shUdra challenges to hierarchy
Abhinavagupta on varNavyavasthA : “कृतयुगे सत्त्वोत्कर्षबलादेव सर्वः स्वधर्ममनुपालयति । अद्यत्वे तु राजसत्वाच्छूद्रप्रकाराः करणादिजातीयाः सर्वेऽखर्वगर्वाक्रान्ता वर्णत्रयानुवृत्तिं न विदधते । शास्त्रं भवद्भ्य एवमादिशतीति च ते वचनमात्रेण नाद्रियन्ते । " (Natyashastra, chapter. 1)
- “In the kRtayuga, everyone was dominated by the attribute of sattva and therefore performed his/her respective duties. But in these times, sub-castes among shUdra-s such as the karaNa are dominated by rajas. Gripped by excessive pride, they do not obey the other 3 varNa-s “This is what the shastra-s enjoin for you” - this, they acknowledge not even at the level of words.”
Education and jAti
- see background here.
- In south India, shUdra courtezans like madhuravANI were highly learned in the shAstra-s and accomplished poets. (SG1, SG2 ). Same with devadAsI-s.
- “Sri Narayana Guru discusses how his Ezhava ancestors studied and authored medical texts in Sanskrit. Likewise, Balasaraswathi recounts that even 400 years ago, her ancestors from the Isai Vellaala caste (an MBC caste) authored treatises in music in Sanskrit and Tamil.”
- An account of education in early 1800-s in Bengal - GB.
- shUdra women (albeit princesses) did have excellent access to sanskrit. (eg. mallamma linked below).
- Beuatiful tree pg 311: “The Vaidyas or medical tribe, and even some rich Kayasthas, are permitted to study such portions of Sanskrit literature as have been composed by wise men; but they are excluded from whatever is supposed to be of divine origin and authority. “.
Untouchability
- The objectionable aspects of the jAti-system is now a thing of the past in much of urban India, while it persists in parts of rural India.
- “Dalit writer Chandrabhan Prasad pointed out in an article that of the 1.81 lakh schools in the state of Uttar Pradesh, barely in one thousand schools had non-Dalit children refused to eat the food cooked by non-Dalits, which reflects the rapidly changing social equations at the ground level in the heartland state of Uttar Pradesh. [Source: Chandrabhan Prasad, ‘Caste revolution’, The Sunday Pioneer (Foray), p V].”
- “Numerous Hindu saints and savants like Guru Ravidas, Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh tirelessly worked for eradication of untouchability. The great saint Ramanuja of South India (1017-1137) openly condemned untouchablity and adopted many so-called untouchables as his disciples. In Andhra Pradesh, Veera Brahmendra Swamy (10th century) campaigned against the evil, while Basavesvara, a minister of a Kalachuri king (1131-1167 A D) vigorously fought this practice. Again in Andhra, a minister Brahmananda Naidu of Paindu (14th century A D) had openly condemned the evil practice and even appointed an “untouchable” Hindu, named Chenna, as chief of his army.” [source]
jAti position relative to mlecCha-s
- mlecCha-s were in many cases treated better than the lowest strata of the native society. This made sense since they brought with them military and economic power which hindus wanted to deal with, and since they were located outside India.
- This proved mal-adaptive when the mlecCha-s started living and breeding in the Arya lands. For example: A low-jAti person converted to a muslim or christian would be treated much better. This contributed to their increase in numbers. (../More here.)
- In other cases, mlecCha-s were treated on par with the lowest strata of native society. Example: British lynching in Kerala,
shUdra saints
shUdra kShatriyas
- In practice, śūdra-s came to found many a dynasty.
- This de-facto rulership was acknowledged and regulated by the ever flexible dharmaśāstra-s. (Relevant observations of PV Kane here