[Reader-list] Caste System and Tulsi Daas

taraprakash taraprakash at gmail.com
Mon Oct 20 21:46:08 IST 2008 

I don't know what happened to my previous mail before I could sent it, my 
computer automatically rebooted.


It is a fashion these days to victimize the writers of the yesteryears for 
the evil of castism in India. Prem Chand's books have been recently burnt in 
public spectacles. Tulsi has been so often quoted out of context. The 
couplet which IS quoted in his mail is not actually what Tulsi believed, 
this was said by one of the characters in his book. So tulsi should not be 
blamed for castist remarks for this couplet. It is like calling Chomski 
imperialist because you find him quoting someone's imperialists views.

Tulsi's philosophy is more of a

"jaat paat puche naheen koi
Hari ko bhaje so hari ka hoi."
(You don't ask to what caste one belongs, the one who worships God belongs 
to Him only".

We have seen the custodians of anti-caste moments, who have been leading 
such misdirected criticism against Hindi writers, joining hands with "tilak 
taraju or talvar". Brahmin blows the conch for the elephant of so-called 
party of Dalits, it should not be very surprising that Brahmins were the 
strongest critics of Tulsi as the latter "defiled" the scripture by making 
it available for the subaltern. "Dalit vimarsh" (dalit discourse) has a term 
called Dalit-brahmins. I call those who for their personal power and 
prestige embrace the right wing politics Dalit-brahmins. And they are in the 
forefront of the misguided moment, which calls Bhagat Sing a terrorist, 
which burns Prem Chand's books and derides writers without even reading them 
first.
Thanks

p.s. The word "Chor" in Inder's quotation is actually "dhor" which I think 
means the cattle.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "inder salim" <indersalim at gmail.com>
To: <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 10:54 AM
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Caste System, Dalits and Hinduism


> by the way.
>
> Chor Ganvar shudra pashu nari
> yeh saab hai tadan kay adikari
>
> by Tulsi Dass
>
> ( thieves, ruffians, low caste, animals, women
> these all deserve beating )
>
> the fact, with other facts was often quoted by Kanshi Ram ji, the
> great leader of low caste hindus in india, after Dr.  Baba saheb
> Ambedkar ( the  architect of Indian Constitution )
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 7:29 PM, Shivam Vij शिवम् विज्
> <mail at shivamvij.com> wrote:
>> You might want to read the Annihilation of Caste:
>> http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/mmt/ambedkar/
>>
>> best
>> shivam
>>
>> On Sun, Oct 19, 2008 at 11:42 AM, Aditya Raj Kaul
>> <kauladityaraj at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> The following is from a document by Dhirendra A Shah …
>>>
>>> SECTION – I
>>>
>>> Caste System, Dalits and Hinduism
>>>
>>> "There is a misconception in some minds that Hindu scriptures
>>> sanction the caste system. But being based on Vedas, Hinduism does
>>> not permit any caste system, whatsoever.
>>> Vedas, the proud possession of mankind, are the foundation of
>>> Hinduism. Vedas are all-embracing, and treat the entire humanity
>>> with the same respect and dignity. Vedas speak of nobility of entire
>>> humanity (krinvanto vishvam aryam), and do not sanction any caste
>>> system or birth based caste system. Mantra number 10-13-1 of Rig
>>> Veda addresses entire humanity as divine children (Shrunvantu vishve
>>> amrutsya putraha). Innumerable Mantras of Vedas emphasize oneness,
>>> universal brotherhood, harmony, happiness, affection, unity and
>>> commonality of entire humanity. A few illustrations are given here.
>>> Vide Mantra number 5-60-5 of Rig Veda, the Divine Poet
>>> declares, "All men are brothers; no one is big, no one is small. All
>>> are equal". Mantra number 16.15 of Yajur Veda reiterates that all
>>> men are brothers; no one is superior or inferior. "Mantra number 3-
>>> 30-1 of Atharva Veda enjoins upon all humans to be affectionate and
>>> to love one another as the cow loves her newly born calf.
>>> Underlining unity and harmony still further, Mantra number 3-30-6 of
>>> Atharva Veda commands humankind to dine together, and be as firmly
>>> united as the spokes attached to the hub of chariot wheel.
>>>
>>> Bhagvad Gita, the essence of Vedas and Upanishads, has many Shlokas
>>> that echo the Vedic doctrine of oneness of humanity. In Sholka
>>> number V (29), the Lord declares that He is the friend of all
>>> creatures ('Suhridam Sarva Bhutanam') whereas Sholka number IX (29)
>>> reiterates that the Lord has the same affection for all creatures,
>>> and whosoever remembers the Lord, resides in the Lord, and the Lord
>>> resides in him.
>>>
>>> Hindu scriptures speak about 'Varna' which means to 'select' (one's
>>> profession etc.); and which is not caste; and which is not birth-
>>> based. As per Sholka number IV (13) of Bhagvad Gita, depending upon
>>> a person's Guna (aptitude) and Karma (actions), there are four
>>> Varnas. As per this Sholka, a person's Varna is determined by his
>>> Guna and Karma, and not by his birth. Chapter XIV of Bhagvad Gita
>>> specifies three Gunas viz. Satva (purity), Rajas (passion and
>>> attachment) and Tamas (ignorance). These three Gunas are present in
>>> every human in different proportions, and determine the Varna of
>>> every person. Accordingly, depending on one's Guna and Karma, every
>>> individual is free to select his own Varna. Consequently, if their
>>> Gunas and Karmas are different, even members of the same family will
>>> belong to different Varnas. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the
>>> differences in Guna and Karma of different individuals, Vedas treat
>>> the entire humanity with the same respect; and do not sanction any
>>> caste system or birth based caste system.
>>> Being divine revelation, Shrutis (Vedas) are the ultimate authority
>>> for Dharma, and represent its eternal principles whereas being human
>>> recapitulations, Smritis (Recollections) can play only a subordinate
>>> role. As per Shloka number (6) of chapter 2 of Manu Smriti, "Vedo
>>> akhilo dharma mulam" (Veda is the foundation of entire Dharma)
>>> whereas Shloka number 2(13) of Manu Smriti specifies that whenever
>>> Shruti (Vedas) and Smritis differ, stipulation of Vedas will prevail
>>> over Smriti stipulation." (J. G. Arora – Organizer Weekly)
>>>
>>> "A Brahmin boy who had developed more of the Tamsic Guna was not
>>> allowed to remain a Brahmin in his adult age. In the same way, a
>>> Shudra boy could become a Brahmin if he had developed more of Satvic
>>> Gunas. Let us look at the history of Vedic period. Vedas were
>>> codified by Ved Vyas who was a son of a fisher woman. Valmiki who
>>> wrote Ramayana was of a Shudra Class. Guru Dronacharya was a Brahmin
>>> but he took up weapons and faught as a Kshatriya in the Mahabharat
>>> war. One can give many such examples of how this Varna system
>>> worked. For a long period of time this system worked reasonably well
>>> which is why the Hindu civilization was the most prosperous in those
>>> days as compared to other civilizations.
>>>
>>> It is a fact that the type of caste system (with its present
>>> rigidity) we today talk about came into being only after the British
>>> census. When the British began to conquer India, the majority of the
>>> kings/rulers in different parts of India had been from amongst such
>>> castes which have been placed in the sudra varna. Chandra Gupta
>>> Maurya was from a Shudra class The British demonized caste because
>>> it stood in the way of their breaking Indian society, hindered the
>>> process of atomization, and made the task of conquest and governance
>>> more difficult. The word 'Caste' comes from the Portuguese
>>> word "Casta" which was then coined as "Caste" by the British and
>>> used it to divide the Indian society to perpetuate its colonial rule
>>> in India. The real rigidity of the caste system came into being only
>>> sometime in 1800 AD."
>>>
>>> Albaruni (AD 973 – 1048) describes the traditional division of
>>> Hindu society along the four Varnas and the Antyaja -- who are not
>>> reckoned in any caste; but makes no mention of any oppression of low
>>> caste by the upper castes. Much, however the four castes differ from
>>> each other,they live together in the same towns and villages, mixed
>>> together in the same houses and lodgings. The Antyajas are divided
>>> into eight classes -- formed into guilds -- according to their
>>>  professions who freely intermarry with each other. They live near
>>> the villages and towns of the four castes. (Sachau:101)
>>> This is exemplified by the fact that in Bali Hindu society in
>>> Indonesia, there is no dalit, no untouchability, no caste.
>>> Therefore, castiesm and untouchability are social problems in India
>>> and are not part of Hinduism as propagated by the Christian
>>> missionaries and evangelical folks. Can you say that homosexuality
>>> and pedophilia are rooted in Christianity because there are
>>> practiced by many Christian priests in America and Europe?
>>> Dalit: George Ooommen notes that the word 'dalit' was first used
>>> only in the 19th century by a Marathi social reformer, Jyotirao
>>> Phule. The 'dalit' word was appropriated by a political group called
>>> Dalit Panther Movement of Maharashtra in 1970. And, now the
>>> term, 'dalit' is appropriated by Christian theologians and
>>> missionaries to create anti-Hindu sentiments and convert poor and
>>> illiterate Hindus to Christianity by unethical, immoral and
>>> fraudulent methods.
>>> _________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> National Highway - http://shivamvij.com/
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>
>
> -- 
>
> http://indersalim.livejournal.com
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