Keeping the Tradition alive !!

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavathas,

In continuation may i offer some more points and also elaborate on the earlier

ones ?

 

I)Institutions to relax certain Traditions and Devotees to respond:

 

i)Dress code --- this is a very controversial issue but one which has to be

faced head on.Excepting the inner circle of Vaideegas, Bhattars, Kainkaryaparas

etc., it is advisable to relax this and let the sishyas and admirers assemble at

these institutions in a manner in which they will do so in temples and leave it

to their conscience to adopt a suitable and dignified dress code.Adiyen can

imagine the howl of protests here but in my considered opinion this is one of

the most important reasons why an overwhelming number is moving away.Let us not

impose and let them do it voluntarily and let us not claim that the Sannithyam

of our Mutts and Asramams is lost if we relax the Dress code.This is absolutely

hypocritcal.Let us NOT forget that our community as a whole has lost much of its

Sannithyam when we moved away from our chosen tasks and are conducting the

functions of all other Dharmas.If any Bhagavatha wants i am prepared to engage

in a separate dialogue and not clutter up the !

Bhakti-list.

 

ii)On the other hand the sishyas and other admirers who throng these Asramams

and Mutts must know that they are expected to conduct themselves with Dignity

and Decorum like for example the manner in which they will do so even when they

attend the Sree Sathyasai or other gatherings.The same groups conduct themselves

with diligence there but create all commotion and controversy here and that has

to stop.

 

iii)e.g.,on Thirunakshatram and other important days there are such huge crowds

thronging the place without any discipline and utter pandemonium prevails,

adiyen knows having tried( and trying ) to regulate these rather unsuccessfully

over the past 25 years and more.

These are highly enlightened people who come in last and want Theertham and

other Prasadamas first, this is repeated ad nauseum year after year in contrast

to the total discipline and silence prevailing in these other Institutions ( by

more or less the same community persons ).How will any youngster have any

respect for an Institution which tolerates or suffers such a conduct from their

sishyas or admirers?

 

iv)Let us resolve that we educate everyone of our family members to follow a

strict code of conduct and maintain dignity and decorum when we are inside these

premises as many our youngsters ( trained as they are to respect authority ,

systems , discipline etc., in their daily lives ) are totally alienated and

(either) stop coming OR ( more likely ) move to these Sri SathyaSai type

Asramams.Adiyen has become notorius amongst the Sri Vaishnavaite Asramams

precisely because his rather unsuccessful efforts to regulate the gatherings

have alienated many of these persons who want special entry and special

treatment !!

 

II)Sampradaya Pravachanams:

 

i) This is the most critical aspect and needs extraordinary planning and

care.Granted that the bond between the Acharya is an emotional and personal one,

we still have to find a way in which such Upanyasams are conducted in a simple

and concise manner.Without meaning any disrespect to anyone, let me submit that

my Acharyan has tried to do this and has done so over the past 12 years, keeping

it simple (KIS), gauge the level of the audience and deliver an Anugraha

Bashanam never lasting more than 5 or 6 minutes and yet conveying the Essence to

the sishyas and admirers.I still remember a scintillating but six minute

Bashanam,delivered in the year 1995, on Bhagwan Sri Ramanuja in the house of a

sishya (who invited our H.H. to perform Dolotsavam ) wherein a huge wall to

ceiling portrait of Sri Sathya Sai adorned the pooja room towering over even the

Salagramams.

 

ii)His long duration Upanyasams are reserved for Special occasions like the

Margazhi ( & the U.S telecasts) on Thiruppavai, Kalakshepams on Sri Bashyam

/Srimad Bhagavath Vishayam / Geetha Bashyam / Srimad Rahasya TreyaSaram , a

gathering of Great Scholars etc.,We have seen many thousands of these persons

being utterly captivated by these but the saddest part of this ( not that H.H.

cares about it )is that some Senior Vidwans( ? )and their cheerleaders criticise

such short Anugraha Bashanams and give dark hints about the level of H.H.'s

vidwath !! For them the longer the Upanyasam ( no matter how boring or

irrelevant or how many persons are disillusioned )the better and this is the

true state of affairs.( Sri MGV to note please ! )

 

iii)Preferably there should be total coordination between the various Mutts and

Asramams and the Vidwans so that a comprehensive program can be drawn up and all

geographical areas can be covered and simple Upanyasams can be delivered to

reach all sishyas of both lineages and this effort should be Blessed by the

Acharyas as a common effort because content is most important - you may attract

the gathering of the young and old to assemble but to hold them and to retain

them in our fold permanently something more subtantive is required and that is a

continuing and everlasting program of Sampradaya Pravachanam and nothing short

of it.The core corpus of the Asramams and Mutts must be utilised to support this

project which requires the most complete and unwavering attention of all

concerned. Fortunately this seems to be the season when hundreds of thousands of

youngsters, disturbed by their material success, are turning inwards to seek the

answers to some basic questions (OUTLOOK wee!

kly ran a 12 page article recently on this phenomenon ! ) and we have not yet

totally missed the bus!

 

More on some essential tasks related to the protection of many debilated Divya

Desams and the Bhattacharyas thereof !

 

SRIRANGAM SRIMAD ANDAVAN THIRUVADI

 

RR.