It is done twice a year. A mixture of camphor and saffron and other herbs is made into a paste and applied over the tanana thirumeni, which explains why it has an orangish hue.
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It is done twice a year. A mixture of camphor and saffron and other herbs is made into a paste and applied over the tanana thirumeni, which explains why it has an orangish hue.
As always, very interesting posts Sudhaama and smith.
When we went to Srirangam last year we asked about the idol to the Archakar there (since I had also heard that it was Ramanuja himself). The Archakar said that, after hie breathed his last, Ramanuja was interred and then he rose in his present form (like a Swayambu) with the asareeri announcing his resurrection.
I read somewhere that when the invasion happened, Vedanta Desikar took charge of the works of Vaishnavite philosophy, that remained unfinished at the time of Ramanujar's demise and took them with him (to Kanchipuram?), to work on the translations and commentary. And MaNavALa MAmunigaL , along with a Vijayanagar chieftain ensured the safe transportation of the moolavar of the temple.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sudhaama
This was offered by the author as one of the possible root for the sectarian split. One sect claiming lineage to those who undertook to great physical risks to protect the idol, while the other chose an 'easier' path. While the other sect stressed that saving the philosophical works was the bigger contribution.
Perhaps, at some time you deem appropriate to the flow of this thread, you can tell us something about what actually happened at the time of the invasion.
Prabhu,
I beg to differ here. Either the idol is ramanuja himself or else it is a wax image interned over his remains.
I have not heard about your version at all.
Also, vedanta desika lived from 1269 to 1370.
Manavala mamunigal was born only in 1370.
Pillai Lokacarya lived all his life in the great temple of Srirangam. When the temple was raided by Muslims in 1309, tradition says that he walled in large images and took the smaller images to a village for their safety.
:-) Me neither, till the archakar gave this explanation last year when I went to Srirangam.Quote:
Originally Posted by smith1
Hmmm....guess I goofed. Perhaps I am confusing between MaNavALa MAmunigaL and PiLLai LOkachAryAr. :oops:Quote:
Originally Posted by smith1
The theory that I cam across was from a book about the Origin of Two Sects - a TTD publication. Authored by a lawyer sometime in the pre independence era.
Sorry I am unable to quote the source exactly.
.
(1) I am sorry we are overstretching the matter.. violating the Secret Code of practice... strictly being adopted by the Disciples of Ramanuja.Quote:
Originally Posted by Prabhu Ram
As I have already mentioned, quoting the bitter experience of the Mahan Jothi Ramalinga Swamis case, Ramanuja's followers purposively maintain it as a Secret. So No more discussions please on the Material substance of the Ramanuja Moolavar at Srirangam.
However for the sake of the Acharya's followers.. I highlight here one interesting point.
The Tamil terminology... THAAN AANA THIRUMENI... must clarify all the doubts... which glorifies the holy Moolavar as the worshipful Great.
Let us leave at that.
You are confusing yourselves with Amavasai and Abdul kadar... So to say with unconnected factors. The cause of Sectarian split is radically a different subject altogether unconnected with this event of Muslim invasion.Quote:
Originally Posted by Prabhu Ram
At that time there were NO TWO SRI-VAISHNAVA SECTS... but all One, including Swami Desikar.
It has been proved in the Court of Law categorically and UNDISPUTABLY... in case of Srirangam temple.
Swami Desika took charge of personal custody of Sri-Bhashyam Original Palm-leaf text of Ramanuja, even before the Hindu Temple invasions by foreigners...
..while there was a constant threat from some Jains and Buddhist Kings.
But it is not correct to say... that Ramanuja left any of his works incomplete.
As I already said... immediately on hearing the news of advancement of the Foreign-invaders forces towards Srirangam, all the Sri Vaishnava Acharyas called for a meeting and discussed amicably on the due Protective and Defense measures.
Apart from the subsequent Defensive military counter-fights by the Ranganatha devotees... they protected the Idols Moolavars and Uthsavars under different custodies... well in advance... OVERNIGHT...
...by the selfless toil of the thousands of united devotees at Srirangam.
Pillai-Lokacharya took charge of Ranganatha Uthsavar... called Nam-perumal and carried with him out of the temple. It is a pathetic episode how he sacrificed his life for it.
...those invaders' main target used to be the Hindu Temple Uthsavars...
...on which they took Sadistic- pleasure to denigrate them by using as the Footsteps for their places of worship.
Swami Desika took charge of all the Moolavars and protected them as already detailed hereabove.
.
Dear Sudhaama, Thank You.
:oops: Just some careles reading (quoting) and writing on my part. I was just motivated by curiosity is knowing the history, that is all. Hope I did not come across as being disrespectful regarding this or anywhere else in my post.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sudhama
Sudhaama,
I read that Udaiyavar tried to bring abt reforms in temple worship in kerala but was prevented from doing so by the kerala priests & even threatened.
Similarly in Puri Jagannath temple.
Is it true?
The reason for my above posting is not to pass judgement or cast aspersions on Udaiyavar.
I am only concerned that such news posted on the net do not misguide viewers.
Hence I am asking for a clarification.
Regarding his idol at Sriperumbudur, it is called "thaan ugandha thirumeni" (the idol liked by him).
I also read that he breathed life into the idol & as it was being installed at Sriperumbudur, his body started weakening.
Is that correct, Sudhamaji?
I make it a point to meditate for a few minutes in the Srirangam sannadhi of Udaiyavar whenever I go there.
I find scores of people doing so. Many persons have told me that the postive vibrations emanating from Udaiyavar have had a rejuvenating effect on them. I could feel that too.
A friend of mine travels from thanjavur to srirangam once every 6 months just to meditate there. It says it is spiritually enlightening.
I suppose quite a few hubbers would have experinced that too.
.
.Ramanuja's services.. Kerala, Poori, Sree-Koormam
Bhagawad Ramanuja the Awathara of Adi-sesha was sent to Earth by the Parandhaama Narayana...Quote:
Originally Posted by smith1
...to set right the Battle-like Living Conditions of Mankind...
...and inculcate the Humane spirits and Soul-realisation.....
...especially by the Devotional approach of the... WHOLE GLOBAL HUMANITY...
...irrespective of Religious differences, Social disparities and Political boundaries.
He never interfered with the other Religions and Faiths... nor criticised them in any manner...
... even as Secondary to Vaishnavam... and that Vishnu-bhakthi is the Supreme-path of devotion...
But he only preached to one and all the Commonman of the Society... to believe God in some form...
...and to follow anyone path propounded by any Acharya of the devotees choice.
Whereas to his disciples... he preached the Greatness of Sri-Vaishnavam... the overall true picture of Vedic sense...
...and for the Questions and Doubts raised to him on God and mundane Life... he clarified all the doubts..
...with the underlying spirit of UNIVERSAL-LOVE...
...coupled with SOCIAL UNITY... and GLOBAL PEACE.
So his Main Scope and Intention was... Not to propogate SRIVAISHNAVAM...
... nor thrust HIS PHILOSOPHIC GOSPEL Visishtadwaitham... on the Non-Seekers...
....unlike all other Acharyas...
...but to emancipate the Humanity availing the abundant divine options available towards the purpose of Human-birth.
He was receiving time to time Divine-instructions from the Lord Narayana...
....and was closely guided and assisted by the Lord Garuda-deva during some of his worst ordeals.
While no doubt the whole Bharatha... so called India... is a Punya-bhoomi...
...Kerala-desa... created anew by the Chiranjeevi Narayana- awathara, called Parasurama... is ever-believed as the God's Land...
...visited by Lord Vamana on their New Years day... every year...
...and in that Vishnu-bhoomi, all the different Gods in their temples are the manifestations of One God... Narayana...
...as propounded by the Great Adi-Sankaracharya.
So all the Gods take care of them.
During Ramanuja's era... after Sankara's era... once there was a decline of proper conduct of Poojas and Orthodox customs stipulated by the Vedic order...
...which culminated in the fast Epidemic spread of Cholera... in the Thiruvangoor region... causing heavy amount of rapid deaths en masse.
Such a sudden onslaught on the people... made an awakening amongst all concerned as well as the Ruler King too...
So they did their best to revive the tradition and set right their failures and setbacks.
At one stage... when they found that such a Social disaster was rising uncontrollably...radically unabated in some regions...
...inspite of their strenuous endeavour... within the bounds of all their mights...
... some people approached Ramanuja and invited him to set his Holy feet there... so that the sins caused by anyone inadvertently... may be pardoned by God.
Accordingly Ramanuja visited Thiruvananthapuram temple and prayed to Lakshmi and Padmanabha... shedding tears... to grace pardon to the innocent people of Kerala.
With the result, Lord Padmanabha answered his prayers immediately... and the Kerala people got their heavy blow of sufferings mitigated miraculously.
Thiruvangoor King duly honoured Bhagawad Ramanuja.
Then the Acharya left the place and visited other Kerala Divya-desas.. so called MALAI NAATTU THIRUPATHIGALH sung by Alwars.
It is not correct to say that Ramanuja tried to preach his Theory... competing over Sankara's Theory....
...and that he was driven out of Kerala by the Adwaithi devotees there.
No. Not at all. Kerala people although mostly Adwaithi followers of Sankaracharya... used to feel like-minded with Ramanuja's disciples too...
... because both the entities are Vaishnavites after all... although different by Philosophic approaches.
At Poori... no doubt the King duly honoured him... where the Acharya introduced many reforms especially the famous Car (Thaer) festival... developing over the lines of the King's wishes.
Ramanuja found fault with the system of poojas conducted at the Poori temple... violating the system of Vishnu-Samhitha... already stipulated by the Sankaracharya.
So he corrected them to properly follow their Guru Sankaracharya's stipulations on the Temple Poojas and Festivals order.
But the local people at Poori... got enchanted by the Ramanuja's daily discourses... and fastly became his disciples en masse.
This sweeping trend caused a fear and jealousy in the minds of some local Adwaithi Gurus...
...who decided to secretly abduct and kill Ramanuja... overnight.
While Ramanuja along with his assistants were asleep at midnight... his Mutt was surrounded by the miscreants holding deadly weapons, as directed by such wicked Gurus...
Then a Miracle happened !!... When the violent attackers forcibly entered the mutt... Ramanuja was found sleeping there... but suddenly disappeared.!..
...both the visions of presence and disappearance winessed by not only all the people in the mutt, but also the Rowdy Gang.
All of them got puzzled.!!
When Ramanuja woke up at the subsequent pre-dawn hours... he found himself lying solitarily, on the banks of the Temple Tank at Sri-Koormam... of Andhra.
He wondered and prayed to God... why and who brought him there.?
Smilingly Garuda-deva appeared and told that it was He who lifted him out of Poori-mutt...
... narrated the violent background there while the Acharya was ignorantly and innocently asleep.
.. and that he was urgently needed to solve a local dispute at Sree-Koormam temple
Accordingly Ramanuja solved the tough dispute at Sree-Koormam temple, easily and quite amicably.
It is another interesting Episode.
.