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Re: Bodily health

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mani Varadarajan • July 21, 1999 


> Sri Madhavakannan wrote:
> 
> "Swami always talks about the essentiality of performing 
> sandhyavandhanam, without which whatever one does - be it 106 Divya Desam 
> visits, or 108 pradhakshinam of PerumAL Koil, it will not equal."

I am sure Sri Gopala Desika Swami did not mean this, and
perhaps neither did Sri Madhavakkannan, but there is a hint in
the above paragraph that all these forms of worship are
reward driven -- we do 1000 pradakshiNams, daily sandhyAvandanam,
etc., to secure some benefit or favor.

If I may say so, such an attitude strikes at the very heart of the
Sri Vaishnava sampradAya.  We, in contrast to all other 
sampradAyas, are counselled *not* to do umpteen pradakshinas,
not to roll around the temple with our bodies, not to go climb Tirupati
with the idea we will benefit.  All our worship is to be done
absolutely selflessly, out of love, with the idea that Narayana
will take care of us as he sees fit.  He is not a machine who
gives more for every pradakshina, or for every sandhyAvandana.
(Recall Bhattar's words? It's the attitude that's important, 
not the elaborateness of the worship.) Once we see 
any of our worship as being result-driven and not service-driven,
our ego gains prominence, which certainly is not the message
of our acharyas.

So please -- sandhyAvandana is an ordained karma, but it is
nonetheless done purely as loving service.  His grace is not 
conditioned on its performance!

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
Mani