The Brahmin, and the default of duties.

Aparna Krishnan

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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.

Chitra Sharan, Kriti Bhardwaj and 41 others

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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.
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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.
- 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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  52w
- 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 and rules recognized the need for the knowledge systems and the outcome which was a healthy society. The Brahmins were led by realized souls who were both Brahmin householders, Sannyasis, and intellectuals (the later two were not necessarily Brahmins). The goal of society was to be good and do good. Even kings and emperors had to follow the rules or they lost the support of the masses. Health was an inevitable outcome of the knowledge systems. As the cream of society was eliminated the society floundered. The support systems suffered. Instead of blaming the Brahmins for what they did not do we must acknowledge that whatever survives today is due to sincere individuals. I harp on health because the inserted health system corrupted people at many levels. The lofty ideals became difficult to accomplish. Thus there was pressure from several angles.
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- Aparna Krishnan
  Jagannath Chatterjee
  yes, each failure fed into the other.
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- Surya Mantha
  OMG! You guys are delusional
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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.
- 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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Nitesh Kothari
Very true
Mohini Sharma
I second that, but sometimes I feel their are some traits in me that are innate and compassion is one of the them.
Vidya Subramanian
May be had there been monetary compensation also fair for them for whatever they do, we would have not taken a turn..
- Aparna Krishnan
  Vidya Subramanian
  in the here and now we have sold our souls to money.
  Yes, like the rest of society I agree.
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- Vidya Subramanian
  True..
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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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- Aparna Krishnan
  Vatsal Chaoji
  Our duty to our motherland. The duty of the privileged of a land to an essentially poor country. To default on that is a huge default.
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Rajeshwari Ganesan
True
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!
- 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.
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- 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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ஸ்ரீராமதாஸ் மகாலிங்கம்
Darmasastras deal with these in detail..
- Aparna Krishnan
  ஸ்ரீராமதாஸ் மகாலிங்கம்
  what is said about this ?
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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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Tuesday 9 March 2021

The Brahmin, and the default of duties.

Aparna Krishnan

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