INDOLOGY Digest - 10 May 1999 to 11 May 1999 (#1999-55)

[Balaji Hebbar]

Lakshmi  Srinivas  wrote:
"But the suggestion is quite plausible as vaDakalai's
tend to be concentrated mostly in the Northern
districts of Tamilnadu viz., North Arcot, South Arcot,
Chingleput etc.. Also, a majority of vaDakalai
families in Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts seem
to have migrated in the last few centuries from
villages in the Kanchipuram area.  The same, I think,
is true of vaDakalai Srivaishnava families in
Karnataka and Andhra."


Though  this  is  generally  true,  one  cannot  be  rigid  on  this
because  the  Tengalais  have  several  "tirumaligai-s"  (apostolic
seats)  at  KAnci  and  the  VaDagalais  have  similarly  some  at
Srirangam.  In  fact  the  AnDavan  MaTha  (a  major  VaDagalai
sannyAsa  pItha)  is  based  in  Srirangam.

Further,  all  KarnAtak  Shri-VaiShNavas  are  not  VaDagalais.  The
KarnAtak  Shri-VaiShNavas  are  of  three  sub-groups,  i.e.  the
Hemmiges,  the  HebbArs  and  the  MaNDyams.  The  Hemmiges  are  all
VaDagalais.  The  MaNDyams  are  all  STAUNCH  Tengalais  owing
allegience  to  the  Yadugiri-YatirAja  MaTha  at  MelukoTe.  Most
HebbArs  are  VaDagalais  with  a  small  Tengalai  group  among  them.


To  answer  Nanda  Chandran's  point:
The  Shri-VaiShNava  SampradAya  is  called  Ubhaya-VedAnta  for
precisely  this  reason  that  they  accept  as  EQUALLY  authoritative
the  Sanskrit  Vedas  and  the  Tamil  AzhvAr  Prabandhams.  Hence  both
Tengalais  and  VaDagalais  accept  both.  The  question  then  is  one
of  EMPHASIS.  The  VaDagalais  tend  to  lay  emphasis  on  the
Sanskritic  side,  the  VaDagalais  on  the  Tamil  side.  All  this  of
course  IN  ADDITION  TO  the  18  theological  differences  between
them.  We  must  remember  that  VedAnta  Deshika  (the  VaDagalai
"Chief")  also  wrote  in  Tamil  besides  Sanskrit  and  Pillai
LokAcArya  (the  Tengalai  "Chief")  wrote  in  Sanskrit  besides
Tamil.  So  it  is  clearly  a  question  of  EMPHASIS  only.

Regards  to  all,
B.N.Hebbar
Adj  Prof.  of  Eastern  Rels
George  Washington  University
Washington  DC