Namaste, as Velukudi Swami often tells ” the diffrences of smartha, madhva, thenkalai, vadakalai are different traps bhagawan has set for us”. We should think beyond this and dedicated ourselves to Lord Sriman Narayana through sharanaagati margam.
For your understanding, the true sanskrit meaning of smartha is “follower of smriti” which you, me or any sri vaishnava or madhwa or any common man will fall under this criteria. No Srivaishnava or madhva will oppose smriti. For that fact we all are smarthas. Also please understand that smarthas does not mean they are shaivites. Adi Sankaracharya has written many of his major works on Lakshmi narasimha and Sriman Narayana and there was not an iota of doubt or misunderstanding on the fact of “antaryami narayanaha” for any of our three prominent acharyas (Sankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya). In fact Adi Sankaracharya, has used only krishna mantra during the death of his mother. Any Sankaracharya Vijayam will vouch this fact. When our acharyas did not had any doubt about this, why should we have doubts or difference’s on this.
Our shastras does not restrict anyone on one’s beliefs and regarding urdhva pundram it is worn by all vaishnava sects (including madhvas) and in fact FYI, during the time of upanayanam ceremony most of the smarthas sects uses urdhva pundram (the reason is to authorize the person to get veda adhikara sidhyartham). The main reason for wearing is to invoke our chakras on our duct less glands for our spiritual progress.
My advice is you still can be true sri vaishnava in mind even when you are smartha to your parents by dediacting yourselves to bhagawan sriman narayana the one and only who can grant vaikunta praapti to us.
JAI SRIMAN NARAYANA!!!
