[Advaita-l] A Tamil conversation on Shaivam and Vaishnavam

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Namaste Ravi ji

It's good to see Vaishnavas highlighting the common vedic basis of Indian
philosophical schools.

For a more "scholarly" elucidation using left wing jargon claiming that the
sanAtana Dharma does not exist, please see for an overview -


https://theprint.in/india/iit-delhi-faculty-hindu-religion-20th-century-invention-controversy/302088/

All this is well-known by now. It's a pity such 'philosophers' theorize in
high-falutin Marxist verbiage to dishonestly attack Dharma with nuggets
like -
"Shaj Mohan and Divya Dwivedi wrote that M. K. Gandhi shares the
responsibility for inventing the Hindu religion" (excerpted from an intro
to an interview with the Washington Post)

Also see
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divya_Dwivedi
and
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaj_Mohan

to get an idea of how India's elite educational institutions are dominated
by Marxist theologians like the above.

Intellectual defence of Dharma is important. Since the Advaita teaching
sampradaya rests on that edifice of Dharma.

Om

Raghav






On Sat, 2 Jan, 2021, 9:39 AM Ravisankar Mayavaram via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> This particular talk addresses the purvapaksha that  Saivam and
> vaishNavam are two separate religions; and there is no such thing as
> Hinduism.  They also state they have no connection to the vedic
> religion. This arguments is floated by Atheistic movements in Tamil Nadu
> and the christian conversion missionary groups greatly benefit by this
> and other attacks that are going in Tamil Nadu for over the last five
> decades. Even as recently as a week or two ago, the Tamil nationalist
> leader  Seeman (allegedly a christian who started his career as in
> Dravidar movement as an atheist) made this claim about Saivam (which I
> saw in a YouTube video).
>
> In this video,  Sri Dushyanth Sridhar addresses this purvapaksha and
> establishes it not so and goes on to show the vedic basis of both Saivam
> and vaishNavam. In addition, he brings in the basis for Saaktam.  He
> brings in both gaaNapatyam and kaumaaram as subsets of both Saivam and
> Saaktam. Essentially makes a very strong case that there is no Saivam or
> vaishNavam without vedas.
>
> But  Sri Dushyanth Sridhar does not establish a strongly  the case for
> sauram. For that, he goes to references in Mahabharata and Ramayana; and
> states there is not a strong reference in vedas! And concludes that it
> is any way a subset of vaishnavam.  He also makes a claim that
> Taittiriyopanishad is about Lord Vishnu.  These are side points.  For
> Sauram, there are vedic mantras and what is more stronger that daily
> trikaala sandhyavandanam and arghyam. Why this is critical to show?
> Because the Tamil calendar is a Sauramaana calendar and a strong Surya
> connection has to be shown.
>
> The bigger context here is the resurgence or uprising of Hinduism
> against the so-called atheistic Dravidian forces. The strong entry and
> time investment of BJP in Tamil Nadu is making them nervous. Recently
> BJP started a vel (shakti aayudha of subrahmaNya) yaatra and that has
> put them on defense stating that you have no right over Siva and Muruga,
> they are part of Tamil culture and religion; and nothing to do with
> vedic religion. But this line of argument for Dravidian movements is not
> new.
>
> One may ask, why do I care about all this?
>
> You have to care, because the attrition and the damage it brings to our
> dharma is devastating in both short and long run. Our temples thrive
> because of support from all the communities and they will hit by this
> two-mode attack (one masquerading as atheist/rationalist and other
> subversive conversion). Even today on an another front, there are
> allegations that the Government (which is responsible for only the
> management of Hindu temples) swindles crores of rupees from Hindu
> temples (many very ancient) and they languish for funds. In rural areas,
> priests (both agama and vaidika) struggle to make ends meet.
>
> When it started five decades ago as an attack on a small (3%)
> defenseless brahmaNa community with accusations that they are
> responsible for caste system and all other evils. Rest of the Hindu
> community either watched in silence and/or joined in. Fortunately,
> things like cutting the Sika and upavitam etc. stopped after MGR took
> over in 1970s. And things even took a positive turn when Jayalalitha
> become the chief minister.The underlying persistence of these attacks on
> our dharma masquerading as attacks on brahmaNas still persists. But now
> no one talks about caste system practiced by Christian and Muslim
> communities. They have churches for specific castes and others cannot go
> in. If the converted to get rid of this evil, why they still persist?
>
> I like the anchor Mr. Pande and I am very very glad that many now speak
> up. May be it is late. But better late than never.
>
> (looks like this is a video-series, I just watched this one).
>
> Ravi
>
>
> On 12/15/2020 4:50 AM, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l wrote:
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq-KciZ_AqQ
> >
> > regards
> > subbu
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