Abhivadhanam during Sandhyavandhanam & Pithru tharpanam

[Guest guest]

Dear Members:

 

It is said that we should not perform abhivadhanam after

prostrations (Seviththal) before Perumal. Why is that so ?

I am guessing that since Perumal is all-knowing we do not

have to tell Him who we are.

[Please do not misunderstand my query. I am not questioning

Shastram here. I am trying to only understand it.]

 

But we also perform abhivadhanam in Sandhyavandhanam and in Pithru tharpanam.

 

Ofcourse, we Vaishnavas perform any Vaidhika Karmanushtanam (because

they are Vedhic vidhis) with Sathvika thyagam to only Perumal and

we (try to) remember only Perumal during such Karmas.

 

But a tricky situation arises when performing abhivadhanams

as ordained in Sandhyavandhanam/Pithru tharpanam.

Though we remember (atleast trying to remember) only Perumal

(and defintely not the anya-devathas/pithrus) during vaidhika karmas,

we are also simultaneously doing abhivadhanam ( and we are not

supposed to do abhivadhanam to Perumal!)

 

(Please do not misunderstand my question. I am *not* asking

if Vaishnavas can prostrate before Dhevathantra-deities but can remember

Perumal while doing so. Of course even within the scope of Vaidhika vidhis,

Vaishanavas have nothing to do with non-bhagavatha/dhevathanthram

like Brahma, Rudran, Vinayakar, Murugan, Kali etc)

 

Any thoughts on this ?

 

But there is of course no issues when we prostrate & do abhivadhanam to

true Bhagavathas since the are merely bearing the (Paradhina) Sheshithvam

given to them by Perumal for the pleasure of only Perumal.

 

 

Thank you

 

J. Venkatanathan

 

 

Get your FREE Email at http://mailcity.lycos.com

Get your PERSONALIZED START PAGE at lycos.com

[Guest guest]

> It is said that we should not perform abhivadhanam after

> prostrations (Seviththal) before Perumal. Why is that so ?

[...]

> But we also perform abhivadhanam in Sandhyavandhanam and in Pithru tharpanam.

 

Dear Sri Venkatanathan,

 

I asked Sri Rangapriya Swami this question the last

time I had an audience with him. You are correct that

abhivAdanam should not be done to perumAL (God). One should

also avoid doing it to sannyAsis. The reason as explained

by Swami is that the act of abhivAdanam is a way of

formally notifying another of one's name and form

in the phenomenal universe, which is a product of

name and form (nAma-rUpa-vikAra). God and sannyAsis, however,

are in the absolute state (brAhmi-sthiti), beyond

empirical name and form, and as such abhivAdanam is

illegitimate when done to them.

 

As you ask above, a question arises when looking at our

daily and occasional vaidika practices such as sandhyAvandanam.

After the conclusion of gAyatri-japam, the sandhyAvandanam

includes two abhivAdanam-s. Curiously enough, Sri Vedanta Desika

writes in 'SrI-pAncarAtra-rakshA' that after the gAyatri-japam

and upasthAnam "one should do abhivAdanam to God" (bhagavantam

abhivAdayEt). How do we reconcile this with the well-established

prohibition of doing abhivAdanam to God?

 

Sri Rangapriya Swami answered that the abhivAdanam in

sandhyAvandanam are done to the dig-dEvatA-s, the gods of

the various directions. Since perumAL is the antaryAmin

(inner controller) of dig-dEvatA-s, in truth we are doing

it to God Himself, but *as embodied by the dig-dEvatA-s*,

so there is no contradiction. In other words, when we

are told not to do abhivAdanam to God, this applies to

situations when we are approaching Him directly, such

as when He is present in a temple with a Suddha-sattva-SarIra

which is inherently His own, not of any other minor deity, or

when we are fortunate enough to be blessed with a vision

of Him.

 

Desika's statement about doing "abhivAdanam to God" in

the sandhyA and other vaidika karma-s should be understood

as doing abhivAdanam as prescribed to the dig-dEvatA-s,

but with the understanding that actually perumAL is the

antaryAmin; it is to Him (with these dEvatA-s as His

body) that our thoughts and prayers should actually be directed.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mani