"We Have Sinned, Acharya"

Originally Posted by varalotti

Dear Swetha,
First, thanks. When I first read this story in a Tamil book, believe me, I could not speak or do anything for some time. Stories like this one, once they get into our being, can never go out of it. So ever since I read the story for the first time some 17,18 years ago, I have been thinking about the story every now and then. I have told the story to my daughter, almost to every one who cared to listen.
I am releasing the next set by this Friday, God willing. Please be on the look out.

Best Wishes,

Dear Varalotti Sir,
I will be having my semester exams from sunday onwards ... so I may not get the time to read your next set ... we have exams on consecutive days ... unfortunate for me as I wont be able to read your post immediately ... but I'm sure I'll hear about it from Amma ... I will be done with my exams on the 15th, and that day, I will read all your posts!!! I may be among the last ones to reply ... but I'll surely read them ... and comment too!!!
I'm sure they will be as good, if not better than your work till date.

Dear Sridhar,
You are doing a great service by writing,narrating these incidents from Acharya's life for all of us to read and learn.I read the story at one go.Simple elegant style,though Iam no one to praise your style of writing ,even lesser mortals like me would surely munch over this and somewhere the effect would rub on us.
Thanks.
Regards
mythili

Dear GF,
You almost made me cry with your kind words of praise. But please don't think writing is a chore for me. It's oxygen, it's breathing for me. Even if there is not a single soul to read what I write, I'll still be writing. Given that, having so many people with good hearts like you to read and appreciate my writing, I should say that I've been really blessed.
Well, as you know, I am not going to stop with this. Look out this Friday for another love story.
love,
your BF

Originally Posted by madhumathi1974

My dear BF,

i was lovely and no words to express. u r great to be blessed by these guru's to get such knowledge and gather them and give this "amrutham" for as. i can see the hard work u have done to go through all these stories and post them for us so u a great, great, and great person today iam very happy to have u as my good friend and very proud also. MAY GOD BLESS U DEAR BF.

do not stop posting with this, but iam eargly waiting for more of them.

You are right, Sriniketan. Yes, we have sinned. Not only that, we are still comitting a lot of sins, and the irony is that most of them are in the name of God.
When we think we are one up over others because we are born in to a particular group, do a particular job, or possess a specified number of electronic impulses (money today is just electronic impulse residing in some banking system, right?) or we look better (in our own view) than others, then, we do commit a grave sin.
May the great Acharya forgive us and teach us the path of love where there is no scope for sinning at all.
Yours was a very sobering post. I appreciate it, Sriniketan.
regards,

Originally Posted by Sriniketan

Sridhar,
It is 'we who have sinned' after reading again and again, getting into our head what these incidents and people want us to be, we do the same mistake over and over again, discriminating people...over caste, creed, education, wealth and what not...

Sri Ramanujar is a social and spiritual revolutionary...many to Him...hope we get His blessings too...to awaken from such stupidity and rise above...

sriniketan

Dear Usha,
The best form of Bhakthi is one where there is only the Lord, the beloved. The devotee does not exist at all. Sharanagathi lies at the root of Vaishnavism.

By the way, why is he called Pillai Uranga Villi Dasan?
Ahaaa, now we can expect to hear more from you about our favourite Villi.

I hate to disappoint you. I don't know the history behind the name.

And don't forget to come back on Friday to read yet another love story.

regards,

Originally Posted by Ushakrishnan64

Dear Sridhar,
Shirdi Baba says that out of the nine forms of Bhakthi, the best form of devotion is Sarvaswa Saranagathi. This is what we find in Villi.
By the way, why is he called Pillai Uranga Villi Dasan?
Ahaaa, now we can expect to hear more from you about our favourite Villi.

I am going to revisit SHE, in search of Kulasekara Azhwar Paasuram. Thank you, Sridhar.

Regards
USHA

Dear GF,
A great Vaishnavite scholar once told me that you can at least hope to sing the praises of Ramanuja. But you can never fully describe the devotion of his disciples. We are going to see more about his disciples in the coming episodes. But before that I am going to present one more love story, hopefully, Godwilling on this Friday.

I have stopped visiting most of the crowded temples. You don't get anything close to devotion in that crowd. And you have to use all your money power, political intrigue to get ahead of the crowd. Many times I have had the influence of walking into the sanctum sanctorum when many others have been waiting in the queue. At that time I feel ashamed. When I see the look in the eyes of those waiting, I feel like standing naked before them. In what way am I entitled to queue-jumping? I honestly don't even feel like looking at God after sinning against these people. Moreover in that kind of crowd with people jostling you all around, you'll get every other feeling except devotion to God. Far better option is to sit home and chant his name, or even better is doing something good to your fellow beings.

You are right, apartheid comes in when you segregate brahmins from non-brahmins. But a worse kind of apartheid comes in when you segregate haves from have nots. I mean the special dharsan ticket holders in any temple. Our contribution to ending this apartheid is to stop visiting such temples.

When I see people loving this story, my mind is filled with hopes for the future. After all not all hopes are lost. May Ramanujacharya show us the right way.
Yes more on the same lines to follow.
Thanks for the nice fb, GF.

love,

Originally Posted by corallux

Dear BF,

A lovely ending to your story on the great saint.

Just shows how even Saints depend on the love & devotion of their devotees to lead them to "Nirvana".

Caste system. A blot on the name of humanity. In some of the mutts I have gone to , I was shocked by the apartheid system in force there. Brahmins are made to sit in one place whereas the non-Brahmins in another. We cry ourselves hoarse against racism. But what about the silent racism in our own homes?

Your quote : "Even River Cauvery cannot clean me completely. But this man’s touch can purify me. That’s why I lean on him when I return from the river." speaks volumes on what is more important.


The love & devotion of the couple towards Sri Ramanujaji showed the other disciples what was lacking in them.

A very apt lesson for what is going on in the name of religion these days. Many (Not all) places of worship in almost all major religions of the world have lost their sanctity. They are more commercialised & hot beds of political intrigue.

From time to time saints come into this world preaching love towards all hatred towards none. It finds very few takers.

At an age & time when women were & are seen as an "obstacle" in the path of spirituality, Sri Ramanujaji gave the same importance to Ponni. A true revolutionary.

Thanks for sharing this with us BF. Some more on the same lines to follow?

Oh yes, I agree with Sriniketan " We have sinned"

Regards,

Your GF.

Dear Aruna,
You are most welcome. I know you people were getting restless hence I posted the final part in the same week. Will post the next love story this Friday. Stay tuned.
regards,

Originally Posted by Arunarc

Dear Varalotti
Thanks for getting the story so fast we need not to wait for it long.
A beautiful story with a beautiful message along with it.

Dear Gayu,

You are most welcome. You are right, in that there are many followers of Ramanuja, who look down upon the saivites. You will be surprised to know the kind of discrimination happening between Vadakalai and Thenkalai sects within the Iyengar caste.

I am planning a detailed write-up on the Vaishanava-saiva relationship within a week's time.

But the pity is that you cannot talk sense to those bigots who are full of their own pride. Only a saint like Ramanuja can blast their egoes and make them see the truth. For our part, let's keep blowing the trumpet. Someday they might hear the sound and wake up.

Thanks for the nice fb, Gayu.
regards,

Originally Posted by gayu_r;
325617

Wow ! I am so gifted to read this wonderful piece.

Thank you sir !!

I had so many questions like the others when I read the previous part. Patience paid off well and now I understand why Acharya wanted the divine unconditional love of Villi and Ponnachi to teach a lesson to the proud world. It pains me boundless to see the "ardent" followers of Udaiyavar and Renganatha perumal, look down on the others especially the saivites, even today. I pray that his teachings and message to the world really enters and stays people's heart and head every day.

Dear Vidya,

Please don't be so lavish in your words of praise for me, lest I should get arrogant and proud. I have read a lot of books on Ramanuja. All of them read so well and I am convinced that any one who writes on the great saint always writes well. At times the quality of the subject matter is transferred to the writings. Here's one such instance.

The next post in this series is also a love story, a love story I fell in love with when I heard it for the first time.

I really feel that i should read this over and over again to help me transform into a better person as Villi and Ponnachi.Thanks for such a well written piece. These days logging on to Indusladies, my eyes are searching for writings of Varalotti.

I am honoured, Vidya.
regards,

Originally Posted by Vidya Arun

Dear Sridhar

What an excellent Upanyasam. This piece was more a lesson to me than a continuation of a story. There were lots of messages, infact lots and lots that i need to apply in my daily life. Very well written Sridhar for people living far away from our mother land. I felt as if i was listening to a discourse of Baba. Your narration was mind blowing and the way Villi and Ponnachi prostrated before the Acharya really touched my heart. It looked like it was all happening for real, more like a dream for me..

I really feel that i should read this over and over again to help me transform into a better person as Villi and Ponnachi.Thanks for such a well written piece. These days logging on to Indusladies, my eyes are searching for writings of Varalotti.

Regards
Vidya

Thanks Sudha. After reading some of the responses to this post I could not bring myself to sleep. Instead of tossing and turning in the bed, I thought I'd rather respond to the wonderful fbs by the wonderful ILites.
That was one of JK's quotes I love the most. Happy to know that you liked it.
regards,

Originally Posted by sudhavnarasimhan

Oh Sridhar, i was surprised to see you online so late.........but i can understand this urge to write or do anything craetive , keeps one awake!
But Friday is so faaaaaar away!

And i liked these lines as reply Mr. Gopalan.....
" JK said once, if you genuinely want some thing, if your urge is intense enough, the entire Universe conspires to rush it to your side at the earliest. This time my happiness is that I have also been roped in to that "sweet conspiracy"