[RamanujaMission] Saligramam articles - 4

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Dear Bhaghavatas:

I am posting the four articles on Saligramam one by one.

This was posted initially in Oppliappan groups.(These were not posted by me.

A sishya of HH Poundareekapuram Andavan posted these.)

Many of you could not get it/or not open the attachments.

adiyen

Lakshmana dasan

 

Shri:

 

Shrimathe Gopala Desika Mahadesikaaya nama:

 

Gandakyaah cha uttarae theerae giriraajasya dakshinae

 

kshetram tu vishnu sannidhdhyaath sarvakshetroththamoththamam

 

In the south of Himalayas, on the north side of Gantaki river, nitya

sannidhaanam - permanent presence - of vishnu exists.This is the holiest of

all holy places. Many holy rivers flow here.

 

This place is vast, spread over 12 yojanas. The Chakra river flows thru

here. This river was created by Brahma. In the northern part of this river,

there exists a mountain whose rocks exhibit the symbols of Vishnu. People

who visit the southern side of this river are very fortunate, since only

there , the matsya and kurma saaligraama murthies are found. These murthies

have been sculpted with different chakras caused by the drawings of the worm

vajrakeetam. These murthies confer on us the four purushartas viz,

dharma-artha-kaama-moksha. The murthies are of two types : jalajangal (borne

out of water) and stalajangal(borne out of earth).

 

murthyah dvividhaah gneyaah jalajaah stalajaah thathaa

 

jalasthham komalam snigdham thatasthham parusham smrutam

 

Those got in water are soft and beautiful. Those borne out of earth are

rough and hard.These murthies can be blue, black, yellow, white , red and

very red and of honey colour and multi-coloured. Those with the chakra in

the middle or left , or with the fully formed chakra or which are

round-faced or those with the lines of lotus and vanamaala are fit for

thiruvaaraadhanam.

 

Amongst these the blue ones give all benefits , the black fame, white moksha

and Yellow money and multi-faceted happiness, and the red, kingdom.

 

Those with the chakra on the mid and left benedict good progeny - putra and

poutras - and fame , those with vanamaala benedict a good spouse -

patni-soubhagyam , round-faced ones benedict enjoyment of objects and

vak-vilasam or clarity in speech, those with padma chakra bring material

prosperity - soubhagyam, dhaanyam and cattle.

 

Generally, the saaligraamam that are be too big or too small or too broken

or very black or very rough are not preferred.

 

Those of the size of elandai fruit or gooseberry and having two small tiny

chakras or the preferred ones.

 

tasyaameva sadaa kaalam shriyaa saha vasaamyaham

 

I stay in these murthies along with Mahalakshmi - says the Lord.

 

Amongst the saaligraamams, the smaller ones are the better ones.

 

vylakshanyam visheshena gnyatum shakyam na vai kalou

 

varna rupadhyavayavai: pramanabila laanchnai:

 

vipraanaam murthayah sarvapujaniya prayathnathaha

 

In the kali yuga, it is the difficult to choose a saaligraamam based on its

characteristics like the color, shape, holes. So, the bramhins perform

aaradhanam to all murthies with devotion.

 

Odd no.of murthies should not be kept. One murthy can be kept as an

exception. Hence, 3, 5 etc. no. of murthies are not to be kept together.

They have to be placed in different boxes and aaradhanam performed separately.

 

Amongst even no. of murthies, 2 should not be kept. If any no. other than

4,6,8 murthies are present.

 

There are 81 types of murthies for which pooja can be performed. Their

general classification is as follows :-

 

Dashavatarams - 10 types

 

keshavaadhi.... 12 types

 

vaasudevaadhi.... - 4 types

 

Even if murthies have dosham, it is perfectly all right to have a darshan of

them . This gives us all benefits. Only when one prays for a specific

benefit, the color, shape of the murthy matters. Those who pray for no

specific benefits, the shila-lakshanam does not matter; both material

benefits and moksha are bound to be begotten.

 

saaligrama shila yatra, yatra dwaaravathi shila, shankam tu tulasi patram,

tatra sannihitho hari:

 

saaligramodhbhavaha devo devo dwaaravathee bhavaha

 

dubhayaha sangamo yatra brahma hatyaam vyapohati

 

vishnu padodakam nityam shirasa dharayeth pibeth

 

agnishtoma sahasrasya vaajapeya shathasya cha

 

yath punyam labhathe nityam vishnoh naivedhya bhakshanaath

 

Narayana is always present where the saaligraamam, dwaraka murthies, tulasi

and white conch lie. In a house where the dwaraka shila and saaligraama

shila lie together, even bramha-hatti dosha - the sin of killing a bramhin-

will not affect the residents. Those who perform aaradhanam of saaligrama

and have performed the gayaa snaanam, will be freed from all sins and a lakh

bramha-hatti sins. Those who bear the aaradhana theertam on the head or

drink it will get moksha for sure. One who eats the food which has been

offered to the saaligraamam, is like one who has performed a 1000 agnishtoma

and 100 vajapeya yagnas. Japa, dhyaana, and homas performed in front of the

saaligraama shila, will yield benefits 1000 fold.

 

 

 

narayana, narayana, narayana

 

The above is a translation of the article in Tamil by HH Paravakottai Swami

of Prakrutam Aandavan of Poundarikapuram Ashramam, SriRangam.