[Reader-list] Caste System, Dalits and Hinduism

Wed Oct 22 21:43:43 IST 2008

There are literally thousands of subcastes in India, often with
particular geographical ranges, occupational specializations, and an
administrative or corporate structure. When Mahâtmâ Gandhi wanted to
go to England to study law, he had to ask his subcaste, the Modh
Bania, for permission to leave India. ("Bania", means "merchant," and
"Gandhi" means "greengrocer" -- from gandha, "smell, fragrance," in
Sanskrit -- and that should be enough for a good guess that Gandhi was
a Vaishya.) Sometimes it is denied that the varn.as are "castes"
because, while "true" castes, the jâtis, are based on birth, the
varn.as are based on the theory of the gun.as (the "three powers"
mentioned in the Gita). This is no more than a rationalization:  the
varn.as came first, and they are based on birth. The gun.as came
later, and provide a poor explanation anyway, since the gun.a tamas is
associated with both twice born and once born, caste and outcaste,
overlapping the most important religious and social divisions in the
system. Nevertheless, the varn.as are now divisions at a theoretical
level, while the jâtis are the way in which caste is embodied for most
practical purposes. Jâtis themselves can be ranked in relation to each
other, and occasionally a question may even be raised about the proper
varn.a to which a particular jâti belongs. As jâti members change
occupations and they rise in prestige, a jâti may rarely even be
elevated in the varn.a to which it is regarded as belonging.

See http://www.friesian.com/caste.htm

On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 8:24 PM, inder salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  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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> >
> >
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