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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00013 May 2003

 
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Dear Sudarshan,

Your article was very moving, to say the least.

Let us do what we can, physically and mentally (the
power of concentrated thought can make things happen
for good or bad), and if nothing works, then let us
turn inward - we cannot let the world control us;
instead, let us take charge of the situation.

One suggestion that adiYen has is:

Let us take pictures of the sannidhanam if we are
allowed to, and pray to it every day (thus bringing
the sannidhanam into our homes), else let us "absorb"
the image of the sannidhanam into our hearts so that
the sannidhanam resides forever in our hearts -
neither the TTD nor anyone can take it away from us
then.

How can mere monkeys appreciate the value of a
precious garland of flowers? - dear friend, let us
wake up, this is Kali Yuga - we have to take charge
and not let the world around us control our thoughts,
feelings, fate and life: perhaps this is the
difference between fate and free will.

Let the image of the sannidhanam "flash upon the
inward eye which is the bliss of solitude" for you
always.

adiYen

Ashok K

--- "M.K.Sudarshan" <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx>
wrote:
> Dear Members,
> 
> Adiyane's nativity is from Tirupati 'kshEtra' and I
> write this with a
> heavy heart.
> 
> It is learnt that the TTD (Tirumala Tirupati
> Devastanam) recently
> announced a proposal to extend the area and
> perimeter of the Tirumala
> temple 'prAkAra' by clearing the present 'prAkAra'
> of structures and
> dwellings. The aim of this proposal is to create
> wide open spaces
> around the main temple-precinct so as to decongest
> it of thronging
> pilgrims as well as to enable periodic 'utsavams'
> (temple processions
> during 'brahmOtsavam', for example) taking place
> without the undue
> tumult and unmanageable crowding that is presently
> experienced. 
> 
> The proposal of TTD, no doubt, is well-intentioned
> but one fears that
> it might get implemented in a rather over-zealous
> manner that is
> bound to trample upon the religious sentiments of
> many thousands of
> devotees such as myself who hail from the holy
> temple-town of
> Tirupati/Tirumala. The TTD's proposal if pursued in
> letter and spirit
> will surely involve the demolition and evacuation of
> certain ancient
> and sacred monuments that presently occupy the
> 'prAkAram'. When the
> TTD proceeds to clear the 'prAkAra' there is no
> doubt that along with
> the common structures and dwellings that will get
> demolished, sacred
> monuments will also suffer the same fate. The baby,
> in effect, will 
> get thrown out with the bath-water.
> 
> One such most important monument in the 'prAkAra' is
> the temple or
> shrine of Sri Tirumala Nambi that stands today in
> the south-eastern
> corner of the main 'prAkAra', just below the
> overhead pedestrian
> walkaway that leads from the Q-complex to the main
> 'dwAra' of the
> temple. 
> 
> This temple of Sri Tirumala Nambi is dedicated to
> the memory of the
> great maternal uncle of Sri RamanujAchArya. He lived
> in Tirumala
> during Ramanuja's times over a 1000 years ago. The
> temple stands
> today on the spot where it is believed Sri Tirumala
> Nambi lived and
> probably also where it is believed he received and
> occasionally
> taught ("kAlapshEpam") his illustrious nephew the
> philosophical
> nuances of the Ramayana for a period of a year. The
> esoteric
> 'tattvA-s' of the Ramayana that Tirumala Nambi
> imparted to Ramanuja
> are 18 in number and they constitute one of the most
> profound and
> invaluable interpretations of the Ramayana in the
> entire history and
> lore of SriVaishnavism ("Nambi nirvAham"). 
> 
> Sri Tirumala Nambi was a great religious scholar in
> his own right but
> out of deliberate choice decided to devote his life
> to
> "teertha-kainkarya" at the Tirumala temple rather
> than turning to
> expounding SriVaishnavite philosophy or poetry as
> was the wont of
> 'achArya-s' of his times. One thousand years ago
> Tirumala was not the
> salubrious and convenient place we know it is today.
> Tirumala was a
> rough and rocky terrain and the upkeep of the temple
> in those days
> must have been a terribly daunting and unwelcome
> task. Nambi
> dedicated his entire lifetime to living in a small
> house on the hills
> and worked out of it while tending to, maintaining
> and administering
> the temple of his beloved 'tiruvengadamudaiyAn'.
> More specifically,
> Nambi performed the daily rite of fetching water
> from the nearby
> stream of "aakAsa-ganga"
> for use in the temple 'tirumanjanam' (ritual bath
> for the Deity). In
> honour of this humble but most noble
> 'teertha-kainkaryam' that Nambi
> institutionalized in his times, his heirs and
> progeny until this very
> day have been allowed to perform the same service in
> the temple as
> matter of heriditary right. The descendants of
> Tirumalai Nambi are
> known today as "Tirumala kumara-s" or
> "thOzhappachAri-s".
> 
> When temple "utsavam-s" are held in Tirumala, such
> as the annual
> 'brahmOtsavam', it is age-old custom for the
> traditional procession
> of Vedic chanteurs ("vEda-pArAyaNa-gOshti") to begin
> their ceremonial
> perambulation of the temple precincts from the very
> doorsteps of the
> temple that stands today on the hill in honour of
> Tirumala Nambi. 
> 
> It is a great and hoary monument such as Tirumala
> Nambi's shrine that
> the TTD seeks today to remove from the "prAkAra" --
> ostensibly for
> the sake of creating more convenience for pilgrims.
> 
> To be fair to the TTD they are offering an alternate
> site on the hill
> for Nambi's shrine. But they do not seem to
> understand that the offer
> of an alternate site for such an ancient and sacred
> shrine is adding
> insult to injury. No one who has a deep acquaintance
> with the history
> and legend of the Tirumala temple will be happy with
> the moving out
> of the Nambi shrine to another site from the present
> one whose
> historical and sentimental significance is enormous.
> It is like
> offering an alternate site to relocate the Ram-janma
> temple in
> Ayodhya.
> 
> The TTD contends that there should be no objection
> to moving the
> shrine to an alteranate location just as other
> sacred Mutts, like the
> Ahobila Mutt and Andavan Ashram, for instance, in
> the locality have
> seen been moved from their original premises around
> the 'prAkAra' to
> other spots elsewhere on the hill far away from the
> main 'prAkAra'.
> But the TTD does not seem to understand that Mutts
> can never be
> equated with a shrine such as Tirumala Nambi's.
> These Mutts came to
> be built only around 200 to 300 years ago more for
> the purpose of
> serving as camp-lodges for those devotees who came
> to Tirumala on
> pilgrimage. Nambi's shrine is no free lodge! It
> commemorates his
> memory of over 1000 years! It stands on the spot
> today where Nambi
> once lived and worked and served the Lord of
> Venkatam...! How can the
> shrine and the Mutts be treated as if they were all
> merely of the
> same kind?
> 
> My appeal to the TTD is that by all means do proceed
> to extend the
> 'prAkAra' for the sake of the millions of the
> pilgrims who throng the
> hill temple. But in the process please do not
> violate any of the
> age-old and 'agamic' rules that we see once governed
> the temple
> structures when first erected. 
> 
> Similarly please do not mindlessly tear down ancient
> shrines like the
> Tirumala Nambi 'sannidhi' and hurt the religious
> sentiments of
> devotees. The TTD should be careful not commit
> sacrilege in the name
> of providing "amenities for pilgrims". 
> 
> Tirumala as it is today is in itself a grim reminder
> of the ugly
> depredations that modernity has caused to be cast
> upon the natural
> repose and serenity of the ancient temples of our
> land 
=== message truncated ===


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