discussion on old ways

Brahmins should get up at Brahma Muhurta

However, the life of a Brahmin was the most difficult. As per the Shastras (holy books) their duties comprised of teaching, learning, performing Yajna (vedic rituals), accept charity and give charity.

The typical daily schedule of a Brahmin, according to the Sastras, is described as following:

• A Brahmin must get up two hours before the sunrise (Brahma muhurta).

• After getting up, he cleans his teeth, bathes in cold water and performs prayer

• Next he performs rites or sacrifices to the gods

• Next is the daily study and chanting of the Vedas

• In the second part of the daytime, the Brahmin must teach his disciples the Vedas

• Afterwards he must gather flowers himself for the worship he is to perform.

• Since he is not expected to earn a salary, he must beg for his food and also for the materials for the conduct of various sacrifices.

Shastras gave Brahmins the right to beg for their food and other requirements. They were not expected to accumulate wealth and own lands. They must donate excess charity to the priests. Brahmins were permitted to eat only Sattvik or simple food which included raw fruits and vegetables, milk, and limited cereals.

The daily schedule, eating habits and duties prescribed for Brahmins, were based on long experience of Indian philosophers. They had understood that the only method to create divine or eternal knowledge was to rise above the worldly pleasures of senses.

This is reported as a stipulation....but nowadays brahmins don't worship god so intensely at least publicly because of the anti-racist feelings unleashed by the Dravidian parties of Tamil Nadu.Many have become scientists and contribute to society.but the non-brahmins occupy business and other vocations including politics and try to amass wealth.Even today brahmin shines in his work and is dutiful in majority.He shows higher morals and integrity.

Posted by Venkat at 6:01 AM

All in the Iyer's culture of Tamil Brahmins.

Tamil brahmin mamis don't pronounce tamil as the majority of the Tamilians do.The Brahmin tamil has some intonations and words which are from old tamil literature and some are laced with sanskrit words and intonation. This separates many brahmins from non-brahmins.....

Those brahmins who live in rural areas and interact with non-brahmins in the market and profession turn into half non-brahmin way of pronouncing tamil. Slang of the brahmins are different from that of the local non-brahmin tamils.

The carnatic music has been the preserve of the brahmins in the south of all sountern languages.Here also they use some intonation not acceptable to the non-brahmin majority. Even referring to an elderly female they say "Mami" while the non-brahmins say "AAtha" or "Amma".

These differences and many habits like shunning non-vegetarian way of cooking and eating has created cultural delineations which distinguish the minority.

Even amongst brahmins Iyengars preach one thing and practise another.They say that their way of worship is superior. Shiva has united Iyers with all castes in Tamil Nadu.Historically looking at this Ramanuja converted even several dalits into Vaishnavites.this shows the color difference in Iyengars which is highly prominent. If you look into the history of Iyengars toying with chrisitians during British period in India some more strands of evidences arise on color differences

Iyers and Iyengars...........Dasavatharam.

For tamil brahmin cause he has not done anything.He is subtly belittling the Iyers as if Iyengars are more faithful to God by quoting historicalevidence.In the mash up known as Dhasavatharam Kamala Hasan has shown Iyengars as matyrs and the Chola king as villain.

What really happend is far away from what is shown on the screen.

Iyengars were too much against Lord Shiva. Even some Iyengars have averred Him as a beggar with a bowl and burnt ashes. While Iyengars use Zeolites as the thiruman while Iyers use Oxides of metals. Iyengars advocate the hedonism of Vishnu to mobilise forces.While
Iyers preach renunciation and were nearer to the definition of brhamins in scriptures, Iyengars preach admiration of God with pleasure and wealth. Economics is the basis of life is realised by Iyengars earlier and they are highly materialistic and turned so earlier in history than the Iyers.
Later they are so selfish that even brahminism has been neglected by them.Persons like Rajaji did not help brahmins much except for improvement of his image and existence.

Brahmins and Polygamy

Some epics mention about polygamy.Most of the kings who had many wives are kshatyrias and not Brahmins.

Even if the brahmins had more wives to propagate race they were exceptions. Further in the process of natural selection having many wives is a natural instinct and vice versa. Why then having fun in the garb of hedonism in all the countries particularly western?

Some say that dravidians as distinct from Brahimns(becaz they classify them as aryans) had one wife norm.It is not welfounded on facts.what about "parathiayar" in the Dravidian culture.Also "chinnavedu" was and is prevalent more with dravidians than the Brahmins.Some exceptions will always be there. But the moralistic culture advocated by Thiruvaluvar and many Tamil classics can be explained as the need of that hour was didactic literature.

These saints wanted the world to be moralistic in their way because there was deterioration in the society with poligamies and even parathiyars and chinnavedus.That culture should not be forgotten.
I agree that aryans brought in Soma Bhanam he wine or Bangh. But are these are brahmins? Not at all.
Regarding skin colour etc I agree that climate and even DNA plays a role mutually reinforcing each other.

Again I mention Haplotype research which writes the history of genetic origin. Power which is physical or economical or others can take turns rule the opinion of the world. genetic history of the Brahmins or dravidians cannot be obliterated by political movements.

Brahmins and Polygamy

Some epics mention about polygamy.Most of the kings who had many wives are kshatyrias and not Brahmins.

Even if the brahmins had more wives to propagate race they were exceptions. Further in the process of natural selection having many wives is a natural instinct and vice versa. Why then having fun in the garb of hedonism in all the countries particularly western?

Some say that dravidians as distinct from Brahimns(becaz they classify them as aryans) had one wife norm.It is not welfounded on facts.what about "parathiayar" in the Dravidian culture.Also "chinnavedu" was and is prevalent more with dravidians than the Brahmins.Some exceptions will always be there. But the moralistic culture advocated by Thiruvaluvar and many Tamil classics can be explained as the need of that hour was didactic literature.

These saints wanted the world to be moralistic in their way because there was deterioration in the society with poligamies and even parathiyars and chinnavedus.That culture should not be forgotten.
I agree that aryans brought in Soma Bhanam he wine or Bangh. But are these are brahmins? Not at all.
Regarding skin colour etc I agree that climate and even DNA plays a role mutually reinforcing each other.

Again I mention Haplotype research which writes the history of genetic origin. Power which is physical or economical or others can take turns rule the opinion of the world. genetic history of the Brahmins or dravidians cannot be obliterated by political movements.