Fw: [USBrahmins] Re:SOME THOUGHTS ON VISHISTADVAITA---1

[Guest guest]

--- On Wed, 4/14/10, DR SK BALASUBRAMANIAN <smanian wrote:

 

 

DR SK BALASUBRAMANIAN <smanian

[uSBrahmins] Re:SOME THOUGHTS ON VISHISTADVAITA---1

USBrahmins

Wednesday, April 14, 2010, 10:44 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had not wanted to participate in this debate because I am not an expert in any

of these subjects.

I am making some general remarks.

Shankara and Ramanuja are truly pan-indian teachers. I am stating this from

practical experience.

The author of Ramakrishna mission translation of Brahma sutras says that the

Sutras do not generally support Shankara's advaita. Since all the Acharyas

depend upon Brahma sutras for support of their views, I take it to mean

that there is dichotomy in the sutras. There are probably two or more sides to

the issues.

It means that one cannot assert that only one interpretation is true.

This is generally true of all Hindu scritptures.

The prescriptions are contextual and would suit certain individuals or elements

in society but not others.

It is not " one size suits all " or the Procrustes's cot. 

Ramanuja's followers are the worst culprits and sufferers in this respect. Their

lingo had become foral and servile with an unwarranted degree of obedience and

worshipfulness. The ornate modes of address as tirumeni (divine face) and

servility like Dasan (your servant)  and adiyen (at your feet) had contributed

to the conditioning.

The secularization of the community is taking place slowly with public

education.  

Unfortunately there had been unthinking social conditioning. This is the only

problem.

This problem is illustrated by Velukudi Krishnan's travails in his lectures on

the Gita. He is under obvious strain to accommodate the expansive elements of

the Gita into the self-imposed suffocating space of vaishnavism. He was

sometimes openly apologetic about this.

Vaishnaism is a sensible and practical approach to temporal life. Vishnu is the

magisterial royalty who stabilizes progress and renders equilibrium to the

changes it brings about. 

But anything in excess turns poisonous.  

That is the problem with Ramanuja and in particluar with his Tamil followers.

There had been other less well-known alternative approaches: Vallabha's

Shuddha-advaita, Nimbargi's interpretation and ssome others. 

It is best to take the middle and sensible path.

Specialist hair splitting is useless and is provocative.

Skb.

 

..