The life story of Buddha evokes in us peace,compassion and bliss.The innumerable images of the Buddha found in all parts of the country also produce in us the triple effect of peace,compassion and bliss.Somehow an impression has gained that Buddhism stood for atheism.We were also told by some historians that this religion was driven out of India.But the numerous Buddhist works in sanskrit and pali,and the Asokan edicts have revealed to us the nobility of the Awakened One (The Buddha) and have filled us with pride that this great soul was born in India.Edwin Arnold has sung the glory of Buddha in his composition,Light of Asia.At one time, this religion had spread in Tamilnadu also, and as a result, we find Buddhist doctrines incorporated in several Tamil works of those days.When our hearts are filled with great respect for this religion, We may wonder why such a good religion is said to have been "Driven out" of our country.
When we view the events in retrospect,we find that so far as Tamilnadu is concerned,Jainism was much more popular than Buddhism.Tamil Literature abounds in works dealing with Jainism and in works by Jain authors.Jainism has also a good hold on people in Gujarat and in certain other parts of North India.Both Buddhism and Jainism proclaimed Ahimsa as their cardinal principle.Buddhists were not so uncompromisingly committed to Ahimsa as Jains,and had no scruples in eating the flesh of animals killed by others.The good support Jainism had in this country is evidenced by the numerous statues and images pertaining to that religion in several places.
Saankhya is another great and ancient religion of this land.This religion has produced more ascetics and jnanis than buddhism or Jainism.Yet ,we find neither images in honour of those ascetics and jnanis,nor an abundant literature in the form of songs and stories.However,We find more reference to Saankhya than to
either Buddhism or Jainism in philosophical works.
saiva and vaishnava siddhaantaas are two other forms of the vedic religion which are current among us in the south.Vaishnava Siddhanta expressed itself through the teachings of Sri Madhwa and Sri ramanuja.The vaishnavism of Sri Ramanuja and the Saivism of the saiva siddhantha School,have each a large following in TamilNadu.In every vaishnavite temple,We see installed the images of Sri ramanuja,Nammalwar,Manavala Mamunigal,Vedanta desika and other Alwars.Similarly,in saivite temples ,We have the images of Appar,Sundarar,manickavasagar and other saints.The more important Siva temples have the images of all the sixty-three nayanmars.
Temple inscriptions refer to gifts of landed property for conducting recitations of vaishnava Prabandhaas and Saiva Thirumurais.Coming to Advaita, We do not find for Sri adi sankara, even a thousandth of the number of images that exist for vaishnavite and saivite saints.There are no images at all for Sri Sureswaracharya and Sri Appayya Dikshitar,two great exponents of Advaita after sri sankara Bhagavatpada.A high officer of the Archaeological department once told me that if history is reconstructed only with the aid of inscription,images and other archaeological materials,there may not be any reference either to Sri sankara or to Advaita.
It is to be noted that the founder of each religion criticised the religion that was in vogue in his time and which he sought to replace by his own religion.Buddhism criricised the vedic religion,Jainism criticised the Vedic religion,jainism criticised Buddhism and so on.
Each of these religions, including Vaishnavisn of Sri Ramanuja and saivam of Saiva Siddhaanta, has a distinct feature of its own.There are also points of differences between one religion and another.Even in a matter like idol worship,on which both vaishnavism and saivism agree,the former insists on, worship of the form in which God is conceived,while the latter is satisfied with the worship of a symbol,like the linga.Christianity and Islam inveigh against idol worship,as also the Arya Samajists.While Hinduism is based on the Vedas,both Buddhism and Jainism revolted against the Vedas.Each of these religious teachers,in his time,gathered around him a huge following.
When we survey the position of religions at the present time, we find that nearly half the world's population professes christianity and almost an equal number,Buddhism.The population not covered by these two religions follow the other religions.Several religions have risen and fallen in this world and some of them have practically disappeared.How did they rise and why did they fall, is an interesting question.Each religion, as it arose, claimed the monopoly of Truth and proclaimed that it alone was the last world in true religion.Truth is only one; there can not be two truths.Yet, each religious leader was able to attract to himself a very large following. Is truth to be judged from the number of people claiming allegiance to a particular religious system? If so, how did it come about that a number of religions claiming monopoly for truth, and which in their time commanded a large following, ceased to be popular.
This gives rise to a number of other questions.Is a religion popular because it is true, or is it true because it is popular? Did people embrace a religion because it is true,or did a religion disappear because it was not true?.When we ponder over these question, it becomes apparent that the endurance of a movement, or the validity of the views on which that movement is based can not be judged by the number of its adherents.In our life time, We have seen how Gandhism appealed to thousands of people who were prepared to fast, court imprisonment or die at his direction.There were also people who rejected Gandhiji's religious philosphy and were indifferent when he undertook his fasts.We also see the votaries of Gandhism gradually dwindling in number now.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
When we view the events in retrospect,we find that so far as Tamilnadu is concerned,Jainism was much more popular than Buddhism.Tamil Literature abounds in works dealing with Jainism and in works by Jain authors.Jainism has also a good hold on people in Gujarat and in certain other parts of North India.Both Buddhism and Jainism proclaimed Ahimsa as their cardinal principle.Buddhists were not so uncompromisingly committed to Ahimsa as Jains,and had no scruples in eating the flesh of animals killed by others.The good support Jainism had in this country is evidenced by the numerous statues and images pertaining to that religion in several places.
Saankhya is another great and ancient religion of this land.This religion has produced more ascetics and jnanis than buddhism or Jainism.Yet ,we find neither images in honour of those ascetics and jnanis,nor an abundant literature in the form of songs and stories.However,We find more reference to Saankhya than to
either Buddhism or Jainism in philosophical works.
saiva and vaishnava siddhaantaas are two other forms of the vedic religion which are current among us in the south.Vaishnava Siddhanta expressed itself through the teachings of Sri Madhwa and Sri ramanuja.The vaishnavism of Sri Ramanuja and the Saivism of the saiva siddhantha School,have each a large following in TamilNadu.In every vaishnavite temple,We see installed the images of Sri ramanuja,Nammalwar,Manavala Mamunigal,Vedanta desika and other Alwars.Similarly,in saivite temples ,We have the images of Appar,Sundarar,manickavasagar and other saints.The more important Siva temples have the images of all the sixty-three nayanmars.
Temple inscriptions refer to gifts of landed property for conducting recitations of vaishnava Prabandhaas and Saiva Thirumurais.Coming to Advaita, We do not find for Sri adi sankara, even a thousandth of the number of images that exist for vaishnavite and saivite saints.There are no images at all for Sri Sureswaracharya and Sri Appayya Dikshitar,two great exponents of Advaita after sri sankara Bhagavatpada.A high officer of the Archaeological department once told me that if history is reconstructed only with the aid of inscription,images and other archaeological materials,there may not be any reference either to Sri sankara or to Advaita.
It is to be noted that the founder of each religion criticised the religion that was in vogue in his time and which he sought to replace by his own religion.Buddhism criricised the vedic religion,Jainism criticised the Vedic religion,jainism criticised Buddhism and so on.
Each of these religions, including Vaishnavisn of Sri Ramanuja and saivam of Saiva Siddhaanta, has a distinct feature of its own.There are also points of differences between one religion and another.Even in a matter like idol worship,on which both vaishnavism and saivism agree,the former insists on, worship of the form in which God is conceived,while the latter is satisfied with the worship of a symbol,like the linga.Christianity and Islam inveigh against idol worship,as also the Arya Samajists.While Hinduism is based on the Vedas,both Buddhism and Jainism revolted against the Vedas.Each of these religious teachers,in his time,gathered around him a huge following.
When we survey the position of religions at the present time, we find that nearly half the world's population professes christianity and almost an equal number,Buddhism.The population not covered by these two religions follow the other religions.Several religions have risen and fallen in this world and some of them have practically disappeared.How did they rise and why did they fall, is an interesting question.Each religion, as it arose, claimed the monopoly of Truth and proclaimed that it alone was the last world in true religion.Truth is only one; there can not be two truths.Yet, each religious leader was able to attract to himself a very large following. Is truth to be judged from the number of people claiming allegiance to a particular religious system? If so, how did it come about that a number of religions claiming monopoly for truth, and which in their time commanded a large following, ceased to be popular.
This gives rise to a number of other questions.Is a religion popular because it is true, or is it true because it is popular? Did people embrace a religion because it is true,or did a religion disappear because it was not true?.When we ponder over these question, it becomes apparent that the endurance of a movement, or the validity of the views on which that movement is based can not be judged by the number of its adherents.In our life time, We have seen how Gandhism appealed to thousands of people who were prepared to fast, court imprisonment or die at his direction.There were also people who rejected Gandhiji's religious philosphy and were indifferent when he undertook his fasts.We also see the votaries of Gandhism gradually dwindling in number now.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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