Questions And Answers

 

 

Sri U. Ve Velukkudi Krishnan Swamy answers your questions on spirituality, Sri Vaishnava Sampradhaya and Sanathana Dharma.

If you have questions on these topis, you are welcome to submit those through this website. Based on the relevence, importance and uniqueness, the questions will be answered and published in this column. Please click on "Ask a Spiritual Question" for submitting a question.

Kindly avoid asking generic questions regarding the Trust, CDs or Upanyasams under the "Spiritual Quest" section.

 

Question ID: 545 - Namaskarams, While explaining about Viswarup in the battle field. You said that Lord Krisha gave a special set of eyes to Arjuna and Sanjaya for the Viswarupa Seva. But on 09/10/08 program, while worshipping "Karagathan" you said that all of them in the battle field including Gowravas had a chance to Viswarupa Seva...Please Explain whether all of them in the battle field of Mahabharatha got Viswaroopa seva. Seeking the blessings of Ramanuja..... Vinodh - Question By - Vinodh, vinod53vinodh54@yahoo.co.in

 

The complete visvarupa was visualised only by Arjuna and sanjaya. Krishna wanted to make Bhishma Drona and the like awe struck and Duryodana and his allies freightened. For that He made them see a part of visvarupa enough to make them feel so or gave them that feeling alone which one might get by seeing the visvarupa. If Arjuna alone had seen, without anybody expressing any feeling, then Arjuna may doubt that the whole visvarupa is an illussion. Now seeing the reaction of others he was assured about the truth in visvarupa and supremacy of Sri Krishna.

 

Question ID: 544 - Swamin, Nanmugan Thiruvandhadhi pasuram 63 ends as 'vaNangi vazhipattum pooosiththum pokinen podhu'. Adiyen is the leader of a group that is more like .... 'suNangi' vazhipattum 'pusiththum' pokinen podhu. But, of late, this leadership role of mine is ever so slightly but progressively being shaken as adiyen continue listening to devareer's upanyasams. Thank you so much for providing us the guiding light. --------- adiyen's question is here swami: A saranagathan should pray only for kainkaryam to Him. Is it acceptable for the saranagathan to pray to ramanujar or perumal that an other person (not a relative) should lose his bad habits and ways and should become congruent to his father's noble way of life? Or would that be equivalent to asking something to peruman when He knows what to do when, and so the sarangathan should not pray such things? - Question By - Raghu, adiyenraghu@yahoo.com

 

We can certainly pray for every fellow citizen to become a bhakta. This is not wrong.

 

Question ID: 543 - 1)I am basically a thengalai sect Iyengar. When and why did this two sects come into existance? 2)What are vaikanasam, panchrathram and munithram? 3) In some thengalai temples, vadagalai battars are performing pooja. How and why? - Question By - SUKUMAR A, vedhavahini_bsnl@dataone.in

 

1. I am not aware of the date. 2. vaikhanasam and pancaratram are two methods of worships in temples. 3. munitrayam is a sampradaya being followed by one section of vadakalayars. 4. There is a long history for each temple and how vadakalai bhattars are serving in tenkalai temples and tenkalai bhattars are serving in vadakalai temples. You will have to study the history of those temples.

 

Question ID: 542 - swamy, the geetha says surrender your thoughts and actions and prayers to me and i will protect you.yet we see situations in day to day life that certain prayers we sincerely offer to the lord sometimes repeatedly sometimes over many years seem to be never answered or remedied.yet the geetha recommends total surrender. while I understand that the ultimate goal of human birth is moksha for those of us still mired in responsibilities and looking for divine interventions for some life issues where reasonable human interventions doesnt seem to work , should one accept that it is strong prarabdha which even the bhagwan cannot resolve .In that case isnt bhagvans promise that he will rush to any bhagavatha calling out to him at anytime sometimes doesnt happen. what is the explanation for this, and how do you still keep faith. - Question By - ukodiyalam, ukodiyalam@hotmail.com

 

One has to necessarily exhaust his karma before attaining moksham. When we surrender to Sri Krishna he wipes our sanchita karmas and re schedules our prarabdha karma to experience the effect of them from the day of saranagati to the last day. On that last day all karmas get exhausted and we attain moksham. So when He says that he releases of our karma He does not mean He removes them on that day of saranagati and then on keeps us happy till the last day. If we enjoy in that period we would again get attracted to samsara and lose interest in srivaikuntha. the more we experience pain the more we long for moksham. So Krishna's promise for release from karma is once for all and not for a temporary period while we are in this material world. So we must take our suffering in the right spirit that we are exhausting our karma in this last birth. It does not mean that karma is stronger than krishna. He is only taking us through a progressive path.

 

Question ID: 541 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Dear Swamiji, Can you please suggest me a good book in Tamil on Srimad Baghavatham? Also suggest the place where the book is available. Namaskarams - Balaji - Question By - Balaji, hi.balaji@gmail.com

 

There are not many. You can find a couple of editions in jayalakshmi indological books opposite to mylapore anjaneyar temple.

 

Question ID: 540 - Respected Swamin, Dasasya Vignyapanam. I've a question about lineage. Tamil SriVaishanvites are said to be from the linegae based on Guruparamparai that extends upto the present day Acharya.We also have Gothrams. For eg., My father's Acharya swami is Sri.Sri.U.Ve. Koil Kandadai Appan Swami of Sriperumpudhur and my father's Gothram is Bhardwaja My father-in-law's , who in turn is our respected acharya, is Sri. Sri. U.VE. Sirupuliyur Suddha Satvachariyar whose Thirumaligai is in Srivilliputhur and our family Gothram is Gargeya Gothram. How can we trace our lineage? Is it based on gothram or Acharya swami? Garga Maharishi is the son of Bhardwaja Maharishi. How are there 2 different Gothrams based on both of these great sages? Vasaga Dosham Kshamitharulavum. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Vidhya Vasudevan, vidya_vasudevan@yahoo.com

 

Kindly do not confuse between gotram and acharya. you can refer to the answer to q no 529 for an explanation of gotrams. Gotrams sutram etc are based on our birth in a particular varna which is more to do with our body. Acharya sambandham is eventually for Ramanuja sambandham which reaches the atman to srivaikuntha. so acharya sambandham relates to the atman.

 

Question ID: 538 - Respected Swami, Guru ve Charanam. AdiyEn 33 years old women thengalai Iyengar. AdiyEn have been listening to Swamin?s ?Upanyasam? everyday for the past one year and trying to follow everything possible. AdiyEn have few basic questions in my mind, kindly clarify them. 1. Is there any specific number of times to do Namaskarams for God, Acharyas & elders? 2. There is ?Gagendra azwar? sannidhi in some Vaishnava temples. Is it in our Sri Vashnava Sampradhayam? Is there any meaning for the ?Aadhyantha prabu? piture. (Gagendra and Jai Hanumar)? 3. Can AdiyEn keep my ?iraiyadi eidhina? mother's and inlaw's photos in the pooja room? Can AdiyEn offer them the ?kandarul prasadham?of Sriman Narayana before AdiyEn eat? Guruve thangal Thirupadhangale Charanam! - Question By - Latha Kannan, klathu@gmail.com

 

1. tenkalayars prosprate once before god or acharyas or parents. 2. Gajanana placed at entrane of Sri Vishnu temple, is a chieftain in the army of Vishvaksena who in turn is the senapathy of Sriman narayana. I am not aware of the picture which you have mentioned 3. You can have the photos of your inlaws. Tiruvaradhanam is offered only to perumal azhvar and acharyas.

 

Question ID: 537 - Namaskaram, I read 'SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM' , in that it is given there are seven dvipas .I am having a doubt that whether this dvipas are in this earth or in this galaxy ? If it is so , it should be visible for reseachers ? But they have not reported like this ? Or that can be seen only when atma attains moksha? Sorry for asking so much questions.My name is HARISH.R, I am from chennai. - Question By - Harish, Sriharish315@yahoo.com

 

Bhu; is the first of upper worlds (there are totally 7 upper worlds). It's extent is much bigger than the world we know from japan to california. this bhu: is divided into seven dvipas, the central one where we live is jambu dvipa. The extent of this is 10,00,000 miles which is way beyond the world we know. As accepted by the researchers many more galaxies, stars and planets exist. They may be found in the coming years.

 

Question ID: 536 - Dear Swamy, Please let us know if food cooked in microwave oven can be offered to perumal. Also kindly let us know the type of vessel (eg. silver, eversilver etc.) to be used to offer food to perumal. Can food offered in the morning be reheated in the evening and taken for dinner? Many thanks in advance for your guidance, adiyen. - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, geethakrishnan@live.com

 

No it cannot be. You can offer in silver, bronze, copper, lead, brass utensils. Reheated food cannot be offered to perumal and so we cannot consume. Instead you can consume food offered to perumal in the morning without reheating in the evening. But this should not be done for the next day.

 

Question ID: 534 - Namaskaaram to Swamigal.. In Bhagavad Gita, Verse 2.18, Bhagawan says "..nithyasyoktha sharirinaha..". I am intrigued by the use of the word "uktha". Lord Krishna, as knowledge personified, can categorically state that "the embodied atma IS eternal". Why does he have to use the term "uktha" to mean "it is said that" while making the above statement? Respectfully, Murali - Question By - Murali, j.linked@gmail.com

 

Any day, the words of the learned and noble souls are more clear and meaningful than the words of Bhagavan. Krishna after preaching gita, suggests to dharma putra to go to bhishma and receive his preachings before the later departs. krishna in gita also says in sloka ...tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya... that we must listen to the gnanis. The words of the learned would appeal more to us as they are also jivas who are appreciate our sufferings and needs better.

 

Question ID: 533 - aham ramanuja dasi, adiyen ramanuja dasan swamigal thiruvadigale saranam, swamin...... i heard that Sundara Kaandam is a mine of spiritual power, reading which devotees can gain mental strength, swamin,due to time constraint, can i read(paarayanam) the Sankshepa Sundara Kaandam,(since i will not be able to spare enough time to read the whole sundara kandam) ? ...please advise me .. - Question By - godhalakshmi, godhags_1@hotmail.com

 

Kindly recite the complete sundara kandam even if it takes two months.

 

Question ID: 532 - My question (more a QUEST) relates a doubt which has been nagging me for long. I am a septuagenerian (about to complete my 70 by 8 Dec 2008) & during my seventy years life I have listened to a lot of spiritual Discourses. My Grand father himself (after whom I have been named) was a Sastrigal in Tirunelveli. I have an unshakeable faithin the Doctrines & sacred utterings of (late) Kanchi Periyaval. Kanchi Periyaval in his book "THE VEDAS" (translated by another sacred soul Late Shri NSS Rajan) says that KARMA is Summum Bonum (meaning Supreme) and that a soul face the consequences {Punya for Good Karma & Sin for bad karma}and that nobody can escape this universal rule. But the VEDAs say (or the Lord Shri Krshna in Geetha says}, "Renounce everything, follow me and You willultimately reach ME, I will pardon/dissolve all your sins and I will grant you Release from all your sins". My ultimate doubt is what will take effect, whether the Karmas done by you or after doing all (good & bad karmas} seeking the Lord's protection. - Question By - KNellaiyappan, KNellaiyappan@yahoo.com

 

Our cycles of birth and death are decided by our karma only. It is true for all that karma rules. When we realise this truth and want to be liberated, we seek protection from Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna's compassion is powerful than karma. Krishna chooses the one to be protected and destroys the karma of that atman. So we have to either go through karma phala or krupa phala. If there is no end to karma then it would mean that there is no end to birth and death. So there would be no meaning in the preachings of any acharya. The tool to end karma is krupa which is what Krishna assures in gita.

 

Question ID: 531 - Adiyaenin namaskarangal. I am srinivasaramanujam, my age is 23. I am having doubt on visvekshenar and vinayakar? I heard they are not the same. I need a clarification on this - Question By - srinivasaramanujam, srinivas_ram19@yahoo.co.in

 

They are not the same. vishvaksena a nityasuri (ever liberated soul) living in Srivaikuntha is the chieftain of Sriman Narayana. He controls this universe with a staff in his hand. vinayaka is the son of Siva.

 

Question ID: 530 - Please kindly accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)From your lectures io have heard that there are brahmana-abrahmana restrictions in chanting of mantra but not the case with nama.That means can we say that a person though born in mlechha family,if trained in brahminical qualities and undergoes pancha samskara etc will be now be able to chant the vedic mantras.By specifying brahmana-abrahmana,did you mean with references to qualities or sacred thread or birth. 2)I've read from Srimad Bhagavatam,prahlad mahj says to his friends"we must not work hard for economic development because material happiness is automatically obtained by the interaction of the 3 gunas.I also heard a vaishnava say that even if you work very hard to increase economic devp you will only get what you deserved according to our past karma.But i feel still that aren't things partially under our control also? For eg if i finish my 10th std and go for a job,or if one finishes his engineering and goes for a job,there will be a difference in the amount he is paid and his material comforts than the former isn't? very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - kishan, kishantns@sify.com

 

1. No he should not as per the sastras. There are two ways in determining caste - by birth and by conduct. all are free to chant namas. 2. I am not clear on this question. However let me try to answer. Yes things are under our control. That is why we must take a decision to be spiritualistic and not materialistic. Inspite of this realisation, why are we so materialistic - because of our inseparable involvement with three gunas.

 

Question ID: 529 - Namaskaaram Swamy. Adiyen would like to know the meaning of abhivaadhaye. What does aavatsaara; aashraya pravaraanvitha, aapasthamba shutra signifies? My gotra is Naithruva Kaishyapa Gothra. - Question By - raghavan, raghavan37@gmail.com

 

abhivaadanam is a polite humble introduction of one self performed during prostration. It identifies one self with reference to the pravara, gotra sutra and the branch of veda. We belong to the lineage of three rishis (pravara), we belong to a rishi by hereditary (gotra) in performing rituals we follow the method of a rishi (sutra) we belong to the stream of a studying brahmam through a particular veda (sakha) . this is a general explanation of the terms we use. I am not aware of specific gotrams.

 

Question ID: 528 - Swamiji, Would like to know the speciality of Deer's skin.Apart from its usage as a floor spread for seating renowned acharyas, small pieces of it are also tied to Poonool's of bramachary's. - Question By - Kannan, kski_in@yahoo.co.uk

 

only some tie it to yajyo pavitam and that too only for the first time and not later. Krishna mentions the use of deer skin in the sloka suchou dese... chela ajina kusottaram while explaining the method of performing yoga.

 

Question ID: 527 - Please kindly accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)Since Nama sankirtana as the main medicine for today is prescribed in Srimad Bhagavatam and other upanishads, has Ramanujacharya on any of his commentary written anything about nama sankirtana as the medicine for the day? 2)I heard in your lecture about 'Nama Sankirtana' that one of the alzwars had spoken,wanted his devotees to perform congregational chanting and dancing of the holy names of the lord,but why isn't congregational chanting and dancing performed as a practise in any of Mutts of sri ramanujacharya,instead sophisticated and the difficult practise of chanting vedic hyms etc performed as a principal sadhana unlike other mutts like Iskcon.Isn't performing it very difficult for the common man of this age? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! ------------------------------------------------------- - Question By - kishan, kishantns@sify.com

 

Nama sankirtana is a medicine which cures our disease of indifference towards Bhagavan and makes us absorbed in His auspicious attributes. It is a constituent of bhakti yoga but not a substitute. For a prapanna it is a pious way to spend his life time. A prapanna (following Ramanuja sampradaya) also chants but not as a means for liberation but as a pastime. It is not a substitute for nitya/naimittika karma anushthana or prapatti or bhakti. It is not a direct means for liberation. Azhvars have told us to chant. They have also sent birds as messengers, sung in bridal mysticism ( nayika bhavam) which all we cannot repeat. So we take their message and only do it as demonstrated by our purva acharyas. Ramanuja in his gita bhashya has talked about nama sankirtana in the commentary to the verse - satatam kirtayanta:...

 

Question ID: 526 - IT IS SAID THAT FOUR VYASA EXISTED AND IT IS BELIEVED THAT DWAYAPAYANA HAS DONE THE WORK OF CODIFICATION OF VEDAS AND UPANISHEDS AND HAS GIVEN US THE EPICS OF MAHABHARATHA ,PURANAS ,AND THE BAGHAVATHAM. HE IS THE SON OF PARASARAR AND FATHER OF VYSAMPAYANA AND SUKHA BRAMAM. AM I CORRECT ? WHERE CAN WE FIND THE DETAILS OF THIS PARTICULAR VYSA ? ADIYEN DASAN OF SWAMI - Question By - R.KRISHNAN, KOTHAIKRISHNAN@MSN.COM

 

Veda vyasa is not an individual. It is a post with a responsibility to which a noble soul gets nominated in each dvapara yuga. we are in the 28th caturyugam now . 25th was sakti 26th was parasara and 28th is krishna dvaipayana 29th would be asvattama. Yes. suka brahmam was the son of krishna dvaipayana. You can find all these details in the veda vibhaga adyaya or sri vishnu puranam.

 

Question ID: 525 - Adiyen Anantha kodi namaskaram swamy having the doubt why we are wearing to lord the silk clothes, we are killing some insects to weave silk know swamy? kindly guide to clear the doubt. Namaskaram - Question By - chithra raj, shreemadhuram@gmail.com

 

Sri Krishna, in gita, has permitted usage of chela (silk cloth) while doing yoga. So it must be right

 

Question ID: 524 - adiyen ramanuja dasan swamiku adiyenin namaskaram.i belong to tirumalai nallanchakravarthy vamsam we are also suyamacharyas.but there is no acharya left who can perform panchasamskaram for me .whom should i approac.kindly guide me - Question By - aravamudhan, mukundsalem@yahoo.co.in

 

There are still acharya purushas in tirumalai nallan chakravarty vamsam who are performing samasrayanam. Kindly contact me after 20th of november. I would let you know. kindly send an email to this effect to kinchitkaram@yahoo.co.in you would get a reply

 

Question ID: 523 - Swamigal Thiruvadigale Saranam. Dear Swami, I am an avid listener of your upanyasams. To my delight, I noticed that your US Upanyasams were uploaded on your website, and have listened to them all. I just have a question regarding your upanyasam 'azhwars prescription for liberation'. I noticed that you have mentioned that the azhwars' time period as per mythology is early dvapara-late kali yugas, and as per history is 7-9th centuries AD. Swami, my doubt is regarding the word 'mythology' which primarily indicates a hypothesis, or legend. I was wondering if you used this word selectively for the audiences in the west, because normally you have always advocated the tradition(such as avatars of Lord, Acharyas, Azhwars, etc.) as a fact and not as a hypothesis/legend. Kindly clarify my doubts. Please excuse any errors I may have made. At your lotus feet, Vidya P. - Question By - Vidya P., govi_60@yahoo.com

 

I had already clarified the right meaning of mythology in another lecture in the US. It seems they interpret mythology from the word myth which is not right. I then used only the word purana in my future lectures.

 

Question ID: 522 - NAMASKARA! According to shastras, is a Brahmin male allowed to marry a Kshatriya female as a primary and only wife ? If so (or if not so), are the resultant progeny considered Brahmins ? Dhanyavaad, vadhula@gmail.com - Question By - RAVI CHANDRASEKHARA, VADHULA@GMAIL.COM

 

Varna sankaram is a papa as per first chapter of Gita

 

Question ID: 521 - My Dear Pujya Swamy, My humble obeisances to your lotus feet. I have had my samasharnayam from the present pontiff of Sri Ahobila Madam in 1996. I am presently participating in all activities of ISKCON, I am yet to take Bhranyasam from my jeer After taking Bhranyasam can i continue my activities in ISKCON and also can i take initiation there. I was working in Dubai and back to India form last 1 year, I am planning to relocate once again back to Dubai where ISKCON congregation is there, hence the above question. Yours Eternal Servant Srinivasan - Question By - srinivasan, ask19586@gmail.com

 

You can get bharanyasam and then join in the bhajans of ISKCON. But you cannot get initiation there. More importantly, be clear about the philosophy of Sri Vaishnavism.

 

Question ID: 518 - ***Om Sri Kooresaya Nama*** Dear Swami, By the grace of Perumal and through perumal bhakthi invoked in me by your upanyasams, adiyen had stayed away from certain ill-habits that were with me for more than 10 years. But I do not know why, adiyen had consumed liquor and had certain unwanted food habits last week, after a gap of keeping away from them 4 months at a stretch. adiyen is now feeling guilty to adorn the SriChoornam, which I am used to wearing everyday. The fear and guilt is not about having had liquor - but about the fact that something else has interested me more than Perumal. Please let me know a way out of such practices. Also let me know whether I can continue to wear Sri Churnam again. Swamigalin kamala paadhangalukku samarpanam, adiyen madhavam - Question By - Sundararajan Arumugam, asrajan199@yahoo.com

 

It is only a priority problem. If we do not realise that pleasing bhagavan is our first priority then we indulge in such acts. If we have no fear or papa and naraka then we indulge in such acts. Better knowledge of these would enable us abstain from such acts. You can wear srichoornam if you repent and promise not to repeat

 

Question ID: 517 - Swamin Whether adoption is allowed in our sampradaya, is there any restrictions on it... Eventhough my heart pushing to adopt a child, on one side I don't want to go agiaint our sampraday... I need your advise on the same Adiyaen Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Hari, iamsrivaishnavan@yahoo.com

 

Adoption is allowed in our sampradaya. Kindly refer to your family brhaspati swamy for the right method.

 

Question ID: 516 - Dear Swamin, Your sevice to our society is unvaluable. We get lot of wealth of information from you to lead our day to day life. I have a question. We say mostly Rama and Krishna are all lived with in Indian Geography. When their existence, were America, Africa and other continent existed or not. That is the question. Regards, P.S.MURALI - Question By - P.S.MURALI, psmurali@yahoo.com

 

all these countries would have existed. purana talks about a 10,00,000 miles jambu dvipa which is much much bigger than the world - between japan and california - we know.

 

Question ID: 515 - Dear Swamin Adiyen wants to understand what is "kaivalyam". Normally what i hear is that all who practice Yoga abhyasam reach this stage and becomes one with bhagavan. However there is a negation also that is mentioned where in it is said that these people do not serve god and always in atmanubhavam. Does our emperuman state so in Geetha ? when a yogi who controls his senses and takes so much effort in knowing the antaryami , should he not get the same as that any other saranagatha would get ? why does he not go to Sri Vaikunta ?Is this why our acharyas do not encourage Karma,Jnana yoga or even Bhakthi Yoga ? When Swami Ramanuja himself is a great Yogi,Bhaktha, why our Udaiyavar did not teach Yoga rahasyams ? Even Acharya Nathamuni was a great Yogeeswaran par excellence? Why do they discourage anything that is not saranagathi ? Please enlighten adiyen. What i can see today is there is no Sri Vaishnava who knows yoga rahasyams. I may be wrong. Kindly pardon if so. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan. - Question By - Bharadwaj G, bharadwaj_g@hotmail.com

 

Nathamunigal was a master in Yoga rahasyam. However his sishya uyyakkondar denied receiving it from him and instead chose to receive and propagate 4000 divya prabandham. The reason he gave was "pinam kidakka manam punarvaar undo" When there is a dead body at home, will we prepare for a wedding ? ie yoga weds an individual with bhagavan. When the whole samsara is withering without spriritual knowledge (similar to death) can I alone enjoy bhagavan through yoga. Instead I would propage 4000 divya prabandha as an elixir to all those samsaris. So our purva acharyas have taken a conscious decision that yoga is not the right prescription for the years to come. Kindly refer to azhvar's pasurams like 1. periazhvar - edu nilattu iduvadan..,2. Nammazhvar - irugal irappennum gnanikkum appayan illayel etc. for the plight of kaivalyarthi.

 

Question ID: 514 - Dear Swamin Adiyen wants to know why geetha was taught only in Dvapar Yuga that too in the fag end of that yuga. Is it meant only for the people of Kali ? Geetha is one single grantham which shows very clearly that Bhagavan is only one and that is our Sriman Naarayanan. Then who did people in Krta, Treta and Dvapara yuga worship ? Why is god wanting to establish truth only at the fag end of 3 yugas ? I may be wrong. Kindly excuse. And all these other non hindu religions were also created by him only right ? does he mention anything about creating many religions in geetha ? - Question By - Bharadwaj G, bharadwaj_g@hotmail.com

 

Gita is before the two popular religions and so there is no mention of other popular religions. however budhism and jainism were there. The subject of gita was not preached by krishna for the first time. Krishna mentions in the beginning of 4th chapter that He had preached the same to vivasvan 28th caturyugams ago. So it is not only for kali yuga but for all yugas. Krishna also mentions that Janaka who lived in treta yuga practised karma yogi for atma saksahatkara.

 

Question ID: 513 - WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SWAMI VEDA VYASA BHATTAR , YOUNGER BROTHER OF SWAMI PARASAR BHATTAR - Question By - SRINIVASARAGHAVAN GOMATAM, dhamusri@yahoo.com

 

Kindly go through guruparampara prabhavam, peria tirumudi adaivu, veda vyasa bhattar tirumaligai vaibhavam. They carry a detailed note on his glory, works and successors.

 

Question ID: 512 - Sri guruByo namhah, I hail from a SriVaishnava family belonging to the Vadakalai sampradayam, affiliated to Sri Ahobila Mutt. We carry a family name(or title?) - "Asuri" or "aasoori" (I have seen it written only in tamil script). I read from some sources that Maharishi Asuri was one of the founding fathers of the Samkhya philosophy. And interestingly, I also read that Acharya Ramanuja inherited the name, and was called Asuri Ramanujacharya, though the family title/name was not popularly associated with him nor with his cousin Embar Swamy. We belong to Harita gothra and hail from Konerirajapuram village in Thanjavur district for atleast 400 years from now. I have been trying to find the source of this name/title to our family, with very little success. While trying to interact with a few people from Melukote circles, who also carry the name/title; And they had a version to say that, all the rishis who originally belonged to Samkhya school inherited the title. Adiyen would be grateful if Swamy could throw some light into this matter, or suggest some reading where I can find the history how Samkhya school graduated to Vedanta. Thank you. - Question By - Sriram Raghunath, rsiriraam@gmail.com

 

The propagator of Sankhya school was Kapila (an avesa avatara of Sriman Narayana). I know nothing more about this lineage. This must be your family name. I have not seen rishis names attached to anybody's family name. Rishis are related to our gothram sutram and pravaram only.. so it must have something to do with your family. You can refer to asooriyar at melkote or sriperumbudur or srirangam. They can guide you better.

 

Question ID: 511 - Dasoham. We understand that the common attributes for mukthas/ nityas/ piratti/ srimannarayana are saalokyam, saarupyam, sameepyam. What are the differenciating attributes (incl saayujyam- pls explain this also) among all these personalities? Kindly elucidate for the laymen like us to understand. Danyosmi desika dasan - Question By - Desikan V, vdesikan61@yahoo.co.in

 

I am not quiet clear on your question. However, let me answer. All the qualites which you have mentioned are the same for nityas muktas and piratti. Kindly do not add Narayana to this list as salokyam or sameepyam are only with reference to Him. however, Piratti has the uniqueness of being His patta mahishi (consort) and Purushakara bhutai. But there are many common features between piratti and nityas/muktas (samya shatkam mentioned in acharya hrdayam). Sayujyam is enjoying His divine attributes (sosnute sarvan kamaan saha brahmana vipaschita). Moreover, nityas are ever enjoying these virtues but muktas have it only now.

 

Question ID: 510 - Swamikku adiyenudaye kotana koti namaskaram, would like to know whether it is mandatory for a srivaishnavan to get samashrayanam done to be eligible to do shraddam and thiruvaradanam . - Question By - K RAJAN, rajankrish@yahoo.com

 

Yes it is mandatory.

 

Question ID: 509 - Dear Swamiji, Adiyen Ramanuja daasan. Recently i heared from some upanyasam that a person should not chant "Naalayira Divya Prabandam" on his own. It should be advised by some eligible person. I not able to find the right person near by my residence. But i had a doubt that some years back i used to attend and chant Thiruppavai in the month of Margazhi near by Perumal Koil. Can i treat that as "advise" or should i go to a person? Kindly clarify my doubt. - Question By - R.Narasimhan, narasimhan.in@rediffmail.com

 

If you want to memorise, then you would not be successful on your own. You need to follow santhai method through an acharya. if you just want to read with a book, there are cds available now. I suggest you go to an acharya and get tutored for atleast two days everytime you begin a new prabandha and then continue at home with the cds. This is only a compromise.

 

Question ID: 508 - Dear Swamiji, Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan (this is the first time i am introducing myself in this manner & i proud for that also), My spiritual life started for the past 1 year bak only, i used to attend upanyasams regularly, and hear that in cd's. i am satisfied that Bhagavan Sri Krishnan is guide me in a right path. I have a doubt about Vadakalai & Thenkalai samprathayam's in Sri Vainavam. Myself is following Vadakalai sampradayam. What is the difference between these two? Why our acharya's are following this? When it got splited and by whom? I asked many questions to you. Kindly consider my question and clarify my doubts? - Question By - R.Narasimhan, narasimhan.in@rediffmail.com

 

There are about 18 conceptual differences between the two. Books are available explaining them. I do not know the date of split. As you are following vadakalai sampradayam, spend whatever time you have in knowing more about that. Remember that all belong to Sri Ramanuja and further the azhvars. Study divya prabandham, works of Ramanuja and Sri Vedanta desika stotras.

 

Question ID: 507 - Swamy, Adiyen Ramanujadasan. Please help me understand what sampradyam, is followed in Thirupathi Thirumalai, whether Thenkalai or Vadakalai. Many say that both the sampradayas are followed, is it so. And is that the reason, the Thirumann on Srinivasa Perumal in Thirumalai is different, like belonging to both Thenkalai and Vadakalai. Sorry for taking your precious time, Swamy please enlighten me on why the Thirumann of Srinivasa Perumal is different. - Question By - Rajesh Skylad M, rajeshskylad@gmail.com

 

I just do not know why and when that tiruman became so. The best source for an answer to your question would be Srimad paramahamsetyadi Peria kelvi appan jeer swamy (peria jeer swamy of Tirumala)

 

Question ID: 506 - Respected Swamy,Pranams to your divine feet1). It is belived that swami ramanujar had his samasrayanam done by his acharya in madurantakam. and again on a panguni uthram swami had saranagathi to Sri ranganathar with sridevi nachiyar. where Namperumal promised moksha to swami and to his sampandhis. and instructed swami to chant dwayam till the period swami sheds his body. Here according to our sampradaya prapathi should be done only once during samasrayanam, now why swami had another saranagathi to lord ranganatha. 2)Namazhwar was born 42 days from the departure of krishna to vaikuntha which is in the dwaparayuga and in the starting of the kali means its in B.C. The other madhas like Budha madham, Samana Madham were all born in A.D. Then how was it possible for namalwar to mention about these madhas in his works. Please excuse me in case of any ignorance in these questions. - Question By - Balaji, balajidevanathan@gmail.com

 

1. yes. Ramanuja was administered panca samskraram at madhurantakam which was when he surrendered. What he did on panguni uttiram is on our behalf / for our sake as he is Jagad acharya and karuna murti. This is explained in 'kala trayepi' verse of yatiraja vimsati and 'inda arangattu inidu' pasuram of arti prabandham. However, there may be two opinions on this. so it would be advisable to request your acharyan for a clarification. 2. the goutama buddha we know of in history is not the founder of buddhism. He was also a follower. Buddhism and jainism were in vogue even during the period of Vyasa in dvapara yugam.

 

Question ID: 505 - Swamiji,I have heard that the Lord does creation,preservation and destuction by taking forms of Sankarshana, prayumana and Anirudha etc., how is this different from the duties of bramha, vishnu and shiva - Question By - guest, sstest@gmail.com

 

It is from the holy naval of vyuha vasudeva (ksheerabdhi sayi) Brahma gets created. So Pradyumna creates brahma and then creation is continued by Brahma. In turn Brahma creates Siva for absorption which again is done by sankarshana as the power behind. It is aniruddha who reclines in the ocean of milk and thinks / plans for sustaining this world which is executed by Vishnu

 

Question ID: 504 - Pranam It's been told that Dhasaratha did not attain Mokcham but attained only Svergam. Kindly let me know the difference and the reason for Dhasaratha's plight. Thank You. - Question By - yugandar, yugandar_d@yahoo.com

 

Dasaratha should have been concerned more about Rama's wellbeing rather than his promise. Dasaratha's promise is a samanya dharma. Rama's wellbeing is a visesha dharma. Whenever there is a conflict between samanya and visesha dharma, visesha dharma should prevail.

 

Question ID: 503 - aham ramanuja dasosmi om namo narayanaya adiyen submits my aneka koti namaskarams to swamis thiruvadi... swami , why should bhagawan simplify the bhakthimarga from yuga to yuga.... he would have told namasankirtanam itself in kruthayuga no ????? if the questions are silly please porutharula vendum....... adiyen ramanuja dasan thanking you, narayanabhakthan , ramanuja dasan - Question By - narayanabhakthan, narayanabhakthan@yahoo.in

 

the means for libertaion must be befitting the skill of the individual. In krta yuga the knowledge, longevity and power were at their best and so the difficult marga. As they dwindle, the means also got simplified.

 

Question ID: 502 - aham ramanuja dasosmi om namo narayanaya i submit my aneka koti namaskarams to swami's feet...... please clear my doubt swamy.... in gajendra moksham, bhagawan kills the crododile first ...so the crocodile got motcham first since it got sudarshanaazhwar's sumbandham .... isnt it??? what is the tatparyam of this swamy ??? (if the questions are silly, please porutharula vendum) "kaan amar vezhamkai eduththalara karaa athan kalinai kathuva aanayin tuyaram teera pulloorndu.................." adiyen ramanuja dasan thanking you, narayanabhakthan - Question By - narayanabhakthan, narayanabhakthan@yahoo.in

 

The crocodile got released of its curse. It is not that when someone is killed by bhagavan he / she would attain moksham (srivaikuntham). If so, then we would have to accept the same to tataka subahu and many more. Moreover the word moksham means a mere 'release'. When you find that word in the itihasas or puranas it does not necessarily mean srivaikuntha prapti.

 

Question ID: 501 - Adiyen Ramanuja daasan. In poikai azhwar's pauram it is written in the second verse after vaiyam thagaliya............. the pasuram goes like this " Enru kadal kadainthathu? Evvulagam neeretrathu? Onrumathanaiunaren naan Anru athu adaithu udaithu kanpadutha vaazhi Idhu nee padaithidanthu undumizhndha paar.The question is Is this about the Ramar sethu bridge and if so it is mentioned that the bridge is blocked and broken what exactly is the meaning for the same. I request ur holiness to clarifty this for me.Thank U. Adiyen ananthasayana daasan. - Question By - R.Ananth, ananth_r43@yahoo.co.in

 

This and a few other pasurams also mention about building and then breaking the bridge symbolically in a corner so that the bridge is no more used for transport but used only for worship

 

Question ID: 500 - I am currently an E-member. Is it possible to become a life member by paying one time subscription - instead of paying quarterly? If not please consider introducing that option as well. Thanx and regards - Question By - Ramji Govindarajan, ramji.iyengar@yahoo.com

 

Life membership option is not available. Our purpose is to keep regular contact and communication with you

 

Question ID: 499 - I would like to come to India to learn Sanskrit and all the vaishnava literature. Is it possible learn at your place? how long it will take and how much it would cost? Also I would like to contribute specifically to your " Sri Ramanuja Siddhanta Vidya pitham at Srirangam " Can you please kindly send me the details of this school and how I can contribute? thank you. - Question By - Ragul Kanagaratnam, ragulk@yahoo.com

 

Kindly send an email to kinchitkaram@yahoo.co.in with your details address and time available for your study. A programme is now being arranged for people overseas. They would reply

 

Question ID: 498 - Dasan's vinamra prarthana Is it possible to purchase the entire collection of swami's Audio and Video CDs and ship to my address. Adiyen will pay for the entire collection and bear all the necessary expenses. Look forward to a favorable response. Dasan Ramji - Question By - Ramji Govindarajan, ramji.iyengar@yahoo.com

 

Kindly send an email to kinchitkaram@yahoo.co.in with your details address and requirement . They would reply.

 

Question ID: 497 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm currently in my 4th year engineering,1 more semester to go,am an uninitiated follower of iskcon.Two years back when i was completely confused about my duty,and my path,somehow i had the opportunity to associate with your grace personally.Your grace has completely destroyed my illusion,and clearly set my goal.Further you have invoked within me causeless service attitude unto your lotus feet. Your Grace had instructed me, 1)Right now i have spiritual duty to my peer group,you must make your son a vaishnava,duty to the society. The suprising thing is,I still do not know from whom can i hear the spiritual discourses and therefore serve my society,or peer group. By browsing through the writings of vaishnava acharyas,i came across a writing which says:- "By Krishna's mercy one comes in touch with a Guru.If your Pada Pradashaka Guru does not inform you who your Guru is, then you have missed the actual Gem." My situation is the also the same. I have read in one of your writings that "The Azhwars always kept guessing the lord's mercy on them,but if one surrenders unto guru,there is no need of such confusion of liberation." Now what should i do?Should i again keep waiting for the lord's mercy when he would send me to a Guru?,or should i surrender unto my Pada Pradarshaka Guru? I can understand the pain i had guessing the lord's mercy upon me before i took the dust of your lotus feet.Please Kindly guide me. Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - Kishan, kishantns@sify.com

 

If you are well convinced about the philosophy and principles of Visistadvaitam and Srivaishnava, kindly approach an acharya and first get related to Sri Ramanuja through samasrayanam. You are then eligible for rahasyatrayam and bhagavad aradhanam which are a must for mukti. If you need guidance kindly send a mail to kinchitkaram@yahoo.co.in with your details. We would reply

 

Question ID: 496 - Respected Swamy! koti pranams unto devareer's LOTUS FEET. Adiyen ramanuja dhasan. When I read various quest and ans of this site's spiritual quest, a splash of doubt(two type) arose when I read question No.413 wherein it was mentioned about VALAMPURI SHANKU and BHARANYASAM. Quest.No.1: What is the difference between valampuri shanku and idampurishangu(if any )really- I do not know about this) and why so much importance given for valampuri shanku. Quest.No.2. What is the meaning of Bharanyasam and how it differs from samasrayanam and bharanyasam. So many adiyars spell out about this when I happened to have any discussion with them. If samasrayanam is done ,then is there any necessity for bharanyasam. Adiyenukku idhu romba naalaga puriyavillai. I request devareer to clarify this doubt. My advance dhanyavadh . Vachika dosham kshandhavya!! - Question By - kalyani venkatesh, kalyani272002@hotmail.com

 

I am as ignorant as you are regarding valampuri sankham. All that I know is the physically appearance of it bending towards the right or left and caving in or out. Regarding q 2 : there is a difference in the practice between Tenkalayars and vadakalayars in samasrayanam and bharanyasam. Both are performed by vadakalayars but for tenkalayars it is only samasrayanam. So you need to decide based on which sect you belong to. Kindly approach your acharyan to know more in detail

 

Question ID: 495 - adiyen. In devareer's answer to question 400, it is mentioned "1. Vedas are time immemorial and talk with the knowledge of past present and future. That is why we find mention about future rishis too ." As future is also mentioned in the vedhas, could it be possible that some of the rishis mentioned in vedhas and upanishads are yet to be born and some of the incidents mentioned are yet to happen? Are there any vyakyanams by our acharyans which allude to this possibility? - Question By - Raghu, adiyenraghu@yahoo.com

 

Hypothetically it is possible. But in fact since all the four yugams have cycled for many times now, all the rishis and their related events would have happened

 

Question ID: 493 - Dear SWAMI namaskarams to you. I am 18 years old college student. I and my family members will listern to your discourses regularly. The discourses are so divine and nice.Swami a very very very long time ago a member of my family had comitted some mistake so it is said that our family members should not go to THIRUPATHI SRI VENKATACHAPATHI TEMPLE. I have a strong faith in perumal and i am a devotee of HIM. I have surrendered to HIS HOLY LOTUS FEET. I have a strong desire to go to THIRUPATHI. What can i do ? Please help me. - Question By - R.karthik, karthik23_india@yahoo.co.in

 

Sri Venkatesa is ever compassionate. He would certainly forget and forgive. Kindly request your parents / acharya about this and go along with them

 

Question ID: 492 - 1. When there is a death in the family , if 10 day theetu is applicable to the head of the family, is that applicable to his sons as well. Does theetu vary depending on the generations? 2. Also Please let me know if theetu, madi all that is only for the physical body and not for the mind, why should people follow that strictly. Is that all required? - Question By - Parimala Narayanan, par_raga@yahoo.com

 

He is subject to teettu if married. Yes, teettu is for 7 generations. For the last query kindly refer to the answer for q no. 480

 

Question ID: 491 - Respected Guruji, i am venkatesh I am a bachelor and belong to naidu cast in tamil nadu where your activities all take place and improtant is given to perumal from birth to death rth. i have good faith in god and , perumal has stolen me and i am proud that i am also a great bhakthan of perumal. Many bhaghavathas told me to take samasrayanam .Please tell me what is that how it should be taken? where can i take that?what are the rules to be followed. please advice me - Question By - R.venkatesh, venkatram07@yahoo.co.in

 

Kindly send a mail to our trust e mail id kinchitkaram@yahoo.co.in with your details and address. We would guide you

 

Question ID: 490 - respected swamiji,namaskaram,i believe in God,i listen to your upanyasams,trying to follow all those.. but some people aound me ,make fun out of it,because they dont believe in God..they used to give me scientific reasons..how to make them believe that it is God who does everything for us?can you please guide me? - Question By - umayal.sp, umayal_sp@yahoo.co.in

 

As you are progressing into bhakti you must not waste time arguing with others. Thank Sriman Narayana for having blessed you in believing and following Him. After you have well progressed and equipped with material to argue with others to convince, them you can do so. You can listen to cd on naan yaar ? en piranden ? to know the arguments to prove the existence of Paramatma and Jivatma

 

Question ID: 489 - respected swamiji, namaskar,i want to ask that why people who worship &promptly believe in god ,they have to suffer a lot even to get small work to be done,but people those who do not believe in god &make fun of him,their work is easily done?kindly tell me. - Question By - avantika, avantika_pandey83@yahoo.co.in

 

You are generalising based on a few random samples. This phenomenon is not true. Everyone is driven by his papa or punya karma for his birth and the consequent experience of punya or papa karma. Further, what we see as pain or pleasure may be deceptive, temporary and vary in individual yardstick

 

Question ID: 488 - Dear Swamin Where in the geeta does Bhagavan mention that all souls are meant for his service ? How can a soul being atomic in size offer any kainkaryam in Sri Vaikuntam ? Will it take another form then ? The advaitis claim that if a sadhana is not fullfilled this janma then it will continue from next janma. Is this valid ? Please clarify. Does Bhagavan anything like that in geetha ? - Question By - Bharadwaj G, bharadwaj_g@hotmail.com

 

To quote some verses : anayascintayanto mam.. satatam kirtayanta: ?. Patram pushpam phalam toyam ?.After this atman reaches Sri vaikuntham it is blessed with a aprakrta divya mangala form with which it serves. As per Gita karma can be continued where left in next janma. Bhakti may span through many janmas before it yields result. Saranagati gives mukti in the same janma

 

Question ID: 487 - Namascaram. Adiyen has a question. Adiyen will greatly appreciate if you can answer. 1) What is Athma? If one cannot see or feel by our senses then how can one undestand it? (I heard this on Sri Krishnapremi's Bhagavadtha upanyasam; am not able understand this allegory. Quote: If someone says "I am worried", we can understand that. Worry cannot be felt or seen; but all us understand that this person is "worrying". End Quote. My confusion in this is: a) Worry is "sensed" by brain. whereas. Athma is supposed to be beyond senses. 2) Efforts: Not clear how much efforts is needed to attain a GOAL or do an action. For example, let us I would like to do research on Business administration. I zero on my focus and do nothing but Study or do as much as I can, whilst working & doing the family as well as religious duties. The latter if it results in Failure, might give rise to a question that there could have been greater efforts. Adiyen Ramanuja dasan - Question By - Srinivasan Ramanujam, rsrini0498@yahoo.com

 

Atman is ?self? ? sentient, eternal, different and superior to the perishable body, subtle in form, subservient in its essential nature to Paramatma. You or Me is the atman. Atman never is born or dead but we say so when he assumes a body or sheds it. Since atman is the one who is knowledge by itself and has knowledge too, it can only experience pain or pleasure. Body cannot experience pain or pleasure as it is insentient. This is evident as there is no pain to the body when we cremate it after the atman exits. The word ?aham? or ?I? refers to atman and the word ?mama? or ?my / mine? refers to all the insentient belongings. Even when all the sensual organs are shut during sleep, the coming morning we wake up and say ? I had a peaceful sleep? ? so even during sleep we are able to remember ourself. With this background , now to your question. Worry is not sensed by brain as it is insentient. It is the atman which worries. It is also that, an atman cannot act without a body. We need not decide on the quantum of efforts to achieve our goal. It is enough we follow the tenets of dharma sastra and the foot steps of our purva acharyas to attain moksham. We cannot draw the study of business as an analogy to spiritual studies. In academics or office the objective is to filter the students or employees by subjecting them to strict tests. In spirituality bhagavan is ever willing to embrace as many as possible into His fold and so it is not the quantum of efforts or a research of failure that matters, but dedication , devotion and obedience matter

 

Question ID: 486 - adiyen's namaskarams, This is with reference with one of your previous posts where you had mentioned azhwars are greater than Vishwamitra ,the great seer ,mantra drushta of gayatri mantra,which is responsible for the sustenance of all the worlds,this being supported by the shruthi and shriman Narayana himself asserts this fact ,saying that he is present wherever this japa is being done.Narayana alone is worshipped with this mantra.This being the case how can you not place a seer like vishwamitra on par with azhwars for the sole reason that he did not have sense control prior to attaining the status of Vishwamitra?If this is case there were some azhwars who did not have sense contol ,but due to the divine grace of shrimanNarayana they were uplifted.Vishwamitra was on par with the azwhars in every aspect may it be jnana,bhakti or vairagya.Sorry if i had been offensive..adiyen's sashtanga namskarams - Question By - Venkateshan, venkateshans@gmail.com

 

It is not me who made that statement. It is well accepted unanimously by all our purvacharyas and recorded in their vyakshyanams that azhvars are superior to rishis in many aspects

 

Question ID: 485 - Namskarams .I am a regular viewer of your Kannnin Aramudu in Podhigai right from the begining of this serial. I would like to get a clarification from you regarding the celebration of one's sastiyaptha puja at Thirukadaiyur Sri Amirtha Kadeswarar & Sri Abirami Temple and what is the stand of srivaishnava on account of this? - Question By - devanathan, devanadhan_2006@yahoo.co.in

 

Srivaishnavas do not conduct shastiabdapurti there

 

Question ID: 483 - My husband Sri.K.Ramanujam tells that only Lord Narayana is the Supreme God. All his avatharas are only demi gods and they have karmas and dhosas like human beings as they have born from the womb of a mother. Is it so ? He also says that Lord Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu are demi gods. Please clarify. - Question By - Smt.Rama Ramanujam, ramurema2003@yahoo.co.in

 

He is right regarding the other devatas but not right regarding the avatarars or Vishnu. Sri Krishnan in the beginning of the 4th chapter in gita clarifies that one should not misunderstand His avataras to be demi. They are all supreme as He is. Avataras are chosen by Bhagavan to descend to this material world to uplift the downtrodden through His unconditional compassion. So avatarams are additional aspects for us to enjoy His divine attributes and get more intimate to Him

 

Question ID: 482 - Adiyen ramanuja dasan.. Respected swamy , I have two questions to be clarified from you . 1. I always use to listen to your upanyasams whenever i find time , this has inspired me to follow the basic principles and karmas of a brahmin which i am not currently following to be frank . Kindly advise as to how to start doing the nithya karmas and which one is very essential 2. Also in our modern life i feel almost half of us were not doing the nithya karma including me and slowly the affection towards god is getting reducing day by day because of the work culture or what ever it is , will it affect the future generation your comment on this please . How can we improve ourself to improve the love and affection towards god .Since at this point of time if some body asks me what is the speciality of a vaishnavite and how we are staying ahead when compared to others and what is the relationship and privilege that god has given to us. i don't have any answers Thanks for your time .. - Question By - Govindarajan Vasudevan, govi.upps@gmail.com

 

One has to live as per varna and asrama dharma. Secondly, one has to conduct as per srivaishnava dharma. This is for personal and bhagavan?s satisfaction. Kindly refer to an earlier question and answer where I have written in detail about the minimum behaviour and conduct of a vaishnava

 

Question ID: 481 - Dear Swamyji, I have the following doubts. 1. I am having Gita Book of Gita Press, Gorakhpur (Hindi Version)for my reference. In the preface to first adhyaya, it is said that Sanjaya was in the battlefield for 10 days, till Bhishma's fall. and then he returns to DHritarashtra to explain in detail what all happened in the battlefield. Thus Bhagavat Gita comes in the Bhishma Parve. As this is confusing, could u pl.enlighten me. 2. At the end of each chapter of the Gita u r giving the details of benefits of reciting that chapter as told by Lord shiva to Devi Parvati. Could u pl. tell me in what context ( and in spiritual book) such a conversation takes place. - Question By - Indira Srinivasan, indirasrp2003@yahoo.co.in

 

I do not have that book. Let me refer and let you know. However the first day of the battle is also bhishma parva only. You can refer to Sri U Ve Tirukkallam Narasimha raghavachariar Swamy?s three volume tamil Gita book for the conversation between Siva and Parvati on gita mahatmyam

 

Question ID: 480 - Respected Sirs, Myself & wife are regular watcher of all ur programmes in TV. As mentioned by ur goodself as well others after death athma goes out and we perform the rites only for physical body. As per the custom, we perform the rituals and it is always told that if u don't do all these things properly, then pithrus will not be pleased? When once the athma has alreday been tranformed elswhere immedaitely after death. Then is it still necessary to carry the prescribed rituals for one yaer & thereon. Will it not be sufficient u just remember the day & salute the departed soul. Thanks u sirs. - Question By - N.kalyanaraman, nkalyan2008@yahoo.co.in

 

Our life is guided by the saastras. Papam and punyam are the results of our action ? ie if we obey the dictum it is punyam and papam otherwise. The sastras prescribe performance of karma for the departed soul for 12 days and then on for the whole year. Although the destination of that soul would have been decided by its punyam and papam, it is a must for us to perform our duties as directed by the sastras. Further, the karma which we perform like offering pinda or water pleases Bhagavan and in turn the pitrus. If I can put in the lighter vein, more than sending my father or mother to mukti, my karma, ensures mukti for me.

 

Question ID: 479 - srimathe ramanujaya namaha. swamy lots af namaskaram to your lotus feet.swamy daily i am going to ram temple near my house i am very much interested in doing kinkaryams. while sweeping the temple i can see many insects (ants)are getting injured or killed. knowing that insects are getting injured is it right to continue sweeping?will papams come to me?i am very much annoyed and i am feeling guilty of sweeping.please reply for my questions.waiting for you answers humbly.thanks in advance. - Question By - umakanth, umakanth_mech@yahoo.co.in

 

Your concern is valid but this problem cannot be solved. Not only in the temple but also at home we kill many insects while using 1. stove 2. mortar and pessle 3. ammi 4. water vessels and 5. sweeping. The sastras have specified panca maha yagnas as a prayascittam for this papam. As the sastras have noted this and guided us we must go ahead.

 

Question ID: 478 - Respected Guruji, can u explain me about balaram and lakshman ?whether both are same?balaram and lakshman are incarnation of adishesha? - Question By - jayanthi, jayanthiti@yahoo.com

 

Lakshmana was born in treta yuga and Balarama in Dvapara yuga. Lakshmana was an incarnation of Adisesha and not Sriman narayana. Balarama was an avesa avatara of Sriman Narayana with the sakti of Adisesha

 

Question ID: 477 - Namaskaram, What is Marriage? Is marriage necessary for every person and if so, why at a later stage of life to attain Mukthi we should leave the family instead why not a person remain single and do all the things to attain Mukthi? Due to this our needs and wants increases day by day which restricts from doing our karma. The above question will be very silly Kindly advice and clear my doubt. - Question By - Shankar, shankarsudarsan@rediffmail.com

 

Marriage is an acceptance by both a male and a female to perform the prescribed duties of grahasta asrama as mentioned in the sastras. It is a great service to keep the wheel of creation and sustenance rotating. In fact, both brahmacari and sanyasi are dependant on a grhasta for their living. There is no rule for mukti that finally all grhastas should quit their marital life. You can attain mukti as a grhasta as done by many of our purvacaryas. If one spouse is spiritual and the other is not then there is a problem. This needs to be discussed and ironed out. Both must try together for brahma gnana and bhakti

 

Question ID: 476 - NAMO NARAYANA SWAMY, ADIEN DASAN..... SWAMY AT THE TIME OF SAMUDRA MATHANAM, AS INDRA TOOK THE IRAVATHA, VAJRA AYUDA, AND BALI CHAKRAVATHI TOOK THE UCHIESRAVAS (THE HORSE....) HOW COME BALI CHAKRAVARTHI COME IN THE KURMAVATHARAM? AS HE IS THE GRAND SON OF PRAHALADA, AND HE COME ONLY IN VAMANA AVATHARAM...AND PRAHALADA COMES ONLY IN NARASIMHA AVATHARAM, HOW COME THIS BE POSSIBLE... PLEASE LET ME KNOW SWAMY.... - Question By - SUDARSHANA, VKSSSDARSHAN@YAHOO.CO.IN

 

Kindly refer to Srimad Bhagavata Purana where the order of narration is 1. Prahlada caritra in skandha 7 and then 2. amruta mathana in skandha 8 and lastly 3. vamana caritram in skhanda 8. So there is no confusion on the birth of bali as the grand son of prahlada. The order of avatarams are not to be considered as they differ in various texts.

 

Question ID: 475 - Namasthe, We want to know when we can read (adyayanam ) Divyaprabhandham pasurangal. we want to chant the pasurangal everyday. kindly advise us. Thanking you, Indira Sudarsan & Friends - Question By - indira sudarsan, thirusai666@yahoo.co.in

 

chant nityanusandhanam during morning tiruvaradhanam. Other than that - as per your convenience any time.

 

Question ID: 473 - Dear Swami, Can a daughter perform the last rites of her parents in case the son can not do so? Also, can the son in law who is more than a son , perform for his in laws, even while his parents are alive? Looking forward for clarification, Thanks. - Question By - padmajamadhu, padmajamadhu@gmail.com

 

Kindly refer to your family brhaspati.

 

Question ID: 472 - Swamigalin thiruvadikku adiyen (aged 61) submit many namaskarams.Pls. accept.Being born in Saivaite family I worship Lord Siva ever since I remember my child hood. I also worship Sriman Narayanan and all the Gods,Deities.my aim is to submit my humble prayer to God. Since last year I continuously watch Kannanin Aramuthu.I understand a little and choose Saranagathi to the Lotus feet of Sri Narayan. I also understand that I should concentrate more to pray Lord Narayana if I want to aim rest of my life towards Motcha.I have to thank you for the wonderful, simple discourse you make everyday.In deed it is my poorva janma bagyam I statrted listening to you and I thank Sri Narayan and you for it.Nowadays, "man me sanchal ho raha hai".When I worship Lord Siva, Adhiparasakthi,Vinayaga and Muruga I pray to Sri Narayan who is "antharyami" in These Deities.Am I correct in remembering Sri Narayan at the time of praying Them.Please show me the path to pray Sri Narayan and all Others in a properway so that my Saranagathi remains always with Sri Narayan. - Question By - Arunachalam Sekar, aru_sekar@yahoo.com

 

I am sure that you are spiritually progressing. If your objective is moksham then be steadfast with Sriman Narayana saranagati and bhakti. That would suffice.

 

Question ID: 471 - aham ramanuja dasosmi adiyen ramanuja dasan swamigal thiruvadigale saranam, swamin...... i love to follow shri vaishnavam practices and adiyen is trying to do it strictly also.... but a small doubt.......when shiva (a demi-god) has done poojas and has worshipped our shrimann narayana, why cant we see shiva as a bhaktha of our perumal........(thavaru enil porutharula vendugiren) i will remain in sri vaishnavam only...but just asking this as a doubt... swamy also told in an upanishad that shiva has told "shri rama rama ramethi rame raame manorame shasranama dattulyam rama naama vaaranae " and shiva has realised the nectar of rama nama.... in gita also he (god) says his bhakthas are his body parts... why cant we see shiva as an atom of bhagwan's body and not as another god (of course no one else other than perumal are males) thanking you if the questions are silly , please porutharula vendum.... - Question By - sivaraman, narayanabhakthan@yahoo.in

 

Yes Siva is a vaishnava. He is very much a part of Sriman Narayana. Before I answer, could you pls let me know the purpose of you wanting to worship Siva. Kindly also read question 472 and the answer before sending your reply.

 

Question ID: 470 - Respected Swami, I have started reading B.Geeta, and when I read this particular shloka, KarmaNyevadhikaraste ............ AkarmaNi (B.geeta, 2:47 ) it just puts me to a state of ambiguity. All the recent commentators(English commentators) explains this shloka in different ways and can be summerised as, "Do your duty and be detached from its outcome, do not be driven by the end product" Does it mean that we are not allowed to expect the results. Because without expectation, it is not possible to do karma and it also decreases the confidence level. What I think is, One can except the result, but cannot demand the same. Is that right ?? Requesting you to explain that would enable me to get out of the state of ambiguity And Is it that, I am reading the english translation of B.Geeta and till I learn Sanskrit and read it, I will not a get a clear picture of B.Geeta Please explain !!!! Thanking you - Question By - Raghav, ragghavendran@gmail.com

 

Our right is to perform but not to expect low human ends. This gita sloka suggests to abstain from any low human end like artha kama etc. Our objective has to be atma sakshatkara and paramatma sakshatkara only.

 

Question ID: 469 - aham ramanuja daasosmi adiyen ramanuja dasan swamigal thiruvadigale saranam, in bhagawath gita bhagawan says , "i am the one who is doing the killings, you are like the dagger i use, i get the merit or demerit of the action , not you" if this is the case then where is the "we" or "i" there, doesnt this reflect adwaitha sidhdhantha ? (thavaru enil....porutharula vendum .......) 2) in varadars hand...(kanchipuram) what is written (with diamonds) why is it so ? if the questions are not proper please porutharulal vendum swami. adiyen ramanuja dasan - Question By - sivaraman, narayanabhakthan@yahoo.in

 

Krishna conveys that an atman is not completely independant and so cannot claim performance totally. He is dependant on paramatma who engages the jiva in birth, pain and joy according to the karmas of the jiva. the jiva is ofcourse accountable for all his actions. I presume, Varadar sports "mamekam saranam vraja in hands."

 

Question ID: 468 - There is a rumor in Seattle that Swami is visiting Seattle in October - is this true ? How can we know such useful information and his schedule in advance? I kindly request that the "news and events" part of the website should be updated with such useful information. Thanks. - Question By - Sriram Sampath, sriramsampath@gmail.com

 

Kindly visit vedics.net for more details. Seatle programme is from Oct 5th to 8th.

 

Question ID: 467 - After hearing upanyasam , i got this doubt. After our soul seperated from body, It takes one body( (not sure)Yadana sareeram) undergoes punishment (the wrong thing( pavam )we do it in earth) .After this, our soul will be free from all pavams(I guess) . All soul will be same then . For the next birth How will our karma (pavam)affects? Can you please explain this? Which pavam will be free and which is not? Thank you for your valuable time spending to answer. - Question By - Jeyasri Sundar, jeyasri_sundar@hotmail.com

 

We are experiencing a set of papams called prarabhdha karma. Once they are exhausted then we are still left with sanchita karma which is too large to be exhausted. A part of that would start again as prarabhdha karma resulting in births.

 

Question ID: 466 - Humble Greetings. How should a devotee follow Ekadesi Vratham? What is the importance of Ekadesi and Duvadesi? Why does Gokulashtmi and Krishna Jayanti fall on different days? - Question By - BK.Suresh Balaje, bksureshbalaje@yahoo.com

 

The significance of ekadasi and the method for vratam have already been answered. Kindly go through earlier answers. They differ based on determining factory - ashtami tithi or rohini asterism.

 

Question ID: 464 - Azhwar Emperumanar Jeeyar thiruvadigale saranam Devareer had said that Saraswathi Pooja was called Maha Navami and do not know how it became to be known as Saraswathi Pooja. Does celebrating Saraswathi Pooja (as done today by Srivaishnavas) amount to worshiping other devatas? I don't think all of us worship Saraswathi for being Bhagavan's Sareeram (consciously keeping in mind the fact that Narayana being the Antharyami of Saraswathi). We just simply do the pooja following the family practice. Is it in line with our Vaishnava Siddantham? - Question By - Ramanujam, rgr.ad@adia.ae

 

Performance of puja on that day had been in practise for long and so we would not violate any code by doing the same. However it should not be puja to sarasvati. instead it must to Sri lakshmi and Sri Hayagriva.

 

Question ID: 463 - Poojya Shri Swamyji, adaiyan is a thengalai thirumalai nallan chakravarthy swamyam acharya .We are three brothers between the age of 57 to 62.For the past few years we are trying to locate anacharya to perform samashrayanam for us .So for we are not able to succeed in our efforts to find an acharayan .With your help and Divine Grace i am sure our long time longing will come true.Seeking your help ,advice and guidance.Adaiyan Dasan Rajagopaln. - Question By - S.rajagopalan, radjaa3@gmail.com

 

I would try and locate. Kindly call me after my return to India.

 

Question ID: 462 - Respected Swami, I belong to the Iyer Community and an ardent devotee of Sri Panchamukha Dwaadasa Buja Anjaneya Swami, Chithra Kulam, Mylapore. The upasakar Sri. M.R. Balaji is my spiritual guide. I also watch and listen to the Bhagawat Gita program presented by you in DD. I'm really thankful to you for the wealth of information presented through the program. Its clearing the clouds surrounding many questions we all have in life. I have 2 questions to ask you related to history and Mahabharatha: I read a lot about spiritual teachers cutting across sects and even religion to understand the messages propadated by them. I was reading from wikipedia about Sri Vedantha Desika Swami. Wikipedia says that he built a wall in front of the main shrine of Lord Sri Ranganatha at Srirangam to protect the diety from attacks by Malik Khafur. If this is true, why is it that these stories are not told to us in schools while the invasion of Mahmud Ghazni and Robert Clive's battles are covered in detail? In fact, I studied in a school which puts a lot of emphasis on vedas and vedic learning, even they didn't discuss this event. What do you think is the reason for this kind of selective teaching and learning? Can anything be done about it? The second question is from the English version of Mahabharatha written by Rajaji. He mentions that the armies at the Kurukshetra war violated war discipline by fighting in the night. Is this true? Your response will be extremely valuable to me. My friends and I discuss a lot about these kind of stories and sometimes we find that there is no answer for some of the questions. Respectfully, Prakash - Question By - Prakash Sridharan, prakash.sridharan@gmail.com

 

It is better to play down any act of agression so that the minds of children is not contaminated. Moreover the school syllabus is made by some who may not be aware of many details. It is enough that we are spiritually educated at the right age. Mahabharata war was fought only during the day unlike Ramayana war.

 

Question ID: 461 - Dear Swamiji, Recently I understood that our family consisting of me, my wife and son, have rahu dosham. We are in the process of performing poojas and other required prayers, kindly let me know the rahu namams which I and my family can chant every day and also the ideal time for chanting the same. If possible also let me know other prathividhis to reduce this dosham. - Question By - Ajith, ajith_puthukulangaramadam@yahoo.com

 

I am totally ignorant on this. Kindly consult your family brhaspati.

 

Question ID: 460 - Dear Swamin, this is a question about how much people are aware about Samashrayanam, and the effect of that ignorance. </br> 1. Some of my married relatives, when one of their parents died, did Samashrayanam as instructed by vadhiyar so that they can do the kaariyam, etc. They are thinking that samashrayanam is part of some things they were asked to do by vadhiyar. 2. Many do Samashrayanam at the age of 7 or 8 and mostly they are too young to understand what it is about and why they are doing Samashrayanam. Many of them at this state of day and age even don't remember later that they did samashrayanam! 3. Many more just do Samashrayanam because their parents asked them to do it without any further explanation given or seeked. 4. A few have realized about the significance of samashrayanam but only much later than the actual act of doing the samashrayanam. </br> 5. Some of my relatives who have the pori in their shoulders are still thinking that they will be having next piravi. They don't realize getting the rahasyangal from their Acharyan. </br> Given all these, (a) will such people get moksham at the end of this piravi, or is it not for sure even after doing samashrayanam until they realize and open up their mind (prapadhye) about saranagathi? (b) Could this be one more explanation for saying that only peruman is the upayam? (c) How do all these mesh with the promise peruman gave to Sri Ramanujar about giving moksham to his people? Thank you for Devareer's guidance. - Question By - Raghu, adiyenraghu@yahoo.com

 

From your question I am sure that you have understood the significance of samasrayanam. So be happy that you would not have next birth. Now whenever we come across ignorant people our duty is to educate them to the extent possible. So kindly start that with all the people whom you have mentioned above. I am also trying to do the same. Our job is not to doubt or debate whether they would reach moksham or not but to ensure that they reach.

 

Question ID: 459 - Respected Swamy,Pranams to your divine feet. 1)In your discourse on Bhagavath geetha ,in Chapter6, you stated that yogam should be performed by sitting on the deer's skin.Is there any other sustitute as it is not easily available. 2)While performing Yogam,is it neccessary to remove the ornaments while concentrating on the nose tip?Will it not affect the sentiments of ladies? 3)In the second chapter of Bhagavath geetha ,Lord Krishna,advised Arjuna to do Karma yoga rather than doing gnanayoga as ,if his subjects weren't able to reach the destination through gnanayoga then ,Arjuna as a King ,would be held responsible (Lokasagraham).But how come King Janaka was able to practise gnanayoga being a King as well as Rajarshi? Please excuse me in case of any ignorance in these questions. - Question By - shrinidhi, shrinidhi1992@yahoo.co.in

 

A silk cloth is fine instead of a deer's skin. 2. Yoga as mentioned in gita is not for ladies. Simple dyana is the right way for ladies. So you need not remove ornaments in the nose. 3. King Janaka practised karma yoga only inspite of being capable of performing gnana yoga.

 

Question ID: 458 - Respected Sir, I am a pious learner of Prabhandams and a devotee of Lord Narayana though borne as a smartha. Yesterday early hours in the morning I dreamt of a very big Thiruman (Vadagalai) appearing in the sky with Thayar at he bottom of the Thiruman. Is there any temple with that sort of Thiruman depiction which perhaps I should visit ? Or is any other significance attached ? A.N.Raman Cost Accountant - Question By - A.N.Raman, anraman@gmail.com

 

I am sorry. I have not come across sucha phenomenon anywhere.

 

Question ID: 457 - I missed to take down a point from Velukkudi Swami's Gita lecture on TV. Parathwam Vedas Vyooham Agamas Vibavam Ithihasa, Puranas Archai Divya Prabandham Antharyami ......................? I would Like to know the answer for Antharyamithvam please. - Question By - S.SOURIRAJAN, kanapurarajan@yahoo.com

 

manu smriti etc.

 

Question ID: 456 - adiyen ramanuja dasan.swamy my doubt is who is srivaishnavan ? only our poorvacharyars from [ present acharyan to perumal ] southindia or whoever got samashrayanam from our acharyas should be considered as srivaishnavas or anybody who worships or worshiped perumal like chaitanyar , thulasidasar can also be considered as srivaishnavas.this may be a silly question please forgive me if it is wrong. - Question By - m raghavan , rag_bpharm@yahoo.co.in

 

There are many vaishnavite cults in bharat. But a srivaishnava is one who follows the purvacharya lineage from lakshmi natha to asmadacarya. Besides the various other qualities, He must have been administered samasrayanam.

 

Question ID: 454 - Swamikku adiyenin anekakoti Namaskarangal. Adiyen is studying B.E. Adiyen is a listener of Swami`s Upanyasam. In the "Srimad Bhagavatam" Upanyasam, adiyen learnt the existence of Ashtanga Yoga. Adiyen likes to practice it(Swamiyin anugrahathodu). Adiyen understood that, the person who wishes to practice Ashtanga Yoga must be a Brahmachari. Adiyen also understood that the person who is a Brahmachari, must be a celibate. Adiyen`s doubt is, "Does practicing Ashtanga Yoga prevent a man from entering Gruhasthashrama ?", and "Is it that a person in Gruhasthashrama cannot practice Ashtanga Yoga(as he must be a celibate)? ". Adiyen requests Swami to forgive the mistakes Adiyen have made in asking the question. Also, Does our pooravacharyas insist on Ashtanga Yoga ? Once again forgive adiyen for all the mistakes adiyen have made. Dasan Jagannathan Raman - Question By - Jagannathan Raman, jagan_raman567@yahoo.com

 

Practising ashtanga yoga is not easy. Kindly do not venture. Our purva charyas have not suggested it to be mandatory. They have advised simpler and more effective ways. Moreover, they are included to an extent in our nitya karma anushthanas.

 

Question ID: 453 - adieyan humble pranams, Sir my question is - can the husband do saranagati alone through an acharayan when the wife is not keen? If yes, then how should he conduct his karmas and follow food habits to practice saranagati alone while part of the family - Question By - S K Srinivasan, sksrini9@yahoo.co.in

 

Yes he can do alone. This samskaram is for the individual atman. Whether he does it or not he has to follow the right food habits and other karmas. That again is individual specific .

 

Question ID: 452 - Namaskaram This is regarding your ans. to the question 386. You say Shankarar is a vaishnavite.He did not praise demi Gods. But he is the one who created six religions and sang on Dakshinamurthy, Parvathy, Ganesha and so on. I could not understand your answer. Kindly elaborate on it. - Question By - Latha Vijayan, lathavij@gmail.com

 

He did not do any of the things which you have mentioned in all in four important works 1. brahma sutra bhashyam 2. gita bhashyam 3. sahasranama bhashyam and 4. upanishad bhashyam. There may be many stotrams claiming his name which are later day additions.

 

Question ID: 451 - I would like to understand the different ways one can surrender to a Guru. I believe we have 2 ways - Samaashrayanam and Paranyasam. (please forgive any errors in spelling). Could you please explain the difference between the two ways? Also, which way is available /suitable for an unmarried woman? - Question By - Mayuravalli Rajan, sandy_rajan@yahoo.com

 

Since you sound like beginner I suggest that you go directly to your acharya and act as per his advice.

 

Question ID: 450 - Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha Respected Sir, Thank you so much for all your publications. I am so indebted to you for all the things I have understood correctly from your upanyasams :) The following semi-scientific incomplete theory occurred to me while you explain the creation of the universe in "Bhagavadathil Muthukal". Would like to get your comments/augments/corrections on these: - In the Big Bang Theory, they say at the time of creation Matter and Antimatter split. Just for this discussion let us call AntiMatter as GodMatter. - What we are and what we see around us etc is matter. Scientist say that lot of GodMatter is un accounted for today. - Is the purpose of all life form to inherently try to go back to the union state with GodMatter ?(Matter and Antimatter when they come together, become light) - Are the desires that we are born with, the ones that distracts us from the ultimate purpose of life made up of some kind of special kind of matter, which needs to get nullified by us somehow trying to unite it with its corresponding GodMatter. THat would mean God is the perfection that we are not. This would also lead to the theory of personal God, meaning, my definition of God will be perfection that I am not. This would then lead to God having countless Kalyana Gunangal to account for every one of jeevatma's flaws. Looking forward to your reply. Adiyen Ramanuja Daasan - Question By - Ramesh Chellamani, chellamanis@gmail.com

 

Everything is fine here expect one. We never existed in srivaikuntha once and then broke away to samsara. We are in cyclic births in this samsara for ever. Moreover matter and anti matter do not enjoy any sort of concrete or abstract relationship. Whereas the para and jiva and atma and sareera. If this is reconciled rest would follow.

 

Question ID: 449 - Srimathey Ramaanujaya Namaha Respected Sir, Could you please tell me when Thirumazhisai Azhwar lived (between which years) ? You mention in one of your upanyasms that he lived for 4700 years and also say that he learnt Saakyam, Samanam and Sankaranaar's aagama nool. Thank you Sir... Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Ramesh Chellamani, chellamanis@gmail.com

 

He was born towards the end or dvapara yuga and lived for 4700 years. For more interesting details on this refer to our blog section.

 

Question ID: 447 - adiyen ramanuja dasan.vanakkam can a staunch sree vaishnavas chant aditya hridayam?pl clarify - Question By - aravamudhan, mukundsalem@yahoo.co.in

 

Not necessary.

 

Question ID: 446 - Adidyen Ramanuja Dasan, Sathyanarayan xstd student. I want to know how Mahavishnu avatar formed first ? nobody is answering for my question.Everyone is telling first mahavishnu, then brahma etc. - Question By - satyanarayanan .s, preeths94@gmail.com

 

Sriman Narayana is never born. He is eternal. He is all pervasive. His one form or incarnation is Maha vishnu. He is the creator of all. He is never created.

 

Question ID: 445 - Pranams. From when the Chakra is associated with Thirumal, as if some of the followers of Lord Siva, is telling "PAALUKKU BALAGAN AZHUDHIDA PAARKADAL EENDHA PIRAN MALUKKU CHAKKARAM ANDRU ARULPURINDAVAN ....." kindly enlighten Swami. - Question By - Sadagopan, privalihe@yahoo.co.in

 

Sri Sudarsana is a nitya suri (the ever liberated) and so is associated for ever. I have no clue whatsoever of the story which you have cited.

 

Question ID: 444 - My humble salutations to Velukkudi Krishnan swamy. Do plants have soul?What do our scriptures say regarding this?Do we take birth as plants before going into cycles involving animals and humans?.I frequently encounter the question that even strict vegetarians kill plants (knowingly) and hence commit the same paapam as people who consume non-vegetarian food, in the sense that they destroy life. How can this be justified?I have heard about pancha yagnam in your discourses. Does the bhootha yagnam cover this kind of paapam also? - Question By - Anand, anand_v21@yahoo.co.in

 

Yes there is an atman in every insentient. However its gnana in flora and fauna is almost nill and that is why cutting or eating them would bear no effect on them. But their gnana in animals is better that they feel pain. panca maha yagna and other prescribed karmas would remove these sins also.

 

Question ID: 443 - Swamy, I am blessed with panchasamaskaram by Sri U.Ve.K.K. Su Sirupuliyur Thiruvazhi Annan Swamigal. I perform Nithya Karma & chant Thiruppavai & Thirupallandu. I am based out of chennai & like to learn Divya Prabhandham. Please let me know whether you are taking any Divya Prabhandham class in chennai. - Question By - Madhavan, madhavan_contact@yahoo.com

 

We do not conduct any divya prabandham classes. If you contact our volunteer in your area, they would guide you to an tutor who takes classes.

 

Question ID: 442 - Dear Poojya Swamin! Humble namaskarams to your feet! Adiyen would like to know this - Absolutely everything originates from Brahmam. Then why ever do rajas and tamas exist, that trigger papam? Also are jeevathmans created or are they also anadhi - anantham? Namaskarams, Lakshmi - Question By - Lakshmi, luxmer@yahoo.com

 

Prakrti - the primodial nature which is a part of brahmam (sareeram) and the material cause for creation of this universe, it called as mixed satva ie which has a mixture of satva rajas and tamas. The essential nature of Brahmam and Nitya vibhuti is pure satva (devoid of rajas and tamas). The concept is that the jivas who are born in this universe must follow a discipline and elavate themselves from this prakrti to reach srivaikuntha. Jivas are never created. They are anadi and so are their karmas. Jivas are anatam but their karma have antam. Once karma ceases, jiva reaches vaikuntham and never returns.

 

Question ID: 441 - hi I was not sure where to ask this question. I had bought a few of the wonderful Upanyasam CDs from Kinchitkaram trust, and about 3 audio files were corrupt. I was wondering if there is a way you could help me get those mp3 files (download from online??). I could give you more details. Madhusudhanan - Question By - Madhusudhanan Srinivasan, srinivma@gmail.com

 

Yes . you can get them replaced. They can't be downloaded. Kindly call 044 24992728.

 

Question ID: 440 - Respected Swami,Namaskarams to your lotus feet.As already mentioned in the earlier question,I am only a beginner and want to follow Srivaishnava Sampradayam very sincerely.Even though i was born in a Srivaishnava kulam,my interest towards Srivaishnavam developed very recently.But i am constantly undergoing some sort of difficulties which ultimately make me think that i should follow some other path and not srivaishnavam.But at the same time,I think Srivaishnavam is the only correct path and there is always a confusion which makes me feel very helpless.When i told this to my close relative i was told that this was "thapathrayam".Please tell me as to why i am undergoing such troubles and is it the result of any bagavatha apacharam or is it due to my past karmas? could you please suggest me something for this? - Question By - ramanuja dasi, namperumal@hotmail.com

 

Of course all these confusions are effects of our birth and the cause karma. You are very disturbed for no reason. Even if you follow any other sampradayam you may continue with the same confusion. You will have to sit down, reflect and choose.

 

Question ID: 439 - adipanindhEn vinnappam, swAmi. In Sri Ramayanam, when Mandodhari laments Ravana's death, she mentions that Sri Seetha is not equal to her in kulam, beauty, etc.. Looks like she is so full of herself and does not realize whom she is comparing herself with!!! Is this not a bhAgavatha apachAram? However, our AchAryAs have considered her words of praise about the Lord (esp. where she identifies the Lord as the Supreme) in a serious light. I think They would have had some reason to have ignored her strange and incorrect words about Thayar. Have They stated that reason anywhere, swAmi? Kindly enlighten adiyEn. devareer thiruvadigalukku pallaandu. - Question By - Sudha R, sudha.rams@gmail.com

 

Let me suggest again. There is an answer to all questions. However we must not spend time on trivial matters. Since you believe in our acharyas, just focus on knowing the esoteric meanings of the four slokas of mandodari as described at length by Sri Peria vacan pillai in tanislokam. You will get a reply for your question there.

 

Question ID: 438 - adipanindhEn vinnappam, swAmi. When one reaches paramapadham, we honour the great soul by saying that S/He reached AchAryan's thiruvadi. So, in paramapadham, will one get to directly serve His/Her AchAryan like one gets to do in this vibhUthi? Or will serving the Divine Couple (and thus making the AchAryan happy) is the only form of kainkaryam available there? Kindly clarify and grace adiyEn. devareer thiruvadigal vAzhi. - Question By - Sudha R, sudha.rams@gmail.com

 

A mukta would serve the divine couple and all the nityas and muktas there. Our acaryan would also be one of them.

 

Question ID: 437 - adipanindhEn vinnappam, swAmi. I gather that there can be a liberation from samsAram even in the form of kaivalyam where one will enjoy oneself and stay in the nithya vibhoothi without ever coming back but at the same time will not be able to serve the Lord and thAyAr. I believe they will be stationed on one bank of srI virajA without bathing in it and will not be purified by srI amAnavan. Is my understanding correct? Kindly clarify and grace adiyEn. devareer thiruvadigal vAzhi. - Question By - Sudha R, sudha.rams@gmail.com

 

A kaivailyarthi does not travel through arciradi margam at all. He lives for ever in a place beyond the viraja without entering Tirumaa mani mandapam. He neither serves the Lord at Srivaikuntha not returns to this material world.

 

Question ID: 436 - Ref: Reply to Question ID: 349 namaskArams, swAmi. Thank you very much for your clarifications regarding why our AchAryAs chose srI krishNa charama slOkam (over srI rAma charama slOkam) for upadesham. One more query in this context: From the sharaNAgathan's perspective, doesn't srI rAma charama slOkam sound more inviting and inclusive i.e. doesn't it enable (with more ease than srI krishNa charama slOkam) the person who wants to do sharaNAgathi to shed all fears and doubts and approach the Lord? If the sharanyan is a "thEvai idAdhAr", doesn't His words give more confidence and hope to people (and thus lead them to approach the Lord)? What is the samAdhAnam given by our AchAryAs to this? Kindly clarify and grace us, swAmin. Pallaandu to devareer's thiruvadigal. - Question By - Sudha R, sudha.rams@gmail.com

 

The same set of reasons as I gave last time. Let us spend more time in knowing the meaning of both the caramaslokams rather than comparitive argument.

 

Question ID: 435 - namaskArams swAmi. Amongst the 12 AzhwArs, srI pEyAzhwAr alone is hailed as "thamizh thalaivan" - I have 2 questions wrt this: (a) Is srI rAmAnuja nootrandhAdhi the first and only text where srI pEyAzhwAr is referred to this way? (b) Why is srI pEyAzhwAr alone referred to thus? Is there any specific phrase or approach He used in moonraam nootrandhAdhi that paved way to this? Kindly enlighten adiyEn, swAmin. Pallaandu to devareer's thiruvadigal. - Question By - Sudha R, sudha.rams@gmail.com

 

All azhvars are hailed as tamizhars. Much before iramanusa nootrandai, azhvar himself has sung as "paalei tamizhar isai karar pattar....". Specially the mudal azhvars are called as tamizhar. Mudal azhvars claim to be perum tamizhan nallen. the same iramanusa nootrandai reveres poigai azhvar as "sendamizh tannayum kootti". So this only a common title to all.

 

Question ID: 434 - My Humble namaskars to swamiji. I am 36 yrs old staying away from my family..Recently I am having an inclination to chant some slokas about the lord and I started listening to Vishnu Sahasarnamam. But when I wanted to chant it, I get disturbed a lot and I am unable to recite it continuously. Need your guidance as to how should I start and where to start. - Question By - P.R.Arun, prarun71@gmail.com

 

It is surprising that you are not able to chant sahasranama. Let it not be mental. It can be oral. Just take a book and read through which may take about 20 minutes. If it is difficult just join the group which chants SVS in your town and make a begin