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Re: Say no to equality!

From the Bhakti List Archives

Badrinarayanan Seshadri • January 22, 1996 


Parthasarati Dileepan (MFPD@UTCVM.UTC.EDU) wrote:

* I don't wish to belabor the point, but I am unable to resist
* enlisting Azhvaar paasurams to bolster my view that
* equality is not a goal for Sri Vaishnavaas.

I think we are completely missing the point here. You
are correct to say that 'equality' is not a goal for Sri
Vaishnavas. In fact, the goal of every religion is
individual salvation. There is no comparison whatsoever
between the various devotees. Add to this the fact that
the aazhvaarkaL were also extremely modest and had
conquered their egos. So naturally you will find the
quotes like the one you show, all over the prabandham.

The anonymous author of the invocation to paripaadal
says:

.............. yaam ivaN mozhibavai
melliya enaa_a veRaa_adhu alli am
thiru maRu maarba! nee aruLal vENdum!

Such is the modesty of the greatest vaishnavas. Who
could be a better devotee of the Lord than the
aazhvaarkaL themselves? So, all they try to teach us
here is humility.

There can be no real 'equality' - spiritually or
socially. What is needed is a mutual respect - that
every human being, and animal and plants are but an
aspect of Him.

Thus, I should realise that having been born a male in a
Brahmana family does not make me anything special. This
is what is taught by the aazhvaarkaL.

--badri

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S.Badrinarayanan 
Graduate Student
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Cornell University
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