Two of the angas of Saranagati are Anukulya Sankalpa and Praatikulya Varjana. That means doing what pleases Lord Narayana and avoiding that which displeases Him. But for this to happen, we must be with those whose thoughts are focused on Him, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. If we are in the company of those with undesirable traits, we might pick up wrong ideas from them.
Rice crops require standing water. A farmer may have a bund around his land to keep the water from seeping out of his field. And yet, some water might seep into the next field. In the same way, we may think that even if we are in the company of wrong people, we can still retain our innate characteristics. But in course of time, we imbibe wrong ideas from them and our conduct is no longer ethical.
What are the ideal things one must do? The best thing to do is to study Sri Bhashya, Ramanuajacharya’s commentary on Brahma Sutra. If this is not possible, then one must study the Divya Prabandham and its commentaries. If this is not possible, then one must serve in temples. If this is not possible, then one must put oneself under the care of a Sri Vaishnava. If this too is not possible, then the least a person can do is to live in a Divya Desam. He will then go to the temple every day. Once he becomes friends with devout temple goers, gradually, he involves himself in temple service. He then develops an interest in Divya Prabandha pasurams. He then progresses to the next step of studying Sri Bhashya. Thus just living in a Divya Desam results in his studying the Sri Bhashya.
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