Guest guest Posted June 26, 2001 Report Share Posted June 26, 2001 Dear Bhaktaas, I have a question about the Vedas and archai form of worship. In the avathaarikai for amalanaadipiraan, Sri Azhagiya Manavalap Perumal Nayanar says that the Vedas touch upon the archaa rUpam of the Lord even while immersed in talking about His paratvam. I have also heard that vEdaantins from other schools of thought state that the Vedas do not talk about His archaa form. Does this mean that there are no direct references in the Vedas to archa roopam, and it is our acharyas interpretations that certain passages in the Vedas speak of this form? If that is the case, can anyone help me identify those specific passages and our acharya interpretations of the same. If not, please help me with the specific statements that do talk about the archaa rUpam. If there is any book or article talking about the same, I would be glad to get the reference. Thanks. adiyEn madhurakavi daasan TCA VenkatEsan Get personalized email addresses from Mail http://personal.mail./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2001 Report Share Posted June 29, 2001 -- On 28 Jun 2001 11:18:05 -000 bhakti-list wrote: > > > >______________________ >______________________ > >Message: 1 > Tue, 26 Jun 2001 13:57:10 -0700 (PDT) > TCA Venkatesan <vtca >Vedas and Archai > >Dear Bhaktaas, > >I have a question about the Vedas and archai form >of worship. > >In the avathaarikai for amalanaadipiraan, Sri >Azhagiya Manavalap Perumal Nayanar says that the >Vedas touch upon the archaa rUpam of the Lord >even while immersed in talking about His paratvam. >I have also heard that vEdaantins from other >schools of thought state that the Vedas do not >talk about His archaa form. Srimad venkata Lakshmana yativaraya namah. Om namo Venkatesaya. Srimadanantarya Mahagurave Namah. Dear Sriman venkatesan, There is a direct reference to thiruvengadamudaiyan in rugveda, quoted by Sri Ramanuja in his argument with Saivas reg. the identity of the Lord of the hill. We find this in the very first chapter of SrIvEnkatAchalEtihAsamAlA of SrI ananthALwAn. The mantra is: arAyikANE vikatE girim gaccha sadAnvE Sirim biTasya sattvabhih tE(a)bhishtvA chAtayAmasi This mantra advises the chEtana to go to the hill where parama purusha has pirAtti seated on His chest, for the chEtana's spiritual enlightenment. In similar words, Bhavishyottara purANa confirms that the "giri" here in this mantra refers to pannagAchalam (SEshAdri). This may be one of the reasons for SrI bhAshyakAra to start SrI BhAshya with a refernce to SrInivAsa, as He has a mention in the vEdas (Sruti Sirasi vidIptE brahmaNi SrInivAsE)-- i am just guessing. We find SrI Bhashyakara's detailed commentary to this vEda mantra in SrI anandANbiLLai's work. dAsAnudAsan Srimahavishnu Vinjamuri "acchapu vEduka thOda ananthALuwAri mucchili pettiki mannu mOchina vAdu" -- annamAchArya > >Does this mean that there are no direct references >in the Vedas to archa roopam, and it is our acharyas >interpretations that certain passages in the Vedas >speak of this form? If that is the case, can anyone >help me identify those specific passages and our >acharya interpretations of the same. If not, please >help me with the specific statements that do talk >about the archaa rUpam. > >If there is any book or article talking about the >same, I would be glad to get the reference. Thanks. > >adiyEn madhurakavi daasan >TCA VenkatEsan > > > Get 250 color business cards for FREE! http://businesscards.lycos.com/vp/fastpath/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2001 Report Share Posted July 6, 2001 Dear Sri Srimahavishnu, Thanks for your message about vEdap pramaaNam for archaa worhsip. I would like to share with you and other bhaagavataas, the following article by Sri Sudarshan posted in another e-forum, regarding adiyEn's question. adiyEn madhurakavi daasan TCA Venkatesan --- "Sudarshan M.K." <sampathkumar_2000 wrote: > Dear Sri.TCA, > > This is a very important question. All of us must > take note of this > and be aware of the 'veda-pramANa' for 'archA' > worship. > > Sri.S.M.S.Chari in his book "Vaishnavism: Its > Philosophy, Theology and > Religious Practices" has dealt with this question in > a very succint > and convincing manner and I share it here below for > the benefit of all > members of the group. > > On Page 222 of the book he writes: > > "Idol worship... in Hindu religion can be traced > back to the Vedas. > One of the hymns of the Rgveda refers to the worship > of Vishnu. > > "pravah pAntam-andhaso dhiyAyate; mahe sUrAya > vishnavE cha archatE" > (Rg.Veda > I.155.1) > > "On the authority of this hymn Sage Marichi, one of > the exponents of > the Vaikhanasa Agama enjoins that Vaishnavas should > worship Vishnu > daily. On the basis of this Vedic authority Sage > Saunaka also extols > the worship of Vishnu... > > "One other hymn of the Rgveda makes an explicit > mention of the worship > of the idol as a means of God-realization: > > ado yad-dAru plavate sindhOh pAre apUrusham; > tadArabhasva durhaNo tena gaccha parastaram. > (Rgveda X.155.3) > > "The hymn states that that the 'purushOttaman' who > resides in the > farthest place manifests Himself in the form of a > log floating in the > ocean of Sindhu (Indian Ocean); it is a divine form > and not made by > any human being (apaurusheya) and by offering > worship to this wooden > image, one will attain the Supreme Being. > > "That this hymn refers to idol worship is proved by > the fact that > 'skanda purAna', while speaking of the greatness of > Jagannath (deity > at Puri, Orissa, which is wooden) elucidates this > hymn... (We should > also not forget that in Kanchi-puram, under the > waters of > the temple-tank at the SriVaradaraja temple, there > is preserved a > beautiful wooden idol of Varadarajan, taken out for > public worship > once in 40 years!). > > "It is not therefore correct to say that Vedic > religion is primarily > concerned with the worship of deities in the form of > 'yagnya' or > sacrificial rites in the consecrated fire and that > it does not allow > the worship of idols. The word 'yaj' etymologically > means worship of a > deity ('yaj devatA pUjyAm'). Worship is done in 4 > ways: 'japa' or > recitation of mantras, 'huta' or offering oblations > through the > sacrificial fire, 'archana' or offering worship to > an image of God and > 'dhyANa' or meditation. All the 4 ways have been > observed in the Vedic > times, according to the capacity of the individual > devotee, though > more emphasis seems to have been given to 'yagnya' > or 'huta'. Even in > the performance of 'yagnya', the individual divine > beings have to be > invoked by reciting appropriate Vedic hymns in a > media such as 'kusa' > or blade of grass, 'kumbha' or a water-pot, 'agni' > or the sacred fire. > The consecration of God in an idol prescribed by > 'pAncharAtra agama' > through certain religious rites is similar to it..." > > Trust the above clarifies your question. > > Regards, > dAsan, > Sudarshan Get personalized email addresses from Mail http://personal.mail./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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