Explanation on differences

After giving my piece of mind on the perverse pairing of  the two major sects of Hinduism with other two religions in the earlier blog and constantly provoking me with it , i remembered that the young advocate [whose parents are dressed like any of us] had come to sort of  receive us when i and my hub returned from visiting Sri Ramanujar's  sannidhi in Sri perumbudur temple . The young IT  engineers , a mix of Aiyars and Christians  who offered their help after the floods also  came to my mind.

on the whole of late  i have become suspicious  of those doing this pairing as it can be used as a subconscious tool for conversion .

But i am yet to lose my trust and belief in the idealistic innocence that is in some youths and my be ,just maybe there are some such educated youths who genuinely find a identity of concepts  in this pairing as they find solace and support  and unity in this type of pairing  .Hence i felt a bit contrite and am blogging this for them .so as to explain some irreconcilable basic differences that exist between our religions  though my knowledge of other religions is quite scanty , i have picked up some basics from here and there,  If this breaks their idealistic conceptions like 'one society ,one religion that has all religions in it '  is all very nice to hear but impracticable , i am truly sorry.But truth is bitter.

This how the pairing must have been done.Sri vaishnavism as propogated widely by Sri Ramanujar believes in Maha vishvasam-absolute faith  and absolute surrender at Narayana's feet.
 i read the board outside  the flat on immediate upper floor  which in gist says Nothing happens without his will so surrender to his will .So the concept of surrender  popularised by Sri Ramanujar is some what similar on the face of it.But Ramanujar also emphasized on  the supremacy of Vedas , Gila and other sacred texts.
Hence SRi vaishnavism is not limited to one surrendering and absolute faith but also includes vedic injunctions and upanashidic philosophies Sri Desikan has given a huge list as to what a surrendered person has to do to attain moksham It is exhaustive and very tough to implement.He also stresses on the supremacy of Vedas
So sri Vaishnavism is not all that simple as to say ,OK i have done the ritual of surrender through my acharya now onwards my road is clear and i  will be attaining moksham, definitely on my death .He is still bound by karmas .Desikan admits and laments often at the mountain like karmas -mostly bad deeds he has accquired in this birth and keeps on  imploring bhagwan to extinguish them ,knowing well that come what may all are subject to that inexorable law  of karma  which takes its own independent course and it requires ones own efforts to get rid of them.Even good karmas have to gotten rid of

There .is a story deemed as a actual vent that took place during the time of Ramanujar .That the processional deity of Melkote temple  was taken as booty by a Delhi sultan who generously allowed Ramanujar to take it back and his young daughter who had played with this idol like as if it was a doll could not bear the separation and hence followed Ramanujar on his return trip to Melkote and remained there till she passed away.It is said that it is in commemoration of this devotion that her idol was installed at the base of both the presiding as well as processional deity  known as cheluva narayana at Melkote temple.I have observed this small idol at the feet of both deities. Very rare indeed .normally in Vishnu temples there is a separate sannidh for his consort  as well as far Andal the great Tamil poetess and aazhwar of 9 th cent ad.

Being a history student the dates kept niggling me .it just didn't tally.at the time f Ramanujar there was no sultan at Delhi or any where in India.They were yet to establish their rule which was done much later by Ghori. which was after Ramanujar Ghazni the serial invader who preceded ghori  never came down south
As per historical dates this event could not have taken place at all.Sri viashnavaites who follow the life history of Ramanujar written by writers of earlier times will not believe what i deducted and will also not care for my opinion .But those youths either of Muslim community or secular Hindus check the dates in net and apply your mind if you are  besotted by this story.and think that this is a unifying factor between our two religions

To put it simply i am  a Sri vaishnavaite but am not one of you.My sect is a important branch of Hinduism and Hinduism is a religion   .I do not buy the argument that Hinduism is nothing but a way of life.  Hinduism is a religion .

The other pairing is christian and saivaites .which may be because of similarity in philosophy .Shankara who propagated Advaita philosophy also emphasized on the supremacy of Vedas ,shastras ,gita and other scriptures .
We all know that Vedas prescribe rituals which clearly distinguishes Hinduism from other religions But here since unity is sought to be found on concepts and philosophy only, i did not go into that obvious difference  as well as idol worship and importance of forefathers.
Even if both philosophies may be similar to a certain extent Advaita also  gives a leeway to become one with the ultimate or Brahman only after extinguishing karma's either in this birth or in the next or after that also in tune with the general belief of Hindus voiced in  Gila when Krishna says 'Arjuna i you and i have passed through several births whilst i remember them all [being avatar of Vishnu] you do not.

Though philosophy could be similar .Merging with  self -Aham bramhasya .Definetly on one score there is a yawning difference between saivaites/advaitins/hindus [includes visishtadwatins in general tho' philosophy is little different]on one side  and christians on the other  which is unbridgeable.Concept of birth  and sin
.
Again it was  one of my neighbours who explained the christian concept of birth and sin ,briefly .
He said i believe in christian thinking ,saying"" isnt life in this world full of misery?so our birth is nothing to celeberate about.Isnt it a sin to born in this world? .

i was clearly taken aback by this view as i have read again and again in various types of books on hinduism that for a hindu to take birth as human being is achieving the top most scale  in the scale of births.i also believe in it.

Even scientifically speaking didn't Darwin state with enough evidence that all life has evolved from ameoba and then evolved into fish then animal and finally  evolved into human beings?even speaking from Vaishnavaite view point of avatars , the earliest avatar  that Vishnu took is that  of a fish and then a turtle and then a boar and then a half lion half human-Narsimha and then human beings like Rama, Krishna .

Human birth is not at all considered to be sinful but highly valued and cherished and is seen as the ultimate birth in the cycle of births and deaths and re births --[births that include insects, reptiles, animals . plants --are all down the scale and considered lowly in comparison to human birth ]

Human being is highly valued in Hinduism because it gives a being the capacity to understand the workings of nature , universe and the ability to comprehend the existence of the ultimate power --god and also the chance , unavailable to beings of lesser intelligence to attain this or merge with this and become a part of that  creator/power as per advaita,and as per visishtadwaita it is a chance to attain a lot of powers and to be of eternal service to the creator/ supreme being in his abode.
Though we may use words like sin-paavi etc,  its meaning is not in any way similar to that which it is put to use in the other religion.

For Hindus, human birth is not a sin but a jewel in the crown.   

Hinduism is not a way of life but a religion .Maybe i should be more specific and say Sanatana dharma but in local and common usage we use the  word Hinduism and it  means  just that viz Sanatana dharma .