Maintenance of Divya Kshetras

[Guest guest]

SRIMATE SRIVAN SHATHAKOPA SRI VEDAANTA DESHIKA YATEENDRA

MAHADESHIKAAYA NAMAH:

SRIMATE SRIVAN SHATHAKOPA SRI NARAYANA YATEENDRA MAHADESHIKAAYA

NAMAH:

 

Dear Members of the Prapatti Group,

 

A while back Sri Sampath Rengarajan had brought up the subject of

maintaining Divya Kshetras and the priests that maintain worship at

these temples. There was a discussion on this and also the fact that

it may be easy to collect money but very difficult to ensure that it

gets delivered to the right people and gets spent properly. I

received a letter from India the other day and an idea struck me and

I thought that I will put forward this proposal to the group.

 

As many of you may be aware when Thirumangai AzhwAr finished

construction of the Srirangam temple, He wished to have a vision of

Bhagavan in His DasAvatAra form. Bhagavan fulfilled Thirumangai

AzhwAr's desire and there appeared 10 Swayam-vyakta vigrahas one for

each avatAra. These are currently housed in the DasAvatAra Sannidhi.

Besides there is a vigraha for Vishvaksena, one of Thirumangai

AzhwAr that was sculpted by Thirumangai AzhwAr Himself and two other

AzhwArs. There are also vigrahas of 3 Ahobila Muth Acharyas and

Vedanta Desikar as well as the Brindavanas for the 41st and 44th

Jeers of Sri Ahobila Mutt.

 

As you are all aware that the 44th Jeer spent most of His last 15

years almost exclusively in Srirangam. During this time it became a

practice to feed anyone that came to the DasavatAra Sannidhi during

Prasadam time. I do not have to emphasize that this Prasadam is

equally beneficial to everyone from a beggar or a drunkard to Bill

Gates. However since the time of the 45th Jeer Malola Lakshmi

Nrsimhaswamy has again begun travelling all over the country and that

Prasadam gets distributed wherever Lakshmi Nrsimhaswamy happens to

be. However in Srirangam resident devotees are now struggling to

continue with daily regular Thiruvaradhanai and feeding some 30

people that are there during Prasadam time. We cannot assume that

these 30 people are just regulars who come for free food and have

little else to do. During the performance of the final rites of the

44th Jeer one lady who did not appear very well off came and gave Rs

100/- to the 45th Jeer as her contribution. When asked what she did

for a living she replied that she begged and the Rs 100 was her

lifetime saving that she contributed to the 44th Jeer's final rites.

At that time the 45th Jeer instructed her to regularly have her

meals at the DasAvatAra Sannidhi only. Feeding BhAgavatas of this

calibre is an opportunity of a lifetime. The present managers of

DasAvatAra Sannidhi have started a trust called the 44th Jeer

Brindavana Trust in which they hoped to collect Rs 200,000/- and the

interest from this will be Rs1,500/- per month which will be

sufficient to do proper Thiruvaradhanai and Prasadam for roughly 30

people that come there at that time. So far they have only managed

to raise Rs 50,000. That leaves Rs 150,000 or $5,000 to be

collected.

IF 15 MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP WERE TO CONTRIBUTE $30 PER MONTH FOR 12

MONTHS OR 30 MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP WERE TO CONTRIBUTE $15 PER MONTH

FOR 12 MONTHS, WE WILL HAVE COMFORTABLY RAISED Rs 150,000/-.

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT DASAVATARA SANNIDHI HAS EXISTED FROM THE TIME OF

THIRUMANGAI AZHWAR AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ARADHANAI TO SELF

MANIFEST DEITIES. THIS GOES BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF ANY ONE MUTT OR

LINE OF ACHARYAS. SINCE THE TRUST HAS ALREADY BEEN SETUP AND MANAGED

BY RETIRED PROFESSIONALS THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN GETTING MONEY TO

THE RIGHT PERSON HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. THE PEOPLE MANAGING THE

MONEY ARE NOT FINANCIALLY BENEFITTED BY THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE.

 

CONTRIBUTIONS CAN BE MAILED EITHER DIRECTLY OR ROUTED TO SRI AHOBILA

MUTH IN ARLINGTON VA.

Moksha itself is eternal service in the form of Bhagavat Seva,

BhAgavata Seva and/or Acharya seva. Here is an opportunity to do all

three for some of us and at least Bhagavat and BhAgavata seva for ALL

of us.

I shall post more details depending upon any specific questions

people may have on this posting.

 

Jaganath.