Swamy Desikan-10- Thaapa samskaram, UrdhvapuNdram- ThUppul maNdapam appeal

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SrI:

SrImathe Ramanujaya namah:

SrImathe Nigamantha mahadesikaya namah:

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the

lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

I am continuing on my appeal and posts on Swamy Desikan and appeal for

Thuppul maNdapam kaimkaryam. URL:

http://www.geocities.com/lsriniva/thoopulappeal.html

It is my humble request to please contribute your mite towards this

kaimkaryam, as remembering Acharyan, and talking alone will not suffice.

 

Let us continue to enjoy Swamy’s GREAT works.

 

Last week, we saw Saccharitharaksha, which is divided into three parts with

the titles:

 

SudharsanapaanchajanyadhAranavidhi

UrdhvapuNdra dhAraNa vidhi

BhagavannivEdhithOpAyOga vidhi

 

Swamy Desikan starts the Sacharitharaksha which establishes the absolute and

prime need of Pancha samskaram:

 

(meaning of 1st sloka): Let us carry the people on our head who bear the

mark of Sudharsana and Paanchajanya; who wear the UrdhvapuNdra (ThirumaN

kaappu); who consume only the food offered to the Lord and by virtue of the

above who are saluted even by NithyasUris.

 

SruthyA smruthyA purANEna sEthihAsEna jabyathE |

PancharAThrENa viprANAm thapthachakrAdhiDhAraNam ||

 

Sruthis, Smruthis PurAnAs Ithihasas, ordain that Brahmins should bear

Sudharsana and Panchajanya marks..

 

Swamy establishes the thaapa samskara quoting from Brahma samhitha,

MahOpanidhad of Atharva vEda.

 

Bear chakra on right shoulder; and shankhu on the left.

 

dhakshiNe thu bhujE vipra vibhuyAdDhai sudharsanam |

savyE thu sankham vibruyAdhithi brahmavidhO vidhu: ||

 

An objection on the basis of cruelty can not stand since Utsarga apavada

rule is valid (for every rule, there is an exception). In mImAmsa, the

general rule is “na himsyAth sarvAbhUthAni- has an exception which is

“agnishOmiyam paSumAlabEtha | Sandilya smruthi says: Cow, Son, and other

household articles should be stamped with Shanka and Chakra and named with

Srivaishanava names.

 

Vasishta smruthi : The chakra chinha (stamp with chakra) has to be done by a

person to his son (or disciple) at the time of jaata karma or Chowla (after

third or fourth year to make the child wear shikhA) or at the time of

upanayanam or sending to the Gurukulam to learn Vedas.

 

In the conversation among Yama, Arjuna and Lord Krishna, contained in Matsya

purANA, Krishna says:

 

“It is rare to come across a person who is devoted and who bears the mark of

my chakrA. This person does not get into the clutches of Yama (mrithyu)

which means he does not go to hell.”

 

Let us talk more about the FAMOUS UrdhvapuNdradhAraNa vidhi (ThirumaN-

SriChoorNam)

All of us have these doubts as to where the saasthRAs says that one should

wear Thiruman kappu. Swamy Desikan has beautifully explained it in this

work.

 

Vedic authority of Urdhva puNdram dhAraNam is:

 

GruthOdhvapuNdra: paramESithAram nArAyaNam saankhya yOgAdhi gagyam | jnAthvA

vimuchyEtha nara: samasthai: samsaara paaSairiha chaiva vishNu: ||

 

MahOpanishad statement above sys: One who wear Urdhva puNdra and meditates

on lord Sriman Narayanan and realizes Him through his mid gets liberated

from the bondage of samsaara.

 

In Paancharaathra samhitha it is said:

 

yagnO dhAnam thapou hOma: bhOjanam pithru tharpaNam

sarvE bhavanthi viphalaa: Urdhva puNdram vinAkruthA:

 

Yaga, charity, penance, daily sacrifice, taking food, offering libations of

water to manes (argyam?) etc., is all null and viod if one does without

wearing Urdhva pUndram. Libations means pouring of water in honour of God.

Manes means spirit of the dead (deceased Father, Mother. Grand father, Grand

mother, Great grand father, Great grand mother et al).

pithru tharpaNam means offering water with sesame seeds to those twelve

Pithru dEvathAs. Hence, wearing Urdhva pUndram is essential. The shape of

Urdhva pUndra should be in the shape of HaripAdakruthi (in the shape of the

Lotus Feet of Sriman Narayanan). In Varaaha pUrAna Lord says:

 

yEkAnthina: mahAbhAgA: math swarUpa vidha: amalA:

sAntharAlAn prakurvIran puNdrAn *mama padhaa kruthin*

 

As per Brahmaanandha purAna, in the middle of every Urdhva puNdra, which is

wide and good looking, Lord Sriman Narayanan stays with His Consort Goddess

Mahalakshmi. The symbol of Mahalakshmi is Sri choorNam which may be either

in red or yellow colour.

 

Bhagawan NivedithOpayOga vidhi (the third work listed above) which means

every Srivaishnavan has to eat only the food offered to Lord Sriman

Narayananin His archA form which may be His aatthu perumAL duly consecrated

according to the prescribed procedure mentioned in Paancharaartha Saasthra

and worshipped daily, or Saaligraamam at home. In Saaligraama, the Lord is

ever present and no AvAhanam (consecration) is necessary;

 

The opening verse in the chapter is

 

aTha: chakshupmathAm saasthrai: chathuvargAbilAshiNAm |

vishNO: nivEdhE thasyaiva bhOjyEthvam prathipAdhyathE ||

 

(Meaning) For those who see things through saasthrAs (scriptures) only; ( in

other words) for those whose conduct, actions and daily routine are strictly

according to the saasthrAs and for those who are desirous of attaining four

goals which are dharma, artha, kaama mOksha- the food to eat is that offered

to Lord Vishnu only.

 

After dealing with the objections to the above mentioned, Swamy Desikan over

rules the objectsions and refutes the opponents’ arguments, quoting

elaborately from Vedas, Pancharathra Samhithas, Ithihasas, and Saatvika

PurANas, establishes the above three works which can never be revoked by

anybody. “na bhUtho; na bhavishyathi:”

 

Thus, Swamy Desikan in the three chapters, establishes by his beautiful and

inimitable style and power of arguments based strictly on scriptures, the

three important customs and rituals of Srivaishnavas which are Pancha

samskaram, UrdhvapuNdradhAraNam and partaking of the food offered to the

Lord Sriman Narayanan in archa form.

 

There is no Srivaishnava sampradayam without these three customs. In this

connection, a fervent appeal is made to every Srivaishnava to strictly

adhere to the above customs and eschew any contact or worship of any deities

other than Lord VishNu.

(The above article is based on write up of Sri U Ve Anantha

Naarasihmachariar Swamin of Srirangam)

 

Please donate according to your shakthi. The money can be sent to "Thuppul

Trust" and the address is:

 

Thuppul Trust

Old No.20, New No.24, Thiruvengadam Street

West Mambalam, Chennai-600033, India

Phone No: 91-44-4741559 / 91-44-3715771

 

Please contact Sri. V.K. Sudharshan at vksudarsh or Sri Lakshmi N

Srinivasa lsriniva (He can collect and send it as single amount

in USA).

 

The address:

 

Lakshminarasimhan Srinivasa

3 Old Towne Road, #212

Ayer, MA-01432

 

For those in the South East Asia, please contact me at

srivaishnavan . Please pass on this kaimkaryam to as many people

as possible in order to complete the same.

 

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |

Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

 

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfection resides, who is the

teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters!

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Regards

Narayana Narayana

NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan

 

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