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October 24, 2003

CASTE AND RELIGION

their Relevance to Present Day Situation

CASTE

1. Universal basic building block of Indian Society, in any part of the World

2. Can be found almost in every major Religion, to which Indians had converted, even if that be ages ago

3. Had gone, and survives even after many generations, in every part of the World where Indians had emigrated, though as indented labourers or for working to earn their lives and make a living

4. Origins had been lost in the misty pre-historic days

5. Is a frozen system of social segregation of most sections of the society

6. A strong base of social classification, based on ethnic colour and racial factors in the Country

7. Facilitates cool calculated rigid class structure for total deprival exploitation and oppression of the masses

8. Oppresses women in almost every caste

9. Deprives freedom to women of the dominant castes, to protect and shield them from any biological inter-mixing with others, to prevent all possible sexual contacts

CASTE TODAY

1. Today there are four basic Caste Groups, of which three are small dominant caste groups and the other is a large servile backward caste group

2. There are also Out-Castes, Avarnas or Non Caste or Casteless Groups like the SCs and STs

3. Had infected all other People Societies and Religions with which it had come into contact

4. Other Caste based Religious Groups, which in principle and as their Religious Doctrine, do not accept the Caste, consciously and unconsciously practice are victims of the Caste System

5. Exists within many of the Religions in India, is a big reality and is really a big problem, but is brushed aside, neglected and not accepted - as is the case with Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism even today

6. Serious problem to the hindu society

7. Had become a big headache to some other religions, particularly Buddhism, Christianity and Sikhism

8. Cause of most social political economic student and National Troubles

9. Almost all sections of the society suffer because of the Castes and Caste based Problems

10. Big curse on the Indian Society

11. Still survives as it benefits some the most, and many to some extent

12. Inhibits thinking, logic, rational ideas, scientific thoughts, development of mind, imagination, questioning, discoveries

13. Represses the birth of true Class Structure in the Indian Society

14. Prevents Economic and Social Mobility of many capable individuals and dynamic groups

15. Restrains Social and National Progress Growth and Development

16. Suppresses Facts Truth and Justice

17. Diverts even Academics and Researchers away from the Facts and real Truth

18. Kills the quest for ultimate truth, and search for the roots

19. Turns people lazy and indifferent to even the most shocking crimes

20. Renders officials and other authorities dishonest irresponsible callous and non-responsive

21. Main reason for all Corruption, Slow Progress and Backwardness of the Country

CASTE INFLUENCE

Caste is –

1. All-pervasive in the Indian Society

2. Every decision, every action, every event and every problem can ultimately be traced to the castes and caste interests or caste decisions

3. Ingrained in the memory and unconscious mind of the People

4. Make and unmake People and Leaders in the Country

5. Determines the recognitions, awards and punishments even for very small insignificant mistakes and serious crimes

6. Influences the distance to which one can go, the heights to which one can grow, and individual personal achievements in society from education, work, work places, career and entry into services and jobs

7. The one, in which People in the Country are actually born, brought up, imbibed with caste values caste interests and caste priorities

8. Any individual leaving the caste does so, only because of some accidents in personal and private life that for all practical purposes. Even then, that is in reality only partial or is of temporary nature. And he or she sooner or later returns to the caste to marry, or build new relationships and to die, or to be burnt or buried

9. Basis of most judgements by the Courts

VALUE OF THE CASTE

1. Caste help the dominant castes in many ways

2. It facilitates them to lead an easy and leisurely life

3. Helps them to avoid difficult and dangerous jobs, and avoid straining their back or spoiling their clothes and dress or soiling their hands

ANNIHILATION OF CASTE

Many efforts have been made to end the Castes, destroy the Caste System or remove the evils of the castes and Caste System. All such efforts had failed. For all those who maintain administer uphold and protect the caste system, directly benefit from the castes. And the benefits that accrue to them are immense, unmeasurable and irreplaceable. Only those who suffer the most from the castes, the caste system, and their evils fight for their annihilation, that too really from outside the system. Therefore, the chances of such efforts succeeding are very difficult and remote. One who is groaning through millenniums, can not push up and throw away the massive burden of the castes. And those who are enjoying the benefits can not be expected to cut the branches on which they are standing, that too sky-high.

RELIGION

Religion is one of the oldest surviving social institutions of humans. This appears to be peculiar to only human beings. No other species of the World living in-groups or as organised society has anything similar to Religion.

RELIGION WORLD OVER

Religion World over is said to be –

1. Receding and retreating behind, in the face of rational, scientific, progressive, liberal developments in the society

2. Suffering under the onslaught of cold calculating crude materialistic World, with profit motivated money minded individuals families groups castes classes races and Nations

3. Fighting to justify its existence with social work, assisting the poor and weak, extending help to the helpless sick and dying, providing succour to the helpless and homeless and friendless

4. Trying to be relevant to the society by taking up social work

5. Working to worm up their way into peoples’ lives by delivering aid to the victims of natural and social calamities

RELIGIONS ARE

1. Said to be often selfish, criminal minded, working with materialistic and criminal minds

2. Often times found to be indulging in dirty politics or ethnic and racial conflicts

3. Seen directly or indirectly indulging in unfair and inhuman activities, to further their personal and group interests

4. Active in helping to achieve their follower’s economic materialistic political and geographical aims and objectives

5. Allowing their Religious Heads and individual priests and priestly classes develop very strong vested interests to grind their own axe or indulge in active politics, either directly or indirectly through their agents

6. Indifferent when their name institutions leaders and priests are deliberately misused by politicians

7. Tolerating their active members to misuse their names and Religious Places for partisan interests

8. Allowing the development of lumpen and dangerous criminal elements in the society under the garb of Religious Activism

RELIGIONS IN INDIA

1. Basically are of two types –

i. One, the clearly defined understandable Religions, practised within the bounds of prescriptions and teachings of their founders as recorded in specific Religious Texts

ii. And the others which are clouded in mystery, that any action practice teaching prescription form and even name goes is accepted as the Religion.

2. Can also be classified as follows –

i. Undefinable and in fact unrealistic

ii. Indigenous formal Religions that were born as protest movements like Jainism and Buddhism, around as early as Sixth Century BC

iii. Reform Movements synthesising different schools of Religious thoughts precepts practices and values

iv. Enclosed small compact Religions from other lands that came in with the traders, settlers and refugees, like the Bahais, Parsis, Jacobites, Jews and Syrians

v. Universal Religions of Traders, Invaders and Conquerors who came settled and ruled the Nation with Sovereign and Plenipotentiary Powers. They were like the Afghans, Arabs, Turks, Moghuls practising and preaching Islam; and the British, Danes, Dutch, French, Germans, Portuguese etc

3. Can be grouped as those –

i. Preach Love, and Practising Violence as their basic tenets or practice

ii. That intrude into the affairs of other Religions, interfere with other Religious Centres, or believe in confrontation with other Religions

iii. Forget their internal problems and go to fight with others to sweep under the carpet their own serious urgent sore problems

BIRTH OF RELIGIONS IN INDIA

The World-renowned Indus Valley Civilisation, of the pre-historic times, known for its town planning, much advanced civic facilities, better building materials and methods, and construction technology is unique in the absence of any identifiable religious building or site. Its decline decay and destruction was a great loss to the evolution of Indian mind, arts architecture culture science and technology. There was a clear and long gap in construction and evolution of Indian Society.

Agrarian pre-historic India valued plants, trees, water, fertility, all tools and the powers of production. Thus, the practices of thanks giving to the forces of nature and production, cult of mother goddess and fertility worship, emerged amongst the native people and tribes.

Vedic Society and brahmanism first evolved in the Indus Valley. It soon spread to the Gangetic Plains or Madhya Desha. Then came the expansionist phase towards the east, and also the south beyond Vindhyas. Fire (Agni) was the most important element in the lives of the vedic people. It was useful in burning and disposal of the rejected wastes and unwanted. For the vedic people, fire was also the means of disposal of the dead. With settled life, proper Altars (Vedi) for fire were built formally and at times elaborately. Worship of fire and making elaborate offerings became the main feature of vedic society. The disposal of the mortal remains of the vanquished and slain, execution and sacrifice the prisoners also were practised.

With fire growing in importance, sacrifice became the basic feature of vedic society and the priests of brahmanic society. Soon horses, camels, cows, bulls, goats, birds, milk, ghee, grains etc were brought in as surrogate sacrificial elements while worshipping agni. Thus, sacrifice emerged as the centre and spiritual part of the vedic brahmanic society. The Altar (Vedi) the Railings (Vedika) to protect and enclose the sacrificial fire became the focal points around which the vedic society and brahmanism grew religiously. All such sacrifices, meant criminal waste of valuable firewood, nutritious food materials of grains ghee milk etc. And death of domestic, productively and economically useful valuable animals and birds. It also meant cruelty, wasteful killings, spilling of blood and violence. This was resented by the people of many agrarian societies and settlements. And those living in the eastern heterodox republics were particularly vocal in their criticisms and opposition to such sacrifices.

With the decay of Indus Valley Civilisation, individual leaders commanders and chieftains of the vedic brahmanic society grew in importance. They rose to heavenly heights. They emerged to be respectful and worshipful individuals, and went up to become gods and goddesses. Amongst them Indra was soon recognised and declared as the most revered king of gods. He was named the destroyer of ninety forts. Hence his arms and weapons assumed mythical heavenly attributes, and became religious symbols.

Challenges to vedic society

Challenges to vedic society became an important aspect of Indian society throughout the millennium. And shrewdly the vedic society adjusted itself to the changing times and had survived in spite of series of invasions from across the borders, conquests, and foreign and colonial rules. The first challenge came from the Northwest, and also from the Eastern Republics as the Vedic Society tried to expand into the eastern territories etc. They were followed by many other rulers empires and dynasties. New values and liberal ideas also awakened the Weaker Sections, followed by various organised powerful Backward Class Movements. These put a lid on further development and unrestrained growth of the vedic religious practices. Most significant amongst them were –

1. Twin challenges of the Persians and Greeks across the Hindu Kush in the North West

2. Indigenous Magadhs from Pataliputra, followed by their successors Nandas and Mauryas, who ran over the Gangetic Plains of Madhyadesha and the Indus valley to expand their empire and assert their rule as far as Gandhara, Taxila in the North West

3. Resurgent Kalingas under the Jaina King Kharavela

4. Deccan Andhras from southern east coast, who moved to Paitha near Amravathi in north-west Deccan by second Century BC

5. Confluence of different ideologies that came with trade contacts with Arabia, Turks, Rome, China etc

6. Primacy of secular Values due to influence of other cultures like Persia, Hellenistic Greek Settlements

7. Entry of Parthians, Scythians or Shakas from Central Asia, Kushans from China, Sasanians from Persia, White Huns and Mongols and their rule over most of Indus Valley and Gangetic plains

8. Arrival of Sultans, Arabs, Turks, other Muslims, Mughals, Missionaries and people of different formal Religions from Middle East and Central Asia

9. Imperial colonial rule by different Europeans from Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal etc with Christianity, Christian Missionaries and Catholicism and Protestant Values of Christianity

10. Inevitable liberation and education of Backward Classes from OBCs, SC&ST Dalits. Works struggles and contributions by Birsa Munda, Jyotibha Phule, Sahu Maharaj, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, EVR Periyar

Meanwhile significant changes in the thinking faith belief and practices of the Indian People were brought about by the teachings of two great sons of the soil. Both of them were born in small Republics of areas outside the vedic influence. They preached peace, love, and compassion to all and every life. Hence they were against every form of violence, killing, or any spilling of blood. Therefore, they were both against the earlier practices of sacrificing animals at the altar of agni. The first of the two was Vardhamana the Mahavira, born in the second half of the sixth century BC, in the Jnatrika Clan. He revealed to the people the Way of Conquerors i.e., the Jinas and Jainas. He taught about the preservation of, intrinsically blissful soul through renunciation of violent actions. The second one was Siddhartha Gautama, born a little later around that time, in the Shakya Clan, at Lumbini. He worked for eradication of the sufferings of all human beings, starting from the common man. Gautama achieved enlightenment under a Bode or Bodhi Tree, and became the Buddha. His remains were enshrined and preserved in ten impressively large tumuluses or burial mounds, by the people, large proportion of the wealthy and some of the rulers of that time.

Very big and great Stupas were built in the places where Buddha’s Remains were interned, and the major sites where important events in Buddha’s Life took place. Tall Stupas were built of huge mounds of mud, enclosed in carefully burnt small standard bricks, at the ten places where Buddha’s remains were buried. Apart from these ten, one was built at his birthplace, Lumbini. The second one was built at Gaya where he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. Third one was built at Sarnath where he gave his first sermon. The fourth one was built at Kushinagara where he passed away attaining Mahaparinirvana at the age of eighty.

Buddha’s burial mounds and places of major events in the life of Buddha, became important landmarks. At that time, they were the significant architectural buildings in the sub-continent. These became the principal places of Buddha’s order of Monks and Nuns - the Sangha, and Buddhist Pilgrimage. Monasteries, and centres of preaching, teaching and learning came up at these places. Congregational Halls for teachings and interaction between the lay people and the monks, were also built. Since Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the Bodhi Tree became a landmark in all Buddhist Centres. These Bodhi Trees and huge tall Stupas, were distinctly different from the places of sacrifice and pole or skambha that stood for Indra’s weapons power and supremacy during the Vedic Period.

Buddha and his teachings appealed to the people, rich business classes and other elites. Buddha his followers his Sangha, monks, nuns, monasteries were patronised by the heterodox republics of the eastern parts where Buddha travelled to preach and teach. The rulers and thereafter Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire spread the message of Buddha far and wide, from North West to Deccan in South. From Kalinga and Andhra in east, Central parts of the Country and on to Maharashtra Gujarat Rajasthan and the Indus Valley and Plains in the West, the message of Buddha spread. Ashoka also was instrumental in spreading Buddhism to Sri Lanka and other Countries. Later the Kushans from China, who ruled from Peshawar and Mathura controlled Central Asia and the whole of Indus, Gujarat and Gangetic Plains north of Narmadha. Their greatest monarch Kanishka was Buddhism’s greatest patron after Ashoka.

RELEVANCE OF RELIGIONS

In spite of all the known and undocumented draw backs, shortcomings and criticisms, Religions all over the World, including in our Country, can said to be Relevant to most of the people. For, as they serve as –

1. Source of solace to those living under tension, be they highly educated and highly placed, or average citizens or the poor masses

2. Teachers, particularly to all those billions of simple, ignorant, superstitious and exploited people

3. Guide Posts, Destination Markers, Road Maps, Street Lights and guides to the masses

4. Helping hand to the blind helpless hopeless marginalised exploited and suppressed

5. Shapes the cultural, economic. Moral and Social Outlooks and Values of not only their believers and practitioners, but also all others around