The
older, I grow the better I seems to think of caste and feel the discrimination,
I remember that day when I was debating on negativity of caste system with
Swami Tathagat, Swami Birendra and others at Osho Sansar bookshop in Kingsway,
Kathmandu. Swami Tathagat was in favor of caste system and stressing
philosophically that caste is not by birth but it is based on quality. In
response I asked him, if it is so than why I am still regarded as untouchable
despite of my quality. How do you judge the quality? If it is judge based on education, economic, religion,
politics, cultural civilization and others mental and physical well being than
I am equally capable as you. I am still confused what does it mean by quality? Why
am I regarded as untouchable and discriminated on the basis of my caste if it
is not by birth. I know that even changing of occupation does not change my caste,
if it so then, many upper caste people who has adopted the job of untouchable
like tailoring, metal works and others but they are still high caste, they are
not regarded as untouchable nor untouchable as upper caste by changing their traditional
occupation. The caste system is rigid, where there is no social mobility. It is
easy to express philosophic idea but ground reality is different. The wearer
only knows where the shoe pain.
Later
on Tathagat Swami Stress his argument by saying, “there is discrimination among
untouchable caste group focusing on Kami on top and Sharki, Damai, Gaine on
descending order”. Yes, it is there but who has planted the seed of caste
discrimination in their mind? Who has condition them to live accordingly? The
answer is the dominant Vedic Brahamanical orthodoxy and its stratified caste
system with Brahmin on the top, Kshatrieya, Vishay and Sudra at bottom. What
about that discrimination which you practice within your own cast group? The
Upadhyaya Brahmin are discriminating Jaisi Brahmin, Brahmin group are
discriminating Chhetri and other indigenous groups and so forth, despite of
that, you enjoy pointing your finger toward untouchable. You must not forget
that when you are pointing your one finger toward others, there are three fingers
pointing back to you.
Our
castes and our institution are apparently linked with our religion which is not
a perfect institution. When we look back to the various stage of development of
cast system in Nepal, than we must not forget the Manusmriti, a guided book of
Hinduism on stratification of caste, The then first Malla King, Jayasthiti
Malla of Kathmandu valley in 1382-1395 AD had brought five Brahmins from India,
according to their guidance he segregated the masses into a caste system,
second was King Ram Shah of Gorkha in 1606-1636 AD who followed the idea of
caste system propounded by Jayasthiti Malla and finally the first Rana Prime
Minister Jung Bahadur Rana.
The
Nepali Civil code (Muluki Ain) 1854 AD was introduce and promulgated by Junga
Bahadur Rana after his European tour. Nepalese caste system is more complicated
because this system was previously prevalent in the core Hindu society but
since the unification of Nepal in the 18th century, various indigenous tribes have
been incorporated within the caste hierarchy of Hinduism. According to the
Nepali civil Code 1854, the cast hierarchy system is as following:
Tagadhari (wears of the
holy thread): Udadhyaya Brahman, Rajput (Thakuri), Jaisi Brahman and Chhetri
etc.
Namasinya
Matawali
(Non-enslave able alcohol drinkers): Magar, Gurung, Newar, Sunuwar, Rai, Limbu
etc.
Masinya Matawali (Enslaveable
alcohol drinkers): Tamang, Sherpa, Chepang, Kumal, Tharu, Gharti etc.
Pani nachalne,
chhoi chito halnu naparne (impure but touchable): Jogi, Kashain, Khadgi,
Muslim and European.
Pani nachhalne
chhoi chitto halnu parne (Untouchable or the caste whose water is defiled):
Kami, Damai, Sharki, Gaine etc.
Various
legal and constitutional reformed has been made in-between like old wine in new
bottle. The laws were passed against the caste discrimination in 1962 AD, caste
system and legal code were publicly outlawed by the 1990 AD Constitution and
finally by the Interim Constitution of Nepal-2007, No person shall, on the
ground of caste, descent, community or occupation, be subject to racial
discrimination and untouchability in any form. Such a discriminatory
act shall be liable to punishment and the victim shall be entitled to
compensation as provided by the law” but
the discrimination is still continuing though the rules are not as rigid as
they were in the past because of western influence, education and modern communication
system.
Sometime,
upper caste people blame that lower caste people are unclean so they deserve to
be discriminated by preventing them entering into the Hindu temple, receiving
education, listening to high caste people’s teaching, worshiping, inter-caste marriage,
non-acceptance of cooked food from lower caste and participating in fairs and
festival. Yes, I accept the charges they are unclean due to their workshop
where they have to work with black coal, above the hundred degree temperature
to give the shape to weapon, utensils from a raw metal, Shoe maker has to work
with leather, Tailors has to stitches clothes so, time and again they have to
put their finger in the mouth to sharpen the thread to enter into the ear of needle and sweeper has to
clean the street, this is their nature of work based on Manusmirti and enforce by
legal code of Nepal to Nepalese. No choice, it is choice less choice.
What
about the so called upper caste people? Are they clean enough if it is the
matter of cleanliness? What about those Brahmin who are unconsciously laying in
the gutter due to excessive consumption of alcohol? You must have notice those
Brahmin sitting entrance of the Hindu temple as their business to recite the
mantra and other ritual things. If yes, then
I must say that they are the most unclean creature for that holy business because
of their ugly uncut nail, stinking shocks and mouth, having cigarette and offering
holy thread and vermilion with same hand, polluting surrounding and holy rivers
banks with plastic and flowers, offering falls promises of heaven to the
innocent one. Did you ever notice the cleanliness of the Church, Mosque,
Synagogue, and other type of Monasteries? Which one is clean? Definitely, other
temples are clean in-comparison to Hindu temple. The Brahmins are the unclean
one who has been polluting the Hindu temple since aged. If I am right,
cleanliness means pure consciousness which is possible through the process of
clean and health body, healthy vegetarian food, honesty and clean vision with
moral living. We must not forget that our consumption disrupts the
psychological balance which reflects itself in mind and therefore the
consciousness of consumers.
I
want to say that untouchables are the most creative people. Can you imagine those
times when there was no global market system? In those days people were
depending in their own internal local market. Blacksmith/ Goldsmith were the
one who used to make utensil, weapon, ornament, musical instrument and statue
of God and Goddess, Shoe makers were the one who used to make shoes, tailor
used to make clothes and others works like singing and playing musical instrument in fair
and festival etc. What did you make and gave to the humanity? Nothing accept
the misinterpreting the perfect holy scripture into imperfection. The Holy
Scripture is misinterpreted by you to divide the other cast group to rule, for
dirty politics and to discriminate. You must not forget that untouchable were
the one who made you civilized, they made weapon for you to expand the
territory of nation, they made the statue which you worship, and they made the
clothes, ornament and shoes to protect you from heat and cold. What have you
given to them, nothing accept hatred and discrimination. Can you imagine
yourself without cloths and utensils? I can visualize you as beggar, a jungle
man without cloths and utensil.
Not
only that, you don’t accept the water touch by untouchable but in the time of
urgency, you accept their blood to protect your beloved one, you enjoy the hidden
sexual relation with the brother and sister of untouchable groups, sometime forcefully
raped and abuse them but you guys remain still holy because you got that privilege
by birth. You upper caste people are just nursing your false pride of birth;
you are hypocrite, living in double standers.
You
ask untouchable to read and write to be like Upper caste, forget about
education, how it was possible than while untouchable were not allowed to
reading and hearing from educated Brahmin. You were the privileged on by birth
not us. The then existed system denied untouchable to read and write. We have
the brain and more energy and more guts than you but we were chained by your
law, now time has change, untouchable are educating themselves but still you
are discriminating innocent brother and sister by not letting them sit together
in school and not letting them drinking water from the same water jar of the very
class room.
Many
untouchable are turning into Christianity and other religion, why? Don’t think
that this is due to their hunger and lust of other opportunity; it is because
of your discrimination in religious practice, social affairs, political
participation, economical and other daily affairs. Person like Dr. Bhimrao
Ramji Ambedkar know as Babasaheb converted to Buddhism and is also credited
with providing a spark for the conversion of hundreds of thousands of lower
caste into Buddhism.
Dr.
Ambedkar was appointed chairman of the constitution drafting committee, charged
by the assembly to write India’s new constitution in 1947. He declared that he
was born as a Hindu but will not die as a Hindu”. I would like to add one more saying from Swami
Bibekananda, According to him, “We are day and nights calling out to them don’t
touch us! Don’t touch us! The religion has entered in the cooking pot. Is there
any compassion of kindliness of heart in the country? Only a class of don’t
touchism; kick such custom out! Don’t touchism is form of mental disease”.
Tathagat
swami ji, I know what you mean by, I accept that caste system was designed for
division of labor, stability of job in society but the noble idea has been
corrupted by so called cunning criminal minded Brahmin. They became more
intelligent than lord Krishna so, they interpreted the noble idea into their own
intelligence to dominate other caste group. The Bhagvad Gita, Chapter-4, Verse:
13 lord Krishna say, “The fourfold caste has been created by me according to
the differentiation of Guna and Karma” He is therefore the creator of the four
divisions of the social order, beginning with the intelligent class of men, Brahmins
who are predominated by Sattva-guna and they are assigned the task (Karma) of
Meditation due to their being situated in the mode of goodness. Next is the
administrative class, Kshatriyas, they are predominated by Raja and Sattva guna
and they are assigned to be warrior due to their being situated in the mode of
passion. Third is the mercantile men named as Vaishya, they are predominated by
Raja and Tama-guna being situated in the mixed modes of passion and ignorance, assigned
to be farmers and traders and finally comes the Sudras or laborer class,
predominated by Tamas and Raja-guna and their Karma (task) is to serve other,
they are situated in the ignorant mode of material nature.
The
four-fold order is designed for human evolution; Lord Krishna verse has been
misused by social criminals to justify the perverted form of the Caste System.
“Varna” or caste refers to different shades of color but not in the context of
the color of a person’s skin but Hindus are discriminating European and
American brothers and sister on the basis of color and not letting them entering
into the Hindu temple while they do not discriminate Hindus entering into their
Church and Mosque. God does not discriminate but the so called Brahmin does so.
Lord Krishna does not belong to any of
these divisions, because He is not one of the conditioned souls. Human society
is similar to any other animal society, but to elevate men from the animal
status, the above-mentioned divisions are created by the Lord for the
systematic development of Krishna consciousness. Lord Krishna
emphasis on Guna (aptitude or modes of instinct) those are pre-installed in all
being and Karma (function), not on caste by birth. The Verna whom we belong is
independent of sex, birth or breeding. A
Verna is determined by temperature and vocation not by birth or heredity. There
is caste in religion but no caste discrimination; it is social custom which is
discriminating certain caste group by few cleavers Brahmin.
I
remember that day too when swami Tathagat’s eyes became wet when he read my
status on face book with the title of “Kami Dai”, I know that you are not the
man who discriminate the untouchable. I am happy that we are sannyasin (monk) initiated
by Osho where a man from the highest caste and a man from the lowest caste
become equal, no discrimination, and I believe that it is a perfect communism
where we meditate together, eat together, worship together and celebrate
together. Sannyas system is the ultimate communism where there is no
discrimination on the basis of cast.
I
sometimes feel the urge to break the barriers of untouchability by bringing
together to those who are downtrodden and discriminated on the basis of cast, a
bloody revolution to terminate the evil practice of society. The problem of
untouchability supposed to be a matter of class struggle, struggle between
caste Hindu and the Untouchables, a class struggle for social status but so
called Brahmin had divided untouchable into many class so there is no question
of unity among them though they have similar type of class consciousness, few
untouchable elite group are silently running their business out of it in the
name of NGO and other type of organization, untouchable are divided into many
political parties. For the unity, untouchable have to mingle with each other to
eliminate untouchables practice within and united together under one umbrella system
to bring revolutionary social change but they are enjoying the blessing of political
parties for their personal goal rather than communal. I don’t mean to say that
they have not done anything politically, they have, but it is in black and white
form, not in practical. I like the idea of
Karl Marx, “Change comes from the barrel of a gun” but I don’t want to
seize the opportunity of fighting in the name of caste, I am not a influential political
figure for that job, no use of fighting on which cast is high and which cast is
low, what success will it achieve? It will divide us, weaken us, and degrade
us; the solution is not by bringing down the upper caste but by raising the
lower caste up to the level of higher with positive discrimination, no
privilege for anyone, equal chance for all.
It is the nature of society to form itself into group. I can perform my
on duty in social life and you another; there is no reason why you are greater
than I. We are dependent to each others.
I just want to let you know that my quality
will not change my caste neither your effort because the Holy Scripture has been
already polluted, raped and murdered by so called Brahmin. I am unique in my
quality and happy for it. It is not my
mistake to be born in untouchable family. You can’t change my caste because it
is by birth, you just need to cooperate with us and support us by not discriminating
and not humiliating. After all untouchable are also human being as you are,
they are God’s creation, how can you neglect them? Are you superior to the God?
Don’t you love God’s creation?
Religion
is major concern of man. Lord Krishna is encouraging people to change their
existing miserable life through different means of Yoga like Bhakti yoga, Karma
yoga, Gyana yoga and Raja yoga while Brahmin are discouraging people from
attempting to change their life situation.The
Brahmins are the part of superstructure in society; they are misinterpreting
Holy Scripture for controlling and maintaining social inequality through means
of religion. Brahmin are promoting and trying to sustain the existing religious
practice, socio-economic and political inequality. How long the social
injustices remain? The present social reality is different than lord Krishna’s
Gita. The Brahmins are imposing falls consciousness in society, they are trying
to distract the present situation of people blaming to their past Karma,
creating more hopeless situation for untouchables. Hello! Lord, Krishna, your
Gita has been misinterpreted, raped, abused and polluted, why do you providing
more fertile ground for such Brahmins? When do you supposed to come back to
punish these criminals? What about your promises of “yada yada hi dharmasya glanir
bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham” (whenever and
wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and
a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend myself.)? The issue of
caste-based discrimination against untouchable is of great importance in the
21st century, and remains one of the last customary bastions of discrimination,
resulting in a mixture of both short term atrocities and long term effects on untouchable’s
dignity. We want liberation from the bondage of caste system which you
designed.
-By Giri Bahadur Sunar
Email: girithejorba@gmail.com
