Most of the people in India and abroad are made to believe that Varna system and Ashrama system are parts of Indian culture or parts of Hinduism. Actually both have their roots in falsehood. Indian priests and hermits propagated this falsehood to gain more honour and popularity.
(A) Varna System:
In this system it is presupposed that God divided society into four varnas -- Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Here varna means class. Hinduism believes in classless society. But hypocrites by their own imagination made additions in Manu Smriti to perpetuate their self-interest. So Manu Smriti in present form gives a bad smell of divisiveness, conspiracy and degradation of thought. So called Manu Smriti says that the duty of the Brahmin is to study and teach, to sacrifice, and to give and receive gifts; the Kshatriya must protect the people, sacrifice and study; the Vaishya also sacrifices and studies but his chief function is to breed cattle, to till the earth, to pursue trade and lend money; the Shudra’s duty is only to serve the three higher classes.
Prof. A. L, Basham writes in his famous book, “The wonder that was India” that Indian religious texts were written by Brahmins and from the brahmanic point of view and represent conditions as the Brahmins would have liked them to be. Thus it is not surprising that they claim the utmost honour for the priestly class and exalt it above measure. Such boastful additions in religious texts ensured that “The Brahmin was a great divinity in human form. His spiritual power was such that he could instantly destroy the king and his army if they attempted to infringe his rights. In law he claimed great privileges and in every respect he demanded precedence, honour and worship.
The division of society into four classes got credibility in resurgent India because great scholars like Swami Dayanand, Dr. Radha Krishnan and Swami Nirvedanand stood as advocates in support of varna system. Swami Dayanand the founder of ‘Arya Samaj’ in his book ‘Satyarth Prakash’ gives lucid explanation about the significance of different names of one God. But he relies heavily on Manu Smriti to support Varnashram system. Dr. Radha Krishnan, a great philosopher writes in his book ‘The Hindu View of Life’ (Chapter IV Hindu Dharma II) – “The first reference to varna system is in the Purush Sukta, where the different sections of society are regarded as the limbs of the great self. Human society is an organic whole, the parts of which are naturally dependent in such a way that each part in fulfilling its distinctive function conditions the fulfillment of function by the rest, and so in turn conditioned by the fulfillment of its function by the rest….The cultural and the spiritual, the military and the political, the economic classes and the unskilled workers constitute the fourfold caste organization….The serenity of the teacher, the heroism of the warrior, the honesty of the businessman and the patience and energy of the worker all contribute to the social growth. Each has its own perfection….The Brahmins were allowed freedom and leisure to develop the spiritual ideals and broadcast them….The Brahmins, as the advisers of the Government, point out the true interests of society….Hindu society made room for a group dedicated to the use of force, the Kshatriyas….The economic group of the Vaishyas were required to suppress greed and realize the moral responsibilities of wealth…..The unskilled workers and peasants form the proletariat, the Shudras….When a new group is taken into the fold of Hinduism, it is affiliated with one of the four castes.” Swami Nirvedanand in his book ‘Hinduism at a glance’ considers Varnashrama Dharma as part of Hinduism and it should be strictly followed by the Hindus who have family, means of livelihood and want to fulfill their desires.
Varna system has created dalits (the depressed classes) and other backward classes. They oppose varna system and hegemony of Brahmins in spiritual field. The spread of democracy at the grass root level has made these classes politically and economically strong. Now fight is for social justice. Groupings on the basis of upper castes and lower castes or forward castes and backward castes are made to get reservations in services. Even Brahmins are no more interested in the job of priesthood. In reality Brahmins have lost their hegemony in spiritual field. They have poor knowledge of Sanskrit. In northern India, ‘Ram Charit Manas’ written by Tulsi Das has been declared a religious book. This book is full of falsehood. It contains derogatory remarks against women. It broadcasts inequality and servitude in the name of religion and devotion to God. A favourite book of hypocrites it naturally supports varna system and ashrama system. To repudiate the false propaganda of divisive forces, it is necessary to know the reality:
(1) The supporters of varna system quote a hymn of Purush Sukta contained in Rig Veda which says----
Brahmin was his mouth,
Of his arms was made the warrior,
His thighs became the Vaishya,
Of his feet the Shudra was born.
Vedas say that God is formless. No one can see God. God expands himself to create the universe. This universe being the body of God, every thing is divine. If we wish to see God we should see all creatures, the earth, the sun, the moon, stars and galaxies, air, water, fire and anything else that our mind can conceive. God in this visible form is called Purush or Virat. First five hymns of Purush Sukta of Rig Veda say that:
(a) God in material shape has innumerable heads, eyes and feet and all the things of the earth reside in his fingers.
(b) The past and the future rest in that Purush. He, the owner of immortality, expands Himself through food.
(c) The exaltation of His might is so great that all animate and inanimate objects of creation depict only one-fourth of what He is.
(d) The three of His four forms are invisible and above the conception of mind. In his fourth form Virat He pervades all beings, animate and inanimate (eaters and non-eaters).
(e) He expanded himself into the universe which became his body. He is called Virat in this manifestation. The earth and all creatures become part of this body.
It is clear from these hymns that Purush Sukta has been composed in exaltation of Virat. It has nothing to do with theory of creation. Only these five hymns find place in all the Vedas. To be specific Sam Veda contains only these five hymns. Other hymns added in Purush Sukta are an interpolation. Any prudent reader can grasp the vicious motive behind it. Actually, the theory of creation finds place in Nasdiya Sukta (10-11-129), Hiranyagarbha Sukta(10-10-121) and Vishvakarma Sukta(10-6-81) of Rig Veda and the description has some scientific basis. Therefore, the divine theory of varna system is totally false. Vedas do not approve varna system or stratification of society into four classes.
(2) Even if we accept Purush Sukta in its present form, we see that there is no mention of varna in the interpolated hymn. Mere mention of Brahman, Rajanya, Vaishya or Shudra in the hymn has no meaning unless it specifically says that the words are meant for division of society into varnas or castes. The formless God with the qualities of omni-presence cannot be given a human shape. Moreover, mouth organ cannot be said to be superior to feet. In human beings the dumb, the armless, and the lame are put under the category of the crippled. Thus a Brahmin cannot be said to be at the top in social stratification. AS Vedas do not allot any duty to so called four classes, the Manu Smriti in its present form is the work of divisive forces and enemies of humanity. The attempt of Swami Dayanand to support varna system on the basis of Purush Sukta and Manu Smriti lacks the prudence that he showed elsewhere in his book ‘Satyarth Prakash’. The statement of Dr. Radha Krishnan that being allowed freedom and leisure to develop the spiritual ideals, the Brahmins as the advisers of Government pointed out the true interests of society is also wrong. During the Gupta period Brahmins were put in a very exalted position. But what they did can be traced very easily. They professed untouchability to protect the interests of their uncouth sons and daughters. They wrote false stories of boons and curses to prove that asceticism gives supernatural powers. In these stories good persons were cursed on frivolous grounds by Rishis to become demons. On the whole of the earth India was the only country where demons were in plenty and Brahmins had to invoke Vishnu to take avatars to crush those demons. This was not enough. Goddess Durga became Mahishasurmardini. One God having the name of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva or Indra was told to have separate entity. False stories of Shiva-Parvati marriage were written to promote dowry. Vedas believed in gender equality. But Brahmins lowered the position of women. They cast aspersions on their character. The story of test of Sita’s chastity by Ram and the story of Sita’s exile while she was pregnant were written by making interpolations in the Ramayana. The developed spiritual ideals of Brahmins fabricated stories of Sati Savitri and Satyavan. They wrote that wives of Krishna and Balram immolated themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands. The word ‘sati’ means a virtuous woman. But it was propagated that it meant self-immolation on the death of her husband. Hindus were divided as Vaishnavas, Shaivas, Shaktas or Ganapatyas. Their gods liked flattery and accepted bribes in the name of bhakti. The names of Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Ram and Krishna and also of rishis were misused to propagate deceit, injustice, revelry and voluptuousness. Puranas like Srimad Bhagvat unfold the minds of so called enlightened men. They wrote in the name of Vyas that Lord Krishna stole the garments of Gopies to see their nude bodies. They made Gopies as concubines of Krishna. They forced poor girls to marry with idols of gods in the temples and called them Devadasis. Priests were free to have sexual intercourse with them. They became gods of earth and made their kings avatars of Vishnu or Shiva. Thus priests of temples or Purohits among Brahmins and kings among Kshatriyas spent their time in luxury. The learned Brahmins wasted their time in defeating other scholars through shastrartha just to prove their acumen. The valiant kings filled with superiority complex fought with their rivals. No efforts were made for social and political unity. Selfishness of Brahmin scholars hindered the growth of Hinduism and egotism of various rulers threw India into servitude for hundreds of years. Hindus were exploited in the name of religion. Most of them became superstitious and coward. Actually the varna system based on falsehood, personification of gods, propagation of excessive dependence on God, spread of social inequality and untouchability produced distortions in Hindu society.
(3) There is no difference between varna and caste so far as the Brahmins and Kshatriyas are concerned. Even conservatives among both the communities easily agree for savarna marriages. Same is not the case with Vaishyas and Shudras. Actually there is no community or caste of Vaishyas or Shudras. This would again prove that varna system is imaginary and based on falsehood. The word Vaishya is derived from Sanskrit word ‘vish’ which means group or mass of people. In monarchy it refers to subjects. In democracy it refers to general public or citizens. This word has nothing to do with earning of wealth through trade, commerce or business. Business community alone cannot claim to be Vaishyas. In the same way the word Shudra has no connection with working class or people engaged in service. The word Shudra is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Shudh’ which means to purify or to cleanse. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that this earth is Shudra because it purifies everything. A farmer also cultivates and cleanses his field to grow and have a good crop. Thus only agriculturists can be called as Shudras. In any case the words ‘Vaishya’ and ‘Shudra’ do not refer to lower layers of society.
Those who call themselves dalits(the depressed) or backward should muse over one thing. “The same flame kindles in them as it kindles in forward or upper classes.” They should shed their inferiority complex. When India was under British rule, Indians like Mahatma Gandhi suffered humiliation. India herself was called the country of snake-charmers. Now the whole world recognizes the potentiality and prowess of India. In democracy all are the masters of their own destiny. Feelings of high and low hinder the progress and unity of a country or of a community. One should not abuse Hinduism for one’s predicament. New generation of Brahmins is by and large progressive in outlook. Poor Brahmins are themselves struggling for their livelihood. Stray incidents of misbehaviour by priests of temples depict not only their ignorance but also the superstition of devotees. In the last it is again pertinent to know that Hinduism believes in social equality and varna system is the propagation of falsehood only.
(B) Ashrama System:
It is supposed that human life has a span of about one hundred years. Ashrama system divides the span of human life into four stages or Ashramas namely (a) Brahmacharya or the period of training and learning (b) Garhasthya or the period of work for the world as a householder and of enjoying married life (c) Vanprasthya or the period of retreat for loosening of social bonds and (d) Sannyasa or the period of renunciation and expectant awaiting of freedom or moksha. Prof. A. L. Basham commenting on this system writes, “This scheme, of course, represents the ideal rather than the real. Many young men never passed through the first stage of life in the form laid down, while only a few went beyond the second. Many of the hermits and ascetics of ancient India were evidently not old men, and had either shortened or omitted the stage of householder. The series of four stages is evidently an idealization of the facts, and an artificial attempt to find room for the conflicting claims of study, family life, and asceticism in a single life. It is possible that the system of Ashramas was evolved partly as a counterblast to the Unorthodox sects such as Buddhism and Jainism, which encouraged young men to take up asceticism, and by-pass family life altogether, a practice which did not receive the approval of the orthodox, though in later times provision was made for it.”
Vedas do not approve Ashram system. Swami Dayanand takes the help of Manu Smriti to explain the conduct and duties of each Ashram. Actually Manu as a rishi or as a great king never existed. Like the story of Adam and Eve, the story of Manu and Shatarupa is an imaginative creation. One example may be enough to prove that this system cannot be an ideal for Hindus. Suppose a man leads a celibate and austere life as a student at the home of his teacher till he attains the age of twenty-five years. Then he marries and spends his life as a householder till he becomes about fifty years old. It is also prescribed that his wife should be younger to him. Considering the time of menopause she would be producing children even if her husband crosses the age of fifty. The ashram system says that thereafter the third stage of life begins and the man along with his wife should go to forests. Now the question arises who will nurture the children. After completing the age of seventy-five years one is supposed to become sannyasi or homeless wanderer living on alms. Think of the burden imposed on the householder. People of other three ashrams would be directly or indirectly dependent on householders. The three stages of life adding nothing to national income would put pressure on the national resources. If ashram system is accepted as an ideal people would become poorer and poorer. Poverty would cause malnutrition. Malnutrition may lead to poor health and loss of stamina. Such citizens of a nation cannot defend their nation’s honour, integrity or independence. Vedas actually say that being engaged in work one should long to live for hundred years. Thus Ashram system was introduced to befool Hindus. Ashram system promotes only indolence and inertness..
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Hindu Dharma for the 21st-Century
Our Hindu children and grandchildren are growing up in America without the
benefit of intrinsic knowledge of their parents and ancestors’ Indian culture, its
traditions and belief systems. As a result many grow up without strong roots in their
religious tradition, suffer low self-esteem as members of a religious minority in the
land of their birth, lack strong identity with the Indo-American community, and falter
in their commitment to abiding Hindu values. These conditions inhibit second- and
third-generation Indo-Americans from realizing their full potential and from
contributing significantly to the countries that nurture them. Everyone becomes a
loser in the process.
One reason, among many, for our children’s “uprootedness” and alienation
from their mother-culture is due to Indo-American parents’ individual and collective
inability to articulate and communicate those cherished values and religious practices
which they themselves hold. American Hindu children grow up in a cultural
environment with religious beliefs, social customs and family values radically different
from what they experience in their homes. The dichotomy between our native
traditional culture and that of our adopted country causes Hindu parents and their
offspring enormous strain, conflict and distraction. These second- and third-
2
generation Indo-American children question the sanity and rationale of Hindu beliefs
and practices: our praying to a diverse array of Gods; our offering prostrations to and
propitiating deities; and our elaborate, time-consuming, and expensive rituals. They
argue about the “greed” of religious leaders, criticize India’s caste system, decry
arranged marriages, shun vegetarianism, scoff at frugality, and forego the traditional
practices of showing respect to their elders and teachers. Hindu parents have no ready
or studied answers to such questioning. Our children have limited or no access to
learned, practicing scholar-saints to whom they can direct their questions and clear
their doubts. Soon frustrated, they become indifferent, scornful, or outright rebels.
The “generation gap” between immigrant Indo-Americans and their progeny becomes
an unbridgeable culture gap, and we lose a generation. Is it too late? We think not: it is
time for action – a collective community response.
In the United States the Indian community has tried to address religious and
cultural continuity by building Hindu temples. Over 800 or more such temples exist
today in this country with virtually one temple being built each week. Predominantly
offering traditional ritualistic services replicating the manner and methods of India,
our temples are doing little to address the challenges that we have enumerated above.
To address these issues, The Sambodh Society, Inc. sees the need for a seminar which
we now propose here:
“Hindu Dharma for the 21st-Century”
Apart from our own ignorance, another problem in communicating our
practices and cultural values to our Hindu children is the scholars and Hindu leaders’
inability to interpret those beliefs and values to the needs of the times and to
communicate them in a contemporary idiom. This task of interpretation cannot be the
work of one individual. It must be a collective effort of many inspired practitioners,
community and religious leaders, swamis, saints and scholars. Ultimately, such efforts
will initiate an education for our Hindu temples in America and Indo-American
parents. The results will be a leadership capable of addressing the needs of our youth
and future generations.
Action Plan
The Sambodh Society Inc. and the Sambodh Center for Human Excellence are
planning a four-day seminar and workshop on the topic of Hindu Dharma for the 21st-
Century. The seminar will hold eight one-hour presentations on eight foundational
pillars of Hinduism identified by His Holiness Swami Bodhananda Saraswati on the
basis of his observations and discussions with Hindu scholars, parents, grandparents,
3
and youth living in America. A two-hour panel discussion will follow each
presentation.
The Sambodh Society, Inc. is inviting eminent scholars and innovative thinkers,
such as yourself, to present papers and lead panel discussions on the following
themes: 1) Sanatana Dharma; 2) Varnashrama Dharma; 3) Karma Siddhanta and
Reincarnation; 4) Hindu Rituals and Temple Worship in the Modern Era; 5) Gurus,
Teachings and Ashrams; 6) Scriptures and their Interpretations; 7) Caste Conflict and
Coalition in Hindu Society amidst the Specter of Conversion; 8) A Hindu-Framework
for Interfaith and Science-Spirituality Dialogues.
This seminar is proposed as a discussion among scholars and seminar
participants with regard to these eight pillars of Hinduism, during which speakers will
provide a comprehensive view of contemporary Hinduism, presenting relevant data
from both India and America and articulating how various shifting circumstances and
the problems outlined above impinge upon Hindu families residing in America and
subsequent generations of Hindus. Seminar speakers will receive a set of prepared
questions based upon the pillars of Hinduism identified in this document for the
purpose of preparing for the panel discussions. We request that you submit your
responses to these questions in advance of the seminar.
Following the seminar, The Sambodh Society, Inc. will publish both a CD of
the lectures and a book incorporating all of the presentations and panel discussions.
We see the seminar and the book as an important first step in interpreting and
disseminating Hindu beliefs and practices to our Indo-American community which
reflect their unique circumstances, enable the living expression of these timeless
values, and thereby convey these values to the world. Finally, as a result of this effort,
we are hopeful that the scholarly presentations and discussions will provide both a
framework and serve as an impetus for future seminars at SCHE focused upon related
themes and their practical application.
Just as the European Renaissance of the 14th-century began with the
reinterpretation of ancient Greek and Roman culture, so, too, will a global renaissance
begin with the interpretation of the deeply spiritual Hindu culture and tradition. We
believe that the Vedantic tradition of Hindus will become a beacon for the 21stcentury
and that American Hindus will play a leading role in the cultural and spiritual
global renaissance.
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Topics for Presentation and the Panel Discussion
(i) Sanatana Dharma: This session will be devoted to the discussion of the
eternal universal values taught in the Vedas, Smritis, Puranas, and Darshanas by
the enlightened masters of India. In all ages, these values have been
transmitted and sustained as Hindu culture. They have been interpreted in
the light of modern science and social theories, and they reflect the
egalitarian and practical aspirations of individual Hindus as well as their
community. Included is the Vedantic relational understanding of God, the
world, and the individual, which leads to a meaningful life and purposeful
action. What application does this knowledge have to our everyday lives?
How does the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, the bedrock of Hindu dharma,
reach our Indo-American population over the generations? How is Sanatana
Dharma sustained by Indo-Americans without the broad-base support of the
surrounding culture? How can Sanatana Dharma add value, depth and
perspective to contemporary American culture? These ideas and questions
will comprise the focus of this session.
(ii) Varnashrama Dharma: Apart from the awareness of Hindu beliefs and
universal human and spiritual values, individuals and communities also have
to know how to apply those beliefs and values in an ever-changing
landscape of events and outcomes. Their application must also accord with
one’s temperament, training, and age, as well as incorporate the needs of the
community and a culture’s stage of technological development. How are we
to apply dharma in our personal day-to-day practice? How are Hindu
practices affected by the Western lifestyle? And how do they remain
relevant and alive for Indo-American Hindus and their children? These are
the challenges that will be addressed in this session.
(iii) Karma Siddhanta and Reincarnation: These two ideas have been part of
Hindu beliefs and have been burnt into the Hindu DNA since time
immemorial, though later Hindu reformers, like Basavanna and Guru
Nanak, rejected those theories. Buddhists and Jains also accept these two
theories. Presently, karma-siddhanta and the theory of reincarnation are part
of popular Western imagination and the frequent subject of their
psychological and scientific investigations. What do these theories mean?
What are their implications for life, a changing worldview, and a deepening
awareness that enhances life’s quality? What are their implications for
Hindus residing in the West, whose ideas are being discovered, adapted,
adopted, and, alternately, denounced by a predominately Christian culture?
These themes and questions will be examined in this session.
5
(iv) Hindu Rituals and Temple Worship in the Modern Era: Hindus invoke
God's presence in murtis or idols, and we offer our service to these
spiritually-charged icons installed in our Hindu homes and temples. This
practice has become the central theme of modern Hinduism. An elaborate
science and tradition has evolved around and supports the construction of
temples, carving images from stone, metals and wood, installing those
images with mantra and rituals, and offering daily and occasional ceremonial
pujas. Although, over the ages, the worship of “many Gods” has been
greatly misunderstood India’s varieties of deities have also been of great
fascination to non-Hindus. The ordinary devotee, the curious onlooker, and
even the indifferent or neutral participant, regardless of their degree of
interest, would like to understand the meaning and purpose of deity
worship. Some venture to explore the effectiveness of these Hindu
practices. This session will focus first upon Hindu praxis, identifying those
rituals which modern Hindus see as basic: as individuals, for families, and
for their communities. Then, how do Hindus understand their practice of
idol worship, its meaning, and its relevance to their lives? Having examined
these two areas, it is possible to identify ways in which parents might to
respond to their children’s questions about the practice of idol worship as
well as to those who have little understanding or limited exposure to these
ancient and viable religious practices. This session will grapple with the
basic questions Hindu parents seek most to answer: Why idol worship, and,
what (if any) is its relevance to modern life?
(v) Gurus, Teachings and Ashrams: Another tradition which is central to
Hinduism is the institution of gurus and ashrams and the unbroken flow of
their role in teaching the ultimate value of life. During the Muslim and
British rules, when Hinduism was under tremendous pressure and all visible
structures of Hindu culture were wantonly destroyed, it was the ashrams and
wandering gurus who kept the Hindu faith aflame among the common folk
in the villages and cities. They not only lived religion but also taught and
inspired others by their practices. But for these heroic, selfless gurus and
wandering ascetics, Hinduism would have been forever lost to us. This
session will look at the historical as well as the contemporary significance of
the guru and the ashram in the preservation and propagation of Hindu
culture. How can and does this pillar of Hinduism effectively incorporate
into a culture where ashrams are scarce, where gurus tailor themselves for
Western seekers, and immigrant Hindus seek to insulate themselves from
Western influence? What other challenges do ashrams and gurus in the West
6
face? How might gurus and ashrams be of greater help to Hindu parents and
families living in America and assist in sustaining a Hindu way of life?
(vi) Scriptures and their Interpretations: A revealed scripture is the heart of
any religion or faith. The adherents intuitively connect with the revelations
of the scripture, intellectually interpret, and emotionally imbibe those
teachings, and modify their individual and collective behavior accordingly.
Without this rock foundation, life becomes a ship tossed in the storm of
unpredictable events. Faith is the anchor, and values are the compass for
this ship of life. But a literal interpretation of scripture is dangerous and
potentially leads to blind faith and sectarian violence. Scriptures ought to be
studied by people of balanced and pure minds. Scriptures are to be lived
both personally and as a community. From that wisdom gained in practical
living, scriptures are to be interpreted according to the needs of the times,
and, this kind of interpretation is one of the most important tasks for a
dynamic community. Great scriptural interpreters arose in India, like
Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Vivekananda, Swami Dayananda,
Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo and others. This session will focus upon
several interrelated questions of import, considering both Hindus in India as
well as their counterparts abroad: What scriptures are foundational to
Hinduism in modern times? How do we (and how are we to) interpret
scripture for our times? Finally, what are the parameters of interpretation
that are to assist us in facing modern challenges, including those challenges
that Hindus confront living in the West?
(vii) Caste Conflict and Coalition in the Hindu Society, and the Specter of
Conversion: The prevalence of caste divisions based upon accident of birth
and caste discrimination are relics from the deep and long past of the Hindu
society. Caste divisions are slow to dissolve, and they continue, in some
form. So, too, the resultant caste-based conflicts for power and wealth. In a
multi-caste society like the Hindu society, we can expect dynamic shifts and
rainbow-caste coalitions, as in the recent trend whereby high-caste Hindus
have joined hands with Dalits for class/caste-based reservations on
economic considerations, squeezing the middle class. Caste-based social
divisions also affect Indians living in the United States. Western
stereotypical perspectives of caste as the hallmark of Indian culture
embarrass Indo-American youth, negatively affecting their cultural
identities. Evangelical, monotheistic religions that convert Hindus have
exploited the caste division in Hindu society causing a drastic and traumatic
rupture in a people’s sense of history and self. What special problems has
this system created for Hindu parents raising children in America? For inter-
7
religious marriages and conversions that occur as a consequence of
marriage? This presentation will take a critical look at this age-old intractable
problem, as it was, as well as the current state of affairs, including the effect
upon Indo-American parents, their families, their identity, and their faith,
along with a diagnosis and prognosis.
(viii) A Hindu Framework for Interfaith and Science-Spirituality Dialogues:
In the modern global village, we find people of different faiths, languages,
traditions and customs mingling in common spaces: in families, the work
arena, leisure-time facilities, on every street, and in every suburb of
developed societies. Our Hindu children are exposed to all cultures and
faiths of the world. During this age of global integration, the time for
conflict, extermination, and/or forced conversion is waning. Ours is the
age of conversation versus conversion, consensus versus conflict, and global
initiatives versus isolation and retreat. Hindu Dharma, and its capstone,
Advaita Vedanta philosophy, provide an inclusive worldview, an allembracing
culture of coexistence amidst (and, in spite of) difference and
dissent. We believe that Hindus of all generations, living in India or abroad,
have a significant role to play in the unfolding of this global drama because
this Hindu worldview will be more effective for creating interfaith
conversation and even for integrating modern science with spirituality.
Preserving our Hindu heritage and responding to the changing
circumstances of increasing globalism is of significant import. How can
Hindus draw upon their philosophy and tradition of non-violent coexistence
to create a framework and regime for dialogue and global
conversation? Can we help the world in discovering a common ground for
collective action to protect both the planet and human civilization? Are
there special problems or boons to this discovery process associated with
such a diverse culture, religious, racial and global amalgam as is the United
States of America? These challenges will be the inspirational theme of the
final session.
benefit of intrinsic knowledge of their parents and ancestors’ Indian culture, its
traditions and belief systems. As a result many grow up without strong roots in their
religious tradition, suffer low self-esteem as members of a religious minority in the
land of their birth, lack strong identity with the Indo-American community, and falter
in their commitment to abiding Hindu values. These conditions inhibit second- and
third-generation Indo-Americans from realizing their full potential and from
contributing significantly to the countries that nurture them. Everyone becomes a
loser in the process.
One reason, among many, for our children’s “uprootedness” and alienation
from their mother-culture is due to Indo-American parents’ individual and collective
inability to articulate and communicate those cherished values and religious practices
which they themselves hold. American Hindu children grow up in a cultural
environment with religious beliefs, social customs and family values radically different
from what they experience in their homes. The dichotomy between our native
traditional culture and that of our adopted country causes Hindu parents and their
offspring enormous strain, conflict and distraction. These second- and third-
2
generation Indo-American children question the sanity and rationale of Hindu beliefs
and practices: our praying to a diverse array of Gods; our offering prostrations to and
propitiating deities; and our elaborate, time-consuming, and expensive rituals. They
argue about the “greed” of religious leaders, criticize India’s caste system, decry
arranged marriages, shun vegetarianism, scoff at frugality, and forego the traditional
practices of showing respect to their elders and teachers. Hindu parents have no ready
or studied answers to such questioning. Our children have limited or no access to
learned, practicing scholar-saints to whom they can direct their questions and clear
their doubts. Soon frustrated, they become indifferent, scornful, or outright rebels.
The “generation gap” between immigrant Indo-Americans and their progeny becomes
an unbridgeable culture gap, and we lose a generation. Is it too late? We think not: it is
time for action – a collective community response.
In the United States the Indian community has tried to address religious and
cultural continuity by building Hindu temples. Over 800 or more such temples exist
today in this country with virtually one temple being built each week. Predominantly
offering traditional ritualistic services replicating the manner and methods of India,
our temples are doing little to address the challenges that we have enumerated above.
To address these issues, The Sambodh Society, Inc. sees the need for a seminar which
we now propose here:
“Hindu Dharma for the 21st-Century”
Apart from our own ignorance, another problem in communicating our
practices and cultural values to our Hindu children is the scholars and Hindu leaders’
inability to interpret those beliefs and values to the needs of the times and to
communicate them in a contemporary idiom. This task of interpretation cannot be the
work of one individual. It must be a collective effort of many inspired practitioners,
community and religious leaders, swamis, saints and scholars. Ultimately, such efforts
will initiate an education for our Hindu temples in America and Indo-American
parents. The results will be a leadership capable of addressing the needs of our youth
and future generations.
Action Plan
The Sambodh Society Inc. and the Sambodh Center for Human Excellence are
planning a four-day seminar and workshop on the topic of Hindu Dharma for the 21st-
Century. The seminar will hold eight one-hour presentations on eight foundational
pillars of Hinduism identified by His Holiness Swami Bodhananda Saraswati on the
basis of his observations and discussions with Hindu scholars, parents, grandparents,
3
and youth living in America. A two-hour panel discussion will follow each
presentation.
The Sambodh Society, Inc. is inviting eminent scholars and innovative thinkers,
such as yourself, to present papers and lead panel discussions on the following
themes: 1) Sanatana Dharma; 2) Varnashrama Dharma; 3) Karma Siddhanta and
Reincarnation; 4) Hindu Rituals and Temple Worship in the Modern Era; 5) Gurus,
Teachings and Ashrams; 6) Scriptures and their Interpretations; 7) Caste Conflict and
Coalition in Hindu Society amidst the Specter of Conversion; 8) A Hindu-Framework
for Interfaith and Science-Spirituality Dialogues.
This seminar is proposed as a discussion among scholars and seminar
participants with regard to these eight pillars of Hinduism, during which speakers will
provide a comprehensive view of contemporary Hinduism, presenting relevant data
from both India and America and articulating how various shifting circumstances and
the problems outlined above impinge upon Hindu families residing in America and
subsequent generations of Hindus. Seminar speakers will receive a set of prepared
questions based upon the pillars of Hinduism identified in this document for the
purpose of preparing for the panel discussions. We request that you submit your
responses to these questions in advance of the seminar.
Following the seminar, The Sambodh Society, Inc. will publish both a CD of
the lectures and a book incorporating all of the presentations and panel discussions.
We see the seminar and the book as an important first step in interpreting and
disseminating Hindu beliefs and practices to our Indo-American community which
reflect their unique circumstances, enable the living expression of these timeless
values, and thereby convey these values to the world. Finally, as a result of this effort,
we are hopeful that the scholarly presentations and discussions will provide both a
framework and serve as an impetus for future seminars at SCHE focused upon related
themes and their practical application.
Just as the European Renaissance of the 14th-century began with the
reinterpretation of ancient Greek and Roman culture, so, too, will a global renaissance
begin with the interpretation of the deeply spiritual Hindu culture and tradition. We
believe that the Vedantic tradition of Hindus will become a beacon for the 21stcentury
and that American Hindus will play a leading role in the cultural and spiritual
global renaissance.
4
Topics for Presentation and the Panel Discussion
(i) Sanatana Dharma: This session will be devoted to the discussion of the
eternal universal values taught in the Vedas, Smritis, Puranas, and Darshanas by
the enlightened masters of India. In all ages, these values have been
transmitted and sustained as Hindu culture. They have been interpreted in
the light of modern science and social theories, and they reflect the
egalitarian and practical aspirations of individual Hindus as well as their
community. Included is the Vedantic relational understanding of God, the
world, and the individual, which leads to a meaningful life and purposeful
action. What application does this knowledge have to our everyday lives?
How does the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, the bedrock of Hindu dharma,
reach our Indo-American population over the generations? How is Sanatana
Dharma sustained by Indo-Americans without the broad-base support of the
surrounding culture? How can Sanatana Dharma add value, depth and
perspective to contemporary American culture? These ideas and questions
will comprise the focus of this session.
(ii) Varnashrama Dharma: Apart from the awareness of Hindu beliefs and
universal human and spiritual values, individuals and communities also have
to know how to apply those beliefs and values in an ever-changing
landscape of events and outcomes. Their application must also accord with
one’s temperament, training, and age, as well as incorporate the needs of the
community and a culture’s stage of technological development. How are we
to apply dharma in our personal day-to-day practice? How are Hindu
practices affected by the Western lifestyle? And how do they remain
relevant and alive for Indo-American Hindus and their children? These are
the challenges that will be addressed in this session.
(iii) Karma Siddhanta and Reincarnation: These two ideas have been part of
Hindu beliefs and have been burnt into the Hindu DNA since time
immemorial, though later Hindu reformers, like Basavanna and Guru
Nanak, rejected those theories. Buddhists and Jains also accept these two
theories. Presently, karma-siddhanta and the theory of reincarnation are part
of popular Western imagination and the frequent subject of their
psychological and scientific investigations. What do these theories mean?
What are their implications for life, a changing worldview, and a deepening
awareness that enhances life’s quality? What are their implications for
Hindus residing in the West, whose ideas are being discovered, adapted,
adopted, and, alternately, denounced by a predominately Christian culture?
These themes and questions will be examined in this session.
5
(iv) Hindu Rituals and Temple Worship in the Modern Era: Hindus invoke
God's presence in murtis or idols, and we offer our service to these
spiritually-charged icons installed in our Hindu homes and temples. This
practice has become the central theme of modern Hinduism. An elaborate
science and tradition has evolved around and supports the construction of
temples, carving images from stone, metals and wood, installing those
images with mantra and rituals, and offering daily and occasional ceremonial
pujas. Although, over the ages, the worship of “many Gods” has been
greatly misunderstood India’s varieties of deities have also been of great
fascination to non-Hindus. The ordinary devotee, the curious onlooker, and
even the indifferent or neutral participant, regardless of their degree of
interest, would like to understand the meaning and purpose of deity
worship. Some venture to explore the effectiveness of these Hindu
practices. This session will focus first upon Hindu praxis, identifying those
rituals which modern Hindus see as basic: as individuals, for families, and
for their communities. Then, how do Hindus understand their practice of
idol worship, its meaning, and its relevance to their lives? Having examined
these two areas, it is possible to identify ways in which parents might to
respond to their children’s questions about the practice of idol worship as
well as to those who have little understanding or limited exposure to these
ancient and viable religious practices. This session will grapple with the
basic questions Hindu parents seek most to answer: Why idol worship, and,
what (if any) is its relevance to modern life?
(v) Gurus, Teachings and Ashrams: Another tradition which is central to
Hinduism is the institution of gurus and ashrams and the unbroken flow of
their role in teaching the ultimate value of life. During the Muslim and
British rules, when Hinduism was under tremendous pressure and all visible
structures of Hindu culture were wantonly destroyed, it was the ashrams and
wandering gurus who kept the Hindu faith aflame among the common folk
in the villages and cities. They not only lived religion but also taught and
inspired others by their practices. But for these heroic, selfless gurus and
wandering ascetics, Hinduism would have been forever lost to us. This
session will look at the historical as well as the contemporary significance of
the guru and the ashram in the preservation and propagation of Hindu
culture. How can and does this pillar of Hinduism effectively incorporate
into a culture where ashrams are scarce, where gurus tailor themselves for
Western seekers, and immigrant Hindus seek to insulate themselves from
Western influence? What other challenges do ashrams and gurus in the West
6
face? How might gurus and ashrams be of greater help to Hindu parents and
families living in America and assist in sustaining a Hindu way of life?
(vi) Scriptures and their Interpretations: A revealed scripture is the heart of
any religion or faith. The adherents intuitively connect with the revelations
of the scripture, intellectually interpret, and emotionally imbibe those
teachings, and modify their individual and collective behavior accordingly.
Without this rock foundation, life becomes a ship tossed in the storm of
unpredictable events. Faith is the anchor, and values are the compass for
this ship of life. But a literal interpretation of scripture is dangerous and
potentially leads to blind faith and sectarian violence. Scriptures ought to be
studied by people of balanced and pure minds. Scriptures are to be lived
both personally and as a community. From that wisdom gained in practical
living, scriptures are to be interpreted according to the needs of the times,
and, this kind of interpretation is one of the most important tasks for a
dynamic community. Great scriptural interpreters arose in India, like
Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Vivekananda, Swami Dayananda,
Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo and others. This session will focus upon
several interrelated questions of import, considering both Hindus in India as
well as their counterparts abroad: What scriptures are foundational to
Hinduism in modern times? How do we (and how are we to) interpret
scripture for our times? Finally, what are the parameters of interpretation
that are to assist us in facing modern challenges, including those challenges
that Hindus confront living in the West?
(vii) Caste Conflict and Coalition in the Hindu Society, and the Specter of
Conversion: The prevalence of caste divisions based upon accident of birth
and caste discrimination are relics from the deep and long past of the Hindu
society. Caste divisions are slow to dissolve, and they continue, in some
form. So, too, the resultant caste-based conflicts for power and wealth. In a
multi-caste society like the Hindu society, we can expect dynamic shifts and
rainbow-caste coalitions, as in the recent trend whereby high-caste Hindus
have joined hands with Dalits for class/caste-based reservations on
economic considerations, squeezing the middle class. Caste-based social
divisions also affect Indians living in the United States. Western
stereotypical perspectives of caste as the hallmark of Indian culture
embarrass Indo-American youth, negatively affecting their cultural
identities. Evangelical, monotheistic religions that convert Hindus have
exploited the caste division in Hindu society causing a drastic and traumatic
rupture in a people’s sense of history and self. What special problems has
this system created for Hindu parents raising children in America? For inter-
7
religious marriages and conversions that occur as a consequence of
marriage? This presentation will take a critical look at this age-old intractable
problem, as it was, as well as the current state of affairs, including the effect
upon Indo-American parents, their families, their identity, and their faith,
along with a diagnosis and prognosis.
(viii) A Hindu Framework for Interfaith and Science-Spirituality Dialogues:
In the modern global village, we find people of different faiths, languages,
traditions and customs mingling in common spaces: in families, the work
arena, leisure-time facilities, on every street, and in every suburb of
developed societies. Our Hindu children are exposed to all cultures and
faiths of the world. During this age of global integration, the time for
conflict, extermination, and/or forced conversion is waning. Ours is the
age of conversation versus conversion, consensus versus conflict, and global
initiatives versus isolation and retreat. Hindu Dharma, and its capstone,
Advaita Vedanta philosophy, provide an inclusive worldview, an allembracing
culture of coexistence amidst (and, in spite of) difference and
dissent. We believe that Hindus of all generations, living in India or abroad,
have a significant role to play in the unfolding of this global drama because
this Hindu worldview will be more effective for creating interfaith
conversation and even for integrating modern science with spirituality.
Preserving our Hindu heritage and responding to the changing
circumstances of increasing globalism is of significant import. How can
Hindus draw upon their philosophy and tradition of non-violent coexistence
to create a framework and regime for dialogue and global
conversation? Can we help the world in discovering a common ground for
collective action to protect both the planet and human civilization? Are
there special problems or boons to this discovery process associated with
such a diverse culture, religious, racial and global amalgam as is the United
States of America? These challenges will be the inspirational theme of the
final session.
ETHICS FOR ALL-This cauldron of the great illusion
What is it to be good? How can one be good? These are the questions that Gurcharan Das ponders in this reconsideration of the Mahabharata. He thus raises the central question, which the Mahabharata’s hero, Yudhishthira, pondered in life and during his final journey: What is dharma?
From this arises a certain resemblance between the old epic and this book, its current offshoot. Veda Vyasa, the putative author of the epic, and Das, the present author, pose moral questions to explore the complex dimensions of the issue, they proceed to relate stories, real or imagined. In short, both teach by examples. In old India, this form of writing was called itihasa. The listeners took the storyteller’s tale to be true. The belief might have been unfounded. Nevertheless, historians concede that elements of historical fact lie embedded in the epic. The business and political stories Das relates from his own contemporary experience, juxtaposing them with the Mahabharata stories (which he re-tells movingly), are, by contrast, based on fact.
What exactly is itihasa? It is not what we historians nowadays understand by ‘history’. The old understanding of the term is captured in a Sanskrit definition in translation: “Itihasa is a tale of old, with advice about dharma (righteousness), artha (power and wealth), Kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation from the cycle of births and deaths).” It will be seen that this is not professional history as understood in modern times. Nor is the Mahabharata history. It is itihasa. The stories may or may not be true. That does not matter. The truth, as understood here, is greater than fact. Das subjects this work to both historical and moral examination.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are both called epics now. There was no term for epic then (mahakavya is a modern term). Although invariably bracketed together, the two epics were then defined by different terms. The Ramayana was a kavya. Kavya means literature (not just poetry). Das’s historical analysis of the Mahabharata will arouse the interest of the historians. He keeps the main part of his work for the general reader. But he provides a historical framework, and provides interesting historical details in the chronology after the preface and in an appendix entitled ‘Dharma — The story of a word’. These are the keys to the book. Not all historians will agree with his conclusions. But then history is, after all, an enquiry and therefore a debate.
Before we go on to Yudhishthira’s question regarding righteousness, we need to consider the chronology provided by Das, and to ask ourselves what the Mahabharata is. Technically, the Mahabharata is an old tale (puravritta-katha), which is taken to be true. What old tale? And how true is it? Historians think that the Mahabharata is based on the memory of a war between the Aryan tribes, the Kurus and the Panchalas, that might have taken place around 950 BC. A junior branch of the Kauravas, perhaps, joined the Panchalas. The tale was reinvented later as a war between the two Kuru branches, the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The reinvented tale was retold by poet-singers over the generations. In its present written form, the tale reached its final version perhaps around 300 AD. The spiritual work, the Bhagavad-Gita, is said to have been finalized and attached to the Mahabharata. When did the tale reach its present form substantively? Perhaps around 150 BC-0 AD, says Das following some historians. This is quite likely, but other historians, to be safe, say 400 BC-300 AD.
In the course of these critical centuries, Gurcharan Das reminds us that something relevant and extremely important happened. Emperor Ashoka, the Buddhist ruler of the Maurya dynasty, preached the ethical and universalistic dhamma to his subjects and neighbours in a memorable reign dated circa 265-232 BC. A Brahmanical counter-ideology then took hard shape in the Manusamhita, around 100 BC-100 AD. He suggests that the bulk of the present Mahabharata was posterior to Buddhism and to the preaching of the dhamma by Ashoka. The epic is the Brahmanical version of the dharma, and the work in its bulk precedes Manu’s Brahmanical reaction against Buddhism. This is the consensus of the present scholarship on the Mahabharata abroad (there has not been much remarkable Indian scholarship on this recently). On the whole, this reconstruction seems to be reasonable. Alf Hiltebeitel has suggested, in a recent study dated 2001, that the epic was composed in the relatively shorter period from 150 BC to 0 AD. This makes Yudhishthira (a short-hand for the dharma in the Mahabharata) one century later than Ashoka and an elder to Manu. Like Ashoka, he is deeply concerned with righteousness, and is not so anxious about a social code as the rigidly Brahmanical Manu. Nevertheless, the dharma in the Mahabharata and Bhagavad-Gita is undeniably Brahmanical.
At this stage, we have to ask ourselves again: What is the Mahabharata? If we consider the story in its bare outline, it is an account of the Kurukshetra war — a fratricidal strife between the senior Kauravas and the junior Pandavas (assisted by Draupadi’s kinsmen, the Panchalas). The storyline concentrates on the combat between Karna and Arjuna. That, at first sight, is the Mahabharata.
But not quite. To this older bardic song of a combat between a Suta and a Kshatriya, in which the latter puts an end to the former by unfair means, has been added a more recent reconsideration of the dharma in the figure of the righteous man, Yudhishthira. The Mahabharata is about him too — a non-violent hero like Njal in the violent Icelandic Njal’s Saga. Children will prefer the fighter Arjuna to the namby-pamby Yudhishthira, mature men pondering ethics may wonder about this. And let us not forget that the Mahabharata contains the Gita too. Krishna’s address to the despondent Arjuna on the eve of the battle hovers between abstract metaphysics and the warrior’s duty, which is in effect the varnashrama-dharma or caste code. It is not so much about ethics — for that we look to Yudhishthira’s life and thought.
The Mahabharata is much bigger than the Iliad: it contains three whole works — the combat (Iliad), the righteous man’s quest for truth amidst violence (Njal’s Saga) and the metaphysics of transcental reality (Plato). Das concentrates on dharma and its central figure. Yudhishthira is both the son of righteousness (dharma-putra) and the truthful man (satyavadin). His life story is the search for the path through the seemingly irresoluble dilemmas of dharma.
Das shows that the Yudhishthira of the tale attains the same universality of ethics as the Ashoka of the inscriptions. Dharma had originally a narrower meaning in the Rig-Veda. The word derives from the verb dhri, to uphold — that which holds together the cosmic, the social and the ritual orders. It meant, in the Vedas, the sacrificial rites in the fire (yajna). In the Manusamhita, it means the caste order (varnashrama-dharma). In between the two, dharma attained a universalist ethical dimension. Ashoka was its historical and Yudhishthira its mythical embodiment. The Mahabharata undeniably upholds the varnashrama-dharma, but it goes beyond, and has ethics for everybody in its riotous assemblage of stories. As Das shows, the stories never simplify the answers: they pose the dilemmas for the men of those times and of ours. Like Ashoka, Yudhishthira never ceases to probe and ponder in the midst of all-encompassing violence.
We may end with Yudhishthira’s answer to the questions posed by the heron. The heron asks, “What is the news?” Yudhishthira answers: “With the sun as fire and days and nights as fuel, time cooks all beings by stirring the ladle of the months and seasons in this cauldron of the great illusion.” This is not the translation cited by Das, but I believe it is exact.
RAJAT KANTA RAY
Top
From this arises a certain resemblance between the old epic and this book, its current offshoot. Veda Vyasa, the putative author of the epic, and Das, the present author, pose moral questions to explore the complex dimensions of the issue, they proceed to relate stories, real or imagined. In short, both teach by examples. In old India, this form of writing was called itihasa. The listeners took the storyteller’s tale to be true. The belief might have been unfounded. Nevertheless, historians concede that elements of historical fact lie embedded in the epic. The business and political stories Das relates from his own contemporary experience, juxtaposing them with the Mahabharata stories (which he re-tells movingly), are, by contrast, based on fact.
What exactly is itihasa? It is not what we historians nowadays understand by ‘history’. The old understanding of the term is captured in a Sanskrit definition in translation: “Itihasa is a tale of old, with advice about dharma (righteousness), artha (power and wealth), Kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation from the cycle of births and deaths).” It will be seen that this is not professional history as understood in modern times. Nor is the Mahabharata history. It is itihasa. The stories may or may not be true. That does not matter. The truth, as understood here, is greater than fact. Das subjects this work to both historical and moral examination.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are both called epics now. There was no term for epic then (mahakavya is a modern term). Although invariably bracketed together, the two epics were then defined by different terms. The Ramayana was a kavya. Kavya means literature (not just poetry). Das’s historical analysis of the Mahabharata will arouse the interest of the historians. He keeps the main part of his work for the general reader. But he provides a historical framework, and provides interesting historical details in the chronology after the preface and in an appendix entitled ‘Dharma — The story of a word’. These are the keys to the book. Not all historians will agree with his conclusions. But then history is, after all, an enquiry and therefore a debate.
Before we go on to Yudhishthira’s question regarding righteousness, we need to consider the chronology provided by Das, and to ask ourselves what the Mahabharata is. Technically, the Mahabharata is an old tale (puravritta-katha), which is taken to be true. What old tale? And how true is it? Historians think that the Mahabharata is based on the memory of a war between the Aryan tribes, the Kurus and the Panchalas, that might have taken place around 950 BC. A junior branch of the Kauravas, perhaps, joined the Panchalas. The tale was reinvented later as a war between the two Kuru branches, the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The reinvented tale was retold by poet-singers over the generations. In its present written form, the tale reached its final version perhaps around 300 AD. The spiritual work, the Bhagavad-Gita, is said to have been finalized and attached to the Mahabharata. When did the tale reach its present form substantively? Perhaps around 150 BC-0 AD, says Das following some historians. This is quite likely, but other historians, to be safe, say 400 BC-300 AD.
In the course of these critical centuries, Gurcharan Das reminds us that something relevant and extremely important happened. Emperor Ashoka, the Buddhist ruler of the Maurya dynasty, preached the ethical and universalistic dhamma to his subjects and neighbours in a memorable reign dated circa 265-232 BC. A Brahmanical counter-ideology then took hard shape in the Manusamhita, around 100 BC-100 AD. He suggests that the bulk of the present Mahabharata was posterior to Buddhism and to the preaching of the dhamma by Ashoka. The epic is the Brahmanical version of the dharma, and the work in its bulk precedes Manu’s Brahmanical reaction against Buddhism. This is the consensus of the present scholarship on the Mahabharata abroad (there has not been much remarkable Indian scholarship on this recently). On the whole, this reconstruction seems to be reasonable. Alf Hiltebeitel has suggested, in a recent study dated 2001, that the epic was composed in the relatively shorter period from 150 BC to 0 AD. This makes Yudhishthira (a short-hand for the dharma in the Mahabharata) one century later than Ashoka and an elder to Manu. Like Ashoka, he is deeply concerned with righteousness, and is not so anxious about a social code as the rigidly Brahmanical Manu. Nevertheless, the dharma in the Mahabharata and Bhagavad-Gita is undeniably Brahmanical.
At this stage, we have to ask ourselves again: What is the Mahabharata? If we consider the story in its bare outline, it is an account of the Kurukshetra war — a fratricidal strife between the senior Kauravas and the junior Pandavas (assisted by Draupadi’s kinsmen, the Panchalas). The storyline concentrates on the combat between Karna and Arjuna. That, at first sight, is the Mahabharata.
But not quite. To this older bardic song of a combat between a Suta and a Kshatriya, in which the latter puts an end to the former by unfair means, has been added a more recent reconsideration of the dharma in the figure of the righteous man, Yudhishthira. The Mahabharata is about him too — a non-violent hero like Njal in the violent Icelandic Njal’s Saga. Children will prefer the fighter Arjuna to the namby-pamby Yudhishthira, mature men pondering ethics may wonder about this. And let us not forget that the Mahabharata contains the Gita too. Krishna’s address to the despondent Arjuna on the eve of the battle hovers between abstract metaphysics and the warrior’s duty, which is in effect the varnashrama-dharma or caste code. It is not so much about ethics — for that we look to Yudhishthira’s life and thought.
The Mahabharata is much bigger than the Iliad: it contains three whole works — the combat (Iliad), the righteous man’s quest for truth amidst violence (Njal’s Saga) and the metaphysics of transcental reality (Plato). Das concentrates on dharma and its central figure. Yudhishthira is both the son of righteousness (dharma-putra) and the truthful man (satyavadin). His life story is the search for the path through the seemingly irresoluble dilemmas of dharma.
Das shows that the Yudhishthira of the tale attains the same universality of ethics as the Ashoka of the inscriptions. Dharma had originally a narrower meaning in the Rig-Veda. The word derives from the verb dhri, to uphold — that which holds together the cosmic, the social and the ritual orders. It meant, in the Vedas, the sacrificial rites in the fire (yajna). In the Manusamhita, it means the caste order (varnashrama-dharma). In between the two, dharma attained a universalist ethical dimension. Ashoka was its historical and Yudhishthira its mythical embodiment. The Mahabharata undeniably upholds the varnashrama-dharma, but it goes beyond, and has ethics for everybody in its riotous assemblage of stories. As Das shows, the stories never simplify the answers: they pose the dilemmas for the men of those times and of ours. Like Ashoka, Yudhishthira never ceases to probe and ponder in the midst of all-encompassing violence.
We may end with Yudhishthira’s answer to the questions posed by the heron. The heron asks, “What is the news?” Yudhishthira answers: “With the sun as fire and days and nights as fuel, time cooks all beings by stirring the ladle of the months and seasons in this cauldron of the great illusion.” This is not the translation cited by Das, but I believe it is exact.
RAJAT KANTA RAY
Top
De-Brahminise The Dalit
De-Brahminise The Dalit
By Prem Pati & Yoginder Sikand
Prem Pati used to teach Comparative Literature at Delhi Univerity. Author of several books on the Dalit movement and Ambedkar, he is presently involved with a number of Dalit groups. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he speaks about religion, Dalit liberation and Dalit-Muslim relations.
Q: How do you define the word 'Dalit'?
A: Some people restrict the use of the word 'Dalit' to refer only to the Scheduled Castes. But, in my opinion, the Dalits are all those who are oppressed, and these include the vast majority of the Other Backward Castes, the Adivasis, and the Muslims and Christians of non-'upper' caste origin.
Q: What do you feel is the role of religion in the Dalit liberation struggle?
A: That is a question about which I have thought a great deal. If you examine ancient Indian history and religion, you will find that the word 'Hindu dharma' is not used to describe what is today called 'Hinduism'. Instead, the word used is varnashrama dharma, which is the religion of caste. According to this religion, the dharma of each caste is different and consists essentially of one' caste duties. The dharma of the Dalits and Shudras is simply to serve as slaves of the 'upper' castes. The Arab and Persian Muslims used the term 'Hindu' to refer to those people living to the east of the Indus river. But very cleverly, from the nineteenth century onwards, the word 'Hindu' was adopted while the term varnashrama dharma was concealed, but an objective analysis tells us that what is called Hinduism today is simply another name for varnashrama dharma.
After reading the ancient Brahminic scriptures, I began studying Buddhism. From the Buddhist scriptures I discovered the real conditions of the Indian society of those days, which caused Lord Buddha such anguish because Brahmin hegemony was unchallenged and extreme. And from my reading of Buddhism I realised that the essence of Hindu dharma or the Brahminical dharma is the upholding of Brahminic hegemony come what may, and that the rest of the population must simply uphold the cause of Brahmin hegemony. I, for one, was convinced that I was certainly not cut out to serve the cause of Brahmin hegemony. Instead, I decided that I must devote my life to ensure its defeat.
That is what Ambedkar's mission was all about. His was a twin attack on capitalism, to replace it with socialism, and on Brahminism, to usher in social democracy.
Q: Do you think religious conversion is necessary for Dalit emancipation?
A: To begin with, you should be clear that when you speak of Dalit conversions, it is not that the Dalits are abandoning Hinduism for another religion. Actually, the Dalits are not Hindus and have never been Hindus, because as outcastes, they are outside the Hindu varna system.
I am convinced that as long as the Dalits remain even nominally Hindu, they cannot gain self-respect and sense of pride in who they are. But, on the other hand, the experience of Dalits who have converted to Christianity, Sikhism and Buddhism has not been very happy. Brahminical culture has been able to spread its tentacles to infiltrate into these communities as well. Take the case of the Jatavs of Agra, who have converted to Buddhism. They still practice Hinduistic rituals and customs. There is no clean break-away from Brahminic customs and lifestyles after conversion to Buddhism. My own maternal uncle's family has converted to Christianity, but they, too, still follow Hinduistic practices. The only exception, to a considerable extent, is conversion .to Islam. I have been to Meenakshipuram, in Tamil Nadu, where in the early 1980s many Dalits, including some Dalit Christians, converted to Islam, seeing that as the only way to gain self-respect. In their case, there has been a clean break from Hinduistic practices, and they have adopted a completely new world-view that is uncontaminated by Brahminism. As I see it, only Islam has been able to give the Dalits a completely new world-view and identity. True, there is an element of caste in Indian Muslim society, which they have inherited from the Hindus. Although 'upper' caste Muslims may not be very sympathetic to the Dalit cause, it has been my consistent experience that ordinary Muslims are very close to the Dalits and are working shoulder-to-shoulder with them in the struggle against caste oppression. That is why we strongly advocate Dalit-Muslim unity. They have the same roots, they suffer the same sort of discrimination and oppression.
Q: So, what you are suggesting is that conversion to Islam can bring the Dalits some relief?
A: Yes, that has been our experience. I'll give you a very interesting example. A couple of years ago, the municipal corporation of a town in Uttar Pradesh decided to clear up a sweeper settlement to construct a park or a building in its place. The sweepers protested, but the municipal authorities did not budge. Then, in desperation, the sweepers announced that if they were forcibly expelled from their homes they would convert to Islam. That fell like a bomb-shell. Not only did the municipal authorities immediately shelve their plans, but Hindu organisations came rushing to offer the sweepers all kinds of material help!
Q: If conversion to Islam is such a viable option, why is it that very few Dalits are actually adopting Islam today?
A: There are several reasons for that. According to the law, which itself is very discriminatory, Dalit converts to Islam as well as Christianity cannot avail of the reservation and other facilities that are available to other Dalits. Then, there is also the fear that if they convert to Islam, they would be made the target of physical attack by Hindutva groups. It is very interesting to note in this context that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Munnani actually came on the scene in the immediate aftermath of the conversion of the Meenakshipuram Dalits to Islam. The Hindu Munnani was set up by the RSS only to ensure that the Dalits do not have the option to convert to Islam. No wonder, then, that in Tamil Nadu the Hindu Munnani is attacking not the Dalits but the Muslims.
Q: In the absence of conversion to Islam, what hope do you see for the Dallts?
A: Well, I would strongly urge de-Brahminisation or de-Sanskritisation of the Dalits, so as to liberate them from the trap in which 'upper' caste religious practices and beliefs have ensnared them. That is a difficult task, though, and it involves careful re-reading of our histories. We had our own religious traditions which have, over the centuries, been Brahminised, and these we must recapture. Take the case of the deity Parvattama, who is widely worshipped in that part of Andhra where I come from. She was actually a 'low' caste woman, who, it was believed, could cure small pox. After she died, the villagers converted her into a folk deity. And then what happened? One day, a Brahmin priest came to the village and told the villagers: "You fools, don't you know, Parvattama is an incarnation of the goddess Durga? You don't know how to worship her. I will teach you". So what did he do? He captured her shrine, built a grand Brahminical temple in its place and began raking in a lot of money. The same is the case with hundreds of other Dalit-Shudra deities all over the country. Take, for example, the case of Balaji, with whom the temple at Tirupati is associated. In my part of Andhra, Balaji is believed to have been a humble cowherd and his mother is said to have been a Muslim. But the Brahmin priests, seeing the popularity of the deity and the ample opportunity that his cult offered for earning easy money, declared: "Balaji is actually an avatar of Vishnu", and in this way managed to appoint themselves as priests of the cult. So, what we need to do is to rescue our deities and heroes from Brahmin control and restore them to our own people.
By Prem Pati & Yoginder Sikand
Prem Pati used to teach Comparative Literature at Delhi Univerity. Author of several books on the Dalit movement and Ambedkar, he is presently involved with a number of Dalit groups. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he speaks about religion, Dalit liberation and Dalit-Muslim relations.
Q: How do you define the word 'Dalit'?
A: Some people restrict the use of the word 'Dalit' to refer only to the Scheduled Castes. But, in my opinion, the Dalits are all those who are oppressed, and these include the vast majority of the Other Backward Castes, the Adivasis, and the Muslims and Christians of non-'upper' caste origin.
Q: What do you feel is the role of religion in the Dalit liberation struggle?
A: That is a question about which I have thought a great deal. If you examine ancient Indian history and religion, you will find that the word 'Hindu dharma' is not used to describe what is today called 'Hinduism'. Instead, the word used is varnashrama dharma, which is the religion of caste. According to this religion, the dharma of each caste is different and consists essentially of one' caste duties. The dharma of the Dalits and Shudras is simply to serve as slaves of the 'upper' castes. The Arab and Persian Muslims used the term 'Hindu' to refer to those people living to the east of the Indus river. But very cleverly, from the nineteenth century onwards, the word 'Hindu' was adopted while the term varnashrama dharma was concealed, but an objective analysis tells us that what is called Hinduism today is simply another name for varnashrama dharma.
After reading the ancient Brahminic scriptures, I began studying Buddhism. From the Buddhist scriptures I discovered the real conditions of the Indian society of those days, which caused Lord Buddha such anguish because Brahmin hegemony was unchallenged and extreme. And from my reading of Buddhism I realised that the essence of Hindu dharma or the Brahminical dharma is the upholding of Brahminic hegemony come what may, and that the rest of the population must simply uphold the cause of Brahmin hegemony. I, for one, was convinced that I was certainly not cut out to serve the cause of Brahmin hegemony. Instead, I decided that I must devote my life to ensure its defeat.
That is what Ambedkar's mission was all about. His was a twin attack on capitalism, to replace it with socialism, and on Brahminism, to usher in social democracy.
Q: Do you think religious conversion is necessary for Dalit emancipation?
A: To begin with, you should be clear that when you speak of Dalit conversions, it is not that the Dalits are abandoning Hinduism for another religion. Actually, the Dalits are not Hindus and have never been Hindus, because as outcastes, they are outside the Hindu varna system.
I am convinced that as long as the Dalits remain even nominally Hindu, they cannot gain self-respect and sense of pride in who they are. But, on the other hand, the experience of Dalits who have converted to Christianity, Sikhism and Buddhism has not been very happy. Brahminical culture has been able to spread its tentacles to infiltrate into these communities as well. Take the case of the Jatavs of Agra, who have converted to Buddhism. They still practice Hinduistic rituals and customs. There is no clean break-away from Brahminic customs and lifestyles after conversion to Buddhism. My own maternal uncle's family has converted to Christianity, but they, too, still follow Hinduistic practices. The only exception, to a considerable extent, is conversion .to Islam. I have been to Meenakshipuram, in Tamil Nadu, where in the early 1980s many Dalits, including some Dalit Christians, converted to Islam, seeing that as the only way to gain self-respect. In their case, there has been a clean break from Hinduistic practices, and they have adopted a completely new world-view that is uncontaminated by Brahminism. As I see it, only Islam has been able to give the Dalits a completely new world-view and identity. True, there is an element of caste in Indian Muslim society, which they have inherited from the Hindus. Although 'upper' caste Muslims may not be very sympathetic to the Dalit cause, it has been my consistent experience that ordinary Muslims are very close to the Dalits and are working shoulder-to-shoulder with them in the struggle against caste oppression. That is why we strongly advocate Dalit-Muslim unity. They have the same roots, they suffer the same sort of discrimination and oppression.
Q: So, what you are suggesting is that conversion to Islam can bring the Dalits some relief?
A: Yes, that has been our experience. I'll give you a very interesting example. A couple of years ago, the municipal corporation of a town in Uttar Pradesh decided to clear up a sweeper settlement to construct a park or a building in its place. The sweepers protested, but the municipal authorities did not budge. Then, in desperation, the sweepers announced that if they were forcibly expelled from their homes they would convert to Islam. That fell like a bomb-shell. Not only did the municipal authorities immediately shelve their plans, but Hindu organisations came rushing to offer the sweepers all kinds of material help!
Q: If conversion to Islam is such a viable option, why is it that very few Dalits are actually adopting Islam today?
A: There are several reasons for that. According to the law, which itself is very discriminatory, Dalit converts to Islam as well as Christianity cannot avail of the reservation and other facilities that are available to other Dalits. Then, there is also the fear that if they convert to Islam, they would be made the target of physical attack by Hindutva groups. It is very interesting to note in this context that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Munnani actually came on the scene in the immediate aftermath of the conversion of the Meenakshipuram Dalits to Islam. The Hindu Munnani was set up by the RSS only to ensure that the Dalits do not have the option to convert to Islam. No wonder, then, that in Tamil Nadu the Hindu Munnani is attacking not the Dalits but the Muslims.
Q: In the absence of conversion to Islam, what hope do you see for the Dallts?
A: Well, I would strongly urge de-Brahminisation or de-Sanskritisation of the Dalits, so as to liberate them from the trap in which 'upper' caste religious practices and beliefs have ensnared them. That is a difficult task, though, and it involves careful re-reading of our histories. We had our own religious traditions which have, over the centuries, been Brahminised, and these we must recapture. Take the case of the deity Parvattama, who is widely worshipped in that part of Andhra where I come from. She was actually a 'low' caste woman, who, it was believed, could cure small pox. After she died, the villagers converted her into a folk deity. And then what happened? One day, a Brahmin priest came to the village and told the villagers: "You fools, don't you know, Parvattama is an incarnation of the goddess Durga? You don't know how to worship her. I will teach you". So what did he do? He captured her shrine, built a grand Brahminical temple in its place and began raking in a lot of money. The same is the case with hundreds of other Dalit-Shudra deities all over the country. Take, for example, the case of Balaji, with whom the temple at Tirupati is associated. In my part of Andhra, Balaji is believed to have been a humble cowherd and his mother is said to have been a Muslim. But the Brahmin priests, seeing the popularity of the deity and the ample opportunity that his cult offered for earning easy money, declared: "Balaji is actually an avatar of Vishnu", and in this way managed to appoint themselves as priests of the cult. So, what we need to do is to rescue our deities and heroes from Brahmin control and restore them to our own people.
VHP rejects `varnashrama', seeks end to untouchability
The fifth State Hindu Resurgence Conference organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Grama Koil Poojarigal Peravai has rejected `varnashrama' and sought an end to the practice of untouchability.
Addressing the conference at the CNC College grounds on Sunday, VHP international president Ashok Singhal said untouchability had no sanction in the Vedas and dharma sasthras. Ancient history and mythology had no record on it. Alien aggressions could have led to the practice. He called upon the heads of mutts to give `manthra deeksha' to all without discrimination.
Mr. Singhal said the VHP was outrightly rejecting `varnashrama dharma,' supposedly written in Manusmrithi, in the interest of consolidating Hindu unity to fight conversions and "Jehadi" terror.
Pension for poojaris
Expressing concern over the living conditions of grama temple poojaris, a resolution passed urged the State to give them Rs.1,000 a month. The families should continue to receive it after the poojaris' death. It sought free power supply to rural temples. The State government should ensure financial assistance for temple festivals and at least one pooja.
The resolution included a `Hindu Agenda' in the form of an appeal to political parties. It sought exemption for temple land from all land reforms legislation, a statutory autonomous board and a State dharmic council for "better" administration of temples.
It sought a ban on conversions and cow slaughter and decried demands for reservation to minorities.
It sought an end to discrimination on legal and constitutional lines in favour of minority institutions.
It urged the Centre to facilitate reconstruction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and the State to withdraw all cases against Kanchi Sankaracharya.
Hindu population
Expressing concern at the "declining Hindu population, which was growing at 22 per cent as against the growth of minority population at 35 per cent," it urged the Centre to bring in a uniform civil code by implementing the directive principle under Article 44.
A resolution urged the Hindu vote bank to exercise their vote in favour of any party or alliance that pledges to protect their interests in the election manifesto.
Addressing the conference at the CNC College grounds on Sunday, VHP international president Ashok Singhal said untouchability had no sanction in the Vedas and dharma sasthras. Ancient history and mythology had no record on it. Alien aggressions could have led to the practice. He called upon the heads of mutts to give `manthra deeksha' to all without discrimination.
Mr. Singhal said the VHP was outrightly rejecting `varnashrama dharma,' supposedly written in Manusmrithi, in the interest of consolidating Hindu unity to fight conversions and "Jehadi" terror.
Pension for poojaris
Expressing concern over the living conditions of grama temple poojaris, a resolution passed urged the State to give them Rs.1,000 a month. The families should continue to receive it after the poojaris' death. It sought free power supply to rural temples. The State government should ensure financial assistance for temple festivals and at least one pooja.
The resolution included a `Hindu Agenda' in the form of an appeal to political parties. It sought exemption for temple land from all land reforms legislation, a statutory autonomous board and a State dharmic council for "better" administration of temples.
It sought a ban on conversions and cow slaughter and decried demands for reservation to minorities.
It sought an end to discrimination on legal and constitutional lines in favour of minority institutions.
It urged the Centre to facilitate reconstruction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and the State to withdraw all cases against Kanchi Sankaracharya.
Hindu population
Expressing concern at the "declining Hindu population, which was growing at 22 per cent as against the growth of minority population at 35 per cent," it urged the Centre to bring in a uniform civil code by implementing the directive principle under Article 44.
A resolution urged the Hindu vote bank to exercise their vote in favour of any party or alliance that pledges to protect their interests in the election manifesto.
THE SECRET CODE OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA
By Dr.K.P.S.Kamath
There are mainly two approaches to the study of the Bhagavadgita and of Lord Krishna. One is devotional and the other is academic. Frankly speaking neither of them do justice to our understanding of the teachings and the importance of Lord Krishna in the development of Hinduism, Indian philosophy and society. In the former approach the heart rules over the mind while in the latter the mind rules over the heart. If one is purely theistic and dogmatic, characterized by emotion, the other is purely rationale and intellectual, characterized by dry reason that is neither empathetic nor insightful, where as the true Hindu ideal of applying buddhi or discretionary application of intelligence to our empirical knowledge is lacking in both. Dr. Kamath's study of the Bhagavadgita tries to bridge the gap. It is both reverential and analytical in approach. His interpretation of the Bhagavadgita is a radical departure from many of the dogmas and theories associated with it. It may not find approval among some orthodox followers of Hinduism. But then truth in no one's grandchild. Truth is an all encompassing, all absorbing and all resolving phenomena in which the opposites and the ambiguities reside alongside each other in perfect harmony on a canvass that is as complex as the concept of Brahman Himself. If freedom of belief is what Hinduism is all about, this book is worthy of our attention and study. - Jayaram V
AN OVERVIEW OF CONTENTS
Just as all the water in the vast, deep ocean is of no use to a thirsty pilgrim, all the profound wisdom in the vast ancient scriptures of India is useless to the seekers of knowledge unless they can apply at least some of it in their everyday life. The Bhagavad Gita is like a small, deep well of sweet water just off the shore of the ocean. The problem is that the water cannot be easily drawn up from that well. The water dispensed by the guardians of this well does not taste like it came from that well. This book is like a small jug tied to a long rope using which one can draw up some sweet water from that well and quench one’s thirst.
The main goal of this book is to bring to the general public the true intent, spirit and wisdom in the Bhagavad Gita. It is the result of fifteen years of study and research of the sacred book of the Bhagavad Gita. Because this book deals with the little known aspects of the Bhagavad Gita, it might arouse incredulity, anger and hostility in some readers who are not aware of its basis and context. Truly spiritual people, who are endowed with divine qualities, will refrain from indulging in personal attacks against the author of this book before reading the entire book, just because their view differs from that of the author. Sensible point by point contradiction or rebuttal, civil debate on the merits or demerits of the book, and intelligent argument against its basic thesis are always welcome.
Everyone who is familiar with the Bhagavad Gita knows its Mahabharata context. However, there is another context to the Bhagavad Gita: Historical. This context consists of decadence of Orthodox Vedic Dharma, commonly known as Brahmanism, and rise of various heterodox Dharmas during the post-Vedic period (900-200 B. C. E) in opposition to it. The Original Gita was composed in defence of the class system known as Varnashrama Dharma, one of four pillars of Brahmanism. In a sense it was the “Policy Paper” on the Brahmanic doctrines of the Gunas and Karma on which Varnashrama Dharma rested. There are 64 shlokas of the Original Gita in the current text of the Bhagavad Gita. Various later interpolations into its text were made by the Upanishadic and Bhagavatha seers in an attempt to overthrow Brahmanism and by Brahmanic seers to reestablish it. The Bhagavad Gita is not just a dry and esoteric document elucidating ancient Indian philosophy. It is a dynamic text which brims with conflict, energy and practical wisdom. One can discern a battle of wits between two groups holding diametrically opposite views. Without examining and understanding the historical context in some detail, it is well nigh impossible to properly reconcile all the contradictions glaringly evident in the text of the Bhagavad Gita as it exists today.
As a result of interpolations into its text by various later authors, we can find embedded in the Bhagavad Gita three distinct Gitas promoting three pairs of distinct doctrines. They are:
1. The Brahmanic Gita promoting the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma (3:5, 27, 33; 18:59-60).
2. The Upanishadic Gita promoting the doctrines of Knowledge of Atman and Buddhiyoga (2:39-40).
3. The Bhagavatha Gita promoting the doctrines of Lord Krishna as the avatar of the Supreme Lord and Bhaktiyoga (18:64-66).
In the text of this book, the Brahmanic shlokas and concepts are shown in Orange color; the Upanishadic shlokas and concepts in Blue color, and the Bhagavatha shlokas and concepts in Green color.
All these Gitas address the three fundamental issues raised by Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra just as the Great War was about to ensue: Shokum (Grief), Dwandwam (fickleness or unsteadiness of mind as a result of loss of wisdom, engendered by mind’s attachment to sense objects) and Karmaphalam (good and bad consequences of action). As a result of these three issues, Arjuna suffers from a paralyzing emotional crisis resulting in a massive panic attack (1:28-30).
1. Anticipating death of his own people, Arjuna suffers from Shokum (1:47).
2. His attachment to his own people causes him to suffer Dwandwam (1:35-37): Should I fight to gain back my kingdom or should I just walk away? Should I kill them or should I die in their hands unarmed and unresisting?
3. Arjuna fears incurring sin -bad Karmaphalam (1:36)-in the act of killing his own people, and consequently going to hell.
The apparent agenda of the Bhagavad Gita: How to overcome Shokam, Dwandwam and Karmaphalam consequent to desire for, attachment to and possessiveness of sense objects (people, power and wealth) and desire-driven action by means of Knowledge of Atman/Brahman/Lord and Buddhiyoga.
Isn’t this all there is to the Bhagavad Gita? Everyone knows this. What, then, is the Secret Code of the Bhagavad Gita?
The Secret Code of the Bhagavad Gita is that, in fact, it is the manifesto of a great socio-religious revolution to overthrow the decaying Orthodox Vedic Dharma (Brahmanism) and to establish in its place a New Dharma centered on Lord Krishna. The Brahmanic Dharma rested on the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma. The doctrine of the Gunas said that one’s socially designated duty/action is determined by his inherent Guna (Quality) rooted in Nature (Prakriti) (3:27). Everyone acts helplessly under the spell of their Gunas (3:5). It is futile to even try to resist them (3:33). Anyone who thought he could defy the dictates of his Guna and act as he chooses is suffering from the delusion of Ahamkara (egoism) (3:27). The doctrine of Karma said that all actions are determined by the Gunas and they earn Karmaphala (fruits, consequences). Depending upon good or bad quality of these actions, one goes to heaven or hell after death. After exhausting his merit or demerit in heaven or hell, he returns to earth to live out his comeuppance in another life (9:20).
The Brahmanic Dharma was held up by four pillars: sacrificial rites (Yajna, Karma) dedicated to the Vedic gods (4:12; 17:4); hierarchical class system based on the Gunas and Karma known as the Varnashrama Dharma (18:41-45); sanctity of the Vedas (17:23-24), and supremacy of Brahmins over the other three classes (18:42). Because Varnashrama Dharma, based on the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma, gave Brahmins supremacy over all other classes, they developed pathological vested interest in perpetuating it.
During the post-Vedic period (900-200 B. C. E) the upper classes of Brahmanism -Brahmins and Kshatriyas- became obsessed with ostentatious desire-driven sacrificial rites, known as Kamya Karma (18:2). Kama (hankering for wealth and cows seen in priests officiating sacrificial rites) and Sankalpa (desire for lordship and heaven in the Kshatriyas sponsoring the sacrifices, 2:43) became hallmarks of Kamya Karma. Kamya Karma became the outstanding symbol of corruption and decadence of Brahmanism (3:12-13; 16:12-20).
Obsession of the upper classes with Kamya Karma had serious consequences in the society. In the course of time, the upper classes suffered from the same three maladies Arjuna suffered on the battlefiled: severe Dwandwam in their pursuit of Karmaphalam; and the rest of the society suffered much Shokam due to loss of innocence. Large sections of the society, including many grief-stricken Brahmins and Kshatriyas, began to abandon Brahmanism in favor of various heterodox Dharmas such as Buddhism and Jainism. Soon Brahmanism was in grave danger of disappearing altogether. An internal revolution to either reform Brahmanism; or salvage what little was left of it, or replace it with an entirely New Dharma became an urgent necessity.
The New Dharma, successively engineered by the Upanishadic and Bhagavatha seers, rested on the doctrines of Lord Krishna as the avatar of the Supreme Lord and Bhaktiyoga. The two pillars of this Dharma were the two aspects of the Upanishadic doctrine of Buddhiyoga: Sanyasa (detachment from sense objects 5:1) and Tyaga (renunciation of fruits of action 2:51). Thus Sanyasa countered Kama, of Kamya Karma, and Tyaga countered Sankalpa of Kamya Karma. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna, the Hero of the revolution, systematically dismantles all aspects of the Brahmanic Dharma beginning with its very foundation: the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma (2:45). He offers Himself as the power greater than the Gunas (7:14; 14:19). He discredits the Gunas as the seat of all common human weaknesses such as desire, attachment, possessiveness and rage. Taking refuge in Him alone would help one to overcome the force of the Gunas. Surrendering to Him alone in Bhaktiyoga one would overcome the doctrine of Karma and attain Moksha (18:66). He goes on to downgrade or condemn Vedic ritualists (2:41-44); the Vedas (2:46, 52-53); Kamya Karma (2:47-51), and the Varnashrama Dharma (5:18-19; 6:29). The true spirit of Lord Krishna’s Dharma in the Bhagavad Gita is exactly opposite of Brahmanism: to establish a New Dharma centered on One God; worship of that God by Bhaktiyoga (Bhakti combined with Sanyasa and Tyaga); equality of all people regardless of their birth class, caste or family; simplicity of life based on detachment from sense objects and selfless service to God and humanity.
The Upanishadic and Bhagavatha revolutionaries accomplished their goal in the Bhagavad Gita on the pretext of addressing the three issues raised by Arjuna on the battlefield: Shokum, Dwandwam, and Karmaphalam. They blamed the doctrine of the Gunas as the cause of Shokam and Dwandwam, and the doctrine of Karma as the cause of Karmaphalam, resulting in Samsara -the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. They said that desire (Kama) for, attachment (Sangas) to and possessiveness (Moha) of sense objects are the functions of the Gunas, and one must cross over them by taking refuge in Atman/Brahman/Lord in order to get over Shokam and Dwandwam. They said that desire for fruits of action (Sankalpa) caused one to earn Karmaphalam, and therefore one must give it up from all Yajnas in order to overcome the doctrine of Karma. Lord Krishna’s New Dharma succinctly addresses these three evils, glaringly evident in the post-Vedic society, in His Ultimate Shloka of the Bhagavad Gita:
18:66: Abandon all Dharma (Brahmanism and all its sub-Dharmas such as Varnashrama Dharma, Jati Dharma and Kula Dharma; and also all heterodox Dharmas: Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivika,) and surrender unto Me alone (not to the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma; or other gods, such as Indra and Agni, because now I am the Eternal Dharma 14:27); I shall liberate you from all evil (Shokam, Dwandwam and Karmaphalam engendered by the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma); do not grieve.
With this one shloka, Lord Krishna ended the decaying Brahmanism and all other Dharmas of the land and launched a New Dharma. Right? Well, let us not be presumptuous. Read on.
This book also explains how and why, in spite of Lord Krishna’s revolution to overthrow it, Brahmanism survived and even thrived to the modern times. All discredited aspects of Brahmanism infiltrated in disguised forms the egalitarian Hinduism, which succeeded it. Thanks to Brahmanic death-grip on it, today Hinduism is riddled with thousands of mindless and vulgarly ostentatious rituals, and senseless superstitions, so characteristic of the decadent Brahmanic Dharma. And it is treading the same ruinous path that Brahmanism took 2,500 years ago. Lord Krishna’s revolution against Brahmanism in the Bhagavad Gita has been cleverly hidden from the public by Brahmanic vested interests by means of brilliant feats of verbal gymnastics, literary manipulations, distorted interpretations, blatant misrepresentations and long-winded commentaries. In fact, the very manifesto to overthrow Brahmanism has cleverly been converted into the handbook of Brahmanism! Lord Krishna’s Revolution to overthrow Brahmanism has been thus totally neutralized. This book exposes this grave injustice against Lord Krishna and His revolution, and reveals the true intent, spirit and wisdom of His Gita.
Those who are not familiar with the Bhagavad Gita are recommended to have a copy of the Bhagavad Gita at hand when they read this book. I recommend The Bhagavad Gita with Sanskrit Text, translated by Swami Chidbhavananda, Published by Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaitturai, Tamil Nadu. This is an excellent small, 247 page, handbook without any commentary by the Swami. The same author also published another book with extensive commentary. The translations in the Secret Code book are mostly taken from his book.
You may download a complete version of the book from here or visit Dr. Kamath's blog to read the online version.
Suggested Further Reading
* The Bhagavad Gita Translation
* The abbreviated Bhagavad-gita
* The Bhagavad-gita in a nutshell
* The Bhagavadgita, Philosophy and Concepts
* Why to Study the Bhagavadgita Parts 1 to 4
* Ashtavakra Gita or the Ashtavakra Samhita
* The Historical Origin of Lord Krishna, the Incarnation of Vishnu
* Historians and Indian history
About the author: The book on the Bhagavad Gita titled The True Intent, Spirit and Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is the result of 15 years of research by Dr.Kamath. He was born and raised in India, but has been in the U. S. A. since 1970. He is a Board certified psychiatrist in private practice in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U. S. A. since 1982. He has been in the field of psychiatry since 1971. Before opening his own private practice, he was the medical director of several psychiatric facilities in Missouri. He specialized in treating stress and stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. He has also authored a textbook on on stress titled Is Your Balloon About to Pop?, which is available on Amazon.
Thursday , October 29, 2009 Go Top
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There are mainly two approaches to the study of the Bhagavadgita and of Lord Krishna. One is devotional and the other is academic. Frankly speaking neither of them do justice to our understanding of the teachings and the importance of Lord Krishna in the development of Hinduism, Indian philosophy and society. In the former approach the heart rules over the mind while in the latter the mind rules over the heart. If one is purely theistic and dogmatic, characterized by emotion, the other is purely rationale and intellectual, characterized by dry reason that is neither empathetic nor insightful, where as the true Hindu ideal of applying buddhi or discretionary application of intelligence to our empirical knowledge is lacking in both. Dr. Kamath's study of the Bhagavadgita tries to bridge the gap. It is both reverential and analytical in approach. His interpretation of the Bhagavadgita is a radical departure from many of the dogmas and theories associated with it. It may not find approval among some orthodox followers of Hinduism. But then truth in no one's grandchild. Truth is an all encompassing, all absorbing and all resolving phenomena in which the opposites and the ambiguities reside alongside each other in perfect harmony on a canvass that is as complex as the concept of Brahman Himself. If freedom of belief is what Hinduism is all about, this book is worthy of our attention and study. - Jayaram V
AN OVERVIEW OF CONTENTS
Just as all the water in the vast, deep ocean is of no use to a thirsty pilgrim, all the profound wisdom in the vast ancient scriptures of India is useless to the seekers of knowledge unless they can apply at least some of it in their everyday life. The Bhagavad Gita is like a small, deep well of sweet water just off the shore of the ocean. The problem is that the water cannot be easily drawn up from that well. The water dispensed by the guardians of this well does not taste like it came from that well. This book is like a small jug tied to a long rope using which one can draw up some sweet water from that well and quench one’s thirst.
The main goal of this book is to bring to the general public the true intent, spirit and wisdom in the Bhagavad Gita. It is the result of fifteen years of study and research of the sacred book of the Bhagavad Gita. Because this book deals with the little known aspects of the Bhagavad Gita, it might arouse incredulity, anger and hostility in some readers who are not aware of its basis and context. Truly spiritual people, who are endowed with divine qualities, will refrain from indulging in personal attacks against the author of this book before reading the entire book, just because their view differs from that of the author. Sensible point by point contradiction or rebuttal, civil debate on the merits or demerits of the book, and intelligent argument against its basic thesis are always welcome.
Everyone who is familiar with the Bhagavad Gita knows its Mahabharata context. However, there is another context to the Bhagavad Gita: Historical. This context consists of decadence of Orthodox Vedic Dharma, commonly known as Brahmanism, and rise of various heterodox Dharmas during the post-Vedic period (900-200 B. C. E) in opposition to it. The Original Gita was composed in defence of the class system known as Varnashrama Dharma, one of four pillars of Brahmanism. In a sense it was the “Policy Paper” on the Brahmanic doctrines of the Gunas and Karma on which Varnashrama Dharma rested. There are 64 shlokas of the Original Gita in the current text of the Bhagavad Gita. Various later interpolations into its text were made by the Upanishadic and Bhagavatha seers in an attempt to overthrow Brahmanism and by Brahmanic seers to reestablish it. The Bhagavad Gita is not just a dry and esoteric document elucidating ancient Indian philosophy. It is a dynamic text which brims with conflict, energy and practical wisdom. One can discern a battle of wits between two groups holding diametrically opposite views. Without examining and understanding the historical context in some detail, it is well nigh impossible to properly reconcile all the contradictions glaringly evident in the text of the Bhagavad Gita as it exists today.
As a result of interpolations into its text by various later authors, we can find embedded in the Bhagavad Gita three distinct Gitas promoting three pairs of distinct doctrines. They are:
1. The Brahmanic Gita promoting the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma (3:5, 27, 33; 18:59-60).
2. The Upanishadic Gita promoting the doctrines of Knowledge of Atman and Buddhiyoga (2:39-40).
3. The Bhagavatha Gita promoting the doctrines of Lord Krishna as the avatar of the Supreme Lord and Bhaktiyoga (18:64-66).
In the text of this book, the Brahmanic shlokas and concepts are shown in Orange color; the Upanishadic shlokas and concepts in Blue color, and the Bhagavatha shlokas and concepts in Green color.
All these Gitas address the three fundamental issues raised by Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra just as the Great War was about to ensue: Shokum (Grief), Dwandwam (fickleness or unsteadiness of mind as a result of loss of wisdom, engendered by mind’s attachment to sense objects) and Karmaphalam (good and bad consequences of action). As a result of these three issues, Arjuna suffers from a paralyzing emotional crisis resulting in a massive panic attack (1:28-30).
1. Anticipating death of his own people, Arjuna suffers from Shokum (1:47).
2. His attachment to his own people causes him to suffer Dwandwam (1:35-37): Should I fight to gain back my kingdom or should I just walk away? Should I kill them or should I die in their hands unarmed and unresisting?
3. Arjuna fears incurring sin -bad Karmaphalam (1:36)-in the act of killing his own people, and consequently going to hell.
The apparent agenda of the Bhagavad Gita: How to overcome Shokam, Dwandwam and Karmaphalam consequent to desire for, attachment to and possessiveness of sense objects (people, power and wealth) and desire-driven action by means of Knowledge of Atman/Brahman/Lord and Buddhiyoga.
Isn’t this all there is to the Bhagavad Gita? Everyone knows this. What, then, is the Secret Code of the Bhagavad Gita?
The Secret Code of the Bhagavad Gita is that, in fact, it is the manifesto of a great socio-religious revolution to overthrow the decaying Orthodox Vedic Dharma (Brahmanism) and to establish in its place a New Dharma centered on Lord Krishna. The Brahmanic Dharma rested on the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma. The doctrine of the Gunas said that one’s socially designated duty/action is determined by his inherent Guna (Quality) rooted in Nature (Prakriti) (3:27). Everyone acts helplessly under the spell of their Gunas (3:5). It is futile to even try to resist them (3:33). Anyone who thought he could defy the dictates of his Guna and act as he chooses is suffering from the delusion of Ahamkara (egoism) (3:27). The doctrine of Karma said that all actions are determined by the Gunas and they earn Karmaphala (fruits, consequences). Depending upon good or bad quality of these actions, one goes to heaven or hell after death. After exhausting his merit or demerit in heaven or hell, he returns to earth to live out his comeuppance in another life (9:20).
The Brahmanic Dharma was held up by four pillars: sacrificial rites (Yajna, Karma) dedicated to the Vedic gods (4:12; 17:4); hierarchical class system based on the Gunas and Karma known as the Varnashrama Dharma (18:41-45); sanctity of the Vedas (17:23-24), and supremacy of Brahmins over the other three classes (18:42). Because Varnashrama Dharma, based on the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma, gave Brahmins supremacy over all other classes, they developed pathological vested interest in perpetuating it.
During the post-Vedic period (900-200 B. C. E) the upper classes of Brahmanism -Brahmins and Kshatriyas- became obsessed with ostentatious desire-driven sacrificial rites, known as Kamya Karma (18:2). Kama (hankering for wealth and cows seen in priests officiating sacrificial rites) and Sankalpa (desire for lordship and heaven in the Kshatriyas sponsoring the sacrifices, 2:43) became hallmarks of Kamya Karma. Kamya Karma became the outstanding symbol of corruption and decadence of Brahmanism (3:12-13; 16:12-20).
Obsession of the upper classes with Kamya Karma had serious consequences in the society. In the course of time, the upper classes suffered from the same three maladies Arjuna suffered on the battlefiled: severe Dwandwam in their pursuit of Karmaphalam; and the rest of the society suffered much Shokam due to loss of innocence. Large sections of the society, including many grief-stricken Brahmins and Kshatriyas, began to abandon Brahmanism in favor of various heterodox Dharmas such as Buddhism and Jainism. Soon Brahmanism was in grave danger of disappearing altogether. An internal revolution to either reform Brahmanism; or salvage what little was left of it, or replace it with an entirely New Dharma became an urgent necessity.
The New Dharma, successively engineered by the Upanishadic and Bhagavatha seers, rested on the doctrines of Lord Krishna as the avatar of the Supreme Lord and Bhaktiyoga. The two pillars of this Dharma were the two aspects of the Upanishadic doctrine of Buddhiyoga: Sanyasa (detachment from sense objects 5:1) and Tyaga (renunciation of fruits of action 2:51). Thus Sanyasa countered Kama, of Kamya Karma, and Tyaga countered Sankalpa of Kamya Karma. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna, the Hero of the revolution, systematically dismantles all aspects of the Brahmanic Dharma beginning with its very foundation: the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma (2:45). He offers Himself as the power greater than the Gunas (7:14; 14:19). He discredits the Gunas as the seat of all common human weaknesses such as desire, attachment, possessiveness and rage. Taking refuge in Him alone would help one to overcome the force of the Gunas. Surrendering to Him alone in Bhaktiyoga one would overcome the doctrine of Karma and attain Moksha (18:66). He goes on to downgrade or condemn Vedic ritualists (2:41-44); the Vedas (2:46, 52-53); Kamya Karma (2:47-51), and the Varnashrama Dharma (5:18-19; 6:29). The true spirit of Lord Krishna’s Dharma in the Bhagavad Gita is exactly opposite of Brahmanism: to establish a New Dharma centered on One God; worship of that God by Bhaktiyoga (Bhakti combined with Sanyasa and Tyaga); equality of all people regardless of their birth class, caste or family; simplicity of life based on detachment from sense objects and selfless service to God and humanity.
The Upanishadic and Bhagavatha revolutionaries accomplished their goal in the Bhagavad Gita on the pretext of addressing the three issues raised by Arjuna on the battlefield: Shokum, Dwandwam, and Karmaphalam. They blamed the doctrine of the Gunas as the cause of Shokam and Dwandwam, and the doctrine of Karma as the cause of Karmaphalam, resulting in Samsara -the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. They said that desire (Kama) for, attachment (Sangas) to and possessiveness (Moha) of sense objects are the functions of the Gunas, and one must cross over them by taking refuge in Atman/Brahman/Lord in order to get over Shokam and Dwandwam. They said that desire for fruits of action (Sankalpa) caused one to earn Karmaphalam, and therefore one must give it up from all Yajnas in order to overcome the doctrine of Karma. Lord Krishna’s New Dharma succinctly addresses these three evils, glaringly evident in the post-Vedic society, in His Ultimate Shloka of the Bhagavad Gita:
18:66: Abandon all Dharma (Brahmanism and all its sub-Dharmas such as Varnashrama Dharma, Jati Dharma and Kula Dharma; and also all heterodox Dharmas: Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivika,) and surrender unto Me alone (not to the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma; or other gods, such as Indra and Agni, because now I am the Eternal Dharma 14:27); I shall liberate you from all evil (Shokam, Dwandwam and Karmaphalam engendered by the doctrines of the Gunas and Karma); do not grieve.
With this one shloka, Lord Krishna ended the decaying Brahmanism and all other Dharmas of the land and launched a New Dharma. Right? Well, let us not be presumptuous. Read on.
This book also explains how and why, in spite of Lord Krishna’s revolution to overthrow it, Brahmanism survived and even thrived to the modern times. All discredited aspects of Brahmanism infiltrated in disguised forms the egalitarian Hinduism, which succeeded it. Thanks to Brahmanic death-grip on it, today Hinduism is riddled with thousands of mindless and vulgarly ostentatious rituals, and senseless superstitions, so characteristic of the decadent Brahmanic Dharma. And it is treading the same ruinous path that Brahmanism took 2,500 years ago. Lord Krishna’s revolution against Brahmanism in the Bhagavad Gita has been cleverly hidden from the public by Brahmanic vested interests by means of brilliant feats of verbal gymnastics, literary manipulations, distorted interpretations, blatant misrepresentations and long-winded commentaries. In fact, the very manifesto to overthrow Brahmanism has cleverly been converted into the handbook of Brahmanism! Lord Krishna’s Revolution to overthrow Brahmanism has been thus totally neutralized. This book exposes this grave injustice against Lord Krishna and His revolution, and reveals the true intent, spirit and wisdom of His Gita.
Those who are not familiar with the Bhagavad Gita are recommended to have a copy of the Bhagavad Gita at hand when they read this book. I recommend The Bhagavad Gita with Sanskrit Text, translated by Swami Chidbhavananda, Published by Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaitturai, Tamil Nadu. This is an excellent small, 247 page, handbook without any commentary by the Swami. The same author also published another book with extensive commentary. The translations in the Secret Code book are mostly taken from his book.
You may download a complete version of the book from here or visit Dr. Kamath's blog to read the online version.
Suggested Further Reading
* The Bhagavad Gita Translation
* The abbreviated Bhagavad-gita
* The Bhagavad-gita in a nutshell
* The Bhagavadgita, Philosophy and Concepts
* Why to Study the Bhagavadgita Parts 1 to 4
* Ashtavakra Gita or the Ashtavakra Samhita
* The Historical Origin of Lord Krishna, the Incarnation of Vishnu
* Historians and Indian history
About the author: The book on the Bhagavad Gita titled The True Intent, Spirit and Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita is the result of 15 years of research by Dr.Kamath. He was born and raised in India, but has been in the U. S. A. since 1970. He is a Board certified psychiatrist in private practice in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U. S. A. since 1982. He has been in the field of psychiatry since 1971. Before opening his own private practice, he was the medical director of several psychiatric facilities in Missouri. He specialized in treating stress and stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. He has also authored a textbook on on stress titled Is Your Balloon About to Pop?, which is available on Amazon.
Thursday , October 29, 2009 Go Top
© 2000-2009 Hinduwebsite.com. All Rights are reserved. No part of this website can be copied or reproduced in any manner. However links to the website can be established. Your use of the website is subject to the terms of use attached hereto.
About Us Privacy Policy Contact Us Terms of use Help Us
The Varnashrama Dharmas have been
The teaching of the Bhagavatpada, as well as the teachings of other
Aachaaryas, which, following the Vedas, are intended for the
purification and elevation of one's Atman, prescribes that the Dharmas
mentioned in the vedas should be practised by men in accordance with
their respective Varnas and Ashramas. The Varnashrama Dharmas have been
ordained by Sastras, not merely to foster among men an attitude of
mutual helpfulness or only to promote the general cooperative material
well-being of society. They have been prescribed for self-purification
which they effect by developing peace, an essential means to liberation,
and which cannot be otherwise experience.
Aachaaryas, which, following the Vedas, are intended for the
purification and elevation of one's Atman, prescribes that the Dharmas
mentioned in the vedas should be practised by men in accordance with
their respective Varnas and Ashramas. The Varnashrama Dharmas have been
ordained by Sastras, not merely to foster among men an attitude of
mutual helpfulness or only to promote the general cooperative material
well-being of society. They have been prescribed for self-purification
which they effect by developing peace, an essential means to liberation,
and which cannot be otherwise experience.
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