The Vedas are the assets of their practitioners, the Brahmins. This asset that encapsulates the Lord Supreme is the root cause of all the Dharma that manifest in the world. Lord Krishna, in His Bhagavad Gita, says that all the Dharmas and Karmaanushtanas as prescribed in the vedas, have to be dedicated to Him. He further declares that "He is the means and end in pursuit of deliverance from all the travail and pains of the birth cycle".

Thus proclaims Nammazhwar:

"உண்ணுஞ் சோறு, பருகுநீர், தின்னும் வெற்றிலையும் எல்லாம் கண்ணன்"

The Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas and the the Dravida Vedam (known as Divya Prabandham) which all extol Sriman Narayana as the Lord Supreme, form the nucleus of our Sri Vaishnava/Vishishtaadvaitha philosophy. According to the legends, it is Lord Srinivasa who reigns in Kali Yuga ("கலௌ வேங்கட நாயக:")

It is our great fortune that Sri Srinivasa, the premier deity of this era, along with His Consort Alarmel Manga Thayar, Sri Peyazhwar and Sri Vedantha Desikan, pours grace on us at our Temple.

"வேதம்  வல்லார்களைக்  கொண்டு விண்ணோர்  பெருமான்  திருப்பாதம்  பணிந்து" says Nammazhwar. One must worship the Lord, initiated or lead by the masters of the Veda. That means one must seek the help of Vedic scholars even while expressing one's devotion to the Lord.

This clearly shows the value of the Vedas and the need to nurture the base of our Sampradaya. "தர்மோ ரக்ஷதி ரக்ஷித:".

Therefore, our predecessors here at Mylapore, more than a century ago, saw it as their primary duty to espouse the cause of Vedas, Divya Prabandham and the scholars, in order to sustain various activities connected with our Temple.

Thus, an association by name Vedaparayana Sabha was formed in 1905 and has since been at the service of the Temple, by:

• Undertaking thadheeyaaradhana and sambhavana of the
  • annual Brahmothsavam
  • Desikan Uthsavam
• Conducting other Uthsavams of its own like Thai Pushyam
• Arranging and sponsoring the annual Thiruppavai Upanyasam during the month of Margazhi and other discourses by renowned scholars;
• Propogating Vedas and Divya Prabandham through traditional teaching; etc...

It is a matter of great pride that the Sabha, an integral part of the Temple's activities, completed 100 years of dedicated and distinguished service in 2005 and a grand Centenary Celebration commemorating the occassion and befitting the magnitude of the event, was held during March 2005.

The five day festival (March 4 to 8), among other things included:

• Laksharchana to Lord Srinivasa and Alarmel Manga Thayar
• Veda (Rug, Yajus -- Krishna as well as Shukla and Ghana parayanam, Sama and Atharva) Divya Prabandha, Grantha Parayana
• Special Thirumanjanam to Perumal, Thayar and Desikan
• Special procession of Perumal and Desikan
• Thadheeyaaradhana

In the never-before kind of uthsavam, hundreds of Vedic scholars took part on each of the five days and were fittingly honoured.

Matching the grandeur of the occassion, a Golden Sri Satari was dedicated to Sri Alarmel Manga Thayar by the Sabha.

The participation of Srimad Azhagiyasingar and Srimad Andavan in the uthsavam, their Mangalaasasanam and Anugraha Bhaashanam were the other highlights.

With the release of a comprehensive commemorative souvenir comprising sampradaya articles by numerous eminent scholars, besides the coverage of the uthsavam - both descriptive and visual - came down the curtains on the event.

- Invoking the Divine Will (Bhagavath Sankalpam) to keep us ever at His service,
  Vedaparayana Sabha

The office-bearers are:

President	:	Natteri Sri Parthasarathy Iyengar
Secretary	:	Sri R. Narayanan
Treasurer	:	Sri N. Sathya Narayanan
Committee Members	:	Sri S. Raghavan &
		Sri R. Raman

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