RE: Upanayanam and Sandhyavandan

[Guest guest]

I used the term Shudhra only in the sense of the 4 varnas and the

fact that no Yagnopavitam is required and not in the derogatory

sense. It is because of the fact that people born in the Shudhra

caste can be great Vaishnavas that I did not refer to people to

people who wear Yagnopavitam to get married and take them off the

next day as "Shudhras" as I felt that this would be a classification

derogatory to people engaged in that Varna. I chose instead to call

them non believers. I mentally paid respects to the individual who

cut my hair prior to Prapatti since in the course of my conversation

with him I found that we had a common Acharya and he had great

respect for Him apart from getting Samashrayam. I used the term

Shudhra in much the same sense as I used the term Brahamana Vidhi in

one of my other emails.

 

I am sorry if anyone found it offensive. Please let me know what

would be a polictically correct term if Shudhra cannot be used. The

only reason why I even brought up this subject is because this

question was put to me at a puja cum lecture yesterday and I wanted

answers from knowledgeable sources.

 

Jaganath.

[Guest guest]

I know there are people use 'shudra' in a non-derogatory sense.

However, no so-called 'shudra' has never described himself by

using that term. Invariably, the terms I have heard used are

Chettiar, Reddiar, Vellala, etc., much in the same way a

today's Sri Vaishnava brahmin would use Iyengar. In some

perverse smritis of long ago, as a class of people shudras

are denounced as ``veritable cemeteries, wholly unfit to receive

the Veda.'' This is what the term implies to many punctiliously

orthodox people when they talk about ``that sudracchi over there.''

 

I cannot prescribe a better term; perhaps non-brahmin is less

offensive, but I am not sure.

 

Mani

[Guest guest]

>Jay.Bharadwaj

> Please let me know what

>would be a polictically correct term if Shudhra cannot be used. The

>only reason why I even brought up this subject is because this

>question was put to me at a puja cum lecture yesterday and I wanted

>answers from knowledgeable sources.

>

>Jaganath.

 

The terms "panchamar" meaning the "fifth caste"

and "chaturar?", "fourth caste" are considered politically correct.

 

There is also the term "saaththaadhavar" and

"saaththinavar" in Tamil, which is not derogatory.

I found this term in the

list of the 72 "mudhalis" of Sri Ramanuja.

However, the list that was posted to this group

omits that classification, as it is not relevant.

 

Actually most of the discussions in this group

have "no need" to refer to caste.

It need not be brought in unless absoulutly needed.

 

Srinivasan K