--- 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 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/
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