ADVAITA-L Digest - 22 May 2002 to 23 May 2002 (#2002-129)

[Swarna Venkateswara Swamy]

Dear friend,

I read with interest your mail to your friend Somik,
but posted to Advaita-list. I would like to respond.

By birth one is placed in a specific environment. But
in the case of 'dwijas', i.e. twice born, the children
were seated separately from the adults, who were
supposed to perform Sandhya Vandana etc., and can't
eat food unless prepared with Body and Mind purity.

So the custom spread to temples also, of which you
wrote. It is true that many of those brahmins do not
perform proper rites to be qualified to be called
brahmins. Many of the modern brahmins, don't bother to
sit and eat that simple food at all.

One more reason behind that custom is that those who
are straying from the path of a true brahmin will
probably get inspired to mend their ways after seeing
the others and eating in that 'holy' atmosphere.

as u have rightly mentioned, there is no question of
supremacy of any one caste over another. but the
thinkers always enjoyed superiority over the workers
in all societies and india was no exception. the
brahmins were the thinkers, that's all.

regards.

swamy sv

--- hemang Chamakuzhi Subramanian
<hemangcs at REDIFFMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Hello Somik,
>
>   Thank you very much for your answer. my queries to
> your analysis
> of the Question "If my father is a Brahmin by
> origin, do I
> automatically qualify to be Brahman" can be found as
> below.
>
>   >The Brahmins enjoyed deep respect and power as
> the upper most
> caste insociety bcos of their learning.
>
> Why is this uppermost coming into play here..for I
> am reading the
> book "REbuild India"- Excerpts from swami
> vivekananda's
> discourses..which says "A cobbler is in no way lower
> than a pujari
> , for a pujari cannot sew the slippers, (essential
> for man) and a
> cobbler can't do a puja either(again essential for
> man's life)".
> as far as I remember there is no verse anywhere in
> the GITA, or
> other Vedas/Upanishads(the original), etc. which
> substantiate the
> superiority of one Varna over the other..If this is
> wrong kindly
> give me the knowledge of the verses.
>
> >The modern day duties are the ones you choose of
> your free will
> >for yourself. You only have to follow your
> principles without
> >hippocrisy throughout.
>
>   So , shouldn't there be any discourse by our
> religious leaders,
> etc. which throw light on this aspect of our
> Religion, the Varnas
> based on one's present day KARMA.
>
>     I somehow tend to feel that the difference in
> some of these
> temples where they serve even food seperately to
> Brahmins(Brahman
> becos' one's  dad is a Brahmin) and the common man
> in south India
> is different.
>
>    Even the Lord Adi Sankara fell at the feet of a
> Shudra..why
> this difference then..why are people being so
> hypocritic? judging
> ones caste by ones family of birth?
>
>   Thanks and Regards.
>   =hemang
>
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=====
in search of truth and with prayers to Govinda to help reach  that goal in this life itself, and with best wishes to you that your goals may be reached,

yours sincerely,

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