I see so much of venom spewed ever since the OBC archakas tookover their assigned jobs in Agama temples. Remember, these too graduated from Vedic schools and are not without a background. I can imagine how worse it could have been for EVR all those years back and for Gandhiji to break the caste barricades and bring Hindus together as never before in over a two thousand year written history of India. Only solace is that, the media was absent then, especially social media. Crass characters like Subrahmanyam Swamy today are discussing the Tamil Nadu situation whereas he is yet to explain to the public here his role in Jayalalitha’s case and demise. If he had had any strength of character, no central govt would have rejected him. It doesn’t matter if you are Harvard returned, when you are found to be unreliable like this other one Shashi Tharoor, you will not find a good position anywhere because you are just that: not trustworthy and characterless.
I am not sure how much of physical violence was used to manhandle archakas in employment in which case it is totally wrong. But the archakas also can embrace the new appointees with more broadmind as their apprentices and train them in their order. What Ramanuja did centuries back, why should it be impossible to do in the 21st century.
What is bhakthi without an element of empathy. It is those in the service of God who must have more compassion and understanding. It n’t it strange that those who want to get into service of god are called the adharmic and those who are going adharmic are claiming to be dharmic.
Which shastra sampradhaya and dharmika have the caste hindus already not violated? At the cost of repeating myself I would like to record here that. the day a hindu (read brahmin) woman decided to wear double mangalsutra from two men and carry the child in her womb fathered by an unknown donor and the day a brahmana decided to take the work of a kasappukadaikaran butchering meat and going further on sampling liquor for making a living, the dharmic equations got altered. Ilai marai kaai maraivaa nadandhuthaan ellam. But when legal sanction was accorded to these transgressions redefining a pre-existant dharma, nobody can have the moral or ethical right any more to bar anyone from anywhere quoting scriptures or traditions. The truth is, not many non-brahmins can bring themselves to cross these undrawn limiting lines as easily as these folks do. I am not asking anyone not to remarry or have a child from anyone they please. And i have nothing to do with their eating habits. In fact i am for reforms that can make life better for our women. It is only when some parties flout what suits them and want others to abide by the unwritten code, there is a problem.
Whether we want it or not, at some point in history, this is going to happen. This holding back of knowledge, art is deeply disturbing and can be damaging to even our economy. I have noted that as expected, none of the national news channels covered the pathbreaking historical move made by Tamil Nadu govt in the matter.
To bring about awareness, our govt can consider this:
The brahmin population of the state is stated to be around 2%. I am not sure about Mudaliar or Nadar or Chetty or Pillai or Nair or Naidu or Jain population. On pro-rata basis, every caste must be allotted their graveyard shift in the various crematoria spread across the state, manual or mechanized. These groups can be given the rights to assemble their own team from their own caste members. The 2% brahmin population may still have to work for about 7 days out of the yearly 365 at the crematoria burning bodies. A similar shift can be considered for the scavenging work. Road kuppaya allanum, koottanum. I am not singling out one community. Let everyone share the duty as per their percentage population in the national census. And I am including even the christians and muslims in this list of scavenging job. I am leaving them out of the crematoria work quota because they have their own where things are not done on caste basis.
This can be an eye opener to the self certified puritanical groups and help them realize whose sweat and blood and dignity their ancestors sucked to put them above the rest of the lot. First of all, the much waned dignity of labour will be restored to full vigor in Indian society.
Reservation is for this purpose: when you cannot find a housemaid or street hawker or a crematorium worker or a sweeper in your community or relative circle, it means you are socially emancipated even if not materially very rich. In which case, you are expected to pull others out of their deprived situation with helping hands. This is what humanity is all about.
When did the castes/varnas come into vogue. They find no mention in the Vedas. They are the later additions. Shastra and Sampradayas to my knowledge can be dismantled or suspended or rewritten or altered.
What is this Agama vidhi, May be this is something that makes stops you from climbing out of the ritualistic quagmire? I remember the men in my family frowning against the Devasham rituals running for days. They would say, the said group divided themselves into two. One went to temples and took over the powerful societal position of serving the gods. Those who could not fit into temples that were not big employers, invented purohit work to keep themselves busy and earn a living! Personally I believe, it is more important to respect and treat a human with kindness when he or she is around. I do not believe in endless rituals year after year after the concerned person is gone. Once you leave agama schools, you find that there is no need to stick to caste-prescribed boundaries. You realize the entire set up has been put into place to maintain the same hierarchy for centuries. This i am not saying to disrespect anyone. But i have always awowed how cleverly some communities took care of themselves and kept themselves out of the harms way with ingeniously designed self-preservation techniques. No need to fight the kings battles. No need to sweat under a sweltering sun. Finest settlements in the agrahara with water wells. Safe life while the others slogged it out.
Many have been telling me to slowly come out of the ritualistic worship. May be I am now ready to go to the next step. I am already feeling a strong desire never to tow this line again. Rituals do help me focus better. I am able to give a shape to my spiritual goals. But many hindus are already leaving behind the ritualistic religion and taking a step forward. May be this is the way we can bring to an end the caste hypocrisy when whatever these guys say won’t matter to us.
We are having Tamizh weddings in our families already for past many years where we have dispensed with services of purohits. Instead we recite Tamil mantras. I have for friends who have had ‘seerthirutha tamizh kalyanams.’ Their children are now like trophies, not in anyway wanting.
Passive aggression is one of the most cruel forms of violence because it allows you to belittle fellow humans as if they are sub-humans while placing yourselves in a far better and superior position only by virtue of birth. This is most abominable mind-set. Knowledge to me is for sharing. Inclusive growth is important for national development. Caste is one reason India is backward. Caste is also the main reason for conversion post 1947 (and even prior to 1947).
I used to be sick of the curd rice stories. Then I turned against my friends and asked them, still why did the curd rice prevent them from becoming geniuses like the jews or japanese or even the koreans. What new inventions and discoveries in last 2000 years after Aryabhatta and Bhaskara. It is you who claim they were yours. In truth in Bharatha, whether scientist or mathematician or spiritual guru or even a nayanmar or alwar, anyone making a mark was absorbed by the brahminical fold after their lifetimes as theirs. Like we posthumously award Ashok chakra today to war heroes.
After the puritanical mind set in (I can peg this about the time of Shankaracharya) dividing the population on communal lines, you cannot observe any significant scientific temper in Hindu history. Once the hypocritical mind takes over, the genius vanishes. This is the truth.
Transported back to 1947 when a struggle of another kind was taking place in the south especially to usher in social reforms. I can imagine why EVR Periyar is so much villainified now. He did the unthinkable. 75 years later can we imagine otherwise?
The south has always been the trendsetter which is why we prosper better than the north. The north is steeped in casteist hypocrisy. You cannot have someone like Yogi boldly enact reforms as they are done in the south in another 1000 years. It needs courage and commitment to a cause.
Finally as a believer and a practising Hindu, I repeat, without Mother Goddess wanting it this way, this just cannot happen. Women may step into Lord Aiyappa’s abode in Sabarimala legally today because perhaps, Aiyappa thinks the time is ripe for that. Raam got his Ayodhya back, not you or me. If you are indeed a true Hindu, you will surrender without a question as I do. You will understand the scheme of things the way I do.
You think Shiva bothers whether you enter a temple after downing a peg of whiskey or in lungi. Or having your periods! Omg is this what you have reduced Dharma to. My kind of faith is entirely on another range. Man made decorum is fine. But upto a certain degree. Over that, all that matters is only the matter of the heart. With so much of bias at heart thinking lowly of others, I do not know how anyone can hope to get closer to ‘realization.’
Or guys be ready to flash your iyer or iyengar card at Kailasha or Vaikuntha when you get there. This is the kind of God you believe in.
Some Hindus are parasitic. They wouldn’t stop from feeding on those below them in ranks. This is why Dharma is dying.
vijiravindran's 