The Varna System, Svadharma and It's Misinterpretation

                                                                                     

    Mr. Hemanta Kumar Roy

From the ancient times it is believed that Hindu society is divided into four varnas. From that time onwards, this belief is prevalent in the society that man should work according to his own varna. But nowadays though the social system has totally changed the belief is still current. Today man does not work according to his varna, but he still believes that he belongs to a particular type of varna and some people even feel proud of their varnas, e.g. the Brahmins and Kshatriyas always claim that they are the sons of these highest varnas. But surprisingly enough, they do not follow the stipulated duties and respective works. Hence, the question arises (which is always neglected or ignored by the Hindu social order) ‘Does the Varna system of Hindu society, which are still in vogue in the present society, follow the command of the Holy scripture?’ This point needs to be discussed.

       In the Rg.Veda, for the first time, though not directly, it is mentioned that Indian society is divided into four varnas. It is clearly stated that Prajapati Brahman has created the four varnas out of His different parts of the body¹. These varnas are called Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra respectively. The Brahmins are created out of Brahma’s mouth, Kshatriyas are from the arms, Vaishyas from thigh and the Shudras from feet of the Brahman. Like the different parts of a body these four varnas are the essential parts of the society.  All of them take an equal part in the development of society. A healthy body cannot exist provided all the parts of this body are not healthy. Similarly, a harmonious and peaceful society cannot grow unless the people of the society perform their respective duties according to their varnas. As a matter of fact, there is no higher and lower varna. It would be wrong if we argue that as the Brahmin arose out of the Brahma’s face, he should be regarded as the highest varna and that Shudra should be considered the lowest on the ground that he emerged from Brahma’s feet.

In Srimad-Bhagavatgita, it is clearly stated that God has created the four varnas according to Gunas and Karmas. 

              Caturvarnyam maya srishtam 
              Gunakarmavibhagashah²

The Sankhya system holds that the universe is composed of three Gunas—Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Like all other things men are also composed of these three Gunas. “Sattva guna is uppermost in the Brahmin—their field is teaching etc. Rajas is uppermost in Kshatriyas with a streak of sattva—their field is fighting etc. Rajas with a streak of tamas is uppermost in Vaishyas—their field is cultivation and trade. Tamaguna is uppermost in the Sudras—they are to serve the other three classes.”³ So, it is the qualities or gunas which make the difference. But unfortunately, in our society, it is believed that a Brahmin’s son is a Brahmin by virtue of his caste, Kshatriya’s son is Kshatriya and so on. In this regard, we can mention Bankimchandra Chattopadhyaya’s comment. He said, “People are classed as Brahmins etc. not by birth but having regard to their qualities and the work they do. A Brahmin’s son does not necessarily become a Brahmin. If a Shudra’s son has sattva as his dominant quality, he will be a Brahmin, and if a Brahmin’s son has tamas as his dominant quality, he will be a Shudra. This is the common-sense interpretation of the Blessed Lord’s words.”⁴

Thus, it is ability and quality by virtue of which Hindu society is divided into these four varnas. So there is no room for heredity. But today some so-called higher caste people are spreading a false propaganda that a man is entitled to enjoy the varna rights of the family in which he is born. But this is completely a misconception and misinterpretation. Varnas cannot be gifted, on the contrary, it can be earned. For example, Rishi Vishwamitra was a Kshatriya, but by virtue of his quality and ability he became a Brahmin. Despite being a Brahmin, a man can be degraded into the status of a Shudra if he lacks  Brahmanical quality. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, in his book ‘Religion and Society’, also mentioned that a man can become Brahmin only by virtue of his quality and ability. He said, “…it was not viewed in a rigid way. In special cases individuals and groups changed their social class. Visvamitra, Ajamidha and Puramidha were admitted to the status of the Brahmin class, and even composed Vedic hymns. Yaska, in his Nirukta, tells us that of two brothers, Santanu and Devapi, one became a Ksatriya king and the other a Brahmin priest. Kavasa, the son of the slave girl Ilusa, was ordained as a Brahmin priest at a sacrifice. Janaka, a ksatriya by birth, attained the rank of a Brahmin by virtue of his ripe wisdom and saintly character. The Bhagavata tells of the elevation of the ksatriya clan named Dhastru to brahminhood. Jatyutkarsa is provided for. Even though a Sudra, if you do good, you become a Brahmin.”⁵ So, it is clear that it is not heredity that confer the caste position, but it is ability as well as quality that actually goes into making the division,if any.

The Varna system is different from casteism. Casteism has its origin in birth and according to it, a man is not entitled to change his caste. A man can only belong to a particular caste by birth, whereas it is by virtue of his working ability that a man possesses a particular type of varna. So the question of heredity is altogether out of place in the Varna system.

The question of higher and lower varna is clearly nullified in Hindu scriptures. The four-fold varnas are equal and identical. They are the manifestations of the same Paramatman. This is the teaching of the Upanisads. Besides, a Smriti text says that man first takes birth as a Shudra and becomes Brahmin afterwards by dint of Sanskara or purifcation.⁶ In the famous verse of Mahabharata, this point is explained in different way. It is said that people, at first, takes birth as a Brahmin and then scattered themselves into different varnas according to their ability and professions.⁷ To quote Mahabharata, the serpent god asked Yudhisthira to tell him the virtues of the caste. He says that those Brahmins who were fond of personal pleasures, prone to violence, had forsaken their duties and were red limbo, fell into the category of Kshatriya. Those Brahmins who derived their livelihood from kine, who were yellow and sub-divided by agriculture and who neglected to practice their duties, fell into the category of Vaishyas. Those Brahmins who were addicted to mischief and falsehood and were covetous, lived by all kinds of works and fell from purity and were black went to the condition of Shudra. As a conclusion, the serpent god says that the man in which the marks of a Shudra are not found is no Shudra, whereas while a Brahmin who acts so is not a Brahmin and may be called a Shudra.There was only one varna in the world, but on account of their conduct men are different and established four-fold varnas in the world.⁸ So, it is clear that Hindu scriptures never told us about the higher and lower varna system; instead, it is frequently stated that despite the existence of four-fold varnas in Hindu society all men are treated as equal and identical since they are the manifestations of the same Brahman or Paramatman.

    The most important thing in Varna system is that there is an attitude of social goodness in it. In other words, the aim of the Varna system of the Hindu society is to make a harmonious and peaceful society and it is possible only by means of work-division which is categorically termed in the Hindu scriptures as ‘Varnadharma.’ According to Radhakrishnan, “It is an attempt to regulate society with a view to actual differences and ideal unity.”⁹ In the Varna system, there is an inner tendency to run the society smoothly so that the people of that society can never suffer from unwanted anomalies. For example, if a person belonging to a particular varna, take the burden on his shoulders to perform all kinds of duties like teaching, business, protection of the country and so on, he can never succeed and the society cannot either be benefitted. In contrast, if we perform our respective duties assigned to us by our society as per the varna system, we can develop not only the society in which we live, side by side individual development can also be observed. This point is frequently mentioned in the Bhagavat-Gita. For Sri Krishna, a man can attain perfection and a society can be developed if and only if every man performs his stipulated duties. Even He went one step further and told that despite the defects in the Varna system, it is better to follow one’s own duty than go after another’s duty carried out to perfection.¹⁰

            The Varna system of Hindu society implies decentralization of power. In other words, Varna system is democratic. Varna system implies a democratic society where each and every individual is treated as equal and in which everyone can develop himself according to his ability and quality. The Varna system maintains that from the social, economic and political point of view, the contribution of each and every individual towards his society has equal value. So there is no higher and lower varna in Hindu society. But it is unfortunate that for want of proper explanation or interpretation of Hindu scriptures we are different.

Hence, the most important question is : Is the Varna system relevant to the present society? The answer is purely positive. Because in the present society, there are also four classes—intellectual class, class of people engaged in the work of defense, farmers or the class of businessmen and the class of servants or the labour class. These four types of classes are similar to Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra respectively. The duty of the intellectual class is to impart knowledge, teach the students in schools and colleges, engage himself in research works, organize religious and general meetings, and similar other works; the duty of the  class of defenders of the society is to protect the country and the people from threats of foreign attacks or invasion; the duty of the farmer or businessmen  class is to cultivate and produce the amount of foodgrains required for the country, and import and export various kinds of goods for the people of the country respectively; and the duty of the labour or servant class is to serve these three classes--their contribution to the society depends upon their physical labour. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Varna system of Hindu society is still relevant in the present society irrespective of caste, community, sex and religious considerations.  

References :

1. Rg. Veda : 10-90-12.

2. Bhagavat-Gita : Ch. 4, Verse- 13.

3. Jagadish Chandra Ghosh : Shrimad-Bhagavat Gita, pp. 93.

4. Quoted from Jagadish Chandra Ghosh’s Shrimad-Bhagavat Gita, pp. 93.

5. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan : Religion and Society, pp. 131.

6. janmana jayate Sudrah samskarair dvija ucyate.

7. Cp. the popular verse :

    anadav iha samsare durvare makaradhvaje

    kule ca kaminimule ka jati parikalpana.

8. eka varnam idam purvam visvam asidyudhisthira

 karmakriyavisesena caturvarnyam pratisthitam. Aranyaparva.

9. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan : Hindu View of Life.

10. Bhagavat-Gita : Ch. 3, Verse- 35        

                                                                                   

N.B. Published In ‘Darshan Darpan’ Chilaray College, Dhubri, Assam.

CONCEPT OF KARMA IN THE SONGS OF BHUPEN HAZARIKA : A PHILOSOPHICAL STUDY

Mr. Hemanta Kumar Roy

Introduction :

Human life and philosophy are inseparably related. We cannot separate philosophy from human life. Philosophy also cannot be found without life. From the ancient time, philosophical ideas has been emerging from the works and views of different thinkers, artist, novelists, social and religious reformers. Their views and works, on the one hand, play an important role to uphold social harmony and make their own community and country glorious on the other. Dr. Bhupen Hazarika is one of the persons who may be rightly termed as ‘philosopher’. Although he was not an academic philosopher, we may easily find out some philosophical ideas from his works and views which were expressed through his songs. In fact, he is regarded as one of the modern humanistic philosophers who sacrificed his complete life to mankind. Dr. Hazarika wanted to establish such a society where man’s value is more than that of gold. So he wanted to enrich our society, not only by eradicating casteism, but also setting a social norm where each and every persons involve themselves in the works instead of sitting idle. Therefore, Dr. Hazarika, like all other contemporary Indian philosophers gave emphasis on Karma or works for individual and social development. Before going to discuss his concept of karma it is customary to introduce what we mean by the karma in moral philosophy for better understanding of the subject.

Meaning of Karma :

The concept of karma is one of the popular concepts of Indian ethics. It is an eternal moral order. All the Indian philosophers, except Carvaka, believe in the theory of Karma. The term ‘Karma’ comes from Sanskrit ‘Kri’ which means action, work or deed. Thus karma refers to all types of work, physical and mental. The main concept of this theory is ‘as you sow, so you reap’. Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Good deeds or works result good consequences and bad deeds or works result bad consequences. The Indian philosophers accepted that the law of karma as the law of the conservation of moral values from which all the merits and demerits of the individual are resulted. In other words, it is a moral which guarantees reward in the form of virtue for good deeds and punishment in the form of vice for the bad deeds. Karma is also closely associated with the idea of rebirth in many schools of Asian religions. The concept of karma is regarded as a key concept of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The Karma also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where the intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). In other words, there is a causal relation between cause or karma and its effects or fruits.

Karma is also known differently in the different schools of Indian philosophy. It is the moral and cosmic order which is typically termed as ‘Rta’ in the Rg Vada. It is believed that Rta maintains social and moral order of human life and it also controls the law of the nature. ‘It is the law which pervades the whole world, which all gods and men must obey’.¹ This Vedic term is also known as ‘the Law of Karma’ in Indian philosophy. It is called ‘apurva’ by the Mimansaka, and ‘adrsta’ by the Nayayikas. But whatever it means, the main significance of this concept is that man himself is responsible for all his success and failure in his life. Man’s whole life is guided by his own works.

           

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s Concept of Karma :

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was a real humanitarian. The ideal of humanism is selfless love towards man. In the humanistic philosophy, all men are treated equally irrespective of caste, creed, religion, colour and national boundary. Dr. Hazarika through his songs (though not in all) clearly urged us to love man, to help the helpless. His main aim was not to become popular, but to reform the society and to establish the essence of humanity and social integrity. In order to reform the society he felt that it is possible only through the karma. Karma has a great power which can develop man’s individuality and it also helps man to attain his destiny. Keeping this point in his mind, Dr. Hazarika composed and sung some songs, mainly in Assamese language, with a view to create a social norms so that each and every person engage himself in work without feeling any hesitation. Accordingly, Dr. Hazarika, in his humanistic philosophy, put emphasis on daily work. He believed in the ‘dignity of labour.’² He said that work is the life, a man can attain his destiny by virtue of hard labour. So, he is a lover of working people of the world. A man should indulge in the work to make his life grateful. Karma itself has a great value. No work is inferior to him. Karma or work does not make a man inferior to another, rather it makes a man great. According to him, a man should perform is duty or work without ahankara or ego. Despite having a B. A. or M. A. degrees, there is no wrong if a man drives an autorickshaw. That is why Dr. Hazrika inspired the Assamese people by singing the following song,

                                    Autorikshaw chalao

Ami duo bhai

Guwahati kari guljar

B.A. fail moi

Xaru bhai M.A. pass

Bankato bahu dhar.

………………….

Shiksita bekarar

Moi-xaru-bhab

Complex nai amar.³ 

According to Bhupen Hazarika, karma (or work) is our dharma (or duty). A man can make his struggling life successful through the karma alone. The concept of Karma-dharma was also emphasized by Lord Sri Krishna in Srimadbhagvadgita. Besides, it was widely accepted by the different schools of Vaidika and Avaidika systems of Indian philosophy. In Gita, it is said that no man can stay without work even a single moment.⁴ Man’s duty is to work according to his own ability. This point was accepted by Bhupen Hazarika in his daily life and composed a famous song for man so that all men can put his mind into work. He said,  
                        Karmai amar dharma, 
                        karmai amar dharma

                                   Ami jiban jujat jikiba lagiba

                                  Pindhi sahaxor barma.⁵

            It means, man’s dharma or duty is to work. Our struggling life should be made successful with wearing armour of courage. Gita believes in the Niskama karma. Dr. Hazarika was not against Niskama Karma, of course he did not say it clearly. In fact, he was a man who is in favour of disinterested action. In his songs we find that he supported this type work which is performed without self interest. For him, a man should work without any greed. Thus he sung,   

                          Svarthar lolup Asha

                          Karim ami kharba⁶

Bhupen Hazarika’s Karma-theory was also widely influenced by the theory of karma of Mahatma Gandhi.⁷ The concept of ‘dignity of labour’ was introduced by Gandhi before Hazarika. Gandhi in his theory of ‘Bread Labour’ said that every man should work for his mental and physical fitness. A man who does not work eats stolen bread.⁸ Gandhi gave references to this point from the two sacred books of the Bhagavadgita and Bible. The Bible says, “Earn thy bread by the sweat of thy brow.”⁹ It means that a man should earn his own food by hard labour itself. We find further confirmation in the teaching of the Gita that he who eats without laboring for his food ‘eats stolen food.’¹⁰ Dr. Hazarika was aware of these ethical teachings of the Gita and Bible and suggested to all the unemployed youth of Assam to follow it so that they can indulge themselves in work irrespective of their academic degrees. If all the persons indulge in work irrespective of their degrees, the caste system of our society will automatically disappear. Like Gandhi, Dr. Hazarika also said that if everyone lends a hand to such work he will keep himself fit, appreciate and promote the dignity of labour and the equality of man. Thus by ‘dignity of labour’ Hazarika means that in order to live in the society and earn his livelihood, a man must work. It is essential for every man to realize the dignity of labour and to think that at least for earning his bread one must do some works. It is not necessary that every individual should do that kind of works which is imposed on him in the name of varnas. If every individual is required to do every kind of work, then the doctrine of varnas would fall down. Any man can choose for himself that work that he can do, he can spin, or weave or do carpentry or drive autorickshaw or any other things. Thus, by the concept of karma Dr. Hazarika, on the one hand, inspired man to work instead of sitting idle and wanted to eradicate social inequalities on the other.

Dr. Hazarika, supporting existentialist philosophy, believed that human life is full of miseries; all men are in despair, they feel isolated, solitary and so on. But he also believed that a man can fulfill his needs and become happy by karma alone. All the problems of man may be solved by the work itself. So, he composed another song in this regard,

                        Jivan xindhu bahu bindure hoy

Jadi karmere hay bindu purna

Alas chinta agabhir achaniye

Jayar baxana kare churna.¹¹

            It means that human life is like a sea, which needs can be fulfilled by good deeds. Idly thinking and unplanned project destroy the possibility of all success. Here, he sounded like Jean Paul Sartre. Sartre in his existential philosophy always said that man can change his fate by the work alone provided his choices and decisions are appropriate. Man himself is responsible for his success and all kinds of failure. Man is indeed a project. Men are thrown into the world. A hero makes himself hero and coward makes himself a coward through the work itself. There is also a possibility that the hero will give up his heroism and the coward his cowardice.¹² Bhupen Hazarika like Sartre believed that man’s fate completely depends upon his own work. But unlike Sartre, he never thought that men are thrown into the world.  

There is an another implication of Bhupen Hazarika’s concept of karma. There are also some similarities between the Lokasamgraham of Bhagavatgita and the concept ‘dignity of labour’ of Hazarika. Lokasamgraham means maintenance of the social order or of the scheme of the world.¹³ According to the concept of lokasamgraham, one should perform his work with an eye to maintaining the social order. This point is accepted by Bhupen Hazarika in his doctrine of Karma. For him, in order to uplift our society each and every man should work despite being a higher degree holder. If an M.A. and a B. A. passed youth drive the autorickshaw without any hesitation, then it sets an example to other unemployed of our society who possesses minimum degrees. Keeping this point in his mind Dr. Hazarika composed different kinds of song which inspire man into any kind of work. Thus, when he sang that ‘Karbi mane karmai dharma,’¹⁴ we find such an intention behind it. This is the common sense implication of Hazarika’s concept of dignity of labour.   

Conclusion :

In conclusion, it may be said that Dr. Hazarika was a social reformer who wanted to reform our society through work-culture. So, he supported karma-dharma like all the contemporary Indian philosophers. He had a strong belief in Assamese or Indian religious culture. For this reason, he shared his views with reference to the works and views of great men or sacred books of different religion so that the various communities of the society can make their life glorious. Thus, it is better to conclude that Bhupen Hazarika was a true humanist who sacrificed his life for the betterment of mankind. In his songs we may find all type elements for which he is regarded as a philosopher. His humanistic philosophy is mixed up with ethical teaching, social and political thinking and also with some cultural approach.

References :

1. Radhakrishnan, S : Indian Philosophy (Vol. 1), Second Edition, 2008, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, p. 80

2. Song : Autoriksha.

3. Ibid.

4. Srimadbhagavadgita, Ch. 3, Verse. 5

5. Song : Karmai amar dharma, Composed in the film Parghat (1949)

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Dutta, D. M.: The Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Edition, September, 1968, Calcutta University Press, Kolkata, p. 118

9. Quoted from Lal, B. K. : Contemporary Indian Philosophy, Second Revised Edition, 1978, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Delhi, p. 142.

10. Dutta, D. M.: The Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Edition, September, 1968, Calcutta University Press, Kolkata, p. 118

11. Song : Jivan garote

12. Quoted from Roy, H. K. : Samakalin Paschatya Darshan-2, First Edition, August, 2014, Union Book Publisher, Ganeshguri, Guwahati, p. 118.

13. Ghosh, Jagadish Chandra : Srimadbhagavadgita, 3^rd Edition, July, 2010,  Presidency Library, 15, Bankim Chatterjee Street, Kolkata-73, p. 69.

14. Song : Difu tomare nam.


N.B. This Article pubblished in 'MANAVAYATAN' Vol-VI, 2017. Guwahati, Assam.

           

বৌদ্ধ নীতিশাস্ত্ৰত ব্ৰহ্মবিহাৰ ভাবনা

ব্ৰহ্মবিহাৰ 

বৌদ্ধ নীতিশাস্ত্ৰত ব্ৰহ্মবিহাৰ ভাবনা এটি গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ নৈতিক আৰু আধ্যাত্মিক ধাৰণা। মৈত্ৰী, কৰুণা, মুদিতা আৰু উপেক্ষা--- এই চাৰি ভাবনাৰ সন্মিলিত ৰূপকে বৌদ্ধ দৰ্শনত ব্ৰহ্মবিহাৰ বোলা হয়।
1. মৈত্রী : সকলো জীৱৰ প্ৰতি প্ৰেম, ভালপোৱা আৰু বন্ধুত্ব ভাবনাক মৈত্ৰী বোলা হয়।
2. কৰুণা : জীৱৰ দুখত সমভাগী হৈ তাক নিবাৰণৰ প্ৰচেষ্টাক কৰুণা বোলে।
3. মুদিতা : অপৰ ব্যক্তিৰ সুখ, সমৃদ্ধি আৰু প্ৰগতিত নিজে সুখী আৰু অনন্দিত হোৱাই মুদিতা।
4. উপেক্ষা : সুখ-দুখ, আশা-আকাংক্ষা, মান-অপমান, লাভ-লোকচান আদিত নিজৰ চিত্ত অবিচল বা নিৰপেক্ষ ৰখাৰ নাম উপেক্ষা।