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Re: DipAvaLi Greetings

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Krishna Kalale • October 31, 1997 


Sri Sadagopan, 

very well written article.  The stotra you quoted from Srimadbhagavatham is
very meaning ful and has an excellent intonation and richness of sanskrit
in it. You made my morning!

Adiyen Krishna Kalale


At 12:21 PM 10/30/97 -0500, V. Sadagopan wrote:
>Dear Members of the Bhakthi Group :
>
>It is my pleasure to extend to one and all of you
>my Dipavali greetings and to be blessed to be 
>the beneficiaries of the blessings of Sri RukmiNi 
>SathyabhAmA sametha Sri Venkata KrishNan . 
>
>This is the day when Sathyabhama rode with 
>the Lord to the battle at PrakjyOthisha puram , the capital 
>of Narakaasuran and helped her Lord to put an end to the 
>adharmic acts of that Asuran . He was a son of Bhumi Devi ,
>but had strayed and committed many offenses against the 
>devotees oft he Lord . The compassionate Mother understood 
>the role of dushta Nigraham of Her  Lord and prayed for 
>Her son to be granted Moksham and be remembered 
>on the day of his destruction by the Sudarsanam of the Lord .
>
>Outside the slokams of Bhagavatham , the tradition is that 
>she prayed for the pristine waters of Ganga , which arose from
>the Lord's feet from TrivikramAvatham time to enter into the 
>oil and waters at the home of pious devotees on this day , 
>when they  take the oil bath in hot water during 
>the early morning ( before sunrise ) of this 
>Naraka Chathurthi day . She also prayed for all people 
>to celebrate her son's moksham as a pandigai wearing
>new clothes and eat special sweets and nourishments . 
>Lord KrishNA granted her wish and thus we celebrate
>this day of DipAvaLi . We light fire crackers , light lamps 
>and with " sound and light " we celebrate this great deed 
>of the Lord . We go around inquiring our friends and 
>relatives : " GangA SnAnam Aacchaa? " .
>
>This is also the  day , when the Lord brought the 
>PaarijAthA tree from Indra's Nandavanam to please
>SathyabhAma and planted it in her garden at 
>Dwarakai . I have described that event in the Saranagathi 
>Journal 's recent issue and discussed the connection
>to the work ( Prapanna PaarijAtham ) of Sri NadAthuR ammAL  .
>
>Sri VaishNavALs celebrate the AmAvasyai day ( tomorrow )
>with Maha Lakshmi PoojA . This is also the day ,
>when the new year accounts are started by commercial
>houses and Maha Lakshmi pooja is performed 
>with great ceremony  . 
>
>Some of them do KedAra Gauri poojA . 
>Gauri does not mean exclusively Parvathi .
>It also  means a eight year old Virgin girl . it also 
>means speech , Turmeric and Tulasi . For Sri VaishNavas,
>it means Bala Lakshmi . KedAram means a meadow 
>rich with water or a collection of water under the trunk 
>of a tree. It is not just a mountain chain in HimAlayAs . 
>Hence , KedArA symbolizes richness or samrutthi 
>or subheeksham . Under this definition , KedAra Gauri 
>Poojaa is then understood as PoojA for 
>the Goddess of Wealth, MahA Lakshmi .          
>
>Bhumi Devi's  prayer to the Lord are moving and 
>are housed in the chapter 59 of the Dasama skandham . 
>Here are some illustrative verses :
>
>namasthE devadEvEsa sakha chakra gadhAdhara I
>bhakthEccHOpAttha rUpAya ParamAthman namOsthu thE II
>
>(meaning ) : Salutations to Thee , the God of Gods ! sporting the 
>conch , the disc and the mace ! Obesiance to Thee , the supreme
>Consciousness , who assumest bodies to fulfill 
>the yearnings of Thy devotees ! 
>
>Nama: PankajanAbhAya Nama: PankajamAlinE I
>Nama: PankajanEhtrAya NamasthE PankajaAngrayE II
>
>( meaning ) : Salutations to the Lotus-navelled ! 
>Salutations to the Lotus-garlanded! Salutations 
>to the Lotus eyed ! Salutations to the Lotus-footed ! 
>
>namO BhagavathE thubhyam VaasudEvAya VishNavE I
>PurushAya AdhibheejAya PurNabhOdAya thE nama: I
>
>(meaning ) : I salute VaasudEvA , the support of all ! 
>I salute VishNu , the inner pervader of everything ! 
>I salute Him , who is the ultimate source of everything ! 
>I salute Him , who is All-Intelligence ! 
>
>AjAya janayithrEasya BrahmaNE ananthasakthayE I
>ParaavarAthman BhUthAthman Paramaathman namOsthu thE II
>
>(Meaning ) : Salutations to Him , who manifests both
>as the cause and the efect! Salutations to Him, who is 
>ever existent ! Salutations to Him ,who is the supreme
>spirit ! Salutations to Him , Who is the Infinite power ! 
>Salutations to Him , who is the greatest being ! 
>Salutations to Him ,who is the father of the worlds ! 
>Salutations to Him, who is birthless ! 
>
>OM NamO BhagavathE VaasudEvAya !
>
>Today and tomorrow even more , all of us can benefit
>from reciting Sri Sthuthi of Swami Desikan and
>Sri Sthavam of KurEsa and ChathusslOki 
>of AlavandhAr . We can also perform aaradhanam
>to Maha Lakshmi with Lakshmi AshtOttharam
>or Lakshmi sahasra Naamam . 
>
>Those , who do not have the time can atleast 
>recite one slOkam from Sri Sthuthi , which
>starts with KalyANAnAm avikala nidhi :
>and receive Her blessings for the year to come !
>
>Om Sriyai Nama: 
>
>Oppiliappan Koil VaradachAri SadagOpan 
>Isvara Samvathsara DipAvaLi dinam 
>
>