Still recovering from the shock and sadness of all that Uttarakhand, India has been through during this month. Thinking about how all those people may have come with a desire to find a pious environment of the shrines, and the sights of the natural hot springs and the raging waves of Madakini. But everyone's karma gets back to them in one way or another; and as a modern science student, it only makes sense that the infrastructure had been old, weak and deteriorated and led the demolition of an entire city. But is there something higher than just the science, the numbers, and the politics? As a Hindu, it only makes sense to say that everyone's karma comes back to them in one way or another. Further, the shrines and temples in Uttarakhand are of Lord Shiva. He is known as the the 'Destroyer (of evil)' in the universe and is one of the three fundamental gods in Hindu religion and mythology.
Along with those thoughts, I had another interesting conversation with my father today upon Hinduism. We started talking about things makes people connect with each other (as acquaintances/friends) and what is it that really makes individuals come closer to some others and/or virtually repel from others. Obviously, he said it begins with what we say. With our bodies and our tongues because as soon as you say or do something that the other person recognizes as their own reaction also, they will react as well (hopefully in a positive way). Also, there's one more thing that connects us - thoughts. People are attracted to others who have similar or at least complementary thinking patterns.
Then we started talking about people in India and how the history shows segregation of people since the very beginnings. We talked about the caste systems and what they mean. In many of the interpretations of this system, it looks to be one made by the powerful thinkers that have tried to keep their power among themselves. However, another insight into this system had been offered to me today via this conversation. The differentiation of people had been done for people to associate with others of similar thoughts and interests.. NOT social stature, nor for sharing their economic class on the hierarchy we see everywhere today!
And then the realization comes that some generations must have poisoned the system by their selfish motives to keep their clans up on these hierarchies that seemed to define success. THAT's when the Brahmins went higher and above all, and guess who hit the rock bottom? The Kshudra caste, the one that maintained, and nurtured the society when it was at an all-time low! The care-takers of the societies got pummeled down to becoming the 'untouchables' of the same society!
So, where were we before all this? The caste system was meant to bring people of similar thoughts and interests together as I mentioned earlier. No one was above or below any other. Brahmins were lovers of learning! While Vaniyas were virtually born to do business. The Kshatriyas were born with fire in their hearts and strength in their bodies and so they became the defenders of this society. The Kshudras were sensitive beings who empathized with others in the society and cared for every person to the best of their abilities. For a second there, the scientist in me wondered how these people were so sure that two Brahnmin parents were going to have a child that was also a Brahnmin by their virtues and thoughts? And the answer was a simple yet powerful one. The virtues of a Brahmin were ones that had been the defining nature of any Brahmin even many generations back! In essence, these virtues and thoughts were inherent in any person who wanted to learn more and more! Inherent values like an animal's but these were meant to bring similar minds together to better one-another in what you truly loved.
Of course I'm not a historian, nor a successor of one. So, I do not know how accurate this is but I believe it has a great degree of truth in it and the lessons it holds are more relevant than the facts themselves. So, let's think ourselves to becoming the genuine person we've set out to become!
-Dévarsh Pandya-
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