Today's Lesson for Rashmun: Sinhalrse Army in Tamil Nadu (circa 1170)

I see in my mind the vision of the mighty Tamil Army of Rajathi Raja Cholan under the command of General Pallavarayan battling the powerful Sinhala Army to protect the Tamil people from Sinhala soldiers. Sword to sword they clash at battles of Thirukkanapaer, Thondi, Pasipon Amaravathi, Manamerkudi and Manjakudi. Finally the Sinhala army was defeated and in the run. General Lankapuri captured and brought before Pallavarayan in chains. At the orders of Emperor Rajathi Raja Cholan, sentenced to death for war crimes against the Tamil people and executed. The vision in my mind's eye fades and I come to the reality of today. Tamil Nadu fishermen are shot and killed by the Sinhalese Navy of Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu State Chief Minister pleads and pleads to the Prime Minister of India to protect the fishermen. The Prime Ministers refuses to act. Killing of the fishermen continue. Wailing of the widows and children left behind by the fishermen continue. All that the Tamil Nadu State Chief Minister could offer are a few drops of tear and sympathy!

Oh, how we wish that Tamil Nadu is an independent nation with its own Army, Navy and Air Force under the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tamil Nadu. Will the Sri Lankan Navy even dare to turn its guns towards our fishermen?

http://www.tamiltribune.com/01/1201.html

in my opinion, tamilians (and also sinhalese) in Sri Lanka might be better off if Sri Lanka unites with India. What do you think, KV?

Rashmun wrote:in my opinion, tamilians (and also sinhalese) in Sri Lanka might be better off if Sri Lanka unites with India. What do you think, KV?

You are on this forum for some time. What do you think is my opinion on this? Others may help him too with the answer.

Kayalvizhi wrote:

Rashmun wrote:in my opinion, tamilians (and also sinhalese) in Sri Lanka might be better off if Sri Lanka unites with India. What do you think, KV?

You are on this forum for some time. What do you think is my opinion on this? Others may help him too with the answer.

my objective is to get you to change your opinions on certain issues through rational analysis. If India unites with Sri Lanka, it will only help all Sri Lankans including the Lankan tamils. If you really want to improve the lives of Lankan tamils you should consider advocating the unification of Sri Lanka with India in my opinion.

This thread has reached the pinnacle of Nuttiness. No need to discuss this any further.

doofus_maximus wrote:This thread has reached the pinnacle of Nuttiness. No need to discuss this any further.

when this subject was discussed on Sulekha CH, i recall Ponniyin Selvan (himself a tamilian) supporting the view of Sri Lanka uniting with India.

When I was a kid and Pakistani cricketers were mauling Indians left right and center, I used to dream about uniting Pakistan and India. This is exactly the same but for different reasons. Nuttiness it is.. discuss away.

doofus_maximus wrote:When I was a kid and Pakistani cricketers were mauling Indians left right and center, I used to dream about uniting Pakistan and India. This is exactly the same but for different reasons. Nuttiness it is.. discuss away.

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

Rashmun wrote:
What do you think of the eventual unification of India and Sri Lanka? Do you think that would solve the Lankan problem?

Right.. That's the best solution. Srilanka can be added as another state with its unique culture and participate in the exciting growth happening in South India now.

http://forums.sulekha.com/forums/coffeehouse/united-states-of-south-asia.htm

doofus_maximus wrote:When I was a kid and Pakistani cricketers were mauling Indians left right and center, I used to dream about uniting Pakistan and India. This is exactly the same but for different reasons. Nuttiness it is.. discuss away.

+1

Rashmun wrote:

doofus_maximus wrote:When I was a kid and Pakistani cricketers were mauling Indians left right and center, I used to dream about uniting Pakistan and India. This is exactly the same but for different reasons. Nuttiness it is.. discuss away.

Ponniyin Selvan wrote:

Rashmun wrote:
What do you think of the eventual unification of India and Sri Lanka? Do you think that would solve the Lankan problem?

Right.. That's the best solution. Srilanka can be added as another state with its unique culture and participate in the exciting growth happening in South India now.

http://forums.sulekha.com/forums/coffeehouse/united-states-of-south-asia.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_reunification

>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_reunification

Rashmun, Do you understand the difference. East and West Germany are one people (one languagew, culture). Hindians and Tamils are two different people. Get it?

Kayalvizhi wrote:>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_reunification

Rashmun, Do you understand the difference. East and West Germany are one people (one languagew, culture). Hindians and Tamils are two different people. Get it?

you forget that there are numerous common aspects about Indian culture which bind people of North India and Tamil Nadu together. For instance, the sanskrit language and sanskrit literature.

>> you forget that there are numerous common aspects about Indian culture which bind people of North India and Tamil Nadu together. For instance, the sanskrit language and sanskrit literature.



Rashmun, you dont know anything about TN. I am willing to send a friend to talk to you if you visit TN agaIN. You refuse to give date and location.

Read my post today on North-south synthesis.

Kayalvizhi wrote:>> you forget that there are numerous common aspects about Indian culture which bind people of North India and Tamil Nadu together. For instance, the sanskrit language and sanskrit literature.



Rashmun, you dont know anything about TN. I am willing to send a friend to talk to you if you visit TN agaIN. You refuse to give date and location.

Read my post today on North-south synthesis.

it is strange that somebody who did not know who Vishwanathan Anand is should be saying things like 'you dont know anything about TN'. The fact that you did not know who Vishwanath Anand is again proves that you have very little knowledge about TN and Tamilians.

My own paper, "Tiruppavai: Travelling through time and space" dealt with the various regional rituals in places as far apart as Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that were in vogue before Andal's time, the fusing of various elements into the Tiruppavai idea, and the post-Andal scenario where the poem has given rise to great commentaries, dramas, lyrics and epics in several languages. The folk songs of Andhra Pradesh recapture the days when Srivaishnavism spread in those regions and Andal became a beloved icon at home and in the temple. Today the Andal cult is not only popular in the whole of India but is gaining fast in the United States where separate fanes for Goda Devi have been erected in Hindu temples. The Margasirsa (December-January) month is celebrated there with Suprabhatha seva, special lectures and art-based activities.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2001/12/23/stories/2001122300050400.htm

Rashmun wrote:My own paper, "Tiruppavai: Travelling through time and space" dealt with the various regional rituals in places as far apart as Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that were in vogue before Andal's time, the fusing of various elements into the Tiruppavai idea, and the post-Andal scenario where the poem has given rise to great commentaries, dramas, lyrics and epics in several languages. The folk songs of Andhra Pradesh recapture the days when Srivaishnavism spread in those regions and Andal became a beloved icon at home and in the temple. Today the Andal cult is not only popular in the whole of India but is gaining fast in the United States where separate fanes for Goda Devi have been erected in Hindu temples. The Margasirsa (December-January) month is celebrated there with Suprabhatha seva, special lectures and art-based activities.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2001/12/23/stories/2001122300050400.htm

Sri Rangji Mandir

Sri Rangji Mandir is dedicated to Lord Sri Goda-Rangamannar. Goda or Andal as she is popularly known in South India was a famous 8th century Vaishnava saint who had composed "Tiruppuvai" which centers around her love for her beloved Lord Krishna and his leela bhoomi Vrindavan. She pines for him, fasts for him, sings songs in his praise and wants to attain him by marrying him. Lord Ranganatha who is none other than Krishna answers her prayers by becoming her bridegroom. In Sri Rangji Mandir, Lord Krishna is present as the bridegroom with a walking stick in his hand as is the custom in a traditional south Indian marriage. To his right is Andal and to his left Garuda, the vahana of Lord Krishna.

Andal had expressed three wishes in "NachiyarTirumozhi"(143 verses composed by her in praise of Lord Krishna). Her first wish was to spend her life at the feet of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. Her second wish that Lord Krishna accept her as his bride came true when she married Lord Krishna and the third wish that Lord Ranganatha (Lord Krishna) be offered "Ksheeranna"(dessert made of rice and milk) in a hundred pots was fulfilled by the eleventh century vaishnava saint Sri Ramanujacharya. Her first wish which had not been fulfilled by any of the previous Vaishnava acharyas was fulfilled by Sri Rangadeshik Swamiji by constructing this temple where Sri Goda-Rangamannar reside as divya dampathi (divine couple).

SriRangji temple is one of the largest temple in the whole of North India. Its one of the very few temples in India, where regular festivals are celebrated and all the traditions and rituals are performed according to the prescribed Vedic norms. In SriRangji temple one would find a unique mixture of both south and north Indian traditions. In addition to celebrating all the festivals which are part of South Indian SriVaishnava temple tradition, several festivals which are part of the North tradition are also celebrated here. For example its only at SriRangji temple where devotees can enjoy the pleasure of playing holi with the Lord during SriBrahmotsav.

http://www.srirangjimandir.org/

THREAD CLOSED.

Rashmun wrote:

Rashmun wrote:My own paper, "Tiruppavai: Travelling through time and space" dealt with the various regional rituals in places as far apart as Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that were in vogue before Andal's time, the fusing of various elements into the Tiruppavai idea, and the post-Andal scenario where the poem has given rise to great commentaries, dramas, lyrics and epics in several languages. The folk songs of Andhra Pradesh recapture the days when Srivaishnavism spread in those regions and Andal became a beloved icon at home and in the temple. Today the Andal cult is not only popular in the whole of India but is gaining fast in the United States where separate fanes for Goda Devi have been erected in Hindu temples. The Margasirsa (December-January) month is celebrated there with Suprabhatha seva, special lectures and art-based activities.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2001/12/23/stories/2001122300050400.htm

Sri Rangji Mandir

Sri Rangji Mandir is dedicated to Lord Sri Goda-Rangamannar. Goda or Andal as she is popularly known in South India was a famous 8th century Vaishnava saint who had composed "Tiruppuvai" which centers around her love for her beloved Lord Krishna and his leela bhoomi Vrindavan. She pines for him, fasts for him, sings songs in his praise and wants to attain him by marrying him. Lord Ranganatha who is none other than Krishna answers her prayers by becoming her bridegroom. In Sri Rangji Mandir, Lord Krishna is present as the bridegroom with a walking stick in his hand as is the custom in a traditional south Indian marriage. To his right is Andal and to his left Garuda, the vahana of Lord Krishna.

Andal had expressed three wishes in "NachiyarTirumozhi"(143 verses composed by her in praise of Lord Krishna). Her first wish was to spend her life at the feet of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. Her second wish that Lord Krishna accept her as his bride came true when she married Lord Krishna and the third wish that Lord Ranganatha (Lord Krishna) be offered "Ksheeranna"(dessert made of rice and milk) in a hundred pots was fulfilled by the eleventh century vaishnava saint Sri Ramanujacharya. Her first wish which had not been fulfilled by any of the previous Vaishnava acharyas was fulfilled by Sri Rangadeshik Swamiji by constructing this temple where Sri Goda-Rangamannar reside as divya dampathi (divine couple).

SriRangji temple is one of the largest temple in the whole of North India. Its one of the very few temples in India, where regular festivals are celebrated and all the traditions and rituals are performed according to the prescribed Vedic norms. In SriRangji temple one would find a unique mixture of both south and north Indian traditions. In addition to celebrating all the festivals which are part of South Indian SriVaishnava temple tradition, several festivals which are part of the North tradition are also celebrated here. For example its only at SriRangji temple where devotees can enjoy the pleasure of playing holi with the Lord during SriBrahmotsav.

http://www.srirangjimandir.org/

History

Sri Rangji Mandir was constructed in the year 1851 by the efforts of Sri Rangadeshik Swamiji. According to the Hindu calendar, Sri Rangadeshik Swamiji was born on the Karthik Krishna 7 in Punarvasu nakshatra in the year 1809 AD at "Agram" village of Tamil Nadu. He was introduced to study of Vedic scriptures under the guidance of learned scholars. In a short period of time he had mastered all that was taught to him and wanted to learn further. One night in a dream he was chased by a mad bull and wherever he went the bull kept chasing, when he turned towards North the bull stopped. Taking this as a divine sign, he joined Swami Sri Anantacharya of Kanchipuram who was going to North on a pilgrimage. When they reached Sri Goverdhanji, he met Swami Srinivasacharyaji, the head of Goverdhan Peeth of Sri Vaishnav sect, who was a very learned scholar. Sri Rangadeshik Swamiji became his disciple and very soon established himself as a brilliant scholar. Finding him suitable to carry forward the torch of Sri Vaishanvavism, Swami Srinivasacharyaji asked Sri Rangadeshik Swamiji to take over the reins of Sri Goverdhan Peeth.

In a very short period of time Swamiji's name and reputation as a great Vaishnava scholar had spread all over India. Inspired by his knowlwdge and devotion the brothers Seth Sri Radhakrishnaji and Sri Govind Dasji of Mathura approached Swamiji for discipleship and offered all their wealth at Swamiji's feet. Once when Swamiji was explaining about the greatness of the South Indian temples, then the brothers expressed their wish for establishing Sri Goda-Rangamannar at Vrindavan. Swamiji had always thought about the unfulfilled wish of Andal where she expresses her desire to spend her life at Vrindavan. Taking the wish of brothers as divine indication, Swamiji immediately went to Sri Rangam and expressed this desire to the divine couple Sri Goda-Rangamannar and sought their permission for starting the construction of the temple. Skilled labourers were hired from Sri Rangam and brought to Vrindavan and the construction work for the temple commenced in the yeat 1845. The brothers contributed whole heartedly and with their effort and Sri Goda Rangamnaar's grace the temple was completed in the year 1851 A.D. The total expenditure incurred was to the tune of Rs. 45 Lacs. In the year 1867 A.D Swamiji formed Sri Rangji Trust to take care of the functioning of the temple. Since then it has been five generations of Sri Randeshik Swamiji's who have served the Lord. The present head of the Sri Goverdhan Peeth Sri Goverdhan Rangacharya is the fifth generation of Sri Rangadeshik Swamiji.

http://www.srirangjimandir.org/history.html

Later, when Surendra Tirtha became the head of the Math at Kumbhakonam (Mula Matha), one of his disciples, Vijayindra Tirtha undertook a Chaturmasya (a religious event lasting four months) at Kochi in 1539–1540. Here, he selected Sri Hanumantha Bhaktha and was given deeksha as Yadavendra Tirtha. Yadavendra Tirtha went on to become head of the new Kashi Math at Varanasi established in 1542 AD. Kumbhakonam Math gave two idols of Vyasa and Rama (Raghupati) to Shrimat Yadavendra Tirtha along with the rights to guide the Gowd Saraswats.
[edit]Branches (Ashrams)

The Math has branches and establishments at Prayag, Bhatkal, Basrur, Hemmady, Bantwal, Walkeshwar, Dahisar Mumbai, Suratkal , Rameshwaram, Karkala, Kota, Nayampalli which is near Udupi, Bhagamandala (Kodagu), Bandora Goa, Walkeshwar which is also one of the oldest maths near the Banaganga Tank), Ambalamedu(Kochi-Kerala), Pallipuram (near Cherai, on Vypeen Islands, Kerala), Shirva(Manchakal), Naravi (near Belthangady), Alleppey (Kerala), Konchady (Mangalore), Hangarakatte, Tirumala (Tirupathi), Bangalore, Nashik, Vashi ( New Mumbai), Cochin, Calicut, Nagpur and many more places across India.
The headquarters is located in Varanasi (Shri Kashi Math, 22/86 Brahma Ghat, Varanasi-221001).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashi_Math

------
KV, as you can see the Kashi Math (with its headquarters at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh) was established by Tamilians. Two idols of Lord Rama and of Vyasa were donated by the Kumbakonam Math for the Kashi Math.

Isn't it great that Uttar Pradeshis accepted Tamilians as saints and teachers? I think it is now time to re-evaluate your beliefs in the light of the new evidence i am presenting to you.

Most of the people living in Tamilnadu today and much less in the rest of India may even be aware of the fact that in the darkest days for Hindus and Hinduism in the 17th century, a unique poet-saint called Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal (1625-1688) from Srivaikuntam in Tirunelveli District founded the Kasi Matam at Varanasi during the rule of Aurangazeb (1658-1707).


Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal (1625-1688)

That Kasi Matam became a permanent centre for the propagation of South Indian Saivism and Tamil culture and learning. He made Varanasi his headquarters for the best part of his life. He mastered the Hindustani, Urdu and Persian languages. He delivered lectures on religious and secular themes in Hindustani and Urdu languages. It was the Sixth head of this Kasi Matam at Varanasi, Thillainayaka Swamigal, who came to the South and established the Mutt at Thirupanandal in Thanjavur District in 1720 A.D., which is also known as Kasi Matam.

The glorious life of Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal is of absorbing perennial interest. Many fascinating legends have gathered around it, as is usual in the case of the lives of great saints and sages. Professor Dr. Murugesan, who has made a thorough study of the life and writings of Kumaragurupara Swamigal, has rightly said: ‘Unique is the place that Aadi Kumaragupara Swamigal occupies in the religious, literary and educational history of India’.

Kumaragurupara Swamigal was born in 1625 A.D. at Srivaikuntam on the northern bank of the Tambaraparani River, 19 miles from Tiruchendur. He belonged to a Saiva Vellala family. His father was Shanmugasikhamani Kavirayar, from whom he inherited his elemental passion for Tamil learning and poetry. His mother was Sivakamasundarai Ammal, from whom he got his piety and flair for religion. Legend has it that Kumaraguruparar was deaf and dumb till his fifth year. His distressed parents took him to the Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple at Tiruchendur where, by the grace of Lord Muruga, the disability disappeared. From that moment, the young boy is said to have attained his divine precocious powers. From that moment he lisped in numbers and the numbers came to him. From that time he became a devotee of Lord Subramanya and came to be known as Kumaraguruparar.

Learning classical Tamil at the feet of his father, Kumaraguruparar attained great proficiency in Tamil poetry by Divine grace. Right from the days of his youth, he scorned worldly ways, took to an abstemious and austere mode of life, left home and wandered in the Tamil country visiting famous places of pilgrimage such as Madurai, Vaitheeswaran Koil, Tiruvarur and Chidambaram, worshipping in the temples there and composing timeless Tamil poems on the presiding deities of those places.

Early in his life, Kumaraguruparar was emotionally and spiritually drawn towards Masilamani Desigar who was the Head of the Dharmapuram Mutt at that time. When he sought the spiritual guidance and benediction of Masilamani Desigar for being initiated into the regular Sanyasa Ashramam, Masilamani Desigar (in accordance with the established traditional practice) advised the young spiritual aspirant to visit important pilgrim centres including Varanasi and then to come back to him again. Initially Kumaraguruparar felt a little diffident of his capacity for such an undertaking, which was very arduous in those days. Masilamani Desigar advised him to stay for sometime in Chidambaram and then again to come back to the Dharmapuram Mutt. Kumaraguruparar complied with this direction and some years later took to holy orders as a disciple of Masilamani Desigar in whose honour he composed a poem, Pandaramummanikkovai.

Immediately thereafter Kumaraguruparar decided to comply with the Divine direction of his Guru to visit Varanasi. That was the turning point in his life. It also turned out to be a decisive moment in the history of Saivism, Saiva Siddhanta and Tamil culture. He became a legendary figure in Varanasi. Overwhelmed by the ever growing and radiating spiritual and cultural influence and impact of Kumaraguruparar, Emperor Aurangazeb, the then Mughal ruler of Hindustan, expressed a desire to see him. Kumaragurupara Swamigal agreed to meet him. In this context, legend has it that he prayed to Goddess Saraswathi by composing his immortal Sakalakalavalli Maalai and instantaneously by Her Grace, Kumaragurupara Swamy became proficient in Hindustani. He went to see the Emperor Aurangazeb riding on a lion, symbolic of courage and pride. According to contemporary accounts, Aurangazeb was greatly impressed with Kumaragurupara Swamigal’s self-effacing holiness and learning and treated him with great respect, overcoming his initial suspicion and nonchalance. Kumaragurupara Swamigal was successful in persuading Aurangazeb to allot a plot of land to him at Varanasi near the Kedar Ghat. He later built a Mutt there on that piece of land known as Kumaraswamy Matam, (Kasi Matam) which became a centre of Saivaite religious activity. He built a temple also and re-consecrated the Visweswara Lingam of the Kedar Ghat, which had been subjected to vandalism by the Muslims. The historical fact that Aurangazeb treated Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal with great respect should not be taken as solid proof of Aurangazeb’s concern for Hinduism and the Hindus of India of his time. This only shows the overwhelming and overpowering spiritual power of Kumaragurupara Swamigal and nothing else. Aurangazeb was a great destroyer of Hindu Temples and killed thousands of Hindus everyday as a matter of routine.

From that time onwards Kumaragurupara Swamy lived in Varanasi till the end of his life in 1688, except for a short visit to the South to pay his respects to his Guru at Dharmapuram Mutt. He organized the Kasi Matam on sound lines and strengthened it. He delivered regular lectures there, both in Tamil and Hindustani on wide and encyclopedic themes --- religious, philosophical and literary. According to inherited tradition, he was very fond of Kamban’s Ramayana and used to deliver regular lectures on it. But there is no basis for another legend that Tulsi Das, the famous creator of Ramcharitamanas was influenced by Kumaragurupara Swamigal’s lectures on Kamba Ramayana delivered at Kasi Matam in Varanasi. This will be clear from the fact that Tulsi Das was born in 1532 A.D and died in 1623 A.D. He began his Ramacharitamanas in1574 A.D. Kumaraguruparar was born in 1625 A.D.; he went to Varanasi in 1655 A.D. long after the death of Tulsi Das in 1623 A.D.

As Dr. Murugesan puts it ‘Kumaragurupara Swamigal got the use of his tongue at the age of 5 at Tiruchendur by the grace of Lord Muruga, revered for long as the Presiding Deity of the Tamils. His first utterance was ‘Kandar Kalivenpa’ an invocation in 244 lines that has come down from generation to generation as a popular recitation among devotees of Lord Muruga in several Tamil-speaking regions of the world’.

Shri Kasi Mutt has published the English version of this prayer. The opening lines are given below:

You are, verily, the Knowledge

That is beyond the comprehension

of the Celestial Creator

that dwells on the red Lotus.

Beyond the ken of the Vedas, ancient and divine

Beyond even the luminous principle of Natha

And, indeed, over-reaching even a Knowledge that is pure.

According to many great scholars, Kandar Kalivenpa contains several scientific truths about cosmic energy and its total control over Man’s intelligence. This celebrated and popular poem, together with Kandar Alankaram and Kandar Anubhuthi of Arunagirinathar, constitutes in modern Tamil the Parayanathrayam of millions of Subramania Bhakthas who devoutly chant them. They are not merely songs of prayer but also poems of immense moving power and find literary qualities. Kumaraguruparar is also the author of many Prabhandams such as Meenakshi Amman Pillai Tamizh, Muthukumaraswamy Pillai Tamizh, Madurai Kalambagam, and Chidambaram Seyyutkovai etc., which have been held in great esteem by Tamil scholars for more than 300 years.

His Neethineri Vilakkam, an ethical poem in 100 stanzas is a classic in that category. According to Dr. Murugesan, out of 102 pithy sayings in this collection, 25 are devoted to ethical values rooted in the traditional concept of education. Nevertheless they sound novel and relevant even in contemporary educational milieu. Without an awareness of such roots no knowledge can grow and no flower of learning blossom. I am quoting below one beautiful verse from Neethineri Vilakkam in Tamil along with its English translation by Dr.Murugesan:



In his greatest work Sakalakalavalli Maalai, what Kumaraguruparar sought from Goddess Sakalakalavalli (Goddess Saraswathi) was not only master of languages but also supremacy over nations. In the concluding stanza of this Maalai he sang as follows:



The life of Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal has some lessons for us even today. Though he was a staunch Saivite and a passionate lover of Tamil language, which he often extolled, in his great poems, he never hesitated to learn Hindustani and carry on his religious and literary work in North India. As A.V.Subramania Iyer has rightly said: ‘His poems show that he never cared for the linguistic purism of an extreme type that is the fashion in some quarters today. He recognized the greatness of the Sanskrit language and the Vedic and other religious literature embedded in it. In fine, Kumaraguruparar was a poet of considerable genius, a philosopher of great acumen and a powerful religious organiser. And in choosing North India as the scene of his labours, he stand unique among the latter day poet-saints of Tamilnadu’.

Thousands of devotees from Srivaikuntam in Tirunelveli District and other parts of Tamilnadu have given a written representation to the Government of Tamilnadu to persuade the Government of India to bring out a commemorative postage stamp in memory and honour of Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal. Shri Irullappan, the organiser of Seva Rathna, who hails from Srivaikuntam is the moving spirit behind this movement. He studied in Sri Kumaraguruparar College for Arts and Science at Srivaikuntam. It is understood that the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu has agreed to get this done through the Government of India. All the devotees of Lord Muruga and Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal are very confident that the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu would be in a position to get this simple proposal through A. Raja, the Union Minister in-charge of the subject of issue of postage stamps.

http://newstodaynet.com/printer.php?id=9204

Rashmun wrote:Most of the people living in Tamilnadu today and much less in the rest of India may even be aware of the fact that in the darkest days for Hindus and Hinduism in the 17th century, a unique poet-saint called Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal (1625-1688) from Srivaikuntam in Tirunelveli District founded the Kasi Matam at Varanasi during the rule of Aurangazeb (1658-1707).


Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal (1625-1688)

That Kasi Matam became a permanent centre for the propagation of South Indian Saivism and Tamil culture and learning. He made Varanasi his headquarters for the best part of his life. He mastered the Hindustani, Urdu and Persian languages. He delivered lectures on religious and secular themes in Hindustani and Urdu languages. It was the Sixth head of this Kasi Matam at Varanasi, Thillainayaka Swamigal, who came to the South and established the Mutt at Thirupanandal in Thanjavur District in 1720 A.D., which is also known as Kasi Matam.

The glorious life of Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal is of absorbing perennial interest. Many fascinating legends have gathered around it, as is usual in the case of the lives of great saints and sages. Professor Dr. Murugesan, who has made a thorough study of the life and writings of Kumaragurupara Swamigal, has rightly said: ‘Unique is the place that Aadi Kumaragupara Swamigal occupies in the religious, literary and educational history of India’.

Kumaragurupara Swamigal was born in 1625 A.D. at Srivaikuntam on the northern bank of the Tambaraparani River, 19 miles from Tiruchendur. He belonged to a Saiva Vellala family. His father was Shanmugasikhamani Kavirayar, from whom he inherited his elemental passion for Tamil learning and poetry. His mother was Sivakamasundarai Ammal, from whom he got his piety and flair for religion. Legend has it that Kumaraguruparar was deaf and dumb till his fifth year. His distressed parents took him to the Sri Subramanya Swamy Temple at Tiruchendur where, by the grace of Lord Muruga, the disability disappeared. From that moment, the young boy is said to have attained his divine precocious powers. From that moment he lisped in numbers and the numbers came to him. From that time he became a devotee of Lord Subramanya and came to be known as Kumaraguruparar.

Learning classical Tamil at the feet of his father, Kumaraguruparar attained great proficiency in Tamil poetry by Divine grace. Right from the days of his youth, he scorned worldly ways, took to an abstemious and austere mode of life, left home and wandered in the Tamil country visiting famous places of pilgrimage such as Madurai, Vaitheeswaran Koil, Tiruvarur and Chidambaram, worshipping in the temples there and composing timeless Tamil poems on the presiding deities of those places.

Early in his life, Kumaraguruparar was emotionally and spiritually drawn towards Masilamani Desigar who was the Head of the Dharmapuram Mutt at that time. When he sought the spiritual guidance and benediction of Masilamani Desigar for being initiated into the regular Sanyasa Ashramam, Masilamani Desigar (in accordance with the established traditional practice) advised the young spiritual aspirant to visit important pilgrim centres including Varanasi and then to come back to him again. Initially Kumaraguruparar felt a little diffident of his capacity for such an undertaking, which was very arduous in those days. Masilamani Desigar advised him to stay for sometime in Chidambaram and then again to come back to the Dharmapuram Mutt. Kumaraguruparar complied with this direction and some years later took to holy orders as a disciple of Masilamani Desigar in whose honour he composed a poem, Pandaramummanikkovai.

Immediately thereafter Kumaraguruparar decided to comply with the Divine direction of his Guru to visit Varanasi. That was the turning point in his life. It also turned out to be a decisive moment in the history of Saivism, Saiva Siddhanta and Tamil culture. He became a legendary figure in Varanasi. Overwhelmed by the ever growing and radiating spiritual and cultural influence and impact of Kumaraguruparar, Emperor Aurangazeb, the then Mughal ruler of Hindustan, expressed a desire to see him. Kumaragurupara Swamigal agreed to meet him. In this context, legend has it that he prayed to Goddess Saraswathi by composing his immortal Sakalakalavalli Maalai and instantaneously by Her Grace, Kumaragurupara Swamy became proficient in Hindustani. He went to see the Emperor Aurangazeb riding on a lion, symbolic of courage and pride. According to contemporary accounts, Aurangazeb was greatly impressed with Kumaragurupara Swamigal’s self-effacing holiness and learning and treated him with great respect, overcoming his initial suspicion and nonchalance. Kumaragurupara Swamigal was successful in persuading Aurangazeb to allot a plot of land to him at Varanasi near the Kedar Ghat. He later built a Mutt there on that piece of land known as Kumaraswamy Matam, (Kasi Matam) which became a centre of Saivaite religious activity. He built a temple also and re-consecrated the Visweswara Lingam of the Kedar Ghat, which had been subjected to vandalism by the Muslims. The historical fact that Aurangazeb treated Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal with great respect should not be taken as solid proof of Aurangazeb’s concern for Hinduism and the Hindus of India of his time. This only shows the overwhelming and overpowering spiritual power of Kumaragurupara Swamigal and nothing else. Aurangazeb was a great destroyer of Hindu Temples and killed thousands of Hindus everyday as a matter of routine.

From that time onwards Kumaragurupara Swamy lived in Varanasi till the end of his life in 1688, except for a short visit to the South to pay his respects to his Guru at Dharmapuram Mutt. He organized the Kasi Matam on sound lines and strengthened it. He delivered regular lectures there, both in Tamil and Hindustani on wide and encyclopedic themes --- religious, philosophical and literary. According to inherited tradition, he was very fond of Kamban’s Ramayana and used to deliver regular lectures on it. But there is no basis for another legend that Tulsi Das, the famous creator of Ramcharitamanas was influenced by Kumaragurupara Swamigal’s lectures on Kamba Ramayana delivered at Kasi Matam in Varanasi. This will be clear from the fact that Tulsi Das was born in 1532 A.D and died in 1623 A.D. He began his Ramacharitamanas in1574 A.D. Kumaraguruparar was born in 1625 A.D.; he went to Varanasi in 1655 A.D. long after the death of Tulsi Das in 1623 A.D.

As Dr. Murugesan puts it ‘Kumaragurupara Swamigal got the use of his tongue at the age of 5 at Tiruchendur by the grace of Lord Muruga, revered for long as the Presiding Deity of the Tamils. His first utterance was ‘Kandar Kalivenpa’ an invocation in 244 lines that has come down from generation to generation as a popular recitation among devotees of Lord Muruga in several Tamil-speaking regions of the world’.

Shri Kasi Mutt has published the English version of this prayer. The opening lines are given below:

You are, verily, the Knowledge

That is beyond the comprehension

of the Celestial Creator

that dwells on the red Lotus.

Beyond the ken of the Vedas, ancient and divine

Beyond even the luminous principle of Natha

And, indeed, over-reaching even a Knowledge that is pure.

According to many great scholars, Kandar Kalivenpa contains several scientific truths about cosmic energy and its total control over Man’s intelligence. This celebrated and popular poem, together with Kandar Alankaram and Kandar Anubhuthi of Arunagirinathar, constitutes in modern Tamil the Parayanathrayam of millions of Subramania Bhakthas who devoutly chant them. They are not merely songs of prayer but also poems of immense moving power and find literary qualities. Kumaraguruparar is also the author of many Prabhandams such as Meenakshi Amman Pillai Tamizh, Muthukumaraswamy Pillai Tamizh, Madurai Kalambagam, and Chidambaram Seyyutkovai etc., which have been held in great esteem by Tamil scholars for more than 300 years.

His Neethineri Vilakkam, an ethical poem in 100 stanzas is a classic in that category. According to Dr. Murugesan, out of 102 pithy sayings in this collection, 25 are devoted to ethical values rooted in the traditional concept of education. Nevertheless they sound novel and relevant even in contemporary educational milieu. Without an awareness of such roots no knowledge can grow and no flower of learning blossom. I am quoting below one beautiful verse from Neethineri Vilakkam in Tamil along with its English translation by Dr.Murugesan:



In his greatest work Sakalakalavalli Maalai, what Kumaraguruparar sought from Goddess Sakalakalavalli (Goddess Saraswathi) was not only master of languages but also supremacy over nations. In the concluding stanza of this Maalai he sang as follows:



The life of Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal has some lessons for us even today. Though he was a staunch Saivite and a passionate lover of Tamil language, which he often extolled, in his great poems, he never hesitated to learn Hindustani and carry on his religious and literary work in North India. As A.V.Subramania Iyer has rightly said: ‘His poems show that he never cared for the linguistic purism of an extreme type that is the fashion in some quarters today. He recognized the greatness of the Sanskrit language and the Vedic and other religious literature embedded in it. In fine, Kumaraguruparar was a poet of considerable genius, a philosopher of great acumen and a powerful religious organiser. And in choosing North India as the scene of his labours, he stand unique among the latter day poet-saints of Tamilnadu’.

Thousands of devotees from Srivaikuntam in Tirunelveli District and other parts of Tamilnadu have given a written representation to the Government of Tamilnadu to persuade the Government of India to bring out a commemorative postage stamp in memory and honour of Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal. Shri Irullappan, the organiser of Seva Rathna, who hails from Srivaikuntam is the moving spirit behind this movement. He studied in Sri Kumaraguruparar College for Arts and Science at Srivaikuntam. It is understood that the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu has agreed to get this done through the Government of India. All the devotees of Lord Muruga and Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal are very confident that the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu would be in a position to get this simple proposal through A. Raja, the Union Minister in-charge of the subject of issue of postage stamps.

http://newstodaynet.com/printer.php?id=9204

the only problematic portion of the above article is this sentence:
The historical fact that Aurangazeb treated Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal with great respect should not be taken as solid proof of Aurangazeb’s concern for Hinduism and the Hindus of India of his time. This only shows the overwhelming and overpowering spiritual power of Kumaragurupara Swamigal and nothing else. Aurangazeb was a great destroyer of Hindu Temples and killed thousands of Hindus everyday as a matter of routine.

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it is true that aurangzeb destroyed hindu temples, and it is also true that he re-imposed jaziya (special tax on non-muslims) which had been abolished by Akbar and which would be re-abolished soon after his (Aurangzeb's) death. but it is also true that Aurangzeb would give funding and grants to some hindu temples and mathas like the land grant he gave to Aadi Kumaragurupara Swamigal mentioned in the article above ( another example: the temple at Chitrakuta about which i have posted recently). why aurangzeb was behaving in this manner--destroying some hindu temples and re-imposing jaziya on one hand, while giving funding to other hindu temples and mathas--is something i have not yet understood.

also, while there is no doubt that Aurangzeb was communal, the claim that he was killing thousands of hindus every day seems to me to be a falsehood.