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Sri:
  namo Narayana
  Srimthe Ramanujaya Namah
   
  Dear all,
  Here is a forwarded message from another group called Krishna Bhagavan. Nice 
interview with Tirupati chief priest.
  Adiyen
  dasan
   
   
Sri Venkatesaya Namah ! 
  Dr. A.V. Ramana Dikshitulu is the head Priest at the Balaji temple in 
Tirupati  . He is deeply respected by his peers for honoring his family  Vedic 
tradition .  Sri Ramana holds a doctorate in molecular biology and is an 
inimitable authority on the "Agamas" , the crucially important Vedic 
scriptures. Hinduism Today's Rajiv Malik had the rare opportunity to interview 
this distinguished Vedic Priest . Sri Ramana talks about the "Agamas" , the 
heritage of his forefathers and why he and his sons chose to honor their family 
tradition .
  Can you please describe the "Vaikhanasa Agama" and explain why it is 
important ? 
  The Agamas in general are revered along with the Vedas as primary Hindu 
scripture . All of the Agamas elucidate the science of ritual, but the 
"Vaikhanasa Agama"  is unique in that it gives more detail concerning the 
performance of ritual, both in the temple and in the home . The "Vaikhanasa 
Agama" , written by Sage Vikhanasa, is one of four main "Vaishnava Agamas" . It 
was spread around the world by his four famous disciples : Marichi, Bhrigu, 
Kashyapa and Atri . It includes procedures for the consecration of a temple and 
its Deity of worship, as well as explanations for how this consecration absorbs 
the primal power from the universe to bring it into the main sanctum of the 
temple . The message of the Agamas is that the essence of ritual is 
power--spiritual power. Through ritual, the great, universal essence of life 
itself is brought into a temple Deity, where it then must be maintained without 
dilution or pollution.
  Can you give us more detail on the contents of the Vaikhanasa Agama ? 
  The "Vaikhasana Agama" exists in two parts . The first part deals with 
rituals that are done in the temple and to the Deity . The second part deals 
with purification ceremonies that a priest must undergo in order to qualify to 
serve in the temple .
  The temple rituals are designed to keep the laymen's physical senses 
satisfied . This is done by making the process personal . All of this is laid 
out in the "Vaikhasana Agama" . It describes how the Deity is treated as we 
would like to be treated ourselves . He is put to sleep at night and awakened 
in the morning . He is given a bath and dressed in fine silks, jewelled 
ornaments and fragrant flowers .  He is fed a variety of fine foods . Finally, 
he is carried in grand procession around the temple . As we all know, the 
dearest thing to man is man . We know God will be happy if we do for Him what 
we would do for ourselves .
  Can anyone study the "Vaikhanasa Agama" ? 
  Although the "Vaikhanasa Agama"  is available to be read by anyone who knows 
Sanskrit, it is not easily understood, even by Sanskrit scholars, because of 
its coded language . The verses have double meanings . The valuable inner 
meanings can only be perceived by those who meditate deeply upon the verses . 
Even then, only those at a certain level of spiritual evolution can grasp the 
deepest meaning . We conduct workshops to stimulate this understanding in our 
Priests .
  Does the Vaikhanasa Agama delineate the training of Priests ? 
  Yes, it does . It deals with how a priest should be brought up and how a 
Priest should be purified by rituals even while he is in the womb of his mother 
. For the unborn Priest , the training and purification process begins from the 
mother's eighth month of pregnancy . At this time, a ceremony called the " 
shanka chakra ankita "  is performed . The purpose of this ceremony is to 
sanctify the unborn child to become a Priest after birth . We do this ritual in 
the home of the mother . It is not a public event .
  Are the principles of the "Vaikhanasa Agama " to be implemented only by 
Priests ? 
  This Agama is for people who have no other purpose on Earth but to worship 
Lord Vishnu . Yes, it is for Priests-- Priests who will take up no other 
vocation . Take me, for example . I am a doctor in molecular biology . Yet , I 
am a Priest . My elder son is an expert in computers and has a college degree 
in finance and marketing . My second son is an electrical engineer, and my 
third son is a bio-chemist . Yet they are also Priests . Like me, they serve 
here in the Balaji temple in Tirumala . Our education is simply a matter of 
interest--like a hobby . We are Priests by profession, and will be so until we 
die .
  Is this Priesthood in Tirumala hereditary only ? 
  Yes, our tradition must be maintained hereditarily . Conversions are not 
allowed . Vaikanasas are from South India, but they can migrate to other places 
. In Rishikesh we have our own TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) temple . 
There are nearly 2,000 temples around the world where our Priests can do work . 
All of these temples were set up later than this temple here in Tirumala .
  Can you please tell us more about the training of your Priests ? 
  In our families, the Priests get training from their parents, who are also 
Priests . From their earliest childhood they are going to the temple . 
According to the "Vaikhanasa Agama" , all of the rituals conducted in the 
temples are also performed in the home . Every Priest's home has a shrine room 
of its own, with sacred Murtis (Deities) inherited from ancestors . The father 
gives both the theoretical and the practical training to the children .
  I insist to our younger generation of Priests that they have their full 
"Agama"  training in addition to whatever other education they choose to 
receive in college . With this preparation, they are qualified to become 
full-fledged Priests . I also insist that they honor their commitment to their 
Priesthood so that they can pass that heritage on to their children . This 
includes leading a pure life and following the dress code and food restrictions 
set down in the "Agamas" .
  Is the younger generation willingly following your lead in maintaining this 
time-honored tradition ? 
  There are some problems, but not because of a lack of sincerity . If our 
smart, young, qualified Priests are not receiving payment and respect matching 
that which they might find in other professions for which they could qualify 
due to extensive college education, we can expect them to be tempted to forego 
their heritage . All of the senior Priests of Tirumala recently sat together to 
discuss this very matter, and we came to the conclusion that we must insist to 
all of our young people that they work in our temple as Priests, regardless of 
what they are paid . Money must be secondary . We have already told them this . 
We now have around sixty Priests working in the temple, and every one is happy .
  From your perspective as a priest, how may devotees receive their greatest 
benefit from a pilgrimage to Tirumala ?
   If we pray to such a powerful Lord as Balaji for minor things like a 
promotion, a transfer, a seat in medical college or a marriage proposal, it is 
possible that these wishes will be granted . But making such requests is like 
asking for a spoonful of water from an ocean . There is something so much 
greater to be had here : spiritual evolution . Through the ages, man has 
evolved both technically and spiritually . However, further spiritual evolution 
must now take place, for man is still spiritually primitive . It is natural 
during this Kali Yuga (age of darkness) that we be more attracted to worldly 
pleasures and ignore spiritual pursuits . To have even a preliminary 
understanding of the spiritual path during these difficult times depends 
largely upon one's personal " karmas " . These are "karmas"  brought over from 
previous births .
  Should everyone hear about the spiritual path, even if some are not yet ready 
to follow it ? 
  Yes, and we can do more to spread this message here at Tirupati . We can and 
we should do more . Many believe that just coming to the temple, receiving the 
Lord's darshan (sight) and getting a few pieces of the prasadam (food 
sacraments) is the main target of a pilgrimage . Of course, they take this 
approach because they have not been taught anything else . We have to convey 
the proper attitudes of worship here at the TTD . First we must teach the 
spiritual importance of this sacred place .
  Can you give an example that illustrates the power of Tirumala ? 
  A woman from Bangalore came to this temple and asked me to bless her sister 
in London who was very ill with what had been described by doctors as the final 
stages of cancer . She said that the doctors had given her only 90 days to live 
. This woman was crying as she me told me all this . She pleaded with me to do 
something . I told her that I couldn't do anything myself, but perhaps Lord 
Balaji might be able to . I gave a little "prasadam"  from the temple, along 
with some "holy water" and a small picture of Balaji . I told her to send that 
picture to London immediately . Today that girl in London, who was given only 
ninety days to live, has been alive and well for more than two years, and her 
condition is steadily improving .
  Can you tell us a little about your own experience here at the temple ? 
  Every instant is precious to me . For every moment that I have spent here, I 
thank the Lord and pray that He keeps me in this place until my dying breath . 
To touch the Deity and to worship Him, to give Him His sacred bath, to feed 
Him, to dress Him and to decorate Him --for all of this, I am so very grateful 
. I am grateful to my ancestors who prayed that their progeny should live in 
the service of the Lord , and I am grateful to God .
  For me, religion is also a science of a higher order . Unfortunately, there 
are no scientific instruments yet created that can measure the power of 
religion . However, in the "Agamas" --particularly in the "Vaikhanasa Agama" 
--there are ways to measure spiritual energy . Everything that happens in the 
temple can be explained "Agamically"  . The study of the "Agamas" also 
comprises a great part of my personal experience in this temple . For the 
"Agamas" , I am also grateful .
  What is your message to the Hindu Community around the world ? 
  The Vedas say, " Let us live together, let us eat together and let us seek 
the truth together ." This ancient scripture invites all human 
beings--regardless of creed, caste, age or sex--to live harmoniously and seek 
the truth . It is the duty of every human being, at least every Hindu, to obey 
this message, to try and live in peace with one another .
  Lord Balaji, with His left hand folded over the left knee and His right hand 
pointing down, conveys the unspoken message that if you come and surrender at 
His feet and leave everything to Him, He will make the ocean of life only knee 
deep for you so that you can easily walk through it to the bank of salvation on 
the other side . That is the message of Lord Balaji . Let us surrender at His 
holy feet for the sake of salvation .
  Balaji tells us that there is a power greater than human power . When a 
devotee steps into the temple, he can feel this power emanating from Balaji's 
own self-manifested image . Through time, so many Sages and Seers have come 
here to worship this God . The spiritual vibrations of these great souls remain 
here . They are so strong that anyone can feel them . When we personally feel 
this permanent spiritual bliss of Balaji, we do not need to be told that the 
physical plane is not permanent . We know this truth as a fact that requires no 
proof . 
  May Lord Balaji bless you all !!!!   


 
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