Mam, I agree. Call it as Svadharma or Sanathana dharma which was and is being practiced. In olden days, everyday life of a Brahmin is governed by performing nithya karmas which includes pujas and punaskarams. Performing Sandhyavanam, Abhivadanam, tarpanam, sraardham, etc etc as per the varna dharma. Though there are number of divisions in Brahmins, like Gothrams, Suutrahs, Saka, etc. practicing the triditions and rutuals were to the core. There was dedication and sreddhai. The grandfather and great grand fathers had time and will to ensure these traditions. The spirit of the posting is the change in the scenario. Things have changed a lot. These customs and traditions are practiced even now but IMHO not in the true spirit but name sake. Everybody is busy and running after time. Man has become slave of time. How many who perform Aksharabhyasam, Upanayanam, Sasti Abda Poorthi, etc knows the very purpose of it? Nowadays these events are celebrated like a get to gether giving opportuity for every one to exhibit their weath and growth. The sence of 'dharma' that is the justification is surely missing. Do we need to fall prey to the changing scennario? Is it possible nowdays to conduct marraiges for four five days as has been done by our forefathers elaborately Naandhi, Sumangali Prathanai, etc etc On the otherhand Vadhyars edit manthras according to the Sambhavanai. Homams are done for half an hour and for three four hours depending upon the samabhavanai. I remember the Sloka "Lead us from the Unreal to real, Lead us from the Darkness to light, Lead us from the death to immortal. OM SHANTHI, SHANTHI, SHANTHI
Shri Balasubramani,
You are right in saying that the scenario has changed from the times of our grandfather, great grandfather etc. And to day, people cannot afford to have that leisureliness which those old generation people had. When we analyze further, we will find that in those days the wants of a brAhmaNan (and, for that matter, of others too) were very limited as compared to today. A small house in a brahmin agraharam, usually 8 feet in width but going inwards like a "koupeenam" could happily house a large family consisting of a couple, the husband's parents (and also his widowed sister/s and their children) plus the offsprings of the couple themselves which usually was in the range of 5 to 10 or even more. The various vaideeki functions like jAthakarmam, nAmakaraNam, chowlam, upanayanam, marriage of both sons and daughters, seemantham, delivery and then the obsequies if any, could all be conducted/celebrated or performed, as the case may be, in that small abode itself. There was no cooking gas, no electricity, no electric light, no fan or A/c, no radio/TV, etc., etc.
Brahmins were generally not even of middle class status. Two sets of new Veshti & angavastram per year or two new 9 yards cotton puDavai (no blouse then for women) for the wife were considered fortunate living. Boys used to run around the whole village in just kowpeenams and even for a journey to some other place a fitting thOrthu (தோர்த்து - a small piece of plain white cotton towel sort of woven cloth usually used to dry the body after bath) would suffice; a "single veshti" was luxury itself. Girls also used to have pieces of the old cotton puDavais tied around their waist and a simple chaTTai came later on; after attaining puberty, girls used to wear Davani. Generally brahmin females did not own nor wear much of gold jewellery except the very rich households which were few.
Compare this scenario with any lower middle class brahmin household of today and the differences will become evident to you in a trice. I am not going to elaborate the differences that have come about, but it is a fact that much the most of all these changes have been consciously and voluntarily brought about by we brahmins ourselves because we could not be satisfied with the old life style which involved more or less permanent poverty, debts, subservience to the lenders and living in half-filled stomachs and perhaps utter penury also for some, perhaps.
We swerved from the stipulated brahministic ways of living and get attracted very much to government jobs, the salary, standing in society, etc., which came with such jobs and then subsequent generations branched off more and more away from the true brahmin life. On our way we brahmins compromised almost all religious aspects of life in order to conform more and more with the materialistic ways of life and the added attractions which that sort of life offered. The old brahmin lifestyle is now completely spilt milk and there is no use crying over that spilt milk.
What we may possibly do is to consciously curb our materialistic tendencies as much as circumstances allow us to do. For a beginning we can try the following:
1. Do not buy processed or ready-packed food from shops, outlets, etc.
2. Try not to make our young children not addicted to processed snacks like potato chips and like items.
3. Try to eat only home-made food and avoid hotel food, railway catering (airlines today charge exorbitantly for food, I am told and so even the somewhat fashionable people have started carrying their food on air travel - but not during train journeys!)
4. Limit your requirements of new clothes, powder, perfumes, ornaments, beauty aids etc.
5. Avoid beauty parlours; if possible beautify oneself at home with the help of siblings.
6. Do not see serials, cinemas etc., on TV or in the theaters. For spending time listen to good music, if you have an ear for it or read books; those who have religious inclination may attend pravachanams, bhajans, satsngs, temple utsavams etc.
7. Let only one member - husband or the wife - earn in every household and let the non-earning spouse take care of the house and the proper bringing up of the children.
8. Try to put sons in vedapathasalas at least for a minimum number of years so that they get familiar with the various facets of a truly brahminic way of life.
9. Prohibit addictive items like alcoholic drinks, smoking, drugs etc., in our children; insist on their being strict vegetarians eschewing even eggs.
I feel the above will be a "nava" dharma charter for brahminism to revive; but any takers?
