Sivaachaarya brahmins (Some questions on Saiva Siddhanta)

[Guest guest]

> A long journey - Kashmir to Tamilnadu. However it does appear

> that many people made these trips.

 

According to legend, Rajendra saw them on the shores of Ganges and

invited them to settle in TN. This is nothing new as most brahmins in

TN have at one point of time or the other migrated into the land in

similar ways - the Vadamaas (the northerners from Kashi), the

Brhacharanam - "great migration" etc.

 

> I was curious about the Sivacharya brahmins. In what way are they

> different from vedic brahmins (if they are).

 

Well "Vedic brahmins" in TN can refer to all brahmins - as all of

them claim to be so. But the smaarthaas are probably the most

faithful to the Vedas - being followers of Shankaraachaarya they

swear by the Prasthaana Traayi. The Madhvas come next - though they

too swear by the Prasthaana Traayi they do not support the karma

kaanda the way the smaarthaas do - but their numbers are not too many

in TN. The loyalty of the Sri Vaishnavas is divided between the Vedas

and the Divya Prabhandham of the Azhlvaars. Though the Sivaachaaryaas

do not deny validity to the Vedas and sometimes even learn it, their

main "scripture" is the Saiva Aagamaas - which is in Sanskrit. But I

do not know the relation between these Aagamaas and those of Kashmir

Shaivism. The Dikshidar temple priests of Chidambaram Nataraajar

temple are also Shaivites - but I'm not sure of their philosophical

affiliations (The Vedaantic/Saivite scholar Appaya Dikshidar was a

smaartha).