Re: [N. R. Srinivasa Raghavan: Re: INTRO about myself]

From the Bhakti List Archives

• November 21, 1995


                  SriMathAe Ramanujaya Namaha

This is  my  understanding, and correct me if i am wrong. The Namam
(thiruman , SriCharanam) are indicative of the initiation of the Lord
by the acarya. Sounds  a bit dubious, but this aludes to the importance 
of acaryas in leading one  to godhead - God being  led to godhead ??.
The  argument, as pointed out by one scholar, Tiruvoimozhi acarya swamy
of Melkote (on a related topic) was that the lord, Sriman Narayana,
as observed thru our puranas is many times perplexing, that truth and
the approach to it can escape most in direct worship. However,  the
paths indicated by the various  acarya's who have followed Sri Ramanujacarya
see the  truth as one, uncompromised, unambiguous, and absolute. This attitude
of  Sri Ramanujacarya is the culmination of Namalwars thought, and so Namalwar
is considered to be  the paramacarya. Therefore, the Namam is considered to be
Namalwars tiruvadi. It is said that the lord Sriman Narayana himself admitted
to the validity of Namalwar and hence Sri Ramanuja's perspective and became
his disciple and hence the lord takes on Namalwars tiruvadi. There is a story
about  how Lord Venkateswara of  Tirupathi took on the Namam ... which followed
the success Sri Ramanujacarya had in a series of debates that he had with the
advaithists who were then overseeing the temple, which subsequently earned him
the  title of SriBasyakara. 

Mohana Ramanujam         

srinivas@bhaskara.csa.iisc.ernet.in (N. R. Srinivasa Raghavan) wrote:
> 
> My humble salutations to the Sri Vasihanvites out there.
> 
> I am a research student in the department of Computer Science at
> the Indian Institute of Science. My broad area of Research would be
> in the area of business systems analysis and design. i completed my
> M.Tech in Management Studies from the same institute, this year. 
> 
> Coming to the spiritual side, i was fortunate to be initiated into
> Sri Vaishnavism by my father Sriman (U.Ve) N.S.Ramanuja Tatacharya,
> whom some of you may be knowing. 
> 
> With the very little intellectual acumen that i pretend to posses, all that i think that i can do is to raise issues and some questions,which i am sure the congregation of scholars there can ponder over and respond.
> 
> But it gladdens me to know that a decent set of people on the web
> dedicate their time to invigorate the others by doing praise worthy
> translations, Divya Desam Project etc.
> 
> i come forward to offer any little bit of work that i can take up.
> You can access my URL : http://www.csa.iisc.ernet.in/~raghavan/.
> If there's some problem, you can try http://144.16.67.59/~raghavan/
> 
> Here goes a sample of my questions:
> 
>  >  the purpose of using Thiruman on our foreheads is reasonably clear:
>     that it connotes the Lord's Holy Thiruvadi. But, why is it that 
>     the Lord Himself wears Thiruman on His Forehead?!
>     i would be happy if someone provides a reply
> 
> Sriman Narayana Prithyartham

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