It is said that chaithanya mahAprabhu is an incarnation of rAdhA-krishNa in mahAbhAratham and some SrIvaishNava AchAryas also accept this. How to understand this?
SlOkams can be misinterpreted. Authentic SrIvaishNava AchAryas are not saying chaithanya mahAprabhu is an incarnation of rAdhA-krishNa. If some individuals promote other sampradhAya views – it’s on their own personal interest. It is not based on our sampradhAya principle.
Are Agamas from vEdham or are they written by maharishis? As a SrIvaishNava, what Agamas should we be familiar with for doing kainkaryam to perumAL? What is the difference between vaikAnasa and pAncharAthra Agama?
bhagavAn explained SrI pAncharAthra Agama to 5 sages who brought it forward. SrI vaikAnasa Agama was explained by bhagavAn to sage vikanasa and was further propagated by him. They are different ways to worship bhagavAn. Agamas are generally restricted to brAhmaNas and also its a hereditary process.
perumAL is guNapUrNan and we are blessed to cherish His qualities. Is there any such guNams for jIvAthma?
jIvAthmA also has many qualities – in SrI gIthA from https://githa.koyil.org/index.php/13-7/
in 4 slOkams, krishNa explains the qualities which are expected in karma yOga nishtas (the same qualties will be expected by prapannas too).
If a prapanna is mentally ill/ignorant who can’t control his actions and mind, will his mOksham still be canceled in the case of vaishNava apachAram and bhagavath apachAram?
When vaishNava apachAram is done, one should seek sincere atonement/forgiveness from that vaishNava. If that is done, the mistake will be forgiven and will not be a blocking factor for mOksham. So, if something is done uncontrollably, when one comes back to senses, one should seek atonement/forgiveness.
In which book did SrI rAmAnujAchArya explain that “vaidhIka himsa is not actually himsa”?
SrI bhAshyam – it is quoted in other granthams by other AchAryas also.
How can any jIvAthma choose kaivalyam once he is in full knowledge about SrI vaikuNtam?
As Athma has free will, the goal is already chosen by the Athma while here in samsAram. bhagavAn is the means for him to attain the goal. Usually, gyAna yOgam is the means. bhagavAn is the one who has to grant the goal. He tries his best to convince the individual to choose kainkaryam. But if he still chooses kaivalyam – once chosen, he cannot change. This is the way it’s explained. Please see – https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org/index.php/2015/09/thiruvaimozhi-1-7-1-piravith-thuyar/
What is the meaning of ‘rAma’? Can you please explain?
rAma means one who is very beautiful.
Please explain why we cannot marry a person from another varNam?
Each varNam person should only marry in the same varNam. This is what is explained in SAsthram such as gItha, etc. Because the culture, traditions, etc., will match.
How to surrender to perumAL and thAyAr?
In our sampradhAyam, we surrender unto bhagavAn, through AchArya with the process named pancha samskAram.
Why did sItha pirAtti leave to paramapadham leaving SrI rAma alone although SrI rAma avathAram didn’t end yet?
The reason for 3 separations in her life is elaborated here –
For the question of leaving him alone in this avathAram, we have to see it as the desire of the divine couple. Her purpose was done in that avathAram, so she left, so that SrI rAma could conduct rAma rAjyam without any distraction.
Can adhvaithis be called kaivalyArthis?
In the commentary for 49th sUthram of piLLai lOkAchArya’s thathva thrayam, maNavALa mAmunigaL explains that those who claim that there is only one AthmA (we can equate them to adhvaithis) have misunderstood the equanimity of AthmAs shown in SAsthram. So, adhvaithis are not the same as kaivalyArthis. kaivalyArthis as per SAsthram, are those who perform gyAna yOgam, and pray to SrIman nArAyaNa for enjoying the self eternally.
How thenkalai AchAryas accept kaivalya mOksham as permanent isolation from perumAL enjoying the bliss of the individual jIvAthma only?
As far as adiyEn knows, kaivalyam is something the AthmA chooses. He chooses because it is a valid goal available for the Athma. Hence, it is permanent. In any case, in this day and age, there are not many kaivalyam seekers as per the process explained in SAsthram.
In thirumala, malayappa swAmy has 7 vAhana puRappAdu on ratha sapthami. What is the significance of ratha sapthami for SrI vaishNavas at homes?
As per Agama, it is celebrated in certain temples – in different ways. At homes, there is no specific celebration.
The awareness of existence general awareness is dharmi gyAnam whereas dharma bhUtha gyAnam means we have the understanding of our svarUpam and servitude to bhagavAn. Is the understanding correct?
Yes – reasonable understanding. dharmi gyAnam is the consciousness – the constant realization of self (“I”). dharma bhUtha gyAnam works through the karmEndhriyas and mind to grasp about everything else.
Is SrI hayagrIva swAmy, pUrNa or amSa avathAram?
Not much discussion is available regarding this in our pUrvAchArya granthams. But my understanding is – hayagrIva is pUrNAvathAram only.
In nAchiyAr thirumozhi it’s said that nAchiyAr observed nOmbu and she prayed for kAma dhEva in first padhigam first pAsuram. So, do we have the vyAkhyAnam of periyavAchAn piLLai for this? This seems to encourage us to worship dhEvathAntharams.
Due to overwhelming devotion towards bhagavAn, in separation, ANdAL becomes bewildered and prays to manmatha. It is something for us to cherish, not to follow. A crude example in materialistic terms – A man may be in deep love with a woman and may commit suicide if that woman rejects him. In such case, people will be amazed at his love for that woman, but no one will suggest to follow in his way, because it is not good to take one’s life like that.
When the body of a soul perishes, do the same indhriyams carry on to paramapadham? In paramapadham, there are no feelings except for joy. However, to experience joy we need to have manam (mind). But it would not be logical to only have manam.
Except for AthmA, nothing else from this samsAram enters paramapadham. While gross body is left behind during death, the AthmA travels with mind and senses up to virajA river. While bathing in virajA river, mind and senses also get washed away. AthmA then gets a new divine form and serves bhagavAn with that new spiritual form.
Quoting swAmy ALavandhAr’s sthOthra rathnam, it is mentioned that vishvaksEnar controls ubhaya vibhUthi. At the same time, in our sampradhAyam it is also said that udayavar SrI rAmAnujar gets control of both. How should we view the above two things that appears to contradict each other?
sEnai mudhaliyAr is the commander-in-chief – hence manages administrative tasks at the behest of emperumAn.
For udaiyavar, it was a honorary position given by periya perumAL. This way, udaiyavar can choose who can be granted mOksham. This is not specific to administrative tasks.
Isn’t it emphasized in many places in our tradition that pirAtti sambandham is required during surrender? Many pUrvAchArya SrIsUkthis cite the kAkAsura/rAvaNa example as proof for this. But then, pirAtti does not appear to be present at the time of vibhIshaNAzhwAn’s surrender, but the surrender was still accepted. How is this possible?
pirAtti’s presence in lankA is said to have given him her blessings. The fact that vibhIshaNAzhwAn spoke for her sake towards rAvaNa, implies his acceptance of her as purushakAram.
As per the vadakalai sampradhAyam view of kaivalyam, they believe kaivalyam to be within the leela vibhUthi only, and that is therefore only a temporary and not a permanent destination. Please clarify how they can classify kaivalyam as mOksham, if they do not believe it is permanent (following the vEdhAntha sUthram: no return, no return) and not leading to paramapadham?
The kaivalyam debate is quite complicated. I am not quite capable of explaining the different viewpoints. adiyEn feels it is not much relevant for this time and age. There are various other practical aspects which we need to learn and practice in our day to day life in our sampradhAyam.
From reading parASara smrithi we find that it does not contain any direct details of pancha samskAram. From the general understanding, pancha samskAram is a pAncharAthric ritual and should find its origin in pAnchaAthric sources only. Is this understanding correct?
adiyEn have a book published by puthUr swAmy in thamizh (it is a portion of vishNu chiththa vijayam). It is known as parASara viSishta parama dharma SAsthram. In the preface, it is stated that, this grantham is an appendix (uththara bhAgam) for parASara smrithi. puthUr swamy identifies that it is not in wide circulation, but was published by a reputed SrIvaishNava printer in the year 1901 CE. This talks about pancha samskAram in detail.
If I’m forced to visit a place where impersonalism is followed how can I still keep my focus and devotion to perumAL and thAyAr steady?
It is better to avoid entering such places. If we are forced to be there, we need to meditate upon dhivya dhampathi with more focussed effort.
What is our AchAryas’ thoughts on Siva sankalpa sUktham which states:
parAthparatharo brahmA thathparAthparathO hari: |
thathparAthparathO ISa thanmE mana Sivasankalpamasthu || 18 ||
“Greater than the great is brahma, greater still than that great one is hari, even greater than this one is ISa”
There are many more verses like this – not sure about the source. But general explanation is, even if it is present in vEdhas, there are some places where other dhEvathas are glorified. It is for a specific purpose to highlight importance of a dhEvatha. We have to see many established pramANams which show vishNu’s supremacy.
Is nappinnai and rAdhArANi the same person?
nappinnai and radharANi are not the same person. nappinnai is neelA dhevi.
Do all dhEvis of perumAL come with him in different avathArams?
Not necessarily – usually mahAlakshmi will accompany – other dhEvis are only appearing in selective incarnations.
In many shAktha temples, we see forms of dhurga, vaishNavi, aNNapUrNa, etc., holding Sankham and chakram as Ayudham. How is this justified?
Anyone can imitate. How can we go around and stop everyone? Also, as per their Agamas, they may have certain rules for their deities – they may be following that.
In pAncharAthra or vaikhAnasa Agamas, is there any mention of worship of non-vaishNava deities? Because we can see ganEsha and dhurga in the first prAkAram of SrIrangam temple.
There may be some provision for parivAra dhEvathAs and guard dhEvathAs – I am not sure about the exact references.
What is the importance of following our sampradhAyam without mixing principles from other sampradhAyams?
It is important to follow those who are following sampradhAyam with its purity and without mixing other sampradhAyam principles. It is easy to present different views and appeal to different audience. But it is difficult to hold on to the purity and follow our pUrvAchAryas fully. This is what is recommended by our AchAryas. Dilution is not the solution. Rather concentrating on the truth as provided by our pUrvAchAryas is the solution.
What is meant by sAyujya mOksham according to our sampradhAyam?
sAyujya means being together. mOksham means sAyujya only in our sampradhAyam – being together with bhagavAn – being enjoyed by him and in turn enjoying him.
It is said that chanting rAma nAmam one-time equals chanting the whole of vishNu sahasranAmam. Is this true?
Some of these kinds of expressions are said to glorify a particular name of bhagavAn. This need not be taken literally.
Do incarnations of perumAL like rAma, krishNa, etc., come from vyUha or para vAsudhEva? Also, what about other incarnations like sankarshaNa, pradhyumna, etc.,
This is the hierarchy: para vAsudhEva –> vyUha vAsudhEva –> anirudhdha –> kshIrAbdhinAtha –> all incarnations like rAma, krishNa.
Also, vyUha vAsudhEva –> sankarashaNa, pradhyumna, anirudhdha. You can see here in ISvara section –> http://ponnadi.blogspot.com/p/thathva-thrayam.html
In every incarnation of perumAL, all of His parikara (companions) accompany Him. Are the gOpikas also considered incarnations of specific beings?
It is said that sages from rAmAvathAram came as gOpikas.
Some believe rAdharANi is imaginary, while others believe she is real. What is the general opinion of SrIvaishNavas on this matter?
rAdha can be seen as a gOpika who was very devoted to krishNa in vrindhAvanam – since there is not much discussion about her in our pUrvAchArya granthams, we cannot say further.
Why is perumAL mainly worshipped with his two consorts – SrI dhEvi and bhU dhEvi?
Because they are the main consorts – in some incarnations only SrIdhEvi is there.
Can misunderstandings or incorrect practices within our sampradhAyam hinder one’s attainment of mOksham?
While some misunderstandings may exist, as long as the AchArya paramparai is properly connected/respected and fundamental sampradhAyam principles are understood and practiced, that will ensure facilitation of mOksham for the followers.
SrIman nArAyaNa himself came to bhUlOkam i.e., thirumala. So, can SrInivAsa perumAL be considered as an avathAram?
Yes – archAvathAram.
If someone does sins (pApam) his whole life, but dies on EkAdhaSi and having thuLasi beads in his fire bed, will that jIAthma go to paramapadham or narakam? Apparently in skandha purANam, he is freed from all sins and is never born again.
These statements cannot be taken literally. Some of these statements are there to glorify particular aspect like EkAdhaSi, etc. If such statements are taken literally, then that will lead to contradiction with other statements in SAsthram, where it says, one has to go through many many births of purification to develop bhakthi towards bhagavAn and even among those only a few reach Him.
It has to be taken like this – there is a possibility for better birth next time due to having good fortune of leaving the body on EkAdhaSi, etc. – from there one may progress if he has the taste for liberation.
What is the relationship between the sUzh visumbu and yajur vEdha ‘thula vara yathO vAchO’ SlOkam?
This passage is in the thaiththirIya upanishath. It talks about the one who has realised bhagavAn. He will be fearless in this world and will not worry about anything. In sUzh visumbu padhigam, AzhwAr talks about reaching paramapadham.
Why should we mandatorily chant guru paramparai before chanting dhvaya mahA manthram?
Since we got the manthram through our guru paramparai and since we should approach bhagavAn through the AchArya only, guru paramparai is always recited before dhvayam.
Did SrIman nArAyaNa worship Siva?
SrIman nArAyaNa will have no need to worship anyone. But in incarnation, as a human being, he could have worshipped other dhEvathas, to establish basic dharmam. Just because rAma or krishNa does something, we need not do that. We cannot do everything they did.
What can we do if our pUrvAchAryas’ teachings and our present day SrIvaishNava gurus’ ideas contradict? In the north, SrIvaishNavas seem to have different opinions on certain matters.
There are many aspects to be considered here – north or south, east or west, such situations can come up anywhere. The AchAryas should be very knowledgeable in sampradhAyam fundamentals and our daily practices. Because, Sishyas need guidance and it is the duty of the AchArya to guide them.
If some AchAryas are not very knowledgeable (due to various reasons such situations could arise), if they are genuinely caring about the sampradhAyam and Sishyas, they should depend on scholars who can guide them and seek their advice regularly and improve their knowledge as soon as possible. For example, some AchAryas may have been in laukikam or missed opportunity to learn earlier but got established subsequently – such AchAryas should soon seek scholars’ guidance and learn fundamentals like mumukshuppadi and other granthams.
If an AchArya is there who does not change any of his ways, yet remains an AchArya, then there is scope for contradiction with his upadhESams and pUrvAchAryas’ upadhESams. In such situations, if the Sishya is knowledgeable, he can very humbly request the AchArya in private, to accept pUrvAchAryas’ views, there may be variations in some cases due to time, place and situations – as long as these variations are for practical purposes without affecting core sampradhAyam principles, that can be left to the choice of the AchArya. But if such variations are contradictory to sampradhAyam principles, then they need to be corrected. Now, even after humbly requesting in private, if the AchArya refuses to change his ways, the Sishya has to humbly inform the AchArya that he will only follow pUrvAchAryas’s ways and not the variations.
These need to be done very humbly, without any arrogance/pride, and with very proper understanding of pUrvAchAryas’ intent through other AchAryas/Scholars, not on one’s own understanding.
All of these could apply for both samASrayaNa AchAryas and gyAnAchAryas.
Is varNa vyavastha based on karmam or janmam?
In general, it is by janmam only – we can see in our sampradhAyam, all our AchAryas have followed as per janmam only.
Why did paraSurAma fight with kshathriyas even though he is a brAhmaNa?
There are exceptions. Exceptions cannot become rules.
Can a thenkalai person still listen to sthOthrams written by vEdhAnta dhEsikar?
Certainly.
What is the difference between upanishath and samhithA?
samhithA is vEdham itself – collection of passages in vEdham. upanishaths are vEdhAntham – end portion of vEdham.