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SrI:

 

Dear Devotees of SrIman NaarAyaNa :

 

Today , my friend , SrImAn Kannabiran of Massachusetts

sent me an attachment on some open questions regarding

Saaligramam worship . He has translated the input of

SrI U.Ve. MahA VidwAn , MelpAkkam NarasimhAcchAr Swamy ,

an authority on Vaidhika anushtAnams . Swamy's Q&A

had appeared in Nrusimha PriyA issues dealing with

SishtAchAram .(I will be using the spelling of

SaaLigrAmam instead of SaaLagrAmam

 

Here is SrIman KannapirAn's translations and I thank

him for these valuable inputs. I have taken the liberty

of editing the input by regrouping some answers

slightly.

 

By the way , a rich set of web pages dedicated to

solely to Saaligrama AarAdhanam , Moorthy lakshaNams

will be released soon. SrIman Aditya is working with me

on creation and enrichment of these home pages.

 

SrI MelpAkkam Swami's Inputs ( 1996 Vintage):

 

Q: How many SaaligrAmams should be kept at home

for AarAdhanam as a minimum ?

 

A: One is allowed. Two should not be there According to

SaasthrAs , three and other odd numbers are not allowed.

Some elders are of the opinion that only three is not

allowed and all other odd numbers may be acceptable.

>From this , it appears that one should be happy with what

one has . ( It may be difficult to get a clear answer

on this subject.There is a diversity of opinion).

 

If there are more than one SaaLigrAmams are there in a house,

One should not perform AarAdhanam for two SaaLigrAmams.

Odd number of SaaLigrAmams should not be worshipped.

If there are 2 SaaLigrAmams , perform complete AarAdhanam

for one and just NaivEdhyam for the other until you get

two more. If there are three, perofrm AarAdhanam for one

and naivEdhyam for the other two.

 

The Best way for those , who can not do AarAdhanam ,

it is good to get quaified. It is not recommended to remove

the SaaLigrAmams from the house, where they have been worshipped by

the elders for a long time. Removing these SaaLigrAmams may

result in loss of fortune and even lead to bad things.

Some people exchnage for some SaaLigrAmams , which are known

to bring auspiciousness.

 

In case we can not do AarAdhanam , it is better to get some one

in the house or outside to do the AarAdhanam. On those days,

when there is asoucham , it is better to give the Moorthams

to some one to perform AarAdhanam until the theettu or

asoucham is gone. On busy days, atleast present Asanam

and NaivEdhyam . NaivEdhAnam could be done by the same

person performing AarAdhanam or by the Mother or wife or

some one else in the house.When the ladies do NaivEdhyam ,

they should do it without touching the SaaLigrAmam.

 

A HOME SHOULD NOT BE WITHOUT SAALIGRAAMAM.

 

" GRAHAM SMASAANAM THAVA BHIMBHA VARJITHAM

BHoKTHAVYAMABAKSHYENA SAMAM HI THATH "

 

(Meaning ): Do Not eat in the House , which does not

have SaaLigrAma silA.

 

( If some one has some idea of importing SaaLigramams

for daily AarAdhanam, Please let me know. Ideally ,

it will be desirable to get dhAnam of the SaaLigrAmams.

Paadhukaa aarAdhanam is another alternative).

 

SaasthrAs say that Bhagavath Saannidhyam is always there

in SaaLigramam since it is Svayam Vyaktham (Self Manifested)

in SaaLigramams.

 

"na prathishtA vidhAthavyA na cha samprOkshaNthikam

Saalagrama silAyAsthu poojAlOpO na dhUshanam "

 

(meaning): Since Bhagavath Saannidhyam is already there

in SaaLigrAmam , there is no need for consecration

after an accident (dhOsham). Also, if there si a break in

the AarAdhanam , it is not a major consequence.

 

When SaaLigrAmam is damaged , one can still worship as long as

the ChakrAs are still there. According to VarAha PurANam,

 

" SaalagrAma silA bagnA poojaneeyA sachakrakaa

kantithA spootithaa vaapi SaaLagrama silA subhaa:"

 

(Meaning ): When it is slightly damaged , broken or

cracked , as long as the chakra is there , that SaaLigrAmam

can be worshipped and will continue to confer auspiciousness.

If the chakrA(s) are damaged ,then that SaaLigrAmam

can be discarded.

 

Q: Is vigraha AarAdhana allowed with SaaligrAma Moorthys?

Is there a difference in AarAdhanam?

 

A. It is perfectly alright to perform AarAdhanam for

both the Moorthys. Every temple and Mutt (where vigrahAs

are worshipped ) , AarAdhanam is performed for SaaligrAmams

along with VigrahAs. There is howevewr a difference in

their AarAdhanams. In the Vigraha poojA , there is aavAhanam

of the deity. In the SaaLagrAma poojA , there is no aavahana

manthrams except Saannidhya Yaachanam .

 

Q: Is it alright , if one does not perform daily AarAdhanam

to the SaaLigrAma Moorthams ?

 

A: It is not that there is no need for daily AarAdhanam

for SaaLigrAmam. Without doing AarAdhanam One can not eat.

SaaLigrAmam does not need PrANa prathishtai (Consecration)

since it is divine by nature. In the case of VigrahAs ,

which have had Prthishtai , there is a need for prAyascchittham,

if there is a break in AarAdhanam even for one day. In the case

of SaaLigrAmam(s) , there is no need for PrAyascchittham and one

can continue the worship after asking for forgiveness (AparAdha

KshAmaNam) . That is what is taken as no need to do

ThiruvArAdhanam. It is not acceptable to miss the daily

AarAdhanam.

 

Q: In olden days , elders were completely qualified to

perform AarAdhanam. Today , there are homes in which people

do not or can not perform AarAdhanam . What are these people

supposed to do , if there are SaaLigrAmams in their houses

fromm their elders? can they give away these Moorthams ?

Can we worship SaaLigrAmams that are broken (dropped by

mistake and chipped off )? Some suggest that they should

be dropped in the well .

 

The answer to these questions are covered in

the above sections.

 

SaaLigrAma KshEthra nivAsAya , Sree MoorthayE Nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

http://venkateswara.freeservers.com/index.htm

http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/temples/thiruvahindhrapuram.index.html