Sri Kanchi Mahanin Padhugai Mahimaigal

Sri Kanchi Mahanin Padhugai Mahimaigal

Author: Dr. Shyama Swaminathan

Publisher: Pustaka Digital Media

Published: 2020-05-04

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13:

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This book came into existence due to the graceful waves of the Kanchi Mahan. It is only my writings that are making me breathe. I write about lot of stuff. I have been writing for about 10-15 years. However, I never had any resolve to write about Mahaperiva. Didn’t have the courage either. Didn’t have the knowledge either. Didn’t have the bhakthi, like the one that melts like wax, either. Like this, so many things that I don’t have. Yet, in the last few years, it seems Mahaperiva has decided to use me as a tool for writing about Mahaperiva. How much confidence did Hosur Ganesan mama have on me! He kept driving me and made me write “Kanchi Mahanin Karunai Alaigal”( 100 years of his Life as Peetathipathi of Sri Kanchi Kamakodi Peedam). Ganesan mama, also connected me to Shri Mettur Swamigal, the direct devotee of Mahaperiva. (He was in Sri kanchi Thapovanam in Govindapuram, near Kumbakonam) This Periyava not only provided guidance and complete blessings for writing the book, he also ensured its success by developing it and providing the flow. After the completion of the book, Maha Periyava, happily went and sat down in the hearts of the devotees whom He chose to be the recipients of the book in this world. For whatever fundamental objective for which the book was written (through my simple tamil alphabets, to dispel the myth that he is ‘Mahaperiva’ for just one caste of people and that true to his title of being a Jagathguru, he is close to the common man), that objective was fully authenticated by Mahaperiva and as if to certify it, one commoner wrote a letter to me which is reproduced in this book. I told him that I was about to write about Periva’s Padhuka and also asked him to let me know if he knew people with Periyava’s Padhugai. He then dropped a bombshell and completely upset me. He said “if you want me to be truthful, Periva did not give Padhuka to anyone. Some people in kanchi madam, are calling it as Periva’s Padhuka and giving it to their near and dear. My family has been doing kainkaryam for three generations. As a child, I grew up playing in Periva’s lap. Periva did not give Padhuka for some of the prime devotees (and doled out a few names). Then your wish”. I was like “what is this test for Madurai?” (referring to test to Madurai in Thiruvilayadal Puranam) and was very confused. Then I firmed up my mind thinking that to confuse and then to clear up is all his blessing. What a surprise? Shri Kanchi Mahan’s Padhuka was there all over this world. A worldwide search was essential. America, Australia, Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia - the epitome of grace made the world come to my palm! Some said they got it directly from Paramachcharyar Himself, some said they got it through Periva’s anukka thondars (lieutenants), some said they had it for generations and didn’t know the origins, some strangely said they got it through mail, some said they purchased it and submitted it to Periva and requested Him wear it and bless us. I pray to the Holy Feet of Periva Himself, that from the moment that you hold this book, which basically holds Periva’s Padhugai, that your life should be prosperous and you should live long. Periva Saranam! With love and respect Dr. Shyama Swaminathan


The Construction of Religious Boundaries

The Construction of Religious Boundaries

Author: Harjot Oberoi

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1994-12-15

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 0226615936

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A study of the process by which a pluralistic religious world view is replaced by a monolithic one, this book questions basic assumptions about the efficacy of fundamentalist claims and the construction of all social and religious identities.


Medieval Elite Women and the Exercise of Power, 1100–1400

Medieval Elite Women and the Exercise of Power, 1100–1400

Author: Heather J. Tanner

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-01-09

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 3030013464

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For decades, medieval scholarship has been dominated by the paradigm that women who wielded power after c. 1100 were exceptions to the “rule” of female exclusion from governance and the public sphere. This collection makes a powerful case for a new paradigm. Building on the premise that elite women in positions of authority were expected, accepted, and routine, these essays traverse the cities and kingdoms of France, England, Germany, Portugal, and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in order to illuminate women’s roles in medieval power structures. Without losing sight of the predominance of patriarchy and misogyny, contributors lay the groundwork for the acceptance of female public authority as normal in medieval society, fostering a new framework for understanding medieval elite women and power.


On Hinduism

On Hinduism

Author: Wendy Doniger

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2014-03

Total Pages: 681

ISBN-13: 0199360073

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On Hinduism is a penetrating analysis of many of the most crucial and contested issues in Hinduism, from the Vedas to the present day. In a series of 63 connected essays, it discusses Hindu concepts of polytheism, death, gender, art, contemporary puritanism, non-violence, and much more.


Language Policy

Language Policy

Author: Elana Shohamy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-05-02

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 113433351X

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Policies concerning language use are increasingly tested in an age of frequent migration and cultural synthesis. With conflicting factors and changing political climates influencing the policy-makers, Elana Shohamy considers the effects that these policies have on the real people involved. Using examples from the US and UK, she shows how language policies are promoted and imposed, overtly and covertly, across different countries and in different contexts. Concluding with arguments for a more democratic and open approach to language policy and planning, the final note is one of optimism, suggesting strategies for resistance to language attrition and ways to protect the linguistic rights of groups and individuals.


Shreemad Bhagavad Gita

Shreemad Bhagavad Gita

Author: Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda

Publisher: Bhakti Marga Publications

Published: 2017-01-12

Total Pages: 1485

ISBN-13: 3940381705

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The Shreemad Bhagavad Gita is one of the most ancient scriptures in the world. Of all the scriptures, it is said that Gita provides the deepest and most practical knowledge about faith, devotion, surrender, detachment, and a release of expectations and ownership over one’s own actions. But like any teaching, time and unqualified minds can distort scriptures like this and misrepresent what is contained within. It is for that purpose that the Lord continuously takes birth on earth in the form of the Guru to revive the true essence of the Gita and to demonstrate the simplicity and power of the divine message of the Lord. One such Master is Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda, and this book is his personal commentary on this timeless knowledge. Included here are over 900 pages of verses, translations, drawings for every chapter, and Paramahamsa Vishwananda's extensive commentary. Perfect for the beginner as well as those who have read other commentaries, this is more than just a book. It is a guiding light that can be applied to every day, to every thought, and to every moment.


Essay on Exoticism

Essay on Exoticism

Author: Victor Segalen

Publisher: Duke University Press

Published: 2002-01-03

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 0822383721

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The “Other”—source of fear and fascination; emblem of difference demonized and romanticized. Theories of alterity and cultural diversity abound in the contemporary academic landscape. Victor Segalen’s early attempt to theorize the exotic is a crucial reference point for all discussions of alterity, diversity, and ethnicity. Written over the course of fourteen years between 1904 and 1918, at the height of the age of imperialism, Essay on Exoticism encompasses Segalen’s attempts to define “true Exoticism.” This concept, he hoped, would not only replace nineteenth-century notions of exoticism that he considered tawdry and romantic, but also redirect his contemporaries’ propensity to reduce the exotic to the “colonial.” His critique envisions a mechanism that appreciates cultural difference—which it posits as an aesthetic and ontological value—rather than assimilating it: “Exoticism’s power is nothing other than the ability to conceive otherwise,” he writes. Segalen’s pioneering work on otherness anticipates and informs much of the current postcolonial critique of colonial discourse. As such Essay on Exoticism is essential reading for both cultural theorists or those with an interest in the politics of difference and diversity.


Shiva

Shiva

Author: Vanamali

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-10-04

Total Pages: 171

ISBN-13: 1620552493

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The traditional understanding of Shiva told through stories and teachings from the Shiva Mahapurana • Explains Shiva’s contradictory forms, such as destroyer or benefactor, and how his form depends on the needs of the devotee • Reveals how Shiva’s teachings allow one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life • Explores Shiva’s relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya Shiva, the most ancient and complex deity of the Hindu pantheon, has been portrayed in many contrasting lights: destroyer and benefactor, ascetic and householder, wild demon slayer and calm yogi atop Mount Kailash. Drawing from the Hindu sacred text the Shiva Mahapurana--said to be written by Shiva himself--Vanamali selects the essential stories of Shiva, both those from his dark wild side and those from his benevolent peaceful side. Vanamali discusses Shiva’s many avatars such as Shambunatha and Bhola, as well as Dakshinamurti who taught the shastras and tantras to the rishis. She explores Shiva’s relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati, and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. Examining Shiva’s acceptance of outsiders, Vanamali explains why ghosts and ghouls are his attendants and why his greatest devotees are demon kings, like Ravana. She includes famous Shiva stories such as the Descent of the River Ganga and Churning the Milky Ocean as well as those that reveal the origin of the festival of lights, Diwali; his creation of the cosmic couple, or hierogamos; and how Shiva and Parvati taught the world the secrets of Kundalini Shakti. The author also draws upon Shaivite teachings to illustrate the differences between Western science and Vedic science and their explanations for the origins of consciousness. Integrating Shiva’s two sides, the fierce and the peaceful, Vanamali reveals that Shiva’s form depends on the needs of the devotee. Understanding his teachings allows one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life, for Shiva is the wielder of maya who does not fall under its spell. While Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles, Shiva is the remover of tears.