KIRON KRISHNAN Yesterday we had discussion over who can be your guru, and your answer was our father who initiated...
KIRON KRISHNAN Yesterday we had discussion over who can be your guru, and your answer was our father who initiated us through Upanayana.
Also I had a similar doubt regarding "How to know ones Sva Shaka", for which Abhivadhana was the only answer.
Joining the bigger "devil, the Caste System". I recollect KIRON KRISHNAN mentioning this not to be a "Caste by birth".
Now connecting these dots, if caste system is not intended to be by birth; its crucial for anyone interested in learning vedas that he knows Sva-Shaka. The Abhivadana seems to be not solving the problem right here, as it is coming out of a lineage. The fathers shaka is passed onto the son. Hows does sva-shaka and caste system fit into the puzzle?
Please enlighten.
Also I had a similar doubt regarding "How to know ones Sva Shaka", for which Abhivadhana was the only answer.
Joining the bigger "devil, the Caste System". I recollect KIRON KRISHNAN mentioning this not to be a "Caste by birth".
Now connecting these dots, if caste system is not intended to be by birth; its crucial for anyone interested in learning vedas that he knows Sva-Shaka. The Abhivadana seems to be not solving the problem right here, as it is coming out of a lineage. The fathers shaka is passed onto the son. Hows does sva-shaka and caste system fit into the puzzle?
Please enlighten.
Unfortunately, the lineage was guru-parampara, not hereditary in actual.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Shadvimsha Brahmana tells that Indra became a "Kaushika" after studying from VishvAmitRa Kaushika. (Note that the VishvAmitRa gotra has no significance here)
Now too, we have such a tradition in music, esp. Carnatic music, where we have tyAgaraja parampara, dIkShitaR parampara...
I too agree with you on guru-parampara being actual. But the change from this to hereditary seems long ago.
ReplyDeleteSo the gotra system is also an extension to the hereditary system?
ReplyDeletegotra is not to be translated as "tribe". That is the problem.
ReplyDeleteActually it stands for cow-shelter, the cow being the cow of knowledge.
This makes a clear meaning that gotra first referred to people having same teacher - lineage.
Actually, this is described in Atharva Veda while talking about the BrahmacAri. The brahmacAri is born from the guru's womb after three days, and devas come to see him, he becomes a "dvija"... This shows how gotra came first.
Teacher is considered as the progenitor in the world of knowledge.
During an Upanayanam, you inherit the gotra from your father by accepting him as guru. Note that he is the one who gives you brahmopadesham.
May be, as caste system came to being, the gotra could also have changed to hereditary. Yes, that took place millennia ago.
So gotra is known while leaving from guru, but sva shaka has to be known before hand? How was this practice (of knowing shaka) during Vedic times? Was there any relevance to it at all?
ReplyDeleteSee, the study of Vedas in this manner, it probably emerged only after Vedas. May be the svaras could have been simply introduced to memorize the verses too!!!
ReplyDeletesva-shAkha could also have been like the gotra, it seems so.
As gotra became hereditary, sva shAkha could also have become hereditary.
A particular family has a particular shAkha.
Seems like that...
ReplyDelete