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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00134 May 2006

 
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Dear all,

I have a few questions to ask regarding the topic of
who can act as a priest in the temple:

1) There are many padal sthalams which do not have
proper archakas or, the archakas are doing kainkaryam,
which certainly falls way short of the originally
established standards.This being the case, it doesn't
seem far-fetched to think that a time may come when
there won't be any jAti brahmana left in the village.
In such occassions, can a person who is not a jAti
brahmana take up the service of the deity? If he is
qualified, well versed in vedas and pancaratra, is he
still barred? In such cases, is it more important to
serve the archa or follow the tradition?

2) Regarding those who are non-brahmanas by birth
taking up the posts of a few brahmanas in the temples,
is it also not true that the brahmanas in thousands
have taken up the posts of so many sudras, kshatriyas
and Vaishyas and thus clearly transgressed what the
Lord says in Bhagavad Gita? For a brahmana to do
somebody else's duty, there needs to be an emergency.
What emergency was/is there that the majority have
forsaken their duties? 

3) While it is accepted by all that only brahmanas can
perform certain tasks,isn't there still a debate as to
what decides a brahmana-Is it birth alone or nature
and activities ?

4) I heard that in Ramayanam, there is a mention of
Sita devi undergoing upanayanam and performing sandhya
vandanam.Also, that in the vedas, there really wasn't
any prohibition in imparting the knowledge of the
vedas to non-jAti brahmanas and there were numerous
vedic sages who were not brahmanas by birth, but were
accepted , because of their nature and that it was a
later day twist to let only jAti brahmanas perform the
tasks and barring everyone else, leading to casteism.
Is it true? Does anyone have more information on this?


I personally feel, not many can live upto the standard
required to act as an archaka.Atleast for the pittance
amount paid to the archakas.Secondly, there will be
such a strong lobby against them within the temple and
amongst the public that they cannot survive.On the
brighter side, the archakas may even get a decent pay
hike!!

My sincere apologies if I have committed any offenses
in hurting anyone's feelings.The Government's order
aside, we must look into the issue dispassionately.

dasi
vedavalli ranganathan


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