sri: Dear Smt Geetha Raghavan and other devoees: Adiyen's humble pranam: All the answers are only for Vaikhanasa and Pancharatra temples. First i am stating where i stand. ONLY BRAHMINS ARE ALLOWED to be Archakas as per agama and tradition in Vaikahansa and Pancharatra temples. [we can discuss in another thread as to who are the brahmins] Now i will address your questions one by one: >I am an Iyengar myself but I think you mean you are a Sri Viahsnava. (If you do not know the difference please send me personal mail separately for this) >Q1. why can't a person not a brahmin become a priest? Ans: Because to be a priest, you have to learn Vedas and get Dhiksha. To learn the Vedas you have to have Upanayanam as a Bachelor. (Only Brahmna, Vaishya and Kshatriya boys are allowed upanayana as per shastras) and because the material is vast, one has to start the learning process while your mind is young and fresh. PS: Only Brahmins can teach, but Khastiyas and Vaishyas can learn. There are other services one can perform, like Arulicheyal chanting, why not focus on them? Many many Sri Vaishnava non-brahmins have been doing this and doing it very well. >2. Why can't the Brahmins who are well versed in our >sampradayas start Vedic schools for all so that our >sampradaya is not lost? Because if they follow the Shastras which say they can only teach to those who have had upanayana and are performing tri-kala sandhya. Our sampradaya is being lost and degenerated by the "NON Believer" administration and our people just do not see it. We have been divided and conquered again and again and we fall prey to it over and over. All the Dhivya Desams were very well kept with enough lands and families assigned to the temples for their maintenance forever. In come the politicians with the story that the assigned families are not managing the temple wealth properly and take over the temple, and designated families which had rights to serve in the temple were stripped of their service and other rights [We should have stopped them at this point, but we were falling prey to their propaganda, and their divide and conquer game.] Once the temple was taken over: * They stripped the temple of its Lands and properties. * Then the funds that come into the temple (in hundi and other donations) * Then they strip any valuables ordained for the Archa Vigrahas. * They assign an E.O. who has no faith in the LORD and the temple. All this can not be done to any other community but the soft and gentle Sri Vaishnava community and the other Vedic communities. >3. If a person who is not a Brahmin is deeply interested in the >subject, is willing to learn, and excels in the sampradayas and >rituals, why can he not conduct poojas in the temple? Even if the rules can be compromised (hypothetically), can you get even one person willing to learn for 10 years, and then work for free (expecting NO returns) You are falling for the media story, the main people behind this have an agenda to wipe out the Vedic (hindu) religion and have been doing this very successfully for the past 40 years and it pains to see our own people join hands and clap for them not realizing the truth. What is the truth: These temples have been preserved for the past 1000+ years by the devotees (and brahmin archakas), weather they are paid or not. They have protected the religion and culture, many times with their lives. In just 100 years the foreign rule broke us down using divide and rule, still the culture survived, by HIS grace. In the past 40 years the NON believers have continued on this path, still we manage to survive, by HIS grace. Not all the brahmins are allowed to serve as Archakas, one a small portion of the designated families are allowed. Others just serve in the Parayana Goshti. In the Arulicheyal Goshtii, i have witnessed this many non-brahmins serving the lord in many many temples. What is the goal here: ================== If service to HIM is the goal, for everyone regardless of caste, sex or race, there are avenues to serve the lord. But if the goal is to break down this soft and gentle religion, then i am sure the LORD will show signs, and make us all act. Dear devotees: It is paining to see people mis-quote our Bhagawath Ramanuja, he opened the services for all, but he never appointed non-brahmin archakas (he never broke the rule of shastras). I have many many non-brahmin friends, and i serve in temples with them (some in parayana goshti) but NO one ever wanted to break the rules and become the Archaka (priest) because they are believers who are in temple service. Please wake up and realize ======================= * What is the motive of the NON-Believers. * Can this happen to any other religion but us. * It is a fundamental right to practice my own religion (in a democracy), then why is it being tampered with. Why were the temples taken over by the government and then made fully dependent on them? What has happened to all the funds, lands and families allocated for each of these temples? 40 years ago, all the assigned families were kicked out saying no special chanting privileges for you, now after 40 years these temples are empty devoid of funds, lands and the large goshti and the dedicated families assigned to the temple. History repeats itself again and again; Some mis-informed Sri vaishnavas supported this move and and are now repenting after 40 years. So this time please learn all the facts and see why is this change being pushed on us, what is the reason behind it? We should all join hands together and take the facts to the administration, if we do not join and act now, we might be sorry 40 years from now, when it will be too late. ================================================================== Azhvar Emperumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Saranam Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Mukundan Vangipuram Pattangi ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> You can search right from your browser? It's easy and it's free. See how. http://us.click.yahoo.com/_7bhrC/NGxNAA/yQLSAA/.itolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Azhvar EmberumAnAr JeeyAr ThiruvadigalE Saranam http://www.vedics.net Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ramanuja/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ramanuja-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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