Dear Bhagavatas: We have heard a lot on the subject. Can we close the discussions with this last posting and move on? Thanks. Dasoham Anbil Ramaswamy Editor ===================================================== Dear All, Can we not think of the practise of making "KESARI" the same way as CAKE is used and use the dry grapes as a decoration and celebrate the birth day on the Thirunakshatram instead of the Biblical Calendar date. Just a thought from my side... let us do our little part... Suresh --- Narasimhan Narayanan <nnaray2@xxxx> wrote: > Dear Bhagavathas! > > I like to share my humble views on the mails > exchanged on Sri Rajagopalan > Raghunathan celebrating his son's birthday. > > It is extremely pleasing to note that Sri RR avoided > the the now popular > western style of celebrating birthdays by cutting a > cake and blowing > candles. Anbil Swami's mail also highlighted the > problem and the importance > we have to attach to this issue. > > The western way of celebrating birthday is not a > practice restricted to > NRIs residing outside India. This is getting more > and more popular even > among Vaishnavas in India with Vaideeka backgrounds. > Though all parents are > not votaries of celebrating birthdays in this > fashion they are forced to do > it more so to please their children. Children start > yearning to have such > celebrations when they see their neighbourhood kids > and school friends > celebrate in this way. Parents have to give up their > strict stance to keep > the children happy on the birthday. Parents hope > that when children grow > up, they would understand the significance of our > culture and would stop > celebrating birthdays in western style. > > While celebrating birthdays in western fashion to > portray themselves as > "modern" is to be discouraged, doing so to keep > young kids (who cant > differentiate between different cultures) happy > should not be condemned. > (It cant be denied that young kids do feel happy > when they are part of such > celebrations). Need of the hour is to try to reduce > this practice among all > Indians, which seems to be a onerous task. And this > becomes a near > impossible task for Indians living outside India. > > Though I appreciate wholeheartedly, the efforts of > Sri RR to celebrate his > son's birthday in a Vedic manner, I like to add what > came to my mind on > reading the mails : > -------------------------------------------- > I have not heard young peoples' birthday being > called as "Thirunakshtram". > > It is also not a practice to have "parayanam" or > "sevakalam" on the > occasion of a living person's thirunakshathram. For > reasons not known to me > even for Swamis from whom "Sri pada thirtham" is > gathered on > thirunakshathram, I have not seen parayanam or seva > kalam done. It is true > that on special Thirunakshathrams like "Sashti Abda > Poorthi" or > "Shathabishekam", veda parayanam is done. But even > then, "upanishads" are > not chanted. It is more customary to hear just > "Ashirwada" Panjadis (vedic > verses) chanted on a young person's birthday. > Please correct me, if I am > wrong. > > > Dasan > Kaniyambakkam Narasimhan, > Chicago, IL. > > > > > At 09:51 AM 5/5/2002 +0000, you wrote: > > Date: Sat, 04 May 2002 13:08:47 +0000 > > From: "Ram Anbil" <Ramanbil@xxxx> > >Subject: Re: [t'vengadam] Birthday cakes, candles > and "tirunakshatram" > > > >Dear Bhagavatas: > >Dear Bhagavatas: > >It is like a whiff of fresh air to hear the way Sri > Rajagopalan Raghunathan > >celebrated his son's Tirunakshatram. I wish that > every parent everywhere in > >the world takes note of this pointer and emulates > his example. I am sure > >this may be one of the first steps but definitely a > giant leap in reclaiming > >the hoary glory of our Vedic religion and > inculcating the same in the minds > >of the impressionable youth. "Catch them young" is > equally applicable to > >this kind of effort, if we are to catch up with and > rediscover the spirit > >behind it. > >All the best to Sri Rajagopalan and family for this > trend-setting event. > >Dasoham > >Anbil Ramaswamy > > > > > > >From: sampath kumar <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx> > > >Reply-To: tiruvengadam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > >To: tiruvengadam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, > srirangasri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, > > >Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > > >Subject: [t'vengadam] Birthday cakes, candles and > "tirunakshatram" > > >Date: Sat, 4 May 2002 01:32:00 -0700 (PDT) > > > > > > > > >Dear friends, > > > > > >Our good friend and 'tiruvengadam' member in > Kuwait, SrImAn > > >Rajagopalan Raghunathan recently celebrated his > son's birthday on > > >Thursday, 2 May. The boy Chi.Sriram, is now 4 > years old and it was an > > >occasion that his parents, like parents of all > children in the world, > > >were truly proud and pleased to observe and > celebrate. > > > > > >It was heartening to note that Sri.Raghunathan > chose an > > >extraordinarily different way to mark the > occasion. He invited the > > >students of SriIVK Chary's 'upanishad adhyAyana' > class over and had > > >them chant the entire 'taittiriyam' for well over > an hour! After the > > >'pArAyaNam', the students were duly honoured with > 'sambhAvana' in the > > >traditional style. The amateur > "vEda-pArAyAna-gOshti" was delighted > > >and so were all the guests who had gathered on > the occasion. > > > > > >Adiyane is sure that the little boy, Chi.Sriram, > could not have asked > > >for a better 'birthday party'. There were no > candles to blow, cakes > > >to cut or "happy birthday" song to chorus... > Instead it was the > > >sonorous chanting of Veda 'mantra' that filled > the air and brought > > >down blessings of a rare and divine order upon > the little child! > > > > > >Adiyane sincerely wishes that more NRIs in Kuwait > and elsewhere in > > >the world would emulate the example of > Sri.Raghunathan. Instead of > > >spending money on party bashes, on cakes, > candles, baloons, > > >invitation cards, gifts and festoons, I wish we > Indians everywhere in > > >the world went back to celebrating our children's > "tirunakshatram" in > > >a more Indian and less ostentatious way. If the > practice of inviting > > >Vedic chanteurs to grace all children's birthdays > were to be > > >mandatorily followed by all Indian families all > over the world > > >(including India), imagine how the Vedas would > flourish! And how it > > >would also ensure a decent livelihood for > Vedaviths everywhere! > > > > > >The modern manner of celebrating children's > birthdays with cutting of > > >cakes and blowing of candles is utterly alien to > Indian or Vedic > > >ethos. It is a hangover of our anglicised and > colonial past. It is > > >being practised these days by Indian families > (especially NRIs) more > > >to 'keep up with the Joneses' than for any other > purpose. Let us > > >resolve to shed this slavish mentality. By doing > so let us be assured > > >that we will not in any way be depriving our > children of joy. Instead > > >by celebrating their "tirunakshatram" in the > solemn and traditional > > >way (as Sri.Raghunathan has done) we will be > instilling in our > > >children a far greater joy --- the joy of taking > pride === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |