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Vaishnavism:Basic Tenets-Sunday,7PM CST Velukkudi Swami in English

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Dan Pattangi • February 21, 2001 


srimathE rAmAnujAya namaha:
With the divine blessings of Lord Sriman Narayana, U.Ve Sri Velukkudi
swami's English lecture series have started (Last Sunday of the Month)  

These lectures are targetted towards the questions that we all have, but
are voiced more openly by the young minds. Please encourage all the
younger minds in your area to make use of this wonderful
and unique opputunity to listen, understand and improve our lives.

Next lecture info (7PM CST, Sunday Feb 25th)
http://www.srivaishnava.org/talks/velukkudi/vk_sponsor.htm

For detailed text: 
http://www.radioramanuja.com/talks/velukkudi/basics1.htm

=============================================================
BASIC TENETS OF SRI VAISHNAVISM
Per the tele-Upanyasam of U. Ve Sri Velukkudi Swami

======================================================
Tenet 1. Tiruvaradhanam (Daily Pooja) for at least 15 minutes. On week
ends, festivals and alwar acharya tirunakshatram without fail.
======================================================

Question: Why do we have to do this, How does it help? 
What is special about doing Tiruvaradhanam on certain days?

======================================================
Tenet 2. Any thing you eat only after offering it to the Lord.
 - this would restrict/guide you in what you consume.
======================================================

Question: Does the Karma Theory work here: i.e: The farmer grows the
grain, the businessman trade the grain, the karmas of the farmer &
businessmen etc are associated with the grain, and a part will come to you
if you eat it. (By offering food to god, it becomes Perumal's grain. After
perumal has had it, it becomes prasadam and no karma is attached to it.)

======================================================
Tenet 3. Recite nitya anusandhanam and sahasranamam - it might take about
30 minutes. It can be any time of the day. Recite rahasya trayam
especially dvayam as many times as possible. Meditate on our guruparampara
======================================================

Question:  Why should we do this? How does it help today's
 working/material based society. 

======================================================
Tenet4. Under any circumstances - bhagavata apacharam koodadu. This is an
irrepairable fault. Never tread away from the path which our 
poorvacharyas have prescribed.
======================================================

Question:  Poorvacharyas never asked us to come to the US, why do we even
come here. Acharyas never asked us study Engineering etc... why do we do
this? Who is the Bhagavata to whom we should not do apacharam (The priest
who looks all Holy and nice, but has hidden agendas etc etc...) So can we
can do apacharam to non-bhagawatas?

======================================================
Tenet5. You can earn to live, to educate , to get married 
- but not for the sake for earning.
======================================================

Question: So are we supposed to give extra earnigs? towards whom & why
should we give? Are we not interefering with the receiver's Karma & Lord's
ways by trying to help/interfere in others problems.

======================================================

Tenet6. Donate a portion - however little it may be - to noble causes. I
am not only mentioning temples here. It may be for hospitals, poor
education, poor feeding and any social service.

======================================================

Question: How can we donate "selflessly" when we can think of of the
better car & better house, and have the feeling that the money/its fruits
are ours. Where is the limit and houw do we get to the point of parting
with perumal's money that we have received (But perceive it as ours).
How do we even come to feel that in the true sense thatnothing is ours to
begin with?

======================================================
Tenet7. Be happy and proud that you belong to the most logical and great
philosophy and thank your preceptors atleast once a day for blessing you
with this.
======================================================

Question: If it is the most logical and great as you say, how come
SriVaishnavas are a minority, and the numbers are decreasing. How come we
have not successfully converted the whole world to Sri Vaishnavism?

======================================================
Tenet8. For good qualities and knowledge look at people above you and try
to reach them. For money and standard of living look at people below you
and be satisfied.
======================================================

Question: Whom  do we consider above & whom below....? 

======================================================
Tenet9. Have absolute faith on Sriman Narayana and be firm that anyone
with Ramanuja sambandham is confirmed of a berth in Paramapadam.
======================================================

Question: Just from Saranagathi Gadyam " Thayar's response to srI
Ramanuja" or is there any other reason for Paramapadam to all with
Ramanuja Sambhandam. (What is this sambhandam & how to keep it)

Please explain how we are confirmed of a berth?

======================================================

Kesavan Srinivasan and myself are honored to be of
service in re-writing the upnanyasam.



AzhwAr EmberumAnAr Jeeyar ThiruvadigalE saranam

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
Mukundan Vankipuram Pattangi



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           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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