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RANGASWAMY • January 21, 1997 


Dear Members of the Bhakti List,

Recent discussions on the group have brought out a number of issues 
which plague us all in our day to day life. How do we reconcile with 
the fact that we are living in an ever changing world and as a result 
how do we view the principles and practices of our religion in this 
context? 

Srimans Dileepan and Sampath Rengarajan presented very eloquent 
accounts about this subject. I particularly liked Sri Rengarajan's note about 
how our elders, when their situation did not permit them to adhere to the 
principles laid down by our Purvacharyas, waited for the opportune moment 
(after retirement from service) to practice the prescribed injunctions.
Srimans Vidyasankar, I.K. Rengarajan, Vijay Srinivasan and Sudarshan 
make valid points in their respective posts. 

I have been a member on this list for almost two years and during this 
period, I have gained a lot from the informative articles of Srimans Sadagopan, 
Anbil Ramaswamy, Rengarajan, Dileepan, Mani, Jaganath, Sudarshan, Kalale, 
Vihay Srinivasan, Tatachar and many other devout Bhagavatas. Sri Sudarshan 
brilliantly mirrored my thoughts in his recent post. I thank all the devout 
Bhagavatas for their time, effort, and dedication to disseminate knowledge 
of our Kula Dhanam. 

However, I have also observed a disturbing trend. Writings of several Prapannas 
have been subjected to microscopic scrutiny and intense vitriolic attack, 
while repeated transgressions and intemperate outbursts on the part of some 
have gone on unchecked (without even a token condemnation) and worse still,
encouraged which leads me to ask the question: Does this smack of  
double standards? We must bear in mind that each one makes a tremendous 
sacrifice of time and energy to write about Bhagavad Vishayam. Furthermore, 
we do not have ready access to Acharyas and VyakhyAnams being so far away 
from India. Hence, the efforts of contributors must be respected and 
appreciated. If we disagree with someone's position let us do so respectfully 
and not indulge in name calling. With that, let me urge that all Bhagavatas 
return invigorated and focus on the main purpose of this group, i.e., 
Bhagavad Guna Anubhavam. 

I take a big share of the blame for the present controversy since it was 
my post on Tirumazhisai Azhwar which fanned a lot of flames. With the 
Azhwar's TN fast approaching (Jan 25, 1997), let us bury our differences and 
spend our energies in a productive manner. To this end, I shall post two 
articles from Garuda PuraNam detailing the Vaibhavam of Garuda.

I seek forgiveness for being candid. It is not my intention to hurt anyone.

Namo Narayana,

Muralidhar Rangaswamy