SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
Is it that we have to surrender once to bhagavAn and then forget about it? For getting the benefit (whether it is attaining mOksham (SrIvaikuNtam) or carrying out kainkaryam to pirAtti and bhagavAn), it is enough to do surrender once. However, since we continue to live in this samsAram (materialistic realm), we need to remind ourselves that we have surrendered to bhagavAn as the fear of samsAram will continue until we leave it.
This is a one-line chUrNai:
thathaScha prathyaham AthmOjjIvanAya Evam anusmarEth II
Word-by-Word meaning
thathaScha – after that
prathi – every
ahas – day
Athma ujjIvanam – leaving this world and attaining SrivaikuNtam.
Evam – thus
anusmarEth – keep remembering through the day
Explanatory Note
thathaScha – dhvaya upanishadh says thadhdhvayam sakruthuchchArO bhavathi (this is dvayam; it is said once). SrI rAma in his charama SlOkam (ultimate SlOkam) says sakrudhEva prapannAya (surrendering only once). It is enough if it is recited once as upAyam (the path for reaching bhagavAn). But it demands to be repeated many times over. What is the limit for this?
prathyaham – prathi – every; ahas – day. It has to be recited every day. Is repeating this every day being done because of any inadequacy in fulfilment of our effort?
Athma ujjIvanAya – SarIra jIvanam – living in this world for the sake of physical body. Athma jIvanam – living in this world, doing only good things and not indulging in anything not mentioned in SAsthras. Athma ujjIvanam – leaving this world and attaining SrivaikuNtam. For this, AthmA has to constantly keep thinking of bhagavAn. In gAruda purANam, it says that if in a muhUrtham (equivalent of 48 minutes) a person does not think of vAsudhEvan (SrIman nArAyaNan) even for a moment, it will entail terrible harm, great danger, utter confusion. In effect, it means total emaciation of the soul. Can this repetition be done with less effort?
Evam – thus. It should be recited with the same dedication and belief with which it was recited the first time when the person carried out SaraNAgathi (surrendering).
anusmarEth (prathyaham) – We have seen that we should recite this every day. Is it enough if we recite once every day? anusmarEth – keep remembering through the day. Keep remembering without any break as we had seen in SaraNAgathi gadhyam (dhvayam artha anusandhAnena saha sadhA Evam vakthA – keep repeating dhvayam knowing its meaning, all the time). It is to be remembered all 365 days, until we leave this world.
Hence, in order to stick to the path of righteousness and to remind ourselves that we are living in this dreadful samsAram, we have to keep reciting and thinking about SaraNAgathi all the time, every day.
We shall now move on to the 3rd chUrNai.
Translation by krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan.
archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org