Appropriation and exploitation of Thiruvalluvar

Topic started by V.C.Vijayaraghavan (@ 212.240.12.82) on Tue Feb 20 12:44:59 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I read elsewhere :
"An inspired talk by Gurudeva, H.H. Sivaya Subramuniyaswami,on Saint Tiruvalluvar's Guru Puja Day, February 15, 1979, introducing selections from the Holy Kural, the Saint's 2,100 year-old Tamil
classic on virtuous living

INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY KURAL> >
Today is an auspicious day. It is the Guru Puja Day of Saint Tiruvalluvar, one of the most venerated of the saints of Saivism. A few of us have just returned from the Guru Puja where a black granite statue of Saint Tiruvalluvar was given abhishekam and deepam in the traditional Hindu form of worship. Saint Tirumular's statue was also there. These great sages of Saivism both lived over two thousand years ago. "

While Tamils (and non-Tamils) have admired Kural for it's pithy units of wisdom, is it not Tamil tradition to consider as a secular writer,i.e. non-religious writer and not part of any religious sect.. Now , how can anyone make hiom "Saint" "HolY", "A Saivaite teacher" etc. In fact he is considered a Jain going by his ethical orientation.

Why are Tamil literati keeping a loud silence on this appropriation of Valluvar's prestige for religious purpose? When nobody knows when did he really live, how can anyone celebrate his birthday and give abhishekam? Why does the entire dravidian establishment keeping a silence on this matter?

Also in Tamil Virtual University, there is an icon of Valluvar. There he looks like some god giving Dakshinamurthy pose, with two raised figers on the raised right hand in an abhaya pose with curved legs of shanta pose which are confirming to shilpa shastra?

Why does no one condemn this religising of Valluvar? where is all the pagutharivu, secularism, cultural critocims, etc


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