Terms of Address
Sadly enough there is a huge percentage of the Hindu community that have no idea of how to address their priests. To address this issue we are giving some guidelines.
Hindu Priests are never addressed as "sir" or "mister". In a western context, if in doubt, all priests of whatever denomination can be addressed by the generic term REVEREND or in correspondence one may use Rev. in front of the name. The appropriate forms of address in the Hindu cultural context are varied and include any of the following:-- swami, pandit, guru, gurudeva, maharaj, acharya, dvijottama, vadhyar, upadhyaya, ayya. Temple priests are referred to as: — swami, archaka, bhatt, gurukkal, ayya. Conduct 1. It is not appropriate ever to shake hands with the priest, or to touch him in a familiar way. One should never attempt to hug or to kiss the priest or sit next to him on the same couch. 2. The priest is greeted by placing your two palms together and saying "namaste pandit-ji." 3. Wait till the priest has been seated before taking your place. 4. It is disrespectful to stretch your feet out towards a priest or to the deity or altar or fire. 5. While the ceremony is going on it is extremely disrespectful and offensive to chit chat and to speak in a loud and distracting voice. If you are not interested in the ceremony then leave the room. 6. Some priests may not partake of the meal served afterwards — if the priest does agree then he should be served before the others. 7. During the ceremony please ensure that all mobiles are turned off. |
Employment Please note: we are NOT an employment agency for priests. If you are seeking employment please contact the temples themselves. Do not send us your CV's. |