Gods, Myths, and the Machinery of Society 5
Part 5
Had the Mughals and the British did not come then instead of Shudras shifting in that direction, some other similar new religion would have come into existence by now, because this shifting towards Sikhism would have been inconsiderable because of the same strict rules, which was needed for Buddhism in the past despite Jainism, while the basic concept of both was the same.
While digging into the history of India, a question comes to mind that how did they become Dalits of today? How can such bad things be written against one of its own class in many scriptures of Hinduism? The question is obvious because there is no such disintegration in any other society in the world as is seen in our society. High and low castes are still there in the other parts but such discrimination and untouchability is not found where one of its own class is not considered as a human being.
To understand this one has to go back a long way where groups with different beliefs were flourishing under one or the other totem. From the Mediterranean Sea to Sindh, there were plains where the growth of populations took place in a different way. Whereas in America, Africa, India, East Asia, this growth took place in a different way as compared to that. The peoples of plains evolved quickly into large societies and civilizations, while the rest very slowly.
In the initial phase, they used to be small groups who could not accept other groups due to the feeling of insecurity and fighting was bound to happen ... or hunger for more land, pastures, resources in their territory used to be the reason to fight. Some clans believed in complete annihilation, some used to kill the men and include the women in their clan.
Then when there was a need to increase production capacity, instead of killing men, they were imprisoned. Later, the tradition of capturing and selling people in this way also started, in which both men and women were sold and any such person was treated like a commodity. This tradition flourished all over the world at one time or another and lasted till the nineteenth century. You can understand this system by watching Mel Gibson's Hollywood movie 'Apocalypto' based on Mayan civilization.
The white people of northern Europe were also enslaved by their own powerful people. Further the Britishers made Africa a slave country. The powerful people around the Mediterranean captured slaves from Africa and the Mongols did the same towards China. Incan and Mayans in America also did the same thing. Powerful tribes here in India did the same, in which Aryans dominated later even though this tradition had started much before them.
● Story of a mission to track and eliminate a mastermind sent to Kashmir
These conquered people were called slaves and they had no rights of any kind. They used to be mistreated similarly across the globe. To put in simple words, they were not considered human and it took thousands of years to recognise them as human and this tradition has ended in the last century. You may find it strange, but the first generosity in the case of slaves was shown by the Muslims in the seventh century, where they were considered equal human beings in Yathrib (now Madina).
This did not mean that slavery was abolished just by the Prophet standin against it, rather it continued till much later. You can see the example of empress Razia in history with her slave Yakut. It was completely eradicated in the last century even among Muslims, but since Islam not only started it and gave religious equality to them then the credit has to be given to them only. People of the slave class were tortured all over the world, but this process went on in America for the maximum and longest time.
Where this distinction was marked as the class struggle of black and white. In rest of the places, after liberation, this class got an equal place in the society, but something else happened in India which was different from everywhere else. The growing powerful states in India, in which the people of Aryan dominance or Vedic religion were the main ones, continued to conquer other castes and enslave them. Long ago, when they were established in India, then everyone used to participate in their Yagna (think of it as a parliament) and its decision was Brahma.
But later this right was confined to a particular class of people and due to the insecurity arising in view of the conquest of new territories and the danger arising from it, some of these people took up the role of soldiers. Now after these two Brahmin and Kshatriya classes were formed, the rest of the population was assigned the task to look after the food, entertainment etc for the society. They were called Vish or Vaishya. These people used to perform Yagna (not today's religious ritual but a routine prayer) before going on a mission and also after victory
Where the looted goods were distributed among themselves in the form of charity. The same thing was called Mal-e-Ghanimat in Arabic culture and this tradition was present everywhere in those times. There were three classes in the society and the slaves did not have any share... They were not even considered human beings let alone being included in the society. Here Dasas did not mean any particular caste or the forest-dwelling tribes, but they could also be from the same classes as those who had been converted to the role of slaves after losing the battle.
Whatever their identity may have been before, but once captured, they were simply slaves. Earlier, other sections of the society used to keep them together and there was nothing like untouchability. Later, due to their high population or on the basis of agriculture, mining wages, forest harvesting, or low-level work, they were separated from the main population... Later on, they were called Dalits. At that time they were given the name of Shudra, although they were not a part of the society and they were given this name just to give a separate identity to the slave class.
Perhaps untouchability also came into existence then, otherwise these people used to cook food while living with people of other class. We can deduce few things from here... whatever controversial texts you find for Shudras in Brahmin scriptures especially Manusmriti, all those were actually meant for the slave class and slavery was a common practise across the the world and not just in India. Wherever you find them being treated equally dates back to the time when they were a part of the society or did not become slaves.
Due to the disturbance in the chronology of any book, it may not appear in one order but may also look like this in a mixed form. Secondly those who are called OBCs today also came out of the same slave system that once existed outside the main three classes, who were given some rights and respect according to their work... so this Shudra Varna applies to both Dalits and OBCs. Thirdly the real meaning of the word Shudra has also been different.
When this word comes in Manusmriti, it does not mean ethnic identity but the identity of the slave class, but when Tulsidas, a contemporary poet of Akbar uses words like 'Dhol, Ganwar, Shudra, Pashu, Nari' in Ramcharit Manas then this Shudra is not for the slave class. Rather, it is for caste identity. There is often an attempt to cover-up this line but looking at the circumstances of that time and the social status of the Shudras/women, it is clearly understood that the meaning was what the Dalits extract and not the one with which peple try to cover it.
That is, the slaves of the past later became Shudras and further divided into OBCs and SCs, while many such small tribal species also existed in the forests, which remained almost unaffected during this entire period and were marked as STs in the new era. They were completely different from the society divided into four varnas and that is why even today they refrain themselves from being called as a Hindu. With this it is also clear this that because of this type of system, the same caste comes under one varna in one state and another varna in another state.
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