Search:
Bhakti List Archives

RE: Upanayanam and Sandhyavandan

From the Bhakti List Archives

Jay.Bharadwaj • November 6, 1995 


I used the term Shudhra only in the sense of the 4 varnas and the
fact that no Yagnopavitam is required and not in the derogatory
sense.  It is because of the fact that people born in the Shudhra
caste can be great Vaishnavas that I did not refer to people to
people who wear Yagnopavitam to get married and take them off the
next day as "Shudhras" as I felt that this would be a classification
derogatory to people engaged in that Varna.  I chose instead to call
them non believers.  I mentally paid respects to the individual who
cut my hair prior to Prapatti since in the course of my conversation
with him I found that we had a common Acharya and he had great
respect for Him apart from getting Samashrayam.  I used the term
Shudhra in much the same sense as I used the term Brahamana Vidhi in
one of my other emails.

I am sorry if anyone found it offensive.  Please let me know what
would be a polictically correct term if Shudhra cannot be used.  The
only reason why I even brought up this subject is because this
question was put to me at a puja cum lecture yesterday and I wanted
answers from knowledgeable sources.

Jaganath.