Can women offer home-cooked food to Salagrama Perumal if the men of the household are not present?
Vidwan’s reply
Women can offer food to Salagrama Perumal, it is a must to offer food.
Notes:
Women should not ring the bell, like men while offering food; must not partake food without offering it to Perumal.
Women shall offer the home-cooked food and contemplate that Perumal had accepted the offerings. This is the tradition that is in practice.
Whatever we cook at home, we can offer it to Perumal by reciting mentally “koodarai vellum seer” pasuram and partake the offerings.
Can women do manaseeka aradhanam during asauca and mensurating period? Is it an offense to do so?
Vidwan’s reply
Maanaseeka aradhanma is a component of Perumal Tiruaradhanam. Women should not do manaseeka aradhanam at any period.
Can women recite Kamasikashtakam?
Vidwan’s reply
Women can certainly recite Swami Desikan’s Sri Kamasikashtakam Strotram.
How should Sumangali-s observe Ekadasi vratam?
Vidwan’s reply
Sumangali-s can observe Ekadasi vratam with the consent of their husband and if they could observe fast the entire day, they may do so.
Notes:
It is not wrong even if they could not observe fasting th
e whole day as they have to take care of many chores the following day. They are allowed to partake in light refreshments.
Someone else would cook during a woman’s menstrual period and offer it to Perumal. Are women allowed to partake prasadam offered to Perumal during that time? Or should food be cooked separately for them?
Vidwan’s reply
During a woman’s menstrual period, the food that was offered to Perumal should be served to elders of the household first and later that food can be served to her.
Notes:
The leftover food from the portion after being served to her, should not be used again. So, it is better to cook for her separately.
Can women address themselves as adiyen and dasan or are there any other suitable words? I have been intending to ask this for a long time and am using this platform to clarify my doubt. Thanks.
Vidwan’s reply
Adiyen is a common term used for addressing both genders.
While adiyen refers to self, adiyaal and adiyaan refers others.
Notes:
Dasi is the female equivalent of dasan, but in today’s context, that name does not bear good meaning hence it is not in practice.
Thirumangai Azhwar had said ‘adicci’.
The Sanskrit word Dasa is common to both genders and is used in Vedic rituals.
Can women recite Bhagavad Gita, Itihasa, and Puranas?
Vidwan’s reply
Scriptures say it is improper for women to recite Itihasas and Puranas, but they can listen to them a lot.
Can women alone recite Divya Prabandam and Padhuka Sahasram as a group at temples?
Vidwan’s reply
Women group alone cannot recite Divya Prabandam and Padhuka Sahasram at ancient temples.
Notes:
Scriptures do not prevent Andal goshti to recite Prabandam and Paduka Sahasram in many other locations.
There are many specific rules at respective temples for Goshti parayanam.
Can women recite Desikar’s Adikarasaranavali and tatvamuktavali?
Vidwan’s reply
Women can learn and contemplate them.
Notes:
These works of Desikan involve queries and discussions on esoteric matters, so it is considered improper to undergo kalakshepam.
Pray tell me if adiyen can recite Prabandam and Purvacharya slokas during the menstrual period as adiyen feels tormented for not being able to recite during that time.
Vidwan’s reply
No one must not recite Prabandam and Purvacharya slokas during that period.
Notes:
As we are traditionally trained to chant slokas from our younger age, they are in our mind always and we cannot control them as well.
But during periods one should not chant them aloud.
Can women perform Salagrama aradhanam?
Vidwan’s reply
Women must not perform Salagrama aradhanam as it is not ordained.
Notes:
Women can draw kolam, light lamps, and cook food to be offered to Salagrama Murthy.
Can women chant Vishnu Sahasranamam?
Vidwan’s reply
Women should not chant Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam.
How to recite thiruashtaksharam, dwayam, and carma slokam every day in an orderly manner?
Vidwan’s reply
Daily recital of these slokas contemplating on their meaning is termed special as stated by our Acaryas like Swami Desikan.
Notes:
One must learn these slokas with meaning through kalakshepam of Shrimad Rahasyatrayasaaram, etc. from one’s preceptor.
To aid the contemplation of the meaning of these slokas while reciting them, Swami Desikan has graced us with Tiruashtakshara Surukku, Dvaya Surukku, and Caramasloka Surukku.
Sri Parashara Bhattar has blessed us with Ashtashlokini on this.
But it is better to learn these meanings through kalakshepam.
What are maDi and paththu? How to explain these to the current generation?
Vidwan’s reply
Madi refers to ceremonially pure clothes
Paththu generally refers to cooked rice. Because it sticks to hand, it is called Paththu (paRRu). Anything that is stored along with cooked rice, will also become paththu. If stored separately, only cooked rice is paththu.
While serving palahaara, pathhtu should be avoided and any items stored along with cooked rice must not be consumed.
Notes:
MaDi:
Our body and clothes are tainted and impure when we lie down in our bed during nighttime.
To remove the impurity, we need to take bath and wash our clothes and hang them to dry in a clothesline.
One must not touch with hand or any part of the body, the clothes put out for drying. Only after purifying ourselves should we take the clothes from the clothesline wearing.
Paththu
Ghee, curd, milk, etc. are not considered paththu items
Paththu and non-paththu items should not be mixed and are kept and used separately.
For example, while serving food, after serving cooked rice, one must wash hands before touching the container that contains ghee.
While preparing food, the place where the items are cooked must be different for paththu and non-paththu items. It is better if the stoves used for cooking rice and boiling milk are different. If unavoidable, clean the stove after cooking the food and before boiling the milk.
Food with longer shelves like pickles, dosa/idli batter, etc., must also be kept separated from paththu items. Always must wash hands after touching paththu items and before touching non-paththu items.
Can Women/widows perform Salagrama Aradhanam in Sri Vaishnava tradition? To suit present days, pray to advise the duties that can be performed by ladies who had performed sharanagati, through mind, body, and words for Tiruaradhanam.
Vidwan’s reply
Women are not allowed to touch the Salagrama. Ladies can provide relevant assistance during Tiruaradhanam.
Notes:
Some of the duties ladies can help with for Tiruaradhanam are – clean the dais or sanctum, draw kolam, wash Tiruaradhanam vessels, lighting lamps, gather flowers and fruits, prepare scented items (this includes powdering cardamom, edible camphor (pacchai karpuram)) for Perumal tirtham, prepare dhoops, etc.
The most important duty is preparing the prasadams that are offered to Perumal during the bhojyasana of Tiruaradhan are prepared. One must prepare oneself by physically purifying, purifying the place around, chant Azhvar pasuram-s and prepare with sincerity, following the prescribed by scriptures.
