Religious Practices and Tradition
The Vadakalais being staunch followers of the Sanskrit Vedas, always championed the cause of purity of the vedic tenets. Traditionally, every day starts around 4 a.m as per Ushah Kāla Dharma. There are mantras to be recited on every occasion, invoking the grace of God at every stage – ablutions, etc. Performance of Sandhyavandanam three times a day(morning twilight, evening twilight and noon), is of absolute necessity. The most important daily duty is the Aradhana or Ijya, either with a shaligrama or a small idol. After that, Vaiswadeva and Pancha -Maha Yajnas(including brahma yajna) are to be performed. Special charts, namely Vyajanakara and Chakrakara are used in regard to the oblations offered in Vaiswadeva Yajnas.
The Vadakalai Iyengars firmly believe in practising Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga along with Prapatti, as means to attain salvation. The Vadakalai Guru Shri Vedanta Desika emphasises the practise of the three yogas in his work Rahasya Trayasarah, where he describes Karma and Jnana yogas to be pre-requisites of Bhakti yoga.
The sect rigorously follows the set of rules prescribed by the Manusmriti and other Dharma Shastras.
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