sangitha kalanidhi 2024

[sam]

kAdarunda Usi", a needle with a broken off eye (shorn of the end hole), to use

Gopaalakrishna Bhaaratiyar expression.

Wow, two languages use two different expressions for that , one uses ear, other the eye - fascinating!!

.
I think it was pattinatthar phrase
காதற்ற ஊசியும் வாராது காண் கடைவழிக்கே” என்ற பட்டினத்தார்

St.Mathew

And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

.
.

[shankarank]

https://www.karnatik.com/c18268.shtml

vIsi naDai naDanda meyyavum poyyAghavE un Osai aDangum pOdu
oruvarum angillai dUsiyum pOghAdE kAdarutta Usiyum vArAdE

[sam]

The song list of the day included
Saint Thyagaraja’s Karubaru in Mukhari,
Lavanya Rama in Purnashadja and
Padavi nee in Salaga Bhairavi;
.
The first kruthi praises the reign of Raama.
(Flattery? Of ruling circles). The second extols the glow and asks why would anyone choose a lesser faith (.?.) The third , condemns insincere godmen.
.
May be, there are no CM composers from muslim community in tamilnadu, but there are acclaimed cm compositions by vedanayagam saastriyar
Samuel Vedanayagam Sastriar was the earliest of the Tamil Christian composers and Tyagaraja’s contemporary. Born in 1774, he was educated under Christian Frederick Schwartz, a Danish missionary who ran a gurukulam-style school at home. His fellow pupil was the future ruler of Thanjavur, Serfoji II Bhonsle. The two formed a close bond, and Sastriar would often perform in Serfoji’s court.

Through his life, Sastriar composed several Tamil Christian keertanais hymns as well as plays and books in verse. He produced 120 literary works, .

Then we had a better known CM composer and a great humanist, Munsif Vedanayagam Pillai, a contemporary of Gopalakrishna Bharathi and vadaloor vaLLalar. Suitable for all religions. His compositions also would have suited the spirit of Christmas.
Would it not have been more suitable on Christmas day?

Why the lungi insulted the sacred legacy of sathguru?
How could venerated vidwans tolerate this mobocracy?
Why could n't have just done aalaaps alone?
How would the audience have reacted.?

.sriramv says.
Muhammad Abdullah Labbai has composed around 90 songs as per this book. It is also stated in the preface that the composer presented all of these at the dargah. What is interesting is that some of the songs are still being sung there, though the tunes have changed over time. The book sadly lacks notation (it must be remembered that notation in print was not common practice in the early 1900s). But ragas and talas are provided for every song. The popular ragas are all there, with preponderance for usage of Khamas, Mohanam and Kalyani. There are certain ragas that are not easy to identify. Names such as Desikam, Karnataka Desikam, Mohana Thodi and Nilakambodi are puzzling.

Quoting rajeshnat
In June 15th ,2018 edition The hindu Friday Reviews, most of writeups were related to Ramzan . In carnatic Classical Music we have had one writeup of Aruna on voice culture and another by V Sriram who regularly writes every week . I did not know about Mohammad Abdullah Labbai, until reading the lovely writeup by V Sriram . Sriram covers about this vaggeyakkara Mohammad Abdullah Labbai who has written about 80 krithis in manipravalam with proper pallavi anupallavi etc. Incidentally there is also a mention about new ragas like MohanaTodi, desikam etc that Labbai has composed.

Has any one in the forum heard ever any song composed by this vaggeyakkara Mohammad Abdullah Labbai. Any inputs that can be supplemented with V Sriram writeup on Labbai is welcome.

http://www.thehindu.com/society/faith/m ... 161991.ece

[shankarank]

Organized religion, even some unorganized or locally organized ( where traditions are enforced with an iron fist) within the Hindu/Indian native traditions have had an uneasy relationship with music. They don't want music by itself to challenge their authority and adherents drift towards music as a means of any "realiziation" or any alternate spiritual path.

SrI Damodara Dikshitar in the award ceremony to Sri Dushyanth Sridhar by the family of bramhaSrI Balakrishna Sastrigal , points out a verse in the vEda, where it states, don't compensate a musician (paaDukinRvaRku sanmaanam seyyAdE). He clarifies not to take that, literally. It is said with a caution that, lack of Bhakti can take them astray.

Parallelly though, we have yAgnyavalkya smriti which extols music as a better and easier way of taking anybody to higher state of realization.

By the time the old European pagan era traditions were revived in renaissance, they had to be kept as "secular", aside from religion, as the established religion didn't want any challenges to its authority.

In India there were no imperialist backed religious structure, even if Kings patronized traditions. Thyagaraja could refuse to visit the durbar of Serfoji. Bhadracala Ramadasu defied even an imperialist King's authority to build a temple.

In Sangam period, Kings considered poets higher or equal to them. A poet slept on arasukKaTTil ( King's cot from where justice is dispensed - kings didn't have ariyANai may be at that time), when the King was away, but the King said that is fine , even though it would in death penalty for anybody else.

Metrical structures suggest that, paasurams must have had raagams to go with them. However may be due to lack of royal patronage, raagams were given up to include everybody to be able to recite them. Whereas tEvaarams could continue to have the pANs.

Question in front of us, is can those who pursue music under, whatever purpose, able to break free of the stronghold of their organized religion? Have the conditions changed sufficiently to allow that to happen?

[sam]

M S Subbulakshmi’s key contributions and milestone concerts at the Madras Music Academy | by KavyaVriksha | KavyaVriksha | Medium

https://medium.com/kavyavriksha/m-s-sub ... 811b351265

[sam]

With reference to the preceding post by shankarank sir.
.
The present issue of MA - TMK SK MS is definitely political and should be countered and condemned. . Savarkar had the foresight.
There is no historical reference about carnatic music system prior to 1300 AD.
It was the time when delhi sultanate was established. Sultanate army ventured into deccan and ravaged the Devagiri yadav kingdom in maharashtra region. Till then, the deccan was safe. The next step was the plunder of far south by Malik kafur. Unimaginable treasures were plundered most possibly from temples of imperial cholas and imperial pandyan kingdoms. Traditionally, our kings personally parficipated in wars with valour.


Our sacred Madurai of great great antiquity dating back to 300 BC of mauryan and even magadhan and even prior to that the days of Gautama Buddha , was occupied by plundering thugs. There was profanity untold for 50 years till viswanatha naik drove them out.
Just north of vijayanagar empire, was the disgusting bahmani kingdom which corresponds to northern deccan and telengana.

When Marco Polo, the venetian traveller visited pandyan kingdom around 1300 AD,he said, it was the ri hest and most prosperous country.

It was jatavarma paandyan who provided gold roof to Nataraja temple at Chitambaram. We were that very rich.
Let us not imagine that this barbaric intrusion into dhakshina pada was just affecting the upper classes. With a plundering savages of alien marauders, all the temples were looted. Traditionally, it was rhe devasthaanams which had all the wealth not the palaces.

Where have the temples gone in deccan? It is a miracle that thirumalai temple was defended and preserved. Dont we know that thiruvananthapuram temple has great wealth yet to be estimated? Just look at the austere life of Thiruvananthapuram royal family. Best example of concept of devasthaanam
.
When there is no responsible administration, who would maintain irrigation? Who would preserve the crops? Why would cultivators care to toil and produce ? The entire land was devastated.

It was the Vijayanagar kingdom that saved the South. The inspiration wss by sage vidhyaranya.

Ever since then, music of the deccan has been nothing but religious and sacred , devotional music.

Prior to that indian music was just entertainment drama, dance and stage music.

I have not read about any music outside the temple.
Who then were the patrons of classical musuc? Who brought cm classical music to tamizh land? It was Govinda Dikshita.

No wonder then, carnatic music was nurtured by brahmins with sanskrit knowledge.

Islam, that is orthodox islam has no place for music atall, much less for dance.
.sikhism though anti idol, promoted devotional music.

Christianity has always had choir music. In great many ways, hindu religion and catholic religion share many things. ..especially, vaishnavam.
It is no mere coincidence that maadhwas led the classical music revival.
So how did it spread? It spread by wandering minstrels. Daasar koottam.
Even Thyagaraja swamy has sung endearingly about haridasulu.
.
Sloka & Haridasulu Vedale |
Raga Yamunakalyani - |
Ranjani Gayatri"
https://youtu.be/eTs_dVUemFc?si=0kEC06tZJDU-9IU6
.
Expopriate all the jihadist endowments.

The country should wake up.
Atleast the South should be saved from jihadists and wokes.
.
It is a geopolitical existential issue.
Even the sacred precincts of Chembai utsavam have been dirtied and soiled by these vulgar cultural vandals. Nowadays, the utsav is run by government. That is how this tribal got to sing Thyagaraa jagadhaanandakaaraka. Lacked thebasic decency of wearing utthareeyam in the presence of lady accompanist.
Disgusting.exhibitiinism of late.
Our muslim and christian brethern are more decently clad.
God!
Where have cultural icons like Madurai MaNi Iyer gone?
.
Ugh!

[shankarank]

Since we are discussing Music Academy, in their charter or founding document, or any resolution is there is any reference to "sacredness" of our musical tradition or even the "devotional" aspect?

This may be a sense that musicians from their parampara that carried into the stage. But the institution itself in it's formal establishing clauses or resolutions , does it acknowledge this even in passing?

There is the "sarasvati" with a "vINA" in their logo. Which is mere symbolism? The trinity's photographs used to be hung on the side of the dias. Are they still there? But then it could be taken as the recognition of their "human" , "secular" efforts and the great "rAgA" music they gave us encapsulated as "kritis".

Usual argument made by TMK is:

anyway the words are split "sukkumi" "laguthi" "ippli". Else rAgA structure is destroyed. How can then we say it conveys
"Bhakti" or "divinity". They did this only because the populace was conditioned to receive these themes! Else their "intent"
was only to produce music!! SrI venkatEsa svaprakAsa sarvOn natasaj janamaa nasa nikEtana kanakAmbara
daralasan makuTakuN Dalavira jitaharE yanucunE pokaTakaa

Sacredness now is connoted with "purity" of the social sense, or untouchability. And we have let this happen.

[sam]

As shankarank sir points out, there seems to be no explicit motto for MA to promote carnatic classical music as a medium of Hindu devotional ĺife. But could it be anything otherwise when year after year the participants sing the compositions of Purandara dasa, Saint Thyagaraja, Shyama sastry, Dikshitar, and all the desciples of the Trinity, ?.mostly?
If musicology alone had been the sole aim, the MA would not have given priority to concerts. Nor would the rasikas. Promoting carnatic music automatically means promoting the Hindu bhakthi movement.
.
Ofcourse, ìt should be devotion with fine art . Priority is religious devotion and not even discourse. alone.
As I could gather, MA was part of the freedom movement. A reassertion of our cultural legacy. It was thus political too.

[sam]

Article by kalki kannan in swarajya.
https://swarajyamag.com/culture/an-awar ... her-memory


"

Have you come to seek blessings for Sadasivam’s Sadabhishekam?" enquired the Living God, the Mahaperiyava. "My blessings are with you," he said and had relevant material of spiritual significance provided for the ceremony. After this, there wasn’t a whimper of dissent.

An award in MS' name by stomping on the sentiments and emotions of many in her family is no way to honour her memory

.
The writer should have added
' sentiments of literally millions of her devotees of four generations, nation wide and worldwide.

[shankarank]

That has also been deconstructed by the Marxist mind. It seems when somebody says "he is like a son to me" or "he is like a father to me", it hides some form of oppression. You read TMK closely to notice all this.

[sam]

https://4transcripts.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

[kvchellappa]

"Pompous and purposeless.
Let CM survive or perish. It is not the only music or art available, nothing special just because we love, know or live by it. Do your part well and help anyone whose interest in it is aroused. Beyond that whatever you said is a fine use of words from a lexicon, passing over the head, not because the meaning is abstruse or nuanced, but because it is not there. Your political flavour and touch is the only message that underlines the whole address.
Leave music to its confines, do not communalise it or bring ugly political and caste divides in it.
You will do well because you hail from a business family and know it well. Wish you to do well, but without roiling dormant issues and fomenting hatred of persons, communities, culture and nation."

(My letter to TMK on his address: https://www.tmkrishna.com/music-academy ... e%20future.)

[arasi]

KVC,

When love for something is tested
As in a crucible we burn--feelings
Gaining a fervor as we see in you
Our gentle rasika friend otherwise!

karnAdaga sangItam, Or aDi tAngi, iDi tAngi
(CM is batter proof, thunder resistant!)

Though I have to add, I feel your pain

[sam]

It was more like a political meeting. All the pseudo left leftovers came for thamaasha. Sunday. Free concert. Even with that the attendance was much less than what political orators and cine stars would get. The hero could have entered film world two decades back.

.disgusting verbiage of a talk.
Thanks. Chellappa sir.

[kvchellappa]

https://organiser.org/2025/01/04/271966 ... 0D4pRcnVlQ

[shankarank]

simple sir! onnumilla sir! very simple sir! inda privy pursellaam ozhichannga illaya sir ( Did not Indira Gandhi abolish privy purses!) , based on equality fraternity whatever the heck it was! Bring it back as endowment, find the families or descendants.

With full brahmin patriarchal backing of course. Solleraannille , yaar rajaava irundalum raaja gurukkal avargal taanE. ( Whoever is king they are the raaja gurus!!)

adukkapuram pazhaiya isai muraiyum appaDiyE vakkirada patti yosikkalaam! ( Then we can think about resurrecting the old music MSS came out of!)

OK?!

Some some boards and consulates of one some country are holding large prime properties! This should be easy to do Sir!

[girish_a]

I read somewhere that loud whistles were heard in his concert. Has it come to this now? Audience whistling like rowdies in a Carnatic concert? It would be incorrect to call that concert a Carnatic one, but still...Alas!

[ramamatya]

I read somewhere that loud whistles were heard in his concert. Has it come to this now? Audience whistling like rowdies in a Carnatic concert? It would be incorrect to call that concert a Carnatic one, but still...Alas!

According to The Hindu:

"There was an air of impatience near the Music Academy as a huge crowd descended upon the roads surrounding the popular venue resulting in a huge traffic jam. Being one of the few venues in Chennai that is disabled-friendly, the Academy welcomed several wheelchair users and senior citizens that day. Mothers brought their infants; young grandchildren accompanied their grandparents and several members of the LGBTQIA+ community were in attendance. Many first generation music learners from marginalized castes and religious backgrounds also turned up to support this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi awardee."

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 033186.ece

[sam]

welcomed several wheelchair users and senior citizens that day. Mothers

brought their infants; young grandchildren accompanied their grandparents and several members of the LGBTQIA+ community were in attendance. Many first generation music learners from marginalized castes and religious backgrounds also turned up to support this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi awardee

."
Grand,

Free entry, of course, ensured the hall was packed (unlike on previous days of this “season” when many of the usual rasikas kept away, likely put off by the controversy).

https://indianexpress.com/article/opini ... s-9755360/
.
....


At 6 pm that evening, Krishna’s fiercest critics, the sisters Ranjani and Gayatri (RaGa to their fans), who had refused to participate in the Music Academy’s festival, held their audience spellbound at the Narada Gana Sabha, barely half a kilometre from the Academy.
.
The RaGa sisters’ nearly three-hour concert to a mostly-packed (and ticketed) house was as steeped in tradition
.

Gayatri set the tone at the very outset with her assertion that Carnatic music is inextricably intertwined with bhakti and the programme was replete with pieces ingrained with Hindu devotionalism. And what glorious music this was, even to my irreligious ear! But no Christ, the.

.indeed, they sang praising our nation as the land of Rama, Krishna, and Vittala. Their sublime ragam-tanam-pallavi in Jaunpuri had as its pallavi (equivalent to the bandish in Hindustani) a Tamil line celebrating Bharat as an upholder of dharma since time immemorial
.
it was hard not to be moved by their stirring patriotic composition in Desh, sung in Sanskrit, Tamil, Brijbhasha and Marathi. The choice of Desh, and Jaunpuri earlier — both ragas derived from Hindustani music — and the multilingual renditions underlined Carnatic’s catholicism and relative lack of parochiality
.
In one sense, RaGa may actually have been more inclusive than Krishna. They made it a point to announce each of their pieces

[dhanurasi]

The Indian Express Write up-is an inherently biased note in the garb of balancing. It is neither a review nor was it objective. The Heading itself revealed its skew by naming T M Krishna while not naming Ranjani Gayathri but just by branding them.

'to a mostly-packed (and ticketed) house' This is not true, but can only be technically correct.

From all first hand accounts, RaGa concert tickets were sold out in mdnd website quite early. The empty seats exist due to the typical Sabha apathy. They keep too many seats for sponsors and members who don't turn up. The sabhas are too lazy to bridge this gap. They send away 100s of other seekers at the box office with indifference. Always found many empty seats in the front in Vani Mahal and NGS too for many sold-out concerts. MA manages a more committed team that is better driven. Most sabhas are 'owned' by Honororary seat warmers. They don't encourage any efforts to infuse change. MA addresses this empty seat challenge with better rules and by using a buffer of Plastic chairs in the aisles. This time, they bragged with pictures of such chairs in the lobby in front of LED displays.

In the same Music academy, reports of queues forming at 4 am for buying day tickets for RaGa concerts and 3.30 pm traffic jams on TTk Road have been the norm for a decade now. "MA full" is no news except when the whole of The Hindu, N Ram and the gang consider it a prestige issue on a particular day.

BTW, on the morning of 25th December in MA, some songs were delivered. Some snippets were widely shared in the SM. It is called a concert. Would you call it music?

[ramamatya]

"Would you call it music?"

That's a great punchline, and rightly said! MA just probably donated many tickets to NGOs in yet another of its many efforts to support Ram's pomposity.

[sam]

This review may be relevant to this thread.
.
https://meerareviews.wordpress.com/2024 ... 25-12-2024

DYNAMIC DUO DAZZLE: Ranjani Gayathri in the special Ra Ga Bharatham at Narada Gana Sabha on 25.12.2024

The concert was probably the high point of the Margazhi Season in Narada Gana Sabha. The hall was jam-packed and the sisters rose to the occasion.

Gayathri made a brief introduction placing their unequivocal support for Bhakti in our traditional music

. They then sang in their trademark brisk, time-conscious style by correctly pacing their concert in such a way that they could fit in all the pieces they have now become famous for. They sang in perfect unison in the kriti rendition and where manodharma was individually handled, they each gave their distinct colour.

Detailed review given .

[girish_a]

I think what's happening is an attempt at institutional capture of the Music Academy. That is a classic communist tactic. And leftist takeover of any influential centre of culture or power is immediately followed by the entry of Abrahamic forces into those centres.

We know the Church is scheming to destroy Hinduism. They have said it publicly. The Christians are doubtless waiting to get a foothold in the academy.

Be prepared to hear concerts fully dedicated to compositions in praise of that carcass on a cross. In MMA. It will happen. It will be normalized.

And they will have the full support of the media. You will start seeing articles and opinion pieces lamenting the "lack of diversity" in Carnatic compositions.

And when that happens, Hindu fools will support it too, and likely teach Christian compositions to the next generation. That is how the fall will begin.

TMK is an asset of forces that seek to break India. These forces are waging civilizational war on us. And TMK has started the assault on a sacred heritage that only Hindu civilization could have brought into being. And he has tasted blood.

Things will only get worse from here on.

And sure enough, here it comes. The awardee and his chums have just employed the term "inclusive sahitya" in their report. And surprise, surprise! Sister Bastian holds forth on the subject. And the despicable TMK himself refers to Christian compositions, and also throws in an Islamic reference for good measure.

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 085036.ece

In case you doubt how serious this predatory desert cult is about converting us, watch this talk on Youtube . If you don't have the patience to listen to this entire thing, just listen for about half a minute from 11 mins 30 seconds into the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9zxK-FPnkI

So the wolf of Christianity wears the sheep's clothing of Indic culture and tradition to prey upon the unsuspecting Hindus. And this man and his commie gang have just held the door open for the wolves to rush in.

If you're still not convinced, watch this, this is quite close to home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dnvVm4t4Xo

And the numbers prove it. See this example:
https://swarajyamag.com/culture/47-year ... -destroyed

Whatever you may think, even if you support the unsavoury TMK, never doubt that for the desert cult, you are just another unbeliever and a devil worshipper who will be condemned to eternal hellfire. And people like TMK and the commies are just useful idiots for the barbarians to achieve their goal of Christianizing India. This is civilizational war, whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not. Never forget that.

[sam]

I listened to the full speech by the sister. She spoke about munsif vedanayagam pillai, vadaloor vaLLalaar and GKB. Absolutely fine. Never once, she talked about Islam.

Islam and Lebbai songs were purposely sneaked into summary by fhe lungi, abetted by one of the office bearers, you know who.
.
It is very bad geo politics to antagonize the worldwide catholic fraternity.

As a part syrian catholic myself, i wish to submit that the syrian catholics of Kerala predate even the roman catholic church.
.It cannot be denied that christian missionaries have done great work in education and healthcare in tamilnadu.

Infact, the brahmin community benefited verymuch from the English education brought by the missionaries.

Scott Christian college at Nagerkoil, st.John and st.Xavief at Palayamkottai, St.Joseoh at Trichy, Loyola at Chenni .
Numerous healthcare centers like Vellore .

The tribals are infact the original inhabitants of our land.
Manipur crisis a pointer.

Kindly learn to differentiate between syrian catholics, latin catholics, quakers and mefhodists, and other denominations .
.
Whoever lives and loves India is a bhaarathiya.
Famous quote from vishnu puraanam.
Endorssd by oura Naanooru.

South of Himalayas, north of cape kumai, bound by sea in east and west, who ever lives here is known as Bharathi.

The culprit is not sister margaret but the lungi.
..
Who is Sister Margaret?
Sr. Margaret belongs to the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph (FSJ). She is the first nun in South India to receive a Doctorate in South Indian classical music..
.
Sr. Margaret Bastin is an academician and well-known musicologist with specialisation in Tamil music. She is a vocalist and veena player and has studied the Bharatanatyam margam.

Sr. Margaret graduated in classical music from Queen Mary’s College, and went on to secure three Masters degrees – M.A. in Guidance and Counselling from Mother Teresa University, M.A. in Human Excellence in Yoga from Bharathiar University, and M.A. in Indian Classical Music from the University of Madras — as well as an M.Phil and a Doctorate from there.

......
.

[vgovindan]

"carcass on a cross"
girish_a,
I did not notice your original post; otherwise, I would have responded then and there. Kindly do not use such distasteful and self-defeating words.
It is not the founders of religions, but the followers who, without 'realising' the words of the saints, prophets, etc, misinterpreted them (the words) and brought havoc to the humanity. The followers considered the 'words' to be the Truth; Truth is unspeakable (anirvacanIya). That's why Buddha kept quiet when asked about God. Therefore, let us not get mired in words. When I say 'followers', Hindus are no less culpable.
The term 'resurrection' is in no way different from 'awakening' of Buddha, and 'salvation' (nirvANa) of Mahavira, and 'realisation', 'perfection', 'liberation' (mOksha) of Hinduism.
Great souls like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda, etc, stood for sarva-dharma sama bhAvana, not without reason. Let's not belie them, by our mistaken notions.
V Govindan

[ramamatya]

I don't see anything wrong with calling a spade a spade. In Vikings serial, the pagans comment on the cross in a church thus: dying man on a cross, doesn't inspire.

For long, we were all fooled by the 'holy' cross and the superiority the ilk thrust upon us. It has taken quite a few centuries to go beyond their strong smokescreen to discover reality as it is. When the community shames us on every little ritual, practice, and thought process of ours, while all the time glorifying theirs, I don't see anything wrong in criticising them. For once, let us allow ourselves the openness and unity to hit back so that it gives time to us to heal our wounds.

[sam]

Please read The Gospel according to st.Mathew, especially, The sermon on the mount. It is the last word on Ethics in life.

Thr difference from the teachings of Buddha is that unlike Buddhism it retains the concept of God.

There are surmises that Jesus attended the then famous monastery cum university in purushapuram in north west india.

Savarkar speaks glowingly about Buddhism in his 1926 guide on hindutva the territorial nationalism of India which has a place for all kinds of faith and philosophies of Indian origin .
.
He was not a hinduism ideologue but was an Indian freedom fighter. He explains the difference between hinduism and hindutva. Philosophically he was an agnostic.
Arya samaj of dayananda saraswarhi condemned all idol worship, puranic lore, manu smruthi and casteism and untouchability. He was a contemporary of Paramahamsa. He inspired many patriots in punjab.

Sanatanists wanted to retain puranas and manusmruthi.
Savarkar therefore pleads for national unity which accommodates brahmo samaj of RamMohan Roy, christianization of Kesav Chandra Sen, arya samajists ,sikhism, lingayats, sufis and village deity worshipers and tribal deities, buddhists, jains, dravidians ..of dakshina pada..all inclusive unity.
.
It must be noted that he respected christianity and islam as cultural institutions, essentially, internatiinalist and hence unsuitable for India in bondage

He never attacked Christianity as such.
He was a very cultured and educated patriot.

His point was that true non violence as preached by Mahavira, Gautama buddha, Jesus and Gandhiji, has sapped the martial spirit out of Indian people and made them slaves of foreign hoardes from 1300 AD.

Hence like Gita, he decries total non violence as cowrdice.
He was a territorial nationalist.

[sam]

Girish wrote.
And sure enough, here it comes. The awardee and his chums have just

employed the term "inclusive sahitya" in their report. And surprise, surprise! Sister Bastian holds forth on the subject. And the despicable TMK himself refers to Christian compositions, and also throws in an Islamic reference for good measure.

.
..
Sister Margaret gave a ery fine talk. She quoted GKB, vaLlalaar, munsif vedanayagam pillai, suddhananda bharathi, meenakshi sundaram pillai, thiruvaasakam, vedahadri maharishi, krupananda variyaar, naamakkal raamalingam pillai.
Not a single quote from any christian author explicitly christian.
.
She spoke about paramahamsa. She quoted kamban.
Ooran adikal.
.
Dharmapura aadhhenam.
It was a very nice lecture in gentle refutation of all that the lungi holds.
Her teachers were people like sita narayan.
The unassuming style would have done any hindu discourser proud.

She was very dscently attired as befits a nun.
.
I could not help comparing the glamour show for video in thiruvaiyaru.
Full transcript of sister margaret speech is given below.
Do read .
Watch "Lec Dem 24 | Academic Session 2024 | Sarva Samarasa Kirtanaigalum Sanmargak Kirtanaigalum" on YouTube https://youtu.be/MVD...

https://4transcripts.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

[ram1999]

I read somewhere that loud whistles were heard in his concert. Has it come to this now? Audience whistling like rowdies in a Carnatic concert? It would be incorrect to call that concert a Carnatic one, but still...Alas!

According to The Hindu:

"There was an air of impatience near the Music Academy as a huge crowd descended upon the roads surrounding the popular venue resulting in a huge traffic jam. Being one of the few venues in Chennai that is disabled-friendly, the Academy welcomed several wheelchair users and senior citizens that day. Mothers brought their infants; young grandchildren accompanied their grandparents and several members of the LGBTQIA+ community were in attendance. Many first generation music learners from marginalized castes and religious backgrounds also turned up to support this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi awardee."

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 033186.ece

It has been reported that there has been a 20% + reduction in footfall in the 2024 Dec Music Festival in chennai compared to the previous year. Surely the reduction in the crowd attending the programs in Music Academy will be much more than that considering the way the MA has conducted themselves in 2024 in the selection of the SK awardee which is more political, the boycott of some prominent vidwans at the Academy etc..

The post concert adulation / applause to the SK awardee was like a film personality being applauded. Murali getting into thw stage and hugging the awardee, etc is something that does not happen under normal conditions (specially in CM progs). Surely they would have called in more crowd into the venue to create that atmosphere without which the show would have been a total flop !!

Stalin and gang surely will be having a hearty laugh over this as their overall objective has been achived through the likes of Ram / Murali / V Sriram and others such as Sanjay Subramaniam who is no less than TMK (except that he does not talk openly in public) and all these guys who are left leaning !!!

[shankarank]

I could not help comparing the glamour show for video in thiruvaiyaru.

I take exception to somebody who also professes a different culture from commenting on appearances of people in a different culture.

I saw some whatsapp forwards to this effect too:

Below is one among a list of observations by somebody who was anguished by the happenings.

Traditional Attendees :
The silk-clad, diamond-studded mamis were either absent or seemed to have swapped their silk sarees for cotton ones, possibly to avoid trolling.

I don't understand why people get into caricaturing culture like this.

SrI tyAgarAja lived a full life and his siddhi day is to be not necessarily observed with a sombre mood. It is a homage with a celebration of life fully lived.

Also we don't need to take exception to the dressing of women in particular, especially members of the other gender. That is their prerogative.

[shankarank]

Islam and Lebbai songs were purposely sneaked into summary by fhe lungi, abetted by one of the office bearers, you know who.
It is very bad geo politics to antagonize the worldwide catholic fraternity.

So it is a good geo politics to antagonize some other faith. That is not the issue here. The issue is there are contradictions within, with music banned in Mughal court by the last of rulers.

The court , whose music gave us Sahana - Shahana ( to the Shah - the king who is considered equivalent of their God!)

https://youtu.be/ItLHLpNN4KM?t=6936

But the rAgA principle still belongs to this land , even if forms were developed in a different context. There is nothing amiss here to consider them divine beings themselves.

For these southern attempts, there was no continuing tradition of singing. All of this needs resolved separately - out of scope here.

As a part syrian catholic myself, i wish to submit that the syrian catholics of Kerala predate even the roman catholic church.
.It cannot be denied that christian missionaries have done great work in education and healthcare in tamilnadu.
Infact, the brahmin community benefited verymuch from the English education brought by the missionaries.

This is the same argument in some sense that railways were built by the British. That was the need to mint clerks for the empire , one can argue. Also the expansionism demands , you start capturing the education first. Like the left was doing in 70s and 80s.

The tribals are infact the original inhabitants of our land.
Manipur crisis a pointer.

This is exactly the subaltern theory peddled by the missionaries. Separating a group that existed independently and were never vanquished. And who criminalized them? All of humans migrated from Africa, based on current accepted theory of human migration.

Kindly learn to differentiate between syrian catholics, latin catholics, quakers and mefhodists, and other denominations .

Whoever lives and loves India is a bhaarathiya.
.....South of Himalayas, north of cape kumai, bound by sea in east and west, who ever lives here is known as Bharathi.

Granted Syrian Catholics are more syncretized and as much as I know do not convert others. But falsification of other faiths is still an issue. To call others devil worshippers etc.

The Sister who spoke, is She from that sect, has a lot to reconcile by quoting from various gurus and adigals who come from a perspectives different than any of the alien faiths.

[ramamatya]

The culprit is not sister margaret but the lungi.

Again, antagonizing other faiths. Pointing towards/blaming other faiths is not the hallmark of a good christian.

Please read The Gospel according to st.Mathew, especially, The sermon on the mount. It is the last word on Ethics in life.

Futile argument.

[Pratyaksham Bala]

.
Pathetic missionary attempt in action.

[sam]

@prathyaksham bala
Sir,
being a syrian catholic in maternal side and a maadhwa on paternal side..(dwaitham), (manipal,) gives unique exposure to the best of both systems. Personally, my preference is for Gira over the Sermon on the mount
. Not because, St.Mathew is wrong but Gita is more suited to needs of Indian nation today , as it has ever been since 1300 AD.

Savarkar writes beautifully about the greatness of buddhisn and how it led to our nation's downfall.
..
For those who admire the antihero of this thread , here is a video of 'dmk' singing a song on Evr . Disgusting. Hopeless tamizh captions too.

TM Krishna's Periyar Song
Chennai Sangamam Namma Ooru Tiruvizha 2025"

https://youtu.be/W9SJawqM6W0?si=QiCdOhrgc2zWfzPu

EVR vilified one among the greatest patriots and scholars of Tamilnadu,
VVS Iyer at kanchipuram congress conference on the false charge of separate dining in sermadevi gurukhlam near tirunelveli.1927


VVS Iyer , Savarkar, MPT Acharya were all revolutionaries working for armed uprising from India house in London. Studying for Law.
VVS Iyer managed to come back to pondichery and train Vaanchinathan.

Savarkar was unlucky. Savarkar and V S Iyer were bosom friends.
For sometime, Iyer was editing Desabakthan periodical.
R.A.Padhmanaaban has written a moving biography of VVS Iyer where you can read all these details.
Mandayam Parthasarathy Thirumalachary was from Triplicane, It was he who sent news about happenings in Europe. To bharathy.
.
They were all great souls.
Contemporary to Bharathy, Subramanya siva, VOChithambaram pillai, the period was 1906 to 1914.

See MSS thread please.

..

Swarajya Logo

Culture

Sanatana Dharma, Bhagavad Gita, and Sri Narayana Guru
Why the Kerala chief minister's recent comments betray a distorted view of Sanatana Dharma.

Aravindan Neelakandan
Jan 15, 2025, 11:02 PM | Updated 11:01 PM IST
Sri Narayana Guru
Sri Narayana Guru


On December 31, 2024, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made some remarks about Sanatana Dharma during a speech at the Sivagiri pilgrimage conference.



Following this, CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan called Sanatana Dharma ’vulgar’, equating it with the chaturvarnya of Manusmriti.

Surprisingly, Kerala Congress leader Satheesan criticised such remarks, arguing that they distorted Sanatana Dharma by 'unfairly associating it with the Sangh Parivar'. According to him, Sanatana Dharma is a part of India's cultural heritage, encompassing Advaita and the philosophy of the Vedas, and the Upanishads.

The BJP has strongly condemned the speech of Kerala CM.

Considering that controversial and offensive remarks on Sanatana Dharma has become a recurring theme in the nation's political discourse, it is essential to comprehend the worldview behind this persistent negative portrayal of it as a birth-based discriminatory system.



The first question that has to be asked is if any of the foundational sacred texts of India associate birth-based chaturvarna with Sanatana Dharma?

In the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata, Bhishma narrates how an ascetic who was proud of his own austerities and patience, was made to go to a person who traded forest products.

Sanatana Dharma was defined through the words of this very worldly trader known only as Tuladhara to a very spiritual ascetic Jajali thus:

Tuladhara the trader explained Sanatana Dharma to Jajali the ascetic.
Tuladhara the trader explained Sanatana Dharma to Jajali the ascetic.

‘Dharmam Sarahasyam Sanatanam Sarvabhutahitam Maitram’- the sacred core essence of Sanatana Dharma is a good harmonious fraternal relationship with all beings.

Manusmriti is not a core sacred text. It contains many discriminatory and unjust passages as well as real pearls of wisdom. When it comes to giving a definition of Sanatana Dharma, even this text does not define it as a system which follows those discriminatory passages. Rather it states clearly that speaking the truth in a way that is beneficial to all is Sanatana Dharma.



What is ‘Sanatana’ in Gita?

The Bhagavad Gita uses the word ‘Sanatana’ seven times, twice by Arjuna and five times by Shri Krishna. Arjuna initially links ‘Sanatana’ with rigid family duty (kula-dharma, 1:40). Shri Krishna negates this, revealing the true essence of 'Sanatana', transcending such limitations.

Shri Krishna never associates Dharma with birth-based categories (jati or kula)) but instead emphasises ‘swa-dharma’, duty, based on individual nature) ’swa-bhava’.

Krishna uses ‘Sanatana’ to describe:

The eternal Self (Atman): Unbreakable, unchanging, and all-pervading (2:24).

Brahman (the ultimate reality): Achievable through selfless action which is Yajna (4:31).

Bijam - Primordial seed within all beings: The source of evolutionary impulse and intelligence (7:10).

Avyaktat: The undefined deeper reality behind the universe (8:20).

Jiva-Bhutah: The immanent Divine (Amsa) in all life (15:7).

Arjuna, after witnessing Vishwarupa, recognises ‘Sanatana’ as the attribute of Supreme Godhead that is the eternal foundation of existence and universal Dharma (11:18).

Thus, the Gita does not associate ‘Sanatana Dharma’ with birth-based stratification. Gita associates Sanatana Dharma with the Self, the interconnectedness of all beings, and spiritual equality. This emphasises spiritual unity and equality, obliterates birth-based privileges and social exclusions.


During the pre-Independence period, the imposition of the British legal system on Smriti-Dharma Shastra literature tragically halted the natural evolution of social principles within Hinduism. This allowed vested interests, both within and outside India, to falsely equate Hindu Dharma with its most stagnant and oppressive elements.

Consequently, true spiritual leaders who sought to reform society and align it with the essence of Sanatana Dharma were ironically branded as rebels. The forces of social stagnation, particularly the orthodoxy, had co-opted the term ‘Sanatana Dharma’ to defend their regressive positions.

Thus, those opposing progress and upholding practices like child-marriage and temple-entry restrictions, paradoxically claimed the mantle of ‘Sanatanis.’

How did this come to be?

Arya Samaj founded by Swami Dayananada Saraswati started most of the fights against social stagnation and the rights of the socially excluded communities.

The famous bill banning child marriages in India, the Sharda Bill, was brought by Har Bilas Sharda who was an Arya Samaji.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati, in his foundational text referred to Vedic religion as ‘Sanatana Nitya Dharma’. The book popularised the term among the masses. In his statement of belief, Dayananda Saraswati defined this ‘primeval eternal religion’ as being above all sectarianism.

Dayananada Saraswati's letter -all Hindus irrespective of caste have the right to study and recite Vedas. In modern times he popularised the term 'Sanatana Dharma.'
Dayananada Saraswati's letter -all Hindus irrespective of caste have the right to study and recite Vedas. In modern times he popularised the term 'Sanatana Dharma.'

However, when Arya Samajists pressed for reforms against caste inequalities through people’s movements and through legislation, their opponents also started calling themselves ‘Sanatani Hindus’.

This is the basis of the mischievous and ignorant confusion that plagues the term to this day. However, great Hindu nation builders who strove to free India from colonial occupation of the land and the minds, saw through this game right from the beginning.

They sought the reclamation of the term Sanatana Dharma from the social stagnationists and colonial distortionists restoring it to its pristine true meaning.

Thus Swami Vivekananda called his Guru Sri Ramakrishna as the ‘living embodiment of Sanatana Dharma’. Mahatma Gandhi called himself a proud 'Sanatani Hindu'. Sri Aurobindo in his famous Uttarpara speech called Sanatana Dharma as life itself.

Sanatana Dharma as the Universal Religion

Swami Vivekananda used the term 'Sanatana Dharma' as the universal religion in which all religions are part and parcel. Thus what has evolved in India as Sanatana Dharma would become a model for a universal religion with each religion entirely having their identity and originality.


At the same time in a letter written to Hariprasad Mitra in 1893, he lamented that social stagnation and its malignant manifestations like untouchability had ‘degraded … our eternal religion.’ He blamed those who claimed themselves to be the custodians of religion but never did anything for the downtrodden.

In his Bengali lecture on Sri Ramakrishna he again pointed out that it was Vedanta which had the ‘the only exponent of the universal and eternal religion for all mankind.’ He also saw Sanatana Dharma as ‘the grand synthesis of all the aspects of the spiritual ideal’ and decried it being reduced to ‘sectarian hatred and intolerance’.

Sri Narayana Guru and Sanatana Dharma

Sri Narayana Guru, revered as the Jagat Guru of Advaita Vedanta, offered profound clarity on Sanatana Dharma.

Advaita Jagat Guru and Vedanta Paramacharya Sri Narayana Guru
Advaita Jagat Guru and Vedanta Paramacharya Sri Narayana Guru


This was the last message given by the Advaita Paramacharya to his followers.

This message, ‘Oru Jathi (One jati), Oru Matham (One Religion), Oru Deivam (One Divinity) for all humanity’ echoes the Bhagavad Gita's vision of 'Sanatana,' the one Divine presence unifying all, affirming spiritual equality as an existential obligation.


One should also note here that Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, whom the RSS venerates as 'Guruji', had also categorically stated that varna was only a vyavastha (a system) of social accord and not an avastha (condition) and hence not foundational to Sanatana Dharma.

To equate Sanatana Dharma with 'casteism' and 'social stagnation' is to succumb to ignorance and hatred. May Sri Narayana Guru, the Jagat Guru of Advaita Vedanta, illuminate the minds of those who remain deluded.







.

[ram1999]

It is now out in the open who this bloke is working for ......

A green lungi / black top.... i am surprised he didnt sing the song lungi dance lungi dance at his concert in MA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9SJawqM6W0

[kvchellappa]

https://indianexpress.com/article/opini ... ampaign=IE

[vgovindan]

In my young age (1960s), I asked my father, as to why he sent me to school, instead of Veda Pathasala (my father was a purohita). He said that he did not want me to undergo what he did, when he was in Kumbakonam in 1930s. For those who are not familiar with that period, I may add that sacred thread and tuft of brahmins were cut by mobs. After that the family fled northwards. It is no exaggeration that 99% of brahmins were homeless - a few TTKs and Rajajis are taken as examples, but they are exceptions. I could make a home of my own after my retirement from service - a modest 2BHK flat.
My point is that Brahmin intellectualism is the cause of their downfall. The story never ends. Probably, it is a curse or fate.

[ramamatya]

You look like an angel,
sing like an angel,
talk like an angel,
but I got wise.

You're the devil in disguise,
Oh, yes, you are the devil in disguise.

- Elvis Presley's song

[sam]

@vgovindan
Sir,

Brahmins were patronized continuously by all the kings from 600 AD, the fall of kalabra interrugnum from (200 AD to 600 AD) according to history text books, the kalabra interrgnum had jainism in the ascendancy in tamil land.

All the ethics books .poetry of ethics.. like ThirukkuRaL, Naaladiyar etc were written by jains and buddhists.

The five epics, Silappathikaaram, MaNimekalai,
Jeevaka chintamani, vaLaiyaapathy and kundalakesi were written during the kalabra interrugnum.
The kaLappaLars were tribes from Rayalaseema who overran the ancient chera, chozha, pandyan kings and cancelled all the land grants which had been given to vedic brahmins in sangam period 200 BC to 200 AD.

Before 600 AD( Adi Sankara,) brahmins in tamilnadu were strict practitioners of vedic rituals and gruhya sutram. Variant of Manu smruthi.
After the emergence of pallava empire, land grants were given liberally to vedic brahmins. again.

Successive kings of pallava, (600-950 AD,), IMPERIAL CHOLAS (950-1200)!
Imperial pandyas (1200-1350), vijayanagar empire (1300 -1600), Naiker rule from Madurai, Tanjore, Vellore, (1600-1750), maratta rule in vellore and tanjore,
..all of them patronized brahmins .Entire villages were given to them.

..Therefore for nearly 1200 years, from 600 AD to 1800 AD, ALL the tamil kings and zamindars gave full patronage to brahmins.

The chief minister for Raaja Raaja chozhan was aniruddha brammadhi raja, a brahmin.

For the first Naayak king of tanjore, the chief administrator was GOVINDA DIKSHITAR., virtually the king.

The land grant was brahmadeyam. and chaturvedi mangalam.

In some such villages, their word was law.
No other area in India had saved brahmins from muslim rule for so many centuries.

In all the fertile river valley regions of paalaar(kaanchi), south peNNaar, kavery, vaigai (madurai),TaambravarNi, kings gave land and housing to brahmin families.

They were NOT owners of land .
The owners were actual cultivating peasants. The ancient arrangement was that the village should give 16 % of the produce ro the agraharam. The agraharam committee wiill then share among themselves.

As the peasants were simply giving 16% to the agraharam which they were paying to the state, there was no friction between the peasants, craftsmen and brahmins.

Right from 600 AD to 1300 AD, numerous temples were built by pallavas, cholaas and paandyans . The Naayaks also renovated ancient temples.

The speciality of brahmins was that they were sanskrit pandits and preserved the vedic traditions.
The knowledge of sanskrit made them the channel through which advanced science, literature, arts, religiin and philosophy of the North Indian Gupta Empire could be brought into tamil land. Most often brahmin families were the priestly class in such temples and villages and were highly respected.

Their life has been for centuries together purely intellectual.
..
Some exceptional scholars got special gifts.
..
The change occured in British rule when brahmins became land owners.

English education got them good careers in administration, science education, medicine, law, .

The period from 1750 to 1950 was a remarkably successful period for English educated brahmins of Tamilnadu.
Almost all of them had atleast a small house in village or town and had some land grant.
1900 was especially great for legal professionals in Madras state. They lived like aristocrats. Mylapore and Egmore areas of those decades are being written about by sriramv.

Not many took to commerce and business , as it was considered inferior.
Brahmins shunned business as vaisya dharmam.
.
Inevitably, talented brahmins moved away from village to urban centers.

After 1950, they moved first to Bombay and Delhi and in recent times, GREAT MANY brahmins have migrated to USA and other western countries and are doing exceptionally well...NOT merely financial but in other fields like
advanced science, technology, medicine, research, manufacturing and business and financial administration.

Excellent agraharam houses still exist in all the delta areas.
But the families have moved elsewhere.

Uma venkat channel shows dozens of great agraharam village areas and houses.

கோனேரிராஜபுரம்
Konerirajapuram, a beautiful, historic village
https://youtu.be/Z0zyLmHEUKY?si=NjlxOLxPU8utvpJ3
..
திருக்கோடிக் காவல் கிராமம்
Tirukodikaaval Village
https://youtu.be/Dzh-lxLSsh4?si=pDcyfAmFjs487wls

[carnaticwriter]

You look like an angel,
sing like an angel,
talk like an angel,
but I got wise.

You're the devil in disguise,
Oh, yes, you are the devil in disguise.

- Elvis Presley's song

N Ram = N Ravan
TM Krishna = TM Kamsa

[shankarank]

It is now out in the open who this bloke is working for ......

A green lungi / black top.... i am surprised he didnt sing the song lungi dance lungi dance at his concert in MA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9SJawqM6W0

Ok Who is he working for? Tell me. These are street theatrics and distraction just to provoke people who keep getting worked up on specific appearances to prove his theory that there is a sub altern ( lungi wearers) that we look down upon. We keep feeding this further.

I will tell one thing. Caldwell created this Dravidian linguistic theory and he was a missionary. I will put it this way. Caldwell did not dissappear and still active - not the linguist.

We have to think civilisation and not these details. Doesn't matter to us. We build temples if at all in street corners and don't distribute leaflets saying "there is god, the saviour". Whoever happens to park and take a bow, they can.

So Atheism is somebody else's worry. Ours is only civilization that I know which asserted parents are the first guru and god and also postulated the existence of a Guru. And Parents have to act deserving that too. That is basic dharma, which includes stree and purusha dharma. Lets stick to that.

[arasi]

Yes, shankarank.
It's best to wrap everything up in a lungi and set it aside. All the hoopla, statements which only stir folks up but do not bring about advancements either in society or in music--are not worth our while. Music can still survive and even flourish in spite of all this.

Yes, GanESa was adorned with strands of footwear at a point of time. We didn't stay frozen forever. More temples hence, yes indeed, including street corner ones, and more exuberant the celebrations.

Okay. There is nothing new here, sorry! To quote a movie song line of yore: Aru ekkUthADinAlum tANDavakkOnE, kAsu kAriyathil kaN vaiyaDA tANDavakkOnE...

(Whatever song or dance you choose to perform, keep an eye on what it yields by way of money and favors, mind!)

[vgovindan]

In a moment of dejection, here comes a whiff of fresh air, fresh hope that could rejuvenate us to forge ahead with a clear vision of the goal to be achieved.
It is said that the clouds which are the making of Sun, hides the Sun itself, but not for long.
Message of Shri Aurobindo - 1909 is still valid for religion as well as music - the instrument to the goal of religion. Good Luck!

https://youtu.be/zcV7Yc_mObE?si=SxtlIWs0YTmnvX82

[sam]

Aravinda flunked. His younger brother, Barindranath,the real revolutionary was sent to andaman cellular jail and spent 12 years of torture there.
Vinayaka Damodar Savarkar was there in similar confinement.
Most of them became bolshevik revolutionaries. Little known martyers.
..
Even at the time of Dayananda saraswathy, Arya samaj opposed puranas, manu smruthi, casteism, untouchability .
People who wanted to retain all these , were known as sanatanists.
Savarkar was not a sanatanist.
Savarkar was a true nationalist.
.

[sam]

Animal sacrifice is strictly prohibited in shrines for Sivan, PerumAL, murukan and vinayaka.
Thirupparan kundram is an ancient shrine of Murugan. One of the six primary shrines.
ThiruutthaNi, Swamimalai, Pazhani, Thirucchendur, Thirupparankundram, hilltop of azhagar koil.
Sangam literature Paripaadal has a set of poems on vaigai river, Thirumaal, and Murugan. 200 AD.

https://sangamtranslationsbyvaidehi.com ... paripadal/
Unfortunately, delhi sultante of thuklak managed to occupy madurai and surrounding areas in 1350 AD.
Kampanna of vijayanagar royal family exterminated the madurai sultanate e within 50 years. The last sultan was sikandar.
Even IbnBaduda the muslim traveller has recorded the extreme cruelty of madurai sultans.
TMK group has the temerity to call the sacred thirupparan kundram as sikander hill.
And desecrate the temple shrine with animal sacrifice.
DMK MP claims that the entire area as WAKF property.
.
As we all know muthuswami Dikshitat mudra was guruguha.
He has made pilgrimage to each of these six sacred shrines and szng krutis.
Ravisri says
Tirupparankunram on the outskirts of Madurai is another of the six abodes of Subramanya connected with His marriage to Devayani.

Dikshitar must have visited Tirupparankunram.
Two compositions are attributed to this shrine,
gajAmbA nAyakO in jhanjUTi and
gajAdIshAdanyam in nATakurinji though there is no mention of the kShEtra in either song.

-
.
Poem,5
Lord of the Celestial Army

With a child’s body, not mature, you fought a battle

playfully, with your empty hands and Indiran

ran away showing his back!

The fire god who had no distress gave you part of his

body in the form of a cock!

Indiran, the wealthy celestial god, gave you a

peacock with a pretty, spotted plume.

Yaman with righteousness gave you a beautiful, young

goat with dark eyes.

The celestials gave you these and other gifts of various

shapes – a tight bow with spots, a wooden club, a sword,

a long spear with thick leaves, axes, a battle axe with

hot rays, a garland, gems – all these you sport in your

twelve hands.

O Lord! You have gone past the fame of Indiran, lord

of the Celestials in the faultless celestial world, even when

you were a child lying on the lotus center with lines and spots.

.

[shankarank]

The reason Marx had fans and the background situation in Bengal at the time British occupied it are all well explained :

https://www.dharmadispatch.in/history/m ... ali-cinema

[vgovindan]

Sam,
'Aravinda flunked.'
Swami Vivekananda was adherent of Brahmo Samaj, and he became the topmost disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Gandhi was just a lawyer, and he became a satyagrahi.
Purandara Dasa was just a miserly jeweller, and he became a foremost devotee of Lord.
There are any number of individuals who evolved - they did not flunk.
Sri Aurobindo's theory of involution and evolution of consciousness is of great interest to modern scientists, towards their search for the solution of 'hard problem' of consciousness.
Everyone of us are evolving - everyday, we are evolving.
Kindly do not use such disparaging terminologies like 'flunked' against anyone.

[sam]

Respected Sir,
My inspiration is Bankim's Anandha mutt and the immortal vandhe maatharam song which inspired all the patriots of the era and still does.
Lokamanya, our VOChitambaram Pillai, subramanya siva,,mahaakavi subramanya bhararhy, VVS Iyer, Savarkar, Vanchinathan, and many more.
.
Dr.HEDGEWAR, was a staunch Tilak follower in Nagpur and was sent to Calcutta to qualify as a medical doctor. He joined juganthar samithi and came back to Nagpur to continue his organizatiinal work.

He was a member of HRA..(hindusthan republican army)
. Great patriots like Ram prasad Bismil, Chandrasekar Azad, Sachin sanyal were all members.
https://buff3r4.blogspot.com/2025/01/sa ... anyal.html

This land with Himalaya in the north,Cape comorin in south, the sea in east and west , was their Deivam. That was their Mother.

Not one of them claimed to have been instructed by Lord Krushna.
The central message of Gita is kshatriya dharmam. Krushna chides arjuna for being an eunach
. Bankim wrote a commentary on Gita.
So did Lokamanya
. So did subramanya bharathhy.

I saw the full video of arvinda ghosh uttarpara speech. I have read a number of articles about the partition of Bengal around 1905, surat congress, anushilan samithi, juganthar samithi, Bhaga jatin, All of them were intrepid patriots.
.
Their religion is NOT manu dharma saastram.
Savarkar's hindutva is every great achievement of this land for over 4000 years atleast.
Paramahamsa was a mystic.but the country hss always needed defenders of national borders, culture and treasures.
I have attempted to read The Divine !ife. Bertrand Russell
article on Mysticism and Logic is far far illuminating.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays, by Bertrand Russell.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/25447/2 ... 5447-h.htm
Jiddu krishnamurthy ridiculed the entire set up..
.

[ramamatya]

So Atheism is somebody else's worry. Ours is only civilization that I know which asserted parents are the first guru and god and also postulated the existence of a Guru. And Parents have to act deserving that too. That is basic dharma, which includes stree and purusha dharma. Lets stick to that.

Modern version of Mata Pita Guru Deivam: Mata Pita Google Deivam

Jokes apart, atheism is somebody else's worry? That's exactly what the atheists want us to think. It's a smooth way to make Hindus religiously agnostic, atheist, and then convert to Abrahamic religions.

I hate myself for being an agnostic, but it is a done deal; the educational and work environs are to blame. I cannot bring myself to be ritualistic or even watch out for Ammavasais or Vaikunta ekadasis or even go to temples on visesha days etc. It's good that I never transitioned into an atheist, rescued before the change.

But how many are able to do that?

[vgovindan]

Musical dukrunkaraNa - semantics.
Those who deride MS for devoting her later part of life for devotional music - rather than 'classical' music - might ponder over what Adi Sankara said in the first verse of his bhakti composition - bhaja gOvindam'. A link for an article by Swami Chidananda (Sivanananda's Divine Life order) is given below -

https://www.dlshq.org/religions/bhaja-govindam/