What does “jaya SrIman nArAyaNa” indicate?
It implies mangaLASAsanam to bhagavAn, since jaya, vAzhi, pORRi etc indicate mangaLASAsanam. But in our SrIvaishNava sampradhAyam, there was no such practice of saying “jaya SrIman nArAyaNa”. “adiyEn rAmAnuja dhAsan” is a reasonably standard way of introducing ourselves and greeting others.
Can we throw away spoiled prasAdham?
Yes – if prasAdham becomes spoilt, it can be thrown away. But we can try to use it by placing on ground as fertilizer, if possible.
White sugar, brown sugar, palm sugar, kalkaNdu, panangkalkaNdu, nAttu sakkarai, karupatti, jaggery – Is there an order of preference amongst these according to our pUrvAchAryas that can be used/not used in our nithya thaLigai?
Jaggery and nAttu sakkarai are officially allowed. Others are not preferable – especially anything from palm tree, we cannot consume.
Is SrIman nArAyaNa still pleased when we listen to dhivya prabandhams, nArAyaNIyam, etc. even if we don’t understand the meanings?
Yes – language is not relevant – the words of AzhwArs and our AchAryas have great potency. Still, we need to try and learn the language so that we can appreciate the deep meanings.
There are different avathArams of Lord SrIman nArAyaNa. How do we concentrate our mind only on one avathAram of Lord nArAyaNa?
No need to concentrate on one avathAram only – even while reciting pAsurams, sthOthrams during thiruvArAdhanam, they may be for different forms of perumAL – it is ok to let the mind go through different forms of perumAL and experience different emotions.
Sometimes we are scared to go to sleep at night due to frequent unnecessary dreams in the past. Is there any prayer we can do for perumAL and thAyAr for this?
Sleep is considered to be yOga – meditating upon bhagavAn. So, when we go to sleep, we have to think about bhagavAn/AchArya only. If our thoughts towards the end of the day are focused on bhagavath vishayam, naturally such dreams can be avoided.
What is the difference between white chandhan and thirumaN?
thirumaN is prepared from soil in holy dhAms (dhivya dhEsams) such as SrI ayOdhya, thirunArAyaNapuram etc – there is a long process in preparing the solid blocks. I think chandhan is prepared by grinding sandalwood.
What is kOyil thiruvAimozhi?
kOyil thiruvAimozhi is a collection of important padhigams (dhaSakams) from thiruvAimozhi.
Is garuda the primary vAhanam for mahAlakshmi thAyAr too?
There is no separate vAhanam for her – she travels usually with perumAL in garuda. In temples, she has many different vAhanams.
adiyEn was listening to this video about perumAL thIrtham. Should we receive it with vasthram so it won’t fall on the floor? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bZxD7z3wng]
Yes – we should receive with vasthram so that it doesn’t spill on the floor.
adiyEn heard that one of the reasons not to touch eyes, hair etc., after thIrtha prasAdham is, these parts of the body are considered excretory organs and hence should not be touched. Also, is it okay to say Sri SatAri instead of plain SatAri?
prasAdhams such as mAlai, vasthram, thIrtham and food items etc are commonly placed on eyes and head. So, no need to worry about any other aspect. Ideally, we have to say SrI SatAri or SrI SatakOpam.
While mAlai, thIrtham, vasthram and other prasAdhams are all received with vasthram on head or hands, some AchAryars/jIyars are not seen to touch them over eyes or head. Please explain.
They are all received on hands. If they are offered to someone else (like one’s elder, AchArya, etc.) – then they will not place them in eyes, head, etc. If it is directly for them, it is quite common to place them on eyes and head.
What is abhigamana kAlam? What is its significance?
abhigamana kAlam means early morning, when we wake up and do our early morning anushtAnams such as dhyAnam, snAnam, sandhyAvandhanam, etc.
As far as I know – it is part of our everyday routine. vaidhIkas (followers of vEdham) are known as panchakAla parAyaNas – those who split the day into 5 parts and perform the deeds in the apt times.
* abhigamana – waking up and early morning routines
* upAdhAna – gathering materials for thiruvArAdhanam
* ijjA – doing thiruvArAdhanam
* svAdhyAya – engaging in SAsthram/pramANams
* yOgam – going to sleep (dhyAna)
Is there any SlOkam for perumAL that I can chant to get rid of fear and negative thoughts?
Usually, in our sampradhAyam, we recite pAsurams and chant manthrams (specifically guruparamparA manthrams and dhvaya mahA manthram) as kainkaryam only. If we did this sincerely, as a side effect, all negative thoughts and fear will slowly disappear.
Who is thiruvEngadamudaiyAn?
SrInivAsa perumAL in thiruppathi is known as thiruvEngadamudaiyAn.
emperumAn has weapons like Sankham, chakram, gadhai, etc. We do pUja, hOmam and archanai for sudarSana chakram of bhagavAn. It seems there is not much significance for Sankham and gadhai. Please explain swAmy.
sudharSana chakram is the primary weapon. All his weapons are explained as an amSam of chakram. There is also importance given in Agamas for him. Hence, he is worshipped separately also.
What is abhivAdhanam?
It is the process, where we identify our gOthra, sUthra, etc., and our name. This is usually done as a part of vadhIka rituals and also during offering obeisances to elders.
What is the difference between charama SlOkam and thaniyan slOkam?
thaniyan slOkam is a slOkam in glorification of the AchArya. charama SlOkam for a particular person, narrates his ascending to paramapadham, highlighting his identity.
Why does vEdham allow multiple marriages for men and only one for women apart for exceptional cases like that of dhraupathi?
This is how it is defined in SAsthram. If we say it is because men have more strength and more ability to be active for many years (say from 20 years old to 70 years old), some will say even women have more strength etc. Certain things, we just have to accept what is in SAsthram and move on.
How many authentic upanishaths are there? And what are they? What is the pramANam for their authenticity?
Number may not be important – while all sidhdhAnthis accept 10 or so primary upanishaths, different sidhdhAnthis consider different upanishaths as important.
We hear that some changes were brought out in mUlavar in SrIrangam in recent past. Is this true? If yes what exactly happened who changed/try to do it and why would they do it?
During 2015 samprOkshaNam, visible change was the way his thiruvadigaL were laid out. Before they were spread out, now they are close to each other. rangarAjan narasimhan swAmy has documented this issue in detail.
What is the difference between red nAmam and yellow nAmam?
Traditionally, most SrIvaishNavas irrespective of different kalai, use SrIchUrNam (red). Some in vadakalai and few others use turmeric (yellow).
Why during brahmOthsavams in SrIrangam, is namperumAL covered with cloth fully in the front and not adorned with dhOthi unlike adhyayana utsavams or AsthAnams?
namperumAL is considered as very tender and hence not exposed to external atmosphere usually. Inside the temple, it is somewhat controlled environment – so not much covering. Due to his tender nature, if it rains even a little bit, his procession will be cancelled.
Most of us in this day and age of kali yugam are ordinary human beings who are constantly suffering, as our karmas continue to torment us, we even fear that our faith in bhagavAn can shake anytime. Even after surrendering to bhagavAn, we are still struggling for the basic needs of life. What is the way forward for people with such experiences and merely living off making ends meet in this modern world of inflation and soaring prices by the day?
You are not alone in this aspect of suffering. Everyone goes through some kind of suffering – the level and intensity may be different. How can we keep blaming bhagavAn, if we have accumulated so much karma? If we are steadfast in our devotion we will overcome such sufferings. Even if we have to suffer throughout our life – we need to have the heart to face it. Just think about the sufferings of great sages, saints and AchAryas. Even bhagavAn had to go through so much hardship when he was in SrI rAmAvathAram. Imagine bhagavath rAmAnujar who was living in SrIrangam happily with so many disciples – one day had to leave everything and go to mElkOte, with just a few followers. Can we imagine being exiled in forest for 14 years as rAma had to do? Can we imagine losing everything and going to a new place like bhagavath rAmAnujar had to do? Can we imagine losing our eyes like AzhwAn had to go through?
Is it true that pArvathi dhEvi is sister of Lord SrIman nArAyaNa?
In krishNAvathAram, dhurgA came as krishNa’s elder sister. In leelA vibhUthi such relationship between different forms of dhurgA and bhagavAn are shown in SAsthram and pUrvAchAryas’ commentaries.
What is meant by sARRumuRai?
sARRumuRai is the conclusion of any routine – dhivyaprabandha pArAyaNam, vEdha pArAyaNam, kAlakshEapam, etc., will have a concluding portion – that is in known as sARRumuRai.
We generally don’t take photos and videos of “mUla mUrthi”. Is this allowed in ayOdhya because it’s a North Indian temple? Or is it because its followed only in southern dhivya dhEsams?
Yes – in the north, they are not too restrictive about it.
Taking photos of mUla mUrthi is a contentious issue because the purpose is to remain inside and not move around. So, only those who go inside the temple can have his dharSan. Hence, the argument that we should not take photos.
But uthsava mUrthi ventures out to give his dharSan to everyone, for the sake of those who cannot come to have his dharSan. Hence, there is no specific restriction, in general.
But the reality is most of the mUla mUrthis in dhivyadhESams and other temples have already been captured through cameras. It could either be officials or some influential bhaktha or the archaka or kainkaryapara who would have done it. Also, during bAlAlayam there will be more scope for taking pictures.
In those days, before cameras were prevalent, artists would sit and draw based on their grasp of mUla mUrthis – the drawing would mostly be accurate. In one way, these pictures or drawings when well preserved, will help us identify the changes in thirumEni if done.
Is ex-vaishNava aparAdham also a sin?
Hurting anyone unnecessarily through mind, speech and body, is a sin.
There are some instances where we find garudAzhwAr being a mukthAthma, he himself got hungry to eat a snake and also did some apachAram to perumAL. How do we understand this?
These are leelAs which emperumAn enacts through his dear devotees to derive a particular point. We can also learn how powerful our senses are in binding us from such instances.
Is narasimha avathAra thithi thraoyOdaSi or chathurdhaSi?
It is generally said to be chathurdhaSi.
Why thiruvallikkEni vEnkatakrishNar doesn’t have moustache and wear kavacham after thaila kAppu? Kindly clarify the reason.
It is said that in the past, there was no moustache for mUlavar in thiruvallikkEni and subsequently it was added. Hence, during a few days in a year during thaila kAppu, perumAL actually gives dharSan in his original form. Not sure about the authenticity of this information though.
For my son during this rAhu kEthu peyarchchi, it seems rAhu is not in a good place and will cause harm. He is also having health issues. Is there any parihAram to be done for rAhu? Is there any perumAL temple worship particularly for this situation?
For SrIvaishNavas, there is no involvement with other dhEvathas. Whatever has to happen due to karma, we need to face it boldly and get over with it. We cannot do any parihAram.
In which text or sthOthram, the text “sarva dhESa dhasA kAlEshvavyAhatha parAkramA…” is found?
It is part of our sARRumuRai – a SlOkam recited by our pUrvAchAryas like kUrESa.
In thirunarayUr dhivyadhEsam, pagal paththu and irA paththu is not done during vaikuNta EkAdhasi time. Why is this so?
In few dhivyadhEsams such as SrIrangam, thiruchchERai, SrIperumbhUthUr, thirumazhisai etc., local brahmOthsavams and other important uthsavams take more importance over adhyayana uthsavams. For example, in SrIrangam, thai uthsavam date is more fixed – if adhyayana uthsavam clashes, adhyayana uthsavam will be preponed. thirunaraiyUr may also have the same case.
Please explain about gaNdabEruNda avathAram.
No specific information is available in our pUrvAchArya literature on this avathAram. Also, it seems that none of the sAthvIka purANams talk about this avathAram. Hence, it may not be significant from our sampradhAyam perspective.
Can chandhan (sandal paste) be used as thirumaN?
No. This practice is not in our sampradhAyam.
From where can we purchase thirumaN?
Ideally, we can get from dhivya dhEsams, that too known people.
How is japam generally done?
https://youtu.be/ZWPROr2NRrM – please see this video. japam should be done continuously without keeping count and without any other additional tools. guru paramparai and dhvayam are to be done as japam always, by meditating on their meanings. Some AchAryas in the north follow the practice of chanting on beads – but our pUrvAchAryas did not have such practice.
What is the meaning of dhivya dhampathi?
dhivya dhampathi means divine couple – perumAL and thAyAr.
Is there a grantham that describes the 365 uthsavams of namperumAL? We are told that there is an uthsavam daily.
No daily uthsavam – there are times in SrIrangam when there are no uthsavams. But probably close to 250 days, we have uthsavams – we can find out generally even from the annual calendar/diary released by the dhEvasthAnam.
How to view the different views of different sampradhAyams in sanAthana dharmam?
Different sampradhAyams see things differently, depending on whichever grantham/SAsthram they hold as primary. We can stick to our sampradhAyam which is purely explained based on vEdhAntham.
From which grantham can we get full details about the description of vaikuNta and all of Lord vishNu’s associates in vaikuNta, along with proper knowledge of the vyUha forms?
SrI vaikuNta gadhyam of bhagavadh rAmAnuja.
It is said that pancha dhvAraka isn’t considered a dhivya dhEsam in its entirety. Only three of the dhvAraka temples have mangaLAsAsanams by AzhwArs. Please enlighten us about this.
dhvAraka, ayOdhya, etc., are little different from our south dhivyadhEsams – rather than a particular temple/dhivya mangaLa vigraha, in these north dhivyadhEsams – the whole area is considered as dhivyadhEsam and holy.
Why is there a huge difference in North and South India SrIvaishNava practices?
There are 2 reasons:
1 – distance factor led to disconnect between root (south) and branches (north)
2 – influence of other sampradhAyams in the north. Our sampradhAyam people started following other sampradhAyam practices.
Who can wear the thAmarai (lotus) mAlai?
All vaishNavas can wear.
Can we consume mrithyubhOj (food given after death of someone to society)?
We should not consume.
If thuLasi leaves are there in any prasAdham, can we consume it?
Yes – if thuLasi leaves are there in any prasAdham we can consume as it is.
Where does theppOthsavam take place in SrIrangam?
In the tank in the western side of the town.
How should we celebrate hOli?
Not necessary to celebrate at all. In the south there is no specific celebration – it is a regional celebration.
What is dhavanOthsavam?
dhavanOthsavam is celebrated in thoNdai maNdalam (chennai/kAnchipuram region) generally. There is a type of leafy flower named dhavanam – adiyEn thinks this is what is referred by periyAzhwAr as “thamanagam”. During this uthsavam, the maNdapam, palanquin, etc., will be decorated with this dhavanam fully – it has a cooling effect.
perumAL will go to the maNdapam (inside or outside the temple, varies in different temples) – stay there for some time, have thirumanjanam and sEvAkAlam (goshti). After that, perumAL will return to his sannidhi.
Was the temple in rAmESwaram installed by SrI rAma?
rAmESwaram temple was not installed by SrI rAma. That is a fake story. There is no mention about it in vAlmIki rAmAyaNam which is the primary source for rAma’s history.
Can ‘rAma charitha mAnasa’ be considered a primary source?
‘rAma charitha mAnasa’ cannot be considered as a primary source.
Does the ‘SuklAmbaradharam’ SlOkam, refer to ganESa?
In the SlOkam itself, it is ‘SuklAmbaradharam vishNum’ – so it refers to vishNu alone.
Can anger be a good emotion depending on context?
As per the context, there is sAmAnya dharmam (general rules) and viSEsha dharmam (specific for/with vaishNavas). In general, anger may be okay in some cases, but as vaishNavas, we should try to eliminate anger.
Why are SUdhras not eligible to get upanayanam, and can only brAhmaNas perform yagyam?
That is what SAsthram says – SUdhras can remain without yagyOpavItham and still make progress spiritually and succeed in this world also.
Also, brAhmaNas can perform yagyam for self and others. kshathriyas and vaiSyas can perform yagyam for self alone.
Please explain the significance of mAsi magam and why perumAL goes on thIrthavAri on that specific day?
In general, on parva kAlam (amAvAsyai, paurNami, etc.) one can touch the sea-water. On other days, one should not touch sea water. mAsi month is also known mAga mAsa – it has some relation with maga nakshathram. The mAsi magam (and specifically paurNami thithi) is when perumAL goes to the seashore and enjoys thIrthavAri along with all the bhakthas. In different dhivyadhEsams, this is celebrated differently – especially in dhivyadhEsams which are close to seashore – this is celebrated nicely.
Who is mAyAdhEvi? Is she a form of mahAlakshmi thAyAr or dhurga dhEvi? If she is dhurga dhEvi, then why is it said that bhagavAn is mAyApathi, since dhurga dhEvi is the wife of Siva?
dhurga is referred as mAyA often. mAyA has different meanings – it means “amazing” also – in which case mAyApathi could mean husband of amazing lakshmi. But I have not heard mAyApati name for vishNu.
Do AchAryas hold divine power like seeing us and our actions from a distance to guide us or forgive our pApam? Do we need to go and confess our sins once in a while?
AchArya/Sishya relationship is explained already in few videos. In our sampradhAyam, we don’t believe in magic, sidhdhi, etc. AchAryas, due to deep realisations in SAsthram, will be able to identify problems faced by Sishyas quickly – because of their calmness, devotion and intelligence. But for that to happen there must be some communication channel between AchArya and Sishya. Our sins are forgiven and eliminated by bhagavAn – AchArya pleads for the Sishyas’ protection to bhagavAn.
When reciting the first line of a dhivya prabandham, why do we omit the initial words, as in ‘thingaL’ instead of ‘marghazhi thingaL’? Is this only for dhivya prabandham or any other sthOthrams?
The concept is – AchAryan will commence and we will follow. So, it is the practice in some dhivyadhEsams and mutts that we will leave the first two words and then proceed. Usually, this practice is seen only for dhivyaprabandhams.