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RE: Belittling other faiths in our Pasurams?

From the Bhakti List Archives

Aumkara Productions • March 20, 1996 


Shree Jaganath wrote:
''The Srimad Bhagavatam quotes Bhakta Prahalada as saying that "even
sages and rishis rejoices at the killing of snakes ...".  I was told
by a learned Prapanna that snakes here means destruction of evil and
not jiva himsa as is implied in the shloka.

If this is used as an analogy in the case of Thondaripoddi Azhwar's
Pasuram, then cutting the heads of buddhists and Jains is not meant
literally.  Note the use of the words "Our KIND Lord Vishnu..".  What
is probably meant here is that gave the Buddhists and Jains the
association of pure Vaishnavas as a result of which they would have
accepted the Vaishnava path.''

Here we come to something that sounds nice and comfortable, but!!!!

In both cases, the learned Prapanna and Jaganath have both placed their own 
interpretation onto the subject matter under discussion. Prhahlada said 'even 
sages and rishis rejoices at the killing of snakes' but then this is changed 
to an implication to what was actually said. In the same way, what was said in 
connection with cutting off heads of Buddhists and Jains is now changed to 
suit the philosophy of the commentator.

This is the type of thing I was referring to when I mentioned the rewriting of 
the Vedas to suit the political correctness of today. If we are going to go 
around saying ''well, in actual fact, this is what is implied'' whenever we 
read something that does not agree with our way of thinking, then why do we 
not just sit down and rewrite the ancient scriptures so that they say what we 
want them to say?

Kindest regards
Ramadas