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How do SriVaishnavas understand the Divine Mother?

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
Namaste,

how do SriVaishnavas understand the Divine Mother? Do SriVaishnavas worship forms like Durga or Kali?

Thanks for your replies.:)
 

ameyAtmA

~ ~
Premium Member
Namaste,

how do SriVaishnavas understand the Divine Mother?

Namaste

Shri VaishNav is the VaishNav sampradAy originating from Shri (MahALakshmi)
Even if that wasn't so, they understand Divine Mother in the form of MahALakshmi , and their ArAdhya is MahA-VishNu. , Shriman NArAyaNa as Brahman'

After RamanujAchArya, the sampradAy split into vaDakAli and TenakAli
One of them believes in complete prApatti i.e. be like the kitten, who does nothing, BhagvAn will carry you => you surrender fully, BhagvAn showers Grace
The other group says be like the baby monkey who has to hold on to the Mother , i.e. some efforts are required from your side.

One group says Shri (MahaLakshmi) is Shakti of MahAVishNu, hence 'like' Him and is the infinite prakRuti
The other group says Lakshmi is a jiva (which the first group finds outrageous)

Both propritiate Shri to obtain grace of MahaVishNu , trusting that Shri being the compassionate Mother will speak to Shriman NArAyaNa for them.

Do SriVaishnavas worship forms like Durga or Kali?
No. Those strictly following Shri VaishNav sampradAy paramparA and AchAryas do not worship forms other than Lakshmi-NArAyaN (which covers the avatAr forms -- Shri KRshNa, Balaji Vyankateshwar (Padmavati / Shri devi Bhu devi or RukmiNi-SatyabhAma sameta), Ram Parivar - Ram Lakshman Sita Hanuman, NRsimHa Dev ...)

They invoke Vishvaksena before puja et al - that is different.

I hope that helps.
-------
Shri VaishNavas Temple pujaris are very strong on Deity worship and the vAtsalya that radiates back from the Deity is felt by all. The pujaris are well versed in Veda yadnya and VaishNav Agama

Home worship is focused more on your bhAv , cultivating your devotion, ... via study of Ramanuja's bhAshya (commentaries). the works by the 12 aLwars (called DivyaPrabandham), regular study/recital of VishNusahasranAma, study of Bhagvad Geeta and BhAgvat PurAN.

Combine this with regular Temple Visits , watch abhishek, Arati, learn bhajans... and that makes you a well rounded Shri VaishNav.
If you want to study the VishishTAdvaita philosophy it is
Shri BhAsya by Ramanuja.
------

This site translates pAshuram collections by the various aLwars.

Koyil : dhivya prabandham | AzhwArs pAsurams with AchAryas explanations

Someone recently asked for the following, so I might as well put the links here. Why let effort go waste?
Muthul Tiruvandhadi
Irandam Tiruvandhadi
Munram Tiruvandhadi
Nanmugam Tiruvandhadi
Periya Tiruvandhadi
Tiruchandavirutham

|| Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||
 
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ameyAtmA

~ ~
Premium Member
Do SriVaishnavas worship forms like Durga or Kali?
No. Those strictly following Shri VaishNav sampradAy paramparA and AchAryas do not worship forms other than Lakshmi-NArAyaN

Jai Shri KRshNa

That was my reply from a Shri VaishNav ONLY perspective, and I deliberately kept it that way. However, more needs to be said here
The Divine Mother is One. She manifests as Durga and KAli for specific reasons.
DurgA is the composite Shakti of all Devas, and none other than MahALakshmi, Shri, the original Shakti. That is how a Shri VaishNav would look at other forms of Devi.

All Devis are aspects of One Divine Energy.
When it was time to kill the demon -- Nishumbh I think -- he asked ChAmunDA about Her army (Saraswati, KAli...). the Devi laughed, and absorbed all those manifested forms in Her.
She said, Look, Nishumbha, I am One.

This is what many within and outside Hinduism do not know -- The multiple forms which are aspects of the One , are taken to be multiple gods.
Also, 33 koTi Devas gets translated as 33 million gods! People think Hindus have 33 million gods.
That is not true. KoTi in this context means "uccha-koTi" , of a "High nature / High calibre" that means 33 excellent gods.

12 Aditya + 11 Rudra + 8 Vasu + 2 Ashwini Kumar = 33 KoTi Deva. Not 33 million. These 33 in turn are aspects of Ishwar.

In the Bhagvad Geeta Chapter 13, Shri KRshNa describes Brahman' : avibhaktam cha bhUteshu vibhaktam eva cha sthitam.
Which means : Although One without a Second, and indivisible, [Brahman'] appears as if divided as separate living entities.
This is what Vishwaroop darshan also demonstrates. (BG Chapter 11 - KRshNa showed Arjun His Universal form).
 
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Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Well, things differ for each Hindu. Most believe in many, I believe in none. And no Hindu is authorized to speak for all.
The only 'avibhaktam' is Brahman.
 

ameyAtmA

~ ~
Premium Member
Well, things differ for each Hindu. Most believe in many, I believe in none. And no Hindu is authorized to speak for all.
The only 'avibhaktam' is Brahman.

Did I not say that avibhaktam is Brahman ?
Which means : Although One without a Second, and indivisible, [Brahman'] appears as if divided as separate living entities[

We are discussing Shri VaishNav parampara on this thread. My first answer was strictly Shri VaishNav, second post was for Sirona and other VaishNavs as to how one may look at other forms.

What I wrote is straight from the Bhagavad Geeta - chapter 11 and 13.
 

ameyAtmA

~ ~
Premium Member
What an irony.
An atheist enters a Shri VaishNav discussion thread (more like a learning + FYI thread) , makes non-VaishNav on-the-verge-of-atheistic posts, and says "one single person has no right to speak for all Hindus" ?

For the 3rd time, this is a VaishNav thread, and what is being discussed is a VaishNav perspective, certainly not for all Hindus.
==============

1. avibhaktam in BG 13.17 says Brahman' is indivisible. Who is denying that? (Incidentally THAT which pervades everything seen, is being called bhUta-bhartRu, grasishNu, and prabhavishNu (maintainer, destroyer, creator, resp.) in that same verse. )

2. The purpose of mentioning Vishwaroop (BG 11) was to indicate that the Supreme (KRshNa - NArAyaNa) is One, and all are His parts. Similarly, the Divine Energy of the Supreme (MahALakshmi) although inseparable from this One, can be looked at as the VishwarUpiNi (Universal form of Goddess - Divine Energy), and all Goddesses are Her forms. This was in context of the OP.

You are OK with chapter 13 but want to throw chapter 11 out of the window? Not on this thread. We are free to discuss nAma-rUpa here.

About me: At least a major part of me automatically inherits VaishNav dharma, so, answered Sirona's questions. Embrace Person-Impersonal , Form-Formless aspects of the Divine, as a holistic truth. Bottom line: The devotion and bhakti-latA of VaishNavs (especially new ones) is safe with me. I don't mess with it.
 
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Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
No irony. The thread was posted in general section and not in one of the two sub-forums.
'Avibhaktam' cannot have parts.
However, I would desist, to honor your view.
I highly respect Sri Ramanujacharya and love the idea of 'prapatti'. It did help me to understand things.
 
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ameyAtmA

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Premium Member
No irony. The thread was posted in general section and not in one of the two sub-forums.

Attention: All DIR members, If you do not want diversions, all theology and devotion threads should be posted in the resp. folders. It includes any sampradAy-specific discussion. So general section remains for newcomers / general talk.

'Avibhaktam' cannot have parts.
Avibhaktam does not have parts, but appears as-if segregated into various distinct forms. Also, avibhaktam claims to play the roles of
(i) Prabha-VishNu
(ii) grasishNu
(iii)bhUta-bhartRu (BG 13.17)

AND

the avibhaktam can appear as the continuous infinite Vishwaroop (including all Devi-DevatA, charAchar, jaD-chetan, all space, time-past-future, phenomena...) for Arjun, , and then say "Time I Am, ready to devour some things of the present to turn them into past...." (kAlosmi).

This way the avibhaktam covers all space-time and is hence beyond space-time.

This is Bhagavad Geeta direct.
 
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