Comments on: Engaging issues of caste – the forbidden subject

By: jiva parthipan

jiva parthipan — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:34:00 +0000

There is no caste…
There is gotra (m), varna (m), jati, class are interchangebly used to denote caste. Whilst in truth they are separate systems which intersects at times. One needs to understand sociological pehenomena correctly. Lumping things together as ‘caste’ does disservice to critique, dissect or approve a phenomena. ‘Caste’ merely remains a polemic: purely a missionary/colonial construct which says less about ‘caste’ or for that matter HInduism but more about the missionary-colonial edifice.

jati and gotra are social constructs that got muddled up with varna, which was probably otherwise a theoretical and purely spiritual concept.

By: KSKumar

KSKumar — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 16:42:00 +0000

First, it is an informative article. We need to discuss the topic in the open as well as educate the children that we are all human beings and we need to be treated equally. This means that we need to start teaching the children from Grade 1 that all of us are the same.

Next, we also need to practice equality in our day to day life: for example, opening our doors to the so called “low caste” people, who are essentially our brothers and sisters.

Then, there is no spiritual justification for the caste system in Hinduism. The Bhagavd Gita talks about four varnas and specifically states that no one becomes a Brahmin by birth but becomes a Brahmin only by leading a dharmic life.

Therefore, it is our duty to educate the ordinary citizen that everyone is equal and also practice what we teach

By: jiva parthipan

jiva parthipan — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:58:00 +0000

Shruti can always override Smriti. The present Smriti of HIndus in India is the HIndu law of India that has nothing to do with Manus Smriti. The present Smriti is the HIndu law that was drafted by the British

By: jiva parthipan

jiva parthipan — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:54:00 +0000

Devanesan Nesaiahs article and its analysis of caste and other Indian/Sri Lankan ideas are typical of orientalist- missionary- colonial conceptions of Hinduism and far removed from reality.
Shruti – Solely of Divine origin
Vedas, Upanishads,Brahmanas,Aranyakas
Smritiis are located in time and space. Therefore each time and epoch has diffrent Smirits . Smirti is customary law. This changes in every epoch and therefore one finds many Smritis
When writing ‘laws’ the colonial establishement couldnt find a a HIndu code of law. there fore it elevated a little known Smriti which was only valued in some regions in India to make “HIndu Law.
Therefore much of Nesiahs analysis is pretty futile.
Cate is a sociological phenomenon of South Asia. Budshist, Christians, Muslims all have caste

By: esaroha

esaroha — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 07:00:00 +0000

very nice article with a lot of good information.

By: Kula Sigha

Kula Sigha — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 03:22:00 +0000

I doubt very much if “caste is observed by the overwhelming majority of Sinhalese” TODAY.