Subject: SIX WORDS Part - 1

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMA:

FAMOUS SIX WORDS

Dear esteemed members of the Tiruvenkatam E-group,

adiyen�s dandan (pranams) to one and all.

adiyen is very thankful to a few members who privately asked adiyen about the
famous �6 words of
Acharya Ramanuja� � also known as �6 words of Thirukkachi Nambi�. That gave adiyen
an opportunity
to know about the same. Whatever information adiyen gathered / understood, adiyen
wishes to share
in the e-group.

adiyen would like to submit that this compilation is meant for beginners only.
Also this is
not an expert�s posting and is only to invoke the interest for further study /
learning.

Summary / Short Version:

This short version is provided so that it would serve as brief introduction as

well as for a
broad understanding of the same - (based on the book �Hinduism Rediscovered� by
Shri.Anbil Ramaswamy �
book Published by our Tiruvenkatam Group � Kuwait).

While still a boy, Ramanuja lost his father and was living with his mother at
Kanchipuram under
the protection of one �Tiru Kachi Nambi�. This Nambi was believed to converse and
was on �speaking
terms� with Lord Varadharaja in the Archa form. Later when Ramanuja had some
doubts in his mind he
expressed the same to Nambi for getting suitable answers from the Lord
Varadharaja. Nambi ontained
from Lord Varadharaja the famous �SIX WORDS� and passed on to Ramanuja. These six
words provided
the guidelines for Ramanuja to follow.

They were

1. Lord Narayana is the Paramaatma

2. The individual souls are different from Paramaatma

3. Prapatti is the means to attain salvation

4. Last rememberance of the Lord on the part of the departing soul is not
necessary

5. Moksha can be obtained only on laying off the mortal body

6. Ramanuja should take refuge at the feet of Peria Nambi

Members may find that the six words do contain some of the essential factors of
Srivaishnavism and
Vishishtaadvaita philosophy later expounded by Acharya Ramanuja.

Since these six words contain a number of truths brought out by none other than
the Lord
Varadharaja Himself, it is worth going through the same in detail including
detailed introduction and
background. Let us go through the same in detail in the following postings.

dasan

PART - 2

RAMANUJA AND TIRUKKACCHI NAMBI

It is pertinent to note the relationship between Ramanuja and Thirukkacchi Nambi

with brief
about the six words too.

Ilayaazhwar (Ramanuja�s original name) was born to Kesava Somayaji and

Kanthimathi Ammal at
Sriperumpudur (near Chennai).

Thirukkacchi Nambi, a disciple of ALavandaar, was also known as Kaanchi Poorna.

As one of the
early preceptors of Sri Ramanuja, he had a key role to play at different stages of
Sri Ramanuja�s
ascendancy as the heir to ALavandaar. Thirukkacchi Nambi was born in Poonamalle
(near Chennai). He
used to go to Kanchi every day to serve Lord Varadaraja. The summum bonum of
Nambi�s life was
service to Lord Varadaraja.

Nambi performed the aalavatta kainkaryam (Fan service) to the Lord of Kanchi. In
hot summer
days, he used to dip the Fan in water and waved the Fan in service to the Lord, so
that the Archa
Murthy could benefit from the cool breeze generated by his devotee.

The Lord of Kanchi did something exceptional during those hours of kainkaryam by
Nambi. He broke
His Archa silence and conversed with Thirukkacchi Nambi. In view of this great
devotion and status
of Nambi, he was revered by one and all as a Mahatma.

Sri Perumbudur is in-between Poonamalle and Kanchi. Thirukkacchi Nambi used to

walk everyday
from his home to kanchi to offer his services to Lord Varadaraja.

One day, the young Ramanuja saw the great devotee of Lord Varadaraja walk
through his village.
He saluted Thirukkacchi Nambi and invited him to rest for few minutes at his
house. Nambi
recognized the marks of greatness of a future Acharya in Ramanuja. When latter
tried to prostrate before
Nambi, he said: "O, Ramanuja ! I am a low-born person! You should not prostrate
before me. How could
you salute your servant?"

Ramanuja was saddened by the remarks of Nambi and replied: "O, Great soul!
dearest devotee of
Lord Varadaraja! Is it the wearing of the sacred thread that makes one a Brahmana?
He, who is
devoted to God, he alone is a genuine Brahmana. You know about the life of
ThiruppaNazhwaar, who became
the object of worship of the Brahmanas and the temple priest of Srirangam." Nambi
was very pleased
with the utter devotion of Ramanuja and drew close to him.

Time went by. Ramanuja became the student of the Advaitin, Yadava Prakasa.
Thirukkacchi Nambi
kept up his friendship with Ramanuja. Yadava Prakasa was the promulgator of the
rigid Advaita
school, that would not accept or acknowledge the God with form. Ramanuja was all
devotion and cared a
great deal for the service to God with a form (Saguna Brahman).

Ramanuja served his Acharya well in spite of the fundamental differences in

their view points.
The anger and jealousy of Yadava Prakasa over Ramanuja�s scholarship and
divergence of views led
the Acharya to think of doing away with his star pupil. He arranged hastily a Kasi
Yatra, during
which he wanted to drown Ramanuja in the river Ganga at Kasi.

RAMANUJA COMES BACK TO KANCHIPURAM DUE TO THE MERCY OF DIVYATHAMPATHIS LORD

VARADHARAJA AND
PERUNDEVI THAYAR..... IN THE NEXT POSTING

Subject: SIX WORDS Part - 3

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMA:

FAMOUS SIX WORDS

Dear esteemed members of the Tiruvenkatam E-group,

 adiyen�s dandan (pranams) to one and all.

adiyen is very thankful to a few members who privately asked adiyen about the
famous �6 words of
Acharya Ramanuja� � also known as �6 words of Thirukkachi Nambi�. That gave adiyen
an opportunity
to know about the same. Whatever information adiyen gathered / understood, adiyen
wishes to share
in the e-group.

adiyen would like to submit that this compilation by rearranging / extracting

materials mostly
from sources available in the net (earlier postings by scholars) is meant for
beginners only. Also
adiyen is not an expert to clear your doubts, if any on this subject. This is not
an expert�s
posting and is only to invoke the interest for further study / learning.
Interested members may
probably get a more detailed explanation / precise meanings of the six sentences
from your respective
Acharyas / Scholars....................................

.............. Ramanuja served his Acharya well in spite of the fundamental

differences in
their view points. The anger and jealousy of Yadava Prakasa over Ramanuja�s
scholarship and
divergence of views led the Acharya to think of doing away with his star pupil. He
arranged hastily a Kasi
Yatra, during which he wanted to drown Ramanuja in the river Ganga at Kasi.

RAMANUJA COMES BACK TO KANCHIPURAM DUE TO THE MERCY OF DIVYATHAMPATHIS LORD

VARADHARAJA AND
PERUNDEVI THAYAR..... IN THE NEXT POSTING

-------------------------------------------------

Part - 3

Tipped off by his cousin Govinda, Ramanuja escaped from the clutches of his
plotters halfway
(inside forest) during that Yatra and was rescued by the Divya Dampathis of
Kanchi, who appeared
before Ramanuja as a fowler couple (hunter couple). They walked with Ramanuja and
received water that
he fetched from a well to quench their thirst three times.

When Ramanuja returned for the fourth time, the fowler couple had disappeared
and Ramanuja found
himself at the boundary of Kanchipuram. He understood immediately that it was the
Divya Dampathis
of Kanchi Temple who had blessed him with service to Them. He returned to his
home. His mother,
after knowing about the events that happened to him, was utterly joyous.

Thirukkachi Nambi came to the house on hearing about Ramanuja’s return from the
ill-fated
theertha Yatra and was overjoyed to see Ramanuja. Latter fell at the feet of Nambi
and asked Nambi to
accept him as his disciple. Nambi did not agree and asked Ramanuja to offer
service to Lord
Varadaraja by fetching water daily from the very same well (known as Saalai
Kinaru) that Ramanuja had
used earlier to remove the thirst of the Divya Dampathis and that service will
help Ramanuja to gain
the proper Guru later.

Ramanuja continued that service and during one of the occasions of such a
service, he met Maha
Purna, who was sent by ALavandaar to persuade Ramanuja to accept the
responsibilities of succeeding
him to strengthen Sri Sampradhaayam. Thirukkacchi Nambi’s prediction thus came
true.

Meanwhile, Ramanuja revered Nambi as his Acharya and once had invited him to
come to his home
and be his guest. Ramanuja’s wife was a strict observer of Varnaasrama formalities
and she
committed an Apachaara to Nambi, when Ramanuja was away. When Ramanuja came home,
he learned that Nambi
had come earlier, partaken the food, gave the remaining food to a Sudra lady and
his wife had
cleaned the place, where Nambi had eaten and had taken a bath and was cooking
afresh to serve him his
meal.

Ramanuja was extremely unhappy at his wife for insulting the Mahatma dear to the
Lord and began
to distance himself from his wife.

Before this incident, Ramanuja had some strong views on certain philosophical
ideas. However he
wanted those to be confirmed by none other than Lord Varadharaja. So Ramanuja
begged Nambi to
obtain Lord Varadaraja’s opinion about the thoughts in his mind. On that night when
Nambi was doing
aalavatta kainkaryam, Lord Varadaraja Himself asked Nambi whether he has anything
to ask Him.
Nambi told the Lord what Ramanuja said to him. The Lord gave his opinion on
Ramanuja’s thoughts and
directed Nambi to convey His message to Ramanuja. Next morning, Thirukkacchi Nambi
met Ramanuja and
delivered the message of Lord Varadaraja, which was in six parts.

Ramanuja was very much pleased and told Nambi that that is what he already had
in his mind and
now got confirmed by Perarulaalan (Lord Varadharaja).
The six messages once again (in brief now; in detail later) are:

1. I am the supreme truth (Paratatva).

2. I and souls are different (Bheda).
3. By faith shall men reach Me, their salvation.
4. Thought of Me at the time of death is not compulsory.
5. Release from bondage (Moksha) follows immediately on death.
6. Choose Mahapurna as your spiritual teacher (Acharya).
 After hearing the Lord’s answers to his questions, Ramanuja went for initiation
by Maha Purna
at Srirangam. Maha Purna at that time was hurrying towards Kanchi in fulfilling
his master
Yamuna’s wish and selection of successor that is Ramanuja to be the apostle of this
faith.

Both of them met at Madhuraanthakam. Ramanuja prostrated and thrilled to see

Mahapurna for whom
he had left Kancheepuram. He said 'Please accept me as your disciple and teach me
all that is good
to my soul. Mahapurna was also equally happy and lead Ramanuja to the Holy Vakula
Tree near the
Tank and performed all the sacraments of initiation i.e. SAMASHRAYANA. He also
returned with Maha
Purna and his wife to his home in Kanchipuram. Kanchi Purna met with Maha Purna at
Ramanuja’s
home and both enjoyed each other's company discussing Bhagavat Vishayam.

Rakshambaal, the wife of Ramanuja committed two more grave Apacharas to her
Husband’s guru
Patni and a guest. Ramanuja decided then to take Sanyasa Asrama and tactfully sent
his wife to her
Parent's home before becoming a Sanyasi. When Ramanuja took Sanyasam at Kanchi
Temple of Lord
Varadaraja, Kanchi Purna addressed Ramanuja as Yati Raja (king among sanyaasis)
for the first time at the
behest of Lord Varadaraja.

Thus, Thirukkacchi Nambi’s pervasive influence as the messenger of Lord

Varadaraja had a
central role in shaping the life of Ramanuja at critical moments and set him forth
on his journey to
strengthen the Sri Sampradaaya even unto this day.

The famous SIX WORDS are also called “Thirukkachhi Nambi’s 6 words”.

In Ramanuja’s ‘Vaazhi Thirunaamam**’ we can find

“Arutkatchchi Nambi urai aarupetraan vaazhiye”

and in Thirukkacchi Nambi’s vaazhi thirunaamam, we can find

“Aarumozhi Boodooraarkku aliththapiraan vaazhiye”.

** Vaazhi Thirunaamam (VT) – is a special paasuram recited as part of

Saatrumurai. The VT of
one particular Azhwaar or Acharya would describe the greatness and Acharya
connection of that
Azhwaar or Acharya. Each line of the paasuram ends with ”vaazhiyae”. Famous VT is
VT of Sri Andal
‘Thiruvaadip pooraththil segaththu udhiththaal vaazhiyae….'

WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE SIX WORDS IN DETAIL IN THE NEXT

POSTING................
Part - 4

SIX WORDS IN DETAIL:

Lord Varadharaja told Nambi the following:

“AHAMEVA PARAMTHATHVAM, DARSANAM BHEDAMEVACHA,

MOKSHOPAAYAHA PRAPATHTHISYAATH, ANTHIMASMRUTHI
VARJANAM, DEHAAVASAANE MOKSHAMCHA,
MAHAPOORANAM AASHRAYA.”

1st Word: AHAMEVA PARAMTHATHVAM :

I am the only Supreme Thathvam. That is, I am the only Supreme Being. I am the
only Supreme
God. This means that Lord Varadaraja is the Supreme Devatha. No Devatha is above
Him “AHAM” in
Sanskrit means ‘I’ ; “YEVA” in Sanskrit means ‘only / alone’. Hence “AHAMEVA”
means ‘I
am the only’. “PARAM” means ‘Supreme’, highest in the hierarchy. Therefore in
the first
sentence Lord Varadharaja asserts that Srimannaarayana is the supreme God; all
devathaantharam
(demi gods) are not real gods. They are far below Him. There cannot be another
Supreme God. He is
the ONLY Supreme Being.

2nd Word: DARSANAM BHEDAMEVACHA :

Our Darsanam, i.e., religion is based on Bhedam. That is, based on difference
between the three
thathvams, viz., ‘CHIT’, ‘ACHIT’, and ‘EASWARAN’. In Advaita philosophy propagated
by Adi
Sankaraachaarya, there is no Bhedam, i.e., there is no difference between
thathvams, because in
advaita, there are no three thathvams, there is only one thathvam, viz., “
BRAHMAM”, the Supreme
Being. Adi Sankaraachaarya said that it is the Brahmam which appears to be in
different forms such
as men, women, animals, inanimate objects etc and that Brahmam has no qualities.
Because of
ignorance (ajnaanam) each object seems different from another object. If the
ignorance is gone and one
gets divine knowledge (jnaanam), he will find everything as Brahmam; you are
Brahmam, I am Brahmam,
he/she is Brahmam, all objects are Brahmam. Therefore Advaita philosophy is based
on Abhedam
(opposite to Bhedam meaning non-dual). But Lord Varadharaja said that there does
exist difference
between thathvams.
“CHIT” Thatvam is different from “ACHIT” Thatvam and both are different from “
EASWARA”
Thatvam. All the three Thatvams are ever existing.

3rd Word : MOKSHOPAAYAHA PRAPATHTHI :

The “Upaayam” (way) to attain Moksham (salvation) is Prapaththi (Saranaagathi).
Prapaththi
means Saranaagathi (Total surrender). There are many ways which lead to Moksha.
Karma Yogam,
Gnaana Yogam, Bhakthi Yogam all will lead to moksha. But is it possible for a
human being to adopt the
above Yogams and continue to strive to achieve the goal? It is highly impossible
and most
difficult. And at the same time it will require several births to attain the
goal, as these yogams have
to be practiced to their entirety. That is why Lord Krishna after teaching Karma
Yogam, Gnaana
Yogam and Bhakthi Yogam in Bhagavat Geetha has finally given the essence of the
Geetha in the last
(18th) Chapter and you know that it is nothing but the “CHARAMA SLOKAM”**, i.e.,
Saranaagathi.
Saranaagathi (total Surrender) is the easiest way to attain moksha. Lord
Varadharaja Himself has
confirmed this. One need not follow the other difficult methods narrated in all
saasthraas to
attain
moksha. All these difficult methods are meant for those who don’t want to
surrender to God, but
would like to attain moksha by their own efforts, like Rishies doing penance in
the forests.

** Charama Slokam: A general reference to Charama Slokam would mean reference to

Krishna Charama
Slokam in Bhagavath Gita – the ultimate message from Lord Krishna:

KrishNa Charama slOkam:

Sarva dharmAn Parithyajya MaamEkam SaraNam vraja

Aham Thva Sarva paapEpbhyO mokshayishyAmi maa sucha:
--Bhagavath Gita : 18.66

(meaning) Totally relinquishing all dharmAs (completely relinquishing the sense

of agency,
possessiveness and fruits of actions), seek Me alone as Your refuge. I will free
You from all sins
.Grieve not.

Part - 5

4th Word : ANTHIMASMRUTHI VARJANAM :

This means that it is not compulsory that a person eager to attain moksha must
remember the God
and pray to Him at the time when his soul departs from his body. All saasthraas
say that at the
time when the soul leaves the body, the person should think of the Supreme God in
order to go to
the Heaven. For persons who adopt Karma Yogam, Gnana Yogam, Bhakti Yogam to
attain moksha, this
last minute prayer is compulsory. But a person who takes Prapaththi
(Saranaagathi) as the only
upaayam (method) to attain moksha, it is not compulsory for him to think and pray
to God at the time
of his death. This is a real boon given by Paramaathma to the Prapannas (those
who have
surrendered). Otherwise how can a person, however great he may be, guarantee that
he will not fail to think
and pray to God right at the time of his death? That is why Periyaalwaar said “
APPODAIKKIPPODE
SOLLIVAITHTHEN"

thuppudaiyaarai_adaivadhellaam
sOrvidaththuththuNaiyaavarenRE
oppilEnaakilumninnadaindhEn
aanaikkunee_aruLseydhamaiyaal
eyppu_ennaivandhunaliyumpOdhu
angu_EdhumnaanunnaininaikkamaattEn
appOdhaikku_ippOdhEsollivaiththEn
arangaththaravaNaippaLLiyaanE!
- Periyaazhwar Thirumozhi – 4-10-1

Periazhwar says, “O! Lord Ranganatha, I will not be able to remember You during
the time of my
death. Hence I am leaving with You now itself my request to You to protect me and
provide moksham
while my soul departs”. Hence based on Azhwar’s words the Lord protects his bhakta
at the time
of his death. It is pertinent to note here that Periazhwar’s pasurams are supported
by the Lord’s
promise to Bhumi devi during Varaha Avatar - Varaha Charama Slokam**.

It would be of interest if we ask a question here whether Periazhwar is putting

this request to
Lord Ranganatha or to Lord Varadharaja. It is interesting to note that while
requesting Lord
Ranganatha, azhwar refers to Lord Varadharaja (aanaikkunee aruLseydhamaiyaal – You
blessed the
Gajendra Elephant). Azhwar refers to this act of Lord Varadharaja even before
azhwar wants Lord
Ranganatha to grant him the request. Lord Varadharaja is well aware of this. He is
the king of granting
boons (varadharaja). He does not want Ramanuja to go to Srirangam to get the boon.
Instead the Lord
has granted this boon to Ramanuja in Kanchipuram itself. Lord Varadharaja is
unique in protecting
his devotees. Hence it is no wonder that the Lord has said ANTHIMASMRUTHI
VARJANAM.

**Varaha Charama slOkam (part of Varaha Puranam)

After the MahA VarAha Moorthy destroyed HiraNyAkshan and arose out of the ocean
waters carrying
BhUmi Devi on His powerful tusk, our compassionate Mother requested the Lord to
instruct Her on
the sure way to save the destitute human beings from their SamsAric afflictions
and for them to
attain mOkshAnugraham. Our Lord responded to His divine consort and blessed us
all, Their children,
with the powerful and reassuring Varaha Charama slOkam (part of Varaha Puranam).

Varaha Charama slOkam revealed to BhUmi Devi:

sTithE manasi susvasTE sarIrE sathi yO nara:

dhAthusAmyE sTithE smarthA visvaroopam cha maamajam (1)
 tatastham mriyamANam thu kAshDapAashana sannibham
aham smarAmi madhbhaktham nayaami paramAm gathim (2)

(Meaning): This whole world is my body. I have no birth or death .When a devotee
of Mine
maintains his mind in an auspicious state, his body in the healthy state-- where
the dhAthus of the body
are in equipoise-- and thinks of Me in that state and seeks Me then as his firm
refuge, I do some
thing unique for that devotee, when he is totally unconscious like a log or stone
during his last
moments. At that time, I lead him via archirAdhi mArgam to My Supreme abode to
perform nithya
kaimkaryam for Me there. This is My unfailing assurance.

5th Word : DEHAAVASAANE MOKSHAM :

This means that one can attain moksham at the end of the present birth itself.
He need not take
many more births for washing out all his sins to attain moksham.

Those who follow the methods other than Prapaththi to attain moksha, have to
follow that
particular method to its core; that means, there should not be any lapse in
following that method. It is
a lengthy process and it will take several births to complete the process; by this
process he
washes out all his accumulated sins; only then he can attain moksha. Therefore
for such persons
moksham is not guaranteed at the end of the present birth itself.

But devotees who adopt Saranaagathi (Prapaththi) to attain moksha, the Lord is
willing to write
off all their sins and take those Gnaanis (Prapannaas) into His Abode as soon as
their present
birth ends. There were also earlier theories which said that one should be a
Brahmin by birth to
attain moksha, and the other caste people must take birth as Brahmin in this world
for attaining
moksha. This is also clarified by the above sentence of Lord Varadaraja.
Irrespective of the caste
or creed, even an animal or bird can attain moksha at the end of the present birth
itself, if they
adopt Prapaththi and surrender to the Almighty.

6th Word : MAHAAPOORNAM AASHRAYA :

This is the last Message and very simple to understand. Periya Nambi is known
as ‘Mahaa
Poorna’. This sentence means “Adopt Periya Nambi as your Aacharya”. Sri Ramanuja
was having in his
mind to adopt Thirukkatchchi Nambi as his Aacharya. But the Lord’s Thiru ullam
(mind/wish) is
that Ramanuja must take Peria Nambi as his Aacharya.

We have already seen that they met at Madhuraanthakam. Mahapurna performed all
the sacraments of
initiation i.e. SAMASHRAYANA and Ramanuja learnt many rahasyaarthaas (meanings of
mantras kept
secret by the elders) from him.

IN THE NEXT POSTING WE SHALL SEE AN INTERESTING PASURAM IN

ADAIKKALAPPATHU.............

Part - 6

ADAIKKALAPPATHU: Swami Desikan was moved to perform SaraNAgathi after the

unmatched nectar-like
experience of tasting the subhAsrayam and the anantha kalyANa guNams of Lord
VaradarAjA presiding
over Hasthigiri. He used the Tamil metre of KocchahakkalippA to direct the flow of
his emotion,
which rushed forth as the gushing water from a dam that collapsed.

adiyen suggests members to see the eighth pasuram of Adaikkalappathu.

thiNmaikuRai yaamaikku niRaikaikkun^ thiivinaiyaa

luNmaimaRa vaamaikku muLamathiyi lukakkaikkun^
thaNmaikazhi yaamaikkun^ tharikkaikkun^ thaNikaikkum
vaNmaiyudai yaruLaaLar vaasakangaL maRavEnE. (8)

This pasuram is said to refer to Charam Slokam. The meaning of the Paasuram
(already available
in the net) is given below:

Prabhandham 8:
Here, the conductance of one's life in the post-prapatthi period is described by
our
ParamAchAryA. I repeately reflect on the meaning of the Lord's sarama slOkam and
the assurances given by Him
there to the one, who has performed prapatthi. I remind myself that as a
prapannan, I must have
unshakable faith in the assured fruits of my prapatthi.

I pray for the further enhancement of my bhakthi and Jnaanam. I shall never
forget my utter
servititude to You and You alone. I shall stay in a happy and tranquil mood with
the knowledge of the
essence of the rahasyArthAs. I will bear my days on the earth without agitation
over the delay in
realizing moksham. I will forget the sorrows of SamsAram that is inevitable during
the days on
earth after performing my prapatthi at Your saced feet. This way, I will spend my
post-prapatthi
life.

Adaikkalappathu - 8 (thiNmai kurayAmaikkum) & 6 Words of Lord Varadharaja

adiyen has been repeatedly going thro this paasuram and was wondering whether
Swami is referring
to the 6 words from Lord Varadharaja in the last line as ‘vaNmaiyudai yaruLaaLar
vaasakangaL
maRavEnE’!

adiyen dared to venture further into the pasuram to find whether there are any
relationships
with the 6 words. adiyen got some suggestive relationships which adiyen submits as
follows:

1. ‘thiNmai kurayAmaikkum’ may go with the First Word AHAMEVA PARAMTHATHVAM.

1a. ‘niRaikaikkum’ may go with the ‘YEVA’ in the First Word AHAMEVA
PARAMTHATHVAM, as a
special mention / reference.

2. ‘thiivinaiyaal uNmai maRavaamaikkum’ may go with the Second Word DARSANAM

BHEDAMEVACHA.

3. ‘uLamathiyil ukakkaikkum’ may go with the Third Word MOKSHOPAAYAHA

PRAPATHTHI.

4. ‘thaNmai kazhiyaamaikkum’ may go with the Fourth Word ANTHIMASMRUTHI

VARJANAM.

5. ‘tharikkaikkum’ may go with the Fifth Word DEHAAVASAANE MOKSHAM.

6. ‘thaNikaikkum’ may go with the Sixth Word MAHAAPOORNAM AASHRAYA.

‘vaNmaiyudai yaruLaaLar vaasakangaL maRavEnE’ – may be - Swamy says ‘I will never

forget
those words of Strength and Truth uttered by Lord Varadharaja’.

Seeking Acharyan’s permission, adiyen got some further elaborations:

1. thiNmai kurayAmaikkum: ‘thiNmai’ in Tamil means the steadfastness / strength /

something
strong (vaNpugazh naaraNan -- thiNkazhal sErE. – Thiruvoimozhi 1-2-10). ‘thiNmai
kurayAmaikkum’
means ‘in order not to deplete the strength’; ‘to provide more strength to the
already existing
strength’.

The First Word is: AHAMEVA PARAMTHATHVAM. We have earlier seen the meaning in
detail. Already
Acharya Ramanuja had in mind this strong view. This message gave more strength
about the
Paramaathman to the Acharya. Swamy Desikan also would also definitely gain more
strength by this
revelation.

1a. ‘niRaikaikkum’ in Tamil means to provide completeness / wholeness. The

addition of
‘YEVA’ in the First Message AHAMEVA PARAMTHATHVAM, signifies that the Lord
Srimannarayana alone is the
paramatman. Hence this gives the completeness / wholesomeness of the nature of
paramatman.
SrimanNarayana is the Paramatman and He alone is the Paramatman.

Let us take the sentence “Nepal is a Hindu Kingdom”. In this, the emphasis is on
the
description of ‘Nepal. Not much on the ‘Hindu Kingdom’. Let us see with the
modification as “Nepal is
the only Hindu Kingdom”. The emphasis now is on the other way, on ‘Hindu Kingdom’
in addition
to giving an attribute to ‘Nepal’. Hence we can understand the job done by the word
‘only’
here.

Now we can try to understand the difference between the Lord saying ‘I am the
Paramatman’ and
‘I am the only paramatman’ or ‘It is Me alone (only) who is Paramatman’. Hence the
significance for the word ‘only’.

We have studied in mathematics the concept of ‘mutually exclusive and

collectively exhaustive’
elements in probability. All the elements that are mutually exclusive (different
nature) and that
together are collectively exhaustive (completeness / wholesomeness) are important
to derive the
conclusion. The exhaustive nature (completeness) is most important and is thus
provided by the word
‘only’.

In the ‘Parmatman’ universal set, the Lord puts Him as the only element with that
attribute.
Then, where are other mutually exclusive different elements? We have seen that the
Lord describes
that in the second word. Vedas do contain words suggestive of other philosophies
in addition to
those suggestive of Visishtadvaita. But Ramanuja, after going through all of them,
had this view,
which is confirmed by none other than the Lord Himself in the second Word.

Because of this special significance, traditionally Acharyas have given special

note / mention
on this ‘YEVA’. (other similar examples - MaamEkam SaraNam vraja -- Bhagavath Gita
: 18.66;
NaarAyaNanE – Thiruppaavai - 1). May be this speciality of ‘poorthi’
(wholesomeness) is expressed by
Swamy here through this word ‘niRaikaikkum’.

2. ‘thiivinaiyaal uNmai maRavaamaikkum’ means ‘in order not to forget the truth /
reality /
existence of the bhedam due to ill effects’. This is with regard to Visishtadwaita
philosophy as
we earlier noted. We may note that there are other philosophies saying the world
is not real
(maya).

Swamy Desikan, out of displeasure over other philosophies since they failed to
see the reality,
felt that they were ill directed or misdirected. [Yethiraja Sapthathi – 65 - Many
wrongly-directed proponents of parallel systems have gone far away from the area
and direction of the system
propagated by Ramanuja….] – hence may be, Swamy is trying to explain the Second
Word through these
words ‘thiivinaiyaal uNmai maRavaamaikkum’.

3. ‘uLamathiyil ukakkaikkum’ in Tamil means ‘in order to stay in a happy and

tranquil mood
with the Third Word of Lord Varadharaja, which expresses easy method to reach Him.
May be, Swamy
expresses happiness because against the various tedious methods propounded by
scriptures, the Lord
has provided us the simple way of praatti. It is really a matter to enjoy since it
gives assured
result. Also this is expressed by none other than the Lord Himself; so without any
doubt there is
full mental satisfaction - hence ‘uLamathiyil ukakkaikkum’.

4. ‘thaNmai kazhiyaamaikkum’ in Tamil means ‘in order not to lose the self
possession /
calmness’. ‘thaNmai’ in Tamil means coolness / calmness/ self-possession. Having got
the assurance
from the Lord about the easy way for salvation in the Third Word, this Fourth Word
goes a long way
in further strengthening the case for a prapanna (one who has surrendered). There
is no need to
think of Him at the time of one’s death. The Third Word gives mental satisfaction
and the Fourth
Word gives mental confidence. May be, Swamy expresses this through the words ‘
thaNmai
kazhiyaamaikkum’.

5. ‘tharikkaikkum’ in Tamil means ‘in order to rest / be standstill’. Moksham

refers to
position of resting for the soul – the soul rest at paramapadam and cannot return
even if it wishes.
(pOyinaalpinnai_iththisaikku_enRum piNaikkodukkilum pOkavottaarE - Periazhwar
Thirumozhi 4-5-2;
meetchi yinRi vaigundha maanNagar maRRathu kaiyadhuvE. - Thiruvoimozhi
4.10.10 ). Swamy is happy
to note that the rest (from birth and death) comes just after the present birth
and that there is
no more birth. This not only assures complete rest to the soul but also the
opportunity to serve
Him permanently (kainkarya praapthi). May be, Swamy expressed this state with the
word
‘tharikkaikkum’.

6. ‘thaNikaikkum’ in Tamil means ‘in order to quench the thirst’. The Firth Word
really goes
a long way in quenching the thirst of Ramanuja since he has been yearning for a
suitable Acharya
for a long time. ‘thaNikai’ also means ‘mountain’. Acharya Ramanuja is not only
getting his
thirst quenched but also is going to become a mountain in our sampradaya. Swamy
has equated Ramanuja
to a mountain. [Yathiraja Sapthathi 72 - This roar, of the Lion - among poets-
(Kavi- thaarkika
simham) is capable of applying effective fetters on the passions of people (which
are verily giant
elephants) by tying them to the foot of Yathiraja mountain….]. May be, Swamy
expresses this
situation with the word ‘thaNikaikkum’.

‘vaNmaiyudai yaruLaaLar vaasakangaL maRavEnE’ – Swamy Desikan says ‘I will never

forget
those words of Strength and Truth uttered by Lord Varadharaja’. May be Swamy refers
to the Six Words
of Lord Varadharaja.

To adiyen’s limited knowledge, adiyen has not come across any interpretation /
comparison on
the above lines. But for quite some time, the words ‘aruLaaLar vaasakangaL’, though
they are said
to mean Charama Slokam, have been going round in mind – whether anything else?.
Because of sheer
interest in knowing something more that Swamy may refer to as ‘aruLaaLar
vaasakangaL’, adiyen
dared to try as above. Our Acharyas’ SriSukthis (works) have always had deep and
wide meanings.
However we have to go by what the scholars say. adiyen feels that members may have
found it
interesting. Members may pardon adiyen for any mistakes.

Conclusion

adiyen would like to submit once again that this compilation, by rearranging /
extracting
materials mostly from sources available in the net (earlier postings by scholars),
is meant for
beginners only, attempting to invoke the interest for further study / learning.
Also adiyen is not an
expert to clear doubts, if any on this subject. adiyen is a beginner too, very
much yearning for
guidance and support of scholars. Interested members may get more details /
explanations / precise
meanings from their respective Acharyas / Scholars.

adiyen thanks Lord Varadharajan and Perundevi Thayar for giving adiyen the
strength to post
these messages. It is this Lord who protected our Acharya Ramanuja for our
benefit. He really loves
bhaktas from all walks of life and thus attracts one and all. We are all fortunate
to be at the
lotus feet of Ramanuja at this birth (Odi yOdip palpiRappum piRanthumaR
ROrdheyvam, paadi yaadip
paNinthupalpadikaal vazhiyE Rikkandeer, - Thiruvoimozhi 4.10.7). We should be
thankful to Lord
Varadharaja and Acharya Ramanuja for giving us such simple solutions to overcome
the perennial worldly
bondage. It is pertinent to note here that Ramanuja got boons and promises from
Lord Ranganatha
also in respect of assured place in Vaikuntam to all Ramanuja's people. We should
be very happy to be
part of this sampradayam where the palan (result) is guaranteed.

Finally seeking the blessings of Acharya Ramanuja, adiyen concludes with the
meaning of a lovely
slokam on Ramanuja by Swamy Desikan in Yethiraja Sapthathi.

“Ramanuja, the Ocean of mercy, brought and presented to the Lord Varadaraja,
pure water from a
well. This Varadha is a dark cloud (of mercy again) and What a blessing it is!
Even today, that
cloud, that Sri Varadaraja is, showers rains in time and beyond our expectations.
(This was because
of Ramanuja's original kaimkaryam, which is now being returned to us by the Lord,
so to say, to
Ramanuja's people!). I pay my obeisance to him, the king of ascetics, who is an
enemy to the
darkness of self-conceit, and who is capable of eliminating enemy-systems by mere
literary works.” -
Yethiraja Sapthathi – 62.

Once again adiyen hopes that members may have found the postings interesting. If
the postings
have given some message for the benefit of those not previously aware, then the
credit does not
belong to adiyen since this is only a compilation / extraction from various
sources. On the other hand
if someone is not able to understand, then it is totally due to adiyen’s ugly way
of compilation
and poor presentation and humbly request your pardon.

adiyen thanks Sri Sadagopan Swamy, whose postings adiyen always enjoys and used
in a number of
places. Similarly adiyen thanks other scholars also, whose postings adiyen used in
this. adiyen
thanks the moderator and the members for giving an opportunity. adiyen thanks
Shri.I V K Chary Swamy,
Shri Sudarshan Swamy and all others for the encouragement, guidance and support.

Thanks and regards

adiyen dandan

dasan

**********************************************************************************
**********

The Six Questions

Dear swAmy,

Yes, The GuruparamparA prabhAvam is not clear whether six questions was asked
or more or less.

The prabhannAmrudham, however, clearly mentions that 4 questions were asked

.These were asked through Thirukkachi nambi to PEar aruLALan

1. upAyangaLiL edhu nalladhu? - Which is the best of means?

2. mOksham adaivadhaRku mun anthima smrithi vEANdumA? -Does one needs to have
His thought before breathing last,to attain mOksham?
3. endha janmathil mOksham adaivadhu? When will the mOksham be granted?
4. endha AchAryanai nAn Asrayippadhu? To Which spiritual mentor Should I
surrender to/

Sri RamAnuja rquested Sri Thirukkachi Nambi as follows: " These questions have
been in mind and I have more or less made up my mind regarding this. Please ask
these questions to dhEvap perumAL"
The Lord of course replied by fathoming the mind of Thirukkachi Nambi, Himself.

Let it be. That was not my doubt actually.

It is clear that Sri Udayavar had the questions in his mind-whether it was
expressed or not.

However, DhEVap perumAL while explaining to Thriukkachi NambigaL mentions that

Sri RAmAnujar is like Sri KrshNA learning from SAnthEpani.

Such type of questions emanating from already learned people shoud be

categorised, where was my doubt?

regards

dAsan
vanamamalai padmanabhan

Jayasree Saranathan <jayasree.saranathan@gmail.com> wrote:

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

There are 3 questions involved in this.

(1) whether this is about 6 questions or not.

(2) Whether the questions were openly raised or not / or the answers
were provided by Deva-p-perumaL by mind-reading Ilaiaazhwar.

(3)Under what category of 5 questions, these questions come under.

Attempting to reply them..

(1) Since by tradition, the 'Aaru vaarthai' exits, this is enough

proof that there were 6 questions or issues for which Illaiaazhwar
wanted PerumAL to answer.

(2) Going by the accounts on this incident, (those who have access to
original manuscripts, please reproduce them to know how the events
unfolded. Here I am going by the account given by Sri Desoor Nallaan
Chakravarthy Srinivasa Varadhan, former adhyaapaka of Sri
Parthasarathy sannidhi, Triplicane, in his book " Deva-p-perumALum,
IrAmAnusa DharshaNamum" 1973 edition, Ratnam press) Illaiyaazhwar
expressed his 'mana-klesham' to Thirukkachchi NambigaL and requested
him to get replies from dEva-p-perumAl. Here a question may arise why
Ramanuja himself didn't ask PerumAL. The reply to this question
contains all answers on this issue.

Ramanuja was then passing through a difficult period in his sojourn.

It was on the suggestion of his mother, he approached Thirikkacchi
NambigaL since he was close to Deva-p-perumAL ('andharangar to
Deva-p-perumAL').

He has just then received the biggest blow of not being able to
surrender unto SrI AlavandhAr, in him having left for Thiru nAdu. It
was Thirukkachchi NambigaL who consoled him that PeraruLALan would
certainly show him the way and assured that he need not entertain any
fear ("anja vEndaa"). It is for the kind of relationship that NambigaL
enjoyed with Deva-p-perumAL and he enjoyed with Illaiaazhwar, that
things took this shape. Ramanuja placed his request to NambigaL and
NambigaL conveyed the request to PerumAL. When we, the simple mortals
have been blessed by Him by receiving guidance when needed, without
even asking for them, there is no need to doubt whether the questions
were put forth by mouth or not. If we look at the supreme connection
between Uadayavar and Deva-p-perumAL, we know that this was the time
chosen by Him to get-start the mission of Ramanuja. Because after
receiving these Aaru vaarthai only, Bhagavad Ramanuja's Avatara
mission started, by receiving pancha samakaaram at Madhuranthakam. So
we conclude that PerumAL gave the Aru vaarthai, to satisfy the 6
questions that were in Ramanuja's mind.

This is further supported by NambigaL's enquiry when he conveyed the

replies to Ramanuja, whether these were the thoughts in Ramanuja's
mind. This shows NambigaL had not known the questions. He has only
conveyed Ramanuja's ViNNappam to PerumaL and re-conveyed what the
Lord had answered.

(3) What were the Aru vaarthai? Bhagavan never says anything which are
incomprehensible to His subjects. He may give them concealed, but
never out of their reach. Particularly, at this important juncture in
Avatara mission of Srimad Ramanuja, Bahgavan will utter in such a way,
that posterity (we , the ordinary mortals too) understand His
upadesam.

Looking at the Aru vaarthai, we automatically get to know the questions.

The first two (not given in Sri Padmanabhan's mail) were to do with
Ramanuja's klEsham arising from altercations with Yadhava prakaasha.

The first vaarthai :- "BedhamE dharshaNam"

From this the question is deduced � " What is right, bedham or
abedham? ( Or) What is Dharshanam? (This arises from the then
existing allegiance to abdEdha arguments promoted by Purva pakshins)

The 2nd vaarthai :- "Para-tattwam naame"

From this, the question deduced is � "Who then is supreme?" (or)
"Which is para-tattwam?" (Here again Ramanuja would have wondered
about how to reconcile the Mandukya advaitic passages with the oft
repeated upanishadic verses of two birds sitting on a tree, one
shining and the other eating karma) Bhagavan has sided with the 2-bird
theory, thereby giving a clear signal on how to proceed, as this forms
the basis of the doctrine of Seshatwam. This clarity given by
Bhagavan is seen to be reflected in the final passages of Brahma
sutra, where Ramanuja effectively establishes the 'no' to cosmic
activity for the Released soul.

These two form the basis of Emperumaanaar dharshanam. These are about
the "End" and the other 4 ( already mentioned in Sri Padmanabhan's
mail) are only about the other features that shaped 'process' or
'means' to attain Him. On the basis of this, my humble conclusion is
that these two vaarthaigaL must have very much been the Declaratory
vaarthaigaL of Bhagavaan.

Now the derivation of the 3rd question.

The 3rd vaarthai is � "Upaayamum prapatthiyE"
The obvious question is " Which is the upaayam" (Because there were as
many as 32 vidyas or methods of doing bhakti like Dahara vidya, Madhu
vidya etc, approved by Upanishads. But they were all to be followed
with strict austerities. Therefore Bhagavad concurrence was needed for
an easy upaayam to be promoted among the masses.)

The 4th vaarthai:- "Anthima smruthiyum vEndA"

The deduced questions is :- "Does one need to think of Him at the time
of death?"
This question must have prompted by Gita vachan on what one thinks at
the time of death, one gets after death. What kind of salvation can an
ordinary mortal get, who can not think of Him at the final moments.
This is the genuine and compassionate concern for ordinary people like
us, that must have troubled Ilaaiyaazhwar. Bhagavan gave the green the
signal.

The 5th vaarthai :- "SharIra avanAshatthilE Moksham"

The deduced question is :- " When does moksham occur?"
It is after the destroyal of body. Which body? Just the mortal body or
the body that carries works and gunas with it? It is here Bhagavad
Ramanuja formulated his prescription for how to shed the body with all
its attached materials. It is hereby "sarva phala tyaagam" outlined by
Bhagavan at the battle field is held as the supreme way to achieve it.

The 6 th vaarthai:- "Peria Nambi ThiruvadigaLilE Ashrayippadu."

The obvious question is " To which Acharyan, should I surrender?"
The back ground details shed more light.
Sri ALAvandhaar has left.
Ramanuja had made a pledge that he would fulfill ALavandhaar's wishes
and found his folded fingers straighten on making this pledge. There
were obstacles to make all the wishes happen. But he had the word of
consolation fromPeriya nimbi "ShrEyOmsi bahu vignAni bhavanthi
mahathaam api" ( many obstacles do come in the way of people of
shereyas � but he must not lose his heart.). Such was the troubled
time for our Udayavar.

Coming to the question to which of the 5 questions did Ramanuja's 6-

questions belong, here is the reasoning.

When NambhigaL made the ViNNappam, to PerumaL, He thought "The one who
knows in detail all these, is asking Me as how I asked Saandheepani
(in krishnaavathara)" and decided to clear his samshayam.

Since Bhagavan Himself was said to have compared Ramanuja's

questioning with Himself questioning Sage Saandeepani in
Krishnaavatara, it is 100% clear that Ramanuja knows the answers. And
even other wise we know that he has known the answers and only that he
wanted concurrence from Perumaal. He wanted to be 100% sure.

ViDaiyai-th-thandavan vishayatthil irukkum � adu

That was about clearing Ramanuja's samshayam - doubt whether he has

got them all right. Since Bhagavan made ThiruvulLAm to remove his
'klEsham', it is known that it was for the purpose of removing
whatever little doubt is there in his mind. Added to this is the 6 th
question, as Ramanuja must have been feeling rudder-less. Bhagavan
has given the assurance and also the go-ahead signal by these aaru
vaarthaigaL.

That is why this comes under 'Iyyam theerdal' - asking to clear

doubts, like how Yudhishtira asked Bheeshma, something discussed By
Sri Sadagopan Iyengar in his mail on 6 questions.

Regards,
Jayasree saranathan