more on 'cleanliness'
From the Bhakti List Archives
• 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 ===== __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
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