Misreading Ambedkar-The Anand Ranganathan Way ( Part 2)
- In History & Culture
- 10:17 AM, Jun 14, 2018
- K K Aravind
Part 1 of this article can be read here
In his article "Dismantling Sainthood: Ambedkar on Gandhi", Anand Ranganathan quotes Ambedkar- "The names Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra are names which are associated with a definite and fixed notion in the mind of every Hindu. That notion is that of a hierarchy based on birth. So long as these names continue, Hindus will continue to think of the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra as hierarchical divisions of high and low, based on birth, and to act accordingly. The Hindu must be made to unlearn all this. But how can this happen, if the old labels remain, and continue to recall to his mind old notions? If new notions are to be inculcated in the minds of people, it is necessary to give them new names. To continue the old names is to make the reform futile. To allow this Chaturvarnya based on worth to be designated by such stinking labels as Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, indicative of social divisions based on birth, is a snare."
Despite such conviction by Ambedkar, it is notable that the person Indics have chosen to rule their country- the alternative being great grandson of a pandit, is not 'high caste'. So is President of this Nation. Probably the most revered person in India today, and world over (non head of state / not appointed to position of power like Pope) is Mata Amritanandamayi.
Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita verse 4.13 states that varna is based on Guna and Karma- qualities and conduct (चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश: | तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ||).
Anand quotes Ambedkar- "Chaturvarnya is based on worth. How are you going to compel people who have acquired a higher status based on birth, without reference to their worth, to vacate that status?"
When worth is based on guna, karma, status accrues to one who demonstrates good qualities and good work. So a chaiwallah has come to lead the Nation. A Dalit is head of the State. Another dalit, woman, is worshipped across the Nation.
Ambedkar states- "That it is impossible to accurately classify people into four definite classes is proved by the fact that the original four classes have now become four thousand castes."
Qualities and conduct displayed by every person indicates his/her varna as explained by Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita chapter 18:42-44 (शमो दमस्तप: शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च | ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् || शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् | दानमीश्वरभावश्च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् || कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् | परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम् ||). Relating varna with the diverse number of castes that british colonialists classified during their census is superfluous.
At the end of his talk at INTACH, Delhi on 26 May 18, Anand stated that he wants Indic society to experience a catharsis of sorts w.r.t. caste system, which is apparently oppressive, barbaric, similar to what Nazi Germany did to Jews. He stated that German society later felt catharsis and looked away on being faced with photographic evidence of barbarity, feeling guilty of being party to having allowed such terrible crime to be committed. Anand feels similar catharsis on the part of Indic society is necessary to correct the huge historical wrong he considers has been done to lower castes of Indic society. He also mentioned that he supports caste-based reservations and extending it to private sector.
Anand had in the beginning of his lecture also stated that he believes in categorising things in black or white and not in shades of grey.
George Bush too shared similar conviction when he stated- 'You are either With Us or Against Us'.
In fact it is a hallmark of Abrahamic thought- either you are a believer destined to heaven or a kaffir/heathen destined to hell.
This remarkable conviction is praiseworthy so long as it is arrived at after deep study and understanding.
On the other hand, if it is based on superficial learning provided by a priest, such conviction could be problematic, especially to others.
It is well acknowledged that many travellers have come to India from foreign lands at various times and recorded their observations- Megasthenes, Fa Hien, Huen Tsang, Al Beruni etc being famous. Their accounts do not indicate any oppression or strife torn society here, instead they give a picture of peaceful prosperous community.
Ideas of 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam' is attributed to this society. It is known that brahamnas prayed- 'Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu', 'Sarvesham swastr bhavatu' .....
It is also widely acknowledged that pursuit of knowledge, maintaining tranquil within, practice of non-injury towards others, were valued in this society. People from far off places in east and west came to this land to gain knowledge. Their accounts of this society do not suggest oppression or subjugation happening. Point here is not that it was entirely crime free society. The accounts given by various visitors paint a positive picture of society where justice was given.
This society welcomed everyone and gave space and freedom to practise what they wanted- Jews, Christians, Muslims, Parsees, despite many of them meat eaters, having rigid belief systems that looked down upon their indic benefactors as kafir/heathen, destined to hell.
None of their contemporary narratives mention oppression.
Indic Kings supported Jaina Buddha religionists. Buddha is considered as avatara of Maha Vishnu by many hindus. Numerous Buddha, Jaina temples were built and monks proselytized. Many of their viharas were centres of high learning. They did not have 'caste system'. And there was no bar to anyone from 'lower caste' becoming a Buddhist or Jaina.
It is said that Muslims and Christians first came to India through trade route and as refugees. Traders proselytized and converted locals in small numbers. However, there is no record of lower castes converting in large numbers to these religions, as one would expect if they were oppressed.
Islam and Christianity remained without growth in India for centuries, even as they spread like wild fire across other parts of Asia, Europe and Africa.
Despite best efforts by these missionary religions, they could not increase their numbers here.
In fact in Kerala, Syrian Christian community boast of their brahmin lineage.
If so, even those converted brahmins failed to get lower castes to join them.
Indic society was subjected to external aggression from 8th century onwards when Bin Kasim destroyed the power centres in north-west.
This was then followed by wave after wave of similar attacks by Ghori, Ghazni, Ghaznavi,...
Khilji reached south india. All specifically targeted and destroyed temples across this land. They destroyed every centre of learning sacred to brahmanas and killed them whenever they found them. It is not easy to demolish the huge stone buildings that temples and universities were. But they persisted in reaching and destroying each and every one of them, many of them located on mountain top and very difficult to access. Sometimes it took them months to burn down a marvellous city like Hampi, yet they persisted. Their own chroniclers record that they specifically targeted brahmins, as do Indic records. They looted the Indic community and enslaved them. They mutilated all the murtis in temples.
In this massacre, loot, rape, enslaving and degrading of upper caste, the invaders did not receive any help from any lower caste, that is recorded.
Then followed similar attacks through centuries- each one specifically targeting unarmed brahmanas. Aibak, Tuglaq, slave dynasty, Babar, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jehan, Auranzeb, Timurlane, Nadir Shah, Bahmanis, Adil Shahis, Tipu, Hyder, generation after generation, wave after wave of attacks.
A 1000 years of brutal, barbaric bloodbath, millions killed, raped, enslaved, including Kings and Queens, millions killed off in famines, jizya imposed.
There was effectively state-sponsored reservation against life of brahmanas during those 1000 years.
If a Muslim wanted to spit, brahmana had to open his mouth, as recorded by Muslim chroniclers.
But no Muslim chronicler records about getting voluntary help from Dalits or tribal or any other caste in their quest to decimate Indic societal structure. What little help they got was from some upper castes like Jaichand, Man Singh etc. Some upper castes thought it prudent to marry off their daughters into harems of Muslim rulers.
On the contrary, the scheduled tribe Bhils fought on the side of Maharana Pratap against Akbar.
In these times of systematic ruthless decimation of indic society, a few like Shivaji and Hakka, Bukka Raya reinstated indic rule in certain parts, inspired by brahmanas- Samarth Ramdas and Swami Vidyaranya. There is no record that they oppressed lower castes or that they faced resistance from lower castes in reinstating 'brahmanical' rule.
Then came British, Portuguese, French and Dutch. For two hundred years thereafter they ensured that indic traditions were decimated through ruthless killings, inquisition, plunder, systematic destruction of education system and missionary mal propaganda.
Did they get any voluntary help from lower castes? No.
In fact people like Velu Thambi and Pazhassi Raja got help from tribals to fight British. Santhalis, Bhils and other scheduled tribe fought the British.
A millennia of most brutal sustained bloodbath was never seen by the world before- of unarmed men, women and children. Everything Indic society held scared was degraded ruthlessly. Sadhus were killed off. Captured men were made to see their wives, daughters raped in front of them. Decade after decade, for centuries the torture continued.
Year after year of engineered famines killed off millions of humans, animals, turning the most prosperous land in the world to desolate and parched.
Traditional occupations, agriculture, water retention systems, source of employment, of this vibrant society, all destroyed deliberately, communities impoversihed through heavy taxation, society rendered unsustainable for centuries.
Despite all this, why did the lower castes and dalits of India not convert. They could have become Muslims and partaken in the loot. They could have revenged on the upper castes. They could have become Christians and enjoyed favors from rulers.
Generations of lower castes and dalits paid jizya for centuries to various Muslim rulers, but did not convert, even under the sword of Islam. They swallowed the spit of Muslims yet did not convert for a millennia.
Generations starved to death under engineered famines year after year, decade after decade, century after century, yet did not take the rice bag from missionary.
At the end of a millennium of such horrendous atrocity, despite all their efforts to increase their numbers through tortured conversions and decrease the indics through direct and famine induced killings, Muslims and Christians combined were still less than 30% of the population.
Note that same religions completely converted entire continents of Europe, Africa, Australia, America, other parts of Asia within few decades of their invasions.
It is only after we became Nehruvian seculars that percentage of Christians and Muslims saw marked rise.
Were the lower castes dumb to suffer unspeakable atrocities at the hands of invaders for centuries, yet not convert out from an oppressive religion ?
Or are we dumb to swallow the spit of western propagandists ?
That varna system is Guna and Karma based, not Janma is understood.
A persisting concern however is this- even if varna is based on qualities and conduct, does it not privilege certain people, which could lead to exploitation of the others?
European experince has been of horrible exploitation of people on the basis of class, religion, race and gender. A solution they arrived at is to seek equal status for everyone. They are presently engaged in fighting for equality in different spheres of life.
With the imposing of western education, indics too have been hammered with the notion of equality of all people as ideal.
From that viewpoint, it is abhorrent to accept a system that seems to privilege a group of people, even if on the basis of qualities and not birth.
The problem here is universalizing of western experience and discarding the experiences of all other peoples across the world.
Indic history does not have a history of persecution as experienced in west. This is proven by the positive accounts of contemporary visitors from outside, experiences of refugees of diverse faiths here, as well as cultural heritage that values tranquillity, enlightenment, dharma, over wealth and acquisitions.
Another persisting concern is that Manu advocates cruel treatment of sudras and lower castes. This can be addressed by reading Manusmriti.
A prevalent allegation is that a sudra hearing veda was punished by pouring molten lead into his ears. However, this is a concoction not found in Manusmriti.
Before reading Manusmriti it must be remembered that it is given only to brahmanas (by guna and karma). This is to ensure correct understanding. Therefore it is better if the person planning to read Manusmriti ensures that she/he has the qualities of brahmana- tranquility of mind, desire for knowledge.
Manusmriti is instructions for personal conduct and organizing of society to achieve fulfilment and prosperity.
Unlike Abrahamic religions, however, Manusmriti is not the word of God to be followed absolutely. It is only guidelines for good living.
Manusmriti holds Vedas as supreme.
Vedas are compiled by the most respected sage Vyasa, born to a fisherwoman, an outcaste, unmarried at the time.
That fisherwoman later married a king, and her children and grandchildren became kings- ruled this land, recorded in Mahabharata, by the venerable Vyasa.
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