SVS 57

51. OM MANAVE NAMA: ॐ मानवे नम:

Possessing the power of sankalpa [making real what is thought of].

Yesterday we saw the Six sentences pronounced by Sri Varadaraja to Swami Ramanuja. Today [30^th April 2008] we will see the compassion of the Lord for Swami Ramanuja. These instances of history are not told in a chronological order, we should remember. We are at saalaik kinaru [சாலைக் கிணறு] [road side well]. Learning under Yadavaprakasa in Thirupputkuzhi, the teacher and the disciple had many differences of opinion on various Veda and siddhanta interpretations. Yadavaprakasa felt that leaving Ramanuja like that would endanger his position and so schemed to kill Ramanuja by taking him, along with other students, on a trip to Kasi. While on tour, Ramanuja’s cousin Govinda, informed the teacher’s scheme and so Ramanuja got himself isolated from the group, somewhere near Vindya mountain forests. Left in the deadly forests alone, Ramanuja did not know which way to proceed. The Divine Couple, in guise of Hunter couple appeared before him and asked him to accompany them going south. In a single night the Couple and Ramanuja were on the outskirts of Kanchipuram; Ramanuja was unaware of this. The Wife, in the Couple, wanted water and Ramanuja offered to bring and he found a well from where he brought water. Second time also She wanted water and Ramanuja brought. Third time also She wanted and when Ramanuja brought, he found the Couple had disappeared. By that time it was day break and he asked a passerby, which place it was and that person showed the Punyakoti vimanam of Sri Varadaraja temple and Ramanuja realized that the Divine couple had brought him in a single night from Vindya forests. By mere sankalpa the Lord could bring Ramanuja from Vindya to Kanchi! Even now, this tradition of bringing water from this well [saalai kinaru] to the Lord is continued. Annually, the idols of the Lord and Swami Ramanuja are brought here to commemorate the incident.

Manu means person who determines by his mind. We decide to do so many but are not able to do all. Whereas the Lord can realize each and every decision of Him. His decisions or sankalpa can not be blocked by anyone. All planets and stars are in their respective orbits because of His sankalpa. In fact, everything we see is all His sankalpa.