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Re: Sri Guna Rathna Kosam : Part 62: slOkam 52

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Sadagopan • March 1, 2002 


SrI:

Dear SrI Jagdish Dasa:

Your questions are welcome. Sri Vaishnavas born 
in this country and with deep knowledge of 
SrI VaishNavam doctrines and the ethos of
western society can join in and answer your 
questions even more effectively than myself 
in the sense that they are brought up
here and yet have deep roots in the soil of
their traditions as SrI VaishNavAs.
 
VaishNavAs can be from any part of the world.
You are most welcome to join the assembly of
devotees following SrI VaishNava sampradhAyam
(Tradition). SrI Mohan Sagar ( vide infra)
can help you with the details further thru
off line communication. One of the purposes of 
the International Ramanuja Society is to
help in this area of seekers , who wish 
to learn more about Sri RaamAnuja Darsanam 
(VaishNavite practises and philosophy behind it).  

I have copied two of the members , who can 
be of particular help to you . One is the moderator of 
the Bhakthi list (SrI Mani Varadarajan of San Fransisco) 
and the other is the moderator of the International Ramanuja 
Societylist pags ( Sri Mohan Sagar of Colorado). 
I am sure that they would not mind my referral of their 
names .They are very good both at analysis and synthesis and
absorbing the best in both the worlds , while living
here as strict Vaishnavas with abundant faith in their
perceptors (AchAryAs) and the Lord ( Bhagavaan
SrIman NaarAyaNa ). Please feel free to establish contact
with them .I am not sure as to how far Santa Rosa is 
from major cities in California like San Fransisco or LA.
There are a lot of Vaishnavaas in California near these
two cities , who can help you with details on practises 
and respond to your questions including the above two
resource persons .

Now , I will answer your questions item by item :

Question 1: 

At 04:12 AM 3/1/02 +0000, you wrote:
>
>Dear V. Sadagopan,
>
>Thank you for your reply.

>There are in fact several questions I have and I do not expect all of them 
>to be replied to. They are as follows:
>
>-(1)I wish to know if there is somewhere I can make note of the guru 
>parampara(s) in Sri Vaishnavism, life histories, main temples or maths, etc.

Response:
*********
Sri Ramanuja Mission of USA has released an informative chart on
the Guru Paramparaas of SrI VaishNavam . You may wish to obtain it 
from Sri Madhavan (mathavan_matt@bah.com).

Sriman Sunder Kidambi (Sunder.kidambi@prapatthi.com)has
a wonerful web site , which has extensive coverage of
the 108 divine Temples important to SrI VaishNavAs .
The 12 AzhwArs have sung about the ancient deities 
at these temples. Two of the 108 are not on this earth.
Please refer to this site. We are coming up with a multimedia 
CD ROM on the lives of these Azhwars and the 108 temples that
they sung about shortly .There is also a set of two
audio tapes that cover the lives of the 12 AzhwArs besides
a Multimedia interactive CD ROM on the Life and works 
of AchArya RaamAnujA , who is one of the most important 
Gurus in the line of preceptors for SrI VaishNavam .

There are many sites with elaborate information on
the temples and AzhwArs as well as AchAryaas 
( SrIman Venkatesh Elayavalli's Vasihnava home page,
the one on the Temple of Thiruppahti, where you
will find many other links:http://www.srivaishnava.org ,
http://venkateswara.freeservers.com ).There are telephone
lectures weekly (Weekend ) in English by great Indian
scholars , which might require some basic familiarity 
with Vaishnava doctrines.   

>-I also would like to know about the practices, and frankly, if westerners 
>such as myself can engage in some form of worship. What are the general 
>practices of Sri Vaishnavas?

SrI Mohan Sagar can help you here.
>
>_I live in Santa Rosa, California. Are than any bhaktas known in this area 
>that are willing to meet and discuss teachings?

I have commented on this point earlier.
>
>-How have the teachings of Yoga (Classical or Hatha) been integrated with 
>the teachings of Sri Ramanuja. I am just becoming familiar with the 
>teachings of Sri T. Krishnamacharya. Do Sri Vaishnavas practice asana or 
>pranayama as part of their sadhana? Is there any use of mantra or 
>smaranam/dhyana during asanas?

Yes. PrANAyAma is part of their thrice a day worship.
Yes , there are mantraas for smaraNam and dhYanam ,
which one recieves during the initiation stages .
Proper Aasanams are an integral part of manthra japam.
>
>-How do Sri Vaishnavas worship Lord Krishna?

This is a vast subject . He is considered 
as the incarnation of Sriman NaarAyana 
and is the choice Lord of worship for many.
His teachings housed in Srimath Bhagavath GitA
is a guiding light for us since it provides 
us the ultimate means for liberation from
the cycles of births and deaths (Total surrender 
at the feet of Sriman Narayanan) . Many AzhwArs 
have recommended not to undertake demanding 
yogas and penances and asked us to devote our time
on this earth in meditation (DhyAnam ) and naama sankIrthanam
( singing of His thousands of names ) and service
to the devotees of the Lord (BhagavathAs) and the Lord .

V.Sadagopan 

>
>I thank you heartily,
>Ys,
>Jagadish dasa

          - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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