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re: Regarding silk

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Parthasarati Dileepan • July 31, 1998 


At 02:39 PM 7/31/1998 +0500, V. Chandrasekaran wrote:
>
>goods etc. As a weak soul I have not so far shunned whole
>heartedly the allopathic medicines which I think is my
>immaturity.

At 08:53 AM 7/30/1998 -0700, Mani Varadarajan wrote:
> I avoid anything which contain animal
>byproducts and which are tested on animals, to the extent
>possible. When at all possible I buy leather-free shoes and I never
>wear silk.  I slip up now and then; this is my fault and I bear the
>blame, not the principles behind which I operate.
>when one's life is in danger. I apply the same principle as
>far as possible to medicine.
>


Thank you for answering such a pointed question.  I do appreciate
your candor.

I notice that both of you have hedged your answers.  I submit to
both of you in as earnest a way as possible, without any malice, 
that if we are unable to uphold a principle due to personal 
weaknesses, we ought not criticize others for theirs.  This 
is especially so when the weakness is in the course of 
bhagavathaaradhanai such as desiring to see our Lord 
and Thayar adorning brilliant silk garments.  I hope this 
forum will forgive me for holding your feet to the fire.

Let me end my little contribution to this exchange with a couple
of paasurams.  I hope they will not be seen as unfortunate 
misquotations.

Both paasurmas describe the use of silk in bhagavathaaradhanai.
Pattu in the following two paasrams is not a generic term for
any garment, but silk.

iraNdaam thiruvandhaathi #76:

varai sandhaNak kuzmbum vaan kalanum pattum,
viraippolintha veN mallikaiyum - niraitthukkoNdu
aathikkaN ninRa aRivan adiyiNaiyE
Othip paNiva thooRum.


(Rough translation: It is fitting to our swaroopam
to worship our primordial and all knowing
Lord, with sandlewood paste, silk, jwelery,
and jasmie flowers.)



Thiruvaaymozhi 5.5.4:

neenga nillaak kaNNa neergaLenRu annaiyarum munithir,
thEnkoL sOlaith thirukkuRungudi nambiyai naan kaNdapin,
poondhaN maalaith thaN thuzhaayum, ponmudiyum vadivum,
paangu thOnRum pattum naaNum paaviyEn pakkaththavE.

(Rough translation: My mothers are upset that I just
don't stop crying.  The Lord I have seen, the Lord of 
Thirukkurunkudi, filled with gardens oozing with honey,
is no longer in front of me.  But the divine sight is always
near me.  That is what makes me cry uncontrollably.  
What a sight it is?  His divine body with golden crown, 
cool garland of flowers and Thiruththuzzay, and the 
most fitting silk garments (paangu thOnRum pattu), 
and the hip thread (anarinyaaN).  How can I stop crying?)

Thank you,

-- adiyEn raamanuja dhaasan