Q&A - Velkudi Krishnan

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Sri U. Ve Velukkudi Krishnan Swamy answers your questions on spirituality, Sri

Vaishnava Sampradhaya and Sanathana Dharma.

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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, [email protected]

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

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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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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 [email protected] 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., [email protected]

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, [email protected] - Question By - RAVI CHANDRASEKHARA, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

Kindly send an email to [email protected] 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, [email protected]

Kindly send an email to [email protected] 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, [email protected]

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

[email protected] 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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

Kindly send a mail to our trust e mail id [email protected] 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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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 , [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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, [email protected]

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 beginning.

Question ID: 433 - Swamigal Thiruvadikku Shathakoti Pranamangal, swamy i went to bhadrachalam recently, there was one place with the name paransala, the people

in that place told that, this is the place where ravana took sita to lanka, is it true,if thats not the place , swamy could you please tell the place where ravana took sita to lanka, one more request , if it is possible is there any chances of listing the rama,krishna,ramanuja yatra places in the website, so that it will be useful for the devotees to go to those places whenever we get time. Adiyen Prabhu Ramanuja Dasan. - Question By - Prabhu ramanuja dasan, [email protected]

I am not going to contradict the claim or bhadracala vasis. It is our fortune that Rama

set us lotus feet throughout the length and breadth of India. However there is an

interpretation to Rama being at parnasala near bhadracala. It was when Ramadasa

built the temple for Rama, both Sita and Rama appeared and supervised the

construction living in this parna sala. All this is in kali yuga. Ravana abducted Sita from

pancavati near present day Nasik. We had publised a book on both these yatra. We

would try to post it in the website.

Question ID: 432 - Respected Swami, Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. I am extremely grateful to you for answering my earlier doubt (Q 386). However, I have yet another question, which I hope you will clarify. Please excuse any ignorance on my part. Swami, I have been conversing with some people who claim to be Sri Vaishnavas. These people tell me that while Vishishtadvaita accepts Savisesha Brahman, with all kalyana gunas, we do not limit Brahman to the form of Vishnu, as described in the scripture. These people told me that Sriman Narayana's form with the lotus, mace, conch and discus is simply a symbol to be assumed for meditation, and that Brahman in reality is above all forms. So basically, we can meditate on Vishnu's form or even Shiva and get moksha. They also were of the opinion that the avatars/lilas of Narayana as described by the Puranas is allegorical, and their historicity is not required as far as our sampradaya is concerned. They also say that the Puranic accounts of creation does not tally with science, and hence are to be considered as metaphors (For instance, Bhagavatam's description of the Universe is not in accordance with science as it describes the Universe as 5 billion miles across). My question is - Is what these people are saying true? I have always felt that Sriman Narayana, while not being limited to forms, still has taken this beautiful thirumeni for devotees. I am a firm believer and have utmost faith in our alvars and acharyas, who have beautifully described emperuman's thirumeni. However, these people too claim to belong to Sri Ramanuja Darshanam, and hence, I feel it appropriate to clarify my doubts. To say that Vishnu is allegorical seems too much for me, because our sampradaya is based on the fundamental tenet that Bhagavan incarnates from time to time to mingle with Jivas and show His kalyana gunas. Please forgive me for any sort of ignorance I may have exhibited. The idea of Sriman Narayana's beautiful thirumeni being an allegory is quite distressing, and the people I spoke to appear to be quite erudite as far as philosophy is concerned, hence a seed of doubt crept into my mind. Kindly address this issue. At your lotus feet, Narayana. - Question By - Narayana, [email protected]

You are quite clear in your understanding. Just do not be concerned about what others

claim or argue. Follow our acharyas. Let us not waste time. Nobody is above Sri

Ramanuja or azhvars.

Question ID: 431 - What is meant by Bhagavatha Dharmam ? Did our acharyas also preach and follow it ? Is it the same as Sri Vaishnava Dharmam ? - Question By - BHARADWAJ, [email protected]

Srivaishnava lakshanam and bhagavata dharmama are one and the same. It is listed

in Sri vishnu purana, Gita and purvachaarya works. Our purvachaaryas were living

examples of the same.

Question ID: 430 - What is the opinion and message of azhwars on chanting the names of the Sriman Naarayana ? Do they prescribe it as a mokshopayam ? What is the opinion of our Sri Vaishnava Acharyas on the same thing ? Kindly enlighten - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - BHARADWAJ, [email protected]

Neither the azhvars nor acharyas prescribe naama sankirtana as mokshopaya. It only

aids in 1. service to the Lord 2. useful past time during our lifetime after saranagati. 3.

nurturing bhakti 4. enjoying the auspicious attributes of bhagavan. It is an indirect

upaya which may lead to bhakti or prapatti which are the direct upayas. Bhagavan is

the only means for liberation.

Question ID: 429 - swamin small clarification about swamy answer for question no:393 (thanana thirumeni in sri rangam) the answer was -Not the original tirumeni preserved. till today we believed all three thirumeni i.e., thammugarntha,thamarugantha,thanana thirumeni we teaching to our younger generation also about this tnanana thirumeni normally we take swamy word is final word but this gives us mis-direction. In history says sri ramanuja thirumeni preserved in sri rangam temple. swamin please clarify this again in details. adiyen - Question By - govindarajan, [email protected]

I never said that it is not known as taanana tirumeni at Srirangam. However, the

original tirumeni is not preserved there. It is under the earth beneath the present

mandapa. It is revered as taanana tirumeni as this is where the final tirumeni was laid

to rest.

Question ID: 428 - Namaskarams. 1. I am a widower. 2. I have no children 3. My father passed away last year. 4. My mother is old and fragile. 5. I have an elder brother. 6. I want to perfrom the srardham (first year srardham) for my father at Varanasi. Should I do it in Varanasi or Gaya? 7. Can I perform Srardham in Gaya for my ancesstors. (My mother is alive). 8. Can I perform Srardham for my wife in Gaya? Namaskarams. - Question By - srinivasan, [email protected]

My suggestion would be to perform later. However kindly refer to your family

brhaspati.

Question ID: 427 - My respectful pranams to Swami. My doubt here is that according to temples and Sri Vaishnava Sampradayam, we celebrate Sri Jayanthi(avani - rohini) and not gokula-asthami for Lord Krishna but we celbrate Rama Navami(chitirai - navami) and not on chitirai-punarvasu for Lord Rama.In short ,why do we celebrate Krishna's birthday according to star and Rama's birthday according to tithi??? - Question By - Arun, [email protected]

Rama's birthday is popularly identified as Sri Rama navami. But, It is also calculated

based on the asterism punarvasu only.

Question ID: 426 - adiyen Ramanuja dasan. Swamiyin Thiruvadihaluku adiyenathu namasakarangal. Swami, is it true that Lord Rama had maamsam. i dont believe that. some people are arguing that Rama is a kshatriya and he is having full rights to have maamsam. they are giving some verses from Valmiki Ramayana ( Sundara Kantam -- Hanuman to Sita prati ) ... ?Na mamsam Raghava bhunkte, na chaiva madhu sevate, Vanyam suvihitam nityam bhaktamsnati panchamam.? Swami, pls tell me what is the exact meaning of that verse .... - Question By - VaradhaRajan Renganathan, [email protected]

Rama did not have maamsam. Hanuman is only describing the plight of Rama

suffering from the pangs of separation. Although a kshatriya can have under certain

circumstances Rama did not have.

Question ID: 425 - Adiyen Sridevanathan Namaskaram. Recently I saw in a website the other religion evangalists say that our Vaishnava and Saiva, and Hindu siddanthams are from them. The St. Thomas who came here was the origin and from

his teachings only our Hinduism came. These propogandas makes my blood boiling and my heart wants to do something to crush it. I loose my mental balance and anger occupies my mind. Is it not necessary for us to crush this? Our Younger generation will be spoiled by this. I pray my Krishna to solve this. Else what can we do? - Question By - sridevanathan, [email protected]

Yes many would like to go your way but they would not solve the issue. We need to

have a structured spiritual education programme for children so that they are not

caught in the web of wrong propaganda or material pleasure.

Question ID: 424 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recently maya created such a tricky situation,that i got bewildered,and although within my heart i carefully considered the lord as the only upayam,the situation prompted me to display ahankaram,and went against my free will,and caused apacharam in my mind unto your lotus feet.I personally deeply regret my mistake,but on the other hand,sincerely speaking i was completely helpless.From this krishna has revealed so many things to me,how dangerous bhagavata apacharam is,and how tricky and powerful maya is.Unlike before the tendency to commit bhagavat apacharam has completely gone,but this happened suddenly.Although i wanted to plead for forgiveness personally,but because of severe pain,guilt in my heart for many days,i feel something like a stone covering my heart,which prompted me to ask forgiveness thorugh e-mail.I promise that i shall sincerely strive to not commit such offences again.Sincerely begging for kshama. your servant -------------- - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Yes bhagavata apacaram is cruel. Kindly go directly to the bhagavata whom you

offended and convey the same to him or her. Only that would nullify the offence.

Question ID: 423 - ** Om Sri Kooresaya Nama ** Dear Swami, In Q.354, you had replied to my question that as adiyen does not have a vaishnava lineage, I cannot have Sri Koorathazwan as my maanaseega Acharya. You had also advised me to contact an acharya and do samashraNam first. As adiyen do not belong to the Sri Vaishnava parampara, I cannot consider anyone else but your kind self as my Acharya, next to Koorathzwan. You were the one who had inculcated the spirit of Perumal Bhakthi and have also guided me in many ways (through your upanyasams) to come out from certain practices & habits which are not considered as good. It is my humblest request to you to allow me - to accept you as my Acharya. Can you please advise me of the needed procedures for me to obtain samashraNam under your holy guidance as my Acharya. Seeking your blessings, Adiyen Madhavn. - Question By - Madhavan, [email protected]

I can be your guide as an upanyasaka. My duty is to lead you to an acharya who

comes in the lineage of the 74 simhasanadhipatis. But for this I would fail in my duty.

So kindly contact me when I am at chennai, I would guide you.

Question ID: 422 - Dear Swamiji i like to know the importance of Prodasha - Question By - N.Arun Kumar, [email protected]

I have little knowledge about this. Kindly ask this to your nearby temple priest.

Question ID: 421 - ********************Srimathae Ramanujaya namaha******************** Devarir Thiruvadikaluku Adiyenudaya Danada samarpanam, 1) Adiyen heard your upanyasam about Thirumalai "Thaavi Annu Ulagamellam Thalaivilla .........". In that devarir explained that Perumal wanted to have His Thiruvadi sparisam for all the people in the earth as well some of the Devas who have aahangaram and went upto Sathyalogam (Thiruvasiriyam 5 Pattu). Now, in Krishna avataram after Sriyapathe Sarveswaran Emperuman put His Divine Lotus Feet above Boothanai all the dur gantham that would come out of Asura's Degam was not there. So, after Perumal had his Thiruvadi above all the vasthus in the Boologam, everybody should have identified Him and should go to Moksham. [For this he even asked all the people to see Him as Vamana, and once all of them bent down to see Him, He changed as ThiruVikraman]. So, why Namuchi and other people still went against Thiruvikrama? 2) When Prylayam comes, will Nithya mandalam present or will it also have the bagyam to go into Emperuman's ThiruVayiru? If no, then how our Purvas explained "Aevam Narayana Asith" and other related things. - Question By - sutharsan, [email protected]

In tirumaalai azhvar only says that trivikrama was impartial to all as He touched

everyone. It is not that putana or mahabali went to moksham on being touched by

bhagavan. The Key to moksham is the realisation that His touch would fetch

moksham. True to it's name,Nitya mandalam would not be consumed by bhagavan

during pralayam.

Question ID: 420 - NAMASTA SWAMI , I AM 2 MONTHS PREGNANAT ON 17TH AUG I WAS OUT IN THE LIGHT WHEN IT WAS CHANDRA GRAHAN AT 1.15 AM . I WANT TO KNOW IS THEIR ANY PROBLEM ACCOURING TO ACCOURDINGTO HINDU - Question By - SHUBHA, [email protected]

It may probably affect not only as said in dharmic scriptures but also in science.

However kindly plead to bhagavaan who would for sure listen to your request.

Question ID: 419 - Adiyen ramanujadasan .Swami ,we belongs to suyamachari vamsam (Paravasthubattarbiran jeeyar).Till my great grand father we performed samasrayanam.after his demice my grandfather connected our family to tirumala peria jeeyar mutt.And i got samasrayanam done by parasara bhattar.Will it be possible to perform samasrayanam once again. - Question By - Sriraghavan, [email protected]

I am ignorant about this. Kindly refer to an acharya purusha or either Peria jeer swamy

or bhattar swamy.

Question ID: 418 - Upayavedanthaachaarayrai ezhuntharuli irukkum Swami sannidhiyyil anantha kodi dhandam samarpiththa vinnappam. Swami, purushaas have the privilige of addressing themselves "Adiyen" and "Ramanuja dasan". Likewise, can you kindly clarify the correct term to be used by Sthris to address themselves? - Question By - Vijayalakshmi Srinivasaraghavan, [email protected]

you can use the same. nothing wrong as we are only conveying the subservience of an

atman where gender does not matter. If you want to be specific then use adiyaal and

ramanuja dasi.

Question ID: 417 - Upayavedanthaachaarayrai ezhuntharuli irukkum Swami sannidhiyyil adiyen ramanuja dasan dhandam samarpiththa vinnappam. From our website's welcome banner and from other sources, adiyen learnt that "thiruman kaapu" which we have on our forehead is Perumal's tiruvadi and "srichoornam" represents Thaayaar mahaalakshmi. As adiyaars of Him we wear His Lotus Feet on our forehead. Adiyen's doubt is why does the Lord Himself have to wear "thiruman kaapu" (i.e, His own Lotus Feet) on His Forehead? Adiyen request Swami to kindly clarify this silly doubt of mine. - Question By - Sridhar Srinivasan, [email protected]

There is a detailed reply earlier on this question. He is adorned with tiruman as an

alankara (decoration). Secondly He is trying to simulate His bhata to experience the

joy which they experience by wearing the same.

Question ID: 416 - Adiyen had the opportunity to listen to devereer's upanyasam on Kanninun Siruthambu (2004). Enna Bhagyam! I think that every Sri Vaishnavar should listen to it at least once in the life time. In the last pasuram Madhura Kavi Azhwar says 'Vaikuntham Kaanmine'. In response to people trying to catch him saying he is up to Peruman rather than to Azhwar, he says that Azhwar is the king in Sri Vaikuntam, and also wherever there are people who believe in his words then that place itself is Vaikuntham. 1. Considering that spirit, it is not clear what he means by 'Adiyen Petra Nanmaiye' in the 3rd Pasuram. The pasuram seems to say that he considers it a 'Nanmai' that Devapiran gave darshan to Madhura Kavi. In the same spirit as above though, is he Really saying that That is the Nanmai, or is there some other meaning to it which actually implies Azhwar only? 2. Is there any distinction (UL PoruL) in his usage of 'Naan' versus 'Adiyen' in different pasurams? Thank you for devareer's valuable time. - Question By - Raghu, [email protected]

Bhagavan is dearer to bhaagavata bhaktas than His own devotees. That is why He

volunteered to give darshan to madhura kavigal although that was not the wish of

madhura kavigal. However MK azhvar did not deny that darshan fearing that such an

act would offend Nammazhvar. He claims that this nanmai is also due the grace of

Nammazhvar and not of his own. So the focus in this song is to bring out the glory of

Nammazhvar's grace which grants everything. 2. Whether azhvar's use naan or adiyen

- both mean adiyen only.

Question ID: 415 - What is the slogam to be recited during Chandra Grahanam and Surya Grahanam? When is the tharpanam to be done at the begining of the grahanam or during the grahanam or a few minutes before the end of the grahanam? Does it differ between Surya and Chandra grahanams? - Question By - Chandru, [email protected]

Tarpanam is always in krishna paksham and so it is towards the end in candra grahana

and at the beginning in surya grahana. the exact timings would be given in the

pancangam. For slokam - I do not know. Kindly refer to your family brhaspati

Question ID: 413 - Respected Swamy, Adiyeanudaya Thendan Samrpiththa Vignapanam. My question this time is about Panchasamskaram and Bharanyasam. I am told that we all become eigible to do Thiruvaradhanam after going through the ritual of Panchasamskaram (Samasrayanam). Much before my Upanayanam when I was a small boy,based on the advice of some of my well wishers, I had done Thirumanjanam and Thiruvaradhanam reciting Purusha Suktham, Shree Suktham

and Hayagrivasthothram with Unboiled milk poured on the Panchaloka Vigraha of Lakshmi Hayagreeva with a Valampuri Shanku and Thulsi leaves as offering while reciting the shloka. All these were not done with the proper sequence as described in Vaishnavadhanacharya but just because of Bhakti, I was doing the same. After coming to know of the fact that Samsrayanam is essential for the above procedures, I need your advice on whether to first undergo the ritual of Samasrayanam and then continue with the practice of doing the Thirumanjanam and Thiruvaradhanam or I can continue doing the Thiruvaradhanam and as and when I find time, I can have the Samasrayanam done? The Second question I have is, When I go for the ritual of Bharanyasam, I am told that the Acharyan of the Family helps me to show the way to Moksha and when once the procedure of Bharanyasam is done, then the individuals undergoing this procedure must refrain from having food in Hotels and also cook Onion, Garlic and Masala items. Being a Sales Professional, I meet my clients over a dinner or breakfast and having items without these is inevitable, knowingly or unknowingly. I am told that the mistakes so commited knowingly or unknowingly befalls the Acharya. Hence I need advice on - a. Can I consume onion or garlic after Bharanyasam? What does the shastras say in this regard? b. If the shastras prevent the consumption of these items then should I have to postpone this ritual for a few years till I am certain that I can refrain from these? In the midst of your very busy schedules, if I am sorry to make you read very long paragraphs. Adiyenai Poruththu Arula Vendum. Warm Rgds, R.Venkateshamadhavan - Question By - R.Venkateshamadhavan, [email protected]

It is not wrong what you did as a small boy. But now, you cannot perform

tiruaradhanam without samasrayanam. You should not post pone the ritual as this life

is very short lived and uncertain. You cannot consume garlic or onion - not only after

samasrayanam but right from your birth. So you need to immediately stop that. I

disagree with you that you are compelled to have these along with your clients. First

you restrict yourself to cucumber and tomatoe salads along with plain curd rice during

travel or dinner. And then slowly change yourself and carry a electric rice cooker to

cook for yourself. I know many who have tried this way and succeeded.

Question ID: 412 - Adeyan Krishna Dasan from Pune is there is any book avaialble to read/understand Vedas. For example, to know about "nalayera Diva Prabandham", we have several books on Alwars, and we have 4000 pasurams written by 12 alwars. Thanking you. - Question By - R Krishnan, [email protected]

Yes. there are many books. But you may not find a traslation of the complete vedas in

english or tamil. I would suggest that you read the translation of the principal

upanishads first. You can contact jayalakshmi indological books house at mylapore.

Question ID: 411 - Adeyen Krishna Dasan from Pune, All my questions may be sounding very simple, kindly pardon my ignorance. how to teach my 12 year son about 'Guruparampara'. My Acharyana is "Andavan Swamigal". Please guide. - Question By - R Krishnan, [email protected]

there is a lineage to any education. Physics chemistry or mathematics , the theorems

and experiments are identified with the name of the scientists who invented them.

Even science where it is claimed that no emotions or faith are attached the lineage is

never forgot. Similarly in vaishnavism the lineage of preceptors who introduced

bhagavan and His relationship to us, is considered to be sacred. You can tell him in

short about the contribution of each one in the parampara.

Question ID: 410 - Adeyen - Krishna dasan from Pune dt : 150808 I wanted to spend more time on spiritual activities. But due to time constraints, I am not able to spend time. One side office and the other side family. I am finding difficult to match both ends and ends up in spending a very little time in spiritual activities. Whenever time permits, I listen your "upansams" since I am a direct member of "kinchitkaramtrust" for the last few years and I have a collection of dozen CDs. Please guide how can i spend dedicate more time towards spiritual activities. - Question By - R Krishnan, [email protected]

Knowledge and neccessity decide your priority list. First we need to know more about

bhagavan, atma and their glorious relationship. Then we need to realise the necessity

to realise the purpose of our birth. Only then spirituality would fare earlier in your list

of priorities. So reflect on the essential nature of jiva and para with the aid of books

and cds. Resolve to religiously spend a particular time slot for Him, come what may.

Question ID: 409 - Dear Swamin, My question(s) pertains to your wonderful Upanyasam of BhagavadGeeta on DD. 1) In Sloka 3.42 , senses, mind,intellect are graded in ascending order. And then finally, Desire(Kaamam) is mentioned as higher than Intellect . Where does the Jeevatma fit into this grade? Isn't Jeevatma higher than the Intellect? Intrestingly, other Vaishnvaite schools (madhva, Nimbarka etc) seem to refer to Soul here, instead of desire for the last grade. Please clarify my confusion. 2) Please suggest any English books of Gita translation as per our Sampradayam. (including Ramanuja Bhasyam, Swami Desikan's commentary on Gita etc), which can supplement your discourses. There are so many english translations/books on the net, many of which are bewildering. Thanks. Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Rajagopal Kaliyur Mannar, [email protected]

of course atma, the sensient, is superior to all these insentients. It is the atma which

realises that these are inferior and so controls them. atma is not kama. You can buy

two books : 1. Sri U Ve Tirukkallam swamys three volume book and 2. Sri U Ve. Puttur

advocate swamy's five volume book.

Question ID: 408 - Dear Swami What is the significance of blowing conch immediately after death. Since conch is one of the paraphernalia of the lord Sriman Narayana, how come it gets associated with this ritual.? Kindly clarify this doubt. dasan Sriram - Question By - Balaraman Sriram, [email protected]

Kindly let me know when and who blow conch on death. I would reply based on that.

Question ID: 407 - Hari bol ! It is recommened to take milk and other substances by vedas ,puranas or by anyalzwars.(In bagavat geetha krishna said only palam,pushbam,leaf and water but not included milk)Some people arguing that any food which comes from animal, include milk,honey it is considered to be non-veg.And also non veg people saying that egg which is nonfertile can be considered as veg. I am confused ,Please clarify. Thanks - Question By - Dhineshkumar.E, [email protected]

Krshna has mentioned a few inexpensive and easily available products that can be

offered to Him. This sloka is not to advice us of our consumption. so do not confuse.

You can very well have milk with sugar. In fact that is the most liked by Krshna. Vedas

themselves and azhvars have mentioned consumption of milk at many places.

Question ID: 406 - Pranams to Swamiji. I have been listening to the CDs and recently attended the Swami's discourse on "Ramanayanathil Rahasiyangal" at Tambaram. Swami has said that this birth depends on "Prartha Karma" and the joy and sorrows belong to the birth. But, the level of joy and sorrows seem to differ from person to person. Kindly clarify the cause for the difference in the level of our joy and sorrow . Kindly bless me to be a good bhaktha of Sriman Narayan. - Question By - KANNAN, [email protected]

The discrimination in birth is due to the individual specific karmas. Similarly the birth

which we have taken and our conduct in it decide the varying degrees of joy and sorry.

OUr prarabdha karmas are slowly exhausted as we experience joy or sorrow. So it is all

the making of our punya or papa.

Question ID: 405 - Swami, I enjoy your programme [Kannanin Aramuthu] in Doordarshan. Unfortunately we are not getting the channel in my place. Will it be possible to get all the episodes as CD. Dasan, Thirunarayanan T Srinivasan - Question By - Thirunarayanan T Srinivasan, [email protected]

Govt of India would release after the programme is over in sept 09.

Question ID: 404 - Namaskaram Swamy, adiyen would like to know the meaning of sankalpam we do at the beginning of a spiritual event. Mainly what is swetha varaha kalpa? - Question By - Raghavan, [email protected]

There are many kalpas each one being the beginning of the day of the four headed

brahma. brahmaNa: dvitIya parArdhE - in the second 50 years of brahma sveta varaha

kalpE - in the day named sveta varaha kalpa vaivasvata manvatarE - in the

manvantara named vaivasvata (14 manvataras pass by during the day of brahma)

ashtA vimsati tame - in the 28th caturyuga of that manvatara ( about 71 caturyugas

pass by in each manvatara. so 71 x 14 = about 1000 caturyugas which forms the day

of brahma.) kali yugE - in the fourth yuga of that 28th caturyuga. Our present kalpa is

named as sveta varaha kalpa.

Question ID: 403 - Swami, it is said that Madhurantakam eri katha ramar got that name during an episode with a british officer. But Swami Manvala Mamunigal's lines below indicate that this name for ramar was there much before the british time: Marumalar Kamazhum Solai Madhuraimaa nagarvandheidhi Arulmozhi Periya Nambi Andru Ethirasa rasarkku ArumporuL vazhangumengaL ERI KATTHARULVAR KOIL Thirumagizhadiyir Selveer Theevinai Therumare. Kindly clarify. - Question By - Raghu, [email protected]

This title to Ramar is not new. The earlier eri is Ramanuja himself who was nurtured by

Sri Rama.

Question ID: 402 - Namaskaram, Do our Shastras permit marriage between Smartha and Vaishnava? - Question By - Bharathwaj, [email protected]

Sastras talk about varnas (brahmanas at the gross level) and not the subsects.

However as this is not found in practice amongst our preceptors we abstain. This may

be so as the gap in the philosophical and the religious thinking has widened between

the two. The practice of sishtas is an equal authority as the sastras (as mentioned by

Sri Krshna in gita - yadyat acarati sreshtha:...).

Question ID: 401 - Swamigal Thiruvadikku Pranamangal ? I am blessed to be part of the Kinchitkaram Trust. Kindly let me know which direction we should face while having the food & which direction while sleeping. Pls pardon me if anything is wrong in my question. - Adiyen Madhavan. - Question By - Madhavan, [email protected]

Eat facing the east and keep your head in the east while sleeping.

Question ID: 400 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan. Adiyen pranam unto ur lotus feet. Swami, 1. Vedas are not created by a Man. But in vedas, if u see, some sukthams are in the name of rishis. Why? 2. Sabdam (veda) has got language? If yes, whether Sanskrit verses or words like purusha suktham which are readily available now will change or not? 3. We are treating thiruvaimozhi as sama veda. But in many cases he has cried like anything. My question is the same crying languague ( like kangulum pagalum kanthuyil ariyal) was there in previous kali yugas & the same words will exist always. 4. Acutally whether veda has any form or sound which pervades everywhere like bagavan. If not, what is the form of veda? Kindly clarify. - Question By - M. Gopalakrishnan, [email protected]

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 . 2. vedas and their language

sanskrit would forever remain the same. 3. tiruvomozhi is not a word by word

translation of sama veda. It has embedded the purport of sama veda in the golden

base of tamil and bhakti. The different aspects of bhakti makes tiruvoimozhi more

absorbing than sama veda and easily accessible. 4. Vedas have form and sound as it is

in the present. But many part of the vedas are lost today. Only bhagavan is

omnipresent. Vedas by their essential nature or form cannot pervade everywhere.

Being the only source of knowledge for realising divinity, it pervades the minds of the

seekers.

Question ID: 399 - Dear Swamy, Adiyenudaya Thendan Samarpittha Vignapanam. I had the privilege of hearing your Upanyasa on Garuda Dhandakam in Hindu Vidyalaya - West Mambalam. This is the first of your Upanyasams I had attended and on the second day you had referred to the War between Rama Lakshmana and the Asuras of Lanka. In the Upanyasa you told us that " Lord Rama and Lakshmana" were tied due to Nagastra and once on the arrival of Garuda with the wings open, the mere gust of wind that emanated from Garuda's feathers were sufficient for the Nagastra to loose the effect by which Lord Rama regainied Consciousness. My question' s are: 1. Garuda, being the vahana of Lord Vishnu and Lord Rama himself being an incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Human Form, to defeat Ravana, could have won the battle having Garuda as his Vahana in the war because the shloka in Garuda dhandaka says, when Lord Vishnu, sets his foot on Garuda Vahana, then Victory is imminent. What is the necessity for the Lord himself to recite Aaditya Hrudayam as per the advice of Sage Agastya to win the War? (Eathath Thrigunitham Japthwa Yudhdheshu Vijayishwasi!") 2. If Lakshmana is an incarnation of Adhishesha, then Nagastra should not have done anything to him, instead Lord Hanuman went in search of Mruthyu Sanjivani? What is the necessity for this? The above two questions may also be silly but Adiyeanai Poruththu Arula Vendum, if the question asked is so silly. Warm Rgds, R.Venkateshamadhavan - Question By - R.Venkateshamadhavan, [email protected]

Answer for the both the questions is the same. They never wanted to reveal

themselves divine. Rama Himself states to consider Him as a manushya.

Question ID: 397 - respected sir, i am a housewife. very recently ie for the past 7 months i am following ekadesi viratham.A gurukal's wife from Anjenaeya temple told me how to follow. I take only fruits and milk and on duvadesi i make rice with 7-9 vegetables and have it before sunrise . am i correct sir - Question By - uma, [email protected]

Not before sunrise. Before 9 am is Ok. Why so many vegetables.

Question ID: 396 - Respected Swami, Pranams to your Divine Feet which has walked through the lands lived in by Lord Krishna and Lord Rama and all great people described in Puranams. I am very much interested in reading Garuda Puranam - just wanted to know if the same can be done at home - are there any criterias to be followed apart from being pure by soul?? Kindly advice. Regards,

Gayathri Krishnan - Question By - Gayathri Venkatakrishnan, [email protected]

There is nothing wrong in reading. But there are more important texts like Sri

Ramayana , Sri Bhagavatam and portions of Mahabharata that give authenticated

information. So kindly read them first.

Question ID: 394 - Respected Guruji, I have a doubt that if Lakshma is Balaraman in Mahabaratham then when counting about the Avatharams of Lord Narayana they are mentioning only Balaraman not Lakshmana ?whether both are same? - Question By - bhavani, [email protected]

Lakshmana is not an avatara. Balarama is an avesa avatara of Bhagavan with the

power of Adisesha.

Question ID: 393 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Swamy Anantha kodi dandangal to your thiruvadi Adiyen would like to know about Thamana Thrumeni of Swamy Ramanuja at SriRangam.. Some say that it is the original Thirumeni of swamy which is still being preserved...Some say it is made of Chandanam by sishyas for worship above the brindavanam..I would to know about Swamy Ramanujas vigraham above the brindavanam. Kindly clarify. - Question By - Kidamni Seshadri, [email protected]

Not the original tirumeni preserved.

Question ID: 390 - Dear Swamiji, My pranams and namaskar once again. I could not understand certain things answered by you in Q. No.294, Hence I would like to clarify some of the doubts. The questions are : 1) In your answer you replied 14 manus will rule one manvantra - Who is that Manu, How many manus are there? Why only 14? Either less than that or more than that? 2) You had replied that we are in the 28 thousand chathuryugas. - We have any pramanams for that? 3) To know the secrets of Him (Universe) - What we should do? Is it right to ask these questions about the Lord? Do you feel that I am provoking the secrets of Almighty? 4) When and Who started keeping Thirumann, Sreechurnam in the forehead and how dit it came into existence? If we do not keep what will be the ill-effects? With namaskars rama - Question By - Rama Mahalakshmi, [email protected] - Question By - Rama Mahalakshmi, [email protected]

I said one manu would rule one manvatara. 14 totally during the day of brahma. There

is no point in asking why not more or not less. Then you can also ask why 60 seconds

to a minute, why 365 days to year. 2. It is mentioned in many puranams including Sri

Vishnu puranam 3. Nothing wrong in asking questions. There is nothing secret about

Brahmam which a jiva should not know 4. Time immemorial. If you do not wear then

one is not explicit in accepting the relationship with Sriman Narayana.

Question ID: 389 - In my traditional way of performing Sandhya Vandhanam,at the end, we used to use the manthra " Kaayena vachaa, mansendrierva,bhudyathmanava.................................Srimannarayna ithi samarpayami, Sarvam sri Krishnarpanamasthu,Vasudevarpanamasthu, thath sath Brahmarpanamasthu. Why do we say Narayana, Krishnarparnamasth and Vasudevarpanamasthu since they are one and the same. A Venkataraman - Question By - A Venkataraman, [email protected]

I am not aware of chanting the last three. We stop with narayanayeti samarpayami.

Question ID: 388 - Recently, my wife went and did Bharanyasam with limited scope from my side. After that she started defending Srivaishnavism against shivaite philosophy. My question to you i sthis. If Sriman Narayanan has created the world and Lord Shiva also worshipped Sriman Narayanan, then Shiva is a Vishnu Bhaktan. If you can worship Alwars who are bhaktas why not worship Shiva who is also a bhaktan. Actually this whole incident has caused a lot of dent in my personal life as i believe that GOD is one and all this SHIVAITE, VAISHNAVITE thing is an invention of the recent years but eternally MAHAVISHNU is supreme and can never be so narrow minded to say dont pray to shiva etc. Your views appreciated. - Question By - Balaji, [email protected]

We have to worship a God 1. with satvik character to develop the same in us 2. who

created us, who is the Creator and not the created. 3. who has the capacity to grant

moksham 4. who is accepted by the sastras as the supreme. 5. who is paramatma and

again not a jiva 6. who is free from blemishes and trouble. 7. who himself is still not a

seeker of moksham Kindly analyse the the Vedas for an answer to all the above

questions. Whichever devata satisfies all the above, kindly go ahead and worship.

Question ID: 387 - Respected Swamin, WHY SHOULD WE USE ONLY PLAIN MILK FOR PERUMAL THIRUMANJANAM? [THAT IS WITHOUT BOILING]----adiyeAn n.padmanaban - Question By - n.padmanaban, [email protected]

Because Krishna consumed and bathed in that. Bhagavan is closer to nature.

Question ID: 386 - Respected Swami, Accept my humble obeisances to you. I have a few doubts regarding the validity of certain Upanishads, which I'd like you to clarify. Kindly excuse any sort of ignorance that I may have displayed in asking these questions. 1) Bhagavad Ramanujar has quoted the vakya 'Eko Ha Vai Narayana Asit Na Brahma Na Isana' in his Vedanta Sangraha. This line apparently comes from a 'Maha Upanishad', which is not considered as among the authentic Upanishads. Therefore, I'd like to inquire as to whether this vakya is accepted as authentic by all schools of Vedanta (Advaita, Dvaita, etc.) as well? Of course, I am aware that any vakya quoted by Emperumanar, Sri Sankara or Sri Madhva is considered genuine, but what is the current level of acceptance? 2) There is also a 'Narayana Upanishad' which has the oft quoted vakya 'Narayana Brahma Jaayate, Narayana Rudro Jaayate'. Is this Upanishad, or atleast the vakya, accepted by all schools? Have Sri Sankara, Sri Bhashyakarar or Sri Madhva quoted this Upanishad? 3) Lastly, I am aware that Sri Madhva has mentioned many texts that Emperumanar never quoted. Two examples are Bhallaveya Shruti and Paingi Shruti. I was informed that the Paingi Shruti finds mention in our sampradayic work named Sruta Prakasika (please excuse me if this information is erroneous). Hence, do Sri Vaishnavas accept Bhallaveya or Paingi Shruti? Please forgive any mistakes I may have made. Yours Sincerely, Narayana (Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan). - Question By - Narayana, [email protected]

Both Mahopanishad and Narayana Upanishad are accepted by all the three schools.

From your questions I get a feeling that you have presumed that Sankara or Madhva

are not followers of Sriman Narayana. It is not so. All three are true vaishnavites who

do not praise demi gods. So they also accept these vakyams. Moreover it is a wrong

notion to say that these Upanishads are not authenticated. They are not in the 10

upanishads - that is all. Yes the two mentioned by you are accepted with some

exceptions.

Question ID: 383 - Dear swami, namaskaram. Adiyen is studying B.E. . Adiyen is a listener of your upanyasams. Adiyen wants to know if we should not have any desires in our life in this world ? If so, what should we do to control our senses ? Dasan, Jagannathan Raman. - Question By - Jagannathan, [email protected]

Namasankirtana, archavatara seva and doing our daily prescribed duties would help

controlling the senses.

Question ID: 382 - My pranams to Swami. I recently bought "Kovil Thiruvaimozhi" upanyasam CD from the Kinchitkaram trust. (1 CD version for 10 hours). Its excellent as usual. However I have a question. ThiruVaaiMozhi 7.2 - kangulum pagalum kaN thuyilaRiyaaL - has been left out and there is no commentary on that. Is this accidental or deliberate? I was a little disappointed that Nammazhwar's direct conversation with NamPerumal in the form of these pasurams are not part of the commentary in the CD. Another question on same lines - in the paasuram "En Thirumagal ser marpanae ennum", Nammazhwar concludes with "Then Thiruvarangam Kovil Kondane - therikilen mudivival thannake" - if I understand the meaning, it is Nammazhwar tells NamPerumal "my daughter wants to marry you, but I dont know what to answer her now because you are not speaking" (as uruvagam). Did Nammazhwar hint here that there will be azhwar avadarams Periazhwar and Aandal in the future (because the lines are more appropriate for them - Periazhwar's daughter Aandal wanted to marry NamPerumal and was successful in doing so). Sorry if this is a question born out of my ariyamai. Thanks a lot. -Sriram - Question By - SriramS, [email protected]

I think 7.2 is in another cd. You can enquire in 24992728 The vyakhyatas have not

mentioned anything in those lines.

Question ID: 381 - namaskarams is there any difference amongst, GURU, ACHARYA, UPADHYAYA ETC. is there any difference amongst SAGE, SANNYASI, MUNI, RISHI, DEVARSHI, BRAHMARISHI - Question By - padmanabhan, [email protected]

Yes there is a difference I would mention a few Guru - one who dispels the darkness of

ignorance Acharya - one who masters the Vedas, teaches them and makes others

follow them Upadhyaya - a teacher Sanyasi - one who has renounced wordly likes and

pleasure Rishi - one who realizes mantra Muni - one who can see beyond Deva rishi - a

higher grade of rishi based on his control over senses and birth.

Question ID: 380 - namaskarams. is there any restrictions to use boiled rice while cooking (1) for neivedhyams (2) for other preparations like idly/ dosai etc. I was told that boiled rice is being used in Kerala temples. Hence the doubt. - Question By - padmanabhan, [email protected]

Anything cooked of boiled rice (bought directly from shops) cannot be offered to

perumal and so we cannot consume.

Question ID: 379 - Srimathe Ramanujaya Namah: We know from our scientific uderstanding that the solar and Lunar eclipses are routine astronaomical events. But according to our tradition we relate these natural events to the bad influence of Rahu & Kethu planets on the Sun & Moon and treat these events as something unholy. We also take bath and offer Tharpan to Pithrus before or after Sparsham/visarjan of the eclipse. We also refrain from taking food during the eclipse and offer special worship to the Lord if the eclipse occurs on the birth stars of individuals and also ask the pregnant women to stay at home and so on. Do we have references in our scriptures supporting these traditional practices? Though I am a devoted Srivaihnavite, I am seeking these clarifications to learn from the spiritual platform. Kindly enlighten me. Ramanuja Dasan, Sampathkumaran. - Question By - C.S.Sampath Kumaran, [email protected]

Every aspect of grahanam that you have mentioned finds a place in our scriptures.

Question ID: 378 - adieyan humble pranams. i happened to glance thro the karudapuram where it is stated the karta should perform the rituaals for the departed soul for nearly one year, but in practise the sapindigaranam is performed on the 12 th day to suit our convinent.if so then can we also reduce the no of days from present 13 to 3 or 4 days to save money, since performing the last rituals have become costlier and often the karta is forced to borrow to do the same. is any prachitam for not doing this karma. pls enlighten us and pardon me if i am wrong. - Question By - S.Raghavan, [email protected]

The present system of performing 12 + 1 has been followed by our purvas after lot of

research. We also perform monthly sodakumbha and sraddha in place of the daily

sraddha and conclude it after a year on the abdikam day. Moreover the 10th and 11th

day have to anyhow be performed on those days only. So These cannot be shortened.

Question ID: 377 - swami adien namaskaram..... I'm 18 yrs old from mysore. i may sound ridiculous but i had a dream of melukote areyar swami doing shamasrayanam to me. we have swayam aachrya at srirangam I'm confused that can i get my shamasrayanam done now from areyar swami or later. - Question By - chaitra, [email protected]

If you are a svayam acharya, do you have any elders who can perform samasrayanam.

If so you have to get it done through them. If not kindly decide on the acharya to

whom you wish to surrender and then get samasrayanam through him. You can also

contact Melkote arayar swamy for his suggestion.

Question ID: 376 - Adiyen Srinivasan, swami sannidhiyil Namaskaram.My wife and myself are planning to visit Gaya.I have three daughters only.I have my elderly parents.Can I perform any ritual at Gaya,say Pinda darpanam,when my parents are alive and I have no son to perform Kriyas after our lifetime.I would be happy if you can enlighten me. wth respectful regards, srinivasan,Baroda - Question By - srinivasan.v.n, [email protected]

You cannot perform when your parents are alive. Kindly contact your family brhaspati

for further details.

Question ID: 375 - Dear Swamin, Namaskarams. I have two questions for which I am trying to find answer: 1. I have been trying to do a balance between material persits like jobs, susitaining family and spirituality. Due to my work, family commitments I am unable to spend lot of time in spiritual aspect. I am unable to vene do basic sandhyavandanam. Can you please guide me how to balance the two? 2. I am in search of a acharya/guru to guide me, can you please tell me how to find one? With Regrads, Adien - Prakash - Question By - Prakash Krishnamachari, [email protected]

Kindly listen to the lecture on balancing materialism and spirituality. Where are you

residing ? based on that I would suggest.

Question ID: 374 - Respected swamin Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan 1.I would like to know the works of Nampaaduvan (Thirukurunggudi) 2.What is Bhodhayana vrithi Grantham ? 3.I heard in your upanyasam about"Karaivagal pin senru " pasuram where we stop krishna from giving us good or gnanam. I don't understand what are we stopping krishna from helping. Kindly help me if time permits. I heard the Vidhura neeti discourse of yours. Just Excellent! Thanking you Ramya - Question By - Ramya Nathamuni, [email protected]

1. I do not understand this part of the question 2. Bodayana vritta is the collection of

brief notes written by Sage Bodhayana on Brahma sutra. 3. Our ahankaram and

mamakaram are barriers that stop Krishna from helping us. He helps those who shed

them.

Question ID: 373 - All respects to Velkuddi Swamy from Ramanuja Dasan. My work requires me to live abroad and I have been living abroad for 8 years. Every year I visit India. Recently, in the last few years, I have deveoped a big fear towards travelling in airplanes. I have no fear of dying as such, I fully believe in Sriman Narayana and have surrenderd at His Lotus feet. Even though I have no fear of death, I have fear of flying in airplanes, am afraid it will crash etc. I chant Vishnu Sahasarnam on every flight to stay calm - it helps to a extent. How can I overcome this problem. Please help Swami. - Question By - CP, [email protected]

I do not think you have a problem. This is only temporary. Sahasranamam would

certainly help.

Question ID: 372 - What is meant by "Purvasika" SriVaishnavan? (Do they still exist?) - Question By - Raghu, [email protected]

The etymological meaning for the word is one who sports a tuft on the front portion of

the scalp. There are many even today. Most of the azhvars were purva sikayars.

Question ID: 371 - In a Charamaslokam upanyasam devareer mentioned a story where a sishya asks his guru whether he could do kainkaryam to Ravana also since Ravana is also Peruman's sareeram; the smart guru answers that the sishya could do that if Ravana were to accept himself as bhagavan's sareeram. Please see answer to question 239 where it is said that Sivan is an ardent vishnu devotee. If one should do kainkaryam to bhagawan's adiyars, why should one exclude sivan who is also an adiyar of sriman narayanan?! If that sishya were to ask whether he could do kainkaryam to Sivan, what would be the answer of the smart guru? (I am not trying to make fun, just being jestful when asking about my doubt that arose when listening to the upanyasam. Kshamikka prarthikkiren.) - Question By - Raghu, [email protected]

Whether your intention is to make fun or not the truth is the same. Siva is a tamasa

devata who dared to fight with Sriman Narayana becoming proud of tripura

samharam. Again he fought with Krishna during banasura yuddha. If he had truthfully

accepted that he is the sarira of Bhagavan would he do so ?

Question ID: 369 - SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA . Humbly request Swamji to enlighten the Avathara vashayam of Sri Bharatha Azhvar and Shatrugana azhvar in Ramayanam as compared to Sri Lakshmana Azhvar as of Adiseahar. My respectful pranams - Question By - N S RAJAGOPALAN, [email protected]

Bharata who was an icon of paratantyam was born as panchajanya amsa. Satrughna

was the embodiment of bhaagavata seshatva and paratantya who was again a replica

of lakshmana only.

Question ID: 368 - adiyen swamin i have small clarification in periyalwar thirumozhi (4-10) pasuram no 431 alwar mentioned andrumudal endruridhiya aadyian jothi marandhariyen whether alwar states from bhagwan srikrishna period i could'nt understand. please clarify swamin - Question By - govindarajan, [email protected]

Anru mudal means ' from the day Bhagavan blessed azhvar to sing pallandu '.

Question ID: 367 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! WITH REFERENCE TO MY Q122) I HAVE A DOUBT LISTED AT THE BOTTOM. Question ID: 122 - Please accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! -------------------------------------------------------------------- I Shifted from chennai to Mumbai and joined in 9th standard.Somehow because of extreme western influence and association,i became mad after the western culture.Now currently in Third year engineering,by Krishna's mercy i follow all regulative principles according to sastras,begin my day at brahma muhurta.But because of my past,now that subtle impression is forcing my heart to again think of it sometimes(the force is sometimes at a greater extent or sometimes less),but i keep controlling my senses very hard.What should i do?I do hear your daily morning, evening Bhagavat gita lecture,read SB,memorize verses etc, and you have blessed me with clear intelligence on inaction and action,after which that force has very greatly reduced.I feel if i go to west,krishna will sideline me from his vision to take me to vaikuntha.Also i feel if i get more money,i may become proud and will not be able to think of krishna from the bottom of my heart.Please kindly help me! How can i get over this karmic bondage.Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply. - Question By - Kishan, [email protected] ANS) The assured way for snapping this bondage is saranagati to Sri Krishna. From what you have written it is clear that you are on the right track. You can well stay in India and pursue your career. This feeling of 'what to do more for mukti' or 'am I doing the right thing' or 'am I eligible

for mukti ' or 'why am I still not able to control my senses' haunts every bhakta. This is inevitable till we are in this samsaram. Alone, it is a challenge to cross this ocean of samsara, but sailing the boat of Sri Krishna it is made easier. -------------------------------------------------- ACTUAL QUESTION ------------------ SINCE YOU had suggested mE to pursue my carrier in India itself,currently in final year engineering,i feel sometimes that i should do M.TECH to please krishna more,to become more disciplined in Brahmachari life,and to become experienced to guide future young generations,also sometimes i feel that if i did MTECH i would become more proud and hamper spiritual life and service to guru and krishna,because pride is difficult to control once acquired, Am i trying to run away or please kindly explain what do to in my situation. Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Krishna is not concerned whether you pursue MTech or not. He is concerned about

your bhakti and liberation. So kindly pursue that.

Question ID: 366 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! 1)I have seen a person,who at the age of 19 left his home for the search for god.Currently he is a great sanyasi spiritual master in iskcon.Would he have executed karmayoga etc in the past,but because he hasn't performed sarnagati he had to take birth again to slowly progress to the next stage,jnana yoga? 2)This happened in my college.I have been trying to be nice to everyone,before i used to be proud that i was a devotee.Recently my whole class decided to doa common off,they requested me for it,but i was the only to not agree,because i felt that krishna would feel that im out of fear obeying their requests.Ultimately i was the only one present for the class,the rest were marked absent.Now how to act in this case if everyone is displeased.Krishna likes if everyone is happy isn't? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

I think it isa pleasure for you to often ask questions whenever something comes to

your mind. You must think and probe deep for an answer for yourself. If you do not still

get then you can question. Now coming to your present question - 1. Be concerned

about yourself and your liberation instead of the other gentleman. It is for him to find

his way. 2. Krishna would be happy if you please good souls.

Question ID: 365 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! 1)Saranagati is an established path,does that mean that the lord has planned our activities which we must do to attain liberation,ascertained our date of liberation if we consider him as upayam? 2)Is it that desire to earn a good name among people,although subtle is a kind of a subtle sense gratification which could lead to bodily conception if agitated by the modes of nature? 3)In the initial chapters of Bhag gita arjuna was lamenting because of his bodily conceot of life, but in the following verse he says that "by killing his kinsmen there would be no happiness in this life,and therefore he is going to forest to live in isolation. How could a person simultaneously have attachment and detachment in materialistic concept of

life.What realization he would have had? 4)Why has the lord made the laws of destruction.I heard that just like a child,when he has to leave kicks his sand castle,similarly the lord destroys this manifestation as a plaything.It maybe aplaything for the lord but what about us. i understand that it is only because of our desires that he gives a suitable body,but why a constantly changing body.Why old age,diseased body etc. Is it that the lord has made these laws so that we get frustrated and begin enquring about our true permanent nature as his servant? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

1. Saranagati, which is nothing but Brahmam Himself, is a path established by Lord

and prescribed as upayam for moksham. Whenever we realize this and surrender to

Him He removes our sanchita karma and reorganizes prarabhdha karma to finish them

with the same birth. At the end of that birth we, the surrenderer, attain moksham.

Realization of this fact and the responsbility of accepting Him as our upayam rest on

us. This is like hunger for having food. 2. I do not understand your second question. 3.

Arjuna is a well learned person who has strong belief in the sastric duties like varna

asrama dharma. He is a warrior but with compassion. He is a benevolent king. He has

controlled his sleep and kama. His problems were a. affection towards the unworthy

and b. confusion that dharma yuddha is adharma as it involved killing. He was filled

with compassion that he preferred isolation and begging instead of killing. He is a

person of detachment (vairagya) as any other noble kshatriya king of those days. His

attachment was only about killing which was due to compassion 4. The purpose of

creation is two fold a. for the jivas to be blessed with a body (as per their karma) so

that it paves the way for them to get liberated by performing any yoga B. it is a sport.

As the owner of this entire universe Brahmam has laid perfect rules for this game.

There are two purposes for a match with two teams organized by an institution 1. test

of skill 2. pleasure for all. In the bargain when a team looses nobody blames the game

or the institution. The team did not play well and so they lost. Nobody stopped them

from winning. Similarly we are welcome to perform well in this game of samsara

conducted by Brahmam and reach moksham. If some loose, they are to be blamed

and not Creation or the Creator. Still worse is - when the world series cricket match

started a coach got killed. In the recent Olympics in china people were killed. Do we

blame the event? If the intention for the game was good the game is welcome. So is

Creation. Further, Bhagavan is willing to pardon all the papams and to stand ever as

the upayam. It has been a mystery to me as to why Bhagavan alone faces this

baseless charge often ?

Question ID: 364 - Respected Swami, I am a bachelor and not a srivaishnavan by birth. Previously i had no faith in god and some bad habits stick to me. Past 1 year perumal has stolen me and i am proud that i am also a great bhakthan of perumal. Many bhaghavathas told me to take samasrayanam from our Acharyar H.H.Vanamamalai Kaliyan Ramanuja Jeer swami. Now the issue is i am unable to

through off my bad habits. I am afraid that if i did any such bad habits after samasrayanam, it will be a great Bahavat, Baahavat, Acharya abacharam. But I am very much interested to do Saranagathi. I am eagarly waiting for your advise. Dasan Subramanian. - Question By - Subramanian, [email protected]

You cannot continue with your bad habits whether you get samasrayanam or not. Let

us all first be pious human beings and then become Srivaishnavas. So first make up

your mind to change your habits. You will have to sit think and take a decision. That is

all.

Question ID: 363 - Pranam Swamiji I have doubt in Sri Ramanuja"s life history.Is his father Kesavariyar is VADAMA ? His wife Kandimathi is vadama or vaishnava ? How Ramanuja had an uncle named thirumalai nambi a great Sri Vaishnavar ?Because he is basically vadama he go to study at Yadavaprakasar and gone with him to theertha yathrai to ganga. we never go to kasi know ? I heard this in one Lecture .lectured by advaita philosophy based person.Pl clarify my doubt - Question By - Sm t.Latha Ramanujam, [email protected]

The parents of Sri Ramanuja were Srivaishnavites only and so was he. What you heard

is wrong.

Question ID: 362 - *** Om Sri Kooresaya Nama *** Dear Swamy, Adiyen is really enjoying the blessed opportunity of being dearer to Perumal, hearing about him and reading / talking / discussing about his various actions / leelas. Often I find a sense of displeasure towards the material world, family, official work, even salary and the like. Adiyen just wants to keep away and spend my time in Bhagavad seva / Adiyar sevai. (But practically I do not know whether this is possible. If not for me, I need money for atleast helping others who are less fortunate than me and also need funds for doing bhagavat kainkaryams.) During these times, I try to keep aloof, restrain from office work and try to visit divya desams / perumal kshetrams. Is this behaviour specific only of me. If so how do I balance work & worship equally. Please help me out before I am drowned in this dual nature. Swamigal Padhangalil Samarpanam, Adiyen Madhavan. - Question By - Madhavan, [email protected]

There are many sailing in your boat. So be happy doing kainkaryam and remaining

aloof.

Question ID: 361 - respected guruji, on this amavasya we have surya grahanam in the evening: shuld we perform prithru tharpanam in the morning and also during the grahanam? between what time we should perform thrpanam in the beginning or in the end of grahanam. kindly advise adiyen dasan, shrihari sharman - Question By - duddam shrihari, [email protected]

Let me reply although belated. We should perform only one tarpanam on 1st august

which is grahana tarpanam. It should be performed when the eclipse begins at 4.40.

We need to fast right through the day and eat only after the eclipse.

Question ID: 359 - Swamigal Thiruvadikku Shathakoti Pranamangal, Swamy could you please tell what vegetables should a srivaishnavan avoid apart from Onion,Garlic and Mushroom, if possible give me a list or please give me a link where i can see the list, I also place a humble request to add a link in Kinchitkaram webiste , to display the List of vegetables should be avoided by a srivaishnavan. Q2) If Koorathazwan and Alavandar has done saranagathi, why did koorathazwan lose his eyes, Is it due to his karma, or because of something else. Adiyen Prabhu Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Prabhu, [email protected]

We would post the usable vegetables shortly in our website. Our karma results in birth.

Birth invites agony. So Sri Kuresa's birth alone was caused by His karma.

Question ID: 358 - Dear Swamin, Pranams. Why Chakrathalwar has Lord NARASIMHA at his back in all sannadhis ?. - Question By - RAMAN.PADMANABAHN, [email protected]

I do not have a satisfying answer.

Question ID: 357 - Dear Swamiji Can you describe in 2-3 lines the essence of the Catusloki, I got curious regarding this after I saws your response to #329? Pardon me if this question is not appropriate or correct. dasan Sriram - Question By - Balaraman Sriram, [email protected]

Catusloki details the glory of Sri Mahalakshmi in four stanzas. It says that Sriman

Narayana, the supreme, is Her beloved, all the nityas muktas and devas serve Her, Sri:

is Her short name the meaning of which is beyond our words. It is due to Her grace,

Bhagavan took pity of the jivas and created this world. She is inseparable from

Narayana.

Question ID: 356 - Dear Swami, I have 8 year old son(26/04/2000) is his date of birth Name - Adithya - uthiradam star. kindly suggest me when can we do the upanayanam for him. Thank you. regards Kavitha - Question By - Kavitha Krishnamoorthy, [email protected]

You can right away do on an auspicious day. Kindly contact your family brhaspati.

Question ID: 355 - ***Om Sri Kooresaya Nama*** Dear Swamy, Adiyen had been to Koviladi (as mentioned in Q.320) After darshan of Perumal, adiyen had the opportunity of talking to the Bhattar (Srinivasa Bhattar). He explained many facts and the importance of temple and the love of Appakudathaan Perumal. He expressed worry at the fact that the quantity of oil allocated to the temple does not reach the concerned. He requested to VOLUNTARILY contribute (no compulsion of any kind) our might towards meeting the oil expenses. I am really happy about being a part of Bhagavad Seva. Can adiyen contribute a monthly amount to be sent to the Bhattar. I'm specifically asking this question as I have had some bad experiences with a couple of them earlier. (where I had given away a few thousands). Please guide me, as adiyen does not want to miss out this opportunity of Bhagavad Seva as well as I want the money to reach and serve the real purpose. Swamigal Paadhangalil Samarpanam, Adiyen Madhavan. - Question By - Madhavan, [email protected]

You are free to donate. You can contact some of the local sabhas there. I am not

aware of the financial situation of that temple.

Question ID: 354 - ***Om Sri Kooresaya Nama*** Dear Swamy, Adiyen has learnt and has been told that one should not go in search of an Acharya / Guru but in the real sense, the Guru would identify and embrace the Sishya. (Like Swami Ramakrishna & Vivekananda). But is it possible in this present world? Please enlighten. Kindly let adiyen know if there is sloka(s) which is specifically used for recitation while praying Perumal which will help to rise to the level of being identified by an Acharya. (Adiyen is not using the words "which will help me to identify a Guru".. as I will be contradicting my earlier statement. Swamigal Paadhangalukku Samarpanam, Adiyen Madhavan. PS:- As adiyen is not a Vaishnavite by birth, I do not have any elders in my family who can guide me to an Acharya. At present, I'm having Koorathazhwan as my maanaseega Acharyar. - Question By - Madhavan, [email protected]

Kindly go to an acharyan and get samasrayanam administered first. Since you do not

have a lineage of acharyas you can accept a jeer as your acharya. Do not wait for

them to identify you.

Question ID: 353 - ADIYEN RAMANUJA DASAN.SWAMY OUR ACHARYAN IS MUDHALIYANDAN SWAMIGAL. NOW I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY ACHARYAN AND POORVACHARYARGAL TO SELECT ME ALSO IN SRIVAISHNAVAM.MY QUESTION IS MY FATHER ALSO GOT SAMASHRAYANAM FROM OUR ACHARYAN FEW MONTHS BEFORE. BUT HE WORSHIPS A KAAVAL DEIVAM CALLED ARIYASAMY AND OUR ANCESTORS WERE ALSO WORSHIPED THAT GOD(KULADEIVAM).SO THAT HE SAYS IT IS OUR KULADEIVAM.SO WE SHOULD WORSHIP THAT GOD ALSO,AND APART FROM THIS GOD HE WILL NOT WORSHIP ANY OTHER DEVADHANTHRAMS .HE IS NOT ACCEPTING OUR SRIVAISHNAVAM IN THIS MATTER ONLY.I AM WORRYING VERY MUCH ABOUT THIS MATTER. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW TO STOP THIS. IF THERE IS ANY BHAGAVATHA ABHACHARAM PLEASE FORGIVE ME. - Question By - raghavan m, [email protected]

You can advice him in privacy. Or request your acharyan to do so.

Question ID: 352 - Ref to query nos 310&338Dasan.Regret none of the replies to the pts raised.In 338 itis told thet river&sea water are not one and same.But this only a cycle.as per science and Thiruppavai pasuram Azi mazai Kanna ie sea-clouds-rain-river-sea. is the cycle,which is that sea water comes back thro rivers to sea.More over which is the origin for jeevathma, ie from where it is originated in the beginning. - Question By - TTParthasarathy, [email protected]

Kindly do not regret. Could you please give your question point by point validating

your arguments with references from original texts which cause the apparent

ambiguity? I would try to reply point by point.

Question ID: 351 - Respected Swamin Is it not possible to simplify our nitya anyshtanangal, to make our present and youger generations to embrace our tradition and put them in the right path.Once they start liking it they may do it with more vigour, i feel. This is the biggest service to the man kind. Pardon me if there is ny mistake in this. - Question By - Latha Vijayan, [email protected]

There is nothing wrong in your wish. But it is already done. We need only 1 hour for

our nitya karma anushthanams.

Question ID: 350 - Respected Swami. I offer my humble obeisance at your lotus feet. In one of your upanyasams, I heard that, Lord Rama before ascending to his abode Vaikunta was in a private conversation with Yama. The condition laid by yama before the closed door conversation was that no one was to be allowed inside and if some one barges in, he should be given the capital punishment. Lakshmana, yielding to the compulsions he had, enters the room and Lord Rama was left with no alternate but to uphold his promise. However, upon the advice of Vasishtar, he instead of killing Lakshmana (which he could not do) renounce Lakhmana. My doubt here is, if the Lord chooses to renounce a seshaboothan like Lakshmana, what chances for papathmas like us are there for being uplifted by the Lord? Secondly, Lord Rama known for upholding the promises he make (He once declares that, he would renounce Sita and would never leave Lakshmana) had transgressed his promise. How could this happen? I seek your pardon and mercy, if I had misinterpreted your upanyasam in anyway. Parthasarathy G - Question By - Parthasarathy, [email protected]

Yes. Our plight is pitiable considering the case of Lakhsmana. So it is the absolute

discretion of Bhagavan only. That is why a saranagata has to be very cautious in his

living. Rama has not faulted in His words - renouncing Lakshmana amounts to killing

Him. So He was true to His promise of killing the intruder. Kindly recall Rama's promise

apyaham jivitam jahyam tvam va seete sa lakshmana na hi pratigyam samsritya

brahmanebhyo visesata: -- "O Sita I may renounce you or Lakhsmana but not my

promise to the ascetics." So Rama's conviction was only to stick to promises but not

Lakshmana.

Question ID: 349 - adiyEn, swAmi. swAmi Udayavar has hailed Sri Ramar as "thEvai idaadhaar" and AchAryAs like Sri Bhattar and Sri Nampillai have also been very attached to Sri Ramayanam. Sri Rama charama slokams are really amazing when one thinks of how kind the Lord has been, ready to accept even Ravana! Yet our poorvAcharyAs chose Sri Krishna charama slokam over Sri Rama charama slokams when it comes to upadesham. What is the reason behind this choice? Kindly enlighten adiyEn, swAmin. Pallaandu to devareer's thiruvadigal. - Question By - Sudha R, [email protected]

Tirumantram is explained by dvayam. The meaning of dvayam is exactly explained

and ordered only in Krishna caramasloka. It is Krishna's sloka which has the following

1. the virtues that are to be renounced (sarva dharman) 2. the way to renounce

(parityajya) 3. the object of surrender (maam)4. the truth that Krishna is the only

means and not even surrender (ekam) 5. the upayama - Krishna's lotus feet (saranam)

6. accept absolutely and belief that Krishna is the upayam (vraja) 7. Krishna - the

supreme granter (aham) 8. jiva the beneficiary (tva) 9. the benefit (removal of sins)

(mokshayishyami) 10. command to be relieved of concern (maasuca:) All these

requisites of saranagati is complete only in Krishna caramasloka.

Question ID: 348 - adiyens prana pranamams to swamis thiruvadi. i am a fresh engineering graduate ,i have just recently joined an mnc and working there. in my holidays before joining the office, i involved myself in various bhagavat kainkaryams , since i was totally enjoying it , office atmosphere became soo uncomfortable that i always feel like returning home. but i know that i have to withstand and work. my mind always thinks abt the perumal and his kaimkaryams and not my work (am totally un enthusiastic) . please guide me over this problem. any mistakes please pardon, dhanyosmi anugrahitosmi. - Question By - s hari krishnan(ramapprameyan), [email protected]

If you have a family to support, you have to continue with your duty whole heartedly.

However you can continue with your service to Bhagavan and bhagavatas in your

freetime, evenings, week ends etc. wherever you are, Santhai and learning of our holy

scriptures are very important to control and mind from going astray.

Question ID: 347 - Respected swamin My pranams. From your Thiruppavai discourse ,you say that there is a ner thanian of Emperumanar in perumal Thirumozhi. I have seen other thanians of emperumanar in periya thirmozhi , periya thiruvandhathi,etc. You reffered that Shri Ramanujan has not done any ner thanian like this in whole of Dhivya Prabandham. What is the difference between Thanian and Ner Thanian? Kindly apoligize if my question is irrelevant. Adiyen Ramnuja Dasan Ramya - Question By - Ramya Nathamuni, [email protected]

All tanians are same. I only meant that Perumal tirumozhi tanian was the only one

which was a conversation between Ramanuja and Kurattazhvan. Moreover it is the

only tanian which sounds like a song of a nayika.

Question ID: 346 - Dear swamin, What is the connection between SATURDAY &PERUMAL TEMPLES because many people make it a point to visit PERUMAL TEMPLE on SATURDAYS ----adiyeAn, N.PADMANABAN - Question By - n.padmanaban, [email protected]

Nothing special. It is related to Perumal as any other day.

Question ID: 344 - Pranam Swami Ji. Adiyen Krishna Dasan (from Pune) My 12 year old son does Sandhya, madhya and Sayam Sandhyam on a day-to-day basis without fail. He knows by-heart all pasurams of - Amalanadipiran - Pallandu - Kanninim Siruthambu - Thirupavai and Sahasranamam (partially). But he tells me that he does all these because I insist him to do so. He does not have any involvement. How can i make him understand the benefits of these. He is also good in his academic. Please help R Krishnan - [email protected] - Question By - R Krishnan, [email protected]

At this age it is enough he does these for your sake. Just take him to sannidhi and

make him be in the company of noble souls whenever possible. Tell him stories of our

purvacharyas from guruparampara. It will automatically happen.

Question ID: 343 - Poojya Swamin, Please pardon me for my ignorant questions. After a soul departs from the body, how long does it take to get moksham crossing Viraja Nadhi? It is hard to visualize a river in space outside the earth. After reaching Srivaikuntam will the Jeevathma still retain its individual identity or will it merge with Paramathman? Also, since Jeevathma has knowledge but not senses, how does the Jeevathma talk to Yamar or experience bliss or punishment in Swargam or Narakam? In your upanyasam, you always say that shareeram is required to progress towards Moksham. Humble namaskarams, Lakshmi - Question By - Lakshmi, [email protected]

AS this blessed muktha is lead by Paramatma Himself through His aati vahikas it may

hardly take any time. You can assume it is immediate except for the time taken by the

inmates of the lokas which he crosses to offer their respects. Anything about

Srivaikuntham is un believable but true. The jiva is given a sarira to experience sukha

or dukha in svarga or naraka.

Question ID: 342 - Dear Sir, Please accept my namaskarams. I have heard the following story from Purana. That the bodygaurds of Vishnu once disrepected sage Dhurvasa and he cursed them. On pleading to the Lord, the Lord gave two options.. 1. To act as his enemy and come back to him in 3 births. 2. To be his devotee and take 100 births to reach Him. The bodygaurds took the first option and took birth as

Ravana, Shishubalan and HiranyaKashibu (The names I remember). This being the case, it looks like even these people where devotees of the Lord and they infact reached him back faster in just 3 births.. Can you kindly explain us why this story is told and what is our take away from this Purana? - Question By - Srini, [email protected]

I have not heard this story in the form which you have narrated. Let me enquire. What

is known of is - The four sons of Brahma cursed jaya and Vijaya to be born as

rakshasas and asuras thrice, and Bhagavan assured them that they would be killed

only by Him in all the three births and then they would reach Him. The story reveals

that even Sanatkumara is affected by anger as he cursed.

Question ID: 341 - Swamigal Thiruvadikku Shathakoti Pranamangal. Swamiji, Thank you so much for reading my earlier question and taking time to reply. This time I have a more generic doubt. If dEvarIr could please clarify the differences between Thenkalai and Vadakalai. How & when these two branches came into existence and what is the purpose behind such a bifercation. My maternal grandparents are Thenkalai and I have heard from my maternal grandfather that for Thenkalais there is no separate concept of BharaNyAsam. Their samAshreyaNam is same as SharaNAgatI. Kindly clarify. dOshangaL irunthAl kshamikka prArthikkirEn. aDiyEn, Srividya BadriNarayanan. - Question By - Srividya BadriNarayanan, [email protected]

There is no difference of opinion between vadakalai and thenkalai. There only exists a

difference in interpretation which are 18 in number. There are publications which

detail them. However you can be assured that most of them are valid only for the elite

researchers and not for the common seekers of moksham. The gap could have got

widened in the past 300 years. It is our duty to narrow it.

Question ID: 340 - Srimath SwAmigaLiNn thiruvadigaLukku adiyENnudaiya theNdaNn SamarppaNam. In GIthA kAlaxEpam adiyENn heard that our smruthi - remembrance is under the control of BagwANn. In another place, there is mention of aniyatha karmA which is in our hands. If remembrance itself is not under our control, how can aniyatha karmA be? Also, the starting point is Bagavath nirHEthuga kadAxam, then all our activities towards attainment of complete pArathanthriyam should be in His hands, isn't it? Then He should only make us be interested and energetic in doing aniyatha karmA also. We do the samAshrayaNam, but He/AcAryAs draw the minds of only some people towards them, but leave some at their own hands (to perish). Once samAshrayaNam is done, it will be better if AcAryAs set adiyOnggaL budhdhi to be firm on them and prevent from prAkrutha vishayam. Is there any way for this in our SampradhAyam? kshamikka prArththikkirENn adiyENn irAmAnuja dhAsaNn - Question By - E.Venkatesh, [email protected]

We, jivas have been given a limited freedom by Paramatma to choose our way. Using

our reasoning power and having sastras as the tool, we will have to choose the

virtuous path. Paramatma does not interfere in this. This would prove that aniyata is

true. Now, about we being under the control of Para ( matta smriti gnanam...) as said

in Gita - We are under His control not at the micro level when we sneeze or cough but

at a macro level as this body, limbs, gnana, sastra etc were blessed by Him. As the

one who provided all the infrastructure, we are controlled by Him. The best example to

understand this is: a farmer or water is the common cause for any tree to grow and so

the tree is under their control. But whether the tree has to be banyan or coconut is

due to it's seed which is the specific cause. Kindly equate the farmer to Bhagavan,

tree to us and our conduct and seed to our karma.

Question ID: 339 - Swami I have been separated from my wife and two children for the past one year. My wife still feels that she cannot reconcile with me despite assurances from me and elders in my family. I love her very much and cannot imagine a split in this union. I herewith seek you spiritual guidance to be reunited with my family. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan Bharath engira Narasimhan - Question By - Bharath, [email protected]

I can only say that there is no room for a split in the sastras. Time would heal all

wounds. You can try to reconcile after some time.

Question ID: 338 - refer Q No.310 : adiyen quire y was whether,if yes where in upanishads betha/abetha sruthis applicability is given?( part/kandam/sangai ) in the 10 upanishads.Meaning was already made known. Since sri adi sankara was referring to paramarthiga/vyavakariga dasas. 2. In Aaru varthai 'Dharsanam betha evacha' example of uppu/appu(salt/water) example given.In upanishads the size of jeevatma is given as 1/10000 th of the tail of paddy(nell) whereas the paramathma size is unimaginably bigger.How this jeevatma can alter the qty or quality of paramatma.,when we say even by utterance of his nama every papas will vanish.Secondly we can also refer to the gita slogam 70 of 2nd adyayam.Where big rivers(compared to jeevatma,which is the size of tip of small needle ) can not alter the small ocean (compared to brammam) whether it sounds right.Pl.clarify Dasan sarathy - Question By - TTParthasarathy, [email protected]

The point of debate is whether jiva and para are one and the same or different. In the

example which you have cited, apurya manam... the rivers and ocean are not one and

the same. Similarly jiva and para are not one and the same. Whether it is miniscule or

big they are different. It is right that the grace of Perumal destroys our sins, but if jiva

is para, then Paramatma has to destroy His own sins. Can the sinner be the one who

dispels it. This all proves that jiva and para are different and jiva is dependant on Para.

Question ID: 337 - Dear Swamy, My pranams to you. Myself and my husband had samasrayam eight years back. We are not following any sastras. I do daily puja and give nyvedyam and I strongly have faith in Tirupathi Venkatachalapathi. My husband does not do nitya anushatnam. Because of this will papa come to my husband and as well as me. Will my children get affected. After listening to your cd ethu dharmam and discourse on bhagawat gita i want to change myself but i don`t know how to change my husband not that he does not have believe in God. What should be my daily anushatnam. Can I do puja instead of my husband. We are vaishnavite belong to srivatsa gothram and belong to parakal mutt. - Question By - sreelatha, [email protected]

Nithya anushthanam is a must. Developing pious qualities and practicing them is a

must. Kindly refer to the answer to q no. 336. You can follow the positive points given

there. For the anushthanams to follow, kindly refer to the books published by Sri

Parakala mutt in this regard.

Question ID: 336 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! 1)Because of my past ignorance,qualities acquired from past life and this my consciousness is polluted.Although by krishna's mercy i'm now beginning my day from bhrahma muhurta by worshipping the lord,reading Bhagavatam,memorizing verses,although i'm trying to be nice, sometimes inspite of my consideration i commit more of bhagavat apacharam.Sincerely speaking i totally have no control over it,it's just keeping coming,and i do it and repent for it again and again.I sincerely asked sri krishna to help me and i had a realization that krishna personally forgave me of my sins.It has also greatly reduced than before,now dormant,but i carry with me the seeds of future offence. I'm worried about my future and current spiritual life . I'm after all a product of kali yuga.What does your grace suggest? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

We are all in the same boat. The positive points from your note are 1. you repent for

the mistakes and 2. Their recurrence has reduced. This shows that you are

progressing. I am sure they would further reduce. However they would not be

completed erased till we are in this samsara. Have faith that we will not have next

birth as you have surrendered.

Question ID: 335 - Swamin, Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan. Adiyen's Pranams for you. If I ask wrongly pls pardon me. Can u guide me a simple way to attain the following state. Is there any possibility to get this state simply. I have to become focussed on this thought. I have to do all activities based on this thought only. The thought is " Without being any self-wish, all should happen for me as per his wish, & for his wish only." I have been trying this state of thought to attain purely since 7 years, but still no positive result. Moreover most of the times, totally I am out of this thought only. Why? I expect ur positive & favourable reply. Kshamikka prarthikkiren. - Question By - M.GOPALAKRISHNAN, [email protected]

You can attain this if you follow the foot steps and the guidance given by our purva

acharyas. So kindly study Guruparampara, vaarta maalai and nithya anushthana

suggested by your acharyan. You can certainly become a Srivaishnavite in your

attributes as well as deeds.

Question ID: 333 - swami, My humble pranaams to you. Whenever I read or hear about "who is a Brahmin?" , I hate myself for not being so. I barely manage to do SandhyaVandanam 3 times a week. Why is "SRADHAI" such a difficult quality to attain? Please advise me how to change my current life style. Thanks --Raghavan - Question By - Raghavan Ramachandran, [email protected]

Sraddhai is not a difficult quality to attain. You are very particular and meticulous in

many other things like your studies job promotion salary savings etc. So sraddhai is

there but where is the question ? As sandhyavandanam or other rituals are not in your

priority list , you fail to do them. So the deeper knowledge about varna dharma, its

significance, the fruits of performing them etc would change your priority and make

you perform.

Question ID: 332 - adiyen have done saranagathy, during which time it was explained that I should say 'adiyen Srinivasa dasan' when doing abhivadaye to elders. Is it okay to say 'adiyen Srinivasa Dasan' whenever I need to do abhivadhaye during Sandhya vandanam also? - Question By - Raghu, [email protected]

If you have been told to say Adiyen Srinivasa Dasan then you must be a sishya of

Chola simha puram Doddyacharya swamy. Kindly do not confuse between

abhvadanam which is an introduction to your current life and body with adiyen

srinvasa dasan which is an introduction to the eternal atman and its servitude. It is

enough you say Adiyen Srinivasa dasan when you prostrate.

Question ID: 331 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)Samhita vakyam "bhaktya paramaya vaapi prapatya va mahaaa mune" A jiva reaches vaikuntham either through bhakti or through prapatti." Here what does Samhita vakyam mean?,does it mean that it is written by azhwars to help us understand the process.Can you name the vedic literature where this has been mentioned? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! ------------- - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Samhita is not authored by azhvars. They are in Sanskrit. They are a part of sastras

which are explanatory. To name a few vihagesvara samhita, vishvak sena samhita etc.

Pancharatra also has samhitas like Parameshvara samhita Padma samhita etc.

Question ID: 329 - respected swamy, my pranams , i would like to post the following questions- 1. in charma slokam, bhagavan says "maam yekam saranam vraja" does this means the yekam represents only perumal or the divya dhampathis( perumal and piratiyar) and is there any poorvars samadhanam for the yekam? 2. i have once learnt from an old swamy that even piratiyar (thayar) also has equal power of giving moksha as perumal stills she wantedly takes purushakaaram. please explain me on this with pramanams. - Question By - S. Hari krishnan (ramaapprameyan), [email protected]

As there are two different schools of thought in this, I suggest you personally get this

clarified from your acharyan.

Question ID: 327 - My namaskarams to Velkudi Swami !! My question is about iyers and iyengars; Iyers claim to follow "Advaita" philosophy of Adi Shankara. Adi Shnakara himself askes everyone to worship Govinda in "Bhaja Govindam". He askes everyone to chant Vishnu Sahasarnamam - "Geyam Geeta naama sahasram". You also have mentioned in one of your discourses that Advaitis are also Vaishnavites only (even though there are small differences between Advaitam and Vishistadvaitam). Given all this, how did the modern iyers claim that they are "Saivites" while iyengars are "Vaishnavites". How did this wrong message start propogating ? Is there some intermediate guru or acharya who started spreading this wrong message to create division? (like Kulothunga Cholan II or someone?) Thanks for any insights. - Question By - Sriram Sampath, [email protected]

It is a misnomer to call Iyers as saivites. They are vaishnavites. This cult is recent. That

is all I know.

Question ID: 326 - My Namaskarams to Swami Velkudi Krishnan !! 1. Both Madhurakavi Azhwar and Nadhamunigal have met Nammazhwar - so are both Madhurakavi Azhwar and Nadhamunigal contemporaries ? 2. Kavi Chakravarthi Kambar created KambaRamayanam ; if Valmiki Ramayana is considered as Vedas ("veda vedyae bare pumsi.. slogam), then Kamba Ramayanam is also equivalent to Vedam. Also Kamban did a separate work on Nammazhwar - Sadagopar Anthathi. (similar to Madhurakavi's Kanninum Siruthambu). Given this, why is Kamban not regarded on the same level as our Azhwars and Acharyas. He is not mentioned on the same breadth. 3. Like Dravida Vedam (all of Nammazhwar's works) exists, do similar works exists in other Indian languages like Hindi, Telugu etc ? If not, why specifically in Tamil ? This sort of proves to me that Tamil is a very special language, probably only next to Sanskit. I am not asking this for an air of superiority, but I feel blessed to have born with tamil as my mother tounge. 4. When I am in stress, is there a good slokam to cool down? Usually I pray Anjaneya with "Manojavam marutha thulya vegam, jitendriyam buthi madam varishtam.." slokam. Any other good ones? Thanks a lot! - Question By - Sriram Sampath, [email protected]

1. They are not contemporaries. Nathamunigal was about 4000 years later to

Madhurakavigal. Madhura kavigal met Nammazhvar when He was alive but

Nammazhvar appeared before Nathamunigal again to grant 4000 divya prabandham.

2. There is no comparison. There are many poets who have sung in praise of Bhagavan

but all are not azhvars. Even our acharyas including Sri Ramanuja are not revered as

azhvars. Azhvars are those who have been specially and effortlessly blessed by

Bhagavan with gnana bhakti and vairagya but others have earned them with their

efforts. Valmiki Ramanayana is an itihasa sung by Valmiki with the blessings of

Brahma. Valmiki had the darsan of Rama, the privilege of bringing up His children and

teaching Ramayana to them. 3. Yes. Tamil is only next to Sanskrit in time and glory. I

am not aware of similar literature in other languages. 4. You can chant azhiyezha

sangum villu mezha or Nammazhvarm, apadam apa hartaram...

Question ID: 325 - Namaskarams. I had a very strong faith and belief with Him and was a very strict srivaishnavan. But my children have gone on their own ways. If this is due to my karma, why my Lord has not stopped this. If karma has more power than Him, what is the use of surrendering to Him? Why this misery of life came to me? The involvement I had with Sriman Narayana is less now. How can I recollect my faith and belief back? Please show me a way to get peace of mind and do my daily rituals with full faith and belief. (Ref.Q.No.227+ - Question By - r.shanmuganathan, [email protected]

You have said that it is due to your karma. If you mean what you say then you must

blame only you and not Bhagavan. Why should we blame Him for our karma. Let us try

whole heartedly to destroy our karma by surrendering to Him. Once He destroys them,

the next moment we are not going to be here. Your saranagati was for moksham and

not for a pious child. Moreover for a saranagata He destroys our left over papams

during this time and not immediately. Till such time we will have to suffer. Saranagati

assures you of moksham and not a life of material pleasure. The more you reflect on

these, you will certainly realize that there is no reason to find fault with Him and that

realization would restore your faith in Him. Now coming to the point of your children,

you can plead to Bhagavan to guide them rightly. We must try our best relentlessly for

the same. It would certainly happen but slowly.

Question ID: 324 - Sir, I was told that people who have done their samasrayanam and bharanyasan cannot celebrate their Sashtiabda poorthi or Sadabhishekam. Is it true ? The children are eager to perform their parents sadabhishekam - Question By - shanti soundararajan, [email protected]

Nothing like that. You can celebrate by having veda and divya prabandha parayanam

giving importance to vaidika methods.

Question ID: 323 - Dear Swamiji, Koti koti pransms I am practising yoga & Pranayamam taught by Pujyasri. Swami Ramdevji maharaj I would request you to kindly explain me in detail the method and other relevant requirements as described in Bhagavat Geeta. I also look forward to meet you in person for holding Geeta upanyasam in Tamil related to Yoga & pranayama for our teachers in Chennai, numbering more than 200 who render honorary service in teaching free yoga for public every day. At present our yoga and pranamaya classes are conducted in more than 40 centres in chennai city. - Question By - N.SURYAKUMAR, [email protected]

I am not a yoga expert. You have already learnt it from a great yoga master. I only

know a little to practice for myself. Kindly excuse me.

Question ID: 321 - Namaskarams. I am a Smartha by birth. From the discourses I hear, I am made to believe that vaishnavites are more closer to GOD than other human beings. Is there any way for becoming a vaishnavite? - Question By - Natarajan, [email protected]

All smartas are vaishnavites. Sri Maha Vishnu has been the original God right from Sri

Adi Sankara's period. You need not worry on that aspect. You will have to decide

whether you believe in advaitam or visistadvaitam as a philosophy. Kindly study both

of them, listen to scholars from both sides and then choose.

Question ID: 320 - **Om Sri Kooresaya Nama** Dear Swami, Adiyen has been gathering details about 108 Divya Desams thro' the internet and other available books. I also purchased one related book from our Trust. But I find that the dpetails available on the internet are either less or they are not in completion. I have decided to host a new site that would give complete details about the Divya Sthalams in all aspects. Recently, I had been to Thiruvarangam, Koviladi & Thiru Anbil. Could you please guide me to other people / sources from where I can add authentic data to be hosted in the site, which will be useful to all concerned. The site has been registered as: www.divyadesa-thiruvula.in Swamigal paadhangalukku samarpanam. Adiyen, Madhavan. - Question By - Madhavaraj, [email protected]

The best way is to collect the original text of sthala puranam in Sanskrit and draw

details from them. You can visit the individual divya desams and talk to the vidvans

there. They would be able to guide you rightly.

Question ID: 319 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1)I heard from someone that the phylosophies of vadagalai and thengalai are slightly different.Is it so?If so why?Since both have roots to the same acharyas,alwarzs how could there be even a miniscule of a difference?how have both emanated.There should be only sri vaishnavisim isn't? 2)What does your grace suggest for a person,who although sincere,but because of his past karma is unable to do even bhakti?You might suggest saranagati here as his only means,i.e he must now realize seshatvam,paratatvam qualities of the lord isn't?But realization is only possible when his mind becomes cleansed of anarthas isn't?for this he must do bhakti isn't? but the problem here is,he finds it difficult to perform his daily bhakti also.What do you suggest here? 3)Although my parents are not much sincere,i'm daily performing the required pooja to the lord.The point is my parents feel that i'm ignoring them.They are not satisfied.The point is only after i finish my daily routines for krishna i.e chanting,hearing lecture,reading Bhagavatam that i come outside my room.But when i'm free my mother is engaged with her friends,or is busy,my father would have just left for office and comes late in the night.Please suggest me how could i change myself to please krishna? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your

reply!! ----------------------------------------------------------- - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

1.At times, We find contradiction even in our own conduct in two different time

periods. Small differences are inevitable. It is not difference of opinion (abhipraya

bhedam) but only a difference in interpretation (yojana bhedam) in research level. It

should have no bearing on a common man seeking peace and vaikuntham. 2. Our

papam is not destroyed by practicing bhakti. It is the other way round. Only when our

papams are cleared can we begin bhakti yoga. Performance of nitya and naimittika

karma would only clear our papam. In the case of Saranagati that is also done by

Bhagavan Himself. As saranagati is nothing but accepting Bhagavan as the means for

moksham it is enough you realize absolute servitude and believe that as a belonging

of Bhagavan I would be protected by Him. 3. Morning is the time to perform to karma

and bhagavad aradhana. As you have said you cannot waste it by chatting. But you

must find some time to talk to your parents or serve them if they are in need. Do not

feel much if they blame that you do not find time to chat with them. Service to them is

more important.

Question ID: 316 - Swamiji my respectable pranaam to you. I have been practicing bhakti yogam since last two years. I am gradually progressing but I have my own pitfalls too. While performing devotional service I cannot concentrate on my material duties i.e. I am least interested in my studies and I have no rasa in studies. But this will create problem for me in future. Let me know what should I do? Should I study as service to Krishna and if yes plz reveal the process unto me... Waiting for your reply eagerly and submissively.Thanking you Your servant. - Question By - Ashish Bhujbal, [email protected]

If you are absorbed by Sri Krishna then you can renounce everything else and

concentrate on His service. However it is better that you first complete your studies

which would satisfy your parents. I presume that you are now a bachelor and then on

you would become a grhastha. You can practice bhakti in both these asramams. All

cannot become sanyasis and they need not too. As far as you realise that your

household duties are duties which also supplement our spiritual progress, it is fine. We

must not give our material duties a status that contradicts spiritual progress.

Question ID: 315 - Dear Swamin, I would like to know if there are infinite numbers of Jeevathmas. Or is it fixed with every Athma progressing across different janmas towards human life and then ultimately to Mukthi? What happens to a Muktathma over yugams - Is the Jeevathma liberated infinitely, or is there any possibility that

even after moksham the same soul gets birth after kaliyugam ends?? Is the growing human population, that too with India having the biggest share reason to believe that souls are progressing towards liberation? I dread to think of the possibility of being born in another country or even here without satsangam. Even here we are seeing falling levels of dharmic behaviors. Humble namaskarams, Lakshmi - Question By - Lakshmi, [email protected]

The number of jivas are infinite. A jiva through bhakti or surrender sheds its karmas

and reaches Srivaikuntham from where it never returns. Population growth is no

indicator for progress towards mukti. Being a Ramanuja sambandhi and a follower of

his commands, you need not be worried of rebirth.

Question ID: 314 - Please pardon my ignorance. I have to cross seas to do my Masters. 1) Is it ok to do Santhiyavandhanam there? 2) I have visited 82 Divya Kshetrangal. I will not be able to visit the others as I have to leave soon. Is it ok if I visit them after I come back after crossing the seas? - Question By - Naresh, [email protected]

Wherever you are kindly perform sandhyavandanam. yes you can come back and for

sure the divyadesa emperuman would be eagerly waiting for you

Question ID: 312 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)In this age Nama sankirtanam has only been prescribed as the yuga dharma by the sastras,but i've especially seen in srivaishnava sampradaya,devotees do practically all fire sacrifices,omams,other karma kanda activities .Aren't they deviating from the actual yuga dharma? 2)Since Ramanujacharya's sampradaya is based on the phylosophy of surrender,why don't they initiate people from all caste(foreigners also?) 3)Since in Sarnagati The lord is himself the only upayam,not even the demigods,then why do the devotees do ohmam?Isn't ohmam means demigods are invited for their share?If so then it deviates from the phylosophy of surrender. Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Let me first clarify some misconceptions. 1. Varna and asrama dharmas are to be

performed by every inidivual who wants to attain moksham till his last breath. 2.

Whether he is a bhakti yoga nishtha or a saranagata performance of nitya and

naimittika karmas are a must. 3. Upanishads and puranas say that the only way to

please Bhagavan is performance of nitya and naimittika karmas irrespective of the

yuga. 4. It is a misconception to say that Nama sankirtana is a sufficient means to

reach moksham. It is yet another way to fruitfully spend our rest of the life after

saranagati till the moment we attain moksham. 5. Yes Ramanuja sampradaya would

accept anybody as a Sri vaishnavite irrespective of caste or country provided the

individual follows the prescribed rules. 6. Only homams that form part of nitya and

naimittika karmas are done by saranagatas and that too towards Sriman Narayana

who is the antaratma of all devatas.

Question ID: 311 - Swami, Adiyen would like to clarify more with regard to Q 273. Even though there are so many Anda Kadakams, everything is surrounded by Sapta Avarnam with a defined size (10 times more than previous one). It gives a picture that prakrti mandalam is finite as size is defined. When prakrti is finite, no. of jivas residing should also be finite which implies Srihsti and Pralayam should have an end. Pl. clarify. - Question By - Srinivasa Raghavan, [email protected]

Leela vibhuti is a third of size and Nitya vibhti is thrice the size of leela vibuti. this is

the only measure mentioned in the vedas and so jivas are infinite. Thus, Srishti and

pralayam are perpetual. There are many instances in science even where there is

infinite number of particles within a finite surface.

Question ID: 310 - Dasan. Adiyen had listened to the aaru varthai CD.I belong to Kanchee.I have the following quires. 1. betha /abetha sruthigal in upanishaths.Ekameva Advitheeyam/Ksharatmanam etc. These are contradicting each other.whether anywhere in vedhas is given as to where these are applicable.If yes ref.pl. 2.What is vajasaneyam,Ithareyam,Mahaupanishad etc. 3.Padhartham for the following:a)sadeva somya ;ithamagra aseedh ekameva advitheeyam.b)bramha va ayameka evagra azeedh.c)eko ha vai narayana azeedh nabramha nesaanaha.d)neha nanasthi kinchana e)sarvam kalu itham bramha.f) ksharam pradhanam amruthaksharam haraha.g)ksharadhmanam veesathay dheva ekaha.g)thva subarna sayuja. 4. whether achith thathvam is applicable in paramapatham since chith or jeevathma only is acting as sariree to paramathma in parmpatham. Adiyen dhasan. vachaga dosham [email protected] - Question By - TTParthasarathy, [email protected]

1. Bheda sruti distinguishes Paramatma, Jiva and achit. (bhokta bhogyam preritaram

ca matva) Abheda sruti (neha nana asti kincana) confirms that Brahmam is unique, all

the cit and acit are inseparable from Him, and there is nothing in the universe that

does not enjoy Brahmam as the antaratma and all cit are equal as the same

Paramatma resides in them. 2. Vajasaneya is the veda revealed by surya taking the

form of a horse. Itareyam and Mahopanishads are the final part of vedas known as

vedanta or upanishads. 3. I have explained all these in detail in the same aaru varthai

cd or you can refer to upanishathil kadaigal cd. These are to be clarified or heard to

only in an upanyasam. It would be too long to explain here. 4. Yes acit is found in

paramapadam in suddha satva form.

Question ID: 309 - respected swami, adiyen pranamams to your divya padukkai. i belong to good sri vaishnava family. and we stricly worship only lord vishnu. not even we pray vignesh or saraswathi. we are purely devoted to ramanujar.and i had my panchasamaskaram also. though, i did one mistake, i am going to be married in october . and daily i used to talk to my would be. we both started speaking very closely and we became so intimate to each other which resulted in we stayed together several nights.its an arranged marriage only. but we stayed without our parents knowledge. but now i am feeling sorry for it and little bit afraid also.but still again my would be planning for another stay and i am not able to say anything . please advice me swami. what shall i do. will god forgive me. is there any answer for this in our vishnu puranam. also i think your feet as ramanujas feet and beg you to forgive me. requesting your pardon, lakshmi. - Question By - lakshmi ramanuja dasi, [email protected]

It is a mistake. If you plead to Bhagavan and your parents, it would be pardoned as

you have repented for it provided you abstain from repeating

Question ID: 308 - Swami, Pranams. Adiyen Ramanuja Dhasan. Adiyen having one Question. In our culture most of us are chanting Saraswathi and celebrating "Saraswathi Pooja". We all know endless Sriman Narayana is the only end for all. I just wanted to know 'When it was started, and is Saraswathi referred in Vedas, what is her work? Please correct me if I am wrong. Dhasan.-Giri. - Question By - Giri, [email protected]

Sarasvati is the consort of Caturmuksha Brahma. I am not sure about the date when

maha navami was called as Sarasvati puja. But it is a misnormer. The seat of Vidya is

Maha lakshmi Herself along with Sri Hayagriva. Sarasvati is referred to in vedas and

Puranas as any other devata.

Question ID: 307 - Pranams to THYSELF. I am aware that aathma vishayam is quite beyond my understanding, that could be understood only by acharyan's grace. In our thathvathraya concept, jeevaathma and paramaathma belong to chethana group but to understand the existence of aathman in the achith / achethana vasthu is very difficult. Is it so that" aathman lies in achith / achethana vasthu also, buth that vasthu is termed as achith / achethanam just because of the athman's gnana

sankojam there? Praying thy clarification in this regard. - Question By - Adhijegannatha Ramanujadasan, [email protected]

acit is jada, non sentient. It is made of pancha bhUtas which are in turn a transformed

state of mUla prakrti which is the matter with which Bhagavan creates all acit. While

acit is prakrtam ( a product of prakrti) jiva is aprakrtam (not a product of prakrti). Jiva

resides in every acit. The status of knowledge is decided by the purva karmas of the

jiva. Acit is not termed so because the gnanam of the jiva inside is shrunk. Acit or this

body is slapped on a jiva to enjoy the fruits of his karmas. Once a jiva is residing in this

body it misunderstands as a human being or an animal or a deva. Once it sheds all its

karmas it reaches Srivaikuntham.

Question ID: 306 - Pranams. Tirucherai is called Panchasara Kshetram;Is it also called Panchakamala Kshetram. What is meaning of "SARA"? tHANK YOU. Adiyen. - Question By - Venkatesan , [email protected]

sAram is 'essense' or 'the best part'

Question ID: 304 - SwAmigaLiNn thiruvadigaLukku adiyENnudaiya theNdaNn Samarppiththa viNNappam. What is the ultimate difference between a vaishnavite and a nASthikA / dhEvathAnthara devotee while being in this world. A vaishnavite even refuses this worldly pleasure more than the other two. If he tries to get the peace of mind by thinking about Sriman nArAyaNA, his mind becomes soft and supple and is not able to withstand the belligerence of the samSArIs. Also it is painful to hurt even these villains. At the end of the day, will not a vaishnavite become more depressed / demotivated? "bagavathanNubavaththukkum, bagavath kainggaryaththukkum virOthigaLAy SamSAra varththagarAyiruppArgaLeNnRu SamSArigaLai" niNnaikka vENdumeNnRu nNavarathnamAlaiyil piLLai lOkAcAryar SAthiththapadi anNuSanthiththAl, it becomes very difficult to play a submissive role to samSArIs in a corporate entity. The peer group's combatant attitude, the superior's rude behaviour and their sheer determination in non-acceptance of our culture makes us highly detached from the system. Our pUrvars were very knowledgeable both in vaithigam & lowgigam. But in today's situation, it seems next to impossible to achieve AzwAr's pala@sruthi which says "viNNum ALwar maNNUdE". xamikka prArththikkirENn. adiyENn irAmANnuja dhASan. - Question By - E.Venkatesh, [email protected]

It is difficult to strike a balance of being a true Srivaishnavite and at the same time

thrive in a corporate. The purpose of a job is material (drshtam) but the purpose of

vaidikam is divine (adrshtam). the best way to tackle this is as follows: 1. Think and

talk as much as possible about bhagavan, azhvars and acharyas unmindful of others

comments. 2. Be detached and not very ambitious of promotions . 3. Do our varna

dharmas religiously which would aliniete our pain and papam.

Question ID: 303 - Pranams to Swami. There are several instances where Alwars declare that Sriman Narayan resides in our body and soul as inner soul (Antaryami) and that He has both 'Vibhutvam' as well as 'Anutvam'. Perialwar in particular declares that Sriman Narayan resides in his heart with His Consorts and with all the paraphernalia that belong to Him as a 'vibhu'. There is no question about this. That is His dwelling pleace in the body or 'Acit' where He is seen as many. When the same Sriman Narayan resides in the Soul or Atman or 'chit', He resides there as 'Anu swaroopi'' and is seen as one. Does this mean that He dwells alone as otherwise vibhutvam will apply to all 'chit' as well as 'achit' that reside along with Him inside of the Atman. Saroopatvena, Emberuman is Vibhu and all others including Piratimar are Anu. How these two go together. Please enlighten. Adiyen. - Question By - Kidambi Srinivasan, [email protected]

I am not quiet clear with the question. However let me reply for whatever I have

understood. Paramatma alone if vibhu. He and only He is a vibhu by His svaroopa. He

is also aNu. Piratti is inseparable from Him and is anu as any other jiva. But by the

status as His divine consort she enjoys the benefit of being along with Him wherever

He is and so is distinguished from other jivas.

Question ID: 302 - Pranams to Swami. Can U please tell me the difference between 'Saranagadhi' and 'Prabhati'. What I have understood is that 'Prabhati' performed with a self less mind that "I did it" is 'Saranagadhi'. Correct me if I am wrong and also clarifythe real intent of both the words or are they mutually exclusive in any context? - Question By - Mrs. Amruthavalli, [email protected]

Both are synonyms. They mean accepting and pleading Sriman Narayana to be the

means for moksham. There should not be even a trace of ego or svatantryam while

performing this absolute surrender. It is not right to say that saranagati is did thinking

that "I did it".

Question ID: 301 - My mother side grand parents are no more. My uncles have also reached the heavenly abode. So there is no body performing Srardha for my grand parents. My father side grand parents are living and hence my father as son

in law can not also perfrom this, I believe. So can my mother perform 'Aama Srardha' on their respective dates? Or the Srardha performed by my cousins for their father (my maternal uncle) will be enough feeding for the grand parents in common? Please advise. - Question By - Ms. Aravinda, [email protected]

Kindly refer to your family brhaspati for an answer.

Question ID: 300 - Adiyen Ramanuja dasan, I have listed some of doubt, which may be due to my ignorance. Please forgive me for the same. 1. As a srivishnavan, do we need to dp Jathagam matching for marriages, if so please let me know the valid reason, simillary if some is having some graha dosham, do we need to do dosha nivarthi parikaram. 2. Can one person move from one varnaashram darmam to other. like vishawamithirar. In a given birth itself, can sudran become brahmanan. If so what that person need to do. 3. Adiyean, heard that in one of your upanyasam, saying that Aadhi shankarar also accepted that Narayanan is parap bramhem. If it is the case. It will be quite contradicatory to what he is saying Adivadam. With my knowldge, in Adividam Bramem is suda satva bramem. In that case Bramem can not have the name,rupam,etc .... . Then How come Aadii shankarar would have given the name as "Narayanan" to that parpbramem. Alwar,Emperumananr, Jeeyar thiruvadigale Saranam. V.Narayanan - Question By - Narayanan, [email protected]

1. Yes you will have to match. This has been in practice for long and so we will have to

follow our purvas. There is no need to do graha preeti as dosha nivritti. Instead we

need to plead to bhagavan to pardon all our doshams. 2. One cannot move from one

varna to another. It is decided when born. By conduct one can follow satvik qualities.

Moreover there is no need to switch as moksham can be attained from any varna. 3.

As per Sankaracharya Brahmam is gnana mayam and one without any form or

attributes. This he calls as Nirguna brahmam which is the ultimate. But since one

cannot comprehend this at the first instance he accepts brahmam to be sagunam with

rupam. In this context he accepts Sriman Narayana to be the brahmam. After realising

this, by continous dhyanam eventually one has to realise that we ourselves are

brahmam.

Question ID: 299 - Respected Swamin, Pranams. Whether marrying a girl elder to that of boy is permitted in our sastras?. My friend says taht it is due to male domination the females are chosen younger so that male can enjoy the youth of the female. Also, what is the mnimum age difference between the male & female is recommended for marriage?. This question arises since I have a blind faith in our sampradayas / sastras . Kindly respond. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, - Question By - RAMAN.P, [email protected]

Marrying an elder girl is not permitted. Domination has no role to play here. Saastras

are the preachings of Bhagavan Himself. We cannot call Him too as a male chauvinist.

Sruti and smriti are the supreme commands of Bhagavan Himself.

Question ID: 298 - Respected Swamin! Sankaracharya said in his advaitham that Parabrahmam is Nirgunam,etc., and also advocated the Shanmathams.But Swami Ramanujacharya said that Brahman is not nirgunam and said Srimannarayanan is Brahmam.I have heard in one of Krishna premi swami's upanyasams that brahmam cannot be understood by anyone and beyond the comprehension of human mind.If so, how can we give a name to this Brahmam? what is the way to reach it?and how can we call this brahmam as vishnu which only forms a part of the shanmathams?kindly clarify because i am only ignorant and new to this sampradayam. - Question By - ramanuja dasi, [email protected]

More than Ramanuja or Shankara the Veda / vedanta have to decide. They identify

Brahmam as the abode of countless auspicious attributes in many passages. They also

identify that brahmam to be Sriman Narayana. Vaidika matham is Srivaishnavam. All

other devatas are the limbs of Sriman Narayana as per the Vedanta. "Anganyanya

devata:..." Ramanuja only reconfirmed this to the confused world.

Question ID: 297 - KOTI KOTI PRANAM. Can i chant vishnu sahasranamam during the menstrual periods also. Kindly reply to my question. Till today i am reciting throughout the month thinking that chanting lord's name in any avastha is permitted. - Question By - Anuradha, [email protected]

It is not permitted. No one can stop you from uttering stray Namas (one or two when

you sneeze or yawn) but Vishnu sahasranama is set to be a holy prabandha which is to

be chanted following rules and regulations.

Question ID: 296 - Dear Swamiji, Pranams I had been suffering from Back pain for the past few weeks. I had been advised to be under rest for the next three months. I request you to suggest some daily mantras to get cures. Currently i am doing sandhyavandanam and also chanting Vishnu sahasranamam and Adithya hridhyam daily. Also please suggest me some other sthothras for getting cured. - Question By - Hariharan, [email protected]

Kindly chant Nammazhvar's tiruvoimozhi 1.7 beginnng piravi tuyar ara..This concludes

as udaindu noygalai oduvikkume.

Question ID: 295 - swamigalin thiruvadigaluku adiyen ramanuja dasanthenden samarpita vinnapam.Although i worshipped both siva and vishnu agter hearing your discourses and after samasryanam i worship sri ramanujar perumal and thayar only. my mother says i can go to samayapuram when i go to srgm. i intend to have dharshan of periya perumal on 7th of july. I am confused please help ramanuja dasan - Question By - radha venkatesh, [email protected]

If you are a saiva you can go. If you are a Srivaishnava wedded to Sriman Narayana

you have to abstain.

Question ID: 294 - Dear Swamiji, My pranams and namaskar, The 8 chapter, in sloka 17 Which starts has sahasrayugaparyantham....... : I request you to clarify various points in that sloka : In the sloka we come to understand that Lord Brahma's life span is thousand chathuryuga as day and thousand chathuryuga as night, like this combination of 100 years My questions is : 1. In that series of thousand chathuryuga we are in which serial? 2. Whether we are passing the thousand chathuryuga of day or night? 3. Will Lord Almighty's Dasavatharam repeat in each serial of thousand chathuryuga. Namasthe With regards rama - Question By - Rama Mahalakshmi, [email protected]

1. During every day of Brahma 14 manus rule. We in the Vaivasvata manvantara

which is in the second 50 years of Brahma. Approximately 71 caturyugams pass

during every manvantara (manu's period). We are in the 28th caturyuga of vaivasvata

manvantara. 2. We are in the day of brahma now. The first three worlds (bhU: bhuva:

suva: ) get destroyed during the night of brahma . As we, who live in bhU:, we are

alive in the day only. 3. Yes the countless avataras may get repeated in the same

order or in any other order which Bhagavan thinks fit.

Question ID: 293 - Re-Fasting during Ekadasi Respected Shri.Krishnan swamigal, Many opinions have been expressed by near relatives about the intake on auspicious days like Ekadasi.In our Vaishnava temples Prasadams are distributed prepared from broken rice like Rice upma etc on such days..I hear from my North Indian friends,that we should not take any items prepared from grains.Me and my wife seek your kind advice on this matter.Though my doubt may sound silly, I feel

your advice will be very invaluable. with regards, srinivasan - Question By - srinivasan.v.n, [email protected]

We can have a little of Whatever is given in temple as prasadam.

Question ID: 292 - Dear U. Ve. Krishnan Swami, I have been hearing your Upanyasams through internet. I am interested in learning the divya prabhandams and nitya karmas so that I can worship Perumal in the prescribed way. Pl give me some guidelines regarding how to do this. Also pl give me your email so that I can contact you. Ys Raj - Question By - Raj, [email protected]

You have to contact a proper guru in your area who would teach you these. You can

call any of our volunteers (if you live in their area) and they would be able to guide

you.

Question ID: 291 - Azhwar Emperumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale saranam I have a question regarding thirukkOLUr peNpiLLai rahasyam. (No. 76 refers to an incident in the life of Acharya Nampillai.) These questions were raised in a conversation with Emperumanar who lived till 1137. Swami Nampillai was born much later and how is that the above includes a reference to Sami Nampillai life? Pizhai irunthal porutharula vendum Adiyen Ramanujam dasan - Question By - Ramanujam, [email protected]

The phrase which you are referring to is "neeril kuditteno kanapurattalai pole". This

kanapurattal was a lady who was a contemporary of Tirukkolur penpillai or one who

lived before her. There was another lady who behaved similarly with acharya bhakti

during the days of Nambillai.

Question ID: 289 - Dear Swamy, I have a ten year old daughter and am keen to teach her 4000 Divya Prabhandam and BHagavat Gita. Is there any place in and around T.Nagar, W.Mambalam etc where such courses are conducted? Kindly let me know the contact details at the earliest, please forgive me for asking you this favour but I tried through sources known to me and could not get a positive feedback. Once again, kshamikka praarthikkiren, adiyen. - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

You can contact Tirukkana puram Sri Sathakopan swamy (he resides at W Mambalam

and conducts regular santhai and he is the adhyapaka of Kesava perumal temple at

Mylapore) or Malola coordinator. They may be able to guide you.

Question ID: 288 - Dear Swamy, In Bhagavat Gita, Lord Krishna says, "Kalanjam na Bhakshayeth", ie, we should not eat "poondu" and "Vengayam". What about other vegetables? What are the vegetables that a true Sri Vaishnava can take? Some people say that even potato and tomato are "English" vegetables and not to be eaten by us. Kindly let us know what are the vegetables allowed to be taken as per our sampradayam, adiyen. - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

Potato and tomato are not to be taken. There are many vegetables that you can take

viz. vendai kattari vazhaikai vazhai pu vazhai tandu seppan chakkara valli avarai

pudalai pagal senai are some which we can consume.

Question ID: 286 - Humble submission: If related Divya Prapandha pasuram is highlited with each Geetha verse during your discourse on Podhigai TV, the richness of Divya Prapandham also reaches the devotees. Hopefully expecting. Pranams. T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

There is no related divya prabandha pasuram for every sloka of gita. We the

upanyasakas add pasurams for better understanding and joy of listening.

Question ID: 285 - Pujya Swami! Namaskaram. Recently I heard a Dhyana Shloka on Sri Krishna in one of the Gita Lectures of Pujya Sri Swami Omkarananda. The shloka describes in a very excellent way, the posture of the Lord in which He delivered the Divine Message to Arjuna. Since then, I have been trying my best to locate the source of this shloka, but failed. My humble request to you is to enlighten me about the exact source of this following shloka. Is it from Srimadh Bhagavatham or Mahabharatha or from any puranas like the Gita Mahathmyam from Varaha Purana. The (Transliteration of the ) Shloka is as follows: " Agre kruthvaa kamapi charanam jaanunaikena thishtan pashchaath paartham pranaya rasajushaa chakshushaa vekshyamaanaha. savye thothram kara sarasije dakshine jnaanamudraam aabhibhraano rathamadhivasan paathu nah suutha veshaha". Eagerly awaiting your reply. With Namaskarams. S. Adhinarayanan, - Question By - S. Adhinarayanan, [email protected]

I am sorry that I do not know the source of this slokam. I would let you know if I trace

it.

Question ID: 284 - Poojya Swamin, my humble Namaskarams! I have a huge fear that the chances of getting even a life similar to this life, with knowledge of Mukti Margam or even being born as a vegetarian, is very low in this yugam. With the help of your divine guidance, Adiyen has learnt that by practising Bhakti and Sharanagathi, it is possible to attain Moksham for oneself. Is there anything one can do for a beloved person e.g. parent's soul to attain Moksham, even after death? I have another doubt. I understand that by means of Sharanagathi, Sriman Narayan will guide us through the right path and avoid further papam. Is there any way to dissolve purva janma papam, that too of a beloved person other than self? Aneka Koti Pranams! - Question By - Lakshmi, [email protected]

Technically it is not possible to do something to clear the papam of another departed

soul. Our right and duty is only to perform the prescribed ceremonies. However we can

plead to Bhagavan. It is for the particular individual to take birth again and reach

moksham by saranagati.

Question ID: 283 - Garuda, Chakrathazhwar, Panchajanya and Hanuman always guard Sriman Narayana. Three of these are nithyasooris what about Hanuman? In Yamuna's chatussloki there is no mention of thiruvadi ( not siriya thiruvadi)Hanuman. In Periazhwar's pallandu there is no mention of Hanuman. In all our logos Hanuman is always depicted. Is he a sentinel only in the leela vibhuthi? Is there any pramana that Hanuman did saranagathi? I have heard of some paramaekanthis not going to Hanuman's sanctum as he is a mere chiranjeevi and not a muktaathma. I request swamiji to clarify these points. To most of us Hanuman is a baktha shiromani and is one of the very few to get Perumal's alinganam. He is a consistent varaprasadi and the most loveable of all Ramayana characters, the hero in fact. Why is he not mentioned by purvacharyas? What is the esoteric truth that many of us have missed? Dr.S.Sundar Rajan, Trichy - Question By - Dr.S.Sundar rajan, [email protected]

Hanuman is to be worshipped. Our purvacharyas have abundantly quoted instances

from the life and history of Hanuman. The fact that He is not quoted by some would

not deny worship. Sri Parasara Bhatta quotes in his Sriranga raja stava as "hanu

bhusha vibheeshanayo: syam yatamaviha moksham upekshya..." ie Hanuman and

vibheeshana glorify together at Srirangam. It is a treat to have darshan of Vishvaksena

and Hanuman together conduct the mritsangrahana puja on tirumulai day at

Srirangam. Periazhvar has exclusively allotted one decad 3.10 for the conversation

between Hanuman and Sita . Sri Vedanta Desika equates Hanuman to our acharya in

his sloka "darpo dagra dasendriyanana mano naktam....hanumat samena guruna...".

He refused to go to Srivaikuntham and so stays here. His sloka "sneho me... bhavo

nanyatra gacchati " is revered in atleast 50 places in purvacharyas vyakhyanams. He

finds a place equal to Garuda in vahana purappadu also. He is not a nitya suri.

Question ID: 282 - Adiyen Ramanuja dasan. Swami, there seems to be a lot difference on Ramanuja's year of exile to Thirunarayanapuram and the chola king was involved (whether Kulothunga I or II)? This also affects the exact lifetime of Swami Ramanuja. If we accept Swami's life time to be 1017-1137 then it has to be Kulothunga I who reigned between 1070-1120. Could you please make it clear for the benefit of all? - Question By - Ramanujam, [email protected]

There are many publications including Koil ozhugu on this. Our members can go

through them. Ramanuja's period as per Guruparampara is 1017 to 1137. Let us stick

to that. Nampillai in his Eedu vyakshyanam calls krimi kantha chola as avyapadesyan

ie one, whose name is not to be uttered or told. So let us not get into that debate.

Question ID: 281 - Dear Swami, I have two questions. Please forgive me for asking this first question. I know this question should not be asked. Sorry.. 1) Sri Ramanuja Nootrandadhi is also included in 4000 Divya Prapabdham? if it is included means how come Nammazhvar gave 4000 to Nadamunigal? Why Periyava added Sri Ramanuja Nootrandadi into 4000 Divya prapandam? 2) Swami our friends will share our knowledge across sidantas. One of my Madva friend told me that "maadhweergAvO bhavantu nah..means follow only the words of Acharya Madhwa and none other".. I Do like Aananda Theerthar as a great Saint, But I think he misinterpreted this sentence. Please tell us the meaning for this... Swami please forgive me, If I asked anything wrong or as Vidandavatham.. Dandam Smarpikiren Swami.... - Question By - Vijayaraghavan, [email protected]

Iramanusa nootrandadi is included in 4000 divya prabandham in the sense that 1. it is

not recited during anadhyayana kalam. 2.As Namperumal wanted to listen to that

during His customary procession in Srirangam it gained equal importance and got

included in 4000. Even today it is being listened by Namperumal during purappadu. 3.

The same is true with Tiruvengadamudayan also - He listens to it exclusively on the

22nd day of adhyayana utsavam. However while calculating the number 4000

divyaprabandham this need not be included. Nammazhvar revealed 4000 without

Iramanusa nootrandadi only. Yes. Your friend's interpretation is wrong. In no way the

words mean so.

Question ID: 280 - Adiyen,Pranamams to your divya Padukai,What is the significance of Brahmotsavams in temple.?What do the vahana sevai in particular signify?Thanks in advance. - Question By - indumathi patalay, [email protected]

Brahma utsavam is supposed to be conducted by the four headed Brahma himself. All

the utsavams and vahanams are to get the bhatas attracted to Him distracting from

mundane world. Purappadu in simha, garuda hanumar vahana are to reinforce

confidence in the minds of the devotees - Here comes our strong protector. Let us

surrender to Him and live without fear. He marches as army marches to install

confidence in a riot hit area.

Question ID: 279 - SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA Adiyan Dasan. Swamy I seek Your guidance in my present predicament. Before seeking Your valuable Guidance here's the preamble. I have benn performing the Shradhatha of my parents in Srimad Andavan Ashram from 1986.I perform the prescribed way by giving Vastrams to both Vadhiyars and the main Vadhiyar.In addition to the Dakshina given by the Ashram I with pleasure give Dakshina to all three Vadhiyars in additon to the paricharakar. The whole ritual was going smoothly.I was performing at the Ashram since I live in a flat where it's not possible perform such a ritual. But since last three years the condition has detoriated every Year.I have been patiently bearing it without leaving it.Vadhiyars were sitting for two Shradhas on the same day and also the tahligai was commonly done.What's more'the performing Vadhiyar was disturbed half way thru to do in the other room and also he will sit for bhojanam and then come and continue.I have been pushed to the precipice just two months back appaling things were done.Even the mantrams were said fully or properly. There is a nexus between the paricharakas and Vadhiyars. Noe Iam not complaining nor asking You to interfere because I know it's beyond repair!!My appeal to You pl. gide is there any manner I can continue this Vaidhika Karma by poor Brahmana feeding or like Ama Shradtam?? Pl.enlighten and HELP!! - Question By - N S RAJAGOPALAN, [email protected]

When we are physically and financially fit to perform regular sraddham we cannot

switch to other methods. If you are in India, you can perform sraddha in a flat. You

might have to arrange for some bricks and sand to safeguard the floor if you are in a

rented flat. You will have to get some well water from near by well if you do not have

one. The best way to do is in your flat.

Question ID: 278 - Dear Swami. My parents have inculcated us in the srivaishnavite tradition. We have been strictly adhering to the nitya anusandhanam. A few years back, my brother went overseas and moved away from our tradition by taking to drinks, non vegetarian food and worst of all, physical relationship with a foreign woman. However, thanks to piratti?s forgiving nature, and thanks to the austerities observed by my parents, he has realised the errors of his ways, separated from that woman, and lives on his own following the nitya anusandhanam. Piratti?s karunai is limitless and now his marriage has been fixed to a girl whose family also obey the sasthras. My brother now wants to make my parents happy by following the path shown by them. He also wants to live as a srivaishnavite and marry this girl who obeys the sasthras. But he has one big dilemma. Is it forbidden by the sasthras to marry a woman after he has had a physical relation with another woman? If so, how does he reconcile this issue. How does he make his parents happy and follow the srivaishnavite tradition? We are in a critical situation and look to you desperately for guidance. - Question By - Kanakavalli, [email protected]

Sastraas do allow remarriage for men. However he has to do prayaschittam for the

earlier one. Kindly contact your family brhaspati for the ritual. He should also take

acharya sri pada tirtham after that.

Question ID: 277 - Swami, Pranams, Adiyen Kalyan Krishnan. I had a chance of hearing your upanyasam on Bakthi Neeri. I am at present hearing Nam Azhwar?s approach towards sriman narayana. In that I have a small doubt like Nam Azhwar is the first azhwar of Kali yuga, he was born 42 days after Dwapara yuga came to an end and lord Krishna went to paramapadham. But Madhurakavi Azhwar, who is a disciple of Nam Azhwar, was elder to him. If that is the case he must be the first Azhwar of Kali yugam. I also presumed that this may be because like Madhurakavi Azhwar became ?Azhwar? after seeing Nam Azhwar only, correct me if I am wrong. - Question By - Kalyan Krishnan, [email protected]

Kindly follow the postings in the blog discussion in our website on this subject. You will

get the right conclusion shortly.

Question ID: 276 - srimathae ramanujaya namha, swami after panchasamaskaram we all were thirumen in 12 stanams of the body to show that our mind ,body, heart and soul are devoted of Sriman narayana, i also heard that thirumen and chisernanam represents feet of sriman narayana, swami then why in alankaras of perumal in temple (moolavar) we put thirumen for them too swami? - Question By - adiyen venkatesan, [email protected]

Bhagavan is adorned with Tiruman 1. as a decoration. 2. also as He is fond of wearing

anything that His devotees wear with love.

Question ID: 275 - Pranams. Nowadays everybody is talking about Organ Donation. If the last rite of offering our body to Agni Bhagawan is also a "samarppanam" to God, can it be an "incomplete offering" that is, a body without all its parts in it? Is it allowed in vedas? What do the Shastras say on organ donation? Some say it is allowed while others say it is not allowed. I request you to please enlighten us on this once and for all. - Question By - Kannan, [email protected]

Saastras do not allow voluntary organ donation. Nothing wrong if an organ is lost in an

accident.

Question ID: 274 - 1.I am having the question on the status of piratti before Ksheerasagara Madanam. Mahalakshi Thayar arose out of Paarkadal during churning and married Perumal. What was the status of thayar before her avatharam? Was Perumal alone in Sri Vaikuntam. 2.You have also explained in your answers that Aandal is an avatharam of Bhoomi piratti and not Neela Devi. But in Thaniyan of Thiruppavai, we chant as Neela thunga...... So can please clear my doubt on Andal. 3. Also, please explain who is neela devi? - Question By - Vijay, [email protected]

Amruta mathana Hari is one of the incarnations as Rama and Krishna when Piratti also

incarnated as Lakshmi like Sita and Rukmini. Srivaikutham and the union of Narayana

and Lakshmi are eternal. Tiruppavai tanian refers Neela as a consort of Krishna and

does not refer to andal and Neela. In fact this slokam of Parasara bhatta clearly

distinguishes Neela and Andal - as Neela is sleeping along with Krishna and andal is

waking them. Neela is the third important consort of Sriman Narayana.

Question ID: 273 - adiyen ramanuja dasan. swami, I have a doubt. I have heard that jevaatmaas are anadhi. If I assume that all jevaatmaas would reach the moksham at one point (after several several several srishtis/pralayams), Then 1) Will there be no jevaatmaas (outside vaikundam) at one stage? 2) And will that be THE END to the srishtis/pralayams? 3) Or, is my assumption wrong? Raghavan [email protected] - Question By - Raghavan, [email protected]

There will be no end to srsti and pralayam. The number of jivas is infinity. Till now or

any day the number of jivas who have left this world is infinity. Infinity (minus) infinity

is always infinity and never turns tobe zero.

Question ID: 272 - Swamigal Thiruvadikku Shathakoti Pranamangal. Swamiji, . Adiyen has a few questions that have been disturbing me. What do you do if somebody asks you to perform devathantaram's poojai. Please let me clarify the situation further.We(my Husband and I) go for the Vishnusahasranama recitation every saturday evenings. For the last several months, these recitations are being held at the ISKON temple (the ISKON priests have been kind enough to let the Perumal Koil Priest to conduct those there). On one such recitations, one of the iskon devotees/volunter came to us and urged us to participate in a Spiritual Quiz which comprised of questions about our lifestyle, our nature, our attitude towards people and circumstances etc... , the devotee looked at our scores (for Satva, Rajas and TamO guna) and told us about Bhagvat Geeta. In the end, he gave us a Beed Mala to recite 4 cycles of Hare Krishna....Hare Rama mantra. He also asked us to chant one initiation Mantra about Chaitanya mahaprabhu before starting the actual Mantra cycle. Eventhough we took the mala from him (we did not want to hurt him by refusing to take it), we have just kept it at our Perumal Sannadhi. Swamyji, adiyen has been trying to practice principles of visishtadhvaitham for the last few years now and dont want to recite anything other than our Sampradaya slokas and pasurams. So now my questions are: 1. What do I do with the bead mala? 2. How can I simply refuse to indulge in any other Sampradayam/devathantharam?(I am asking because I am not sure if I am comitting apachAra by refusing/hurting a Bhagavathan-ISKON is after all Krishna namasankeerthanam) My Other Questions are: 1. What do you do if somebody asks you to take devathantaram's prasadam like Vibhuti etc...? 2. My In laws go to devathantaram temples also. How do I refuse them if they ask me to come and moreover how do I divert them to resort fully and only to our SrI sampradayam? Thank you for reading patienly and hopefully I have been able to put forth my questions in a clear manner. Doshangal irunthAl kshamikka prarthikkirein. Adiyen Srividya BadriNarayanan. - Question By - Srividya BadriNarayanan, [email protected]

You can use the tulasi bead mala to chant tirumantram. Nothing wrong in it. As a

srivaishnava prapanna you will have to get samasrayanam administered which

represents marriage with sriman narayana and so you cannot look upon other

devatas. If somebody forces you then you have to politely but firmly convey your

unwillingness and also try and correct them. It is not an apacharam at all as we are

not dishonouring or disgracing any devatas. The fact is that we firmly believe that

Sriman Narayana is the only moksha datha and so stay away from others who may

occasionally grant some wordly pleasure.

Question ID: 271 - Swamin, Adiyens pranams for you. If I question wrongly, pls pardon me. Jivan's Sathhai (existence), Sthithi (Living), Pravruththi (Action) are supposed to be in an existing condition, because of Paramathma's inner existence,

that too he is gazing always the soul's saththa, sthithi, pravruththi. If we go deep further, Pravruththi of jivan is determined or continued because of following one of the relationship with bagavan. 1. He has to allow us to do the deed, then only we can do or continue or 2. He should stimulate or 3. He should be watching the action as an intermediate Then only Pravruththi of jivan is possible. Like that, Are there any common factors to saththai & sthithi of jivan. kshamikka Prarthikkiren. - Question By - M.Gopalakrishnan, [email protected]

Satta is by antar vyapti (itadaatmyam idam sarvam) and sthiti is by antarvyapti and

souhardam.

Question ID: 270 - Pranams. What will happen to the SriVaikuntam during the change over of Yugas / Pralaya kalam and to the Mukthathmakkal & Nitya surigal. Kindly reply - Question By - RAMAN PADMANABHAN, [email protected]

As conveyed by the name Nitya vibhooti, Sri vaikuntham, mukta or nityas are never

affected by any deluge.

Question ID: 269 - "adiyaen ramanuja dasan" "acharyan thiruvadigale saranam" 1)What is the differnce between yogi,swami,acharya,siddhar,munivar and rishis?? 2)Does these words mean the same? - Question By - naresh iyengar, [email protected]

Yogi - one who is ever practicing yoga Swamy - one who is the owner of the belonging

sishya Acharya - one who guides his disciple in the right way. Siddha - one who has

accomplished the siddhis. Muni - one who meditates. Rishi - one who has recognized

mantras.

Question ID: 268 - Respected Swami, Adiyen's humble pranams, Can ladies chant Vishnu Sahasranamam. - Question By - Raghavan K, [email protected]

Kindly refer to your acharyan for proper guidance as there are different opinions on

this.

Question ID: 266 - Dear Swami, adiyen is immensely blessed to read Swami's clarifications on various relevant issues in the Spiritual Quest section regularly. adiyen would like to clarify something on Nithyanusandhanam from Swami. On enquiring for a publication from the Andavan Ashramam, adiyen was not able to obtain the same, but obtained a copy of the Ashrama sevakala saatrumurai kramam. Adiyen would like to know the difference between the two, i.e Nithyanusandhanam and Sevakala Saatrumurai kramam. More specifically, can Nithyanusandhanam be recited anytime of the day while engaging in other karmas like bathing, cooking etc or should it be recited only in front of the Salagraama Perumal in the house during Thiruvaraadhanam? adiyen would be eager to listen to Swami's upanyasam on a similar topic in the near future. dasan Praveen Krishnan - Question By - Praveen Krishnan, [email protected]

Nitya nusandhanam can be recited after wearing tiruman kappu and concluded before

conclusion of tiruvaradhanam. Nityanusandhanam is a collection of the songs to be

recited daily, sattumurai is the pasurams, slokas to be recited at their conclusion.

Question ID: 265 - *** Om Sri Kuresaya Nama *** Dear Swamy, Adiyen had been to Kooram today (Sunday) and had the blessed opportunity of getting the darshan of Koorathazwan. Adiyen would like to thank yourself as you have been fully instrumental in educating adiyen about Kuresar. It was a wonder experience of being in the hometown and the Bhattar told us that the temple was one of the hundred rooms of Kuresar when he was a king. Adiyen would like to get involved in having the Gopuram of the temple to be painted and have sufficient information noticeboards / banners to be placed in / near the temple for the people to know more about Koorathazwan. Please let me know how to start working on the same. Swamigal paadhangail samarpanam, Adiyen Madhavan. - Question By - Adiyen Madhavan, [email protected]

Kindly contact Kooram dharma kartas to execute your kainkaryam.

Question ID: 264 - adiyan swamin, IN your discourse about varaha avatar boomadevi taken by asura and hidden in the samudram in science samudram is part of boomi it creats confusion in my mind swamin please clarify this confusion. adiyan dasan - Question By - govindarajan, [email protected]

As per the sastras every dweepam is surrounded by an ocean and finally the entire

universe is surrounded by sapta avaranam of which one is water. Even in science the

earth portion is much lesser compared to ocean and so it can be hidden.

Question ID: 263 - Adiyen Srinivasa Dasan 1. When reciting pasurams in temples, why do they start the 2nd half of a pasuram even before the first half is completed by one group? 2. Kindly suggest a good book that has 4000 divya prabandham WITH padhartham, for Beginners, in TAMIL and Another book in ENGLISH. 3. Some of the old books have OLD TAMIL(?) letters that are not same as the current day tamil. Kindly suggest any souce that explains those alphabets in terms of current tamil. 4. Kindly point out some guide/book to understand the Manipravala nadai. Thank you for your valuable time, Swamy. - Question By - Raghuram, [email protected]

1. It is not an accepted practice. Somehow it has crept in. 2. The authenticated pada

padartham and commentary of our Purva charyas is of Peria vachan pillai. 3. I know of

Sri Sriram Bharathy swamys English book. 4. I am not aware of current tamil script. 5. I

am not aware of any book to explain manipravala nadai. You will have to get used to it

by attending kalakshepams.

Question ID: 262 - Three doubts about sandhya vandanam: Only Narayana was present at the begining... From Narayana Brahma was born... From Brahma Rudra was born... The lineage is clear. Narayana is the progenitor of progenitor, Brahma, of whose forehead Rudra was begat. During sandhya vandanam before gayathri avahanam stotras are done to 1. Brahma as a kumari on a Hamsa vahana in the morning, 2. Rudra as yuvathi at noon on Vrsha vahana and 3. Vishnu as an old lady, vrddha in the evening on Garuda vahana. Here the well setablished order seems to be distorted as the younger Rudra is considered as a young woman where as the elder Brahma is a mere girl. Should it not have been Rudra as kumari and Brahma as yuvathi? Vishnu as vrddha is ok. What is the answer to this apparent distortion? What is the correct explanation for the dilemma of a prapanna who has to worship Rudra and Brahma during sandhya vandanam which cannot be relinquished at any cost? If the answer is that the prapanna is supposed to worship the antaryami Narayana in these deities then why not do that pleasent duty directly? If this is sanctioned then why cant the prapanna woship all deities using the same method? Geethacharya has unamibguously said that He should be resorted to directly. Is there a different version of sandhya vandanam for prapannas? I humbly request some swamiji to clarify. Dr.S.Sundar Rajan, MS ortho, Trichy - Question By - Dr.S.Sundar rajan, [email protected]

As prapannas we are supposed to 1. worship Sriman Narayana only 2. Perform all the

varna asrama dharmas (sandhyavandanam is one of them) prescribed for us to please

Sriman Narayana which is the only purpose of life. To satisfy both the above

conditions, we have to perform sandhyavandanam and at the same time worship only

Sriman Narayana as the antaratma of the devatas mentioned in the mantras. Then the

consequential question as to why cant we worship all other devatas similarly. We

cannot do that as they are not prescribed varna dharmas. We are supposed to do only

the varna dharmas and even there wherever there is a mention of other devatas we

have to worship their antaryami.

Question ID: 261 - Pujya Sri Swamji Our Sastras prohibit marriages in "Swagothram" Most of us are descendents of triya rishis or pancha rushis of a common sage. For Example, Sage Angirasa has several descendents which we come to know through pravaram. Sage Angirasa is common for several gothrams. Will it not amount to swagorthram? Pranaams A Venkataraman - Question By - Venkataraman, [email protected]

The combination of rishis , pravara and gothra make every lineage unique. So we need

to avoid spouse of same gothram only. For that matter all rishis were born from

Brahma and so we would all belong to one father including saraswati the consort of

Brahma.

Question ID: 260 - Pujya Sri Swamiji, In the Dhyanasloaka in Bhagavat Geeta, what is the meaning for the line which goes like this. Om Parthaya Prathiboditha Bhagavathe .................... Adhvaithamrutha varshineem............. In what contect the word advaitha is used? Pranaams A Venkataraman - Question By - Venkataraman, [email protected]

This sloka is of late recited by some. It does not find a place in traditional recitation.

Question ID: 258 - Hearty Pranams to you Sir. I have been watching Kannanin Aramudhu regularly and find it enlightening. I have been searching for some months now, a sthothram in sanskrit or tamil to "thank" God for what he has given and praying for his Grace. I have searched through Sankara's slokas but could find about asking forgiveness but not about thanking. Can you please pass on any that you know that can be recited daily to thank the Lord. - Question By - Meera, [email protected]

You can recite stotra ratnam of Alavandar as it is included in nitya anusandhanam and

Nammazhvar's tiruvoimozhi first centum last decad.

Question ID: 257 - Respected Swami, Can we read Mahabharata(english translated text) at our home? Thank you. Regards, Dayasurabhi - Question By - Dayasurabhi, [email protected]

Yes. you can read.

Question ID: 256 - Dear Swamiji After listening to your lectures and following a bit of Bhakti Margam, by perumal?s grace, I now desire samsrayanam. In this regard my background is I am from Saivite family and my association with vaishnavism is through my maternal grandmother. Her acaryan was Sri Parasara Ranganatha Bhattar in Srirangam. When I was in school days, I used to visit my relatives in Trichy during holidays and also go to the Koil and acarya?s house to pay my respects. Now that he is no more and I have lost touch with the acarya?s family ( as I went abroad for some time). a) can you kindly advise who is the acarya in Srirangam giving samsrayanam in the same lineage as Sri Parasara Rangantha Bhattar (i.e if you know him) otherwise where else can I go for the same. b) Second I have a doubt- is it advisable to lay foundation stone for a new house when one?s wife is pregnant. Looking forward to your replies.. - Question By - Balaraman Sriram, [email protected]

The descendants of Sri Parasara Ranganatha bhattar are at South uttira st in

Sriramgam. There are three Parasara bhattar families there. You can go and enquire

with them You cannot lay foundation stone or build during pregnancy.

Question ID: 255 - Respected swamin! my humble pranams to your lotus feet! this question may seem very silly. when we refer to Bhagavan,we say " Him", whereas when we refer to Brahmam , we say " It " could you please tell the reason as to why there is difference in usage when we refer to the same SrimanNarayanan? - Question By - ramanuja dasi, [email protected]

In sanskrit language gender is for words. Sriman Narayana is a Purusha and many

words of masculine gender are His epithets. However the word 'Brahmam' is

napumsaka (neuter) gender and so we call as 'It'

Question ID: 254 - Please explain why Poigaiyahwar's first song is available today. It was sung in a hut, with rain and thunder. Who heard this? - Question By - Ramamoorthysrinath, [email protected]

No one heard it. It was the grace of Sriman Narayana that all the 4000 holy verses

were preached by Nammazhvar to Nathamunigal again and that is how we have them

today.

Question ID: 253 - Humble Pranams to Swami, In my family no one is sri vaisnavan except me, if some death occured in my family say my grand mother, is that theetu is also applicable for me, or i can normally follow my nithyaanusthanam, say like thiruvaradhanam and chanting divya prabhandam, or i need to stop thiruvaradhanam for 16 days.can i eat food in my home when death occured.if i had eaten food what is the prayachitham for that.Kndly explain me what procedure should be followed by me if any death occurs in my home. Adiyen, Prabhu Ramnuja dasan. - Question By - prabhu, [email protected]

Aasoucham (teettu) is inevitable unless the relationship has been severed by sastric

rituals. So you will have to observe teettu. But there is no need to eat there.

Question ID: 252 - *** Om Sri Kuresaya Nama *** Dear Swamy, When one is not a born Vaishnavite (like adiyen), and drawn towards Perumal bhakthi, is it necessary that he has to renounce his earlier deity and Acharyas? I read a book by a Vaishnavite periyavar, who mentioned that after adorning the Thiru maN and Sri Churnam, it is a sin if one adorns other symbol of any other devatha. After beloving Sri Sambhu & nayanmaars for more than 10+ years, should I abandon them after I have started bhakthi towards perumal & Azhwars.?? Moreover... are the words " Hariyum Sivanum onnu, ariyaadhavar vaayil mannu" - just for the sake of general use and not for practise? Adiyen can admit that only if we choose one deity, it will be helpful for us to submit ourselves for Paripoorna Sharanaagathi. But still, is it necessary that adiyen has to totally discard and move away from Eashwara bhakthi. Swamigal Paadhangalil Samarpanam, Dasan Madhavan. - Question By - Madhavaraj M, [email protected]

1.The limited time at our disposal is not enough even to know and serve Sriman

Narayana. 2. Bhakti is absolute devotion and not a past time to try with many. 3. We

are here to develop satva guna by worshipping saatvika devata. 4. Sriman Narayana

can grant all our wishes including moksham (unlike others) These are the reasons why

we stay away from other devatas. Just list down the reasons as to why you want to

hold on to others and analyse them along with the above statements. You will not be

left with even a single reason.

Question ID: 251 - Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha. Swami, Why is that our Swami Ramanuja negates the word Maya in his bhashyam ? Isn't everything temporary in this world ? Recently i went thru what they call as Sri Rama Gita which is a conversation between Siva and Parvathi in Adhyathma Ramayanam wirtten by Veda Vyasa. In this text Sri Raama is explaining to his brother Laskhmana that everything is transitory in nature. And that one must contemplate on the self which is eternal and formless. Please enlighten me on this text of Rama Gita. It sounds very advaitic. Is it because in Tretha Yuga people had enough time and energy to contemplate on the self ? - Question By - Bharadwaj G, [email protected]

Your question has the answer. Anything that is transitory is not illusion. It keeps

changing and so bewildering but not a myth. This is precisely why Ramanuja wrote the

right meaning of the word maya as ascharyam instead of illusion. Everything in this

world is true but the only disadvantage is that they are ever changing except the atma

svaroopa. To comtemplate on self you need 1. knowledge 2. reflection 3. references 4.

source of knowledge 5. body 6. sensual organs 7. life and many more. If all these are

maya then the whole process of contemplation or comprehension is illusionary which

is a wasted exercise.

Question ID: 250 - AZHWAR ANDAL EMPERUMANAR JEEYAR THIRUVADIGALE CHARANAM. APPAN THIRUVADIGALE CHARANAM.. adiyen have a small doubt. Occassion has arisen to travel abroad. We are not able to perform NITHYAPADI THIRUVARADHANAM(especially THALIGAI). DEVARIR please suggest us a way so that we can perform our nithya kainkaryam without any obstacles. - Question By - P.Ramaswamy, [email protected]

You can safely hand over your salagrama perumal to your close friend or relative who

is eligible and willing to perform aradhanam and taligai.

Question ID: 249 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! 1)Is Bhakti yoga-ego=saranagati? 2)What is the result of those who does saranagati without knowledge.In the sense, he also does bhakti(acharya kainkaryam etc) for pass time,but because he is not phylosophically inclined he doesn't cultivate knowledge.Does the time of moksham of this person and another person who does bhakti yoga(sadhana)+cultivates knowledge matter? 3)Is Krishna conquered by

pure devotional service or saranagati? 4)You had said Bhakti yoga involves a lot of rules and regulations,which therefore,appears impractical for this age.Recently my father purchased a book named as agnirantham from azhgiasinger jeer swami.I had seen that there are also so many rules and regulations over here too.Is it a fact that the different activities of saranagati and bhakti yoga is the same ,but in saranagati there is no way for false ego and krishna himself is the means and the end.Am i right? 5)Ramanujacharya specifically stressed the people to perform saranagati than bhakti yogam.But isn't it a fact that how much ever you tell a person to do saranagati,unless and until he has some realization(like parikshit maharaj) he will not do so? - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

1. Technically bhakti yoga - ego is not saranagati as both are different paths with

different rules. For a bhakti yogi bhakti is the means for moksham but for a saranagata

Bhagavan Himself is the means. However you can say that when a person who wanted

to practice bhakti yoga realizes his nature of absolute servitude and sheds his ego, he

would switch to saranagati. 2. One is not said to have performed saranagati if he has

not realized his true nature which is seshatvam and paratantryam. So knowledge is

imperative for saranagati. This is all the more important as saranagati is a state of

mind. 3. The word 'conquering Krshna' would be used by a bhakta and the word

'pleasing Krshna' would be used by a saranagata. Saranagata is a devout servant till

his last breath. 4. all the rules in bhakti yoga are obligatory to attain moksham but

they are voluntary for a saranagata. So it does not matter even if done short of

perfection. 5. Sri Ramanuja advised us to realize seshatvam and paratantryam and

perform saranagati. Only realized souls perform saranagati.

Question ID: 248 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! 1)The current age is full of quarell,hypocrisy,impatience etc.Isn't Srivaishnavisim difficult for the people to accept.There are so many rituals(karma) isn't?Therfore by the gradual progres of spiritual advancement(beginning with sandhyavandanam etc) it will take so many births for a person to clear away his sins and finally attain moksham isnt? - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Srivaishnavism is the right medicine for today disturbed environment. The path of

surrender which has been so well practiced in this sampradayam makes moksham

accessible in the same birth when performed. The rituals prescribed by the sastras can

only keep us away from the evils of today's world. The more you spend time doing

them, the more you are dear to Bhagavan and the less you move with hypocrites.

Question ID: 247 - adiyen RAMANUJA dasan. adiyen's Pranams to Swami. In your Kalakshepam's You have said that doing "Bhagavatha Apacharam" is a great sin. As

Varaha Bhagawan says, "Kalpa Kodi varusham aanalum Manika Maten". But to be more frank, adiyen did a lot of Bhagavatha Apacharams. adiyen now realised it and asking for Forgiveness to Emperumanaar and Namperumal. will JagathAAcharyan and Namperumal forgive me ?? - Question By - Varadharajan Renganathan, [email protected]

Bhaagavata aparacharam can be pardoned by that bhaagavata only and not by

Perumal. You will have to seek aparadha kshaamanam from him. It would be pardoned

once you repent for it.

Question ID: 246 - Srimathae Ramanujaya Namaha: ===================== Swamin, Please accept the danda samarpanam. I have the following two doubts in the Vykyanam for Thiruppavai released by Puthur Swamigal. 1) Almost in all the 'avatharigai' composed by Periavacchan pillai, Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar and ThiruNarayanapurath Ayi, when referring to the age of thayar says the following phrase "Oru Kol Kombilae Vaikkum ParuvaM". Can you please explain this phrase. 2) When doing Vykyanam for the word "Narayanane" in the first Pasuram composed by Thayar,Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar says that "VyThalum Per Solli Vyathal Vendum; Kakathaiyum Sisubalanaiyum pola" . Here Sisubalan reference is that his activities towards LoRd KriShna. Is my understsanding correct? Also what "Kakam" [Crow] refers to? Periavacchan pillai Thiruvadigalae saranam Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar Thiruvadigalae saranam ThiruNarayanapurath Ayi Thiruvadigalae saranam. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Sutharsan - Question By - sutharsan, [email protected]

Bhagavan's age is confirmed by Vedas as 'yuvA kumara:'- ie one who is always in the

beginning of youth (youvanam)having crossed the age of koumara. Similarly piratti

age is 'yuvatishca kumAriNi' one who is in the beginning of youth having crossed the

age of koumara. This does not mean that they were of the same age but it means that

they were rightly matched in their age. Kodiyai kol kombile vaippadu means when a

creeper grows to an extent then it is ready to wind around a tree - similarly this pirarrti

the tender creeper has grown to an age when she is ready to wind around the wish

granting kalpaka tree - Perumal. This example talks about her tenderness, right age

for marriage and the fact that she is always wound around Perumal dependant on Him.

Irrespective of the purpose, the use of Bhagavan's holy names do good as in the case

of Sisupala who attained moksham by uttering His name to reprimand Krishna - ketpar

sevi sudu keezhmai vasavugale vayyum sisupalan tiruvadi tatpaal adainda tanmai

arivarai arindume - nammazhvar. This reference is taken to prove that sisupala had a

reason to be pardoned - uttering the holy name. However the episode of Kakasura is

not quoted by the author for uttering the holy names of Rama - It is taken to show that

kakasura had a reason to be pardoned - surrender. So, surrender for kakasura, and

uttering holy names for sisupala, were lame reasons which were magnified by Perumal

to pardon them.

Question ID: 245 - Pranams to thyself; there is a sequence in the worshipping in temples that the worshipping sequence is first Aazhwaracharaaryas, Anantha Garuda Vishwaksenadhis, Thaayaar and then the Emperumaan. Similarly is there any such sequence in the daily chanting of sthothras that First Lakshmi Ashtothram and then the Vishnu Saharanamam? . In temples first Vishnu Saharanamam is recited and then the others including Lakshmi Ashtothram. I seek your clarifification in this regard. - Dhasan - Question By - Adhijegannatha Ramanujadasan, [email protected]

Yes. First is Sri Vishnu sahasranamam and then Lakshmi ashtottaram. The order of

nitya anusandhanam is as published in the book.

Question ID: 244 - my sincere namaskarams to you. my working hours are 6PM in the evening to 03.30 in the early morning, Also i sleep during the day time. But I still manage to pray the supreme everyday. Please advice will this lead to papam as per sastras. Where can i get cd's/dvd's of your upanyasams ? Seeking the blessings of Lord Srinivasa........... Vinodh L - Question By - Vinodh, [email protected]

It is not advisable to sleep during the day time and work during the night. However

considering your circumstances which is common to many, as soon as you return

around 4.30 have bath and complete your anushthanams (both Sandhyavandanam

madhyanhikam, and tiruaradhanam by 7.30 am and then go to sleep.

Question ID: 243 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, I have a doubt about the kaivalyarthis. In vaishnavite Upanyasams generally I have heard that Sriman Narayana has taken this 'Archavadhara' Especially in Srirangam taking a oath that he will one day or the other take all the 'bathathmas' from this leela vibhoodhi to kalanga peru nagaram 'Srivaikundam', till then he will be in the sayana thirukolam in archay . For the 'mummoochoos' attaining vaikundam is sure. But for the kaivayarthis who have attained the kaivalya moksham they dont have a sareeram, birth,death,nothing other than only the atma just twinkling. As from your discourses adiyen came to know that atma by himself cannot do anything . He just has only gnanam. So how its possible for the kaivalyarthi's to attain 'kalanga perunagaram' if the atma attains that gnanam or how srimanarayana will fullfill his oath if some jeevathma's have attained this kaivalya moksham where nothing is there except the atma. Will the atma realise that? pizhikal irrunthal porutharuga. - Question By - Vidyalakshmi Ramanujam, [email protected]

Sri Ranganatha would certainly elevate all the baddha atmas from this mundane

world. Not the kaivalyarthis who have been blessed what they wanted and left this

leela vibhuti. Kaivalyarthi would not reach Sri Vaikuntham and bhagavat kainkaryam

(as per Sri Pillai Lokacharya).

Question ID: 242 - Dandavath pranam, request Swami to clear adeyen doubt regarding... can we recite 'THIRUVIRUTAM' PRAPANDAM IN THE HOUSE? Adeyen Ramanuja dasan - Question By - SARANATHAN RAMANUJAM, [email protected]

Yes. You can recite. The stories related to it are only a myth.

Question ID: 240 - Respected Swamy!! Pranams!! in podhigai devareer mentioned in the Gita programme in Podhigai that panchayudha stothram can be chanted but a doubt here is that can ladies also chant that or only male people? Adiyen ramanuja dhasan. - Question By - kalyanivenkatesh, [email protected]

On any question regarding chanting sahasranama or related stotras kindly refer to

your acharyan.

Question ID: 239 - ***Om Sri Kuresaya Namaha*** Dear Swamy, I was worshipping Lord Shiva so far, but now I'm pulled towards Perumal. I am wearing the Shri Churnam everyday, commencing the day by daily worship at home & taking food after offering it to Perumal , as advised by you earlier. When worshipping Shiva, I started loving the Naalvar and 63 Naayanmaars more than Shiva himself. Now I'm slowly getting to learn about Azhwars and Acharyas. (as I follow the belief that Adiyar sevai is higher than Andavan sevai). Am I right in doing so? I came to know through a couple of my friends that Lord Shiva was the first disciple of Sriman Narayanan. Is it a general belief or is it mentioned anywhere in the scriptures? Swamigal padhangalil samarpanam, Dasan Madhavaraj. - Question By - Madhavaraj, [email protected]

Yes adiyar seva is supreme to bhagavat seva. Since Krishna says vaishnavanam aham

sambhu: Siva is said to be an ardent vishnu devotee.

Question ID: 238 - ***Om Sri Kuresaya Namaha*** Dear Swamy, Adiyen had been to ThiruKannapuram divya desam last saturday. To much of my astonish, the vaikasi bramotsavam was cancelled this year. When we enquired the reason, it was told that the sripadham thaangigal had asked for an enormous sum this year. Even though that could be arranged, the local people told that the temple administration was not in place and that is why they did not have the intention to collect the money. But it is really paining to note that in a Divya Desam as holy as ThiruKannapuram, such an event has occurred. Please let me know what I could do in this aspect. Swaamigal paadhangalukku samarpanam, Dasan Madhavaraj. - Question By - Madhavaraj Madanagopal, [email protected]

Yes it is paining. I too tried my best but in vain. You can represent to The

Commissioner HR & CE board. There is a kainkarya sabha at Tirukkannapuram who are

also trying their best to solve this.

Question ID: 237 - Respected swami, Aneka kodi pranams. Would like to know the exact reason as to why a lady should not enter kitchen and cook during the monthly menstrual cycle. I strictly follow this and do not enter kitchen during these days, though not knowing the reason. The purpose of this question is many people who do not follow ask me for the reason (for which I cannot answer) and also they say it is right to enter kitchen and cook. They feel there is no specific reason for this, for which I don?t agree. I am sure there must be some valid reason. - Question By - Gayathri Rajesh, [email protected]

As I have been writing time and again, the first reason is since the sastras direct us to

do so. Dharma sastras are the supreme commands of Bhagavan Himself which we

cannot afford to disobey. We can concoct many more reasons for ladies directed to

abstain from household activities during their menstrual cycle. But we need not go into

all those. My suggestion would be - kindy distance yourself from those who want to

question the sastras. Will they dare a contempt of court? This is much much more

serious contempt of Divine order.

Question ID: 231 - Swamy, Pranams. I had a chance to listen to Sri Bhagavatham, it was awesome to hear and i gained lots of knowledge by that. Basically 2 questions rose in my mind while i was hearing that. 1) In an instance you mentioned that if we think something at the end of our life the next birth will be determined on that only, example Adhi jada Bharathar's Birth as a Deer. You also Mentioned like once a person does charanagadhi, this rule does not apply. I cannot understand this part alone and could you please explain in detail on some of the charanagadha

thathuvam... 2) Is there any instance in the krishna avatharam or rama avadharam the previous avadharams of Sriman Narayanan has been praised or worshiped? - Question By - Kalyan Krishnan, [email protected]

1. Bhakti and saranagati are two means (upaya / sadhana) to attain mukti. Bhakti is

accomplishment by our efforts. In saranagati, Bhagavan Himself is the upaya. We

accept Him as our upaya. Now coming to the concept of antima smriti - this is

remembering / meditating bhagavan during the last moments in the death bed in

order to reach His lotus feet. This is mandatory for a bhakti yogi but not for a

saranagata. In the case of saranagata the responsibility of remembering is on

Bhagavan . He remembers His saranagata and escorts the jiva to Srivaikuntham. This

is as per the 4th phrase of Sri Devaperumal to Sri Ramanuja ' antima smriti varjanam'

and varaha carama sloka. 2. Yes. Sri Ramayanam bala kandam refers to vamana

avatara when visvamitra narrates the story of vamana to Sri Rama at siddhasrama.

Question ID: 226 - SwamigaLin thiruvadigaLukku adiyEnudaiya theNdan samarppiththa vigNYapanam. What is meant by braHmavidyA? How it differs from our divya prabandha vyAgyAnangaL? xamikka prArththikkirEn - Question By - E.Venkatesh, [email protected]

Brahma vidya - vidya is upasanam or bhakti. Brahma vidya is knowledge about

brahmam and its upasanam. There are many vidyas suggested in the upanishads

namely sad vidya, dahara vidya, bhouma vidya and many more. I do not understand

the second part of your question on divya prabandha vyakhyanangal.

Question ID: 225 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, The bhagavat Geeta discourses on Podhigai TV dated 22 and 23 of May 2008 you were explaining about the Brahma's age as thousand of sahasra yuga will complete one day of Brahma . While Brahma's night comes all the three worlds Boohu, Buvaha and suvaha will be demolished . Again will be created on the next day morning of Brahma. Adiyen's First doubt is since while the four yuga cycle finishes and when the next cycle is starting will there wont be any modifications in the worlds . The last stage of the sahasra yugas is Kali in which the earth will be exploited to the maximum extent as we are seeing now itself like there is ozone crack, pollution,Adharma's . Will there wont be any big destruction at the end of every kali yuga. Secondly, As we are celebrating Srimat Ramayanam, Mahabharata, Sri Bhagavatam,Bhagavat Gita, Azhwars, Acharyas, their Srisookthis' like Nalayira Divya Prabandham, Stotra Ratnam, Kuruparamparai, 108 Divya desams, Sahasranamam,etc. whatever we have got in this sahasra yuga which is presently running will be again repeated by Sriman Narayana in every sahasra yugas or will they be dated to that particular sahasra Yugas and continued celebrating these great treasures. In depth my doubt is will Ramanuja and

Nammazhwar will take birth for every sahasra yuga? - Question By - Vidyalakshmi Ramnujam, [email protected]

There would be a total change in the standing of dharma but no big destruction after

each caturyuga. To facilitate a smooth change over each yuga has a sandhi before the

yuga and after (purva and uttara sandhi) ie an intermediary transition period. They

may very well take birth in every catur yuga. At a macro level creation and absorption

follow the same pattern.

Question ID: 224 - Adiyaen's pranams to you. In the "Hare rama Hare rama, rama rama hare hare....." mantra, is "Rama" indicating "Sankarshanan" or Lord "Ramachandra". Please clarify. Srimathae Ramanujaya Namaha Sri vara vara munaiyae namaha Hare krishna - Question By - krishnakumar, [email protected]

As we do not have any text in vedas or itihasa puranas or purvacharya vyakhyanams

giving details of this mantra I cannot give a valid interpretation. It is so sweet to chant

this even with its simple and direct meaning of Rama and krishna.

Question ID: 223 - I pay my obeisances unto you. Could you please differentiate 'Brahman' ,' Paramathma' and 'Bhagavan'? I learnt that, only by realizing Bhagavan, one can attain Moksha and not by understanding the 'Paramathma''/'Brahman' feature of lord - i.e. the reason why Bhakthas are more closer to the God than Yogis, who realize "Paramathma". I am waiting for your advice/opinion in this. Srimathae Ramanujaya Namaha. Hare krishna. - Question By - krishnakumar, [email protected]

All the three are different epithets of the same Sriman Narayana. Brahmam is that

which is big. Paramatma is the atman which has none equal or supreme to it.

Bhagavan is one who by nature has the 6 great qualities of gnana bala isvarya virya

sakti and tejas in abundance. All these are the attributes of the same Sriman

Narayana.

Question ID: 222 - Dear Swamiji - Thanks for your replies. My query is how can "Chitta Vritti" be stopped /stunted. What procedures /rules are recommended as per

Sri Vaishnava siddantham towards this? humbly yours Dasan - Sriram - Question By - Balaraman Sriram, [email protected]

chitta vritti cannot be stopped. We have to only redirect them towards bhagavan and

His devotees and they would automatically get controlled.

Question ID: 234 - Dandavath Pranam. Adeyen request your goodself to explain meaning of the 'UPDADESA RATNAMALAI' prapandam in that 'ATHIGARUM............NADU SONNAVARAI NALUM THODAR'. Adeyen Ramanuja dasan. - Question By - SARANATHAN RAMANUJAM, [email protected]

nastika, astika and astika nastika are three categories of people. Sri Manavala

Mamunigal advices us to analyse their characters and move away from the first and

the last and follow the middle. An astika nastika is one who apparently looks like an

astika but truely not so.

Question ID: 233 - I pay my obeisance to you for the excellent discourses that you bring in every day. I am greatly immersed in your speeches. I have been following the three stages of humans who strive to be either a , Aishwayathee, kaivalyathee and Bhagawat-bhalarthi. Of the three you mention that the last one is supreme. Is it possible for people like us living in this mundane world to attain be a Bhagwat-bhalathri with our daily routine in the world? If so how? - Question By - Raghavan, [email protected]

We can certainly reach moksham even in the present circumstances. Kindly refer to

the answer to question no 62 for the practices to be followed.

Question ID: 232 - my sincere namaskarams to you. I am listening "kannin aramudhu" in podhigai everyday. As you said To attain the lotus feet of the supreme lord pure bhakthi is essential, that too a person should consider lord as "unnum soru, parugu neer and thinnum vethilai". Will marriage become a hindrance for pure bhakthi. Seeking the blessings from Sriman Narayana and you - Vinodh L [email protected] - Question By - Vinodh, [email protected]

Marriage would not be an obstacle to bhakti marga or mukti. Grhastha dharma is held

in high esteem by the dharma sastras. Kindly choose a spouse who has the inclination

to obey the sastras.

Question ID: 230 - Pranams If organs can be donated from the person who is declared"Brain dead" is the anthima samskaram permitted for that body without those organs. Adiyen Radheeka Jegann - Question By - Radheeka Jegann, [email protected]

It is not permitted.

Question ID: 229 - Respected Swami, Adiyen's humble pranams to you. I was studying the 4th chapter of Bhagavat Geeta, where I came across the verse: "na maam karmaani limpanti na may karma phale sprihaa iti maam yobhijaanaati karmabhir na sa badhyate" I was going through "Sri Ramanuja Bhashya" on this verse (translated in English). I could not comprehend the verse all that well. How can a jeeva, who, just by knowing that Bhagawan is not bound by the karmas, be liberated from the bond of karmas himself? Kindy clarify this for me. Thanks in advance, Srinivasa Rajan Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Srinivasa Rajan, [email protected]

Bhagavan's karma is creation, absorption and protection. There exists differences in

creation between atma to atma. There are four varnas in creation. All these do not

affect bhagavan. By realising this truth, one must conclude that all these differences

are due to my own karmas and I have been prescribed certain duties according to my

varna and asrama, the performance of which would destroy my karmas and release

me from samsara.

Question ID: 228 - Respected Swami, Adiyen's humble pranams to you. Can you please elaborate on the 8 attributes gained by a mukta jeeva? Thanks in advance, Srinivasa Rajan Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Srinivasa Rajan, [email protected]

Apahatapaapma - untouched by karma vijara: - unaffected by old age vimrityu: -

beyond death visoka: - unaffected by sorrow vijighatsa: - unaffected by hunger

apipasa: - unaffected by thirst satya kama: - having auspicious attributes satya

sankalpa: - ability to accomplish all wishes.

Question ID: 227 - Namaskarams. I want to know who is a Srivaishnavan? Is it by birth? Is it by living ? Is it by doing rituals daily? A man who is leading a simplelife , doing only good things to others, only chanting namas of Vishnu, going only to Perumal Temples,is he not a srivaishnavan? 2. By fate, the children of a Srivaishnavan have gone on their own , married an d gone to other hindu families. The srivaishnavan left them , came to other place and leads his own life as srivaishnavan. Is he a srivaishnavan still? Can he say that he is a vaishnavan? - Question By - shanmuganathan.r., [email protected]

1. A Srivaishnava is by living. A Srivaishnava has to necessarily do his prescribed

rituals daily. Being good, chanting namams and going to temple are all attributes of a

Srivaishnava but they would be wasted without the daily rituals. 2. He is certainly a

srivaishnava.

Question ID: 215 - Adiyen,Pranamams to your divya padukai,by the divine love of lord SrimanNarayana ,adiyen got attracted into the world of Srivaishanavism.Through the years interest was developed.Adiyen is a Marathi-Kshtriya and got the Panch-Samaskara even before marriage(though not existent in our caste).Later i learnt ,that Samsrayanam for ladies need to be done only after marriage( if she plans to marry).Have i made a mistake,but whatever has happened ,has happened due to adiyen's ignorance.!How do i correct it?.I expect my "would be" also to be a vaishnavaite, is there a condition that he also needs to be initiated under the same acharya as mine? - Question By - Indumathi, [email protected]

Pancasamskaram must be undergone only once and that must be after marriage for a

female. It must be administered by the acharyan of the husband. So I pray that you

get a groom who is a sishya of your acharya.

Question ID: 213 - The supreme has various names. Sahasranamam finally eulogises Rama Nama with the verse Sri Rama Rameti..., we call Sriman Narayana as the supreme. Krsna Nama is also considered supremely auspcious. It is also considered that nama sankiratan as the supreme bhakthi that can be performed. In this regard a) what is most supreme name of the lord which can be used predominantly in sankeertanam? b) Can singing of Alzwar Pasurams be considered as Nama sankeertanam ? c) is Nappinai referred by Andal same as Sri Radha ? d) of

the different types of bhakti rasa (Maduryam, Vatsalyam, Sakhyam, Dasyam) which is highest and should be exhibited towards which avatar of the lord- Rama, Krishna or Sriman Narayana? Kindly clarify these doubts.. Humbly Yours, Dasan - Sriram - Question By - Balaraman Sriram, [email protected]

Narayana namam and tirumandiram. All those pasurams which contain namams can

be sung as nama sankirtanam. Nappinnai is not Radha. All the nine forms of bhakti are

equal.

Question ID: 212 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, 'Maranthum Puranthozha Mandhar' according to this quote and with acharya anugraham Namperumal has kept adiyen like this. But the same Namperumal got me married to a family where my mother-in-law's grand father was one of the vanamamalai jeers. But still she goes for other temples and tells that all are one . After marriage adiyen felt so bad why it has happened like this for me? But somehow I adjusted and prayed Namperumal to change her. Adiyen never thought of coming and run a neutral family. But due to some circumstances in our house, adiyen and my husband were shifted to upstairs. Still adiyen never give up to do the help what my inlaws wanted. On hearing to your discourses , adiyen has a feeling that coming upstairs as a neutral family was adiyen's mistake or done by the almighty. Now adiyen dont have any other photos kept in our pooja room. Adiyen's doubt is , Whatever she cooks offers it to all the Devathantharams also . So adiyen have told my mother-in-law adiyen cant eat the food offered to devathantharams , so Iam is not eating the food downstairs. Adiyen can feel the difference also, if I eat the food not offered to Namperumal. But adiyen is doing my kaimkaryams to them. Is adiyen's path right or wrong? Pizhai irrunthal mannikkavum. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Vidyalakshmi Ramanujam. - Question By - Vidyalakshmi Ramanujam, [email protected]

You are on the right path. You must stick to Sriman Narayana alone and at the same

time must continue serving your inlaws. As far as they do not stop you from following

the right path, do not worry.

Question ID: 211 - Srimathae Ramanujaya Namaha, Swamin, Please accept namaskarams. There is a doubt regarding Athma Gnanam. Our vedas instruct us to see everybody as Narayanan's Sothu. It may be easy for Him, Sriyapathe to be equal to all the jeevatmas. But its very hard to realise this. I have studied in some of the Quotes that "Katrarindha Pandithan idathum Nayinin idathum Ore nokkadu parthida vendum". But its very hard to realise this. Especially with the act the people perform. Is it worth comparing these people and great Bhagavadas. Please throw some light on this and SAMATHANAM for the same. - Question By - sutharsan, [email protected]

Samadarsana is possible only if we practice to visualize atmans devoid of this body. In

its natural form every atman is equal in all the apects of gnana ananda, etc. It is this

body that discriminates .

Question ID: 210 - Adiyen Ramanuja dasan, I reproduce below the answer given by you for Question No.172 "There are references about gita in divya prabandham 1. seyan aniyan siriyan.... of tirumazhisai azhvar 2. arul kondadum adiyavar inpura... of madhura kavi azhvar 3. ivar deiva terinil seppiya geetayin.. of tiruvarangattu amudanar. are some of them." In Madhura Kavi Azhwar's "Arul Kondadum..." pasuram, I believe you refer to the part 'Avvarumaraiyin Porul' which the Azhwar refers to Bhagavat Gita. As far as I understood from Sri Periyavaachaan Pillai's vyakhyanam (which I got from a website), 'Avvarumaraiyan' refers to 'Upanishad'. I may be wrong because I am not well versed with Manipravala nadai used by Sri Periyavaachaan Pillai. I would request you to clarify this. I request Swamy to kindly pardon me if I asked you anything wrong or high handing question. Dasan Cheenu (a) M V Srinivasan - Question By - M V SRINIVASAN, [email protected]

Kindly refer to Nanjiyar vyakhyanam on the same pasuram.

Question ID: 209 - Adiyen Ramanuja dasan, When I was hearing your discourse on "Guru Paramparai" (CD), it came to my knowledge that Sri Vadi Kesari has translated Bhagavat Geeta into Tamil in the form of 'Venba'. I would like to know where this is available. I am really interested to read through this venba form of Bhagavat Geeta. I believe I would relish in reading this parallelly with original Sanskrit book. (I have a Geeta book with Sankrit verses - Tamil transliteration - Tamil meaning - Tamil explanation) Dasan Cheenu (a) M V Srinivasan - Question By - M V SRINIVASAN, [email protected]

It is published with meanings by Sri U Ve Puthur Krishnaswamy Iyengar swamy in his

gita vyakhyanam.

Question ID: 208 - Swami, Could you kindly clarify the difference between Upanyasam and Kaalakshepam? Are they the same? Thanking you, Radha. - Question By - Radha Sudarshan, [email protected]

Upanyasam is wreathing many stories and concepts related to a particular subject (on

bhagavat vishayam) together and presenting it to the listener. Kalakshepam is giving

word by word definition and explanation based on the vyakhyanam of a purvacharya.

Question ID: 207 - Swamigalukku adiyen thendam samarpitha vigynapanam. As ramanuja sambandhis, we are taught by our acharyas to have faith in Sriman Narayana alone. Exclusion of other devatas also means exclusion of the navagrahas. Then, how come, vaishnavaite families consult horoscopes for all family affairs? Is it not giving importance to the "griha devatas" when we arrange our affairs according to horoscope? Secondly, all our sufferings (and enjoyments) are due to our papam and punyam. We should strive to accept both as given by Perumal. Is it then allowed in our sampradayam to do certain specific tasks to mitigate a difficulty? Sometimes, our elders advise us to observe or do certain things do solve some problems of our daily life, thiruvona vratham, etc. When we do these, are we going against the basic principle of our sampradayam (not asking for anything)? I remain grateful to you for clarifying my doubts. adiyen - Question By - Sriranjani Ranganathan, [email protected]

Consulting horoscope would not amount to questioning the supremacy of Sriman

Narayana. These devatas have been nominated by the same Lord for this purpose. But

it is wrong to often consult about our horoscope to decide our daily life. We must

observe only those vratams like ekadasi vratas which are prescribed in the sastras. If

other vratams are in practice in a particular family then it should be observed without

expecting anything in return.

Question ID: 203 - Respected Sir, I am suffering from a great mindset problem. Please help me.... I think i am the greatest sin committer in this world. I am suffering from the problem " INFACTUATION" I don't know how to get rid of it. Lord Narayana has proposed that One can reach him only if he has controlled all his organ sensations. Please Sir, I am afraid.... I tried all possible solutions I Knew........ I have watched your Editions in Podhigai Television... and hence i am seeking only as a refugee.... Please help me Sir..... - Question By - K.V.Navaneethakrishnan, [email protected]

Kindly chant Vishnu sahasranama and Sri Rama nama as many times as possible.

Question ID: 202 - Adiyen thenda samrpitha vinnappam, After death of normal person, person reaches he reaches Naragam or Sorgam based on karma. Once he will enjoy /suffered for his Punniyam/Papam in Sorgam/Naragam,.As already his

paapam and Punniyam are over in Naragam/Sorgam, he will not have any papa,puniyam with him at the end of it. So what basis his rebirth happens. For that matter, how we can relate our sufferings in current genma, with purva genma's karma. As we already lost our papa,punyma at the end of one jenma in sorgam or naragam. Adiyean Ramanuja dasan, - Question By - Narayanan, [email protected]

Our karmas are of two categories - Sanchita and prarabdha. Sanchita karma are those

which have not started yielding the results of them. Prarabdha are those which have

started yielding results. We attain svarga or naraka consequent to the prarabdha

karma . So even if we spend them, again another portion of sanchita would start

yielding results due to which we are born again. Only when sanchita also gets

exhausted we reach srivaikuntham from where we do not return. This may take many

many births.

Question ID: 201 - Again Bhoopathy thanks for replying instantly to me. I born in ordinary family not known many thing about vaishnavisam after seeing first first your speech of thiruppavai on vijay TV then podhigal Kannanin aramudhu. Then i started purchasing discourse CD like thiruppavai, vishnu sahashra namaha mahimai, sundara kandam(DVD) it really helps what we are. My another doubt in thiruppavai CD in that you told about 3 Secrets(20 word=65 letters). i have memorized that when ever i get time by travelling or when ever i frustrated or not feeling confident. i have keep chanting that shothram whether it can be said any time because (moola mantra, sarana slogam, dhyum mantra) it has ohm. whether i want to know i can say at any time?Explain me. - Question By - Bhoopathy, [email protected]

First you have to get panca samskaram under an acharyan and only the your become

eligible to chant rahasya traya. I am sure you would have done this. Dvayam can be

chanted always but not to be heard by others. tirumantram during morning hours after

bath and during tiruvaradhanam. Caramaslokam is not a mantram. It can be chanted

in the morning and not necessary after that.

Question ID: 200 - Sri: Srimathe Ramanuajaya Nama: As we are hearing more upanyasam and mixing with more srivaishnavities, we are able to know some our sampradhaya vishayangal and follow some of them. We are not clear on our day-to-day practices, which are to be followed inside our home (also to be followed in outside) as it was totally different and removed. Adiyen here raising a general question on treatment of pathu, ecchil, theettu, etc., which are now commonly diluted in this modern world even within Brahmin (also srivaishnava) families. Hope we have to give more importance to all these as we are doing bhagavat aradhanam and some kainkaryams outside. Could you please answer how to handle these in general and is there any reference in books, audios, etc. to follow these in our day-to-day life. Kindly apologize me if i am anything wrong in my way of questioning on

all the aspects. adiyen sampath ramanuja dasan - Question By - Sampath, [email protected]

You will find the daily routine, acharam to be followed, teettu etc in the book ahnikam

published by many. You can also refer to the book published by your acharyan on the

daily routine.

Question ID: 197 - You have many time told about pancha maga yekiam. Could you explain for me once again to follow that little karma. Which can be easily followed - Question By - Bhoopathy, [email protected]

Brhama yagyam, deva yagyam, pitru yagyam, manushya yagyam, bhoota yagyam

which is chanting vedas, performing homam, performing tarpanam, bhojanam to

atithis, and feeding the animals.

Question ID: 196 - Please accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1)I heard from a lecture that,just like after a deep sleep a naughty child forgets everything what he was doing before and becomes peaceful,fresh,similarly, the lord conducts pralaya so that again the disobediant jivatmas become peaceful.eg change from kali yuga to kruta yoga. But if this is so what about their karmic backlog.Is it that during pralaya the lord destroys the pappa of all jivatmas(in case of kali to kruta yuga).Again if this is true then what about the karma of jivatmas when age progresses from kruta to kali yuga? 2)Is it that Kama jnana and jivatma svaroopa jnanam,perumal jnana always remain's together with the jivatma?,and a jivatma falls down when the kama jnana overtakes his swaroopa jnanam? 3)What to do when aatma develops a strong desire for something(kama_ which he knows that it is difficult to accomplish? Please forgive me for a long e-mail.Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply. - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Karma is not destroyed during change of yuga or pralaya. Incidentally, Pralayam does

not occur during every change in yuga including kali to kruta. A jiva's karma remains

with him till he is for ever released from this material world to reach Sri vaikuntham.

His karma and vasana travel along with him to every birth. These influence an atman's

indriya manas and buddhi and he gets dragged in this deluge. This has nothing to with

the yugas. We find good and bad jivas in every yuga. You can consider krita yuga as a

favourable weather for a match or a favourable tail wind for an aeroplane and likewise

kali as unfavourable. In any case it is the skill of the player or the engine of the plane

that has to perform.

Question ID: 195 - Swami, aDiyen's humble pranams to you. The other day, one of my friends was trying to elaborate the meaning of "purnamadah purnamidam" mantra. He went on to say that the "completeness" (jeeva) arising out of "completeness" (paramaatma) is also "complete". Though I was not convinced about the fact that jeevatma is complete, I did not know how to refute this. Could you be so kind as to explain how this veda mantra fits in the context of our Sri Sampradayam? Thanks much, Srinivasa Rajan Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Srinivasa Rajan, [email protected]

All the terms "purna" in this mantra explains the completeness of the five forms of

Sriman Narayana. It does not talk about jiva. A jiva is also complete in its own way (in

8 attributes) when it attains the status of a mukta. Similarly a nitya jiva is also

complete always. A baddha is not complete as he suffers in samsara.

Question ID: 192 - namaskaram to swamigal. sir i stay in london but am ardent fan of ur upanyasam. I have 75% of your CDs which we hear. especially Ramayanam upanyasam we like it too much. sir is it wrong to study garuda puranam at home and also do let me know sir whether divya prabandham should be learned only from acharyan or guru. thank you so much - Question By - rasikalatha kasthuri rangan, [email protected]

Nothing wrong in studying garuda puranam but with your limited time there are more

important scriptures to study. It is difficult to get an acharyan to teach divya

prabandham at London. Learning on your own is better than remaining idle. There are

some cds available which are published by scholars in India. You can keep them for

guidance.

Question ID: 191 - Respected Swamy!! your highness may please explain whether there is credibility on the belief about KAN DRUSHTI or DRISHTI DOSHAM. Why it arose to me is that though I firmly believe Lord Sri Krishna, still just casually I shown my hand to a palmastrologer. Just for fun sake only. What she told was that I have lot of KAN DRUSHTI and also said that whatever the field I enter finally at the fag end itwill not give any fruit to me. What does it mean. Is itreally believable? since, when we are firmly on the feet of powerful weapon Lord Krishna how this can happen. The things that is happening around me forcing me to believe so. Whatever the work I take or whatever the field that I select or what ever the service I wanted to do without any favour, it does not come out successfully or in a haphhazard manner resulting I get frustrated to proceed further. In fact I hate myself at that situation . In fact I never thought bad of others normally and that too after listening

to your discourse. What is the solution. When I strongly and deeply have premai and belief to Lord Krishna how can this happen. But in the case of getting any divine matters adiyen's prayer both for me or for others are fulfilled but not what I select to do so. What does it mean. Sometimes I get frustrated for this. Adiyen anxiously, patiently awaiting your advice and opinion in this affair. - Question By - kalyani venkatesh, [email protected]

I have no faith on kan drusti. I have no knowledge about it so I cannot comment on it.

In your case which are the works that have failed? Is it official ? If so instead of

complicating it with kan drusti or bhagavat krupai kindly plan and execute it better

with the help of a management consultant. You have said that Bhagavan has helped

you in everything relating to Him. This is the best we can expect. Should He help in

you earning more profit or getting a promotion. Moreover, our love towards Him must

be unconditional. So kindly do not relate your premam and His reciprocation.

Question ID: 190 - ADIYEN THENNDAN SAMARPITHA VINNAPPAM. This may looks chilly question, but till now i have not get satisfied answer from any one. Swamy I want to know, our Srirenga sri (Renganathan) suffered alot during Muslim invasion. Along with Srirengasri our aachyaras also suffered. Why he did not protect our aacharyas and srivaishnavas from those attacks. I heard some stories related with at times perumal protecting bakthas from these scenarios. Is it due to Kaliyugam or all these things are his game. If we consider Aarchai is one of his 5 forms, why he is not protecting bakthas from enimies like Rama or Krishan during their period, or is there any limitations for Aarchai murthy. Is Aarchia murthy's power dependent on the puja and krama followed in temples ?. Adiyen Ramanuja dasan. - Question By - Narayanan, [email protected]

Archa is in no way inferior to any other form. But Bhagavan has chosen with His free

will to remain controlled and dependent. There are instances when He has broken this

self imposed restriction to protect His bhaktas but that again is left to His free will. This

restriction is not a shortcoming to archa, as it is the same behaviour which saves us

from being punished for all our sins. If it were Rama or Krishna they would punish us

for all our sins. We cannot assume that we as bhaktas are free of sins to be protected

by archa form.

Question ID: 188 - Dandavath Pranam Swami. ennudaiya vinnapathil pizhai erunthal poruthu arulavum. Bhagavan Narayana having Sangu and Sakaram. All the alwars glorified the Sangu and sakkaram. Kothai Nachiyar glorified 'SANGU' in 10 pasurams. But almost all the vishnu temples there is separate sannadhi for 'Sakrath alwar' Why not 'Sangalwar'? What is the reason? Adeyen Ramanujadasan - Question By - SARANATHAN RAMANUJAM, [email protected]

In many pasurams azhvars have sung not only about sanku and chakram but also

about all 5 divine weapons. Sudarsana is the chief of all the 16 weapons of Sriman

Narayana and that is why he enjoys a separate sannidhi.

Question ID: 187 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1)A Devotee said that completely engaging in Bhakti Yoga is the ultimate surrender.Is it correct?if not could you provide some verses wherein a distinction between Bhakti Yoga and the doctrine of surrender is clearly illustrated. 2)He also said that "if you are completely surrendered to the lord you will naturally think of him at the time of death",is this a sign of sadhana bhakti or saranagati? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Samhita vakyam "bhaktya paramaya vaapi prapatya va mahaaa mune" A jiva reaches

vaikuntham either through bhakti or through prapatti." Both are clearly different.

Bhakti is saadya upaya which is achieved through my efforts but prapatti is

siddhopaaya where Sriman Narayana Himself is the means. It is not mandatory for a

prapanna to meditate on the Lord in his death bed to reach vaikuntham. But being a

prapanna he would always be absorbed in His thoughts only.

Question ID: 186 - My kind request to you to clear my following doubts: Can ladies do parayanamam of Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam or is there any restriction? Can prayanamam of Sri vishnu sahasranamam be done regularly even in Prodasha days ? Thanking you in advance. indira. - Question By - indira sudarsan, [email protected]

Opinion is divided on this. Kindly contact your acharya and follow his advice.

Question ID: 185 - Dear Swamiji Are there any specific instructions provided by Sriman Narayana to devotees or all instructions given are thru mukya aavatars like Sri Krishna. I am aware that Sri Rama ,the other mukya avatar made his life as an example but never gave any instructions to devotees. dasan Sriram - Question By - Sriram Balaraman, [email protected]

All the vedas and vedanta are orders of Sriman Narayana only. Pancha ratra was

preached by Himself to five rishis in five nights. Sri Krishna further explained the

vedanta through gita.

Question ID: 184 - Adiyen has a question regarding religion. Are all the religions other than Santana Dharma born in Kaliyuga ? Why does Sriman Naraayana create so many religions ? Is it because the baddha jivatmas have different degrees of papam and punyam ? Why is there so much confusion among humanity ? Is it because of the pravaham of Kali ? Even amongst Sanatana Dharma we have Saivam,Vaishnavam,Shaktism etc. Did the other yugas also have the same kind of faiths and philosophies ? - Question By - Bharadwaj G, [email protected]

Kindly refer to q 176. What is applicable to puranas is applicable to devatas also.

Question ID: 183 - Pranams swamy, I want to know can we eat the foot from hotels,if not why?what remedial action i should take in case i happened to eat outide due to unavoidable circumstances. pls explain. - Question By - S.Raghvan, [email protected]

Food at hotels contain many vegetables and ingredients that are prohibited by the

sastra. It is not offered to Bhagavan. It is not a part of a yagya (tiruvaradhanam) and

so it is literally consuming papam if we eat there. If you have ate and want to get out

of this practice once for all, you have have pancha gavyam and acharya sri pada

tirtham. But then on you should not continue this practice just because of the fact that

a Parikaram is available.

Question ID: 182 - Namaskarams. This question relates to Maha Bharatam. a) Is it a chance occurrence that the Maha Bharatam, -- Has 18 Parvas, -- Kurushektra war lasted for 18 days -- The number of Akshauhinis (battallions) were 18 (11 for Kauravas and 7 for Pandavas) -- The Bhagavat Gita has 18 chapters b) While the Great sage Veda Vyaasa provides an accurate composition of an Akshauhini ( 21,870 charioteers, 21,870 elephant riders, 65,610 Horse riders, 1,09,350 Foot soldiers totalling 2,18,700 warriors - Here too each number's digits add up to 18!!) the date of the war, has been left to a lot of speculation. Is there any un ambiguous pointer to the date of Kurushektra war? Kindly ignore an earlier inadvertent submission of the question that was incomplete and received a Question Id 180. Sincere Regards, R. Srinath - Question By - Ramamoorthy Srinath, [email protected]

Except for knowing that 18 is a unique number which is found often in our

sampradayam I do not know much about other calculations.

Question ID: 181 - Respected Swami, Could you please explain the six words or doubts of Shree Ramanuja Swami - just happened to read in one of the books that it is very important to follow them Rgds, Gayathri Krishnan - Question By - Gayathri Krishnan, [email protected]

The six words of Kanchi Thevaperumal were 1. Ahameva param tatvam - I am the

supreme 2. Darsanam bheda eva ca - Dualism is the true philosophy 3. Upayeshu

prapatti syat - Prapatti is the best means to reach Me. 4. Antima smriti varjanam - It is

not compulsory that a prapanna must meditate on Me during the last breath. 5.

Dehavasane mukti syat - Prapanna reaches vaikuntham at the end of the current birth

in which he performed saranagati. 6. Purnacharya samasraya: - Seek Peria nambigal

as your acharya.

Question ID: 179 - Namaskarams. 1.To lead a peaceful ,serene and calm life,how should a person live his life? Is there any prescription from scriptures? 2.In the pathway of liberation,how can one know how much he has travelled and how much more one has to travel? 3.Anybodys sorrow or happiness is based on his Karma but is there any way the parents can cotribute to the happiness and peace of their children? 4. Problems are eternal, no doubt, to get a solution from the spiritual aspect how can one get help from God? Thank You Suresh - Question By - SURESH, [email protected]

1. Kindly refer to the answer to q 178 and a detailed answer to a question on habits to

be followed by a srivaishnava. 2. once you have surrendered to Sriman Narayana

(saranagati), moksham is confirmed then. You will have to live the rest of the life as

prescribed. There is no need to be concerned about the distance travelled or maturity

level reached. 3. Parents can contribute to the children by guiding them to lead a

pious srivaishnava life and be a saranagata. We should teach them the values and the

long term benefits of being a bhakta. 4. You have rightly understood that as long as

we are in this samsara problems would be keep coming. Strengthening our mind by

meditating on the divine qualiities of Brahmam and chanting His divine namas is a way

to bear the problems.

Question ID: 193 - Devarirukku Namaskarangl I ask this question purely to clear my long time diubts and do not mean to hurt anyone.To my knowledge Swamy Ramanujar spread Vaishnavism in a very simple way, those who says the ashtakshara mantrabecome a vaishnavite and this isapplicable to anyone .Then why a person, because he is saivaite is not included in the tours you are arranging, and things like that. Why some pravachanists talk ill of them also?According to Gita even Siva, Brahma all are created by Him.Then why hurt them?A true vaishnavite should not hurt other's feeling also. Isn't it?If we also become fanatic , what is the difference between a true vaishnavite and others?I am not able to express more on this. At the same time, a Saivaite or any other religion says that their religion only shows the truth.Can't we live inthis society in harmony with out all these fights? To my small intelligence, a question arise .should relions are needed at this critical time? Is it not spirituality more important than religion? kindly clarify my doubts. - Question By - Latha Vijayan, [email protected]

We have not stopped anybody from joining our tour. We have never announced that

only vaishnavites should join. A vaishnavite should not hurt anyone and so he should

not hurt a saivite. The real issue is not all these. Vedanta says that one reaches

moksham by practicing bhakti on the absolute cause (karana) of this universe. It also

confirms that Sriman Narayana is the absoute cause and so meditate on Him. So

vaishnavites stick to Sriman Narayana as the supreme God as confirmed by vedanta.

Your poser that spirituality is more important than religion. I am not very clear on this.

What is spirituality ? Is it study of atman ? If so then meditating on atman is not going

to fetch moksham and so I would not like to be spiritual. Finding oneself as brahmam,

or meditating on a formless, attributeless brahmam would lead us no where. There has

to be one God on whom I should meditate and reach moksham. This is the simple

teaching of Sri Ramanuja. One should see all other beings as jivas only and give due

respect.

Question ID: 178 - Dear Swamy, I have been hearing to your lectures through CDs obtained from Kinchitkaram Trust. I should say that I'm really blessed to fell that I am drawn towards Perumal. There are a few incidents that happened in my life - relating to the above. As I'm new to Vaishnava siddhantham, I shall be greatly thankful to you if you can guide me in the following aspects: 1. The day to day steps and habits to be followed, what are the books that I need to take up for initial study. 2. Any specific food habits to be followed - I am a non vegetarian, but I have reduced the frequency of intake - as I find it difficult to totally stop it at one go. 3. I had contacted a vaishnavite periyavar and he told me that I can start off with selected verses from Naalayira Divya Prabandam and Thiruppavai. I have also started reading Vishnu Sahasranamam, after hearing your lecture. Please let me have your guidance. Anbudan, Maadhavaraj. - Question By - Madhavaraj Madanagopal, [email protected]

1. Nitya tiruvaradhanam and nitya anusandhanam. 2. ahara niyamam - total

vegetarian satvik food only without onion or garlic - food intake only after offering to

Perumal. 3. Read tiruppallandu tiruppavai tirumaalai, gita and vishnu sahasranamam

initially. Kindly go through one question on the habits to be followed by vaishnavites to

which I have given an exhaustive reply.

Question ID: 177 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan has a dount relating to acharyas. Why none of our acharyas have done a commentary on Srimad Bhagavatham ? Secondly can a person who has undergone Samashrayanam chant "Hare rama Hare krishna" mahamantra ? Or should that person only chant Om Namo Narayana ? - Question By - G.Bharadwaj , [email protected]

Our purvacharyas have not commented on Srimad Bhagavatam. But later one Sri

Veeraragahavacharya has extensively commented on this based on visistadvaita

philosophy. A person who has undergone samasrayanam should chant dvayam always

and tirumantram and caramaslokam occassionally.

Question ID: 176 - Adiyen Ramanuja dasan has a doubt in puranas. Why did Sri Veda Vyasa write 18 puranas ? In each purana a diety is shown as supreme. Why didn't he show directly that Bhagavan Krishna that is Sriman Naraayana is the supreme being. Why so many puranas ? - Question By - G.Bharadwaj , [email protected]

Brahma himself propunded the 18 puranas - 6 satvika puranas when he was

overwhelmed with satva guna and similarly 6 rajasa puranas and 6 tamasa puranas.

He also guides us to eventually follow the satvika puranas. If only satvika puranas

were available, then the people who are rajasas and tamasas would go astray as

atheists. To cater to them, he preached all the three types so that they would slowly

mature to follow Sri Maha Vishnu.

Question ID: 175 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1)Prapatti assists devotional path and on its own also.Isn't it a fact that a devotee in the former category who surrenders to krishna to clear his sins which acts as a barrier to engage in devotional service unto him birth after birth more dear than the latter case.In the latter case,he wants the lord to act as his upayam to reach his abode,that means he is asking some benediction for him isn't?Isn't Hanuman more dear to Ram because

he did refuse vaikuntha,but wanted to serve him in the material world itself? 2)Have Alzhwars,acharyas expounded Bhakti Yoga Sastras in detail also for persons interested,or have they restricted themselves to the doctrine of Saranagati? Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply. - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Bhakti is the upayam to attain moksham for a bhakti yogi. He performs it for a

reciprocation ie moksham. Since bhakti yoga is a sadhya upaya - that which is

achieved by our effort - it is stained with svatantryam which is totally against the

nature of jiva which is seshatvama and paratantryam. A saranagata on the other hand

accepts Bhagavan as the upayam for attaining moksham. Isvara is the siddha upaya

for him - that which is not achieved by his efforts. A saranagata very much practices

bhakti - not as a upaya but as a kainkaryam. If you are referring to this category then

he is the best and the dearest to Bhagavan. He performs svayam prayojana bhakti.

Azhvars have not expounded bhakti sastras as a upayam. They have only stood by

saranagati. However they explain a lot about svayam prayojana bhakti.

Question ID: 174 - adiyEn, swAmi. I have a couple of scenarios: (1) Suppose a lady who is very much interested to get her samashrayanam done but does not get married due to inevitable circumstances (2) Suppose a lady who is very much interested to get her samashrayanam done but has got married to a person who is not aware of / interested in the same. In these 2 scenarios, is the concerned lady eligible to seek Acharyan's Thiruvadi sambandham in our sampradayam? If yes, when and how? Kindly enlighten adiyEn with your answers, swAmin. Kindly forgive adiyEn in case I've sounded impudent. Pallaandu to devareer's thiruvadigal. - Question By - Sudha R, [email protected]

Certainly she is eligible to get samasrayanam. Anybody who has not married and

decided not to marry can get samasrayanam. Anybody who is married but husband

does want to get samasrayanam, can also get samasrayanam (as a last

resort)individually. However your acharyan is the best judge here.

Question ID: 173 - respected swami, in ramayan, lord rama went to forest for 14 years.i want to know why keikeyi sent him for 14 tears and not 5 or 10 years. what is the reason for numerical 14 years. requesting your blessings, aishwarya ramanuja dasi - Question By - aishwarya ramanuja dasi, [email protected]

No legal claim was possible above 12 years in those years. I think it is true with Indian

law even today. Another angle is, the longer the period people would forget certainly.

Question ID: 172 - ADIYEN THENNDAN SAMARPITHA VINNAPPAM. IS THERE ANY EXPRESS REFERENCE TO BAGAVAD GITA IN NALAYIRA DIVYA PRABANDAM. IF SO PLEASE INFORM THE PASURAM WITH MEANING. - Question By - V SRINIVASA RANGAN, [email protected]

There are references about gita in divya prabandham 1. seyan aniyan siriyan.... of

tirumazhisai azhvar 2. arul kondadum adiyavar inpura... of madhura kavi azhvar 3. ivar

deiva terinil seppiya geetayin.. of tiruvarangattu amudanar. are some of them.

Question ID: 170 - Please accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Recently i had been with my parents to sri ahobilam madam for my parents initiation ceremony.I heard the jeer swami saying that only ramanuja sampradaya is saranagati,others are bhakti yoga,i also heard your cd on 6 questions answered by devararaja perumal to ramanujacharya,you had also said the same.Is there a sarnagati MUTT and a Bhakti yoga MUTT?Does krishna's acceptance of our saranagati depends on the MUTT we are initiated into? Very Humbly and Patiently waiting for you reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

There is nothing called Bhakti mutt or saranagati mutt. I do not know why you got

such an opinion. Bhakti is one way moksham and saranagati is another way moksham.

Sri vaishnava sampradayam nurtured by azhvars and acharyas advocates saranagati

as that is the apt and possible path under the present circumstances. All the

mathadhipatis of this sampradaya preach the same.

Question ID: 169 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan. Generally we celebrate Thirunakshathrams of Azhwars / Acharyas / Perumal during their Natchathram. But why do we celebrate Sri Ramar's and Sri Krishna's (Sri Rama Navami and Sri Jayanthi respectively) during their Thithis (Navami and Ashtami respectively) rather than their natchathrams? - Question By - Kannan Govindan, [email protected]

We celebrate Sri Rama and Sri Krishna jayanti also on nakshatrams only. It is

punarvasu and rohini. Navami and ashtami are only added features.

Question ID: 168 - SwamigaLin thiruvadigaLukku adiyEnudaiya theNdan samarppiththa vigNYapanam. Any atman will have to undergo five stages as mentioned in the panchAgni vidya before being born. How to relate this SAstrArththA with the birth of any organism by test tubes-where the union of male & female cells takes place in a test tube or cloning-where a single male/female cell is artificially stimulated to life without union of the two. This sometimes reminds me of DrOnAcAryA who is born in a drOna. Our mudalAzhwRs (but they are avathAra purushAs) are also ayOnijars. How can these be understood through our SAstrAs / vaidiga SampradAyam? - Question By - E.Venkatesh, [email protected]

Instead of matru garbha it would be a flower or a test tube. Instead of physical union it

would be a clinical union. However nothing is replicated or cloned without the

sambandham of retas or a purusha / stree.

Question ID: 167 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Anantha kodi Dandan for u. Swamin, Thank u for ur mercy upon me by giving ur answer to my questions without considering my triviality & imprudent. I want some clarification in Mumukshupadi grandham, that there is a sutra that (Samsarikalukku Ishtam Soru, thanneer Anishtam : Sathru peetadhigal. Mumukshukkallukku Ishtam moksham Anishtam Samsaram. Nithya muktharkalukku Ishtam kainkarya Vruddhi, Anishtham: Kainkarya Haani). Here, we can easily come to conclusion that Nithya mukthas are under the threat of kainkarya hani even in Sri Vaikuntham. My humble question is that 1) in Vaikuntham everybody has the power of sathya sangalpathvam, sathya kamathvam. But why they fear about kainkarya hani? 2) If it is true that they are really under the clutch of kainkarya hani, why it is commonly said that Anthamil perinbathor naadu. 3) If they get kainkarya hani, then we can easily presume that there are some obstacles to everybody. But our poorvacharyas have strongly confirmed that there is no distress or obstacles. It is only the place for obstacle-free kainkaryam & bagavath anubavam. Kshamikka prarthikkiren. - Question By - M.GOPALAKRISHNAN, [email protected]

There is no kainkarya hani at Srivaikuntham. The fear is born out of the reverence and

longing for kainkaryam. Piratti says "irayum agalagillen.." inspite of the fact that she is

never going to separate from His divine chest. If the object which they are enjoying is

so valuable, it is common to have an unexplainable fear that they should never be

separated from it. Srivaikuntham is no exception to Bhakti and the resultant confusion

(kalakkam). Confusion born out of agnana is condemned but confusion born out of

matured gnana is lauded.

Question ID: 166 - swami..please accept my koti koti pranams to your lotus feet as a srivaishnava,sharanagatha, can we perform satyanarayana pooja?since we always say..."piratti munnitt... " for everything,and that , there is no piratti for satya narayana,does our sampradayam accepts this pooja? - Question By - godhalakshmi, [email protected]

Satya narayana puja (as it is popularly known) is not in practice in Sri Vaishnava

sampradaya. However we have Satya narayana perumal koil and satyan at

tirumeeyam whom we worship.

Question ID: 165 - Namaskarams. Pleassse enlilghten me as to who is Acharyan and what are his importances. Iam smartha and i am interested to have knowledge about this. Also about Swami Nammalwars reply to shriMadhurakavi Seththadhuvayithil siriyadhupirandhal eththaithinru engess Kidakkum ? - Question By - s.mohan, [email protected]

Acharya is the one who 1. has mastered all the sastras and esoteric meanings for

himself 2. preaches it to others and makes them follow the same. Sriman Narayana

grants moksham based on the recommendation of an Acarya - who is Sri Ramanuja.

WE get related to Sri Ramanuja through the 74 simhasanadhitpatis whom he

established. Panca samskara is the procedure which an acharya administers on a

sishya to make him eligible for Ramanuja sambandham and eventually moksham You

can find the answer to to madhurakavi azhvars questions in the archives.

Question ID: 164 - swami dasan srimathae ramanujaya namha swami what are the slokas or prapandams which can be recited by everyone with out any descripition like bhramna,vaishya and etc adiyen ramanuja dasan - Question By - RAMAN, [email protected]

4000 divya prabandham and purvachara stotrams can be recited without any

discrimination.

Question ID: 163 - Swamin!! Adiyen has a longing desirie to listen to the vyakyanam of One of the very great Alwars Sri Thirumazhisai Alwars' divine

presentation "THIRUCHANDHA VIRUTHTHAM" from Swamy's divine coral mouth. The chandham in all the pasurams are very inspiring but some of those when we read could not understand deeply. That is why on behalf of the adiyaar goshti, adiyen's humble appeal to your highness to present upanyasams to adiyars on the captioned subject after your busy schedules. Adiyen dhasan to your lotus feet!! - Question By - samandhagamani, [email protected]

I too wait for this opportunity.

Question ID: 162 - Respected Swamy!! firstof all I am very sorry for making inconvenience to your highness by sending a cumbersome question. Adiyen resubmit to your lotus feet with an appeal for kshama from your highness.Many things are understood to some extent ( that too only after listening to your very great upanyasams ) but still a splash of thought of quest a follows:( which might be silly also and if so again beg your pardon) As a general rule Lord Srimannarayana is the sole authority to hold Panchayudhas viz. counch, chakkar, discuss ,Sarnga,etc. But in all the temples the vishnu dhuthas jeya and viyaya appear on bothsides with some of the sacred equpments. Why this is so? Are they Nithyasoori category or a jeevathma and if so whey they are given such a preference and why not for alwars who are beloved to God always.? Perhaps this might not be a competent question to ask pl pardon me. Secondly this is a pracitical experience which any baktha could have had. Suppose a baktha(i)could not get a darshan due to any circumstances getting angry for god since that baktha does not need any materialbeings but only god, his paripoorna krupa kadaksham premam etc. Is it agreeable to get annoyed over God? In some of the history of Divyadesa it is told that one Alwar went for darshan in Thinnanoore Bakthavathsala God but got refusal.He got angry but went to thirukkanna mangai where he offered mangalasasana for the same Bakthavathsala god.This reference is not to gain any competency to ask this question since adiyongal are far far away to stand before Alwars.Just a mention for knowing that whether we can have that type of tendency over God.Knowing well that baktha has no right over that. But if it comes from the thiruppavalam of Swamy we can follow in a right path.Pl......ease clarify this doubt. Adiyen ramanuja dhasan. - Question By - samandgagamani, [email protected]

All the nitya suris have the same ayudhas and abharanas as Sriman Narayana. Jaya

and Vijaya are the dvara palakas in Vishnu loka and they too possess the same

ayudhas. In fact all of us would also get the right to possess them when we become

muktas. The deities of azhvars whom we worship in the temples are archa forms of

their vibhava tirumeni and so they do not hold sankha and chakra. Amongst many

merits of moksha one is saroopyam in which we are blessed with the same form as

Sriman Narayana. A bhakta has the right to get annoyed with his Perumal. But he is

consoled quickly by his Lord. Individual experiences have to be accepted as they are

and are never to be questioned.

Question ID: 161 - What is the mangalasasana of thirunindravur? Who is the father of ramanuja? - Question By - Madhusudhanan, [email protected]

"Ninravoor nittila tottu ...." by Tirumangai azhvar. Asoori Satakratur Kesava Somayaji

Swamy was the father of Sri Ramanuja.

Question ID: 157 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is it a fact that any one who performs japa (in his mala) or in mind a sign of bhakti yoga. ,or does it depend on with what consciousness we chant the names of the lord. Is Dhruva Maharaj a bhakti yogi or a saranagatar? 2)in ramanuja sampradaya the ultimate doctrine is saranagati,is it true that anyone(a beginner)initiated into any sampradaya first performs bhakti yoga and only then after many births of realization the begins saranagati,because in your previous mail you had mentioned saranagati is a state of mind which is difficult to achieve. 3)How could we understand whether a vaishnava(acharya) is a bhakti yogi or a saranagatar. Are there different degrees of sarnagati,if so kindly explain. VERY Humbly and patiently awaiting your reply. - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Japam is not only a part of bhakti yoga but a saranagata also performs it. The

difference is whether it is a means to moksham or a self satisfying service. The

moment I realize that I am an absolute servant of Sriman Narayana and shed the last

bit of independent will (svaatantryam) I am eligible for saranagati. When I recognize

that I am His belonging, then I realize that protecting me or elevating me is no more

my responsibility, which is the state of a saranagata. A State of mind that is difficult to

achieve does not mean it would be a delayed achievement. It can happen any day.

Bhakti yogi is one who clings to his own efforts in attaining moksham. On the contrary

a saranagata leaves it to Bhagavan.

Question ID: 156 - Pranams to Swami. I read in Cho's Hindumahasamudram that Sri Ramanujar gave 82 instructions/advices to his disciples at the time of his vaikuntaprapthi. The article gave only a sample of them. I request you to please give this in your article in the site. Perhaps you can give us an upanyasam on this topic. Pranams again adiyen ramanuja dasan - Question By - venkatesan, [email protected]

I am aware of only the 6 directions (which everyone is aware of)which he gave to his

disciples. Kindly contact your acharyan for the others.

Question ID: 155 - Swamikku aneka thendam samarpitta vigynapanam. I am unable to understand why we should plead for Moksham in our siddantam? Can we not just plead that He keep us engaged in His service, His thoughts and so on? Is there a difference between these two kinds of prayers? Even going to temples, delighting in his worship cannot happen unless He wills it. Is it not a great blessing to just be engaged in His service and not have our minds turn to more trivial worldly things? The reason for my question is - it is very difficult (for my mandha buddhi) to comprehend what moksham means but the joy of a darshan at Srirangam or Oppiliappan koil is easy for our limited minds to understand. Edhenum aparadham irundal kshamikka venum. adiyen - Question By - Sriranjani Ranganathan, [email protected]

There is a large difference between the two. This is a mundane material world where

one is haunted by many evils such as senses, ego, material body, karma, birth and

death, pain and pleasure. One cannot be in absolute service in this world. Almost none

- right from the rishis to azhvars and our acharyas have felt confident of eternal

service in this world. At best we can serve for a few years expecting to leave this for

ever i.e. the period between the day of acharya samasrayanam and the last breath. If

we cannot comprehend moksham as it is abstract, then we cannot comprehend

Paramatma too. Comprehension is not through our finite senses alone, but through the

preachings of Vedas, the only eternal source of knowledge.

Question ID: 154 - swami..please accept my koti koti pranams to your lotus feet.. we are really blessed for having you as our spiritual leader...margadarshi... who has substituted srimad Ramanuja himself.!!! in one of your discourses at satyanarayana temple, you have said "satyanarayana swamy thiruvadigalakk vanangi... so on" according to my mother she says there is no satya or asathya narayana... there is only one .. he is sriman narayana.. so she avoids going to sathyanarayana poojas.. she wants to know whether she is right or wrong.. is it prescribed in our vedas/shastras? even i am confused.. please take time to clear out doubts... we are sharanagathas.... adiyen ramanuja dasi.. godhalakshmi.. 9341926643 bangalore - Question By - godhalakshmi, [email protected]

Satya narayana whom I mentioned is the Perumal of Tirumeyyam. Azhvar sings as

'meyyaan' Here satyam means nityam and nirvikaram. So question of satyam and

asatyam does not arise. This satya narayana is not the one on whom satya narayana

puja is popularly performed.

Question ID: 152 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan. Adiyens pranams for you. Swamin, My small and basic doubt. Pls claify. If I ask silly, pls pardon me. In our Guruparamparai, Vishwaksena is treated as one of Guru. If we see all acharyas they have done panchasamskara from their gurus. Even nathamuni has done panchasamskara from nammazhwar. 1) But Where we have evidence from our guruparampara that nammazhwar has done panchasamskara from vishvaksena. 2) Whether Vishvaksena has done panchasamskara from thayaar or not. 3) If it is yes means, Normally has lady got right to do panchasamskara to his sishyas? Kshamikka prarthikkiren. - Question By - M.GOPALAKRISHNAN, [email protected]

Bhagavan is the direct acharya for all azhvars. Nammazhvar is the amsa of

Vishvaksena. By the unconditional grace of Sriman Narayana when everything about

brahmam became known to azhvar, all the samskaras are also implied to be done by

the respective nominees. Vishvaksena is a nitya suri and so his panca samskrara was

not administered on a particular day. It is ever done for him. So the second question

does not arise.

Question ID: 150 - Swamikku adiyen aneka thedam samarpitha vignyapanam. I have a few questions (not all related ) but I will ask them together because I am not sure how to categorize them. 1. There have been several unfortunate instances in our life which I believe have happened because Perumal wanted us to realize that we are not doers and all things happen in accordance with a divine plan. Fortunately, we have had Panca samskaram through our acharyan and I feel we have found the path. But there is still a lot of restlessness in me and I want to find peace . Can Swami suggest some methods to follow? Following samasrayanam, I have taken up the chanting of dvayam. 2. In a household, where the male members are not available to do Thiruvaradanam, is there a way for women to submit thaligai to perumal without the aradhanam? Specifically, can they offer to saligramam without touching the perumal, if the food is prepared in a pure manner? 3. What is the story behind specific nakshatrams to Ranganathar (why Revathi) and Mahalakshmi (Panguni Uthiram)? As they are anadi, how come we are ascribing a certain nakshatram to them? I can understand nakshatrams for vibava avatarams but the above is not clear. 4. What is the way to train children in our sampradayam in today's world when they are exposed to so many different things outside of home? adiyen, Sriranjani - Question By - Sriranjani Ranganathan, [email protected]

You are on the right track. Kindly perform your nitya karma anushthanas regularly and

chant dvayam as many times as possible. Read or listen to the stories of avatarams.

Think for a while whether you were born for these miseries or for eternal bliss and

shirk your itching botherations. Take up some service to a temple / acharyan or to the

society for the needy and involve yourself. Do not allow spare or rest time, when your

emotions or mis happenings can overtake you. When the male members are away, the

female in the family can open the koil azhvar, offer flowers, and food by chating, all

the relevant azhvar pasurams and acharya stotrams. No tirumanjanam or other

offering that requires touching the saligrama murti. The nakshatram celebration in

practice in almost all divyadesams. This would be the day on which the deity first gave

darshan to a devotee (in most cases a rishi) or the date on which the Lord took to

deity form.

Question ID: 149 - srimathe ramanujaya namha swami dasan i am not a brahmin some say i should read any slokas or any thing but i used to read and tell slokas of vishniu sahasranamam can icontinue it or stop, adiyen ramanuja dasan - Question By - kannan, [email protected]

Kindly refer to your samasrayana acharyan and act according to his directive.

Question ID: 148 - Please accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Saranagati is a mental thought between us and paramatma.Does formal saranagati depend on the sampradaya we are intitiated into?,only in sri sampradaya but not in others. Vey humbly and patiently awaiting your reply! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

Saranagati is a doctrine suggested in Vedanta. It is common to all. It is a state of mind

which is difficult to achieve. Sri sampradaya is a misnomer. None of our acharyas have

used this nomenclature. It should be addressed as vaidika sampradaya.

Question ID: 147 - Srimathe Ramunujaya Namaha .Adiyan . Pl. enlighten whether Sri Ramunuja has visited Badrihashram and also Sri Krishna's birth places like Mathura,Gokulam,Dwaraka and others there semms to be no mention anywhere.Where to look for ? - Question By - N S RAJAGOPALAN, [email protected]

Sri Ramanuja did visit all the holy shrines which you have mentioned. It is quoted in

the sloka "srirangam karisailam anjanagirim...saligrama girim nishevya ramate

ramanujoyam muni:" and descriptively given in 6000 padi guruparampara and

ramanujarya divya caritai.

Question ID: 145 - Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Ananthamana dandan for you. Swamin I use to hear lectures only about our Thennacharya Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya Vishayam. Krishna premi swami even though he is not our sampradayam, I listen to him only the lecture of our sampradayam. He will talk with full evidence as he is mahavidwan. In one of his lectures, he said that Nilathingal thundan which is in Ekambareswara temple and Kallapiran in Kamakshi temple are not divyadesams. They are treated like parivara devadas by dikshidaas of those temples. He has given lot of evidence to prove this fact. He ascertained that one nilathingal thundathan is in the backside of the Ashtapujathan. Another one is nearby kanchi devaperumal varaha sannidhi. He requested not to treat as divyadesams, presently we are thinking as divyadesams. He put his authenticate wish that we have to raise new temples for those divyadesams if we do not consider his two evidences for those two temples. I request u to clarify in this regard. M.Gopalakrishnan - Question By - M. GOPALAKRISHNAN, [email protected]

I have no idea on this. Kindly refer to the acharya purushas of kanchi.

Question ID: 144 - swamiyin thiruvadikku en namaskaram.i want to get a clarifications for the following questions 1.did acharyan alawandar compose storaratnma and chatusloki on sree renganatha and renganayaki thayar or upon devaperumal and perundevi rhayar? 2.adiyen is a lecturer in management studies.i want to be best at it .may i know which slokas can i continue to chant so much so that i can emerge as the top-notch lecturer in my profession? question may sound silly, but unless one has the benediction of periya perumal and renganayaki thayar ,one's talent just remAIN just that , a mirage.so please let me know the slokas that will help me aquire the expertise i need to shine through in my career? - Question By - n.r.aravamudhan, [email protected]

Alavandars stotra ratnam was towards Sriman Narayana and not to any particular

divya desam. I am sorry that I am unable to suggest you any slokams. There is no

room in srivaishnavism to recite slokas for material pleasure.

Question ID: 143 - Pranams 1. In the thathvathraya concept of Chith, Achith & Easwara - will the Athman be in Achith vasthu also? If Athman exists in Achith vasthu, how can we call a vasthu with Gnanamaya Athman as Achith? If not when/how the Achith becomes Chith due to existence of Athman during the Athman's travel in various births? 2. Five forms - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Sky. Are they in the Jeevathma Goshti / Achith Goshti? Sometime they are referred to as Bhooma Devi, Parjanya Devada, Agni Deva, Vayu Deva, as Jeevathma Goshti, othertimes they are referred to as Achith goshti. Are both these statments correct? This concept is not understandable. 3. Can you please oblidge to render

Upanyasa/Spiritual discourses on the following grandhas a) Yathiraja Vimshathi b) Varavaramuni Prabaththi Adiyen Radheeka Jegann - Question By - Radheeka Jegann, [email protected]

Cit may be found inside every acit. For example our body is ruled by an atman. Body is

acit and atman is cit. All the acit would ever remain as acit only and can never become

cit. cit dwells in acit but does not become one with it and so it cannot be termed as

acit. Panca bhutas are all acit only. There are devatas who control them and they are

all cits.

Question ID: 142 - Srimathe Ramanujaya namah. Madurakavi alwar thiruvadigale charanam. Dandavath pranam Swami. Is there any anustanam and austerity one should observe during alwars and acharyas appearance and disappearance days.? Kindly explain me. Adeyen Ramanuja dasan - Question By - saranathan R, [email protected]

We have to recite their prabandhams , taniyans and vazhi tirunamams

Question ID: 141 - Adiyen is studying B.E. Adiyen has doubt regarding what "Athma Gnanam" is and also wants to know if bakthi alone can give athma gnanam ? Also, adiyen learnt from swami`s upanyasam that there are certain people who do not come back to bhoolokam and also do not reach paramapadam and they are lonely in someplace. Adiyen wants to know what should not be done to prevent being trapped in such a pathetic situation ? Adiyen requests swami to clarify this doubt. Dasan, Jagannathan - Question By - Jagannathan, [email protected]

Atma gnanam is a prerequisite to bhakti. It is gained by learning the scriptures and

listening to the acharyas. All the upadesams and sastras are to prevent any one from

desiring kaivalyam. We should only try and educate them about the blemishes of

kaivalyam and the merits of bhagavallabham.

Question ID: 140 - Namaskaramas. This question relates to the Thiruman Kaappu (UrDhva PuNdram). Any mis interpretation and even this question iteself, is purely due to my ignorance, and hence kindly bear with me. Thiruman Kaappu signifies the Lotus feet of Sriman Narayanan and the middle red line denotes Sri Mahalakshmi who is ever present with Him. We adorn our forehead with this sacred symbol to

demonstrate our eternal prerogative to be in His service. What is the significance behind this Thiruman Kaappu adorning Perumaal as well, as part of the daily Alankaram in the Divya Desams and in all Perumal Kovils ? With Sincere Regards, R. Srinath - Question By - ramamoorthysrinath, [email protected]

There are a few reasons Bhagavan wearing tiruman kappu 1. Kurathazhvan says '

uddharat upari bhakta janan iti - urdhva pundra tilakam bahumanaat ' - The lord is

adorned with tiruman pointing upwards to physically show His bhaktas that it would lift

you above this samsara. 2. Bhaktas enjoy wearing tiruman. Bhagavan wanting to know

the secret of this joy is trying out for Himself. (appayya dikshitar says ' vaishnava

bhogya lipsaya va') 3. It is an alankara to Him.

Question ID: 139 - REspected Swamy!! Humble pranams!! adiyen Ramanujadhasan. Adiyen request you to present your reply for the following question: Regarding Ekadhasi anushtanam, it is now clarified through an adiyar's quest. In addition to that suppose when we receive any koil prasaadham during the day before ekadhasai are we eligible to take that prasadham(which is including puliyodharai-being a rice variety).Adiyen, due to anaemic problem, not able to fully maintain poorna vradham , if so shall we take sweets and koil prasadham. Swamin pl clarify adiyen's doubt. The main thing is sleepfulness. How to avoid this malady.? Adiyenin prnams to your divine feet. dhasan - Question By - samandhagamani, [email protected]

Yes we do receive a little amount of prasadam at the temple. Yoga is a way to

overcome sleep. Take up some kainkaryam that you enjoy and get absorbed in it. It

would keep you busy and not allow you to sleep excessively.

Question ID: 136 - Respected Swamin: Namaskaram. I am an avid listener to your upanyasams and recently I was listening to Koil Tiruvaimozhi. You were describing why Sri Nammazhwar starts with U (uyarvara), followed by M (mayaravara) and A (a) in the first pAsuram and traced it back to the nama UTHU from the Upanishads. My question is this: Since Sri Nammazhwar explcitly performs sarnagathi to Piratti and Perumal ( agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl mangai uRai maarbhan ..) and U stands for Piratti, could Sri Nammazhwar have placed U first as a dedication to Piratti? The last word in tiruvAimozhi in uyarndE - if one bows in front of Piratti (U in the first word) and then to PerumAl (A), then one reaches paramapadam (uyarndE - the last word) - is this a resonably consistent interpretation also? Thank you so much. Respectful Regards to you. Vasudevan - Question By - Vasudevan, [email protected]

In your interpretation, U stands for piratti is right but uyarnde does not end with the

syllable 'A '. The first letter in Sanskrit or tamil which is 'A' stands for perumal

(akaaraartho Vishnu:). But the last pasuram of azhvar does not end with this. It rather

ends with the eighth syllable 'E' which does not give the meaning of Perumal. Inspite

of all thse, We in vaishnavism cannot give any interpretation of our own which is not

suggested by our purva acharyas.

Question ID: 135 - Respected Swamy, Adiyen Ramanuja Dasi. Many Pranams to your lotus feet. I would like to follow up on my question on the significance of the Varnashrama Dharma. Does it mean that Varnashrama dharma today, is something to be followed parallel to our normal profession(doctor engineer, whatever)? Thank you very much for your time.. Pizhaigalai khsamikka prarthikkiren Adiyen - Question By - Deepa Vijayaraghavan, [email protected]

Varanasrama dharma is a must for everybody. Kindly also check whether your

profession is as per your varanasrama dharma.

Question ID: 133 - Swami - namaskarams from adiyen. I remember listening to your "Aazhwargal yaar" upanyasam; in that you have said that long long time back Veda Vyasa has quoted that narayanan's bhaktas would be born in Dravida bhoomi, near river banks like Tamirabarani banks as "Azhwars". I would like to know the quote and the place where Vyasar wrote this. Thanks a lot, -Sriram - Question By - Sriram, [email protected]

In srimad bhagavata purana ' kalou khalu bhavishyanti narayana parayanA;....kvacit

kvacit mahabhaga dravideshu ca bhUrisa....'

Question ID: 132 - In the ancient days, Tamil nadu extended far south than today in the Kumari kandam (lumuria) - because of several natural disasters like tsunamis and continental shift, the world map has become like today. Also, we have read that various tamil scriptures from the olden days were LOST - for example, even in Iymperumkaapiyangal of tamizh, Kundalakesi and Valayapathi are not found fully. My question is - have our great Azhwars composed only 4000 prabandams? Or did we get hold of only 4000 ? Have we lost some more treasures which we could not recover ? How can we be sure that they composed only 4000 prabandams. Thank you very much, -Sriram - Question By - Sriram, [email protected]

Our azhvars have composed only these 4000 verses. This has been stated by

Nammazhvar himself when he blessed all the divya prabandhams to nathamunigal. It

is true that Tirumazhisai azhvar composed more but it was perumal's will that only two

should survive and so the others were lost during the lifetime of azhvar.

Question ID: 131 - ananthakoti namaskarangal to swami's thiruvadigal i just want to clarify a doubt ,azhwars have did mangalasasanam to perumal's by single pasuram also but they have left some sthalams like vaduvoor,mannargudi,maduranthakam but have done to kshetrams very near to them for ex:they have done mangalasasanam to thanjai mamani koil emperuman's leaving vaduvoor and mannargudi is it that these kshetrams didn't exist during azhwar's avatharams or these do not have a specific reason adiyen ramanuja dasan - Question By - gosakan, [email protected]

We have no specific historical records to date these divya kshetrams. But as per the

puranas these are ancient. It was only the choice of Perumal to draw a particular

azhvar to Him to benedict a divya desam. Sri Ramanuja submitted oru nayakam

pasuram to melkote and Manavala mamunigal submitted unnittu matroru deivam

thozhal to mannargudi.

Question ID: 130 - Respected Swami, My pranams to your respected and holy feet. I am one of the regular devotees who watches your upanyasam - Kannanin Aramadhu and I should say I was blessed to attend your upanyasam live - Ramayanam in Vani Mahal. I do regret that my interest towards understanding Puranams and Karma's started only after 26years of life on this Holy earth. Since i have been blessed with one of the best parents on earth - i have followed just what the Paramatma likes - Something that keeps haunting my mind is: > Why does Vedas not support Ladies being everything to their parents - i.e - when men do the last rites to their parents and do the Amavsya Vritham and do everything that is required to help their parent's soul rest in peace - why are Ladies not allowed to do it - after all Ladies were created to be ladies only by HIM. Our hearts does suffer when we lose our dear ones right? How is this justified Swami? > Could you please advice one simple slogan/ Mantra that can be recited at all times? I WAS ONE ONE OF THE LUCKIEST PEOPLE WHO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET YOUR BLESSINGS ON ALMOST ALL THE DAYS DURING THE RAMAYANA UPANYASAM. INSPITE OF MY WORKING HOURS BEING 3.30AM TO 12.30PM - SHREE RAMA GAVE ME THE ENERGY TO COME AND ATTEND YOUR SESSIONS. Thanks to YOU Swami - for i have started viewing my life in a completely new perspecive only after listening to your sessions. After my daily Prayers - i do the following namaskaram in my heart -- to my mother, father, GURU - ( Shree Raghavendra and YOU) and then Lord Vishnu( in Vaikundam) - ellamey ennoda Karpanaila Dhan anal manasigama panrein. Regards and Best Wishes for your Seva to reach the needy - Gayathri Krishnan - Question By - Gayathri Krishnan, [email protected]

Vedas have delegated certain duties to certain relatives of an individual. It has

nominated the son to do all the kainkaryams to his father along with his wife. Ladies

have responsibility towards their in laws. So it is not that Vedas have barred ladies

from vedic kainkaryams - only the recipient is different. You have to chant dvayam

always after getting panca samskaram from your acharyan.

Question ID: 129 - Swamikku adiyen dhendam samarpitta vigynapanam. I was listening to your Ramayana discourse (on CD) and two questions arose: 1. "Naamaga poi vizhunthal Avan kittuvathillai". In the instance of Bharata and Guha, Bharata did not commit any papam. In fact, both him and Guha were only practising bhagavat-bhakti. In the absence of any papams, why does perumal choose one over the other? If we commit papams (which we do), the only way to please the Lord is to consciously engage in his service (to temples, to poor or other service). What you mentioned seemed to suggest to me that there is no hope for us..we can keep doing the punya karmas specified but neither material gains might come nor His Grace might come. Have I misunderstood the comment in your upanyasam? 2. In the Subahu- Mareecha episode, you likened it to the papams of someone that has performed saranagati. In the practical sense, how does "papangalai vilakki viduvan" work? Do a saranagatan's papams go afflict someone else? Or does a saranagatan's act not even get classified as papam just because of his saranagati? Aparaadam edhum irundhal, kshamikka vendum. -Sriranjani Ranganathan - Question By - Sriranjani Ranganathan, [email protected]

We do not know the extent of papam and punyam of bharata and guha and so we

cannot conclude that both had equal karmas. Bharata might have been forced to be

separated from Rama due to his papams even. Moreover his karmas forced him to

leave Rama for a short period and go to his maternal uncle's home which played a

major role in all the mishappenings. Even though Perumal has all the right to

arbitrarily choose to bless anybody, He follows all the rules set by him. So kindly do

not lose hope that in spite of punyams Perumal may not choose us. Your question has

assumed that you are doing only punyams or more of punyam than papam. Is it

possible in this ssmsara. Even our azhvars and acharyas lament that they are unable

to be so. So, can we ask perumal to grant moksham as a right? The only alternative is

to plead to Him. Let me now explain a more important point here. Let us accept the

supremacy and the arrogant (!) authority of Perumal over this jiva. At His will He can

arbitrarily choose anybody to bless. Why cannot we plead to Him to choose us

arbitrarily and grant moksham. Punyam is not an eligibility to attain moksham. In fact

it is a hurdle to moskam. It only qualifies us to join the band of short listed people. It is

finally the unconditional mercy (and the arbitrary choice) of Perumal that grants us

moksham. Passing +2 exam qualifies you to join a college but cannot give you a seat

in any college. One has to shed all the papams and punyams to attain moksham.

Saranagata's papam gets distributed to his offenders and punyam to his well wishers.

Question ID: 128 - shrimate ramanujay namah.i offer my humble respects to you. i keep trvelling abroad frequently.while going to usa there is a stop inbetween with no facilities to take bath.is just doing proktshane with gangajal equivalent to taking bath.is there any other method which can be practised in this respect. also is it alright to say srivishnu three times before having food which is not the prasadam of perumal(vegetarianfood not containing onion,garlic and mushrooms) during long travel. kindly oblige.thank you. - Question By - satish n iyengar, [email protected]

Saastras say 'snaatva bhunjIta' - bathe before food. When you are not able to take

bath, avoid food. Decades ago, when traditional vidvans where undertaking train

travel to badri, they went without bath and food for 2 days. Toady, longest travel can

be for 24 hours. It is better to have only fruits during air travel. This has an indirect

advantage - you will not have any jet lag. You would avoid food (eventhough

vegetarian) served along with non vegetarian.

Question ID: 127 - shrimate ramanujay namaha. i offer my humble respects to you. swamy can peoplewho have taken samashreyanm drink coffee or tea(even if they are addicted to it). - Question By - satish n iyengar, [email protected]

Our tradition does not permit consumption of coffee or tea.

Question ID: 126 - shrimate ramanujay namaha. i offer my humble respects to you. it had come in the newspaper that the cows in the dairies are treated very cruelly and the male calves are allowed to die without even a drop of their mother's milk. do we acquire any sin by drinking and using such milk? - Question By - rupa s iyengar, [email protected]

It is better to switch to cow's milk served at our doorstep by a cowherd where milking

happens before our eyes. They know to respect cows. The only way to get out of your

doubt is to stop buying milk from factories.

Question ID: 125 - shrimate ramanujay namaha. i offer my humble respects to you.my question is-apart from consuming nothing or consuming only water or

having only fruits, is there any other level of observing ekadashi? kindly oblige, thank you - Question By - puja s iyengar, [email protected]

Total fasting is the only way. Those who are physically unable to practice this,

consume fruits or palakaram.

Question ID: 124 - Dear Swami, I understand that Sridevi and Bhoodevi are with the utsava murty of perumal while thani kovil naachiyaar is at her sannidhi. However, in many divya desams, I have noticed that while Sridevi and Bhoodevi are with perumal, we also get to worship the utsava vigraham of tani kovil naachiyaar along with perumal, in fact in some divyadesams there are two naachiyaars plus Sridevi, Bhoodevi (eg. in some nava tirupathi sthalams, thirukkurungudi etc.) Can you kindly explain the reason for this, adiyen Geetha Krishnan - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

In many temples utsava murthy of tanikkoyil nachair is along with Perumal (nowadays)

only for safety reasons. Other wise in specific temples where there are four or five

nachiars even, it is based on the sthala purana. You will have to refer to the specific

divyadesam's sthala puranam.

Question ID: 123 - Dear Swami, I have heard you mention about the difference between upanyasam and kalakshepam. My humble question to you would be when is it mandatory for us to be in panchakacham / madisaar? Is it for kalakshepam only or for both? Please enlighten. Also kindly let me know if it is mandatory to be in madisaar till tiruvaradanam for perumal is over at home. Adiyen, Geetha Krishnan. - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

It is mandatory to be in kaccham and madisaar all 24 hours. That has nothing to do

with kalakshepam, upanyasam, or tiruvaradhanam.

Question ID: 122 - Please accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! -------------------------------------------------------------------- I Shifted from chennai to Mumbai and joined in 9th standard.Somehow because of extreme western influence and association,i became mad after the western culture.Now currently in Third year engineering,by Krishna's mercy i follow all regulative principles according to sastras,begin my day at brahma muhurta.But because of my past,now that subtle impression is forcing my heart to again think of it sometimes(the force is sometimes at a greater extent or sometimes less),but i keep controlling my senses very

hard.What should i do?I do hear your daily morning, evening Bhagavat gita lecture,read SB,memorize verses etc, and you have blessed me with clear intelligence on inaction and action,after which that force has very greatly reduced.I feel if i go to west,krishna will sideline me from his vision to take me to vaikuntha.Also i feel if i get more money,i may become proud and will not be able to think of krishna from the bottom of my heart.Please kindly help me! How can i get over this karmic bondage.Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply. - Question By - Kishan, [email protected]

The assured way for snapping this bondage is saranagati to Sri Krishna. From what you

have written it is clear that you are on the right track. You can well stay in India and

pursue your career. This feeling of 'what to do more for mukti' or 'am I doing the right

thing' or 'am I eligible for mukti ' or 'why am I still not able to control my senses'

haunts every bhakta. This is inevitable till we are in this samsaram. Alone, it is a

challenge to cross this ocean of samsara, but sailing the boat of Sri Krishna it is made

easier.

Question ID: 121 - Respected Swamy!! firt of all adiyenin krithagnathai for presenting your answers for question No.103.Adiyenin mandha buththikku sariyaagapuriyavillai.(since I have clubbed two type of questions it seems). In the said question it was asked about of the importance of the gothram. In fact some sects they do not even know to tell their gothram. But we insist on this especially for marriage purpose.what is the connection in between and why it is imparted.Perhaps it might not have any relevance to our birth chain. In respect of second type in the above question asked,your highness answered that athma taking the body based on karma and sons and daughters are only self(in adiyen's question it was mentioned it is for grand daughters or sons and not sons and daughters because the transformation will go to next alternative generation only) then when it takes so many birth whey it is said "matha pitha seivathu makkalaikk kakkum" since as per the statement of your highness that they carry only the mission of their parents. If so for the papa or punya will the athma take rebirth in the same paramparai or in some other unconnected family.If for anybody who have no children after their birth to whom it will be transferred. After some discourses of your highness, after a thought over about the Athma , this question arose. Ple.................ase do not mistake for repeating this question since none other than your highness can clarify this type of question which not only adiyen consider but whomsoever it may concern will utter the same word only. - Question By - samandhagamani, [email protected]

It certainly has relevance to our birth chain. Nothing can become irrelevant if we are

ignorant about it. We have to identify ourselves with our moola rishi - gothram sutram

and pravaram are a must for any wedding. The logic is like this - we may not be aware

of the entire chain but we do know about 3 generations before us. Similarly my grand

father would have known 3 before him and thus the chain gets established easily.

Sastras refer only about a son to be the reincarnation of his father and that too not in

the physical sense but only as a torch bearer. There is no mention about anybody

being born as a grand son or daughter. An atman's next birth need not be in his family

at all. For that matter he need not be born as a human being. The atman would follow

it's own course of papam and punyam. There is an instance when the papams and

punyams of a saranagata get distributed to others (when he once for all leaves this

material world) - ie his punyams to those pious who were his intimate well wishers and

his papams to those who offended him.

Question ID: 120 - Namaskaram Somsebody says that ladies sould not pronounce the word "OM" and SLOKAS should be learned only from Guru and not from the Book or from CD etc. Is it correct .Please clarify. Yours obediently Kalpakam Poovendran - Question By - Mrs.Kalpakam Poovendran, [email protected]

Yes what all you have said is correct. For certain exceptions kindly refer to your

acharya.

Question ID: 119 - Respected Swami. Pranams. I got the oppurtunity to listen your upanyasam on "Kanninun Siruthambu". In the third pasuram explanation, you made a point about Ramanuja's "Vella Veshti Utsavam". Can u please explain in detail about this utsavam. Thanks - Question By - R. Kalyan Krishnan, [email protected]

Vellai sattuppadi utsavam is conducted at Sriperumbudur during chittirai tiruvadirai

festival. Sri Ramanuja is adorned with white garments (without tridandam in his

hands) on that day. This is to remember the circumstances under which Sri Ramanuja

had to wear vellai veshti of a grhasta instead of his usual kashaya when he had to

leave Srirangam towards west without being identified by the servants of krimi kantha.

Question ID: 118 - Dear Swami, It is said that Aandaal is the avatharam of 'Bhoomi Piraatti', hence she should be Bhoodevi. However, when adiyen worshiped Aandaal at her sannidhi in Triplicane, the archaka swamy said she is 'Neela Devi'. Please clarify as to what this means and where we can worship Neela Devi. Is Neela Devi Nappinnai piraatti and is Nappinnai different from Satyabama? Adiyen Geetha Krishnan - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

Andal is an avatara of Bhooma devi only. Nappinnai was Neela Devi's avataram.

Tiruvellarai is for Sridevi, Srivilliputhur is for Bhoodevi and Tirunarayur is for Nila Devi.

Satya bhama is not Nappinnai. While the former was the daughter of Satrajit the latter

was the daughter of Kumbha, the brother of yasoda.

Question ID: 117 - Sri Pranams Elders, including your Highness, are preaching that during the marraige function, tying the mangalasutra is not the end of marriage function but, it is the "saptha padi" which solemnises the marriage is very important. But when I watched the Srinivasa Kalayana Mahotsavam in the Island grounds on 6th of April, I was very eagerly waiting for that to happen . Your Highness also made an appeal to the devotees that after the "mangalyadharanam" lot more functions are to take place. Though "thengai uruttal /Malai Matrudhal" etc were performed, "Saptha padi" was not performed. (it is pertinent to mention here that when I witnessed the Kalyana Utsavam organized by the TTD centre at T. Nagar, the Bhattar on that day did perform the "Saptha padi" by using the "Sattari" symbolically.. Recently, I witnessed the Kalayana utsavam of Mayuravalli thaayaar at Peyazhwar Devasthanam at Mylapore.There also the Bhattar used the "sattari" for "sapthapadi".) Please enlighten us. If "sapthapadi" is a must in the Kalayana utsavam, humbly request you to take up this issue with the Jeers/Officials suitably so that this important function is performed/demonstrated during the Kalayana Utsavam. With warm regards S Malathi - Question By - S.Malathi, [email protected]

Saptapadi is a must and it is a must for our marriages. All my upanyasams are for

what we have to follow. I do not know much about vaikhanasa agama or what is being

practiced in Tirumala - TTD archakas and authorities are the best judges. I get about

10 requests every day on matters like these to take up with concerned authorities.

Hope you would understand that I would then be doing only this.

Question ID: 116 - Namaskarams. Kindly refer to Ques ID 70: Ans (3). Why is it Our objective to please the Master(!) ? As he created atmans as per step (7) of creation process, who is suffering from separation? As you left Teranzdhur ( On DD Podhigai), I believe, I saw tears in your eyes, when you mentioned, that Perumal is so un unhappy to see us leave and his feet becomes weak). At least it brought tears in my eyes!! I had the privilege of being present at Yadiraj Mutt(Malleswaram, Bangalore) , for your discourse on Siriya Thirumadal. Does Thirumangai Azwar enjoy special privileges with Sriman Naranyana, and if so why? Rgds, R. Srinath - Question By - Ramamoorthy Srinath, [email protected]

The sesha seshi relationship is what is translated in simple English as master servant

relationship. Sri Ramanuja defines sesha as the one who breathes lives and does

everthing to please his seshi Sriman Narayana. We have been given birth by Him, to

practice bhati yoga or saranagati to get relieved of all the karmas and attain

srivaikuntham. 1. We are in absolute servitude to Him servitude is fulfilled / realized

only by performing service and pleasing the Master. 2. We surrender to Him being

helpless other wise and so we have to please Him. 3. We are a part of His divine body

and He is our atman - body can only be for the benefit of atman. Considering all the

above our objective is to serve and please Him.

Question ID: 115 - Sri Pranams On 6th April 2008, Thirupathi Thirumala Devasthanam arranged Lord Srinvasa Kalayana Mahotsavam in the Island grounds. Thirupathi is a Vaishnavaite temple following Vaikhanasa Aghama. But during the Kalayana Utsavam, Iyers chanted the veda.I do not know whether they chanted veda relevant to Kalayana Utsavam or generic vedas. But, I also notice that everyday Venkatesa Suprabhatham is chanted at the temple by Iyers. I further notice that on many other utsava kalams, Iyers only chant the veda . Why this is so ? Is there any mythological reason for this or is it due to the rivalry between Vadakalayars and Thenkalayars, Iyers have been entrusted with the kainkaryams. - Question By - S.Malathi, [email protected]

Vedas are common to all the vaidikas. I can say that the phenomenon which you have

mentioned is certainly not because of any rivalry. The reasons would be best known to

TTD authorities.

Question ID: 114 - Dear Swami, My humble obeisances to you. I have had the bhagyam of attending your upanyasams many times, and am extremely glad that you have opted to put up a website that promotes our great sampradaya. My question is about our Sampradaya itself. Recently, a Dvaitin has challenged Sri Ramanujar's reasoning, so therfore, being completely ignorant of philosophy myself, I'd like you to provide me with ample pramanas/reasoning that establishes Vishishtadvaita over Dvaita. The Dvaitin has raised the following objections: 1) The Dvaitin challenged the Vishishtadvaita view that Jiva and Prakriti is a mode/attribute of Brahman. He asks that if jiva has sariri/sarira relationship with Brahman, then how is Jiva an attribute of Brahman? 2) He also says that the Mahavakya 'Tat Tvam Asi' is actually 'Atat Tvam Asi' and talks of distinction. He says Atat Tvam Asi is in sync with other portions of Upanishads. 3) Since Brahman is antaryami, He is distinct from Jiva. The Dvaitin says that he cannot accept the explanation for Tat Tvam Asi by Sri Ramanujar. 4) The Dvaitin also says that in Gita verse 5.16, Sri Ramanujar has used 'Param' as adjective for Jnana, when it occurs as a subjective. 5) The Dvaitin also wants pramana for the fact that Brahman is not only the instrumental, but also the material cause of the Universe. 6) He wants pramana for Chit and Achit theory. Adiyen is not well versed in polemics, so I look to your lotus feet for answers. Kindly resolve this debate. - Question By - Govindarajan, [email protected]

I appreciate your quest. However it is not possible for me to give all the arguments to

counter dvaitam or advaitam which you can simply convey to your friend. It is a study

on which you will have to spend atleast a month personally with an acharya for your

personal enlightenment. You have to study vedartha sangraham of Sri Ramanuja and

a few more texts. Moreover let us first stick to making visishtadvaitins realize of their

glorious treasure.

Question ID: 113 - Shrimathe Ramanujay Namaha I offer my humble respects to you. Kindly answer my question and oblige. Is there any special method by which women can observe Ekadashi Vratam. Thank You. - Question By - rupa s iyengar, [email protected]

Could you please clarify your question as to what would you like to know. This vratam

is practiced by both.

Question ID: 112 - shrimathe Ramanujay Namah I offer my due respects to you. I had a certain query which I have not been able to clarify for quite sometime. Kindly answer my question and oblige. Who is Satyanarayana? What is the significance of Satyanarayana Puja? Has anything about this been mentioned in the scriptures? Thank You - Question By - puja s iyengar, [email protected]

I am not much aware of Satyanarayana and the pUja conducted to Him by many. It is

practiced in Andhra more than Tamil nadu. It must be Sriman Narayana only. In

Srivaishnavite sampradayam we know about Dasa satyan (adiyaarkku meyyan) and

meyyan (satya murthy ). Satyanaryana perumal at Mambalam stands as an

embodiment of satyam - truth as it is. The Upanishads say "satyam gnanam anatam

brahma" - the meaning for satyam here is nityam and nirvikaram. There is one more

epithet of Sriman Narayana mentioned in the Upanishads - sattiyam - sat + ti + yam.

Sat = cit, ti = acit , yam = the controller (isvara) of both cit and acit.

Question ID: 111 - Swami, Need to know about Garudan. Why it is referred as Periya Thiruvadi? I read in a book that Hanuman [Siriya Thiruvadi], represents Air [vayu bagawan] and we find plenty of day to day applications of it [Air in Automobile tyres, Pneumatic applications etc..]. Do we have a practical manifestation of Garudan? Is there a teaching on Garudan being always projected as perennial enemy of Snake kingdom? While Snake's find place in almost all major

religions of world, Garudan is not so. Kindly clarify ? Pardon me for layman's quest. - Question By - Kalyanapuram Kannan, [email protected]

It is true that Garuda is known as Peria tiruvadi but it is a misnomer in the case of

Hanuman as Siriya tiruvadi. He is known as Tiruvadi only. Garuda is the embodiment

of all the Vedas and he is the asanam and vahanam of Sriman Narayana. As Vedas

portray the glory of Bhagavan so does Garuda by bringing Him physically on his

shoulders. Let us not confuse one issue from some religion with another issue in

Srivaishnavism. Snakes mentioned in other religions has no relevance with Garuda.

Question ID: 110 - Please kindly accept my humble dandavat unto your lotus feet! 1)Yes,the lord acts only as the witness and provides the resultant reactions to the conditioned souls.The lord has provided him with all facilities for him to understand Krishna and attain him,but isn't it a fact that Krishna only influences him(that sudden force) avan dane thoondi udaran by the 3 gunas,and the 3 gunas are under control of Krishna,even in Bhagavat Gita Krishna smiles and says to arjuna, i've tied him,so he cannot come out of his own means, Kindly help!! - Question By - kishan, [email protected]

I think this is the tenth time such a question is posted in this column. Kindly note

"Avan tanAga toondi viduvadu illai". He does it only on us choosing to act in the

righteous or the unrighteous way. Adiyen's request to all those who are repeatedly

blaming Bhagavan for this and trying to prove something against all the sastras and

our pUrvacharyas - kindly think and answer for yourself "why should Bhagavan thrust

papam on us ?" "Does He derive any pleasure out of it" "is He than a vesha dhAri

hoodwinking us by giving so many sastras, avataras, gnanam, bhakti, azhvars, and

acharyas for the upliftment of humanity ?" "Can anybody be such a systematic

cheater" Kindly write in this column after giving a honest answer to all these points.

Question ID: 108 - Dear Swami, Please advise what are the divya prabhandams to be recited by the lady of the house while cooking food, also what are the stotras to be uttered. Adiyen Geetha Krishnan - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

All the prabandhams / stotrams that are included in the nitya anusandhanam list as

per the publication of your acharyan.

Question ID: 107 - Dear Swami, I have a few questions regarding the anushtanams to be followed by a Sri Vaishnanva. It is said that only food offered to God should be partaken by us. However, please clarify what does 'Food offered to God' mean? Does it mean only the food offered to the 'Salagrama' moorthy at home or does it also include food that we offer to pictures of deities at home. Also, what about food cooked in the evenings? Should it again be offered to Salagrama or only to the photograph will do? Kindly clarify so that we can follow according to devareer's advise, adiyen Geetha Krishnan. - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

Yes. It is food offered to sala grama murti only. Food is offered to Perumal as a part of

tiruvaradhanam which is done only in the morning and not in the evening. If you are

orthodox enough to practice all the anushthanams in the evening also then kindly

refer to your acharyan and offer in the evening also.

Question ID: 106 - hare krishna, Swami adiyen by birth not a srivaishnavan. now i have been attracted towards this fantastic way. Please forgive me if i am wrong. I had been to Thirupullani(Adijegannatha perumal-padmashani thayar temple) last year. i was told by the archaga swami that dasaradhan came and worshiped at the divine SantanaKrishnan sannithi and then only he was gifted as the father of SriRaman. But Ramaavatharam was before than Krishnaavatharam. then how did dhasaradhan worshipped SanthanaKrishnan. Can you please clarify.. - Question By - Subramanian, [email protected]

The holy name Krshna, His divine power to grant a heir and His deity form are eternal.

Santana Krshna need not necessarily be after Krshna avatara. Moreover Krshna did not

take birth only once. He might be born in another catur yuga.

Question ID: 104 - Respected Swami, Aneka kodi namskaram. Would like to know whether there is any difference between Panchasamskaram and Samashrayanam or they mean the same? Thanks - Question By - Gayathri Rajesh, [email protected]

Samasrayanam is surrendering to ones acharya. Panca samskara is the five

sacraments that are administered to the one who has surrendered to an acharya with

an objective of getting Ramanuja sambandham and eventually attaining moksham.

Question ID: 103 - REspected Swamy!! Pranam!! each and every family isbelonoging to aparticular gothram which is nothing but origination from the rishi of that gothram. Here the doubt arises.Is there any connection between the moolapurushar of that paramparai that we belongs and the moola rishi of that particular gothram. Some confusion over this because if a person commit any pava that is followed upto 140 birth or 7 thalaimurai and the same is transmitted to the children also. But it is said that moksham is obtained after leaving this body. But this pava is punya is transmitted to our children means we are taking rebirth again to experience that sin or punya in the grand daughters or grand son rupam. Utter confusion in this . In fact I squeezed my brain to ask a question like this only but still I am not even able and clear to ask you properly but your highness can understand what adiyen wanted to ask you regarding this. Still I have doubt whether I have presented this question to you perfectly. Such is the debth of doubt in this subject. Kindly clarify this doubts swamy!! Pl pardon for anywrong perseverence over this question. - Question By - samandhagamani, [email protected]

Kindly do not squeeze your mind on simple matters which are well explained by our

pUrvAcharyas. 1. All those who leave this body ( on death) cannot attain paramapada.

2. only those who have exhausted all the papams and punyams can attain

Srivaikuntham. (tadA vidvan puNya pApE vidhUya niranjana: paramam sAmyam upaiti)

3. One who has attained srivaikuntham never returns to leela vibhUti under any

circumstances. (na ca punarAvartatE... mAmupEtya tu kountEya punarjanma na

vidyatE). As karmas are the only cause for an individual to take birth, once he sheds

them then he would never take birth. 4. We cannot take rebirth as our son or

daughter. It is deemed that son is self, as the son is supposed to carry on with the

mission of his father. I do not know whether I have clarified your doubt. If not kindly

write to us.

Question ID: 101 - Pranams Swami. Recently I read an article by Pradip Bhattacharya -this is the link of the article: (http://www.mahabharataonline.com/articles/mahabharata_article.php?id=37)- which was trying to put things in totally different perspectives or I would rather say connfusing. In this particular article, the author was trying to say that according to Sri Vyasa's Mahabharata, Draupadi during her vasta harana was saved by Dharma and not by Sri Krishna as we have know. Is not Lord krishna himself Dharma? I would like to know whether Mahabharta really mentions that Draupadi was saved Dharma and if so, how is the meaning to be taken? Another aspect that article took on ,was Bhishma's attachement to throne- the author tries to say that Bhishma was attached to the the throne and used his oppurtunity to weild power with a blind king on the throne. This particular view is so outrageous. Bhishma is almost as sacred and divine as Sri Krishna, who had the potential to give us Sahsranmam. That is what I know. Then why do people keep interpreting things in such a demaning manner? How does Mahabharta actually portray Bhishma ? - Question By - Surabhi, [email protected]

Draupadi surrendered to Krishna only by chanting 'gOvinda pundarIkAksha raksha

mAm saranAgatAm" and it was Krishna who blessed her with clothes. Krishna on a

later date feels sorry that He was only able to protect her modesty but not able to be

by the side of her to soothen her - "gOvindEti yadAkrandat krshnA mAm dUravAsinam"

Pillai lokacharya mentions this as "draupadikku ApattilE pudavai surandadu tirunAma

vaibhavamirE" meaning that it was the holy name of Krshna that protected draupadi.

The point here is whether it is dharma or the holy name both are non sentient and so

do not have the thinking power to protect. The Lord is pleased when we obey His

commands viz practicing dharma or chanting His names and protects us. When we

swipe our digital id card or even by sensing us the automatic door opens - do we

praise the door or the one who designed it. Krshna is Himself dharma - ("krshnam

dharmam sanAtanam") is evident from His direction 'sarva dharmAn parityajya mAm

Ekam saranam vraja" The second point is baseless. The only mistake which Bhishma

committed was - he gave more importance to rAja dharma than Krshna, the absolute

dharma. He should not have watched the disrespect to draupadi after she had

surrendered to Krshna. Krshna loved and revered bhishma a lot. When He suggested

to dharma putra to listen to bhishma's preaching He praises Bhishma as a great gnAni

(bhIshmE lOkAntaram gate gnAnani alpI bhavishyanti) - when Bhishma was departing

he meditated on Krshna and it seems Krshna's mind journeyed to bhisma eventhough

He was not physically present there (mAm dyAti purusha vyAghra..)

Question ID: 99 - Respected Sir, Our dharma is stongly believing that our Athma has rebirth immediately after the death according to its Karma. At the same time, we are supposed to give PINDAM and THARPANAM during srardham till we live to our ancesstors. It creates confussion to me. How can that PINDAM or THARPANAM go to our ancesstors, when their Athma has attained REBIRTH in another form. Can you clarify this confusion. Thanks and NAMASKARAMS to you. - Question By - K.Sankar, [email protected]

Firstly, Any atman need not necessarily be born immediately. It undergoes five stages

of oblations as mentioned in panchagni vidya in the Upanishads. It may even be

wandering as atma punja for many years without taking the next body. All these are

decided based on its karma. Secondly, when the atman is permanent, why do you feel

that the panda would not reach. Furthering your opinion, if the atma does not take an

immediate rebirth will our pinda reach it. The panda and teertham which we offer does

not physically reach it in any case. When we perform the rites as prescribed in the

sastras, Bhagavan is pleased and He conveys it. It is bhagavan's pleasure and

displeasure which are called as punya and papa. Moreover, we perform the rites to

avoid papam (to us) of non performance.

Question ID: 98 - swamin, i kindly request you to clarify this doubt of mine - why is Srirangam referred to as Bhooloka Vaikuntam? also, i had read in one of the books of Mr Vaidyanathan on Lord Guruvayurappan, published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan that Guruvayur is Bhooloka Vaikuntam. Can you please clarify if both Srirangam and Guruvayur are referred to as Bhooloka Vaikuntam, for the knowledge of all? - Question By - Vijayakrishnan, [email protected]

Srirangam is called as bhooloka vaikuntham as mentioned in satadhyayi and

dasadhyayi. Kaveri viraja seyam vaikuntham ranga mandiram sa vasudevo rangesa:

pratyaksham paramam padam. A parallel is drawn between srivaikuntham and

srirangam, viraja nadi and kaveri due to the aradhana kramam, practices, customs etc

being followed in srirangam that are similar to Srivaikuntham. It also houses the 1000

pillared mandapam,tirumamani mandapam and vimanam as in srivaikuntham. On

Srivaikuntha ekadasi day Namperumal enacts a jiva leaving this material body and

journeying through archiradi marga and attaining parama padam. These are a few

reasons which earned the status of Bhooloka vaikuntham to Srirangam. I do not know

much about Guruvayoor. You have to search for the reasons given in the book which

your have referred.

Question ID: 95 - Swamin, adiyen pranams to you. I have one doubt on Divyadesams. Last fortnight I had been to one of the 108 Divyadesams, viz. Thirikkoshtiyur in Sivaganga District. The Bhattachariar and also the guide there informed us that Thirukkoshtiyur is the first of the Divyadesams. I queried them with my limited knowledge, if Srirangam was not the first Divyadesam. Both replied saying that Thirukkoshtiyur was considered the first Divyadesam since the first paasuram of Naalayira Divya Prabhandham, viz. Pallandu Pallandu was composed referring to Thirukkoshtiyur. Adiyen would be pleased to get the clarification and enlightenment on this subject from you. Adiyen's mail id is [email protected]. - Question By - Vijayakrishnan, [email protected]

Kindly clarify in which aspect you mean 'first divyadesam'. Do you mean that it was

created first? We are not sure of the date of any divyadesam and so we cannot come

to any decision on its chronological order. If it is because all the azhvars have sung, all

the acharyas lived there, and being the head quarters of Srivaishnavism then it is

Srirangam. Incidentally tiruppallandu is not the first prabandham. It is mudal

tiruvandadi.

Question ID: 94 - Sri Pranams My question may sound silly. But this is lingering in my mind for quite some time. Only Hindus believe/preach/follow Ithihasams and Puranams.. What about the people of other continents. Does it mean that during the various avataras of Vishnu, other continents did not exist? Or the people of other contintents followed some other religion or faith, as Christianity could not have been followed since it is only 2000 years old . Shall we presume that the whole world followed Hinduism and after the birth of Jesus and Allah, they got converted into those religions. - Question By - S.Malathi, [email protected]

All continents would have existed in different states. Not only this world which we

know of but also many more dveepams exist where sanatana dharma was and is being

practiced. There would have been many religions which worshipped vayu, surya,

Chandra, venus etc which are also puranic characters. The whole of Egypt and Rome

were worshipping nature. It is true that majority of the nature worshipping persons got

converted in the past 2000 years.

Question ID: 93 - Sri Pranams While committing suicide is not approved, why/how Sita Devi thought of committing suicide , unable to bear the separation from Lord Rama, using her hair. (reference your upanyasam at Vani Mahal, T Nagar on 29th and 30th March 2008) With warm regards S Malathi - Question By - S.Malathi, [email protected]

Committing suicide is not approved; it is not wrong to think about it even in a dejected

and separated mood. Even if Hanuman had not appeared Sita would not have

committed suicide as she is well aware of dharma sastram.

Question ID: 92 - Adiyen Swami Dasan, Ananthamana dandan for you Swami, I have a humble request to you swamyi, i want to hear thiruvaymozhi kalakshepam from your mouth, is there any plannings in your mind swamy to conduct thiruvaymozhi kalakshepam in the near future, i heard that ur father has done thiruvaymozhi kalakshepam in triplicane, i am only 24 years old, so i didnt have ur father kadakshem to listen the thiruvaymozhi kalakshepam, i am eagerly waiting for ur kadakshem to listen the thiruvaymozhi kalakshepam.This is my Humble request. Srimadha ramanujaya namaha. Azhwar Emberumanaar jeeyar thiruvadigala saranam. - Question By - prabhu, [email protected]

Not in the near future. I pray that it happens at least in a few years.

Question ID: 91 - My humble salutations Swami. I have heard different things about the uththara kaandam in Valmiki ramayanam. Is it true that Lord Rama exiled Seetha devi to the forest after listening to some ordinary person's words about what was being spoken about her?.I also hear people telling that Seetha devi's shorter span of life was because of this incident. Few give this as an example of gender inequality of our ancient society. To do away with such problems it is put forth by a few that this uththara kaanda was not written by vaalmiki at all but was a later addition. Since I have not read the original verses please explain what exactly happens in the last kaandam. Since Rama was brahmam himself in human form with all kalyana gunams manifested, he could not have acted wrong.So kindly explain how to interpret these events and also anything that I am missing out here. - Question By - Anand, [email protected]

Uttara kanda was also authored by Sage Valmiki only. When Sita was pregnant Rama

wanted to fulfill any of her wishes and requested Her to spell out. Sita wished to live

amongst rishis in the forest during Her pregnancy and delivery. Thus Rama sent Her to

the forest. The words of dhobi were only a lame reason given to send Sita as per Her

wish. But for that reason, the citizens of Ayodhya would not have allowed Sita to go to

the forest as per Her wish. All these are mentioned in uttara kandam itself. I have

written a detailed article on this about 3 years back in kalki deepavali malar. You can

refer to that.

Question ID: 90 - respected sir, i am lakshmi studying in class 10.i have been listening to your kannanin aaramudhu from the beginning .in the seventh chapter you said that this universe is created by the lord.sir, during creation the lord assigns some body for the atmas sticking to him.i.e,one atma is given an ameoba body and other is given ahuman body,say.then the one with human body elevates faster when comparred to the ameoba body.and we know that depending upon our karma we take the form or body.but this is the creation in the beginning and we have no paapa or punya .then on what basis the lord determines the body of a atma.kindly excuse me if i had questioned wrongly. - Question By - lakshmi, [email protected]

As this atma has no beginning so are its papam and punyam. There was no day when

this atma was devoid of papam and punyam. Karma is anaadi. This atma has been

entangled in samsaram from time immemorial due to its karma.

Question ID: 89 - namaskaram swamiji, I heard your visit to mumbai is confirmed, can i know the dates please? i have a doubt, we planned to conduct upanayanam for my brother in law's sons who are aged 11(11/96) & 8 (9/99) years completed, at what exact age upanayanam is conducted? Is it ok if we conduct the upanayanam

for both at this age? we wish to do it together only.. there are some confusion about the age to do upanayanam. so i would like to clarify.. kindly clarify my doubt. We need your blessings too. thanks - Question By - radhamohan, [email protected]

Sastram says ' ashta varsham brahmanam upanayeeta ' ie. Eight years including

garbham. So effectively the right age is 7. You have to seek other clarifications with

your family brhaspati.

Question ID: 88 - Respected Swamy, Adiyen namaskaram. Pranavam is found in vedas. Ladies are not supposed to chant vedas. If so, how can ladies chant thirumantram (Which has Pranavam in it). Kindly clarify. Thanks. - Question By - Satya, [email protected]

There is a difference between two sampradayas in this. Only in tenkalai sampradayam

those ladies who have undergone panchasamskaram chant pranavam. But this

exception is only when pranavam is chanted before tirumantram. Srimad

paramahansetyadi Ayodhya Ramanuja jeer swamy has written a small book on this,

giving reasons. You may refer to that with Tirumala peria jeer mutt.

Question ID: 87 - Swamyin We are enjoying your gifted KANNANIN ARAVAMUDU in DD for more than a year.In addition to your giving explanation to each gita sloka your giving particular speciality in each DIVYADESAM makes each one in inducing to visit these places.before visiting these places particulars you give would be very useful in not missing anything in those places. I would like to know whether KINCHITKARAM or D D are planning to comeout with DVD/VCD for cost;Most of the devotees would like to have.These DVD/VCD would be A TRESSURE for coming generations.Adiyen has a quite a good collection of cds released by KINCHITKARAM.After hearing I am preserving for my son,grand children and others. Kindly inform about GITA programme broadcast daily in DD would be available at least at a latter date. DASAN LAKSHMI NARASIMHAN - Question By - K S L NARASIMHAN, [email protected]

This is a programme by Doordarshan (Prasar Bharati) and so they have the rights.

They do have a plan to release this as DVD in future. Regards.

Question ID: 84 - Swamin, adiyen pranams for you. If I question wrongly pls pardon me. In one of QA section, you have answered that "total age of dwapara

yuga is 864000 years. In 720000th year krishna ascended to vaikuntha. Mudalazhwars belong to uthara sandhi (72000 years) of dwapara yuga. So it is apt to have sung about sri krishna". I have heard in your upanyasam that Nammazhwar was born in kaliyuga after 40 days of lord krishna's ascension to vaikunta. But it seems like contradictory when I see both matters. Kindly correct me for the above doubt. - Question By - M. GOPALAKRISHNAN, [email protected]

This is a valid doubt. Our purvacharya vyakhyanams mention that Nammazhvar was

born 42 days after the birth of kaliyuga and so there was an ambiguity in my mind.

After probing further it is clear that Nammazhvar was born much later ie after the

uttara sandhi of dvapara was over Vyakhyanams do not mention that Nammazhvar

was born 42 days from the departure of Krishna. They only mention that azhvar is

relatively proximate to the date of Krishna rather than other avataras. (This confusion

would arise if we assume that Krishna departed on last day of dvapara uttara sandhi.

But in fact He departed on the last day of the actual dvapara yuga.)

Question ID: 83 - Adiyen Swami Dasan, Ananthamana dandan for you. Swamin, It is a doubt I have kept in mind such a long time without any proper clarification. I beg you to clarify this doubt. My question is that same Rama, Krishna, Kalki avatars will take incarnation again and again with same events. And the same events from satya yuga to kali yuga will repeatedly happen without any change but only the souls will change. For example, swami velukkudi krishnan (you) won't come next kaliyuga, but another soul with same name, form and events will come in next kali yuga. If these points are right, My humble question is that where we have got evidence to testify these facts very clearly from scriptures without any round about way. Second question is if we get the evidence from scriptures for these facts also, how can god put the burden of good deeds and misdeeds on the pitiable souls as the events are happening in a prearranged manner. If I have asked wrongly, pls pardon me. M. Gopalakrishnan ([email protected]) - Question By - M. GOPALAKRISHNAN, [email protected]

It is true that avataras repeat (dhata yatha purvam akalpayat) But the name, form,

place etc of individual souls would may not necessarily be the same. At the macro

level sthavara jangama manushya deva etc are created. But at a micro level their

names forms and places may change according to their papa and punya. There would

be sadhus and dushtas owing to their own karmas. In every yuga many would practice

bhakti or saranagati and attain moksham. Our karmas and pain / pleasure as a result,

is not inflicted by Bhagavan. It is our own deed. I have explained this while answering

another similar question in this section a few days ago. Kindly refer to Question ID: 36

for more details on this.

Question ID: 82 - Swamiji i am feeling very very guilty because all my problems inmy family is due to my ignorance and carelessness only. is iam only person responsible for what happened ?.is it because of karma? - Question By - meyyammai, [email protected]

We are, due to karma, responsible for the happenings in and around us. However we

are not the only one responsible. There are five factors which coordinate any action

and result - sareeram, pranam, indriyam, atma, paramatma. We must reflect on this

and develop a strong sense that I am not the doer. This is known as akartrva

anusandhanam. Neither this absolves us of our papams nor does it approve us to

commit papams. . We must strictly adhere to sastric principles and in the process if we

inadvertently commit any mistake, it would not affect us. For a saranagata, any papam

is removed if we repent for it and resolve not to commit it again.

Question ID: 81 - Pranams! Dear swamiji. We all have the practice of doing Santhayavandhanam daily. but we do not know for what santhyavandanam is been done and also please let me know the purpose of doing it. Namaskarams! - Question By - A R Hariharan, [email protected]

Kindly contact our information centre at 044 24992728. There is a cd released by

Vaikunthavasi Sri U Ve Srinivasa raghavachariar swamy (srikaryam of andavan asram)

which was published by Sri Suresh Krishna of TVS Madurai. This is free. It would give

you all the information you require about sandhyavandanam.

Question ID: 80 - Pranams! As per your advice lastweek"Certainly anjaneya swamy would give you whatever you want. From your questions it seems that you want a lot. What do you want at this age ? A tip for your practice - do pradakshinam chanting Rama namam for a week just for the sake of pleasing Anjaneya swamy (without requesting anything from him) and let us know the result. You can chant sundara kandam regularly". I went to anjaneya swami temple just for pleasing anjaneya swami without asking for wants.I am just starting to feel confident on myself and also i am getting the Bhagyam of hearing Ramayanam from you at vani mahal, Chennai. I feel this had been the greatest gift. Thanks for your advice. Also please tell me any other practice to do daily other than santhyavandhanam which i do it regularly. Namaskarams! - Question By - A R Hariharan, [email protected]

Kindly chant important stotras of acharyas, tiruppallandu and tiruppavai.

Question ID: 79 - I wonder, Why Mangai Mannan (Thirumangai Azhwar) did not visit Thothadri (Vaanamaamalai) which is a Swayam Kshetram and one among 108, inspite his being in Thirukurungudi, which is very near?!!! He visited lengths and breadths but still left the cited Kshetra!!! Any specific reason to know? With respectful Pranams, T.Sridharan - Question By - T. SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

There are a few more instances also like this. No specific reason.

Question ID: 78 - VANCHA KALPADRUPYASCA KRUPA SINDUTHA EVACHA PATITANAM PAVANEPYO VAISHAVEPYO NAMO NAMAH! acharyan Thiruvadigale charnam Mudal alwargal birth time most of the acharyas described in dwapara yugam. But in their pasurams they were mentioning about krishna leelas. Like that Thirumazhasai piran in his pasuram mentioned about samana and sakya matham....'. As per the history samana madam just 2000 years before. Kindly clear my doubts. adeyan Ramanuja dasan - Question By - RAMANUJAM SARANATHAN, [email protected]

Dvaparayuga consists of 864000 years out of which 720000 years is the actual yuga

and 72000 years of purva sandhi and 72000 years of uttara sandhi. Sri Krishna

departed this material world on the last year of the actual yuga i.e. 720000th year.

Mudal azhvargal were born after Sri Krishna during uttara sandhi kalam. Regarding the

other question, bouddha and jaina were existing much before these recent buddhas

and jainas. It is evident from the fact that Sage Veda vyasa condemns these faiths in

his Brahma sutra which belongs to dvapara yuga.

Question ID: 76 - I understand that you have started sending the charts to some people (Kinchitjkaram - 3 months - Rs 1280 - donors). I would be very grateful and blessed one if I get the charts which I feel enable me to go thro again and again and thereby improve my knowledge and self. - Narayanan Sridharan. My earlier question is below: ===== Respected Swamiji, I have the Baghyam of listenng "Kannanin Aaravamudhu" (both morning andf evening) in Pothigai Channel on Mondays thro' Fridays. Due to my poor & inadequate retentions, whenever you explain the Stanzas by chart or using "padigal" I am finding it difficult to recollect the same. Hence I request your goodselves that these charts / "Padigal" may also be made available in our website so that many perople like me would get the benefit of repeatedly going thro them and our spiritual thurst wouid get quenched. - Question By - Narayanan Sridharan, [email protected] ---- The answer received is : ---- Yes we would do that. ============== I await. NarayananSridharan -

[email protected] - Question By - Narayanan Sridharan, [email protected]

The charts are on our website under the URL Pictures talk. Kindly go through.

Question ID: 75 - Swami, India has 2% of World's land, while the share on population is 20%.With due consideration to other beleifs, more than 95% of World's population, may not be following either Saivam or Vaishnavam. Is it a Divine plan, to populate India more, such that they are initiated into the attainment of Moksha, atleast after some lives? India is still predominantly a poor country [as per Material standards] with many beggers. Does our scriptures prescribe begging? US/Europe/Japan are prospering with healtheir and wealthier citizens, while in India, with excellent Spritual tradition, many are struggling to live. I am pained at this and hence this unorganized question ? - Question By - Kalyanapuram Kannan, [email protected]

Bharata desam is the karma bhumi as mentioned in Sri Vishnu puranam. All the sastric

deeds here bear fruits in moksham. I remember to have read somewhere that once

Indian Prime Minister Sri Lal Bahadur Sastri landed in China along with a few vedic

scholars. The then Chinese Premier Mr. Mao Tse Tung greeted them along with chinese

scholars. He had conveyed the belief in china to our Prime Minister - "To take birth in

Bharat is the penultimate step to attaining salvation." Poverty in India is due to 1. We

being robbed of our wealth by many foreign invaders. 2. It depends on the definition of

wealth. We have been taught to develop our inherent and eternal power of meditation

rather than material wealth. Our focus is on the invisible atman and paramatman but

others focus on visible wealth and this perishable body. For them, material wealth,

which is difficult and painful to earn, is the means for pleasure but for us, bhakti or

saranagati, which are easy and enjoyable to practice, are the means for absolute bliss.

For us both the means and the end are enjoyable. 3. Sri Krishna says ' yasya

anugraham icchami tasya vittam haramyaham - "I rob the wealth of those whom I

choose to bless". Hope this divine statement dispels all doubts.

Question ID: 74 - Poojyasri Swamiji, I wanted to share with you 2 dreams I had recently. Few days back I had a dream of someone explaining about a temple, which highlights the importance of the name "Rama". I dont know which temple he was referring to. Couple of days back I had a dream where someone is showing me a book with lot of images of god and devotees. One picture I can remember clearly is of Lord Narasimha and in that dream I can remember someone chanting the verse "Naarasimha vapuh sriman Keshavah Purushottamah" from Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam. I request swamiji to guide me on the significance of these dreams. Is it pointing me to some temple or to do something specific? I do Sri Vishnu

Sahasranama Parayanam daily along with Lakshmi ashtotthara and other slokhas. Should I be doing something in addition? Humbly request you to guide me on this. - Question By - Sivakumar PR, [email protected]

I am sorry that I do not know about interpretation of dreams. One thing that the

Upanishads admit is that dreams are a result of punya and papa karmas. This is an

intermediary state to deep sleep. All objects in the dream are created by Brahmam. It

is good that you had dream of Perumal.

Question ID: 73 - Swami, The Kali yuga is of 438,000 years. The current year -Circa 2008 AD corresspond to Kali year 5109.In the Arithmatic perspective, not even 1.2% of Kaliyuga has passed. In this light, how long will be the impact of teachings of Adi Sankara, Ramanuja, Vedanta Desika... on mankind. They had lived in the last 1500 years and will their impact be felt in the ever changing world?. Sorry if my ignornace has not been framed correctly. - Question By - Kalyanapuram Kannan, [email protected]

Their teachings would be relevant and alive till the last day of kali and then on for

ever. The number of people practicing them may diminish but would never become

zero.

Question ID: 71 - Moksham - To be very precise, when I was having darshan of Lord Vardaraja in Kancheepuram (Thatu Thirumanjanam), I had a feeling as if salvation is a state where one forgets oneself in divine ananda and in that process forget onself and also Him. It was a very palpable feeling. I should say I was literally able to see Him there. Is salvation really like that? - Question By - surabhi, [email protected]

Moksham is getting relieved of the pain and pleasure of this mundane world. While

having darshan of Perumal and experiencing His attributes, since we are absorbed in it

we get such a feeling. However this ecstasy vanishes once we are out of sight of

Perumal as the clutches of this world arrest us. It requires a lot of yogam to extend

this ecstasy even when we are away from Him. This pleasure becomes permanent

when we reach Sri vaikuntham which is parama pada prapti.

Question ID: 70 - Namaskarams. This doubt relates to Thirumangai Azwar. When Sriman Narayanan wishes to place his lotus feet on Azwar's head, Azwar declines. In addition he states I prefer to serve your Bhakta than you, as elucidated by your discourse last week at Saranatha perumal divya desam. What is the philosophy behind this and, why does the Azwar prefer the service to Jivatama in the presence of paramatma? Kindly pardon my ignorance. With sincere regards, Srinath - Question By - Srinath, [email protected]

This is due to many reasons 1. Bhaktas are the ones who lead us to Bhagavan sowing

the seed of bhakti - we need to be grateful to them more than Bhagavan.

Ezhutharivittavan iraivanagum. 2. They are the lotus feet of Bhagavan - serving them

is serving Bhagavan Himself. 3. Our objective is to please Bhagavan the Master - He is

more pleased when we serve bhaktas than serving Him. 4. Bhaktas share our pleasure

while enjoying bhagavat vishayam and share our agony due to His separation or the

torture of this material world. 5. They correct us when we err. 6. Being humans, in a

way they understand our plight better than Bhagavan can.

Question ID: 69 - Namasthe, I would like to know, how one can develop the sathvakunam,in the context of this fast and speedy world and the Second question is what to do with the coconut that was offered in the purna kumpam to the saint when they do the "ponnadisathudal" at our home in view of the sastra that we should not eat the food touched by the saints as per Agaraniyam by swami Desikan. Kindly clear my doubt. with pranams, S.raghavan - Question By - S.Raghavan, [email protected]

Ahara suddhi (controlled diet and consumption of satvika food), knowledge about the

shortcomings of rajas and tamas, knowledge about our well being and feeling of

satisfaction when satva guna improves, focusing our sensual organs on the suddha

satva deity of Bhagavan, meditating on the divine attributes of Perumal, nitya karma

anushthanam are some of the ways that help us develop satva guna.

Question ID: 68 - anahakoti namaskaram swamiji, kindly pardon me if am wrong... This year calender is excellent and its worth preserving it in good condition for million years unlike the other regular calender... one of my relative asked me to buy the calender, so i purchased it and gave it her as a gift as i thought she will read & enjoy the whole concept of the calender. but i came to know from my mother in law , she did nt keep in the house rather she didnt hang it near mandir or perumal 's place. though my mother in law would like to read it but its not available to her sight too. As i heard she bundled and kept it inside... my mind is really disturbed by this act... many times my mind provoked me to ask the same and give the same to some one (i know many deserving prople who are kannanin devotees) but my other mind is also preventing me , not to do that.. i am also thinking as you said i did my

karma and forget the outcome. but my least expectation is the " conceptial calender" supposed to utilize well by us as bhaktas.. I really cant think beyond krishna & Lord Uppliappan ... please kindly give me the strength to control my thought and fruitful reply to my question. then i am sure my mind will be satisfied by your answer only. sorry for adiyens' quest. radhamohan - Question By - radhamohan, [email protected]

Nothing wrong in asking her as to the fate of the calendar. You can even suggest her a

couple of times to read it. If all these attempts fail, you can request her to give it to

any of her friends who would read it. We should not spare any attempt to induce

people to bhakti without getting perturbed.

Question ID: 65 - vanakkam ayya. mathurakavi aazhwarukkum nammaaazhvaarukkum idaye aana 'seththadu vayitril siriyadhu kidappin......" enum uraiyaadalukku vilakkam aliththamaikku miikka nandri. melum , atharku veroru vilakkam ulladhaaka koorineerkale!! athayum thantharula iyalumaa? - Question By - ambarish, [email protected]

That is the one found in all books and that is why I did not write. Settadu is achit -

siriyadu is jiva - Where would it live and enjoy - it would enjoy material pleasure and

be bounded in cycles of birth.

Question ID: 64 - Dear Swami, adiyen was listening to your discourse on 'Devaperumal's Aaru Vaarthai' (CD) where devareer has mentioned about 'Swarakshane Swaanwayam'. The examples given by you for the same are two - 1. Rani not relying on her Raja and asking the neighbouring State's Raja to protect her and 2. A lady not relying on her husband and going for work for her sustinence. While the first example is understandable, I have a question regarding the second one. Do you mean to say that women should not go for work and depend on the husband's earnings only to run the family? This might be true or applicable even until fifty years back, but in this modern age, how can we ask women to stay at home, especially since they are also equally competent (if not more) in most areas of work like men. Please forgive me for raising this but wanted to seek your views on the subject. Adiyen, Geetha Krishnan - Question By - Geetha Krishnan, [email protected]

I understand your view but the dictums of the sastram remain the same. It is the

male's duty to sustain his spouse as per the mantras he had chanted.

Question ID: 63 - Pranams. Human body (any living being) is comprised of crores of cells. These cells have individual life span. (this is evident from the fact that even after the soul leaves the body, body parts are transplanted and function well in other body) During their life span they are nourished by the whole body function under the influence of Jeevatma. Is it appropriate to say that: (1) nucleus of each cell is `chit` (Jeevatma) (2) surrounded by protons and electrons àchit` (3) the `Jeevatmaòf the whole body becomes the `Paramatma` for these individual cells. (4) ie., `chit` &àchit` of all cells collectively form the àchit` or `body` of the àtman` inside the whole body. Please throw light. Respectful pranams. T.Sridharan - Question By - T.SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

All cells, atoms including protons neutrons and electrons, molecules are all achit. The

atman resides in them due to karma. They may be many atmans in any part.

Question ID: 62 - Respected Swamin you have mentioned that samashrayanam is not a mere ritual and that one has to follow the internal and external prescriptions. What are they? could you please be more specific. what does one have to do to increase the mental inclination of total surrender and mature us spiritually especially if one has not got it even after samashrayanam? What importance do chanting of dwayam and ashtaksharam have in post prapatti days? i find that a lot of people do not chant these two mantras but do chant other slokas other srivaishnava acharyas. is this approach correct? - Question By - Geetha Rangarajan, [email protected]

A direct interaction with your samasrayana acharya would be the only right reply to

your question. However, I state in brief Internal qualities - realize that Me, the eternal

atman, is different and superior to this perishable body, not offend anybody through

manas vaak or sareeram, control of sensual organs, steadily develop a detachment to

anything material, develop an attachment and love towards Brahmam Brahmam, shed

haughtiness, practice non violence and patience, honesty in manas vaak and

sareeram, speak only the truth, practice dyanam on Perumal for atleast 30 minutes a

day, think about the glorious berth in Srivaikuntham that is waiting for us and the

path, archiradi marga, which would lead us there, bhagavat bhagavata acharya

pratipatti, absolute belief in the truth that Sriman Narayana, the supreme is my only

sustainer and giver of Moksham, dwell and reflect on bhagavan's divine attributes

which gives immense pleasure, ensure that our entire family in this same wavelength

External qualities : support your parents till their last day, allot atleast 2 hours in a

week to serve somebody in need, learn to live for others, perform nitya karma

anushthana as per varna asrama dharma, consume only satvika ahara that is offered

to Perumal, wear tiruman, get samasrayanam administered, recite nitya

anusandhanam and perform tiruvaradhanam to Perumal daily, contribute our little

mite to acharyan and divya desams in cash or kind or physical service or all the three,

attend kalakshepams to enrich our understanding on Bhagavan, chant dvayam and

Bhagavan namams as many times as possible daily, be thankful to the purva acharya

parampara which blessed us with this treasure

Question ID: 61 - Respected Swamiji, I have the Baghyam of listenng "Kannanin Aaravamudhu" (both morning andf evening) in Pothigai Channel on Mondays thro' Fridays. Due to my poor & inadequate retentions, whenever you explain the Stanzas by chart or using "padigal" I am finding it difficult to recollect the same. Hence I request your goodselves that these charts / "Padigal" may also be made available in our website so that many perople like me would get the benefit of repeatedly going thro them and our spiritual thurst wouid get quenched. - Question By - Narayanan Sridharan, [email protected]

Yes we would do that.

Question ID: 60 - Pranams! I am 26 yrs Old. I am a bhakta of Anjaneyar Swami. I daily go to anjaneya swamy temple in my place. But now-a-days people come and say to me that Anjaneya swami does not give what you need in instance or quick time. so it is good for to rather go to some Vishnu temples or Pilayar temples. BUt i certainly believe that Anjaneya swami will not let me down. I request you to kindly tell me the pooja and stothras to chant for anjaneya swami and also i request you to tell me how many pradhakshanams should i do for anjaneya swami. A.R.Hariharan - Question By - Hariharan, [email protected]

Certainly anjaneya swamy would give you whatever you want. From your questions it

seems that you want a lot. What do you want at this age ? A tip for your practice - do

pradakshinam chanting Rama namam for a week just for the sake of pleasing

Anjaneya swamy (without requesting anything from him) and let us know the result.

You can chant sundara kandam regularly.

Question ID: 59 - Pranams! I would like to clarify certain doubts which have been in mind for a long period. I had seen so many elder person do all the mistakes at their young age and when they become old they certainly change viceversa. At the older age they do all their duties, go for upanyasams.temples, perform homams etc.. but they forgot that when they are young, they where the person who does not respect their parents or elders. I certainly believe that, all those sins u did at the young age will certainly have the replica at the olderage. Kindly advice whether my thinking is correct or not. - Question By - A R Hariharan, [email protected]

Yes. we have to experience the result of any karma. Karma can be burnt through two

means 1. by experiencing or 2. by prayaschittam. The first route is too long and we do

not know the procedure for the second route. Saranagati is in lieu of prayaschittams.

Once you surrender, repent for the previously committed papams and do not repeat

them, our karmas are pardoned by Sriman Narayana.

Question ID: 58 - Respected Swamin!! adiyen humble pranams!! Your highness may kindly present your reply for the following two questions: 1.As per rule when the couple seeking blessing and vice versa , spouse stands on theright side of her husband where as the idle or divyamangala vigraha of Ramar in tirucherai or wherever we see the pictures in the frames, Goddess sita is standing on the left side of Ramar or to say thayaar standing on the left side of perumal. Pl clarify the reason behind this. 2. It was told in one of Devareer upanyasams that when kuchela met Lord Krishna He took handful of Aval from Kuchela and when he started taking a second morsel of aval Rukmini thaayaar forced him not to take since already for one morsel Lord krishna is after kuchela and if he takes one more morsel even thaayar would be a slave of kuchela. Here the doubt arises to me that out of premai he is taking more. In this context question of slavery of thaayaar to kuchela why arises ? If bagwan wish he can even shrink his wealth to the extent needed to him . Then why thayaar should be slave for taking aval out of love on kuchela. This is only a question out of inquisitiveness and not to hurt the principles behind this. Purely out of ignorance this is raised. Pl pardon me for this and kindly consider as a question asked by an ignorant child asking to father. Adiyen ramanuja dhasan!! - Question By - kalyani venkatesh, [email protected]

The explanation given to me at Tirucherai was - this tirukkolam is of vana vasa ramar

where they are at will and so the common rule of spouse being to the right does not

apply. Whether Krishna consumes the second morsel out of love or compulsion, the

result would be the same.

Question ID: 57 - respected swami, from your geethopadesam i slowly attained sathvika mind. and i came to a conclusion that only lord krishna is important in this world and no other thing is needed so all desires and wishes has ceased from my mind slowly. but one day i was insulted by one of my friend . i felt so bad that whole day. in such situations how i have to react. whether i should reinsult or fight or maintain silence that god takes care of everything. i am not able to decide.is there any answer for this in geetha. please give me a solution. - Question By - aishwarya ramanuja dasi, [email protected]

Your friend can only insult your body and certainly not your atman. You are to

experience pain as a result of your karma and your friend is an instrument in

implementing it. It is your Karma that makes Bhagavan to influence your friend to

insult you. Violent response would add to your karma. Just think in these lines - you

will not respond and not be disturbed.

Question ID: 56 - Dear Swami, May I know the significance of calling SRI RAAMANUJA as Acharya and SRI KOORATHALWVAR as ALWAR though latter is the deciple of SRI RAMANUJA ?. What is the role played by Acharyas & and Alwars ? Kindly clarify. - Question By - RAMAN.PADMANABHAN, [email protected]

Your question has the clue to the answer. Azhvars are those who are more absorbed in

divine experience and bhakti and less focused on preaching. On the contrary acharyas

took up preaching as their prime responsibility and experience was secondary.

Koorathazhvan was an exception amongst acharyas who was more inclined towards

divine experience and outpourings which won that title to him.

Question ID: 55 - Hello my name is gautam.i am in class x i would like to know where and how did come. - Question By - gautam, [email protected]

You are created by the Almighty God through your parents in this birth. You are a part

of the same Brahmam. As your limbs are a part of you, you are a part of Paramatma

Sriman Narayana. Think about Him as many times as you can in your day, listen to His

stories and you would progressively realize that you are His part, supported by Him

always and protected by Him in all circumstances.

Question ID: 53 - Mathsyavathara: Why Sri Hari took Asuras along with Devas for churning the Ocean? Is it that good and bad in balance are required for action? Why the karmaphala, ie., nectar was not shared to Asuras who were also part of the said Karma, ie., chruning? If the outcome was to be reached to the deserving, ie., SriLakshmi to Sriman Narayana, Aalakala poison to Shankara, Nectar to Devas etc. what Asuras got out of the said Karma? Please clear my ignorance. Respectful Pranams. T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

Bhagavan is asrita pakshapaadi ie He is partial towards His devotees. Devas are His

devotees while asuras are not. (quote: Vishnu bhakti paro deva: viparita: tathaasura:)

Asuras were denied of the nectar as a result of their papa karmas. Narayana

suggested that devas join hands with asuras as they could not have churned it alone

and also that asuras strength diminishes by the poisonous exhale of vasuki.

Question ID: 52 - enadhu vanakkangal. aiyaa, nammazhvar kuzhandhayaga irukkumpozhuthu mathurakavi aazhvar avaridam "seththathin vayitril siriyadhu kidappin eththai thindru enge kidakkum ?" ena kelvi ketkiraar. atharku namaazhvar "aththai thindru ange kidakkum" endru vidai alikiraar. Intha irandu vasanangalin moolam ulagirku unartha vizhayum seythu yaathu? ithu kurithu pala kshethrangalil periyorgalidam vilakkam kettu vitten. avargal sariyaaga vilakka villai. Dhayai koornthu enakku vilakku veergala? - Question By - ambarish, [email protected]

At the outset, let me place a request. While asking a question kindly do not write or

even think that many have not answered your question earlier and so you are asking

again. There are many great scholars in our sampradaya who can clear any doubt.

Probably you might not have had a chance to interact with them. Now about your

doubt: This saying has two interpretations and I am giving one here. Settadu - jivatma

laden with karma and covered by agnana. Siriyadu - svarupa gnana - (i.e. if a jiva who

has been absorbed in the cycles of birth and agnana is blessed with a little svarupa

gnana )ettai tinnu enge kidakkum - which would be its way to attain Bhagavan and

what would it enjoy on reaching Attai tinnu ange kidakkum - it would absorb

Bhagavan's lotus feet as the only means and enjoy serving the same eventually. The

purpose of this statement is to convey that Bhagavan is the means and He is the

accomplishment (upaaya and Upeya)

Question ID: 51 - Ananthakoti dhandangal to Devareer's thiruvadi! Devareer's upanyasams have been a constant source of guidance to me. i strongly believe that Srimannarayanan alone is the Parabrahman. I've heard people saying that God is formless,etc., Where does the concept of nirguna/nirvisesha brahman arise as said by the advaithins? Is there any mention about it in the vedas/upanishads? - Question By - hiranmayi, [email protected]

There are some portions in the Vedanta which apparently suggest nirguna brahmam.

However when read along with all other vakyas we can arrive at the correct concept

that Brahmam is sagunam. After establishing the auspicious qualities of Brahmam

through saguna vakyas, the nirguna vakyas do not negate the same auspicious

qualities of Brahmam but the inauspicious qualities.

Question ID: 50 - namaskarangal.Eventhough i do the duties correctly, still myself and patient (wife) suffering like anything.She got kidney transplant last april, donor is myself. We are having strong faith lord krishna thats what we are able to survive with this difficulties.We sometimes lose our hope.But after seeing your spiritual discourse thro' " POTHIGAI" we convince ourselves. Still she is having some health problems .Can you pl guide us to pass the hurdles . - Question By - dayalan, [email protected]

I am moved by the way you have taken things positively seeking solace in Sri Krishna.

At times He puts His bhaktas through many hardships. It is like gold subjected to

hardships to decorate the neck of somebody. Here we can be assured that we would

be a necklace around the neck of Sri Krishna. Kindly chant His holy names as much as

possible. You can chant Nammazhvar's 1st centum 7th decad "piravittuyar ara..." (11

verses) which would reduce your agony. Sri Krishna would certainly stand by you.

Question ID: 49 - I pay my obeisances unto u. With reference to one of the verses from Srimadh Bhagavatha Mahapuranam, adiyaen infer that Krishna is the Bhagavan or Svayam - meaning he is the seed/creator of this Universe and the last part says, the different incarnations happen when there is a disturbance. So, it would mean to say that the Krishna avatharam is the Svayam Avatharam or the God himself came to earth? and all other incarnations are his portions? Also, i would like to know if Krishna, Sriman Narayanan, Maha Vishnu are interchangeable and they refer to the same name. Please correct me if i am wrong. Thanks. Hare Krishna - Question By - Srikanth, [email protected]

Svayam only means it is Sri Mahavishnu Himself who incarnates. This usage does not

give any room to say that all other incarnations are of Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna avatara

is read along with all other avataras. When it mentions that Narayana or Hari or Vishnu

incarnates, it means that Sriman Narayana is the avatari and Sri Krishna is His

avataram. Let us conclude this string of questions with this reply.

Question ID: 47 - Hails to Sri Hari. Your Discourse on Bhagavat Geeta on TV is very simple superb are the ways you try to push the meanings into the listener. But still, if some listeners are like me, at the end of 18 chapters, we will end up in the middle of the road, confusing between which yoga to practice. In Kali, it is fast, even willing to reach Sri Vaikuntha by `hook or crook`, means, `we cant perform yogas strictly as per norms, but still sincerely WISH to reach SRIMAN NARAYANA`s SRIPADHAM. So, I submit that you may have to give an easy CAPSULE at the END OF 18 CHAPTERS, which is practical and easy to `swallow` or FOLLOW by any common man in this Kaliyuga - like `Om Namo Narayanaya Namaha` by SriRamanuja - which takes us TO HIM. Doctrines are bound to get crossed in Kali and hence solution

suitable for Kali is required. Respectful Pranams. T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

We are not going to invent new yogas. Saranagati is the right medicine in kali yuga.

However using phrases like hook or crook would only demean the greatness of

saranagati. Even saranagati fetches moksham only if performed with realization and

maha visvasa.

Question ID: 46 - Pl give very simple definition that even a layman can understand clearly - for Advaita, Dwaita and Vishishtadvaita. Also, when all paths are leading to same destination, what is the need for the evolution of three Sidhanthas? With respectful Pranams, T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

Advaita - Only one real atman which is brahmam, other than that everything else

whether sentient or non sentient is illusion, jiva and brahmam are one and the same.

There is nothing second to brahmam. Brahmam is formless, attributeless. Realising

that everything is illusion and I am Brahmam is (ikyam) moksham. Visishta advaitam -

all the three chit achit and isvara are real and different. Chit and achit are inseperably

dependant on paramatma. There is nothing that is equal to the paramatma that is in

communion with chit and achit. Brahmam assumes all forms, and is full of divine

attributes. Realising that I am the absolute servant of brahmam and attaining

Srivaikuntham to enjoy eternal bliss (saamyapatti )is moksham. Dvaitam - chit achit

and isvara are real and different. The jiva is not entirely dependant on paramatma. As

you can see all the three do not lead to the same destination. So the need to rightly

interpret the Vedanta.

Question ID: 45 - My respectable pranaam to you acharya ! ahdiyen have planbned for Sri Maha Sudarshana Homam at my Home. I would like to know information about Sudarshana homam. Can we have Lord sudarshana photo at home? some pweople say we should not have it at home. request you to please clarify the same . Many Thanks - Question By - Vinodh, [email protected]

Kindly contact your family brhaspati. He would be the right person to guide you.

Question ID: 44 - Respected Swamy, Adiyen namaskaram. Kindly request you to clarify my following doubt. What is the difference between "Jeevathma as sareeram of paramathma" and "Jeevathma as prakaram of paramathma". Thanks. Satya. - Question By - Satya, [email protected]

atma as a sareeram of Paramatma is a dravya which forms part of His divine body,

being borne and controlled by Him for His sole enjoyment. Atma as a prakaram ? it is

apruthak siddha viseshanam of Paramatma ? inseparable qualification. All sareerams

would be prakarams but not all prakarams are sareerams. The divine qualities of

Brahmam is His prakaram but they are not His divine body. Jiva is His sareeram as well

as prakaram.

Question ID: 19 - Swami sannidhiyil adiyen Ramanuja dasan thendam samarpiththa vignapanam. Swami, adiyen is blessed to have the thiruvadi sambandham of Thirumani Swamikal of Mudaliyandan Thiruvamsam (at Thiruallikeni). adiyen has two daughters aged 7 and 4. adiyen is confused about how and when they will get their samasrayanam and get Ramanuja sambandham. Supposing adiyen had boys, they would have had their samasrayanam immediately after their upanayanam. But what about girls, Why do they have to wait till their marriage? if so why this lowkika even called 'marriage' is preventing their opportunity to get samasrayanam? as an athma why are they having different rule? what if they don't live till they get married? Can adiyen approach my Achryan for my daughters samasraynam? Swamy kindly enlighten. adiyen Ramanaja dasan Sampath Kumar Padmanaban - Question By - Sampath Kumar, [email protected]

We have a practice of girls? samasrayanam after their marriage only. Do not feel that

they are denied till that age. Sastras wait till that age. For that matter even male

children are denied till the age of upanayanam. The point to be noted is that they are

not denied for ever. If a girl decides to remain unmarried then she can approach her

acharyan for samasrayanam. Even practically speaking if they get samasrayanam

before marriage and then after marriage her inlaws acharyan would be different, will

she get samasrayanam again (which is not permitted) or would husband and wife

belong to two acharyans. So kindly wait till your daughters get married and then they

can be administered samasrayanam through their in laws acharyan.

Question ID: 43 - My respectable pranaam to you, My question is, sometimes people think that Lord Krishna is one among the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, but my understanding is that Lord Krishna is the source forms including Maha Vishnu, Garbhodakshayi Vishnu and Kshirodakashyai Vishnu. These are 24 lila avatars like

Matsya avatar, Kurma avatar etc., and all these originate from Krishna. That is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam (1.3.28) "ete camsa kala pumsa krishnas tu bhagavan svayam" and on other hand it is said Lord Vishnu is the bhagavan or supreme lord. please can you clear my doubts. Please forgive me if I have offended you or any of the sampradayas. - Question By - [email protected], [email protected]

There are hundreds of verses in Srimad Bhagavatam which talk about the supremacy

of Sriman Narayana or Sri Maha Vishnu or Hari. The words in the slokas and the

purport are clear that 1. Narayana is the Creator and everything else is created.

(2.5.15,16)(2.6.30) 2. From matsya to kalki , not only 24, but innumerable number of

avataraas are all of Narayana. 3. Sri vaikuntham is the ultimate abode where

Paravasudeva resides and where every atman has to reach some day. Just browse

through and rewind 5 slokas - 1.3.23. Ekonavimse vimsati tame vrishnishu prapya

janmani - ramakrishnou iti bhuvo Bhagavan aharat bharam. This sloka says that Sri

Krishna and Balarama are both incarnations of the same Vishnu like any other

incarnation. They are also numbered as 19 and 20. In the 28th sloka which you have

mentioned it differentiates Sri Krishna from the other avesa avataras like parasurama ,

vyasa and manus and confirms that Sri Krishna is one of the mukhya avataras. Again

in 2.7.26 it is mentioned that Sri Krishna and Balarama are the 21st and 22nd avataras

of the same Sri Mahavishnu. In 9.24.45 it is said that Hari took birth as the eighth child

Krishna. When the devas go to the ocean of milk and plead to save them, Bhagavan

assures to take birth as Krishna and relieve them (10.1.23). Further in 10.2.16 it

specifies that an amsa ( a portion) of Vishnu entered the womb of Devaki to be

krishna. So, Sri Krishna, the most beloved of all the azhvars, is an incarnation of

Sriman Narayana.

Question ID: 42 - Swami Adiyen Ramanuja Dasi. My humble pranams. First of all thank you very much for taking time off for ignorant souls like me, who, but for your Kalakshebam CDs would have been totally lost in life ! My question is: What is the significance of Varnashrama Dharma in todays world? I understand that doing karma the Vedic way is important, but it looks like in todays world, we do it in parallel to our other activities like education, work etc. When I try to look at the essence of the Vedic Karma classification, I feel that we should also take the essence of it in our activities today(not only Spiritual activities, but also normal activities). For example, irrespective of a person's birth varna, if he works as a Software Engineer(for example), or a Professor, it is a task that involves more mental strain than physical strain.. For such a person, irrespective of his birth, the extra muscle power from meat eating is not necessary. It will only lead to health complications. Similarly, a person working in the Army, irrespective of his birth, needs more muscle power. There, we can see what the Vedas prescribe for a Kshatriya, and follow it. So, the significance of the Varnashrama dharma in essence in todays world, is what I would like to understand. I am not sure if I have formulated my thoughts well.. May be I will follow it up with more questions later.. Thank you very much for this opportunity. Pizhaigalai Kshamikka Prarthikkiren.. Adiyen. - Question By - Deepa Vijayaraghavan, [email protected]

Varna and asrama dharmas are relevant for any day. They may deteriorate due to the

changing yugaas and more due to the nature of people in the yugaas. Your suggestion

that we can alter the prescribed dharmas according to their current profession cannot

be held valid as, prima facie, a change in profession itself is not acceptable. When

there is a rule that I should not cross the yellow line can we formulate a fresh set of

rules for driving across the line. In reality even if many are crossing it cannot be

justified or ratified. I would write further when you clearly come up with your doubt.

Question ID: 41 - " It is the karma of dvarapalaka's which decided their demonaic birth". I am confused. Even if the souls (Dvarapalaks) at Sri Vaikuntam are influenced by karma and take birth, which is the state attaining which neither Karmas nor birth influence? Which is such state `Saranagathi` takes the soul of no-return? Please throw light to my ignorence. Respectful Pranams. T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

It is either karya vaikuntham or Sri Vishnu lokam where this took place. As you have

rightly said Sri vaikuntham is a place for those who have shed all their karmas and

attained mukti and this is why sanaka and sanatkumara could not have visited here.

Further in Sri vaikuntham Bhagavan never sleeps and so dvarapalakas could not have

stopped the two citing Bhagavan's resting as a reason.

Question ID: 40 - Swami, Kindly advise the apt timings of performing Sandhya vandanam and Madhyannigam. Also request the appropraite timings of taking food, suiting the above. With due consideration to my Karma, I am comfortable with the western system of Breakfast [8 [am]hours], Lunch [1-2 p.m] and Dinner [7-8 p.m]. - Question By - Kalyanapuram Kannan, [email protected]

You can perform prata: Sandhya between 5.45 - 6 am. Then tiruvaradhanam,

madhyanhikam - 7.45 am. and then breakfast. Evening Sandhya between 5.30 and 6

pm. I do not know whether you are still employed. If not, these timings and practices

can be altered to better suit vaidic culture.

Question ID: 39 - Swaminh, Pranams I have some clarifications about our Sampradhaya. The doubts may be quite absurd but please pardon me and oblige to clarify them. 1. Heard in aupanyasam that there is a vyakyanam for Srimath

Baghavatham with vaishnavite / vishishtadhwaidhic principles other than Sridhariyam, which is based on adwaitha. Would like to know about that. 2. Srimath Baghavatham is a saadhwika purana as old as more than 1000 years ago. But heard that Baghavatham - a collections of vedic mantras came to this world only after the period of Swamy Ramanuja - is it so? 3. There is no quotation of Srimath Baghavatham in the life history of Swamy Ramanuja either "like Ramayana, Baghavath vishayam from five Acharyas but not Baghavatham like this" Why is it so? Is it due to that Baghavatham contains also matter of devathandhara Bhajanam? 4. Swami Ramanuja & Swami Manavalamamuni both are sages. But Thiruvadhayanam (annual ceremony) is done for only Manavalamamuni and but not for Swami Ramanuja. Both are incarnations of Adhiseshan. Why this discrepancy? Dhanyawaadh Adiyen Radheeka Jegann - Question By - Radheeka Jegann, [email protected]

1. Veeraraghaviyam is the commentary based on vedic principles i.e. vishistadvaitic

concepts. 2 and 3 - Sri Ramanuja has neither quoted any verse from Bhagavatam in

any of his works nor has he mentioned about that in any of his discourses. So he could

not have propagated it. Bhagavatam does not contain any devatantara bhajanam. If so

it would not have been categorized as satvika purana. There is also an opinion that

Bhagavatam in vogue today might have been authored by a saintly poet of tamil origin

after the date of Sri Ramanuja. All these are just comments without any authenticity.

4. Tiruvadyayanam of Sri Manavala Mamunigal gained importance as it is being

conducted by Sri Ranganatha Himself as a disciple.

Question ID: 38 - respected swami, i was able to understand karma yogam,bhathi yagam, prabakthi yogam individually.but i am not able to get the differance between these three.because in all these three one cannot go out of his duty.a person following any yogam should do his duty perfectly then in what way one differs from the other. please explain.requesting your blessings. aishwarya. - Question By - aishwarya ramanuja dasi, [email protected]

Karma yogam is ancillary to bhakti yogam. Performing ones karma burns his papam.

This is a prerequisite to the dawn of bhakti. Both karma and bhakti are categorized as

saadhya upaya - i.e. which is accomplished by human efforts. Prapatti is siddha upaya

where the responsibility to do anything to attain moksham ceases with humans and

gets switched to Bhagavan. It is His effort that reaches us to moksham in this.

Question ID: 37 - Respected Sir, 1. I am not learned in Sanskrit to study the vedas and comprehend their meaning myself.I repeatedly find people telling that meat eating was prevelent in ancient India.One person also said Rig Veda Book 1 Chapter 162 verse 12 shows meat eating was encouraged. I believe that misinterpretation is the order of the day and this is one such case but on the other hand Lord Krishna

mentions in Bhagavad Gita " thraigunya vishayaa vedhaa.....", so I am not able to come to a conclusion . 2. It is emphasised that vibrations in vedic chanting is the key to its role in our lives.A recent issue has raised questions like "why cant we use only tamil in temples as we understand it well?".What is there in sanskrit that is not there in Tamil?.Kindly explain the uniqueness of sanskrit matras. - Question By - Anand, [email protected]

Vedas do prescribe and guide one and all. Meat eating is allowed for some. They would

also transform slowly. As you have said we have to choose our right recipe from the

Vedas based on who we are and what we want to accomplish. Chanting tamil

pasurams of azhvars has been in practice for thousands of years in Vishnu Temples in

tamil nadu. This is nothing new. This in no way contradicts vedic chanting. All tamil

Vedas have their source from Sanskrit Vedas only which is verily mentioned in the

tamil pasurams themselves. So no harm can be done to Sanskrit Vedas. They are

apourusheya and anaadi. Even one word chanted rightly from Sanskrit Vedas would

reach us to svargam. Now, the request is to chant tamil nayanmars pasurams in a

select siva temple.

Question ID: 36 - I strongly feel Sriman Narayana is the one who design all Karmas for Jeeva. The Dwarapalaks of SriVaikunta were just performing their duty. It is Sriman Narayana who advance- planned for his ensuing Avatars and chose the Dwarapalaks to act as His rivals in the Avtars (I think it is again a testing for the Dwarapalaks to ensure that they are competent enough to hold that security post). This He got fulfilled thro the curse of Bruhu Rishi. So, all the acts/karmas of Hiranya, Ravana and Kamsa with their brothers, are all pre-determined by Sriman Narayana HImself. Thats why these Jivas went to the abode of Hari after the end and without any rebirth in the pretext of Karmaphala. Being the creation of SriHari, this should be applicable for all Jivas, ie., their Kama, Karma, and Karmaphala - are pre-determined by Sri Hari. At the end all Jivas automatically reach His abode as per His Plan. Why should I then worry for my Kama, Karma or Karmaphala, when it is all His? and not mine? I am acting only as His tool to satisfy His own Kama.!!! Pl comment. Respectful Pranams, T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

I had replied to this question earlier too. However let me write again. Sriman Narayana

does not decide or pre determine the karmam of jivas. It is we who are responsible for

the same. He does not influence us in this matter. Having given the required

infrastructure viz body, mind, gnana and sastras He watches us perform. It is we who

decide our actions. This does not mean that He does not control us. Although a

common farmer has about 10 acres of land, and controls them all, he tills and waters

them equally, each tree or plant grows according to their seeds only. Unlike this God

does not sow the seed. It is we who sow the seed of karmas and grow accordingly.

When we have knowledge and reasoning power why should God behave like a

shepherd, deciding the sheep's detailed course, with us. It is the karma of

dvarapalaka's which decided their demonaic birth and this was not influenced by God

to facilitate His avatara.

Question ID: 35 - Adiyen Namaskaram. Kindly pardon my ignorance. How did the Atma stray from the vicinity of Sriman Narayanan to startwith and end up having to get trapped in bodily forms in the lesser worlds ? Sincere Thanks and Regards, Srinath - Question By - Srinath, [email protected]

Atma and its karmam is anadi (without a beginning). So it was not with Brahmam

initially and then stray. It had been suffering these cycles of births for time

immemorial. But there is an end to its karmam and births through bhakti or

saranagaty.

Question ID: 34 - Dear Swami, Pranams. It is said that we should not practice " bhakthi" in aticipation / with expectation of some thing ( material / peace of mind ) from GOD. When we are in distress we are bound to pray God with an appeal that we will do a particular thing ( anna dhanam / anga prathkshanam / offering in hundi ) lest our beloved ones are rescued from their sufferigs. Is it wrong to ask our ( PITHA ) God what we want though He knows what we deserve ?. Since SARANAGADHI is NOT THAT EASY to practice. Kindly clarify. Adiyen Ramanuja dasan - Question By - RAMAN.PADMANABHAN, [email protected]

If saranagaty is tough bhakti is tougher. If we really realise God to be our parent and

act according to His wish we can request Him to cure our son or daughter or whoever

as he or she is also a bhakta. Even without this request He would cure. We should not

confuse this with bhakti. Do we request our father for something just because he is our

father or because we love him ,maintain him, pay him or prostrate before him. It is

only because we revere God as our father we ask for something material in extreme

circumstances (certainly not material wealth, buying a property, profit in business,

etc). Still we would not ask Him anything as a reciprocation for Bhakti.

Question ID: 33 - Respected Swamy! Adiyen pramam!! We the vaishnavite being an Acharyan sampandhi are not supposed to have Dhevathandhra Bhajan which atleast by now most of us might be well aware of this principle but till now from our ancestral period, during any of the friday of the month of Adi and Thai , most of us (which means all the vaishnavites including vaidhiga and non vaidhiga family) go to amman temple and pour Milk to Snake putru. If it is not done we get frightened and

we will have an obsession that snake will come in the dreams. Is that principle right and to be followed still or why there is no such restriction to it. Swamy may pl clarify. Thanks a lot and it is a big boon for us that we are living in your period so that many things are getting properly clarified. Hats off to Swamy. Adiyen Ramanuja Dhasan. - Question By - kalyani Venkatesh, [email protected]

As you said this is in practice. This is certainly not as per Srivaishnava principles.

Those who are practising can sit together as a family and discuss the issue and

discontinue. In case you do not arrive at a consensus of discontinuing due to elders

not agreeing or youngsters not agreeing, kindly do it temporarily to adisesha (nagar)

in a Perumal temple.. Change your understanding about puttru or paal and meditate

that it is an offering to adisesha. Revisit the problem after two years. We would have

matured by then. What I have said here is not the right or permanent solution.

However it is a progressive step.

Question ID: 32 - A friend of mine asked "When the name `NARAYANA` is existing from the beginning and prior to the birth of SriRamanuja, how it gets importance in ShriRamanuja`s pronouncing the same, from Temple Top and gets the status of Mantra for Moksha. Kindly throw light to our Agnana. Respectful Pranams. T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

Narayana namam is eternal. Ramanuja did not invent it. The contribution of Ramanuja

by preaching it from Tirukkottiyur vimanam gains importance owing to the following :

All acharyas before Ramanuja were known as anuvritti prasanna acharya i.e. those

who preach to sishyas only based on stringent qualifications. Ramanuja was a

revolutionary who started preaching to sishyas not based on stringent norms but on

willingness and eagerness to learn. This was the only qualification. Thus Sri Ramanuja

came to be praised as kripa matra prasanna acharya.

Question ID: 31 - "However atman is distinguished by virtue of gnana from achit" - quote: Your Highness. Doubt: Gnana & Agnana the duals - also outcome of Sriman Narayana`s Srishti Sankalpa like `Achit` and `Atman, the Chit`?!. When Gnana/Agnana, is the fuel or drive force to Actions in the created world which also acts as a binding between Chit and Achit, is right to discard Gnana/agnana to attain Moksha the abode of no-change? - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

We have to drive away the darkness of agnana to accomplish moksham. Isvara

created everthing - satva rajas and tamas, poison and amruta, humility and

haughtiness, mercy and cruelty, ravana and vibheeshana, hiranya and prahlada - we

have to choose the right and follow.

Question ID: 30 - Respecte Swamy, Adiyen pranam!! Actually a thought of quest arose reg yoga whether it is accepted in srivaishnavism and if so why it is not implemented or ended wih Srimath Ramanujar, but after attending a splendid lecture by Your Highness in the Madras University two days before, about the great Philosopher, Vedhanthi, and above all our sampradhayic Acharya, some of the basic doubts were clarified but yet the few following questions cropped up in adiyen's mind which Swamy may pl clarify those quests. They are viz: 1. If a saranaagathan who is as well practising Yoga with the sole aim to realise Paramaathma Sakshathkaram without any expectations, can the yoga be continued or does it affect the principle of saranagathi since both are the parellel lilnes of attaining mukthi and our Swamy Ramanujar thereafter realising the difficulties of yoga profounded the Saranaagathi principle in Srivaishnavism asan alternate , easy marga to attain mukthi. 2. Lord Kirshna had even laid emphasis on the Yoga margam and its modalities wherein he also justified that if due to circumstantial discontinuity of yoga in the existing birth , it can even be resumed in the ensuing birth on asiswhereis basis. But here the crux of the doubt is that yoga is the self effort to some extent whereas the same person being a saranaagathan posing everything to God. In such case the sanchithakarma will washed away with the nirhethuga kirupai of God leaving the Prarabtha Karma which has to be cleared only by suffering with the existing body inthe same birth . This is for the saranagathi rule where as being also a yoga person it seems whether the question of prarabtha karma arise since he realises while doing yoga about the modus operandi ofit and correct himself with the mind control. So will it not be( both the principles) contradictory to each other????Will there be any side effect since the sole aim is only to realise Kalyana Guna of God and motivate the Bakthi and premai on God. 3. If the Meditation is done for long hours will that affect the weight of the body due to over heat(?!!). Swamy may pl parden me for presenting such a lengthy message of quest making inconvenience to your precious schedule of time. Pl forgive me ad thank you in advance for accepting this quest and awaiting very anxiously the answers from your end. Adiyen Ramanuja dhasan. - Question By - kalyani venkatesh, [email protected]

Yoga cannot be replaced. It can only be simplified. Yoga is necessary to every

saranagata in the last part of the day (yoga kalam). This above yoga is not a sadhana

but only adhikari rupa or enjoying bhagavat gunas. The yoga mentioned in 5th and 6th

chapter of Gita is sadhana yoga. So let us drop that and its effects like burning

karmas. For a saranagata it is only Isvara kripai that does everything. A saranagata is

supposed to serve Bhagavan and His adiyars for long hours as prescribed and practice

yoga only during the last 6 nazhigai of the day. This would not affect the metabolism

of the body.

Question ID: 29 - Namashkarams. Adiyaen would like to know if the Absolute Truth, Supreme Brahman and the Paramathma are one and the same. I have heard comparing these three with the Sun's core part, its rays and the Disc respectively. Also, would like to know, if the Absolute Truth is Krishna and Supreme Brahman is Maha Vishnu - the reason i am hitting at this is - at the time of Pralayam, there would be void all around, except for Krishna, who floats in the water. Then, there is advent of Maha Vishnu and he takes differnt incarnations etc. Is the above statement true or otherwise. I apologize if anything is wrong from my side. Please advice. Hare Krishna Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha - Question By - Krishnakumar K., [email protected]

The absolute truth - satyam, or Paramatma or Para brahmam are all one and the same

Sriman Narayana. He is the omni potent Creator of this Universe. One of His

incarnations is Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna had returned to His abode Sri Vaikuntham at the

end of Dvapara yugam. During pralayam or srusti Sriman Narayana, the omni present,

eternally permeates every where.

Question ID: 28 - This is with reference to my previous question on Pappa and Punya Karmas. Thanks for the response. From the answer, i could infer that, devotion or bakthi which is carried out to appease the Master/ the Lord and not expecting anything in return would fetch Moksha. So, all our devotional service when intended for a particular thing - be it material happiness or even Moksha itself, wouldn't fetch us Moksha. But, the same, when done purely for the satisfaction of the Lord, that would fetch us Moksha. Please correct me if i am wrong. Thanks in advance. Hare Krishna. Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha. - Question By - Krishnakumar K., [email protected]

Just a correction in you second sentence. Practice of bhakti yoga expecting moksham

in return would give moksham but this is inferior to svayam prayojana bhakti or

saranagati where we do not expect anything in return. We would by default be granted

moksham. I sweat when I pounded a kilo of grain in a mortar. I did not pound for the

sake of sweating but it happened by default. Similarly I practice bhakti not expecting

moksham but I am granted automatically. Bhagavan is most pleased with these.

Question ID: 27 - Swamin Namaskaram.I heard in one of your upanyasam,that in pralayam all jeevathmas are sticked to emperuman body.In that case,why our papams are not vanished as we are nearer to god? - Question By - A.Banusekar, [email protected]

We are always near God or rather inseparable from God. That would not clean the

karmas. It is cleaned by prayaschittams, karma yoga along with atma gnana or

saranagati only. So pralayam does not alienate this agony. It is only a temporary

suspension of experiencing pain or pleasure. In pralayam we do not realize our

inseparable relationship but lie low almost as non sentient. It is only gnana ripened to

saranagati which leads us to mukti

Question ID: 26 - Dear Swami, Adiyen belongs to the Desika sampradayam, but come from a background where treating the Desika and Pillai Lokacharya sampradayams differently is not done. Swami's message regarding not dwelling on the differences (where we, in today's age do not have the gnaanam of the maha vidvans of yore), in the Dayaa Satakam upanyasam also has a deep impact on me. Yet, I feel I need to be careful in showing respects to elders, for example while prostrating before elders, or any such acts where the practices might be different with the two sampradyams. So, as a case in point, is adiyen right in assuming that when paying respect to an elder/vidvan/acharya of the Lokacharya sampradayam, it is best to stick to the practices of the Lokacharya sampradaym itself, even though adiyen belongs to Desika sampradayam? - Question By - Praveen Krishnan, [email protected]

Kindly follow the practices prescribed in the sampradayam which you belong to (in

your case - Desika sampradayam) wherever or whichever situation you are. Both

sampradayams preach respect and honour to elders eventhough the method may

differ.

Question ID: 25 - Swamin,Myself and my son are visiting Sriperumbudur everymonth on Thiruvadhirai day and visit temple and worship perumal Tayar and EMPERUMANAR.Our SAMASRAYANA Acharya+s thirumaligai also inthe same place.If that day falls on Sunday or holiday we go in the afternoon for thirumanjanam etc and before that we goto Acharyan thirumaligai and after doing DHANDAM to Swamy we go to temple.otherdays since my son has to go to office we go to temple directlyfor Viswarupa sevai and then visit Acharyan thirumaligai.My doubt is whether we can go temple first and then visit Acharyan.Ofcourse we take upaharams to temple aswell as Acharyan.Kindly calify. 2 Once our acharyan told if we meet him at temple( not in sannidhi) we should not Dhandan him as supremme Perumal is there.Since then whenever We meet him at temple we don't do dhanden at temple. Is it alright? ADEYEN DASAN LAKSHMINARASIMHAN - Question By - K S L NARASIMHAN, [email protected]

Both ways are ok but it is preferable to have darshan of acharyan first. While taking

upaharams there is a subtle difference - take what you wish to offer to Perumal and

take what acharyan likes to acharyan. Kindly act as per your acharyan's instructions -

not to prostrate in the temple - instead you can do it at his tirumaligai.

Question ID: 24 - 'Matter' or 'Material` is the 'Sariram'/ 'Body' for the 'Sariree' / 'Inner Self' inside it. When all matters along with their Sarirees inside form the Sariram of Sriman Narayana, how can I differentiate good and bad, whether it is the act or the performer of the act! My inner self says it is Sriman Narayana everywhere and all happenings are as per His Divine wish. So whether it is Ravana or Naradha, when visualized as part of Sriman Narayana, both are respected in totallity with Sriman Narayana. They are just performing Sriman Narayana`s Wish and hence to be respected. Please clarify. Pranams, T.Sridharan - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

Every jiva (chit) and all matter (achit) are sareeram of Sriman Narayana the sareeri.

However atman is distinguished by virtue of gnana from achit. Using this gnana as a

tool and with the help of sastras the jiva acts driver by his karmas. Bhagavan does not

interfere in jivas decision to act wicked. Veda vyasa in his brahma sutra says

"vaishamya naigrhunye na saapekshatvat" meaning brahmam cannot be blamed for

discrimination or mercilessness as the jivas act guided by their karmas. Our body

atman relationship would not be the right example to explain this as our body is totally

achit (and so cannot act on its own) whereas Bhagavan's divine body comprises of

achit and chit. Every jiva has a right to decide in his first step to every action and then

on Isvara support Him in his path. Bhagavan controls us but does not decide every

minute first action of ours. I agree that we have to revere ravana or sisupala because

they form part of Bhagavan - but with a condition - if ravana and sisupala agree that

they are a part of Bhagavan. If they had agreed they would no more be Ravana or

sisupala. Being a part of Bhagavan alone is not enough but the realization of it is more

important. For example a holy dip in ganges would clear our papam. Will it apply to all

the fishes living for ever in ganges. No. It is the gnana that ganges is the sri paada

tirtham of Trivikrama and a dip in it would fetch moksham that matters.

Question ID: 23 - Respected Sir, Whether it is in order to worshipVinayaka? In all the temples of ours (Vaishnavites) the deity is installed and our archakas do perform archanas there. Whether it is in order? - Question By - M K Sridharan, [email protected]

This elephant headed deity in Srivaishnava temple is not the Vinayaka (popularly

known as the son of Siva). He is gajanana one of the military chieftains of vishvaksena.

He is worshipped by Sri Parasara bhatta in his invocatory verse in Sri Vishnu

sahasranama bhashya - om namo gaja vaktradyai...

Question ID: 22 - Namashkarams. Would like to know about Punya karmas. Said in Bhagavath Gita that, if one is in devotional service, then reactions to all the past Pappa and punya karmas will be burnt to ashes. In this regard, are visiting temples, chanting, Slokas, kirtans Punya karmas or those which will give a status of Moksha to us? Please advice. Srimathe Ramanujaya namaha. Hare Krishna - Question By - Krishnakumar K., [email protected]

I am not very clear on the question. However you can see whether this reply answers

your question. Punya karmas reach us to svarga or any other loka of material

enjoyment. Papa karmas on the other hand leads us to naraka for punishment. One

has to shed papa and punya karmas to reach moksham. All the services which we do

here are a part of bhakti. If you expect anything in reciprocation to your bhakti then

the result would not be moksham. If you expect moksham in reciprocation of bhakti

then you are using bhakti as a sadhana (means) to moksham which is a very difficult

path. If you accept Bhagavan himself as the means to reach moksham then all the

bhakti and other services which you do here are to be treated as kainkaryam which a

servant does to his master and not as means for moksham. So going to temple or

yatra etc are only kainkaryams and not means for mukti.

Question ID: 21 - Sir - I am fortunate to get to know about you and had the opportunity to listen to some of your Upanyasams. I have a silly question - please bear with me. I am a Sri Vaishnavite and has immense faith in our religion. But this question has been haunting me since I started listening to Bhagawad Gita. In Bhagawad Gita all good things are preached by Lord Krishna... but why he was using not-straight techniques to kill the opponents (kauravas)... If he has preached Dharma, he should have made Arjuna to beat his opponents in righteous manner...eg: the way Drona, Bheeshma (using Shikandi), Duryodana (hit below the waist against the rules)... If this is irrelvent - please ignore my question... profound apologies... - Question By - Srinivasan, [email protected]

You are right that all rules are to be followed. But exceptions are inevitable when the

wicked had to be killed to save the society. Wherever you find a deviation from the

common rule in Mahabharata it would have been caused to fulfill another sapa (curse)

or a boon or a vow (pratignya) . Both instances mentioned by you fall under this

category. Krishna has the responsibility to kill the wicked as well as upkeep the boons

or curses granted by rishis or devatas. But for these exceptions there would not be

any deviation.

Question ID: 20 - Namaskaram. Iwant to know Bharata, Mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam is the same Bharata born to Dushyan tha & Sakuntala. Kindly clarify, Adiyen. - Question By - Malathi V., [email protected]

I presume that you are referring to srimad bhagavata jada bharata who preached

atma nityatvam to Rahooguna. He is different and much earlier to Mahabharata

bharata.

Question ID: 18 - what is the general rule for chanting the divya prabadha at home.also pls tell us to how start and end the parayanam. with regards s.Raghavan - Question By - s.Raghavan, [email protected]

We have to chant nitya anusandhanam viz tiruppalandu, tiruppalliezhuchi, tiruppavai,

poochattal kaappidal etc( many books are available for the same)daily. We start with

dayapatra taninan, then on from tiruppallandu and finally conclude with vazhi

tirunamam. This should be done according to the practice in your acharyan

tirumaaligai or mutt.

Question ID: 17 - Is Sathva Guna also to be dropped to attain the state of Eternity or to reach Gunadheetha, the Lord. - Question By - T SRIDHARAN, [email protected]

Initially we have to nurture satva guna to remove rajas and tamas. Then while

attaining mukti we abandon this satva guna also. On reaching Srivaikuntham the

muktatma is blessed with suddha satva guna and sarira. This satva is not sieved from

the mixture of three but it is by nature satva alone. Sriman Narayana's divine body too

is made of suddha satva.

Question ID: 16 - Dear Swami, my humble pranams. Kindly clarify my doubts. 1. Kodhai Naachiyar sung Thirupaavai to attain Lord Krishna. We celebrate Bhogi as 'Aandal thirukalyanam'. But after singing Naachiyar thirumozhi only she finds Lord Krishna in Brindavan. So my question is after attaining Lord Krishna why should she search him? As far as adiyaen's knowledge she sang Thirupaavai first.Please clarify 2.I have a 'Perumal Thayaar' vigraham(panchaloka idol - perumal .75 feet thayar .5 feet) in my perumal sannithi.I got this out of 'premai' and I used to dress my aaathu perumal with various sathupadis. Initially I had doubts, whether one can have vigraham at home and asked my family elders.They clarified that when a vigraham is installed as per agama (Pradhishtai), then one should not miss daily Aaradhanam.But if not installed as per agama we can worship vigrahams same as the photos.i did not install as per agama,but treating it similar to photo. I offer theertham/fruits daily and render prayers also. Am I doing something against agama? Should I take it from perumal sannithi? Kindly clarify my doubts. - Question By - Seshadhri, [email protected]

Andal is revered for tiruppavai more than nachiar tirumozhi. Margazhi is gloriously

related to andal than thai. That is why tirukkalyanam takes place at the end of

margazhi month. For that matter, Andal never got married to Sri Ranganatha. She

touched His lotus feet and vanished immediately. So all these utsavams are for the

anubhavams of bhaktas. What you are doing is right in terms of vigraha.

Question ID: 15 - Dear Swami, Why is there no reference to Rukmini piraati or Satyabhama piraati in Thiruppavai but only references to Nappinnai piraati? I understand that Thiruppavai is about the Glory of the Lord but it does contain a couple of references to Nappinnai, and none for Rukmini or Satyabhama. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan - Question By - Lakshminarayanan, [email protected]

One should surrender to Rama avatara through Sri mahalakshmi (sita), surrender to

Varaha avatara through bhumi devi and surrender to Krishna avatara through nila devi

(nappinnai). Since the gopikas are surrendering to Krishna they chose Nappinnai. ON

the other hand, Andal has sung about rukmini in her other work nachiar tirumozhi.

Question ID: 14 - Namaskaram. Please take the following question by adiaen. Would like to know whether it was Maha Vishnu who took the form of Krishna, or is Krishna the Supreme Lord? From Srimad Bhagavatham, i learnt that, Lord (in his 4th incarnation) became Nara and Narayana. So before this incarnation, who was the Lord? Does it mean that Krishna is the Origin and all other incarnations are plenary portions of him or is it Maha Vishnu, the seed? Previously i thought that Maha Vishnu is the seed and he descended to Earth in different forms such as Rama, krishna, which served their own purpose - but i am confused now. Also, from the Flash Presentation in this site - which had the Hierarchy of Paramapadhanathan-

>Ksheerabdhinathan->Krishna->Idol, i am getting stirred up. Any connections in particular? I know this is a basic question, but not too before, i have taken to the study of the Absolute - hence the origin of this doubt. Please advice. Thanks in Advance. Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha. Hare Krishna - Question By - Krishnakumar, [email protected]

Sriman Narayana is the supreme Brahmam and the cause for creation as confirmed by

Upanishads. He another epithet is Maha Vishnu. He is the Isvara. Krishna is one of His

incarnations. Nara narayana is also one of the incarnations of Sriman Narayana (do not

confuse the like name in this avatara) for a specific purpose of preaching tirumantram.

Srivaikunthanatha is the first form, ksheerabdhinatha is the second form and vibhava

(Krishna is one of vibhava avataras)is the third form. Let there not be any confusion.

Question ID: 13 - My respected Pranams to Guru. I have a question regarding the Grihasthashramam.1. As per our knowledge Mukti does not matter if one is bachelor or Hrihasthashramam. Then WHY our Swamis like Rangapriyar or Prakala mutt swamis or whoever mahanswamis are following Bramhacharyam?? 2.I am in UK and I am not able to follow sanctity very well though I take utmost care ......like entertaining foreign guests in the house with sometimes wine ... Will it lead to any karmam ??? 3. Is there anything wrong in not wearing metti as it is not possible in wearing it with shoes during cold climate?? 4. In Ramayanam Sita herself would have killed Ravana but she dint do it so??? Is it because she was not knowing her power?? Waiting for your reply Srirama Jayarama JayaJaya Ram Sumana - Question By - sumanaRaghu, [email protected]

Mukti is common to all varnas and asramas. The swamis whom you have mentioned

are following sanyasa asramam as they have chosen that. Entertaining foreign guests

especially when they are non veg and alcohol consumer would amount to papam.

Kindly abstain. You will have to wear metti. I am sure you will find a way out of your

shoes.

Question ID: 12 - Respected Sir, While doing Thiruvathyenam,if some apacharams take place do we have to make re cooking the food offered to Pithru ?Some Vathyars say that by doing prayachitham there is no need to remake the food.Kindly clarify. Thanking you, Yours truly, BharathiKumar - Question By - BharathiKumar, [email protected]

I am not sure what type of apacharam took place. In these circumstances a honest

bruhaspati would be the best judge.

Question ID: 11 - Namaskarams to my Guru I am a saivaite(Smarta) by birth.Actually I feel that we do not observe any thing exclusively to identify us as Saivaites. The Great 12 Namas of Vishnu are said during Sandhya Vandanam, The Shrardams are performed before " Prathyaksha Mahavishnu" and most of the offerings made to AAdi Narayanan .and Sarvam is Krishnarpanamasthu . I do believe that Sriman Narayanan is the Supreme Lord. I would like to start my religious quest in a more ardent way. Like the true Vaushnavite can have a Samashrayanam what is possible for me being a woman. Kindly clarify. Namaskarams Kala - Question By - Kala, [email protected]

smarthas are not saivites. They are all vaishnavas only. You have rightly identified that

there are no prostrations to Siva in our daily anushthanams which itself proves the

earlier statement. You can get samasrayanam administered provided you have well

understood the significance of it. This cannot be explained in mail. You have to meet

an acharya in person to get all needed inputs about this.

Question ID: 10 - dear swami, i would like to know how to get dikshai for pancharatra agamam,what does it mean, should we do santyavantam when i find archagas in many temples do nt do the same. are they exempted from doing the nithyaanushtanams,kindly explain .One more question i am a CA practising and have to restore to unfair and unethical practise while doing my job as an auditor,can i console myself saying it is the karmayagam that i am doing as advised by kannan in gita.I feel guilty to continue in practice after i did baranyasam. and i belong to sri sanndi.kindly help me as to what i should do.Eagerly looking forwrd to meet u in person and i am from Ambattur,chennai - Question By - S.Raghavan, [email protected]

To get deekshai one has to undergo a 4 year course in pancharatra agama under a

agama vidvan. There are also pathasalas for this purpose. Everyone without

expception has to perform his nitya karma anushthana You cannot convince that it is

karma yogam. Karma yogam is a sastric prescription which cannot be against rule,

ethics, or values. Either you have to abstain from those practices or take a up a job

where these impediments would not be there.

Question ID: 9 - Adiyen Swami, In vishishtadhvaidha siththandham being the dhasa goshti of Srimath Ramanujar, if any of the srivaishnavites do not have the boy child what is the fate of those goshti since in our sampradhayam there is a saying that the boy child only is the sole authority to relieve the pithrukkal from

"PUTH NARAG". If they do have only female children what will be the fate of them though they follow the rules and regulations as laid down in our sampradhayam properly. - Question By - kalyanivenkatesh, [email protected]

This rule is only to those other than saranagathas. You being a Ramanuja sambandhi

and saranagata need not worry about this

Question ID: 7 - Please accept my humble obeisances unto your lotus feet! 1)Krishna says that 'I put the atheistic demonaic people repeatedly in the lowest species of life, on the other hand during the vibeeshan saranagati, Lord ram says that he doesn't have any duality,he wanted including ravana to live. Isn't it a contrary statement. 2)When lord krishna says "Just surrender unto me , i will protect you from sinful reactions,do not fear".How does a devotee percieve when he is seriously affected by a deadly disease or accidents? 3)One's karma will always remain with him,but according to the tarpana system our good karma is shared by our forefathers,why is this so? 4)Sir,i'm an engineering student(t.e),you had instructed me that"right now i have duties to my peer group",but everyone in my class thinks that i'm odd,how shall i please krishna. Please forgive me for the long mail. Very humbly and patiently waiting for your reply! - Question By - Kishan, [email protected]

Firstly Ravana was not an atheist. He was a siva bhakta. Further, Rama says that He is

equal to all, the wicked or rituous, but Bhaseagavan sends us to Svarga or naraka

based on our punya and papa. As an impartial King He provided the same

infrastructure namely, body sastra and knowledge, to both vibheeshna and Ravana.

Both chose their own ways for which Bhagavan is not to be blamed. So He is equal to

all while providing us this body and knowledge and at the same time He punishes or

rewards according to our actions. 2. Surrender is to relieve you of all sufferings and

the cycles of birth. The birth in which we surrender is the last. But we do not die and

reach moksham the next moment we surrender. In that case nobody would surrender

for fear of immediate death.. So it is at the end of this birth we are relieved. So

between the day of surrender and the last day of that birth we have to experience the

results of our papa and punya and exhaust them. Disease is as a result of our karma..

3.Only the effect of our karma is shared and not the karma itself. 4.You will please

Krishna if you do what He likes. He likes you being good to all.

Question ID: 4 - ADiyen swami, Swami could you please explain me the significance of ekadesi vratham(Fasting). Adiyen Prabhu Ramanuja Dasan. - Question By - Prabhu, [email protected]

Both medically and religiously ekadasi fasting is a must. It cleans our digestive organs

and rejuventes metabolism. This vratam is so close to Sri Krishna's heart. There are 25

ekadasis in a year and each one is called by name. For example we call dhanurmasa

ekadasi as vaikuntha ekadasi as fasting and darshan on that day gives vaikuntham.

You are aware of ambarisha charitram which is a testimony to the glory of ekadasi.

Question ID: 3 - respected sir, i have been pondering for years together about how the rishis like sage duruvasa,sage viswamitra and the like can be called "the great ones" because ,i have learnt from mythological stories that these sages were very short tempered and used to curse fellow human beings whenever they thought that some disrespect has been done to them by the others.are not sages supposed to have renounced their likes,dislikes,love,hatredness towards the world around them?if so why this attitude of cursing others?if not,then how can they be revered as great humans if they are going to bring immense sorrow to those who are being cursed by them?and how God had given so much power to those sages despite the fact that they react more equally like other human beings in showing their anguish?plese clarify this doubt of mine. - Question By - gayathri raghavan, [email protected]

Their power is due to their tapas (penance and detachment). Yes they did have some

unwanted qualities. But they also knew to do prayaschittam, which is very difficult to

do, to wriggle out of these wrong deeds. We neither have tapas nor have knowledge

and power for prayaschittam. They did not curse the good ones. They cursed only the

wrong doers. They also advised the way out if the cursed felt sorry. We hold azhvars in

a higher position compared to rishis as they did not have these problems

Question ID: 6 - Respected Swamy, Pranams!! when we go to DivyaDesa or any type of Yathras for which we used to offer YATHRA DHANAM. In our case previously i.e. before attending your Upanyasam we usually give Rs.11 to Lord Vinayakar Hundi and then after returning from j ourney we will haond over to the priest of the vinayaka temple since it is told that yathra dhanam to be given only to Pilliar hundi. Here a question arises as to whether it can be continued likewise. After attending somany upanyasams adiyan had a doubt as to why we should put to Pilliar idle since antharyami of that idle is only Sriman Narayana. But all along we followed the principle your highness may pl clarify what to do further about the procedure to follow in respect of yathra dhanam. This is a pinching doubt in adiyen's mind. Based on your clarifications adiyen wish to follow the same. When we realise the srivaishnava principles we feel embarrassed to go to pilliar temple and give offerings which hither to we followed .Sorry for anything wrong in adiyen's questions and awaiting anxiously your reply in this regard. Adiyen ramanuja dhasan. - Question By - kalyanivenkatesh, [email protected]

Yatra danam is to a Brahmana. So do not stop giving it to the priest. But as a

Srivaishnava start giving to a Srivaishnava Brahmana. Your understanding that Sriman

Narayana is the antaryami to everybody is right and so we worship only Him. Do not

feel apologetic or guilty. But as a srivaishnava we should respect (not worship)

everybody including devatas.

Question ID: 2 - Namaskarams to my GURU. My husband and I are going on a pilgrimage to Kashi this March. to perform the Pithru Karyams. I would like to clarify a few things atleast now. It is said that when the body perishes the Atma leaves,Where would it go if it does not attain Mukthi?Will it rest if it does not find a suitable body? Then what is this Tharpanams ,Annual and Gaya Shrardams .If the Atma has no identity other than being, God Principle then how will our recalling the 3 generations by their names will feed the Atman? Are we feeding the Atma or some other form? Kindly clarify. Namaskarams Kala - Question By - Kala, [email protected]

After getting released from this body the atman, 1. either reaches Sri vaikuntham on

sheeding its papas and punyas from where it never returns 2. or reaches places like

svarga naraka pitru loka and many more as a result of its papas or punyas from where

it returns to bhooloka. Our offerings and rituals do impact those of the second

category. They do not impact the first category. However more than influencing or

ensuring a place for a departed soul, these rituals are vedic prescriptions for us (the

heirs). Only on performing these, we would be relieved of our karmas. So more than

sending my father to a loka through my karma, I perform these religiously to reserve a

birth for me in Srivaikuntham.

Question ID: 1 - Swamin, Pancha samskaram "seems" like a mere ritual, it does not seem to give any spiritual experience. I would like to know how this actually helps the evolution of the soul. If one has done samashrayanam is moksham guaranteed in this very birth. Under what circumstances the moksham may be denied? Do we have to do anything post samashrayanam to ensure our liberation. Or does the Acharyan takes care of everything. Dasan, Sridhar - Question By - Sridhar, [email protected]

Samasrayanam is a certain way for liberation in the same birth. This relates us with Sri

Ramanuja who was assured moksham to him and his devotees by Sri Ranganatha

Himself. It is not a mere ritual but a spiritual enlightenment about the absolute

servitude of jiva. As usual a few could have reduced it to a mere ritual but this is

common everywhere. Just because many jump signals or yellow line their usage

cannot be questioned. The almightly Himself is a mere stone (in idol form) if we do not

sanctify. After the samasrayanam we do have duties and responsibilities for the rest of

the life eventhough acharyan owns the single most important responsibility of granting

moksham through perumal. We have to follow internal and external prescriptions (6

commands of Sri Ramanuja) which progressively matures us. Moksham would be

denied if we commit bhaagavata apacharam.

Q&A - Velkudi Krishnan

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