Devdutt Pattanaik’s recent framing of “Brahmins as secret Muslims” and his analogy between Brahminical and Islamic ways of life rests on several contestable historical, textual, and sociological assumptions that can be systematically challenged. The “secret Muslims” thesis collapses very different histories and concepts into a single polemical frame. A counter‑narrative can be built by takingContinue reading ““Brahmins as secret Muslims”: Devdutt Pattnaik’s hodge-podge he tries selling as exotic delicacy”
Tag Archives: Unknown Sri Vaishnava
Bhakti’s triumph over plunder and mayhem: revisiting the legend of Sri Rangam “thulaka naachiyaar” with “Eepa”
This morning “Eepa” — a doyen of Tamil literature known for his Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novels and plays — Indira Parthasarathy sent me a sharp question as a WhatsApp message. It tested my familarity if not knowledge, as a Sri Vaishnava (albeit an “Unknown and Unusual” one!), of age-old temple customs and traditions in theContinue reading “Bhakti’s triumph over plunder and mayhem: revisiting the legend of Sri Rangam “thulaka naachiyaar” with “Eepa””
How the mantric “ma” syllable (“म”or “ம”) inspired Andal’s “Tiruppavai” and Vedanta Desikan’s “Paduka Sahasram”
Today’s Tiruppavai “paasuram” is Verse 9 which reads as follows : தூமணி மாடத்து சுற்றும் விளக்கெரியத்* தூமம் கமழத் துயிலணைமேல் கண்வளரும்* மாமான் மகளே மணிக்கதவம் தாழ்திறவாய்* மாமீர் அவளை எழுப்பீரோ உன்மகள்தான்* ஊமையோ அன்றி செவிடோ அனந்தலோ* ஏமப் பெருந்துயில் மந்திரப் பட்டாளோ* மாமாயன் மாதவன் வைகுந்தன் என்றென்று* நாமன் பலவும் நவின்றேலோர் என்பாவாய்! ஆண்டாள் நாச்சியார் In this verse , it is intriguing to see theContinue reading “How the mantric “ma” syllable (“म”or “ம”) inspired Andal’s “Tiruppavai” and Vedanta Desikan’s “Paduka Sahasram””
“Could not even understand the secret of their talent”!
Both Ramanujan and Shakuntala Devi probably had very rare noetic faculty. Their minds had intuitive capacity to unravel abstract and abstruse constructs without using Reason… Reasoning was just an aid but not the driver of their mathematical prowess. Sometimes , they even did not understand how their mind and intellect came up with the mathematicalContinue reading ““Could not even understand the secret of their talent”!”
The European Union (EU): a “tin-pot republic” in stark contrast to India’s sophisticated and enduring political Union?
The ongoing Russo-Ukraine War has badly exposed the fragility and instability of the political unity and integrity of Europe and NATO. Watching the scenes and debates inside the European Parliament makes one suspect that the Union is rapidly fraying at its seams which may give way anytime soon. As an Indian looking at the theContinue reading “The European Union (EU): a “tin-pot republic” in stark contrast to India’s sophisticated and enduring political Union?”
What notable contribution to Carnatic Music has A.R. Rahman made that made Madras Music Academy invite him to preside over its prestigious 2025 Music Festival?
A.R.Rahman is without doubt a great popular musician. But he is NOT a classical musician. The MMA is an institution whose main mission is to preserve and promote classical Carnatic music . A.R. Rahman’s skill or depth in Carnatic music has no third-party independent endorsement. No doubt he has notably incorporated many elements of CarnaticContinue reading “What notable contribution to Carnatic Music has A.R. Rahman made that made Madras Music Academy invite him to preside over its prestigious 2025 Music Festival?”
The SWOT-grid and “ARTHA-PANCHAKA”: (Part 2 of 2 – CONCLUDED)
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)”
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”