Conclusion - Caste System

I would like to add one more post on Caste System before I proceed with my next topic.

Brahmins in general have been blamed for the mistreatment of people belonging to lower castes. I would like to point out that most of the mistreatment was done by feudal lords who were not Brahmins by birth. The treatment of Dalits by people like Lalu Prasad Yadav gained lots of media attention; Lalu Prasad Yadav is not a Brahmin and he certainly does not qualify as a person learned in the laws of Sanatana Dharma. Most of the atrocities are carried out by people like him who are illiterates when it comes to learning the teachings of Sanatana Dharma.

Entry into temples was regulated during the middle ages due to frequent invasions. The raid on the Somnath Temple in North India by Mohammad of Gajni & Ghori as well as the raids on S.Indian Temples by Muslim invaders during the Carnatic Wars caused temple officials to regulate entry into temples so as to safeguard the temples from potential spies and future invasions.

The temple code of conduct also dictates dress code and protocol to be followed during worship. One of the most important mandates to be followed is personal hygiene. People cannot be expected to learn about the concepts of jeeva atma and paramatma without learning some per-requisites. The per-requisite to spiritual knowledge is, following good civic sense which includes keeping one’s body clean. It is emphasized that the body has to be kept clean as paramatma resides along with the jeeva atma inside the body. Hence, the body is considered to be a temple. A person who does not keep himself and his surroundings clean cannot be expected to follow proper code of conduct set by the temple. A person who does not understand that the body has to be kept clean because the body itself is a temple is not eligible for higher spiritual learning and as a result entry into temples was not allowed. It was not based on caste. The 12 alwar saints worshiped by Vaishnavas belonged to all Castes. Thirupan Alwar was born as a Sudra in the caste of panars, Thirumahizhai Alwar though born as a Brahmin but he was raised by a Sudra. Kulasekara Alwar was a Kshatriya. As the temple is a place of worship and a place of higher spiritual learning, it should not be treated as a museum where people just come to have a look out of curiosity. This was why temple entry was restricted. This rule slowly came to exclude many people from gaining entry into temples because of  their caste.

2000 years ago Ramanujachariar was the first to allow low caste people into the temple of ThiruNarayana puram in Melkote. He believed that anyone who has spiritual knowledge and love for God should be allowed into temples. He was a philanthropist and believed in the equality of all beings. It is important to note that one of his gurus, Kanchi Purna was not a Brahmin he was a Vaisya by birth but he was accepted as a Sri Vaishnava acharya (guru). Kanchi Purna also used to do the kaimkarya of fanning the Lord. This shows that temple entry was not limited to Brahmins alone. (Kaimkaryas are voluntary work done by followers to please their Guru or God) Kanchi Purna’s guru Yamunacharya also accepted disciples from other castes. Apart from Kanchi Purna, Yamunacharya also had a Sudra disciple. Ramanujachariar  accepted people from other castes as his disciples as well.

C. Rajagopalachari was a National Leader and the first Indian Governor-General believed in the equality of all beings. He was also a Brahmin and he was the first to pass the law to allow everyone into temples.

Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathiyar was born in a Brahmin family. He was influenced by Hindu spirituality which broadened his outlook. He was a poet. He was against the mistreatment of people based on gender or caste biases and expressed his opinions through his writings. He was a social reformist who believed in the equality of all living beings and he influenced people through his writings. Both Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar who were Brahmins took on K.J.Yesudas who was Christian by birth as his disciple and taught him Carnatic Music.

Dr Abdul Kalam had many Brahmin teachers in his elementary school who took special interest in him. One of his teachers Mr. Muthu Iyer used to visit Dr Kalam’s parents at their home to let them know that Dr Kalam was performing very well at school. He also visited them once when Dr Kalam was sick and was absent from class. His science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer mentored him and he used to invite him home for meals.  

My ancestor Dr Sarukai Rangacari (1882 – 1934) was a Brahmin. He used to provide medical care to his patients irrespective of their status or position in society. He even used to serve the poor who could not afford proper medical care. Once, some fishermen asked him to come to their slum to treat a pregnant woman who was suffering from excessive bleeding. He not only treated her successfully but refused to accept a fee for his service. Instead, he donated Rs 100 (hundred rupees was quite a large amount of money in those days) to the family of the woman so that she could be nurtured back to health.

My grandpa was a philanthropist as well. He has helped many people irrespective of their caste. He had friends who belonged to other castes and religion. Anyone who visited him during lunch or dinner hour was invited to have meals with him. My great grandma was also known to treat everyone with compassion. She used to feed her maid and her family on a regular basis. She fed anyone who showed up around meal times.

My parents show the same amount of compassion and help others irrespective of their caste or social status. My mother always used to feed our maid along with her family. She also offered to pay for her children’s education and offered to take care of their medical bills.

It can be seen that biases based on caste system were never practiced by people especially Brahmins who were learned in the laws and teachings of Sanatana Dharma. Most of the discrimination was carried out by people who had no theological knowledge and who for the most part were materialist looking to advance themselves over others. Hence, it is not fair to blame Sanatana Dharma for giving raise to discrimination while such acts are carried out by people who are not in touch with the teachings of Sanatana Dharma. History shows us that there have been many great Rishis and Gurus who were Vaisyas or Sudras; they were given the opportunity for higher learning and were accepted as great teachers by the Vedic Society.