Muslim invasions and other mysteries

[Guest guest]

G. Vijay asks:

> Dear Vaishnavas,

> I've the following question which I had in my mind for a long

> time:

> From 1100 C.E onwards many Vaishnava temples including

> divyadeshams like Srirangam were overran by Muslim invaders

> and many of them were destroyed. Why did our Lord Narayana allow

> this to happen eventhough it caused so much distress to his

> dear bhakthas [like Sri Vedanta desikar] ?

 

This question is simply yet another form of ``Why do

bad things happen to good people?'' I am certain that

the answer Sri Ramanuja and other acharyas would give

is a simple one -- these events are due to the previous

karma of the people involved, peppered in part by the

will of God.

 

At the risk of sounding too much like an Advaitin,

I should point out that even in Visishtadvaita such

events can be considered ``distress'' only from a

particular perspective. Nothing is inherently good

or evil, so it is only due to our ajnaana (karma)

that we perceive invasions, etc., as being particularly

evil. In reality, they are no such thing, and the

enlightened soul will just perceive it as such. Such

a philosophy is propounded by Ramanuja himself in the

Sribhashya.

 

To some, this may appear inscrutable and fatalistic,

but it is not really so. The fact that invasions are not

inherently good or evil does not mean that we should

not take steps to prevent them. [This fact is stated

in different words in the Gita.] After all, as

members of this world, we have an obligation to help

those others who are affected by things going on within

it. I believe this is the primary reason Sri Desikar

composed the AbhIti Stavam -- to calm his mind as

well as those around him.

 

The person of wisdom, however, is aware of the

true nature of these actions and objects and does not

get personally affected by them.

 

Mani

 

P.S. In spite of karma or lila, the ``eedu''

commentary on Nammaazhvaar's thiruvaaymozhi

explicitly denounces those who say, ``He deserves

that and much more! After all, it's his karma at

work'' to those undergoing any kind of suffering.

The karma theory is only a means to explain suffering,

not a means to cast judgments upon others. Compassion

and sympathy, according to the eedu are the primary

characteristics of a Vaishnava.

[Guest guest]

> I believe this is the primary reason Sri Desikar

> composed the AbhIti Stavam -- to calm his mind as

> well as those around him.

>

 

I disagree with the note that Swami Desikar wanted to calm his mind. He was

awarded

"sarva thanthra swathanthrar" by periya piraati and there were so many

citations to prove

that Swmai Desikan was not affected by any of these events. When some one

donated a

gold coin in his daily bikshai, he moved them away to garbage using a tool (as

he would

never even touch them) , charecterising them as "worms". He delivered (not

composed)

this and other slokam for the benefit of us and that was his mission as he

might have

foreseen.

> The person of wisdom, however, is aware of the

> true nature of these actions and objects and does not

> get personally affected by them.

 

 

I am sure many will agree that Vedantha dEsikar as a person of wisdom keeping

in view that

he is in the lineage of our poorvaacharyaas and all his contributions. This

being the case

may I re-write your above sentence as follows ?

 

Swami Vedaantha dEsikar being a person of wisdom, and as one who is aware of

the

true nature of these actions and objects AND THE ROLE OF HIS MISSION AS WELL,

did not get personally affected by them.

 

Swami dEsikan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

Sampath Rengi