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aagama and tiruvEngadamudaiyAn idol

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sampath kumar • March 13, 2000 


--- Lakshmi Srinivas  wrote:
> Friends,
> 
>   I do not want to enter this debate for want of
> adhikaara re aagama etc.

Sir,

As far as adiyen can see we are not having a "debate"
on this matter. We are discussing aagama and
tiruvEngadamudaiyAn's idol. Each member is putting
forth what he knows, what he has read or whatever he
has heard from others about the subject. That's all.
One needs no "adhikaara" to discuss... one needs to
have the desire to learn from others and form one's
own opinion based on what is learnt. That's all.

But
> I want to point out a reference to those interested
> in this subject.
> 
> The History of Tirupati by TKT Viraraghavacharya,
> publ by TTD. in 1953,
> second edition 1977, reprint 1997. This remarkable 3
> volume work costs
> exactly Rs. 77 i.e., less than $2. So the
> discussants may want to go thru
> this book too.  

Sir, 
adiyen has not read the above book. So you may be
right if you say many passages from Sri.N.Ramesam's
book are extracted from the above book. But it does'nt
really matter even if it so, is there? We are all
interested really only in the subject-matter... not in
Sri.Ramesam's or Sri.TKTV's authorship. 

> Equally relevant here is his discussion of "Some
> Crude and Incorrect> Notions" (section heading in
Vol I, p 197) wherein> he traces the history of
> some other facets usually pointed out by detractors
> of Srinivasa viz., simha> lalaatam, sandal paste,
jata etc and points out the> insignificance or lack
> of antiquity of many of these facets. 

Sir, I am not aware of any "crude notions". But
personally I find nothing objectionable in reserving
one's judgment in the face of facts which are not
clear or incontrovertible. In fact I personally find
the conclusion (that 'tiruvEngadamudaiyAn's" idol is
"svayambhu", pre-dates any aagamA and "is a class by
itself") in Sri.Ramesam's book to be quite credible
and well-reasoned.

Thanks any way for referring adiyen to the TKTV book
which I will read some time. 


> I urge the scholars in this list to go thru this,
> digest it and explain it
> in simple terms for laymen like me. 

I think the scholars Sriman-s Anbil, Sadagopan and
Mani have already explained what they had in mind.

Adiyen is no scholar but if you want adiyen can
certainly summarise in a simple, non-technical way the
relevant portions from Sri.N.Ramesam's book in a short
series of posts. But then Sri.Mani, the list
moderator, has to pre-approve "series" postings as per
the guidelines of the list.

Regards,
dAsan,
Sampathkumaran  


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