[Assam] Hereditary Caste System in India

Fri Mar 24 06:36:45 PST 2006

At 8:15 PM -0800 3/23/06, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote:
>What difference does it make what RigVeda, Geeta 
>or ManuSamhiti said? That's all history.

** It is to affirm and assert that the intent of 
those who set the rules were above board. It is 
them bad people who have caused the problems. The 
system is fine, the essence of Hinduism is 
without fault--it is the people who are at fault. 
Remember, it is not the gun that kills, it is 
them people !

:-)

>Today's India does not know what these 
>scriptures said. So forget it and move on. Take 
>it as history and your heritage, and carry on 
>with your daily life.
>Dilip
>
>
>Himendra Thakur <hthakur at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>Dear Rajen, Ram and Umesh,
>
>As regards hereditary caste system, please consider the frollowing few points:
>
>Out of many verses of Rikveda, the famous 
>twelfth verse of the Purusha Sukta of Rikveda 
>sounds non-typical:  
>brahmana asya mukham asit bahu rajanyakah kritah
>ubdha tat asya yad vaishyah padbhyam sudrah ajayata
>
>brahmin became his mouth, kshatriya (became 
>his) arms, vaishya (became his) thighs, sudra 
>was born from the feet  

>
>The distinctive use of the words became (asit) 
>and born (ajayata) indicates that this verse 
>is not typical of most of the allegorical 
>descriptions in Rik Veda verses. Some scholars 
>[I am still seeking the reference]! opine that 
>this verse was added to Rik Veda at a later time 
>by interested parties. On the other hand, the 
>creation of the castes is described in a 
>different way in Shatapatha Brahmana (2/10/11) 
>or Taittiriya Brahmana (3/12/9/2) where the 
>sudra caste is not mentioned at all.
>
>More accurately, at another place in Rik Veda (9/112), we hear the rishi :
> 
 job of all persons cannot be  the same. A 
>carpenter straightens wood, a physician looks 
>after a patient, and a singer seeks the priest. 
>Look at me !  I am a hymn-writer, my son is a 
>physician, and ! my daughter is a cook 

>
>Bhagavadgita is absolutely clear (4/13) that the 
>four castes were created according to guna and 
>karma (aptitude and job) 
 definitely not 
>according to birth. The verses 41-44 in chapter 
>18 are description of the different natural 
>aptitudes of different people, not a 
>justification of the hereditary caste system. 
>
>A Brahmin, the so called highest caste o! f 
>Hindus, is defined as a person with a heart as 
>pure as a newborn baby. This proves that all 
>newborn babies are Brahmin. This is supported by 
>the verse in Mahabharata (Shanti Parva Chapter 
>188):
>na visheshah asti varnanam sarvam bhahmam idam jagat
>brahmana purvasristam hi karmabhih varnatam gatam
>
>There is nothing so special about the 
>hereditary castes. At the beginning, everyone is 
>a Brahmin.  Castes come up later according to 
>job.
>
>One thousand years before Mahabharata and 
>Bhagavadgita, Chandogya Upanishad carried the 
>wonderful story of Satyakama where an 
>illegitimate son of a slave woman was accepted 
>as a brahmin. Later Satyakama became the 
>principal hymn writer in Chandogya Upanishad. 
>His disciple, Upakoshal, saw the famous truth 
>Sky is Love yadeva kham tadeva kam iti.
>
>GROUND REALITY OF HEREDITARY CASTE SYSTEM TODAY: 
>In spite of all scriptural clarification, Hindus 
>in India cannot get rid of the immovable yoke of 
>hereditary caste system. It is very important to 
>study the cause.
>
>The causes of hereditary caste system appear to 
>be the same as those of racialism all over the 
>world.
>
>In modern India, democracy is ruined by 
>caste-oriented vote-banks practiced by the 
>political parties. Unimaginable violence and 
>cruelty are committed in the name of caste. 
>Dowry system, that causes bride-burning in many 
>cases, flourishes in the system of arranged 
>marriage, which is a direct consequence of 
>hereditary caste system.
>
>I think Inter-caste marriage, based on love and 
>commitment between the couples, will eliminate 
>the twin-headed monster of heredi! tary caste 
>system and dowry system in India.
>
>With the best wishes,
>Himendra
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:jaipurschool at yahoo.com>umesh sharma
>To: <mailto:barua25 at hotmail.com>Rajen Barua ; 
><mailto:assamrs at gmail.com>Ram Sarangapani
>Cc: <mailto:assam at assamnet.org>assam at assamnet.org
>Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 11:06 AM
>Subject: Re: [Assam] HPI, March 20, 2006
>
>Rajen-da,
>
>Even this verse by itself doesnot say that 
>Brahmin is by birth - it merely states that 
>Brahmins are intellectuals (from head or brain) 
>- thus does show that intellect is superior to 
>other things - if you believe that one part of 
>human body is more important than others. 
>Kshatriya is said to come from arms - denoting 
>strength -used for fighting -does not say about 
>hereditary caste system.
>
>On the other hand it speaks of cohesion - in the 
>sense that all people in any soicety are doing 
>equally important wo! rk - just as parts of a 
>human body - regardless of their social status. 
>I repeat - no mention of hereditary caste system.
>
>Umesh
>
>Rajen Barua <barua25 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>I think it is the Gita.
>I will check
>Rajenda
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:jaipurschool at yahoo.com>umesh sharma
>To: <mailto:barua25 at hotmail.com>Rajen Barua ; 
><mailto:assamrs at gmail.com>Ram Sarangapani
>Cc: <mailto:assam at assamnet.org>assam at assamnet.org
>Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 9:37 AM
>Subject: Re: [Assam] HPI, March 20, 2006
>
>I do recall that there is such a verse but I do 
>not recall seeing it in Geeta or that Krishna 
>said it.
>
>Umesh
>
>Rajen Barua <<mailto:barua25 at hotmail.com>barua25 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>I will have to read th! e verse in detail. I think Krishna states bothways:
>
>Those who are born out of my head are the Brahmins
>Those who are born out of my shoulder, are the Kshatriyas.
>Those who are born out of my stomach are the Vaishya.
>Those who are born out of my feet are the Sudras.
>
>Can you check if above is true.
>
>Rajenda
>
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