changing rituals or SIMPLIFYING PRACTICES

Saturday 2 August 2014

changing rituals or SIMPLIFYING PRACTICES

Traditional or orthodox Mathas should work to uphold traditions and ancient practices in a pure form. If they also start reform measures like deleting or changing rituals or SIMPLIFYING PRACTICES LIKE SHRADDA, then they lose their very purpose and become like any other modern ONE GURU based reformist organisations.

The ideas of rationalist, logical, scientific reformers is to STOP ANY RITUAL WHICH IS INCONVENIENT; Eat anything if convenient; Do any type of marriage as that is the IN thing! CUT THE HEAD IF THERE IS A HEADACHE! This the negative type of reform propagated by them. In the following paras I am suggesting a POSITIVE AND PRACTICAL form of reform!

Fortunately Sringeri and Kanchi Mathas and many other Madhwa and Iyengar Mathas are still upholding the traditional practices. Many traditional Mathas do encourage social service and educational and medical activities but their primary goal is upholding the traditional practices and philosophy.

The Mathas can print leaflets containing basic Sastra practices, their importance, dos and donts etc., and distribute it free to all visitors and in all gatherings of religious occasions like marriages.

Instead of changing or simplifying all the rituals and practices, they should explore ways of propagating the purer practices. They can instruct or form group of Purohits-vadyars who will not compromise on any ritual but will do as per Sastras by charging a fixed fee. They can start a service number, by calling which any house holder can get the services of a set of vadyars for the function in his house. This can be started in major cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. The Vadyars will charge a reasonable fee as fixed by a committee and will get additional compensation from a fund which the Matha can set up exclusively for this purpose. In today's situation such a fund can easily find many donors or sponsors. As many more students are coming out of Vedic schools who are well trained, such an effort is quite practical today.

For example they will perform Shradda only after 11 AM or so and not in the early morning. Such services may be restricted to only those Brahmins who have not entered into intercaste marriges or who have not fully given up Sandya vandana etc. No rituals will be performed in houses where dogs or cats are kept as pets as it is against the Sastras. Most people are not even aware of these Sastra rules and such restrictions will help more people to realise the value of following Sastras.

I mention Brahmins to start with and similar activities are also valid for other castes, like Pujas, Bajans and temple programs. But the Brahmin is the most degenerate specimen today and it is worth starting from him!

There is a growing awareness among the common Brahmins and also other castes in the value of performing rituals and Homas in their houses. Now is the time to start positive action to bring many more into actual practical religion. Once they start this, the learning of the philosophy part and efforts at self realisation will automatically follow with growing maturity. Even today there is a great demand from office goers in learning Vedas in their part time. Only the limited availability of teachers in convenient locations is a restriction. Even then we see many house holders have learnt basic SUKTAS, RUDRAM AND CHAMAKAM, and chant it in temples during Pradosham and other occasions.

परोपकाराय फलन्ति वृक्षा: परोपकाराय वहन्ति नद्यः।

परोपकाराय दुहन्ति गावः परोपकाराय इदं शरीरम्।।