[Slonopotam845]

There seems to be a general confusion(particularly in the mind of naras) that iyers are saivas.This is completely baseless.

Many iyers wear vibhuthi on their foreheads,but a substantial number wear gopichandanam and a minority wear namam.This namam wearing minority is slowly dying,because of migration to towns and identity problems.

Many iyers are ardent devotees of Lord Vishnu,have the highest reverence for the avataras of Vishnu,Valmiki Ramayana,Srimad Bhagavatha,Vishnu Sahasranama,Nama Sankeerthanam.

But we also believe in the unity of Godhead,the karma,Bhakthi and Jnana Marga.

Sri Ramakrishna Parahamsa,,Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahasvaminah,Sri Sadhashiva Brahmendra,Sri Jnanadeva(in Maharashtra)are exemplars of "Advaitic" Bhakthi.Bhakthi is always spontaneous love of God.

Sri Ramana has remarked Bhakti is the mother of Jnana.

Generally iyers in their sankalpam say "sri parameshwara prityartham".Iyers use Iswara to denote God.Parameshwara has by usage become associated with Lord Shiva.It is a nama found in the Vishnu Sahasranama.In the Advaitic tradition Vishnu is the name of Brahman as all pervading. God is beyond all names.Vishnu,Iswara signify his majesty,gunas and omnipotence/omniscience.In Advaitic theology Narayana/Iswara are same.

At the time of completion of karma,iyers say "Kaayena vacha.... Naarayeneti samarpayami" .

This is what i have gleaned from the teachings of great saints of the Advaita tradition.

[TeveVikep]

I was, too, lovestruck with an Iyer girl when I was young!! But the love was one-sided!!!She belonged to a rich family and didn't even know I existed!!!

Wrong thread SF,

You should write more about this in "Walking down the memory lane" thread.

I am sure you would have done few things to get her attention, please write about it.

We are all ears.

[CGECngjA]

Dear Sri Murali Ji,

I thank you for your erudite posting. Shaivism is different from the 'Advaitha' philosophy as you correctly point out. The main point about all these 'Sambradhayams' is this. We all believe in the sanctity of Vedas. This is how Hinduism should be defined. Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhvacarya (and some say including the Buddha, Lord Mahavir and Guru Nanak) are but very representations of divinity allowed within the large unbrella of Hinduism.

I did not include the Abrahamic religions, the myriad western schools of philosophical thoughts, the atheism represented in recent times by communism as well as fascism, here under the huge umbrella, mainly because such thoughts took root in foreign lands and we Indians rejected those various philosophies at one time or other or represented them in our outlook (e.g.' Bhakthi and love as exemplified by Jesus).

Whether monistic, monotheistic or dualistic, our religion creates unique ways to folks with different thinking abilities and preferences as it guides us towards the four grand paths (nay the broad avenues) to ultimate Bliss.

Pranams,
KRS

There seems to be a general confusion(particularly in the mind of naras) that iyers are saivas.This is completely baseless.

[Yarmark]

Very interesting topic about Iyers and Iyengars wedding etc. Thax. Keep on coming out more of it.

[Heclailia]

Hello,
I am an Iyengar married to an Iyer and having been married in the traditional way, I can tell you this. Most of the pre-concived notions that some folks have about Iyers or Iyengar is as good as a cart load of crap.

What is this "yenda ambi"? I have not heard anyone in my community talk like that. But it does not mean that some Iyengars or Iyers would speak that way. By the way people, there are 17 - 18 dialects of Tamil (13 or 15 in India), so depending on which region you are in, you will hear different words that you might not hear in Madras or elsewhere.

Why for that matter, I could not understand much of Iyer's tamil that my wife's relatives spoke. That is because they were palaghat iyers. So, if I were to generalise, I should be saying, Iyers didnt talk Tamil, but more malayalam like Tamil.

And what is this about 11 vadhiyaars? People, different vadhiyaars do things different ways and depending upon the money they get, they do things differently (within reason). Also what is this about the girl following the boy's way? That must be some bigotted family who forced the iyer girl to follow iyengar tradition. In my marriage, my wife's pre-marriage ceremony went Iyer way (both the 1st day and part of 2nd day) and I did stuff Iyengar way, but once it came down to the actual marriage, since both of us were Yajur-veda based and not different vedas, our marriage ceremony was the same, as the slokas are the same.

People, if you are getting your ideas and notions from TV, please grow couple of brain cells or talk to people before judging or concluding on a class of people.

Also, I agree with Kamaksi and Silver Fox, what is the big idea about differentiating brahmins within their community? It is like sperating peices of potato in your sambar based on which potato it came from.

[pIp83Uns]

I have done detailed research on Iyer marriage ceremonies and a hundred page article by me is available in the matrimonial section of the web site www.keralaiyers.com
The marriage ceremony of brahmins is split in to three major portions:-
1.Permission by the respective parents for their wards to marry.
2.gift of the girl by the brides parent to the groom, requesting him to marry her.
3.Actual marriage of the girl as conducted by the groom.
In case of iyer-Iyengar marriage, for the first step , the respective priests will officiate. For the second step, the bride's priest will officiate and for the third step, the grooms priest should officiate.
With best wishes, Ramachander

[wizardasa]

The Iyers recite "Parameswara Preethyartham" in their Sandya Vandanam.

A close reading shows that the Smartas have adapted the Sandyavandhanam of the Vaishnavites with only this Parameswara Preethyartham being changed. (I do not think Parameswaran will be preethified by the Iyer reciting all those Vishnu namas.)

Originally according to the religious history of ancient India there were Smarta-Saivas and Smarta-Vishnavas. Even now we have Nama Iyers who are Vaishnavites and put Thrichuranam on their forehead. The Smartas were not smart enough to retain their own Sandya Vandana. There is a Saktha Sandya Vandana also.

The Panchayathana Puja of the Smartas has Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha, Surya, and Amman. In our family we have Skanda in place of Ganesha.

There is a lot of variation in marriage ceremonies depending on sub-sect, gothra, and region. In the middle of one of my friend's marriage the bride-groom's father shocked every one by having a doubt whether the bride was a Smarta. The Sasthirigal had to explain to him about the variation because of sub-sect and region.

[AntonioMQ]

Dear Thiru Nacchinarkiniyan!
You sound parochial!! (I am just kidding!)
Anyway, what exactly is the meaning of 'Smartha' as against 'Saivaite' or 'Iyer'? How did the name 'Iyengar' come about?

[mazabotman]

Dear Thiru Nacchinarkiniyan!
You sound parochial!! (I am just kidding!)
Anyway, what exactly is the meaning of 'Smartha' as against 'Saivaite' or 'Iyer'? How did the name 'Iyengar' come about?

This wiki article explains the Smartha beliefs and the difference between the sects. I personally do not like the name Smartism. This article is good by wiki standards. We did not come to blows and there was not much vandalism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartism

This is ISKON point of view.

http://hinduism.iskcon.com/tradition/1204.htm

About the name Iyengar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyengar

I did not know about the Iyer/Iyengar business till I was in college. My village had only one Iyengar family who were called the Iyengar. We had a big Perumal temple in the village. The other major caste in the village were Saiva Vellala Pillais. But they too had only a Perumal temple. We had an Amman temple in common where there was Siva and Natraja.
I come from a family of Sankararamans, Sankaranarayanans and Ramasubramanians.

I rile at our seers sometimes. One of the occasions was when I learnt the meaning of the Phalashruti of Vishnu Sahasranamam. It is said

sri rAma rAma rAmeti rame rAme manorame
sahasra nAma tat tulyam rAma nAma varAnane

(As stated by Lord Siva to PArvati - if you just chant the name "RAma",
it is equivalent to chanting the 1000 names of Sri MahA Vishnu").


After chanting all the tongue twisting and jaw breaking names, this is shocking and you feel let down.

[Breeriacoirl]

mrifan,
I was going through one of your posts in sept in which you were looking for soem event management companies that would be able to arrange a iyengar wedding. I was wondering if you found any companies because i am looking for the same