[Advaita-l] Status of Traditional Learning in India (was Re: Interesting URL)

[Ananta Bhagwat]

Re posts of Sri Ramesh Krishnamurty and Sri Siva Senani on the subject

1/ The traditional learning is changing in this part (Mumbai, Pune, Western Maharashtra) of India.  Institutes like jnAna prabhodini has imparted training even to women and introduced simpler vidhi's for thread ceremony, marriage ceremony, and ourdhva-dehika, SrAddha etc. Amongst those who have been imparted training, the women are doing pourohitya more as a rule than as an exception. The meaning and significance of each vidhi is explained to all concerned both orally and by distribution of booklets. The vidhi's have been designed in conformance and consultations with scholars like late mahAmahopAdhyAya kAne, siddheSvarSAstrI citrAva etc. 

2/ Women and non-brahmins are now learning in vaidika pAthaSAlA-s.  Recently a woman from the so called backward community did traditional recitation of the the whole Sukla yajuH saMhitA. At the moment their number is small but the trend could be growing.

3/ There are of course counter currents of westernization due to BPOs, and mass-media. This westernization is not about the intellectual discipline, rational discourse, quality awareness, and scholarship; it is more about the life style.

4/ Sanskrit learning is very important to classical advaita. Even otherwise, this great language deserve to survive and grow. I believe the situation in India is not as gloomy as it appears on the surface.

ananta






----- Original Message ----
From: Ramesh Krishnamurthy <rkmurthy at gmail.com>
To: Siva Senani Nori <sivasenani at yahoo.com>; A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 7:31:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Status of Traditional Learning in India (was Re: Interesting URL)

Dear Sri Siva Senani,

I am not in a position to give a detailed reply right now - just a
couple of points:

1. By "vaidika community" I generally merely meant those schooled in
the Veda in a traditional way. I was not referring to the vaidiki
smaarta-s of AP who form a subsect of their own.

2. Srividya I agree is doing well (again I have come across several
practitioners of late) but where is Srividya in the so-called
"neo-Vedantic" circles? Does the Ramakrishna Math teach Srividya or
any form of tantra-mantra-shaastra? Not to the best of my knowledge.

My primary point was that the sadhana element as preserved by the
traditional Sankaran mutts is not being adequately carried forward by
the newer groups due to various limitations. Everything else I wrote
is purely incidental and may be ignored. I was not trying to make
general comments on the status of traditional learning in India. That
is a big subject in its own right.

Ramesh
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