more on 'cleanliness'

[Guest guest]

Somebody on bhakti-membership separately asked if

adiyen is only good at talking on 'cleanliness' or

also have some practical plan of action on how to

raise awareness and achieve results.

 

Though not generally good at big thinking or making

big program or campaign, still adiyen has done some

in-depth thinking on subject of cleanliness in

temples, DD, mutt ashram etc.. Though not fully

developed adiyen has dreamed of some small steps to be

taken as follows which adiyen is sharing with you all

with your kind permission:

 

(1) If I am in charge of matter adiyen will first go

to my acharya (like azhagiyasingar) and first seek his

blessings and sponsorship for whole idea and tell his

Holiness that without his active and vocal support I

will not be successful. So Holiness must come down to

my level and tell all his sishyas everywhere that

azhagiyasingar is fully interested and committed to

idea of cleanliness and there is urgent need for it.So

everybody must know His Holiness is sponsoring with

full heart the project of bringing back cleanliness in

temples, DD etc.

 

(2)Next,I will call the project as "CITTA-SHUDDHI"

where CITTA means "Cleanliness in Temples and

Temple-Areas".

 

(3) Next, I will go to Mutt (ahobila mutt, Andavan

ashram or munitreeya-community, as the case may be)

records and data-base and take list of all sishyas in

India and abroad.

 

(4) From data-base I will know which sishya was born

where and which native-place belongs to which district

in India.

 

(5) Then I will make a list of districts and make

matching list of important temples and DDs in each

such district.

 

(6) By doing above adiyen will at last have list

matching sishya, place of birth, concerned district,

concerned temple/DD.

 

(7) Then one letter will go from concerned acharya

(azhagiyasingar, jeeyar etc.) where pontiff will tell

sishya about the concerned temple/DD in the relevant

district. In that letter all details will be described

of what state of cleanliness is prevailing. Pontiff

will express anguish at state of affairs. He will

express desire to change things for which concerned

sishya's help will be requested.

 

(8) When acharya writes to him personally like that

and too on a subject about temple/dd in a place in the

district in which sishya was himself born, sishya will

surely be moved. (adiyEn is thinking that it will

happen).

 

(9) achArya will announce the conducting of inaugural

2-day camp in each of the districts to which native

sishyas will be instructed to attend without fail.

 

(10) At the camp following will be chalked out and

decided:

-- what is scriptural importance of "shuddhi".

Well read scholars should bring out in simple but

effective language with lot of references to Veda,

prabhandham, sri-sookthis etc. how and why it is

important to keep places of DD and temple-areas clean

and with "shuchi".

-- a committee called "CITTA_SHUDDHI GOSHTI" to be

constituted

-- define minimum standards of "shuddhi" that must

be made mandatory by concerned Pontiff for the

concerned DD or temple or temple-area.

-- ask committee to draw up its own charter and

its program of action for Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3

and other budget details

-- ask committee to involve sishyas and their

young children actively in the program. For.e.g.

sishyas (even from abroad) must be asked to send their

children on their summer vacation to spend time in

"citta-shuddhi" camp not to Swiss Alps or Nepal

valley. In the camp children will not only learning

about the concerned DD, relevant alwar-mangalAsAsanams

and "kshetra-puranas" but also actively help in

"cleaning" the DD/temple during the entire period of

vacation. Azhagiyasingar or andavan must take special

interest to see how the children are enjoying,

learning and perfroming "shuddhi-kainkaryam" in the

relevant camp in the relevant district.

 

(11) At the end of year, convene a 'sadas" of

CITTA-SHUDDHI committee- workers and ask them to

present respective experiences during the year,

success and failures and reasons. Fine tune then

program and action for following year. Involve more

and more young people in the project. (This must be

done with same amount of fanfare and solemnity as done

for other "vidvat-sadas" held by the concerned mutt or

ashram for elderly sishyas). Azhagiyasingar or Andavan

or other acharyan must help sishyas everywhere become

excited and enthusiastic about 'shuddhi".

 

(12) Write about the progress of CITTA-SHUDDHi work in

"nrisimha-priya", "paduka", Bhakti-archives, i-net

groups etc. and popularize the concept of "shuddhi" in

temples as one of cardinal prionciples of Srivaishnava

ethos.

 

(13) Pontiff should show extra kindness and give

extra-blessings to those who have done outstanding

work in bringing cleanliness to even one temple or

temple-area in a year.

 

(!4) Create a "sat-sangham" of CITTA-SHUDDHI workers

who will not only perfrom kainkaryam by reciting

pasurams and vedas during temple utsavams but also

show they have brought cleanliness to the temple. Give

them separate identity and "maryAdhai" such as given

to "veda-parayanam goshti" and "prbhandam-goshti".

 

The above are some of the thoughts on cleanliness

program adiyen has. Unless some parts of it are

implemented adiyen feels bringing cleanliness to

temples/DD will not at all receive attention people

must give.

 

adiyen is afraid I am talking too much.

 

Above ideas perhaps appearing ridiculous to

bhakti-members who are all very highly educated and

worldly-wise like Sriman Sadagopan, Anbil swami,

Manivaradaraja swami, Sampath rengarajam swami,

M.K.Sudarshan swami, Madhavakannan swami. P.B.Anand

swami, Krishnamachari swami and other great scholar

members.

 

Please do not laugh at adiyen's little dreams and pet

ideas. adiyen is only getting carried away by earnest

desire to see our great temples and DD are kept clean

and no outside people can say that our religion is

great but our temple-housekeeping is sad and

atrocious.

 

Forgive adiyen for any offensive remarks or ideas.

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

 

 

 

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