2003? Well that certainly was of no help. All you have to do is watch the news to know that.
I wonder how many on this list ever watched a Vedic priest do a yajna? It is a superstitious event if I ever saw one. I have not only seen many, I have taken the time to talk to the shastris (the yajni) themselves. They merely memorize sounds. Many do not even know Sanskrit. They simply memorize a sequence of sounds! Some are quite gross by even western standards (e.g. met one shastri who was an alcoholic who craved material possessions). Very few meditate. And we expect these people to help promote world peace? I hope they are invoking some really wrathful deities--because that's what it will really take. On Mar 31, 2005, at 7:00 PM, rudra_joe wrote: > > http://www.srdm.org/Archana.htm > > > > > > > > Greatest and Largest Yajna ever > > 16 April 2003 to 27 May 2003 (41 Days) > > at Sree Rama Dasa Ashram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India > > Sahasra Koti Lalitha Sahasra Nama Archana to establish peace and > prosperity across the world! > > • 1000 Crore Namas and 250 Crore Homa Mantras offered every day > to > mother goddess to establish world peace > • 10,000 Archakas, offering 25 rounds of Archana with 5000 lamps > > chanting 25 Crore Namas each day. > • 250 Homa kundas, 5000 Hotas in two shifts, 6 Crore Homa mantras > > offered in 12 consecutive hours each day. > • Vishnu Sahasranama, Ramayana recital, Bhajans, Aradhana and > Sree > Rama Pattabhishekam > • Sanctified by the luminous manifestation of the Mother Goddess > on > May 30 ,2000 during Sata Koti Archana. > • To invoke Divine inspiration and spiritual elevation amongst > people and to bestow virtues and well being to future generations > > Special pooja sponsorship rates: > > > > Archana for a day (25 crore Namas) > > $ 10,001.00 > > > > Annadanam for a day > > $ 5001.00 > > > > Archana Lamps > > > Others* > > > 1000 Crore Namas > > $ 501.00 > > Yantras (with Gold case) > > $ 501.00 > > 500 Crore Namas > > $ 301.00 > > Locket (Gold) > > $ 301.00 > > 250 Crore Namas > > $ 201.00 > > Locket (Silver) > > $ 101.00 > > 100 Crore Namas > > $ 101.00 > > Grithams (Brahmi etc.) > > $ 51.00 > > * Items kept at the mandapam for entire pooja duration of 41 days. > > > See details at http://www.srdm.org/ska ; > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: akasha_108 > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 5:26 PM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Photo proof positive of Pundit project. > > > I was going to ask you about that. I remember you posting notices > about that. Do you have any details on how it came off? How many > pundits? days? > > --- In [email protected], "rudra_joe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > Not to mention the greatest size yajna in history was performed in > India recently anyway. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: akasha_108 > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 4:27 PM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Photo proof positive of Pundit > project. > > > > > > > > Thanks Ben. Yes, I know $10 was low ball, I just wanted to show > that > > even at that very conservative figure, its expensive. But $100 > seems > > high. What is the rate the puja.net pundits are paid? I thought it > was > > a "high" rate, to attract the best, around $20-30 / day? > > > > Your figure of 300-500 rupees is $6-10 /day. Are ingredients / > pundit > > that expensive? > > > > Also, the various constraints discussed in this and adjacent posts > > point to the need for more net pundits, not just utilizing existing > > ones. I know only Brahmins are allowed to be pundits. Are there > > sub-castes of Brahmins from which most pundits come? Some > sub-castes > > of Brahmins that cannot become pundits? Also women cannot be > pundits > > can they? > > > > Presumably the caste restrictions have to do with a genetic > propensity > > to chant correctly / optimally. How valid do you believe > > this is? > > > > Instead of importing pundits, long run it would seem prudent and > more > > efficient to train pundits locally. In the US start training local > > boys and girls. Not from a long line of genetic brahmins. What are > > your thoughts on this? > > > > > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "benjaminccollins" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > A decent yagaya will cost a LOT more than $10/day. A qualified > priest > > > will want to be paid at least 300-500 rupees per day and will > expect > > > to be transported, housed, and fed. Are they expected to > campout for > > > 40 days? If not, then where will they be housed. > > > > > > The yagya itself will require lots of materials (ghee, fruits, > > > sandalwood, etc. which are not cheap even in India. But with > 100,000 > > > priests then you are talking (literally) tons of fruits, > coconuts, > > > ghee, flowers, etc. I honestly doubt that the physical > infrastructure > > > would be there to simply move all these materials to the site on > a > > > daily basis without major amounts of chaos. > > > > > > And consider the support staff which will have to be > considerable; > > > cooks, people to manage all the yagya supplies, etc. Figure > that for > > > every 50 priests you will need another 10-15 people and they too > will > > > want to be paid, need to be housed and fed. > > > > > > Bottom line? If it could be organized...then it would take > 125,000 > > > people in total and your total costs per person would be at > least $100 > > > per day. A lot of money for 40 days... > > > > > > As a point of perspective, I helped organize a 1 week yagya with > 108 > > > priests in India for Michael Love's 61st birthday several years > ago. > > > It was a logistical nightmare...we pulled it off but it took a > huge > > > amount of work. As I recall, we spent about $35,000 which would > be > > > close to $50/day and what we did was very simple. > > > > > > Finally, in India priests are divided into 2 categories; temple > > > priests (bhattars) and "outside" priests (shastrigal) who perform > > > pujas/yagyas in people's homes etc. The temple priests would > not be > > > able to participate in the large scale yagya because their temple > > > duties are very rigid and rather strictly enforced. Long term > > > absences are not generally an option. > > > > > > That leaves the shastri's. How do you contact them? There is no > > > organization...no database...no master phone list. And you want > to > > > make 100,000 phone calls..in India?! > > > > > > The other option is to create priests...get 100,000 people and > teach > > > them a mantra and a simple yagya. But even then, to be done > properly > > > you would have to have a real priest supervising and doing the > more > > > complicated mantras that area done for a yagya. Say a ratio of > 1 real > > > priest to 25 new priests and you still have to find 4,000 > qualified > > > priests. Even then in the hands of beginers the mantras will > have > > > (relatively speaking) no power. So what's the point in doing it? > > > > > > Finally, from recent reports, MMY wants to do this yagya as a > > > Sudarshana Yagya. Sudarshana is Vishnu's weapon; a discus of > light > > > given to him by Lord Shiva. The times I have seen a priest who > has > > > mastered the mantra use it are very very impressive. It is not a > > > gentle peace love and understanding sort of mantra. So if MMY > pulls > > > this off, we can expect some fireworks in some form. > > > > > > Ben > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In [email protected], akasha_108 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "benjaminccollins" > > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Not that I have heard of. But I will try to find out. I > think > > > > > 100,000 priests is a LOT of people. The TMO will have to > pay them > > > > > very well to get good ones to travel north for this. Many > of them > > > > > will have temple duties that can not be neglected, so it > iwll be > > > > > interesting to see. Genuine Priests/Pundits are a pretty > particular > > > > > lot so it iwll be interesting to see what happens. Not > saying > > that it > > > > > won't or can't happen, but it will take a lot of money! > > > > > > > > > > Ben > > > > > > > > If the costwere $10/day for pundits, materials, food and > facilities -- > > > > probably too low, the cost would be $40 million for 40 days. > > > > > > > > $25/day would cost $100 million. > > > > > > > > > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Or go to: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > > and click 'Join This Group!' > > > > > > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > a.. To visit your group on the web, go to: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > > > > b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of > Service. > > > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Or go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > and click 'Join This Group!' > > > > To subscribe, send a message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Or go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > and click 'Join This Group!' > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > • To visit your group on the web, go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ > > • To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > • Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of > Service. > > To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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