Happy Nammalvar!

There are ever so many canons and literatures and great books in the world. Every book will be so unique and will be catering to some aspects of the Man. But such books or canons which are substantially wholesome and satisfying the core aspirations of Man are few in number. I mean such books reading in which you need not be broad-minded towards them every now and then. The world over, I think such books are sparse and distanced in time and topos. One such canon, to my experience is Bhagavat Vishayam. It is universal in its vision and radical in its pervasion. You need not be born in any particular place, time or family, to become a subscriber to the world of Bhagavat Vishayam, a world of Tiruvaimozhi and its five commentaries and three notes. It is enough if you can closely read Tiruvaimozhi in full, in contents, intents and extense and become involved really with the text and lose yourselves in the exploration of its inner spaces. I find unique doors opening whenever I enter its portals. But I am not a subscriber to its faith. I am only a close reader and an avid delver into the meaning-depths. Once inside it is so self-sustaining and refreshing. I cannot but thank the great Tamil poet, Nammalvar, to have delivered it and Nathamuni and Ramanuja to have nursed it into such a big, lovable Baby. Shall I say Happy Nammalvar!.....

***

Plotinus and Drg Drisya Viveka

Many have heard of Drg Drsya Viveka of Sankara. - The philosophy of the perceiver and the perceived. In the cascade of the successive perceiver-perceived stratification, it follows that the perceiver in turn becomes the perceived by another perceiver, which yet again becomes the object of perception to another. The chain goes on and the Ultimate Perceiver remains unperceivable by any other. It is a fantastic concept I like in Sankara.

While reading something I came across a quote from Plotinus, which is wonderful and says exactly the Perceiver~Perceived theory of Sankara. And it is also current in the circles of Neo-Platonic philosophy, that Plotinus experienced more than once the state of ultimate mystic ecstasy, transcending his self-identity. Here is the quote;

"In this state of absorbed contemplation there is no longer question of holding an object in view; the vision is continuous so that seeing and seen are one; object and act of vision have become identical; of all that until then filled the eye no memory remains."

***
Srirangam V Mohanarangan

Observations of Srirangam V Mohanarangan 7

Sri Ramakrishna wrought many miracles. Not the miracles of matter but the miracles of comprehensive understanding and empathetic integration. He took the directness of feeling from the paths of faith and combined it with the broadness of engaging in diverse discourse of the philosophical scholarship. And he made the welded way not a front of debate but a market of engaging appreciation and involved conversation. His very deceptive simplicity in what he has done unprecedentally is very much intriguing. It takes a long meditation to break his simple codes. Vive la Kali!

***

(From the Observations of Srirangam V Mohanarangan) 

* 

Have you ever stopped and thought about 'what is pleasure? what is enjoyment? joy? happiness?' How pleasure and thought tie up? 

A very interesting discussion is here in this conversation between J Krishnamurthy and Mr Anderson.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeOS5seSl_I 

*** 

My book in Tamil on Bhagavath Vishaya, viz., 'பகவத் விஷயத்தை எண்ணும் போது' is coming out in a short time. I have written this dedication page in that -- 

"யாரைக் கற்கும் போது 

எந்த விஷயம் புரிய வருகிறது என்பது 

அறிவின் தேட்டத்தில் விந்தையான கணம்தான். 

அறிவுகொளுத்துவோர்தாம் 

உண்மையில் ஆசிரியர்கள். 

அயின் ரேன்டைப் படிக்கும் போது 

அரிஸ்டாடில் புரிந்தது; 

அரிஸ்டாடிலில் ஆழும் போது 

விசிட்ட அத்வைத தர்சனம் புரிந்தது; 

எனவே யாருக்கு அர்ப்பணிப்பது? 

அந்த யவனாசிரியருக்கா? 

அல்லது அயினாசிரியைக்கா?" 

Translated it runs thus -- 

It is a strange moment to say, 

What subject we come to understand, 

When? Reading whom? 

Studying something seemingly different? 

Who makes us understand, 

They are the Masters, really; 

Reading Ayn Rand, 

I came to understand Aristotle; 

Delving into Aristotle, 

Visishtadvaita Darsana became clear; 

Then....to whom am I to dedicate? 

To the Master from Ionia? 

Or to the teacher Ayn? 

***