Need for restraint

Sir, - This has reference to the article on Kalady, ``Symbol of spiritual heritage'' (The Hindu, May 12). It traverses the usual ground - Kalady being the birthplace of Adi Shankara, and to which he repaired at the time of his mother's death to light her funeral pyre.

We are also told that the 33rd pontiff of Sringeri Mutt was Pujyashri Abhinava Narasimha Bharathi, who is as much respected, revered and admired for his vast erudition in all branches of our Shastraic learning as for his life of deep meditation and contemplation. Through his extraordinary psychic divination, he rediscovered Kalady and established the association of various sites therein with the leading events in Shankara's life. So much for Kalady in the article.

The rest of the article is a recital of a particular version of the great Acharya's life, mission, his yatras through the length and breadth of this country and the mutts founded by him. Here, it is well to remember that there exists another version differing in detail but in its narration and conclusion accepted as authentic as the other.

As such, those who write on our ancient tradition, our value systems and philosophy and more particularly of the biographical details concerning masterminds need to exercise restraint and refuse to be tempted into airing their views with the finality of pronouncement of a judicial verdict.

This note of caution, circumspection and a wise tardiness in the expression of our views gains further weight in today's scenario, where the entrenched forces of atheism and materialism are ready to exploit any publicised superficial differences amongst us to denigrate, defame and malign the mighty minds of old, who gave a content and shape to our spiritual values and moulded our spiritual tradition.

T. V. Ramachandran,

Chennai

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Opinion
Previous : Out of all proportion
Next     : Reliving history in new-look Reichstag