Ramanisblog

Month: December 2014

  • Adi Shankaracharya Did Not Establish Shankar Mutts

    All of us follow the information that Ai Shankaracharya established  four Maths, one each for direction.

     

    They are.

    Shankaracharya with His disciples
    Shankaracharya with His disciples

     

     

     

    East-Padmapara-Govardhana Peetha-Rig Veda-Pragaynam Brahma is the Mahavakya-Bhogavala Sampradaya.

     

    South-Suresvara-Sringeri Sarada Peetham-Yajur Veda-Aham Brahmasmi-Bhurivala Sampradaya.

     

    West-Hasthamalakacharya-Dwaraka Peetham-Sama Veda-Thattvamasi-Kitavala Sampradaya.

     

    North-Totakacharya-Jyothir Matha-Atharvan Veda-Ayamatama Brahma-Nanada Vala Sampradaya.

     

    Adi Sankaracharyas’ date varies from BC to 3, 8 Century AD.

     

    While the BC date is nor proven by records, I am speaking of Indian records for the western records might post date him or might even deny his existence

    However,.the AD dates seem to be reasonable.

     

    Thirugnana Sambhandar , a Tamil Saint, is quoted by Adi Shankaracharya in his Soundarya Lahari, as Dravida Sisu’

     

     

    So Shankaracharya should have been before the close of the 15 Century AD.

     

    The earliest recorded visit to Madurai Adheenam , established by Gnana Sambhandar was by Robert De Nobili in 1605.

     

    “F. Robert was pleased and visited the temple as well as our Aadheenam during the rule of our 230th Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Jnana Bhotaha Sri Jnana Sambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal and had discussions on common interests. Fr. Robert D. Nobily was in love with Tamil and learned it well.”

     

    ”

    The Commander Masikapoor of the Emperor Aurangzeb visited our 237th Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Mithiyeshwara Sri Jnana Sambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigaland they had a long sitting of sharing many avenues of their interests.

    Commander had presented an “Ivory Paduka” to our 237th Guru Maha Sannidhanam. Together with big silver places for Naivedyam (sacred food offered to divine), full set of Sodasa Upachara Pooja/Deeparadhandi, silver glasses, jugs etc and two Rajasthan horses for Rishi and palaquin for relaxing after long travels.”

     

    So if we take one Adheenam was place for 30 years at the minimum, then the first mutt by Sambhandar should have been 6900-1600.

     

    So this places Sambandar 4300 BC!

     

    Then Shankaracharya dates back to between 4300-4000 BC!

     

    But the Bhakti Literature mentions Gnana Sambhanda around 7 Century AD when Tirunavukkasar is mentioned as a contemporary of Sambanda.

     

    This is supported by  other evidence of the same period in Tamil.

     

    So Shankaracharya’s date may be  around 7 Century AD.

     

    Now to the view that Shankaracharya did not establish the four Mutts.

     

    Shankaracharya,according to the Legends, engaged in Arguments with the Heads of established systems at Mutts and won them over.

     

    This means that he did not etablish these these Mutts in the strictest sense , inherited them and molded them .

     

    Then he inherited these Mutts.

     

    “According to Pandey, these Mathas were not established by Shankara himself, but were originally ashrams established by Vibhāņdaka and his son Ŗșyaśŗnga.[38] Shankara inherited the ashrams at Dvārakā and Sringeri, and shifted the ashram at Śŗngaverapura to Badarikāśrama, and the ashram at Angadeśa to Jagannātha Purī”

     

    * I shall be posting on Kanchi Mutt from the Historical perspective

     

    Citation.

     

    http://ma.nithyananda.org/dfoienr20938l4kfdifd/history/visits-by-great-honorary-personalities-to-madurai-aadheenam/

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara#Mathas

     

     

     

     

     

  • Manu On Vanaprastha Asrama Present Day

    Hinduism sets four stages of Life.

    Vanaprastha.jpg
    Vanaprastha.

     

    Brahmacharya, The Celibate Stage, where one regulates his senses and learns the Vedas and the Vedangas.

     

    Gruhastha, when one gets married and discharges the duties of a Householder,

     

    Vanaprastha, one having performed his duties as a Family Man, retires to the forest, either with the wife or without, in this case handing over the wife to be looked after by his sons,

     

    and Sanyasa, when one relinquishes everything and contemplates on the Self, Reality.

     

    When does one know when he has reached the stage of Vanaprastha?

     

    ““When a householder sees his skin wrinkled and his hair white, and sees the birth of his grandsons, then he may resort to the forest …. either committing his wife to his sons or accompanied by her”

     

    Grahathastu Yada Pasyadi Vali palitam atmanah ,

     

    Apatasyaiva Capatyam tatdarnyam samasrayet .Manu 6.2

     

    What one is expected to do?

    “At this stage one gives his property to his heirs or donates it, goes into seclusion, and does penance. One becomes inward looking. He still contributes with his experience, through advising and teaching. Having fulfilled his desires in the previous ashrama, one is expected to win over senses and sensuous pleasures. Thus his work is also more dispassionate and detached, as he does not seek any specific result from the work. It will be for the benefit of society alone. Though one is supposed to celibate, he is not required to renounce or live alone. One can take his wife or live with any other person. One is also permitted to earn his livelihood though not to save/accumulate. But unless there is a specific need, he does not enter the city – usually people needing a vanaprasthi’s advice go to him instead of him visiting people.

    One still has debts towards rishis and gods at this stage, and does teaching as well as performs sacrifices to propitiate the devatas. His primary debt towards pitris is cleared as he obtains progeny and raises them in grhastha ashrama, though he continues giving oblations to pitris during vanaprastha (Manu 6.1-32).”

     

    How does one follow this in the present age?

     

    Vanaprastha in essence means  detached attachment.

     

    The difference between this and Sanyasa is that Sanyasa is total detachment.

     

    Detached Attachment.

     

    Not resorting to philosophical deliberations, it is this.

     

    When children have their own Family, parents must not expect that every decision is referred to them for approval nor should they expect to be consulted with the clear view that we, as parents have had a run of our and their life for quite some time and let them perform.

     

    Avoid unsolicited advice.

     

    Do not expect your advice to be followed.

     

    Do what is expected of you in Varnasrama Dharama by remaining at Home, ensuring that your essential needs are met, as far as possible without disturbing others.

    Citation.

    http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Varna_Ashrama_Dharma#Vanaprastha

     

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  • Angala Parameswari Non Vedic Deity

    My cousin brother’s daughter’s Family Deity is Angala Parameswari.

     

    It is rare to find the Family of Brahmins having Angala Parameswari as Family Deity.

    Angala Parameswari.jpg
    Angala Parameswari,Melmalayanoor.

     

    I have also noticed that some Brahmin Families have Village Deities , like the one for Vana Durga near Tiruvarur.

     

    My mother used to take us for th Tonsuring of the head to Andavar Koil near Manapparai after visiting Palani in Tamil Nadu.

     

    I am intrigued.

     

    These Deities are not Vedic Deities,

     

    How come these are worshiped in Brahmin Households when Brahmins are basically  Vaidikas, those who follow the Vedas?

     

    My interpretation is that as Hinduism allows Ishta Devata( One’s personal choice of God), apart from Kula Devata , Family Deity,Deities like Ankala Parameswari might have been the Ista Devatha at some point of time and later it might have become the Family Deity.

     

    ”

    Goddess Ankalamma, or Angalamma, is also known as Ankamma or Angamma, Ankali, Angali, Ankala Parameswari and Angala Parameswari. She is worshipped with these names in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

    Ankalamma is counted as one of the Matrikas or “Seven Mothers“. [H. Krishna Sastri, “South Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses” pages 223–224] She is also considered to be a form of goddess Ankali or Kali. In order to incorporate her worship into Vedic Hinduism, Ankamma is labeled as the mother of the Trimurtis, the Hindu male trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. However, Ankalamma is a non–Vedic deity and, like so many Tamil popular deities, she seems to have originated in a fierce guardian figure. Hindu scholars like H, Krishna Sastri say that “it is difficult to explain the origin of her name“, but he affirms that the sacred areas of Ankalamma and similar village goddesses are much dreaded by the locals. In the rituals dedicated to her she is appeased with blood…

    Pardhis of North India worship Goddess Kalanka. The Koravas, Erukalas, Bedaras, Valmikis, Mudiraj, Kapus and even cholas who had their origins in Bhil–Pardhis, worship this Kalanka in the name of Ankala. Ankamma is a gradual modification of the name Kalanka.

    Kala = Black

    Aank = Anka = Eye

    Kalanka = Goddes with Black Eyes

    Kalanka => Kala + Anka => Anka + Kala => Ankala

    Kalanka => Ankala => Ankalamma => Ankamma

    Ankamma Kolupu ritual

    The main characteristic of the ritual called Ankamma Kolupu is that a midnight worship (puja} is performed by making a colorful Rangoli with wheat flour, turmeric powder, kumkum, black charcoal powder, etc. During the worship singers recite ballads based on local stories about warrior ancestors (Veeran).The climax comes at the end of the ritual, when the devotees sacrifice a goat and its blood is spilled in order to appease the goddess. Other rituals like the Devara Kolupu or Veerla Kolupu are normally performed on some special occasions by individuals or by the community as a whole.”

    Citation.

    http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/7905731

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  • What Is Swayam Acharya Of Sri Vainshnavam

    What Is Swayam Acharya Of Sri Vainshnavam

    The Sri vaishavaites of some groupings follow the Swayam Acharya Sampradaya.

     

    I have a close friend who is a Swayam Acharya.

     

    Unfortunately, though he is a devout Iyengar,he was unable to say what it was excepting that he was following the Acharya of a Mutt.

     

    When I checked with some of m other Iyengar friends, they also did not have the details.

     

    I have referred some texts, the internet and am sharing the information.

     

    Suggestions for improvement is welcome.

     

    The earliest name the Puranas ascribe to those who worship Lord Vishnu is ‘Bhagavatha’

     

    Later it was meant to include those who follow Pancharatra.

     

    Please read my post on Pancharatra.

     

     

    Bhagavatha means one who sings. praises the Glory of Bhagwan, here it refers only to Vishnu,

     

    Technically this is incorrect as it refers any one who praises Bhagawan,

     

    Please read my post on Bhagwan, God in Hinduism.

     

    Equally incorrect to say that Ishwara refers only to Lord Shiva.

     

    Iswara means personal God , that’s all.

     

    Now to Swayam Acharya.

     

    Later when many Devathas were being worshiped, to distinguish those who worship Vishnu, the term Vaishnava was coined.

     

    As Vishnu is to be worshiped always along with Lakshmi, Sri, has been added.

     

    Thus was born the term Sri Vaishnava.

     

    Swayam Acharya means one who is an Acharya to himself.

     

    In the earlier days, when Brahmins were following all the duties of a Brahmin, including  Agnihotra, the tradition was handed over to the son.

     

    Thus the father becomes the first Acharya.

     

    In Upanayana, the Gayathri is first taught by the father.

     

    In all cases Father is the first Acharya.

     

    Sruthi says Pitru devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava  in this context.

     

    “Swayam Acharya sampradayam:
    In olden days, all the Vaishvaites were very orthodox, performing daily Agni Hothram in their houses. Therefore the father of the family himself was the Acharyan for the members of that family. He was initiating the members into Sri Vaishnava sampradayam by Samasrayanam process.

    Matams and Munitrayam sampradayam:
    Now a days, most of the family heads do not perform agni hotrams and follow the sampradayam very strictly. So for the purpose of Samasrayanam, we approach Matams. The matadhipathi/Swami/Acharya initiates us into sampradayam.

     

    Citation.

    http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/may99/0063.html

     

    http://ramanuja.wikifoundry.com/page/Sri+Vaishnavaite+Monastries

     

    This term is used for Sri Vaishnavas who are descendants
of the original 74 disciples of Ramanuja, and who continue
to have association with learned members of their extended
family who administer the panca-samskAra (samASrayaNam) 
and minister to their needs.  Many of our most learned
acharyas came from "svayam-AchArya" families -- Desika,
Pillai Lokacharya, etc. This is because the concept of
a maTha and therefore a sampradAya based on the maTha
dates from the 14th century, much after Sri Ramanuja's
time.

Some notable svayam-AchArya families are Prativaadi Bhayankaram,
Tatacharya, Tirumalai Anandaanpillai, Nallaan Chakravarti, etc.
There are many scholars among these families even today,
as they have a strong sense of connection to the tradition
and maintain a certain level of scholarship.

Not all descendants of the 74 original disciples are still
considered "svayam AchArya".  At some point, some of the  
descendants drifted away from their traditional acharya or
did not have a strong scholar in their family, and consequently
became associated with some maTham or other swami.  So there
will be Sri Vaishnavas who bear the appellation "Kidambi",
"Vangipuram", "Tatacharya", etc., who at one point belonged 
to svayam AchArya purusha families, but who now follow
some other swami.

It should be pointed out that some people object to the
term "svayam AchArya purusha" (not the concept behind it)
with the feeling that only one person is truly a "svayam
AchArya", an acharya for himself -- the Lord.
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  • Types Of Vaishnava Sampradayas History of Vaishnavam 3

    Types Of Vaishnava Sampradayas History of Vaishnavam 3

    Sampradaya may be translated loosely as Tradition.

     

    Practices that were followed are continued by successive generations at the Family level.

     

    Thus in Hinduism we have some practices that are common to all the Hindus and some that are group specific.

     

    Some Common practices  are,

     

    Waking up early in the morning,

     

    Taking bath and drawing Rangoli in  front of the House,

     

    Doing Pooja,

     

    Performing Sandhyavandan, in the case of Brahmins,

     

    Performing pooja and offering Naivedya to God,

     

    Cook only after taking bath,

     

    Perform basic samskaras like Namakarana, Karna Bhooshana, Upanayana, Marriage, Garbhadhana, Seemantha,Anthima Samaskaras.

     

    But the way of performing them and some practices distinguish one group from another, though in essence all are Hindus.

     

    The two sects in Hinduism, Shaiva and Vaishnava, the former worships Shiva, the later Vishnu,the Samapradayas differ.

     

    What is Vaishava Sampradaya?

     

    Basically Vaishnavas worship Vishnu to the exclusion of all other Deities, though Puranas insist that this is not correct.

     

    Even among the Vaishnavas, there are different Sampradayas.

     

    They are four in number traditionally.

     

    Sri Sampradaya which is the Sampradaya of Lakshmi
    Philosophy: Vishishtadvaita (“Qualified Monism/Non dualism”), espoused by Chidachida Visishtam Ramanujacharya
    See Sri Vaishnavism, Vaikhanasa, Ramanandi Sect, Swaminarayan.
    Brahma sampradaya
    Philosophies: Dvaita (“dualism”), espoused by Madhvacharya, and Achintya Bheda Abheda (literally “inconceivable difference and non-difference”).
    Rudra sampradaya
    Philosophy: Shuddhadvaita (“pure nondualism”), espoused by Vishnuswami and Vallabhacharya.
    Kumara-sampradaya
    Philosophy: Dvaitadvaita (“duality in unity”), espoused by Nimbarka.

    In South India.

     

    1. The Iyengars, who follow the Sri Vaishnava Vishistadvaita philosophy of Asuri Ramanujacharya. The Iyengars are further divided into the Vadakalai-i.e. the northern school, and Thenkalai or southern school. Both these sects adhere to the Pañcaratra agama, in temples.

    These two sects evolved about 200 years after Ramanuja and differ on 18 points of doctrine. The founder of the Vadagalai sect is Swami Vedanta Desika, and the Tengalai sect is Manavala Mamuni.[26] But both schools have a common Guru Parampara prior to the division. The Sri Vaishnavas use both the Sanskrit veda as well as the Tamil divyaprabandham in temple worship.

    1. The Madhvas, who follow the Sadvaishnava Dvaita philosophy of Madhvacharya.
    2. The Vaikhanasas, who are primarily an ancient community of temple priests, who use the Vaikhanasa Agama in temple worship. They use Sanskrit exclusively in temple worship.

    But as I indicated in my post Vadakalai, Thenkalai has no sanction of the Vedas, there is no sanction for these divisions in the Vedas.

     

    The Reality is One but people practice different methods to realize it , period.

     

    Squabbles are not allowed, if one is a Hindu.

    Citation.

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavism#Vaishnava_sampradayas

     

     

     

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