Sri Sadhguro Pahimam Parama Dayalu Rakshamam

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Dear Members

" Hindu Dharma " is a book published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan which contains

English translation of two volumes of the Tamil Book " Deivatthin Kural " ; which

is a collection of invaluable and engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri

Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji.

 

http://kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part3/chap6.htm

 

Who is Responsible for the Decay of Varna Dharma?

 

Politicians and intellectuals alike say that jati is part of an uncivilized

system. Why? Who is responsible for the disintegration of so worthy an

arrangement as varna dharma?

These are question that I raised and I shall try to answer them. The wrong

ideas that have developed about varna dharma must be ascribed to the Brahmins

themselves. They are indeed responsible for the decay of an ages-old system that

contributed not only to our Atmic advancement but also to the well-being of the

nation as well as of all mankind.

The Brahmin relinquished the duties of his birth-the study of the Vedas and

performance of the rites laid down in the Vedic tradition. He left his

birthplace, the village, for the town. He cropped his hair and started dressing

in European style. Giving up the Vedas, he took to the Mundane learning of the

West. He fell to the lure of jobs offered by his white master and aped him in

dress, manners and attitudes. He threw to the winds the noble dharma he had

inherited from the Vedic seers through his forefathers and abandoned all for a

mess of pottage. He was drawn to everything Western, science, life-style,

entertainment.

The canonical texts have it that the Brahmin must have no love for money, that

he must not accumulate wealth. So long as he followed his dharma, as prescribed

by the sastras, and so long as he chanted the Vedas and performed sacrifices, he

brought good to the world, and all other castes respected him and treated him

with affection. In fact they looked upon him as a guide and model.

Others now observed how the Brahmin changed, how his life-style had become

different with all its glitter and show and how he went about with all the

pretence of having risen on the scale of civilization. The Brahmin had been an

ideal for them in all that is noble, but how he strayed from the path of dharma;

and following his example they too gave up their traditional vocations that had

brought them happiness and contentment, and left their native village to settle

in towns. Like the Brahmin they became keen to learn English and secure jobs in

the government.

For thousands of years the Brahmin had been engaged in Atmic pursuit and

intellectual work. In the beginning all his mental faculties were employed for

the welfare of society and not in the least for his own selfish advancement.

Because of this very spirit of self-sacrifice, his intelligence became sharp

like a razor constantly kept honed. Now the welfare of society is no longer the

goal of his efforts and his intelligence has naturally dimmed due to this

selfishness and interest in things worldly. He had been blessed with a bright

intellect and he had the grace of the Lord to carry out the duties of his birth.

Now, after forsaking his dharma, it is natural that his intellectual keenness

should become blunted.

Due to sheer momentum the bicycle keeps going some distance even after you

stop pedalling. Similarly, though the Brahmin seeks knowledge of mundane

subjects instead of inner light, he retains yet a little intellectual brightness

as a result of the " pedalling " done by his forefathers. It is because of this

that he has been able to achieve remarkable progress in Western learning also.

He has acquired expert knowledge in the practices of the West, in its law and

its industries. Indeed he has gained such insights into these subjects and

mastered their finer points so remarkably well that he can give lessons to the

white man himself in them.

A question that arises in this context is how Vedic studies which had not

suffered much even during Muslim rule received a severe set-back with the advent

of the European. One reason is the impact of the new sciences and the machines

that came with the white man. Granted that many a truth was revealed through

these sciences- and this was all to the good up to a point. But we must remember

that the knowledge of a subject per se is one thing and how we use it in

practice ins another.

The introduction of steam power and electricity made many types of work easier

but it also meant comforts hitherto unthought-of of to gratify the senses. If

you keep pandering to the senses more and more new desires are engendered. This

will mean the production of an increasing number of objects of pleasure. The

more we try to obtain sensual pleasure the more we will cause injury to our

innermost being. The new pleasures that could be had with scientific development

and the introduction of machines were an irresistible lure for the Brahmin as

they were to other communities. Another undesirable product of the sciences

brought by the white man was rationalism which undermined people's faith in

religion and persuaded some to believe that the religious truths that are based

on faith and are inwardly experienced are nothing but deception. The man who did

not give up his duties even during Muslim rule now abandoned them for the

new-found pleasures and comforts. He dressed more

smartly that the Englishman, smoked cigarettes and even learned to dance like

his white master. Those who thus became proficient in the arts of the white man

were rewarded with jobs.

Now occurred the biggest tragedy.

Up till now all members of society had their hereditary jobs to do and they

did not have to worry about their livelihood. Now, with the example of the

Brahmin before them, members of other castes also gave up their traditional

occupations for the jobs made available by the British in the banks, railways,

collectorates, etc. With the introduction of machinery our handicrafts fell into

decay and many of our artisans had to look for other means of livelihood. In the

absence of any demarcation in the matter of work and workers, there arose

competition for jobs for the first time in the country. It was a disastrous

development and it generated jealousy, ill-will, disputes and a host of other

evils among people who had hitherto lived in harmony.

Ill feelings developed between Brahmins and non-Brahmins also. How? Brahmins

formed only a small percentage of the population. But they were able to occupy

top positions in the new order owing to their intelligence which, as I said

before, was the result of the " pedalling " done by their forefathers. They

excelled in all walks of life- in administration, in academics, in law, in

medicine, engineering and so on. The white man made his own calculations about

developing animosity between Brahmins and non-Brahmins and realised that by

fuelling it he could strengthen his hold on the country. He fabricated the

Aryan-Dravidian theory of races and the seeds of differences were sown among

children born of the same mother. It was a design that proved effective in a

climate already made unhealthy by rivalry for jobs.

As if to exacerbate this ill-will, the Brahmin took one more disastrous step.

On the one hand he gave up the dharma of his caste and joined hands with the

British in condemning the old order by branching it a barbarous one in which one

man exploited another. But, on the other hand, though he spoke the language of

equality, he kept aloof from other castes thinking himself to be superior to

them. If in the past he had not mixed physically with members of other castes,

it did not mean that he had placed himself on a high pedestal. we must remember

that there was a reason for his not coming into physical contact with other

castes. There have to be differences between the jatis based on food, work and

surroundings. The photographer needs a dark room to develop his films. To shoot

a film, on the contrary, powerful lights are needed. Those who work in a factory

canteen have to scrupulously clean; but those who dust machinery wear soiled

clothes. This does not mean that the

waiter in a canteen is superior to the factory hand who dusts machines. The man

who takes the utmost care to keep himself intellectually bright, without any

thought of himself, observes fasts, while the soldier, who has to be strong and

tough, eats meat.

Why should there be bad feelings between the two, between the Brahmin and the

Ksatriya? Does the Brahmin have to come into physical contact with the Ksatriya

To prove that he does not bear any ill-will towards him? If he intertwined with

the Ksatriya he would be tempted to taste meat and such a temptation might

eventually drag him into doing things that militate against his own duty. Each

community has its own duties, customs and food habits. If all jatis mixed

together on the pretext of equality without regard to their individual ways of

life, all work would suffer and society itself would be plunged into confusion.

It was with a definite purpose in view that the village was divided into

different quarters: the agrahara (the Brahmin quarter), the agriculturists

quarter and so on. Such a division was possible in rural life but not in the the

new urban way of living. With urbanization and industrialization it becomes

necessary for people belonging to various jatis to work together on the same

shift, sit together in the same canteen to eat the same kind of food. The

Brahmin for whom it is obligatory to observe fasts and vows and to perform

various rites was now seen to be no different from others. Office and college

timings were a hindrance to the carrying out of these rites. So the Brahmin

threw them to the winds. He had so far taken care to perform these rites with

the good of others in mind. Like a trustee, he had protected dharma for the sake

of society and made its fruits available to all.

All that belonged to the past. Now the Brahmin came forward proclaiming that

all were equal and that he was one with the rest. All the same he became the

cause of heart-burning among others and -ironically enough- in becoming one with

them he also competed with them for jobs. That apart, though he talked of

equality, he still thought himself to be superior to others, in spite of the

fact that he was not a bit more careful than they about the performance of

religious duties. Was this not enough to earn him more hatred?

The Brahmin spoiled himself and spoiled others. By abandoning his dharma he

became a bad example to others. as a matter of fact, even by strictly adhering

to his dharma the Brahmin in not entitled to feel superior to others. He must

always remain humble in the belief that " everyone performs a function in

society; I perform mine " . If at all others respected him in the past and

accorded him a high place in the society it was in consideration of his selfless

work, his life of austerity a, discipline and purity. Now he had descended too

such depths as to merit their most abrasive criticism.

It is my decided opinion that the Brahmin is responsible for the ruin of Hindu

society. Some people have found an explanation for it. The Brahmin, if he is to

be true to his dharma, has to spend all his time in learning and chanting the

Vedas, in performance sacrifices, in preserving the sastras, etc. What will he

do for a living? If he goes in search of money or material he will not be able

to attend to his lifetime mission- and this mission is not accomplished on a

part-time basis. And if he takes up some other work for his livelihood, he is

likely to became lax in the pursuit of his dharma. It would be like taking

medicine without the necessary diet regimen: the benign power gained by the

Brahmin from his Vedic learning will be reduced and there will be a

corresponding diminution in the good accruing to mankind from his work.

This is one reason why Brahmin alone are permitted by the sastras to beg for

their living. In the past they received help form the kings_ grants of lands,

for instance-in consideration of the fact that the dharma practised by them

benefited all people. But the sastras also have it that the Brahmins must not

accept more charity than what is needed for their bare sustenance. If they

received anything in excess, they would be tempted to seek sensual pleasures and

thereby an impediment would be placed to their inner advancement. There is also

the danger of their becoming submissive to the donor and of their twisting the

sastras to the latter's liking. It was with a full awareness of these dangers

that in the old days the Brahmins practised their dharma under the patronage on

the rajas(accepting charity to the minimum and not subjecting themselves to any

influence detrimental to their dharma).

The argument of those who have found an excuse for the conduct of latter days

Brahmins goes thus. " Brahmins ceased to receive gifts from rulers after the

inception of British rule. How can you expect them to live without any income?

Force of circumstances made them to English education and thereafter too seek

jobs with the government. It is unjust to find fault with them on that score. "

There is possibly some force in this argument but it does not fully justify

the change that has come over Brahmins. Before the British, the Moghuls ruled us

and before them a succession of sultanates. During these periods a few pandits

must have found a place in the darbar. But all other Brahmins adhered to their

dharma, did they not, without any support from any other ruler? The phenomenon

of the Brahmin quarter becoming deserted, the village being ruined, all

pathasala (the Vedic school) becoming forlorn and the lands(granted to

Brahmins)turning into mere certificates is not more than a hundred years old.

Did not Vedic dharma flourish until a generation ago?

The Vedic religion prospered in the past not only because of the patronage

extended to the Brahmins by the Hindu rulers. People belonging to all varnas

then were anxious that it should not become weak and perish. They saw too it

that the Brahmin community did not weaken and contributed generously to its

upkeep and to the nurturing of the Vedic tradition. Today you see hundreds of

Vedic schools deserted. There are few Brahmin boys willing too study the

scriptures. Who had raised the funds for the Vedic institutions? [in Tamil Nadu]

the Nattukottai Nagarattars, Komutti Cettis and Vellalas. The work done by

Nagarattars for our temples indeed remarkable. Throughout Tamil Nadu, if they

built a temple they also built a Vedic school with the belief that the Vedas

constituted the " root " of the temple. This root, they felt, was essential to the

living presence of the deity in the temple and for the puja conducted there.

Similarly, the big landowners among the Vellalas made lavish

donations to the Vedic schools.

If the Brahmin had not been tempted by the European life-style and if he were

willing to live austerely according to the dictates of the sastras, other castes

would have come forward to help him. It is not that the others deserted him. He

himself ran away from his dharma, from his agrahara, from his village and from

the Vedic school because of his new appetite for the life of luxury made

possible with the new technology of the West. He forgot his high ideals and paid

scant respect of the principle that the body's requirements are not more that

what it takes- in physical terms- to help the well-being of the Self. All told

the argument that the Brahmin was compelled to abandon his dharma because he was

denied his daily bread does not hold water. We cannot but admit that the Brahmin

became greedy, that he yearned far more that what he needed for his sustenance.

Let us concede that the Brahmin left his village because he could not feed

himself there and came to a city like Madras. But did he find contentment here?

What do we see today in actual practice? Suppose a Brahmin received a salary of

Rs1000 in Madras today. If he gets a job in Delhi with double the salary he runs

off there. When he goes to Delhi he would abandon totally the dharma he was able

to practise at least to a small extent in Madras. Later, if he were offered

$4000 a month in America he would leave his motherland for that country, lured

by the prospect t of earning a fortune. There, in the United States, he would

became totally alienated from his religion, from his dharma, from all his money.

The Brahmin is willing to do anything, go to any extent, for the sake of money.

Fort instance, he would join the army if there were the promoter of more income

in it. If necessary he would even take to meat and to drinking. The usual excuse

trotted out for the Brahmin

deserting his dharma does not wash.

I will go one step further. Let us suppose that, the following the import of

Western technology, other communities also became averse to observing their

respective dharmic traditions. Let us also assume that, with their thinking and

feelings influenced by the Aryan-Dravidian theory concocted by the English,

these castes decided not to support the Brahmins any longer. Let us further

assume that to feed himself(for the sake of a handful of rice) the Brahmin had

to leave hearth and home and work in an office somewhere far away from his

native village. Were he true to his dharma he would tell himself: " I will

continue to adhere to my dharma come what may, even at the risk of death " . With

this resolve he could have made a determined effort to pursue Vedic learning and

keep up his traditional practices.

There is no point, however, in suggesting what people belonging to the

generation that has gone by should have done. I would urge the present

generation to perform the duties that the past generation neglected to perform.

To repeat, you must not forsake your dharma even on pain of death. Are we going

to remain deathless? As it is we accumulate money and, worse, suffer humiliation

and earn the jealousy of others and finally we die losing caste by not remaining

true to our dharma.

Is it not better then to starve and yet to be attached firmly to our dharma so

long as there is breath in us? Is not such loyalty to our dharma a matter of

pride? Why should we care about how others see us, whether they honour us or

speak ill of us? So long as we do not compete with them for jobs they will have

no cause for jealousy or resentment. Let them call us backward or stupid or

think that we are not capable of keeping abreast of the times. As we not now

already their but of ridicule? Let us be true to our dharma in the face of the

mockery of others, even in the face of death. is not such a lot preferable to

suffering the slings of scorn and criticism earned by forsaking our dharma for

the sake of filling our belly? People nowadays die for their mother land; they

lay down their lives for their mother tongue. They do not need a big cause like

the freedom of the country to be roused too action: they court death, immolate

themselves, even for a cause that may be seem

trivial like the merger of a part of their district in another. Was there any

demonstration of faith like this, such willingness to die for a cause or a

belief, when the British came here with their life-style? At the same time did

we protect our dharma with courage, in the belief that even death was a small

pride to pay for it?

The Lord himself has declared in the Gita that it is better to die abiding by

one's dharma that prosper through another man's dharma ( " nidhanam sreyah " ).

Brahmins who had seen no reason to change their life-style during the long

Muslim period of our history changed it during British rule. Why? New sciences

and machinery came with the white man. The motor car and electricity had their

own impact on life there. Brahmins were drawn to comforts and conveniences not

thought of before. This could be for a reason for their change of life, but not

a justification.

The Brahmin is not to regard his body as a means for the enjoyment of sensual

pleasures but as an instrument for the observance of such rites as are necessary

to protect the Vedas- and the Vedas have too be protected for the welfare of

mankind. The basic dharma is that to the body of the Brahmin nothing must be

added that incites his sensual appetite. It was a fundamental mistake on the

part of the Brahmin to have forgotten the spirit of sacrifice that incites his

dharma and become a victim of the pleasures and comforts easily obtained form

the new gadgets and instruments. There is pride in adhering to one's dharma even

when one is faced with adverse circumstances. Brahmins(during British rule)

committed a grave mistake by not doing so and we are suffering the consequences.

See the ill-will in the country today among children of the same mother. We have

created suffering for others also. At first Brahmins were denied admission to

colleges and refused jobs. Now things have

come to such a pass that other communities also suffer the same fate.

All was well so long as man, using his own innate resources, lived a simple

life without the help of machines. With more and more factories and increasing

machine power, life itself has become complicated. The situation today is such

everyone is facing difficulties in getting admission to college or in getting a

job.

People ask me: " What is the remedy today? Do you expect all Brahmins to leave

their new life-style and return Vedic learning? " Whether or not I expect them to

do so and whether or not such a step seems possible, I must ask them to do so(

to return to their Vedic dharma). Where is the need for a guru-pitha or a seat

on which an acarya is installed if I am to keep my mouth shut and watch idly as

the dharma that is the source of everything is being endangered? Even if it

seems not possible (Brahmins returning to the dharma of their birth) it must be

shown to be possible in practice: that is the purpose of the institutions called

mathas. They must harness all their energies towards the attainment of this

goal.

During the years of the freedom struggle some people wondered whether the

white man would quit because of satyagraha. Many things in this world regarded

as not being within the realm on possibility have been shown to be possible. It

is not for me to say that this(return of all Brahmins to the Vedic dharma) is

not possible; to take such a view would be contrary to our very dharma. it is up

to you to make it possible in practice or not to make it possible. All I can do

is too keep reminding you the message of the dharmasastras.

 

 

 

 

 

JAYA JAYA SANKARA HARA HARA SANKARA

 

Thwameva Maathaa Cha Pithaa Thwameva

Thwameva Bhandhuscha Sakhaa Thwameva

 

Thwameva Vidhyaa Dhravinam Thwameva

Thwameva Sarvam Mama Dheva Dheva.