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Frequently asked questions:
Why don't you reveal the identity of s''rii t'ippan'akaacaarya?
Because some of the things that are written here are somewhat controversial, and unfortunately there are some fanatic people who would like others to think that they have a monopoly of the term 'vaishnavism', and sometimes these fanatics attack other vaishnavas who disagree with them. S'rii t'ippan'akaacaarya also still has a family situation which means that it can be inconvenient for the rest of his family if his identity is revealed. Furthermore, s''rii t'ippan'akaacaarya is engaged in some research which could be made more difficult if his involvement in such a website were to be known.
Who is s''rii t'ippan'akaacaarya's guru? Does he even have a guru?
This type of question is meaningless unless the questioner knows the meaning of the word 'guru'. There is a widespread misunderstanding among Westerners to what a guru is, and how to accept a guru. This will be explained at a later point.
Is s''rii t'ippan'akaacaarya part of a preaching mission or organization?
No, he is totally independent of such designations. He also has no interest of becoming any kind of 'cult leader', but he is willing to give guidance to whoever sincerely and genuinely asks for it. Actually, the worst thing that can happen to him is to have a cult made in his 'honor', which unfortunately has happened to a lot of preachers in the past. Anyway, he sees internet as the best method to share his knowledge and experience with others.
What is the purpose of this website?
The purpose is to inform people about the religion of Vaishnavism, and to give reasonable, reliable, and serious information without mixing it with any cultism. The purpose is also to show people that it is possible to belong to the Vaishnava religion without being a member of any cult.
How can a Westerner be a Vaishnava?
Being a Vaishnava has nothing to do with whether someone is a Westerner or an Indian. Being a Vaishnava simply means that you accept the teachings of the Vaishnava religion, and someone who wants to present this religion to others is a Vaishnava preacher, regardless of bodily origin. When preaching to Westerners, it might actually be an advantage to be a Westerner. Furthermore, it might be easier for Westerners to separate the Vaishnava religion from other Indian behaviour, which is not based on the Vedic religion.
What is the proper pronounciation of the word "kr's'n'a"?
The "s'" sound is like an English "sh"-sound. The "r'" sound is a vowel r that doesn't exist in English, but a similar sound does exist in some East European languages. If you can't make that sound, the closest would be a "ru" sound or an English "roo" sound with short vowel. In other words, if you want to write the name without diacritics, the closest would be "krushna". I know that the spelling "krishna" is quite common, but it implies an "i" sound that simply isn't there and that has a tendency to make the following consonants palatal. Of course, the spelling "krushna" also implies an "u" sound that isn't there and it has a tendency to make the following consonants labial, but that pronounciation is nevertheless closer to the proper one.
I have downloaded the 'xdvng' font, but I still don't see the devanagari properly.
Try another web browser. Some browsers have a problem with this font. Also, switch off "auto-detect character coding".
My computer only downloads parts of your pages, then the transmission gets interrupted.
Sometimes, using a proxy solves this problem.
Will there be a discussion forum on this website?
That could happen at some point in the future.