No subject

[Devendra Vyas]

definitely,otherwise there will be no difference between us and the priests
of varanasi!!!regards the discussion on the geeta,we can start immediately
but it would be better if vaidya and others decide on the modalities and
clear all the points -that is,how much time to allot for 1 shloka ,.. etc so
that we start on a surer and less confused note.

>From: anandharig <anandharig at INF.COM>
>Reply-To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
><ADVAITA-L at braincells.com>
>To: ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG
>Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 09:56:39 +0530
>
>Well said Ashish .
>Let's please stop this discussions now.
>If anybody has dislike for Swami VivekAnand then it's his problem.
>Let's start some constructive discussion.
>
>Anand.
>                 -----Original Message-----
>                 From:   Ashish Chandra [mailto:ramkisno at HOTMAIL.COM]
>                 Sent:   Thursday, October 28, 1999 1:23 AM
>                 To:     anandharig
>                 Subject:
>
>                 Namaste All,
>
>                 The name of Swami Vivekananda has come up again and it is
>my
>personal
>                 opinion that we err by calling him 1) what he never
>claimed
>for himself and
>                 2) dubbing him a "modernist thinker".
>
>                 I am sure there are enough here who have read Swamiji's
>writings and would
>                 therefore be aware that he never claimed for himself the
>position of some
>                 sort of expert on Hindu philosophy. Instead, he attributed
>his fame to his
>                 Guru and his knoweldge to the knowledge in our ancient
>scriptures.
>
>                 He came and his fame spread. That is beyond doubt. He
>appealed not to the
>                 experts of philosophy, but rather to a slave and moribund
>nation crying out
>                 for the release of its ancient spirit. He appealed to the
>common man,
>                 telling him about the greatness of his culture and
>religion.
>A thousand
>                 years of slavery dented our spirits. In him, India saw
>something to
>                 celebrate about.
>
>                 He never put himself at par with our Acharyas. Never did
>he
>criticize the
>                 Shastras. Even those texts which the secularists of today
>flaunt as
>                 Brahiminical and oppressive, even those he defended by
>saying that they
>                 might have been relevant in the times. If anyone claims
>that
>he came to
>                 reform Hinduism, then that person has not suffeciently
>imported what he
>                 said. He was wedded to the spirit of Bharat, as Sister
>Nivedita has written.
>
>                 As for our customs, he crticized what he termed as "Don't
>touchism". Citing
>                 the example of Malabar, he said that if an Untouchable
>crossed the path of a
>                 Brahmana, he was beaten up and scolded for that but as
>soon
>as that person
>                 took up the name of John or Ismail, he was welcomed with
>full honors. This
>                 he termed as hypocrisy.
>
>                 I feel it would be an injustice to his greatness and
>memory
>if we indulge in
>                 judging him in retrospect. Let us even call him an
>ordinary
>man who was
>                 deeply pained at the "patan" of society around him and the
>misery of his
>                 fellow countrymen. To him, the message of Vedanta provided
>the inspiration
>                 for not just his personal Moksha, but to serve selflessly
>(Nar Seva Narayan
>                 Seva), something which forms the hallmark of the ideal of
>Seva as a means to
>                 Chitta Shuddhi. He was not "flattered" by calling himself
>God but tried to
>                 make the enslaved Indian fearless by claiming so on the
>basis of Vedanta. He
>                 wanted to "raise" the Hindu spirit which had suffered
>enormously because of
>                 invasions etc. Let us also not forget that the call for
>action was from his
>                 Guru, something no Shishya can ignore (Swami Dayananda
>Saraswati is another
>                 example).
>
>                 We can argue endlessly about all that he did. I can also
>say
>that I am
>                 interpreting Swamiji but this is the closest I can get to
>following his
>                 ideas verbatim. If we don't want to call him a great
>Advaitin, fine. We
>                 can't claim for him what he never claimed for himself.
>However, one message
>                 that comes out loud and clear from his writings is that be
>proud of your
>                 culture and religion because it is this land which is the
>land of Rishis'
>                 Tapas and it is here that Man himself is considered God.
>Be
>proud of your
>                 Hindu heritage by knowing what it is all about. If his
>writings become the
>                 seed for a new thrist to know about our
>culture/traditions/scriptures, then
>                 Swamiji has been immensely successul, as he has been in my
>case.
>
>                 Jaladhar, RK Mission is not a cult that seeks to increase
>its numbers.  They
>                 are still welded to the idea of service as Swami
>Vivekananda
>has envisioned.
>                 We hear all about Christian missionaries setting up
>schools
>and hospitals in
>                 remote parts of India but never hear of other "Hindu"
>organisations that are
>                 doing stellar work.
>
>                 ashish
>
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>                 bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam
>
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>--
>bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam
>
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