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Chicago's best kept secret....

From the Bhakti List Archives

Mohan Sagar • May 7, 1998 


is its close knit and active SriVaishnava community.  At least, it was a
secret from me until this past weekend, when my wife and I accompanied Sri
N. Sriram and Smt. Manjula to attend the Sri Ramanuja thirunakshatram
celebrations and the 1st Sunday thirumanjanam function at Sri Srinivasan
Sannidhi in Aurora, IL.

While many of us are just beginning to start organizations for the
preservation of our tradition, SriVaishnavas have been active in the Aurora
temple ever since its inception, assuring that the kainkaryam of the Lord
in this temple is in accordance with EmperumAnAr's instruction.  Indeed, in
what I would consider testimony of this, beautiful utsavars of EmperumAnAr,
Swami Desikan, and NammAzhWar sit at the thiruvadi of the utsavar of
kalyAna Srinivasan, perhaps a standard in India, but a rare treat for
temples in the US.  And to add to this, the dedicated bhAgavathas are now
composing sthala purAnam of the temple and the Lord therein, as well as
wonderful tamizh poems on the vaibhavam of the Lord of Aurora.

I cannot express in words how wonderful it was for me to sit alonside such
learned individuals as Sri Raghavan and Sri Krishnamachary and hear them
recite the poignant verses of taitrEya upanishad.  And to have the
opportunity to recite neerAtam in a gOshti to thiruvenkatamudayAn Himself
is an honor for which I am far from worthy, but will treasure forever.

My sincere thanks and regards to Smt Chitra Madhavan, Sri Krishnamachary
and Smt KalyAni, Sri Raghavan, Sri and Smt Jaganathachariar, and all the
other bhAgavathas of the Greater Chicago and tri-state area.  My greetings
to Sri Venugopalan, who participated in the thiruvAradhanai in the home of
Smt and Sri Sriram.  

And my special heartfelt thanks from both my wife and myself to Sri Sriram
and Smt Manjula for taking us to the temple on time to attend both Sri
Ramanuja thirunakshatram and Perumal Thirumanjanam, despite the hectic
schedule associated with the sudarshana homam that they had performed in
their new home.


adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

Mohan