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Re: viShNu sthAnam

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xsrinath • November 29, 2001 


Malolan Cadambi  wrote:

>Adiyen certainly accepts what Sriman Srinath Chakravarthy has posted.
>Adiyen posted the note only to point out about the uniqueness and the
>utmost superiority of Sriman Naarayana who is the very brahman
>extolled by Wodeyavar Ramanujar as the Brahman in Thirumala. Also
>wanted to make a small note about the unique word "nArAyanA" which
>can be split in as; narAnAm ayanam yasya saha.
>Yathirajar Composed the Sri Bhaashyam in tirumala where in the very
>first mangala slokam equates the para-brahman with Sriman Naarayana.
>Adiyen posted the note only to point out about the uniqueness of
>narAyana. Adiyen by mistake forgot to punch this line.

The heart of the issue really, is that while SrIvaishNavas are
vaishnavites, smArthas are *not* Saivites!  It is somewhat
absurd to try compare a qualifier with a disqualifier - but
that's as specific as it gets over there in the murky realm of
numerous demigods and confusing messages.

But IS there any confusion on the central question - i.e. that
of supremacy of nArAyaNa (embodied by viShNu alone)?  There is
none.  All SankarAchAryas (as legatees of AdiSankara) sign off
their written statements with "nArAyaNa smrithi".  Further, the
viShNupurANa is one of their source texts (alongwith Bhagavad
geethA and the 10 principal upanishads).  So if at all there is
some uncertainty it is because the smArtha tradition does not
confine itself to viShNu alone (even as it recognizes the primacy
of viShNu sthAnam) but includes other demigods in its worship.

As we all know, there are highly "vaiShNavite" smArthas - who
traditionally do not associate with demigods and have close ties
with vaiShNava divya deSams.  Almost all the early AchAryas in
SrIvaiShNavam were born into such smArtha families, which over
time became the brahminical portion of rAmAnuja sampradAyam.
SrIvaishNavas are therefore, the "focused" version of vaiShNava
smArthas - who additionally, believe in SrI (the divine mother) sampradAyam and follow the teachings of rAmAnuja bhashya. 

adiyEn,
-Srinath C.
-- 




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