News Tamil Nadu

Dravidian Stock Backlash To Mahavishnu’s Speech Is Because He Touched Their Raw Nerve Of Abrahamism

September 6, 2024
The Commune 
Image Source: Paramporul Foundation

Motivational speaker Mahavishnu of Paramporul Foundation has been in the news over the past few days owing to his talk on rebirth and karma to students of government schools in Chennai recently.

Videos of his talk and the subsequent altercation with a teacher at the school went viral and Dravidianists started breaking bangles over his words.

Many even called for the resignation of education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.

Who Is ‘Mahavishnu’?

Mahavishnu of Paramporul Foundation is said to have ‘received deeksha’ from his Guru Tat Sat Bramma Gnani Sri Sri Sri Kanchi Viswanatha Swamigal. Mahavishnu was earlier a standup comic who even won the title “Asathal Mannan” in Sun TV’s stand-up comedy show in 2010 as per his LinkedIn profile.

He allegedly ‘transitioned’ into becoming a motivational speaker, a Reiki healer, and a mental care Counsellor following the deeksha and has given several talks and conducted several spiritual programmes in India and abroad, according to the website.

At the school event, he spoke about topics such as past-life sins, karma, and rebirth, and educated the children about how one’s current life struggles had a link to their actions in previous lives.

What’s The Controversy?

During his speech, Mahavishnu stated that ancient Indian education systems, like Gurukulams, were destroyed by British rule, leading to the loss of powerful knowledge once written on palm leaves (olaichuvadu). He asserted that reciting certain mantras could heal bodies, cause “rain of fire,” or enable one to fly, alluding to mystical powers lost over time. He then stated that social inequalities, and people’s circumstances—whether rich, poor, criminal, or heroic—were the result of actions in their previous lives.

A school staff member objected to the content of Mahavishnu’s speech, pointing out that the Paramporul Foundation speaker was invited for a motivational talk, not a spiritual discourse. This led to a heated argument, with Mahavishnu, questioning the teacher how a child will live a proper life without knowledge about past life karma. A video of the incident, which was later uploaded to Mahavishnu’s YouTube channel, went viral, triggering widespread criticism among Dravidianists

Karma & Rebirth – Anti-Abrahamic Ideas

Mahavishnu talks about god (Iraivan), karma, and rebirth elaborately in his videos and advises people to be kind, and to live life diligently and encourages them to follow how Siddhars do not have a rebirth. He also talks about Mukti and attaining the Lotus feet of the Supreme.

In his recent ‘controversial’ speech also, Mahavishnu talks about living a good life, a principled life that will help people to live better lives in their next birth.

His videos about Karma – a concept associated with Hindu Dharma also are elaborate and are aimed at youngsters who tend to go down the wrong path and ruin their youth.

Mahavishnu infuses his talks with teachings from Thirukkural, the teachings of Saint Vallalar – Thiruvarutpa, teachings of saints from the Tamil region such as Agastyar, and a few others.

This perspective raises questions about the randomness and inequality of birth conditions, undermining the notion that all are created equally by a compassionate God, weakening faith in the Abrahamic worldview. The example of a child born into the privileged family (of the DMK leaders) versus one born into poverty exposes the partial truth of “equal birth.”

The Dravidian ideology, which dominates government schools and their teachers, is being challenged at an impressionable age. The fact that this occurred within a government school—typically seen as a stronghold for Dravidian ideology—has only fueled the outrage further.

Dravidianists Go Bonkers

Dravidianists went crazy condemning the Paramporul Foundation speaker as well as the education minister after the video of the motivational talk went viral. Is it because Mahavishnu touched a raw nerve by speaking about anti-Abrahamic concepts like karma and rebirth? How would they have reacted had he spoken Abrahamic concepts? It is no secret that Dravidoids always double down upon any Hindu concept. They even criticized the Murugan conference held by the HR&CE department! In the video, a teacher is seen confronting Mahavishnu over the concept he talks about. Several Dravidianists are seen praising the teacher.

Some called it the “saffronisation of education” and that “RSS concepts” were infiltrating education in the state.

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