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Showing posts from March, 2014

Manabharana Is Not Malay (Manabharana Bukan Melayu)

In recent times, an alarming narrative has emerged within the Malaysian blogosphere, suggesting a historical event that appears to be a misinterpretation or perhaps a deliberate misinformation campaign. The claim revolves around a so called Malay prince named Manabharana from Srivijaya, purportedly attacking and conquering the Chola kingdom. This misleading story has gained traction and is spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms. The need to address and rectify such inaccuracies is crucial not only for the sake of historical accuracy but also for fostering a responsible and informed online community. To delve into the matter, it is essential to clarify that historical records reveal the existence of multiple individuals named Manabharana throughout history. However, a nuanced understanding reveals that all these figures were Tamils (Damila) hailing from the Pandya kingdom, with references to their exploits documented in Tamil inscriptions and Sri Lankan chronicles...
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Tantra - More Than Just Sex

Sex is the first thing that comes to our mind whenever the word Tantra is mentioned. We have been brainwashed by Western definition to think in this manner.  Because the Western interpretation of Hinduism is solely based on their own limited perspective. You cannot define Hinduism the same way you define Abrahamic religions. What is Tantra? Tantra is actualy a system of thought or a set of doctrines. It can also be interpreted as governance.  To make it sound simple, any branch of Hindu knowledge is Tantra. There are many types of Tantra. Tantric works are written in Sanskrit. Like the Vedas, Tantras are believed to have been revealed by God to various Sages.  Although the Hindu knowledge systems were originally known as Tantra, the word Tantra itself was replaced with other words. The Shaktas still call it Tantra but the Saivites call it Agama.  The Buddhist have their own school of Tantra in the form of Vajrayana.  The Saivite Tantra/Agama a...
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Padmapada - The Narasimha Devotee (Part 2)

For Part 1, click here http://sharmalanthevar.blogspot.com/2014/03/padmapada-narasimha-devotee-part-1.html The previous story of Sanandana and the hunter happened during his Purvashrama. Purvashrama is the life period just before a person enters Sanyasa. Sanyasa is the period in life when someone becomes a complete renunciate. Sanandana enters Sanyasa with the blessings of his guru, the great Adi Sankara. Once Adi Sankara called his disciples for help from across the river. The disciples, including Sanandana was on the other side of the river. Adi Sankara wants to cross the river but there was no boat at that time. So the disciples were not able to help him. But the devoted Sanandana walked towards the river with pure devotion and love towards his Guru. Seeing this, the Goddess Ganga sent lotus flowers towards Sanandana. Sanandana stepped on the lotuses to cross the river and bring his Guru to the other side. In order to commemorate this incident, Adi Sankara renamed Sanan...
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Padmapada - The Narasimha Devotee (Part 1)

About 1,200 years ago, there was a Narasimha Upasaka who lived in the Chola kingdom. His name was Sanandana. Upasaka is a word used to describe worshippers or followers of a deity. The word is also used by the Buddhist. Females are known as Upasika. A Narasimha Upasaka is a person who worships Narasimha as his favourite deity or Ishta Deva. All concentration on Him alone. Narasimha is the 4th Avatar of Vishnu. For many months, Sanandana was meditating upon Narasimha in a forest. He wished to see his Lord. But it was not easy to live in a forest. Despite all this, Sanandana continued with his meditation in the forest. On one fine day, a hunter passed by Sanandana. He asked :  Hunter: "Hey you! What are you doing in the forest?" Sanandana : "I am meditating so that I get to see Narasimha" Hunter: "Narasimha? What is that?" Sanandana then describes the physical attributes of Narasimha. Body of a man, head of a lion. The hunter then mentioned...
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The Formless Multiple Forms of God

I wrote this article back in 2009. That is 5 years ago. I didn't know until recently that it is still being circulated in the internet. This article was actually an email which I sent out to my friends.  My perception on certain aspects of Hinduism may have changed over the time. One being the clear distinction between Muniswaran and Siva, the former being a Spirit and the later as Almighty. Nevertheless, you may still read this article to understand my thoughts back then and now. A short version of my thoughts for the Hindus was written yesterday. It can be read at this link: http://sharmalanthevar.blogspot.com/2014/03/hinduism-keep-it-simple.html
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Hinduism - Keep It Simple

These are the basics for all Hindus to practice. 1.CHOOSE A PATH There are various paths in Hinduism. This can be determined by your choice of Principal Supreme Being. Shaktam, Shaivam, Vaishnavam are the main paths. Each of these paths have their own set of schools. They may differ with each other but all believes in Karma. Choose what suits you best. 2.ACCEPT THE SCRIPTURES There are various scriptures. Vedas are Supreme. We also have Samhitas, Agamas and Tantra. They all have their own doctrines and divisions. There are also scriptures in Tamil such as Thirumurai and Nalayra Divyaprabandam. Accept the scriptures as the source of your religious affiliation. Don't be a language fanatic who throws away certain scriptures as alien scriptures. 3.BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY Always analyse before deciding. But when you have decided on the path, you need to believe in it wholeheartedly. Do not choose for the sake of choosing. It is better to just be an Atheist who does no...
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Mamak, Kaaka & Tulukan

PICTURE CREDIT  adoi-means-ouch.blogspot.com The present generation of Malaysian Indians (mostly Tamils) use English terms when refering to elderly people such as parents of their friends. We often hear this "Hello Uncle, saptacha?" (Hello Uncle, have you eaten?) "Hi Aunty! Sundar irukara?" (Hi Aunty! is Sundar in?) Back in the olden days, at least before the 1980s, people communicated more often in Tamil. Due to this, Tamil kinship terms like Mama (mother's brother) and Athai (Mama's wife) were used regardless of whether we were all related to each other. My mother still calls her former neighbors as Athai and Mama even though they are not related. As we all know, most of the bistro which we see today are owned by Indian Muslims. Previously, they were just called as the "Mamak Stalls" .  It had a humble origin. No air cond, no Wifi, no fancy names and obviously, way cheaper. Just a few tables with stools. We still see some today. ...
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MH370 - Wrong Time to Joke or Take Revenge

A noble effort :)  The world is aware that Flight MH370 is missing. The fate of over 200 humans is not known. To know more about what happened and what is happening, please search for reliable news in the media. Everyone who knows about it is upset with what has happened. When a family member does not return home on time, we will immediately pick up our phones and start calling even if it is just a 10 minute delay.  The family members of those in MH370 are in a much more critical situation. The best we could do at this moment is to pray for them or at least, not make a mockery of this entire situation. Many heartless people in Facebook are taking advantage of this. They put up status updates which are insensitive to the current situation. To make matters worse, some irresponsible page admins share screenshots of such status updates. Take a look at some of these screenshots, it is fake. It is very obvious that someone purposely made those to tak...
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Wow Da! China Speaks Tamil

**The Chinese mentioned in this article refers to those of China and not those in the Chinese diaspora.** Ever since the war in Tamil Eelam ended, I have been seeing a lot of pictures, news links and videos being shared in Facebook. It shows the Chinese as being interested in Tamil language. Unknown to many people, the Tamil people had links with China since ancient times. There are also Tamil inscriptions about Hindu temples in China. You can read about it here: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/behind-chinas-hindu-temples-a-forgotten-history/article4932458.ece However, the past relationship between the two giant civilizations of India-China, is not the same as the present situation. The Indians (including Tamils) of the ancient world were of a superior class. We are nothing when compared with them.  Ancient Tamils vs Modern Tamils China has been showing interest to break India into smaller countries in order to reduce its region...
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The Indian confusion - Race, Caste, Clan & Surnames

Before you read, keep in mind that this was not written with the intention to divide the people. It was written with the intention to explain the meaning of each group. The write up on my journey in Bali is still in progress. I have to transfer some image files in order to upload them. So I thought of writing about the biggest confusion in the Indian Malaysian community. It is a sensitive one too. But clarification should be given. Else, when are we going to understand it? To my friends of other races who happened to read my blog, this will probably be enlightening as many may not be aware of our demographics. First of all, there are two main classification for us in Malaysia. Indian & Ceylonese. Many assume it to be a homogenous race like Chinese, but it isn't. The Chinese have many languages but they have a common language called Mandarin. They also have one writing script. This is what makes the over 1 billion Chinese worldwide as a homogenous race. Ancient Chinese ...
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Dogs of Tamil Nadu

Pictures taken from Google. Credit goes to the various people who uploaded them. I apologise for not being able to identify the original owner of the pics. Whenever we speak of dogs, we tend to focus on the European breeds.  This is due to their popularity and demand. Unknown to many, India has about 88 native dog breeds. Six of these breeds are from the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Most of these dogs from Tamil Nadu evolved naturally. That makes them more suitable to the hot climate in the south. Furthermore, these dogs require less medical attention as their immune system is stronger, making them less prone to disease which are common among the European breeds. In Tamil Nadu, we can find breeds like the famous Rajapalayam, Kombai, Alangu Mastiff, Chippiparai, Kanni and Malayeri. Both the Alangu Mastiff and Malayeri are now extinct. Malayeri The Malayeri (hill climber) was a shepherd dog used by the tribals to herd sheeps. It was commonly found in the hills of Tamil Na...
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How To Find Your Kula Deivam?

*DISCLAIMER-Article written from a believer's perspective.  One of the most common questions I get from my readers is  "How do I find my Kula Deivam?" Kula Deivam is the patron deity of your lineage. Some families have more than 1 deity.  The easiest way to know your Kula Deivam is of course by knowing the ancestral village of your patrilineal lineage (father's side).  Usually the Kula Deivam shrines will be in the ancestral village. If the family has migrated to several villages, then the shrine will usually be in the main village where the family originated from. Knowing your caste or clan background is also helpful in finding out more about your Kula Deivam. For females, they have an advantage. They also inherit the Kula Deivam from their matrilineal lineage (mother's side). So if you are a woman, your mother's Kula Deivam (from her mother) will continue to be present throughout your life. If you are married, your husband's Kula Deivam (from...
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