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Many places in the Shaastras says the Physicians and musicians are not eligible to receive gift, considered as witness, invite to Shraddhas, etc. Why are these professions have been classed like this?

Example:

A palmist, a thief turned into a merchant, a fowler, a physician, an enemy, a friend, and a minstrel, these seven are incompetent as witness. [source]

One should never cultivate intimacy with physicians, or with children, or with persons that are old, or with one's servants. [source ]

Those Brahmanas that practise the calling of physicians, those that receive regular pay for worshipping the images of deities established by the rich, or live upon the service of the deities, those that are observant of vows from pride or other false motives, and those that sell Soma, do not deserve to be invited. [ source exclusion from Shraddhas]

Those Brahmanas that are, by profession, vocalists, or dancers or players or instrumental musicians, or reciters of sacred books, or warriors and athletes, do not deserve to be invited. [ source exclusion from Shraddhas]

He who takes food from a physician takes that which is no better than excrement [ source ]

If a Brāhmaṇa is a (professional) singer, what is given (to and) by him becomes fruitless. [ source ]

Kanthri
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1 Answers1

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While commenting on Manu Smriti 3.152, Medhatithi explains that physicians are impure or degraded because they take money in return of their service. If they provide the same service without earning anything from it then they are no more impure.

चिकित्सकान् देवलकान् मांसविक्रयिणस्तथा ।
विपणेन च जीवन्तो वर्ज्याः स्युर्हव्यकव्ययोः ॥ १५२ ॥

cikitsakān devalakān māṃsavikrayiṇastathā |
vipaṇena ca jīvanto varjyāḥ syurhavyakavyayoḥ || 152 ||

Healers, temple-attendants, meat-sellers and those living by trade,—these should be avoided at rites performed in honour of gods and Pitṛs.—(152)


Relevant portion of Medhatiti's commentary is as follows:

Healers physicians.

‘Temple-attendants’—those who attend upon idols.

These two are prohibited only as means of living. Healing and serving idols, when done entirely with a righteous motive (and not as a means of living), are not reprehensible.

‘Meat-sellers’—Butchers.

But I am not sure why professional singers are also considered impure.

Rickross
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  • I also read that Physicians (Mahabharata says): a) forget those who have bestowed obligations on them; b) seen to subsist upon persons that are ailing. Not seen anything about musicians/dancers/etc. But that explanation wasnt convincing/clear. Physicians getting paid is similar to other professions are well. Not sure why only a few were called out. – Kanthri Feb 09 '22 at 19:41
  • May be they sell their song of God for living whereas it should be free as it's main purpose is to instill bhakthi – Prasanna R Feb 10 '22 at 05:47
  • @Kanthri I am also not fully convinced with Medhatithi's argument. May be there are some other reasons too. – Rickross Feb 10 '22 at 06:38
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    Asvhini Kumaras are physicians of Devas, and they were traditionally prevented from accepting Havir Bhaga of Yagnas, because they're considered impure/kshudra devatas, until Chyanava Maharishi changed the law. Charaka Shapath is testament for ideal that physicians should not earn money for their services, just as brahmins shouldn't earn money for 'selling' Vedas. Whatever patients or students donate, that's their livelihood. All actors/singers also fall under impure jobs because their job forces them it ignore religious dictats, like only husband-wife can play lovers on screen @Kanthri – ram Feb 13 '22 at 08:04
  • Nice info @mar and if you can find scriptural sources for them then the bounty is yours :D – Rickross Feb 13 '22 at 09:29