Progression or Erosion of Brahmin Ethos?

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

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LOL! When I go to India when a Tamilian meets me he/she speaks to me in Tamil.
The Auto drivers in Blore speak in Kannada.
When a North Indian meets me he/she speaks in Hindi becos people prefer to speak in their mother tongue.
The North Indians know by one look that I am South Indian but speak to me in Hindi becos they expect everyone to know Hindi.
BTW the shop sales persons in Blore/Chennai one look at us Malaysian Indians they just know we are from Msia even though we might be dressed in a salwar kameez.
I wonder why you say it is not possible to detect someone's community be looking at their faces.
I can detect by just one look out here who is a Gounder,Thevar,Padayachi,Nair,Menon too.
Even in India my fellow Indian friends too could detect a person's community just by looking at their faces.

:lol::lol:

 

[renuka]

:lol::lol:

Ok you are going to laugh more now.

We Malaysians can even detect which state a local Malay comes from.

Those from Kelantan(North East of Msia) are fairer and look more like Cambodians.

Those from Johor look more like Javanese and have nice facial features.

Those from Penang which we call Mamak look a mix between Malay and Indian.

Wait there is some more..we can even differentiate the types of Chinese.

Hokkien people look slightly different from Cantonese people or Hakka people.

 

[Iyer]

I received this in an e-mail from a friend. I can easily identify with the sentiment.

Please note – The Self, Parents, Grand-parents are representative
Brahmin characters of 3 generations below.


It does not reflect ME or my predecessors entirely.


WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE.....


· My great grand-father never went to coffee hotel. My
grand-father secretly went to the coffee hotel. My father openly went
to hotel on need basis. I go to hotel everyday for survival; sometimes
to Velu military hotel too! So what?


· My great grand-father never tasted coffee. My grand-father
started having coffee and devised a style for Kumbakonam coffee. My
father has 4 cups a day and gets head-ache (read as addiction to
caffeine) if he misses the turns. He takes tea too. I take all forms
of drinks now! So what?


· My great grand-father piously did 3 times Sandhi. My
grand-father at least did once a day, and sometimes more than that. My
father rarely did Gayatri. But, catches up once a day Sandyavandhanam,
after retirement. I don’t know to do Sandyavandhanam. So what?


· My grand-father had no hesitations in saying “Abhivadhayae”
in public when he saw elders. My father knew it, but never displayed
it as obedience to elders, in public. Probably, he found that practice
embarrassing. I neither know Abhivadhayae, nor care about it! So what?


· When Kingdoms existed, probably Royal families endorsed
Brahmins and supported them. My great grand-father either was ringing
bell in one of the sanctum-sanctorum or helping the Brahmin and Royal
community conduct Hindu rituals. Today, Kingdom doesn’t exist and
Brahmins rendering such service are rare; those who render such
service do it for a big fee. So what?


· Today’s Sastrigal don’t do Sandhi regularly and do not
follow Brahminical norms. They treat their work as job and recite &
conduct rituals and go; sometimes cut it short, if they know, we don’t
know! They treat their appearance, with small tuft of late, as their
dress code only and carry no sanctity. They eat in hotels and chew
paan/gutka. Some are regulars in TASMAC shops too. This is being
treated now as a profession and not service. So what? I have
hesitation in calling them and even if I do, have reservations in
falling at their feet. So what?


· My great grand-father was sporting a tuft and shaved his
beard clean. My grand-father removed the tuft and sported a
cropped-hair but still was clean shaven. My father sported a moustache
with a loose cut during his younger days. I sport a Goatee and
sometimes a full beard; I color my hair black routinely. Some of those
bald headed Brahmins, sport a wig even. So what?


· My grand-mother showed perfect obedience to her in-laws,
despite her in-laws and naathanaar tortures. My mother showed little
restraint and moved away decade later. My wife and I started our
family as “Thani kudithanam” from Day 1. When I search alliance for my
son, I will tell them openly during engagement, to move away after
marriage. I will start looking for an old-age home for myself. I know,
what is sent, comes back!


· My father prostrated without hesitations to elders. I do it
when insisted by my parents. My children will never do it. So what?


· When my parents come to my home, they are not welcomed.
Years later, when they departed, my wife asked me to observe
Mahaalayapaksha for Pitrus, as we think that our good place in heaven
is linked to it! So what? So will my son and daughter or may not be
too.. So what?


· My grand-parents kept ancestral names to my father. My
father kept my name as Suresh, Ramesh, Mahesh etc for fancy. I keep my
wards name as Akil, Nikil, Tejas, Shreyas etc for easy pronunciation
and corporate appeal. My son will keep his children’s name as
Bob-balsu, Sherin Shriya, Tony Tarun, Mohd Mahesh for universal appeal
depending on whether he is in USA/Europe or Middle-east. So what?


· My Children dislike using words like “Avaa, Ivaa, Aathukku,
Poraelaa, Varaelaa, Jalam / Thootham, etc.” and they shifted to
non-brahminical language like “Veedu, Thanni, Poriyal etc”. So what?


· We don’t like kids addressing us as Maamaa/Mami etc.
Uncle/Aunty sounds better to us. Most of this generation don’t want to
use words like Authukaarar/Aathukaari (not regularly, as a rare quote
too). We don’t know the meaning of Orpudi, naathanaar, Shuddagarr etc.
So what?


· My great grand-mother never uttered my great grand-father’s
name. My grand-mother sometimes called my grand-father as “Indha
Brahmanan” during distress. My mother had no hesitation in telling my
father’s name but called him “Vaango, Pongo”. My wife calls me by name
and “vaada, podaa” more to prove some point than a necessity. So what?


· The age difference between Brahmin couples has narrowed down
since ages. I also see some marriages where the boy is younger than
the girl. So what?


· Marriages were for the keeps during my grand-parent’s times.
My father’s days, one or two marriages ended up in divorce and they
were treated as social out-caste. Today, if slightly provoked, people
go to family courts. My son and daughter may go for pre-nuptial
agreement and courtships. So what?


· Brahmin Society pushed my grand-father to the city for
survival. It pushed my father to other states in India. Society pushed
me outside the country and told me to go to the “U.S.A”. If I did not,
the Brahmin society ridiculed me as incompetent. My son and daughter
wants to stay in the “U.S.A” and most likely will get me a “Durai or
Durasaani” as Mappilai or Maatuponnu. So what?


· My great grand-father never ate in a marriage hall as the
food was prepared by a parjaaragun. My grand-father ate, but my
grand-mother stayed away and prepared her food in “kumutti-aduppu”
along with few others of her age and ate “madi saappadu”. My father
ate in Brahmin and non-Brahmin marriages but stayed Vegetarian. I eat
in all marriages and don’t hesitate to eat “all” types of food
outside! My son would prepare non-veg at home. So what?


· My grand-mother strictly followed madi and aachaara
(Yechall, Patthhu etc). She will ask me to help her to pull out one of
the madi saree from the Kodi with a stick and give it to her (on the
stick) after her bath. My mother knew such practices but never
followed. My wife does not know it. So what?


· My grand-mother stayed in kollaipuram with insects bites,
scary thoughts, weird sounds during her menses period. People cruelly
sent her to the backyard, 3 days a month. My mother was inside the
house in the city but was in a different room. My wife and I live in
apartment and stay side-by-side all the days. So what?


· My grand-father was respected as “Iyeru” by kudiyanavan. My
father was ignored by them as Kudiyanavan’s children started studying.
I studied and work with some of them. When I was young, they made fun
of me as “Iyeru dei”. And teased me and my language. I never reacted
to them; I just bent my head when such things happened. My son is not
and will not be aware of such changes and differences. So what?


· My grand-father married the girl, whom my great grand-father
pointed (and the girl did the same too on her side). He or she had no
choice. My father had the option to see the girls that my grand-father
showed. I selected my wife from matrimony sites; the families not
known to each other in any ways. My son and daughter will select
partner from Coffee shop, DATING sites and courtship. So what?


· Today most Brahmin family (or their cousins) has some
non-Brahmin daughter or son-in-law. Tomorrow, we may start selecting
boy and girl from other communities too. So what?


· My great grand-father went to Kaasi, learnt Vedas and
carried out Purohitham as his profession or brahminical service. He
was living in penury, with kings not there to support such people!
Brahmin society made fun of him as “Yezhai Sastry”. My grand-father
took up government job and my father became a graduate and worked
for a private firm. I did B.Tech & MBA and work for a Global MNC. We
have moved away from the laid out Brahminical norms slowly and
steadily through generations. So what?


Today, all of us call ourselves as “Traditional, Conservative but yet
Modern upbringing”, especially when searching for alliances. I don’t
know what exactly this means. But, I think, this is an inference of
the above summary. If it is, I am one among them too.


I see quite a few elders (must be retired Senior bankers, Government
servants or retired from MNC and definitely not true Sastrigal)
advising youngsters not to go after money but to tread in Brahminical
path. With due respects to them, I see lots of hypocrisy in their
statements. They played the role described as a Father in the previous
summary. I would ask all the elders to take the quote from poet
Kannadasan before advising others. In all of Kannadasan’s books
(especially “Arthamulla Indu madham”) he states on the first page, “I
have lived my life, in ways it should not have been lived. I have the
right to tell others, how life should be lived”.


Most often, we advise others what we never practiced. I feel I am not
worthy enough to advise anybody; so are others! Brahmins have changed;
so did our customs and practices. Our Children inherit from us. They
just echo what we did earlier, but more loudly.


I don’t know if such changes are some kind of progression or erosion
of Brahmin values and ethos. It is arguable whether this is good or
bad. Whatever it is, I am part of it and hence a catalyst. If I want
things to change, I need to change first.


Ummacchi Kanna Kuthum.............




*Thank you!*
**
With warm regards

THIS GUY IS BRAHMIN !!!!

Pure hearted, Sincere, Honest, Truthful, Faithful, Broad hearted, Broad Minded, Frank, Harmless, Long Sighted.

 

[suraju06]

Frankly speaking we humans do not have to worry..warm blooded creatures like us with no known predator besides Mother Nature and our Karma will not easily go extinct like Dinosaurs.

There is a village in Morena,Madhya Pradesh where due to acute gender imbalance...girls less than boys..polyandry up to 10 husbands for a woman is being practiced!

They have surely devised a way to make sure their lineage continues.

Check out this link:

Weird True Facts | Watch the video - Yahoo! India

Dear Renuka,

Morena is home for the long musch, bullet belt across the chest, gun totting Dhaaku of the Chambal valley. No doubt there are less men in the community. The community is always in turmooil and those men who were not finished by the dhakoos were finished by the police force. The offsprings that are born in the polyandry marraiges will all be becoming dhakoos. So this is method adopted by the commun ity to keep the supply of hands for the dhakoo army continuing.

Cheers

 

[suraju06]

THIS GUY IS BRAHMIN !!!!

Pure hearted, Sincere, Honest, Truthful, Faithful, Broad hearted, Broad Minded, Frank, Harmless, Long Sighted.

Hello Iyer,

It would have been better if you had given that this way:

My great grand-father never went to coffee hotel. My
grand-father secretly went to the coffee hotel. My father openly went
to hotel on need basis. I go to hotel everyday for survival; sometimes
to Velu military hotel too! So what?

Survival is possible only by eating meat and chicken. For speaking this truth this guy is Brahmin.He is truthful.
·

My great grand-father never tasted coffee. My grand-father
started having coffee and devised a style for Kumbakonam coffee. My
father has 4 cups a day and gets head-ache (read as addiction to
caffeine) if he misses the turns. He takes tea too. I take all forms
of drinks now! So what?

Being addicted to drinks is being pure hearted. So this guy must be a brahmin for pure heartedness which makes him drink all kind of liquour.
·

My great grand-father piously did 3 times Sandhi. My
grand-father at least did once a day, and sometimes more than that. My
father rarely did Gayatri. But, catches up once a day Sandyavandhanam,
after retirement. I don’t know to do Sandyavandhanam. So what?

This shows how faithful he is. This guy must be a brahmin for this faithfulness.

My grand-father had no hesitations in saying “Abhivadhayae”
in public when he saw elders. My father knew it, but never displayed
it as obedience to elders, in public. Probably, he found that practice
embarrassing. I neither know Abhivadhayae, nor care about it! So what?

This shows how broad minded this guy is. He can only be a brahmin.

When Kingdoms existed, probably Royal families endorsed

Brahmins and supported them. My great grand-father either was ringing
bell in one of the sanctum-sanctorum or helping the Brahmin and Royal
community conduct Hindu rituals. Today, Kingdom doesn’t exist and
Brahmins rendering such service are rare; those who render such
service do it for a big fee. So what?

How frank he is! This guy must be a brahmin.

Today’s Sastrigal don’t do Sandhi regularly and do not

follow Brahminical norms. They treat their work as job and recite &
conduct rituals and go; sometimes [COLOR=#DA7911 !important]cut it short[/COLOR], if they know, we don’t
know! They treat their appearance, with small [COLOR=#DA7911 !important]tuft[/COLOR] of late, as their
dress code only and carry no sanctity. They eat in hotels and chew
paan/gutka. Some are regulars in TASMAC shops too. This is being
treated now as a profession and [COLOR=#DA7911 !important]not service[/COLOR]. So what? I have
hesitation in calling them and even if I do, have reservations in
falling at their feet. So what?

What a depth of knowledge about people. This guy must be a brahmin.

My great grand-father was sporting a

tuft and shaved his
beard clean. My grand-father removed the tuft and sported a
cropped-hair but still was clean shaven. My father sported a moustache
with a loose cut during his younger days. I sport a Goatee and
sometimes a full beard; I [COLOR=#DA7911 !important]color my hair[/COLOR] black routinely. Some of those
bald headed Brahmins, sport a wig even. So what?

Again depth of knowledge. Must be a brahmin.
·

My grand-mother showed perfect obedience to her in-laws,

despite her in-laws and naathanaar tortures. My mother showed little
restraint and moved away decade later. My wife and I started our
family as “Thani kudithanam” from Day 1. When I [COLOR=#DA7911 !important]search alliance[/COLOR] for my
son, I will tell them openly during engagement, to move away after
marriage. I will start looking for an old-age home for myself. I know,
what is sent, comes back!

Broad hearted and broadminded. This guy can not be anything but a brahmin.

My father prostrated without hesitations to elders. I do it

when insisted by my parents. My children will never do it. So what?
When my parents come to my home, they are not welcomed.
Years later, when they departed, my wife asked me to observe
Mahaalayapaksha for Pitrus, as we think that our good place in heaven
is linked to it! So what? So will my son and daughter or may not be
too.. So what?

Very longsighted. Can only be a brahmin. Of course will have to wear power glasses.

My grand-parents kept ancestral names to my father. My

father kept my name as Suresh, Ramesh, Mahesh etc for fancy. I keep my
wards name as Akil, Nikil, Tejas, Shreyas etc for easy pronunciation
and corporate appeal. My son will keep his children’s name as
Bob-balsu, Sherin Shriya, Tony Tarun, Mohd Mahesh for universal appeal
depending on whether he is in USA/Europe or Middle-east. So what?

Very broadminded. He may even keep names like Gospel Veer,Pak-i-Aman. Can be only a broadminded brahmin.

My Children dislike using words like “Avaa, Ivaa, Aathukku,

Poraelaa, Varaelaa, Jalam / Thootham, etc.” and they shifted to
non-brahminical language like “Veedu, Thanni, Poriyal etc”. So what?
We don’t like kids addressing us as Maamaa/Mami etc.
Uncle/Aunty sounds better to us. Most of this generation don’t want to
use words like Authukaarar/Aathukaari (not regularly, as a rare quote
too). We don’t know the meaning of Orpudi, naathanaar, Shuddagarr etc.
So what?

Very broadminded indeed. In course of time his son and grandson/granddaughter will address him poda vada etc., and that will be great.

My great grand-mother never uttered my great grand-father’s

name. My grand-mother sometimes called my grand-father as “Indha
Brahmanan” during distress. My mother had no hesitation in telling my
father’s name but called him “Vaango, Pongo”. My wife calls me by name
and “vaada, podaa” more to prove some point than a necessity. So what?

Broadminded. He will sure get goosepimples when his grandson/granddaughter calls him hey olman or in tamil enna kizhava. who else other than a brahmin can take all that with equanimity!!

The age difference between Brahmin couples has narrowed down

since ages. I also see some marriages where the boy is younger than
the girl. So what?
Marriages were for the keeps during my grand-parent’s times.
My father’s days, one or two marriages ended up in divorce and they
were treated as social out-caste. Today, if slightly provoked, people
go to [COLOR=#DA7911 !important]family courts[/COLOR]. My son and daughter may go for pre-nuptial
agreement and courtships. So what?

When his granddaughter gets pregnant before marriage and comes home to report that her boy friend had left her he will only have to go to the nearest river and take a bath and forget. a broadminded brahmin indeed.

Brahmin Society pushed my grand-father to the city for

survival. It pushed my father to other states in India. Society pushed
me outside the country and told me to go to the “U.S.A”. If I did not,
the Brahmin society ridiculed me as incompetent. My son and daughter
wants to stay in the “U.S.A” and most likely will get me a “Durai or
Durasaani” as Mappilai or Maatuponnu. So what?
My great grand-father never ate in a marriage hall as the
food was prepared by a parjaaragun. My grand-father ate, but my
grand-mother stayed away and prepared her food in “kumutti-aduppu”
along with few others of her age and ate “madi saappadu”. My father
ate in Brahmin and non-Brahmin marriages but stayed Vegetarian. I eat
in all marriages and don’t hesitate to eat “all” types of food
outside! My son would prepare non-veg at home. So what?

very modern in outlook indeed. When his dorrasani naattuppen asks for the chicken to be got ready for cooking his grand children would run after the chicken catch it , kill it by just one twist of the neck, defeather it and give it to the mother. While the mongoloid cousins of them would catch the next door neighbour's dog and finish it to get it ready for dinner. a modern family indeed. Can only be a brahmin familhy.

My grand-mother strictly followed madi and aachaara

(Yechall, Patthhu etc). She will ask me to help her to pull out one of
the madi saree from the Kodi with a stick and give it to her (on the
stick) after her bath. My mother knew such practices but never
followed. My wife does not know it. So what?
My grand-mother stayed in kollaipuram with insects bites,
scary thoughts, weird sounds during her menses period. People cruelly
sent her to the backyard, 3 days a month. My mother was inside the
house in the city but was in a different room. My wife and I live in
apartment and stay side-by-side all the days. So what?
My grand-father was respected as “Iyeru” by kudiyanavan. My
father was ignored by them as Kudiyanavan’s children started studying.
I studied and work with some of them. When I was young, they made fun
of me as “Iyeru dei”. And teased me and my language. I never reacted
to them; I just bent my head when such things happened. My son is not
and will not be aware of such changes and differences. So what?
My grand-father married the girl, whom my great grand-father
pointed (and the girl did the same too on her side). He or she had no
choice. My father had the option to see the girls that my grand-father
showed. I selected my wife from matrimony sites; the families not
known to each other in any ways. My son and daughter will select
partner from Coffee shop, DATING sites and courtship. So what?
Today most Brahmin family (or their cousins) has some
non-Brahmin daughter or son-in-law. Tomorrow, we may start selecting
boy and girl from other communities too. So what?

All this are modern outlook. Only a brahmin can have it.

My great grand-father went to Kaasi, learnt Vedas and
carried out Purohitham as his profession or brahminical service. He
as living in penury, with kings not there to support such people!
Brahmin society made fun of him as “Yezhai Sastry”. My grand-father
took up government job and my father became a graduate and worked
for a private firm. I did B.Tech & MBA and work for a Global MNC. We
have moved away from the laid out Brahminical norms slowly and
steadily through generations. So what?
Today, all of us call ourselves as “Traditional, Conservative but yet
Modern upbringing”, especially when searching for alliances. I don’t
know what exactly this means. But, I think, this is an inference of
the above summary. If it is, I am one among them too.

Very frank indeed. So can be a brahmin only. I wish all the brahmin become butchers so that the process gets completed. With that unique qualification they can get a job anywhere in the world.

I see quite a few elders (must be retired Senior bankers, Government

servants or retired from MNC and definitely not true Sastrigal)
advising youngsters not to go after money but to tread in Brahminical
path. With due respects to them, I see lots of hypocrisy in their
statements. They played the role described as a Father in the previous
summary. I would ask all the elders to take the quote from poet
Kannadasan before advising others. In all of Kannadasan’s books
(especially “Arthamulla Indu madham”) he states on the first page, “I
have lived my life, in ways it should not have been lived. I have the
right to tell others, how life should be lived”.

What a brilliance. Only a brahmin can quote such inanities from an alcoholic Kannadasans outpourings in a moment of his weakness.

Most often, we advise others what we never practiced. I feel I am not

worthy enough to advise anybody; so are others! Brahmins have changed;
so did our customs and practices. Our Children inherit from us. They
just echo what we did earlier, but more loudly.

I deny to you whatever I do not have. I am a brahmin.

I don’t know if such changes are some kind of progression or erosion

of Brahmin values and ethos. It is arguable whether this is good or
bad. Whatever it is, I am part of it and hence a catalyst. If I want
things to change, I need to change first.
Ummacchi Kanna Kuthum.............

i don't know. But I am sure. That is why I am a Brahmin. Ummachchi kanna kuthum....thannoda kanna.


Cheers.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

How little do we know our Gods/Goddesses. This is clear from this part of the O.P.

father kept my name as Suresh, Ramesh, Mahesh etc for fancy. I keep my
wards name as Akil, Nikil, Tejas, Shreyas etc for easy pronunciation
and corporate appeal. [/QUOTE/

Bhavani Ashtakam

Prajesam, Ramesam, Mahesam, Suresam,

Dhinesam, Nisidheswaram vaa kadachit,

Na janami chanyath sadaham saranye,

Gathisthwam, Gathisthwam thwam ekaa Bhavani

Neither Do I know the creator,

Nor the Lord of Lakshmi,

Neither do I know the lord of all,

Nor do I know the lord of devas,

Neither do I know the God who makes the day,

Nor the God who rules at night,

Neither do I know any other Gods,

Oh, Goddess to whom I bow always,

So you are my refuge and my only refuge, Bhavani

Suresh - Indra

Ramesh - Vishnu

Mahesh - Siva

 

[prasad1]

Mr. Raju and Mr. Nachi,
Thanks for talking time to tear apart an opinion of a new member. Of course that is might be the TB way of treating a newcomer to your house.
The gist of the post which the poster clearly pointed out is an e-mail from some other source, was that values are changing, and like Mr. Govinda said you adapt to survive.
Instead of nitpicking his spelling or style of writing why not look at the broader picture. If anyone thinks that his value has remained the same as his grandfather, then they are not being truthful.

 

[Govinda]

was that values are changing, and like Mr. Govinda said you adapt to survive.

Prasad Sir,

If we adapt ONLY to survive and NOT to craze/graze, must of our and society's problems would vanish.

We just adapted to more than what is needed for survival!

 

[limat]

Mr. Raju and Mr. Nachi,
Thanks for talking time to tear apart an opinion of a new member. Of course that is might be the TB way of treating a newcomer to your house.
The gist of the post which the poster clearly pointed out is an e-mail from some other source, was that values are changing, and like Mr. Govinda said you adapt to survive.
Instead of nitpicking his spelling or style of writing why not look at the broader picture. If anyone thinks that his value has remained the same as his grandfather, then they are not being truthful.

Thank you sir.
I am sure it helps that we can postulate our ideal views, even though we lead totally different values in real life.
I am sure these gentlemen would like to live their forgathers life but have adapted to modern days values in their personal life.

 

[biswa]

How little do we know our Gods/Goddesses. This is clear from this part of the O.P.

Bhavani Ashtakam


Suresh - Indra

Ramesh - Vishnu

Mahesh - Siva

I think you quite missed the point here. Nobody is disputing that Suresh, Ramesh, Mahesh are names of Hindu gods. However they are not quite the same as Devarajan, Venkateshwaran, or Vishwanathan as may have been favorite names for the previous generation. The point is the shortening and simplification presumably to make them more palatable to non-Tamilians.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka,

Morena is home for the long musch, bullet belt across the chest, gun totting Dhaaku of the Chambal valley. No doubt there are less men in the community. The community is always in turmooil and those men who were not finished by the dhakoos were finished by the police force. The offsprings that are born in the polyandry marraiges will all be becoming dhakoos. So this is method adopted by the commun ity to keep the supply of hands for the dhakoo army continuing.

Cheers

Dear Suraju ji,

Sounds like the movie Gangs of Wasseypur where its all gang fights..purely Rajasic place huh?LOL

 

[suraju06]

Mr. Raju and Mr. Nachi,
Thanks for talking time to tear apart an opinion of a new member. Of course that is might be the TB way of treating a newcomer to your house.
The gist of the post which the poster clearly pointed out is an e-mail from some other source, was that values are changing, and like Mr. Govinda said you adapt to survive.
Instead of nitpicking his spelling or style of writing why not look at the broader picture. If anyone thinks that his value has remained the same as his grandfather, then they are not being truthful.

My dear friend Prasad,

Now I understand equivocation is also contageous! My first reply to limat, the new comer, was at a different level and it took into account the fact that limat or tamil was a newbie. You have missed that and another point too that limat said he identifies himself with what is said in the email received by him. I have mentioned this right in the beginning of my first reply to limat. The second reply was necessitated when an iyer butted in to tell us what a brahmin should be like. My second reply was in that context. Sad that you missed the purport.

Each one can interpret the changing values in his own way and take advantage of it. Today a brahmin can say I drink vodka and bloody mary because times have changed. Tomorrow he can hunt and find out the joint in my town which offers a special service for a hefty fee. There he can get a single sting from a snake from the Amazons on his tongue which sends him on a high which no cocaine shot can equal. He can still call it the handiwork of that alchemist called time. Every brahmin will do his sandhi and then come and stand in the queue to get the sting. after all it is only adapting which is needed in seeking pleasure. In course of time this will become a new value in my value system. And when the conscience occasionally comes alive and stirs, we can all silence it saying we are all adapting for survival (without drinking alcohol or eating meat or getting a shot of cocaine how can any one survive!!)

And the worst part is, if someone criticises this kind of madness (i.e.allowing unwanted and harmful values surreptitiously getting into the value system) intellectuals who are addicted to equivocation will come in with their shining armors and sharp weaponry to call it nitpicking and start an attrition/combat.

The ways of the world are strange indeed.

Cheers.

 

[sarang]

More by mannerism than by face. I wish all jatis including brahmins retain their unique cultural exclusiveness.

Even in India my fellow Indian friends too could detect a person's community just by looking at their faces.

 

[arunarani76]

it is not only brahmins their way of thinking n living that have changed . everything in life has changed along with technology, science, interacting globally.
other religions also have the same problem.

this is mainly because our way of thinking,living,looking at things of life, our priority outlook all have undergone lots of change. some view it as for the good n some do not

what ever it is life goes on n we life according to our thoughts
we have to do what is best to our religion,our culture n sect to see it come up

 

[sangom]

it is not only brahmins their way of thinking n living that have changed . everything in life has changed along with technology, science, interacting globally.
other religions also have the same problem.

this is mainly because our way of thinking,living,looking at things of life, our priority outlook all have undergone lots of change. some view it as for the good n some do not

what ever it is life goes on n we life according to our thoughts
we have to do what is best to our religion,our culture n sect to see it come up

Smt. / kum. (?) Arunarani76,

You will kindly observe that the reference in the OP is not to the Hindu religion but to the so-called "Brahmin Ethos" which has been described (in the OP) with reference to some twenty or so aspects of our way of life and how these have changed during the last three generations.

I see that you are a member of this forum from 2009 but mostly a reading member perhaps. In terms of length of membership period, I am junior to you. Therefore kindly don't take offence if my words are not acceptable to you.

In this forum there is a "spectre-like" image of 'brahminism' hovering around. It is a very short-sighted view or imagination, to put it more appropriately because this imagination is not at all backed up by a knowledge of the brahmin ways of life, say, during the vedic period. Some members seem to have taken some sample/s from the 19th. or 18th. century, of brahmins that too in the agraharams of those periods and they talk about all the changes that have come since then as fall in brahmin ethos. But I am sure that such pro-brahminic members are also leading a modern life as much as the "I" of the OP. The pro-brahminic stand taken here is perhaps to satisfy their egos that they have made amends to whatever sins they are committing by straying away from their own specification of pure brahminic life (for the consumption of the forum).

So, kindly don't get carried away by the OP or other posts extolling the virtues of the so-called "brahminis way of life" and its virtues etc.

 

[suraju06]

Dear Arunarani,

This has reference to post #115.

A shrill voice always attracts the attention. You have heard a shrill voice which has remained that way in this forum for quite sometime. When it says "twenty or so aspects of our way of life" without any qualification, please take it with a pinch of salt. It is not "our" way of life for many brahmins here. The majority of young brahmins do not take all kind of liquour for sheer survival. The majority of parents are not shunted out by their children in brahmin families yet. The majority of brahmins do not eat meat and pork for "survival" in this world. These may be "aspects of our way of life" for some here but not for the majority of brahmins. There are other ways of looking at the subject too. So the pinch of salt.

The brahmin way of life as filtered out by some one from the scriptures is claimed to be the true brand and promoted in this forum to the exclusion of other interpretations of the same scriptures. Some time these champions speak as if they remember everything from their poorvajanma in vedic period and expect you to take whatever interpretations they present. Some other members here speaking from their more recent experience(janma or no janma) is not acceptable to these people because they can not get rid of their "vedic period poorva janma vasana". These people believe and would like us to believe that agraharams were isolated islands surrounded by sea with no contact whatsoever with the rest of the society/civilization. For them believing that brahmins these days living in their flats in metros or living in foreign countries can lead disciplined life with their traditional values in tact, is impossible. Even if a specimen of a brahmin(though such a specimen may be rare to find today) with a tuft, panchamachcham and vibhuti/pundram in their forehead or flowing beards wearing a kAshAyam in saffron comes and talks to them in vedic sanskrit about a certain yajna they would not accept him as a brahmin because he is wearing his clothes which are made of GM cotton fibre. This is the hair-splitting strange outlook of these people. These are all 'brahmins' but every day when they get up and see their face in the mirror they hate whatever they see there in it and come here with that mind set. So they will divide brahmins into several categories like pure brahmins, impure brahmins, week-end brahmins, month-end brahmins and what not. They will advise you strongly against getting carried away (is it not a brahmins ego, or is it the ego of one who denies he is a brahmin? in display here which thinks you are such a dumb to get carried away, that you have no brains or that you are just hare brained).

You have joined this forum more or less at the same time when I joined here. Having stated the purvapaksha now I come to my argument proper. You will find here arguments by people like me which is at variance with arguments of people like Sangom Sir. We are not people who come here with any superiority complex without any basis. We are not blind to changes that have been brought about in the society by science and technology. We are not those who live in our ivory towers in isolation. We are people who change with time. We are people who have an open mind about change that is inevitable or necessary. We are also people who are careful about evaluating a new value before allowing it to get into our system and become part of our core values in course of time. We know we have among us people who want us to give up every thing and embrace the "new life" with all its obnoxious features. We fight the battle at two fronts. One with the change itself which is pressing us hard to accept it in toto and the other is the front in which we have people from this myopic change brigade who want us to give up every thing and jump into the sea. If you happen to meet me you will not be surprised to find that I am a man who has had modern education(in popular parlance), who has friends from all castes and exchange home visits with all of them, who takes a cup of coffee every day morning and evening, see movies in theaters with family just for the fun of it, who wears modern dress ( if a coat, pant and shirt is that), who employs people of different castes in the business in order to earn a living etc., But you will find that I am also a brahmin who gets up in the morning irrespective of the season, who takes his bath first thing in the morning without fail, who does sandhyavandanam (if you know what it is , it is ok otherwise it is enough if you take it as the first morning prayer), who is pious and does a brief pooja at home, eats satvik food (no non-veg, no egg, moderate in salt and every other taste, freshly cooked offered to God first, stick to my values like not telling a lie and if forced to tell that just moving away from the situation rather than going against my dharma, never harming any one knowingly,making money only with what I have to offer to others and not appropriating any thing in greed, living as a leader of the family, bringing up my children as good individuals etc., I claim I am a brahmin. My friend may point out a hundred holes in all these and many other similar things that I do and my claim to brahminhood. But I do not care. This is better than what he interprets with his limited knowledge (because of passage of time)as true brahmin values on the basis of a distant doubtful unclear filtered "scriptural heritage". It is there only in his fertile mind. So beware of free liberal advice that come unsolicited and make your own judgments.

Cheers.​

 

[sarang]

Very aptly said, just like a sutra.
Learn and practice to the extent possible with a desire to progress in the path.
Ignore detractors and sour souls.

we have to do what is best to our religion,our culture n sect to see it come up

 

[Raji Ram]

Smt. / kum. (?) Arunarani76,......

Here is the answer, Sir!

i am a tamil iyengar my native place is cuvalavelli but am living in chennai with my husband. we love to visit divyadesam temples & read abt them & photos of the lords. love to communicate with people of similar interests

 

[sangom]

Here is the answer, Sir!

Thanks you, smt. Rajiram.