HINDUISM AND SANATANA DHARMA

What is the Place of Priests in Hinduism?

Hinduism has various officiants who perform rituals and sacraments like marriage. These officiants are sometimes called priests. Their prime role is to aid in the performance of rituals. They do not take confession, preach, proselytize, or function as missionaries. Nor do they serve as intermediaries between the lay population and the Divine. These priests can be married and usually have families of their own.

Such priests are different from yogis or swamis and are generally regarded as fulfilling a lesser role. The yogis are the great teachers and gurus. The priests are helpers in the outer aspects of religion. Such priests are taught to bow down to the spiritual experience of the great sages and should never be made into a ruling class, either over religious or secular matters.

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