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--- sampath kumar <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx> wrote:
> Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 23:32:56 -0700 (PDT)
> From: sampath kumar <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx>
> Subject: Who is a "kula-deivam"?
> To: tiruvengadam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> 
> Dear friends,
> 
> I've been recently thinking about this matter and can one of you
> pls.
> throw some light on it?
> 
> (1) In our 'sampradAyam' there is this concept of 'kula-deivam'...
> "a
> time-honoured, family-Deity". This is the Deity to which
> generations
> within a family will pay very special respect and worship... much
> more than to other deities. 
> 
> For example millions of families in India consider their
> "kula-deivam" to be our Lord TiruvEngadamdaiyAn of Tirupati. Others
> consider Sri Tiruvellore Veera-raghava PerumAl as their
> 'kula-deivam'
> ... and so on. 
> 
> AdiyEn's question is where and how did this practice of designating
> certain deities as "kula-deivam" begin? Does it have any basis in
> the
> philosophy, religion and theology of SriVaishnavism in particular
> and
> in the Vedantic tradition in general?
> 
> (2) Sometimes, we are told that the Temple-Deity of our nativity...
> the village-deity or the principal temple-deity of the district/
> province in which we live should be regarded as our natural
> "kula-deivam". At other times we are told that the Deity to which
> our
> "AchAryan" (who performed our "samAshrayanam") performs 'arAdhana'
> becomes 'ipso-facto' our "kula-deivam" too. Another principle
> applied
> is that the particular deity to which our
> father/grand-father/forefather showed special affection should be
> our
> natural "kula-deivam".
> 
> Which is the correct stand? AdiyEn for example belongs to the
> nativity of Tirupati and quite naturally I consider our
> "tiruvEngadamudaiyAn" as my "kula-deivam". But adiyEn had my
> 'samAshrayanam' thanks to the kindness of Srimadh 45th
> Azhagiyasingar
> and so I also think our great Lord MalOlan of Ahobilam should be my
> "kula-deivam". Although I know that both deities are One and the
> same
> Almighty, adiyEn still suffers a gnawing sense of
> "split-loyalty"...
> Srinivasan and MalOlan seem to be "fighting" over themselves for a
> share of adiyEn's heart!! So what should I do?
> 
> (3) We all know that Peria-AzhwAr was born and had lived all his
> life
> in SriVilliputtur. He was chief 'purohit' of the temple there. So
> we
> could say that Lord RajamannAr-perumAl should have been his
> "kula-deivam". But the AzhwAr in his famous "senniyOngu" hymn
> (5.4.1
> and 5.4.3 of the "peria-AzhwAr tirumOzhi") surprisingly refers to
> Lord TiruvengadamudaiyAn as his "kula-deivam" :
> 
> "senni-ongu tan tiruvEngadamudaiyAy!...
> 
> ... emmanA! en kula-deivamE! en uDaya nAyakanE!..." etc. 
> 
> Can we venture to think that perhaps Sri.Peria-AzhwAr too had this
> problem of "split-loyalties" with regard to who his real
> "kula-deivam" was?!
> 
> Regards,
> dAsan,
> Sudarshan


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