[vmsvolunteers] Sri Jayatheertha Aradhane-Update

[Guest guest]

Hon'ble Bindu, Shri Sriprasad and VMS volunteers:

 

The project to help Hon'ble Dr. B.N.K.Sharma both on his

intellectual output as well as to help him from his recent

mishap is indeed the best of all solutions. He indeed is

" Abhinava VyAsa TIrtharu " . I say this, not only because of his

enormous contributions to the Dvaita cause in modern times, but

he was once slated to be the " pIThAdhipati " of his beloved

" VyAsarAya " MaTha. That Hon'ble Sir indeed deserves the best. I

had the good fortune to be his student in India as well as

be his host in the US in 1987. His name is synonymous with

Dvaita VedAnta in the International circle of Indological

scholars. Such is that Hon'ble and Venerable Sir's contribution

and reputation.

 

Hari-vAyu smaraNa

BN Hebbar

 

His address is:

 

Dr. B.N.K.Sharma

272 Raja Street

Coimbatore 641001

INDIA

[Guest guest]

Hon'ble Bindu:

 

What you have said is indeed true and the project to help

out Hon'ble Dr. BNK is indeed the best and viable of all

solutions. My support and endorsement of this is absolute and

total in this.

 

However, over the years VMS, in my opinion, must set up a

fund for the translation of the texts of TattvavAda. The

modern generation is intelligent enough to understand the

technical details of philosophical verbiage when instructed in

English and one ought not to keep these texts in the

exclusive domain of the Sanskrit-knowing intelligencia. We will

be just repeating the mistake of the previous generations.

 

A case in point: Two semesters ago, I taught a course in

VedAntic Hinduism at GW University. I had two problems as I

drafted the details of the course. At the faculty meeting, I

had trouble convincing them that Madhva is a principal VedAntin

and his school was worthy of being studied. Once that got

through, I had trouble finding a decent Madhvite rendering of

the BrahmasUtras at the undergraduate level. The RK Mission's

svAmIs have put out the commentaries of Shankara and RAmAnuja

but NOT Madhva's. I had to teach with just those two

improvising Madhva's! Hon'ble Dr. BNK's 3 volumes were too

detailed for an undergraduate course! The problem seems to be

a vicious circle. Because there are no " small " yet

scholarly-detailed texts on Madhva's system, his system remains

" unknown " to the students and because it is unknown there

seems to be no drive to know his system.

 

Thus by our " ignoring " the issue, we are in the larger sense

shooting ourselves in the foot. These children (both MAdhva and

non-MAdhva) growing up here (and even in India for that

matter) are English-bred and English-finished at least in terms

of their language. Either we can open our Madhva intelletctual

world to them (beyond Amar Chitra Katha level) or keep them

only barely informed of it.

 

I have said all this because I am in the field of educating

youngsters and I know the problems that Madhvaism faces in the

intellectual world of Indology where it has better resourced

competitors!

 

Hari-vAyu smaraNa

BN Hebbar

[Guest guest]

Dear Balaji Hebbar, Bindu Madhavan and Vasu Murthy,

 

I totally agree with Dr. Hebbar. We do not have text books at the

introductory level. I have copies of Sri Nyaya Sudha and Rig Bhashya and it

is very difficult to read and understand. So I request VMS to take part in

getting Sri Madhva Charya's work translated to English for beginners. This

will be a great service to all Madhva's world wide. It helps to spread Sri

Acharya's teachings. When everyone of us is committed to this task, we can

get this work done with the help of scholars here and abroad. We can start

a trust fund dedicated for this work and VMS should take up the leadership.

 

With Hari Smaranas

Kurudi Muralidhar

 

 

Balaji Hebbar <bhebbar

vmsvolunteers <vmsvolunteers >

Cc: < >

Monday, August 16, 1999 12:34 PM

Re: [vmsvolunteers] Sri Jayatheertha

Aradhane-Update

 

 

>Balaji Hebbar <bhebbar

>

>Hon'ble Bindu:

>

>What you have said is indeed true and the project to help

>out Hon'ble Dr. BNK is indeed the best and viable of all

>solutions. My support and endorsement of this is absolute and

>total in this.

>

>However, over the years VMS, in my opinion, must set up a

>fund for the translation of the texts of TattvavAda. The

>modern generation is intelligent enough to understand the

>technical details of philosophical verbiage when instructed in

>English and one ought not to keep these texts in the

>exclusive domain of the Sanskrit-knowing intelligencia. We will

>be just repeating the mistake of the previous generations.

>

>A case in point: Two semesters ago, I taught a course in

>VedAntic Hinduism at GW University. I had two problems as I

>drafted the details of the course. At the faculty meeting, I

>had trouble convincing them that Madhva is a principal VedAntin

>and his school was worthy of being studied. Once that got

>through, I had trouble finding a decent Madhvite rendering of

>the BrahmasUtras at the undergraduate level. The RK Mission's

>svAmIs have put out the commentaries of Shankara and RAmAnuja

>but NOT Madhva's. I had to teach with just those two

>improvising Madhva's! Hon'ble Dr. BNK's 3 volumes were too

>detailed for an undergraduate course! The problem seems to be

>a vicious circle. Because there are no " small " yet

>scholarly-detailed texts on Madhva's system, his system remains

> " unknown " to the students and because it is unknown there

>seems to be no drive to know his system.

>

>Thus by our " ignoring " the issue, we are in the larger sense

>shooting ourselves in the foot. These children (both MAdhva and

>non-MAdhva) growing up here (and even in India for that

>matter) are English-bred and English-finished at least in terms

>of their language. Either we can open our Madhva intelletctual

>world to them (beyond Amar Chitra Katha level) or keep them

>only barely informed of it.

>

>I have said all this because I am in the field of educating

>youngsters and I know the problems that Madhvaism faces in the

>intellectual world of Indology where it has better resourced

>competitors!

>

>Hari-vAyu smaraNa

>BN Hebbar

>

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>------

>nAham kartA hariH kartA tatpUjA karmachaakhilam.h|

>taThaapi matkR^itaa pUja tatprasaadhEna naanyaThaa|

>tadbhakti tadphalam.h mahyam.h tatprasaadaat.h punaH punaH |

>karmanyaasO harAvevam.h vishNOsthR^iptikaraH sadhA ||

>

> " I am not the doer, shri Hari is the doer, all the actions that I do are

His worship. Even then, the worship I do is through His grace and not

otherwise. That devotion and the fruits of the actions that come to me are

due to His recurring grace "

>If one always practices to do actions with a dedicated spirit to Hari, in

this way, it pleases Vishnu.

> --- Quoted by Sri madhvAchArya in GitA tAtparya

>