From: cco.caltech.edu!vidya (Vidyasankar Sundaresan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: Who is a Brahmin (Thuglak Cho)
Date: 16 Nov 1992 04:19:57 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: roo.caltech.edu
Originator: vidya@roo

In article <00963A84.815DCA60@vms.csd.mu.edu> 5292balajim@vms.csd.mu.edu  
writes:
- In article <19045.2b064cf5@ecs.umass.edu>, vigneswa@ecs.umass.edu  
writes:
- 
- >	Cho writes a serial in his fortnightly magazine Thuglak.  He 
- 
- 	Anyway I could get copies of Thuglak here ?? I read the first
- few chapters of " YENGE BRAAMMANAN" in India. I was much impressed with
- the way CHO wrote them in his own inimicable style. Actually this serial
- was written first by him 10 years back or so (I am not quite sure about  
the
- exact date). Now he is modifying and adding certain things to make it 
- more relevant to the present day society.
- 
- >	"Then how can you be called a brahmin?  Performing the yagas
- >themselves and let others do the same, involve himself in the prayer
- >for the betterment of world, etc are important for a brahmin, aren't
- >they? The aim of a brahmin is not earning money, right? If we see in
- >that way, who  is brahmin now?  People  like my dad's  only  goal is
- >earning money.  Some others earn money at least for normal living by 
- >working at offices or by  doing some business.  People like you earn
- >something by performing rituals.  Among all these who is eligible to
- >call himself a brahmin?"
- 	
- 	Any opinions from the netters for this question?
- 
- 	-- balaji.
- 	5292balajim@vms.csd.mu.edu
- 



The articles by Cho, translated and put on the network make very  
interesting reading. They show how confused we all are regarding many  
things. Firstly, it is not true that a Brahmin should not accept money for  
performing rituals. Let me point out that a Brahmin's 'dakshina', i.e. the  
money or presents in kind that he receives after performing a ritual for a  
'yajaman' is only 'payment for services rendered'. Just as you cannot buy  
clothing without paying the tailor, just as you cannot buy shoes without  
paying the cobbler, similarly you cannot buy whatever it is you want by  
performing a ritual without paying the Brahmin who conducted that ritual  
for you. 

Consequently, it is not at all true for Brahmins to keep complaining that  
'the Brahmins lived off the fat of the land', nor is it necessary for  
Brahmins to feel guilty about accepting money for performing a ritual.  
Note that this explanation applies only to those who care to get such  
rituals done. If I am not interested in getting some ritual say marriage  
or naming of a child etc. done in the traditional way, I don't need the  
services of an officiating Brahmin. I wonder how such rituals as marriage  
or naming of a child affect the rest of the world, for better or for  
worse. If a 'true' Brahmin is interested only in performing rituals for  
the betterment of the world, then how will a patron (yajaman) get the  
rituals for self-interest done? 

The confusion about this stems from our attitudes about money. It is not  
wrong to make money so long as you work honestly to earn that money. It is  
wrong to defraud someone else of his money. Thus, a Brahmin who accepts  
money for performing one of those so called rituals for the betterment of  
the world is in reality not a true Brahmin. He knows in his heart that  
such a ritual is not effective to make the world a better place in  
reality. Yet he does the ritual and accepts money for it. He is not a true  
Brahmin. However a Brahmin who conducts a marriage ritual or a funeral  
service is doing something good for the people involved. His acceptance of  
money for performing such a ritual does not detract from his  
'Brahmin'hood. Interested people, go and read the stories of Vasishta,  
Agastya, Vishwamitra etc.. 

S.Vidyasankar