Sravana DhvAdasi /KaaradayAn nOnbhu: March 14(Maasi SravaNam )

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Today (Satuday )is Suddha EkAdasi Dinam .Because of

the SravaNa dhvAdasi falling tomorrow , one can take

milk and fruits instead of observing EkAdasi upavaasam today ,

if it is too much of a strain ,and reserve upavaasam for

tomorrow . The Upavaasam observed on SravaNa dhvAdasi day

is considered equivalent to 10,000 EkAdasi

UpavAsams.

 

If one lives to have Veda PrAyam of 100 years ,

one could have observed theoretically 2,400

EkAdasi Upavaasams ( 100X24 per year even including

childhood ). The observance of One SravaNa DhvAdasi

upavAsam is considered however to be equivalent to

10,000 EkAdasi Vratham observance or 400 years

worth of EkAdasi upavAsams .

 

Tomorrow is that SravaNa Dhvadasi day ,one of

the holiest days in our claendar . This is the day ,

when DhvAdasi thithi is joining with the Lord's Nakshathram

to become Sravanaa Dhvadasi .SravaNam is 50.36 Naazhikai on

Sunday , March 14 .It appears that VishNu srungala Yogam

is also associated with this Sravana dhvAdasi.That makes

it even more special .

 

This SravaNa dhvAdasi day is also the KaaradayAn nOnbu day ,

when Sumangalis tie the Mangala (manjal )saradu in the evening as

ThirumAngalyam for the well being of their husbands and

mangLam in their houses .This nOnbhu was observed first by

a great pathivrathA SirOnmaNi named Saavithri to save

her husband's life .

 

Saavithri outsmarted Dharmaraajan to preserve her soumAngalyam

by asking for a boon of 100 children , when her husband's

life was in imminent danger from the approaching kaala paasam .

DharmarAjAn unwittingly granted the boon to this

MahA pathivrathai and thus extended the life of Saavithri's

husband , SathyavAn .The children look forward

to kaaradayAn nonbhu Adai and kozhukkattai made

of rice flour and jaggery .

 

On March 15 , Monday , the month of Panghuni

the last month of this eventful BhaudhAnya samvathsaram

will be born . I am having in mind the celebration

of the 600th anniversary of the establishment of

Ahobila Matam, the 900th anniversary of AchArya

RaamAnujA's arival at Melkote , the first of the Tele-

upanyAsams via telebridge by two AchAryAs to overseas

Sri vaishNavAs et al happened .

 

This Panghuni month is filled further with days of

celebration on the Sri VaishNavA calendar :

 

**Panghuni Uttiram ( sErthi day of Sri RanganAyaki

with Sri Ranganathan at Srirangam on March 31.

This is the day , when Gadhya Thrayam was born )

 

** Sri Ramama Navami day ( March 25)

 

** Thirukkudanthai ANDavan , Sri Vedaantha

RaamAnuja MahA Desikan ( March 27)birthday :

Panguni Pushyam

 

** Thruvarangatthu AmudanAr of Sri RaamAnuja

nURRanthAdhi fame ( April 1): Panguni Hastham

 

** kOzhiyAlam Sri RangarAmAnuja MahA Desikan

Birth day : panguni Anusham ( April 5)

 

** ViNNARankarai Sri SrinivAsa MahA Desikan

of PoundarIkapuram Aasramam ( April 5):

Panguni Anusham .

 

** VarAha Jayanthi : Panguni Kettai

 

** Sri oppiliappan Ratham ( ThEr) : Panguni Uthsavam

Panguni SravaNam

 

** Mathsya Jayanthi : Panguni sathayam ( April13)

 

** Tamil New year , Pramaathi Chitthirai UtthirattAthi ( April 14).

 

** On April 24 , 1999 in the ParamAthi Chitthirai

day , with BahgavAn's RaamAnujA's anugraham , the

CD ROM on His vaibhavam and granthams will be released .

On that same day of Sri raamAnuja jayanthi celebration ,

Sri nadathur Madhavan will be releasing the complete set

of audio tapes of Swami Desikan's sthOthrams at

the Balaji Temple at bridgewater, NJ .

 

I am pleased to let you know that the Beta Phase testing

of the AchArya CD ROM is set for the end of next week

in India . Great scholars like Dr.V.N.Vedantha Desikan

are participating in this kaimkaryam blessed by

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha PaadhukhA sevaka , Sri NaarayaNa

Yathindhra MahA Desikan ,H.H. the revered Jeeyar of

Ahobila Mutt . we need all of your prayers to complete

this Kaimkaryam and place the offerign at the sacred

feet of AchArya RaamAnuja on his Thirunakshthram .

 

In summary , a rich set of festivities and vrathams

await us in the coming month of Panguni .

 

 

Sri Bhumi Devi SamEtha SravaNa VenkatEsa Sri Oppiliappan

ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

 

Daasan , V.Sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhaktas,

 

I would like a clarification on the 'Saradu pandigai'.

I was told by some relatives that Sri Vaishnavas do not

call this day a 'nOnbu', since Sri Vaishnavas do not

perform any 'nOnbu' to propitiate the Lord for lesser

desires.

 

Do you agree? Even Andal's pAvai nOnbu is merely a

pretext and not really a vratam; so is it true that

paramaikAntis do not observe vratams for any fruit,

other than as bhagavat-kainkaryam?

 

I thank members in advance for their responses.

 

rAmAnuja dAsan

Mani