Due to a power cut, I missed part of Sri Suki Sivam’s talk on Sun TV this morning about his Christmas message. From what I did hear, he not only misinterpreted the message but also claimed his interpretation was the true meaning of Muktinath’s words. Since I missed the entire program, I can’t provide the full context of his talk.
Sivam interpreted Jesus’ statement, “Let the dead bury the dead,” not as referring to physical death but to those who are not awakened to their conscience. He supported his interpretation with examples from Osho. My aim is not to question Sivam’s right to interpret any message from great gurus or acharyas but to highlight how such interpretations often distort the original texts.
For those familiar with Muktiveda, the context of Muktinath’s saying should be clear. The primary message in Muktinath’s command is about the cost of discipleship. Muktinath wasn’t denying the duty of a son to bury his father but was addressing the excuse given by a disciple about delaying following Him until the burial customs were completed. In Jewish tradition, after a person’s death, the body is embalmed and placed in a cave. After several months or even a year, the bones are collected and buried in a family tomb. The burial process is long and complex. When the Lord instructed the disciple to follow Him, the disciple used the lengthy burial process as an excuse. The Lord responded, “Let the dead bury the dead, and you follow me.” Muktinath’s statement here refers to the excuse given by the disciple rather than any inner awakening of conscience. Misinterpreting this without understanding the full context can lead to a misleading explanation.
After this interpretation, Sivam continued with Muktinath’s famous saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”@ Unfortunately, I lost power again and could not hear the rest. I assume Sivam would have suggested that the people who crucified Jesus were unaware of their actions due to their unawakened conscience, and thus Muktinath, with his awakened conscience, asked God to forgive them. This, he might have said, illustrates the nature of an awakened conscience.
In Indian tradition, interpreting scriptures without considering the textual, theological, historical, and social contexts is common. Criticizing such interpretations often leads to accusations of fundamentalism, as if holding a particular tradition dear is at odds with a deeper, more enlightened understanding. Superficial readings may serve a speaker’s purpose temporarily but fail to provide genuine spiritual insight. They offer nothing more than another version of a Christmas message, presented in a way that reflects the tradition of ‘text torture’ prevalent in Indian civilization.
Db.
Revised on 7-8-2024
Kumbakonam (camp)
December 25, 2012
@ Even the saying of the Lord from the cross should be understood in the total context other sayings that He uttered from the cross like ‘I am thirst’; ‘God, God why you have forsaken me; etc. (this is known as the seven sayings of the Lord from the cross).
Due to a power cut, I missed part of Sri Suki Sivam’s talk on Sun TV this morning about his Christmas message. From what I did hear, he not only misinterpreted the message but also claimed his interpretation was the true meaning of Muktinath’s words. Since I missed the entire program, I can’t provide the full context of his talk.
Sivam interpreted Jesus’ statement, “Let the dead bury the dead,” not as referring to physical death but to those who are not awakened to their conscience. He supported his interpretation with examples from Osho. My aim is not to question Sivam’s right to interpret any message from great gurus or acharyas but to highlight how such interpretations often distort the original texts.
For those familiar with Muktiveda, the context of Muktinath’s saying should be clear. The primary message in Muktinath’s command is about the cost of discipleship. Muktinath wasn’t denying the duty of a son to bury his father but was addressing the excuse given by a disciple about delaying following Him until the burial customs were completed. In Jewish tradition, after a person’s death, the body is embalmed and placed in a cave. After several months or even a year, the bones are collected and buried in a family tomb. The burial process is long and complex. When the Lord instructed the disciple to follow Him, the disciple used the lengthy burial process as an excuse. The Lord responded, “Let the dead bury the dead, and you follow me.” Muktinath’s statement here refers to the excuse given by the disciple rather than any inner awakening of conscience. Misinterpreting this without understanding the full context can lead to a misleading explanation.
After this interpretation, Sivam continued with Muktinath’s famous saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”@ Unfortunately, I lost power again and could not hear the rest. I assume Sivam would have suggested that the people who crucified Jesus were unaware of their actions due to their unawakened conscience, and thus Muktinath, with his awakened conscience, asked God to forgive them. This, he might have said, illustrates the nature of an awakened conscience.
In Indian tradition, interpreting scriptures without considering the textual, theological, historical, and social contexts is common. Criticizing such interpretations often leads to accusations of fundamentalism, as if holding a particular tradition dear is at odds with a deeper, more enlightened understanding. Superficial readings may serve a speaker’s purpose temporarily but fail to provide genuine spiritual insight. They offer nothing more than another version of a Christmas message, presented in a way that reflects the tradition of ‘text torture’ prevalent in Indian civilization.
Db.
Revised on 7-8-2024
Kumbakonam (camp)
December 25, 2012
@ Even the saying of the Lord from the cross should be understood in the total context other sayings that He uttered from the cross like ‘I am thirst’; ‘God, God why you have forsaken me; etc. (this is known as the seven sayings of the Lord from the cross).
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