Mantra for mankind
On Ramanjucharya jayanti, his "Antakshari mantra" become
more relevant.
By T. Shreenivas Ramanujam
The Hindu
Friday, May 6, 2005
A young saint, Ramanuja by name, is walking towards a
hamlet, which is near Pudukkottai. Setting out from
Shrirangam for the 18th time since he approached his
guru, he does not seem disgruntled and is moving forward.
He approaches the village and reaches a hermitage, where
an old Vaishnava saint resides. Ramanuja falls at the
guru's feet. ''Oh! You have come again? All right, I just
wanted to find out whether you are serious, whether you
have a zeal for the mantra. That is why I have been
postponing the initiation,'' says the Guru.
The guru then takes him inside the hut and whispers the
mantra and cautions Ramanuja against revealing the
ashtakarna mantra to anybody else. The secrecy of the
mantra is to be preserved. The guru warns Ramanuja:
"Promise me that you will obey my command. If you
disobey, you will go to hell.'' Ramanuja holds out the
promise, takes the preceptor's leave. He, moves in the
direction of Shrirangam and looks at the local temple. He
suddenly starts climbing its tall tower (gopuram).
Pleading for the Lord's mercy, he climbs the spire
(vimana), from where he shouts beckoning the public. In
no time, hundreds of people gather. Ramanuja is not happy
with that small number. He goads more and more people to
the place.
People come in multitudes. Finally satisfied with the
mammoth gathering, Ramanuja begins uttering the , mantra,
which he had obtained from his guru.
Flabbergasted guru
Word about the strange behaviour of Ramanuja reaches the
guru, who rushes to the spot and commands his disciple to
forthwith stop it. . But by that time, Ramanuja who had
completed his assignment, climbs down calmly and bows
before the guru. The guru seethes with anger. "I have
warned you the danger of this bitterness beforehand. Yet
you have ignored all that and you have committed the sin.
Don't you know that for this insolence you are accursed
to be in hell for thousands of years?" the guru asks.
Replies Ramanuja: "Yes, Sir!"
''Then why have you committed this sin?'' the guru
enquires.
"It gives me the unmatchable bliss because these
multitudes are sure to reach the abode of Lord Vishnu. In
such a case, my living in hell makes no difference to
me.'' The guru is dumbfounded. Seeing his own master
Yamunacharya in the young saint, the guru starts praising
Ramanuja from the bottom of his heart, and cries with joy
hailing him as Emberumanaar (The Lord). Thus, Shri
Ramanujacharya gave the Ashtakshari mantra to one and
all, sans restrictions of caste, creed and other man-made
denominations. Let that pioneering effort inspire one and
all for all time to come.
More at:
http://www.hindu.com
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
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