Samayam in Tamil Nadu
Links to pdf files:
Aiyanar and Aiyappan in Tamil Nadu
-- Lars Kjaerholm
Murugan worship in Srilanka
-- Pushparatnam
Ancient Tamils’ view of Murugan
-- P. Thiagarajan
Murugan movement in Tamil Nadu
-- K.R. Venkataraman
The webpage is an overview providing some analytical statistics and
articles related to Samayam in Tamil Nadu.
Samayam in Tamil refers to the world-view (gestalt or
‘whole-ness’) of people of their relationship with the paramaatman (param
porul) as expressed in Tamil texts and socio-cultural traditions in Tamil Nadu,
including tala-puranam (http://www.tamilheritage.org/uk/lontha/lonthain.html
) . Samayam is thus a fundamental framework for the study of Tamil heritage (தமிழ் மரபு or முதுசொம்) within the context of the heritage of Hindu
civilization. Some examples of the sources for the sacred literature and
traditions are:
வைஷ்ணவ
தலபுராணங்கள்
Vaishnava Thalapuranam
;)
1.0 Azhakar Koil Collections
1.1 திருமால் இருஞ்சோலை
Thirumalirunjolaimalai
1.2 அழகர்
கலம்பகம்
Azhakar Kalambakam
1.3 அழகர் அந்தாதி
Azhakar Anthathi
List of Books on history of Temples of Tamilnadu
n
சுவடியியல் Manuscriptology
Samayam has thus two clear dimensions:
1) metaphysical view, exemplified by six
darshanas, siddhas and enlightened aatman like Ramana and
2) forms and focus of worship, pilgrimages,
prayers exemplified by varieties of temples and pilgrimage places such as
Setubandha Rameshwaram where people venerate their ancestors by a sacred bath
in the sacred Setu or the millions who visit Tirumala or Sabarimala.
Both the dimensions will have to be understood
with clarity to delineate a true history of Samayam in Tamil Nadu.
Some of the articles in English have also been translated into Tamil.
It will be helpful if all the articles in English are also translated into
Tamil and made available widely within Tamil Nadu and to reach out to all
Tamil-speaking people all over the world.
It is also necessary to review works such as those of Sri
Sudarshanam Iyengar, ‘Sanka kala tamizhar samayam’, ’ saathi matha
aaraaycchi’
Village gods and heroes -- worship of Hero Stones in Tamil Nadu, India
-- R. Nagasamy
Religion census
data in Tamil Nadu
Temples and Mutts in Tamil Nadu (HRCE)
Thaevara Vaiputthalangal
Divya desams
The Skanda Cult in India: Sanskrit sources
-- KV Sharma
Skanda-Subrahmanya in Sanskrit Tradition
-- S.S. Janaki
Skanda Kumāra in ancient North
India
-- R.K. Seth
Kārttikeya in Early Indian Coinage
-- S. Suresh
God Murukan as viewed by the ancient Tamils
-- P. Thiagarajan
Skanda Cult in South India
-- K. R. Venkataraman
Cult of Skanda-Murukan in Tamilakam; The antiquity of
Murukan worship in Tamil Nadu
-- Ambikai Velmurugu
Murukan Worship in Sri Lanka: New Archaeological
Evidence
--P. Pushparatnam
Antiquity of Murukan Cult in Ancient Sri Lanka:
A Historical Perspective
--S. Kailash Sitrampalam
Vedic Roots of Early Tamil Culture
-- Michel Danino
Survey of Tamil & Sanskrit Dance
Treatises of Tamil Nadu
--Virarajendra
The path of the Nayanmars
--Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
வேங்கடத்து நெடியோன்
-- Rama Ki.
Political - Socio - Economic-Surveys
--Gift Siromoney
Worship of the Goddess in Hinduism
-- Sarah
Caldwell
Are Indic Traditions
Polytheistic?
--David Gray
Links to pdf
files:
Aiyanar and Aiyappan in Tamil Nadu
-- Lars Kjaerholm
Murugan worship in Srilanka
-- Pushparatnam
Ancient Tamils’ view of Murugan
-- P. Thiagarajan
Murugan movement in Tamil Nadu
-- K.R. Venkataraman
Many
onslaughts have occurred on Tamil Samayam during historical periods. Despite
these onslaughts, Tamil Samayam remains vibrant even today because the marapu
(heritage) is the very identity of every Tamil-speaking citizen of Bharatam.
A recent
onslaught relates to the questionable claims of the historicity of St. Thomas in relation to
Tamil Nadu. It is necessary for students of Biblical archaeology to get to the
roots of the life-activities of St.
Thomas. Surely, he cannot be said to have two places
of burial – one in Tamil Nadu and another in Spain. The absurd situation has
been effectively presented at: http://www.hamsa.org/
Particular reference is invited to
-- Myth of St. Thomas
by Ishwara Sharan http://www.hamsa.org/myth_of_saint_thomas.pdf
-- Exploding a Mischievous Myth by Sita Ram Goel
http://www.hamsa.org/goel_myth.htm
-- 'Thomas
in India'
neither factual nor secular by Dr. Koenraad Elst
http://www.hamsa.org/goel_myth.htm
-- இந்தியாவில் செயின்ட் தாமஸ் கட்டுக்கதை --
வேதபிரகாஷ்
http://www.hamsa.org/vedaprakash-intro.htm
The distortions sought to be introduced by the myth of St. Thomas in the history
of Tamil Samayam are relatable to a larger framework: expressions of
Christianity in many parts of Bharatam. These have been effectively
demonstrated in: Expressions of Christianity, with a focus on India, 2008, Vivekananda Kendra
Prakashan Trust, Chennai 600005
[quote] The
book ‘Expressions of Christianity, with a focus on India’ presents a few aspects and
dimensions of Christianity, in particular Indian Christianity. This volume is
meant not only for the specialist intellectual but also for the ordinary man
who is interested in knowing about Christianity, which is increasingly
confronting him in his everyday life. In short, it gives an academic
understanding of the subject of Christianity in India and also helps as a guideline
to deal with the Christian experience in an objective manner, keeping the
widest interest of the country as a whole.
The
Vivekananda Kendra felt it necessary to bring out this volume on Christianity
not because there is any dearth of literature on this subject in our libraries.
On the contrary, such material is abundant at the present juncture. But it has
been written by authors who are keen to present Christianity from a particular
angle and with a particular motive.
There
are writings by self-confessed missionaries, by acknowledged supporters of Christian
imperialism and there are also writings from self-appointed secularists. Even
so- called objective historians have been hesitant to come out openly and call
a spade a spade. Their hesitation is mostly due to the fear of organized,
hostile criticism which will not only adversely affect the book market but also
make them vulnerable to charges of being communal. Unpleasant truths are very
often played down or distorted, if not totally suppressed. The total outcome of
all these is that an Indian student of Christianity finds it difficult to get
the truth which is reliable and useful. A lot of misunderstanding has been
created by interested missionary writers and Christianity in India and also
about the methods Christian missionaries have used to propagate their religion
in this country.
The
book exposes the methods by which highly placed clerical personalities have
unscrupulously tried to fabricate history for spreading Christianity in a
systematic manner. The true history of Christianity all over the world,
including India,
shows beyond a shadow of doubt that missionaries have indulged in cruelty and
violence for spreading their religion.The Goan
inquisition is well documented and no one can deny or disprove it. The
destruction of temples has also been recorded. Francis Xavier who was declared
a saint has a history of the cruelest sort of violence used for spreading
Christianity in the coastal areas of India. Letters written by Francis
Xavier himself to the king of Portugal
have been published wherein he publicly declared.
“I have no words to express the joy which I felt at seeing a number of
temples destroyed by their erstwhile worshippers after they were converted to
Christianity.”
It
was not only the poor and the neglected or the outcaste and untouchables of
Hindu society whom the missionaries targeted for conversion, though that was
their loudly proclaimed objective. They had another strategy of selectively
approaching important personalities who wield great influence over the society
by their moral and spiritual stature and leadership qualities. They made
persistent efforts to contacts and slowly win over such persons to
Christianity. Sri.NarayanaGuru, the saint and reformer of Kerala was one such
with whom they engaged in a religious dialogue. Similarly, they made serious
efforts to appeal to Mahatma Gandhi’s religious sympathy and admiration for the
teachings of Christ. Needless to say that their efforts had no impact
whatsoever on these stalwarts. But what is significant
is that such silly efforts were made with the firm conviction that these great
souls are doomed to eternal hell if they do not get baptized and that it was
their bounden Christian duty to save them.
The
outcaste and the untouchable were inhumanly treated by the upper caste Hindus
and their salvation here and hereafter would be assured if they became
Christians. That was the carrot dangled before them. But it was only a ploy.
The converted Dalits remained in the same plight with all their social and
economic disabilities unrelieved. Even separate churches and separate sitting
arrangements were provided for them, and equal social status- intermarriage and
interdining, for instance-was denied. Even today, these deplorable conditions
continue to prevail except nominally. The disillusioned Dalits clamor for
better treatment.
The
book will bring a clearer, better and more authentic understanding about
Christianity in India
and will ultimately pave the way for a better and more cordial understanding
between all concerned. It deals with Christianity’s historical developments
both in the West and in Asia. As the title
suggests, the book looks at the practical, outer expressions of Christianity
rather than its theological foundations.
What
interests us is not how a Christian preacher might ideally present his creed,
but how it has manifested in actual fact for pre-r non-Christian Europeans, for
the natives of America, Africa or India-also for Western intellectuals who
started questioning Christianity. The publishers acknowledge that they cannot
do justice to such a vast and complex theme in a single volume, but have tried
to offer an overview, of which the average Indian reader will usually be quite
unaware as it is: while this perspective is frequently and freely discussed in
West, it rarely, if ever, forms part of debates on Christianity in India.
Indian Christians themselves have the foggiest notion of the history of their
religion, its origins, its expansion, its institutions, its destruction of
other cultures, the ways in which it was challenged by leading Western
intellectuals, its clash with science, and finally its spectacular retreat in
the West.
Just
as histories of colonialism have been largely written by the colonial powers,
in effect erasing the testimony of the colonized, most histories of
Christianity- and in India,
all of them –have adopted Christian standpoints as a matter of course. In this
volume, the publishers sought to reverse the perspective and assert the right
of the countless victims of Christianity to be remembered, and, when still
possible, to be heard.
At
this stage, sincere Christians usually object that if their religion does have
a dark past, that past also has a brighter side: think of the spread of Christian
values, or selfless service offered at great personal scarifies in the farthest
corners of earth; think of the countless kind –hearted Christians who have been
embodiments of compassion, charity or service; think of the vast amounts of
literature, painting, sculpture or music inspired by Christian themes; think,
finally of the great heights of spirituality reached by Christian mystics. Have
such achievements not benefited humanity at large? And do not other religious
have their own darker sides, too? Is it fair, therefore, to single out
Christianity for a one-sided treatment? Is this not as bad a mis-portrayal as
the one Hindus Complain of when it comes to their religion?
These
questions contain partial truths. Partial, because the spread of Christian values,
in the few cases where those values were practiced at all, was always at the
cost of earlier cultures which were illegitimately assumed to be inferior,
because every religion gave rise to literature and art, which conquering
Christianity often destroyed, because Christian mystics have been far fewer
than those of others religious ( especially India’s native religions) and were
often regarded with much suspicion, sometimes persecuted, by church
authorities, and because whatever dark spots there may be in non-Abrahamic
religions, none has ever treated dissenters or adherents of other belief
systems remotely as cruel as Christianity did.
There
lies Christianity’s Central and persistent problem: it has been all too eager
to practice its God’s declaration that “every inclination of the human heart
is evil from childhood” ( Genesis 8:21) – a dismal stamp of sin and evil
put on humanity. Again , no non – Abrahamic religion or culture so demeaned the
human being.
Nevertheless,
if a Christian chooses to believe in a doctrine of original sin and redemption,
of damnation and salvation, of eternal hell or paradise, the Hindu, for
instance, will respect such a choice. If a Christian claims to find spiritual
fulfillment in his religion, the Hindu will feel happy for him, even if the
reverse is rarely true.
But
the Hindu, the Buddhist, the Native American, African or Australian, the Neo
pagan also have a right to ask
Why the spread of Christianity has meant so much misery and
the dehumanization to non- Christian?
Why the “good news” and glad tidings” had to manifest
through physical and cultural genocides, leaving trails of broken families and
shattered cultures?
Why Christian colonizers stole land from non-Christian
cultures when they were supposed to follow a commandment enjoining them, “you
shall not steal” ?
Why criminals and abusers among them were more often
protected than prosecuted?
Why apologies have been so few and vague, and concrete
reparations even rarer?
In
this era of human rights, they are entitled to ask what will be done to restore
the rights of those who threatened no other culture, but whose land and
traditions were preyed upon.
And
what will be done to protect the rights of those still preyed upon today. Those
questions and many more, remain largely unanswered; our sincere Christians must
address them.
For
Christianity’s dark side is regrettably not confined to the past; a companion
volume will focus on proselytism – a euphemism for predation-again adopting the
perspective of the prey rather than the prevailing one of the predator.
The
materials presented in the book are authentic and intended to stimulate an
informed debate. The articles are arranged under the following five sections:
Ø
Origins and
early history of Christianity
Ø
Expressions
of Christianity in the west
Ø
Expressions
of Christianity in India and
elsewhere in asia
Ø
Intellectual
Challenges to Christianity
Ø
The decline
of Christianity
All
boxed items appearing in the book have been prepared by the Vivekananda
Kendra’s editorial team.
The
authors who wrote papers specially for this book and its forthcoming companion
volume, Christianity: Proselytism and Conversion, with a focus on India;
include eminent thinkers such as Michel Danino, Nicole Elfi, Sandhya Jain, M.
Pramod Kumar and S. Aravindan Neelakandan.
A
book of this nature might be opposed by the Pseudo-Secularists and by the
liberalized and Westernized Hindus, who are interested only in continuing their
Utopian ideas of Westernization and in whose eyes, Indian religious values are
all superstitions. Communists are bound to disapprove all what is
written, in spite of the fact that they are still deeply immersed in the Hindu
religion. The maximum opposition may be expected from the Pseudo-Secular
politicians of today, who are always engaged in double talk. [unquote] Book
review by Pradeep Kumar, 9 June 2008.
http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=6459&SKIN=C
Thamizhar
Samayam: A reply to the Christian protagonists and propagandists?
The public
seminar on Thamizhar Samayam was conducted by Dharma Rakshana
Samithi, Chennai at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, T Nagar, on 07-12-2008 at 6.30 pm.
Muthukumaran Former Barathidasan University Vice-Chancellor presided over the
function and Krishna Jagannathan of Vidhyabarathi Educational Trust gave the
introductory speech. Sri Omkarananda Swamigal of Sri Bhuvaneswari Avadhutha
Vidhya Peetam, rendered the special address[1].
Muthukumaran Former Barathidasan University Vice-Chancellor[2]: Delving on the Christian and Mohammedans methods of evangelization,
he pointed out that the educational system of Tamilnadu had completely devoid
of the religion of Tamil people. 60 years before, Tamils were taught about
their religion and the Temples were functioned
as their nerve-centre of all activities, but now, the Temples have gone into the hands of
politicians.
We still
read the "Indian history" written by the British: He pointed out that as we read the "history
written by the British", the Tamil society has been at loggerhead with
divisions of hatred. The text books have not been re-written in right
perspective[3]. The more our children
read, the more they grow with such planted ideas.
He told a
story to expose the irreligiousness and hatred of the missionaries: Three persons – one Christian, one Mohammedan and
a Hindu travelled in a boat and suddenly, the boast was about to be drowned. The
Christian prayed to Jesus and he was saved; the Mohammedan prayed to Allah, he
was saved; but the Hindu started addressing prayers to different Gods one by
one, but he could not be saved! But it s wrong to say that Hindus have been not
monotheistic and idolatrous, as they know very well about Unity of Godhead.
While the
Tamils spread nearly 50 countries all over the world celebrated Tamil
festivals, the Tamils of the TN, ironically do not know even the significance
of their festivals and days, drawing the nearing of "Periya
Karthhikai".
He denied the
"Aryan-Dravidian" racial dichotomy and pointed out as to how the
people of north and south respected the southern direction and followed common
culture and tradition[4]. Tamils wherever went
followed only such tradition, even in naming the places as Uttara Kasi,
Dakshina Kasi and so on[5]. Due to climatic
changes, men originated from the equatorial region could have spread north and
south[6]. Actually, the mention
of "Dwaraka" and "Kapadapuram", where people tried to enter
and settle down after deluge could be one and the same, as both convey the same
meaning (the city, where people entered).
The entire
Tamil literature has been full of religious references to Sanskrit literature.
Perhaps, there is no other literature like Tamil, which has religious aspects
in it. When Jainism and Buddhism tried to enter Tamizhagam, Bakti movement
originated and spread to the north. This Bakti movement was revived again, when
the Mohammedan incursions started.
From
Kumaragurubarar, we can understand that Tamil poets had never been against any
language, as he could lecture in Hindusthani, as Sanskrit was used before.
The nature of
Tamils had / has been to build temple first and then house, wherever, they
went. In Mauritius,
Tamils have built almost all temples. Such has been their religious
consciousness.
Krishna Jagannathan of Vidhyabarathi Educational Trust: Referring about the Christian manipulation of
religious propaganda, he warned the Tamils about the misinterpretation of
Christians that their religion was derived from the Christianity etc. He openly
accused Deivanayagam, John Samuel, Devakala and others for organizing
"International conferences" and blaspheming Hindus under the guise of
"Thamizhar samayam". He referred to three conferences conducted –
1. One
at Newyork in 2005[7].
2. Second
in 2007[8]
3. Another
in 2008[9].
He urged that
Tamils cannot take such nonsense lightly, as they have been trying to repeat
such lies thousands time to make it to appear "truth".
He regretted
that even former president had participated in such anti-Tamil conferences
conducted in 2007[10]. Ironically, they use
cine-actors directly and indirectly for their propagandist activities, while
Rajinikanth name was mentioned for the role of Tiruvalluvar in their proposed
100-crore mega movie on "mythical thomas", Kamal Hassan was made to
blabber out that Tiruvalluvar could be a Jain, a Buddhist or Christian!
He retold
the above story: In the
context of Mumbai-Jihadi attacks, he added that Christians and Muslims could
not be saved, as Jesus and Allah had to run here and there being a single
entity, but Hindu God sent different Gods to different places, so that Hindus
could be saved.
The DK ideology
and DMK rule have only made the Tamils irreligious forgetting their Temple culture, tradition
and heritage.
Sri
Omkarananda Swamigal of Sri Bhuvaneswari Avadhutha Vidhya Peetam: Being a Tiruvalluvar exponent, Tirukkural teacher
and Mutt Head, he expressed his anguish, the way in which Tiruvalluvar is
degraded and Tirukkural disrespected by the Christians and Tamil atheist
groups.
Hindu
Religious Heads and Hindus feel offended and pained much: Religious Heads pained, wounded and anxious about
their activities. They might think that Hindus have been very tolerant and
learned to be patient to the core, thus keep quiet. The Hindus have never been
taught hatred against other religious Gods and religious beliefs and that is
why they do not ask any inconvenient questions, even when the Christians and
Mohammedans ask why you God has many wives, Why Vinayaka has elephant head and
so on. But such non-hatred quality cannot be considered weakness of
Hindus. But now a situation has come that Hindus should learn how to
answer them or question them effectively.
Babar and
Teresa are quoted for Tirukkural:
He pointed out as to how a Vice-Chancellor[11] of a University of TN
requested him to preside over his book release function on
"Tirukkural", but he was totally taken aback to note that he had only
given examples from Therasa, Babar and others, but none from Indian
personalities in citing references to the Kural. He observed that the author of
the "Tiruvalluvar book" could not recite even Tirukkural properly.
The Hindu
haters should read "Azhukkaranai" chapter of Tirukkural[12]: "Azhukkaramai" means the psyche of without jealousy, envy
or covetousness. The Christians, Mohammedans, Tamil atheist groups and
Hindu-haters should read and understand before talking nonsense about Hindus.
He questioned the duplicity of the Dravidian-Tamil politician about the
hypocritical approach towards Tiruvalluvar[13]. He challenged the
politicians that they should recite Tirukkural before the public, before
contesting elections.
Tirukkural
should be written in the hearts of the Tamil people: As he has been preaching and teaching Tirukkural,
he exposed the hypocrisy of the Tamil politicians. He pointed out that it is
not enough, if Tirukkural is written on the buses or commentaries given by CMs
and VCs, but they should be written in the hearts of the Tamil people.
Can
Hindus send books urging Mullahs and bishops to "change their minds"? He also pointed out the audacity of a Christian,
who sent him books on Christianity and appealed him to "change his
mind" to accept Christ. He sent a suitably reply and challenged him to
come for a public debate at Palayankotai itself, bringing his Christian heads,
but there was no reply from him. While mentioning this, he also pointed out as
to how a "Hindu journal" did not publish his letter![14] Retorting, he asked
whether any Hindu had guts to send books to Bishop, Imam. Mullah etc., and
urged them to "change their minds"?
He urged that
one conference should be conducted, taking this meeting as a starting point, to
refute such misinterpretations.
VEDAPRAKASH
07-12-2008
Also see at:
http://vedaprakash.indiainteracts.com/2008/12/07/thamizhar-samayam-a-reply-to-the-christian-protagonists-and-propagandists/
[1] The entire proceedings were conducted in Tamil, just for convenience
and the news to reach the non-Tamil people, it has been typed in English.
[2] He has been associated with the "New Educational Policy of
Tamilnadu" known as "Samac-ceer kalvi murai" to be implemented.
[3] Would the Dravidian / Tamil friends agree for this, or would be he dubbed
as a party to "saffronization of textbooks" project!
[4] Referring to the discarded race hypotheses and theories still
followed by the Dravidian political parties in Tamilnadu.
[5] Implying that the so-called "Aryans" or
"Dravidians" could not ave come from outside, that is from north to
soputh, but the other way!
[6] Hinting to Gondwana / Pangaea / Kumarik-kandam hypothesis and
theories linked with the "Three Sangams" existed 12,000 YBP.
[7] First International Conference on Early Christianity in India, August
13th-16th, 2005.
[8] Held at Chemmencherry at the premises of Instutute of Asian Culture
and Sathyabhama Deemed University.
[9] The First Tamizhar Samayam Cionference at Pastoral Centre, Mylapore
August 14th to 1th, 2008. For details refer to my blogs in www.indiainteracts.com
[10] Mentioning "Abdul Kalam" specifically!
[11] This has been the status and standards of Chancellor and
Vice-Chancellor of Universities of Tamilnadu and what Tamils could expects from
them?
[12] Chapter 17 of Tirukkural containing ten verses aptly placed between
the chapters "Forgiveness" and "Covetousness"!
[13] Obviously, referring to what has been going on in Tamilnadu
miusing Tiruvalluvar and Tirukkural.
[14] Such has been the quality of "secular standards" even by
the so-called "Hindu journals", why then blame "The Hindu"
then?
'Thamizhar
Samayam' full of prayer, worship and Dharma: Pujya Sri Omkarananda Swamigal
'Mind needs peace and to attain that piece one
must lead the right way of life and Sanatana
Dharma teaches us that right
way of life', saidPujya Sri Omkarananda Swamigl of Sri Bhuvaneswari Avadhutha
Vidhyaa Peetam, Pudhukkottai. He was rendering a special address at a seminar
on 'Tamizhar Samayam'organised by 'Dharma Rakshana Samithi' in Chennai on Sunday the 7th December
2008.
Pujya Swamiji said, 'Sanatana Dharma, that is
Hinduism is 'Anaathi' (no beginning & no end). Adi Sankara has traveled the length and breadth of Bharatavarsha by foot and established Sanatana Dharma as the true religion by defeating 72
various other religions and religious concepts through healthy and meaningful
debates. Anything, which has a
'Date of Birth', will also have a 'Date of Death'! But no one can affirm when
the Vedic Religion of Sanatana Dharma commenced and similarly no one can
predict the end of it. That is the beauty of this religion, which evolved as
the 'Vedic Civilization'. Hinduism, as a religion, is like the 'Maha Saagar' (Great Ocean),
where its various concepts like Shaivism
& Vaishnavism etc merge
like rivers and tributaries'.
Delving deep into the worshiping patterns,
Swamiji said, 'languages are a medium of reaching the Almighty through worship.
People use their respective languages for worshipping their Gods &
Goddesses and as long as the culture, tradition and way of worship remain the
same, there is no place for discrimination along linguistic lines. But
unfortunately vested interests divide people on the basis of 'language' through
their 'anti-Sanskrit' calls and 'anti-Vedic' concepts and such 'chauvinistic'
elements are supported by 'atheistic' elements in the society. Sadly in Tamilnadu, the atheists have
been ruling the roost for years and this unholy 'Atheist-Chauvinist'
combination has been wreaking havoc, slowly and steadily alienating the people
away from Sanatana Dharma'. Swamiji added, 'religion is quite a
larger concept and it cannot be diminished by linguistic chauvinism. The unholy
'atheist-chauvinist' nexus in Tamilnadu has been imposing 'Tamil worship' in
the state at the cost of Sanskrit,
Vedas andAgamas and such an imposition is not at
all acceptable. In fact, Sanskrit and Tamil have been playing pivotal roles
together in the worship of Gods & Goddesses and no one has the right to
meddle in this affair. If we take the great treasures of Tamil Literature, we
can find references to Vedas,
Agamas and Vedic concepts in
abundance. For example,Alwars and Nayanmars have paid glorious tributes to Vedas in their great Tamil hymnsDhivya
prabhandham & Thevaram and
similarly Thiruvalluvar too in hisThirukural'. He enlightened the fact
that language must be used only as a medium of expression in worship and that
it must not be misused to divide people.
Then, talking on the immense knowledge present
in Thirukkural and quoting many verses from it, Swamiji, himself being an
expert and exponent of Thirukkural, said, 'Thiruvalluvar himself was an
exponent of Vedas and he has established the ideal Dharmic way of life through
his verses under various topics. It is not enough if statues are sculpted for
him, but more than that what is important is that his teachings have to be
followed'. In a lighter vein, he said, 'The politicians must be made to learn
Thirukkural and live as per its teachings and those who cannot recite
Thirukkural, especially'Porutpaal' (Governance & Administration) with its
meanings must not be allowed to contest elections'. He questioned the duplicity
of Dravidian racist leaders and challenged them to lead a life following the
teachings of Thiruvalluvar before flaunting their fake interests on
Thirukkural. ! Then Swamiji also
conveyed to the audience his idea of taking Thirukkural to every nook &
corner of Tamilnadu through the unique concept titled 'Kudisai thorum kural'
(Thirukkural in every hutment).
He also referred to the launch of a book
authored by a well-known educationist and former Vice Chancellor of a
University on Thirukkural containing quotes & anecdotes from all other
religious leaders except Hindu leaders and said that such attitude must be
nipped in the bud. He said that no one has the right to belittle Hinduism in
the name of inter-religious faith or secularism. He also came down heavily on the
blasphemy perpetrated by the Christians and Muslims on Hindu religion, Devatas
and Scriptures and asked them to follow the verses said by Thiruvalluvar,
especially on the title 'Azhukkaaraamai' (non-enviousness) before claiming
Christianity's acquaintance with Thirukkural. He
indicated that the Christians and Muslims must not take the tolerance shown by
the magnanimous Hindus as a weakness and challenged them to rise against
conversion and terrorism. Citing
the reports that the Muslim religious body has denied space in their cemeteries
for the slain terrorists in Mumbai, he challenged those Muslim clerics to first
make a public announcement that Allah would not forgive the terrorists and that
they would not go to heaven!
He concluded by saying, 'the society is full
of evil things, which can corrupt the gullible minds of the next generation
easily. It is our responsibility to lead the next generation in the right path
and for that they need peace of mind, purity of heart and true knowledge, which
we only have to give them. Secondly we must ensure unity in the society and
worship can bring that. Worship must be used to unite people thereby removing
narrow-mindedness and discrimination. The
basic fundamentals of Prayer, Worship and Dharma found in abundance in Tamil
Literatures must be taken to each and every house in Tamilnadu there by
establishing 'Thaimzhar Samayam' (Religion of Tamils). Today we have commenced
and let us all work towards accomplishing this beautiful concept for a better
Tamil society'.
In course of his introductory speech, Krishna Jagannathan of Vidhyabharathi
Educational Trust enlightened the
audience about the attempts made by the vested interests to divide the Tamils
by creating a rift amongst them in the name of Aryan-Dravidian theory. He
brought to light how the atheists and chauvinists have been brainwashing the
gullible masses through anti-Brahminism and anti-Sanskrit postulations. He
dealt in length on the Machiavellian agenda of the Christian missionaries to
cheat the Tamils through their absurd theories of placing Shivism and Vaishnavism as sub-divisions of 'Thomas Christianity'. He explained
how the evangelists like Deivanayagam, his daughter Devakala and John Samuel
and others spin the web of intellectual terrorism around the Tamils through the
ridiculous concept of 'Dravida
Samayam' (Dravidian Religion) and
how the international Christian community and the local atheistic elements help
them in taking such concocted stories to the masses. He pointed out the
unfortunate episode of even noble people like Abdul Kalam participating in
their dubious conference in 2007. He remarked how those anti-social &
communal elements imbibe the Hindu divine concepts and use them to project
Christianity as the mother religion of Tamils. He emphasised the importance of
creating awareness among the Tamils about the immense knowledge available in
Tamil literatures on Hinduism and its Bakthi movement.
Krishna Jagannathan said, 'Thiruvalluvar has
sung ten separate verses on 'Nation' depicting that a nation becomes complete
only with the addition of its people and their traditions pertaining to their
soil. A nation without its nativity and people would remain only as a land mass
and it cannot be formed without them. The cultural heritage and religious
traditions form part of that nativity and the people who follow them are the
natives. Sanskrit and Tamil are
integral parts of that nativity and they cannot be separated'. He cited the
official 'state anthem' on Mother Tamil, which is full of Sanskrit terms, as an
example. He appealed to the people not to fall prey to the devious idea of 'All
religions are same' and asked them to stick to their religion and its
traditions. He concluded by saying, 'people have the responsibility to guide
the children by teaching them the true history and imparting the basic
knowledge on our culture and religion, so that they don't get carried away by
the dubious propaganda of alien religionists'.
Earlier Muthukumaran,
former Vice Chancellor of Barathidasan University gave the presidential address. He
categorically said that the educational system has to be reformed totally in
the country. Delving deep into it, he said, 'schools are not teaching the true
history of the nation and many schools under the category of minority
institutions simply thrust their religious concepts on the minds of even the
Hindu children. Unfortunately the products of these schools become future
leaders and the false knowledge gained by them in the schools influence their
functioning resulting in heavy damage to the native culture and heritage of India. Because
of the present system of education, the ordinary people and even a large
section of literate people have lost touch with the original culture, language
and religion'. He added, 'the history, which is being taught in schools is
nothing but a distorted one created in the 19th century by the British with
their divide & rule agenda'.
Talking of the religious traditions, he said,
'our ancestors had a system of worship based on the four places of dwelling namely Kurinji (Hills), Mullai (Plains), Marudham (Agricultural Lands) and Neithal (Seashore) and they had separate
Devatas to worship. They also worshipped female deities as per the Puranas and
followed the age-old principle of not living in a place, which doesn't have a
temple and in such places they built temples for the welfare of the society. He
cited the example of Mauritius,
where the Tamil community, which forms only one lakh of the total nine-lakh
population, has built some hundred and ten temples there. The Tamils started
the Bakthi movement and the lives and works of Alwarsand Nayanmars have ample testimony for it. Though
the Buddhists and Jains remained separated, the Hindus never felt shy of
accepting and taking the good things from them and that is the reason for the
success of this nation. The Tamils lived a complete life and respected their
field of work and prayed the Almighty only for love, peace and blessings and
not for wealth. Such a life style is lost now and it has to be brought back.
For that the education system has to be changed'.
He exposed the duplicity of the 'Tamil
politicians' by saying, 'when the world Tamil community in about 50 countries
celebrates'Karthikai Deepam', the Tamilnadu government does nothing about it.
This is only an example and this goes well for all the other festivals too. He
concluded by saying, 'the government must reintroduce religious studies in the
school syllabi and replace the existing false history with the original one.
Such studies must be made compulsory and government must not hesitate to spend
money to establish libraries and institutions promoting music, dance and drama
thereby spreading the native Tamil culture'.
Dharma Rakshana Samithi has started a movement of promoting the true 'Thamizhar Samayam'
in consonance withSanatana Dharma and
is hopeful of accomplishing it very soon.
B.R. Haran
PS: - Due to the last minute request from
Manikandanji of Dharma Rakshana Samithi, I had to don the role of 'master of
ceremony' at the function and I thank him for the opportunity, which I utilized
to say a few words.
The slightly condensed version of the report
can be seen at the following link: -
http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?id=12936%20&%20section=7
