3

Every temple in India has at least one priest. The act of preaching scriptures a recommended act or mandatory act for him?

10
  • Preaching where? in temples? Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 11:44
  • Yeah........ @AkshayS
    – hanugm
    Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 12:57
  • 2
    temples are not for that purpose....nor temples are for prayers.!!! Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 13:08
  • @AkshayS i understand its not the exclusive place of prayers as are church or mosque etc.Do you mean it in that sense?
    – user17294
    Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 14:59
  • 1
    @AkshayS thats really great.
    – user17294
    Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 16:09

1 Answer 1

4

In the Smritis, the temple priests are in fact considered fallen/degraded. Probably because they earn through the act of worshipping.

Manu Smriti 3.152. Physicians, temple-priests, sellers of meat, and those who subsist by shop-keeping must be avoided at sacrifices offered to the gods and to the manes.

3.180 (Food) given to a seller of Soma becomes ordure, (that given) to a physician pus and blood, but (that presented) to a temple-priest is lost, and (that given) to a usurer finds no place (in the world of the gods).

Alternate translation from Wisdomlib.org:

सोमविक्रयिणे विष्ठा भिषजे पूयशोणितम् ।
नष्टं देवलके दत्तमप्रतिष्ठं तु वार्धुषौ ॥ १८० ॥

somavikrayiṇe viṣṭhā bhiṣaje pūyaśoṇitam |
naṣṭaṃ devalake dattamapratiṣṭhaṃ tu vārdhuṣau || 180 ||

What is given to the Soma-seller becomes ordure; to the physician, pus and blood; that to the temple-attendant becomes lost; and that to the usurer has no place.—(180)

The link also gives a similar verse from Mahabharata which is as follows:

Mahābhārata (13.90, 13, 14).—‘What is given to the Soma-seller and to the physician becomes pus and blood; what is given to the temple-servant perishes; it is neither here nor there.’

So, it is certainly not their responsibility to teach scriptures.

4
  • For 3.180 you can read the Sanskrit verse from here: wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/… @Pratimaputra the word used is Devala
    – Rickross
    Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 15:50
  • @Pratimaputra Actually the translation I have used has food in it .. this wisdomlib translation has what is ..
    – Rickross
    Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 16:04
  • Yes that's why they have added it in brackets .. if I now change it to what is .. then it will be a mixture of two translations .. @Pratimaputra
    – Rickross
    Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 16:07
  • I have now added both the translations .. @Pratimaputra
    – Rickross
    Commented Mar 23, 2019 at 16:11

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .