So I'm a Sri Vaishnavite Tengalai Iyengar. From what I understand of Sri Vaishnavite philosophy, Lord Vishnu is full of countless attributes right? Like Creator of the World, the Ground of Being, The inner supreme spirit who possesses all forms of matter and individual souls as his modes,but also he whose will or desire is always realized. Always Realized .

Now, From my understanding of Sri Vaishnavism, the Lord creates or rather begins the process of creation, preservation and destruction and projects uncountable number of souls into the world so as to Liberate them. He desires that the souls are liberated. My question is by the time the universe is dissolved and absorbed back into him apparently there's still souls which did not achieve liberation. Now that's enough to raise a question in of itself, however, atleast according to the Tengalai Vaishnavites, no matter how many good deeds or austerities you performed, you cannot influence Sriman Narayana to grant Mukti as it's such an invaluable gift that only he gives and only he has the final say in.

My question is,why don't all souls by the end of Pralaya get liberated already? It is in the hands of Lord Vishnu and the whole point of all this is because The Lord wills Moksha for all the Aatmans, and his will is Always realized. Plus, according to Tengalai Vaishnavas Lord Vishnu can't bear to see the Jiva suffering in this World and will use any random good deed to grant Mukti, but like in that case why doesn't he do it with every single Jiva?

Surely every single Jiva matters and his loved by him equally and would've done atleast ONE good deed or act of charity, austerity or duty that the Lord can use as an example to grant Mukti? You say he wants every soul to be liberated and you also say his wish is Always realized but then why are so many souls still bound to this world of matter? Does it not contradict how Narayana is all loving and all powerful and yet there are only some who get liberated and many who don't even though he's ready to use any deed of the Jiva as an excuse to quickly grant him Mukthi?

Phew! Sorry for the extremely long post 😅. Please do answer though🙏.

Namo Narayana ||

I recently saw a quora post saying this about Visishtadvaita:

"Therefore I reject the opinion of Vishishtadvaitins or similar minded people regarding the manifested aspect of God.

As per the followers of Ramanuja, you cannot separate the form of Vishnu with Vishnu at any point of time. Even if I agree to this opinion that Vishnu is always associated with a form, it doesn't mean that Vishnu is limited within the boundaries of “FORMS & NAMES". That which appears into one or multiple forms, has to be ultimately formless.

Hence, Narayana is FORMLESS.

I want to ask whether God or Narayana is limited by the above physical characteristics?

Is he always darkish in complexion, or, does he possess the potency to appear in any complexion as he desires?

There can two possible conclusions:

He can’t- If he cannot, then he has already lost his credibility of being an omnipotent God. Hence, he cannot be Ishwara or God. He can- If he can, then the current form and name manifested by the God cannot be considered as the ultimate defining factor for God or Narayana. Scriptures tell us that Narayana has the capability of appearing into any form, some of which can be conceived by the humans and some of those forms can’t be conceived by the humans.

Mahabharata Markendeya-Samasya-Parva Section CLXXXVIII:

I ( Lord Vishnu ) create myself in new forms.

For the preservation of rectitude and morality I assume a human form, and when the season for action comes, I again assume forms that are inconceivable.

Forms are interchangeable. It means that they can be changed. They are not fixed and hence cannot be considered as ‘CHANGELESS’.

Now, one of the important aspect of Brahman or God or Narayana is that ‘HE IS CHANGELESS’.

Narayana Upanishad:

Nārāyaṇa is the only one that is stainless, sinless, changeless, and unnameable

Srimad Bhagavad Gita also states the following:

12.3- ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ paryupāsate sarvatragamacintyañca kūṭasthamacalandhruvam

Those who worship the imperishable, the indefinable, the unmanifest, the omnipresent, the unthinkable. the unchangeable. the immovable and the eternal.

We are well aware that Gita points towards the Sakara as well as the Nirakara aspect of God in chapter 12. But, Sripada Ramanujacharya interprets the above Gita verse contrary to every other commentator.

Commentary of Sripada Ramanuja:

Those who meditate on the Imperishable Principle (individual self) in this way, even they come to Me. It means that they also realise their essential self, which, in respect of freedom from Samsara, is like My own Self.

He takes the Imperishable aspect of the divinity as referring to the individual Self, which is completely weird.

The Lord is formless, changeless, immovable and even ‘Nameless’.

Narayana Upanishad:

Nārāyaṇa is the only one that is stainless, sinless, changeless, and unnameable

Vishnu Puran Book 6 Chapter 4:

in which there are no attributes of name, species, or the like

This lead us to the point where even the term ‘VISHNU’ is relative and not ultimate.

Thus the verse 2.3.8 of Katho Upanishad states:

avyaktāttu paraḥ puruṣo vyāpako'liṅga eva ca | yaṃ jñātvā mucyate janturamṛtatvaṃ ca gacchati || 8 ||

Beyond the Avyaktam is Purusha, all-pervading and devoid of linga ( indicative mark ), whom knowing the mortal is freed and attains immortality.

DEVOID OF LINGA can mean devoid of symbols such a forms & names that we impose upon the divinity.

The terms ‘Vishnu’, ‘Narayana’, ‘Sat’, ‘Purusha’, etc are used for our understanding, or else it is beyond our comprehension. It can only be realized by direct perception.

So, you have an entity which is nameless, formless, attributeless, undecaying, changeless, immovable. Hence, it cannot be associated with a particular language, culture, tradition, religion or sampradaya etc."

Any Vishishtadvaitins and Sri Vaishnavite refutation of this Quora post?

So, The Role of Deeds in Bhakti: Vedanta Desikar vehemently rejects the notion of passive devotion divorced from ethical conduct and righteous living. He argues that true Bhakti encompasses not only heartfelt devotion but also a commitment to virtuous deeds and moral principles. According to Vedanta Desikar, the performance of selfless actions inspired by love and devotion towards the divine is essential for spiritual progress and the attainment of Moksha. He highlights the significance of Karma as a means to purify the mind, cultivate virtues, and prepare the aspirant for the realization of God. Right? Now I heard one (Vadagalai Vaishnava)Pandit, in my nearby temple saying that deeds and service and basically Lok Sangraha is most important and practical. He said that since both the world and other souls are also Visheshans of Sriman Narayana serving them is equal to Narayan. He even went as far as saying that Bhakthi by itself is useless and deeds are equally important and that effort from your side is not only necessary but compulsory to attain Mukti.

My question, it might sound a bit unrelated or even stupid but that's just what I thought at that moment. Just-Just hear me out!

Say if a man, lets call him Achyuta, Achyuta lacks belief/devotion or none of it at all towards Narayan, but he's still very devout person when it comes to work, he serves his parents, contributes to society, basically performing Lok Sangraha. Now if we (idk if what he said was exactly what Swami Desikacharya had to say tbh) take the Previous logic here then theoretically, even after the course of many lifetimes(ofc that seems highly unlikely but HYPOTHETICALLY speaking)can that man attain Mukti? He "technically" has served Sriman Narayan, just not directly but through his Visheshans (the welfare of the world and other humans, animals and other creatures). Is that enough to invoke Sri Maha Vishnu's Grace upon him, enough grace to award Moksha? Patiently awaiting answers. You're free to chastise My ignorance but please do answer.

Namo Narayana||

Is there a sloka in Srivaishnava sampradaya scriptures which mentions that only the relationship (bond) with Lord Vishnu is permanent and that other bonds ( parents-children bond, husband-wide bond etc.) are temporary and due to karmic past?

I have some understanding about Saligramas . they are found only at Gandaki river in Nepal. one of the Svayam Vyakta kshetras for the Lord.

I am also aware there are variations within them such as a sudarshana saligrama, Narasimha saligrama etc

I dont have an ancestral saligrama passed down from generation to generation. I know this is the way all Sri Vaishnavas receive.

it's very difficult to trust online websites. its not easy for me to go to Nepal anytime soon.

is there any authentic source for procuring a saligrama ?

I am also aware of it requires its own puja. please provide genuine sources if you know.

also, any saligrama related literature in English would also be greatly appreciated ! Dasoham !

can anyone explain how to do purascharana of Sudarshana mantra. where does it fit in with the Savitr Gayatri, Astakshari mantra ? I am confused on the kramam and counts .

I have been told that there is no fixed count for astakshari.

but elsewhere I was told to do gayatri and astakshari always in equal count during sandhyavandanam. (this was when I mentioned about my varna and about sandhyavandana )

both are coming from Sri Vaishnava Acharyas. I dont doubt either of them. perhaps their intentions were different when mentioning this.

I am greatly interested in sudarshana mantra. anyone who does proper anushtanam of gayatri and astakshari or even an additional one, how do you do it ? order of things? additional things required ? how would a third mantra like this fit in ?

I am interested in details like nyasam etc . japa counts. order and sequence. also how time is being allocated to complete all this. hearing from any practitioner would be of great help. please show mercy and bestow answers from your knowledge

Adiyen Dasoham !

Hi All,

I am planning to get my initiation or pancha samskara done in the Sri Sampradaya. However I have a few questions. After taking prappatti, can we still pray to other devatas on our altar like Ganesh ji, Shiva and Parvati ji and Hanuman ji or do we have to remove them? Second, I follow a vegetarian diet but we eat onion and garlic (but trying to reduce it) and not able to offer all the food we eat to bhagavan (we offer some fruits and dry fruits everyday in our alter with a glass of water). Will that mean we will not be getting moksha because of that? I am north indian and so my family and I have many photos of the devatas in our altar.

So, just cause I'm curious, how does one become initiated into a Sampradaya?

I am intiated into a srivaishnav sampraday of udayavar Ramanujacharya.

Anyone who can guide me on doing anusthanams of thirumantram?

Is it necessary to maintain complete celebacy if you are a initiated srivaishnav?

So I’m interested in becoming a Sri Vaishnava Hindu. I’m drawn to the cosmopsychist/panentheistic metaphysics of The Upanishads. Reading them has changed my life. But I wanted to know if I as a bi man would be accepted in Sri Vaishnavism or even if I could become an archarya. I have to ask if it’s fine for me to be a bisexual man. The only person I’ve seen answer this about Sri Vaishnavism specifically was a Quora answers user who said no because “a Sri Vaishnava must give birth” or something stupid. Well bisexuals can have kids. So am I fine as long as I have a wife. Is a non-monogamous marriage with my wife where I have relationships with men on the side and even share them with her in MMF threesomes fine? If not, is pegging fine? Or do I have to complete stick to her company and vaginal sex and sear off enjoying the company of men and pleasuring my prostate? I don’t know why it should matter. It doesn’t harm anyone and I don’t see why it harms me from realizing The Self. But my ideal marriage is a non-monogamous poly/swinger marriage with a woman and MMF threesomes. But I’d love an answer and know if that’s harmful to my spiritual growth.

A lot of the accounts of Ramanujacharya's life emphasise his break from Yadava Prakasa's Bhedabheda philosophy and its other iterations from scholars such as Bhaskaracharya and Nimbarkacharya. But I have never understood the intricacies of that debate and what prompted it in the first place, compared to say the differences in views between Kevala Advaitins and Srivaishnavas. Essentially I want to understand what differentiates qualified non-dualism (Visistadvaita) from difference in non-difference non-dualism (Bhedabheda).

Jaya Jaya Sri Sudarshana!

I'm happy to share with r/SriVaishnavism our discord server, Vaishnava Sangam, aimed at fostering curiosity, study and practice of Vaishnavam. The server also has authentic and initiated Sri Vaishnavas!

Description: Vaishnava Sangam or Vainava Sangam is a moderated server dedicated to deepening the mutual understanding and strengthening the bonding (and practice) of those interested (and initiated) in understanding Vaishnavaism at the core.
Disclaimer: This is a Vaishnava server and not just an info server about Vaishnavam.
Here's the invite: https://discord.gg/HgDeD9n3eG

https://preview.redd.it/fh8fo1o4hj8c1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc7e2e9836db008efe8566e5a57f0ab9948dcd8b

Hello. I live in Australia and I'm looking for an online guru who can help guide me and provide diksha. There is a Math in Sydney and I've recieved instruction from the Acharya there, however I'd like to take it further.

Can anyone advise? Thank you.

This sunday is vishnu deepotsava/ karthika pournami. Are there any specific pasurams which can be offered to perumal during the deepotsava?

I am wondering how other Srivaishnavas living in modernity view their work, particularly those of us who have office jobs, work in fields like programming and IT, etc. This article (https://modernkshatriya.substack.com/p/hyper-productivity-culture-and-spiritual) explores the differences between work in the past and work in modernity, and explores how we can directly bring Dharma into our work lives now.

Does anyone have a view on the meaning of work int he context of Dharma, and have we lost something of this in modernity?

INDEX
BOOKS COLLECTION

Here is a collection of commentaries and books written by great Acharyas of Srivaishnava Sampradaya. From the introduction to the theological and philosophical perspective of the sampradaya to Bhasyams - commentaries on Gita and Upanishads are added. Further additions to the collection will be continuously updated. Most of the books are in English. To those who are keener to enjoy the Svarupam and Gunas of the Lord, Divya Prabhandam Commentaries are being added.

Most of the books are written by Dr.S.M.Srinivasa Chari and Dr. N.S. Anantharangachari who are well-known for their great knowledge of the Sampradhya. Books of other authors such as Varadhachari are added (and a few more will be added soon).

Please refer to the Index before using the books as it would be much easier to navigate and find books required to the level of understanding.

If there are any other books wrt by Srivaishnava Siddhnata written by authentic sources, please provide a downloadable link to the PDF in the comments. Similarly, if any book is required wrt to the same please do add the Name and Original Author - Acharya of the book in the comments (If specific you can provide the author of the book also).

Thank You!!
Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan 🙏

Apologies for the long post in advance. I’m unsure of the best way to frame my question but I’ll try my best to do so convey a clear meaning.

In the Ramayana, Vishnu says he will be incarnated fourfold.

Did Vishnu made himself fourfold as Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna, or he himself incarnated along with his main paraphernalia like conch shell, disc, mace as the three brothers?

There are discussions that Rama is a 'full incarnation' puurNa avataara as the Supreme is indivisible and his brothers cannot be reckoned as his incarnation – as they become parts of the whole but not the 'whole' itself as he did not divide himself. Other discussions believe that Vishnu did not divide himself but incarnated in one piece, where his brothers are his paraphernalia.

On the other hand, Rami Sivan (a Sri Vaishnava) in his ebook on Pancharatra mentions that the essence of Ramavataram was shared among the four brothers whereas Krishna alone is considered to be the only complete incarnation of Vishnu - Vishnu in his totality of being and puurna-avatara.

However, the Padma Purana I believe mentions that Rama, Krishna and Narasimha are puurna-avatara (I’m unable to check actual Purana to verify this statement).

1. What is the view held by Sri Vaishnava acharyas (on Vishnu being fourfold in Ramavataram)?

2. Does this mean that forms like Varaha or Vamana avataram are not puurnam as well?

Thanks in advance.

Did Sripad Ramanuja hold that Ishvara is Saguna Brahman and the undifferentiated formless Brahman is Nirguna Brahman?

Is Nirguna Brahman the true or internal nature of Ishvara?

I have been told that Sri Vaishnavas believe both are eternal manifestations of the same principle, i.e. Narayana is never dissolved into Brahman, rather he is the eternal form of Brahman, is this correct?

Is the position of Narayana therefore similar to the position of Shiva in Shaiva Siddhanta and Kashmiri Shaivism: that Shiva is in fact Brahman?

This seems to me to be more in line with the Upanishads, wherein Brahman is immutable, without form, and yet also somehow a person. Is Brahman a person, and Ishvara is the expression of that person into form and quality, a kind of revelation of subtle unmanifest personal qualities within Brahman?

Is he a good source to learn about Sri Vaishnavism? Has has some lectures in English. What do you guys think?

Hello. The question above. Thanks. Aiso, please tell some sources to learn about Visishtadvaita in English or Hindi.

Hello. I was hoping to get some advice.

I live in Australia and come from a non-religious Caucasian background. I have always been drawn to Hinduism and always felt comforted by images of Lord Vishnu.

I live in Adelaide and we have no associations or organisations connected to Sri Vaishnava or Lord Vishnu. I am wondering if anyone knows how I might be able to get initiated?

Thank you!

I would like to be initiated into the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya through Samasrayanam. I have a few questions regarding the matter:

1. Can anyone recommend me a Mutt in Sri Rangam where I can approach an Acharya and place a vinappam. It would be very helpful if you could provide the name/website/contact details of the mutt.

2. Sri Krishna has been my Ishta Devta since young. Can I worship Sri Krishna as the main deity after initiation during Bhagavad Aaradhana?