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Fwd: Re: Swayamacharyas and Un-ayyangars

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Tatachar • October 3, 1995 


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Forwarded message:
Subj:    Re: Swayamacharyas and Un-ayyangars
Date:    95-10-01 19:25:56 EDT
From:    Tatachar
To:      prapatti@srirangam.esd.sgi.com

Krish said:
>>>>The concept of souls existing for ever and being reborn appeals to me and
one could propose a Conservation of souls theory. Hence, the more extinct,
some of the animal species become, they all appeare to be reborn as humans!
US once had many wild buffaloes, in the millions. In Tamilnadu, many rivers
were fertile with crocodies a few centuries ago!<<<<

The fact you talk of SOUL makes me think that you are not as irreligious as
you like to sound! Forgive me, after all Who am I to explain to you your own
belief?
Charvakas philosophy was irreligious, perhaps so also was B.Russell. I don't
know much about these individuals. Buddha thought he was running away from
religion as he saw it but he was definitely not irreligious. He is not really
an atheist. 
His self discovery  is not too different from Advaita Philosophy. 

Loss of wild  buffalloes and crcodiles are products of human interventions.
In one case mindless slaughter for fun and in other case deforestation.  The
victims here perhaps have to be reborn as humans. Because only a human can do
real harm to a human in this day and age.  Nevertheless, some of the cunning
ones among those animals returned as AIDS virus and the sorts perhaps!

>>>>One of the books states that all of us are eternal bliss inside a womb,
even gravity free. with no pressures, fed and relieved of the waste and
floating in a fluid. The birth process is stressful, crushed and pushed thru
a tunnel, one gropes for the ray of light outside, only to find the absence
of bliss, experienced before. The theory is that man's dwelling into religion
and God is due to this search.<<<

Compare this to the Srivaishnava's concept: An infant, as soon as delivered,
comes in contact with a sheath of air called SHATAVAYU, which destroys all
the wisdom and knowledge the infant had in the womb(which in essence is  the
awareness of the eternal bliss that is upon us).  We have at least two
instances in which an infant refused to leave the womb because it will loose
its wisdom due to the effect of Shatavayu. In the case  of Angiras and
Shradda, their son refused to be delivered indicating that it did not want to
be bothered by the ill effects of Shatavayu. Poor Shradda, how long can she
bare the labor pains? Then Brahma intervened and spoke to the infant saying
that the Shatavayu is also a Leela of the God. There is no reason to get mad
at it.  However he promised that in this special case , He would see to it
that the Shatavayu would not wipe out the memory! So convinced the infant
left the womb.  The boy thus delivered came to be known as SHATAMARSHANAR and
it is to his lineage belong Natha Muni, Yamuna Muni (Alavandar), Periya
Thirumalai Nambi, 
and ofcourse Sreekrishna who is writing this!  

SHATAK(g)OPAR also has a similar origin.

I personally am not completely impressed by my great, great......great (n=48)
grand father Shatamarshanar.  Because, I think,  Shatavayu has a purpose and
that is to make us less wise and give us an opportunity  to ponder and
 attempt to regain that lost wisdom (to quote Eninstein: Subtle is the Lord
but malicious He is not: Nature hides Her secrets out of essential loftiness
and not by ruse).

We have heard of a Rishi in Ramayana who wanted to see Rama parivar and thus
asked Indra, who had come to take him to Heaven to wait. 

How boring a life it would be to live in a world made of people of  perfect
wisdom! After all the beauty and fun of life is in imperfections. We all like
a child because of its imperfect steps and words. We may be impressed by a
child who is  prodigeous in a particular field, but an all in all prodigy
would be a bore. 

That's why Krishna is my favorite Avatara: A good blend of everything there
is to life.

>>>I am taking you away from your topic of interest!<<<<<

See, you did not.  Actually you walked me deep into it!

Ganesha drinking milk, yes I heard more of it thanks to our sensational news
media.  I also agree, it is in the nature of  scoth to vanish faster than
milk or ghee! News India Times had numeorous pictures taken in different
temples where devotees were serving milk to Ganesha. Things like this I read
but does not elicit much interest. That is why I never waited in line to see
Sai Baba either, although he was having a convention in Bangalore Lal baug,
only a few yards from our house.  I have read his books, once you get around
the devotees hype, he is quite good. Especially his commentary on Gita.  I
don't need this sort of evidences.

To me the PROBABILITY or lack of it by which the  life forms formed  and the
world I see it self is a miracle. Ofcourse the greatest miracle is that
described by Yudhistira in Yaksha Prasna. We hear about death (some suggest
this and fear as the origin of  all religions) all the time. Yet we carry on
with our lives as though it will never happen to us. How we do this is the
greatest miracle of all.