Extinction of true 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

toBrahmachaari.

10. Mahaanamneevrutham (Aanduvrutham) : An year-long process of studyingVedams

by chanting it under strict guidance. Muthalmura is part of it.Those Namboothiri

classes which are excluded from Vedam, perform thisbut stops at Muthalmura.

11. Mahaavrutham : Study of Braahmanam and Aaranyakam through chanting

under strict guidance. Those Namboothiri classes which are excluded fromVedam,

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 saidVedic

education.

15. Marriage

16. Agniadhaanam : A rite performed as an extension of Oupaasanam and

introduction to Sroutha rites.

 

 

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