sastras and traditions

When I posted the simple type of Ganapthi Homam in an elite group, a rejoinder was issued that it was impracticable and a person queried wheter the method was according to Sastras. I dont know which sastras.. Sastras begin with vedas and smrithis, grihya, sroutha dharma sootras, and agamaas, various right and left practices, tantric practices,,,,and a plethora of many other written and oral traditions. The practices can vary from person to person and family to family. I am reproducing the text of my reply, for the benefits of this group, because it contains a nice story of mahaganapathy among other things. Namaskaram, Sastram covers a huge gamut of subjects. Shruthis, Smrithis, Agamaas, and so many subsidiary texts. No one can say for sure that any ritual is covered entirely by all the saastraas because Saastraas conflict with one another. The practices in Kerala usually is a mixture of local practices and also for the tamil migrants the practices from tamil nadu. The basic necessity for ganapathi homam is offering the naivedyam to the ganapathy invoked in agni with moolamanthram. The other embellishments were invented by loukikas and vaideekas according to their conveniences. Even the usual panachayatana pooja is a mixture of traditions and the sastras as you and Mr.xxx refer to. The ingredients mentioned by me are definitely according to Saastras.. The aavaahanam, shodasopachara pooja etc are according to smartha vidhis. but the moola manthram is in fact tantric. And faith is not entirely dependent on the sastras. The kerala saint Naraanathu branthan has proved this, especially in the case of Ganapathi. In a place called Indannoor near Malappuram even now Ganesha is worshiped on a faded picture drawn on a wall. There is ganapathi pratishta in the temple and it is subsidiary . What happened was that the nambudiris who had invoked the ganesha in kumbhas had gone for a jalasparsam(passing urine) and the mad saint Naranathu branthan came that way and he is said to have seen ganesha struggling inside the kumbam and eager to free the god, he simply drew a picture of the ganapathi on the wall and threw the kalasa water on it sayin Inno, pidicho kombaa.. that is " you the tusker on the wall, hold this water" and the lord simply held out his trunk and took the water. From then the ganapathy there is that faded picture. It is the faith that counts .. ultimately.
I am not a scholar in the Sastras as per your concepts , and I have described only the practice as I have seen for many generations. I do not know if the posting in the groups represented by you and other learned persons should be based only on Sastraas. If that is so I would prefer not to post anything.
In Sreerangam there is a thulukka nachiar a Muslim paramour of Rangamannar and she is offered tobacco. Can anybody judge this practice with the litmus test of Sastras. In palani, Hidumba, a rakshas of dravidian origin is worshiped. will it not militate against the strict sastras?
I am giving this reply in earnestness. But I am under no obligation to reply to anyone if the purpose is to criticize my view unfairly raising the weapon of Sastras. I am all by myself with my own independent views, just like any one of you.
And as a matter of policy I do not make rejoinders of correction or criticism to the view of anyone else even if some of the posts are faulty according to my concept of religion, propriety etc., because I respect decency more than these things.
Please do not misunderstand that I have any lack of respect for your immense knowledge or the age grown in great learning.. and my respect for you will not get reduced at any cost. But the open contempt for a practice followed by me and at least three generations of my elders was too much to stomach and I have to say that my father had obtained many of the moolamanthrams from a sannyasi, the madathipathi of a nambuthiri sect and I have received such manthras from my father. Is there any sastra that manthras should not be taken from nambuthiris? I really wonder.