Vedic Culture in Goa and Maharashtra

Vedic culture dates back to pre-historic times.
The Vedas are ancient Hindu texts and are believed to be the fountain of all knowledge on Earth.
http://ancient-hindu-wisdom.blogspot.com
The Vedas are an oral tradition, preserved from generation-to-generation through rote learning by Brahmin families. These were special families, highly revered by Society, who were dedicated to learning the Vedas and preserving them for posterity.

The Vedas are Sanskrit verses, sung rather than said, and have very strict intonation and pronunciation, which maintain their purity.

Different verses from the four Vedas are incorporated in various ritualistic prayers of the Hindus.
Until recently, only Brahmin males were allowed to study and say the Vedas. Women and persons from all other Castes were prohibited from enunciating Vedic verses, in the belief that the divine purity of the Verses would be sullied.
Now, with the abolishment of the Caste system, both men and women of all castes are allowed to study and sing the Vedas, if they want to.

The Vedas are taught in special residential schools called Pathshalas, or Hindu Seminaries, which take in only boys, even today. (Women have to learn the Vedas from erudite Priests, who tutor them in coaching classes).
As in any Seminary, the lives of the novices is hard and strenuous, beginning before dawn with the first Sandhya vandan of the day before Sunrise and ending after the evening Sandhya after Sunset and then, dinner. Sandhya vandan is the Gayatri mantra prayer which is obligatory for all Brahmins.
Besides the Vedas, the students often study their regular school subjects as well and this requires very sharp intellect and memory.
Often, the Priests who qualify from some of these Pathshalas are very learned men indeed!

Students live very simple, monastic lives in the Pathshalas. They eat a very simple, vegetarian diet and observe many fasts and other austerities. They return to their homes at least thrice or four times a year, to spend time with their families during all major Indian holidays. Hence, they are not cut off totally from the world outside the Seminary and they are thus able to relate to this world with ease and comfort.

Hindu Priests, the custodians of our Vedas, are enjoined by their dharma, to marry and procreate. An unmarried elderly Priest is considered inauspicious in Hinduism!

Vedic culture is inherently linked to the holy Fire, called homa. Homa is a sacred ritual, performed on important occassions in a person's life, for instance when a person gets married, moves into a new house, wants to purify his old house, when a Brahmin boy performs his thread ceremony (these are instances of individual performance of homa). But most temples perform homa too, usually ritualistically once a year, where there is collective worship of the Vedas.

AYURVEDA is derived from one of the Vedas called the Atharvaveda. This Veda has nothing to do with worship and so is not taught in the Pathshalas.
Ayurveda is however, only a very small part of this Veda, the rest of which the students of a Pathshala obviously do learn.

VEDIC ASTROLOGY is also derived from the Vedas. It once formed a very important and integral part of human life in all Hindu families, until its importance was diminished by the onslaught of modern Science and scientific thought.

Of late, Vedic Astrology is experiencing a resurge within and outside India, through is discovery by the Western world, along with Yoga and Ayurveda.
My blog
http://astrological-remedies-indianpedi.blogspot.com
bears this out, as it has become very satisfyingly popular on the internet!

Almost every district in Goa and Mahasrashtra has its own Pathshala, with the bigger cities having one or two of their own. These Pathshalas usually depend on charitable donations rather than Government funds, so it is distressing to see some of the smaller ones closing down on a regular basis, due to a lack of funds.
In olden times, Pathshalas were the main centres of learning in any State and so enjoyed the patronage of Kings and Rulers.
What once were the undisputed founts of Hindu learning are now slowly withering away, and may soon be lost to Time.
In the meanwhile however, they still carry on and their precincts reveberate with the sounds of the Vedas, the holiest of all sounds on earth!

Some Pathshalas are open to tourists, who may visit them at specified times. I know for certain that they are one of the biggest tourist draws in Pune in Maharashtra and Ponda in Goa.
I have seen tourists becoming entranced while listening to a rendition of Vedic hymns and I've seen an expression of wonder come on their faces, an expression that I, as an heir to the Vedas, will never forget!