Guest guest Posted October 4, 2005 Report Share Posted October 4, 2005 Dear Sri Krishna, The donning of thiruman on the forehead and other parts of the body is meant for both men and women, as it is really intended to imply something that we are feeling from within our true nature, our soul - if you will - an eternal loving connection to the Supreme Being and to all that is His, namely this world. However, for biological reasons the locations of thiruman for the ladies is mainly limited to the forehead, although I have heard about some of the more orthodox donning it on their throat, as well. In recognition of their femininity and sacredness, the ladies' version of the of the thiruman has as slightly different shape, resembling what Andal and Thayar adorn in the temples. This is generally a stylized V -shape below the eyebrows using the white thiruman, with the red thiruchurnam starting at the notch of the V and going up to the middle or top of the forehead. Please note that in proper SriVaishnava language, the term for na:mam is " Thiruman " , meaning " sacred earth " . There is a reason for this, that I share with the list, if interested. adiyen Ramanuja dasan Mohan , honganour krishna <hokrishna> wrote: > Sri: > > Thank you very much for the response. I checked the URL you have mentioned and it is very helpful. > > I have one more question. Are ladies allowed to donn their forehead with the Srivishnava namam? > > Adiyen Krishna Ramanuja Dasan > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 SwaminathanYH wrote: > dear sri.mohan, > > Please do share your thoughts on the explanation of > " Thiruman " , meaning " sacred earth " . > > > > dasan > > swaminathan > Here is what I can piece together based on what I have from learned from my teacher and my studies in comparitive religion: The earliest forms of civilization were largely agrarian, centered on the land and the harvesting of crops. So, most ancient cultures had a deep regard for the earth as having a crucial role in their lives and in their well-being. Indeed, the earliest concepts of God came from our view of the earth and how we relate to it, an attitude that continues in most older religious traditions. It is for this reason that we continue to identify the earth as Bhu Devi, an aspect of Lakshmi, Who just like a mother, nurtures us with Her very body, and provides for all our needs. During the hot afternoons, it was known that many farmers would take mud from the banks of nearby streams or rivers and rub it on their bodies to keep cool. I am sure that one can easily see how the cool mud on a hot summer day could be seen as a healing and sacred experience. Hence the name " Thiruman " or " sacred earth. " Over time, the wearing of this became identified with sacredness in general, and many shapes may have evolved to serve as different metaphors for various types of sacred experience. In the case of SriVaishnavas, the shape that evolved clearly identifies the fact that the Lord traversed the world with one of His Three Great Steps. So, to don this means we are recognizing ourselves as accepting the His Feet on our Head, i.e.,, we are accepting that we are His vassals, ready to do His Bidding. Adding to this is the fact that our Revered Acharyas walked, bathed, and applied earth from the very same locations in which the Thiruman is made. The dust of the feet of these holy ones can only add to our reverence for the earth, adding to the meaning of the name. With regards to Srikanth's question, I am not familiar with the sloka. But, I am hoping that others more knowledgable than me will contribute. adiyen Ramanuja dasan Mohan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Hello Srikanth, This is from the mrittika sUkta and are a set of Vedic mantras: uddhritAsi varAheNa kRshNena SatabAhunA | bhUmir dhenur dharaNI lokadhAriNI | mRittike hana me pApam yan mayA dushkRtam kRtam | tvayA hatena pApena jIvAmi SaradaH Satam | mRttike dehi me pushTim tvayi sarvam pratishTitam | Of course this is recited with the appropriate svara as befits the Vedic language. with regards > > Respected Sirs, > Pranam. My father while donning thruman, used to say a slokam that > goes like " Mruthike - dheHimay Pushtim... " - meaning " hey Sacred mud! give me > all prosperity... " . I forgot the full slokam. Can somebody help me with > this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Harihi Aum: It would be nice if someone can translate this slokam into English for clear understanding. Thanks Adiyen Krishna Ramanuja DasanMani Varadarajan <mani wrote: Hello Srikanth,This is from the mrittika sUkta and are a set of Vedic mantras:uddhritAsi varAheNa kRshNena SatabAhunA | bhUmir dhenur dharaNIlokadhAriNI | mRittike hana me pApam yan mayA dushkRtam kRtam |tvayA hatena pApena jIvAmi SaradaH Satam | mRttike dehi me pushTimtvayi sarvam pratishTitam |Of course this is recited with the appropriate svara as befitsthe Vedic language. with regards> > Respected Sirs,> Pranam. My father while donning thruman, used to say aslokam that > goes like "Mruthike - dheHimay Pushtim..." - meaning "hey Sacredmud! give me > all prosperity...". I forgot the full slokam. Can somebody help me with > this...-----------------srirangarAja charaNAmbhuja rAja hamsamsrimad parAnkusa padhAmbhuja brungarAjam|sri bhattanAtha parakAla mukhAbhja mitramsrivatsachihnna saranam yathirAjameedE||I pay homage to Sri Ramanuja, the swan who has chosen the Lotus Feet of Sri Ranganatha as his refuge;who is collecting the pollen and nectar from the flower-like feet of Parankusa (NammAzhwAr); who brightens like the sun the faces of Bhattanatha (PeriAzhwAr) and Parakala (Thirumangai AzhwAr), andwho is the refuge of Kuresa! Honganour Srinivasarangachar Krishna E-Mail: hokrishna for Good Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 10, 2005 Report Share Posted November 10, 2005 Mr. Mani Varadarajan, Very good post. I have a another doubt. Pardon me for this digression. If I am not mistaken, I read somewhere in the net wherein U had stated that the "thirumeni" of Sri Udayavar at Srirangam is not actually HIS but that it is an idol that was kept atop his mortal remains & also it was a ploy of the priests to consistently "maintain" that the thirumeni was indeed Udayavar's for the sake of business & patronage. This came as a shock to a devoted follower of Sri Ramanujar like me & I am sure to many others as well. I am not penning this mail to argue with U but only to know the facts. If as U say the thirumeni is not Udayavar's, then when was the idol sculpted? We all know that that the other 2 idols of Udayavar at Sriperumbudur & Melkote had His concurrence & approval. Also, I know of a priest who was allowed to apply paccha kalpuram to the Thirumeni at Srirangam & perform worship & he also vouchsafed the fact that it was indeed the Thirumeni (in fact the finger nails have grown). I also do not see any need on part of the priests to maintain any secrecy on this count. I am sure that a lot of many others are interested in knowing the real fact. I trust U will give a detailed explaination substatntiating Ur claim that would be both educative & illuminating to all devoted followers of Sri Ramanujar Thanks & regards, sanjay kumar Mani Varadarajan <mani wrote: Hello Srikanth,This is from the mrittika sUkta and are a set of Vedic mantras:uddhritAsi varAheNa kRshNena SatabAhunA | bhUmir dhenur dharaNIlokadhAriNI | mRittike hana me pApam yan mayA dushkRtam kRtam |tvayA hatena pApena jIvAmi SaradaH Satam | mRttike dehi me pushTimtvayi sarvam pratishTitam |Of course this is recited with the appropriate svara as befitsthe Vedic language. with regards> > Respected Sirs,> Pranam. My father while donning thruman, used to say aslokam that > goes like "Mruthike - dheHimay Pushtim..." - meaning "hey Sacredmud! give me > all prosperity...". I forgot the full slokam. Can somebody help me with > this...-----------------srirangarAja charaNAmbhuja rAja hamsamsrimad parAnkusa padhAmbhuja brungarAjam|sri bhattanAtha parakAla mukhAbhja mitramsrivatsachihnna saranam yathirAjameedE||I pay homage to Sri Ramanuja, the swan who has chosen the Lotus Feet of Sri Ranganatha as his refuge;who is collecting the pollen and nectar from the flower-like feet of Parankusa (NammAzhwAr); who brightens like the sun the faces of Bhattanatha (PeriAzhwAr) and Parakala (Thirumangai AzhwAr), andwho is the refuge of Kuresa! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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