SRI BALARAMA PRARTHANA (श्रीबलरामप्रार्थना)

श्रीबलरामप्रार्थना
सर्वमङ्गलदात्रे च रोहिणीनन्दनाय च।
श्रीकृष्णप्रियभ्रात्रे च बलरामाय ते नमः॥

sarvamaṅgaladātre ca rohiṇīnandanāya ca ।
śrīkṛṣṇapriyabhrātre ca balarāmāya te namaḥ ॥

Salutations to You, O Balarāma—the bestower of all auspiciousness, the beloved son of Rohiṇī, and the dear brother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
जय जय श्रीराधे

TULASI DEVI PRARTHANA (तुलसीदेवी प्रार्थना )

महाविष्णुप्रियां देवीं तुलसीं पापनाशिनीम्।
सर्वाभीष्टप्रदां श्रेष्ठां नमामि परमात्मिकाम्॥
जय जय श्रीराधे

BHAGAVAN SRI VEDAVYASA GURU PURNIMA PRARTHANA

भगवान् श्रीवेदव्यास गुरुपूर्णिमा प्रार्थना
महाभारतकर्तारं महाकारुण्यसागरम् ।
वेदव्यासमुनिं श्रेष्ठं वेदमूर्तिं नमामि तम् ॥
जय जय श्रीराधे

BHAGAVAN SRI VEDAVYASA GURU PURNIMA PRARTHANA

भगवान् श्रीवेदव्यास गुरुपूर्णिमा प्रार्थना
वेदपुराणदातारं विराट्विष्णुस्वरूपिणम्।
वेदान्तसूत्रकर्तारं वेदव्यासमहं भजे॥
जय जय श्रीराधे

BHAGAVAN’S ASSURANCE IN BHAGAVAD GITA

BHAGAVAN’S ASSURANCE IN BHAGAVAD GITA
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥
--- श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ४-७,८
जय जय श्रीराधे

KARMA PHALA AND THE ROLE OF GOD

In the scheme of nature, there is a free will for an individual to do something or not to do something or do differently. This is the free space available to us.

Destiny, on the other hand, plays its trick starting with the birth of a child. Why one is born poor and another rich ? Why one is healthy and another has serious birth defects? One loses the mother the moment it is born? One is born dead? The questions are too many.

But what is the force which causes such disparities ? Whether God is to be blamed for this partiality?

The only logical answer could be the Karma Theory which explains that the human being takes birth to exhaust his PrArabdha Karma. This gets extinguished only by experiencing in the world, going through the vicious cycles of pleasures and pains. In the process there is always a little scope to do some action within a limited domain. Just like a Cow which is tied by a long rope has the freedom to move within the space determined based on the length of the rope, human beings have some free will to exercise. Beyond that limited area the tied cow cannot roam about. This represents the force of destiny. The reason why some selected people lose their precious life suddenly due to accidents, diseases, natural calamities like Tsunami , earthquake, floods,  fire and so on cannot be otherwise explained.

Self- effort is absolutely essential for any one without taking shelter under the guise of destiny. Therefore one has to do his Svadharma in a given environment without any attachment to the fruits of action. If destiny decides otherwise, one should have the will power to take it in his stride in a positive manner without losing heart. For this meditation techniques help a lot to make one develop equanimity towards the dualities. 

One should take caution not to abuse the little free will that is available to him.

Despite one's best intentions and efforts, the effect of PrArabdha Karma embedded as VAsanAs may suddenly manifest and impact one any time. But that is the embedded secret of life .

The role of God in the scheme of Karma is that he has created the process of cause and effect and ensures that it works out without any flaw whether it is an ordinary person or a mighty man. God’s worship mitigates the impact of  the numerous problems of life  caused by one’s bad karmas and gives him the moral  strength to bear them and come out of them.

In order to get released from  the vicious circle of birth and death  caused by one’s accumulated Karmas over many births, BhagavAn offers a secret and secure route of grace which is available for one whose mind is focused on the Supreme and who has unconditionally surrendered unto him. For those great souls, BhagavAn neurtralises all their  bad deeds and grants them his divine association for ever.

It is very difficult to  understand properly the concept of Karma and Karma phala. 

KarmaNohyapi boddhavyam boddhavyam ca vikarmaNah ।

akarmaNasca boddhavyam gahaNa karmaNo gatih ॥

--- Bhagavad GItA

As per Dharma SAstras, there are different types of Sins classified as mahApApa, PAtaka, anupAtaka, upapApa, atipAtaka, mahApAtaka, upapAtaka, jAtibhramsakara, SankarIkaraNa, apAtrIkaraNa, malAvaha, PrakIrNaka and so on.

Just like a drop of oil  spreading over water, the sin gets transmitted from one person to another by association with a sinner.

sankrAmanti hi papAni taila bindurivAmbhasi ।

cAndrAyaNam Yavakam tulA purushairiva ca ॥

One who blesses the sinner gets infected by the sins of the latter.

Kurvantyanugraham ye tu tat pApam teshu Gacchati ।

SarIrasyAtyaye prApte vadanti niyamam tu ye ॥

--- ParASara smrti

Through DakshiNa the sins get transferred to the BrAhmaNa and through the recitation of the Vedas, the pApas of the BrAhmaNa get nullified.

DakshiNAnAm BrAhmaNena BrAhmaNasya chandobhi:chandaSam svAdhyAyenapahata pApmA......

---- TaittirIya AraNyaka

Karma Marga

By doing prAyascitta as per dharma SAstras, one’s sins get destroyed.

prAyascitta Sabdah pApakshayArthe naimittike karma viSesha rUdah ।

--- vijnAneSvarah

JnAna Yoga

Regarding distribution of Karma of a Self-realized person, Atma bodha explains that the critics share his sins and the followers share his puNyas.

Ye jnAninam nindanti, dvishanti, du:kha pradAnam kurvanti tAnprati jnAnikrtam sarvamAgAmi kriyamANam yadavAcyam karma tatpApAtmakam gacchati ।

---Tatva Bodha

Bhakti yoga

BhagavAn KrshNa assures that He would deliver one from all sins if one unconditionally surrenders to Him. Hence there is no sin which the Supreme cannot nullify.

Sarva dharmAn parityajya mAmekam SaraNam vraja ।

Aham tvA sarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi Ma Sucah ॥

--- Bhagavad GIta

kalau kalmasha chittAnAm pApadravyopa jIvinAm ।

vidhikriyA vihInAnAm gatir govinda kIrtanam ॥

natAvat pApamedheta yannAmnA na hatam hare:।

atireka bhayAdahu: prAyascittAntaram vrthA ॥

--- Yoga YAjnavalkya:

sakṛdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate ।

abhayaṃ sarva bhUtebhyo dadAmi Etat vratam mama ॥

--- VAlmIkI RAmAyaNam

Impact of Bad deeds on the Doer and his Family

(1) Depending on the gravity and intensity of the sins, it can affect only the doer or along with him his wife or son or daughter or any one associated with him or  some or all of them together at any point of time.

(2) The Sins can be destroyed by following Karma yoga, jnAna yoga or Bhakti yoga as aforesaid. Else it may affect the person and his family depending on the severity of the Sins committed.

(3) Unconditional surrender to the lotus feet of the Supreme by following Bhakti Yoga will definitely nullify all sins and one will get released. This is applicable to all. 

(4) All the lineal descendants including sons , daughters, grand sons and grand daughters may get impacted depending upon the severity of the Sin. 

It will be very difficult to draw a matrix of all the sins in the world and then say who are all will be affected, to what extent, when (whether in this birth or later), in what sequence, to what extent, why and how. The Prarabdha Karma has to be experienced by all.

Karma Phala (Fruit of Action)

(1) Like a young calf which recognizes the mother cow amidst thousand other cows, the karma done by a person follows him meticulously.

(2) Like the tree which yields flowers and fruits at the appointed seasons, the fruit of action also manifests at the proper time.

(3) If a person cuts trees with an axe, then the person who cuts incurs the sin and not the Axe nor the maker of the Axe.

(4) For one's action Supreme is not responsible.

(5) There is the Supreme who by his Laws dispenses the Karma Phalam.

(6) Good and bad deeds rotate like a wheel.

(7) When there is great natural calamity like famine etc, all the people including great Rishis by-pass the dharma and adopt what is known as the Apad dharma

(8)In the case of a realized person, whatever karma he does after realization gets distributed to those who praise and follow him and also to those who find fault with him. The former gets his puNya phala and the latter the PApa, if any. He experiences the prArabdha karma while his Sancita karma gets neutralized.

(9) Karma done without the sense of doership and offered at the feet of the Supreme does not bind one.

(10) The Supreme intervenes in the case of a very select few (who truly deserve) and neutralises their karma due to his divine grace.

prAyascittAnyaSeshANi tapah karmAtmakAni vai । 

yAni teshamaSeshANAm KrishNAnussmaraNam param ॥

जय जय श्रीराधे 

WHETHER THERE IS NO USE OF DOING SANDHYA VANDANAM AND GAYATRI JAPAM WHILE A DVIJA LIVES ABROAD ?

sandhyA Vandanam is a Nitya Karma which has to be done as long as one is alive and fit. Even while some one is abroad, he has to do that sincerely. When a dvija lives abroad under certain inevitable circumstances, it is always preferable to perform the nitya karma to the extent possible rather than giving up the same totally, quoting the SAstras.

SandhyA Vandanam is nothing but chanting and celebrating the splendour and glory of the Supreme in different forms. The bhAva of the KartA is more important than the ritualistic aspects involved.

What is not possible through VarNASrama dharma in such difficult circumstances can be compensated through chanting the mahAmantra. Thus the deficiencies (lopas) of karmAnushthAna can be addressed through devotional surrender to the Supreme.

One should not condemn the changing yuga dharmas and those dvijas who follow those, as the dvijas are suited to the yuga concerned.

yuge yuge ca ye dharmAs tatra tatra ye dvijAh !

teshAm nindA na kartavYA yugarUpa hi te dvijAh !!

-------- parAsara

dhyAyan krute yajan yajnaih tretAyAm dvAparercayan !

yadApnoti tadApnoti kalau sankIrtya keSavam !!

---- VyAsa

YAvanna kIrtayet rAmam kalikalmasha sambhavam !

tAvattishthati dehesmin bhayam cAtra pravartate !!

---- Sivasarvasvam

SrutismrutipurANeshu rAma nAma samIritam !

tannAma kIrtanam bhUyas tApatrayavinASanam !!

---- cyavana smruti

sarvapApa prasaktopi dhyAyannimishamacyutam !
punastapasvI bhavati panktipAvana pAvanah !!
----- PaiThInasI

natAvatpApamedhena yannAma hatam hareh !
atireka bhayAdAhuh prAyascittAntaram vrithA !!
------ YogayAjnavalkya

prAyascittAnyaSeshANi tapah karmAtmakAni vai !
yAni teshAmaSeshANAm krishNAnus smaraNam param !!

------ SrI vishNu purANa

kalau kalmasha chittAnAm pApadravyopa jIvinAm !

vidhikriyA vihInAnAm gatir govinda kIrtanam !!

In conclusion, vipras should endeavour to do karmas to the extent possible and offer the fruit to BhagavAn in the true spirit of karma yoga. They should also do nAma japam and surrender unconditionally to BhagavAn.

A vipra who does vihita kamAnushthAna should not find fault with others who do not do as each one is driven by his own prArabdha karma. He should not think that he is superior to some one who does not do kamAnushthAna nor to a dedicated Bhakta who is always immersed in the thought of the Supreme.

जय जय श्रीराधे

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE DIVINE NAME "SRI"?

The divine name "SrI" representing the  beloved consort of BhagavAn  can be interpreted in six varied ways.

(1) SrIyate - One who is resorted to.

(2) Srayate- One who resorts to BhagavAn.

(3) SrNAti-  One who removes the  obstacles in the path of the devotees.

(4) SrINAti - One who moulds the devotees towards perfection for attainment of moksha.

(5) SrNoti -  One who lsitens to the  prayers of the devotees.

(6) SrAvayati - One who entices BhagavAn to listen to the prayers of the  devotees.

जय जय श्रीराधे