Whilst the 'punyaham' ensures hygiene and sacrosanctity of the Guruvayur temple and no issues ought to be raised. Requiring it done due to the bloodline of a devotee does raise eyebrows, specially if we find reservations done on the same lines as flawed. Hinduism has a rich tradition of accepting reforms when well respected, spiritually enlightened entities have attempted to correct social practices in keeping with times. Adi Sankara's 32 yrs of life was spent creating Adaita Vedantas post deep study, travel and debates with Buddhist, Jain and other schools of interpretations of the Hindu holy scriptures. He did have opposition, but his knowledge won them over. Swami Vivekananda, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mahatma Gandhi etc too have studied Vedas, Upanishads, Purans, Bhagwad Gita and worked up a status to advise acceptable reforms. Its ironical that knowledge moves ahead uncontrolled, whereas religious rituals wait for a charismatic personality to appear and 'bell the cat'. Faithfuls have time and again been frustrated by Vatican, Mecca, various Synagogues, Fire temples, etc and at best ignored it, until the arrival of someone enlightened enough, who conforms to the system, goes right thru it and earns an exalted position to analyse and introduce the corrections, bracing up at the same time to face the opposition humans exhibit in accepting change. One must though appreciate the humility of the tantri, Shri C.R.Namboodiripad in declaring his limitations on the issue.
