My main idea in starting my groups and the postings on the internet and in creating webpages and blocks is to break the barriers of religeous restrictions and to make my learning of the vaishnavite literature, thiough meagre, to all, let them be nonvaishnavites or nonproficient in sanskrit so that the treasures of vaishnavism , the teachings of Ramanuaja, Desika and the azvars will be known to all as they were intended to be universal.To the best of my ability I try to give what I have learnt in simple language and I consider this as bhagavtkainkarya. One of the five yajnas, Brahma yajna is the study of scriptures and to explain them to others.Several vaishnavite scholars are also doing this as we can see in the groups and websites on vaishnavism and I am glad that I am able to add a little like the squirrel. After all God is one by whatever name you call Him and He is common to all. The religious disciplines and beliefs are only our guidelines like the road maps. Once you reach the destination the road by which you travel dsoe not matter anymore.
With the blessings of the acharyas I am writing commentaries on Yadhavabhyudhaya of Desika,Gita,vishnusahasranama,Valmikiramayana, Thiruppavai etc. in my webpages http://wwwgeocities.com/sarojram18.
The segregation of thengalai and vadagalai came only later and during Ramanuja's time all vaishnavas were the same.After the time of Desika and Manavalamamuni the followers of Dsesika who gave more importance to sanskrit granthas were called vadagalai while the followers of Manavalamamuni who held Tamil prabhandhas as supreme came to be called thengalai.This is according to my knowledge and if anyone can give evidence otherwise I stand corrected. Moreover Ramanuja did not have discrimination even between brahmins and nonbrahmins and both vadagalai and thengalai profess to be the followers of him.In the world vedanta has come to mean only advaita especially due to the cosmopolitanm outlook the great teaschers like Ramakrishna, Sivananda, Ramana and so many others. Vishishtadvaita is unknown to the world at large because of the attitude of vaishnavites to keep the teachings of vaishnvite saints and acharyas secret. I was told once that if I want to listen to a discourse on Sribhashya only if I wear nine yards though I could see no conection between the two. Puja and other religious rites have to be according to some rituals and customeds, I understand but even to read the holy works if one has to be a orthodox vaishnava how will the teachings of the masters like Ramanuja will be known to all. After all he shouted the ashtakshara from the temple tower. There are people who disapproved my taking Sribhashya as the topic for my thesis. Luckily I had a genuine devotee who is also an orthodox vaishnava as my guru, who is now 92. Ramanuja took as his disciple those whom had the only qualification of being a devotee and calling ourselves as his followers should we restrict ourselves within the fold of vaishnavism itself seggregating into vadagalai and thenkalai?.
There is no basic distinction between thenkalai and vadakalai except the mode of worship and the attitude towards sarnagathi which again depends on one's individual relationship to the Lord irrespective of which sect he belongs to.A thenakalai vaishnavite may follow the path of markatanyaya of vadakalai , that is, the way of a young one of a monkey which holds to its mother by its own efforts, instead of the maarjaalanyaya of the thenkalai, that is, the way of the kitten which is carried by its mother in her mouth without any effort on its part, and vice versa.I t all depends on one's capability and thr degree of devotion which may vary from person to person no matter whether he belongs to vadagalai or thenkalai..further and say that all devotees belong to one class, the class of bhaagavathas and to be treated equally. The differences are only in the modes of worship which is purely a matter of convenience and convention.It is said in the Mahabharatha thatthe Lord requires no more than a pot filled with water, the washing of His feet with love and words spoken to Him with love,'anyatpoornaadhapaam kumbhaat anyatpadhaavasechanaat anyatkusalsamprasnaat na chechchathi janaardhanah.'
As long as you have His mark on your mind it doesnot matter how you mark your forehead.External paraphernalia is to creata the attitude of bhakthi so that the Lord will make your heart His aboad. Once He has come in the these outward marks are like the kolam we put on our doorstep to denote auspiciousness.True vaishnava is one who has ahimsa,satya, TOLERANCE, bhoothadaya etc. One of the five yajnas namely, Brahmayajna, devayajna, manushya yajna, pitryajnaand bhootha yajna, is manushya yajna , service to mankind treating all as same, and in Bhagavata the Lord says that if you do not respect and treat all human beings equally ther is no use doing puja to Him and He actually gets angry with yiour worship.So no dogmas or bigotry is allowed for a vaishnava as laid out clearly in the favourite song of Gandhiji , ' vaishnavajan tho the ne kahiye,' by Narsi Mehtha
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