How to become a born-again Brahmin?!

[Govinda]

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Prefix each sentence in the Don't paragraph with Don't and read.


- Do: Wake up at least 5:30 AM (Brahma -Muhurtam is earlier though), think of Lord Hari,
and pray for a peaceful and a positive day.
-Don't:Start the day with selfish or profit-making goals! Reach for the computers, e-mails or chats. Reach for the newspaper and
cup of coffee with the un-brushed mouth. Successful people go for jogs or do yoga, recent research !
Wake up before your wife and do the chores


- Do: Women, should wake up first. Brush teeth/tongue/floss for 5 minutes, reach for the gums, for cleaner breath.
They should do achamanam three times. Then, they wake up men of the house. then they wake up children calling the names of Lord Hari.
[not loud shouts or cursing them or preparing them for rat-race or stress!].
-Don't: Rush to kitchen yet. or Repeat the Don'ts of earlier step.


- Do: Women should take bath, chanting the names of Hari. Women should guide the family-members on the hygiene tips. Most schools advise on frequent
hair-wash and clean nails for the kids. [I don't know about the office requirements for hygiene]
-Don't: Rush to kitchen yet. or Repeat the Don'ts of earlier step.


- Do: Sport your Tiruman or bhindi at least on your forehead. Women, braid your hair .
- Don't: chant or worship without proper etiquette, they won't be complete.


- Do: Men (anyone with a sacred-thread/Yagnyo-pavitha) should do Sandhya-Vandhanam, they only can chant Pranava. [Don't look at the Sun directly !]
Others can do Sun-Salutation (yoga) but they cannot chant Pranava. Do pooja every morning and evening, be it for 10 minutes, and the children are observing!
Others can chant AchyuthAya nama: etc.(without Pranava, and get same benefits, for obeying and not defying shAstrAs).
-Don't: Chant matras without following the necessary requirements. [You may now glue yourself to the computer! Beware of the health hazards]


- Do: Women should decorate/kolam-lighting the altar and offer boiled/warmed/sweetened milk to the deities. The family members should all take that milk
(with almonds or flavors) as prasadam.
-Don't: Drink coffee/tea as they are considered dopamine/intoxicating foods.


- Do: Men should prepare Tulasi (5-6 leaves) Teertham for the deities. Before chanting slokas, everyone has to do achamanam. Women should chant
slokas while cooking. While offering food, all family-members should be encouraged to chant/offer the aarti/meal. First to consume, is the Tulasi teertham,
before meal [to promote calm and free stress].
-Don't: Forget the Tulasi and the indian spices. Turmeric, ginger and coriander are hundred times more powerful and you don't need your smelly
onion/garlic, if you eat right!


- Do: Women should buy only whole, raw foods and cook. Yogurt keeps your gut healthy, so you think healthily!
Avoid all processed foods, that cannot be offered to the deities. Hare-krishnAs prepare their own appetizers/deserts over the long-weekends
and consume everyday as prasadams.
-Don't: Drool on sugary, starchy,addicting foods that make one more rAjasic, that cloud your mind from rational thinking.


- Do: exercise food control - on timings, and volume and type of food.
- Don't: sport pot-bellies.


- Do: Call the names of the foods - as Annam/Prasadam (Rice/grains), Paruppu (beans, proteins), Kozhambu (sambar), Koottu(Soup), Sartru-amudhu(rasam),
dadhi-annam(curd-rice), every time at the table.
-Don't: Call the food by trendy names like sambar, rasam, moar, bise-bele-bath/curtain! etc. Consider the food made outside, or by others that are not
offered to the deities, as delicious.


- Do: Understand the concept of 'Ecchal', 'Saliva' (hence bacteria/germs). Separate the daily-eating plates/spoons (tray at the dining table, wash them in the
bathroom sink) from the other kitchen dishes.
- Don't: Sip your drinks. Carry your food out of the kitchen.


- Do: Chant the name of Hari and learn Sanskrit/Slokas (use online-paper dictionaries) during leisure time, improve your cognitive functions. Read Bhagavad-Gita,
Mahabharata has wonderful dharmic messages from Bheesma, Vidura, Yudhisthira.
- Don't: Watch the dumb movies/serials for the dopamine/in-toxicating effects of romance/lust/greed/fashion/violence etc. and increase your rAjasic qualities,
by indirectly increasing your b.p, anxiety, stress, spoiling moods/calmness etc. [Change in a person, can change a family, which can influence 10
other families, and then a society! Competition in the right sAttvika way, is healthy, and helpful to the society! Be the change!]


- Do: Mothers should dress their kids in a modest way. For girls, oil their hair and braid them. Use natural oils, herbs and not chemical cosmetics.
All family members should wear traditional dress during festivals/temple visits and during worship at home. Learn native languages and
slokas/religious stories/philosophical works both in english and and native tongue.
- Don't: give up! [Be the precedent!]


- Do: Don't sit in front of the TVs during evenings. Wash your hands, do sandhya/sun-salutation or Yoga, achamanam, sport proper etiquette, head to the Pooja room.
Chant Slokas [I won't tell which one, you will become my competitor], family together should offer neivedhyam , consume as dinner prasadam.
- Don't: raise your voices, show anger throughout the day. The world does not end today. Don't teach your kids competition and short-cuts, rather encourage
fun-based learning and perfection.

- Do: Men, now you may do the chores in the kitchen. Clean the dishes and keep the stove clean, for the next day! May do the altar kolam al-ready!
Swap jobs occasionally and they promote appreciation, and re-wiring of the brains.
- Don't: Women, don't fail to the thank your men and children and other family-members for being patient with your boss-iness

- Do: Sing a lullaby to Lord Krishna, while putting your kids to sleep.
- Don't: fail to share the knowledge/kindness to others and thank the Lord/Creator for all the resources created for us to experience.

Good Luck! Sarvam KrishnArpanam!

Disclaimer: This write-up is just a heads-up and a sample. One can always tweek, twist, tweet the text but change the title along with it

 

[biswa]

Why so much distinction between men and women as per your advice?

 

[renuka]

Going by these strict rules prescribed no wonder is it mentioned that in Kali Yuga there are hardly any twice borns.

 

[biswa]

And why only mentions of Lord Krishna and Lord Hari? Is that indicative of your personal beliefs? What if somebody wants to chant the 108 names of Lord Ganesha?

 

[Govinda]

Dear Renuka and Biswa,

I wanted to escape from the General Discussions, and posted here

Please, write a disclaimer for me! :help: I did one already, just in case!


- Govinda

 

[Govinda]

Why so much distinction between men and women as per your advice?

Otherwise, women will do all the work of the family and obtain all their knowldege and experience.

Men will be chatting and emailing. Kids will not learn accountability.

They should be engaged and abled differently.

I have attended some satsangs in temples, Men would be browsing the stotra patam leaflets, whereas the women
will be chanting without any support and with clear pronounciation.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka and Biswa,

I wanted to escape from the General Discussions, and posted here

Please, write a disclaimer for me! :help: I did one already, just in case!


- Govinda

Dear Govinda,

Your post is fine but it is just that I wonder how many of us in Kali Yuga can live up to this.

 

[Govinda]

Going by these strict rules prescribed no wonder is it mentioned that in Kali Yuga there are hardly any twice borns.

Those vedic methods are for maintaining more discipline, hygiene, promote sharing/understanding/accountaility and learning good things. This helps people to focus on priority things
of the household, without compromising on healthy body and mind. Kali-yuga TVs are more distraction from many healthy routines.

 

[DR.C.NARAYANI]

Hello Govinda, Nice & Good OP,I liked it ,but the heading gives other impression on looking at it.What being stated I feel can be implied in daily life ,time ,practice is only required any way at least 70% will be doing in daily in our day to day basis( i guess) ray: Why insisting on DENTAL more particular ,avoiding HALITOSIS(bad breath ),bed coffee,all fine,why mentioned as toxic dental filling,now a days AMALGAM( silver fillings)are completed out dated,I never use such fillings in my clinic.we are more towards tooth coloured restorations as they are not toxic ,in fact its with fluoride to lessen the carious condition.When proper brushing technique is known just 2 minutes are required.:brushteeth:Not more than that as it may lead to other dental complications.--Enamel Attrition, Gum problems, Sensitivity etc.Thanks for your OP.

 

[Govinda]

Hello Govinda, Nice & Good OP,I liked it ,but the heading gives other impression on looking at it.What being stated I feel can be implied in daily life ,time ,practice is only required any way at least 70% will be doing in daily in our day to day basis( i guess) ray: Why insisting on DENTAL more particular ,avoiding HALITOSIS(bad breath ),bed coffee,all fine,why mentioned as toxic dental filling,now a days AMALGAM( silver fillings)are completed out dated,I never use such fillings in my clinic.we are more towards tooth coloured restorations as they are not toxic ,in fact its with fluoride to lessen the carious condition.When proper brushing technique is known just 2 minutes are required.:brushteeth:Not more than that as it may lead to other dental complications.--Enamel Attrition, Gum problems, Sensitivity etc.Thanks for your OP.

Hello Dr.,

With this OP, I am just practising my writing skills. Thanks for your likes. I chose the topic, those health issues are fillers.

The early symptoms of diabetes, must be dental ones and headaches I guess. So, most indians must be affected by these.

With clean mouth/dental hygiene, I guess, people wouldn't prefer sugary foods, staining foods, avoid cigarettes/paan etc. This should make them unknowingly
cautious about food choices too. This should help in clear pronounciation, musical, oratory, linguistic skills. Anyway, this is my own theory.

Plus, most writers, present a small/important message or theme, as books but with loads of 'verbiage' . May be, I wanted to practise that

 

[Padmabalkee]

Dear Sri Govinda I am a smartha Brahmin. I agree on some of your thoughts. But we don't call sattamudu or Daddi annam That is purely vaisnavite term. There is nothing wrong in calling Rasam annam or Sambar annam. Please do not focus on Vaisnavism terms and say that is the right way and Rasam or Thayir is wrong. After all the entire Jagat is nothing but Bhagavan and He will accept all words as long as it's said with devotion. Vaisnavite or saivite it does not matter.

 

[Govinda]

Dear Govinda,

Your post is fine but it is just that I wonder how many of us in Kali Yuga can live up to this.

The irony is that you are at 17th level and talk about the impossibility of dedication and perseverance !

 

[biswa]

I think in his eagerness to solve everybody's dental problems, the original poster has left out the most important part of the topic: twice born

Which of these things makes one twice born? Most importantly, what are the salient qualities of a ​dvija?

 

[Govinda]

I think in his eagerness to solve everybody's dental problems, the original poster has left out the most important part of the topic: twice born

Which of these things makes one twice born? Most importantly, what are the salient qualities of a ​dvija?

Dear Biswas,

One cannot be twice born in a day.

For any new project, we first draw a scope/outline. Then, we come up with a smaller model/protoype. Next, We hold meetings/brain-storming/build mock-project & conduct feasibility study (risk & cost estimates). After such attempts, if the team decides to progress, we write Detail Specifications.

Becoming a dwija or pursuing a college-graduation is no different than product/project building. Infact, the very basic thought of a dwija, is god-centered all the time.

For a successful project, the spirit, stamina, integrity and dedidaction should never run out. Likewise, the sAttvika food, right food will promote the right attitude and strength. Dedication to worship, will draw the team closer towards knowing the Objective/Nature of worship. Thus, the family should work together towards the same spiritual goal. The foundations of any successful endeavour is Heathy body/Sound mind. Guess, I covered them as the scope/outline.

There are umpteen resources/books for the specifications for every vaidika karma. But, the importance of integrated approach is what must be brought to light and to practice/routine/memory.

I have edited the dental part of humour in the OP. It caught Dr. Narayani's attention as that was her prime consciousness. But, it would never struck anyone-else, unless pointed out ! They would just take it as a requirement or humour or a tip that they should follow.

Every acharya or guru would have a small work on AgAra niyamanam/right food-health-basic-vaidika practices to their credit. The basic criteria for becoming a Brahmin is food, hygiene and nitya-karma. Higher faculties evolve from repeated practice/memory/contemplation/correction (which is self-effort, like prototyping, programming, compiling, testing etc.)

Any project makes an impression in the mind only when approached from a Top-Down manner. How else, do you think the alien followers of Hare-Krishna, quickly live by Bhagavad-Gita, in a shorter training/initiation period? They were just given the important rquirements and the daily schedule of Devotional Practice. But, we hindus failed to follow
our own traditions, as we dont have a bigger picture of what is expected out of us!

-Govinda.

 

[renuka]

The irony is that you are at 17th level and talk about the impossibility of dedication and perseverance !

Dear Sir,

I feel some rules and regulations are "impossible" to follow in the sense that it should come to us naturally and not just follow rules out of fear, compulsion or recommendation.

I still feel most of us at least in my case...we learn by trial and error.

Firm faith in God without any doubt in His Mahima in any situation was an in born trait in me I can safely say...not that I haven't faced adversity in life but it is just that I do not like to blame God for my own failure and negativity but I would surely praise Him for any of my successes.

But when I see rigid rules and regulations prescribed for becoming a Twice Born or a Bhakta and so on, I feel the freedom of thought is to a certain extent removed and we will be churning out only clones that think alike without much scope for cerebral activity.

The Viveka faculty won't really come into action.

I am sure some might say that all these disciplines the mind but rules mostly produce stereotype thinking.
Real discipline comes when we decide for ourselves what is the best for us.

In school most of us were well behaved cos we feared the teachers and opinions of others.

That does not really change our inner self cos the rebel in us would surely want to experiment in life.

That is why I feel it is "impossible" to follow such rules cos no human mind can be the same and not even identical twins can be alike.

 

[sarang]

1. Faith.
2. Finding a guru or acharyan; he will reinforce the faith. Better if one could renew contact with the acharyan - sankaracharya, azhagiya singar, andavan swamy - traditionally followed by the family.
3. List out and start following nitya and naimithika karmas, gradually, starting from morning bath, sandhya, aradana and every anushtanam possible.
4. Wearing a brahmin look - dress, forehead marks - at home while doing the nitya karmas. Perhaps outside too when the initial diffidence is overcome.
5. Cultivating and putting into practice other niyamas - reading of sampradayic literature, food restrictions etc.
6. Satsangh, physical and monetary support for vaidic causes and activities mutts, patasalas, publishing, rituals, celebrations etc.
7. Respect for brahmins and sampradayams (does not mean disrespect for others).

Most of today's youngsters are passive brahmins; they have lot of respect for the traditions and need only a catalyst to convert them to practicing brahmins. They need the grace of a guru, the catalyst, to put them in the practicing path. Modern education, jobs in multinationals, living in a foreign country are not impediments in practicing.

The individual has to start without worrying about the participation of the spouse. Our technology age has made it easier for one to adapt and follow even if the spouse or the environment is not favourable.

The real villains one has to be wary of those 'brahmins' who want to or actively indulge in destroying the tradition. They have the option to drop out and follow the system of their choice.

 

[Raji Ram]

I wonder whether anyone would like to be born brahmin again, with all these reservations enforced!
May be they will wish to be born SC or ST?? :decision:

Our math prof. used to say to one guy in our class that he need not worry at all about his marks but just pass the exam.

It was 50% in all the papers except one, in which 45% should be scored. Job assured for him!! :thumb:

We were all struggling to get a distinction! :ballchain:

 

[sarang]

This is a generalization. Better to list out the rule and then evaluate. There are exceptions, pariharam, gender specific and mental level and maturity specific.

From the ancient tamil scripture 'acharakovai', one of the pathinenkanakku (18) works. (nothing to do with brahmins)

One should take bath on these 10 occasions:

Before praying to god, after a bad dream, if become impure, vomiting, haircut, before food, after a long sleep, union, after touching low people, after one and two.

Periyavayin mulliyar's acharakovai makes an interesting reading. One follows whatever he wants or his attitude permits. Some are happy with toilet paper, when a bath is mandated.

That is why I feel it is "impossible" to follow such rules cos no human mind can be the same and not even identical twins can be alike.

 

[Raji Ram]

....... From the ancient tamil scripture 'acharakovai', one of the pathinenkanakku (18) works. (nothing to do with brahmins)

One should take bath on these 10 occasions:........

Dear Sir,

There is a kumbAbhishEkam in Ram's village on 1st Feb and with the dried up rivers and wells there, we are praying that

at least for one bath for everyone of us, the municipality will supply enough water!!

P.S: I have seen dry and wet toilet papers in some Indian houses in the U S of A.

 

[renuka]

One should take bath on these 10 occasions:

Before praying to god, after a bad dream, if become impure, vomiting, haircut, before food, after a long sleep, union, after touching low people, after one and two.

After touching low people??

Sir do you mean people who are ill here where we stand a risk of contracting some disease..like how I wash my hands after seeing each patient so that I do not get anything or spread it to the next patient.

 

[sarang]

I have seen only my family doctor (in the 50s) wash his hands, after checking each patient, in a basin of dettol added water. I have not seen modern GPs I consult doing any such thing. perhaps they surreptitiously use anti bacterial gel! Perhaps today's patients are sterile!

Mel makkal and Keezh makkal in ancient tamilnadu is a big topic. Not wise to discuss here.

After touching low people??

Sir do you mean people who are ill here where we stand a risk of contracting some disease..like how I wash my hands after seeing each patient so that I do not get anything or spread it to the next patient.