Nellai Suresh puts in black and white

News is that L K Advani, Indian opposition leader considers it a shame that a nun was raped in Orissa and so many churches were attacked over different places in India. In Tamil, there is a proverb - pinch the child and then rock the cradle to silence the crying child. The whole orgy was orchestrated by the Bajrang Dal on the premise that Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati who opposed conversions was killed by Christians, which turned out to be untrue as the Maosits claimed that they killed the Swami. Now having been exposed this way, the BJP is trying to wriggle out by declaring it a shame. Is it the first time?

One of the biggest misunderstood and most mauled concept in Hindu Dharma is the concept of four divisions of the society called Varnashrama. The society is divided into Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The most maligned Manu did not create them on the basis of birth, one born of a Brahmin father does not necessarily become a Brahmin and so also one born of a Shudra parent is not forbidden from becoming a Brahmana. The degeneration of this happened over the centuries when the zealots and bigots perpetuated the division by birth. That is why I said it is the most mauled system. Let us see what Purusha suktam says:
Braahmanosya mukham aaseet
Baahu raajanya krutah
Ooru tadasya yad vaishyah
Padbhyam shoodro ajaayata

The Purusha or the supreme Lord has Brahmin or the learned as His face, kshatriya or warriors as His shoulders, vaishya or the merchant as His thighs and shoodra or the servant as His legs. The cynical may still say that shoodras are denigrated as His legs but my answer to them is that if they consider being legs as so inferior, let them chop them off and see what it feels. Every part described here is equally important and one cannot live comfortably without any of these. That apart, the early Vedas divided them according to their aptitude, nature and actions. This is to ensure that there are no square pegs in round holes. Each job should be done by the person with the right aptitude. Do we select a scientist for a sales man’s job or select a coward for a warrior’s post? Don’t we adopt different selection criteria for different jobs? These were as simple as that. Krishna tells these lucidly in two places, first in verse 13 of chapter 4 and then in verses 41 to 44 in Chapter 18. In Chapter 4, He says,

Chaatur varnyam maya srushtam GUNAH KARMA vibhaagashah
Tasya kartaaram api maam vidya kartaaram avyayam

Meaning ‘I created 4 divisions on the basis of aptitude and actions’. The basis is aptitude and actions.

Later in Chapter 18, He says

Braahmana Kshatriya Vishaam Shoodraanaam cha parantapa
Karmaani pravi bhaktaani swabhaava prabhavair gunaih

Shamo damas tapah shaucham kshantir aarjavam eva cha
Gnana vignaanam aastikyam brahma karma SWABHAAVAJAM

Dairyam tejo dhritir daakshyam yuddhe chaapya palaayanam
Daanam eeshwara bhaavascha kshaatram karma SWABHAAVAJAM

Krishi gowrakshya vaanijyam vaishya karma SWABHAAVAJAM
Paricharyaatmakam karma shoodrasyaapi SWABHAAVAJAM

No one can be clearer and no one can be more misunderstood even after this. Let us see how He divides people according to their innate nature (SWABHAAVAM)

Brahmins – equanimous, self-controlled, austere, clean, patient, honest, knowledgeable and experienced, faithful in God

Kshatriyaas – heroic, vigorous, firm, dexterous, steadfast in battle, charitable, leading in nature

Vaishyaas – involved in agriculture, cow herd and trade

Shoodras – serving others

Does He anywhere here say that it is birth which determines your Varna? The degeneration of this system into a casteist society and further in institutionalizing the superiority of Brahmins over other three, kshatriya over the other two and vaishya over shoodra is the cause of all evils afflicting the Indian society. How many can claim to be brahmanas under this definition? In my view, only the Swami Chandrasekhara Saraswati of Kaanchi can claim to be so. The most graceful person can consider most of us as traders as we trade our knowledge for money.

The 21st verse in Chapter 16 says
'Trividham narakas Yedam dwaaram naashanam aatmanh
kaamah krodhah tatha lobhah tasmad edad tryam tyajet'

The three doors to hell are attachment, greediness and anger. So enjoins upon Arjuna and all of us to do away with these three. In Chapter 2 he says that attachment leads to greediness which in turn to anger ultimately to destruction. Here he forbids all the three factors. The assertion is very emphatic

One of the best verses is the ninth in the ninth chapter, patram pushpam phalam toyam, yo may bhaktya prayachhati, tad aham bhaktyupahrudryam, ashnaami prayataatmanah, bring anything to me , a leaf, flower, fruit or even water but bring with utmost devotion, I accept it. Bible talks about the widow's mite and every other religion must have a similar one. But the principle is it is not ostentation or orthodoxy that brings you nearer to God but only the devotion, true identification of oneself with all other beings and thereby with Him, that takes one to God. Pundits may argue that only Bhakti Yoga out of the four yogas, namely, Gnana, Karma, Raja and Bhakti yogas, Krishna himself has identified Bhakti as the route to Him. But that is a useless argument. The insistence is on devotion, whatever path one might take. The next verse proves this. Yat karoshi, yad ashnaashi, yajjuhoshi dadaasi yad, yat tapasyasi kaunteya tad kurushvamadarpanam- whatever you do, eat, offer in sacrifice, give in charity or penance you do, offer them unto Me. These two verses if it is understood by the followers of Hinduism, there should not be any ostentation, any claim of superiority of one's faith or any clash ultimately.