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srImathE rAmAnujAya namaha

Dear SrI Cadambi:

At the out set, let me state that I have very little knowledge on any of the 
Agamas. But, I think some of your arguments may be running orthogonal to the 
original intent of the thread on Acharya Hrudayam. Further, it may be useful to 
understand the distinctions between shruthi (vedas, divya prabandham) and 
smruthi (BG, ithihAsa, purANas, Agamas) and their respective purports. I will 
not go into a detailed discussion on what these represent (beyond the scope of 
the discussion here), but suffice it to say that we cannot use a manual to 
build temples in any way, shape or form as a basis to contradict the purusha 
sooktham :-).

There are three different sources of vedic knowledge (prasthana-trayi). The 
Upanisads are known as sruti-prasthana. Vedangas (six branches of vedic 
knowledge), Mahabharata, Bhagavad-gita, and Puranas are the smrti- prasthana 
and Vedanta-sutras (brahma sutras of vEda vyAsa or bAdarAyaNa) is the 
nyaya-prasthana. Please note that smrti and nyaya, as works of either 
conceptual description or practices for life, yield in precedence to Shruthi 
and derive validity only when they are consistent with the shruthi (vedas / 
divya prabandham). Vedic revelations are known as sruti. From the original Veda 
Samhitas up to the Upanisads are classified as sruti. The additional 
supplementary presentations (notes, commentary, expositions) of these 
principles as given by the great sages are known as smrti. 

You wrote:

> For simplicity, archavataram is the sudhha sattvam of lord plus
>prakriti. The idol itself is subject to laws of prakriti. Giving a
>simple analogy, one salutes the flag in symbolic salute to the nation
>and not the nation itself as the flag. There is a difference here.
>This analogy is given in Srimad Rahasyatrayasaarabodhini.
.............. portions deleted
> I am not well versed in AH
> and SVB. But, understanding contradictory ideas potrayed by the two
> sri sookthis and the agama is not in good light.
> In my next email I will write in detail quoting only from the
> Pancharatra Agama on the definition of an ArchAvataram. I reiterate
> my point that all the gunas of perumAl are not present in the
> archAvataram. I can provide pramAnam for this from the pancharatra
> agamam.

You seem to have mixed up the conceptual / philosophical basis for different 
manifestations of srImannArAyaNa with the Agamic laws of how we consecrate and 
build temples, perform ArAdhana (Please note that Agamas come from purANAs that 
have much lesser shAstric validity as opposed to shruthi, which is verily the 
ultimate truth). 

As a matter of known fact, the pUrthi in archAvathAram that our AzhwArs and 
acharyas eloquently celebrate, stems from a fairly well known shruthi vAkyam 
that describes poorthi, completeness in terms of kalyANa guNas for bhagavAn's 
manifestations:

(this appears in multiple locations as an invocation in the upanishads, and 
this has been commented upon by a number of our Acharyas)

poorNamadah poorNamidam poorNAth poorNamudachyathE
poorNasya poorNamAdAya poorNamEva avashishyathE

However, our AzhwArs and Acharyas celebrate archAvathAram as the ultimate 
evidence perumAL's kalyANa guNas - not lacking elsewhere -, because of its 
accessibility (soulabhyam) and sousheelyam (neermai). I am quite sure, that 
even in the desika sampradAyam, it would be unacceptable to attribute an 
absence of completeness with respect to perumAL's kalyANa guNas in 
archAvathAram - an absence of guNa poorthi as you put it - (you may want to 
check with your Acharyan on this) .

Of the Vaishnava Agamas (Vaikhanasa, Pancharatra, Pratishthasara and 
Vijnanalalita), The Brahma, Saiva, Kaumara, Vasishtha, Kapila, Gautamiya and 
the Naradiya groups stem from the Pancharatra Agama. The Naradiya section of 
the Santi-Parva of the Mahabharata is the earliest source of information about 
the Pancharatras. 

Of course, the pAncha rAthra was revealed by srImannArAyaNa himself, so if 
there is a contradiction between pAncharAtra and the vEdas, clearly the 
confusion stems from our limited capabilities to comprehend (agnyAnam, anyathA 
gnyAnam, vipareetha gnyAnam).

Now, your contention that the pAncharathra details an absence of guNa poorthi 
in archAvatharam is contradicted by the following description of the perumAL in 
Sri vaikunTa perumAL kovil in kanchipuram. In fact, here is a delineation of 
the archA as the ultimate consummation of the different nilais of perumAL.

Known as "Parameshwara-Vinnagaram" (the abode of Vishnu) as sung by Tirumangai 
mannan, Its architecture is unique, with three sanctums on the three floors one 
over the other and a concealed staircase leading to the upper floors. The 
temple reveals a visual theology, the doctrine of the `four formations' 
(chatur-vyuha) and the vimana as three-dimensional Mandala and its divisions 
into exoteric and esoteric dimensions. The central figure in the sanctum is 
perumAL as Vasudeva facing west, Sankarshana facing north, Pradyumna facing 
east, and Aniruddha facing south. The sculptural scheme, directly reflecting 
pAncharAthra, represents the six `glorious excellences in guNa and the 12 
divine names (dwadasa-namas). The guNa poorthi is reflected as: the omniscient 
knowledge (jnana), power (bala), sovereignty (aishwarya), action (virya), 
brilliance (tejas) and potency (sakthi). The sanctum of the third floor 
represents the realm of space-time, depicting Vasudeva as he appeared in the 
human form of Krishna. This divine temple, in essence, manifestly synthesizes 
perumAL in all his manifestations.

My point here is not to get into a discussion of Agamas or the pAncharAthra 
samhithas. This group, as you are well aware, is not the place for it. It is 
that, in an exposition on something as exalted as Acharya hrudayam (the very 
essence of thiruvAymOzhi), it behooves us to not introduce orthogonal 
arguments, especially when we are totally ignorant of the subject (or its 
exalted nature). It is also important to incorporate the same humility towards 
other Acharyas of our hoary tradition as we do with our personal Acharyas. 
Further, arguing whether guNa poorthi is granted to archAvathAram in the Agamas 
is irrelevant when there is copious reference to such resplendence by our 
Azhwars and Acharyas. 

As Swamy ParAsara bhaTTar says of Sri ranga nAtha in Sri ranga rAja stavam, the 
only purpose for our efforts should be to gain the reward from the association 
with the Acharya (sambandhAth swAthma lAbhaha):

anyathrAthadguNOkthihi bhagavathi na thath
uthkarsha chouryai parEshAm
sthuthyathvAd yAvad arthAth phaNithirapi nisseemakathvAth
AmnayAnAmaseemnam api hari vibhave varshabindoho iva abdhau
sambandhAth swAthma lAbhaha na thu kabalanathaha
sthothrEvam na kim mE?

AzhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyar thiruvaDigaLE sharaNam


sridhar


Message: 10
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 22:07:45 +0100 (BST)
From: Malolan R Cadambi <mcadambi@xxxx>
Subject: ArchAvataram - 1

Sri
SrimathE ramanujaya namaha
Namah SarvEbhya

Dear Smt.Napinnai,

Addition to my last mail.

> ........ portions deleted

Regards,

Adiyen nigamAntha mahadesika daasan,

Malolan Cadambi
nigama vachasAm moulimandAra mAlAm!!!! 

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