Orthodoxy

[Guest guest]

I am disturbed by the stress on orthodoxy. One

wrote about accumulating sins by ignoring the

Sandhyanvandanma writes. Or for that matter

Tharpanam, honoring of the ancestors.

Are theythe requirements of a Vaishanvite?

Some great people like Ramanujam were ex-

communicated from the community since they

stepped out of the orthodxy bounds.

Does one stick to it out of fear, especially

when one is away from the strict environment

he was in?

Some of these are strange. I recall attending

aprayer group, where I took a Shaligram. It

was an usually nice piece, splt in to halves

showing the ammoite fossil. An American

friend had brought it form Nepal from a Hindu

family, who parted with it because it went to

Hindu in the US. He was on peace corps and I had

specifically asked him to fetch me one if

possible. When I sowed this unusual piece

( millionyears old ) the man who conducted

the prayer was upset that the women in the

group toched it and that I who did not

provide daily aradhanas was possessing it.

One can forego all such beliefs and still

be a bhakta.

Krish