Death & rituals - Garuda puranam vs current age
Pranams,
I was reading garuda puranam (GP) to understand the details of death & ceremony. I have the following doubts from what it says and what vadiyar and other people says and what we should do-changes has happened in every yuga. What was accepted earlier is now illegal, what was not ok earlier is now ok as thing changes, our way of thinking changes. Please guide me to understand better.
GP stats kartha is the person who inherits parent’s wealth. In today world all the children including girls get it in equal share. Hence, all should do shartham as though one is the kartha for the first few days’ ceremony, I am I right. If so, the theetu and its related customs also should change – 10 days for the female & her husband should be there. What ever spouse gets the other partner enjoys, that is why wife has husbands’ theetu and has to do every thing with her husband, now the same is applicable for husband also.
GP does not talk about patchanams in 100s to be offered by different people daily – daughters, sambhanthi-only the one who gave daughters (again the above q’s comes), chitti, chittappa, attai etc. and specific patchanam on specific day by specific relation!! Could you throw more light on this?
GP states offer(gifts) to be given to vadiyar to sustain him for 1 year (hence gold, silver, land, cow, rice, pulses etc), but now a days the same vadiyar performs these karma’s shartham in many place more or less daily. It also states the cow or any other dhanams received by the vadiyar should not be sold or given to others, so what is the meaning in giving them silver tumbler, gold mothuram etc. if we give it as cash then the purpose of saying gold, silver, cow etc is lost. What will be a better solution to this? Can we give it so some veda pada salai etc instead of giving to vadiyar – say sapadu for 7 Brahmans who is learning the last lag of Vedas or the teachers who resides there for teaching Vedas for full one year or some thing like this. Please help.
GP also states the son is not eligible if he married other caste; this is difficult today availability of Iyengar girls is not easy
If Rig Veda is to be considered, it gives more rights and freedom to women, Rig Veda is not against women remarriage, removing of mangalam (especially kumkum & poo which she had even before wedding) from her on her husband death etc. But the GP which was written after this states sati-In fact I feel it encourages it, but at the same time people say female should not go to crematorium!! Why is this so?
Thanks & regards,
Lakshmi
