Is Mythology to be blamed?

The great Indian Epics, the lifeline of your culture and religion. The drama that teaches us about life and death, happiness and sorrows, love and revenge and lastly perspective. Mahabharta is an ancient literature written in Sanskrit which tells us the story of the two branches of Indian dynasty, Pandavas and Kauravas which have been in a lifelong battle for the throne of Hastinapur.

The Mahabharta is the story I have enjoyed reading the most. Written in an era when oral communication was more powerful and hence easy to manipulate stories, one would want to know more about the characters which seem life like. The story of Mahabharta never seem to end, maybe that’s why people refer to it as the story of everyone’s life.

As one reads more and does deep researching about the characters and the story, it may surprise you how caste system which was rigid and practiced in that era didn’t stop a Shudra from being the prime minister of Hastinapur (Vidhur), didn’t question the integrity of a scholar like VedVyas who was a son of a fisherwoman and didn’t stop a hero like Karna, a Suta to be the king of Anga and rise above his status.

The motive of this paper is to see whether it is the people who are responsible for current caste complication or the religious texts which is often taken as a defense by current priest and politicians. Is the interpretation of the text right or wrong commonly known by people?

I.                    CASTE

Caste is an integral part of a person’s identity in India. It is a politically volatile topic highlighting the cruel system which doesn’t offer dignity to all humans. India follows the caste system set by Hinduism based originally on personality, profession and birth, commonly known as the Varna system:

·   Brahmana – engaged in scriptural education and teaching.

·   Kshatriyas – Kings, Warriors and other form of administration.

·   Vaishya – engage in commercial activities such as business.

·   Shudras – work as semi-skilled and unskilled labourers and craftmen.

·   Untouchable – anyone outside the then society and not mentioned in the varnas are outcaste.

According to the Varna system, a child’s caste is not determined on his birth. All children receive education in the Guru’s ashram and their performance there determines their caste decided by the Guru.

 In one of Devdutt Pattanaik’s published work called “Caste Again” he talks about how the sages who had created the caste system were also believers of rebirth. This is also what differentiates Hinduism from other religions. The sage believed that the old soul would be reborn in new flesh and his caste is determined by karmic baggage. In the absence of rebirth lens, caste seems as a set of children having unfair advantage over others. Thus the study of caste without considering rebirth is myopic understanding. But for believers of one life paradigm, all children are born equal and are genetically different. They feel that it is the society which later segregates them and limits them to explore their talents and skills.

The Purusha Sukta hymn of the Rig Veda says that the society is an organism whose head, hands, thigh and feet are of those involved in ritual, administration, business and service respectively. This was the Varna system which was metamorphosed into the Jati system based on the various profession. It is the sub-caste of the prevalent castes.

(A) Difference between Varna and Jati system:

Varna system was the superclass i.e. Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. These were not pre-decided on the birth of the child but after evaluation.

This changed into the Jati system, also known as the sub-caste which states that it shall be fixed on birth of the child unlike Varna. Jati consists of pre-decided rule of the food, ritiuals, marriages and inter-mingling that each Jati has to follow. The concept of not having inter caste marriage was developing during this time.

Example – There are a variety of Brahmins. Some are scholars in a subject known, while some specialize in pooja in temple known as Saraswat Brahmins, some specialize in pooja at home. While there are “lower” Brahmins which perform rituals relating to cremations, Daivsdyna Brahmins. The marriage between other Brahmins and Daivadyna Brahmins is quite uncommon.

To understand in easier terms, I feel the Varna system is the classification based on jobs whereas the Jati system is classification based on ethnicity. The class system today is the Jati system that we follow.

II.                  CASTE EFFECTS

Caste system was made in order to model social organization that ensured predictability. Every child was told about his role in society at birth. The roles could be different in the past and future lives. Example of Vishnu and his avatars which was different roles in each life. A Brahmin as Vaman, a King as Rama and a Shudra as Krishna, the cowherd.

The point was that the caste or your role in society mattered in that lifetime. No caste was superior or inferior. It’s just that every caste was different. Then how have we managed to come to a situation today where we fight for equality in caste blaming the creators, where what they created seize to exist today.

Some blame the Brahmins for the creation of caste and some blame the foreign incursions which led to corruption and the idea of superiority. In an article written by Amish, the author of the best-selling Shiva Trilogy called “The Past of Caste” revolves on the idea that caste discrimination is not an ancient India concept but is a more recent concept. Amish mentions how the tragic death of Rohith Vemula has yet again brought out the topic of caste discrimination. He says that the discrimination is against our conceptualization of ancient cultures.

He says that the claims by the present caste system is sanctified by scriptures is wrong. BR Ambedkar’s book “Who Were the Shudras?” has used ancient scriptures to prove how Shudra rulers were also widely respected by India. Ambedkar in his book through verses has shown how discrimination was interpolated in text later.

In Bhagwad Gita, Krishna mentioned that he created the four Varna based on attributes and karma, nowhere is BIRTH mentioned.

III.                MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

{A} KARNA

Karna, Surya putra Karna and Daan-veer Karna are the names he is addressed by all.

It is difficult not to fall in love with Karna. Though is entire life is a tragedy his determination to prove himself is what refrains us from pitying him, but admire. Born to a Kshatriya mother Kunti, Karna was raised by a Suta (charioteer). Karna being the son of sun-god Surya is protected by a golden armour which makes him refuse to submit to the enforced destiny and attain the skills of a warrior. When he approaches Dronacharya to train him, he refuses to on the grounds that Karna must “stick to his caste duties.” A man’s caste is the caste of father say the scripture reminded Dronacharya.

But what really was Karna’s caste? And who was his father?

Fatherhood is the element of doubt in the epic.

Is it the man who raised him, a charioteer and hence Karna must follow the same or is the Sun- god himself making Karna a demi-god or it is King Pandu, Kunti’s rightful husband?

Fatherhood is a huge issue in Mahabharta.

Karna trained under Parashurama was the best in archery in Hindustan. But he was denied to showcase his skills on the basis that he was a Shudra whether it was in the grand court or the Sayamvar of Draupadi. Karna was not demoralized because of being a Shudra, but it was taken as an excuse to maintain the Superiority of the Pandvas is what Anand Neelakantan feels. He believes that characters like Karna and Duryodhan are believable than Pandva as they make mistakes, suffer and regret. Duryodhan made Karna the king of Anga, thus making him Kshatriya by merit.

Not only in the scriptures but also in the recent literary works by Chitra Banerjee in ‘Palace of Illusions’ showcases Karna as a true hero no matter what caste he belonged. In her book Karna is seen as a man with wisdom, talent, integrity and honor. There are instances where the author has described Draupadi’s attraction towards Karna though she rejected him. She was hurt when she heard the ruthless comments passed him calling her a whore.

But still in the end it is Karna who she cared about during the war and it him who she remembered and saw when she was dying. She realizes how all of Karna’s actions were to incite Pandavas.

Though ‘Orthodox Gurus and people often differentiated him because of his caste, but they couldn’t stop themselves from respecting him. As it was not the scriptures that were stopping his abilities but the opinion of the people, the resistance to change. They forget that Duryodhan’s uncle Vidhur and grandmother Satyavati were also from the Shudra community.

Thus making the argument baseless.

In Anand Neelakantan book ‘Roll of Dice’ he writes about Guru Kripa telling Karna that, “the Vedas merely hold the wonder of Man regarding the universe in which he lives.”

{B} Vidhur

Vidhur, the Prime Minister of Hastinapur was brother of King Pandu and Dhritrashtra. He was born to a maid, a Shudra who served the palace. After king Vichitraveer’s death without a rightful heir, his mother Satyavati asked her son Vedvyas to help them.

Vedvyas had asked Vichitraveer wives to enter the room where he was meditating. He said that the mood, feeling or physical attribute that would exist in their head when he looks at their womb is how their son would be. It is then that a maid enters the room out of curiosity and gets pregnant with Vidhur. Though he was Pandu and Dhritrashtra’s brother and thus a Kshatriya, he was always addressed as a Shudra.

He received his education from Bhishma like the rest of his brothers and had great respect for him. Though he has a high authority in the court he believed in living a simple life. There are times in the Mahabharta and in Anand Neelakantan’s book ‘Roll of Dice’ where Guru Dronacharya would not take Vidhur’s presense or opinion into consideration as he was a Shudra.

But again like Karna, the same question arises here too, what is Vidhur’s caste?

If he is Pandu and Dhritrashtra’s brother, is Vichitraveer his father too? Hence making him a Kshatriya. Or is it Vedvyas his father? Making him a Brahmin thus an equal to Guru Dronacharya.

In all the stories and scriptures one thing remains the same for all Shudra characters, none of them is undermined or disrespected merely because of their caste. But it is one’s own belief, values and interpretation of the Varna system and makes them have a differential opinion.

We must not forget that where Guru Dronacharya had great respect for Karna and Vidhur, he was not comfortable with the fact of a person rising above his caste and not doing his rightful duty. But on the other hand, he never questioned Krishna who was also not a Kshatriya.

Hence clearly showing that the fault doesn’t exist in the system but in the interpreters and executers.

{C} Rishi Ved vyas

The author of the great epic Mahabharata, Ved Vyas was the first and greatest acharya of Sanatan Dharma. He is responsible for classifying the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas and recited the great Mahabharata. In fact, the Mahabharata is often called as the fifth Veda. His father was Parashar Rishi, a sage and his mother was Satyavati, a Shudra. He taught the Vedas to his pupils with ardent devotion and dedication. It is said that Mahabharata is the 18th Puran that was written by Ved Vyas. He fathered three famous sons, Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidur.

Krishna Dvaipayana was a respected Brahmin. He was known as Ved vyas because he had split the original version of Vedas into four parts. The Vedas that it became easy for people to understand it. It is said that God sent Ved vyas to bring order in society and explain the Vedas again. He was never differentiated or underestimated on being a son of a Shudra mother. Then why was Vidhur? If Rishi Ved vyas was allowed and accepted in society because his was being known by his Father’s caste, then why wasn’t Vidhur? This clearly shows that it wasn’t the caste system but the interpretation of it that got in the concept of Caste Discrimination which exists greatly today.

 In Chitra Banerjee’s book Ved vyas had warned Drapudi about her making three mistakes which would lead to a Great War. He also mentions it to her that she would be married to five men together as she had requested for a husband to Lord Shiva Five times in her previous birth.

He was also the one who Grants power to Sanjay (the charioteer of Dhritrashtra) to see the happenings of the war from Hastinapur itself.  

IV.               CONCLUSION

In Hinduism under the Varna system our scriptures have used an allegory to show each Varna is impotant:

‘Knowledge, thought, direction, action, power, leadership, wealth, money, art and love – are the organs of the society. One cannot say only one is important. Thus the four Varnas are the four parts of Brahma’s body.

The Brahmins emerged from the head, Kshatriya from the shoulder, Vaishya from the thighs and Shudra’s from the feet.’

Anand Neelakantan in his book mentions, ‘Some pseudo-Brahmins boast about their emergence from the head and how they are superior. But what the fail to realize is how a brain doesn’t function individually. Without the hands (kshatriya) the body cannot act, without the thighs (vaishya) the body won’t be connected to the legs and without the feet (shudra) the body will not move but remain still in a place and rot.’

He also says that it seems like the brain has lost its blood supply from the heart making it dead. Thus most Brahmins today rot people’s my creating fear and misconception than doing something good for the society.

The faster people start understanding their religion by making an attempt to read themselves than hear others interpretation, the lesser one would hear the unreasonable opinions. We would come across less cases like Rohinth Vemula’s Suicide. There are parts in India which follow the original idea of Varna system and respect all varna equally even untouchables.

In Poruvanzy village, Kerela there is a famous temple called Malanada.

All the Priest in the Malanada temple are untouchables.

There is a story behind it.

When Duryodhan who travelling South in search of Pandavas, he felt thirsty. He approached an old woman for water. She offered him some immediately, it is only later she realized the sin she had done. She judged through Duryodhan’s appearance that he was a Prince and she being an Untouchable should have not offered him water. The old woman confessed her sin. Duryodhan impressed by her honesty forgive her and decided to build a temple honoring the Untouchables. Every year there a huge celebration in the village where Duryodhan is remembered and his family.

Thus Caste discrimination is a more recent phenomena. The prevalence of caste system has always been there but the practice has changed with time. People have changed it for ego and desires. One suppress and others get suppressed as they fear the powerful and knowledgeable. It is when characters like Karna fight for their right and ved vyas with his knowledge proves everyone wrong that the world realizes but hasn’t yet learned to improve its mistakes.