Sunday, October 9, 2022

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 59



Dear All,

This glorious journey of this vahini is coming to an end, as we are starting the last chapter of the vahini today.

 

Chapter XXIV

 

 The Divine Body

 

Fourfold division of mankind 

 

The sociological basis of Indian (Bharathiya) culture has to be clearly understood. Mankind falls into four groups, when innate nature and inclinations are considered. They are named brahmin, warrior (kshatriya), trader (vaisya), and labourer (sudra). 

 

This demarcation is not a selfish, crooked conspiracy designed to make the “superior” trample upon the “inferior”. Nor is it the consequence of an envious plot to obstruct human progress. It is best to judge it as a plan to promote the expansion of human achievement by fostering the trends and traits of each person. 

 

It is the royal road for the attainment of human progress. It works only for the promotion and regulation of human activity in such a manner that harmony and social well-being are ensured. 

 

As readers already know, the teacher of the Gita, Lord Krishna, declared, I created the four castes (varnas), the brahmin, the warrior (kshatriya), the merchant (vaisya), and the laborer (sudra), on the bases of natural disposition and vocation of each. Know Me to be author of these, as also the non-author, the Unchangeable. 

 

Chaathurvarnyam mayaa srishtam, guna karma Vibhaagasah, tasya karthaaramapi maam Viddhi akarthaaram avyayam. The system of caste is thus founded on attributes and activities. 

 

The world was in the very beginning predominantly pure (sathwic) in nature and, as a consequence, all were only brahmins. 

 

Later, through the adoption of various vocations and the development of various inclinations and preferences, types of people got demarcated as castes. 

 

The one and only brahmin class of sages (rishis) had later to be sectionalized, in the interest of social justice and harmony, when qualities of character varied.

 

In the Santhi Parva (Mahabharatha), Sage Bhrigu elaborately answered a question raised about this development by Sage Bharadwaja. 

 

It runs as follows: 

 

“Brahmins who are fond of worldly pleasures, affected by egotism, and subject to anger, lust, and other passions have passionate qualities (rajoguna) mixed with their innate pure (sathwic) nature, so they were classified as warriors (kshatriyas). 

 

In fact, all brahmins cannot be predominantly pure (sathwic) in nature, nor can all of them be devoted to pure ritual activity. 

 

Those who do not adhere to the pure (sathwic) ideal of truth and who evince the qualities of dullness (thamoguna) mixed with passionate (rajasic) traits, those who are mostly both dull (thamasic) and passionate (rajasic), were classed as merchants (vaisyas). 

 

The rest, who spend their lives in occupations involving violence, who don’t practice cleanliness, and who are bogged down in passive (thamasic) means of livelihood were classed as laborours (sudras). 

 

Thus, the brahmins denoted various castes and ensured the safety and security of human society. This is the assertion of the revealed scriptures (sruthis).” 

 

Those endowed with pure (sathwic) characteristics are brahmins. 

 

Those with passionate (rajasic) qualities and, as a result, equipped with courage and heroism, are warriors (kshatriyas), who can protect mankind from harm. 

 

Those who have neither valor nor heroism but who are proficient in persuasive talent and the tactics of commerce and eager to use these skills in proper methods are traders (vaisyas). 

 

In this class, the passionate and passive qualities (rajoguna and thamoguna) are blended. 

 

The others, who have no inclination for undergoing asceticism or acquiring scholarship, who do not practice spiritual discipline (sadhana), who have no physical stamina and mental courage necessary for battle, who do not possess the special skill needed for trade and commerce, are passive (thamasic) in nature and so engage themselves in thamasic professions. These are laborer (sudras). 

 

They fulfil themselves by their labor, through which they contribute to world prosperity and peace.

 

Continued...

 

Love.




 

 


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