SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
Q and A Video responses
Q. Can SrIvaishNavas worship dhEvathAs other than SrIman nArAyaNa?
Q. Any dhEvathA we pray, finally it goes to kESava only? Then why shouldn’t we worship them?
https://youtu.be/nyoEPexEcqY?feature=shared
Q. How is vinAyaka and gajAnana treated in our SrIvaishNava sampradhAyam?
https://youtu.be/ObPFtS435xY?si=10RcZWvuRT3xWPeI
Q. Should SrIvaishNavas worship nine planets (nava grahas)?
https://youtu.be/Yxbz8kJo7ss?si=YB2KksCQAYBZvkvp
Q. Some claim that chaithanya mahAprabhu is incarnation of Lord Krishna. Please explain.
https://youtu.be/yPf-nBlv6y8?si=a0Vwmibds_Z4rkZb
Q. How to avoid entering into other dhEvathA sannidhIs in some dhivyadhESams?
https://youtu.be/roJfuwj2WGk?feature=shared
Q. hanumAn is considered as a dhEvathA. Can we worship him as we cannot worship other dhEvathAs?
Q and A Text responses
Q. 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.
Q. If a bhAgavatha does dhEvathA worship knowingly or unknowingly, is there possibilities of rising materialistic aspirations?
Yes – dhEvathAnthara bhajanam will lead to seeking worldly enjoyment.
Q. If we get invited for getting thAmbUlam in sumangali pUjA (not lakshmI, some other dhEvatha), can we go?
As SrIvaishNavas, we should not go.
Q. For the prArthanai we had with other dhEvathAs before following SrI vaishNava sampradhAyam, if we fulfill the prayers to any perumAL will it fulfill the prayers that we had prayed to other dhEvathAs?
Yes – bhagavAn being the antharyAmi of all dhEvathAs, is the one who accepts the prayers and grants the benefits. Hence, we don’t need to do anything for our past prayers, after becoming a SrIvaishNava.
Q. How to interpret and act in situations when a sampradhAyam AchAryan visits dhEvathAntharams’ temples?
These kinds of situations are very difficult to handle. An AchArya should be a role-model for SrIvaishNavAs in following our pUrvAchAryas’ principles such as total avoidance of other dhEvathAs’ worship. But there may be unavoidable situations where they may have to be in a position where they cannot avoid proximity to other dhEvathAs. As long as the AchArya knows that it is an exceptional/unavoidable situation – he may remain there – even in such cases, he should not worship other dhEvathAs. But this does not give a free ticket to the followers to start worshipping other dhEvathAs – since worshipping other dhEvathAs will be contradictory to the true nature of the SrIvaishNava. If an AchArya knowingly indulges in dhEvathAnthara worship and if Sishyas have the opportunity for direct interaction – Sishyas should request him privately to relinquish such interest. If he does not listen, one should certainly give up such AchArya.
Q. vaikAnasa experts say that it’s ok for them to do pUja for dhEvathAntharams. Is this correct?
Both Agama persons should ideally be full surrendered to vishNu only and not focussing on other dhEvathAs.
Q. Can a pAncharAthra or vaikAnasa Agama follower do other devata pUjai as part of a profession such as paurOhitam?
If one is focussed on bhagavAn/mOksham and had surrendered to him, one should not engage in other dhEvathAs worship.
Q. Why does krishNa say that he is Siva among rudhras?
In this adhyAyam, he is talking about his vibhUthi (wealth) and he is identifying himself with the best among each lot. That is the principle to understand. If you go through the slokas, he identifies himself with many objects – we don’t ask about those. The reason why we ask about this is, we have been trained to consider certain dhEvathAs to be supreme, and seeking references for that.
Q. In a temple where there are sannidhis of our sampradhAyam and other dhEvathAs, if the priest asked us to go to the other dhEvathA sannidhis before coming to perumAL sannidhi, what should we do?
You can just go to the main shrine and worship there. We need not follow every instruction of priests – because they may or may not know sampradhAyam principles fully, and they may or may not know our state of mind as well. You can politely tell him that you don’t worship other dhEvathAs and wait for him to come.
Q. If dhEvathAntharam appear in our dreams in pratyaksha form (not archA mUrthi) how should a prapanna react or do?
Other dhEvathas are to be avoided and ignored in all cases. Whatever happens in dream is not in our control. Hence no need to worry about that.
Q. When people say, let’s have thrivEni sangam bath all papas will vanish, does this makes gangA dhEvi as dhEvathAnthara?
None of these to be done to remove pApas etc. Bathing in holy rivers can be done as part of our anushtAnam, but not as upAyam. This is why thulA kAvEri snAnam etc are also avoided by learned SrIvaishNavas.
Q. When seeing every dhEvathA, if we see them as dhAsa of SrIman nArAyanA or as them being included inside parabrahmam (SrIman nArAyaNa), is this wrong?
Seeing them as servitors of SrIman nArAyaNa is not wrong – because every entity is a servitor of SrIman nArAyaNa only. But we can worship only those who see themselves as exclusive servitor of SrIman nArAyaNa. If they don’t have such exclusive faith, they are not worshippable for SrIvaishNavas.
Q. Being a carnatic vocalist, it is wrong to sing other songs though we have SrIman nArAyaNa in our mind while singing them?
Yes – as a SrIvaishNava we should avoid singing other dhEvathAs songs.
Q. If any non-SrIvaishNava has anya dhEvatha as kula dhayvam and that person intends to get pancha-samskAram then how should one deal with kula dhEvathA ArAdhanam?
After pancha samskAram, they have to give up their past kula dhEvathA worship, if that kula dhEvathA is anya dhEvathA.
Q. Will kula dhEvathA be changed after SaraNAgathi ? In such case, who will be our kula dhEvathA? perumAL of which dhivya dhEsam?
SrIranganAtha, SrI vEnkatESa or any bhagavAn who is near by our location, can be accepted as kula dhEvathA.
Q. After bharanyAsam, do we have to follow rituals that my in-laws have been doing prayers for grama dhEvathA?
No.
Q. Do we have to follow rituals that ksheerabhisheka for naga dhEvathA?
No.
Q. If we receive a gift of painting which depicts SrIrAma pattAbhishEkam with all other dhEvathAs, can we keep it in our pUja room or our home?
If they are in anjali mudhra – worshipping perumAL, that is fine. Otherwise, we can gift it to others. Even in anjali mudhra, no need to keep it in puja room – may be kept in hall or somewhere, if really needed.
Q. If we have dhEvathAnthara vigrahams and did pUjai before taking samASrayaNam, what do we do with the dhEvathA vigrahams now?
You can give it to those who worship such dhEvathAs as gifts. Until then, you can pack them and keep them away. No need to offer any worship.
Q. Is there any reference for lord ayyappA in SAsthram?
There is no specific reference in ithihAsas and sAthvika purANas. Our pUrvAchAryas have also not specifically mentioned about him. But usually, there is dhEvathAs who are present in the boundary of the town and be protective – they are known as SAsthA. In siRiya thirumadal and in few other places there is mention about SAsthA. See https://divyaprabandham.koyil.org/index.php/2020/03/siriya-thirumadal-14/ for reference. Overtime, this deity has been appropriated into the form of ayyappA. It seems some references are shown from some purANas – but they are not considered authentic by SrIvaishNavas. There is the incident of rudhra chasing mohini avathAram of bhagavAn, which is cited as the source, but there is no specific reference about the events which are explained subsequently by his followers.
Q. We have few of our friends have had SamASrayaNam done at a young age and recite ashtAkshari and dhvaya mantra daily but do not wear puNdram or follow AhAra niyamam. They mock us for following the vaishNava principles and say we have blind faith for following strictly; and they also take part in dhEvatha worship. We tried to educate but they are not willing. How do we respond to people like this?
It is the responsibility of the parents, AchAryas, elders to guide the young ones. If they are not having proper SrIvaishNava appearance physically, you can inform them. If they mock at you, you need not become disheartened – we have to remain strong and be confident about our faith.
We need to remain friendly and compassionate towards them and try different methods to correct them. For that, first we should be properly following our sampradhAyam and also remain compassionate. If they observe dignified behaviour in us, there is more possibility of them listening to us.
Q. What can do if we are in places where there are no temples with AzhwArs and AchArya sannidhis or there are temples with other dhEvathAs? Completely skipping those temples will lead children to not have exposure to temples. So how can we can have dharshan of thAyAr and perumAL in those temples?
Yes – its a bit challenging – ideally, we should move to a place where there are SrIvaishNava temples. We can also try to create local sathsangam with like minded bhAgavathas – some effort is needed to find and gather such persons. If we have no other choice, then we can go to temples where perumAL is the primary/main deity. We need not go to other dhEvathas sannidhis and need not accept prasAdham if there is mix of other dhEvathAs remnants also.
Q. SrIvaishNavas have to avoid dhEvathAntharam, upAyAntharam and vishayAntharam. All three of these are destructive for the svarUpam of the jIvAthmA. Out of this, is there any ranking which classifies the destructiveness of these three? (i.e., from most destructive to least destructive)
It depends on the context. Certainly dhEvathAntharam and vishayAntharam are more destructive than upAyAntharam.
Q. Is durgA an avathAram of lakshmI according to lakshmI thantra? Or is she an AvESa avathAram?
The name durgA can point to SrI mahAlakshmi based on its meaning. There is no specific mention by our pUrvAchAryas, of her being an avathAram of thAyAr or being an AvESa avathAram. She should be seen as one among the several dhEvathAs only.
Q. Do any scriptures mention about not seeing moon on ganesha chathurthi? If yes, does it imply on SrIvaishNavas?
Rules/regulations given in context of other dhEvathAs are irrelevant for SrIvaishNavas. They are meant for the followers of such dhEvathAs. We strictly avoid any worship/interaction of other dhEvathAs.
Q. Has bhagavadh rAmAnuja told not to pray to other gods other than emperumAn, or has emperumAn told clearly that he is supreme and to pray him only? Where can we find justification?
Please go through the link which has been provided. https://granthams.koyil.org/2013/12/21/virodhi-pariharangal-2/. To summarize, bhagavAn, SrIman nArAyaNa has explicitly spoken about worshipping only him in SrI bhagavath gIthA. SAsthram also encourages everyone towards mOksham and only bhagavAn can grant mOksham. Worshipping others is just distraction and contradictory to true nature of a mumukshu who seeks mOksham. All our AzhwArs and AchAryas, have clearly shown that we should not worship other dhEvathAs and it is one of the most important principle of our sampradhAyam.
Q. In other sampradhAya temples sometimes thAyAr may be decorated like dhurgA or regional shaktipeetha dhEvis during navarAthri. As SrIvaishNavas, should we do praNAm to thAyAr or perumAL in such dhEvathAthara attires?
We should not do praNAm – better to avoid going for such dharSan.
Q. What is the practice of worshipping pithrus in our sampradhAyam and why should we do it? Considering, ananya bhakti, if we worship pithrus how do we have ananya bhakti towards bhagavAn?
All our worship is based on SAsthram. Whatever is the order of SAsthram, we have to follow that. Hence our elders performed nithya and naimiththika karmas. Within those karmas, dhEvathAs, pithrus et al are worshipped as SarIram of bhagavAn. Hence, they would not violate ananyArhathvam.
Q. What should one do in situations where it seems anya dhEvathA pUja is unavoidable, such as in the case of certain dhOSas? For example, pithru dhOSa is considered serious, and people often face obstacles in their dhArmic anushtAnams until it is resolved. In such cases, as an aspiring SrIvaishNava, what should we do? Is there any alternative or SrIvaishNava accepted method to address such dhOSas without resorting to anya dhEvatha ArAdhana?
Once we commit to bhagavAn, we should not worry about these things. We should be courageous to face the consequences and go through the same. Our faith in bhagavAn will help us overcome these things.
Q. Is the logic of why one should do dhEvathAthara ArAdhanam correct, by saying that the pUrvAchAryas asked not to wear stitched clothes but we still wear then why not do dhEvathAthara pUjai, correct?
If we are failing in one aspect, it does not mean that we should fail in all aspects. So, we should try to follow the anushtAnams, as much as possible for us. In general, we can avoid arguments with others and stick to following the principles ourselves as best as possible.
Q. Since SrIvaishNavas do not worship other dhEvathAs (like navagrahas), and many people say rAhu kAlam and yama kaNdam are generally not favourable time periods for activities, how should SrIvaishNavas perceive rAhu kAlam and yama kaNdam?
rAhu kAlam, yama kaNdam are part of jyOthisha SAsthra which is used for conducting bhagavAn’s festivals and daily routines. We need not worry about those for every step in our life – at the same if we need not disregard them for important vaidhika routines.
Q. Can one be a SrIvaishNava and not be an ekAntha bhaktha? Are people who take pancha samskAram and still worship dhEvathAnthara called as SrIvaishNavas?
The primary definition of a SrIvaishNava is the one who does not worship any dhEvathA other than SrIman nArAyaNa. If one worships another dhEvathA, then one cannot be considered as SrIvaishNava.
Q. Why do we see that sometimes SrIvaishNava sampradhAyam AchAryas recommend anya dhEvathA pUjai?
Real AchAryas would not recommend anything other than what is ordained in SAsthram, for SrIvaishNava disciples/abhimAnis. For example, as part of ordained vaidhika rituals, we may perform vishvaksEna ArAdhanam. But beyond that, we need not do any ishti, yagyas etc. We are bound to engage in nithya/naimiththika karmas only, that too as kainkaryam only.
Note: I would not discuss any of AchArya’s conduct. But our philosophy is clear on these fronts.
Q. Who is gAyathrI dhEvi and what is her relevance in SrIvaishNava sampradhAyam?
gAyathrI manthram is an important manthram to be recited by dhvijas as part of sandhyAvandhanam. It emphasises the meditation of supreme lord SrIman nArAyaNa. gAyathrI dhEvi is the controlling dhEvathA for that manthra – we don’t specifically worship that dhEvathA – but we worship bhagavAn through that manthram.
Q. Is sUrya dhEvar the avathAram of perumAL according to SrlvaishNavas?
Not specifically. But sUrya maNdalam is said to be a special abode of nArAyaNa — he is known as sUrya nArAyaNa in that place.
Q. Are prapannas not supposed to take thirtha prasAdham from dhivya dhEsams which have anya dhEvatha sannidhis as well?
If our sannidhis are managed by SrlvaishNavas – then there is no issue. The other dhEvathAs’ sannidhis can be avoided.
Q. Can a SrIvaishNava approach dhEvathAntharams to handle diseases?
There is no need to go to dhEvathantharam – it is just a disease and should be treated aptly.
Q. As devotees following Srl vaishNava sampradhAyam, is it correct to pray sarasvathi dhEvi for education, since sarasvathi dhEvi herself named swAmy rAmAnujar as ‘Srl bhAshyakArar’?
No – we should not be praying to anyone else for anything. sarasvathi dhEvi was inspired by bhagavath rAmAnuja’s work — just because she did that, we need not worship her. Our prayers should only be to bhagavAn for eternal kainkaryam as the only benefit.
Q. In some venkatESwara temples, ganESa is present with Urdhva puNdra on forehead? Should SrIvaishNavas worship this ganESa?
No – not to be worshipped by SrIvaishNavas.
Q. Do SrivaishNavas celebrate vighna nivAraNa chathurthi?
Nothing to celebrate for us on that day. It is not a SrivaishNava festival at all.
Q. Do SrlvaishNavas celebrate rAdhAshtami?
No.
Q. Why do we go through rituals where other dhEvathAs are worshipped?
Other dhEvathAs are not to be worshipped separately – but they are part of vaidhIka rituals, activities, etc., Since these vaidhika rituals are ordained by bhagavAn through SAsthram, being devotees of bhagavAn we follow them as our duty. For example, a person may be PA (personal assistant) to the owner of a company. He may be exclusively working for the owner, but still, he will interact with other staff and work with them.
Q. Is it written in any agama that anya dhEvatha are never to be worshipped? I’ve seen many SrI vaishNavAs in Bengal and other states who secretly perform shiva pUjai and visits to the shrine of shiva at Ujjain , these people have underwent pancha samskAram. It’s not just one or two, but I’ve seen many, are these fake SrIvaishNavas?
While the philosophy given by our pUrvAchAryas is very clear about avoiding anya dhEvathAs – due to individuals who are not following fully, dilution happens over time. Just because some people are following certain things, it cannot become the truth as per our philosophy. You are saying yourself that people are secretly following – basically you very well understand what is the truth and that some people are not following the truth. So, what is the confusion here? Give up attachment towards those who are diluting the philosophy and follow the ones who are giving the philosophy correctly. If you want to follow the diluted philosophy, then you can do that as well.
Q. Do SrIvaishNavas see all deities same as SrIman nArAyaNa? If not why?
No svarUpam is different from rUpam. True nature is different from forms.