studies of sandhyopAsana

[Mani Varadarajan]

>
> If I'm allowed to give a non-Tamil example: Jainas in Karnataka. Not all,
> but most of the Digambaras have an upanayana with a sacred thread (the
> three strands representing the Jaina ratnatraya), and there is also a Jaina
> sandhyaavandanaa.
>

Very interesting. Do you know if there were conversions back
and forth between brahmins and Jainas? If the Jainas wore
the sacred thread, performed some sandhyAvandana, and learnt
Sanskrit, it is then plausible that they were accepted as
brahmins (and vice versa) upon conversion. This lends credence
to the belief voiced by Prof. Hebbar that some Sri Vaishnavas
of Karnataka are originally Jains converted by Ramanuja.

Mani