Sunday, 22 March 2020

The Brahmin Dharma and Modern Times.


I have a question to ask of other brahmins. A question I have myself faced.
By what token do we continue to call ourselves brahmins today ? The Dharma of a Brahmin is austerity and to use his learnings freely for society.
We have failed that. Most of us. Completely. 
Comments
  • Santosh Koulagi Because of this Brahmins have lost their moral strength to advice any thing to society. I have always felt if the brahmins had lead their life as per dharma society would have been better.
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    • Aparna Krishnan Santosh Koulagi the very few Brahmins who lead that life of service and austerity radiate tejas. These Brahmins are are not always born in the Brahmin community.
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    • Santosh Koulagi Aparna Krishnan that is what Kumarappa says
       
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    • Aparna Krishnan Santosh Koulagi what does he say ?
       
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    • Sumanas Koulagi Aparna Krishnan JCK says "the respect attached of old to the four castes is based on considerations of services to society. A Sudra, who thinks of no one but himself and works to satisfy his own personal needs, is given hardly any public recognition. The Vaishya also, who ventures out to accumulate material wealth for himself, but in the course of doing so does render some service incidentally, fares little better, though he is allotted a slightly higher position. The Kshatriya, who is much concerned with the protection of the people committed to his charge and values his life less than the honour of duty done, is assigned a noble status. While at the feet of the Brahmin, who pursues an ideal for itself, regardless of the cost to his physical existence, all including even royal princes prostrate themselves. This is a cultural standard of values attained in our land thousands of years ago; unfortunately, at present, these standards have been eclipsed by the glare of material wealth which is blinding but transient. We have to strain every nerve to get back to the noble ideals bequeathed to us and the following of which alone will lead to permanence"
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    • Aparna Krishnan Sumanas Koulagi yes, the code was beautiful. That learning and austerity went together was a very high ideal, that learning not give way to arrogance. Today for instance, IIT products feel they are superior. The need for poverty and learning thereby revalidated.

      Kumarappa has summarised it beautifully. This is the essence of a Dharma based society and philosophy as in this land. 
  • Jagannath Chatterjee Brahmins had to be the target in order to destroy India. Every invader and ruler have done their bit. The early invaders killed, the later force converted. The British decimated the scriptural knowledge and practices by distorting them. The proselytizers harped on the caste system by strengthening it and creating widespread differences and thereby creating animosity against the Brahmins. The converts were trained to take the process forward and became its champions.
     
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    • Aparna Krishnan Jagannath Chatterjee sorry, we got attracted by wealth, and got into IIT s and into corporates. Or became commercial lawyers and doctors. Let's not blame the Invader for everything.
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    • Jagannath Chatterjee The moment our scriptural knowledge and practices were taken away from us we perished. This cannot be denied.
       
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    • Jagannath Chatterjee The education system did us away.
       
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    • Jagannath Chatterjee And I must say the "health care system" too. I will write about it.
       
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    • Aparna Krishnan We had agency. We chose. There would have also been external factors, yes.

      But today hardly any Brahmin I know is a Brahmin, rooted in to finest traditions of learning, service and voluntary poverty.
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    • Jagannath Chatterjee A Brahmin is very fragile in society. His or her job is to take knowledge systems forward by intellect and practice. This severely limits livelihood opportunities. Thus Brahmins were poor. Societal laws and rules ensured that they survived. These laws …See More
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    • Aparna Krishnan Jagannath Chatterjee yes, each failure fed into the other.
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  • Paranthaman Sriramulu It is just a caste like others. Every varna had duties. Who is following it. Today, the competition is for Sudra. Everyone is doing service for someone. Mostly to masters abroad.
     
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    • Aparna Krishnan Paranthaman Sriramulu yes, I am questioning my community. Largely failed. But yes, similar story of other communities also.

      But our Dharma was specifically service based on learnings and poverty. So total non compliance.
       
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  • Shruti N I am reminded of Gandhiji's favourite bhajan "Vaishnava Janatho" Aparna garu and anyone practising whatever is written in that bhajan is a brahmin/vaishnava (In fact a lot of times I wonder why we need to even label anyone as a brahmin or anything else and just stick to believing he/she is a good human being). And I don't find a single person born in the brahmin "varna" or "caste" following all of that. On the contrary I see discrimination, intolerance, untouchability and desperation to impose supremacy all the time. Atleast that is what I have seen in my family which made me reject the idea of the brahmin caste and strive to just practice whatever is written in the bhajan. But I am still at an elementary stage. Long way to go...
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    • Aparna Krishnan Shruti N I am reminding brahmins of the specific code of austerity and using learning for service. Which we have failed in.

      'Vaishnava Jana ... "This is a more general recommendation for all.

      Every civilization will consist of communities, jatis. Called by some name of the other. That is how a society gets structured. And then there are codes of behavior, internal, and transactional.

      The codes needs to be revisited time and again, and corrections done. That is what Kabir, Meera, Guru Nanak, Narayana Guru, Gandhi, Kumarappa and others did.

      Dismissing jatis will not work. Reclaimimg the dharmam of the jatis will work.
       
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  • Vidya Subramanian May be had there been monetary compensation also fair for them for whatever they do, we would have not taken a turn..
     
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  • Vatsal Chaoji Relentless pursuit of knowledge and spreading of the same. The dharma of brahmin was to share his learnings for society, and so is today.

    It's on society to choose what is right and wrong, we don't define what's right or wrong.
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    • Aparna Krishnan Vatsal Chaoji most educated brahmins I know are selling their engineering or medical or accounting learnings for their own nest. Many quit the land for greener spaces.

      Let's not blame an abstract society for our weaknesses.
       
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    • Vatsal Chaoji Aparna Krishnan not blaming. The aforementioned Brahmins even if they are selling their learning for a price that’s their karma. They are still contributing to society increasing others knowledge. About land, no one quits, they feel that the learning’s will benefit others at a different geolocation. Many Brahmins have travelled far to share and increase their knowledge which is just. As long as they are spreading and acquiring knowledge they are doing their job. Although if they succumb to any dwesh (which I do agree are majority of the people) then it’s their karma and they will get their due. 🙏🏼
       
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  • Sivapriya Krishnan We all Brahmins are doing the job of the Kshatriyas...protecting our own turf. The job of the Vaishya...making our own money. The job of Kshudras... cleaning up the mess so that we don't leave any unwanted trail of the wrong things we may be doing to keep the other two going.. Do we do what are supposed to do? Learn.internalize. disseminate? No. We dont have the time or we dont care for we are busy being the other three!
     
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    • Aparna Krishnan Sivapriya Krishnan a Kshatriya protects the society. We protect ourselves.

      Same as regards the other points.

      Once we fail our varna Dharma, we are effectively casteless. True Avarnas.
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  • Ayshwarya Vijayendran Aparna Krishnan, it’s double edged. On one side, when Brahmins are portrayed as a community of corrupt people, and their belief systems mocked at, the younger generations are disenchanted. I remember my grandfather saying this so many times “ nanna padikanum, namakku adha vitta Vera vazhiye illa. Nanna padichi velaiku poi un kal la ni Nikkanum” this was from a man who ate only 1 meal a day for most of his life after having lost his parents young and the having to support his wife and kids at later stage. He had no time to practice his religion as feeding his family was foremost. He was more valued as a railway employee, than as a Brahmin.
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    • Aparna Krishnan Ayshwarya Vijayendran yes, I see what you are saying. Society ceased to support and value. And the Brahmin also , as seen today, is sold to money as is every other community.

      Each process might have fed into the other.
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  • Raghu Ananthanarayanan Technically we are brahmabadhu meaning we come from a lineage where the were a few great seekers. Unless one walks the path of ideep inner search for Brahman one is not a Brahmin!
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    • Aparna Krishnan Raghu Ananthanarayanan but that's not the common understanding. Everyone born in that family considers themselves one.
       
    • Raghu Ananthanarayanan Aparna Krishnan there is even a theory that the Brahmin has to observe the austerities because they are great away from the earth and very intellectual! They need it to get close to reality and Brahman in the form of life itself. 😆
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  • Siva Vats Kim swarupam iti atma darsane? Avyaya abhava aapoorna chit sukham... said Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi.
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The ideal of Brahminhood is poverty and learning. That the learning not lead to arrogance.
The learning is to be used for society, and the brahmin is to live on bhiksha, the offerings of society.
Modern day brahmins sell their skill, possibly computer science, to the highest bidder and live off that.
Modern day Brahmins fall into which Varna ? Shudras ? Ati shudras ?
I am asking this question of my community. Of myself


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      • 2y
  • ஸ்ரீராமதாஸ் மகாலிங்கம்
    Not akka. There are Veda patasalas around. Children are learning. There have always been pathithas/ brashtas out of any Jatis. People like Cho etc., think if they aren't so there is nobody like it. In 2015 Sringeri Sankaracharya could find an able successor to his position. There are Aapathkala vidhis / contingency plan for Varnas / Jatis too. Sastras have dealt with those too.
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  • Amarendra Srivastava
    If the Brahman doesn't follow the ideal, won't (s)he suffer? There have always been people who break dharma. They eventually suffer the consequence. That is the cycle, no?
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      yes, i suppose.
      my point is that there is need to face what our real state is. Certianly not voluntary poverty and service with our learnings.
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      • 2y
    • Amarendra Srivastava
      Aparna Krishnan
       it would be great if you can conduct classes on Dharma. Maybe video lessons on YouTube. Nobody talks about Dharma these days. It's out of fashion 😉
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      • 2y
    • Aparna Krishnan
      what do i know ? i learn from my neighbours who live it.
      in villages everyone talks of dharma. in every other sentence.
      we live in a bubble of similarly english educated lost souls, but thankfully thats not the majority.
      The concept of dharma is alive and functioning in this land.
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    • Amarendra Srivastava
      Brilliant! So then what is the worry?
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      The poorest and the so called uneducated are the ones who are maintaining the ethos and dharmam of this land.
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      • 2y
    • Amarendra Srivastava
      So, probably, earlier the richest used to uphold dharman as well (apart from the poor) and these days the privileged don't uphold the dharman. This has been happening for at least 1000 years, no? The scoundrels have been ruling us for long 🙂
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      In a traditional society Dharmam has an important significance. Rich or poor. In modern times, for the modernized, along with religion, it is rubbished. And there is little to replace it in terms of ethics and values.
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  • Krishna Kanth
    Well, if you consider that a Brahmin exists by birth. As per Bagavad Gita, everyone is a born Shudra. By their virtues they would be classified as a particular varna. Everyone will have a mix of qualities. Today there are very few who are qualified to be called as Brahmanas as no o d is seeking only the Brahman! By birth Brahmins if they seek only a livelihood by selling their skill are all Vaishyas. If they are protecting nation perhaps are Kshatriyas and if they are a confused and doing menial jobs are Shudras and if they are not following dharma are chandalas. Likewise if any other by birth varna is actively pursuing dharma and seeking Brahman are brahmanas and like wise.



Still seeking the true brahmin ...
"Poverty was a value imposed on brahmins scripturally so that learning not lead to arrogance. A brahmin needs to surrender his learning for the larger good and live on the alms of society. Not claim a privilege."
Shyamala Sanyal, Sharadha Krishm and 10 others
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  • Ashok Urs
    Sharing knowledge was restricted one community.
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    • 3y
  • Aparna Krishnan
    The knowlege is to be used to serve society. That is the discipline imposed. As also poverty,
    The learning of the vedas itself needs years of dedicated learning, and a warrior or a trader or a farmer cannot spend that time. But people from those classes who felt the call have also become sages.
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    • Hariharan Sukumar
      Correct!! Vyasa and Valmiki Stand tall although they were not born in a brahmin family. May be in olden days Brahmin is the title given to the enlightened and realised. Now, those who claim they are brahmins, are brahmins by birth and not by spirit. That spirit is long dead. I pity, both alike, the people who consider him/herself a brahmin and still look for material pleasure and the people who bash brahmins (illusory brahminic title) to take mileage from it. Our forefathers were visionaries in all respect, they never glorified the varna of "brahmins". Ram, Krishna were Kshatriyas, and I read an account somewhere that Ravana was born in a Brahmin setup. Two great epics were written by "Vyasa" and "Valmiki" and they were from "Shudra varna". Our land/society itself has so much of foresight, that it symbolically professed that "greatest of things have come from humblest/lowest of the background."
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Yes, both the modern brahmin (by birth and not in spirit), and the brahmin basher (who attacks the very concept of brahminhood, austerity and learning) are both nuts. Best left to deal with each other !
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  • Naveena CK
    The current day Brahmins are more or less monks. Or could be a person like yourself.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Not at all. I am very very far from that ideal. I live in many layers of contradictions.
      The monks, yes. The others are all largely Shudras. Who work for their own living. Little charity of the side is just a little charity, thats all.
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