NAMPOOTHIRIES PART 7 11 SUDDASUDDAM-(Purity and Impurity)
Article prepared by Prof. V.M.N.Nambudiripad andK.D.Nambudripad. Namboothiriswere traditionally very fastidious about cleanliness - Sudham and Asudham,almost to a level of obsession, so much so the concept of cleanliness gotabsorbed and strictly codified into their daily routine and integrated into theoverall caste system. Although, astime progressed, this produced adverse feeling among the lower castes, theNamboothiris themselves also suffered and often viewed it with awe since theyhad to be vigilant all the time. In the modern age, of course, the prescribed codes are quite difficultto be followed, as is the case with other traditional observances and rituals. The discussions given here are only to document thetraditional prescriptions on the subject of Sudham/Asudham. Sudham means cleanliness and Asudham, pollution ordefilement. Ayithamis the colloquial form of the Sanskrit word Asudham. If one gets Ayitham orpolluted, bathing is necessary to return to Sudham. Depending on theenvironment or reason for Asudham, the degree of pollution varies. Accordingly,the remedial exercise also vary. Some of the several Asudhams are: 1.Sraadha Sudham: The highest rank of Sudham isthe onethat has to be observed while performing rituals connected with deathanniversaries, which is known as Sraadha Sudham or colloquially Chaatha Sudham.For this function, clothes,which are washed and dried the previous day, are not permitted to be worn.For performing these rituals, one should bathe twice, the first one followsSandhyaavandanam and then the second. Participants dip clothes in water duringthe first bath and spread them on the floor for drying before proceeding toSandhyaavandanam. Only these clothes (even if only partlydried) are allowed during the ritual. 2.Oupaasana Sudham: As given in"Shodasakriyakal", Oupaasanam is another ritualdone by married Namboothiris, daily. Oupaasanam refers to the fire in thepresence of which Namboothiri marriages are held, and kept burning by himthroughout his lifetime. During this, only pure (Sudhamaaya) clothes should beworn. Unlike Sraadha Sudham, clotheswashed and dried the previous day may be used for this ritual; butdipping in water and drying should be done without touching anybody. Since asimilar one has to be observed by priests in temples, it is also known as Saanthi Sudham. 3.Embraan Sudham: Tulu Brahmanans are known asEmbraanthiris (or Embraans in short) in Kerala. If a Namboothiri happens totouch or comes in physical contact with an Embraanthiri, he gets the EmbraanSudham, which is supposed to be one step lower in rank among various types ofpurity of Namboothiris. Widows and boys (before Upanayanam) should avoidthisAsudham. It is taboo for Brahmachaaris (boys between Upanayanam andSamaavarthanam). But it is not compulsory that an adult male Namboothiri shouldbathe before performing "sandhyaavandanam" if he is polluted due to"Embraan sudham". 4.Eda Sudham: This is the Asudham resulting fromcontactwith Tamil Brahmanans (Iyer, Pattar, Iyengar). Namboothiri women(and not men) are not permitted to eat if they become Eda Sudham. For doingSandhyaavandanam, Namboothiris should take bath if they are polluted with EdaSudham. 5.Kuliyaasudham: The first thing a Namboothiridoes in the early morning is to take bath. For some reason,say sickness, if a Namboothiri is unable to take bath, he is in Ayitham mode,which is better known as Kuliyaasudham. This is transmitted to others bycontact. The mattress, mat, pillow, bedspread, etc. have also this impurity. Therefore,in Namboothiri Illams, such items are usually kept in a separate room or atleast in a corner of a room. Brahmachaaris and widows should never take foodwith this Asudham. Male members may take food, but definitely should bathebefore performing Sandhyaavandanam. 6.Impurities related to birth/death: A Namboothiriattributes highest degree of impurity to menstruation, child delivery andcorpse. If someone becomes defiled by any one of these, he or she should changethe dress (after bath) with one washed or purified by a special caste of Hindusknown as Mannaan (females Mannaathi). This clothis known as "Maattu". Then the Namboothiri (men or women) gives hisor her clothes to the "Mannaan/Mannaathi" who washes it. Here washingmeans just dipping in a container of water in which some ash is sprinkled.After changing his/her own clothes, the person has to be purified by Punyaaham(sprinkling sacred water after chanting "Manthrams"). For more onPunyaaham, Click here. 7.Menstruation: If a girl or woman menstruates,she should remain in complete isolation for three days andon the fourth day, a special function or purification has to be performed. Thisis called Thulli Neeru Veezhthal (pouring a drop of water in the traditionalmanner). After completing bath, the servant symbolically cleans her up with adrop of water, and then with a paste prepared by grinding fresh turmeric andcastor seeds. Earlier mentioned Maattu is applicable here too. 8.Desom Maaral: Namboothiris will be treated impureifthey go from one Desom (sub-division of a village) to another. This is calledDesom Maaral. Brahmachaaris should take bath if they go from one Desom toanother; they should hold a stick (about 35 cm long) of the plant Plaasu (flameof the forest; Bot. Name Butea frondosa) as also a towel. For adult Namboothiris, eventhough there is no Ayitham,there is a slight degree of impurity. This isknown an Vazhi Sudham (road impurity). As in many other cases, Brahmachaarisand widows should not eat with this type of Sudham. In any case, taking bathafter such a trip is a must, before Sandhyaavandanam. 9.Soucham: Namboothiris and other high caste Hindusused to clean the excretory pores with water after urination. This is known asSoucham. Even mothers suckle a urinated baby only after cleansing (insistedonly from 11th day of delivery onwards). 10.Vattu, Echil and Nirmaalyam: 10.1 Vattu: The terms Vattu and Echil have been assigned meanings different from theusual ones, by Namboothiris. The literal meaning of Vattu is grains ofboiledrice. According to Namboothiri customs, boiled rice has a slightimpurity. Therefore, onehas to wash the hands if he/she touches boiled rice; else the pollutiontransmits to other items on contact. 10.2 Echil: In normal circumstances, Echil refers to theleft-over of eaten food items. But Namboothiris use this term also for platesand plantain leaves in which food is normally served. The inside of the mouth also has the impuritycalled Echil, for example, teeth, tongue inside of lips, etc. Therefore,if you touch your tongue with your finger, the finger also becomes Echil.Washing hands with water is a must in order to make it pure. Hence,generally, Namboothiris do not hold or cut threads or sticks with lips orteeth. The Echilhas greater degree of impurity than Vattu. Things that become Echil has to bedipped in fresh water pond. It is not enough to pour water over it to wash.Another person will not eat the left-over food items of one person. Moreover, whiledrinking water, coffee or tea from a glass or other containers, Namboothiris donot sip. They pour itstraight into the mouth without touching the lips. This is the degree ofcleanliness and hygiene practised by Namboothiris. The abovetwo Asudhams are practised not only by Namboothiris, but also people of othercommunities in Kerala, such as the royal families, temple employees, Nairs,etc., who are closely associated with Namboothiris. Other South IndianBrahmanans also follow this custom. 10.3 Nirmaalyam: A slight impurity is attributed to theNirmaalyam, which is the set of flowers, sandalwood paste, water used foranointing (Theertham), etc., offered to gods in temples or in a Namboothirihouses. Like Vattu and Echil, all items that have come in contact with Nirmaalyam should also bewashed with water to remove impurity. But this impurity is of a minornature and therefore, need be observed strictly only for Pooja materials. Rice,flowers, oil, etc. if become impure by contact with Nirmaalyam should not beused for Pooja purposes. New unbleached clothes have no impurity. Suchclothesworn while going outside the house, may be used while visiting temples also.But if it is soaked or washed, the case is different. Clothes washedby washerman or washerwoman (Veluthedan or Veluthedathol) has no impurity. Clotheswashed by Veluthedath Nairs, if touched by other Nairs, are not impure. But iftouched by a person below the rank in the hierarchies of caste system, itbecomes impure. A Namboothiri should not talk to a Nair or anybodybelow that rank, before or during Sraadham, Oupaasanam or Pooja.If he does, he should perform Kaalkazhukal and Aachamanam, as stipulated inVedic rules, before continuing such rituals. Thus goesthe story of Sudham and Asudham. Taking all these into consideration, one hasto accept that by practising Sudham and Asudham, it was the Namboothiris ofKerala who suffered more than any other castes. Ref:"Ente Smaranakal"-Vol-1 by Kanippayyur Sankaran Nambudiripad, Panchangam Publishers, Kunnamkulam. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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