Sri U.Ve. Deivanayakam swamy (Adhyaabakar in Thiruvallikeni arulicheyal goshti, founder of kaarimaaran kalai kaappagam and involved in various kainkaryams) has come up with a DVD which has full demonstration of the trikaala (morning - praatas, noon - maadhyaahnikam and evening - saayam) Yajur Vedha sandhyaavandhanam. This DVD, recorded in Thiruvallikeni, has clear explanation of every step in the Yajur Vedha sandhyaavandhanam, with clear recitation of mantras (with variations for both thenkalai and vadakalai sampradayam) and a live demonstration by the above mentioned swamy himself. This DVD is priced at a very low price of Rs. 100 and can be purchased from:
*Address 1: *103 T. P. Koil Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 5. Ph: 044-28440009
*Address 2: *G2 Komalammal Flats, 38 North Tank Square Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 5.
Kindly call us and check for the availability before purchasing.
Now that uttaraayanam is dawned, it is also time to perform upanayanam for young boys who have not had their upanyanam done yet - usually upanayanam is done in uttaraayanam. Usually the right age for upanyanam is according to one's varna - its best not to delay this until the day before wedding (as its becoming a common practice in some places).
We urge the srivaishnava community to purchase this to understand the proper procedure and follow it ourselves and encourage our children to follow it as well.
Steps in Sandhyaavandhanam
*Purification*:- Aachamanam, praanaayanam
*Statement of purpose*:- Sankalpam
*Surrender and dedication*:- Saatvika Tyaagam
*Purification*:- PrOkshanam, Prasanam, Achamanam, Puna Prokshanam
*Getting rid of demons who are attacking Suryan*:- Arghyam
*Purification*:- praanayanam
*Apology for any delay*:- Praayaschita Arghyam (No need to do this for
Maadhyaanikam)
*Purification*:- aachamanam
*Thanks for benefits received*:- Kesavaadi Tarpanam
*Purification*:- Aachamanam, japa vidhih
*Preparation for gayatri*:- Pranaayama mantra japa, gaayatri aavahanam
*Bringing in the Lord for protection*:- Gaayatri Japam
*Purification*:- Praanayamam
*Realization of the the presence of the Lord*:- upasthaanam
*Salutations to the sanhdya devataas*:- sandhyaadi devata vandanam
*Expression of one's lineage*:- Abhivaadanam
*Salutations to the directional devataas*:- Dikvandanam
*Expression of one's lineage*:- Abhivaadanam
*Surrender and dedication*:- saatvika tyagam
*Getting rid of demons who are attacking suryan*:- arghyam
Sandhyaavandhanam is one of the most important nithya karma anushtaanam for trIvarnikaas (brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya). It is said in the saastram that "sandhyaa hIna: asuchi:" meaning one who has not performed sandhyavandhanam is unclean/unfit for any vaidhIha activity.
It is also one of the things (even starting with the previous generation from 1970s) which have been given up by many of us due to various reasons - rise of naasthikaa vaadham (especially in Tamilnadu), movies, changed work culture (working for money/working late hours), etc. Also, in this generation, in several cases, since the fathers/elders themselves do not know the proper sandhyavandhanam procedure, many of the younger children who get upanayanam done misses out on the practice of doing sandhyaavandhanam since there is no one to teach them.
Due to bhagavad aajna (order of god as in the saastram) every dvijan (twice born - brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya) must do sandhyaavandhanam thrice every day - no exception - even during aasoucham (theettu) days we must perform sandhyaavandhanam without fail. But for the benefit of the younger generation who likes to question everything, we can explain the benefits of doing regular sandhyaavandanam as below:
* Doing aachamanam lets us sit in an unconventional posture which helps us develop strong leg muscles. Nowadays, we find many people (even youngsters) find it difficult to sit on the floor for more than 15-20 minutes. That is because there is no practice for that posture - we always sit in sofa, chair, bed, etc our legs/joints dont get used to sitting posture.
* Regular intake of water (we do several achamanams during one sandhyaavandanam) leads to refreshing our body and helps avoiding dehydration for people who dont drink water regularly.
* Pranayamam when properly done is a simple but powerful way to regulate our breathing. This part is even very popular among all societies now (western or eastern) as we can see everywhere there is talk about yoga, meditation and breathing exercises.
Again, all of these are side benefits which we dont need to crave for - but we get these automatically if we simply follow our sastras.
Vedanta Desika says the southern direction itself is fortunate, because Andal was born in a southern part of Tamil Nadu. Lord Ranganatha Himself wanted to marry Andal. The Lord of Srirangam faces the south, and it is believed that He does so because He wants to face Lanka, which was Vibhishana's kingdom. But it is perhaps to see Andal that He is facing South. Andal's love for the Lord was such that the Lord preferred to wear garlands She had already worn.
The Gopikas had so much love for Krishna that instead of calling out that they were selling butter and clarified butter, they called “Would you like to buy Krishna? Anyone interested in buying Damodara?” They could not even keep in mind what they were selling because there was no place in their minds for anything but Krishna. Likewise, Andal had Her mind focused on the Lord. Her verses are the essence of the Vedas. She tells us through Her Tiruppavai what we should do and what we should not do, said Srimathi Perundevi.
Andal describes the five forms of the Lord — Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Antaryami and Archa. She indicates how we must worship in temples. By waking up the guards in Krishna' palace, She shows us that we too must first salute the Dwarapalakas in a temple, before we offer worship to the Lord.
Periazhvar had sung of the Lord, putting himself in the position of mother to the Lord. Andal too, like Her father Periazhvar, is cryptical when it comes to talking of Krishna's birth. Periazhvar had feared that evil eyes would be cast on the Lord and had sung verses to ward off evil eyes. Talking of Krishna's birth, Andal says He was born the son of one lady and brought up as the son of another, but doesn't mention their names. She imagines Herself as being present when Krishna is born, and like Her father She is concerned for His safety. What if She reveals details about Krishna, and these get to the ears of Kamsa? So She refrains from giving details about His birth star, or about where He grew up. Andal must have picked up this motherly concern from Her father Periazhvar, which is why She forgets that the Krishna avatara ended long ago.
: The Lord's Saulabhyam (accessibility) is the most attractive quality and also the most beneficial to the Jivatma. If one understands the auspicious qualities of the Lord and His greatness, we cannot but bow down to Him and pay obeisance. Nammazhwar invokes the Supreme Being — who is the greatest ever Lord, and claims that the distress of Samsara can be cut asunder by only one means — seeking His feet. When one entrusts oneself with full faith at His feet, His protection is assured.
Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that not many people know His greatness. Being oblivious of His greatness is a deterrent for them to seek Him. Others who know His greatness resent Him for this reason and do not wish to acknowledge it. They even go to the extent of swearing enmity with Him. Because of Maya their inherent good sense is hidden and they are not able to perceive the truth. In a lecture, Sri Sampathkumar pointed out that Parasurama and Ravana were defeated by Rama because they refused to acknowledge His greatness and chose to fight with Him. Parasurama challenged Rama by asking Him to string Vishnu's bow that was in his possession. Though Parasurama is believed to be an incarnation of the Lord in whom the Lord's prowess inheres, Rama easily subdued him and took away his penance and glory.
Ravana had the chance to surrender to Rama. Yet the demon was blinded by his ego and had to be killed in battle. They could have won over Rama if only they had approached Him with humility instead of challenging Him, just as deep-rooted trees on the river banks that seem invincible get uprooted during severe floods, while the ones which are supple and bend down with the winds are saved. Even Indra and Brahma were jealous of Krishna's Saulabhya and tried to establish their superiority. But the Lord taught both of them adequately and they realised His Supreme Glory.
Andal extols this Saulabhyam as ‘Koodarai Vellum Seer' — a rare trait that wins over one and all. But despite His unquestioned supremacy, He is subservient to His devotees and allows Himself to be won over by them.
श्रीः
श्रीनिधये नमः
शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुं शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम् |
प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्व विघ्नोपशान्तये ||
This is a humble attempt to present the ancient language of India - Sanskrit to the English knowing Indian audience. It is assumed here that the readers are equipped with the knowledge to decipher the varnamala or the Sanskrit alphabet in devanagari. Who knows? I may learn more through this series than anybody else.
We will start with a quick intro of the letters:
Vowels: स्वराः
अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ॠ ॠ लृ ए ऐ ओ औ
Consonants: व्यञ्जनानि
क ख ग घ ङ
च छ ज झ ञ
ट ठ ड ढ ण
त थ द ध न
प फ ब भ म
य र ल व
श ष स ह
Specials:
अं अः
There are 13 vowels and 33 consonants. The specials अं and अः are called anusvāra and visarga respectively. They are treated as vowels or as consonants depending on the scope of language they are discussed under. Great! Let us move to our first lesson.
________________________________________________________________________________
Gopal goes to Krishna's house. He meets a friend of Krishna by name Kesava there.
Since Kesava is standing close, Gopal points to him and asks Krishna - एषः कः?
एषः - This (singular masculine)
कः - Who (singular masculine)
Gopal's question is "Who is this?". In Sanskrit, the "is" is implicitly understood. Also, one need not sweat over the organization of the sentences. This will become clear in due course.
Krishna replies, एषः केशवः | This is Kesava. Easy?
Kesava is busy praying with folded hands. So, Gopal asks Krishna, केशवः किं करोति?
किं - What
करोति - doing( present tense - third person - singular)
"What is Kesava doing?"
Krishna replies, केशवः नमति | Kesava is praying.
Note that in both करोति and नमति the last letter is ति. ति is the termination of the present tense - third person - singular verb.
Krishna, Gopal and Kesava go for a walk after Kesava has finished his prayers. The silhouette of two people is seen through the window in a nearby house. Gopal asks Kesava,
एतौ कौ?
एतौ - These(dual masculine)
कौ - Who(dual masculine)
In Sanskrit, there are three numbers - singular, dual and plural. "Who are these?" is Gopal's question.
Kesava says, एतौ बालकौ |
बालकः is singular. बालकौ is dual. बालकः means boy.
"These are boys."
बालकौ किं कुरुतः?
कुरुतः - doing (present tense - third person - dual)
What are the boys doing?
बालकौ पठतः |
पठतः - reading. (present tense - third person - dual)
The boys are reading.
Note that both कुरुतः and पठतः end with तः , तः is the termination for present tense - third person - dual verb.
Okay. One last case.
The trio look up to the tree near the house and see monkeys. Krishna asks Gopal (for a change),
एते के?
एते - These (plural masculine)
के - who (plural masculine)
Who are these?
Gopal says, एते वानराः | There are monkeys. Krishna asks, वानराः किं कुर्वन्ति ? Gopal says, वानराः खादन्ति |
कुर्वन्ति - doing (present tense - third person - plural)
खादन्ति - eating (present tense - third person - plural)
Note that कुर्वन्ति and खादन्ति end with अन्ति which is the termination of the present tense - third person - plural verb.
Summarizing the vocabulary:
Present tense - Third Person verbs
Singular Dual Plural
करोति कुरुतः कुर्वन्ति
नमति नमतः नमन्ति
पठति पठतः पठन्ति
खादति खादतः खादन्ति
Masculine nouns
Singular Dual Plural
एषः एतौ एते
क: कौ के
केशवः केशवौ केशवाः
बालकः बालकौ बालकाः
वानरः वानरौ वानराः
Play around with these words. Make two Vanaras to pray or Kesavas to read and many other such sentences , and write back them back to me. Also, please point out any errors/feedback.
On Thai Maasam 23rd (06.02.2012), Monday, on Punarvasu Nakshatram, around 8:00PM, on Sarayu Pushkarani (Temple tank), Thepotsavam (Boat or Float festival) is scheduled to be celebrated. Special Tirumanjanam is arranged on 6th at 10:00AM.
Nadaswaram by Maduraganam Kalainanmani Vaduvur S.N.R Krishnamurthy and party.
All are welcome to participate in the function and seek blessings of Thivya Thambathi .
Attached is the invitation for the event
In the divine presence of HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji & HH Sri Ahobila Jeeyar Swamiji, Goda Kalyanam was grandly performed here at Siddipet along with large number of devotees.
- Photos
2012 Jan 11: Vijayawada: Goda Kalyanam: In the divine presence of HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji & HH Sri Ahobila Jeeyar Swamiji, Goda Kalyanam was grandly performed here at Vijayawada along with large number of devotees on January 11, 2012.
- Photos
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha
Srimath Vara Vara Munaye Namaha
Appan Thiruvadigale Saranam
Dear Asthikas
The Irapathu Sattrumurai Celebrations went off very well at Sri Ramesh Geetha's Thirumaligai in Muscat on 14th January 2012. Around 40 srivaishnavas attended the celebrations and had the great bhagyam of azhwar thiruvadi thozhal. It is almost more than 10 years that they were celebrating the azhwar thiruvadi thozhal utsavam at Muscat.
Thiruvoimozhi 10th decade was recited. For sattrumurai, Yajur & Sama veda sattrumurai along with thiruvoimozhi was recited.
Here are the few photos of the celebrations.