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Fwd: Re: Iyer-Iyengar

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Lakshmi Srinivas • May 5, 1999 


This was inadvertently sent as a personal reply rather than as a response
in the Forum.

Warm Regards. 

--- Lakshmi Srinivas  wrote:
> Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 09:47:36 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Lakshmi Srinivas 
> Subject: Re: Iyer-Iyengar
> To: "M.K. Krishnaswamy" 
> 
> 
> --- "M.K. Krishnaswamy"  wrote:
> 
> I do not think the etymology of the word Iyengar is clearly established 
> There are various theories. One of the theories is also that it is a
> translation of the term "tAtAchArya" where the Sanskrit word tAtA stands
> for Father which in Tamil is also "ayya". 
> 
> The second part of the term "gAr" has been variously interpreted. Two
> theories are "kArar" (Tamil) or "gAru" (Telugu). The objection to the
> latter is the need for a Telugu derivation for a self-appellation of a
> Tamil community.  Even then, the term "Ayyangar" becomes a partly Telugu
> and partly Tamil term which is clearly not very acceptable to scholars. 
> 
> Are your suggestion  that ayyangars might have lived in Telugu speaking
> areas prior to 1500's, clearly Sri Ramanuja, Sri Alavandar and other
> acharyas were Tamil speaking and they lived in areas such as
> Sriperumbudur, Kaattumannarkovil etc, many hundreds of years of before
> that. As also, Alwars such as Perialwar, Madhurakavialwar,
> Thodaradippodialwar etc.. 
> 
> > Narsi Mehta, the author of 'Vaishnava Janato" song has described the
> > admirable qualities of a Sri Vaishnava who is dedicated to the Lord.
> 
> Confusion of terminology is what I alluded to in my original to the
> mail.
> SriVaishnavas, IMHO,  are a different community. If one wants to know
> the
> attributes of a Srivaishnava acharya or disciple etc, one has more
> authoritative sources viz., rahasyatrayasaram 
> of Sri Desika or Srivacanabhushanam of Sri Pillailokachariar. 
> 
> > Intolerance towards a non-believer of Sriman Narayana is certainly not
> > one of them.
> 
> In any closing, I believe jokes are permitted. In fact I had attached a
> "smiley face" to my concluding remarks. No intolerance was intended nor
> was it communicated.  Indeed,  I would consider it invidious if someone
> were to suggest that such was the case.
> 
> The gentleman in question (Sri Jagan's friend, Sri Swaminathan)  has
> already written to me and we have taken this discussion offline. Btw, he
> was wondering if he hurt my sentiments. Well, I have to tell the Bhaktas
> that such is not the case. 
> 
> But if you would like to discuss the facts contained in my mail, I would
> naturally be delighted to do so. 
> 
> Warm Regards.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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