1. The Geeta is also called Geetopanishad which means that it itself is also an Upanishad. The Geeta is a part of the Mahabharata. There are many Upanishads, it is not a single book.
2. According to one verse of Rig-Veda (an ancient scripture) Brahman came from the mouth, Kshatrita from the arms, Vaishya from the thighs, and Shudra from the feet of the sacrificial Man.
3. The history of caste system is long and complex. It did not exist when the Aryanas came to India. Caste means Varna or color. The Aryans (white in complexion) later called them "dwija" (twice born) and included Brahman, Kshatriya, and Vaishya. The non-Aryans (dark skinned) were Shudras. These were herediatary. Vertical upward movement however was possible. Access to knowledge depended on the caste. Only Brahmans had access to highest knowledge Veda.
3. There is another concept called "jati" (birth) that clearly expresses the fact that profession will be determined by birth.
5. Dr. Roy observes 11-day mourning although he is not a Brahmin. I salute him. But as I have said before, social realities in the Indian sub-continent are quite different. Eating together, selection of bride and groom, and selection of priests for religious festivals are not yet caste independent.
6. In the modern world we do not need the concepts of caste-ism or caste system. We do not need to reinterpret it or even explore its "true" meaning. The Indian or the state of Bangladesh does not use and need it. Let it die a natural death.
From: Jiten Roy <jnrsr53@yahoo.com>
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2013 9:32 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Caste, corruption and romanticism by KANCHA ILAIAH
To: mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2013 9:32 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Caste, corruption and romanticism by KANCHA ILAIAH
Dr. Bain, I do not have full trust on any of those mythical scriptural texts that are mostly written by people from higher caste. Even Ramayon has many versions and interpretations. Those are stories written by some people, based on their knowledge, interpretation, and bias. Someone wrote even Bhagabat Gita; it's extracted from Upanishad, if I am not mistaken. Anyway, we have to see things with practicality. You can propose something very good but impractical, that will not do any good. You are practically asking everybody to ignore caste system altogether. I want that too. But, is it achievable quickly? I think it is not. That's where I differ from you. Hindus have done many stupid things in the past, and caste-ism is at the top of the list. By caste-ism, I mean exploitation of Caste-system. There is a difference between caste-system and caste-ism. If it were not birthright, it would not have exploitative feature. I have no support for the Caste-ism, which needs to go. Jiten Roy
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