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"harvest of faith"

From the Bhakti List Archives

sampath kumar • November 9, 1999 


Dear members,
Since this subject is sensitive and "bold" and in
order to avoid needless inflammatory debate adiyen is
suggesting that those who want to discuss it with me
please do so through private mail only.

adiyen will wind up this topic with only following
small remarks:

(1) Ramanuja and SankarAchArya faced I think bigger
onslaughts from alien religions and philosophy in
their times than present day. In their times also
people faced blandishments and threats of
"conversion". But the achAryas did not whine or
flinch. They did not fight "war of faiths" at
political plane but only at spiritual plane unlike
present day.

(2) If we are saying that poor and backward Indian
masses are being tempted to "convert" by being seduced
by money-power, are we not insulting our brethren by
belittling their dignity? Are our poor masses such
fools that they will sell their souls for money?
Sorry, I don't agree. I think we should give our
millions of underprivileged countrymen much more
intelligence and integrity than we are giving them now
in this matter. 
(The whole world acknowledges that in the political
field India's poor masses understand democracy and its
working and philosophy in a way that is equal to
mature and advanced democracies anywhere in the world.
Can the masses who are politically so sophisticated
not understand the politics of religion too?)

(3)Next question to ask is, "Why have we come to such
a sad pass today that those who are part of our
religion today succumb to money and change faith? Why
has our religion lost its hold on them and their
faith? How come our religion lets its spiritual power
over men's minds and heart be overcome by sheer money
power? Why?" (This question is same as "Why are our
young educated and professional Indians ready to leave
everything in their own country, and do everything
including change passports and citizenship,to go and
settle down in UK,US, AUstralia etc.or become NRIs?") 

(4) The great Sankara and Ramanuja were not not at all
afraid of alien religions and ideology. They were real
leaders who did not need political crutches to stand
up and stride like the giants they were. Their
respective "siddhAtams" was firmly established in the
hearts of the faithful by the dint of its own weight
and philosophical/spiritual/ethical superiority.

Why are we not able to do so today? Why are we all so
afraid? Do we have much to be afraid of? Isn't it
better to be self-critical rather than apprehensive?

dAsan,
Sampathkumaran 


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