I am not guilty

The refrain I often hear when talking about Varna/Brahminism among irate Brahmins is “we are not guilty for past wrongs” or “it is preposterous and absurdly foolish to demand Brahmins of today to collectively apologize”, or “Brahmins are powerless, it is the dominant non-Brahmin castes who perpetrate caste atrocities”, and many more such defensive missives.

These protestations do have a veneer of truth. Brahmins do not wield significant political power in Tamil Nadu any more. It is indeed absurd to hold the present day Brahmins collectively guilty for the past offenses and punish them. But, underneath this veneer there are some serious issues crying out for some critical reflection.

First, it is a straw-man fallacy to suggest that I am arguing for the Brahmin community to collectively rise up and accept guilt and apologize for it. That is an absurd suggestion. My argument is that those who identify themselves as Brahmins have an individual responsibility to think critically as to what that identity means. My argument is they have an individual responsibility to acknowledge the wrongs that were committed in the past on the basis of Varna/Jati. My argument is they have an individual responsibility to identify any vestiges of the past discriminatory and offensive practices within their own community and work diligently to eradicate them.

This is what I am arguing for. It is actually absurdly foolish to suggest that I am demanding the Brahmins of today to collectively apologize for past wrongdoings. How would that happen anyway? There is no central Brahminical authority to offer such an apology. Even if there was one, and they do offer such an apology, it would be scoffed at as hypocritical given the reverence with which Dharmashashthras are held by Brahminical Acharyas seen as gods in flesh and blood by all Brahmins.

Now, let me give an example of what I am arguing for. We all know about the unrest that took place in Paramakkudi last year. One Dalit youth was murdered and six Dalits died as a result of police firing. For a detailed accounting of what happened visit this link. This is a clear case of dominant Thevar caste ruthlessly suppressing Dalits. Brahmins cannot be held responsible for this atrocity, that much is clear. But what did they do about it?

A more interesting question is what can they about it? No Brahminical Matham can condemn such jAti based atrocity with a straight face as they themselves practice jAti based discrimination till this very day. To be able to credibly stand up against the crimes of Thevars against Dalits Brahmins must first repudiate Dharmashashthras and openly end religious support for Varna system. That is just the start. Then, they must actively work towards openness and equality within their own ranks, slowly building trust and respect from all fellow Tamils. Then, a day will surely come when the Brahmins can stand shoulder to shoulder with their Dalit brothers and fight bigotry and injustice as equals and not get laughed off. This is what I am arguing for, not for today’s Brahmins to be held guilty for past crimes or to force some silly useless apology from them.

So, let me repeat, I am not arguing for Brahmins to stand up and accept guilt or offer up a collective apology. It is up to the Brahmins to stop offering up defensive arguments and try to live up to an universal standard of moral justice and compassion.

Pearl of wisdom -Not

This blog post is about a comment Cho Ramasamy, aka Cho, made on a Tamil TV show called “Enge Brahmanan” telecast by Jaya TV weeknights. To provide the proper context I have to first introduce the reader to Cho and the TV show, Enge Brahmnan.

Cho Ramasamy is an attorney by training. His long and illustrious public career started with the comedic roles he played in a long list of Tamil movies. The comedic roles he played gave him an image of a blundering idiot. That was not going to last. Cho’s brilliance wouldn’t allow his image to be straight jacketed by the inane roles he played in the silver screen. While playing silly roles in formulaic Tamil movies, Cho was also a leading member of the vibrant Chennai stage of the day. He soon came to be admired as the best playwright writing the best political satires of his times. Among the many hits to his credit, Thuglug, a bold critic of the then PM Indira Gandhi, is considered his best. When sycophancy toward Indira Ghandhi and her family was considered the only normal mode of public discussion, the bold, honest, witty, and devil-may-care criticism Cho presented was a breath of fresh air. The public just ate it up with absolute glee. Cho later started a bi-monthly Tamil magazine, with the same name, Tuglug, and filled its pages with the same wit and withering criticism of the spineless political opportunists, exposing their shenanigans and leaving them bereft of any dignity. No one was untouchable. All of this catapulted him to the national stage in India. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the bicameral Indian parliament, by the BJP. Today he is a highly respected political commentator much loved by the right-wing and selectively reviled or at least ignored by the progressives.

Enge Brahmnan was a series of articles Cho wrote for his magazine Tuglug. In this series Cho argues for the greatness of the hoary Vedic tradition of ancient Indian society. Among his main claims is his view that Varnashrama dharma in its essence is a benign system designed for the benefit of all in society. The evils of Varnashrama dharma we witness today are more a result of corrupt understanding and practice of the system than anything systemic. This has earned him the admiration of the Brahmin community of Tamilnadu and the scorn of the rational and progressives.

Recently, a producer of a few of the ubiquitous Tamil TV serials, named Venkat, teamed up with Cho and are producing a TV serial based on the original Enge Brahmnan series that appeared in the Thuglug magazine. The TV show has a unique format. During each episode, the airing of the show is temporarily suspended at selected vital points and Cho offers his comment on a point or issue raised by one or more of the characters of the show.

A few days ago I was watching this show and heard one of Cho’s comments. This blog is about that comment. I am going to simply describe the episode and Cho’s comment. No analysis or argument is needed to see the utter ridiculousness coming from this much-admired intellectual and icon of the religious right.

In the show, a young girl is expressing her admiration towards a deeply religious and spiritual young man, towards whom she had harbored matrimonial desire. For various reasons, her desire does not materialize. Then, the parents of the girl arrange for her to be married to another man – a US based IT engineer ☺. The admiration the girl expresses was for the fact the young man did not take advantage of the girl’s momentary weakness towards him. At this point, the show gets suspended and Cho offers his comment about why the girl offers appreciation towards the boy, and what a comment that was.

Cho starts out his comment with a story from Bheeshma the grandfather's teachings , from his deathbed, to the soon to be emperor grandson Yudishra, in the course of passing on the quintessence of traditional wisdom so necessary for providing good governance. The story is about a rishi, his wife, and his sishya (pupil). The Rishi was about to go on a journey leaving his wife behind. The Rishi was worried that Indra, the king of the gods (devas) will try to seduce his wife while he was away. So, he called his sishya and commanded him to protect his wife at any cost from the philandering Indra. The rishi then left on his journey.

The sishya was weighed down by the awesome responsibility. His concern was not just about Indra’s reputation for sexual proclivities, but he was also weighed down by the natural tendency of the female of the species to give in to seduction. How is it possible to keep the rishi’s wife under constant surveillance? Even momentary lapse in his vigil may be sufficient for Indira to tempt the rishi’s wife into accepting his advances as it is well known that women do not have the will power to resist such temptations. So, the sishya decides to leave his body and enter the body of the rishi’s wife so that his vigil over her will not be interrupted even for a moment.

Then, as expected, Indira shows up all decked up and delightfully seductive. The wife of course was floored by Indira’s charm and was about to give in. Then, the sishya, who is temporarily residing in the same body, slams on the breaks and demands that Indira leaves immediately. For a moment Indira is perplexed. Why is this woman acting contrary to womanly nature? Then, due to his godly powers he realizes that it is not the woman, but the sishya who has taken over the woman’s body, who is resisting his advances. Indira now knows that he has no chance -- the sishya will protect the woman from her natural impulses. Disappointed, Indra leaves.

The rest of the story, yes – there is some more, is not relevant to this blog post. Cho’s point is that this young girl in the TV series, like the rishi’s wife, is vulnerable and could be taken advantage of just because she is a member of the female gender. Therefore, Cho claims, the girl expressing gratitude to the young boy for treating her with dignity is quite appropriate.

There is quite a lot of thoughtful wisdom Bheeshma passes on to Yudhistra from his deathbed. But, obviously, this hideous story is not among them.

Eyebrow and being a true sikh

Here is an example of how religion permits nut-jobs to control our lives.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Girl-who-plucked-eyebrow-not-a-true-Sikh-says-HC/articleshow/4598931.cms

Homam

The other day I went to a Sudarshana Homam, just in time for prasadam ;-) Afterwords, the lead vadyar performing the homam struck up a chat with me. He casually mentioned that he is performing these homas on a regular basis for Lokakshema, i.e. for the benefit of all life on earth. Wow, I thought! What a fantastic statement? This startled me a little bit and my mind wandered off.

What did he mean by lokakshemam and how does reverentially depositing clarified butter, cooked rice, nuts and fruits, and silk garment into burning fire, accompanied by chanting of Vedic mantras, produce lokakshemam?

For one thing, there is the dhakshinai paid to the Vadyars. That surely will help their families cope with the daily struggle for survival. This is surely kshemam resulting directly from the homam. But can we say this is lokakshemam? There is kshemam for the families of the vadyars participating in the homam, but these families cannot constitute all life on earth. At this time, I could hear the vadyar I was talking to, protesting, "I don't take even a paisa for myself from the contributions bhakthas make for the homas." If this is true, given the sincerity of the vadyar I have no reason to doubt him, alas not even his family seems to be getting any kshemam (benefit), let alone the entire world. There is not even kudumbakshemam (family benefit), yet there is this casual claim of lokakshemam.

Obviously, by lokakshemam the vadyar was not referring to monetary benefit for a limited number of brahmin families. What else could the Vadyar mean by lokakshemam? A friend of mine once argued that money spent on homams do benefit a lot of people like small vendors selling fruits, groceries, flowers, the auto-rickshaw driver, et al. This is definitely true, a lot of people do indeed benefit when such events are held. Even if the vadyar does not take a single paisa as dakshinai, money will be spent on provisions, etc. Money does get injected into the local economy initiating what economists call the multiplier effect. But, this multiplier effect is not a result of the homam per se, like the depositing of stuff into the holy fire while chanting vedic mantras. It is a secondary effect common to all events economic, religious or secular. Even if the event was not a homam, and it was just a birthday party, the benefits resulting from economic multiplier effect would still manifest. So, this cannot be counted as lokakshemam resulting strictly from the homam that could not possibly come about with a secular event.

In fact activities that are purely secular and aimed directly for the benefit of the poor and powerless in our society will have lot more lokakshemam than any homam. Therefore, if lokakshemam is defined in monitary terms, we are better off by cutting the middleman and directly spending the money on social welfare schemes. We can build more hospitals, schools, factories, and industry, and a far wider world will benefit, economic multiplier effect and all.

Well, may be it is unreasonable to restrict the scope of benefits from a homam to just monetary outcomes. What about outcomes such as rain, health, and general welfare of the population that are not measured in terms of rupees? These are indeed lokakshemam reaching a wide section of the population.

But, the problem is in establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between homam and these non-monetary outcomes. If only there is a way of establishing a cause-and-effect link, we can convince the governments of poor nations experiencing severe drought to perform a series of homams and derive the benefits they sorely need and deserve. Millions of lives can be saved or improved. Imagine the actual lokakshemam that will result. So, one must not be content performing monthly homams in just one location. The lokakshemam will be very limited. To ensure large scale lokakshemam, nothing can be more important than clearly establishing a direct link between the performance of homam and the claimed benefits. If this is done the skeptics can be made to shut up. Then, a large number of these homams can be performed. The resulting large scale lokakshemam will motivate even more nations to follow suit and the mother of all lokakshemam will result.

Fortunately, we do have a way of establishing a cause-and-effect relationship that even an avid rationalist must accept. A statistical design of experiment can be very easily setup and the efficacy of homams in generating the claimed benefits can be studied. Since the claimed benefits can be objectively measured there is no other situation better suited for a statistical study. This kind of statistical approach is used routinely in many fields, such as agriculture, medicine, business, and even political science where the response to measure is opinions of people that cannot be objectively measured. If a statistically significant relationship between the performance of homams and outcomes such as rain, agricultural yield, etc. is established, then there is no need to demand acceptance of the cause-and-effect relationship purely on faith. Even strict rationalists can no longer ridicule the performance of homams.

The funding for such a study must come from the faithful. The skeptics cannot be asked to fund such a study as they reject the whole idea as silly. If lokakshemam will indeed result from homams it is incumbent upon the faithful to use some of the hundreds or even thousands of crores of rupees in the coffers of religious institutions to conduct this study and ensure the homam induced lokakshemam reaches as much of the suffering humanity as possible. Not doing it can downright be immoral. However, I doubt whether anyone well versed in the Vedas and the performance of homams will take it upon themselves to conduct such a study. They will continue to insist on blind faith.

Lastly, by lokakshemam the Vadyar probably did not have any of this at all in his mind. Perhaps he was referring strictly to spiritual lokakshemam. If that is the case, the vadyar is probably completely on the wrong track. Spiritual well being, according to Sri Vaishnava doctrine, is linked to one's individual karma. Sri Vaishnva doctrine teaches only Sriman Narayana can do anything about karma, and that is contingent upon personal action such a panca samskaram and, for some, a separate act of bharanyasam as well. One can argue that the presence of an individual in a homam like this, even reluctantly, may motivate him or her to eventually seek bharanyasam in the same way an act of chasing a cow around a temple, even if it is in the anti-clockwise direction, can start a series of events in one's life that culminate in the performance of panca samskaram/bharanayasam and the achievement of the ultimate goal. This is perhaps the lokakshemam the vadyar had in mind. We are now down to the realm completely outside the material world. Even in this case, the benefit can only reach those in attendance, hardly deserving the lofty claim of lokakshemam.

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When will it end?

I just finished reading this news article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/srilanka/5109549/Sri-Lankan-civilians-in-firing-line-as-military-annihilates-Tamil-Tigers.html

It was the 1980's. I was still in grad school. The Sri Lankan Tamils had already suffered many indignities and frequent violence for over 30 years. But when the Sinhalas went on a murderous rampage against the Sri Lankan Tamils in 1983, the Tamils of India were shocked and outraged. At that time I met a few Sri Lankan Tamils in Houston. I still remember them narrating some of the horrors they had witnessed and experienced. Now, another 26 years have gone by and we seem to have come back full circle to the same old point.

I am as much against terrorism as the next guy. I am fully aware of the violence LTTE perpetrated against even other rival Tamil leaders, not to mention the innocent Sinhalas caught in the middle of their operations against Sri Lankan army and political assassinations. Indians can never forget the gruesome murder of Rajiv Gandhi. Now, if the news reports are to be believed, the LTTE are shooting the very people they are supposed to be fighting for, when some of them attempt to flee the area they control.

But, why should all this matter? Now that the LTTE are cornered, what is the need for the Sri Lankan government to carry on with the military operations that can only result in the massacre of civilians? In what way the Tamil children pictured in the following link deserve these horrors?

http://andrewbuncombe.independentminds.livejournal.com/4661.html

At the end of this war what can the Sri Lankan Tamils expect? Before answering remember how the GOSL dealt with the opposition media in Colombo just a few months ago. Then, look at the following article to get an idea about what awaits our hapless brothers and sisters.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/05/sri-lanka-forces-tamil-tigers

Whatever may be the sins of LTTE, and there are many for sure, the Sri Lankan Tamils deserve our support and solidarity. Everyone else seems to have abandoned them. The international community in general and India in particular are culpable for the current situation the SL Tamils are facing now. The Tamil Nadu politicians must hang their heads in shame for not demanding the center to act decisively. Electoral politics is supreme even for those who make fiery speeches. In this hour of grave need, all that the leaders of the two main Dravidian parties can do is blame each other. Shame on them and those who support them!

Casteless society

The March 17th, 2009 Hindu reports three caste related news items. Each one is about demand for official recognition of a caste in expectation of government benefits. Each and every caste and perhaps even sub-castes have associations to promote their interests. Some even have political parties. This is the state of caste all over India, not just in Tamil Nadu. Even the Brahmins want to get in on the act. Of course they have an association (duh!) and a couple of years ago they demanded reservation. Recently one section of the Scheduled Castes (SC) in Tamil Nadu demanded and got a part of the SC reservation set aside for their sub-caste.

My point is not that the system of reservation is bad or that it must be eliminated. It is just that there must be a way to make sure the benefits reach the intended citizens without making caste lines even more indelible. We must develop a system that takes social conditions into account without perpetuating caste identity. A system that takes into account factors such as the occupation of parents, place of residence, family assets, and other variables that identify the broken people without having to identify their castes is by far superior to the present system that motivates a never ending subdivision of our populous into smaller and smaller caste units.

Alright, here are the links and a small summary of the three news items:

http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/17/stories/2009031752740300.htm
People belonging to the Kuruman community at Tirupattur and surrounding areas want Scheduled Tribe status. So, they held a dharna (protest) led by Mr.Sivalingam, president, Kuruman Pazhankudinar Makkal Sangam, an association of the Kuruman community.


http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/17/stories/2009031752980300.htm
The Irulas of Tamil nadu have decided to boycott the election to the Villupuram Lok Sabha constituency to protest non issuance of community certificates for long. They have an association called The Pazhangudi Irular Padhukappu Iyakkam.


http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/17/stories/2009031753480300.htm
Badagas of Udagamandalam demand that their community is included in the list of Scheduled Tribes. They have three associations, Tribal Solidarity, Nakkubetta Nala Sangam and Adivasi Makkal Awareness Forum. They want to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections if their demand is not met.

How do you solve a problem like Varna?

What is the problem with Varna? Well, the problem lies in the answers to questions such as, “Is Varna the same as Jati?”, “Is Varna based on birth?”, “Can one change his/her Varna?” and “Is one Varna superior to another?" The answers you will get for these questions will be identical, irrespective of which part of India you go to, or, to whom you ask these questions, just as long as they are ordinary common folks. The answers are straight forward. Even a child knows them. They are, (i) of course Jati is the same as Varna; there may be thousands of Jatis, but they can be neatly grouped into one of the four Varnas, (ii) in as much as Jati is based on birth, Varna is as well, (iii) nobody can change their varna/Jati, absolutely not -- show me an instance when a Brahmin changed his/her Varna to a Shudra or Chandala, and (iv) the whole edifice of Varna system is built on hierarchy; even an uneducated child knows this.

This is the problem with Varna. How do you solve this problem?

First, this was not even a problem until recent times. Even today, the Varna/Jati system is not a problem for the Vaidheekas, i.e. those who derive religious doctrine from Vedas and other sources affiliated with the Vedas. For them, and in earlier times, Varna/Jati was understood as a strictly endogamous and hierarchical system based on one’s birth. That was just the way things were. But, in recent times, with the ascendancy of natural rights, equality, democracy, the natural understanding of the Varna system has become increasingly indefensible. Thus arises this question, how do you solve a problem like Varna? Unless a proper answer is found, even the devout will have to concede the religion of the Vedas is unfit for modern times.

It is unclear how many scholars worked on this problem, or for how long. But, today, if you do a Google search for Varnashrama Dharma you will get tens of thousands of hits, many offering vigorous and novel defense of the Varna system. First, they vehemently deny that Varna and Jati are the same. Varna, they claim, is determined by Guna (one’s nature) and Karma (one’s deeds), where as, Jati is solely determined by birth. Given this understanding, they, without any further effort, arrive at the conclusion that (i) the hoary Varna system is merely an acknowledgment of the natural cosmic order of things, and (ii) Jati is a man made system for which Varna is not responsible. Since Jati is birth based one cannot convert to another Jati. But Varna is different, as your nature changes, your Varna changes as well. Their general thesis is that the Varna system, defined by the Vedas, is benign, and may even promote social harmony. But the Jati system, prevalent today, is a man-made perversion for which the Vedic religion cannot be held responsible.

This is just pathetic. Even a cursory reading of Manu Dharmashsthras will clearly show that the four Varnas are intrinsically defined by birth and it stays till death. Oh well, I can already hear their protestations -- Manu is obsolete, no one even reads it any more. It does not matter how widely read Manu is today, it still occupies the highest realm of sacred texts next in authority only to the Vedas. Manu is said to be like medicine that is bitter, but brings an ailing man to vibrant health. Likewise, Manu’s laws may be bitter to some, but if followed judiciously, a vibrant and harmonious society is promised. Manu is not obsolete. It is alive and well in Hindu temples, it is alive and well in Hindu religious institutions, it is alive and well in many Hindu families. Manu will be obsolete only when the Hindu establishment rejects it. So far that has not happened and is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Be that as it may, our task is not any harder if we are to use the most cited text in support of the theory that Varna is not birth based, namely, Srimath Bhagavad Geethai. They claim that Gethai makes no mention of Varna being determined by birth. Let us examine this claim carefully.

On the issue of Varna and birth, we find our answer in the very first chapter. In Shloka 41 of Chapter 1, Arjuna declares that Varna Sankraha, i.e. mixing of Varna, will result if the women of the clan become blemished. Further, in the next Shloka, Arjuna says that due to the mixing of Varna, the virtues of Jati and Kulam (clan) that have existed from beginningless time, will be destroyed. In this Shloka, Arjuna makes a clear connection between Varna and Jati. Finally, Arjuna cites the authority of clan elders for this position, in Shloka 44. So, Arjuna claims, on the authority of elders, mixing of Varna will result if the chastity of women is not preserved. If Varna is strictly determined by one’s conduct and is not a function of one’s birth, why would there be mixing of Varna that Arjuna speaks of?

In the seventeen chapters that follow, Lord Krishna never once disputes Arjuna on this issue of connection between Varna and birth. He dispels Arjuna of many of his delusions, yet the Lord chooses not to dispel him of this one. The Lord does speak of Varna several times in the course of his teachings to Arjuna, yet, never once does he correct him on this connection. So, the only conclusion we are allowed is that the Lord does not consider the connection between Varna and birth, a delusion.

However strong the above evidence may be, some may argue that this is a case of omission, not commission. The Lord did not directly address the connection Arjuna made between Varna and birth. Therefore, there is no proof the Lord supports a connection between Varna and birth.

Well, why did the Lord, who is omniscient, left this question unanswered? The onus to explain this is their’s. But wait a minute, he did answer it, albeit in an indirect way. Let us look at Shloka 33 of chapter 9. Lord Krishna is in the process of explaining to Arjuna that anyone can seek his refuge and attain freedom (moksha). To emphasize this, the Lord states that even women, Vaishya, and Shudra, who are born out of Papam, can achieve the supreme goal by surrendering to Lord Krishna -- so, it goes without saying that Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, who are born out of Punya and Bhakthi, can surely achieve it through him. Here, the Lord states unequivocally that the four Varnas are determined by birth, resulting from Papam or Punyam, and for good measure, he adds women as well in the mix. The term he uses is “papa yonayaha”. There cannot be any ambiguity what the Lord states -- Women, Vaishyas and Shudras are born out of Papam. In other words, just as gender is determined by birth and cannot be changed, Varna is determined as a result of birth and is unchangeable.

So, we have a problem. Varna is by birth. Lord himself says so. Therefore, how do you solve a problem like Varna?

First and foremost, the Hindus must stop offering excuses. Don’t claim distinction between Varna and Jati where there is no difference. Accept the inherent unjustness of the Varana system. Reject it out of hand.

There are two ways of doing this. One is for the religious leaders to take a stand against Varna/Jati system. This is unlikely to happen. The next option is to abandon arranged marriage. Let the Varna Sankaraha Arjuna warned against commence. This is already happening to the great consternation of parents. Boys and girls are finding their own mates. This cannot be stopped. Anyone who tries to stop this will only bring down heaps of grief upon themselves and the youngsters. This change is inevitable and unstoppable. Misery awaits those who find themselves in the wrong side of this change. Joy awaits those on the correct side.