musings 167

As per traditions,Vedas could not be learned from books..

It was prescribed that at least twelve years of almost round the clock learning under the tutelage of a guru was essential for learning the Samhita of each Sakha..

In the beginning all the four Saakhas were taught to all.. and by the time a brahmachari equipped himself, he would be almost sixty years old..

Later on rules were changed to resrtrict the study to one shaakha ..

Still we have people with surname dvidedi, tripaadee and chaturvedi.. just an ornamentation now..

Added to this, the study of rituals, vedangas , upavedas all would still require more time..

Many of the young brahmin children of today are software engineers spending fourteen or sixteen hours at the terminals, and working all around the world.. Even the brahmins of earlier generations who were clerks, vakils, accountants, had their hands full of work just to eke out their livelihoods..

And the best purohitas of today are mostly equipped only with just bare knowledge of Vedas but are equipped in abundance with dramatics, and uncanny commercial sense..

Of course there are some scholars in every part of the country who have dedicated themselves to the life of Vedas... but they are almost like Gods, and we pay lip service to them.. but never care to see how they manage to live on..