Non-Brahmins urging Brahmins to be Sattvic!!

[ashwin_ash]

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I subscribe to a 'Mega Tamil' pack offered by my cable provider and see most of the Tamil serials having adopted Brahmin motifs. I happened to see some Sun TV serial named Vani Rani and the Brahmin symbolisms on display such as the priests, the Vedas in the background, conspicuously showing Brahmanical deities etc. was really amazing and a pleasant surprise. Ditto with most other serials too.

And recently, a relative posted pictures of some temple he visited in Vellore called 'Golden Temple'. The temple has a 'veda patasala' teaching Sanskrit, and a 'goshala'. The same goes for many such temples and ashrams run by other castes which preach orthodoxy and a sattvic lifestyle. The most famous is Puttaparthi. Ignoring the controversies surrounding the godman there, he was one of the foremost proponents of a Vedic and Sattvic lifestyle. The late Kanchi sage used to say that Brahmins will abrogate their traditional roles and now most of his followers are not Brahmins. The other day, I saw a lecture by some reddy or naidu preacher who was asking Brahmins to revert to traditional mores for the greater good of society. And most of the preachers on North Indian religious channels are not Brahmins, but they advocate a sattvic lifestyle which even Brahmins will find hard to emulate.

Narendra Modi, Uma Bharti, the BJP top brass are all not Brahmin but call for a return to Sattvic ways.

So, whither 'Brahmins'?!

 

[apsarathy]

More Brahmin than Brahmins!

 

[prasad1]

I do hope that participants understand that this site is open to all including NB. WE need to be careful, even though the site is called TB. So be careful of what is said.

Guna's are not caste based. Lord Krishna was not a Brahmin. Every living thing has all 3 gunas in various proportion at any given time.

 

[kunjuppu]

in tamil nadu these are called neo brahmins. they are perceived to behave like brahmins 100 years ago in tamil nadu. prime examples are the MK family and newly rich DMK ADMK guys. i dont know about the sattvic part of their behaviour

 

[vgane]

The priests are respected in Tamil Nadu..We were in Thirukadayur (Mayavaram District of TN) a few years back..There were lot of DMK (from the print of the Vetti I could find out) functionaries there doing special puja..They hold the priests in high reverence..There were a dozen priests reciting special prayers & the crowd (90% or more of the crowd were not Brahmin) was very reverent...Looking at the crowds in temples, you will never think that in the land of atheism there are so many devotees..

Incidentally the latest movie (Idhu Kadirvelan Kadhal) in which Stalin's son Udayanidhi is hero, he is sporting a Vibhuthi and he is Bhaktha of Lord Hanuman!

 

[Brahmanyan]

Among the twelve Alwars only four (including Andal) are Brahmins, similarly Among the sixtythree Nayanmaars only fifteen are Brahmins. Caste has nothing to do in search of Spiritual solace. In fact many of the Veda Patasalas and temples were taken care of by munificence of philanthropists of Nagarathaar Community and Mudaliyars. Similarly the Telugu speaking Naidus, Reddiyars and Rajus of South took care of preserving Vedic culture in our part of the country.
Rajasic, Satvic or Tamasic nature of a person are gunas that depend on the environemnt of the birth of an individual. We have many bhaktas like Sri Kannappa Nayanar, in our religious literature who did not follow the rigours of Satvic life.

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[ashwin_ash]

in tamil nadu these are called neo brahmins. they are perceived to behave like brahmins 100 years ago in tamil nadu. prime examples are the MK family and newly rich DMK ADMK guys. i dont know about the sattvic part of their behaviour

The Rudram which is part of the Krishna Yajur Veda is chanted or played universally in all Siva temples of TN. Brahmins are required to 'follow' a particular veda, and surprisingly, those who are not Brahmins are learning and spreading Vedas at breakneck speed.

So, even if Brahmins do not exist as a caste, the value systems will still continue to be propagated as new (imaginary) 'oppressors' emerge. The cycle will repeat itself. Just as Brahmins were perceived as 'Aryans' and 'oppressors', the castes now learning and propagating Brahmanical values will be portrayed as oppressors say, in a 100 years from now when a new underclass emerges. And so the wheel will spin on and on and on.

 

[kunjuppu]

The priests are respected in Tamil Nadu..We were in Thirukadayur (Mayavaram District of TN) a few years back..There were lot of DMK (from the print of the Vetti I could find out) functionaries there doing special puja..They hold the priests in high reverence..There were a dozen priests reciting special prayers & the crowd (90% or more of the crowd were not Brahmin) was very reverent...Looking at the crowds in temples, you will never think that in the and of atheism there are so many devotees..

Incidentally the latest movie (Idhu Kadirvelan Kadhal) in which Stalin's son Udayanidhi is hero, he is sporting a Vibhuthi and he is Bhaktha of Lord Hanuman!

the red/black border, could mean dmk or aidmk. the latter swear by their viboothis and pottus. because amma is religious, these, even if they are atheist inside, make a big show of their religiosity

only MK is openly atheistic. his yellow shawl says a lot about his superstitious beliefs. the rest of his family perform huge yaagams in their favourite temples. you only have to search the net for these.

only kanimozhi is openly sarcastic of god and hinduism. hence MK used to call her, his literary and cultural heir. for what it is worth.

 

[renuka]

I dont get it! What is it about being Sattvic that everyone is so crazy about?

Why cant we be happy with what we are? Each person is unique..who wants everyone to be the same like a bunch of crash test dummies.Variety is the spice of life.


BTW no one can urge anyone to be anything.We choose our own destiny.

What is in our mind only we know..outwardly anyone can be anything.

Some posts here make it sound as if Brahmanical lifestyle is totally divorced from Sanathana Dharma.

Sanathana Dharma for us Hindus is the big picture..everything else is it's subset.

 

[ashwin_ash]

I dont get it! What is it about being Sattvic that everyone is so crazy about?

Why cant we be happy with what we are? Each person is unique..who wants everyone to be the same like a bunch of crash test dummies.Variety is the spice of life.


BTW no one can urge anyone to be anything.We choose our own destiny.

What is in our mind only we know..outwardly anyone can be anything.

Some posts here make it sound as if Brahmanical lifestyle is totally divorced from Sanathana Dharma.

Sanathana Dharma for us Hindus is the big picture..everything else is it's subset.

Sanatana Dharma means a dharma which will never become extinct. Not all Hindus are that orthodox in their beliefs. The Brahma Sutras in fact moved away from this kind of orthodoxy.

Just because some Andhra godman advocated Sanatana Dharma, it doesn't become Hindu canon. The followers of that person must ask themselves if they observe his instructions to the letter by maintaining all-night vigil once every month, abstain from any kind of deviant behavior as he preached (he didn't preach about internet baiting though, had he been alive now, he'd have urged his followers not to make a mockery of people and their beliefs via internet forums).

In fact, castes other than Brahmins seem to be returning to Sanatana Dharma, maybe Brahmins knew they'd fade into the sunset someday and didn't rigidly stick on to any form of extreme orthodoxy (be happy and let others do the job of spreading Brahmanism).

 

[vgane]

the red/black border, could mean dmk or aidmk. the latter swear by their viboothis and pottus. because amma is religious, these, even if they are atheist inside, make a big show of their religiosity

only MK is openly atheistic. his yellow shawl says a lot about his superstitious beliefs. the rest of his family perform huge yaagams in their favourite temples. you only have to search the net for these.

only kanimozhi is openly sarcastic of god and hinduism. hence MK used to call her, his literary and cultural heir. for what it is worth.

The DMK vetti does not have a white stripe in the middle which is how we differentiate between the two

As the DMK guy is a celebrity, I am sure about that!

Kanimozhi is against Hindus? For the incarceration that she suffered, she went to Udupi Krishna temple which was big news! She may wear the mask of atheism for political gains!

 

[renuka]

Sanatana Dharma means a dharma which will never become extinct. Not all Hindus are that orthodox in their beliefs. The Brahma Sutras in fact moved away from this kind of orthodoxy.

Just because some Andhra godman advocated Sanatana Dharma, it doesn't become Hindu canon. The followers of that person must ask themselves if they observe his instructions to the letter by maintaining all-night vigil once every month, abstain from any kind of deviant behavior as he preached (he didn't preach about internet baiting though, had he been alive now, he'd have urged his followers not to make a mockery of people and their beliefs via internet forums).

In fact, castes other than Brahmins seem to be returning to Sanatana Dharma, maybe Brahmins knew they'd fade into the sunset someday and didn't rigidly stick on to any form of extreme orthodoxy (be happy and let others do the job of spreading Brahmanism).

The Kalki Avatar has arrived.

Ash Ji Ki Jai!

 

[ashwin_ash]

The DMK vetti does not have a white stripe in the middle which is how we differentiate between the two

As the DMK guy is a celebrity, I am sure about that!

Kanimozhi is against Hindus? For the incarceration that she suffered, she went to Udupi Krishna temple which was big news! She may wear the mask of atheism for political gains!

It is common knowledge that MK has an army of Brahmin priests in his house, always doing some 'homa' or the other. And the temple in their home compound is also common knowledge. As for JJ, she chooses party candidates only after analyzing their horror-scopes (she has a keen understanding of astrology).

 

[renuka]

It is common knowledge that MK has an army of Brahmin priests in his house, always doing some 'homa' or the other. And the temple in their home compound is also common knowledge. As for JJ, she chooses party candidates only after analyzing their horror-scopes (she has a keen understanding of astrology).

How come these Brahmins dont mind working for a person who outwardly claims to be a
Homa Phobic Atheist?

I thought its very important that a Brahmin need to work only for a "Dharmic" individual.

 

[ashwin_ash]

How come these Brahmins dont mind working for a person who outwardly claims to be a
Homa Phobic Atheist?

I thought its very important that a Brahmin need to work only for a "Dharmic" individual.

Definitely more dharmic than some Andhra godman. I fail to understand how dead people can 'live on'. It is certainly un-sattvic and adharmic to claim dead people are not dead.

And joining a Brahmin forum to indulge in cheap, crass Brahmin-baiting of the DK kind (even they don't indulge in it these days) is also extremely adharmic.

 

[renuka]

And joining a Brahmin forum to indulge in cheap, crass Brahmin-baiting of the DK kind (even they don't indulge in it these days) is also extremely adharmic.

LOL! Yes you are right..I think I remember some member saying there are 3 Kalais!

 

[vaithehi]

Even Mr. NARYANA MOORTHY advocated brhamins to follow all the life styles of brahmin, kshatriya, vaisya and kshudra since in this society it will be very difficult to live as brahmin and that too satvic...KALI YUGA IT IS NOT POSSIBLE ...ONLY BRAHMINS IN VILLAGE AND THAT TOO IN A SANSKRIT VILLAGE IT WILL BE POSSIBLE

r.vaithehi

 

[ashwin_ash]

LOL! Yes you are right..I think I remember some member saying there are 3 Kalais!

I don't remember when you might have said that, but I'm pretty sure you must have.

Sticking to the topic, I noticed on my Chennai visit people having Sanskrit slokas as ringtones, shops playing Vedas and hymns non-stop, and many people from other castes sending their kids to schools such as the Saradha Vidyalaya and Ahobila Mutt school. The remaining 'Brahmins' seem nowhere in the picture. Which again begs the question, whither Brahmins?

 

[renuka]

I don't remember when you might have said that, but I'm pretty sure you must have.

I guess you can check the archives to find out who wrote that.

 

[ashwin_ash]

I guess you can check the archives to find out who wrote that.

There are 1000s of godmen in Andhra. Wonder why people take everything to heart and go berserk. I suggest you indulge in the Hyderabadi delicacy Shahi Tukda, reputed to cool the temper.

 

[renuka]

. I suggest you indulge in the Hyderabadi delicacy Shahi Tukda, reputed to cool the temper.

Ash ji,

I rather smoke weed! The Kickku is better!

 

[sarang]

To start with we must stop using the term 'caste' and revert to the valid and ancient terms - varna, kula, jati. Then the scriptures will lead us in the right way. Our system accepts diversity in terms of gunas, behaviour, birth, attitudes, way of living, seclusion, adhikarams, asramas - and gives enormous freedom to practice even conflicting lifestyles. What is needed and what was assiduously practiced till the abrahamic sects invaded was acceptance of diversity, unity and not uniformity. Brahmins and every other varna, jati group has values which must be allowed to flourish.

Among the twelve Alwars only four (including Andal) are Brahmins, similarly Among the sixtythree Nayanmaars only fifteen are Brahmins. Caste has nothing to do in search of Spiritual solace. In fact many of the Veda Patasalas and temples were taken care of by munificence of philanthropists of Nagarathaar Community and Mudaliyars. Similarly the Telugu speaking Naidus, Reddiyars and Rajus of South took care of preserving Vedic culture in our part of the country.
Rajasic, Satvic or Tamasic nature of a person are gunas that depend on the environemnt of the birth of an individual. We have many bhaktas like Sri Kannappa Nayanar, in our religious literature who did not follow the rigours of Satvic life.

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[ashwin_ash]

Ash ji,

I rather smoke weed! The Kickku is better!

Which again brings us to the ultimate paradox. Siva, the first Brahmin (Adi-Brahman), is portrayed as trawling cremation grounds and getting high on weed.

Yet, He is also the source of the word 'Saivam' which embodies anything Sattvic. I think Brahmins are facing existential crises, and other castes are filling the vacuum. Whether it's good (I hope it is) or not, our progeny might be able to gauge in about 100+ years from now.

 

[sarang]

Self respecting brahmins will find respect in all walks of life in every environment. The moment reservation is removed, opportunities enhanced, educational and earning facilities made available to all who want, perceived grievances will vanish. That will lead to ramarajya. Religious and spiritual lifestyle is personal and community oriented. As long as there is no threat of physical liquidation, brahmins will excel and do their bit to society's welfare, in religious, ritual and spiritual zones.

Perhaps Shri Narendra Modi will take the country in this direction - Development of all, appeasement of none.

The priests are respected in Tamil Nadu..We were in Thirukadayur (Mayavaram District of TN) a few years back..There were lot of DMK (from the print of the Vetti I could find out) functionaries there doing special puja..They hold the priests in high reverence..There were a dozen priests reciting special prayers & the crowd (90% or more of the crowd were not Brahmin) was very reverent...Looking at the crowds in temples, you will never think that in the land of atheism there are so many devotees..

Incidentally the latest movie (Idhu Kadirvelan Kadhal) in which Stalin's son Udayanidhi is hero, he is sporting a Vibhuthi and he is Bhaktha of Lord Hanuman!

 

[renuka]

To start with we must stop using the term 'caste' and revert to the valid and ancient terms - varna, kula, jati. Then the scriptures will lead us in the right way. Our system accepts diversity in terms of gunas, behaviour, birth, attitudes, way of living, seclusion, adhikarams, asramas - and gives enormous freedom to practice even conflicting lifestyles. What is needed and what was assiduously practiced till the abrahamic sects invaded was acceptance of diversity, unity and not uniformity. Brahmins and every other varna, jati group has values which must be allowed to flourish.

Dear Sarang ji,

To a certain extent I do agree with you.

In fact when I see broad classifications such as Brahmin and Non Brahmin..its sort of reflects that as if NB are just one group of people..but the fact remains that those who are not from the Brahmin Varna can be as different as night and day from each other.

I remember seeing one talk show where an individual was using the word Dalit and Non Dalit.

I am starting to wonder what other words are there?