Monday, April 18, 2011

A little more details on prapatti

We read a bit about Prapatti . This is One question we all have.The practicality of following the karma...One of the readers of the blog shared this doubt. Since  I found this as a topic  
of discussion in itself I am drafting it as a post along with the answers I got from my father in law.
Here goes the question....

If an individual has done Prapathi at a age when he did not understand, but has never followed the five code of conducts and even after growing up he claims he has done it and still does not follow the code of conduct, then what is the purpose of prapathi for that individual or the family he or she represent or the acharyan who has performed this to the individual, do they all still go to vaikundham after their death, if so then what is use of Dharma here.

Devanatha perumal and Hemambujavalli Thaayar, Thiruvahindrapuram (Nadunaattu Thirupathi)



                                 Meaning of Prapatti is essentially that it is a direct means of attaining moksha. It requires the complete surrender of the individual to God and His mercy. The term prapatti is derived from the root words pra-pad. Pad means to move and pra implies in the best manner. In the context of upaya, the term implies total self-surrender to God as the sole refuge. A more appropriate Sanskrit language term for prapatti is atma niksepa or bharanyasa, that is, to place the burden of the protection of the self in the care of God. It is also known as saranagati, or seeking God as the sole refuge.


The Visistadvaita Vedanta holds that the two important sadhanas for attaining the Supreme spiritual goal (parama purusartha) are bhakti yoga and prapatti. Both of the means have been advocated by the Sruti and Smriti texts as alternative means of moksha which are to be adopted by people with different capacities and eligibilities. The Vaishnava treatises give greater importance to prapatti. The praptti can be followed by all classes of individual belonging to any creed and status unlike Bhakti yoga which can only be performed by a certain class of individuals. This is why the Vaishnava acharyas right from the time of Nathamuni have preferred prapatti as a means of moksha. Thus prapatti is of great significance in Vaishnavism. The doctrine of prapatti is very old and it has its roots in the Vedas. There are numerous statements in the Rig Vedareferring to the basic principle of saranagati, viz., that an individual pleading his inability to achieve a desired object seeks with fervent prayer the help of a divine power. 

The famous Rik hymn addressed to Agni which is reiterated in the Isavasyopanisad states, 

"O Agni, lead us along the auspicious path to prosperity, O God, who knowest the means of attainment, remove all the obstacles coming in our way; we shall offer unto Thee salutation with the expression of namah." 

According to the interpretation of Vedanta Desika, Agni in the hymn refers to the Supreme Being as its antaratma and the word namah signifies the act of self-surrender to God. Another hymn states explicitly that the person who offers prayer with the expression of namah (implying self-surrender) is to be regarded as one who has performed a good sacrifice (sodhvarah) almost equivalent to the formal sacrifice done in the consecrated fire by offering the faggots (samit) along with the recitation of the mantras. The interpretation of this hymn in favour of self-surrender (atma-nyasa) is upheld by the Ahirbhudhanya Samhita. The Vedic seers were fully conscious of the fact that none other than the Divine Being is capable of protecting man from bondage. God is regarded as a dear friend and near relative of all human beings. He is compared to the non-leaky boat that can safely take persons from one shore to the other, through the turbulent waters of life. The Vedic seers have, therefore, sought in all their prayers the grace of God for achieving their desired objectives. 

My humble opinion is this.... Going to Vaikuntam is not a physical concept alone..it is more of a psychological understanding of goodness