arms near the shoulders, for sharira suddhi (body purification)
2 Pundara samskaram (to wear the dwadasa urdhva pundram( thiruman kappu&
srichoornam uttering the 12 names of Maha Vishnu)
3.Naama samskaram (to be named by the acharya afresh as dasa at the end of one's
name to indicate that one is the forever slave of Sriman Narayana)
4 Manthra samskaram (to get the Rahasya traya mantras - Ashatksharam, Dwayam &
Charma slokam)
5. Yaaga Samskaram (to learn the worship of Sriman Narayana in a proper form
(Bhagavth Thiruvaradhanam)
Question: Swamin, Pancha samskaram "seems" like a mere ritual, it does not seem to give any spiritual experience. I would like to know how this actually helps the evolution of the soul. If one has done samashrayanam, is moksham guaranteed in this very birth? Under what circumstances the moksham may be denied? Do we have to do anything post samashrayanam to ensure our liberation? Or does the Acharyan takes care of everything? Dasan, Sridhar
Answer by Velukkudi Krishnan Swami: Samasrayanam is a certain way for liberation in the same birth. This relates us with Sri Ramanuja who was assured moksham to him and his devotees by Sri Ranganatha Himself. It is not a mere ritual but a spiritual enlightenment about the absolute servitude of jiva. As usual a few could have reduced it to a mere ritual but this is common everywhere. Just because many jump signals or yellow line their usage cannot be questioned. The almighty Himself is a mere stone (in idol form) if we do not sanctify. [Similarly, samasrayanam would be a mere ritual if duties and responsibilities after samasrayanam are not followed.] After the samasrayanam we do have duties and responsibilities for the rest of the life even though acharyan owns the single most important responsibility of granting moksham through perumal. We have to follow internal and external prescriptions (6 commands of Sri Ramanuja) which progressively matures us. Moksham would be denied if we commit bhaagavata apacharam.
