[INDOLOGY] molten lead in ears

Fri Nov 22 00:05:38 UTC 2013

For Śaṅkara's views on this issue, see
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe34/sbe34107.htm

Rāmānuja also essentially had the same opinion in his commentary. See
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe48/sbe48137.htm

On the other hand, what is interesting is that for Śrīvaiṣṇavas like Rāmānuja, the Śūdra saint Nammāḷvār was/is the foremost saint.

If you search Indology archives on 'molten', you will find a thread on the issue. Here is a post by Madhav Deshpande. http://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology_list.indology.info/2000-January/020112.html

A discussion on the issue of Śūdra's eligibility to study the Vedas is also found in another thread. Follow the thread from http://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology_list.indology.info/1998-March/011448.html

Regards,
Palaniappan

-----Original Message-----
From: Artur Karp <karp at uw.edu.pl>
To: patrick mccartney <psdmccartney at gmail.com>
Cc: indology <indology at list.indology.info>
Sent: Thu, Nov 21, 2013 7:05 am
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] molten lead in ears

Kane, HISTORY OF THE DHARMA ŚĀSTRA, VOL. II PART I, p. 82, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona 1941

http://www.srimatham.com/uploads/5/5/4/9/5549439/history_of_dharma_sastras.pdf

has this:

<<...the practice current in the times of the Vedānta-sūtras that the Śūdra is not entitled to study the Veda. 

Gaut. XII.4 went so far as to prescribe:—

‘if the śūdra intentionally listens for committing to memory the Veda, then his ears should be filled with (molten) lead and lac; if he utters the Veda, then his tongue may be cut off; if he has mastered the Veda his body should be hacked'.>>

Hoping it's of some help, 

Regards, 

Artur Karp

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