Sri Vaishnava Calendar 2012

Date Occasion
4th May (Friday) Sri Madhurakavi Alwar Thirunakshatram, Sri Ananthalwan Thirunakshatram
25th May (Friday) Alwarthirunagari Vaikasi Visakam Utsavam Starts
16th May (Wednesday) Ekadashi

For Srirangam temple Utsavam & Festival details (includes Alwar Acharya Thirunakshatrams for 2012) – srirangam.org/festivals_currentyear.html

For Tirumala Tirupathi Brahmotsavam details – tirumala.org/utsavams.htm

Ahobila Mutt Ekadashi Calculator - ahobilamutt.org/us/services/ekadasi/samekadasi.asp

82 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. dasyai
    Aug 13, 2010 @ 15:44:31

    Swami,

    Apparently 23rd of August, 2010 is Hayagriva Jayanthi. Could you confirm the same? Thanks!

    -Dasyai

    Reply

  2. V NANDAKUMAR
    Aug 09, 2010 @ 15:33:40

    Swami,

    Adiyen Ananthamana Thandan Samarpitha Vignapanam.

    I have been keenly listening to Velukkudi Swami’s Upanyasam for the last 6 months, in person (at Mumbai) through CDs and through Vijay and Pothigai TVs.
    I want to listen to puranas/ithihasams regarding avatars and Leelas of NARAYANA in other lokas and other countries of this earth. Kindly guide me.

    Reply

  3. dasyai
    Aug 02, 2010 @ 16:51:25

    Thank you so much for collecting and listing down the Sri Vaishnava events month by month. I depend on them now! Thank you for this service.

    Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan

    Reply

    • Ramanuja Dasan
      Aug 07, 2010 @ 13:02:27

      All credit to Sriman Narayana for giving me the Will & Energy to do it swami.

      Adiyean.

      Reply

  4. Narayana
    Jul 04, 2010 @ 13:00:55

    Dear Bhagavatas,

    It seems as though some confusion exists regarding Sri Ramanuja’s views w.r.t to MAdhvAs, GaudiyAs, etc.

    For a comparison of Madhva’s views with Sri Ramanuja please refer the following link:

    http://antaryami.net/news/index.php/serials/146-refutation-of-dvaita-vedanta.html.

    This shows how our purvAchAryAs have refuted Dvaita, and how different Dvaita VedAntA is from Vishishtadvaita.

    For a comparison of Gaudiya tenets with Vishishtadvaita, please refer:

    http://sriranganatha.tripod.com/id15.html
    http://sriranganatha.tripod.com/Parathvam.pdf
    http://sriranganatha.tripod.com/id14.html

    I thank you for your attention.

    Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

    Narayana.

    Reply

  5. Narayana
    Jul 04, 2010 @ 12:52:12

    Dear Swami,

    Once again, you have misunderstood Vishishtadvaita and have relied on the opinions of other Vedantins. Please read on.

    “per SriBhasyakarar’s vakyam considering Brahman’s svarupyam as prakriti indicates not that Lord Vishnu as Svayam prakriti but ‘He from whom this great Brahman came forth’ as u have already mentioned.Since prakriti comes forth from the all pervading Purusha(since prakriti is NOT independent), it is supposed to have all qualities possessed by Parabrahman only qualitatively.But since prakriti is a part of the Supreme Lord SriHari, it can be referred to as Brahman.” Acc. to Ramanuja’s vakyam we should try to understand that what it actually means is :
    Sriman Narayana is Parabrahman.He is also Brahman. Prakriti manifests from Sriman Naryana.Hence it is called Brahman.Prakriti is His potency.Lord Narayana resides as the controller of prakriti.Hence He can be called as prakriti.Sri Bhasyakarar tries to explain the difference in oneness of these terms.Though prakriti is inseperable eternally from the Lord, still a difference is maintained.”

    You are confusing everything that I have mentioned. Nobody denies that prakrti is inseparable to Brahman and hence, is called Brahman by virtue of being its body. That is SamanAdhikaranyam.

    However, the tem ‘Brahman’ is itself a common noun meaning ‘that which grows big’ and hence, can be used independently to refer to prakrti and jivAtmA. Please do not make me repeat everything again. VedAnta Sangraham, Sri Bhashyam and Gita BhAshyam can be consulted.

    JivA and Prakrti are called Brahman because they are inseparable from Narayana. At the same time, JivA has a NAME ‘Brahman’ and Prakrti has a NAME, ‘Brahman’ because they have the quality of greatness, ie, jnAnA is great for jivA and size is great forr prakrti. Sriman Narayana is Parabrahman, which means Highest Brahman’, which cannot be applied to other entities.

    It is like calling NArAyaNa as Agni. If we use SamanAdhikaranyam, we say Agni DevatA is body of NArAyaNa and hence, the name Agni refers to NArAyaNA. But We can also say the word ‘Agni’ is a common noun meaning ‘radiant one’. Sriman NArAyaNa is radiant and hence, is ‘Agni’ (without involving the DevatA).

    Do not confuse samanAdhikaranyam with this.

    “Mula Prakriti definitely refers to Periya Piratti.She is also the presiding deity of MulaPrakriti.There are many references in the scriptures……”

    Lakshmi is called prakrti in the sense of being the possession of Narayana. Please read Swami Ramanuja’s Gita Bhashya. Two prakrtis are under the possession of Krishna. One is the jagat, The other is the JivA. ‘Prakrti’ is a term that denotes possession as well. That is why Krishna calls the JivAs as His ‘prakrti’ as well. They are His possessions.

    Piratti being the presiding deity of prakrti is a tenet of Dvaita, not Vishishtadvaita. The various pramAnAs referring to her as MUlaprakrti denote that She is the chief possession, ie, very dear to Narayana and nothing more. MAdhvA interprets it differently.

    Piratti is Jagan Mata. She is Sarvagatah as per Vishnu PurAnA. No need to say more.

    You are once again mixing Dvaita with Vishishtadvaita. Please refer ONLY to Ramanuja Bhashya and nothing else. Gaudiya/Madhva VedAntA is not authority for Sri Vaishnavas.

    “As far as Madhvacharya is concerned,He maintains the difference b/w Piratti and Narayana as per PanchaBhedas while Sri Ramanuja proposes Mulaprakriti to be inseperable from SrimanNarayana.It is to be noted that both have propounded the same theory in different dimensions just like the way there are diff methods to solve the same quadratic eqn..!!!”

    MAdhvA VedAntA is drastically different from Vishishtadvaita. I have written many articles about it. Although both appear similar, they differ even in basic tenets such as the svarUpa of JivAtmA.

    You are once again using Gaudiya techniques to show that both are same. Just because both Madhva and Sri Ramanuja accept prakriti is different from Narayana, doesn’t mean its the same thing. MAdhvA’s concept of Visesa, Ananda TArAtamya, Jiva Bheda, have been refuted by later sri vaishnava acharyas like ParakAla Yati, SrinivAsAchAryA, etc.

    I have already posted many articles refuting Dvaita Vedanta, based on pUrvAchAryAs’s works, in other sites.

    “Let me clarify few things with you. The Gaudiya point (which u claimed “part and parcel- there is no such thing” ) is definitely in phase with the SriVaisnava viewpoint. Many works of Swami Desikan and Emperumanar have upheld that the jiva is subservient to the Lord. Now the basic tenet is that the whole cosmos rests in Sriman Narayana. This means that the Lord is the Ultimate Creator of everything. This means that all the jivas should belong to Him. Consequently, we are a part of Him.If we were not, then how on earth could the Lord eside in us in Paramatma aspect…???”

    There is no such thing as ‘Brahman aspect’, ‘ParamAtmA aspect’, BhagavAn aspect’. There is only BhagavAn, who is variously known as Sat, AtmA, Brahman, Sriman Narayana, etc.

    ParamAtmA simply means ‘Supreme Self’. It does not exclusively pertain to AntaryAmi. Lord is ParamAtmA wherever He is. And AntaryAmi is also not ‘incomplete’ or ‘partial’.

    Gaudiya tenets of BhagavAn’s difference in ‘rasa’, the idea that BhagavAn is ‘non-different’ from His body, the idea that jivA is a ‘part’ of Him is not in tune with Ramanuja VedAntA.

    In fact, Sri Ramanuja agrees with Adi Sankara in stating that the body of Brahman is different from Brahman. Many pramanAs have been provided for the same. We have also refuted MAdhvA theory of Visesa, which Dvaitins use to provide that Brahman is not different from His body, qualities, etc.

    Let me state this verse:

    MamaivAmso jIvalOke jIva bhUtha: sanAthana:|
    mana: shashtAni indriyAni prakrthisthAni karshathi||
    (Bhagavad Gita 15 chapter 7th verse)

    SRI RAMANUJACHARYA:
    The atma or immortal soul within all jivas or embodied beings constitutes an ETERNAL PORTION of Lord Krishna and thus is also eternal……….. This is the difference.

    Wrong translation. MamaivAmso refers to the fact that the jivA is a VibhUti of Krishna. The jivA has a JnAnAndamaya SvarUpA and this svarUpA is due to its being the body of the Lord (Yasya AtmA SarIram). Hence, the purity of the jivA is also due to the Lord only. This makes the greatness of the jivA as the vibhUti of BhagavAn.

    Since the jivA is the body of the Lord, it is as eternal as Him. Translating ‘Amsa’ as ‘plenary portion’, ‘eternal portion’, ‘parts and parcel’, etc. is not in tune with Sri Ramanuja’s tiruvullam. JivA is a prakAra or mode of Brahman due to it being the body of Brahman.

    For an accurate translation, please read ‘Gita Saram’ by Tirukallam Swami, former AsthAnA VidvAn of Ahobila Mutt. The book is a translation of Swami Ramanuja Bhashya with Tatparya Chandrika of Vedanta Desikan.

    Chandogya Upanisad VI.IX.II beginning te yatha tatra na vivekamlabhante meaning: As the pollen of different flowers forms the essence of honey and lose their individual identities in the same manner all jivas lose their individual existences when they merge into the brahman although they know not in their varigated forms from whence they have come forth.”

    Please refer to Dr. NS AnantarangachAr’s publications on Sri Ranga Ramanuja Muni’s commentary on Upanishads. That VAkyA refers to JivAs having their dharma bhUta jnAnA reduced to nil during ShuShUpti and possessing only SvarUpa jnAnA.

    MAdhvA, NimbArkA, et al., do not accept the concept of dharma bhUta jnAnA. Sri Vaishnava Acharyas have soundly refuted the criticisms of other traditions.

    “Regarding Tulsidas’s avataram, these are the pramanas:In Bhavishyottar Purana,”

    Before quoting PurAnA VAkyams, we need to ensure that the subject matter is in accordance to the VedA.

    TulasidAs RAmAyaNa is against the tenets of VedAntA as it has some Unvedic material like Rama worshipping Shiva. Since this goes against VedAs, TulasidAs RAmAyaNa is rejected by Vishishtadvaitins.

    Then, the purAnA vAkyam is not an authority since the Sruti has itself shown the inconsistency of Tulasidas’ work. So, we have to conclude that the purAnA has been interpolated.

    If TulasidAs’ work was in line with Sruti, we could hav accepted the purAnA vAkyAs. Since this is not the case, we reject it. And this has nothing to do with Ramanandi Sampradaya’s acceptance.

    Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

    Narayana.

    Reply

  6. AdithyaRangaramanuja Dasan
    Jul 02, 2010 @ 10:24:12

    Dear Swami,

    Thanks a lot for the useful info you have provided.adiyen am

    sorry for the late reply.adiyen am definitely convinced about

    all the justifications that ur goodself has provided.But allow

    me to deliberate with few clarifications.

    1. Everybody knows that the Narayanopanisad starts with the

    verse “Om atha: PURUSHO ha vai NARAYANO…” Here it is

    straightforwardly proclaimed that Sriman Narayana is

    PURUSHA.Furthermore Narayana is not only Brahman but He

    is Parabrahman.Now the question arises whether Brahman

    can also refer to Prakriti?? Definitely yes, but as per

    SriBhasyakarar’s vakyam considering Brahman’s svarupyam

    as prakriti indicates not that Lord Vishnu as Svayam prakriti

    but ‘He from whom this great Brahman came forth’ as u have

    already mentioned.Since prakriti comes forth from the all

    pervading Purusha(since prakriti is NOT independent), it is

    supposed to have all qualities possessed by Parabrahman

    only qualitatively.But since prakriti is a part of the Supreme

    Lord SriHari, it can be referred to as Brahman. Acc. to

    Ramanuja’s vakyam we should try to understand that what it

    actually means is :
    Sriman Narayana is Parabrahman.He is also Brahman.
    Prakriti manifests from Sriman Naryana.Hence it is called

    Brahman.
    Prakriti is His potency.Lord Narayana resides as the

    controller of prakriti.Hence He can be called as prakriti.
    Sri Bhasyakarar tries to explain the difference in oneness of

    these terms.Though prakriti is inseperable eternally from the

    Lord, still a difference is maintained.

    2.Mula Prakriti definitely refers to Periya Piratti.She is also

    the presiding deity of MulaPrakriti.There are many references

    in the scriptures:
    * As u have already told,Brahma Purana calls Piratti as ‘Chit

    Prakrti’…
    *The Gopala Tapanyopanisad says so:
    Krsnatmika jagatkartri mulaprakriti rukmini
    Who is Rukmini? She is Periya piratti Herself. She is called

    Jagatam Kartri- the creator of the world and mulaprakriti…
    *A lot of references to Her being the Mulaprakriti can be seen

    in Laxmi tantra…
    *The most common Laxmi Ashtottara introduces Her as

    Prakritim Vikrutim vidyam…
    *As far as Madhvacharya is concerned,He maintains the

    difference b/w Piratti and Narayana as per PanchaBhedas

    while Sri Ramanuja proposes Mulaprakriti to be inseperable

    from SrimanNarayana.It is to be noted that both have

    propounded the same theory in different dimensions just like

    the way there are diff methods to solve the same quadratic

    eqn..!!!
    3. As far as reln. b/w body and soul is concerned, adiyen am

    fully convinced.Thank u very much for the postings.And also

    about the position of sivan.Thanks a lot!!!

    4.Let me clarify few things with you. The Gaudiya point (which

    u claimed “part and parcel- there is no such thing” ) is

    definitely in phase with the SriVaisnava viewpoint. Many

    works of Swami Desikan and Emperumanar have upheld that

    the jiva is subservient to the Lord. Now the basic tenet is that

    the whole cosmos rests in Sriman Narayana. This means that

    the Lord is the Ultimate Creator of everything. This means

    that all the jivas should belong to Him. Consequently, we are a

    part of Him.If we were not, then how on earth could the Lord

    reside in us in Paramatma aspect…???
    Let me state this verse:

    MamaivAmso jIvalOke jIva bhUtha: sanAthana:|
    mana: shashtAni indriyAni prakrthisthAni karshathi||
    (Bhagavad Gita 15 chapter 7th verse)

    SRI RAMANUJACHARYA:
    The atma or immortal soul within all jivas or embodied beings

    constitutes an ETERNAL PORTION of Lord Krishna and thus

    is also eternal. Yet because the jiva is inextricably emeshed

    in material existence from time immemorial it is enslaved by

    the nescience of its own karma or reactions to actions and

    revolves incessantly in samsara the perpetrual cycle of birth

    and death. Precisely based on this karma a jiva is forced to

    accept a suitable body such as a demigod, human, animal

    etc., attracting with it five senses and a mind exactly

    appropriate to maximising the chances of survival for such a

    jiva. But when the jiva through association of the Vaisnava

    spiritual master becomes enlightened from hearing his

    unequivocal instructions and surrenders fully unto the

    Supreme Lord Krishna as one’s only refuge then Lord Krishna

    Himself releases the jiva from the bondage of samsara and

    the jiva becomes situated in atma-tattva or soul realisation.

    Other than taking exclusive shelter of Lord Krishna or any of

    His authorised incarnations as revealed in Vedic sciptures it

    is impossible for the jiva which is very much handicapped in

    terms of intelligence and potency to achieve moksa or

    liberation. This is due to the heavy burden of unresolved

    karma attached to the jiva that they must carry with them life

    after life. But all actions performed for the satisfaction of the

    Supreme Lord have no karma attached to them. This is the

    difference.

    SRI VISNUSVAMIN:
    Chandogya Upanisad VI.IX.II beginning te yatha tatra na

    vivekamlabhante meaning: As the pollen of different flowers

    forms the essence of honey and lose their individual identities

    in the same manner all jivas lose their individual existences

    when they merge into the brahman although they know not in

    their varigated forms from whence they have come forth. Lord

    Krishna explains that an eternal portion of Himself is within

    the etheric heart of every jiva in existence in the form of

    paramatma the eternal, omnipresent supreme soul which

    exists next to the atma or individual immortal soul as a

    witness. The jiva although eternal in essence having an

    eternal portion of the Supreme Lord, through ignorance and

    false identification of the physical body becomes a samsarin

    drawn by the desires and attachments of the previous

    existence to suffer or enjoy as precisely dictated by karma or

    the reactions to actions performed in past lives.

    SRI MADHVACHARYA:
    Lord Krishna explains a manifestation of His divine form. Due

    to the atma or immortal soul although distinctly different is

    similar in quality to the Supreme Lord it is sometimes spoken

    of as a partial manifestation. The Supreme Lord when

    enveloping the physical body, energises the five senses and

    activates the mind relative to prakriti the material substratum

    pevading physical existence. The statement that the mind is

    drawn toards sound may give rise to the misnomer that the

    jiva or embodied being is independent. This is Acharya

    Madhva’s statement.

    SRI NIMBARKACHARYA:
    So whenever Lord Krishna speaks of His portion or His

    potency, it always denotes eternality as every part of Him is

    eternal and is not a seperate entity or consciousness. Lord

    Krishna already declared in chapter 7, verse 5 that he has an

    internal and external nature. Although the power and the

    powerful appear as seperate energies they cannot exist

    independent of each other even though eternally exemplifying

    unity in diversity as is evidenced by the jiva or embodied

    being, which is confined to inhaling air or water as the case

    may be in various organisms. Those not fully situated in

    spiritual knowledge have the opinion that the atma is the

    highest self and that it only appears limited due to the

    covering of nescience which is like ether appearing limited in

    a pitcher. When the limiting adjuncts are no longer in contact

    with each other then the ether is perceived without limitations

    and in the same way when the adjunct of nescience is

    removed the true nature of the atma is revealed. But this

    supposition is directly refuted in this verse by the word

    sanatana meaning eternal because it is a part of Lord

    Krishna. The singular usage of the compound words

    jiva-bhuta refers to the category of jiva and includes all jivas

    in every dimension throughout all creation.

    All these Acharyas have extensively explained that jiva is a

    portion of Supreme Lord. There might be some minute

    differences but ultimately, they mean the same.

    5.Regarding Tulsidas’s avataram, these are the pramanas:

    In Bhavishyottar Purana, Lord Shiva tells Parvati how Valmiki

    got a boon from Hanuman to sing the glories of Lord Rama in

    vernacular language in the Kali Yuga. This prophecy of Lord

    Shiva materialised on the Shraavan Shukla Saptami, Vikrami

    Samvat 1554 when Valmiki reincarnated as Tulsidas.

    ” Valmikistulasidasa: kalau devi bhavisyati |
    ramachandrakathametam bhashabaddham karishyati ||
    Maruter shakti sampanna: sheshashishya: haripriya:|
    Ramanandakara: sriman ayodhya bhashyakaraka:||

    -Bhavishyottar Purana, Pratisarga Parva, 4.20

    Valmiki as Tulasidas, with the potency of Maruti and as the

    disciple of Ananta Shesha will bring joy to Rama in Ayodhya

    dialect. Here it can be noted that Tulasidas is an avataram of

    Valmiki. He is The disciple of Anantashesha( who is Sri

    Ramanuja Himself!!!). Ramandakara: also hints that he

    belongs to Ramanandi sect, a branch of our Sampradayam.

    Nabhadas, a contemporary of Tulsidas and a great devotee,

    also describes Tulsidas as incarnation of Valmiki in his work

    Bhaktmaal. Even the Ramanandi sect (Tulsidas belonged to

    this sect) firmly believes that it was Valmiki himself who

    incarnated as Tulsidas in the Kali Yuga.
    Hence if Tulsidas and his sampradaya is authentic, then his

    works are undoubtedly authoritative.

    6. Regarding ur explanations about rasas, adiyen am

    extensively convinced.

    It is my conviction that adiyen’s post is not offending
    anybody. Aparadhaan kshamasva,
    With due dandavats,
    adiyen A.R.DAsan

    Reply

  7. Dasa
    Jun 15, 2010 @ 13:57:50

    (I mean according to your Sri Sampradaya Calendar.)

    Reply

  8. Dasa
    Jun 15, 2010 @ 13:56:53

    Dear Sir, could you please remind when was Purushottama Month this spring?

    Reply

  9. devi
    Jun 09, 2010 @ 16:54:36

    TirukottiyurNambi Tirunakshatram

    on june 12 what is that means can you send me reply

    Reply

    • Ramanuja Dasan
      Jun 09, 2010 @ 22:31:43

      Thirunakshitram means Star. In tamil birthdays are celebrated based on the Stars. Birthdays of Alwars & Acharyas (saints) of Sri Vaishnavam are referred to as ThiruNakshitram (Thiru for respect). So TirukottiyurNambi Tirunakshatram on june 12 means Birthday of Thirukotiyur Nambhi (Acharya of Swami Ramanuja) on June 12.

      Reply

  10. utsav
    Jun 06, 2010 @ 23:20:57

    its very good

    Reply

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