hinduism in pittsburgh. 241
claimer: “The views expressed in the articles published are those of the writers and
do not necessarily reflect those of the S. V. Temple management.” The Saptagiri
Vani,despite listing the Srivaisnava festivals and almanac, and despite being a voice
of a temple with predominantly Srivaisnava rituals, is not necessarily a Srivaisnava
bulletin; two issues have stated that it is “the intention of [the] S. V. Temple man-
agement to provide through its publications, articles and other items that represent
our rich cultural and religious traditions.” In pursuit of this goal, articles have ap-
peared on such topics as rituals like Jirnoddharanam or Ashtothra Satha Kalasa Ab-
hiseka (with details of the celebrations according to the samhitas), Carnatic music,
“origins of dance,” and children’s word games.
The influence of these articles in the temple bulletins should not be underesti-
mated. In India, newspapers and regular television programming provide glimpses
of varied rituals and synopses of religious discourses, but in the United States arti-
cles in temple bulletins are often the only regular “religious education” temple
members get. The articles’ publication in the bulletins also makes them seem au-
thoritative. Thus there may be an entire generation of young Hindus growing up in
this country who have been educated on the myths recounted by Amar Chitra
Katha, India’s best-known “classic comic” series, where again one story line is pre-
sented and is ratified as “true,” unlike the oral tradition, which may present alter-
native versions of a story and symbolic meanings of temples, deities, and rituals.
The effects of this controlled diet will have to be judged in future years.
syncretism
The Penn Hills temple has included many small rituals in its repertoire, even though
they are not traditional in Srivaisnava temples. The most important is worship of
Satyanarayana, especially on full-moon days. While Satyanarayana is a form of
Vishnu, the worship of Satyanarayana is probably quite late in origin and is not part
of traditional Srivaisnava lore. This puja,usually a domestic one in India, is popu-
lar in the Marathi-, Kannada-, and Telugu-speaking regions and in some communi-
ties in North India and in Tamilnadu. In India, the ritual is sometimes performed by
family members, and sometimes by a priest who is brought in for the occasion. Be-
cause there are very few priests to go around in this country, the Satyanarayana puja,
which has traditionally not been part of Srivaisnava rituals, is conducted in the Penn
Hills temple. The Varalaksmi Vratham,another largely domestic and non-
Srivaisnava rite (though addressed to Lakshmi), is also conducted in the temple, by
Smartha women.
In this connection, it should be noted that there is a blurring of lines between do-