Salagrama Puja at Houses

One of my friend visited my house and saw our saligramam we need 

to reconfirm and wish to know what type of saligramam we have in our house. And wish to know the name etc., 

But as below mentioned saligrama is Vishnu's, how Iyers who are generally Shaiva like us having the same. I have seen my grant father, father praying rudram while performing pooja. Do sivalinga will also have holes in it ??? 

Is it necessary we need keep close the saligram and Linka after Pooja and archana?? Iam having close room for my temple so I never closed after pooja. Kindly 

clarify

A Devotee

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Salagrama is a small roundish black stone with a small hole and has some distinctive marking like Chakra or shankha etc. These Salagramas are worshipped as Vishnu himself. 

A home with a Salagramam is regarded as a temple. Nitya Abhisheka and Aradhana is recommended for the Salagrama. The Salagramam when properly worshiped will nullify the evil effects of black magic within a radius of 5 miles from its location.

You can read the origin of Salagramam from my book Shri Maha Sastha Vijayam - the first chapter of Sastha Jananam - ie the river Gandaki originated from Mohini Avatara Vishnu's body - so the sacred stones from this river is considered as vishnu himself. Its actually the shell of the worms in the river Gandaki and its body is covered by a stone cover or shell known as Vajrakita and they came to be called as Salagramas.

gandakyAs cha iva dEsE cha sAlagrAma Stalam mahat

pAshanam tad bhavam yath thath sAlagrAmam iti smrtham

Near the Gandaki River, there is a big place called Shalagram. The stones which appear in that place are called Shalagramam

There is a detailed work called Salagram Kosha - which explains the significance and varieties and methods of worship for a Salagrama.

Each house may a have a different Salagrama as per the family tradition. You may esquire your family elders regarding this. Iam afraid that I cannot judge which salagramam you are having without seeing it personally. From the description you are giving, I think its general Maha Vishnu Salagrama.

The Salagramas used for puja at home generally has a hole. Having the rekhas, marks etc is not a must. Please note that even if it has a crack or split, it is still auspiciousa and can be worshiped. If it is broken into two -  it can be worshipped as two separate Moorthis. And this is directly opposite in the case of Shiva linga - even if there is a small crack in a Shiva Linga it should not be used for worship.

And coming to an important question  - How Iyers are worshipping Salagrama ? 

IYERS ARE NOT SHAIVAITES !!!

Iyers or Smarthas are people who treat every God as a manifestation of one Supreme being. Just because Smarthas adore Bhasma(vibhuti) and associated with Adhi Shankara, most of the people (including Iyers) are of the opinion that we are Shaivaites - which is not at all true.

Smarthas are people who believe in One Supremacy and worshiped it in different forms. We dont differentiate between Shiva and Vishnu. Adhi Shankara taught this principle. And you can see the Stotras of Shankara that he praises Vishnu than a staunch Vaishnavite.

Each Smartha House had a complete Set of Panchayata - which includes -

1.Shiva Linga

2.Vishnu Salagrama

3.Ganapati Sonabadra

4.Surya Spatika

5. Devi Swarnamuki

According to the family tradition one deity may gain primary position and other are placed around it.

Please read my article on Panchayatana Puja 

http://shanmatha.blogspot.com/2009/11/panchayatana-puja.html

We dont differentiate between Shiva and Vishnu and So its no wonder worshipping a Vishnu Salagrama by an Iyer. 

Even the Shringeri Acharyas worship the Nrisimha Salagrama which is handed down in the lineage by Adhi Shankara himself. The Shri Chankr at Kamakoti Peetam, Kanchipuram is engraved on a Salagrama Stone.

Strict Acharas has to be followed regarding Devata Puja. Worshipping framed pictures and doing Yatha Sthanam after the puja is totally a different procedure. 

But these Salagramam, Shivalingam etc has Nitya Sannidyam of the Devatas and even a small Anachara may result in adverse effect. Thats the reason our ancestors were very careful in handling with these and so closed the Puja gruham immediately after the puja

Panchayatana puja

sir i want to know about panchayadhana pooja.

What are the moorthams to b placed on that.

please clear my query

Manikandan, Chennai

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Panchayatana puja is the

system of worship which was most common in every Brahmin house till few decades ago.

The Panchayatana is a system which consists of

the worship of five deities:

"Adityam Ambikaam Vishnum Gananaatam Maheswaram"

Aditya is Surya; Ambika is Devi; Vishnu is

Narayana; Gananaatham is Ganesha, Mahesvara is shiva.

These five are the great divine force whom every householder worships as pancha devata puja.

Based on the tradition

followed by the family, one of these deities is kept in the center and the other four surround it and worship is offered to all the deities.

Adhi Shankara systemetised the Sanatana Dharma(Hinduism) and classified it into broad Six categories.

Shaiva - with Shiva as the Presiding deity

Vaishnava - with Vishnu as the Presiding deity

Shaktha - with Devi as the Presiding deity

Ganapatya - with Ganesha as the Presiding deity

Kaumara - with Subramanya as the Presiding deity

SoWra - with Surya (planets) as the Presiding deity

People mistake that Shri Shankara actually started this Panchayatana puja system - which is wrong. Deva Puja and Archana is one of the most important duties imposed by the Shastras. The Shastras are filled with details of the Panchayatana puja details and Shankra only prescribed us to follow it without fail..

The panchayatana scheme represent the five elements:

AkAshasyAdhipo viShNuH agneshchaiva maheshvarI |

vAyoH sUryaH kShiterIshaH jIvanasya gaNAdhipaH ||

Akasha : Space : Vishnu

Vahni : Fire : AmbikA

Vayu : Air : Aditya

kShiti : Earth : Shiva

Jala : Water : Ganapati

All the five deities are not Panchaloka or any other metal idols; But these five are represented by small natural stones found in various parts of Bharatha Desham.

Deity Stone River Place

Ganesha Red Sonabhadra Sone Bihar

Surya Crystal Vallam Tamil Nadu (Tanjavur)

Vishnu Saligrama Gandaki Nepal

Shiva Bana Linga Narmada Madhya Pradesh

Ambika Swarna Mukhi Swarnamukhi Andra Pradesh

The image of that particular devata is kept in the centre, surrounded by the other gods.

If he is a devotee of Vishnu, he places the idol of Vishnu in the centre with the other idols surrounding it. If he is a devotee of Lord shiva, a lingam is placed in the middle with the other images around it. If he is a devotee of Suryanarayana, he has a sphatika as the central object of worship.

The positioning in the panchayatana poojas are as follows:

Shiva Panchayatana Puja

• Shiva at the center
• Aditya at Southeast
• Gananatha at Southwest
• Ambika at Northwest and
• Vishnu at the Northeast.

Ganapathy Panchayatana Puja

• Ganapathy at the center
• Vishnu at Northeast
• shiva at Southeast
• Adithya Southwest and
• Ambal at Northwest

Vishnu Panchayatana Puja

• Vishnu at center
• shiva at Northeast
• Ganapathy at Southeast
• Adithya at Southwest and
• Ambal at Northwest

Ambal Panchayatana Puja

• Ambal at center,
• Vishnu at Northeast,
• shiva at Southeast,
• Ganapathy at Southwest and
• Adithya at Northwest

Adithya Panchayatana Puja

• Adithya at center,
• shiva at Northeast,
• Ganapathy at Southeast,
• Vishnu at Southwest,
• Ambal at Northwest

Along with this people worshipping Subramanya will include Him in the form of a (silver) Snake or Vel (spear)

shaiva ca vaiShNavam shaaktam sauram vainaayakam tathaa .

skaandam ca bhaktimaargasya darshanaani Shadeva hi ..

I can surely say - till panchayatana puja was strictly followed in our country we were really flourishing. Though the technical advancements were not present people were peaceful, satisfied and happy.

Only when this Panchayatana stopped during english invasion- we began to loose our glory- happiness, mental peace and everything.

Panchayatana Puja is a systematic procedure which involves physical and mental discipline, requires inner and outer cleanliness. This - when done systematically will surely bring the progress in the material world and the final truth - awareness of the true Self. By following it, one obtains the Lord’s Anugraha, without

which liberation is not possible.

Dasavatharam & Dasamahavidya

Is there any connection between Dasamahavidya of Devi and Dasavatharams of Vishnu?

Chandramouli Iyer, Pune
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Though this topic is little bit off the track... I myself wanted to answer this becoz it falls more under my domain....

Amba is not different from Vishnu... She is called Govinda Rupiri in Lalitha Sahasranama. And the ten incarnations of Vishnu are Her expansions...
You wont find any puranic lore for the relation between these Vidyas and Avatharas but the logic of putting the Dasamahavidya with the Dasavataram is related thru perception and thru the Tanric interpretation.
If watched carefully one can find the theory of evolution in the Dasaavathara.
The same way the Dasamahavidyas represent the evolution of the Soul.

The First Avatara in an 100% aquatic fish and the Last is the Man of Purnathvam(complete) - Kalki.
- from a fish to a complete man..

Similarly as Nirguna Swaroopi, she is Kali of Darness;
As Saguna roopi she is Sundari of ultimate Gnana(wisdom)

A sloka from Lalita Sahasranama says ``karanguli nakhotpanna Narayana dasa kritih" that from the nails of the ten fingers of the Devi emerged the ten manifestations of Narayana as Dasavataram.

The ten manifestations of devi as Kali, Tara, Tripurasundari, Bhairavi, Bhagalamuki, CHinnamasta, Doomavati, Kamala, Bhuvaneswari and Matangi embody a whole range of attitudes gracious and awesome, benign and destructive. The same force called "Shakti" is the motivational force for the ten incarnations of Vishnu.
She is Vishnu and He is Devi; There is no difference between them.

These comparisons only mean that Amba's being non-different from
Narayana and need not be taken literally.

If amba wills, I shall write about all these 10 vidyas in detail.


kadAchidAdyA lalitA puMrUpA kR^iShNavigrahA |
1. Lalitha or Tripurasundari is Krisha

kadAchidAdyA shrItArA puMrUpA rAmavigrahA |
2. Tara devi is Shri Rama.

ChinnamastA nR^isiMhaH syAt vAmano bhuvaneshvarI |
3. Chinnamasta is Nrusimha and
4. Bhuvaneswari is Vamana

jAmadagnyaH kAlikA syAt mIno dhUmAvatI bhavet ||
5. Kali is Parasurama and
6. Doomavathi is Mathsya

bagalA kUrmamUrtiH syAt balabhadrastu bhairavI |
7. Bagalamuki is Koorma Murthi and
8. Bhairavi is Balarama

mahAlakShmI bhaved bauddhI durgA syAt kalkirUpiNI |
9. Mahalakshmi(Kamala) is Varaha and
10. Durga (Matangi) is Kalki


AMME NARAYANA !! DEVI NARAYANA !!