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[sv-rituals] Re: Doubts for clarification

From the Bhakti List Archives

mani2 • April 27, 2002 


Dear Srinivasa Raghavan,

I don't think there is anything wrong in what you are doing.
We used to sit on chairs (in the 'sukhAsana' -- chappalangAl
(sp?)) when we were children for the same reason in New York.
It is also a practice to keep respect, departed elders in
the PerumaaL arai as you are doing. This I have seen in many
orthodox people's PerumaaL arais.

Whenever I have a doubt about my lapses in orthopraxy,
I remember the following wonderful line from Sri Parasara
Bhattar's Sri Rangaraja Stava:

  'arcyaH sarvasahishNuH tad arcaka-parAdhIna akhilAtmasthitiH'

  '(The Lord) makes himself present in a worshippable form
   and tolerates absolutely everything, making himself 
   totally dependent on the worshipper, and residing
   within everyone...'

It is very reassuring to me to know that primarily what the
Lord cares about is the intention of the worshipper. In this
case you are no doubt sitting on a chair so that you may have
greater anubhavam of Him, so I see nothing wrong whatsoever.

This thought is repeated so many times by our Alvars and
Sri Ramanuja. You may wish to look at Tiruvaymozhi 1.6.x
which focusses on the saulabhya of the Lord, and 
Sri Ramanuja's comments in numerous places in Sri Gitabhashya.

I hope this helps.

With regards,
aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,
Mani

P.S. Re: navagraha stotrams -- it is not customary among
Sri Vaishnavas to recite them for obvious reasons. Sri Vaishnavas
often recite Swami Desika's daSAvatAra-stotram in the place
of navagraha stotrams, since the daSAvatara-stotram brings
all auspiciousness and good things to the reciter.

--- In sv-rituals@y..., Srinivasa Raghavan  wrote:
> 
> 
> I have few doubts and grateful if the BhAgavathas will
> help me clarify these:
> 
> I work in the Gulf and I use a shelf as my 'perumal
> arai' which is at a height of 5 feet from the ground.
> As a result, when I offer my prayer I sit on a chair.
> Recenlty a friend of mine said, he saw, for the first
> time, someone like me doing prayers sitting on a
> chair. The reason why I sit on a chair instead of on a
> 'manai palakai' is I cannot see the perumals when I
> sit on the floor. Is it in order to sit on a chair and
> offer the prayers?
> 
> I have kept the pictures of my maternal and paternal
> (late) grand parents in my perumal arai. Is it in
> order to keep them in my perumal arai?




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