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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00104 Apr 2003

 
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Dear Shri Vimal,

As you had mentioned, you have the right to have your opinions while 
others have their own. I agree to that point as well and apologize if 
I projected as if I am trying to push my opinions/preach etc. I am 
not here for that. Once again, "you" is not literally Shri Vimal in 
the following post. It is the second person usage. Kindly take the 
post in the right spirit.

>I am totally against people who are 
>born in Brahmin families, hence thinking and acting superior, 
>especially in our Thennacharya Sampradayam

While, this might be one's strong opinion, don't we still think we 
are discriminating some people? My question still holds! Is it the 
stands of a Shri Vaishnavan to say discrimination is wrong and 
simultaneously say the he hates those who discriminates?

>HH Sri Chinna Ramanuja Jeeyar is accepting many into the fold of
>SriVaishnavism and is trying to make the world vibrant with 
>SriVaishnavism and Ramanuja Siddhanta. Lets take a leaf out of his 
>book, and if not follow, atleast try to follow him.

On one side, I see you saying that in 21st century we should not talk 
about casteism, while on the other side, you are quoting a great soul
(probably the greatest in the modern world) HH Sri Chinna Ramanuja 
Jeeyar(aka Shriman Narayana Jeeyar) who is a perfect example for 
following the Sanyasa Ashrama Dharma that is part of Varnashrama 
Dharma and who follows all anushtanams. What I see is really your 
hatred towards people who are discriminating and not towards the 
varnashrama dharma. That was why I requested to be specific. People 
are different than a system. If people go wrong, we shouldn't try to 
blame the system. Why are we mixing up the system and the people? By 
blaming the system one is targeting the entire society that is 
following it. But, if one is blaming a particular bunch of people, 
who, under the name of that system, do wrong things and spoil its 
name, that is logical.

By the way, please do not think I am in favor of caste 
discrimination. I am not saying this to get anybody's sympathy for 
me, nor am I trying be a good boy in everyone's books. What I am 
saying is that I am not in favor of caste discrimination NOR is the 
Varnashrama Dharmam. I repeat, Varnashrama Dharmam does talk about 
castes and rules for the castes and birth rights! But, Varnashrama 
Dharmam DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE people. It is ONLY PEOPLE who 
DISCRIMINATE under the name of Varnashrama Dharmam who are to be 
corrected. I request everyone to kindly understand this basic 
difference. If Varnashrama Dharmam is wrong, our acharya purushas are 
wrong for following the brahmana dharmam(many of them) and sanyasa 
ashramam and all the shruthi vakyas are wrong. My request was that 
our sampradayam should not be wrongly propogated/projected. Our 
sampradayam is built OVER the Varnashrama Dharmam as the Varnashrama 
Dharmam talks about only the disciplines for the body. Our 
sampradayam is also catholic in terms of explaining that one must not 
DISCRIMINATE others due to their deha that they have achieved by 
accumulating punyams/papams. Varnashrama Dharmam is at the body 
level. Vaishnavam is at the spiritual level. These two can co-exist
(whether it does now or not is a different issue). 

If one says he/she is against casteism, one should not wear 
yagnyopaveedam, shouldn't go in for shruthi vakyas and should not get 
married as per the norms and should indulge in intercaste marriages 
and should not quote any of our acharyas for they were the followers 
of the caste system - to simply put, one becomes an anti-hindu in 
modern terms. 

But, if one is against caste DISCRIMINATION, then he/she is most 
welcome:) 'cos that is the right thing that needs to be corrected and 
we have very less people who have volunteered for that. Please join 
the club!!!

UNITY IN DIVERSITY is nothing but the VAISHNAVAM on top of the 
VARNASHRAMA DHARMAM. If this wonderful concept is misunderstood due 
to lack of knowledge/will/right acharyan, by even a mass of people, 
it is probably the Bhagavan's sankalpam to be so! Look at the 
wonderful system of ours! The azhwars are of different castes, yet, 
from the Vaishnava perspective, they form the acharya lineage. How 
so? Doesn't it show the greatness of Shri Vaishnavam? But, if this is 
misunderstood that different castes MUST NOT EXIST, what to say? This 
is when an analysis between the reality and the perception needs to 
be understood. While diversity exists in reality in its own virtue, 
when one perceives unity from that diversity how nice it would be! 
That is Vaishnavam! But, if one says the unity can be perceived only 
when the diversity is wiped out?!!!!?! Well! I have nothing to say!

"amaravor angam aarum vedamor naangum odhi
thamargalil thalaivaraya saadhi andhanargalenum, 
numargalai pazhipparagil nodippadhor alavil aange 
avargal thaam pulayar polum, aranga maanagarulaane" 

[Oh! Ranganaatha! Even if one has attained the highest deha, i.e a 
brahmin deha, and chants the 4 vedas and its six angas, if one says 
ill about you(the lord) or your adiyars(of any caste) then let them 
attain the lowest birth at that very moment] 

- Thondaradippodi Azhwar.

Yatheendra Pravanam Vandhe RAMYA Jamataram Munim

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,
Lakshmi Narasimhan




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