Monday, May 17, 2010

Mythical Thomas, Devious Theivanayagam and Conniving Church (Articles by Mr BR Haran)


From

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Mythical Thomas, Devious Theivanayagam & Conniving Church - I 


 By


B R Haran

13 May 2010

 


Wrong report and right action


 

It was shocking to see a report (with an accompanying photograph) in The New Indian Express (3 May 2010) titled, "Stir seeking right to worship". The report said, "Members of the 'Federation of All Self-Respecting Tamils' observed a fast inside the Kapaleeswarar Temple demanding right to worship inside the temple in Mylapore. Federation president Mu. Theivanayagam said the fast was to condemn one section which had hijacked the rights of Tamils to perform puja inside the sanctum sanctorum. He demanded the state government appoint unbiased interlocutors to resolve the issue and ensure the rights to perform puja inside the garbagraha as in Kasi Viswanathar Temple."

 


The photograph showed film director Seeman, who shot to sudden (in)fame espousing the cause of LTTE, addressing the gathering of about two dozen people brought to the venue by Theivanayagam.

 


We at Hindu Dharma Padukappu Iyakkam (Hindu Dharma Protection Movement) were surprised as both Theivanayagam and Seeman are Christians and unashamedly anti-Hindu, and yet the Executive Officer of the famous temple had given (as per the report) permission to such dubious characters to protest inside a Hindu Temple. Moreover, the issue taken up by the protestors is sub-judice, as the 'All Caste Archagas Ordinance' passed by Tamil Nadu Assembly itself stands challenged in the Supreme Court of India.

 


We promptly got in touch with other Hindu organizations, some were out of station. Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi, Nandanar Peravai (Nandanar Forum) and Desiya Sinthanaiyalar Peravai (National Thinkers Forum) agreed to send volunteers to assemble in front of Mylapore police station and lodge a complaint against Theivanayagam and Seeman and later to protest against HR & CE. We prepared a letter to the Chief Minister demanding the ouster of Executive Officer, Joint Commissioner, Commissioner and the Minister for HR & CE.  


 

At the same time, we were amused as there was every chance that the report was wrong, as it is quite common for newspapers and magazines to file factually wrong reports and then publish a regret note in some corner, if required. So we decided to confirm the veracity of the news report. Unsurprisingly, we learnt that the event had not happened inside Kapaleeswarar Temple and that New Indian Express had wrongly mentioned the venue as Mylapore Temple.


 

By afternoon, while preparing for the protest, we learnt that the hunger strike demo was actually conducted at Rajarathinam Stadium, Egmore, with due police permission. It was simply appalling that the police gave permission to Christian bullies to demonstrate on a Hindu cause, even if this was not inside the temple premises. We decided to register our protest with the Commissioner of Police.


 

CoP being unavailable, we met a senior official (Intelligence) and apprised him of our concerns and feelings of outrage. We felt strongly that the police had erred in giving permission to Christians to demonstrate on a Hindu issue and questioned the locus standi of the demonstrators. The official, who never expected a well-articulated protest, could not give convincing answers. Later, we submitted a complaint against Theivanayagam, who has a notorious track record of virulent anti-Hindu activities for over three decades.


 

Mythical Thomas and his fake Indian connection

 

The Western Christian elite, from Max Mueller to Macaulay, distorted our history and fed us their distortions. After independence, Marxists and other Western stooges took over as 'historians' and continued the dark and sinister legacy of the West. The mythical St. Thomas was planted and thrust on South India by Western historians to give a solid foundation for Christianity in ancient India. Many attempts have been made at regular intervals to impose the concocted story of Thomas (his arrival, life in Mylapore and death at the hands of a Brahmin) on the people, thereby removing the facts about the persecution of Hindus and destruction of Hindu Temples by Christian invaders (Portuguese, French, British) from the fifteenth century onwards.

 


The planting of the St. Thomas story was not only to have a foundation for Christianity in India, but also to spread it throughout the country. This fabrication succeeded slightly over the years in the areas of Madras, Nagapattinam and Puducherry, mainly because the Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore, Vel Ilankanni Amman Temple, Nagapattinam and Vedapureeswarar Temple, Puducherry, were destroyed and Santhome Basilica, Velankanni Church (Our Lady of Health Basilica) and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception built on their remains respectively. Well known scholars of Archaeology have established that the details of the destruction of the original Kapaleeswarar Temple could be found in Tamil inscriptions on the walls of the Marundeeswarar Temple in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai!


 

The so-called history of St. Thomas had been totally demolished by historian Ishwar Sharan in "The Myth of St. Thomas and the Mylapore Shiva Temple", translated into Tamil in elegant prose by Dr. B.M. Sundaram. Historian Vedaprakash wrote a Tamil book titled "Inthiyavil St.Thomas Kattukkathai" (Fake story of St. Thomas in India). Both authentically establish that the Thomas story was hundred percent false.


 

The most important part of Ishwar Sharan's research is the Vatican's letter of September 11, 1996, to him saying, "This Congregation for the Causes of Saints has received your letter of 26th August last in which you have asked for information regarding Saint Thomas' presence in India. We have not found in our Archives the letter supposedly written by this Congregation on 13th November 1952, of which you speak, because of a lack of more precise data (Diocese, destination, etc.). Nor do we have other data regarding Saint Thomas since this Archive was begun in 1588. His life is the object of the research of historians which is not the particular competence of this Congregation."

(Ref: http://hamsa.org/ for complete story on mythical Thomas)  


 

No wonder Pope Benedict categorically said Thomas had never visited India!


 

The Arulappa-Acharya Paul show

 

Late Dr. Arulappa, former Archbishop of Mylapore, played a vital role in keeping the Thomas story alive despite being fooled by one Acharya Paul (formerly Ganesh Iyer), a Srirangam based Brahmin who converted to Christianity and became a Bible preacher. He claimed to have obtained a Doctorate from Benaras Hindu University and presented himself as Dr. John Ganesh, professor of philosophy and comparative religions. He met a Catholic priest, Father Michael, of Tamil Ilakkiya Kazhagam (Tamil Literary Forum) and impressed him with his articulation on the Bible and Christianity. Father Michael took him to Father Mariadas of Srivilliputhur, who in turn introduced him to Archbishop Arulappa.

 


Arulappa, who wanted to create some sort of "proof" for Thomas and his influence on Thiruvalluvar, was taken aback by the impressive presentation of John Ganesh and committed to finance his 'research' to establish the Thomas story as authentic. Between 1975 and 1980, John Ganesh got Rs. 14 lakhs from Arulappa in the name of research. Realising very late that he had been taken for a ride, Arulappa made a police complaint and John Ganesh was arrested on April 29, 1980, after due investigations. Though the Madras High Court awarded him ten month rigorous imprisonment, he got away with just 59 days remand period due to the compromise petition filed by Arulappa.

 


Senior journalist K.P. Sunil wrote this full story under the title "Hoax!" in The Illustrated Weekly of India, April 26 - May 2, 1987, Bombay. He concluded:


 

"What is even more curious is that even as criminal proceedings against Iyer were in progress in the magistrate's court, a civil suit for a compromise had been filed in the Madras high court. The compromise decree was taken up immediately after the conclusion of the criminal case. Since Iyer had admitted the offence, his jail term was reduced to a mere two months imprisonment. And since he had already served 59 days of remand, this period was adjusted against the sentence.

 

In other words, Iyer, who had defrauded the archbishop to the tune of about Rs. 14 lakhs, was let off without any further punishment. He was ordered to forfeit all claim on the money given to him by the archbishop. Accordingly, the ornaments and money seized from him by the police were returned to the archbishop. As part of the compromise, Iyer was allowed to retain the large bungalow he had purchased with the archbishop's money…

 

…And the case, though officially closed, remains in many minds, an unsolved mystery."

(Ref: - http://hamsa.org/arulappa.htm)

 

(To be continued…)

 



http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1221
 
Mythical Thomas, Devious Theivanayagam and Conniving Church - 2 
 
B R Haran

14 May 2010
 

Exit John Ganesh; Enter Theivanayagam

 
As Dr. Arulappa's attempt to establish the Thomas story was marred in legal tangles, the Catholic Diocese took the services of a low profile evangelist named Theivanayagam and encouraged him to spread the Thomas canard. While the court battle was going on between Arulappa and Acharya Paul (John Ganesh), Theivanayagam was busy "researching" the history of Thomas.

 
In 1985-86, he had authored a book titled, "Viviliyam, Thirukkural, Saiva Siddantham – Oppu Aayvu" (Bible, Thirukkural, Saiva Siddantha – Comparative Research), wherein he attempted to conclude that Thiruvalluvar was a Christian and a disciple of the mythical St. Thomas, and that most of the Saiva Siddantha and the vivid knowledge found in Thirukkural were nothing but the sayings of the Bible! To achieve this devious objective, he distorted and misinterpreted verses of the Kural and Shaivite philosophical works. The book was published by the 'International Institute of Tamil Studies, Adyar, Madras' and a 'Doctorate' was conferred on him by the 'University of Madras', which goes to confirm the unholy Dravidian-Christian nexus!

 
Later, Tamil and Shaivite scholars protested and Dharmapuram Adheenam, a famous Shaivite Mutt came out with a book of refutation titled "Viviliyam, Thirukkural, Saiva Siddantham oppaayvin Maruppu Nool" (Bible, Thirukkural, Saiva Siddantha –  Comparative Research – Refutation)) written by eminent scholar Arunai Vadivel Mudaliar. It was released before a congregation of over 300 eminent scholars, including Justice Krishnaswami Reddiar, who strongly criticized Theivanayagam for his perversion of history. This extreme step was warranted to deny legitimacy to such deceitful materials by future generations for 'research' purposes.

 
Senior Journalist R.S. Narayanaswami noted, "Justice Krishnaswami Reddiar strongly criticised the modern tendency of publishing trash in the name of research. He said research must have an aim, a purpose, to get at the truth. Research was not meant to find evidence to denigrate an ancient faith. Research should not start with pre-conclusions or prejudices. Here the author's motive was to show the superiority of Christianity. Religion was based not only on facts but also on faith and beliefs. The book had hurt Hindu beliefs. Justice Krishnaswami Reddiar quoted from the works of Sita Ram Goel and Ishwar Sharan and asserted that the visit of St. Thomas to India was a myth. He wondered how such a book could be published by [the International Institute of Tamil Studies, Adyar, Madras,] set up by the Government. It was a crime that such a book had been written and published and awarded a doctorate degree [by the University of Madras,] he said."
(Ref: http://hamsa.org/deivanayakam.htm)

 
Since then Theivanayagam has been writing and publishing many books, all offensive against Hinduism.
 
Pope's shocker results in film production!

 
 As the Catholic Diocese was devising other strategies, Pope Benedict's statement "St. Thomas never visited India" fell on its head like lightening. This resounding statement from the Papacy, which shocked the Catholic community, shook the very foundations of Christianity in South India! As the Papacy didn't bother to listen to the Indian Catholic community, the Madras and Cochin Bishops met in Cochin, Kerala, during the second week of June 2008, to find out ways and means of re-establishing the history of the so-called St. Thomas.

 
As a step in that direction, the Archdiocese of Santhome, Madras, decided to produce a feature film on the mythical St. Thomas, at a cost of Rs. 50 crores, under the banner of the St. Thomas Apostle of India Trust; the office bearers included Archbishop A.M. Chinappa, Deputy Archbishop Lawrence Pius, Treasurer of the Diocese Ernest Paul and Script Writer Paulraj Lourdusamy.
 

The movie will present the life and times of the mythical St. Thomas in South India in general and Madras in particular. It will have supposedly important events like the alleged meeting between Thomas and Tamil sage Thiruvalluvar, establishment of Santhome Cathedral and alleged killing of Thomas by a Brahmin priest. As confirmation of the unholy Dravidian-Christian nexus, the Hon'ble Chief Minister Karunanidhi inaugurated this movie-magnum on the mythical St. Thomas!

 
In his speech, the Chief Minister did not mention the alleged meeting between Thomas and Thiruvalluvar. Karunanidhi, being a Tamil Scholar and well versed with Tamil literary works, refrained from talking about the connection between the Bible and Thirukkural or Thomas and Thiruvalluvar, thus confirming that the 'Thomas story' is an absolute falsehood!

 
But true to his policy of minority appeasement and majority provocation, he waxed eloquent on the supposed killing of Thomas by a Brahmin and went on to say that the particular scene alone would be enough for the success of the movie, though the church does not have an iota of proof of this alleged murder! The Chief Minister, a well-known expert on Thirukkural, felt it unimportant to ascertain the truth of the so-called meeting between Thomas and Thiruvalluvar. He knows well that questioning the historicity of Thomas will cost him votes, unlike questioning the historicity of Rama or Krishna!

 
After the much touted inauguration, there has been no information about the film. It is not clear if the Diocese has shelved the idea of producing the film on mythical Thomas.
(Ref: http://www.newstodaynet.com/col.php?section=20&catid=29&id=8961).

 
"Thamizhar Samayam" (Tamilian Religion) or "Thoma Kiruththuvam" (Thomas Christianity)
 
Close on the heels of the inauguration function, Theivanayagam organized a four-day meet titled, "Thamizhar Samayam – Muthal Ulaka Maanaadu" (Tamils Religion – First International Conference), from August 14 to 17, 2008, under the aegis of Dravida Anmeega Iyakkam (Movement of Dravidian Spiritualism), a movement started by him to spread the canard called "Thomas Christianity", in the name of "Adi Christhuvam" (early Christianity). The event was backed by the Mylapore Archdiocese (headed by Archbishop Chinnappa) which hosted the event in its own premises in Santhome near Mylapore.

 
Here, the following blasphemous distortions were projected as researched facts:
 
-        Adi Christhuvam (early Christianity), promulgated and established in Tamil Nadu by St. Thomas, is the original religion of the Tamils.
 

-        The Aryan invaders distorted Thomas Christianity and conceived new concepts called Shaivism and Vaishnavism and hence they must be treated as sub-sects of Thomas Christianity.
 
-        The 'holy trinity' of 'Father-Son-Holy Spirit' is denoted by 'Shiva-Muruga-Shakti' and the same is also denoted by 'Brahma-Vishnu-Rudra'
 
-        The 'holy trinity' concept has beautified Indian Religions. The 'Holy Spirit-Father' combination can be identified with 'Ardhanarisvarar' and 'Sankaranarayanar' formations.
 
-        St Thomas's teachings abound in Thirukkural and Sage Thiruvalluvar was a disciple of St Thomas.
 
Due to the timely posting of an article titled, "St. Thomas who taught Tamils to think" by famous Tamil writer and novelist Jeyamohan in his blog www.jeyamohan.in and timely action by www.tamilhindu.com and some individual Hindu activists, Theivanayagam tasted defeat and his four-day meet ended in miserable failure. Later he released a book titled 'Thiruneeraa, Siluvaiya?' (Sacred Ash, Or, The Cross?), which piled on fresh distortions:

 
-        The Hindu practice of applying 'sacred ash' on the forehead actually started from 'Ash Wednesday' the first day of the 'Penance' (Lent-days). The sacred ash comprises within it all the three stages of 'Death, Resurrection & Pardon due to the fact that the 'ash' cannot be destroyed, as the resurrected body cannot be destroyed.

 
-        When Vaishnavism got separated from Shaivism, the style of applying sacred ash was changed from horizontal pattern to vertical pattern.

 
-        Shiva is supposed to have given his left half to Shakti. If that left half is worshipped as woman, it becomes Shaivism and if the same is worshipped as man it becomes Vaishnavism.

 
-        'Thiruneetru Pathigam', a collection of Shaivite Hymns sung by Sage Thirugnaana Sambandhar comprises a number of messages of Christianity.

 
-        All Shaivite literatures namely 'Thirumurai', 'Thevaram', 'Thiruvasagam' and 'Thirupathigam' do not talk about the four Vedas namely Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva; as they carry the messages of Christ, the 'Bible' is the only 'Veda'.
 (Ref: http://www.newstodaynet.com/col.php?section=20&catid=29&id=12183)

 
Hindu Munnani president Ramagopalan filed a complaint with the then Commissioner of Police in November 2008, but the Tamil Nadu Police has so far not taken any action against Theivanayagam. Hindu Munnani failed to pursue the matter further despite Theivanayagam slapping a legal notice against it.
 
(To be continued…)

 


http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=1222
 
Mythical Thomas, Devious Theivanayagam and Conniving Church - 3 
 
B R Haran
15 May 2010

 
The Sri Lankan connection

 
Late last month, Theivanayagam proclaimed in an interview to Tamil biweekly Nakkeeran that he and his supporters would storm into the Kapaleeswarar Temple and capture it, as it was constructed on the ruins of a Church, which allegedly stood at the site centuries ago! As a first step, he has organized a 'hunger strike' with hand-picked supporters on May 2, 2010. His further plans include:

 
-        May 10 – 20: workshop for volunteers to involve them in the forthcoming protest.
 
-        May 23: march from Thiruvalluvar Temple, Mylapore, to Santhome Basilica and Kapaleeswarar Temple; public meeting near temple.
 
-         June 13: storming and entering sanctum sanctorum of Kapaleeswarar Temple and Santhome Church to perform pujas and conduct prayers.

 
Theivanayagam claims the present Santhome Church was originally a Shiva Temple built on the cemetery of St. Thomas and that the present Kapaleeswarar Temple was originally a Church! The inclusion of Santhome Church in the 'protest march' and 'storming entry' agitation is just a ploy to show he is also against the Church. He pretends he is not a Christian and that he practices only "Tamil Religion" (Thamizh Samayam, or, Thomas Christianity). But the fact remains that the Mylapore Archdiocese (present head Archbishop Chinnappa) has stood solidly behind all his activities for more than 30 years. The very fact that he is able to peddle nonsensical theories, author books on the same and print and publish them without any known sources of income for over three decades confirms that the Catholic Church is backing him.
 

Theivanayagam claims to have conducted a meeting uniting three categories of people namely, Tamil-Hindus who have got liberated from enslaving Brahminical thoughts; Tamil-Hindus who have got liberated from enslaving European Christian thoughts; and Tamil-Hindus who follow atheism, on December 27, 2009, under the aegis of "Federation of All Self-Respecting Tamils." This was followed by a meeting on February 27, 2010, wherein they resolved to liberate Kapaleeswarar Temple from Brahmin priests through various agitations.

 
On March 27, 2010, he wrote to the Chief Minister requesting him to liberate Kapaleeswarar Temple from Brahmin priests which would have special significance to the World Classical Tamil Conference. Copies were marked to Minister and Commissioner of HR & CE Department. The same day, he shot off letters to Archbishop of Mylapore and Head Priest of Kapaleeswarar Temple conveying his plans to storm both Santhome Basilica and the Temple.
 

On April 2, he wrote to Tamil Nadu BJP President Pon. Radhakrishnan of his plans to storm the temple.

             
On April 18, he wrote to the Chief Minister reminding him of his previous letter and demands. He urged the Chief Minister to appoint unbiased scholars as interlocutors to conduct his proposed dialogues with the Church and Temple authorities. Copies were marked to Mylapore Archbishop, Temple's Head Priest, HR & CE Department and others.

 
On April 16, he wrote to the Commissioner of Police requesting permission to for a hunger strike near Rajarathinam Stadium on May 2, which was permitted. Previously, when he sought to conduct a demonstration on April 14, against the Brahmin community, the police refused permission citing law and order problems.
 

On April 22, he again wrote to the Archbishop and Temple's Head Priest that he had informed the Chief Minister and other authorities of his plan of action. He mentioned that the Archbishop of Mylapore had agreed for talks and asked the Head Priest to reply at the earliest. (Ref: Monthly magazine "Thamizhar Samayam" run by Theivanayagam- May 2010  issue)
 

As mentioned in the police complaint lodged by Hindu activists on May 3, 2010, Theivanayagam has a notorious track record of virulent anti-Hindu activities for over 30 years. Theivanayagam takes advantage of the tolerance shown by Hindus, who have also made the mistake of ignoring him for many years. The hunger strike conducted by him and Seeman indicates a new trend - the development of an unholy nexus between Christianity and Tamil Chauvinism. This combination, in the absence of the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, will seek to destabilize society by playing "caste-cards" and "Tamil-cards", both aimed at Hindus.

 
This must be seen in the backdrop that the Church has a longstanding agenda of forming a "Tamil Christian Nation" comprising Tamil Nadu and North-East Sri Lanka. In fact, it is well established that "Tamil Eelam" itself is a Christian agenda.

 
As observed by Radha Rajan, Editor, www.vigilonline.com: "This new convergence of interest between Theivanayagam and the violent Tamil extremists like Seeman is a new trend and is headed only in this direction -

 
-        The Sri Lankan Tamil issue is for now over. The extermination of the LTTE has denied the violent Tamil extremists in TN all avenues for creative self-expression and has brought their political career to an abrupt end. The Tamil extremists in TN and Sri Lanka in turn play the roles of engine and coach. Whenever the LTTE found the going tough for them in Sri Lanka they hitched themselves to the ideological engine in TN to keep themselves going. Whenever the LTTE gained in strength in Sri Lanka, the Tamil extremists in TN hitched themselves to the militarily powerful LTTE engine. It has been a mutually profitable association for both sides.

 
-        The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in the US, Canada and Europe funded the extremists in both countries generously as did all Church denominations in Sri Lanka, America and Europe. Now that the Tamil Diaspora is scattered in North America and Europe and the TN extremists have been deprived of their military might and the LTTE decimated in Sri Lanka, one leg of the Tamil tripod - LTTE, TN Tamil extremists and the Tamil Diaspora – has been sawed off. The TN leg is shaking, while the Diaspora leg even if it is strong in itself, cannot support the tripod alone.
 

-        The idea is to strengthen the shaking TN leg and inject blood into a lifeless limb. The only way to keep the idea of the Christian state of Tamil Eelam alive is to keep the pot boiling in TN - keep this violent constituency united on an issue and keep them from being scattered. If there is one thing all Dravidians have in common, it is their congenital anti-Hindu hatred. Karunanidhi may find Tamil extremism in TN courts difficult to explain to judges here and in Delhi, but he can point the blood-thirsty ghouls in the direction of TN's Hindus to turn them away from the police and the government.

 
-        So, in the guise of Tamil pride, the violent Seeman, Thol Thirumalvalavan, Pazha Nedumaran and other erstwhile LTTE acolytes are now being actively courted by Christian Tamil priests to take up the cause of demanding that all castes be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of all TN temples to offer poojas.

 
-        TN's Hindu organizations have long disappeared from public life and the field is empty of all protest and challenge. The TN government and the Church have nothing to lose and everything to gain by pointing this violent group in the direction of Hindus and Hindu temples.

 
-        They stand to gain if the Dravidian parties abjure separatism and seek a huge bite in the Delhi pie; they stand equally to gain if the church succeeds in realizing the Christian state of Tamil Eelam from out of TN and the north and east of Sri Lanka. They may even concede their own Pakistan in Amparai if the Christian state of Eelam comes into being."

 
When the Eelam War-IV was at its peak and LTTE was getting decimated, Theivanayagam planned a demonstration at Memorial Hall in Chennai on April 7, 2009, in the name of "Thamizh Eezham Vendi Thamizhar Samaya Maanaadu" (Tamil Religious Conference Demanding Tamil Eelam). But police refused permission. In the literatures prepared for the conference, he claimed:

 
-        Sri Lanka connected with Tamil Nadu was a part of Kumari Kandam (Continent of Kumari aka Lemuria) before it was separated by Tsunami.

 
-        Eelam Tamils are original inhabitants of Sri Lanka; Sinhalese migrated from India during the time of Emperor Ashoka; the Tamil indentured labourers were sent by British government from India
 

-        Sinhala Buddhists are persecuting Eelam Tamils and the birth of Tamil Eelam is the only solution.

 
-        Tamil Eelam and Tamil Nadu will together constitute Tamil Nation via Thomas Christianity, which is the religion of Tamils.   

 
This will help readers to understand the association of Christian Tamil chauvinist and LTTE supporter Seeman with Christian Theivanayagam. We learn that Pazha Nedumaran, president, Tamil Nationalist Movement, and a known LTTE supporter, pulled out from participating in the event at the last minute for reasons known to him only. 
 

Conclusion
 
Tamil Hindus must understand that the Church is frustrated at the decimation of LTTE and would get back with more vigour and venom, applying different strategies. Tamil Hindus are certainly in for tougher and troubled times. The onus lies on the various Hindu organizations to rise to the occasion and thwart all attempts made by alien and chauvinistic forces.

 
Hindus missed the opportunity first when Arulappa and Acharya Paul were fighting in court; they missed a second chance when Dharmapuram Adheenam demolished the perverted distortions of Theivanayagam; they missed a third opportunity when Theivanayagam organized a four-day conference hosted by Mylapore Archdiocese.

 
Here is yet another chance, which must be utilized at any cost. Theivanayagam's theories are not only anti-Hindu but also anti-national. Lumpen elements like Theivanayagam and Seeman are a serious threat to communal harmony and national integration. Criminal complaints have to be registered demanding immediate police action. His premises must be raided, blasphemous books and materials confiscated, and financial sources screened.

 
The role played by the Catholic Church in backing him must be investigated. Simultaneously, watertight legal cases have to be filed to expose their nefarious activities and to assert the real identity and true history, and safeguard our temples and culture. Conferences and public meetings must be organized throughout the state to tell people the true story of Mylapore and the sham story of Santhome.

 
This is a perfect opportunity to demolish the so-called Thomas story once and for all!        
 
(Concluded)
 

***************

 Related posts:-

 

Assault on Hinduism.

The religion of ancient Tamils.

Thiruvalluvar worshiped Sri Rama!!

Was Thirvalluvar a Christian? – Karunanidhi in the fore again.

We have to rise against the State - sponsored Atheism in Tamilnadu

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Dhanvantri, the divine doctor



Dhanvantri, the divine doctor


By Prof. A.V. Narasimha Murthy,
former Head, Department of Ancient History & Archaeology,
University of Mysore. Star of Mysore,
Vol. 32, No. 88,
May 16, 2010
http://www.starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=specialnews&item=4772

Some years ago I was in Tokyo (Japan) to attend an International conference on oriental studies which included archaeology and other related subjects and Ayurveda also. I took some time off from archaelogy section and went to the Ayurveda session which was arranged in another huge hall.


I was surprised to see over one thousand delegates from different parts of the world including Russia, USA, England etc. I saw huge photographs of Dhanvantri, Charaka, Sushurta and Patanjali adorning the dais. That was for the first time I saw a photograph of Dhanvantri, the mythological divine doctor of India adorning the dais in a foreign land.


According to our tradition, he was a divine doctor and the inaugurator of Ayurveda. He is not mentioned in the vedas. The first reference to him is found in Kaushika Sutra (8th century BC). His origin is traced to the famous episode of churning the ocean of milk. It is said that Lakshmi came first followed by Dhanvantri draped in pure white with a pot containing amrita or the divine elixir which made gods immortal. Bhagavata purana considers him as the twelfth incarnation of Vishnu. (1) He is considered as a specialist in treating the poison from snake bite. As he also good at treating other diseases also, Gods requested him to be their physician.


Mahabharatha described him as the son of the king of Kashi by name Dhanva. He got the knowledge of medicine from sage Bharadwaja. This consisted of eight branches such as Shalya, Sakalya, Kayachitisa etc., and Dhanvantari later taught these to his disciples. To give him a human status, some texts refer to him as one of the nine gems (scholars) of Gupta emperor Vikramaditya.
A doctor who could prescribe one hundred medicines was a Vaidya;
a person who knew two hundred medicines was called a Bhishak and
a physician who knew three hundred medicines was called Dhanvantri.


Another source makes him the son of a Vaishya woman, who was blessed by a sage to have an illustrious son. This boy prayed to gods Ashwins and received the knowledge of medicine. Dhan-vantri is credited with a large number of books on Ayurveda of which Dhanvantri Nighantu is most famous.


The Bhagavata Purana gives a graphic description of the iconographic features of Dhanvantri. He is handsome with long and stout hands, reddish eyes, neck resembling a conch shell, blue in complexion and young in appearance, has an yellow cloth, decorated by garlands, stance like a lion and holding a pot containing nectar. The shilpashastra texts like Vishnudharmottara codified these characters.


There are many interesting stories about Dhanvantri. Once, Indra's wife Sachidevi became sick and required urgent treatment. God suggested that Dhanvantri be requested to attend on her. But Indra refused because Dhanvantri was not one among the gods and his status was lower and hence decided to invoke Shiva himself. Shiva appeared and told Indra to approach Dhanvantri who alone is capable of curing the disease of Sachidevi. Without any other way, Indra approached and requested Dhanvantri. He readily agreed and cured Sachidevi of her illness. Thus the vanity of Indra was humbled by the plan of Shiva himself. Dhanvantri's status increased among the gods, and they began to show more respect to him.


According to another story, snake king Vasuki sent snake queen Manasa against Dhanvantri to kill him and his disciples, because they were curing the snake bites among the people. Thus nobody used to die of snake bite and they were all praising Dhanvantri and his disciples. The snake king and queen felt that this was an insult to their power and prestige. At this point Shiva emerged and chastised Vasuki and his wife for their hatred against Dhanvantri who was respected even by gods. Vasuki fell at the feet of Dhanvantri and apologised to him for his action.


Though there are many temples for Vaidyanatha Shiva, the temples for Dhanvantri are rare. In the same manner, the sculptures of Dhanvantri are also rare. The famous Sri Ranganathaswamy temple of Srirangam has an interesting connection with Dhanvantri and the part played by Ramanujacharya in this. There is a shrine for Dhanvantri in the fourth prakara of the temple. There are stone records of Hoysala kings dated 1257 and 1493 AD which mention gifts to this temple of Dhan-vantri. Dr. Padmaja and Dr. Chitra Madhavan of Chennai have furnished some interesting incidents relating to this shrine.


Ramanujacharya was a great devotee of this temple and had emotional attachment. Different types of offerings (naivedya) were being offered to the deity in large quantities. One day when Ramanujacharya visted this temple, he found Sri Ranganatha to be sick. Ramanujacharya was very sad because his favourite god was suffering from some disease. Immediately he made enquiries about the food offered to the deity the previous day. He was informed that the deity was offered Jambu fruit (nerale or jamoon) along with curd and rice.


Ramanujacharya immediately understood that the combination of Jambu and curd had caused cold to the deity and hence he is sick. He ordered that a medicinal decoction (kashaya) be prepared and shown to Dhanvantri for his approval in his shrine and this should be carried to Sri Ranganatha and offered to him before the closure of the temple every night. Thus the practice of offering to the deity is more than 800 years old. Thus Dhanvantri is believed to be capable of curing even Vishnu also. That is the greatness of Dhanvantri, the divine physician and the founder of Ayurveda. Even today people recite Sanskrit verses praising him to get cured from disease. His birthday is celebrated the next day after Deepavali.




*****************************

(1) திருமாலவதாரம்:- சனகன், சனந்தனன், சனாதனன், சனற்குமாரன், நரநாராயணன், கபிலன், இடபன், நாரதன், அயக்கிரீவன், தத்தாத்திரேயன், மோகினி, வேள்வியின்பதி, வியாதன், தன்வந்தரி, புத்தன் என்ற பதினைந்து அம்சாவதாரங்கள். (பிங்.)

Saturday, May 15, 2010

What it makes to be wise - some astrological determinants.

A recent article in Livescience deals with a research to identify what wisdom means. (The details are given below.) The intriguing part of it is that man with all his scientific achievements has not yet discovered what makes him wise!

This makes me explore the tenets of astrology to know if astrology gives some clues about it.

In astrology Jupiter is the signifactor of wisdom. Jupiter is identified with ministership and wise counseling. Wisdom is not entirely dependent of expertise or knowledge in a particular subject. The capacity to grasp, think, judge and apply an idea or an issue or even people is associated with this Jovian faculty.

Thinking of bhavas, 2nd, 5th and 9th are associated with Jupiter. In addition we must look at the 4th bhava also.

The 4th of course tells about the kind of interest one has in a particular subject. Sun associated with the 4th gives an interest in political science, administration and astronomy. Moon shows faculty is watery sciences, psychology etc, Mars in criminal law and surgery, Mercury in communication, marketing and business related ones and Venus in technical and soft skills. Jupiter associated with the 4th house is special for a sense of righteousness and law and dharma. Jupiter with 5+ bindus in Ashtakavarga in the 4th is a definite advantage for wisdom. Great philosophers and wise people are made by Jupiter. But the 4th house connection is not enough.

The 5th actually stands for original and free thinking. The Karaka for the 5th is Jupiter. He also rules 2nd (of speech) and 9th which is 5th of 5th. The 9th stands for fortunes that is the result of purva punya. From these we make out that Jovian wisdom comes as a reward for past good karmas. It gets manifest in the tongue (2nd house of speech) and in thoughts (5th). The 5th house significance makes wisdom a naturally occurring faculty in a person.

As such, wisdom can not be developed nor nurtured. It comes inherently in a person.

We have heard of Solomon’s wisdom in the form of a story. The Ring of Solomon present in the palm also confirms Jovian connection. This Ring of Solomon is a small curve circling the index finger in the mount of Jupiter. The presence of this ring shows that the person is wise.


In reality we don’t find a fully developed curve of this ring. In most cases where it is present, it is present at the side of the palm on the mount. But a mere presence of a part of the ring itself ensures that the person is wise.

In reality I find the people with this ring to be more spiritual and have a sharp ability to grasp things quickly. Such people have been ministers, advisors or people who can influence others with wise counseling - wherever they are. The people around them usually can not overrule them. Instead they depend on them for wise counsel.

In the research, experience is given as a factor. Yes, with experience one grows wise. But a Jovian influence is needed to make one become wise with experience. Most wise people of the past (we can identify some in our families in our grannies) have become so with an ability to learn from experiences and mould their judgmental capacity accordingly.

It will not be out of context here to point out an additional faculty. It is formed with a coupling with Saturn. Saturn is the natural kaarak (signifactor) for Justice. When it gets associated with Jupiter, the person gets extra –wise. Such persons have acumen for spiritual brilliance and ability to understand and interpret scriptures. Jupiter stands for Vedic knowledge and Saturn for Dharmic life. They go hand in glove with each other to make a person spiritually wise and knowledgeable.

When Jupiter and Saturn are in own house or exaltation or friendly houses which happen to be quadrant or triangular to the ascendant and the ascendant lord, that is the ultimate combination to have. Such a person will be in his last birth and is not to be born again. He will be liberated from the cycle of birth and death after his life.

This yoga is known as Vrinji yoga. A person born in this yoga has completed most of his baggage of karma. He will be naturally endowed with vedic knowledge and will be an expert in interpreting vedic texts. He will be born with a passion for vedic knowledge.

He must have helped in the protection or conduction of vedic ceremonies, must have helped Vedik pandits, must have helped tirelessly to uphold Vedic religion in his previous birth (according to the astrological text, ‘Brahma Rishi Vaakyam’) The residual karmas which have to be necessarily experienced are experienced by him in this birth after which he attains Moksha.

This yoga gives another dimension to what constitutes wisdom. It is the knowledge of Veda dhrama. The person need not be an expert in Vedas, But the dharmic sense propounded by Vedic order constitutes wisdom. That is the import carried by Jupiter in association with Saturn.

Dharma means what needs to be done in a given situation. Therefore a finer grasp of what is needed to be done in a given situation is the major constituent of wisdom!

********

From

http://www.livescience.com/culture/wisdom-definition-100511.html

Wise Researchers Close in on Definition of Wisdom

By LiveScience Staff

posted: 11 May 2010 09:50 am ET

You may know wisdom when you see it, but scientists have yet to come of with a concise definition.

A new survey of 30 people who study wisdom reveals wisdom has features that distinguish it from other similar traits, such as intelligence and spirituality.

"There are several major definitions of wisdom, but no single definition that is all-inclusive and embraces every important aspect of wisdom," said study researcher Dilip V. Jeste, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego.

"Intelligence and spirituality share features with wisdom, but they are not the same thing," Jeste explained. "One can be intelligent, yet lack practical knowledge. Spirituality is often associated with age, like wisdom, but most researchers tend to define wisdom in secular terms, not spiritual."

Most of the experts agreed wisdom could be characterized as follows:

  • Wisdom is uniquely human.
  • Wisdom is a form of advanced cognitive and emotional development that is experience-driven.
  • Wisdom is a personal quality, albeit rare.
  • Wisdom can be learned, increases with age and can be measured.
  • Wisdom is probably not enhanced by taking medication.

Participating experts rated the relevance and importance of six statements on a scale from 1 (definitely not) to 9 (definitely so) with regards to the concepts of wisdom, intelligence and spirituality; for example "the concept can be applied to human beings."

The experts were then asked to rate the importance of 47 components, such as altruism, practical life skills, sense of humor, realism, willingness to forgive others and self-esteem, to the concepts of wisdom, intelligence and spirituality.

"One survey, of course, cannot fully and completely define wisdom," Jeste said. "The value here is that there was considerable agreement among experts that wisdom is indeed a distinct entity with a number of characteristic qualities. The data from our research should help in designing future empirical studies on wisdom."

The results are published online in the June issue of the journal Gerontologist.


Related posts:-

Can intelligence fail to detect God?

Can intelligence fail to grasp God?

Astrological factors for conception of a healthy child.



The news item given below is about how a couple have given birth to a healthy child by following the methods used in Vedic culture. The genetic aberrations can be put under check or even avoided if the couple plans the child in thoughtfully drafted methods of Vedic religion. Ayurveda and astrology have a say in these methods.

Speaking on astrology, I think I can give here some tips on conception of a healthy child as given by Varahamihira and others.

According to them the onset of menses follows certain planetary positions. Conception is successful in certain months only in which the menses has occurred under certain combinations.

The moon sign of the girl must be noted. The monthly movement of the moon with reference to this sign must be noted.

The 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th houses from moon sign are known as Upachayas.

The other houses (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 12th) are known as anupachayas or non-upachayas.

Usually menses occurs when the moon transits non-upachaya signs. If at the time, moon receives the aspect of Mars (Mars aspects 4th, 7th and 8th houses from itself), that menses will facilitate conception in that cycle. This is applicable to girls of child-bearing age.

Sometimes menses may occur when the moon transits upachaya signs. It won't facilitate conception even if Martian aspect is there on the moon.

So the moon's position (in non-upachaya) at the time of occurrence of menses is the primary requisite. Martian aspect is a facilitating factor for conception in that monthly cycle.

Texts then proceed to analyze the conditions required for men also. For the man, the moon must be in 'reverse' – that is in upachaya rasi from his moon sign and aspected by Jupiter or other friends of moon (sun, Mars) or Venus. When these conditions are present in a month for the man and woman, conception is more likely.

At the time of intercourse (lagna / ascendant) in such a month, there must not be melefics in the 7th house, for a healthy fertilization. There must be no planet in the 8th house. 

The lunar day (Thithi) of that time must not be Amavasya / Pournami / chathurthi (4th lunar phase) / ashtami (8th) / navami (9th) / chathurdasi (14th)

The day at that time (day starts at sunrise according to vedic astrology) can be Monday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday. Other days don't ensure formation of a healthy embryo.

The favorable asterisms are Sravana, Rohini, Anuradha, Swati, Revathi, Moola, Uttara, Uttrashada, Uttrabhadrapada and Satabhishak.

Pushya, Dhanishta, Mrigashira, Ashwini, Chiitra and Punarvasu are average. If all the other combinations (Thithi, day) are present, the days of these stars are ok. Rest of the stars is not favored for conception.

Since the moment of conception determines the nature of fertilization and the growth of the embryo into a healthy being, these astrological combinations were followed in Vedic system. Proper dieting and body cleansing methods of Ayurveda are needed as complementary requisites to ensure birth of a healthy child. In these modern times of non-belief in Vedic system, it is a wonder that someone had thought about them and had recommended them for practice. The news item below gives the details. Pumsavana (sex selection) is given in that article. I will write about it in a separate post.

 

From

http://in.news.yahoo.com/32/20100505/1506/tls-plan-your-pregnancy-through-the-vedi_1.html

 

Plan your pregnancy through the Vedic way

Wed, May 5 11:30 AM

Varanasi, May 4 -- A decade ago an NRI couple from Canada lost their only child, an eight-year-old daughter due to an incurable genetic disorder. After subsequent medical screening of the couple, doctors strictly advised the mother (who had genetic problems too), not to conceive again to avoid a fatality of her child again.

Ten years later, however, the same couple now has a healthy eight-year-old daughter. "This is a result of an Astro-Ayurvedva-Vedic Karmakanda effort at our hospital to help couples have healthy/ideal progeny via process of Ayojit Garbhadaan (Planned Pregnancy)," says Prof SN Gupta, Medical Superintendent at PN Patel Ayurvedic Hospital at Nadiad, Gujarat.

"And emboldened by the success of the practice which is inherent in Vedic form of living, eight to ten couples (from cross sections of society) are now registering selves annually with the hospital to deliver an out and out healthy progeny through the oriental way," Gupta added. Entire process of planned pregnancy starts with Panchkarma Therapy (to purify the couple of any physical or mental health problems/defects), followed by a strictly followed month long schedule of Bramhacharya (celibacy) during which Rasayan Aushadhies of Ayurveda are administered to them.

It's during the month of strictly followed celibacy that qualified astrologers at Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vibhag of the parent institute, JS Ayurveda College (Nadiad), on the basis of meticulous planetary calculations fix the dates for a fruitful sexual intercourse between the couple, so as to lead to the best planned pregnancy, said Gupta, a professor at Dept of Kaya Chikitsa in the college. Just after the process of conception is detected by Prasuti Tantra experts (Ayurvedic gyaenecologists), the priests from the Sanskrit section of the college go for necessary rituals and yajnas to ensure a healthy conception.

Even as the rituals and yajnas go on, the experts of Ayurveda ensure a perfectly healthy dietary schedule for the pregnant woman along with necessary herbal medicines during various stages of pregnancy. During the period of pregnancy, while the Vedic Karmakanda specialists perform Punsavan Sanskar (for spiritual awakening of the would be mother) special herbal medicines too are administered to her for a side effect free immune enhancement, which will lead to the birth of a healthy child without any congenital problems, Gupta said.

And the newborn too is welcomed in the world with process of Jata Karma, where Rasayan Aushadhies are delivered to the baby amid chanting of Vedic mantras, followed by Nishkrama Sanskar when the baby is exposed to sunlight for the first time. The entire process of having an ideal/healthy progeny doesn't end with Nishkraman Sanskar, but is capped by Annaprashan, a ceremony where the baby consumes first morsels of staple food amid Vedic rituals to ensure healthy future for the baby, he added.

**********

To read my detailed article that was published in the Astrological Magazine, click HERE



Friday, May 14, 2010

Vedic culture in Sangam times



Vedic continuum in Hindusthan


Sangam times are from ca.300 BCE to 300 CE, when the earliest extant
works of Sangam literature). [Kamil Veith Zvelebil, Companion Studies
to the History of Tamil Literature, pp12; K.A. Nilakanta Sastry, A
History of South India, OUP (1955) pp 105]



The following notes include excerpts from a remarkable article which
appeared in Adyar Library Bulletin (1983). These clearly indicate that
Vedic culture in India dates back to very ancient times all over
Hindusthan, from Gandhara to Kanchipuram. This geographic spread of
Vedic culture is matched by the spread of punch-marked coins from ca.
6th century BCE, all over Hindusthan, from Gandhara to Karur
(Tiruchi).


Kazanas (2009) has shown that Rigveda predates the Sarasvati-Sindhu culture.


Vedic culture in Sangam times


There is a temple for Devi Sarasvati in a place called Basara
(Vya_sapura) in Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh, located on the
banks of the Godavari River. The sthala pura_n.a states that the Devi
was installed by Vya_sa by taking three mus.t.is(handfuls) of sand
from the river bed— an extraordinary affirmation indeed of the
integrat link of Sarasvati as devi and Sarasvati as river. The
appended maps indicate the patterns of ancient settlements right from
the foothills of the Himalayas (Ropar) to the Gulf of Khambat (Lothal)
and on the Arabian Sea Coast (Prabhas Patan or Somnath and Dwa_raka).
It is also significant that Sangam literature of the Tamils notes the
claim of the ancient Chera kings that they were the 42nd generation
descendants from the rulers of Dwaraka (Tuvarai) and the sage Agastya
is revered as the ancient Tamil Muni and the author of the earliest
grammatical work in Tamil. Sangam literature is replete with
references to the support provided to the growth of Vedic Culture in
the Tamil-speaking areas. An important article on the antiquity of
relation between Tamil and Sanskrit is: Sharma, K.V. 1983, Spread of
Vedic culture in ancient South India, Adyar Library Bulletin 47:1-1.


"Among the interesting facts that emerge from a study of the
progressive spread of vedic culture from the North-West to the other
parts of India, is its infusion, with noticeable intensity, in the
extreme south of India where, unlike in other parts, a well-developed
Dravidian culture was already in vogue… Tolka_ppiyamwhich is the
earliest available work of the sangam classics, is a technical text in
1610 aphorisms, divided into three sections, dealing respectively,
with phonetics, grammar and poetics…


The other available sangam works are three sets of collected poems,
being, pattu-ppa_t.t.u (Ten idylls), et.t.u-ttokai (Eight collections)
and patineki_r..kan.akku (eighteen secondary texts), which last
appears to pertain to the late period of the saμgam age. The ten poems
are: tirumuruka_r.r.uppat.ai,
porun.ara_r.r.u-ppat.ai,cir.upa_n.a_r.r.uppat.ai,
perumpa_n.a_r.r.uppat.ai, mullaippa_t.t.u, maturaikka_n~ci,
net.unelva_t.ai, kuriñcippa_t.t.u, pat.t.inappa_lai and
malaipat.ukat.a_m. All the above idylls are compositions of individual
poets, and, except for the first, which is devotional and possibly,
pertains to late sangam age, are centred round the royal courts of the
Cera, Cola and Pa_n.d.ya kings, depicting the contemporary elite
scholarly society and youthful life. The second category consists of
Eight collections:nar.r.in.ai, kur.untokai, ainkur.unu_r.u,
patir.r.ujppattu,paripa_t.al, kali-ttokai, akana_n-u_r.u and
pur.ana_n-u_r.u.


All these collections are highly poetic and self-contained stray
verses of different poets put together in consideration of their
contents. The third category consists of eighteen miscellaneous texts,
some of them being collections of stray verses of different poets and
some composed by individual authors. They are: tirukkur.al.,
na_lat.iya_r, par..amor..i, tirikat.ukam, na_n-man.ikkat.ikai,
cir.upañcamu_lam, ela_ti, a_ca_rako_vai, mutumor..ikka_ ñci,
kalavar..i-na_r.patu, initu-na_r.patu, tin.aima_lainu_r.r.aimpatu,
aintin.ai-y-er..upatu, kainnilai, aintin.ai-yanpatu,
tin.aimor..i-y-aimpatu and ka_r.-na_r.patu. The verses in these works
also refer to social customs and local sovereigns. The above works
picture a well-knit and well-developed society having a distinct
identity of its own.


The frequent mention, in sangam poems, of the Cera, Cola and Pa_n.d.ya
kings as the munificent patrons of the poets… and the archaeological
evidence provided by 76 rock inscriptions in Tamil-Bra_hmi script
which corrobate the contents of the sangam works, in 26 sites in
Tamilnadu (Mahadevan, I., Tamil Bra_hmi inscriptions of the Sangam
age, Proc. Second International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies,
I, Madras, 1971, pp. 73-106) help to fix the date of the classical
sangam classics in their present form to between 100 B.C. and 250 A.D…
reference to the Pa_n.d.yan kingdom by Megasthenes, Greek ambassador
to the court of Candragupta Maurya (c. 324-300 B.C.?) are also in
point. On these and allied grounds, the sangam period of Tamil
literature might be taken to have extended from about the 5th century
B.C. to the 3rd century A.D… It is highly interesting that sangam
literature is replete with references to the vedas and different
facets of vedic literature and culture, pointing to considerable
appreciation, and literary, linguistic and cultural fusion of
vedic-sanskrit culture of the north with the social and religious
pattern of life in south India when the sangam classics were in the
making…

The vedas and their preservers, the bra_hmans, are frequently referred
to with reverence (Pur.ana_n u_r.u 6, 15 and 166; Maturaikka_ñci 468;
tirukat.ukam 70, na_n-man.ikkat.ikai 89, initu-na_r.patu 8). The vedic
mantra is stated as the exalted expressions of great sages
(Tolka_ppiyam, Porul. 166, 176). While the great God S'iva is referred
as the source of the four vedas (Pur.a. 166), it is added that the
twice-born (bra_hman) learnt the four vedas and the six veda_ngas in
the course of 48 years (Tiru-muruka_r.r.uppat.ai, 179-82). The vedas
were not written down but were handed down by word of mouth from
teacher to pupil (Kur-untokai 156), and so was called kel.vi(lit. what
is heard, šruti)(Patir.r.ippattu 64.4-5; 70.18-19; 74, 1-2;Pur.a. 361.
3-4). The bra_hmans realized God through the Vedas (Paripa_t.al 9.
12-13) and recited loftily in vedic schools (Maturaikka_ñci 468- 76;
656)… the danger to the world if the bra_hman discontinued the study
of the veda is stressed intirukkur.al. 560. If the sangam classics are
any criteria, the knowledge and practice of vedic sacrifices were very
much in vogue in early south India. The sacrifices were performed by
bra_hmans strictly according to the injunctions of the vedic mantras
(tirumuruka_r.r.uppat.ai 94-96; kalittokai 36). The three sacred fires
(ga_rhapatya, a_havani_ya and daks.ina_gni) were fed at dawn and dusk
by bràhmans in order to propitiate the gods (Kalittokai 119l Pur.a. 2;
99; 122; Kur.iñcippa_t.t.u 225).Paripa_t.al 2. 60-70 stipulates, in
line with vedic sacrificial texts, that each sacrifice had a specific
presiding deity, that pas'us (sacrificial animals) were required for
the sacrifice and that the sacrificial fire rose to a great height.
The vedic practice of placing a tortoise at the bottom of the
sacrificial pit is referred to in Akana_n-u_r.u 361…


Patir.r.uppattu 64 and 70 glorify the Cera king
Celvakkat.unkovar..iya_tan- who propitiated the gods through a
sacrifice performed by learned vedic scholars and distributed profuse
wealth amongst them. Another Cera king, Perum-ceral Irumpor.ai is
indicated in Patir.r.uppattu 74 to have performed the
Putraka_mes.t.hi_ sacrifice for the birth of his son
il.amceralirumpor.ai. The Cola ruler Peru-nar.kil.l.i was renowned as
Ra_jasu_yam ve_t.t.a co_r..an- for his having performed the ra_jasa_ya
sacrifice; another Cola ruler Nar.kil.l.i, too, was celebrated as a
sacrificer (Pur.a. 363; 400). The Cola kings were also considered to
have descended from the north Indian king S'ibi the munificent of
Maha_bha_rata fame (Pur.a. 39; 43). The patronage accorded to vedic
studies and sacrifices is illustrated also by the descriptive mention,
in Pur.a. 166, of a great vedic scholar Vin.n.anta_yan- of the
Kaun.d.inya-gotra who lived at Pu_ñja_r.r.u_r in the Co_r..a realm
under royal patronage. It is stated that Vin.n.anta_yan- had mastered
the four vedas and six veda_ngas, denounced non-vedic schools, and
performed the seven pa_kayajñas, seven Soma-yajñas and seven
havir-yajñas as prescribed in vedic texts. The Pa_n.d.yan kings
equalled the Colas in the promotion of Vedic studies and rituals. One
of the greatest of Pa_n.d.ya rulers, Mudukut.umi Peruvar..uti is
described to have carefully collected the sacrificial materials
prescribed in vedic and dharmašàstra texts and performed several
sacrifices and also set up sacrificial posts where the sacrifices were
performed (Pur.a. 2; 15). Maturaikka_ñci (759- 63) mentions him with
the appellation pal-s'a_lai (pal-ya_ga-s'a_lai of later Ve_l.vikkud.i
and other inscriptions), `one who set up several sacrificial halls'.
The Pa_n.d.ya rulers prided themselves as to have descended from the
Pa_n.d.avas, the heroes of Maha_bha_rata (Pur.a. 3; 58; Akana_n-u_r.u
70; 342)…


God Brahmà is mentioned to have arisen, in the beginning of creation,
with four faces, from the lotus navel of God Vis.n.u (Paripa_t.al8.3;
Kalittokai 2; Perumpa_n.a_r.r.uppat.ai 402-04;Tirumuruka_r.r.uppat.ai
164-65; Iniyavaina_rpatu 1). It is also stated that Brahma_ had the
swan as vehicle (Innà-nàrpatu 1). Vis.n.u is profusely referred to. He
is the lord of the Mullai region (Tol. Akattin.ai 5) and encompasses
all the Trinity (Paripa_t.al13.37). He is blue-eyed (Pur.a. 174),
lotus-eyed (Paripa_t.al15.49), yellow-clothed (Paripa_t.al 13.1-2),
holds the conch and the discus in his two hands and bears goddess
Laks.mì on his breast (Mullaippa_t.t.u 1-3; Perumpa_n. 29-30; Kali.
104; 105; 145), was born under the asterism Tiru-o_n.am (Maturai.
591), and Garud.a-bannered (Pur.a. 56.6; Paripa_t.al 13.4). Of
Vis.n.uite episodes are mentioned his measuring the earth in three
steps (Kali. 124.1), protecting his devotee Prahla_da by killing his
father (Pari. 4. 12-21) and destroying the demon Kes'in (Kali.
103.53-55). S'iva has been one of the most popular vedic-pura_n.ic
gods of the South. According to Akana_n-u_r.u 360.6, S'iva and Vis.n.u
are the greatest gods. He is three-eyed (Pur.a.6.18; Kali. 2.4), wears
a crescent moon on his forehead (Pur.a.91.5; Kali. 103.15), and holds
the axe as weapon (Aka. 220.5;Pur.a. 56.2). He bears river Ganga_ in
his locks (Kali. 38.1; 150.9) and is blue-necked (Pur.a. 91.6; Kali.
142). He is born under the asterism a_tirai (Skt. àrdra) (Kali.
150.20), has the bull for his vehicle (Paripa_t.al 8.2) and is seated
under the banyan tree (Aka. 181). Once, while sitting in Kaila_sa with
Uma_ (Pa_rvati), his consort (Pari. 5.27-28; Par..amor..i 124),
Ra_van.a, the ra_ks.asa king shook the Kaila_sa and S'iva pressed the
mountain down with his toe, crushing Ra_van.a and making him cry for
mercy (Kali. 38). When the demon Tripura infested the gods, S'iva shot
through the enemy cities with a single arrow and saved the gods (Kali.
2; Pur.a. 55; Paripa_t.al 5. 22-28).Pur.ana_n –u_r.u (6. 16-17) refers
also to S'iva temples in the land and devotees walking round the
temple in worship. God Skanda finds very prominent mention in saμgam
classics, but as coalesced with the local deity Murukan-, with most of
the pura_n.ic details of his birth and exploits against demons
incorporated into the local tradition (Paripa_t.al 5.
26-70;Tirumuruka_r.r.uppat.ai, the whole work). Mention is also made
of Indra. (Balara_ma) is mentioned as the elder brother of Lord
Kr.s.n.a, as fair in colour, wearing blue clothes, having the palmyra
tree as his emblem and holding the ;lough as his weapon, all in line
with the pura_n.as (Paripa_t.al 2. 20-23; Pur.a. 56. 3-4; 58.14; Kali.
104, 7-8). Tolka_ppiyam (Akattin.ai iyal 5) divides the entire Tamil
country into five, namely, Mullai (jungle) with Vis.n.u as its
presiding deity, Kur.iñji (hilly) with Murukan- as deity, Marutam
(plains: cf. marusthali_ Skt.) with Indra as deity, Neytal (seashore)
with Varun.a as deity and Pa_lai (wasteland) with Kor.r.avai (Durga_)
as deity…



The sangam works are replete with references to the four castes into
which the society was divided, namely, bra_hman.a, ks.atriya, vais'ya,
and su_dra… bra_hman antan.a primarily concerned with books (Tol.
Mara. 71), the ks.atriya (a-ras'a, ra_ja) with the administration
(Tol. Mara.78) and s'u_dra with cultivation (Tol. Mara. 81)… It is
also stated that marriage before the sacred fire was prescribed only
for the first three castes; but the author adds that the custom was
adopted by the fourth caste also in due course (Tol. Kar.piyal 3)… one
cannot fail to identify in sangam poetry the solid substratum of the
distinct style, vocabulary and versification, on the one hand, and the
equally distinct subject-matter, social setting and cultural traits,
on the other, both of the Tamil genius and of vedic poetry. As far as
the grammar of Dravidian is concerned, a detailed analytical study of
Old Tamil as represented in Tolka_ppiyam, with the vedic s'iks.a_s and
pra_tis'a_khyas, has shown that, `Tolka_ppiyan-a_r clearly realized
that Tamil was not related to Sanskrit either morphologically or
genealogically… that he deftly exploited the ideas contained in the
earlier grammatical literature, particularly in those works which
dealt with vedic etymology, without doing the least violence to the
genius of the Tamil language'. (Sastri, P.S.S., History of Grammatical
Theories in Tamil and their relation to the Grammatical literature in
Sanskrit, Madras, 1934, p. 231)…


It would be clear from the foregoing that during the sangam age there
had already been intensive infusion of vedic culture in south India…
Both the culturescoexisted, the additions often affecting only the
upper layers of society… For novel names, concepts and ideas, the
Sanskrit names were used as such, with minor changes to suit the Tamil
alphabet (e.g. akin-i for agni, vaicikan- for vais'ya, veta for veda,
or translated (e.g. pa_pa_n- for dars'aka, ke_l.vi for s'ruti). When,
however, the concept already existted, in some form or other, the same
word was used with extended sense (e.g. ve_l.vi for ya_ga; ma_l or
ma_yan- for Vis.n.u). Sometimes both the new vedic and extant Tamil
words were used (e.g. ti_ for agni)… It is, however, important to note
that the coming together of the two cultures, vedic and dravidian, was
smooth, non-agressive and appreciative, as vouched for by the
unobtrusive but pervasive presence of vedicism in the sangam works.
The advent of vedic culture into South India was, thus, a case of
supplementation and not supplantation…


it is a moot question as to when vedic culture first began to have its
impact on dravidian culture which already existed in south India… the
age of this spread (of vedic culture) has to be much earlier than the
times of the Ra_ma_yan.a and Maha_bha_rata, both of which speak of
vedic sages and vedic practices prevailing in the sub-continent.
Literary and other traditions preserved both in north and south India
attest to the part played by sage Agastya and Paras'ura_ma in carrying
vedic culture to the south. On the basis of analytical studies of
these traditions the identification of geographical situations and a
survey of the large number of Agastya temples in the Tamil country,
G.S. Ghurye points to the firm establishment of the Agastya cult in
South India by the early centuries before the Christian era (Ghurye,
G.S., Indian acculturation: Agastya and Skanda, Bombay, Popular
Prakashan, 1977)… the considerable linguistic assimilation, in
dravidian, of material of a pre-classical Sanskrit nature, it would be
necessary to date the north-south acculturation in India to much
earlier times."


http://sites.google.com/site/kalyan97/rigveda



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