Sakha jiva

The Vedas, the sastras and the puranas teach in one voice that Narayana is the Supreme Truth and the highest Purushartha for all jivas. The sages and rishis steeped in meditation have also been blessed to know this truth with utmost conviction in their inner being. Likewise, the Azhwars, held to be the incarnations of the Nityasuris and endowed with the highest jnana by the Lord Himself, convey their experience of God in their hymns in a simple and direct manner. Tirumazhisai Azhwar, in his two famous hymns Tiruchanda Vrittam and the Nanmukan Tiruvandadi, makes the emphatic claim that by bowing down to the Supreme Lord and by having faith in His protecting power, one can be redeemed from the cycle of birth, said Sri A. Srinivasachariar in a discourse. Azhwar states that the validity of this truth is Timeless, and does not depend on his affirmation. The other important truth he reinforces is that the Lord cannot be attained by human effort, that is, by practising karma, jnana or bhakti … [Read more...] about Bhaktisara of Tirumazhisai

Salvation is the ultimate goal of human existence. While there is no physical or tangible path in sight for anyone to reach this goal, the Charama sloka in the Gita is explicit in this regard. The Lord’s magnanimity is prominent in His promise to relieve the jiva of all sins and thereby make him eligible to attain mukti if he gives up all else and seeks refuge at His feet alone. This cue is taken by all azhwars in their hymns and interpreters read a direct reference to the Charama sloka in many verses of the Nanmukan Tiruvandadi of Tirumazhisai Azhwar, pointed out Sri A. K. Sundarrajan in a discourse. Azhwar hails the glories of the Lord. He is the Supreme and Absolute Being, who is the essence of Jnana, Shakti, Poornatva and so on. He is the ultimate goal and refuge for all. To the jiva who is full of faults and feels that there is no reprieve except to be caught in the endless cycle, Azhwar shows that it is the good fortune and blessing for all that the Lord’s inherent swabhava and … [Read more...] about Path to salvation

Moksha is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for swarga. Attaining moksha is not to be confused with reaching Swarga, said Adur Asuri Madhavachari. Swarga is presided over by Indra. Moksha refers to Sri Vaikuntha, the place where there is only gnana. Swarga is perishable. During the deluge, Swarga too gets destroyed along with everything else. Only Lord Narayana is there at the time of the deluge. Therefore Sri Vaikuntha is eternal, but Swarga is not. And the only way to get to Sri Vaikuntha, that is the only way to attain moksha, is to surrender at the feet of Lord Narayana. Who qualifies to offer surrender? Even birds and the beasts can go to Sri Vaikuntha, if someone does the act of surrender on their behalf. The Jiva is denoted by common nouns such as animal, bird, plant, tree and man. Only the external appearance has a name of reference. The Jiva has none. The atma is nameless. It has gnana and ananda. In fact the atma is the embodiment of gnana. Then we may wonder, why … [Read more...] about Moksha for all

Actress Niveditha Pankaj has joined the cast of the popular show Thirumagal. Niveditha replaced actress Sushma Nair . She was playing Pragathi Manikandan's character in the show. Surendar Shanmugam, who portrays the lead role of Raja Chandrashekar welcomed the actress to the team. On sharing his photo with Nivedhitha , Surendar wrote, “Welcoming @_n.i.v.e.d.h.i.t.h.a_ as new pragathi to our #Thirumagal set. Hope you all will give the same support . Love you all .#Rajanjali #rajamama #watch thirumagal at 10.p.m. Today (Sic)” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Surendar (@surendarofficial) A few days back, Nivedhitha shared an update about joining the show without divulging any details. Nivedhitha wrote, “Aaaand We're back on track, With a new set of pack Cuuzzzzzz, To the sets I am back! Meet you all soon in an all new show! #backtowork #onset #actor #newrole #freshstart … [Read more...] about Actress Nivedhitha Pankaj joins the cast of ‘Thirumagal’; Surendar Shanmugam welcomes the actress

There is a space for everyone, provided it is based on dharma — compassion, reciprocity and social responsibility. Hindu culture forbids divorce. Yet Hindu personal laws permit divorce. Hindu culture allows gods, and men, to have many wives. Yet Hindu personal laws forbid polygamy. Does it mean Hindu personal laws are opposing Hindu culture? Or, does it mean they are being true dharmashastras, updating responsible social behaviour, i.e. dharma to suit the times (kala), the place (sthan) and the people (patra)? There are separate marriage laws for diverse communities in India, such as Hindu and Muslim . Why can’t there be a separate same-sex union law for queer people? Dharma-shastras are guided by Vedas, and shaped by tradition and wisdom. They have changed constantly from Apasthamba to Vasishtha, Gautama to Manu to Yagnvalkya, responding to contemporary economic, political and social challenges. This dynamism differentiates dharma-shastras from the biblical idea of God’s … [Read more...] about Can gay marriage be part of Hindu culture?