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Tamil versus Sanskrit

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darock

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I have seen this in Kanchi Varadaraja temple a few times. There are two groups of brahmins where one chants vedic mantras and the other tamil hymns. The sanskrit chanting group tries to suppress the tamil group by shouting out aloud. (It could also be the other way. But the body language suggests the former.) Why is there a fight between Tamil and Sanskrit? I have also heard some Tamil-Sanskrit rivalry in Chidambaram temple. What is the status of Tamil in our temples?
 
darock said:
I have seen this in Kanchi Varadaraja temple a few times. There are two groups of brahmins where one chants vedic mantras and the other tamil hymns. The sanskrit chanting group tries to suppress the tamil group by shouting out aloud. (It could also be the other way. But the body language suggests the former.) Why is there a fight between Tamil and Sanskrit? I have also heard some Tamil-Sanskrit rivalry in Chidambaram temple. What is the status of Tamil in our temples?
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I feel it is mutual one-up-manship between the Vadakalai (sanskrit) and Thenkalai (Tamil) Iyengars.
 
sangom said:
I feel it is mutual one-up-manship between the Vadakalai (sanskrit) and Thenkalai (Tamil) Iyengars.
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I again say this. People who know very little about vaishnavam and its practices and inner meaning of those practices come here to make flippant comments and we have others ready to applaud them with their own contribution to the confusion. In Vishnu temples(this includes Kanchi temple too) when the deity is taken out in a procession, it is a settled practice to chant vedas in sanskrit and prabhantham in tamil. The bhaktas (called the ghoshti) chanting the tamil prabhantham always goes ahead of the deity which is carried by devotees called sreepaathamthaangikal. The vedam chanting ghoshti follows the deity. The bhaktas surround the deity and thus the whole assembly of people move. Thus there is no scope for veda ghoshti shouting down the prabhantha ghoshti or vice versa. When we look at things wearing a colored glass we see them in color. This practice was codified by Sri Ramanuja and is followed by every Vishnu temple. So one can say Tamil has a pride of place if one is looking for such a pride.

In Siva temples there is no similar practice and it appears brahmins have forgotten tamil completely. It is kept alive by the Othuvars who sing the Thevaaram in front of the deity after it is given an abhishekam and alankaram. I do not know what happened to Tamil chanting of thirumurai in the Chidambaram temple which became an issue some time back. Some one who knows can throw light on that.
 
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