Fake Sankaracharya

[Vaidya Sundaram]

Namaskaram.
(I am attempting to comment on many threads here)

> Sri Jagannath said, "Times have changed
> and being unnecessarily strict on certain rituals will
> keep the masses away from religion in its true sense,
> that is the realisation of the Self, or God
> realisation however you put it."

> 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.

Rituals are for purification of the anthakarana. Don't divorce one from the
other. Either you do the ordained karma and get purified, or you don't and
don't get the chitta shuddi as expected. A drug is expensive and must be
taken in a minimum dosage - either you do and get cured or you dont and stay
sick. Just because AIDS drugs are expensive to take in the dosage and
regimen "specified" and the poor nations cannot afford it, can we please
water the medicines down so that every one can get it? Better take something
and have a pseudo sense of security than really taking the "real" medicine
right?

One must try to understand why something is set up the way it is before you
try to water it down. And unless you fully understand it honestly, don't
preach it on others in the guise of social reform.

> Like getting girls married as and when they attain puberty,
> not letting them read the vedas and recite the Gayatri.

I don't know why that is the case for the first one. But for the second one
about reading the vedas and chanting the gayathri - I would give the analogy
of injecting women with harmones that men should be taking ... unless you
understand the inner makeup of the person, don't recommend medication that
works for you. Our acharyas have prescribed wonderfull alternatives like
chanting the Sri Sthuti (a shloka) or certain versions of the ramayana. They
give more benefits than a man just chanting the gayathri. For example there
is a small version of the ramayana where the first letter of each shloka
begins with each letter of the gayathri ...

I repeat, lets first understand why something is done a certain way - lets
not just go mess with it because "we" think it is out of fashion.

> But, India is a society based on Religion, predominantly.

Are we really unique to try and apply special rules? Yes, we are based on
religion. Which country is not?

> Today thanks to Govt policies and court rulings we are
> slowly on the way to eradicating these practices.

Even an iota of respect for the efforts of the Indian government must be
given only after it starts enacting a uniform civil code. Until then, lets
not give the people there any credit for using their intellect.

> Hinduism has survived and will survive
> because of its ability to assimilate from other
> religions and responding to change.

What??? It's because of people like our acharyas who practice it in its own
religious purity and lead by example. If you think Hinduism is facing a
challenge today, read the history books again on the times when Buddhism was
at its peak in India. They were driven out society not by dialectical
arguments alone, but by people following them. Lets understand history in
the right perspective please.

> 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.

Let me turn it around and inform you that performing your ordained karma is
like paying taxes too - its your duty. Take any work related to
philosophical thought from India - all of them are unanimous in declaring
that being born a human is extremely difficult to get. It's a rare chance
and comes with certain duties. Performing one's karma is not doing anyone a
favour - it's duty!

> 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.

Lets get the basics out of the way - how is one going to be fit for
algebraic geometry when there is no grouding in fundamental of mathematics
..?? Lets get started on sandhya vandhanam and veda paraayaNam and then talk
about what it all means and then let that person decide which philosophical
stream to follow.


> Shastras were codified
> at certain point of time, probably as a response
> to social conditions prevailing then. There is no
> need to adhere to them today.

Oh please ... !! refer the section titled "Sastra or Conscience" in the book
Hindu Dharma by HH Chandrasekhara Saraswati - the link is
http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part4/chap4.htm

> No matter how much regard I have for Kanchi Sankara
> mutt, some of their practices are casteist and
> destroy Hinduism from within.

Destroying Hinduism from within? More so than people who neglect their duty?
Its like the people who accuses McDonalds of making them obese - you eat
junk you get fat. You want to get thin, follow the prescriptions. Don't
blame the doctor who prescribes a diet if you cannot take it ... refer the
BG:

uddharedaatmanaatmaanaM naatmaanamavasaadayet.h |
aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanaH ||

Let a man raise himself by his own efforts. Let him not degrade himself.
Because a person's best friend or his worst enemy is, none other than his
own self. So, before we and blame someone else for something, lets see what
we are neglecting ourselves, shall we?

All the while when you make the effort, remember Shri Krishna's words in the
Gita:

manmanaa bhava madbhakto madyaajii maaM namaskuru |
maamevaishhyasi satyaM te pratijaane priyo.asi me ||

Give your mind to Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me and bow to Me. Doing so,
you will come to Me alone, I truly promise you, for you are so exceptionally
dear to Me.

This is also one of those topics where one can only present the points of
view and the facts in support thereof. To take it and getting convinced or
not to take it and oppose it more is up to the individual. This is the last
on this thread from me ...

bhava shankara desikame sharaNam
Vaidya.