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Re: SUPPORT TO DIVYA DESAMS

From the Bhakti List Archives

Venkatesh K. Elayavalli • July 18, 2000 


Dear Sri Vishnu

I believe you are refering to  recent announcements about the 
activities carried out by some of us living outside India. If Iam 
worng please ignore this email.

For us who live in US, going to the temple and taking part in the 
activites there helps us to keep in touch with the tradition and 
impart some of the values to our children. In US there are probably
more Shiva-Vishnu temples than ISKON temples, which are authentic
only in big cities. In smaller cities one may not find an ISKON 
temples but may find a Shiva Vishnu temple or an Indian temple. 

The main reason for conducting these activites (Azvar TN etc)
at these temples, is to increase the awareness of the prabhandam 
among the local Indians who are largely non-srivaishnavas. Having such
activites at these temples helps us to improve their understanding
of our sampradhayam and potentially get support for various
activites in India. 

For example, HH Sri Tridandi Jeeyar led the Lakshmi pooja at the 
Shiva-Vishnu temple at Livermore and led the Prabhanda goshtii the
following day at the same temple. There is no reason for us not to 
participate in the goshtii,led by Jeeyar himself. The event was
attended by many, majority of them non-Srivaishnavas.


One final point:

I am not too concerned about an American misinterpreting 
Srivaishnavam, but I am more concerned about local Iyengars in 
particular and Indians in general not understanding our sampradhayam.
Shiva- Vishnu temple at Livermore is the temple that is frequenlty 
visited by Indians and Sri Andal says that we should go in a group
and get HIS blessings, which happens here on Saturdays during 
Tirumanjanam. Because of the temple activites and  NAMA activites
more people know about Tiruppavai and prabhandam and they come to 
listen to the paaraayanam every saturday.

I apologize for the long email and if I have digressed too much

thanks

 





--- In bhakti-list@egroups.com, vishnu75@i... wrote:
> Thiruvengada Jeeyar thiruvadigale saranam.
> 
> Dear Bhagavatas,
> 
> namaskar.
> 
> Kindly do not mistake me for this mail. this is only a suggestion.
> 
> As far as I know, many of you r doing kainkaryam in the Siva-Vishnu
> temples,
> just because there are south indian priests and sannidhi for Lord
> Venkatachalapathy.
> 
> from this, any new comer or a foreigner intersted in lord Vishnu,
can
> easily misunderstand that Srivaishnavam means worship of both Vishnu
and
> Siva and ISKCON and other Vaishnava groups worship Krishna i.e
Vishnu
> alone, Who is the Supreme Godhead according to Hindu scriptures. 
> 
> On the contrary, Srivaishnavas in India rarely go to any Siva Vishnu
> temple.
> 
> You may say there is no other option. But you have several ISKCON
temples
> in US.
> 
> My sincere suggestion is, all initiated SVs should go to Pomona
Ranganatha
> temple or nearby ISKCON temple. 
> 
> Another suggestion is, whatever u spend for arranging Divya
Pranbandha
> goshti and Acharya thirunakshatrams in a Siva Vishnu temple (WHILE
NO SIVA
> VISHNU TEMPLE IN INDIA CELEBRATES SV ACHARYA BIRTHDAYS NOR DIVYA
PRABANDHAM
> IS RECITED THERE), if diverted to divya Desams in India such as
those in
> Kanchi, it will make some difference.	 
> 
> thanks
> dasan
> VISHNU
> 
> http://www.iitian.com : An Extraordinary place for Extraordinary
people


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