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From: krish (krish_at_astro.ge.com)
Date: Tue Mar 19 1996 - 09:24:16 PST
I took the last few bhakti reports home to read more leisurely and was abashed at he vitriolic comments on Shiva. I was brought up in an environment where interdining among vadagalais and thengalais was prohibited and recall many thengalais not stepping into Ahobila-matams. May be that is the reason, I did not come across Sri Vedanta Desikachariar's works. I grew up to discern and reject such thoughts. Similarly, I learnt to visit Siva temples with my close Iyengar classmate, who grew in up in an Iyer community. So it is a surprise to me to see such antagonism. Of course one can quote the GITA, "Sarva-deva Namskaram Keshavam Prathigachhati" or "Ananyh-chintanatomam, yo janah Paryupasate". The comment on Ardha-nari really was in bad taste. It had made me proud that Hinduism accepted Brahman as sexless. I think the origin of the idol is traced to 7th century, if not earlier. Ghandiji, much quoted here and compared to Ramanuja, had extended the "Sarv-deva" concept to Islam and Christianity in his daily prayers. The fact we Hindus did not proseletize, was based on the principle, that there are many paths to salvation. Born in a Vaishanvite family, one can easily adopt Narayana as the para-brahman. Among the idols, both Krishna with the flute and Nataraja as a cosmic dancer stand out, because they manifest themselves without weapons. Krishna Praba