Re: Need to know
From the Bhakti List Archives
• August 9, 2000
At 03:16 AM 8/9/00 -0000, you wrote: >Why do we all go to a temple....it is said ..the heart is the place >of god...then why temple... > Dear Srimathi Priya: Srimans MadhavakkaNNan, Hari , Venkatesh Elayavalli have already given valuable inputs related to your question. They indicated that the Lord manifests Himself in 5 states and described the ease of acces of the Lord in His archA roopam at the temples. I will add a few more points on the important question that you asked. You referred to one of those five states : Haartha or AntharyAmi Roopam and asked about another(Archai), who is resident in Temples consecrated by Aagamic rules. The Isvaran in the heart cavity is present in His sookshma (most subtle) roopam . This is the AntharyAmi. The sacred text known as AntharyAmi BraahmaNam states the the Lord is present in all sentients and insentients (ChEthana -achEthanams).The upanishadic text in support of this anthryAmi savrUpan is: " Ya: Aathma thishtan , aathmAnam antharO yamayathi". The Sruthi Vaakhyam also explains the Lord being on top of an agni jwAlai with the dimension of the head of a wheat seed :" NeelathO yadhamadhyasthA--TasyA SikhAyA MadhyE ParamAthmA vyavasthitha:" Achaarya RaamAnujA and other AchAryAs have saluted this Sookshma SvarUpi residing inside our heart lotus : sEyam dahara PuNDarIka MadhyAkAsa VardhinI Vahni SkhA Svaantharnihitha NeelathOyadhApa PARAMAATHMA SVAROOPAA --(VedArhta Sangraham , AchArya RaamAnujA). The skills obtained from the practise of AshtAnga Yogam are indispensible for meditating upon and seeing this AntharyAmi Brahmam . After the success in Aathma (antharyAmi Brahma) SaakshAthkAram , One is qulaified to engage in Bhakthi Yogam. This is the most difficult route and only a very few upaasakAs can have this SvAthma-SaakshAthkAram thru AshtAnga Yogam after completing Karma Yogam and the Jn~Ana Yogam steps as a prerequisite .Great Yogis like Sri Ranga PriyA Swamigal can and have succeded in these difficult efforts in modern times. This route is not for us ,the simple folks , who do not have the qualifications to succeed in this effort to see the antharyAmi Brahmam and go on form there to practise Bhakthi Yogam to gain Moksha Sukham . Because of His infinite DayA for us , the Lord takes on an easily accessible state known as Archai or ArchAvathAram . "avatharathi " means that He descends from Sri Vaikuntam to this earth and stays with His dhivya ThirumEni in consecrated Vigrahams . The Para and VyUha Roopa Moorthy descends down to bless us and makes it easy for us to enjoy Him and perform AarAdhanai for Him. With His anugraham ,we get sadAchArya sambhandham and perform Prapatthi under their feet and qualify ourselves for Moksha Siddhi through an easier route (Prapatthi) than Bhakthi Yogam . This ArchAvathara PerumAL 's presence in consecrated images has been described by Sawmi Desikan as: "BhimbhAkruthyAthmanA BhimbhE SamAgathya avathishtathE ". His saanidhyam (presence )is there in these consecrated images made of Gold, Silver, Granite, Wood or Clay. He enters into them and is present in His Suddha Sathva ThirumEni.Once He responds to the AavAhanam (invocation ) and enters in to the PrAkruthic metal or wooden images , there is no difference anymore between this Suddha Sathva ThirumEni and the PrAkruthic material that He has entered. Those who worship and meditate on this ArchA Moorthy who is very visible to our maamsa Chakshus ( Flesh based eyes, Humna eyes) in contrast to AntharyAmi Svaroopan are blessed to attain sadAchAryan , perform prapatthi and gain Moksham. The ArchA svarUpi at the Temples is therefore not a metallic image or wodden image . Due to the power of PrathishtA VisEsha Manthrams , that earthy material gets transformed into Aprakruthic , Sudhda Sathva dhravyam and has the presence of Para VaasudEvan in Sri Vaikuntam. That which is beyond the speech and mind of the Yogis become accessible to our fleshy eyes as revealed by Swami Desikan in his commentary on Bhagavath Githai: " athra YoginAm vaangmanasAgOcharamapi chakshurAdhikaraNai: ithivachanAth ArchAvathAra RoopEapi PararoopathavAnusandhAnam darsitham ". That is why the AzhwArs lost themselves at the dhivya Desams and sang with ecstasy about the anantha kalyANa guNams of the Lord with His devis in their NaalAyira dhivya prabhandhams so movingly. That is why our AchAryAs pointed the way for us by creating a temple-focused code of conduct. The involvement of these AchAryAs at the temples of Srirangam , ThiruvEnkatam , Kaanchi et al are legendary. Here were born their Sri Sookthis . Some entered into sanyAsAsramam in fornt of these ArchA Moorthys. Others spent their lives in kaimkaryams to these ArchA moorthys , who talked some times to these AchAryAs by breaking their ArchA Samaadhi. When we stand before Sri RanganAthA and reflect upon the merger of Godhai and ThiruppANar with Him , when we reflect upon the daily Maalai Kaimkaryam of ThoNdardippodi AzhwAr , When we reflect upon the SaraNAgathi Gadhyam of AchArya RaamAnujA on a Panguni Uttharam day ,we are transported to another world .The thought of the sacredness of the dust from the holy feet of these AzhwArs and AchAryAs at our temples remind us of our links to this ancient tradition of temple-rooted culture. The palpable fruits of worshipping ArchAvathAra Moorthys , performing kaimkaryams to them , enjoying their many uthsavams and spending lives close to them have been well illustrated by our AchArya Paramparai. That is why we worship the consecrated Moorthys at the temples instead of traveling on the well nigh impossible route of experiencing and worshipping the antharyAmi Brahmam for our Moksham. Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE saraNam , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan --------------------------------------------------------------------http://click.egroups.com/1/7874/5/_/716111/_/965868127/ --------------------------------------------------------------------|e>- -------------------------------------------------------------- - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH - To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list@eGroups.com Visit http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/ for more information
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