Sri Vekatesan Iyengar's Questions (on Sannadhi ParichArakALs)

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SrI:

 

NamO NaarayaNAya

 

Dear SrI Rangaswamy:

 

Thanks very much for forwarding the most informative

comments of SrI Venkatakrishnan Swamy of Thiru allikkENi.

Inview of its importance to understand the hierarchies

of KaimkaryaparALs in the conductance of NithyArAdhanam and

the regular and visEsha Uthsavams for PerumAL , adiyEn has taken

the liberty of copying this posting to other SrI VaishNava Lists.

 

adiyEn is deeply grateful to SrIman Venakatakrishnan

Swamy and request him to share with us the wealth of

information he possesses thru dhivyAchArya Sambhandham

and kaimkaryam at the Thiruvadi of SrI RukmiNi SamEtha

SrI ParthasArathy PerumAL .

 

Uninterrupted kaimkaryam of NithyArAdhanam

to the Dhivya Dampathis and support of such Kaimkaryams

through highly qualified Sannadhi ParichArakALs has been

one of the concerns of AchArya RaamAnujA and upadEsam to

all of us with AchArya Raamanuja Sambhandham .

 

It is my privelege to acknowledge with bowed head

the support recieved sofar from BhakthAs from

all over the world for the ThuPPul Swamy Desikan

and ViLakkoLi Perumal NithyAradhanam Trust to

carry on the daily aarAdhanams there without

interruption.

 

Indonesia based BhakthAs have come up with

a SamarpaNam of $3,500 plus. USA based bhakthAs

have assembled and sent approximately $1,500 plus.

One Singapore bhakthar alone has placed his samarpaNam of

$1,000 plus at the Thiruvadi of Swamy Desikan .Kuwait based

bhakthAs have assembled 500 plus dollars and expect

to raise more.Additional amounts to the extent of $500 +

have been assembled thru the participation of India-based

bahkthAs.

 

We are now at the 70% level (7,000$) of the first

level target (10,000$)) to carry on the next 5 years of

NithyArAdhanam without interruption at the two

Sannidhis. It is my pleasure to acknowledge

the help of Ramanuja Mission , USA with the offer of

Twelve of their six set audio CD ROMs of Swamy Desikan's

SthOthrams for the kaimkaryam to raise the funds.

 

adiyEn requests You with anjali-bhaddha -hastham

to particpate in the kaimkaryam and help reach the first

plateau of this important kaimkaryam. We need additional

$3,000 or the equivalent of approximately 150,000 Rupess

to get there.Contributions of $100 each from 30 devotees

will get us there . Any amount is welcome . Please

contact me for details on how you can join in.

 

Please participate and recieve the anugraham of

the AchArya paramparai starting with Sriman NaarAyaNan.

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

DaasOham , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

****************************************************

At 12:19 PM 3/4/02 -0000, you wrote:

>Sri:

>

>SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

>

>Dear Bhaktas,

>

>Adiyen is forwarding the insightful response from U.Ve. Sri

>Venkatakrishanan Swamin on the above subject. Sri Venkatakrishnan

>Swamin is a learned scholar of our Sampradayam, having had extensvie

>Kalakshepam from H.H. the 45th Azhagiyasingar and other leading

>Vidwans of our tradition.

>

>Namo Narayana,

>

>SriMuralidhara dasan nama Ramanuja dasan

>

>********************************************************************

>

Shri Ramajayam. Namo Narayana.

>

>With regards to Shri Venkat's question on "manaians /

>sthanikars" hierarchy of the priestly class, I'd like

>to submit the following response:

>

>As I understand the question, he desires to know who

>are the "manaians / sthanikars" in our temple

>management. First of all the temples of the Vaishnava

>tradition are governed by two distinct schools.

>Those governed by pAncarAtra AgamAs and the others

>governed by vaikAnasa AgamAs. In the temples, the

>priests who are privileged to do service to the sacred

>mUrthys consecrated in the temple by physical contact

>with them during thirumanjanam, alankaram and other

>kainkaryams are variously known as archakAs,

>bhattachArs and dikshitars. They have to be

>proficient in their respective AgamA schools – viz.,

>vikAnasA or pAncarAtrA. In the former the hereditary

>system is in vogue. In the pAncarAtra tradition one

>should learn the important AgamAs such as the pAdma,

>sAtvata, paushkara and jayAkhyA samhitAs and attain

>dIkshA. Only then are they qualified to function as

>temple priests. For example, the temples in tirumalA

>and thiruvallikkENi , ThiruviNnagar, ThiruvahIndhrapuram

>follow the vaikhAnasa AgamAs while those in srIrangam,

>kAnchIpuram, mElkote follow pAcarAtra AgamAs,

>each of the latter three following a different samhitA

>under the pAncharAtra umbrella.

>

>The category of assistants who help the archakAs is

>known as parichArakAs doing the auxiliary duties

>connected with the daily worship, but are not allowed

>to touch the sacred mUrthys. The temple kitchen also

>called the thirumadaipaLLi should be constructed in

>the southeastern direction is managed by a section of

>these parichArakAs.

>

>I presume by "manains" you refer to the general

>manager of the temple who is called the "kovil

>maNiyam" or "koil maNiyakkArar". If so he is the

>person responsible for the day-to-day management and

>maintenance of the temple, organizing its daily

>special and festival routines. He is variously called

>"maNiam", "amIna", "pEshkAr" and "shrIkAryam"

>according to local custom. He is pEshkAr in tirumalA,

>shrikAryam in shrIrangam and in the major vaishNavA

>mutts like ahObila mutt, Andavan Ashramam, parakAla

>mutt and vAnamAmalai mutt, and amInA in

>thiruvallikkENi. It is well known that periya kOil

>nimbi later named as amudhanAr was the shrIkAryam of

>the shrIrangam temple whose management he handed over

>to kUraththAzhvAn. He has to ensure the availability

>of the material and manpower resources required for

>the temple's routines on a day-to-day basis. He is

>the one person who has to spend most of his time in

>the temple attending to and overseeing a multitude of

>functions. In a small temple he is also in charge of

>the accounts. At the end of the major routines or

>festivals he is honored for his services with a token

>floral string adorned to diety before any contributing

>donor is honored (muthal mariyAthai).

>

>We now come to an important functionary known as

>"sthAnikar". He is in charge adhyApakam – the daily

>recitation of divya-prabandham and vEda pArAyaNam and

>during festivals. In many temples, they are the

>hereditary people enjoying certain privileges for

>their services. In the daily routine, as during

>festival times, they enjoy the right of commencing the

>recitation and concluding it. They are offered the

>sanctified thIrththa prasAdam and satAri mariyathai

>first in the ghOshti (congregation). They alone are

>privileged to offer "mantra pushpa" kainkaryam in the

>morning and evening sessions every day. It is they

>who read the kaishika purANam on kaishika EkAdashi

>day, pranayakalaha prabandham on a specific day during

>BrhamOtsavam and tirumanjana ghatiyan during all

>occasions when tirumanjanam is performed for the

>presiding diety.

>

>The temple administration honors them variedly. In a

>majority of the cases no remuneration is given, but a

>portion of the daily neivEdyams to the dierties is

>given as their share. On the conclusion of the main

>BrahmOtsavm they are honored in certain temples by

>offering them a silk turban, a garland adorned to the

>diety and taking them in a ceremonial procession to

>the residencies with all the paraphernalia of the

>temple in recognition of their services.

>

>Thus the archakAs, sthAnikars, parichArakas and

>maNiams (or pEshkArs or amInAs) by their joint efforts

>contribute to the orderly conduct of various routines

>in the day to day functioning of a temple as a temple.

> BhAgavathAs are solicited edit, correct and amplify

>the general outline given above as appropriate.

>

>A thousand praNams. Adiyen rAmAnuja dAsan,

>

>K. Venkatakrishnan.

>

>

>

>

>

>-----------------------------

> - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -

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