Who will marry our priests
The other day, I had been to a VEDA_PAATHASHAALA in Kerala,
where they impart VEDIC education in the four Vedas, esp the
YAJURVEDA, with the prime objective of creating highly trained
priests and trained VEDIC chanters for conduct of various Hindu
functions and rituals.
As a NRI, and also a trained YAJURVEDI myself, I find lots
of peace and solace whenever I'm able to give back to such
great institutions providing the priests of our great religion
who are important cogs of our faith, without whom we would all
be lost.
I was impressed at the number of young men training
enthusiastically in the Vedas and the chief old priest welcomed
my modest donation. And then he added with a wry
smile.
NRI Hindus like you and other well to do Hindus in India
come here and give us lots of money and resources for our Vedic
school and we are no doubt indebted to them. BUT
NOBODY GIVES US GIRLS IN MARRIAGE FOR ALL
THIS ELIGIBLE YOUNG MEN HERE, EVEN THE HIGHEST
QUALIFIED PRIESTS..WHY? ? AREN"T THESE YOUNG MEN NOT GOOD
AS ANY DOCTOR OR LAWYER OUT THERE BY VIRTUE OF EXCELLING IN THE
VEDAS, THE ENGINE OF OUR HINDU CULTURE. WHY DOES OUR
SOCIETY GIVE THESE YOUNG MEN SECONDARY STATUS AND LOOK DOWN UPON
THEIR PROFESSION?? , the old priest asked and set
me thinking.
YES: THE OLD PRIEST WAS VERY RIGHT. WE DO NOT WANT
OUR SISTERS/DAUGHTERS TO GET MARRIED TO ANY PRIEST EVEN IF THE
PRIEST IS WELL QUALIFIED IN THE VEDAS AND EVEN HAS GOOD INCOME.
EVEN YOUNG HINDU GIRLS, MESMERIZED BY WESTERN VALUES AND
FASHION DO NOT WANT TO MARRY PRIESTS... WHY???
And immediately my thoughts went to their counterparts in
other religions
and what I see is this:
THE MULLAH, THE RABBI, THE
FATHER, HAVE GOT MUCH MUCH BETTER STATUS IN THEIR SOCIETIES AND
CIRCLES THAN OUR HINDU PRIESTS. MANY OF THE MUSLIMS FEEL
THAT IT IS THE HIGHEST HONOR IF THEIR DAUGHTERS/SISTERS COULD
GET NIKAAH WITH A MAULVI WELL VERSED IN THE KORAN.
And here I mention my encounter with
a multimillionaire Jewish business from Australia (where I
live) proudly sending his two sons to Israel to get
trained in a Jewish Seminary where they could choose to
become highly qualified rabbis, should they deem so. I
then asked this businessman as to whether he would have
any objections if his sons became Rabbis instead of joining him
in his business or taking up other-so-called- made-it
occupations. For this the businessman replied without
hesitation: I WILL BE THE MOST FORTUNATE FATHER IF MY SONS
BECOME QUALIFIED RABBIS."
And then I wondered: HOW MANY
RICH HINDUS WILLINGLY SEND THEIR SONS TO VEDA PAATHASHAALAS WITH
THE SOLE INTENTION OF MAKING THEM PRIESTS???
THE ANSWER: ZILCH... AND THIS
IS A MATTER OF GREAT SHAME FOR ALL HINDUS.
AND WE TALK OF SURVIVAL OF HINDUISM
IN BHARAT WHEN WE DO NOT GIVE A DAMN FOR EVEN OUR GENUINELY WELL
QUALIFIED PRIESTS????
MASTERING THE VEDAS IS AS PROFOUND
AND EVEN HIGHER THAN BECOMING A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER OR A
SCIENTIST...
THERE IS AN IRONIC SIGN IN Udupi AND
IT READS:
HERE PRIESTS AND COOKS CAN NEVER GET
MARRIED!!!
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