Re. Recent Discussions

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhaghavata UttamAs:

 

The recent debate on Kalais and Sri Vaishnava’s authentic practices is very

dear to my heart. My personal opinion with the concept of anya devata

worship or friendship with anya devata worshippers seems to be a point of

minor importance in the overall scheme of spiritual development.

Willingness to serve, developing atma gunam along the lines of (Ahimsa

pratamam pushpam….) have a much higher priority for a Sri Vaishnava if he

has to earn Emperuman’s divya kataksham. We seem to waste too much energy

emphasizing this point again and again. For many, it is a matter of

personal choice that we must respect in others. Some external behavior may

not represent what is truly in one’s heart. Eventually, EmperumAn will lead

us to understand the spirit behind what our great achAryAs had to say on

this matter. The general trend among Sri VaishnavAs has gone so much

wayward on this point that even prominent Sri VaishnavAs in India seem to

de-emphasize this point.

 

Coming to kalai differences, I agree with Mani as well as Shri Sadagopan

that we must strive for unity. Dileepan’s note also speaks of unity.

Personally, I do not mind wearing the tenkalai nAmam (once in a while)

eventhough I am a vadakalai. For me the contributions of Manavala Mamunigal

are as valuable as that of Swami Vedanta Desika. From whatever little I

gather Mamunigal had a great respect for Vedanta Desika and equally Vedanta

Desika would have loved to have a sishya like Manavala Mamunigal (who

constantly did saranagati or bharanyasam through continuous dvaya mantra

japam).

 

Even from a practical standpoint unity among kalais is very important. Like

Rajaji once implied, we will only benefit smArtAs if we fight among each

other. This point may not be relevant in the USA but still may be true in

India.

 

I find this somewhat paradoxical that - sometimes the call for unity does

bring out the differences into much more focus. Suddenly, one’s attention is

drawn into things that one would not care to focus. Till now whenever I

visited a temple I never cared to know whether it was a vadakalai or

tenkalai temple. Like me, most of us just went to have a darshan of the

Lord. If somebody asked me a contribution at the Srirangam temple in India

the thought didn’t even pass my mind that tenkalai sampradayam is followed

in the temple or tenkalai sattrumurai is recited. But now my perspective

has changed. These divyadesams in India has come to only perpetuate the

kalai differences. Blaring display of Namams, adherence to sattrumurai etc.

as a means to attest one’s control over the temple etc., seem to be the

dominant factor in the religious administration of the temple. I was also

somewhat appalled to see that none of Swami Desika’s work (like Daya

Satakam) is recited in the Tirupati (neutral) temple or Desikan Sattrumurai.

It somewhat pained me. These aspects caught me only recently though.

Therefore, this is what I want to ask those who live in India and quote

Melkote temple as a model for US temples. Well why can’t they advocate the

Melkote model to all the divya desams in India first. And this is the

challenge I pose to them as well as to us.

 

If you are sincere to eliminate the Kalai differences in the temples, are

you willing to match your words with action by adopting the following

resolution:

 

(1) We will not visit those Divya Desams (all 106 of them included) and

monetarily support them, if they don’t adopt both kalais, including the

nAmam and Sattrumurai.

 

I think anything less is a mere word and we are only trying to approximate

the reality to find hotchpotch solutions.

 

 

Vijayaraghava Dasan

Buffalo, NY

 

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[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

 

While I appreciate Sri.Vijayaragavan's concern for amiability between

Both kalais of our sampradayam,

I wish to point out some of his observations, which seems to me to be

very wild and would result in

Affecting our very sampradayam.

 

I am a Tenkali Srivaishnava by practice and as per my Acharya lineage, I

have great reverence for Vadakalai sampradayam not just because part of

my family members are followers of Vadakalai but also due to the fact

that I learned some Swami Vedanthacharys?s Works and always pray him

while thinking of my Acharya paramparai as one of my the acharyas.

 

(this is the true position of most of the tenkalais who respect Swami

Desikan as an Acharya who saved our samopradayam in crucial time from

Advaitis and other people. (Remember Satadhusini episode, srirangam koil

episode etc..) in many of our Tenkali temples Sri Desikan sanndathi is

existing Swami adoring Tenkali thirunamam. We should attempt to know

the history of the events before passing any judgements.

 

 

Sri.Vijaya Ragavan was advocating that we should start practicing

sathumarai of both kalais in every temple and only such temples deserve

any donation.

 

This is a very serious issue and any judgements on above lines are

highly debatable.

May be we are passing judgements because we are materially comfortable

and Ernest and Old people come to us for donations for any kaimkaryams

back at home.

 

At first let me say that we are not any great people to make any

amendments in the Nitya kramam of any temple. It is better to leave the

Nitya kamams as it is and focus on building personal relationships among

Srivaishnavas irresectivce of kalai differences and teach our children

to respect all Sri vaishnava Elders.

 

We should remember that Sri Emberumarar had more than 60 important

acharyas and as the sampradaym had toflourish only thorough the Acharya

lineage, there bound to be differences in the Nitya krama practices from

one lineage to other. How many are we going to change?

 

As a person who had dwelled in divyadesams many years, sometimes I

feel that it is better for one to feel about their own sampradayams . at

least it makes them to come forward and do kaimkaryams . In their later

part of their life such young ones will get maturity and understand the

real perspective of Kimkaryam.

 

Donating only to those temples where dual sathumarai is followed is not

tenable. The tamil word (ISAI) means that there is some level of

congruence in recital. (isainthu)

 

I suggest some one to listen to those temples where both sathumrai is

recited. I am sure that it would not be a good recital. I have witnessed

it in places like Melkote , Bangalore etc..

 

One would immediately decide that either one should be practiced so that

it could be a good recital. If such is the feeling of our mundane ear,

think of Emperuman who is witnessing all this daily. How badly He would

feel.

 

There are really many Srivaishnava temples which needs not just money

and also physical work, time etc, people like us should not see which

sampradayam is followed and who is raising funds and insist them to

change their methodology of worship for donation.

 

In the light of our Emberumanar, we should protect those temples only on

the lines of sastras and sampradaysms which are followed since ages.

 

 

Dasan

 

K.M.Narayanan

 

 

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