Guest guest Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha Divyapadukasevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri NarayanaYatindra Mahadesikaya nama Dear Bhagavathas, your question : why an Iyengar Should not worship Lord Ganesha/Vinayaka Answer: In my opinion , According to Srivaishnava Philosophy , Lord Sriman Narayanan is the only PURUSHOTHAMAN . HE is the only male and all HIS CHIT creations are female and we are supposed to marry him through the wedlock of Saranagathi . So after the performance of Saranagathi with the help of an Acharyan , we should strictly observe the following . Then only our Saranagathi will have a meaning. One should firmly believe that Sriman Narayanan alone is the supreme LORD and Purushothaman and HE alone can give Moksha. All other demi Gods , though may give other benefits in line with their capacity , cannot give Moksha to any one. As such surrendering unto the feet of Lord Sriman Narayanan alone can give us salvation. There is no other way to go. This is called ANANYA GATHITHVAM. Since all the creations are the property of the LORD , which came from HIM at the time of creation , created for the benefit of Chits , we do not have any right to claim anything as our own in this mundane world. So there is nothing that we can offer to the LORD , which is not owned by HIM . This is called AAKINCHANATHVAM. The last though not the least , is the POORNA VISWASAM. We should have implicit faith in LORD that HE will offer us salvation , as we are all HIS children. In the light of the above it is expected from Srivaishnavites to refrain from worshipping Demi Gods in any form rather than doing service and worship to Lord Sriman Narayanan . If we keep worshipping other demi Gods as well after Saranagathi , it would amount to ( in the worldly order ) wife keeping the photograph of another person ( other than her husband ) in privacy after marriage and having satisfaction. It is highly immoral to do such an act and hence to be avoided. Moreover, when one gets an opportunity to deal with the Big boss ( say Chairman ) in a company , why should we go to the people in lower rank , who cannot solve our problem , to get our job done . Does it not look ridiculous ? Trust the matter is clear now. Regards Yours Ramanuja Dasan, G.Sampath. India Careers: Over 50,000 jobsonline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Dear Bhagavatas: In fact, sexual connotations do not cling either to "Parama Atma" nor to the "Jeeva Atma". As pointed out by the author of this note, the husband-wife example is to bring home the need for absolute fidelity to Sriman Narayana. What is sought to be conveyed is, that impressionable as most of are, we should not misled into the belief that any anyadevata could grant Moksha, which is the exclusive right and privilege of Sriman Narayana only. A wish granted for some trivial need by any of anyadevatas might brainwash an impressionable mind to believe that the same anyadevata could also grant Moksha. It is for the edification of these gullible segment that the analogy of husband-wife equation is projected. Hope this clarifies Dasoham Anbil Ramaswamy ====================================================== > your question : why an Iyengar Should not worship Lord Ganesha/Vinayaka > > Answer: > > > According to Srivaishnava Philosophy , Lord Sriman Narayanan is the only > PURUSHOTHAMAN . HE is the only male and all HIS CHIT creations are > female and we are supposed to marry him through the wedlock of > Saranagathi . So after the performance of Saranagathi with the help of > an Acharyan , we should strictly observe the following . Then only our > Saranagathi will have a meaning. ......This analogy is a very good one. However, it does not mean that the relationship between Paramatamn and Jeevatman is 100% identical to the relationship between a male and a female. I feel that what has been given as an analogy for the understanding of the people with a lower intellectual and spiritual level by our teachers has been misinterpreted and carried to the extent of identifying unidentical things in the two things that rae compared. One should firmly believe that Sriman Narayanan alone is the supreme > LORD and Purushothaman and HE alone can give Moksha. All other demi Gods > , though may give other benefits in line with their capacity , cannot > give Moksha to any one. As such surrendering unto the feet of Lord > Sriman Narayanan alone can give us salvation. There is no other way to > go. This is called ANANYA GATHITHVAM. ......Certainly, Srimana Narayana is Prama Purusha, Who is the only One able to help us attain he Parama Purushartha. However, as much as there is nothing wrong in being disrespectful to the other officials in a royal court, with the ultimate respect to the king, the superiormost int he court, there is nothing wrong in being respectful to the other positions under Sriman Naryana. > > Since all the creations are the property of the LORD , which came from > HIM at the time of creation , created for the benefit of Chits , we do > not have any right to claim anything as our own in this mundane world. > So there is nothing that we can offer to the LORD , which is not owned > by HIM . This is called AAKINCHANATHVAM. > > The last though not the least , is the POORNA VISWASAM. We should have > implicit faith in LORD that HE will offer us salvation , as we are all > HIS children. > > In the light of the above it is expected from Srivaishnavites to refrain > from worshipping Demi Gods in any form rather than doing service and > worship to Lord Sriman Narayanan . If we keep worshipping other demi > Gods as well after Saranagathi , it would amount to ( in the worldly > order ) wife keeping the photograph of another person ( other than her > husband ) in privacy after marriage and having satisfaction. It is > highly immoral to do such an act and hence to be avoided. > ......I do not think that worshipping demigods would mean any disservice to SrimanNarayana; doing namsakaram to an education minister does not mean any offense to the king, who has appointed the minister, does it? Showing reverence to the appointed does not mean disrespect to the person who has appointed, as long as the Superior knows that you have full trust in, faithfulness to Him! Also, in what way is the phrase "in privacy" apporopriate here in the analogy?! Where does the question of morality come if the analogy is understood as an analogy, not as an identical situation? > Moreover, when one gets an opportunity to deal with the Big boss ( say > Chairman ) in a company , why should we go to the people in lower rank , > who cannot solve our problem , to get our job done . Does it not look > ridiculous ? > ......By the same token, Srivaishnavism advocates that there is no need for the devotee to go to anyone, once he has complete faith in the Supreme and does his duty. Doing the duty is the responsibility of the individual, and the result is beyond him. This does not mean that the individual is to ignore Paramatman. Out of love, he worships Narayana, just lke a child would hug his mother, not necessarily because the child wants something from the mother. The mother would do whtever need to be done for the child, anyway. Is it wrong for the child to hug his aunt, brother, uncle, or sister? Of course, the love of a child towards his mother is a lot more than towards the others, though the child loves others also! Isn't it similar to a Narayanabhakta showing reverence to Ganapati? His devotion towards Narayana will not diminish just by showing reverence to Ganapati. > Trust the matter is clear now. > ......Please do understand that I, as a student, am putting forth these arguments more in terms of Poorvapaksha-Siddhanta so that I can myself learn from the points of view of various scholars, for whom I have great respect. As much as I have been taught not to question the elders, many scholars under whom I have studied have encouraged me to think and question for which they have provided great answers provided by authoritative siddhantavakyas of our great acharyas. I look forward to more clarification in this regard. Regards, Adiyen, Ramanujadasi > Regards > > Yours Ramanuja Dasan, G.Sampath. > > > > India Careers: Over 50,000 jobsonline. > > > > > > * Sponsor* > > <http://us.ard./SIG=129evptrn/M=295196.4901138.6071305.3001176/D=groups\ /S=1705077013:HM/EXP=1089423885/A=2128215/R=0/SIG=10se96mf6/*http://companion.ya\ hoo.com> > > > ------ > * Links* > > * > / > > * > > <?subject=Un> > > * Terms of > Service <>. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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