BRAHMANAS - THE KEEPERS OF KNOWLEDGE
This text was machine-transcribed from the printed book and may contain errors. Select the words and choose “Report a mistake”.
Without the brāhmaṇa being the
keepers of knowledge, our Vedic
treasures would have disappeared
thousands of years ago. Do you
know that there is a group of
scholars in Chidambaram, the
dīkṣitars even today, and similarly in
other places, who take their
traditional job of preserving Vedic
wisdom so seriously that they will
not travel out of their town limits?
They have made this sacrifice for
generations and for thousands of
years so that this knowledge could
be preserved for posterity. We make
fun of them, revile them and
denounce the system.
The people who denounce the
system do it for power and money,
not for any selfless reasons. They
recommend no alternative means of
preserving traditional knowledge.
IN THE SPH's OWN WORDS:
“I am not a brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇas
have come to me and hinted at their
discomfort at being termed
brāhmaṇas. They are well-educated
people.
I tell them, ‘Be proud of your
culture, your tradition. Without
brāhmaṇas, the vedic tradition
would have died long ago.’ This
praise is for those brāhmaṇas who
have remained true to their
scholarship. Those who have
succumbed to the lure of wealth
have no right to be called
brāhmaṇas.
This is where the varṇa
system has failed. From a
scientific and efficient work
system, it has deteriorated
into a power broking
system. We need to fix
that. Those who are true to
their tradition are poor and
disrespected. Only those
who use their scholarly
skills to become kṣatriyas
and vaiśyas have gained
power, money and respect.
It is better they continue to
be where they are respected
and happy!
The problem with society
and the societal structure is
that they become exclusive;
good societies should be
inclusive. Today in the West
as well as in other places
including India, if we have
money or power, we are
respected. Does anyone
rebel against that? No! How
can we call a society
advanced or progressive
when its main criterion for
respect is money?"
IN THE SPH's OWN WORDS:
"By that logic, I would have
been denounced had I been
born in any country other than
India. For nearly ten years I was
homeless! For nine years I
traveled the length and breadth
of India without carrying
money. I never bought train
tickets and never paid for meals
or lodging. People welcomed
me and offered me transport,
shelter and food. In the West I
would have been locked up in
a jail or a shelter!"
When you see a homeless person approaching your car in the USA, you instinctively raise your windows and lock your doors. You are so afraid. In India, is anyone afraid of a beggar coming and standing in front of them? Why? There is acceptance. People in the West say that acceptance is weakness, not violence. How strange societal values have become! You respect a person only when you are afraid of him..
We cannot evolve unless
there is a fundamental
change in our thinking. We
have come to a stage where
negative qualities are the
hallmark of respectability.
Violence and aggression
never win. Acceptance and
compassion do.
