Let us Prevent the Extinction of Brahmin-Priests !

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna ! Dear Devotees ,

The extinction of Brahmin-Priests is threatening the very existence of Temples . Within the Brahmin community itself , the vocation of Temple-priests is currently rated very low . Brahmin girls do not want to marry Priests . Even renowned Priests divert their sons to other professions .

Key Requirement

As stipulated in the Dharma-sastras and revealed in many *Devapransnams* , the Deities require Brahmin-Priests having *Shodasa-samskara* ( see below) :

1. Sekom (Garbhaadhaanam) : A rite to be performed just before the first sexual intercourse after marriage. 2. Pumsavanom : To be performed just after conception. 3. Seemantham : Performed after Pumsavanom. 4. Jathakarmam : Performed just after birth. 5. Naamakaranam : Christening. 6. (Upa)nishkramanam (Vaathilpurappadu) : Involves taking the child out of the house for the first time. 7. Choroonu : The first ceremonial intake of rice by the child. 8. Choulam : The first hair-cut ceremony of the boy/ girl. 9. Upanayanam : (Only for boys) A fairly long ritual of converting/ confirming a Namboothiri boy into a Brahmanaan and for initiating him to Brahmachaari. 10. Mahaanamneevrutham (Aanduvrutham) : An year-long process of studying Vedams by chanting it under strict guidance. Muthalmura is part of it. Those Namboothiri classes which are excluded from Vedam, perform this but stops at Muthalmura. 11. Mahaavrutham : Study of Braahmanam and Aaranyakam through chanting under strict guidance. Those Namboothiri classes which are excluded from Vedam, do not perform this. 12. Upanishadvrutham : Studying Upanishads. Namboothiris who are excluded from Vedam, do not perform this. 13. Godaanam : Rites as part of thanks-giving to the Aacharyan (priest or teacher). 14. Samaavarthanam : A long ritual for the completion of the above said Vedic education. 15. Marriage 16. Agniadhaanam : A rite performed as an extension of Oupaasanam and introduction to Sroutha rites.

Misleading Propaganda by Fake Priests

We can see many regular advertisements by self-styled Priests/Scholars . An astrologer who presents a TV program, advertises daily in the Newspaper : " World famous Astrological scholar Mr…….. after performing *Shatrusamhara Pooja* prepares *Yantrams* ( Amulets) of divine powers" . An elderly Brahmana-Poojari told me " One day a person approached me to re-consecrate an expensive *Yantram* received earlier from the abovesaid Expert . When I opened the lid , nothing but "Cigarette foil " inside !!! "

Swamy Chandrasekharendra Sarasvathy ( Shankaracharya) says :

What specifically is the benefit gained from the hereditary vocation of Brahmins, that is preserving the Vedas ? What is the Brahmin's contribution in this context ? What vocation is assigned to him by the Dharmasastras ?

The Brahmin has to learn the Vedas by listening to his teacher chanting them. If *adhyayana* is chanting the Vedas, *adhyapana* is teaching the same. The Dharmasastras have charged the Brahmin with the additional duty of performing various rites including Vedic sacrifices.

The Vedas are a storehouse of knowledge. According to the Sastras, a special hereditary class is needed to preserve the sound of these scriptures. What difference would it make to the society if he ceased intoning the Vedas?

It is through Sages that the world received the Vedic mantras. The mantras of the Vedas originate from the Paramatman Himself. We must take special care of such sounds too ensure the good of the world. Yes, the Vedic mantras are sequences of sounds that are meant for the good of the world.

These mantras are not the creation of anyone. The very word "Rsi" means "mantra-drasta" (one who saw- discovered- the mantra), not "mantra-karta" (one who created the mantra). Our life is dependent on how our breathing functions. In the same way the cosmos functions in accordance with the vibrations of the Vedic sounds- so the Vedic mantras are the very breath of the Supreme Being. We must thus conclude that, without the Vedas, there is no Brahman: To put it differently, the Vedas are self-existent like the Paramatman .

The mantras of the Vedas are remarkable in that they bring blessings to the world in the form of sound- even if their meaning is not understood.. They also confer blessing on us by taking the form of deities appropriate to the different sounds (of the mantras).

Instead of making the fruits available to us directly, Paramatman appoints Deities to distribute them. The mantras represent various Deities in the form of sound. The sounds of the mantras constitute their form. They bring us face to face with many Deities- they bring us also their grace.

The sound of some mantras have greater value than their meaning. Their syllables chanted in a particular manner create a special energy, but their meaning has no special significance.

The question that now occurs is why there should be a separate caste committed to Vedic learning practices even if it is conceded that Vedic mantras have the power to do good.

In answering this question we must first remember that the Vedas are not to be read from the written text . They have to be memorized by constant listening and repeated chanting. The learner then becomes a teacher himself and in this manner the process goes on from generation to generation. Maintaining such a tradition of learning and teaching is a whole-time occupation. Neither the teacher nor the taught may take up any other work.

The Brahmin's calling is learning and teaching the Vedas. According to the Sastras he must live in a modest dwelling, observe strict rules and vows so as to gain mastery of the mantras. He must eat only as much as is needed keep body and soul together. All temptations to make money and enjoy sensual pleasures he must sternly resist. All his actions must be inspired by the spirit of sacrifice and he must pass his days sustaining the Vedic tradition and practices for the good of mankind.

It is the duty of non-Brahmin devotees to see that the Brahmin does not die of starvation. They must provide him with necessities of life and such materials as needed for the performance of sacrifices. In his personal life, Brahmin must eschew all show and luxury. It is by taming his senses- by burning away all desire- that he gains mastery over the mantras.

So long as the Brahmin possessed * sattva-guna* (the quality of goodness and purity) and so long as he kept the Vedic tradition going and lived a simple life, others recognized his value for society. They regarded him with affection and respect and paced their trust in him. They realized that if society was not afflicted by famine and disease (as in the case today), it was because the sound of the Vedas pervaded everywhere and the performance of Vedic recites created a healthy atmosphere around and brought its own blessings.

I do not claim that Brahmins are free from faults or are not guilty of lapses. Nobody is free from faults. But on the whole the Brahmin has done good to society and has been a guide to all its members. That is why he was enabled to live with dignity all these centuries.

The Brahmin today deserves to be reproved, if he expects to be treated with any special respect . It is not proper to find fault with Vedic dharma itself and it is the duty of others to help the Brahmin practice it . The Vedic dharma must be sustained so as to ensure the well-being of the world. Non-Brahmins must support the principle that there must be a caste whose hereditary calling it is to maintain the Vedic tradition. If they themselves have lost faith in the Vedic dharma, they cannot find fault with the Brahmin for having forsaken it . If they believe that the Vedic dharma is not wanted, then it would mean (according to their own logic) that the Brahmin is not committing any offence by giving up his hereditary vocation. It also follows that for the sake of his livelihood he will have too take up some other job, competing with the others for the same. Even those who maintain that we do not need any religion speak for compassion and the spirit of sacrifice in all our actions. So it is not just to insist that a man must not pursue his hereditary vocation and that he must not, at the same time, do any other work but die of starvation.

Hindu-devotees can help greatly by making the Brahmin true to himself as the upholder of the Vedic dharma.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya !!!

Krishnadaya