[Advaita-l] Sringeri Jagatguru announces His Successor

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Tue, 6 Jan 2015, D.V.N.Sarma డి.వి.ఎన్.శర్మ via Advaita-l wrote:

> In order that the peethadhipathis may understand, relate  and communicate
> with the modern society, I think they should have some grounding in modern
> science and technology. If not, they will be more and more alienated from
> the society and loose their relevance.

There appears to be a typo in your post let me fix it for you.

> In order that the illiterate modernists  may understand, relate and 
> communicate with dharmic society, I think they should have some 
> grounding in sanskrit and shastras. If not, they will be more and more 
> alienated from the society and loose their relevance.

Much better right? :-)

> Already their impact on the society at large is infinitesimal. The only 
> people who look to them is a very small fraction of the society (the 
> priestly class)

Assuming that this is true (and its not by a long shot) what makes you 
think that "a grounding in science and technology" would make any 
difference?  If you had any grounding in science yourself you would know 
about the large amount of sociological research being done into the 
decline and rise of various religions.  I'm not going to do your homework 
for you; look into it yourself and see how much e.g. spouting some 
gibberish about quantum physics will help.  And if let's say he opens a 
twitter account it will be in the papers for one week and then back to 
usual.  Real social changes take effort by large groups of people.  Have 
you done your part?  Or are you just another one of those armchair 
generals?

Don't you see the irony that we are discussing this issue ON THE INTERNET? 
I myself first heard the news on www.sringeri.net a web site on the 
internet maintained by the matha itself.  (You knew this right?)  How much 
more modern do you want communication to get?

But if you think the present Jagadgurus communications are subpar I bet 
you'll have some choice words about Bhagavan Dakshinamurti who doesn't 
communicate at all!  Yet His silence is meaningful for the one who is in 
the right frame of mind to understand.  If you wish to be led around by 
the nose there are plenty of Gurus (and popes and mullahs) who will be 
glad to be of insistance but Advaita Vedanta requires self-initiative on 
the part of the sadhaka.  No Deva or guru or jnani can give you jnana. It 
is something that can be only be achieved by ones own struggle.  Only a 
small elite can manage this.  This is why Advaita Vedanta will never be a 
mass movement and for that matter doesn't want to be a mass movement.

> whose self interest is served by exhortations made by 
> the pontiffs to uphold sanatana dharma. It is paraspara bhavana. You 
> scratch my back, I will scratch yours. It is high time for the pontiffs 
> to get out of this rut and take a fresh look at their relevance to the 
> society.

And you think your "modern society" isn't motivated by self-interest? 
Unfortunately this is the kind of half-baked analysis is what passes for 
intellectualism in contemporary India. All you and Venkatesh Murthy have 
done in this thread is build up a massive straw man and then proceed to 
knock it down.  What is the point?  Don't you people have anything useful 
to contribute to advaita-l?  If not why are you even here?


-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>