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Archavataram origin - Idol Worship ....

From the Bhakti List Archives

yamini suresh • Thu Nov 28 2002 - 01:01:29 PST 


ArchAvatAram : 
With the recent discussions on Idol worship, I thought
I’d  write down what I have heard on the same.

Source : - Discourse on Sri Ranga MAhAtmyam by Sri
Krishna PrEmi Swmigal.  Audio cassettes, cassette no.
2 and 3.

While I am attempting to translate the relevant
portions of Sanskrit verses in English, errors  if
any, are due to my ignorance. The discourse is in the
following format – the Verse recited  followed by the 
translation. For the sake of brevity, I am putting in
the translation directly. I am unsure about what text
these Sanskrit verses belong to. I would request our
learned  members to enlighten us on the same. 

My submission :
The story goes like this…
Once, the dEvAs, KinnarAs, yakshAs, gyAnIs etc. went
to SatyalOka (Abode of  BramhA) for Satsangam.

BramhA posed a question to them on how each of them
worshipped God.  To this,  they gave their respective
methods of worship. 

NityasUrIs - Bramhaswaroopam in Vaikuntham 

GyAnis - SarvavyApa Vishnu in all roopams

Yogis – Chith-roopam in Hridayam, Bhroomadhyam etc.

Rishis - GAyathri Manthram in the middle of the
Suryamandalam

Devas - KshirAbdhi Shayana PerumAL

As ordinary mortals do not have an access to the above
forms of PerumAL easily, he  thought that ‘perumAL’
should be accessible to all , even pApIs. 

A small comparison can be made with Water, it’s
various forms and how it is accessed to put it to use.
Forms of water & it’s access :

a. Water which is the kAraNOdayam (root cause) for    

   ulaga sristhi (creation of  the world) 
b. AkAsh Gangai - Water in the clouds- Not 
     accessible to us
c. PAthALa Gangai - Water deep down - Should bore deep

   down for  use(borewells).

d. Rainy season - All can use it but for a limited  
   period during the  season.

e. Water in dams, lakes etc. -Available easily even in

   peak and harsh  summer (kadum kOdai).

Similarly God is accessible - 

a. As Vaikuntha Pathi during Jagat Srishti. However, 
   there is no direct access  to mortals.
b. In KshirAbdhi like the AkAsha Gangai for Devas.
c. In the Hridayam (Heart)- Gyanis bore down and 
   concentrate and achieve him  like water from the 
   PAtALa Gangai.
d. As AvatAra PurushAs – available only during the 
   specific period. Like the  rain that showers 
   everywhere without bias the AvathAra purushAs were 
   available  at that particular time and place  
   irrespective of the worth of the being.

e. BramhA found a gap here. Like Water available in 
   kadum kOdai (peak summer)  he wanted God to be 
   available to all in kadum kali (Kaliyugam) 
   easily .  He wanted to bridge this gap. Bramha’s 
   kripai  for mortals led him to visit the  
   KshirAbdhi SAyee.

Bramha, along with the devas, kinnaras etc., 
requested Sriman NArAyanA to be  available to
everybody. At this point, the Lord said that he will
come as 'ArchAvatAram' in the Vigraha Roopam. As all
of them did not know what to expect,   Bramha  and
others waited at the shores of the milky ocean
(pArkadal). 

A bright light illuminated the place blinding their
eyes and slowly they could see the Ranga VimAnam
Kalasam rising from the Ocean. The PranavAkAram, 
Garudan in between, the Jaya –Vijaya DwarapAlakas,
SEnapathi VishwaksEnar and  Yagna VarAhar .

The GAyathri Mandapam with 24 pillars signifying the
24 aksharams in the  GAyatri matram. The 2 pillars in
the garbhagraham signifying the Dwayam  (Sharanagathi
manthram).

The 1000 headed AdisEshan was providing the light to
PerumAL. The  ratnams on each of AdisEshan’s heads
shone and lit up PerumAL. Subsequently, the  Utsava
murthy, Sridevi, Bhoodevi also emerged. 

All of them watching this scene were overwhelmed and
their outpour was in  Gadyam (prose) form as stuti of
PerumAL


This is how the Archamurthi came to us-.so that we are
fortunate enough to  experience Him in this Kaliyugam 
in such a simple and easy manner. 

Ram Ram
Ramanuja dasi


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