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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00190 May 2003

 
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There are two books on Salagramam by SrI Ramachandra Rao, edited by Kalpatharu 
Research Academy, Bangalore. There is also a Ph.D. research thesis by Alan 
Shapiro from Univ. of Columbia. There are also a few other books, e.g., one by 
M. S. Krishnamachari, on Salagama-s. These books deal with the subjects raised 
in the various postings on Salagramam in great detail.

1. While it is always good to perform rigorous worship for Salagarama-s, it is 
also indicated that Salagramam worship is specially adapted in its simplicity 
of worship requirements. The same rigor that applies to the worship of a deity 
in the temple, or the worship of a moorthi of perumal in the form of a vigraham 
in a house, does not apply to the worship pf salagramam. While an intentionally 
careless worship of sAalagrama is not implied by the above statement, it is 
also my understanding that even a simple offering with devotion on a daily 
basis is accepted as part of the sAalagrama worship. I can summarizse the 
scriptural declarations for this from these books if anyone is interested.

2. Both the purchase of a salagrama for a price, and the selling of salagramam 
for a price, are forbidden according to the SAstra-s. Ideally, it is best to 
obtain them for wroship from a recognized AcArya. Getting them from temples 
etc., should be done with very great care. The reason for this is partly that 
those who deposit sAlagrama-s in the temple may do so because they may have had 
a reason to part with the sAlagrama-s in the first instance (e.g., some bad 
effects after getting them in the house etc.). This is specifically mentioned 
in SrI M. S. Krishnamachari's book. 

3. After having read the mUrti lakshaNa-s in some detail from the above books, 
having talked to a few vaidika-s who have performed regular ArAdhana for 
sAlagrama-s in different houses in India as part of their function as 
officiating priests, and having seen a few sAalgrama-s myself, it is my 
considered opinion that the identification of sAlagramam mUrti-s is a skill 
that is attained only by bhagavad and AcArya anugraham, and no amount of 
reading of books or write-ups can enable one to identify the mUrti-s. I am 
given to understand that there are very few people who have been gifted in this 
area, and so resorting to reading the definitions for mUrti-s is just an 
exercise in learning, but is not useful in practice. The following site has 
lots of photographs of actual sAlagrAma-s from various Hare Krshna devotees, 
which is an excellent reference who want to look at actual mUrti-s, with their 
names identified by these devotees.

http://www.hknet.org.nz/sstp-NEW.html

4. The pronunciation of the word "sAalagrama" or sAligrama" is an interesting 
area to study. The tem can be derived based on the SAla vRksha-s which abound 
in the place where the sAlagrAma-s were found, the bees (vajra-keeTa-s sa _ aLi 
- referring to bees) that are considered as the source of the divine cakra and 
other inscriptions found in the sAligrama, sAra-grAva (the sacred stone), and a 
few other derivations. Again, the different books advocate different 
pronunciations. It is best to follow whatever one's AcArya advises. 

-Krishnamachari


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