In Andal's Service.

From the Bhakti List Archives

• September 6, 2001


Sri Andal Charitable Trust, Chennai (Regn. No.279/1997)
 91 Thulasingam Street, Perambur, Chennai-600 011 (India).

 Phone: 044-551.18.61 (Srivilliputtur Vidwan  R. Kannan Swamy).
=====================================================

APPEAL

Commencing from January 1998, the Andal Trust has been rendering the
following sacramental services in the in the twin temples of
Sri-vaTa-patra-SAyee and ANDAL  in the sacred city of Srivilliputtur :-

1. Daily chanting of Veda and Divya-prabandham scripture on prescribed
occasions.
2. Offering (token) cash 'sambhAvanam' (ceremonial fee) to the
'adhyApaka-s' for the service of recitation.
3. Providing the materials for the daily 'snapana-tirumanjanam' of
Periyazhvar.
4. Organising food offerings (taLikai/naivEdyam prasAdam) in morning,
mid-day and evening hours, in the shrines of  Sri Vatapatra-Sayee, Andal
and Periyazhvar.
5. Distribution of food 'prasadam' (sacrament) to the
'dEsAntari-yAtrika' (outstation  pilgrims) who visit  Srivilliputtur.

The Andal Trust has received support from Sri Vaana-maa-malai Jeeyar
Svami, Sri Azhakia-Singar Svami of the Ahobila Matham, Srimat Srirangam
Andavan Svami, TridanDi Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Svami, and
several other prominent personalities.

The Andal Trust was set up and registered as an independent agency to
ensure a minimum degree of regular worship three times a day
('nitya-trikAla-tiru-ArAdhanam').     The corpus fund was constituted
through minimum individual donations of Rs.3000/-, and a total sum of
Rs.13 lakhs was raised and invested as capital fund.   The interest
realised at 15% was adequate for meeting the expenses of daily worship.

However,  the cash yield has of late been steeply decreasing since
interest rates have fallen as low as 7%.     This has obliged the Trust
to seek further enhancement of the corpus fund, in order that it can
support even the minimum desired level of regular worship in the highly
venerated shrines of Sri Vatapatra-Sayee, Andal and Periyazhvar in
Srivilliputtur, which is the fountainhead of our sacred hymns,
tiru-p-pallANDu and tiru-p-pAvai.

The Trust accordingly appeals to all 'Astika-s' to contribute urgently
and generously, as  voluntary  religious service ('kainkaryam'), and as
a rescue operation to protect the noble traditions of our religion.

DONATIONS TO THE ANDAL TRUST (which is registered) are exempted from
Income Tax under Section 80(G) of the IT Act.

Donations may kindly be sent to the above address through Demand Drafts
or Cheques made in favour of "Sri Andal Charitable Trust, Chennai".

R. Kannan Swamy,
Trustee, Sri Andal Charitable Trust, Chennai.

September 2001.
=====================================================

Friends,

The above Appeal is circulated at the desire of  Srivilliputtur Vidwan
Sri R. Kannan Swamy, Founder Trustee of the Andal Trust.

The Sri-vaishNava world is in debt to Sri Kannan Swamy to have taken on
himself to ensure a minimum level of Agamic workship in the precious
shrines of Andal, vaTa-patra-SAyee and periyAzhvAr in the blessed
'divya-dESam' of Srivilliputtur.      The Appeal is self-explanatory and
both the Trust and its cause merit generous donations from every
believer.

Sri Kannan Swamy needs to be introduced to Sri-vaishNava-s living
outside of Chennai city where he has been regularly offering discourses
on themes of the 'sampradAyam' over the years.   He has braved the
greatest trials to edit, annotate and publish some fine classics :-

i) 'yatirAja-vijaya nATakam' (by vAtsya-Siriya-naTAtoor ammAL) with
Sanskrit original and translation in Tamil-Hindi.    [The Swamy received
an award from the President of India, for this work.]

ii) 'Sri gOdA-pariNaya champoo' (by kESava kavi-rAja) with Sanskrit
original and translation in Tamil. [The Swamy has also issued a separate
edition carrying the English translation by myself.]

iii) 'AzhvArkaL vaibhavam' (a Tamil poetic kAvyam by
vaDivu-azhakia-nambi-dAsar), with verse-wise paraphrase.

iv) 'rAmAnujar vaibhavam' (a Tamil poetic kAvyam by
vaDivu-azhakia-nambi-dAsar), with verse-wise paraphrase.

v) 'Sri bhAgavata purANam' (a Tamil poetic kAvyam by
nellai nagar Sri aruLALa dAsar), with spot glossary of rare words,
-- in five volumes, each volume carrying a very informative and
scholarly mini-dissertation as a Foreward.

vi) 'Sri rAmAyaNa-saurabham' (of kAnchi Sri P.B. Annangaracharya) -
edited newly by Sri Kannan Swamy.

It is now common knowledge that our ancient temples revered in the Sri
Vaishnava sampradaayam have been systematically and steadily deprived of
their properties and sumptuous historic endowments.   Their cash
revenues, such as they are, continue to be frittered away on organising
of fancy events which are unrelated to the primary identity, history and
needs of the temples.   The sacred, beautiful and time-honoured rites
receive but token and meagre observance as they are held in contempt by
the temple bureaucracy.

The Andal Trust is an evident need of the hour in our religion, and your
donations would constitute a meritorious 'kainkaryam'.

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan
T.S. Sundara Rajan.





--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/