Two querries and Lord Shiva worship

[Guest guest]

note : I have been differing to post this though I continuing to

write this everyday. Hence this is long and please forgive me.

I am also following the foot steps of stalwarts to make a maximum

of only one post per day. Splitting this post may not

effectively answer the questions raised by our bAgawathALs.

> 2. There is a sculpture called "vaishnava Ganapathi". I am wondering

> if there is any "vaishnava siva" also. The aazhvaars mention siva

> scores of times as being a prime bhaktha of thirumaal.

>

 

I have seen the Lord vinAyakar with thiruman addressed as thumbikkai

azhwAr. Lord Shiva is seen at the feet of Sri AnanthapadmanAbhan in

thiru anantha puram.

 

Note: Please take extreme care to address any questions or doubts that

may araise out of this post. The following has quotes from an AchAryAL

and I am writing this in this net so that everyone may benefit from

this. I donot want to particiapte in a discussion if it becomes

deragatory on our achAryALs and incur bAgawatha apachAram.

 

In response to Sri Raja and Sri Viji's queries, I have an

interesting observation to make here in connection with this

from my recent visit to India. This may be of some value to those who

steadfastly follow our achAryALs and yet unaware of some finelines.

When I asked about the temples of North America and their cosmopolitan

nature (I am sorry for the term cosmopolitan as I am unable to quickly

come up with some other term for this ie.. having all deities under one

roof) Sri Poundrika Puram Andavan clarified to me that We should not

goto a temple where deities other than Sriman nArAyaA is installed

(meaning prathista) as a dominant deivam. However, when I explained the

nature of North American Temples and asked him that if We cannot go,

how will our children will ever get to know of what a temple is etc and

asked him if it is ok to go only to those sannidhis only, where sriman

nArAyana is installed. He agreed (by nodding mostly) with some

hesitation to that and said we can do visit those sannidhis of sriman

nArAyana in cases of NA and other similar places where there is not

many exclusice temples of Sriman NarAyana is available. Sri Anbil

Ramaswamy may explain this in an excellent way.

 

I drew His holiness's attention to Thiruch chithrak koodam

(Chidambaram) and thiru anantha puram and a temple near kAnchi that has

Lord Shiva in it as an archA moorthy as well. Our Jeer visits

thiruchchithrak koodam and when he does he visits the temple through

the special enatrance just opposite to Sri Govindarajan sannidhi. I

also drew his attention keeping in mind the the recent discussion in

the group on why worship garuda when paramArthikan must only worship

sriman nArAyana and where to draw a line when we have to worship

SriGarudan or Sri AnchanEya as adiyArkku adiyAr? Even though the answer

was taught to (me) us, we however wanted it from HIS mouth once again

so that it is a message for many of us who are still questioning this

fine line. He said "anyone including Shiva can be worshipped if they

are installed (prathistA) as a worshipper or bAgawathAL or adiyAr of

Lord Sriman nArAyanA in Lord's temple or elsewhere even in their own

temple as similar to Sri Hanuman.

 

 

I brought to my own attention in a split second that I can see

this "elsewhere in their own temple" very true even in their

appearance. I have written this in a private mail to some friends

during the discussion in March. In Sri Hanuman's temple he is often

seen worshipping Lord Rama with his hands folded in worshipping posture

or serving Lord Rama as an adiyAr by carrying the siranjeevi malai.

Same is true for Sri Garudan who always poses with his hands ready to

carry Lord and as well support Lords feet as Lord sits on him and use

him as his vehicle.

 

Though we can worship all his adiyArs, the final giver of

mOksham is Sriman nArAyanA only and hence one has to be blessed

by Sriman nArAyanA inorder to get mOksham". For Lord Shiva the example

is, Thiru anathapuram. However, if some devathAs or deity is installed

as the GOD of all devathAs including GOD of Sriman nArAyan (eg., some

shaivite temples) then we (Srivaishnavas) are not supposed to go there

(as it contradicts the truth our vedam and achAryALS has taught us".

 

The second possibility is in thiruch chithrakkodam, where it

was sriman nArAyan who presided first a dance competition at the *request* of

Lord Shiva and also stayed there in nityAvasasm as per lord Shiva and

hence we can visit thiruch chithrak koodam though we cannot worship non

srivaishnava deities there (this is similar to North american

temples). Sriman nArAyan is prevailing as an antharyamim in

everything. Then are we considered disregarding Sriman nArAyanA if we

avoid doing arAdhanA to those annya dEvathAs ? To explain this in a

simple way, HIS holiness expressed that the supremacy of Sriman

NArAyanA over other devathAs is the key to understanding this and

ascertained the stand taken by SrivaishnavALs is the straight path to

mOksham. To prove the supremacy of Sriman nArAyana HIS Holiness

explained the "gajEndra mOksham" episode in a splendid manner. I will

write separately about it later in connection with one of the thala

purAnams!

 

 

To address "tolerance" issue, When one says tolerance must be

practiced, then one must also accept that such tolerance is itself

"defined" only with respect to an "absolute and perfect solution" and

that "there" exists an absolute and perfect solution. Only when we

donot have a way and means to arrive at this "perfect and absolute

solution", we must resort to near perfect solution. Can we take here

that Sriman nArAyanA and surrendering to HIM absolutely is the perfect

and absolute solution? When such solution is available through

achAryALs why must one think of arriving at this near perfect solution

ie. worshipping other deities who have sriman nArAyanA as their

antharyAmim? Once we take this tolerance as the solution in our

salvation or solution procedure we will be made to iterate (several

further births) to arrive at this perfect and absolute solution . Thus

this "tolerance" may not be taking us to the final truth directly in

this birth when we are aware that there is a final truth which is the

absolute and perfect solution that can be reached in this birth

itself.

 

It is ok to question it this way and learn these in our path to

absolute truth. The very fact that one is able to know that there is a

perfect and absolute solution, will itself take him or her there if not

now at least at a later birth. Hence, it is important to note that it

is not tolerance that matters but it is the absolute truth that matters

most. It is not out of hatred (or here termed as "lack of tolerance")

that Srivaishnavas donot worship other sillarai dEvathAs. It is due to

the truth that Srivaishnavas donot need to adopt this tolerance as they

are aware of the absolute and perfect solution based on which this

tolerance itself is derived.

 

Sri Krishna says one who can see HIM in everything is the

absolute nYani. The first step for this, is seeing HIS own antharyAmim

and seeking union with it (kaivalyam). The stage of seeing HIM

everywhere is similar to some azhwArs experienced (thirup pAN azwar)

and is known as a state of "kritha krithyan". See Sillarai rahsyam

published by Sri PP ahsram for more details. Sri krishna KalalE may be

able to explain this. Can we merely achieve these state of existance in

this birth itself that many yogis are struggling to arrive at even

after performing severe penances for yugAs? or can we take the simple

solution of surrendering and waiting for his deliverance with

mahAviswAsam ?

 

 

When completed Sri RanganAtha swami temple at NewYork paMona

may be one of the first one to be in NA that has exclusive Sriman

nArAyana worshipping. I notice that some NA Srivaishnava temples have a

pillaiyAr sannithi in it and temple worshipping is offered to this

sannithi as well. Well one may say that even in India there are

pillaiyAr sannidhis in some srivaishnavA temples. To the best of the

knowledge of some battars of those sannidhis of non-srivaishnava

deities that are present inside Srivaishnava temple in India mentions

that these deities have been installed as the bAgawathAL or adiyArs of

sriman nArAyana and those pillaiyArs even has urdhva pundaram (thiruman)

and archanais perfomed as per Sri sampradhAyam. However *many*

Sirvaishnavas I know agree (and as well practice) that we must worship

Lord Srinivasan sannithi in pittsburgh and sannidhis of Sriman nArAyana

in other temples in lines with what Srimad aNdavan had mentioned.

Pittsburgh temple is currently the largest visited Srivaishnava temple

in NA. I was told by some that Sri "Hare krishna" temples in many

centres may also be visited as they have exclusive Sri KrishnA (Sriman

nArAyana) worship. Sri Jagan may clarify this.

 

Sri Poundrika puram Srimad Andavan paravAkkOttaiGopala mahA Desikan

thiruvadikaLE charaNam

Sampath Rengarajan