Muslim invasions and other mysteries
From the Bhakti List Archives
• January 26, 1996
G. Vijay asks: > Dear Vaishnavas, > I've the following question which I had in my mind for a long > time: > From 1100 C.E onwards many Vaishnava temples including > divyadeshams like Srirangam were overran by Muslim invaders > and many of them were destroyed. Why did our Lord Narayana allow > this to happen eventhough it caused so much distress to his > dear bhakthas [like Sri Vedanta desikar] ? This question is simply yet another form of ``Why do bad things happen to good people?'' I am certain that the answer Sri Ramanuja and other acharyas would give is a simple one -- these events are due to the previous karma of the people involved, peppered in part by the will of God. At the risk of sounding too much like an Advaitin, I should point out that even in Visishtadvaita such events can be considered ``distress'' only from a particular perspective. Nothing is inherently good or evil, so it is only due to our ajnaana (karma) that we perceive invasions, etc., as being particularly evil. In reality, they are no such thing, and the enlightened soul will just perceive it as such. Such a philosophy is propounded by Ramanuja himself in the Sribhashya. To some, this may appear inscrutable and fatalistic, but it is not really so. The fact that invasions are not inherently good or evil does not mean that we should not take steps to prevent them. [This fact is stated in different words in the Gita.] After all, as members of this world, we have an obligation to help those others who are affected by things going on within it. I believe this is the primary reason Sri Desikar composed the AbhIti Stavam -- to calm his mind as well as those around him. The person of wisdom, however, is aware of the true nature of these actions and objects and does not get personally affected by them. Mani P.S. In spite of karma or lila, the ``eedu'' commentary on Nammaazhvaar's thiruvaaymozhi explicitly denounces those who say, ``He deserves that and much more! After all, it's his karma at work'' to those undergoing any kind of suffering. The karma theory is only a means to explain suffering, not a means to cast judgments upon others. Compassion and sympathy, according to the eedu are the primary characteristics of a Vaishnava.
- Next message: Sampath Rengarajan: "Re: Muslim invasions and other mysteries"
- Previous message: Jaganath.Bharadwaj_at_nrecatao.nreca.org: "Re: Question"
- Next in thread: Sampath Rengarajan: "Re: Muslim invasions and other mysteries"
- Maybe reply: Sampath Rengarajan: "Re: Muslim invasions and other mysteries"
- Maybe reply: Parthasarati Dileepan: "Re: Muslim invasions and other mysteries"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]