In my previous post I had given some of <b>the views of those who are not here to represent themselves</b> (and who will never be here for various reasons). They are invisible people, like most of the rest of the body of Hindus. All this time I've been here, no one has represented their views, except to make assumptions about them. Their invisibility and a complete unfamiliarity with them has led to wrong assumptions like:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->For the orthodox/religious student, <b>the historicity of any thing does not matter.</b> itihAsa-purANa is a source of religious inspiration and practice for him.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->There is a grave problem with this unavoidable silence and non-representation of all kinds of traditional Hindus. (Enforced, calculated or unavoidable invisibility of Natural Traditionalists facilitates programmed extinction.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Husky:
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->That is, the understanding these traditional Vadyars have of the Vedas is still exactly the same as what Hindus' ancestors had of the material <b>since at least when this whole oral tradition started.</b> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>You mean</b> the understanding and interpretation of the veda saMhitA-s, its meanings, and its ritual aspects have remained <b>sanAtana, i.e. eternally unchanged</b> within those who claim to be vedic Hindus?[right][snapback]94763[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->In the above, I've bolded both your question and my answer and made the latter blue. The answer was already there in the quoteblock of mine which your reposted just above your question. It does not conceal any more than that which I've already stated outright.
But is it that you wanted me to answer for the traditional view of the Vadyars I speak of (and probably many others besides)? Then their answer - which I thought you were aware of - is "Yes".
<b>ADDED:</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->within those who claim to be vedic Hindus?[right][snapback]94763[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Not sure what Vedic Hindus means. The ones I spoke of are just Hindus. Vadyars are Hindus with traditional knowledge of the Vedas and Shastras. Some of them know a lot about the Puranas and the Agamas too. They are traditional Brahmana Hindus - Shastris and those who perform Homams, those who teach families the necessary initiation rites or perform these for them (like naming and first-day-of-learning ceremonies, and imparting families with the knowledge of the specifics of doing puja to a particular God's Moorthy if that God's puja was not yet in the family's ancestral tradition).
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->For the orthodox/religious student, <b>the historicity of any thing does not matter.</b> itihAsa-purANa is a source of religious inspiration and practice for him.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->There is a grave problem with this unavoidable silence and non-representation of all kinds of traditional Hindus. (Enforced, calculated or unavoidable invisibility of Natural Traditionalists facilitates programmed extinction.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Husky:
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->That is, the understanding these traditional Vadyars have of the Vedas is still exactly the same as what Hindus' ancestors had of the material <b>since at least when this whole oral tradition started.</b> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>You mean</b> the understanding and interpretation of the veda saMhitA-s, its meanings, and its ritual aspects have remained <b>sanAtana, i.e. eternally unchanged</b> within those who claim to be vedic Hindus?[right][snapback]94763[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->In the above, I've bolded both your question and my answer and made the latter blue. The answer was already there in the quoteblock of mine which your reposted just above your question. It does not conceal any more than that which I've already stated outright.
But is it that you wanted me to answer for the traditional view of the Vadyars I speak of (and probably many others besides)? Then their answer - which I thought you were aware of - is "Yes".
<b>ADDED:</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-Bodhi+Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM-->QUOTE(Bodhi @ Feb 20 2009, 09:40 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->within those who claim to be vedic Hindus?[right][snapback]94763[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Not sure what Vedic Hindus means. The ones I spoke of are just Hindus. Vadyars are Hindus with traditional knowledge of the Vedas and Shastras. Some of them know a lot about the Puranas and the Agamas too. They are traditional Brahmana Hindus - Shastris and those who perform Homams, those who teach families the necessary initiation rites or perform these for them (like naming and first-day-of-learning ceremonies, and imparting families with the knowledge of the specifics of doing puja to a particular God's Moorthy if that God's puja was not yet in the family's ancestral tradition).