EVOLUTION OF CASTEISM

Evolution of Casteism

Casteism, is the purest form of racism practiced by Hindus in India. Simply put, it a way of dividing people as haves and have-nots.

It originated, flourished and still exists in India. Amongst the illiterate, it reigns like the ultimate law and guiding principle of life. They practice casteism openly as if it is the right way of life and think there is nothing wrong with it. Among the educated, casteism lurks just under the skin. They don’t express it openly. They know it does not mean much. But they are guided by it.

Marriages normally happen only within the caste. If not, the bride and groom are looked down upon as strange creatures and become moving targets for the rest for sadistic fun. Sometimes they even get assaulted, the girl get gang raped and even killed by angry mobs consisting of jealous ordinary males whom the bride had ignored / spurned as her choice male has resemblance to a filmy hero compared to the rest.

Other nations and religions watch this Hindu circus of casteism with amazement and disbelief. They can’t figure out why an Indian looks down upon another Indian whereas standing together and helping each other is a better way to live as everyone else does. They conclude that their nations / religions are better compared to these mad practices in India / Hinduism.

There is no escape from this for Hindus. Politicians grow and catch fish in these muddy waters. They try to appease the religions and castes by posturing / announcing policies favourable to them. Reservations are made accordingly for religions and castes for Govt jobs or seats in educational institutions overlooking merits.

Pleased, the followers of that religion / caste votes for the political party which stand by their concern. Political leaders, in general, live happily for their elected term making money in the sly by allotting tenders of developmental works to facade companies floated by their own friends and relatives. Or by buying land in advance in areas where a new project / road / airport is likely to be announced, to which they get insider information. Everyone is happy in this circus.

Other nationals wonder at this circus in Incredible India and ask. What is casteism? How did it originate? What is the purpose of practicing it ?

I have the following information.

Ancient India was called Bharat. 'Bha' means intellect. 'rath' means to enjoy.  Meaning, the land of people who enjoyed intellectual activities. This indicates that there could have been lands at that time where people indulged more in bodily enjoyments than intellectual. Evidence is available that Egyptians tried to preserve dead bodies in highly secure pyramids possibly anticipating a rebirth in future, because they wanted to enjoy further. The Africans were hunters at that time. Might was right in jungle law. It remained as ‘the dark continent’.

The white continent (Europe) on the contrary made rapid strides in science and technology. They were aggressive and dominating may be because of the better looks, white skin colour, physique and associated virtues. They concentrated on the external world and devised methods to make use of it to further the living standards. Most, if not all, the scientific discoveries happened because of this drive. In precision and finish of products, they excelled and still lead the world.

The whites found not much mystery in the world even though they wondered about it at times. According to them the universe 'somehow' started with a big bang and life started on earth due to conducive circumstances and chemical reactions. Sir Charles Darwin correctly discovered that life originated in water probably as a one celled amoeba which developed into multi celled organisms like sea weeds and fish which migrated to land and graduated into living things on land like trees, animals including monkeys and finally into human beings.

The evolution from monkey to man is clearly understandable. The body structure of monkey has clear similarities with a human body than any other animal. Imagine a bull, which also has the five senses in its head as a man but a huge stomach and four legs, transforming itself into a man. First of all it has to stand up in two legs, reduce the stomach and contract the head to have any resemblance to a man. So it is logical to assume that the amoeba split itself into many to become micro organisms, trees, animals, fish etc.

This did not happen over night with a big bang explosion but over millions of years of constant intelligent and conscious slow evolution. The end product (human shape) was very clear to that amoeba! That was to have a body with legs to move, reasonably sized stomach to digest food, hands to work and a head where the five senses were fitted in an aesthetic way which will not at least scare the others !

Amoeba to human being ! That was a long journey indeed.

No reason is identified or attributed to this apparently conscious or intelligent evolution from a single cell amoeba, which apparently knew nothing more than absorbing water and air and reproducing, into a fully grown human being which can see, smell, hear, touch and taste and even think. The reason of evolution is thus not clearly understood / explained how and why.

For example why did the amoeba not grow into a huge mass of cell clusters that filled all waters than evolving into various forms like trees, animals, fish etc including a human form? Is something behind these ostensibly natural and logical transformations?

Or all these just some unexplained phenomena that can happen just like that ?

Who has the time to think of all this? We are born. Lets find a sexy mate and have a ball. Let the mad ones go after these doubts. We have no doubts. Life is to be enjoyed before it runs out. So it is better to make money and have a good life than thinking about amoeba, of all things !

The whites think of the likelihood of aliens coming to earth in flying saucers. The religions say there would be a day of judgement where people would be paraded (possibly in formal wear covering all body parts) before the creator and they would be blessed or spanked according to their deeds. We have to die one day anyway. In short, the future is not very bright ! So don’t think of the future. Enjoy life right now, right here.

This is the outward growth of human beings. Excellent looking bodies, sharp intellects, healthy-wealthy, science and  technology assisted comfortable life. The whites win hands down in this race. They have sent rockets to the outer space. On the other hand they split the atom. They wanted to know everything in detail. Hats off to this inquisitiveness. The entire humanity benefited from their efforts.

What did the ancient Indians do?

While others were looking outward, the ancient Indians were looking inwards. They apparently did not think that the bodily pleasures need to be pursued so passionately. They indulged more into intellectual pleasures. Pleasures of the brain and mind.

While the Europeans searched the (external) universe from right from the innermost atom to the outermost galaxy and amassed information, the Indians searched the (internal) mind inside out and found it to be really boggling ! They realised that life occurs due to the desires / instincts in mind. If there is no more desire in mind, there is no more life.

They were surprised to find that life as such is not exactly a desirable thing to cherish for. Rather it happens due to the weaknesses in mind. If the mind is strengthened and made devoid of desires and attachments, then it can break free from the body and the world. This is something like the velocity required by rockets to break the gravitational field. While living we fail to recognise the gravitation. But it is there and is the reason for holding us to the ground ! Similarly the inner world of mind also is in the gravitational effect of the things and persons we like. We simply cant break free and escape from their attractive forces !

Life is not dependent on external things but on the state of the mind. Therefore life can be controlled by simply controlling the mind rather than crying over fate or blaming others for someone’s failure. Simply put, the little known mind is ultimately responsible or the cause of all you do ! And it can be regulated inwardly in mind, the starting point itself or outwardly by leading a conscious righteous life. Life can be experienced the correct way with the correct meaning if one can understand the mind the right way.

Mind is merged in the body. The mind identifies itself with the body first. While in life, the mind may get attached to something or someone which it may find desirable and try to possess it. If one can control the desires and detach the mind from objects and persons, then the mind would become free. For this it is required to make the mind aware that the external objects and persons are not to be considered as ‘my own’ since these are of temporary existence. Like the objects, love the people by all means. But never allow the mind to take possession. Getting attached to objects and individuals is the reason for all worries. Because the mind does not want to let go off the attachments. 

The mind has trapped you without you knowing about it. You make your own high security prison from where you simply cannot escape and start taking care of your own prison where you will be hanged in the end ! This is called life !

Do you understand?

The world and people and all happenings on it can be viewed in the intrinsic way it is, if the mind is free, clean and unpolluted by emotions or warped by attachments.

That was not the end. The mind after freeing itself from the attachments and desires can merge with an existential presence known and felt as consciousness. After this merger, only the consciousness remains. The mind is no more. The body may still be there. But it becomes immaterial whether the body exists or not. Only the consciousness which is not bound by time (death) or space (body) would  remain.

No mind. No world. No body. If you can become nobody then only the consciousness remains. Rest are all perishable time and space bound fleeting images. Like an unending movie, the consciousness witnesses the happenings in this universe. One can transcend time (death) by detaching the mind from the world (space). This is called Samadhi or salvation or becoming one with God for eternal life

Having found the normally invisible other end of the mind (consciousness) from this visible end (the body), the Indian Rishis further dwelled into the consciousness to find out its character, nature and qualities.

The following startling information is available in records.

1). Consciousness is complete by itself and is not dependent on anything else. Everything else actually depends on it.

2). Consciousness is formless and can’t be experienced by the senses. It cannot be seen by eyes, heard by ears, touched by skin, tasted by tongue or smelt by nose.

3). It is all pervading and infinite not bound by space and time.

4). Time and space are its creation, nay, to use the appropriate word, manifestation. The universe is the manifestation of the unlimited consciousness into limited time and space. Matter is actually not real but only appears to be real when the consciousness is at the body level. That is when we know the body is present, the world is also present. When the body consciousness is gone, the world is also gone. Only the consciousness is permanent, exists at all times and hence real (Sat - True). Body / Matter / the universe is not permanent and hence unreal (Asat - Maya).

5). Consciousness is not affected by the material world or influenced by emotions in mind like fear and desire. Emotions happen only when the mind is connected to a body and its senses. These emotions as well as the body are dependent on the consciousness to experience the world. Consciousness is not dependent on the universe or bodies. The universe is dependent on the consciousness.

6). The matter and life forms (universe) are born from it. The universe is time and space bound and hence is limited and perishable. Consciousness is not. It exists. It always existed. It would exist in future as well. Universe is an expression of the consciousness, may be to experience its own majesty and abundance. Universes happen when the consciousness so desires. That is from a mere wish of the consciousness, a universe can originate. So much is its power, knowledge and command.

7). Universes keep on happening. There is no beginning or end. Beginning and end can be spotted / measured only in time. As consciousness is beyond time, it has no beginning or end. This may not be properly understood by those remaining in space and time.

8). Consciousness is full of knowledge. It knows everything.

9). Consciousness is condensed happiness also called bliss. The pleasures and ecstasy that humans feel (animals also feel, that is why they make apparently mad advances to mate, to feel pleasure) during love making and at the climax of intercourse is just a flash of that bliss. It is a state of ecstasy 24 x 7 without break or end.

10). Consciousness is all powerful. It has all the powers that we know of and unlimited more as hidden. Matter is actually a condensed form of energy (Albert Einstein discovered this as E = Mc^2)

11). Consciousness is to be experienced to know it. It cannot be described or understood through a medium called language developed by bodies in space and time. At the body level we experience consciousness of the body. In the mind when we think, we feel consciousness of the mind. Normally people experience these two states; consciousness of body and mind. While sleeping the mind rests with the consciousness. The body consciousness is forgotten. Mind may still be active and we see the dreams. Dreams are either pending desires or future plans alive in mind.

If you can be awake when you are asleep then one can feel consciousness of consciousness! This is not a paradox or an impossible state of body and mind. Sleep is an unconscious state of the body. During sleep the mind lets go off the body consciousness and rests with the consciousness. One remembers that he slept well after an uninterrupted sleep. How? The consciousness was awake while ‘he’ (the body mind combo) was asleep. It is always awake. Otherwise we would have died by forgetting to breathe ! ‘His’ mind rested in consciousness after the mind lost consciousness about the body. So ‘he’ remembered that ‘he’ slept.

Never knew that the normal sleep is so complicated !

Sleep condition can be artificially created by consciously making the mind rest in consciousness without losing the body consciousness. This can be achieved by meditation. Then the mind and body can be said to be consciously at rest. If this state can be continued for long, then the mind would finally merge completely with the consciousness and only the consciousness would remain.

12). There is only one way to reach the consciousness. That is  through the mind. Mind is not a cosmic thing. Body very much is. The different status of people is because they think differently or their state of mind are different. Body wise all are equal. That is all have a perishable body with senses.

The mind simply does not belong to this world. It is a tool of the divine consciousness to know about the world. Being directly associated with the divine consciousness, the mind has access to mysterious powers which may appear magical and beyond the physical world to normal people. Half wit God-men might misuse these powers to attract followers and live off their expense. Actually, these powers can be accessed by these followers directly from the consciousness than falling pray to the God-men and becoming their slaves. They only have to try and clean the mind so that the consciousness shines brighter through the mind.

Mind emanates from the formless, consciousness, and ends at the form, the body. It is like an umbilical cord or a bridge from consciousness to the body. Mind is the connecting medium between God and the Universe. God is formless and invisible and Universe is vast and visible. These are the two sides of the same entity. At one side it is noisy, vast with different forms and activities. On the other it is silent, of nil size and no activity. One end of the mind bridge is at this world. The other end is at the consciousness.

One can traverse this mind bridge by detaching the consciousness of the body and reach the base of pure consciousness. One would realise the true self and become indescribably happy because there is nothing more to fear, even death. No more desires to be chased. No more enemies or competitors. Consciousness is all alone and contented in itself.

The universe is its own creation, expression or manifestation. It has nothing to be gained from the universe. On the other hand the universe depends on it for its very existence. Wise people thus drop every attachment in the objects and people in the world and merge with the consciousness as early as possible. Ignorant ones continue to chase the objects and people and try to be a winner among the chasers. They face misery, fear, jealousy and finally experience death. One is light. The other is darkness. Once the light is reached then there is no more darkness. Darkness actually does not exist. It is the absence of light.

One can reach this original state and be one with the consciousness by shedding the body consciousness and making the mind free of emotions and attachments.

13). The mind is filled with instincts, temptations and paths to enjoyment by none other than the consciousness itself as if an attempt to divert the attention of the seeker. Knowing the consciousness appears tough but experiencing and enjoying the pleasures in the world appears easy ! This quality of the consciousness reveals its fun loving nature (Remember the mischiefs of Krishna who is introduced as incarnation of the consciousness to show how a complete man would behave).

God is not at all scary or sadistic as some religions wrongly interpret. It is all love and peace and good fun to those good at heart. Others might find it fearsome. That is their won fault !

14). Consciousness has no sex. It is neither male nor female. These discriminations occur only at the body level or human stage. Both male and female forms have emanated from it for procreation and continuity. Male and female are thus equal in all respects. Actually more than that. Male and female roles can be interchanged after death.

Male and female are the two halves of a full one. That is why they try to unite and feel complete. But union of bodies does not last as bodies themselves do not last. Better union is realised at the mind level when the male and female minds are in agreement. As in the case of lovers. Time and space would be botheration for the beloveds. Still the dualism would remain as they cannot continue this union for ever due to constraints.  An understanding couple feel love on their love child. The three together become a single unit. This also will not last, unfortunately. Because the mind never settles for ever.

The ultimate union is realised at the base consciousness beyond the body and even the mind. There, both simply merge into each other and only the consciousness remains. Body and mind are forgotten.

If the male and Male chauvinists, who like to see females as subordinate slave bodies made by the creator for his enjoyment only, may please have a reality check. Your birth in a male body itself is not a permanent phenomenon. It can change very soon. The female that you harassed can very well be your next husband when you get a female body ! So try to respect women this time. Or get everything back with interest.

This is a game of equals. Those who think otherwise, let me once again remind that the physical assets are not your real worth. It does not make one superior to another. Because all are equal and originated from the same consciousness. If one is harmed for your growth, just remember that there would be a reverse cycle where you would be subjected to feel how the other guy felt last time. Having realised the mistake, you can apologise to the enemy and together you can rest at the consciousness.

The name of this live interactive game is called life. This is a real life movie. No tickets required. Watch this at your home itself in 3D. Scripted, Directed, Produced, Acted and also Watched by a single entity who do not want to be disclosed! Play the game of life and know its maker. It is none other than your self.  You think you are different from it. You only ‘think’ so. Actually you are not. Your thoughts have no base.

To tell you a scary truth ! You are not actually there ! Believe it or not.

15). Consciousness is pure love. It can only love. Hate is the absence of it like the darkness is absence of light. If you feel real love for something or someone (not lust or desire but genuine liking), your mind has touched the inner end called consciousness. When you hate someone or something your mind has touched the other end, the body. These are the extreme ends that your mind can reach.

16). The consciousness is peace. Nothing can disturb it, Everything is dependent on it. Even if the earth suddenly plunges into the sun with all its life and history, the consciousness may not even blink an eyelid. Even if the entire universe explodes into dust or get absorbed into a black hole, the consciousness may just smile, if we can see it doing so. Because birth and death of universe is not a botheration for it. It wished let there be universe and it happened. It may or may not protect the universe. Its fate lies in the feeling of the universal consciousness. If unhappy, the consciousness may let the universe crumble. It may or may not create another universe. Consciousness is the emperor of emperors. Universe has nothing to offer it. Making universes is not a big laborious assignment for it. It does so by a mere wish.

The mind rests with the consciousness during sleep. That is why the mind becomes refreshed and feels comfortable in the morning. The calmness of consciousness soothes the mind. The consciousness takes the information provided by mind but leaves the pending desires as such.

17). It is the ultimate home of all living things. Life on earth happens to human beings because of the desires or weakness or urge to experience the world. Desire happens to objects and bodies which are considered of higher quality relative to the observer. Otherwise the observer would have desired worthless things as well. As we know it does not happen. When the desires are fulfilled completely the mind rests with the consciousness for ever. When desires prevail in mind, it takes bodies and experience life accordingly.

And so on and on and on ! The Indian Rishis swooned at the realisation that they are not actually fearful mortals but the master of this universe. There were no different masters for each realising soul but all converge at the only master. Something like the fingers in a palm. All fingers are part of the palm. The palm appears so because it accommodates all fingers. Or like all rivers merging at the sea. The identity as a river exists only when the water is in the river. At sea, the waters unite and form a big lump sum single identity. Individualities get erased.

Languages fail to describe the consciousness as the language is only communication media of the space time limited universe. The limited cannot measure the unlimited even though it can have some idea of what unlimited could be. To a spoon unlimited may mean a large cauldron ! To a buffalo unlimited may mean a huge buffalo as big as an elephant ! To a human being unlimited may appear to be a man with thousand heads and hands.

Unlimited is all these but still more. It is like measuring the ocean with a spoon. Consciousness is simply beyond description. Only some indicators can be made. The actual is to be actually experienced not just read, heard or talked about.

This amazing discovery was made by Indian Rishis simply by searching their own mind 10000 years ago. Rockets need not be fired up or the atoms need not be physically split by nuclear fission to achieve this. Anyone can experience this amazing truth about himself simply by searching the mind and understanding it. Anyone can try this at home.

To explain this awesome truth about ourselves to the illiterate people, they adopted a method of story telling where the emotions and feelings in mind are characterised as human beings. In Ramayan and Mahabharat, we come across such characters. They are not real ones. They never lived on earth. These epics are stories made by our grand parents to educate the grand children the amazing truth about themselves. In short these are ultimate science and psychology books about one’s mind and real self.

In Ramayan, the consciousness (soul) itself is characterised as a king (Rama) and mind as his queen (Sita) in Ramayan). Rama and Sita are husband and wife indicating that the mind is always attached to the soul. Ramayan means journey to Rama   (the word Rama literally meaning the one which exhilarates). Ravan is the state of human beings when the ten senses (picturised as ten heads) are active to enjoy the outer world. In such a state, the mind (Sita) can get lost in the material world such as getting attracted to beautiful / desirable things, like money, Gold, wealth, power, fame, fans, friends, relatives etc.

Ravan kidnaps Sita means a person’s mind can be lost if the senses are not in control. (He is out of his mind then !) Rama chops off each of the Ravan’s heads (controls the senses or shut out the senses from this world) and rescues Sita. The Mind thus get reunited with the soul.

In Mahabharat, the soul is characterised as Prince Krishna, and the mind as Arjun, his friend and a warrior prince. Here the mind is a close friend of the soul. In Ramayan, the mind was the wife of the soul. Any way they are very close friends.

Krishna is fun loving and even mischievous, which is a character of the consciousness. Only someone who has known consciousness well can vouch this ! Otherwise the story maker would have created a character Krishna with abundant powers and short temper, for example ! Or as someone who tries to find fault with people and punish them. Krishna always smiles in the story even at the most adverse circumstances. Because to someone or something that knows the true fleeting baseless nature of the world, everything is part of the fun. However Arjun get emotional very easily. I hope you get to know the qualities of the soul and mind. This is what our grand father wanted to teach us through a story.

Is there anything wrong if we fail to learn the truth about ourselves? One has to go through life and experience pleasures and sorrows and face death as a reality by living in the body consciousness level. One can transcend the body and mind and reach the consciousness if we know how to reach there. The path is to understand the mind and its motions. By winning or understanding one’s own mind, one becomes one with the true self which is eternal bliss. Failing to realise that one’s own mind is responsible for his life, might result in enmity with others seeing them as competitors than siblings, fear, unsatisfied desires, frustration, tension, jealousy and ultimately death.

Krishna wants Arjun to kill his friends, relatives and teacher in the decisive battle. Arjun Collapses at this prospect. Krishna tells him why it is required and what really the enemies are. The relatives of mind are its tendencies like;

1). Dhrita Rashtra (tendency to embrace property) who is blind.

2). Duryodhan (misuse of wealth)

3). Dussasan (Atrocities to women)

4). Bhishma (Fear)

5). Drona (Revenge)

6). Shakuni (Cunningness)etc 

and their friends and children (associated vices).

On realising the true nature of his own relatives, Arjun fights a brave battle and kills the enemies. Krishna and Arjun thus become together for ever. Meaning the mind rests with the soul.

Thus the Indian Rishis realised the truth about oneself and the universe 5000 years ago and recorded them in Vedas, Upanishads and the epics. They devised a way of life for the common people to slowly but surely reach the destination. This way of life based on Sanathan Dharma (Self righteousness) includes the following.

1). Play during childhood.

2). Celibacy and studies during puberty.

3). Earning wealth through righteous deeds while adult.

4). Marriage and family life, satisfying the desires.

5). Completing the duties as parent such as doing good to the others to help them also achieve the goal, educating the children, taking care of them and marrying them off.

6). After completion of the duties, one renounces the world and get into meditation (in forests as forests were available at that time).

7). Through meditation and practice of detachment and removal of desires from mind one realises salvation or union with the consciousness.

So the ancient Indians led such lives. There was no requirement of war and hence no weapons were invented. People were peaceful and God fearing. They were taught to respect the parents and Teachers as next to God. Children played and studied. Kings ruled like a servant to the people. It was a way of life called Sanathan Dharma. Other religions as and when they arrived branded it as another religion and named it as  Hinduism. The word ‘Hindu’ originated from the word ‘Indus’ a river which was the western boundary of the land where people practised Sanathan Dharma. The Himalayas was its northern boundary. Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal were the other boundaries. A truly naturally demarcated land which helped to keep others out from interfering with the land of peace.

In those times there were very few professions unlike today where we have many. The major ones in those times were;

1) Teaching and priesthood (who did this were called Brahmins. It simply refers to one engaged in academics and things related to God. In short those who were pious and not aggressive who did no harm to others but only helped others).

2). Soldiers of the king (called Kshatriya). It is like govt employees of today, who run the government. In those times only taxing, defence and keeping law and order were the functions of the king or government. So able bodied soldiers were required. These people were obviously not pious and calm as the Brahmins. They were strong and powerful and had to use physical strength to subdue miscreants or fight enemies or wild animals.

3). Traders and Merchants (Called Vysya). This category is neither as intelligent and pious as the Brahmins nor as strong and aggressive as the Kshatriyas but a mixture of both intelligence and strength. Traders had to travel with the merchandise through forests and had to face robbers and wild animals. They were adventurous and liked to travel.

4). Shudra (who engaged in labour, farming etc). they were probably the least intelligent, weakest bodied and least adventurous. They lived off menial jobs assigned to them by others and lived in the leaders’ shadows. They were not intelligent enough to learn with the Brahmins or strong enough to join the army or adventurous enough to become a trader.

These were the designations given to a particular profession in order to identify what the person does for a living and possibly to know more about their intelligence level, body size and strength and adventure quotient. Nothing more. Like we ask even today “what do you do?” and the reply would be “I am a doctor / farmer / scientist / Engineer / Architect / banker, businessman / driver / soldier / merchant / sweeper etc. We get to know his status of life and friends circle by knowing so.

In those times all these were not there to know. Whoever taught or did temple duties were called Brahmins. Whoever worked in the palace were Kshatriyas, whoever traded were Vysyas and whoever did manual jobs were Shudras. These jobs / professions were interchangeable. None can be born for a particular job category. When one reached adulthood and chose a profession according to his liking, he was referred to that profession.

Hence it was quite possible that a Brahmin priest’s able bodied aggressive son joining the King’s army and becoming a Kshatriya himself ! If someone asked him what his profession was he would say without hesitation “I am a Kshatriya” indicating he worked with the king (Government). What is his father? A Brahmin (Priest or teacher). There was no ambiguity in this. No paradox. A Vysya’s (merchant’s) son could very well become a priest or a teacher (Brahmin). You ask him what he does. The answer would be “I am a Brahmin” What is your father ? A Vysya. It was a designation of the profession and nothing more. Just a name given to his type of job.

How did this innocuous naming of a profession of countrymen degenerate into a racist division of the society called casteism?

The answer lies in the human mind. Its desires, tendencies, movements which the forefathers had warned their children to be careful about. The amazing grandparents had realised the common parent in the consciousness, saw the life on earth as a dance of the consciousness and the living things as just siblings, showed how lives are to be lived with ultimate regard to the others than himself and even advised to sacrifice everything including lives if required in favour of even total strangers in acts of selflessness.

Following this way of life to reach consciousness requires self control and understanding. It is far easier to listen to the mind and jump into the pleasures of life and live and die in ignorance.

The Hindu scriptures only talk about the human body, fitted with five knowledge senses (eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin) and five action senses (mouth to eat and speak, hands to work, legs to move, genitals to procreate and anus to discharge). All these ten senses when active is a state called ten headed monster king Ravan who likes to enjoy everything in the world.

Apart from body, there is Mind, Ego (the self identity of the body mind combo while living in the world) and the intellect. The soul or the consciousness lies beneath all these unknown.

The purpose of life as taught by the Indian Rishis is to realise the folly of getting attached to the objects and bodies in the world and wasting the life. Or realising the truth about oneself which is consciousness. Here there is no way of discriminating say between the body sizes or looks or colour or intelligence levels or profession of individuals.

Like bulbs of different watts glow at different luminosity, each individual had its own way of functioning. Some could be smarter and stronger and brighter but it did not mean that the duller and weaker ones were from another lesser consciousness. All belonged to the consciousness. If a brighter bulb can help a dimly lit bulb to burn brighter (by removing the stains and dirt in its cover – mind)

But these scriptures were not digested by the egoist selfish male chauvinists and those who could not simply control their urge to enjoy the world. Soon the path to consciousness was ignored and paths to enjoy the life more were cleared. Selfishness took over compassion. Sycophancy took over democracy. The rest is history. We are at the middle of this collapse. It cannot be stemmed without knowledge.

How it all started is interesting story of the human nature and his mind. It was like a dam burst. The values and systems carefully selflessly placed to guide the generations to the right path broke up and selfishness started its death dance.

This is the story of evolution of Casteism.

The ancient Indian Brahmins, while leading the lives based on Sanathan Dharma, slowly realised that by remaining teachers, they get respect and earn free living from the society which consist of humble God fearing people who regarded the Brahmins as next to God. Slowly their minds got attracted to their admirers and the promises and opportunities it offered than compared to the unending quest for unison with consciousness which required total selflessness and removal of desires and attachments, which were not easy to practice. Failures in reaching the goal was far far more than the success stories. So the minds went beyond control as the pleasures were overwhelmingly more desirable than realising some practically useless consciousness !

So the intelligent Brahmins invented the inheritance of profession theory whereby their children also would be known as Brahmins irrespective of the profession they actually did ! That way they ensured that their children also would get the same respect and free meals from the society consisting mainly of illiterate ignoramus. Even today this attitude can be seen among the people. The politicians’ children become politicians and form dynasties. Doctor’s children become doctors to run the hospital the parent doctor made. The businessmen’s children taking over business his parents so laboriously created. Etc. It was a convenient and may be practical way of keeping the generations in proximity and others at bay.

None could question the Brahmins in those times. Imagine a society consisting of ignorant uneducated people to whom the teachers and priests were next to God. To them everything that the Brahmins did was for their good. They trusted the Brahmins so blindly. Brahmins behaved like demi-Gods and exploited the ignorance of the followers including the rulers of the country ! 

If you notice, in Mahabharat, the God’s incarnation Krishna was born as a lower caste (Yadav) Prince. The story maker intentionally made him so to prove appoint that God is present in lower castes as well. Otherwise he could have very well made the Krishna character as born in a higher caste or preferably as a Brahmin to placate them. This was clearly not the intention.

The Brahmin’s ego might have risen as all others started bowing to them regarding them as learned ones. To the extent that even now in Brahmin homes, the Krishna Statue is either not worshipped or is placed in the Tulsi plant outside the   house ! Lower Castes should not be accommodated inside a Brahmin’s house ! My My ! This is the limit. The absolute limit.

The other upper castes followed suit. They supported the Brahmins in looking down upon the lower castes and started harassing and exploiting them. The lower castes were banned from civil life. They were given only slave status. They were taught that God blesses through the Brahmins only and to please Brahmins is the way to please God. Brahmins could be pleased by donating money, precious metals and jewels and fresh farm produce. A touch by the Brahmins was considered as a touch from the God.

So the Brahmins started blessing the lower caste females. A child from a Brahmin was considered as the ultimate blessing by them ! As the lower caste males were strong they had to be kept out of the way of this divine procreation drive. So innovative methods like untouchability, ‘sin at the sight of a lower caste’ etc were invented and enforced upon the lower castes. To escape manhandling from the self respecting lower caste males for molesting and raping their sisters and mothers and daughters, the fiercest weapon was invented. That was         ‘Brahma hatya papam’ or “Killing a Brahmin is like killing God” !

The lower castes had nowhere to escape. The Brahmins claimed custody and monopoly over God. Just like the Taliban claims custody of their God today. Talibans are modern day Brahmins. These custodians of God never cease to exist. They live on the fear of common people about God. They themselves do not fear God. They actually do not believe in God but only posture as God’s own chosen men to have a free life without sweat ! They are basically male chauvinists with uncontrolled sex drives who treat women as sex slaves.

To follow these scheming Brahmin priests blindly in those times only resulted in more Brahmin kids in the lap of the lower caste women and more lower caste husbands beheaded for resisting the rapists. These priests had no real work. They got their income and meals from the offerings by the others. Their only job was to loiter in the temples, hook women for the night, enjoy food, bless all and sundry and talk in Sanskrit when others are listening. None could understand what they talked among themselves. Others thought they were talking about God. So others bowed to them even when they were talking about sex. None could touch them. Not even the King. They could not be arrested, manhandled or killed for any crime as the killer would be destined to suffer in hell for ever !

This was the way of living easy life that the Brahmins invented. To keep the secret to themselves, they wanted their children to continue as themselves. Whatever the Brahmins decided had to be accepted by the rest. If someone doubted anything they were silenced by reciting some Sanskrit verses the meaning of which none could really understand ! How the Brahmin explained it was the final word.

Thus Brahmin’s children were considered as Brahmins even if they followed other professions. Similarly for other professions. Vysya children remained as Vysya even if they changed professions to (teaching) Brahmin, (soldier) Kshatriya or (farmer) Shudra. This created the casteism. Initially started to identify the profession, over the generations it became a tag of one’s parentage. The Shudra suffered the most in this bargain. As others were smarter and more aggressive than them. They became the servants and labourers of others. Their children had to follow what their parents did serving the upper castes. There was no escape. Casteism flourished benefiting the haves to have easier lives than the have-nots who had to work for the haves to survive. The haves (upper castes) started living like demi gods off the sweat of the have-nots Shudra.

Human selfishness, greed and lust thus got over the scriptures and teachings. They went into a different way of life where competition and merit were considered as above compassion and understanding. There also unfair means were deployed to keep out the deserving lower castes if any. The scriptures were reduced to just some books, albeit somewhat holy for keeping along with the deities, to be considered once the desires are satisfied and which normal people cannot follow.

But practical life changed from togetherness to division. Those who were in the similar status of wealth and education started living together. Their ways of life changed according to uncontrollable desires. Those who were not educated, engaged in sweaty jobs with paltry remuneration remained poor and therefore unhygienic. They were branded as untouchables by the better placed ones. Those who were more intelligent and smarter snatched the wealth, land and enjoyed the best things in life. They were called Upper Castes. Those who were not aggressive and did not know how to cheat became their servants. They were called lower castes.

This was a comfortable way of easy life for the upper castes. They exploited the lower castes by scaring them with stories of a scary creator who blessed only the rich and educated who knew how to worship properly but cursed the poor and weak who did not know Sanskrit language in which holy scriptures were written ! The Brahmins postured themselves as the intermediary between God and the others especially the illiterate lower castes. Any blessing from God had to be got through the Brahmins.

The Brahmins in turn used the opportunity to collect donation in way of offerings and lived a free life. The males of the weaker illiterate labourers were kept out of decent respectable life. Their women were sexually exploited. They were banned from covering their breasts so that the upper castes could enjoy the view and fondle them in public. A touch by the Brahmin was considered as blessing. Harassment and torture took over. The weaker ones just could not bear it for long. Those self respecting lower caste males who stood against their women being molested and raped were eliminated. Life became hell for the lower castes.

When other religions arrived in India such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, the oppressed Lower Caste Shudras converted en mass to other religions to escape the torture from Hindu Upper Castes.

The other religions took root in India because of the casteism perpetrated by the Brahmins and supported by upper caste Hindus. Even now the upper castes practice this. For example a  lower caste man in Tamil Nadu was forced to eat human excreta for his fault of ‘walking in the street wearing chappals’! The upper caste mentality is evident in this incident. Lower caste men get burnt and their women get raped and killed in north India.

When will these upper castes learn? When the other religions get the numbers to have their own governments in India?

The Hindu upper castes still think that the lower castes are below them. But their scriptures which sees people as siblings don’t agree with this. As the upper castes still pursue casteism because they are not confident of themselves before the other races especially the whites. Before a white man, the knees of the upper caste guys jerk and they pee in their pants.

The egoistic Brahmins and upper castes were to be bowed unto by the lower castes at his home. When they go to the white’s land, they fail to see heads bowing to them. None really bothers these characters there. They try to belittle the whites behind their backs by referring to their shamelessness in wearing airy dresses. In the beaches however they ogle at the bikini clad well exercised toned bodies of the white women and salivate.  Their own women if at all wear a bikini may make the entire beach puke because of the fat flabby massive bodies.

To overcome this feeling of inferiority complex, they need subordinates or servants at home to vent the frustration and pass the insult. The upper castes feel that at least they are better than the lower castes and try to mend their bruised ego. For this they need to keep the casteism and boss over the lower castes.

A better way to face the whites would be to develop self respect and mind own business than trying to feel better by down grading someone else. But until that develops, casteism may continue.