STRESS AND CASTE SYSTEM: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR
Posted by Dr. Shriniwas Kashalikar on Monday, 14th May 2012
STRESS AND CASTE SYSTEM: DR. SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR
Merely belonging to different castes, different religions or merely following certain customs, which are running through the generations in a family and a community etc. do not make us discriminatory, unjust, prejudiced and communal; and does not produce STRESS of communalism!
According to the world book dictionary, communalism refers to self-governance of a commune or communes and this is a kind of federalism. Communal means related to commune.
In Sanskrit there is a SUBHASHITA
PINDE PINDE MATIH BHINNAH
KUNDE KUNDE NAVAM PAYAH
JATO JATO NAVACHARAH
NAVA VANEE MUKHE MUKHE
The meaning of this SUBHASHITA is simple and enlightening. It boosts the spirit of tolerance.
It implies, every individual has different intellectual capacity, every source of water contains water with different characteristics and composition, every community has different tradition; and different linguistic expression is present in every individual mouth!
But in India this word has different connotation. In India, communalism implies disproportionate pride, concern about one’s caste, tribe, religion or any such group and disproportionate contempt, hatred and prejudice about those of others.
This is almost always associated with practices harmful to others. Communalism has become an everyday problem. It has infiltrated every walk and every stratum of life; like a cancer. Thus political parties, a variety of unions, various organizations etc and associations are diseased with communalism. Similarly, policies regarding employment, promotions, admission to different educational careers, competitive examinations in almost every sphere of life have been infiltrated by communalism.
To understand and overcome the menace of communalism and bring about harmony and justice in society effectively; we have to understand the caste system and the caste specific job distribution that has come into existence and remained for centuries and the emergence of religions and their impact on social life. In this article; we will consider the development of caste system.
In my view, (of the emergence of caste system that disapproves the conspiracy and exploitation theories) the caste system in India was based on the physiological principle of homeostasis where many different type of cells perform different functions so as to maintain constancy of internal environment and thereby health of the organism.
Secondly it was based on the principle of a variety, complementarity and harmony in nature. Thus the emergence of caste system was based on the observation that neither in body nor in nature the individual components perform the same work or job. In fact this kind of “equality” is dangerous. Complementarity of components is important and conducive to health. This entailed distribution of different jobs. This distribution of the jobs initially depended on the capacity.
However the distribution of jobs gradually became independent of the capacity and started depending on one’s caste. How could have this happened?
Firstly, it appears to me that this took place because of the observation; that the tissues performing a particular function in body; give rise to the cells with the same functions.
Secondly; there is heredity in nature. The mango tree gives mango fruits, banana tree gives banana and coconut tree gives coconuts. The offspring of a tiger is tiger and offspring of a cat is a cat.
Thus the fact the tissues give rise to daughter cells performing the same function and the plants and animals reproduce their own replicas; was probably extrapolated to the human society.
It must have been thought that such heredity must be working in human beings also. In fact, such extrapolation must have been buttressed by the observations that children do carry the traits of their parents which may include, from mathematical talents to musical skills, besides physical constitution and looks. In fact even today we use expressions such as “There is music in his blood”, “There is acting in his blood” “There is business in his blood” and so on. These expressions are based on observations of centuries. So every community was seen or perceived as a particular organ or tissue, which would give rise to specific type of cells; and subserve the homeostasis in the organism viz. holistic welfare or blossoming of the mankind!
The second reason for this change must have been due one of the most prevalent concepts viz. KARMA PHALA SIDDHANTA. In Marathi this is expressed as KARAVE TASE BHARAVE. In English this is expressed through “As you sow, so you reap”.
This concept gives a basis for why a particular child is born in a particular community or caste. This led to the notion that those who are born in a particular caste are born according their deeds in the past life. This lent a conceptual foundation for the stability and continuance of the caste dependent job distribution. So every individual in a particular community, caste, subcaste; was conceived as a particular individual cell in a tissue.
Now it can be appreciated why there were restrictions on all the communities (analogous to organs or tissues) to do a particular job.
Obviously this was to achieve social homeostasis (analogous to homeostasis in an organism). Clearly this was to avoid competition based on petty selfishness and unabated personal ambitions, which could, jeopardize the welfare of a society (analogous to endangering the homeostasis and life of an organism because of different tissues competing to perform the same functions).
The caste system also had one more and important aspect and that was punishment at local level. This punishment depended on the nature of “crime” or “sin” and the verdict of the traditional beliefs, conventions and consensus. This particular system included the punishment of outcasting.
Outcasting means; removing out of the community. The person or a family could not live in; and get any facilities from their community. There was total noncooperation. This was a kind of imposition of sanctions.
It is well known in India that the father and mother of the world famous saint of 12th century, saint Dnyaneshwar were outcasted and forced to commit suicide; for their “crime” of going against the then prevalent conventions.
Those who were outcasted were condemned to live as the outcaste. This system of giving “justice” by consensus; apparently did not have any provision for the upward traffic of the outcasted “lower” castes, who actually were not merely the conquered people or slaves. They included the “upper” castes individuals and families, which had to enter into “lower” castes because of what was then considered a “crime”.
However one does not know with certainty whether there were any ways of absolving from those so called “crimes” and promoting to “upper castes”.
Today most of these “crimes” may not be considered as crimes, blunders or even mistakes; because of the individualism, superficiality, pettiness as well as ideas of (right as well as wrong) freedom.
It appears that these castes, which were forced to live outside the villages, were declared untouchable. Due to the same notion of heredity, which consolidated caste system, their progeny was also considered inferior and forced to stay out of the village border, was made to accept dirty jobs and were declared untouchable. This is why; many villages in India used to have and still have; in many regions, the formerly untouchable people staying beyond the boundaries of the villages.
The caste system has been primarily a result of all that has been said above and NOT A CONSPIRACY; though it became unjust and perverted; through the subsequent influence of other factors such as vested interests, misuse of cultural superiority and authority, emotional blackmailing, exploitation of gullibility, religious persecutions, outright sadism, brutality, foreign invasions, forcible conversions, fear of the unknown, fear of the society, etc.
It can be clearly understood from the foregoing that the caste system in India which deteriorated into increasingly unjust and grave perversion; was to start with; NOT A CONSPIRACY; as is made out to be by many misguided individuals.
The theory that it was a conspiracy; can prejudice and mislead; the young and innocent people; and can create division, hatred and strife; amongst different castes. It can generate and aggravate the vindictive attitude of vengeance amongst some and the morbid sense of guilt in the others.
But since it does not go to the root cause; it can not solve the burning problems of the billions. In fact this has been vindicated by the turbulent history of many ad hoc measures; such as; reservations and other caste-caste interactions in India in last several decades.
The fact that the caste system did not develop as conspiracy can be clearly evident if following points are considered.
1) Caste system to be the conspiracy has not primarily been a result of political wars or religious wars also. The subsequent influence of such factors; however; cannot be entirely denied.
2) Political, dictatorial, oppressive, exploitative reasons appear too simplistic to explain the phenomenon of casteism and untouchability, which has spread all over India and in every nook and corner of even the interior most aspects of country (which were ruled by extremely different rulers with extremely diverse backgrounds).
3) Caste system has not been a conspiracy; because; it has not been primarily a result of winner-loser relationship. If that had been the case then there would not have been as many restrictions on certain “upper” castes as have been there in India.
4) If there had been winner loser relationship between two groups then one would have found fairly uniform characteristics amongst “upper” and “lower” castes. This is not so. Everyone would agree that there are people with very low capacity in so called “upper” castes and there are people with far greater capacity in so called “lower” castes. In fact almost all types of people are seen in all the castes. This applies not only to capacity but also to morality and social commitment.
5) The skin complexion of the individuals from “upper” castes and “lower” castes is also not uniform. Thus brahmins are not uniformly fair in complexion and the “lower castes” are not uniformly dark in complexion.
6) Caste system was not based on equality. But it was basically and to start with not based on inequality, injustice and exploitation also. It was based on; as is said earlier; the interpretation of homeostasis, heredity and complementarity, and its extrapolation to society, social harmony, social stability, social order and optimal social blossoming in holistic health.
7) In the ancient times; most of the rulers and great scholars were NOT brahmins and the scriptures were the products of consensus and any particular community.
It has to be appreciated that because of this, even as most of the saints did not practice caste discrimination, religious discrimination or any kind of discrimination for that matter, they did not condemn or allege the Indian scriptures with malicious and vicious intentions.
These scriptures (MANU SMRUTI, PARASHAR SMRUTI, VASISHTHA SMRUTI, NARADA SMRUTI, YAJNAVALKYA SMRUTI) were codes of conduct for different age groups, different professionals, different members of the family etc; such as and so on.
This was because they knew that by condemning them, the old wisdom of social homeostasis would be lost and by supporting and practicing it; the exploitative, coercive and inhuman element would be justified and would continue.
For this reason they chose the middle way. The saints did not make any disruptive and provoking statements; because they knew that this was not the solution to the evils of caste system. They knew that the solution to the evils of caste system lied in the opening of the floodgates of enlightenment and empowerment for one and all.
This is why, without making any stunts and gimmicks they spent their lives in trying to open the floodgates of enlightenment and empowerment for one and all.
They suffered during their lifetime because of the harassment from callous, rigid, orthodox and inhuman conservative elements; and centuries after their death; still continue to be misunderstood, misquoted, condemned and ridiculed by many misguided elements.
From the work of the saints it appears that the saints had diagnosed the flaw in the caste system; and hence foreseen and predicted; the end of caste system (without losing the essential concept of social homeostasis) through generalized enlightenment and empowerment; irrespective of caste, religion, region etc, which is of paramount importance and inevitable and indispensable (but neglected) in really annihilating the castes even today.
The major flaw; in the caste system that rendered it extremely exploitative, coercive and inhuman; is the omission or ignorance of i) Human beings are different from tissue cells; by virtue of greater freedom and flexibility ii) mango, coconut, tiger and cat do not have the choice and freedom to transcend their mango-ness, coconut-ness, tiger-ness and cat-ness. In contrast human beings have this potential and hence must get choice and freedom to transcend their caste characteristics, the process which is called enlightenment or self-realization.
The saints seem to have realized that the children are not of the parents (to get exactly the same characteristics or to be blamed for the “sins” of their parents), but they come through the parents.
The saints also seem to have realized that it is a great fallacy to condemn someone as sinful; merely because of being born in a particular caste; and punish him/her for the so called sins/crimes of the past generations or past lives.
The purpose of this article is not to glorify or to condemn anybody, or to describe the detailed history of caste system but only to i) conceptualize the theory of the mergence of caste system based on the understanding physiology and ii) having gone to the root of the caste system and the main determinants of the caste system; take it to its logical end by blossoming everybody; at individual and global levels in every possible way!
This implies that everything coercive in caste system would come to an end and the wisdom of harmony and complementary would continue.
It is very true that one of the worst types of stress; is stress due to exploitation. Physical, sexual, emotional, intellectual, social, economic and political exploitation makes us miserable.
But isn’t it true that even as we get exploited, we do not resist the exploitation either because we are unable to fight back or because we are not serious enough to fight back? Isn’t it true that we are used to exploitation and have come to terms with it? Be that as it may; if we wish to conquer the stress resulting from exploitation; then we have to learn the root causes and also the mechanism of how we get trapped in exploitation.
The first and foremost thing is that we have to understand that we are never; “mere exploited” or “mere exploiters”. We harbor within us; an exploiter and an exploited simultaneously. We are never; mere Brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras. We harbor within us a brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra; simultaneously within us. In fact; any such division; in terms of class and caste in the society; even though tempting; is simplistic and superficial. It never takes us to the roots of stress from exploitation and the solutions to conquer it.
If we study physiology, then we would realize that we have different control mechanisms, which control our thinking, feelings and our behavior. Thus we have prefrontal cortex and the sensory, motor and association areas of brain, limbic and autonomic nervous system, subcortical brain and neuroendocrine parts, and endocrine, metabolic and spinal mechanisms in order of evolution.
Our perspective, thinking, feelings and behavior; in individual life and social life; are characterized; by which of these control mechanisms is predominant in our life; and in the life of majority; respectively!
Roughly speaking; predominant control of prefrontal cortex and the sensory, motor and association areas of brain; makes us brahmins. If we are predominantly governed by limbic and autonomic nervous system; then it is being kshatriya and if we are being predominantly governed by subcortical brain and neuroendocrine parts, then it is being vaishya. If we are predominantly governed by endocrine, metabolic and spinal mechanisms, then it is being shudra.
If we are governed by endocrine, metabolic and spinal mechanisms, then we are bound to have prevalence of exploitation, pettiness, jealousy, hatred, fanaticism, fascism, lust, cruelty, crudeness of every kind; inconsiderateness, indifference, intolerance, selfishness, sectarian perspective, violence, treachery, cruelty, betrayals, cheating, crimes, filth, diseases, and accidents and so on in our individual life and; if we are in majority then in social life! In other words we are bound to create hell for ourselves and others.
Let us be clear that no amount hue and cry can bring about blossoming in our individual and social life when we ourselves are predominantly governed by endocrine, metabolic and spinal mechanisms (lust and pettiness) i.e. being SHURDA. If we are predominantly shudra; then we are not likely to oppose exploitation. In fact; knowingly or unknowingly we are likely to promote our own and others’ exploitation.
What would happen if we rise from shudra life into vaishya and kshatriya life? Would it bring about harmony and happiness in our life; in absence of predominance of the sensory, motor and prefrontal cortex of the brain?
Predominance of vaishya and kshatriya controls; in our life; gives us material progress (increase in ideas, innovations, trade, industry, import, export, technology, crafts and arts, and military strength and so on) in individual and social life.
But individualistic, selfish, competitive, restless, ambitious, subtly exploitative and subtly violent trends multiply in individual and universal life.
The external ornamentation would increase. The glamour increases. The glitter increases. The pomp and pride multiply. But all these flourish without the holistic approach that involves inclusive growth! Hence; fragility, fickleness, impatience, pessimism, cynicism, suspicion, aloofness, irresponsibility, recklessness, belligerence, vagrancy, chaos, cacophony, separations, divorces; and subtle, silent, sophisticated, cunning and organized (in addition to crude violence) violence towards one’s own self and others; in individual and universal life increase!
Hence we need the predominance of the control of prefrontal and sensory-motor cortexes i.e. brahmin element i.e. the control of conscience and enlightenment in individual and social life! We can conquer the stress of exploitation in individual life and by becoming a majority in the society; we can conquer the stress of exploitation in society.
In other words; we would conquer the stress of exploitation by Total Stress Management embodying individual and universal blossoming; even as shudra, vaishya, kshatriya and brahmin elements are inevitably present within us; and in the society; through the predominant control of brahmin within us.
But how to achieve the predominance of BRAHMIN or BRAHMANA control or control of prefrontal, sensory and motor cortexes?
This is achieved by a continuous process of conscious evolution through NAMASMARAN (and other adjuvant means according to different cultures; from childhood).
This is associated with blossoming of the perspective, thoughts, feelings, aspirations, conceptions, articulations and overall behavior conducive to individual and global blossoming. Holistic politics, holistic economics, holistic education, holistic health, holistic medicine, holistic agriculture, holistic industries, holistic trades, holistic banking, holistic art and literature, holistic sports and overall holistic way of living; become reality in the process of being controlled by the BRAHMIN or BRAHMANA element within us; or becoming BRAHMIN or BRAHMANA. This invariably associated with vitalization, promotion, regulation, coordination and harmonization of the KSHATRIYA, VAISHYA and SHUDRA elements; inside and outside; and blossoming of individual and universe, as envisaged by Saint Dnyaneshwar of Maharashtra!
We all; irrespective of birth have the privilege and opportunity to evolve as BRAHMANA and participate in the process of blossoming of one and all!
If we are able to “see” the unapparent undercurrents in the world; then we would be ecstatic to notice and participate; in the rapidly globalizing process; of evolving as a BRAHMIN or BRAHMANA; facilitating the individual and global blossoming; through NAMASMARAN!
This is because, we must remember that while evolving out of the caste system, mankind has already begun to be plagued by and suffer from; individualism, pettiness and superficiality.
Those, who attribute all the evils to the caste system in India; must be explained; that; in rest of the world; where there was no caste system (like that in India), individualism, pettiness and superficiality are playing havoc and proving to be malignant and fatal!
We must learn from the saints; the importance of opening the floodgates of self realization (NAMASMARAN); to people irrespective of caste, creed, race, religion, nations; and study, practice and promote; the Total Stress Management, which embodies holistic perspective, policies, plans, programs and actions; for individual and global blossoming; through international laws, rules and conventions; in holistic healthcare, holistic productive education, and every field of life!
As and when this begins, everybody would become self reliant, independent, empowered, self sufficient, and enlightened; and the ad-hoc steps such as reservation policy, free education, concessions, free food, subsidies, loan wavers etc; would become redundant and unnecessary. Moreover; majority would begin to realize that in absence of this; even 100 percent reservations in parliaments, assemblies, jobs and everywhere; for that matter; would NOT solve the problems of the suffering billions.
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