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SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //
SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /
SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//
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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.07 / ISSUE # 42 dated 24th February 2006
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EDITORIAL
Dear Bhagavatas:
Several Bhagavatas have been shooting out questions on the subject 
surrounding SV, with a genuine interest to know the ?What?, the ?How? and 
more importantly the ?Why? on many of the practices that are required to be 
observed in our daily routines. We try to provide as much of information as 
possible and to the best of our ability and understanding gained from our 
Acharyas (like Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami) and heard during their 
KaalakshEpams on AnushTaana Grantas (recorded on audio tapes and brought 
from India,).

We do not, however, claim to vouch for the accuracy of OUR presentation. We 
will be much obliged if the real AnushTatas in our forum offer their 
constructive criticism and added inputs (with appropriate PramaaNams) so 
that we can improve our presentation in future.

Any comments / suggestions may be sent to Ramanbil@xxxxxxxxxxx
and NOT to ?Sri Ranga Sri? Yahoo groups site.
=============================================================
IN THIS ISSUE
1. SANDHYAA VANDANAM -? Part 2 - 3
FAQs AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF VARIOUS OBSERVANCES IN "SANDHYAAVANDANAM"
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
2. TRI-MURTI IN TIRUVAIMOZHI - PART 20.
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
======================================================
ISSUES RELEASED
So far, 218 Regular issues of SRS have been released apart from
Special Issues:
27 Issues of Vol. 1
15 Issues of Vol. 2
42 Issues of Vol. 3
35 Issues of Vol. 4
28 Issues of Vol. 5
30 Issues of Vol. 6 and
41 Issues of Vol. 7
------------------------------------------------------------------
These issues have been archived for public view at -
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/srirangasri
by Sri Diwakar Kannan (diwakark@xxxxxxxxx)

You may also view the archives at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
maintained by Sri Srinivasan Sriram (ajiva_rts@xxxxxxxxx )

We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived
in the "Files" Section and view the Contents at "srsindex.html" (Not
the individual postings allowed for encouraging "Reader
participation").

We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the contents.

IF you are satisfied with the quality and contents of "Sri Ranga Sri"-
Tell your friends to join by sending an email to
Srirangasri-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

IF NOT: Tell us, as to how we may improve.

Ever at your service
Dasoham
Anbil Ramaswamy,
Editor & Publisher, "Sri Ranga Sri"
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1. SANDHYAA VANDANAM -? Part 2 - 3
FAQs AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF VARIOUS OBSERVANCES IN "SANDHYAAVANDANAM"
(ANBIL RAMASWAMY)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q 14 If SV is to be done without break, how can one do it when one is under 
a spell of pollution (?theeTTu? a.k.a ?Aasoucham?) due to birth or death in 
the family?

A: ?Performing SV should not be skipped during pollution on account of birth 
or death in the family. The rites relating to the cremation of dead bodies 
(of even one?s own parents) can be done only after completing the Nitya 
Karma of SV.

Whether one is pure or impure, one cannot skip this Nityakarma says Dharma 
Saastram? (Vide page 187 of ?Sri VaishNava Sadaachaara NirNaya? of Sri 
Villivalam Krishnamachariar Swami (Prakritam Azhagiya Singhar, in his 
Poorvaasramam).

He quotes the following authority for this.
?mrutakE sootakE vaapi sandhyaa karma na sam thyajEth /
Tatht kritvaa Eva puraa, paschaat pitrOh kuryaat ?sava? kriyaam/
Suchir vaapi asuchir vaapi nityam karma na sam thyajEth?

During Aasoucham times, Gaayatri Japam should be done only 10 times. (Vide 
Page 63 of Sri Ranganatha Paaduka February 2006 Issue).
On all other occasions Gaayatri Japam is recommended to be done 28 or 108 
times.
=============================================================

Q.15. Is SV to be done only by Brahmins?

A:  I would like to invite your attention to a similar query by one who is 
not a BrahmaNa as also the reply given to him. I am sure that this FAQ reply 
will clear similar doubts entertained by many Bhagavatas in our forum.

Query:
?Adiyen has some doubts regarding the news letter you have sent. You have 
explained the importance of Sandhaya Vandhanam and these rituals. To 
introduce myself adiyen has undergone Bharnayasam under Sri Azhaghiya 
singar. adiyen does not belong to Brahmin varna. Now my question is - who 
all can do Sandhya. Adiyen presumes that I am not eligible to do that.?

Reply:
?All "TraivarNikas" (i.e. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas) are required to 
have Upanayanam and do SV.
It is not correct to say that those belonging to the fourth VarNa are not 
"eligible" or that they are "barred". They are simply "NOT REQUIRED" to go 
through these Samskaaras.

Just as the saying goes "The King can do no wrong", it should be understood 
that those belonging to the fourth VarNa are treated as children and "they 
can do no wrong? and not much is expected of them in such observances!

But, if one belonging to this group desires to do SV, the following ?Non ? 
Vedic? style slOka can be recited at the appropriate times:

« prati purusha ManEkhaa pratyavastham vichitraah
Subha gatishu dhiyO yah chOdayatyam jasaanah/
akhila chid achith antaryaami tath vishNu sanghyam
savituuh aham upaasE tasya dEvasya bhargah //?

This is given on page 46 of the Sandhyaavandanam book published in October 
1995 by Sri VisishTaadvaita Research Centre, Madras (of AhObila Matam), Sri 
Thillasthaanam Kainkarya Sabha, Bangalore and Sri Poorvacharya Kainkarya 
Sabha, Bangalore with a foreword by H.H. Sri Rangapriya MahadEsikan of 
Ashtanga yoga Vigyana Mandiram, Hanumantanagar, Bangalore 560 019. It is 
stated therein that this is as per "parasara Smriti".

It is further stated therein that "Anyone irrespective of caste, creed or 
sex can meditate on the Lord in the orb of the Sun through the above verse 
at the Sandhya periods"
Hope this helps.
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In the Question and Answer section of Sri Ranganatha Paaduka (February 2006 
Issue) another Bhaagavata had asked and the reply given by Paduka are 
reproduced below (Vide Q 6 on page 62 ibid)

Question:
?I belong to VishNu kulam. I am a Bhakta of Sri KrishNa. I belong to the 
MOST BACKWARD class. I desire to do Saalagraama Pooja. Can I do this??

Answer given by Paaduka:
?You may approach a Qualified Achaarya and get ?SamaasrayaNam? (Pancha 
Samskaaram) from him and with his niyamanam, you may do the Salagraama 
Pooja, as desired?

>From this, it is clear that anyone not belonging to TraivarNika groups can 
do not only SV but also SaaLagraama Aaraadhana after appropriate initiation 
by a qualified Achaarya.

Please see also ?SudrO Sadhu? in Answer to Q.16 below.
=============================================================

Q.16: And, why even among Brahmins, women are prohibited from doing SV?

* Excerpts from ?Hinduism Rediscovered? book by Anbil Ramaswamy (pages 305 
et seq)

A: * ?Once, a debate arose as to how and when with minimum effort (in the 
observance of Dharma) maximum effect (of benefits) could be obtained and who 
was entitled to such a course. The Sages went to the hermitage of Veda 
Vyaasa, who had gone to the Ganges to have his bath. The sages waited on the 
bank of the river under the shade of trees. Veda Vyaasa dipped himself under 
water three times and came out. Every time, he muttered the following three 
aphorisms as he rose from the water: ?Kali Sadhu, Stree Sadhu, SudrO Sadhu?

When he finally came out and finished his ablutions, he enquired the sages, 
the purpose of their visit. When they told him about their doubts, he 
replied that he had already answered them even while taking bath and 
proceeded to explain:

?Kali Sadhu?
What one can obtain only by ?yOga nishTa? or ?Dhyaana? (Concentrated 
meditation) in the Krita yuga, what one can obtain only by Yagjna (Severe 
penance) in TrEta yuga and what one can obtain only by Archana (Intense 
worship) in the Dwaapara yuga, can be achieved in Kali yuga by merely 
reciting the names of Bhagavaan, known as ?Naama Samkeerthanam? and ?Daanam? 
(gifts). Thus, with minimum effort, maximum effect could be achieved in Kali 
yuga. Hence, I said ?Kali Sadhu?

?Stree Sadhu?
Only men folk had to perform lot of rituals and observance of penances 
prescribed like ?Praajapatyam? etc. But, womenfolk derived half the ?puNya? 
of their husbands by merely assisting them. And, conversely, their husbands 
shared the sins committed by their spouses. Thus, both ways, women benefit ? 
without any effort on their part!
For women, it is a ?Win- Win? situation both ways!

Thus, from Vedic period ?liberation of women? was integrated with lifestyle 
itself, and there was no need for a separate ?women?s lib? movement!

That women were ?not allowed? to perform the rituals is another way of 
saying that they ?need not subject themselves to the rigors of penances?, 
not that they were ?denied? the privilege as some of our pseudo-advocates of 
modern women?s lib movement would like us to believe.

May be, this freedom from obligation was itself based on biological reasons 
of their propensity for pregnancy and other feminine disadvantages like 
menstrual impurities?

?Child bearing and child rearing are very demanding. That is why women were 
relieved from breadwinning responsibilities in the family.

?Veda Adhyayanam? has to done for years on end (in Gurukula vaasam) without 
any break which is not possible for women as explained above. Also, the 
sounds of some ?mantras? have to emanate deep from the ?Naabhi? (navel) and 
this would put an unnecessary strain on the average womenfolk.

In the olden times, however, we learn that women Rishis like Karthyaayani, 
MaitrEyi and others were as much ?mantra drashTas? as their male 
counterparts, probably because they had overcome these disabilities by 
virtue of their innate powers.

The very expectation of stricter norms of morality in women is an 
acknowledgement of their natural superiority.

?SudrO Sadhu?
The ?TraivarNikas? could not act as it pleased them; their activities were 
severely curtailed and bound by the Saastras, the severity of observance and 
punishment for non-observance diminishing from Brahmins to Kshatriyas to 
Vaisyas -  in that order. But, in the case of Sudras, they not only do not 
have to study Saastras, they do not have to perform any of the rites 
enjoined on others. They are exempted from the rigor that binds the others. 
By merely assisting others, they shared the benefit accruing from the 
penances performed by the higher castes. The higher castes were ?higher? 
only in their duties and responsibilities. On the other hand, the Sudras 
were co-sharers of all the ?puNya karmas? done by these so called ?higher? 
castes. Thus, they got maximum benefit without any effort at all?*
But for those who desire to observe SV, SaLagrama Puja etc, the alternatives 
indicated in answer to the previous question would suffice.
============================================================= To Continue 
(SV 2-4)
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2. TRI-MURTI IN TIRUVAIMOZHI - PART 20.
(SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO)
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4.5.6 (29):

                kariya mEni miSai veLiya neeRu SiridE iDum
                periya kOlat taDam kaNNan viNNOr perumAn tannai
                uriya SollAl iSai mAlaigaL Etti uLLap peRRERku
                ariyadu uNDO enakku inRu toTTum ini enRumE.

The reason for studying this pASuram in our context is because of the phrase 
?kariya mEni miSai veLiya nEERu SiridE iDumâ?. The literal translation for 
the phrase is ?One who wears a little bit of the white power on His 
dark-complexioned tirumEni?.   There are those who jump at the words ?veLiya 
neeRu?, and assign the meaning basmam or ash (SAmbal in tamizh) and thus try 
to explain that emperumAn is the same one who wears the ash on his body.  
Those who have studied the previous pASuram-s of AzhvAr and the message 
conveyed through them all along know that the correct interpretation is NOT 
the message that these people would like to advance.  Let us see how our 
learned AcArya-s explained this phrase.

SiRidE iDum: He who wears a small amount of
veLiya neeRu: the white camphor powder
kariya tiru mEni misaim: On His dark tirumEni
periya kOlam taDam kaNNan: has big and beautiful eyes like a beautiful pond
viNNor perumAn tannai: and One Who is the Lord of all including the 
nitya-sUri-s in SrI vaikunTham
uriya SollAl iSai mAlaigaL Etti: By praising Him with the appropriate and 
fitting words that describe His beauty and fame, strung like a garland
uLLap peRRERku: and having attained the good fortune to enjoy Him thus
enakku: I who have been already blessed with the flawless knowledge to 
realize the truth about Him
ini enRum ariyadu uNDO: There is nothing that is beyond reach for me here in 
this world, or  hereafter.

The word veLiya in tamizh means white-colored, and neeRu means powder, or 
more specifically, divya anga rAga or scented cosmetic.  The term veLiya 
neeRu has been interpreted by svAmi deSikan as white-colored camphor powder 
in his tAtparya ratnAvaLi.  In his sac-caritra rakshA, svAmi deSikan gives 
an alternate interpretation:  veLiya neeRu can be taken to mean pure powder 
and can refer to the collyrium that is applied to the eye.

SrImad tirukuDanthai ANDavan refers us to tirumangai AzhvAr?s pASuram 
ArArayil vERkaN anjanattin neeRu aNindu   In any case; neeRu does not refer 
to basmam or ash.  Note that AzhvAr also qualifies the term as veLiya neeru, 
rather than just neeRu, just so there is no confusion that he is referring 
to the white powder.

SiridE iDum applied in a small quantity.  The significance is that this is 
not applied for enhancing the beauty of emperumAn who is incomparably 
beautiful to start with, but it is applied for auspiciousness.

uriya SollAl - Through appropriate words.  SrImad rAmAyaNam, SrImad 
bhAgavatam etc., praise the Lord, but there are a lot of other things 
included there as well.  For instance, in SrImad rAmAyaNam, there is 
elaborate description of the origin of GangA, the origin of subrahmaNyan,  
etc., which take us away from the enjoyment of Lord SrI rAma?s life.  
Similarly, in SrImad bhAgavatam, we start with the impression that we are 
going to listen to the story of SrIman nArAyaNa, but then we get an 
elaborate description of the quarrel between the two groups of cousin 
brothers.  Not so in TiruvAimozhi. Here, AzhvAr delights himself only in 
bhagavad guNAnubhavam and nothing else.

As pointed out earlier, in his tAtparya ratnAvaLi, svAmi deSikan describes 
the gist of this pASuram through the words karpUrAlepa Sobhe by the 
enhancement of the beauty through a light application of camphor.
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-
To Continue ?
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