The Swami Seeks Upadesam!

“Vadugaaa…., Vadugaaa….come here! Where are you?”

Swami Ramanujacharya was calling out to his dear shishya, Vaduga Nambi, to annoint him with the ‘thirumann’. (The Urdhva Pundra that a Srivaishnava adorns on his forehead)

Every day, after he had finished annointing himself with the 12 urdhva pundraas, Swami would do the honours for Vaduga.

The next moment, Vaduga rushed in breathlessly, as if he had been running, sat down, and let the Acharyar decorate him.

“Come, come, it’s time to take darshan of the Lord,” said Acharyar, and hurried into the precinct of the temple at Thirukurungudi, with Vaduga and other disciples following him.

The group reached the temple dhwajastambham, and again the Acharyar called out, “Vaduga!” to give some instruction.

But Vaduga had disappeared!

All the disciples looked around, but Vaduga was not to be found.

The group continued into the shrine to worship the Lord.

And what a glorious sight met their eyes!

The Lord of Thirukurungudi stood majestically in the sanctum sanctorum.

But what drew everyone’s attention was the still wet ‘thirumann’, glistening on His forehead, looking exactly like that which Acharyar had annointed on Vaduga Nambi’s forehead!

Can you guess what had happened?

Vaduga Nambi had been held up at the previous place the Acharyar’s group had visited.

So eager was the Lord to serve Ramanujaacharya, that He had Himself taken the place of Vaduga! The Swami had become the Dasa! The Owner had become the Servant!

Acharyar realized what had happened, and sought forgiveness of the Lord for his error. 

Image: https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/vaduga-nambi/ 

Worship completed, he turned to leave the sanctum sanctorum, when a voice boomed:

“I want you to initiate me into the Srivaishnava fold!”

Although flabbergasted at this request, Acharyar never lost his cool.

“Really? Then give me the sthaanam of the higher position as befits an Acharyar, and You take the lower position as befits a shishyan, only then will I do upadesam to You!”

The very next moment, there was a pedestal for the Acharyar to sit, and the Lord bent down, put His ears close to the Acharyar’s mouth, and obtained mantropadesam from him!

And it is in this very position that one can have darshan of “Vaishnava Nambi” even today at the Ramanujar Sannidhi at the place called Tiruparivattai Parai about one kilometre away from the main shrine of the temple in Thirukurungudi.

Following this ‘initiation,’ the Lord had a question for the Acharyar.

“I incarnated as Krishna, and imparted all knowledge of the shaastraas through the Bhagavad Geeta, and yet, there are very few who follow My instructions. Yet, you, O Ramanujacharya, have succeeded in drawing the entire society towards a spiritual life. What is the secret of your success?”

With all humility, the Swami smiled and explained.

“You see, people feel affronted when someone thumps his own chest and says, ‘I am the Lord, and you must follow Me.’ But, when I preach, I point towards You, and say, ‘Follow Him because He is the Lord!’ and that is palatable to them!”

Ramanujachaarya is often addressed with honour as Jagadaachaarya. Now we know why. 

Because He was Acharyar to not just people in this world, but to Jagannaathan Himself!

 

 

 

 

The Second Binding

The decision had been made.

Krishna would go as a messenger to the Kaurava court, to seek justice for the Pandavas who had completed the terms of the fateful wager.

Image

“Strive for peace, Krishna,” instructed Yudhisthira, “But if they do not relent, convey our intention to fight for our right!”

(Yudhisthira talking about rights is not just a petty sense of entitlement in a family feud. It comes from a deeper understanding of the true duty of a kshatriya, which is, to rule, in keeping with the principles of rajadharma.)

Krishna asked the other Pandavas for their opinion.

Bheema agreed with Yudhisthira. So did Arjuna and Nakula.

Only Sahadeva was silent, and looked at Krishna with undisguised amusement.

“Well, Sahadeva, what do you have to say?” asked Krishna.

“Whether WE want the war or not, dear Krishna, I’m sure that YOU certainly want it!”

A glint of mischief appeared in Krishna’s eyes.

“I don’t understand you, Sahadeva!”

“Why, it’s very simple, Krishna! If YOU want, You can certainly avoid this conflict. But I’m pretty sure that it is war that You want!”

“How do you think I can avert this war, Sahadeva?”

“Well, we could break Bheema’s gada, and destroy Arjuna’s Gandiva; and tonsure Draupadi’s head, and automatically, there would be no war. But You know what would be an even easier way to stop the war, Krishna? Capturing You and keeping You imprisoned so that You DO NOT go as our doota to the Kaurava court!”

Krishna gazed with appreciation on the youngest, and probably, the wisest Pandava.

But laughing, He said, “Certainly, Sahadeva, you can do the first three things, but not the last! Capture Me? Impossible!”

“I beg to differ, Krishna!”

“Really? Ok, challenge accepted! Come on, Sahadeva, bind Me right now!”

Sahadeva sat down and closed his eyes in meditation. In his mind’s eye, he visualized Krishna as a small baby, and prayed to Him.

“Allow me to bind You, O Damodara!”

(Remember how Krishna got the name Damodara?)

The next moment, Sahadeva had snatched a flower garland and playfully bound the hands of the Lord!

No matter what Krishna did, He could not free Himself!

“Please, Sahadeva, remove this shackle from my arms!” pleaded the Lord of the Universe.

Sahadeva had managed to bind the Boundless One!

What was the rope Sahadeva had used? His jnaana of the Lord's true nature! He had achieved the unachievable, just like Mother Yashoda, by using the rope of love!

Having proved his point, Sahadeva then proceeded to ‘free’ Krishna.

Image

This episode appears in the Tamil version of the Mahabharata titled Villi Bharatam, composed by Villiputhurar in the 14th centure CE.

It drives home a significant lesson for the bhakta – you cannot bind Krishna except by His will. And you cannot bind Him except by your love.

The Lord then went as “Pandavadoota” and the result – as Sahadeva had rightly predicted – was the success of His mission of “paritraanaaya saadhunaam, vinaashaaya cha dushkrutaam and dharma samsthaapanaa.”