ARE THERE BRAHMINS AROUND?

"This is perhaps an echo of what Cho Raamaswaamy wroteabout long ago under the title'Where is a brahmin?' in his magazine. A brahmin was supposed to have the twin duties of learning and teaching the Expand
This is perhaps an echo of what Cho Raamaswaamy wroteabout long ago under the title'Where is a brahmin?' in his magazine.
A brahmin was supposed to have the twin duties of learning and teaching the community in a disinterested manner.In return for his contribution it was expected that the other sections of the socirety viz.the king, the business and trading community and hthe working classes were supposed to look after his material needs.This is why he was called 'Paarppu anan' in Tamil. A paarppu signifies the young one of a bird which needs to be looked after.the brahmin was like a fledgeling bird, requiring the care of society.He was expected to value scholarship above every thing else.His aim was to search for reality, 'brahmam'.He was compassionate towards every one.This is emphasized by ThiruvaLLuvar in the KuRaL:
"AndaNar enbar aRavoor evvuyirkkum
SenthaNmai pooNDozhugalaan."
A brahmin was known as AndaNan because his attitude was one of extreme kindness to all living things..
............................Where do we find such persons today?Brahmins exist only in matrimonial advertisements.They gloat over their imagined superiority and feel insecure on account of their numerical minority status.They are considered to be an anachronism by brahmin born persons themselves because seeking wealth and militry superpower status has become the main desirable goal of all.The total surrender to sensual pleasures and the pursuit of ways to indulge in them has come to be accepted as the universally desirable activity as can be seen from the popularity of film stars, models and beautiful women and masculine men.More wealth, more comfort, less intellectual pursuits is the motto of the present day.The priestly class looks at this trend and dissuades their children from following the family's hereditary professions of priesthood in homes and in temples.Sanskrit is regarded as dead and difficult in spite of its being the fountainghead of our culture which in turn is thought of as less a bond than a bondage........"
(EDITED VERSION)
The above is a statement culled out from http://rangarajan.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/07
Please make your comments on this.I suggest my other threads veg or non veg,drink or not to drink,Aryans ? etc., may be read for better understanding of Brahmin community of present day. Is it degeneration or what? Please comment.