Jump to content
IndiaDivine.org

Difference between Thenkalai and Vadakalai

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Guest guest

Srimate Ramanujaya Namaha:

Azwar Thiruvadigale Sharanam

 

Dear Sir,

 

Would it be possible for you to tell me the time by which the two

Kalais had become distinct. Were they already distinct by the time of

the last Acharyas of the two Acharya paramparaigal (Swami Vedanta

Desikar and Manavala Mamunigal) ? Around what time did the two kalais

adopt the different namams?

Please forgive any mistake which I may I have commited in the above

questions.

 

Thanks,

Kannan

 

 

ramanuja, Madhuri and Mohan <mmsagar@e...>

wrote:

> honganour krishna wrote:

>

> > DEAR SADAGOPAN MAMA,

> >

> > AS IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GETHOLD OF THE BOOK YOU HAVE REFERRED;

MYSELF

> > AND OTHERS WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO KNOW THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

THE

> > TWO SAMPRADAYAMAMS.

> >

> > ADYEN PILLAI LOKACHARIAR DASAN,

> > KRISHNA

> >

> > *//*

>

> Dear Sri Krishna,

>

> It is a unique foible of Indian society to focus so much on

differences

> that we forget what makes us all similar. For after all, are we not

all

> just human beings?

>

> Be that as it may, I will try to summarize in a nutshell what makes

the

> two kalais unique, although it has been the topic of discussion and

> debate ad-infinitum in this and other lists.

>

> While we officially recognize 18 fundamental differences between the

two

> kalais, the issue really boils down to the idea of prapatti, for it

> would appear that Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja and his forebearers had

left

> some room for interepretation in regard. Both the kalais agree that

the

> soul's protection and redemption rest on the Grace of the Supreme

Being,

> but the Vadakalai school, having recognized the idea that some

might

> interpret this to mean some partiality on the Lord's part on whom

He

> saves and whom he doesn't, suggested the idea of a vya:jam - a

pretext,

> if you will - that the Lord uses to recognize that the soul is ready

and

> willing to be saved. This sacrament, called bha:ranya:sam, is the

> holiest of rituals in the Vadakalai branch, and little is known

about

> the ritual except by those who actually experience this most sacred

> moment in their spiritual progress.

>

> The Thenkalais, on the other hand, place almost a literal meaning

on

> prapatti, seeing it more as a psychological/spiritual awareness

such

> that the soul realizes that everything lies in God's Merciful Hands,

and

> leaves it at that. Therefore, there is no formal ritual or

sacrament

> involved.

>

> The role of Sri:, the Divine Mother, Who is the Embodiment of His

Grace,

> emerges naturally from this difference. Since it is She to Whom we

turn

> in reality in our experience of surrender, Her distance or nearness

to

> us depends on how prapatti is viewed. From the Vadakalai

standpoint,

> She too is part of the Supreme Reality, consequently She requires

the

> same vya:jam upon which to directly offer Her Grace. Please note

that

> this is not to suggest that Her Grace is not there otherwise, our

act of

> surrender merely acts to serve as a "green signal" to Her providing

it

> to us fully.

>

> With regards to the Thenkalai position, there is no doubt that She

is

> part of the Supreme, but She takes on a human role such that She

can

> relate to Her children, Sharing with them in all the joys and

sorrows of

> life, so that can put their full faith in Her and Her Eternal

Consort.

>

> As Sri Sadagopan has indicated, it takes many, many years of study

and

> experience to fully understand these two philosophies and how they

> effect the culture, lifestyle, and attitudes of the people who

align

> themselves with one or the other school of thought. So, it is

vital

> that one learns properly from a teacher and begins to practice the

faith.

>

> But, I hope this helps as a start.

>

> Mohan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest guest

n_kannan3 wrote:

 

> Srimate Ramanujaya Namaha:

> Azwar Thiruvadigale Sharanam

>

> Dear Sir,

>

> Would it be possible for you to tell me the time by which the two

> Kalais had become distinct. Were they already distinct by the time of

> the last Acharyas of the two Acharya paramparaigal (Swami Vedanta

> Desikar and Manavala Mamunigal) ? Around what time did the two kalais

> adopt the different namams?

> Please forgive any mistake which I may I have commited in the above

> questions.

>

> Thanks,

> Kannan

>

>

 

Dear Mr. Kannan,

 

Neither Swamy Vedanta Desika nor his contemporary, Swamy Pillai

Lokacharya, saw themselves as formulators of some unique path - nor for

that matter did Sri Manavalamamunigal, who was 50 years later. On the

contrary, the two contemporaries had great regard for one another, even

conferring accolades upon each other on occassion. And all of them

recognized themselves as servants to the Acharya Paramaparai of Ramanuja

only. The differences in interpretation were more the subject of

scholarly study and healthy debate, and probably did more to infuse the

community with refreshing new ideas just as any good, intelligent debate

does today.

 

Regarding the thiruman, which to me is perhaps the least important among

the differences, it would be safe to assume that the shapes and sizes of

thirumans varied from location to location, perhaps even between

persons. But, the establishment of the two generalized shapes to serve

as as the "logo" of a particular kalai came with the firm demarcation of

the two kalais, which most students of religion place somewhere in the

mid to late 1700s, when the activities of the British suddenly brought

out the need to concretize specific beliefs for the sake of preservation

of the tradition.

 

Mohan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...