Fake Sankaracharya

[K Kathirasan NCS]

Namaste Jagannathji

I agree and share your views. Regards.

best regards,
K Kathirasan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jagannath Chatterjee [SMTP:jagchat01 at YAHOO.COM]
> Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 1:47 PM
> To:   ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG
> Subject:      Re: Fake Sankaracharya
>
> Dear Jagannathan,
>
> --- Jagannathan Mahadevan <jagan at CCWF.CC.UTEXAS.EDU>
> wrote:
> > I think Jagannath's mail is ambiguous as he has
> > himself put it. I don't
> > understand what exactly he means by "present
> > problems in leading a vedic
> > life".
>
> Vedic life envisages both external rituals and inner
> purity. I am totally for the inner purity part. I am
> only speaking against some of those rituals which may
> have been important at the time when they were
> prescribed but have lost their relevance now. Like
> getting girls married as and when they attain puberty,
> not letting them read the vedas and recite the
> Gayatri. Not letting low caste Hindus enter certain
> temples and participate in certain functions and so on
> and so forth. These practices have proved to be our
> Ahcilles heel and led to conversions.
>
> Today thanks to Govt policies and court rulings we are
> slowly on the way to eradicating these practices. But
> the fanatics within us want to go back to those
> "golden days". This is ridiculous.
>
> I don't think we need to fear about Hinduism loosing
> it's grip. Hinduism has survived and will survive
> because of its ability to assimilate from other
> religions and responding to change. We should respect
> these traits and not create a straight jacket Hinduism
> which every Hindu must conform to. Then we become akin
> to those religions which are today in the throes of a
> severe crisis.
>
> > Although the Sankara Mata's were primarily
> > established for disseminating the
> > scriptural (Vedic) knowledge as per Adi Sankara,
> > they, in addition to
> > spreading the scriptural knowledge also have
> > participated in other
> > beneficial activities like the Sankara Netralaya in
> > Chennai.
>
> It is not enough to create certain social service
> organisations but to create the feeling of service.
> All Hindus must be immediately treated at par. The
> high caste Hindu should not flinch from serving a low
> caste rather he should be proud that he has been given
> a chance to serve his own brother. He is not doing a
> favour, he is merely doing his duty.
>
> >
> > I think most Sankara Matas and the leading Swami's
> > are doing their bit. I
> > feel it may not correct to judge the entire
> > Sankaracharyas based on ones
> > personal observations of society which statistically
> > speaking is biased. I don't
> > know about the alleged misrepresentation of quoted
> > (in context of this thread)
> > Sankaracharya of Puri.
>
> I regularly go through the e-mail messages from
> Kamakoti which come to my address everyday. While I
> appreciate the concerns against the concept of dowry
> and other newer social evils, I do feel uneasy when
> the practices mentioned above in my mail are brought
> up.
>
> >
> > I also feel it is correct to say that being a
> > stickler to
> > rituals alone and no explanation of those rituals to
> > younger generation
> > may not find acceptance. I don't know if thats what
> > Jagannatha Chatterjee
> > mean't.
>
> Yes this was definitely a part of my message. Todays
> youngsters need to feel the ground they tread upon. We
> should not forget that it is we who have advocated a
> scientific education and today if they question our
> methods we should not blame them. The youngsters are
> not so agnostic as they seem. I have seen lads dressed
> in hip clothing and driving snazzy cars slow down in
> front of temples and touch their foreheads. They have
> got the samskaras within them. We should tap these
> samskaras by explaining things patiently. If they do
> not like the rituals, ok fine, let them pursue the
> path of jnana and vichara. When they are satisfied
> they too will perform worship and offer flowers and
> incense. They are now pursuing the path of bhoga, let
> them do it. When they understand the meaninglessness
> behind it all they will definitely root for yoga. I am
> confident of that.
>
> Regards
> Jagannath
>
>
>
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