LIBRATING – 41
BRAHMNISM : PROBLEM OF SURVIVAL
(To be edited)

Brahmin is the most secular of all the people. Like a thorough secular he keeps his eyes fixed on the end (the gains). The means does not count. It can be meanest (Kashi karavat, mahapatra) as well as the most sublime. He has made sacrifices which bewilder us, he has resorted to methods which even hardened criminals may shudder to think. He could worship gods, he could throw away the same gods that he worshipped. He could defile the same god if he found it profitable. Right from the time he joined, or say rendered his services to the Deva society his problem has been that of survival. A dying man can do anything to survive- मरता क्या न करता- or in his own words- क्षीणा: नरा: निष्करुणा: भवन्ति। The problem with him was that he perpetuated the profitable crime even after his belly was full. But these are aberrations, normally Brahmins have been more sensitive and sensible and have risen to support a good move and just cause as and when demanded by circumstances.

Brahmanism as a vile design is a recent invention firstly by the Muslim mullahs who, looking at the fact that Brahmins enjoyed greater respect and voluntary command than them in their circles, besides being the source of education and counsel. They treated them as Satans and encouraged the king and warmongers to annihilate them. This brief was taken more vehemently by Christian missionaries who preferred to use unabated propaganda than force. Gobbles only perfected a practice that had been adopted by Indian Brahmins for thousands of years, and was borrowed and refined by missionaries and European diplomats to defy recognition. Brahmins, because of their interests placed in education were the first to kick their sacred language and exclusive property vsanskrit and switch over to English and emerge as the middle class improving their status so thoroughly as to invite jealous attention of the rest of the Hindu sections. I empathise with injured sentiments of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, but despite my regards for his extraordinary brilliance and erudition, I fail to agree with him on his judgments on caste and role of Brahmins. They have occupied the traditional avenues of family astrologer and priest, temple priest, cornering major share in all the jobs. One of the primary sources, namely begging has been left because of legal ban and improved job opportunities. His representation in all the political parties is many times more than his ratio in demographic makeup. In order to maintain his vantage position he is a staunch campaigner for continuance of English as medium of education, research and its use from judiciary to general administration.

This causes general unhappiness against him and this anguish is pumped back in history showing him crooked and despotic.
We have not to argue to cancel these allegations which may take us astray. What we underline is the naked truth that these are all economic problems not religious in nature. Work-division has nothing to do with belief system. There is nothing metaphysical, spiritual or devotional even in legal provisions whether just or unjust, that too when it is not immutable, but ideal according to one authority among many, each claiming to be the best, and individual is free to check and decide the best. It is interesting that even the civil code of the despots are advisory in nature, a licence, a freedom of choice not heard so far in any other state or civilisation.

There are institutions in Hindu society which give an illusion of religiously and have been criticised as such, but it was the duty of anthropologists to make in depth study of the same. They could not cross scholastic barriers imposed by the colonial scholars whose aim was to create academic drowsiness rather than awakening. Take for example pandagiri. They throng every ghat or pilgrimage site. They are relics of pre agrarian meeting stations of diverse bands on fixed days of the year near the river or waterbody in an identifiable locale. Their festivities lasted for days with utmost permissibility. When the lawgivers prohibited the pious not to cross the boundaries determined by them except for pilgrimage, they indirectly recalled that those far off sites were visited by the residents of the sacred land. Adi Shankaracharya only chose the station at the extreme points of the country, making special provisions, to encourage religious tourism and improve the awareness level of the home bound peasantry. These Pandas served almost as inns or hotels providing hospitality at nominal charge but realising service charges as charity, donation or defrauding them ttthem on other known pretexts. It is a business operation with legitimised cheating. Belief in sanctity of bath and maternal reverence for rivers and lakes and discharge point of sacred rivers (Ganga Sagar and Sarasvant) again is a primitive legacy.

The openness of Hinduism, showing respectful attitude to any one believing in any thing, with any life style, made those vices appear as vices of Hindu society after their distinct identity was forgotten. So are the most ancient survivals from gathering days. They’ve no place in
Hindu value system. The value system as honoured by all is the Sanatan dharm.