Ramanujacharya â Biography - ebooks - ISKCON desire tree

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stood still, looking at the great Vaisnava. Although thelife air had passed from the body, Alabandara's face wasstill serene and untouched by the shadow of death. Ramanujastood there transfixed, just gazing, as if in a trance, atthe face of that great devotee. Suddenly the crowds fellsilent and turned to look at Ramanuja, for it seemed thatsomehow he was able to transcend the barrier of death and befully in the presence of Sri Yamunacarya.After a while Ramanuja said, "I see that threefingers of Alabandara's right hand are folded and clenchedtight. Were they like that during his lifetime?"The disciples who were close by replied, "No, hisfingers used to remain straight. We cannot guess why theyare like this now."Ramanuja then declared aloud, "Remaining fixed indevotion to Lord Visnu, I shall free the people fromillusion by spreading the glories of the Lord throughout theland" As these words were spoken, one of the fingers relaxedand became straight.Ramanuja spoke again, saying, "To establish thatthere is no truth beyond Lord Visnu, I shall write the Sribhasyacommentary on the Vedanta-sutra." At this the secondof Yamunacarya's fingers became straight.Ramanuja declared again, "In order to show respect tothe sage Parasara, who has so wonderfully described theglories of the Lord in the Visnu Purana, I shall name onelearned Vaisnava after him." With this final statement, thelast of Alabandara's fingers relaxed and became straight.When they saw this wonderful occurrence, everyonethere was filled with amazement. They could now understandthat Yamunacarya's three tightly held fingers representedhis three unfulfilled <strong>desire</strong>s, namely, to preach the gloriesof the Lord all over India, to compile a complete Vaisnavacommentary on the Vedanta-sutra, which would nullify theatheistic doctrines of the impersonalists, and to honor thesage Parasara by naming a disciple after him. Now,Ramanuja's statements confirmed that he would complete thework Alabandara had begun.RETURN TO KANCIBefore the body was buried in the samadhi tomb on thebanks of the Kaveri, Ramanuja had left Sri Rangam to returnto Kancipuram. Yamunacarya’s disciples had asked him to takedarsan of Lord Ranganatha, but he had refused, saying, "I donot wish to see this cruel form of the Lord, who would notgrant my most cherished <strong>desire</strong> and who has taken away thelord of my heart." Then, he had departed without speakinganother word to anyone.From that day on Ramanuja's personality changed andhe became much more grave and serious. He was now even morereluctant to spend time in the company of nondevotees. For37
long periods he would remain alone, studying the scriptures,and he found true happiness only in the company ofKancipurna.CHAPTER THREESANNYASAAbout six months before the disappearance ofYamunacarya, Ramanuja's mother, Kantimati, had left thisworld. Now, Raksakambal, the wife of Ramanuja, was themistress of the house. She was as beautiful as an apsara,devoted to her husband and very strict in her cleanlinessand observance of ritual. Unfortunately, she had been unableto imbibe her husband's pure love of God and was moreattached to the external features of religious ritual. Shewas unhappy to see her husband becoming more and moreabsorbed in devotional sentiments after his return from SriRangam, though she tried to conceal her inner feelings.Ramanuja now passed a lot of his time in the companyof Kancipurna. Ramanuja was generally in a serious mood andstill unhappy at heart due to feelings of separation fromYamunacarya. Understanding his mind, Kancipurna told him oneday, "You should not be troubled at heart. Just remain fixedin your devotion to Lord Varadaraja and continue to servehim in every possible way. Alabandara has now returned tothe abode of Lord Narayana, and it is your duty to fulfillthe promises you made before Him"When he heard these words of instruction, Ramanujabowed before Kancipurna and said, "Please allow me to beyour disciple. Please allow me take shelter of your lotusfeet"Immediately, Kancipurna raised Ramanuja, saying, "Youare a brahmana and I am sudra. How can I initiate andreceive obeisances from one who is my master? Just havefaith in the Lord, and sooner or later He will surely sendsomeone who is fit to be your guru."Having said this, Kancipurna left to worship LordVaradaraja. Ramanuja thought to himself, "He is refusing toaccept me because he knows how my heart is devoid of alldevotional sentiments. How can birth or caste affect aperson who is the intimate associate of Lord Varadaraja?Merely by his merciful glance, Kancipurna can elevate a dogeaterto the level of a brahmana. Therefore, if I am able totaste the remnants of his food only once, then I will gainimmeasurable benefit."38
Page 1 and 2: The Life ofRamanujacaryaTABLE OF CO
Page 3 and 4: egan to learn the wonderfully instr
Page 5 and 6: Ramanuja. Despite some minor philos
Page 7 and 8: For the devotees, Hi manifests His
Page 9 and 10: YAMUNACARYAIn the south of India ma
Page 11 and 12: furious rage to inform his teacher
Page 13 and 14: and faithful to her husband as was
Page 15 and 16: that there was little chance of his
Page 17 and 18: all the pleasures of my worldly lif
Page 19 and 20: with his wife to the temple of Sri
Page 21 and 22: THE FIRSTCONFRONTATIONOne day when
Page 23 and 24: "Sir, surely you could just forbid
Page 25 and 26: quickly dispelled all the misgiving
Page 27 and 28: shrine of the Saivites and dedicate
Page 29 and 30: was on everyone's lips. Yadavapraka
Page 31 and 32: Having given this advice to the you
Page 33 and 34: ahmanas were from Kancipuram, he im
Page 35: "My master wishes to see you, and i
Page 39 and 40: KANCIPURNA'S VISIT TO TIRUPATIMeanw
Page 41 and 42: ‘All of you may recall how, just
Page 43 and 44: departed for Sri Rangam. While Maha
Page 45 and 46: RAMANUJA BEGINS HIS TEACHINGAll the
Page 47 and 48: Seeing the devotional sentiments in
Page 49 and 50: When the discourse was completed an
Page 51 and 52: To this the priest replied, "You do
Page 53 and 54: to your words, so many people are n
Page 55 and 56: DASARATHI'S HUMILITYDasarathi then
Page 57 and 58: great attention. When he heard Rama
Page 59 and 60: ADOPTING THE WAYS OF ROBBERSBeing a
Page 61 and 62: of the huge boat as it moved slowly
Page 63 and 64: THE PRIEST'S REPENTENCEHowever, in
Page 65 and 66: he walked over to the monastery whe
Page 67 and 68: make a flower garden and serve Lord
Page 69 and 70: However, when he heard about the wo
Page 71 and 72: offense, they all submitted a petit
Page 73 and 74: RETURNING TO KANCIAfter thus passin
Page 75 and 76: "That woman was singing the tales o
Page 77 and 78: However, that night as he was lying
Page 79 and 80: challenged by some of the local sch
Page 81 and 82: the birthplace of Nathamuni, Yamuna
Page 83 and 84: and so he and his wife were fasting
Page 85 and 86: from His temple, the throng of peop
Page 87:
enclosed by walls on all sides, as
Page 90 and 91:
considering him fallen, and that he
Page 92 and 93:
and the other devotees also left th
Page 94 and 95:
However, the atrocities that Kulott
Page 96 and 97:
just by looking at the girl's face.
Page 98 and 99:
festival days. This form of the Lor
Page 100 and 101:
up her body. Being immersed in cont
Page 102 and 103:
heard Lord Varadaraja speak to him
Page 104 and 105:
take part in the festivities. Many
Page 106 and 107:
At about the same time the devotees
Page 108:
When Ramanuja had finished speaking
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