Sky rocketing Dakshina (fee for the officiating priest) charged by Vadhyars

 Sky  rocketing  Dakshina (fee for the officiating priest)  charged  by Vadhyars

Translated  by

P.R.ramachander

    Most of the Brahmins  of the previous generation   wanted to  perform all   essential   rituals .They   are all now   slipping  in to old age  with their income    going steeply down .But   the fee charged  by Vadhyars  have sky rocketed. If you ask the Vadhyars   they   say that they also want to live  like all  other  employed  people    and they   also want   to educate   their   children like all others. Due to this the number  of rituals  being performed  by lower  and upper middle class  people   have  come to the rock bottom , If you enquire   with them they say  , except   for  after  death   rituals  .marriage   rituals  and upanayana (For which each family has to spend two or three   years of their life earnings)  , they    do not do  any ritual at home  except Sradhams . The  next generation    watching these  things keenly  tell that  , they do not intend   to do even these   rituals . I know  of a few youngsters , who have returned back  to USA after  cremation  of their  dead parents scared of  the huge expenditure  of after   death  rituals  .Many of them openly talk about  Arya Samaj weddings(Why not Samashti weddings?)   and Samashti  upanayanams   which are  much cheaper. Some of the  old parents are even thinking  of writing a will   saying that   they    are  not interested  in after   death   rituals    or  Sradhams.

One  Vadhyar  from Mumbai  has written

 

No  money  to do sradham

Na me  asthi  vitham , dhanam cha  na  anyath

Sradhopa yogam swa  pithrun nathosmi

Tripyanthu Bakthyaa   pitharo  mayai  dhou

Kruthou  bhujou  varthamani maruthasya

 

நமேஸ்தி வித்தம் தனம் ச நாந்யத்

ச்ராத்தோபயோகம் ஸ்வபித்ருன்னதோஸ்மி

த்ருப்யந்து பக்த்யா பிதரோ மயைதௌ

க்ருதௌ புஜௌ வர்த்மனி மாருதஸ்ய

 

I  do not  have money, I do not  have other  wealth

I do not  have luck to do  Sradha  to my pithrus

Oh  Pithrus  , please  get  satisfied with  ,

My salute with  two hands  and  presently with air 

      Has not the time   come  for  all of  us  to make  our Brahmin  welfare   associations  to look in to this matter and fix up  reasonable   dakshinai  for different  Vedic Karmas.