The Horrible Indian Caste System

The Horrible Indian Caste System

Most of us have heard about the horrible caste system which is now current in India. The current Indian caste system is a perversion of the teachings of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.” (Bhagavad Gita 4.13) So we can see from this verse that in fact Krishna has created four divisions of human society and they are present everywhere in every society, not just in India. Krishna goes on to describe these four divisions of society in the Gita as being brahmanas (the intellectual, priestly class), ksatriyas (the martial class, the kings, rulers, leaders, military men), the vaisvyas (the productive class, principally the farmers who produce and distribute the food and also the businessmen) and Sudras (the worker class who have no ability to support themselves independently like the other three classes so they need to serve the other three higher classes for their livelihood). These four divisions of men exist in every society. There is no question at all about this. In every society you will find a class of thinkers and philosophers [who are only a small percentage of the total population], you will find a group of men who are martially spirited and who are very anxious to engage in politics and fighting, to become victorious in their battles and become leaders, and you will find a class of men who like to engage in agricultural cultivation and selling the produce or in business activities, and you will find a class of men who have no ability to work independently in the other three classes — so these are the a brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras. The idea that everyone is equal, on the bodily platform at least, is absolutely not true at all. We are all born with different aptitudes, abilities and capabilities. In the West at least there is the illusion that anyone can be successful at anything but in reality this is not true. One will be successful if he works in an occupation that is suited to his natural aptitude, abilities and capabilities. So the system that Krishna recommends in the Bhagavad Gita is called varnashrama dharma, and this system recommends dividing the society into four divisions and in work according to their natural propensities. In this age the sudras are very, very common. In fact it is said kalou sudra sambavah: “In the Kali-yuga everyone is born as a sudra.” We can see this very easily. The quality of a sudra is that he has no independent source of livelihood, he has to render service to someone else to earn his livelihood. He has to work for a ‘boss’ to get money to support himself and his family. Brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas will never agree to work as a servant of someone else like this. No. The brahmanas have six occupations only: studying the scriptures, teaching the scriptures to others, performing sacrifices and deity worship and engaging others in these activities and receiving charity and distributing charity. So the brahmanas are teachers and they depend on Krishna for their livelihood. Their ‘boss’ is Krishna. So they teach and accept some charity from their students and live simply themselves and also distribute charity to others. The ksatryas have land and levy taxes on the people who live on the land and in that way they get their income and the vaisyas engage in agricultural work and trade and in this way they get their income. It is only the sudras who accept service. So everyone who has accepted some ‘boss’ and is working for him is a sudra because he has no independent source of income. So you may ask then what is the problem with the caste system in India? In India they have brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras, so what is wrong with that? The problem is that in India there is a great deal of propaganda made by the so-called brahmana families that one’s case is determined by his birth. They claim that if one is born in a brahmana family then he is a brahmana, if he is born in a sudra family, he is sudra, etc. This false claim made by the so-called ‘brahmana‘ families is made to give their families a prestigious and superior position over other families and in this way the so-called brahmana families exploit others. Of course Krishna never says that one becomes a brahmana by being born into the family of a brahmana. This idea is total concoction and is absolutely completely incorrect. It is like saying one becomes a lawyer by being born into a family where his father is a lawyer. That is insanity. If your father is a lawyer that is very nice and it may create a favorable atmosphere for you to become a lawyer if you grow up and hear your father talking about law all the time and he will surely have many law books in his library and you may take the opportunity of reading some of them. So in this way having a father as a lawyer may help you to become a lawyer. But if you simply claim “my father is a lawyer so I am a lawyer” then that is insanity. You are not automatically a lawyer simply because your father is a lawyer. To become a lawyer you have to go to law school and pass the examinations and then you have to work under the direction of some recognized lawyer and after a period of training you may ultimately be accepted as a member of the bar association and start your own practice and actually work as a lawyer in your own right. Becoming a brahmana is the same thing. You have to be educated as a brahmana, you have to pass the examinations, you have to develop the qualities of a brahmana and then you have to work as a brahmana. Otherwise you are not a brahmana. This is what Krishna says here in this verse: catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhavagasah– “I have created four divisions of human society based a person’s qualities [guna] and his work [karma]“. So it is very clearly stated here that a person’s position in the society is based on his actual qualities and on the type of work he performs. This is very logical and we can understand it with our lawyer example very nicely. A lawyer has certain qualities and qualifications. He has to act in a particular way, he has to know the law, he has to act in the way required of him by the courts, and if he is a lawyer then he has to be working as a lawyer — going to the courts and representing clients. If someone is claiming to be a lawyer but he does not know the law and he does not act in the way lawyers act and if his occupation is not working as a lawyer then obviously he is not a lawyer. So a brahmana is a person who has the qualities of a brahmana and who is working as a brahmana. We have already described the occupation of a brahmana is six things: patan patan, yajan yajan dana pratigrha — “studying the scriptures, teaching the scriptures to others, perform sacrifices and deity worship and engaging others in these activities and accepting and distributing charity.” So as if one is claiming to be a lawyer we have to see that he is working as a lawyer otherwise his claim is meaningless similarly if one is claiming to be a brahmana then we have to see that he is working as a brahmana otherwise he is not a brahmana. The scriptures do prescribe that a brahmana, in the case of an emergency, can also do the work of a ksatriya or a vaisyas but he will never accept the position of a sudra. And what are the qualities of a brahmana? Krishna also clearly describes them in the Bhagavad Gita (18.42): “Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge and religiousness — these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work.” So one who is working as a brahmana and who posses these qualities is a brahmana. It has nothing to do with birth, although birth in an actual brahmana family may create a favorable situation for the child to become a brahmana. It is just as insane for someone to claim they are a brahmana because they were born in a brahmana family as it would be for someone to claim that he is a lawyer because his father is a lawyer. It is insanity and will never be accepted by any intelligent person. So this insanity of people who do not have the qualities of brahmanas and are not working as brahmanas claiming to be brahmanas simply so they can use that position to exploit others for their own benefit has completely destroyed the whole social system in India. However because the current caste system in India is totally corrupt and totally incorrect does not mean that there are not actually four classes of men. There are still four classes of men and if the society is to ever be in a position where it is running smoothly again then these four classes of men must be engaged in work according to their natural propensities.

ശ്രീ ബാലാസാഹിബ് ഭീം റാവു റാംജി അംബേദ്കര്‍

പീഡന വര്‍ഗ്ഗങ്ങളുടെ രക്ഷകനായി ഈ നാട്ടില്‍ അവതരിച്ച മഹാനാണ് ഭീം ജി എന്നു പിന്നീട് അറിയപ്പെട്ടെ ശ്രീ ബാലാസാഹിബ് ഭീം റാവു റാംജി അംബേദ്കര്‍.

തന്റെ ജീവിതകാലം മുഴുവനും പാര്‍ശ്വവല്‍ക്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട ജനങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് വേണ്ടി പോരാടിയ അദ്ദേഹം വെറുമൊരു ചിന്തകന്‍ മാത്രമല്ല, മറിച്ച് ചരിത്ര, നിയമ, രാഷ്ട്രീയ കാര്യങ്ങളില്‍ നൈപുണ്യന്‍ ആയിരുന്നു. 

തന്റെ ജീവിതത്തില്‍ അനുഭവിച്ച ഉച്ച നീചത്വങ്ങള്‍ ഇനി ജനിക്കാന്‍ പോകുന്ന തന്റെ സമൂഹം അനുഭവിക്കരുതെന്ന് തീവ്രമായി ആഗ്രഹിച്ച ഒരു മഹാദര്‍ശി. തൊട്ട് കൂടായ്മയും തീണ്ടിക്കൂടായ്മയും കൊടികുത്തി വാഴുന്ന ഹിന്ദു ധര്‍മത്തിനെതിരെ അദ്ദേഹം തന്റെ തൂലിക കൊണ്ട് വിമര്‍ശന ശരങ്ങള്‍ എയ്തത് അന്നത്തെ സവര്‍ണ്ണ സമൂഹത്തിനു എറാമുട്ടി ആയിരുന്നു. അത് പിന്നീട് അദ്ദേഹം തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പില്‍ മല്‍സരിച്ചപ്പോള്‍ ബ്രഹ്മണ പാര്‍ട്ടിയായ പണ്ഡിറ്റ് നെഹ്‌റുവിന്റെ കൊങ്‌ഗ്രെസ്സ് ഉപയോഗിക്കുകയും കെട്ടിവച്ച കാശ് നഷ്ട്ടപ്പെടുന്ന സ്ഥിദ്ധിവിശേഷം വരെ ഉണ്ടാവുകയും ചെയ്തു. പിന്നീട് അദ്ദേഹത്തെ രാജ്യസഭാംഗമായി എടുക്കുകയായിരുന്നു . 

എങ്കിലും അദ്ദേഹം തുടങ്ങി വച്ച വിപ്ലവ ചിന്തകള്‍ ഇന്ന് പാര്‍ശ്വ വല്‍ക്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട ജനങ്ങള്‍ തങ്ങളുടെ ആദര്‍ശമായി കൊണ്ട് നടക്കുന്നു. അംബേദ്കര്‍ ആശയങ്ങളുടെ പ്രതീകമായി ഉയര്‍ന്നു വന്നതാണെങ്കിലും ബി‌എസ്‌പി പിന്നീട് സവര്‍ണ്ണ വിഭാഗങ്ങളുമായ് കൂടുന്നതാണ് കണ്ടത്. എങ്കിലും ഇന്നും അമ്പെദ്ക്കറിന്റെ വാദങ്ങളുടെ “സ്വീകാര്യത” ഏറി വരുന്നു എന്നുള്ളതിന് സംശയം ഏതുമില്ല. ഇന്നും ജനസംഖ്യയുടെ ഹിംസഭാഗം പേറുന്ന അവര്‍ണ്ണ വിഭാഗങ്ങള്‍ പലതും ചൂഷണത്തിനും പീഡനത്തിനും വിധേയമാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ഇത് സംഭവിക്കുന്നതിനെതിരെ ഭീംജി നിയമ നിര്‍മാണം നടത്തി അവര്‍ണ്ണറെ സംരക്ഷിക്കാനുള്ള ശ്രമം നടത്തി എങ്കിലും. അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ചെറുപ്പകാലത്ത് വിദ്യാലയങ്ങളില്‍ വരെ അദ്ദേഹം അനുഭവിച്ച പീഡനങ്ങളുടെ നേര്‍പത്രമാണ് അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ പല കൃതികളും. പൂന പാക്ടിന് വേണ്ടി ( ദളിതര്‍ക്ക് വേണ്ടി പ്രത്യേക നിയമം) അദ്ദേഹം ഗാന്ധിജിക്കെതിരെ നടത്തിയ പോരാട്ടങ്ങളെല്ലാം വളരെ പ്രാധാന്യമര്‍ഹിക്കുന്ന സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യ സമര പോരാട്ടമാണ്. 

അമ്പെദ്ക്കാര്‍ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ മാതാപിതാക്കളുടെ പതിനാലാമത്തെ മകനായി ആണ് ജനിച്ചത്. അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ കുടുംബം 1902 ഇല്‍ ബോംബെയിലേക്ക് മാരിതാമസിച്ചതാണ് അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ജീവിതത്തിലെ വഴിത്തിരിവ്. അങ്ങിനെ അദ്ദേഹം അദ്ദേഹം എല്‍ഫിന്‍സ്റ്റോണ്‍ വിദ്യാലയത്തിലെ ആദ്യ “തൊട്ടുകൂടാത്തവന്‍” ആയി പ്രവേശനം ലഭിച്ചു. 1906 ഇല്‍ അദ്ദേഹം 9 വയസ്സുള്ള രാമാബായിയുമായി കല്യാണം കഴിച്ചു.1907 ഇല്‍ മെട്രിക്കുലേഷന്‍ ജയിച്ച അദ്ദേഹം അതേ സ്ഥാപനത്തിന്റെ കലാലയത്തില്‍ പ്രവേശനം സാധ്യമാക്കി. അതും ചരിത്രത്തിലെ ആദ്യ “തൊട്ടുകൂടാത്തവന്‍” ആയി തന്നെ. അങ്ങിനെ അദ്ദേഹം 1912 ഇല്‍ തന്റെ ബിരുദ വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം പൂര്‍ത്തീകരിക്കുകയും ബറോഡ ഗവര്‍മെന്ടില്‍ ജോലി തേടുകയും ചെയ്തു. 1913 ഇല്‍ അദ്ദേഹം അമേരിക്കയിലേക്ക് പോവുകയും അവിടെ നിന്നും സ്കോളര്‍ഷിപ് സഹിതം തന്റെ ബിരുദാനന്ത ബിരുദവും ഡോക്ടറേറ്റും നേടുകയും ചെയ്തു. 1917 ഇല്‍ അദ്ദേഹം ഇന്ത്യയിലേക്ക് തിരിച്ചു വരികയും തന്റെ ബറോഡയിലെ ജോലി തുടരുകയും ചെയ്തു. 1935 ഇല്‍ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ഭാര്യ അസുഘം കാരണം മരണപ്പെട്ട്. അതിനു ശേഷം അദ്ദേഹം 1948 ഇല്‍ ശാരദാ കബീര്‍ എന്ന ബ്രാഹ്മണസ്ത്രീയെ രണ്ടാം വിവാഹം ചെയ്യുകയും ചെയ്തു. ഹിന്ദുക്കളിലെ അനാചാരങ്ങളിലും തൊട്ടുകൂടായ്മയിലും മനം മടുത്ത അദ്ദേഹം പിന്നീട് ബുദ്ധമതം സ്വീകരിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. 

മറ്റ് അഭാരതീയ മതങ്ങളായ ഇസ്ലാം ക്രിസ്തു മതം എന്നിവ എന്തു കൊണ്ട് സ്വീകരിച്ചില്ല എന്നതിന് അദ്ദേഹം നല്കിയ വിശദീകരണം പ്രത്യേക പരാമര്‍ഷം അര്‍ഹിക്കുന്നു. “”ചില ചരിത്ര പരവും ലോക രാഷ്ട്രീയ” കാരണങ്ങളാലും ,ക്രൈസ്തവരായും മുസല്മാന്മാരുമായും മതം മാറുന്ന ഭാരതീയരുടെ ബുദ്ധിയിലും മനസ്സിലും വളരെ പരിണാമമുണ്ടാകും.അത്തരക്കാര്‍ ഭാരതം,ഭാരതീയത,ഇവിടത്തെ ചരിത്രം ഇവിടത്തെ ആചാരാനുഷ്ടാനങ്ങള്‍ പാരമ്പര്യം എന്നിവയുടെ വിരോധികളായി തീരും. തങ്ങള്‍ ഭാരതീയരെന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടാന്‍ പോലും അവര്‍ ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുകയില്ല. ബുദ്ധമതാനുയായികളായാല്‍ അവരുടെ ഉപാസനാരീതിയില്‍ മാത്രമേ വ്യ്ത്യാസമുണ്ടാകയുള്ളൂ.അവരുടെ രാഷ്ട്രീയത,രാഷ്ട്രഭാക്തി എന്നിവയില്‍ യാതൊരു മാറ്റവും ഉണ്ടാകുകയില്ല.ഇസ്ലാം അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ ക്രിസ്തു മതം സ്വീകരിച്ച വ്യക്തിക്ക്ഒരു തരത്തില്‍ തന്റെ രാഷ്ട്രീയത തന്നെ നഷ്ടപ്പെടും.അവന്റെ ദേശീയതയുടെ തന്നെ വേര് മുറിക്കപ്പെടും”.

അങ്ങിനെ ആ അതികായന്‍ 1958 ഡിസംബര്‍ 6 നു കാലയവനികള്‍ക്കുളില്‍ മറഞ്ഞു. അദ്ദേഹം ബുദ്ധനെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള അവസാന പുസ്തകം എഴുതിക്കഴിഞ്ഞതിന് ശേഷമാണ് മണ്മറഞ്ഞത് എന്നുള്ളത് വിരോധാഭാസമാകാം. 

ബുദ്ധമത രീതിയില്‍ തന്നെ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ മരണാനന്തര ചടങ്ങുകള്‍ നടത്തുകയും അങ്ങിനെ അദ്ദേഹം “താന്‍ ഹിന്ദുവായി ജനിച്ചെങ്കിലും ഹിന്ദു എന്ന മതത്തിലൂടെ മരിക്കില്ല” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞതിനെ അന്വര്‍ത്തമാക്കികൊണ്ട് ഈ ലോകം വിട്ടുപിരിഞ്ഞു.. ആ മഹാനേ നമുക്ക് ഈ ദിവസം ഓര്‍ക്കാം.. പാര്‍ശ്വ വല്‍ക്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട ജനങ്ങളുടെ ജനനായകനെ...

Why You Shouldn’t Always Quit a Job You Hate.

Why You Shouldn’t Always Quit a Job You Hate About 91 percent of millennials expect to stay in a job for less than three years. It may appear as if millennials plan on being job hoppers with no loyalty, but a lot of this is unplanned. Most millennials are not fond of their first job and often go through several before finding one they really enjoy. It is no secret that Generation Y isn’t scared to quit when their reality doesn’t fit their expectations. After all, why should you stay at a job you hate? Grit It seems like the logical thing to do when you’re not happy somewhere is to leave, right? However, in a TED Talk, Angela Duckworth, a psychologist who studies achievement, attributes success to a trait she calls grit. She defined grit as passion and persistence for very long-term goals, having stamina, sticking with your future day-in and day-out not just for the week or month, but for years, and working really hard to making that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon—not a sprint. It is being able to persevere in situations that are less than ideal on the path to success. A big part of grit is being able to stick with a job you hate. In most cases if you’re not happy, I think it is a good idea to find a way out. However, when it comes to careers, I believe that patience is a virtue. In most situations, you’ll find that you have more to gain by sticking through it than quitting. Everyone has to start somewhere Before Amanda Palmer became the star she is, she stood on a carton as a bride on the street exchanging flowers for money. At night, her band would ask her crowds for donations. Jay-Z’s rap career took off in 1996, but he had been trying to break into music for at least ten years. His first album was sold out of the trunk of a car. I could go on about these humble beginnings; everyone has to start somewhere. The beginning is never glamorous. It’s rough, challenging, and usually doesn’t pay very much. This is a part of the process, embrace it. “Where you are is just as important as where you’re going” Last September, I attended a conference on advertising and marketing in D.C. where Richard Kirshenbaum, a well-renowned pioneer in the industry, was a keynote speaker. He said something that I hear in my head everyday: “Where you are is just as important as where you’re going.” As tough as they are, these early experiences are full of intangibles that will come in handy one day. Too often, people refer to these experiences as “stepping stones.” I’ve never been too fond of the term as it downplays the importance of the present. These humble beginnings are where we prepare for the future. As tedious as they may be, entry-level positions are where we learn to master things such as details, deadlines, and data among other skills that we’ll need to execute our dreams. The beginning is also where we make some of our most valuable relationships. People don’t become mentors and friends overnight. Relationships take time to build. The relationships, experiences, lessons, and skills we have to gain from this first job we can’t stand won’t manifest if we quit too quickly. We can’t develop if we don’t take the time to focus and succeed in our current jobs before moving to something better. Take time to explore When you start a new job, it takes about a good three months to really learn the role, company, and environment you’re working in. In the time that follows, you are in the process of building trust, showing your colleagues what you are capable of, and getting a sense of where the organization is headed. By quitting in less than a year, you are selling yourself short. While it’s important to be well rounded and have many different experiences, you can’t reap the rewards of each experience if you leave before the right time. Quitting your job too quickly has consequences far beyond the regret that follows missed opportunities. By quitting a job you don’t like in less than a year’s time, you’re sending a message that you are a bad decision maker. Future employers can read into this easily. When you quit a job while you’re unhappy, you set yourself up to make more bad decisions. Most people make poor decisions when they’re unhappy, often thinking of immediate gratification without considering long-term consequences. When I first started my job, I had doubts. I wasn’t sure that I made the right choice and thought about all of the opportunities I had passed up. A lot people probably don’t like their first job. When talking to others about how I felt, I got the same advice that many people my age hear: “Get the experience and quit after a year.” As tempting as it might seem to quit quickly, something about that mentality didn’t feel right either. It’s been 10 months and I can say that I am happy I didn’t quit. In addition to gaining a solid understanding of the future opportunities available to me, I’ve encountered a lot of pleasant surprises and new opportunities—opportunities that I would’ve missed out on because of impatience. The minute you realize the opportunity you have to grow where you are, your feelings about your job will change. Your feelings of disappointment and fear of missing out will turn into gratitude and drive. When it comes time for you to leave, you’ll look for new opportunities from a position of strength, not a position of weakness. After all if you can excel in tough situations, imagine what you’ll be able to accomplish at your dream job.