Dec 31, 2004: Interview with Velukkudi Swami in the HINDU http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/12/31/stories/2004123100301400.htm

[Guest guest]

sri:

Dec 31, 2004: Interview with Velukkudi Swami in the HINDU

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/12/31/stories/2004123100301400.htm

Dedicated to the cause of sanatana

dharma

``The youth have to return to their rich spiritual past to

tackle the evils of modern life,"

says Velukkudi Krishnan to PREMA NANDAKUMAR in this interview.

 

AMONG THE traditional exponents of Sri Vaishnavism in post-independent

India,

Velukkudi Varadachariar held a very high position. He belonged to that

generation which

simplified scholarly diction to help the common man understand the tenets

of Sri Vaishnavism

well and also enjoy the subtle nuances in the hymns of the Azhwars, the

sublime thoughts

in the Ramayana and the glorious Sanskrit poesy of the Acharya parampara.

It was with great

shock that we heard of the sudden withdrawal of Sri Varadachariar from

the earth-scene in

1991. However, comfort streamed into our hearts with the emergence of his

son,

Velukkudi Krishnan, as a brilliant orator. An added joy is that Sri

Krishnan can deliver

his lectures fluently in English as well. Today Sri Krishnan has a global

audience listening

to him with rapt attention. What is more heartening is that the younger

generation flocks to

his lectures in large numbers. The future of Sri Vaishnavism (and thereby

the future of

Sanatana Dharma itself) is definitely safe in his hands.

Listening to Sri Velukkudi Krishnan is an experience in itself. He never

raises his voice but

there is such crystal clarity in his speech and pronunciation that

everyone remains focussed

on the lecture. His attention to detail and impeccable time-sense see to

it that there are no

shuffling of feet or whispered syllables from the listeners. Whether he

is sitting in front of

an audience or walking around in a temple while delivering his Tiruppavai

lectures for

television channels, he gets the total attention of his listener. Widely

travelled and carrying

his mind-boggling scholarship lightly, Sri Krishnan is delivering this

year's Tiruppavai lectures

at Srirangam in the mornings and lectures on Sri Ranga Mahatmyam in the

evenings.

It was an experience to watch him remain completely focussed on his

mission for the spread of

Sanatana Dharma among the youth generation when he kindly answered some

questions on

his ministry for Sri Vaishnavism, taking time off from his busy schedule.

You were pursuing a career as a Chartered and Cost Accountant. What

made you

give up that lucrative area for the uncertain career of a religious

speaker which

must involve a good deal of travel?

Well, I guess it was destined to happen. I had no idea of giving up my

chosen profession

where I was doing very well. But the sudden passing away of my father was

totally

unexpected. He had been giving Tiruppavai lectures in December and the

end came

suddenly. Mrs. YGP then persuaded me to give a few lectures. At first I

was unsure

of myself, but then it was as if I was following my father's wishes. Not

that it was easy at

first to give up the job. But my father had always said that he was

giving me ``an English education"

so that there would be a wider scope to spread Vaishnavism, and that I

would be able

``to connect" with the younger generation, in case I did follow his

career.

I must also confess that I have still links with my profession to help me

run the household,

so that I can use these lectures as a service-oriented activity.

Listening to you, one never knows from where the next quotation is

going to

come: it could be the Vedas, Ramayana, the Divya Prabhandham, the

Manipravala commentaries, the stotras of Acharyas. Was it all learnt from

your father or did you undergo any special training?

Of course, my father has been my only teacher of traditional

Srivaishnavite texts.

I started learning from him when I was hardly six years old and this

continued till

his passing. But he also placed me in the Sanskrit College to learn

Nyaya, Mimamsa

and the like. As I was pursuing regular, secular education elsewhere,

this was rather

informal, but there were renowned scholars led by Sri Sivarama Dikshitar

and the

learning benefited me no end. One needs this strong base to be a

successful expounder of the Vaishnava granthas.

How do you gauge the mood of your audience? Do you change your style

of delivery according to them?

Certainly. A good speaker has to be a good observer of his audience

and one

can get a fairly accurate idea of the audience in the first 15 minutes.

In fact, the

audience component differs from place to place. Sometimes it is strictly

traditional,

sometimes it expects a contemporaneous thrust, and quite often the

younger

audience, once it gets involved, is vibrantly alive.

I have to shape the level of philosophy, the type of quotes and the style

of delivery

to suit the audience, without ever giving up my individuality and style.

This takes

some time, but is not difficult. Thus, you will find me quoting a-plenty

from Tamil

classics like "Tirukkural" and "Silappadhikaram" in

my television appearances.

Again, if the audience is already attuned to my presentation, I draw them

further in

the adventure of bhagavad-anubhava. For instance, if I have been giving

Tiruppavai

discourses for seven years running in a Sabha, I have to see that it is

not repetitive.

The audience has heard me before, and so they are prepared if I draw them

to

subtler nuances in the text. In effect, it is a never-ceasing adventure.

Of course, speeches abroad are tailored in a different way. A minimum of

half an

hour has to be set apart for interaction, and you would be surprised and

happy to

know how intelligent, anxious and erudite some of the questioners are.

The younger

generation, especially, is quite vocal in these sessions. The Karma

theory is a favourite

with them. The elders seem to take it for granted that there is no

relation to what we do

on earth and the fruits we receive here, for they have total faith in

surrender and think the

Lord's will prevails. The youth, however, wants to know the why and

wherefore of the

results of actions, and why it should be so.

Ah yes, your foreign audience. Speaking in Tamil, it becomes a natural

movement to and from the Sanskrit language. But conveying Indian

philosophy

and mysticism in English could be daunting. How do you go about gathering

the

required religious diction?

Honestly speaking, I have a problem. In the beginning it was quite

daunting, and I am by

nature averse to reading out a prepared speech. Dictionaries are a help

but this is

very limited as one deals with Sanskrit words that have subtle

variations. Take for

instance the word `surrender' for `saranagati.' How are we to distinguish

between

Bharata's `paratantrya' and Lakshmana's `seshathva', the two types of

`surrender'?

Usually I give the Sanskrit word and then explain it by giving examples.

Are you interested in gradually integrating choice English quotes in

your

discourses? For instance, the Metaphysical poets (Donne, Traherne) and

the Romantics (Wordsworth) would chime in well when explaining the

lovely Nature poetry which is part of the hymns of the Azhwars.

Certainly. It is one of those dreams, and I do keep reading and

memorising whenever

I find the time, for this does help in relating to the youth, which has

distanced itself from Sanskrit and the regional language.

Already, it is heartening that the youth generation looks up to you

with

great hopes. You have been trying to assure young people that

spirituality and materialism can be balanced in one's personal life.

Could you kindly explain this concept?

Why, are the two really irreconcilable? We have to tell the youth that an

integral

view alone can assure them of a great future. Material success is not

helping them,

as I look on aghast at the increase in tension and frustration among the

youth. On and

on and up and up. But where to? They have to return to their rich

spiritual past to

overcome these evils of modern life. At the same time, the times of

self-abnegation

and remaining rooted in one's past are gone. The younger generation has

to make

provisions for a comfortable life and this is possible only with secular

education.

I keep telling them that they should cultivate both; and it is not all

that difficult either.

My friends in the United States speak glowingly of how they listen to

your

tele-lectures. Obviously you are able to build a wonderful rapport with

unseen audiences. But this lack of a live audience whom you can see

must be a disadvantage. So how do you manage to succeed?

It is obviously not fair to subjects like the Ramayana, the Puranas

and the hymns

of the Azhwars if one does not plunge into the waves of experience.

Anubhava is

very important. The speaker has to experience the emotions and convey

them to

the audience and the audience in turn inspires the speaker to revel

in the emotion

generated by the text. This is not possible when one has to stare at a

splendidly

null, icily cold recording instrument. I have managed to overcome this

problem

by inviting a select audience when recording for tele-lectures. It has

been better since

I have gone abroad and met the audiences in various places in the States.

Now I have a good feel of their reception and know that a different type

of examples is needed to keep their attention. It has become much easier

now, like using similes such as the stock market and world situation to

get my points across.

We have been hearing so much of your attempts to renovate existing

temples known as Divya Desas. How many temples have you managed to cover

in this manner?

A couple of decades ago, a Mangalasasana Divyadesa Samrakshana Trust was

formed by Sri Krishnapremi, Mrs. Y. G. Parthasarathy and my father. After

my father, I have been a member of the Trust. Now the Trust is supporting

52 temples by paying salaries for priests and helping with repairs. The

Trust also celebrates Vaikunta Ekadesi in these temples so that devotees

are being drawn in greater number to worship in these places.

You have also built a new temple in Kerala. Why?

Of the 12 Azhwars, eleven have been consecrated in temples in the

places where they were born. But not Kulasekhara Azhwar till now. It all

began when a devotee asked me where Thiruvanjikkalam was in Kerala and I

did not know! That set me thinking and a couple of friends helped me

locate it. There was indeed a small temple to Mukunda and they said it

was built by one Kulasekhara. Luckily I came in touch with a scholar, the

elderly Sri Induchoodan who has published a book on the kshetra. From him

I learnt that there were six Kulaleskharas in that dynasty and the first

was the Azhwar, the second was the Saiva Nayanar. It was interesting to

learn that the third Kulasekhara was a Muslim and he built the first

mosque in Kerala. The book has recorded in detail Kulasekhara's

connection with Srirangam and the legend of Cherakulavalli Nachiyar.

We approached the Cochin Dewaswom Board, which kindly allotted a piece of

land in Tiruvanjikkalam, and now our Nammazhwar Foundation has built a

nice temple. There were initially some problems but local enthusiasm has

been overwhelming and the temple was consecrated on November 22, on

Kaisika Guruvayoor Ekadesi in the presence of 5,000 devotees. The temple

follows the Pancharatra Agama and has a Srivaishnava priest. We have used

the Thanjavur style of architecture for the temple.

Is temple worship a must for Sri Vaishnavism? Have you tried to work

in any other line that concerns it?

Temple worship is an integral part of Sri Vaishnavism. Going to temple

and praying there is itself an important discipline for our day-to-day

life. However, when one goes to a temple, one must remember that he is

treading consecrated ground and must not indulge in unnecessary talk. A

prayerful mood in a temple can do wonders for the psyche, for temples

have a special ambience that one cannot have in houses or meeting halls.

As for my work in other fields, I strongly feel that it is to be one of

advice. However, one of my dreams is to start a school that would

integrate traditional lore with secular studies.

Aren't you already helping patasalas that teach the Vedas and the

hymns of the Azhwars? Could you give me an idea of what exactly you are

doing in this context?

So far my Nammazhwar Foundation has only been trying to spread this idea

of an integrated approach to studies. The Foundation is already

supporting 26 children in Azhwar Tirunagari. We pay their fees and give

them a stipend towards other expenses and they study in the local school.

But they come to the Patasala in the evenings and learn the Vedas and

Prabandhams for a couple of hours. Indeed, there is no choice for the

younger generation if it wants to avoid mental turmoil. The youngsters

must learn the received tradition of our ancient seers and at the same

time get a modern education that would help them gain a proper living.

You place so much faith in the Vedas and the hymns of the Azhwars and

even support patasalas for teaching them. Do you feel this ancient body

of hymns is relevant for our times?

Absolutely. I feel sad that our younger generation that is doing very

well in studies is sadly neglecting the Tamil language. They must know

Tamil to imbibe the best in our culture as reflected in Tamil literature

and of course, the "Nalayira Divya Prabandham." Remember, the

hymns of the Azhwars are not mere prayers. They are also perfect guides

for leading an upright life. If one learns them with good understanding,

he will be definitely safe from committing any moral turpitude.

Such faith in the value of traditional lore is inspiring. But you must

also remember that we are living at a time when terrorism is stalking the

globe. What role has then the satvik Sri Vaishnavism in this world, with

its constant emphasis on Surrender?

Terrorism is not the sole reality about this world. There are also

wonderful pastures that call for great efforts to gain greater

realisations. As Tondaradippodi Azhwar advised, if you come across evil

and cannot overcome it, just keep away from it and pursue your goal. Like

making a strategic withdrawal. Why go in for head-on collisions?

Thank you very much. One last query (you could say, curiosity). Are

you training any disciples to bring this sterling zeal for the spread of

Sri Vaishnavism? I mean, to speak of a Velukkudi Parampara?

I have four or five very promising disciples who are getting trained by

me. Of course, I am delighted that my own sons have shown much promise.

So I am sure what you call the Velukkudi Parampara will continue to serve

the cause of Sri Vaishnavism in the future as well.

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