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more on 'cleanliness'

From the Bhakti List Archives

sampath kumar • October 21, 1999 


Somebody on bhakti-membership separately asked if
adiyen is only good at talking on 'cleanliness' or
also have some practical plan of action on how to
raise awareness and achieve results.

Though not generally good at big thinking or making
big program or campaign, still adiyen has done some
in-depth thinking on subject of cleanliness in
temples, DD, mutt ashram etc.. Though not fully
developed adiyen has dreamed of some small steps to be
taken as follows which adiyen is sharing with you all
with your kind permission:

(1) If I am in charge of matter adiyen will first go
to my acharya (like azhagiyasingar) and first seek his
blessings and sponsorship for whole idea and tell his
Holiness that without his active and vocal support I
will not be successful. So Holiness must come down to
my level and tell all his sishyas everywhere that
azhagiyasingar is fully interested and committed to
idea of cleanliness and there is urgent need for it.So
everybody must know His Holiness is sponsoring with
full heart the project of bringing back cleanliness in
temples, DD etc.

(2)Next,I will call the project as "CITTA-SHUDDHI"
where CITTA means "Cleanliness in Temples and
Temple-Areas".

(3) Next, I will go to Mutt (ahobila mutt, Andavan
ashram or munitreeya-community, as the case may be)
records and data-base and take list of all sishyas in
India and abroad.

(4) From data-base I will know which sishya was born
where and which native-place belongs to which district
in India. 

(5) Then I will make a list of districts and make
matching list of important temples and DDs in each
such district.

(6) By doing above adiyen will at last have list
matching sishya, place of birth, concerned district,
concerned temple/DD.

(7) Then one letter will go from concerned acharya
(azhagiyasingar, jeeyar etc.) where pontiff will tell
sishya about the concerned temple/DD in the relevant
district. In that letter all details will be described
of what state of cleanliness is prevailing. Pontiff
will express anguish at state of affairs. He will
express desire to change things for which concerned
sishya's help will be requested.

(8) When acharya writes to him personally like that
and too on a subject about temple/dd in a place in the
district in which sishya was himself born, sishya will
surely be moved. (adiyEn is thinking that it will
happen).

(9)  achArya will announce the conducting of inaugural
2-day camp in each of the districts to which native
sishyas will be instructed to attend without fail.

(10) At the camp following will be chalked out and
decided:
     -- what is scriptural importance of "shuddhi".
Well read scholars should bring out in simple but
effective language with lot of references to Veda,
prabhandham, sri-sookthis etc. how and why it is
important to keep places of DD and temple-areas clean
and with "shuchi".
    -- a committee called "CITTA_SHUDDHI GOSHTI" to be
constituted
    -- define minimum standards of "shuddhi" that must
be made mandatory by concerned Pontiff for the
concerned DD or temple or temple-area.
    -- ask committee to draw up its own charter and
its program of action for Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3
and other budget details
    -- ask committee to involve sishyas and their
young children actively in the program. For.e.g.
sishyas (even from abroad) must be asked to send their
children on their summer vacation to spend time in
"citta-shuddhi" camp not to Swiss Alps or Nepal
valley. In the camp children will not only learning
about the concerned DD, relevant alwar-mangalAsAsanams
and "kshetra-puranas" but also actively help in
"cleaning" the DD/temple during the entire period of
vacation. Azhagiyasingar or andavan must take special
interest to see how the children are enjoying,
learning and perfroming "shuddhi-kainkaryam" in the
relevant camp in the relevant district.

(11) At the end of year, convene a 'sadas" of
CITTA-SHUDDHI committee- workers and ask them to
present respective experiences during the year,
success and failures and reasons. Fine tune then
program and action for following year. Involve more
and more young people in the project. (This must be
done with same amount of fanfare and solemnity as done
for other "vidvat-sadas" held by the concerned mutt or
ashram for elderly sishyas). Azhagiyasingar or Andavan
or other acharyan must help sishyas everywhere become
excited and enthusiastic about 'shuddhi".

(12) Write about the progress of CITTA-SHUDDHi work in
"nrisimha-priya", "paduka", Bhakti-archives, i-net
groups etc. and popularize the concept of "shuddhi" in
temples as one of cardinal prionciples of Srivaishnava
ethos.

(13) Pontiff should show extra kindness and give
extra-blessings to those who have done outstanding
work in bringing cleanliness to even one temple or
temple-area in a year.

(!4) Create a "sat-sangham" of CITTA-SHUDDHI workers
who will not only perfrom kainkaryam by reciting
pasurams and vedas during temple utsavams but also
show they have brought cleanliness to the temple. Give
them separate identity and "maryAdhai" such as given
to "veda-parayanam goshti" and "prbhandam-goshti".

The above are some of the thoughts on cleanliness
program adiyen has. Unless some parts of it are
implemented adiyen feels bringing cleanliness to
temples/DD will not at all receive attention people
must give.

adiyen is afraid I am talking too much.

Above ideas perhaps appearing ridiculous to
bhakti-members who are all very highly educated and
worldly-wise like Sriman Sadagopan, Anbil swami,
Manivaradaraja swami, Sampath rengarajam swami,
M.K.Sudarshan swami, Madhavakannan swami. P.B.Anand
swami, Krishnamachari swami and other great scholar
members.

Please do not laugh at adiyen's little dreams and pet
ideas. adiyen is only getting carried away by earnest
desire to see our great temples and DD are kept clean
and no outside people can say that our religion is
great but our temple-housekeeping is sad and
atrocious.

Forgive adiyen for any offensive remarks or ideas.

dAsan,
Sampathkumaran 

 




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