nachiyar.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

PA.

The Pancharatra theology developed over time. It presents a dualistic theory on how creation manifested from a godhead, as the Purusha-Prakriti and as the masculine-feminine manifestations of the divine. It states that the creation emerged through vyuhas (arrangements). In the beginning, states Pancharatra doctrine, there was only Vāsudeva-Krishna (Vishnu-Narayana, Vāsudeva literally means "indwelling deity") as the highest changeless god. It arranged into Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarama) as the lord over all life, then Pradyumna creating mind, and Aniruddha as ego (ahamkara). Thereafter, Brahma emerged from Aniruddha who created the empirical universe. Thus, the divinity was and is everywhere in Pancaratra, but in different aspects, one form or phase emerging from the previous.

During the 11th century CE Ramanuja, a founder of Sri Vaishnava traditions of Vaisnavism had established the Pancharatra system of Vaisnavism for his followers. His philosophy of worship of Narayana was based on the pancaratric teachings.

Ramanuja taught that the deity absolute, Parabrahman, manifests in five possible aspects: Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Antaryamin, and Archa. Living beings can interact with the divine through one or another of these five:

Para: the invisible, eternal supreme ;
Vyuha: the invisible, impermanent supreme in form;
Vibhava: also called the Avatharam, are the incarnations of the supreme in various yuga (eras in Hindu cosmology) such as the Dashavatara;
Antaryamin: not directly perceptible but can be inferred, the aspect of supreme whose presence can be felt by the devotee;
Archa: visible icon form, filled with symbolism, consecrated in temples or revered images inside home (Shalagrama, conch shell, festive decorations), a means to remember and meditate on the supreme.

To worship Lord in temples- The ancient civilization systematically developed cities, towns and villages according to the scriptures written with Vedic knowledge and build temples to consecrate the Idol of lord and prescribed the rules to worship, offering, to do festivals by bring people together from all walks of life with all civic sense. Interestingly, while doing festivals the scriptures insist clean environment and maintaining of medical, stay and food facilities for pilgrimage visit the festival.

The Vyuha-related Pancharatra theology is a source of the primary and secondary avatar-related doctrines in traditions of Hinduism, particularly Sri Vaishnavism. According to Barbara Holdrege, a professor and comparative historian of religions, the Pancharatra doctrines influenced both Sri Vaishnavism and Gaudiya Vaishnavism, albeit a bit different. In Sri Vaishnavism, Vishnu-Narayana is supreme, while Vāsudeva, Samkarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the four Vyuhas. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the Vyuha theory is more complex, Krishna (Vāsudeva) is "Svayam Bhagavan" (the ultimate or Para Brahman) who manifests as Vyuhas, and he along with Samkarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the Vyuhas and the Purusha-avataras of the material realm.

in Srirangam Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple "Sri Paramesvara Samhita", a variant of paushkara samhita is followed and in practice.

In Sri Kanchipuram Varadaraja Swamy temple "Sri Jayakhya Samhita" is followed and in practice. In Sri Melukote Cheluva Narayana Swamy temple "Sri Ishwara samhita" is followed and in practice. In Tiruvellarai Sri Pundarikaksha Swamy Temple "Sri Paadma Samhita" is followed and in practice. In Tirukkudantai (kumbakONam) Aravamudhan Sarngapani is worshipped with "Sriprasna samhita". Rest of the places use Padma samhita or its variants. Gaudiya Vaishnavas follow Brahma Samhita and "Naradiya Samhita".

The Pancharatra texts are samhitas and tantras which both classify as Agama due to subject matter. The Agamas are predominantly divided into Saiva, Sakta and Vaishnava Agamas. The Vaishnava Agamas are Pancharatra Agama and Vaikhanasa Agama and they conclude Brahman as Narayana or Vishnu. The Mahabharata subscribes to the Pancharatra philosophy in its Narayaniya section. Author Vishnulok Bihari Srivastava says, "Pancharatra has been discussed in the Narayanopakhyana section of Mahabharata. It has been mentioned that Narada had imbibed the essence of this tantra from the Sage Narayana. It has been accepted as part of Veda named Ekayana. As many as 215 Pancharatra Samhitas have been mentioned in Kapinjala Samhita".^[35] Given are a list of Samhitas, mainly based on the list of the Sanskrit texts from the H. Daniel Smith Agama Collection, Cleveland, Ohio:

v t e Pāñcarātra system
	Vyūhas	Image	Attributes	Symbol	Direction	Face	Concept
Narayana Vishnu	Vāsudeva		Chakra Wheel Gadā Mace Shankha Conch	Garuda Eagle	East	Saumya (Placid/ benevolent)	Bala Strength
	Samkarsana		Lāṅgala Plough Musala Pestle Wine glass	Tala Fan palm	South	Simha Lion	Jṅāna Knowledge
	Pradyumna		Cāpa Bow Bāṇa Arrow	Makara Crocodile	West	Raudra Kapila	Aiśvaryā Sovereignty
	Aniruddha		Carma Shield Khaḍga Sword	Ṛṣya (ऋष्य) White-footed antelope	North	Varaha Boar	Śakti Power

guru guides.

There comes a stage in life of devotees wherein they want to surrender to the Divine and remain blessed. There are many ways to accomplish this, but the best margam is through an Acharya or Guru. There is a Tamil saying, ‘ Mata, Pita, Guru, Deivam’ which clearly establishes the importance of a Guru. Even in the era of digital gadget gurus, only an Acharya well versed in scriptures can help one get the grace of Thayar, who then recommends to Perumal that He accept the devotee, said Dhamal Perundevi in a discourse.

A lotus always blooms with the sun shining on it in a pond, but the minute it is plucked and left outside the pond, the same flower wilts under the same sun. The lotus signifies jeevatma and only under an Acharya can it attain full bloom and reach Paramatma. In Daya Satakam, Sri Vedanta Desika says, “ Vigahe tirthabahulam Sitalam gurusantatim/ Srinivasa dayambodhi parivahaparamparam; meaning: I bathe in the cool and refreshing streams, full of water which flow in uninterrupted continuity from that great reservoir which is the storage of Srinivasa’s mercy, the streams constituted by the hierarchy of acharyas, in whom the Lord’s grace flows. Srinivasa’s karunai is a vast lake and from there rivulets descend upon acharyas, like footsteps in a lake.

sishai, sindhai

In Tamil, the pyre is called ‘sidhai’ and the thought from our mind is called ‘sindhai’. It is often asked which of the two is dangerous — sidhai or sindhai? While sidhai is not sentient, sindhai is considered dreadful because it lives. If we develop bad thoughts out of animosity and jealousy, they lead us to our downfall. The scriptures say we need to have clarity in our thoughts to be good. The guidelines of the Ithihasas and Puranas are to be lit as lamps (deepa) in our heart to dispel evil thoughts. If we push back our sensual pleasures and bring our knowledge to the fore, we can improve.

Worship without anticipation of anything in return is called bhakti. We need to exercise patience in our devotion.

Sage Narada was travelling on Earth when he met two persons. One was a great learned scholar and the other a lay man. Both of them asked the sage when they would get moksha. Narada replied that he would go to heaven, enquire, and come back. After some time, Narada met the learned scholar and told that he had to take four more births. The scholar felt sorry and began wondering why he should do all the poojas. The sage met the lay man and, showing him a tamarind tree, told him that he would have to count the leaves of the tree and take as many births. The lay man was happy, leaping in joy, thinking God would take him one day. At once, a voice from the sky said the lay man would be liberated because of his faith (viswasam), purity of mind from The Hindu 21.5.23.

Monday, May 15, 2023

Memoir.

Trip down memory lane. Last Friday at Javgal as annually we visit the family deity and enjoy great bonhomei of the village folks.

5.5.23.

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Exuberance divine.

🌼 The Divine whom we seek is not far off and inaccessible. He is at the very heart of His creation, and what He wants us to do is to find Him and, through personal transformation, to become capable of knowing Him, uniting with Him and finally of manifesting Him consciously.

We must consecrate ourselves to this; it is the true reason for our existence.

And our first step towards this sublime realisation is the manifestation of the supramental consciousness.

20 March 1972

🌸 The Mother ( More Answers from The Mother, Volume-17, page no.379)

The MotherChapter I

There are two powers that alone can effect in their conjunction the great and difficult thing which is the aim of our endeavour, a fixed and unfailing aspiration that calls from below and a supreme Grace from above that answers.

But the supreme Grace will act only in the conditions of the Light and the Truth; it will not act in conditions laid upon it by the Falsehood and the Ignorance. For if it were to yield to the demands of the Falsehood, it would defeat its own purpose.

These are the conditions of the Light and Truth, the sole conditions under which the highest Force will descend; and it is only the very highest supramental Force descending from above and opening from below that can victoriously handle the physical Nature and annihilate its difficulties . . . There must be a total and sincere surrender; there must be an exclusive self-opening to the divine Power; there must be a constant and integral choice of the Truth that is descending, a constant and integral rejection of the falsehood of the mental, vital and physical Powers and Appearances that still rule the earth-Nature.

The surrender must be total and seize all the parts of the being. It is not enough that the psychic should respond and the higher mental accept or even the inner vital submit and the inner physical consciousness feel the influence. There must be in no part of the being, even the most external, anything that makes a reserve, anything that hides behind doubts, confusions and subterfuges, anything that revolts or refuses.

Sunday, May 7, 2023

G o C

Are you aware why Kerala State is called "God's Own Country"?

The younger generation may not know and older generation may have forgotten the history behind this. Below is the background :

When India got independence on 15th August 1947, the Travancore Kingdom did not join the Indian Union Government. The Diwan of Travancore announced in June, 1947 itself that the Travancore Kingdom will be a separate country by itself.

During that period, Travancore was well developed with Public Transport, Telephone Network, and Heavy Engineering Industries. The King undertook all the expenses of the University. Also, all Hindus were allowed to enter into all the Temples without any caste bias which was prevalent throughout India at that time.

When talks were on between the Indian representatives and the King Chithirai Thirunal Balarama Varma, to make Travancore Kingdom as part of Indian Union, the King said, "this land does not belong to me. It belongs to Lord Anantha Padmanabha Swamy and I am only the custodian. If Lord Ananthan asks me to do, I will oblige". The Indian authorities did not believe this and considered the King's statement was just to dodge the issue.

But the Travancore authorities showed them a Palm Leaf dated 20th January, 1750 signed by the then Travancore King Anizhom Thirunal Marthanda Varma in favour of the Lord Padmanabha Swamy indicating that the entire Travancore Kingdom extending from today's Kanyakumari and Paravoor, belongs to the Lord.

This is the reason, why the Kerala State is called "God's Own Country".

Pls spread this info to all our folks especially. youngsters.

This information was published in a recent issue of the Tamil Weekly Thuglak.

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Vss.

https://youtu.be/qZHFEiIVM5Y

śrī viṣṇōḥ ṣōḍaśanāmastōtram

auṣadhē cintayēd viṣṇuṃ bhōjanē ca janārdanam

śayanē padmanābhaṃ ca vivāhē ca prajāpatim

yuddhē cakradharaṃ dēvaṃ pravāsē ca trivikramam

nārāyaṇaṃ tanutyāgē śrīdharaṃ priyasaṅgamē

dussvapnē smara gōvidaṃ saṅkaṭē madhusūdanam

kānanē nārasiṃhaṃ ca pāvakē jalaśāyinam

jalamadhyē varāhaṃ ca parvatē raghunandanam

gamanē vāmanaṃ caiva sarvakālēṣu mādhavam

ṣōḍaśaitāni nāmāni prātaruthāya yaḥ paṭhēt

sarvapāpavinirmuktō viṣṇulōkē mahīyatē

śrī viṣṇōḥ ṣōḍaśanāmastōtraṃ samāptam.