Egotistical Brahmins

In one of our earlier blogs I had promised to write about the egotistical Brahmins, and what better time to choose, than now, just fresh from the visit to Sringeri J

Though being a Brahmin myself, I chose to write on this topic, to show the mindset of majority of them, who are shallow and hollow (incidentally I was one of them J or should it be L). This may open a can of worms.

I call them egotistical because, many of them don’t even know what the system they follow is called. What is sanatana dharma, or for that matter, why do they wear the angavastram (the upper cloth) leaving the right shoulder open (called yoga vastram J, and this many, I am sure, don’t know), when we meet the Acharya, enter the temple or while performing a karma. It is not the ignorance that I am driving at, though a point is made here with reference to it; it is the ego in spite of it (ignorance) which we are talking about here.

How many of them perform the sandhya vandana that is supposed to be a nitya (daily) karma, and not performing it over a period of time, actually disqualifies one from Brahmin-hood. and this is the minimal karma which gives the eligibility for one to perform the other karmas, or even to chant other mantras.

What one is supposed to do as a Brahmin, what is his life style supposed to be, what is that he is gifted with.

When asked about the religious text of Christian, Muslim or the other not very well known religions, they have the right answers. How many of us even know that the primary religious text of Hindus is not Bhagavad Gita, which is shown in the movies for the Hindus to swear upon, but the Vedas.

How many of them know what a Veda is. How many of them know how many Vedas are there, how many of them know what constitutes a Veda.  How many of them know what an Upanishad is, and why are they different from the other section of the Vedas.

How many of us, talking about the one who is eligible, perform the karmas for the pitrus (ancestors), or do we at the least know, there are karmas to be performed for them.

How many of us know how many samskaras (and this is not a greek or latin word) are there, that one has to undergo, or has undergone in a life time.

It is very pathetic, to call one a Brahmin, and not even know the meaning of it (what or who is a Brahmin).

The list of ignorance is not limited to this. And by writing this I am not sponsoring or supporting a Brahminical vision. As Bhagavan Bhashyakara says “brahmanatvasya hi rakshane rakshita syat vaidiko dharma, tadadhinatvat varna-ashrama-bhedanam“ (only when the Brahmin-hood is well preserved, the Vaidic dharma is also nicely maintained, because the different castes and lifestyles are dependent on that).

Smart Mauni says “The one with the said knowledge will have no Ego, and the one who has Ego, definitely does not possess the knowledge”.