Please clarify

From the Bhakti List Archives

• October 18, 2000


Sri Varavara MunayE namah.

Dear Bhagavatottamas,

My namskarams to you all.

Last year, from one of the mails posted to Bhakti list in Sept 99, I  came
to know that Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Jeeyar Swamigal had said that
Perumal Himself had an incarnation called laskhmI gaNapati. I discussed the
issue of this incarnation of Lord i.e. whether it is really there are not,
with a few Bhagavatas and also a few scholars. While a few bhagavatas and
scholars denied it, I did not get any satisfactory answer in support of it.
Later I ignored this issue due to several reasons including need to
concentrate on several hardcore lowkeegam issues.

I have recently got many doubts after seeing a hitherto unknown picture on
the cover page of Sept 2000 issue of the offcial magazine of followers of
Sri Tridanadi Jeeyar "Bhaktinivedana". In this, there is a deity having 19
heads with an elephant head in the centre with two tusks and with a female
deity on his lap. In the inner pages, they described this deity as "lakshmI
gaNapati" 
and claimed him to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. They further say it is
different from the concept of lakshmI gaNapati of others. (I know a
non-vaishnavite , not-so-popoluar, totally baseless and highly blasphemous
version of lakhmI gaNapti, whihc I am not interseted in posting for your
information.)

I have pondered very much on this topic and have not got any satsifactory
answers in support of what is published in Bhakti nivedana.
Hence I request the learned members of Bhakti-list to kindly clarify the
following points:

1. What are the scripural evidences for this particluar incarnation of
Perumal with Thayar called "lakshmI ganapati"? What is the text and meaning
of the particular verses which say this?


2. What are the vishnu temples where we can find images of this deity? Are
there any Vaishnava temples for this incarnation of Lord Vishnu?

3. Do we find any references to this incarnation in Alwar diya prabandham
and pUrvAchArya vyAkhyAnams?

4. Are there any stOtras composed on this deity by Srivaishnava AchAryas
like Sri Desikar or Sri Sankaracharya who is said to have composed numerous
stotras on lord Vishnu?

5. In what works of present or previous Srivaishnava Acharyas, do we find a
mention of this incarnation?

6. When and how is this deity to be worshipped, at temples and/or in
houses?

Alwar emeberumAnAr jIyar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

dAsan
Vishnu

http://www.iitian.com : An Extraordinary place for Extraordinary people

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