[Reader-list] Rama as a kudikaran

[Pawan Durani]

Tapas ,

NamaskAr

I do not mind the even the VASP asking me . Had this issue aboy Danish
cartoon the "intellectuals" and the neo converts would have been overbusy.

What needs to be understood is how easily can a person in India hurt the
sentiments of 80 crore hindus. And what is even more noteworthy is that the
neo converts are silent . And if someone raises an issue they would term
people as BJP supporter , RSS , and what not.

Valmiki in his Ramayana had written

sa hi devai rudiirNasya raavaNasya vadhaarthibhiH
arthito maanushhe loke jajJNe vishhNuH sanaatanaH

[That Rama ..the eternal Vishnu who was born on earth as prayed by
celestials to kill the egoistic Ravana ]

Pawan


On 9/21/07, Tapas Ray <tapasrayx at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Pawan,
>
> I am not in VASP, but hope it's still ok for me to offer my two bits.
>
> I am not sure who you think should be condemned - Karunanidhi or Valmiki?
>
> The story at the link you have forwarded says Karunanidhi says Valmiki
> called Ram "a kudikaran (drunkard)". If Valmiki did *not* call Ram
> "kudikaran", Karunanidhi needs to be condemned right away, no questions
> asked.
>
> On the other hand, if Valmiki did, there can be no question of
> condemning Karunanidhi, even if you hate his dark glasses or his shawl -
> or, as in my case, his determination to destroy the strait's marine
> ecology.
>
> The issue of condemnation then shifts to poor old Valmiki who, I'm sure,
> would have loved the spectacle of his trial by the censors.
>
> Questions then arise:
>
> What exactly did "kudikaran" mean in Valmiki's time? Did it really mean
> "drunkard" as the story suggests?
>
> If it did mean "drunkard", in what context was the term used? (I hope
> you will agree that there can be no interpretation of a text without
> reference to context.)
>
> If it did, did "drunkard" mean quite the same thing in Valmiki's time as
> it does now?
>
> But what does it mean now? For some people, taking a single drink is
> enough to label one a drunkard. For others, a drunkard is someone who
> is, or is tending to become, an alcoholic.
>
> So, where do we stand?
>
> Tapas
>
>
> Pawan Durani wrote:
> > No words from the elite intellectuals [ VASP ]  ....not even a
> condemnation
> > !
> >
> >
> http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE920070920132940&Headline=Valmiki+said+Ram+was+a+drunkard:+Karunanidhi&Title=Chennai&Topic=0
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