Thread: temple priests

To all,

I am an ardent Brahmin and am proud to say that. I don't think I'll ever compromise this lineage. At the same time, I would like to bring in some radical approach to the whole thing. What is happening today is just the beginning of what you could expect. Karunanidhi is just breaking a tip of the ice-berg. I will not be surprised if he comes out with anything more drastic. The solution to the problem is not politics. The solution is INTEGRITY amongst us. We have been the root case for the whole denigration of our community. What is required at this stage is for people like to us talk to organisations like TAMABRAS etc and find a apolitical solution. We need to help ourselves be it in seeking a job or helping deserving students or for that matter even counselling many of our community members who are ill-deserved. The first step towards that could be for like minded people to meet. While this forum brings ideas together, we need action and not just ideas.

To all,

I am an ardent Brahmin and am proud to say that. I don't think I'll ever compromise this lineage. At the same time, I would like to bring in some radical approach to the whole thing. What is happening today is just the beginning of what you could expect. Karunanidhi is just breaking a tip of the ice-berg. I will not be surprised if he comes out with anything more drastic. The solution to the problem is not politics. The solution is INTEGRITY amongst us. We have been the root case for the whole denigration of our community. What is required at this stage is for people like to us talk to organisations like TAMABRAS etc and find a apolitical solution. We need to help ourselves be it in seeking a job or helping deserving students or for that matter even counselling many of our community members who are ill-deserved. The first step towards that could be for like minded people to meet. While this forum brings ideas together, we need action and not just ideas.

Firends,
I am 49 years old and living in the USA. Rather would say, had to run away and live in various countries due to the forces that did not want Brahmins to live in Tamil Nadu. Situation was far worse in my school/college days in late 1970's when we literally had no way of entering any professional college. We were called names,abused and were targets. Many of my poor friends could not get any money to go to college, whereas many rich farmer's sons were paid free money in the pretext of being backward classes and I know how they spent the money in clothings and movies. I clearly remember some of them flashing the cash before me and laughing. This forced lot of us to leave the state and work in various other states having to take a different kind of abuse.
I had all kind of friends from various communities and respect them all. However the truth is they all protect themselves with some kind of groups, whereas the brahmins being just 3% are the targets for everyone.
Currently most of the youngsters have opportunities coming from outside the country from the western world. Having been around here for years, I can see those kind of opportunities diminishing over the next years because of the pressure being put by the locals in the western world. When this opportunities get sealed ,that is when the trouble for the Brahmin children going to start. What is happening all around regarding reservation etc.is human rights violation.
I have tried contacting various organizations inlcuding TAMBRAS but it does not look like people realise the impact or they do not know what to do.
This is not a blabber from someone living in the convenience of a foreign country, but there are many who share my views here, and lot of us do not know where to start.

Thodi

Originally Posted by crnnagu1957

Helllo Members,

Yesterday karunanidhi announced that all sections of people can become priests in HRCE temples in tamilnadu. It affects us very much as most of us looking after temple priests jobs also. Why is he not insisting the same for churchus and mosques?

Till now the TAMBRAS also not protested this and we have no party to protest this move because of their vote bank.

So let us all protest and insist tambras also to protest.

Kanchi Nagu

Originally Posted by govinda

In many temples, the service to the deity is performed by a family of Brahmins, over generations. Does one know how much money they make? If they were solely after money, they wouldn’t be there – they would also turn to ‘n’ number of other areas, to try and make more money. The service to Deity, is not just another profession. And there is some sanctity associated with it and the place is a Sanctum Sanctorum. Simply because I learn the slokas and shastras will not make me eligible to be a priest, while I would use the most vulguar language, bathe once in a week, spit on the deity, eat non-veg food which would smell all over the temple et al.
There may be a few exceptions every where. But that doesn’t mean ‘teach the Brahmin priests a lesson’. There would have been no need for a discussion on this, if it was some thing like the ‘n’ number for family politics going on – though other parties are welcome, the families have the muscle and money power to be all powerful at all times. This is not the case with the poor Brahmin priests – thing of how they could be simply muscled out – after all, as your friend said, this is the only remaining ‘Brahmin bastion’! Brahmins by nature are soft-hearted and cannot take rude, harsh and unfair aggression.

Where is the need for this so-called ‘liberal law’? The Government is blind and only after power and money – and towards this end, they would do anything that’s ‘populist’. As one friend said ‘Let these people first say ‘there is God’ – after that, let them ink the letter which says any caste can be priests!’. In any case, there are other Hindus who are priests at other Hindu temples (e.g., kali temple) – who stops them at all? In fact, simply when the govt. ask to stop killing and sacrifice of animals at temples, there was such a huge protest – and this had to be reversed. Doesn’t this show a major difference between the two communities in Hindus – one which would’t even dream of killing an animal and the other that thinks killing and sacrifice of animals and eating of non-veg is all normal. Is it ok for a Brahmin priest to be the Pope of Vatican or the Prohpet of Mohammed. All of them are great. But that doesn’t mean one says, ‘I’ll do your job’, even if he can sit and learn all that the Holy Bible or Holy Kuran say..

Govinda ,

Well said ..I totally go with your feelings.The issue of killing animals inside the temple (balidhaanam) is one perfect example for the difference of custom between the Hindus.

Just for the sake of Majority Hindus (Non-Vegtarian),the minority Hindus (Brahmin community serving the Temple as "Archakars") is being crushed.

Vasu

hello
IT IS A WAKE UP CALL FOR EVERY BRAHMINS.THE POLITICAL PARTIES HAS DOUBLE STANDARDS FOR THEIR RESERVATIONS AND THE PRIEST IN TEMPLES. IT IS VERY CONDEMNABLE.IF THEY WANT TOBE PRIEST IN ALL TEMPLES THEY SHOULD REMOVE THE RESERVATION QUOTA. IF THEY WANT SOCIAL JUSTICE WE ARE ALSO HUMAN BEING AND THE WORLD HAS SHRINK AND IT IN ONE UMBRELLA SO THEY SHOULD DEFINITELY ELIMINATE THE RESERVATION QUOTA SYSTEM. BRAHMINS SHOULD UNITED AND PROTEST AGAINST THE QUOTA AND THE PRIESTBY ALL CASTES IN TEMPLES. IN OUR SIDE WE ARE ALSO SHOULD FOLLOW THE SELF DISCIPLINE IN ALL ASPECTS,TRAIN OUR CHILD BY TEACHING SLOGAMS,MANTRAS, RUDRAM AND EVERY BRAHMINS SHOULD FOOLOW THEIR NITHYA KARMA ANUSHTANAM. WE SHOULD SET A EXAMPLE FOR THE OTHER CASTES.NORMALLY PEOPLES WILL RESPECT BRAHMINS EXCEPT THE FELLOWS LIKE OUR CM KARUNANIDI AND KI.VEERAMANI. WE SHOULD NOT BOTHER ABOUT THESE FELLOWS. WE FOLLOW THE DISCIPLINE EVERYTHING WILL COME IN TO OUR FAVOUT DEFINITELY.

Another important thing is the seperation of church and state, in the case of india, temple and state, I am not sure why the Hindu Charitable and Religious Ministry is having control of all the priests and temples in teh first place!. Government have no business running temples and religious things. Hindus and Hindu organizations shoudl work for such a seperation and help Hindu temples and endowments gain autonomy. This way Hindus can concentrate the money gained out of temples to go to charity work of their choosing instead of it going to government treasury.

Lavaszone priests can be anyone, brahmins all along have been maintaining that it was their prerogative, but you and I know that, other than a brand as a brahmin (or whoever you are) we are not different anyway whatsoever from our fellow hindus. As long as brahmins or non-brahmins can carry out the preistly duties without any compromise it si fine. Do you sincerely believe god is gonna complain (or for that matter, shudras are born from the leg portion of God). Most important work in front of us, is to clean-up our act and our TEXTS in the first place, remove all politically incorrect. Hindus have been writing religious texts for 1000s of years without any checks as to who is writing or what is his real position in the society (scholar as opposed to an exploiter who wants to reap benefits due to religious sentiments) It is time to go over and correct our texts and bring out the real best and give a single format for all of us, brahmins / non-brahmins or whoever it is to follow (not that everyone will accept it readily, but we have to try). We have to unify ALL HINDUS regardless of caste under one hindu practice, instead of so many rituals and practices that have been happening. Most of the non-brahmins who are converting out of hindu religion do so mainly due to feeling of being outside or disrespected and hope, christianity/islam/jaininsm/buddhism/so on.. would do so. By unifying all hindus as one as together under one common practice we ensure that everyone is same. If I am hindu, you are a hindu, why we have to follow 2 different or 10 or 1000 different practices, rituals and especially meaningless ones!. We must UNIFY all into ONE!. That is the most important thing and along the way, we should also convert others into our fold!.

(corrected) Lavaszone priests can be anyone, brahmins all along have been maintaining that it was their prerogative, but you and I know that, other than a brand as a brahmin (or whoever you are) we are not different anyway whatsoever from our fellow hindus. As long as brahmins or non-brahmins can carry out the preistly duties without any compromise it si fine. Do you sincerely believe god is gonna complain (or for that matter, do you really believe shudras are born from the leg portion of God) if a non-brahmin is doing the pooja?. Most important work in front of us, is to clean-up our act and our TEXTS in the first place, remove all politically incorrect. Hindus have been writing religious texts for 1000s of years without any checks as to who is writing or what is his real position in the society (scholar as opposed to an exploiter who wants to reap benefits due to religious sentiments) It is time to go over and correct our texts and bring out the real best and give a single format for all of us, brahmins / non-brahmins or whoever it is to follow (not that everyone will accept it readily, but we have to try). We have to unify ALL HINDUS regardless of caste under one hindu practice, instead of so many rituals and practices that have been happening. Most of the non-brahmins who are converting out of hindu religion do so mainly due to feeling of being outside or disrespected and hope, christianity/islam/jaininsm/buddhism/so on.. would NOT do so. By unifying all hindus as one as together under one common practice we ensure that everyone is same. If I am hindu, you are a hindu, why we have to follow 2 different or 10 or 1000 different practices, rituals and especially the meaningless ones!. We must UNIFY all our people into ONE! fold. That is the most important thing and along the way, we should also convert others into our fold!. As part of this routine we should give everyone and all the sense of BELONGING, that is the most important.

Originally Posted by crnnagu1957

Helllo Members,

Yesterday karunanidhi announced that all sections of people can become priests in HRCE temples in tamilnadu. It affects us very much as most of us looking after temple priests jobs also. Why is he not insisting the same for churchus and mosques?

Till now the TAMBRAS also not protested this and we have no party to protest this move because of their vote bank.

So let us all protest and insist tambras also to protest.

Kanchi Nagu

Yes, Karunanidhi's idea of equality is for a person to eat in a 'military hotel', go to the temple for work and recite the words of prayer, get paid, and spend the offerings in a wine shop. Caste is bad, except of course his son should be the next CM in which case it becomes good. Ditto for Ramadoss, Sonia. Meanwhile the brahmins keep lamenting they dont have a vote bank. If they open their eyes and read the percentage of votes polled last week in Tamil Nadu they will see the truth. PMK 4%. Yes 4%. Congress 4%. So, if the 3-4% of the population (brahmins) vote as a block then anything is possible. Still better if they take the initative and form a OCP (Oppressed Classes Party) by joining hands with other forward communities. The time is ripe all over India.

Sadhak