[t'venkatam] archchAvatAram, archchAmUrthi

[Guest guest]

Dear SrI Devarajan :

 

In answer to your question on ArchAvathAram ,

here are some inputs:

 

ArchAvathAram is one of the five forms( Para , VyUha , Vibhava ,

archaa, antharyAmi) where BhagavAn exists . This five-fold concept has

been developed by PaancharAthra Aagamam . Archaa is the one in which

the Lord manifests in consecrated images following one of the two

VaishNava Aagamams( PaancharAthram or VaikhAnasam).

Our Lord enters in to these images to accept our worship

and to bless us.

 

The word Archaa means the idol for worship ( "poojA Pratimaa").

avatAram or avataraNam means descending in to .Lord responds

to our prayers and descends from His Supreme abode in to

the consecrated images of Him . This is archAvathAram.

To treat these consecrated images at the temples as simple

metal or stone will rsult in mahaa paapam.

 

He becomes present in consecrated images made out of metal , stone ,

wood et al . He enters these forms created out of the metals , stone or wood

,

when consecration is done according to the rules of Aagamam .

Some times human beings consecrate those images to invoke

the presence of the Lord as Archai or ArchA Moorthy and he undergoes

ArchAvathAram .When Rishis perform the consecration it is called Aarsha

Archai.When the Lord manifests in to such images on His own , it is

called Svayam Vyaktham ( Self-manifested ).The archais of the Lord at

Srirangam , Thirumalai , BadarikAramam , VaanamAmalai, Melkote ,

SrimushNam are knowna s svyam-vyaktha Archaa Moorthys.

 

The archA moorthys are available for our worship and are

easily accessible to us .AzhwArs have sung about their soulabhyam

(ease of access ) , Soundharyam ( beauty ) and KaaruNyam

( compassion to bless us) . They are hailed as SubhAsraya ThirumEni

ideal for our meditation and worship becase of their auspiciousness

and divine attributes.

 

An analogy is usually given for Archaa . The cow's body is

full of milk but the milk exits via its udder. Similarly , the whole

universe is full of Para Brahmam (Supreme Lord , SrIman NaarAyaNa)

but He beocmes accessible to us readily thru consecrated images .

 

You can have a darsanam of many of these ArchAvathaara Moorthys

at the 108 dhivya dEsam web sites:

 

http://www.prapatti.com

http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/oppiliappan/sva/index.html

http://www.oppiliappan.org

 

NamO NaarAyaNAya ,

V.Sadagopan

 

 

-

"V.DEVARAJAN (alias DEVARAJAN VENKATARAMANAN)"

<devarajanvenkata

<tiruvenkatam>

Sunday, March 14, 2004 4:57 PM

[t'venkatam] archchAvatAram, archchAmUrthi

 

 

> SrimathE rAmAnujAya namaha.

>

> Dear friends,

>

> I come across the words "archchAvathAram" and "archchAmUrthi" in

> some texts.

> I am unable to get an exact meaning of these words.

>

> Can some bhagavatar enlighten me?

>

> I will be highly grateful.

>

> dAsan.

> Devarajan.

>

> Tamil translation of this message written in tscii font is given

> below. Can

> be read with any tscii1.7 font.

>

> "«÷ž¡Ãõ", "«÷ã÷ò¾¢" ±ýÈ Å¡÷ò¨¾¸Ç¢ý ºÃ¢Â¡É

> «÷ò¾õ ±ýɦÅýÚ «Ê§ÂÛìÌò ¦¾Ã¢ÂÅ¢ø¨Ä.

> þÅüÈ¢ý ¦À¡Õ¨Ç ¡áÅРŢÇì¸ì §¸¡Õ¸¢§Èý.

> ¾¡ºý, §¾Åáºý.

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>

>

> Namo VenkateshAya namah:

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