Jnanasambandar: Nanda Chandran's question

[nanda chandran]

>My problem with your arguments is that they seemed to refer mainly to
>the ancient situation.

>Over the last few centuries it would be very hard indeed to portray
>brahmins as bowl or skull carrying beggars.

>In the last century they have been among the most privileged economic
>groups and by far the most privileged in terms of political power and
>education.

Well Paul, you've jumped from "ancient" to the "last few centuries"
to "current century".

Apart from the current century, where the economic and social conditions of
Bharath has undergone tremendous change, there's no reason to suppose that
Brahmins enjoyed economic prosperity prior to that. Every historical and
religious evidence, indicates that they largely existed preserving the
dharmam and subsisting on the grants of the society.

>Whatever was the case in "Vedic" society, the situation today is a
>result of caste rules seemingly formulated by brahmins, and in which
>brahmins today appear the greatest benefactors.

And why is that? For today, economic prosperity is largely dependant
on knowledge - for that is what secures for one a job to make a living.
Unlike the majority of the people in the world who largely lusted for
material prosperity or political power, the brahmins
highest ideal for millenea has been "jnAnam" or knowledge. So they
have taken to to the current employment scenario whose only requisite
is knowledge, like fish to water. They excel in academics and with
their integrity, often rise to envied positions.

Isn't that the reason for the so called "anti Tamil" movements in
Maharashtra and Karnataka. When Tamil brahmins were excluded from
job opportunities in Tamil Nadu, most went to Bombay or Bangalore
looking for job opportunities and did exceedingly well - which lead
to local resentment and protest. Infact one Maharashtrian, a
supporter of the Shiv Sena, told me that "Madrasis" would get
excellent academic scores since the examinations held by the
University of Madras were rigged!

Since the current employment scenario demands education and knowledge,
the non-brahmins unable to compete with the brahmins raise the
protest that it was because the brahmins prevented them from studying
that they are at a disadvantage now.

But again the question is what kind of knowledge did the brahmin prevent
others from acquiring?

It's not as if the colleges of today existed in Bharath and the brahmin
stood at the entrace and prevented others from entering!

Most of what passed for knowledge in Bharath, before the last two
centuries was only religious knowledge. Knowledge as a means
towards employment was almost nil - only some ministers and
administrators of the state were required to be educated on artha and
dharma shAstrams. Economic prosperity in fields than those which
demanded knowledge was greater - like agriculture, rearing cattle,
trade etc So why would anybody even want knowledge? Even today
if education wasn't a means to obtaining a job, how many people
would study?

In Bharath knowledge existed for itself and not as a means to an end
ie employment, as it is today. The brahmins and the nAstika monks
developed knowledge of a totally different kind. And there's no
indication that the other sections of the soceity didn't participate
in this process - you have the Tamil grammarians, poets who developed
the Tamil literature - Kamban and Valmiki who wrote the Ramayanam etc
So if people were that interested in knowledge, they could have done
something about it. But since it had no economic potential, only the
few who were truly interested in it for its own sake, developed it.

It is with the industrial revolution and its effects in India, fueled by
McCaulay's plan to make India a nation of clerks, which brought in
modern education as we know it today, into India. The English to kill the
Vedic culture, took over the devasthAnams which funded the brahmins to
pursue Vedic studies and stopped such funding. Following this the brahmins
for the sake of existance sought employment in other fields and were often
succesful in them due to their integrity, hard work and knowledge. Due to
the current poverty of Bharath, other sections of the soceity too seeking
employment have found brahmins to be their main competition which has given
rise to animosity.

So if the lower castes are at a disadvantage today, who's to blame?
The brahmins? I think not!

Ofcourse, the biggest casuality of this whole affair is that the brahmin has
abandoned his dharma - as a result Bharath itself is slowing losing its
civilizational vitality and embracing unbridled hedonism, which but signals
the decay of the culture. This is but natural for human instinct tends to
incline towards its material ends. But in the olden days, the brahmin stood
as a symbol to assert the superiority of the spirit over matter. Today the
brahmin too has adopted the way of the world. As Manu aptly predicted,
without the society the brahmin cannot exist and vice versa.


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