Kula acharam

Primarily our spirituality is based on shruti or vedas.. and the smritis and soothras based on that.

Kula acharam evolves based on these.

If some acharam which are not according to shruti and smrithi and sootras creep in they should be stopped immediately when such aberrations are noticed.

Such aberrations can easily happen nowadays because many of us and our parents too are not sure about the rules.

And a vadhyar or a guru of a region different from ours originally may not understand our exact background.

Those who re settle in metroplis or north or foreign countries face such issues.

And sadly there is a tendency to flout acharams and introduce new practices contrary to shrutis and smrithis even in ancient agraharams like ours.

That is suicidal

there is no dividing line between religious and temporal lives in India

 

Religion in the non-Indian parlance (non-oriental perhaps) is a bundle of tenets, prescriptions regarding rituals, revelations and directions of one or many prophets all with a presupposition that the votaries follow the tenets mainly with reference to their icons, idols and seers. The lifestyle adopted by them when not in the ambit or jurisdiction of church can be completely at variance with the requirements of the church or the organised religion.

However, there is no organised religion termed as Hinduism. It is a bundle of recordings of various precedence and practices, which pertain to lifestyle and to the relationship with God or what we call spirituality. Besides, there is no such dividing line. The same gita can be applied to lifestyle and religion- so also Vedas and Upanishads.. Moreover, Hinduism has no prophets, and philosophies professing atheism and agnosticism like Samkhya and Charvaka are part of the present Hinduism. The constitution of India has relied on Yajnavalkya smriti that we can treat with equal with equal acceptance as a religious text, but India is a secular state. No one can make this claim in respect of Bible or other religious texts found elsewhere.

Hinduism encompasses tribal religion to the most scholastic Vedic practices, and the practitioners of all faiths find freedom to exist in harmony even within the definitions of predominantly religious (by western standards) texts.

In India, there is nothing called religion. The texts are just pronouncements helping the lifestyle of people and worship of the almighty too forms part of human existence canvassed in those texts.

It is purely my view. I am not a prophet or one interested proselytizing. However, usually I think to the best of my capacity before taking my stands.

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧..

𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐧.. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞..

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨.. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞..

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫..

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬..𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞...

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐚𝐚𝐬𝐢..

there are provisions in Shastras to give proper respect to relatives on the mother"s side

In a stiffly Patrilineal setup ( male succession oriented) of Hindu practices, it is heartening to see that there are provisions in Shastras to give proper respect to relatives on the mother"s side..

Apart from the pitru karyams like tharpanam to be done for maternal grandparents, dharmasastras also provide for aassauchams or theettu for siblings of mother, their spouses, and cousins.. even when they are from different gothrams..

In fact shastras say that maternal uncles and paternal aunts and maternal aunts and their spouse all should be given great respect only next only to father and mother..

And it is specially provided that even if those persons are not showing any cordiality, or even if they are indifferent to our welfare, still utmost respect should be shown to them and their families, and no disrespectful or disparaging remarks should ever be made against them ..

Even in the matter of prohibition of partaking in food in other houses on certain days and occasions, the houses of Athai , Chithi, periyammai, and Mama( siblings of parents) and first cousins, are exempted..

There is no bar in taking food from their houses at any time, as if it were our own house and hearth.

Of course father's brother , own brother paternal cousins etc are of the same family and such a situation will not arise because there is no difference between theirs and our own

This exemptions is allowed for father in laws house too..

We can even partake pithrusesham (the food left after offering in respectful memory of departed soul) of own sister and her sons, athai (fathers sister), athaan( athiais son) , mama( maternal uncle), mami, mamas son, chithi or periyammai( mothers sisters), their sons etc. and the parents in law too...

So blood relations actually assume a lot of importance.. Sometimes, sadly we maintain enmity with uncles aunts, and their children.. and it is not proper at all..

The foible and failure of a Hindu

The foible and failure of a Hindu is obvious.. Whereas the followers of other faiths and religions would forget even major schisms inter se and gel together to defend their faiths even on the face of a minor challenge, the Hindus just practice so many varied things and never hesitate to fight for their own restricted and narrow and sectarian dogmas which do not affect the wide canvas of Hinduism even a little. They fight for their sectarian ideas, be it belief in a particular deity, caste, region, language, or any other variation, and they fight destructively.. If Hindus as a class cannot eschew this sectarianism, the faith cannot ever bring uniformity and welfare for the followers as a whole.

Legislation should succeed social consent. Not the other way.