Caste system of those days was based on the kind of work people did..!! They are called four-Varnas viz.,
- Brahmins
- Kshatriyas
- Vaishyas
- Shudras
Varna means different shades and textures and is derived from the three gunas, or three primary attributes of nature sattwa (mode of goodness), rajas (mode of passion) and tamas (mode of darkness/ignorance).Brahmins being mostly sattwic in temperament, able to perform purity in mind and habits, acquire divine knowledge and wisdom which they can impart to others. The Vaishyas are the trading and business class and are a mix of rajas and tamas. They deal with wealth and how to maintain its flow, sustenance and prosperity. The Kshatriyas are mostly rajasic, possessing a fighting, passionate spirit used to protect dharma (brahmins knowledge) and the people. They are the rulers, kings, politicians, upholders of the law, military, police. The Shudras are a mix of tamas and rajas, and are the working class people, labourers or the artisans. They are the foundation of society providing what is needed at the ground, base level.
Brahmins are supposed to be clean in mind and body. Cleanliness of mind is atained by chanting of mantras without a gap and thinking about God prevents any irrelevant thought. This is prescribed for Brahmins because they are the ones who are supposed to be propagating the religion and practising it without any fail.They are the ones who are supposed to be indulging in "worship of God" in temple and performing such actions and works to "please" God. As a result of which brahmins of those days were considered as the "upper caste".Those brahmins did practise cleanliness in mind and body to keep the sanctity of the temple. So,they saw certain things which will help them maintain the decorum.Obviously,they can't eat meat and go to temple and touch the idol.Let the idol be a stone image,but the sacredness of the idols is well-known by each and every Hindu.
I don't know if this - the KAL YUG which has resulted in the defamation of the Brahmin clan or is it like a tit-for-tat by the so-called downtrodden people of the society! The reservations made in favor of certain castes against brahmins is really dis-heartening. Just the reason that "those days you people ruled,so you can't get the best of education from IIT's or any other institution for that matter if you can't afford". There are people in brahmins who realyl deserve the best but only because they don't have the means,does'nt make them undeserving.
Well.. Government's reservations might not lead us anywhere.But it does not make us any lower than the others..!! We are and still will be "BRAHMINS".
views are welcome...!! :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to say but more often than not, most brahmins of today dont deserve to be called so. Also, the reservation issue has nothing to do with the caste but was more to do with economic condition of people.. read my post "reserve reservations" on www.snkthoughts.blog.co.uk
ReplyDeleteI do accept that many are out of the "code" but then what about us who have lost all our respect for not a single fault of us and are looked down upon?! And as I said,there many deserving brahmin students who do not have the means to access to the premiere institutions!! And I will read your blogpost.. :)
ReplyDeleteBefore I start I would say I am Brahmin by caste.
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ. Brahmins are not born, one becomes a Brahmin by his actions. Frankly Speaking no one is a Brahmin now. No one becomes a brahmin because he just born into a a family, that is just falsehood.
If all the more that brahmins were to propagate religion why do you want to enter IIT? Why not a mutt? The fact is all these are thing of a past. There is no called Brahmin in the world we are living right now.
Another thing is that reservation are unfair if you look from a city perspective. But if you can look beyond that bias you would see the that many people from backward areas need reservation if they are to develop.
If you throw a ball at the wall it hits and comes back to you. We did some heinous things, its our turn now.
I get ur point...!! But then it was not "us" who did..! I believe that everything surely had a reason!!! People those days were not jus bad-asses!!
ReplyDeleteHi Iyshu.. This is Karthik.. First of all Thanks for writing this.... I think i should be one of the best examples for the sufferings of brahmins for the sake of reservations n other issues... Wherever i am asked to speak about any topic or issues, this is the first thing that strikes my mind.. We din commit any mistake and dominate anyone. It may have happened several decades back and we are the sufferers now. I m not sure all these stuffs would get changed in the future. But it should.... !!!
ReplyDeleteexactly my point!! :) thanks for the views karthik :)
ReplyDelete