Hindu priest

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Hindu priest, used irrespective of gender, may refer to either of the following:

  • A "Pujari" is a Hindu temple priest.
  • A "Purohit" performs duties similar to a chaplain in Christianity, and is usually linked to a specific family or, traditionally, dynasty.

Traditionally, priests have come from the Brahmin varna, though in various parts of India, Hindus from other communities (such as Lingayats in parts of Karnataka) have performed the function. Now, pujari have been recruited from various communities with lesser regard to caste.

Hindu priests are known to perform services often referred to as puja. Priests are identified as pandits or pujari amongst devotees.[1] Priests were the instigating factor to why ordinary people of Hindu religion became indulged severely in a devotional path. Hindu priests through their extended knowledge of the literature, the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana were able to encourage the Hindu community's devotion to Hindu deities.[2]

Responsibilities[]

Priests' primary responsibility is to conduct daily prayers (puja) at the local mandir. During Hindu festivals, traditional events such as weddings, the sacred thread ceremony, performance of antyesti, and special deity-specific ceremonies, priests may be called upon to conduct pujas. In order to perform a puja, the priests are required to have prior skills and knowledge. To be a qualified priest, they must know the required chants (mantras and ) fluently in Sanskrit and be familiar with the materials required to perform the puja for various ceremonies and rituals.[1] Pandits from an early age were trained to memorize hymns in order to chant them during rituals and ceremonies without aid. Receiving assistance to remember hymns and chants was historically frowned upon as priests were expected to recite the hymns through memory.[3]

Required qualifications[]

The required qualification to be a priest is that he or she should be a Brahmin. But the word Brahmin needs to defined carefully. Here the word Brahmin refers to qualities of brahmanas, not Brahmin varna. In common usage however, the word Brahmin refers to a group of castes. There is no authority for the notion of the birth based caste system in authoritative Hindu scriptures. Even a person born in a "low-caste" family can become a Brahmin if he acquires the necessary knowledge and is eligible to be appointed as a priest.[4]

Daily routine[]

Daily routines of Hindu priests would consist of prayers as much as four to six times per day and perhaps even more. Every morning pandits are in charge of bathing the deity with water and milk, clothing the deity with traditional wear and jewellery. After conducting the rituals, the priest offers food to devotees after it has been presented in front of the god referred to as prasad. Whilst the prasad is being handed out, the priests as well as the devotees engage in singing prayers praising the deity. The priests finally conclude with an aarthi (lighted camphor) shown to the deity and held in the presence of the devotees to receive blessings. A Hindu priest would repeat this routine every day as a part of their responsibility in servicing the god.

In popular culture[]

Films depicting characters who are Hindu priests include Akshay Kumar's OMG – Oh My God! (2012).[5] A Hindu priest was made to clear the film Dharam Sankat Mein (2015) for the censor board before release.[6] In Raanjhanaa (2013) the protagonists father is a Hindu priest.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Hindu Religious Worker Definitions". Hindu American Foundation. Hindu American Foundation. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. ^ Library of Congress (September 1995). "Hindu Rites & Rituals". About.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
  3. ^ Fuller, C. J. (February 2001). "Orality, Literacy and Memorization: Priestly Education in Contemporary South India". Modern Asian Studies. 35 (1): 1–31. doi:10.1017/S0026749X01003717. ISSN 0026-749X. JSTOR 313087. S2CID 54624567. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Can a Sudra by birth, become a Brahmin priest in a Temple?". IndiaDivine.org. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  5. ^ Nayar, Sheila J. (2015). "Media Review: Bollywood Religious Comedy: An Inaugural Humor-neutics". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 83 (3): 808–825. ISSN 0002-7189.
  6. ^ "Absurd to invite pandit, maulvi for 'Dharam Sankat Mein' screening: Nasser, Paresh Rawal tells CBFC". Firstpost. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2022-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Sharma, Sanjukta (2013-06-21). "Film Review | Raanjhanaa". Livemint. Retrieved 2022-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

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