The first lesson we learnt in Physics was about measuring instruments ; Vernier Calipers , Screw gauge and spherometer ; Why ? Physics deals with matter and we need a system to measure objects of various shapes.
The Western Civilization , if you don’t consider it an oxymoron, has laid a lot of importance to quantifiable factors. Those that were not measurable were bypassed as though they never existed. That’s why Psychology as a subject was discovered so late.
What’s all this to do with Sabarimalai Temple issue ? For understanding the issue we need the right instruments . Do we have that ?
We have a Constitution drawn up in the mould of Western Democracies. We have the lawyers , judges and sociologists and social activists schooled in the Western System of education in a foreign language.
And what are we studying ?
It is the Indic thought process on worship of Swami Iyyappa as a deity by one section of Hindus. Our instruments are simply too inadequate.
Can a colonized mind understand the subtle difference between Devata and Paramatma and the concept of idol worship ?
An idol is just a stone while it’s being sculpted. Once it is complete, the eyes are opened. After the consecration takes place, He or She is considered a living being . We start the day with Venkatesa Suprabatham to wake up lord Venkateswara. Then He is bathed, dressed up , fed and at night he has to be put to sleep. When you hear Annamacharya’s Jo Achudananda , even someone without an iota of knowledge of the language can make out it’s a lullaby. For hundreds of years Tiruppathi Balaji has been going to sleep listening to this lullaby.
A westerner or western trained mind tries to find parallels. Dharma is translated to religion . Then he looks for denominations and he labels Iyappa worship as a denomination. When no parallels exist, forced parallels are made. How do you translate Kumbhabhishekham?
Then the standardization starts .
In Indic scheme of things, temple is not just a place of worship for followers of a particular religion and particular denomination. A temple is the house of god, a place where He lives; wakes up, bathes, eats, sleeps and meets his Bhakts. When Krishna is worshiped as a child, he is offered butter and may be Kheer or complete bhog as practiced in a particular temple on a particular occasion.
In Sabarimala Iyyappa is consecrated as naishtika Brahmachari . There are two kinds of Brahmacharya ; upakurvana and naishtika. The former remains celibate till he completes his studies while the latter remains a life-long celibate. A naistika brahmachari avoids even visual contact with women between age of 10 to 50.
Is it possible or even necessary for judiciary to appreciate these sentiments. If the judiciary rules that the deity will not mind , are they deciding that based on some evidence?
As Sai Deepak says
There is no Country in the world including US that that allows Judiciary to sits in judgement over a religious practice using the lens of constitutional morality.
Coming to Ram janma Bhumi case, when 92 year old Sr Advocate Shri K Parasaran was asked by CJI to present his arguments while sitting on a chair.
Shri Parasaran replied that I have always presented my arguments while representing my clients , how can I do it sitting for Lord Ram. Does it make any sense to a colonized mind that the Advocate was speaking to defend the rights of Lord Ram?
We have had enough of the Western ideas of secularism, religion, denomination and so on.
We need to have a totally new look from Indic point of view.
A colonized mind struggles to differentiate between diversity and discrimination ; between equality and uniformity; between pluralism and standardization. We don’t need Barkhas and Rihanas interpreting the practice of Sabarimalai as regressive and prejudice against menstruation to declare it as gender inequality. Absurd.
As Sai Deepak says in the language of Game of Thrones , Jon Snow knows nothing.
Very surprising that these things about the concepts, practices and beliefs in Sanatana Dharma were not expounded earlier the way they are being done now.
Better late than never!
I think these ideas were inherent in the belief system and there was no need to explain. We took it for granted . How else can you explain a lullaby sung for the god to sleep, composed in 15th century..or earlier?
Now for the first time we are learning how these traditions can be grossly misunderstood, mis represented and attacked through constitution and judiciary.
What hurts most is that the hindu traditions are selectively assulted in the name of evolution , modernity, secularism and gender equality.
There was a human chain formed by Marxists and Islamists (many in burkha) fighting for entry of women into Sabarimalai temple.
Ultimate irony .
They are prohibited from entering not just one but every mosque in the world.
Great Murali, you analyse beautifully. Western Civilisation…. If you don’t consider it as an oxymoron. The Western countries, I will not use the word Culture or Civilization for them, are shaken up by the way India has started bringing up it’s cultural and civilizational glory back on the world platform and they are duly supported by Lutiyans gang or the Khan Market journalists. We will regain our glory.
A highly disturbing state lucidly brought out, Murali.
The leading lights of our freedom movement were all foreign educated and were practically westerners in dark skin, propagating forever the British disdain for native culture. Our intelligentsia, borne out of the same mental colonisation, follows like dumb sheep, only further consolidating the stereotype. We, who should have been vishwagurus, are today struggling to survive the onslaught of the stupid.
Great Murali, you analyse beautifully. Western Civilisation…. If you don’t consider it as an oxymoron. The Western countries, I will not use the word Culture or Civilization for them, are shaken up by the way India has started bringing up it’s cultural and civilizational glory back on the world platform and they are duly supported by Lutiyans gang or the Khan Market journalists. We will regain our glory.
Nice read Murali and a balnaced perspective provided. I had only a surface understanding of the Sabarimalai issue, mostly gleaned from the opinion articles which have their biases depending on the school of thought and that remained inadequate to fully comprehend!