Re: proselytization and srivaishnavism
From the Bhakti List Archives
• January 20, 1999
> So here is THE question: Do the mutts require swAmis to perform >certain brAhminical rituals, and if so, could it be possible to bestow >brahminhood upon one that wasn't so born, in order to fulfill the >requirement? A community is truly egalitarian, if just about any of its >members could ascend to prominence irrespective of their origins. >Is Srivaishnavism so? Regardless of the answer, there is a related >question... how many non-brahmin Srivaishavites do we know of [other >than certain AzhwArs]? And of course, no one has yet ventured an >estimate of the total number of adherents to Srivaishnavism today... As far as my understanding goes, there are more restrictions for one becoming an Jeeyar of a Matham. This is probably not so for other AchAryAs (mostly among Tenkalai). For example, Sri Pillai Lokaachaarya had a Sishya named Vilaan chOlaip piLLai who was from a lower caste. He is the same person who composed the pure tamil song Sapthakaathai for which Sri Manavaala maamunikaL wrote a commentary. Sri Vilaan chOlaip PiLLai has many sishyaas as he was very well learned and respected. Technically an AchAryA can be any one who performs UpadEsam. There are many AchAryAs who are proficient in certain aspects of the Vedanta. For example, Periyavaachaan pillai enumerates a whole list of possible AchAryas and concludes that one who instructs a sishya in the Bagavad Vishayam is the real AchArya. This statement possibly implies that to be an AchArya practicing Bagavad Vishayam can be from any caste. It is also true that we find many women who fall in this category (please refer to Sri Sadagopan's earlier posting on this). Thanks Venkatesh K. Elayavalli Cypress Semiconductor Data Communications Division 3901 N. First St. MS 4 Phone: (408) 456 1858 San Jose CA 95134 Fax: (408) 943 2949 email: elayavalli@hotmail.com (external) Home Page Location: http://www.SriVaishnava.org ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
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