All people can become priests-meaning of viprah

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Dear Raghava Charya swamin

Thank you for your response.

As you have stated, vipra generally means learned but it also means Brahmins.

The book from which, I have quoted is purely a sanskrit book and , I have translated the slokas as additional material.

The context gives the meaning as brahmanas.

The following text in between the two slokas may make this clear.

Atra hi brahmanairityadina gotrapravarasutradhiviseshenallulekhena sarvesham brahmanadhinam adhikarah pratipaditah.

Pararthayajane tu vipranameva adhikarah, nanyesham iti Padma samhitayam uktam.

The first sentence refers to the first sloka and explains the first sloka quoted from Sattvata samhita..

The second sentence explains the second sloka quoted from Padma samhita.

Adiyen

Ramanuja dasan

Soundararajan

 

raghava charya <velugaleti1 > wrote:

Dear Sri Soundararajan swami.

A very nice write up.

Does Vipra mean only Brahmana or any learned person?

Ekam Sat viprah Bahudaa vadanti

Adiyen

Raghava Velugaleti Charya

rajan s <rajan_ramaswamy > wrote:

Dear Swamin

The temple worship is governed by the two agamas namely Vaikanasa and Pancharatra.

THe diferent temples follow different agamas according to their tradition..

Agamas are smritis as against Nigamas which are vedas which are apurisheya i.e not made by individuals.Vaikanasa is claimed to be Sruti.

The vedas as such do not support idol worship. Hence the agama practices especially Pancharatra have been critisised as non-vedic.

Pancharatra agama has been defended by Yamuna as wll as Vedanta Desika aginst cricism by advaitis like Sankaracharya and Kumarila Bhatta.

Pancharatra has so many samhitas , the importants ones being Sattvata, Jayakhya,Padma.

As to who is quqlified to do worship in temples, the Vaikanasa and Pancharatra agamas express different views.

According to Vaikanasa , the priest must be a householder. Upanayana is the only ceremony required. He may be trained in Vedas and Shrauta texts.He must be a brahmin as upanayana is insisted ,belonging to vaikanasa families.

According to Pancharatra texts, the priet may belong to any ashrama except Sanyasa.

Pancha Samskara and Chakrabja diksha is necessary for pararta puja meaning worshipping for the community. Some Pancharatra texts allow all castes to do puja and even women are allowed to do pujas at temples (Vishwamitra Samhita.).

I am quoting from the book Lakshmi Tantra published by Adyar library edited by Pandit Krishnamacharya in his introductory chapter.

Karma vak manasaihi samyak bhakthanam paramesware

Chaturnam adhikaro vai prapte dikshakrame sati.

(satvata aamhita)

Pama samhita restricts this to Brahmanas .

Pararthayajanam kuryu vipra mukhyanukalpayohnaivadhikarino gauna dikshasamskara varjitah.

( charya padah )

I stand to be corrected..

Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

Soundararajan

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