Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Surprised!!!

From the Bhakti List Archives

K.S.Venkataraghavan • April 1, 2003 


Dear Shrimathi Gariyali

I have heard about you and your excellent service in the rank of an IAS 
officer.

I am very much surprised to see few of the contents of your article 
about iyengars in chennaionline web site.

http://www.chennaionline.com/columns/DownMemoryLane/index.asp

you  mentioned

Andal songs dedicated to Durga are called Thiru Pavai and are sung 
during the month of Marghazi.

 >> The songs are not dedicted to Godess Durga..I dont want to get in to 
any detail further about this.
I request that you read and get a good understanding about Shri 
Vaishnavism and iyengar way of life.

you also mentioned..

The Vadagalai used more of Sanskrit and were mainly the followers of Sri 
Vedanta Deshiker, whereas the Tengalai used more of Tamil and were the 
followers of Saint Ramanujam, also known as the Tenth Acharya, who 
propagated Vaishnavism in a big way in South India. It is said that he 
admitted many non-Brahmins into Vaishnavism and made Vaishnavism a 
devotional movement. In fact, it is very interesting that among the 
twelve Vaishnavite Saints called Alwars only three are Brahmins.

 >> It is also so sad that you havent noted that both vadagalai and 
thengalai iyengars belong to Shri Ramanju's school of philosophy .Swami 
Desika is a ardent follower of Shri Ramanuja (nor Ramanjuam as you would 
put it)..Infact our school of thought is called Ramanuja Samprdhaya. or 
Shri  Ramnuja Sidhaantham..

Please go through the vadgalai and thengali  lineage of gurus and you 
yourself will see whether Shri Ramanjua belongs to Vadagali lineage of 
gurus or not..

period

I want to ramble on with few more things that has come in My mind at 
this juncture . please choose to read from the following.

1) Vedantha doesn't belong  to Adi Shankara alone.. if one goes through 
the history of vedantha and understand it they will know that shankara 
is a closed chapter of learned error as Shri Sarvapalli RadhaKrishnan 
would put it.

2) Iyer and iyengars strictly speaking  differ only in few 
pracitices(anushtanas) and vedantha understanding..

Infact iyers are also vaishnavas(not iyengars). as shri adhi shankara is 
(and he is not an iyengar or sri vaishnava) .

It is only in the past say 150 or 200 years or so there has been a 
greate divide between iyer and iyengars and iyers or betwen thengalai 
and vadagali.

It is so funny that iyers are associted with shaivism as it is so 
intresting to note that shaivism and vedantha has no connection at all. 
and if one claims to be a vedanthi he must then be vaishnavite.Please 
consult with their mutt pontiffs in person and request them for an honet 
and straightforward answer about iyers and shaivism.. you will know it 
all by yourself.

Vaishnavism dosent just belong to Barmhins alone or iyengars alone..  
you can be a non barmhin or a non iyengar and still be a vaishnavite.

Ramanuja sampradhayam is called a shri vaishnavism and not just vaishnavism.

******************************************
There are many factual errors in the article you have written. I dont 
wnat to get in to detail of each of them for brevity sake.

I request you to please verify the facts and the information you give 
with some ardent sri vaishnavite before you make it available to a web 
site which is being widely acecssed by people all over the world.

I also request you to consult with ardent srivaishnavas(iyengars) about 
their life style and parcitces  tradition and philosphy or mail me I 
will take all efforts if you are intretsed ..to make you understand 
about iyengars and srivaishnavism.

you may alternaivelivy vist the web site www.ramanuja.org for more 
information.

thanking you

regards
K.S.Venkataraghavan


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/