Qualified(?) Opinion

ஒரு கனவில் அரைகுறையாகக் கண்டது :

மாமி : "ஸ்ரீராமா! ஜோசியத்த பத்தி உன்னோட அபிப்ப்ராயாத சொல்லு"

நான் : "என்ன கேள்வி மாமி இது?"

மாமி : "என்னடா நார்மல் கேள்விதானே!"

நான் : "சரி. எனக்கு ஜோசியத்த பத்தி என்ன தெரியும் னு கொஞ்சம் சொல்லுங்கோளேன் "

மாமி : "எனக்கு பெருசா ஒண்ணும் தெரியாது. ஏதோ பத்திரிக்கைல படிச்சதுதான்."

நான் : "நான் அதக் கேக்கல. 'எனக்கு' ஜோசியத்த பத்தி என்ன தெரியும் னு உங்களுக்கு தெரியுமோ அத கொஞ்சம் சொல்லுங்கோ னு கேட்டேன்"

மாமி : "அது எப்படிடா எனக்கு தெரியும்? இப்படி அர்த்தாம் இல்லாத கேள்வியா கேக்கார!"

நான் : "ஒருத்தனுக்கு ஒரு விஷயத்த பத்தி தெரியுமா? தெரியாதா? தெரியும்னா எவ்வளவு தெரியும்? அபிப்பிராயம் சொல்லர அளவுக்கு தெரியுமா? னு எல்லாம் தெரிஞ்சுக்காம அபிப்பிராயம் கேக்கறது அர்த்தமான கேள்வியா?"

நக்கீரா!

ஒரு விஷயத்தை மறுப்பதர்க்கு பிரத்யக்க்ஷ ப்ரமாணம் எத்தனை பலவீனமானது என்பதர்க்கு ஒரு எடுத்துக்காட்டு :

சோ அவர்களின் ஜட்ஜ்மென்ட் ரிசர்வ்ட் நாடகத்தில் ஒரு வசன பரிமாற்றம்

சமூகசேவகி : "அந்த பைய்யன் இந்த குற்றத்த செய்யலைனு உங்க வக்கீல் எப்படி சார் நிச்சயமா சொல்றாறு? அவருக்கு எப்படி சார் தெரியும்?"

குமாஸ்தா : "அவன்தான் இந்த குற்றத்த செய்தான்னு நீங்க எப்படி நிச்சயமா சொல்றீங்க?"

சமூகசேவகி : "அவன் அந்த ரூம்லேர்ந்து வெளில வரும்போது நான் பார்த்தேனே!"

குமாஸ்தா : "எங்க வக்கீல் பார்க்கலையே!"

3(?) Versions

There are three versions to a story : Your, Mine and the truth

is probably the most contrived line of thought I have come across in life.

Learning 101

Knowledge is gained by knowing something; Wisdom, by arriving at a conclusion after analysing what is already known, using your rationale or listening to the views of others. Most people, I find, these days try doing the second part first, and think that the conclusion they have arrived to, indeed, is knowledge.

Had people been taught to follow the line above, there would have been far less "andhar-baltis" on this IAC issue :P

srIjayanti nirNayam

It is a privilege to share a really useful posting on srIjayanti nirNayam by NS Parthasarathy Bhattachar of Triplicane.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sriramajayam

All sampradayas are correct in their view. So, one should follow any one of these which is in his ancestors' way. Janmashtami is on sunday. Smarthas north indians and almost all south indians perform Srijayanthi on sunday. Main Criteria is ashtami should prevail during midnight. So, as on sunday at midnight ashtami is there so janmashtami is on sunday. at Mathura and through out India Janmashtami (Srikrishna's birth day) is on sunday.

Regarding Srivaishnava culture, there are three types All are correct in their way.

1. Srivaikhansasrijayanthi:- There are two vachanams in sasthra. 

 a. one is Ashtami should prevail during midnight and srivaikhanasa sampradayam favours ashtami vyapthi as janmashtami.

b. and srivaikhanasas' second is If sapthami is there during early morning or prevails through out the day b4 evening, night or midnight and if ashtami comes b4 evening, night or 12 midnight and 12 midnight enters with ashtami, then that day is not favoured as that day has sapthami vedhai dhosham. so, if we perform on monday thats also correct acc. to srivaikhanasasastras.

c. but as sampradaya favours ashtami in midnight (thithipradhanyam) sunday is more apt.

At tirumala and other vaikhanasa shrines and vaikhanasa households, this year srijayanthi is on sunday 21.08.11 night.

2. Munithrayasrijayanthi:- If sapthami is there during early morning or prevails through out the day b4 evening, night or midnight and if ashtami comes b4 evening, night or 12 midnight and 12 midnight enters with ashtami, then that day is not favoured as that day has sapthami vedhai dhosham. so, this munitraya sampradaya is also correct. we cannot underestimate this. This is also to be hailed.

Munithrayasrijayanthi is on 22.8.11 monday.

3. Pancharathrasrijayanthi:- If Kruthika is there during early morning or prevails through out the day b4 evening, night or midnight and if Rohini comes b4 evening, night or 12 midnight and 12 midnight enters with Rohini, then that day is not favoured as that day has Kruthika vedhai dhosham. so, this Pancharathra sampradaya is correct in their view.(Nakshathrapradhanyam) This is also to be hailed. At srirangam and other Pancharathra shrines, Srijayanthi is followed on tuesday 23.8.11 this year acc. to above lines.

Comments / suggestions / questions are welcome.

-- 

SriVaikhanasaBhagawatSastraBhaskara,  

 SriVaikhanasaAgamaRathnakara, 

SriVaikhanasaSevaRathnam, 

  SriVaikhanasaKulapati

N.S.Parthasarathy Bhattacharyar

Vice president, South Indian Vaikhanasa Archakas' Association

Secretary, SriVaikhanasa Archaka Seva Sangam

Archakar, SriParthasarathySwamyTemple, Thiruvallikeni

PradhanaAdhyapaka, SriVaikhanasa Bhagawat Sasthra Patasala

Editor, 'Srivaikhanasam' Monthly magazine.


---------------------------------------------------------------
Added later: A more general and elaborate reading on the comparison between mannAr swAmi's and maNapAkkam kidAmbi tOzhappar's jayanti nirNayam
SriJayanthi-Janmasthami


---------------------------------------------------------------

Note: These details are for those who fast(atleast attempt at fasting) in the day-time and bathe in the evening and perform SriJayanthi araadhanam in the night (vrashaba lagnam), following it with their respective practise of taking pAraNai.

On What Avani-Avittam is and is NOT!

It has been a while since I had to only 'e-live' in India, and all these years I get to see greetings like "Happy Avani Avittam". But this backdates even further, during my days in India where I get to see neighbours and relatives asking "Poonal maathiyaacha?". Don't take me wrong, but it is really depressing to be in know of facts when all around you prefer being shallow about it.

A brahmachari is not just an unwed boy with upaveetham (poonal i.e., post upanayanam). He is (assumed to be) a learner of the specific shAkai of vEdam prescribed for his gOtram; TaitrIya-shAkai of krsnayajurvEdam in my case. His vEdArambam is on his upanayanam day for the first year, and from the subsequent years, the adyayanam (learning) period starts on Pournami day of Kataka mAsam and ends on Ammavasai of Makara mAsam. There are days of Ammavasai, grahanam and some other miscelleneous occassions when the adyayanam is prohibited, within the learning period.

But in the quest to finish his quota for the year, the boy may jump the limits and continue learning a bit further than the stipulated end-date, and there may be a few lapses in-between. Before starting his term the following year, he is expected to perform upAkarma, when he chants a mantra a good number of times as a prAyaschittam for the above lapses. To perform the prAyaschitta japam, he needs to change his upaveetham, mounji and deerskin.

[During the anadyayana period (Makara Ammavasai till Kataka Pournami), the boy is expected to devote himself to learning of the vEdAngAs : sikshA, vyAkaranam, niruktam, chandas, jyotisham and kalpam]

In the sankalpam for upAkarma, the main sankalpam will be to the adyAyOtsar~jana akaraNa prAyaschitta japam and adyAyOpakarma (starting a new term), for which, the changing of upaveetham (with mounji, etc.) is an angam, an angam for which is shaving and bathing. Since the changing of upaveetham on this day has a special karma attached to it, one may choose to mark the day with it. But in general sense, asking a brahmin male, whether he has changed(see note: 4) his upaveetham, is only as good as asking if he has bathed!

To Girls : If you really have the guts, greet your male relatives and friends who have had upanayanam done : "may your Sandyavandanam be in routine without lapses for the next year". Let's see how many would actually pick up the habit, to save themselves from this (otherwise) embarrassing greet, the next year :-)

Note:

1) Performing daily sandyavandanam is a part and essential requirement of the daily learning in the adayayana and anadyayana period. Even lapses in performance of sandayavandanam is covered in the upAkarma.

2) For one who has finished learning, it becomes a duty to recite atleast one full prasna, from the learned shAkai, everyday as brahma-yagnam without fail. Due to time constriants, the (required)one full prasna may get reduced to one sUktam or one mantram, which still are accounted as lapses that are to be compensated (begged pardon for), for such sins not to hinder one's further quests in vaidIka-karma.

3) The point 1 & 2 extends to gruhastAs.

4) Upaveetham can be changed at will, any day, depending on the need. It needs to be changed everytime one has sarvAnga shave on the face and head from a barber. Also, changing may be of need if there is a special karma like homam or srAddam is performed by the kartA.

When the 31st tooth causes pain

It has been a couple of years, since I learnt to keep it to self, untill it becomes absolutely neccessary to open the mouth. By that, I have managed to save myself from the un-productive and often counter-productive arguements that I used to run into.

There was one arguement that I raised, three years back I suppose, when a person made a claim that Hindi was the mutated, simplified and modernised version of Sanskrit. I got real serious into explaining how Hindi fundamentally was different from Sanskrit, be it in the deviation in grammar, pronunciation and etymology (vyAkaraNa, swara and niruktam), and how it was far away from any original Indian language, only enjoying borrowed vocabulary from Sanskrit with nothing alike in structure. I even managed to elaborate through three examples. When I got in return, this:

"You are giving examples with proper-nouns, and a proper-noun can be pronunced or spelt anyway we want to",

I was seriously taken aback. In my knowledge and understanding from the elementary level, the freedom to pronunce or spell a proper-noun was an allowance given in the grammar of English language. Since when did that become a Universal Fact ?, I wondered. I gave the above reply and withdrew myself from the scene, there. But it took me back years, quite a number of years that is.

I believe it was my 3rd class in school, and in the exam hall, I was seated next to a girl from the 1st std class. I had finished my exam well within time (as always!), and was peeping into that girl's paper. It was her Science exam, and I suppose she had a question about 'Food and clothing habits of Earlyman', and she was answering it ".... when Tom spilt milk from the Bess's bottle, Bess was very sad. She started crying ....."**.

I got really disturbed with that, and hissed to her

"nee ezhudardhu english!" and she replied "naan mattum enna tamizh'na sonnen?"

I didn't realise then, that I will live one day to see that some people just grow old and not up!

**There was a short story in English Prose on Tom and Bess, in which Tom spills Bess's milk and apologises and shares with her, milk from his bottle. It was a lesson to teach to say sorry and share your belongings with friends. :P

Definitions - 2

A Fact is an opinion which is 'generally' believed to be 'widely' agreed with.

An Opinion is a fact that is found to be amidst conflict 'most of the time'.

Conclusion: We all can have our own opinion on facts!

Inference: You Fail - I Fail. Together, as collective failures, we can achieve World Peace.

Verdict: Welcome to Post-Modern Intellegentia !!

#People-capable-of-driving-even-me-nuts
#virtuouso-stupid

Musalakisalayam

In this post-modern era, when everyone is a self-proclaimed victor in any debate, it is the art of debate itself which is at dire straits. It is the logic (very often the lack of it) that hurts (rather is hurt) the most; In that, it will be amusing to observe how people manage to come up with the most inappropriate (and impossible) examples.

One of my friends, who is so fond of being the devil's advocate, often brings up a thought and asks for others' opinion on them (Simple'a solla pona.... Pesa vittu vedikka paakkardhu :P ); Recently he braught me a topic about love, and stated an example "Assume that an eighteen year old guy falls in love with a ninety year old woman" (now don't try imagining motherly, or grand motherly or platonic - he meant the popular romantic sense of it). Abstraction is indeed a worthy dimension towards understanding things, but these kind of examples run it to ridiculous limits. It is something like "assume 1=2 for the time being"; If I was to protest, the response would be "just assume - u need not accept".

Though old Indian schools had comprehensive grammar for logic, reasoning and debate, and several learnings associated with them, time and again people were coming up with arguements of the kind above. It is a popular reference in many refutations to such (worthless) arguements using one 'good old' and 'popular' example - Musalakisalayam.

Musalakisalayam literally means offspring of a metal staff (the long cylindrical rod which is used to crack paddy in a stone drum - Ollakkai kozhundhu in Tamil). "Olakkai Kozhundhu" is a word used to call someone an Idiot; but the original usage was to challenge someone who generalises a logic to inappropriate ideas. If one were to ask how an offspring of the metal staff will look like, if the response to come was that it would be like the same staff but smaller in size, then you are in deep trap, because one can never assume things which he has never known or seen. (eg. - form of a tadpole is never even close to a frog).

The same Musalakisalayam had a significant role to play in my dear Srirangam, sometime in the early 13th century when a modest cook was working in the house of a great Master. One early morning in the Master's drawing room, a few scholars were discussing some Sastra-vishayam, and our Cook was intrigued though he hardly understood a word. He managed to ask one of them - what they were discussing about. One arrogant scholar responded that they were discussing about Musalakisalayam - mocking at him that he is so illiterate. Our Cook still couldn't get the mockery, was patiently sitting by the side, listening to them; and eventually was running late for his daily errands. Since he was late in getting the meal ready, his master asked him for the reason, he told the story and his interest in learning the Musalakisalaya-Tattva. The Master was grief-stricken by the attitude of the scholars towards his servant, as he had high regards for the sincerity of his Cook. He began teaching his Cook as his prime student from that day, and our friend learnt so well that he graduated to the capacity of becoming a Jeeyar to serve Sri Ranganathan and Lord Varadarajan in the name of Vadikesari Azhagia ManavaLa Jeeyar, whose sishya parampara are still serving the Kanchi Perumal Koil Jeeyar Mutt.

Adding to this, HH VAMJ wrote a book (Vaadha granta) called "Musalakisalayam" apart from the most celebrated 12,000 padi vyakyanam for Baghawad Vishayam, Tatva deepikai and Deepaprakasa. And before I forget, the 'Master' we have just seen was none other than Sri Krishnar or popularly known as the Vyakyana Chakravarthy HH Periyavachan Pillai.

Though we are not qualified enough to read Vaadha grantas of our poorvacharyas, and not even fit to learn Tarka Sastra (art of Debate) according to the protocol, atleast we shall try to listen to the learned elders and start talking sense instead of fooling around being a Olakkai Kozhundhu.