[Advaita-l] Teachings on the Vijaya Yatra - Types of Devotees

[S Jayanarayanan]

 (Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted
on the Chaturamnaya list : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )
 
 
http://vijayayatra.sringeri.net/chennai-june-26-2012/
 
At Anantapadmanabhaswamy Temple, Adyar
 
On 27th June, the Jagadguru went to the Sri Anantapadmanabhaswamy temple at Adyar and had Darshan.
To commemorate the golden jubilee of the temple, The Jagadguru then laid the foundation for
Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Veda Pathashala and Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Office block in the
temple premises. In His Anugraha Bhashanam, given at the Jagadguru Abhinava Vidyatirtha Pravachana
Hall. the Jagadguru said that His Guru, Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji had performed
the first Prathishta Kumbhabhisheka of the temple and expressed joy that the temple had grown to
serve a large section of devotees. The Jagadguru said that people come to the sanctified presence
of the Lord in the temple to alleviate their sufferings. The Jagadguru remembered the different
types of devotees described by Bhagavan in the Bhagavad Gita – 
 
 चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन ।
 आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ ॥
 
Four classes of people take to prayers – the one in distress, the one seeking material success
and wealth, the seeker and the Jnani. Bhagavan is impartial and grants the wishes of every
sincere devotee. However when a prayer is not fulfilled, people feel that either Bhagavan does not
have the power to alleviate our sufferings or He is not compassionate. It is because you lack
complete devotion. The Jagadguru pointed out examples where we can observe that when a supplication
is submitted with total devotion, it is granted.  
 
The Jagadguru said that the trustees of the temple led by Srinivasa Rao had come to invite Him
to the temple at Sringeri even before the Vijaya Yatra had started. They had again come to
Thiruvanantapuram when He was having Darshan at the Anantapadmanabhaswamy temple in
Thiruvanantapuram to again invite Him. The Jagadguru mentioned that the trustees beseeched Him
saying that His Guru had performed the first Kumbhabhisheka at the temple, and hence His blessings
were sought again. The Jagadguru expressed joy at being in the temple, and at the fact that a
Veda Pathashala was about to commence in the name of His Guru, and blessed that the devotees
assembled attain Shreyas.
 
On 28th June, the Jagadguru started from T Nagar and proceeded towards the Sringeri Pravachana Mandiram
at Raja Annamalaipuram. Enroute the Jagadguru had Darshan at the Siddhi Buddhi Sameta Karpaga Vinayakar temple
at Raja Annamalaipuram and blessed the devotees.