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Re: SaaLagraamam

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madhav.vasudevan • October 10, 2001 


SrI:
SrImathe Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dear Sri Sreekanth,

you asked:

dear all
could any body can give me information about where i
can get a good salagramam for worship, pirces, and
what type of salagram is good for worship
sreekanth

I had written this last month in another list: I am reproducing the same:

I am too small for writing anything on SaaLagraamam. However, dog licking
the Ganges river does not belittle or pollute the purity of the river:-)

It is adiyEn's bhagyam to write few words on SaaLigraamam.

This is from Sri Madhuranthakam Swamy centenary malar.

SaaLigraamam is one among the eight swayam vyaktha kshEthrams. Among the
swayam vyaktha sthalams, SaaLigraamam is said to be the most important. This
place is in Nepal, 60 miles of west of KaatmaNdu on the bank of the river
Gandaki. This is on the way to mukthi Narayana kshEthram which is 100 miles
off.

The saaLigraamams are found in this river Gandaki, one of the main
tributaries of the Sacred Ganges. There are many types of saaLigraamams.
There exist saaLigraamams with or without holes, and house matsya, kUrma or
other avtaars of Lord Sriman Narayanan.

Agamas and saasthrAs have said that the Lord VishNu on His own, dwells in
these SaaLigraamams and no AvAhanam is required for the same. There is also
a SaaLigAmam sthOthra manthram. Shri Bhagawan is the rishi of Shri
SaaLigrAmam sthOthra manthra; Narayana is the deity; Gayathri is the
chandhas;

Given below is an extract from English translation of SaaLigraamam sloka
mantra (appeared in Centenary malar of Sri MadhurAnthakam Swamy) written by
Dr. T.D Muralidharan, Assistant editor of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai.

Yuthishtira said:

Oh PurushOtthama, God of Gods, I want to hear it all a to what is the best
of worship of Gods. Please tell me.

Shri Bhagawaan said:

The land, as extensive as ten yOjanAs (100 miles) lies extended as the
Northern bank of Gandaki river and at the south of the Lord of mountains. It
is a great land.

One who desires expiation of the sins perpetrated since birth, he should
remove (completely) the water of SaaLigraamam. Salutations to you (who
removes the water from saaLigrAmam after bathing).

One should hold the water (thus obtained from washing the Feet of Lord
VishNu) in his palm and drink. It drives away untimely death. It destroys
all illnesses. The water sprinkled on human beings burns away even the sin
of killing a brahmin.

One obtains the same benefits of performance of 1000 (agnishtOma) yaagams
with agni and 100 vajapeya sacrifices, if one consumes the food offered to
saaLigraamam (i.e. Lord VishNu)

If one bathes Saaligraamam (Lord VishNu's Feet) with water and offers
thuLasi leaves at His Feet, he would obtain the merit equivalent to crores
of puNyams.

Even if a saaLigraamam is broken or cracked, or burnt in fire, there is no
harm; He is Blemishless; Faultless; There is no demerit in Him.

Worshipping saaLigraamam qucikly destroys any sin arising out of
brahmahayta, or any sin arising out of body, mind and speech. It will confer
all benefits on you, when you worship saaLigraamam.

The saaLigrAmam is arisen out of Sriman Narayanan. It has developed a wheel
within it by its own action. It has the capacity to grant boons.

One should always take the water from the Feet of Lord VishNu
(saaLigraamam); the flowers and thuLasi leaves bedecked on Him should be
placed on one's head; food offered to Him should be consumed along with a
thuLasi leaf.

A little portion of saaLigraamam will absolve you from even the killing of
one crore jIvAs. (*doesn't mean you go ahead killing:-) *)

One should always meditate on saaLigramam and worship Him. Best of the
brahmin should repeat this everyday.

Such a person will go the ultimate place where Sriman Narayanan resides; He
will be absolved from all sins and reach Sri VishNulOkam.

One who performs the worship of Lord VishNu through saaLigraama shila, he
will obtain the desired empire. He will see all ten avtaars of Lord VishNu.

All sins performed in crores of one's lives are destroyed by sipping water
from the Feet of Lord VishNu (i.e. saaLigraamam). No water should be
dropped.

I have not covered the translation fully and I have mentioned only few
points from the above article to drive home the point that SAALIGRAAMAM
WORSHIP IS THE BEST AND ONE NEEDS TO DO AT ANY COST.

PLEASE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT what harm it would bring as you do not know the
type and nature of SaaLigraamam. No harm would happen to you. How can there
be harm by doing a good holy deed? Also we perform with SathvIka tyAgam and
for Bhagawath preethi.

[One who has undergone Samasrayanam, is required to perform ThiruvArAdhanam
everyday. Due to unforeseen circumstances, should one go out of station (on
business trips), then his spouse or other faimly member can just open the
KoilAzhwAr (the Box where PerumAL is placed) and offer food...
Alternatively, Saaligraamam can be kept in a container of rice.. ]

One should learn from AchArya (or from a srivaishnava scholar) as to how to
perform SaaLigrAma ArAdhanam and then start.
Acharyan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Narayana Narayana
NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan



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