Guest guest Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 SrI: Dear Sriman VenkatakrishNan & Sriman Siva Iyer : Thanks very much for posting this important article . It provides focus on an important area . Sri Ahobila Matam and Sri Andavan Aasramam are training these future scholars with not only sampradhAyic knowledge but also modern skills ( Computer skills) that could increase their employabilty in the main stream as well , while rooted in their Vedic Training . I am sure that other AchAryAs are giving serious thoughts to this difficult situation . Our young girls want to run as far as possible from qualified Vaidhika bachelors with tufts (Sikhai) and who can not take them to the movies & restaurants . I know one Bruhaspathy , who has fully trained his son in performing all the Vaidhika Kaaryams , while sending him to school to earn a Technical degree from an IIT . His other son is staying in a classical Veda PaatasAla . These are real problems needing real and creative solutions . V.Sadagopan - venkata krishnan B.C.VENKATAKRISHNAN. website www.vedascience.com--- On Mon, 9/29/08, V.M.Ramkumar <vmrk.74 wrote: V.M.Ramkumar <vmrk.74Monday, September 29, 2008, 2:17 PM Thought provoking fact in our life........ ...... Who will marry our priests Sivaram Hariharan Iyer, om.sriguru (AT) gmail (DOT) com The other day, I had been to a VEDA_PAATHASHAALA in Kerala, where they impart VEDIC education in the four Vedas, esp the YAJURVEDA, with the prime objective of creating highly trained priests and trained VEDIC chanters for conduct of various Hindu functions and rituals. As a NRI, and also a trained YAJURVEDI myself, I find lots of peace and solace whenever I'm able to give back to such great institutions providing the priests of our great religion who are important cogs of our faith, without whom we would all be lost. I was impressed at the number of young men training enthusiastically in the Vedas and the chief old priest welcomed my modest donation. And then he added with a wry smile. NRI Hindus like you and other well to do Hindus in India come here and give us lots of money and resources for our Vedic school and we are no doubt indebted to them. BUT NOBODY GIVES US GIRLS IN MARRIAGE FOR ALL THIS ELIGIBLE YOUNG MEN HERE, EVEN THE HIGHEST QUALIFIED PRIESTS..WHY? ? AREN"T THESE YOUNG MEN NOT GOOD AS ANY DOCTOR OR LAWYER OUT THERE BY VIRTUE OF EXCELLING IN THE VEDAS, THE ENGINE OF OUR HINDU CULTURE. WHY DOES OUR SOCIETY GIVE THESE YOUNG MEN SECONDARY STATUS AND LOOK DOWN UPON THEIR PROFESSION?? , the old priest asked and set me thinking. YES: THE OLD PRIEST WAS VERY RIGHT. WE DO NOT WANT OUR SISTERS/DAUGHTERS TO GET MARRIED TO ANY PRIEST EVEN IF THE PRIEST IS WELL QUALIFIED IN THE VEDAS AND EVEN HAS GOOD INCOME. EVEN YOUNG HINDU GIRLS, MESMERIZED BY WESTERN VALUES AND FASHION DO NOT WANT TO MARRY PRIESTS... WHY??? And immediately my thoughts went to their counterparts in other religions and what I see is this: THE MULLAH, THE RABBI, THE FATHER, HAVE GOT MUCH MUCH BETTER STATUS IN THEIR SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES THAN OUR HINDU PRIESTS. MANY OF THE MUSLIMS FEEL THAT IT IS THE HIGHEST HONOR IF THEIR DAUGHTERS/SISTERS COULD GET NIKAAH WITH A MAULVI WELL VERSED IN THE KORAN. And here I mention my encounter with a multimillionaire Jewish business from Australia (where I live) proudly sending his two sons to Israel to get trained in a Jewish Seminary where they could choose to become highly qualified rabbis, should they deem so. I then asked this businessman as to whether he would have any objections if his sons became Rabbis instead of joining him in his business or taking up other-so-called- made-it occupations. For this the businessman replied without hesitation: I WILL BE THE MOST FORTUNATE FATHER IF MY SONS BECOME QUALIFIED RABBIS." And then I wondered: HOW MANY RICH HINDUS WILLINGLY SEND THEIR SONS TO VEDA PAATHASHAALAS WITH THE SOLE INTENTION OF MAKING THEM PRIESTS??? THE ANSWER: ZILCH... AND THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT SHAME FOR ALL HINDUS. AND WE TALK OF SURVIVAL OF HINDUISM IN BHARAT WHEN WE DO NOT GIVE A DAMN FOR EVEN OUR GENUINELY WELL QUALIFIED PRIESTS???? MASTERING THE VEDAS IS AS PROFOUND AND EVEN HIGHER THAN BECOMING A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER OR A SCIENTIST... THERE IS AN IRONIC SIGN IN Udupi AND IT READS: HERE PRIESTS AND COOKS CAN NEVER GET MARRIED!!! SHIVA IYER, om.sriguru (AT) gmail (DOT) com 260908 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Dear Sri Sadagopan,While I can understand and appreciate Sri Shiva Iyer's concerns, I think we are in a situation " apples to oranges " in comparingt our priests with religious leaders of other faiths. This is because Mullahs, priests, rabbis and ministers serve a much greater role in their respective communities than our archakars. While I cannot speak for Mullahs, from my interaction with them, I am certain that priests, rabbis, and ministers are well-trained not only in rituals, but in the esoteric meaning of scriptures. They are also taught psychology, anthropology, ethics and world religion so that can lead their congregation in finding meaning and solace in the ebbs and valleys of life. As a result, their education is on par and often times exceeds that of the laiety. Despite spending up to 16 years studing in Veda Patasalas, how many of our archakars can say that they are trained at this level? Leaving aside the rest, how many priests do we know who can teach us Rahasyatrayasaram or Sri Vachana Bhushanam? This is not to put down our priests, but we who employ them. It is our lack of interest that makes them lack interest. We do rituals for rituals' sake, and so they do the same. The only way that our archakars can regain their respect is if we set higher standards for ourselves, and in turn, for them. irAmAnusa adiyEnMohanOn Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 10:37 AM, Dr.V.Sadagopan <yennappan wrote: SrI: Dear Sriman VenkatakrishNan & Sriman Siva Iyer : Thanks very much for posting this important article . It provides focus on an important area . Sri Ahobila Matam and Sri Andavan Aasramam are training these future scholars with not only sampradhAyic knowledge but also modern skills ( Computer skills) that could increase their employabilty in the main stream as well , while rooted in their Vedic Training . I am sure that other AchAryAs are giving serious thoughts to this difficult situation . Our young girls want to run as far as possible from qualified Vaidhika bachelors with tufts (Sikhai) and who can not take them to the movies & restaurants . I know one Bruhaspathy , who has fully trained his son in performing all the Vaidhika Kaaryams , while sending him to school to earn a Technical degree from an IIT . His other son is staying in a classical Veda PaatasAla . These are real problems needing real and creative solutions . V.Sadagopan - venkata krishnan B.C.VENKATAKRISHNAN. website www.vedascience.com--- On Mon, 9/29/08, V.M.Ramkumar <vmrk.74 wrote: V.M.Ramkumar <vmrk.74Monday, September 29, 2008, 2:17 PM Thought provoking fact in our life........ ...... Who will marry our priests Sivaram Hariharan Iyer, om.sriguru (AT) gmail (DOT) com The other day, I had been to a VEDA_PAATHASHAALA in Kerala, where they impart VEDIC education in the four Vedas, esp the YAJURVEDA, with the prime objective of creating highly trained priests and trained VEDIC chanters for conduct of various Hindu functions and rituals. As a NRI, and also a trained YAJURVEDI myself, I find lots of peace and solace whenever I'm able to give back to such great institutions providing the priests of our great religion who are important cogs of our faith, without whom we would all be lost. I was impressed at the number of young men training enthusiastically in the Vedas and the chief old priest welcomed my modest donation. And then he added with a wry smile. NRI Hindus like you and other well to do Hindus in India come here and give us lots of money and resources for our Vedic school and we are no doubt indebted to them. BUT NOBODY GIVES US GIRLS IN MARRIAGE FOR ALL THIS ELIGIBLE YOUNG MEN HERE, EVEN THE HIGHEST QUALIFIED PRIESTS..WHY? ? AREN " T THESE YOUNG MEN NOT GOOD AS ANY DOCTOR OR LAWYER OUT THERE BY VIRTUE OF EXCELLING IN THE VEDAS, THE ENGINE OF OUR HINDU CULTURE. WHY DOES OUR SOCIETY GIVE THESE YOUNG MEN SECONDARY STATUS AND LOOK DOWN UPON THEIR PROFESSION?? , the old priest asked and set me thinking. YES: THE OLD PRIEST WAS VERY RIGHT. WE DO NOT WANT OUR SISTERS/DAUGHTERS TO GET MARRIED TO ANY PRIEST EVEN IF THE PRIEST IS WELL QUALIFIED IN THE VEDAS AND EVEN HAS GOOD INCOME. EVEN YOUNG HINDU GIRLS, MESMERIZED BY WESTERN VALUES AND FASHION DO NOT WANT TO MARRY PRIESTS... WHY??? And immediately my thoughts went to their counterparts in other religions and what I see is this: THE MULLAH, THE RABBI, THE FATHER, HAVE GOT MUCH MUCH BETTER STATUS IN THEIR SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES THAN OUR HINDU PRIESTS. MANY OF THE MUSLIMS FEEL THAT IT IS THE HIGHEST HONOR IF THEIR DAUGHTERS/SISTERS COULD GET NIKAAH WITH A MAULVI WELL VERSED IN THE KORAN. And here I mention my encounter with a multimillionaire Jewish business from Australia (where I live) proudly sending his two sons to Israel to get trained in a Jewish Seminary where they could choose to become highly qualified rabbis, should they deem so. I then asked this businessman as to whether he would have any objections if his sons became Rabbis instead of joining him in his business or taking up other-so-called- made-it occupations. For this the businessman replied without hesitation: I WILL BE THE MOST FORTUNATE FATHER IF MY SONS BECOME QUALIFIED RABBIS. " And then I wondered: HOW MANY RICH HINDUS WILLINGLY SEND THEIR SONS TO VEDA PAATHASHAALAS WITH THE SOLE INTENTION OF MAKING THEM PRIESTS??? THE ANSWER: ZILCH... AND THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT SHAME FOR ALL HINDUS. AND WE TALK OF SURVIVAL OF HINDUISM IN BHARAT WHEN WE DO NOT GIVE A DAMN FOR EVEN OUR GENUINELY WELL QUALIFIED PRIESTS???? MASTERING THE VEDAS IS AS PROFOUND AND EVEN HIGHER THAN BECOMING A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER OR A SCIENTIST... THERE IS AN IRONIC SIGN IN Udupi AND IT READS: HERE PRIESTS AND COOKS CAN NEVER GET MARRIED!!! SHIVA IYER, om.sriguru (AT) gmail (DOT) com 260908 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Dear Sriman Mohan swami, You are right. In other religions, the priests also give religious discourses, whereas in Hinduism, priests and preachers are generally different. Also priesthood is mostly limited to Brahmins, . This has its own merits and demerits. Due to the reverse discirmination against Brahmins and since priesthood is not rewarding, it has lost its respect it deserves. theorectically there is no reason why others cannot become priests from a pure Thennacharya point of view. adiyen Vishnu Mohan <mohan0128 Sent: Monday, 29 September, 2008 10:46:45 PMRe: Fwd: Who will marry our priests ? Dear Sri Sadagopan,While I can understand and appreciate Sri Shiva Iyer's concerns, I think we are in a situation"apples to oranges" in comparingt our priests with religious leaders of other faiths. This is because Mullahs, priests, rabbis and ministers serve a much greater role in their respective communities than our archakars. While I cannot speak for Mullahs, from my interaction with them, I am certain that priests, rabbis, and ministers are well-trained not only in rituals, but in the esoteric meaning of scriptures. They are also taught psychology, anthropology, ethics and world religion so that can lead their congregation in finding meaning and solace in the ebbs and valleys of life. As a result, their education is on par and often times exceeds that of the laiety. Despite spending up to 16 years studing in Veda Patasalas, how many of our archakars can say that they are trained at this level? Leaving aside the rest, how many priests do we know who can teach us Rahasyatrayasaram or Sri Vachana Bhushanam?This is not to put down our priests, but we who employ them. It is our lack of interest that makes them lack interest. We do rituals for rituals' sake, and so they do the same. The only way that our archakars can regain their respect is if we set higher standards for ourselves, and in turn, for them.irAmAnusa adiyEnMohan On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 10:37 AM, Dr.V.Sadagopan <yennappan (AT) computer (DOT) net> wrote: SrI: Dear Sriman VenkatakrishNan & Sriman Siva Iyer : Thanks very much for posting this important article . It provides focus on an important area . Sri Ahobila Matam and Sri Andavan Aasramam are training these future scholars with not only sampradhAyic knowledge but also modern skills ( Computer skills) that could increase their employabilty in the main stream as well , while rooted in their Vedic Training . I am sure that other AchAryAs are giving serious thoughts to this difficult situation . Our young girls want to run as far as possible from qualified Vaidhika bachelors with tufts (Sikhai) and who can not take them to the movies & restaurants . I know one Bruhaspathy , who has fully trained his son in performing all the Vaidhika Kaaryams , while sending him to school to earn a Technical degree from an IIT . His other son is staying in a classical Veda PaatasAla . These are real problems needing real and creative solutions . V.Sadagopan - venkata krishnan B.C.VENKATAKRISHNAN . website www.vedascience. com--- On Mon, 9/29/08, V.M.Ramkumar <vmrk.74 (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote: V.M.Ramkumar <vmrk.74 (AT) gmail (DOT) com>Monday, September 29, 2008, 2:17 PM Thought provoking fact in our life........ ...... Who will marry our priests Sivaram Hariharan Iyer, om.sriguru (AT) gmail (DOT) com The other day, I had been to a VEDA_PAATHASHAALA in Kerala, where they impart VEDIC education in the four Vedas, esp the YAJURVEDA, with the prime objective of creating highly trained priests and trained VEDIC chanters for conduct of various Hindu functions and rituals. As a NRI, and also a trained YAJURVEDI myself, I find lots of peace and solace whenever I'm able to give back to such great institutions providing the priests of our great religion who are important cogs of our faith, without whom we would all be lost. I was impressed at the number of young men training enthusiastically in the Vedas and the chief old priest welcomed my modest donation. And then he added with a wry smile. NRI Hindus like you and other well to do Hindus in India come here and give us lots of money and resources for our Vedic school and we are no doubt indebted to them. BUT NOBODY GIVES US GIRLS IN MARRIAGE FOR ALL THIS ELIGIBLE YOUNG MEN HERE, EVEN THE HIGHEST QUALIFIED PRIESTS..WHY? ? AREN"T THESE YOUNG MEN NOT GOOD AS ANY DOCTOR OR LAWYER OUT THERE BY VIRTUE OF EXCELLING IN THE VEDAS, THE ENGINE OF OUR HINDU CULTURE. WHY DOES OUR SOCIETY GIVE THESE YOUNG MEN SECONDARY STATUS AND LOOK DOWN UPON THEIR PROFESSION?? , the old priest asked and set me thinking. YES: THE OLD PRIEST WAS VERY RIGHT. WE DO NOT WANT OUR SISTERS/DAUGHTERS TO GET MARRIED TO ANY PRIEST EVEN IF THE PRIEST IS WELL QUALIFIED IN THE VEDAS AND EVEN HAS GOOD INCOME. EVEN YOUNG HINDU GIRLS, MESMERIZED BY WESTERN VALUES AND FASHION DO NOT WANT TO MARRY PRIESTS... WHY??? And immediately my thoughts went to their counterparts in other religions and what I see is this: THE MULLAH, THE RABBI, THE FATHER, HAVE GOT MUCH MUCH BETTER STATUS IN THEIR SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES THAN OUR HINDU PRIESTS. MANY OF THE MUSLIMS FEEL THAT IT IS THE HIGHEST HONOR IF THEIR DAUGHTERS/SISTERS COULD GET NIKAAH WITH A MAULVI WELL VERSED IN THE KORAN. And here I mention my encounter with a multimillionaire Jewish business from Australia (where I live) proudly sending his two sons to Israel to get trained in a Jewish Seminary where they could choose to become highly qualified rabbis, should they deem so. I then asked this businessman as to whether he would have any objections if his sons became Rabbis instead of joining him in his business or taking up other-so-called- made-it occupations. For this the businessman replied without hesitation: I WILL BE THE MOST FORTUNATE FATHER IF MY SONS BECOME QUALIFIED RABBIS." And then I wondered: HOW MANY RICH HINDUS WILLINGLY SEND THEIR SONS TO VEDA PAATHASHAALAS WITH THE SOLE INTENTION OF MAKING THEM PRIESTS??? THE ANSWER: ZILCH... AND THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT SHAME FOR ALL HINDUS. AND WE TALK OF SURVIVAL OF HINDUISM IN BHARAT WHEN WE DO NOT GIVE A DAMN FOR EVEN OUR GENUINELY WELL QUALIFIED PRIESTS???? MASTERING THE VEDAS IS AS PROFOUND AND EVEN HIGHER THAN BECOMING A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER OR A SCIENTIST... THERE IS AN IRONIC SIGN IN Udupi AND IT READS: HERE PRIESTS AND COOKS CAN NEVER GET MARRIED!!! SHIVA IYER, om.sriguru (AT) gmail (DOT) com 260908 Connect with friends all over the world. Get India Messenger. 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