/namastE Sri Mugundhan.Your point of view is valid. What /kAJnci periyavAL says is that all should encourage the practice of both the external and internal aspects delineated in the /vEdAs. The external rites are the way to reach people and also they have deep economic implications. Let me take an example:
Take professional sports --- I mean big-time sports. It involves a lot of money and has great impact on the economy. But big sports does not produce new wealth except indirectly. What it does is redistribution of wealth. That is a little money is taken from each one of the fans and eventually reaches some of the big stars and others who are directly invloved. It does provide jobs to a number of intermediaries. But these jobs do not produce new wealth.
A second example is Christmas, for example. But it is in a different light.In all these examples, food is consumed, drinks gulped --- perhaps more than at normal times. Festive moods and excitement do produce an increase in consumption and these do produce new wealth in the form of production from soil and manufacturing. Of course, souvenirs, insignia -- all of that are also produced and they may be considered as new wealth.
Can you find a substitute? The ancients did find a means similar to this, but which also produced new wealth in greater abundance and which does not seem to have involved a large redistribution of wealth as big sports does.
These are our religious functions. Take for example: Right now we have /mAga snAnam. This involves a large number of people travelling to sea shores and river beds for an early morning bath about the time of sunrise. The event is comparble to sports events for a series. A lot of money does exchange hands and there is redistribution of wealth. But there is new wealth produced, if I can assume, that everyone performs some alms in the form of food and does an /arcanA, abhi/shEkam or something similar. The new wealth is in the form of produce. I am not including bathing ghats, hygiene facilities, transportation, etc. The later do give more jobs at least temporarily.
Another good example is /vinAyaka caturthi, which is universal and involves in addition to food making of clay /vigrahAs. Notice that all these are environment friendly.
What /kAJnci PeriyavAl says is to increase such activities at the level of each village, and since we need people as full-time performers, let us call them /brAhmins. One way to do is to perform /yaGnAs, /abhi/shEkams etc. Recite /vEdAs. We get more schools, more teachers (called /brAhmins by training) etc. It does not mean that being a /brAhmin is a mater of birth right, but rather one of qualifications. The influence of birth is obviously there, as it takes a lot to change one's profession. Also an engineer or a mechanic earning decently is not likely to make the change. And each one is respected in his or her position.
The question of caste become centarl only when there are economic issues. And that is what the British created by destroying production at the village level. /kAJnci PeriyavAL is simply saying, "revive it". It is not difficult to see /mahAtmA Gandhi did exactly that. He revived village-level production and he was able to do so only by appealing to religion. And he was able to overcome caste and even religious diferences in the beginning and for a long time. The British worked hard to create communal difernces and they did succeed to some extent as they could control economy and politics.
Gloablism is a similar issue today used to thwart exonomic growth at the local level. What /PeriyavAL says is that it is easy as Gandhi did by working with institutions which were successful in the past and finding new models of the same. Gandhiji did not reject caste, but he saw a need to make appropriate changes without uprooting basics. He relied on the /gITA throughout his life and in his earlier times, he constantly wrote to a /gujarAti businessman who practiced buisness strictly according to the tradition of the /vEdAs. This businessman was very honest and did not believe in profit the way people do now-a-days. Today it is based on law. If I can cheat you legally, it is fine. "You are a fool for being not careful".
Finally let me close by pointing out that /shOdasha upa/cAram --- the sixteen-point worship service --- even when performed at home does increase production and wealth including that of cotton. If performed in a temple we all can share. We can add music and dance as new weekly /upa/cArams even though I notice that for /ganApati, it is already included in the service as an aside!! I also notice that /gaNapatui pUjA includes leaves of different kinds. Thus complete service even on a weekly basis will increase wealth and provide new jobs. Notice the cows will enjoy more attention.
/vantanam. Visu
From: Mugundhan Varadanarayanan <mugundv@xxxx>To: "M.K.Sudarshan" <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx>, SriRangaSri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxCC: tiruvengadam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [SriRangaSri] Re: Must Read.... Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 14:58:49 -0800 (PST) Respected Sir, I agree with the points you raised. When we say a Brahmin, being a part time Brahmin is not good. When a Brahmin moves away from his profession because his faith is weakened on Vedas, then we have a serious problem and its manifestation is very much obvious nowadays.... But my view point is that Srivaishnava and Brahmin are not exactly the same. Most of the Azhvars are non-brahmins but they are sri vaishnavas. There are lots of Brahmins who do not subscribe to the Vaishnava philosophy. Lots of kings were srivaishnavas (Pandavas from Mahabharatham are good eg, same with Kulasekara Azhvar etc). In these cases, I feel what Kanch Acharya said is not applicable. His Holiness spoke of people who took Brahmin profession and who did not do justice to the same. In this case for people outside Brahmin fold, is giving up material pursuits and seek exclusively knowledge the right thing to do? I am not sure. Karma Yoga is as important as other yogas... I am an engineer, I love my field. I have deep faith in Sriman Narayana. I enjoy listening to Tamil Prabhandhams and feel humbled by the fact only endless devotion can produce such profound and interesting verses and this only increases my faith... But am I a Brahmin? I come from a very traditional Brahmin family with Ahobil Mutt Acharya as our Acharya and my home village of Thuvariman is a devout Vaishanva village. But me learning or the desire to learn Tamil Prabhandhams is not because of my family background but rather the fact that faith is the key, Deep meanings in Prabhandhams and the rich poetry in those songs could have occured only when Azhars felt the presence of The Lord, and deep down I feel that I can never deny the presence of Para Brahmam and unless I put utmost faith, I will never find peace.... But should I renounce my job, go back to my agraharam and focus on acquiring knowledge? I think that is not the right thing to do because I chose engineering as my profession and it is my duty to shine on this profession as enshrined in Karma Yoga. If I chose to go back to my Brahmin background, I agree I must remain committed to that full time, renounce material pursuits .... I must follow my Acharya and try to follow the exact tradition without any deviation. My point is how do we draw to our fold other people who are not from brahmin family but who have deep faith in the Lord? Because Vaishnava fold is different from Brahmin fold and reaching out to people who are not from Brahmin background but who believe in Sri Narayanan will make sure that knowledge gained in vedas remain available to future generations for ever.... I am willing to accept any criticisms to my view and if I am wrong, I am willing to change myself, I am just a 27 year old guy trying to understand things and i believe things are not as straightforward as I say. Again, please accept my apologies in case I said something offensive.... Dasan, Mugundhan --- "M.K.Sudarshan" <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx> wrote: > > --- Mugundhan Varadanarayanan <mugundv@xxxx> wrote: > > > My point is we in our professions must follow whatever is the > > duties of> the profession and it is as much as virtue as following > our job> duties> as much as we follow the Vedic rituals, > > ************************ > > Dear Sir, > > You make a good point but I think you can find the answer to your > question in the Kanchi AchArya's own quote (probably you might have > missed it while reading the quote y/day for the first time): > > QUOTE: > > > ?The brahmin, if he is true to his dharma, HAS to spend all his > > time> > in learning and chanting the vedas, in performing > sacrifices, in> > preserving the sAstrA etc. What will he do for a > living? If he > > goes> > in search of money or material he WILL NOT BE ABLE TO > ATTEND TO> HIS > > > LIFETIME MISSION?. and this mission IS NOT ACCOMPLISHED ON A > > > PART-TIME BASIS. And if he takes up some other work for his > > > livelihood, he is likely to become lax in the pursuit of his > > dharma. > > > It would be like taking medicine without the necessary diet > > regimen:> > the benign power gained by the brahmin from his vedic > learning> will be reduced and there will be a corresponding > dimunition in the good accruing to mankind from his work.? > UNQUOTE > > > Sir, I think the key words in the Kanchi achArya's quote is "good > accruing to mankind from his (the brahmin's) work". > > In Indian society the work of brahmins dedicated solely to Vedic > pursuits used to be greatly valued by members of other > classes/communities. The work done by "full-time", dedicated > Vedaviths was seen to be important (though not always well > compensated, but that's a different matter altogether) since it > contributed greatly to the spiritual upliftment and well-being of > society as a whole. It is only when brahmins started taking a casual, > "part-time" approach to their Vedic life-mission that they rapidly > lost their credibility and respect in the eyes of the rest of > society. Nobody takes a "part-time" carpenter or plumber seriously. > So why would they take a "part-time" Vedavith seriously? > > Please allow me to paraphrase for you the 'key' point that the Kanchi > achArya was making so that you can reflect upon it more deeply: > > Society's conviction that there is enduring value in Vedic and > spiritual pursuit has to be at all times firm. If that conviction is > weakened, and nobody believes any longer there is any worth in such > activity, then the Vedic ethos and legacy will simply wither away to > the lasting detriment of Indian society. Now, who but brahmins > themselves -- and I mean credible "full-time brahmins" here -- who > can alone affirm society's conviction in the Vedas? > > Please give this important matter some genuine thought (and not just > for sake of academic discussion on cyber-groups) and revert with > comments, if any. I appeal to bright young people like you to take > this matter seriously and do something about it in their lifetimes > for the sake of the Vedas. If this thread of discussion is not > welcome on this list you and others interested are welcome to > continue it on Tiruvengadam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Regards, > > dAsan, > Sudarshan > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more > http://taxes.yahoo.com/ > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > Srirangasri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxx > > > > Your use of Yahoo! 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