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Re: "mArgazhi" diary

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Thirumalai Anandanpillai • December 28, 1999 


dear srI sampathkumAr & other bhAgavathAs,

> (This is a bit like expecting some poor local
> cricket-club player to walk out and bat exactly like
> Sir Donald Bradman all the time! Also, it is like
> saying, "when we can watch the great Bradman play
> classic strokes on my video-player at home, why do I
> need to come out to the local playground to watch this
> lousy club-standard batsman at the crease?". Why
> indeed?).

The analogy should be more like "We expect an eskimo
who has no conception of what cricket is to play like Don Bradman
all the time". And adiyEn includes himself in the eskimo club here.
Most of us are in that boat. All we can expect the eskimo to do
is  (if he has access to a VCR and a tape of Don Bradman playing
cricket ) for him to show us how Bradman played by playing a tape
on the VCR.


---begin quote---
Since the standards of the two learned gentlemen in

> this matter are very, very 'high' indeed and adiyen is
> absolutely certain he will never be able make their
> grade, adiyen sees wisdom in keeping his little
> reflections on the poetry of the "tiruppAvai" to his
> own humble self.

----end quote

When it comes to our sampradAyam, especially while interpreting
pAsurams & other granthams, there is no such thing as a
"high" standard or a "lower" standard. There is only one standard -
and that is - Are we representing what our pUrvAchAryAs
say accurately and clearly? - Anything else is not acceptable.

>
> Adiyen is sorry to have "offended" you both Sir on the
> eve of the "new millennium". He shall offend you no
> further, most reverend Sirs,

please - you did not offend adiyEn - Who is adiyEn to get offended?
What you wrote is contrary to what our pUrvAchAryAs say -
not offensive to individuals - very ignorant and indisciplined - like
adiyEn.
Misrepresenting what our pUrvAchAryAs say and/or writing
something that even has a possibility of being understood in a manner
that is different from what our pUrvAchAryAs say is what should be
stopped. If you stop because you think that "Varadhan and a few others
do not like what I have to say", then you are stopping for the wrong
reason.
adiyEn hopes that you stop writing your own interpretations because
you realise that it is unnecessary and is misrepresenting the message
of ANdAL and our pUrvAchAryAs.


adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan,
Thirumalai anandAnpiLLai Varadhan