keeping our tradition alive

[Guest guest]

The issue started with a Bhagavatha lamenting about the current

state of affairs wherein many persons from our community find

solace in offering their worship and allegiance to 'demi-gods'

and in particular he used some very strong words about a self

styled 'Bhagavan'.The issue is very sensitive and has to be

handled with tact and respect.

 

Let us examine some of the reasons as to why so many people flock

to that institution.(Ms.Subha has already elucidated on some of

these).Some of my eminent friends like say Dr.S.S.Badrinath and

his friend,the great Nani Palkhivala (the list is endless)are

ardent devotees of this person.Badri has been there on many

occasions and had also given them valuable advice when the Sathya

Sai Institute of Superspecialities was set up at a cost of over

Rs.300 crores(appr.$66 million)where EVERYONE is treated free

regardless of caste or creed.I know of many many other eminent

personalities who are His ardent devotees and obviously something

about his organisation and its activities attract these persons

to go there, offer their respects and thereafter do something

constructive which gives them solace and satisfaction and at the

same time benefits the society immensely.

 

Regarding the Bhajans and prayers, Ms.Subha has dealt and there

is no need to repeat the same points.Suffice it to say that, with

some exceptions as always, all persons are welcome there to take

part in their prayers, offer voluntary kainkaryams in all parts

of their Shanthi Nilayam(I know of Expats. coming there with an

appointment fixed an year in advance,go there and just sweep the

prayer hall and then return without even getting an audience or a

darshan).There is a system which seems to work in a very subtle

and quite manner and one which we are unable to replicate in any

of our Asramams or Mutts.Above all the prayers and their

aftermath are conducted in a profoundly silent manner which

contrasts with the tremendous noise and pandemonium that marks

all our functions and there is very little discipline

particularly amongst the priestly class who hold these gatherings

to ransom as it were.

 

These are strictly not comparable as ours are different types of

institutions. We proceed on the fundamental thesis that an

Acharya - Sishya relationship is a personal one, we are taught in

the Kalakshepams about all that is to be learnt at the Lotus feet

of our Preceptors who are eventually responsible to show us the

path of salvation and get us there ( via the Saranagathi or Bara

- Samarpanam ).I am dealing in a most superficial manner about

these as our focus is on something else.

 

Adiyen had already issued a further posting on the same subject

wherein some vital questions were asked and Sri M.S.Hari

elucidated on the Acharya - Sishya structure.Sri Velukudi

Krishnan was kind enough to respond.But the point is not to get

into a question and answer session but to find out why the

sishyas are leaving us in such large numbers to find solace

elsewhere.If they don't go Sathya Sai, they go somewhere else.In

these columns, a Bhagavatha objected to a very simple suggestion

that we relax the Dress Code !! I am not going to suggest any

answers and the points i am making in these columns are something

i have advocated for a long long time in our own Asramam and i am

famous or notorius (as the case maybe)for speaking out my mind!

 

I offer these points for careful consideration by the Bhagavathas:

 

i)the practice of Sri Ramanuja Darsana has become very very

complicated, costly and confined to the privileged few,

 

ii)the world has changed more in the past 10 years than it has in

the previous 100 years and people want fast solutions for

eveything,

 

iii)in an environment where there is constant pressure on every

aspect of a person's existence,people expect solace and

fulfilment of the soul which they think they get in these

institutions and not in ours,

 

iv)the daily rituals are seen as very very elaborate and complex,

they are unable to have an access on a one to one basis to seek

any answers to the doubts that they have as these Acharyas are

always busy with their duties,

 

v)only via some Upanyasams and Kalkshepams are they able to get

some insight into the deeper meaning into all these but mostly

they are unable to understand these,

 

vi)thus the Guru - Sishya exchange is getting narrower and

limited,

 

vii)the case of the overseas Bhagavathas is even more difficult

as very very limited numbers ( out of many thousands of

ourpeople) actually visit these Asramams or Mutts that too out of

parental compulsion!

 

viii)there is this nagging feeling, though wholly incorrect, that

our activities are being focussed on the privileged sections and

the hoi polloi are there just to add numbers.

 

It is possible to highlight many more issues here but we have to

realise that for every Mani Varadarajan or Shyamsundar

Sreenivasan or M.S.Hari in our fold there are hundreds of equally

talented, brilliant and committed youngsters going elsewhere.The

question is whether we are ready to come together and form a

common platform to motivate and to organise a movement back to

the basics and this is a very very difficult issue.

 

I will leave you with these thoughts for now and we have to go

into these in great detail.I will come back again with some more

thoughts later on.

 

Regards.

 

RR.

 

 

 

 

mani wrote:

 

 

Dear Sriman Rajagopal,

 

You had written:

 

I would not like to condemn these persons with the adjectives

used by our brother but would like all of you to indulge in

serious introspection here and examine what should be and can

be done to arrest this 'sishyas" drain' which if left unchecked

will deplete our ranks more and more in the years to come.As my

revered friend Sri S.V.S.Raghavan says very often, this should

be our top priority and we should all get together and assess

in the manner in which we run our Asramams and Mutts if we have

to hold our people in line and not lose them to the above said

Samaj, otherwise SriVaishnavism as a heritage is itself in

danger.

 

I have more to say in this matter if Mani will let me do so in

these columns.

 

I invite you to write more about this as this is a very important

topic. Please do lead a discussion on this subject.

 

dAsan

Mani

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhakthas,

 

This is in response to Sriman. RR's posting on the above subject.

While it would not be my purpose to engage in a point war reply, I thought

of presenting a totally different perspective to the issue on hand.

 

When we look at other religions/other hindu religious options, it has been

my observation that these systems have been closely identified with certain

value systems. For instance when we talk of Christianity -a lay person

probably identifies it instantly with LOVE TO ALL. Similarly when we talk of

Islam or Sikhism, these have probably been identified with EQUALITY &

SACRIFICE. Budhism and Jainism have been closely identified with AHIMSA. The

Satya Sai movement is identified with Equality of all religions and also

service to humanity. I am not trying to say that these are not there in our

darshanam. But from a common man's point of view the identification of

religions is probably on the lines mentioned above. This essentially leaves

only the committed few in our fold. While the fact that Srivaishnavism

transcends the varna fold,has an extremely humanistic approach, and could

offer total solutions to a jiva's spiritual needs, could be our USP, these

points are probably unknown to the man in the street.

 

There is also the other face to the whole issue. If any one had listened to

Bro. Paul Dinakaran's speeches at the public fora, one is indeed amazed at

the way the mass get instantly influenced and also identify themselves with

what he says. Even in the Satya Sai and the Bangaru Adigal's fold the

following is increasing with every day because of the so called secular

approach, as also the tangible and material benefits accruing to the

followers (if not for all atleast for some of them).

With this background in mind, we must try and see what is that we are

offering to existing and potential srivaishnavas.Are we too individualistic

vis a vis others, who are adopting a community based approach.The fact that

we tend to be ritualistic may be partially correct.It is high time we

thought of ways and means of attracting the best of the youth. This would

essentially involve our taking a more active participation in people's day

today life (particularly the youth).It must be remembered that Bhagawan

Ramanuja out his immense compassion for the suffering jiva's took the bold

step of bringing innumerable people into the darshanam's fold.May be we have

to plead to Yatiraja "Innum oru Nootrandu Irum".

Adiyen

 

K.Lakshminarayan

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[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

 

Most of the pseudo faiths/religions and their self-styled leaders advocate

and preach what the people want to hear. Not necessarily the facts and real

truths. And that is precisely why they command such a mass appeal and end up

being so popular - like some matinee idol or politician. Our Acharyas do not

and will not do this. They are not for the 'numbers game'. And we all know

Sri Vaishnavam was not built around forced proselytization, overt or covert.

 

Debating and objectively assessing our great tradition's philosophic

fundamentals, reach and other finer aspects are definitely a must for

preserving and practicing Sri Vaishnavam for many more ages. However, we

must NOT frequently resort to *compare and contrast* approach - Sri

Vaishnavam vis-a-vis every other faith - except to drive home a point or

while clarifying a philosophical difference.

 

On the other hand, we should focus on protecting, preserving and enriching

our temples, scriptures and culture. We ought to co-operatively work toward

creating more awareness within and outside our communities, facilitate

centers for learning, unconditionally help the weaker sections of the

society and carry on our tradition in the true spirit of love, bhakti, and

respect as has been practiced always.

 

I am reminded of Swamy Desikan's most beautiful and impeccable verses here.

 

tvayi pravruttE mama kim prayAcai:|

tvayappravruttE mama kim prayAcai | (Sri ashtabhujAshtakam)

 

And re-iterated again so eloquently,

 

tvayi rakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih:|

tvayi carakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih:|

 

(Sri kAmAsikAshtakam)

Thanks,

Sriram

[Guest guest]

srimate ramnujaya namaha

 

 

dear bhagawats,

 

adiyen has a few ideas regarding guru-shishya relation.

 

1. one concern that is expressed is that the guru-shishya relation is getting

narrower and shishya are not able to get their doubts clarified by our gurus

and so they are going to other places.

 

Good points are raised by RR and Very appropriate answers are given to this

point by venkatesh. Adiyen agrees that our acharyas have some prescribed

dueties to be followed as a guru. It is not that they are busy and so they

cannot give their time to clarify our doubts. We should think from shishya's

point of view. adeyan feels that the responsibility more lies on the shishya

to clarify his doubt. If it is not possible to go the place where guru stays,

he can always write in letter and get the answers. This is a very practical

situation/limitation on shishya's part. (For detailed explanation ine has to

directly interact). One more thing is when somebody can go to other guru's why

not to ours'. For this proper understanding of the Sampradayam is needed. So,

adiyen feels that we should make sure that we all have the addresses of our

guru's with us, so that we can write to them. I am sure many firends of our

list have the address and some may not be having (me included). So adiyen

requests the members to post the addresses in the list (with websites if

possible) so that if anybody wants to write to guru's they can.

 

2. Coming to attracting talents people to our fold for the cause taken up by

Sri Ramanuja what do we have in store?

 

For this let us first mentally prepare ourself , by saying that yes we are

ready for this challenge. Then lets us proceed furthur...

 

Adiyen feels there are many more idea's in stores(in our minds), just one

here....

 

 

 

Another idea is that we should form a group and conduct some quizes kind of

things in schools. For the prize winners we will give some books related to

our sampradayam as presentations (we can also give for others but something

less). This way awarness will increase gradually and it is upto

srimanNarayana's will and wish to drive some people into our group.

 

Adiyen strongly geels that perumal's and our acarya's blessing are with is in

all aspects. Adiyen has somemore ideas to comeout with in next mail.

 

Srikrishnarpanamastu

 

Adiyen

Gopi

 

 

 

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