAyanAr identifies that thiruvAimozhi is nothing but
full explanation of dhvaya mahA manthram. This is highlighted in AchArya
hrudhayam chUrNikai 210. Thus, one should have full attachment towards
manthra rathnam only. Nowadays, we see srIvaishNavas being influenced by
other manthrams due to interactions with other sampradhAyams, etc. It is best to
avoid such practices and simply follow the ideals of our pUrvAchAryas in such
matters.
 Having attachment towards the givers of other manthrams and not having
attachment towards the giver of periya (big) thirumanthram. One who instructs
periya thirumanthram (ashtAksharam) is called AchAryan. Here other manthrams
could mean the manthrams which are used in upAsanA. Our AchAryas never
recommended reciting/chanting manthrams for material benefits, engaging such
manthrams in (counted/limited) chanting or in hOmams. So, one should have
great attachment towards AchArya who instructed periya thirumanthram.
Translator's note: In thiruvAimozhi, nammAzhwAr first identifies srIman
nArAyaNa's name in 1.2.10 pAsuram "eN perukkannalaththu oN poruLIRila vaN
pugazh nAraNan thiN kazhal sErE" (
) - You must
surrender unto srIman nArAyaNan's lotus feet - srIman nArAyaNan is the
antharyAmi for every thing, one who is filled with most auspicious qualities and is
the one who never fails to protect his devotees. In the eedu mahA vyAkyAnam
avathArikai (introduction), nampiLLai explains that this pAsuram focusses on
thirumanthram (ashtAksharam) which is the handle for bhajanam (devotion) to
approach bhagavAn. He also explains that while our pUrvAchAryas focus on the
divine meanings of this manthram, be uplifted and instruct the same to their
sishyas, but others use this manthram in japam, yAgam, hOmam, etc., and seek

out to fulfill their desires. This establishes that we have no engagement in such
japams, hOmams, etc., even if they were done using thirumanthram (or any
manthram). Also, in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram 315th sUthram,
piLLai lOkAchAryar explains that the one who instructed periya thirumanthram
(which is part of rahasya thrayam) is the direct AchArya.
62. bhakthi virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our devotion.
bhakthi means affection towards a superior person/aspect. The devotion of an Asthika

(believer of sAsthram) towards bhagavAn is called bhakthi. This is also explained as
kAdhal (love in thamizh). In sAsthram, bhakthi is explained as an upAyam (means) to
achieve mOksham - this is called sAdhana bhakthi. After understanding the true nature
of bhagavAn, constantly meditating on him with love is called bhakthi yOgam which is
explained as a mOksha sAdhanam (means to achieve mOksham). Only qualified
persons can engage in bhakthi yOgam. (Translator's note: sAdhana bhakthi can be
performed only by thri-varNikas (the three varNas - brAhmaNa, kshathriya and vaisya)
since it has karma yOga and gyAna yOga as anga (parts/ancillary aspects) which can
only be performed by them).
The bhakthi of AzhwArs (who are top-most devotees) is blessed by bhagavAn himself.
nammAzhwAr says right at the beginning of thiruvAimozhi 1.1.1 "mayarvaRa
mathinalam aruLinan" ( - bhagavAn blessed me
with blemishless knowledge/devotion) - this is the result of bhagavAn's unconditional
grace. emperumAnAr prayed to bhagavAn for the same kind of devotion in his srI
bhAshyam mangaLa slOkam "bhavathu ma parasmin sEmushI bhakthi rUpA" (
). Since, emperumAn blesses such bhakthi to his
devotees, such bhakthi becomes part of the prApyam (ultimate goal - kainkaryam). So
this is called sAdhya bhakthi (bhakthi which is blessed by bhagavAn himself based on
the prayers of the adhikAri/individual) and such sAdhya bhakthi is different from
sAdhana bhakthi. Translator's note: In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa
perumAL nAyanAr beautifully establishes the different types of bhakthi and the nature of
nammAzhwAr's (and other AzhwArs) bhakthi in chUrNikais 95 to 102 and subsequent
ones. mAmunigaL blesses us with his expert commentary with the help of which we can
understand these divine principles. There are 3 types of bhakthi which are identified -
sAdhana bhakthi, sAdhya bhakthi and sahaja bhakthi.
 sAdhana bhakthi is the bhakthi which is developed by ones own efforts and this
is performed as upAyam (means) to achieve emperumAn - this is the bhakthi
yOgam that is explained in sAsthram.
 sAdhya bhakthi is that pure devotion which is desired by great AchAryas such
as ALavandhAr, emperumAnAr, etc. These AchAryas were already fully

surrendered to bhagavAn and accepted bhagavAn alone as upAyam (means).
Such sAdhya bhakthi is considered like hunger for food - only when one is
hungry they can eat to their full satisfaction, similarly, only when there is pure
devotion, the kainkaryam (service) they perform will give full satisfaction. So, this
sAdhya bhakthi becomes part of their kainkaryam.
 sahaja bhakthi is that pure devotion which was born along with the adhikAri. For
example, nammAzhwAr was born with divine and pure devotion towards
bhagavAn and such devotion was blessed by bhagavAn himself. sahaja means
"that which was born along with oneself". This sahaja bhakthi (which is
voluntarily blessed by emperumAn due to his causeless grace) is totally different
from sAdhana bhakthi (which is achieved by ones own effort) and sAdhya
bhakthi (which is achieved by the mercy of bhagavAn based on ones prayers and
is used as part of kainkaryam). This is why AzhwArs have a special place - they
were directly blessed by bhagavAn himself to have such great bhakthi towards
him out of his own causeless mercy.
With this introduction, let us go into the different aspects that are discussed in this
section.
 Considering bhakthi as sAdhanam (means) to achieve emperumAn is an

obstacle. When we consider bhakthi as mOksha sAdhanam, there is self effort.
But self-effort to achieve anything is directly contradictory to ones sEshathvam
(servitorship) and pArathanthriyam (total dependence). Thus considering bhakthi
as sAdhanam is an obstacle. Translator's note: It is established that
"bhagavAn" is the only upAyam. Our charama slOkam also explains the same
principle "mAm Ekam" (me only) in charama slOkam puts huge emphasise on
accepting bhagavAn only as the upAyam. So, considering bhakthi as upAyam is
defective. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this principle in srIvachana bhUshaNa
dhivya sAsthram 115th sUthram in most comprehensive manner. He says
"prApakAnthara parithyAgaththukku agyAna asakthikaLanRu, svarUpa
virOdhamE pradhAna hEthu" (
, ) - The main reason
to give up other means such as karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams is because they
are directly contradictory to the true nature of the soul (which is totally dependant
on bhagavAn) and not lack of knowledge/ability. Some say that, those who are
capable can do bhakthi yOgam but those who are incapable can surrender to
bhagavAn. Such philosophies are completely rejected by our pUrvAchAryas.
Whether capable or incapable, it is the nature of the jIvAthmA to surrender to
bhagavAn to be protected and uplifted.
 Not knowing that smaraNam (remembrance), sankIrthanam (congregational
singing), etc., are all part of sAdhyam (result - kainkaryam) is an obstacle. In the

beginning of bhakthi, there is adhvEsham (non rejection) from the part of
jIvAthmA when emperumAn comes to help. When emperumAn says "thvammE"
(you are mine), we should not say "ahammE" (I am mine). We need to consider
that even such thoughts of not rejecting emperumAn is facilitated by emperumAn
only.
 Our bhakthi mixing with materialistic desires and not being situated in pure
devotion are obstacles. One should not allow other materialistic desires to
manifest in their heart. Similarly, one should constantly strive for pure devotion.
 Considering prapathi and sAdhya bhakthi as the same is an obstacle.
Translator's note: prapathi is the act of surrendering to bhagavAn and accepting
bhagavAn as the upAyam. As seen before, sAdhya bhakthi is that which is
prayed from emperumAn so our devotion becomes pure - both are different.
prapathi is related to the svarUpam (that we are to be surrendered to bhagavAn
naturally) and sAdhya bhakthi is related to how we perform our kainkaryam with
great love.
 Not knowing that, for a prapanna, if he prays for sAdhya bhakthi, his prapathi
may become ineffective is an obstacle. This point is not very clear - I (Dr VV
Ramanujam swamy) have heard from elders that when sAdhya bhakthi is
performed it will naturally end in prapathi only.
 Not knowing that, when prapannas pray for sAdhya bhakthi, such bhakthi will
become part of their kainkaryam is an obstacle. As prapannas pray with great
desire for such pure devotion, it is like hunger for food, that will facilitate the
kainkaryam in a nicer way. Translator's note: In mumukshuppadi, piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains in sUthram 271 that for a prapanna, their karmAs will
become part of kainkaryam, gyAna will become part of the expansion of ones
knowledge, bhakthi will become part of the taste/attachment towards kainkaryam,
prapathi itself will become part of the true nature of the jIvAthmA.
 Not knowing that the bhakthi of AzhwAs which was blessed by emperumAn
himself (out of his causeless mercy) is that which sustains AzhwArs is an
obstacle. Translator's note: Just like common people sustain themselves by
food, water, etc., AzhwArs who are divinely blessed by bhagavAn sustain
themselves by the devotion towards emperumAn. nammAzhwAr declared
"uNNum sORu parugu nIr thinnum veRRilai ellAm kaNNan emperumAn"
(
) - Rice (food), water, betel leaves, etc., are kaNNan
emperumAn only in thiruvAimozhi 6.7.1.
 Considering that bhagavAn becomes fulfilled and happy when we present all
necessary materials to him without considering that it was his grace which gave
us everything is an obstacle. Translator's note: In bhagavath gIthA 9.26,
bhagavAn says "pathram pushpam palam thOyam yOmE bhakthyA
prayachchathi thadhaham bhakthi upahrutham asnAmi prayathAthmana:"
(

:) - A leaf, flower, fruit or water -
when offered with devotion, I will accept it joyfully. So, it is to be understood that
our bhakthi is the most important component - not the rich foods/materials that
we present. bhagavAn already owns everything - nothing can be offered newly to
him. It is only our bhakthi which he is looking for and that only will please him
more than anything else.
 Not knowing that the appearance of bhakthi towards bhagavAn in our hearts, the
development of such bhakthi and parama bhakthi (pure devotion - the stage at
which one cannot sustain oneself in separation) are all the result of bhagavAn's
mercy is an obstacle. emperumAnAr prayed for such parama bhakthi from
srIranganAthan in gadhyam - "parabhakthi paragyAna paramabhakthi yuktham
mAm kurushva" ( ).
Translator's note: In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL
nAyanAr explains in chUrNikai 104 that bhagavAn is called bhakthi uzhavan
(bhakthi farmer) - just like a rice farmer farms the land, plants the seeds, waters
the plants, adds fertilizers, remove weeds, harvest the plants and finally bring
home the rice, bhagavAn also constantly reforms the jIvAthmA, plants the seeds
of devotion, provides many opportunities for the jIvAthmA to engage in spiritual
activities, helps removing the obstacles, once the devotion matures in the
jIvAthmA finally blesses the jIvAthmA with mOksham and engages the jIvAthmA
in eternal kainkaryam.
 Not knowing that giving up all other upAyams will not cause any damage to ones
true nature since that is done based on total faith on bhagavAn and accepting
him as the upAyam is an obstacle. Since bhagavAn himself says in bhagavath
gIthA "sarva dharmAn parithyajya" (give up all dharmas), there is nothing wrong
in giving up karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams as upAyam since we anyway are
following the orders of emperumAn in totally accepting him as the refuge.
 Not knowing that performing mangaLAsAsanam (good wishes) out of pure
devotion is appropriate for the nature of the jIvAthmA is an obstacle. Saying "Let
everything be auspicious to you" to bhagavAn may seemingly look like
inappropriate (since he is already superior and all auspicious). But one who is
fully devoted to emperumAn will look at emperumAn's beauty, tender nature, etc.,
and will start wonder if something inauspicious can happen to such emperumAn
and that will lead to performing of mangaLAsAsanam. mAmunigaL says in
upadhEsa rathina mAlai "pongum parivAlE villipuththUr pattarpirAn peRRAn
periyAzhwAr ennum peyar" (
) - Due to
overwhelming/overflowing devotion of pattarpirAn towards bhagavAn he got the
name periyAzhwAr (big AzhwAr). Though he himself established the supremacy
of srIman nArAyaNan in the madhurai king's court, when he came out and saw
emperumAn arriving in his garuda vAhanam to bless him, he started singing

"pallANdu pallANdu .. un sEvadi sevvi thirukkAppu" (
.. - Long live, Long live .. Let your beautiful
lotus feet be protected) out of great affection. This is not contradictory to ones
nature - in fact this is perfectly fitting for the true nature of the jIvAthmA. This is
explained in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram. It can be studied under an
AchArya properly.

pariharangal.html.

63. dhAsya virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our servitude
emperumAnAr and vaduga nambi - ideal examples for dhAsya bhAvam. emperumAnAr
being Adhi sEsha avathAram is servitude personified. vaduga nambi manifested
ultimate servitude towards emperumAnAr.
dhAsyam means to be fully controlled - i.e., to engage in service to the master. Here, it
is explained that every one is a servant of the supreme lord srIman nArAyaNan who is
the master of every one. "dhAsa bhUthA: svathassarvE hi Athmana: paramAthmana:"
( : : :) is an important
pramANam (authentic quote from sAsthram) - this means All jIvAthmAs are naturally
servants of paramAthmA who is sarvaswAmy (master of every one) - here "hi" means it
is prasidhdham (well known and obvious fact). Our servitude towards emperumAn is
causeless (natural - not based on any reason other than him being the supreme master
of everyone) and based on the eternal relationship between jIvAthmA and paramAthmA.
Our servitude towards others in this world are aupAdhikam (based on a specific cause,
i.e., our karmA leads to a particular birth/relationship and we serve others due to that

relationship). Our servitude towards bhagavAn is of two types "svarUpa paryuktha
dhAsyam" and "guNa krutha dhAsyam". "svarUpa prayuktha dhAsyam" means
jIvAthmA's servitude towards bhagavAn due to the eternal relationship between
jIvAthmA and paramAthmA, i.e., just because bhagavAn is master and jIvAthmA is
servant eternally, jIvAthmA serves bhagavAn. guNa krutha dhAsyam means jIvAthmA's
servitude towards bhagavAn due to the very many auspicious qualities (naturally, when
there is some one with great compassion, beauty, knowledge, wealth, strength,etc., one
would like to serve such person). We have both types of dhAsyam within ourselves.
Since bhagavAn is our eternal master, we serve him and since he has many auspicious
qualities we serve him. Yet, svarUpa prayuktha dhAsyam is more prominent and
important since that is natural for the jIvAthmA. Translator's note: This principle of
dhAsyam (svarUpa prayuktham and guNa krutham) is explained in detail by our
pUrvAchAryas. nampiLLai explains this in great detail in eedu mahA vyAkyAnam for
thiruvAimozhi 5.3.5 pAsuram. In this pAsuram, parAnkusa nAyaki's friend tells that
"kaNNan emperumAn is very bad, cruel, etc." to take her mind away from emperumAn
for a moment seeing her suffering in separation from emperumAn. But after hearing
this, parAnkusa nAyaki (nammAzhwAr in feminine mood) tells her friend even if he is
like that she will still only love him because that is her nature. In the vyAkyAnam,
nampiLLai explains the principle of svarUpa prayuktha dhAsyam in detail. He quotes
from srI rAmAyaNam, where when sIthA pirAtti meets anusUyA (athri maharishi's
dharma pathni), sIthA pirAtti explains even if perumAL (srI rAma) is not such a great
personality, she would still love him the same way - since that is natural for her to do so.
thirumangai AzhwAr's pAsuram 11.8.7 is also beautifully quoted here "vEmbin puzhu
vEmbanRi uNNAthu" - a worm which is born in a neem fruit, will not go and seek out for
sugarcane - though neem is bitter and sugarcane is sweet, the worm will eat only neem
fruit due to the relationship between the neem and the worm. This same principle is
further explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram
sUthrams 108 to 114. mAmunigaL's vyAkyAnam for these sUthrams is so wonderful
and brings out the essence of our pUrvAchArya vyAkyAnams/references. With this
introduction, let us move on to the section.
 Considering oneself as independent and being prideful about it is an obstacle.

This is a major obstacle. One should understand that he/she is fully dependent
on bhagavAn. Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this principle
beautifully in mumukshuppadi sUthrams 83 and 84 while explaining "nama:" in
thirumanthram. He says "nama:" (na mama - not for me) indicates that one is not
for oneself but to exist for bhagavAn. He also identifies that when one considers
oneself a servitor of other dhEvathas, bhagavAn can easily show his supremacy,
auspicious qualities, etc., and attract the jIvAthmA towards him. But when
considers to be totally independent, he even loses the basic qualification to
realise his sEshathvam (servitude). mAmunigaL beautifully highlights the
"thvammE" (you are mine) and "ahammE" (I am mine) sequence. When

bhagavAn says "you are mine" and if the jIvAthmA says "I am mine", bhagavAn
becomes perplexed at that situation wondering how to uplift such jIvAthmA.
 Becoming worthless by being a servitor of any one other than srIman nArAyaNan
(and bhAgavathas) is an obstacle. Here specifically the focus on dhEvathAnthara
bhajanam - srIvaishNavas should not engage in serving other dhEvathas ever.
Translator's note: Ones true worth is based on their servitude to bhagavAn and
bhAgavathas. ANdAL explains in nAchiyAr thirumozhi 1.5 "vAnidai vAzhum
avvAnavarkku maRaiyavar vELviyil vaguththa avi kAnidaith thirivathOr nari
pugunthu kadappathum mOppathum seyvathoppa UnidaiyAzhi
sanguththamaRkenRu unniththezhuntha en thadamulaigaL mAnidavaRkenRu
pEchchup padil vAzhakillEn kaNdAy manmathanE" (
) - When brAhmaNas perform yAgam, they prepare

havis (offerings) to dhEvas and keep them - if such havis is touched by a wild fox
it will become worthless. Similarly, my well developed breasts (bhakthi) is
available specifically for srIman nArAyaNan - if there is any talks arise that my
bhakthi is for any one else, at once I will give up my life. Similar point is explained
by piLLai lOkAchAryar in mumukshuppadi sUthram 62 "dhEvargaLukku
sEshamAna purOtAsaththai nAykku idumApOlE, Iswara sEshamAna Athma
vasthuvai samsArigaLukku sEshamAkkugai" (
,
) - mAmunigaL
beautifully explains that just like the havis which is prepared for worshippable
dhEvas is given to a dog (which should neither be seen nor be touched
generally), jIvAthmA (which is naturally owned by bhagavAn) is engaged in
service of samsAris (dhEvathAntharams, etc. - anyone bound in this samsAram
without realizing their true nature and being engaged in worldly pleasures is a
samsAri). Thus, our pUrvAchAryas have severely warned us from being engaged
in activities related to dhEvathAntharam since that will impact our own svarUpam
in a negative way.
 Considering oneself to be a servitor of dhEvathAntharams due to ones varNam is
an obstacle. All jIvAthmAs are servitors of srIman nArAyaNan only. There is no
distinction between different varNams. Translator's note: This is an interesting
aspect. In vArthA mAlai 450th entry, emperumAnAr's explanations to
mudhaliyAndAn regarding srIvaishNavas with yagyOpavItham and srIvaishNavas
without yagyOpavItham. He explains 10 differences between the two categories

of srIvaishNavas. Mainly the differences focus around srIvaishNavas with
yagyOpavItham having to engage in study of vEdham and performing of
nithya/naimiththika karmAs which involve dhEvathAnthara sambandham
(indhran, varuNa, vAyu, sUrya, etc) and sAththAdha (ones who dont wear
yagyOpavItham) srIvaishNavas have no engagement in vEdham and they can
fully focus on dhivya prabandhams and their vyAkyAnams and also how they can
fully focus on bhagavath, bhAgavatha kainkaryam exclusively. When we look at
this, we might start thinking that we are engaged in dhEvathAnthara bhajanam
(worship) while performing nithya/naimiththika karmA. But for this confusion,
nampiLLai gives a beautiful explanation. One person comes to nampiLLai and
asks “you are worshipping dhEvathAntharams (like indhran, varuNa, vAyu,
sUrya, etc) in your nithya karmAs but why not in their temples?”. nampiLLai gives
an instant and brilliant reply that “Why do you worship agni in yagyam and stay
away from agni frrom a burial ground? The same way, since sAsthram says
nithya karmAs must be performed as bhagavadh ArAdhanam with the
understanding that emperumAn is antharyAmi for all the dhEvathAs, we do it.
The same sAsthram says we should not worship anyone but emperumAn so we
dont go to other temples. Also, when these dhEvathAs are installed in a temple,
they tend to develop rajO guNam and start thinking they themselves are
supreme, and since we (srIvaishNavas) are in sathva guNam we dont worship
dhEvathAs who have rajO guNam”. So, even when srIvaishNavas (with
yagyOpavItham) are engaged in nithya/naimiththika karmAs they should not
consider that they are serving dhEvathAntharams - for srIvaishNavas all such
engagement becomes part of bhagavath AgyA kainkaryam (those kainkaryams
which are ordained by bhagavAn himself).
 Considering oneself to be a servitor to ones parents simply due to the progeny is
an obstacle. Our birth in a particular family for the particular parents is based on
our karmA and our servitorship towards them is limited based on sAsthram (that
one has to serve the parents as necessary). But bhagavAn is the mother and
father of every one. So, ones servitorship towards bhagavAn takes more
precedence. Translator's note: If the parents are srIvaishNavas, then obviously
one needs to treat them properly like how he/she would have to treate
srIvaishNavas as explained before.
 Considering oneself to be a servitor to ones husband simply due to the
relationship through marriage is an obstacle. Similar to previous point.
Translator's note: srIman nArAyaNan is the parama purushan. One of the
important relationships between bhagavAn and jIvAthmA is bharthru - bhAryA
(husband - protector and wife - protected) relationship. Even though a woman
may be married to a man due to their karmA, the real husband of every jIvAthmA
is bhagavAn only. Though a woman should still engage in fulfilling the basic
duties towards her husband as outlined in dharma sAsthram - the underlying
understanding about the eternal relationship with bhagavAn should always be
remembered. As explained before, if the husband is a srIvaishNava, he must be

treated with great respect and reverence. 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 we can understand that true
srIvaishNavas should be revered greatly by their wives.
 Becoming a servitor of a materialistic person to acquire material benefits is an
obstacle. One should aim for eternal goal of performing kainkaryam instead of
focussing on getting temporary and insignifcant benefits. Translator's note:
Once a king comes to bhattar after hearing his glories and tells bhattar to come
and visit him for some financial help. bhattar says even if namperumAL’s abhaya
hastham (hand in protection posture) turns the other way, he will not go to
anyone for help. Such was the nishtai of our pUrvAchAryas. Even at dire
situations they would fully depend on emperumAn only and never go after
materialistic persons for any thing.
 Becoming attached to insignificant worldly pleasures and losing ones dignity is
an obstacle. Translator's note: srIvaishNavas are generally glorified as
rAjakumAras (princes) - the divine and rich children of the most glorious srIman
nArAyaNan. One should not lower oneself from such position and serve worldly
persons or matters and lose their dignity.
 Not knowing that oneself is a servitor of srIman nArAyaNan who is eternally
related to all jIvAthmAs, the eternal protector of all jIvAthmAs and the eternal
master of all jIvAthmAs is an obstacle. As said in piLLai lOkAchAryar's nava
vidha sambandham, emperumAn is the only person who is fully related to
jIvAthmAs in many ways. The jIvAthmA's total servitorship is the main theme of
the thirumanthram which is the essence of all of vEdham/vEdhAntham.
Translator's note: srIman nArAyaNan is called sarvaswAmy (master of all), lOka
bharthA (the husband/protector of every one), jagannAthan (master of the
universe), etc. Thus we must realize that we are so blessed to be the servant of
such great bhagavAn and act accordingly.
 Not making oneself available at the full disposal of bhagavAn who is the master
is an obstacle. The ultimate state of ones servitude is called pArathanthriyam -
letting bhagavAn fully control oneself (jIvAthmA). Translator's note: In srI
rAmAyaNam, we can see bharathAzhwAn kept himself fully at the disposal of
perumAL (srI rAma). Whatever was the desire of srI rAma, bharathAzhwAn
obliged and fulfilled such desires. All jIvAthmAs should be like that only to truly
establish their nature.

 Not knowing that being at full disposal of bhagavAn means being the servitor of
bhAgavathas is an obstacle. thath sEshathvam (servitude towards bhagavAn)
leads to thadhIya sEshathvam (servitude towards bhAgavathas). Especially, one
should fully serve ones own AchAryan - this is most important and very apt to the
nature of the jIvAthmA. Translator's note: jIvAthmA's natural state is bhagavath
dhAsyathvam (to be a servitor of bhagavAn) and to be fully at the disposal of
emperumAn. Even more important - svarUpa yAthAthmyam (essence of true
nature) - bhAgavatha dhAsyathvam (to be a servitor of bhAgavathas). In periya
thirumozhi 8.10.3, thirumangai AzhwAr announced the essence of thirumanthram
(ashtAkshari) to emperumAn himself as "nin thiruvettezhuththum kaRRu nAn
uRRathum unnadiyArkkadimai kaNNapuraththuRaiyammAnE" (
- Dear lord of thirukkaNNapuram! After learning

the essence of thirumanthram, I understood that I am a servitor of your
devotees). thirumazhisai AzhwAr highlights in nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi 18th
pAsuram "EththiyiruppArai vellumE maRRavaraich chAththiyiruppAr thavam"
( -
the devotion towards devotees is greater than devotion to bhagavAn himself).
Eththiyiruppavar - bhagavath sEsha bhUthar - one who is surrendered to
bhagavAn. The state of those who are surrendered to such devotees is much
greater. In srI rAmAyaNam, lakshmaNan and bharathan were fully surrendered
to srI rAma. shathrugnAzhwAn had bharathan as everything for him. It is said in
srI rAmAyaNam that "chathrugnO nithyachathrugna:" (
: - one who has conquered the eternal obstacle). Our
pUrvAchAryas have explained that "shathrugnAzhwAn conquered/ignored srI
rAma's beauty and auspicious qualities and was fully serving bharathan". In
thiruvAimozhi 8.10.3, nammAzhwAr says "avanadiyAr siRumAmanisarAy
ennaiyANdAr" ( ).
siRumAmanisar - ones who are fully surrendered to emperumAn, who are small
in size but great in knowledge and practice. nammAzhwAr declares such
devotees are his masters. When such devotees exist how can one ignore them
and serve the lotus feet of emperumAn? Thus, for the true nature of jIvAthmA,
bhAgavatha kainkaryam is more apt than bhagavath kainkaryam.
 Not knowing that the likes and dislikes of the master should be ones likes and
dislikes. In this case we should always follow the practice of elders to determine
what is apt for a srIvaishNava to do. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa
dhivya sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains the aspects of kainkaryam. In
sUthram 275, he says bhagavath kainkaryam should be learnt through sAsthram
and AchArya kainkaryam should be learnt through sAsthram and the AchArya
himself. He then explains in sUthram 276 that there are two aspects in

kainkaryam. In sUthram 277, he says that doing what is favourable (to
bhagavAn/AchArya's liking) and avoiding what is unfavourable (to
bhagavAn/AchArya's disliking). In sUthram 278, he explains that the
favourable/unfavourable aspects will be based on varNAsrama dharmam and
Athma svarUpam. mAmunigaL gives a detailed commentary for this 278th
sUthram. He gives 3 different explanations for this sUthram but finally himself
says 1st explanation is the most apt one. The essence of the first explanation is:
o favourable per varNasramam is to engage in as much
(nithya/naimiththika) karmA that is necessary to facilitate sishyas
(disciples), puthras (children), etc., to follow vaidhIka dharmam and out of
compassion towards others - focus is to look out for upliftment of others
(compassionate motive).
o unfavourable per varNasramam is to engage in nithya/naimiththika
karmAs out of fear thinking that not doing them will lead to sins - focus is
to save oneself from sins (selfish motive).
o favourable per Athma svarUpam is to allow full control to emperumAn
towards us.
o unfavourable per Athma svarUpam is to not let emperumAn engage in
activties which may some times affect our nature of servitude (i.e., he is
the master and we are his servants). For example, a father (who is
superior) may lift up his own child, keep the child's feet on his chest and
head, etc., out of great love and play with him. At that time, the child
should not withdraw its feet saying "Father, you are superior to me, I
cannot let my feet touch your head", instead he should joyfully let the
father enjoy him to his fullest pleasure.
 Not letting bhagavAn have full pleasure fearing for ones own servitude is an
obstacle. It is the duty of the servant to bring joy for the master. Even if it is at the
cost of losing ones own position/stature, one should be ready to serve the master
and bring joy in him. Translator's note: In mumukshuppadi, sUthram 177, piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains that, for the sEshabUtha (servant), bringing glories/joy to
sEshi (master) is both svarUpam (true nature) and prApyam (goal). So, jIvAthmA
must constantly strive for that.
 Hesitating when bhagavAn destroys jIvAthmA's sEshathvam (servitude) is an
obstacle. When emperumAn lowers himself and starts serving the jIvAthmA out
of great love, the jIvAthmA should allow emperumAn to serve - not doing so is
detrimental. Translator's note: In mumukshuppadi sUthram 92, piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains the same principle. mAmunigaL, brings out a beautiful
example in his commentary. emperumAn who is the supreme enjoyer entered
the heart of nammAzhwAr in the guise of uplifting AzhwAr. But of great love
towards AzhwAr, emperumAn becomes subservient to AzhwAr and starts serving
AzhwAr. At that time, AzhwAr did not say "I am a simple jIvAthmA, why is
emperumAn trying to serve me. I am going to stop him from doing that since I
know the essence of sAsthram that the jIvAthmA is the servant and emperumAn

is the master". Instead, AzhwAr allowed emperumAn to do as he desired,
knowing well that, it is what emperumAn wants and that is the most important
aspect.
 Not engaging in service and associating with hurdles are obstacles. Translator's
note: It is said in sAsthram that "akinchithkarasya sEshathva anupapaththi:"
( :) - it is the nature of the jIvAthmA
to serve bhagavAn, if such service is not manifested, then such jIvAthmA loses
its identity itself. Also, one must carefully avoid the hurdles - just like one will
avoid any hurdle/difficulty to body (if some one gives poison, we will immediately
avoid it saying it will kill our body), similarly one should avoid what is detrimental
to the AthmA as well.
 Considering our servitude towards AchArya as temporary/conditional is an
obstacle. AchArya is also considered as an avathAram of bhagavAn - so even
the relationship between AchArya - sishya is to be considered as eternal only.
Translator's note: AchAryas are considered as the lotus feet of emperumAn. In
srIvachana bhUshaNam, sUthram 427, this principle is explained by piLLai
lOkAchAryar nicely. Approaching emperumAn directly means "holding his hands
and asking for help" and approaching emperumAn through AchArya means
"holding his lotus feet and asking for help" - obviously the latter is more
appropriate. In this sense also, relationship with AchArya can be considered as
eternal.
 Not understanding that we not an eternal servant of bhagavAn who is the eternal
master is an obstacle. The swAmy-dhAsya bhAvam (master-servant mood)
between emperumAn and jIvAthmAs is permanent. This is not bound by time,
place and situation.
 Serving dhEvathAntharams and pithrus (fore fathers/ancestors) are obstacles.
Since we are eternal servants of emperumAn, serving dhEvathAnthrams, pithru
dhEvathas, etc., are rejected here. This need not be taken as rejecting the pithru
tharpaNam, etc (naimiththika karmAs) which are ordained in sAsthram - since we
have already seen that we are bound to do the AgyA kainkaryams.

pariharangal.html.

64. sakya virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our friendship
kUrathAzhwAn is greatly glorified for his compassion towards all
sakyam means friendship/acquaintance. Friendship means looking after each other's

welfare. Not showing enemity is the first step in friendship. One should aspire to have
both friendship and reverence towards sAthvikas (bhAgavathas - devotees of srIman
nArAyaNan) and the ones who are filled with divine knowledge and also practically
applying the wisdom in daily activities. One should understand that real friendship is
something sacred. srI rAma's friendship with srI guha perumAL (guha) is to be
understood as spiritual friendship. His friendship with sugrIva mahAraja is also like that.
Translator's note: There are two types of friendship. One is on the bodily platform - we
develop friendship with who ever treats our body nicely and whoever does favours to
our body. For example, some one may help us stand up when we fall down and we may

develop friendship with them. Or we may have a class-mate who study with us and we
develop friendship with them. Then there is friendship at the spiritual platform - i.e.,
understanding that all oneself is a servitor of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas, and
developing friendship with such bhAgavathas who are situated in same mind set. These
bhAgavathas are called Athma-bandhus (those who are related to the soul). True
bhAgavathas always engage in discussing bhagavath vishayam, sharing wonderful
anubhavams of emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas, etc. Friendship with such
bhAgavathas should be relished since they will be the companions for us in this world
until our last breath here. And friendship with materialistic people are to be given up
since they will try to pull us along in to samsAram and engage in materialistic activities.
With this introduction, let us move on to the actual section.
 Mixing with lowly materialistic people is an obstacle. These are the ones who are
behind food, shelter and clothing always. They are always looking to engage in
materialistic activities and mixing with them will simply lead to waste of time and
will not help us in our spiritual progress in any way.
 Having friendship with great bhAgavathas considering them in an equal level to
us is an obstacle. One should never consider other srIvaishNavas as equal to
oneself - they should always be revered and kept in a higher platform. Yet, one
should have pleasing friendship with them. Translator's note: In srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, in sUthrams 222 to 225, piLLai lOkAchAryar
explains how one should treat a bhAgavatha. One should consider bhAgavathas
to be equal to their AchArya and greater than oneself and bhagavAn himself. Not
having such reverence towards bhAgavathas by itself is considered as an
apachAram (mistake).
 Having friendship with bhAgavathas and yet finding fault in them is an obstacle.
Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai
lOkAchAryar have explained this in exquisite detail. One should generally not find
fault with anyone (even samsAris). One should always think about oneself as the
cause of all faults. In thiruppAvai, ANdAL says in 15th pAsuram "nAnE thAn
Ayiduga" ( - let all faults be mine). In srI rAmAyaNam,
when bharathAzhwAn returns to ayOdhya and finds out that perumAL (srI rAma)
has left ayOdhya to go to the forest and dhasaratha is dead, he goes to kaikEyi.
He first blames dhasaratha, kaikEyi, mantharA (kUni), etc., for the whole incident
but finally says "It is my own sins that brought me to this state of being separated
from perumAL". Such attitude is very difficult to develop, but our pUrvAchAryas
have laid the path for us and we too can aspire to get such attitude.
 Considering that everything/everyone is bhagavAn's property/servitor, one should
be friendly with every one. Not doing so is an obstacle. Translator's note:
bhagavAn's is the owner of both nithya vibhUthi (spiritual world - paramapadham)
and leelA vibhUthi (material world). And every single AthmA is either directly or
indirectly serving bhagavAn only. If an AthmA is realized of his true nature, he

will serve bhagavAn directly being situated in the natural position. If an AthmA is
not realized of his true nature, he will serve bhagavAn indirectly through others
(like dhEvathantharams, parents, friends, relatives, ones own body, etc).
Understanding this, a realized srIvaishNava should always show natural
compassion and try to help others in spiritual matters.
 Having enemity towards other jIvAthmAs who all are also sarIram (body) of
emperumAn is an obstacle. One should see that everything/everyone is
pervaded by bhagavAn as antharyAmi - such person who can have that vision is
a great gyAni. Thus, one should always show friendship to all and not have
enemity towards any one. Translator's note: bhagavAn pervades
everything/everyone as antharyAmi (in-dwelling super-soul). Both chith
(jIvAthmAs) and achith (achEthanam - matter) are pervaded by bhagavAn - this
is explained as bhagavAn's sarva vyApakathvam (omni-presence). sarIram
means body and sarIri means the one who has the sarIram (i.e., AthmA).
sAsthram says, "yasya AthmA sarIram, yasya pruthvi sarIram, ..." (AthmA is his
body, earth is his body, etc). Similar to the presence of jIvAthmA within a body,
bhagavAn is present with in the jIvAthmA. Thus, having understood that
everything/everyone is body of bhagavAn one should not have enemity towards
others. bhagavAn himself says in gIthA "sukrutham sarva bhUthAnAm" (I am the
friend of all). Our AchAryas too showed great compassion towards everyone and
spread the divine message of bhagavAn to all who showed even a little interest
in such matters.
 Having friendship with srIvaishNavas yet harming/cheating them is an obstacle.
Translator's note: Some may externally look very friendly, but internally they
may have hatred towards others. And such hatred may be revealed consciously
or unconsciously at times. Such behaviour is condemned here.
 Having friendship with some expectations is an obstacle. Translator's note: If
one makes friendship with others in expectation of certain favours, such
behaviour is considered as very lowly. Friendship should be based on love and
affection without expecting any favour in return.
 Not considering others faults as good qualities is an obstacle. With close friends,
even their faults will be considered as good qualities. Translator's note: piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains the three thathvams (chith - jIvAthmA, achith - matter,
Iswara - bhagavAn) in thathva thrayam in great detail. In Iswara prakaraNam
(section), upto sUthram 150, bhagavAn's many wonderful qualities are beautifully
explained. In sUthram 151, it is explained that due to these most auspicious
qualities, that too vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance), bhagavAn shows great
friendship and attachment towards his newer devotees (ones who perform
saraNAgathi towards him more recently) than his own divine consort srI
mahAlakshmi and nithya sUris. In that section, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains that
just like a mother cow will push away an existing calf with her horns but lovingly
take care of a new born calf, bhagavAn too shows greater affection towards
those who surrender unto him. aruLALa perumAL emperumAnAr explains in

gyAna sAram pAsuram 25, "eRRE than kanRin udambin vazhuvanRO
kAdhalippadhu anRadhanai InRugandha A" (
) - When a cow
gives birth to a calf, it cleans the dirt on the body of the calf using its tongue.
piLLai lOkAchAryar also gives another great example - he says just like a male-
lover would love the sweat of his female-counterpart (even though sweat is
generally not preferred), bhagavAn will like the faults of such surrendered
devotees. mAmunigaL beautifully explains this section with many examples in his
commentary. Similarly, our AchAryas too appreciated good qualities in other
srIvaishNavas and even if there are some minor faults in them, they always
viewed them positively and moved on instead of harping on such faults.
 Showing affection towards the ones who show affection towards us and showing
anger to the ones who show anger towards us are obstacles. Translator's note:
One should be equipoised and affectionate towards all instead of discriminating
based on how one deals with them.
 Having relationship towards the ones who show enemity towards ones AchArya
is an obstacle. Translator's note: Though one should be compassionate
towards all, one should also carefully avoid dealing with enemies of bhagavAn
and AchArya. AchArya is the one who kindles our relationship with the jIvAthmA
and paramAthmA. He is greatly glorified as doing favours for both jIvAthmA and
paramAthmA. For the jIvAthmA, he helps him realize his true nature of being a
servitor of bhagavAn. For paramAthmA, he is bringing his own property
(jIvAthmA) to him by properly educating the jIvAthmA about his true nature. This
is beautifully explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram.
 Not having friendly relationship with the disciples/devotees of ones AchArya is an
obstacle. Translator's note: Towards the end of srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in sUthram 451 that, for AchArya nishtars
(ones who are fully focussed on AchArya), other such AchArya nishtars are the
most favourable ones to have sambandham (relationship). mAmunigaL explains
in the commentary that, through their relationship, ones AchArya nishtA will
improve and thus one should have friendship with such adhikAris only.

pariharangal.html.

64. samarpaNa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our offering
nammAzhwAr, ALavandhAr, emperumAnAr
arpaNam means submitting/offering. Usually, offering to great personalities like

emperumAn, AchArya, etc., is said as "samarpaNam". It is commonly seen in vaidhIka
ceremonies that when we offer something to srIvaishNavas, we say "srIvaishNavEbhyO
sampradhathE - na mama". This means "it is given to srIvaishNavas now and is no
longer mine". In this section, Athma samarpaNam is discussed in detail and clarified
precisely. Athma samarpaNam means offering oneself at the lotus feet of emperumAn.
In thiruvAimozhi 2.3.4, nammAzhwAr says "enadhAvi thanthozhinthEn ... ini
mILvathenbathuNdE" ( ...
- I have offered myself ... there is no returning back) and offers
himself to bhagavAn. Following AzhwAr's footsteps, ALavandhAr also says in sthOthra
rathnam 52nd slOkam "thadhayam thava pAdha padhmayO: aham adhyaiva mayA
samarpitha:" ( :
:) and offers himself at the lotus feet of emperumAn. Translator's note: In

kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu 5th pAsuram, madhurakavi AzhwAr says "nambinEn piRar
nanporuL thannaiyum" ( ) - I was
attached to myself (nanporuL - AthmA) which is the property of bhagavAn (that is why it
is said "piRar nanporuL" where piRar indicates bhagavAn here). jIvAthmA, to start with,
is a property of bhagavAn. bhagavAn is swAmy (owner) and jIvAthmA is swam
(property). If that is the case, how can the jIvAthmA offer himself to bhagavAn (who
already owns him). Our pUrvAchAryas explain this act as stealing a beautiful ornament
from emperumAn in the night and in the morning going back to emperumAn and offering
the same with great pomp as if we have offered something which is owned by us and
not owned by him. Yet, this is done by AzhwArs and AchAryas. This is beautifully
explained by our pUrvAchAryas. In thiruvAimozhi 2.3.4, though first AzhwAr offers
himself to bhagavAn, in the later part of the pAsuram he immediately realises his
mistake and says to emperumAn "enadhAviyAr? yAn Ar? thandha nI koNdAkkinaiyE"
( ? ? ) - Who am I? I am
already owned by you. You have accepted your own property now. In the vyAkyAnam,
nampiLLai explains that if there is no samarpaNam, that will lead to sarva mukthi
prasangam (emperumAn will have to bring everyone to paramapadham since no one is
needed to perform saraNAgathi). But if we perform Athma samarpaNam then that
means offering bhagavAn's own property to himself. nampiLLai gives an explanation
that - Looking at samsAram, prapannas sometime feel very fearful, so they emphasis
that they are indeed surrendered to emperumAn by offering themselves to emperumAn
- this is explained as bewildered/confused state (looking at samsAram and being
fearful). But, when they look at bhagavAn, their fear completely disappears - since they
are reminded that they are property of bhagavAn and he is fully capable of protecting all
his subjects, so they realize that they have committed a great mistake by offering
bhagavAn's own property to himself (this is called clear state of mind - understanding
ones true nature and looking at bhagavAn and being fearless) and thus repents for ones
own mistake of Athma samarpaNam. This happens continuously as long as they are in
samsAram - since they are seeing both samsAram and bhagavAn repeatedly. The
same principle is demonstrated by ALavandhAr too - in 52nd slOkam he offers himself
but then in 53rd slOkam he asks bhagavAn "athavA kim nu samarpayAmi" (
) - Alas! Who am I? What am I offering to you? I have no
independence to offer anything to you who already fully own me. This explanation given
by periyavAchAn piLLai in his vyAkyAnam for this slOkam. Thus, we can see that
Athma samarpaNam is actually not an appropriate action for jIvAthmA, yet it is done
due to fear/ignorance and is repented once there is true realization about the nature of
jIvAthmA as the property of bhagavAn. With this introduction let us read the section.
 ahankAram (considering dhEham/body as AthmA/soul) and mamakAram

(considering bhagavAn's property as mine) which are stopping jIvAthmA from
offering oneself and ones properties to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas since time
immemorial are obstacles. Considering oneself as independent is a great sin.

Real truth is "Everything/Everyone is owned by bhagavAn". nammAzhwAr says
in thiruvAimozhi 2.9.9 "yAnE ennai aRiyagilAthE yAnE enthanathE enRirunthEn"
( )-I
did not know who I was before and was thinking that I was independent - this is
the state before acquiring true knowledge about jIvAthmA. He then says in the
same pAsuram "yAnE nI ennudaimaiyum nIyE" (
) - I am your property and my body is your property
too - this is the state after realizing the true nature of jIvAthmA. nammAzhwAr's
first instruction to everyone in thiruvAimozhi is in 1.2.2 "nIr numathu enRivai vEr
muthal mAyththu" ( ) - One must
completely eradicate ahankAram and mamakAram. Translator's note: The first
lesson to be learnt in spiritual journey is to clearly understand that AthmA (soul)
is different from dhEham (body). We are eternal souls and we are different from
our bodies. Most people simply do not distinguish between the soul and body
and end up working on bodily platform always. Secondly, we have to understand
that bhagavAn is the supremely independent person and he owns everything (all
souls and all matter). There is nothing that we own in the entire creation. If there
is proper understanding of these two principles, we will naturally act/work for the
pleasure of bhagavAn who is the master of all. These two (ahankAram and
mamakAram) are the biggest obstacles in our spiritual progress. kaNNan
emperumAn explains this clearly in bhagavath gIthA when he starts explaining
the divine knowledge of self realization to arjuna. In 2.12, he starts explaining
that AthmA is different from dhEham, there are many (innumerable) AthmAs,
each AthmA is different from others and bhagavAn (he himself) is supreme. Even
after performing saraNAgathi through an AchArya, we could be bewildered often
by these two obstacles. We have to constantly remember that we are jIvAthmAs
that are different from the bodies and we are dependent on bhagavAn. With this
constant reinforcement, we can conduct ourselves in a proper manner.
 Holding on to some thing considering its ones own, even after realizing that one
is a servant of bhagavAn is an obstacle. Once there is realization about ones true
nature as a servant of bhagavAn, naturally everything that belongs to oneself
belongs to bhagavAn only. So, naturally, everything should be offered to
bhagavAn at once without hesitation.
 Offering to bhagavAn with the thinking that we are the owners is an obstacle.
Everything owned by bhagavAn is the real truth. Considering ourselves to be the
owners is bewildered state of mind and considering everything to be owned by
bhagavAn is the clear state of mind. Translator's note: Already explained in the
introduction section in detail.
 Not knowing that our previous ignorant state of stealing bhagavAn's property
(using AthmA and dhEham for ones own pleasure) is the same as offering them
to bhagavAn as if we own them is an obstacle. Offering oneself to bhagavAn is
compared to stealing a precious ornament from the temple in the night and

offering the same to bhagavAn in the morning. Translator's note: It is explained
in sAsthram that the biggest theft/sin is considering oneself (AthmA) as
independent and acting according to that - this is explained in mahAbhAratham
as "kim thEna na krutham pApam chOrENa AthmApahAriNA" (
) - the one who considers the
AthmA (which is bhagavAn's property) to be ones own is considered to have
done all kinds of stealing/sins. Whether it is before offering or at the time of
offering, if there is the thought that AthmA is owned by oneself, that is considered
as inappropriate.
 Not offering oneself thinking that "Its his property already, how can I offer myself
to him?" even though our pUrvAchAryas have offered themselves. Athma
samarpaNam was done by our pUrvAchAryas. ALavandhAr said "aham adhyaiva
mayA samarpitha:" ( :
:). Though, AthmA is owned by bhagavAn we ought to offer
ourselves to him. But he himself repents for that in the next slOkam saying
"athavA kim nu samarpayAmi" ( ). Here, he
says, once I realize that I am fully owned by you, how can I offer myself to you?
nammAzhwAr also performs Athma samarpaNam first and then repents in
thiruvAimozhi 2.3.4 - "enadhAvi thanthozhinthEn ... ini mILvathenbathuNdE"
( ... " and then
says "enadhAviyAr? yAn Ar? thandha nI koNdAkkinaiyE" ( ?
? ). In this connection, vyAkyAna
chakkaravarthy periyavAchAn piLLai explains in sthOthra rathna vyAkyAnam
"samsAra bhIthiyAl samarppikkaiyum, svarUpa yAdhAthma gyAnaththAl
anusayikkaiyum. iraNdum yAvanmOksham anuvarththikkak kadavathu"
( ,
.
) - offering oneself to bhagavAn due to fear of
samsAram and repenting for that realizing ones true nature (of being owned by
bhagavAn already) will happen until one becomes freed from samsAram - this is
unavoidable. In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar
explains considering prapathi as upAyam and defects in such principle in detail in
sidhOpAya nishta prakaraNam. In sUthram 146, he explains that even
performing "prapathi as upAyam" is inappropriate since bhagavAn is the only
upAyam. mAmunigaL quotes gadhya thrayam where emperumAnAr performs
prapathi first and subsequently begs forgiveness from emperumAn for his
previous act - so from all our pUrvAchArya works, we can see the act of offering
oneself to emperumAn and repenting for the same.

 Not understanding that he is accepting his own property is an obstacle. As
bhagavAn is the owner of everything, he is simply accepting his own property -
not having such proper understanding is an obstacle.
 Offering him what is considered as "mine" by oneself or other is an obstacle. As
said before, everything is owned by bhagavAn. Thinking that oneself is the owner
and offering as if we are offering our own property to him is inappropriate. Yet
one should offer oneself to emperumAn with love. In bhagavath gIthA, he says
whatever is offered to me with love, I accept that with great joy. So, what we offer
should be tainted with love not pride of us offering something to him. Such
contamination of assuming ownership of anything is not favourable for jIvAthmA's
nature and is thus condemned here.
 Considering that bhagavAn is not already fully-satisfied and self-sufficient and
offering him thinking that he is wanting something from us is an obstacle.
bhagavAn is called avAptha samastha kAman (ones whose desires are already
fulfilled). Yet, whatever is offered to him with love by his devotee, he accepts
them graciously with great joy.
 Considering that we are offering something he does not have is an obstacle. We
should not think that "He does not have this object, I am offering it so that he
becomes an owner of that object".
 Not thinking that He is already full in everything and he only accepts our offering
to fulfill our service and uplift us is an obstacle. One should not think "dhEhimE -
dhadhAmi thE" (I give you something and you give me something else back) -
this state of mind is confusion/bewilderment. When people are in
trouble/suffering, they pray to bhagavAn that "Please relieve me of this suffering,
I will do this in return" - this is what is commonly known as prArthanA/vENduthal
in samskritham/thamizh. But he only expects that we accept his protection and
we perform pure devotion towards him. Yet, we should offer within our capacity
(based on what is given to us by him) out of love to him. Translator's note: This
kind of materialistic prayer to solve material problems is not appropriate for the
true nature of jIvAthmA. We must always pray for eternal kainkaryam (service) to
bhagavAn and bhAgavathas since that is what fits the true nature of jIvAthmA.
Any other prayer for material motives is a big pitfall in our spiritual progress.
 Considering that we are offering something to bhagavAn in return for the
favours/benedictions given by him. Translator's note: As explained previously,
bhagavAn is called bhakthi uzhavan (bhakthi farmer). He plants the seed of
devotion in the jIvAthmA, provides the field of action, provides sAsthram as
guidance, shows the AchArya, provides bhAgavatha sambandham, removes the
obstacles, etc., and nurtures the jIvAthmA and finally brings the jIvAthmA into
paramapadham. jIvAthmA can never return such great favour in any possible
way. So, jIvAthmA can only always wonder how he is going to pay-back the
favours done by emperumAn.
 Not being worried about not being able to pay-back to emperumAn for the
favours done by him. madhurakavi AzhwAr says in kaNNinuN chiRu thAmbu

10th pAsuram "muyalginREn unthan moykazhaRkanbayE" (
) - I am trying to do some little loving service to
your lotus feet but am unable to do anything matching your favours - thus he is
so worried that he is not able to do anything in return for nammAzhwAr's
prayers. nammAzhwAr too manifests such divine emotions towards bhagavAn in
thiruvAimozhi 2.3.4 "enadhAvi uL kalantha perunalluthavik kaimmARu"
( ) - You came and
mingled with me with great affection but how am I going pay back for such great
favour.
 While performing Athma samarpaNam, considering that AthmA is owned by
oneself is an obstacle. Translator's note: We have already discussed this in
detail, AthmA is fully owned by emperumAn and emperumAn himself is accepting
his own property.

pariharangal.html.

66. dharsana virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in our philosophical understanding
srI rAmAnuja - srIperumbUthUr
dharsanam means philosophical aspect of a particular matham (religion). Our matham

is called srIvaishNava dharsanam. Since emperumAnAr nurtured this matham and
established it every where, this became to be known as emperumAnAr dharisanam.
The main principles of this matham are srIman nArAyaNan is the absolute supreme
deity and he has no one equal to or higher than him. This matham is parama vaidhikam
(fully based on vEdham). This matham derives on the principle that vEdham is eternal
and blemishless. The followers of this matham should have an understanding that
AzhwArs were divinely blessed by emperumAn himself and their dhivya prabhandhams
are as good as vEdham. They should also have good familiarity in dhivya
prabhandham.
Translator's note: Before we proceed, let us have a brief introduction about our

srIvaishNava dharsanam.
Our srIvaishNava sath sampradhAyam is named as "emperumAnAr dharisanam (srI

rAmAnuja dharsanam)" by srIranganAthan himself - this is highlighted by maNavALa
mAmunigaL in his upadhEsa rathina mAlai. This sampradhAyam is also called as
ubhaya vEdhAntha sampradhAyam. There is samskritha vEdham which is supported by
vEdhAntham, smruthi, ithihAsa, purANams, pAncharAthram, etc. vEdham is known to
be nithyam (eternal), apaurushEyam (not created by any one - not even created by
bhagavAn, it is only revealed by bhagavAn periodically) and nirdhOsham (free of any
defects). Then, there is dhrAvida vEdham (4000 dhivya prabhandham written by
AzhwArs) which are supported by pUrvAchArya vyAkyAnams. Though, dhiyva
prabhandhams are said to be written by AzhwArs, our pUrvAchAryas explain that they
too are eternal and are periodically revealed by emperumAn through AzhwArs.
azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr explains this principle very clearly in his treatise
AchArya hrudhayam. Since, dhivya prabhandhams bring out the essence of vEdham
and vEdhAntham - our pUrvAchAryas greatly glorified them and held them with great
reverence and as supreme authority in philosophical matters.
In both dhrAvida vEdham and samskritha vEdham, srIman nArAyaNan is established as

the supreme God. srIman nArAyaNan is highlighted by two important qualities - being
the abode of all auspicious qualities and being directly opposite to inauspicious
qualities. He is also glorified as ubhaya vibhUthi nAthan (the master of nithya vibhUthi
which is spiritual world and leelA vibhUthi which is the material world). srIman
nArAyaNan is also said to have certain unique qualities which are not seen in any one
else - sriya:pathithvam (being the husband of srI mahAlakshmi), ananthasAyithvam
(one who is lying on the serpent bed), garudavAhanathvam (one who rides on
garudAzhwAr), etc. Of these, sriya:pathithvam is the most important quality -
thirumazhisai AzhwAr declares in pAsuram 53 "thiruvillAth thEvaraith thEREnmin thEvu"
( ) - the ones who are not
connected to srI mahAlakshmi - I will not consider them as God. vEdham says
"sradhdhayA dhEvO dhEvathvamasNuthE" ( )-
by the connection with srI mahAlakshmi, srIman nArAyaNan acquires his Godliness.
srIman nArAyaNan is explained as the flower and srI mahAlakshmi is explained as the
fragrance. No other dhEvatha can thus be considered as real and supreme God, since
only srIman nArAyaNan is the supreme God as per sAsthram.
srIman nArAyaNan pervades all entities - both chith and achith. He is the antharyAmi -
indwelling super soul of everything. All other dhEvathAs are established by srIman
nArAyaNan out of compassion towards jIvAthmAs who would approach these
dhEvathAs based on their own guNa (sathvam/goodness, rajas/passion and
thamas/ignorance). If these dhEvathAs were not there, they may become atheists and
would be eternally bound in the samsAram. Atleast by approaching one of these
dhEvathAs, there will be some faith in vaidhIka matham and they will slowly be elevated

into higher consciousness. Thus, dhEvathAntharams (other dhEvathAs) exist in this
samsAram to execute the divine orders of emperumAn, to guide the bound jIvAthmAs
towards a virtuous path that will lead them to srIman nArAyaNan eventually. But
dhEvathAntharams, themselves being bound jIvAthmAs, would often get confused
about their position and at times even challenge bhagavAn. This is why srIvaishNavas
do not engage in worshipping them ever, since srIvaishNavas are to be situated in
sathva guNam always and these dhEvathAntharams are situated in a mixture of
sathvam/rajas/thamas guNams - as sAsthram says sathva guNa nishtars (persons who
are firmly placed in sathva guNam) should not worship rajas/thamas guNa persons.
This gives a brief outline of the principles of our sath sampradhAyam. With this
introduction, we can proceed with this section.
 Having doubts about supremacy in dhEvathas like brahmA, rudhran, etc., having
doubts on thrimUrthy sAmyam (considering brahmA, vishNu, rudhran are all
equal), having doubts that brahmA, rudhran, etc., may be worshippable due to
them being servants of srIman nArAyaNan are obstacles. Generally, 3
dhEvathas are specifically highlighted - brahmA for creation, vishNu for
sustenance and siva for annihilation. Still, only one among the 3 is supreme - that
is vishNu who is srIman nArAyaNan himself. Both brahmA and siva are created
by srIman nArAyaNan and they manage creation and annihilation by the orders
of srIman nArAyaNan. These two should never be compared at par with vishNu
as supreme dhEvatha. Though, there is mention about thrimUrthy (three deities)
they are not at par with each other. As thirumazhisai AzhwAr says in nAnmugan
thiruvanthAdhi 1st pAsuram "nAnmuganai nArAyaNan padaiththAn,
nAnmuganum thAn mugamAy sankaranaith thAn padaiththAn" (
,
- srIman nArAyaNan creates brahmA, brahmA inturn gives
birth to sankara) - from this we can understand that srIman nArAyaNan who is
the cause of all causes is the matchless supreme lord. Both brahmA and rudhran
are jIvAthmAs who assume the particular post and are bound to die at some
point just like any other mortal beings. Can a srIvaishNava think that
brahmA/rudhran are worshippable due to srIman nArAyaNan being their
antharyAmi (in-dwelling super soul) and they also show devotion towards srIman
nArAyaNan at times? No. Due to their rajO (passion) and thamO (ignorance)
guNams (qualities), they themselves out of pride, opposed srIman nArAyaNan
and fought with him. Thus, they dont qualify to be worshippable for
srIvaishNavas. Translator's note: In periya thiruvanthAdhi 72nd pAsuram,
nammAzhwAr beautifully reveals this principle. "mudhalAm thiruvuruvam
mUnRenbar, onRE mudhalAgum mUnRukkum enbhar, mudhalvA! nigarilagu
kAruruvA ninnagaththathanRE pugarilagu thAmaraiyin pU" (

, ,
!
) - Some say the three dhEvathas are supreme; others say
there is one more dhEvathA that is higher than the three dhEvathas; Oh supreme
cause of all causes who have a beautiful cloud like divine blackish form! your
divine body (navel) is the root of the lotus flower (from which brahmA is born -
which clearly establishes srIman nArAyaNan's supremacy). The same principle is
explained parAsara bhattar in srIrangarAja sthavam pUrva sathakam 116th
slOkam. Through these references, we can easily understand that srIman
nArAyaNan is the supreme cause of every one. srIvaishNavas are supposed to
worship srIman nArAyaNan and his devotees only. His devotees here mean the
ones who have unflinching faith towards Him and does not ever manifest
rajO/thamO guNams. One thing we need to understand first is brahmA, rudhran,
etc who are the masters of creation, annihilation, etc are particular posts.
jIvAthmAs ascend to such position due to their past karmA - ones who have
performed great austerities for many lives become brahmA, rudhran, etc. But
vishNu is not such a post - he is srIman nArAyaNan himself. In srIrangarAja
sthavam uththara sathakam, 52nd slOkam, bhattar explains that out of his great
compassion, srIman nArAyaNan descends himself into samsAram and places
himself in-between these two dhEvathas. Though, brahmA, rudhran, etc., have
understood srIman nArAyaNan's supremacy, due to them having high position in
this material world as the master of creation, annihilation, etc., they become
proud at times and forget their true nature. In such state, they fight against
bhagavAn himself. During krishNAvathAram, brahmA steals krishNa's cows and
krishNa then teaches brahmA a lesson. Only after such stern warning, brahmA
realizes his mistake and begs for forgiveness. Similarly, rudhran too, fought with
krishNa fiercely while helping bANAsura. In the end he realizes his mistake and
glorifies krishNa. In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar
explains bhagavath apachAram in detail. In that, the first offense is to consider
dhEvathAnthrams (brahmA, rudhran, etc) at par with srIman nArAyaNan. Thus,
even having slight doubt that "Oh! these dhEvathAntharams may be equal to
srIman nArAyaNan" is an obstacle. Thus, srIvaishNavas must be fully confident
that srIman nArAyaNan is supreme based on the various pramANams that are
available and avoid showing any devotion towards dhEvathAntharams.
 Being flattered or getting confused by the explanations and principles of bhAhyas
(ones who dont accept vEdham as supreme authority) and kudhrushtis (ones
who accept vEdham as supreme authority but misinterpret the same to their
convenience) such as baudhdha, saiva, mAyAvAdhis is an obstacle. Followers of
budhdha are baudhdhas. jaina are also somewhat similar to baudhdhas. These
two completely reject the authority of vEdham. saiva also known as pAsupatha,
claim supremacy of siva. For them saiva Agamas are the authority. mAyAvAdhis
are the ones who claim the entire material existence as mAyA/illusion and

brahmam alone is truth and such brahmam does not have name, form, qualities,
etc. We need to understand that these principles are useless and should stay
away from such principles. thoNdaradippodi AzhwAr says in thirumAlai 7th
pAsuram, "pulaiyaRamAgi ninRa puththodu chamaNam ellAm kalaiyaRak kaRRa
mAnthar kANbarO? kEtparO thAm?" (
?
?) - When one is well-learnt in vEdha sAsthram, would he/she even study or
listen to other philosophies like baudhdham, jainam, etc? Translator's note:
Though we observe that baudhdham is related to gauthama budhdha of recent
times (2500 years ago according to modern historians), sage vyAsa himself has
established vEdhAntham as the supreme philosophy over budhism, jainism, etc.,
which have been prevalent even long ago. It is explained that bhagavAn himself
appears as budhdha to bring down the faith of asuras who were well-learned in
vEdham. To confuse them, he preached sUnyavAdham and vanquished their
faith in sAsthram and easily defeated them. This is explained in detail by
nampiLLai in his eedu vyAkyAnam for thiruvAimozhi 5.10.4 pAsuram - "kaLLa
vEdaththai koNdu pOy..." ( ...). In this
pAsuram, budhdha as explained to have a beautiful dark and stout body, with
long ears with a book in his hands. His form is so beautiful that people will
straightaway believe whatever he says. He would present ahimsa as the highest
principle and people will easily have admiration towards him and his philosophy.
Thus he cheated the asuras and diminished their faith and eventually killed them.
Here, a very important point is to be understood. Even though baudhdha
philosophy was preached by bhagavAn himself, vaidhIkas dont accept that
philosophy (understanding that it was meant for a different audience). Even if
bhagavAn himself presents something contrary to vEdham, it is rejected by the
great saints. azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr also highlights this point in
his AchArya hrudhayam in context of establishing the glories of thiruvAimozhi
inspite of it being in thamizh language. He says if we simply have to accept a
literature based on the language, we have to accept baudhdha literature which
are in samskritham and spoken by bhagavAn himself. But since it is contrary to
vEdham, it was rejected by the great vEdhAntha philosophers.
 Becoming fully focussed on sAmAnya sAsthram (varNAsrama dharmam) without
regard for visEsha sAsthram (vaishNava dharmam) is an obstacle. sAmAnya
sAsthram means general guidelines given in sAsthram for day-to-day affairs. It is
definitely necessary to be followed. But there is some thing more that is known
as visEsha dharmam (vaishNava dharmam). According to visEsha dharmam,
bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam is more important. This is the ultimate goal.
One who considers emperumAn as the upAyam (means) and upEyam (goal),
who accept bhagavAn as the only refuge and who exists purely for the pleasure
of emperumAn is called paramaikAnthi. Such great personalities perform
sAmAnya dharmam (varNAsrama dharmam) with pure heart and with the

understanding that they also become part of bhagavath ArAdhanam
(worshipping) as explained in mumukshuppadi by piLLai lOkAchAryar in
"karmam kainkaryaththil pugum" ( ). It is
possible that while performing visEsha dharmam, sAmAnya dharmam may be
postponed/skipped. One should have strong conviction that such
delaying/skipping of sAmAnya dharmam while performing
bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam is not a sin. In AchArya hrudhayam,
azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr (and mAmunigaL in the vyAkyAnam)
highlights that villipuththUr pagavar (an ascetic) once went to bathe in a ghat.
Seeing some brAhmaNas (who are simply focussed on varNAsrama dharmam
without any understanding on bhAgavatha dharmam), he stepped out of ghat and
said "You are varNadharmis only, but we are dhAsas (servants of bhagavAn).
We cannot easily mix together". In these matters, whatever is followed by our
pUrvAchAryas is to be followed by us. Though it is clearly a sin to not follow
varNAsrama dharmam properly, while we are performing visEsha dharmam
(bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam), delaying/skipping varNAsrama dharmam
will not accrue any sin.
 Having the physical appearance, attire and name of vaishNava, but engaging in
offending bhAgavathas is an obstacle. Translator's note: In srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this principle
beautifully in sUthrams 199 and 200. He explains this using a term called "ArUda
pathithan" ( ) - fallen from high platform. Becoming a
bhAgavatha means one reaches the highest platform. But offending other
bhAgavathas from that state means falling down from a very high position. If we
fall from a high platform, we will be hurt more severely. So, it is better to avoid
engaging in any offensive words/actions towards bhAgavathas.
 Not accepting shelter/refuge of a true AchArya is an obstacle. One should
surrender to a true AchArya and accept pancha samskAram from him to become
a vaishNava. Accepting samAsrayaNam does not stop with the simple
samskAras that are done. As mentioned in thiruvAimozhi 5.5.11 "chanthangaL
Ayiramum aRiyak kaRRu vallAr vaittaNavar" (
), one who has learnt thiruvAimozhi fully
(aRiya), grasped the meanings properly (kaRRu) and practically follow it (vallAr)
in their daily live qualify to be a true vaishNava. Translator's note: Many see
pancha samskAram as a goal or end. But really it is the beginning of the journey
as a vaishNava. One should sincerely surrender to the AchArya, learn all the
essential principles and conduct oneself as a srIvaishNava. If one gets pancha
samskAram from an AchArya and continue to live like a samsAri (worldly
person), that totally defeats the purpose of accepting pancha samskAram. Here,
the role of AchArya is of paramount importance. In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains the glories of AchArya in the end. He

explains the purpose of approaching bhagavAn through AchArya in this section
beautifully.
 Not having srIvaishNava lakshaNam (conduct) is an obstacle. There are two
aspects in srIvaishNava lakshaNam - external and internal. External - having
conch/disc impressions on ones shoulders, having 12 Urdhva puNdrams,
thuLasi/lotus stem mAlAs (necklace/strings) and finally physical changes like
goose bumps, tears in eyes, etc., which happen by constant engagement in
bhagavath/bhAgavatha thoughts. Internal - having pure heart, gyAnam
(knowledge), bhakthi (devotion), vairAgyam (detachment), feeling for others
pain/suffering, desiring for everyone's well-being, etc. Both are important.
Translator's note: A whole series is written on this topic and can be read at
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/srivaishnava-lakshanam.html.
 Not being a dhvayaAdhikAri (qualified person of dhvaya mahA manthram) is an
obstacle. It is said in nAchiyAr thirumozhi by ANdAL nAchiyAr "meymmaip peru
vArththai vittuchiththar kEttiruppar" (
) - periyAzhwAr has understood the great charama
slOkam (bhagavadh gIthA 66 - sarva dharmAn...) and also follows it perfectly. As
said in this, one should understand rahasya thrayam (thirumanthram, dhvayam,
charama slOkam) and faithfully follow it as well. Among these 3, since dhvaya
mahA manthram is glorified as manthra rathnam, there is much emphasis on
that. srIranganAthan instructs emperumAnAr in saraNAgathi gadhyam "dhvayam
arthAnusandhAnEna saha yAvachcharIrapAdham athraiva srIrangE sukamAsva"
(
) - With constant remembrance of the meanings of
dhvaya mahA manthram, you reside happily in srIrangam. The meanings of
dhvaya mahA manthram is fully revealed in thiruvAimozhi. This is highlighted by
azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr in AchArya hrudhayam 210th chUrNikA
"dhvayArththam dhIrga saraNAgathi enRathu sAra sangrahaththilE"
( ) - It is
established that thiruvAimozhi fully explains the meaning of dhvaya mahA
manthram in sAra sangraham by piLLai lOkAchAryar. Translator's note: In
mumukshuppadi, beginning of dhvaya prakaraNam (section), piLLai lOkAchAryar
explains the qualities of a vaishNava in the first sUthram itself in a detailed
manner. In the next few sUthrams, the qualities of such vaishNava are beautifully
explained before the explanations for dhvaya mahA manthram itself. According
to the instruction of thiruvAimozhi piLLai, mAmunigaL learns srI bhAshyam once
and subsequently he sends the rest of his life in propagating thiruvAimozhi
(which is filled with the divine meanings of dhvaya mahA manthram). Though he
was an expert in vEdhAntham, he would always explain vEdhAntham through
AzhwArs' nectarean words. eRumbi appA also highlights in mAmunigaL's
dhinacharyA that mAmunigaL's lips are constantly chanting dhvaya mahA

manthram and his mind is fully engaged in contemplating the meanings of this
wonderful manthram.
 Not having involvement in aruLichcheyal (dhivya prabhandham) is an obstacle.
srIvaishNavas are specifically glorified as ubhaya vEdhAnthis. thiruvAimozhi
which is known as thamizh vEdham and rest of the dhivya prabhabhandham that
are known as anga/upAnga (ancilllary parts) are as good an authority as
samskritha vEdham and smrthi, ithihAsams and purANams. One should properly
learn dhivya prabhandham from an AchArya with its meanings and follow the
principles explained in it. This will give full qualification for us to be called as
vaishNavas. Translator's note: This is explained already in detail based on
thiruvAimozhi 5.5.11 "chanthangaL Ayiramum aRiyak kaRRu vallAr vaittaNavar"
( ). In
vArthA mAlai, periyavAchAn piLLai makes a wonderful point. He says
"mulaigaLilaiyAna yuvathiyaippOlE kANum, UmaiyallAtha vaishNavan
aruLichcheyalilE anvayiyAthozhigai" (
,
) - Unless a srIvaishNava is
dumb, if he does not engage in dhivya prabhandham recital, etc., it is like a
youthful girl without breasts. Just like girl without breasts would not even qualify
to be a girl, a vaishNava who does not engage in dhivya prabhandham would not
even qualify to be a vaishNava.
 Not being properly trained in rahasya granthams and the important principles is
an obstacle. thathvam (truth) means understanding chith (sentients), achith
(insentients) and Iswara (bhagavAn) properly. rahasya granthams are the
confidential literature. These principles were orally transmitted during the times of
emperumAnAr. But subsequently piLLai lOkAchAryar who is an incarnation of
dhEva perumAL himself, documented these in 18 granthams which are popularly
known as ashtAdhasa rahasya granthams. Translator's note: One must be
properly trained in the core principles of the sath sampradhAyam. Here the word
"sikshai" is used. sikshai does not just mean teaching/learning (listening to CDs
or reading books at the convenience of our home, car, etc). It means "total reform
or strict correction" - when the sishya does not understand or follow certain
principles, the AchArya must strongly explain the principle so that the sishya
understands the principle firmly and starts following the same for the benefit of
oneself.
 Not having faith in sistAchAram and thus not following them are obstacles.
sistAchAram means the practice of elders. "dharmagya samayam pramANam
vEdhAs cha" ( ) which means
"the practice of great mahAns who have learnt sAsthram is authoritative, vEdham
too is authoritative" - this is a well-established statement. In thiruppAvai 26th
pAsuram, ANdAL says "mElaiyAr cheyvanagaL" ( )

- that which is practised by elders. She also says in 2nd pAsuram "cheyyAthana
cheyyOm" ( ) - we will not do what is not done by our
elders. We should have strong faith in the anushtAnam (activities) of our elders.
Translator's note: One important principle needs to be understood here.
eRumbi appA in his "vilakshaNa mOksha adhikAri nirNayam" establishes this
important principle. He highlights that "elders" mean "pUrvAchAryas" and we
should follow the path of our pUrvAchAryas. Some times, we observe that some
odd practices have creeped in to srIvaishNava families like worshipping other
dhEvathas, observing certain vrathams, engaging in prayers for worldly
pleasures or to relieve from distress, etc. Once we acquired knowledge through a
proper AchArya, such odd practices should be immediately eliminated since
these might have entered the family due to various circumstances such as lack of
knowledge primarily. We cannot justify every action (even those that are contrary
to the principles of our pUrvAchAryas) saying that our (family) elders followed it.
 Not having gyAnam (knowledge), bhakthi (devotion) and vairAgyam
(detachment) is an obstacle. Here gyAnam means artha panchaka gyAnam. One
should understand the nature of paramAthmA, jIvAthmA, the relationship
between paramAthmA and jIvAthmA i.e., swAmy - dhAsa bhAvam (master -
servant mood), upAyam (means), purushArththam (goal) and the virOdhi
(obstacles) which stop us from achieving the goal. bhakthi means unflinching
devotion towards emperumAn. vairAgyam (detachment) means renunciation.
One should avoid attachment towards dhEvathAntharams (other dhEvathas).
Also, one should most certainly avoid attachment towards vishayAntharam
(worldly/material pleasures). vishayAntharam means anything outside
bhagavath/bhAgavatha matters. In the thaniyan that was presented in
glorification of maNavALa mAmunigaL by srIranganAthan himself,
"dhibhakthyAdhi guNArNavam" is very important. Here dhI means gyAnam,
bhakthi is devotion and Adhi (etc) indicates vairAgyam. srIranganAthan glorifies
that mAmunigaL is an ocean of such wonderful qualities.
 Not taking shelter at the lotus feet of a well-learned srIvaishNava is an obstacle.
One should take shelter of an AchArya who will instruct the confidential matters
to the sishya. bhAgavathas are also known as AchArya thulya (as good as an
AchArya). One should firmly believe that living under the shelter of such persons
will lead to upliftment for oneself. Translator's note: emperumAnAr, during his
last days gives 6 instructions - One should learn and teach srI bhAshyam, if thats
not possible, he should learn and teach dhivya prabhandham, if that is not
possible, he should perform kainkaryams in a dhivya dhEsam, if that is not
possible, build a hut in thirunArAyaNapuram and live there, if that is not possible,
constantly meditate on the meanings of dhvaya mahA manthram and if that is not
possible, one should fully take shelter of a srIvaishNava who will take care of
him. In this, it can be understood that when one takes shelter of a srIvaishNava,
he will automatically become situated in the first 5 points eventually. piLLai
lOkAchAryar also explains the same point in mumukshuppadi sUthram 116 while

explaining srIvaishNava lakshaNam. He identifies 10 points in this sUthram. The
6th point is "ippadi irukkum srIvaishNavargaL ERRamaRiNthu uganthirukkaiyum"
(
) - understanding the glories of such srIvaishNavas who
have these wonderful qualities and having great devotion/affection towards them.
mAmunigaL explains that this quality is very difficult the achieve. In the 10th
point, it is emphasised that one should seek out for the association of such
srIvaishNavas who are filled with peace and tranquility. Thus we can understand
the important of having the association of great srIvaishNavas all the time and
also seeking out for their guidance.
 Having friendship with the ones who are showing animosity/hostility towards our
srI rAmAnuja dharsanam is an obstacle. Translator's note: One should carefully
avoid the friendship of unfavourable persons. Such friendships will have subtle
impacts in our mind and eventually pull us down as well. All worldly matters have
such power - when we engage in materialistic activities, we are simply moving
away from spiritual matters.

pariharangal.html.

67. Asrama virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in ones Asramam (stage of life)
parAsara bhattar (AchArya - gruhastha) - nanjIyar (sishya - sannyAsi)
Asramam means the stage of life. In vaidhIka samprdhAyam, 4 stages of life are
identified - brahamacharyam (after upanayanam and before marriage), gArhaspathyam
(gruahasthAsramam - married/family life), vAnaprastham (secluded/detached life in the
forest with the wife) and sannyAsam (also known as thuriyAsramam, uththamAsramam
- ascetic - living alone as a full renunciate). Each Asramam has different set of rules and
guidelines for the conduct of the persons in such Asramam. One should learn the
guidelines for the particular Asramam he is in and follow them without fail. Living
contrary to the guidelines of the particular Asramam is a big sin. Considering the length
of the topic, the guidelines for each Asramam are not listed here.
Translator's note: Life of a man is mainly divided into four stages as shown in dharma
sAsthram.

 The first stage is the brahmacharyam (student/bachelor life). This starts when
a boy undergoes yagyOpavItham (sacred thread) ceremony and receives
brahmOpadhEsam (receiving sacred manthra from Acharya to inquire about
brahmam). We will be discussing about varNam in the subsequent sections. Only
persons of brAhamaNa, kshatriya and vaisya varNam undergoes yagyOpavItham
and brahmOpadhEsam. Depending on the varNam, one is supposed to have this
sacred thread cermony done at certain ages (brAhmaNa - 8, kshathriya - 11 and
vaisya - 12; age calculated from the time of conception in mother's womb). Once
brahmOpadhEsam is received, the child becomes qualified to learn vEdham with
its ancillary subjects under an AchArya in gurukula. Usually, the child will go and
stay with the AchArya at the AchArya's residence. They would study for a lengthy
period learning the source text as well as meanings of vEdham, upanishadhs,
ithihAsams, purANams, smruthis, etc., as necessary. kshathriya children will
learn dhanur vEdha - the science of fighting and weapons. During the time of
their study, the students are bound to take care of the teacher's bodily needs.
The students would go out and cut the woods for firewood, beg for alms to bring
grains for cooking, etc. Whatever is collected, that will be offered to the teacher
and the teacher would then direct the students to properly use it. The students
would also serve the teacher and keep him comfortable. brahmacharyam also
means focussing on brahma vidhyA (supreme knowledge) and living a very
simple and detached life. There is no room for comforts and material enjoyment -
one should sleep on the floor, cannot accept/indulge in bodily pleasures like
applying sandalwood paste or eating betel leaves/nuts. At this stage of the live, if
one is trained properly, he will develop into a well-matured man with proper
attitude towards spiritual life.
 Next, when they come out of the gurukula, the grown up person will be eligible to
enter into gruhasthAsramam (family life). gruhasthAsramam is the married life.
When one enters married life based on a vaidhIka wedding, he will take a vow of
protecting their wife. He would also vow to beget offsprings who would be
properly trained in vaidhIka dharmam. rishabha dhEva (an incarnation of
bhagavAn) says in srI bhAgavatham, that one should accept the position of
dhEva, bharthA (husband), AchArya (teacher) and pithA (father) only if he is
capable/confident of leading the dependent to the path of salvation. The main
duty of gruhasthas is to take care of brahmachAris and sannyAsis. They are
ought to welcome unexpected guests with great devotion and care for them
properly. nammAzhwAr glorifies properly situated gruhasthAramam life in
thiruvAimozhi 8.10.11 as "nalla kOtpAttulagangaL ... nalla pathaththAl manai
vAzhwAr koNda peNdir makkaLE" ( ...
). This padhigam
(decad) "nedumARkadimai" is to establish the importance and glories of
kainkaryam to bhAgavathas. At the end of this padhigam, nammAzhwAr says
that the ones who are focussed on serving the devotees of srIman nArAyaNan,
will have wonderful gruhasthAsrama life focussed on such kainkaryam and will

thus lead a glorious life in this material world itself. Here, nampiLLai beautifully
identifies an important principle - he says ideal family means, when the husband
wants to serve srIvaishNavas, the wife and children would also follow such
thought and serve along instead of having each one having self-centered
interests. nampiLLai also highlights the incident in the life of selva nambi as an
example. selva nambi who was greatly admired by periyAzhwAr is highlighted in
the vyAkyAnams by our pUrvAchAryas as an ideal gruhastha. Once, when he
was away, some srIvaishNavas visit his home where his wife welcomes them.
But she realized she ran out of rice to prepare some prasAdham for them. So,
she brings out the pack of paddy which was preserved for next year's farming
(this is considered as very precious since the whole livelihood for the next year
depends on that). She breaks the paddy, extracts the rice and gives a big feast to
the visitors. When selva nambi returns and finds the paddy sack is empty, he
enquires his wife about that. She says "I have sowed them now and they will be
reaped in srIvaikuNtam" meaning "I have given them to srIvaishNavas and its the
most apt kainkaryam". Hearing this selva nambi becomes extremely joyful - such
was the dedication of selva nambi and his wife. nampiLLai also highlights
thoNdanUr nambi, echchAn, etc as ideal examples of living the proper family life
serving devotees all the time.
 Next is vAnaprastham (couple living in seclusion in forest). At a certain age
(50+), couples retire from their regular life in village/town/city and go into
seclusion and start living in a forest. Why is this needed? Because, when we are
engaged in routine matters with family, children, relatives, etc., we may become
too mechanical and miss out on focussing on bhagavAn in total. One of the
important aspects in life is to meditate on bhagavAn constantly. That is facilitated
by minimizing ones needs and living in seclusion in a very simple manner. At this
stage, one lives in a simple hut, prepares very simple meals using the raw-
materials that are found in the forest, lives with minimum set of clothes and
engage the mind in meditating on bhagavAn for the rest of the time. It also gives
an opportunity to serve the rishis who lived in the forest. But in srIvaishNavam,
since the life was already simple, already centered around kainkaryam to
archAvathAra emperumAn and bhAgavathas and there was plenty of opportunity
to listen to the glories of bhagavAn through lectures, etc., and meditate on them,
vAnaprastham was never practiced in reality as a separate Asramam.
 The last stage is sannyAsam. At this stage, the man gives up all his attachments
and becomes an ascetic or a mendicant. sannyAsam means giving up ones
wealth, family, relatives, etc., and spend the time fully in bhagavath vishayam.
srIvaishNava sannyAsis are known to paramahamsa parivrajAka AchAryas.
paramahamsa means highly intelligent like swan which can separate milk/water
(sAram and asAram). Also, swans are known to live on swamps/muddy waters
yet not affected by that at all - similarly sannyAsis living in this material world
should still be unaffected by the worldly pleasure. Similar to bhramacharyam, the
guidelines towards brahma vidhyA and material enjoyment are to be properly

followed. parivarjAka AchArya means ones who travel around constantly and
preach the highest knowledge to every one. Not only they preach, they are also
seen as living examples of such high principles. Also, srIvaishNava sannyAsis
(unlike others) keep thridhaNda (3 sticks), kamaNdala (water pot), shikA (tuft),
yagyOpavItham (sacred thread), etc - unlike sannyAsis of other orders who give
up some of these two. yAdhava prakAsa (former teacher of srI rAmAnuja)
eventually accepts srI rAmAnuja as his AchArya and accepts sannyAsam from
srI rAmAnuja and gets a new name gOvindhAchArya. emperumAnAr then
instructs gOvindhAchArya to document the principles of sannyAsam as explained
in sAsthram and the result is "yathi dharma samuchchayam". Though sannyAsis
are not supposed to stay in a single place for more than 3 days, srIvaishNava
sannyAsis generally stay in a mutt (usually associated with a dhivya dhEsam
temple) and preach highest principles from there. Still, most sannyAsis take up
periodical yAthrAs (pilgrimage) to preach the supreme knowledge far and wide.
We have seen a bit about the Asrama system. While the Asrama is for the man, the
woman's life simply follows the man's stages of life. Generally, woman is cared by the
father until she gets married. After marriage, she is cared by her husband. Finally after
the departure of the husband, woman is cared by her children. This is the vaidhIka
system. Women are well cared for and they also play a very crucial role in the society
and household. Usually they learn the wonderful principles easily from their parents and
husband. They, in turn, start moulding the children at their early ages and prepare the
children for the future. As a wife, they assist the husband in their kainkaryam. Whether it
is thiruvArAdhanam or athithi sathkAram (taking care of guests), she is always
participating in such kainkaryams with the husband. Naturally, being in a serene
environment, they develop great intelligence and thorough understanding of sAsthram.
It is said in dharma sAsthram, that whenever there is any doubt in our AchAram,
anushtAnam, etc., one should enquire the elderly woman in the family and get it clarified
- such was the importance and stature of women of vaidhIka families. kUrathAzhwAn's
dharma pathni ANdAL, piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar's dharma pathni ponnAchiyAr,
kongilAchAn's dharma pathni kongil pirAtti, etc., were few of the well known
srIvaishNavis who were greatly glorified for their gyAnam, anushtAnam and kainkaryam.
There were many of them. With this introduction let us now move on to the actual
section.
 Considering oneself as purely belonging to a particular Asramam instead of

considering ones eternal servitorship to bhagavAn is an obstacle. Whichever
Asramam a person is in, the jIvAthmA's svarUpam (true nature) is to have
sEshathvam (servitude) and pArathanthriyam (total dependence). "dhAsa
bhUthAs svathas sarvE" is a common pramANam - this means all jIvAthmAs are
secondary/subservient to bhagavAn. This servitude is beginningless and eternal.
Translator's note: In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL

nAyanAr beautifully highlights the importance of kainkaryam over sAmAnya
karmAnushtAnam. In chUrNikai 31, he says "jAthyAsrama dhIkshaikaLil
bhEdhikkum dharmangaLpOlE aththANich chEvagaththil podhuvAnathu
nazhuvum" (ஜ
) - Just like certain
aspects of dharmam will be skipped based on ones varNam, Asramam and
specific vows, when one is engaged in confidential kainkaryams (services) to
bhagavAn/bhAgavathas, the common varNAsrama dharma anushtAnams
(practices) may be skipped during such kainkaryams. mAmunigaL's commentary
is most beautiful for this chUrNikai. He beautifully explains varNam, Asramam
and dhIkshai and then explains how such sAmAnya dharma anushtAnams
(routine activities based on ones own varNam and Asramam) will become
insignificant for a truly realized person. He finally concludes that, our
pUrvAchAryas still followed ones own varNa/Asrama anushtAnams out of great
compassion over others who may be misguided seeing them not performing the
same. So, we can clearly understand that when in kainkaryam we can clearly
skip/delay karmAnushtAnams. parAsara bhattar practically demonstrated this -
once when he was performing kainkaryam to namperumAL in the evening time,
when some one reminded him about sandhyAvandhanam, he says since we are
in kainkaryam we need not worry about that at that moment.
 Being proud that one is a uththamAsrami (sannyAsi) is an obstacle. When one
becomes a sannyAsi, many will fall at his feet, worship them and even glorify
them as "yathi" (mendicant), "jIyar swamy" (His Holiness), etc., since sannyAsis
lead austere life style. But one should not become proud on hearing such
glorifications - one should constantly think that they are servants of
bhagavAn/bhAgavathas and act accordingly.
 Not knowing that avaishNava Asrami (sannyAsi) is lower than svapacha is an
obstacle. Asrami here indicates sannyAsi. Since avaishNava sannyAsis give up
their sikA, yagyOpavItham, nithya karmAs like sandhyAvandhanam, etc., and
most importantly they do not accept ultimate supremacy of srIman nArAyaNa and
hence they must be considered as very fallen. svapacha means one who cooks
dogs and eats them - very fallen. Such avaishNava sannyAsis are called
pAshaNdis. Translator's note: In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa
perumAL nAyanAr explains the glories of bhAgavathas in great detail. He also
derides people who are simply focussed on varNam and Asramam instead of
understanding the essence of such varNAsramam dharmam is to have devotion
towards srIman nArAyaNa. In 86th chUrNikai, he explains that such varNam,
Asramam, gyAnam and anushtAnam which does not focus on bhagavAn is
useless. In this, he says a sannyAsi who lacks devotion is lower than a
svapacha. mAmunigaL beautifully explains each aspect with pramANam from
sAsthram. He quotes "svapachOpi mahIpAla vishNubhakthO dhvijAthika: vishNu
bhakthi vihInasthu yathichcha svapachAdhama" (

ஜ :
) - When a svapacha is fully devoted to vishNu, he is to be
considered greater than a twice-born (brAhmaNa in this context) and even a
sannyAsi, if he is not devoted to vishNu, he is to be considered lower than a
svapacha. Same principle is explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram in sUthram 217.
 Not having dhAsya prathipaththi (service/kainkaryam attitude) in ones own
Asrama is an obstacle. Similar to first point. Translator's note: For
srIvaishNavas, whatever karmA is done, they become part of kainkaryam. piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains this in mumukshuppadi sUthram 271 "karmam
kainkaryaththilE pugum" ( ) - for prapannas,
all activities that are done according to sAsthram will count as service to
bhagavAn. So, our karmAs should be done with such service attitude.
 Treating/Honoring others contrary to their Asramam is an obstacle. Offering
water to wash ones hands, legs, etc., are to be done for all srIvaishNavas. But
sandalwood paste, flowers, betel leaves/nuts, etc., should not be offered to
brahmachAris and sannyAsis. There are other principles like this in relation to
ones Asrama that need to be considered. Translator's note: piLLai
lOkAchAryar, in his srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, explains bhagavath
apachAram in detail in sUthrams 303 and 304. One such apachAram identified
there is "varNAsrama viparIthamAna upachAram" (
) - activities that are contrary to varNAsrama dharmam while honoring
others. Since varNAsramam is established by sAsthram and is very dear to
srIman nArAyaNan, one must adhere to the guidelines given in that. mAmunigaL
gives a couple of nice examples for such activities - sUdhras reciting vEdha
manthras (that can only be recited by brAhmaNa, kshathriya and vaisya) to honor
others, sannyAsis offering (and partaking) betel leaves/nuts, etc. So, one must
carefully avoid indulging in activities that are forbidden for their particular varNa
and Asrama,
 Even after understanding the highest principles, having fear in giving up
sAmAnya dharmam is an obstacle. We have discussed this in detail already.
Once we understand the true nature of jIvAthmA as an eternal servant,
kainkaryam takes precedence over karmAnushtAnam automatically.
 Indulging in activities that are contrary to ones own Asramam is an obstacle. One
should avoid engaging in activities that are contrary to their Asrama. For
example, it is said that sannyAsis should give up any connection to agni (fire)
and hence they become disqualified to (directly) participate in any hOmam,
yagyam, etc. They should not also engage in cooking which involves fire. They
should also not offer betel leaves/nuts, etc to their thiruvArAdhana perumAL
(personal deities worshipped by them). Translator's note: For each Asrama,
there are several restrictions - brahamachAris and sannyAsis are suppose to live

an austere life. brahmachAris should be focussed on gaining knowledge and
serving their AchArya - anything contrary should be avoided. gruhasthas should
be focussed on performing bhagavath/bhAgavatha/AchArya kainkaryams,
assisting sannyAsi, etc - anything contrary should be avoided. sannyAsis should
be focussed on propagating divine knowledge to everyone and helping others
spiritually - anything contrary should be avoided. Naturally, all bhAgavathas
(irrespective of varNam/Asramam) should be engaged in
bhagavath/bhAgavatha/AchArya kainkaryam - anything contrary should be
avoided.
 Not giving up such obstacles that are contrary to ones Asrama is an obstacle.
Already explained in detail.
 Considering oneself great due to oneself being a sannyAsi and shying away from
AchArya kainkaryam is an obstacle. nanjIyar being a sannyAsi served parAsara
bhattar who was a gruhastha. Similarly, pinbhazhagiya perumAL jIyar served
nampiLLai. ponnadikkAl jIyar served azhagiya maNAvALan (maNavALa
mAmunigaL in his times before accepting sannyAsam). These incidents show the
importance of sishyas serving AchAryas irrespective of the Asramam they belong
to. Translator's note: nanjIyar became a sannyAsi yet served bhattar with great
devotion. Once when he was going to carry the palanquin in which bhattar was
sitting. At that time he says if this thridhaNdam (3 sticks carried by sannyAsis)
come in the way of my service, I will break this and throw it away. pinbhazhagiya
perumAL jIyar was greatly attached to nampiLLai and performed very menial
kainkaryams to him. ponnadikkAl jIyar became a disciple of azhagiya
maNavALan (mAmunigaL in his pUrvAsramam) - he accepted sannyAsam even
before mAmunigaL - yet he served mAmunigaL with great joy. These incidents
highlight that sishyas, even if they are sannyAsi should serve their AchArya even
if the AchArya is a gruhastha.
 One should learn and understand the scope of ones own Asramam and conduct
oneself with in the boundaries of their Asramam. Already discussed in detail.

pariharangal.html.

68. jAthi virOdhi (ஜ ) - Obstacles in ones jAthi/varNam (birth)
emperumAnAr serving thirukkachi nambi who was serving dhEva perumAL in thyAga
maNdapam (kAnchIpuram)
jAthi nowadays has become more associated with brAhmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya and
sUdhra (varNam). But we should understand this is not actually truth. Actually, jAthi
relates to dhEva (godly), manushya (human), thiryak (animals - growing horizontally)
and sthAvara (plants) birth/body. jAthi relates to the type of body (species) and is not for
the AthmA (soul). thiryak means animals/birds - the sub-categories include ones that
could fly, ones that walk, ones that crawl, ones that live in water, ones that live in land,
ones that live in forest, ones that live in towns, etc. sthAvara includes trees, plants,

shrubs, bushes, creepers, etc. Height (tall, short), Color (black, red), etc., does not
distinguish different species. In bhagavath gIthA, kaNNan emperumAn explains that all
4 varNams are created by him and they are classified by ones qualities and actions.
The topic discussed in this section is very confidential and intrinsic. We will try to
present it as simple as possible. The aspects that are discussed in rahasya granthams
like srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, etc., are only explained here. We can
recollect the words of mAmunigaL "Ar vachana bhUtaNaththin Azh poruLellAm aRivAr?
Ar athu chol nEril anuttippAr?" (
? ? - Who can fully understand
the meanings of srIvachana bhUshaNam? Who can follow such instructions fully?). With
this in mind we can go into this section.
Translator's note: jAthi has different meanings. Generally it relates to different species
- dhEva, manushya, thiryak, sthAvaram. But beyond this, jAthi is occasionally related to
varNam also in some places (since it also relates to type of birth in a particular family).
Overall, jAthi relates to body and birth. For example, dhvija means twice born
(brAhmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya) - every one is said to be born as sUdhra and through
the upanayana samskAra they become dhvija. After upanayanam, all dhvijas
(brAhmaNa, kshathriya and vaisya) become eligible for brahma gyAnam through vEdha
adhyayanam (study of vEdhas). It is not that one randomly chooses to become a
brAhmaNa, kshathriya and vaisya. Generally, one is born in a particular family based on
ones previous karmA (not randomly). So, if some one is born in a brAhmaNa family,
they are given an opportunity to become a brAhmaNa. Once they become a brAhmaNa,
they need to uphold their principles. One must study vEdhas properly from an AchArya
and act according to the principles of vEdhas as learnt from the AchArya. This is how
one can maintain their brAhmaNyam (quality of being a brAhmaNa). Similarly, each
varNam members engage in their own activities to uphold varNAsrama dharmam which
is said to be very dear to srIman nArAyaNa and is established for the proper functioning
of the society and to help everyone progress spiritually. The main activities of different
varNams are:
 For a brAhmaNa, 6 main activities are identified. adhyayanam (study of vEdhas),

adhyApanam (teaching vEdhas to others), yajanam (performing yagya for self),
yAjanam (performing yagya for others), dhAnam (giving charity), parigraham
(receiving charity).
 For kshathriyas, adhyayanam (study of vEdhas), yajanam (performing yagya for
self) and dhAnam (giving charity) are only applicable - teaching vEdhas to others,
performing yagya for others and accepting charity are not applicable. But in place
of those, they have to handle weapons, protect the citizens and administer the
nation.
 For vaisyas too, adhyayanam (study of vEdhas), yajanam (performing yagya for

of those, they have to engage in farming, tending of cows, businesses, etc.
 For sUdhras, they simply assist the other 3 classes of people in their activities.
The above principles are nicely explained by mAmunigaL in vyAkyAnam of azhagiya

maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr's AchArya hrudhayam 31st chUrNikai.
In AchArya hrudhayam 33rd chUrNikai, nAyaNar beautifully compares this second birth
(dhvija) with another second birth - which is one becoming a vaishNava through pancha
samskAram. Just like the second birth of body facilitates one to be engaged in vaidhIka
karmAs, pancha samskAram facilitates the second birth of AthmA to be engaged in
proper servitude to srIman nArAyaNa (and his devotees). Though AthmA is eternal,
through the learning thirumanthram (asthAksharam), the jIvAthmA truly understands his
real nature as an eternal servant of srIman nArAyaNa. mAmunigaL beautifully explains
in the commentary of this chUrNikai, where gAyathri manthram (mother of all
manthrams) is facilitating one becoming a brAhmaNa and thirumanthram (mother of all
gAyathri manthram) is facilitating one becoming a vaishNava. brAhmaNa is called
karma nishta (one who is simply focussed on karmA) and vaishNava is called dhAsa
bhUtha (one who is fully focussed on servitude). Subsequently, nAyanAr explains the
many differences between the two categories - karma nishtas and dhAsa bhUthas.
Also in the 37th chUrNikai, nAyanAr explains that just like ones brAhmaNyam (being a
brAhmaNa) is established by studying of vEdham, understanding its meanings and
practicing the principles outlined in vEdham, ones vaishNavathvam (being a
vaishNava) is established by learning thiruvAimozhi (and other dhivya prabandhams)
from an AchArya directly, understanding its meanings through instructions from an
AchArya and practicing the principles in ones life.
In this section, the importance of being a vaishNava or a prapanna (one who is

surrendered to srIman nArAyaNa) and the qualities that are important for vaishNavas
are explained in depth. With this introduction, let us move on to the section.
 Not having mahA visvAsam (100% faith) on bhagavAn's protection which is

essential for all three types of prapannas namely agyar (the ignorant),
gyAnAdhikar (one who is very learned) and bhakthi paravasar (one who is fully
immersed in devotion) is an obstacle. prapanna means one who is surrendered
to bhagavAn totally accepting only him as upAyam. All of these 3 types of
prapannas explained here need to have mahA visvAsam (total faith) and this
mahA visvAsam is called the jAthi dharmam (the unique/distinct quality that
identifies the particular entity). mahA visvAsam means having full confidence in
bhagavAn to whom we have surrendered that he will protect us and eventually
uplift us. A little bit more on the three types of prapannas (Translator's note: In

srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this 3 types
of prapannas beautifully in sUthrams 41 onwards. We can simply understand and
appreciate the most humble nature of our pUrvAchAryas like piLLai lOkAchAryar
when he includes himself in the category of agyar (ignorant) in sUthram 43 -
even though he is the most learned scholar. mAmunigaL beautifully explains that
piLLai lOkAchAryar includes himself in that list out of naichyAnusandhAnam
(humility and considering oneself as very lowly). mAmunigaL's vyAkyAnam for
this sUthram is very crisp and easy to understand).
o agyar means one who does not have crystal-clear knowledge about
svarUpam (true nature), upAyam (means), upEyam (goal), etc. We
ourselves are good examples for this category. These are the ones who
have given up self-effort (karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams which are
explained in sAsthram as processes to reach bhagavAn) due to lack of
clear knowledge and ability. As explained before, we ourselves are good
examples for this category.
o gyAnAdhikar means one who is fully clear about these principles like
svarUpam, upAyam, upEyam, etc and is able to explain the same to
others. One who is full in gyAnam (knowledge) and anushtAnam
(practice). Our pUrvAchAryas are good examples. They were greatly
knowledgable and fully capable to pursue self-effort, but realising that
engaging in self-effort is contrary to the subservient nature of jIvAthmA,
they fully gave up any engagement in self-effort (pursuing karma, gyAna,
bhakthi yOgams as upAyam) and were fully surrendered to bhagavAn.
o bhakthi paravasar means one who starts melting out of pure devotion
towards bhagavAn as soon as hearing/thinking about bhagavAn. AzhwArs
are good examples for this category. Though AzhwArs were fully blessed
by bhagavAn with clear knowledge, due to their overwhelming love and
devotion towards bhagavAn, they were simply and naturally unable to
engage in any self-effort. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 5.8.8
"kaLaivAy thunbam kaLaiyAthozhivAy kaLaikaN maRRilEn" (
) - Whether
you remove my hurdles or not, I have no other refuge - you have to protect
me. He also says, in thiruvAimozhi 5.8.3, he says "unnAlallAl yAvarAlum
onRum kuRai vENdEn .. una thAL pidiththE selakkANE"
( ..
) - I do not want anything from any
one other than you ... I will always depend on your lotus feet.
 Behaving contrary to manushya dharmam (basic principles of humanity) is an
obstacle. The special ability for humans is kruthya akruthya vivEkam (wisdom to
discriminate between what is to be done and what is not to be done).
Accordingly, this human life/body should be properly used. sAsthram says idham
kuru (do this, this will be beneficial) and idham mAkArshI: (do not do this, this will

be detrimental). One needs to understand and try to follow it in ones life.
Civilization and humanity means thinking that "everyone should live peacefully
and happily" - such good-hearted nature is necessary for everyone. Much more
is not needed. Behaving contrary to this is an obstacle. Translator's note:
Before going into the wonderful srIvaishNava qualities, one should often think
about basic humanity and behave in a dignified manner towards everyone.
Civilized behaviour means living by principles and dignity (not living by desires
and sense-gratification). Also, It is said that AhAra (eating), nidhra (sleeping),
bhaya (protection/community living) and maiththuna (sex/family life) is common
for all living being. For ants, cats, dogs, donkeys, humans and all living beings,
these 4 principles exist in one form or other. The special ability for humans is to
be able to seek out for salvation from this cycle of birth/death. That can be
understood from sAsthram which is learnt from learned AchAryas. At the time of
creation, bhagavAn mercifully gives body and senses to jIvAthmAs. He also
reveals the sAsthram through brahmA, rishis and AzhwArs. Using the senses,
humans can understand the principles and engage their body in kainkaryam. If
this is done, there is surely spiritual progress for the jIvAthmA. If this is not done,
then it is such as a waste of the wonderful opportunity that was given in the form
of human body.
 Self-effort in uplifting oneself is an obstacle. Starting here, prapanna dharmam
(the ideal behaviour/guidelines of prapanna) is discussed. A prapanna should be
fully surrendered to bhagavAn and should not engage in self-effort ever. This is
contrary to the true-nature of jIvAthmA that is sEshathvam (total
servitude)/pArathanthriyam (total dependence). Translator's note: Being totally
dependent on bhagavAn means giving up self-efforts at all cost. It does not mean
that one sits idle and not do anything. It means that one engages in kainkaryam
but always thinks that as kainkaryam (result) instead of an activity to achieve
something else.
 To seek out for purification/contamination before performing prapaththi is an
obstacle. prapaththi is a mental state (of accepting bhagavAn as the total refuge).
It does not require a specific place, time, state (pure/impure), etc., and can be
pursued as it is. When dhraupathi was in great danger of being humiliated she
called out "hA krishNa! rakshamAm saraNAgathAm" (krishNa! protect this
surrendered soul) lifting up her both hands with full faith - even though she was
going through her menstrual period - and surely she was protected by kaNNan
emperumAn. Similarly, when vibhIshNan came to surrender unto srI rAma, he did
not take a bath even though he was right on the sea - he surrendered to srI rAma
from the sky. When one is pure or impure, one can surrender unto bhagavAn in
that same state. There is no need to change ones state before performing
prapaththi. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram,
prapaththi is discussed in detail. In sUthram 30, the same principle is explained
beautifully. mAmunigaL beautifully clarifies an important point here. While it is
understandable that one need not seek out to purify oneself before performing

prapaththi, one may wonder why it is said that one should not seek out for
impurity to oneself before performing prapaththi. mAmunigaL himself raises this
question and explains that seeing dhraupathi and arjuna (in the previous
sUthram, arjuna is explained to have heard the sacred principles of saraNAgathi
amidst the ones who are very inferior/lowly - those who fought against
dharmam/righteousness even after seeing krishNa himself helping arjuna), one
may think that "I should probably become impure so that I become well qualified
to perform prapaththi". But that is also not required and should not be done.
Basically, mAmunigaL is explaining that one should not engage in nishidhdha
(forbidden/prohibited) actions knowingly in any case. In the next sUthram, a
beautiful quotation of nampiLLai is highlighted in this connection. When srI rAma
himself performed prapaththi (surrender) to samudhra rAja (king of oceans) to
get assistance to cross over to lankA, he bathes first. nampiLLai explains that it
was natural for srI rAma to take bath to do anything - it was not done as part of
his prapaththi. So, we can understand that prapaththi is an independent upAyam
(means) which does not depend on any other pre-requisite in the individual who
is performing that.
 Giving up nithya karmAnushtAnams which are natural for ones who have
servitude towards bhagavAn is an obstacle. It is common rule that nithya karmAs
are to be observed. They are to be observed as bhagavadh AgyA kainkaryam
(that what is ordered by bhagavAn). We have no right to give up our daily routine
karmAs (such as sandhyA vandhanam, etc). We have already discussed a lot on
this topic. Meditate on that and be clear. In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram, 82nd sUthram, it is said that "thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn sva
vyApAraththai vittAn" (
) - thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn gave up all his
personal activities. He was situated at the top of mahA visvAsam (total faith) and
thus gave up all self-efforts. In upadhEsa raththina mAlai pAsuram 55,
mAmunigaL explains that "ellArkkum aNdAthathanRO athu" (
) - the principles explained in srIvachana bhUshaNa
dhivya sAsthram are fully followable only by a few. Translator's note: Please
read thirukkaNNamangai ANdAn vaibhavam at
http://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/thirukkannamangai-andan/.
mAmunigaL explains in the vyAkyAnam that ANdAn gives up activities related to
self efforts and was fully engaged in kainkaryam. As far as nithya
karmAnushtAnams are concerned, as long as there is no intervention in
bhagavath kainkaryams, they must be performed on time without fail. But when
we are engaged in bhagavath kainkaryam, nithya karmAnushtAnams can be
delayed/skipped as necessary. This is explained by azhagiya maNavALa
perumAL nAyanAr in AchArya hrudhayam 31st chUrNikai "...aththANich
chEvakaththil podhuvAnadhu nazhuvum" (...

) - when engaged in confidential service to
bhagavAn/bhAgavathas, common rules gets skipped. mAmunigaL beautifully
explains that our pUrvAchAryas performed all nithya karmAnushtAnams
(whenever applicable) without fail out of great compassion towards people of this
world who may go astray seeing vaidhIkas give up vaidhIka anushtAnams.
 Living with persons who are not engaged in performing nithya karmAnushtAnams
is an obstacle. Even srIvaishNava sannyAsis (unlike other orders of sannyAsam)
should maintain sikA (tuft), yagyOpavIdham, etc., and perform nithya
karmAnushtAnams. It is said that emperumAnAr gave arghyam (water offerings)
as part of his sandhyAvandhanam standing up even when he was at the ripe age
of 120 years. Translator's note: If this is the case for sannyAsis what to speak
of others like gruhasthas, brahmachAris, etc - they must perform their respective
karmAnushtAnams. When one lives around such persons who do not perform
their karmAnushtAnms properly, one may also become influenced with such
attitude. That is why it is recommended that such type of association is avoided.
 Not knowing that being born again in thirumanthram is the best birth is an
obstacle. Taking birth in thirumanthram means gyAna janmA (birth of knowledge)
- acquiring divine wisdom on the true nature of oneself. thirumalai ananthAzhwAn
says to nanjIyar "thirumanthraththilE piRanthu dhvayaththilE vaLarnthu
dhvayaika nishtarAvIr" (
) - you should take birth in thirumanthram, grow in
dhvaya mahA manthram and become totally faithful in dhvayam alone.
Translator's note: When nanjIyar accepted sannyAsam and travels to
srIrangam to be with his AchArya parAsara bhattar, he meets ananthAzhwAn on
the way. At that time, ananthAzhwAn chides (chastises) nanjIyar for accepting
sannyAsam and says he could have instead simply stayed as a gruhastha and
continued to serve his AchArya with total faith in dhvaya mahA manthram. We
have already seen nAyanAr's explanation of gyAna janma in 33rd chUrNikai of
AchArya hrudhayam in this article's introduction section.
 Not knowing that being born again in other manthrams will affect ones svarUpam
adversely is an obstacle. In the previous point, initation by thirumanthram is
explained - this includes dhvaya mahA manthram and charma slOkam as well
since they are expansions/explanations for thirumanthram. Here other
manthrams could be considered as manthrams relating to dhEvathAntharams.
Translator's note: In mumukshuppadi, right at the beginning, piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains the glories of thirumanthram over other manthrams. First
he explains that greatness of te three top most manthrams - thirumanthram
(ashtAkshari), vAsudhEva manthram (thiru dhvAdhasAkshari) and vishNu
manthram (sadakshari). Even among those three, thirumanthram is considered
to be greater since it explains the nature of artha panchakam - jIvAthmA (soul),
paramAthmA (supreme lord), upAyam (means), palam (goal) and virOdhi
(hurdles) in a pristine manner. Since thirumanthram (dhvayam and charama

slOkam included) reveals artha panchakam more clearly than any other
manthram, it is the top most manthram and so, other manthrams are not to be
pursued.
 Not knowing that "kOyilil vAzhum vaishNavan" (
- one who serves/lives in srIrangam) is the most important
identity for oneself is an obstacle. kOyil generally means srIrangam. This is as
per the orders of namperumAL (srIranganAthan) to emperumAnAr (srI rAmAnuja)
- "yAvachcharIrapAdham athraiva srIrangE sukamAsva" (
) - Happily live in srIrangam for the rest of
your time in this world. Since this would not be possible for everyone, it should be
considered to be including all dhivya dhEsams. vaishNavan here means one who
is faithful in dhvaya mahA manthram. faithful means having clear knowledge and
practically following what is learnt. srIvaishNavas should conduct themselves so
that they are identified as "parama sAthvikar" (purest), "parama prAmANikar"
(most authoritative), etc. Please refer to the vyAkyAnam for thirumAlai 38th
pAsuram - "... kAmbaRath thalai chiRaiththu un kadaith thalai irunthu vAzhum
chOmbarai ugaththi ..." (...
...). Translator's note: thirumAlai 38th
pAsuram is glorified by periyavAchAn piLLai as "detailed explanation of dhvaya
mahAmanthram". Mainly in this part of the pAsuram highlighted here, the
importance of disengaging oneself from upAyAntharams (self-efforts) fully is
emphasised. Giving up ones hair indicates giving up ahankAram (ego/pride) -
since in ancient times, to punish/insult some one their hair is cut off. Similarly one
should fully give up self-effort and totally depend on bhagavAn for protection.
Such person is explained as "chOmbar" (lazy person). But one should also be a
"vAzhum chOmbar" (lively/blissful lazy person) - one who fully realizes ones true
nature, gives up self-efforts, fully engages in kainkaryam (service to
bhagavAn/bhAgavathas) and be blissful due to that. Such persons are as dear as
nithyasUris to srIman nArAyaNa as well.
 Not knowing that any identify/name/fame that one gets due to their native place,
clan/family they belong too, etc., are useless is an obstacle. In srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, in sUthram 78 this point is explained -
"grAmakulAdhigaLAl varum pEr anarththa hEthu" (
). grAmam means village/town. kulam means
clan/family. Since such identity will lead to pride (for example: "I am born in such
dhivya dhEsam" or "I am born in this great AchArya purusha family") and will
eventually lead to vanquishing ones true nature of being a humble srIvaishNava.
In the next sUthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar quotes a pramANam from srI
pAncharAthram to support his statement. "EkAnthI vyapathEshtavyO naiva

grAmakulAdhibi: vishNunA vyapathEshtavyas thasya sarvam sa Eva hi"(
:
) - One who is fully
surrendered to bhagavAn is not identified by his birth-place or family in which he
was born. He is identified by his relationship (as a humble servant) with
bhagavAn. For such devotee, bhagavAn himself is his birth-place, family, etc.
 Not knowing that prapanna jana kUtasthar (the fountain head of surrendered
persons) is parAngusa, etc., is an obstacle. kUtastha is usually used to denote
the person who is considered as the first person (main ancestor) of a particular
family tree. In AchArya hrudhayam chUrNikai 36, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL
nAyanAr explains "viprarkku gOthra saraNa sUthra kUtasthar parAsara
pArAsarya bhOdhAyanAdhigaL; prappanna jana kUtasthar parAngusa parakAla
yathivarAdhigaL" (
; ஜ
) - For brAhmaNas, the main ancestor (based on their
gOthra (genetic), saraNa (part of vEdham they must study), sUthra (part of
sAsthram that directs the karmAnushtAnams)) can be traced to rishis (sages) like
parAsara, vyAsa, bhOdhAyana, etc; for srIvaishNavas who have taken to the
path of saraNAgathi, parAngusa (nammAzhwAr), parakAla (thirumangai
AzhwAr), yathivara (srI rAmAnuja) are the principle authorities from whom the
ancestry is arrived at. While performing vadhIka karmAnushtAnams, one may
have to perform praNAmam (obeisances), abhivAdhanam (introducing oneself by
reciting ones ancestry in relation to the rishis, ones association with a particular
vEdha sAkA (branch), ones association with particular sUthram, ones own
name), etc. But for prapannas, they always need to identify oneself with AzhwArs
and AchAryas, since they are the ones who revealed the true nature of jIvAthmA
as the fully surrendered servant of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas.
 Considering rishis who are still attached to family life and who eat leaves as ones
ancestors even after becoming a srIvaishNava is an obstacle. Translator's note:
In AchArya hrudhayam chUrNikais 58 to 62, the differences between rishis
(sages) and nammAzhwAr are wonderfully highlighted. chUrNikai 58 - rishis are
the ones who engage in dhyAnam, yOgam, etc., and elevate oneself to a highly
intellectual state through their self efforts. But nammAzhwAr was divinely blessed
by bhagavAn himself and due to full realization of bhagavAn's qualities, he
became overwhelmed with love and devotion towards Him. chUrNikai 59 - rishis
were greatly knowledgable, yet they were attached to materialistic desires (there
were many examples were great sages were repeatedly caught in materialistic
desires and eventually would come out of that state, only to get caught again).
But nammAzhwAr was totally detached from any materialistic desire. chUrNikai
60 - rishis lived in forests and sustained themselves by eating raw-vegetables,
fruits, leaves, water and even air at times due to their highly renunciate life style.

But nammAzhwAr sustained himself by meditating on krishNa all the time - he
himself says in thiruvAimozhi 6.7.1 "uNNum sORu parugum nIr thinnum veRRilai
ellAm kaNNan" (
) - my food, water, betel leaves are all krishNa. chUrNikai
61 - The sorrow that they go through in separation of their children (vyAsa had
great sorrow when sukha, his son, left him alone and went away) is felt by
nammAzhwAr in separation of bhagavAn. chUrNikai 62 - though rishis are greatly
realised, at times they reveal their attachment towards palAtharam (goal other
than kainkaryam), sAdhanAntharam (self-efforts - means other than bhagavAn)
and dhEvathAntharam (allegiance to other dhEvathas). But AzhwAr was fully
focussed on kainkaryam to bhagavAn as the goal, accepting bhagavAn as the
only upAyam and accepting bhagavAn as the only worshippable deity. Because
of these differences between rishis and AzhwArs, prapannas should always
allege their ancestry to AzhwArs and AchAryas.
 Not learning thiruvAimozhi thoroughly which makes one a real srIvaishNava and
following the principles explained in it properly are obstacles. In AchArya
hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr explains in chUrNikai 37
"adhyayana gyAna anushtAnangaLAlE brAhmaNyamAgiRAppOlE
chandhangaLAyiramum aRiyak kaRRu vallArAnAl vaishNavathva sidhdhi"
(
) - Just like a brAhmaNa's

brAhmaNyam (true nature of being a brAhmaNa) is established by propely
studying vEdham and following the principles, a vaishNava's vaishNavathvam
(true nature of being a vaishNava) is established by properly studying
thiruvAimozhi and following the principles explained in it. Here aRiya ( )
means learning thiruvAimozhi through an AchArya; kaRRu ( ) means
learning bhagavath vishaya kAlakshEpam (vyAkyanams) from an AchArya; vallAr
( ) means one who is able to practically implement the principles learnt
in ones own life. In thiruvAimozhi 5.5.11, nammAzhwAr says "aRiyak kaRRu
vallAr vaittaNavar Azhkadal gyAlaththuLLE" (
) - one who has learnt
thiruvAimozhi, its meanings and also practicing it is considered as a vaishNava in
this world.
 Not knowing that ones varNam which could lead to pride and cause one to
engage in bhAgavatha apachAram should be given up is an obstacle.
Irrespective of ones varNam, a vaishNava means one should engage in
kainkaryam to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas. Being proud for being in born in an
(so-called) elite varNam will absolutely lead to bhAgavatha apachAram and thus

such attitude should be completely given up. When emperumAnAr visited
thirumalai, periya thirumalai nambi (emperumAnAr's maternal uncle and
AchArya) himself came out and welcomed him. When emperumAnAr asked why
he did not send some one else, he answered "When I look around I could not find
any one lower than me" - that was his humility. Translator's note: In srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, this topic is discussed in detail in sUthrams 207 to
217. In sAsthram, generally brAhmaNa varNam is hailed as uthkrushtam
(superior) due to the constant engagement in study of vEdham which is fully
speaking about bhagavAn. But being born in brAhmaNa family and practising
brAhmaNyam could by themselves lead to pride (which is contrary to vaishNava
philosophy). So, piLLai lOkAchAryar establishes that "the birth which causes
pride" is actually inferior. Also, being a brAhmaNa (kshathriya, vaisya too), one
has the opportunity to engage in upAyantharams (other upAyams such as karma,
gyAna, bhakthi yOgams which require one to be eligible to perform vEdha
adhyayanam). Thus, in the end, he declares that "the birth which facilitates
humility and avoids upAyAntharams completely is actually the superior birth". In
AchArya hrudhayam, chUrNikai 85, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr
explains this principle in great detail. This is a very complicated aspect -
mAmunigaL's vyAkyAnam should be properly heard as kAlakshEpam under a
qualified AchArya to get absolute clarity on this aspect.
 Not understanding that the varNam that facilitates one to engage in
upAyAntharams (other means) and requires one to assume humility (instead of
having natural humility) is inferior is an obstacle. In srIvachana bhUshaNam
sUthram 215, piLLai lOkAchAryar says "naichyam janma sidhdham" (
ஜ ) - humility is a natural attribute. For the jIvAthmA, naturally he is
an eternal servitor of bhagavAn. Whichever varNam one is in, one should
naturally have that humility instead of assuming it. nammAzhwAr also says in
thiruvAimozhi 1.2.3 "nIr numadhu enRivai vEr mudhal mAyththu..." (
...) - you should fully vanquish your
ahankAram (pride) and mamakAram (proprietorship). Translator's note: In
srIvachana bhUshaNam sUthram 215, it is explained that for sUdhra varNam,
naichyam (humility) which is required for true devotion/faith, is a natural quality
for them and due to them being ineligible to study vEdham, they have absolutely
no engagement in upAyAntharams - thus they are greatly qualified to become a
vaishNava. But this is not the case for other varNams as explained previously.
So, irrespective of ones varNam, one should fully give up pride and become a
humble servant of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas.
 Not knowing that the birth that completely dis-engages one from upAyAntharams
and facilitates natural humility is superior is an obstacle. As explained previously,
one should aspire for natural humility and complete surrender to bhagavAn - only
such persons qualify to be a true vaishNava.

 Not knowing that inferior persons defects can be vanquished by superior persons
divine vision itself is an obstacle. When great vaishNavas glance at some one
with compassion, all the defects are removed from such persons who are seen.
When a srIvaishNava boy who went astray returned purified, his father asked
"Were you seen/blessed by kUrathAzhwAn?" - such is the power of pure
vaishNavas which can remove all blemishes and inauspiciousness.
 Without having removed the defects like pride, etc., mingling with pure
vaishNavas and causing them trouble is an obstacle.
 Having doubts in srIvaishNavas who are hailed as touch stones (that which
converts copper into gold) and their abilities to purify others are obstacles. Pure
srIvaishNavas are called touch stones irrespective of their varNam. One should
never doubt their purity and their ability to purify others. We can remember that
emperumAnAr himself used to hold on to piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar (who is not
a brAhmaNa) for support after taking bath. So, there is no doubt absolutely about
their purity.
 Not knowing that such great gyAnis are as good as ones own AchArya and
greater than bhagavAn is an obstacle. Ones who are fully realized in bhagavath
vishayam, irrespective of their varNam, family, etc - they should be honored at
par with ones AchArya. They are even greater than emperumAn. In periya
thirumozhi 8.10.3, thirumangai AzhwAr says "nin thiruvettezhuththum kaRRu
yAnuRRathu unnadiyArkku adimai" (
) - After learning thirumanthram, I
have understood that I am the servant of your servants. Generally, bhAgavathas
are to be worshipped more than bhagavAn. Translator's note: nammAzhwAr, in
thiruvAimozhi 8.10 "nedumARkadimai" ( ) padhigam,
establishes that bhAgavathas are his masters and in 3.7 "payilum chudaroLi"
( ) padhigam, establishes that bhAgavathas are his object of
kainkaryam (service). In 3.7.1 itself he says "payilum chudaroLi mUrththiyaip
pangayak kaNNanai payila iniya nam pARkadal chErndha paramanai payilum
thiruvudaiyAr yavarElum avar kaNdIr payilum piRappidai thORu emmai ALum
paramarE" (
) - Whoever it is, if he worships the most radiant bhagavaAn who has

lotus eyes and who is lying down in milk ocean, such person can fully
command/control me birth after birth. In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram,
this principle of AchArya sAmyam and greater than bhagavAn is explained from
sUthram 222. Here, he explains that since ones AchArya himself will guide the
sishya to treat other srIvaishNavas as good as himself, all srIvaishNavas are to
be treated at part with AchArya. Further, he explains that srIvaishNavas are

greater than bhagavAn himself. mAmunigaL beautifully explains many aspects in
his vyAkyAnam to establish this point. He says unlike bhagavAn who at times
engages the jIvAthmA based on his karmA in this samsAram, srIvaishNavas out
of compassion directs him towards mOksham only. Unlike bhagavAn who
expects purushakAram (recommendation) of thAyAr while jIvAthmA surrenders,
srIvaishNavas simply accept whoever approaches them. Unlike bhagavAn who
stays in dhivya dhEsams in archA form where he has vowed not to interact with
anyone generally, srIvaishNavas engage with others according to their nature
and engages them in appropriate kainkaryams. Thus srIvaishNavas are glorified
even more than bhagavAn.
 Being a vaishNava and engaging with dhEvathAntharams (even by smell or
touch) is an obstacle. dhEvathAnthara sambandham (relationship with other
dhEvathais) is a major blot for vaishNavas. It will eventually destroy the
vaishNavathvam (quality of being a vaishNava). So, it must be completely
avoided. Translator's note: We have already seen many incidents in relation to
this. Once during puRappAdu (procession) of namperumAL, it rains heavily and
namperumAL is taken into a maNdapam which is part of thiruvAnaikkAval siva
temple. But, emperumAnAr himself refuses to enter the maNdapam saying
"perumAL being the owner of everything, he can enter anywhere. but we are
servants of perumAL only, so we wont enter into dhEvathAntharam related
places". piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar's nephews who were staunch srIvaishNavas
once were tricked to offer obeisances to a jain temple which looked like vishNu
temple. Once they realize their mistake they faint at once and only get their
conscious back after applying the dust of the lotus feet of piLLai uRangA villi
dhAsar on their forehead. parAsara bhattar once doubts that an avaishNava
might have come in contact with him and feels great anxiety. Based on his
mother's advice, he accepts srIpAdha thIrtham of an abrAhmaNa srIvaishNava
and purify himselves. There are many such incidents where our pUrvAchAryas
have completely avoided dhEvathAnthara sambandham.
 Following practices of other births which ruins ones faith in our sampradhAyam is
an obstacle. When one is born as a vaishNava (through pancha samskAram)
one should give up attachment to practices of other sects. For example, one
should not apply basmam (ashes), etc. Such following of other sects will impact
ones own faith in vaishNava sampradhAyam. Translator's note: This can also
be seen as highlighting the aspect of following svadharma (ones own dharma).
For example, a vaishNava, if he is a brAhmaNa, he should follow his own rules
and regulations instead of following the practices of kshathriya or vaisya.
Whatever varNam one is in, one can be in that same varNam and still be a
vaishNava and manifest his natural humility, devotion, servitude, etc., and be
respected as well. One need not and should not attempt to change their varNam
since such disrespect of sAsthram will lead to chaos only. Our pUrvAchAryas
have also emphasised on giving importance to both vaishNavathvam and

varNAsrama dharmam as necessary/applicable while conducting oneself. This
has been already discussed in previous sections.

pariharangal.html.

emperumAnAr who is glorified as the crown-jewel of AchAryas
69. Aptha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in understanding of trustworthy

principles.
Aptha means trustworthy person/aspect or well-wisher. One who seeks out for the well-
being of others without looking for favours for oneself is generally called Aptha - best
amongst friends. nammAzhwAr hails thirumOgUr perumAL as thirumOgUr Aththan in

thiruvAimozhi 10.1.6. Aththan is the thamizh equivalent word for Apthan. Translator's
note: In this section, there is discussion about those aspects which are for the well-
being of the prapanna - this includes understanding ones nature properly,
understanding the importance of bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchArya, etc.
 Ignoring ones who are attached to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas is an obstacle.

Any one who is attached to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas - we should consider
them as our well-wishers and treat them nicely. Translator's notes: krishNa
himself explains in gIthA 7.19 "bahunAm janmanAm anthE gyAnavAn mAm
prapadhyathE | vAsudhEva sarvam ithi sa mahAthmA su dhurlaba: ||"
( ஜ |
: ||) - After several
births, one who acquires real knowledge surrenders to me. Such person who
understood vAsudhEva as every thing (means, goal, etc) is a great person and is
rare to find. Similarly, bhagavAn himself explains the eight special qualities of a
vaishNava. Among those, the first quality of a vaishNava is "madh bhaktha jana
vAthsalya" - Having attachment towards his devotees. That too, the term
"vAthsalya" is used by emperumAn here. vAthsalya means motherly
affection/forbearance - just like a mother will love her child irrespective of the
defects in the child, a vaishNava should care for other vaishNavas without
looking at their faults/defects. Thus from these 2 pramANams, we can
understand the importance of treating vaishNavs who are attached to bhagavAn
and bhAgavathas nicely. It is also understood that ignoring vaishNavas is equally
bad as it shows disrespect towards them.
 Pampering/Showing attachment to ones who are not attached to
bhagavAn/bhAgavathas is an obstacle. This is related to the previous point. We
should not show attachment towards ones who are materialistic in their outlook
and actions. Translator's note: In srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram,
piLLai lOkAchAryar explains the dhinacharyA of a srIvaishNava. Among several
things he identifies "ahankAra arththa kAmangaL mUnRum anukUlar pakkalilE
anAdharaththaiyum, prathikUlar pakkalilE prAvaNyaththaiyum,
upEkshikkumavargaL pakkalilE apEkshaiyum piRappikkum" (
,
,
). mAmunigaL gives beautiful a
explanation for this section. Three important points are discussed here. Let us
see them one by one. 1. srIvaishNavs are anukUlars (favourable ones) - they are
our masters. When we see them, we should have great reverence towards them
and stand up immediately with great respect. But, ahankAram (considering
oneself as independent) will lead to ignoring them. Since ahankAram (pride) will

lead one to consider oneself as great and stop him/her from respecting others. 2.
Materialistic persons are prathikUlars (unfavourable ones). arththam means
material wealth. When we start desiring for wealth, we will be ready to go and
praise anyone to acquire such wealth. Thus this desire for material wealth, fame,
etc., will lead to respecting and showing attachment towards unfavourable
persons. 3. Lusty women (opposite sex generally) are upEkshikkumavar (one
who dont care for our desires). apEkshai means desire. When lust rises in
oneself, even though the woman does not care for him or even insult him in
public, one will be shameless to go behind her giving up all his dignity to get her.
Thus, one should be aware of these 3 pitfalls and avoid them carefully.
 Having svakIya svIkAra nishtai (faith in self-effort) is an obstacle. When we
pursue something, pursuing it with the thought that "This is mine, I am pursuing it
with my own effort" is to be avoided. Since everything is owned by bhagavAn,
one should consider everything is bhagavath prasAdham (bhagavAn's mercy),
AchArya prasAdham (AchArya's mercy). Translator's note: In prapaththi
(surrender), two types are explained - svagatha svIkAram and paragatha
svIkAram. svagatha svIkAram is the surrender that is done with emphasis on self
effort. paragatha svIkAram is the surrender that is done with bhagavAn's krupA
(mercy). Of these two, our pUrvAchAryas have emphasised on accepting the
path of paragatha svIkAram which is simply acknowledging that bhagavAn is the
ultimate protector and he is uplifting us with his krupA. It is fitting for the jIvAthmA
to surrender to bhagavAn since that is the natural position of jIvAthmA to be
surrendered to bhagavAn.
 Indulging in svaprayOjana pravruththi (efforts that are done to satisfy the desires
of self) is an obstacle. One should not focus on self-satisfcation and one should
always seek out for others upliftment and well-being. Translator's note: As said
in "vichithrA dhEha sampaththir IsvarAya nivEdhithum, pUrvamEva kruthA
brahman hasthapAdhAdhi samyuthA" (
,
), when the jIvAthmA is in a subtle state (during layam) just like matter
(intelligence fully subdued) without any senses/body and not being able to
engage in worldly enjoyment or efforts towards emancipation, the most merciful
sarvEsvaran, blesses the jIvAthmA with senses/body to begin the process of
approaching bhagavAn's lotus feet. The jIvAthmA, instead of using the
senses/body to approach bhagavAn to be uplifted, as said by nammAzhwAr in
thiruvAimozhi 3.2.1 "annAL nI thantha Akkaiyin vazhi uzhalvEn", goes by the
bodily/sensual pleasures, just like a person who was given a raft to cross the
river goes with the flow of the water and falls into ocean, the same senses/body
that were given to the jIvAthmA to be uplifted from this samsAram were used to
engage in samsAram more and more. thiruvarangathu amudhanAr also explains
the same principle in rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi pAsuram 67 "mAyavan thannai
vaNanga vaiththa karaNam ivai" (

) - bhagavAn has given this body to jivAthmAs to worship him.
Serving other bhAgavathas is also an important aspect for oneself. Thus one
should understand the real purpose of this birth and perform accordingly.
 Just having sEshathva (servitude) gyAnam and not having pArathanthriya (total
dependence) gyAnam is an obstacle. Athma's nature is in two stages:
sEshathvam - Being ready to satisfy the desires of the master; pArathanthriyam
- satisfying the desires of the master. Actually fulfilling the true desire of the lord
is to be understood as more important than merely waiting to serve the master.
Here we can recollect bharathAzhwAn who took up the task of ruling the
ayOdhyA kingdom in the absence of srI rAma for 14 years, even though he
wanted to accompany srI rAma at first.
 Being an enjoyer and not being the enjoyed is an obstacle. bhOgyam - enjoyed,
bhOkthA - one who enjoys. srIvaishNavas should consider themselves to be the
object of enjoyment for bhagavAn. It is very essential to understand that the
whole existence of oneself is for the satisfaction/joy of bhagavAn. Such
understanding is very important to have. Considering oneself to be the enjoyer is
contradictory to the fact of oneself being the object of satisfaction for bhagavAn.
Translator's note: azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr explains in AchArya
hrudhayam chUrNikai 21 "sEshathva bhOkthruthvangaL pOlanRE pArathanthriya
bhOgyathaigaL" (
) - pArathanthriyam (total dependence) and bhOgyathaigaL
(being the enjoyed) is higher than sEshathvam (servitude) and
bhOkthruthvangaL (being enjoyer). mAmunigaL here beautifully identifies that
sEshathvam is like gold brick (valuable yet can only be used after changing the
shape/form) and pArathanthriyam is like gold ornament (is in use as it its). This is
a very deep principle and should be understood from an AchArya through
kAlakshEpam method.
 Considering the joy deriving out of being the enjoyed as ones own is an obstacle.
nammAzhwAr declares in thiruvAimozhi 2.9.4. "thanakkEyAga enaikkoLLumIthE
chiRappu" ( ) - bhagavAn
having me for his full pleasure only is the best. Our sEshathvam (servitude) and
pArathanthriyam (total dependence) must exist solely for the happiness seen in
bhagavAn's face. Translator's note: kulasEkara AzhwAr explains this in
perumAL thirumozhi 4.9 "padiyAyk kidanthu un pavaLavAy kANbEnE"
( ) - I will be a foot step at
the entrance of your sannidhi (like achith which has no intellect) and reciprocate
the pleasure (as chith which has intellect) when I see the joyful smile in your lips.
(Translator's note: This is the highest principle of our sath sampradhAyam called
"achithvath pArathanthriyam" - being like achith at the full disposal of bhagavAn
yet reciprocating pleasure like jIvAthmA when bhagavAn reveals his joy). This
principle (of eradicating self-centered pleasure) is explained in "nama:" in the

second part of dhvaya mahA manthram. ALavndhAr explains the same principle
in his sthOthra rathnam 46 "kadhA ... praharshayishyAmi" ( ...
) - longing to bring pleasure for emperumAn. When
jIvAthmA reciprocates bhagavAn's pleasure, bhagavAn becomes fully pleased.
His pleasure is the sole objective of our kainkaryam. Considering any other way
is an obstacle.
 Not knowing that since the true nature of jIvAthmA is to exist for the pleasure of
bhagavAn, the underlying qualities are also focussed on the pleasure of
bhagavAn only is an obstacle. jIvAthmA's real disposition is to exist for
bhagavAn's pleasure - being a property of bhagavAn. The underlying essence is
to be a true servant of bhagavAn. For such persons who have realized that,
naturally, such servitude will be manifested through performing kainkaryam,
showing total dependence, etc. As shown in thiruvAimozhi 2.9.4. "thanakkEyAga
enaikkoLLumIthE chiRappu" ( ),
one should constantly serve for the pleasure of bhagavAn. Translator's note: As
said in "akinchithkarasya sEshathva anupapaththi:" (
:) - ones true nature of servitude can only be sustained
by engaging in (atleast) small kainkaryams (devotional service).
 Not considering the AchArya who reveals the principles that are not known to us
as bhagavAn himself is an obstacle. As said in thiruvAimozhi 2.3.2 "aRiyAdhana
aRiviththu aththA!" ( !) - the eternally related
one who revealed unknown experiences in bhagavath vishayam, bhagavAn is
the prathamAchArya (first AchAryan). Our AchArya is to be considered as the
human form of bhagavAn. Not having full faith on such AchArya and not
considering him as bhagavAn himself are obstacles. Translator's note: Please
read http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/2013/06/anthimopaya-nishtai-12.html - this
article explains in detail, how AchArya is considered as bhagavAn himself.
 Not having total faith on charama parvam (AchArya) being the ultimate means
and goal is an obstacle. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in srIvachana bhUshaNa
dhivya sAsthram, sUthram 447 "AchArya abhimAnamE uththArakam" (
) - Being in the shelter/mercy of AchArya is the
ultimate means for our salvation. Here, it is to be understood that one should be
in a position where AchArya considers sishya as "He is my dear sishya". In
sUthram 446, piLLai lOkAchAryar says "AchAryanaiyum thAn paRRum paRRu
ahankAra garbhamOpAdhi kAlan koNdu mOdhiramidumApOlE"
(
) - Even while pursuing AchArya,
if it is svagatha svIkAram (sishya pursuing the AchArya through self effort) is
contrary to the nature of jIvAthmA, since such pursuing is happening out of

pride/independent nature. It must be the AchArya who mercifully blesses the
sishya (the sishya should constantly think like that only). If it is done with pride
from the sishya, it is like making a beautiful golden ring and accepting it from the
kAla (yamadharma - controller of death).

pariharangal.html.

70. anAptha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in understanding of

untrustworthy principles
vaduka nambi was greatly devoted to emperumAnAr without any consideration for
himself
anAptha (untrustworthy persons/aspects that are unfavourable for oneself) is the

opposite of Aptha (trustworthy persons/aspects that are favourable for oneself). The
matters discussed in this section also reflects the same principle. Translator's note:

This section is really a continuation of the previous section. What is unfavourable for the
spiritual nature/progress of the jIvAthmA is discussed in this section.
 Having faith in upAyAntharams (karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams as the means to

achieve eternal kainkaryam to bhagavAn) which are contrary to prapaththi (total
surrender) is an obstacle. AzhwArs explained and practiced total surrender to
bhagavAn as the only means to achieve eternal kainkaryam to bhagavAn.
Different processes such as karma yOgam, gyAna yOgam, bhakthi yOgam, etc.,
are focussed on self-effort and are thus contrary to the true nature jIvAthmA who
is eternally sub-servient to bhagavAn. Thus, having faith in such upAyAntharams
are unfavourable and not apt for the true nature of jIvAthmA. Translator's note:
Our AzhwArs/AchAryas have fully established that total surrender to bhagavAn is
the only means to achieve eternal kainkaryam to him. piLLai lOkAchAryar
explains this principle in the second prakaraNam of srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram. In sUthram, he first starts with saying that we give up upAyAntharams
due to them being contrary to the nature of our total dependence on bhagavAn
and not due to ones lack of knowledge and ability. In the subsequent sUthrams,
he explains this principle in great detail. He also himself raises a question in
sUthram 127 that "why vEdhAnthams highlight these as upAyams?". He himself
answers that just like when someone with a disease is treated, they (mother, etc.,
with care) mix the medicines in food-items that are dear to them, here sAsthram
(which is like mother in caring for jIvAthmA) mixes bhagavAn (who is the real
medicine) with upAyAntharams (that are based on self-effort and due to their
nature of involving self-effort they are dear to jIvAthmAs who have been in
samsAram from time immemorial). mAmunigaL beautifully explains that just like
the medicine itself is the real cure and not the additional food-items, similarly,
bhagavAn is the real upAyam (means) to relieve oneself from samsAram and the
upAyAntharams are never going to be real upAyam. He also explains when the
medicine is mixed with other food-items, it will take longer to cure the disease.
Similarly, going through the karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams, it will take a lot
longer to be relieved from the clutches of samsAram. But approaching
emperumAn directly is like taking the medicine directly to cure the disease - the
result will be immediate. In the subsequent sUthrams, many wonderful meanings
are revealed by piLLai lOkAchAryar and mAmunigaL - it would be greatly
worthwhile to listen to these in kAlakshEpam method from an AchArya.
 Even after knowing that having friendship with unfavourable persons is to be
given up, being in dilemma that what if we have to mix with them is an obstacle.
One must have strong conviction that any connection with unfavourable persons
is to be given up. Translator's note: Here unfavourable persons generally mean
those who are attached to dhEvathAntharams, materialistic pursuits and ones
who are constantly engaged in bhagavAth, bhAgavatha, AchArya apachArams.

Because these kinds of people will influence our thoughts also to become like
them eventually.
 Having attachment in ulterior benefits that are hurdles for the ultimate goal is an
obstacle. Anything that is contrary to eternal kainkaryam to bhagavAn for his
pleasure alone is called prayOjanAntharam. Such ulterior motives should be
given up. Translator's note: Our ultimate goal is to serve bhagavAn in
paramapadham eternally for his pleasure alone. Other goals such as
materialistic/sensual pleasures, serving dhEvathAntharams, serving materialistic
persons, kaivalyam - enjoying the self, serving bhagavAn for the pleasure of the
individual self, serving bhagavAn with pride, etc., are all unfavourable for the true
nature of jIvAthmA and thus be given up.
 Having faith in dhEvathAntharams which is contrary to the principle of srIman
nArAyaNan being the only worthy/worshippable deity is an obstacle. For a
vaishNava, srIman nArAyaNa being the only worshippable deity is an important
principle to understand and follow. dhEvathAnthara bhajanam (worshipping) is
contrary to that principle and thus should be given up. Translator's note: srIman
nArAyaNan being the supreme lord himself, established many many dhEvathas
to conduct the worldly activities and also for the worshippers who are of thAmasa
(passion) and rAjasa (ignorance) nature so they too can slowly evolve spiritually.
Otherwise atheism will become abundant. But for his pure devotees who are full
situated in sathva guNam (goodness), he alone is worshippable. Being a
vaishNava means being fully faithful to srIman nArAyaNan and his pure devotees
and worship them alone.
 Having faith in manthrams that are contrary to the principles explained in dhvaya
mahA manthram is an obstacle. dhvaya mahA manthram is to be constantly
recited and meditate upon by srIvaishNavas due to its sweetness and depth of
meanings. Due to the related/explanatory nature, rahasya thrayam
(thirumanthram - ashtAksharam, dhvaya mahA manthram and gIthA charama
slOkam) is indicated here by highlighting dhvaya mahA manthram. Thus rahasya
thrayam is to be pursued by srIvaishNavas. Any other manthrams - mainly
manthrams related to dhEvathAntharams are to be totally given up. Translator's
note: In mumukshuppadi, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains the glories of
thirumanthram. He first explains that manthrams related to srIman nArAyaNan
are of two types - vyApakam (those which explain bhagavAn's omni-presence)
and avyApakam (those which explain bhagavAn's other qualities that are
revealed in his different forms). He highlights that vyApaka manthrams
(nArAyaNa, vAsudheva, vishNu) of greater significance since they are
highlighted in vishNu gAyathri. He further says that since vishNu gAyathri starts
with nArAyaNa manthram, that is the greatest of all vishNu manthrams. He
further says nArAyaNa manthra is complete in explaining all the essential
meanings which is lacking in other manthrams. Here essential meanings implies
artha panchakam (the five entities/principles, i.e., jIvAthmA (soul), paramAthmA
(God), upAyam (means), upEyam (goal) and virOdhi (hurdles)). He further goes

on to explain that nArAyaNa manthram is very dear to vEdham, rishis, AzhwArs
and AchAryas. dhvaya mahA manthram is simply the explanation of nArAyaNa
manthram and charama slOkam is further explanation of the same principles.
Thus, rahasya thrayam is main focus of mumukshus (those who are desiring for
mOksham - eternal kainkaryam to srIman nArAyaNan in paramapadham).
 Having interest/attachment in worldly/sensual pleasures which are contrary to our
ultimate state of having attachment to bhagavAn alone and being enjoyed by
bhagavAn alone is an obstacle. bhOgyam - that which is enjoyed. jIvAthmA
performing kainkaryam to bhagavAn/bhAgavathas brings joy/pleasure to
bhagavAn. Seeing that joy in bhagavAn, the jIvAthmA also becomes blissful. Any
other worldly pleasure is simply a hurdle for jIvAthmA's natural postion.
Translator's note: kulasEkara AzhwAr declares in perumAL thirumozhi 4.9
"padiyAykkidanthu un pavaLavAy kANbEnE" (
) - Here, AzhwAr prays that he become the stepping
stone at the entrance of thiruvEnkamudaiyAn sannidhi (inner sanctum), but he
also wants to see the divine smile of thiruvEnkamudaiyAn. Being the stepping
stone is like being achith (which does not have gyAnam) but being able to see
the joy of bhagavAn means reciprocating the joy of bhagavAn. Since
reciprocation indicates presence of gyAnam, here the highest principle of
srIvaishNava sath sampradhAyam is revealed. That is, one should be as
controllable by the master as pure-matter would be, yet, one should reciprocate
the joy of the master which will bring greater joy to bhagavAn. It is also like taking
the position of an innocent child, who will let the father fully control him, yet, when
the father gives joy to the child, the child will reciprocate father's joy and that will
bring greater happiness in the father. Thus, ultimately, bhagavAn is the primary
enjoyer and jIvAthmA is the secondary enjoyer - that too enjoying bhagavAn's
joy.
 Focussing on bhandha sAsthram (studying literature related to materialistic
prosperity, wealth, progress, etc) which are contrary to mOksha sAsthram
(mOksham related literature) is an obstacle. mOksha sAsthram is that which
shows the path of performing eternal kainkaryam to bhagavAn. bhandha
sAsthram is that which will lead to repeated births in this samsAram in pursuit of
sensual pleasures, etc. One should focus on mOksha sAsthram and ignore
bhandha sAsthram.
 Having attachment to taking care of ones own body and bodily aspects which are
contrary to the ultimate goal of serving ones own AchArya is an obstacle.
charama kainkaryam - charama parva nishtai - ultimate service which is
considering "ones AchArya as everything and serving such AchArya". In
upadhEsa raththina mAlai, mAmunigaL explains in pAsuram 65 "AchAryan
chichchan Aruyiraip pENumavan thEchArum chichchan avan chIr vadivai
Achaiyudan nOkkumavan" (
) -

AchArya is to be fully focussed on the true nature of sishya (jIvAthmA) and
sishya is to be fully focussed on the body and the bodily needs of the AchArya
with great devotion. Since AchArya's daily material (bodily) needs (like food,
shelter, clothing, etc) is the responsibility of sishya, the sishya should have more
attachment towards that over his/her own bodily needs. Simply engaging in ones
own bodily well-being must be given up. Translator's note: upadhEsa raththina
mAlai brings out the essence of srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram.
mAmunigaL beautifully extracts the essence of the principles that are explained
by piLLai lOkAchAryar and presents them in very easy to understand thamizh
pAsurams. Focussing on AchArya and serving him is greatly emphasised by
piLLai lOkAchAryar and the same is eloquently explained by mAmunigaL here.

pariharangal.html.

71. sidhdhAntha virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in understanding of the

doctrine - part 1
periya perumAL - prathamAchArya

nammAzhwAr - emperumAnAr - piLLai lOkAchAryar - mAmunigaL
sidhdhAntham means established doctrine. In a particular subject matter, rejecting

faulty understandings and establishing the proper understanding is called
sidhdhAntham. Whatever doctrine that is presented by us, that must be in line with
vEdham, proofs that are shown in sAsthrams and the explanations given by the learned
scholars for the same. The proofs that are shown from sAsthram to establish our
doctrine are called pramANams. vEdham is accepted as eternal and blemishless
pramANam by all Asthikas (learned scholars who accept vEdham as the ultimate
authority). vyAsa bhagavAn's divine words are "vEdhAth sAsthram param nAsthi na
dhaivam kEsavAth param" (
- There is no scripture higher than vEdham and there is no God higher
than kEsava). param means supremacy which indicates "none/nothing equal or higher".
As explained in the first thaniyan (invocatory verse) of nammAzhwAr's thiruvAimozhi
"dhrAvida vEdha sAgaram" ( - the ocean of dhrAvida
vEdham - thiruvAimozhi), dhivya prabhandhams compiled by AzhwArs are also
considered at par with vEdham. The main principle established by this doctrine is
"nArAyaNa param bramha thathvam nArAyaNa: para: ... yachcha kinchith jagath yasmin
dhrusyathE srUyathEpicha, anthar bahis cha thath sarvam vyApya nArAyaNas sthitha:"
( : : ... ஜ
,
: - nArAyaNa is the supreme brahmam, he is the supreme
principle ... whatever is seen/heard of in this universe, he is manifesting both inside and
outside of everything). This means he exists as the in-dwelling soul inside each object.
He also holds them all by being the abode (outside) of everything. With this, let us enter
this section now. Translator's note: Our sidhdhAntham is named as visishtAdhvaitha
sidhdhAntham - purely a vaidhIka sidhdhAntham (doctrine based on vEdham,
vEdhAntham, etc). This sidhdhAntham is eternal and ever-existing. Sages like

parAsara, vyAsa, bhOdhAyana, tanka, dhramida, etc., first propagated the full meanings
of this. Subsequently, AzhwArs appeared and propagated dhrAvida vEdham which also
reflects the essence of vaidhIka principles. srI rAmAnuja wrote detailed commentaries
for brahma sUthram and bhagavadh gIthA. He also explained the main principles of
upanishadhs in his other works. srutha prakAsikAchArya was one of the main AchAryas
who explained srI rAmAnuja's works in detail. AzhwArs pAsurams were explained in
detail through many commentaries. nampiLLai was one of the main AchAryas who
brought out some of the most intricate meanings of the divine pAsurams of AzhwArs.
His disciples periyavAchAn piLLai and vadakku thiruvIdhi piLLai fully assisted him in his
efforts to bring out the divine meanings of nammAzhwAr's thiruvAimozhi. piLLai
lOkAchAryar and azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr beautifully brought out the
essence of thiruvAimozhi and documented them in many wonderful rahasya granthams
(confidential literature). maNavALa mAmunigaL wrote wonderful commentaries for
these rahasya granthams and also delivered wonderful discourses linking dhivya
prabhandham, vEdhAntham and rahasya granthams. Thus, this sidhdhAntham was
nurtured by many great scholars over several generations in history. The main principle
in this sidhdhAntham is, there are 3 entities - chith (innumerable jIvAthmAs), achith
(unlimited matter) and Iswara (the supreme lord). Here, Iswara (the single independent
supreme lord) and chith (sentients)/achith (insentients) - have two important
relationships. First is sarIra/sarIri bhAvam - i.e., bhagavAn is the in-dwelling soul (sarIri -
that which has sarIram/body) of all chith and achith and they (chith and achith) in turn
are bodies for bhagavAn. Second is visEshaNa/visEshya bhAvam - i.e., bhagavAn is
the one (visEshya - object) who has chith and achith as his attributes (visEshaNa). So,
put together, bhagavAn with chith/achith is said to be a distinctive entity which has no
second entity similar to him. Also, srIman nArAyaNa is established as the supreme lord
through various pramANams from sAsthram. In this section, there are many in-depth
principles are revealed. Lot of these need prior knowledge of some of the basic
principles of vEdham, vEdhAntham, etc. This is a very lengthy section too. Let us now
go into the section and learn more on this subject.
 Accepting pramANams that are contrary to vaidhIka sidhdhAntham (doctrines of

vEdham/vEdhAntham) is an obstacle. Principles that are explained in a contrary
manner to the established doctrine of vEdham, whoever may explain it, such
contrary principles should not be accepted. Translator's note: There is an
important point to understand in this aspect. One must understand that that there
is sAsthram and sAsthra thAthparyam (essence). Learned scholars like our
pUrvAchAryas would eloquently explain the principles with pristine understanding
on both sAsthram and sAsthra thAthparyam. For example, varNAsrama
dharmam (division of the society based on class and order) is greatly
emphasised in sAsthram. But there is also bhagavath kainkaryam (confidential
service to bhagavAn) and bhAgavatha dharmam (dealings with bhAgavathas)
which are explained in sAsthram. Here our pUrvAchAryas have understood the

essence of sAsthram and explained both varNAsrama dharmam and bhagavath
kainkaryam/bhAgavatha dharmam with fine balance. They have highlighted the
importance of both and yet established that bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam
takes higher precedence over plain varNAsrama dharmam (without proper
understanding of the purpose of the same). This is a very good example to
understand the brilliance of our pUrvAchAryas clearly establishing the doctrine.
 Not understanding that whatever explained in vEdham is self-evident even if it is
contrary to prathyaksham, etc., is an obstacle. pramANa generally means proof.
Our pUrvAchAryas have explained 3 pramANams - prathyaksham (direct
perception through senses - vision, touch, sound, smell and taste), anumAnam
(inference based on prior knowledge - for example, when we see smoke we
understand that there is fire - this is based on previously seeing fire and smoke
together), sabdham (vEdham along with its ancillary literature which explain the
principles of vEdham in detail). Among these, vEdham is explained to be svatha:
pramANam ( : ) - self-evident (proof in itself) - without any
question, the principles are accepted as it is. It is explained as "unquestionable
authority". Just like accepting the existence of God, Asthika means one who fully
accepts the authority of vEdham. Translator's note: vEdham/sAsthram is mainly
for jIvAthmAs. Amongst the three entities explained before, bhagavAn is already
sarvgaya (omnicient - one who knows everything) and so does not need
vEdham. achith (matter) lacks knowledge and so vEdham is of not any use to
matter. But for jIvAthmAs, vEdham is the guidelines to conduct their life and to
progress spiritually upwards, ultimately to salvation (eternal kainkaryam to
bhagavAn). vEdham/sAsthram is explained to be having 1000 times more
care/attention on jIvAthmAs than a mother would have on her child. Whatever is
explained in vEdham is purely for the well-being of the jIvAthmAs to help them
progress spiritually. So, even if there are certain things which may seem contrary
to our direct perception, we must accept vEdham and fully abide by that. For
example, sAsthram says one is to fully focus on bhagavAn on EkAdhasi (11th
day from full moon and no moon days) and avoid food, materialistic pursuits, etc.,
on such days. One may wonder why should sAsthram trouble me by restricting
me from eating (by perception, fasting is difficult for many to follow) - but here, if
we understand that sAsthram is helping us to evolve us to a higher spiritual
platform, we will fully accept the principle explained in sAsthram and attempt to
follow the same.
 Not having full faith in smruthi, ithihAsams, purANams, etc., which elaborately
explain the meanings of vEdham and vEdhAntham is an obstacle. vEdha upa
bruhmaNam - these are the ancillary literature that help us understand the
principles of vEdham. These include smruthi, ithihAsams, purANams, etc.
smruthi is the collection of literature that were written keeping the principles of
vEdham in mind. ithihAsams - epics - historical documents - srI rAmAyaNam and
mahAbhAratham. purANams include srI vishNu purANam, etc. One should have
strong conviction that all of these are strong pramANams (proofs). bhagavAn

himself says "sruthis smruthir mamaivAgyA, AgyAchchEthI mama dhrOhi, madh
bhakthOpi na vaishNava:" ( ,
, : - sruthi and
smruthi are my orders, one who defies them are traitors. Even if he is my
devotee, he would not be considered as a vaishNava). sruthi (vEdham), smruthi,
ithihAsams, purANams, etc are all collectively called as sAsthram. kaNNan
emperumAn also declares in bhagavadh gIthA 16.24 "thasmAth sAsthram
pramANam thE" ( - therefore sAsthram
is to be fully understood/accepted as pramANam). Translator's note: piLLai
lOkAchAryar begins srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram as "vEdhArththam
aRudhiyiduvadhu smruthi ithihAsa purANangaLAlE" (
- the meaning of
vEdham is explained firmly by smruthi, ithihAsams and purANams). mAmunigaL
gives a classic explanation to start with. He says pramAthA (AchArya -
preceptors) needs to establish the pramEyam (goal) through pramANam (proof -
scriptures). He goes on to beautifully establish how vEdham is the ultimate
pramANam. So, one first needs to know what is the ultimate pramANam and try
to understand that through the ancillary literature by hearing from proper
preceptors. Subsequently, mAmunigaL explains further the many different
ancillary literature that are listed here and explain how they are valuable to help
us understand the meanings of vEdham properly. This must be properly studied
and understood and will give us a great understanding of this fundamental
principle.
 Not knowing that among the various ancillary literature, those portions that speak
about sAthvika (goodness) aspects that are absorbed/accepted by sAthvikas
(people in the mode of goodness/righteousness) are the main pramANams
(proofs/evidences) is an obstacle. Amongst the upabrumhmaNam (ancillary
literature), especially purANams, those aspects that are in sAthvika mode are
prime pramANams. There are sections with rAjasa (passion) and thAmasa
(ignorance) aspects. Those are to be ignored. Translator's note: In mathsya
purANam, it is stated that "yasmin kalpEthu yath prOktham purANam brahmaNA
purA, thasya thasyathu mAhAthmiyam thath svarUpENa varNyathE" (
,
) - purANams were revealed
by brahmA, in glorification of dhEvathAs who are of sAthvika (goodness), rAjasa
(passion) or thAmasa (ignorance) nature, whenever (whichever time period)
whichever quality (sathva/goodness, rajas/passion, thamas/ignorance) is
predominant in brahmA. This slOkam is highlighted by mAmunigaL in the
vyAkyAnam of 3rd sUthram of piLLai lOkAchArya's srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram. From this we can understand that purANams need to be understood in

context of the particular section and our pUrvAchAryas (who are pure sAthvikas)
gave more importance to the sAthvika portions of the purANams. sAthvika
portions of purANams speak fully about srIman nArAyaNa and his glories. This is
the prime focus of vaishNavas.
 Not knowing that sAthvika aspects relating to rAjasa/thAmasa personalities are
anupadhEyam (not acceptable) for sAthvikas is an obstacle. In the purANams
that are focussed on brahmA, siva, lingam, etc., who are rAjasa/thAmasa
personalities, the sAthvika portions are to be accepted. Here in the source text it
is said as anupAdhEyam (not acceptable) - but it is likely a typo and should be
upAdhEyam (acceptable). In thiruvAimozhi 6.10.8 nammAzhwAr glorifies
sAthvika quality of siva as in "nuNNuNarvin nIlAr kaNdaththammAnum"
( - siva who is most
knowledgable and who helped the entire universe by swallowing the poison and
thus having bluish neck). Here AzhwAr glorifies siva since he came to worship
thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn when his sathva guNam (quality) was predominant. Also,
the famous pramANa slOkam "vaikuNtEthu parE lokE ... AsthE
vishNurachinthyAthmA" is seen in linga purANam - this slOkam is recited during
thiruvArAdhanam during manthra pushpam everyday by srIvaishNavas.
 Not having full conviction in aruLi cheyal (dhivya prabhandham) that it is
blemishless as it is without any division of sAthvika, rAjasa, thAmasa, etc., since
it is fully sAthvika and was fully accepted by the most saintly pUrvAchAryas is an
obstacle. dhivya prabhandhams of AzhwArs who were divinely blessed by
srIman nArAyaNa with pure knowledge and devotion towards him are the purest.
Since these were accepted and pursued by the most saintly pUrvAchAryas, there
is no scope for finding any fault in them. Strong conviction in this principle is very
necessary for srIvaishNavas.
 Not being fully confident that the divine words of pUrvAchAryas are the most
authentic for sAthvika persons is an obstacle. Just like AzhwArs were blessed by
srIman nArAyaNa, pUrvAchAryas were blessed by AzhwArs. Their instructions
are to be accepted fully and glorified. Translator's note: In dharma sAsthram, it
is said that "dharmagya samayam pramANam vEdhAs cha" - The thoughts/views
of great personalities are authority, vEdham is an authority too. Here dharmagya
means to "One who knows dharmam" - for us sidhdha dharmam (established
righteous principle) is bhagavAn and thus dharmagya refers to AzhwArs and
AchAryas who were fully aware about bhagavAn's nature, names, forms,
qualities, etc. So, we need to have total faith in the words of our pUrvAchAryas.
maNavALa mAmunigaL explains this aspect in upadhEsa raththina mAlai 36
"theruLuRRa AzhwArgaL chIrmai aRivArAr, aruLich cheyalai aRivArAr, aruL
peRRa nAdhamuni mudhalAna nam dhEsikarai allAl pEdhai manamE! uNdO
pEchu" ( ,
,
! ) - Who knows the

true glories of the fully knowledgable AzhwArs? Who knows the divine meanings
of dhivya prabandhams? Oh dear heart! Tll me if there is any one like our
pUrvAchAryas starting with nAthamunigaL who were divinely blessed by
AzhwAr(s)? There are so many incidents of our pUrvAchAryas that are recorded
in many granthams. We need to constantly study, hear, contemplate on those
and attempt to follow them with sincere devotion for the well-being of ourselves.
 Not having full faith in srI pAncharAthram which was spoken by srIman
nArAyaNa himself directly is an obstacle. One should not have even an iota of
doubt on the authenticity of srI pAncharAthra samhithAs which was directly
revealed by srIman nArAyaNa and is famously known as "bhagavath sAsthram".
It should be treated as good as vEdham itself. parmAchArya ALavandhAr
blessed us with a divine grantham named "Agama prAmAnyam" (Agama - srI
pAncharAthra Agamam) which establishes the authenticity of srI pAncharAthra
Agamam in detail.
 Not having full faith in the fact that all pramANams are focussed on bhagavAn's
svarUpam (true nature), names, forms, qualities, wealth, etc., is an obstacle. In
bhagavadh gIthA 15.15, kaNNan emperumAn declares "vEdhais cha sarvair
ahamEva vEdhya:" ( :) - the
whole of vEdham (sAsthram) is revealing about me only. The objective of the
whole vEdham is to glorify bhagavAn only. periyAzhwAr says in periyAzhwAr
thirumozhi 2.9.6 "vEdhapporuLE en vEnkatavA" (
- Oh vEnkatava who is the object/meaning of vEdham). Here
bhagavAn includes his true nature, forms, qualities, wealth, etc. Translator's
note: For the gIthA slOkam 15.15, emperumAnAr explains in his bhAshyam
(commentary) that just like when manu smrithi 12.9 says "sarIrajai: karma
dhOshai: yAthi stAvarathAm nara:, vAchikai: pakshi mrugathAm mAnasair
anthyajAthithAm" ( ஜ: : :,
: ஜ ) - When a man
hurts others physically through his hands, he becomes a tree; when he hurts
others through words, he becomes birds/animals and when he hurts others
through mind, he becomes a man of very low birth. Here though the different
types of body (human, plant, animal, tree, etc) is explained, ultimately it is talking
about the jIvAthmA's current action and resulting next birth. Similarly, whenever
vEdham talks about any dhEvathA like agni, vAyu, etc., ultimately it is only
talking about srIman nArAyaNa who is the in-dwelling soul of all entities. For the
periyAzhwAr thirumozhi pAsura vyAkyAnam, mAmunigaL quotes this same gIthA
slOkam and as hinted in the pAsuram itself, he beautifully explains "that object of
vEdham is visibly present as thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn in front of me".
 Not having the understanding that all words ultimately mean (point to)
paramAthmA who is always together with achith and chith is an obstacle.
brahmA hails srI rAma in srI rAmAyaNam as "bhavAn nArAyaNO dhEva: jagath

sarvam sarIram thE" ( :ஜ
) - You are nArAyaNa, the supreme God. All of this universe is your body.
Whatever that is seen, heard about, etc., they are all body of para brahmam
srIman nArAyaNa. He is manifested in jIvAthmAs directly and is manifested in
matter through jIvAthmA. Any thing which has name and form, such thing is
pervaded by bhagavAn from within. Translator's note: In vEdhArtha sangraham,
srI rAmAnuja explains that one who is learned in vEdhAntham will see bhagavAn
in everything. For example, when such person sees a goat, they will see the
jIvAthmA inside the goat and the paramAthmA inside the jIvAthmA. But one who
is not learned in vEdhAntham, they will simply see the goat, since he/she is not
familiar with the concept of thathva thrayam - chith, achith and Iswara.
 Not knowing that bhagavAn is the in-dwelling soul of everyone/everything is an
obstacle. Similar to previous point. Translator's note: In nArAyaNa sUktham its
explained that "anthar bhahis cha thath sarvam vyApya nArAyaNa sthitha:"
( :) -
everything is pervaded inside and outside by srIman nArAyaNa. Same principle
is explained by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 1.1.10 "parandha thaN paravaiyuL
nIr thoRum parandhuLan parandha aNdam idhena nila visumbu ozhivaRa
karandha sil idam thoRum idam thigazh poruL thoRum karandhengum
parandhuLan ivai uNda karanE" (
) - bhagavAn exists in small drops of cool

water of the ocean as comfortably as living in a huge universe all by himself.
Similarly, he lives in this earthly planet, higher planets, etc., and even in the
minutest of places and the jIvAthmAs that are present in such places. He is
present there even though such jIvAthmAs may not realize his presence. Such all
pervading lord consumes them all during samhAram (devolution) as well and
protects them by keeping them inside him.

pariharangal.html.


doctrine - part 2
emperumAnAr (srI rAmAnuja) - srIperumbUthUr - one who systematically propagated

our sidhdhAntham
We are continuing with this topic now. Most of these subjects require deep knowledge
which is acquired through systematic study of sAsthram. To have full and in-depth
understanding, it is best to learn these principles with the guidance of scholars.
 Per sAmAnAdhikaraNyam (which explains one visEshyam/substance with

multiple visEshaNam/attributes), ignoring the attributes and just accepting the
underlying substance is an obstacle. sukla pata: means white cloth. Here
substance is the cloth. whiteness is the inseparable attribute of that cloth. Such
inseparable attribute is called visEshaNam. Translator's note:

sAmAnAdhikaraNyam is defined as "binna pravruththi nimiththAnAm sabdhAnAm
Ekasmin
arthE vruththi:" (
:) - identifying the same substance with respect to multiple
words (and attributes/meanings). For example, in the case of white cloth - both
whiteness (being white) and clothness (being a cloth) are attributes of the cloth.
So, multiple aspects pointing to a single substance is called
sAmAnAdhikaraNyam. This is a very important principle to understand. This is
one of the most important principles for our visishtAdhvaitha sidhdhAntham.
brahmam is the visEshya (substance) and it is the AdhAra (support/base). chith
(souls) and achith (matter) are visEshaNa (attributes) and AdhEya (supported).
Substance and attributes are inseparable. Here some sidhdhAnthams ignore the
chith and achith and simply focus on brahmam. But that is not valid. In vEdhArtha
sangraham these principles are beautifully expounded in detail by
emperumAnAr. These must be heard as kAlakshEpam under proper AchArya to
get full understanding.
 Not knowing that such highlighting of the single brahmam (with attributes) is only
to emphasis the unique nature of brahmam (and not to make souls and matter
invalid/illusory) is an obstacle. EkavisEshaNa visishta aikyArththa param - About
a singular substance attached to its attribute. sruthi says "sa brahmA, sasiva:
sEndhra:" ( , : :). sa - "He" indicating "that
supreme purusha". He is brahmA, He is siva, He is indhra. Here this means,
brahmA, siva, indhra are the sarIra/visEshaNa (body, attribute) and srIman
nArAyaNa is the sarIrI/visEshya (soul/substance). Translator's note: There are
usually 3 parts identified in vEdham - bhEdha sruthi (that which speaks about
distinct entities), abhEdha sruthi (that which speaks about singular brahmam)
and gataka sruthi (that which links brahmam and other entities (chith/achith).
While other sidhdhAnthams may focus on bhEdha or abhEdha, visishtAdhvaitha
sidhdhAntham harmonizes the bhEdha and abhEdha sruthis using gataka sruthi.
Where there is emphasis on the singular brahmam, it is to be understood in
context of gataka sruthi which highlights the sarIra/sarIrI relationship and
visEshaNa/visEshya relationship between chith/achith and brahmam. In these
two points, mainly mAyAvAdham (the principle of accepting brahmam only and
declaring that everything else is illusory) is rejected. nammAzhwAr explains this
in thiruvAimozhi 8.8.8 - "kUdiRRAgil nalluRaippu" (
) pAsuram. In all the vyAkyAnams, similar principle is explained.
There is no way jIvAthmA is the same as brahmam (and there is nothing else).
Because one object cannot become another ever - jIvAthmA will be jIvAthmA and
paramAthmA will be paramAthmA.
 Not knowing that the rejection of manifoldness is to establish that there is nothing
that is independent of brahmam is an obstacle. nAnAthva nishEdham - Negation

of manifoldness. "EkamEva adhvidhIyam, nEhanAnAsthi kinchana:" (
, :) is present in sruthi. There is only
one - no second entity. nAnA - many are not there. Here manifoldness is
rejected. But this rejection is for entities that exist indpendent of brahmam. Since
brahmam is the antharAthmA (in-dwelling soul) of everything, everything is
pervaded by brahmam (sarvam brahmAthmakam). There is nothing that is not
pervaded by brahmam.
 Not knowing that negation of chith and achith during samhAram (annihilation) is
to indicate their subtle existence is an obstacle. samhAram is the third aspect of
the general activities related to the universe(s). srushti (creation), sthithi
(sustenance) and samhAram (annihilation) are the 3 aspects. During the
samhAram, chith (souls) and achith (matter) do not get completely destroyed.
They are eternal entities. They change from the gross state to a subtle state and
are consumed by supreme brahmam. During srushti (creation), they again are
given gross form by bhagavAn. Translator's note: This principle is nicely
explained by thiruvarangaththu amudhanAr in rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi 69th
pAsuram. "chinthaiyinOdu karaNangaL yAvum chithainthu munnAL
anthamuRRAzhnthathu" (
) - During samhAram manas (mind), senses
and body - all assume the subtle state and become one with mUla prakruthi
(primordial matter). During that state, chith (souls) that are naturally subtle and
achith (matter) which have assumed subtle state, become indistinguishable. Still
they exist. All three thathvams - chith (souls), achith (matter) and Iswara (God)
are eternal. chith (souls) have svabhAva vikAram (change in attributes such as
knowledge expanding and contracting). achith (matter) have svarUpa vikAram
(change in its nature itself such as from gross to subtle and also assuming
different gross forms). Iswara is devoid of any vikAram (change).
 Not knowing that negation of qualities in sOdhaka vAkyams are intended towards
negation of inauspicious qualities is an obstacle. There are certain vAkyams
(phrases) that explain brahmam as nirguNam (devoid of qualities). They are
meant to say that brahmam is devoid of bad/inauspicious qualities. Since
brahmam is already established as "akila hEya prathipata kalyANa guNaika
thAna" ( ) - that which is
devoid of all bad qualities and abode of all auspicious qualities only. Translator's
note: brahmam is described in two types of vAkyams - kAraNa vAkyams (those
phrases that talk about brahmam being the cause of everything) and sOdhaka
vAkyams (those phrases that talk about the distinct qualities of brahmam).
"yathO vA imANi bhUthANi jAyanthE, yENa jAthANi jIvaNthi, yathprayaNthi
abhisamvichaNthi, thath vijijnYAsasva, thath brahmEthi" (
ஜ , ஜ ஜ ,

, ஜ , ) is an example
for kAraNa vAkyam. This explains that - That from which this whole universe and
the beings are created, on which the whole universe is sustained, in which it
merges during destruction, where the beings reach upon attaining mOksham,
know that and know that to brahmam. Thus jagath kAraNathva (being the cause
of the universe), mumukshu upAsyathva (being the object of the worship for the
ones who desire to get mOksham) and mOksha pradhathva (having the ability to
benedict mOksham to a jIvAthmA) are identified as the most important qualities
of the supreme being. "sathyam gyAnam anantham brahma" is an example for
sOdhaka vAkyam. This explains that brahmam is eternal, full of knowledge and
boundless (by time, place and material). Thus sOdhaka vAkyams need to be
understood properly.
 Turning a blind eye on vAkyams that exhibit the auspicious qualities of brahmam
is an obstacle. As explained in "ya: sathyakAma: sathya sankalpa:" ( :
: :) - he is full of auspicious qualities. Ignoring
those are obstacles. Translator's note: nammAzhwAr begins thiruvAimozhi with
"uyarvaRa uyar nalam udaiyavan yavan" (
) - One who is full of auspicious qualities. kUrathAzhwAn
explains to his sishya piLLai piLLai AzhwAn that nammAzhwAr starts with
proclaiming the auspicious qualities and thereby directly attacking the lifeline of
kudhrushtis (ones who misinterpret vEdham) who constantly speak about
brahmam being devoid of qualities.
 Not understanding that negation of form for brahmam indicates that brahmam
does not acquire a form due to past karmA (instead brahmam acquires form due
to the desire) is an obstacle. "nathE rUpam nachAkAra:" (
:) - He has no form, no stature, etc., are focussed on material body
which is acquired through ones karmA. One should understand that bhagavAn
assumes variegated forms due to his desire.
 Turning a blind eye towards vAkyams that highlight bhagavAn with form is an
obstacle. One should have full faith that paramapurusha (supreme lord) has most
beautiful form. There is a well-known phrase in chAndhOgya upanishadh
"antharAdhithyE hiraNmaya: purushOdhrusyathE - thasyayathA kapyAsam
punNdarIkamEvamakshiNI" ( :
- )
- In the middle of the sun planet, a person who is shining like a radiant sun is
seen. His two eyes resemble a lotus flower that is bloomed by the sun. Not
knowing such matters is an obstacle. Translator's note: rig vEdham declares
"sa u srEyAn bhavathi jAyamAna:" ( ஜ :) -
bhagavAn becomes more praiseworthy when he appears in this world. In

bhagavadh gIthA 4th chapter, kaNNan emperumAn reveals his avathAra
rahasyam (the confidential details about his birth/appearance). In the 5th slOkam
he explains to arjuna "both me and you have been born many many times. While
you do not know about your previous births, I know all of mine". In the next
slOkam he says "Though I am unborn, not liable to change/destruction and the
lord of all, I take birth again and again out of my own sankalpa (desire)". In the
next slOkam, he says "Whenever dharmam suffers and adharmam raises, I bring
myself to appear during those times". In the next slOkam he declares "I appear in
many different forms time after time to protect virtuous people, to annihilate
miscreants and to establish dharmam". Finally in the 9th slOkam, he says to
arjuna "One who meditates on my divine birth (forms) and my divine activities
with the true understanding of them, he will be relieved from samsAram (cycle of
birth and death) at the end of his present life and reach me". From these we can
understand that brahmam has many divine forms which are not bound by karmA.
 Not knowing that brahmam that is identified as ubhaya linga visishtan (one who
has two unique identities), vilakshaNa vigraha visishtan (one who has unique
form), sriya: pathi (divine consort of srI mahAlakshmi), akAra vAchyan (one who
is known by "a") is the most supreme lord (over everyone else) is an obstacle.
akAra vAchyan - praNavam (Om) is the essence of all of vEdham. It is the
combination of "a", "u" and "ma". In this, akAram (a) represents srIman
nArAyaNan who is the supreme lord. sarvasmAthparan - He is the one who has
no one equal or higher to him. ubhaya linga visishtan - one who has 2 unique
identities namely akila hEya prathyanIkan (one who is opposite to all
inauspicious qualities) and kalyANa guNa pUrNan (one who is filled with
auspicious qualities). He is most pure and also has the ability to purify others. He
has both parathvam (supremacy) and saulabhyam (simplicity/easy
approachability). akAram mainly emphasises on kAraNathvam (being the cause
of everything) and rakshakathvam (being the protector for everyone).
 Not knowing that srIman nArAyaNan is the jagathkAraNan (cause of everything)
is an obstacle. In chAndhOgya upanishadh it is explained that "sadhEva sOmya!
idhamagra AsIth, EkamEva, adhvidhIyam". The same brahmam is explained in
subhAla upanishadh as "EkOhavai nArAyaNa AsIth, nabrahmA, nEsAna:". From
this, it is clear that nArAyaNan is the supreme cause. Translator's note: First, in
the chAndhOgya upanishadh, udhdhAlakar explains to his child that - (before
srushti) sath only existed, only that, nothing else. Here, the 3 different emphasis
(sadhEva, EkamEva, adhivdhIyam) of negation of everything else other than
brahmam is explained as the three different kAraNams (causes) namely
upAdhAna kAraNam (material cause), nimiththa kAraNam (efficient cause),
sahakArikA kAraNam (ancillary cause). For example, to make a pot, soil is the
upAdhAna kAraNam, potter (and his desire to make the pot) is the nimiththa
kAraNam and stick, wheel, etc are the sahakArikA kAraNam. For srushti, chith
(souls) and achith (matter) are the upAdhAnam - these are sarIra (body) for
brahmam. brahmam's sankalpam (desire/will) is the nimiththam. brahmam's

gyAnam, sakthi, etc are the sahakArikA. The same principle is explained by
nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 2.8.10 pAsuram as "vEr mudhalAy viththAy"
( ) - vEr (root) is the sahakAri, mudhal (the urge to
grow) is the nimiththam and viththu (seed) is the upAdhAnam. Here bhagavAn
himself is identified as all 3 causes. This same brahmam is identified in subhAla
upanishadh as nArAyaNa. There it explains that nArAyaNa only existed and
there was no brahmA, siva, etc. From these, we can understand that nArAyaNa
is the supreme cause of everything.
 Being confused with principles that highlight pradhAnam (matter), paramANu
(atomic particle) as primordial causes is an obstacle. pradhAnam is prakruthi that
is achith (matter). Soil cannot become a pot by itself. Matter by itself cannot be
an independent and primordial cause. paramANu (atomic particle) being the
cause is presented by kaNAdha. This can also be not accepted. sarvEsvaran
srIman nArAyaNan who is the all-pervading antharyAmi of all universes is the
only cause as seen in "vEr mudhalAy viththAy". There should be no doubt about
this. Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar, in thathva thrayam sUthrams 153
to 156 reject the concept of pradhAnam and paramANu being the cause.
mAmunigaL has given beautiful explanation for these sUthrams. paramANu
(atomic particle) being the cause is putforth by baudhdha, jaina and vaisEshikas.
pradhAnam (prakruthi - achith - matter) being the cause is putforth by kapila.
Since these principles are contrary to sruthi and are beyond logic they cannot be
accepted.
 Considering brahmA, siva, etc (who are created by nArAyaNa) having parathva
(supremacy), kAraNathva (being the cause of everything) is an obstacle.
thirumazhisai AzhwAr explains in nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi 1st pAsuram
"nAnmuganai nArAyaNan padaiththAn, nAnmuganum thAnmugamAi
sankaranaith thAn padaiththAn" ( ,
)-
nArAyaNa created brahmA, brahmA in turn created sankara. As seen here,
brahmA, rudhra, etc., dhEvathAs are created by srIman nArAyaNa. There is no
question of supremacy or them being the cause.
 Considering brahmA, vishNu and rudhra as equals is an obstacle. brahmA,
vishNu, rudhra are famously known as thrimUrthy (three deities). As explained by
poigai AzhwAr in mudhal thiruvanthAdhi 15th pAsuram "mudhalAvAr mUvarE -
ammUvaruLLum mudhalAvAn mUri nIr vaNNan" ( -
) - Eliminating all
other dhEvathAs, there are 3 primary dhEvathAs. Among those, the one whose
body colour resembles blue colour of sea water, is the supreme/primary one. As
explained in this pAsuram, among brahmA (who is responsible for creation),
vishNu (who is responsible for sustenance) and siva (who is responsible for
annihilation), vishNu is the primary deity. All 3 of them are not equal and not at

the same level. Translator's note: nampiLLai highlights the reason for focussing
on 3 of them in the vyAkyAnam for this pAsuram. He says that AzhwAr speaks
about these 3 dhEvathAs (instead of focussing on the many many dhEvathAs) so
that it is easy to reject just the two of them and highlight vishNu alone as
supreme. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains different types of apachArams
(offenses/mistakes) in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram. While explaining
bhagavath apachAram, in sUthram 303, he starts with considering
dhEvathAntharams at par with bhagavAn srIman nArAyaNa as the first offense.
nammAzhwAr also says in thiruvAimozhi 2.3.2 "oththAr mikkArai ilaiyAya mA
mAyA" ( ) - The great lord who
has none equal or higher to him. This follows svEthasthara upanishadh vAkyam
"na thath samascha abhyadhikascha dhrusyathE" (
).
 Considering any one other than sarva rakshaka (protector/deliverer for the all -
srIman nArAyaNa) as the rakshaka (protector/deliverer) is an obstacle. srIman
nArAyaNa who is akAra vAchyan (meaning of "a") is the rakshaka for all. One
who can bless all benedictions. dhEvathAntharams does not have this glory.
Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar has written a specific rahasya grantham
named prapanna parithrANam. In this grantham he establishes that srIman
nArAyaNa is the only protector and nothing/no one else can protect/deliver us. In
mumukshuppadi 36th sUthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains the meaning of
rakshakam. He explains that rakshakam means removing the obstacles and
fulfilling the desires. In the subsequent sUthrams, he explains that obstacles and
desires will vary depending on the type of jIvAthmA. For samsAri (materialist),
enemies, disease, etc are obstacles and nice food, material pleasures, etc are
the desires (goal). For mumukshu (one who desires for mOksham), the existence
in samsAram is the obstacle and reaching paramapadham to perform eternal
kainkaryam to bhagavAn is the desire. For mukthas (liberated) and nithyas
(eternally free), any break in kainkaryam is obstacle and increase in kainkaryam
is the desire. He then explains in sUthram 39 that "I have already explained
'There is no other deliverer than srIman nArAyaNa' in prapanna parithrANam".
Thus whatever the obstacles, it is only bhagavAn who removes it and whatever
the desires, it is only bhagavAn who benedicts that. Even when lesser intelligent
persons approach dhEvathAntharams for benedictions, it is bhagavAn who is
situated as the antharyAmi (in-dwelling soul) is the one who fulfills those desires
through the particular dhEvathAntharam.
 Considering any one other than srIman nArAyaNa as the master is an obstacle.
srIman nArAyaNa, who is the divine consort of srI mahAlakshmi is the only
master of both paramapadham (nithya vibhUthi - eternal world) and samsAram
(leelA vibhUthi - material world). sEshi means master, proprietor, owner.
Considering any one else as Iswara (controller) is wrong. Translator's note: We
have already seen this through thirumazhisai AzhwAr's words in nAnmugan

thiruvanthAdhi pAsuram 53 "thiruvillAth thEvarai thEREnmin dhEvu"
( ) - I will not treat such
dhEvathas who lack connection with mahAlakshmi as dhEvathA ever. In
mumukshuppadi, piLLai lOkAchAryar further explains in the section of
bhagavAn's rakshakathvam (continuing previous point) that bhagavAn is always
with srI mahAlakshmi while delivering/protecting others.
 Considering that there is something other than parabrahmam srIman nArAyaNa
who is to be worshipped is an obstacle. mumukshu is the one who desires for
mOksham (liberation - eternal kainkaryam in paramapadham). mOksham is
benedicted by srIman nArAyaNan only. No one else can do that. Thus, such
mumukshu should be fully confident that he/she must meditate only on srIman
nArAyaNa. Translator's note: chAndhOgya upanishadh says "kAraNam thu
dhyEya:" ( :) - supreme cause is to be meditated upon. It is
important to understand that, this statement establishes the object of meditation -
but it does not define who is supreme cause. We have already seen that the
supreme cause is srIman nArAyaNa alone. By linking these two, the
sidhdhAntham is established - i.e., one must meditate on the supreme cause and
that supreme cause is srIman nArAyaNa. So, one must constantly meditate on
srIman nArAyaNa. It is also important to note that srIman nArAyaNa is well
known as "mukundha" which means one who benedicts liberation.
 Not knowing that other than purushOththaman (who is the benedictor of
mOksha), there is no other person who can fulfill the desires of anyone is an
obstacle. sarva abhimatha pala pradhan - one who can fulfill all types of
expectations/desires. dhEvathAntharams can only give material benedictions.
But kEsava who is parama purusha (supreme lord) can benedict all desires
including mOksham.
 Worshipping kshudhra dhEvathAs is an obstacle. kshudhram - small/insignificant.
Translator's note: dhEvathAntharams, as indicated previously, can only give
material benedictions. But for a prapanna, the goal is to be freed from material
desires and be situated in eternal kainkaryam to srIman nArAyaNa. In
bhagavadh gIthA, 7th chapter, bhagavAn explains the limited nature of anya
dhEvathAs (other dhEvathAs) and the benedictions given by them. He clearly
rejects any worshipping of dhEvathAntharams as such worshipping lead to
repeated birth/death in this samsAram only.
 Having desire for temporary/insignificant aspects is an obstacle. Translator's
note: Similar to previous point. Being a prapanna, one should shed the interest
towards temporary and insignificant aspects and focus on eternal kainkarayam to
bhagavAn in paramapadham.

pariharangal.html.


doctrine - part 3 (concluding part)
srI rAmAnuja at AzhwAr thirunagari, srIperumbUthUr, srIrangam and

thirunArAyaNapuram
We are continuing with this topic now. Most of these subjects require deep knowledge
which is acquired through systematic study of sAsthram. To have full and in-depth
understanding, it is best to learn these principles with the guidance of scholars.
 Not having desire for mOksham that leads to boundless eternal kainkaryam in
paramapadham is an obstacle. In the previous point, we saw the need for giving
up attachment towards temporary insignificant worldly pleasures. Here,
mOksham is explained as anantha (boundless) sthira (permanent/eternal) result.
Not having desire for such goal is an obstacle. As explained in "mukthir mOksha:

mahAnandha:" ( : :), mOksham is boundless and
eternal bliss. For the one who was liberated, there is no rebirth. Translator's
note: chAndhOgya upanishadh declares "na cha punar AvarthathE, na cha
punar AvarthathE" ( , ) - there is
no returning back. Saying it twice is to emphasise/re-inforce the principle
strongly. kaNNan emperumAn also explains in gIthA 8.16 "A brahma bhuvanAth
lOkA: ..." ( :) - from brahma lOka - the top most
location to the lowest location there is repeated birth/death, but one who reaches
him, there is no re-birth in (returning back to) the material world. This is the
unique nature paramapadham - once some one reaches there, the jIvAthmA is
fully purified and the knowledge is fully expanded. So, there is no possibility of
returning to samsAram. One continues to serve bhagavAn in paramapadham in
various ways assuming various forms. This is explained in chAndhOgya
upanishadh "sa EkathA bhavathi, thrithA bhavathi, ..." ( ,
, ...) - He can take one form, 3 forms, etc. There is no end for this
bliss and thus there is no real possibility of the jIvAthmA returning to the material
world after having tasted such bliss which is natural for him. bhagavAn also
would not send the jIvAthmA back to samsAram having himself made so much
effort to bring him over to paramapadham. So, one should desire for this eternal
kainkaryam to bhagavAn in paramapadham.
 Being a mumukshu, not having jihAsA (distaste) for samsAram (material world) is
an obstacle. mumukshu means one who desires for mOksham. As demonstrated
by nammAzhwAr in thiruviruththam 1st pAsuram "inninRa nIrmai iniyAm uRAmai"
( ) - I cannot withstand my current
situation of being caught in this samsAram, one should have great dislike for the
life in this material world. To overcome that, one should have great desire to
reach paramapadham. This is explained as "samsAraththil adikkodhippu"
( ) - being in material world is like walking on
burning hot sand. Translator's note: When one is caught walking on sand,
he/she will look for shade in great hurry. samsAram is compared to burning hot
sand and paramapadham is explained as cool shade. bhagavAn himself is also
explained as "vAsudhEva tharu chAyA" ( )-
vAsudhEva, the shade giving tree. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains srIvaishNava
lakshaNam in mumukshuppadi sUthram 116 (first sUthram of dhvaya
prakaraNam). In there, among several qualities, he identifies that a vaishNava
should be fully confident of reaching paramapadham to perform eternal
kainkaryam. At the same time, he should also greatly crave/long for that goal as
well constantly. One should not be simply satisfied in whatever situation one is in
and happily leading his/her life. Rather there should be constant desire to be

relieved from suffering in this material world and to be situated in paramapadham
to be serving bhagavAn there eternally. Not having such intention is an obstacle.
 Without understanding that anything achieved through ones karmA will be
temporary and insignificant and not desiring to learn about brahmam being
positive is an obstacle. karma sAdhya palam - whatever is accomplished through
yAgam, yagyams, etc., such as wordly wealth, pleasures in svargam (heaven),
etc. These are temporary - will end once the puNyam (virtue) is exhausted. They
are not eternal. When compared to the eternal blissful kainkaryam in
paramapadham, these are insignificant. It is a pitiful state for the ones who do not
seek out for bhagavadh kainkaryam even after understanding the limitations of
such worldly pleasures. Translator's note: In bhagavadh gIthA 8.15, kaNNan
emperumAn explains "mAmupEthya punarjanma dhukkAlayam asAsvatham ..."
( ஜ ...) - Ones who attain
the highest result of reaching me (to perform eternal kainkaryam in
paramapadham) will be fully relieved from this material body (in material world)
which is the abode of all sorrows (dhukkAlayam) and temporary (asAsvatham).
Any where in this material world, from pAthALa lOkam (the lowest of planets) to
the brahma lOkam (the highest of planets), the problem of janma (birth), mruthyu
(death), jarA (Old-age), vyAdhi (disease) exists. With the existence of these 4
main problems, there is always the possibility for sorrow. Thus, one should give
up the attachment towards insignificant material aspects and aim for eternal
blissful kainkaryam (service) to bhagavAn in paramapadham.
 Not knowing that nArAyaNa who is revealed in nArAyaNa anuvAkam (sUktham)
is the one who is indicated by the word "brahma" is an obstacle. In nArAyaNa
sUktham, we see "nArAyaNa param brahma thathvam nArAyaNa: para:
nArAyaNa parOjyOthi: AthmA nArAyaNa: para:" (
: : : :
:). Here it is declared in sruthi that the supreme lord who is known as
nArAyaNa is the parabrahmam (supreme brahmam) who has none equal to him.
This is to learnt and understood by everyone.
 Not knowing that karma bhAgam of sAsthram is established by bhagavAn
himself to be followed by everyone is an obstacle. vEdham is divided into 2 parts.
karma bhAgam explains about the yAgam (sacrifice), yagyam (worship), etc.
karmAs are of two types. AgyA karmams - nithya (daily), naimiththika (periodic)
karmams. These (nithya/naimiththika) karmams have to be done. akaraNE
prathyavAyam - when such karmam is not performed it leads to sins. There is
also another type of karmam called kAmya karmam - these are optional and
focussed on material benefits generally. We perform our daily karmams with the
sankalpam "srI bhagavadh AgyA bhagavath kainkaryam rUpam" - karmam
ordained by bhagavAn and is part of bhagavath kainkaryam. Translator's note:
mAmunigaL explains the principle of division of vEdham into two parts - pUrva
(first) bhAgam and uththara (subsequent) bhAgam in his commentary for 1st

sUthram of piLLai lOkAchAryar's srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram. He
highlights that pUrva mImAsA (jaimini sUthram) with "athAthO dharma jijnAsa"
and uththara mImAmsA (vEdha vyAsa's brahma sUthram) starts with "athAthO
brahma jijnAsa". So, pUrva bhAgam is focussed on explaining the method of
worshipping brahmam through karmAnushtAnams and uththara bhAgam is
focussed on explaining the qualities of such brahmam which is worshipped. He
also highlights thaithriaya upanishadh "sa AthmA, angAnyanyA dhEvathA:" to
establish that all dhEvathas are bodies of bhagavAn and are sustained by
bhagavAn. Knowing this, learned scholars will engage in karmAnushtAnams
purely as worshipping of bhagavAn (as ordained by bhagavAn himself). His
commentary for this section is really detailed and lengthy - but it is a wonderful
analysis/presentation of the fundamental principles of our sath sampradhAyam
which is to be studied under the proper guidance of learned scholars.
 Not knowing that brahma bhAgam of vEdham explains in detail his svarUpa (true
nature), rUpa (forms), guNa (qualities), vibhava (avathArams), etc., and
completes with attaining him fully is an obstacle. brahma bhAgam - upanishadhs.
These explains the supreme lord srIman nArAyaNan's true nature, forms,
qualities, avathArams, etc. svarUpam means true nature - supremacy, omni-
presence, etc. rUpam means beauty of his divine form, tender nature, etc.
guNam includes all of his most auspicious qualities - qualities that highlight his
supremacy such as gyAnam, sakthi, etc., and qualities that highlight his simplicity
such as easy appraoachability, mixing freely with everyone, motherly
forbearance towards others, etc. vibhavam, etc., includes his avathArams,
unlimited wealth, etc. Once a person understands these (svarUpa, rUpa, guNa,
vibhava, etc), he/she will develop the desire to attain him and will investigate
about the means to attain him. Translator's note: Here brahma bhAgam
includes upanishadhs and brahma(vEdhAntha) sUthram. vEdhAntha sUthram is
one of the most important literature that establishes the qualities of brahmam
clearly. bOdhAyana rishi originally wrote a commentary for brahma sUthram
which was preserved in kashmir. srI rAmAnuja vowed to write a detailed
commentary for the same to establish the visishtAdhvaitha philosophy per the
desire of ALavandhAr (yAmunAchAryar). To fulfill that vow, he traveled all the
way to kashmir along with kUrathAzhwAn, acquired the bOdhAyana vruththi
grantham and begun his journey back to srIrangam. Some miscreants heard
about this, they tracked down srI rAmAnuja and took the vruththi grantham away.
srI rAmAnuja was filled with grief and sorrow, but kUrathAzhwAn reveals to srI
rAmAnuja that he has already memorized the whole grantham during the time srI
rAmAnuja was resting. They return to srIrangam and srI rAmAnuja completes the
srI bhAshyam (detailed commentary for brahma sUthram) with the help of
kUrathAzhwAn. srI rAmAnuja then returns to kashmir and saraswathi dhEvi
welcomes him with great joy at shAradhA pItam. She accepts the bhAshyam
from him and glances through the same. Overjoyed with the great clarity of the
literature, she honors srI rAmAnuja with the title "srI bhAshyakAra". For

upanishadhs, srI rAmAnuja did not write any separate commentary. He lectured
vEdhArtha sangraham in front of srInivAsa (thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn)
spontaneously. In this vEdhArtha sangraham, he specifically addresses the
aspects of upanishadhs that are mis-interpreted by adhvaithis. Phrases such as
thathvamasi, aham brahmAsi, etc., which are mis-interpreted by adhvaithis and
such phrases are clearly explained with proper context in relation to various other
pramANams by srI rAmAnuja in vEdhArtha sangraham. Thus, we can
understand the wonderful aspects of brahmam through these great works of srI
rAmAnuja in a pristine manner without an iota of doubt/confusion.
 Not understanding that kainkaryam (in parampadham) is the ultimate goal is an
obstacle. To reach srIman nArAyaNan is the parama purushArtham (supreme
goal). bhagavadh anubhavam (bliss of experiencing bhagavAn) is the first step in
this goal. Such experience leads to prIthi (love towards bhagavAn) knowing his
wonderful qualities. Such love will lead us to kainkarayam (serving him) for his
pleasure. Translator's note: As said in "akinchithkarasya sEshathva
anupapaththi:" ( :) - ones true nature
of servitude can only be sustained by engaging in (atleast) small kainkaryams
(devotional service). vEdhAntham explains liberation as becoming situated in
ones proper svarUpam of servitude. sEshathvam is the main quality of AthmA.
That sEshathvam must lead to selfless kainkarayam purely for the pleasure of
bhagavAn. Any other understanding about the ultimate goal is simply a
misunderstanding.
 Not knowing that sAmyApaththi (jIvAthmA attaining an equal level of brahmam) is
only indicated in the sense of sAmarasyam (having equal joy) is an obstacle. In
sruthi, mOksham (liberation) is explained as "paramam sAmyamupaithi" (
), "sOsnuthE sarvAnkAmAn sahabrahmaNA" (
), etc. Specifically, there will be equality
in gyAnam (knowledge) and Anandham (bliss) among bhagavAn, nithyasUris
(eternally free souls) and mukthAthmAs (liberated souls). Still, bhagavAn is the
swAmy (owner) and all other jIvAthmAs (souls) are his servants. Translator's
note: The real benediction for the jIvAthmA is to reach emperumAn. For the ones
who reach him, he blesses him with sAmyApaththi mOksham as identified by
thirumangai AzhwAr in periya thirumozhi 11.3.5 - "thammaiyE okka aruL
cheyvar" ( - bhagavAn will bless the
mukthAthmA to have his qualities). sAmyApaththi mOksham means mukthAthmA
acquiring eight qualities by the grace of bhagavAn. These qualities are present in
bhagavAn fully. But beyond these eight qualities there are certain qualities like
sriya:pathithvam (being the husband of srI mahAlakshmi), sEsha sAyithvam (the
one lying on Adhi sEshan), ubhaya vibhUthi nAthathvam (being the controller of
both nithya vibhUthi and leelA vibhUthi), etc., which are unique to bhagavAn
alone.

The eight qualities are: apahathapApmA - being free from any sins, vijara: -
being free from old age, vimruthyu: - being free from death, visOka: - being free
from sorrows, vijigathsa: - being free from hunger, apipAsa: - being free from
thirst, sathyakAma: - able to fulfill all desires, sathyasankalpa: - able to complete
any task.
 Assuming svarUpa aikyam (merging of paramAthmA and jIvAthmA) is an
obstacle. As explained in previous point, the principle of jIvAthmA becoming
brahmam that is put forward by adhvaithis is merely an illusion.
 Not knowing that one can/will assume many different forms to perform
kainkaryam for bhagavAn after liberation and being in illusion that there is no
form/body after liberation are obstacles. We should understand that kainkaryam
is the ultimate goal for the mukthAthmA. To perform kainkaryam, jIvAthmA needs
a physical form/body. poigai AzhwAr explains in mudhal thiruvanthAdhi 53rd
pAsuram "chenRAl kudaiyAm irunthAl chingAchanamAm ninRAl maravadiyAm
..." (
...) - When bhagavAn walks Adhi sEshan assumes the form of an
umbrella, when bhagavAn sits Adhi sEshan becomes the throne, when
bhagavAn stands Adhi sEshan becomes the sandals, etc. So Adhi sEshan (who
is a nithyasUri - eternally free jIvAthmA) assumses the forms of umbrella,
sandals, throne, bed, etc., and performs many kainkaryams. Similarly,
mukthAthmAs (liberated souls) too engage in many kainkaryams assuming
different forms. How can one perform kainkaryam without a body? Translator's
note: In the vyAkyAnam for this pAsuram, nampiLLai beautifully identifies that
Adhi sEshan will take any form to please srI mahAlakshmi and srIman
nArAyaNan. He also goes on to highlight that though only Adhi sEshan is
mentioned in this pAsuram, it is done as upalakshaNam (analogy/example) for all
jIvAthmAs in paramapadham. We have already seen the pramANam from
chAndhOgya upanishadh "sa EkathA bhavathi, thrithA bhavathi, ..." (
, , ....).
 Not knowing that liberation means travelling via archirAdhi mArgam (the route
which starts with archis) that ultimately leads to paramapadham and being
illusioned with jIvan mukthi (being liberated in the current life and in this
samsAram itself) is an obstacle. Real mukthi/mOksham (liberation) means being
relieved from the cycle of birth/death in this samsAram, reaching
paramapadham, experiencing paravAsudhEvan emperumAn and serving him
eternally, all the time without any blemish for his full pleasure. jIvAthmA (one who
is to be liberated) leaves his body at the time of death, and travels through
archirAdhi mArgam which is a brightly lit/shining route being assisted by
bhagavAn himself and reaches paramapadham. This end state is called as
"mukthir mOksha: mahAnandha:" - blissful liberation. In sankara's adhvaitha
philosophy, learning the meaning of phrases in vEdhAntham such as
"thathvamasi" and understanding that "the self is bhramam only" is considered as

liberation. In this life itself, one becomes liberated according to adhvaitha
philosophy. But such understanding is confusing and simply hallucination.
Translator's note: archirAdhi mArgam is explained by nammAzhwAr in
thiruvAimozhi 10.9 padhigam (decad) - "sUzhvisumbaNimugil". archirAdhi
mArgam and the blissful experience in paramapadham is explained in detail by
piLLai lOkAchAryar in a rahasya grantham called "archirAdhi". piLLai
lOkAchAryar himself highlights in mumukshuppadi 27th sUthram that the ultimate
result of serving bhagavAn in paramapadham is explained in pramEya sEkaram
and archirAdhi gathi (two amongst his 18 rahasya granthams). nAyanAr reveals
nammAzhwAr's divine emotions towards thirumOgUr Apthan emperumAn as the
one who accompanies the jIvAthmA through the archirAdhi gathi - the route that
leads the jIvAthmA to the mOksha bhUmi (paramapadham - the land of liberated
souls). Apthan means trustworthy person - he is to be trusted that he will lead us
to paramapadham safely.
 Not knowing that even though ones karmAs are extinguished at the end of this
life as a prapanna, the sUkshma sarIram (the subtle body) will travel along with
the jIvAthmA and that will only be ridden after dipping in virajA river and having
any doubts in that is an obstacle. Though by the grace of bhagavAn one's
karmAs (virtues/vices) are eradicated at the end of his/her life and travels
through the archirAdhi gathi, the jIvAthmAs connection to achith (matter) is not
completely eradicated since the sUkshma sarIram (subtle body) is still attached
to the jIvAthmA. This according to the sankalpam of bhagavAn. At the border of
parampadham (separating paramapadham and samsAram), there is a divine
river called virajA. The jIvAthmA takes a dip in this river and bhagavAn in the
form of "amAnavan" holds the hands of jIvAthmA and lifts him up. It is by this
merciful touch, the subtle material body is also completely cut off - until then
there is connection to material world. According to "total eradication of material
aspects will lead to full removal of ignorance", the jIvAthmA will have his
knowledge full expanded at that time. Translator's note: sthUla sarIram (gross
body) - made of pancha bhUtham (five elements - earth, water, air, fire, space).
sUkshma sarIram (subtle body) - mind, vAsanA/ruchi (traces/taste) from previous
experiences. mAmunigaL explains this point beautifully in the vyAkyAnam for
AchArya hrudhayam 104th chUrNikai. This chUrNikai beautifully establishes how
bhagavAn puts in so many efforts in bringing a jIvAthmA who is engrossed in
samsAram to fully serve him in paramapadham. In this chUrNikai, nAyanAr uses
the example of a farmer who works hard in the field to get the harvest he wants.
One of the points in this chUrNikai explains "sUkshmavottum nIrilE kazhuvi"
( ) - here nAyanAr uses the example of
"paddy being washed in water to remove the subtle dirt" to explain how jIvAthmA
is washed in virajA river's sacred water to remove the subtle body. Here
mAmunigaL raises a wonderful question - when jIvAthmA's karmA is fully
eliminated, why is there a need for the subtle body consisting of vAsanA (traces
of material desires), etc? He himself answers that it was bhagavAn's sankalpam

to carry the subtle body upto virajA river since for a jIvAthmA to travel (any action
for that matter), a body is required. So, the subtle body is retained by bhagavAn
until the jIvAthmA reaches viarjA river. mAmunigaL quotes previous AchAryas
words to firmly establish this principle also. Once the jIvAthmA dips in the virajA,
this subtle body is washed away and he is given a spiritual body by the touch of
amAnavan (this is also explained by nAyanAr in the same chUrNikai). Here it is
important for us to recollect eRumbi appA's pAsuram of "mannuyirgAL ingE
maNavALa mAmunivan ponnadiyAm sengamalap pOdhugaLai unnich
chiraththAlE thINdil amAnavanum nammaik karaththAlE thINdal kadan"
(
) - Oh, the ones who are firmly placed

here! for the ones who faithfully touch the lotus feet of maNavALa mAmunigaL
with their head, amAnavan will be duty-bound to touch us (to elevate us to
paramapadham). This pAsuram is recited at the end of mAmunigaL's upadhEsa
raththina mAlai.
 Being in awe of bhakthi yOgam which is explained as a means for reaching
bhagavAn after being relieved from samsAram and not knowing that prapaththi is
the real means to reach bhagavAn is an obstacle. There are many means
explained in sAsthram for liberation (eternal kainkaryam in paramapadham). It is
explained in gIthA that bhakthi yOgam which is ordained in sAsthram as a
superior means to reach emperumAn. But since this bhakthi yOgam is
fundamentally dependent on the jIvAthmA's self effort, it is contrary to the true
nature of jIvAthmA's natural qualities of sEshathvam (full servitude) and
pArathanthriyam (total dependence). Thus our AzhwArs and AchAryas rejected
bhakthi yOgam as a upAyam and only considered prapaththi (full surrender)
which is natural for the jIvAthmA as the upAyam. It is apt for us to follow in the
foot steps of our pUrvAchAryas.
 Not firmly clarifying/understanding that the word prapaththi directly indicates
bhagavAn himself is an obstacle. prapaththi is saraNAgathi (surrender) -
surrendering unto bhagavAn and accepting him as the refuge. Though it looks
like "we" are holding on to him, that is not the truth. The real meaning of
saraNAgathi is "thvamEva upAya bhUthO mE bhava - ithi prArthanA mathi:"
( :) - it is that mental
state of praying "you only become my upAyam (means)". That is, in place
prapaththi, bhagavAn (who is surrendered unto) himself becomes the upAyam.
Since he is the upAyam, our (confused) thinking of "I am surrendering" is not
upAyam (means). He is the only upAyam (means) and the only upEyam (goal).
Thus it can be said that prapaththi itself indicates bhagavAn only. Translator's
note: In gIthA charama slOkam, bhagavAn orders arjuna to give up all
dharmams and surrender unto him only and he will free arjuna of all worries.
piLLai lOkAchAryar beautifully explains this charama slOkam in mumukshuppadi.

Here krishNa says "mAm Ekam saraNam" - Accept me as the only upAyam.
piLLai lOkAchAryar gives elaborate explanation for the "Eka" word. Here he
identifies that this "Eka" establishes that even the act of surrendering is not the
upAyam and bhagavAn only is upAyam. This principle is most important to
understand to get the fine principle of our sath sampradhAyam. In many
sUthrams, Eka is explained in detail. One should listen to mumukshuppadi
kAlakshEpam with mAmunigaL's beautiful vyAkyAnam to understand these
principles clearly.
 Considering the act of surrender which is adhikAri visEshaNam (an attribute of a
qualified person) as upAyam is an obstacle. As explained in previous point, the
act of surrender is merely a quality of the person who desires mOksham -
nothing more. Confusing it to upAyam is not appropriate. Translator's note:
adhikAri visEshaNam means that attribute which identifies the person uniquely.
Here adhikAri is the one who "desires" for mOksham - for such jIvAthmA, the act
of surrender is truly natural since being surrendered to bhagavAn is the true
nature of jIvAthmA. In mumukshuppadi sUthram 55, piLLai lOkAchAryar declares
"sEshathvamE AthmAvukku svarUpam" (
) - being subservient to bhagavAn is the only true nature of
jIvAthmA. mAmunigaL establishes that the jIvAthmA is a servant and srI hari is
the master using many pramANams beautifully. In the next sUthram, he says
"sEshathvamillAdhapOdhu svarUpamillai" (
) - when there is no sEshathvam, that true nature is lost. So,
according to the true nature of the jIvAthmA, surrendering to bhagavAn is only a
natural activity - it cannot be considered as specific means. Here is a good
example heard in kAlakshEpams to explain this principle. A philanthropist is
distributing food freely in his home. Some one comes there he wants to eat. Here
the upAyam (means) for the food is philanthropist's compassionate gesture of
feeding all. But for the one who wants to eat there, he must have "hunger" - this
hunger is adhikAri visEshaNam - without the hunger, he will not be able to really
eat the food that is distributed. But this hunger is not the upAyam (means) - it is
only an intrinsic attribute of any one wanting to eat.
 Surrendering without purushakAram is an obstacle. purushakAram generally
means recommendation. It is the act of convincing bhagavAn to be the upAyam
for our upliftment. Since we are filled with kruthya akaraNam (not fulfilling
commandments of sAsthram), akruthya karaNam (engaging in activities that are
prohibited in sAsthram), bhagavadhapachAram (offenses towards bhagavAn),
bhAgavatha apachAram (offenses towards his devotees), etc., bhagavAn may
reject us. The divine mother srI mahAlakshmi convinces him to accept us inspite
of our defects and facilitates his protection towards us. This is the main meaning
of purushakAram. It can be said that any surrender without the purushakAram is
doomed to fail. Translator's note: srI mahAlakshmi thAyAr's role as
purushakAram is explained in detail by our pUrvAchAryas. In his saraNAgathi

gadhyam, emperumAnAr first approaches thAyAr and then surrenders to
emperumAn. dhvaya mahA manthram is greatly glorified in our sath
sampradhAyam since it highlights the role of thAyAr fully. In the first part of
dhvayam, it is explained that srIman nArAyaNan should be surrendered with the
purushakAram (recommendation) of thAyAr and he alone should be accepted as
upAyam. In the second part, it is explained that the divine couple should be
served together, purely for bhagavAn's pleasure. In mumukshuppadi, piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains the role of thAyAr and her purushakAram nicely. piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains in 135th sUthra that, her presence with srI rAma greatly
helped kAkAsura who hurt her with ill-intentions and kAkAsura was ultimately
saved due to her recommendation. But on the other hand, rAvaNa was killed by
srI rAma since she was not accompanying srI rAma at that time. So, while
surrendering to bhagavAn, her presence ensures that the jIvAthmA is fully
accepted by bhagavAn and ignoring her purushakAram will lead to undesired
results.
 While considering the AchArya, thinking about him simply as a purushakAram
(recommendation authority) instead of svathanthra upAyam (independent
means) is an obstacle. AchArya is generally explained as an assistant/servitor of
thAyAr. AchArya too like thAyAr, is kind hearted, compassionate towards all
without any interest in discarding any one. But, as explained in rAmAnusa
nURRanthAdhi 95th pAsuram, "viNNin thalai ninRu vIdaLippAn
emmirAmAnusan" (
) - Having descended from paramapadham into this world,
our mAster rAmAnuja benedicts liberation (independently), the AchArya can be
an independent upAyam (means) as well. This is the essence of srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram as highlighted in sUthram 447 "AchArya
abhimAnamE uththArakam" ( ) - AchArya's
mercy is the ultimate benediction for our upliftment. Translator's note: AchArya
is explained as an incarnation of bhagavAn himself. Please see
http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/2013/06/anthimopaya-nishtai-12.html for full details
on this topic. piLLai lOkAchArya explains in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram 427th sUthram that approaching bhagavAn directly is like asking for his
help holding his hands and approaching bhagavAn through AchArya is like
asking for his help holding his lotus feet. AchAryas are considered as bhagavAn's
lotus feet. Just like bhagavAn's lotus feet, AchAryas also have great compassion.
Thus, they are considered as independent upAyam.
 Considering upAyam and upEyam as two different entities is an obstacle.
Ultimate goal is to reach emperumAn in paramapadham and serve him eternally
for his pleasure. To achieve this ultimate goal, he alone is the means. Thus,
upAyam and upEyam is bhagavAn only.
 Having attachment towards persons belonging to different schools of philosophy
which do not accept bhagavAn's jagath sarIrathvam (being the in-dwelling super-

soul of all universes), etc., is an obstacle. nammAzhwAr explains in
thiruvAimozhi 1.1.7 "udanmisai uyirenak karanthengum paranthuLan"
( ) - just like the AthmA
is spread throughout the body (through his gyAnam), bhagavAn (himself) is
spread/present everywhere. Here emperumAn is present in every single entity in
all the universes and everything is his body - this is visishtAdhvaitha
sidhdhAntham. brahmA glorifies srI rAma greatly after rAvaNa's vanquishing. He
firmly establishes srI rAma's supremacy by saying "sIthA lakshmI bhavAn
vishNu:" ( ) - sIthA is srI mahAlakshmi and you
are vishNu and "jagath sarvam sarIram thE" (ஜ ) - the
whole universe is your body. But kudhrushtis (ones who misinterpret sAsthram)
do not accept these principles. Thus, we should not have friendship towards such
persons. Translator's note: vishNu means one who is omni-present. vAsudhEva
means one who lives everywhere. nArAyaNa means one who is the abode of
everything and one who exists is everything as well. These 3 names of
bhagavAn indicate his omni-presence. Him being the soul of everything
establishes his jagath sarIrathvam. This is a very simple concept. Just like the
AthmA, the soul has a body, paramAthmA has everything (that exists) as his
body. The only difference in this analogy is - AthmA exists in one particular part
of the body and is spread throughout the body through its knowledge (i.e., AthmA
is not physically present in each and every part of the body) - this is because
AthmA is aNu (miniscule") in nature. But paramAthmA is vibhu (great/all-
pervading) - so he physically exist in each and every particle in this universe.
This principle of vEdhAntham is not accepted by scholars of different schools and
friendship with such persons might influence us adversely if we are not strong in
the fundamentals ourselves. Thus it is recommended to avoid friendship with
such persons.

pariharangal.html.

72. thathva virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in understanding of the truth/reality

- Part 1
nammAzhwAr, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar, maNavALa mAmunigaL
Most of these subjects require deep knowledge which is acquired through systematic
study of sAsthram. To have full and in-depth understanding, it is best to learn these
principles with the guidance of scholars.
 Not knowing that there is no other thathvam other than thathva thrayam
(bhOkthru - enjoyer - soul, bhOgya - enjoyed - matter and niyanthru - controller -
bhagavAn) is an obstacle. sruthi says "bhOkthA, bhOgyam, prErithAram cha
mathvA" ( , , ). bhOgyam - that
which is enjoyed. bhOkthA - one who enjoys. prErithA - one who has bhOgyam
and bhOkthA as his property and one who controls those two. Thus, these are

the 3 truths. The fundamental principle of emperumAnAr (srI rAmAnuja)
dharsanam is to accept thathva thrayam (the three truths) as the only doctrine.
The body is achith - matter - enjoyed. The one who resides inside the body and
one who experiences the pleasures and pain is called chith - jIvAthmA - soul.
The one who has both achith and chith as his body and controls them is
sarvEsvaran (srIman nArAyaNan). One must have firm faith that there is nothing
beyond these 3 real entities. One who have clarity and firm faith in this doctrine
will never accept the doctrines of other schools of philosophy. Nor, he will be
bewildered hearing others' philosophies. Subsequently, the philosophies of
different mathams (schools) are explained and it is also explained that getting
confused with such philosophies is by itself an obstacle for our spiritual progress.
Translator's note: emperumAnAr have explained the essence of vEdhAntham in
srI bhAshyam (commentary for brahma sUthram) and his other granthams such
as vEdhArtha sangraham, vEdhAntha dhIpam, etc. nammAzhwAr's dhivya
prabhandhams (thiruviruththam, thiruvAsiriyam, periya thiruvanthAdhi and
thiruvAimozhi) are greatly glorified as the essence of vEdham. Among these,
thiruvAimozhi is the most celebrated prabhandham. There are 5 vyAkyAnams for
thiruvAimozhi namely 6000 padi written by thirukkurugaippirAn piLLAn, 9000 padi
written by nanjIyar, 24000 padi written by periyavAchAn piLLai, eedu 36000 padi
documented by vadakku thiruvIdhi piLLai as heard in lectures from nampiLLai,
12000 padi written by vAdhi kEsari azhagiya maNavALa jIyar. Among these,
eedu 36000 padi stands out as the most elaborate and comprehensive
commentary. For nampiLLai's eedu vyAkyAnam, there are two arumpadhams
(further detailed explanations) namely appu arumpadham and jIyar arumpadham.
nampiLLai gives 3 introductions for this eedu vyAkyAnam bringing out various
wonderful principles in each introduction. In the first introduction named "mudhal
sriya:pathi" (first sriya:pathi), he first explains that nammAzhwAr was blessed by
bhagavAn himself with divine knowledge about the truth. Before explaining our
sidhdhAntham, he first highlights the different philosophies and their limitations.
He starts with explaining how different philosophies understand the thathvams
(realities/truths). He discusses 17 such philosophies and discard them all as
contradictory to vEdham. He finally establishes that vEdhAntham explains
thathva thrayam (3 entities) only. piLLai lOkAchAryar has explained these 3
entities (chith, achith, Iswara) in a detailed manner in a rahasya grantham
(confidential literature) named "thathva thrayam". This grantham is called as
"kutti bhAshyam" (chOtA/small srI bhAshyam) as it brings out the essential
aspects of sidhdhAntham that are explained by srI rAmAnuja in srI bhAshyam
(which is a commentary for vEdhAntha sUthram). mAmunigaL has written a
magnificient vyAkyAnam (commentary) for this grantham in which he brings out
the most complicated subjects of vEdhAntham in the most eloquent manner.
Over the course of this topic, we will be discussing various aspects from
nampiLLai's first sriya:pathi and piLLai lOkAchAryar's thathva thrayam with
mAmunigaL's vyAkyAnam.

 Being bewildered that there are 6 thathvams (starting with dhravyam) as
explained by vaisEshika is an obstacle. We have already seen that our
sidhdhAntham is based on thathva thrayam (3 thathvams). sAnkya, vaisEshika,
pAsupatha, chArvAka, baudhdha, jaina are various schools of philosophies. One
should not hear such philosophies and be bewildered that "can they be real?".
One who has understood emperumAnAr (srI rAmAnuja) dharsanam will not falter
on seeing any of these philosophies. All these philosophies need to be
discarded. Our emperumAnAr is glorified as "aRusamayach chediyathanai
adiyaRuththAn vAzhiyE, adarnthuvarum kudhruttigaLai aRaththuRanthAn
vAzhiyE" ( ,
) - Long live
srI rAmAnuja who is the one who destroyed the plant of shaN matham (6
philosophies - that are outside and contradictory to vEdham), Long live srI
rAmAnuja, the one who eliminated the weeds - kudhrushti mathams (the
philosophies that accept and misinterpret vEdham). His thirunakshathra (birth)
day is glorified as "sankara bhAskara yAdhava bhAtta prabhAkarar thangaL
matham chAyvuRa vAdhiyar mAyguvarenRu chathumaRai vAzhnthidu nAL"
(
) - The day on which
4 vEdhams flourished happily seeing the matham (school of philosophy) of
sankara, bhAskara, yAdhava prakAsa, bhAtta, prabhAkara, etc., were flattened
and the debaters were defeated. We need not explain these philosophies in
detail which are already eliminated.
 Being bewildered that there are 16 thathvams (starting with pramANam) as
explained by naiyAyika (nyAya school) is an obstacle.
 Being bewildered that there are 25 thathvams (starting with mUla prakruthi) as
explained by sAnkhya is an obstacle.
 Being bewildered that there 26 thathvams as explained by pathanjali is an
obstacle.
 Being bewildered that there are 36 thathvams as explained by pAsupathan is an
obstacle. Translator's note: pAsupatha is based on pAsupatha Agama which is
focussed on rudhran.
 Being bewildered that there are 4 bhUthams starting with pruthvi (earth) are the
thathvams as explained by chArvAkan is an obstacle. Translator's note:
chArvAka is the one who simply accepts 4 elements (earth, water, fire and air) as
reality. Basically, there is nothing beyond perception. chAru vAk means
beautiful/flowery words. He tries to convince that just live this life as happily as
possible since this is the only reality. He is also known lOkAyatha - gross
materialist and one with atheistic philosophy.
 Being bewildered that truth is based on pancha skandha (five different groups),
etc., as explained by baudhdha is an obstacle. Translator's note: 4 different
types of baudhdha philosophies are explained in general. vaibhAshika,

sauthrAnthika, yOgAchara and mAdhyamika are the 4 schools in budhdhist
philosophy. Fundamentally, it is based on sUnyavAdham (complete voidness) -
i.e., everything is nothing.
 Being bewildered that truth is based on dharma, adharma, etc., as explained by
jaina is an obstacle. Translator's note: jaina philsophy focusses on ahimsA,
renunciation, etc., without regard for vEdham and its principles.
 Being bewildered that jIvAthmA alone is the only thathvam as explained by
mAyAvAdhis. Translator's note: mAyAvAdhis explain the presence of a singular
AthmA (which is considered as brahmam) without any name, form, attributes,
etc., and that AthmA is covered by ignorance which leads the AthmA to consider
the illusory world as real. Once the ignorance is gone, the AthmA regains its true
nature and that is liberation.
 Being bewildered with the philosophy of bhAtta and prabhAkara and considering
that there is no separate existence of Iswara beyond jIvAthmAs is an obstacle.
Translator's note: kumArila bhatta and prabhAkara were two staunch adhvaitha
vEdhAntha philosophers.
Starting now, many confusions regarding the achith thathvam (matter - insentient) are
clarified and the misinterpretations are explained. We will first explain the principles of
achith thathvam as established clearly by piLLai lOkAchAryar in his thathva thrayam
grantham. Once we understand this, the obstacles will disappear themselves. No need
for individual explanation.
achith thathvam is of 3 categories. sudhdha sathvam (pure goodness), misra sathvam

(mixed goodness) and sathva sUnyam (devoid of any goodness). Translator's note: All
insentient objects (matter) is bound to have one or more of the 3 qualities namely
sathvam (goodness), rajas (passion) and thamas (ignorance). Here, the objects
themselves are called sudhdha sathvam, because they only have pure sathvam as their
quality. The quality itself is different from the objects, but the object itself is named by its
quality here. So, when we say sudhdha sathvam - it means the object that is filled with
pure goodness.
 sudhdha sathvam is seen only in paramapadham. Translator's note: All matter

in paramapadham are of sudhdha sathvam category. piLLai lOkAchAryar
explains that sudhdha sathvam is devoid of any rajas and thamas and is totally
pure. He explains that, this divine matter transforms itself into various
maNdapams, gOpurams, vimAnams, prasAdhams, etc., in paramapadham and
brings about unlimited bliss to bhagavAn, nithyas (eternally free souls) and
mukthas (liberated souls). bhagavAn's divine archA forms that are seen in this
material world also falls under sudhdha sathvam category only.
 misra sathvam is the mixture of sathvam, rajas and thamas and is seen in this
samsAram (material world). Though achith (matter) is eternal, it undergoes
constant changes. Hence, it is called as temporary. Though chith (jIvAthmA -

soul) is filled with knowledge, when bound in a material body, the gyAnam
(knowledge) and Anandham (bliss) that are intrinsic for the jIvAthmA - gets
covered by achith (matter). This achith can also stimulate viparItha gyAnam
(misunderstandings of reality). We will see this in great detail shortly.
 sathva sUnyam is kAlam (time). Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar explains
in thathva thrayam that kAlam is rejected by certain philosophers. But since we
can understand the existence of kAlam through direct perception and sAsthram
as well, there is no question of rejecting it. kAlam is explained as the factor that
facilitates constant transformation of achith. It is explained as an instrument for
bhagavAn's pastime. kAlam exists both in paramapadham (spiritual world) and
samsAram (material world) - while it is fully submissive in paramapadham (exist
fully for the pleasure of bhagavAn), it has the specific role to constantly control
the activities of material world.
More on misra sathvam now:
 mUla prakruthi (primordial matter) is the situation where all 3 qualities - sathvam,
rajas and thamas are in absolute balance. This is a subtle state and is an entity
which is body for bhagavAn. During srushti (creation), when that balance of
qualities is changed, the subtle matter becomes gross matter with variegated
forms and names. During srushti, prakruthi (matter) is the upAdhAna kAraNam
(material cause). By the divine sankalpam (intention/desire) of bhagavAn, the
subtle state becomes gross. Such change of state leads to the manifestation of
24 thathvams (entities). nammAzhwAr explains this in thiruvAimozhi 10.7.10
"pongaimpulanum poRiyainthum karumEndhriyam aimbhUtham ingivvuyirEy
pirakiruthi mAnAngAra manangaLE" (
). Translator's note: As mentioned in sruthi, bhagavAn declares

"bahu syAm" ( ) -let me be many. With that vow, immediately he
transforms the subtle primordial matter into many variegated gross forms. These
24 thathvams (entitities) of matter are explained as.
o pongaimpulan - that which raises our desire - pancha thanmAthrAs - 5
objects of senses - shabdha (sound), sparsa (touch), rUpa (form), rasa
(taste), gandha (smell)
o poRiyainthum - that which traps us in that desire - pancha gyAnEndhriyas
- 5 sense organs of knowledge - srOthra (ears), thvak (skin), chakshur
(eyes), jihvA (tongue), grAhNa (nose)
o karumEndhiriyam - that which helps us engage in such desire - pancha
karmEndhriyas - 5 sense organs of actions - vAk (mouth), pANi (hands),
pAdha (legs), pAyu (excretory organs), upastha (organs for procreation)

o aimbUtham - the abode of the five thanmAthrAs - pancha bhUthas - 5
great elements - AkAsa (ether), vAyu(air), agni (fire), Apa/jala (water),
prthvi (earth)
o manas - mind
o ahankAram - ego
o mahAn - manifested state of matter
o mUla prakruthi - unmanifested state of matter
 sabdham (sound), rUpam (form), rasam (taste), gandham (smell), sparsam
(touch) are the 5 different experiences. The gyAnEndhriyas which get attracted to
these experiences are also 5 namely srOthra (ears), thvak (skin), chakshur
(eyes), jihvA (tongue), grAhNa (nose). The karmEndhriyas which execute the
desires further are also 5 namely vAk (mouth), pANi (hands), pAdha (legs), pAyu
(excretory organs), upastha (organs for procreation). Any form is made with the 5
elements -
AkAsa (ether), vAyu(air), agni (fire), Apa/jala (water), prthvi (earth). So far we
have seen 20 elements. mahAn is the principle that facilitates efforts of jIvAthmA.
ahankAram is the one that facilitates pride/regard for oneself. manas is the one
that facilitates desires. Finally, with mUla prakruthi (primordial matter there are 24
achith elements. 25th thathvam is jIvAthmA and 26th thathvam is Iswara.
 When matter's qualities are equally distributed in sathvam, rajas and thamas, that
state is called mUla prakruthi. When that balance gets disturbed, the effects will
be visibly seen. When such equilibrium is lost, first mahAn appears. This is also
called as mahath thathvam. We can relate to this similar to a seed being soaked
in water sprouting. This mahath thathvam will be in 3 states - sAthvikam, rAjasam
and thAmasam. From these 3 states of mahAn, 3 types of ahankArams namely
vaikArikam, thaijasam, bhUthAdhi. ahankAram is the principle that subsides
reality and brings about misunderstandings. For example, considering body and
soul as the same is one such misunderstanding. Translator's note: piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains these in thathva thrayam. mAmunigaL quoets various
pramANams in his vyAkyAnam to establish the nature of the different aspects of
matter. Generally, mUla prakruthi is explained as pradhAnam (chief/main state of
matter), avyaktham (unmanifested state). When mUla prakruthi is transformed to
mahath thathvam (mahAn) - matter becomes manifested with name, form, etc.
Starting with mahAn, prakruthi goes on to expand into 23 thathavams altogether.
 From vaikArikam (sAthvika ahankAram), both karmEndhriyams (5 sense organs
of action) and gyAnEndhriyams (5 sense organs of knowledge) are created and
they exist in a subtle manner. manas (mind) also is a product of vaikArikam.
From bhUthAdhi (thAmasa ahankAram), pancha bhUthams (five elements) are
created. thaijasam (rAjasa ahankAram) assists vaikArikam and bhUthAdhi in
their transformation.
 From bhUthAdhi, pancha thanmAthrAs (five objects of senses) which are the
subtle aspect of pancha bhUthams (five gross elements) are created and their
sequence is explained here. From bhUthAdhi, first sabdha thanmAthram (sound)

appears. This is the subtle state of AkAsa (ether). From sabhda thanmAthram,
Akasa and sparsa thanmAthram (touch) appear. From sparsa thanmAthram,
vAyu and rUpa thanmAthram (vision) appear. From rUpa thanmAthram, thEjas
(agni - fire) and rasa thanmAthram (taste) appear. From rasa thanmAthram,
gandha thanmAthram (smell) and appu (water) appears. From gandha
thanmAthram, pruthvi (earth) appears. Translator's note: In thaithriya
upanishadh, this is explained as "AkAsAth vAyu:, vAyOr agni:, agniyair Apa:,
abhya: pruthvi ..." ( :, :, :,
: ) - From ether comes air, from air comes fire, from fire comes
water, from water comes earth and so on. This process is generally explained as
panchIkaraNam (mixture of 5 elements).
 Thus, as part of srushti, bhagavAn first creates the various universes using these
24 elements directly and once these universes are there, subsequent creation of
the various species, etc., through brahmA indirectly. Translator's note: srushti is
classified as adhvAraka srushti - direct creation by bhagavAn and sadhvAraka
srushti - indirect creation by bhagavAn through brahmA, rishis, etc. Up and until
the universes are created, it is all done by bhagavAn directly. Once the universes
are there, he first creates one brahmA for each universe and guides him in
subsequent creation with in the universe. brahmA, saptha rishis, manu, etc., are
all engaged in procreation that leads to the variegated species and forms that are
seen in the universe. It is explained that there are innumerable such universes
and each universe is headed by a brahmA. Thus, we can understand that the
material world itself is so huge that is beyond our imagination. And
paramapadham is generally explained as thripAdh vibhUthi (3 parts - 3 times
larger than samsAram). Also, the srushti we see is also a cyclical one. There is
srushti (creation), sthithi (sustenance) and samhAram (annihilation). This cycle
has been going on since time immemorial - there is no beginning for this cycle -
nor there is an end.
With this introduction we can continue with the remaining obstacles highlighted in this
section.
 Being bewildered that AvaraNa abhAvam (boundary-less state) is AkAsam

(ether) and considering it to be eternal, indivisible and all-pervading is an
obstacle. AkAsam is one among the pancha bhUthams (five elements) which is
created as part of srushti. Thus it cannot be considered eternal, indivisible, etc.
 Being bewildered that dhik (direction) is a separate material is an obstacle.
Directions like East, West, etc., are not separate material. For some one in
chennai, srIrangam is in the south. But for some one in AzhwAr thirunagari,
srIrangam is in the north. So, it is relative. Translator's note: mAmunigaL
highlights in thathva thrayam 127th sUthram vyAkyAnam that vaisEshikas, etc.,

explain dhik (direction) as a separate element like pruthvi (earth). More can be
learnt from learned scholars on these matters.
 Being bewildered that kAlam (time) does not exist is an obstacle. kAlam is
represented as nimisha, maNi, muhUrtham, etc. It is based on the change of
time, all changes occur in this world. "kAlO hi dhurathikrama:" (
: - The effect of time is inevitable) is a well-known phrase.
Translator's note: mAmunigaL highlights in thathva thrayam 125th sUthram
vyAkyAnam that baudhdha, etc., does not accept the existence of kAlam. In the
next sUthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights that since kAlam can be understood
from both perception and sAsthram, such principle negating the existence of
kAlam cannot be accepted. mAmunigaL quotes beautiful examples and
establishes the same principle in the vyAkyAnam for that sUthram.
 Being bewildered that vAyu cannot be perceived is an obstacle. Though vAyu
(air) is not seen, its presence can be felt by the touch sensation, it cannot be
explained as aprathyaksham (imperceptible).

pariharangal.html.


- Part 2
piLLai lOkAchAryar, maNavALa mAmunigaL - srIperumbUthUr
We are continuing with thathva virOdhi from previous article. Most of these subjects
require deep knowledge which is acquired through systematic study of sAsthram. To
have full and in-depth understanding, it is best to learn these principles with the
guidance of scholars.
 Not knowing that all changes/transformations of matter both within our aNdam
(universe) and other aNdams (universes) outside ours, happen due to the will of
a chEthana (sentient) is an obstacle. All achith (matter) inside our universe and
other universes outside this universe (put together all these material universes
are called leelA vibhUthi - samsAram) transforms/changes based on the will of
parama chEthanan (bhagavAn - srIman nArAyaNan). chAndhOgya upanishadh

says "thadhaikshatha - bahusyAm prajAyEyEthi" ( -
ஜ ) - let me see my variegated manifestation. Translator's note:
srushti (creation) happens per the sankalpam (will) of bhagavAn who is the top-
most chEthanan (knowledgable person). sruthi says, "nithyO nithyAnAm
chEthanas chEthanAnAm" ( )-
The most eternal among the eternal ones and the most knowledgeable among th
knowledgable ones. In many other places "bahu syAm" is referred and srushti is
established as the outcome of the sankalpam (divine will) of bhagavAn. In
thiruvAimozhi 3.2.1, nammAzhwAr says "munnIr gyAlam padaiththa em
mugilvaNNanE..." ( ...) -
One who is like cloud (dark complexion and merciful nature)! - You have created
this universe which contains 3 types of water. Here nampiLLai brings out the
divine emotions of nammAzhwAr. He says that AzhwAr is thankful for
emperumAn to have created this universe, so all jIvAthmAs including himself, will
have suitable bodies, senses, etc., with which they can progress spiritually and
finally be uplifted. But yet, AzhwAr highlights that such opportunity is wasted,
since the body is simply used to satisfy material desires. From this, we can
understand the divine will of bhagavAn which facilitates the upliftment of all
jIvAthmAs through this creation.
 Not knowing that jagath (universe) pariNAmam (transformation) is adhvAraka
bhagavadh sankalpa adhInam (under the direct control of bhagavAn's divine will)
is an obstacle. Translator's note: As explained previously, there are two types
of srushti (creation) - adhvAraka srushti and sadhvAraka srushti. adhvAraka
srushti is the first step of transforming subtle matter into gross matter (upto the
creation of universes) and this is done directly by bhagavAn. Subsequent
creation of variegated forms/species are created by bhagavAn through brahmA,
etc. Similarly, even during samhAram (destruction), first bhagavAn destroys the
variegated forms/species in the universe indirectly through rudhran, agni (fire
dhEvathA), etc. In the end, he himself directly consumes all gross matter and
transforms them in subtle matter. This cycle goes on and on.
 Not knowing that all entities are bhagavadhAthmakam (pervaded by bhagavAn
as their in-dwelling super-soul) is an obstacle. This is clear from nArAyaNa
sUktham - "anthar bahischa thathsarvam vyApya nArAyaNasthitha:" (
:) - nArAyaNa is
pervaded inside and outside of everything and holding everything together,
"sarvabhUthAntharAthmA" ( ) the in-dwelling soul of all
entities. Translator's note: brahmam (bhagavAn) is the in-dwelling soul of
everything that exists. bhUtha is derived from the root "bhU saththAyAm" (
) - that which exists. Anything that exists is held by bhagavAn. It is

by his presence as antharyAmi that makes the object exist. sAsthram says
"yasya AthmA sarIram, yasya pruthvi sarIram, ..." ( ,
, ...) - jIvAthmA is body for brahmam, earth is body for
brahmam, etc. Same principle is explained by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi
1.1.10 "parandha thaN paravaiyuL nIr thoRum parandhuLan parandha aNdam
idhena nila visumbu ozhivaRa karandha sil idam thoRum idam thigazh poruL
thoRum karandhengum parandhuLan ivai uNda karanE" (
) - bhagavAn
exists in small drops of cool water of the ocean as comfortably as living in a huge
universe all by himself.
 Not knowing that all entities are favourable since they are pervaded by
bhagavAn. As all things (sentient and insentient) are pervaded by bhagavAn,
they are favourable only.
 Not knowing that certain objects are seemingly unfavourable due to us confusing
the body with the self is an obstacle. It is only due to our ignorance of considering
the body as soul leads to thinking about anything as unfavourable. Translator's
note: This and the previous point are very related. Let us understand this a little
bit. One who is truly realized about the nature of jIvAthmA will know that
jIvAthmA is naturally blissful. This principle is beautifully explained by piLLai
lOkAchAryar in thathva thrayam sUthrams 73 to 76 and elaborately explained by
mAmunigaL in his vyAkyAnam. In sUthram 73, he says bliss is the happiness
resulting from full expansion of true knowledge which is favourable for the true
nature of jIvAthmA. In the next sUthram, he explains that poison, weapons, etc.,
seem unfavourable due to ones confusion of body with the soul, etc. mAmunigaL
explains that one is scared of poison, etc., due to three factors - a) considering
that the body and the self are same and something affects the body means it
affects the self too; b) ones own karmA which influences the thought process
(that associates the fear factor in poison, weapons, etc) and c) not having true
knowledge that even poison, weapons, etc., are pervaded by the same
bhagavAn who pervades the self and the body. In the next sUthram, he explains
that since all objects are pervaded by bhagavAn, they are naturally favourable
only and the concept of them being unfavourable is accidental. mAmunigaL
quotes various pramANams (we have already seen some of them) to establish
this principle. Finally, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this principle with nice
examples. In 74th sUthram, he says "If there is any other reason for objects
being favourable (other than them being pervaded by bhagavAn), the same
sandalwood paste, flowers, etc., which are favourable for a person in a particular
time is unfavourable for the same person in some other time/place as well as
unfavourable for another person in same time/place - this should not be the

case". mAmunigaL explains it nicely. For a person, sandalwood paste is
favourable during hot conditions. But for the same person, when it is cold, the
same sandalwood paste is unfavourable. Similarly, for a healthy person in a hot
conditions, sandalwood paste is favourable but in the same condition, if another
person is suffering from fever, that same sandalwood paste is unfavourable. So,
the cool nature of sandalwood paste by itself does not determine whether it is
favourable or not - but it is assumed by the bodily condition of the person
applying it. So, the real favourable nature is due it being pervaded by
sandalwood and the assumed favourable nature is based on one associating
himself/herself with the body. And when one has that true understanding of
everything being body of bhagavAn - they will be naturally blissful in whatever
bodily situation they are in.
 Not knowing that nithya vibhUthi (eternal spiritual world) is nithyam (eternal) due
to the nithya ichchai (eternal desire) of nithya brahmam (eternal bhagavAn) is an
obstacle. nithya vibhUthi means spiritual world - srI vaikuNtam. Unlike leelA
vibhUthi which is created and destroyed contantly as part of material activities, as
this is eternally existing without any material change, this is called nithyam
(eternal). The fundamental reason for this is bhagavAn's sankalpam (desire).
Translator's note: The nature of spiritual world - paramapadham is explained in
various literature. vishNu sUktham says "thadh vishNOr paramam padham
sadhA pasyanthi sUraya:" (
:) - In that supreme abode of vishNu, he is constantly seen by the
nithyasUris. linga purANam says "vaikuNtEthu parE lOkE ... AsthE
vishNurachinthyAthmA" ( ...
) - srIman nArAyaNan along with his consorts is
served by many devotees in vaikuNtam. ALavandhAr explained the beauty of srI
vaikuNtam in sthOthra rathnam. emperumAnAr explained the same in
srIvaikuNta gadhyam. This paramapadham is explained as the eternal and
spiritual abode of srIman nArAyaNan.
 Not knowing that the transformations of the aprAkrutha achith (divine matter) is
purely happening out bhagavAn's desire is an obstacle. The achith (matter) that
is seen in paramapadham is not the same as we see in our material world. It is
divine matter that is sudhdha sathvam (pure goodness). Based on the desire of
bhagavAn, it assumes various forms. Translator's note: piLLai lOkAchAryar
explains these principles about paramapadham in great detail in thathva
thrayam. It would be good to study that under proper guidance.
 Not knowing that the divine matter does not have sUkshma (subtle) and sthUla
(gross) state as in the five elements of material world is an obstacle. This divine
matter is said to be made of pancha upanishadh (unlike the matter in material
world made of 5 elements - earth, water, fire, air, ether). So, they are not the
same as matter seen in material world. Translator's note: It is explained that
matter in material world covers the true nature of jIvAthmA and stimulates

ignorance in jIvAthmA. But the divine matter of paramapadham facilitates
knowledge and brings out more bliss for jIvAthmAs who are there.
 Not knowing that bhagavAn's divine forms are made of this divine matter (which
is made of pancha upanishadh) is an obstacle. Translator's note: bhagavAn's
divine forms are usually explained under 5 categories - para, vyUha, vibhava,
archai, antharyAmi. This is explained in detail in
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/10/archavathara-anubhavam-parathvadhi.html. In
all these cases, wherever there is a form for bhagavAn, we need to understand
that it is made of divine matter. Starting with this point, the focus shifts to
understanding Iswara thathvam (bhagavAn), his forms and divine attributes.
 Not knowing that such forms of bhagavAn reveal his 6 main qualities is an
obstacle. These divine forms made of divine matter will reveal the true
nature/qualities of bhagavAn and enhance our knowledge. The six main qualities
are gyAnam (knowledge), balam (strength), vIryam (valour), aiswaryam (wealth,
ability to control everyone), sakthi (power), thEjas (beauty/radiance). All other
qualities of bhagavAn originate from these fundamental qualities. Translator's
note: bhagavAn literally means one who has six qualities (as explained before)
in full. Thus, srIman nArAyaNan, the possessor of these six qualities in full is the
only one qualified to be called as bhagavAn. Any other personality who is called
bhagavAn (such as parAsara bhagavAn, vyAsa bhagavAn, etc) it is only said as
a complimentary praise - not in the real sense - because no one else possesses
these qualities in full. The divine forms of bhagavAn truly manifest his underlying
qualities.
 Not knowing that though bhagavAn and nithyasUris are of the same class
(eternally free AthmAs), bhagavAn's forms are categorically extraordinay due to
the radiant nature of the same is an obstacle. ananthan, garudAzhwAr,
vishwaksEnar, etc., are eternally free personalities. There is no difference
amongst them as seen in material world by varNam, etc. Their forms are
extraordinary too. Since their bodies/forms are made of divine matter, they will be
variegated based on the kainkaryam (service) they perform. For example,
ananthan assumes the form of a serpent, garudan assumes the form of a bird
and vishwaksEnar assumes the form of a human. There is also gajamuka
(elephant-headed person), simhamuka (lion-headed person), Male servants,
Female servants, etc. But one should note that there is no male-female
relationships (focussed on bodily attraction, etc) in paramapadham as seen here
in samsAram. Translator's note: For specific kainkaryams, nithyasUris can and
will assume different forms. As we have already seen before all "matter" in
paramapadham is divine and is very much unlike "matter" that is seen in
samsAram. Also, one should understand that nithyasUris are distinct from
bhagavAn - while nithyasUris are jIvAthmAs, bhagavAn is paramAthmA. It is by
the divine will of bhagavAn, nithyasUris are eternally free. bhagavAn's form is
explained in chAndhOgya upanishadh as glowing most radiantly and a wonderful
golden form.

 Not knowing that bhagavAn's forms during his avathArams (varAha, narasimha,
srI rAma, krishNa, etc) are also made of divine matter (as in paramapadham), not
knowing that siva, etc., acquired their (material) forms/bodies based on
bhagavAn's divine will and considering bhagavAn's divine forms as made of
"normal matter" are obstacles. His archAvathAram forms are called ichchgruhItha
aprAkrutha dhivya mangaLa vigrahams - those divine auspicious forms that were
assumed by him out of his desire. Though these forms look human-like, they are
not made of the same matter. Translator's note: In the 4th chapter of
bhagavadh gIthA, we have already seen bhagavAn revealing his avathAra
rahasyam in many slOkams. He himself says in bhagavath gIthA 4.9 - "janma
karma cha mE dhivyam" (ஜ ) - my birth and activities
are divine. bhagavAn himself says in gIthA 9.11 "avajAnanthi mAm mUdA..."
( ஜ ) - foolish men who dont understand my supremacy
consider me human (during my avathArams) and insult me. piLLai lOkAchAryar,
in his srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, explains bhagavath apachAram in
detail in sUthrams 303 and 304. Among those, considering bhagavAn's
avathArams are mere mortal forms is explained as an apachAram. While
bhagavAn assumes these divine forms purely based on his will and desire, other
dhEvathAs like brahmA, rudhran, indhran, etc., are posts that are assumed by
jIvAthmAs who have performed many virtuous activities. So, it is based on their
karmA and bhagavAn's will that allows jIvAthmAs to take up such powerful
positions in the material world.
 Not knowing that all chith (jIvAthmAs - souls) and achith (matter) make up
bhagavAn's body is an obstacle. As explained in "sarvam vishNumayam jagath"
( ஜ ) - everything in universe is pervaded by
vishNu, whatever we see/hear, bhagavAn is the antharAthmA - so everything is
the body of srIman nArAyaNan. Translator's note: We have seen this already
from nArAyaNa sUktham "anthar bahischa thath sarvam vyApya nArAyaNa
sthitha:" ( :) and
srI rAmAyaNa slOkam "jagath sarvam sarIram thE" (ஜ
). vishNu means one who pervades every where - so srIman nArAyaNan is
the in-dwelling super-soul of all entities.

pariharangal.html.


- Part 3
We are continuing with thathva virOdhi from previous article. Most of these subjects
require deep knowledge which is acquired through systematic study of sAsthram. To
have full and in-depth understanding, it is best to learn these principles with the
guidance of scholars.

srIman nArAyaNan with srI mahAlakshmi, bhU dhEvi, nILA dhEvi and nithyasUris -
paramapadham (srI vaikuNtam)
nammAzhwAr, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar, mAmunigaL
 Among chith and achith which are sarIram (body) for bhagavAn, considering
chith (jIvAthmA - soul) as dhEham (body), indhriyam (senses), etc., is an
obstacle. As said in sruthi "jIvadhvArA anupravisya" (ஜ
- having entered into through a jIvAthmA), bhagavAn exists in
achith (innumerable insentient objects) through jIvAthmAs. As said in
"dhEhEndhriya mana: prANadhIbyO anya:" ( :
:) - jIvAthmA being different from dhEham (body),
indhriya (senses), manas (mind), prANa (vital air/breath), dhI (buddhi - intellect),
etc., is common knowledge. Translator's note: Starting with this point, jIvAthma
thathvam is explained in detail. In thathva thrayam, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains
this point in great detail in the first section of chith prakaraNam (section). With
mAmunigaL's elaborate vyAkyAnam, we can understand this point clearly. In
sUthram 6, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains many differences between AthmA and
dhEham, etc. Primarily, AthmA is seen as "I" and dhEham, etc., are seen as
mine. AthmA for oneself always feel singular ("I" - the only one) but for the same
self dhEham, etc feels many (i.e, there is body, senses, mind, etc). From these
we can understand that AthmA is different from dhEham, etc. In sUthram 7, he
highlights a very important aspect. Even these points can be negated by
intelligent arguments, one should understand that AthmA is different from
dhEham, etc., as explained in sAsthram. mAmunigaL explains this nicely. He
says it is very difficult to negate these points - yet if some one is more intelligent
and presents an argument which negates the difference between I and mine, one
can easily establish the principle from sAsthram that AthmA is different from
dhEham, etc. He goes on to quote many pramANams in his vyAkyAnam to

establish the point. mAmunigaL finally says that piLLai lOkAchAryar very
confidently establishes AthmA's distinct nature based on sAsthram since it
cannot be denied by any intelligent argument.
 Considering AthmA as gyAnam alone and being bewildered that AthmA's
gyAnam is incidental addition are obstacles. It is known from sAsthram that
AthmA is gyAna svarUpan (made fully of gyAnam). But AthmA should also be
known as the abode of gyAnam. AthmA is both gyAnam (knowledge) and
gyAnaguNakan (one who has knowledge). Translator's note: There is dharmi
gyAnam (AthmA being gyAnam itself) and dharma bhUtha gyAnam (AthmA
being abode of gyAnam). dharmi gyAnam is the one which constantly reminds
about ones own existence. dharma bhUtha gyAnam is the one through which
external aspects are grasped. There are some philosophies (like baudhdha
philosophy) where AthmA is explained as gyAna mAthram (knowledge only) and
any other attributes are negated. But such principles are contrary to sAsthram
which explains that AthmA has gyAnam also. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this
principle in thathva thrayam sUthrams 26, 27 and 28. Let us understand this with
mAmunigaL's beautiful vykAyAnam (commentary). In sUthram 26, he says
AthmA is the abode of gyAnam. mAmunigaL explains this with a nice example.
Just like both dhIpa (flame) and prabhA (luster) are a product of thEjas (light),
dhIpa is the abode for prabhA. Similarly, both dharmi gyAnam and dharma
bhUtha gyAnam are gyAnam, dharmi gyAnam (AthmA) is the abode of dharma
bhUtha gyAnam. He explains this with many pramANams which highlight AthmA
being the abode of gyAnam also. In sUthrams 27 and 28, piLLai lOkAchAryar
says "If AthmA is gyAnam only without being abode of gyAnam, one should
always say I am knowledge and never say I know". mAmunigaL says "knowing
about something" is an indication that one has gyAnam and this can be easily
understood by prathyaksham (perception) itself. He also quotes bhattar to
establish the same principle. Thus mAmunigaL establishes this principle through
sAsthram, pUrvAchArya words and prathyaksham.
 Considering the naturally dependent jIvAthmA as independent is an obstacle.
Though being gyAnam and having gyAnam are nature of jIvAthmA, bhagavath
sEshathvam (servitude towards bhagavAn) and pArathantharyam (total
dependence) are the most confidential aspects of jIvAthmA. jIvAthmA
considering oneself as independent is the biggest sin. Transalator's note: It is
explained in sAsthram that the biggest theft/sin is considering oneself (AthmA) as
independent and acting according to that - this is explained in mahAbhAratham
as "kim thEna na krutham pApam chOrENa AthmApahAriNA" (
) - the one who considers the
AthmA (which is bhagavAn's property) to be ones own is considered to have
done all kinds of stealing/sins. Real knowledge about self means understanding
the self to be jIvAthmA, one who is sEshan to emperumAn. In thiruvAimozhi
8.8.2, "adiyEn uLLAn" ( ) pAsuram, an incident from our

pUrvAchAryas lives is explained by nampiLLai. A doubt arises in emperumAnAr's
kAlakshEpa gOshti - what is the most important quality of jIvAthmA? Is it being
knowledgable or being subservient to emperumAn. emperumAnAr sends
kUrathAzhwAn to thirukkOshtiyUr nambi (one of his AchAryas) to find out the
answer. AzhwAn serves nambi for 6 months and finally when nambi asks the
reason for his visit, AzhwAn asks the question. For that nambi says "since
AzhwAr says adiyEn uLLAn, where adiyEn represents jIvAthmA here,
sEshathvam is the main quality of jIvAthmA". "adiyEn" represents subservience
to emperumAn - so nammAzhwAr (who was blessed by emperumAn with divine
knowledge) thus establishes the real identification of jIvAthmA.
 Considering jIvAthmA who is a servitor of bhagavAn as a servitor of others is an
obstacle. jIvAthmA by nature is a servitor of bhagavAn only. Considering himself
to be a servitor of other is an obstacle. Here others do not include his divine
consorts and his dear devotees. Translator's note: bhagavAn is the only master
and everyone else is his servitors. dhEvathAntharams mean other dhEvathAs.
There are many dhEvathAs starting with brahmA in this material world. These
dhEvathAs are bound in the cycle of karmA, birth/death just like us. But due to
the pious karmA some jIvAthmAs have ascended to the position of these
dhEvathAs. Yet, as kaNNan emperumAn says in gIthA slOkam 8.16 "A brahma
bhuvanAth lOkA: ..." ( :) - from brahma lOka - the
top most location to the lowest location there is repeated birth/death. So, for
mumukshus (one who desires for mOksham), it is advised that they
worship/serve bhagavAn (who is the benefactor of mOksham) directly instead of
these dhEvathAs. In mumukshuppadi, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this in detail
while explaining ukAram (u) in praNavam. ukAram emphasises the exclusive
servitude of jIvAthmA towards bhagavAn. Here, in sUthram 61, he highlights the
importance of eliminating any servitorship for others. In sUthram 62, he explains
this with an example. He says jIvAthmA manifesting servitude towards others is
like presenting the offering that is kept for dhEvas in a yagya to a dog (which
should neither be seen nor touched). In sUthram 63, he says eliminating
servitude towards others is more important than manifesting servitude towards
bhagavAn. In sUthram 64, he highlights thirumazhisai AzhwAr's nAnmugan
thiruvanthAdhi 68th pAsuram that srIvaishNavas would never worship
dhEvathAntharams - "thiruvadi than nAmam maRanthum puRam thozhA
mAnthar" ( )-
srIvaishNavas are the ones who could event forget bhagavAn's names but would
never worship anyone other than bhagavAn. Finally, in sUthram 65, he says this
ukAram establishes that jIvAthmA is not subservient to oneself and others - he is
only subservient to bhagavAn. Here, bhagavAn's consorts and bhAgavathas are
natural masters due to their totally surrendered nature to bhagavAn. Any one
who is fully surrendered to bhagavAn, should be considered as our master too.
 Not knowing that the jIvAthmA is subservient to the divine couple is an obstacle.
srI mahAlakshmi is the main consort of srIman nArAyaNan. mithunam - couple.

Here bhagavAn and thAyAr are the divine couple. Translator's note: Among the
rahaysa thrayam, dhvaya mahA manthram is glorified most by pUrvAchAryas.
This is due to the fact that srI mahAlakshmi's role is clearly and explicitly
identified in this. In the first part, srI mahAlakshmi is explained as the
purushakAra bhUthai (recommendation authority), who ensures that bhagavAn
accepts jIvAthmA's surrender. In the second part, it is explained, kainkaryam is
performed by jIvAthmA to both srIman nArAyaNan and srI mahAlakshmi. piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains this in mumukshuppadi sUthram 166 that when bhagavAn
is upAyam (means), she will be purushakAram (in first part) and when bhagavAn
is prApyam (goal), she will be both goal as well as the one who enhances the
kainkaryam of jIvAthmA. mAmunigaL explains that when jIvAthmA performs
kainkaryam to them, she will highlight it to bhagavAn in manifolds and bring more
happiness to bhagavAn. piLLai lOkAchAryar further explains in sUthram 168 that
iLaya perumAL (lakshmaNa) performed kainkaryam to both sIthA pirAtti and srI
rAma together. In sUthram 169, he says such kainkaryam will occur and be joyful
only when bhagavAn and thAyAr are together. mAmunigaL beautifully quotes
how lakshmaNan surrendered to srI rAma with sIthA pirAtti's recommendation
and how he served them nicely. He also explains with a practical example - when
a son serves his parents (mother and father) together, that is most apt - similarly
jIvAthmA serving the divine father and mother is most apt for his nature.
 Not understanding that the jIvAthmA is subservient to bhagavAn's devotees.
Translator's note: jIvAthmA's natural state is bhagavath dhAsyathvam (to be a
servitor of bhagavAn) and to be fully at the disposal of emperumAn. Even more
important - svarUpa yAthAthmyam (essence of true nature) - bhAgavatha
sEshathvam (to be a servitor of bhAgavathas). In periya thirumozhi 8.10.3,
thirumangai AzhwAr announced the essence of thirumanthram (ashtAkshari) to
emperumAn himself as "nin thiruvettezhuththum kaRRu nAn uRRathum
- Dear lord of thirukkaNNapuram! After learning

the essence of thirumanthram I understood that I am a servitor of your devotees).
thirumazhisai AzhwAr highlights in nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi 18th pAsuram
"EththiyiruppArai vellumE maRRavaraich chAththiyiruppAr thavam"
( -
the devotion towards devotees is greater than devotion to bhagavAn himself).
Eththiyiruppavar - bhagavath sEsha bhUthar - one who is surrendered to
bhagavAn. The state of those who are surrendered to such devotees is much
greater. In srI rAmAyaNam, lakshmaNan and bharathan were fully surrendered
to srI rAma. shathrugnAzhwAn had bharathan as everything for him. It is said in
srI rAmAyaNam that "chathrugnO nithyachathrugna:" (
: - one who has conquered the eternal obstacle). Our

pUrvAchAryas have explained that "shathrugnAzhwAn conquered/ignored srI
rAma's beauty and auspicious qualities and was fully serving bharathan". In
thiruvAimozhi 8.10.3, nammAzhwAr says "avanadiyAr siRumAmanisarAy
ennaiyANdAr" ( ).
siRumAmanisar - ones who are fully surrendered to emperumAn, who are small
in size but great in knowledge and practice. nammAzhwAr declares such
devotees are his masters. When such devotees exist how can one ignore them
and serve the lotus feet of emperumAn? For the true nature of jIvAthmA,
bhAgavatha kainkaryam is more apt than bhagavath kainkaryam. piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains in mumukshuppadi sUthram 89, "uRRathum un
adiyArkkadimai" engiRapadiyE ithilE bhAgavatha sEshathvamum
aNusaNdhEyam (" "
) - Since thirumangai
AzhwAr says after learning thirumanthram, I understand that I am the servant of
your (srIman nArAyaNan's) servants, nama: padham reflects bhAgavatha
sEshathvam (being the servants of bhAgavathas).
 Not knowing that bhagavAn who is the sarvasarIri (antharAthmA - in-dwelling
soul of everything) is the sarvEsvaran (supreme controller for everyone) is an
obstcle. This has already been explained. Translator's note: sarIri is AthmA and
sarIram is body. Body is controlled by the soul - we can easily understand this
through prathyaksham (perception) itself. Body is active only till the controlling
AthmA is present inside it. Once the controlling AthmA leaves, the body becomes
dead and inactive. bhagavAn is the antharAthmA (in-dwelling supersoul) for all
entities - sentients and insentients. Him being the AthmA of everything naturally
means him being the controller of everything. antharyamithvam (being the in-
dwelling soul) and niyanthruthvam/Iswarathvam (being the controller) goes hand-
in-hand.
 Not knowing that bhagavAn is supremely independent by nature, his
manifestation dependence on his devotees is out of his supreme independence
and such dependence on his devotees is eternal are obstacles. bhagavAn is
known to be sathyakAman (able to fulfill all desires), sathya sankalapan (able to
complete any task), nirankusa svathanthran (uncontrollably independent), etc.
Yet, he is Asritha pakshapAdhi (one who favours his devotees). He fully commits
himself to the ones who are totally surrendered to him and love him. Since this is
an act of his desire (not by force), this is a result of his independence. This is
eternal and is greatly revealed in avathArams. Translator's note: bhagavAn is
supremely independent. Yet, he puts himself in a state which is dependent on his
devotees. He became the messenger for pANdavas during mahAbhAratham war.
He also served as the charioteer for arjuna. These are his acts of love towards
pANdavas who were greatly devoted to him. It is out of his supreme desire that
he takes a subservient/dependent position towards his devotees. This quality is
manifested even more clearly in archAvathAram. He takes a vow that he will be

totally dependent on his archaka (one who worships him) for his food, bathing,
clothing, decorations, etc. Our pUrvAchAryas explain that this the ultimate
manifestation of his saulabhyam (simplicity).
 Not knowing that such dependence on his devotees is a result of his great love
(towards his devotees) is an obstacle. praNayithvam - having great
love/attachment. When there is great love towards something, one would not
care too much about the status of oneself and the person being loved.
Translator's note: Though bhagavAn is supreme and jIvAthmA is miniscule, it is
due to his great compassion and love towards his devotees, he does not care
about the miniscule nature of the jIvAthmA. He only sees the love in the jIvAthmA
and accepts the jIvAthmA himself with great attachment. This quality of mixing
freely with some one who is lower in position than oneself is called sausIlyam.
 Not knowing that such love towards his devotees is due to his great
love/attachment towards srI mahAlakshmi who is the mother of every one is an
obstacle. nammAzhwAr says in thiruvAimozhi 10.10.7 "kOlamalarp
pAvaikkanbAgiya en anbEyO" (
) - nammAzhwAr calls out to bhagavAn as the one who is very
dear to him due to him being a servant of srI mahAlakshmi who is most dear to
you. Translator's note: Starting this point, srI mahAlakshmi's nature is
explained. bhagavAn is supremely independent. srI mahAlakshmi is the divine
consort of bhagavAn and is totally dependent on him. It is due to her
purushakAram (recommendation), bhagavAn acknowledges and accepts the
ones who are surrendered to him. Since, the person who is surrendering may
have unlimited pApams (sins), bhagavAn usually hesitates to accept such
persons. But thAyAr ensures that bhagavAn's compassion/mercy takes
precedence over his independence and she ensures that bhagavAn accepts the
jIvAthmA. bhagavAn too, out of great love for thAyAr, accepts the jIvAthmA and
cares for such jIvAthmA with full attention.
 Not knowing that srI mahAlakshmi is most dear to bhagavAn, is equally beautiful,
is the one through whom he is identified, who is never separated from him, who
is totally subservient to him, divine queen for him and the mother of every one
else is an obstacle. Here pirAtti's nature is established. She is abhimathai - one
who is very to dear to him; anurUpai - at par with him in beautiful bodily features;
nirUpakai - part of his identity - he is identified as sriya:pathi (husband of srI
mahAlakshmi); nithyAnapAyini - one who is eternally inseparable; sEshabhUthai
- totally subservient to bhagavAn; mahishi - bhagavAn's chief queen/consort -
sruthi says "asyEsAnA jagathO vishNu pathnI" (She is the master of the universe
and the wife of vishNu) - Due to her being the wife of the singular master srIman
nArAyaNan, she also becomes the master of the universe; jagan mAthA - mother
of the universe - as bhagavAn is the father of entire universe, his wife is
obviously the mother of entire universe. Translator's note: Here srI
mahAlakshmi is explained as master. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains this principle
beatifully in mumukshuppadi sUthram 44. When some one is hired to be a

servant in a home, a contract will be made between the master (man) of the
home and the servant. But in reality, since the husband will be away during the
day, the servant will only be following the orders of the wife of the master. So,
naturally, servants of the man also become the servants of his wife. srIman
nArAyaNan is the divine master and srI mahAlakshmi is his divine consort. All
jIvAthmAs are servitors of srIman nArAyaNan. thAyAr being his divine and prime
consort, all jIvAthmAs are naturally servants of her too.
 Not knowing that even though she is a jIvAthmA, she is different from nithyasUris
(eternally free jIvAthmAs), mukthAthAmAs (liberated jIvAthmAs) and
badhdhAthmAs (bound jIvAthmAs) is an obstacle. All jIvAthmAs are of same
substance - but due to their situation they are categorized into nithya (eternally
free), muktha (liberated) and badhdha (bound). badhdha - the ones like us who
are bound in this material world; muktha - ones who were freed by bhagavAn's
mercy from this material world and reached paramapadham (spiritual world);
nithya - ones who are eternally serving bhagavAn in paramapadham. Though
pirAtti is part of the nithya category, she is still different from nithyas since she is
the divine consort of bhagavAn. Translator's note: srI mahAlakshmi is generally
part of the nithyasUri category. Yet, due to her being the divine consort of
bhagavAn, she is considered as the top-most of all jIvAthmAs. Even bhU dhEvi,
nILA dhEvi and other innumerable consorts of bhagavAn are subservient to srI
mahAlakshmi. All other nithasUris like anantha, garuda, vishwaksEna, etc., and
mukthAthmAs are all subservient to srI mahAlakshmi. ALavandhAr explains in
the first slOkam of his chathu: slOki that srI mahAlakshmi is served by everyone
in paramapadham and also the dhEvathas of this world like brahmA, rudhran,
indhran, etc - all of these is because she is the most beloved wife of srIman
nArAyaNan.
 Saying that srI mahAlakshmi is sarvEsvari (master of all - independently) when
Isvarathvam (controlling nature) cannot be present in more than one person and
saying that she has kAraNathvam (being the cause of everything) which is the
nature of brahmam alone are obstacles. For srImahAlakshmi, being the master is
not a natural quality - but it is an acquired quality based on her being the divine
wife of srIman nArAyaNan. Similarly kAraNathvam (being the cause of
everything) is a unique quality of parama purusha (parabrahmam) only and is not
applicable for her. kAraNathvam means having direct involvement in jagath
vyApAram - srushti (creation), sthithi (sustenance), samhAram (annihilation), etc.
Translator's note: There can never be two supreme entities. There is only one
brahmam and that is srIman nArAyaNan. pirAtti is the dearest among all
jIvAthmAs to bhagavAn since she is his divine consort.
 Saying that srI mahAlakshmi and srIman nArAyaNan are not different by nature
and only differ by their form and saying bhagavath svarUpam is in two forms (in
the form of bhagavAn and pirAtti) are obstacles. Since pirAtti belongs to the
jIvAthmA category, she is different from paramAthmA by nature. To say
otherwise is contradictory to truth.

 Saying that srI mahAlakshmi is bhagavAn himself and not a separate entity is an
obstacle. Translator's note: srI mahAlakshmi is part of jIvAthmAs category and
also the divine consort of bhagavAn. So naturally, she is different from bhagavAn
in many ways - foremost of all - she is totally dependent on bhagavAn for
everything. Thus, there is no question of associating srI mahAlakshmi with
Isvarathvam, kAraNathvam, etc., which we have already seen in previous points.
 Saying that she is just a quality/attribute while in reality she is a jIvAthmA with
many beautiful attributes/qualities is an obstacle.
 Not knowing that bhagavAn is the aham (parama purushan) and she is the
ahanthA (the aspect which uniquely identifies bhagavAn) is an obstacle.
Translator's note: As discussed before, bhagavAn is uniquely identified by
being the husband of srI mahAlakshmi.
 Not knowing that srI mahAlakshmi who is aNu svarUpam (miniscule in nature)
will always be attached with bhagavAn who is vibhu svarUpam (great - all
pervading in nature) is an obstacle. Since pirAtti is a jIvAthmA, she is miniscule in
nature. Yet, since she is anapAyini (inseparable) from bhagavAn, she will always
be attached to bhagavAn. This is a special capability of bhagavAn - it can be
considered as unimaginable-yet-possible capability of him. Translator's note: In
thiruvAimozhi 6.10.10, nammAzhwAr says "agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl
mangai uRai mArbA" (
). Here nammAzhwAr quotes pirAtti saying "agalagillEn
iRaiyum" - I will never leave your chest even for a micro-moment. In purANams, it
is said that whenever srIman nArAyaNan descends into many different species
(dhEva - godly, manushya - human, thiryak - animal/bird, sthAvara - plants) she
accompanies him in appropriate forms. So, whatever form/state bhagavAn is,
pirAtti will also be present with him always.
 Not knowing that just like rasam (taste) is spread all over kshIrAbdhi (milk-
ocean), pirAtti will be spread all over bhagavAn. Similar to our salt-oceans being
pervaded with salt, milk-ocean is pervaded with divine taste. Similarly, where
bhagavAn is present, pirAtti will also be present along with him. Translator's
note: piLLai lOkAchAryar explains in mumukshuppadi sUthram 46 that
bhagavAn is like sun and pirAtti is like the rays of sun and bhagavAn is like
flower and pirAtti is like the fragrance of that flower. mAmunigaL, quotes bhattar
and explains that just like flower and fragrance always exist together and are
inseparable, bhagavAn and pirAtti are inseparable too.
 Not knowing that the purpose of such co-existence with bhagavAn is to help
jIvAthmAs in recommending them to bhagavAn at all the time is an obstacle. srI
mahAlakshmi always stays with bhagavAn to faciliate bhagavAn's acceptance of
jIvAthmAs who approach him at any time/place. Translator's note: This principle
is explained in dhvaya mahA manthram beautifully. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains
this mumukshuppadi that "srI" means one who listens to jIvAthmAs and convey
their request to bhagavAn. He further explains that jIvAthmAs may approach
bhagavAn any time. And if she was not there with him at that time, he may reject

the jIvAthmAs citing their innumerable sins. To avoid such situation, srI
mahAlakshmi stays with srIman nArAyaNan always without ever separating from
him. In the previously quoted "agalagillEn" pAsuram this is explained elaborately.
nampiLLai beatifully says that "Just like sIthA pirAtti never returned to her parents
home after marriage and just like a mukthAthmA never returns to material world",
she also never contemplates leaving bhagavAn.
 Not knowing that such srI mahAlakshmi is to be used to establish bhagavath
svarUpam (nature of bhagavAn) as "sriya:pathi" (husband of srI mahAlakshmi) is
an obstacle. Just like srI mahAlashmi is uniquely identified as "vishNu pathnI"
(consort of vishNu), srIman nArAyaNan should be uniquely identified as
"sriya:pathi" (husband of srI mahAlakshmi) - this must be firmly understood.
 Not knowing that bhagavAn is naturally filled with knowledge and bliss, the
destroyer of all defects, abode of all auspicious qualities, not controlled by 3
types of limitations (by time, place and object), being vibhu (great - all pervading),
enjoying through endless cycle of creation, sustenance and annihilation though
he has no unfulfilled desires and does not expect anything from anyone are
obstacles. Starting with this point, bhagavath svarUpam (nature of bhagavAn) is
explained in detail. As explained in thiruvAimozhi 1.1.2 by nammAzhwAr,
bhagavath svarUpam (nature) is uNarnalam. uNar - gyAnam - knowledge and
nalam - Anandham - bliss. His is opposite to all defects/blemishes and also the
destroyer of such blemishes in others. He is filled with many auspicious qualities.
He is not controlled by place, time and object. This means is present everywhere
(not controlled by place), always (not controlled by time) and in all forms/aspects
(not controlled by specific objects). He is pervading everywhere through his true
nature - this quality is called "vibhu". He is avApthasamasthakAman - one with all
desires fulfilled and nothing to be accomplished newly by him. Such bhagavAn
who is full in everything is engaged in creation, sustenance and annihilation as a
sport. nammAzhwAr says "inbuRum ivviLaiyAttudaiyAn" (
) in thiruvAimozhi 3.10.7 highlighting that
everything is a sport for him.
 bhagavAn stays in nithya vibhUthi (paramapadham/srIvaikuNtam) inside the
thirumAmaNi maNdapam (jewel-studded assembly hall) on a divine throne on
Adhi sEshan. He is seated there with his divine consorts who along with
bhagavAn are most radiantly shining. He rules everything in nithya vibhUthi
(paramapadham) and leelA vibhUthi (samsAram) from there. He is enjoying the
service of nithya sUris like anantha, garuda, vishwaksEna, etc., blissfully there as
explained in "sOshNuthE sarvAn kAmAn" (blissfully enjoying all types of
activities). Yet, to help the suffering souls in samsAram and satisfy/bless the
ones who meditate on him, he descends from parampadham into kshIrAbdhi as
vyUha vAsudhEva. Translator's note: Starting here, bhagavAn's five different
forms (parathvAdhi panchakam -
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/10/archavathara-anubhavam-parathvadhi.html)
are explained in detail. These are explained elaborately by piLLai lOkAchAryar in

thathva thrayam grantham which can be studied with the commentary of
mAmunigaL. This point explains about bhagavAn's parathva form that is seen in
para vAsudhEvan in paramapadham. parampadham is an abode filled with
sudhdha sathvam (divine matter) which manifests as maNdapa (hall), gOpura
(towers), etc. We have already seen about this in previous articles. The whole of
paramapadham is filled with bliss and bhagavAn is the ultimate enjoyer and all
nithyas (eternally free souls) and mukthas (liberated souls) fully understand this
and act according to that. From para vAsudhEvan, the next stage of vyUha
vAsudhEvan appears. Three more forms - sankarshaNa, pradhyumna and
anirudhdha appear from vyUha vAsudhEva. kshIrAbdhi is generally attributed as
the place of vishNu in vyUha form. Here bhagavAn stays with the intent of
helping his devotees. All dhEvas starting with brahmA visit here to have any of
their troubles relieved.
 To uplift the samsAri jIvAthmAs (bound souls) who are covered by ignorance, he
himself accepts many differnt forms such as human, etc., and goes through
difficulties as a normal human would do. Beyond param and vyUha forms,
starting with this point, vibhavam (avathArams/incarnations), archai (deity forms)
and antharyAmi are explained further. kshIrAbdhinAthan (vyUha form) descends
into different lOkams in different forms to accomplish different goals such as
sAdhu parithrANam (protecting righteous people), dharma samsthApanam
(establishing dharmA) and destroying the evil. Since time immemorial, jIvAthmAs
in samsAram suffering in the cycle of birth/death - this is called sleep (state of
ignorance). He awakes them and stimulates them by accepting various forms like
srI rAma, krishNa, etc. While being born in human forms, just like normal
humans, he too goes through joy and sorrow during his time in such forms.
Translator's note: vibhavam - avathAram. avathAram means descending -
lowering oneself. bhagavAn is not bound by time, place and object. But while
descending as various incarnations, he himself makes him bound within a
particular time (like srI rAma lived in thrEthA yugam), within a particular place
(like srI rAma is now in ayOdhyA) and within a particular object (bhagavAn is in
the form of srI rAma). This aspect of him lowering his own greatness is greatly
appreciated by AzhwArs and AchAryas. Here avathArams are classified in to two
main categories - mukyAvathArams - bhagavAn himself appearing in different
forms and gauNAvathArams - bhagavAn giving his specific qualities/power to
other jIvAthmAs to accomplish specific tasks. While mukyAvathArams are greatly
worshippable by mumukshus (ones desiring for mOksham), gauNAvathArams
are not worshippable by mumukshus.
 Seeing that no one is following him, out of great desire, he plans to hide himself
as antharyAmi (in-dwelling supersoul) within everyone as the unseen one. As
explained by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 1.1.10 "karanthasilidanthoRum
idanthigazh poruL thoRum karanthengum paranthuLan"
(
- one who is pervaded everywhere) and in thiruvAimozhi 7.2.2

"katkilI" (one who is not visible to our eyes) - bhagavAn assumes the antharyAmi
role. Translator's note: antharyAmi is the aspect of bhagavAn existing in every
atomic particle and controlling the activities of such particles. Both sentients and
insentients are pervaded by bhagavAn and controlled by him.
 Not knowing that such supreme bhagavAn is the one who assumes archA (deity)
forms and stay in dhivya dhEsams and other temples in different postures such
as standing, sitting, lying down, etc., like a king resting in a garden and fully
being served by his servitors is an obstacle. Here just like to capture one thief,
the whole area will be surrounded by police, bhagavAn assumes so many
different forms across many temples, to capture the heart of the jIvAthmAs. Also,
archAvathAra emperumAns fully depend on the archakas for their eating,
bathing, clothing, sleeping, etc. Translator's note: dhivya dhEsams are called as
"uganthu aruLina nilangaL" ( ) - places that were
occupied by bhagavAn due to intense desire to uplift jIvAthmAs. archAvathAra
emperumAns in such dhivya dhEsams, abhimAna sthalams (those temples
which are dear to our pUrvAchAryas), village/city temples, mutts, homes, etc.,
are the manifestation of bhagavAn's ultimate saulabhyam (simplicity). He
descends to a place which is easily accessible by every one, shows his beauty
and attracts eveyone towards him. Those who are fortunate, realize his glories
and their faith in him develops into unflinching confidence in the ultimate goal of
eternal kainkaryam to bhagavAn.
 Not knowing that parathvam (para vAsudhEvan form) is for the pleasure of
nithyas (and mukthas) and avathArams (vibhavam and archA) are for the
pleasure of all categories of jIvAthmAs - nithya, muktha and badhdha. bhagavAn
in paramapadham can only be seen and enjoyed by nithyasUris and
mukthAthmAs. But vibhava and archAvathArams in this world can be seen by
everyone and enjoyed by all. Translator's note: It is an interesting aspect to see
that archAvathAra emperumAns is enjoyed and served by nithyasUris as well.
For example, in ozhivil kAlam padhigam (thiruvAimozhi 3.3), nammAzhwAr
highlights that even nithyasUris come down from parampadham and serve
thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn (srInivAsan). But any one bound in this samsAram (even
dhEvathas, rishis, humans, etc) cannot even imaging entering into
paramapadham with this material body and while being attached to materialistic
things - only by the grace of bhagavAn one can enter into paramapadham after
being relieved fully from all attachment to materialistic pleasures.
 Considering mukyAvathArams as mere mortal beings of the particular species in
which bhagavAn has appeared is an obstacle. In mukyAvathArams, bhagavAn's
supremacy is fully manifested. One should not consider bhagavAn as mere fish
(mathsyAvathAram), tortoise (kUrmAvathAram), pig (varAhAvathAram), human
(vAmanan, srI rAma, krishNa), etc. Even while assuming such forms, he
maintains his supremacy and his supreme qualities like puNdarikAkshathvam
(having beautiful lotus like eyes), etc., are manifested all the time. Translator's
note: Just because bhagavAn assumes a form which resembles animals,

humans, etc., does not mean that he is also mortal. Whatever his form is, it is still
divine and different from materialistic bodies/forms. piLLai lOkAchAryar explains
in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram that such assumption of bodily
limitations to bhagavAn is in itself a bhagavath apachAram (offense).
 Considering gauNAvathAram as worshippable is an obstacle. gauNAvathAram
includes AvEsa avathArams (super imposing bhagavAn's power on some
jIvAthmA) such as parasurAma, kArthavIryArjuna, etc. These avathArams are not
worshippable by mumukshus. They should simply be respected as an incarnation
of bhagavAn. Please see vyAkyAnam for rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi pAsuram 56
"kOkkula mannarai mUvezhukAl" ( ).
Translator's note: Because bhagavAn simply gives his power to certain
jIvAthmAs to accomplish certain tasks and such jIvAthmAs may not be fully
sAthvika (pure goodness) in nature, mumukshus should not worship them.
mAmunigaL raises this question in the vyAkyAnam and explains that Such
incarnations should be respected for the task they accomplished but no more
worshipping beyond that. He also highlights pAsurams of other AzhwArs who
have similarly glorified parasurAma in their pAsurams.
 Considering archAvathAra emperumAn as incapable is an obstacle. bhagavAn
who is present in various sannidhis in archA form has taken a vow that he would
fully depend on his archaka (worshipper). That vow cannot be considered as his
incapability. Our AchAryas have explained that bhagavAn's supremacy is fully
present in his archAvathAram forms too. Translator's note: We have already
seen that it is bhagavAn's supreme will/desire to be present in archA form to
uplift everyone. Just because he does not directly interact with every one and
command his desires physically, one cannot think that he is incapable. There are
several instances where archAvathAra emperumAns speaking to great
mahAns/devotees. dhEva perumAL conversing regularly with thirukkachi nambi
is a well-known fact based on history.
 Not having full faith in AchArya as full incarnation of bhagavAn is an obstacle. As
said in "AchAryas sa hari: sAkshAth" ( : ),
one should have full faith that AchArya is an incarnation of bhagavAn himself. On
top of the 5 prakArams (forms) of bhagavAn, AchArya form is considered as the
6th form. Translator's note: Please see anthimOpAya nishtai
(http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/anthimopaya-nishtai.html) for full understanding on
this topic.
 Not knowing that avathArams (incarnations) are higher than parathvam (para
vAsudhEvan in paramapadham) is an obstacle. In paramapadham, only his
supremacy will be greatly visible. But when bhagavAn descends as srI rAma,
krishNa, etc., all his auspicious qualities shine radiantly. Thus we should
understand the greatness of avathArams over parathvam. Translator's note:
bhagavAn takes birth in this samsAram out of his causeless mercy to help the
suffering jIvAthmAs. That is why it is said in rg vEdham that "sa u srEyAn

bhavathi jAyamAna:" ( ஜ :) - bhagavAn
becomes more praiseworthy when he appears in this world. Also, when he
descends from paramapadham in to samsAram, he does not minimize any of his
auspicious qualities and appears with the same divine form (unlike the material
body made of matter for jIvAthmAs). This principle is beautifully explained by
nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi 5.3.5 - "Adhiyam chOthi uruvai angu vaiththu
ingup piRanthu" (
) - bhagavAn who is eternal, appears in this world with his most
enchanting and divine form that is seen in parampadham.
 Considering the divine body/form of AchArya to be material though he is
explained as an incarnation of bhagavAn is an obstacle. Translator's note: One
should understand that AchArya is the one who helps the sishya reach
bhagavAn. It is out of great compassion, AchAryas explain the true knowledge to
everyone both by his preaching and conduct. Such AchArya should be greatly
respected and glorified by sishyas.

pariharangal.html.

73. pumsthva virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in masculinity
perumaL (srI rAma - mariyAdhA purushOththama - ideal supreme man) with sIthA
pirAtti and iLaya perumAL - srIperumbUthUr
pumsthvam means masculinity/manliness - being a man. In dhivya prabandham

vyAkyAnams (commentaries), based on ones bodily situation, males are called as
"mOvAyezhunthAr" ( ) - Ones who have raised chin or lower-jaw
indicating bearded area and females are called as "mulaiyezhunthAr"
( ) - Ones who have raised breasts. These are only external/bodily

attributes which are an outcome of ones past karmA. As explained in bhagavadh gIthA
as "uththama: purusha:" ( : : - The real/best man) is emperumAn who is
the supreme male. As explained in the pramANam "sthrI prAyam itharam jagath"
( ஜ ) - all others in the universe(s) are of female category
only whatever body (male/female) they may have acquired. Important aspects of
femininity includes being totally dependent, submissiveness, shyness, etc. jIvAthmA is
also internally identified as totally dependent on paramAthmA. Let us move on to the
commentary now. Translator's note: bhagavAn is highlighted as the meaning of "a" in
praNavam. parAsara bhattar starts the first slOkam of his wonderful ashta slOki (a
composition of eight brilliant and beautiful slOkams which comprehensively reveal the
meanings of rahasya thrayam - thirumanthram, dhvayam and charama slOkam) as
"akArArthO vishNu:" ( :) resonating "akAram" as bhagavAn.
One of the main explanations of akAram is rakshakathvam. rakshakathvam means
removing the unwanted aspects and providing the desired aspects. Only srIman
nArAyaNan is the ultimate independent person and every one else is fully dependent on
him. We can recollect an interesting incident from the lives of our pUrvAchAryas.
periyavAchAn piLLai highlights this incident in the vyAkyAnam for
thirunedunthANdagam 3rd pAsuram. parAsara bhattar was explaining the incident of
churning of milk-ocean. He explains that when srI mahAlakshmi came out of the milk-
ocean, she directly goes to srIman nArAyaNan, climbs his chest (which is her
permanent abode) and accepts him as his husband. At this time, nanjIyar asks bhattar
"there were so many dhEvas - being a woman, should she not have felt shy to reach out
to a man in public like that?". bhattar cleverly replies "While engaging with husband,
should the wife feels shy seeing her girl-friends who carry decorative items, gifts, etc.?".
This means, all the jIvAthmAs (dhEvas and asuras) who were present there were of
feminine nature, even though they have male bodies. Thus, this aspect of supreme
independence is associated with manliness and the contrary is associated with
femininity.
 Considering oneself (who is in the category of females) as male instead of

understanding that supreme bhagavAn who is garuda vAhanan (one who rides
on garudAzhwAr) and purushOththaman (the best among males) is an obstacle.
purushOththaman is the only person who is qualified to be highlighted as male.
All other jIvAthmAs are in the category of female. Just considering oneself based
on male body is ignorance. It is also a default. Translator's note: garuda
vAhanathvam is indicated as an important quality of supreme brahman. garuda is
called vEdhAthmA - one who is the soul of vEdham. bhagavAn riding on
garudAzhwAr and garudAzhwAr pointing his fingers towards bhagavAn is a clear
indication of supremacy of srIman nArAyaNan. Also, srIman nArAyaNan is called
as purushOththama - the best among men. So, manliness is only associated with
srIman nArAyaNan.

 Considering dhEvathAs like brahma, rudhra, etc., as males due to them having
male bodies is an obstacle. As explained before, this principle applies for
dhEvathAs too. When compared with purushOththama - all other dhEvathAs are
only his female counter parts though they may have male bodies. Considering
otherwise is ignorance.
 Not knowing that the feminine nature we have is the natural quality which is
being counterpart for his natural masculine nature is an obstacle. Our true nature
is to be fully dependent on him and fulfill his total independence.
 Not knowing that the male body we have is something which we acquired due to
our karmA and temporary is an obstacle. This external appearance of manly
body is acquired based on ones past karmA. We should know that we will get
different bodies one after other, based on our karmA. Translator's note: In
bhagavath gIthA, krishNa explains this principle of changing bodies in great detail
in 2nd chapter. He explains just like a old cloth is thrown when it is unusable and
a new cloth is acquired, when one body becomes unfit for the jIvAthmA, that
body is given up and a new body is acquired. He also explains giving another
example - just like an AthmA is going through a toddler's body, child's body,
adult's body and old-aged body, when the karmA is completed for that particular
body, that body is given up and a new body is acquired. Thus we can easily
understand that we acquire bodies life after life and each of these bodies are
temporary of nature.
 Not knowing that the male and female bodies which were acquired since anAdhi
kAlam (time-immemorial) are impermanent is an obstacle. We have been in
samsAram (material world) eternally and have been acquiring different bodies
based on the results of our karmA. So, none of that is permanent. This is self-
evident.
 Not knowing that being totally dependent on bhagavAn is the eternal nature of
jIvAthmA is an obstacle. bhagavath pArathanthriyam (being fully dependent on
bhagavAn) is the eternal and underlying nature of jIvAthmA. pArathanthriyam
means being fully controllable by the owner (bhagavAn in this case).
Translator's note: We have previously seen the pramANam "svathvam Athmani
sanjAtham svAmithvam brahmaNi sthitham" (
ஜ ) - jIvAthmA's nature is to
be a property of bhagavAn and bhagavAn's nature is to be the proprietor. From
this we can understand that the nature of jIvAthmA is to be dependent on
bhagavAn.
 Having tinge of independence and considering oneself as male simply because
of the bodily situation even after acquiring knowledge about our total dependence
on bhagavAn is an obstacle. Once we acquire the true knowledge of
pArathanthriyam (total dependence), there is no question of considering oneself
as male and having the tinge of independence which is natural for males.
Translator's note: The fundamental issue goes back to dhEhAthma
abhimAnam (considering the soul and body as the same). Even after hearing so

many kAlakshEpams and understanding the principles, we still consider confuse
AthmA with the dhEham (body). There is no other way than repeatedly
meditating on this importantant/fundamental difference between body and soul
and constantly trying to apply this in our day to day life.
 Being a female oneself by nature fully dependent on bhagavAn, seeking out for
other females (for bodily pleasure) is an obstacle. After understanding oneself as
a female (jIvAthmA) who is dependent on bhagavAn (the singular and supreme
male), seeking out for another female for oneself happens only due to ignorance
(that one associates oneself with the body instead of soul). It is not appropriate.
We need to remember srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, sUthram 101
"vihitha vishaya nivruththi thannERRam" in this context. Translator's note: In
sUthrams 99, 100 and 101, piLLai lOkAchAryar discusses the aspect of
detachment from sensual pleasures and controlling ones senses fully.
Previously, he stated that this detachment from worldly pleasures is the
fundamental qualification for spiritual progress. mAmunigaL explains the
sUthrams in the most beautiful manner with eloquent reference to pramANams.
In 99th sUthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains that this detachment is required for
the persons seeking material wealth, etc., persons who are engaged in bhakthi
yOgam and finally for prapannas (persons who are fully surrendered to
bhagavAn). mAmunigaL explains that even for persons seeking great material
wealth/control, during the process of achieving it, they need to fully control their
senses. For upAsakas (bhakthi yOga nishtas) and prapannas obviously they
should have full control of their senses and have total detachment from worldly
pleasures. In the 100th sUthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar says, among the 3
categories, for prapannas, such control of senses is most important. mAmunigaL
beautifully and crisply highlights that piLLai lOkAchAryar included the other 2
categories only to highlight the importance of such detachment for prapannas. In
the 101st sUthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar says, for the ones seeking material
wealth and for the upAsakas, one should have detachment in what is forbidden in
sAsthram. But for prapannas, one should have detachment to what is even
allowed in sAsthram since it is svarUpa virOdham (contradictory to the nature of
jIvAthmA). Sensual pleasures with in the boundary of marriage is allowed in
sAsthram, though there are many conditions exist on when and how physical
relationship can happen. Here, for prapannas, piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights that
one should even show detachment towards ones own wife. mAmunigaL
wonderfully explains this point in great detail in his vyAkyAnam. It is best to hear
this under the guidance of an AchArya. This point relates to ones clear
understanding of oneself being a female who is naturally subservient to
bhagavAn and thus not seek out the subservience of another female even in the
pretext of marriage.
 Not having the understanding that every one is a female when seen in context of
bhagavAn is an obstacle. One should know that when looked at from the
paramapurusha's perspective, all jIvAthmA's are feminine by nature.

 Not being sub-servient along with ones own wife who was accepted for the
purpose of serving bhagavAn and bhAgavathas is an obstacle.
gruhasthAsramam - living with a wife. As stated in srI rAmAyaNam "sahapathnyA
visAlAkshyA nArAyaNamupAkamath" (
), srI rAma himself married sIthA and served periya
perumAL (srI ranganAthan). This is the gruahasthAsrama dharmam. Even
though there is husband-wife relationship, infront of bhagavAn, both man and
woman are of feminine nature and both are subserivient to him only.
Translator's note: Among the 4 Asramams (brahmacharyam,
gruhasthAsramam, vAnaprastham and sannyAsam), gruhasthAsramam is the
Asramam that is fully focussed on serving others. As a brahmachAri, one is
focussed on learning and have no scope for earning. A vAnaprastha is a forest-
dweller and focusses on meditation. A sannyAsi is focussed on preaching and
cannot hold any wealth. Only gruhastha can manage wealth for the purpose of
serving and taking care of brahmachAris and sannyAsis. Also, any yAthrIkas
(travelling pilgrims) depend on gruhasthas living locally to support them during
their pilgrimage. Thus gruhasthAsramam is fully focussed on bhagavAn (in ones
own thiruvArAdhanam and at the temple) and bhAgavathas (brahmachAris,
sannyAsis and yAthrIkas). So, instead of focussing on sensual pleasures with
ones own wife, one should seriously focus on serving emperumAn and
srIvaishNavas.
 Considering oneself as a male servant is an obstacle. It is already explained that
one should not consider oneself as a male. Translator's note: One should
always consider oneself as a female servant of bhagavAn and bhAgavathas.
 After acquiring this knowledge, instead of lying along with the wife (like another
woman), trying to engage with her physically being forgetful of ones true nature is
an obstacle. Just like the wife submits herself to her husband, we should submit
ourselves to bhagavAn. Even when we have male body, we should not have any
tinge of independent thoughts. Translator's note: Here the emphasis is on
understanding ones true nature. One should come to the stage where even when
lying down with ones own wife, one feels like a woman lying down with another
woman where there is no question of sexual engagement. That is, one has
absolutely no sensual feelings towards ones wife and one is totally detached
from such thoughts even during close proximity. Specifically the topic mentions
about bramam (confusion on ones true nature) and rAgam (attachment for
sensual pleasures) - even when either one exists, the man and woman will start
engaging in physical relationship.
 AzhwArs were born in male bodies, yet, they assumed feminine mood and
longed for the divine forms of bhagavAn. Even after learning such pAsurams and
understanding their meanings, due to confusions from previous experiences,
etc., having attachments towards bodily aspects which are to be given up and
longing for such bodily pleasures are obstacles. AzhwArs, specifically
nammAzhwAr and thirumangai AzhwAr have sung many pAsurams in nAyaki

bhAvam (the mood of a woman longing for her man) towards emperumAn's
divine forms. They have greatly poured out their suffering in separation from
bhagavAn in their pAsurams. Even after hearing the internal and external
meanings of such pAsurams, one should not go back to thinking that "I am a
Man" and so on and crave for sensual pleasures which are to be given up.
Please see thirumangai AzhwAr's thirumohi 1.1.2 "AviyE amudhE ena
ninainthurugi avaravar paNaimulai thuNaiyA pAviyEnuNarAthu eththanai
pagalum pazhuthu pOyozhinthana nALgaL" (
) - I am a sinner who
without knowing, wasted so many of my days simply thinking about the women
with well developed breasts and calling them out as "my life! my nectar!". He
subsequently highlights that by the grace of srIman nArAyaNan he was relieved
of such miseries.
 Being given up by the AchArya for being Asthika-nAsthika is an obstacle.
Generally, Asthika-nAsthika is identified with ones who accept the existence of
God but does not have firm faith and does not follow any principles. For further
understanding, please see upadhEsa raththina mAlai 68th pAsuram
"nAththigarum nanneRichErAththigarum AththiganAththigarumAmivarai Orththu
nenjE! munnavarum pinnavarum mUrkkarena vittu naduchchonnavarai nALum
thodar" (
!
).
Translator's note: Asthika means one who accepts vEdha sAsthram as
pramANam (authentic proof/source). sAsthram is the pramANam through which
we can understand bhagavAn who is the pramEyam. Here vEdha sAsthram
includes upanishadhs, smruthi, ithihAsams, purANams, pAncharAthram, etc.
dhivya prabandham, pUrvAchArya sthOthrams and vyAkyAnams are also greatly
revered by our AchAryas due to them revealing the essence of sAsthram.
nAsthika is the opposite of Asthika. It means one who does not accept vEdha
sAsthram as pramANam. There is the 3rd category which is Asthika-nAsthika.
Asthika-nAsthika means one who accepts vEdha sAsthram as pramANam but
disregards the same while applying in ones own life. In this pAsura vyAkyAnam,
piLLai lOkam jIyar explains these in detail quoting mAmunigaL's own words. The
most important aspect in this pAsuram is - this pAsuram ultimately focusses on
being fully surrendered to AchArya. The highest aspect of Asthika, nAsthika and
Asthika-nAsthika needs to be understood from this context - i.e., being fully
faithful and surrendered to AchArya, not having any faith in AchArya and having
faith but not following AchArya respectively. If ones own AchArya gives up on his
sishya due to the sishya being an Asthika-nAsthika, there is no other hope for
such sishya. gyAnam (knowledge) and anushtAnam (practice) are two important

aspects. mAmunigaL himself highlights these 2 as the important qualities of an
AchArya in this same upadhEsa raththina mAlai prabandham. It also applies to
all srIvaishNavas.
 Being condemned by learned scholars/elders due to not distinguishing between
sAram (essence) and asAram (extraneous) aspects is an obstacle. Translator's
note: The purpose of approaching an AchArya is to acquire vivEka gyAnam
(ability to discriminate between the essence and extraneous). Swan is usually
glorified for its ability to separate milk and water. Our pUrvAchAryas are glorified
as swans for being able to highlight the essence and discard the extraneous
aspects even with in sAsthram. Following in the foot steps of our pUrvAchAryas,
and learning from elders, one should develop the ability to distinguish between
the essence and extraneous aspects. What is essence should be retained and
the extraneous aspects should be disregarded. Not doing that and being too
attached to extraneous aspects will lead to condemnation by learned scholars.
For example, even after learning under scholars, if one holds on to bodily
pleasures, etc., and has no focus on spirtiual progress, such persons will be
condemned by the great teachers.

pariharangal.html.

74. anthima dhasA virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in final moments
varAha perumAL (as seen in thiruvidaventhai) - one who promised to carry his devotees
to redemption
anthima dhasA means final moments in the death-bed. When death approaches, many
people will lose their consciousness. Many may be fully aware and conscious of their
last moments as well. Our AchAryas have highlighted two important aspects in "'pERu
thappAthu' enRu thuNinthirukkaiyum, pERRukkuth thvarikkaiyum

srIvaishNavAdhikArikku avasyApEkshitham" (' '
,
) - A qualified srIvaishNava should
be fully faithful in achieving the ultimate goal (and thus be relaxed about it) and at the
same time should be greatly craving/longing for the ultimate goal. This whole topic is
based on these two important aspects. Here pERu ( ) - ultimate goal is to reach
srIvaikuNtam (paramapadham) and engage in eternal kainklaryam for his pleasure.
Translator's note: In sAsthram, generally, anthima smruthi is greatly emphasised. In
bhagavath gIthA 8.6, kaNNan emperumAn says "yam yam vApi smaraN bhAvam
thyajathi anthE kaLEvaram tham tham Eva ithi kauNthEya sadhA thadh bhAva
bhAvitha:" ( ஜ
:) - Oh son of kunthi! whatever one
meditates on during the last moments, that AthmA will attain that form in the next life
always. This is why meditating on bhagavAn's names, forms and leelAs are greatly
emphasised. But depending on ones condition at the final moments, it may be possible.
If one is completely unconscious, they may not be able to meditate on bhagavAn at that
time. Also, due to ones own material attachments, one may easily start thinking about
materialistic aspects during the last moments. Even the great saintly king bharatha who
had mastered gyAna yOga fell trap to attachment towards a deer and started meditating
on that deer. As a result he was born as a deer in his next birth. But all of these are
specific for upAsakas or karma/gyAna/bhakthi yOga nishtas. For prapannas, this
requirement is not there. As a totally surrendered soul is under the full control and
responsibility of bhagavAn, whether he is able to meditate on bhagavAn or not, he is
sure to attain paramapadham without fail. When emperumAnAr wanted to clarify certain
doubts, he went to thirukkachi nambi (kAnchi pUrNa) who was performing confidential
kainkaryam to dhEva perumAL and requested him to get dhEva perumAL's advice on
those doubts. thirukkachi nambi requests dhEva perumAL about emperumAnAr's
situation and dhEva perumAL blesses thirukkachi nambi with 6 vArththaigaL
(words/phrases) which are aimed at clarifying emperumAnAr's dilemmas. It is
noteworthy that emperumAnAr did not disclose his doubts to thirukkachi nambi and
dhEva perumAL did not ask thirukkachi nambi about those doubts either. dhEva
perumAL knowing the inner heart of emperumAnAr, directly revealed the answers to
thirukkachi nambi. Those 6 points are - "I, srIman nArAyaNan is the supreme", "Duality
is the real truth", "prapaththi (total surrender) is the means", "No need for anthima
smruthi (meditation on bhagavAn)", "prapannas get liberation at the end of this life itself"
and finally "accept periya nambi (pUrNAchArya) as AchArya". Here he specifically
negates the need for anthima smruthi (meditating on bhagavAn on the final moments)
for a prapanna. This is also the main purport of varAha charama slOkam - where
varAha perumAL specifically mentions that for the ones who are very devoted to him
(which means who are fully surrendered to him), even if they are totally unconscious, he
will take remember them at that time and carry them to paramapadham. We can

actually observe in the lives of our pUrvAchAryas that, during the last moments, most of
our AchAryas meditated on their own AchArya instead of meditating on bhagavAn
specifically. Let us now move on to the topic itself.
 Being worried due to attachment towards house, lands, children, wife, bodily
wealth that are being left behind after death is an obstacle. prAvaNyam -
attachment. One may start crying about the things that are being left behind such
as home, cultivable lands, wife and children, etc. This happens due to ignorance.
Translator's note: periyAzhwAr gives a detailed account of the individual's state
of mind during the last moments in the death bed in his periyAzhwAr thirumozhi
4.10 padhigam (decad) which starts with "thuppudaiyArai ..." (
...). In this padhigam, he first informs emperumAn that he may not have the
stable mind to meditate on emperumAn and requests emperumAn to remember
his current fully surrendered state and redeem him at the end of his life (when his
mind may not be stable). In the 10 pAsurams, he explains in great detail the
amount of suffering one goes through at the final moments. The person in the
death-bed will be surrounded by many of his relatives who may be crying loudly
increasing his own fear. They may also be looking to grab as much wealth from
him as possible before he leaves his body. In spite of all of these, one will feel
great pity on oneself for leaving behind ones own children, wife, wealth,
properties, etc. But when one is fully realized that they are jIvAthmAs (souls) and
they are simply discarding their body, they will not go through all these troubles.
Such realization is the natural quality of prapannas (ones who are fully
surrendered to bhagavAn). It is said that prapannas anxiously wait for the mrthyu
dhEva (death) just like one will wait for a dear guest to arrive at their home. It is
because, for such prapannas, after death, they are directly carried by bhagavAn
to the banks of virajA river (which runs between paramapadham and samsAram).
They go through the archirAdhi mArgam, cross the virajA river and finally reach
the divine abode srIman nArAyaNa where he is welcomed by the nithyasUris and
mukthAtmAs. He then climbs the sEsha paryankam (throne) where bhagavAn is
seated and embraces bhagavAn. After that, bhagavAn grants him eternal
kainkaryam and he happily lives ever-after. Thus, looking at the glorious life after
death, prapannas are not worried about leaving their body ever. But common
men and women who lack such firm philosophical understanding will have great
difficulty coping up with death.
 As explained in "kshEthrANi mithrANi", such attachments should be seen as
unfavourable aspecets. Not being so is an obstacle by itself. kshEthrANi,
mithrANi - attachments such as my properties, my friends. These are causes for
bondage and are hurdles to reach paramapadham and thus these are highlighted
as prathikUlam (unfavourable). Translator's note: emperumAnAr quotes this
purANa slOkam in saraNAgathi gadhyam. Here is the slOkam and its meaning.
"pitharam mAtharam dhArAn puthrAn bandhUn sakIn gurUn, rathnAni
dhanadhAnyAni kshEthrANi cha gruhANi cha, sarvadharmAn cha samthyajya

sarvakAmAn cha sAksharAn, lOkavikrAnthacharaNau charaNam thE vrajam
vibhO!" ( ,
,
,
ஜ ) - Dear emperumAn (vibhO)! I have given up all
attachments towards my father, mother, wife, children, relatives, friends,
teachers, precious stones, wealth, stock of grains, cultivable fields, houses, all
other means to attain you, all other goals with even the slightest desires towards
them and surrendered unto your lotus feet which measured the worlds. This
slOkam is greatly glorified for it clearly establishing that bhagavAn's lotus feet is
the only means for our upliftment after rejecting the attachments towards
everything else.
 Not having attachment towards the ultimate abode as mentioned in "mAga
vaikuntham kANbathaRku enmanam EkameNNum" (
- thiruvAimozhi 9.4.7) is an
obstacle. One must have a great desire to reach paramapadham and see
emperumAn there. thirumAlai ANdAn says "in thiruvAimozhi 2.3.3, AzhwAr
reveals his disappointment for keeping him in this material world". Translator's
note: nampiLLai's eedu vyakyAnam for this thiruvAimozhi 9.4.7 pAsuram is very
crisp and beautiful. He explains nammAzhwAr's state where AzhwAr is
constantly meditating on srIvaikuNtam which is the eternal residence of
narasimha. AzhwAr says my mind is thinking about paramapadham irrespective
of it being day or night. nampiLLai highlights that for common people, the
activities is different in day and night - but for AzhwAr it is the same - always
thinking about emperumAn.
 Not hating this material world which is to be given up as mentioned in
"koduvulagam kAttElE" ( - thiruvAimozhi 4.9.7) is
an obstacle. nammAzhwAr sees the existence in this material world amidst
samsAris (materialistic people) as "koduvulagam" - cruel world and says "I dont
want to see this anymore". Translator's note: As soon as true knowledge about
oneself dawns, the jIvAthmA would start feeling very comfortable in this world
which is not fit for engaging in eternal kainkaryam. nammAzhwAr manifests great
sorrow right in the first pAsuram of his first prabandham - thiruviruththam 1 - "poy
ninRa gyAnamum ... iniyAm uRAmai" ( ...
) - I am unable to bear the existence in this world which is filled with
ignorance. For AzhwArs, being in this world is like sanding barefoot on hot sand -
that cannot even tolerated for a few moments. Unless one develops such
distaste in this material world, it will be very difficult to give up the attachment
here during the final moments.

 Not looking forward to giving up the body with great desire as mentioned in
"pinnumAkkai vidumpozhutheNNE" (
- thiruvAimozhi 1.2.9) is an obstacle. One should
look forward to shedding this mortal body. As explained in thiruvAimozhi 6.9.9
"kUvikkoLLum kAlam innum kuRugAthO?" (
?), one should eagerly await the day of death so that we
will reach the divine abode. Translator's note: In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya
maNavaLa perumAL nAyanAr explains in chUrNikai 229 that bhagavAn waited
for nammAzhwAr to call out desperately to bhagavAn 20 times throughout his 4
prabandhams to bless him the divine abode of paramapadham. nAyanAr
explains that emperumAn waited for so long for many reasons but most
importantly to increase nammAzhwAr's desire to reach paramapadham to the
highest extreme possible and thereby having him fully qualified to be called a
mumukshu (one who is desirous of mOksham). mAmunigaL beautifully lists out
the 20 places where nammAzhwAr calls out to emperumAn and explains in the
vyAkyAnam that one who is surrendered should have the greatest desire to be
with emperumAn eternally in paramapadham and such great desire completes
the surrender fully - otherwise the surrender will be deemed incomplete and
superficial.
 Able to sustain oneself without seeing emperumAn in paramapadham as
mentioned in "unnai ennAL vandhu kUduvan" (
- thiruvAimozhi 10.10.9) after having the desire to be with emperumAn
fully matured is an obstacle. When will I come and see the most unique divine
form of emperumAn in paramapahdam? When will I experience such
emperumAn personally? These are nammAzhwAr's emotional experience in his
heart which was as good as real experience. This is the stage where ones
desires are fully attached to parathva form of emperumAn in paramapadham.
This well matured state of bhakthi is known as parama bhakthi. Translator's
note: As mentioned in previous point, ones attachment to emperumAn should
mature into the ultimate state. The 3 stages in bhakthi are para bhakthi, para
gyAnam and parama bhakthi. para bhakthi is the state of full knowledge about
emperumAn - at this stage being together with emperumAn gives happiness and
being separated from bhagavAn gives sorrow. parama gyAnam is the state of
fully visualizing bhagavAn's nature, name, form, etc. parama bhakthi is the state
of ultimate emotions for bhagavAn and not able to sustain oneself in the absence
of bhagavAn. nAyanAr highlights these in chUrNikai 233 of AchArya hrudhayam,
mAmunigaL explains them beautifully in sufficient detail.
 Having attachment to archAvathAra emperumAn as mentioned in "maruLozhi nI"
( - thiruvAimozhi 10.6.1) is an obstacle. In 10.6.1, nammAzhwAr
states that bhagavAn blesses us the ultimate abode of paramapadham based on

our desire. And he stimulates the desire towards experiencing emperumAn in
paramapadham over archAvathAra emperumAn of this world which we are so
attached to until now. So, here when he is at the end of thiruvAimozhi when
getting close to paramapadham, he says "maruL" (misunderstanding) for
archAvathAra emperumAn since this archAvathAra anubhavam is in this material
world. But the same AzhwAr, in the sUzhvisumbaNimugil padhigam (10.9) where
he is experiencing the archirAdhi mArgam (the bright path leading upto
paramapadham), he shows his attachment to Aravamudhan emperumAn of
thirukkudanthai by saying "kudanthai en kOvalan kudiyadiyArkkE" (
). So, we can understand that attachment
towards archAvathAram is not against our nature. thirumangai AzhwAr too,
during his last moments when singing thirunedunthANdagam, in the 29th
pAsuram, highlights "thaNkudanthaik kidantha mAlai nediyAnai adinAyEn
ninainthittEnE" (
). Translator's note: Attachment to
archAvathAra emperumAn is natural for srIvaishNavas. Since they spend their
whole live serving archAvathAra emperumAns, they cannot imaging anything
outside them. We even hear, parAsara bhattar saying during his last moments "If
I dont see srIranganAthan in paramapadham, I will tear a hole in the wall of
paramapadham and jump back to srIrangam". Yet, one should give up that
attachment to go and serve emperumAn in paramapadham eternally. For
srIvaishNavas, while there is no difference in their experience in dhivya dhEsams
here and paramapadham, the technical difference is - in dhivya dhEsams of this
world, there is break in kainkaryam - no matter what, the temple is closed and
devotees go home and take rest. But in paramapadham, there is continuous
kainkaryam without the effect of old-age, disease, etc. So, srIvaishNavas need to
give up the attachment towards archAvathAram in this world and prepare
themselves to ascend to paramapadham when the time comes.
 Thinking "what is my refuge now?" at the last moments and not knowing that
giving up the thought of "our surrender to bhagavAn as the refuge" is the real
refuge are obstacles. As explained in periya thirumozhi 2.7.1 "un manaththAl en
ninainthirunthAy" ( ) - How are you
thinking to protect me?, our redemption is bhagavAn's responsibility and desire.
Such desire is in bhagavAn's heart always. So, one should never think oneself as
the protector and act with independence. Thinking with independence "how am I
going to redeem myself now?" is said to be an obstacle. In srIvachana bhUshaNa
dhivya sAsthram, 69th sUthram "'anthima kAlaththukku thanjam, ippOthu
thanjamen engiRa ninaivu kulaigai' enRu jIyar aruLichcheyvar" ('
,
' ஜ ) - nanjIyar says, our refuge for

the final moments is "giving up the attitude of protecting oneself now (and
forever) and accepting bhagavAn's refuge fully". Translator's note: In the
second prakaraNam of srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai
lOkAchAryar explains the glories of prapaththi (total surrender to bhagavAn). In
this section, starting with 60th sUthram, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains that even
the prapaththi - ones act of surrender is not the upAyam (means) and bhagavAn
alone is the upAyam. He establishes that ones act of surrender is a natural
manifestation of ones dependence on bhagavAn. In sUthram 63, he explains that
when bhagavAn protects the jIvAthmAs, the only thing he expects from the
jIvAthmA is to let him protect the jIvAthmA. mAmunigaL explains in the
vyAkyAnam that jIvAthmA having the desire to be protected by emperumAn is
indicative to bhagavAn that the jIvAthmA is letting him to protect him. In sUthram
66, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains that bhagavAn's desire is the key for jIvAthmA's
protection. In the next sUthram, he says that bhagavAn is always desiring and
attempting to protect the jIvAthmA. In sUthram 68, he says that such protection
will materialize when the jIvAthmA's desire changes. mAmunigaL beautifully
highlights here that "change in desire" means "change in attitude from protecting
oneself on ones own to being fully dependent on bhagavAn". This is established
in the 69th sUthram by piLLai lOkAchAryar through the words of nanjIyar. In this
sUthram, nanjIyar explains to a srIvaishNava who was ill and asks nanjIyar what
is the refuge for him at the moment. nanjIyar says that giving up ones own
independence and efforts to protect oneself and accepting bhagavAn as the total
refuge is the only way. Thus, we can understand that jIvAthmA's natural attitude
of letting bhagavAn protect him and being subservient to bhagavAn's desires is
explained as "adhikAri visEshaNam" - natural quality of a surrendered person
and it never becomes the upAyam (means) for his redemption. More on these
principles are best heard under the guidance of learned vidhwAns.
 Not being like a stone or a piece of wood without manifestation of
consciousness/knowledge is an obstacle. As explained by varAha perumAL in
"thathastham mriyamANanthu kAshtapAshANa sannibam, aham smarAmi madh
bhaktham" ( ,
), one should be like a stone or a piece of wood,
devoid of any interest in protecting oneself independently. For such persons who
are fully dependent on me, I will think about them at that final moment and will
uplift them. Translator's note: In srIvaishNava sampradhAyam, 3 charama
slOkams are greatly glorified. charama slOkam means that slOkam which
reveals the ultimate principles. There is varAha charama slOkam which starts
with "sthithE manasi ...". There is srI rAma charama slOkam which starts with
"sakruthEva prapannAya ...". There is krishNa charama slOkam which starts with
"sarvadharmAn parithyajya ...". All these slOkams reveal bhagavAn's vow in
being the ultimate protector for his devotees. Our responsibility is to fully accept
bhagavAn's protection and abide by his desires too.

 Not knowing that any specific requirement during final moments for ones
redemption will disrupt ones complete faith in sidhdha sAdhanam (bhagavAn) as
the protector is an obstacle. sidhdha sAdhana nishtai means having full faith in
bhagavAn being the upAyam (means) and upEyam (goal). Any requirement
which depends on self-effort will disrupt such deep faith. Translator's note:
When there is specific requirement for ones thought process in the final
moments, that will make one think independently and act independently to
contemplate on certain things. But such behaviours of manifesting ones
independence is contrary to the true nature of jIvAthmA who should always be
fully dependent on bhagavAn. Thus, such principles are discarded for prapannas
who are fully realized of their true nature. But for bhakthi yOga nishtas and other
upAsakas, such conditions on final moments exist as explained in bhagavath
gIthA, etc., and their next life is driven by such conditions.
 Not knowing that any auspicious thoughts which arise in ones mind during the
last moments which brings happiness in bhagavAn's face are part of goal
(instead of means) is an obstacle. We are continuing with this section which
emphasises on bhagavAn's desire for ones redemption and any other self-effort
is a hurdle. One should know that any unskippable thoughts on bhagavAn which
arise out of ones true nature (of being engaged in bhagavath vishayam forever)
becomes part of the ultimate result. Translator's note: Ofcourse a true
prapanna, when he is conscious will contemplate on bhagavAn during his last
moments. These are not be misunderstood as means to achieve something else.
They are simply the result of constant engagement in bhagavath vishayam
(spiritual matters) and the divine desire of bhagavAn himself. We see in the lives
of our pUrvAchAryas where the AchAryas during the last moments are most
blissful due to bhagavAn's full manifestation in their heart. Our AchAryas also
fully meditate on their AchAryas during the last moments and feel great bliss.
These are all part of the ultimate result of eternal kainkaryam to bhagavAn in
paramapadham.
 Thinking that at that stage one should compulsorily contemplate on the names of
AchAryan is an obstacle. Starting this point, AchAryas' importance is
emphasised. One should not think that Acharya's names should be contemplated
as sAdhanam (means) during the last moments. Translator's note: Whatever
happens by the grace of bhagavAn, one should simply accept at that stage. This
goes back to saying there is nothing which is to be done as upAyam (means).
 Not knowing that any natural thoughts on ones AchArya due to constant past
engagement is useful during the journey to paramapadham and thus essential is
an obstacle. It is good if one remembers ones AchArya. prayANapAdhEyam -
when people go on long journeys, they carry some food to sustain themselves.
Similarly for ones journey through archirAdhi mArgam to paramapadham,
thoughts on ones AchArya are the food to sustain themselves. Translator's
note: It is generally said that "pAdhEyam puNdarikAksha nAma sankIrthanam"
( ) - ones food for

sustenance during travels is bhagavan nAma sankIrthanam. Similarly, here,
glorifying AchArya is emphasised as the sustenance during our final journey.
 Considering such thoughts on AchArya which occurred to previous engagement
as an upAyam (means) is an obstacle. This does not become upAyam (means)
to achieve anything. Translator's note: This as explained before is simple
coincidence due to previous engagement and should be treated as part of the
ultimate result.
 Not knowing that "He" who is the true well-wisher is the one who leads us in this
journey is an obstacle. We should know that AchArya who is our true well-wisher
who will lead us in this journey. Translator's note: bhagavAn is generally
glorified as "mArgabandhu" - one who is a true companion during travels. Here it
can be said about AchArya as well. This principle applies to both bhagavAn and
AchArya. kALamEga perumAL of thirumOgUr is glorified as vazhith
thuNai/mArga bandhu ( / ) perumAL.
emperumAnAr (srI rAmAnuja) is glorified as "srI vishNulOka maNimaNdapa
mArgadhAyi" ( ) - one who
gives us the path to paramapadham. So, it is applicable to both bhagavAn and
AchArya who are both well-wishers for us.
 Considering anishta nivruththi (removal of unwanted aspects - ignorance, etc)
and ishta prApthi (attaining the desired - going in archirAdhi mArgam, reaching
paramapadham, etc) as ones own result are obstacles. avidhyA (ignorance)
means the contraction of knowledge due to bondage in bodily aspects in material
world. When material body is gone, ignorance is removed and knowledge fully
expands. This is the state of muktha (liberated AthmA). archirAdhi gathi is the
path that starts with archis (light) and ends at paramapadham. These are not to
be considered as a result for oneself which occurred due to ones own effort.
 Not knowing that bhagavAn who destroys such hurdles and who blesses all
benedictions is the true benefactor of any such results. Translator's note: This
is a very important principle. It is said that "chEthana lAbam Iswaranukku"
( ) - when a bound soul is purified and liberated,
he reaches paramapadham and starts serving bhagavAn eternally. So,
bhagavAn is explained as the ultimate benefactor in liberating jIvAthmAs from
bondage. Though jIvAthmA's true nature is to be eternally serving bhagavAn, he
only becomes uplifted by the full and unconditional grace of bhagavAn. Thus,
bhagavAn being the propreitor of everyone is the ultimate benefactor as well.
This is explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya
sAsthram 70th sUthram "prApthAvum prApakanum prApthikku ugappAnum
avanE" ( )-
bhagavAn is the only one who pursues, one who blesses and one who feels
happy for the ultimate result. mAmunigaL vyAkyAnam (commentary) is a classic
for this sUthram. He explains the principles with pramANams and concludes that
since bhagavAn is prApthA and prApakan - the jIvAthmA does not have any

engagement in self-effort and since bhagavAn is the one who feels happy for the
ultimate result - the jIvAthmA does not have any engagement in self-enjoyment.
 Having self-affiliation in likes and dislikes is an obstacle. Since bhagavAn is the
in-dwelling super-soul, it is upto him to decide what is favourable and
unfavourable for the jIvAthmA. Translator's note: When we accept bhagavAn as
the ultimate means and goal, our actions should be driven by that underlying
principle. We should sincerely follow what is explained in sAsthram (scriptures)
and sistAchAram (what is done by our AchAryas) in our lives. Favourable and
unfavourable aspects should be determined by sAsthram and AchArya's
instructions instead of our own whims. Many a times, people would say "I am
fully surrendered and my conduct is bhagavAn's responsibility". But their actions
would totally contradict sAsthram and sistAchAram - basically its an easy route of
escapism for not following any rules and regulations yet they present themselves
as most faithful and knowledgable. Such attitude is detimental for the ones who
are desiring to progress spiritually.
 Not knowing that such likes and dislikes are really apt for bhagavAn who is the
only one explained in "aham" is an obstacle. Translator's note: As bhagavAn
proclaimed "aham thvA sarvapAbEpyO mOkshayishyAmi" in gIthA charama
slOkam - aham means "I" which can be boldly proclaimed by bhagavAn only. We
should always say "adiyEn", "dhAsan", etc., which manifest dependence towards
bhagavAn and bhAgavathas. Since he is the only true proprietor, only he can
have likes and dislikes. Our likes and dislikes should simply follow his. For
example, he likes gyAnis - ones who are greatly knowledgable and devoted to
him as he declared in gIthA. And he dislikes ones who ignore his instructions that
are in sAsthram and follow adharmam. We too should align our lives so that we
serve such gyAnis and avoid engaging in adharmam.
 Not having full confidence that the eternal master who blesses the true
knowledge is also the one who blesses liberation is an obstacle. AchArya is the
one who imparts true knowledge for the seekers. bhagavAn himself appears as
AchArya and accepts us into his fold. So he is the eternal master and the one
who blesses liberation. Translator's note: bhagavAn is called mukundha - one
who gives liberation. Liberation means eternal kainkaryam in paramapadham.
For such liberation, first one should have true knowledge about oneself (chith),
achith (matter) and bhagavAn - thathva thrayam. Such knowledge is imparted by
AchArya to the sishya. Once there is true knowledge, naturally, one will desire for
relief from bondage and to serve bhagavAn eternally in paramapadham. Such
relief from samsAram and eternal kainkarayam is blessed by bhagavAn.

pariharangal.html.

pariharangal-44.html
srI pArthasArathy emperumAn along with srI dhEvi, bhU dhEvi and ANdAL nAchiyAr-
the most trustworthy and most worshippable
75. avisvAsa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in distrust
avisvAsa virOdhi means trusting the untrustworthy samsAris (materialistic people),

dhEvathAntharams and sAmAnya sAsthrams.
visvAsam means trust, faith. Here, the aspects that should not be trusted and when we

trust them, it is explained as obstacles. sAmAnya sAsthram - common injunctions in
scriptures. Though these should be followed, for a prapanna, if there are certain
deficiencies in common scriptures while engaging in visEsha dharmam (confidential
service to bhagavAn/bhAgavathas), it is not considered as a defect.
Translator's note: We have discussed these in great detail previously. Here trust in 3
aspects - samsAris (materialistic people), dhEvathAntharams (dhEvathAs other than
srIman nArAyaNan) and sAmAnya sAsthram are highlighted as obstacles.
 When we are focussed on materialistic aspects, we will end up trusting

materialistic people to accomplish such favours. And by engaging in such acts
our bondage in samsAram increases more. Thus it is better to avoid trusting
samsAris.
 As for as dhEvathAntharams are concerned, it relates to all dhEvathAs starting
with brahmA, rudhran, etc. They too are bound souls. While we engage in
honoring the dhEvathAs as part of vaidhIka karmAs, there is no specific
importance given to them beyond that. nampiLLai explains this beautifully in an
incident when questioned about why srIvaishNavas engage in worshipping
dhEvathAs in vaidhIka karmAs but not in separate temples. nampiLLai explains
that as part of injunctions in sAsthram, we worship srIman nArAyaNan as the
antharyAmi of such dhEvathAs in yagyas, sandhyA vandhanam, etc. But, on their
own, since they too are bound souls who manifest independence and also fight
with srIman nArAyaNan even after knowing his supremacy clearly, they are
totally shunned.
 sAsthram is classified into sAmAnya sAsthram (common aspects) and visEsha
sAsthram (special aspects). sAmAnya sAsthram is that which focusses on body
and common daily anushtAnams which are based on varNAsrama dharmam.
These are essential. visEsha sAsthram is that which focusses on AthmA and its
eternal relationship with bhagavAn. These are the confidential services that are
done to bhagavAn and bhAgavathas. periyAzhwAr explains this as "aththANich
chEvakam" in thiruppallANdu. In AchArya hrudhayam, azhagiya maNavALa
perumAL nAyanAr explains in chUrNikai 31 - "aththANi chEvagaththil
podhuvAnathu nazhuvum" (
). mAmunigaL explains in the vyAkyAnam that when we are engaged in
bhagavath/bhAgavatha kainkaryam, sAmAnya kainkaryam takes back seat and
can be delayed/skipped. More of this is discussed in
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/01/virodhi-pariharangal-10.html
76. sanga virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in association
One who has acquired bhagavath gyAnam (knowledge about bhagavAn) having

relationship with followers of others such as saivas, etc.
sangam means friendship, relationship. bhagavath gyAnam means true knowledge

about srIman nArAyaNan's supremacy.
Translator's note: True knowledge about bhagavAn means understanding fully that he
is the supreme lord and we are his eternal servants. Once this true knowledge is
acquired, there will be a natural transformation in our attitude. Anyone who rejects
bhagavAn's supremacy or insults bhagavAn, we will naturally be unable to have
friendship with such persons. True knowledge is acquired by the blessing of AchArya
and bhagavAn. For others who do not have true knowledge, they will not be able to
accept bhagavAn's supremacy. For us, it is better not to engage with such persons.
Here it is important to understand that as a srIvaishNava, it is our duty to educate the
favourable persons (one who is inclined to know about bhagavAn) irrespective of their
background since this sharing of true knowledge is the greatest help that can be done
for any one in realising their own true nature.
77. santhAna virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in offsprings
Even ones own son, if one is hating/disrespecting bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and

AchArya, it is an obstacle to not give up such son as explained in varAha purANam:
mAjanishta sa nO vamsEjAthO vAthrAkvisrujyathAm

AjAnmamaraNam yasya vAsudhEvO nadhaivatham
ஜ ஜ
ஜ
santhAnam - ones own children. Even though ones own child, when he/she engages in
apachArams (offenses) towards bhagavAn, bhAgavathas or AchArya, one should be
given up. Such relationship should be cut off.
Translator's note: For a prapanna, it is very important to ensure that he mixes/mingles

with other favourable prapannas only. Even ones own children or close relative, any act
of arrogance against bhagavAn and bhAgavathas cannot be tolerated. One should
ofcourse try to educate the children, etc., and try to guide them properly. But when such
efforts fail, there cannot be a relationship. We can see this from a few examples.
 prahlAdhAzhwAn is a great devotee of srIman nArAyaNan. His grand-son

mahAbali inherited such devotion towards srIman nArAyaNa from him. But due to

his greed, he took over the wealth of indhran and also was offensive towards
srIman nArAyaNan. Seeing that, prahlAdhAzhwAn tries to instruct him but since
it only fell on deaf years, he himself cursed him that all his wealth will be lost
eventually.
 When srI rAma was sent to vanavAsam (forest-dwelling) on the request of
kaikEyi, bharathAzhwAn was not there. On his return he finds out it was kaikEyi
who sent srI rAma to the forest and at once disowns her.
 When rAvaNa abducted sIthA pirAtti, vibhIshaNAzhwAn instructed his elder
brother to return her to srI rAma. But rAvaNa never listened to
vibhIshaNAzhwAn. After repeated efforts vibhIshaNAzhwAn became perplexed
and finally completely gave up on rAvaNa, left him, reached srI rAma and
surrendered unto him fully. He eventually helps srI rAma vanquish his own
brother rAvaNa.
78. varNa virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in varNam related aspects
Performing activities that are contradictory to ones varNam is an obstacle.
varNam is the classification of men as in brAhmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya and sUdhra.

Each person should perform the activities that are ordained in sAsthram for them. One
cannot perform activities that are contradictory to their own varNam.
Translator's note: This topic is already discussed in great detail in

http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/08/virodhi-pariharangal-34.html. Each varNam has
certain responsibilities.
The main activities of different varNams are:
 For a brAhmaNa, 6 main activities are identified. adhyayanam (study of vEdhas),

adhyApanam (teaching vEdhas to others), yajanam (performing yagya for self),
yAjanam (performing yagya for others), dhAnam (giving charity), parigraham
(receiving charity).
 For kshathriyas, adhyayanam (study of vEdhas), yajanam (performing yagya for
of those, they have to handle weapons, protect the citizens and administer the
nation.
 For vaisyas too, adhyayanam (study of vEdhas), yajanam (performing yagya for
of those, they have to engage in farming, tending of cows, businesses, etc.
 For sUdhras, they simply assist the other 3 classes of people in their activities.

piLLai lOkAchAryar explains about kainkaryam (servitude) in srIvachana bhUshaNa
dhivya sAsthram, sUthrams 276, 277 and 278. First in sUthram 276, he says
"kainkaryam is of two categories". In sUthram 276, he says "They are performing what
is favourable and avoiding what is unfavaourable". In sUthram 277, he says "favourable
and unfavourable are based on ones own varNam, Asramam and true nature as
jIvAthmA". mAmunigaL gives detailed explanation for this sUthram. He explains that
one should perform all kainkaryams (nithya, naimiththika karmAnushtAnams and direct
kainkaryams to bhagavAn/bhAgavathas) with selfless attitude to serve bhagavAn. Even
following varNAsrama dharmam should be done as a kainkaryam to bhagavAn and all
our activities should be in harmony with the divine desire of bhagavAn as learnt from
sAsthram and our AchAryas.
79. japa virOdhi (ஜ ) - Obstacles in recitation
It is an obstacle to contemplate on material favours and other dhEvathAs while reciting

mUla manthram (thirumanthram), etc instead of focussing on srIman nArAyaNan who is
dhEvathA for such manthrams.
mUla manthram - srI ashtAkshara mahAmanthram. manthAram thrAyathi ithi manthra: -

that which protects the one who contemplates on it is called manthram. One should
know about the dhEvathA for the manthram and contemplate on him. srIman
nArAyaNan is the dhEvathA for the asthAkshara manthram. Contemplating on any one
else or any other benefits other than kainkaryam to him will not yield the results of the
manthram.
Translator's note: Each manthram will have 3 important aspects - chandhas (the
meter), rishi (the one who is the propagator of the manthram) and dhEvathA (the object
of meditation of the manthram). In mumukshuppadi, piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights in
sUthram 4 – manthraththilum manthraththukku uLLidAna vasthuvilum manthra
pradhanAna AchAryan pakkalilum prEmam ganakka uNdAnAl kAryakaramAvathu
(
).
mAmunigaL beautifully explains that the sishya should have great faith in the manthram
(which is explained), bhagavAn (who is the object of the manthram) and AchAryan (who
has full control over the manthram) and should develop great attachment towards all
the three. He also beautifully quotes an equivalent samskritha slOkam revealing the
same principle – manthrE thath dhEvathAyAncha thathA manthrapradhE gurau, thrishu
bakthis sadhAkAryA sA hi pradhama sAdhanam (
,
). Thus chanting the manthram with proper understanding of all these

aspects will be highly beneficial. dhvaya mahA manthram is supposed to recited all the
time while meditating on the meanings of thiruvAimozhi which explains the dhvaya
mahA manthram. We can see eRumbi appA identifying in his pUrva dhinachAryA that
mAmunigaL is constantly reciting dhvaya mahA manthram and is meditating on the
meanings of thiruvAimozhi. This can be seen in slOkam 9 "manthra rathna
anusandhAna ..." ( ...). It is also highlighted by piLLai
lOkAchAryar in srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram sUthram 274 "japthavyam
guruparamparaiyum dhvayamum" (ஜ )-
guruparamparai manthram and dhvaya mahA manthram should always be recited.
80. ArAdhana virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in recitation
Having materialistic/extraneous desires as a result of thiruvArAdhanam instead of doing

it with selfless motive simply to fulfill our true nature, offering materials that are
defective by jAthi (birth/nature), Asraya (owner/possessor), nimiththam (current
situation), and offering meat, alcohol, etc which are refrained in sAsthram to be used in
thiruvArAdhanam are obstacles.
emperumAn must be worshipped properly without any expectation during

thiruvArAdhanam. The result of worshipping emperumAn is the blissful worship itself
(nothing else). This is a common and well-known rule - "yadhanna: purushObhavathi
thadhannas thasya dhEvathA" ( :
) - Whatever one can consume according to sAsthram, that needs to be first
offered to his worshippable deity (and then consumed by oneself). For example, a
sannyAsi who is forbidden from consuming betel leaves/nuts cannot offer it in his
thiruvArAdhanam. We can recollect many aspects that are discussed in anushtAna
virOdhi (http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/01/virodhi-pariharangal-10.html).
Translator's note: thiruvArAdhanam is the process of worshipping emperumAn. This is

explained in detail in http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2012/07/srivaishnava-
thiruvaaraadhanam.html. The obstacles in worshipping emperumAn is explained in
detail in http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/03/virodhi-pariharangal-16.html.
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).These are explained in detail in
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/05/virodhi-pariharangal-23.html.

pariharangal.html.

srIman nArAyaNan with his dear consorts and servitors - paramapadham
81. pathithva virOdhi ( ) - Obstacles in being a master
As explained in "pathim visvasya" (bhagavAn being the supreme master of every one),
considering prajApathi (brahmA), pasupathi (rudhran), bruhaspathi (guru of dhEvas),
surapathi (indhran), dhanapathi (kubEran), sEnApathi (skandhan), gaNapathi (ganEsa),
etc., as master that contradicts bhagavAn being supreme master is an obstacle.
pathi means swAmy. As established in upanishadh as "pathim visvasya" - srIman

nArAyaNan is the only master of all of the universe. Many dhEvathAs have "pathi" in
their name. prajApathi - 4 headed brahmA. pasupathi - rudhran. bruhaspathi - teacher of
dhEvas, surapathi - indhran who is the leader of all dhEvas. dhanapathi - kubEra who is

the master of wealth. sEnApathi - kArthikEyan, the leader of the army of dhEvas.
gaNapathi - the elephant headed gaNEsa. To consider these dhEvathas as the master
is incorrect.
Translator's note: pathi generally means owner, lord, master, husband, etc. srIman
nArAyaNan is explained as "visvapathi" (master of the universe) and "lOkabarthA"
(husband of all) by nAyanAr in AchArya hrudhayam 121st chUrNikai. These terms are
beautifully coined from nArAyaNa sUktham (pathim visvasya) and srI rAmAyaNam
(kausalyA lOkabarthAram slokam) respectively by nAyaNAr. So, bhagavAn is
understood as the lord and master of everyone. Whoever is hailed as "pathi" normally
otherwise, such honour should be understood as simple glorification but not in the real
sense. It should also be understood as the divine grace of bhagavAn which allowed
such glorification to these dhEvathAs. ALavandhAr explains this principle beautifully in
sthOthra rathnam 11th to 14th slOkams. Especially in 13th slOkam. "vEdhApahAra
gurupAthaka dhaithyapIdAthi ApadhvimOchana mahishta palapradhAnai: | kOnya:
prajA pasu pathI paripAthi kasya padhOdhakEna sa sivas svasirOdhrudhEna ||"
(
:| : ஜ
||) - Here, ALavandhAr asks srIman nArAyaNan "Who rescued
the great dhEvathAs when they faced with adversities such as brahmA losing the
vEdhams, rudhran plucking the head of brahmA who is his own father, saving indhran
from the troubles of asuras? Who else other than you will protect prajApathi (brahmA)
and pasupathi (rudhran)? rudhra became pure by holding the water that was used to
wash whose lotus feet?". This slOkam is written based on incidents highlighted in
purANams and in a manner where ALavandhAr asks these questions towards
emperumAn who is the real protector of everyone. Though brahmA, rudhran, indhran
are great dhEvathAs, even they draw their force from bhagavAn who is their antharyAmi
and who blessed them with such powers to perform certain tasks. When they faced
adverse situations, it was srIman nArAyaNan who saved them. When an asura stole the
vEdham from brahmA, it was srIman nArAyaNan who took the form of hayagrIva and
retrieved the vEdhams back from the asuras. When rudhran was affected with brahma
haththi dhOsham (hurting a brAhmaNa) due to him plucking one of the heads of his
father brahmA, the skull became attached to rudhran's hand. He then went and prayed
to srIman nArAyaNan who sprinkled the sweat from his chest which broke the skull into
pieces and relieved rudhran from his sin. Whenever indhran was attacked by the
asuras, he always prays to srIman nArAyaNan who comes to his rescue. When brahmA
washed the lotus feet of srIman nArAyaNan with the water from his pot, that water
started flowing down as gangA river. When bhagIratha tried to bring the gangA down to
the earth, it was rudhran who first held the gangA in his matted hair to control the flow.
By holding the holy water coming down from the lotus feet of srIman nArAyaNan, he
became pure and was thus called "siva" which means auspicious. Thus, we can
understand that srIman nArAyaNan is the supreme lord for everyone and associating

such lordship with anyone else is an obstacle.
82. varjanIya virOdhi ( ஜ ) - Obstacles in what shall be excluded
Consuming thAmasa (ignorant nature) AhArams (food) such as alcohol, meat, etc.,
which are forbidden in sAsthram and giving up sAthvika AhArams (food of good nature),
sAthvika sAsthrams (the portion of sAsthram that focusses on goodness) and sAthvika
anushtAnams (the activities that are to be followed that will lead to goodness) are
obstacles.
varjanIyam - that which needs to be given up. nishidhdham - that which are forbidden.
Food is generally classified in to three categories - sAthvika (goodness), rAjasa
(passion) and thAmasa (ignorance/darkness). Those foods that develop sathva guNam
(favourable attitude) are called sAthvika AhAram. That which leads to Laziness,
sleepiness, lethargy, etc., are called thAmasa AhAram. Such food items like alcohol,
meat, etc., should be avoided. Same principle is to be observed in other aspects as
well.
Translator's note: We have discussed about eating and food habits in

http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/05/virodhi-pariharangal-23.html. 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. Whatever is
forbidden in sAsthram, one should try to avoid such foods. On the other hand, what is
recommended in sAsthram for the positive development of the jIvAthmA's qualities, that
should be pursued and not given up. It is said that both akruthya karaNam (doing that
which is forbidden in sAsthram) and kruthya akaraNam (not doing that which is ordained
in sAsthram) are condemned. Both of these are to be given up and one should simply
try to follow what is explained in sAsthram and recommended by our AchAryas to
progress spiritually.
83. avarjanIya virOdhi ( ஜ ) - Obstacles in what shall not be

excluded
avarjanIya - that which shall not be given up - unavoidable. Translator's note: In this
final topic, many important aspects on being a mumukshu (one who desires for
mOksham - specifically prapannas, the totally surrendered ones) and muktha (the state
after attaining liberation) are highlighted.

 Even after being a mumukshu, having desires for material wealth and lust,
forgetting that they are inappropriate for the true nature of mumukshu is an
obstacle. aprAptha - not fitting/appropriate. It is said that such desires are great
dangers for some one being a mumukshu. Translator's note: mumukshu means
one who desires mOksham. Especially, the context here is about prapannas -
one who are fully surrendered to bhagavAn through an AchArya. Such persons
should never forget their true nature of being a servant to bhagavAn and
bhAgavathas. If one gets attached to wealth and lust (material desires for
sensual pleasure, family, friends, etc), that will lead to worldly life and one will fall
from the state of being a mumukshu eventually since their desire for worldly
pleasures will over take their desire for mOksham. In the first sUthram of thathva
thrayam, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains that a mumukshu (one who desires for
mOksham) to attain mOksham (liberation), he should have full knowledge about
thathva thrayam - chith, achith and Iswara. Once that knowledge is fully
established, there will be no desires for worldly pleasures. Also, in
mumukshuppadi, beginning of dhvaya prakaraNam, piLLai lOkAchAryar explains
the many essential qualities that are to be found in a srIvaishNava. mAmunigaL
has given elaborate commentary for this sUthram. Here, the first quality is to give
up the desire for worldly pleasures completely. Subsequently, the importance of
having firm faith in the ultimate goal of eternal kainkaryam and the constant
craving for such kainkaryam are greatly emphasised. Thus, there is no room for
material desires what so ever in the minds of a mumukshu.
 The bhAgavatha apachAram which results from such material desires is an
obstacle. Translator's note: When our desire for worldly pleasures increase, we
tend to commit offenses towards bhAgavathas by sometimes ignoring/insulting
them in pursuit of such pleasures, etc. Similar principle is explained in srIvachana
bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram by piLLai lOkAchAryar while explaining the
dhinacharya (daily routine) of a prapanna (a srIvaishNava who is totally
surrendered to bhagavAn/AchArya). Among other things, he highlights that one
should fear for ahankAram (ego), arththam (material wealth) and kAmam (lust),
that they will cause 3 types dangers. Ones ego will lead to disrespecting
srIvaishNavas in considering them equals and not giving them proper
respect/care they deserve. Ones desire for material wealth, will lead to them
approaching and pampering samsAris (materialistic people) to obtain the desired
wealth. Ones desire for lust will lead one to women, etc., who even ignore/insult
them. Such pitfalls should be carefully avoided as all of these will ultimately lead
to ignoring/insulting srIvaishNavas.
 Being bewildered considering materialistic aspects as pleasurable is an obstacle.
Considering materialistic aspects as pleasurable means one has not developed
detachment towards such pleasures. Translator's note: When one understands
the true nature of oneself as the true servant of bhagavAn, one would only
consider service to bhagavAn as the only enjoyable aspect. pEyAzhwAr explains
this in mUnRAm thiruvanthAdhi 14th pAsuram "mARpAl manam suzhippa

mangaiyar thOL kaivittu" (
) - When we develop attachment towards srIman nArAyaNan, our
attachment towards women (and other worldly pleasures) will automatically
disappear.
 Considering that after reaching parampadham, while serving bhagavAn, oneself
will be the enjoyer is an obstacle. One should not consider that, after being
liberated and reached parampadham, while serving bhagavAn oneself will be the
enjoyer - that is incorrect. This is explained by nammAzhwAr in thiruvAimozhi
2.9.4 "thanakkEyAga enaikkoLLumIthE" (
) - you (bhagavAn) should engage me in his
kainkaryam for his pleasure only.
 Having the attitude of self-enjoyment which is the reason for such desire to enjoy
oneself even in paramapadham is an obstacle. bhOkthruthva budhdhi -
considering oneself as the enjoyer. One should hanker to bring joy for
emperumAn as explained by ALavandhAr in sthOthra rathnam 46
"praharshayishyAmi" ( ) - when am I going to bring the
fullest joy to emperumAn. Translator's note: azhagiya maNavALa perumAL
nAyanAr explains in AchArya hrudhayam chUrNikai 21 "sEshathva
bhOkthruthvangaL pOlanRE pArathanthriya bhOgyathaigaL" (
)-
pArathanthriyam (total dependence) and bhOgyathaigaL (being the enjoyed) is
higher than sEshathvam (servitude) and bhOkthruthvangaL (being the enjoyer).
mAmunigaL here beautifully identifies that sEshathvam is like gold brick
(valuable yet can only be used after changing the shape/form) and
pArathanthriyam is like gold ornament (is in use as it its). One should fully
understand that the whole purpose of ones existence is to bring fullest joy to
emperumAn. The main principle to understand here is - emperumAn is swAmi
(owner - propreitor) and jIvAthmA is svam (owned - property). The property exists
purely for the pleasure of the owner only. Since jIvAthmA has consciousness,
seeing the full joy of emperumAn, he will simply reciprocate that joy to manifest
his consciousness. This is a very deep principle and should be understood from
an AchArya through kAlakshEpam method.
 Due to the above mentioned attitude of self-enjoyment, giving up the principle of
"enjoyment for bhagavAn only" is an obstacle. bhOgyam - that which is enjoyed.
paraika bhOgyathvam - having strong conviction on being enjoyed by bhagavAn
only. This attitude should never be lost. Translator's note: This is the highest
principle of our sath sampradhAyam called "achithvath pArathanthriyam" - being
like achith at the full disposal of bhagavAn yet reciprocating pleasure like
jIvAthmA when bhagavAn reveals his joy. This principle (of eradicating self-
centered pleasure) is explained in "nama:" in the second part of dhvaya mahA

manthram. In perumAL thirumozhi, 4.9, kulasEkara AzhwAr says "padiyAyk
kidanthu un pavaLavAy kANbEnE (
)" - being a stepping stone, I still want to see and enjoy your
beautiful lips (that reveal the happiness). Here, stepping stone at the entrance is
achith (matter) which does not have any knowledge. But seeing the happiness in
the face can only be done when there is knowledge. periyavAchAn piLLai
explains that "padiyAyk kidanthu un pavaLavAy kANbEnE" means achithvath
pArathanthriyam - we should have the pArathanthriyam towards emperumAn to
be like achith. For example, if we take a desk and move it somewhere else, it will
not question us - we should also be like that when emperumAn does anything to
us, we should not question him. When he is satisfied with our kainkaryam he
shows great satisfaction and joy and we should also reciprocate it, otherwise we
will not be any different from a achith. For example, when we lift a child and play
with him, if the child responds to our dealings, our joy will be doubled, the same
way, when we reciprocate to emperumAn's joy, his joy will be doubled. As seen
before, ALavandhAr explains the same principle in his sthOthra rathnam 46
"kadhA ... praharshayishyAmi" ( ... ) - longing to
bring pleasure for emperumAn. When jIvAthmA reciprocates bhagavAn's
pleasure, bhagavAn becomes fully pleased. His pleasure is the sole objective of
our kainkaryam.
 In the mukthAthmA (liberated soul) state, as the desire for enjoyment which
occurs is triggered by bhagavAn and gives great joy for emperumAn and
increases his pleasure, it is no longer an obstacle. As explained in
thiruviruththam 33 "agalvisumbum nilanum iruLAr vinaikedach chengOl
nadAvuthir" (
- Controlling/Managing the sky and land, destroying the
sins which are caused by and filled with ignorance by the grace of your
auspicious sudharsana chakram), even in the liberated state, out of bhagavAn's
nithya sankalpam (eternal vow), he ensures that the mukthAthmA does not
acquire the desire for self-control and self-enjoyment. adhmi - I eat, I enjoy.
ahamannam - I am the food (enjoyable aspect) for the supreme lord. aham
adhmi - I am eating (enjoying) the one who eats (enjoys). This means, it is most
important that bhagavAn enjoys the feast (jIvAthmA). Seeing the joy in
bhagavAn's face, the jIvAthmA also feels the joy. paraprEritham - that which is
triggered by him. This attitude of little self-enjoyment is occurring in jIvAthmA
based on bhagavAn's vow. This is not an obstacle. Translator's note: We have
seen this in detail in previous points. It is natural for jIvAthmA to have the attitude
of enjoyment. In the liberated state, bhagavAn first enjoys the jIvAthmA and
manifests his bliss. Seeing that, jIvAthmA also feels great bliss and manifests the
same. A good example is, when the father picks up his child and plays with him,
he feels great happiness. Seeing the smile in the face of the father, the child also

reciprocates the smile. Seeing that, the father feels even happier than before.
Thus, there is never-ending bliss in parampadham (srI vaikuNtam) which is the
divine vow of srIman nArAyaNan.
 An alternate explanation is given here for "unavoidable aspects". bhagavath
saundharyam (bhagavAn's beauty) which is an obstacle for AchArya kainkaryam
(here) is the main obstacle for kainkaryam (service) in both this world (samsAram
- material world) and the other world (paramapadham - spiritual word). bhagavAn
eliminates that obstacle and accepts kainkaryam from jIvAthmA. The forbidden
activities we engage in and the lack of discipline which are results of karmA from
many past births are main obstacles. Here, an alternate explanation for
"avarjanIya virOdhi" (unavoidable obstacles) is given which is different from
previous point. here and there - both in leelA vibhUthi (samsAram - material
world) and nithya vibhUthi (paramapadham - spiritual world). "saundharyam
antharAyam" ( - mumukshuppadi 182 - the divine
beauty of his divine forms is an impediment/hindrance). When one sees
bhagavAn's divine beautiful form, they will melt out of emotions as explained by
nammAzhwAr in periya thiruvanthAdhi 34 "kAlAzhum, nenjazhiyum,
kaNsuzhalum" ( , , - the legs will shake,
the heart will melt and eyes will become dizzy). Due to that they will be unable to
engage in kainkarayam (service). Specifically for the ones who are engaged in
kainkaryam to bhAgavathas and AchArya, such engagement in bhagavAn's
beauty will be a great obstacle. In srI rAmAyaNam, ayOdhyA kANdam 1.1,
"chathrugnO nithya sathrugna:" ( :) is explained as
"sathrugna - who conquered the eternal enemy". Here - what is the eternal
enemy? It is srI rAma's divine beauty and qualities which would be an obstacle
for him to engage in kainkaryam for bhagavAn. This is explained as avarjanIya
virOdhi (unavoidable obstacle). Our defects in our AchAram and anushtAnam
(practical aspects which follow every day) that arise unintentionally due to past
karmAs are also included here. Translator's note: Here two specific obstacles
are addressed. First, bhagavAn's beauty which blocks ones kainkaryam is
explained. In mumukshuppadi, piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights this nicely in the
end of dhvaya prakaraNam (section explaining dhvaya mahA manthram). Our
true goal is to serve the divine couple of srI mahAlakshmi and srIman nArAyaNan
for their pleasure. But his own beauty will stop us from engaging in kainkaryam
since it mesmerises us and puts us in a trance. mAmunigaL explains in the
vyAkyAnam that his beauty steals ones heart and stops all physical action, his
beauty is an obstacle for kainkaryam. So, it is bhagavAn who removes that
obstacle and let us perform kainkaryam. sathrugna's example is nicely explained
here. It is said that he never used to look at srI rAma, since if he looks at him, he
will become mesmerised and his constant kainkaryam to bharatha (who is a pure
bhAgavatha focussed in kainkaryam to srI rAma) will be at stake. The second
aspect explained here is about the sins committed due to past karmA and

impressions. periyavAchAn piLLai explains this principle elaborately in his sakala
pramANa thAthparyam. Let us see his explanation now on this particular aspect.
A prapanna, even after being fully surrendered to emperumAn, may end up
performing sinful activities due to past karmA, vAsanA (past impressions) and
ruchi (attachment to such sinful activities). These are called uththarAgam
(uththara - after, agam - sin). These sins could be of two types - committed
intentionally and unintentionally. There is also another categorization - the sins
that were atoned for and the sins that were not atoned for. Atonement means
feeling sorry for the act and not repeating the same. Sins committed in matters
relating to bhagavAn, one should atone for those in front of bhagavAn. Sins
committed towards bhAgavathas should be atoned Out of great affection towards
the jIvAthmA, bhagavAn removes the sins that were committed unintentionally
and those sins that were atoned for in front of the particular bhAgavatha on
whom the offense was committed. Not atoning for sins is of 3 types - a) cruel -
engaging in those forbidden acts which are condemned in sAsthram and by our
pUrvAchAryas. This include indulging in desiring for wives of other men, eating
meat, alcohol, etc., and not performing nithya naimiththika karmAnushtAnams
such as sandhyA vandhanam, etc., according to ones own varNa and Asrama b)
more cruel - those offenses that are committed against bhagavAn. This include
considering other dhEvathas at par with srIman nArAyaNan, considering
bhagavAn's avathArams as mere mortal beings, etc. c) most cruel - those
offenses that are committed against bhAgavathas such as insulting them, not
giving them great respect, judging them based on their birth, wealth, knowledge,
etc. The consequences of these 3 types of sins which were not atoned will have
to be faced by the prapanna. Since a prapanna would only focus on the mercy of
bhagavAn, he would conduct himself very carefully and avoid committing any of
these three offenses/sins. Ideally, once fully surrendered, one would not engage
in any sins. Even if one commits sins by mistake, they would atone immediately -
it is impossible to imagine a real prapanna not atoning for the committed sins.
Thus, any sins committed unintentionally and sins that were atoned for can be
understood to have been ignored by bhagavAn due to his great mercy.
With this we have completed all the obstacles that are highlighted by emperumAnAr to
vangi puratthu nambi with the help of vangi puratthu nambi's explanations and srI u. vE.
V V Ramanujam swamy's simple thamizh translation of the same.
In the next article, we will see the concluding section of this grantham which
summarizes all the obstacles that were discussed so far.

virOdhi parihArangaL - Conclusion
pariharangal.html.

emperumAnAr, vangi puratthu nambi

piLLai lOkAchAryar, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr, maNavALa mAmunigaL
Thus far, we have seen all the obstacles in great detail as explained in this wonderful
grantham. Now we will see the translation for the final section which highlights all the
obstacles and the result of the removal of such obstacles.
1. As attachment towards samsAram (wife, children, land, etc) is given up, one can
attain svargam (heavenly abode). http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-
pariharangal-1.html
2. As desires for material enjoyment in this earthly planets are removed, one will
start desiring for heavenly pleasures. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-
pariharangal-1.html
3. As desires for heavenly pleasures are removed, one will have self-realisation.
4. As one understands that heavenly pleasures are to be given up, they will start
enjoying ones own self (AthmAnubhavam).
5. As one understands self-enjoyment should be given up, they will experience
bhagavAn (bhagavath anubhavam). http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-
pariharangal-1.html
6. As desires for self-enjoyment is removed, one will start desiring for bhagavath
anubhavam. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-1.html
7. As ones heart moves away from considering brahmam as just a supreme entity
filled with knowledge/bliss, one will start enjoying the many other auspicious

qualities of bhagavAn. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-
1.html
8. As one takes away the eyes from bhagavAn's beauty, ones servitude towards
bhagavAn will flourish. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-
1.html
9. As taste in servitude towards bhagavAn is removed, servitude towards
bhAgavathas will flourish.
10. As the bewilderment in karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams as upAyam (means) is
removed, strong faith in bhagavAn as the only upAyam will flourish.
11. When understanding that upAyAntharams (all other upAyams) involve difficult
efforts, self-effort and the result is not immediate, one will develop full conviction
in prapaththi (surrender). http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-
2.html
12. As the desire in engaging in servitude of dhEvathAntharams such as agni,
indhran, etc., is removed, servitude towards bhagavAn will flourish.
13. As one realizes that service to dhEvathAntharams must be given up, service to
bhagavAn which is natural for the jIvAthmA will dawn in him/her.
14. As one clearly understands that his/her surrender is not the upAyam (means),
one will understand that bhagavAn himself is the upAyam.
15. As one engages in activities prescribed in sAsthram (independently),
sAdhanAntharams (karma, gyAna, bhakthi yOgams) will fructify.
16. As ones attachment towards activities in uplifting oneself (independently) is
removed, sidhdhOpAyam (bhagavAn as the means) will be established for
oneself. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-2.html
17. As the obstacle in upAyam (means) is removed, bhagavAn as the upAyam will
be firmly established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-
3.html
18. As the obstacle in upEyam (goal) is removed, (kainkaryam to) bhagavAn only as
the ultimate goal will be established.
http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-3.html
19. As the 3 main obstacles in upEyam (goal) are removed, ultimate goal of
unlimited, eternal and most blissful kainkaryam (service) to bhagavAn will be
established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-3.html
20. As the obstacle in understanding main pramANam (evidence/source of
knowledge) is removed, ones faith in sAsthram will be established.

21. As the obstacle that accompanies the jIvAthmA eternally is removed, AthmA's
true nature will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-
pariharangal-4.html
22. As the eternal obstacle is removed, detachment towards worldly pleasures will be
established in oneself. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-
4.html
23. As the temporary obstacle is removed, eternal bliss will be established.
24. As the obstacle for the true nature of jIvAthmA is removed, one will truly
understand that jIvAthmA must be fully enjoyed by bhagavAn.
25. As the obstacle in understanding the true nature of paramAthmA is removed,
ones pArathanthriyam (total-dependence) towards bhagavAn will be firmly
established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-5.html
26. As self-enjoyment attitude is removed, disinterest towards oneself will be
27. As obstacle for bhagavAn's enjoyment are removed, detachment towards desire
for controlling will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-
pariharangal-5.html
28. As the obstacle for union with bhagavAn is removed, the easy attainment of
bhagavAn will be firmly established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-
pariharangal-5.html
29. As the obstacle for separation from bhagavAn is removed, prolonged union with
bhagavAn will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-
pariharangal-5.html
30. As the obstacle of worldly pleasures is removed, control/victory over ones senses
will be established.
31. As the obstacle in ones faith is removed, ultimate faith will be established.
32. As the obstacle in ones pravruththi (activities) is removed, activities focussed on
the pleasure of bhagavAn will be established.
33. As the obstacle in ones nivruththi (inactivity) is removed, detachment in such
activities (which are self-centered) will be established.
34. As the obstacle in ones sleep is removed, full realization of ones true nature will
be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-pariharangal-7.html
35. As the obstacle in ones waking up is removed, knowledge about reality will be
36. As the obstacle in ones walking (path, activities, etc) is removed, removal of
coming again the samsAram (taking another birth) will be established.

37. As the obstacle in ones standing is removed, blissfully standing amidst the
devotees in paramapdham will be
38. As the obstacle in necessary aspects is removed, this current body being the
blemishless final body (before attaining paramapadham) will be established.
39. As the obstacle in the bodily purity is removed, purity of the self (soul) will be
established.
40. As the obstacle in bathing is removed, bathing in virajA river (before entering
paramapadham) will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/01/virodhi-
pariharangal-9.html
41. As the obstacle in our conduct is removed, conduct based tradition (of
pUrvAchAryas) will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/01/virodhi-
42. As the obstacle in identity/characteristic is removed, vialakshaNathvam
(greatness) will be established.
43. As the obstacle in remembrance is removed, purity of such remembrance will be
established.
44. As the obstacle in singing/speaking is removed, purity in speech will be
established.
45. As the obstacle in hearing is removed, purity of sath sampradhAyam
(unadulterated tradition) will be established in oneself.
46. As the obstacle in service is removed, bhagavAn's joyful acceptance of such
service will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/2014/02/virodhi-
47. As the obstacle in samArAdhanam (worship) is removed, bhagavAn's joyful
acceptance of such worship will be established.
48. As the obstacle in offering obeisances/prostration is removed, bhagavAn's joyful
acceptance of such act will be established.
49. As the obstacle in offering salutations with joint palms is removed,
stealing/capturing of bhagavAn's heart will be established.
50. As the obstacle in spending our time is removed, true satisfaction of spending
such time in useful manner will be

51. As the obstacle in earning is removed, ones sAthvika (goodness) nature will be
established.
52. As the obstacle in ones home is removed, great fortune of visits by saintly
persons and their association will be established.
53. As the obstacle in ones land/property is removed, dedication of the fruits of such
land/property to bhagavAn will be established.
54. As the obstacle in feeding others is removed, ones position as the giver and
enjoyer will be established.
55. As the obstacle in food is removed, developed state of sathvam (goodness) will
be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/05/virodhi-pariharangal-22.html
56. As the obstacle in thIrtham (holy water) is removed, the upliftment of ones own
self will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/06/virodhi-pariharangal-
24.html
57. As the obstacle in prasAdham (sanctified/holy food) is removed, purification of
self will be established.
58. As the obstacle in speech is removed, differentiation from samsAris (materialistic
persons) will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/06/virodhi-
59. As the obstacle in association is removed, srIvaishNava characteristics/qualities
will be established. Note: "sanga virOdhi" section is missing in this book
published by srI u. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy.
60. As the obstacle in relations is removed, knowledge about bhagavAn who is the
eternal relative will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/06/virodhi-
61. As the obstacle in attachment is removed, bhagavath prApthi (reaching
bhagavAn) will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/06/virodhi-
62. As the obstacle in devotion is removed, servitude and well-wishing (of bhagavAn)
will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/06/virodhi-pariharangal-
28.html
63. As the obstacle in slavery (servitude) is removed, knowledge about eternal
master will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/06/virodhi-
64. As the obstacle in friendship is removed, being favourable towards everyone will
be established.

65. As the obstacle in offering is removed, knowledge about ones own possession
and bhagavAn's possession will be established.
66. As the obstacle in philosophy is removed, AchArya's acceptance will be
established.
67. As the obstacle in Asrama (stages of life) is removed, complete dedication to
bhagavAn only will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/07/virodhi-
68. As the obstacle in jAthi (birth) is removed, knowledge about being a servant of
bhAgavathas will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/2014/08/virodhi-
69. As the obstacle in trustworthy principles is removed, strong conviction on the
blemishless nature of such trustworthy principles will be established.
70. As the obstacle in untrustworthy principles is removed ... (Note: This sentence
is not found in the source). http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/09/virodhi-
71. As the obstacle in the doctrine is removed, strong conviction in the most
respected pramANams (authoritative sources of knowledge) will be established.
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/09/virodhi-pariharangal-37.html ,
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/09/virodhi-pariharangal-38.html and
72. As the obstacle in reality is removed, knowledge about the most auspicious
pramEyam (goal - bhagavAn) will be established.
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/10/virodhi-pariharangal-40.html ,
http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/10/virodhi-pariharangal-41.html and
73. As the obstacle in masculinity is removed, ones identity as a fully abiding wife of
bhagavAn will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/11/virodhi-
74. As the obstacle in the understanding of final moments is removed, ones nature
as a fully surrendered person will be established.
75. As the obstacle in distrust is removed, ones trust in the divine words of
bhagavAn, bhAgavathas and AchArya and the visEsha sAsthram (special
portions of sAsthram which emphasises on bhAgavatha dharmam) will be
76. As the obstacle in association is cleared, knowledge about bhagavAn will be
77. As the obstacle in offsprings (progeny) is removed, vaishNava offsprings will be

78. As the obstacle in varNa (classification based on the activities they perform) is
removed, the varNa of AthmA, that is sEshathvam (servitude) will be
79. As the obstacle in japa (recitation) is removed, constant recitation of dhvaya
mahA manthram will be established. http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2014/11/virodhi-
80. As the obstacle in worship is removed, worship of bhagavAn will be established.
81. As the obstacle in mastership (lordship) is removed, knowledge about
bhagavAn's supreme lordship will be established.
82. As the obstacle in avoidable aspects is removed, sAthvika food, faith in sAthvika
scripture and sAthvika activities will be established.
83. As the obstacle in unavoidable aspects is removed, attainment of the ultimate
goal at the end of the current body will be established.
For a jIvAthmA, these obstacles relate to his svarUpa (true nature), saththA (existence),
sthithi (standing) and pravruththi (activities). Through constant meditation on praNava
(OmkAra) which reveals bhagavAn's nature and existence, the obstacles relating to the
jIvAthmA's nature and existence are removed. Through the meditation of nama:, the
obstacles relating to the jIvAthmA's standing will be removed. Through meditation on
"nArAyaNa" sabdham (word) which reveals the activities which are triggered by
bhagavAn and those activities which are fully enjoyed by bhagavAn only, the obstacles
relating to the jIvAthmA's activities will be removed. Thus, it is explained that, by serving
a true AchArya, learning the meanings of thirumanthram which has three parts,
removing the obstacles, one should lead ones life. Translator's note: The importance
of thirumanthram is highlighted here. thirumanthram is the basis for the essential
principles. thirumanthram is further explained in dhvaya mahA manthram and charama
slOkam. These 3 which are together called as rahasya thrayam must be learnt from an
authoritative AchArya. Serving the AchArya is also of paramount importance. It is
explained by eRumbi appA in pUrva dhinacharyA 9th slOkam that mAmunigaL was
constantly reciting dhvaya mahA manthram and was constantly meditating on the
meanings of dhvaya mahA manthram. It is also emphasised by piLLai lOkAchAryar that
one should always recite guru paramparA manthram (asmadh gurubhyO nama: ...
srIdharAya nama:) before reciting dhvaya mahA manthram. Thus, as a srIvaishNava,
one should aspire for the quick removal of obstacles and focus on living a glorious life in
this world itself in line with the instructions of our pUrvAchAryas and finally ascend to
paramapadham to eternally serve the divine couple for their fullest pleasure.
Thus ends the commentary of vangi puratthu nambi for "virOdhi parihArangaL" that was
blessed by bhagavath rAmAnujAchArya.

srI u. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy
It is a great fortune for me to have been engaged in this translation effort by the grace
of srIman nArAyaNan, AzhwArs, AchAryas and asmadhAchAryan. My gratitude flows
towards srI u. vE. V V Ramanujam swamy who have given a very simple and effective
translation for this very technically in-depth grantham and also to many vidhwAns who
have taught many valuable principles of our sath sampradhAyam to me. Also, my
sincere thanks belongs to those constantly encourage me in such endeavours of
translating pUrvAchArya granthams. Thus ends the english translation of virOdhi
parihArangaL grantham of emperumAnAr's final instructions to vangi puratthu nambi.

VIRODHI PARIHARANGAL

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originalbeschreibung:

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

VIRODHI PARIHARANGAL

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

virOdhi parihArangaL (Removal of obstacles)

emperumAnAr - vangi puratthu nambi

jagadhAchArya srI rAmAnuja is glorified as "kArEy karuNai irAmAnusa" - Most merciful

srI rAmAnuja - thirumalai

mAmunigaL joyfully reveals the greatness of emperumAnAr's compassion in upadhEsa

OrAN vazhiyAi upadhEsiththAr munnOr

AchAryas before emperumAnAr were very selective in sharing/teaching the divine

emperumAnAr had innumerable sishyas. 74 AchAryas who were established by him,

Full series can be viewed at: http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/virodhi-pariharangal.html

By the divine grace of emperumAn/AzhwArs/AchAryas and asmadhAchAryan, adiyen is

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

srI rangapriyA padhippakam

Only few copies left with swamy at the moment.

1. svargaththukku samsAram virOdhi ( )-

svargam generally means heavenly planets of dhEvas. indhra's planet is known as

Earthly pleasures - Obstacle for svargam

2. svargEchchuvukku aihika sukam virOdhi (

3. AthmAnubhavaththukku svargAnubhavam virOdhi (

AthmAnubhavam is a type of mOksham called kaivalyam. kaivalyam means reaching

4. AthmAnubhavakAmanukku svargam virOdhi (

Please refer to previous point's explanation.

5. bhagavath anubhavaththukku AthmAnubhavam virOdhi (

bhagavath anubhavam means enjoying bhagavAn with his auspicious qualities,

Translator's note: jIvAthmA is naturally gyAnamayam (filled with knowledge) and

6. bhagavath anubhava kAmanukku AthmAnubhava ichchai virOdhi (

Please refer to previous point's explanation.

enjoying bhagavAn's svarUpam - an obstacle for bhagavath kalyANa guNa anubhavam

guNanishtan - as said in "sadhA paraguNAvishta:", the one who is constantly enjoying

focussing on bhagavAn's beauty - an obstacle for rendering service (iLaya perumAL

kainkaryanishtar - Like iLayaperumAL (lakshmaNa) who said "aham sarvam

9. bhAgavatha kainkarya nishtanukku bhagavath kainkaryam virOdhi (

focussing on bhagavath kainkaryam - an obstacle for bhAgavatha kainkaryam

jIvAthmA's natural state is bhagavath dhAsyathvam (to be a servitor of bhagavAn) and

Please see the previous article at http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/2013/12/virodhi-

gIthAchAryan clearly expounded the principle of prapathi to arjunan

10. prapaththinishtanukku karmAdhyupAyangaL virOdhi (

11. prapaththi upAya nishtanukku itharOpAyangaL virOdhi (

Being relieved from repeated birth/death in this samsAram, after reaching

 bhakthi yOgam - Understanding that paramAthmA eternally exists in jIvAthmA

 Further, living in dhivya dhEsams and serving archAvathAra emperumAns in

 thirunAma sankIrthanam (singing bhagavAn's many names) is highlighted as a

Here we should certainly remember an important aspect. Whatever karmAs ordered in

Translator's note: Here we have to understand the difference between siddha

 siddha sAdhanam (siddhOpAyam) - siddham means that which is already

 sAdhya sAdhanam (sAdhyOpAyam) - sAdhyam means to be accomplished. An

The other fine difference is - bhagavAn is parama chEthanan (supremely knowlegable) -

dheivanAyakan with nAchiyArs - Supreme Lord of dhEvathAs

When we perform our activities as kainkaryams to bhagavAn, bhagavAn will be pleased

We (brAhmaNa, kshathriya, vaisya) perform sandhyA vandhanam thrice every day. In

 He further explains "Whatever is performed in our nithya karmAs, they are

 Further he says "There is no specific rule in sAsthram to worship other

 Finally, he says "Why should we give up nithya/naimiththika karmAs which are

13. bhagavath kainkarya nishtanukku dhEvathAnthara bhajanam virOdhi (

praNavam which is the essence of all of vEdham establishes that jIvAthmAs

Translator's note: In the vyAkyAnam, "pathim visvasya" ( - master

14. bhagavathupAya nishtanukku prapaththi virOdhi (

15. sAdhyOpAya nishtanukku nivruththi virOdhi (

16. sidhdhOpAya nishtanukku pravruththi virOdhi (

Please see discussions on points 10 and 11 to understand siddhOpAyam and

 pravrutthi means engaging in actions with self-effort.

 nivrutthi means withdrawing from self-efforts.

 siddhOpAya nishtan - one who accepts bhagavAn (who is already established as