What is happening in the name of anti-reservation here?
I read quite a number of blogs, which merely spread casteism unadulterated…. Brutal comments like:
 “Once, places are “reserved†you can never free them. The filthy bastards will never let go of them.”
 “get an SCST certificate, and see how the doors open for you. You don’t have to even study you know.”
Now, I’m not going to list all those numerous casteist blogs and give them popularity………..
Let me try to list out those who speak saner….
Students for claim on Nation [a group of students against castist biases of ‘Indian’ Media & ‘Indian’ Accademia]
Understanding Reservations
Dalit Women and Reservation Policy
Caste, social mobility and the progressive Indian
The Great Reservation Debate
I read in many of them that there are a plentitude of pro reservation blogs. But I cant find them all. If you know of any of them please let me know………I’ll add it up here.
Some of the online petitions are:
In Favour of 50% reservation
Please go through this write up for an alternative approach on reservation.
tehelka.com/story_main18.asp?filename=Ne051306beyond_caste.asp
Thanks Abhishek for the link. I saw a similar proposal made in CNN IBN by Satish Deshpande and Yogendra Yadav. Worth thinking….
one of the blogs you mentione writes “Dalit students selected for the B.Tech are continuously harassed & they are wantonly failed in courses by Brahmin faculty. This is facilitated because student’s caste is mentioned in the roll call given to Faculty members. Very few Dalit students are allowed to complete their B.Tech degree and many discontinue.”
Wow what a claim. Never saw that. There’s no place for bigoted comments from either side. What is needed is calm un-emotional reasoning. And if you do that you’d see that there’s no logic behind reservation. Let’s see – what’s the reason for reservation now ? Is it
a. The sc/st, OBC etc were discriminated against in the *past* and these sins have to be atoned ? In other words we need someone to pay for the past sins ?
b. Caste system is bad and event though discrimination based on caste is outlawed, we should have reservation on the basis of caste to provide opportunities for those who have been discriminated – assuming that they are still being discriminated – which is illegal I might add ? And the same purpose cannot be achieved by providing monetary assistance to the economically weak ?
c. It just has to be there to make the “backward castes” feel good that they are being taken care off.
agree with you on the ‘disabilty’ of the state- will be posting on that on my blog soon. cheers and good luck!
smrti,
i am aware of some of the blogs you linked to. thanks for the other links- i’m linking to them and you.
RR,
It looks as if you have a problem if the backward castes “feel good”. Sorry, I dont.
As you have asked, it is indeed years of calm and unemotional reasoning over despair, anger, pain and humiliation that convinced me that there is a logic behind reservation.
Reservation is needed, not because there was discrimination “in the *past* and these sins have to be atoned”. It is needed because there *is* discrimination in the present, or else the higher education institutes would have *naturally* been occupied by dalits and bahujans and not completely ransaked by a miniscule section of Indian population.
The second issue you have raised: Yes, indeed caste system is bad and outlawed. But when stating that doesnt stop discrimination, there should be some way to redress the issue. One way is to provide opportunities for those who have been discriminated for no fault of theirs. The same purpose *cannot* be achieved by providing monetary assistance, because what is required is education, job, power and self esteem to be able earn money on one’s own….I hope you understand that the claim to reservation is not begging for money or seats, it is asserting one’s claim on what should have been accessible to everybody in equal way, but is not.
Hope this makes you reconsider your position……..It’s not too late.
Reservation politics is killing Indian talent and inviting more brain drain, nobody should keep silence about it provided he/she is truly Indian…
My father is a Doc (Reservation quota), my mother is a doc (resevation quota) and now i am also going to be a doc (Under reservation quota) hopefully my childred also will be docs (under reservation quota). Its my right to have the seat under reservation. After all this quota system started only after 1947.
its true that many writeups do spread the bad air of caste disrimination rather address the issue of anti reservation. it is also surprising that the indian democracy has turned itself into a mockery of sorts as it is NOT for the people. if a democratically government doesn’t heed to its people and rise to its demands, who they in the government are representing? there have been many a mass movements in the past where the government has gone forward with its grand designs propelled by the ideas of politicians and bureaucrats as their pawns. it is high time now that the INDIAN DEMOCRATIC setup be overhauled and re-engineered radically to suit the present needs of its suffering masses.
BeeBee,
If an entire family got benefitted from reservation and could produce so many doctors to serve the nation……well, I guess the prupose of reservation is served.
I do hope you would consider these issues with the gravity they deserve.
Amit M,
I’m glad that you are ready to at least treat Reservation as an issue to be addressed.
Regarding the issue of Indian democracy:
I would’ve agreed with you. But seeing many other democracies (including USA) function, I have second thoughts about ourselves. We are perhaps not too bad, though it does require a lot of revisions and reworks.
I’m also not sure that the government did not heed to the protesters in this particular case. There had been a rethinking of the policy.
Now if you compare that response with the kind of responses for other kinds of struggles which are ongoing for years and decades on this land, it is indeed fast and responsive.
The issue for me here is that – I wouldnt call this particular protest by the docotrs and other scholars “mass movement” as you seem to do.
As you said, government has indeed “gone forward with its grand designs” ignoring mass movements in the past. And if this time it could not…..that is precisely becasue the protesters were not a “mass” that can be ignored.
I somehow do not like the “victmhood” that is applied on the protesting doctors with the media keeping on playing them surviving on water and fainting out of hunger etc. etc. Why dont anyone see the suffering of much larger sections of the society for whom reservation is meant? For a few of them, not all, hunger may not be a way of protest, but a way of living……and who is the victim here? Though you did not mention anything about this in the post, the term “mass” should be applied with more discretion.
My small efforts towards a saner debate.
BeeBee Says:
May 25th, 2006 at 9:43 am
My father is a Doc (Reservation quota), my mother is a doc (resevation quota) and now i am also going to be a doc (Under reservation quota) hopefully my childred also will be docs (under reservation quota). Its my right to have the seat under reservation. After all this quota system started only after 1947.
Hay BeeBee slut!
Why don’t you give a count of how many patients
died in your dad, mom, and your treatment
D. Parthasarathy,
I have been reading your articles being circulaed with regards to this issue and have been thinking of a way to ask permission to post them here. Well, indeed they are attempts to address and comprehend the issue in a “saner” way. Thank you for updating me about your blog. I’m adding it up in the “Reservation Debate” page.
I support PM on increasing seats. Only, it must be done (a) in a phased program as per viability. (b) Secondly, the creamy layer among SC/ST/OBC must be identified and excluded from eligibility for reserved quota.
Education is our strength. There is wide potential in education system due to globalization. Many jobs are coming up globally for Indian engineers, technocrats and professionals including doctors. We have to increase education institutes progressively and invite corporate style public investments in educational institutes, which will provide education on payment of prescribed fees. Such institutes must be free to determine fees, as the market conditions will automatically limit the number of students and viability.
Our students are going to UK, USA, Newzeland, Australia, Russia and so on. They can afford higher fees if good education is available in India. Not only that. We will have students from the very countries where our students are going because of paucity of domestic seats. Education, IT, medical tourism, jewelers and handicrafts are future growth areas for India.
Shortage of teachers can be overcome by increasing retirement age to 65. Air India pilots too now work up to 65 years for overcoming shortage. Students learn more in small coaching classes rather than in sprawling school and college campuses (if you call that an infra structure). I do not think that educational standards will get diluted vastly. Yes, transient set back will be there. But that will be just a breather in marathon race.
I feel that students must think clearly and try to settle for best solution rather than confrontation. Even armies do tactical withdrawals. This will not be an end of the road. Negotiation table is more important than stubborn demand – which are unlikely to be met at least till present constitution remains effective. You can fight governments but not the constitution by strikes.
Constitution will change in due course. However best course for present is talk and not confrontation. Unfortunately caste is not only a vote bank but still is a social system as can be seen in matrimonial columns in any news paper/portal or magazines. Cast will go, but not overnight. Doctors must resume duty and form a steering committee for negotiations. They should not hold innocent patients to ransom. If they behave irresponsibly to patients who may die for lack of treatment, what is wrong if some of them get lathi blows?.
Medical education is among highly subsidized by govt. One would expect doctors to behave in decent dignified manner befitting elite members of society. From what we see, they too are behaving in unruly fashion not becoming of true professionals. Merely wearing white coat does not make them honorable. While I do not justify lathi charge on medicos, but bringing city traffic to a stand still or neglecting patients is not dignified behavior. There have been clashes between pro and anti reservists in Patna and students used lathi among themselves as seen on TV. Such irresponsible behavior must stop.
Two honorable members of knowledge commission resigned. For what?. The law of the land is decided as per constitution. If 3/4 majorities of MPs decide, the constitution can be amended. Not by protests and hunger strike. Even PM and president are powerless. they can not change the constitution by themselves.
Why attack Arjun singh?. Attack MPs nationwide and let 2/3 rd of them remove reservation from constitution. That is not easy. Two NKC members should withdraw their resignations and work for betterment of India as a whole. If in doubt, get ruling from Supreme Court about legality but do not force issue on streets. Doctors should follow the Hippocratic oath of ethics and serve human kind. That is our primary sacred duty towards mankind.
There was a time when India was world-renowned learning center. We can become one soon again if we shed conservatism. let us bring back the glory of the past. Let us be soldiers of progress and not get deterred by temp set backs.
col Dr Ramesh Wasudeo Subhedar.
HINDUISM IS GOONDAISM
Now let us see what is history of meritorious Hinduism.
Prior to Buddha and Mahavira, in vedic times our Aryan upper caste ppl used to conduct yagya which involved lighting a fire & doing stuti (praise) of various gods like agni.
Afterwards they used to do sacrifice ( give BALI) of animals such as horse, goat and COW .
The meat of sacrificed animals was distributed as prasad.
In other words cow slaughter was considered good & auspicious by so called upper caste meritorious , educated, aryan religious people.
In some yagya MANAV BALI was also practiced . Dont know what they did with the meat. This practice exists even today in tantric witchcraft clandestinely.
So we can say that , that time was like African tribal system of cannibalism practiced by our so called forward upper caste Aryans.
Buddha & Mahavira strongly objected to BALI and professed non violence to all life forms.
In fact , for the very first time Buddha said â€â€
Stop cow slaughter
Cow give us milk , butter and ghee
Cow is a very gentle animal
Cow is like a mother , Gau Mata
Buddha influenced kings of those times to completely eradicate cow slaughter. Buddha is the first Gau rakshak.
Buddha was considered as a guru of all gods and brahma at that time.
His teaching are known as Dharma Sutra (tipitak) which were very much detailed on what is right & wrong & how to meditate & attain moksha.
Buddha never hated low caste. He said he wanted progress of all castes.
His chief deciples were brahmin, kshatria, vaishya & ALSO SHUDRA.
Many shudras became arihant ( the highest title)
Chandragupta Maurya & his gradson king Ashoka were from shudra (surprising)
So India was ruled by shudras in buddhist period.
Alexander from Greece (europe) invaded india & defeated upper caste king Porus in north west.
IT WAS CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA A SHUDRA KING WHO DEFEATED ALEXANDER FROM EUROPE.
Chandragupta Maurya fought Alexander and made him & his army to leave india who died in Iran from a wound he received in india.
So shudras were capable of defeating europians.
His grandson Ashoka (also shudra) expanded the indian empire from Afghanistan to Burma. India never was so large in areal extent in the entire history till date. Also at that time india was the richest ( thats why Alexander came). Indians were trading all over the world.
We can say that India was like present day america at that time of shudra rulers. Ashoka was instrumental in spread of Buddhism to far eastern countries.
FAR EAST COUNTRIES ADOPTED BUDDHISM , TODAY THEY ARE RICH, ADVANCED AND PROGRESSIVE.
Look in & around your house. Observe how many things are from Japan, Korea, China, Thailand , Taiwan Buddhist countries. These are gifts from Buddha. That way even Delhi metro is a gift from Buddha as it is aided by Japan & built by Korean expertise.
All this progress happened because Buddha & Mahavira injected a new moral sense into indian social system which opposed the age old brahmins system of considering brahmin as a god for the purpose of making him rich in the process. We can say that india was shining in golden age of Buddhism.
Of course the Aryan upper caste were worried for the fear of being marginalized like today.
And they conspired. After 500 years of buddha, Patanjali(a brahmin) became Maha purohit (chief priest) of King Pushya mitra shung(a Brahmin king). Patanjali (father of hindu yoga) plagiarized / stole the intellectual knowledge of buddhism and created his own Patanjal Yog Sutra. It is 75% buddhist.
Pushya mitra shung was commander in chief of last Mauryan king Brhadrata. Pushya mitra Shung(Brahmin) killed Brhadrata while he was inspecting guard of honor & took over the throne (185 BC). Pushya mitra Shung(Brahmin) hated Buddhists so much that he slaughtered them en masse. He set a prize of 100 gold coins on every dead Buddhist monk’s head. He destroyed 84000 buddhist stupas built by Ashoka. This is the true spirit of Brahmins. They are given important positions thru merit. Later on they act like devils. Beware.
After that many other hindu texts were written promoting superstition. After that the hindu kings started ignoring buddhism. Brahmins on one side and buddhist/ Jains on other side were opposed to each other intellectually.
Brahmins got the chiefs of buddhists & jains killed later on. That was the time Adi Shankara existed. There was so much massacre of Buddhists & Jains that their bodies were taken away in many carts. Buddhists & Jains practiced ahinsa (non violence) , so they were eliminated.
Brahmins collected all the manuscripts and teachings of buddhists & jains and it was burnt in fire.
While hindus today consider muslim rule of moguls as barbaric, bloody & oppressive , they ignore the fact about what they did to Buddhists & Jains.
Original Buddhist teachings were completely eliminated from india and it is simply not available anywhere even today. Later on Jains adopted a trick , they took hindu literature , eliminated hindu teachings and inserted Jain teachings and called it Jain literature. Due to this trick hindus accepted Jainism as part of Hinduism as it exits today.
Between 0 AD to 500 AD most of the hindu literature like sankhya, upanishad, vedanta was written. It is suspected that these were nothing but condensed teachings of buddha which conspiring brahmins changed it to suite their purpose. And since Buddhist knowledge was eliminated , common man had no choice to compare it. They even adopted Buddhist practices such as vegetarianism, respecting cow as mother, shaving the head etc. because these were accepted already by masses.
Another brahmin , Vatsayana wrote Kama Sutra praising sex which is in opposition to Buddha. According to Buddha brahmacharya (celibacy/ control on sexual behavior) was the very first step towards good morality and a door to higher learning. Kama sutra is one of the most popular book at the global scale, today.
UPPER CASTE ARYAN HINDU KINGS WERE FIGHTING AMONG THEMSELVES THAT IS WHAT MADE INDIA WEAK( DIVIDED WE FALL).
The result of upper caste aryan rule after buddhism was worship of brahmins and idols, unlimited superstitions and spread of fear of mantra, tantra by brahmins, untouchability, sati, making widows life miserable, in benaras poor widows were even used as as prostitutes.
What is the proof Go to Khajuraho temple in MP. Go to Konark sun temple in orissa near puri. The xxx postures of idols in temple represent deterioration of hindu morality. Aaj Tak TV channel showed shameful sexual acts of pandas in swaminarayan temple.
Brahmins were exempted from any sin. In other words Brahmin cannot sin, so even if he rapes or kills or does anything he commits no sin. The present day statistics will tell you that worst criminals are from upper caste.
THIS IS THE MEANING OF DARK AGE – HINDU RULE  by Upper Caste
The hindu dark age made Indians morally, intellectually weak since it was based on andh vishwas, idol worship & upper caste Aryans were busy reaping a windfall of wealth by exploiting working class. The temples were full of gold – it was the poor mans sweat & blood. At the same times a new religion islam spread. Its powerful invaders pounced upon morally weak Indians. When Mohammed bin Kasim attacked sindh, its Brahmin king was busy in a tantric yagya to kill the enemy. The yagya did nothing & the king lost his head & his kingdom. The same superstitious attitude prevailed all over India who believed that tantra mantra can do everything. Slowly islam spread. Many low caste & backward people adopted it as it offered equal social status. So one of the reason of conversion was tyranny of upper caste Hinduism. Even Kashmir problem was created in this period , its king was a Buddhist who wanted to convert to Hinduism. But the kashmiri pundits objected , the king became angry & he converted to Islam and made his kashmiri people to convert too.
Later on British came. There was mutiny of 1857 which failed because many rulers like Scindhias (Brahmins) of Gwalior helped british. Jhansi ki Rani Laxmibai fought british. She left Jhansi on horseback with her adopted infant son tied to her back. Schindias of gwalior deceived her. They closed the gates of their fort. Laxmibai fought bravely but was cut down to pieces finally being left alone. Today same schindias descendents are enjoying power. Why? They are meritorious upper caste hindu Brahmins. It is said that hindu mahasabha was favoring british. The same has converted to Jansangh & its other hindu offshoots(VHP RSS BJP). Their aim is to see that upper caste Aryan hindus (preferably Brahmin) always remain in power along with the control on country’s wealth & resources.
Killings of indo-pak partition were due to rigidity & unsociability practiced by upper caste Aryans on muslims & low caste people. Conversion happened due to this only, as it is stated earlier. Another Brahmin , Nehru messed up so much that Kashmir was torn into three pieces like a cat is caught between teeth of many dogs. Kashmir problem is a creation of upper caste, meritorious, educated , aryan , religious HINDUS. Gandhi was truly righteous but he made one mistake. He made a Brahmin (Nehru) a PM instead of Jinnah because Nehru was adamant. And who was Nehru , a son of a very rich man whose garments used to be washed in Paris. A person who used to go to Europe for holidaying. If Jinnah had become PM ,at least India would have remained united. Therefore bloodshed in time of partition is a creation of selfish upper caste, meritorious, educated , aryan , religious HINDUS. Nehru simply started a dynastic rule. Nehru was opposed to reservations & Ambedkar. He even said – “We have ensured that Brahmin should rule this country foreverâ€Â. He & his daughter Indira distributed FREE land to Brahmins for public schools which are meant for education of elite upper caste today.
In Indo Pak war of 1971 the defense minister was babu Jagjivan Ram, a dalit. And the army mostly (88%) comprises of SC/ST/OBC & muslims. Is it not an achievement by low castes.
Policies of Indira Gandhi could have created another partition in 84. She made Brahmins & Upper castes mostly as chief ministers such as Kamla pati Tripathi. There was very little industrial progress in her time. Indira Gandhi(Brahmin) & later her son Rajiv started borrowing huge international aid for funding govt. schemes. By earlier 90’s , the economy became very poor & on the verge of collapse due to the meritorious , upper caste , Brahmins rule. India was on the verge of debt trap( i.e. borrowing for the sake of paying). It was Dr.Manmohan Singh ( a non Brahmin ) who created an about turn in economy which is an tremendous achievement of a non hindu.
BJP won on the issue of nationalism. It’s a pro hindu party. They sowed the seeds of another partition & hindu muslim separation by demolishing Babri mosque. Their govt in Gujrat killed 2000 – 3000 people on false pretext. Their skeletons are still being found. BJP started selling assets of country in the name of sick companies divestment. Instead they hurriedly sold off best & highly profitable companies such as VSNL at low price. These companies will be eventually be bought by multinationals. This is meritorious , upper caste hindu rule.
DALIT COUNTRY’S PROGRESS?
Pakistan is a consequence of this rigid hindu exploitative attitude only. Considering that earlier only SC/ST/OBC people became muslims , Pakistan maybe considered as a country of converted dalits & backwards.They have 6% reservation for scheduled caste. Today Pakistan is progressive. There may be issues of disagreements between India & Pak , but their origins lie in vote bank politics/ power on both sides. The politicians today are very keen on developing good understanding between two because peace means progress. Today Pakis have satellite launching capability, nuclear arms , what not. Are not these dalit achievements ? Whereas in India we have people who eat rats for survival in bihar. Because thousands of crores of money released by govt. for welfare of SC/ST etc. ends up in wrong hands thru corruption by upper caste hindu politicians & bureaucrats for the purpose of filling pockets of parties & also theirs. And may be going out to swiss a/c for funding elections. How it happens is very organized, schemes are created, run and completed on paper only. False receipts are generated. Ask the govt & they will show statistics having details of grand achievements in welfare. Earlier PM Rajiv Gandhi himself admitted that only 10% money reaches the needy & poor. And the poor remains poor. The ruling upper class has maintained a vulture like attitude as always. If there is a disaster (earthquake, displacement by big dams, typhoons, tsunami , disease, poison gas tragedy etc.) , the upper caste politicians & bureaucrats become very happy & get themselves involved in it. Why? the aid will be cornered to fill their pockets thru corruption / false receipts. The most visible sign of such corruption is very poor condition of roads in the interiors of India considering that huge funds are available to state govts. So much that they are not even able to spend them. Some people say that SC/ST people are also in power & bureaucracy. But they don’t know that such people are always given unimportant positions, ignored & kept in postings of trivial matters.
REPRESSION OF LOW CASTES GOES ON
In rural areas couples are killed by village authorities (panchayats) just for love & marriage between low & high caste.
In Haryana 5 dalits were killed just because they were transporting naturally died cows 5 years back.
The low caste people attending colleges are deliberately given low grades/marks by including their failure grades in averaging since their identities are known.. Example : a student gets A grade in 3rd attempt so gets fail(0) fail(0) A grade(100) => (0 0 100)/3 = 33% marks only while possessing A grade knowledge (IITs etc). Similarly in PG entrance in AIIMS , upper caste students get admission with low marks compared to low caste students due to monopoly & politics. Low castes are hardly given entrance to MD, only diploma is given. Gold medals in nearly all the medical colleges are politically influenced & given by college management to politically linked students.
MERIT OF UPPER CASTE
R.K.Sharma (Brahmin) IG , haryana(police chief) killed Shivani bhatnager by his own hands by telephone wire, & is in jail.
R.Sharma(Brahmin) police chief(Maharastra) shifted old printing blocks as scrap & ink also to print fake currency & stamp papers as good as original. Total worth more than 3000 CRORE.
One Brahmin Police IG, Orissa , sexually abused a poor tribal girl & shown on TV also using hidden camera in 2005.
One Sharma , a serial killer , killed many girls & had sex with their dead bodies later ( reported on TV on 28 may 06)
Manu Sharma (grand son of Shanker dayal Sharma ) killed Jessica Lal in a pub just for a drink.
Dr. Saptarishi Dey in Calcutta sexually exploited his patients in the name of rehabilitation.25 May 06.
Amarmani tripathi ex,minister UP, conspired to kill Madhumita , ex lover.
EARLIER SANSKRIT WAS A MONOPOLIZING MEDIUM
Manu smiriti was also written in the hindu dark age after Buddhism which says that if a shudra listens to even a single word of Vedas , molten lead should be poured into his ears. In other words education was made a monopoly of aryan upper caste which exists even today in the form of public schools. In those times Sanskrit was used as a medium to monopolize education because it was a difficult language. Its interpretation was given only by Brahmins so whatever they said u have to believe it. For example every translation of Gita in Hindi is different.
TODAY ENGLISH IS THE MONOPOLIZING MEDIUM
Today English is used for monopolizing education. All higher education is in English. Most low caste & backward people study in government school which teach in hindi/local language in the name of matra bhasha (Mother tongue). In UP even BSc is taught in hindi. When such students take exams of engineering , medical , IIM etc. they r always at the bottom. Mother tongue should be respected & taught at small scale. But not in this manner of making poor SC/ST/OBC people intellectually handicap. The public schools (actually private) interview the students and their parents. Parents have to fill a form which requires them to reveal their economic & social status, links with politicians & bureaucrats. In other words schools want to know their caste for the purpose of filtering them out. This is Upper Caste Aryan Hindu Apartheid rule even today in the form of so called merit. We deplore it. This is Goondaism.
The Ashok Chakra in Indian flag is Buddhist sign it represents a great meritorious rule by a shudra king Ashoka which established after defeating europians (Alexander) which spanned from Afghanistan to Burma.
YES LOW CASTE WERE TRULY MERITORIUS WE ARE PROUD OF IT.
Come out from the darkness of Hindu exploitation who will dump u when u r in need.
NAMO BUDDHAYE
Buddham Sharnam Gacchami
Dhammam Sharnam Gacchami
Sangham Sharnam Gacchami
Extracts from the Manusmriti
The great sages approached Manu, who was seated with a collected mind, and, having duly worshipped him, spoke as follows:
Divine one, to declare to us precisely and in due order the sacred laws of each of the [four] castes [varnas] and of the intermediate ones.
For the sake of the prosperity of the worlds he [Brahma] caused the Brahmin, the Kshatriya, the Vaisya and the Shudra to proceed forth from his mouth, his arms, his thighs and his feet. But in order to protect this universe, He, the most resplendent one[Brahma], assigned separate [duties and] occupations to those who sprang from his mouth, arms, thighs and feet.
To Brahmins he assigned teaching and studying [the Veda], sacrificing for their own benefit and for others, giving and accepting [of alms].
The Kshatriya he commanded to protect the people, to bestow gifts, to offer sacrifices, to study [the Veda], and to abstain from attaching himself to sensual pleasures.
The Vaisya to tend cattle, to bestow gifts, to offer sacrifices, to study [the Veda], to trade, to lend money, and to cultivate land.
One occupation only the lord prescribed to the Shudra, to serve meekly even these [other] three castes.
The Brahmin, Kshatriya and the Vaishya castes are the twice-born ones, but the fourth, the Shudra, has one birth only.
On account of his preeminence, on account of the superiority of his origin, on account of his observance of restrictive rules and on account of his particular sanctification, the Brahmin is the lord of [all] castes.
Let the three twice-born castes, discharging their [prescribed] duties, study [the Veda], but among them the Brahmin [alone] shall teach it, not the other two; that is an established rule.
As the Brahmin sprang from [Brahman’s] mouth, as he was the first-born, and as he possesses the Veda, he is by right the lord of this whole creation. A Brahmin, coming into existence, is born the highest on earth, the lord of all created beings, for the protection of the treasury of the law. Whatever exists in the world is the property of the Brahmin. On account of the excellence of his origin the Brahmin is, indeed, entitled to all.
Whatever law has been ordained for any [person] by Manu, that has been fully declared in the Veda, for that [sage was] omniscient.
Knowledge is the austerity of the Brahmin, protecting is the austerity of the Kshatriya, his daily business is the austerity of the Vaisya, and service [of the ‘upper’ castes] the austerity of a Shudra.
Let [the first part of] a Brahmin’s name [denote something] auspicious, a Kshatriya’s be connected with power, and a Vaisya’s with wealth, but a Shudra’s [express something] contemptible. [The second part of] a Brahmin’s [name] shall be [a word] implying happiness, of a Kshatriya’s [a word] implying protection, of a Vaisya’s [a term] expressive of thriving, and of a Shudra’s [an expression] denoting service.
Kshatriyas prosper not without Brahmins [and] Brahmins prosper not without Kshatriyas. Brahmins and Kshatriyas, being closely united, prosper in this [world] and in the next. But to serve Brahmins [who are] learned in the Vedas, householders and famous [for virtue] is the highest duty of a Shudra, which leads to beatitude. [A Shudra who is] pure, the servant of his betters, gentle in speech and free from pride and always seeks refuge with Brahmins, attains [in his next life] a higher caste.
The whole world is kept in order by punishment . [So] let him [the king] act with justice in his own domains, chastise his enemies, behave without duplicity towards his friends, and be lenient towards the Brahmins. The king has been created [to be] the protector of the castes and orders, who, all according to their rank, discharge their several duties. Let the king, after rising early in the morning, worship the Brahmins who are well-versed in the three-fold sacred science and learned and follow their advice . Though dying [with want] a king must not levy a tax on Srotriyas (priests) and no Srotriya residing in his kingdom must perish from hunger.
A king, desirous of investigating law cases, must enter his court of justice, preserving a dignified demeanor, together with Brahmins and with experienced councilors . A Brahmin who subsists only by the name of his caste or one who merely calls himself a Brahmin may, at the king’s pleasure, interpret the law to him, but never a Shudra. The kingdom of that monarch who looks on while a Shudra settles the law will sink [low] like a cow in a morass. That kingdom where Shudras are very numerous, which is infested by atheists and destitute of twice-born (’upper’ caste) [inhabitants], soon entirely perishes, afflicted by famine and disease.
[The king] should carefully compel Vaisyas and Shudras to perform the work [prescribed] for them; for if these two [castes] swerved from their duties, they would throw this [whole] world into confusion.
A Kshatriya, having defamed a Brahmin, shall be fined one hundred [panas]; a Vaisya one hundred and fifty or two hundred; a Shudra shall suffer corporal punishment.
A once-born man (Shudra) who insults a twice-born (’upper’ caste) man with gross invective, shall have his tongue cut out, for he is of low origin. If he mentions the names and castes of the [’twice-born’] with contempt, an iron nail, ten fingers long, shall be thrust red-hot into his mouth. If he [a Shudra] arrogantly teaches Brahmins their duty, the king shall cause hot oil to be poured into his mouth and into his ears.
A low-caste man who tries to place himself on the same seat with a man of high caste shall be branded on his hip and be banished, or [the king] shall cause his buttock to be gashed. (Any form of punishment for this ‘crime’).
If out of arrogance he [a Shudra] spits [on a superior] the king shall cause both his lips to be cut off.
If he [a Shudra] lays hold of the hair [of a superior] let the [king] unhesitatingly cut off his hands.
He who strikes [a Brahmin] even with a blade of grass . shall appease him by a prostration. But he who, intending to hurt a Brahmin, threatens [him with a stick and the like] shall remain in hell for a hundred years; he who [actually] strikes him [shall remain in hell] for a thousand years.
A Chandala (the ‘lowest’ caste), a village pig, a cock, a dog, a menstruating women and a eunuch must not look at the Brahmins when they eat.
Let him [a Brahmin] not dwell in a country where the rulers are Shudras . nor in one swarming with men of the lowest caste . Let him not give advice to a Shudra . for he who explains the sacred law [to a Shudra] or dictates him to a penance will sink together with that [man] into the hell [called] Asamvrita. Let him not recite [the Vedas] indistinctly, nor in the presence of Shudras .
When he [a Brahmin] has touched a Chandala, a menstruating woman, an outcast, a woman in childbed, a corpse or one who has touched [a corpse], he becomes pure by bathing . Let him not allow a dead Brahmin to be carried out by a Shudra while men of the same caste are at hand, for that burnt offering which is defiled by a Shudra’s touch is detrimental to [the deceased’s passage to] heaven.
A Brahmin who unintentionally approaches a woman of the Chandala or of [any other] very low caste, who eats [the food of such persons] and accepts [gifts from them] becomes an outcast, but [if he does it] intentionally he becomes their equal.
The dwellings of Chandalas and Svapakas [people of very ‘low’ caste] shall be outside the village and their wealth [shall be] dogs and donkeys. Their dress [shall be] the garments of the dead, [they shall eat] their food from broken dishes, black iron [shall be] their ornaments, and they must always wander from place to place . At night they shall not walk about in villages and in towns. By day they may go about for the purpose of their work, distinguished by marks at the king’s command, and they shall carry out the corpses [of persons] who have no relatives-that is a settled rule.
A man of low caste, who, through covetousness, lives by the occupations of a higher one, the king shall deprive of his property and banish. It is better to [discharge] one’s own [appointed caste] duty incompletely than to perform completely that of another; for he who lives according to the law of another [caste] is instantly excluded from his own . Let a [Shudra] serve Brahmins, either for the sake of heaven or with a view to both [this life and the next], for he who is called the servant of a Brahmin thereby gains all his ends. The service of Brahmins alone is declared [to be] an excellent occupation for a Shudra, for whatever else besides this he may perform will bear him no fruit.
No collection of wealth must be made a Shudra, even though he be able [to do it], for a Shudra who has acquired wealth gives pain to Brahmins.
He who has associated with outcasts, he who has approached the wives of other men and he who has stolen the property of a Brahmin becomes [after death] a brahmarakshas [fierce devil].
It is declared that a Shudra woman alone [can be] the wife of a Shudra, she and one of his own caste [the wives] of a Vaishya, those two and one of his own caste [the wives] of a Kshatriya, those three and one of his own caste [the wives] of a Brahmin . Twice-born (’upper’ caste) men, who, in their folly, wed wives of the low [Shudra] caste soon degrade their families and their children to the state of Shudras. According to Atri and to [Gautama] the son of Uthaya, he who weds a Shudra woman becomes an outcast . A Brahmin who takes a Shudra wife to his bed will [after death] sink into hell; if he begets a child by her he will lose the rank of a Brahmin.
A [man of ] low [caste] who makes love to a maiden [of] the highest [caste] shall suffer corporal punishment.
The property of a Brahmin must never be taken by the king, that is a settled rule; but [the property of men] of other castes the king may take on failure of all [heirs].
Let the king corporally punish all those [persons] who either gamble and bet or afford [an opportunity for it], likewise Shudras who assume the distinctive marks of twice-born [men].
Never slay a Brahmin, though he [may] have committed all [possible] crimes . No greater crime is known on earth than slaying a Brahmin. A king, therefore, must not even conceive in his mind the thought of killing a Brahmin.
A Brahmin, be he ignorant or learned, is a great divinity, just as the fire, whether carried forth [for the performance of a sacrifice] or not carried forth, is a great divinity. Thus, though Brahmins employ themselves in all [sorts of] mean occupations they must be honoured in every way, for [each of] them is a very great deity.
[The king] should order a Vaisya to trade, to lend money, to cultivate the land or to tend cattle, and a Shudra to serve the twice-born castes . A Brahmin who, because he is powerful, out of greed makes initiated [men of the] twice-born [castes] against their will to do the work of slaves, shall be fined by the king six hundred [panas]. But a Shudra, whether bought or not bought, he may compel to do servile work, for he was created by the Self-Existent (swayambhu) to be the slave of a Brahmin. A Shudra, though emancipated by his master, is not released from servitude; since that is innate in him, who can set him free?
A Brahmin may confidently seize the goods of [his] Shudra [slave], for, as that [slave] can have no property, his master may take his possessions . That sinful man, who, through covetousness, seizes the property of the gods or the property of Brahmins feeds in another world on the leavings of vultures. The Brahmin is declared [to be] the creator [of the world], the punisher, the teacher [and hence] a benefactor [of all created beings], to him let no man say anything unpropitious nor use any harsh worlds.