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Re: Fwd: essence of saligramam worship: Part I

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • January 6, 2003 


At 05:26 AM 1/5/03 +0000, you wrote:
>My Pranams to you,Adyean based in Chennai and working as a sales manager in
a company.My interests range from reading our vedic literature and an great
urge to know things in depth to collecting antiques.In my futher line of
doubts can you knidly let me know the significance of "Saligramam" worship?
I know for a fact that the saligramam is the embodiment of the supreme and
we have been continueing the practise of "Aradhanam" thru our generations.
Acharayan DasanTatachar Mukund

Dear SrIman Mukund Tatachar :

Bhagavan makes His presence in SaaLagraama Moorthams 
and makes His abode in our homes for us to worship
Him without major effort .

His saanidhyam in SaaLagrama Silais and worship of Him in
that form is an ancient tradition for us.

There are many ways in which He is present in the SaaLigrama
form . The Moorthy LakshaNams and the identification of 
such LakshaNams to determine the particular saannidhyam
of the Lord has been covered in various PurANams and 
SrI tatthva Nidhi. Experts at SrI matam (AhObila Matam )
and dhivya dEsams (archakAs) can help with the identification
of the individual Moorthis. For instance , there are 16 variations of
SrI KrishNa SaaLigrAmam , 13 of SrI Narasimhan ( Baala Narasimhan ,
Suddha VarAha Narasimhan , VidhAraNa Narasimhan , RaakshasAnthaka 
Narasimhan , VivruthAsya Narasimhan , LakshmI Narasimhan ,
Haara Narasimhan , VibhIshaNa  Narasimhan ,AdhO Mukha Narasimhan,
Kapila Narasimhan et al). There is a dozen types of Raama
SaaLigrAmams. 

SrIman M.S.KrishNamachariar has cataloged the various 
forms of SaalagrAmams and their LakshaNams in his 1981
monograph entitled "SaaLagrAma SilOthpatthi Vimarsanam" .
Here, he talks about the location in  NepAl , where
GaNdaki River , a tributary of Gangai flows . 

There are number of ways to perform AarAdhanam for
SaaLagrAmams at one's home :

1) Taantric way with ShOdasOpachArams.

2) Standard Bhagavath AarAdhanam followed by 
   VishNava Dinacharya established by AchArya 
   RaamAnujA ( please refer to AchArya RaamAnujA 
   intractive multimedia CD ROM for details or
   ask for help from the family elders or AchAryAs).

3) Chathurvimsathi Murthi sthOthra KaTana PoojA
   This is simpler and any one can do it by 
   reciting this sthOthram in front of SaaLagrAmam(s)
   and offer Pushpam , Milk and NaivEdhyam . Thirumanjanam
   can be done with few spons of milk as well.

4) Those who are in a hurry can take few minutes 
   to recite the two dhyAna slOkams , perform japam 
   odf AshtAksharam , offer milk, TaambhOlam , Karpoora
   haratthi . The SaaLagrama Moorthys at home should not
   be neglected and starved since inauspiciousness will
   result otherwise to the home. 

The two dhyAna slOkams are:

dhyAyAmi Devam LakshmIsam Sankha-chakra-gadhAdharam
PeethAmBara paridhAnam Padhmasannibha lOchanam
Mandasmitha mhukhAmbhOjam madhanAyutha Sundaram
MaayAnirmitha lOkaougam mEgasyAmaLa vigraham
SrI LakshmI NaarAyaNam dhyAyAmi

NamO NamasthE KaruNAlaya NamO NamasthE KamalAdhavAya
NamO NamasthE JagathAm cha srashtrE namO namasthE nathsOka harthrE
ThrAhi maam KaruNAsindhO ! Paahi maam KamalApathE!
Thvayi bhakthi: sadhaivAsthu mama sarvArTadhAyini
(PraNavam ) NamO NaarAyaNa ..Subhamasthu.

Even on days in which one is unable to perform AarAdhanam
for SaaLagrAma Moorthys , The ladies of the house or children can
recite the above slOkAs in fron t of the Moorthys , offer
the food cooked for the day as naivEdhyam and complete
the aarAdhanam this way.

SaaLagrAma dhAnam is one of the most auspicious dhAnam .

At Sudarsana Sannidhi at Kaanchi , One can see a large
number of Sudarsana SaaLagrAmams . 

When one is unable to perform SaaLagrama PoojA ,
which is the easiest daily ritual to perform ,
one should give them away to temples or to those,
who can accept that daily  duty .

The dhivya dEsam of SaaLaigrAmam is a svyam vyaktha sthalam
(where the Lord is self-manifest).It is 60 miles away from 
Kaatmandu in NepAl on the banks of GaNdaki river.

When there are dozen or more SaaLagrAmams at any home ,
then that home is considered as a dhivya dEsam.

Two AzhwArs have performed MangaLAsAsanam for
the dhivya dEsam of SaaLagramam:

PeriyAzhwAr: His Thirumozhi:2.9.5 , 4.7.9
Kaliyan: 10 Paasurams in 1.5 Periya Thirumozhi.

adiyEn will summarize the meanings of these paasurams 
on a future occasion.

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan 


       

 
 



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