Madonna Redeemed: WVA Vice President Blesses Performance

July 8, 2003

by Mandala Publishing Group

Swami B. V. Tripurari, vice president of the World Vaishnava Association (WVA) and 1998 Louisville Grawemeyer Award nominee, issued a statement today in response to harsh criticism hurled by some WVA members against the entertainer Madonna for her "sexually charged" blend of "Eastern mysticism with Western hedonism" in her performance on Thursday's MTV Video Awards.

The swami, along with his publisher, Mandala Publishing Group who gave permission to Madonna to use its Saraswati image as the backdrop to her set, expressed support and appreciation for the entertainer. Contrary to the outrage already noted by some WVA members, the swami gave his blessings to Madonna's performance in the following statement:

"The Hindu community and Eastern spiritual seekers the world over should be happy for Madonna personally in terms of her genuine interest in enlightened life, and grateful to her for her sincere efforts to attract others to the same. That she does so through the media of popular music and dance that she has influenced millions by throughout her career is, however, potentially problematic. Thus a rather small and conservative group of Hindus has criticized her performance in terms of its sensual appearance.

"I do not entirely agree with this criticism, which bypasses the very heart of spiritual pursuit. However flawed one's presentation may be, the sincerity of heart and motivation behind it compensates a great deal for apparent external discrepancies. That her sincere motivation was not caught by Hindu critics is unfortunate. As the vice president of the World Vaishnava Association, I wanted to make this statement to balance the public criticism organized by only one of the many institutions that make up the World Vaishnava Association."

Besides his role as WVA vice president, Swami Tripurari is one of the directors of Mandala Publishing Group, an organization dedicated to promoting a greater awareness and understanding of the philosophy, art and culture of the ancient Indian spiritual traditions. Mandala sponsors cultural performances, art shows, and financially supports several architectural and environmental preservation projects in India's holy cities.

Swami B. V. Tripurari was a finalist in this year's Louisville Grawemeyer Awards with his title "Aesthetic Vedanta: The Sacred Path of Passionate Love." To date he's written seven books. For more information, view www.swami.org. or www.mandala.org on the internet.

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