Console me if possible (& apologise me if it hurtsyou !!)

[Guest guest]

Dear Sadagopan swami,

A wonderful sum up indeed.

dAsan

vanamamalai padmanabhan

-

Sadagopan

Oppiliappan

Thursday, September 23, 2004 3:49 PM

Re: Console me if possible (& apologise me if it hurtsyou !!)

SrI:

 

Dear SrI Balaji Sundararajan :

Your moving mail touched me.

There is nothing to apologize or consloe .

 

What you saw at the temple is the LingOthbhavar sculpture ,

which is usually present in Siva Temples in

the West wall of Garbhagraham . This relates to

an incident described in Siva PurANam and repeately

celebrated in the ThevAram verses of NaayanmArs , who

worshipped Siva as their Supreme Lord . It is their tradition .

 

Overseas Sri Lankans , whose community spirit is strong , have

built a lot of temples to suit their cultural spiritual needs .Their special

Gods are Lord Siva , who is the leader among VishNu BhakthAs

and who has performed Prapatthi (Self-Surrender ) to SrIman

NaarAyaNan ( Sri Mantra Raaja Padha SthOthram) and KumAra

Swamy ( Skandhan/Murughan) . They come from the Kadir Kaamam Temple

tradition ( Murugan Temple tradition ) , where they worship Murughan as JyOthi .

This is their tradition . Please remember that they came from the villages of

Tamil Nadu few hundred years ago during the height of exploitative British

Colonial rule , when the British ruling class lured them to the island

on false promises to work in Tea Gardens and denied them the return

to their nome land . The conflict between the Tamil culture in a land

known for Buddhist culture ( From Emperor AsOkAs' time) and

its reverberations are still going on in Sri Lanka .

 

The expatriate Tamilian Srilankans are known for their exquisite Tamil

and Saiva and KoumAra aagamams that guide their temple worship

procedures . For VaishNavAs , Dhivya Prabhandhams are the Tamil Vedams

and the two VaishNavite Aagamaas ( PaancharAthram and VikhAnasam)

are their anchors . Each one is entitled to their way of worship based on

the PurushArTams that they seek . All aasthikAs share the eternal VedAs and

Upanishads although their intrepretations are different . We as VaishNavAs

follow Bhagavath RaamAnujA's darsanam ancjored in Ubhaya VedAntham .

 

 

For VaishNavAs in general and for those who have performed SaraNAgathy

at the feet of a SadAchAryan ( Prapannan ) in particular , the Supermacy of SrIman

NaarAyaNan as the one and only Para Devathai to grant Moksham is

a core siddhAntham . Parathvam of SrIman NaarAyaNan and freedom

from BhAgavatha apachAram are central to have their Prapatthi

fulfilled . There are many things in the world that we can not

waste our time in straightening out . As PrapannAs , who have

chosen Sriman NaarAyaNan as Moksha Daayaka Mukundan ,

anya devathA worship is forbidden . One follows the dharmam of

Pathivrathai and follows an undeviating course of MahA Viswaasam

in SrIMan NaarAyaNan to gain MOksha Siddhi. If one is NOT interested

in MOksham in this janmam itself as the final release from all our Paapams

and PuNyams , then one follows other routes . Bhagavath GithA slOkam that

you quoted is very appropriate in this context . The Charama slOkams

of the Lord during Raama , KrishNa and VarAha avathArams are the guiding

beacons to find our way in the engulfing SamsAric darkness to Lord's

Supreme abode and to serve the dhivya dampathis there and enjoy

ParipoorNa BrhmAnandham . This is Parama PurushArTam .

That is all there is to it for VaishNavAs ! We have to lead a life of

utter respect for others without compromising an iota from

the core principles that our AchAryAs have blessed us with .

There is no time left in this short life of ours to get distracted

by distractions of any kind away from the central path shown by

our far seeing AchAryAs , who have strived for our spiritual

well being . Following the path prepared by our SadAchAryans

and serving them to our utmost is the one and only way for

our liberation from the SamsAric sufferings !

 

NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa , NaarAyaNa !

Oppiliappan KOil Varadachari Sadagopan