Ramanujacharya – Biography - ebooks - ISKCON desire tree

"Some brahmanas came here while you were gone,"Hemamba replied. "Due, no doubt, to their extreme poverty,they have been forced to take up the ways of thieves. Atthat time I was lying awake, repeating the names of the Lordin my mind, but they must have thought that I was sleeping,for they entered the room and took all the ornaments fromone side. When they had done this, I turned over so thatthey could take the rest of my jewels, but unfortunatelythey were frightened by my movement and fled from thehouse.""This was your mistake," exclaimed Dhanurdasa. "Youare still not completely free from illusion, for you werethinking, 'These are my ornaments. I will give them away.'When will you give up this idea and realize that everythingis the property of Lord Narayana. If you had remained stillthen you would have been able to give everything to thebrahmanas,"Hemamba recognized her fault and begged her husband,"Please bless me, so that one day I may become free fromthis illusion."Having witnessed everything, the young brahmanasreturned to the asrama and told Ramanuja all about thebehavior of that devoted couple. As it was by that time lateat night, he told them to go and rest, but the next day hediscussed the matter fully when they assembled before him tostudy the scriptures. "You are all learned scholars," hesaid, "and very proud of your position -as brahmanas. Sotell me, whose behavior was more befitting a brahmana -yours, yesterday morning when you found your cloth a littleshorter, or that of Dhanurdasa and his wife when the jewelswere stolen?"The disciples could do nothing but hang their headsin shame and say, "Master, it was Dhanurdasa whose behaviorwas worthy of a brahmana; ours was abominable.""Therefore," Yatiraja continued, "you must understandthat birth and caste are unimportant. It is a man'squalities and actions that show who is fallen, regardless ofsocial position. Now, giving up all pride in your birth asbrahmanas, endeavor to serve Lord Narayana with a pureheart. That alone is the way of perfection."CRITICISM OF MAHAPURNAA short time after the incident involving Dhanurdasaand the brahmana disciples, word came to Ramanuja that hisown guru, Mahapurna, had performed the cremation ceremonyfor a sudra and that as a result of this many people werecriticizing him for transgressing the rules which govern abrahmanas conduct. On hearing this news, Ramanuja went atonce to Mahapurna's house to hear from him the truth behindthese allegations. When he arrived at his gurus house, helearned that all of Mahapurna's relatives had abandoned him,90