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Written by Sri Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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"All that is fine. But what about the question of self-respect?" ask
reformers who profess to be socialists. For them, however, to raise such
a
question is to remain untrue to their own ideals. They talk a great
deal,
don't they, about dignity of labour? They proclaim that no job, no work,
is
degrading. Gandhiji cleaned his toilet himself. Rajagopalachari washed
his
clothes himself when he was premier. To demonstrate the principle of
dignity of labour VIPs like the mayor sweep the streets one day in a
year.
Photographs of important men doing such work are published in the
newspapers. If the reformists think that manual work is degrading it
means that they are opposed to the ideals they themselves uphold.
If you ask me, "ahamkara" or ego-feeling is a cover for all such ideas
as
"status", "self -respect", etc. If you look at the question from the
angle
that the Sudra does not have the self-pride associated with the Brahmin,
the Ksatriya and the Vaisya, you will realise the truth of Vyasa's
dictum,
"Sudrah sadhuh". The sastras are one with the socialists in proclaiming
that all types of work are equally noble. If the socialists say so from
the
worldly or material point of view, the sastras say the same from the
spiritual point of view. To explain, since the well being of mankind is
dependent on the performance of variety of jobs, there is no question of
one job being inferior to another job or superior to it. If everybody
does
the work allotted to him thinking it to be an offering to Isvara, all
will be
rewarded with inner purity, so say the sastras. When work is
accomplished in a spirit of dedication to God, the consciousness will be
cleansed. And this, inner purity, is a means to becoming aware of the
Self.
You may look at your work from two angles. One is from that of dignity
of
labour according to which principle no work is degrading. The second is
from that of consecrating your work, whatever it be to God. In either
case
"self-respect” has no place in it. If there is neither vanity nor
ego-sense in
doing one's duty or work, there will be no cause for anger, no reason to
feel that one is assigned a particular set of religious practices that
is
humiliating. One should then be willing to accept the religious
ordinances
prescribed according to one's vocation. It must be noted that if a
Brahmin
enjoys bodily comforts in the same manner as a Ksatriya or a Vaisya, his
mantras will cease to be efficacious. If a labourer keeps fast like a
Brahmin he will not be able to do his duty, that is he will not able to
do
physical work satisfactorily.
"According to the sastras,” once a learned man told me, "the Brahmin
must wear white, the Ksatriya red, the Vaisya yellow and the Sudra blue.
At first, I wondered whether in this order one caste was regarded as
inferior to another. On reflection, I saw the reason behind it. "Until
then I
myself had not given any thought to the subject. So I asked the pandita
to
explain the principle behind the arrangement he has spoken about. He
said: "Even the slightest stain will be visible on the white. When a
Brahmin performs a sacrifice he has to be careful that he does not spill
anything or waste anything. If he does, his white clothes will show it.
He
has necessarily to be frugal since he must not bother others for money
or
material. The Ksatriya, as a warrior, spills blood, but the bloodstains
on
his dress should not show, nor should it be a cause of fear for others-
that
is why he wears red. A Vaisya handles a variety of commodities in the
bazar but it yellow that sticks to his clothes the most. That is why the
Vaisya must wear yellow so that the yellow stains will not show easily.
Blue is most suitable for those who work in dust and grime. Even in
modern days workers wear blue uniforms. So blue is the most suitable
colour for Sudras". You will thus appreciate the reason behind each type
of wear. The sastras are indeed mindful of the conveniences and
comforts of each jati. If you realise this, you will understand the
meaning
of saying, "Sastraya ca sukhaya ca." You will thus also appreciate the
reason behind many a sastric rule and realise that there must be an
inner
meaning to those rules the significance of which you have yet to grasp.
Today even intelligent people do not know the meaning behind different
caste duties. "How can the work done by one man be according to
dharma and meritorious while the same done by another is contrary to
dharma and sinful?" they ask. In the olden days even unlettered people
knew that it was a sin to adopt the vocation and duties of another jati
because it was injurious to society. They worked together during temple
festivals and in carrying out public duties but in matters like food and
so
on they did not mix together since such mixing, they knew, was harmful
to their traditional vocations. The mingling of castes, they realised,
would
damage the system of vocations, the system that was devised for the
good of all society. For thousands of years all castes have lived
according
to this system, finding happiness and fulfilment in it. If they had not
found such happiness and fulfilment, they would have surely rebelled
against the system.
After the inception of British rule, Brahmins lost their royal grants of
land
but got jobs in the government. With the introduction of machines and
increased urbanisation, the handicrafts were destroyed and village life
received a setback. While other communities found it difficult to get
jobs,
Brahmins were able to earn their upkeep without any physical exertion.
This shook the very foundations of the system of four varnas and the
British now used the opportunity to introduce new principle of
egalitarianism and the race theory. People lost their faith in the
sastras
and with it there was a change in the outlook. If by the grace of
Isvara,
the old system is restored, the work done by every individual - from the
Brahmin to the Pancama - will bring inward purity to all. Besides there
will the realisation that each, according to his hereditary occupation,
will
contribute to the general welfare of the mankind. If we pause to reflect
on the subject, we will feel proud of varna dharma instead of feeling
ashamed of it-and we will also develop a deep respect for those who
created it. |
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