(No subject)

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Bhakti List,

 

Recent discussions on the group have brought out a number of issues

which plague us all in our day to day life. How do we reconcile with

the fact that we are living in an ever changing world and as a result

how do we view the principles and practices of our religion in this

context?

 

Srimans Dileepan and Sampath Rengarajan presented very eloquent

accounts about this subject. I particularly liked Sri Rengarajan's note about

how our elders, when their situation did not permit them to adhere to the

principles laid down by our Purvacharyas, waited for the opportune moment

(after retirement from service) to practice the prescribed injunctions.

Srimans Vidyasankar, I.K. Rengarajan, Vijay Srinivasan and Sudarshan

make valid points in their respective posts.

 

I have been a member on this list for almost two years and during this

period, I have gained a lot from the informative articles of Srimans Sadagopan,

Anbil Ramaswamy, Rengarajan, Dileepan, Mani, Jaganath, Sudarshan, Kalale,

Vihay Srinivasan, Tatachar and many other devout Bhagavatas. Sri Sudarshan

brilliantly mirrored my thoughts in his recent post. I thank all the devout

Bhagavatas for their time, effort, and dedication to disseminate knowledge

of our Kula Dhanam.

 

However, I have also observed a disturbing trend. Writings of several Prapannas

have been subjected to microscopic scrutiny and intense vitriolic attack,

while repeated transgressions and intemperate outbursts on the part of some

have gone on unchecked (without even a token condemnation) and worse still,

encouraged which leads me to ask the question: Does this smack of

double standards? We must bear in mind that each one makes a tremendous

sacrifice of time and energy to write about Bhagavad Vishayam. Furthermore,

we do not have ready access to Acharyas and VyakhyAnams being so far away

from India. Hence, the efforts of contributors must be respected and

appreciated. If we disagree with someone's position let us do so respectfully

and not indulge in name calling. With that, let me urge that all Bhagavatas

return invigorated and focus on the main purpose of this group, i.e.,

Bhagavad Guna Anubhavam.

 

I take a big share of the blame for the present controversy since it was

my post on Tirumazhisai Azhwar which fanned a lot of flames. With the

Azhwar's TN fast approaching (Jan 25, 1997), let us bury our differences and

spend our energies in a productive manner. To this end, I shall post two

articles from Garuda PuraNam detailing the Vaibhavam of Garuda.

 

I seek forgiveness for being candid. It is not my intention to hurt anyone.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

Muralidhar Rangaswamy