[SriParakalaMatham] clean shave (mottai/bowdigundu) makes one ineligible for Sattumorai Goshti

[Guest guest]

Some clarifications crop up respected Sir :

 

1. when you say the hairs are supposed to represent varied desires etc. am

keen to know where is this categorically mentioned? Hope you do not treat

the question as doubting your knowledge, authority etc. Just a curiosity to

learn more?

 

2.The writer's primary interests apart from various vedic topics, etc. is

Yoga. And in Yoga which the Lord himself claims is one of the most

preferred ways to achieve HIS lotus feet - in fact Lord Krishna himself

declares that he is OM and it is well known that Lord Krishna is the

highest Yogi,the King, nay the Emperor of Yoga.

 

The cornerstone principle of Yoga is :

 

since all human problems/misery/sufferings originate from varied desires

and desires form the core of man's mental processes, there is constant

change and churning in the mind and this is the cause

 

Through certain principles, practices - which also includes prayer,

surrender, devotion etc. - man can for certainty reach into the depths of

his mind and it is possible to know concepts about God, Heaven, Universe,

Creation, etc.

and the ultimate reality. Yoga does not talk of what this ultimate reality

is. It merely declares that there is something beyond the mind and desires

etc. and this something may be discovered.

 

At some point due to constant and diligent practice of the principles, the

mental impressions become neutral first and then become totally indifferent

to everything including Time, space, pain, pleasure, bliss, suffering etc.

and merges into something beyond. It may sound mysterious, but ultimately

seems to make some vague sense to some extent.

 

Now Yoga further says that when this happens, then the discovery also

simultaneously occurs. The cessation of all recognition of the mind

impressions or a literal emptying of the mind seems to result into a

different state of the human being.

 

If this is so, then the question of whether one sports a Shika or goes

totally bald or has any desires left etc. is irrelevant. Because Yoga says

that even a shred of desire, for whatever i.e.even for a good cause will

eventually pull us into this complicated quicksand of worldliness. Even a

desire for God, for worship for respect, for attaining the Lotus feet, even

for peaceful death or the fear of death, everything is transcended.

 

3. Lastly, millions of people visit Tirupati. Millions equally daily make

routinely vows to shave off their hair. This has been going on for over 40

years at least to the best of the writer's knowledge. Many among these

millions are illiterate, poor whose sole purpose in life is to scratch some

earning day in and day out. They come to Tirupati for only one reason :

Totally surrendered devotion for obtaining a 60 second glimpse of that

magnanimous LORD. People spend hours in long winding Q's and forgo many

discomforts - not everyone stays in cottages and rooms. These people, in

hoards make it a point to somehow get HIS grace.

 

Their problem may or may not be solved, but they go back fully satisfied.

The writer has seen this innumerable times.The one and only sole refrain of

each devotee as he comes out the Temple is to ask his neighbor in a smiling

manner "got a good darshan?". The other invariably replies in the

affirmative and the camaraderie ends. But imagine, everyone, without fail,

every individual takes back a totally fulfilled aim.

 

Such people have no time, inclination, patience or desire for the finer

logical, rationale aspect of whether to sport a Shika or go bald. They

surrender blindly a part of their body to the Lord signifying that this is

where it belongs rightly. One does not think there is any error or

mistake. Hence it cannot be a suicide.

 

NOT SURRENDERING ANYTHING COULD BE SUICIDAL !!

 

Given this gigantic proportion of a living, vibrant faith at Tirupati, the

writer feels that it hardly matters whether one sports a Shika or goes

bald. Tirupati is a pure Kshetram. Anything done, even a patently

negative act will be pardoned and blessed into a positive healthy result by

the Ever-Bestower of Compassion who sustains us on our faith and innocence.

 

One hopes no one is offended or mistakes the writer's words. There is no

malafide intention or any desire to put down any view and argue. The above

response, one hopes is taken in the spirit in which it is contemplated.

 

Om Tat Sat

 

 

 

 

"Rama Krishna K"

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[sriParakalaMatham]

clean shave

(mottai/bowdigundu) makes one

ineligible for

Sattumorai Goshti

 

 

 

 

 

Priya Bhagawatas,

Jai Srimannarayana!

 

One of the most important part of Bhagawadaaraadhana either in

temples or home is the Saattumorai after Nyvedyam, which consists of

mangalasasanams to the Lord, Azhwars, Emberumaanaar and all the

Acharyas. This seva as desired by all our acharyas/jeeyars needs the

attendance of as many Bhagawatas as possible. All the core participants

in this goshti need to be attired appropriately with oordhwapundram,

yagnopaveetham, sikha etc. This Saattumorai seva has a special

significance especially in the most prominent divyadeshams like Tirumala

and Srirangam where the Jeeyar lead the goshti. In such cases the

attire of all the goshti members need to be perfect as per the vedic

vaishnava sampradayam. Thus a clean shaven head (Mottai/bowdigundu)

becomes a non-eligibility, as there is perfect reason for sporting the

sikha for a true vedic. Though the Jeeyars/sthanacharyas ignore

this particular aspect of sikha many a times while allowing people to

join the sattumorai goshti, of late the present revered Chinna jeeyar

swamiji of Tirumala is insisting on people to refrain from clean shaven

head and sport a sikha while joining the daily sattumorai goshti. The

revered swamiji is advising all the goshti members coming from various

parts of the country to tell their vedic friends not to go for a

'clean shaven head without a sikha', if interested to join the

sattumorai goshti. Clarifications regarding the importance of sikha and

the misgivings in clean shaven head are as follows

 

1. Hair on the head is compared to the infinite desires of the mind

of various kinds. But in that infinite desires are also included the

desires for the Lord. Thus our acharyas say all the desires are not

detrimental to the individual as long as they are tied up with the

desire for the Lord. To indicate this, our sampradayic-vedics always

keep most part of their hair tied up as a knot, to indicate that all

the desires are tied up along with the desires for the Lord.

 

2. When visiting divya kshetrams like Tirumala, one needs to shed all

the desires but the desire for the Lord Venkateswara should not be

removed. To indicate this when offering the head gear, all the hair

including the mustache (most important one which displays the macho

tendency undesirable before the Purushottaman) needs to be removed and a

sikha needs to be sported at an ideal place (which is regarded as

Brahmarandhram). demonstrating that the desire for the Lord is still

intact. Otherwise a clean shaven head (mottai or bowdigundu) indicates

that all the desires including the one for the Lord is also removed,

which is suicidal.

 

Jai Srimannarayana

 

Sarvaaparaadhamulato

Dr.Kilambi Ramakrishna Ramanuja Dasan

 

Re: [sv-rituals] head shave?

 

At 09:46 AM 3/5/03 +0530, you wrote:

>

>> I was advised by an elderly vaishavaite that vaishhnavaites should

>not get

>> their head shaved (mottai in Tamizh). Is any such thing is being

>said any

>> where in sacred texts? Or is any such mores being adopted? I have

>a prayer

>> with Lord Venkateshwara in Thiurumalai in pending. Can I go ahead

>with

>> offering my hair?

 

>> Learned scholars, please advice.

 

>> Thanx,

>>

>> Narayanan

 

shriimate laksmiihayagriiva lakshmiinaaraayanaabhyaaM namaH

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