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Re: sarabam, kALi

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • September 24, 1996 


Sri V.SadagOpan wrote:

>2. One can also see Shantha Durga in the Northeastern
>Prakaram of SarangapaNi temple at KumbakoNam . It
>is a small shrine , ten feet above ground in a samll niche .

I am sure there is a small temple in the north *western* prAkAram of the
amuthan temple's outskirt. ie the last or veLip prAkAram. But the one sri
sadagOpan is talking may be different. However,  If this is or someother is in
the last prAkAram then it need not be completely taken as a part of the
amuthan's temple. anuthan's temple's last prAkAram was adjoined with amuthan
temple from ezhai somEsawarar temple and the poRRAmaRai kulam or tank was
adjoined from kumbEswarar temple in the later time. But it is also however
possible that these were originally belonging to amuthan temple and the
shivaite influence of certain chOla kings would have transeferred these to the
shaivite temples in the preceding time.


>The Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple to be built at Pomona, NY ,
>is one temple that will be a replica of the traditions of
>Srirangam temple.

SriRangam Temple, in srirangam known as "kOil" or "The temple" is the final
destiny of many of the srivaishnavas. Even in this temple when many tourists
from north flock here to see the bOga syanam of Arangan, some local visitors
sometimes "miss" the point and often visit exclusively and worship some pillars
wherein some form of "dEvi" is printed. It is my humble opinon and I am
comfortable in saying that these practices are in this kaliyuganm and mere
presence of some form of dEvi in the pillars and outskirts of some temple
cannot be derived in any way for conclusive proof and taken as authentic that
*our* agamas preach the inclusion of durga devi idol in srivaishnava temple.

Majority of these 108 temples *DONOT* have any *exclusive* form of *dEvi*.
However, when pirAtti is there in these temple it is understood that all such
form of dEvi are contained in her. One (Vijay Srinivasan to his friends) can
also say that when we have the ultimate Sri why must we look for a derivative ?

As an aside ,one of the thala purAnam may have some answers for kkalAlE's
question on sarabam and kAli together. One of the 108 DD known as thiru
attabuyakaram in kAnchipuram, has the attabuyakraththAn or AdikEsava perumaL.
many purAnAs (including brahmAnda purAnam) talk about this kshEthram. The
sarabam that came to challenge, was terrified at the look of perumal with 8
hands and 8 weapons and it surrenderd to this lord. At the request of the Lord,
it is beleived that sarabam as a surrendered soul and subordinate for this
Lord, is guarding the yAga sAlai of this temple even today as "sarbEsan" in a
corner of the yAgasAlai (in arubam). This being the case I doubt the
upanishad's validity. In kaLiyugam Lord Narasimhan is the most powerful deity
and presiding deity for many srivaishnavas. I can discuss this with kkalAlE in
a personal conversation if you (kkalAlE) *want* to do the same.

Similarly when kAli was sent to disturb a yAgam conductd by brahma, this Lord
appeared here and won the battle over kAli and her associates (demons) and
*controlled* kAli (her) here. This thalapurAnam quoted is also from  one of the
sAthvika purAnam.

Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar thiruvadikaLE charaNam
Sri alarmEl mangai samethara adikEsavaperumL thiruvadikaLE charanam
Samapth Rengarajan