This is why, I am also getting angry. Please note that the Shraddha sampradaya started when? many says during vedic period. When was the monetary system introduced? very later period, until then it was only barter system. My view is Shraddha is not sastram, it is only sampradhayam. a way of distribution of wealth. Normally people won't part with their wealth to any. atleast this time ... death.... people will not stick to their wealth and share in the form of dhana, dhakshina, etc. Our vedic culture (i am not a scholar, but heard from many) says we have to 'thrippti paduththavendum'. which can satiate once need. it is only food. so food was main thing in shraddha. but later what happened, these priests thought food is only time being satiate their hunger, but money will never satiate their greed. so all started demanding money. Now-a-days they have very good network from Kanyakumari to Katmandu to exchange their views through cell phone and make uniform dhakshina. You please let me know how our salaries are different from place to place, persons to persons, even with the same qualification one person may get less and another get more. whereas in the case of Priests whether knowledgeable or not, the fees is common to all.
I am just confused whether God asks only money to be spent for praying or doing rituals. Atleast Govt. insists big corporates have to do Corporate Social responsibility, which indirectly they help down trodden. Whereas the Priests suppose to do their veda patanam and veda paatanam, never does this service of social obligation for the poor. when they get caught in this process, they will escape saying i have to go there, here, etc. I am wondering when there will emerge another Ramanujar??????? to change this system.
