12-24-2005, 07:13 PM
The Mouths that Recited Vedas are Grieving
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Brahmins played an extraordinary role in the spread of knowledge and vitalizing the Indian society for millennia. Recently, in the freedom movement and national revitalization movements they proved their merit by playing their traditional role as usual. The Brahmins whose goals have been the enlightenment and prosperity of the society are leaving mainstream social, political and economic fields nowadays. Having merit is not enough to garner the positions in various fields and seats in schools in todayâs society blighted with reservations and quotas. It is high time they raise their voice against the injustice and get together to fight by blowing the conch of awakening (clarion call), says Parusuram.
Brahmins lost their traditional jobs such as karaneekam (clerk/accountant) and agraharas (land endowments). (It should be noted that Brahmins are not the priests in every temple. Temples like mutyalamma, poleramma, mahankali etc., where animal sacrifices are a norm, Brahmins are not priests. Further, only members of a few sects of Brahmins traditionally practice pourohityam (priesthood) and the rest are in various intellectual and non-intellectual avocations, which have dried up for Brahmins today.) <b>Those Brahmins who are still in the field of pourohityam are also in trouble. These Brahmin priests are ridiculed and made fun of their traditions and practices (such as vegetarianism) and have become isolated. Poverty stricken Brahmins are unable to send their kids to schools and feed them properly. Brahmins, once considered a class at the top of the society, are now a new backward class. </b> Their social status evaporated, but their pride didnât. They still talk about their past greatness and sagacity that they managed to make bitter foes into friends and forced goats and tigers to drink water from the same pond as great Brahmin Chanakya did with Chanakya neeti (political acumen). However, it is high time that they realize that dwelling in the past is not going to help them. They must come together and fight against the discrimination in every field in the modern Indian society. Brahmana Sadassu (Brahmin society) is calling on all Brahmins to wake up and fight the injustice today. Brahmins should put aside their tribal differences among the plethora of Brahmin tribes and sects to come together as one Brahmin family to fight for justice and their due share in the society.Â
The Brahmin disappearance from the prominence from the society will be quite evident if one considers the statistics of 1933, 1947 and 1975. For many Brahmins the hereditary vocations became compulsory for survival.  But, in this modern society those vocations have no place. As a result Brahmins are migrating to cities for survival. They sold all their lands in the villages. Even the religious vocations like priesthood are not helping Brahmins anymore. Seventy percent of Brahmins are relying on their hereditary vocation. There are hundreds of families that are surviving on just Rs. 500 per month as priests in various temples. Devaadaya Sakha (Department of Endowments) with an income running into billions of rupees and politicians who perform prayers and pujas on a large scale donât care for the poor Brahmin priests.  Priests are under tremendous difficulty today. They are forced to beg for alms for survival. There are innumerable instances in which Brahmin priests who spent a lifetime in studying Vedas are being ridiculed and disrespected. Even under such difficult situations, Brahmin priests are still preaching the importance of religious character and good moral character and the advantages and importance of such character in individuals for the society. Such Brahmin families that are financially downtrodden are forced to send their children into family vocation even though there is no income in those vocations.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Brahmins played an extraordinary role in the spread of knowledge and vitalizing the Indian society for millennia. Recently, in the freedom movement and national revitalization movements they proved their merit by playing their traditional role as usual. The Brahmins whose goals have been the enlightenment and prosperity of the society are leaving mainstream social, political and economic fields nowadays. Having merit is not enough to garner the positions in various fields and seats in schools in todayâs society blighted with reservations and quotas. It is high time they raise their voice against the injustice and get together to fight by blowing the conch of awakening (clarion call), says Parusuram.
Brahmins lost their traditional jobs such as karaneekam (clerk/accountant) and agraharas (land endowments). (It should be noted that Brahmins are not the priests in every temple. Temples like mutyalamma, poleramma, mahankali etc., where animal sacrifices are a norm, Brahmins are not priests. Further, only members of a few sects of Brahmins traditionally practice pourohityam (priesthood) and the rest are in various intellectual and non-intellectual avocations, which have dried up for Brahmins today.) <b>Those Brahmins who are still in the field of pourohityam are also in trouble. These Brahmin priests are ridiculed and made fun of their traditions and practices (such as vegetarianism) and have become isolated. Poverty stricken Brahmins are unable to send their kids to schools and feed them properly. Brahmins, once considered a class at the top of the society, are now a new backward class. </b> Their social status evaporated, but their pride didnât. They still talk about their past greatness and sagacity that they managed to make bitter foes into friends and forced goats and tigers to drink water from the same pond as great Brahmin Chanakya did with Chanakya neeti (political acumen). However, it is high time that they realize that dwelling in the past is not going to help them. They must come together and fight against the discrimination in every field in the modern Indian society. Brahmana Sadassu (Brahmin society) is calling on all Brahmins to wake up and fight the injustice today. Brahmins should put aside their tribal differences among the plethora of Brahmin tribes and sects to come together as one Brahmin family to fight for justice and their due share in the society.Â
The Brahmin disappearance from the prominence from the society will be quite evident if one considers the statistics of 1933, 1947 and 1975. For many Brahmins the hereditary vocations became compulsory for survival.  But, in this modern society those vocations have no place. As a result Brahmins are migrating to cities for survival. They sold all their lands in the villages. Even the religious vocations like priesthood are not helping Brahmins anymore. Seventy percent of Brahmins are relying on their hereditary vocation. There are hundreds of families that are surviving on just Rs. 500 per month as priests in various temples. Devaadaya Sakha (Department of Endowments) with an income running into billions of rupees and politicians who perform prayers and pujas on a large scale donât care for the poor Brahmin priests.  Priests are under tremendous difficulty today. They are forced to beg for alms for survival. There are innumerable instances in which Brahmin priests who spent a lifetime in studying Vedas are being ridiculed and disrespected. Even under such difficult situations, Brahmin priests are still preaching the importance of religious character and good moral character and the advantages and importance of such character in individuals for the society. Such Brahmin families that are financially downtrodden are forced to send their children into family vocation even though there is no income in those vocations.
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