[Advaita-l] Is there a 'Hari-Hara Avatāra' of Viṣṇu?

[Venkata sriram P]

Namaste,

Though the form of ayyappa was new one in Andhra desa, there is a popular vratam in Guntur & Krishna districts
called "gurunaatha pongali vratam".  The married sisters and brothers assemble at home and prepare "pongali"
in a pot and the prasadam should be distributed among the family members only. 

This vratam is very popular among the smarta brahmin families of Krishna & Guntur districts and is done prior 
to commencement of every shubha kaarya be in upanayana, vivaha, gruhapravesha etc. 

However, there are different of opinions about who is this "gurunaatha"?  Majority say this is "hari-hara suta" ie.,
ayyappa.  Some worship as "dakshinamurti" and some worship as subramanya, suryanarayana.

In the family of my guruji, this aspect is worshipped as "dakshinamurti" and as the milk gets boiled up and 
comes to the surface of the pot, the rudram is chanted.  The milk signifies the "shuddha sattva guna" and
the milk is let to overflow the pot on this day to signify shuddha sattva guna leads to jnaana with the 
grace of dakshinamurti.  

But, majority are of the opinion that "gurunatha" is "hari-hara-suta" who is ayyappa.  And this vratam is 
being performed since ages among the smartas of Krishna & Guntur district.

regs,
sriram