Vidura, Birth, and Bhakti: A Tension in Reading and interpreting the Mahabharata

Author’s Note: The quotation discussed here in this essay below appears in Vedanta Desikan’s Rahasya Traya Saram, where a Mahabharata episode is re-read within a later Sri Vaishnava interpretive framework. The essay is merely an observation — neutral , non-judgmental and wholly academic. The writer’s purpose in penning the essay is solely to invite religiousContinue reading “Vidura, Birth, and Bhakti: A Tension in Reading and interpreting the Mahabharata”

Why Narendra Modi’s instinct about “The Cathedral of Imponderables” is right: And why the Greater Israel Project Can Never Be Defeated—Only Transcended – Part III

The Only Path Out: When the Islamic World Unites and the Cathedral Becomes Irrelevant By M. K.Sudarshan Sunni-Shia Rapprochement and the Possibility of Islamic Cohesion The collapse of Greater Israel would remove the primary strategic wedge keeping Sunni and Shia powers divided, making rapprochement more likely than not. The common enemy disappears. Netanyahu explicitly framesContinue reading “Why Narendra Modi’s instinct about “The Cathedral of Imponderables” is right: And why the Greater Israel Project Can Never Be Defeated—Only Transcended – Part III”

“What Do We Do With Surplus Temple Funds?”- The Fig Leaf of Sovereign Guarantee: (A Supplementary post)

Below is supplemental sequel to my earlier subject blogpost (https://mksudarshans.blog/2026/05/30/the-fig-leaf-of-sovereign-guarantee-tamil-nadus-temple-fund-dilemma-and-a-path-to-justice/). It addresses the critical question: What do we do with surplus temple funds? Temple funds must be invested, not hoarded. But the government’s solution—coercing investment in state NBFCs—is wrong. Multiple safe alternatives exist, and trustees—not the government—must decide.” M.K.Sudarshan (Temple Worshipper, Author, Historian, Observer-Commentator onContinue reading ““What Do We Do With Surplus Temple Funds?”- The Fig Leaf of Sovereign Guarantee: (A Supplementary post)”

The Fig Leaf of Sovereign Guarantee: Tamil Nadu’s Temple Fund Dilemma and a Path to Justice

A Constitutional Crisis Disguised as Fiscal Prudence by M.K.Sudarshan (Temple Worshipper, Author, Hindu religious affairs observer-commentator and a Charteted Accountant) Published: May 30, 2026 Introduction: The Sacred and the Secular Collide The Madras High Court is currently seized with a Public Interest Litigation that strikes at the heart of a question that has haunted India’sContinue reading “The Fig Leaf of Sovereign Guarantee: Tamil Nadu’s Temple Fund Dilemma and a Path to Justice”

A tale of Two Cities = A tale of Two Sects— A simplified version of the original review

AMARUVI DEVANATHAN MAY 26, 2026 Dear Reader, Two Class 8 children wanted me to re-write my original review in a simpler form so that they could understand in full. Hence this. Who are the Vadakalais and Thenkalais? Where do they come from? Why do they fight in Indian courts on completely insignificant matters? From whenContinue reading “A tale of Two Cities = A tale of Two Sects— A simplified version of the original review”

Ruins of the “Thanian War”: A Dialogue at Mahabalipuram”

Prologue Mahabalipuram is where the past becomes a touristic afterthought. The Pallava‑era rock cavities, the carved monoliths, the half‑ruined shrines—all stand serene under the coastal sky, admired for their stone, not their sacrament. Visitors pass by, take photographs, sip tea outside the temple, and move on. The devotion that once gave these stones life isContinue reading “Ruins of the “Thanian War”: A Dialogue at Mahabalipuram””

Tamil Iyengars’s Quixotic squabbles 

A note on the 500 years old Thenkalai Vadakalai wars of Southern India A Substack blog post on “Amaruvi Aphorisms“ is copied here below ⬇️ Sudarshan Madabushi https://mylapore.substack.com/p/tamil-iyengarss-quixotic-squabbles AMARUVI DEVANATHAN MAY 23, 2026 Subscriber Note Let me begin with a personal note. I belong to the Vadakalai school of thought. When I had sought toContinue reading “Tamil Iyengars’s Quixotic squabbles “

Amaruvi Devanathan’s Book Review: “A Tale of Two Cities: the decline and fall of the ‘Ubaya-vedantins” – The History of the Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never told”

Amaruvi Devanathan is an Indian author, public speaker, and professional banking technologist. He frequently describes himself with the catchphrase “a banker by day and blogger by night,” balancing a corporate career in data architecture with a prominent role in the Tamil and English literary circuits.  Professional Background Literary & Public Work Published Books He has written several notable worksContinue reading “Amaruvi Devanathan’s Book Review: “A Tale of Two Cities: the decline and fall of the ‘Ubaya-vedantins” – The History of the Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never told””

ஒருவேளை காலப்போக்கில் நீங்கள் முதிர்ச்சி அடைவீர்கள், திரு. உதயநிதி ஸ்டாலின் அவர்களே!

சனாதனமும் அவதூறும் உதயநிதி ஸ்டாலின் “சனாதன தர்மத்தை ஒழிக்க வேண்டும்” என்ற தனது மறுகூற்றால், தமிழ்நாட்டில் நீண்ட காலமாக நீடிக்கும் பண்பாட்டு–அரசியல் மோதலின் இன்னொரு அத்தியாயத்தை மட்டும் மீண்டும் எழுப்பவில்லை. ஒரே சொற்றொடரில் ஒரு சிக்கலான நாகரிக மரபை எவ்வளவு எளிதாக ஒரு அரசியல் இலக்காகச் சுருக்கிவிடுகிறோம் என்பதையும் அது நினைவூட்டுகிறது. அந்த முழக்கத்தின் செயல்பாடு தெளிவானது: சனாதன தர்மமும் சாதிய ஒடுக்குமுறையும், பிராமணீய வழிபாட்டு மரபும் சமூக ஆதிக்கமும், சடங்கு அதிகாரமும் மரபுவழி சிறப்புரிமையும் —Continue reading “ஒருவேளை காலப்போக்கில் நீங்கள் முதிர்ச்சி அடைவீர்கள், திரு. உதயநிதி ஸ்டாலின் அவர்களே!”

Perhaps you will mature in time, Thiru. Udayanidhi Stalin “avargale”!

Sanatana and the Slur Udhayanidhi Stalin’s renewed call for the “eradication” of Sanatana Dharma is not merely another episode in Tamil Nadu’s familiar culture war. It is a reminder of how casually a complex civilizational inheritance is flattened into a political target. The slogan works only by collapsing distinctions: between Sanatana Dharma and caste oppression,Continue reading “Perhaps you will mature in time, Thiru. Udayanidhi Stalin “avargale”!”