Vaikuntha Bound.
20 May 2012, 11:00 AM
Namaste,
Today was the day of Srinivasa Kalyanam at our temple in Phoenix, AZ. We were visited by priests from Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam who accompanied utsava vigrahas from Tirupati itself.
My wife was feeling a bit tired, so it was just my daughter and I. We arrived about an hour before the beginning of the ceremony. The Srinivasa Kalyanam took place outside of the temple, up on a stage which faced out toward a wide audience area. At 3:25pm or so, there were only a couple of hundred people. As the day wore on, though, the number of attendees soared up to about 4000. In the audience, there was more diversity than one might expect. Non-indian spouses came. A few white and latino devotee families came. And most interesting for me, people in the neighborhood just wandered in to see what all of the noise was. Admittedly, we got a few odd looks, but they were simply that - odd looks. Most everyone was really friendly. An older lady offered my daughter some tang, one of the priests offered his time to describe what was going to happen during the ritual (and we had a small group of 20-30 somethings gathered and asking questions before we were done). When we finally settled into an area of families with kids, we made quick friends of those around us, and my daughter was soon being held by every lady in a 20 ft. radius.
I'm not going to pretend that I'm now an expert on the subject, but as it was explained to me, the marriage of Lord Srinivasa to His consort prefigures the union between the Paramatma and the jeevatma. Viewed in that light, everything from the procession of the deities up to the platform, to the care offered to the deities to the culmination in their union was incredibly moving, even if I didn't understand every prayer. The priests from Tirupati are visiting a few more cities - Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Portland, Seattle, and Malibu - and if you're anywhere nearby and at all inclined toward Vaishnavism, I couldn't recommend the experience more highly.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/IMG_2970.jpg
The Lord and His consorts carried in procession.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/008.jpg
A closer view.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/IMG_2987.jpg
The goober and her new friend. My wife wants you all to know that our daughter's forehead isn't that big in real life. She had a bump on her head, and her hair had been constantly readjusted throughout the day, making it look like she has the worst comb-over of all time.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/IMG_3004.jpg
The view of the stage.
Today was the day of Srinivasa Kalyanam at our temple in Phoenix, AZ. We were visited by priests from Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam who accompanied utsava vigrahas from Tirupati itself.
My wife was feeling a bit tired, so it was just my daughter and I. We arrived about an hour before the beginning of the ceremony. The Srinivasa Kalyanam took place outside of the temple, up on a stage which faced out toward a wide audience area. At 3:25pm or so, there were only a couple of hundred people. As the day wore on, though, the number of attendees soared up to about 4000. In the audience, there was more diversity than one might expect. Non-indian spouses came. A few white and latino devotee families came. And most interesting for me, people in the neighborhood just wandered in to see what all of the noise was. Admittedly, we got a few odd looks, but they were simply that - odd looks. Most everyone was really friendly. An older lady offered my daughter some tang, one of the priests offered his time to describe what was going to happen during the ritual (and we had a small group of 20-30 somethings gathered and asking questions before we were done). When we finally settled into an area of families with kids, we made quick friends of those around us, and my daughter was soon being held by every lady in a 20 ft. radius.
I'm not going to pretend that I'm now an expert on the subject, but as it was explained to me, the marriage of Lord Srinivasa to His consort prefigures the union between the Paramatma and the jeevatma. Viewed in that light, everything from the procession of the deities up to the platform, to the care offered to the deities to the culmination in their union was incredibly moving, even if I didn't understand every prayer. The priests from Tirupati are visiting a few more cities - Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Portland, Seattle, and Malibu - and if you're anywhere nearby and at all inclined toward Vaishnavism, I couldn't recommend the experience more highly.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/IMG_2970.jpg
The Lord and His consorts carried in procession.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/008.jpg
A closer view.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/IMG_2987.jpg
The goober and her new friend. My wife wants you all to know that our daughter's forehead isn't that big in real life. She had a bump on her head, and her hair had been constantly readjusted throughout the day, making it look like she has the worst comb-over of all time.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj623/vaikuntha_bound/IMG_3004.jpg
The view of the stage.