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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00063 Mar 2003

 
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Some clarifications crop up respected Sir :

1. when you say the hairs are supposed to represent varied desires etc. am
keen to know where is this categorically mentioned? Hope you do not treat
the question as doubting your knowledge, authority etc. Just a curiosity to
learn more?

2.The writer's primary interests apart from various vedic topics, etc. is
Yoga. And in Yoga which the Lord himself claims is one of the most
preferred ways to achieve HIS lotus feet - in fact Lord Krishna himself
declares that he is OM and it is well known that Lord Krishna is the
highest Yogi,the King, nay the Emperor of Yoga.

The cornerstone principle of Yoga is :

since all human problems/misery/sufferings originate from varied desires
and desires form the core of man's mental processes, there is constant
change and churning in the mind and this is the cause

Through certain principles, practices - which also includes prayer,
surrender, devotion etc. - man can for certainty reach into the depths of
his mind and it is possible to know concepts about God, Heaven, Universe,
Creation, etc.
and the ultimate reality. Yoga does not talk of what this ultimate reality
is. It merely declares that there is something beyond the mind and desires
etc. and this something may be discovered.

At some point due to constant and diligent practice of the principles, the
mental impressions become neutral first and then become totally indifferent
to everything including Time, space, pain, pleasure, bliss, suffering etc.
and merges into something beyond. It may sound mysterious, but ultimately
seems to make some vague sense to some extent.

Now Yoga further says that when this happens, then the discovery also
simultaneously occurs. The cessation of all recognition of the mind
impressions or a literal emptying of the mind seems to result into a
different state of the human being.

If this is so, then the question of whether one sports a Shika or goes
totally bald or has any desires left etc. is irrelevant. Because Yoga says
that even a shred of desire, for whatever i.e.even for a good cause will
eventually pull us into this complicated quicksand of worldliness. Even a
desire for God, for worship for respect, for attaining the Lotus feet, even
for peaceful death or the fear of death, everything is transcended.

3. Lastly, millions of people visit Tirupati. Millions equally daily make
routinely vows to shave off their hair. This has been going on for over 40
years at least to the best of the writer's knowledge. Many among these
millions are illiterate, poor whose sole purpose in life is to scratch some
earning day in and day out. They come to Tirupati for only one reason :
Totally surrendered devotion for obtaining a 60 second glimpse of that
magnanimous LORD. People spend hours in long winding Q's and forgo many
discomforts - not everyone stays in cottages and rooms. These people, in
hoards make it a point to somehow get HIS grace.

Their problem may or may not be solved, but they go back fully satisfied.
The writer has seen this innumerable times.The one and only sole refrain of
each devotee as he comes out the Temple is to ask his neighbor in a smiling
manner "got a good darshan?". The other invariably replies in the
affirmative and the camaraderie ends. But imagine, everyone, without fail,
every individual takes back a totally fulfilled aim.

Such people have no time, inclination, patience or desire for the finer
logical, rationale aspect of whether to sport a Shika or go bald. They
surrender blindly a part of their body to the Lord signifying that this is
where it belongs rightly. One does not think there is any error or
mistake. Hence it cannot be a suicide.

NOT SURRENDERING ANYTHING COULD BE SUICIDAL !!

Given this gigantic proportion of a living, vibrant faith at Tirupati, the
writer feels that it hardly matters whether one sports a Shika or goes
bald. Tirupati is a pure Kshetram. Anything done, even a patently
negative act will be pardoned and blessed into a positive healthy result by
the Ever-Bestower of Compassion who sustains us on our faith and innocence.

One hopes no one is offended or mistakes the writer's words. There is no
malafide intention or any desire to put down any view and argue. The above
response, one hopes is taken in the spirit in which it is contemplated.

Om Tat Sat




"Rama Krishna K" 
<kramakrishna@bhe To: kandala venkatakishore 
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<bhakti-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, jetusa 
03/07/03 11:21 PM <jetusa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, srirangasri 
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<cvinjamuri@xxxx>, atreyaca 
<atreyaca@xxxx> 
cc: 
Subject: [SriParakalaMatham] clean shave 
(mottai/bowdigundu) makes one ineligible for 
Sattumorai Goshti 





Priya Bhagawatas,
Jai Srimannarayana!

One of the most important part of Bhagawadaaraadhana either in
temples or home is the Saattumorai after Nyvedyam, which consists of
mangalasasanams to the Lord, Azhwars, Emberumaanaar and all the
Acharyas. This seva as desired by all our acharyas/jeeyars needs the
attendance of as many Bhagawatas as possible. All the core participants
in this goshti need to be attired appropriately with oordhwapundram,
yagnopaveetham, sikha etc. This Saattumorai seva has a special
significance especially in the most prominent divyadeshams like Tirumala
and Srirangam where the Jeeyar lead the goshti. In such cases the
attire of all the goshti members need to be perfect as per the vedic
vaishnava sampradayam. Thus a clean shaven head (Mottai/bowdigundu)
becomes a non-eligibility, as there is perfect reason for sporting the
sikha for a true vedic. Though the Jeeyars/sthanacharyas ignore
this particular aspect of sikha many a times while allowing people to
join the sattumorai goshti, of late the present revered Chinna jeeyar
swamiji of Tirumala is insisting on people to refrain from clean shaven
head and sport a sikha while joining the daily sattumorai goshti. The
revered swamiji is advising all the goshti members coming from various
parts of the country to tell their vedic friends not to go for a
'clean shaven head without a sikha', if interested to join the
sattumorai goshti. Clarifications regarding the importance of sikha and
the misgivings in clean shaven head are as follows

1. Hair on the head is compared to the infinite desires of the mind
of various kinds. But in that infinite desires are also included the
desires for the Lord. Thus our acharyas say all the desires are not
detrimental to the individual as long as they are tied up with the
desire for the Lord. To indicate this, our sampradayic-vedics always
keep most part of their hair tied up as a knot, to indicate that all
the desires are tied up along with the desires for the Lord.

2. When visiting divya kshetrams like Tirumala, one needs to shed all
the desires but the desire for the Lord Venkateswara should not be
removed. To indicate this when offering the head gear, all the hair
including the mustache (most important one which displays the macho
tendency undesirable before the Purushottaman) needs to be removed and a
sikha needs to be sported at an ideal place (which is regarded as
Brahmarandhram). demonstrating that the desire for the Lord is still
intact. Otherwise a clean shaven head (mottai or bowdigundu) indicates
that all the desires including the one for the Lord is also removed,
which is suicidal.

Jai Srimannarayana

Sarvaaparaadhamulato
Dr.Kilambi Ramakrishna Ramanuja Dasan

Subject: Re: [sv-rituals] head shave?

At 09:46 AM 3/5/03 +0530, you wrote:
>
>> I was advised by an elderly vaishavaite that vaishhnavaites should
>not get
>> their head shaved (mottai in Tamizh). Is any such thing is being
>said any
>> where in sacred texts? Or is any such mores being adopted? I have
>a prayer
>> with Lord Venkateshwara in Thiurumalai in pending. Can I go ahead
>with
>> offering my hair?

>> Learned scholars, please advice.

>> Thanx,
>>
>> Narayanan

shriimate laksmiihayagriiva lakshmiinaaraayanaabhyaaM namaH
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