sri:

Srivaishnava Prapatti or loving self-surrender to God: and its effect

on the behaviour and social engagement of aspirants

By Ramesh Kallidai

Introduction
Srivaishnavism is a monotheistic doctrine within the Vedic tradition that accepts a single and
personal God, whose grace and love nurture the souls living in His creation on their journey
towards salvation. It is only by the compassionate grace of the personal God known by various
names such as Narayana or Vishnu, and His mediatrix Sri or Lakshmi, that the helpless soul is
redeemed from calamitous and cyclical suffering.

The roots of the Srivaishnava tradition can be traced back to the ancient Sanskrit texts of the
Vedas and the Pancharatras. The simplified essence of the Vedas was revealed later in Tamil by
twelve vaishnavite saints, the alwars, through their compositions called the Divya-
prabandhams.i The syncretic fusion of these two traditions from the Sanskrit Veda and the Tamil
Divyaprabandha are often referred to as ubhaya-vedanta, or the dual vedanta.ii

Tradition attributes the revival of Srivaishnavism to Nathamuni in the 9th century CEiii, while
Ramanuja structured the core philosophy of vishishitadvaita or qualified monism by writing
elaborate commentaries on the Brahma-sutras and the Bhagavad-gita in the 11th century CE. iv

The philosophical construct of Srivaishnavism was further embellished in the post-Ramanuja

period by the teachings and writings of Embaar, Bhattar, Nadadoor Ammal, Pillai Lokacharya,
Vedanta Desika, Manavala Mamunigal, Brahma Tantra Svatantra Swami, Rangaramanuja Muni
and several others.

The unique contribution of Srivaishnavism is the exposition of the doctrine of loving self-
surrender to the one Supreme Being, who is the only object worthy of worship, and the only
source of shelter to the exclusion of every other being. This doctrine of loving self-surrender is
called by different names in Sanskrit such as prapatti, sharanagati, nyasavidya, bharanyasa,
atmanikshepa and atmasamarpana.1

1
Prapatti comes from the root words ‘pra’ (the best manner) and ‘pata’ (to move or to fall down), which
means ‘to move in the best manner (towards the feet of the Lord)’ or ‘to fall down in the best manner (at the
feet of the Lord)’ to seek refuge.
Sharanagati comes from the words shara (refuge or shelter) and ‘agati’ (to arrive), thus referring to ‘one who
has arrived to take shelter’
Bharanyasa comes from the words ‘bhara’ (the burden) and ‘nyasa’ (to give up), meaning ‘giving up one’s
burden and responsibility for redemption to the Lord’
Atmanikshepa from the words ‘atma’ (the self) and nikshepa (to deposit), which means ‘to deposit or
surrender oneself to the shelter of the Lord’
Trilateral doctrine in Vishistadvaita
Kant structured the central problems of philosophy by coining three questions: What can I
know? What ought I to do? What may I hope for?

Vishistadvaita deals with these problems through a trilateral doctrine called: tattva, hita and
purushartha. Tattva refers to the absolute truth or reality, hita is the means for salvation, and
purushartha points to the ultimate goal.

Tattva is further categorised as the three-fold reality or tattva-traya. In his work the Siddhitraya,
Yamunacharya clearly articulates the three-fold reality as: ishvara or the one Supreme Being;
chetana or the sensitient beings, namely the souls who are characterised by consciousness; and
the achetana or the non-sentient matter of the created universe, which is bereft of
consciousness. Srivaishnavism declares emphatically that there is only one God, the Supreme
Ruler, while all that is sentient and insentient – the chetana and the achetana – are his vibhutis
or his glories.

Unlike advaita, the doctrine of vishistavdvaita unequivocally asserts that soul or the jiva and the
Supreme Being or ishvara are different, and this difference is never transcended.v God or
Narayana alone is independent; all other beings are dependent on Him. Ramanuja asserts that
souls share the same essential nature of brahman or the Supreme Being, but the intrinsic nature
of the soul is "qualitative monism and quantitative pluralism.”vi

The triad of ishvara along with the chetana and the achetana, who are wholly dependent on
ishvara, is brahman, and this is the completeness of existence. Thus, ishvara is the substantive
part of brahman, while jivas or the souls, and jagat or the material universe, are its secondary
attributes. Ishvara does however possess His primary attributes too, which are called nitya-
kalyana gunas, or those inherent auspicious qualities that He possesses limitlessly and eternally.

In the Sharanagati-gadya, Ramanuja has described several nitya-kalyana-gunas of God2.

He compares the Lord to an ocean into which rivers of boundless virtues flow. He qualifies these
virtues as being natural to the Lord and used for protecting His devotee. Ramanuja explains that
the Lord possesses supreme knowledge, is the mighty ruler of all the worlds, has untiring virility,
and has the power to act with full independence without any outside help.

Ramanuja further states that no one can be as supremely kind, affectionate tender and gentle
like the Lord, who is always friendly, equally disposed to all, most merciful, possesses limitless
sweetness, nobility and generosity. The Lord is quick to respond to the miseries of his devotees,
is totally firm in his resolve to protect them, and undaunted in his courage to fight for them. His
will is always done, his commands are always irresistible, and His deeds are always fully
executed. He always remembers even the smallest of services or worship offered to him with
gratitude and love.

2
svabhAvikAnavadhikAtishaya * GYAnabalaishvarya * vIrya shakti tEja: saushIlya vAtsalya * mArdava Arjava *
sauhArda sAmya kAruNya * mAdhurya gAmbhIrya audArya * chAturya sthairya dhairya shaurya parAkrama *
satyakAma satyasangkalpa * krutitva krutaGYatAdyasangkhyEyakalyANa * guNagaNaugha mahArNava!
In the Sharanagati-gadya, Ramanuja portrayed his act of taking refuge to the Lord on the basis
of his ‘helplessness’ or akinchanya, and commits himself to annanyagatitva by meditating on
the Lord as the only refuge by recalling His promises and assurances of redemption.vii

Srivaishnavism discusses this relationship between ishvara and jiva as sharira-shariri-bhava3: the
understanding that the chetana and the achetana aspects of reality are part of the cosmic body
of the Lord, who is the in-dweller or the cosmic soul. Sharia-shairiri-bhava is based on three
components:

Adheyatva: the sharira or body is supported by the shariri or in-dweller. The jiva is fully
dependent on the Lord for its existence and protection, and is supported by Him.

Niyamyatva: the sharira is controlled by the will of the shariri. The jiva thus acts as per the will
or desire of the Lord

Seshatva: the sharira is the property of the shariri. Thus the jiva exists only for the pleasure of
God.

It is important to note that niyamyatva does not mean that the jiva has no choice or free will at
all. The jiva still posesess the qualities of being the knower (jnata) and enjoyer (bhokta) and also
an agent (karta) that is capable of exercising free will.4 That is the Lord's edicts and commands
as made known through the shastras address the jiva and enjoin upon it to act in an informed
manner thereby indicating that the jiva does have the scope to act out of his own volition.
However the soul's agency is dependent on the Lord because the Vedas declare the Lord to be
the inner controller and cause of action.5

The Sribhashya states that the Supreme Lord who is the eternal ruler of all, first regards apeksha
the effort undertaken by the jiva; then awards anumati or permission, which actually causes
pravarayati, the emergence of the action. Thus, the jiva exercises his free will by initiating an
action, after which the Lord manifests his controllership by granting his co-operative permission,
without which no action can proceed.viii

The second basic doctrine of Visishtadvaita, is hita or the means for salvation. There are two
accepted means of salvation: bhakti or devotional service, and prapatti or loving self-surrender.
According to Srivaishnavism, both bhakti and prapatti are equally sanctioned by the various
Vedic texts of the shruti and smirti denominations.

However, bhakti involves many rigorous disciplines which makes it restricted to those who are
adept at following strict rules and regulatory injunctions. But the path of prapatti is a direct
means or upaya to salvation that is a much easier and quicker. It is especially meant for those
who are helpless and unable to undertake the rigour of bhakti-yoga, and hence it is available to
everyone without any restrictions. Therefore, Srivaishnava acharyas from Nathamuni who

3
yasya atma sariram: “Unto whom atma forms the body” - Subala Upanishad and Brhadaranyaka Upanishad
4
This is expounded by the statement ‘karta sashtravattvat’ in the Brahmasutras
5 This is affirmed by Ramunuja in the Sribhashya: “parattu tachhruteh’.
themselves were great practitioners of bhakti-yoga, have still given preference to prapatti, and
advocated it as the easier means for salvation.ix

The third doctrine in Srivaishnavism is called purushartha: the goal of life. In Srivaishnavaism,
moksha or salvation is the attainment of nitya-kainkaryam or eternal loving service to the Lord
in His spiritual kingdom after we shed our gross body and attain a spiritual body. Only nitya-
kainkaryam or the state of eternal loving service will free us from bondage and illusion, and
redeem us back to our original eternal state of knowledge and bliss.

Three generations of prapatti literature

The philosophical construct of prapatti as the easiest and quickest means to salvation can be
traced to three generations of literature:

1. Pre-Nathamuni period: mainly comprising the Nalayira Divya-prabandhams of the

twelve Alwars
2. Post-Nathamuni period: mainly comprising of the writings of Yamana and Ramanuja
3. Post-Ramanuja period: mainly comprising of the writings of Kuraththazhwan, Embar,
Bhattar, Pillan, Nanjeeyar, Nampillai, Peiiyavachchan Pillai, Nadadoor Ammal, Pillai
Lokacharya, Vedanta Desika and Manavala Mamunigal

The word Alwar refers to those were immersed deeply in love of God. Their songs of rapture
were outpourings of intoxicated divine love, and are collectively known as the Nalyira Divya
Prabandham or the ‘four thousand verses of divine composition’. These verses form the
preliminary foundation of prapatti literature and theology.

As Nammalwar, the foremost of the twelve Alwars says in the Thiruvaymozhi6: “You are the Lord
of all the three worlds, and at Your divine feet, this vassal squarely takes refuge, with no other
hold.”

In Thiruvaimozhi, Nammalwar sings about his full awareness of the bond existing between him
and the Supreme Lord, who is the father of all creations, and does not expect anything except
unconditional love from the aspirant. Prapatti only reiterates the filial bond which exists
between aspirant and the God, whose grace is there for all, like a mother’s selfless love for her
child. What is required from the aspirant is constant remembrance and supreme faith in God’s
grace. Nammalwar’s most important insights into the nature of reality, and the relationship
between the divine and the human became foundation stones for the later Srivaishnava
community.xii

The works of the Alwars were collected, codified and consolidated by Sriman Nathamuni in the
9th Century CE. He divided the Divya-prabandhams into four parts: Mudalayiram, Periya
Thirumozhi, lyarpa and Thiruvaymozhi.

6
pugal onRillA adiyEn un adik kIzh amarndhu pugundhEnE [Thiruvaymozhi, 6.10.10, Nammalwar]
After Nathamuni, it was Yamuna, his grandson, who systematically introduced the doctrine of
self-surrender through works such as the Stotra Ratna7, where he explains that the path of
loving self-surrender or sharanagati is open for one who is unable to follow the path of action or
karmayoga, the path of knowledge or jnanayoga and the path of devotional love or bhaktiyoga,
and thus has no other way of salvation. In the Stotra-ratna, Yamuna therefore seeks protection
from the Lord in a state of complete helplessness and total dependence, and declares that the
Lord is his only refuge.

Ramanuja whose Sharanagati–gadya is an exposition and expansion of the philosophy of

prapatti penned by Yamuna in the Stotra-ratna, introduces a ritualized version of prapatti that
specifically addresses those who are ineligible for practicing the different kinds of yogas.
Srivaishnavism thus offered a soteriology that included everyone who was incapable of Vedic
study through birth or qualification, or those who were mired in illusory entanglements, and
could not extricate themselves from a life of sin.x

Srivatsya Varada Guru, a twelfth century preceptor, known popularly as Nadadoor Ammal in his
Prapanna-parijata explains that prapatti is not a new concept but has its roots in the Vedas. The
vasuranya mantra of the Taittriya section of the Krishna Yajurveda mentions prapatti by the
name ‘nyasa’, the act of giving oneself up to the Lord, and also describes the procedure for
performing prapatti.

An often quoted definition of prapatti composed by Nadadoor Ammal in the Parijata is a fervent
plea to the Lord, where he says: “I am the abode of all sins, utterly helpless and without any
other recourse. O Lord! You alone are my means to salvation! Such a condition of the mind is
called prapatti.”8

In the post-Ramanuja period, many of his immediate successors produced a vast range of
prapatti literature in Sanskrit, Tamil and Manipravala. They usually took the form of praise-
forms or stotras, and elaborate commentaries or vyakhyanams. There are over forty
commentaries on the Nalayira-divyaprabandham alone, with a vast ocean of other literature on
prapatti that has been composed since then.

Amongst Ramnuja’s successors, it was Vedanta Desika who emerged as the greatest guardian
and proponent of Sri Vaishnavism through his elaborate commentaries and compositions that
enshrine the significance of prapatti in all its aspects. The primary book in which he has
elaborated the deeper internal mysteries of prapatti is the ‘Rahasyatrayasara’. He has also
independently established the supremacy of prapatti through other compositions in Sanskrit
and Tamil such as Tatparya-tika, Gitasara, Nyasa-vimshati, Nyasa-tilaka, Nyasa-dashakam,

7
Na dharmamanistosmi na catmavedi na bhaktimam stvaccaranaravinde | akincano ananyagatissaranya
tvatpadamulam saranam prapadye || Stotra Ratnam of Yamunacharya

8 aham asmy aparAdhAnAm Alayo 'kincano 'gatiH | tvam evopAyabhUto me bhava |

iti prArthanA matiH SaraNAgati: ||

Nikseparaksha and Adaikkalappattu. Further, Vedanta Desika analyses the Saranagati-gadya of
Ramanuja by comparing the verses with each word of the three great Srivaishnava mantras: the
mulamantra, the dvayam and the charamasloka.

We can see therefore that the literature of prapatti was available before Sri Vedanta Desika in a
cryptic form. However, it was Vedanta Desika who elaborated, reaffirmed, consolidated and
simplified the doctrinal tenets of prapatti. He points to reassurances given by the Supreme Lord
to the surrendered jiva: when the jiva is in despair or grief because he is not able to adopt
certain upayas or methods which are prescribed as productive for one’s salvation, then the Lord
promises to stand up as those upayas and guarantee the result of salvation.

Followers of Vedanta Desika’s school accept bhakti as a valid means of attaining the Lord, but
they reiterate the fact that bhakti requires sattvic patience to endure any delay in attaining
salvation, which is caused by the balance of prarabdha-karmas, the results of past sinful actions,
which have to be exhausted. If a bhakta commits a small mistake, the whole exercise of bhakti
will collapse like pack of cards. xi The path of devotion and love is therefore often likened to a
bridge of hair built upon a river of fire.

However, followers of Manavala Mamunigal’s school are emphatic in saying that prapatti needs
no upaya or self-effort at all, and thus even bhakti-yoga is no longer taken into consideration.
But Vedanta Desika declares that bhakti-yoga is a valid path to the Lord, but those jivas who
have become akincana, or lack belief in one's own ability or qualification to execute it, and
understand their state of ananyagati, complete dependence on nothing other than the Lord,
become qualified to execute prapatti.

In theory, bhakti-yoga and prapatti may thus seem like alternatives, but in practice they are not
alternatives for these acharyas at all: when Nammalwar, Yamuna, Ramanuja, Nadadoor Ammal
and Vedanta Desika surrender to the Lord, it is precisely because they do not see bhakti-yoga as
a viable option for themselves. They regard themselves as lacking the qualifications and the
adhikara to practice any upaya other than loving self-surrender, and their perceived lack of
qualification becomes, in fact, their qualification for that surrender. In that sense, prapatti can
be seen in two ways: either as an anga of bhakti that is meant to help the bhakta take his final
step towards the ultimate goal, or as an independent upaya that stands by itself, and can be
performed because the aspirant feels helpless and unable to perform bhakti.

The common threads in all generations of prapatti literature is that it involves a transformation
of consciousness by overcoming the illusion of one’s independence, the acknowledgement of
one’s true nature as a servant and the property of the Lord, the confession of one’s helplessness
and inability to work towards one’s own salvation, and finally one’s total supplication, and
dependence on the Lord, and the Lord alone, for his protection and grace.xii

A life of values: a prapanna’s engagement with himself and God

A Srivaishnava who has undertaken ritual vows of self-surrender or prapatti is called a
prapanna, and must lead a life true to the values he or she espouses. Just like in other religions,
a prapanna is expected to lead life of spiritual virtues such as faith in God, honesty, integrity,
gentleness, kindness, compassion, truthfulness, cleanliness, simplicity, accept voluntary
austerity, and non-violence. These are called samanya-dharma, and are common basic values. xii

However, there are behavioural components or angas that are specially recommended for a
prapanna, and cultivation of these angas provides a distinctive character to a Srivaishnava.

Anukulyasamkalpa and Pratikulyavarjanam

A prapanna believes that she or he lives only for the satisfaction of God, and therefore they
must only do acts which are pleasing to the Lord at all times (anukula) and avoid all those acts
which do not please the Lord (pratikula). Since scriptures are divine revelations of the Lord, the
activities enjoined in scriptures become anukula, and those forbidden become pratikula.
Scriptural injunction is therefore observed with the aim of pleasing the Supreme Lord. In this
way, prapatti drives the aspirant to lead a life of high moral and ethical values.

Karpanya
Karpanya, which is the third anga of prapatti, otherwise called helplessness, invokes God’s
mercy. In a state of utter helplessness, devoid of any ego resulting from the belief that one can
help oneself, the aspirant confesses to the Lord about his incapacities and frailties. This is
confessional behaviour that leads one to believe that God is the only resort and the last refuge.

Mahavishvasa
Vedanta Desika says that mahavishvasa is nothing but complete and absolute faith in the saving
and redemptive grace of the Lord, and only the Lord. The aspirant will not and should not seek
protection and grace from any other source, because of the firm belief that the Lord alone will
save them. Even the slightest doubt regarding the efficacy of prapatti will collapse the basic
structure of the path to redemption. A prapanna who has mahavishvasa, thus becomes totally
carefree about the future, because he feels the divine protection of the Lord constantly, and at
all times.

Goptritvavarana
This is the fifth required anga of prapatti, and represents a heartfelt plea filled with yearning
from the aspirant to the Supreme Lord to grant protection. According to Vedanta Desika, though
moksha is an ultimate goal of life, it is not easy to attain like other objects. Mere prayer alone
will not fetch moksha; one should try hard and yearn for it. Without asking or repeating again
and again, no good things will be given. If aspirant cannot ask repeatedly again and again,
moksha cannot be granted by God. The Lakshmi-tantra observes, “No protection would be
granted when it is not sought”.

Vedanta Desika says that, the self-surrender invariably follows with supreme faith in receiving
the grace of God. In the Nyasadashakam, he explains that the protection from the Lord will be
extended only to those who have understood they are the property of the Lord, and have given
up ownership of oneself. The handing back of the soul, which is originally the property of the
Lord, to its rightful owner is called svarupa-samarpanam. In addition, the jiva must place all his
responsibilities, including the act of protection, to the Lord, who is both siddha (the goal) and
the sadhya (the means). This is called bhara-samarpanam. Desika further explains that the only
objective of an aspirant is to serve God and have no concern of the result of his self-surrender.
This surrendering of the fruits of one’s endeavours is called phala-samarpanam.

Thus prapatti involves three important aspects: svarupa-samarpanam, bhara-samarpanam and

phala-samarpanam, and together, these constitute the ingredient factors of the very concept of
prapatti.xiii

A prapanna therefore behaves and acts in the moods of sattvika-tyaga at all times: where all
activities are done only to obey the orders of the Supreme Lord, where the fruits of all actions
belong to the Supreme Lord, and are meant only for His pleasure and enjoyment.

A life of compassion: a prapanna’s engagement with society

A prapanna, is both an individual and a part of society. Thus his or her engagement with society
will reflect the values enshrined in prapatti: the firm faith and conviction he or she has while
taking refuge of the Lord as a result of which they feel the protection of the Lord at all times;
and the compassion they feel for those who are yet to take refuge.

At an event to commemorate the 511th birthday of the great Srivaishnava poet and composer
Annamacharya, celebrated on 27th March 2019, the 46th pontiff of the Ahobila Mutt, His
Holiness Sriman Srivan Shatagopa Raganatha Yatindra Mahadesigan Swamy said, “Bringing
solace to the busy life of the human beings in this mechanical world by being affectionate
towards them is the true nature of the Almighty.”

A prapanna engages with society to bring solace and comfort to others, to support them in their
difficult times, and most importantly, to help them on their journey to salvation.

There are two categories of social engagement that mark the way a Srivaishnava prapanna may
engage with society:

Sharing the grace of God

Ramanuja clearly showed by example that it was important for a Srivaishnava to share the
message of prapatti with every class of people, because salvation and the grace of God were
available to everyone from any background without any discrimination. In fact, the main
preceptors of Srivaishnavas, the twelve Alwars came from all four varnas, and are venerated
and worshipped by all.

Ramanuja’s own teachers such as Thirukachhi Nambi and others were not brahmanas by birth,
and he worshipped them with great honour and respect for their intense love for God and their
spiritual teachings of grace. Therefore, the Srivaishnava community grew rapidly during and
after Ramanuja’s times as people from all caste, backgrounds and regions were awarded ritual
initiation to Srivaishnavism through samashrayanam and accepted the teachings divine grace
and prapatti from their acharyas.

Ramanuja appointed 74 pithadipathis or successors, who were tasked with preserving and
spreading this mission of prapatti far and wide. There were several institutions or mutts that
were set up later to spread the teachings and practice of Srivaishnavism such as the Parakala
Mutt, the Ahobila Mutt, the Srirangam Srimad Andavan Ashramam, the Vanamamalai Mutt and
the Yadugiri Yatiraja Mutt. In addition to these organisations headed by acharyas or the pontiffs
who spread the missionary activities of Srivaishnavism, there were also a class of people called
‘svayamacharyas’ , teachers descended from the families of the 74 pitadipathis, who continue
to spread the word of Srivaishnavism.

The acharyas of the Mutts and the svayamacharyas conduct initiation into Srivaishnavism
through rituals such as samashrayanam and bharanyasam, conduct upanyasams or discourses,
publish books, and organise major festivals.

A key part of the missionary activity is the system of kalakshepams: an ancient oral tradition,
where the Acharya or his agent reveals the esoteric mysteries and the closely guarded inner
meanings of prapatti and the rahasya-granthas or esoteric texts to the disciple, in private. A
distinction is made between those matters of spirituality that can be spoken in public (sadas)
and those that can only be discussed privately in a guarded manner with an aspirant who has
been initiated into the fold (rahas). While discussions of the nature of rahas may sound as if
they are restricted to a few, in reality it is available to anyone of any background, because they
can be admitted into the Srivaishnava fold through samashrayanam and other rituals, and thus
become eligible to hear the guarded and private topics of the rahasya granthas.

Sharing the benevolence of God

Ramanuja also realised that there are three fundamental needs of a person in society. The
physiological needs – food, shelter and clothing – are to be the satisfied first. To provide this,
Ramanuja evolved an institution – the Ramanuja-kootams which provided the masses with food
and shelter.

Today, several Srivaishnava institutions and individuals engage with society to provide succour
to the needy in a mood of compassion. The following list is only provided to offer a snapshot,
and give an insight into the types of social activities that Srivaishnava organisations engage in,
and is not an exhaustive list:

 The Thirumala Tirupati temple, one of the largest Srivaishnava temples in the
world has many social projects including hospitals, schools, educational
institutions, vocational training centres for the disabled, and conservation
projects
 The Srimad Andavan Ashramam runs educational institutions such as the
Andavan College for Arts and Sciences in Srirangam, several veda-pathashalas
and goshalas, and the Bhagavad Bhashyakara Thadiyaradhanai Trust for
distribution of sanctified food to the hungry
 The Jeeyar Educational Trust runs juvenile homes, provides disaster relief,
conducts medical and health camps and runs educational institutions
 The Srinivasan Services Trust, the charitable wing of the TVS Group has adopted
5000 villages across 5 states of India to provide sustainable livelihood and
infrastructure that positively affects 780,000 families.
Prapatti as the easiest way
One can see that the path of prapatti or loving self-surrender traces its roots to Vedic texts, and
was revealed again in the devotional oupourings of the twelve Alwars in the Tamil Divya-
prabandhams. Their successors, Yamuna and Ramanuja gave concise and cryptic definitions of
prapatti in writings such as the Stotra-ratna and the Sharanagati-gadya, which laid the
foundations of more elaborate and structured commentaries by preceptors such as Vedanta
Desika.

Desika through his writings has elaborated that through prapatti a person reshapes his life so
that God and not the self is the centre of their lives as well as their plans for survival and
salvation. It is an act of entrustment of oneself to the care of the Supreme Lord Sriman
Narayana, who is known to be loving, affectionate and eager to receive those in need.xiv In the
Nyasa Dashakam, Desikan explains how this act of prapatti itself is dependent wholly on the
grace of God when he says: “It is the Lord who has made me his servant, and made me
surrender unto Himself, by my own mind, which he gave me for the fulfilment of His purposes; I
who am totally under his control have now become devoid of responsibility by virtue of being
his responsibility." 9

The aspirant who follows the path of prapatti, known as a prapanna cultivates significant
qualities of dependence on God, confessional feelings of helplessness, and a firm conviction that
God alone will provide salvation and protection. This in turn affects the ways by which he or she
behaves individually or engages with society to share the grace and benevolence of God.

_________

About the author:

Ramesh Kallidai holds a post-graduate degree in Business Computing from City University, London, and has over 30 years
of experience in the corporate world in IT, public relations, sales, marketing, and corporate training. He was a formal
advisor to the British government, and the first Secretary General of the Hindu Forum of Britain, the largest umbrella
organisation for British Hindus. He was appointed a Commissioner of Integration and Cohesion by the British Cabinet
Secretary for Communities, and served as a Cultural Ambassador to the London 2012 Olympics. He was a member of the
London Criminal Justice Board, an advisor to the Holocaust Educational Trust UK, and an Executive Director of the
Interfaith Network UK. He led the communications portfolio at ISKCON's Bhaktivedanta Manor temple in London, which
hosts one of the largest Hindu congregations in Europe. He has appeared several times on British TV, Radio, and
newspapers to comment on Hindu and community issues in the UK. He was invited to present expert opinion on matters
such as religious blasphemy law, discrimination at workplaces, and anti-terrorism to Parliamentary committees and panels
at the House of Lords and House of Commons. In 2007, he was presented the Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards at
the House of Commons for his services in public life.

Publications

 Faith in the Nation, co-authored with the Archbishop of York and the Chief Rabbi of UK, published by the Institute
of Public Policy Research UK
 Caste in the UK, published by HFB
 Religious Discrimination Law in the UK, published by Faithworks
 Regular articles in British newspapers such as the Guardian, the Times, the Statesman and the Birmingham Post

9
“svami svasesham svavamsham svabharatvena nirbharam; svadatta svadiya svartham svasmin nyasyati mam
svayam” Nyasa-dashakam by Vedanta Desika
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