The classification of society into four, based on disposition of individuals is an unique concept of Hinduism.
This is used to vilify Hinduism as practicing Caste is.
That this concept is incorrect has been explained in my articles on Caste.
The fact that Tamil is against Sanatana Dharma and Arya Invasion theory has been proved wrong.
Please read my article ‘The Fraud called Arya Invasion Theory.
There have been concerted attempts to portray that the ancient Tamil Society did not have Caste system and Tamils did not have Caste system at all and all were treated equal.
A perusal of Ancient texts like Tholkappiyam and other Sangam Literature indicate that not only were there the the four Varnasrama of the Vedic period, Brahmana , Kshatriya, Vysya and Sudra, but there were seven castes.
‘The Tamil and Sanskrit Grammar are said to have been revealed simultaneously to Agasthya and Panini by Lord Shiva! Though the literary proof for this claim can be had only in the post 15th century AD period, it cannot be denied that both Tamil and Sanskrit grammar have commonality in many ways. Yet another information that I want the readers of this mail-chain to know is that this Tamil Grammar work does say that the 4 varnas were there among the Tamil speaking people and adds 3 more categories, making it a 7- class society. The additional three are – astrologers, sages andPorunar (kshatriya vratyas). There was a separate class of astrologer called by a generic term “ARivan” – which is a Tamil equivalent of Daivajna.‘
‘ Greek Traveler and Historian Megasthanes records these seven castes in his book Indica.
The Link for the book. <a href=””>Ancient Indian History and Civilization by Surendranath Jain
‘ 1. Maruta makkal or tribes of ploughmen (ulavar) inhabiting fertile, well-
watered tracts (panai) and living in villages called ur,
2. Kuravar makkal (or hill people who are foresters, make charms, and tell
fortunes and may come out of the forest to work in the panai,
3. Mullai makkal (or pastoralists, also called ayar (cowmen), kovalar
(shepherds), and idaiyar (cowherd or shepherd),
4. Neytal makkal ( or fishing people living in large coastal villages called
pattinam or small ones called pakkam, and
5. Palai makkal or people of the dry plains called eyinar. maravar, and veIar
who are hunters of both the dry plains and the forest.’
It appears that there were four castes, then further divisions took place.
It became seven and then twelve.
There were overlapping of castes as well.
Over a period some castes merged and some emerged.
This fact emerges from a reading of ancient Tamil Literature.
IT is a dynamic process, where the environment changes, relationships are acquired, lost, brushed aside, wealth earned lost and retrieved.
One is after something and after acquiring it he loses interest in it, be it things people or relationships.
Man hopes, despairs and hopes.
Values change, both individually and at the social level constantly.
Though born alone and shall depart alone, one acquires Name, Fame and Relationships,
Only to Go alone, finally.
In the process, one changes and his position undergoes change.
If one were to classify these changes broadly to accommadate people of all Races, Religions, Faiths, Economic and social status, one can suggest ways to realize the Reality or God.
For realization is by the Individual and hence it depends on his Dispositions, Varna Character.
Your disposition towards things change as your Station or position in your changes.
No one remains the same from Birth to Death.
IT is the Universal Law.
Change.
If you do not change, you perish.
IT is Survival of the fittest and adaptation to circumstances and environment.
As one’s attitude to things and people change with changing circumstances, one has to take into account this while suggesting means to realize Self, Really or God.
Hinduism classifies Stages, Stations of one’s Life.
Irrespective of one’s Race color, Religion, Economic Status, one has to go through the following stages.
Brahmachari a, the Celibate State, Stage,
Gruhastha, Married Stage,
Vanaprastha, Retired Life and
Sanyasa, The Stage of Renunciation.
These are the four stages of Man.
Each stage has its specialities.
Accordingly each stage has been prescribed a method for Realization og Self, God.
These stages are called Asrama.
Asrama means a place one takes refuge in.
IT also means Station.
That is a status or stage in one’s Life.
This is the meaning of the term Asrama used in Hindu texts, including the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita.
This is the term used along with Varna as Varnasrama Dharma.
While Varna addresses Dispositions of individuals in general, Asrama denotes the stage at which the individual finds himself in Life.
Sanskrit is rich language with words meaning different concepts based on the subject that is dealt with and the context in which words are used.
While discussing mundane subjects like Physics, Varna means Color and when dealing with aspects of color, it denotes Hues, refinement of colors.
While dealing with philosophy, Varna means disposition.
Human beings have various Feelings, emotions, drives and dispositions.
Dispositions are those which impel one to Act or Feel.
These Dispositions are both Genetic and Acquired.
In the case of Acquired Disposition, it is called Vaasana , a general term meaning Olfactory Sensation.
In this context, it denotes the acquired tendencies/dispositions which are the results of Actions performed by the Individual.
In Hinduism both Free Will and Determinism are accepted.
So these Dispositions make one act and feel
Some actions are the result of Dispositions or Vasana, which are the outcome of actions performed in this birth and some due to actions performed in earlier births.
This factor is called Varna.
Human beings are impelled to Act.
This action springs from Dispositions.
Disposition is the tendency to lean towards something or some action.
Some tend to act emotionally, some rationally.
Some like certain things, are disposed to certain disciplines, be it Arts or Science.
Some are kind, gentle.
Some, aggressive, passionate and
Some Docile.
This forms the basis of Character, Disposition.
These qualities are not present wholly present in one.
One quality is dominant.
In some The quality of being gentle is present predominantly and the other qualities remain dormant and present to a lesser extent.
And this admixture of Qualities change during one’s lifetime and changes even from minute to minute.
This change is due to factors like Food, the Environment and the social group in which one mo ves.
I shall be writing on this in another article.
These dispositions, called as Varna determine one’s natural tendencies.
These form the basis for one’s Nature, Swabhava.
These are the Three Gunas of individual.
They are,
Sattva
Rajas and
Tamas .
Please read my articles on these for details.
As these three gunas form the basis for human actions, the term Varna is used to denote Human Tendencies.
As tendencies are the basis for actions, vocations, society was based on this principle of Varna.
And this is the meaning of the term Varna used in Indian texts, including the Vedas and The Bhagavad Gita.
It is customary in India especespeciin Tamil Nadu to point out fingers at Brahmins for everything.
This has been the favorite pastime over the last 50 to 60 years.
Prior to this Brahmins were respected for their contribution to the society.
The advent of Moguls saw a shift in the approach of other communities in India towards the Brahmins.
The first act of forcing a Brahmin into circumcision was committed by Mir Qasim, the Invader and he sowed the seeds of mistrust among the other communities about Brahmins
This was followed by all the subsequent rulers and the mistrust reached its zenith during the British regime in India.
The Britishers knew ,as well as the Portugese that so long as Brahmins were respected their religion,Christianity could not grow its roots in India.
The objective was clear to them,
Sow the mistrust and reap the rewards.
This has been paying dividends to such an extent that Brahmins are driven to their back foot, most of them migrating to other states in India where there is relatively less persecution.
Before I proceed further let me narrate two incidents.
About ten years back( I was 55 then), my family went to out maternal grandfathergr s Naive village, Anaippatti aka Akkaraippatti, Madurai District en route from Madurai to Palani,Tamil Nadu.
My grandfather who is no morem was a zamindar of sorts in those daysd
When I walked down the fields( we own nothing there in the village now), an elderly man of about 75 years, he was not a Brahmin, looked at me keenly and asked me thus.
Sir, Are you related to Ramaiya Sami ( Ramaih is my grandfather’s known name and Sami is a term of repspect in Tamil),
‘Yes,I am his grandson.
Immediately he unwound the turban he had on his head and kept it in his armpit.
I asked him why he should do this.
He replied that it is a form of respect.
I asked him why should he do this and was it because he was scared of my grandfather when he was alive.
He was greatly agitated and stated that that my grandfather was like the head of his Family and he would always look up to him for help and advice
And the he was what he was because of my grandfather .
and all the families in the village felt the same way.
I again asked him that may be he was right but where was the necessity for him to do the honor to me.
He replied if he did not do that even God would not forgive him for his ingratitude!
This noble man , in modern society is classified as a Dalit
Another instance.
I was on a pilgrimage tour to Kumbakonam and surrounding places.
I stayed in a small village nearby in the Home of elderly man of about 75 years.
When we went in , the elderly man( he is no more now), he was deeply engrossed in conversation with a man whom I came know later to be the Chief of the Village.
He was sitting on the floor while the elderly gentleman was reclining in an Easy chair.
When Lunch neared he asked all of us, including the Viilage Chief, to eat.
The man politely refused and stayed on while we ate.
He left after talking with the elderly man.
When we left for the temple,we saw him near the end of the street.
I wished him and casually asked him as to why he did not eat along with us and whether it has any thing to do with us being Brahmins and being not one.
He replied that is out of respect for the elderly man’s Family and he felt that eating along with them, despite their invitations, would be a form or disrespect.
I asked him whether he was saying this as I was a guest of the house , he said that he was not bothered about my status and would do what he felt!
This is the amity among the Brahmins and the other communities including Dalits.
Yet people vilify Brahmins of practicing Untouchability.
Despite my vigorous checking, I am yet to find a Brahmin being accused of practicing Untouchability and charged under the Law!
Other Communities have been named.
“Tamil Nadu figures among the top five States where a high number of cases of atrocities against Dalits have been reported in recent years, according to National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman P L Punia.
Statistics show that since 2011, as many as 213 people belonging to Scheduled Castes have been murdered in Tamil Nadu. This year, 16 Dalits have been killed in the State so far. Punia alleged that in many cases of atrocities, the police registered FIRs only after protests or directions from courts.
“In Tamil Nadu, the highest number of sexual assaults against Dalits was recorded in 2011 when 41 rape cases were registered. It came down to 22 in the next year and 23 in 2013. In 2014, the number of rape cases was 18 and in 2015 till now, 14 sexual assault cases against Dalit women had been recorded,” Punia said.
In the last five years, 6,074 cases were filed under Prevention of Atrocities against SC/ST Act. In 2011, it was as high as 1,170, while it was 1,372 in the year 2012 and 1,497 in 2013. In 2014, the number of cases registered under the Act was 1,464 and so far this year, 571 cases had been registered under the Act.
A State level vigilance committee and district level vigilance committees had been set up to review the atrocities against Dalits twice in every year. But the panels have not met after June 2013, Punia alleged.
“Nearly 60 to 70 per cent cases were closed without action and the conviction rate in Tamil Nadu is lower than the national average of 30 per cent,” he added.
On the Dalit engineering graduate Gokulraj’s murder case in Namakkal, Punia said the State DGP had told him that all the accused except one had been arrested and assured that he will be nabbed quickly. The Commission could not interfere in the investigation and it could do so only if it found the enquiry to be unsatisfactory
‘Even as Haryana reels from the gruesome murders of two dalit children who were burned alive on Tuesday, allegedly by upper caste men, new statistics show that crimes against dalits, or Scheduled Castes (SCs), rose 19 percent last year, on top of a 17 per cent increase in 2013.
In addition, as many as 744 dalits were murdered last year, up from 676 in 2013. In Haryana alone, 21 dalits were murdered in 2014.( http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Crimes-against-Dalits-rose-19-in-2014-murders-rose-to-744/articleshow/49488994.cms)
Then why Brahmins are being accused of practicing Untouchability?
Then the stock answer, is that Brahmins consider as Theettu, and wash themselves or the place where they( Sc/ST) sat.
This is a matter of.personal habit, though some smritis suggest this and they are not being followed by every one.
Even here he does not ask to to wash yourself.
Nor does he ask you to go away.
Whom one should have interaction with is one’s personal choice.
Smritis do not have the authority over the Vedas and the Vedas speak of Equality.
How many people can honestly say hat this is being practiced to day?
As I said it is a matter of personal choice.
If some one does not like you, do not go to him.
You can not force some one to love or respect you.
Even by Law.
This may sound harsh, but some one has to say it, as the misinformation is such to warrantswa retort.
And who resorts to Honor Killing?
Brahmins?
Brahmins created Vedas to control other communities.
Vedas were not created, let alone by Brahmins.
The greatest mantra of the Hindus is the Gayatri Mantra was given by Sage Viswamitra, a Kshatriya.
The Gods whom we worship and are popular(?) are Krishna and Rama.
Rama was Kshatriya and Krishna a Cowherd!
In what way have Brahmins controlled the others?
Brahmins have been advisors to Kings, even to day they are, but they were requested by the Kings to be so.
If Brahmins were the people who devised the Vedas with the intention of controlling others, would a King, in his normal senses would have a Brahmin as an Advisor?
Another is Manu smriti.
This was a code of ethics mainly meant for Kings and written by a Kshatriya.
Manu was a Kshatriya.
Having been advisors to Kings right from Rama’s Days, what did the Brahmin Gurus get in return?
A Kingdom?
A dakshina, however small it might be, was accepted by a Brahmin.
If Brahmins are dangerous why do people seek their advice from them even today be it Karunanidhi and the other Brahmin Baiting gang?
One needs a Brahmin Doctor, Brahmin Lawyer, Auditor but public you will denigrate Brahmins?
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