It is only very late in my life today, and I regret to say it, that I have received the Grace of Bhagavan to embark finally upon a serious study of the Rahasyatrayasaram in the traditional learning mode of “grantha kaalakshepam” under an erudite Sri Vaishnava scholar-Acharya. Because of ageing factor and also the lackContinue reading “The SWOT-grid and “ARTHA-PANCHAKA”: (Part 2 of 2 – CONCLUDED)”
Category Archives: Religion
The SWOT-grid and “ARTHA-PANCHAKA” (Part 1 of 2)
What does the Greek derived Biblical word Soteriology mean? It is the branch of theology that studies “salvation”: i.e. what the human problem is, what it means to be saved or liberated, and by what means and conditions that liberation is effected. Generally, in religious studies across the board, soteriology covers doctrines about (a) deliveranceContinue reading “The SWOT-grid and “ARTHA-PANCHAKA” (Part 1 of 2)”
“Is there a case for Religion?”: Well… no, not to India and not in the Western sense
https://open.substack.com/pub/jimpalmerauthor/p/is-there-a-case-for-religion?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email I read the Op-Ed above with amused interest… interest because matters of Religion always have stoked my curiosity; and amused because I’m reminded of two old sayings — “The more things change, the more they remain the same” and “What goes round always comes around”. Religion went out of fashion and favour for theContinue reading ““Is there a case for Religion?”: Well… no, not to India and not in the Western sense”
An “Unusual” speculation on the “U” and “Y” symbolism of Sri Vaishnavism
The verdict of the Madras High Court dated November 28, 2025 in the long-standing dispute over which Sri Vaishnava sect has the right to press for and exercise its “mirasi rights” to chant its own sectarian litanies and hymns in the sanctum has ruled wholly in favour of the Tenkalais. The judgement has now leftContinue reading “An “Unusual” speculation on the “U” and “Y” symbolism of Sri Vaishnavism”
PART- 2 of 2 (CONCLUDED): Did a flawed, ill-conceived legal strategy result in Vadakalais losing their case in the Madras High Court over their rights in Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal temple ?
The 1910 decree did certainly establish the legal framework that later, in Kanchipuram right until Nov 28, 2025, became as reported, the single most compelling reason why the Madras High Court relied upon it as overriding precedent governing the religious rights, honours, and rituals of the Tenkalai and Vadakalai sects in all major temples suchContinue reading “PART- 2 of 2 (CONCLUDED): Did a flawed, ill-conceived legal strategy result in Vadakalais losing their case in the Madras High Court over their rights in Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal temple ?”
PART-1 of 2: Did a flawed, ill-conceived legal strategy result in Vadakalais losing their case in the Madras High Court over their rights in Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal temple ?
This detailed analysis below of the Common Judgment dated November 28, 2025, passed by the Division Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Madras in a batch of cases (including W.A. Nos. 1381 & 1382 of 2022) reveals the plausible story of how and why perhaps a flawed legal strategy adopted by the VadakalaisContinue reading “PART-1 of 2: Did a flawed, ill-conceived legal strategy result in Vadakalais losing their case in the Madras High Court over their rights in Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal temple ?”
சுஜாதாதனது 70ஆவதுபிறந்ததினத்தைப் (2005) பற்றிக்கூறியது…
இன்னொரு வருஷம் இந்தநாள்… நான் 70 கடக்கப் போறேன். இருப்பேன் இல்லையா? சொல்ல முடியாது. அதான் சுஜாதாவோட 70-யோசனை வாட்ஸ்அப்ப்ல வந்ததை இப்பவே சாப்பிட்டு, எழுபது வயசு கிண்டி ஜெலிப்ரேட் (celebrate) பண்ணிட்டேன். சுகம்! அவர் டாப்-10 லிஸ்ட்: பேஸிங்ஸ் சில, பயம் சில, விஷ்கள் சில – எல்லாம் கலந்து. எனக்கு? அதே லிஸ்ட்! 70-திசை சூழ்ந்திருக்கே. ப்ளஸ் ஒன்னு: இறப்ப வரை Nithya Sandhyavandanam-உம் Bhagavath Tiruvaaradanam-உம் தொடரணும். 🙏எம் கே சுதர்ஶன் **********Continue reading “சுஜாதாதனது 70ஆவதுபிறந்ததினத்தைப் (2005) பற்றிக்கூறியது…”
What’s the hallmark of a Sri Vaishnava “Kovil”? The “Rangarajan Narasimhan Doctrine”!
This debate is old, petty, stale, futile and reflects so poorly on the general cultural traits of the entire Sri Vaishnava community of Tamil Nadu. Sri. Rangarajan Narasimhan has made his name as an indefatigable firebrand activist for protection of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu. I have great personal respect for him on that account.Continue reading “What’s the hallmark of a Sri Vaishnava “Kovil”? The “Rangarajan Narasimhan Doctrine”!”
The morning after Madras High Court verdict on the Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple: “Vadakalai” cause finally lost?
Yesterday, November 28, 2025 will go down as a sad, black day of mourning for the Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava sectarian community in India and abroad. The Madras High Court has legally affirmed that the Kanchipuram Vadakalai temple must be treated as a Thenkalai/Thennacharya Sampradaya temple, with corresponding denominational rights flowing primarily to the Thennacharya groupContinue reading “The morning after Madras High Court verdict on the Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple: “Vadakalai” cause finally lost?”
The Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal: the Madras High Court passes Judgment : it belongs to “Tenkalai Sampradayam”
The High Court passed its Verdict today on a long simmering dispute between our two great Sri Vaishnava sects over the Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple and, not surprisingly, the first person to celebrate the judgment is from the city of Sri Rangam who has tweeted on X below : The judgment resolves a long‑standingContinue reading “The Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal: the Madras High Court passes Judgment : it belongs to “Tenkalai Sampradayam””