Bhakti List Archives

Re[2]: Saligram

From the Bhakti List Archives

Unknown Sender • Mon Jul 27 1998 - 09:17:32 PDT 


     Sri Mani replied for Sri Balram as follows :-

In my opinion, based on my exposure to the sastras of our
sampradaaya, Sri Vaishnavas should only obtain and perform
sAlagrAma worship in the spirit of loving service.  Going
to the extent of worshipping a sAlagrAma for the sake of
some material or non-material wealth could not be further
from the spirit of Sri Ramanuja's teachings.

Mani

     Now I agree totally with Sri Mani. If the person, Sri V.V.Ramanujam,
     he is referring to, is the person residing at Triplicane, I had a
     question with him once as to how to identify the swaroopam of a
     sAligrAmam, Sri V.V.Ramanujam replied that, there are a lot of
     identification marks to be thorougly studied to know whether the
     swaroopam is Krishna or Narasimha or likewise.

     But the important thing he added is that, in our Sampradhayam, PermAL
     says that, "You worship me in any form you want, in the sense, you
     have a sAligrAmam, but you don't know what is my form in it, but
     consider it to me the form of Krishna, then I WILL BE KRISHNA for
     you".

     Sri V.V.Ramanujam also told me that, no where our achAryAs have said
     that worshipping a particular type of sAligrAmam will bring any ill
     effects to us.

     adiyEn RAmAnuja dAsan,

     T.V.Venkatesh
     TV.Venkat@frco.com