This was presented on the day of the first upanyasam by Smt. Radha Rangarajan on Apr. 20, 2013. It shares a bit on how and why Sri Chintanam was started.
ṣrimathē ṛangapriya ṃaha ḍēsikaya ṇamah
Welcome to Sri Chintanam!
Long Ago, about twenty years ago, I was handed over a copy of a tape of a Tiruppavai discourse in English. It was a audio discourse of one of my one of my favorite saints— Andal. A very young very delightful Mami spoke so passionately of the 30 verses of Aandal that , merely by listening, one could almost see the twinkle in her eyes. Personally. I feel like l was gopika in Brindavanam with Aandal as Aandal imagined herself to be a cowherd girl with Lord Krishna.
With each verse, this Mami explained not just the surface meaning, but she delved deeply into the profoundly philosophical and poetic ways of Aandal.
Whether it was her emotion, her devotion, the clarity in which she presented Andal’s love for Lord Krishna— I am not sure, but I have listened to it more then 2-3 dozen times and I have never gotten bored of it.
Now, with an archaic tape recorder, I play this same tape it for my children.
This Mami, along with a few other key people, is largely responsible for initiating a deep love and interest in bhagavad vishayam. The inspiration to start an upanyasam forum is because I am in a longing for that time when I was surrounded by those devotion— bhakti instilling discussions.
Moreover, that beautiful feeling of joy, emotional bhakti, or love for the Divine that one gets after listening to an upanyasam, I want to bring that elevated feeling into the community.
That Mami is no one other than Smt. Radha Rangarajan, affectionately known as Radha Mami.
Like Radha mami, there are many extremely knowledgeable individuals in our community who have also greatly influenced me as well— namely, Sri Viji Triplicane, Sri Srinivasan Iyengar, and my brother, Sri Mani Varadarajan. These individuals are like volcanoes, overflowing with knowledge and waiting to share it. It is my hope that Sri Chintanam can provide that forum.
In essence, Sri Chintanam is an effort by a few bhaktas to evolve an active community engaged in bhagavad vishayam.
Smt. Bharathi Raghavan, Smt. Padmashree Koneti are two instrumental in making forum a reality— From the very conception of this idea , these two shared instant enthusiasm and unwavering support— Willing to go out to their way to make this happen— all in the name of bhagavad kainkaryam. These people are the key individuals, extremely dedicated, often working into the late night, or between a grand child’s feeding schedule and meeting me at softball matches, With these two working steadfastly in the background, I am merely a facilitator. I can only assume we come together through divine intervention.
Seeking the blessing of my Aacharya, Sri Sri Rangapriya Swami, all the respected elders and my steadfast parents, I’d like to welcome you all to Sri Chintanam.
Thank you,
Ranjani Rangan
ṣrimathē ṛangapriya ṃaha ḍēsikaya ṇamah
Welcome to Sri Chintanam!
Long Ago, about twenty years ago, I was handed over a copy of a tape of a Tiruppavai discourse in English. It was a audio discourse of one of my one of my favorite saints— Andal. A very young very delightful Mami spoke so passionately of the 30 verses of Aandal that , merely by listening, one could almost see the twinkle in her eyes. Personally. I feel like l was gopika in Brindavanam with Aandal as Aandal imagined herself to be a cowherd girl with Lord Krishna.
With each verse, this Mami explained not just the surface meaning, but she delved deeply into the profoundly philosophical and poetic ways of Aandal.
Whether it was her emotion, her devotion, the clarity in which she presented Andal’s love for Lord Krishna— I am not sure, but I have listened to it more then 2-3 dozen times and I have never gotten bored of it.
Now, with an archaic tape recorder, I play this same tape it for my children.
This Mami, along with a few other key people, is largely responsible for initiating a deep love and interest in bhagavad vishayam. The inspiration to start an upanyasam forum is because I am in a longing for that time when I was surrounded by those devotion— bhakti instilling discussions.
Moreover, that beautiful feeling of joy, emotional bhakti, or love for the Divine that one gets after listening to an upanyasam, I want to bring that elevated feeling into the community.
That Mami is no one other than Smt. Radha Rangarajan, affectionately known as Radha Mami.
Like Radha mami, there are many extremely knowledgeable individuals in our community who have also greatly influenced me as well— namely, Sri Viji Triplicane, Sri Srinivasan Iyengar, and my brother, Sri Mani Varadarajan. These individuals are like volcanoes, overflowing with knowledge and waiting to share it. It is my hope that Sri Chintanam can provide that forum.
In essence, Sri Chintanam is an effort by a few bhaktas to evolve an active community engaged in bhagavad vishayam.
Smt. Bharathi Raghavan, Smt. Padmashree Koneti are two instrumental in making forum a reality— From the very conception of this idea , these two shared instant enthusiasm and unwavering support— Willing to go out to their way to make this happen— all in the name of bhagavad kainkaryam. These people are the key individuals, extremely dedicated, often working into the late night, or between a grand child’s feeding schedule and meeting me at softball matches, With these two working steadfastly in the background, I am merely a facilitator. I can only assume we come together through divine intervention.
Seeking the blessing of my Aacharya, Sri Sri Rangapriya Swami, all the respected elders and my steadfast parents, I’d like to welcome you all to Sri Chintanam.
Thank you,
Ranjani Rangan