வைஷ்ணவம் - அறிமுகம்

                                                                        

          We would heard of the stories about saivas and vaishnavas and their fight as two religions in the history of TamilNadu. The people who are Saivats are belong Siva gotras and those who are Vaishnavas are Vishnu Gotras.
      They worship Siva and Vishnu respectively. But unless one dig in to the roots of both the religions, we would not know the core concepts and philosophies doctrines preached in both would lead us to same path.
         Each illustration of the deities has its own significance. I can explain that in another post.


Vaishnava                Saiva

      Here is my first step to to explore vaishnavam.  By God's Grace, i get to learn about vishnu sahasranamam which is a practised hymn one should follow regularly as a Brahmin,
     
  A Brahmin here refers to a person for whom self realisation is the ideal. And the rest of the sensual pleasures would not touch him and distract him from the path of achieving this highest ideal.He will not be motivated towards money.wealth and will not be yielded by Anger and Sense pleasures. He
would sacrifice his entire life for self enlightment and to achieve the greatest knowledge. Whatever we are learning now as a graduate or student all are inferential knowledge which gives only information about the existing things. A person who is scholar in Physics can't learn about chemistry in his life time. And it is impossible to study about every existent thing in universe. So attaining the knowledge which would tell about the universe and its creation and is workings is considered to be the greatest knowledge. And seeking that knowledge is the duty of a Brahmin.

    Vishnu sahasranamam is special in that it is a series of the qualities of the Param Brahmam (i.e the only existing highest ideal who pervades all of the universe) by such Self realised induvidual Bhisma chariyor while he was in the war fields of the Kurushektra in the arrow bed to Pandavas elder brother Yudistra.
   

          I am listing some of the facts that i have learnt about Mahabaratham and it's relation to Vedas;
Vedas are theories written about Human's relationship with the cosmos. And Mahabratam and Ramayanam are the two great scriptures written by great sages who attained the self realisation to illustrate these theories on Vedas to help common man to cut out of  all Samsara Bandhams.
     These Samsara Bandhams are all mayas which all have an end and they are unreal. The only real and all pervading and everlasting happiness a man has to seek is Param Brahmam. The directions for seeking this Param Brahmam while simultaneously performing his worldly duties in his life without being affected is tricky and challenging. The ways to do it are dictated in these epics by applying the theories written on Vedas.

Mahabaratham is huge and it has various interpretations of Vedas. It is written by sage Vyasa.It is considered to be fifth veda owing to its significance. There are 5 ratanas in Mahabaratham which are

1. Bagavad Gita - Preaches of Lord krishna who is the real incarnation of Param Brahmam
1. It is exciting to know that various experiments conducted by our ancestors has proved the fact that Lord Krishna is the real incarnation of Para Brahmam. And since HE is a real incarnation he would able to control the universe. In science the all pervading matter in the universe is called Ether. So by taking contol of this Ether, we would able to do anything virtually. Moving stars,sun etc.,
2. By this means, Lord krishna offered help to Draupathi while she was disrobed by Dushanna. It would take years for a YOGI to achieve this power. By doing rigorous meditation and following virtual mentioned in the Veda doctrines. But how a normal king Krishna can do that. That answers our question that Krishan is Param Brahmam.
3. The same miracle was done by Adi Sankara too. When he was begging for food in a home. When a poor women offered her only single goose which is the only food she has left with berry to eat. Adi Sankar was dragged by her kindness and attitude of giving, and so he  offered her required  wealth to alleviate her poverty, he used the same power to do that. And he has written Kanakadhara Sthothram during this event.
4. So it is evident that by being in super conscious state one could able to take control of ether. (Universe).
2. Vishnu Sahasranamam - Preaches of Bhisma about Param Brahmam  
   
1.    Significance of this
1. As the sayings goes, if some body says i am God and this is the way to reach me. We would not believe it because our intellect will not accept it, In the same way those who are studying Bagavad Gita are less. Visnhu Sahasranamam is the explanation of God by Bhisma who has already realised GOD. The fact here is that, if somebody says i have seen GOD and i know about his qualities, We can listen to him and enquire him for more questions.In the same way Visnhu Sahasranamam by Bhisma is of more importance.
2. Very great scholars like Adi sankara have already acknowledge its importance and it is considered to be a summary of Mahabaratham
3. Yaksha prashna - riddle contest between Yudhishthira and a yaksha. Yudhishthira, the perfect
   
   king, answers thirty-three sets of pressing questions posed by a mysterious being in the shape of a crane.
   
   
4. vidura neethi - The rules one should observe as a king . After
   
   the return of the Pandavas from exile the war became inevitable as wicked Duryodhana (son of Dhitarashtra) refused the demand for minimum compensation. Vidur Niti is the record of the conversation that took between Vidur and King Dhitarashtra regarding the policies that must be adapted for smooth worldly affairs as well as for success in the after-world.The war would have never occurred, but the blind king refused to act on his suggestions. 
5. JanameJaya Mahabaratha - Retelling of Mahabaratha to Arjuna's Grandson JanameJaya by Vaishamapayan who is the grand son of the Author of Mahabaratha Vyasa.

So Comming to Vishnu sahasranamam , It has 1000 Names of Vishnu. Each of the names would tell about a characterstic of GOD.
         When we chant Vishnu sahasranamam our mind will read about the qualities of Param brahmam. The characteristic of mind is that it assumes the state/form of the objects it is thinking over. For e.g When we Think about mango. The immediate thought that strikes is about its sweetness and its juice. Similarly when we read about qualities of GOD our mind assumes the form of GOD and we would be in true conscious state. And any Evil thoughts can not cross it.
       So by practising it regularly one would remain in Divine state. Eventually he can spread it to others who are in their reach too. And There would be no variance in minds at all. All are equal. That is the Satya Yuga. The period in which there is no differentiation of minds and all are in uniformity. And we would realise the GOD in every being. And that is the state of BLISS.
               But given the subtle and wavering nature of mind, elevating it to super conscious Divine state is un-natural. And these Vedas will guide as in doing the same.
               
To summarise Mahabaratha and Ramayanam are the great treasures which our ancestors has left for us to realise the real happiness in the life.