From: selvakum@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering)
Subject: Re: Kuram Narayana on AndaaL
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:39:34 GMT

In article <1992Dec28.182115.21350@news.ysu.edu> ah724@yfn.ysu.edu (Sundara Pandian) writes:
>
>In a previous article, narayana@oracorp.com (K. T. Narayana) says:
>
>>
>>The Bhakthi regime was a serious blow to the development of secular
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>Hinduism. Actaully idol worship as exemplified by the TN variety is
>>the worst communal form of Hinduism one can find. It rigidifies the
     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

     Only someone who does not understand the essense of 'hinduism'
     can make these comments!! I am not surprised because it is from
     Kuram Narayana. 

     The basis of Bhakthi is Love- supreme Love.
     ( paRRuvathu paththi muRRuvathu muththi; paththi became bhakthi
      muththi became mukthi - this is not the only way to explain!)
     Most people are capable of feeling some degree of love and
     affection and thus they are able to grasp the essense of
     supreme Love. When simple feeling of love sublimates into
     supreme Love the supreme Wisdom dawns- this is indeed a 
     charming magic ! 

     A complementary approach is: start with HONEST enquiry. Follow
    relentlessly and one gains supreme Wisdom and instantly
    supreme Love. One can begin to 'understand' or 'experience'
    true spirituality only when supreme love and supreme wisdom meet
    in the land of truth. Reading 'Commentaries or pErurais or bhashyams'
    can't help if true flowering is not taking place inside the devotee.
    Spiritual enlightenment is NOT a result of intellectual process of
    understanding scriptures or rituals.

>>thought, sectarianizes the subjects, and worse makes people believe
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>that Moksha is something you can get by going to a temple. If one reads
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

     Idol worship does not regidifies the thought or sectarianizes the
     subjects. Idols help to focus the inner mind. Anything can be 
     misused ( example public telephones) and this should not be 
    used to argue that such a thing is useless or harmful.
    
>>the Thiruppavai, and the worship performed by AndaaL (we used to go
>>to the temple early morning every day in the Dhanurmasam period to
>>hear to the Thiruppavai), one clearly see that behind the facade
>>of total prapatthi of AndaaL (admirable that AndaaL is), there is a
>>total absense of any intellectualism. In other words, the religion
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>of the south immensely damaged the intellectualism and the secularism
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>of the Hinduism.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

         This shows the complete ignorance of Kuram Narayana
         about spiritual matters. First one has to understand that
         intellectualism is just as useless as senseless ritualism
         for 'self-realization' or God-realization. 
         In fact to point out this an extremely beautiful
>> 
>>Thus the decline of Hinduism in the north, and the recent revival
>>of the brahminical vedantic tradition, along with the yagnas and
>>the yagas, is perhaps the best that we should hope for.
>>If it takes of, we will have more thinking Hindus than chest-beating
>>Hindus chanting "Ayappo-Swamyne-Ayappo" variety. Intellectualism
>>is the fulcrum of Hindu thought. It offered diversity, freedom thought,
>>and liberation of mind. More importantly, it offered individuality
>>of thought and action without the abiding structure.
>>
>>...kt
>>
>
>-- 
>