Put a curious with a phrase like “Tamil Cats and Sanskrit Monkeys " along with the event hosted by Prakriti foundation, and one is definitely promised something intellectually stimulating. Their talk on the 22nd of July was no different.

Prakriti Foundation, in the last few years has been doing a lot to provide intellectuals in Madras a forum to listen to experts talk on the many cultural aspects of our country. This lecture by Srilata Raman, a PHD in Indology focused on “Self surrender (or Prapathi) to God in the Srivaishnavaite branch of Hinduism.

Most discussions on this subject are frequently primarily religious in nature and it was interesting for the small group of people from different backgrounds who gathered to listen on a pleasant Sunday morning what the author had to say on this subject, as well as listen to her read a few excerpts from her book, recently published. While both the sects of Srivaishnavaites (the Vadagalai and Thenkalai), adhere to the tenets of the Azhwars and Ramanuja, they have eighteen fundamental theological differences. Two significant among them are –

1. Vadagalai’s, liken relationship with God to that of a monkey (the devotee) that for its security (salvation) needs to closely cling to its parent (God/in this context a teacher). Thenakalai’s on the other hand liken the relationship to that of a cat and kitten – the kitten no matter where it is will be taken care of by the cat and therefore it is more important for this sect to be devoted to God. The former place greater adherence to Sanskrit texts and the latter Tamil ones and therefore the title of the talk.

2. The Vadagalai’s treat Lakshmi as coeval with Vishnu and the Thenkalai as his first devotee and the one who intercedes on the devotee’s behalf.

Moving from being just a different interpretation of commonly venerated texts, the sects became larger and less amenable to look at other points of view, especially from the 17th century. Why did this happen? Here the speaker had an interesting point of view, from this period most of the kings became, unlike the Cholas before them more ardent Vishnu worshippers and state patronage brought with it greater power and resources. Therefore there was greater competition between the sects for patronage by the king.

With the advent of the British and their judicial system, the issues of competition were no longer resolved by kings but by judges in court. Reduced royal power made the sects cling to symbolic vestiges which they were prepared to go to any length to protect – the legal proceedings to decide what caste mark went on the temple elephant’s forehead just being an example.

The changing rural to urban migration, and the exodus abroad and of course the greater advent of politics in temples, all contributed in their own way to the increased irrelevance of sectarian differences to the regular Vishnu devotee. This trajectory was discussed in the Q&A that followed.