[Y-Indology] Sanketis

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> If you look at inscriptions, brahmanas are usually not identified

as

> advaitins or non-advaitins, at least not in the South. A brahmana

in

> the inscriptions is usually identified only wrt his gotra, pravara,

> veda, shakha etc. You could make out his sectarian affiliation

> sometimes either from some clue words in the inscription or from

his

> name etc.. Many times in Sanskrit (or Tamil) works when authors

write

> about themselves, they mention their gotra etc lineage but not

really

> if they were advaitins or not. You could always make out a

> Srivaishnava or Madhva writer from such self descriptions since

> enough clue words would be there. But it's hard to make out for a

> Smarta, his specific doctrinal or religious preferences.

 

Might be multiple reasons for this :

 

1. Vaishnava Brahmins generally make their religious alleigence

explicit - which is not usually the case with smaarthaas.

 

2. Advaita Vedaanta as per the orthodoxy is not open to everybody but

only male braahmanas and hence the philosophical alleigence is

not "on the display".

 

> Also, are there any significant differences in rituals or in rites

of

> passage for an advaitin Smarta as opposed to a non advaitin Smarta?

 

AFAIK all smaarthaas are Advaitins only by family tradition though

their personal philosophical preference may vary. The smaartha

grouping according to legend was formed by Adi Shankara himself and

all smaarthaas in TN owe alleigence to either the Kanchi Matha or the

Shringeri matha.

 

The other brahmins in TamilNadu - the Sri Vaishnavas, the Maadhvaas

and the Sivaachaaryaas - none of them identify themselves as

smaarthaa. Though the Sivaachaaryas sometimes identify themselves

as "Iyers" still they're not smaarthaa.