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From the Bhakti List Archives

Ramesh_Srinivasaraghavan • December 27, 1995 


     
     Dear Bhaktas,
     
     >>Please accept my salutations. I thought I should add to this 
     discussion on worship of other Gods, by Srivaisnava's. 
     Worship of "devathantharam" (other God) goes against the fundamental
     basis os Srivaisnavism. I will try to substantiate this with my
     limited knowledge.
     
     [.. deleted ..]
     
     
     >I would greatly appreciate any, and all, information you can send me. 
     >Murugan >was a name I had heard only a couple of times, and then only 
     >in a vague way, 
     >then I read a post that 
     >he is worshipped by Srivaishnavas, so I became interested
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
     
     >>To my knowledge practicing Sri Vaishnavas _do not_ worship Murugan.
     
     >>To my knowledge, Srivaisnava's  _SHOULD_NOT_ worship any God, other
                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
     than Sriman Narayana. Worship of any other God, will negate the very 
     concept of Samasrayanam or Bharanyasam. 
     
     
     >> Worship of other Gods, may at most, grant fleeting pleasures such 
     as "Svarga". However, A true Srivaisnava should be a "mumuksu" 
     (moksa-aspirant); and all acarya's of the Srivaisnava tradition have 
     established that Sriman Narayana alone can grant moksa. So our elders
     always say that, "when He can grant you everything including moksa, 
     worship of other Gods is like digging a well for water, on the banks 
     of Ganges !" 
     
     There are also some pasurams that confirm this fact. I dont recall the 
     verse exactly, but it starts with 
     
        "avaravar ...."
     
     I think it is one of the stanzas in the "mudal patthu" of 
     tiruvaimozhi. I also remember that these ten verses were quite
     a tongue-twister. I am sure the learned scholars who write in
     this group will clarify this point better.
     
     I have also heard from learned scholars that worship of other Gods 
     involve such rajasic (and even tamasic) rituals that, it would be
     shocking to most of us today. One of the greatest contributions of
     Srivaisnavism has been its sattvic (yet, attractive and elaborate) 
     form of temple worship. In my opinion, most of the modern temples 
     dedicated to other Gods have adapted/adopted these attractive 
     and pleasing sattvic forms of worship, and have abandoned some of the
     scary and distasteful forms of worship such as orgiastic dancing.
     I am sure that the learned scholars in this group will shed more
     light in this matter.
     
     adiyen Madurakavaidasan,
     
     Ramesh Srinivasaraghavan