***** CASTE AND BHAGAWAT GITA - BY AMBASSADOR O P GUPTA, IFS ***** Jai Maharaj posts
and/or www.mantra.com/jai
By Ambassador O. P. Gupta, IFS
Tuesday, June 10, 2003, 16:09
Supporters of casteism often quote two shloke viz.
(IV.13) and (XVIII.41) of Shrimad Bhagwat Gita to support
four castes by birth. Let us examine. In shloke (IV.13)
Shree Krshn says: "Chaturvarnyma mayaa sristam gunkarma
vibhagsah" i.e. four orders of society created by Me
according to their Gun(n) (qualities/behavior) and Karm
(profession/work/efforts).
Shree Krshn does not say gun(n) and karm of previous
life. In shloke (XVIII.41) Shree Krshn says "Brahmana
Kshatriya visham sudranam cha paramtapa, karmani
pravibhaktani svabhavaprabhavaigunaih."
It means people have been grouped into four classes
according to their present life karm (profession/work)
and svabhaav (behavior). 'The division of labour into
four categories -- Brahman, Ksatriya, Vaishya and Shoodr
-- is also based on the Gun(n) inherent in peoples'
nature'. Had this division been based on birth, Shree
Krshn would have naturally used phrase 'Janmani
pravibhaktani' in the very shloke (XVIII.41).
In shloke (XVIII.42), Shree Krshn prescribes duties
(karm) which one must do in order to qualify as a Brahman
i.e. among other duties (karm), he must have studied the
Ved and must teach then Ved to others. Thus, if a person
has neither studied the Ved, nor teaches the Ved to
others, he is not a Brahman.
Brahman categorisation is an acquirement through efforts
like present day degrees of MA, MBBS etc. A teacher's son
cannot be called a teacher by birth, a general's son is
not a general by birth, son of an engineer is not an
engineer by birth, son of an IFS officer cannot be called
an IFS officer by birth.
Can he? Readers may note here Shree Krshn has clearly
commanded that Hinduism is a missionary religion as
shloke (XVIII.42) casts a duty on Brahmans to teach and
propagate the Ved to others. Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ramji
Ambedkar is the first writer who struck me asserting that
Hindusim is a missionary religion (Dr. Ambedkar: Life and
Mission, Dhananjay Keer, page 270).
In shloke (XVIII.68) and (XVIII.69) Shree Krshn has again
cast missionary duties on his devotees to preach His
gospel all over the globe. RV (X.191) and AV (III.30)
also impose missionary duties on Hindu priests to bring
all under harmony i.e. under one flag.
Under Islamic law, anyone who attempts to convert a
Muslim into a Kafir has to be killed. Feroz Shah Tughlak
(1351-88) ordered to burn alive those Brahmans who tried
to convert Muslims into Hinduism. In view of this Islamic
capital sentence, Hindu priests perhaps permanently gave
up missionary zeal. It was restarted by Arya Samaj but
during the British rule as 'shuddhi.'
Following are the two missionary shlokes of the Gita:
(Gita: XVIII.68) He who, offering the highest love to Me,
preaches the most profound gospel of the Gita among My
devotees, shall come to Me alone; there is no doubt about
it. Gita: XVIII.69: (Among men there is none who does Me
a more loving service than he; nor shall anyone be dearer
to Me on the entire globe than he.)
In shloke (X.20) Shree Krshn says 'ahamatama gudakesa
sarvabhutaa sayasthitah' i.e. 'Arjun! I am the universal
self seated in the hearts of all beings.' Here, Shree
Krshn neither excludes the Shoodr from 'all beings' nor
excludes Himself from being in hearts of the Shoodr. In
shloke (XVIII.61) Shree Krshn says 'eshwarah
sarvabhutaanaam hraddesearjuna tisthati' i.e. Arjun! God
abides in the heart of all living beings.
Again, Shoodr are not excluded. In shloke (XIV.4) Shree
Krshn says 'of all embodied beings Arjun, prakrti or
nature is the conceiving Mother, while I am the seed
giving Father.' Thus, Shree Krshn says that he is as much
Father of the Shoodr as he is Father of any other Hindu.
In shloke (XVI.18) Shree Krshn says: "Given over to
egotism, brute force, arrogance, etc. they hate Me
dwelling in their own bodies as well as those of others."
Thus, Shree Krshn instructs that a Hindu must not hate
others Hindus as he is there in bodies of all Hindus so
the Gita prohibits untouchability.
In shloke (XVI.19) Shree Krshn says "These haters,
sinful, cruel and vilest among men, I cast (them) again
and again into demonical yonies (wombs)." In shloke
(XVI.20) Shree Krshn again curses Manu supporters that
such Hindus never attain Me (i.e. moksh): "Failing to
reach Me, Arjun, these stupid souls are born life after
life in demoniac wombs (asur yoni) and then verily sink
down to a still lower plane."
Gita: XVIII.71: In shloke (XVIII.71), Shree Krshn opens
His gates for all Hindus including sudras when he says
"The man who hears holy Gita with reverence, he too shall
reach happy world (shreshth ewam shubh lok) of the
virtuous (punyatmas). So how can Manusmriti or Gautam
sootr or anything ban the Shoodr from listening to the
Ved and Gita? In shloke (V.18) Shree Krshn says "The wise
(who desire to achieve moksh) look with the same eye
(samadarshi) on a Brahman endowed with learning and
culture, a cow and pariah (chandal) too." Therefore,
those who look down upon the Shoodr are neither wise nor
can they achieve moksh.
Shrimad Valmiki Ramayan also says whosoever including the
Shoodr reads it will achieve greatness and get rid of all
sins. Valmiki Ramayan: 1.1.98-100) Thus, the Ved, Ramayan
and Gita confer authority on the SHoodr to possess and
read these.
In the Ramayan, Shree Raam has Himself set following two
lessons for all Rambhakt Hindus which we witness every
year in Ramleelas but never follow in our practical
lives, so we were defeated by foreigners. (For a
comparision, see how steadfastly Muslims adhere to and
follow examples set by Prophet in Sunnah). Raavan was a
grandson of Rishi Pulatsya. He was an expert on the Ved
too. So, he was a Brahmin by birth under the Manu
definition as well as a Brahmin (educated) by
qualification (Veda-gyata) but he and most of his family
members were killed by Shree Raam for their wrongdoings.
So, the first lesson of the Ramayan is that everyone
(irrespective of his caste) is equal before law. Shree
Raam visited Shabri, called her a mother (mata); ate food
from her hands and washed feet of Nisadraj.
Shree Raam lived for years among vanavasi (tribals). So,
the second lesson of the Ramaayan is that a true Rambhakt
should never discriminate against SC/ST/Dalit Hindus,
should never hesitate to visit and dine with them. See,
Mahatma Gandhi always followed mansa, vacha and karmana
both these two lessons of the Ramaayan and he became a
Yug Purush.
Many SC/ST/Dalit Hindus are not even aware of rich
contributions made by their ancestors to the three
supreme Hindu scriptures. To cite just a few:
(i) Rishi Kavas Ilusu was revealed Shuktas (X.30) (X.31)
(X.32) and (X.33) of the Rgved and shloke 453 of the
Samved. Rish Ilusu Aksova mojvan was revealed Shukta
(X.34) of Rgved. Both, under current Manusmriti
definition were Shoodr.
(ii) In Tandya Brahman (14.66) Rishi Vatsa has been
called a Shoodr-putr. Revelations to Rishi Vatsa are
there in Rgved, (VIII.6) (VIII.11), Saamved
(8,20,137,143, etc) and Yaj (IV.16-36), (VII.40),
(XXVI.15).
(iii) Rishi Kaksivat was son of Rishi Dirghatamas by a
Shoodr maid servant (Brihaddevata IV.24.25). Rishi
Kaksivat was revealed many richas in RV (I.119 to 125).
(iv) Maharishi Vedavyas compiled all richas into four Ved
in the format currently available. He also composed the
Mahabharat, Shrimad Bhagwat Gita and all the Puraan. He
was born to Satyawati daughter of a fisherman by Rishi
Parasar. He was of dark complexion (Krshn Dwaipayan).
Thus, as per Manusmriti definition, he was a dalit
Hindu/Varna-sankar by birth. As we know, Kaurav and the
Pandav were descendants of this Satyawati through
Vedavyasa. But, Kaurav and Pandav are accepted as
Kshatriyas not on basis of birth but on the basis of
their occupations (as rulers/kings).
(v) Maharishi Mahidaas Aitereya, a Maharashtrian Shoodr
(perhaps a Mahar), composed Aitereya Brahman and chapters
I, II & III of Aitereya Aryanak. His mother was a maid
named Itara.
(vi) Maharishi Valmiki who composed the Valmiki Ramayan
was not a Brahimin by birth.
Thus, no one has right to deny free access to SC/ST/Dalit
Hindus to what their ancestors have contributed, nor,
should one give up or run-away from his ancestral
heritage on teasings by others. One does not give up his
ancestral properties on false presentations/forged
documents.
The writer is currently Ambassador of India
to Finland and above are his personal views
Source - http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13167991
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
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