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Re: Swayamacharyas, and un-ayyangars

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krish • September 28, 1995 


Thanks for your comments, Tatachar. I think the Swayamacharyas probably 
came about as a rebellious action too many rituals. They avoid jeers and
matams. 
One of the famous prayers for chanting is Baja-Govindam. I have my own 
comments and Rajai's translation dows not portray the complete thoughts of 
Sankara. Bertrand Russel claimed that Shankara was the last of the Indian
intellects. In a way, Sankara alos did not undestand Indian women,
who never gave up on their husbands, even after they were widowed. And
he weel knew the sex drive of the male. 
I feel that the Hindhu philosphy viewed life and death as a natural course of
events and did not give a great weight to the individual as Christianity does.
The concept of souls existing for ever and being reborn appeals to me and
one could proose 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 many wild buffaloes, in the millions. In Tamilnadu, many rivers
were fertile with crocodies a few centuries ago!
Aside, you must be reading about the milk drinking Ganesha. One of my
colleagues here, Raju Rayasam, a staunch devotee, witnessed it himself
in Bridgewater, NJ. He said, he held th spoon of milk to Ganesha's trunk
and it was sucked in, but is ejected out at the bottom of the statue. I
think, the good Lord may enjoy scotch ( sucked in faster ) compared to 
ghee.
To quite an extent, I am a non-believer and feel strongly that birth is
a chance, not causal. Life int he universe goes on without the knowledge
of a particular deity ( God distinguished by religion ). Man's inability
to accept the laws of probability leads us to a causal world with a
the ultimate Puppeteer. It is a way out to accept the status or
disappointments in life.
Many of our atavistic attitudes in astrange and new surrounding may be the
way to cope up, a returning to the womb craving. 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.
Of course I am taking you away from your topic of interest!