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Where is the BRAHMAN?

A Guest Post by Gayatri Sankar

The concept of being a Brahmin (A Hindu Priestly Caste) is highly misinterpreted by every Hindu, even by the Brahmins themselves. It is hard to digest the fact that Brahmanism is not a caste but a CHARACTER. This character rather characteristic once induced in ones live transforms a human being completely. It teaches him certain fundamental principles of life and gives logical reasons for activities/ gestures/actions usually executed by the humans who are followers of the HINDU way of life.

People often talk about the caste system in Hinduism and ridicule it. This is because they are ignorant about the Hindu way of life. When India says, it is the Land of the Hindus; it does not mean it is land where people divide themselves in the name of caste. This man made discrimination has got nothing to do the with the pure and holy principle of Brahman. It is NOT a CASTE but a character present within every human. The way we do not get to see AIR, Brahman too is invisible. One has to feel it to understand and believe it.

I belong to a Priestly class. The reason I say this is because my Great Grand Father Shri Ayya Vadhyar was a highly learned man. He had thorough knowledge of the Vedas and the Puranas. Now when I say “Class” I do not intend to put myself into a bracket of a “Superior Class” but a class (group) which truly understands and follows the Vedas, Shashtras.

When Gandhiji named a group of people “Harijans” or “God’s people” he was only trying to give them an identity which was otherwise snatched from them by the so called Superior Priestly Class.

Here, it would not be ideal to hold either of the classes- Brahmans and Non-Brahmans responsible for the discrimination created in the Hindu Society.

The Hindu way of life does not appreciate “castism” because it does not believe in it at all. We must have read about the Hindu Social Hierarchy in our History books- Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and the Shudra. Now this simple division of the society based on the activities they perform has been highly misinterpreted. The reason this basic division was done was to segregate the Learned (Brahmans), Warriors (Kshtriya), Businessmen (Vaishyas) and the Workers/Laborers (Shudras) not to rank someone the highest or lowest but only to reach and identify them easily. This was later misinterpreted in various ways only to create disharmony among the peacefully co-existing hindus. This simple division of the society only based on their occupation was manipulated by various foreigners to ridicule our faith and raking their faiths to Superior.

Nobody by birth can be a Brahman. He becomes a Brahman by imbibing certain principles of life and thoroughly following it.

Unfortunately, the concept of Brahamnism is dying and we must revive it. Now we are having to Search for the Brahman. Let us not let a time to come where the brahman would be lost and we might have to start asking each other- ASK “WHERE IS THE BRAHMAN”. Before that day comes, let us all find the Brahman within ourselves and realize it.

I shall keep writing about the various principles of a Brahman.

Awaiting feedback from all who read it.

(This article has been written by Gayatri Sankar, an avid read of our blog. It has not been edited and the views expressed are of Gayatri. )

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